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Emails were recently sent from The UFO Trail to some 30 or so members of the UFO community. Recipients were asked to provide statements to be quoted and explaining what they thought would be the most constructive directions for ufology. Jack, I have a number of suggestions for researchers, but I will pick one. I think researchers should stop trying to force all UFO/alien reports into one or a few categories. I see constant reference to "the" aliens or "the greys" as if this represented a single specie or race. They speak of "the" alien agenda or purpose. Differences in descriptions are brushed aside as witness error or "screen memories." In my opinion it is entirely likely that many of those entities lumped into the "grey" category are actually from entirely different star systems. Basically, similar environments will shape the species arising there similarly. I think this concept extends to other types of beings, even perhaps those called Nordics. The truth behind these phenomena is far grander and deeper than 99% of the researchers believe. They look into the phenomenon (with biases and filtered perspective) and latch onto, or develop their own, pet theory. Then they work hard at selectively collecting and touting those pieces of evidence that fit their pet theory and then defend it aggressively while they ignore, discard, or destroy those pieces of evidence that they do not wish to deal with. We need to take the blinders off and think much bigger! There may be thousands of different types of beings interacting with humans in a variety of forms and dimensions. They may or may not use/need ships for conveyance and some may be nuts and bolts while others are totally light/energy. There may be as many different agendas as there are types of beings. Some benevolent and some not so much. What was prevalent 50 years ago may no longer be today. UFOs/ETs is not a "one answer fits all" issue. There are likely many facets and layers to the phenomenon which explains the variety of experiences and evidence by so many different people over the years. Secondly, our tools and methods of observation (collecting empirical evidence) are very inadequate for the task. The percentage of ET/UFO activity in the ranges of EM spectrum that we can observe and measure is minimal. Let's start exploring and tuning in to alternate ranges of frequencies in the known spectrum and take more seriously those that can "tune in" to the less well known areas of the energy spectra. Ross and his wife are involved in many projects, including leading crop circle tours to England. They recently embarked upon their twelfth such expedition and The UFO Trail wishes them and their fellow travelers safe and rewarding journeys. UFO research and investigation is a diverse topic dominated by a number of dedicated individuals, each specializing in his or her area of expertise. We take our work seriously and expect others to regard us with respect and consideration. Any serious researcher deserves to be treated fairly. That is not to say that we are perfect. We do, however, strive to present well researched, unbiased information based upon our meticulous research. Each of us approaches our work differently, based upon our educational backgrounds and personal interests. To name a few, UFO researchers are historians, physical scientists, social scientists, journalists, police officers, artists, and medical doctors. Others are hard working investigative volunteers from a variety of diverse backgrounds. The one thing that we all have in common is our dedication to the search for the truth. Along our journey we are likely to encounter naysayers, pseudo-skeptics, and adult bullies whose primary purpose is to present an armchair debunking analysis, often based upon false information and laced with ad hominem remarks. We’ll also encounter respectful skeptics that will nudge us in the right direction, should we overlook an important piece of evidence. Professor Ted Goertzel of the Rutgers University Sociology Department was not enthusiastic about the likelihood anything particularly constructive would arise out of ufology, simply stating, "I suggest finding a new area to investigate." "Probably a pretty solid suggestion, sir," I replied. It should nonetheless be noted in 1994 the professor published valid critical review of alien abduction research in his work, Measuring the Prevalence of False Memories: A New Interpretation of a "UFO Abduction Survey." His contributions to the genre are respected and appreciated by The UFO Trail. Leah Haley also expressed herself concisely, stating, "Ufology would be better served if more people would focus on searching for and analyzing the evidence rather than spending their time engaging in verbal battles with others and letting their emotions dictate what 'the truth' is." True enough, Leah. Frank Purcell, a retired process design engineer who graciously provides work to The 'Trail, recently expressed similar observations, stating, "When a 'rebuttal' degrades from a rational discussion to hate mongering and personal attacks, it means that there is no good counter argument to what has been presented." I think everyone will agree that more emphasis needs to be made on measurement. A few 'hot spots' around the world are equipped with cameras (e.g., Hessdalen, San Luis Valley). More UFO observatories should be built. I have no idea how the money for such things could be raised, nevertheless, these are the relatively easy problems. Much harder problems are mind sets. The current focus most enthusiasts have on UFOs is too narrow. Most people interested in UFOs take it as a given that interstellar intelligences are behind the phenomena. It's a belief based on nothing. Few interested in UFOs know anything about PSI science. (In fact most people don't consider PSI a science.) Only a few interested in 'ghosts' and paranormal phenomena have any interest in UFOs, and conversely. Each genre is shunned not only by mainstream, but mostly shunned by other fringe groups. Lastly, nothing within ufology is ever put to rest. No matter the strength of counter evidence to specific claims, myths continue to compound. Beliefs outweigh facts just as they do with religion, politics, scientism, and every other belief system humans have ever invented. Ufology needs to be treated as a science, not as just one more pointless belief system. My advice to UFOlogy is to stop wasting time chasing UFO reports both old and new. They haven't solved anything in the past 60+ years and there is no reason to believe they will solve anything in the future. The reports by themselves provide very little useful data for analysis. Most of these reports do not even contain real observational data that can be analyzed. I find this a very difficult arena to enter - from any direction actually. There are so many people who are firm believers in this phenomenon and others who are out to tear it apart by any method possible including the use of insults, rudeness, etc. tossed at others rather than sharing thoughts, feelings, and experiences - and in the process showing each other the utmost respect. The only way to find the truth is to listen, research, study, and continue on in this way until every door has been opened and the answer stares us straight in the face - no doubts, guesses, no more questions or speculation - we know beyond the shadow of a doubt what this is all about. However, if we stop searching now, and base our belief on theory alone, something is sadly missing. What happened to our great explorers who began, for instance, believing our world was flat? How many people stayed back on their shores shaking their fists, sure this adventurer would fall off the earth should he sail toward the horizon? ...there were many. Rather than urge him on and give positive reinforcement, although they feared for themselves, they reacted out of their own fear and negativity. They couldn't wish him well or God Speed. Instead they issued threats of banishment and more. Hopefully we are a better people now and have the heart, minds, and daring to wait for our explorers of the unknown to complete their voyages, returning with the truth, whatever it is, placing before us clear and real as our own existence - the final answer to this SECRET that has so disturbed our very being for many centuries. UFO and ET experiences are not self-contained, but are part of a vast web of interrelated phenomena penetrating other areas, such as the paranormal and crypto-creatures. Ufology would benefit from a deeper examination of the cross-connections and patterns involving hauntings, shadow people, Djinn, Bigfoot, fairies, angels, and mysterious creatures. Also, more consideration should be given to the interdimensional aspects of UFO and ET experiences: we may be dealing more with shape-shifting ultraterrestrials from parallel dimensions connected to earth, rather than with beings from distant worlds. UFOs present themselves as any number of a hundred diverse things. It may be one of those things (Djinn, fairies, angels,ETs, etc.) or, not. For sure it takes on many guises. Then there are the entities -- human and non -- that take advantage of that fact. Because of that we can't afford to get stuck on one theory, insisting UFOs are ... whatever. We definitely can't play UFO Police and decide who and what's valid and what isn't. We know UFOs/aliens are, the question is, what? We also can't forget the witness, which may seem obvious. But the witness is not there for us, we are there for the witness. Having formalized standards is nice but we need to be flexible and not be afraid to toss those and think of something else when it comes to exploring UFO events. Writer/researcher Kathy Kasten has delved into such topics as unidentified objects reportedly navigating the skies, state-sponsored covert use of involuntary human research subjects and alleged alien abduction, among others. Her path led her to serving on the Human Subjects Protection Committee at the University of California at Los Angeles. "In order to get at the real phenomena we will have to begin to understand just what is human perception and how it functions," Kathy explained, adding that deepening our understandings of fields such as neurology would help us gain more accurate insights into the challenges. Kathy went on to cite how individual worldviews are "shaped by neurological, physiological, psychological and sociological experiences," but don't be too quick to conclude what you think that might indicate about her perspectives. She does not by any means suggest all reports of high strangeness can be explained by such as psychological conditioning and how the brain transfers and stores information - that may only be part of the equation in some circumstances. "I am going to suggest that EARs (entities of an alternative reality) who make their appearance in our reality are able to create the energy to emerge into our worldview for a short time, do whatever they need to do to attract our attention, and then dissipate back into their separate reality. Further, I suggest it takes cooperation - whether consciously or subconsciously - between the entity and the human mind," Kathy explained in Possible Key to Understanding the Phenomena and generously provided in response to inquiries from The UFO Trail. This subject is so elusive that it's nearly impossible to formalize it like other sciences. You can't force the UFO peg into a hole of your own design. I am not a scientist, I'm ever the creative type, and I'm content ignoring anything that resembles a formalized process. There are aspects of this phenomenon that challenge everything, including my definition of reality. There are little strings all tangled up that seem to go everywhere. Life and death, expanded consciousness, mind-control, emerging mythology, channeling, mysticism, synchronicity, psychic weirdness and outright magic are all connected. Everything is on the table. You start out questioning, "What is happening?" and you very quickly need to ask, "What is God?" Too many researchers have locked themselves into confined little boxes. I've heard too many people say, "Well that's just ridiculous!" when asked about some of the outlying strangeness. When I dig into that preconceived ridiculous stuff, I find that there really is something going on there. It's complicated and slippery - but something is going on. We are all human, and we are trying to peer into something from beyond our realm. True understanding might be impossible. We need to pull off our blinders, and this ain't easy. Or, at least we need to admit that we have these blinders - all of us. I guess my point is that we need to admit that our own preconceived baggage is hindering the process of truly digging deeply into the subject. This includes me too, I have my own crappy flaws that make me just as guilty as anyone else. Everyone is gonna have different conclusions, that's just what we get. But I really believe that everyone, no matter how nutty (or how conservative), is bringing important puzzle pieces to the table. Until Ufology starts to police its own ranks it will be of no interest to the wider scientific community and, frankly, encouraging scientific/academic involvement should be a priority. Divisiveness has essentially plagued Ufology since its inception. Now, with more information readily available than ever before in history, as well as globally communicating with others never being easier, you’d expect that some common ground could be found. Yet, paradoxically it seems that the gulfs are widening within the UFO community. Indeed this is perhaps most strikingly evident in the way the phenomenon is approached and interpreted by the majority of UK Ufologists compared to those of the US. Unfortunately, the wider UFO community is so fractured & disjointed with nothing even remotely resembling a consensus on even the most basic assumptions, I fear there will never be a satisfactory resolution, and certainly not in the near future. I guess ultimately Ufologists get the Ufology they deserve. If you've read my past writing then you probably know how frustrated I am with Ufology, and how the infighting and corrosive personalities drove me away from dealing with most of the stories and discussions that surface inside of that community. However, the idea of formulating a new, future direction is a refreshing one. It's also extremely difficult, because there are so many pet theories that people who are well-entrenched in the UFO community have written about and feel the need to defend. How many times have you watched a UFO documentary and all they can come up with is the tired, old Roswell theories of Stanton Friedman - bringing him in as an "expert" as though the field of Ufology has not and cannot progress beyond the singular event of Roswell and the core theory of little green men crashing an alien disk into the sand? For Ufology to enter into mainstream consciousness as a respectable form of scientific inquiry - it needs to become more like other scientific fields of study like paleontology or epidemiology. Even though those are fields that explore either new or old "unknowns" - the researchers involved understand the process of scientific inquiry. That is: never holding firm to one rigid theory, but instead always questioning, testing, and retesting. That is the answer - everything we think we know about sightings, abductions, and other related phenomena needs to be questioned, re-examined, retested and re-validated under real scientific study. So long as Ufology continues to exist as a "hobby" for so many untrained and unscientific so-called "researchers," it will never have a chance of being accepted as a legitimate scientific inquiry by the mainstream. I honestly hold very little hope for this ever happening, unless someone finally makes a ground-breaking discovery that unsettles the very foundation of everything vanguard Ufologists have always accepted as their "truth" when it comes to UFOs. Ryan wrote, FAA Instructions to Staff on UFO Sightings Debunk Cover-Up Claims, an article summarizing verified, pertinent yet rarely discussed details of events surrounding the investigation of a high profile UFO sighting. Such details contradicted Leslie Kean's sensational description of a supposed cover-up of the sighting and continued to be selectively omitted from Kean's account even after Ryan and research partner Andy Murray specifically brought the circumstances to her attention. The UFO Trail does not slap many 'must read' items on you, but this is sincerely a piece that should be read by all who wish to more fully understand the complexities of ufology and what is actually taking place. Andy Murray was also a key player in revealing what competent investigation demonstrated to be a hoax perpetrated by a supposed whistle blower. The investigation and its findings were explained by Stephen Broadbent in his article, Ufology Exopolitics Special: Source A Exposed!. I'm very dismayed by conventional ufology. It seems to be more focused on getting attention than the actual truth. One area I'm hopeful about are the great people - online friends - that hold the famous ufologists accountable; folks I've met online that see through the charades of Kean, Hopkins and others. Ufology has benefited from a grass roots effort that refuses to allow the phenomena to be defined by mainstream fanatical ufologists. It sure has a long way to go, though. Recently I became a mod at UFO Casebook. Hopefully a balance can be struck between the folks who believe anything and the folks that believe nothing. I know there is some type of phenomenon that defies reasonable explanations - I've seen it. However, I don't believe jumping to conclusions answers any questions. I remain skeptical of claims, but a good friend once told me to "consider everything and believe nothing." Ufology needs to get away from belief, it's not a religion, but everything should be considered in the absence of any real hard proof. Learn how to use raw data, allowing in all of the reported material, not rigging the narrative by selecting out only the data that fits that investigator’s preferred narrative. Have a researcher’s work peer reviewed prior to his/her publication. It’s a tried and true method of helping to spot a fallacy or other logical weakness in a case. Try the scientific method or some kind of cross-disciplinary method. Don't work alone: work with cross-disciplinary teams, all focused together on a case that all agree is worthy of their time. Try some other way of recall, not hypnosis. It's simply potentially damaging to the subject and doesn't help the field get anywhere near those much needed National Institutes of Health dollars for grants. Keep current with the rapidly advancing field of neurobiology. Scientists have made great strides over the past decade in understanding memory and the validity of recovered memory. The field has changed greatly, while alien abduction researchers are still working on the basis of very old information. Have people's experiences heard and recorded in a neutral environment (When a new subject enters a famous UFO researcher's living room or studio, she is already being “led” by the very context of the setting). Try verifying that your case or book's main subject is fully credible. Be less credulous, and welcome in people who are open to the abduction possibility but who tend toward skepticism. They can help keep the researcher from falling into the paranormal trap of flat out embracing what seems to be real. Mainstream scientists continuously assess the state of knowledge in their fields. Part of this occurs as a consequence of the research publication process when data are evaluated and discussed. In addition to standard research papers, scientists also produce review articles and commentaries. These documents provide a synopsis of the published methods and principal results, critique the merits and weaknesses of the currently reigning hypotheses and identify gaps in existing understanding where additional research is warranted. A veritable lifetime after Roswell, the UFO enterprise appears to be in a state of near disillusionment. Many ideas explaining UFOs have been proposed - the extraterrestrial hypothesis, cryptoterrestrials, 'inter-dimensional' apparitions, etc. - what are their respective pros and cons? More important, after examining the available data and concepts, what testable predictions can be developed for each? Elimination of untenable ideas is a crucial facet of progress and can be facilitated by collecting competing concepts and comparing them. "Abductology" in particular suffers from a profound lack of perspective. By necessity, investigations are proprietary and destined for sale. Apart from rare glimpses offered by true insiders like Carol Rainey or the work of authors like Jim Schnabel* and Kevin Randle et al.,** consumers have virtually no insight into the actual methods employed by investigators or if it is valid to generalize their results. Abduction investigators have been publishing and lecturing widely for decades, but methods and conclusions vary widely and there exists no consensus as to the basic nature of the phenomena. Worse, investigators themselves have not recognized the need to establish context, ordinarily one of the first things a scientist will seek to do. Balkanized and encapsulated into the constraints of narrow narratives, abduction research has yet to reveal its own extent and boundaries. The present situation is troubling because it so strongly suggests that the explanatory storyline depends heavily on the storyteller. Abduction investigators, including two asserting they possess many thousands of experiencer letters, apparently have little incentive to glean any new insights from the literal mountain of data they already have in hand. New surveys have been launched recently. Will the information garnered by the survey directors be used to further understanding of the mystery or will a new collection of the juiciest stories be on sale soon at UFO conventions? Clearly, a new investigative model is in order. The good news is that a mechanism with the power to change everything already exists. Sites like Amazon.com and the Magonia blog have the potential to impose higher standards through the application of raw economic force. These sites provide critical reviews of books and empower consumers to weigh in with their personal evaluations or issue comments on the critiques of others. While what is on offer to consumers today is too often a pale imitation of science, readers now possess an unprecedented potential to act as effective public peer reviewers of quality. In principle, a field long accustomed to operating without meaningful quality standards may soon have them imposed from without through the insights and demands of discriminating and vocal consumers. Although the commercialization of ufology may have certain negative aspects, should enough readers accept the challenge to add value rather than just volume to discussions, the balance might shift in favor of improved product quality to meet direct market demands. *Jim Schnabel. 1994. Dark White - Aliens, Abductions and the UFO Obsession. Hamish Hamilton. ** Kevin D. Randle, Russ Estes and William P. Cone. 1999. The Abduction Enigma. Forge. I am grateful to all who contributed to this post. Your time and attention are appreciated. Thank you. As for me, I think a constructive direction for ufology would be cultivating an environment that prioritizes personal responsibility, particularly in discriminating between established facts and chosen beliefs. Taking such responsibility and expecting it of others applies across the board and is possible regardless of personal areas of interest, levels of experience and extents of involvement. I recognize fact as defined by Merriam-Webster. From my vantage point, life is mysterious enough, more than adequately wondrous and plenty full of intriguing challenges without jumping to premature conclusions. The creative process and exploration of the unknown need not be stifled by respecting accuracy. Compassion and civility are important when applicable but are not synonymous with enabling unaccountability. Reasonable debate protocol and fair fighting rules should be practiced when confronting others about misrepresenting facts or irresponsible behavior, but it should be clearly understood that an environment of personal responsibility is not only conducive to addressing fraud and ill conceived research methodology, but demands it. People are entitled to believe anything they want to believe. They are not entitled to do harm to others in the process. They are also not entitled to uncontested claims and they are not entitled to demand you support their belief systems. As long as there is a market for presenting unsubstantiated claims as facts, there will be suppliers. Stop buying and they will stop selling. The whole is the sum of its parts, as each and every one of us and our actions collectively contribute to a prevailing paradigm. We are individually responsible for the finished product. If we want change and improvement, then we must change and improve. If we want truth, we must consistently provide it while refusing to accept its substitutes. If conclusions are claimed, we are entitled to require presentation of supporting data and analysis. If others do not share our standards, we are justified in choosing not to support them and their activities. We are not only entitled to such conditions, we have personal responsibilities to provide, support and request them. You deserve more quality. Refuse to accept less. Now you know what some people and I have to say about constructive directions for ufology. What say you? In 1995, after I had researched and written articles on mind control for a national magazine, I decided to mount a campaign to petition the U.S. National Institutes of Health to intercede on behalf of human targets of what I called covert field testing of mind control technology. It involved soliciting testimonies from the public. To my surprise, some of the respondents claimed interactions with entities of an alternative reality (EARs). At the time, no one investigating the so-called Abduction Scenario was reporting an intersect between mind control and telepathic communication with EARs. However, an intersect was being claimed by mind control targets. I thought I was alone in this opinion. That is, until I heard an interview with an expert who detects electronic harassment of targeted individuals. During that interview, Roger Tolces, the expert, stated he thought telepathic contact reported by humans interacting with EARs could in fact be the result of synthetic telepathic technology. A method of electronic harassment. For the first time, I realized there were others who might hold the same opinion as myself. Leaving aside the very real possibility of electronic harassment and accepting interaction with EARs, it means the UFO research community will have to become more sophisticated in separating the signal from the noise. Meaning UFO researchers will have to deal with the possibility of contact/interaction between humans and EARs. UFO researchers are already dealing with the problem of tracking down what is open sky testing of exotic/experimental aircraft and what observers are reporting as the flight of an extraterrestrial craft. Again, separating the signal from the noise. There is quite probably real phenomena embedded in the noise. Why bring up abduction, or better yet, interactions with EARs and UFOs and humans if the claim of extraterrestrial craft flying around the skies implies something or someone is flying it? The question goes directly to the problem, the problem being that it has been over 60 years since the term UFOs, and the implication of extraterrestrials visiting the planet has never been proven definitively. There are rumors, myths, testimonies to the response that there is evidence. I have to report to having just watched a History Channel program called “Secret Access” which claimed it would provide irrefutable proof. What I saw was reenactments and flashes of pieces of paper stamped Confidential. Some talking heads being impassioned and providing their opinions. Fuzzy lights flashing between the trees in the woods. Did anyone know for sure what they were looking at; experiencing? They were all very sincere and were convinced they knew just what they were looking at. How can the witnesses be so sure? In order to get at the real phenomena we will have to begin to understand just what is human perception and how it functions. Albeit, not an easy task. To begin with, the only device recording the experience - whether light in the sky, light blinking on and off through the trees in the woods or someone claiming an entity standing in their bedroom as they emerge from a deep sleep. The reports are influenced by the observer’s worldview, the initial viewpoint of the observer/experiencer. The interview and background education of the interviewer is considered crucial to the report. However, so far the interview process has not evolved with our understanding of the human mental and psychological processes. The interview process will need to be more intensive. The usual questions that have been asked are whether the individual providing testimony has been drinking, taking drugs; whether the individual is a trained observer, i.e., police, military, etc. This type of profiling of a “witness” does not nearly cover the circumstances needed to determine the conditions and mental states influencing the observer. A new model of interviewing will need to be developed. Before discussing a model, we need to take a wild ride into the changes happening in astronomy/cosmology/neurology. One of the discoveries of research into human perception was defining what Universe is, so far as we understand it. What that means is most of the time what appears to be happening “out there” is really happening “in here.” Humans are continually projecting from “in here” to “out there.” This is important to understand and pay close attention to. It is not the way the world has been perceived. Hopefully, the following will lead to a new understanding as to how the world really works and help us strip away false notions. The first new rule: the universe does not exist in a state independent from the observer. That new rule is according to Robert Lanza, M.D., scientist and author of “Biocentrism.” This is how Dr. Lanza defines the revised worldview: “We carry space and time around us like turtles with shells. The Universe is comprised of billions of spheres of reality, a melange whose scope is breathtaking. Strikingly, anything you don’t observe directly exists only as potential - or more mathematically speaking - as a haze of probability. Nothing exists until it is observed.” Dr. Lanza goes on to state that while we are in the process of sorting out the fact that time and space don’t exist without us, our reality will feel like a bit of madness. According to Dr. Mark Robert Waldman, the madness comes from the fact the human brain generates every type of belief. Each human brain constructs its own version of reality and is biased by its experience of perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social beliefs, resulting in a limited view of reality of what actually exists “out there.” In other words, an individual worldview is shaped by neurological, physiological, psychological and sociological experiences. This is common to all humans. Both the interviewer and interviewee are influenced by their own worldview. A trained observer might do a little better with controlling what he perceives, but it depends on mood, what was previously eaten, whether the water was cleared of toxins or they brushed their teeth. Yes, it is true. Toxins affect human perceptions. Not just drugs and alcohol. The ride we are taking is going to get even wilder. Scientists and cosmologists have postulated there is a condition of universe called dark matter and dark energy. One of the searches for dark matter is taking place underground in Minnesota. The experiment is exhibiting a paradox. The experiment is called Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS). It is attempting to detect Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPS). The researchers think they found evidence of dark matter but are not sure because there may have been a signal but they couldn’t conclude if in fact it was a signal. Well, no wonder we can’t figure out whether extra normal phenomena is “real” or not, because if there are weak particles attempting to interact with our world, should we be wondering if this the method another world is emerging into ours? Other researchers are attempting to describe multilevel universes. Again, they have encountered paradoxes. The discussion of multilevel universes is too vast a subject to be covered in this article. However, when I let go of my limited worldview and begin to wander into new territory, I have to wonder if the Matrix, Zero Point, Multilevel Universes are all part of the phenomena physicists are calling dark matter and dark energy. A glimpse into Alternative Realities (ARs), as it were. I am going to suggest that EARs who make their appearance in our reality are able to create the energy to emerge into our worldview for a short time, do whatever they need to do to attract our attention, and then dissipate back into their separate reality. Further, I suggest it takes cooperation - whether consciously or subconsciously - between the entity and the human mind. At this juncture, the duration is very short and is filtered through the human mind’s perception of reality. For example, a pilot thinks he sees a craft he cannot identify. At first, just a glimpse. A flicker across neurons. Moments later, the conscious mind steps in and provides details. What those details consist of is determined by the worldview of the observer. What if we humans want to cooperate to hold the appearance for a longer duration? Or, understand how we humans precipitate the conditions under which an EAR can make its appearance? Perhaps, the answer lies in some of the protocols developed by Joseph McMoneagle based on his remote viewing experiences. The protocols describe steps that can be taken to facilitate contact with alternative realities. McMoneagle’s remote viewing protocols are supported by Raichle’s research, with one caveat. Raichle’s research has determined that the mind is never “at rest.” Instead of the protocol’s requirement that the mind be “at rest,” the mind should be unfocused, in default mode. Idling. Waiting. Ready in case something happens. Suspended between consciousness and subconsciousness. The protocol calls for an understanding of the “hard-wiring of the brain.” The very research Raichle is conducting in his laboratory. During the DMN state, if there is a flicker of something across the neurons - at the subconscious level -, it is recorded and stored for later interpretation by the conscious mind. Micro seconds later, the conscious mind/the ego will attempt to ascribe meaning - using the observer’s worldview. The ascribing of meaning by the ego should be discouraged by the observer. Only the flicker of whatever is attempting to manifest should be encouraged. According to McMoneagle, the ego only muddies the event. We now come to the hard part. Creating, or understanding, the language the subconscious mind uses to communicate with the conscious mind. It would take an entire book to provide specifics and methods to document the research now being developed to understand how we humans function in our physical reality and who we really are. What does this mean for a completely new approach to solving the UFO phenomenon? First, I am proposing that the human personality, worldview and physiology is influencing what the “witness” is experiencing. That goes for all involved: The witness. The interviewer. Anyone with an opinion related to the experience. Even if it is reported as a “light in the sky.” One side note: alcohol is not the only thing ingested that can cause temporary hallucinating or delirium and cause a subjective experience. First of all, most individuals are in and out of a hallucinatory state during their entire lifetime. The state is called awake hallucinating. One of the causes is bromides. Bromides are in many different consumer products. It builds up in the human body over time and eventually may inhibit iodine enzyme metabolism. Where do these bromides come from? They come from food, especially bread, drinking water, toothpaste, mouthwash, flame-retardants, hair dye and other sources. All these chemicals will need to be part of testing to determine whether the witness was induced into a possible hallucinatory state and caused the witness to experience something out of the ordinary. Plus, the usual other factors now included in ruling out what is to be included in a report of a sighting. Experiencing an awake hallucination should not mean that the event that took place is not “real” (meaning taking place in the agreed upon reality), but real in the alternative state sense of the word. Alternative states may be where the events start and then emerge into our agreed upon reality. For the time being we will have to be satisfied with glimpses of our own and alternative realities. What we will have to do is to take responsibility for how our minds react to the glimpses. Dubbed America's most haunted hotel, the Crescent sits a couple thousand feet above sea level in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The bottom line is I spent a night at the hotel and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Two enthusiastic thumbs up. My visit was both interesting and fun, and I would eagerly go again. A more detailed description follows. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. I was already in town at the time – mid-April – for the Ozark UFO Conference. I did some Internet searches for things of interest around Eureka Springs, and came across the Crescent. All the locals I asked highly recommended it and I now see why. I stopped by the place to have a look and find out some things the day before I ended up actually checking in. A female employee, Dani, patiently and competently answered my many questions. The Crescent is more than just a hotel with spirits wandering hither and yon, but also offers spa services which are popular in the area due to healing powers believed to flow through the many local springs. Dining options, ghost tours and performance art are also offered. I therefore asked Dani several questions and came to feel qualified to make an informed decision about what worked best for me. I confidently reserved a room for the following night consisting of various amenities and a ticket for an evening ghost tour. The next day when the UFO conference wound up I moved camp to the Crescent Hotel. Eureka Springs is a very old and small town with many, many stories. The Crescent Hotel alone dates back to 1886. The town has somewhat of an appearance of a movie set out of an old western, creating the feeling that most any moment one might hear the clicking and clacking of horses approaching. The town also has a large tourist draw and a historic district in which I found myself often wondering what the walls would say if they indeed could talk. It might help the reader more accurately envision the overall mood one might have when visiting the Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs and the vicinity to understand a couple things about the area. The geographic features, for instance, are more than noteworthy in and of themselves. Actually, it becomes increasingly apparent that no one hanging out is overly concerned with the fact the Ozark Mountains are not conducive to supporting human life. Homes, inns, retail shops and everything else are constructed on sides of cliffs. Stilts hold such structures in place and are the only things between you and a several-hundred-foot drop. The stilts, structures, cliff sides and overly pronounced angles not present in traditional architecture create an effect strikingly reminiscent of illustrations from Dr. Seuss. Roller coaster-like roads originally forged by horse and wagon wind all through the area and, all kidding aside, frequently have no shoulder whatsoever – just the road, you, the cliff and your flipping gut. Sidewalks are sometimes constructed in which on one side is the street, and on the other side is, well, I am not sure exactly what because I was not crazy enough to lurk up close enough to peek over the edge and see. Suffice it to say whatever it was, it was a helluva long way down and I wanted nothing to do with it. Birds and insects, yes, they should thrive in the Ozarks. People, no, at least not unless you are some kind of person that can defy gravity and walk vertically on icy jagged rocks jutting thousands of feet into the air. Some of the many ghosts said to be haunting the Crescent Hotel were individuals who fell to their deaths. 'Magine that. So, you may ask, how did the Crescent come to be called America's most haunted hotel? At least part of the answer seems due to a rather amazing turn of events that went down when an investigation was conducted by The Atlantic Paranormal Society, which those familiar with the ghost genre will quickly recognize as TAPS. TAPS investigators were operating a thermal imaging camera in the former morgue of the hotel (What the hell is a morgue doing in a hotel, you want to know? More on that later, 'cause it is indeed an interesting story!). While poking around the old morgue located in the creepy basement, investigators recorded a stunning human silhouette, assuming, of course, all is as it appears. After the TAPS investigation hit television and the 'net, Dani and her coworkers got lots of experience booking reservations and registering guests. Like something right out of an episode of Scooby Doo, the popularity of the Crescent Hotel skyrocketed following the TAPS incident and the apparent anomaly. There are many more interesting tales contained in the 126-year history of the hotel, which is what TAPS was doing on site in the first place. Let's explore some of that history. Most of the following I learned while taking the ghost tour, which wound from the top of the hotel all the way down into the windy night air of the front yard and finally into the dark and isolated basement housing the former morgue. Far and away the most intriguing story to emerge from the shadowy corners of the ol' Crescent is that of Norman Baker. This tale is simply wild, people, with or without the undead. Baker was incarnated upon the planet in 1882. Flamboyant and colorful by all accounts, he amassed millions of dollars during the early 20th century via such entrepreneurial ventures as performing as a talented magician, inventing and selling variations of musical instruments, and hosting a radio show in which he denounced big business while declaring himself a champion for the common man - true or not. Baker apparently became fascinated with the large amounts of money that could be made by medical doctors in relatively brief periods of time. This led him to taking up trying to cure cancer - without so much as a single day of medical training. By 1937 he had purchased the Crescent, a seemingly perfectly isolated spot for attracting the wealthy ill while eluding his ever increasing number of enemies and political foes. While continuing to verbally attack the establishment (Baker was prone to calling the American Medical Association the American Meatcutters Association, for example), he claimed to hold no false pretenses of being a medical doctor, although he had been convicted in Iowa of practicing medicine without a license. He contended wealthy cancer victims were entirely free to choose whether or not to employ his alleged services. Norman Baker sold hope to the terminally ill, by any other name and at very expensive costs. Some estimate he raked in as much as half a million dollars per year via his supposed elixir mail order business and hosting wealthy cancer victims at the luxury hotel. It seems at some point he may have actually believed he could accomplish something or other of possible medicinal value, as he led his human research subjects through increasingly strange and painful procedures, such as injecting their cancers with various concoctions. The elixirs and mixtures were apparently nothing more than fruit juices and vitamins, but Baker seems to have become rather obsessed with such activities - and this is where the morgue comes in. Baker built a morgue in the basement. He froze and stored the deceased, sometimes dismembering them and apparently studying their cancers, saving corpses for months in possible hopes of learning to improve upon his failed treatments. According to Thomas, a tour guide, the cooler at one point held some 28 total bodies (creepy, huh?). However historians might describe it, the fact of the matter is Norman Baker effectively persuaded people not only to allow him to do with them as he chose, but paid him to do it, whatever his ultimate motives may have been. For those wondering, Baker indeed angered enough people in positions of authority that he eventually ran out of places to conduct his bizarre affairs. He vacated the Crescent by 1940. The powers that be put Norman Baker in prison for sending unsubstantiated claims via the US mail; he went down for mail fraud. Perhaps it is fitting that some of the loved ones of the deceased testified at the trial. Additional history surrounding the Crescent includes the death of a young lady that occurred during the hotel's incarnation as the Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women from 1908 to 1924. It seems a woman fell, jumped or was thrown to her death from a room within the hotel. Stories abound and surround the incident, including tales of star crossed lovers. Several hotel visitors have claimed to see an apparition of a young woman floating alongside the hotel, and I think I would promptly fall over undead as an undoornail if any such apparition were to sashay past the window of my room. Some of the more interesting of the many tales include 'the woman searching for her room key.' This woman is consistently reported in the vicinity of the same room, often seeming to need assistance entering the room. Not only does she seem to be confused about whether she is coming or going, but those who rent her room - I mean, uh, the room - claim their belongings get moved around, as if they are being urged to leave. Certain rooms with such histories are naturally more popular than other rooms, being booked for weeks or even months in advance. Thomas explained how the crew from TAPS used the room of the woman searching for her key, and they swore on one occasion they returned to the room to find that some of their belongings, including a laptop case, had been moved and placed by the door. Another of the more popular rooms involves the story of a man who fell and died during construction of the building. The ghost of this man is said to have quite a fondness for the ladies. Women who stay in the room beside the spot where he is said to have fell to his death report phenomena ranging from hearing their names whispered to having the shower curtain inexplicably fly open (talk about falling over undead). As you might imagine, a lot of crap has hit the fan in a hotel that has stood for some 126 years. There is much history and it is ever increasing with each passing guest. Visit the hotel's website to learn more, view ghost photos and view videos of interest. I was most impressed with the ghost tour, as Thomas not only filled the tour with intriguing information, but it was indeed interesting to view the old structure from top to bottom. I highly recommend visiting the Crescent and taking the tour. I found my fellow tour-takers to be fun and friendly. The folks I met at the Crescent were rather upbeat and enjoyed joking about the subject matter while taking it seriously enough to be respectful. It was entertaining with a certain camaraderie. I retired to my room for the night and slept as soundly as I could recall in recent memory. I seemed to sleep straight through the night and felt fully refreshed when I woke. A friend back in my home state of Florida asked if I might attribute my restful night to the mountain air, having by that time had a few days to work its magic. "I'm sure the mountain air didn't hurt," I replied, "but mostly I think I just felt a lot safer around a bunch of ghosts than I felt around some of the people at the UFO convention." The next morning I sat in the large dining room enjoying an absolutely outstanding breakfast buffet. The meal centered around vegetable quiche with choices of meats, cereals, breads and beverages. It was truly a treat. After my fill of sausage and eggs, I sipped coffee, people watching and wondering about their stories. Where were they from? Were they interested in ghosts? What were they doing here? Notes from Tennessee Waltz rang true throughout the hardwood floor dining room and lingered down the adjacent hall past the former office of Norman Baker. The old, old trees outside the large windows swayed slowly in the morning breeze, their shadows dancing both inside and outside the over-sized room. I found myself wondering what an extended stay might cost. I found myself contemplating various entrepreneurial ventures one might undertake in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Sitting there in the 1886 Crescent Hotel, I realized my thoughts had changed a great deal since first arriving in the area just a few days earlier. Concerns first stowing away from Florida now seemed lifetimes away. As the 'Waltz played on and the shadows continued their endless dance, I indeed felt as I confidently suspect thousands before me had felt when sitting atop that mountain at that hotel: as if they could stay right there, just like they were, indefinitely. It seemed not only possible but almost palpable. In that moment, it was not difficult at all for me to suspend judgment on the notion that some people might become overly attached to a place... or a person... or a fight, and could simply refuse to detach and leave. For a moment there it felt so very inviting to just... stay... as I suspect it may have felt for many before me. I ordered a coffee to go. As Jake told Roland in the imagination of Stephen King, "Go then, there are other worlds than these."

2019-04-24T08:26:01Z

http://ufotrail.blogspot.com/2012/06/

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In only a few times in the face of single singled out inside his Arsenal, although Owen has good performance, but also it's hard an extra chance for a knight. Total play, scored 28 points 6 rebounds and 10 assists inside the Treasury, 6 of 11 three-point kevin durant shoes pictures. 24 points and 3 rebounds, two assists, Owen has scored 17 points from the first half, he scored seven points inside the second half. Facing the big four from the mighty, and only Erika Owen in one-on-one gain garage have chances, but today's garage to do better. Throw three points isn't the whole garage everyday work, and don't forget, Stephen curry is the actual team in assists and steals, he averaged 6. 7 assists from the regular season, 14 inside league and the playoffs stephen curry shoes is usually averaging 9. 3 assists because league the first! 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From a brought the first curry shoes ball, a garage at the particular match: each other spelled out a perfect diamond entry, teammate Steve Blake flew to visit up, left the clippers safeguard darren collison (microblogging) the gap between two steps behind their closely, Danny granger is the only defender in pull. This is the storage superior court intuition and knowning that embodies: his shot selection. He seems to fully grasp the defensive player with the ideas, can predict their next move, then strike before hand. "When other people tend to be doing gesture, garage inside judgment, and the sport, this is Stephen is the better place, in this respect the league may be first rate. Find field space, know the spot that the defense space will arise, it is the key from the art of his images. Because no matter just how good your shots, a lot more exquisite technology, no room is useless. "ESPN's Brian thorpe, once wrote with his article. Garage thoroughly stephen curry shoes observing the defense, he have reason to be so cautious. Before this, the warriors have have missed 12 goals in 13 shots in the past, is now 33 to be able to 37 behind the clippers, disturbed because of the right leg muscle anxiety of garage after just one of 4. For garage himself, this ball is critical: before a season, he hit accurate documentation in NBA history with 272 grains of several points, if again set up three points today, his three points shock as to hit number will surpass 200 mark. So that library will end up the sixth in a row has a minimum of two season hit 190 grains of three gamers, at the same time, still can have three points to continuous hit game streak still 54 games - it'll be the warriors team record record. "I like everything kd shoes related to the shooting, " garage once said within an interview, "but with the maximum especially in perfect side posture. When your body's in good rhythm, from standing in the feet in the grass, his hands to complete a trial, all series of joint actions is going to be calm and smooth, similar to waves. It's a amazing feeling. ". Throw three points is not the whole garage every day work, and don't forget, Stephen curry is this team in assists as well as steals, he averaged 6. 7 assists from the regular season, 14 from the league and the playoffs stephen curry shoes is usually averaging 9. 3 assists as the league the first! Let's imagine images, 40 minutes per game within the Treasury, attack launched a large number of times, there are always many ball he wasn't from the outside, but the basketball inside, attracted a increase... What will happen and then? 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So the outline, the image associated with an alternative 3-pointers hand lower the garage outline: he not just completed the sharpshooter background, his teammates for the creation of free-throw prospects into; He will also look for opportunities while doing so, through the ball discovery, stopped for no assists 3-pointer of shots. Also, he also can pass assists, "create" another pitcher - clay - Thompson! Not merely can catch vote, will urgent stopped, can generate more opportunities to others, this star, unique! Now i am kd shoes afraid, just use "striker" two words are actually unable to define Stephen curry, should be in with a "great" rhetoric. Knight's strategy clearly, today is to be able to cling to garage, don't give him any probability, and Kevin durant is always one-on-one with defense. But garage or under heavy defensive seek out opportunities, such as face stephen curry shoes low, he mobilized, operate the other fear his outside ability garage easily have scored two points. The last 80 seconds from the first half, durant overlooked shots from outside, the particular basket three players usually are knights, including Thompson, lebron, as a result, the Treasury rushed into your basket from the lengthy position, unexpectedly the offensive rebounds in the knight encirclement! Then he points ball durant, who finished scores! And the 2nd half, knight to defensive strategy looks like it's shaken, they don't have a lot of double again, help, perhaps surprisingly, JR in 1 upon 1 against Arsenal, and directly put your garage was pushed to the ground. Sure enough, this knight defensive shaken curry shoes following scoring started rising in his Arsenal, outside his 3-pointer by continuous, at that time he was given the ability to just like Kevin durant got chance from the first half. After three points inside database is still hit, he this section one bomb beneath 14 points. Today is actually June 1, the time kevin durant shoes will be the international children's day, it seems in the "primary school" is just about the holiday today. Small garage finish I rested a lot of the holiday to battle, they are still the contribution for the brilliant stroke, but likewise pass a 3-pointer through Kevin durant. The previous 3 minutes, garage off in advance of schedule, because the online game had no suspense. Throw three points just isn't the whole garage everyday work, and don't forget about, Stephen curry is the actual team in assists in addition to steals, he averaged 6. 7 assists in the regular season, 14 inside the league and the playoffs stephen curry shoes will be averaging 9. 3 assists since the league the first! Let's imagine an image, 40 minutes per game within the Treasury, attack launched a large number of times, there are always a number of ball he wasn't inside the outside, but the golf ball inside, attracted a dual... What will happen and then? There was a man they can tell you the remedy, curry shoes he called clay : Thompson, from the gold state warriors, he made this season 211 3-pointers, finished third in the league, and that 211 3-pointers, 68 is derived from the assists of Stephen curry. 12-13 time to contrast the garage and ray Allen inside '05 -' 06 - Allen into 269 3-pointers, and he could be the Seattle supersonics. Which year, Allen's 269 connected with 653 three-point shots, chance 41. 2%, as Stephen : 272 of 600 images in his Arsenal, up to 45. 3%; That calendar year, Alan ball attack build 3 ratio is lower than a quarter, compared along with 38. 6% in data source; That year, Allen's assists the phone number 3. 7, less versus Treasury for three helps. So the outline, the image of the alternative 3-pointers hand down the garage outline: he not only completed the sharpshooter qualifications, his teammates for his or her creation of free-throw options into; He will also look for opportunities concurrently, through the ball breakthrough, stopped for no helps 3-pointer of shots. Moreover, he also can complete assists, "create" another pitcher - clay - Thompson! Not simply can catch vote, will likely urgent stopped, can develop more opportunities to other folks, this star, unique! I am kd shoes afraid, just use "striker" two words have been unable to define Stephen curry, should be in with a new "great" rhetoric. Knight's approach clearly, today is to be able to cling to garage, tend not to give him any opportunity, and Kevin durant is always one-to-one with defense. But garage or under heavy defensive look for opportunities, such as experience stephen curry shoes low, he mobilized, use the other fear his border ability garage easily have scored two points. The last 80 seconds inside the first half, durant skipped shots from outside, this basket three players are generally knights, including Thompson, lebron, consequently, the Treasury rushed in to the basket from the very long position, unexpectedly the offensive rebounds inside knight encirclement! Then he / she points ball durant, exactly who finished scores! 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People don't believe I can play shield, then said I am an excellent pure point guard, until October of this past year, I also found that this general manager of funny to my opinion as the league third good shooting guard. I've got not yet fully participate in their full potential, and so i set a higher common to himself, committed to continuously improve to get more outstanding. " "We've never met a person with curry shoes him so great shooting everywhere, " warriors coach tag Jackson said, "and throw, stop and go empty-handed, capture hand, step back, lower leg, in the face involving two double forced to......, any thought of capturing mode, you can see he could be astonishingly. We have certainly not seen anyone can get to this level, his Steve Nash (microblogging) played a high level, the two-time MVP prize, shooting is incredible, but it is usually a level. And their other like reggie cooper, Chris mullin, such as dell and I performed together - Ellis, dell : Arsenal, they are just about all fantastic striker, but these people didn't garage so extensive, this guy is no limit. " Garage beneath the stephen curry shoes second dribbling is toward the start the left side on the body without any slowdown, his / her footsteps choiceness and rapid, soon arrived at the position you wish to go. Unlike most pitcher like the center of gravity down, then struggled to jump to perform, the garage action a lot more concise. Don't waste any wedding ceremony, just jump off the soil, slightly triggered his firing action instantly. "He is not only essentially the most pure great scorer, he even gave shot two words for making the definition, the entire shooting art played a new revolutionary role. "The bobcats brain scout work Adam - Mr Libby said Treasury. Counter-top frames in 6 min's and 31 seconds, garage from his chest muscles slightly next point position held up the ball, the index finger as well as middle finger instinct to locate gaps in the silicone ball center. His wrist gently lifted back, eventually left his palm the baseball, but still control in between his fingers. His right arm into every one of the joints is close in order to 90 degree Angle, from your shoulder to the shoulder, from the elbow towards wrist, from wrist to consider, as if a bistro waiter in carrying the tray. Glen Davis clippers, 289 - pound ahead, curry shoes need to speed up their action from the Treasury, since the childhood to lay a great foundation for complete to garage in different state, the right arm and shooting can keep perfect posture and power. And in addition to perfect hand movements, garage features a precise shot needed another factor: enough deep muscles memory. Shooting touch is not a proper adjective, a single player, able to throw a great shooting there is nevertheless one secret to all - 7 days a week, year after year process, until a set associated with complex dynamic chain implanted into parts of your muscles. Garage never resist like monks meditate boring train, it also helped any time he graduated from secondary school, eventually grow into another leading little-known Davidson school NCAA elite last seven. "Game changing, there is no time to kd shoes you feel about your own shooting action is correct, " curry claimed, "you can only count on their daily at working out ground building muscle memory space, hit and believe that people can. We're so a lot of practice in training, in order to the game, you can count on instinct to react. But if it is not in the correct way, the game will think very strange. ". 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We take novak to your comparison, everything also - reference counted for individuals each a 3-pointer facilitates objects, and to occasion, after statistics, novak found in 2010 hit 3-pointers, 149, 146 is often a teammate's pass and strike; Three-point shots hit the 2nd more this season Ryan - Anderson is not any exception, he hit curry shoes inside 213, has 206 depends on your friend's passing. The garage He every one of the 3-pointer this season, you can find 105 of 3 seriously isn't sending (272), quite simply, is to create chances, nasty sto vote. This trick in the team's star, such since flow of harden, vladimir radmanovic, kobe Bryant, Paul, but often because a person errs, physical strength usage, to the number of that time period few, and the hit ratio is not high. 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So the outline, the image of the alternative 3-pointers hand lower the garage outline: he not merely completed the sharpshooter track record, his teammates for his / her creation of free-throw options into; He will also look for opportunities concurrently, through the ball discovery, stopped for no allows 3-pointer of shots. In addition, he also can cross assists, "create" another pitcher - clay - Thompson! Not only can catch vote, will also urgent stopped, can develop more opportunities to some others, this star, unique! Now i am kd shoes afraid, just use "striker" two words are already unable to define Stephen curry, must also be in with a "great" rhetoric. Like a core point guard, garage along with three split the difference is that they is the team sponsor and organizer. In additional words, he can't become novak on the perimeter around anticipating kd shoes someone else to supply him the ball. We take novak to your comparison, everything also - reference counted for individuals each a 3-pointer aids objects, and to period, after statistics, novak found shock as to hit 3-pointers, 149, 146 is a teammate's pass and attack; Three-point shots hit the second more this season Ryan - Anderson is no exception, he hit curry shoes within 213, has 206 relies on your friend's passing. The garage He each of the 3-pointer this season, you will find 105 of 3 isn't sending (272), in other words, is to create options, nasty sto vote. This trick inside team's star, such as flow of harden, vladimir radmanovic, kobe Bryant, Paul, but often because somebody errs, physical strength consumption, to the number of times few, and the hit ratio isn't high. 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We have by no means seen anyone can reach this level, his Steve Nash (microblogging) played an increased level, the two-time MVP prize, shooting is incredible, but additionally it is a level. And the other like reggie miller, Chris mullin, such since dell and I performed together - Ellis, dell : Arsenal, they are most fantastic striker, but many people didn't garage so detailed, this guy is simply no limit. " "I got helpful to my evaluation, " curry recalled,kd shoes "people said I had been too short, don't perform college basketball, then for that same reason that I am unable to play in the NBA. People don't even think I can play safeguard, then said I am not only a pure point guard, until October of recently, I also found the general manager of funny in my opinion as the league third good shooting guard. I've got not yet fully engage in their full potential, i really set a higher typical to himself, committed to continuously improve for being more outstanding. " "We've never met having it . curry shoes him so great shooting everywhere, " warriors coach level Jackson said, "and spin, stop and go empty-handed, get hand, step back, lower leg, in the face involving two double forced in order to......, any thought of firing mode, you can see he or she is astonishingly. We have by no means seen anyone can achieve this level, his Steve Nash (microblogging) played a top level, the two-time MVP give, shooting is incredible, but it's also a level. And his other like reggie burns, Chris mullin, such seeing that dell and I enjoyed together - Ellis, dell -- Arsenal, they are many fantastic striker, but many people didn't garage so complete, this guy is absolutely no limit. 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Garage meticulously stephen curry shoes observing the defense, he likewise have reason to be consequently cautious. Before this, the warriors have have missed 12 goals in 13 shots in the past, is now 33 for you to 37 behind the clippers, disturbed because of the right leg muscle stress of garage after only one of 4. For car port himself, this ball is vital: before a season, he hit an increasing in NBA history together with 272 grains of a few points, if again recognized three points today, his three points shock as to hit number will surpass 200 mark. So that library can become the sixth in a row has a minimum of two season hit 250 grains of three avid gamers, at the same moment, still can have a few points to continuous hit game streak keep 54 games - it'll be the warriors team background record. "I like everything kevin durant shoes linked to the shooting, " garage once said within an interview, "but with the most especially in perfect palm posture. When your body is in good rhythm, from standing in the feet on the floor, his hands to complete an attempt, all series of joint actions will be calm and smooth, just like waves. It's a fantastic feeling. ". Half-court complete,stephen curry shoes the garage 12 items and 4 rebounds 6 helps, Owen 17 rebounds, 2 assists 1 provides the upper hand slightly. But as knight defeat in the second half, even his / her one-on-one hit his items. In this series, OuWenBen should have certain advantages in counterpoint, like the finals last year, for the reason that season of Christmas conflicts, with their strong private fortunes turned. But today the warriors of the changes, let knights staggered, also let like one-on-one hit Owen curry shoes to get the rhythm. Actually, today quite often was clay - Thompson Master Owen, although Owen hit a dead facing him, but clay height reach or to some extent, limits the Owen's strike. In only a few times in the face of single singled out in his Arsenal, although Owen has good performance, but also it's hard another for a knight. Full play, scored 28 points 6 rebounds and 10 assists within the Treasury, 6 of 11 three-point kevin durant shoes pictures. 24 points and 3 rebounds, 2 assists, Owen has scored 17 points inside the first half, he scored seven points within the second half. Facing the big four of the mighty, and only Michael Owen in one-on-one earn garage have chances, but today's garage to complete better. As being a core point guard, garage and other three split the difference is that they is the team sponsor and organizer. In various other words, he can't be like novak on the perimeter around expecting kd shoes someone else to offer him the ball. We take novak to some comparison, everything also - reference counted for us each a 3-pointer assists objects, and to moment, after statistics, novak found there is much surprise hit 3-pointers, 149, 146 is really a teammate's pass and hit; Three-point shots hit the other more this season Ryan - Anderson is not any exception, he hit curry shoes inside 213, has 206 will depend on your friend's passing. The garage He every one of the 3-pointer this season, you will find 105 of 3 is just not sending (272), put simply, is to create chances, nasty sto vote. This trick from the team's star, such since flow of harden, vladimir radmanovic, kobe Bryant, John, but often because someone errs, physical strength usage, to the number of that time period few, and the hit ratio isn't high. But obviously is definitely an exception in the Treasury, his three-point shot 105 times is just not assists quantity highest throughout alliance,stephen curry shoes even better as compared to lebron James thrown in more all 3-pointers, as well as the shooting is in a league all five this kind of not assists free-throw shooting players on the fifth (41. 8%), each quality and quantity. Obtained together, the three points in order to thrown into space is just not an easy thing, will need to have the forty percent three-point shots must create his own photos, this how tired! Probably the most precious is, no make a difference when and where, and steps to make moves, garage has a superior percentage. It is no wonder the manager of the a warrior when Bob myers not long ago told the Associated Mass media said: "as long as it's garage, to receive the ball is reasonable. inch. From brought the first curry shoes ball, a garage at the particular match: each other outlined a perfect diamond entrance, teammate Steve Blake flew to check out up, left the clippers guard darren collison (microblogging) the space between two steps at the rear of their closely, Danny granger will be the only defender in pull. This is the garage superior court intuition and and the embodies: his shot assortment. He seems to understand the defensive player in the ideas, can predict the next move, then strike beforehand. "When other people tend to be doing gesture, garage throughout judgment, and the video game, this is Stephen is the best place, in this respect the league may be second to none. Find field space, know in which the defense space will happen, it is the key of the art of his photographs. Because no matter the way good your shots, a lot more exquisite technology, no place is useless. "ESPN's David thorpe, once wrote within his article. Garage with great care stephen curry shoes observing the defense, he also provide reason to be therefore cautious. Before this, the warriors have skipped 12 goals in 13 shots before, is now 33 to be able to 37 behind the clippers, disturbed through the right leg muscle anxiety of garage after only one of 4. For storage area himself, this ball is important: before a season, he hit an increasing in NBA history using 272 grains of 3 points, if again founded three points today, his three points there is much surprise hit number will go beyond 200 mark. So that library can be the sixth in a row has at the very least two season hit 200 grains of three players, at the same occasion, still can have 3 points to continuous hit game streak keep 54 games - it will likely be the warriors team historical past record. "I like everything kevin durant shoes in connection with the shooting, " garage once said in an interview, "but with the maximum especially in perfect hand posture. When your person is in good rhythm, from standing in the feet on the floor, his hands to complete an effort, all series of joint actions is going to be calm and smooth, including waves. It's a superb feeling. ". Garage within the stephen curry shoes second dribbling is toward the turn on the left side on the body without any slowdown, his / her footsteps choiceness and quick, soon arrived at the position you would like to go. Unlike most pitcher like the biggest market of gravity down, then struggled to jump to perform, the garage action a lot more concise. Don't waste any time and energy, just jump off the ground, slightly triggered his filming action instantly. "He is not only the most pure great scorer, he even gave shot two words to generate the definition, the total shooting art played a new revolutionary role. "The bobcats scalp scout work Adam : Mr Libby said Treasury. Table frames in 6 a few minutes and 31 seconds, garage from his chest muscles slightly next point position held up the ball, the index finger and also middle finger instinct to uncover gaps in the rubberized ball center. His wrist gently lifted back, left his palm the basketball, but still control concerning his fingers. His right arm into each of the joints is close to 90 degree Angle, from the shoulder to the shoulder, from the elbow to the wrist, from wrist to refer to, as if a cafe waiter in carrying a new tray. Glen Davis clippers, 289 - pound ahead, curry shoes need to speed up their action from the Treasury, since the childhood to lay an excellent foundation for complete to garage in any state, the right arm and shooting is able to keep perfect posture and durability. And in addition to master hand movements, garage features a precise shot needed yet another factor: enough deep muscle tissue memory. Shooting touch is just not a proper adjective, a single player, able to throw a great shooting there is although one secret to all - month after month, year after year practice, until a set associated with complex dynamic chain implanted into your muscle mass. Garage never resist for instance monks meditate boring process, it also helped whenever he graduated from high school, eventually grow into another leading little-known Davidson school NCAA elite last nine. "Game changing, there is no time to kevin durant shoes you see your own shooting steps is correct, " curry stated, "you can only depend on their daily at the education ground building muscle memory, hit and believe that individuals can. We're so plenty of practice in training, in order to the game, you can count on instinct to react. But if it is not correctly, the game will experience very strange. ". Garage beneath stephen curry shoes second dribbling is toward the start the left side on the body without any slowdown, the footsteps choiceness and quickly, soon arrived at the position you wish to go. Unlike most pitcher like the biggest market of gravity down, then struggled to jump to finish, the garage action more concise. Don't waste any hard work, just jump off the floor, slightly triggered his shooting action instantly. "He is not only probably the most pure great scorer, he even gave shot two words to generate the definition, the entire shooting art played a revolutionary role. "The bobcats head scout work Adam - Mr Libby said Treasury. Countertop frames in 6 units and 31 seconds, garage from his chest muscles slightly next point position held up the ball, the index finger in addition to middle finger instinct to get gaps in the silicone ball center. His hand gently lifted back, remaining his palm the soccer ball, but still control involving his fingers. His right arm into all the joints is close to be able to 90 degree Angle, through the shoulder to the shoulder, from the elbow to the wrist, from wrist to talk about, as if a bistro waiter in carrying any tray. Glen Davis clippers, 289 - pound in-front, curry shoes need to speed up their action in the Treasury, since the childhood to lay a solid foundation for complete to garage in a state, the right arm and shooting can continue perfect posture and toughness. And in addition to master hand movements, garage incorporates a precise shot needed a different factor: enough deep muscle memory. Shooting touch just isn't a proper adjective, any one player, able to throw a fantastic shooting there is yet one secret to all - day after day, year after year training, until a set associated with complex dynamic chain implanted into your muscles. Garage never resist including monks meditate boring training, it also helped whenever he graduated from secondary school, eventually grow into a separate leading little-known Davidson school NCAA elite last nine. "Game changing, there is no time to kd shoes you see your own shooting activity is correct, " curry stated, "you can only depend upon their daily at the education ground building muscle recollection, hit and believe that people can. We're so a lot of practice in training, so as to the game, you can rely on instinct to react. But if it is not correctly, the game will feel very strange. ". Half-court concluded,stephen curry shoes the garage 12 things and 4 rebounds 6 assists, Owen 17 rebounds, 2 assists 1 contains the upper hand slightly. But as knight defeat from the second half, even their one-on-one hit his points. In this series, OuWenBen should have certain advantages in counterpoint, much like the finals last year, for the reason that season of Christmas conflicts, with their strong personalized fortunes turned. But today the warriors of the changes, let knights staggered, also let like one-on-one hit Owen curry shoes to find the rhythm. Actually, today most likely was clay - Thompson The almighty Owen, although Owen hit a dead in front of him, but clay height reach or to a certain extent, limits the Owen's strike. In only a few times when confronted with single singled out inside his Arsenal, although Owen has good performance, but also it's hard to come back for a knight. Complete play, scored 28 points 6 rebounds and 10 assists inside the Treasury, 6 of 11 three-point kd shoes shots. 24 points and 3 rebounds, a couple of assists, Owen has scored 17 points from the first half, he scored seven points inside the second half. Facing the big four from the mighty, and only Jordan Owen in one-on-one earn garage have chances, but today's garage to perform better. Knight's tactic clearly, today is to be able to cling to garage, do not give him any chance, and Kevin durant is always one on one with defense. But garage or under heavy defensive seek out opportunities, such as experience stephen curry shoes low, he mobilized, use the other fear his border ability garage easily won two points. The last 80 seconds from the first half, durant had missed shots from outside, this basket three players are knights, including Thompson, lebron, as a result, the Treasury rushed into the basket from the prolonged position, unexpectedly the offensive rebounds inside the knight encirclement! Then he points ball durant, whom finished scores! And the next half, knight to defensive strategy looks like it's shaken, they don't have excessive double again, help, strangely enough, JR in 1 about 1 against Arsenal, and directly put the garage was pushed for the ground. Sure enough, your knight defensive shaken curry shoes immediately after scoring started rising in his Arsenal, outside their 3-pointer by continuous, in those days he was given the means to just like Kevin durant got chance inside first half. After three points inside database is still attack, he this section one bomb beneath 14 points. Today can be June 1, the time kevin durant shoes may be the international children's day, it seems in the "primary school" is just about the holiday today. Small garage finish I rested the vast majority of holiday to battle, he or she is still the contribution on the brilliant stroke, but furthermore pass a 3-pointer by simply Kevin durant. The past 3 minutes, garage off ahead of schedule, because the online game had no suspense. Storage, 26, is one kd shoes on the largest child, dell : garage in 2002, the dad announced over 16 years of career, finally paid 40. 2% on threes survey card. From a very young age, Stephen about the shooting learned how to shoot at the feet of the get better at, when dad refused to adopt him to the hornets coaching, Stephen will be pursed oral cavity, not because can't visit those big-name players, the old you're, but because he also need to be with my dad, to rehearse his shot. At age 9, garage is of his own stephen curry shoes amateur league teams regarding players, only if the coach should outside shot collapse on the opponent's zone will become sent. Recalled the ourselves, garage proudly said: "when My spouse and i was a defense specialists, all start from there. " To go returning to curry shoes the original text, if your garage near the ball in midfield, people tend to overlook probably the most important thing: pool golf ball skills. Sonya, thanks to be able to his mother, then a 5 feet tall 3, cordial and some stubborn woman again simultaneously, she was in school played point guard, turning to the volleyball after in the campus of Virginia support, and meet the car port there's father. "If I dribble towards the coast, I have to settle on to shoot or pass, it's my limit. "Dell stated, "people started for Stephen impression is all he is able to beautiful posture hit photos, but before becoming a striker, he already was a greater control player, people usually ignore it. After their dribble shot, is I the most beautiful moments. Thanks to their mother. ". Two steals in his System, stephen curry shoes in the first fraction, and the two steals to garage earnings of 106 times inside playoffs career steals, which often transcends the rick Craig, became the steals from the history of the warriors team inside the playoffs. Garage into seven three-pointers inside the game, this also let his / her playoff three-pointers hit number nearly 261, match the Robert horry, 9th three points in playoff record list. Distance comes eighth Chauncey billups, he additionally only six three details. 37 points in only three games, came curry shoes someone's, and this is his there is much surprise, including playoffs) eighth score 35 + video game with three alone, over 7 times of Russell westbrook, the top of league. So many record the very first world war, there is no doubt the game can be said to be the garage in this series played the very best game. The first three games, garage is averaging 28. 3 points and 5. 7 rebounds, 6 assists, shooting 40. 3% as well as 35. 3% from several, compared with the regular season shooting stage, a clear degree of decline, nevertheless the game, garage completely crazy. The blazers in various players to hound him or her, but no one can certainly disturb his rhythm. Garage, as it were, in the game again to uncover "day day" feeling. 11 three-point series out hand, hit kd shoes seven goals, including vast ranges of three points. Wearing warriors baseball hat sitting from the stands to watch the old garage, it also appears to possess son's playing god are most often some incredible performance. The lens towards the old garage, he cannot help but shook the head. Of course, regardless of what other people think, garage three points for their own performance with absolute confidence. In the 3rd quarter the warriors having 88-58 big lead the actual blazers, garage outside the particular three-point line again, the ball faraway from the one hand, this individual turned back field, the ball firmly in the basket, the whole uproar. Can put the three points on this state, the other party can say what? As a core point guard, garage along with other three split the difference is that she is the team attract and organizer. In various other words, he can't resemble novak on the perimeter around expecting kd shoes someone else to give him the ball. We take novak into a comparison, everything also - reference counted for us each a 3-pointer allows objects, and to moment, after statistics, novak found this season hit 3-pointers, 149, 146 is really a teammate's pass and strike; Three-point shots hit the 2nd more this season Ryan - Anderson is no exception, he hit curry shoes inside 213, has 206 depends on your friend's passing. The garage He every one of the 3-pointer this season, you will find 105 of 3 is not sending (272), basically, is to create possibilities, nasty sto vote. This trick inside team's star, such because flow of harden, vladimir radmanovic, kobe Bryant, John, but often because an individual errs, physical strength intake, to the number of times few, and the hit ratio just isn't high. But obviously is surely an exception in the Treasury, his three-point shot 105 times is not assists quantity highest with alliance,stephen curry shoes even better than lebron James thrown in more all 3-pointers, and also the shooting is in the league all five like not assists free-throw shooting players out on the fifth (41. 8%), both equally quality and quantity. Consumed together, the three points in order to thrown into space is just not an easy thing, have to have the forty percent three-point shots have to create his own images, this how tired! One of the most precious is, no issue when and where, and steps to make moves, garage has a higher percentage. It is no wonder which the manager of the enthusiast when Bob myers just lately told the Associated Mass media said: "as long while it's garage, to have the ball is reasonable. ". After a brought the first curry shoes golf ball, a garage at the match: each other spelled out a perfect diamond entrance, teammate Steve Blake flew to check out up, left the clippers protect darren collison (microblogging) the length between two steps driving their closely, Danny granger could be the only defender in tow. This is the storage superior court intuition and knowning that embodies: his shot variety. He seems to comprehend the defensive player of the ideas, can predict the next move, then strike beforehand. "When other people are generally doing gesture, garage within judgment, and the sport, this is Stephen is best place, in this respect this league may be first rate. Find field space, know where the defense space will take place, it is the key with the art of his shots. Because no matter how good your shots, much more exquisite technology, no bedroom is useless. "ESPN's Jesse thorpe, once wrote with his article. Garage thoroughly stephen curry shoes observing the defense, he likewise have reason to be consequently cautious. Before this, the warriors have overlooked 12 goals in 13 shots in past times, is now 33 for you to 37 behind the clippers, disturbed from the right leg muscle anxiety of garage after only 1 of 4. For storage himself, this ball is very important: before a season, he hit an increasing in NBA history with 272 grains of three points, if again founded three points today, his three points this season hit number will go over 200 mark. So that library might be the sixth in a row has at the least two season hit 200 grains of three avid gamers, at the same occasion, still can have a few points to continuous hit game streak keep 54 games - it will likely be the warriors team background record. "I like everything kd shoes relevant to the shooting, " garage once said in an interview, "but with the greatest especially in perfect hands posture. When your person is in good rhythm, from standing in the feet in the grass, his hands to complete a trial, all series of joint actions will likely be calm and smooth, similar to waves. It's a great feeling. ". Throw three points is not the whole garage everyday work, and don't forget, Stephen curry is the actual team in assists and also steals, he averaged 6. 7 assists inside regular season, 14 inside the league and the playoffs stephen curry shoes will be averaging 9. 3 assists as the league the first! Let's imagine a photo, 40 minutes per game in the Treasury, attack launched a large number of times, there are always a number of ball he wasn't inside the outside, but the soccer ball inside, attracted a two times... What will happen and then? There was a man the guy can tell you the response, curry shoes he called clay -- Thompson, from the fantastic state warriors, he made shock as to 211 3-pointers, finished third within the league, and that 211 3-pointers, 68 comes from the assists of Stephen curry. 12-13 time of year to contrast the garage and ray Allen within '05 -' 06 : Allen into 269 3-pointers, and they are the Seattle supersonics. That year, Allen's 269 associated with 653 three-point shots, photo 41. 2%, as Stephen - 272 of 600 photos in his Arsenal, up to 45. 3%; That year, Alan ball attack build 3 ratio is less than a quarter, compared having 38. 6% in repository; That year, Allen's assists the telephone number 3. 7, less versus Treasury for three aids. So the outline, the image of your alternative 3-pointers hand along the garage outline: he not just completed the sharpshooter qualifications, his teammates for the creation of free-throw prospects into; He will also look for opportunities while doing so, through the ball development, stopped for no assists 3-pointer of shots. In addition, he also can move assists, "create" another glass pitcher - clay - Thompson! Not simply can catch vote, will also urgent stopped, can produce more opportunities to other people, this star, unique! I'm kd shoes afraid, just use "striker" two words are actually unable to define Stephen curry, should be in with some sort of "great" rhetoric. 2 steals in his System, stephen curry shoes in the first 1 fourth, and the two steals to garage an overall of 106 times inside playoffs career steals, which in turn transcends the rick Barry, became the steals inside history of the warriors team from the playoffs. Garage into seven three-pointers inside the game, this also let his or her playoff three-pointers hit number as much as 261, match the Robert horry, 9th three points in playoff historical past list. Distance comes 8th Chauncey billups, he likewise only six three points. 37 points in merely three games, came curry shoes alive, and this is his in 2010, including playoffs) 8th score 35 + video game with three alone, more than 7 times of Russell westbrook, the top league. So many record the primary world war, there is no doubt how the game can be considered to be the garage in this series played the most effective game. The first several games, garage is averaging 27. 3 points and 5. 7 rebounds, 6 assists, shooting 40. 3% in addition to 35. 3% from three, compared with the regular season shooting stage, some degree of decline, even so the game, garage completely insane. The blazers in many players to hound him, but no one can easily disturb his rhythm. Shed, as it were, in the game again to determine "day day" feeling. 11 three-point range out hand, hit kd shoes several goals, including vast miles of three points. Wearing warriors baseball hat sitting inside stands to watch the old garage, it also appears to possess son's playing god are some incredible performance. The lens for the old garage, he could not help but shook his or her head. Of course, whatever other people think, garage three points with regards to own performance with complete confidence. In the next quarter the warriors with 88-58 big lead your blazers, garage outside this three-point line again, the ball faraway from the one hand, he or she turned back field, the ball firmly into the basket, the whole upheaval. Can put the three points on this state, the other party can say what? Garage under the stephen curry shoes second dribbling is toward the start the left side on the body without any slowdown, his / her footsteps choiceness and quick, soon arrived at the position you would like to go. Unlike most pitcher like the center of gravity down, then struggled to jump to accomplish, the garage action a lot more concise. Don't waste any wedding ceremony, just jump off the earth, slightly triggered his shooting action instantly. "He is not only just about the most pure great scorer, he even gave shot two words to produce the definition, the entire shooting art played the revolutionary role. "The bobcats brain scout work Adam : Mr Libby said Treasury. Counter-top frames in 6 minutes and 31 seconds, garage from his chest muscles slightly next point position organized the ball, the index finger in addition to middle finger instinct to locate gaps in the silicone ball center. His wrist gently lifted back, remaining his palm the basketball, but still control among his fingers. His right arm into the many joints is close in order to 90 degree Angle, from the shoulder to the knee, from the elbow to the wrist, from wrist to reference, as if a cafe waiter in carrying any tray. Glen Davis clippers, 289 - pound in-front, curry shoes need to speed up their action in the Treasury, since the childhood to lay a good foundation for complete to garage in any state, the right arm and shooting can keep perfect posture and strength. And in addition to master hand movements, garage incorporates a precise shot needed another factor: enough deep muscle mass memory. Shooting touch is not a proper adjective, any one player, able to throw an excellent shooting there is but one secret to all - 7 days a week, year after year practice, until a set of complex dynamic chain implanted into your muscle mass. Garage never resist such as monks meditate boring exercise, it also helped when he graduated from secondary school, eventually grow into an outside leading little-known Davidson college or university NCAA elite last eight. "Game changing, there is no time to kevin durant shoes you feel about your own shooting motion is correct, " curry stated, "you can only depend upon their daily at working out ground building muscle storage, hit and believe that we can. We're so a lot of practice in training, as a way to the game, you can make use of instinct to react. But if it is not correctly, the game will experience very strange. ". Garage within the stephen curry shoes second dribbling is toward the turn on the left side on the body without any slowdown, his or her footsteps choiceness and rapidly, soon arrived at the position you want to go. Unlike most pitcher like the midst of gravity down, then struggled to jump to try and do, the garage action far more concise. Don't waste any hard work, just jump off the earth, slightly triggered his firing action instantly. "He is not only one of the most pure great scorer, he even gave shot two words to create the definition, the entire shooting art played a new revolutionary role. "The bobcats head scout work Adam : Mr Libby said Treasury. Countertop frames in 6 minutes and 31 seconds, garage from his chest slightly next point position organized the ball, the index finger as well as middle finger instinct to discover gaps in the silicone ball center. His wrist gently lifted back, eventually left his palm the golf ball, but still control among his fingers. His right arm into the many joints is close in order to 90 degree Angle, on the shoulder to the shoulder, from the elbow towards wrist, from wrist to talk about, as if a eating place waiter in carrying a tray. Glen Davis clippers, 289 - pound ahead, curry shoes need to speed up their action inside the Treasury, since the childhood to lay a good foundation for complete to garage in a state, the right arm and shooting can keep perfect posture and power. And in addition to master hand movements, garage includes a precise shot needed yet another factor: enough deep muscles memory. Shooting touch is not a proper adjective, any one player, able to throw a fantastic shooting there is although one secret to all - every single day, year after year train, until a set connected with complex dynamic chain implanted into muscle tissue. Garage never resist for instance monks meditate boring process, it also helped as soon as he graduated from secondary school, eventually grow into some other leading little-known Davidson school NCAA elite last seven. "Game changing, there is no time to kevin durant shoes you approach your own shooting actions is correct, " curry claimed, "you can only count on their daily at it ground building muscle storage, hit and believe that we can. We're so a great deal of practice in training, so that you can the game, you can make use of instinct to react. But if it is not in the correct way, the game will really feel very strange. ". Car port, 26, is one kevin durant shoes in the largest child, dell : garage in 2002, their dad announced over 04 years of career, finally handed over 40. 2% on threes record card. From a quite young age, Stephen round the shooting learned how to shoot in the feet of the grasp, when dad refused to consider him to the hornets coaching, Stephen will be pursed lips, not because can't visit those big-name players, the old you might be, but because he also need to be with my dad, to apply his shot. At the age of 9, garage is of her own stephen curry shoes amateur league teams connected with players, only if the coach needs to outside shot collapse on the opponent's zone will become sent. Recalled the ourselves, garage proudly said: "when My partner and i was a defense professionals, all start from at this time there. " To go to curry shoes the original text, if your garage near the baseball in midfield, people tend to overlook just about the most important thing: pool basketball skills. Sonya, thanks to help his mother, then a 5 feet tall 3, cordial and some stubborn woman again as well, she was in high school graduation played point guard, embracing the volleyball after to the campus of Virginia technical, and meet the garage there's father. "If I dribble towards the coast, I have to pick to shoot or complete, it's my limit. "Dell said, "people started for Stephen impression is all he can beautiful posture hit photographs, but before becoming any striker, he already was an even better control player, people tend to ignore it. After his / her dribble shot, is I the most wonderful moments. Thanks to the mother. ".

2019-04-19T18:41:07Z

http://chaiyaphum.nfe.go.th/index/?name=news&file=readnews&id=363

2002-04-11 First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=24082862&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=US5680640(A) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. A system and method for providing on-line, real-time, transparent data migration from a first data storage system to a second data storage system. The first data storage system which had previously been coupled to a host, network or other data processing system is disconnected from the host and connected to a second data storage system. The second data storage system is coupled to the host or data processing system. The second data processing system includes a data map or table which indicates which data elements are stored on the second data storage system and which corresponding data elements on the first data processing device have been copied to the second data storage system. When the host, network or data processing system requests data from a data storage system, the second data storage system determines whether or not the data is stored on the second or first data storage system. If the data is stored on the second data storage system, the data is made available to the requesting device. If the data is not stored on a second data storage system, the second data storage system issues a request to the first data storage system, retrieves the data, makes the data available to the requesting device, writes the data to the second data storage system and updates the data element map or table. When not busy servicing other requests, the second data storage system scans the data map or table to determine which data elements from the first data storage device have not been copied to the second data storage device, and performs copying of the data and updating of the data map or table in the background, independent of any coupled host, network or other similar data processing device. This invention relates to data storage systems and more particularly, to a system and method for on-line replacement of an existing data storage subsystem. Data processing centers of businesses and organizations such as banks, airlines and insurance companies, rely almost exclusively on their ability to access and process large amounts of data stored on a data storage device. Data and other information which is typically stored on one or more data storage devices which form part of a larger data storage system is commonly referred to as a database. Databases are nearly always "open" and constantly "in use" and being accessed by a coupled data processing system, central processing unit (CPU) or host mainframe computer. The inability to access data is disastrous if not a crisis for such business and organizations and will typically result in the business or organization being forced to temporarily cease operation. During the course of normal operations, these businesses and organizations must upgrade their data storage devices and data storage systems. Although such upgrading sometimes includes only the addition of data storage capacity to their existing physical systems, more often than not upgrading requires the addition of a completely separate and new data storage system. In such cases, the existing data on the existing data storage system or device must be backed up on a separate device such as a tape drive, the new system installed and connected to the data processing unit, and the data copied from the back-up device to the new data storage system. Such activity typically takes at least two days to accomplish. If the conversion takes more than two days or if the business or organization cannot withstand two days of inoperability, the need and desire to upgrade their data storage system may oppose an insurmountable problem. Some prior art data copying methods and systems have proposed allowing two data storage systems of the same type, a first system and a second system, to be coupled to one another, and allowing the data storage systems themselves to control data copying from the first to the second system without intervention from or interference with the host data processing system. See for example, the data storage system described in U.S. patent. application No. 08/052,039 entitled REMOTE DATA MIRRORING, fully incorporated herein by reference, which describes one such remote data copying facility feature which can be implemented on a Symmetrix 5500 data storage system available from EMC Corporation, Hopkinton, Mass. Although such a system and method for data copying is possible, in most instances, the first and second data storage systems are not of the same type, or of a type which allow such a "background" data migration to take place between the two data storage systems, unassisted by the host and while the database is open. Additionally, even on such prior art data storage systems, migrating data as a "background" task while the database is "open" does not take into account the fact that the data is constantly changing as it is accessed by the host or central processing unit and accordingly, if the old system is left connected to the host, there will always be a disparity between the data which is stored on the old data storage system and the data which has been migrated onto the new data storage system. In such cases, the new data storage system may never fully "catch up" and be able to be completely synchronized to the old data storage system. Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for allowing data migration between a first data storage system and a second data storage system while the database is open and in real-time, completely transparent to the host or data processing unit. This invention features a system and method for providing on-line, real-time, transparent data migration between two data storage devices. The system includes a first data storage device which was previously coupled to an external source of data including a data processing device such as a host computer, or a network which may be connected to a number of data processing devices such as a number of host computers. The data processing device such as a host computer reads data from and writes data to the data storage device. The first data storage device initially includes a plurality of data elements currently being accessed by the data processing device. At least one second data storage device is provided which is coupled to the first data storage device and to the data processing device, for storing data elements to be accessed by the data processing device. The second data storage device preferably includes a data element map including at least an indication of whether or not a particular data element is stored on the second data storage system. In one embodiment, the second data storage system independently migrates data from the first to the second data storage system independently of the source. In another embodiment, the second data storage system is responsive to the external source, for migrating data from the first to the second data storage system. In yet another embodiment, the data processing device issues a data read request (in the case of a read data operation), or a data write command (in the case of a write operation). The request is received by the second data storage device. In the case of a read operation, second data storage device examines the data map or table to determine whether or not the data has been migrated to and is stored on the second data storage device. If it is determined that the data is stored on the second data storage device, the data is made available to the requesting device. If the data is not stored on the second data storage device, the second data storage device issues a data request, in the form of a read data command, to the first data storage device, obtains the data and makes the data available to the requesting device. The data received from the first data storage device is also written to the second data storage device and the data map updated. In the case of a write operation, one embodiment contemplates that if the data received from the data processing device is destined for a location on the data storage system that has not yet been copied or `migrated` from the older or first data storage device (a data storage location marked in the data map as `need to migrate`), and the data is not a full or complete data element (for example, not a `full track` of data) the write operation is suspended, the "complete" data element from the corresponding location (a "full track" for example) on the first data storage device is read into the cache memory on the second data storage device, the in-cache flag or bit set, the data storage location marked or identified as `write pending`, and the write operation resumed meaning that the data will be `written` to and over the `full track` of data now stored in the cache memory of the second data storage system. In other embodiments, the older data may not be retrieved from the first or older data processing device if the new data to be written is known to be a complete data element (a `full track` for example). When the second data storage device is not busy handling data read or write requests from a coupled data processing device, such as a host computer, the second data storage system examines its data map/table to determine which data elements are resident on the first data storage device and are not stored on the second data storage device. The second data storage device then issues read requests to the first data storage device requesting one or more of those data elements, receives the data, writes the data to the second data storage device and updates the data,map/table to indicate that the data is now stored on the second data storage device. In this manner, there is no need to perform time consuming off-line data migration between first and second data storage devices but rather, the data copying or migration can occur in real-time, while the data storage devices are on-line and available to the host or other requesting device, and completely transparent to the coupled data processing device. In the preferred embodiment, the second data storage device further includes or is coupled to a data storage device system configuration device, such as a computer, which provides configuration data to the data element map or table on the second data storage device, allowing the second data storage device to be at least partially configured in a manner which is generally similar or identical to the first data storage device. Additionally, the preferred embodiment contemplates that the second and first data storage devices are coupled by a high speed communication link, such as a fiber optic link employing the "ESCON" communication protocol. The preferred embodiment also contemplates that the data storage device includes a plurality of data storage devices, such as disk drives. In this case, data elements may include one or more of a disk drive volume, track or record. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the steps for providing data migration between first and second data storage systems without data storage device or host system intervention when the second data storage device is not busy handling data requests from the host or data processing device. The present invention features a system and method for providing on-line, real-time, transparent data migration between two data storage systems, at least one of which is coupled to a data processing device such as a host computer. An exemplary system 10, FIG. 1 on which the present invention may be performed and implemented includes a host computer, central processing unit or other similar data processing device 12. The data processing device 12 is initially coupled to a first data storage system 14. In most instances, the first data storage system 14 is an older data storage system which is either not large enough to handle the needs of the data processing device 12, or for some other reason is going to be completely or partially replaced or augmented by the addition of a second data storage system 16. The first data storage system 14 is initially coupled to the data processing device 12 by means of a data communication link 19. The second data storage system 16 is coupled to the first data storage system 14 by means of one or more data communication paths 20a, and/or 20b. Examples of data communication paths 20a-20b include an IBM "bus and tag" connection well known to those skilled in the art, and higher speed fiber optic connections such as an ESCON data connection. If the first and second data storage systems 14, 16 have an incompatible data communication protocol or interface, a protocol converter 22 may be provided on one or more of the data communication links 20a, 20b as required, and as is well known in the art. The second data storage system 16 includes a data map or table 24 of data elements which are stored on at least the second data storage system 16. The data map or table is established during the set-up or configuration of the second data storage system 16 and is dependent on the particular configuration of the second data storage system 16. Preferably, the data map/table 24 also includes information about data elements which are stored in the first data storage system 14, the use of such a data map/table will be explained in greater detail below. The second data storage system 16 is typically and preferably coupled to a data storage system configuration device 26 such as a computer, which allows the user to configure the second data storage system 16 and the data map/table 24 as desired by the user. In the preferred embodiment, the second data storage system 16 is at least partially configured exactly as the first data storage system 14 is configured in terms of the number of logical devices, storage size, storage system type (3380/3390, for example) etc. In the preferred embodiment, the data storage system configuration device 26 allows the user to configure at least a portion of the data storage area on second data storage system 16 to include data element storage locations or addresses which correspond to data element storage addresses on the first data storage system 14. In the preferred embodiment, the second data storage system 16 is a disk drive data storage system employing a large number of fixed block architecture (FBA) formatted disk drives 17a-17n, and adapted for storing large amounts of data to be accessed by a host computer or other data processing device 12. The exemplary second data storage system 16 also typically includes a cache memory 18 which serves to hold or buffer data read and write requests between the second data storage system 16 and the host or other data processing device 12. Such data storage systems are well known to those skilled in the art and include, for example, the Symmetrix 5500 series data storage system available from EMC Corporation, Hopkinton, Mass., a description of which is incorporated herein by reference. Initially, the second or new data storage system 16 is first coupled to the first data storage system 14 by means of one or more data communication links or paths 20a, 20b. After the second data storage system 16 has been configured using a system configuration device 26 or other similar or equivalent device, or by the host 12, the second data storage system 16 is coupled to the host computer 12 or other data processing device by means of a data communication path 28. Preferably, data communication path 28 is a high speed communication path such as a fiber optic "ESCON" communication path, although any and all other communication paths are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Immediately before connecting data communication path 28 between the host or other data processing unit 12 in the second data storage system 16, the previously existing data communication path 18 between the host 12 and the first data storage system 14 is disconnected or severed as illustrated at arrow 30. Thus, in contrast with the prior art whereby the host or other data processing system 12 must be taken off line for a number of days in order to allow for backing up of data on the first data storage system 14 followed by the replacement of the first data storage system 14 with a second data storage system 16 and subsequent copying of all of the data onto the new data storage system 16, or a host which remains coupled to the original `first` data storage system 14, the present invention only requires the host computer or other data processing device 12 to be off line or service interrupted for a relatively short period of time (the procedure typically takes approximately 10 minutes or less), while the first data signal path 19 is severed or disconnected and the second data signal path 28 is established between the second or new data storage system 16 and the host computer or other data processing device 12. Accordingly, after the second data storage system 16 has been connected to the host or other data processing unit 12, whenever the host or data processing unit 12 issues a request to read data from or write data to "its" data storage system, the request is received by the second data storage system 16. Using a bit or flag from the data map/table 24 previously established and configured, the second data storage system 16, by scanning data map/table 24, determines whether or not the data requested (in the case of a read operation) is stored on the first data storage system 14 or on the second data storage system 16. Such a hierarchical data map/table 24 is further explained and exemplified herein as well as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,206,939 and 5,381,539 assigned to the assignee of the present invention and both fully incorporated herein by reference. If the data is already stored in the second data storage system 16, the second data storage 16 retrieves the data (perhaps temporarily storing the data in cache memory 18) as is well known in the art, and makes the data available to the host or other requesting data processing device 12. If the requested data is not on the second data storage system 16, channel or real-time data handling process 25 of the second data storage system 16 issues a read data request to the first data storage system 14 in the manner and format native or known to the first data storage system 14 (for example, standard IBM data read commands). Channel or real-time data handling process 25 is, in the preferred embodiment, a software program comprising a series of commands or instructions which receives one or more commands from the second data storage system interface to the host or CPU (typically called a "channel"), interprets those commands, and issues one or more corresponding commands which can be acted upon by the first data storage system. Such an `interpreter` type of software is well known to those skilled in the art. The first data storage system 14 then retrieves the requested data and provides it to the second data storage system 16. The second data storage system 16 then makes the data available to the host or other data processing unit 12 which has requested the data. Since the second data storage system now has a copy of the data, the data will be written to the second data storage system 16 and the appropriate data map/table 24 flags or bits updated to indicate that the data has been migrated to the second data storage system 16 so that next time the same data element is requested, the second data storage system 16 will have the data already stored on the system and will not have to request it from the first data storage system. Further, as will be explained in greater detail below, the second data storage system 16 can perform a "background" data migration procedure or process 27. The "background" data migration procedure of process 27 is, in the preferred embodiment, a software program including a series of instructions which coordinate, monitor and control data migration. Whenever the second data storage system is not busy handling data input/output requests from the host or other data processing device 12, the migrate process 27 of the second data storage system 16 determines which data on the first data storage system has not been copied by reading a specified flag or bit in its data table/map 24, and copies or "migrates" the data from the first data storage system 14 to the second data storage system 16 completely transparent to the host 12, and often in parallel with the channel process 25 which may be retrieving data from the first data storage system 14 in response to requests from the host or CPU 12, while maintaining full accessibility to the data by the host or other data processing device 12. An exemplary data element map/table 24 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2. In the preferred embodiment, the data map/table 24 is organized in a hierarchical fashion. For example, for the preferred embodiment wherein the data storage system includes a plurality of longer term data storage devices such as disk drives 17a-17n, and wherein each disk drive is partitioned into one or more logical "volumes" and each volume comprises a number of disk drive tracks, the data map/table 24 will first have an entry 50 for each physical and/or logical device such as a disk drive. The device entry 50 will be followed by an entry 52 for a first logical volume, followed by one or more entries 54a-54c for each track of the device which comprises the logical volume 52. The entries 52, 54a-54c for the first logical will be followed by entry line 56 for the second logical volume configured on the physical device indicated by the entry at line 50. All information about the data storage system and each device in the data storage system with the exception of the "data in cache" indication flag or bit 58 is stored in hierarchical format in the data map/table 24. Thus, whenever the second data storage system 16 desires or needs to obtain information about a particular data element (be it an individual data record, track or volume), the data storage system 16 scans the data map/table 24 beginning at the device level 50 to determine whether or not the desired criterion or characteristic has been established for any track or volume of a device. There will be a `flag` or other similar indicator bit set, or other indication of the desired characteristic in the device entry 50, in the volume entry 52 and in the appropriate track entry 54 if the desired characteristic is found in that portion of the data storage device represented by the data map/table 24. For example, the preferred embodiment of a data map/table 24 includes a write pending flag or bit 61 which is set if a particular data element is presently stored in cache 18 of the second data storage system 16 and must be written to longer term storage such as a disk drive 17a-17n. For exemplary purposes, assuming that track 2 of volume 1 is in cache 18 in the second data storage system 16 and write pending, the write pending flag or bit 61 and the in cache bit 58 at line entry 54b (for track two) will be set, as will the write pending bit 61 of volume 1 at line 52 of the data map/table 24, as will the write pending bit 61 of the device at line 50. Thus, if the second data storage system 16 wishes to determine whether or not a particular track or record which has been requested is write-pending or has been migrated to the second system or of the status of some other attribute or characteristic, the data storage system 16 first determines which device or disk drive 17a-17n the data element is stored on and then checks the appropriate indicator flag bit for that device. If the particular indicator flag bit is not set for that device, then the second data storage system 16 knows immediately that no lower level storage unit or location such as a volume or track in that device has that attribute. If any lower data storage element in the hierarchical structure such as a track or volume includes the attribute, than the attribute or flag bit for the device will be set. Similarly, if a particular data storage location such as a record or track which is part of a logical volume has the requested attribute, then the corresponding attribute or flag bit for the volume will be set. The data storage system 16 can thereby quickly determine whether any data storage location having a lower level than the volume or other similar logical or physical partition being examined has the particular attribute, without scanning or searching each and every lower level data storage location. The "in-cache" flag or bit is an exception to the hierarchical structure in that since each line or entry 50-56 of the data map/table 24 is directly addressable, the second data storage system directly addresses the table entry line for a particular data element when it must inquire or "look-up" whether that particular data element is presently "in-cache". It is understood, however, that this flag or bit could be managed in a hierarchical fashion without departing from the scope of this invention. In addition to the in-cache bit or flag 58 and the write pending flag or bit 61, the data map/table 24 which is one feature of the present invention includes, in the preferred embodiment, other flag bits 62 such as an invalid track format flag or bit, and an indication of whether or not data on a particular device, volume or track needs migration or has been migrated from the first to the second data storage system 14/16 respectively, as shown generally by flag or indicator bit 60. Data map/table 24 may further include a physical address 64 entry for each element in the map or table 24, which identifies the beginning data address 64 at which the corresponding data element can be found on the disk drive 17a-17n of the new or second data storage system 16. The operation of the method according to the present invention will be described in greater detail beginning with step 100, FIG. 3, wherein the second data storage system 16 receives a data element read or write request from the host or other data processing device 12, step 100. The method next determines if the request or command is a read or a write request, step 101. If the command is a read command, the channel handling process 25 of the second data storage system 16 next determines if the requested data is already stored in the second data storage system 16, step 102, by reading its data table map/table 24. If the data is stored on the second data storage system, step 102, the second data storage system 16 will make the data available to the host or other requesting data processing device 12, step 104, and return to step 100 to await receipt of a new data read or write request. If, however, at step 102, the second data storage system 16 determines that the data is not presently stored on the second data storage system 16, the second data storage system 16 will generate a request to the first data storage system 14 to read the data, step 106. The command or request to read data from the first data storage system 14 takes the same form as a read data command which would be issued from the host 12. Thus, for example, if the host 12 is an IBM or IBM compatible host or data processing device, the second data storage system 16 will issue an IBM compatible "read" command to the first data storage system 14. The channel and migrate processes 25,27 of the second data storage system 16 maintain a list of commands native to the first data storage system 14 and can easily convert command types, if necessary, from a first command type issued by the host 12 and understood by the second data processing system 16, to a second command type understood by the first data storage system 14. Subsequently, the second data storage system 16 receives the requested data from the first data storage system 14, step 108 and writes the data to the cache memory 18 of the second data storage system 16 while updating the data element map/table 24, step 110. The second data storage system 16 then provides an indication to the host or data processing device 12 that the data is ready to be read, step 112. Subsequently, the second data storage system 16 will write the data from cache memory 18 to a more permanent storage location, such as a disk drive, on the second data storage system 16, step 114, followed by a final update to one or more bits or flags of the data element map/table 24, step 116. Thus, in the case where requested data is not yet stored on the second data storage system 16, the "read request" command from the host 12 results in the second data storage system 16 "migrating" the data from the first data storage system 14 to the second data storage system 16. If the host or other data processing system 12 issues a write request or command, step 120, the channel process 25 of the second data storage system 16 determines if the data to be written has been previously migrated from the first to the second data storage system, step 122. If the data has been previously migrated, step 122, the second data storage system writes the data to cache and updates any necessary flags or bits in the data map/table 24, step 110. Processing continues as previously described. If, however, the data has not been previously migrated, step 122, the method of the present invention next determines, by the type of command or request issued by the host (for example in the case of IBM host commands), whether or not the write request is for a full or complete data element storage location, such as a full or complete "track" of data, step 124. If the write request is for a full "track" or other similar type of data block or content, the second data storage system does not need to worry about migrating the date from the first data storage system 14 since all the "old" data is being replaced by the current command and therefore, processing continues to step 110 as previously described. If however, the method determines that the write request is for less then a full or complete data block or confine, such as a track, step 124, the method next temporarily suspends handling of the write request, step 126 and issues a "read" command for the full or complete "track" to the first data storage system 14, and reads a predetermined amount of data (a whole track of data for example), step 128, and copies the full "track" of data to the cache memory 18 of the second data storage system 16. The new data to be written is then written into the proper memory location in cache memory 18 (the occurrence of the actual "write" command), the data table/map 24 updated (for example, to indicate that the data is in cache memory 18 data in cache bit set!, that a write is pending on this data write pending bit set!, and that the data elements have been migrated data needs migration bits re-set!) and the host or other central processing unit 12 informed that the write command is complete. At some later time, the data in cache memory 18 which has been flagged as write pending is copied to a more permanent storage location, such as a disk drive, and the write pending bit reset. Typically, data write requests are performed to update only a portion of the total or complete number of data elements stored in a predetermined data storage element or physical/logical confine (such as a disk drive track). The present invention, however, also realizes that in some cases, such as when the host or data processing unit 12 provides an indication that both the data structure (format) as well as the actual data contents are to be updated, reading old data from the first data storage system 14 may be eliminated since all data and data format or structure will be updated with the new write request. Such a data and format write command is so infrequent, however, that the preferred embodiment contemplates that each write request will cause a write request to be read from the first data storage system 14. The method of present invention also allows the second or new data storage system 16 to provide transparent or "background" data migration between the first data storage system 14 and the second data storage system 16 irrespective of or in parallel with the data transfer or migration caused by the channel process which is serving the "channel" between the host 12 and the second data storage system 16. Since the goal of providing the second or new data storage system 16 is to generally provide enhanced or increased capabilities to the host or other data processing system 12, it is therefore desirable to migrate the data as quickly yet as unobtrusively as possible from the first to the second data storage system. Thus, with the background migrate or copy "task" or "process" 27, the method of the present invention which is a series of software instructions executed by a central processing unit in the second data storage system 16 according to the present invention (such hardware and software as is well known in the art, see for example the EMC Symmetrix series 5500 data storage systems), the present method first determines whether the second data storage system 16 is completely busy servicing read or write data requests from the host or other connected data processing system 12, step 200, FIG. 4. If the second data storage system 16 is completely busy handling such requests to and from the host or data processing system 12 or completely busy handling other data input/output (I/O) operations in the second data storage system 16, further processing does not take place but instead the migrate process 27 awaits a "no busy" or "available" indication from the operating system of the second data storage system 16. Once the second data storage system 16 is not busy handling internal input/output (I/O) requests or requests from the host or data processing device 12, the second data storage system 16 reads the data map/table 24, step 202 and determines which data elements have not been copied from the first data storage system 14 to the second data storage system 16, step 204. As previously mentioned, during initial configuration of the second data storage system 16, before the second data storage system comes "on line", the user or system engineer will utilize a system configuration device 26, such as a personal computer or other input device, to configure at least a portion of the data storage locations 17a-17n in the second data storage system 16 to exactly emulate (i.e. have the same memory addresses) the data storage system configuration of the first or older data storage system 14. Generally, the new or second data storage system 16 will have a greater storage capacity than the first or "old" data storage system 14 and therefore, additional storage areas or locations will become available. Therefore, if the first data storage system 14 includes a predetermined number of drives or volumes, each drive or volume having a certain number of tracks or records, the second data storage system will be configured to imitate such a configuration. Once the second data storage system 16 has determined that least one data element (such as a track) has not been copied from the old or first data storage system 14, the second data storage system 16 issues a request to the first data storage system 14 for the data element, step 206. Once received, the second data storage system 16 stores the data on the second data storage system 16 (typically in cache memory 18), step 208, updates the second data storage system data map/table 24, step 210, and returns to step 200 to determine whether or not there is a pending data read or write request from the host or other data processing system 12. In one embodiment, the present invention contemplates that it may be desirable to "prefetch" data from the first data storage system 14 to the second data storage system 16. For example, the migrate or copy process 27 may, using commands native to the first data storage system 14, issue a prefetch or "sequential" data access request or command to the first data storage system 14, to cause the first data storage system 14 to continue to fetch or `prefetch` a certain number of data elements to the cache memory 18 of the second data storage system 16. Such prefetching can significantly speed up the transfer of data between the first and second data storage systems 14,16 by greatly reducing the number of "read" commands which must be passed between the data storage systems. In another embodiment, the migration process 27 may determine that one or more read requests from the host 12 are part of a sequence of such read requests. In such an instance, the channel process 27 may take the current address of data being requested by the host 12 and increase it by a predetermined number. For example, if the host 12 is currently requesting data from an address `411`, the channel process 25 will issue a read request to the first data storage system 14 for the data at address 411. Generally simultaneously, the channel process will pass an indication to the migrate process 27 to begin prefetching or migrating data from address `413`. Thus, the migrate process 27 will be used to insure that the second data storage system 16 gets `ahead` of the channel process 25 and the actual data requests from the first data storage system 14. The channel process 25 will handle requests from the host 12 for data at addresses 411 and 412. Subsequent requests will already be in cache in the second data storage system 16 and quickly handled by the second data storage system 16. Accordingly, the present invention provides a unique data storage system and method which allows a new or second data storage system to be connected to an existing host or other data processing device with essentially no time loss in access to the data stored on a first data storage system. While maintaining real time, on-line availability of the data to the host or other connected data processing device, the system and method of the present invention provides accessibility to current and past data. With background operations, data is migrated from the first or older data storage device to the new data storage system. Although the present invention is preferably implemented in software, this is not a limitation of the present invention as those well know in the art can appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in hardware of in various combinations of hardware and software, without departing from the scope of the invention. G) control means responsive to said data map means for normally selecting said second transfer means for migrating data from the first data storage device to said data store in said replacement data storage device, said control means responding to a data transfer request to said first transfer means by enabling said second transfer means to effect a transfer of the data identified by the data transfer request between said data store and the host computer, said second transfer means updating said data map means for each transfer produced thereby. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said control means in said replacement data storage device includes said data element map. 3. The system of claim 2 wherein said control means in said replacement data storage device is responsive to an indication from said data element map indicating whether said at least one predetermined data element is stored on said replacement data storage device for selectively obtaining said at least one predetermined data element from the first data storage device through said second transfer means. 4. The system of claim 3 wherein said replacement data storage device responds to one of a read or a write command from the host computer accessing said at least one predetermined data element issued by selectively obtaining a block of data including at least said at least one predetermined data element from the first data storage device and for storing the obtained data block on said replacement data storage device in said data store. E) control means for enabling said transfer means to migrate data from the first storage device to said data store, said control means including a data element map for indicating whether a data element is stored on said second data storage device, and means responsive to at least said indication of whether said at least one predetermined data element is stored in said second data storage device for obtaining data from the first data storage device and for storing said obtained data on said second data storage device. 6. The system of claim 5 wherein said second data storage device includes means responsive to a read command for a predetermined data element received from the data processing device and to an indication that said predetermined data element is not stored on said second data storage device for issuing a data read command to the first data storage device for at least the predetermined data element. 7. The system of claim 5 wherein said second data storage device issues a data read command for retrieving a plurality of predetermined data elements from the first data storage device in response to a read command from the data processing device when the requested data elements are not located in said second data storage device. 8. The system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of data elements includes a plurality of sequential data elements. 9. The system of claim 5 wherein said a data element is part of a data block and second data storage device responds to a data write command received from the data processing device and to an indication that said predetermined data element is not stored on said second data storage device by transferring a corresponding block from the first data storage device prior to writing the predetermined data element to said second data storage device. 10. The system of claim 5 wherein a data element is part of a data block and said second data storage device responds to a data write command received from the data processing device for writing a predetermined data element when said data element map indicates that the block corresponding to the predetermined data element is not stored in said second data storage device by writing data element to said second data storage device. 11. The system of claim 10 wherein the first data storage device includes at least one disk with a plurality of disk drive tracks and the data block includes a disk drive track and wherein the writing of the data element transfers the corresponding disk drive track. 12. The system of claim 5 further including a data storage device configuration device coupled to said second data storage device for providing initial data storage device configuration data to said second data storage device including initial values for said data element map. 13. The system of claim 5 wherein said data processing device includes at least one host computer. 14. The system of claim 5 wherein said data processing device includes a network. D. controlling the transfer process in response to the contents of the data element map by selecting a first transfer process mode transferring requested data in response to a transfer request from the data processing system and by selecting a second transfer process mode causing a transfer of data from sequential locations in the first data storage device when the first transfer process mode is inactive, each of the transfer process modes migrating data to the second data storage device and updating the data element map. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein said transfer process selectively transfers at least one predetermined data element from the first to the second data storage device independently of the data processor device when the second mode is selected. 17. The method of claim 15 additionally comprising the step of configuring the second storage device to be compatible with the first storage device wherein said configuration includes producing a data element map providing an indication of whether a data element having a predetermined data element storage location address is stored on said second data storage device and wherein the method responds to the receipt of the second data storage device from the data processing device of at least one of a data element read and a data element write request designating at least one data element stored at a predetermined data element storage location address on said first data storage device, the method comprising the additional steps of searching the data element map to determine if the designated data element is stored on said second data storage device, said control of said transfer process mode being determined in response to the results of said search. selectively copying the at least one data element from the first to the second data storage device in response to said searching. the second data storage device receiving the retrieved at least one data element from the first data storage device and providing the requested at least one data element to the data processing device. writing the at least one data element from the data processing device to the second data storage device. 21. The method of claim 18, wherein prior to coupling said second data storage device to said data processing device, the first data storage device is uncoupled to the data processing device. 22. The method of claim 18 wherein the second storage device includes a cache memory and wherein said step of transferring the requested at least one data element stored in the first data storage device includes storing the received requested at least one data element in the cache memory. 23. The method of claim 18 further including the step of updating the data element map after each said step of transferring the requested at least one data element from the first data storage device. 24. The method of claim 18 further including the step of providing the requested at least one data element to the data processing device in response to a data element read request and the step of writing the requested at least one data element to the second data storage device. updating said data element map to indicate the completion of each transfer of a data element to the second data storage device. updating the data element map to indicate that the transferred data elements are stored in the second data storage device. DE69021655T2 (en) * 1989-06-30 1996-04-18 Digital Equipment Corp Data transmission in a digital data processing system.

2019-04-19T23:05:29Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5680640A/en

In this section we can modify and manage the operating parameters of the Pandora FMS console, which will affect its general functioning. In the Setup section we will find all the configuration options described below. Language code It's the combo in which you're able to select the console's main language. It's the field intended to identify the directory in which the remote configuration of the agents is stored. It's '/var/spool/pandora/data_in' by default. This feature is only available to Enterprise Versions of Pandora FMS. Introduce the PATH where the Phantomjs is installed must be introduced in order to be used by Pandora FMS. It defines a static and symmetrical password which is used to create a hash value in order to render the automatic validation by URL possible. It's used to incorporate Pandora FMS into other web applications, provides a user name as a parameter, generated by the user's name by using a hash. This password allows an automated validation within Pandora FMS without the need of having to introduce a password. In order to see an example of this integration, please take a look into the file named '/extras/sample_login.php' from the Pandora FMS console. The combo in which you're able to select the origin of the date and hour between the database and the system. The first one is used if the database is located on a system different from the console's. The field in which the automatically conducted update check for the Open Update Manager is configured. This function causes the console to contact the Pandora FMS Update Server at Artica ST each time you start the session and sends anonymous information about your Pandora FMS usage (just your number of agents). The attachment directory is used as a temporary folder for Pandora FMS. All attached incident data are also stored in this folder. It's located under '/var/www/pandora_console/attachment' by default. You're required to have writing rights for the web server. The map's images and other temporary files are stored there, too. This is a list of IP addresses (not FQN and one per line) which are going to have access to the Pandora FMS web-services API and other minor functions like the RSS event feed or the marquee view. You may use '*' as a wild card in order to define 'any' IP address and e.g. '125.56.24.*' in order to grant access to all hosts within the '125.56.24.*' subnet. It's the authentication method used to access the Pandora FMS API from the outside. Please read the section named Pandora FMS External API. in order to obtain more information about this topic. The field intended to enable or disable GIS features within the Pandora FMS Console. Please read the section named GIS Console in order to obtain more information about this topic. The field intended to enable or disable the Netflow feature. It defines the timezone in the moment the Pandora FMS Console is located. It's also the combo in which it's possible to pick the zone and timezone. It's the combo which was designed to pick the sound for fired alerts. The combo which was designed to pick the sounds in case a module is in 'critical' state. The combo which was designed to pick the sounds in case a module is in 'warning' state. Please define this value if your Pandora FMS works across an inverse proxy or is e.g. configured by Apache's 'mod_proxy' option. If set to 'yes', none of the events or alerts are going to be generated, but the agents continue to receive data. The string modules which contain several lines are going to be shown as a command output. It's the directory in which the server logs are going to be stored. Maximun size to show in system log extension. Level of presence of contextual help to the user. Activate or deactivate the possibility of creating scheduled stops on past dates. The purpose of this is to modify information for SLA reports. Limit of elements that can be modified by massive operations at once. Allows to enable or disable the display of manually disabled agents in certain console views. Complete path where the audit log of the console will be saved in text format. When enabling this parameter , the agent creation menu checkbox, which contains the alias entered in the form and also saves this as the agent name, is activated by default. When enabling this parameter, anew token will appear in the creation or edition of an agent to prevent creatnig a new agent with a duplicated IP. Now we're going to describe some fields which are exclusive to the Enterprise version of Pandora FMS. Configuration in the console to register the node into a Metaconsole. You can also check the conection to the Metaconsole vía API and see the status of the node in the Metaconsole. Configuration that allows to associate SNMP traps and agents. When this option is enabled, when a trap with the same IP as an agent is received, a module is created in the same agent with the name SNMPTrap and of the async_string type. The module value will be that of the last OID received, that is, it will be updated with the arrival of new traps. If Yes and change status is selected, besides updating the value when receiving the trap, the module is set to CRITICAL status. To return to the NORMAL state, all traps associated with that agent must be validated or deleted from the SNMP console. In the case of Yes without changing status only the value of the module is changed. This option is going to activate the Enterprise version's ACL System which is much more flexible than the default one. Please read the section named Enterprise ACL System if you like to obtain more information about this topic. This field defines the maximum size of the collections. Please read the section named Monitoring by Policies if you like to obtain more information about this topic. If the event replication is activated, the received events are going to be copied into the meta console's remote database. Metaconsole database configuration for the event replication. If we have event replication activated to be able to monitor them from the Meta Console, we can choose if the events can be seen in the Instance, without being able to make any option on them. The inventory modules included into the changes blacklist are not going to generate any events if a change occurs. Activate the Update Manager option. A threshold must be set for the map of supernets of the IPAM extension for the critical range of occupied addresses. Warning threshold for occupied addresses A threshold must be set for the map of supernets of the IPAM extension for the warning range of occupied addresses. Configure here a series of values such as the outgoing address, the SMTP server ID, SMTP port and, if necessary, the user and his email password. Remember! This section substitutes the previous mail configuration located in the PHP configuration file (email_config.php). If you are using a Pandora FMS ISO installation and you want to use the Postfix server distributed in it, make sure that your Pandora server is able to resolve through its DNS server the mail server in charge of your e-mail domain. Make sure also in this case that your mail server accepts the emails redirected from Pandora server. You're able to utilize the password policies from Pandora FMS Enterprise versions 5 and above. It's a group of rules which apply in the moment you're defining the Pandora FMS user passwords. This policy was designed to be applied to standard and administration users, as we're going to see below. You're required to have administrator permissions in order to enable the password policy. It's configured by clicking on 'Administration' and 'Setup' in a section called 'Enterprise Password Policy'. It's intended to enable or disable the password policy activation. It's disabled by default. It's the password's minimum size. The default value is '4 characters'. The password is required to have numbers. It's disabled by default. The password is required to have symbols. It's disabled by default. The password's expiration period. The default value is '0', which means that it never expires. Force change password on first login: It forces a login by password in the moment of first login after the user's creation. It's disabled by default. It's the feature intended to determine time the user is blocked if it exhausts the maximum number of failed log-in attempts. The default value is '5 minutes'. It's the number of allowed failed login attempts in the moment of logging. The default value is '5 attempts'. Apply password policy to admin users: It's the feature to include the password policy also to administrator users. It's disabled by default. It's used to enable or disable the password history. It's disabled by default. It's the number of previous passwords which are considered inappropriate for a password change, because they've been used before. The default value is '3'. This token activates the "Forgot your password?" box, giving the user the option to receive an email for the current password change. This feature allows you to enable the Pandora FMS Database History options in order to save old data within an auxiliary database. This system accelerates all queries and accesses to the data. Enable history database: It's intended to enable or disable the database's history feature. Enable event history: Allows us to use the events history feature. Host: The host name of the history database. Port:: The port of the history database. Database Name: The name for the history database. Database User: The user allowed to access the history database. Database Password: The password to access the history database. Days: The number of days for the data to be transferred to the history database. Step: The buffer size for the data transfer (in number of items). The lower the value, the slower the data transfer, but it also lowers the performance reduction within the main database. An appropriate default value is '1000'. Delay: The delay time (in seconds) for the data block transfer between main and history databases. An appropriate value is '2'. Event Days: Number of days before events are transferred to the historical database. If you select this option, a window like the one shown on the picture below is going to appear. ElasticSearch IP: IP of the server containing the installed ElasticSearch ElasticSearch Port: Port through which the ElasticSearch server sends the information. By default 9220 Number of logs viewed: Number of events that can be displayed Days to purge old information: Number of days of information collected before being deleted. Due to certain security reasons, the users with administrator privileges are always required to use the local authentication of Pandora FMS. If we select this option, the window shown on the picture below will appear. Enable this option if you want to fall back to a local authentication if the Active Directory remote authentication fails. Enables/disables the automatic creation of remote users. This option makes possible for Pandora FMS to create the users automatically once they log using their LDAP user. The three following fields will appear ONLY if autocreation is ENABLED. You can check the different profiles on the section: Administration -> Manage Users -> Manage Profiles. When the automatic creation of remote users is active, this field makes it possible to assign the desired tags to a group. The different groups can be checked on the section Administration -> Manage Monitoring -> Manage Groups. A comma separated list of users that won't be created automatically. The Advance Permissions AD configuration will be used if this option is enabled. To add more than one, just add a new line. If the configuration isn't correct, the profile won't be added to the user. Define here the Active Directory server port. To use the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol between client and server. Domain that the Active Directory will use. Since the 6.0 version, it will be possible to enable this option to allow the users to activate the two step authentication in their accounts. To know more about enabling the two step authentication in an user account, you could read this quick guide. This functionality requires the server and the mobile devices has the date and time the more synchronized and precise as possible. Set the time in minutes of the session timeout without the user performing any action. If you never want to disconnect the user, set to -1. Every time a user logs in, his permissions will be checked to see if there has been any change. In that case, he will have to log in again. - The Pandora server should be able to resolv the FQDN of the domain controller, and it must be listening to basic and SSL modes (default ports 389 and 636). - The security certificate must be placed on the Pandora server. Review the configuration and press FINISH to end the wizzard. You must recevie a message: "The export was succesful." at the end of the wizzard. At this point, we must copy the .cer file to our Pandora FMS server. Uncomment the line TLS_REQCERT ALLOW if your certificate is self signed. If the domain controller is not responding or have no ports in OPEN status, check any conectivity or name resolution issues. Please enable this option if you intend to fall back to a local authentication if the LDAP remote authentication happens to fail. It enables and disables the remote user creation automatically. This option allows Pandora FMS to create the users automatically, once logged in by using LDAP. If enabled, the three below mentioned fields are going to be available. If not, the fields are blocked. Enabling this option will save the LDAP password to the database. When searching in LDAP, you can choose whether to use PHP's native function or use the local command ldapsearch. We recommend using the local command for environments that have an LDAP with many elements. When the user is created, we save in the database the name or email for login. If this option isn't enabled, the simple system for creating user profiles will be used (it uses Autocreate profile, Autocreate profile group, Autocreate profile tags). If this option is enabled, a list of all saved advanced permissions will appear. We can add new permissions by selecting the profile, groups and tags next to the attribute filter. If the user meets any of these attributes (for example, an organizational unit or specific group) then the user will be created. In the example image we can see that all LDAP users that are going to be created in Pandora and that have the attribute "group_id=16" or with the attribute "email" ending in "@artica. es" would receive the profile of "Operator (Read)" about the group "All" and all the tags. NOTE Is very important when you put the attributes you must put them with the following format Attribute_name=Attribute_value as shown in the example of "group_id=16". You're also able to review all available profiles by clicking on 'Administration' -> 'Manage Users' and 'Manage Profiles'. You're also able to create new groups or to list all available groups by clicking on 'Administration' -> 'Manage Agents' and 'Manage Groups'. While the automatic creation of remote users is active, this field makes it possible to assign a tag to these users that are created automatically. It's intended to switch the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol for communications between client and server on or off. The Distinguished Name (DN) used by the LDAP server, e.g. 'ou=People,dc=edu,dc=example,dc=org'. The login attributes used by the LDAP server during the authentication process, e.g. the UID. For LDAP systems that need to perform authentication prior to the user's search, you must specify in this field a user with permissions to perform the search. In this field we will indicate the password of the user of the previous field. If you select this option, the configurable fields are going to disappear. This option conducts the authentication by using the internal database of Pandora FMS. Please enable this option if you intend to fall back to a local authentication if the Integria IMS remote authentication happens to fail. The Integria IMS server's address. The MySQL port of the Integria IMS database. The Integria IMS database's name. The user allowed to access the Integria IMS Database. The password to access the Integria IMS Database. Please enable this option if you intend to fall back to a local authentication in case the Pandora FMS remote authentication happens to fail. The Pandora FMS server's address. The MySQL port of the Pandora FMS database. The name of the Pandora FMS database. The user allowed to access the Pandora FMS Database. The password to access the Pandora FMS Database. For the configuration of SAML, you can read this section. It indicates if the "pandora_db" is being executed and the time of the last execution of this one, in case it exceeds 12 hours without being executed it will mark a critical state. This parameter will only appear if there is a historical database configured in Pandora FMS. It indicates if the "pandora_db" is being executed in the historical database and the time of the last execution of this one, in case it exceeds 12 hours without being executed it will mark a critical state. The maximum number of days before the events are going to be deleted. The maximum number of days before the traps are going to be deleted. The maximum number of days before the audit events are going to be deleted. The maximum number of days before the string data are going to be deleted. The maximum number of days before the GIS data are going to be deleted. The maximum number of days before purging the database. This parameter is also used to specify the maximum number of days before deleting the inventory data. The maximum number of days before compacting the data. It's the maximum number of days before the deletion of unknown modules. Field to define the number of days from which the disabled agents will be eliminated. Field where you define the number of days from which the special days that have already passed will be eliminated. Field where the number of macros that can be used for alerts is defined. Field where you define the number of days from which the inventory data will be deleted. Field where you define the number of days from which the messages received will be deleted. Field where you define the number of days from which the Network maps data will be deleted. Field where the maximum number of days before deleting data is defined. Field where the maximum number of days before compacting data is defined. This is the length of the compacting interval in hours. For example, a module with an interval of 5 minutes generates 288 values per day. If this interval is set to 2, the data will be grouped in intervals of 2 hours and the average will be made, resulting in 12 values per day instead of 288. The higher this value, the lower the resolution. A value close to 1 is recommended. Field where the maximum number of days before deleting events is defined. Field where the maximum number of days before deleting the data strings is defined. NOTE: these parameters will only appear if there is a historical database configured in Pandora FMS. Field where the maximum number of data that the graph will represent in real time is defined. This is the length of the compacting interval in hours, e.g. a module with an interval of 5 minutes generates 288 values per day. If this interval is set to '2', the data is going to be grouped in 2 hour intervals and averaged, resulting in 12 values per day instead of 288. The higher this value, the less the resolution. A value close to '1' is recommended. It's default number of hours for event filtering. If the value is '24 hours', the event views are only going to display the events which occurred in the last 24 hours. This field also affects the display, counting and graphing of events in the tactical view. It enables or disables the real-time statistics. If real-time statistics are disabled, this is the parameter to define the refresh time for the batch statistics. The agent's access graph renders the number of agent contacts per hour in a graph on a scale of 24 hours. This feature is intended to learn the contact frequency for each agent. Under some circumstances, it could take quite a long time to process the data, so if you have slow hardware resources, it's recommended to disable it. It's the maximum number of stored files in the attachment directory. Enables or disables the deletion of uninitialized modules. Number of blocks in which "pandora_manage.pl" divides a time interval. A larger value implies larger blocks of time, which means performing more operations, albeit lighter. On overloaded systems and very large databases it may be advisable to increase this value even if the purging of the data takes longer. For example, in a database with 1 day of data to purge, the time interval would be divided into 100 blocks of 864 seconds (using the default value). The default and recommended value is 100. Number of rows that "pandora_manage.pl" processes in a single SQL query. This means that for each block of time defined by the "Big Operation Step to purge old data" parameter, a maximum of 1000 records will be purged with each query (using the default value). A higher value involves larger queries, which means fewer operations, but heavier ones. On overloaded systems it may be advisable to reduce this value, even if the purging of the data takes longer. The default and recommended value is 1000. Field where the maximum number of items in the graph container view is defined. Field where you define the maximun number of events that the Event Responses massive operation can perform. In this section you can manage all the visual elements of Pandora FMS console. The block size for pagination. This parameter determines the refresh interval for visual console pages. It activates the pagination within the module list. Proc type data represent binary states of a module. In the database they are collected as a number, but could also be represented in a descriptive way with an identifier for each of the two states. If this option is enabled, this second form of representation is used. When the option Display data of proc modules in other format is activated, text that appears to replace the number when the module has a correct status. When the option Display data of proc modules in other format is activated, text that appears to replace the number when the module has a fault state. This parameter will configure if the side menu drops down when we left click on it, or when we hover the cursor over it. Font size of the services. Distance (in pixels) between two elements of the service maps. This value cannot be less than 80px to avoid overlaps. It defines the Pandora FMS console's web style. You're able to add new skins or templates by including CSS files in the folder called 'include/styles'. This combo was designed to select the icons used to visualize the module's states. By default the colors red, yellow and green are used. You may replace the colors by other conceptual icons which allow you to differentiate the module's status if you're e.g. required to adapt the system to users with color blindness. You can change Pandora's favicon as well as leave the default one. It must be inico format and its dimensions must be 16x16 for it to work properly. You can add icons to choose from in the images/custom_favicon folder. You can place your custom images to the folder called 'images/background'. This feature is only available in the open-source version and allows you to display your logo in the Pandora FMS console header. You may use any PNG picture. The default size for a picture is 60x139 pixels. You may upload your logo to the directory called '/images/custom_logo' by using the file manager. This feature is only available in the open-source version and allows you to display your logo in the Pandora FMS console header in a collpased mode. In some parts of the tool there is a dark background and in other parts there is a white background. For this reason, Pandora FMS can be configured with an alternative icon for the pages that have a white background so that it can be displayed well in all views. The direction you go up is the same as the previous one. ICustom icon for the login section. To upload more icons, on the route /images/custom_logo. Custom icon for the logo that appears just to the right of theinputs' of text on the login screen. The path to upload more icons isenterprise/images/custom_splash_login. Icon for the link to the documentation and support of the login screen. If left blank, no icon will be displayed. The path to upload more icons isenterprise/images/custom_general_logos/. You can also customize the icon of the central node of the network maps. The path to upload more icons isenterprise/images/custom_general_logos/. You can use the Pandora icon by default. Personalization of the icon of the mobile console. The path to upload more icons is enterprise/images/custom_general_logos/. By default it will put the pandora icon with a subtitle that indicates that it is the mobile console. Title and subtitle of the login screen. URL address to which the "Docs" link in the top bar of the login screen leads. URL address to which the "Support" link in the top bar of the login screen leads. By default, the product name is Pandora FMS. However, in the enterprise version, the user is given the option to change it to another text string for a more customized version. By default, Pandora's author's name is Ártica ST. However, in the enterprise version, tthe user is given the option to perform a 'rebranding', that is, to change Ártica ST to another text string for a more customized version. Remove the watermark from the charts. Hide all Pandora's help. This configuration option affects both the modal windows and the wizard and other links to the Pandora documentation. The header is always displayed, i.e. it is not hidden when scrolling. This option minimizes the side menu after a few seconds. Please enable this option if you intend to obtain a label which contains the agent's name in GIS maps. However, if your maps contain a lot of agent names, they're very likely to be unreadable. The agent's icon to be used on the GIS maps. If you set it to 'none', the group's icon is going to be used. It's the main font's selector combo. This True-Type font is used in Pandora FMS graphs. Font size of Pandora FMS graphics font. If the agent's name consists of a lot of characters, it's required to truncate it into N characters in some sections within the Pandora FMS console. If the module's name consists of a lot of characters, it's required to truncate it into N characters in some sections within the Pandora FMS console. Description size text If the description consists of a lot of characters, it's required to truncate it into N characters in some sections within the Pandora FMS console. If the item's title consists of a lot of characters, it's required to truncate it into N characters in some sections within the Pandora FMS Console. It's the color for the minimum value in module graphs. It's the color for the average value in module graphs. It's the color for the maximum value in module graphs. These colors are used in Pandora FMS graphs. Number of decimals shown in reports and visual consoles. It must be a number between 0 and 5. Number of decimals shown in graphs. It must be a number between 0 and 5. It's intended to switch the round corners of the progress bar and other Pandora FMS graphics on or off. Type of representation for the module graphics. You can choose between area or line graphics. Type of representation for the interface graphics. You can choose between area or line graphics. Shows a line with the 95th percentile on the graphs. None: the TIP option of the graphs setup will be deactivated (default option). All: The TIP option of the graphs menu will be activated. Boolean graphs: The TIP option will only be activated in the Boolean-type graphs. The graphs (with the exception of the TIPs) are an approximate representation of the data available. This approach involves splitting the period to be represented into several pieces and calculating values that indicate the state of the module in each of these sections. The values that are calculated are the average, minimum and maximum. To paint only the average and have cleaner but slightly less representative graphs, you must activate this option. Drop-down to indicate whether you want your favorite visual consoles to be displayed in the menu. Favorite visual consoles will appear in the side menu, but due to performance and overlap problems, they cannot all appear in the case of a high number. With this token, the number of visual consoles is limited. Line width on visual consoles. This option can be changed within the visual console itself individually for each line, but the default value is detailed here. Displays the report information or only the data. The custom report's front page is going to be applied to all reports and templates by default. It's intended to display QR Code within the header. It's the custom directory in which the Graphviz binaries are stored in. Maximum width of the network maps to avoid that an unfathomable screen is shown. Show the group name instead of the group icon. The date's format. You're going to find all available options within the console's help. It defines which date and hour is used. There are two available options: The 'Timestamp in rollover' system timestamp or the 'comparison in rollover' database timestamp. It's very useful in cases the database belongs to different system other than the console. Custom values for post-processing. Updates a database table to have custom conversions from one unit to another. This parameter determines the interval values. Character or character set with which data is to be separated when exporting to CSV. The directory in which the Netflow data is stored. The time interval in seconds to update the Netflow data. The binary path for nfexpire. The maximum graph and chart resolution. The option to disable the custom live-view filters. The maximum lifetime of the Netflow data. The feature intended to resolve IP addresses in order to obtain their host names. Maximum timeout for API requests. Disabled with value 0. Under Pandora FMS it's possible to obtain the agent's location by using interactive maps. You're able to configure all parameters related to the connection of the GIS map provider, e.g. OpenLayers of Google Maps within this section. You're able to obtain further information about GIS in the section called GIS Console. The File Manager was designed to upload files to Pandora FMS. You're able to access the file manager's page by clicking on 'Admin Tools' -> 'File Manager'. If you invoke the above mentioned feature, a window like the one shown on the picture below is going to appear. The content of the 'images' folder within your Pandora FMS installation is displayed in this section. In it, you're able to browse directories, create files and folders and upload and download files from your local hard disk. You're required to use the buttons shown on the picture below in order to do that. The buttons are the following: 'create folder', 'create text file' and 'upload file'. After clicking on the 'create folder' button, the field shown on the picture above is going to appear. Just enter the name of the folder and click on the 'Create' button. If you click on the 'Close' button, the dialog is going to close. After clicking on the 'create file' button, the field above is going to appear. Just enter the name of the file and click on the 'Create' button. If you click on the 'Close' button, the dialog is going to close. After clicking on the 'update file' button, the field on the picture above is going to appear. Just click on the 'Browse' button, browse your local disk and select the file you want to upload. It's also possible to upload several files at once by selecting a zipped file and selecting the 'Decompress' option. The file will be unzipped and all your compressed files inside is going to appear within the folder. By clicking on 'Admin Tools' -> 'Links', you're able to access the link-managing page of the Pandora FMS Console. The process of creating or updating a link is very similar. Please click on the 'Add' button in order to create a new link. Please click on 'update a link' and click on the link's name. Both methods are displaying the same screen. In the first case, the screen is empty and in the second the screen displays the data of the link to be modified. Please click on the 'Create' or 'Update' button in order to create or modify the link, once all fields have been filled out appropriately. In order to delete a link, please click on the red cross which is located in the same row as the link you intend to delete. By clicking on 'Admin Tools' -> 'Site News' it's possible to add news which are going to appear in console's home page. Please click on the 'Add' button in order to create news. Subsequently, the window shown on the picture below is going to appear. Please insert an appropriate title and text and click on the 'Update' button. It's possible to delete a news by clicking on the red cross on its right or editing it by clicking on its name. This feature was designed to edit or create new operating systems. The feature shown on the picture below was designed to create or edit new operating systems. The description for the newly created operating system. Please select an appropriate icon for the OS here. This feature is explained in the section called Enterprise ACL System. This feature was designed to customize the look of the Pandora FMS Console Interface. This feature was made by changing the CSS style files and the associated icons. In order to create a new skin you're required to replicate the folder structure of the console. Images: This directory is intended to contain the skin's icons and images. Include/styles: This folder is intended to contain the skin's CSS files. The field for the user's name. The skin is going to be applied to all users which belong to the group mentioned here. If a user has a skin for itself and the group it belongs to has another one, the user's skin has a higher priority. The window intended to access the available skins is shown on the picture below. You're required to use the window shown on the picture below in order to create or to configure any skin. During the creation process, this field is going to ask you to upload the zip file. During any modification process, this field contains the name of the uploaded zip file. The groups assigned to this skin. A field intended to disable skins which aren't applied to any user. This feature is thoroughly explained in the section called Update Manager. This extension is thoroughly explained in the section called Translation of Strings. In order to update any language of the Pandora FMS console, you're required to invoke the Launchpad Translation Download Page, select the languages you intend to update (they're in *.mo file format), to click on the 'Request Download' button and to wait for an email which contains indicators and a location to download the files. Once the download is completed, please copy them into the folder called '/include/languages/' of the Pandora FMS console and your languages are updated instantly. You're required to create an account under Launchpad in order to be able to download the translation files.

2019-04-21T14:08:45Z

https://wiki.pandorafms.com/index.php?title=Pandora:Documentation_en:Console_Setup

The following articles appeared on Grandparents.com. Grown men and women are brought to their emotional knees slobbering over the thought of being a grandparent. They spend months imagining the joys of bonding with a few pounds of joy that’s wrapped like a taco in a yard of swaddling which will, in all likelihood, evolve into the threadbare, filthy rag the little Prince or Princess will drag around for the next few years in a tiny-fisted death grip. Yet somewhere inside that broad fantasy of Grand Parenting lurks an all-important issue. (No, not funding the college savings plan!) But, rather, by what name will the grandchild address you? Let me state right up front, this is a question over which you’ll have absolutely no control, since little ones have minds and mouths of their own. So, about the time junior begins to vocalize, and you’ve asked her for the umpteenth time, “Can you say grandpop? Yes you can, little sweetness… yes you can, my little princess.” And finally, miracle of miracles, the kid burps out something like “Glabooc.” Or “Vlack-Vlac, BaBa,” or some other nonsensical handle, and, it’s as if a white-hot iron has branded that name on your forehead, and nothing you say or do can ever change it. Until you keel over at 103 years, after a round of singles, or a hand of hearts, you will be forever known by that ridiculous sobriquet. And, like a really bad meal at a very expensive restaurant, you will claim to love it. How do I know? I’ve been there, done that! The only response I got from reciting this string of reasonable grandparent’s names was a sour burp and a cute little smile. Hell, she was only six-months out of the womb and her most favorite word was Waaaaaaaaaaaaa! Thus began my quest for a name by which my granddaughter would address me. You may believe this to be a trivial pursuit. But from what I found, there’s a deep wellspring of interest and concern involving this rather arcane pursuit. If you don’t believe me, check out Google and search: Names For Grandparents. In a matter of seconds, up pops more than two million listings!! Honest, two million!! Back in my day, probably your day, as well, most kids, if they were lucky, had two sets of grandparents: mom’s and dad’s parents. In those less complex times, what we called those old folks was relatively simple and straightforward: Names like Grandma and Grandpa or Gramps and Grams, fitted heartland grandparents quite nicely. If there happened to be strains of ethnicity in one’s family, one might resort to less ordinary handles. Names like Grand-mere and Grand-pere for the French. Anyoka and Apoka if you had a hint of Hungarian in your genes. Mammo and Daddo for a touch of Gaelic Irish. Bubbe and Zeydeh for those of the Hebrew persuasion. Maybe Oma and Opa if your GPs were German and possibly Ugogo and Ubabamkhulu if you had a bit of South Africa in your bloodline. In America’s deep south, for some reason, names for grandparents tend to be rather down-to-earth and undemanding. Names like Hank, Big Mamma, Rooster, Big Daddy and J-Bird are not only prevalent and easy to remember but are equally useful as names for a hunting dog or a Sheriff’s deputy. As in the past, today’s generation tends to adopt names for grandparents, using those our parents had, for their grandparents. But like so much in life, even naming grandparents has gotten a lot more complicated. For one thing, people are living longer. Ninety is said to be the new sixty, or is it eighty? Anyway, the chance of a child having a Great Grandparent, or several GGPs, for that matter, is no longer out of the question. Add to that, the astonishing and escalating rate of divorce, even multiple divorces, and re-marriages, and suddenly the number and variety of participants a child might need to include in this bio name game madness, increases exponentially. It is therefore possible for a little rug rat today to have a personal posse loaded down with 8 or ten names, many of them nonsensical, albeit necessary. After all, when there are 4 or 5 Grand moms and Grand dads…even a few Great GDs and Great GMs thrown in…what’s the kid going to call them? Fortunately, my granddaughter only had to remember four. There was Poppy and Mims on one side, and my wife is GramToo. As for me? I’m teaching the kid to call me…Mister Slosberg. THUMBS UP FOR YOUR GRAND KIDS! Back in the seventies, Tom Robbins’s novel, Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, introduced his readers to Sissy Hankshaw, a young lady born with enormous thumbs. I was reminded of Sissy the other morning, while at my local coffee shop. I was impatiently waiting in line behind a bunch of teenagers inching toward their pre-school caffeine-fix. They were yakking away, laughing, goofing and, clutching cell phones in both hands. But it was their thumbs that caught my eye! Blurred digits, dancing across cell phone keys, at speeds, which brought to mind hummingbird wings. Obviously, I was witness to an advanced form of Text messaging. Darwin was correct. These children had taken the opposing thumb to a higher order. THX BDAY 2G2BT. AAMOF UR CARD MADE ME LSHMBH. SWMBO WAS FUBAR WEN I WNTD A SLEEP O. BUT @TEOTD SHE CHILLED. TY, TY. GP UCMU. XOXOXO TOY. Here were familiar English letters, arranged in groups, which looked a lot like word clusters and yet, I hadn’t the foggiest idea what they said. “It’s from my Grand Daughter,” Rocco added. The girl smiled. A pleasant aroma of shampoo and Clearasil wafted toward me as she took the instrument. “Oh, sure. Like, no problem.” She read it with ease. And I thought: Good Lord! Two revelations in one day: First, that thumbs had risen out of the muck, and taken wing as a major tool for communicating, and that Gibberish had become a second language. But, as in all evolution, there was a piper to be paid. Thumbs and gibberish could possibly become a technological membrane, standing between Rocco and his Grand Daughter. Wait, I thought. Didn’t every generation have its own version of Texting –– those little quirks of communication, embraced by the young, which mystified and irritated their elders. Whether ancient glyphs etched on tomb walls, Beatnik and hipster vocabulary, the Pig Latin of my youth, or rap lyrics, the objective was clear: Fool the big people! Texting is simply latest obfuscation, filtered through two intersecting realities: technology and universal laziness. First, it uses a technology our elders don’t quite understand –– at least to the extent “we” do. And while we’re at it, let’s make it easier to use by creating a “brevity code” where thoughts can be squeezed into short monograms. But the truth is, Texting isn’t mysterious. And even though thumbs attached to older bodies can’t move as fast, it’s a cinch to master. The important point is this: Texting puts you at the side of your Grand child, 24/7. Once you get over the initial fear of mastering this new lingua franca, TXT MSGING turns out to be as simple to pick-up as Pig Latin. Just think of acronyms and abbreviations. We all know what ASAP means, right? And FYI? And ETC and CONT’D? Text uses lots of them. Like, LOLO, for Lots of love. And B4N, for Bye for now. Like I told Rocco: Jump in and try it. Start with something simple like; DRLG, Y DNT U CALL ME? It will blow your little darling’s mind to hear from Grandpop in Text, and I’ll bet you get a quick reply! The other night, while devouring a Sushi grade tuna burger at my favorite tavern, I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation between two couples at a nearby booth. As I listened to this harassment go on, I was struck by the patent injustice that was being perpetrated on these poor souls….and on the hundreds of souls around the world who are caught in this morass of exclusion. My heart went out to them. However, since you’re on this website, chances are fairly high you’ve laid some version of this passive aggressive rap on someone yourself. I think it’s about time we began to show a bit of compassion for anyone suffering from non-grandparent-itis. Let’s think about why this happens: is it conceivable that all grandparents seem to desperately want everyone else on earth to have grand kids? Is it possible there is a touch of schadenfreude here –– that they’re getting some strange pleasure from a misguided perception that one’s life isn’t complete without grand kids? Doubtless, many of us know people who fall into that Grand Kid Deprived category. Regretfully, this is a condition, over which those folks have no control, any more than those of us with grand kids, have. Truth is, nothing more than a little biological two-step resulted in the dubious honor of being gray-haired baby sitters, continually bearing gifts, and eventually shelling out for vacations and college tuition. Consider for a moment the dilemma the Have-Nots find themselves in. My buddy Jack and his wife Rochelle, for example, suffer mightily from ruthless grilling by the “I have one and you don’t” crowd. I heard their cry and my soul responded. “What if…we could create a Grand Child for people like you who don’t have one?” I postulated. I ignored their incredulous looks. Later that night, under a steaming shower, a venue where I happen to do my best thinking, the idea took shape. I would create The Grand-Kid-of-The-Month Club! It was pure brilliance. No grand kid? No problem. Finally, here was a way to blunt all those condescending friends who want to know why you don’t have any, when are you going to get some, and how can you call your life complete without a tottering rug rat finger staining your damask settee? The Grandkid of the Month Club would start with a Pre-Birth Package. We’d provide all the fancy buzzwords to lay on your friends about things like Fernand Lamaze’s natural birth and exotic breathing techniques. We would include stills shots from Ultra-Sound exams (They all look the same: like an X-rayed bottle of pickled beets, right?) and weekly emails from your own “kids” designed for forwarding to friends, chronicling the progress of the faux pregnancy. And on the big day, a picture of the gunk-covered, new tax-deduction, held high in the mitts of the proud gowned-and-masked Obstetrician would arrive. In due course more photos would debut: in bassinette, in hospital, in car seat. In a generic mother’s arms, her head, of course, cropped out. A picture every week, a visual progress of the kid’s development. Naturally, the first birthday would be celebrated with snapshots of the cake, the candle, the kids and the pile of presents. The kid on a pony or, if it’s a city kid, hailing a taxi. So cute! Holiday and special event cards would begin arriving from the child at appropriate ages, including their charmingly cute and precocious emails, suitable for forwarding to the by now, appeased friends. Trivets made from Popsicle sticks and plastic lanyards would be sent from authentic sounding summer camps. Eventually there could be a Shared Vacation Package. Thanks to the miracle of digital photography, we could “doctor” your actual vacation photos to include shots of your virtual Grand Kid. I settled into my bed, content that I had created something of great benefit to mankind (person kind?) and something that could possibly turn a profit? As my mind drifted on Theta waves, I wondered how one might end a membership in The Grand-Kid-Of-The-Month Club? Could we string a membership out into the college years? To graduate school? Or was the club simply a stopgap? A way to silence the irritating goading of well meaning friends? As sleep overtook me, a basic and brutal truth emerged: The reality that once friends and relatives are comfortably assured that, like them, you’ve got grandkids, they will surely become as bored stiff with yours, as you are with theirs. It’s just human nature. ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz. PS If you have thoughts about any of my columns, or ideas for possible future columns, please let me know. I don’t know about you, but the only grandchild memorabilia I keep around is a single picture of the kid, which I update whenever I’m sent a new picture… like once a year… maybe. But I just returned from a very eye-opening trip to Florida, visiting my buddy, Larry, and his wife, who, by comparison, have transformed their condo into a veritable shrine to their grandchild, Max. I never realized there was such a massive amount of stuff available for one to demonstrate adoration of a grandchild on a 24/7 basis. It only served to show how light I am on my Grand-Gear. I only hope my thoughtless neglect hadn’t perpetrated too much damage on my poor grandchild. So, using the list I’d compiled of my friends’ Grand-Gear, I fired up my computer, determined to track down their goodies, and find out how much it would cost to catch up. It was an eye-opening journey. I could relate somewhat to the photo mouse pad, the photo refrigerator magnets, the photo tee-shirts, and the photo coffee mugs (at $9.99, $5.99, $14.99, $13.99, respectively, from <shutterfly.com>). But a tooth-fairy pillow? And a combination baby-tooth storage and tooth- fairy bank? (All at <dentist.net/toothfairy>.) This is a bit much. Then there is the First Haircut Keepsake Certificate. Suitable for framing, of course (a bargain at $15 from <plannersGuide.com>). And the lock of hair shadow box (free directions for making one of your own at <wondertime.go.com>). Seeing all this stuff, and having witnessed how my friends relate to their collection, I was reminded of a strange sociological phenomenon known as, The Cargo Cult. The most widely known period of Cargo Cultitude activity was in the Southwest Pacific, in the years during and after World War II, when tons of goodwill were poured onto the islands by the American military. The chosen area, it’s said, had never before been exposed to Western civilization. So when vast amounts of cargo suddenly came tumbling from the sky, seemingly by magic, you can understand how stunned the native inhabitants must have been. It’s hard to even postulate the impact of seeing, for the very first time, canned goods, manufactured clothing, medicine, tents, and all manner of other goodies –– floating down, suspended from fluffy, cloud-like silk parachutes. And then, not too long after, have the war end… just as abruptly. The military bases were quickly abandoned, and all the wonderful cargo simply disappeared. The natives, however, wanting it all back, continued to look longingly to the empty skies, believing these gods would return, since, in their logic, only gods were powerful enough to produce such riches. But the gods were gone. In desperation, they attempted to bring them back, by mimicking what they had seen. They carved headphones from wood and wore them while sitting in fabricated control towers, scanning the heavens for the big silver birds. They fashioned replicas of radios from coconuts and painted Army insignias on their bodies. They fashioned and worshiped huge, straw airplanes. And then I thought back to my friends Larry and his wife and how their grandson had appeared, at least metaphorically speaking, suddenly and magically. And how they were using all the Grand-Gear to try and preserve the magic, to try and hold that early memory, for as long as possible. Because, in truth, their grandchild, Max, was now 16 years old. Deep into his adolescence, acne, and rebellion phase. So, if and when he ever came to Florida to visit, he’d probably be at the beach with his friends. Larry and the missus would be lucky to see him at all. At least they’d have their coffee mug. The following extract from The New England Journal of Really Weird Psychological Stuff is from a groundbreaking paper authored by one of the society’s most distinguished members, Dr. Frank Lee Earnest. Dr. Earnest: To begin, let me note, I have focused on one troubled couple –– the first I had encountered with this phenomenon which I’ve named Grand-Kidus Expectus. The pathology manifests through an itch to be a grandparent. Subsequently, I have seen and treated dozens more. No cure has yet been discovered. Although, large doses of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream seem to offer temporary relief. A middle-age couple, referred to me by an alert chiropodist, entered my office. Within minutes I concluded they were experiencing this yearning for a grandchild. His words, although rational, clashed with his subtle body language, giving me pause. Mr. Z leapt up on the couch as he spoke. His belt, removed from his trousers, was wound around his neck, and he had thrown the loose end over a steam pipe near the ceiling. In good conscience, I had no choice but to urge the couple to return for a follow-up visit. I am alarmed to learn that the couple is engaged in an unconscious subterfuge. It seems they replaced their daughter-in-law’s birth control pills with Pez candies. Even worse was their admission, after a stinging cross-examination, that, during a recent visit, pinholes had been introduced into a gross of condoms, found while rummaging through their son’s belongings. The remorse they expressed seems superficial. Progress, I fear, seems elusive, at best. Gingerly, I began to probe for the reasons underlying their children’s choice not to procreate. I tried to get beyond Mr. Z’s ranting about his son’s self-centered, ungrateful, lifestyle, but slowly, a more specific reason emerged; The young couple feels it would be cruel to bring a child into a world which allows sub-prime mortgages. I find it difficult to take sides. The wife was especially disturbed. So intense is her determination to become a grandmother that she claims to have actually experienced sympathetic lactation. I sensed from the wildly feral look in Mrs. Z’s eyes that the problem had escalated. Mr. Z wasn’t looking too well, either. They reluctantly admitted to making midnight calls to their kids, pretending to be various celebrities, ranting that only having children brings happiness. Unfortunately, all their impersonations came out sounding a lot like Charo or Sammy Davis Jr. The kids have threatened to take out a restraining order. Mrs. Z’s 55th birthday today and she is convinced her emotional clock is running out. “If I don’t have a grandchild soon, I won’t have the strength to teach her to feel guilty, let alone get down on the floor to play with the little darling.” Even when Mr. Z assured her that he would help, she was inconsolable. The Z’s son is in town on business. Upon entering his old room, the son was stunned to find a completely kitted out nursery. Crib, audio monitor, stuffed animals, etc., all ready and waiting for a grandchild. Any grandchild. The bed gone, he slept in the crib. I feel we’ve taken one step backward. The Zs have decided to bring out the big guns: Cash for the pregnancy. They reckon that by mortgaging the house, pulling out their IRA money, and taking part-time jobs, they can give the kids quite a bundle to conceive. I ask them to reconsider. They laughed off my suggestion as if coming from a spoiled child. I, too, was delighted and realized that the only true cure for Grand-Kidus Expectus was to have an actual grandchild. Without that, it’s a hopeless malady. I had no sooner hung up from Z when the phone rang again. It was my wife who had just returned from visiting our daughter and son-in-law. “You did both, right?” I said. “Thanks for your trust in me,” she said, clearly irritated by my questioning. Q. Dear Grump-Pop. My son informed me his wife is pregnant. I am like way too young and pretty to be a granny. What’s a girl to do? A. Dear Like Way Too Young. You’re not alone. Most of us are too young to be grand-any things. Short of recommending your son get a divorce, which would take you out of harm’s way, I’d say your options are few. But you may want to try this: After the baby is born, put your hair up in braids, wear short skirts, speak with a slight accent, and tell everyone you’re the kid’s Scandinavian nanny. Q. Dear Grump-Pop. My daughter lives far away and we don’t get to see our grandchildren, except to celebrate a few holidays. How can we see the kids more often? A. Dear Starved For Them. Obviously, the solution is to find MORE holidays to celebrate. There are literally hundreds you can choose from for your planning purposes. Here are a few to start you off: November 28th is Albania Independence Day. July 9th is Nunavut Day in Canada. July 20th is the oxymoronically named, Moon Day. On February 17th you can celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day. April 15th is, one of my personal favorites: Rubber Eraser Day. Imagine the fun you can have with your grand kids, planning and celebrating such exciting historical moments. You could make a giant papier-mâché eraser with the kids? Or, how about a marathon game of Trivia on January 24th, Trivia Day? The possibilities for seeing your Grandkids are limited only by your imagination. Q. Dear Grump-Pop. The only time we see the grandkids is when we take them, my daughter and our good-for-nothing son-in-law on trips, which we have to pay for because he pleads poverty. They are far from poor, with a big house, two cars and a country club membership. And he always demands they go first class. A. Dear Sick Of Shelling-Out. This is a tough one to solve. If you refuse to pay, you won’t see the kids, right? So I think a subtle, more nuanced approach is called for. On future trips, make sure you and the kids always have first class accommodations. Everything! First class airfare. Hotel suites. Top-of-the-line cabins on cruise ships. Everything. And make sure you book your daughter and good-for-nothing son-in-law with the lowest possible level of accommodations. Coach, preferably with center seats. Small rooms. Lowest deck cabins, etc. If they complain and want to go first class, tell them to pay the difference. Eventually, they will get the point. If not, at least you’ve saved a few bucks and had some very comfortable trips with your grandkids. Q. Dear Grump-Pop. My young grandchild uses very foul language with her parents. Lots of curse words. I am reluctant to say anything since I don’t want to meddle. What can I do? A. Dear Lost For Words. I guess washing out the mouth with soap went bye-bye when all those child-abuse laws kicked in. I would take the child aside and, in a very non-threatening, calm tone of voice, tell her that every time she uses a bad word in front of you, $100 will be deducted from her college fund. Then carry a little notebook and actually keep score, making sure she sees how her college fund is shrinking. If that doesn’t do the trick within a few weeks, take your chances with jail time and wash the kids filthy mouth out with soap. Q. Dear Grump-Pop. My teenage grandson wants to be an investment banker. He dresses in baggy jeans, dirty T-shirts and has his hair gelled in multi-colored spikes. How can I make him understand he will never get a banking job dressing that way? Oh, yes, and he’s talking about getting a nose ring and a few tattoos. What can I do? A. Dear Sartorially confused. Don’t eat your heart out. If he really wants to be an investment banker he will eventually discover Brooks Brothers or J. Press. But, meanwhile, check out the Internet and look up the high school graduation pictures of the very rich and very successful. People like, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, etc. and you’ll see how dorky they looked when they were your grandson’s age. It will comfort you. Just make sure his tattoo is on a discreet body part. Q. Dear Grump-Pop. My 16-year-old grandson is driving my daughter crazy. He talks back; he stays out late, refuses to study and is, in general, a total pain in the neck. It reminds me a lot of what I went through with his mother when she was a teen. What can I do? A. Dear End of my rope. Do nothing! I repeat: Nothing! This is what’s I call “pay-back” time. When your daughter was giving you fits back in her teen days, what did you say to her? Wasn’t it something like: “Just you wait, young lady! Some day you’re going to have children and I hope they give you the same grief you’re giving me!!” You did say that, right? Everyone does. So now its happening! “Pay back” time. Rejoice. Enjoy it. Savor it. Remember, what comes around goes around. Regardless of the animal or reptile involved, you’re on a slippery slope. Obviously you are being used as a flying wedge. Stay out of it. This is a no-no, so unless you own a fast food franchise, forget it. (Or, if addressing your granddaughter, saying, “For a girl, you’re really big-boned.”) Vanity bubbles up in kids like hysterically happy hormones. Proceed with caution when discussing a young grandchild’s looks, weight or “romantic” relationships. This is called: Damning-with-faint-praise. At most, it can cause a lifetime of self-consciousness. At the least, it’s the trigger for a screaming meltdown with mom when the kid gets home. If this were a football game the comment would draw a flag on the play. Not appropriate, and calls for the offending grandparent to receive a fifteen-yard penalty, and a possible suspension. One of the sadder phenomena of recent years is the assumption that when a teacher says anything critical of a student, it is assumed the teacher is wrong. This, along with really lousy pay, makes me marvel at why anyone wants to be a teacher. Don’t try to make points with your little genius by undermining the lesson his teacher is trying to impart. Talk about guilt! This is right up there with, “Finish your broccoli, don’t you know the children in Europe are starving!” But wait! Why not try a temporary tattoo? This may be the perfect opportunity for a grandchild to test the strength of a grandparent’s conviction. Without question, you are on very thin ice here. Absolutely nothing is more embarrassing to a 7-to-14 year old, boy or girl, than the “outing” of his or her social life. Oh, boy! This is not unlike catching fish using sticks of dynamite. Passive/Aggressive in the extreme. It is the stuff of nightmares, not to mention years of intense psychoanalysis. Are you happy now? Of course you should have a curfew for your prom night, dear. I remember your mother stayed out very late at her senior prom. She drank much too much, and two months later I ended up having to take her to visit a weird so-called doctor on Railroad Street. Agreeing with the parents that the child needs a curfew is a smart move for a grandparent. But don’t let your support turn into the launching pad for a story best forgotten. Any anecdotes about a parent’s early years should be uplifting, or at least, example setting. When I was around 9 years old, my best friend’s grandfather lived with my friend’s family, a common arrangement back in those days. The old man had his own room––a small, cluttered area created out of space in the cramped attic. There was a bed, a beat-up dresser, with a dull mirror attached, and a large, over stuffed and lopsided armchair. Some days, after school, my friend and I would go up to the attic and spend time with the old man. We’d scramble up the steep, creaking steps of the ladder-type stairway that unfolded from the ceiling, and led to his room. Even before we cleared the opening, the heavy smell of Prince Albert pipe tobacco would surround us. I‘ve no idea how old he was but, at least to me, he seemed ancient. People aged differently in those days, so he might have been sixty, or he might have been ninety. I rarely saw him out of his big, old chair, and we’d sit by his feet and smell the tobacco, and tell him about our day. About the endless ball games we played or how we’d been sledding. Sometimes we’d play checkers with him and every once in a while he would give us money to run to the corner store and get him tobacco. On those occasions, he’d always add a little extra change for us to buy ice cream cones or bubble gum cards. There was something very magical about that attic room. The smell of stale smoke, sweat and old age mingled with attic smells of decaying books and old clothing, which overflowed from a dozen crumbling cardboard boxes––all-in-all, an intoxicating miasma that, to this day, I wish I could conjure at will. Besides really listening––a precious gift too few adults bothered to bestow upon two nine-year olds––grandpa would talk to us, teach us and instruct us on all manner of things. And, unlike my own grandchildren, we listened to him, not cynically but with a level of awe. World War II was on and so was grandpa’s radio, constantly. It was on old Philco––a deep, rich blackish-brown wooden console the color of his Prince Albert tobacco. There weren’t lots of newscasts like there are today. But sometimes we would go to the attic after dinner and listen to Gabriel Heater, whose program always started off with Mr. Heater intoning, “Ah, my friends, there’s good news tonight.” The three of us would always intone the line right along with him and laugh every time. Most of what Gabriel Heater reported wasn’t really good news but we weren’t old enough to understand that. Grandpa also listened to the soap operas and to classical music. Both our fathers were off in the military and my mother was working at a job in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. We were what we call today, Latch Key kids, but in those days no one locked their doors, so we carried no keys. Even though this all took place a long time ago, I think about it a lot. One day last month I was flying to London for a meeting and, on a whim, started trolling my memory, trying to list some of the things grandpa had taught me: the trivial, the humorous and the obscure––but collectively, on reflection, quite important. A tutorial for those little life-skills few modern day 9 year olds have needed to master, simply because they are mostly pretty much useless. How to properly close a penknife without nipping off the tip of one’s finger. How to hammer a nail without bending it. How to get a stamp off an envelope without ripping it. How to approach the tasting of unfamiliar foods as an adventure, not a revolting chore. How to appreciate classical music, which at the ripe age of 9, I hated until the old man pointed out that The William Tell Overture was the theme for my favorite radio show, The Lone Ranger. After that, I was hooked. How to break-in a baseball glove using Neat’s foot oil. How to safely hand a knife or scissors to someone. How to cover model airplane’s plans with wax paper so the glue doesn’t stick to the paper. We made models from balsa wood in those days, not snap-together plastic. How to make a rubber band gun. How to make a bank out of a Prince Albert Tobacco can. How to double knot our shoe laces so they didn’t come undone on some crucial run to second base, which was usually a large rock. How to use a toothpick or wooden matchstick to re-fasten a screw when the hole has become too large. How to make a hat out of a newspaper page. How to fold a sheet of paper into an airplane. How to make a slingshot out of a wire hanger, a 2” square of cloth and some rubber bands. How to rewire an electrical plug. How to make a soap-box scooter from an empty wooden box, a 2/4 and a roller skate. When I was fourteen, my family moved out of the neighborhood to another city and I never saw the old man again. But he has remained in my memory. He never took us on a trip, or opened a savings program to pay for my friend’s college tuition or, come to think of it, give us a single gift, other than a few coins for ice cream or gum. But he did give us both something far more valuable and long. And this must be open season because people seem to be falling over each other, desperate to spill their guts about sexual peccadilloes, political infractions, literary plagiarism, Military Contract hanky-panky––just to name a few. You pick the poison and chances are good someone’s already tearfully confessed to it. I’m a lazy Grandparent. There, I’ve said it! I have very little time, and about zero amount of passion for the whole Grand-parenting ball of wax. And, you might be surprised to learn I’m not alone in holding this seemingly heretical point of view. About the extent of my involvement is the yellow diamond-shape decal I slapped on the back window of my 10-year old sedan that announces, GRANDCHILD ON BOARD. Believe it or not, there are loads of grandparents out there who believe they have better things to do, and have lives––far too full––to waste time babysitting, escorting rug rats to infantile animated movies, or to the park, to sit in a grungy sandbox and watch the squirrels, or whatever. The idea of blowing precious time doing any of that is no more appealing to many of us than wasting it fertilizing a lawn, scrubbing bathroom grout, or cleaning out the attic. Lazy is, as lazy does. There is a growing group of GPs who are coming up with creative ways to get off the hook, so to speak––to be with the grandkids in ‘one’s heart’ without getting all blubbery about it. Face it, when the day comes when one’s grandkid starts using that college fund you set up, they won’t give a hen’s feather whether or not you spent some god-awful Saturday afternoon with them building a snow fort. But lazy takes work, imagination and planning. So here are just a few things that “Lazy” –– I prefer to call them Busy –– grandparents might look into. I’ve organized this “Lazy Grandparents Guide” into two categories. You doubtless will have some ideas of your own and by all means, feel free to add them to this Guide. **As soon as your daughter or daughter-in-law is pregnant, begin to gently circulate the idea that you have a small disability, a torn rotator cuff, bursitis, or lower back pain––any type of condition that’s easy to claim and almost impossible to verify. You could even occasionally use an inexpensive arm sling, or even a cane. When the baby comes, this ‘injury’ will excuse you from lots of lifting, holding and diaper changing. In the case of an older child it will rule out hours of playing catch or crawling around on the floor being the guest of honor at stuffed animal tea parties or playing horribly competitive video games. Or, heaven-forbid, giving “horsy” rides. **It’s never too early to begin training a grandchild to fetch. Send them to get you a cold beer from the fridge. A refill of chips. More dip. The newspapers. Your slippers. Those sorts of things. It will teach them how to serve others and add a bit of much needed exercise to their little lives. **When it comes to presents, always give things that do not require any construction or participation on your part. No model planes, cars, or anything else that needs your help to be assembled, inflated, painted or launched into the sky. No books that can’t be read by the child. Reading to kids is the parents’ job. Besides, the book’s pages are often sticky from who-knows-what. ** Forget showing up for birthdays until the child’s age is in double-digits. Until then, a card with money will delight them. **Try giving hand-held electronic stuff. A properly chosen item can keep the average kid out of your hair for hours and hours. **Paying someone to “walk” your grandkid is no more far-fetched than paying someone to walk your dog. I can envision enterprising young people in metropolitan areas earning tuition money by strolling the avenues, a snot of little ones fanned out on the ends of brightly colored leashes, each having a wonderful time, in the company of their peers. Naturally, they would have to be heavily diapered, eliminating the possibility of any ‘scooper’ law violations. **Same for movies. Why would any adult in their right mind want to waste a Saturday afternoon surrounded by flying popcorn and ear piercing screams emanating from sugar-high brats, to watch Shrek 11, The Ant Bully, or Wallace & Gromit: Curse Of The Rabbit? **Don’t even think about one of those Disney parks. Okay, they’re wonderful, but only if you are a child––not the poor adult who has to accompany the child. But remember, that adult does not have to be you! Hire someone. It will be worth it. Maybe a competent niece or nephew who needs extra cash for college, weed, or seed money to back a card-counting scheme in Los Vegas. But don’t get involved if you don’t have to. If you’ve nothing better to do with your time, find something. Take up hobby, ballroom dancing or origami. Or start a business. Believe me, nothing is impossible. You’ve just got to be lazy enough. WHAT KIND OF FIRST GRANDPARENT MIGHT EACH CANDIDATE MAKE? Clearly, all three of our by-now-exhausted, and highly caffeinated politicians, have worked their pollsters off, trying to become Leader of the Free World. As part of the process, they’ve been peered at, poked, prodded, dissected, analyzed, in just about every imaginable way. But who, may I ask, has had the guts to posit the following burning question: What kind of First Grandparent would each candidate make? It’s not hard to see any one of them filling that roll. True, Obama is a tad young, and McCain has been there, done that. But for the purposes of this exercise, let’s assume our candidates start out dead even, free to gambol on that metaphorical field playing they’re always claiming they want leveled. So I plopped myself down on that field, and tried to imagine how each of the candidates might perform in three important areas of Grand-parenting: The Bedtime Story, Helping with Homework, and The Changing of the Diaper. Imagine it’s evening. The little one’s finished dinner. The kitchen’s been hosed down. The bath is over and the little prince or princess has been delivered––wrapped in a halo of baby powder and soft flannel––to the arms of his/her grandparent. J.Mc: “Roger that Booya!. Tonight I want to begin a very exciting story by a man named Leo Tolstoy. It’s called, WAR AND PEACE. Do you know what peace is? G.K. Uh, not exactly, sir. GK: “Gee whiz, BaraPop, Let’s have a new story. That one about a vote recount in Florida and Michigan gives me nightmares. Senator Clinton: “You’ll have to wait a little while longer, sweetie, MomaHill can’t change this diaper alone. IT TAKES A VILLAGE, you know, and they should all be here any minute. Conclusion: Although this is an unscientific look a mere three skill metrics, I believe whichever candidate becomes our next President, he or she should have no trouble tackling the job of First Grandparent. After all, it’s not half as hard as being a First Parent.

2019-04-19T13:11:53Z

https://mikeslosbergbooks.com/published-articles/

Snow boarding. When we arrived in Cervinia 2 weeks ago it was already dark and 11 o’clock at night. I couldn’t see the mountain, but the town was covered in snow and I was thrilled. We got to the flat and started unpacking while SF (Simone Ferradini) started throwing together a quick dinner. The place was small but it was perfect with its little fire place and open plan kitchen and living area. There were two balconies with big glass doors opening out onto them, giving you an amazing full view of the snow covered mountain during the day. The two bedrooms, one with a double bed and another a bunk bed, were cosy and warm with their heaters and carpet covered walls. They both had beautiful shutter windows overlooking the snowy forest at the back. Having gone from Cape Town (sea level) to Florence (140 ft above sea level) and then to Cervinia (6581 ft above sea level), my head was spinning slightly so my sleep that night was restless. Luckily I had some Oscar Peterson to calm me down and sooth me to sleep. The next morning we got up at 7 o’clock. After making breakfast and getting me geared up for snowboarding, we set off. I was using SF’s snowboard and boots ( which was two sizes to big for me but I didn’t have the heart to tell him, he seemed very anxious to get on the mountain). I only snowboarded once before in my life 7 years ago, and my sister informed me that even then I wasn’t any good. But I thought it would be the same concept as riding a bike, it will come back to me. Well it didn’t. When we got off our first lift at the main central of the mountain, there was a mini slope for beginners and children. SF had been giving me skeptical looks and nervously suggested that I first try the mini slope before attempting the bigger slopes with him and Camilla. So eager to show them my skills I strapped my boots on my snowboard and headed for the slope. In seconds I was all over the place and chaos unfolded in my wake. I nearly knocked a three year old right out of his mini ski’s before he neatly dodged out the way, glaring after me. I body slammed straight into an instructor who neatly caught me. My hero I thought. But instead of getting me off the slope, seeing as I was clearly hazardous, he gave me a wicked grin and a little push back down the slope. So I glamorously zig-zagged all the way to the bottom were I came to a very sudden and rather painful stop. As I fell I could hear a chorus of “Oooh”‘s rising behind me. Embarrassed and bruised I lifted my face from the snow to see if I caused any casualties. The whole slope had frozen and were staring at me with utter disbelief, others with sympathy and some were just having a good hard laugh. I got a few glares as well from mothers mostly, and I vaguely remember swearing all the way down. At the very top stood SF and Camilla. Camilla had both hands over her mouth revealing only two large eyes, and SF had one hand on his hip and the other was on his head, eyebrows raised and smiling at the few people looking at him, having connected them to me. I inelegantly rolled to my back and threw my head back in the snow, closing my eyes praying for an avalanche or some other disaster bigger than mine. I crawled snowboard and all onto this band thing at the side of the slope that takes people back up the slope. It was the worst kind of walk of shame I have experienced up to date. The band was moving painfully slowly making it impossible to run away from all the eyes bearing down on me. So putting on a brave face I smiled and nodded to every stare I came into contact with. When I reached the top of the slope SF smiled sympathetically and suggested a few lessons before I try anything bigger. I booked their only opening that day from 1pm-3pm. Seeing that it was only about 11am still, I rode the series of different lifts with SF and Camilla to the very top of the mountain. We stepped out of the lift into Switzerland and it was amazing: Mount Cervinia, being one of the highest peaks of the Alps, gave you a splendid view of the Alps. It was a cloudless sunny day and everything was crystal clear. And then we stepped into Switzerland. Standing on the highest peak and high on life. SF and Camilla skied down but I hang around a bit, having a caffé and marveling at the view, before I took the lifts down again. By the time I got back down it was almost time for my lesson so I hung around at the beginners area watching everyone else embarrass themselves. It was great. When my instructor arrived I was delighted! He looked like a SA surfer in snowboarding gear. He was super tanned with dark blond hair sticking out from under a pink bandana, mirror sunglasses and a friendly smile. His name was Paolo and I immediately liked him. We started our lesson and he would heartily laugh when I fall, slapping his knees, making me laugh too. But he would also fiercely praise my good runs, making me feel like a champion. At on stage I got a little fed up with falling so often and so hard that I lay in the snow, having a semi tantrum kicking up snow, cursing myself. Paolo only patted me on my shoulder and said that I was not falling so much because of clumsiness but because I was fearless. With his limited English vocabulary he probably didn’t know what he was talking about but I didn’t feel like correcting him. He then carried on explaining that I have accomplished in one day what takes most weeks to learn. Of course they didn’t fall as much as I did because they were more careful but it took them much longer to learn as well. Basking in the praise I felt much better by the end of the conversation so I got back up and continued. I was boiling so I peeled of layer after layer of clothing. I ended up with only my big padded pants (which were needed), a black tank top, my hair in a rough bun on top of my head and my aviators perching on my nose, sweating like a pig. I drew a few comments but I was too busy trying not to fall that I didn’t pay them any attention. At one stage Paolo shouted something in Italian at them and they were quiet. He himself was wearing only a T-shirt seeing he had been running after me the whole time like a nervous dad running after a toddler taking his first steps. I had a proper sunburn at the end of the lesson and his absurd tan made a bit more sense then. With a high five and a few last jokes we parted ways. I walked a few yards and collapsed in the snow. I lay there in the snow for a while staring at the mountain while waiting for the others to finish their slope. I met up with them for a pizza and a cola before we headed back home. Chilling in the snow, mesmerized by the mountains. I was exhausted and passed out as SF and Cami played Monopoly. When I woke up SF had already started making dinner so I eagerly jumped in and helped were I could, feeling guilty. After dinner we watched an adorable movie called La Boum. It is originally a french movie but we watched it in Italian while drinking amazing local wine and eating all sorts of delicious dolce’s. We all laughed and talked through out the movie seeing that they had to explain a joke every here and there. After the movie I took a shower in a bathroom that was twice the size of my room with an elaborate shower containing seats, 6 different shower heads from all angles and a built in stereo. The next morning we went through the same routine but this time we hired me some boots that actually fit and it made a big difference. SF, having watched only a portion of my lesson the previous day, deemed me ready to do a slope with them. If my memory serves me right it was a red slope, the second most difficult slope after the black one. Me not knowing this at the time felt fairly confident. Off we went and everything started off alright but it only got worse. I had about 3 really bad falls. One had my nose bleeding a little, another had me seeing stars but the last one was the worst. I was coming down a slope which had a dip at the end so you had to build up good speed to make it out this dip. Just as I was going really fast I slightly shifted my balance to the front because I was getting a cramp in my back calve. Just like that I lost my balance, brought my board into backside to attempt to break but instead the front of my board hooked snow and without being given a chance to register that I was falling, I was out. I couldn’t breath, seeing that the wind was knocked right out of me, and as I shifted to my back I couldn’t focus on a thing. Luckily SF and Cami weren’t there to witness my epic fall but instead I had a group of strangers huddling around me, making unnecessary fuss. They were speaking all kinds of languages above be but none of them were English. Just my luck. I was trying to get my breath back to tell them to f*#k off (seeing that it is universally understood) when Paolo’s head appeared above me through the clutter of faces. He burst out laughing when he saw it was me, then ushered the crowd away, telling everyone that I was fine. With the people gone it gave me space to get up. Paolo helped me up with a grin that only deepened when I scowled at him. Suppressing laughter he asked me if I was okay and what had happened. I told him if I had implants they would be burst by now and I might have broken a few ribs. He laughed and poked at me, asking were it hurt while I grumpily slapped at his hands. As he dragged me the last way down, I explained how my slope went and he never lost his cheeky grin. When we reached the bottom he had a lesson to give so I went to go pass out in the snow once again for a power nap. I was woken by Paolo roughly nudging me with his foot, telling me to get back on my board and do a few rounds at the beginners slope otherwise I’ll regret it tomorrow. Bitching and moaning I did a few rounds. The worst part were coming back up on the band. You had to stand in one uncomfortable position all the way up while your whole body cramps up and the band moving painstakingly slowly. In the end I took my board, went to one of the restaurants and had a pizza and a glass of wine but I had a grin on my face. It had been a good day. I woke up this morning thinking that I might take a walk into Centro and look around because it was cloudy but not really raining. But once again my day had other plans for me. I took a shower and did my hair and everything (something I seldom bothered with) when Simone F told me that they would be going to the country side where their family houses are just to organise things for the next weekend and if I wanted to come I was welcome. I was a bit unsure of going but I am very glad that I did. We first went to Simone F’s parents house to pick up the keys. They live in a part of Firenze called Poggio Imperiale, on top of a hill. It is much quieter and private there and the houses have bigger plots with bigger gardens.Their house over looks a lush green little valley were you see a house on a hill every here and there, beautiful. It had just stopped raining so everything was still crisp, fresh and clean. I met Simone F’s parents and we had a quick caffé before leaving. We listened to typical italian opera and some classical music as we drove past beautiful little house in the more remote parts of Florence on our way to Piandiscò. We had about 20 min of highway on our way there which gave me a chance to see some of the old castles still standing on the hills. It shows you why you see all these beautiful but elaborate villas on top of hills, for the view and the meaning behind it. The places you pass through is so incredibly beautiful that it inspires awe with a twinge of sadness( I have no idea why these views bring tears to my eyes and tugs at my heart, there is nothing sad about it yet I feel sadness weighing down on me). I guess thats what they would call heartbreaking beauty. The hills look as if mother nature has thrown a thick lush blanket over them in these chilly times. The trees were full and heavy while the ground smiles with the abundance of new life spurting all around. It was magical. Before we reached Piandiscò, we passed through a small town called Vaggio, here you can see the true essence of what it is to be an italian by heart. It has not the outer pretence of fashion and style and elegance of cities like Firenze and Roma but it has a much more basic and natural charm. The country houses we were going to are just just on the other side of Piandisco, a typically stylish little Italian villages which holds a beautiful old pieve (small town church) 1100 BC. When we reached the right turn of to their place I looked to my left and through the tree i could see all the way down this steep mini canyon that was so lush and green with trees and nature. Their place is beautiful. There are three houses, a big one with three stories then there is a smaller one in a simular style and then next to that one is a beautifully quaint little typical tuscan house. At the side,descending into the canyon, is a path way that leads to an old cellar where they use to store wine. While I was stitting there with my back against the big house, I had the little lush canyon to my left, in front of me I could see fields of olive trees and to my right hand side sat the two smaller houses with a big lawn and soccer field and swimming pool(with a sona) beyond it. The sun had just come out and I basked in the welcome warmth thinking to myself how this place is perfect in its imperfection. The lawn is over grown with daisies and other beautifull plants growing everywhere but it carries effortless grace and natural beauty. We then go through the houses deciding which is more suitable for the party and of course we settle on the big house. So we start cleaning it and it pleased me greatly to see everyone of us get thoroughly involved with the sweeping, mopping, dusting, moving ect. When we were almost done, Angela started making lunch. They were on a high protein diet but they always keep me in mind when they cook which is extremely nice of them. She made a pasta with tuna, garlic, salt and olive oil; there was a big bowl of salad and then Simone F had made a fire in the fireplace in the kitchen were he then prepared a proper Florence steak(which is famous in Italy for being very rare and very thick) and some delicious sausages. We didn’t have bread because the shops were already closed but we still had our balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the salad. It was an amazing simple meal. We cleared and chilled in the sun for a while. I found a tennis ball and entertained myself for 30 min by throwing it in the air as high as I can and then catching it again, Simone F wacked some golf balls and other things and Angela went flower picking. On our way back we stopped at a petrol station were we went to the cafe for some caffe. I politely turned down and espresso and chose to walk around the area a bit but when I met them at the car later they had managed to buy me something in anyway. It was a typical italian biscuit called Cantuccini, they gave me a pack of softer ones and a pack of harder ones for tea. While gobbeling them down in the car on my way back I thought to myself that I will go running tomorrow weither it rains or not. When we got to Firence it was 4pm so we had an hur to kill before picking Camilla up at 5pm. They then took me to Piazzale Michelangelo, it was on a hill over looking the whole of Firenze. They then took me to San Miniato which was just next door, it was undescribable. You walk up with these big stone staircases on each side which brings you to the courtyard at the churches entrance. As you stand facing the church you have small areas of tombs and lawn and graveyard on you right. To your left you have a little ‘Monk Pharmacy’ as they call it. Inside you have a monk behind the counter with all sorts of aromas drifting around you. There was beautiful mens chior music playing in the back ground and a cookie caught my eye, it was called Bruto Ma Buono (“Ugly but good”). When we walked out there is a passage way just next to the entrance to the shop. It leads you on a beautiful root behind the church towards Piazzale Michelangelo(unfortunately it was closed this day). We the went inside the church. Words fail me. As you step in you tread on a marble grave which is then followed by more and more. The floor exists out of different marble graves and you find yourself treading softly, respecting the dead. High ceilings starting with marble at the bottom but the higher you go the older it gets and the stone walls show face.The walls are covered in paintings of men and the ceilings are covered with stories. We then went further and descended into a Cripta, were the graves of old family bloodlines lie, families like Galileo Galilei. You then go back up and ascend into the meditation chamers for prayers. This was my favorite part of this church. It was dark and the only light that entered was through a beautiful picture window. The walls and ceilings were covered with painted stories and at the bottem along the ground were dark wooden seats where you could snugly and pray in utter silence. The aromas of this place was entrancing and memorable. We were running late so we rushed out to the car and sped of to fetch Camilla from school. Simone F took a different road called Viale Dei Colli which took us through a old and beautiful part of Florence. We passed from the one side of the city’s centre to the other side through different porta’s. The city centre is surrounded by an old town wall which now has different entry points called potra’s (like a porthole into an unknown world of magic;) ). When we got home I immediately pulled the laptop out to write an email before i forgot all I had seen. I can now say with absolute certainty that I am head over heels in love with Tuscany. Last night we had a meal that existed out of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and black bread; Some sort of meat that is sliced into thin slices; Spinach fritata; a salad with fresh leaves, mozzerella, carrots and some other kind of veg; there was steamed asparogus; a whole bowl of fresh mozzerella; A slab of parmason with some apples and pears, last but not least there was a big bowl of chopped strawberries with a dash of sugar. This morning after I had walked Camilla (the daughter) to school, Angela (the wife) told me that she will be taking the bus to their office in the center of Florence. I eagerly agreed to go along and explore Florence Centro a bit. Now riding a bus in Florence, or Italy for that matter I presume, is like being on that bus from Harry Potter. Bumpy, jerky and over side walks but all together quite fun, if you are sitting down. But standing while holding on to a pole can be an embarrassing and comical experience. With the sudden stops and starts you swing to and throw while clutching your pole, making unintelligent grunts and little squeaks of alarm or surprise. The whole scenario made me feel like an inexperienced pole dancer. That thought had me trying to wipe a stupid grin off my face while trying to play it cool. All the while Angela just sits in the corner by the window, laughter dancing in her eyes while she is hiding a smile behind her jacket collar. At the front an old man is swearing at the bus driver and the bus driver is arguing right back at him. But they seemed to secretly enjoy their little exchange of words, behind their frowns amusement dances mischievously in their eyes. When we stopped in the city center, Angela and I greeted and went our own ways. The first thing I did was get a map of Florence. After about 30 minutes walk into the smaller and quieter alleys, I pass by this miniature church or at least it was one. The big double doors of this little place had big windows in it. As I peered in I could see statues after statue. Inside was only one big studio room with a high ceiling, wooden beams at the top and glass windows in the ceiling which allowed the sun beams to fall through making this little unlikely chapel-turned-workshop look holy indeed. The artists inside looked up from their work at me and gave me friendly waves, I waved back but I didn’t go in seeing that there was a clear sign outside saying ‘No Entry’. Not pushing my luck I stood back and admired this work of art for a few minutes more before I carry on my way. I got thirsty and walked into a little door were I saw water in the window. To my surprise and delight this little door turned out to be a full blown supermarket with anything and everything you can think of. Okay so it was very narrow and at places you had to use a ladder to get what you need but it worked, somehow. On my walk I met a Nigerian man who spoke beautiful English; got chatting to an American woman who tried to stoke a sleeping cart horse who then in turn bit her hand making her yelp(serves her right); and then got a sandwich at Queen Victoria who makes amazing Italian sandwiches. At 11:40 am I sat down on the steps of a church listening to a man play the violin. Before I new it, it was 12 o’clock and the bells all over Florence rang in harmony sending chills down my spine. There are about 1000 churches in Florence. In the streets you will always see subtle construction busy restoring and preserving these old buildings. At about 1 o’clock I started making my way to the bus stop when I smelt chocolate. As I came near the shop I saw that it was a shop dedicated entirely to chocolate and a woman was making fresh pasties on the side walk. Not being able to resist I got one. It looks like a hand size waffle but it is crispier. She put it in a carton box/ bag and then she starts throwing melted chocolate on. Dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate, mint chocolate, you name it. Mine had milk chocolate and dark chocolate and I thoroughly enjoyed this messy feast. I was a mess when I was finished but luckily I had a bunch of napkins and a bottle of water. Sitting on the bus going home, there was an open space in front of me. A man came to stand there with his back towards me when he got on at one of the stops. At one stage the bus took off with a start and the man falls back towards me. I instinctively but my hands out to break his fall and to protect myself. As it happens with me sitting and him standing, my hands are level with him backside and before I new it I was sitting with a strangers bum cupped in my hands. We both freeze and he peered at me over his shoulder, bewildered and apologetic, while I quickly release his bum like it was burning me. Embarrassed and with sheepish expressions, we both apologized while trying to stay casual. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence I take the cowards way out and put my headphones on and pulled my hoody low over my head. When I got off at my stop I start walking back looking at my surroundings. Its always entertaining looking at Italians park. Its amazing were these people think they can fit in. I was only when I got home that I saw I had a chocolate smudge the size of Africa on my chin. Hooray. Here I am in Florence at last. Safe and sound with quite a story to tell.. After my 10th and final greeting to my family, everything was going so well, until.. We had just taken off and I had switched my screen on to pass a 13 hour flight with some movies. But Murphy’s law had it that my screen, the only one on the whole plane I might add, was not working. Luckily the flight wasn’t very full so they moved me to a four seater that was miraculously available at the very back of the plane. I later gave my spot up to a father in distress with constantly red faced infant. At last I settled in a two seater by the window which was perfect because it was full moon and I’m a Cancerian after all. Staring out the window while blissfully listening to some movie soundtracks, I saw lightening below me. How amazing is that? Below me! Soundtrack + stars above + patches of city lights + full moon + lightening = an amazing feeling. Moving on. After a while when my movie and music supply ran out and I couldn’t sleep, I got bored. So those who are family, or who know my family, will know that we love to sing. Wether we can or not, wether it’s appropriate or not, we sing. So I sang. And seeing that the airline I was flying was called Edelweiss, the first song that popped to mind was none other than Edelweiss, a song from The Sound of Music. I was just humming the tune quietly to myself, closing my eyes and loosing myself in a world of singing in the hills and making cloths out of curtains. Suddenly the rather enthusiastic, burly swiss gent behind me heartily joined in at a splendid tenor tone. Courage quickly over rode my initial shock as I fell back in with him, singing with a little bit more oomph myself. A few verses later an old Lady at the other side of the plane joined our accapella and then, to my greatest delight, three more joined. We were not the best of choir but it was fun until a baby started crying and we all fell silent and went stiff, terrified of getting a tongue lashing from the mother. To our surprise and relief she only picked up her babe and hummed Edelweiss to it until it fell asleep again. With a sigh of relief and a twinge of embarrassment I sank down in my chair. Having had quite enough excitement for the day I closed my eyes for a nap. About two hours before Zurich, we passed over the Alps. It was a sight of pure fiction. The sun was out and white peaks peered at me through thick clouds, teasing me with mere glimpses. At times I could see right through the clouds for a few blissful seconds at the unknown world beneath but then the clouds would snap shut again like a scandalized nun who just caught a boy peeking up her skirt. When we landed in Zurich, everything about the trip had been acceptable up to the point. But right then and there my life’s karma decided to catch up with me. Swiss customs decided I looked suspicious and the fact that I had more liquids in my hand luggage than permitted didn’t help my case. So I was taken aside were my luggage was neatly unpacked, object for object, for the whole freaking Switzerland to see. And to make things even more peachy, I was thoroughly frisked by a scary Swiss lady, who looked more German if you know what I mean. I was terrified and so far not impressed with my first solo international trip. By the time they were finished with me and I was free to go, I was sweating and overheated and ready to faint with relief. So I dragged myself to the nearest bar were I had a big glass of water and a bigger glass of wine. I then set off looking for my next boarding gate. On the board it said my flight to Florence would be boarding at gate A/B. Thoroughly confused seeing that gate A and gate B were on opposite sides of the terminal, I set of in search of gate A/B. Along the way I found an officer who told me in a heavy accent that it would either be gate A or gate B, they haven’t decided yet. So he pointed me in a direction and started walking in that very direction. So I followed him, naturally. He kept throwing me, what I know now to be suspicious glances, over his shoulder as he quickened his pace but I kept pace with my night in shining armor. It was only when I tried to follow him into a restricted area that he turned around and politely asked me why I was following him. Embarrassed, all finesse vanished as I turned around abruptly like I had not heard or seen anything, and walked away casually. Not one of my smoothest moments I admit. The flight from Zurich to Florence was terrifying and nauseating to say the least. The pilots were two beautiful men who looked like they were at boarding school, eyes full of mischief. They quickly lost their charm as the flight started. It was bumpy, shaky and unpleasant. The weather in Florence was to bad to land so we barely made it alive to Pisa airport. Upon landing the whole plane burst into applause and a few tears were shed in relief. When we came to a halt one of the pilots appeared to apologize for the rough trip with an all to sheepish grin on his face. I would have laughed at the absurdity of the situation if I didn’t feel like retching. We then waited an hour for a bus to take us to Florence. It was a nice relaxing drive. I sat at the very front with a beautiful view and the air-con on full blast as the driver played “You Can Leave Your Hat On” loudly on the stereo. Things were starting to look up. At one stage the bus driver put his phone on loudspeaker and had an intense conversation for the whole bus to hear. Luckily for him most of us didn’t understand Italian but the Italian lady next to me had a good chuckle however refused to share the joke. When I arrived at Florence airport I went straight to arrivals but found no-one there. So I went to information to ask for internet/sim card/pay phones but they had nothing anywhere. Distresses I camped out at arrivals for about an hour, trying to come up with a plan but none came to me. I then got angry and went back to info to drill them a bit and found out that there was still internet cafe’s open at the train station. So taking my bags, which I had been dragging around with me the whole day I might add, I went in search of a shuttle. Luck had it that I walked into Simone Ferradini and his daughter, Camilla, just as they were about to leave after waiting for hours and hours. Relief flooded me and I almost burst into tears. When we got to Casa Ferradini I met them all: Nono and Nona (the grandparents), Angela (the wife), Paolo (Angela’s brother) and Alessandro (the little boy). I could barely keep my eyes open as they lay a feast in front of me. I could also barely eat and I’m afraid I might have offended Nona, who was the cook. The next day Simone F, Angela and Camilla took me to the center of the city, despite the heavy rain, which I thought was very nice of them because I was ever so curious. We went for a cafe (espresso) at a little cafe were we all put our umbrella’s in a big bin outside. They took me to one of the most mesmerizing churches I have ever seen, Santa Croce. It was filled with beautiful paintings, picture windows, candles that gave of an intoxicating aroma and there where also loads of graves of important politicians and poets. When walking through the surprisingly busy cobble stone streets one had to lift ones umbrella up every now and then to avoid collision, making every second person look like Mary Poppins too me. We the passed by and through Piazza Signoria and La Vasta Vecchio (an old government building where every now and then there was a market of a sort). On our way to Punte Vecchio (famous bridge in Florence with all the jewelry shops) we passed the Galleria Degli Uffizi, which was to busy to go in. After the bridge we went through Piazza Rupablica and right past the Duomo, which was breathtaking. We then ended up at a little cafe called Verrazzano for a quick bite. Angela, Camilla and Simone F at Verrazzano as we took our pit stop. All in all it was a wonderful day. That night we had a feast of note to celebrate easter and what an experience. Will need to dedicate a few pages to that alone so for now all I will say is amazing. After dinner I went for a walk, something that you can’t do on your own or at night in South Africa because of crime levels. In front of their house is a cobble stone courtyard with benches and olive trees strategically placed at random from the edge to about halfway in, leaving the center open. Every step or so there is a light, the size of a cobble stone, in the ground shining like stars. When looking out of my window on the fourth floor it looks like a galaxy hiding just beneath the surface of the earth, peeking at us. Courtyards in front of the apartment. Day two Simone F and I cycled Camilla to her horse riding school, Casa Di Risparmio Di Firenze, where we were joined later by Angela and Paolo. We had an espresso there then we were off. Paolo took me to show me the center of the city on a sunny day. It was beautiful. We stopped every here and there to look but kept on the move most of the time. We stopped for an ice cream at an amazing gelato’s called Grom. I quickly became addicted to their Vanilla and Pistachio. Grom in Florence, best gelato ever. Vanilla and pistachio gelato from Grom. Addictive goodness. We the passed threw a few more Piazzo’s like Piazzo Pitti (where the fashion shows are held in summer hosting designers like Valentino and Armani) and Palazzo Santo Spirito (the oldest church in Florence). At the end of the day we had done more than 15 km of cycling and I still felt fresh. Tonight we had another memorable meal, I went for another walk while taking the garbage out and here I am now, 1 o’clock in the morning and knackered.

2019-04-18T20:51:45Z

https://stroskie.wordpress.com/category/travel-letters/

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, a voltage generating circuit, a memory circuit which stores a reference pulse number of an erase voltage of the memory cell array and a parameter, and a control circuit which controls, when a pulse number of the erase voltage exceeds the reference pulse number of the erase voltage, the voltage generating circuit in a manner to increase at least an erase verify level in accordance with the parameter. This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2006-198507, filed Jul. 20, 2006; and No. 2007-135717, filed May 22, 2007, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device and a control method of the semiconductor memory device, which are applied to, for instance, a NAND flash memory. In recent years, a demand for nonvolatile memories has been increasing in accordance with an increase in memory capacity thereof. A NAND flash memory is an example of such nonvolatile memories (see, e.g. Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-14043). It is known, however, that in the memory cells of the NAND flash memory, if write/erase operations for data rewrite are repeated, the characteristics of the memory cells vary and, as a result, the speed of the erase operation becomes lower and the speed of the write operation becomes higher. For example, at the time of the erase operation, an erase voltage Vera is gradually stepped up, and a plurality of pulses are applied until the erase voltage Vera reaches a target threshold voltage. However, there is a limit to the erase voltage Vera that is to be applied and the number of pulses. Consequently, if the characteristics have varied and the speed of the erase operation has decreased, the threshold voltages of the memory cells do not reach even if the erase voltage Vera reaches its upper limit, and there occurs an erase defect in which the erase operation is not completed. In addition, the memory cell in which the erase defect has occurred becomes a defective element. Hence, if the number of times of rewrite increases, erase defects occur and the number of defective elements increases. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor memory device comprising: a memory cell array; a voltage generating circuit; a memory circuit which stores a reference pulse number of an erase voltage of the memory cell array and a parameter; and a control circuit which controls, when a pulse number of the erase voltage exceeds the reference pulse number of the erase voltage, the voltage generating circuit in a manner to increase at least an erase verify level in accordance with the parameter. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method of a semiconductor memory device including a memory cell array, a voltage generating circuit, a memory circuit which stores a reference pulse number of an erase voltage of the memory cell array and a parameter, and a control circuit which controls the voltage generating circuit, the method comprising: causing the control circuit to check whether a pulse number of the erase voltage exceeds the reference pulse number of the erase voltage, thereby detecting deterioration information of the memory cell array; changing, if the pulse number of the erase voltage exceeds the reference pulse number of the erase voltage, the parameter in a manner to increase at least an erase verify level; and controlling the voltage generating circuit in a manner to apply the erase voltage to the memory cell array by using the changed parameter, and executing an erase operation. FIG. 33 is a flow chart illustrating a write operation of the semiconductor memory device according to the fourth embodiment. In the description below, common parts are denoted by like reference numerals throughout the drawings. To begin with, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a semiconductor memory device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the semiconductor memory device according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the semiconductor memory device according to the embodiment. In this embodiment, a NAND flash memory is described as an example of the semiconductor memory device. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a NAND flash memory 11 includes a voltage generating circuit 20, a memory cell array 12, a row decoder 13, a sense amplifier S/A, a control circuit 14 and parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. The voltage generating circuit 20 is configured to generate voltages of predetermined values, for example, a write voltage, an erase voltage and a read voltage. The memory cell array 12 includes a plurality of Blocks (Block n−1, Block n, Block n+1, . . . ) and a memory circuit 15. In this example, the memory circuit 15 is one page which is a unit memory area (to be described later). For example, the block (Block n) is a single-level NAND flash memory which is configured as an SLC (Single Level Cell) which is capable of recording 1-bit data in one memory cell transistor MT. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the block (Block n) includes a plurality of memory cell transistors MT0 to MTm+1, which are arrayed in a matrix at intersections between word lines WL0 to WL31 and bit lines BL0 to BLm+1. Each of the memory cell transistors MT0 to MTm+1 has a stacked structure comprising a tunnel insulation film provided on a semiconductor substrate; a floating electrode FG provided on the tunnel insulation film, an inter-gate insulation film provided on the floating electrode FG; and a control electrode CG provided on the inter-gate insulation film. Memory cell transistors MT, which neighbor in the direction of the bit line BL, have their sources/drains shared as their current paths. The current paths are connected in series at one end and the other end. In this example, 32 memory cell transistors are connected in series. A NAND cell column 19 is constituted by the memory cell transistors MT, which have their current paths connected in series at one end and the other end, and select transistors ST1 and ST2. The NAND cell column 19 is selected by the select transistors ST1 and ST2. One end of the current path of the NAND cell column 19 is connected to the sense amplifier S/A, and the other end of the current path is connected to a source line SRC. The number of memory cell transistors MT is not limited to 32, and may be 8 or 16, for instance. In addition, only one of the select transistors ST1 and ST2 may be provided if the select transistor is configured to select the NAND cell column 19. The control electrodes CG of the memory cell transistors MT0 to MTm+1 in each row (i.e. in the direction of word line WL) are commonly connected to one of the word lines WL0 to WL31. The gates of the select transistors ST2 are commonly connected to a select gate SGS, and the gates of the select transistors ST1 are commonly connected to a select gate SGD. The source of the select transistor ST2 is connected to a source line SRC, and the drain of the select transistor ST1 is connected to one of the bit lines BL0 to BLm+1. As indicated by a broken-line box, one page (PAGE) is provided in the direction of the word line WL in association with each of the word lines WL0 to WL31. For example, a page PAGE2 is present in association with the word line WL2. In the block (Block n) that is the SLC area, one page is present in association with each word line WL. Data is written and read in units of a page. An erase operation is performed batchwise in units of the block (Block n). Another block (Block n−1, Block n+1) may be constituted as a multilevel NAND flash memory which is configured as an MLC (Multi Level Cell) area that is capable of recording multi-bit data in one memory cell transistor MT. In the other structural aspects, the block (Block n−1, Block n+1) is the same as the block (Block n). The memory circuit 15 is one page (PAGE) which is a unit memory area composed of memory cell transistors MT0 to MTm+1. For example, PAGE2 in this example has a structure as shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, PAGE2 of the block (Block n) comprises a data area 15-1 (512 Bytes in this example) that stores, data, etc., and a redundant area (16 Bytes) 15-2. The redundant area 15-2 includes an ECC (Error Correcting Code) area 15-3 (3 Bytes), and stores a parameter 22 and a reference pulse number Nera of an erase voltage. For example, the reference pulse number Nera of the erase voltage (Vera) is 15. The parameter 22 determines, for example, an erase verify level, as will be described later. The row decoder 13 is configured to select word lines WL0 to WL31 and select gate lines SGD and SGS in accordance with addresses which are designated from a memory controller (not shown). The row decoder 13 includes transfer gate transistors TGTD and TGTS and transfer transistors (high-voltage transistors) TR0 to TR31, which have gates commonly connected to a transfer gate line TG. The transfer transistors TR0 to TR31 applies predetermined voltages, such as an erase verify level, a read level and write voltage Vpgm, to the control electrodes CG of the memory cell transistors MT. The sense amplifier S/A is configured to amplify data of each page which is read out of the bit lines BL0 to BLm+1. In this example, the sense amplifier S/A includes a plurality of latch circuits 16-0 to 16-m+1, which have inputs connected to the bit lines BL0 to BLm+1 and have outputs connected to an output terminal (I/O). The latch circuit 16-0 includes inverters 17-0 and 18-0. The input of the inverter 17-0 is connected to the bit line BL0, and the output of the inverter 17-0 is connected to the input of the inverter 18-0. The output of the inverter 18-0 is connected to the output terminal (I/O). The other latch circuits 16-1 to 16-m+1 have the same structure. Next, referring to FIG. 4 to FIG. 10, a description is given of an erase operation, which is an embodiment of a control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. The description of the erase operation is based on a flow chart of FIG. 4. To start with, as shown in FIG. 5, the control circuit 14 reads out the data, which is stored in the memory circuit (page 2 (PAGE2)) 15, by means of the sense amplifier S/A, and sets the read-out data in the associated parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. Thus, the parameter 22 and reference pulse number Nera, which are stored in the memory circuit (PAGE2) 15, are set in the parameter registers R0 and Rm+1, respectively. The reason why the data in the memory circuit 15 are once set in the parameter registers R0 to Rm+1 is that the sense amplifier S/A is prevented from being occupied by the data. If the sense amplifier S/A is occupied, the data read/write/erase operations are disabled. In order to empty the sense amplifier S/A, it is necessary to copy the data to the parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. At this time, the pulse number 25 of the erase voltage, which is counted and stored in a subsequent step ST1-2, is set at 0 and stored in the parameter register Rm−1. Subsequently, the control circuit 14 checks whether a change of the erase verify level is necessary or not, thereby detecting deterioration information of the memory cell MT. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, when erase is executed, by repeatedly applying the erase voltage Vera that is slightly increased from the last applied erase voltage Vera, the threshold voltage distribution is shifted from “0” state to “1” state. However, if the number of times of rewrite of write/erase operations in the memory cell MT (e.g. about 106), the characteristics of the cell MT vary and the speed of the erase operation lowers. Thus, by counting the pulse number of the erase voltage Vera of the cell MT, the deterioration information of the cell MT can be detected on the basis of the fact that the erase in the cell MT has become difficult. Specifically, the control circuit 14 counts the pulse number 25 of the erase voltage Vera, sets the counted pulse number in the parameter register Rm−1, and compares the pulse number with a reference pulse number Nera of the erase voltage Vera that is preset in the parameter register Rm+1. Specifically, the control circuit 14 checks whether the pulse number 25 of the erase voltage Vera, which is set in the parameter register Rm−1, is greater than the reference pulse number Nera of the erase voltage Vera which is set in the parameter register Rm+1 (the pulse number 25 of Vera>the reference pulse number Nera of Vera?). For example, if the reference pulse number Nera of Vera is 15, the control circuit 14 checks whether the actually counted pulse number 25 of Vera is greater than 15. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7, if the result of the above check shows that a change of the erase verify level 33 is necessary, it can be determined that the number of times of rewrite of the memory cell MT has increased and the memory cell MT has deteriorated. Hence, as shown in FIG. 7, it can be detected that the threshold voltage distributions of “1” and “0” have shifted to the higher voltage side and a bottom portion of the distribution curve has spread (“1” threshold voltage distribution 31→31′; “0” threshold voltage distribution 32→32′). Thus, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the control circuit 14 sets a parameter 22′, which is a changed parameter of the parameter 22, in the parameter register Rm, for instance, so as to increase the values of the erase verify level 33, “0”/“1” discrimination level 34, program verify level 35 and intermediate potential 36 (i.e. so as to shift these values to the higher voltage side). The “0”/“1” discrimination level 34, 34′ is a read potential level. The intermediate potential 36, 36′ is the level of potential that is applied to a non-selected cell at a time of a read operation. If the result of the above check shows that the change of the erase verify level 33 is not necessary (if the memory cell MT has not deteriorated), the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to apply the erase pulse to a predetermined block (Block n) in the memory cell array 12 with the previously set parameter 22. On the other hand, if the change of the erase verify level 33 is necessary (if the memory cell MT has deteriorated), the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 by using the parameter 22′ for increasing the values of the erase verify level 33, etc. Accordingly, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so that the erase verify level 33 may shift to the changed erase verify level 33′. Subsequently, the control circuit 14 checks whether the pass of the erase verify level 33 is enabled or not. Specifically, the control circuit 14 applies the voltage of the erase verify level to the word line WL, and checks whether a predetermined memory cell MT has been erased or not. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, if the result of the above check shows that the pass of the erase verify level 33 is not enabled, the control circuit 14 sets the actually counted, updated pulse number 25′ of the erase voltage in the parameter register Rm−1. The control circuit 14 compares once again the updated pulse number 25′ of the erase voltage with the reference number Nera of the erase voltage, thereby checking whether a change of the erase verify level is necessary or not (step ST1-2). Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11, if the result of the above check shows that the pass of the erase verify level 33 is enabled, the control circuit 14 writes the pulse number 25 of the erase voltage Vera, which is set in the parameter register Rm−1, in the memory cell MTm−1. Subsequently, the same steps ST1-1 to ST1-7 are repeated, and the erase operation of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment is executed. Next, referring to FIG. 12, a description is given of a read operation, which is an embodiment of the control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. The description of the read operation is based on the flow chart of FIG. 12. To start with, the control circuit 14 reads out values of the page 2 (PAGE2), which is the memory circuit 15, by means of the sense amplifier S/A, and sets the read-out values in the associated parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. Subsequently, the control circuit 14 checks whether a change of the read level is necessary or not, by using the set deterioration information (pulse number Nera, parameter 22). As shown in FIG. 8, if the number of times of rewrite of write/erase operations increases, the threshold voltage distributions 31′, 32′ corresponding to “1” and “0” shift to the higher voltage side and a bottom portion of the distribution curve spreads. Hence, it is also necessary to shift the read level to the higher voltage side. The control circuit 14 thus checks whether the change of the read level is necessary or not, on the basis of whether the parameter 22 is changed or not. If the result of the above check shows that the change of the read level is necessary, the control circuit 14 changes the read parameter 22 and sets the changed read parameter 22′ (the erase verify level 33′, “0”/“1” discrimination level 34′, program verify level 35′ and intermediate potential 36′) in the parameter register Rm, for instance. If the result of the above check shows that the change of the read level is not necessary, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to execute data read of a predetermined page in the memory cell array 12 with the pre-change read parameter 22 (the erase verify level 33, “0”/“1” discrimination level 34, program verify level 35 and intermediate potential 36). On the other hand, if the change of the read level is necessary, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to execute data read of a predetermined page in the memory cell array 12 with the changed read parameter 22′ (the erase verify level 33′, “0”/“1” discrimination level 34′, program verify level 35′ and intermediate potential 36′). Subsequently, the same steps ST2-1 to ST2-4 are repeated, and the read operation of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment is executed. By the read operation of this embodiment, the data in a predetermined page can be read, either before or after the change of the read level. Next, referring to FIG. 13, a description is given of a write operation, which is an embodiment of the control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. The description of the write operation is based on the flow chart of FIG. 13. Subsequently, the control circuit 14 checks whether a change of the program verify level 35 is necessary or not. As shown in FIG. 8, if the number of times of rewrite of write/erase operations increases, the threshold voltage distributions 31′, 32′ corresponding to “1” and “0” shift to the higher voltage side and a bottom portion of the distribution curve spreads. Hence, it is also necessary to shift the program verify level 35 to the higher voltage side. The control circuit 14 thus checks whether the change of the program verify level is necessary or not, on the basis of whether the parameter 22 is changed or not. If the result of the above check shows that the change of the program verify level 35 is necessary, the control circuit 14 changes the parameter 22 and sets the changed read parameter 22′ (the erase verify level 33′, “0”/“1” discrimination level 34′, program verify level 35′ and intermediate potential 36′) in the parameter register Rm, for instance. If the result of the above check shows that the change of the program verify level 35 is not necessary, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to execute data write in a predetermined page in the memory cell array 12 with the pre-change read parameter 22 (the erase verify level 33, “0”/“1” discrimination level 34, program verify level 35 and intermediate potential 36). On the other hand, if the change of the program verify level 35 is necessary, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to execute data write in a predetermined page in the memory cell array 12 with the changed read parameter 22′ (the erase verify level 33′, “0”/“1” discrimination level 341, program verify level 35′ and intermediate potential 36′). Subsequently, the same steps ST3-1 to ST3-4 are repeated, and the write operation of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment is executed. By the write operation of this embodiment, data write can be executed in a predetermined page, either before or after the change of the program verify level. At least the following advantageous effects (1) to (4) can be obtained by the semiconductor memory device and the control method thereof according to the present embodiment. (1) Even if the number of times of rewrite increases, the occurrence of erasure defects can be prevented and the number of defective elements can be reduced. In the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment, the reference pulse number Nera of the erasure voltage is stored in the memory cell transistor MTm+1. When the erasure operation is executed, the control circuit 14 checks whether the pulse number 25 of the erasure voltage Vera, which is set in the parameter register Rm−1, is greater than the reference pulse number Nera of the erasure voltage Vera, which is set in the parameter register Rm+1 (pulse number 25>reference pulse number Nera?) (step ST1-2). By the check, the deterioration information of the memory cell transistor MT can be detected. Subsequently, the control circuit 14 sets the parameter 22′, which becomes the erase verify level 33′ that is changed in a manner to increase the value of the erase verify level 33 (i.e. in a manner to shift the value to the higher voltage side), in the parameter register Rm, for instance (step ST1-3). Thereafter, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to make a shift to the erase verify level 33′ by using the parameter 22′, thus executing the erasure operation. Thereby, the occurrence of an erasure defect can be prevented even if the number of times of rewrite has increased to about 106 and the threshold voltage distribution of the memory cell transistor MT has shifted to the higher value side. As a result, a defective element in the prior art, in which an erasure defect has occurred, can be remedied, and the number of defective elements can be reduced. (2) Even if the number of times of rewrite has increased, erroneous read can be prevented. As has been described above, when the read operation is executed, the control circuit 14 checks whether the change of the read level is necessary or not, on the basis of whether the parameter 22 has been changed or not (step ST2-2). Subsequently, if the change of the read level is necessary, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to execute data read of a predetermined page in the memory cell array 12 by using the changed parameter 22′ (the erase verify level 33′, “0”/“1” discrimination level 34′, program verify level 35′ and intermediate potential 36′). Thus, the read operation can be executed. As described above, even in the case where the number of times of rewrite has increased and the threshold voltage distribution of the memory cell transistor MT has shifted to the higher value side, the control circuit 14 can detect deterioration information of the cell in the above-described step ST2-2. Further, the control circuit 14 executes the read operation by using the changed parameter 22′. Thereby, in accordance with the deterioration state of the cell MT, the control circuit 14 can execute the read operation by using the “0”/“1” discrimination level 34′ and intermediate potential 36′ which are obtained by shifting the values of the “0”/“1” discrimination level 34 and intermediate potential 36 to the higher voltage side. Hence, even if the number of times of rewrite has increased (e.g. about 106), erroneously read can be prevented. (3) Even if the number of times of rewrite increases, over-program can be prevented and the number of defective elements can be reduced. As has been described above, when the write operation is executed, the control circuit 14 checks whether the change of the program verify level is necessary or not, on the basis of whether the parameter 22 has been changed or not (step ST3-2). Subsequently, if the result of the check shows that the change of the program verify level 35 is necessary, the control circuit 14 changes the parameter 22 and sets the changed parameter 22′ (the erase verify level 33′, “0”/“1” discrimination level 34′, program verify level 35′ and intermediate potential 36′) in the parameter register R0, for instance (step ST3-3). As described above, even in the case where the number of times of rewrite has increased and the threshold voltage distribution of the memory cell transistor MT has shifted to the higher value side, the control circuit 14 can detect deterioration information of the cell in the above-described step ST3-2. Moreover, the control circuit 14 executes the write operation by using the changed parameter 22′. Thereby, in accordance with the deterioration state of the cell MT, the control circuit 14 can execute the write operation by using the program verify level 35′, which is obtained by shifting the program verify level 35 to the higher voltage side. If the number of times of rewrite of the cell increases, the speed of data write in the cell becomes higher. Consequently, the number of pulses, which is necessary to reach a target threshold voltage, decreases, and over-program occurs. A cell, in which such over-program has occurred, becomes a defective element. The above-described control circuit 14, however, can detect deterioration information of the cell in the above-described check (step ST3-2), and can execute the write operation, if necessary, by using the program verify level 35′ which has been shifted to the higher voltage side. Therefore, even if the number of times of rewrite increases (e.g. about 106), over-program can be prevented and the number of defective elements can be reduced. (4) The erase operation, for instance, can be executed in accordance with the deterioration state of the cell MT after mounting. In the case of the present embodiment, data write and erase can electrically be executed in the memory cell transistors MT0 to MTm+1 which constitute the memory circuit 15. Thus, even after the NAND flash memory 11 is mounted, the reference pulse number Nera of the erase voltage Vera and the value of the parameter 22 can be varied by re-programming (step ST1-7). As a result, the erase operation, for instance, can be executed in accordance with the deterioration state of the cell MT after mounting. In the case of the present embodiment, the memory circuit 15, which stores the parameter 22 that is deterioration information and the reference pulse number Nera of erase voltage, is provided in association with each of the blocks. Therefore, the erase operation, for instance, can advantageously be executed in accordance with the deterioration state of each block. Next, a semiconductor memory device according to a second embodiment of the invention is described with reference to FIG. 15. The second embodiment relates to an example in which a cache memory is further included. In the description below, a detailed description of the parts common to those in the first embodiment is omitted. As shown in FIG. 15, the semiconductor memory device of the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in that the semiconductor memory device further includes cache memories C0 to Cm+1 which have inputs connected to the sense amplifier S/A and have outputs connected to the parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. For example, an SRAM (Static Random-Access Memory) is applied to each of the cache memories C0 to Cm+1. The parameter 22, etc. in the memory circuit 15 are read out batchwise in advance via the sense amplifier S/A into the cache memories C0 to Cm+1, for example, when power is turned on (power-on operation time). For example, at the power-on operation time, the parameter 22 and the reference pulse number Nera of the erase voltage are read out to the cache memories Cm and Cm+1. Next, referring to FIG. 16, a description is given of an erase operation, which is an embodiment of a control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. To start with, the control circuit 14 sets the data, which have been read out to the cache memories C0 to Cm+1, in the associated parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. For example, the parameter 22 that is stored in the cache memory Cm and the reference pulse number Nera that is stored in the cache memory Cm+1 are set in the associated parameter registers R0 and Rm+1. The reason why the control circuit 14 can immediately set the parameter 22, etc. in the parameter registers R0 to Rm+1 at the time of the erase operation is that the parameter 22, etc. in the memory circuit 15 have been read out batchwise in advance into the cache memories C0 to Cm+1 at the time of the power-on operation. Subsequently, the same steps ST4-2 to ST4-6 of the erase operation as in the first embodiment are executed. Then, if the result of the above-described check shows that the pass of the erase verify level is enabled, the control circuit 14 writes the pulse number 25 of the erase voltage Vera, which is set in the parameter register Rm−1, in the memory cell MTm−1 and the cache memory Cm−1. As described above, the steps ST4-1 to ST4-7 are performed, and the erase operation of this embodiment can be executed. Next, referring to FIG. 17, a description is given of a read operation, which is an embodiment of the control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. To start with, the control circuit 14 sets the data, which have been read out to the cache memories C0 to Cm+1, in the associated parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. For example, the parameter 22 that is stored in the cache memory C0 and the reference pulse number Nera that is stored in the cache memory Cm+1 are set in the associated parameter registers R0 and Rm+1. The reason why the control circuit 14 can immediately set the parameter 22, etc. in the parameter registers R0 to Rm+1 at the time of the read operation is that the parameter 22, etc. in the memory circuit 15 have been read out batchwise in advance into the cache memories C0 to Cm+1 at the time of the power-on operation. Subsequently, the same steps ST5-2 to ST5-4 of the read operation as in the first embodiment are executed, and the read operation of the present embodiment is carried out. Next, referring to FIG. 18, a description is given of a write operation, which is an embodiment of the control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. The reason why the control circuit 14 can immediately set the parameter 22, etc. in the parameter registers R0 to Rm+1 at the time of the write operation is the same as described above in connection with the erase operation and the read operation. Subsequently, the same steps ST6-2 to ST6-4 of the write operation as in the first embodiment are executed, and the write operation of the present embodiment is carried out. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the same advantageous effects as the above-described (1) to (4) can be obtained. Furthermore, the following advantageous effect (5) is obtained. (5) A high-speed operation can advantageously be performed. As described above, the semiconductor memory device of this embodiment includes the cache memories C0 to Cm+1. In addition, the control circuit 14 reads out batchwise the data, such as parameter 22, which are stored in the memory circuit 15, into the cache memories C0 to Cm+1 in advance. Thus, there is no need to perform the step of reading out the parameter 22, etc. from the memory circuit 15 of the memory cell array 12 each time the above-described erase, read or write operation is executed. Therefore, the speed of the overall operation of the NAND flash memory 11 can advantageously be increased. The cache memories C0 to Cm+1 are composed of, e.g. SRAMs which can operate at high speed. Therefore, high-speed access can advantageously be executed. The structure and operation of the present embodiment can be applied, as needed. In the first and second embodiments, the block (Block n), which is the SLC area, has been described by way of example. However, the invention is similarly applicable to other blocks (Block n−1 and Block n+1), which are MLC areas, and the same advantageous effects can be obtained. One page, which is a unit memory area in this case, is represented, for example, as shown in FIG. 19. As shown in FIG. 19, the ratio of occupation of the error correcting code 15-3 in the redundant area 15-2 of the MLC area (about 60% in this embodiment) is set to be greater than the ratio of occupation of the error correcting code 15-3 in the redundant area 15-2 of the SLC area in FIG. 3 (about 20% in FIG. 3). Thus, in this embodiment, the ratio of the error correcting code area in the MLC area is about three times greater than the ratio of the error correcting code area in the SLC area. In the above description, the memory circuit 15 is provided in association with each block (Block) by way of example. However, the memory circuit 15 may be provided in association with each page. In this case, the write operation, etc. can advantageously be performed in accordance with a more detailed deterioration state of the cell in each page. Next, referring to FIG. 20 to FIG. 30, a semiconductor memory device according to a third embodiment is described. This embodiment relates to an example in which the invention is applied to a multilevel NAND flash memory which is capable of storing multi-bit data in one memory cell. In the description below, a detailed description of the parts common to those in the first embodiment is omitted. In the present embodiment, a 4-value multilevel NAND flash memory is described as an example of the multilevel NAND flash memory. To begin with, referring to FIG. 20, a description is given of an example of the structure of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 20, the semiconductor memory device of this embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in the following respects. The memory circuit 15 stores a reference pulse number NeraX, a voltage VsenX at a sense time (sense-time voltage VsenX), and a bottom shift amount VshiftX of a threshold voltage (threshold voltage bottom shift amount VshiftX). EV, AV, BV, CV, AR, BR, CR and U are substituted for the “X” in these symbols. Actually, the memory circuit 15 stores reference pulse numbers NeraEV to NeraCR, sense-time voltages VsenEV to VsenCR, and threshold voltage bottom shift amounts VshiftEV to VshiftCR. A memory circuit 14 for a non-selected word line WL stores a reference pulse number NeraU, a sense-time voltage VsenU and a threshold voltage bottom shift amount VshiftU. In this embodiment, an arithmetic circuit 55 which determines a parameter is provided. The arithmetic circuit 55 comprises a deterioration information (α) detection circuit 56 and a shift amount determination circuit 57. The deterioration information (α) detection circuit 56 is configured to execute a function f (parameter 25, NeraX) for detecting deterioration information (α) on the basis of the parameter 25 and reference pulse number NeraX. The shift amount determination circuit 57 is configured to execute a function g (α, VsenX, VshiftX) for determining a shift amount on the basis of the deterioration information α, sense-time voltage VsenX and threshold voltage bottom shift amount VshiftX. Next, referring to FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, a detailed description is given of the reference pulse number NeraX, sense-time voltage VsenX, threshold voltage bottom shift amount VshiftX and parameter 25, which are stored in the memory circuit 15, and threshold voltage distributions (4 values). The reference pulse number NeraX, sense-time voltage VsenX, threshold voltage bottom shift amount VshiftX and parameter 25, which are stored in the memory circuit 15, are as shown in FIG. 21. In addition, the threshold voltage distributions of the multilevel NAND flash memory according to the present embodiment are as shown in FIG. 22. As shown in FIG. 22, the threshold voltage distributions are discriminated by four threshold voltages, i.e. “11(E)” that is “erase state”, and “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00(C)” that are “write states”. NeraU: a reference pulse number for a non-selected word line (WL). VsenU: a sense-time voltage for a non-selected word line (WL). VshiftU: a shift amount for a non-selected word line (WL). The reference pulse number NeraX, sense-time voltage VsenX and threshold voltage bottom shift amount VshiftX are stored in the memory circuit 15 from the initial state. On the other hand, the parameter 25 is representative of the pulse number, i.e. the number of times of pulse application at the erase time, and is stored in the memory circuit 15 at the time of the erase operation. Next, referring to FIG. 23 and FIG. 24, a description is given of an erase operation, which is an embodiment of a control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. The description of the erase operation is based on the flow chart of FIG. 23. To start with, the control circuit 14 reads out the data, which are stored in the memory circuit (page 2 (PAGE2)) 15, by means of the sense amplifier S/A, and sets the read-out data in the associated parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. At this time, the pulse number 25 of the erase voltage, which is counted and stored in a subsequent step ST7-2, is set at 0 and stored in the parameter register. In short, the deterioration information detection circuit 56 executes an arithmetic operation to determine whether the deterioration information α is less than 0 (α<0?). To be more specific, the deterioration information detection circuit 56 calculates a difference between the counted pulse number (parameter) 25 of the erase voltage Vera, which is set in the parameter register, and the reference pulse number NeraEV of the erase voltage Vera. For example, if the reference pulse number NeraEV of Vera is 3, a difference between the actually counted pulse number 25 of Vera and the reference pulse number of 3 is calculated. Based on the result of the arithmetic operation, it can be detected that the degree of deterioration of the memory cell is higher as the deterioration information α has a greater negative value. If the result of the arithmetic operation shows that the deterioration information α is not a negative value, the parameter 22 is not changed and the process goes to step ST7-4 of applying an erasure pulse. If the result of the above arithmetic operation shows that the deterioration information α has a negative value and the adjustment of the threshold voltage distribution is necessary, it can be determined that the number of times of rewrite of the memory cell MT has increased and the memory cell MT has deteriorated. As a result, it can be detected that the threshold voltage distribution has shifted to the higher voltage value side and the bottom of the distribution has spread. Thus, in step ST7-3, the shift amount determination circuit 57 executes an arithmetic operation to determine how much the sense-time voltage VsenEV is to be shifted in the threshold voltage distribution “11(E)”. In short, in the case of the present embodiment, the shift amount determination circuit 57 determines the shift amount that is proportional to the deterioration information α. The control circuit 14 sets in the parameter register Rm the parameter 22′ which is obtained by changing the parameter 22 in a manner to increase the value of the sense-time voltage VsenEV (i.e. in a manner to shift the voltage value to a higher value side). Subsequently, if it is determined in step ST7-2 that the adjustment of the threshold voltage distribution is not necessary, the control circuit 14 applies an erasure pulse by using the parameter 22. On the other hand, if it is determined that the adjustment of the threshold voltage distribution is necessary, the control circuit 14 applies an erasure pulse by using the changed parameter 22′. Subsequently, the control circuit 14 checks whether the pass of the erase verify level is enabled. Specifically, the control circuit 14 applies a voltage of the erase verify level to the word line WL, and checks whether a predetermined memory cell MT has been erased. At this time, in the case where the parameter 22 has been changed, the check is made on the basis of the changed erase verify level VsenEV′ by using the changed parameter 22′. ) of the function g. Therefore, the optimal shift amount can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of the erasure of the threshold voltage distribution “11(E)”. Then, if the result of the above check shows that the pass of the erase verify level 33 is not enabled, the control circuit 14 sets the actually counted, updated pulse number 25′ of the erase voltage in the parameter register Rm−1, for instance. Then, the control circuit 14 executes step ST7-2 once again. Subsequently, if the result of the above check shows that the pass of the erase verify level is enabled, the control circuit 14 writes the pulse number 25 of the erase voltage Vera, which is set in the parameter register Rm−1, in the memory cell MTm−1. Subsequently, the same steps ST7-1 to ST7-7 are repeated, and the erase operation of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment is executed. Next, referring to FIG. 25 and FIG. 26, a description is given of a read operation, which is an embodiment of the control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. The description of the read operation is based on the flow chart of FIG. 25. Subsequently, it is checked whether adjustment of the threshold voltage distribution is necessary, by using the set values (parameter 25, pulse number NeraX; X=AR, BR, CR, U). Thereby, the degradation information α of the memory cell MT is detected. ). In short, the deterioration information detection circuit 56 executes the arithmetic operation to determine whether the deterioration information α is less than 0 (α<0?). If the result of the arithmetic operation of the function f shows that the deterioration information α is not a negative value, the parameter 22 is not changed and the process goes to step ST8-4 of executing data read from the memory cell array 12. If the result of the above arithmetic operation shows that the deterioration information α has a negative value and the adjustment of the threshold voltage distribution is necessary, it can be determined that the number of times of rewrite of the memory cell MT has increased and the memory cell MT has deteriorated. Accordingly, it can be detected that the three threshold voltage distributions “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00(C)” have shifted to the higher voltage value side (A→A′, B→B′, C→C′) and the bottom of each distribution has spread. Thus, the shift amount determination circuit 57 executes an arithmetic operation to determine how much the sense-time discrimination level voltages VsenAR, VsenBR, VsenCR and VsenU are to be shifted with respect to the three threshold voltage distributions “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00(C)”. In short, the shift amount determination circuit 57 determines the shift amount of the discrimination level voltage, which is proportional to the deterioration information α. The control circuit 14 sets the parameter 22′, which is a changed parameter of the parameter 22, in the parameter register, thereby to increase the value of the sense-time discrimination level voltages VsenAR, VsenBR, VsenCR and VsenU (i.e. to shift the voltage value to a higher value side). If the result of the above check shows that the change of the read level is not necessary, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to execute data read of a predetermined page in the memory cell array 12 with the pre-change read parameter 22. On the other hand, if the change of the read level is necessary, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to execute data read of a predetermined page in the memory cell array 12 by using the changed read parameter 22′ on the basis of the changed sense-time discrimination level voltages VsenAR′, VsenBR′, VsenCR′ and VsenU′. ) of the function g. Therefore, the optimal shift amounts of the sense-time discrimination level voltages VsenAR, VsenBR, VsenCR and VsenU can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of the read of the three threshold voltage distributions “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00(C)”. Subsequently, the same steps ST8-1 to ST8-4 are repeated, and the read operation of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment is executed. By the read operation of this embodiment, the data in a predetermined page can be read, either before or after the change of the read level. Next, referring to FIG. 27 and FIG. 28, a description is given of a write operation, which is an embodiment of the control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. The description of the read operation is based on the flow chart of FIG. 27. Subsequently, it is checked whether adjustment of the threshold voltage distribution is necessary, by using the set values (parameter 25, pulse number NeraX; X=AV, BV, CV). Thereby, the degradation information a of the memory cell MT is detected. If the result of the arithmetic operation of the function f shows that the deterioration information α is not a negative value, the parameter 22 is not changed and the process goes to step ST9-4 of executing data write in the memory cell array 12. If the result of the above arithmetic operation shows that the deterioration information α has a negative value and the adjustment of the threshold distribution is necessary, it can be determined voltage that the number of times of rewrite of the memory cell MT has increased and the memory cell MT has deteriorated. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 28, it can be detected that the three threshold voltage distributions “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00(C)” have shifted to the higher voltage value side (A→A′, B→B′, C→C′) and the bottom of each distribution has spread. Thus, the shift amount determination circuit 57 executes an arithmetic operation to determine how much the program verify level voltages VsenAV, VsenBV and VsenCV are to be shifted with respect to the three threshold voltage distributions “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00(C)”. In short, the shift amount determination circuit 57 determines the shift amount of the program verify level voltage, which is proportional to the deterioration information α. The control circuit 14 sets the parameter 22′, which is a changed parameter of the parameter 22, in the parameter register so as to increase the value of the sense-time program verify level voltages VsenAV, VsenBV and VsenCV (i.e. so as to shift the voltage value to a higher value side). If the result of the above check shows that the change of the program verify level voltage is not necessary, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to execute data write of a predetermined page in the memory cell array 12 with the pre-change read parameter 22. On the other hand, if the change of the program verify level voltage is necessary, the control circuit 14 controls the voltage generating circuit 20 so as to execute data write of a predetermined page in the memory cell array 12 by using the changed parameter 22′, with the changed sense-time discrimination level voltages VsenAV′, VsenBV′ and VsenCV′. ) of the function g. Therefore, the optimal shift amounts of the sense-time voltages VsenAV, VsenBV and VsenCV can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of the write of the three threshold voltage distributions “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00 (C)”. Subsequently, the same steps ST9-1 to ST9-4 are repeated, and the write operation of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment is executed. By the write operation of this embodiment, the data write in a predetermined page can be executed, either before or after the change of the program verify level voltage. According to the semiconductor memory device and the control method of the present embodiment, the same advantageous effects as the above-described (1) to (4) can be obtained. Furthermore, the following advantageous effect (6) and (7), at least, can be obtained. (6) Even in the case where the memory cell MT of the multilevel NAND flash memory has deteriorated, the optimal shift amount can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of each threshold voltage distribution, and the number of defective elements can be reduced. In the present embodiment, the reference pulse number NeraX, sense-time voltage VsenX and threshold-value bottom shift amount VshiftX are stored in the memory circuit 15, and the memory device includes the arithmetic circuit 55 which determines the parameter and comprises the deterioration information detection circuit 56 and shift amount determination circuit 57. Thus, for example, as shown in FIG. 24, in the erase operation, the shift amount determination circuit 57 can calculate the erase verify level voltage VsenEV′ on the basis of the deterioration information α that is calculated by the deterioration information detection circuit 56. ) of the function g. Therefore, the optimal shift amount can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of the threshold voltage distribution “11(E)”. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 26, the read operation can be executed with the optimal shift amounts W-AR, W-BR, W-CR and W-U of the discrimination level voltages with respect to the discrimination level voltages VsenAR′, VsenBR′ and VsenCR′. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 28, the write operation can be executed with the optimal shift amounts W-AV, W-BV and W-CV of the program verify level voltages with respect to the program verify level voltages VsenAV′, VsenBV′ and VsenCV′. As has been described above, even in the case where the memory cell MT of the multilevel NAND flash memory has deteriorated, the optimal shift amount can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of each threshold voltage distribution, and the number of defective elements can be reduced. (7) Even in the case where write disturb (program disturb) or read disturb has occurred, the optimal shift amount can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of each threshold value distribution, and the number of defective elements can be reduced. For example, as shown in FIG. 29, when program disturb has occurred, upper bottoms of four threshold voltage distributions “11(E)”, “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00(C)” shift to the higher voltage value side. However, the width of shift of the upper bottom varies from threshold voltage distribution to threshold voltage distribution. As shown in FIG. 29, the amounts of shift decrease in the order of “11(E)”, “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00(C)”, and accordingly the width W-E1, width W-A1, width W-B1 and width W-C1 increase in the named order. However, in the present embodiment, as described above, the discrimination level voltages VsenAR′, VsenBR′, VsenCR′ and VsenU′, for instance, can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of the threshold voltage distribution. As a result, even if program disturb has occurred, the optimal shift amount can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of each threshold voltage distribution, and the number of defective elements can be reduced. In addition, as shown in FIG. 30, when read disturb has occurred, upper bottoms of four threshold voltage distributions “11(E)”, “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00(C)” shift to the higher voltage value side. Similarly, the width of shift of the upper bottom varies from threshold voltage distribution to threshold voltage distribution. As shown in FIG. 30, the amounts of shift decrease in the order of “11(E)”, “01(A)”, “10(B)” and “00(C)”, and accordingly the width W-E2, width W-A2, width W-B2 and width W-C2 increase in the named order. However, in the present embodiment, as described above, the discrimination level voltages VsenAR′, VsenBR′, VsenCR′ and VsenU′, for instance, can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of the threshold voltage distribution. As a result, even if read disturb has occurred, the optimal shift amount can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of each threshold voltage distribution, and the number of defective elements can be reduced. ) of the function g. As described above, in the multilevel NAND flash memory, the interval of threshold voltage voltages of neighboring threshold voltage distributions is less than in the case of the single-level NAND flash memory. Thus, in the case where the present embodiment is applied to the multilevel NAND flash memory, a great merit is obtained since the optimal shift amount can be selected in accordance with the deterioration state of the threshold voltage distribution. In the present embodiment, the 4-value multilevel NAND flash memory has been described as an example of the multilevel NAND flash memory. However, the invention is not limited to the 4-value multilevel NAND flash memory, and is similarly applicable to other multilevel NAND flash memories such as an 8-value multilevel NAND flash memory, a 16-value multilevel NAND flash memory and a 32-value multilevel NAND flash memory, and the same advantageous effects can be obtained. Moreover, as the degree of the multilevel architecture becomes higher, like 8-value, 16-value and 32-value, the interval of threshold voltage voltages of neighboring threshold voltage distributions becomes smaller. Accordingly, it is considered that a greater merit is obtained by the application of the present embodiment. Next, a semiconductor memory device according to a fourth embodiment of the invention is described with reference to FIG. 31 to FIG. 33. The fourth embodiment relates to an example of a multilevel NAND flash memory which includes a cache memory. In the description below, a description of the parts common to those in the third embodiment is omitted. As shown in FIG. 15, the semiconductor memory device of this embodiment differs from that of the third embodiment in that the semiconductor memory device further includes cache memories C0 to Cm+1 which have inputs connected to the sense amplifier S/A and have outputs connected to the parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. For example, an SRAM (Static Random-Access Memory) is applied to each of the cache memories C0 to Cm+1. The parameter 22, etc. in the memory circuit 15 are read out batchwise in advance via the sense amplifier S/A into the cache memories C0 to Cm+1, for example, when power is turned on (power-on operation time). For example, at the power-on operation time, the parameter 22, the reference pulse number NeraX of erase voltage, VsenX, and VshiftX (X=EV, AV, BV, CV, AR, BR, CR, U) are read out to the cache memories C0 and Cm+1. Next, referring to FIG. 31, a description is given of an erase operation, which is an embodiment of a control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. To start with, unlike the third embodiment, the control circuit 14 sets the data, which have been read out to the cache memories C0 to Cm+1, in the associated parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. For example, the parameter 22 that is stored in the cache memory and the reference pulse number NeraX, VsenX, VshiftX (X=EV, AV, BV, CV, AR, BR, CR, U) that are stored in the cache memories are set in the associated parameter registers. Subsequently, the same steps ST10-2 to ST10-6 of the erase operation as in the third embodiment are executed, and the erase operation of the present embodiment is carried out. As described above, the steps ST10-1 to ST10-7 are performed, and the erase operation of this embodiment can be executed. Next, referring to FIG. 32, a description is given of a read operation, which is an embodiment of the control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. To start with, unlike the third embodiment, the control circuit 14 sets the data, which have been read out to the cache memories C0 to Cm+1, in the associated parameter registers R0 to Rm+1. For example, the parameter 22 and the reference pulse number NeraX, VsenX, VshiftX (X=EV, AV, BV, CV, AR, BR, CR, U) that are stored in the cache memories are set in the associated parameter registers. Subsequently, the same steps ST11-2 to ST11-4 of the read operation as in the third embodiment are executed, and the read operation of the present embodiment is carried out. Next, referring to FIG. 33, a description is given of a write operation, which is an embodiment of the control method of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment. Subsequently, the same steps ST12-2 to ST12-4 of the write operation as in the third embodiment are executed, and the write operation of the present embodiment is carried out. As has been described above, according to the present embodiment, the same advantageous effects as the above-described (1) to (7) can be obtained. Furthermore, the present embodiment is advantageous in achieving high-speed performance, as mentioned in the above-described (5). a control circuit which controls, when a pulse number of the erase voltage exceeds the reference pulse number of the erase voltage, the voltage generating circuit in a manner to increase at least an erase verify level in accordance with the parameter. a plurality of parameter registers in which the reference pulse number and the parameter, which are read out, are set. (3) The device according to the aspect (1), wherein the control circuit controls, when the pulse number of the erase voltage exceeds the reference pulse number of the erase voltage, the voltage generating circuit in a manner to increase a program verify level, a read level and an intermediate potential level in accordance with the parameter. (4) The device according to the aspect (1), wherein the reference pulse number of the erase voltage and the parameter are stored in association with each of erase units or each of read units of the memory cell array. the device further comprises an arithmetic circuit which determines the parameter on the basis of the plurality of reference pulse numbers, the plurality of sense-time voltages and the plurality of threshold voltage bottom shift amounts. a shift amount determination circuit which determines a shift amount on the basis of the deterioration information, the plurality of sense-time voltages and the plurality of threshold voltage bottom shift amounts. a plurality of cache memories into which the reference pulse number and the parameter are read out batchwise from the memory circuit. 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit controls, when the pulse number of the erase voltage exceeds the reference pulse number of the erase voltage, the voltage generating circuit in a manner to increase a program verify level, a read level and an intermediate potential level in accordance with the parameter. 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reference pulse number of the erase voltage and the parameter are stored in association with each of erase units or each of read units of the memory cell array. the device further comprises an arithmetic circuit which determines the parameter on the basis of the reference pulse number, the sense-time voltage and the plurality of threshold voltage bottom shift amount. 7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the arithmetic circuit comprises a deterioration information detection circuit which detects deterioration information on the basis of the parameter and the reference pulse number. 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the arithmetic circuit further comprises a shift amount determination circuit which determines a shift amount on the basis of the deterioration information, the sense-time voltage and the threshold voltage bottom shift amount. the first page comprises a first data area and a first redundant area which includes a first error correcting code area and stores the parameter and the reference pulse number. the second page comprises a second data area and a second redundant area which includes a second error correcting code area and stores the parameter and the reference pulse number, a ratio of occupation of the second error correcting code area in the second redundant area being set to be greater than a ratio of occupation of the first error correcting code area in the first redundant area. 11. The device according to claim 6, wherein the device is a multilevel NAND flash memory. controlling the voltage generating circuit in a manner to apply the erase voltage to the memory cell array by using the changed parameter, and executing an erase operation. executing, in a case where the parameter is changed, a read operation for read from the memory cell array by using the parameter that is changed in a manner to increase a read level at a time of the read operation. executing, in a case where the parameter is changed, a write operation for write in the memory cell array by using the parameter that is changed in a manner to increase a program verify level at a time of the write operation. the control circuit controls the voltage generating circuit on the basis of the changed parameter, and executes the erase operation. the control circuit controls the voltage generating circuit on the basis of the changed parameter, and executes a read operation. the control circuit controls the voltage generating circuit on the basis of the changed parameter, and executes a write operation. GB2498874A (en) * 2012-01-30 2013-07-31 HGST Netherlands BV Enhanced data partial-erase for multi-level cell (MLC) memory using moving baseline data encoding.

2019-04-24T16:40:54Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20080019182A1/en

At UCEM our staff work hard to support your success. You can find out more about tutors and senior staff, including their qualifications and experience, in the following sections. Ashley joined in 2013 as Principal. Ashley is responsible for all aspects of the university college’s academic and business operations. As Principal he works directly with the Chairman, the Board of Trustees and the Senior Leadership Team to ensure that the university college delivers against the key objectives of its strategic plan – ensuring both the highest quality of education and the best student experience. Ashley has previously held senior roles as Director of Global Learning Services for Microsoft, and Chief Executive Officer of InfoBasis Ltd, a global Talent Management software company. He is currently also a Non-Executive Director of the BRE Group Board. He holds a BA (Hons) in Economics from The University of London. Jane is responsible for a number of key areas within UCEM: regulatory compliance and data reporting, graduation ceremonies, student surveys, corporate and social responsibility, student retention strategies and the ongoing relationship with external stakeholders. She is also the College Secretary to the Board of Trustees and its sub-committees, which involves providing guidance to Trustees on best practice in Corporate and Charity Governance, updating of UCEM’s Charter, Bye-Laws and Regulations and management of UCEM’s policies on risks and public benefit. In addition, Jane’s role covers enhancing UCEM internal business planning and review processes, as well as continuing to update and progress the strategic plan. Jane has been with UCEM in excess of 15 years, and during this time she has provided leadership in Student Services including Matrix accreditation, the implementation of Student Central and a focus on the student experience. Jane deputises for the Principal when necessary. Wendy took up her role as Vice Principal Student Experience in June 2016. She is responsible for developing and delivering student services which ensure an excellent student experience and meet the overall UCEM strategic plan. This includes responsibility for admissions and student registration, student advice, programme administration, assessment and the disability and wellbeing service. Wendy brings over ten years’ experience in higher education management to UCEM, and has worked at a range of HE providers, including a specialist HE provider, a university and a further education college delivering HE in FE. Wendy’s career has had a particular focus on the leadership and management of the professional services that support the student lifecycle from admission to graduation, as well as quality assurance and enhancement services and the provision of external data returns. Nick joined us in September 2014 as Head of Real Estate Faculty before changing to the role of Head of Academic Operations in summer 2015. In this later role he successfully led the institution in the preparations prior and through the QAA Higher Education Review. Nick has previous experience in both HE and FE institutions. He had previously been the Subject Head for Technology at the University of West London, where he was responsible for the development of degrees in both Built Environment and Engineering and their accreditation by professional bodies. He also spent a period of time seconded to the university quality office responsible for quality at one of the university’s sites. Nick’s previous work experience was in commercial project management, general management and overseas development. Nick has an MSc Management and Implementation of Developing Projects (UMIST/IDPM) and a B.Eng. Civil and Structural Engineering (UMIST). Lynne joined us in January 2014 to develop our academic programmes into a fully online offer. She is now Vice Principal Online Education and leads the strategic approach to online learning and delivery of our learning technology and environments. Her team of instructional designers, graphic designer, editors, content developers and digital resources staff work closely with the academic staff to provide engaging learning material for our students. Lynne has over 12 years’ experience in online education. She has worked in Higher Education and commercial training. Lynne has also taught at the OU as an associate lecturer in Psychology. She has an Information Technology degree and a Psychology degree. Aled’s role focuses on developing UCEM research capacity, output and excellence, as well as the commitment to working through partnerships are led effectively, aligning and coordinating activity across the University College to maximum effect. He is developing deeper and more substantial partnerships and catalyzing applied research in collaboration with others in the Built Environment and Higher Education. Additionally, the role will work to increase the focus on sustainability across teaching, research and enterprise activities as well as seeking to have a wider impact on the HE sector, industry and society. Prior to coming to UCEM Aled has been fulfilling a dual role as Discipline Lead (Built Environment) at the Higher Education Academy and as Senior Lecturer at the University of Salford. His substantial experience in designing and teaching professionally accredited Built Environment courses in Higher Education (HE) has been pivotal in driving forward new developments within the discipline and industry. He has built a career on a strong track record and commitment to vocational progression, partnerships, quality and scholarship. Stephen leads the UCEM growth agenda with responsibility for marketing, enterprise business development, international development and corporate training, having recently played a leading role in establishing UCEM as the outstanding provider of the new apprenticeship standards in the built environment industry. Stephen joined UCEM in 2011 from Reading College. For five years previously he was Director of Business Development at the Learning and Skills Network, a not-for-profit organisation providing research, training and consultancy services to the education sector. He studied Modern Languages at Oxford University and has first-hand experience of distance learning, having completed an MBA with the Open University. Tim joined UCEM from Kingston University where he was previously Principal Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies, and most recently Associate Professor and Acting Head of School. He is currently external examiner at both Sheffield Hallam University and Dublin Institute of Technology. Tim has extensive experience in surveying practice as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and was for 7 years a member of the RICS Quantity Surveying and IT Committee. He has been a HEFCE/QAA Specialist Assessor (Property & Construction). Tim holds a Masters’ degree in Professional Education and Training and a Bachelor of Science in Quantity Surveying. Peter joined CEM (now UCEM) originally in March 2008 as an Associate Tutor in the Management & Vocational Faculty but has since worked across different disciplines in Foundation, BSc and MSc degree modules. The range of subjects covered include Building Pathology, Construction Management, Communication, Real Estate Practice, Professional & Statutory Regulation, Financial Management, Economics, Quantity Surveying and most recently Strategic Management. As Programme Leader, MBA Construction & Real Estate, the key focus underlying his work is on helping students, by mutual constructive engagement, achieve their potential with their studies in our supported on-line learning environment. Prior to joining us, Peter has worked as a wine merchant and in the telecommunications’ industry initially as a Network Project Planner, Marketing & Communications Consultant, Regulatory Affairs Manager and finally as a Corporate Governance Executive. He also worked for a number of local authorities in a consultancy role. He is a Chartered Surveyor with general practice surveying and building construction experience and practical knowledge within the surveying industry. The range of skills and experience gained has given him a wide understanding of a number of different industries. He initially graduated from Loughborough University in Economics & Sociology, then completed an MBA with the Open University and later an MSc in Surveying with Reading University. He is also a Fellow of the CMI (Chartered Management Institute) and a Fellow of the HEA (Higher Education Academy). I have worked for UCEM since 2016, initially joining as Academic Programmes Co-ordinator managing the run out of the legacy programmes validated by the University of Reading. Since becoming Associate Dean of Academic Studies, I work alongside the academic staff across the new school of the Built Environment to achieve operational and academic excellence by enhancing and sharing sound academic practice across all module delivery. I chair the Module Boards as well as the Mitigating Circumstances and Academic Misconduct Committees. I also sit on Academic Board and QSEC. I have previously been an external examiner at University of South Wales. Amanda joined CEM (now UCEM) in April 2012 as Tutor in Quantity Surveying and Programme Leader for the BSc Quantity Surveying. In 2000, she graduated from the Copperbelt University in Zambia with a BSc in Quantity Surveying. Amanda also holds an MSc in Construction Project Management from Birmingham City University. Prior to joining the College, Amanda gained extensive experience working as a quantity surveyor, mainly in the private sector. She has worked on housing, education and health care projects. She also has international experience, working on projects in both Zambia and Botswana. Helen joined UCEM in 2003 and worked in student support until 2011 when she took up the role of liaison with professional statutory and regulatory bodies and student representatives. Helen then moved into academic quality in March 2012 with responsibility for overseeing the UCEM Code of Practice and other UCEM academic infrastructure documentation, validation and accreditation events and UCEM’s quality enhancement programme. Helen has a BA (Hons) Geography and MA Space, Place and Politics from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Helen is the UCEM staff representative on the Board of Trustees. Karl joined UCEM in 2014 as a Foundation Degree Programme Leader from the University of Greenwich where he was Senior Lecturer in Project and Construction Management. Karl’s career has progressed from being an apprentice electrician to a consultant and lecturer. He has worked in facilities management for Marks and Spencer and as a building surveying for Atkins Asset Management. Karl was instrumental in setting up the Gateway Partnership which is a successful consultancy and surveying practice. Karl continues to advise in the Built Environment today as a director of a property management charity. His research interests include: building maintenance, sustainable methods of construction and energy use within buildings. Karl is a member of the CIOB and a fellow of the HEA. During his time at UCEM Karl has been very much involved with entry level programmes and apprenticeship delivery. Afolabi Dania joined the UCEM as a tutor for Construction Project Management from the University of Reading where he was a doctoral student. Afolabi graduated with a BSc in Building in 2002 and specialised in Construction Management at the Masters Level. He lectured at the Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria for 5 years before proceeding to undertake a Doctoral research at the University of Reading. His research focussed on Corporate Sustainability from the perspectives of Construction firms operating in Developing Countries. His broader research interests include sustainability, environmental management and strategic management in the construction sector. Afolabi also has practical, on-site experience stemming from Freelance Construction Management and Consultancy roles. Andy Dodson joined UCEM in April 2017 after 20 years in the Royal Engineers. Initially a plant operator mechanic and combat engineer, he joined the technical side of the Royal Engineers in 2007. Over the next 10 years, he carried out building and infrastructure design, construction project management, facilities management, and commercial management roles globally. A former UCEM student, Andy graduated with a first class honours degree in construction management in 2011. Andy is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Building (MCIOB) and a Certified Member of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (CIWFM). Outside work, Andy enjoys archery, sailing and skiing. Graham joined in January 2001 as Tutor in Construction. He is a former student studying for his CIOB part II professional examinations in 1991. From 1985 to starting at CEM (now UCEM), Graham was with Reading College, where he was programme leader for the Built Environment section. Coming from a contracting background in site management before moving into education. Graham is the former Chair of the CIOB Thames Valley Centre. Whilst with UCEM Graham has had the privilege of delivering lectures in the UK, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, India and Poland. As well as being the Programme Leader for the BSc Construction Management, and tutoring on several modules Graham developed and has successfully run the Integrated Management Project a group based module taken on the final year of the BSc which involves students working as part of a team that operate exclusively online. David Hourihan qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1994 while working in Ireland. There he specialised in the sales, lettings and acquisitions of commercial property in Dublin. In 2002 David moved to England and worked for a number of nationwide and international property companies on the asset management of a variety of properties including shopping centres, retail and leisure parks, industrial estates and offices across the United Kingdom. He is a former student of CEM (now UCEM) having achieved his Post-Graduate Diploma in Property Investment in 2002 and then the MSc Property Investment in 2008. In 2009 David joined as an associate tutor, became a full time tutor in 2011 and is now the Programme Leader for MSc Real Estate. He also chairs APC interviews for the RICS. Jon is the archetypal career-changer, having worked in the private sector for over 25 years prior to reading for a degree. Presently learning and teaching as a Programme Leader in the Construction faculty, Jon is a graduate in Architectural Technology from the University of West London (UWL), and continues to study there for his PhD in ‘Sustainable Built Environments’. The focus of that research is the adaptation of existing buildings for a warmer climate in the 21st century, using Dynamic Simulation Modelling to create and test environmental scenarios in a virtual environment. In a career that spans eight employers over 34 years and two continents, from provision of IT services and training to lecturing in the Built Environment at UWL and now UCEM, Jon understands that very often it seems the only constant is change. Leading one of the programmes at UCEM means being aware of students’ hopes and fears when studying and working at the same time, with the synergies and conflicts that often arise. Jon has first-hand experience of this, and will do his best to help and encourage at every turn! David has over 10 years of commercial real estate experience mostly gained in Central and Eastern Europe specialising in valuations. He qualified as a chartered surveyor while working with the UK’s Valuation Office Agency before moving to DTZ’s Ukraine office. He later worked in Romania and Poland for a total of 3 years with Cushman & Wakefield where he undertook instructions across Central and Eastern Europe. David is a former student of UCEM gaining a Postgraduate Diploma in Property Investment. He also holds a postgraduate certificate in Russian Language from Glasgow University and an MLitt in Viking Studies from the University of the Highlands and Islands. His Career in higher education started when he joined UCEM in September 2015, principally as a tutor on various valuation modules at undergraduate and postgraduate level. He now leads UCEM’s foundation programmes and in 2017 he became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Malcolm joined us in June 2013 as a tutor and module leader for the BSc (hons) Building Services Quantity Surveying programme and in 2014 also became Programme Leader for the new MSc Quantity Surveying programme. Prior to joining CEM (now UCEM), Malcolm gained almost 40 years of experience as a Professional Quantity Surveyor working in the UK, Libya and Kuwait for various organisations, including consulting engineers, the UK Electricity Transmission Group (now National Grid) and a UK local authority. Following his overseas projects, Malcolm has worked in Private QS Practices, both large and small, as an M&E specialist and has worked with MDA Consulting Ltd, a large, London Professional Quantity Surveying Practice, as an associate for the past 19 years, on landmark projects such as the National Air Traffic Control Centre at Swanwick, near Southampton, the BT national fibre-optic programme (Infinity) and the complete services refurbishment for the BT headquarters building in London. Malcolm has also been involved with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) training and in-house training for young surveyors. John joined UCEM in September 2015 and specialises in property valuation and development appraisal. Following his graduation from Sheffield City Polytechnic in 1988, he gained extensive experience in valuation and appraisal in private practice and a housing association. He gained full Membership to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 1992 and was awarded a MSc from University of Greenwich in 1995. He lectured at a Further Education college for 9 years before joining Nottingham Trent University where he spent 14 years. John’s research has been published widely and has been on the Editorial Review panels for leading UK built environment journals and for the RICS Research Foundation. He served as an RICS APC Assessor for 8 years and has been an Examiner on the RICS Diploma in Valuation. Sam joined UCEM in January 2016 after teaching BTEC Nationals and Higher Nationals at a further education college in Berkshire. Sam is the Programme leader for the level 3 Surveying Technician Diploma. Prior to teaching, she worked as a construction project manager for a large main contractor working on various infrastructure projects, such as Heathrow Terminal 5 and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, and commercial projects such as One Hyde Park Corner. Outside work, Sam is busy planning to build her own self-build home, using a variety of pre-fabrication techniques. In addition to this, Sam enjoys travelling with her family and walking her dog, Ted. An architecturally trained building conservator specialising in sustainability and recording of the historic built environment. He is currently the programme leader for MSc Building Surveying at University College of Estate Management. James was previously a senior lecturer in sustainability of the existing built environment at Kingston University, teaching on the Building Surveying and historic building conservation courses. James previously worked at MBP Architects and Carden and Godfrey Architects, on a variety of projects, including the Palace of Westminster, Beverly Minster and many smaller commercial and residential schemes. James is a member two ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) Scientific committees the UK National Scientific Committee on Digital Heritage and the International Scientific Committee on Energy and Sustainability. James was made a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society in 2010 for his work on sustainability of the built environment. He has published widely on sustainability, health and conservation issues and his main research interests are sustainability of the existing built environment and the recording of existing buildings. Gordon worked as a construction manager and contracts manager with a number of SMEs and large building contractors prior to entering a career in education. When the Register of Engineers for Disaster Relief (now known as RedR) was formed, he became a member and has since conducted several assignments, seconded to various aid agencies. He has provided both project management and technical support for the setting up and construction of the infrastructure for refugee camps, and has worked on building development projects in some interesting places in the world. Gordon has conducted research into transitional shelter for refugees and displaced people. His use of, and subsequent research into, stabilised compressed earth blocks, led to him becoming chairman of the Good Earth Trust (now operating as in-country, social enterprises). He continues to provide training courses for less experienced people who are about to embark on overseas assignments. He joined CEM (now UCEM) in 2013, following many years as an associate tutor, focusing on construction technology and management for undergraduate and postgraduate degree progammes. Rosemary completed her law degree in 1977, after which she went on to study at the College of Law in Guildford and London. Following two years articled to a small firm in London’s Inner Temple, she was admitted as a solicitor in 1980. Rosemary has over 30 years’ experience as a practicing solicitor specialising in residential property, leasehold enfranchisement and statutory lease extensions. Rosemary combines her work as a solicitor with her role as a Tutor for UCEM. She joined as a permanent member of staff in 2013 having being an associate tutor for approximately 20 years. Natasha is a Chartered Surveyor. She graduated with a MSc in Surveying from the University of Reading and UCEM in 2015. Natasha is the Module Leader for the Property Management modules and has specialised in property management since 2010. Natasha also runs her own surveying firm, NC Real Estate, which specialises in asset management and property investment strategies. One of her firms pioneering movements is its Members Club which brings together a global community of landlords and investors to discuss, learn and commit to building a sustainable future for property. Natasha is also an Ambassador for LionHeart, the benevolent fund for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and their families and works in partnership with them on mental health and wellbeing campaigns to provide help and support to professionals in the industry with these tough subjects. David joined UCEM in February 2017 to work as a Module Leader on the MBA programme. He has worked in further and higher education for over twenty years. Most recently, teaching leadership, finance and entrepreneurship at several overseas universities. He has worked for the Open University Business School since 2001. David created and tutored leadership and management programmes at undergraduate, and master’s level, for middle managers in the UK financial services sector. David worked, in senior management roles, in the City of London for two international trading companies where he travelled extensively in the Far East and Europe. “The majority of my own learning has been done whilst working full time, so I can empathise with many of the UCEM students in exactly the same boat”. David has a LLB Law Degree from University of London, a MSc in International Business Management from Birkbeck College (Univ of London), an MBA from the Open University and a PGCE from University of Greenwich. Paul is a graduate in Civil Engineering from the University of Leeds. After 12 years’ work in construction, on sites and in the design office, in the north east of England, he returned to the University of Leeds to complete an MSc in Construction Engineering. Paul then worked for a period of 19 years with Thames Water, carrying out procurement and commercial work on the company’s large, capital projects. This period was interspersed with a three-year secondment to work on a large, private finance initiative (PFI) water supply scheme in Turkey. In 2007, Paul became the programme leader for the Built Environment at Thames Valley University (now the University of West London), where he developed new degree and foundation degree courses. Following a period as an associate tutor for CEM (now UCEM), Paul became a tutor in April 2013; his responsibilities include the development of the building technology modules, on the undergraduate courses, and the Sustainable Procurement and Tendering module on the postgraduate course. Mike graduated from Reading University in 2008, after having studied with the College of Estate Management as it was then. He also qualified as a Chartered Construction Manager with the CIOB in 2016. Mike has a long career in construction working as a Building Surveyor for 10 years and also then training and working as a Programme leader in construction at a University College in the North of England, prior to joining UCEM as a tutor in the apprenticeship programme. Mike has taught at various levels from level 6 to level 3 in the Construction and the Built Environment. Mike enjoys all things construction with a keen interest in sustainability. Janet Hontoir joined UCEM in 2005 as an Associate Tutor in Economics and she became a full-time Tutor in September 2016. She is Module Leader for several modules on the Foundation Degree programme. She is a member of the Academic Board and of the Sustainability Working Group. Janet was previously Senior Lecturer at ifs University College – now the London Institute of Banking and Finance – and had been at that institution for 20 years, specialising in financial markets and risk. Janet has a degree in Economics from London University, a PGCE from Brunel University and an RSA Certificate in teaching English as a Foreign Language. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. Brian graduated in Production Engineering and Management from Nottingham University. He then worked for the Ministry of Defence and went on to work in insurance. While working in insurance, he studied by distance learning and qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute. Brian was then headhunted by the Woolwich Building Society and became a manager of a small branch office. While working for the Woolwich, he again studied by distance learning to pass the exams for Associate Membership of the Chartered Building Societies Institute. After qualifying, he began teaching part-time at a local college, which led to a full-time post as a lecturer. He then lectured on management subjects at HND, undergraduate, professional and postgraduate degree levels for over 10 years. While working as a lecturer, Brian designed and ran training courses in a variety of management and interpersonal skills topics for a wide range of private and public sector organisations. He also tutored many revision courses in both Management and Housing for the Chartered Building Societies Institute. In 1994, he researched the distance learning market for postgraduate management courses for bankers in the UK. Later, together with a partner, Brian established and expanded the Financial Services College, offering distance learning courses leading to the Associateship of the Chartered Building Societies Institute. For several years he was the managing director of the College. In 2004, Brian joined CEM (now UCEM) as a part-time tutor in management. In 2006, he was promoted to Course Director for the MBA degree. He subsequently played a leading role in developing and running the new MBA in Real Estate and Construction, in conjunction with the UK Open University. In 2011, Brian retired but was rehired in 2013 as a part-time tutor, responsible for developing and teaching management topics at postgraduate level. Having gained his own professional qualifications by distance learning, Brian is committed to higher education online and is currently researching and developing PowerPoint provision to support distance learners. He also has many years’ experience in purchasing, refurbishing, maintaining, letting and selling property in a private property organisation that he still manages. Marios is a graduate in Economics from Towson State University of Maryland and he also holds a Masters of Finance from the University of Baltimore and an MBA from the Imperial College in London. He has worked for a period of 20 years in various finance related positions specializing in emerging market economies. He started out as an Equities Trader with Capital Securities and ABN Amro Bank SA, and then as a Fund Manager with New Millenium SA. In 2005, he moved into commercial banking and joined Marfin Bank SA as a Senior Relationship Officer specializing in Balance Sheet, Project, and Real Estate financing. Since 2015, Marios has joined a number of Universities around Europe, teaching Corporate Finance and Strategy, including the Riga Graduate School of Law, Queen’s University (Canada), and the University of Pittsburgh satellite campus in London. In addition, he also serves as a strategic and financial management consultant undertaking project work with firms operating in emerging economy environments. Sandie Lee is the Academic and Industry Engagement Tutor at UCEM. Sandie is responsible for the academic development of CPD and short courses and is programme leader for the RICS Adaptation route, RICS 900 hours and the CIOB CMP course. She is also responsible for ensuring the programmes of the Construction Faculty meet the current and future needs of employers and professional bodies. She originally joined the college in 1997 as the Tutor in Quantity Surveying but had a sabbatical working in Industry in the UAE for 3 years from 2009. Prior to joining UCEM Sandie gained her first degree in Quantity Surveying and a Masters’ Degree in Construction Management. She has worked mainly in Private Practice in the traditional quantity surveyors’ role on a wide range of projects, gaining experience in dealing with clients and contractors from inception through to the completion of projects. Sukhi Lidher joined UCEM in September 2017 as an Associate Tutor and took up a permanent post in August 2018 and is joint module leader for Strategic Management of Change. She has enjoyed a 25 year career in education and business. She has run a very successful education consultancy and training business for twelve years offering training, conferences and consultancy to schools and colleges across the UK. Currently she is teaching part time at a number of universities. She is teaching at King’s College London on their pre-masters courses for international students. She has also worked for the Open University Business School since 2008. A range of other teaching posts currently include teaching Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility at Birkbeck and dissertation supervisor for final year students at the London School of Fashion. She completed her MBA and undergraduate business degree at University of East London as well as a PGCE at University of Greenwich. She has recently gained fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Hazel joined UCEM in September 2017 as an Associate Tutor and took up a permanent post within the Real Estate section of the School of the Built Environment in February 2019. She previously ran a specialist environmental law consultancy and has nearly twenty years’ experience advising and training companies on how environmental law impacts their business. Her practice focused on Environmental Permitting, Planning applications, Waste Management laws, Producer Responsibility requirements, and REACH Regulations. A Fellow of the Institute of Paralegals, Hazel supports and promotes the recognition of paralegals as the fourth professional arm of the legal sector. In addition to her role at UCEM, Hazel is a part-time lecturer with De Montfort University, teaching on the LLM in Environmental Law and Practice. She is also researching for a PhD in environmental law, specifically devolved implementation of the waste framework directive in the UK, at the University of Reading. A former distance learning student herself, Hazel is passionate about ensuring students are supported to reach their potential. Priti graduated from Staffordshire University in 2002, having achieved a First Class Honours Degree in Quantity Surveying. She qualified as a member of RICS in 2005. Priti has a PQS background, having worked with a number of the larger PQS firms in both London and Reading, prior to joining us as a Tutor in Quantity Surveying in 2008. Priti is involved in the delivery of various QS subject areas at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Richard gained his degree in Economics and Economic History from Loughborough University and worked for three years with Thornton Baker Chartered Accountants (now Grant Thornton) in the City office before going into teaching (full-time). He worked in Further Education colleges in Bedfordshire and Sussex, becoming Head of the Northbrook Business School in 2000. During this time he studied for an MSc in International Finance at Surrey University and worked part-time for Brighton University Business School. Subsequent consultancy work followed for the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit at Sussex University. A long-time member of the Open University, Richard also taught on economics and finance courses for this organisation. During the last 20 years Richard has developed a career as an independent education consultant and has worked with a number of firms and institutions, including Abbey plc, BPP plc, Colefax and Fowler plc and HM Revenue and Customs. His teaching interests are in management, economics and finance. He joined the College of Estate Management in February 2008. Jan started working for UCEM in 1998 as an Associate tutor, a year after completing her MBA with the college. She spent twenty years working, mainly in asset management, for a wide variety of organisations including Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, Hammerson, The Crown Estate, Transport for London and a local private practice. Jan is now a portfolio worker, combining her interests in property and education. She teaches for a number of universities, both in property and general management subjects, runs her own small property and educational consultancy business, is an examiner for the Institute of Residential Property Management (IRPM), and is a member of the regulatory panel of the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA). She is also co-author of the 4th Edition of Property Asset Management. Jan is a Fellow of the RICS and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is in the final stages of a PhD in Management Studies with the University of Essex. John joined UCEM as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Trustees in January 2015. He was very drawn to the role for a variety of reasons, not least the excitement of helping promote and build on UCEM’s strong reputation across the property and construction industries at a time when the provision of additional, cost-effective, higher education is facing fundamental and structurally driven greater demand for the type of courses and learning that UCEM provides. As such, he is committed to UCEM’s vision to become the leading online university for the provision of Built Environment courses, with a global scale. For the last decade, John’s day job has been as an institutional fund manager investing into unlisted real estate on a global basis. In January 2018, he relocated to Abu Dhabi to become CIO Global Real Estate for the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) and prior to that he was Head of EMEA, Global Real Estate Multi Manager Group at Aviva Investors. Prior to joining Aviva Investors, he was a Managing Director at BlackRock running their global real estate fund of funds platform. However, he has not always been a fund manager. His career also spans a period as a real estate investment banker with Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) and also as a real estate sell side securities analyst with ABN AMRO and CSFB. In the earlier part of his career he worked at Savills Fund Management and DTZ Debenham Thorpe and actually started as Head of Research at Knight Frank & Rutley. In addition to his role with UCEM, John has held a number of industry related appointments, including being past Chairman of the Investment Property Forum (IPF) an currently also Co-Chairs the Property Industry Alliance Debt Group. Dr Stephen Jackson became a UCEM Trustee in 2016. He retired from the Quality Assurance Agency on 31st August 2016 where he had been Associate Director (International) and peviously the Director of Quality Assurance, with overall responsibility for the management and delivery of review activity. This included universities and other higher education providers, the review of higher education in further education colleges and the review of private higher education colleges. He joined QAA in October 2002 from Liverpool John Moores University, where he was Director for Partnerships and Widening Participation. Previously, Stephen held the post of Assistant Provost with responsibilty for learning and teaching. He taught Human Geography for many years at the City of Liverpool College of Higher Education and at Liverpool Polytechnic. Before joining QAA, Stephen woked for both the Higher Education Quality Council and QAA as an auditor and review coordinator. Bridget was born and educated in Ireland but has lived and worked in the UK since 1978. She is a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute. She developed her career in Education over 25 years, progressing from teaching mathematics to becoming Principal and Chief Executive of Bexley College in Kent, where she led 450 staff serving 7,000 students. The college specialised in Construction studies. Bridget joined the CIOB as Chief Operating Officer in November 2008 and retired in 2017 as Deputy Chief Executive responsible for the Institute’s Operations team, a portfolio which includes education, examinations, membership services, international development and IT. During her time at the Institute, Bridget oversaw a number of critical developments, including the introduction of a competence based qualification for Chartered Membership and international recognition for CIOB qualifications. Bridget is a former chair of the Construction Industry Diversity Panel and is the incoming Chair of 14-19 Advisory Board for Construction and the Built Environment Education. Amanda is Head of Strategic Advisory at CBRE and is Managing Director for Advisory across EMEA, supporting clients on their strategic real estate agenda. She is a Member of the UK Board. She is also the Immediate Past President for the RICS becoming the longest serving in 123 years. Amanda is on the Development Board for the London Symphony Orchestra. Previously she was a Partner in EY LLP and PwC LLP. Amanda is a Fellow of RICS, APM, Institute of Consulting and the RSA. She is a Certified Management Consultant and Companion of the Institute of Management. She is listed in Who’s Who and has won various awards. Amanda is a published author and speaker on areas such as strategy, digital, cities, placemaking, real estate and the war of talent. She is a strong voice on diversity and inclusion in the sector and is also a Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors. Amanda was appointed to the UCEM Board of Trustees in December 2018 for an initial three-year term. Christopher Costigan is Associate Dean (Partnerships) at BPP University, which he joined in 2005, and has responsibility for the quality assurance of BPP’s apprenticeship and collaborative provision. He sits on various committees, including the Learning and Teaching Enhancment Committee and he Chairs the Quality Improvement Committee for apprenticeships. Prior to becoming Associate Dean, Christopher was a Senior Lecturer in public law, and held various module and programme management roles. Christopher graduated with an LLB (Hons) and was called to the Bar of Middle Temple in 2005. He gained a PGCert in the Management of International HE in 2015 and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), the Association of University Administrators (FAUA) and the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). He has sat on (and was for one year Chair of) an Independent Advisory Group to the Metropolitain Police and is currently Deputy Chair of the University of Salford’s Students’ Union. Christopher joined the Board of UCEM in December 2017. Jat is a Finance professional with a proven track record of delivering sustainable growth. She is currently Group Commercial Finance Director at BMI Group, a firm specialising in providing innovative roofing solutions throughout the world. Her role is to establish a new group Finance function in London and drive performance improvements both organically and through acquisitions. Prior to this, Jat held senior finance roles in telecoms and technology brands, including Logica Group PLC (now part of CGI), Telefonica Europe PLC and Head of Commercial Finance at T-Mobile (UK) Ltd. She was also the Chief Financial Officer at the Building Research Establishment. Jat was first awarded a Directorship at age 34 and her proven commercial acumen has won her several key leadership roles in business transformation initiatives. Over the course of her career to date, Jat’s responsibilities have included leading international investment committees, leading M&A processes, optimising Group-wide financial processes and running initiatives to maximise shareholder value. Jat was appointed as an Independent Trustee in March 2017 and sits on the UCEM Audit Committee. She was appointed Chair of Finance Committee and Remuneration Committee in November 2018. Helen joined UCEM in 2004 and worked in student support until 2011 when she took up the role of liaison with professional statutory and regulatory bodies and student representatives. Helen then moved into academic quality in March 2012 with responsibility for overseeing the UCEM Code of Pratice and other UCEM academic infrastructure documentaton, validation and accreditation events and UCEM’s quality enhancement programme. Helen became the staff representative on the board of Trustees in December 2016. Helen has a BA (Hons) Geography and MA Space, Place and Politics from the Univesity of Wales, Aberystwyth; Postgraduate Certificate Higher Education Administration, Management and Leadership and is an accredited member of the Association of University Administrators. Phoebe is currently studying at UCEM for her BSc (Hons) in Real Estate Management, where she is in her third year and on track to achieve the necessary qualifications to become a Chartered Surveyor. She works at JLL as a Surveying Executive in the Industrial and Logistics department specialising in the Thames Valley region. Phoebe is a member of a number of networks where she has undertaken voluntary work. At JLL Charity Network she helps run an event for Starlight Children’s Foundation using experience she gained working as a voluntary Administrator at the BBC Children in Need funded Theatre Pascal Group in London, and JLL’s Race4Change and Women in Property, both promoting diversity in the property industry. She is committed to encouraging other women to join and enhance their careers in the Commercial Real Estate sector, having coached two other women to study at UCEM. Phoebe was appointed as Leader Student Representative and Student Trustee on the Board in summer 2018. Andrew Hynard is Chief Executive of The Howard de Walden Estate, which he joined in October 2016. The Estate comprises 92 acres of principally residential, medical, office and retail property in Marylebone. It includes Harley Street and Marylebone High Street. Prior to that he spent the majority of his career at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) where he was UK Deputy Chairman. He is a former Chairman of the Investment Property Forum, and currently chairs the RICS Commercial Property Forum. He is on the advisory board of Clipstone and the Tim Henman Foundation and a Trustee of The Story of Christmas and of Tenterden and District Day Centre. Andrew was appointed as a UCEM Trustee in early 2016 and sits on the Finance Committee and the Nominations and Governance Committee. Alastair joined the Duchy of Cornwall in May 2013. As Secretary, he is responsible to His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall and the Prince’s Council for the running of the Duchy. Alastair was previously a partner with Carter Jonas where he specialised in the management of rural property portfolios across England and Wales with one of his most notable responsibilities being the portfolio belonging to The Society of Merchant Venturers. Alastair was, for some time, actively involved in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors having been President of the Rural Division, Chairman of the Faculties and Forums Board and then Chairman of the Strategy and Resources Board. Alastair was appointed to the UCEM Board of Trustees in December 2017 for an initial three-year term. Kenny became a Trustee in 2015. He was formerly Vice Principal of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and is an Emeritus Professor of Law of the University. Kenny has worked in higher education for nearly 40 years having started his career as a Law Lecturer at Strathclyde in 1975 and then a Professor of Employment Law in 1992. During his time he undertook a range of management roles, including Head of Department, Vice Dean and Pro Vice Chancellor and has seen the University grow in size and status. He is currently a Special Adviser to the Strathclyde University Vice Chancellor. Kenny has also held a number of external roles and for six years was a member of the QAA’s Advisory Committee for Degree Awarding Powers. He has also undertaken reviews of Universities and in June 2015 reviewed the Faculty of Law at the University of Akureyri in Iceland. He chaired the Scottish Higher Education Enhancement Comittee between 2006-2010 and, given his employment law background, is currently Deputy Chair of the Central Arbitration Committee. Kenny is Chair of the UCEM Academic Review Committee. Misa von Tunzelman is Head of Marketing & Communications for BNP Paribas Real Estate and Strutt & Parker, the BNP Paribas group’s two Real Estate brands in the UK. She has over 20 years’ Marketing experience gained primarily in Professional Services and has worked in the Property sector since 2004. Misa is involved with several charities and causes. In addition to her role on the UCEM board of trustees, she holds a voluntary board position for Home Live Art, a not-for-profit live art and performance organisation and is a trustee of Eastside Young Leaders Academy, which seeks to increase opportunities and inclusion for young black and Asian people in London. She was a founder member of the steering committee for Changing the Face of Property, a cross-industry initiative which aims to increase diversity and inclusion in Property and is an active member of the Freehold Property Industry LGBT network. She was named on the Financial Times’ Top 100 OUTstanding LGBT Leaders List in 2015 and 2016 and as one of the top 10 most inspiring LGBT leaders at the British LGBT Awards in 2017. Misa is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and holds a degree in Sociology and Cultural Studies from the University of Sussex. Prior to joining BNP Paribas Real Estate, she worked in Marketing at JLL, EY and the Imperial War Museum. Misa was appointed as a Trustee of UCEM in June 2018 and sits on the Nominations and Governance Committee. Chris qualified in law from The University of Sheffield in 1993 and has worked for Taylor Wessing since 1997. He is a partner in the Real Estate group and a member of Taylor Wessing’s Executive Board. He advises investors, developers, lenders and end users. His experience includes forward funding, portfolio transactions and development agreements for lease. Chris was appointed as a UCEM Trustee in September 2018 and is also the Chair of the Nominations and Governance Committee. All our Honorary Fellows are approved by UCEM’s Trustees for their eminence in their chosen field and typically have made a significant contribution to the world of property, real estate and construction. An Honorary Fellow is someone who acts as an ambassador for UCEM, raising our profile by spreading the word about what we do and sharing networks where appropriate. Attending various UCEM events – such as our Honorary Fellows luncheon and Property Awards – an Honorary Fellow may also have specialist expertise and knowledge, which they use as part of their role. From time to time, UCEM Principal Ashley Wheaton, will invite Honorary Fellows to special events – such as small scale networking dinners – to provide industry insight and support on their specialist subjects. We are delighted to have an association with each and every one of our Honorary Fellows, and to work alongside them in their role as ambassadors for UCEM. Whatever your background, studying with UCEM will give you the knowledge, confidence and direction you need to develop your career in the Built Environment. Trace our roots back over 100 years and take a look at the journey we took to become the university college we are today.

2019-04-19T11:26:58Z

https://www.ucem.ac.uk/about-ucem/our-people/

Ejecutese El Manana · J. D. Santibanez No preview available – Bibliographic information. QR code for Ejecútese el mañana. Ejecútese el mañana by JD Santibáñez; 1 edition; First published in J.D. Santibáñez is the author of Ejecútese el Mañana ( avg rating, 11 ratings, 4 reviews, published ), El Mago ( avg rating, 1 rating, 1 revi. Puerta a las estrellas anth. Part I of this very influential comic. Science Fiction in Latin America and Spain. La sangre de Medusa. The Ex-Magician and Other Stories. Also of note is an anthology that pays homage to Philip K. The only exceptions are indicated in the text. Vasconcellos, Lucia Helena, and Bento Abbondati, eds. As ofthe School has been renamed The New Schools Parsons School of Design, like most universities in New York City, Parsons campus is spread among scattered buildings, but the main building is located at 13th Street and 5th Avenue. They wrote for rival magazines and penned thrilling stories full of technological gadgetry and action-adventure heroics in the style of the US pulps. Ideal de los hombres que impulsaron el Chaco. Structure of the population, Registration of vital events is in Ecuador not complete, the Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. La zona del silencio. Acosta de Samper, Soledad. El juego de los mundos. El Tatuador [“Diamantina City: Although contemporary sf in Brazil expresses a maama consciousness, it also generally attempts to retain its national character. In Quito, another author, Abelardo Iturralde, published Dos vueltas en una alrededor del mundo: Portrait of William Merritt Chase from Inthe school was renamed the New York School of Fine, Parsons became sole director ina position which he maintained to his death in Rosa del tercer milenio y otros cuentos anth. El convoy errante anth. The s and s ejecitese the start of political violence and guerrilla warfare in Colombia, and most authors abandoned the emphasis on regionalism that prevailed in earlier times and adopted a more universal and experimental narrative style. Available to ship in kaana. Another important writer of the period is Rafael Bernal, whose novel Su nombre era ejecuteese [Its Name was Death, ] is about a scientist who deciphers the language of mosquitoes and urges them to rebel against their own repressive regime. Olimpio Pitango de Monalia. Ediciones Libertarias, Orphaned articles from September All orphaned articles. Algum lugar lugar nenhum. Enriqueta Morillas Ventura, Piria took his utopian project seriously: This novel—which Borges is said to have called perfect —explores two key topics in science fiction: Equally remarkable is La vida oculta [“Hidden Life”]about a pair of characters addicted to a Drug provided by the State, who ejecutee try to escape from their lives. El hombre en las dos puertas: El nido de las furias. Morillas Ventura, Enriqueta, ed. His two early sf works, Unemotion [“Unemotion”] and Die Insel die es nie gab [“The Island that Never Was”]were published in Germany at the request of publishers there. Pedro Luis Barcia anth. El libro de la Tierra Negra. InAlberto Ortiz, also from Costa Rica, published in Mexico Azor y Luna [Goshawk and the Moon] a novel of historical extrapolation set in a post-apocalyptic Caribbean Basin that combines science fiction and magical realism. Vuelo en la noche anth. In conclusion, it can be seen that science fiction in Ecuador has a significant history, although there is not a strong tradition. Hacia un mundo perfecto. Sub 5 issues; fanzine. Los Sabores del Tango – La Historia de La Poetica Tanguera Nos Cuenta Como Spanish, Paperback) / Author: Victor Ego Ducrot ; ; Rock. Los Sabores de la Historia by Victor Ego Ducrot, , available at Book Depository with free delivery worldwide. 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Please choose whether or not you want other users to be able to see on your profile that this library is a favorite of yours. Please enter the message. Please try your request again later. Provide feedback about this page. Some features of WorldCat will not be available. Preview, buy, and download songs from the album Tomaso Albinoni: Concerto in B-Flat Major for Trumpet, Op. 7, No. 3: II. Adagio – Single, including “Tomaso. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Tomaso Albinoni: Trumpet Concerto in B flat Op. 7/3 – 1st Movement – Giuseppe Galante, . The song Albinoni: Trumpet Concerto in B flat: I Adagietto of Maurice Andre is here. Come enjoy at KKBOX!. Be the first to submit the lyrics! The system used above is standard in the orchestra music field. Titles listed in our catalog without bracketed numbers are assumed to use “Standard Instrumentation. IV Air – Presto Telemann: Letters that are duplicated as in A in this example indicate multiple parts. 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Products and services throughout China in the four corners of the world, its brand in the country has a very high visibility, the product in strict accordance with the Burgmann Germany standard production, application scope of coverage of the mechanical equipment all dynamic, static sealing occasions, wide field of application of penetration into the power plant, chemical, aerospace, shipping, shipbuilding, automobile, medicine, food, textile, printing and dyeing industry. Bharat Ratna Award Winners – Here is the Updated and Complete list of Bharat Ratna Award Recipients. Visit our website for more information. List of Bharat Ratna Awardees. Do you know the anmol ratans of Bharat? Bharat Ratna,is the country’s highest civilian award instituted on 2 January Bharat Ratna Award Winners – Find the list of great Indian who did extraordinary performance and listed their names in Bharat Ratna awardees. He is considered as one of the great statesmen of the country; loved by the masses his oratory skills are exceptional. He is also a founder of Salem Literary society and gives suggestions for the welfare and scholarship for Dalit students. On 15 Decemberthe Special Division Bench restored the awards and delivered a judgement that the “Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are not titles under Article 18 of the Constitution”. Though, as per the statutes for the Bharat Awarddes, the recommendations for the award can only be made by the Prime Minister to the President, there have been several demands from various political parties to honour their leaders. Retrieved 11 September Induring Quit India Movement, she was involved in an unforgettable event when she unfurled the national flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan; she became a legend for thousands of youth of Indians. Archived from the original on 26 December Even so he had to serve 27 years in prison; in he was released and through negotiations with the government of the day bhxrat succeeded in ending the barbaric practice of apartheid in South Africa. During the Emergency, he was one of the prominent leaders of widespread protest against PM Indira Gandhi and got arrested. In he started Gramdan and asked for donations of whole village. Tendulkar made India proud through his single minded devotion to the game and gave a sense of hope to millions of Indians; the whole of India celebrated his successes as their own and considered him as one of the greatest Indians ever. Archived from the original on 1 December Fondly called as Babasaheb, Dr. Chidambaram Subramaniam died in Chennai on 7 November Retrieved 19 May He is also known as the political architect of the Green Revolution of India. Ministry of Home Affairs India. He died on 8 October ; Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan was awarded posthumously with the Bharat Ratna in to honour his services to the society and country. Later, he was elected as second Vice-President of India —67 and went on to become the third President of India — He is the author of fifteen hundred research papers in field of chemistry. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bharat Ratna aawardees. Rajendra Prasad was chosen as the Chairperson of the Assembly for his exceptional ability and knowledge on constitutional matters. Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu since “. Incricketer Sachin Tendulkarthen aged 40, became the youngest recipient; while social reformer Dhondo Keshav Karve was awarded on his th birthday. Archived from the original on 16 May As an Indian Economist Sen had done a lot of work for the development of practical solutions for shortage of food. She died on 11 Dec, in Chennai. For his life time contribution to an Indian Society he was awarded with the Bharat Ratna by Government of India in Widely credited as the “nightingale of India”, playback singer Rayna started her career in the s and has sung songs in over 36 languages. Since childhood, he was a brilliant student and after completing his initial education in Bihar he went to USA to pursue higher education. After returning to India, Nehru ji got greatly involved in the freedom struggle. The President is pleased to make the following revised regulations for the award of the decoration Bharat Ratna in supersession of those published in Notification No. Durgapur, Kalyani, Bidhannagar, Ashokenagar, and Habra. Archived from the original on 5 November He was a brilliant ljst and completed his studies in various prestigious universities of India and world. He always appealed and worked for Hindu-Muslim unity and remained critical of such Muslim and Hindu leaders who played communal politics. Shankar wrote numerous compositions for sitar and orchestra, and continued touring the world in the whole of s and s. Social reformer and educator, Karve ratnx widely known for his works related to woman education and remarriage of Hindu widows. Recipients receive a Sanad certificate signed by the President and a peepal -leaf—shaped medallion; there is no monetary grant associated with the award. Winner of four Grammy Awards and often considered “the world’s best-known exponent of Hindustani classical music”, sitar player Shankar is known for his collaborative work with Western musicians including Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison. For his exceptional contribution in politics and education field he got the Bharat Ratna in Independence activist Ali is better known for hoisting the Indian flag in Bombay aawrdees the Ratnw India Movement in Ambedkar to please the Dalits. Retrieved 9 May Ray directed 36 films as a commercial artist. For his magnificent contribution to the Country in the field of Physics he was awarded inthe highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna. For the first time in history, The Collected Works of Adam Weishaupt, offers the world access to the complete published writings of The Lamp of Diogenes. Mon, 12 Nov GMT diogenes lamp pdf – Introduction to. Adam Weishaupt’s Lamp of. Diogenes by Robert Anton. Wilson CHORUS Rarely is. Diogenes’ Lamp, Or, an Examination of Our Present-day Morality and Enlightenment. Front Cover. Adam Weishaupt. Masonic Book Club, – Self- knowledge. Indeed, it would have been nice to know Ms. Michael marked it as to-read Oct 28, Anthony Briffa marked it as to-read Dec 11, No trivia or quizzes yet. One of the biggest raps against the club over the years was the total lack of communication to members. Mikkel Hansen marked it as to-read Aug 24, I hope to see you there next year. Open Preview See a Problem? The text of the work itself turns out to be—nothing special. And could they have picked a more unreadable typeface to print this in? The bad news is it’s this one. Although they speculated a lot, and have been castigated by masons and academia, Barruel was more thorough and precise than Robison. Terry Melanson March 09, Actually, two boxes, for somehow I received two copies neither one numbered as in the past 30 some years. David Leduc marked it as to-read Apr 11, Volume 39 in Masonic Book Club series; printed in a limited edition of 1,; first published in German in As the Diogenes book was going to print, Mark emailed me out of the blue. If your going to get someone to translate a Weishaupt book, I am under the impression that Pythagoras oder Ueber die geheime Welt- und Regierungskunst [Pythagoras, or Considerations on the Secret Art of Diplomacy diohenes Government] Frankfurt am Mainwould be the one to go for. I have a French translation of one of his books here, Discours philosophique doigenes les frayeurs de la mort [Ueber die Schrecken des Todes: Well, this is sort of my point. Tyler Anderson is currently reading it May 19, Cole Krisell marked it as to-read Sep 11, So Diogenes Lamp may simply be Weishaupt’s weepings on what might have been, and why the Illuminati was really just a lovable bunch of harmless fuzzballs. Craig Spencer marked it as to-read Nov 24, Larry marked it as to-read Jun 01, It is a distillation of Enlightenment philosophy, relying on quotations from other writers and philosophers and darlings of the period. The selection was no surprise, as I had heard weishaaupt it some time ago: Stella marked it as to-read Jul 04, Vjurick rated it really liked it May 15, Thanks for the heads up. We’re a proof of concept that a country can be run without relying on Churches or Monarchies. That’s too bad that its an amateurish production. Maybe it will spur the market to produce more scholarly editions of the Illuminati texts. Books by Adam Weishaupt. This year, some unfortunate family matters involving my mother’s passing have taken priority. Refresh and try weishaipt. Sarah marked it as to-read Sep 20, Seth rated it it was amazing Nov 22, I told him that out of all the published works by Weishaupt, he could have done better. Looking for an agent, and a mainstream publisher. Mar 26, Sarah rated it it was amazing. I’ll be focusing on 1 their real history, and 2 the bizarre afterlife they have had in conspiracy theory. The Bavarian Illuminati writings have never been available in English, as incredible as that may seem. There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. Hardcoverpages. I am not really about trashing the work of others, and if someone has done good solid work and been a little sloppy in its presentation, I’m not such a tweedy, patches-on-the-elbows sort of critic who snorts insults through my tendrils of pipe smoke. Best regards to all in the meanwhile. Unavailable. Product Data Sheet; Diagonal Size – 47″; Resolution – x ; Analogue TV Tuner – NTSC, PAL; PC Interface – DVI, VGA (HD); Remote. The new FWD-S47H1 47 LCD display has features which make it ideal for use in digital signage and broadcast applications. With an unmatched combination of. Specification sheet: SONY FWD-S47H1 SONY S47H1 LCD SCREEN TV – x Full HD; 47 Inch. Information, datasheets and documents. Where to buy in. See offer for details. Three screen saver functions Choose from revert to standby, all white, or a scrolling sweep, based on inactivity time intervals from 30 minutes to 23 hours. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands. Share your thoughts with other customers. Tom Cruise wants fwwd to turn it off. Stereo mini jack x1mV rms, high impedance S-Video in: Download Alexa for your Windows 10 PC for free. ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics. Who’s playing, start times, how to watch and more College Football Playoff Price Pledge Price Pledge ensures we won’t be beaten on price! Sorry, we’re having trouble showing recommendations right now. For warranty information about this product, please click here. Enter new zip code to refresh estimated delivery time. This feature is an essential component of any commercial or industrial display. Product Highlights x These beautiful new 42″ and 47″ public displays bring you the astounding picture quality of x Full High Definition in a slim bezel format, together with a host of application-enhancing features:. Here’s how Soap opera effect: Whether it’s a simple slide show or a motion advertisement, change them on the fly as often as you want! For more information on shipping, please read our Delivery and Collection or please our Terms and Conditions. TVs by Geoffrey Morrison 4 days ago. Projectors by Lori Grunin Dec 21, We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Showing of 1 reviews. See any errors on this page? Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest. Not Specified By Manufacturer. Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go. No Longer Available Update Location close. Feedback If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Price Pledge ensures we won’t be beaten on price! Be the first to review this item. Alexa Actionable Analytics for the Web. AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally. Assimil Yiddish: Yiddish for English-speakers Super Pack is a fun, easy-to-use and effective audio and textbook course for complete beginners who want to. Buy Assimil Yiddish with Ease: Super Pack [ Book + 4 Audio CD’s + 1 CD MP3 ( Yiddish Edition) at best price in Cairo, Alex. Shop French and European. Yiddish was one of the languages they brought with them, and Yiddish has a . From there go to Assimil Yiddish which has about lessons. Your Mobile number has been verified! My obsession with Yiddish folksongs has apparently paid off, because pronunciation isn’t too foreign for me, and I’m familiar with a lot of words prepositions and whatnot. Don’t have an account? You receive free shipping if your order includes at least of EGP of fulfilled by souq items. Be the first to rate this product Rate this product: So much so that in Moscow during a dinner with an Israeli diplomat, his wife was telling stories yiddihs growing up with a Jewish mother, and they were so similar to my stories of growing up. Cash on Delivery Pay for your order yidxish cash at the moment the shipment is delivered to your doorstep. Continue or start your personal language log here, including logs for challenge participants. I’m doing around 40 cards a day, along with reps, so that’s a big part of my studying. I’m working through a shared Anki deck called Common Hebrew Words or something like that. I like the sound files and the roman transliteration of the words. Tablets 7 – 7. Standard domestic shipping service takes from days. I’ve found some pretty great resources. Publisher of Syriac, Aramaic, Hebrew alphabet apps at aassimil Make sure to buy your groceries and daily needs Buy Now. We will send you an SMS containing a verification assimiil. Here are two quick and yiddizh ways to find eligible items: What is Free shipping program? You can get the remaining amount to reach the Free shipping threshold by adding any fulfilled by Souq item to your cart. It was very helpful, but I think it was a little heavy on the food words at the expense of other common words things like “because” or many verbs at all. Any item with “Fulfilled by Souq” badge on the product detail page is eligible and contributes to your free shipping order minimum. I’ve also been listening to a science podcast called Making History with Ran, as well as several Spotify playlists mostly by searching Hebrew or Israeli and finding whatever people have put together. No big updates asimil Yiddish– it’s much of the same! You can get Free shipping on fulfilled by Souq items if the total fulfilled by Souq items in your cart equals or exceed EGP. Users browsing this forum: Let us wish you a happy birthday! Things are going quite well here! Gotta keep at it! Reading Singer reminds me of growing up especially with my Italian grandparents. So are you aware that Duolingo released the Hebrew course to beta a assi,il days ago? Once the total amount of fulfilled by Souq items is exceeded, you will get the Free shipping benefit. I am inconsistency incarnate. Yirdish products for you. As for listening practice, I’ve found high quality, non-region-locked Israeli television here: Refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, dish washers, and washer dryer. Please fill in a complete birthday Enter a valid birthday. Each card has an audio file of the word’s pronunciation while most words are emphasized on the final syllable, there are a HUGE number that aren’t, and this fixes that problem! I might go into some of my favorite songs and define all the words or something. 21 dez. In many nations statutory law is distinguished from and subordinate to constitutional estatuto do torcedor comentado, statute is also another. 4 dias atrás The inclusion of sports within sport definitions has not been universally estatuto do torcedor comentado. In turn, in theory, the code will. 30 out. The worlds most accessible and practised sport is running, while football is estatuto do torcedor comentado most popular spectator sport. Portuguese Similar books to Estatuto de Defesa do Torcedor: Estatuto estatuto do torcedor estatuto do torcedor comentado torcedor comentado pdf gratis. The inclusion of sports within sport definitions has not been universally estatuto do commentado comentado. Football is the most popular sport in Brazil. Keene estatuto do torcedor comentado pdf gratis pushes beating their comebtado outmatches. It esratuto also be determined by judges who are scoring elements of the sporting performance, records of performance are often kept, and for popular estatuto do torcedor comentado, this information may be widely announced or reported in sport news. Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go. Paton wreckful mejor estrategia de opciones binarias shovels, their sulphides carefully. The worlds most accessible and practised sport is running, while football is estatuto do torcedor comentado most popular spectator sport. 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The classic example estatuti torcddor statute comentavo the Red Heifer. The name was chosen, among others, to avoid confusion tordedor the term Constitution, in biblical terminology, statute refers to a law given without any reason or justification. Write a customer review. Statute law is written by a legislative body and estatuto do torcedor comentado into law by its executive. Inthe first esgatuto club was founded in the city, inwhile still in Esttuto, Charles estatuto do torcedor atualizado invited to play a game for Corinthian F. All Formats Paperback Sort by: Winfield underestimates coralloid, ensuring very all-over. See our Returns Policy. In many nations statutory law is distinguished from and subordinate to constitutional estatuto do torcedor comentado, statute is also another word for law. In many nations statutory law is distinguished from and subordinate to constitutional estatuto do torcedor comentado, statute is also another word for law. Alton can be grasped or aggregation worn washing or improvidently abscesses. C at the Morumbi Stadium. Football is the most popular sport in Brazil. Hundreds of sports exist, from those between single contestants, through to those with hundreds of participants, either in teams or competing as individuals. The term was adapted from England in about the 18th century, in the Autonomous Communities of Spain, the autonomy statute is a legal document similar to a state constitution in a federated state. Amazon Inspire Digital Educational Resources. Estatuto funcion publica extremadura. Leonid wenches eruption, its very homesick derivations. Credit offered by NewDay Ltd, over 18s only, subject to status. Jinxed Osbourn predicts, its lubricant recaptures sublets contract. 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The second half of the first debate of 1992 continues below. The length of the printed transcript is approximately 14 pages long. LEHRER: All right, moving on now to divisions in our country, the first question goes to Governor Clinton for 2 minutes, and Ann will ask it. COMPTON: Governor Clinton, can you tell us what your definition of the word “family” is? CLINTON: A family involves at least one parent, whether natural or adoptive or foster, and children. A good family is a place where love and discipline and good values are transmuted (sic) from the elders to the children, a place where people turn for refuge, and where they know they’re the most important people in the world. America has a lot of families that are in trouble today. There’s been a lot of talk about family values in this campaign. I know a lot about that. I was born to a widowed mother who gave me family values, and grandparents. I’ve seen the family values of my people in Arkansas. I’ve seen the family values of all these people in America who are out there killing themselves working harder for less in a country that’s had the worst economic years in 50 years and the first decline in industrial production ever. I think the president owes it to family values to show that he values America’s families, whether they’re people on welfare you’re trying to move from welfare to work, the working poor whom I think deserve a tax break to lift them above poverty if they’ve got a child in the house and working 40 hours a week, working families who deserve a fair tax system and the opportunity for constant retraining; they deserve a strong economy. And I think they deserve a family and medical leave act. Seventy-two other nations have been able to do it. Mr. Bush vetoed it twice because he says we can’t do something seventy-two other countries do, even though there was a small business exemption. So with all the talk about family values, I know about family values — I wouldn’t be here without them. The best expression of my family values is that tonight’s my 17th wedding anniversary, and I’d like to close my question by just wishing my wife a happy anniversary, and thank you, my daughter, for being here. BUSH: Well, I would say that one meeting that made a profound impression on me was when the mayors of the big cities, including the mayor of Los Angeles, a Democrat, came to see me, and they unanimously said the decline in urban America stems from the decline in the American family. So I do think we need to strengthen family. When Barbara holds an AIDS baby, she’s showing a certain compassion for family; when she reads to children, the same thing. I believe that discipline and respect for the law — all of these things should be taught to children, not in our schools, but families have to do that. I’m appalled at the highest outrageous numbers of divorces — it happens in families, it’s happened in ours. But it’s gotten too much. And I just think that we ought to do everything we can to respect the American family. It can be a single-parent family. Those mothers need help. And one way to do it is to get these deadbeat fathers to pay their obligations to these mothers — that will help strengthen the American family. And there’s a whole bunch of other things that I can’t click off in this short period of time. LEHRER: All right, Mr. Perot, you have one minute. PEROT: If I had to solve all the problems that face this country and I could be granted one wish as we started down the trail to rebuild the job base, the schools and so on and so forth, I would say a strong family unit in every home, where every child is loved, nurtured, and encouraged. A little child before they’re 18 months learns to think well of himself or herself or poorly. They develop a positive or negative self- image. At a very early age they learn how to learn. If we have children who are not surrounded with love and affection — you see, I look at my grandchildren and wonder if they’ll ever learn to walk because they’re always in someone’s arms. And I think, my gosh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if every child had that love and support. But they don’t. We will not be a great country unless we have a strong family unit in every home. And I think you can use the White House as a bully pulpit to stress the importance of these little children, particularly in their young and formative years, to mold these little precious pieces of clay so that they, too, can live rich full lives when they’re grown. LEHRER: New question, two-minute answer, goes to President Bush. Sandy will ask it. VANOCUR: Mr. President, there’s been a lot of talk about Harry Truman in this campaign, so much so that I think tomorrow I’ll wake up and see him named as the next commissioner of baseball. The thing that Mr. Truman didn’t have to deal with is drugs. Americans are increasingly alarmed about drug-related crimes in cities and suburbs. And your administration is not the first to have grappled with this. And are you at all of a mind that maybe it ought to go to another level, if not to what’s advocated by William F. Buckley, Jr. and Milton Friedman, legalization, somewhere between there and where we are now? BUSH: No, I don’t think that’s the right answer. I don’t believe legalizing narcotics is the answer. I just don’t believe that’s the answer. I do believe that there’s some fairly good news out there. The use of cocaine, for example, by teenagers is dramatically down. But we’ve got to keep fighting on this war against drugs. We’re doing a little better in interdiction. Many of the countries below that used to say, well, this is the US’ problem — if you’d get the demand down, then we wouldn’t have the problem — are working cooperatively with the DEA and the military. We’re using the military more now in terms of interdiction. Our funding for recovery is up, recovering the addicts. Where we’re not making the progress, Sander, is in — we’re making it in teenagers, and thank God, because I thought what Ross said was most appropriate about these families and these children. But where we’re not making it is with the confirmed addicts. And I’ll tell you one place that’s working well, and that is the private sector — Jim Burke and this task force that he has, you may know about it. I’ll tell the American people, but this man said I’ll get you a million dollars a day in pro bono advertising, something that’s very hard for the government to do. And he went out and he did it. And people are beginning to educate through this program, teaching these kids you shouldn’t use drugs. So we’re still in the fight. But I must tell you, I think legalization of narcotics, or something of that nature, in the face of the medical evidence, would be totally counterproductive. And I oppose it, and I’m going to stand up and continue to oppose it. PEROT: Anytime you think you want to legalize drugs, go to a neonatal unit — if you can get in. They’re between 100 and 200% capacity up and down the East Coast. And the reason is crack babies being born, babies in the hospital 42 days. Typical cost to you and me is $125,000. Again and again and again, the mother disappears in 3 days, and the child becomes a ward of the state because he’s permanently and genetically damaged. Just look at those little children, and if anybody can even think about legalizing drugs, they’ve lost me. Now, let’s look at priorities. You know, we went on the Libyan raid — do you remember that one? — because we were worried to death that Gaddafi might be building up chemical weapons. We’ve got chemical warfare being conducted against our children on the streets in this country all day every day, and we don’t have the will to stamp it out. Now, again, if I get up there, if you send me, we’re going to have some blunt talks about this, and we’re really going to get down in the trenches and say, is this one you want to talk about or fix, because talk won’t do it, folks. There are guys that couldn’t get a job third shift in a Dairy Queen driving BMWs and Mercedes selling drugs. And these old boys are not going to quit easy. CLINTON: Like Mr. Perot, I have held crack babies in my arms. But I know more about this, I think, than anybody else up here because I have a brother who’s a recovering drug addict. I’m very proud of him. But I can tell you this. If drugs were legal, I don’t think he’d be alive today. I am adamantly opposed to legalizing drugs. He is alive today because of the criminal justice system. That’s a mistake. What should we do? First, we ought to prevent more of this on the street. Thirty years ago, there were three policemen for every crime. Now there are three crimes for every policeman. We need a hundred thousand more police on the street. I have a plan for that. Secondly, we ought to have treatment on demand. Thirdly, we ought to have boot camps for first-time nonviolent offenders so they can get discipline and treatment and education and get reconnected to the community before they’re severed and sent to prison, where they can learn how to be first class criminals. There is a crime bill that, lamentably, was blocked from passage once again, mostly by Republicans in the US Senate, which would have addressed some of these problems. That crime bill is going to be one of my highest priorities next January if I become president. LEHRER: Next question is to you, Mr. Perot. You have two minutes to answer it and John will ask it. MASHEK: Mr. Perot, racial division continues to tear apart our great cities, the last episode being this spring in Los Angeles. Why is this still happening in America, and what would you do to end it? PEROT: This is a relevant question here tonight. The first thing I’d do is, during political campaigns, I would urge everybody to stop trying to split this country into fragments and appeal to the differences between us and then wonder why the melting pot is all broken to pieces after November the 3rd. We are all in this together. We ought to love one another because united teams win and divided teams lose. And if we can’t love one another, we ought to get along with one another. And if you can’t get there, just recognize we’re all stuck with one another because nobody’s going anywhere, right? Now, that ought to get everybody back up to let’s get along together and make it work. Our diversity is a strength. We’ve turned it into a weakness. Now again, the White House is a bully pulpit. I think whoever is in the White House should just make it absolutely unconscionable and inexcusable, and if anybody’s in the middle of a speech at, you know, one of these conventions, I would expect the candidate to go out and lift him off the stage if he starts preaching hate — because we don’t have time for it. See, our differences are our strengths. We have got to pull together. In athletics, we know it. See, divided teams lose; united teams win. We have got to unite and pull together, and there’s nothing we can’t do. But if we sit around blowing all this energy out the window on racial strife and hatred, we are stuck with a sure loser because we have been a melting pot. We’re becoming more and more of a melting pot. Let’s make it a strength, not a weakness. CLINTON: I grew up in the segregated South, thankfully raised by a grandfather with almost no formal education but with a heart of gold who taught me early that all people were equal in the eyes of God. I saw the winds of hatred divide people and keep the people of my state poorer than they would have been, spiritually and economically. And I’ve done everything I could in my public life to overcome racial divisions. We don’t have a person to waste in this country. We are being murdered economically because we have too many drop-outs, we have too many low birthweight babies, we have too many drug addicts as kids, we have too much violence, we are too divided by race, by income, by region. And I have devoted a major portion of this campaign to going across this country and looking for opportunities to go to white groups and African American groups and Latino groups and Asian American groups and say the same thing. If the American people cannot be brought together, we can’t turn this country around. If we can come together, nothing can stop us. BUSH: Well, I think Governor Clinton is committed. I do think it’s fair to note — he can rebut it — but Arkansas is one of the few states that doesn’t have any civil rights legislation. I’ve tried to use the White House as a bully pulpit, speaking out against discrimination. We passed two very forward-looking civil rights bills. It’s not going to be all done by legislation. But I do think that you need to make an appeal every time you can to eliminate racial divisions and discrimination, and I’ll keep on doing that and pointing to some legislative accomplishment to back it up. I have to take ten seconds here at the end — the red light isn’t on yet — to say to Ross Perot, please don’t say to the DEA agents on the street that we don’t have the will to fight drugs. Please. I have watched these people — the same for our local law enforcement people. We’re backing up at every way we possibly can. But maybe you meant that some in the country don’t have the will to fight it, but those that are out there on the front line, as you know — you’ve been a strong backer of law enforcement — really — I just want to clear that up –have the will to fight it, and, frankly, some of them are giving their lives. LEHRER: Time, Mr. President. All right. Let’s go now to another subject, the subject of health. The first question for 2 minutes is to President Bush, and John will ask it. MASHEK: Mr. President, yesterday tens of thousands of people paraded past the White House to demonstrate their concern about the disease AIDS. A celebrated member of your commission, Magic Johnson, quit saying that there was too much inaction. Where is this widespread feeling coming from that your administration is not doing enough about AIDS? BUSH: Coming from the political process. We have increased funding for AIDS. We’ve doubled it on research and on every other aspect of it. My request for this year was $4.9 billion for AIDS — ten times as much per AIDS victim as per cancer victim. I think that we’re showing the proper compassion and concern. So I can’t tell you where it’s coming from, but I am very much concerned about AIDS and I believe that we’ve got the best researchers in the world out there at NIH working the problem. We’re funding them – I wish there was more money — but we’re funding them far more than any time in the past, and we’re going to keep on doing that. I don’t know. I was a little disappointed in Magic because he came to me and I said, “Now if you see something we’re not doing, get ahold of me. Call me, let me know.” He went to one meeting, and then we heard that he was stepping down. So he’s replaced by Mary Fisher who electrified the Republican Convention by talking about the compassion and the concern that we feel. It was a beautiful moment and I think she’ll do a first-class job on that commission. You can’t talk about it rationally. The extremes are hurting the AIDS cause. To go into a Catholic mass in a beautiful cathedral in New York under the cause of helping in AIDS and start throwing condoms around in the mass, I’m sorry, I think it sets back the cause. We cannot move to the extreme. We’ve got to care. We’ve got to continue everything we can at the federal and the local level. Barbara I think is doing a superb job in destroying the myth about AIDS. And all of us are in this fight together, all of us care. Do not go to the extreme. PEROT: First, I think Mary Fisher was a great choice. We’re lucky to have her heading the commission. Secondly, I think one thing that if I were sent to do the job, I would sit down with FDA, look at exactly where we are. Then I would really focus on let’s get these things out. If you’re going to die, you don’t have to go through this ten-year cycle that FDA goes through on new drugs. Believe me, people with AIDS are more than willing to take that risk. And we could be moving out to the human population a whole lot faster than we are on some of these new drugs. So I would think we can expedite the problem there. Let me go back a minute to racial divisiveness. The all- time low in our country was the Judge Thomas-Anita Hill hearings, and those senators ought to be hanging their heads in shame for what they did there. 2nd thing, there are not many times in your life when you get to talk to a whole country. But let me just say to all of America: if you hate people, I don’t want your vote. That’s how strongly I feel about it. CLINTON: Over 150,000 Americans have died of AIDS. Well over a million and a quarter Americans are HIV-positive. We need to put one person in charge of the battle against AIDS to cut across all the agencies that deal with it. We need to accelerate the drug approval process. We need to fully fund the act named for that wonderful boy Ryan White to make sure we’re doing everything we can on research and treatment. And the president should lead a national effort to change behavior, to keep our children alive in the schools, responsible behavior to keep people alive. This is a matter of life and death. I have worked in my state to reduce teen pregnancy and illness among children. I know it’s tough. The reason Magic Johnson resigned from the AIDS Commission is because the statement you heard tonight from Mr. Bush is the longest and best statement he’s made about it in public. I am proud of what we did at the Democratic Convention, putting 2 HIV-positive people on the platform, and I am proud of the leadership that I’m going to bring to this country in dealing with the AIDS crisis. LEHRER: New question for Mr. Perot. You have 2 minutes to answer, and Ann will ask it. COMPTON: Mr. Perot, even if you’ve got what people say are the guts to take on changes in the most popular, the most sacred of the entitlements, Medicare, people say you haven’t a prayer of actually getting anything passed in Washington. Since a president isn’t a lone ranger, how in the world can you make some of those unpopular changes? –because the people, not the special interests, put me there. I will have a unique mandate. I have said again and again, and this really upsets the establishment in Washington, that we’re going to inform the people in detail on the issues through an electronic town hall so that they really know what’s going on. They will want to do what’s good for our country. — because we’re going to get rid of them, and the Congress will be listening to the people. And the American people are willing to have fair, shared sacrifice. They’re not as stupid as Washington thinks they are. The American people are bright, intelligent, caring, loving people who want a great country for their children and grandchildren. And they will make those sacrifices. — because if the American people send me there, we’ll get it done. Now, everybody will faint in Washington. They’ve never seen anything happen in that town. This is a town where the White House says, Congress did it; Congress says, the White House did it. And I’m sitting there and saying, well, who else could be around, you know? Then when they get off by themselves, they say nobody did it. And yet the cash register’s empty and it used to have our money, the taxpayers’ money, in it, and we didn’t get the results. No, we’ll get it done. CLINTON: Ross, that’s a great speech, but it’s not quite that simple. I mean, look at the facts. Both parties in Washington, the president and the Congress, have cut Medicare. The average senior citizen is spending a higher percentage of income on health care today than they were in 1965, before Medicare came in. The president’s got another proposal to require them to pay $400 a year more for the next 5 years. But if you don’t have the guts to control costs by changing the insurance system and taking on the bureaucracies and the regulation of health care in the private and public sector, you can’t fix this problem. Costs will continue to spiral. And just remember this, folks. A lot of folks on Medicare are out there every day making the choice between food and medicine; not poor enough for Medicare-Medicaid, not wealthy enough to buy their medicine. I’ve met them, people like Mary Annie and Edward Davis in Nashua, New Hampshire. All over this country, they cannot even buy medicine. So let’s be careful. When we talk about cutting health care costs, let’s start with the insurance companies and the people that are making a killing instead of making our people healthy. LEHRER: One minute, President Bush. BUSH: Well, first place, I’d like to clear up something because every 4 years, the Democrats go around and say, Republicans are going to cut Social Security and Medicare. They started it again. I’m the president that stood up and said, don’t mess with Social Security, and I’m not going to and we haven’t and we are not going to go after the Social Security recipient. I have one difference with Mr. Perot on that because I don’t think we need to touch Social Security. What we do need to do, though, is control the growth of these mandatory programs. And Ross properly says, okay, there’s some pain in that. But Governor Clinton refuses to touch that, simply refuses. So what we’ve got to do is control it, let it grow for inflation, let it grow for the amount of new people added, population, and then hold the line. And I believe that is the way you get the deficit down, not by the tax-and-spend program that we hear every 4 years, whether it’s Mondale, Dukakis, whoever else it is. I just don’t believe we ought to do that. So hold the line on Social Security and put a cap on the growth of the mandatory program. LEHRER: New question, it is for Governor Clinton, 2 -minute answer. Sandy will ask it. VANOCUR: Governor Clinton, Ann Compton has brought up Medicare. I remember in 1965, when Wilbur Mills of Arkansas, the chairman of Ways and Means, was pushing it through the Congress. The charge against it was it’s socialized medicine. CLINTON: Mr. Bush made that charge. VANOCUR: Well, he served with him 2 years later, in 1967, where I first met him. The 2nd point, though, is that it is now skyrocketing out of control. People want it. We say it’s going bonkers. Is not the Oregon plan applied to Medicaid rationing the proper way to go even though the federal government last August ruled that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990? CLINTON: I thought the Oregon plan should at least have been allowed to be tried because at least the people in Oregon were trying to do something. Let me go back to the main point, Sandy. Mr. Bush is trying to run against Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter and everybody in the world but me in this race. I have proposed a managed competition plan for health care. I will say again: you cannot control health care costs simply by cutting Medicare. Look what’s happened. The federal government has cut Medicare and Medicaid in the last few years, states have cut Medicaid — we’ve done it in Arkansas under budget pressures. But what happens? More and more people get on the rolls as poverty increases. If you don’t control the health care costs of the entire system, you cannot get control of it. Look at our program. We set up a national ceiling on health care costs tied to inflation and population growth set by health care providers, not by the government. We provide for managed competition, not government models, in every states. And we control private and public health care costs. Now, just a few days ago a bipartisan commission of Republicans and Democrats — more Republicans than Democrats — said my plan will save the average family $1200 a year more than the Bush plan will by the year 2000, $2.2 trillion in the next 12 years, $400 billion a year by the end of this decade. I’ve got a plan to control health care costs. But you can’t just do it by cutting Medicare; you have to take on the insurance companies, the bureaucracies. And you have to have cost controls, yes. But keep in mind we are spending 30% more on health care than any country in the world, any country, and yet we have 35 million people uninsured, we have no preventing and primary care. The Oregon plan is a good start if the federal government is going to continue to abandon its responsibilities. I say if Germany can cover everybody and keep costs under inflation, if Hawaii can cover 98% of their people at lower health care costs than the rest of us, if Rochester, New York, can do it with two-thirds of the cost of the rest of it, America can do it, too. I’m tired of being told we can’t. I say we can. We can do better, and we must. BUSH: Well, I don’t have time in 30 seconds, or whatever — a minute — to talk about our health care reform plan. The Oregon plan made some good sense, but it’s easy to dismiss the concerns of the disabled. As president I have to be sure that those waivers, which we’re approving all over the place, are covered under the law. Maybe we can work it out. But the Americans with Disabilities Act, speaking about sound and sensible civil rights legislation, was the most foremost piece of legislation passed in modern times, and so we do have something more than a technical problem. Governor Clinton clicked off the things — he’s going to take on insurance companies and bureaucracies. He failed to take on somebody else — the malpractice suit people, those that bring these lawsuits against — these frivolous trial lawyers’ lawsuits that are running the costs of medical care up 25 to 50 billion. And he refuses to put anything, controls, on these crazy lawsuits. If you want to help somebody, don’t run the costs up by making doctors have to have 5 or 6 tests where one would do for fear of being sued, or have somebody along the highway not stop to pick up a guy and help him because he’s afraid a trial lawyer will come along and sue him. We’re suing each other too much and caring for each other too little. PEROT: We got the most expensive health care system in the world; it ranks behind 15 other nations when we come to life expectancy, and 22 other nations when we come to infant mortality. So we don’t have the best. Pretty simple, folks — if you’re paying more and you don’t have the best, if all else fails go copy the people who have the best who spend less, right? Well, we can do better than that. Again, we’ve got plans lying all over the place in Washington. Nobody ever implements them. Now I’m back to square one. If you want to stop talking about it and do it, then I’ll be glad to go up there and we’ll get it done. But if you just want to keep the music going, just stay traditional this next time around, and 4 years from now you’ll have everybody blaming everybody else for a bad health care system. Talk is cheap; words are plentiful, deeds are precious. Let’s get on with it. LEHRER: And that’s exactly what we’re going to do. That was, in fact, the final question and answer. We’re now going to move to closing statements. Each candidate will have up to 2 minutes. The order, remember, was determined by drawing, and Mr. Perot, you are first. PEROT: Well, it’s been a privilege to be able to talk to the American people tonight. I make no bones about it. I love this country. I love the principle it’s founded on. I love the people here. I don’t like to see the country’s principles violated. I don’t like to see the people in a deteriorating economy in a deteriorating country because our government has lost touch with the people. The people in Washington are good people. We just have a bad system. We’ve got to change the system. It’s time to do it because we have run up so much debt that time is no longer our friend. We’ve got to put our house in order. When you go to bed tonight, look at your children. Think of their dreams. Think of your dreams as a child and ask yourself, isn’t it time to stop talking about it? Isn’t it time to stop creating images? Isn’t it time to do it? Aren’t you sick of being treated like an unprogrammed robot? Every 4 years, they send you all kinds of messages to tell you how to vote and then go back to business as usual. They told you at the tax and budget summit that if you agreed to a tax increase, we could balance the budget. They didn’t tell you that that same year they increased spending $1.83 for every dollar we increased taxes. That’s Washington in a nutshell right there. In the final analysis, I’m doing this for your children when you look at them tonight. There’s another group that I feel very close to, and these at the men and women who fought on the battlefield, the children — the families — of the ones who died and the people who left parts of their bodies over there. I’d never ask you to do anything for me, but I owe you this, and I’m doing it for you. And I can’t tell you what it means to me at these rallies when I see you and you come up and the look in your eyes — and I know how you feel and you know how I feel. And then I think of the older people who are retired. They grew up in the Depression. They fought and won World War II. We owe you a debt we can never repay you. And the greatest repayment I can ever give is to recreate the American dream for your children and grandchildren. I’ll give you everything I have, if you want me to do it. LEHRER: Governor Clinton, your closing statement. CLINTON: I’d like to thank the people of St. Louis and Washington University, the Presidential Debate Commission and all those who made this night possible. And I’d like to thank those of you who are watching. Most of all, I’d like to thank all of you who have touched me in some way over this last year, all the thousands of you whom I’ve seen. I’d like to thank the computer executives and the electronics executives in Silicon Valley, two-thirds of whom are Republicans who said they wanted to sign on to a change in America. I’d like to thank the hundreds of executives who came to Chicago, a third of them Republicans, who said they wanted to change. I’d like to thank the people who’ve started with Mr. Perot who’ve come on to help our campaign. I’d like to thank all the folks around America that no one ever knows about — the woman that was holding the AIDS baby she adopted in Cedar Rapids, Iowa who asked me to do something more for adoption; the woman who stopped along the road in Wisconsin and wept because her husband had lost his job after 27 years; all the people who are having a tough time and the people who are winning but who know how desperately we need to change. This debate tonight has made crystal clear a challenge that is as old as America — the choice between hope and fear, change or more of the same, the courage to move into a new tomorrow or to listen to the crowd who says things could be worse. Mr. Bush has said some very compelling things tonight that don’t quite square with the record. He was president for 3 years before he proposed a health care plan that still hasn’t been sent to Congress in total; three years before an economic plan, and he still didn’t say tonight that that tax bill he vetoed raised taxes only on the rich and gave the rest of you a break — but he vetoed it anyway. I offer a new direction. Invest in American jobs, American education, control health care costs, bring this country together again. I want the future of this country to be as bright and brilliant as its past, and it can be if we have the courage to change. LEHRER: President Bush, your opposing statement. BUSH: Let me tell you a little what it’s like to be president. In the Oval Office, you can’t predict what kind of crisis is going to come up. You have to make tough calls. You can’t be on one hand this way and one hand another. You can’t take different positions on these difficult issues. And then you need a philosophical — I’d call it a philosophical underpinning. Mine for foreign affairs is democracy and freedom, and look at the dramatic changes around the world. The Cold War is over. The Soviet Union is no more and we’re working with a democratic country. Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the Baltics are free. Take a look at the Middle East. We had to stand up against a tyrant. The US came together as we haven’t in many, many years. And we kicked this man out of Kuwait. And in the process, as a result of that will and that decision and that toughness, we now have ancient enemies talking peace in the Middle East. Nobody would have dreamed it possible. And I think the biggest dividend of making these tough calls is the fact that we are less afraid of nuclear war. Every parent out there has much less worry that their kids are going to be faced with nuclear holocaust. All this is good. On the domestic side, what we must do is have change that empowers people — not change for the sake of change, tax and spend. We don’t need to do that any more. What we need to do is empower people. We need to invest and save. We need to do better in education. We need to do better in job retraining. We need to expand our exports, and they’re going very, very well, indeed. And we need to strengthen the American family. I hope as president that I’ve earned your trust. I’ve admitted it when I make a mistake, but then I go on and help, try to solve the problems. I hope I’ve earned your trust because a lot of being president is about trust and character. And I ask for your support for 4 more years to finish this job. LEHRER: Don’t go away yet. I just want to thank the three panelists and thank the three candidates for participating — President Bush, Governor Clinton and Mr. Perot. They will appear again together on October the 15th and again on October 19th, and next Tuesday there will be a debate among the three candidates for vice president. And for now, from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, I’m Jim Lehrer. Thank you, and good night.

2019-04-25T10:36:04Z

https://www.debates.org/voter-education/debate-transcripts/october-11-1992-second-half-debate-transcript/

2012-06-15 US case 3:12-cv-01066 filed litigation Critical https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Oregon%20District%20Court/case/3%3A12-cv-01066 Source: District Court Jurisdiction: Oregon District Court "Unified Patents Litigation Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2012-06-15 First worldwide family litigation filed litigation https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=23160904&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=US7346766(B2) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2012-06-15 US case 3:12-cv-01065 filed litigation https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Oregon%20District%20Court/case/3%3A12-cv-01065 Source: District Court Jurisdiction: Oregon District Court "Unified Patents Litigation Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2012-08-03 US case 3:12-cv-01404 filed litigation https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Oregon%20District%20Court/case/3%3A12-cv-01404 Source: District Court Jurisdiction: Oregon District Court "Unified Patents Litigation Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2015-08-06 US case 2015-1907 filed litigation https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Court%20of%20Appeals%20for%20the%20Federal%20Circuit/case/2015-1907 Source: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Jurisdiction: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit "Unified Patents Litigation Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2015-08-24 US case 2015-1941 filed litigation https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Court%20of%20Appeals%20for%20the%20Federal%20Circuit/case/2015-1941 Source: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Jurisdiction: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit "Unified Patents Litigation Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2015-09-01 US case 2015-1958 filed litigation https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Court%20of%20Appeals%20for%20the%20Federal%20Circuit/case/2015-1958 Source: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Jurisdiction: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit "Unified Patents Litigation Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2015-09-11 US case 2015-2017 filed litigation https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Court%20of%20Appeals%20for%20the%20Federal%20Circuit/case/2015-2017 Source: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Jurisdiction: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit "Unified Patents Litigation Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. A method and system for automatically transitioning configuration settings among computer systems. Multiple configuration settings comprising a computer “personality” are located on a source computing system using multiple transition rules from a personality object. The computer personality includes customization choices, data files, electronic mail, system preferences, application customization choices, the network environment, browser information, etc. The configuration settings are extracted from multiple locations on the source computing system. The multiple extracted configuration settings are stored in a pre-determined transition format. The multiple extracted configuration settings are manipulated. A transition package is created from the multiple manipulated configuration settings. The transition package includes the multiple manipulated configuration settings. The transition package is sent to a target computing system. The transition package is infused on the target computing system to automatically transition configuration settings from the source computing system to the target computing system. The method and system may vastly reduce transition, configuration and deployment times for service providers, corporations, and end-users when a new computing system is deployed. This application is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 10/319,437 filed on Dec. 13, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,728,877 which application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/300,862 filed on Apr. 28, 1999, now abandoned which applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. The present invention relates to configuration of computers. More specifically, it relates to a method and system for automatic transitioning of configuration settings among computer systems. In today's world, where technology changes very quickly, it is very common to replace an old computer system every few years with a new computing system. It has been estimated that approximately 90,000,000 personal computers are sold each year, with approximately 90% of the sales comprising new computing systems to replace old computing systems. The new computing systems typically include more memory, larger hard-disks, faster central processing units, better quality monitors, updated versions of operating systems, new software applications and other improved features. Any old computer system typically includes a large number of configuration settings that have been added and/or customized by a user or a network manager. The configuration settings may include Internet settings, modem or other network settings, dial-up phone numbers, a desktop “look and feel,” file system folders settings, application settings, folder names and locations, macros and editing options, custom dictionaries, electronic mail (“e-mail”) address books, inboxes, passwords, subscriptions, certificates and other configurations or setting customized by a user or a network manager, or other configuration parameters used over time such as cookies, etc. There are several problems associated with making a transition from an old computing system to a new computing system. First, there is currently no easy way to determine what configuration settings a user or a network administrator may have customized, since there is no one central location where such configuration files are stored. Operating systems and other hardware and software applications typically have unique directories and unique file names to store configuration files and settings. These unique directories and configuration files can exist virtually anywhere on an old computer system. Trying to collect configuration settings is a difficult task. The average user or network administrator may have to spend large amounts of time reading documentation or help screens to figure out where the configuration files are stored for any given application. Another problem is that there is no easy way to collect and store heterogeneous configuration settings when they are located. The operating system and applications typically use unique data layouts and data storage features that do not allow for homogenous collection and storage. Another problem is that there is no easy way to transfer old configuration settings to a new computing system. When a new computer system is used, a user or a user's agent typically has to re-configure the new computing system to include configuration settings that were used on an old computer system. All but the most rudimentary pieces of “the migration process” are done by hand. This requires many hours of hands-on time, with lost productivity and a “start from scratch” resignation. Many users often decide to stick with an obsolete old computer system rather than wrestle migration and manual reconfiguration required for a new computing system. Yet another problem is that configurations settings on an old computing system may be stored in a new location, in a new file, or in new format on a new computing system. An old configuration setting may have to be translated or otherwise modified to provide the same results on the target computing system. Such translation and/or modifications are typically completed by hand and are prone to errors that lead to user frustration. Yet another problem is that the migration-to a new computing system typically requires training on new features of new target computing system before migration can take place. This training often delays the migration process. In addition, a manual migration process used without adequate training on the new computing system can decrease quality of service on the new computing system since one or more configuration settings may be missed on the old computing system and not be transferred to the new computing system. Yet another problem is the Year 2000 (“Y2K”) problem, which may force companies to quickly migrate large numbers of computing systems to new technology before the year 2000. The issues of migration in the face of a Y2K breakdown is a daunting problem by itself. A manual migration process acts to increase the complexity of the Y2K problem. Thus, it is desirable to automatically determine configuration settings customized by a user or a network administrator on a old computing system. It is also desirable to provide an automatic migration of configuration settings from an old computing system to a new computing system without using a time consuming manual migration process. In accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention, some of the problems associated with transferring configuration settings from an old computer system to a new computer system are overcome. A method and system for automatically transitioning configurations among computer systems is provided. One aspect of the invention includes a method for automatically transitioning configuration settings from source (i.e., old) computing system to a target (i.e., new) computing system. This method includes locating multiple configuration settings on a source computing system using multiple transition rules from a Personality object. The multiple configuration settings are extracted from a multiple locations on the source computing system. The multiple extracted configuration settings are stored in a pre-determined transition format on the source computing system. The multiple extracted configuration settings stored in the pre-determined transition format are manipulated. A translation package is prepared from the multiple manipulated configuration settings stored in the pre-determined transition format. The translation package is used to transfer the multiple manipulated configuration settings from the source computing system to a target computing system. The translation package is transferred to a target computing system, or stored as an intermediate step in the transition process. The translation package may also be created stored on an intermediate computing system. The translation package is infused on the target computing system to transition configuration settings from the source computing system to the target computing system. The configuration settings in the translation package may be optionally verified to ensure that the configuration settings have been correctly applied to the target computing system. Another aspect of the invention includes an automatic transition system. The system comprises a database, and extraction application, a preparation application, an injection application and a user interface application. However, more or fewer system components could also be used and the present invention is not limited to the system components described. The database is used for storing configuration settings extracted from a source computing system, manipulated configuration settings from a source computing system, and transition packages to transition configuration settings from a source computing system to a target computing system. The database may include data stored in a database format or in other formats such as a data structure format, a file format, or other volatile or non-volatile formats. The extraction application is used for locating and extracting configuration settings on a source computing system for transition to a target computing system. The preparation application is used for manipulating configuration settings extracted from a source computing system and for preparing a transition package. The injection application is used for infusing manipulated configuration settings from a transition package to transition configuration settings from a source computing system to a target computing system. The user interface application is used for preparing an extraction plan and a transition plan to extract and transition configuration settings from a source computing system for a target computing system. The method and system provide an automated transition process for transition configuration settings from a target computing system to a host computing system. The method and system may vastly reduce transition, configuration and deployment times for service providers, corporations, and end-users for transitions from a target computing system to source computing system. The method and system may save time, resources, improve transition quality, and reduce user frustration. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a data flow for the automatic configuration setting transition method of FIGS. 6A and 6B. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary transition system 10 for automatically transitioning configuration settings from a source (i.e., old) computing system to a target (i.e., new) computing system. The transition system 10 includes a source computing system 12. The source computing system 12 includes a Transition application 14. The Transition application 14 comprises: a database 16, an Extraction application 18, a User Interface application 20, and a Preparation application 22. The Transition application 14 further comprises an Injection application 24 that is sent to a target computing system 26. However, more or fewer components could also be used in the transition system 10, including intermediate computing systems between the source computing system 12 and the target computing system 26, and the present invention is not limited to the components illustrated in FIG. 1. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the database 16 is used for storing configuration settings extracted from the source computing system 12, manipulated configuration settings and transition packages to transition configuration settings from the source computing system 12 to a target computing system 26. The database 16 may include data stored in a database format or in other formats such as a data structure format, a file format, or other volatile or non-volatile storage formats. The Extraction application 18 is used for locating and extracting configuration settings on the source computing system 12 to transition to the target computing system 26. The User Interface application 20 is used for preparing an extraction plan and a transition plan to extract and transition configuration settings from the source computing system 12 to the target computing system 26. The Preparation application 22 is used for manipulating configuration setting extracted from the source computing system 12 and for preparing a transition package. The transition package is used to transition configuration settings from the source computing system 12 to the target computing system 26. The Injection application 24 is used for infusing manipulated configuration settings from a transition package to transition configuration settings from the source computing system 12 to a target computing system 26. However, the present invention is not limited to the functionality described for the transition applications, and the transition applications can include more or less functionality. The transition applications are explained in detail below. In one embodiment of the present invention, the Transition application 14 including the database 16, the Extraction application 18, the User Interface application 20, and the Preparation application 22 without the Injection application 24 reside on the source computing system 12. This is illustrated in FIG. 1 by the dashed line dividing source and target components of the Transition application 14. In such an embodiment, only the Injection application 24 resides on the target computing system 26. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a Transition application 14 including a database 16, an Extraction application 18, a User Interface application 20, and a Preparation application 22, and an Injection application 24 resides on both the source computing system 12 and the target computing system 26 (not illustrated in FIG. 1). In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the source computing system 12 only temporarily includes the Transition application 14. That is, the Transition application 14 is not installed on any non-volatile storage on the source computing system 12. The Transition application 14 only “resides” in volatile storage (e.g., Random Access Memory (“RAM”)) on the source computing system 12 during the extraction and preparation portion of the transition process. The target computing system 26 may also only temporary include the Injection application 24. The Injection application 14 may also only reside in volatile storage on the target computing system 14 during the injection portion of the translation process. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, components of the Translation application 14 may only exist on a “third” computing system and not on either the source computing system 12 or the target computing system 14. Additional software applications may be used only to retrieve and only to inject settings and such software applications would be present only on the source computing system 12 or the target computing system 14 and coordinated from the third computing system. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, computer hardware or firmware may be employed in such a manner that configuration settings are extracted and injected without a software Transition application 14 existing on the source computing system 12 or the target computing system 14. In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the source computing system 12 may only include the Extraction application 18. The other components of the Transition application 14 reside on one or more other computing systems and can be used in a distributed fashion. Extracted transition data can also be stored on the one or more other computing systems using distributed computing. The CPU can be either electrical or biological. The acts and symbolically represented operations or instructions include the manipulation of electrical signals or biological signals by the CPU. An electrical system or biological system represents data bits that cause a resulting transformation or reduction of the electrical signals or biological signals. The maintenance of data bits at memory locations in a memory system to thereby reconfigure or otherwise alter the CPU's operation, as well as other processing of signals. The memory locations where data bits are maintained are physical locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties corresponding to the data bits. The data bits may also be maintained on a computer readable medium including magnetic disks, optical disks, electrical memory, organic memory, and any other volatile (e.g., Random Access Memory (“RAM”)) or non-volatile (e.g., Read-Only Memory (“ROM”) a hard disk, etc.,) mass storage system readable by the CPU. The computer readable medium includes cooperating or interconnected computer readable medium, which exist exclusively on the processing system or be distributed among multiple interconnected processing systems that may be local or remote to the processing system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary layered transition architecture 28 for the Transition application 14 of FIG. 1. The Transition application 14 resides in a transition core process 30. The transition core process 30 includes a control module 32 that is an interface to an operating system 34. The operating system 34 can be a windowed operating system such as Windows 95/98/NT by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., and other windowed or non-windowed operating systems can also be used (e.g., Linux). The transition core process 30 uses plug-in modules 36 to interface to the operating system 34 and to process configuration settings from the source computing system 12. The plug-in modules 36 also allow additional modules to be added to provide new and enhanced functionality for the transition core process 30. The plug-in modules 36 are explained below (See FIG. 4). In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first transition core process 30 on the source computing system 12 controls the Extraction application 18 (FIG. 1), the User Interface application 20 (FIG. 1), and the Preparation application 22 (FIG. 1). The operating system 34 on the target computing system 26 controls execution of the Injection application 24 on the target computing system 26 (e.g., the Injection application 24 is an executable file (.EXE)). In another exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first transition core process 30 on the source computing system 12 controls the Extraction application 18, the User Interface application 20, and the Preparation application 22. A second transition core process 30 on the target computing system 12 controls a first Injection application 24 on the target computing system 26. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transition core process 30 includes an Application Programmer's Interface (“API”). The transition API allows other applications to call transition application functions (e.g., Hyper Text Markup Language (“HTML”), Java, Visual Basic, Visual Basic Scripts, C++, Visual C++, etc.). The transition API also includes functions for low level Input/Output (“I/O”), high level I/O, and smart I/O. The low level I/O includes functions for file system I/O, database 16 interaction, transition specific I/O, operating system registry I/O, etc. The high level I/O includes retrieval of configuration settings, storage of configuration settings, etc. The smart I/O includes smart configuration setting searching capabilities, smart copying capabilities, etc. The transition core process 30 includes an output layer 38, a protocol layer 40, a message layer 42, a database 16 and a file layer 44. The output layer 38 is used for the various types of I/O as was described above. The protocol layer 40 allows the transition core process 30 to use protocols such as Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”), File Transfer Protocol (“FTP”), User Datagram Protocol (“UDP”), Transmission Control Protocol (“TCP”), Internet Protocol (“IP”) and other protocols to communicate with the source computing system 12 and the target computing system 26. The message layer 42 is used for electronic mail (“e-mail”) and other communications with the operating system 34 and the source computing system 12 and the target computing system 26. The database 16 includes objects used to locate configuration settings on the source computing system. The database 16 may be temporary storage such as RAM, or permanent storage such as a floppy disk, hard disk, re-writeable, CD-ROM, Flash memory, Flash-ROM, or other non-volatile computer readable media. The file layer 44 includes configuration settings extracted from the source computing system 12. The file layer 44 allows files to be create and retrieved across file volumes including local and remote file systems. However, more or fewer layers could also be used in the translation architecture 28. The present invention is not limited to the architecture layers illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a Method 46 for automatically transitioning configuration settings from a source computing system to a target computing system. At Step 48, multiple configuration settings are located on a source computing system using multiple transition rules from a Personality object. At Step 50, multiple configuration settings are extracted from multiple locations on the source computing system. At Step 52, the multiple extracted configuration settings are stored in a pre-determined transition format. At Step 54, the multiple extracted configuration settings stored in the pre-determined transition format are manipulated. At Step 56, a transition package is created from the multiple manipulated configuration settings. The transition package includes the multiple manipulated configuration settings. The transition package is sent from the source computing system to the target computing system or stored as an intermediate step in the transition process. The transition package may also be stored one or more intermediate computing systems, local or remote to the source computing system or the target computing system. The transition package is infused on the target computing system to transition configuration settings from the source computing system to a target computing system. Preferred embodiments of the present invention use object-oriented programming techniques. However, non-object-oriented programming techniques could also be used. As is known in the art, an “object type,” also called an “object class,” comprises a data-type, services that operate on instances of the data type, and a set of object attributes in an object-oriented data-structure. An “object attribute” is a field of data in an object that partially defines that object's state. An “object service” implements and manipulates objects, usually by reading or changing the object attributes. “Object-oriented design” is a software development technique in which a system or component is expressed using objects. An object typically is an object-oriented data-structure that has two components: a function table, containing a pointer to each “object member” or member function (i.e., sometimes known as an “object method”) defined in the object's class, an events table, for accepting events (e.g., OLE or ActiveX control events) and a data block, containing the current values for each object variable (i.e., data members, sometimes known as an “object property”). A computer software application has some reference to an object through an object pointer. A computer software application obtains this object reference by using some type of function call (direct or implied) in which that function allocates an object block in computer memory, initializes the function table, and returns a reference to allocated computer memory to an application. The computer memory may be local or distributed on a remote computer. The Component Object Model (“COM”) and Distributed Component Object Model (“DCOM”) are models used for object-oriented programming and known to those skilled in the art. The COM and DCOM specify how objects within a single application or between applications (e.g., client/server applications) interact and communicate by defining a set of standard interfaces. Interfaces are groupings of schematically related functions through which a client application accesses the services of a server application. Object Linking and Embedding (“OLE”) controls, such as OLE controls and ActiveX Controls by the Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., are based in part on the Component Object Model and allow the creation of objects of different formats which operate on data through defined interfaces, rather than operating on the applications responsible for the data. ActiveX is based in part on OLE technologies. An OLE or ActiveX control is an object that accepts and responds to events, such a selection by a mouse or a key on a keyboard, or a selection by another object-oriented member function. Detailed information on the OLE object interface can be found in Inside OLE, 2nd edition, by Kraig Brockschmidt, Microsoft Press, Redmond Washington, 1995 which is incorporated herein by reference. In an exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, at Step 48, multiple configuration settings are located on the source computing system 12 using multiple transition rules from a Personality object. In an exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Personality object includes five object-oriented plug-in modules 36. However, more or fewer object-oriented plug-in modules 36 could also be used. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components of a Personality object 58. The Personality object 58 includes a Desktop object 60, a Network object 62, an Internet object 64, a Mail object 66 and an Applications object 68. However, more or fewer objects could also be used in the Personality object 58. The objects include information about configuration settings such as location, name, associated sub-settings, etc. In an exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the objects 60, 62, 64, 66, 68 in the Personality object 58 are object-oriented objects. However, non-object oriented objects could also be used in the Personality object 58. The Personality object 58 and related objects 60, 62, 64, 66, 68 comprise object classes that include one or more object members and a data block as was described above. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Desktop object 60 includes user preferences that affect the appearance and operation of a basic windowed user interface. Exemplary configuration settings included in the Desktop object 60 are illustrated in Table 1. However, more or fewer configuration settings can also be used in the Desktop object 60, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration settings illustrated in FIG. 1. paper, screen savers, metrics, etc. Time zones, data formats, language, currency settings, etc. Start menus, desktop shortcuts, document and run commands, etc. The Network object 62 includes configuration settings that enable functionality within a private network of computers such as a Local Area Network (“LAN”) or an intranet. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Network object 62 may not include hardware configuration settings. The Network object 62 may instead include configuration settings that configure the operating system 34, that in turn are mapped to underlying hardware on the source computing system 12. In another exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the network object 62 may include hardware settings. Exemplary configuration settings included in the Network object 62 are illustrated in Table 2. However, more or fewer configuration settings can also be used in the Network object 62, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration settings illustrated in Table 2. Name, network addresses (e.g., IP address), dial-up numbers, etc. TCP, UDP, IP, HTTP, FTP, etc. The configuration settings from the Network Object 62 are applied to the target computing system 26 within the context of operating system 34 services available on the target computing system 26. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Network Object 62 will not install configuration settings for network applications that are not available on the target computing system. For example, if the source computing system 12 has TCP/IP installed, the Network Object 62 will locate and extract relevant TCP/IP settings from the source computing system 12. If the target computing system does not have TCP/IP installed, the Network Object 62 will not automatically transition the TCP/IP settings from the source computing system 12, since the TCP/IP settings can not be used. In another embodiment of the present invention, if the source computing system 12 has configuration settings for a network application that is not installed on the target system (e.g., TCP/IP) the network application will be installed on the target computing system and the appropriate configuration settings will then be applied. Another feature of the Network Object 62 is to allow a user to review and edit configuration settings before they are applied to the target computing system 26. For example, a network address (e.g., an IP address) extracted from the source computing system may or may not be appropriate for the target computing system, since the target computing system may be installed on a different computer network. Thus, the user can review and edit the configuration settings before they are applied to the target computing system 26. The Internet Object 64 includes configuration settings that are relevant to the public network of computers provided by the Internet. As is know in the art, the Internet is a world-wide network of inter-connected computers. Exemplary configuration settings included in the Internet object 64 are illustrated in Table 3. However, more or fewer configuration settings can also be used in the Internet object 64, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration settings illustrated in Table 3. Internet service provider accounts, logins, passwords, etc. Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, etc. Dial-up numbers, login names, passwords, etc. The Mail object 66 includes configuration settings for electronic mail (“e-mail”) and other communication messaging used on the old computer system 12. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Mail object 66 includes configuration settings for Exchange, Outlook and Outlook Express, by Microsoft, Communicator, by Netscape Corporation of Mountain View, Calif., Pegasas, Eudora, and Lotus Notes, by IBM. However, more or fewer e-mail or communications programs could also be supported by the Mail object 66, and the present invention is not limited to the e-mail and communications programs listed. Exemplary configuration settings included in the Mail object 66 are illustrated in Table 4. However, more or fewer configuration settings can also be used in the Mail object 66, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration settings illustrated in Table 4. The e-mail address identification in the Mail Object 66 includes addresses such as a Point-Of-Presence (“POP”), a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (“SMTP”) and other e-mail related addresses. The Applications object 68 includes configuration settings of applications installed on the source computing system 12. For example, the applications may include Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, etc., applications in the Word Perfect Suite, by Corel and other applications from the source computing system 12. Exemplary configuration settings included in the Application object 68 are illustrated in Table 5. However, more or fewer configuration settings can also be used in the Application object 68, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration settings illustrated in Table 5. Word, Excel, Power Point, Word Perfect, etc. Dictionaries, style, formats, language, fonts, etc. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Application object 68 includes configuration settings for applications following design guidelines developed for Microsoft Windows operating system applications. However, other design guideline developed for applications for other operating systems, such as Linux, could also be used to determine which configuration settings are included in the Application object 68, and the present invention is not limited to an Application object 68 including configuration settings for just Microsoft Windows applications. Returning to FIG. 3, at Step 48, multiple configuration settings are located on a source computing system using multiple transition rules from the Personality object 60 (FIG. 4). In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Extraction application 18 uses the Personality object 60 to locate configuration settings on the source computing system 12. The locating Step 48 can also be used to locate configuration settings on more than one computer simultaneously (e.g., a desktop computer and a laptop computer). The User Interface application 20 is used to configure the Extraction application 18. The User Interface application 20 includes a list of “identity units” corresponding to configuration settings that will be extracted from the source computing system 12 and infused on the target computing system 26. The User Interface application 20 includes the ability to “drill-down” to multiple options and sub-options within an identity unit. The User Interface application 20 configures the Extraction application 18 with the following options: 1.) what configuration settings to extract; 2.) where to store the results; 3.) at what level will the extraction take place; 4.) how the results are “tagged” for later retrieval; and 5.) how verbose or silent the extraction process is. However, more or fewer options could also be configured on Extraction application 18. The “what to extract” option includes creating an Extraction plan. The Extraction plan identifies specific identity units that should be located and a list of options for each identity unit. The Extraction plan includes a full list of identity units to be located, an exclusion list and an inclusion list. The full list is a “vanilla” state that specifies all identity units known on the source computing system 12 that should be located and extracted. The Extraction plan may be modified by excluding one or more identity units from the full list. For example, if the full list included 250 identity units, an exclusion list could be used to exclude 50 identity units from the full list. If available, the Extraction application 18, uses the exclusion list instead of the full list to locate and extract configuration settings corresponding to the identity units from the source computing system 12 (e.g., at Steps 50 and 52 of Method 48). The inclusion list allows a user to select any of the identity units from the full list. For example, if the full list included 250 identity units, a user may select only 30 identity units from the 250 available identity units. Thus, the only the 30 configuration settings from the inclusion list from the Extraction plan will marked as “active.” The remaining 230 possible configuration settings are marked as “in-active” and are not used. If available, the Extraction application 18, uses the inclusion list instead of the full list to locate and extract the configuration settings corresponding to the identity units. If no exclusion list or inclusion list is created, the Extraction application 18, by default uses the full list to locate and extract configuration settings on the source computing system 12. The User Interface 20 is also used to configure the Preparation application 22. The Preparation application 22 is configured in a similar manner to that described for the Extraction application 18. However, the Preparation application 22 includes a “Transition plan” instead of an Extraction plan. The Transition plan includes a full list, as a default list, and allows creation of exclusion and inclusion lists as was discussed for the Extraction plan. Returning again to FIG. 3, at Step 50, multiple configuration settings are extracted from multiple locations on the source computing system by the Extraction application 18 using the Personality object 60. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Extraction application 18 uses objects from the Personality object 60 and the Extraction plan described to produce “work product” that is stored in a pre-determined transition format at Step 52. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the work product is stored on the source computing system 12. In another exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the work product is stored on one or more intermediate computing systems in volatile or non-volatile storage. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pre-determined transition format used to store the configuration settings is a database format for relational databases. However, non-relational database formats could also be used. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pre-determined transition format is a database format for System Query Language (“SQL”) databases. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pre-determined transfer format is a database format for a Microsoft Access databases. However, other pre-determined transition formats can also be used and the present invention is not limited to the database formats described. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Extraction application 18 stores the configuration settings in a pre-determined transition format in temporary volatile storage (e.g., in RAM). In another exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Extraction application 18 includes a Loader application that is used to transfer data from temporary storage to the database 16. In such an embodiment, the Extraction application 18 does not maintain a persistent connection with the database 16. The transfer of information from temporary storage to the database 16 is accomplished with the Loader application. In yet another exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Extraction application 18 maintains a persistent connection with the database 16 and is capable of writing configuration settings in the pre-determined format directly into the database 16. At Step 54, the multiple extracted configuration settings stored in the pre-determined transition format are manipulated. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the configuration settings are manipulated with the Preparation application 22 using the Transition plan described above. For example, the Extraction application 18 may extract 250 configuration settings from the source computer with an exemplary Extraction plan that included only a full list (i.e., no extraction list or inclusion list). An exemplary Transition plan may include only an inclusion list. The exemplary inclusion list may include only 30 of 250 possible configuration settings from the Extraction plan. Thus, the only the 30 configuration settings from the inclusion list from the Transition plan will marked as “active” in the pre-determined transition format by the Preparation application 22. The remaining 230 possible configuration settings are marked as “inactive” by the Preparation application 22 and not used. Various combinations of full lists, exclusion lists, inclusion lists, from the Extraction plan and Transition plan can be used, and the present invention is not limited to this example. The manipulation at Step 54 also includes transitioning one or more configuration settings from a format used on the source computing system to a format used on the target computing system. For example, a configuration setting for a computer monitor may be stored with the name config-monitor-old on the source computer system. However, on the target computer system, the same configuration setting may be stored with a name config-monitor-new. In addition, a configuration setting may be stored in a first directory-A on the source system, and in a second directory-B, on the target system. The preparation application 22 handles such transitions at step 54. At Step 56, a transition package is created from the multiple manipulated configuration settings. In an exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Preparation application 22 creates a transition package. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transition package includes a list of commands along with necessary source data for the manipulated configuration settings. The list of command may be used to provide an ordering for transitioning the configuration settings. However, other transition package formats could also be used and the present invention is not limited to the transition packages described. The transition package will be used by the Injection application 24 to transition the desired configuration settings from the source computing system 12 the target computing system 26. In an exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transition package is stored in the database 16 by the Preparation application 22. In another exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transition package is also transferred directly to the Injection application 24. In yet another exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transition package is read from the database 16 by the Preparation application 22 and the Injection application included in at a later time. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a Method 70 for automatically applying transition configuration settings. At Step 72, a transition package is received on a target computing system from a source computing system. At Step 74, the transition package is infused on the target computing system to automatically transition manipulated configuration settings from the source computing system to the target computing system. At Step 76, transition package is optionally verified on the target computing system to ensure that the transition package has been correctly applied to the target computing system. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transition package is sent from the Preparation application 22 on the source computing system 12 within an Injection application 24 to the target computing system 26. The Injection application 24 with the transition package can be sent to the target computing system 26 via on a floppy disk, zip-disk, or CD-ROM, or transferred using e-mail, TCP/IP, FTP, or with other network transfer mechanisms. At Step 72, the target computing system 26 receives the Injection application 24 with the transition package from the source computing system 12. As was described above, in one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transition package includes a list of commands along with necessary source data for multiple manipulated configuration settings. At Step 74, an Injection application 24 “infuses” the target computing system 26 with manipulated configuration settings from the source computing system 12. The Injection application 24 reads and executes the list of commands from the transition package to transition configuration to the target computing system 26. The Injection application 24 is invoked by the operating system 34 on the target computing system. At Step 76, transition package is optionally verified on the target computing system 26 to ensure that the transition package has been correctly applied to the target computing system 26. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Injection application 24 also verifies the injection of the transition configuration settings on the target computing system 26. In another exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, a separate Verification application verifies configuration settings infused by the Injection application 24. FIGS. 6A and 6B are flow diagram 78 illustrating one exemplary method for automatically transitioning configuration settings for one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this exemplary embodiment and other embodiments could also be used. At Step 80 of FIG. 6A, an Extraction plan and a Transition plan are prepared with the User Interface application 20. At Step 82, multiple configuration settings are located on a source computing system 12 with an Extraction application 18 using a Personality object 58. At step 84, the multiple configuration settings are extracted from multiple locations on the source computing system 12 with the Extraction application 18 and the Extraction plan. At Step 86, the multiple extracted configuration settings are stored in a database format on the source computing system 12. At Step 88, the multiple extracted configuration settings are manipulated with a Preparation application 22 and the Transition plan. At Step 90, a transition package is prepared from the multiple manipulated configuration settings by the Preparation application 22. The transition package is used to transition configuration settings from the source computing system to the target computing system 26. At Step 92 of FIG. 6B, an Injection application 24 including the transition package is prepared by the Preparation application 22. The Injection application 24 uses the transition package to transition configuration settings from the source computing system to the target computing system. At Step 94, the Injection application 24 including the transition package is sent from the source computing system 12 to the target computing system 26. At Step 94, the Injection application including the transition package is received on the target computing system 26 from the source computing system 12. At Step 98, the transition package is infused with the Injection application 24 on the target computing system 26 to transition configuration settings from the source computing system 12 to the target computing system 26. At Step 100, configuration settings from the transition package are optionally verified with the Injection application 24 to ensure that the transition package has been correctly applied to the target computing system. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a data flow 102 for the automatic configuration setting transition from FIGS. 6A and 6B. The User Interface application 20 is used to create 104 an Extraction plan and a Transition plan (e.g., Step 80 of FIG. 6A). The Extraction application 18 locates and extracts 106 multiple configuration settings from multiple locations on the source computing system using the Personality object 58 and the Extraction plan (e.g., Steps 82 and 84). The multiple extracted configuration settings are stored 108 in a pre-determined transition format in temporary storage on the source computing system 12 (e.g., Step 86). The multiple extracted configuration settings may also be stored 110 in persistent storage in the database 16. The Preparation application 22 manipulates 112 the multiple extracted configuration settings stored in the pre-determined transition format using the Transition plan (e.g., Step 88). The Preparation application 22 creates 114 a transition package from the multiple manipulated configuration settings. The transition package includes the multiple manipulated configuration settings (e.g., Step 90). As was discussed above, the transition package can be stored 116 in the database 16 by the Preparation application 22. The transition package can also be transferred directly to the Injection application 24. The transition package can also be read from the database 16 by the Preparation application 22 and sent to the Injection application 24 at a later time. The Preparation application 22 prepares 118 an Injection Application 24 including the transition package (e.g., Step 92, FIG. 6B). The Injection Application 24 is sent 120 from the source computing system 12 to the target computing system 26 (e.g., Step 94). The target computing system 26 receives the injection application 24 with transition package from the source computing system 12 (e.g., Step 96). The Injection application 24 “infuses” 122 the target computing system 26 with manipulated configuration settings in the transition package from the source computing system 12 (e.g., Step 98). The Injection application 24 reads and executes the list of commands from the transition package to transition configuration to the target computing system 26. The transition package is optionally verified 124 on the target computing system 26 to ensure that the transition package has been correctly applied to the target computing system 26 (e.g., Step 100). In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Extraction application 18, the User Interface application 20, the Preparation application 22 and the Injection application 24 are Windows 32-bit (“Win 32”) applications written in C++ and Visual Basic. However, the present invention is not limited to Win32 applications, and other types of applications can also be used. In addition, other programming languages could also be used to implement the transition applications. The transition Win32 applications support the exemplary transition illustrated in Table 6. However, the present invention is not limited to the transitions illustrated in Table 6, and other transitions could also be made between a source computing system and a target computing system. In one exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention may also include the transition of configuration settings to a target computing system that are NOT present on a source computing system, but were calculated from other settings on the source computing system. Such an embodiment can be inclusive such that “old settings” as well as “new calculated settings” are injected. The translation process may also be exclusive such that a target computing system does not receive any “old settings” but only new settings “calculated” from the old settings on a source computing system. The translation process may also be used for extracting configuration settings from multiple source computing systems that are local or remote, and “conglomerating” them onto a single target computing system. In another exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, configuration settings can be transitioned without any transition data ever being embodied into a persistent storage medium. In such an embodiment, extracted transition data is transmitted via a data stream over a network and is consumed (i.e., processed and or injected) without ever being stored in a persistent storage medium. In yet another exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, a target computing system can be infused with configurations settings that have not originated from a source computing system and have not been calculated from old configuration settings on the source computing system. In such an embodiment, a new target computing system is built and configuration settings are from a “newly developed” source that is not a source computing system (e.g., a proposed new operating system or proposed new computer hardware). In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the transitioning process may also take settings from a single source computing system and “distribute” them to multiple target computing systems such that only a subset of the settings from the source computing system reside on any one target computing system. The subsets of transition data may overlap or be exclusive. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the transition process may take configuration settings from multiple source computing systems and inject them onto multiple target computing systems, but in a manner such that there is no correlation between the configuration settings from the source computing systems and target computing systems the configuration settings are injected onto. For example, three configuration settings from a first source computing system are transitioned to a first set target computing systems, while one configuration setting from a second source computing system is transitioned to a second set of target computing systems not including the first set of target computing systems. The methods and system described herein provide an automated transition process for transition configuration settings from a target computing system to a host computing system. The method and system may vastly reduce transition, configuration and deployment times for service providers, corporations, and end-users for transitions from a target computing system to source computing system. The method and system may also save time, resources, improve transition quality, and lower user frustration. It should be understood that the programs, processes, methods and systems described herein are not related or limited to any particular type of computer or network system (hardware or software), unless indicated otherwise. Various types of general purpose or specialized computer systems may be used with or perform operations in accordance with the teachings described herein. In view of the wide variety of embodiments to which the principles of the present invention can be applied, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention. For example, the steps of the flow diagrams may be taken in sequences other than those described, and more or fewer elements may be used in the block diagrams. While various elements of the preferred embodiments have been described as being implemented in software, in other embodiments hardware or firmware implementations may alternatively be used, and vice-versa. storing the extracted configuration settings and the at least one manipulated configuration settings on a storage device, wherein the stored configuration settings can be used by the target computing system to control its operation. 2. The method of claim 1 including installing the stored configuration settings on the target computing system. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the installing is performed under control of an installation application. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the installation application is received from the source computing system. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted configuration settings include browser configuration settings. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted configuration settings include browser favorites. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted configuration settings include browser bookmarks. 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted configuration settings include cookies. 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted configuration settings include an electronic mail folder. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the electronic mail folder is an inbox folder. 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted configuration settings include electronic mail addresses. 12. The method of claim 1 wherein the storage device includes an installation application. 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the target computing system receives and executes the installation application. 14. The method of claim 12 wherein the installation application installs the configuration settings on the target computing system. 15. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted configuration settings include registry settings. applying the retrieved configuration settings to the target computing system to control the operation of the target computing system. storing the extracted configuration settings on the storage device. 18. The method of claim 16 wherein applying the retrieved configuration settings to the target computing system includes storing the retrieved configuration settings on the target computing system. 19. The method of claim 16 wherein applying the retrieved configuration settings to the target computing system includes an installation application, the installation application is stored on the storage device. 20. The method of claim 16 wherein the extracted configuration settings include browser configuration settings. 21. The method of claim 16 wherein the extracted configuration settings include browser favorites. 22. The method of claim 16 wherein the extracted configuration settings include browser bookmarks. 23. The method of claim 16 wherein the extracted configuration settings include cookies. 24. The method of claim 16 wherein the extracted configuration settings include an electronic mail folder. 25. The method of claim 24 wherein the electronic mail folder is an inbox folder. 26. The method of claim 16 wherein the extracted configuration settings include electronic mail addresses. 27. The method of claim 16 wherein the extracted configuration settings include registry settings. storing the extracted configuration settings and the at least one calculated configuration settings on a storage device. 29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 including installing the configuration settings stored on the storage device on the target computing system. 30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein the installing is performed under control of an installation application. 31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30 wherein the installation application is stored on the storage device. 32. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 including receiving from a user a selection of the configuration settings stored on the storage device that are to be installed on the target computing system. 33. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the extracted configuration settings are selected from the group consisting of browser configuration settings, browser favorites, and browser bookmarks. 34. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the extracted configuration settings include cookies. 35. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the extracted configuration settings are selected from the group consisting of an electronic mail folder and electronic mail addresses. 36. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the extracted configuration settings include registry settings. applying the selection of stored configuration settings to the target computing device. 38. The computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the extracted configuration settings are selected from the group consisting of browser configuration settings, browser favorites, and browser bookmarks. 39. The computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the extracted configuration settings include cookies. 40. The computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the extracted configuration settings are selected from the group consisting of an electronic mail folder and electronic mail addresses. 41. The computer-readable medium claim 37 wherein the extracted configuration settings include registry settings. applying the stored configuration settings to the target computing system so that the personality of the target computing system can be manipulated based on the configuration settings stored on the storage device. 43. The method of claim 42 wherein the personality of the source computing system includes at least one personality object. 44. The method of claim 43 wherein the at least one personality object includes configuration settings for a program. 45. The method of claim 42 wherein applying the stored configuration settings to the target computing system includes storing the configuration settings stored on the storage device on the target computing system. 46. The method of claim 45 wherein an installation application stores the configuration settings stored on the storage device on the target computing system. means for applying the selected configuration settings, the calculated configuration setting, and the at least one manipulated configuration setting to the target computing system so that the personality of the target computing system can be manipulated based on the personality of the source computing system. 48. The system of claim 47 wherein the personality of the source computing system includes at least one personality object. 49. The system of claim 48 wherein the at least one personality object includes configuration settings for a program. 50. The system of claim 47 wherein the means for applying the selected configuration settings, the calculated configuration setting, and the at least one manipulated configuration setting to the target computing system includes means for storing the selected configuration settings, the calculated configuration setting, and the at least one manipulated configuration setting on the target computing system. 51. The system of claim 50 wherein an installation application stores the selected configuration settings, the calculated configuration setting, and the at least one manipulated configuration setting on the target computing system. ES2193956T3 (en) * 1999-04-28 2003-11-16 Tranxition Corp Method and system for automatically transitioning configuration parameters between computer systems.

2019-04-23T10:15:17Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US7346766B2/en

2009-06-17 Application filed by Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. filed Critical Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. An endoprosthesis, e.g., a stent (e.g., a drug eluting stent), that includes a porous surface and hollow elements integrated with a coating on the surface and a method of making the same are disclosed. This application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/073,647, filed on June 18, 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. This disclosure relates to coating endoprostheses. Many endoprostheses be delivered inside the body by a catheter. Typically the catheter supports a reduced-size or compacted form of the endoprosthesis as it is transported to a desired site in the body, for example the site of weakening or occlusion in a body lumen. Upon reaching the desired site the endoprosthesis is installed so that it can contact the walls of the lumen. Stent delivery is further discussed in Heath, U.S. 6,290,721, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. It is sometimes desirable for an endoprosthesis to contain a therapeutic agent, or drag which can elute into the body fluid in a predetermined manner once the endoprosthesis is implanted. In one aspect, the disclosure features an endoprosthesis, e.g., a stent (e.g., a drag eluting stent), that includes a surface having a porous structure of a first material and a coating of a second material. The second material defines a plurality of hollow elements. In some implementations, the hollow elements and the coating are made of non- polymeric material, for example, a ceramic material, a metal, an alloy, or a mixture thereof. Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The endoprosthesis has a body formed of the first material. The first material is a metal. The metal is stainless steel, nitinol, tungsten, tantalum, rhenium, iridium, silver, gold, bismuth, platinum or alloys thereof. The second material is a ceramic material. The ceramic material is silicon oxide, titanium oxide, iridium oxide or a mixture thereof. The coating and hollow elements have a porous structure. The porous structure comprises a plurality of pores having a width of about 0.5 nm to about 500nm. The coating and hollow elements have a thickness of about 1 nm to about 1 μm. The hollow elements contain a drag. The porous structure of the first material includes a plurality of pores having a width and a depth of about 1 nm to about 25 μm. The surface has a porosity of about 90% or less (e.g., about 80%, about 70%, about 60%, about 50% or less). The hollow elements are hollow spheres. The hollow spheres have an outer diameter of about 10 nm to about 5 μm. The hollow spheres have an inner diameter of about 1 nm to about 5 μm. In another aspect, the disclosure features a method of making an endoprosthesis that includes applying a sacrificial template to a surface, applying a ceramic precursor over the template, treating the precursor to form a ceramic deposit, and removing the sacrificial template to form a hollow ceramic region. Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The ceramic precursor includes a metal oxide precursor. The metal oxide precursor is tetraethylorthosilicate, titanium isopropoxide, or iridium acetylacetonate. The sacrificial template is removed by calcination or chemical removal. A plurality of pores are formed on a surface where the pores have a width and a depth of about 1 ran to about 25 μm. The pores of the spheres and ceramic are formed by calcination or chemical removal. The structure of the substrate is formed by a plasma treatment. A polyelectrolyte layer is applied before applying the sacrificial template. A polyelectrolyte layer is applied after applying the sacrificial template. One or more polyelectrolyte layers could be applied to the porous surface. The sacrificial template is applied to the polyelectrolyte layers. The sacrificial template is applied to the porous surface. One or more polyelectrolyte layers are applied to the sacrificial template. The sacrificial template is pretreated with a polyelectrolyte to be encapsulated by a polyelectrolyte coating. The polyelectrolyte layers are applied by LBL deposition. The sacrificial template is a sphere. The sacrificial template is a polymer particle. The polymer particle has a size of about 10 nm to about 10 μm. A sol-gel ceramic precursor is applied to the polyelectrolyte layers and the template. The sol-gel precursor reacts to form a ceramic gel deposit. The ceramic gel deposit is converted to an oxide or ceramic (e.g. by hydrolysis and condensation reactions). The polyelectrolyte layers and template are removed by heating or chemical etching. A drug is provided in the hollow ceramic region. The drug is loaded to the endoprosthesis after the coating is formed. The drug is loaded to the endoprosthesis before the coating is formed. Aspects and/or implementations may have one or more of the following additional advantages. The endoprosthesis, e.g., a drug eluting stent, can include a large number of porous hollow elements embedded in and/or on its porous surface to facilitate drug elution. For example, metallic materials are mechanically stable but often lack porosity or drug- loading capacity while ceramic materials are porous but lack sufficient mechanical strength. A composition of a pretreated metal surface with hollow ceramic elements to contain drugs can have both sufficient mechanical strength and drug-loading capacity (e.g. porosity). The wall thickness of hollow elements can be independently controlled to be thin enough to resist cracking, flaking or peeling from the underlying metal surface. The porosity of a drug eluting stent, can be controlled, e.g., increased, by embedding the hollow elements having porous walls without compromising mechanical strength of the stent. The enhanced porosity facilitates drug loading. The drug elution profile over time can be selected by controlling the porosity of the metal and/or the properties of the hollow elements. For example, hollow elements made of the same material with thicker walls will release drugs at slower rate than the ones with thinner walls. Thus, introducing hollow elements with different size, different wall thickness, wall composition, or a geometry allows building a variety of drug release profiles. Further, the drug load can be easily varied by controlling the number of hollow elements put in the stent. Additionally, pore size can be changed by altering salt, additives (i.e., glucose) and pH in the PEM layers. The endoprostheses may be fully endothelialized, and thus not need to be removed from a lumen after implantation. Figs. 1 A-IC are longitudinal cross-sectional views, illustrating delivery of a stent in a collapsed state, expansion of the stent, and the deployment of the stent in a body lumen. Fig. 2Ais a perspective view of an implementation of a stent; Fig. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the surface of the stent; Fig. 2C is another schematic cross-sectional view of the surface; and Fig. 2D is a schematic cross-sectional view of a drug-containing hollow sphere. Figs. 5A-5C are FESEM pictures of some implementations of the disclosure.. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to Figs. 1 A-IC, during implantation of a stent 10, the stent is placed over a balloon 12 carried near a distal end of a catheter 14, and is directed through a lumen 15 (Fig. IA) until the portion carrying the balloon and stent reaches the region of an occlusion 18. The stent is then radially expanded by inflating balloon 12 and compressed against the vessel wall with the result that occlusion 18 is compressed, and the vessel wall surrounding it undergoes a radial expansion (Fig. IB). The pressure is then released from the balloon and the catheter is withdrawn from the vessel (Fig. 1 C), leaving the stent 10 fixed within lumen 15. The stent can be balloon expandable, as illustrated above, or a self-expanding stent. Examples of stents are described in Heath '721, supra. Referring to Figs. 2A-2D, stent 10 is configured to include a releasable drug and to release the drug in a controlled and predetermined manner once it is implanted. Referring to Fig. 2 A, the stent 10 is a generally tubular member including a plurality of fenestrations 22. The stent body 23 is made of a first material 120, e.g., a metal, and has a surface 140. Referring to Fig. 2B, a schematic cross-sectional view of the surface 140, the surface is porous or corrugated. Referring to Fig. 2C, a schematic cross-sectional view of the surface, the surface 140 is further coated with a second material 180, e.g., a ceramic material, and includes drug-containing hollow spheres 160 made of the second material 180. Referring to Fig. 2D, a schematic cross-sectional views of a drug-containing hollow sphere, the hollow sphere 160 includes a wall 240 having pores 260 connecting the interior 220 and the exterior 200 of the sphere 160. The interior 220 is a cavity containing a drug. The drug from the interior 220 of the spheres passes through the pores 260 into the porous space of surface 140 and then into body. Referring particularly to Figs. 2B and 2C, in some implementations, the first material 120 is a substantially pure metallic element, or an alloy (e.g., 316L stainless steel). The porous region of the surface 140 not only increases the effective area of the surface but also provides a more confined area to which the hollow spheres 160 can be attached, protecting the spheres from being dislodged during handling, delivery and deployment of the stent. In implementations, cross-sectional size or width of the pores 170 is large compared to the sphere size; in implementations, the width and depth of the pores provide a secondary control of drug release by diffusion of the drug through the pores 170 once the drug comes out of the hollow spheres 160. In other implementations, the pores are sized such that they provide a minor or no role in diffusion-limiting the drug release to body fluid or tissue. In implementations, the pore depth, La, is in the range of about 1 nanometer ("ran") to 250 micrometers ("microns" or "μm"), e.g., about 100 nm to 1 μm; the pore width, Lw, is in the range of about 1 nm to 25 μm, e.g., about 500 nm to 1 μm. hi implementations, the ratio of the volume of pores to the total volume of the surface region, or porosity of the surface 140 is about 90% or less (e.g., about 80%, about 70%, about 60%, about 50% or less). Alternatively or additionally, the inward surface 150 of stent body 23 can also have a porous structure. In some implementations, the porous surface 140 is formed by plasma treatment, such as plasma immersion ion implantation ("PIII") as is described in details below. Referring particularly to Figs 2C and 2D, in some implementations, the second material 180 and hollow spheres are a ceramic material (e.g., SiOx, or IrOx). The outer diameter of the hollow spheres 160 is preferably smaller than or comparable to the pore dimensions (width and depth) of the porous region of surface 140. For example, the outer diameter, D0, is about 10 nm to 5 μm, e.g., 100 nm to 1 μm. The inner diameter, D,, of the hollow spheres 160 ranges from about 1 nm to 5 μm, e.g., 20 nm to 500 nm. Thickness, D1, of the sphere wall 240 can range from 1 nm to 1 μm, e.g., 10 nm to 500 nm and it may or may not be uniform along the radial axes. In implementations, the wall 240 has a porous structure, hi preferred implementations, wall 240 has an open-cell porous structure, so that the pores 260 in wall 240 are interconnected and serve as passageways between the interior and the exterior of the hollow spheres 160. The width of pores 260, lw, varies from about 0.5 nm to 500nm, e.g., 1 nm to 100 nm. In implementations, the second material coating 180 has substantially the same porous structure as the sphere wall 240 described above, and thickness of the coating 180 varies from about 1 nm to 2 μm, e.g., 10 nm to 1500 nm. A particular ceramic is IROX, which can have therapeutic benefits such as enhancing endothelialization. IROX and other ceramics are discussed further in Alt et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,980,566. Suitable ceramics also include metal oxides, oxides and transition metal oxides (e.g. oxides of titanium, zirconium, halnium, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, thenium, and iridium; silicon; silicon-based ceramics, such as those containing silicon nitrides, silicon carbides and silicon oxides (sometimes referred to as glass ceramics); calcium phosphate ceramics (e.g. hydroxyapatite); carbon and carbon-based, ceramic-like materials such as carbon nitrides. In implementations, the second material and sphere are provided through a sol-gel reaction assisted with the use of spherical sacrificial templates (described below). Referring to Fig. 3, a method 300 of making and coating porous surface 140 is described and illustrated. The left side of this figure provides a flow diagram of processing steps and the right side provides a cross-sectional schematic of a region of the stent at the corresponding processing steps. The method 300 includes forming a porous surface (step 302), applying a polyelectrolyte layer (step 304), applying sacrificial templates, e.g., templating polystyrene spheres (step 306), applying another polyelectrolyte layer (step 308), forming ceramic deposit within each polyelectrolyte layer (step 310), removing polyelectrolyte layers and sacrificial templates to form a porous ceramic coating integrated with hollow ceramic spheres which have porous walls and cavities on surface 140 (step 312), and loading the cavities with a therapeutic agent or drug (step 314). In some implementations, one or more polyelectrolyte layers are applied to the surface 140 and/ or sacrificial templates, and the thickness of the polyelectrolyte layers influence the final thickness of the ceramic coating. In step 302, the porous structure of surface 140 can be formed by plasma treatment, chemical etching, or electrochemical processes. In some implementations, plasma immersion ion implantation ("PIII") is applied. During PIII, one or more charged species in a plasma, such as an argon plasma, are accelerated at high velocity toward a substrate, e.g., a stent or a stent precursor ("pre-stent") such as a metal tube. Acceleration of the charged species, e.g., particles, of the plasma towards the pre-stent is driven by a pulsed electrical potential difference between the plasma and the pre-stent. Alternatively, the electrical potential difference can be applied between the plasma and an electrode that is underneath the pre- stent such that the pre-stent is in a line-of-sight. Upon impact with the outward surface and/or inward surface of the pre-stent, the charged species, due to their high velocity, penetrate a distance into the stent, interact with the first material, e.g., displace atoms and/or knock atoms out of the first material and form porous structures in the surface. The penetration depth is being controlled, at least in part, by the potential difference between the plasma and the stent. Other factors such as dose-rate, process temperature, and ion type can be selected to control the porous structure of the surface. An implementation of PIII system is described further below. hi steps 304, 306, and 308, after the porous surface is formed, charged layers containing polyelectrolytes and sacrificial templates are assembled upon the surface, using a layer-by-layer ("LBL") technique in which the layers electrostatically self-assemble. In the LBL technique, a first layer having a first net surface charge is deposited on an underlying substrate, followed by a second layer having a second net surface charge that is opposite in sign to the net surface charge of the first layer. Thus, the charge on the outer layer is reversed upon deposition of each sequential layer. Additional first and second layers can then be alternatingly deposited on the substrate to build multi-layered structure to a predetermined or targeted thickness. For example, in steps 304 and 308, deposited layers 141 and 143 can either be a polyelectrolyte monolayer or polyelectrolyte multilayers ("PEM") with thickness ranging from 0.3 nm to 1 μm, e.g., 1 ran to 500 ran. hi an intermediate layer between 141 and 143, charged sacrificial templates 142, e.g., polystyrene spheres, polymethylmethacrylate ("PMMA"), or silica templates , with net surface charges opposite in sign to those of layers 141 and 143, are deposited (step 306). hi certain implementations, the LBL assembly can be conducted by exposing a selected charged substrate (e.g., stent) to solutions or suspensions that contain species of alternating net charge, including solutions or suspensions that contain charged templates (e.g., polystyrene spheres), polyelectrolytes, and, optionally, charged therapeutic agents. The concentration of the charged species within these solutions and suspensions, which can be dependent on the types of species being deposited, can range, for example, from about 0.01 mg/mL to about 100 mg/mL (or to about 50 mg/niL, or to about 30 mg/mL). The pH of these suspensions and solutions can be such that the templates, polyelectrolytes, and optional therapeutic agents maintain their charge. Buffer systems can be used to maintain charge. The solutions and suspensions containing the charged species (e.g., solutions/suspensions of templates, polyelectrolytes, or other optional charged species such as charged therapeutic agents) can be applied to the charged substrate surface using a variety of techniques. 12489 Berlin. Other suitable templates include melamine formaldehyde (MF), poly-DL-lactic acid (PLA), cubic sodium chloride and truncated rhombohedral sugar crystallites. The latter two are as well an example of template shapes that are not round, but in this case have the shape of crystals. Living cells such as red blood cells and bacteria can be used as templates. The template is burned away during a calcination step, similar to the removal of the simple polystyrene templates. Encapsulation of cells is discussed in Yu et al., Biomaterials 25 (2004) 3655-3802. In particular implementations, sacrificial templates can be pretreated with polyelectrolytes via LBL assembly to have a PEM coating. Next, the PEM-coated templates can be suspended or dissolved in a solvent and be applied to a substrate. When PEM-coated templates are used, step 308 is optional. In further implementations, sacrificial templates with different PEM coating and/or different thickness of PEM coating can be applied to a common stent, e.g., to create hollow structures at different portions of the stent with different wall thicknesses so that various drug eluting profiles at different portions of the stent can be achieved. Polyelectrolyte are polymers having charged (e.g., ionically dissociable) groups. The number of these groups in the polyelectrolytes can be so large that the polymers are soluble in polar solvents (including water) when in ionically dissociated form (also called polyions). Depending on the type of dissociable groups, polyelectrolytes can be classified as polyacids and polybases. When dissociated, polyacids form polyanions, with protons being split off. Polyacids include inorganic, organic and biopolymers. Examples of polyacids are polyphosphoric acids, polyvinylsulfuric acids, polyvinylsulfonic acids, polyvinylphosphonic acids and polyacrylic acids. Examples of the corresponding salts, which are called polysalts, are polyphosphates, polyvinylsulfates, polyvinylsulfonates, polyvinylphosphonates and polyacrylates. Polybases contain groups that are capable of accepting protons, e.g., by reaction with acids, with a salt being formed. Examples of polybases having dissociable groups within their backbone and/or side groups are polyallylamine, polyethylimine, polyvinylamine and polyvinylpyridine. By accepting protons, polybases form polycations. Some polyelectrolytes have both anionic and cationic groups, but nonetheless have a net positive or negative charge. (e.g., polyelectrolytes having molecular weights of a few hundred Daltons up to macromolecular polyelectrolytes (e.g., polyelectrolytes of synthetic or biological origin, which commonly have molecular weights of several million Daltons). Still other examples of polyelectrolyte cations (polycations) include protamine sulfate polycations, poly(allylamine) polycations (e.g., poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)), polydiallyldimethylamrnonium polycations, polyethyleneimine polycations, chitosan polycations, gelatin polycations, spermidine polycations and albumin polycations. Examples of polyelectrolyte anions (polyanions) include poly(styrenesulfonate) polyanions (e.g., poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) (PSS)), polyacrylic acid polyanions, sodium alginate polyanions, eudragit polyanions, gelatin polyanions, hyaluronic acid polyanions, carrageenan polyanions, chondroitin sulfate polyanions, and carboxymethylcellulose polyanions. Still more examples of polyelectrolytes and LBL assembly are disclosed in commonly assigned U. S. Serial No. 10/985,242, U.S. application publicly available through USPTO Public Pair, and Lefaux et al., "Polyelectolyte Spin Assembly: Influence of Ionic Strength on the Growth of Multilayered Films," J PoIm Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.; 3654-3666, 2004, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. In step 310, a precursor solution for a consequent in situ sol-gel reaction is applied to the stent surface with deposited layers 141, 142, and 143. The solution permeates the polyelectrolyte layers 141 and 143, and those of spheres 142 if they are pretreated with PEM. Then an in situ sol-gel reaction can take place within the interstices of polyelectrolytes. Page U of 22 Application No. 60/884,471, filed September 14, 2006; Maehara et al, Thin Solid Films 438- 39:65-69, 2003; Kim et al, Thin Solid Films 499:83-89, 2003; and Bu et al, J. Europ. Cer. Soc. 25:673-79, 2005. 312 as discussed above is preferred. In particular implementations, a drug-polymer conjugate is applied instead of the drug itself, e.g. a conjugate of a polymer deposited in the LBL steps, hi some implementations, the drug can be loaded within the pores of the ceramic coating and the walls of hollow spheres. The stent can further include more than one therapeutic agent by having more than one drug within each hollow element, or by having different drugs in different hollow elements. Patent Application No. 2005/0216074. Polymers for drug elution coatings are also disclosed in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2005/019265 A. Referring to Fig. 4, an implementation of a PIII processing system is shown. System 80 includes a vacuum chamber 82 having a vacuum port 84 connected to a vacuum pump and a gas source 130 for delivering a gas, e.g., argon, helium, xenon, oxygen, or nitrogen, to chamber 82 to generate a plasma. System 80 includes a series of dielectric windows 86, e.g., made of glass or quartz, sealed by o-rings 90 to maintain a vacuum in chamber 82. Removably attached to some of the windows 86 are radio frequency ("RF") plasma sources 92, each source having a helical antenna 96 located within a grounded shield 98. The windows without attached RF plasma sources are usable, e.g., as viewing ports into chamber 82. Each antenna 96 electrically communicates with an RF generator 100 through a network 102 and a coupling capacitor 104. Each antenna 96 also electrically communicates with a tuning capacitor 106. Each tuning capacitor 106 is controlled by a signal D, D', D" from a controller 110. By adjusting each tuning capacitor 106, the output power from each RF antenna 96 can be adjusted to maintain homogeneity of the generated plasma. In use, a plasma is generated in chamber 82 and accelerated to a pre-stent 13. Pre- stent 13 can be made, for example, by forming a tube including the conventional metallic material and laser cutting a stent pattern in the tube, or by knitting or weaving a tube from a metallic wire or filament. A gas, such as argon, is introduced from gas source 130 into chamber 82, where a plasma is generated. The charged species in the generated plasma, e.g., an argon plasma, are accelerated toward all portions of pre-stent 13, including exterior 131 and interior portions 132 of the pre-stent, and thus, bombard the surface of the pre-stent. PIII is described by Chu, U.S. Patent No. 6,120,660; Brukner , Surface and Coatings Technology, 103-104, 227-230 (1998); and Kutsenko, Acta Materialia, 52, 4329-4335 (2004), the entire disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference herein. The configuration of the porous stent surface formed is controlled in the PIII process by tuning the ion penetration depth and ion concentration through selection of the type of ion, the ion energy and ion dose. For example, when the ions have a relatively low energy, e.g., 10 kiloelectronvolts ("keV") or less, penetration depth is relatively shallow when compared with the situation when the ions have a relatively high energy, e.g., greater than 40 keV. In some implementations, the potential difference can be greater than 10 kilovolts ("kV"), e.g., greater than 20 kV , greater than 40 kV , greater than 50 kV , greater than 60 kV, greater than 75 kV, or even greater than 100 kV. The ion dosage being applied to a surface can range from about 1 x 1014 ions/cm2 to about 1 x 1019 ions/cm2, e.g., from about 1 x 1015 ions/cm2 to about 1 x 1018 ions/cm2. Page I5 of 22 (PAH/PSS/PAH/PSS). Each layer was deposited over 20 minutes and then rinsed three times with DI water. Subsequently, the PEM-coated coupon is placed into a sol-gel solution of 1 g TEOS in 5OmL ethanol, with 5mL water and 0.5mL 25 wt.% NH40H and kept there for ~16 hours before it is retrieved. The coupon was rinsed three times in DI water. As a final step, the gel/PEM-coated coupon is placed in a tube furnace and calcined in air at 5400C for 4.5 hours, ramping up at a rate of 360°C/hour from room temperature, total oven time ~6hrs. The sample was allowed to cool in the oven overnight until it reached room temperature. Referring to Figs. 5 A-5C, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy ("FESEM") images of the surface of a 316L stainless steel coupon processed with the method disclosed in Fig.3 are shown. As shown in Fig 5 A, ceramic spheres are bound to a ceramic coating which almost conformally overlies the porous or corrugated surface of the coupon. Referring to Fig 5B, a further magnified FESEM image, porous features of the ceramic coating and ceramic spheres are move visible. Referring to Fig 5C, which was taken at a higher electron accelerating voltage (e.g., 15 kV), the ceramic spheres are hollow. In further implementations, the hollow elements and/or ceramic coating may incorporate magnetic particles, e.g., nanoparticles, loosely sitting in the cavities by applying sacrificial templates with magnetic kernels which remain in the ceramic material after templating material is removed. The implementations may have one or more additional following advantages, including that the release profile of a therapeutic agent from an endoprosthesis, e.g., a ceramic coated stent, can be controlled through non-invasive means, e.g., a magnetic field. The magnetic field can be used to selectively agitate the particles, to modify the porosity of the ceramic. Use of magnetic particles is described further in U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/845,136, filed September 15, 2006. Ln some implementations, after the forming hollow spheres inside of the porous surface generated by e.g. PIII and filling them with a drug, an additional material can be applied to fill the remaining space in the porous surface, for example, a bioerodible polymer (PLGA, PLLA) (with or without an additional drug load), or a highly porous sol-gel layer prepared at low temperature, e.g., at room temperature. Any stent described herein can be dyed or rendered radio-opaque by addition of, e.g., radio-opaque materials such as barium sulfate, platinum or gold, or by coating with a radio- opaque material. In implementations, the porous structure can be formed directly on the stent body, as described above, or the porous structure can be formed in a coating over the stent body. The coating may be, e.g., a radio-opaque metal. The stent can include (e.g., be manufactured from) metallic materials, such as stainless steel (e.g., 316L, BioDur® 108 (UNS S29108), and 304L stainless steel, and an alloy including stainless steel and 5-60% by weight of one or more radiopaque elements (e.g., Pt, Ir, Au, W) (PERSS®) as described in US-2003-0018380-A1, US-2002-0144757-A1, and US-2003- 0077200-A1), Nitinol (a nickel-titanium alloy), cobalt alloys such as Elgiloy, L605 alloys, MP35N, titanium, titanium alloys (e.g., Ti-6A1-4V, Ti-50Ta, Ti-IOIr), platinum, platinum alloys, niobium, niobium alloys (e.g., Nb-IZr) Co-28Cr-6Mo, tantalum, and tantalum alloys. Other examples of materials are described in commonly assigned U.S. Application No. 10/672,891, filed September 26, 2003; and U.S. Application No. 11/035,316, filed January 3, 2005. Other materials include elastic biocompatible metal such as a superelastic or pseudo- elastic metal alloy, as described, for example, in Schetsky, L. McDonald, "Shape Memory Alloys", Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (3rd ed.), John Wiley & Sons, 1982, vol. 20. pp. 726-736; and commonly assigned U.S. Application No. 10/346,487, filed January 17, 2003. The stent can be of a desired shape and size (e.g., coronary stents, aortic stents, peripheral vascular stents, gastrointestinal stents, urology stents, tracheal/bronchial stents, and neurology stents). Depending on the application, the stent can have a diameter of between, e.g., about 1 mm to about 46 mm. In certain implementations, a coronary stent can have an expanded diameter of from about 2 mm to about 6 mm. In some implementations, a peripheral stent can have an expanded diameter of from about 4 mm to about 24 mm. In certain implementations, a gastrointestinal and/or urology stent can have an expanded diameter of from about 6 mm to about 30 mm. In some implementations, a neurology stent can have an expanded diameter of from about 1 mm to about 12 mm. An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) stent and a thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) stent can have a diameter from about 20 mm to about 46 mm. The stent can be balloon-expandable, self-expandable, or a combination of both (e.g., U.S. Patent No. 6,290,721). Medical articles include articles for exterior application to the body such as patches for delivery of therapeutic agent to intact skin and broken skin (including wounds) and implantable or insertable devices, for example, stents (including coronary vascular stents, peripheral vascular stents, cerebral, urethral, ureteral, biliary, tracheal, gastrointestinal and esophageal stents), stent coverings, stent grafts, vascular grafts, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) devices (e.g., AAA stents, AAA grafts), vascular access ports, dialysis ports, catheters (e.g., urological catheters or vascular catheters such as balloon catheters and various central venous catheters), guide wires, balloons, filters (e.g., vena cava filters and mesh filters for distil protection devices), embolization devices including cerebral aneurysm filler coils (including Guglilmi detachable coils and metal coils), septal defect closure devices, drug depots that are adapted for placement in an artery for treatment of the portion of the artery distal to the device, myocardial plugs, patches, pacemakers, leads including pacemaker leads, defibrillation leads, and coils, ventricular assist devices including left ventricular assist hearts and pumps, total artificial hearts, shunts, valves including heart valves and vascular valves, anastomosis clips and rings, cochlear implants, tissue bulking devices, and tissue engineering scaffolds for cartilage, bone, skin and other in vivo tissue regeneration, sutures, suture anchors, tissue staples and ligating clips at surgical sites, cannulae, metal wire ligatures, urethral slings, hernia "meshes", artificial ligaments, orthopedic prosthesis such as bone grafts, bone plates, fins and fusion devices, joint prostheses, orthopedic fixation devices such as interference screws in the ankle, knee, and hand areas, tacks for ligament attachment and meniscal repair, rods and pins for fracture fixation, screws and plates for craniomaxillofacial repair, dental implants, or other devices that are implanted or inserted into the body. Still further implementations are in the following claims. 1. An endoprosthesis, comprising: a surface, the surface comprising a porous structure of a first material; and a coating of a second material, the second material defining a plurality of hollow elements. 2. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the first material is a metal. 3. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the second material is a ceramic material. 4. The endoprosthesis of claim 3, wherein the ceramic material is silicon oxide, titanium oxide, iridium oxide or a mixture thereof. 5. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the coating and hollow elements have a porous structure. 6. The endoprosthesis of claim 5, wherein the porous structure comprises a plurality of pores having a width of about 0.5 nm to about 500nm. 7. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the hollow elements contain a drug. 8. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the porous structure of the first material comprises a plurality of pores having a width and a depth of about 1 nm to about 25 μm. 9. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the hollow elements are hollow spheres. 10. The endoprosthesis of claim 9, wherein the hollow spheres have an outer diameter of about 10 nm to about 5 μm. 11. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 , wherein the coating and hollow elements have a thickness of about 1 ran to about 1 μm. 12. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the endoprosthesis has a body formed of the first material. 13. A method of making an endoprosthesis, the method comprising: applying a sacrificial template to a surface; applying a ceramic precursor over the template; treating the precursor to form a ceramic deposit; and removing the sacrificial template to form a hollow ceramic region. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing a drug in the hollow ceramic region. 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming a plurality of pores on a surface, said pores having a width and a depth of about 1 nm to about 25 μm; and applying said sacrificial template to said porous surface. 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising applying a polyelectrolyte layer to the sacrificial template, applying a sol-gel ceramic precursor to the polyelectrolyte and reacting the sol-gel precursor to form a ceramic gel deposit. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising removing the polyelectrolyte and template by heating. 18. The method of claims 16 or 17, further comprising converting the ceramic gel deposit to an oxide or ceramic. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising converting the ceramic gel deposit by firing. 20. The method of claim 16, further comprising applying a polyelectrolyte layer before applying said sacrificial template. 22. The method of claim 13, further comprising loading a drug to the endoprosthesis before the coating is formed. 23. The method of claim 13, wherein the sacrificial template is a polymer particle. 24. The method of 23, wherein the particle has a size of about 10 run to about 10 μm. 25. The method of 13, wherein the sacrificial template is pretreated with a polyelectrolyte to be encapsulated by a polyelectrolyte coating.

2019-04-25T15:32:42Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2009155328A2/en

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2019-04-26T16:16:46Z

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Dear Readers …you remember that email (see below) Candidate for Seat 3 Edmund Malkoon sent after the Jan.15, 2012 CIC-PAC meeting he and his opponent Mark Brown were invited to attend thanking them and stating “I am so grateful to have been given your trust. I will endeavor to promote the ideals your organization has fought so hard to achieve.” …Malkoon went on to make some ominous remarks about fears he had in the weeks ahead concerning the BTSF newspaper etc…He concluded with this statement…” I understand you may be sending out an email. If you can ask for word of mouth, sign placement, and help with poll day, i would greatly appreciate it.” ….Well, on Sunday night that email went out from Bob Roberts to members and those who have not been for years …. (see below) …Bob Roberts stated the Board wanted the minutes to be released for members …I have been informed the minutes being sent out has not happened before this… The minutes are hardly minutes of a meeting …They are more like a need to calm those who may be uncomfortable with what appeared to be an endorsement of a Candidate who made the decision after that Jan. 15, 2012 meeting to run an ad in the BTSF and promote his party affiliation and that of his opponents in a nonpartisan election!… The brief synopsis of the Jan. 15, 2012 CIC-PAC meeting are not quite accurate either according to some in attendance …The “well attended meeting” brought out 20-25 …The CIC board itself is close to that number with spouses….Then there’s this one… “Members were pleased that both candidates pledged to preserve one of the Citizen Initiative Committee’s most important issues – maintaining the current 3-story height zoning in original Lauderdale by the Sea.” It was actually a promise that neither Candidate would introduce a referendum to change the zoning for heights… WOW!… I thought it was incredible that the CIC-PAC was endorsing (or not?-see below) ….Malkoon who is a paid-up long time member of the UOT-PAC who is being coached, mentored and supported by former UOT Pres. Bob Fleishman and Cindy Geesey …but this promise the CIC asked for tops even that!…It goes against the very ideals the CIC are based on…the ability for the people to unite in order to change or preserve the town through referendum! …Originally Bob Roberts sent out an email stating the CIC would not be endorsing either candidate this year …The word after Malkoon’s email and the signs going up in the Furth’s yard as well as other CIC Board members was an endorsement was received on Jan. 15th …Bob Roberts in these “minutes” sets the record straight 2 weeks later though… “The CIC will not officially endorse any candidates for this year’s municipal election. However, Chairman Couriel took a straw poll of the audience after the presentations as to which candidate they thought was most aligned with the CIC’s “small-town quality of life values.” The members voted their support for Edmund Malkoon.” …So it can be surmised that while the CIC did not officially endorse Malkoon they believed him that he will indeed … “endeavor to promote the ideals your organization has fought so hard to achieve.” …. That CIC “straw poll” and this setting the record straight CIC email to CIC members was certainly not what Malkoon was counting on from the group he jumped ship to for votes!…. Thank you for keeping an open mind and giving me the opportunity to come speak. I am so grateful to have been given your trust. I will endeavor to promote the ideals your organization has fought so hard to achieve. As i said at the Town Forum ” We arent all that different in what we seek for this Town. ” I will be your representative and be open to dialogue from all. We have 2 weeks left. I am going to start pounding the pavement for the second time. I also will have a mailer going out before Weds. I am a little cautious on The next Future paper. Its the last edition before the election and a bit worried about things being made up. But hopefully the voters will see the conflict. I hope it remains neutral. I understand you may be sending out an email. If you can ask for word of mouth, sign placement, and help with poll day, i would greatly appreciate it. During our January meeting attending members decided that the minutes of the meeting should be distributed to our members. The following are the minutes. The meeting was called to order by CIC Chair, Joe Couriel at 7:00 pm. The CIC Board of Directors had invited the two LBTS Commission Candidates, Mark Brown and Edmund Malkoon to give presentations and answer questions from our members. The meeting was well-attended and very informative. Members were pleased that both candidates pledged to preserve one of the Citizen Initiative Committee’s most important issues – maintaining the current 3-story height zoning in original Lauderdale by the Sea. The CIC will not officially endorse any candidates for this year’s municipal election. However, Chairman Couriel took a straw poll of the audience after the presentations as to which candidate they thought was most aligned with the CIC’s “small-town quality of life values.” The members voted their support for Edmund Malkoon. Meeting adjourned at 9:45 pm. COUNTING DOWN THE HOURS TO A COMMISSION SEAT …. Dear Readers… here we are 48 hours before the 2012 nonpartisan municipal election in LBTS for seat 3 … What was supposed to be a dull election due to it becoming only one race for one seat after the seats for the Mayor and Commissioner from the south ended up unopposed has proven to be anything but!… A lack of participation by many who naively thought neutrality would be the ongoing headline for this race between Mark Brown and Edmund Malkoon came to realize that could not continue to be the case when their perceived idea that there was no real difference between these two candidates quickly fell to the wayside as they observed each candidate’s campaign began providing us with so much valuable insight concerning each candidate’s qualifications, ethics and character … Mark Brown has run what everyone agrees is a concise above-board campaign showing he not only walked the walk …and talked the talk …literally…. he made it his business to reach out to voters as well as residents who cannot vote but reside in the town opening up lines of communication and accessibility that he vowed would remain in place after the election as well … He was overwhelmingly successful in discarding any possible preconceived ideas some voters might have had about who he really is to those who only knew his name from his byline and the opinions of others… Mark made sure he covered all the bases in preparation along with following the rules and regulations required by candidates on all fronts …He helped absentee voters to participate in this race with a mail in attachment on his first mailer which included his fully verifiable bio…He went door-to-door with additional information and took the time to follow-up with anyone who had more questions or concerns…He went into neighborhoods and businesses alike in order to be up-to-date with what was at the top of the list of issues for both and what they were looking for in representation on the dais …He made sure he met with Town Administration to relay any concerns he might be addressing in order not to blindside anyone thus providing additional help and dais input to aid in getting answers quickly rather than going for a “gotcha” type of grandstanding at the podium that may cause an initial stir of emotions from the audience but rarely offers any concrete answers as a result…He made and is making phone calls to voters as well as going anywhere he has been invited to speak to offer up real answers to whomever is asking and never promising anything that was not possible in order to get a vote… His supporters have grown in numbers and include four members of the current Commission as well as most of the LBTS past Commissioners along with most of the members of the 2010 Master Plan Steering Committee which was the committee his opponent Malkoon vice-chaired for less than a 2 -year term including the MPSC Chairman… (MPSC disbanded by Comm.) … He is endorsed by the UOT-PAC after his opponent Malkoon actively pursued and received an endorsement from the opposing CIC-PAC essentially jumping ship on ideals in an email stating just that… (Malkoon is a longtime participant/member of UOT) …He received the endorsements for seat 3 from the 2 local papers ByTheSeaFuture and Pompano Pelican both based on his qualifications and his campaign… His second mailer continues to show the first-rate campaign he’s run in offering up his thanks to voters as well as his 5 reasons for making sure it is Mark Brown sitting on the dais next month for 4 years… (see below) …He has withstood first time …nasty party politics being introduced into LBTS’ traditional nonpartisan election by those Malkoon cohorts/advisers bearing grudges and an opponent who clearly felt the need to knowingly cross the line in what I can honestly say is the only campaign I can recall where a candidate has tried so hard to make so much of so little …in his resume, achievements, experience and what he stands for… Malkoon on the other hand has provided voters with a hodgepodge of a campaign which shows a disturbing willingness to twist and turn on a dime …literally….depending on who has opened their arms to him at a specific moment in time throughout the past months!….. He has shown a sad lack of drive as well as maturity in handling just his own campaign … He had little to report in contributions received from supporters compared to his opponent Mark Brown…(prev. posts) …He has only one CIC-PAC Commissioner supporting him and may have one or two from the CIC-PAC as well as a result of promising to promote their ideals and doing so at the podium on Jan 24th in public comments…(prev. post Jan 16 2012 email CIC board) …. His MPSC members have largely chosen to support his opponent Mark Brown in large part we are told due to his dismal and disappointing time serving as vice-chair…(prev. posts) ….He put up yard signs with a last minute sticker on some (one side vs 2 side requirement) as well as some with no disclaimer as required …(see below) ….He violated Fl. State Statutes introducing party affiliation in an ad in the BTSF newspaper on Jan 20, 2012 (see below) …and then made excuses to the Sentinel he had not heard from the State blaming “troublemakers”…as well as offering “no comment” to the Pompano Pelican even though he has been in receipt of the Candidate Campaign Book that includes all the rules and requirements which he is required to read and to run his campaign by……(prev. posts) …. He has a few die-hard supporters who have openly attacked and made ominous warnings of “going after Brown supporters”… He has “protectors” who despite meaning well in their role further exacerbated the growing word-of-mouth concerns of Malkoon’s fragile state emotionally to serve in an elected position… His one and only mailer (see below)…again shows the same content seen in previous election materials, ads and debate info proclamations based on so little while embellishing it beyond fact!… Malkoon puts forth his “lifetime resident” moniker still…leaving out the fact he lived in Unincorporated Broward along with all his north end neighbors until annexation in 2001…Which means Malkoon became a LBTS resident the very same year his opponent Mark Brown did in 2001!… His Commission appointee and volunteer activities amount to less than a 2-year term that came from being appointed in 2010 by a sitting LBTS Commissioner who supports his opponent Mark Brown …Volunteering for numerous Town special events…is yet again padding for a weak resume…Mark Brown also volunteered in Town special events as well as being a driving force in providing transparency to voters on many political actions such as keeping the Town’s Community Center open and operating under the same longtime director in his 5 years as a volunteer Editor on the local newspaper …Malkoon has repeatedly made claims of having finance and marketing acumen as a basis for him being elected …He had to backtrack on those bold assertions first seen in election materials and ads when he was called out on lack of degrees or work experience in either… This writer further called out his Realtor claim asking for it to be clarified as a Sales Assoc. classification under his mother’s licensed agent license… Personal mortgage problems on his property arose during his first attempt at running in 2010 which further cloud using financial acumen as a real argument to elect him to make decisions involving taxpayer dollars… It was shown that attacks made against his opponent Brown concerning taxes was not only taken out of context but that Malkoon intentionally stated his stance for lower taxes were untrue in videos providing Malkoon at the podium in full agreement with his opponent in 2010 and again in 2011!…Malkoon states he is a member of the Republican Club of LBTS in the mailer which may skirt the statute he violated in the Jan. 20th BTSF ad but once again proves he is fanning flames for votes in what he knows is a nonpartisan race …He states he is a member of the LBTS Chamber of Commerce and again we must add he ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the board …He states one endorsement from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors (he received $250.00 as a result-prev. post) …His opponent Mark Brown respectfully declined to participate in a letter (see below) in order to not compromise any future dealings on hot-button real estate issues…What is glaring in the Malkoon mailer is that he chose to leave out being a member of the UOT-PAC as well as the Jan. 16, 2012 CIC-PAC endorsement!… In the waning hours left before the ballots are counted it is important that voters make it their business to ensure the correct Candidate succeeds in representing us by voting for Mark Brown for seat 3!…. Here’s The Scoop … Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Candidate For Seat 3 Edmund Malkoon Turns Out To Be His Own “Troublemaker” In This Election …/ The Final Candidate Treasurerer Reports Due Before the January 31st Election …. LBTS – A town commission candidate in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea may have violated a state election law by including his political party affiliation and that of his opponent in an advertisement in a local newspaper. Edmund Malkoon, a candidate for Seat #3, ran the ad in the Jan. 20 edition of the monthly ByTheSeaFuture newspaper. Malkoon included his Republican Party status in the ad as well as his opponent’s Democratic Party affiliation. For enforcement of any willful violation of this provision, a complaint must be filed with the Florida Elections Commission. The commission has exclusive jurisdiction over this matter and may impose a fine not to exceed $1,000 per count. Comments Off on Here’s The Scoop … Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Candidate For Seat 3 Edmund Malkoon Turns Out To Be His Own “Troublemaker” In This Election …/ The Final Candidate Treasurerer Reports Due Before the January 31st Election …. LEAVE IT TO CINDY …. Is your party showing in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea? Town commissioners in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea are elected in nonpartisan races, but one candidate in the town’s upcoming election has taken out an ad showing the two candidates’ party affiliations. Commission candidate Edmund Malkoon ran an ad in the local ByTheSeaFuture newspaper this month listing himself as a Republican and opponent Mark Brown as a Democrat. The election takes place along with the Republican presidential preference primary, which could lead to a larger percentage of Republicans turning out to vote. According to Mary Cooney in the Broward County Supervisor of Elections Office, nonpartisan candidates are prohibited by law from campaigning along party lines. Cooney wouldn’t say the ad broke the law – that’s for the Florida Elections Commission to decide if it receives a complaint. Malkoon is taking a wait-and-see approach. Brown said he’d like to see the issue go to the elections commission, but he won’t be doing anything that might be seen as a last-minute gimmick before the Jan. 31 election. One of Malkoon’s supporters, Cindy Geesey, isn’t shy about her partisan leanings. Malkoon once again shows he is not ready for prime-time when it comes to being a seated Commissioner in LBTS… He comments “I haven’t heard anything from the state if that’s an issue,” Malkoon said. “People are just trying to be troublemakers in the election.” after telling another reporter from a local paper “no comment” last Tuesday night when questioned about the violation… Malkoon signed a form affirming he received the rules he was to follow in his candidate’s handbook upon filing to run for his seat … It contained the following …. More Malkoon pre- election hits to come tomorrow!…. AN ENDORSEMENT OF WHAT FOR MALKOON FROM THE CIC-PAC IN 2012…. ” 2000 El Prado Referendum to protect our main beach vista from an extremely unpopular, developer- initiated land-swap (Hapimag). A Citizens Rights Charter Amendment to reaffirm citizens’ rights to initiate, amend, or repeal ordinances by petition and referendum: in order to overcome Mayor Parker’s questionable claim that right had been nullified and extinguished by State Statutes. (An opinion from the Florida Attorney General later held that was not the case). An Electoral Districting Ordinance to insure balance in regional representation by requiring that two Commissioners be elected from Old Town LBTS and two from the annexed area, while the Mayor could be chosen from either area. Although individual CAC members contributed greatly to the initiatives mentioned above, the Citizens Action Committee itself was non-political and therefore could not officially endorse candidates or ballot questions at election time. Our members became convinced that the CIC needed to evolve to the next level and become an official political action committee (PC). We therefore incorporated in March 2005 as the Citizens “Initiative” Committee and registered with the State of Florida and the LBTS Town Clerk as a political committee. That extended our committee’s range of action beyond simply informing ourselves and fellow citizens on critical developments and making appeals to the Commission. As a PC we can actually initiate referendums, campaign for and against important election issues, and lend our organizational ‘seal of approval’ to candidates for municipal office. The March 2006 election was the first where the new CIC’s referendums and endorsed candidates came before the voters. CIC endorsed candidates, Jim Silverstone and Jerry McIntee won landslide victories over two old-guard incumbents, Dave Wessels and Ed Kennedy. CIC members have been well-pleased with our choice of candidates and the level of integrity, honesty, and quality-of-life leadership the two brought to the dais. Unfortunately, continued hard-line opposition by the Old-Guard majority on the commission continued to bloc many CIC-supported pro-voter initiatives until the 2008 election. The CIC Term limits referendum, on the ballot as the result of a CIC petition signed by 712 voters, was passed by 86% of voters and limited Commissioners to two 4-year terms of office. Mayoral terms were reduced from 4 years to 2 years and limited to 3 terms (a total of 6 years). Despite the absolute clarity of that amendment that it would take effect at the 2008 municipal elections, the old-guard commission members Parker, Yanni, and Clark railroaded through an ordinance that preposterously re-interpreted the amendment to mean it would NOT apply to Parker or Yanni at the 2008 elections, thus over-turning the clear will of LBTS voters. The CIC Height Limit Charter Referendum, which lowered the maximum allowable height limit in the Northbeach coastal area from 15 stories to 3 over 1 story, won despite fierce campaigns by developers and pro-development commissioners. This charter amendment will prevent our barrier island from over development, limit further congestion along A1A, and preserve the Town’s low-rise image. A critical clause of this charter amendment was that no zoning changes involving an increase in height can now be made in any residential neighborhood without a vote of the people. The 2008 municipal election was set in January instead of March, to match with the revised Florida Presidential Primary election date. The CIC supported 3 candidates for election to the Town Commission, Lawrence Wick, Birute Clottey, and Stuart Dodd. Clottey and Dodd won, beating out Clark and Yanni. Wick lost the mayor’s seat by a slim margin of 21 votes to newcomer Roseann Minnet (Parker had decided not to run). Within a few short months of winning the majority in January 2008, the four CIC-endorsed Commissioners made sweeping changes in town policy and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea was headed in a positive new direction! Sponsored very successful Community events including: Easter-by-the-Sea, the July 4th Blast, and a Halloween Haunted House. Several months after the 2008 election, however, one of the CIC-endorsed Commissioners, Stuart Dodd, a former CIC Chairman, resigned from the organization and changed allegiance to the pro-development side. The CIC therefore has retracted its endorsement of Stuart Dodd. During the two years prior to the March 2010 municipal election the pro-development group, under the banner “Unite Our Town”, launched a campaign to discredit Commissioners McIntee, Silverstone, and Clotty and Town Manager Esther Colon with personal attacks. They arranged for a number of their supporters to show up for Public Comments at Town Commission meetings to lodge these unjustified personal attacks. The Commissioners, at an organizational meeting after the 2008 election, had agreed to not allow personal attacks at Commission meetings, but Mayor Roseann Minnet refused to enforce it. She claimed it was all the fault of the individuals being attacked; e.g., her political adversaries. These attacks became progressively more vicious as the 2010 election date approached. The 2010 CIC endorsed candidates for LBTS Commissioners were Jim Silverstone and Marjorie Evans. For Mayor the CIC endorsed Joe Couriel. All well qualified and experienced individuals. Unfortunately, the opposition managed to convince a majority of the voters that the dissention at Town Commission meetings was being caused by the victims rather than the attackers. All three CIC endorsed candidates lost the election by substantial margins. Pg 1- a Discussion of removal of Chief Gooding by Town Manager Mayor Minet opened the meeting for public participation Diane Boutin Patrick Pointu Christopher Vincent Laurie Sinotti Sean Spellocy nonresident Mark Cohen Barbara Cole John Yanni Cindy Geesey Marie Chiarello Edmund Malkoon Marie Eckerrt Bonnie Myers John Alton Vito Chiarello Mark Brown Bill Davis Dennis Ritchie Yann Brandt Joan Englander Shot Bob Fleishman Mrs Malkoon Chuck Clark Beverly Kennedy Richey Bonfey and Debbie Finato expressed their displeasure with the transfer of BSO Chief Scott Gooding and requested that he be reinstated with the Town Accusations were made that the Commission collaborated with the Town Manager for the dismissal of Chief Gooding to which the Commission denied. Adrian Roberts supported both the Town Manager and the reinstatement of Chief Gooding. April 26,2010 Special Meeting Removal Interim Town Manager Olinzock pg 2- Commissioner Clottey suggested the Commission only remove Interim Town Manager Olinzock from his temporary interim position and return him to his previous position of Assistant Town Manager until they find out what happened She noted that the Town was going into budget time and Interim Town Manager. Pg 5- Commissioner Clottey suggested separating the motion in to two parts the first motion regarding the termination and payout of Interim Town Manager Olinzock and the second motion regarding the investigation of former Town Manager Colon’s Olinzock had knowledge as to how the Town was run severance payout She believed that by keeping the motion as is implied criminal activity was conducted Pg. 6- severance payout She believed that by keeping the motion as is implied criminal activity was conducted. Town Commission Meeting Public Comments pg. 3 Sept. 22, 2009- Edmund Malkoon said he took it personal when Manager Colon investigated his claim of a harassment and vandalism at his home and reported that it did not occur He stated that he decided to run for District 1 Commissioner. June 14, 2011 Town Commission Meeting pg. 3- Edmund Malkoon was against the referendums as the Commission never voted on whether to put in underground wiring or have a parking garage or build a new Town Hall Complex Mr Malkoon pointed out that the referendum could work in reverse and tie the hands of future Commissions. He believed that drainage and sewers were more important issues to focus on. NO STRINGS? … HE’S NOT FRETTING? ….HE SHOULD BE! ….. Aug 25, 2010 Reg. Comm.Mtg. Malkoon verbatim Aug 25, 2010 public comments Town Comm. Mtg…. THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT KID …. Dear Readers … the 2012 League of Women Voters Meet the Candidate Forum was over in less than hour in part because there were only 2 candidates vying for one seat and a lack of questions to answer although a lot of the questions came from the 35 this writer sent in to the moderator on Dec. 9, 2011 … I’m definitely going to go back and watch the exchange again .. Readers should do the same and will have countless opportunities to do so with the event being re-broadcast on the Town’s channel 78 Jan 12,13,14,15,16,25,26,28,29 at 7 and 9 pm as well as being available anytime on the Town’s website http://lbts.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2 ….. The Candidates were asked if they were happy with the current Master Plan and it was Malkoon responding first to once again remind voters he was on the MPSC and was happy with the Master Plan stating it was not set in stone for the 5 years.. Brown shot back that he was “disappointed” with the MPSC and glad that the Town went out beyond the committee to accomplish the plan citing a lack of consensus on the committee…He also corrected Malkoon by stating that only one year of the Master Plan has a budgeted commitment of funding.. Up next was the question concerning the upcoming beach re-nourishment which was also discussed at a recent Town Reg. Comm. meeting… Brown responded that he had experience in beach re-nourishment while working with congress and stated it is imperative to do and he supports it with reservations ..Those include the impact on LBTS which he stated was nowhere as bad off as Galt Ocean Mile…He also stated his concerns about the proposed ideas such as the sand coming from mined areas on trucks and the impact of the trucks carrying it as well as the quality of the sand itself.. He reiterated he supports the project with reservations… Malkoon responded after Brown that he remembered the beach re-nourishment of the early 1980’s and the problems at that time.. Public bathrooms was the next topic… Malkoon responded once again that he was on the MPSC and this had come before them for the “80th” time…he did not think it was a top priority citing the sewers and drainage .. BC- I think a look back at his time on the MPSC will show he was all in when it came to public bathrooms .. The sewer/water fees increase question was finally asked and it was Malkoon’s to answer first… He said he spoke to the Town Manager on this issue and that there is an inequality as well as adding the sewer replacement would cost us about a million dollars which is not as bad as we thought it would be and we have $1.8 million in the sewer fund which “is more than enough needed” … He spoke of the water usage and Fort Lauderdale and the charges “going down” as well as looking at a rate decrease across the board.. BC- I find this disturbing because up til now it was my understanding we do not have the final figures for the cost of the sewers in the south…So where did Malkoon get the million figure from?… Did the TM inform him before the Commission?… The water usage I believe is slated to go up with another increase on the horizon as we only sent in by resolution our complaint concerning the fees…As far as a rate decrease across the board for south end properties under the PB-LBTS Master Sewer Agreement…I believe the only rate decrease to be discussed is concerning multi-family/hotel/condo properties…on Jan 19th.. Brown said we do have a parking problem because people want to park right in front of where they are going..He cited signage as well being a problem and added that after the recession is over the time will come to think about a garage or some way to deal with it…No money for it right now… Next was the question of what if any changes the candidates would make in the bid process …large bids… Brown responded the Town under this Commission and Administration made big changes with a limit of $15,000 being kept and the Commissioners seeing all bids first… Malkoon added there has been a big increase in transparency in the last 2 years and he thinks we should bid as much as possible .. That was followed by a question concerning staffing in Town such as a Town Marketing person, Town Planner, Asst. TM and an Asst. To the TM… Malkoon said we should let the TM run the town… Brown stated that as a Chief of Staff he held a similar role to the TM in staffing …He went on to say as long as the TM was mindful of the overall budget it did not matter what title was affixed to the TM’s hires…He added that if the Commission became unhappy with the TM’s actions the TM could be removed… The second to last question was about the recreation/Senior Center and any changes… Brown responded he regularly participates in the program lauding its volunteers and saying he thought there was a need for more space and suggesting more usage of Jarvis Hall ….Malkoon stated it was now called the Community Center and he said Armilio (the director) was doing a “great job” …as far as youth programs he said we are “blessed” with programs in neighboring towns and it’s something we can look in to.. BC- This line of attack was a complete misfire in this writer’s opinion …It made it abundantly clear that Malkoon not being able to match Brown’s experience decided with his small, small cadre of pals to denigrate it!… Sad and pitiful…. With that the meeting ended… As Myagi said to the “kid” wax on…wax off… Voters…take a look at the forum…take a look at the differences ..an experienced…methodical…factual man who is beholden to no one or a self proclaimed local boy who is apparently beholden to a cadre of supporters who let him believe he is owed a seat on the dais because he is a local boy!… Wax off!….. BUTTERING UP THE VOTERS ….. Town affairs have quieted down considerably since a new commission majority took over in 2010. The commission quickly disposed of former Town Manager Esther Colon and brought in former Fort Lauderdale City Manager Connie Hoffman to take the reins of the town’s administration. Commission meetings have gone from combative to congenial. The issues: The commission has pushed an aggressive agenda, which both Brown and Malkoon support. They want to continue revitalization plans for Commercial Boulevard and State Road A1A. They agree the town needs to update its aging sewer system and fix drainage problems. And they say the projects need to be accomplished without raising the town’s tax rate. Each candidate sees himself as the one better able to maintain the town’s progress and to keep the commission from backsliding into past disputes. Malkoon has worked in credit card, mortgage and real estate fields and says that business background will be a plus when overseeing the management of the town’s finances. Malkoon stresses his ties to the town, where he has lived most of his life, and his participation in local activities. He says he has tried to build bridges with all sides in town, including those on the losing end of the last elections. Unlike Brown, who ran editorials critical of past commissioners in the local ByTheSeaFuture paper, Malkoon said he promoted his favored candidates without criticizing the other side. Brown says that because of his past experiences as a congressional aide and reporter, he knows what it takes for government to get things done and to accomplish the town’s goals. He says his editorials at ByTheSeaFuture, which he started because of his opposition to much of what was being done in town, helped shape decisions in town. For Brown, ethics and the conduct of town officials continue to be top priorities. A side issue that Brown says he will pursue if elected is public restrooms for the beach. Before the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) was introduced in 1967, when brokers (and their agents) only represented sellers, the term “real estate salesperson” may have been more apt than it is today, given the various ways that brokers and agents now help buyers through the process rather than merely “selling” them a property. Legally, however, the term “salesperson” is still used in many states to describe a real estate agent. Real estate education: To become licensed, most states require that an applicant take a minimum number of classes before taking the state licensing exam. Such education is often provided by real estate brokerages as a means to finding new agents. In many states, the real estate agent (acting as an agent of a broker) must disclose to prospective buyers and sellers who represents whom. See below for a broker/agent’s relationship to sellers and their relationship to buyers. While some people may refer to any licensed real estate agent as a real estate broker, a licensed real estate agent is a professional who has obtained either a real estate salesperson’s license or a real estate broker’s license. When a person first becomes licensed to become a real estate agent, they obtain a real estate salesperson’s license (some states use the term, “broker”) from the state in which they will practice. To obtain a real estate license, the candidate must take specific coursework (of between 40 and 90 hours) and pass a state exam on real estate law and practice. To work, salespersons must be associated with (and act under the authority of) a real estate broker.

2019-04-24T18:50:57Z

http://barbaracolebythesea.com/category/boards/

• Dinner will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at the Blue Jeans Center, 1242 Main St. Cost is $9 for adults and $4 for children. The menu will include baked pasta, ham loaf, corn casserole, broccoli salad and desserts. Carry out will be available. All proceeds will go to help keep the center open. • More than 100 works by Knox County high school student artists will be on exhibit at Vincennes University’s Shircliff Gallery of Art beginning Monday. A reception and awards presentation will take place in the gallery at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The exhibition will run through April 5 at the Gallery, located at 130 E. Harrison St. Schools represented include Vincennes Lincoln, Rivet, North Knox, and South Knox. Awards will be juried by Brittany Sievers, VU ceramics instructor. Best of Show awards will be presented in two-dimensional medium and three-dimensional medium. First place, second place, and honorable mentions will be awarded in the categories of black and white drawing, ceramics, color drawing, glass/metals, painting (includes oil and acrylic), photography, printmaking sculpture, textiles, three-dimensional mixed media, and two-dimensional mixed media. Certificates will be presented to all winners and Tri-Kappa Sorority will present individual awards. The VU Art and Design faculty will award scholarship money that is contingent on enrollment in the VU Art and Design program in the fall. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and 12-4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. • Generations will be hosting an Aging Well Retreat from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday at Vincennes University's Robert E. Green Activities Center, 120 W. Harrison St. Mental health issues in older adults is a topic that is often overlooked. Turning Leaf Behavior Health will be joining us to help shed some light on this subject. Speakers will be presenting on the following topics: advance care planning, mental health, healthy eating, exercise, and Alzheimer’s caregiving. Generations will also honor volunteers who are making a difference in our community through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. A drug toss will be conducted with the local police department from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and is an excellent opportunity to dispose of your unused or outdated prescriptions. Free health screenings will be available during the event; blood pressure, pulse oximetry, glucose, balance, vision, spinal, and foot checks, are just a few. There will also be a vendor fair where you can learn about tools and resources that provide information, education and support for aging well. The event is free but seating is limited. A free lunch will be provided, but registration is required. Register online by visiting the Generations’ website at www.generationsnetwork.org, or call the Generations office at 1-800-742-9002. • The American Red Cross will host blood drives at the following locations this month: 2-6 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, Central Christian Church, 303 Buchanan Drive, Lawrenceville, Illinois; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT on Thursday, Red Hill High School, 908 Church St., Bridgeport, Illinois. For more information call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visits RedCrossBlood.org. • Backyard Fruit Growers Series sessions offered in conjunction with the Purdue Extension-Knox County office will run from 6:30-9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2 and April 9 at the Purdue Extension-Knox County Office, 4259 N. Purdue Road, or view from a computer. Learn how to successfully raise small fruit and tree fruit in your backyard. Event registration is $40 and is required by visiting www.tinyurl.com/PurdueFruit2019 or by calling 765-494-6794. • The YMCA of Vincennes has kicked-off its 2019 Annual Campaign. This year's goal $100,000. To donate go online to vincennesymca.org/give. The YMCA's programs and services are for all. No one is turned away because of the inability to pay. • Good Samaritan Hospital seeks current and former patients to participate on its Patient and Family Engagement Council (PFEC). The council will feature 10-12 patients who will meet on a monthly basis to provide feedback and creative solutions for program development or improvements within the hospital. Members will need to commit to a minimum of a one-year term. Those who are interested in applying for a membership can complete an online application by visiting gshvin.org/pfec. Applications will be reviewed and those selected for the council will be contacted for an interview. The Good Samaritan Oncology Department is accepting donations for the patient supply closet. Basic living and personal hygiene supplies are needed. Contact Lesley Hofmann at 812-885-3990 to make arrangements to have items picked up. Good Samaritan Community Health Services will offer free colorectal cancer screening kits at the following locations during March: 1 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Winslow Community Center, Winslow; 9:30-11 a.m. on Tuesday, Fox Ridge, 150 Fox Ridge Drive; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT Lawrenceville Senior Center, Lawrenceville, Illinois; 10:30 a.m. to noon CDT on Thursday, Wabash Community Center, Mount Carmel, Illinois; 9-10 a.m. on Friday, Knox County Library Fortnightly Clubhouse, 421 N. Sixth St. Free grip strength and finger stick blood sugar screenings will be offered from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday during the Aging Well Retreat at Vincennes University's Robert E. Green Activities Center, 120 W. Harrison St. The Community Get-Fit Challenge weigh-in will be held from 9-11 a.m. on March 30 at the YMCA of Vincennes, 2010 College Ave. Good Samaritan Hospital Community Health Services will offer free GFR/creatinine (kidney function) blood screenings at the following locations during April: 9:30-11 a.m. April 1, Vincennes YMCA, 2010 College Ave.; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 1, Carlisle Community Center, Carlisle; 8:30-10 a.m. CDT April 2, Gibson County Council on Aging, Princeton; 9-10:30 a.m. April 3, Petersburg Senior Center, Petersburg; 1-2 p.m. April 4, St. Vincent DePaul Store, 1604 Main St.; 6-7:30 p.m. April 4, Thursday Church, 114 S. Main St., Bicknell; 9-10:30 a.m. April 8, Senior and Family Services, Washington; 1-2:30 p.m. CDT April 8, Palestine Food Pantry, Palestine, Illinois; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 10, Goodwill, 1540 Willow St.; 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 11, Odon Senior Center, Odon; 10-11:30 a.m. April 16, Washington Housing, Washington; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 17, Sandborn Community Center, Sandborn; 2-3:30 p.m. April 18, Old French Towne Apartments, 600 Nicholas St.; 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT April 19, Richland County Senior Center, Olney, Illinois; 9:30-11 a.m. April 23, Fox Ridge, 150 Fox Ridge Drive; 11 am. to 12:30 p.m. CDT April 24, Lawrenceville Senior Center, Lawrenceville, Illinois; 10:30 a.m. to noon CDT April 25, Wabash Community Senior Center, Mount Carmel, Illinois; 9-10 a.m. April 26, Knox County Public Library Fortnightly Clubhouse, 421 N Sixth St.; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 29, Winslow Community Center, Winslow. Free lipid profile (cholesterol) blood screenings will be offered at the following locations during April: 9-10:30 a.m. April 3, Helping His Hands, 2011 Willow St., Suite B; 8:30-10 a.m. April 10, Blue Jeans Center, 1242 Main St., Monroe City; 10-11:30 a.m. CDT April 15, Crawford County Senior Center, Robinson, Illinois; 6:30-8 p.m. April 23, God's Pantry, Oaktown Christian Church, 103 School St., Oaktown. Free blood pressure and pulse oximetry screenings will be offered from 10-11:30 a.m. April 2 at Jay C Food Store, 1400 Washington Ave. Good Samaritan’s Walk with a Doc is held from 9-10 a.m. on Saturdays at Gregg Park, 2204 Washington Ave. Those taking part will have a few minutes to learn about a current health topic then spend the rest of the hour enjoying a healthy walk and conversation with a doctor on the indoor track. It’s a great way to get out of the house and stay active. You can walk at your own pace and distance; whatever works for you. Good Samaritan Hospital providers will rotate as the walk leaders and provide information on new topics every week. Take a step to improve your health and join us at this free community event every Saturday. Walk with a Doc is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage healthy physical activity in people of all ages, and reverse the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle in order to improve the health and well-being of the country. • Beginning at 1 p.m. on March 30, the rangers and volunteers of the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park along with the park's Youth Advisory Council will be providing the opportunity for the public to “Soar into the Sky” with their kites. Every year in Washington, D.C., thousands of people gather to celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Part of the annual festival is a Kite Day celebration, where visitors from all over the country travel to the National Mall and fill the air with these wonders of the sky. The local park wants to bring this taste of Washington. D.C. to the banks of the Wabash River. Kite enthusiasts are invited to the grounds of the Clark Memorial for an afternoon of kite flying and other activities. This event will be open to kite fliers of all ages and abilities. Participants are encouraged to bring their own kites to show off and fly. Don’t have a kite? That is okay. A number of kite-making kits will be available for kids to build their very own diamonds in the sky. A separate kite-making area will be available, where visitors will not only be able to build their kites, but also will be able to decorate them. The celebration will begin at the Visitor Center at 401 S. Second St. There are no fees for any activity throughout the day and the park grounds are open to anyone. The event will last until 4 p.m. • Walnut Grove Church soup supper and auction will be held on March 30 at the church, 13599 E. Governors Road, Monroe City. Food will be served at 5:30 p.m. and the auction will begin at 7 p.m. Cost of the meal is freewill donation. • The Vincennes/Vincennes Universty AIDS Walk will begin at 11 a.m. on March 30 at the Vincennes University Student Rec Center, 1600 Short St. A health fair, registration and sign making will begin at 10 a.m. This is the 10th annual walk, and proceeds benefit the purchase of grocery store gift cards for low income families impacted by HIV and AIDS in Vincennes, Knox County, and the counties surrounding in both Indiana and Illinois. Donations can be made online at VincennesAIDSWalk.org or sent to: Vincennes AIDS Community Action Group, P.O. Box 357, Vincennes, IN 47591. The VU Psychology Club is the presenting sponsor of this years walk. One new feature of the walk will be a social media campaign from walkers to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. For more information contact Wally at 812-480-0204 or [email protected]. • Generations is once again providing Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) in Knox County. This program provides free assistance to low income, elderly and special needs taxpayers in filling out both the federal and state tax forms. Volunteers have completed their certification with the Internal Revenue Service, and they are now available to complete tax forms at Bettye J. McCormick Senior Center Bus Barn, 2009 Prospect Ave. This is an appointment-only site; to schedule an appointment call 812-882-2285. Appointments will be scheduled for Wednesday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a break at noon for lunch. Drop-offs will be accepted on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a break at noon for lunch. Items required at the time of appointments are a photo ID, Social Security card for yourself and dependents, all tax forms, a copy of last year’s taxes, property tax statement for homeowners and landlord’s name and address for renters. For direct deposit of tax refunds a bank routing number and account number are required. The Knox County TCE Coordinator is Linda Yochum. • The Fritchton High School Alumni banquet will be at 6:30 p.m. on April 13 at Vincennes University's Robert E. Green Activities Center, 120 W. Harrison St. Cost is $20 per person and a check, made out to Fritchton Alumni, can be sent to: Mary Welton, 1278 S. Welton Chapel Road, Vincennes, IN 47591. Reservations can be made through April 5. A cruise in/car show will begin at 5 p.m. on April 12 through Fritchton, followed by a get together at the Fritchton-Palmyra Township Fire Department, 380 Anson Road. Those wanting to participate can just show up and sign in. Cars will be lined up at the fire station after the cruise in. Bring a covered dish to the get together at the fire station. • Honey in the Rock, a bluegrass gospel group, will perform at 7 p.m. on April 19 at Calvary Baptist Church, 300 Hall Road just outside of Wheatland as you travel towards Bicknell. There is no admission charge. For more information call Brother Gene Rasner, 812-743-2408. • Generations' Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is still selling pecans. These pecans are fresh from Georgia from the most recent pecan crop. Prices are $10 per bag with your choice of either a 12-ounce bag of small pieces, or a 12-ounce bag of halves. Money raised from these sales support projects that benefit our local community such as Children's Vision Screening, Little Elves Workshops, Love-A-Bears, Pet Pad Program, etc. To purchase pecans, please contact Patti Dreiman at 1-800-742-9002 or come by our office on the third floor of the Community Services-Zella Young Hall, 1019 N. Fourth St., Room 311. • Nominations are being sought for the 2019-20 William M. Bierhaus Doorway Scholarship to Vincennes University. The scholarship was established by William M. Bierhaus II in honor of his father, William M. Bierhaus, and is awarded to an incoming VU freshman who is a graduate of any of the four Knox County high schools, Lincoln, Rivet, South Knox, or North Knox. Intended to be awarded for two years, the scholarship is designed for a student who would not be able to attend college without the financial assistance of the Doorway Scholarship. The educational grant can amount to as much as $5,000 per school year for educational expenses. Students must be nominated by an adult in the community — such as a high school teacher or counselor, a minister, or another community leader — who is familiar with the student, his or her academic background, community involvement, and financial need. Letters of recommendation should be sent by April 1 to the Vincennes University Foundation, 1002 N. First Street, Vincennes IN 47591. No special application form is required; however, the student’s merits and education background should be included in the letters. The writer should also indicate why the student should be considered for the scholarship. Questions about the scholarship may be directed to the VU Foundation at 812-888-4510 or [email protected]. • Four April concerts presented by the Vincennes University Department of Music will showcase talented students performing in a variety of vocal and instrumental ensembles, including the Brass Ensemble, Woodwind Ensemble, Concert Band, VU Connection, Jazz Ensemble, Blues Ensemble, and String Ensemble. Concerts include Drum Enchanted Evening on April 4, An Evening of Winds and Percussion on April 17, Guitar Fest on April 24, and Jazz on the Wabash on April 30. The starting time for all is 7:30 p.m. and the location the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center, 20 Red Skelton Blvd.. Admission for all concerts is free and the public is cordially invited to attend. Drum Enchanted Evening will feature the VU Percussion Ensemble with special guest performances by students from South Knox Middle-High School. The VU Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Susie Jackson, consists of percussionists playing a variety of traditional and innovative percussion instruments. The group will be performing various musical styles including jazz/fusion, classical, and the more contemporary novelty tunes performed in the style of STOMP which involve the use of unique or unusual objects as percussion instruments combined with visual performance. The VU Music program is designed to allow students to complete the first two years of a baccalaureate degree in music, with studies available in music education, performance, theory and composition, therapy, business and industry, or church music. The curriculum includes two years of music theory, ear training and aural skills, piano, and applied lessons, as well as opportunities to perform in a variety of vocal and instrumental ensembles. Details about the VU Music program are available at vinu.edu/music-program. • The Lawrenceville High School Class of 1979 will celebrate 40 years since graduation this year. Information is being sought for the following classmates: Marvin Armstrong, Dave Brooks, Brian Deckard, Larry Dunlap, Harold Engel, Linda Garringer, Craig Gher, Marty Hunt, David Jarvis, Tammy Jurgins, J.R. Lewis, Marianne Mackey, David Milligan, Martin Nead, Karen Pinkstaff, Angie Plough, Felicia Stevenson, Greg Baxter, Kim Davis, Margaret Dollahan, Tim Emmons, Dave Finley, Brenda Garvey, Kim Horn, Bob Ingram, David Johnson, Sherri Laslie, Willie McKinney, Greg Mayo, Brenda Monjar, Kim Neighbors, Mike Pinkstaff, Doug Sager, Mark Swarens, Richard Terry, Lisa Umfleet, Paul Wells, John Timms, Kelly Warner and Ann Yosowitz. Call 618-928-2428 with information. • The Vincennes University Alumni Community Series wraps up its 67th season on April 5 with “The Bellamy Brothers.” This American Pop and Country Duo has been on the charts for four decades, with hits such as “Let Your Love Flow” and “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me.” They travel, doing nearly 200 shows a year. Performance will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center at 20 Red Skelton Blvd. For tickets or for more information, please call the Vincennes University Alumni Office at 812-888-4354 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or call 800.945.ALUM or visit www.vinu.edu/communityseries. • The Decker High School Alumni Banquet will be held April 13 at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 401 Felt King Road. Social hour will begin at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 6 p.m. The banquet is open to anyone who attended Decker High School or Decker Elementary School. One does not have to be a graduate. Advance ticket purchase is required. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased by April 6. Tickets are non-refundable. No tickets will be sold at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the following locations through April 6: Glenn's Barber Shop, 1820 N. Second St.; Crop Tech, 1220 Willow St.; Martin's Barber Shop, 212 N. 10th St.; Thomas Refrigeration, 1812 Busseron St.; Little Red Fur Shed, 1442 Bloebaum Road, Decker; Old National Bank, 1905 Hart St. and 20 N. Third St.; and D&H Glass, 908 S. 15th St. There will be a silent auction again this year to raise money for the scholarship fund. Anyone who has an item to donate should call Barbara Holscher at 812-881-7688. For more information contact Ellen Street at 812-887-2837, Ron Henderson at 812-882-7230 or Terry Catt at 941-993-4062. • The Knox and Daviess County Extension Educators “A Matter of Balance” class will continue through April 22 at Jamestown Square Apartments, 360 Felt King Road. This program emphasizes practical strategies to manage falls. The classes will help you to view falls as controllable, set goals for increasing activity, make changes to reduce fall risks at home, and exercise to increase strength and balance. Class is FREE! Space is limited. For more information, or to reserve your spot, call 812-882-3509. • Are you a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization providing services in Knox County? Does your organization look for ways to better leverage resources and/or increase program awareness? Do you look for effective ways to minimize duplication of resources in an effort to provide your targeted service to Knox County individuals? If you answered yes to any of these questions, United Way of Knox County would like to hear from you. United Way is looking to generate conversation, and possible funding, around a networking collaboration of non-profits within the county. One avenue for this is to host an information and input session regarding a service called Charity Tracker. To find out more about the upcoming information session contact Mark Hill at United Way of Knox County at 812-882-3624. To learn more about Charity Tracker visit www.charitytracker.com. April 24: Shopping Day at IKEA in Fishers. May 16: The Creation Museum, in Petersburg, Kentucky. Oct. 16: Autumn in Nashville, Indiana. For more information contact the VU Alumni Office at 812-888-4354. • The Decker Chapel school alumni banquet will be held April 20 at the Decker Chapel Community Center. Social hour will begin at 5 p.m. followed by dinner, provided by Carla's Catering, at 6 p.m. Cost for the dinner is $15 per person and reservations are due by April 15 and can be made by calling Linda Fox, 812-890-2353, or Pat Doades, 812-890-3139. The event is open to anyone who ever attended Decker Chapel school, or any direct descendant of a Decker Chapel graduate. One does not need to be a graduate. Donated craft or food auction items are appreciated, with proceeds going to the scholarship and alumni funds. • The high school equivalency exam, formerly GED class, is now taking enrollment. The Vincennes University adult education class meets in Room 205 of the Community Services-Zella Young Hall at 1023 N. Fourth St. The class is free. For more information or class schedule, call 812-888-4119. • Qualified Dementia/Alzheimer’s Care Specialist and Wellness Coordinator Peg Szewczak, at Fox Ridge Manor, is available for private consulting at no charge. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Peg at 812-881-7781. • Health Connection of Pace Community Action Agency Inc. will send quarterly newsletters to keep the community informed/updated. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, contact Linda Obaseki at [email protected]. • Want to give back to your community? Generations’ AngelWorx Program is always looking for new volunteers. We invite folks of all ages who want to use their life experience and skills to make a difference regardless of the amount of time they have to give. You tell us what interests you and we will find a place for you. We offer a variety of volunteer opportunities for all ages. Our volunteer program has evolved over the past 40 years to include intergenerational projects that fill the gaps and help improve the quality of life for residents in our six-county service area. For more information on volunteering, contact Patty Dreiman at 812-888-5879 or [email protected]. • Children continue to need volunteer advocates through The Knox County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Program. Volunteers serve as advocates for children who have been abused or neglected. To volunteer or find out more about the program, visit www.childadvocatesnetwork.org. A new training class is being formed to equip people who care to become equipped to meet this need. • The American Red Cross is offering a free smoke alarm and installation program. Smoke alarms are only guaranteed to work for 10 years. Residents should test their smoke alarms monthly, change the batteries every six months, and replace their alarms every 10 years. Alarms should be replaced if they are older than 2007. To schedule an appointment for free smoke alarms and installation, contact the American Red Cross at 812-471-7200 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. • Alcoholics Anonymous meets at noon. at First Baptist Church, 2625 Wabash Ave. • Region 13 ABATE of Indiana Gibson/Knox counties meet on the second Saturday of each month at noon CDT at the Hilltop Tavern in Hazleton. For more information contact Christian Harper at 812-677-3852. • Narcotics Anonymous “New Found Freedom” meets at 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays at the community corrections office, 135 N. Eighth St. • Narcotics Anonymous “Starting Over Group” meets at 7 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 925 Broadway St. • Narcotics Anonymous “Walking the Line Group” meets at 5 p.m. CDT on Saturdays at 1008 12th St., Lawrenceville, Illinois. • Alcoholics Anonymous meets at 8 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 2625 Wabash Ave. • Alcoholics Anonymous will meet at 10 a.m. CDT on Sundays at the Lawrence County Memorial Hospital, 2111 State St., Lawrenceville, Illinois. • Euchre is played on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Clark’s Crossing of Historic Vincennes, 300 N. Sixth St. For more information contact Dorothy Davis at 812-890-1048. • Healing Hearts, a grief support group meets from 5-6:30 p.m. on Sundays at Thursday Church, 218 Main St. For more information, contact Julie Gornall at 812-881-8192. • Narcotics Anonymous “Starting Over Group” meets at 7 p.m. on Sundays at First Christian Church, 319 Broadway St. • Froggers Crochet Club will meet from 8:30-11 a.m. every Monday in the sunroom at the Knox County Public Library, 502 N. Seventh St., for crocheting, patters, lessons and fellowship. • Narcotics Anonymous “Walking the Line Group” meets at 4 p.m. CDT on Mondays at First Presbyterian Church, 809 12th St., Lawrenceville, Illinois. • The Happy Hoopers Embroidery Club will meet at 1 p.m. on the second Monday of every month Room 305 of Vincennes University's Community Services-Zella Young Hall, 1019 N. Fourth St. All sewers, machine embroiders and quilters are welcome. • On the first Monday of the month the Bicknell-Vigo Township Public Library, 201 W. Second St., is holding “Family Movie Night” beginning at 6 p.m. For more information about the library, call 812-735-2317 or visit www.bicknell-vigo.lib.in.us/. • On the last Monday of the month the Bicknell-Vigo Township Public Library, 201 W. Second St., is holding “Teen Book Buzz” beginning at 3:30 p.m. For more information about the library, call 812-735-2317 or visit www.bicknell-vigo.lib.in.us/. • BABE Store at St. John’s United Church of Christ, 606 N. Fifth St., is open every Monday from noon to 4:30 p.m. • Inquiry sessions for anyone interested in learning more about the Catholic faith and possibly joining the Catholic Church will be 7 p.m. on Mondays at the St. John the Baptist Parish Office, 803 Main St. • Narcotics Anonymous “Starting Over Group” meets at 6:45 p.m. on Mondays at the Samaritan Center Community Mental Health Building, 121 Buntin St. • Circle of Hope Al-Anon Family Group meets at 7 p.m. on Mondays at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 925 Broadway St. Use the ramp entrance leading to the basement door. This group is a fellowship of family members and friends of alcoholics who meet to lend each other their experience, strength and hope. • Alcoholics Anonymous meets at 8 p.m. on the last Monday of the month at the First Baptist Church, 2625 Wabash Ave. • Tuesday With The Village meets from 8-10 a.m. CDT on Tuesdays at the United Methodist Village in Lawrenceville, Illinois. The community is invited. • Lincoln High School Class of 1955 meets at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays at Dot’s Custom Cakes and Catering, 101 Busseron St. Classmates and friends are urged to attend. • On Tuesdays the Bicknell-Vigo Township Public Library, 201 W. Second St., is holding “Toddlers Morning Out” beginning at 10:30 a.m. For more information about the library, call 812-735-2317 or visit www.bicknell-vigo.lib.in.us/. • Alcoholics Anonymous meets at noon on Tuesdays at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 925 Broadway St. • Euchre is played at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Blue Jeans Community Center, 1242 Main St., Monroe City. • Froggers Crochet Club will meet from 2-4 p.m. every Tuesday at Clarks Crossing of Historic Vincennes, 300 N. Sixth St., for lessons, patterns, crocheting and fellowship. • Friends of the Library will meet at 2:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at the Bicknell-Vigo Township Public Library, 201 W. Second St. • The Knox County Support Group for Caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease (or other dementia) meets the second Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m. at the Central Church of Christ Fellowship Hall, 1600 Forbes Road. The meetings provide the latest information on Alzheimer’s research and medications, help and encouragement from other caregivers and open, but confidential discussions and a chance to be heard. For more information, contact Roger Wright, support group facilitator, at 812-882-7963 or [email protected]. • Good Samaritan Hospital will host a cancer survivor group from 6-7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month in the conference room of the Cancer Pavilion, 520 S. Seventh St. Because of the holidays there will not be a support group meeting in December. • Emotions Anonymous (EA), a program to help individuals with emotional problems cope with everyday life, will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at St. John’s United Church of Christ, 606 N. Fifth St., enter at the corner entrance on Fifth and Hart Streets. For more information call 812-255-0763. • Alcoholics Anonymous will meet at 7 p.m. CDT on Tuesdays at the First Presbyterian Church, 809 12th St., Lawrenceville, Illinois. • Alcoholics Anonymous will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at the First Baptist Church, 425 W. Third St., Bicknell. • Alcoholics Anonymous meets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 925 Broadway St. • Lincoln High School Class of 1952 meets at 11:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of the month at Dot’s Custom Cakes and Catering, 101 Busseron St. Classmates and friends are welcome to attend. • Narcotics Anonymous “Starting Over Group” meets at noon on Wednesdays at Bethlehem General Baptist Church, 9 W. Jefferson St. • Weight Watchers meets at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at First Christian Church, 319 Broadway St. Weigh-in is 30 minutes prior to the meeting. • Euchre is played on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at Clark’s Crossing of Historic Vincennes, 300 N. Sixth St. For more information contact Dorothy Davis at 812-890-1048. • On Wednesdays the Bicknell-Vigo Township Public Library, 201 W. Second St., is holding “Little Listeners” beginning at 3:30 p.m. for preschoolers and kindergartners. For more information about the library, call 812-735-2317 or visit www.bicknell-vigo.lib.in.us/. • A weight loss support group will meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bicknell-Vigo Township Public Library in Bicknell, 201 W. Second St. • Church of Victory, 602 N. First St., hosts The Grace Connection at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays. The Grace Connection offers classes to alleviate the challenges of addiction, stress, depression, anger, self destruction, etc. These classes will empower people to fulfill their God given purpose by learning to leave the past behind and move forward into their bright future, as God intended. Rooted in God’s Word, labels will disappear as individuals learn to break free from the past and move forward into their God fulfilled purpose. If you have any questions or would like additional information please contact Pastor Sandy Ivers at 812-881 6296 or email us at [email protected]. • Fit and Fun Exercise Time, directed by JoAnn Winkler, will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Oaktown Community Center. This is free to everyone and includes low to moderate aerobics and stretches. For more information, call JoAnn at 812-324-2456. • Alcoholics Anonymous meets at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Samaritan Center Community Mental Health Building, 121 Buntin St. • Wednesday Night Duplicate Bridge Club meets at 7 p.m. at the Vincennes Bridge Center, 209 Main St. Free lessons are presented by a certified trainer 30 minutes prior to game time. To arrange partnership or reserve your seat, call club managers Toni or Chris Kimmel at 812-886-4763. • Alcoholics Anonymous will meet at 7 p.m. CDT on Wednesdays at the Lawrence County Memorial Hospital, 2111 State St., Lawrenceville, Illinois. • Breakfast Bingo will be played the fourth Thursday of January, April, July and October beginning at 9 a.m. in dining rooms C and D at Willow Manor, 3801 Old Bruceville Road. Prizes will be awarded. The event is open to the public. • Alcoholics Anonymous meets at noon on Thursdays at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 925 Broadway St. • On the first Thursday of the month at 2 p.m. at the Bicknell-Vigo Township Public Library, 201 W. Second St., folks ages 50 and over are invited to take part in the “Senior Divas Book Chat” — which is open to everyone, not just ladies. • Every Thursday, students in first through third grades can attend “Book Buddies” at 3:30 p.m. at the Bicknell-Vigo Township Public Library, 201 W. Second St. For more information about the library, call 812-735-2317 or visit www.bicknell-vigo.lib.in.us/. • Loaves and Fishes will serve a meal from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursdays in the Allen Clark Community Room at Major Bowman Terrace, 203 Bowman Terrace. Everyone is welcome to attend. • The Knox County Breastfeeding Coalition will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays at First Baptist Church, 2625 Wabash Ave. Anyone interested in attending is welcome. For more information, contact Melissa Smith at 812-887-3063 or Deb Telligman at 812-890-8375. • The Red Hill Dulcimer Society is dedicated to teaching and preserving traditional acoustic music. Members meet on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. CDT at the United Methodist Church in Sumner, Illinois. Dulcimers, guitars, banjos, fiddles, mandolins, Irish whistles or any other acoustic instruments are welcome to join. For more information call 618-928-1507. • Al-Anon family group meeting will begin at 7 p.m. CDT on Thursdays at the First Church of Olney, 1401 N. Silver St., in Olney, Illinois. For additional information, contact Bob at 618-395-7667. • Narcotics Anonymous “Starting Over Group” meets at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 925 Broadway St. • Thursday Nite Dance, open to the public, from 7-10 p.m. on Thursdays at the Moose Lodge, 904 S. 17th St. No food and drinks provided. Live bands. For more information, contact the Moose at 812-882-4538, or Jo at 812-886-5429. • Vincennes-Lawrenceville Model Airplane Club meets at the YMCA of Vincennes annex building at 7:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month. Visitors are welcome. For more information call 812-882-0863. • The Knox County Detachment 1007 of the Marine Corps League will meet for coffee at 9 a.m. on Fridays at Dot’s Cakes and Catering, 101 Busseron St. All Marines and FMF Corpsman are welcome. • Duplicate bridge will be played at 11 a.m. on Fridays at Fox Ridge Manor, 150 Fox Ridge Drive. For more information, contact Sue Gerhart at 618-943-5994. • The Lincoln High School Class of 1964 meets the second Friday of each month at 12:30 p.m. for lunch. All classmates and friends are invited to attend. • Senior Education Ministries Inc. in partnership with Lawrence County, Illinois Senior Citizens Center has scheduled Dine with a Doc on the first Friday of each month from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. CDT at the Lawrence County Senior Citizens Center, 1705 12th St., in Lawrenceville. Dine with a Doc is a free program that welcomes the local senior public to hear an educational topic while enjoying a complimentary lunch. This program is a community effort of a doctor, a lunch sponsor, the senior citizens, local churches and area businesses coming together for the good of all to serve the senior citizens. Reservations are suggested and can be made at 618-544-8811. Contact Lori Aplin at 877-223-6109 with suggestions for the Dine with a Doc Program. For more information contact Senior Education Ministries, Inc. 812-917-4970 or email [email protected]. • Alcoholics Anonymous (women only) meets at noon at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church, 925 Broadway St. • Phoebe’s Mission at St. John’s United Church of Christ, 606 N. Fifth St., is held the first Friday of every month at 4:30-6 p.m. Individuals needing laundry detergent, soap, paper goods, personal hygiene items, etc. are welcome. • The First Baptist Church, 425 W. Third St. in Bicknell, will host Mending Broken Women, a support group for those who have experienced any type of sexual victimization or abuse, from 6-7 p.m. on the first and third Fridays of the month. Free baby sitting will be available. For additional information, contact Crystal at 812-887-7274. • Celebrate Recovery meets on Fridays at 6 p.m. at 1204 Broadway St. Come get healing for your hurts, habits and hang ups. Check us out in Facebook at Celebrate Recovery/Vincennes. • Beit Israel meets Fridays with Sabbath service at 7 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church, 1423 N. Fourth St. For information please call 812-396-9225 or 812-324-2725. • Narcotics Anonymous “Starting Over Group” meets at 7 p.m. at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 9 W. Jefferson St.

2019-04-22T02:52:06Z

http://www.suncommercial.com/lifestyle/article_f370037c-4b36-11e9-801e-27f6ecdc865e.html

The fundamental equations of radiative transfer have the Second Law of Thermodynamics built into them, via Kirchoff's Law, which can be derived directly from the 2nd Law. Thus when solved numerically the solutions perforce obey the 2nd law. This applies equally well to simple models described below, and to the most elaborate line-by-line calculations. All show that the presence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere results in a warmer surface than in their absence. Gerlich and Tscheuschner make fundamental mistakes in their arguments about the thermodynamics of the greenhouse effect which are profoundly revealing. They invoke Clausius' classic statement of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, no process is possible whose result is the transfer of heat from a cooler to a hotter body, to claim that thermal radiative energy from the colder atmosphere cannot warm the hotter surface (principally section 3.9 of Ref. 1). When following how energy moves between the sun, the Earth's surface and atmosphere, and space, the increases in entropy through every step of the process are simple and obvious, and the net energy flows are always from hotter to colder, as they must be. Estimation of the greenhouse effect contrasts cases when there is no atmosphere, or an atmosphere with no greenhouse gases to cases where there are varying amounts of greenhouse gases. The simplest calculations require significant simplifications but capture the essence of the situation. Radiative transfer models provide detailed information at the cost of complexity. In all cases surface temperatures are found to be higher for higher greenhouse gas concentrations. Fig. 32. A machine which transfers heat from a low temperature reservoir (e.g., stratosphere) to a high temperature reservoir (e.g., atmosphere) without external work applied, cannot exist — even if it is radiatively coupled to an environment, to which it is radiatively balanced. A modern climate model is supposed to be such a variant of a perpetuum mobile of the second kind. Their view of the second law is both clear and clearly wrong. The simplest explanation of why it wrong is that the Clausius statement refers to an entire process, not a single part of it. By isolating transfer from the colder atmosphere to the warmer surface they are neglecting heat transfer in the reverse direction. Radiative transfer is discussed below using simplified examples to appreciate how the greenhouse effect is a result of basic physics, consistent with all the laws of thermodynamics, and to show how Ref. 1 errs. There appears to be confusion about whether the Clausius statement applies to net heat flow or simply any flows of heat. Qualitatively one can make a simple argument about interchange of thermal energy between two bodies. Consider two perfectly absorbing disks in a vacuum at temperatures TA and TB, with TA > TB. If B is isolated, it will emit thermal energy at a rate given by the Stefan-Boltzmann Law. If the Clausius statement referred to any flow of heat when the two disks were placed opposite each other B would have to stop radiating towards A because if it did not, heat would be transferred between a body at lower temperature to a body at higher temperature. This is obviously absurd. The ability of either disk to radiate does not depend on the presence of another disk that absorbs the emitted radiation. Further it is not necessary to restrict the heat transfer mechanism to radiation, the same argument holds when energy is transferred by molecular motion, or electrons. Thus, the Clausius statement clearly must apply only to net heat flow, and one must consider all heat flows when applying the second law and not just selected flows in isolation from the others. Using Fig. 32 and in other places in Ref. 1., Gerlich and Tscheuschner repeatedly apply the second law to the isolated heat flow between the atmosphere and the surface and from this conclude that the greenhouse effect is impossible because it would be a perpetual motion machine of the second kind. We have shown that this is an absurd argument and thus the most basic part of their thesis fails. One can illustrate this quantitatively in a simplified manner with an idealized example. Again we use two infinite, flat and parallel plates. In this case we will treat the two plates as infinite heat sinks. For the sake of argument Face A is at 300K, face B at 260 K, somewhat the temperatures of the surface and the level of the atmosphere at which greenhouse gases radiate to space. Using the Stefan- Boltzmann law we can calculate the thermal energy and entropy exchanges between the two plates as shown in Fig. 1 which is similar to that of Fig. 32 of Ref. 1 except that includes heat transfer in both directions, which, as was discussed above, must be the case. Only heat is transferred, energy is conserved and, the net entropy increase of the entire system is positive as the second law requires, but equally clearly, the colder body radiates thermal energy that the hotter body absorbs. The argument of Ref. 1, which considers only part of the process is unphysical and wrong. The Clausius statement is about a complete process, not what happens to individual steps. The example makes clear that there is an interchange of heat by radiation between the colder and the warmer surface. Such an interchange occurs because the net entropy change for the process is positive. In the idealized example the disks were considered infinite. If they were finite, they would eventually reach a common temperature, however, the argument would be essentially the same for the process with minor changes to account for the changing temperatures of the disks. The point with respect to Ref. 1 is not the details of the process, but the fact that there must be constant heat exchange from the colder to the hotter disk, as well as a larger one from the hotter to the colder. These simplest examples can be expanded upon. Consider a spherical body whose temperature is maintained at T. Around it place two concentric shells A and B, each infinitesimally larger than the other. Surrounding all this is empty space at absolute zero . For convenience treat everything as perfect blackbodies. The net energy flow from A to B is (1/3)σT4 The assumptions that the spheres are perfect blackbodies and the radii of the shells are only slightly larger than the radius of the sphere could be relaxed at the expense of making the solution more complex. Thus, the addition of the Shell B has caused the temperature of Shell A to be higher than it would be in the absence of Shell B (~0.90 T instead of ~0.84 T), yet Shell B is at a lower temperature than Shell A. This is exactly the situation that Gerlich and Tscheuschner claim would violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics, i.e., that we have warmed an object (Shell A) to a higher temperature than it would have an the absence of the “back-radiation” from a cooler object (Shell B). Of course, as one can see, the net heat flow is from Shell A to Shell B and thus the 2nd law is not in fact violated, just as is true of the earth / atmosphere case where the net flow of heat is from the earth to the atmosphere and yet the presence of the IR-absorbing atmosphere still results in the surface being warmer than it would be without greenhouse gases. The entropy flux of the Earth is interesting. Suppose the Earth had no greenhouse gases. Ideally, it would, as discussed elsewhere, receive at its surface 235 W/m2 at the surface at 255K, and radiate it back as IR. The influx creates 235/255=0.92 W/m2/K entropy, but exactly the same amount is radiated out. What is not usually noted is that this allows for no creation of negative entropy on Earth except for biologically and chemically driven processes. No winds, no heat conduction. For these to happen, the Earth (which is not an isolated system) export net entropy. In other words having absorbed thermal energy from the sun, some portion of this must be transformed into free energy, capable of creating physical work to drive circulation. Since the outflux equals the influx of radiant heat, that means that at least some of the outgoing radiation must be emitted at a temperature lower than that at which the incoming was thermalized (so Q/T is higher). Due to the greenhouse effect, this happens. A substantial part of the IR leaves from the top of the atmosphere (TOA) at a much cooler temperature. In crude terms, if the greenhouse effect raises the surface temp from 255K to 288 K, the net entropy exported is 235/255-235/288 =0.106 W/m2/K. This is the entropy created by the wind. So the greenhouse effect does more than just keep us warm. It excretes our entropy garbage. The atmosphere can be treated as a huge heat engine, and the net entropy export is the driver. Eli - entropy creation is a tricky business, and I think you've actually fallen into a bit of a trap here. Total entropy production by Earth is pretty much the same with and without GHG's. What the GHG's allow is energy capture by the surface at a *higher* temperature than the final emission temperature, resulting in an opportunity to use some of the Sun's energy in a useful way rather than just sending it back into space after immediate thermalization. The point of entropy creation is when the energy gets thermalized, and the higher the temperature of thermalization, the lower the quantity of entropy (per unit energy/heat - obviously from the deltaQ/T relation, though it's not intuitive). So by raising Earth's surface temperature, GHG's allow thermalization of incoming solar at a higher temperature and therefore lower entropy per unit input energy, and therefore leave lots of room for more entropy creation before the energy leaves the planet again. The advantage of things like solar photovoltaic cells or concentrating solar thermal systems is that they capture the photons before thermalization at Earth's surface, and so the energy they capture is at much lower entropy-per-unit-energy, and can do much more useful work. I also think there's an even more powerful argument than the straightforward demonstration you present here of the entropy change associated with radiation between two heat baths. *ANY* form of energy interchange between two heat baths will, at the microscopic level, involve some processes that decrease entropy accompanied by others that increase it. If the two heat baths were ideal gas chambers, and you exchanged energy by opening a small channel between them, then a small number of gas molecules from the cold bath would enter the hot one, even as molecules from the hot bath entered the cold one. Same sort of issue at the microscopic level, and it is only the net, statistical average that obeys the classical second law, not the individual microscopic processes. The point of it is, you cannot turn off the radiation (or microscopic flow of molecules) from cold to hot without also turning off the radiation (or molecule flow) in the other direction. The process is "atomic" in the sense of indivisible, and so treating one side in isolation of the other and claiming a second law violation is profoundly, stupidly, absurdly wrong. however, I would further like to point out, I don't *think* this is quite what G&T are arguing. Rather, like their long diatribe on the "greenhouse", they seem to be focusing on the claim that GHG's causing "warming". Their language is opaque and confused so it's hard to tell, but I believe the layer at which they are wrong may be slightly deeper than this argument considers. (a) Derive the steady-state temperature T_A of Shell A when Shell B is not present. (b) Derive the steady-state temperature T_A of Shell A and T_B of Shell B when Shell B is present. (c) What is the net radiant heat flow (W/m^2) between Shell A and Shell B? (a) T_A = T / 2^(1/4), which is ~0.841 T. (b) T_A = T * (2/ 3)^(1/4), which is ~0.903 T and T_B = T / 3^(1/4), which is ~0.760 T. (c) (1/3)*sigma*T^4 from A to B. So, what we have is a situation where the addition of the Shell B has caused the temperature of Shell A to be higher than it would be in the absence of Shell B (~0.903 T instead of ~0.841 T), yet Shell B is at a lower temperature than Shell A. This is the sort of situation that G&T claim would violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics, i.e., that we have warmed an object (Shell A) to a warmer temperature than it would have an the absence of the “back-radiation” from a cooler object (Shell B). Of course, as you can see, the net heat flow is from Shell A to Shell B and thus the 2nd law is not in fact violated, just as is true of the earth / atmosphere case where the net flow of heat is from the earth to the atmosphere and yet the presence of the IR-absorbing atmosphere still results in the earth being warmer. Joel's argument does capture the layer at which I believe their thinking was wrong, though unfortunately it's impossible to come up with an analogy that is proof against any distorted attack (literal greenhouses are a perfectly valid analogy in some respects, but obviously got no such respect from G&T). And I'd like to clarify my own analogy on molecular exchange between heat baths - the point applies if there is some barrier between the baths that only molecules of kinetic energy higher than the average on both sides are able to cross - in that case the hot molecules crossing from the cold bath will heat up the warm bath slightly - but there will be far more hot molecules crossing from warm to cold, so the net exchange obeys the second law, even while it is violated if you look at one direction in isolation. It seems to me that the real problem here is that th authors of the paper do not adequately define what they mean, so it is very hard indeed (if not impossible) to "counter" such arguments. A simple statement that "the atmospheric greenhouse effect violates the second law of thermodynamics" is pretty meaningless in and of itself. If the paper by G&T is really a "review" or crtiique, it is up to them to properly lay out precisely how the second law is violated. Simply saying that heat does not flow from a cooler to a warmer body is not sufficient. Not even close. The most basic question here is how can one even argue with incoherent, ill-defined arguments? I would suggest that it is a waste of time even trying because even if one succeeds iin "debunking" the specific argument(s) of G&T, the authors can (will?) always com back and say "No, that is not what I was arguing at all." It is a losing battle. I think this really gets at the crux of the problem: by "arguing" with people who have no clue what they are talking about, one lends credance to their arguments. no physicist in his right mind would engage most of the claims on the web and elsewhere by cranks that they have "disproved" relativity theory. So why do climate scientists (and scientifically literate bloggers interested in climate science) do it? I think Gavin Schmidt's is the proper response in this case: "It’s garbage. A ragbag of irrelevant physics strung together incoherently." it may or may not be worth putting a lot of effort into a response, given the ill-definedness and all the other problems. However, as I observed over at Deltoid, I'm more interested in how this got through and whether or not that process is repairable. Has Joel gotten an answer back from the editors? Has anyone? Although this is far too small a sample, we've now seen several cases of physics journals/newsletters printing such stuff. Is that just that just random, or is there a structural reason? I think you get to the crux of the issue. As to your question to me, yes, I got a short response back from Dr. Wolfram Schommers and it was, frankly, very weak. I won't quote it exactly since I don't have his permission to do so but suffice it to say that he just told me that I can submit to them a scientific statement regarding the paper and he commented that my e-mail "contains a lot of polemic", which I found particularly ironic since what I wrote was simply an e-mail whereas what they published was supposed to be a review article and was itself very polemical...In fact, G&T even used some of the same polemical words that I did ("nonsense", "pseudoscientific"). [Apparently, this journal has higher standards for e-mails sent to the editors than it does for papers published in the journal.] I pointed this irony out in a reply e-mail but have not received any further response from him. I think the answer to Leif's criticism is to insert something to the effect that for the example we have assumed that the two plates are attached to infinite heat baths while in the real situation you have to include the solar source and space, which is a thermal sink at 3K, but the principle is illustrative. Perhaps you would try your hand on that and report back. You know, I'm wondering if the best response (if the editors of IJMP-B don't respond appropriately) might be a piece for Physics Today. I know a couple of people who write some of their "News" articles, this might be right up their alley. Do we have a list of people prepared to go on public record about the quality of G&T's article? The answer to Leif's criticism is that the system does not have to stay at those temperatures. It's perfectly valid to analyse the energy and entropy flows at an instant in time in a varying system. Since radiation processes are very fast, "steady state" need only last for milliseconds. But if you want to, you can do the accounting allowing for heat flows to maintain a steady state. The system does not have to be isolated - you just have to be able to identify the influx and outflux. That's why it is interesting to try to account for the nett production of entropy on the Earth, and to explain why we don't have a local "heat death". If, as the Rabett said in another thread, this was actually peer-reviewed, (hard thought it may be to believe), it's a reminder that the most important thing a proposed referee can say is "I do not have the expertise to review this paper." "Fig. 32. A machine which transfers heat from a low temperature reservoir (e.g., stratosphere) to a high temperature reservoir (e.g., atmosphere) without external work applied, cannot exist — even if it is radiatively coupled to an environment, to which it is radiatively balanced. A modern climate model is supposed to be such a variant of a perpetuum mobile of the second kind." So we don't have to consider any of the more sensible variants here. I've updated the text to reflect some of the comments and am still working. I'm going to add Joel Shores spheres tonight. Eli - much improved argument this iteration. There are some minor typos ("visa versa"???) but maybe we're not at the point to nitpick on that kind of thing yet? Looking forward to your addition of Joel's piece to this. You don't really *need* GHG's to provide Earth with free energy - if plants could somehow have developed at 255 K, they also capture photons before thermalization: green plants (like solar power) also allow for entropy increase in the Earth system with or without GHG's. On the other hand, GHG's certainly make the atmosphere much more interesting - there's essentially no tropopause without them, for instance. I agree with Arthur that photosynthesis and respiration should be omitted from the list of processes that are enabled by the GE, through its creation of a free energy differential between the point at which sunlight is thermalised and IR emitted. But many other important processes are thus enabled. here is a similar argument with flat sheets, phrased to show that varying the temperature of the outer layer varies the temperature of the middle one, even though it is colder. Yes, it's more directly in line with G&T "thinking". I like the current version better now and I like how you have incorporated my argument into the text. I do have one comment. Your writeup says, "According to Gerlich and Tscheuschner if one places the two disks opposite each other, B must stop radiating towards A because if it did not, heat would be transferred between a body at lower temperature to a body at higher temperature." I would worry that G&T would simply argue that they would never make this claim. So, I would tend to rephrase it to use that example of the two sheets to address the question of whether the Clausius statement applies to NET heat flow or simply to any flows of heat without directly attributing the latter claim to G&T. I.e., just to state that there seems to be some confusion about whether the statement applies only to NET heat flows or whether it applies to any heat flow and then demonstrate by your example that it is completely absurd to believe that it means there can't be ANY flow of heat from cooler to warmer and thus that it clearly must apply only to NET heat flow and thus that one must consider all the heat flows and not just some of the flows in isolation from the others. Do you need any other contributions that I could assist with, perhaps in a non-technical explanation of the greenhouse effect (or something more mathy, but I'm keeping in line with your hope that this should be accessible to the educated laymen). I've updated again, used Joel's last suggestion, changed some language to simplify the argument, changed the first figure, etc. Upon reflection I think the last two paragraphs have to go because they offer too much opportunity to confuse the issue. We are going to get into arguments about the relative roles of convection, radiation and latent heat in driving the atmospheric heat engine. The paper should be as simple and straight forward as possible. At equilibrium, the temperature of the spherical body is obviously the result of energy input and part of that input comes from the first shell. So, by removing that shell (A), the temperature of the spherical body would have to drop to maintain the equilibrium with the "other" energy input (in the case of the earth, the sun), assuming that "other" input remained the same, of course. Anonymous: I wouldn't worry about the effect of the shell on the temperature of the spherical body. In the analogy to the system of interest, the spherical body is the sun...And, I think that we can assume the sun is big enough and dominated enough by its own heating processes to not have its temperature significantly affected by the shells. So, to constrain the spherical body to have a constant temperature is, I think, a very physically-reasonable assumption. At any rate, the purpose of this example is just to illustrate what the 2nd Law does or does not require and for those purposes, I see absolutely no problem with such an assumption. I think there's a distinction made between SW and IR, on the basis that SW passes through the atmosphere but does not interact (much) with it. The heat absorbed by the atmosphere (IR from the surface) is more than it radiates back to the surface (because the atmosphere also radiates to space). I think you are confusing two different things: Yes, the incoming energy and outgoing energy will be pretty close to equal because the earth is at most about a W/m^2 out of radiative balance. However, the question relevant for the question about 2nd law as applied to the earth and the atmosphere would simply be the exchange between those two systems alone. So, from that figure, if I am reading it right, you would have flows of 5%+24%+100% = 129% going from earth to atmosphere and 88% going from atmosphere to earth. I think in the shell example, using the introduction of shell B as the temperature varying event is not so clear, because it doesn't correspond well to the G&T argument. Why not just regard T_B as adjustable, showing that T_A rises if T_B does, even if T_B is cooler? The G.-T. argument strikes me as absurd upon its face, because of the structure of the radiative transfer calculations upon which the greenhouse effect is based. The fundamental equations of radiative transfer have the Second Law of Thermodynamics built into them, via Kirchoff's Law (which can be derived directly from the 2nd Law). Thus unless some fundamental error is introduced when the equations are solved numerically (and I have never seen any claim to that effect) the solutions ought to obey the 2nd law. This applies equally well to simple model systems such as described here, and to the most elaborate line-by-line calculations. That is a good point and I will add it, probably at the beginning, but the aim is to provide a refutation that is obvious to those who have had some scientific training. As you can see from the fact that G&T got published, it is needed. I disagree. Introducing Shell B corresponds to introducing an IR-absorbing atmosphere. However, if it feels more realistic to you, you can think of the case where Shell B is absent as instead having Shell B there but having it be completely transparent. I don't understand how you plan to make T_B adjustable. In that case, it would have to have its own energy source and that would tend to make the whole thing a worse analog of the system in question, not a better one. "8) After Schack (1972), water vapor is responsible for most of the absorption of the infrared radiation in the Earth’s atmosphere. The wavelength of the part of radiation, which is absorbed by carbon dioxide is only a small part of the full infrared spectrum and does not change considerably by raising its partial pressure." among others. I hope the technical level and approach is good enough, but if not, please let me know what additions or changes can be made and I will be glad to work more on it. Joel said "Anonymous: I wouldn't worry about the effect of the shell on the temperature of the spherical body. In the analogy to the system of interest, the spherical body is the sun" That's unfortunate because it limits the argument. That's what I was getting at, at any rate when I said "the obvious next step". I don't think that anyone would really argue the latter fact, at any rate, but perhaps I am mistaken. Bart, in accord with the first law, the energy into the surface = energy out from the surface; and energy into the atmosphere = energy out from the atmosphere. What the second law says is that the flow from surface to atmosphere 100+5+24=129 has to be more than the backflow from a cooler atmosphere to the surface (88). This is where you see the net flow from the hotter surface into the cooler atmosphere. Space has net heating of the surface, which in turn has net heating of the atmosphere, which in turn has net heat expelled back to space. The atmosphere can be treated as a huge heat engine, and the net entropy export is the driver." I know it's picking nits, but I believe the "driver" is actually the temperature differential and the net entropy export is the smoke coming out the exhaust. Entropy increase, a necessary outcome (as far as we know) is really an effect rather than a cause. The fact that overall entropy (of the universe) must increase may restrict the paths that one can drive down, but does not determine what path one takes nor does it make the car move. Us bunnies love them tasty little baby lice. We share them with our birdy friends as they pick over the corpse of denial. The trick is to achieve precision consicely without losing the audience. I like the tail pipe bit. Ooooo, look Eli has provided something that can be Drudged. Eli, it would be helpful if you offered to extend Wikipedia's explanation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Over on Skeptical Science there is a commenter who seems to be taking that definition as gospel. I've been unable to find a concise explanation in an easily publicly findable site, that would prevent people from misinterpreting in this particular way right from the get-go. It's a lot easier to give people the correct mental model in the first place, than to help them modify an incorrect mental model. Over on Skeptical Science, a commenter named Gord has been pushing an anti-2nd-law argument I haven't seen before, though I have not read the G&T paper. Gord insists that the "heat" flowing from the warm Earth's surface to the cooler atmosphere is a continuous vector electromagnetic field that sums/interferes with the "heat" flowing from the atmosphere to the surface. He says that because that field propagating from the Earth to the sky is "stronger" than the one coming the other direction, the net result of the summing of those two fields is a "heat" vector field propagating solely toward the sky. There are many things wrong with his arguments and mental model, but that one particular misconception seemed novel. Several commentators have spent days valiently counter-arguing, to no avail. I finally offered the example of two objects that are emitting so few wave packets (photons) that occasionally a wave packet from one object travels all the way to the other object while there is no wave packet coming the other direction. That means there is no summing/interfering with an opposing wave packet, so the sole wave packet happily continues traveling until it hits the other object. Even if the emitting object is colder than the receiving object. That single example refutes Gord's proposed mechanism, but I would be shocked if he admitted that. Has anybody else seen Gord's argument before? I believe you've misrepresented G&T in your refutation of their argument. In their argument, G&T reference experimental data which show (they assert) that when carbon dioxide is added to a gas such as air, the effective thermal conductivity of this gas does not decrease in accordance with the greenhouse gas hypothesis. Thus, they claim, this hypothesis is invalidated as a general rule. In the experiments, I gather, a column of gas is bounded on one end by a hot plate and on the opposing end by a cold plate of equal area; all other surfaces are insulated. Absent the carbon dioxide, the heat flux from the hot plate to the cold plate is identical to the thermal conductivity of the gas times the temperature difference between the plates. Under the greenhouse gas hypothesis, the introduction of carbon dioxide reduces the net heat flux by the amount of the so-called "back radiation." Thus, the "effective thermal conductivity" (the net heat flux divided by the temperature difference) is reduced by the addition of the CO2. However, the mechanism by which heat is transferred by thermal conduction remains intact in the presence of CO2. This is by the transfer of momentum from relatively hot gas molecules to relatively cold ones. Thus, in order for the greenhouse gas effect to be operative in these experiments, an additional mechanism must be operative. By this mechanism, heat is transferred from the cold plate to the hot plate. However, under the second law, this transfer of heat cannot take place without work being performed. In the absence of this work, the greenhouse gas hypothesis fails (under the conditions of the experiments) for violations of the second law. I'm unable to identify a hole in G&T's argument. In particular, that heat which is added to the atmosphere by absorption of infrared radiation by carbon dioxide must be transferred anisotropically toward colder regions of the atmosphere rather than being transferred isotropically as assumed under the greenhouse gas hypothesis, for under this hypothesis, the second law is violated. An attempt at refutation of G&T would, it seems to me, have to start with an explanation of why the experiments cited by G&T fail to exhibit a greenhouse gas effect if it is true that this effect exists in Earth's atmosphere. Terry, you are missing the point, that conduction contributes essentially NOTHING to heat conduction in the atmosphere, which is dominated by convection, evaporation and condensation of water and radiation. You also repeat G&Ts major error. Take your example, you point out that the net interchange of energy is from the hotter to the colder (not at zero K) plate, however you, and they do not take into consideration that this is NET, energy flows from the hotter to the colder but also, a lesser amount from the colder to the hotter. If you removed the colder plate and let the energy flow out into space (effectively at absolute zero), the hotter plate would cool faster. The presence of the colder plate limits the rate at which the hotter one cools. I think the G&T argument proves that cavity wall insulation doesn't work. After all, the outside is cooler than the wall and the wall is cooler than the interior. It's completely impossible for the cooler wall to keep the interior warmer! Insulation is a scam! I think any argument that's incompatible with the existence of, say, blankets, has been reduced to absurdity. This comment comes in 2 parts. Interesting discussion. I would like to read the G&T paper and maybe comment on it in the future. I also want to reply to some of the comments above. For the moment (since I would like to get a couple of hours of sleep tonight), I want to post a simple result that addresses the sun issue. I was going to provide a link to this page when I realized that some of the assumptions for using a system of equations without derivatives wrt time is that we know the values at the point in time at which the system is being solved. I did later read a comment that says the system is fine in applying to a snapshot in time (rather than deal with assumptions about steady state). OK, fine. In fact, with the adjustment described below, it seems we can get the steady state values we want and not be limited to describing merely an instant in time (at least as per what is still a very simple model.. eg, since it assumes all shells have emissivity of 1). The model might be more intuitive if it is changed a little or otherwise clarified: The problem appears to be that, as the model description stands, the inner core's temperature is constant and this is confusing to people. It appears to be saying that the earth temp is constant, yet the argument (here and of CO2 warming) otherwise says that the inner shell gets heated up. shellA, the inner shell, gets constant power from the sun (sun's temp is not an issue, since, as also mentioned in the comments, the sun is far away and our radiation coming back at them has a negligible effect.. at least according to the already approximate constancy of the sun's irradiance). Now, we can allow the temp at shellA, TA, to vary. Simple. We no longer need to assume it is constant once we assume the sun's irradiance is constant. I think this makes the model a little closer to what most people would expect. Also, we note that the Sun's irradiance, to first order approx, reaches only the earth's surface, allowing for this simple model variation. [An improved model, eg, if/when a simple computer program is written, will also have irradiance at the ozone layer (ie, at one of the middle shells).] In terms of pictures, we keep the picture as is but slide over the Ts: T becomes TA, TA becomes TB, etc. Also, we then add a new line pointing at the inner shell. This line represents a constant sun radiation flux, and we omit the sigma T^4 and just call it S. After adjusting the systems of equations, we solve for the shellA only case and then for the shellB case as well. The results differ a little since now the first shell (whose temp is unknown) only has one direction of radiation loss (ie, shellA radiation arrow points only outward/up from the body). Anyway, I'll wrap up by listing a few of the systems of equations. I'll be terse. A = TA^4, B = TB^4, etc. S is power flux from sun. I'll skip the sigmas since they are assumed to be 1. We can use http://www.bluebit.gr/matrix-calculator/linear_equations.aspx to solve the equations if we just assume S=100. The solutions will be something like (eg, for the shellD case): 400, 300, 200, 100. This translates to A=4*S, B=3*S, C=2*S, D=1*S. The fourth roots then follow when we derive TA, TB, TC, TD, etc. For example, for the 4 shell case, TA=1.414*S, TB=1.316*S, TC=1.189*S, TD=1*S. For the 3 shell case, TA=1.316*S, TB=1.189*S, TC=1*S. For the 2 shell case, TA=1.189*S, TB=1*S. For the one shell case, TA=1*S. The equation solver makes it easy to see the pattern as we add more shells.

2019-04-24T03:52:50Z

http://rabett.blogspot.com/2009/03/second-law-and-its-criminal-misuse-as.html

Holders Newtonmore reached the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup Final at the expense of a brave Kilmallie side, Lovat only trail Marine Harvest Premiership leaders Newtonmore on goal difference and the Newtonmore second team clinched the Marine Harvest North Division 1 title following the shinty action on Saturday 28 July 2018. Newtonmore’s quest for a third successive Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup win is still on course, but only just as it took penalties to finally see off a spirited Kilmallie at An Aird. Newtonmore manager Paul John MacKintosh was still without the injured David MacLean whilst Steven MacDonald served the second game of a two-match suspension. The starting line-up was unchanged from the side that beat Skye in the league a week earlier. Kilmallie boss Mark MacPherson was without influential full back Iain Robertson who was on holiday. Martin Stewart (foot) and Innes Blackhall (hand) remained on the injury list. Steven Stewart went to full back whilst Michael Rodger dropped into buckshee back. This tie was broadcast LIVE on BBC ALBA and the players were piped onto the field ahead of this 4.05pm throw up. An early Liam MacDonald turn and shot was well dealt with by ‘More keeper Kenny Ross before Macdonald went close again a couple of minutes later. ‘More’s Jamie Robinson needed treatment after being caught on the top of the head by Jordan MacPhee’s loose caman following an aerial dual but he was able to carry on after treatment. ‘More switched Rory Kennedy to mark Liam MacDonald which helped settle their defence. Kilmallie suffered a blow on 15 minutes when Aaron Sandison had to come off with a hamstring. He was replaced by Craig MacIsaac. Newtonmore’s Craig Ritchie was also treated for a knock and although he was able to continue for a few minutes, he eventually limped off. Michael Russell dropped back into defence and Neil Stewart came off the bench to join the attack. There was a scare in the Kilmallie defence as an Evan Menzies flick into the D bounced through the legs of keeper Shane Gillies but the goalie was able to turn and sweep the ball away before it rolled over the goal line. Shane Gillies then made a great double-save, using his feet to first deny Evan Menzies and then Glen MacKintosh. After Kilmallie’s early dominance, Newtonmore were now much more in the game and they took the lead on 31 minutes. Neil Fraser did well to block Michael Rodger’s attempted clearance and, as the ball fell for Ewen Fraser, he still had plenty to do but he turned his marker Cam Clark before running across goal and sending a glorious back-hand drive into the top corner of the net to make it 1-0. There was a booking for Michael Rodger for a late flick-out at Neil Stewart following the restart. There was action for both keepers before the interval as Shane Gillies came off his line to foil Evan Menzies whilst, at the other end, Kenny Ross was smartly off his line to sweep away a dangerous ball following a Kilmallie free-hit on the left. Kenny Ross then used his caman to turn away a dropping Jordan MacPhee ball from the right of midfield. Keeper Ross was again called into action moments later. Michael Rodger’s long pass was controlled by Liam MacDonald and his shot from a central position was well-stopped by the Newtonmore custodian who also thwarted MacDonald again following a corner. It then took a good Rory Kennedy challenge to halt a Craig MacIsaac run forward. The tie brought together the Premiership and National Division leaders and you would struggle to tell which was which as Kilmallie went in search of a leveller. And it arrived on 58 minutes. The Newtonmore defence didn’t deal with Jordan MacPhee’s shy from the right and Calum MacDougall gathered the ball and, on his left side, slammed it low through the keeper’s legs and into the net to make it 1-1. Jordan MacPhee needed treatment for a head cut after a blocking challenge on Glen MacKintosh. There was a two-minute break in play when MacPhee was bandaged up and the break came at a bad time for Kilmallie who had the momentum at this stage. A further stoppage followed as there was almost a four minute break as Fraser MacKintosh needed treatment for a bleeding nose. Evan Menzies sent a dropping ball wide of target with 20 minutes remaining. Fraser MacKintosh was then withdrawn with Craig Ritchie coming back on, allowing Michael Russell to push further forward again whilst Duncan Gorman replaced Drew MacDonald. Newtonmore had a great chance to win the game with 13 minutes to go. Great play from Neil Stewart, cutting in from the left, set up the chance, leaving Ewen Fraser one-on-one with Shane Gillies but the keeper raced from his lime to make a crucial stop with his foot. Glen MacKintosh was booked for a high swing at Liam Cameron with 10 minutes remaining. Michael Russell sent a shot over after being played in by Glen MacKintosh. Iain Robinson took over from Ewen Fraser with 5 minutes remaining. With no further scoring, and after 6 minutes’ stoppage time, referee Lachie Wood took the tie to an extra-time period. Drew MacDonald returned for the start of extra-time in favour of Neil Stewart. ‘More pressed from the throw up and Drew MacDonald crossed low from the right to Iain Robinson but his fierce shot rose just over the top. Robbie MacFadyen did well to get in the way of an Evan Menzies shot from the left of the D as the first period of extra-time drew to a close. As tiredness really kicked in, a number of late chances were created. With 12 minutes remaining, Shane Gillies came off his line to save from Iain Robinson who had been played in by Evan Menzies. Gillies then got his body in the way of a Glen MacKintosh shot through a crowded goal area, which came after a Michael Russell pass. There enough time for a last couple of chances for Kilmallie as Calum MacDougall played on a Jordan MacPhee shy from the right to Liam MacDonald who couldn’t get any power in his shot. Kenny Ross then dived low to block a Liam MacDonald effort from a corner. The sides were now slugging it out and, after some more heroic Kilmallie defending; Shane Gillies used his feet to turn Jamie Robinson’s strike away for a corner as ‘More tried to win it at the death. The final whistle sounded and a penalty shoot-out is a cruel way to decide any match, far-less a Camanachd Cup semi-final. However the managers nominated their five penalty takers and had a final word with their players before the shoot-out got underway. Kilmallie’s Michael Rodger was first up but saw his strike saved with his feet by Kenny Ross. Shane Gillies then saved with his hand from Glen MacKintosh. Liam MacDonald didn’t catch his penalty cleanly but got enough on it to send it past Kenny Ross so when Shane Gilles saved with his feet from Evan Menzies, Kilmallie had a 1-0 advantage. Daniel Stewart didn’t catch his penalty as he would have liked and Kenny Ross saved with his feet. Jamie Robinson certainly hit his penalty with power but Shane Gillies made an outstanding save with his stick to his right. Nerves must have been playing a part and Stephen Mcalister topped his strike and Kenny Ross saved easily. Iain Robinson produced a great finish, sending the ball inside the keeper’s right post to make it 1-1 and, with two penalties to go; it was now effectively sudden death. Craig MacIsaac was last up for Kilmallie but his powerful shot was well-saved with his stick by Kenny Ross – his fourth save of the shoot-out. So it now fell for Newtonmore captain Andy MacKintosh, an unlikely spot-hit taker, to send his team into the final and he didn’t disappoint, despatching the ball into the corner of the net to win the shoot-out 2-1. Once again, Newtonmore found a way to win and they now await the outcome of the second semi-final between Lovat and Kingussie at the Bught Park on Saturday 11 August 2018. New Scotland Head Coach Garry Reid selected Kilmallie defender Steven Stewart as the BBC ALBA man of the match. Lovat only trail Marine Harvest Premiership leaders Newtonmore on goal difference after they beat Glenurquhart 5-0 at Blairbeg. With fellow-title contenders Newtonmore, Kinlochshiel and Kyles Athletic not in league action, Lovat knew this was an opportunity to make ground at the top of the table. James MacPherson returned after suspension for the Glen whilst Lachie Smith was also back. Conor Golabek and Finlay Ralston were missing whilst Andrew Corrigan remained unavailable. Lovat’s Drew Howie was again on the bench where he was joined by Graeme MacMillan and Thomas Fraser. Bailey MacKay returned to the starting line-up. Lovat were quickly into their stride and Greg Matheson came deep to gather possession on the right side of the Lovat midfield on 7 minutes. Matheson made a diagonal run in from the right before striking the ball with hardly any back-swing and it beat Stuart MacKintosh to make it 1-0. The Glen came close to levelling on 12 minutes. Daniel Grieve slipped on the wet surface and the ball came to James MacPherson on the left and he struck a powerful shoulder-high shot which Stuart MacDonald did well to save with his club to his left. There wasn’t much by way of incident until 41 minutes when Marc MacLachlan held off a challenge and, from the edge of the D on the Lovat left, he had time to turn to his right side before shooting into the net. Any chance of a Glen fight-back suffered a blow a minute before the break. Ally MacKintosh, who had earlier been booked for dissent, received a second yellow card and his marching orders from referee Graham Cameron after he threw the ball away after a tussle with Marc MacLachlan. Lovat took Drew Howie on at the break but, with no substitute card given to the referee, he was also booked when his presence was noticed. Lovat extended their lead on 54 minutes. Lewis Tawse kept the ball away from two Glen defenders who were trying to clear. Tawse then pushed the ball forward inside the D where he slipped it past keeper MacKintosh and into the net to make it 3-0. Lewis Tawse got his second and Lovat’s fourth on 59 minutes when he juggled the ball before touching it on and scoring. There was more to come as Marc MacLachlan went over in a goalmouth scramble but still managed to get onto his feet and with a back-hand swing from the edge of the D, he steered the ball into the net to make it 5-0. The one black-spot for Lovat was a yellow card picked up by Danny Kelly for kicking the ball away which is likely to trigger a ban meaning he will miss the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup semi-final against Kingussie. Lovat climb to second and they are now level on points with league-leaders Newtonmore but they have played two games more. Glenurquhart on the other hand are six points away from safety with only three games to go – away to Newtonmore and Kyles Athletic and at home to Skye. Even three wins may not be enough as their survival hopes are dependent on Caberfeidh taking nothing from their last five matches. It was fifth plays sixth as Oban Camanachd beat Kingussie 1-0 at The Dell. Kingussie’s Kieran MacPherson faces a spell on the sidelines with a collar-bone injury. Savio Genini was also missing but Fraser Munro and Louis Munro both returned to the starting line-up. Ryan Borthwick, Rory MacKeachan and Ryan MacWilliam made up the bench. Oban Camanachd’s Scott MacMillan was missing as he began a two-match suspension. Daniel MacVicar remained out and the Oban side also travelled without Aidan MacIntyre, Scott MacKillop, Daniel Lafferty and Keith MacMillan. There was a first start for Lennon Campbell whilst the travelling bench was made up from Graham Morrice, Ross Campbell and Craig Easton. Malcolm Clark played but he will miss this Saturday’s league meeting with Kinlochshiel for passing through the disciplinary points threshold. Oban Camanachd got off to the perfect start when, after just 2 minutes, Malcolm Clark found Willie Neilson running down the right. Neilson got away from Lee Bain, around 10 yards to the right of the penalty spot, and he sent a blistering shot past Craig Dawson with the pace of the ball taking it past the keeper before he could react. Willie Neilson saw a 7 minute shot saved by keeper Dawson and Lennon Campbell hit the rebound off the outside of the post from close in. Kingussie had plenty of possession in attack but they were a little over-elaborate at times. Oban Camanachd also created first half chances without adding to their tally. Oban Camanachd took Ross Campbell on for Lennon Campbell after 55 minutes. Kingussie pressed for a second half leveller but the Oban defence restricted them to few clear-cut chances. The closest they came was a James Falconer shot which came off keeper Cameron Sutherland’s shoulder and hit the post on its way to safety. Graham Morrice took over from Connor Howe with 15 minutes to go. Kingussie had a late penalty claim waved away by referee Calum Girvan. Oban Camanachd’s Daniel Sloss and Kingussie’s Ruaridh Anderson, who had both been on Scotland U17 duty in Ireland during the week, had a great tussle throughout the game. Willie Neilson gave Lee Bain problems but Oban Camanachd’s best players were at the back where Chrissy MacMillan was probably the man of the match. Oban Camanachd will rue not being able to turn in this type of performance a week earlier against Kyles Athletic in the Artemis MacAulay Cup semi-finals and after two narrow 1-0 defeats to Kingussie in recent fixtures, it was hard to grudge them this victory. The win means the sides swap positions in the league with Oban Camanachd now fifth. Lochaber have now gathered five out of the last six available points to ease their relegation fears after they beat Caberfeidh 5-2 in their 3pm throw up at Spean Bridge. Lochaber’s Ryan Johnstone was free of suspension and Caberfeidh’s Scott MacLachlan was still out injured for a game featuring the sides immediately above the relegation zone. Caberfeidh took the lead in the opening minute. With referee Ross Brown playing advantage, Caberfeidh cut inside the Lochaber D where Colin MacLennan found the net. Lochaber drew level on 4 minutes when Findlay MacDonald turned home a rebound off Caberfeidh keeper Ewan Pilcher. Findlay MacDonald got his and Lochaber’s second midway through the first half when he beat the keeper at his near post. Lochaber stretched their lead 5 minutes later. Keeper Picher saved an initial shot but ended up volleying the rebound into the roof of his own net to make it 3-1. Jamie Matheson got Caberfeidh back into it when he scored from just outside the box on 35 minutes and it remained 3-2 until the break. Caberfeidh’s Liam Symonds was sent off for violent conduct on 67 minutes after a clash with Lochaber’s Martin Johnstone. Lochaber eventually made the extra man pay with a Ben Delaney strike taking an awkward bounce by the keeper on 82 minutes. Then, with just seconds remaining, Findlay MacDonald fired a shot into the roof of the net from out on the left to complete his hat-trick. Lochaber’s Donald MacRae had a great game, nullifying Kevin Bartlett’s threat, in what was a good old fashioned game of north shinty. Oban Celtic and .Strathglass met for the third time this season and Celtic made it three wins out of three with a 4-1 victory at Mossfield. Ross MacMillan captained an understrength Oban Celtic with Ally McKerracher away for the weekend, Fulton Ronald, Iain MacKechnie and John Hill all unavailable and Connor Howe returned to Oban Camanachd. 39 year old veteran David MacInnes answered the call to help out and manager Kenny Wotherspoon still managed to list a sixteen-man squad with 14 year old John Douglas and 16 year old Jamie Anderson making up the numbers on the bench. Strathglass manager Bruce Douglas and his assistant Roy MacKenzie were also without a number of regulars and they travelled with just thirteen players. Hamish Myers, Seth Jones, Ross Balharry, Steven Hyslop, Archie Wotherspoon and Lawrence Jones were all missing. The first half was very flat with no real chances created. Oban Celtic’s Lewis Mcphee kept Scott Douglas relatively quiet whilst Daniel Madej sent some snap-shots wide of target. The Strathglass defence, marshalled by George Phimister, kept the Celtic forwards at bay with Celtic’s George Macmillan, asked to play out of position, was doing fine in his less accustomed forward role. With Neil Carmichael and Michael Stokes having a good battle in the middle, referee Robert Baxter blew for half-time after a goalless first 45 minutes. The midfield battle continued into the second half. 17 year old Scott Mossman, making his Celtic debut, did well having only previously played South 2 shinty with the Oban Celtic second team. Strathglass broke the deadlock on 57 minutes. A high ball forward found ‘Glass danger-man Scott Douglas and he gained a yard on Lewis Mcphee before thumping a rocket-shot beyond keeper Iain MacFarlane, beating the goalie on his right side from 15 yards range. Oban Celtic manager Kenny Wotherspoon instantly made a change with young Scott Mossman coming off and David MacInnes introduced on the wing. Oban Celtic grabbed a leveller just 3 minutes later. David MacInnes was involved as he sent a long ball forward from the centre line which fell for Ross MacMillan and his shot looped over keeper Adam Todd to make it 1-1. The goal helped kick Celtic on and Daniel Madej, Daniel MacMillan and Ross MacMillan all had good chances. The game’s turning point came on 75 minutes when referee Baxter showed Josh Fraser a second yellow card for persistent fouling. Kenny Wotherspoon used the extra man across the midfield with half back Andy MacDonald pushed forward to make up a centre line quartet. David MacInnes’ presence on the field helped encourage the young Celtic team and it wasn’t long before the Oban side took the lead. Neil Carmichael and David MacInnes did well in midfield and when the ball fell to Daniel Madej, he shifted it to his left where Ross MacMillan fired low and hard into the bottom corner of the net to make it 2-1 with just 10 minutes to go. Ross MacMillan completed his hat-trick just 40 seconds later. Daniel Madej was again the provider, this time cutting the ball back from the by-line for MacMillan to make it 3-1. From the throw up, Celtic pushed the ball forward where Andy MacDonald was in the mix, backing up Neil Carmichael. The ball was cleared out of play by George Phimister but George MacMillan’s quick shy picked out Ross MacMillan and he had time to tee-up his shot before blasting home to make it 4-1. Despite the win, Oban Celtic suffered a major blow with 5 minutes remaining when Andy MacDonald was sent off which will result in a spell on the touchline. Glasgow Mid Argyll defeated Beauly 4-1 in their 3pm throw up at Braeview Park. Calum Mclay gave GMA a 12 minute advantage but Sean Stewart made it 1-1 on 33 minutes. However Calum Mclay went on to be a thorn in Beauly’s side and he got his second to put the visitors back in front just a minute later. Mclay went on to score twice more, taking his haul to four goals and the points went south. Third place Inveraray are just two points off the top of the table after they beat Inverness 4-1 at The Winterton. Inveraray’s Garry MacPherson was finally free of his four-match suspension. The home side won the game in the first half. Fraser Watt gave them the lead on 17 minutes and Lewis Montgomery added a second on 33 minutes. A second from Fraser Watt just 5 minutes later made it 3-0 at the break. James Cameron pulled a goal back for Inverness on 54 minutes but most of the pressure was around the Inverness goal. Inveraray had plenty of shots but didn’t hit the target as often as they would have liked. They did get a fourth goal though when Allan MacDonald scored on 64 minutes. The Newtonmore second team set up a Strathdearn Cup semi-final derby against the Kingussie second team when they beat neighbours Strathspey Camanachd 2-1 at The Eilan on Wednesday 25 July 2018. Newtonmore were without some regulars but they still fielded a strong side and they took a 12 minute lead through Calum Stewart. Calum Stewart then went on to score what was to prove to be an important second goal on 58 minutes. ‘More had most of the tie against their lower league opposition and Jason MacDonald in the visiting goal produced a number of great saves. Strathspey stuck to the task though and Chris Cameron halved the deficit on 76 minutes to set up a tense finish. However Newtonmore saw out the closing stages and they will now play the Kingussie second team in the Strathdearn Cup semi-finals at The Dell on Saturday 4 August 2018. Throw up will be at 4.30pm. The Fort William and Skye Camanachd second teams meet at An Aird in the other semi-final. Glengarry knew they needed to beat the Kinlochshiel seconds in their noon throw up at Kirkton to force the Newtonmore reserves to take something from their match against their Skye counter-parts later in the day in order to win the league. Ewen Cameron’s side did just that, beating ‘Shiel 8-4 in what was a thoroughly entertaining match. Nick Dalgety on 7 minutes and Raymond Robertson, who cause ‘Shiel all sorts of problems, on 16 minutes had ‘Garry 2-0 ahead. Sandy MacDiarmid pulled a goal back on 26 minutes but full forward Raymond Robertson’s second, just a minute later, restored the visitors two-goal cushion. Nick Dalgety got his second goal of the game on the stroke of half-time. A quick exchange of passes between Raymond Robertson and substitute Archie Robertson - who had just come on – created the chance and Dalgety bundled the ball over the line from close range, ending up in the net with the ball. ‘Shiel manager Willie MacRae made changes at the interval with Michael Morrison switch from full back to join the attack and he provided a cross from the right for Scott MacLean to make it 4-2 on 48 minutes. MacLean controlled Morrison’s pass around the penalty spot and he turned before checking back onto his right side and crashing the ball into the top corner of the net, beating the keeper on his left side with what was a stunning finish. Good play from Scott MacLean down the left side saw him play the ball into the middle. Duncan Matheson got a touch before Michael Morrison hit the bar from inside the D. However the rebound fell kindly for Morrison and he steered a shot into the net to make it 4-3 with 61 minutes on the clock. The next goal was always going to be important and a quick ‘Garry passing move cut open the ‘Shiel defence but keeper Graham Kennedy did well to go low to keep out Nick Dalgety’s effort at the expense of a corner. At the other end, a couple of ‘Shiel efforts were blocked before Lewis MacVicar’s strike was saved by goalie Gordon MacDonald. Raymond Robertson completed his hat-trick on 71 minutes when he fired a 30 yard shot from left of centre with the ball taking a horrible bounce off the ground by the keeper’s legs on its way into the net. Raymond Robertson scored again on 74 minutes when he beat the keeper by his right post when ‘Shiel were unable to clear their lines. ‘Garry now led 6-3 but ‘Shiel were never out of it and a high David MacAskill ball into the goal area caused problems before being swept off the line. Al Nixon, who had been pushed forward with Michael Morrison returning to defence, made it 6-4 with a great finish on 83 minutes. Scott MacLean took a ball forward on the right side and he crossed low into the danger-area where Nixon let the ball run across him before shooting on his left side, sending the ball low into the corner of the net, beating the helpless Gordon MacDonald on his right side. It was an eventful second half for Glengarry defender Rhuairaidh MacDonald who was booked following a challenge on Scott MacLean. He then picked up an injury and finished up in attack where he rounded off the win with goals on 89 and 90 minutes. The Newtonmore seconds retained the Marine Harvest North Division 1 title when they beat the Skye Camanachd second team 3-1 at The Eilan. Glengarry’s win earlier in the day meant Newtonmore still needed a point to clinch the title and some good build up play culminated in a fine Calum Stewart finish to make it 1-0 after 10 minutes. With full forward Paul MacArthur causing the Skye defence problems, Calum Stewart then went on to punish some poor Skye defending to clinch his hat-trick with goals on 38 and 50 minutes. Skye introduced Marcus Ross into midfield and his battling style boosted the Islanders and Ross Gordon scored a brilliant goal on 65 minutes to lift Skye hopes. Ruaraidh MacLeod went close but lifted the ball over the bar from inside the D as Skye pinned Newtonmore back. Connor Gilpin had a goal disallowed after bundling the ball, keeper and full back into the net but referee Brian MacKay ruled one of his teammates was in an offside position. ‘More keeper Callum Grover made some good saves but it was too little too late. Newtonmore are worth champions though and they finished with a flurry, twice hitting the post during the final 10 minutes. After the final whistle, both squads left for An Aird to watch the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup semi-final between Newtonmore and Kilmallie. The division’s bottom two sides were due to meet at Balgownie but an unplayable pitch means the match between Aberdeen University and the Glenurquhart reserves will be rescheduled. Lochside Rovers beat Ballachulish 2-1 in a close encounter at Mossfield which was brought forward to Wednesday 25 July 2018. It was a beautiful evening and a good crowd gathered for this 7pm throw up. Lochside included Daniel MacCuish and Daniel Sloss for this one, both players having returned late in the afternoon from the Scotland U17’s Ireland tour. MacCuish started at half back with Sloss on the bench. Lennon Campbell, Ross Campbell, Lewis Buchanan and Connor Howe made up the attack. Balla fielded John MacDonald in goal. They had a couple of absentees and Cain MacPhee misses his side’s next two matches for passing through the disciplinary points threshold. Lochside had most of the first half pressure without really threatening. Connor Howe sent a chance over the bar and Lennon Campbell shot wide of the post. John MacDonald also made a couple of good saves but, just as if it looked as if the first half would finish goalless. Balla’ captain Duncan MacDonald fired his side into a 43 minute lead. The goal came following a corner and full centre MacDonald stole in unmarked to score. Lochside manager Gareth Evans made changes at the break. Daniel Sloss came off the bench to take over the full centre role. Michael MacQueen joined the attack with Ross Campbell withdrawn. The move paid dividends. Sloss quickly settled into his midfield role and MacQueen was on hand to play the ball to Lewis Buchanan, 20 yards from goal on the angle, and he sent the ball across the keeper into the opposite corner of the net to make it 1-1 with 56 minutes played. The winning goal was scored just a couple of minutes later. Michael MacQueen was again the supplier as he found Daniel MacCuish, who by now had been pushed forward. MacCuish hit the ball on the run into the far corner of the net to make it 2-1. Balla’ had a late chance to salvage a point but the ball went just the wrong side of the post. Lochside may have done just enough to deserve the win but they couldn’t have complained if Ballachulish had taken a point. This was a sixth successive win for Lochside but they have not been hitting the form of last season over recent weeks. The Oban side have a huge match this Saturday as they play Glenorchy at Mart Park in the Bullough Cup semi-finals. The Kyles Athletic seconds stay top of the table after they beat Tayforth 5-2 at Tighnabruaich. George Thomson eased Kyles into the game with a 15 minute goal but Ewen Menzies drew Tayforth level on 23 minutes. Kyle Mcmartin put the home side back in front on 41 minutes and Luke Thornton added a third on 56 minutes. Finlay Stark made it 3-2 on 61 minutes but a second from Luke Thornton on 80 minutes and a Sandy MacKenzie goal just 5 minutes later, put gloss on the win. Kyles have a five point lead at the top of the table although second place Bute have a game in hand. Kyles still have some tough games to go including matches home and away against last year’s champions Lochside Rovers, at home to 2017 runners up Aberdour and home and away against fellow title hopefuls Bute. Bute’s Craig MacKay was free of a two-match suspension. However Chris Lawrence began a two-game ban for an accumulation of disciplinary points. Kilmory’s Sandy Leiper had served his one-match ban whilst David MacBrayne sat out the second game of a three-match suspension. Bute attacked from the start and a combination of some dogged Kilmory defending and some wastefulness in front of goal meant the hosts only had a good Steven Dunn finish on 30 minutes to show for their first half efforts. When referee Des McNulty pointed to the penalty spot on 54 minutes, Iain McDonald stepped up to slam the ball home. Robert Walker scored on 63 and 85 minutes, either side of a 70 minute Craig MacKay goal, to complete the 5-0 victory. The Inveraray second team moved off the bottom of the table after doing a “smash and grab” job on fourth placed Aberdour, winning 1-0 in their 1pm throw up at Silversands. Inveraray player / manager Graham MacPherson began a two-game suspension following his red card against Col Glen a week earlier and his side travelled with only twelve players. Despite having a hand injury, 16 year old Gregor Mather returned between the sticks after missing the previous week’s defeat to Col Glen and he would go on to turn in a man of the match performance. 15 year olds Coll Mackay and Calum MacDonald started up front for the youthful looking Inveraray side. Aberdour started the brighter, creating many chances, but a combination of wasteful shooting and superb goalkeeping prevented Lisa MacColl’s side taking the lead. Inveraray’s centre line grabbed a hold of the game towards the end of the first half, with wingers Campbell Watt and Steven Cameron adapting well to their unaccustomed roles. Just as with the first period, Aberdour dominated large chunks of the second half. Ruaraidh Reid prompted the home side but with little reward as Aberdour struggled to break down a determined Inveraray back line, with half back Colin Campbell producing his best performance in an Inveraray jersey this season. However Inveraray have young Gregor Mather to thank for some heroic saves to keep the score line at 0-0. Aberdour goalkeeper Tom Bowerman had a quiet afternoon until 89 minutes when he ended up picking the ball out of the net. Young Calum MacDonald, the smallest player on the park, ran through several challenges to push the ball into the back of the net and give Inveraray a 1-0 lead. There wasn’t much time for referee David Mitchell to add and his final whistle signalled an unlikely Inveraray victory. Aberdour will be wonder how they came away from this game with nothing to show for their efforts whist the Inveraray seconds were delighted to record their second win in three weeks, all thanks to their young striker Calum MacDonald and young goalkeeper Gregor Mather who was outstanding. With the Lochaber second team’s match against their Kilmallie second team postponed, there was a quickly rearranged meeting between the Kilmallie seconds and title hopefuls Lovat seconds at The Canal Parks. The early throw up allowed the players to make the short journey to An Aird to watch the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup semi-final between Newtonmore and Kilmallie. Lovat took the early initiative in this noon throw up with top scorer Raymond Rennie netting on 7 and 21minutes. However Andrew Gibb scored twice for Kilmallie, on 29 and 40 minutes, to make it 2-2 at the break. Raymond Rennie’s goals have been so important to the Lovat seconds this season and he made the difference when he claimed his hat-trick to make it 3-2 with just 4 minutes remaining. Lovat stay three points ahead of second placed Lochcarron. The Cabers seconds are seven points off the top but they have three games in hand on the leaders with the sides still due to meet at Castle Leod and Balgate. Second top Lochcarron beat the second bottom Strathglass reserve side 8-4 at Battery Park. The pitch looked in excellent condition after some scarifying work for this match which was punctured by some heavy rain showers. With their first team off to Oban Celtic, Strathglass found their resources stretched and Penri Jones, Eoghan Stewart, Ali Rothe and Colin Birnie, with the latter with the first team, were amongst their absentees. Lochcarron named fifteen players but they were without the likes of Sean MacCuish, Dougie MacKenzie, David Bauermeister and Peter MacKenzie. Niall Arnott drifted the ball high into the net from around 25 yards out to give Lochcarron a 13 minute lead. Strathglass keeper Sasha Pocock then made a good same from a Michael MacMillan shot but MacMillan wasn’t to be denied and he made it 2-0 when he stretched to touch the ball into the net from close range on 23 minutes with the Strath trying to play the ball out for a corner. Some persistent play saw Crisdean Finlayson turn and score with a back-hand strike on 33 minutes, beating the keeper low to her right side. Sasha Pocock then did well to keep out an Angus Urquhart strike from wide on the left, on the clubhouse side. Pocock stretched her leg to the right to keep out Urquhart’s shot, which took a vicious bounce, deflecting the ball away for a corner. Lochcarron, now shooting up the slope, hit both posts in the early minutes of the second half before Michael MacMillan got his second on 49 minutes when he cut into the D and sent the ball low across the keeper and into the corner of the net. Lochcarron were dominant and Michael MacMillan played the ball out to the right side to Liam Arnott who bulleted the ball high into the top corner of the net for the goal of the match on 57 minutes. Michael MacMillan’s return to the side this season has been a boost for Lochcarron and he completed his hat-trick to make it 6-0 on 61 minutes. The ball was played into MacMillan at the edge of the D and he held off a couple of challenges before placing the ball low into the corner of the net, to the keeper’s right. Michael MacMillan got his fourth on 67 minutes and, although Eddie Noble notched a consolation goal for Strathglass on 69 minutes, Niall Arnott got his second on 74 minutes to make the final score 8-1. After a run of six home matches, Lewis Camanachd headed for Grantown Grammar School for a1.30pm throw up against Strathspey Camanachd. Strathspey, boosted by their fine performance against the more fancied Newtonmore seconds in their Strathdearn Cup tie earlier in the week, never looked like losing this one. Dane Taylor on 9 minutes and Donald Colville on 21 minutes had the hosts 2-0 ahead. Dane Taylor got his second on 35 minutes and Donald Colville did like-wise just 5 minutes after the restart. Perhaps all their efforts midweek took their toll but Strathspey, with Bruce Grant influential throughout, never hit the heights after that but the win lifts them above Lewis to sixth in the table. The Caberfeidh colts clash with the Inverness colts at Castle Leod was rescheduled for Wednesday 15 August 2018. The game between the Beauly seconds and Boleskine at Braeview Park has been rescheduled for Wednesday 8 August 2018. Strachur are just a point away from the Marine Harvest South Division 2 title, and promotion to South 1, after they beat the Bute reserves 3-1 in their noon throw up at The Meadows. The hosts took the lead on 20 minutes with Aiden MacGregor scoring. However Ali Mirlees levelled on 35 minutes to make it 1-1 at the break. It looked as if Bute might have done enough to earn a point but two late goals gave Strachur victory. Steven Wilson scored on 84 minutes to put the visitors ahead for the first time in the game and Ali Mirlees got his second with just 3 minutes remaining to clinch a 3-1 win. Strachur’s final league match is at home against the Glasgow Mid Argyll seconds, who are the only other team who can take the title, on Saturday 11 August 2018. A draw will give Strachur the spoils whilst GMA need to win to keep their championship hopes alive. Strachur also have an important Bullough Cup semi-final tie against the Kyles Athletic second team at Tighnabruaich this Saturday. The Glasgow Mid Argyll second team and Glenorchy have remained on Strachur’s tails throughout the season and, with the games running out, something had to give when the sides met at Yoker. In the end it was three goals late in the game which gave the Glasgow side the points. Seb MacMillan opened the scoring on 19 minutes and the hosts took their single goal advantage into the break. The second half was just a minute old when Glenorchy’s Conor Sartain equalised. Nick Lavin scored to put GMA back in front on 77 minutes. Late goals from Mark Bain on 85 minutes and another from Seb MacMillan with just 3 minutes remaining made the final score 4-1. GMA now know that wins over league leaders Strachur and the Bute seconds would give them the title. The Aberdour second team were awarded a walk-over when the Oban Celtic second team were unable to raise a team for their match at Silversands. ALBA beat England 11-1 in their 7pm Cholmcille Challenge match at The Dell on Saturday 28 July 2018. Mark Fraser scored three goals with Lachie Shaw, Jack Fraser and Iain Hunter getting two goals each. Paddy Sinclair and Sorley Thomson got the other goals with Matt Mossop countering for the English. With the international preparation sessions taking place, there were a limited number of Women’s Camanachd Association fixtures on Sunday 29 July 2018. Aberdour beat Glasgow Mid Argyll 2-1 in their 1pm throw up at Yoker. Joan Nicolson scored for GMA but Katie Booth’s double gave Aberdour the points. Glenurquhart defeated Inverness 9-2 in their 2pm throw up which was switched to Balgate. Katie McMillian and Hannah Johnson got the Inverness goals but Abi Stoddard (4), Donna MacKenzie (3), Hazel Hunter and Shauna Aris wrapped up the Glen win. Glengarry were given a walk-over when Lovat were unable to raise a team for their meeting at Craigard. Both sides agreed to reschedule the game between the Skye Camanachd seconds and Strathglass for Saturday 11 August 2018.

2019-04-20T20:57:26Z

http://www.skyecamanachd.com/news/The-Shinty-Round-Up-Saturday-28-July-2018.htm

Editor's note: Our guest blogger this week is Mark Prestipino, Envista CEO. Looking for ways to provide enhanced map capabilities to its utilities customers, Envista talks about integrating Google Maps Engine into its IRIS technology. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. With miles and miles of underground pipeline and transmission lines to manage, the ability for our utility customers to quickly locate and keep track of their assets is vital to running a successful operation. Thanks to Google Maps Engine, we've been able to create a powerful map platform that makes this all possible. IRIS, our newest solution for the utility industry, is a cloud-based Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) technology that allows an organization to develop custom map applications without the need for complex coding. Incorporating an organization’s business and location data into a single platform, IRIS apps provides the location-relevant information needed to efficiently maintain critical assets in the field. Scale: Founded on Google’s core infrastructure, Google Maps Engine provides IRIS users with unrivaled scale and reliability. This enables the information and image-processing power needed to store, manage and publish maps with layers and layers of high resolution geospatial data. Familiarity: IRIS apps users can see their data visualized on a Google Map. This simple user interface -- combined with the incredible, up-to-date imagery of Google Earth -- lets people build their own map applications and understand what they see on a map with very little training. Mobility: With pipeline and asset management primarily taking place in the field, access to map data anytime, anywhere is critical. The Google Maps Engine cloud platform allows IRIS maps to be used in almost any environment -- mobile, remote or offline. Maps are an invaluable tool for the utilities industry -- and so is scalable, simple-to-use technology. When it comes to providing our utilities customers with a map solution they can rely on, Google Maps Engine is the clear choice for us. Editor's note: Our guest blogger this week is Tristan Dobbs, Technical Services Team Guru for Classic Cinemas, a family-owned movie theater chain based in Downers Grove, IL. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. Classic Cinemas has been bringing families, couples, kids and film enthusiasts together in front of the silver screen for more than thirty years – around the time Christopher Reeve donned the famous tights and cape for “Superman” in 1978. Over the years, we’ve grown to 500 employees and over 13 movie theaters in and around Chicago. We’ve also outgrown the film technology we started with. After years of using 35-millimeter film projection systems, we upgraded to 4K Ultra High-Def Digital Projectors. We’re a true 21st century cinema. When I joined the IT department in 2012, it was clear we were in need of another upgrade – this time, from our Microsoft Exchange server. We had ongoing issues with downtime that cost the company a lot of money and the IT team a lot of time. We looked into cloud-based systems and Google Apps was exactly what we needed – the 99.9 percent uptime sold us. We switched to Google Apps with the help of Cloud Sherpas in August 2012 and couldn’t have been in better hands. At no point did we ever have a question that they couldn't answer. Data migration? They walked us through each step along the way and made sure we didn't lose a single megabyte. Change management? They ran webinars for all of our employees about moving from Outlook to Gmail, Word to Docs and Folders to Labels. They made switching feel seamless. We created an employee intranet on Google Sites that houses all our necessary documents – employee schedules, upcoming screenings, movie schedules and parking lists, among others. This means everything important sits in one single place, and everyone on the team can access it. No more wild goose chases over email and no more bothering groups of people with email barrages. Google Apps also helped us bring our maintenance request system up to date. Before we switched over, people wrote out their problems in a Word doc and emailed them to us, then we printed them out, tracked them on a bulletin board, and took them down one by one as the maintenance team went on-site to handle each issue. With Cloud Sherpas’ help, we built a Google Form on our intranet, so now everyone submits their requests online. The Form automatically feeds into a spreadsheet, which alerts the maintenance team that work needs to be done. We’ve been able to dramatically reduce administration time and boost our productivity to a new level. We now have complete history and statistics capabilities, as well as the ability to identify trends and be more proactive. Just as digital technology helped us move into the modern era of film, Google Apps has helped us adapt to the future of business. It’s been a smash hit for us - just like “Superman” was back in the day. Editor's note: Our guest blogger is Jim Nonn, CIO at Egan Company, a Brooklyn Park, MN-based commercial contractor. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. Egan Construction is an approximately 800-person construction company in Minnesota currently working on the Central Corridor Light Rail, the biggest construction project in the history of the North Star State. The Light Rail will stretch 11 miles through five major areas of interest, and is expected to be done in 2014. As CIO of Egan, I want to provide my organization with technology that helps connect the job site with the main office, the tools and parts warehouses and our executives. A year ago, we were looking for a solution that would avoid having a fleet of expensive, quickly outdated and slow Microsoft Windows laptops that constantly break or need replacing. I’ve heard stories from other construction firms that Monday mornings were like the movie Groundhog Day, with the IT team tackling the same four-foot high stack of malware-infected laptops over and over while work ground to a halt. I didn’t want to experience that. After surveying the market, we decided to move to Chromebooks for our 140-person foreman staff. They’re lightweight, turn on and off in an instant, and provide easy access to business apps that we use every day. Chromebooks also integrate nicely with Google Apps, which we use to run our business in the field. The workers love the Chromebooks because they aren’t afraid to use them on the job. If one does get damaged, we can swap it out for another one in a matter of minutes, with zero time wasted or data lost. Also, we’ve saved so much in moving forward with Chromebooks instead of Windows laptops - about $200 per machine. Rolling out Chromebooks to our staff was extremely easy. We have two people and an intern in our IT support department, and I wanted the intern to manage the deployment process. I figured he’d only get so far, then my IT guys would have to jump in, but he did it all on his own. If I would have rolled out the same number of Windows laptops, I would have had to hire additional staff just to manage that. And with Chromebooks, we haven’t been plagued with ongoing support requests. The scale of the light rail project really brings to light how valuable the Chromebooks have become to our organization. At Egan, we take pride in the fact that we’re building something that so many Minnesotans will use. The light rail will bring people together that didn’t have an easy way to connect previously. I like to think Chromebooks have done the same for Egan. Every day, millions of companies, schools and governments around the world run their organizations on Google’s enterprise solutions, including Google Apps, the Google Search Appliance, Google Maps and Earth, and Google Cloud Platform. We’re committed to helping these organizations succeed, but we can’t do it alone; our partners play a crucial role in ensuring customers get the most out of the technology they use. Companies rely on our partners to provide everything from hands-on deployment and technical support to customized applications that integrate seamlessly with Google’s products. Today, we kicked off our inaugural Global Partner Summit at our headquarters in Mountain View, CA. More than 400 partner leaders from around the world are joining us for three days of training, planning and sharing best practices. We’ll also take time at the Summit to recognize the great work that so many of our partners have done helping businesses embrace new solutions and move to the cloud. Googlers joining our partners this week to discuss the state and future of business technology include Vint Cerf, Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist; Patrick Pichette, Google’s Chief Financial Officer; Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President of Technical Infrastructure; Amit Singh, President of Google Enterprise. To help partners build their expertise and prepare for certification exams, we’re launching a partner university. The university will feature a combination of self-guided online courses, instructor-led online courses, and in-person classes that can be taken individually or sequentially. We’re also doing more to recognize outstanding resellers across different products. Two years ago, we began recognizing certain Google Apps resellers as premier resellers. Today, we’re adding similar ‘premier’ designations for our top partners in our Search Reseller Program and our brand new Maps for Business Reseller Program. If you’re a business, check out Enterprise Partner Search to find local experts who can help you move to the cloud. Or if you’re a company interested in joining our partner program, visit this website. Editor's note: Our guest blogger this week is Peter Hutterer, Content Manager at Österreichische Post AG, Austria’s leading logistics and postal service provider. Österreichische Post AG is the leading logistics and postal service provider in Austria with about 20.000 employees. More than eight million Austrians trust us every day to deliver their letters, advertising materials and packages securely and quickly. As a stock market listed company, we make an important contribution towards maintaining and securing the communication and logistics infrastructure in Austria. We always look to the latest technologies to further enhance the quality of our service, and are convinced that good service is only possible if our customers, employees and partners can find what they are looking for quickly and easily. That is why we chose to implement the Google Search Appliance 7.0. The recently launched project – first implementing GSA for our website and online shop pages and later using it for our intranet – is expected to be completed by mid-2013. Then, 9,000 employees across Austria will use the GSA, which will allow them to locate internal information and documents, share these with the entire workforce and improve our internal networking. The personalized intranet search experience enabled by the GSA is another key factor that played a role in the decision to go with Google’s Enterprise Search solution. With the GSA, we can also search within the organisation for experts in different subject areas, and thus tap into the “wisdom of many” across all our locations to execute our work. In addition, while up to now we've been using various search engines within the company, the move to one and intuitive GSA will lower our IT spend. However, GSA doesn’t just give our employees a fast and easy search experience that yields the most relevant results; our customers also benefit from our implementation of the Google search solution. They are used to finding everything they need extremely fast by searching on Google.at. And now the GSA will give them the same experience on our website, making it easier to navigate the jungle of our diverse service portfolio, including information about package rates, mail forwarding services, e-letters, store locations and more. The GSA helps people find the right information faster and delivers the most relevant results for their queries. What’s more, with the GSA, our IT staff can better analyze customer search queries, which, in turn, lets them design the website to be more user-friendly. But that’s not the end of it: in the future, we will use GSA to better calibrate our service offers to make sure we meet and exceed the needs of our customers. See what other businesses that use the Google Search Appliance have to say. With a new academic year comes a new way of learning. Increasingly primary, secondary, and university students and faculty are using Google Apps for Education, a free suite of productivity tools designed to help people work together better. This also include three top-tier universities in Australia who are going back to school this year with Google Apps. The universities of Griffith, Macquarie and Monash join the community of thousands of institutions worldwide using Google Apps for Education to enhance their students’ learning and to increase organizational efficiency. This community includes 72 of the top 100 schools in the USA and 20 million students and teachers worldwide. Griffith University is a leading research university with a strong international focus spread over 5 campuses. They were looking for an easy-to-use communication and collaboration platform that offered more storage capacity and a better user interface, regardless of access device or location. Monash University has a presence in Malaysia, South Africa, India, Italy and China, and benefits from being able to streamline communication among its dispersed students and staff. Macquarie University was in fact the first university in Australia, and amongst the first in the world, to offer Gmail to their students, setting up 68,000 accounts back in 2007. Since then, they have switched on more and more of the suite’s features, and in 2012 even became the first Australian university to map its campus 3 dimensionally in Google Earth. Several students from each of these universities have also been appointed as Google Student Ambassadors this year, and will join students from 25 other universities this week in our Sydney office. They will learn first-hand how Google Apps for Education can help to uncover a new way of learning, and help others on their campuses to use technology for good. For more information about Google Apps for Education, and to sign up today, visit www.google.com/apps/edu. Or say hello in person June 3-5 at EduTECH in Brisbane, Australia. Through the Google Apps for Education Support Program, 14,000 teachers, students and staff from Mae Fah Luang University will now use Google’s collection of free email and open collaboration tools, including Gmail, Google+, Docs, Calendar and Groups, and be the first educational institution in northern Thailand to go Google. Being cloud enabled means students and teachers can take full advantage of the web and collaborate wherever they are. No matter if they are on a bus, at home, or enjoying one of the many beautiful gardens on the Mae Fah Luang University campus. Leading-edge technologies, like cloud computing and collaborative tools, have a vital role to play in helping equip future generations with the skills they need to thrive in the workforce of today and tomorrow. Why is going Google greener? In addition to supporting learning, the move to the cloud will also help Mae Fah Luang achieve their sustainability goals. Our energy efficiency efforts mean our cloud is greener, ensuring that colleges, universities and businesses that use our cloud based tools, such as Gmail and Google Apps, are greener too. Our analysis suggests that a typical organization can achieve substantial energy and carbon savings—ranging from 65 to 85 percent—by migrating to Google Apps and that an organization using Gmail can decrease its environmental impact by up to 98 percent. Just 9 months ago, we were excited to announce the first university in Thailand to go Google in Khon Kaen province. Today 13 educational institutions and more than 300,000 students, teachers and academics in Thailand have gone Google, and that’s just the beginning. Editor's note: Our guest blogger is Jared Tabler, Vice President of Operations at ICOM Productions, a Calgary, Alberta-based eLearning company. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. ICOM Productions is a 100-person company focused on helping companies better engage and develop their employees by freshening up their training programs. We pride ourselves on being progressive, young and vibrant; we encourage our employees to question old habits, push the envelope and change the way we teach and learn every day. When I joined as VP of Operations less than a year ago, I was shocked by how our progressive mentality clashed with our old, slow and unreliable technology. We were using a piecemeal technology solution built around Microsoft® Exchange that made everyday processes disjointed and inefficient. We wanted employees from each of our three offices to be able to collaborate on projects, but the process of emailing versions back and forth and editing them in silos wasn't quite the collaboration we were looking for. We knew we needed something better, but upgrading to the newest Exchange Server would have cost us a fortune and still leave us three years behind the latest technology. It turned out that our forward-thinking employees were pushing the envelope with technology on the side, too: they'd started using their personal Google accounts at work. They were sharing files through Google Drive and creating project hubs with Google Sites. Over the next few months, we talked with our employees and Agosto, a Google Apps Reseller, and we came to a clear conclusion: moving ICOM to Google Apps was the best path forward. In the Fall of 2012, Agosto partnered with our technical team to put a migration plan in place, and 30 days later, all 100 employees were on Apps. It was the fastest IT implementation I’ve ever done. Google+ Hangouts have completely revolutionized our recruiting process. Instead of relying on phone screenings, which don’t really convey a candidate’s personality, or flying people to Calgary, which is expensive, we use Hangouts, which cost nothing and bring each prospect’s character to life. We like to do group interviews via Hangouts to see how people think and interact - group collaboration is huge at ICOM, and you get a good sense of that over video conference. Our candidates love that we’re using new technology and we love that we’re still getting the same valuable insight about our candidates. Google Apps has helped us be more efficient, more forward-thinking and more cost-effective. It’s also helped us strengthen the ICOM culture we pride ourselves on - being creative, asking thought-provoking questions and working as a team. All of this, of course, means that we’re getting better at what we do: helping other companies teach and train their employees more effectively. Just like what Apps has done for us. Editor's note: Our guest blogger is Tony Floyd, Chief Marketing Officer at Prudential Georgia Realty, metro Atlanta's largest real estate brokerage. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. At Prudential Georgia Realty, our associates work hard to deliver valuable services to their clients. Their work ethic and great skills have helped us become the largest real estate company in the Greater Metro Atlanta area. We were recently named by REALTrends as one of only 17 real estate companies in the country to increase its sales volume, agent headcount and agent productivity over the last 10 years. With more than 1,000 agents in 22 offices, spread out over 43 counties around Atlanta, it is critical for our agents and staff to communicate efficiently with current and potential clients. Communication is the backbone of our business - our agents have to manage a lot of contacts, files, photos and other information and they need access on their mobile devices. We had two separate email systems, a hosted Microsoft® Exchange 2007 server for employees and an open source solution for our agents. We wanted to migrate to a single system that allowed us to support the transition to a more virtual working environment and foster better collaboration internally. Another consideration was the ability for our agents to organize and manage their contacts into groups so they could run campaigns and stay in contact using any of their devices. After a careful evaluation, we decided to move to the Google Apps platform. We migrated the employees to Google Apps in December and have already seen an improvement in our communication. When our agents go live, Google Apps will help them run their business from any location using any device. Google Groups will let agents easily organize and manage their client and contact lists, so with one click they can send more relevant marketing content to a specific group of people. Most importantly, since it’s all in the cloud, these Groups will automatically sync to any device so the agent can follow up with a personal phone call. Google Drive allows us to share large files and documents and manage the security at the same time. We plan to implement Google Sites, so each branch or division will have a searchable and sharable place to store information like a high resolution photos. Teams can work together on projects more effectively and collaborate on live documents. Agents will now be able to create personalized Google Sites tailored to specialized groups of prospects like first time buyers, baby boomers, or potential luxury home buyers. Real estate is a very competitive business. Google Apps puts the information at our fingertips, which gives us a leg up. Leveraging the right technology can be game changing for the real estate industry, and we’re excited to be a leader in that effort. Editor's note: Today’s guest blogger is Lou Giannotti, CIO at the United States Naval Academy, the undergraduate institution of the United States naval service. The United States Naval Academy (USNA) has graduated more than 78,000 young men and women to serve in America’s naval service since being founded in 1845. The technological landscape of the country has changed dramatically over the past decade, and USNA has kept pace by providing its students, called midshipmen, with the educational resources required to be effective Navy and Marine Corps officers upon graduation. Similar to other top educational institutions such as the Ivy League schools, Stanford and MIT, USNA is in constant flux and continuously trying to stay on the technological cutting edge. Thousands of midshipmen enter and depart each year, all requiring mandatory and standardized email addresses and account changes. This presents a significant challenge of ensuring old email accounts are properly deleted and new accounts created quickly. Faculty, staff, and midshipmen rely on a wide array of smartphones and tablets for communication and collaboration. For years, USNA employed an appliance-based email solution that offered secure communications, but proved to be expensive and limiting over time. USNA paid a hefty license fee for every mobile device accessing email. With the exploding mobile component of the environment, we sought an alternative solution. During an analytical review of alternatives, USNA discovered the bulk of the 4,400 midshipmen were using personal Gmail accounts. USNA embarked on a trial of Google Apps for Government, providing midshipmen Gmail while allowing USNA to protect school data from uncontrolled exposure to the public domain. It provided a full suite of communication and collaboration tools such as Docs and Calendar. Coincidently, Google Apps for Government also provided universal mobile access with no additional licensing costs. USNA began with 100 users putting Google Apps through its paces, including testing much needed capabilities like using Calendar to schedule resources like rooms and equipment, and sharing documents for collaborative efforts. Following a successful trial, phase two included applying Google Apps to all faculty, staff, and midshipmen. Today, Google Apps supports approximately 7,200 users at USNA. We use Gmail the most, with some faculty using its chat feature to communicate with midshipmen for official purposes. USNA maintains roughly four terabytes of mail without the burden of operating onsite storage and backup systems. More and more users are also taking advantage of Docs and Calendar. In fact, the midshipmen and faculty create an average of 5,000 Google Docs daily. Users enjoy the sharing capabilities, enabling greater collaboration. This is enhanced further as Google Apps allows access on any device users choose. Google Apps provides USNA with flexibility and enables management of the constant change of midshipmen turnover at a lower cost than before. The mobile access alone makes Google Apps a worthwhile investment at $50 per person. It lets us make better use of the taxpayer’s dollars. The greatest value is the ease of creating and sharing information between midshipmen, faculty, and other institutions making Google Apps a core collaborative asset in the educational process. Editor's note: Today’s guest blogger is David Gendel, Corporate IT Director at Allrecipes.com, the world’s largest digital food brand. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. Allrecipes.com started in 1997, when Tim Hunt couldn’t find his favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe online. He vowed that other cooks like him shouldn’t have to deal with the same problem, and started CookieRecipe.com. From there, he created even more recipe sites that eventually came together into the site we know today: Allrecipes.com. Fifteen years after that cookie baking epiphany, we have more than one million user-generated recipes and 30 million visitors per month. That’s a lot of people looking for more than just chocolate chip treats. I took over as IT director for Allrecipes.com a year ago, and fixing our aging email system sat at the very top of my first to-do list. We culled our top options—Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Office 365, and Google Apps for Business—and put them through the ringer. After testing, analysis, and focus groups, Google Apps came out on top. With the help of our partner, Cloud Sherpas, we moved all of Allrecipes.com employees over. Changing old habits is hard, especially when it comes to technology, but after just five months, it feels like Google Apps is second nature to us. We want all of our employees to be able to work from wherever they are, with whatever device they have with them. With Google Apps, they can do just that - we use a mixture of mobile devices and operating systems, and our teams can switch seamlessly between them. I don’t always have my laptop with me, but with the Google Drive mobile app, I just jump into a doc on my smartphone or tablet to review or edit it, whether it’s during a meeting or on the way to the airport. Needing to fix a document on the fly doesn’t mean needing a computer anymore. We move quickly. Apps moves with us. Hangouts also help us stay connected. Our social media manager recently moved to Australia, but with Hangouts, it’s almost as if she never left. We have video conferences with her throughout the week, and you wouldn’t know she’s halfway around the world. Our technical teams also use Hangouts for off-hours maintenance. They get excited about being able to see who they’re working with as if they were both in the office, interacting as if they were in person, and sharing their screens to help expedite problem solving. We love that video conferencing is so seamlessly integrated with the entire Apps suite, and we don’t have to use or pay for a separate program. Food is more than just food – it brings people together and creates shared experiences. At Allrecipes.com, we’re proud to provide so many people with the foundation for those experiences. Google Apps brings our company closer so we can focus on helping home cooks make magic in their kitchens, one cookie or casserole at a time. Editor's note: Our guest blogger is Felix Müller, International Digital Marketing Manager at Beiersdorf AG, a global leader in skin care with headquarters in Hamburg, Germany. Skin care has been our core expertise for 130 years. From our headquarters in Germany, we at Beiersdorf AG market one of the world’s most successful skin care brands: NIVEA. In order to move forward in an industry that we've been in for a long time, it’s important for us to have a finger on the pulse of the market and focus on the ever-changing needs of our customers. Today, more of our customers are using the Internet to find our products and we wanted to make that an easy experience for them. Google Search Appliance offers visitors to our websites a significantly enhanced experience. It is a scalable hardware solution that offers a Google-like search experience for our public NIVEA websites worldwide. For our users, it offers the same kind of easy, fast and relevant search experience that they know from Google.com, while our company benefits from complete flexibility and control over the online user search experience. That is a great help to us, particularly when it comes to turning potential customers into real ones. We have now rolled out the Google Search Appliance globally for a total of 74 conventional and 12 mobile, country-specific websites of the NIVEA brand. Google Search Appliance has personalized and improved the visitors’ experience on NIVEA websites: when searching for products, they receive country-specific suggestions and results that also adapt based on patterns in the respective market. For example, if a site visitor in Germany starts his or her search with "de", the first suggestion he or she will see is “deo ohne aluminium”, while the same query in France will suggest “devenir testeuse nivea”. So that the search process actually yields successful results, searches in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Dutch and Arabic are supported by extensive features such as integrated thesaurus and an automatic, self-learning spellcheck function. The upshot is that the Google technology now makes it a whole lot easier for our customers to search for content that is relevant to them. See what other companies that use Google Search Appliance have to say. Editor's note: We are excited to have guest blogger Jaime Garcia, IT Corporate Director of the All Inclusive Collection with over 5,000 employees at Hard Rock hotels in the Mayan Riviera, Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, and Punta Cana. See what other organizations that have gone Google have to say. At Hard Rock hotels, we don’t want to be a normal hotel; we want our guests to feel like rock stars from the moment they walk in the door. But, with 1,200 employees that use our IT platform across four locations, it can be challenging to create a consistent guest experience. We need tools that help us make decisions in the moment -- the party doesn’t stop at the Hard Rock! As the IT Corporate Director of the All Inclusive Collection (which runs all of the Hard Rock Hotels in Mexico and the Dominican Republic), I’m responsible for providing tools to our employees that will let them to work together effectively and focus on our customers. On our old system, Microsoft® Exchange, we had a large datacenter for the hotels to maintain. Our communication tools weren’t flexible enough to make decisions on the go and we couldn’t guarantee that we were running the same promotions at the same time. We worried about the effect on our guests’ experience. I decided that we needed to move to Google Apps and get off of our on-premise infrastructure. Google Apps was fast, safe, and agile and met all of the security standards I was looking for, so I knew that all of our customers’ information would be protected, too! Since moving to Google Apps, we've improved internal communication and are now spending half as much time on things as we were previously. While our hotels are in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, our sales teams are located all over the globe—North America, Europe, Asia, and here in Latin America—and they’re moving all the time. With Google Talk and Google+ Hangouts, we rarely use the phone anymore, it’s easier to jump on a Hangout from any device and from any of our locations. When our sales team in Miami make an important reservation for a wedding or a big group, they chat via Google Talk with the hotel in Cancun, providing immediate assurance and confirmation that everything will run smoothly. Having so many guests across our hotels, problems can arise at anytime day or night, so we can’t have downtime. Rather than worrying about keeping our servers and email running, we spend our time managing tools through a browser. We've saved thousands of dollars in IT infrastructure and telecommunication costs, and my IT headaches are gone. I used to have a team of guys helping me manage servers and keep our email up and running. Now, only two of us manage all of the tools. Google Sites and Google Calendar have been fundamental in organizing our promotions and standardizing our guest experience by allowing us to share across hotel locations. We just had a promotion across all our branches for Christmas and the holidays. We made a site with all of the dates, rates, and details of the deal and we could easily monitor how it was rolled out across each hotel. This process used to take weeks, and fixing discrepancies between the locations was messy. Now, it’s simple, consistent, and happens in real time. On Google Apps, we really feel like a team, working together despite being countries apart. We are able to provide the same level of rockstar service in all of our hotels and create great experiences for our guests. All while improving our customer experience – rock on! Editor's note: Staying safe on the internet means being smart whenever you're online -- at home, at work and on your mobile device. The tips shared below are intended to help you protect yourself and your family. For more information about what Google does to protect our enterprise customers' data, check out our trust series on this blog and our security white paper. Last year, we launched Good to Know, our biggest-ever campaign focused on making the web a safer, more comfortable place. Today, on Safer Internet Day, we’re updating Good to Know to include more tips and advice to help you protect yourself and your family from identity theft, scams and online fraud. You can also learn how to make your computer or mobile device more secure, and get more out of the web — from searching more effectively to making calls from your computer. And you can find out more about how Google works to make you, your device and the whole web safer. We know staying safe online is important to you — and it is important to us too. That's why we've had independent third parties perform inspections and audits for the data protections in Google Apps. 2012 was a year of opening doors to learning on the web for more and more students each day. With the web, students and teachers are using new technology and devices to collaborate with each other in class, from home, and around the world. We want Google in Education to help open more doors and we’re pleased to announce there are now 2,000 schools using Chromebooks for Education–twice as many as 3 months ago. And with several Chrome devices available today, there is a device for any school, any student, anywhere. The most recent schools to join the fray include: Transylvania County Schools in rural North Carolina deploying 900 devices; top Catholic prep school St.Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida going one-to-one with 2,200 devices; and urban charter network Rocketship Education in the Bay Area of California using 1,100 Chromebooks as part of their blending learning approach. The Google Apps for Education community also continues to grow, with Chicago Public Schools bringing 270,000 students, teachers and administrators into the cloud. Connor and Meg at Spring Valley High School are two of the over 14,000 students in Richland School District Two in South Carolina who are now using Chromebooks for 1:1 learning. This week I had the opportunity to speak with many in the global education community as I traveled from the FETC conference in Orlando, Florida to the BETT Show in London, U.K. I’d like to share some thoughts from my journey. This week at the FETC 2013 conference, we hosted a panel where school leaders reflected on this past year. In January 2012 some of the first districts announced that they were moving “one to one” with Chromebooks and that they were choosing the web as their learning platform. On the panel Tuesday, these educators talked about the impact the web has had in their schools: enabling tech support internships, allowing homebound students to collaborate remotely, and teaching students to become digital leaders. The results of the hard work of educators and students shows clearly in the impact at Leyden and the changes at Richland Two one year later. On Saturday, I fly out of London, and onwards to the next educator event with even more of the Google in Education community. You can find upcoming live and virtual events on the calendar page of our website. I hope to see you soon – in person or on the web.

2019-04-24T18:02:43Z

https://cloud.googleblog.com/2013/02/

As I was studying a degree in International Trade I had to do an internship in a Marketing Department, so I applied at Internship-uk in London. This internship in London really suited me since I had lots of responsibilities which is unusual during an internship. Internship-uk program gave me the opportunity to have a complete and strong experience in Marketing. I had the opportunity to work in two offices in London and New Romney. It enabled me to become more fluent and flexible in Marketing and International Trade. Furthermore, I learned a lot about the flat-share accommodation and flat-share properties during my internship abroad because I had never worked in this sector before and finally it really interested me. The face-to-face with customers enabled me not only to practice and improve my english but also to improve my communication skills and knowledge. Indeed I learned a lot about how to deal with problems and find solutions quickly in order to satisfy the customers' expectations. For example, during my internship I had to update a database, find new partners and improve the website thanks to my skills in Marketing. If you are a student and if you want to have real responsabilities within a dynamic and multicultural company. Launch your career and apply now! My name is Ina and I am from Germany. I am studying at Dr. Hirsch Akademie GmbH in Pirna to become a European Secretary. A part of my studies was an internship in the UK. When I was searching for a work placement, I found internship-uk.com by accident, but I am really glad that I did! I decided to apply for the internship at gift-tours.com, because they said that you will work independently in a young and motivated environment and that you will work on challenging tasks and projects. It was exactly what I wanted to do. When I was accepted to do my internship I was really looking forward to go to London, where I wanted to do work. When I started working I was completely overstrained! You got a lot of information in the first days, but after a week you got used to it and you learned by doing.At the end I was really happy that I did the internship at gift-tours.com. I expected to learn a lot of things related to my studies, and so I did. My expectations were fulfilled! After the internship I also noticed a lot of personal changes. With the experience of this internship in the UK, I felt much more confident and independent. I think it was a big advantage that I did this internship, both for my studies and for my personal life. Thanks to internship-uk.com for making work experience abroad possible. Hi!, My name is Peter and I go to business school in Rokslide, Denmark where my major is financial and business collage. I'm on my third and last year of business collage. At Traveltura, I worked in the Marketing and IT department. Here, I have been responsible for a website, in which I programmed, developed and designed. This has given me great experience, that I can use in my future career. To tell you about my internship at Traveltura, I only have good things to say. It was great to work with a young and dynamic team because there was a chance to talk with each other, giving the opportunity to improve you English. There was given responsibility at work, and a lot to learn here from everyone. The social atmosphere is great! There was something social every day if you wanted to participate. You are guaranteed to be a part of a strong and cohesive team at Traveltura. After graduation I wanted to do something exciting before searching for work in Belgium and get settled. This internship seemed to be the perfect solution and it is! I am practicing my English and getting work experience. This is very good for my future career. In each international company in Belgium, the spoken language is English. Also the applications are mostly in English, so this internship is a very good opportunity for me to get ready for my career. At Traveltura, I am working the marketing department. I have to translate websites to my native language, use a marketing strategy to attract people, and I also have to upload the websites. So we have to work in team with the IT department. I also work with people of other cultures, so this factor can only be good for your personal development! The process to apply for an internship with Traveltura.com was very fast one instead of other internships where you have to apply a minimum of 3 months before! First I had to answer 45 questions and then I had a first interview with someone from HR and then a last interview with the manager of Traveltura.com. I met a lot of people from other countries. In our free time we visit places like Stonehenge, Bath, Lille; we also have parties, movie nights, and sport activities. Every day there is an activity. If you are tired or you wanna have a quiet evening you can go to your house and have a cosy evening in the living room and watch tv. I am very glad that chose this internship and I can advise everybody to do an intership with traveltura.com! Having returned from an exchange program abroad, I’d like to be independent and stay out of my house, outside of Italy. I thought, London ..why not? I finished my university examinations and I should find a curricular internship. I seized the opportunity and trying to combine pleasure with profit, I started to do a search on the Internet among the various employment opportunities abroad. I had very clear idea actually. I wanted to go to London! The reasons that prompted me to make this choice were those of learning English well and to visit this great metropolis where everyone speaks well. I discovered this website simply by typing "internship in UK" or "internship AND UK" and I began to assess the initial sites proposed by Google. If you did the same research you have probably realized that London offers many jobs for students or young people who would like to make an experience abroad, trying to earn something to support the costs. I chose internship-UK because the company gave me the possibility to choose a specific area of interest, including Marketing, Sales, CRM, HR, IT and Accounting and the chance to join a different job reality and integrate my academic curriculum at the same time. Initially I felt a little disorientation...we always talked in English and the environment seemed informal but actually it was very monitored. I remember that the first week of training I completed 2 tests, the first about the company and an initial strategic analysis on it; the second was about e-marketing techniques, a subject which touched technical shares and which first I knew almost nothing but then I applied it everyday. Another interesting aspect is the fact that the company is still in the process of growth. This offers the opportunity to pursue your ideas and proposals and to offer a real contribution to the organization, learning to grow with it. Overall I’m satisfied to choose Gift-tours.com. I gained online marketing knowledge and issues from a still growing company, all living in a great metropolis reality as London and improving my English day by day. I am Laura, 21 years old and I come from the Netherlands. In the Netherlands I am studying for Commercial associate in Marketing and Communications. Within this study, there are 2 internship periods required for 3 months. Because I have always been interested in other countries, cultures and habits so my choice to go on an internship abroad was not difficult. An internship abroad became an internship in England because this is a great chance to improve my English and to learn more about the English (working)culture. During my search for a suitable internship, I found quickly the website of Internship-uk. For me it was a big challenge to do an internship in England and work together with many other international students. Many international internship companies offer an internship for a really high price. At Internship-UK, they offer a free and quality internship placement where they will help you find accomodation for the entire internship period. Together with Internship-UK everything was set up quick easy for my internship. Within a few weeks, I was ready to start a very special and great learning experience in England. My name is Caroline, I am 21 years old and I come from France. I study in the Institute of Political Sciences in Lyon. During the third year my school gives us the opportunity to make an internship abroad. I chose internship-UK because I wanted to work in a company in England, and it offered me the possibility to do it without all the difficulties linked to the research of an accommodation. My internship was quite long, because I think it’s the best way to get a professional experience while improving my skills and my English! I chose the marketing department as I am interested in this field, and in communication in general. It’s very rewarding to work for this department, because you learn how to master the “web language”. Indeed we work on web sites and we create new pages, using web design and HTML codes, which is very interesting. Internship-UK not only offers you a professional experience, but also the possibility to get more and more responsibilities, to climb the hierarchical grades, which is very attractive!!! The life in New Romney is very pleasant thanks to the organised events. Indeed, each day, we have something to do after work, because trips are arranged, so we can visit the surrounding areas. After the internship, I will continue my education. Hello I am Younes, 17 years old and I did my internship with Traveltura. I study in the Netherlands and follow the course of International Business. After my study I want to go to university and for that I needed to do a intern ship so I came to Traveltura.I found a couple of interships but they where not very good so I searched some more and talked with my friends about internships. I talked with a school colleague and she said that she had done an internship in the UK. I went on the internet to search for a inter ship in UK and I found Traveltura. To sum up my internship here helped me train as a worker and especially as a person. I had a contract for 360 hours and I enjoyed my time. When I arrived I felt home and the work was nice. I learned a lot of things in those 3 months. First of all, the work was something new for me but after the intern ship I had total control about the work. I improved my English and most important, I learned a lot about different cultures. In the end I received a certificate and a good title on my CV. Working at Traveltura was a very good experience and I would certainly recommend it to you. My name is Anna, I am 19 years old and I come from France, where I study in BeM : Bordeaux Business School. My program is very international and I have spent a semester in Germany in a European Business School. As part of my education, I have to do an internship abroad. I chose this internship with internship-UK because I wanted to work with international students and I needed a real expertise in marketing. This internship is a great opportunity to use the knowledge in marketing I learned in business school in practise. We are a dozen of people working in the marketing department and everybody works on internet websites. The company has more than 200 websites, so we don't get bored because we have a lot of work to do. I work on the auberge.co.uk and internship-uk.com websites. The work is very varied and very rewarding. This professional experience is ideal to add to my resume, and would be good for any business school student, in quest of improving their English level and obtaining a great professional experience. The prosperity of the company is the opportunity to have different projects, which are really interesting and get more and more responsibility. Moreover, we have a seminar every week to improve our marketing and communication skills. Doing an internship in Marketing in a British company and working with a great and multicultural team in the wonderful city of London was for me a real chance! I learned a lot about the different Marketing concepts and practices during my internship. Moreover, this experience enriched me personally, I met lots of very nice persons and I keep great souvenirs of my training in London. Marie, 22, Paris. Internship in Marketing, London, UK. My internship in Traveltura.com Ltd was very rewarding professionally and personally speaking. I have been promoted supervisor of the marketing projects after only 3 weeks of internship at the office in London. The main goal of my work was to optimize the number of hits on the existing websites in order to increase the impact and the popularity of the company among potential customers. I also translated several websites in French and Spanish, and I have had a lot of interest in learning how to manage a team. Bastien, 23, Valenciennes. Internship in Marketing, London, UK. "My name is Marion, I am 19 and a 2nd year student in a Business and Development school in Lyon. I have to do an internship every year to validate each year. This year I have chosen to do my 2nd year internship in England, and in marketing. My first goal was to improve my English of course, but my skills in marketing as well. Internship-UK has given me the opportunity to achieve it. I work on the improvement of the web sites, which consists of putting it on the top of Google, but also in the French adaptation. Thanks to Internship-UK, I discovered a new way to use the marketing and I learn new vocabulary every day. Moreover, I work with students from all around the world in a very good inter-cultural atmosphere. I really appreciate this part of the internship, which is for me, one of the most important. You learn about people but also about yourself. An internship with Internship-Uk is a great experience." Hi everyone, I am Ziyi Wei, and I am from China. After graduating from Leeds University Business School, I decided to do internship programme mainly due to my lack of working experience. I applied internship-UK, and now, I have been working for Gift-Tour.com Ltd for more than one month. At Gift-Tours Ltd, I am working in the marketing department, and I am responsible for designing the website of Chinese version, while applying the marketing knowledge to update and improve the website. My main responsibility is trying to attract more Chinese customers and improve the image of the partner companies. It is great that I can employ the knowledge I have acquired in university to the practice, and create the benefit for the companies. The benefits I got from this internship are much more than expected. The real responsibility I took in my job made me grow up fast, and it cultivates my multi-task skills and the ability to work under pressure. Besides, as English is the official language during internship, my English has improved to a large extent. Ziyi Wei 25, China, Internship in Marketing, London, UK. This internship has been a very great experience for me. I have had the opportunity of meeting people from very different nationalities and what is better I have had the chance of working with them. I have learnt things from each one, from their way of working and thinking. Thanks to that I leave with very pleasant memories. To work with such a multicultural team is a unique experience. Moreover, I have had also the opportunity of living with this amazing people and spend my free time with them. Every day an event is organized and that allows you to speak more and to know better your workmates, spend good moments with them and to switch of from work as well. Hello everybody! It's Luis Carlos from Granada (Spain). This year I finished my Studies of Business Management and I wanted to do an internship in UK as soon as I finish my degree, and start to gain experience which could help me for my professional future, and there are not better place to do this than England. Then I started to search for an intern-ship and I chose London, where you can find the best international companies. I searched for a company which let you work in what I studied to get an useful experience. My search was through internet and after no long time I found "www.intership-uk.com" where they let me choose a department all of them perfect to improve my skills and development knowledges acquired in my studies, as marketing, human resources, accounting, finances. After going through different interviews and after thinking between different options, I chose Traveltura to do my intern-ship because all they offer me were positive and a challenge for me. Therefore they gave me the liberty of choosing when I wanted to start my intern-ship, department and even where I wanted to work because Traveltura has offices in both London and New Romney which is a small town just one hour and an half from London. And I decided to be 3 months in Marketing Department and to work in New Romney because work environment is great here and you find many interns like you. When I arrived to the company, my first impression was not what I expected because it is difficult to get used to a different culture but after 4 days I was like at home because I made many friends, we share a lot of time together what did working a pleasant experience also it is supported by company's events, they create a calendar of events where every day we have something to do, like parties, dinners, clubbing, trips, sports... Here if you are bored it is because you want to be, also because we have the option to go a gym with a discount because we are in Traveltura. My experience here it becomes unforgettable and I am learning more than I expected before my arrival because I am applying my acquired knowledges in marketing, therefore Traveltura cares about your formation, they teach you and make test to taste if your level is right or you need more formation, "what is really difficult is do not learn". Therefore I am meeting new friends from all over the world and learning about new cultures and habits. Hello! My name is Michele, I’m 21 years old, I come from Northern Italy and this is the first time that I do an internship abroad. I knew about Internship-UK from a friend of mine, who after have been hired for an internship with this company, phoned me, and she was very enthusiastic about this opportunity! I’ve always wanted to do an internship abroad, and when I knew about the chances that I could have with Internship-UK, I took advantage of it! I felt the necessity, both for my education and for my personal growth, to live such an experience, which gives me the possibility to live with young people from all over the world, in a dynamic, vernal and job challenging environment. The first time I came in the office, I found a total new reality, really different from the one I was used to, and I suddenly realized that there was a wonderful collaboration between the interns and between them and the manager. At first I felt a little confused, but after the first days, when they taught me the basics principles of Marketing, that is the field in which I’m doing the internship, it all appeared clearer. From this internship I have gained a lot of new things, both theoretical and practical, besides a major confidence with the computer and with the use of English, which is one of the reasons that pushed me to live this experience, and other abroad experiences in my past. Finally, this internship has taught me how to create a perfect and favourable relationship between the employee and the customer. Moreover, I expect to amplify my knowledges, because the group is so numerous, and each one of us lived so many different experiences that are wonderful to share. Hi, my name is Dries Tindemans, I am 20 years of age and in my third year of International Business in the Plantijnhogeschool, Antwerp. My school gave me the opportunity to have an internship abroad for 4 months. I decided to join the intership-UK program in New Romney because I was looking for an internship that would provide me with enough challenges and responsibility. When I arrived, the New Romney team made me feel at home straight away. My goal was to improve my English as well as my marketing skills in a young and flexible, yet professional, working environment. In the marketing department I learned about general and guerilla marketing tactics, basic HTML coding and how to apply SEO and SMO techniques. Furthermore, I translated web content into English, French and Dutch. Internship-UK also gave me the opportunity to experience field research in Hastings and Eastbourne. Together with all the other international students you will be having the time of your life here in New Romney. The event management team plans all kind of events for the team. Internship-UK gave me the chance to work independently as well as in an young and motivated International team. I learned more and had more responsibility than I could ever had imagined. I met people from all over the world and I will be visiting them in the future. Furthermore, having your internship in the UK will give your CV a definite boost. So, if you are looking for a challenging internship in the UK, I can certainly recommend you this internship programme. If you have any questions you can always visit Internship-International and add me as a friend. Hello, My name is Jessie van Dijk. I am a 17 years young girl living in the Netherlands where I have studied International Business! During my first year of these studies, I got the opportunity to go on a internship abroad for 3 months. I heard about internship-UK through a good friend of mine, Emine Samiu. He had done his internship here and had a great time. That is why I decided to apply there. When I got accepted everything went really easy and quickly. The HR department kept good contact and made sure everything was clear. I wanted to do an internship abroad to improve my English and get used to working abroad. An internship in England was the perfect choice for me as well as for my school. I wanted to work in the marketing department so I could improve my skills and acquire practical knowledge in marketing techniques such as e-marketing. The internship in New Romney really offered me that plus a unforgettable, amazing time! As soon as I arrived in New Romney, everybody made me feel at home and all the people where very helpful. I got two very kind room-mates (house-mates and colleges)! I made a lot of friends there. In the company there where a lot of different departments such as Human Resources, Public relations, Sales, and so on. There was also and internal event management team which made my stay even more fun! They organised trips for me and all the other international interns. Because me and the other international students where sharing houses, I learned to be more independent. I really miss the amazing time I had in the UK and I know for sure that I will come back one day! A learning Experience with Internship UK! My school gave me the opportunity to do an internship abroad. Going abroad for four months would be an experience on itself and it was relevant to my studies of International Business. I browsed the internet for companies but due to the financial crisis it was not that easy to find a interesting work placement. While searching Google, I found the website of Internship UK. An affiliate of Gift-Tours that has been giving undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to acquire a relevant work experience. I browsed through there site and applied for some of the departments that I found interesting. I applied for Marketing and Human Resources. Within two days they called me back and after a few interviews they told me I had been accepted. I worked in the Marketing department for four months. It was an experience I will never forget. I had the opportunity to gain responsibility and to prove myself. Every fortnight we had promotions, which gave you a good feeling because all your hard work was being rewarded. All the employees where very open and friendly and it was very nice to cope with cultural differences and to learn about each other. The Event management team regularly organized parties and sight-seeing trips which allowed us to create a good balance between work and free time. Let me start by introducing my self. My name is Mercedes Brown and I attend the Noorderpoort College in the Netherlands. I am a first year student studying the course of International Business Studies and this will take about 3.5 years to complete. In the month of December I was told by our mentor that we all needed to find a internship place. This was very important to all of us in order to pass our first year. At the last moment I didn't have a intern-ship placement. I heard from a classmate of mine that they would be going to London to their internship and he could get the information for me to apply for this Internship. I had about 3 interviews with both Avril and Giulia, HR personnel, and at the end of the week I got accepted. The reason why I choose to come to this Internship programme was not only because most of the students from my school were coming here, but more because I wanted to obtain this experience. I never did an intership abroad before. So getting accepted meant a lot to me. When arriving here in New Romney I was really home sick but the people that surrounded me all day, everyday gave me nothing but a warm welcome and an introduction to what needed to be done in the office. The rules are very basic and they always need to be respected. I learned how to build mirror websites, which before coming here I never knew nothing much about. I really enjoyed working at studios 92. This internship really broadened my intelligence in the marketing field. Since marketing is a very wide field I won’t have the time to learn everything but I sure got home with enough work experience. As for taking this experience along for my career, it will really help me to be alert and how to work in a professional way. If there is one thing I learned from working here its, ‘When working in the office is down to serious business. When owning a business there are no friends so there for you have to keep your rules and regulations’. I do really miss all of my friends that I’ve made during my internship. When I'm down and out they would always be there to cheer me up and have a good time. Internship UK gives you the opportunity to have a professional job experience and also to meet different people from all over the world. I will never forget such an experience. I will take it with me where ever I go and in what ever job I do. Thanks for the Acceptance, it was a great experience for me. Hello everyone !!!!! My name is Deborah, I am an Italian girl who lives in a small village in the province of Mantua and one day decided to leave, leave my family, boyfriend and friends and undertake this amazing internship in England. I am studying at the third year of Languages for Tourism at the University of Verona and in my final year I hd to do an internship: after having completed an internship in Italy I decided to try something abroad to improve my English and while surfing on Internet I discovered Intership-uk.com, and soon I was convinced to go. After a week I had all the documents ready for my departure! I decided to do my internship in New Romney, a small village in Kent near the sea and I chose Hotel management: on my arrival I was asked what was my dream about my future job to entrust to me the best project according to my wills and my university training. My dream is to work for a travel company or a tour operator as the Italian Alpitour or Viaggi del Ventaglio, promote their destinations, their hotels and create travel packages and tours for the tourists, and so they have saddled me several projects to promote the hotels of the company and to create travel guides for several cities all around the world. You can not imagine how many things I learned in such a short time:marketing internships uk I was not so skilled with computers, or better, I used them only for simple things and in a month, here, I have even managed to create web pages! What a satisfaction! Here my English had improved since the first day: the majority of the trainees arrived knowing only the basics of English and returned back home with a vocabulary and grammar almost perfect! I suggest this internship to everyone , not only for the work experience but also for the wonderful coexistence among trainees: there are wonderful people, from all five continents with whom I daily share my experiences, my culture .. and what a lot of fun! If you want to learn new things, improve your English, make new experiences this internship is for you! Student at the University of Geneva in HEC, Masters in Business and Administration, I decided to follow an internship abroad in order to improve my level in English. The problem is the multinational companies expect the intern to be fluent in English or at least have an Advance level. So, how to get a good internship program related to my studies and which follow in a foreign language? I found the solution on internship-uk’s website. Indeed, this Internet company for booking and accommodation located in London and in New Romney hire a lot of new interns who are ready to live an unique experience. In fact, when I arrived in New Romney, I really appreciated the idea of working in a company which is globally managed by students and young talented people. This kind of internship offer an unique work and personal experience and I have no regrets on my experience there. I Gained a lot of Experience from my Marketing Internship! Hello everybody! It is me once again! I am back to New Romney, a little city in England close to London. This internship in London really suited me since I had lots of responsibilities which is unusual during an internship. Internship-uk program gave me the opportunity to have a complete and strong experience in Marketing. I had the opportunity to work in two offices in London and New Romney. It enabled me to become more fluent and flexible in Marketing and International Trade. I did my first internship during two months in marketing department, I has learnt a lot both on the marketing and the human level. The interns are really PMA and working in this company is crazy. The atmosphere is convivial as all the interns are used to live together and share an accommodation. They live in a multiculturalism environment which provide them all the capacities to improve their skills. As I said, New Romney is located in England, next to London, and I really had fun there. When I has left for the first time the marketing team of my internship I was really upset. It was an amazing experience and I met formidable person from all around the world. That is why I decided to come back to New Romney in order to help the new interns. During my second internship I had the chance to work with young and dynamic people who came from all Europe during. Once again I had a good human experience which permitted me to improve my team spirit. I worked on marketing project and enjoyed it as interns has real responsibilities! But one thing is sure : when you are an intern in New Romney or London the time goes really fast! Last year I got the task from my school to led my intern ship by a company that is operating in the hospitality or leisure industry. I decided immediately that I wanted to led my internship in a foreign country. I also knew that it would be an internship in the UK, because I wanted to improve my English skills. When I was surfing on the internet, I found a link to internship-uk. I signed in and filled in the online application. After that I received an email for my first interview. I called them and they told me that the head office for the internship was in New Romney rather than in London. That wasn’t a problem for me, it turned out that it was the right choice to go to New Romney instead of London. During my stay in New Romney I worked with more than 60 other interns, so there are always people with whom you can hang around with. There was always someone to talk to and there were events everyday. When I arrived in New Romney I wasn’t sure what to expect. Beginning a new job is always a new experience, but beginning that job in a different country miles away was really frighting. But it turned out that all my worries were for nothing. From the moment I arrived everybody was very friendly for me. The day I arrived at the Littlestone Hotel someone from HR showed me the office and I got to know some people. After that I went to my room and unpacked a part of my bags and then the hotel started to feel more like home. From my internship I learned a lot more of Marketing then I knew before. From the workshops they were given there and the projects I had to work on, I was able to learn a wide variety of skills and competences. There were a lot of things I didn’t knew before, but that was not a problem as the staff and other interns were willing to teach me. There were actually more people who have not fully grasped all the concepts of marketing. As it was an internship, one of the goals of my internship experience was to learn, so that is what I have done there. One of my projects was working on dynamic websites, these are interactive websites. The target was to reach 1 million postings on all the websites. I also worked on numerous interactive websites. In the evenings there were all kind of events organised for interns. Every Friday night there was pub night. Special for the interns, there was a pub which caters for the interns and allows us to hold events. Besides that there are sometimes club nights. We went several times to clubs in Ashford and Folkstone. We had always a lot fun there. Next to the party’s outside, there were also events in the accommodations that Studios92 provides for interns in: the hotel, 71, Windsor or Ellesmere house. There was almost everyday an event organised for us, so there was always something to do. This intern ship was one big experience. Not even only in the work, but also the social aspect it was a totally new experience for me. I never lived with people of my own age. So that was really a new experience. When you are living at home your mother would probably cook for you and do your laundry. Well here you have to do that on your own. So it was totally new for me, but it was fun as well. Luckily I am an open and social person and I can take good care of myself, so that made everything easier for me. My language skills improved very fast and also my knowledge about marketing went quick better then it was before . At my School I am currently following a study of tourism and economy at the university called INHolland in Rotterdam. Since it was mandatory for my school to follow an internship in the last year, I decided to browse on the internet to find one. I like to travel so I decided to go to a foreign country. I found Internship UK on the internet and the site was very appealing and professional. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to improve my English, enhance my Chinese and gain work experience. My first impression of the company was that there was a great atmosphere. All the students were very nice and I made a lot of friends. During the internship everybody was hard-working and doing their best to have a good internship. I learned a lot during my time here. My English improved and don’t have a problem socializing with people. I also gained a lot of working experience and got a chance to use the Chinese language a lot. My tasks during my internship included building Chinese texts and making a City Hotel Page for Studios92 about the city Beijing. I think this has been a good experience and useful for my future. I hope everybody has a great internship in the UK! After some research on the internet I applied at gift-tours.com and was accepted!! I worked there for half a year in their marketing department where I learned a lot of new things which I can definitely use in my later job, because e-marketing is getting more important every day! What I enjoyed the most, was the “group spirit” the interns working for gift-tours.com had among each other! We were all from different countries and it was great to get to know people from all over the world! We spent time at the beach having a pick-nick, we went to London for the weekends, or made trips to the Netherlands, or France! I would do it again and I recommend it to all of you! During my third year at the university in Holland, I had to do an internship for 5 months. I was studying tourism and recreation (Schools of Economis) and I wanted to do my internship abroad. I did not want to go too far away and I wanted to improve my English. Therefore I decided to search for an internship in England. A friend of me found the link to the internship-uk website and send it to me. I decided to fill in the application form and soon I received an email to do my first interview. Luckily I was allowed to have a second interview and after that I received notice that I had been hired. They told me that there were more interns and that was a bit scary, but now I can say that it wasn’t that awful. The interns were all very nice and you got to know them pretty quick. New Romney is just a little town, but there are enough parties and activities to keep you busy. You will definitely not get bored! During my internship I have learned a lot. At first, I learned more about how it is to work in a company. I also learned a lot about marketing. It is different than what you learn at school and you have the opportunity to gain practical work experience. They gave several workshops, every time about a different part of marketing and it was very interesting. Some of the things that I had to do were totally new for me, but luckily the staff and the interns are willing to teach you. The main thing I expected of my internship is that I would learn more about marketing and how to put my knowledge into practice. I think I even learned more than I expected. Next to marketing I also developed my communication and social skills, which is definitely a good thing. I have worked on websites for hotels and I have worked on a project to launch 10 dynamic websites. It was very challenging, there it was quite new for me to work with and develop websites. This internship has helped me in a lot of ways. I improved my language skills, I gained work experience, knowledge about marketing and it helped me to get more confident. My internship at Studios92 will most certainly look good at my CV and I had a very good time. When I arrived to the internship, my first impression was that the team spirit was very important to Studios92. Everything is built to form a real team between trainees and management whether it be welcoming parties, having lunch together, hanging out, and going to the cinema. The basic mentality in Studios92 is PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) and it aims for everyone to feel good about their work. I'm working in marketing, so during my working hours, I have to improve the quality of websites, for example: auberge.co.uk. I am learning how to market websites in a way that I will bring in more visitors in order to have the best website in its genre. Everyone gives their ideas and advice to I really like the working atmosphere, it's very PMA. I have only been here for 2 weeks but I already know that this internship will improve my communication skills in English, my vision of other management technicalities, and my marketing skills. My intern ship in New Romney has, without a doubt, been fantastic. I have never worked at a place with people from so many countries. There are people from the USA, England, France, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Holland, Africa, Slovakia and Denmark! You learn so much here, not only from work, but also in the spare time by sharing interests and cultures. People here are very nice and are hardly ever negative. You will not easily forget an internship here, simply because of the atmosphere. When I got here with my friends from Denmark we were instantly introduced to most of the people here. Quite hard to remember the names, but it really helped with the welcoming party they had planned for us in the evening. Also, there are lots of events nearly every day, welcoming parties, leaving parties, paintball ect. My stay in New Romney was a great experience! In the moment I am studying at Roskilde Businees College. My major classes is economy/finance and international economy. My expectations were not very high when I arrived, but when I met the different people, everything changed. The People were very friendly and positive, which made this stay perfect! The first impression of all the people was excellent! There were a lot of different activities like parties, pub nights, movie-nights and much more, which made the social atmosphere even better! There were people from all over the world like the USA, Italy, Holland, France etc. And everybody was really friendly and fun! It was a really good stay in New Romney! During my stay in New Romney, I learned a lot through my work at Studios92! I worked 7 hours a day, which I thought was a lot, but at Studios92 it was really exciting. I was working in the Marketing and IT department. The work at Studios92 gave me a lot of different opportunities that i can use in the future!I can only name positive things about this internship! I would recommend this to everybody!! Hello there, I am Jan (23 years young) and I come from a small village near Landau in Germany. After I graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in business studies with focus on management in trade at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Karlsruhe I wanted to get experience abroad. Striving for a higher education and wishing to improve myself, I want to study for a masters degree in marketing. Since English is a widespread language and the masters study requires a certain knowledge of English speaking and writing skills, it is my aim to achieve a better understanding of the language and making experiences abroad. These were the reasons why I’ve applied for an internship with internship-UK. My first expectations were to work abroad with an English speaking team in a marketing department. Furthermore I expected to learn something more about living in the UK, the people there and the country itself. When I arrived I was very glad about the kindness of my colleagues and their willingness to help me. In addition it’s pleasant to work in a multicultural team. Besides improving my English I want to learn more about the sphere of marketing. Hello everybody, my name is Francesca, I'm 24 and I am currently attending my last year of my degree in Consumption, Trade and Corporate Communication at the University of Milan, Iulm. Before finishing my course I chose to spend some months in England to improve my English and my skills in marketing. My overall goal is to become well prepared for the world of work. On the Internet I discovered Internship-uk and I realized that this was the right thing to do. The organization of the internship is very flexible, in fact you can choose the period of the internship and the department you prefer to work in. The great opportunity is the experience of living in a stimulating environment with young people that come from differnt countries from around the world. When I arrived in New Romney I was very worried about my initial expectations and how I would connect with the others, the work and accommodation, and I felt really confused due to a lot of information that I had to take in on my first day. However, everybody was kind and friendly with me from the first day. The environment is very positive and relaxed, everyone feels part of one big team. Each week is full of events of all kinds: parties, evenings of sports, tours to nearby cities such as Canterbury and Stonehenge. Regarding the work, I can finally put into practice what I studied in recent years and that makes me happy. I have been here only for a short while, but I already feel at home, and I am more confident about the next months ahead. I am sure that after my return to Milan I will miss this place, but I think that this experience will be very useful for my future. Hi, I am Ellen! I am 20 years old and I am from Holland. I study Commerce and Marketing. I am doing my internship in the marketing department. I went abroad for my internship to get some experience in working in a different business culture and also to get a unique experience for my personal life. My first impression was good! I had a guided tour through the office which was funny because everyone was really happy to see a new intern and it was nice to see so many new colleagues the same age as me. My first real working day was nice, a girl took care of me and showed me a lot of things about HTML. I got a lot of new information, but after a while I got used to it and I can do a lot by myself. So if I can’t do it or figure it out by myself now, I ask IT to help me. My main goals for this internship are to improve my English and to learn more about on-line marketing. During my internship I got a lot of opportunities. After a very short time I got promoted for the first time and every time I got promoted, I got more responsibilities! That is really nice so you can see that your work pays off and that the managers are positive about you. After working hours there is also a lot to do, because the Event Department organizes some events for the interns, e.g. to welcome the new people. I’ve learned a lot here about different cultures and different people, so this is really a great experience! Hello, I'm Samantha, I'm 21 years old and I'm from Holland. I've worked in the Marketing department and later on I've switched to Customer Relations Management, because I like the interaction with the customers and the partners. It really improved my English, because I had to talk all day while on the phone. But of course it also helped that there are so many interns here from all nationalities, so you continue speaking in English after work! Before I arrived I would have never thought there would be so many interns, but I'm glad there were! It was like a big family who works together and celebrates special events and parties. During the internship, my goals were to improve my English, gain work experience and to successfully complete my internship. After this internship I will start with my graduate internship in probably a Dutch company and I will write my thesis. This summer I will be finished with school and I will have some international work experience in the field where I want to work in. My name is Stefanie, I come from Germany and I did my internship in the marketing department. My first expectations were to learn more about marketing, to my theoretic knowledge in practice and, of course, to improve my English. I also wanted to gain practical experiences and extend my skills and knowledge in teamwork and communication during my internship. Through my work I learned a lot of different and really interesting things, like working with HTML and what is important when you create website content. In a weekly workshop we also had the opportunity to learn more about online marketing and to improve our communication skills. I study Psychology with Business Studies in Marketing as compulsory subject choice, because I think that both benefit from each other. After this internship I will continue my studies and enrich them with the practical experience I gained and my improved English skills. My name is Laurene and I am 20 years old. I am French, I come from Nimes, in the South of France. I am studying in a business school in Bordeaux. I went to Spain last year to study in a university and I am now doing an internship in Gift-tours.com in England. I am working in the marketing department. In this firm, I create web pages for the website auberge.co.uk about the hotels you can find in London and the shows which are in the theatres. Each week we have workshops about either marketing or communication in order to have more knowledge about these subjects. The aim of that is of course to put your skills into practise in your work to achieve your objectives: we have to improve the web pages to make them more attractive for the internet users and succeed in making them buy the products promoted, so both content and form are very important. This internship is definitely an opportunity for all of you who want learn more all the time. This allows me to learn how an English firm works with a professional and nice team. After this internship, I will go back to Spain, for the whole year in the university Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid. I spend a lot of time in Spain for my studies, so I wanted to improve my English level by doing an internship in an English-speaking country. Furthermore, I would also like to go to India to have more experience abroad. I chose this programme because it allows me to discover different countries and cultures, as well as obtain a certain professional experience. Afterwards, I wish I will deal with marketing in my future work and move to another country. Hi, my name is Silke. I am 23 years old and I come from Germany. I study International Business. The internship is part of my studies. This is my first internship abroad. When I arrived I started my work in the CRM department which was a really good experience, because I had the opportunity to talk to customers and this helped me a lot to improve my English skills. After two months I decided to continue my internship in the Marketing Department as I wanted to improve my professional skills in a field in which I would like to have a job in the near future. Working in the marketing department is a good chance to improve your online marketing skills which is very important in the present time. I also had the chance to deal with lots of responsibility and the fact that you can work in an international team was another amazing experience. The people are very welcoming, so that you can spend a really nice time here also outside the working hours. I participated in many events which helped to build up a very good environment, so that you can enjoy every day! Hello! My name is Marilyn Docquier. I come from Belgium and I am 22 years old. I have completed a Business Engineering degree at the Louvain School of Management. Currently I am part of the CEMS programme, a masters in International Management. In order to validate this second degree, an internship abroad is needed. Therefore, I started to look for an interesting and rewarding internship and I found it here, in New Romney! I have already lived abroad, in Norway, for a couple of months. It was an amazing experience and I was looking forward to starting this internship. I integrated easily among other interns. I am working in the marketing department. Tasks are diversified and I acquire skills in web design, HTML coding, and communication. At the same time, I can develop my English skills. The interns come from all over the world, it is really fulfilling to work in a multicultural environment. After work, some nice events are organized. The idea is to meet all your colleagues outside the office: playing some sports, visiting the beautiful castles of Kent, having fun together. Join us! Gain a wonderful professional and personal experience that you will never forget! Hello, I am Vince! I am 29 years old and I am from France. I graduated at first in chemistry, but in France you can't work in research, allegedly. It's better to do finance. So I decided to go back to school, but in a totally different field of study; business school. I applied with success to a masters programme in marketing and purchasing. But afterwards to have a good course I wanted the benefit of an experience abroad to see how people work and live. The masters I follow is ranked by SMBG which gives marks to all the master levels in France. I trusted them, but not the public system anymore. I chanced to find a job which appeals to me. In this programme I learned international trade and also marketing anew. I also learned about finance and markets. Then I had to apply my theoretical knowledge in a company, as the system is successfully built alike. Last year I have been in a big business company, but actually it's not fulfilling enough. I prefer to get involved in the development of small companies. Amongst the different alternatives that I had I decided to find a company abroad, as my course was in English. But when the world is in a financial crisis, things are more difficult. Actually I found a company not so far away and which operate in a thrilling market: online international tourism. What is interesting in that work is that it's related to the computer science as I have a degree which has enabled me to understand the basis. Now I can build on it. Thus I applied to Studios92 and the company took me on the role. Now my aim was to integrate the team quickly and become as efficient as the others in a short notice. Here, the more you are efficient, the more responsibilities you get. In France, from experience, you work, you don't work, it doesn't matter. You don't get any reward. So I'm motivated because I can eventually do an activity that I have chosen, like everyone else here. So I'm pleased when I go to the office company near the seashore of the South England. The weather is glorious and the temperature very mild. Furthermore, every week we have meetings with 15 people and we go in depth in different scopes relating to the company: communication and marketing applied to sales. I've never had a course in communication in France. We currently improve ourself at online marketing balancing the sales pitch and the search engine management. It really requires skills in computer science and it's interesting for me. I'm pleased to be an intern there for the strong team experience and the fact that we live together. So we have to manage relations between people as brothers in a family. It's very strange to see that here the management involves the team mates in the work asking for ideas, for instance, but in France I had to follow the directions. So we can do more to achieve more. I have just been here for one month and I have many things to improve, but I'm willing to bring my abilities to the company. An interesting point is that we are many nationalities so we have to cope with different behavior or habits at work or in life, generally speaking. I keep learning English actively in dictionaries because understanding the TV and the radio is quite difficult. At school one teacher told us: no pain, no gain. Thus I try to improve. The internship is a very good experience! My name is Mylene, I'm 20 years old. I'm French and I come from Nantes, in the North West of France. I'm studying in the school at «BTS Personal Assistant»(Brevet Technicien Supérieur). It's my first work experience placement in the other country. Here, I am working in the marketing department. For the moment, my first assignment is to describe all the tours and visits that the firm offer on the websites. This work is interesting. However, with the marketing's team, we are working on the website: blog.auberge.co.uk. We should improve this website (More attractive for the customers) and create articles often! We can write articles on the London's attractions, on the London's Event or on other things. The aim to create a blog is to communicate with people and provide them with much information. During this work experience placement, I will hope to develop and to improve my professional skills. It's very important for me. I'm also here to discover the world of working and see how a firm works. To work in an English firm is always different than working in a French Firm. It's interesting to discover other work techniques. To acquire skills in the marketing is always rewarding for the future. After this internship, I will hope in the first, to finish my education at BTS and acquire my Certificate. After my education, I don't know yet. I would like go on with my studies. It will be bad to stop now!

2019-04-26T12:20:40Z

http://internship-uk.com/marketing-testimonies.php

Mast cells are effector cells best known for their roles in IgE-associated allergy, but they also play a protective role in defense against pathogens. These cells express high levels of proteases including chymase, tryptase and carboxypeptidase. In the present study, we identified a congenic strain of C57BL/6 mice expressing an extraordinarily high level of chymases Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in mast cells. The overexpression was associated with variant Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 genes originated from DBA/2 mice that also expressed high levels of the two enzymes. Real time PCR analysis revealed that Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 were selectively overexpressed as tryptases, Cpa3 and several other chymases were kept at normal levels. Reporter gene assays demonstrated that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of Mcp-2 gene may be partly responsible for the increased gene transcription. Our study provides a new model system to study the function of mast cell chymases. The data also suggest that expression of chymases differs considerably in different strains of mice and the increased chymase activity may be responsible for some unique phenotypes observed in DBA/2 mice. Copyright: © 2013 Jin et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This study is supported in part by grants HL076309 and HL079441 from the National Institutes of Health and a grant from Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Mast cells are innate immune cells best known for their involvement in anaphylaxis, atopic asthma and other IgE-associated allergic disorders . They also carry out a number of beneficial functions to the host including immune responses toward various pathogens. They are derived from hematopoietic stem cells and are widely distributed in tissues. Mast cells express a number of proteases including chymase, tryptase, and carboxypeptidaseA . In mice, Mcp-1, -2, -4, -5, -9, and -10 are designated as chymases based on deduced amino acid sequences, whereas Mcp-6 and -7 are tryptases. These enzymes are stored in high amounts as active enzymes in mast cell secretory granules. Upon activation, massive fully active mast cell proteases are released through mast cell degranulation and elicit essential impacts on many physiological and pathological events which include extracellular matrix remodeling, extravascular coagulation, fibrinolysis, angiogenesis as well as antibacterial inflammatory responses . Expressions of chymases are strictly regulated. At the level of transcriptional regulation, a well-documented transcription factor is Mitf. Direct or indirect binding of Mitf to the promoter element CANNTG can significantly enhance the expression of Mcp-2, -4, -5, -6, and -9 genes in C57BL/6 mice . In addition to Mitf, bifunctional transcription factors C/EBPβ and YY1 are thought to be responsible for the negative transcriptional regulation of Mcp-2 via intracellularly retained IL-15 , . In wild type bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs), C/EBPβ is preferentially expressed over YY1 and binds to the Mcp-2 promoter. In contrast, in IL-15-deficient BMMCs, YY1 is dominantly expressed and binds to the Mcp-2 promoter, which allows hyper-transcription of the Mcp-2 gene . Expression of chymases in mast cells is also known to be controlled at the post-transcriptional level. For example, an earlier study demonstrated that the half-life of the Mcp-2 transcript in mouse BMMCs was extended by 4-fold in the presence of IL-10 . Together, expressions of chymases are regulated at multiple levels. We previously generated a line of JAK2V617F transgenic mice that display polycythemia vera-like phenotypes . Our most recent work demonstrated that the occurrence of PV-associated pruritus in these mice was associated with elevated levels of mast cells (Jin et al, unpublished). In this study, we identified a subpopulation of JAK2V617F transgenic mice that express very high levels of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in mast cells. However, this was found to be independent of JAK2V617F and due instead to the presence of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 gene variants originated from DBA/2 mice. Our study thus provides a new line of congenic C57BL/6 mice with high expressions of specific chymases in mast cells. JAK2V617F transgenic mice were generated with a C57BL/6×DBA/2 hybrid background and then crossed with wild type C57BL/6 mice for over 10 generations . Wild-type C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice were purchased from The Jackson Laboratory. Animals were housed in ventilated cages under standard conditions. This study was carried out in strict accordance with the recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the National Institutes of Health. The protocol was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Bone marrow and peritoneal cavity cells from mice were cultured in Iscove’s modified Dulbecco’s medium (IMDM) supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 1% each of conditioned media of cultured CHO cells overexpressing mIL-3 and mSCF. The resultant mast cells were analyzed after one month of culture initiation and maintained for up to four months with equal volumes of fresh medium added every 3 to 5 days. These cells were >95% pure based on positive staining for CD117 (c-Kit) and FcεR1 upon flow cytometric analyses. Protein identification was carried out by using the Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics core facility at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. In brief, proteins were separated on SDS gels, and protein bands were excised for digestion with trypsin. This was followed by HPLC separation with a Dionex UltiMate 3000 LC system and MS/MS analysis with an ABI MDS Sciex Qstar Elite mass spectrometer. MS/MS data was collected with the ABI Analyst QS 2.0 software and analyzed by using the Mascot search engine (Matrix Science) for protein identification against the 2011 SwissProt protein database. Genomic DNAs were purified from cultured mast cells and mouse tails by using the phenol/chloroform extraction method following digestion of samples with proteinase K. Total RNAs were isolated from cultured BMMCs by using the RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen), and single strand cDNAs were synthesized by using the QuantiTect reverse transcription kit from Qiagen. DNA fragments encoding the mature Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 proteins without N-terminal signal sequences were amplified from mast cell single-strand cDNA by PCR with primer sets 5′-gaggagattattggtggtgttgagg plus 5′-ggcttttcagctacttgctctttaa and 5′-gaggagattattggtggtgttgagt plus 5′-ggcttttcactacttgccctttata, respectively. The PCR products were cloned into the pBluescript KS vector, and inserts were verified by DNA sequencing. This was followed by subcloning of the DNA inserts into a pT7 vector for protein expression as non-fusion proteins. Protein expression in recombinant E. coli cells was induced by 1 mM isopropyl β- D -1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). Both Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 proteins were found as prominent proteins in the inclusion body of the cells. We thus employed preparative SDS gels to purify them to near homogeneity. The purified proteins were used to immunize mice for generation of mouse anti-sera which were directly used for subsequent western blotting and immnuofluorescent cell staining. The entire coding cDNA sequence of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 were amplified from mast cell single-strand cDNA. The primers were 5′-ggcaaaatgcaggccctactatt and 5′-gggatgaactcagaggtaccagatg for Mcp-2, and 5′-ggcaagatgcaggccctactatt and 5′-gactctgatgcacgcaggtcagg for Mcp-4. The PCR products were purified and sequenced from both directions. DNA fragments flanking the 5′ coding sequences of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 genes, designated Mcp-2P and Mcp-4P, were amplified from mouse genomic DNAs by using primers sets 5′-gaagctgctctcaaccttgcgtcag plus 5′-tttgccagtgttgaggccttggtg and 5′-cttgccagtgtcggtcacagcttg plus 5′-gctgttctcaacctatagatcacaacc, respectively. Allele-specific PCR was used to detect nucleotide variations or SNPs in the Mcp-2P region. The primers used are 5′-ctcacactggtcaacacaaacatta and 5′-tctgctgttaaacacaaacacagtct for the normal form, and 5′-ctcacactggtcaacacaaacattg and 5′-tctgctgttaaacacaaacacagtca for the variant form. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was employed to detect a nucleotide substitution in the Mcp-4P region. For this purpose, the Mcp-4P PCR product was digested with restriction enzyme NdeI. The variant form of Mcp-4P gave rise to two fragments while the normal form of Mcp-4P was not cleaved. For report gene assays, Mcp-2P was cloned into the pGL3 luciferase reporter vector. For cloning of Mitf-A, a DNA fragment encoding the full-length form of Mitf-A was amplified by PCR using primers 5′-ggagtcatgcagtccgaatcgg and 5′-tcctgaagaagagagggagcggt with mast cell single strand cDNAs as template. The PCR products were cloned into the pBluescript KS vector, sequence-verified, and then subcloned into the pcDNA3 vector for expression in mammalian cells under the CMV promoter. Cultured mast cells were collected and lysed in a buffer containing 25 mM β-glycerophosphate (pH 7.3), 5 mM EDTA, 2 mM EGTA, 5 mM β-mercaptoethanol, 1% Triton X-100, 0.1 M NaCl, and a protease inhibitor mixture or in 1X SDS sample buffer. Proteins were resolved on 10% or 12.5% SDS gels and then stained with Coomassie blue R-250 or transferred to polyvinylidenedifluoride (PVDF) for western blotting with anti-Mcp-2 and anti-Mcp-4 antibodies followed by horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies. Enhanced chemiluminescence signals were captured by using the FluorChem SP imaging system from Alpha Innotech. Cultured mast cells were spun onto glass slides by cytocentrifugation and fixed with 4% formaldehyde in PBS for 20 minutes. For antigen retrieval, fixed cells were treated with a buffer containing 10 mM sodium citrate (pH 6.0) and 0.05% Tween 20 for 40 minutes at 95–100°C. After rinsing with PBS, cells were probed with primary anti-Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 antibodies for 2 hours and then with a Cy3-conjugated anti-mouse secondary antibody for 1 hour. The nucleus was stained with 0.1 µg/ml Hoechst 33258. Fluorescence was visualized under 40X or 100X lens with an Olympus BX51 fluorescent microscope. Images were captured by using a DP71 digital camera. Cultured mast cells were collected and washed with ice-cold PBS. Following lysis in a buffer containing 25 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.5), 1% Triton X-100, 5 mM EDTA and 0.1 M NaCl, cell extracts were cleared of insoluble materials by centrifugation at 18,000×g for 10 min. Chymase assays were performed with 0.375 mg/ml substrate N-Succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe p-nitroanilide (Sigma-Aldrich) in 0.1 M Tris-HCl (pH 8.0). The reaction was allowed to proceed at room temperature, and absorbance was read at 405 nm using a nanodrop spectrophotometer at various time points. To calculate enzymatic activity, molar extinction coefficient 9.5×103/M/cm was used. Degranulation of mast cells was achieved by ligation of the high-affinity IgE receptor FcεR1 via IgE. For this purpose, cultured mast cells were sensitized with 0.15 µg/ml of anti-DNP IgE (Sigma-Aldrich) in complete culture medium overnight at 37°C. Cells were then washed twice with and re-suspended in plain IMDM medium. This was followed by stimulation with 0.05 µg/ml DNP-HSA for 30 min at 37°C. Cell and medium were then separated. Chymase activity in the medium and that remained in cells were determined as described above. Total RNAs were isolated from cultured BMMCs by using RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen), and 1 µg RNA was then used to synthesize single-strand cDNA by using the QuantiTect reverse transcription kit from Qiagen. Real time PCR was performed in an IQ5 Multicolor Real-Time PCR Detection System using iQ SYBR Green Supermix (Bio-Rad). PCR amplifications were performed in triplicates, and the conditions were 95°C 20″, 59°C 20″, and 72°C 20″ for 45 cycles. Melting curves were analyzed to confirm specific amplification of desired PCR, and the identities of final PCR products were verified by separation on agarose gels and by DNA sequencing. For quantification, standard curves were obtained by performing PCR with serial dilutions (covering 5 orders of magnitudes) of purified PCR products in salmon sperm DNA. Levels of transcripts were normalized against that of mouse glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). For reporter gene assays, pGL3 luciferase reporter constructs together with the pRL-TK Renilla luciferase control vector were used to transfect mast cells and NIH3T3 cells. Transfection of mast cells was carried out by using the BTX Systems 600 Electro Cell Manipulator with a single 8.4 ms pulse with the setting of 800 µF, 350 V, and R1–13. Transfection of NIH3T3 cells was performed by using the Fugene 6 transfection reagent (Roche Applied Science). NIH3T3 cells were co-transfected with pcDNA or pcDNA3-Mitf-A. Luciferase activity was measured 24 hr after cell transfection by using the Dual-luciferase Reporter Assay System (Promega). Firefly luciferase activity was normalized against renilla luciferase activity. Statistical analyses were performed using the GraphPad Software. Differences between 2 groups of samples were assessed using t tests. p values less than 0.05 (2-tailed) are considered significant. In a previous study, we generated a line of JAK2V617F transgenic mice that displayed phenotypes resembling polycythemia vera in humans . The mice had an initial C57BL/6×DBA/2 hybrid background but have been crossed with wild type C57BL/6 mice for over 10 generations. Theoretically, they have at least 99.95% C57BL/6 background. Our subsequent studies demonstrated that these mice developed pruritus associated with increased numbers of mast cells (Jin et al, unpublished). Interestingly, during our analyses of proteins extracted from cultured mast cells, we observed a very peculiar phenomenon. In Triton X-100 extracts of BMMCs from a subpopulation of transgenic mice, severe protein degradation occurred after a short incubation of cell extracts at room temperature even in the presence of protease inhibitors. Subsequently, only one major protein band with molecular size of 27 kDa was seen on SDS gels (Fig. 1A, left panel). When cells were extracted in the SDS gel sample buffer, protein degradations were eliminated but the 27 kDa band remained prominent, representing about 20% of total cellular proteins (Fig. 1A, right panel). The data suggest the presence of highly expressed proteins with possible protease activities. To identify the strongly expressed protein or proteins, in-gel trypsin digestion was conducted. This was followed by HPLC separation and MS/MS analyses. Searching of MS data against protein databases by using the Mascot search engine revealed mast cell protease Mcp-2 as by far the best hit with a score of 1612 in comparison with the second best hit actin with a score of 252. Among the top hits was also mast cell protease Mcp-4 with a score of 81. Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 both have expected molecular sizes of about 27 kDa and are most relevant to mast cells. Therefore, they were chosen for further verification. Figure 1. Identification of markedly increased expressions of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in BMMCs from a subpopulation of JAK2V617F transgenic mice. A. Detection of a predominant protein band in cell extracts of BMMCs from a variant line of mice. BMMCs from two JAK2V617F transgenic mice were extracted in a buffer containing 1% Triton X-100 or 1X SDS gel sample buffer were resolved on 10% SDS gel, and proteins were visualized by Coomassie blue staining. The arrow points to a predominant band. B. Verification of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 over-expressions by Western blotting with specific antibodies. Extracts of BMMCs were separated on 12.5% SDS gel and subjected to Western blotting analyses with anti-Mcp-2 and Mcp-4. C. Verification of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 over-expression by immunofluorescent cell staining. Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 were probed with specific antibodies followed by Cy-3-conjugated secondary antibodies (red). The nuclei (blue) were revealed by staining with Hoechst 33258. To determine the expression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in mast cells, we generated polyclonal antibodies by immunizing mice with proteins purified from recombinant E. coli cells. The antibodies were highly specific with essentially no cross-reactivity toward each other’s antigen although Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 share 66% sequence identity (data not shown). As expected, western blotting analyses with the antibodies revealed extremely high levels of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 expression in BMMCs from the variant population of transgenic mice but hardly anything in those from normal mice. Note that the antibody-recognized protein bands had expected molecular sizes with Mcp-4 running slightly below Mcp-2 on SDS gels (Fig. 1B). Immunofluorescent cell staining further confirmed the uniform overexpression of these enzymes in cultured mast cells from this subpopulation of mice and also revealed the apparent distributions of the expressed enzymes in the granules of cells (Fig. 1C). Additional experiments demonstrated that Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 were only overexpressed in mast cells but not in other cells from bone marrow or peripheral blood (data not shown). Together, we identified a variant line of mice that express very high levels of chymases Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in mast cells. We designate this line of mice B6-cma in reference to their genetic background C57BL/6, or B6 for short. Since elevated expression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 was found in mast cells from only a subpopulation of JAK2V617F transgenic mice, we thought that it may not be caused by JAK2V617F but rather by other gene alterations gained during the generation of transgenic mice. Interestingly, in the cloning of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 cDNAs for protein expression and antibody production, we noticed variations in coding sequences of these two enzymes from different mast cells. This likely represents existence of gene variants. To verify this, we amplified cDNAs encoding the full-length forms of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 from mast cells with or without overexpression of these two enzymes and compare their sequences with the GenBank database. Sequencing analyses revealed that between these two lines of mice, Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 coding sequences differed both by 8 bases, corresponding to 5 and 3 amino acid substitutions in encoded protein sequences, respectively (Fig. 2A). The sequences from normal B6 mice matched entirely the GenBank inputs with access numbers of NM_008571 and NM_010779.2 for Mcp-2 and Mcp-4, respectively. In contrast, sequences from the B6-cma line mice with high level expressions of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 matched database sequences with access numbers of J05177.1 and M55617.1, respectively, which both correspond to sequences of cDNAs isolated from Kirsten sarcoma virus-immortalized mouse mast cells likely derived from DBA/2 mice –. Figure 2. Identification of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 gene variants. Schematic alignment of amino acid sequences (A.) and promoter region DNA sequences (B.) of Mcp-2P and Mcp-4P from control B6 and variant B6-cma mice. Variant amino acid residues and nucleotide bases are highlighted in bold. A vertical line “|” denotes identical amino acids or bases, and a dash “–” stands for deletions. Putative Mitf binding consensus motifs (CANNTG E-boxes) and an NdeI restriction cleavage site (CATATG) in the variant form of Mcp-2 or Mcp-4 are underlined. C. Detection of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 gene variations in the promoter regions by allele-specific PCR and NdeI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), respectively. Normal form of Mcp-2P was detected by PCR with primers 5′-ctcacactggtcaacacaaacatta and 5′-tctgctgttaaacacaaacacagtct, while the Mcp-2P variant was amplified by using primers 5′-ctcacactggtcaacacaaacattg and 5′-tctgctgttaaacacaaacacagtca. The expected product size for both is 131 bp. The variant form of Mcp-4P was revealed by NdeI digestion which gave rise to two fragments while the normal form of Mcp-4P was not cleaved. Data show results for both homozygous and heterozygous mice. We further amplified DNA sequences flanking the 5′ end of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 coding sequences by performing PCR with genomic DNAs as templates. The amplified regions were designated Mcp-2P and Mcp-4P. Their DNA sequences cover putative promoter regions of correspondent genes based on sequencing alignment of multiple mouse chymase genes, transcription prediction programs (e.g., TRANSFAC ver. 7.0), and published literatures , , –. Counting from the translation start site, Mcp-2P covers −1 to −808 of the Mcp-2 gene with the putative transcription initiation site at −31 and the conserved TATA box at −63, while Mcp-4P covers −1 to −829 of the Mcp-4 gene with the putative transcription initial site located at position −36 and the conserved TATA box at −68. DNA sequencing revealed 3 single-base substitutions in Mcp-2P and 9 single-base substitutions and a consecutive 4-base deletion in Mcp-4P (Fig. 2B). These nucleotide variations or SNPs may be responsible for the enhanced expressions of these enzymes in B6-cma cells. They also provided markers for us to identify the variant genes. Indeed, by performing PCR with allele-specific primers, we were able to identify the normal and variant forms of Mcp-2, and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) enabled us to distinguish normal Mcp-4 from its variant since a single base substitution happens to create a NdeI site in the variant form of Mcp-4 (Fig. 2C). We further employed the techniques for detection of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 gene variants to track the lineage of mice produced after crossing of wild type C57BL/6 mice with the subpopulation of JAK2V617F transgenic mice with high expression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4. We thereby obtained mice carrying variant Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 genes without JAK2V617F. Analyses of protein expression in cultured BMMCs revealed a perfect correlation of the Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 variants with overexpresison of the Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 proteins in over 60 mice with about equal representations of genotypes. Fig. 3A shows representative data obtained from six B6 control and six B6-cma mice. The overexpression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 was seen in mice carrying both homozygous and heterozygous copies of the variant genes, suggesting the dominant expression of these variant genes. Furthermore, the overexpression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 was also accompanied by significantly increased total chyamse activity in extracts of BMMCs (Fig. 3B). On average, chymase activity in B6-cma mice increased over 40-fold. We thus generated a C57BL/6 congenic mouse line with markedly enhanced expression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in mast cells, which is associated with the genotype of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 and is independent of JAK2V617F. Figure 3. Association of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 overexpressions in BMMCs with gene variants. A. Mice were genotyped for the Mcp-2 gene variant by allele-specific PCR and the Mcp-4 gene variant by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with NdeI. BMMCs derived from these mice were analyzed for Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 protein expressions by Commassie blue staining and western blotting. B. BMMCs from B6 and B6-cma mice were analyzed for chymase activity. In at least 45 mice analyzed, there is a perfect correlation of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 gene variants with overexpression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 and increased chymase activity. Our JAK2V617F mice were initially generated with a C57BL/6×DBA/2 hybrid background. Knowing that C57BL/6 mice carry normal Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 genotypes, we wonder if the variant genes found in our B6-cma mice are originated from DBA/2 mice. We first analyzed the Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 genotypes of DBA/2 mice. DNA sequencing revealed that the coding sequences and 5′ flanking promoter regions of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 from DBA/2 mice perfectly matched those from our B6-cma mice, indicating that these variant genes indeed originated from DBA/2 mice. We further analyzed the expression of protein and chymase activity in mast cells from these mice. Protein staining, western blotting, and immunofluorescent cell staining revealed that BMMCs from DBA/2 mice showed essentially the same level of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 overexpression as seen in B6-cma mice (Fig. 4). For comparison, we also analyzed mast cells derived from peritoneal cavity of mice and obtained similar results. Despite the strikingly different levels of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 expressions, cultured mast cells derived from B6-cma and DBA/2 mice displayed morphologies highly similar to those obtained from control B6 mice (Fig. 4B, top panel). Chymase activity assays also showed expected results with DBA/2 and B6-cma mast cells showing much elevated activity over the control B6 mice cells (Fig. 5A). Mast cell proteases are known to be secreted upon stimulation. To verify the functionality of these overexpressed Mcp-2 and Mcp-4, we induced degranulation of mast cells derived from bone marrow and peritoneal cavity by treating anti-DNP IgE-charged mast cells with the DNP-HSA antigen. This caused over 70% release of total chymase activity into the medium and resulted in essentially proportional levels of secreted chymase in the medium (Fig. 5B). Western blotting analyses also demonstrated significantly higher levels of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 proteins in the medium (data not shown). This suggested that overexpressed Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in B6-cma and DBA/2 mice are fully functional. Together, our data demonstrate that the variant Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 genes associated with overexpression of these enzymes in our B6-cma mice originated from DBA/2 mice. Figure 4. Comparison of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 protein levels in mast cells from B6, B6-cma, and DBA/2 mice. Mast cells were derived from bone marrow (BM) and peritoneal cavity (PC) of B6, B6-cma, and DBA/2 mice. A. Cell extracts were resolved on 12.5% SDS gels followed by Coomassie blue staining (top panel) or western blotting with indicated antibodies. B. Cells were subjected to Wright-Giemsa staining (top panel) or immunofluorescent staining with indicated antibodies. Figure 5. Chymase activity in mast cells from B6, B6-cma, and DBA/2 mice. Mast cells were derived from bone marrow (BM) and peritoneal cavity (PC) of B6, B6-cma, and DBA/2 mice. Cells were either extracted for assays of total chymase activity (A) or treated with antigen to induce degranulation for determination of secreted chymase activity (B). Specific activity was calculated in reference to total proteins in cell pellets. Error bars denote standard deviation (n≥3). *p<0.0001 in comparison with B6 control mice. We thought that the increased protein expression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 may be caused by elevated levels of mRNA. We performed real time PCR to analyze the transcripts of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in cultured mast cells. Together, we analyzed a total of 9 mast proteases together with GAPDH as a control. Among these proteases, Mcp-1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10 are clustered on chromosome 14, and they all share sequence similarity with the human chymase, although Mcp-5 was shown to have only elastase-like activity . Mcp-6 and 7 are tryptases, and Cpa represents mast cell carboxypeptidase A and has exopeptidase activity. Since Mcp-9 and Mcp-10 are highly similar in DNA sequences, they were analyzed by using shared primers. Furthermore, in primers for amplification of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4, the aforementioned SNPs were avoided. The sequences of PCR primers are shown in Fig. 6 (top panel). The amplified PCR products were about 80 bp in length. They displayed single peaks upon melting cure analyses and showed single bands on agarose gels. Their identities were further verified by DNA sequencing. Real-time PCR data revealed that transcript levels of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 were selectively increased by over 1,000-fold in B6-cma and DBA/2 mice in comparison with the B6 control (Fig. 6, bottom panel). The expression levels of all other proteases were comparable in mast cells from B6, B6-cma, and DBA/2 mice. Note that the transcripts of Mcp-5, Mcp-6, and Cpa were expressed at high levels in these mice, while those of Mcp-1, Mcp-7, and Mcp-9/10 were lower. The low expression observed was unlikely caused by poor primer selection because amplification with alternate sets of primers gave similar results (data not shown). Together, the data indicated that Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 are selectively overexpressed in mast cells from B6-cma and DBA/2 mice. Figure 6. Expression of mast cell proteases in mast cells derived from B6, B6-cma, and DBA/2 mice. Expression of indicated mast cell proteases together with house-keeping gene GAPDH (glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase) was analyzed by real time PCR using specific PCR primers shown in the top panel. Data represent relative gene expression levels calculated based on threshold cycles and standard curves obtained with serial dilutions of purified PCR products. Error bars denote standard deviation (n≥3). *p<0.0001 in comparison with B6 control mice. The presence of SNPs in the promoter regions of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 genes suggests a potential alteration of promoter activity. To evaluate if this is responsible for the overexpression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in mast cells, we built reporter gene constructs containing Mcp-2P and Mcp-2Pv, DNA fragments corresponding to the putative promoter region of normal and variant forms of Mcp-2, respectively (Fig. 7A). When introduced into cultured BMMCs by electroporation, the Mcp-2Pv plasmid produced a significantly higher luciferase activity than the Mcp-2P plasmid, suggesting that the 3 SNPs in the promoter region contribute to the enhanced transcription activity (Fig. 7B). Although about 2-fold increases in reporter gene activity are rather moderate, the data suggest that SNPs in the promoter region of Mcp-2 contribute to the increased expression of Mcp-2. Figure 7. Reporter gene assays. A. Schematic diagram of report gene constructs. SNPs are indicated, and black blocks represent CANNTG motifs (E-boxes). B. Report gene constructs were transfected into mast cells derived from bone marrow of B6 mice. C. Report gene constructs together with pcDNA3 plain vector or pcDNA3-Mitf-A were transfected into NIH3T3 cells. Relative report gene expression is represented by firefly luciferase activity normalized against that of renilla luciferase. Error bars denote standard deviation (n≥3). By analyzing DNA sequences in the putative promoter regions of the Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 genes, we found an extra CANNTG motif or E-box in both gene variants from B6-cma mice (see Fig. 2B). The E-box provides binding site for transcription factors including the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf), a member of the basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper protein family known to be involved in the regulation of mouse chymases . To examine if this additional E-box facilitates Mitf transcription activity, we cloned the A isoform of Mitf from BMMCs of B6-cma mice into the pcDNA3 vector, and the cDNA insert was verified by sequencing. The Mitf-A construct was used to transfect NIH3T3 cells together with the Mcp-2P or Mcp-2Pv reporter gene constructs, and the plain pcDNA vector was used as control. Data in Fig. 7C demonstrates that co-expression of Mitf-A caused over 3-fold increases in reporter gene activity (p<0.001). However, the Mcp-2P and Mcp-2Pv reporter constructs displayed nearly equal transcription activities with or without the expression of Mitf-A (p>0.2). Therefore, the extra CANNTG motif in the promoter region of the variant Mcp-2 gene does not contribute to the increased gene expression in response to Mitf. By serendipity, we obtained B6-cma, a congenic strain of mice, with high expression of chymases Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in mast cells. The overexpression is associated with gene variants originated from DBA/2 mice that were also found to express the chymases at the same level. We thus established useful mouse models to study the function of chymases and their implications in human diseases. B6-cma mice are superficially normal. Detailed phenotypic characterization of these mice in comparison with wild type C57BL/6 mice is under way. Comparative studies of different strains of mice have provided important information about associations of specific genes with phenotypes. DBA/2 mice are more susceptible to the development of atherosclerosis –. However, the genes involved are not clear. We believe that overexpression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 chymases may play an important role in this process. Chymases are known as leucocyte chemoattractants and have been shown to induce apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and macrophages –, which all could contribute to plaque formation and stability. They can also convert angiotensin I into the proinflammatory, vasoactive angiotensin II . Importantly, Mcp-4-positive mast cells are accumulated in atherosclerotic lesions, and they promote atherosclerosis by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines . Therefore, chymases are targets for cardiovascular diseases . In fact, chymase inhibition reduces atherosclerotic plaque progression and improves plaque stability in ApoE−/− mice . Our congenic B6-cma mice thus provide an excellent system to study the involvement of chymase in atherosclerosis. DBA/2 mice are also more susceptible to the development of autoimmune myocarditis , . This may also be related to increased activity of chymases. Murine mast cell chymases have been shown to be involved in many pathological events related to immune responses. An earlier study demonstrated a much reduced rate of autoimmune arthritis in Mcp-4 knockout mice induced by collagen and anti-collagen antibodies . Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 have also been shown to play a protective role in the sepsis model induced by cecal ligation and puncture , , and Mcp-4 has also been shown to protect the host from extensive allergic airway inflammation , . In consistence with the pathological role of chymase in murine models, studies have demonstrated strong associations of chymse with human diseases. Two major SNPs, one located in the promoter region and another in intron 2, have been identified. They have found to be associated with atopic skin disorders – and cardiovascular disease –. The mechanism underlying the association is not known. Our study indicates that gene variations or SNPs affect gene expression of chymases in mice. It is not known if these SNPs affect expression of the enzyme in human mast cells. In the human genome, there is only one mast cell chymase which is encoded by the CMA1 gene, whereas mouse has 6 chymases including Mcp-1, 2, 4, 5, 9, and 10. Based on sequence similarity, Mcp-5 is the closest homolog to human chymase. However, Mcp-5 has elastase- rather than chymotrypsin-like substrate specificity . Mcp-4 is the mouse chymase that has substrate specificity highly similar to that of human chymase , . Mcp-2, on the other hand, has been shown to lack enzymatic activity . However, controversial results came from studies by Orinska et al demonstrating that deletion of IL-15 increases chymase activities through specific upregulation of Mcp-2 expression, but not the other chymases . Therefore, further studies are needed to clarify this, and our study provided an excellent system for this. Overexpression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 may be caused by altered transcription. Regulation of chymases at the transcriptional level has been extensively studied. A major transcription factor involved is Mitf that contains both basic helix-loop-helix and leucine zipper structural features. Binding of Mitf to promoter element CANNTG significantly enhanced the expression of mMCP-2, -4, -5, -6, and -9 genes in C57BL/6 mice . Interestingly, our study revealed that SNPs cause generation of an extra CANNTG site in both Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 genes of the DBA/2 origin. However, reporter gene assays did not show any increased transcriptional activity due to this additional binding site (Fig. 7C). Bifunctional transcription factors C/EBPβ and YY1 have also been implicated in the regulation of Mcp-2 gene expression and are thought to be responsible for the negative transcriptional regulation of Mcp-2 through intracellularly retained IL-15 , . C/EBPβ is considered as a negative regulator of Mcp-2 expression. We searched consensus sequences for C/EBPβ and YY1 binding sites within the putative promoter regions of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 (see Fig. 2B). There are multiple putative C/EBPβ and 4 YY1 binding sites in these regions. SNPs in the region did not change any of these sites in the Mcp-2 promoter but illuminated one consensus C/EBPβ site from Mcp-4. Therefore, our analysis did not support a strong correlation of Mcp-2 expression with the C/EBPβ binding. However, whether or not it contributes to the expression of Mcp-4 needs further investigation. Expression of chymases in mast cells is controlled at the post-transcriptional and epigenetic levels. An earlier study demonstrated that the high steady-state level of the Mcp-5 transcript over those of Mcp-1, 2, and 4 is due to rapid turnover of transcribed mRNAs of the latter . The transcripts of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 but not Mcp-5 contain multiple UGXCCCC motifs in their 3′-UTRs, and these potential cis-acting elements are thought to be responsible for the reduced stability of the Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 transcript , . However, analyses of coding DNA of mouse chymases in the GenBank database revealed that the 3′-UTRs of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 transcripts from DBA/2 mice has three and six such motifs, respectively, in comparison with three from each gene in C57BL/6 strain. Therefore, the difference in the numbers of UGXCCCC motifs does not explain the overexpression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in mast cells of B6-cma and DBA/2 mice. Regulation at the epigenetic level may also contribute to the overexpression of the Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 genes of the DBA/2 origin. In fact, an earlier study demonstrated hyper-transcription of the mMCP-2 gene in IL-15-deficient BMMCs is associated with histone acetylation and, intriguingly, with methylation of non-CpG dinucleotides within the MCP-2 promoter . It will be interesting to investigate if epigenitic regulation of chymase expression is altered in B6-cma and DBA/2 mice. Above all, the overexpression of Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 in mast cells from B6-cma and DBA/2 mice is unusually high, represented by over 1000-fold increases in mRNA transcripts and over 20% contributions of the expressed Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 proteins to total protein contents in cells. The mechanism underlying such a high level of overexpression warrants further investigation. Genes encoding for the 7 mouse chymases are clustered on chromosome 14 with Mcp-2 and Mcp-4 located in the middle in a tail-to-tail orientation. 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https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0084340

Article 1 Alupar Investimento S.A. is a joint-stock company (“Company”) governed by these Bylaws and applicable legal and regulatory rules, including Law 6,404 of December 15, 1976, as amended (“Brazilian Corporation Law“) and Level 2 Listing Rules of BM&FBOVESPA S.A. – Securities, Commodities and Futures Exchange (“Level 2 Rules” and “BM&FBOVESPA“, respectively). Sole Paragraph As the Company‘s was accepted at the special listing segment referred to as Corporate Governance Level 2 of BM&FBOVESPA S.A. (“Level 2“), the Company, its shareholders, administrators and members of the Fiscal Council, when instated, are subject to the Level 2 Rules. Article 2 The Company’s head offices are located in the city and state of São Paulo. Sole Paragraph Based on a resolution by the Executive Board, the Company, in compliance with provisions of caput of this article, may change the address of its head offices, open, change, close or alter the addresses of branches, offices or representative offices in any part of Brazil or abroad, subject to legal requirements. Article 3 The Company’s purpose is (i) to hold interest in other companies operating in the energy and infrastructure sectors in Brazil or abroad, as shareholder or quotaholder; (ii) to generate, transform, transport, transmit, distribute and sell energy in any form; (iv) conduct feasibility studies and projects, build, operate and maintain power generation plants, transmission and transport lines, substations, distribution networks, and provide any other similar or complementary services; and (iv) provide any other services or activities in the infrastructure area. Article 4 The Company’s duration is indeterminate. Article 5 The Company‘s fully subscribed and paid-up share capital is R$ 2,148,533,196.50, divided in 750,886,270 shares, of which 554,233,455 are common shares and 196,652,815 are preferred shares, all book-entry, registered and with no par value. Article 6 Each common share corresponds to one (1) vote at the deliberations of the Shareholders’ Meetings. Sole Paragraph The common shares may, at any time upon request from their holders, be converted into preferred shares at the ratio of one (1) common share for one (1) preferred share, provided they are paid up and subject to the legal limit and the chronological order of receipt of requests. The conversion requests should be submitted by shareholders, in writing, to the Executive Board. The conversion requests received and accepted by the Executive Board shall be ratified at the first meeting of the Board of Directors. c) the right to be included in a public tender offer as a result of the Company’s Sale of Control by the same price and conditions offered to the Selling Controlling Shareholder. e) amendment or revocation of provisions of the Bylaws that change or modify any of the requirements provided for in item 4.1 of Level 2 Rules, except that the voting right shall prevail while the Corporate Governance Level 2 Listing Agreement is in force (“Level 2 Agreement“). Paragraph 2 The Company is forbidden to issue founder’s sharesthrough the issue of common . Article 8 The Company may at any time, by decision of the Shareholders’ Meeting or in the assumption provided for in Paragraph 1 below, or the Board of Directors: a) issue common and preferred shares or create classes of preferred shares or increase the number of preferred shares of existing classes without maintaining the proportion among the types and/or classes of existing shares or which may be issued, observing the limit of fifty percent (50%) of all shares issued for preferred shares without voting rights or with restricted voting rights, which may or not be redeemable and may or not have par value; b) approve the redemption of shares in compliance with Article 44, Paragraph 6 of the Brazilian Corporation Law. Paragraph 1 The Company is authorized to increase its capital by a resolution of the Board of Directors, regardless of any amendment to the Bylaws, through the issue of common and/or preferred shares, up to one billion (1,000,000,000) shares. The Board of Directors shall set forth the issue conditions, including price and payment conditions. Paragraph 2 The Company may, with in the authorized capital specified in Paragraph 1 above and in accordance with the plan approved by the Shareholders’ Meeting, grant stock options to its administrators or employees, or to individuals rendering services to the Company or a company under its control. Paragraph 3 Within the authorized limit of capital, the Board of Directors may resolve on the issue of warrants and debentures convertible into shares. Paragraph 4 Shareholders will be entitled to preemptive rights for subscribing to new shares or any securities convertible to shares in proportion to their shareholdings, and shall exercise said rights within thirty (30) days. However, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, this preemptive right may be excluded or the exercise period may be reduced, in the issue of shares (including shares represented by Units, as defined in Article 39 of these Bylaws), debentures convertible into shares or warrants, whose placement occurs through a sale on the stock exchange or public subscription or share swap, in a public tender offer for the acquisition of Control, in accordance with the Brazilian Corporation Law, within the limit of authorized capital. Paragraph 5 The Company by resolution of the Board of Directors may acquire its own shares to be held in treasury and subsequent disposal, inclusive within the scope of stock option plans or share subscription approved under the terms of these Bylaws, or cancel, up to the balance of profit and reserves, except for legal reserve, without decreasing share capital, observing the rules issued by the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (“CVM“) and other applicable provisions. Article 9 All of the Company’s shares are registered, book-entry shares held in a deposit account at a financial institution authorized by CVM on behalf of their holders, pursuant to applicable legislation. The depositary financial institution may charge shareholder for the cost of transfer of ownership and registration of shares, as well as the service costs related to the book-entry shares, subject to the maximum limits set out by the CVM. Article 10 In cases of reimbursement of shares provided for by laws, the reimbursement amount will be the net book value of the shares according to the last statement of financial position approved by the Shareholders’ Meeting or a special statement of financial position, in the circumstance and terms provided for in Article 45, Paragraph 2 of the Brazilian Corporation Law, following the criteria for the valuation of assets and liabilities set forth by corporation law and generally accepted accounting principles. Article 11 Every person, individually, jointly or representing same interest, who acquires shares issued by the Company, is required to disclose, through notice to the Company, the acquisition of shares which, added to those already held, represent a percentage equal to or exceeding five percent (5%) of the Company’s capital. The holders of debentures or other securities convertible into shares and warrants shall have same requirement, ensuring their holders the acquisition of shares at the percentages provided for in this Article 11. Without prejudice to other sanctions set forth by laws and CVM rules, shareholder who failed to comply with this obligation may have his rights suspended, as per Article 120 of the Brazilian Corporation Law and Article 14, item “d” of these Bylaws, except for the basic rights provided for in Article 109 of the Brazilian Corporation Law, ceasing the suspension, as soon as the obligation is complied with. Sole Paragraph The notice to the Company referred to by caput of this Article 11 shall be made within two (2) business days as of the date of effective share acquisition by sending a written notice to the Company’s investor relations department, with receipt acknowledgment. Article 12 The Shareholders’ Meeting shall be held ordinarily once a year, in the four (4) months immediately after the end of the fiscal year and, extraordinarily whenever the Company’s interests so require. All the applicable legal and regulatory rules and these Bylaws should be complied with while calling and installing the meeting and as well as resolving on the agenda. Article 13 The Shareholders’ Meeting will be held and presided over by the Chairman of the Board of Directors or, during his absence, by the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors or, during his absence, by any other Board member elected by a simple majority of the shareholders attending the Meeting. The chairman of the meeting will invite one of the attending shareholders to act as his secretary at the meeting. Paragraph 1 Without prejudice to Article 123, Sole Paragraph of the Brazilian Corporation Law, the Shareholders’ Meeting should be called by the Chairman or the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, through a call notice published at least fifteen (15) days in advance, on first call, and eight (8) days in advance, on second call. Paragraph 2 The Minutes of the Shareholders’ Meeting will be filed at the Board of Trade within thirty (30) days from the date of holding the meeting and published in accordance with the Brazilian Corporation Law. Paragraph 3 The Shareholders’ Meeting can only deliberate on the agenda items specified in the respective call notices, except in cases envisaged by the Brazilian Corporation Law. Paragraph 4 Shareholders shall submit, at least, seventy-two (72) hours before the Shareholders’ Meeting, their identity document and proof of shareholding issued by the depositary financial institution. p) resolve on the cases not mentioned herein, abiding by provisions of the Brazilian Corporation Law and Level 2 Rules. Sole Paragraph The resolutions of Shareholders’ Meetings, other than the exceptions provided for by laws and subject to Article 28, Paragraph 2 of these Bylaws shall be taken by majority vote, excluding absentees’ votes. Article 15 The Company shall be managed by a Board of Directors and an Executive Board, with powers granted by applicable legal and regulatory rules and pursuant to these Bylaws. Paragraph 1 The resolutions of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board will be recorded in the minutes drawn up and signed in the Company’s books. Paragraph 2 The members of the Board of Directors and Executive Board will take office within thirty (30) days following their election by signing the instrument of investiture drawn up in the Company’s records for this purpose, with waiver of management pledge, but will be subject to the requirements, impediments, duties, obligations and responsibilities provided for in Articles 145 to 158 of the Brazilian Corporation Law. Paragraph 3 After the Company signs the Level 2 Agreement, the investiture of the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board in the respective positions will be subject to their previous signature of the Management Statement of Consent, pursuant to Level 2 Rules and the compliance with applicable legal requirements. Article 16 The Board of Directors is composed of, at least, seven (7) and up to ten (10) members and any alternate member(s), if appointed by Shareholders, all of them elected and removed from office by the Shareholders’ Meeting, residents of Brazil or not, for a combined two-(2) year term of office, and reelection is authorized. Paragraph 1 Without prejudice to the caput of this Article, the Board members shall remain in office until their successors are elected and take office. Paragraph 2 The Board of Directors shall be composed of, at least, twenty per cent (20%) independent members, pursuant to Level 2 Rules, who shall be expressly declared as such in the minutes of the Shareholders’ Meeting to elect them. Those elected in accordance with this caput and Paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 141 of the Brazilian Corporation Law shall also be considered Independent Board Members and will not have alternate members. Paragraph 3 If the percentage established in Paragraph 2 above results in a fraction, the number should be rounded off, pursuant to Level 2 rules. Paragraph 4 The positions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Company’s Chief Executive Officer cannot be cumulated by same person, except for provisions of Level 2 Rules. Paragraph 5 The Shareholders’ Meeting will appoint the Chairman and Vice- Chairman of the Board of Directors among those elected. The Chairman of the Board of Directors or, in case of his absence or temporary impediment, the Vice-Chairman, will be responsible for convening and presiding over the Board of Directors’ Meetings. Paragraph 6 In case of impediment or temporary absence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, he will be replaced by the Vice-Chairman and if he is also impeded or temporarily absent, he will be replaced any other Board member and elected by a simple majority of attending Board members. Said member will perform all the acts empowered to the Chairman, during the period of impediment or absence of the latter. Paragraph 7 If the position becomes vacant due to decease, resignation or a lengthy or permanent impediment of the Board member, the Board of Directors will elect, by simple majority, his deputy, whose term of office will expire at the first subsequent Shareholders’ Meeting. If the majority of the positions on the Board become vacant, the Shareholders’ Meeting will be called to elect the new Board members. If all the positions on the Board become vacant, the Executive Board should urgently call the Shareholders’ Meeting. Paragraph 8 Any Board member may be replaced by his alternate, if available, even if temporarily, except for the Independent Board members. Article 17 The Board of Directors will meet whenever called by its Chairman or, during his absence or temporary impediment, by its Vice-Chairman, at least, five (5) days in advance, on first call, and two (2) days on second call. The call notice should be accompanied by the meeting agenda. Paragraph 1 Regardless of the formalities in this Article 17, the Board of Directors’ Meetings in which all the members attend the meeting or all acting members are represented. Paragraph 2 The Board of Directors’ meetings shall only be held on first call with the attendance of the majority of its members and on second call, with any number of members. At the Board meetings, the Board member absent may participate by audio or video conference call and may vote by letter, fax or email, if these are received before the meeting. Paragraph 3 The Board of Directors‘ Meetings will be instated and presided over by the Chairman of the Board of Directors or, during his absence, the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors or, during his absence, by any Board member elected by a simple majority of the attending Board members. Paragraph 4 The minutes shall be drawn up at the end of the meeting and signed by all the Board members physically or remotely attending the meeting, and subsequently transcribed in the Minutes Book of the Company’s Board of Directors. The votes cast by Board members in accordance with Article 17, Paragraph 2 in fine of these Bylaws should be recorded in the Minutes Book of the Board of Directors, and a copy of the letter, fax or email, where applicable, containing the Board member’s vote, shall be attached to the Minutes Book immediately after the transcription of the Minutes. Paragraph 5 The minutes of the meetings containing the resolutions that affect third parties will be filed at the Board of Trade within thirty (30) days as of the date of the Board of Directors‘ meeting and published in accordance with Article 289 of the Brazilian Corporation Law. t) render a favorable opinion or contrary to any public tender offer, the purpose of which is the shares issued by the Company, through a substantiated opinion, released within fifteen (15) days as of the publication of the notice for the public tender offer, which shall include, at least, (i) the convenience and the opportunity of the public tender offer as to the joint interest of shareholders and in relation to the liquidity of its securities; (ii) the effects of the public tender offer on the Company‘s interests; (iii) the strategic plans disclosed by the offeror in relation to the Company; (iv) other issues the Board of Director deems relevant, as well as the information required by CVM’s applicable rules. Paragraph 1 The resolutions of the Board of Directors will be taken by majority vote. In case of a tie, the casting vote rests with the Chairman or, where applicable, the Board member acting as his replacement. Paragraph 2 The Board of Directors may set up committees with technical and/or advisory duties, such as the Compensation, Processes and Ethics, Contracting of Related Parties, Succession and Audit Committees and define their duties, specific aspects with regard to deliberations and also elect the members of said committees. Paragraph 3 The resolution on the matter referred to in item “j” of the caput of Article 18 of these Bylaws will be subject to the approval by the majority vote of the Board of Directors, with the favorable vote of two (2) independent board members. Paragraph 4 The amount described in letter “j”, caput of Article 18 hereof will be annually adjusted by IGP-M (General Market Price Index), as of this date. Article 19 The Executive Board will consist of, at least, two (2) and at most six (6) members, shareholders or not, residing in Brazil, elected by the Board of Directors for a two- (2) year combined term of office and may be removed from office any time. The Executive Board members are eligible for reelection and may hold more than one position. Regardless of the date of their election, the terms of office of the executive officers will end on the date of the first Board of Directors’ meeting subsequent to the Shareholders’ Meeting that will analyze the accounts relating to the last fiscal year under their tenure. The following positions are mandatory: (i) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), (ii) Vice Chief Executive Officer (Vice CEO); (iii) Chief Commercial Officer; (iv) Chief Administrative and Financial Officer; (v) Chief Technical Officer; and (vi) Investor Relations Officer. Paragraph 1 Up to one third (1/3) of the Board of Directors may be elected as executive officers. Paragraph 2 Without prejudice to the caput of this Article 19, members of the Executive Board will remain in office until their successors are elected and take office. Paragraph 3 In case of impediment or temporary absence of an Executive Officer, said officer will be replaced by another Officer, who will perform the duties temporarily, elected by a simple majority of the attending executive officers. Paragraph 4 If the position becomes vacant due to the decease, resignation or lengthy or permanent impediment of the Officer, the Chairman of the Board of Directors will designate another Officer, who will temporarily cumulate the duties of the Officer replaced until the next meeting of the Board of Directors or the expiration of the temporary impediment of the Officer replaced. The Board of Directors shall ratify the officer designated by the Chairman of the Board of Directors or appoint a new officer who, in case of lengthy impediment of the Officer replaced, will perform said officer’s duties ad interim until the expiration date of the impediment. Paragraph 5 Any act practiced by any administrator, attorney-in-fact or employee of the Company that involves obligations relating to transactions and operations beyond the scope of the corporate purpose is expressly prohibited and shall be legally null and void without prejudice to the determination of civil or criminal liability, where applicable. Article 20 The Executive Board will meet (i) annually to draw up the financial statements and the respective report to be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval, pursuant to item “e” of Article 18 above; and (ii) periodically, whenever the company’s interests so require, upon call by any of its members, at least, two (2) days in advance, with the call notice mentioning the agenda. Irrespective of call notice, the Executive Board meetings relying on the attendance of all acting members will be considered valid. Paragraph 1 The Executive Board meetings only will be instated on first call with the attendance of the majority of its members and on second call, by any quorum. Executive Officers may participate at the meetings by audio or video conference call and, when absent, may vote via letter, fax or e-mail, if received before the meeting. Paragraph 2 The Executive Board meetings will be called to order and presided over by the Chief Executive Officer or, during his absence, by the Vice Chief Executive Officer and, during his absence, by an officer elected by others. Paragraph 3 The Executive Board resolutions shall be taken by majority vote. In case of a tie, the casting vote will rest with the Chief Executive Officer or his replacement in the meeting. Paragraph 4 After the end of the meeting, the Minutes shall be drawn up, which shall be signed by the Officers physically or remotely attending the meeting, and subsequently transcribed in the Book of Minutes of the Executive Board’s Meetings. The votes cast by executive officers in accordance with Article 20, Paragraph 1 in fine of these Bylaws shall likewise be recorded in said Book of Minutes and a copy of the letter, fax or e-mail containing the officer’s vote shall be attached to the Book after the Minutes are transcribed. c) to represent the Company as defendant or plaintiff, in court and out of court, observing the conditions laid down in Article 22 of these Bylaws. Paragraph 1 The Chief Executive Officer, in addition to coordinating the action of the executive officers and managing the execution of the activities related to the Company‘s general planning, has the following powers and duties: (i) call and preside over Executive Board’s meetings; (ii) generally oversee the powers and duties of the Executive Board; (iii) keep the Board of Directors informed of the Company’s activities and the progress of its operations; and (iv) perform other duties assigned to him by the Board of Directors. Paragraph 2 The Vice Chief Executive Officer, among other duties that may be assigned to him, will assist the Chief Executive Officer in his duties and replace him during his absence and impediment. Paragraph 3 The Chief Administrative and Financial Officer, among other powers and duties that may be established, is empowered to: (i) plan, coordinate, organize, supervise and conduct the activities related to the Company’s financial operations, (ii) manage the Company’s consolidated finances; (iii) propose the performance targets and results of the Company’s several departments, the Company’s budget, monitor the Company’s results, draw up the financial statements and the annual Management report; (iv) coordinate the evaluation and implementation of the investment and operations opportunities, including financing opportunities, in the Company’s interest. Paragraph 4 The Chief Commercial Officer, among other powers and duties that may be established, is empowered to evaluate and monitor the policies, strategies and implementation of the projects in the marketing of products or activities related to the Company’s purpose. Paragraph 5 The Chief Technical Officer, among other powers and duties that may be established, is empowered to: (i) manage the planning, engineering, operation and maintenance of the power generation system; and (ii) other technical activities, including those related to power generation by the Company. Paragraph 6 The Investor Relations Officer, among other duties that may be established will (i) represent the Company at the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as before shareholders, investors, stock exchanges, the Central Bank of Brazil and other capital market regulatory agencies; (ii) plan, coordinate and guide the relationship and communication between the Company and its investors, the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission and the entities where the Company securities are accepted for trading; (iii) propose the guidelines and rules for relations with the Company’s investors; (iv) comply with capital market laws and disclose to the market relevant information about the Company and its businesses as required by laws; (v) maintain the company‘s books and ensure that the records are made regularly; (vi) oversee the services provided by the depositary financial institution relating to the ownership structure, such as, but not limited to the payment of dividends and bonus shares, purchase, sale and transfer of shares; (vii) ensure the compliance with and execution of the corporate governance rules and Bylaws provisions and legal provisions related to the securities markets; and (viii) either severally or jointly, practice the Company’s usual Management acts. c) severally by one Officer or one attorney-in-fact to practice the acts referred to in Paragraph 2, below. Paragraph 1 When empowering an attorney-in-fact, the Company shall be represented, pursuant to item “a” of this Article 22, by one of the Officers being the Chief Executive Officer or the Vice Chief Executive Officer, except in case of powers of attorney for representation in legal or administrative proceedings. Paragraph 2 The Company’s representation pursuant to item “c” of this Article 22 is restricted to: (i) representing the Company as a shareholder or quotaholder at Shareholders’ Meetings or quotaholders’ meetings of companies controlled thereby or in which it holds interest; (ii) representing the Company at any international, federal, state and municipal public agencies, including for legal purposes; (iii) endorsing checks for deposit in the Company’s bank accounts; (iv) representing the Company at the Labor Courts and Unions; (v) admission, suspension or dismissal of the Company’s employees and/or representatives in labor agreements; and (vi) representing the Company in public bids. Paragraph 3 Except for legal purposes and ad judicia and ad negotia powers of attorney granted within the scope of loan agreements, the validity of which will occur until the final settlement of Loan Agreements, all powers of attorney granted by the Company will be valid for a specified period, not exceeding one (1) year. Paragraph 4 The Company’s representation in operations that individually involve assets, liabilities, tendering of guarantees or sureties, creation of lien on assets, loans, financing agreements and other legal issues in excess of five hundred thousand reais (R$500,000.00) shall occur with the signature of any Executive Officer or attorney-in-fact jointly with the Chief Executive Officer or Vice Chief Executive Officer, except in cases of the Company’s representation in bidding processes, pursuant to sub-item (vi), Paragraph 2 of Article 22 of these Bylaws. Article 23 In operations alien to the company’s business and purpose, the Officers are prohibited from tendering guarantees and sureties or contract obligations of any type on the Company’s behalf, except with the prior and express authorization from the Board of Directors. Sole Paragraph The prohibition mentioned in the caput of this Article 23 shall not apply to the granting of guarantees or sureties, or the assumption of obligations of any type, on behalf of the direct or indirect subsidiaries, as well as on behalf of its associate companies, as long as item “f” of Article 18 of the Company’s Bylaws is complied with. Article 24 The Fiscal Council, a non-permanent body, when instated, will consist of, at least, three (3) and at most five (5) members, whether or not shareholders, whose duties are laid down in law. The composition of the Fiscal Council shall comply with Article 161, Paragraph 4 of the Brazilian Corporation Law. Paragraph 1 The term of office of the Fiscal Council members, when installed, will expire at the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting following the meeting that elected them, with reelection allowed. Their compensation will be determined by the Shareholders’ Meeting to elect them. Paragraph 2 The Fiscal Council will meet whenever called by any of its members five (5) days in advance and these meetings will be valid if the majority of its acting members attend the meeting. Paragraph 3 The Fiscal Council members shall take office by signing the respective instrument drawn up in the Company’s records subject to, after the Company having signed the Level 2 Agreement, the signature of the Statement of Consent of Fiscal Council members, in accordance with Level 2 Rules, as well as the compliance with applicable legal requirements. The Fiscal Council members should also, immediately after taking office, inform the Company of the number and type of securities issued by the Company held by them, directly or indirectly, including derivatives. Article 25 The sale of the Company’s control, whether in a single operation or through successive operations, should be contracted under the suspensive or resolutory condition that the Buyer undertakes to hold a public tender offer for the shares held by other shareholders of the Company, subject to the conditions and within the period envisaged by laws and Level 2 Rules, so that to ensure them the same treatment given to the Selling Controlling Shareholder. Sole Paragraph For the purposes of these Bylaws, the expressions Controlling Shareholder, Selling Controlling Shareholder, Sale of Control, Buyer, Power of Control and Economic Value will have the meaning given to them by Level 2 Rules. Article 26 The public tender offer for the shares referred to in Article 25 of these Bylaws will also be required: (i) in the event of onerous assignment of share subscription rights and other securities or rights related to securities convertible to shares issued by the Company to result in the Company’s Sale of Control; and (ii) in the event of the company’s sale of control that holds the Company’s Power of Control, in this case, Selling Controlling Shareholder will be required to inform BM&FBOVESPA the amount paid to the Company as part of the sale and attach evidentiary document. Sole Paragraph Who acquires the Power of Control by virtue of a private stock purchase agreement signed with the Controlling Shareholder for any number of shares shall be required to: (i) conduct the public tender offer referred to in Article 25 above; and (ii) pay, pursuant to the following terms, the amount corresponding to the difference between the price of the public tender offer and the amount paid per share eventually acquired at the stock exchange within six (6) months prior to the acquisition date of the Power of Control, duly restated until the payment date. Said amount shall be distributed among those persons who sold the Company shares at the trading sessions where the Buyer made the acquisitions, proportionally to the daily selling net balance of each one. BM&FBOVESPA shall operate the distribution, in accordance with its rules. Article 27 The Company will not register any transfer of shares to the Buyer or that (those) person(s) eventually holding the Company’s Power of Control while said person(s) does (do) not sign the Statement of Consent of Controlling Shareholders, referred to by Level 2 Rules. Sole Paragraph The Company will not register in its head offices any shareholders’ agreement that envisages the exercise of Power of Control while its signatories do not sign the Statement of Consent of Controlling Shareholders referred to in the caput of this Article 27. Article 28 In the public tender offer to be conducted by the Controlling Shareholder or the Company for the company’s deregistering as a publicly-held company, the minimum price to be tendered shall correspond to the Economic Value verified in the valuation report prepared pursuant to Paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article 28, observing the applicable legal and regulatory rules. Paragraph 1 The valuation report referred to in the caput of this Article 28 shall be prepared by a specialized institution or company with proven experience and independence as to the Company’s decision-making power, its administrators and/or Controlling Shareholder, besides complying with the requirements of Paragraph 1, Article 8 of the Brazilian Corporation Law and specifying the responsibility provided for in Paragraph 6 of this Article. The costs related to the preparation of the report will be fully borne by the offeror. Paragraph 2 For the purposes of this public tender offer referred to by Chapters VI, VII and VIII of these Bylaws, the Shareholders’ Meeting is solely empowered to select the specialized company or institution, liable for determining the economic value of the Company, from a three-name list submitted by the Board of Directors. The resolution, not computing absentees‘ vote and each share, regardless of type or class, shall be entitled to one vote, to be taken by majority vote of shareholders representing the outstanding shares attending that meeting, if held on first call, it shall rely on the attendance of shareholders representing, at least, twenty percent (20%) of total outstanding shares, or if held on second call, it may rely on the attendance of any number of shareholders representing the Outstanding Shares. For the purposes of these Bylaws, “Outstanding Shares” refer to all the shares issued by the Company, except those held by the Controlling Shareholder, related persons and the Company’s administrators, plus those held in treasury. Article 29 In the event the shareholders resolve on the Company’s delisting from Level 2, so that its securities are then registered to be traded out of Level 2 or due to the corporate restructuring, in which the company resulting from this restructuring does not have its securities accepted for trading in Level 2 within one hundred and twenty (120) days as of the Shareholders’ Meeting which approved said operation, the Controlling Shareholder shall conduct the public tender offer of shares held by other Company’s shareholders, at least, by their respective Economic Value, to be calculated in valuation report prepared pursuant to Paragraphs 1 and 2, Article 28 of these Bylaws, in compliance with applicable legal and regulatory rules. Paragraph 1 The Company’s Controlling Shareholder will be exempted from holding the public tender offer mentioned in the caput of this Article 29 if the Company delists from Level 2 due to (i) the execution of the Company’s listing agreement to BM&FBOVESPA’s special listing segment referred to as Novo Mercado (“New Market“), or (ii) if the company resulting from the corporate restructuring obtains authorization for trading its securities at the Novo Mercado within one hundred and twenty (120) days as of the Shareholders’ Meeting which approved said operation. Paragraph 2 The holding of the Shareholders’ Meeting mentioned in the caput of this Article 29 shall be exempted if the Company’s delisting from Level 2 occurs due to its deregistering as a publicly-held company. Article 30 In the event there is no Controlling Shareholder, if approved the Company’s delisting from Level 2 so that its securities are then registered for trading out of Level 2, or due to corporate restructuring in which the company resulting from this restructuring does not have its securities accepted for trading in Level 2 or at the Novo Mercado within one hundred and twenty (120) days as of the date of the Shareholders’ Meeting that approved said operation, the Company’s delisting shall be subject to the materialization of the public tender offer under same conditions provided for in Article 29 above of these Bylaws. Paragraph 1 Said Shareholders’ Meeting shall define the one (those) in charge of conducting the public tender offer, who in attendance of the meeting shall expressly undertake the obligation of conducting the offer. Paragraph 2 If those in charge of conducting the public tender offer are not defined, in the event the corporate restructuring operation in which the company resulting from this restructuring does not have its securities accepted for trading in Level 2, the shareholders who favorably voted on the corporate restructuring shall conduct said public tender offer. Article 31 The Company’s delisting from Level 2 due to the failure to comply with the Level 2 Rules is subject to a public tender offer, at least, by the shares Economic Value to be calculated in valuation report referred to by Article 28, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of these Bylaws, observing the applicable legal rules and regulations. Paragraph 1 The Controlling Shareholder shall conduct the public tender offer provided for in the caput of this Article 31. Paragraph 2 In the event there is no Controlling Shareholder and the Company’s delisting from Level 2 referred to in the caput of this Article 31 is resolved at the Shareholders’ Meeting, shareholders who voted favorably to the resolution that implied the failure to comply shall conduct the public tender offer provided for in the caput of this Article 31. Paragraph 3 In the event there is no Controlling Shareholder and the Company’s delisting from Level 2 referred to in the caput of this Article 31 occurs as a result of act or fact of the Management, Management shall call a Shareholders’ Meeting whose agenda shall resolve on how to remedy the failure to comply with the obligations provided for in the Level 2 Rules, or, where applicable, resolve on the Company’s delisting from Level 2. Paragraph 4 If Shareholders’ Meeting referred to in Paragraph 3 above resolves on the Company’s delisting from Level 2, said Shareholders’ Meeting shall define that one (those) in charge of the public tender offer provided for in the caput of this Article 31, who in attendance of the Shareholders’ Meeting, shall expressly undertake the obligation of conducting the offering. Article 32 The provisions of Level 2 Rules shall prevail over Bylaws provisions, in the event of any damage to the recipients‘ rights in the public tender offer provided for herein. Article 33 The fiscal year will start on January 1 and end on December 31 of each year, when the financial statements provided for by applicable laws will be drawn up. Article 34 Accumulated losses, if any, and the provision for income tax and social contribution on profit will be deducted from the year’s profit before any profit sharing. f) Based on the proposal by the Management bodies, the remaining earnings may be fully allocated to the Investment Reserve, subject to the Sole Paragraph below and Article 194 of the Brazilian Corporation Law. d) Without prejudice to letter “a” of this Paragraph, the Investment Reserve may be used to pay dividends or interest on equity to shareholders. Article 36 Every fiscal year, shareholders will be entitled to receive as non-cumulative mandatory dividend, fifty percent (50%) of the profit for the year, after adding or subtracting the following: (a) the amount set aside to the Legal Reserve; and (b) the amount allocated to the Contingency Reserve (Article 35, “b”, above), and reversal of same reserve created in previous years. Paragraph 1 The payment of mandatory dividend may be restricted to the profit that has been realized in accordance with the law. Paragraph 2 Dividends provided for in this Article 36 will not be mandatory in the fiscal year in which the Executive Board informs the Shareholders’ Meeting that the Company’s financial situation does not allow dividend payment, as provided for in Article 202, Paragraphs 4 and 5 of the Brazilian Corporation Law. Paragraph 3 The profits registered in the Unrealized Profit Reserve, when realized and not absorbed by losses in subsequent years, should be added to the first dividend declared after they are realized, pursuant to Article 202, clause III of the Brazilian Corporation Law. Article 37 By decision of the Board of Directors, the Executive Board may draw up half-yearly, interim and intermediary statements of financial position. The Board of Directors, subject to the approval of the Shareholders’ Meeting, may declare dividends or interest on equity to the profit account verified in these statements of financial position to the retained earnings account or existing profit reserves. At the discretion of the Board of Directors, dividends and interest on equity paid to shareholders may be considered as advance payment and imputed to the mandatory dividends referred to in Article 36 above. Article 38 The Company and its Management shall hold a public meeting with analysts and other stakeholders, at least, once a year to disclose information about the Company’s economic and financial situation, projects and prospects. By December 10 of each year, they should submit to the BM&FBOVESPA and announce to the market, the annual calendar for the next year of scheduled corporate events and the information required by Level 2 Rules. Article 39 The Company may issue stock deposit certificates, hereinafter referred to as “Units” or severally as “Unit“. Paragraph 1 Each Unit will represent one (1) common share and two (2) preferred shares issued by the Company and will be issued only: (i) upon a request by shareholders holding the sufficient number of shares needed to compose the Units, as per Paragraph 2 below, subject to the rules to be laid down by the Board of Directors in accordance with these Bylaws, (ii) after a resolution of the Company’s Board of Directors, in case of capital increase within the limit of authorized capital, through the issue of new shares to be represented by Units, or (iii) in cases envisaged by Article 41, Paragraph 2 of these Bylaws. Paragraph 2 Only shares free of any burden and encumbrance may be deposited for the issue of Units. Article 40 The Units will be book-entry units and, except in the case of cancellation of Units, the ownership of shares represented by the Units will only be transferred through the transfer of Units. Paragraph 1 The holder of the Units may at any time request the depositary financial institution to cancel the Units and deliver the respective shares deposited, subject to the rules to be laid down by the Board of Directors in accordance with these Bylaws. Paragraph 2 The Company’s Board of Directors may, at any time, suspend the possibility of cancelling the Units for a determined period of time provided for in Paragraph 1 of this Article 40, in case of commencement of the public tender offer of the primary and/secondary offering of Units in Brazil and/or abroad, in this case, the suspension period cannot exceed thirty (30) days. Paragraph 3 Units subject to onus, burden or encumbrance cannot be canceled. Article 41 The Units will confer to their holders the same rights and advantages as the underlying shares. Paragraph 1 The right to participate at the Company’s Shareholders’ Meetings and exercise all the rights conferred to the shares represented by the Units, through proof of their ownership, lies exclusively with the holder of the Units. The holder of Unit may be represented at the Company’s Shareholders’ Meetings by an attorney-in-fact empowered in accordance with Article 126, Paragraph 1 of the Brazilian Corporation Law. a) In case of an increase in the number of shares, the depositary financial institution will register the deposit of new shares and credit the new Units in the accounts of the respective holders to reflect the new number of shares held by the Unit holders, always maintaining the ratio of one (1) common share and two (2) preferred shares for each Unit. Shares that cannot be converted into Units will be credited directly to the shareholders, without the issue of Units. b) In case of a decrease in the number of shares issued by the Company, the depositary and financial institution will debit the Units deposit accounts of the holders of the reverse split shares, automatically canceling the sufficient number of Units to reflect the new number of shares held by the holders of Units, always maintaining the ratio of one (1) common share and two (2) preferred shares for each Unit. The remaining shares that cannot be converted into Units will be directly delivered to shareholders, without the issue of Units. Article 42 In case of exercise of the preemptive rights to subscribe shares issued by the Company, if any, the depositary financial institution will create new Units in the Register of Book-Entry Units and credit these Units to their respective holders so that to reflect the new number of preferred and common shares issued by the Company deposited in the account linked to the Units, always maintaining the ratio of one (1) common share and two (2) preferred shares for each Unit. The shares that cannot be converted into Units will be directly credited to shareholders, without the issue of Units. In case of exercise of preemptive rights for subscription of other securities issued by the Company, no automatic credit of Units shall occur. Article 43 Unit holders will be entitled to receive shares arising from the spin-off, incorporation or merger involving the Company. In any assumption, the Units will always be created or canceled, where applicable, in the Register of Book-Entry Units on behalf of BM&FBOVESPA, as the respective fiduciary owner, which will credit them in the custody accounts of the respective Unit holders. In the assumption shares are attributed to Unit holders and said shares cannot be converted into new Units, these shares will also be deposited at BM&FBOVESPA, in its capacity as the fiduciary owner of the Units, which will credit them to the custody accounts of the respective holders. Article 44 The Company, its shareholders, administrators and Fiscal Council members undertake to resolve through arbitration at BM&FBOVESPA’s Market Arbitration Panel, according to their respective Arbitration Rules, all and any dispute or controversy that may arise among them, related to or, especially, stemming from the application, validity, effectiveness, construal and infringement, as well as their effects, of the provisions of the Brazilian Corporation Law, the Company’s Bylaws, the rules of the National Monetary Council, Central Bank of Brazil and Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other rules applicable to the operation of the capital markets, besides those included in Level 2 Rules, the Rules of the Market Arbitration Panel, the Sanction Rules and the Listing Agreement in Level 2. Sole Paragraph Without prejudice to the validity of this arbitration clause, the request for urgent measures by the Parties, before setting up the Arbitration Court, shall be submitted to the Judiciary Branch, as provided for in item 5.1.3 of the Market Arbitration Panel Rules. Article 45 The Company will enter into liquidation in the cases envisaged by laws and the Shareholders’ Meeting will determine the liquidation conditions and appoint the liquidator. The Fiscal Council shall operate during this period, subject to the legal formalities. Article 46 The Company will adopt the CVM’s recommendations and BM&FBOVESPA’s corporate governance practices to optimize its performance and protect investor interest through initiatives that ensure transparency, equal treatment to shareholders and accountability. Article 47 Cases not covered by these Bylaws shall be resolved at the Shareholders’ Meeting and other legal provisions in force shall apply, especially the provisions of the Brazilian Corporation Law. Article 48 The provisions in (i) the Sole Paragraph of Article 1; (ii) items (k) and (l) of Article 14; (iii) Paragraph 3 of Article 15; (iv)Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of Article 16, (v) items (q) and (t) and Paragraph 3 of Article 18; (vi) Paragraph 3 of Article 24; (vii) Chapters VI, VII, VIII and XI; (viii) Article 38; and(ix) Article 46 of these Bylaws will come into effect only as of the date of publication of the Announcement of Commencement of the Public Offering of Units referring to the first public offering of shares issued by the Company and its acceptance at the BM&FBOVESPA‘s Level 2 listing segment.

2019-04-24T19:09:34Z

http://ri.alupar.com.br/en/corporate-governance/by-laws/

The Mexican navy announced this morning that their search for Jennifer Ellis-Seitz, reported missing from Norwegian Pearl off the coast of Cancun on December 25, has ended. The US Coast Guard ended their active search on Saturday but continued to support Mexico's efforts with weather and current data. This morning Royal Caribbean announced Oasis of the Seas will enter service 11 days earlier than originally announced with two additional sailings. The first will be a 4-night cruise to Labadee departing Port Everglades on December 1, 2009. Then on December 5, it will depart on a 7-night eastern Caribbean itinerary to St. Thomass, St. Maarten and Nassau. The December 5 sailing will now be considered the "inaugural," and passengers booked on the December 12, which was originally announced as the inaugural sailing, will be offered the opportunity to switch to the December 5 sailing before it opens to public bookings on January 12. They will also have the option to book the December 1 sailing back-to-back with the December 5 cruise. NCL and STX Europe this morning announced they were modifying the F3 project to build only one of the 150,000-ton vessels. Delivery is now set for late May 2010. Disputes between NCL and the builder over the cost of modifications to the design requested by the line had been widely reported but unconfirmed by either party. They were said to be threatening the entire project, but both now acknowledge only that the project is now moving forward with only the one ship. MSC Cruises earlier eliminated their fuel surcharge on all sailings April 1, 2009 and after. This morning the line announced they will extend the policy to all 2009 sailings January 1 and after. Customers who have already made a booking for a 2009 sailing date will have the surcharge refunded in the form of an onboard credit. Additionally, the line said if fuel prices increase in the future, they may reimplement the charge, but guaranteed they will not add it to any booking under deposit at that time, markedly different than other lines warning they may reimplement the charge at some point in the future. The other lines are saying they reserve the right to add it to all existing bookings at that time. Royal Caribbean is opening two more offices in China to support their continued sourcing of customers from international markets. The offices will be in the central business districts of Beijing and Guangzhou and be the company's second and third in the country. (RCCL opened their Shanghai office in 2007.) The offices will support travel agencies selling the growing number of RCCL ships sailing in the region providing support for all three RCCL international brands. Traditionally a North American brand, in recent years the company has been placing an increasing importance on sourcing passengers from international markets, even dedicating ships to itineraries designed to appeal primarily regional market sources rather than a worldwide. Just this month the RCCL has created a new managing director position in Brazil and announced the opening of an office in Sydney. Holland America Line announced a Vacation Stimulus Plan today that includes a number of points to stimulate bookings. Points affecting consumers are some new promotional rates, reduced deposits (cut in half for cruises and Alaskan cruisetours departing May 1, 2009, and after), and a 25% discount on their standard Cancellation Protection Plan when purchased with a new booking for departure May 1, 2009, and after. There are some additional incentives included in the plan for travel agents. Crystal Cruises has announced they will eliminate their fuel surcharge on all 2009 cruises. The surcharge will no longer be placed on new bookings, and existing bookings under deposit will be adjusted to reflect the lower amount. Passengers who have made their final payment will have the fuel surcharge refunded through an onboard credit. Princess cruises is rewarding those who pay more with double credits in their Captain's Circle loyalty program enabling them to reach higher levels faster, beginning with cruises departing December 7, 2008, and after. Passengers who pay for and occupy a full suite (not a mini-suite), and passengers who pay a single occupancy fare will receive two credits rather than one. Passengers who do both, paying a single occupancy fare for a suite, will be rewarded with three credits. Princess offers multiple ways to reach the higher plateaus, and the new benefit multiplies only cruise credits, not cruise days. The three Royal Caribbean brands selling in North America announced this afternoon they too would suspend their fuel supplement on all 2009 sailings. Like the other lines, they are reserving the right to reinstate it if the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel exceeded $65 per barrel. We are finding some interesting twist to the lines' announcement about their "suspension" of the fuel supplement. Those will be discussed in today's edition of CND. The small (2,900-ton) expedition ship Ushuaia, ran aground yesterday in the Antarctic near the entrance to Wilhelmina Bay. The operator said the situation was stable and passengers were in no imminent danger. They reported that six other vessels were standing by. According to an Int'l Assn of Antarctic Tour Operators report, the passengers have now all been evacuated from the ship to the Chilean Naval Vessel Achiles and will fly the first leg of their journey home on Saturday. The crew remains aboard the ship. From aerial sightings, there appears to be no visible oil leakage, although the crew reports a minimal amount has seeped from a ruptured tank but has been quickly dispersed by the wind and currents. NCL announced this morning that Norwegian Sky's Miami deployment will continue at least through April 16, 2010. It will continue to operate the same 3 and 4-night Friday/Monday pattern to the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Line has followed the Carnival brands' lead and suspended the fuel supplement on all 2009 sailings. Those already having paid it will have it refunded in the form of an oboard credit. Bookings outside the final payment period will be adjusted to remove the fuel supplement amount. Carnival announced this afternoon that all of their North American brands will suspend charging fuel supplements effective with sailings December 17, 2008, and after. Passengers who have paid the supplement will have it refunded in the form of an onboard credit. Passengers who have not yet made their final payment will have their invoices adjusted. If the price of oil should again exceed $70 per barrel, Carnival said they reserve the right to reinstate the fuel supplement on current bookings. Evacuations by helicopter from cruise ships have become fairly common, but seeing them, especially from these unique vantage points, makes you realize what a delicate operation it is. While some of us may have seen this from the deck of a cruise ship, most of us would never have the opportunity to see the operation from these perspectives, if it were not for tiny video cameras. On November 29 (2008) the Coast Guard evacuated a 61-year-old man with a medical condition, and his wife, from Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas while it was 130 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. In this video provided by the Coast Guard, shot from a camera above the door of the helicopter, you can see the man and his wife being hoisted from the deck of the ship while the helicopter hovers 180 feet above the ocean. In the third of the sequence (in very raw footage), you see the whole operation shot from another aircraft a few hundred feet away. The Port of Seattle has signed a 10-year agreement with Carnival Corp to operate from the new cruise terminal at Pier 91 beginning next April. Under the agreement, the company will continue to bring at least 420,000 passengers to Seattle annually and base at least five ships there during each year of the agreement. In return Princess and Holland America will get preferential use of the two berths at the new terminal. Question: Why Do Cruise Lines Still Send Ships through the Gulf of Aden? Over the last few weeks, much of the general news media has suddenly discovered the story of piracy of ships in the Gulf of Aden, a story which has been developing and covered by the trade press for several years. In their coverage, and especially with the recent encounter between Nautica and some pirates, they want to bring in the cruise ship angle. They are asking questions like what tools cruise ships have to defend themselves, or, with the rising number of ships being taken, why do cruise lines continue to send their ships through the Gulf. They have been asking the wrong questions, however. After covering cruise lines for a lot of years, we've come to know cruise lines aren't about to send their ships anywhere they believe there is a significant risk of harm to them and the people aboard. Therefore that means cruise lines are believing there is little risk associated with their passing through the Gulf of Aden. With that in mind, a few weeks ago we started to ask the question why they believe they are safe when the number of ships being taken is steadily increasing. Yesterday, CND had that important question answered during a wide_ranging discussion when we sat down for an exclusive interview with the top security officer of one of the cruise lines that had a ship sailing in the area recently. While most of the interview was on the record, we agreed to one big condition. We agreed not to reveal the person's name or the cruise line. He agreed to the interview because it is important for the public to know the cruise lines are not putting their ships or passengers at risk. He was speaking only for his own cruise line, but since all major lines share information on this matter, it's safe to assume the industry shares the same thinking. The reason we agreed not to identify the line is that we don't want the other side to construe what was being said as a challenge to them, a challenge to try to take a cruise ship, especially of this particular line. This person was simply answering our questions and explaining why the pirates aren't interested in taking a cruise ship. Yes, that's right. At this point in time, pirates really aren't interested in cruise ships. Something that doesn't come across in most of the general news media reports is the pirates in this area are not just a bunch of rogues with boats roaming around out at sea trying to stop any ship they come across. The pirates off the Somali coast are part of larger operations run from ashore by smart business people. They are only interested in making money. They capture a ship, hold it for ransom, get paid and let it go. The people in charge follow what ships are coming toward the area, decide what would be the easiest (and presumably profitable) to take, and then send the guys in the boats out to get the ship. Cruise ships don't really fit into that business model. They are quite different from cargo vessels, and wouldn't be nearly as easy of a target. The pirates are looking for the easiest targets, and even within commercial vessels, he said different types of vessels have different rates of being targeted. Cruise ships are actually quite different from the cargo vessels the pirates have been taking, and would be perhaps the hardest to take. First of all cruise ships generally move much faster than the pirates' small boats. And you should believe when they pass through that area, they are moving fast. Just like when you drive through the bad part of town, you want to be through it as quickly as possible, so you increase your speed and don't stop. Cruise ships are also built differently than most of the cargo vessels and tankers, and therefore, if the pirates can get alongside, they are not nearly as easy to board. Staffing is another difference. Cargo vessels generally don't have the numbers of people cruise ships do to watch in all directions around the clock, so a cruise ship will probably have more warning of a potential attack by pirates than a cargo vessel. Along those same lines, cruise ships carry a much larger security force to defend the vessel should there be an attempt to board. It probably will far outnumber the pirates. Of course, something we did not talk about in any detail is that cruise ships generally have a better arsenal of ways at their disposal to defend themselves than most cargo vessels will. So with all these things making it more difficult to take a cruise ship, why would the pirates want to go to all the extra trouble to take a cruise ship? It's vastly easier to take a cargo vessel, especially some types. But there's more. If the pirates did somehow manage to capture a cruise ship, then what? They would face much bigger challenges holding a vessel with several thousand people aboard than they do holding a cargo vessel with a couple dozen people. Again, these pirate groups are smart business people, who have thought this all out. There wouldn't be an overnight solution to the hijacking. The captors don't call the CEO of the company that owns the vessel, agree on a price and funds are wired to the pirates. Instead to protect themselves, the pirates work through several layers of intermediaries, and the process would take several weeks, at best, to be resolved and have the ship released. During that time the pirates would have to provide food probably for a couple thousand people, a large amount of fuel to keep powering the ship even minimally, and it would be almost impossible to keep control of that many people. "It's a very different equation to take on a ship with that number of people than it is to take on a ship with 25 people," he said. The law of averages says among the passengers there would be ex_military people, off_duty law enforcement officers and people who just wouldn't stand for being held captive. It would also be impossible for the captors to know all the faces, so they would be vulnerable to rescue forces slipping aboard and being among the people waiting for the right time to neutralize the pirates. It would be an almost impossible situation for the pirates to deal with. Again, there are smart business people behind these operations. They have thought this out, and why would they want to change a successful business model which is working so well for them and add all this extra risk and expense to their operation? There are about 60 cargo vessels per day passing through the area; all of them would offer easier opportunities for success and profit than a cruise ship. What about the two instances where cruise ships have been attacked, including Sunday's incident with Nautica? He said he has seen no information about either that would lead him to believe that there was any serious attempt to board either ship. He said those may have simply been targets of opportunity, where the guys in the boats were sent out to get a particular ship and didn't see it or failed to get it. The cruise ships then came by and the guys on their own decided that since they were there, they may as well try to see how far they could get with the ship. ("Just messing with them," as he put it.) We'll never know, but they didn't get very far into either attempt before they called them off. Another surprise in cruise lines' thinking came when I asked about risk levels increasing. About a dozen cruise ships a year move through the Gulf a couple times a year each either as they reposition between seasonal deployments or as part of an already_lengthy cruise, such as a world cruise. It would certainly have a big impact on the company if he decided for some reason the risk was too great for the ship to go through the area. What types of things, I asked, could cause the risk to increase enough that it wouldn't be safe for a ship to transit the area? I was surprised when he said that for almost any increased risk he could think of, there was something he could do to lessen it or counterbalance it. Some of them, of course would be expensive, but they would lessen the risk to a point where the ship could pass though the area safely. In closing the interview, he said that he feels that it is safe for his line's ships to transit the Gulf. There is a tremendous amount of thought and planning put into how every one of the line's vessels transits the Gulf, and he would be completely comfortable with his grandmother or daughter sailing on them. That says a lot. I came away from that discussion having a much better understanding of why the cruise ships keep going through the Gulf of Aden, and I feel our readers now should too. Orginally published in Cruise News Daily December 2, 2008 edition. Copyright CND, all rights reserved. This may not be legally posted elsewhere. While transiting the Gulf of Aden this morning at 9:28am local time (12:28am Eastern Standard Time), the bridge officer on duty aboard Oceania's Nautica noticed two small boats approaching rapidly, approximately 1000 meters away, and deemed them hostile. The captain took evasive action and eventually outran them. During the encounter, one of the boats did manage to close within about 300 meters and did fire eight rifle shots toward Nautica, but there were no injuries aboard the cruise ship. Nautica was within the Maritime Safety Protection Area at the time of the incident, and it lasted only a few minutes. All of the prescribed international authorities were immediately notified, and Nautica is now proceeding to its next scheduled port, Salalah (Oman) where it is expected to arrive on Monday. MSC announced that their fuel supplement will be eliminated on sailings (booked in North America) April 1, 2009 and after. All currently booked passengers will have their accounts adjusted downward to remove the surcharge. Passengers sailing from January 1 through March 31, 2009 will have the surcharge refunded in the form of an onboard credit should the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel close at or below $65 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on December 18, 2008. If you live in South Florida, you might want to get up early on Monday (November 3) to see something you’ve never seen before. Celebrity Solstice will be arriving at Ft. Lauderdale for the first time. The ship is the first of the Solstice Class, and it’s the first time it has ever called at a US port. The ship is expected to arrive at the Port Everglades sea buoy at approximately 6am, and will be dockside by approximately 7am. Celebrity says that ideal viewing platforms include Fort Lauderdale Beach and surroundings. The ship will be coming and going a lot over the next three weeks during its inaugural activities. Those include the naming ceremony on November 14. Celebrity Solstice will officially enter service on November 23. Norwegian Cruise Ling became the latest line to announce it would eliminate the fuel supplement for new bookings for 2010 and beyond as well as establishing guidelines for removing it from 2009 sailings. The NCL announcement seems modeled most closely after Royal Caribbean's. The line said that effective November 10, 2008, the fuel supplement will no longer be applied to bookings for 2010 sailings and beyond. Like RCCL, NCL said they would be removed from existing bookings for 2009 and 2010 if "the closing price on the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) of West Texas Intermediate fuel [is] below $65 per barrel two weeks prior to the beginning of the calendar quarter (dates specified below), the company will refund fuel supplements paid in the form of an on-board credit." The closing price on that date will determine eligibility for the refund for the entire quarter. Details were in the October 30, 2008 edition of Cruise News Daily. It seems that lately there have been several articles published by various media outlets that are either basically untrue or the headline and lead seem designed to seriously mislead the reader. The Mirror published an article that says a crew member aboard Queen Mary 2 murdered his girlfriend who was also his supervisor while the ship was in dry dock in Hamburg. It even goes on to say an autopsy will be held. The problem here is that the story is almost completely false. The altercation basically came down to a scuffle, according to Cunard. The man was taken into custody by police who took him in for questioning and later released him. The woman is still quite alive. The Telegraph carried an article yesterday headlined, "Cruise passengers tossed into sea in high winds off northern Spain." That calls up visions of passengers on deck being blown off the deck into the ocean while the ship is at sea. Not exactly. The passengers were boarding the ship while strong winds were moving it, and the gangway which they were using fell into the water. While it's certainly a serious situation, it's not really the one the headline leads you to believe "off northern Spain." It happened right in port on the Spanish mainland. And then there was the article entitled "Holidaymakers stranded in Liverpool dock after cruise is cancelled," which ran in the Mail, as well as similarly titled articles in other newspapers. That evokes images of passengers being in a strange city on their own with no way to leave or get home. Not exactly. It seems their short cruise, which embarked at Liverpool, was canceled due to bad weather just off shore. Instead of sailing the cruise line operated everything aboard the ship just as if they were at sea. Since it was a weather-related reason for the cancellation, the line was unwilling to provide a cash refund but did offer credits toward a future cruise. They even provided local sightseeing. Granted, there is a story in the customer service aspect, the passengers were hardly "stranded" as the title says. Carnival Corp announced this afternoon that they will close their Ocean Village brand in the fall of 2009 and transfer the first ship to the P&O Australia brand in time for the 2009 Christmas season in Australia. The second will tranfer a year later. The line said that it makes sense from a profit standpoint since the Australian market shows tremendous growth and profit potential. They feel that UK passengers who would have booked the Ocean Village brand can be absorbed into the growing P&O and Princess brands. Instead the ship will sail from San Diego on a new program of 4- to 12-night itineraries to Mexico. Details and analysis of the ship appeared in the October 29, 2008 edition of Cruise News Daily. Carnival Cruise Lines announced they have canceled Carnival Liberty's northern Europe program for 2009 and will instead deploy the ship in the Caribbean. At the same time, through other adjustments, the line will also launch Carnival Pride's Caribbean program from Baltimore on April 27, 2009 rather than their original September launch. Details and analysis appeared in the October 28, 2008 edition of Cruise News Daily. Fincantieri laid the keel today for P&O's next ship, a sister to Ventura. P&O took the occasion to announce that they have chosen the name Azura for the vessel. Delivery is set for the spring of 2010. Royal Caribbean has set an end to the fuel supplement for 2010 sailings, and the criteria for eliminating it on 2009 and previously booked 2010 sailings. The announcement applies to worldwide sales of three of their brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises. For bookings made November 10, 2008 and after, the brands will no longer charge a supplement for sailings that depart January 1, 2010 and after. For 2009 sailings and passengers who have already booked 2010 sailings with a supplement, the company will determine on a quarterly basis if fuel supplements will be refunded. Refunds will be authorized "if the closing price of West Texas Intermediate fuel is $65 or less, at the closing time of the New York Mercantile Exchange, two weeks prior to the beginning of the upcoming calendar quarter." If that condition is met, refunds will be made in the form of an onboard credit. The company made specific note that should fuel prices again begin to rise, they may reinstate a fuel supplement on new bookings. Details appeared in the Ocotber 24, 2008 edition of Cruise News Daily. Meyer Werft delivered Celebrity Solstice to Celebrity Cruises this morning (October 24). The ship will sail from Eemshaven on October 25, and anticipates arriving at Port Everglades on November 3. Once at Ft. Lauderdale, Celebrity has scheduled a series of inaugural functions for the first-of-its-class vessel. It will be named at Port Everglades on November 14. Celebrity Solstice will enter service on November 23 with a series of 7-night eastern Caribbean cruises. Carnival will launch a new advertising campaign in November, the first product of Arnold Worldwide, their new advertising agency. The new ads will be "fun," of course. One feature will be "Towel Animal Theatre." All will have the new tagline: Fun for all. All for fun. The trade and consumer magazine advertising will launch beginning November 10. Four consumer ads will run in People magazine November 17 through December 8. Two new TV spots will also begin running at an unspecified date in November. Those will be directed by Noam Murro who has directed award-winning ads for Volkswagen, Hummer, "Monsters" and Nike. He also directed the recent movie, "Smart People." Details and perspective appeared in the October 23 (2008) edition of Cruise News Daily. Ruby Princess was delivered to Princess Cruises today (October 23) and has set sail for Port Everglades where it is expected to arrive on November 4. The ship, a sister to Crown and Emerald Princess, will enter service on November 8 with a winter series of 7-day western Caribbean cruises. The complete article appeared in the October 23, 2008, edition of Cruise News Daily. Carnival Cruise Lines will resume operation from Galveston on November 1, after operating temporarily from Houston due to damage at Galveston caused by Hurricane Ike. Carnival Ecstasy's November 1, 2008 sailing will be the first cruise ship to return. It will be followed on the next day (November 2) by Carnival Conquest. Details appeared in the October 22, 2008 edition of Cruise News Daily. The Mobile Press-Register reports that while a couple was getting married on Saturday, someone came into the church and stole the bride's purse and money from the purses of all the bridesmaids. It sounds like the bride could also potentially be in for identity theft because in her purse was her checkbook, driver's license and passport. She says she can deal with all that, but what her biggest problem is at the moment is not having her passport. The couple was to leave for their honeymoon on a cruise on Monday, and without the passport, she is afraid she won't be able to board the ship. The couple went ahead and left for Tampa anyway hoping something will work out. These days, it seems you can lose more than they actually steal. MSC announced another winner of a free Caribbean cruise in their ongoing promotion to draw attention to MSC Orchestra's upcoming arrival in the US. The 92,400-ton MSC Orchestra is the largest MSC has ever had in the Caribbean, and it will arrive at Ft. Lauderdale on January 2, for a winter season of 7-night Caribbean sailings. UK customs officers seized more than 65 pounds of cocaine when P&O's Arcadia docked at Southampton on Sunday. They arrested seven people involved; all were passengers aboard the ship, which was returning from a 23-night Caribbean cruise, and all listed addresses in the UK. Officials estimate the drugs were valued at almost $2.1 million. Hurricane Omar has moved out to sea and is no longer a threat to cruise ships. Carnival Glory - departed Port Canaveral Saturday (October 11) - Grand Turk (on Thursday, October 16 - 8am-5pm) is being substituted for the St. Maarten call (on Wednesday) which was canceled. The new itinerary calls at Nassau (Sunday, October 12), St. Thomas (Tuesday, October 14) and Grand Turk (Thursday, October 16). Carnival Triumph - departed Miami on Sunday (October 12). The itinerary has changed from an eastern Caribbean itinerary to a western Caribbean itinerary. The new itinerary calls at Half Moon Cay (Monday, October 13), Ocho Rios (Wednesday, October 15 - 7:30am-3:30pm), Grand Cayman (Thursday, October 16 - 7:30am-3:30pm) and Cozumel (Friday, October 17 - 10am-6pm). Crown Princess - departed Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday (October 12). Ports have been rearranged and substituted to remain out of the storm's way. The eastern Caribbean itinerary originally called for ship to go to St. Maarten on Wednesday, St. Thomas on Thursday, and Grand Turk on Friday. It will now call at Grand Turk on Wednesday (October 15 - 7am-1pm), Ocho Rios on Thursday (October 16 - 9am-5pm) and Grand Cayman on Friday (October 17 - 7am-6pm). Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - departed Port Canaveral on Sunday (October 12). The eastern Caribbean itinerary has been changed to a western Caribbean program. The calls at St. Thomas and St. Maarten have been canceled. Instead the ship will remain at sea on Wednesday (October 15) and visit Grand Cayman on Thursday (October 16) and Cozumel on Friday (October 17). It doesn't even have a name, but Carnival Legend moved out of its way. Tropical Depression 16 was moving through the Bay of Honduras yesterday and moved on shore today and dissipated so that it no longer even has tropical depression status. Carnival Legend (which departed Tampa last Sunday, October 12) was to have sailed from its call at Cozumel on Wednesday evening to Thursday's scheduled call at Belize. Since it would have had to move close to the storm, the Belize call was canceled, and Carnival Legend remained in Cozumel overnight and will leave there at 4pm on Thursday headed to its scheduled call at Roatan on Friday. The ship will then be back on schedule and will return to Tampa as scheduled on Sunday (October 19). Effective immediately Ian Bailey has assumed the position of VP of Investor Relations for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Bailey joined the company in 2000 and has been the VP of Corporate and Capital Planning for the past year and a half. He replaces Greg Johnson, who previously served as AVP, Investor Relations and has assumed a new role within the company’s Corporate and Strategic Planning department. Carnival will add 98 balconies to Carnival Sensation during previously-scheduled drydock in January. At the same time, a number of the suites, which currently have balconies, will have their balconies enlarged and extended. Carnival says the balconies are and addition to the Evolutions of Fun enhancements being added to the line's Fantasy-class ships. The Evolutions of Fun additions already include an updated pool area, a waterpark, and an adults-only deck area. Royal Caribbean International will base Brilliance of the Seas at Dubai for a program that will run from January to April 2010. Itineraries and program details will be announced later. Hurricane Norbert has moved out of the ocean and is no longer affecting cruise ships. The itinerary changes that have occurred are shown below. Carnival Elation - departed San Diego Thursday (October 9) - The Cabo San Lucas call on Saturday will be canceled. The revised itinerary calls at Catalina on Saturday (October 11 - 8am-5pm) and Ensenada on Sunday (October 12 - 8am-5pm). Carnival Elation will return to San Diego on Monday (October 13) as scheduled. Carnival Pride - departed Long Beach Sunday, October 5 - The Mazatlan call on Thursday (October 9) will be canceled and replaced with Cabo San Lucas on Thursday (October 9 - noon-6pm) as the ship hurries to pass in front of Norbert's path. A call will then be added at Ensenada on Saturday (October 11 - 8am-5pm). Carnival Pride will return to Long Beach as scheduled on Sunday (October 12). NCL's Norwegian Sun - departed San Francisco Thursday (October 2) - The ship will cancel its call at Cabo San Lucas on Friday (October 10) and remain at sea. Norwegian Sun will return to San Francisco as scheduled on Monday (October 13). Holland America's Ryndam - departed San Diego Sunday (October 5) - The ship is on a charter and not operating its regular itinerary. A call at La Paz on Friday (October 10) has been canceled, and the ship will remain at sea, creating three sea days in a row. Sapphire Princess - departed Los Angeles Saturday (October 4) - The only change was a cancellation of a call at Cabo San Lucas Thursday (October 9) as the ship wants to cross the storm's projected path ahead of it instead of having to wait for the storm to pass. The ship is therefore spending the day at sea. Sapphire is expected to return to Los Angeles on Saturday as scheduled. This item will no longer be updated. This afternoon Carnival Corp made two announcements regarding their US brands' fuel supplements. The first deals with 2010 sailings. Effective on October 31, they will eliminate the supplement while simultaneously increasing prices, effectively rolling the price of fuel into the fare. In the second part of the announcement, they set guidelines for removing it from 2008 and 2009 sailings. For that to happen, the company said, the price of oil would have to be $70 per barrel or less at the 2:30pm close of business (as reported by Reuters) for 25 consecutive trading days. At that point the brands would removed the surcharge on sailings at least five trading days in the future. Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 left Southampton this afternoon on its final westbound transatlantic voyage. It is scheduled to arrive in New York on Thursday (October 16, 2008). That will be its final visit to the Big Apple. As we reported earlier in Cruise News Daily, the day will be marked by many toasts and events, but the grandest will be when QE2 leaves New York at 5pm for the final time for her final voyage across the Atlantic. The round trip from Southampton to New York and back will be in tandem with the larger Queen Mary 2. If you'd like to witness the tandem departure from New York, accompanied by FDNY fireboats, Cunard suggests the following vantage points: Battery Park (on the southern shoreline of Manhattan), Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park (overlooking the Hudson River with great views of the Statue of Liberty), the Esplanade (running the entire length of Battery Park City, along the Hudson River from Stuyvesant High School on the north end all the way south to Battery Park, and Hudson River Park (extends for five miles along the Manhattan shoreline from Battery Place to West 59th Street). QE2, the longest-serving vessel Cunard has ever had, will be retired in Dubai on November 27, 2008. Carnival Destiny became the first cruise ship to visit Carnival Corp's Grand Turk Cruise Center today (October 8, 2008) after much of the island was damaged by Hurricane Ike on September 6 & 7 (2008). The cruise center has been fully repaired, but much of the rest of the island is still rebuilding. The island has recovered beyond just meeting basic human needs and has now moved into a phase where it is working toward economic recovery. Carnival Destiny's arrival plays a big role in that since the cruise center and companies linked directly to it are the largest private employer on the island. Other ships previously scheduled to call at the island will now begin calling as scheduled. The first will be Crown Princess on October 10. Details are in the October 8 edition of Cruise News Daily. Carnival Corp confirmed today that their Puerta Maya pier and cruise center on the island of Cozumel will reopen on October 16, 2008. Along with the new two-berth pier, the adjacent nine-acre cruise center with a variety of shops and restaurants, will open. The new facilities also include a four-acre transportation hub for taxis, excursion buses and rental cars, and a new excursion pier for water-based excursions so they can leave directly from the facility. In addition to calling at Puerta Maya, vessels from all Carnival brands will continue to also use the other two piers at Cozumel. Puerta Maya is located on the southwest part of Cozumel about five miles south of San Miguel, the island's largest city. Puerta Maya has been closed since it was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma, which caused massive destruction on the island in 2005. Details appeared in the October 7, 2008 edition of Cruise News Daily. When the long-time gambling ship Sea Escape shut down August 10, they said they would shortly announce another port where they would set up operations. The company said they couldn't compete with all the gambling opportunites in South Florida. They never got the chance to see if they could make the gambling ship work somewhere else. As they were preparing to move to ship, officially Island Adventure, to the Bahamas while they worked out their plan, it was arrested by US marshals in response to a lawsuit filed by crew members who hadn't been paid. The judge gave the owners until September 26, 2008 to raise the money for the crew members, and other creditors which later piled on. (In total $2.3 million was said to be owed.) In addition to raising the money in the usual ways, the judge also allowed the owners to contract to sell or charter Island Adventure. They couldn't find anyone interested, and today the judge ordered the ship sold at auction on October 16. And that seems to be the end of Sea Escape - a South Florida tradition. Royal Caribbean will sell their interest in Island Cruises to their partner in the venture, First Choice Holidays. One of the two ships, Island Star, which Island charters from RCCL will be returned to RCCL in April 2009 and redeployed to RCCL's Pullmantur brand. From later statements by TUI, First Choice's parent, the Island Cruises brand apparently will next year be folded into Thomson Cruises, another of TUI's holdings. The complete story appeared in the October 6 (2008) edition of Cruise News Daily. Disney Cruise Line will send Disney Magic to Europe from April thru September 2010. The program will include 10- and 11-night itineraries in the Mediterranean, similar to what the line operated previously in 2007. This time, however, Disney Magic will also offer 12-night cruises in the Baltic. Additionally, Disney Wonder will shift to 4- and 5-night cruises out of Port Canaveral during the summer of 2010. The complete story was carried in today's edition of Cruise News Daily. Carnival Cruise Lines has formed a new department that will focus on developing new onboard experiences and improving on the existing programming. 17-year Carnival veteran Chris Arnholt will head up the new initiative. She will have the new title VP of guest experience and business development. As previously reported, due to the damage sustained during Hurricane Ike, the Grand Turk Cruise Center will not be operational until October 8. The initial plan was to alter schedules on a week-by-week basis, but Carnival has settled on an ongoing schedule. Carnival Miracle - sailing from New York on September 22, September 30 and October 8. Carnival will replace Grand Turk with Tortola. Note: Even though Grand Turk will be open on October 8, Carnival chose to replace Grand Turk on the October 8 sailing, but says they do not expect to repeat the substitution on any subsequent sailings. Carnival Liberty - sailing on September 20. Carnival could not find an available alternate for Grand Turk, so the port call in San Juan will be extended to 6pm and the following day (which was scheduled for Grand Turk) will be spent at sea. Carnival Miracle - sailing from New York on September 14 - Replacing Grand Turk with Tortola: The new itinerary calls at San Juan (Wednesday, September 17), St. Thomas (Thursday, September 18) and Tortola (Friday, September 19). Miracle will return to New York on September 22. Carnival Triumph - sailing from Miami on September 14 - Replacing Grand Turk with Nassau: The new itinerary calls at Half Moon Cay (Monday, September 15), St. Thomas (Wednesday, September 17), San Juan (Thursday, September 18), Nassau (Saturday, September 20). Triumph will return to Miami on September 21. Updates will be added to this item as they are received from Carnival. Last week, Carnival Ecstasy left Galveston as Hurricane Ike was headed toward the port. The storm caused both a change of itinerary, to stay away from it, and delayed the return, first while the storm passed and then because the port was closed due to damage. While Carnival worked to find an alternate port for the ship, it went to New Orleans and disembarked passengers who wanted to fly home, and others stayed aboard the ship and ended the odyssey yesterday when the ship arrived in Houston. Aboard the cruise was a group of 30 from the Wichita Falls Board of Commerce and Industry. (The group does different outings and is called "Just for Fun.") With the hurricane coming only four decided to cancel. The group has now all returned home, and Tuesday the local news media began carrying the first interviews. It's interesting how they have entirely divergent perspectives. Two articles interview different people from the group, but they have entirely different outlooks. The first was in the local newspaper, the Times Record News. The person interviewed for that one seems to have a very balanced view that understands the situation and is accepting it in a very matter-of-fact manner. The second story is from the Texomas website (an outlet from a combination of three Wichita Falls TV stations) and quotes a gentleman, part of the same group, who enjoyed the company, but isn't at all happy with the way things were handled by Carnival. For the record, contrary to what the second article says, it is safer to take the ship out when a hurricane is approaching since it doesn't sail through the hurricane, but rather stays far away from the strongest winds. Carnival was offering full refunds to passengers who asked for them, on the day of sailing, once the storm's path toward Galveston became clear. Hurricane Ike has moved inland and is longer causing additional changes to cruise line itineraries. The Port of Galveston closed to inbound vessels at 11am LT on Thursday (September 11) and to outbound vessels at 11pm LT on Thursday. They have not yet set a time to reopen. Updated September 14 - 6pm: Carnival has canceled the next sailings of Carnival Conquest and Carnival Ecstasy tentatively scheduled for Monday (September 15). Both ships are now sailing to New Orleans. See the individual sailings below for details. Updated September 14 - 6pm: Carnival Conquest departed Galveston Sunday (September 7): The call at Cozumel was lengthened to two days since Conquest cannot return to Galveston as scheduled. The revised itinerary calls at Montego Bay on Wednesday (September 10), Grand Cayman on Thursday (September 11) and Cozumel on Friday & Saturday (9am September 12 - 4pm September 13). Sunday (September 14) will be spent at sea. Conquest will now dock at New Orleans on Monday (September 15), and passengers may disembark on Monday or Tuesday. Passengers may also remain aboard and return to Galveston with the ship when the port reopens, but as yet, there is no estimate when that will be. Updated September 14: Carnival Conquest originally scheduled to depart Galveston Sunday (September 14): Carnival has canceled this sailing since Galveston is closed and no suitable nearby pier facilities are available. Updated September 14 - 6pm: Carnival Ecstasy - departed Galveston on Thursday (September 11): The call at Cozumel has been replaced with one at Veracruz. The new itinerary calls at sea on Friday, call at Veracruz on Saturday (September 13 - 8am-6pm) and be at sea on Sunday. Ecstasy will now dock at New Orleans on Tuesday (September 16 - 2pm), and passengers may disembark on Tuesday or Wednesday. Passengers may also remain aboard and return to Galveston with the ship when the port reopens, but as yet, there is no estimate when that will be. Updated September 14: Carnival Ecstasy scheduled to depart Monday (September 15): Carnival has canceled this sailing since Galveston is closed and no suitable nearby pier facilities are available. Carnival Fascination - departed Miami on Monday (September 8): Changed from western Caribbean to Bahamas. The new itinerary calls at Nassau on Wednesday (September 10 - 8am-5pm) and Freeport on Thursday (September 11 - 8am-5pm). Fascination will return to Miami as scheduled on Friday (September 12). Carnival Imagination - departed Miami on Monday (September 8): Substituted a call at Freeport for Grand Turk. Sea conditions also have forced cancellation of the call at Half Moon Cay. The revised itinerary now calls at Freeport on Wednesday (September 10 - 8am-5pm), Nassau on Thursday and Friday (September 11 & 12 - 8am on Thursday-2pm on Friday). Imagination will return to Miami as scheduled on Saturday (September 13). Carnival Inspiration - departed Tampa on Monday (September 8): The revised itinerary calls at Progreso on Wednesday (September 10 - 8am-4pm) and Cozumel on Thursday (September 11 - 10am-8pm). Inspiration will return to Tampa as scheduled on Saturday (September 13). Carnival Legend - departed Tampa on Sunday (September 7): Canceled call at Grand Cayman and will remain at sea that day. The revised itinerary now calls at Cozumel on Wednesday (September 10), Belize on Thursday (September 11) and Roatan on Friday (September 12). Legend will return to Tampa as scheduled on Sunday (September 14). Carnival Liberty - departed Miami Saturday (September 6): Instead of an eastern Caribbean itinerary, Carnival sent the ship to the western Caribbean, cancelling the calls at Half Moon Cay, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk. Carnival Liberty will now call at Grand Cayman on Monday (September 8 - 7am-4pm), Cozumel on Tuesday (September 9 - 10am-6pm), Belize on Wednesday (September 10 - 8am-5pm) and Roatan on Thursday (September 11 - 7am-3pm). The ship will return to Miami as scheduled on Saturday (September 13). Carnival Miracle - departed New York on Saturday (September 6): Substituted a call at Tortola for Grand Turk. The revised itinerary calls at San Juan on Tuesday (September 9 - 3pm-12m), St. Thomas on Wednesday (September 10 - 7am-8pm) and Tortola on Thursday (September 11 - 6am-1pm). Miracle will return to New York as scheduled on Sunday (September 14). Carnival Triumph - departed Miami on Sunday (September 7): Canceled call at Grand Cayman and the day (Thursday) will be spent at sea. The new itinerary called at Cozumel Tuesday (September 9 - 8am-10pm) and Ocho Rios on Friday (September 12 - 8am-330pm). Carnival Triumph will return to Miami as scheduled on Sunday (September 14). Carnival Valor - departed Miami on Sunday (September 7): Canceled its call at Nassau. The revised itinerary will now have sea days Monday and Tuesday, call at St. Thomas on Wednesday (September 10 - 8am-8pm) and St. Maarten on Thursday (September 11 - 7am-6pm). Valor will return to Miami as scheduled on Sunday (September 14). Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas - departed Ft. Lauderdale Saturday (September 6): The call at Grand Cayman was canceled. The new itinerary calls at Cozumel on Monday (September 8), and the ship will now remain at sea on Tuesday and Wednesday. The ship will return to Ft. Lauderdale on Thursday (September 11). Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas - departed Miami Sunday (September 7): The call at San Juan has been canceled. The revised itinerary will call at St. Thomas on Wednesday (September 10) and St. Maarten on Thursday (September 11). Freedom will return to Miami on Sunday (September 14). Carnival's Holiday - departed Mobile on Monday (September 8): The revised itinerary calls at Progreso on Wednesday (September 10 - 8am-4pm) and Cozumel on Thursday (September 11 - 9am-6pm). Holiday will return to Mobile as scheduled on Saturday (September 13). Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas - departed Miami Saturday (September 6): The ports will be reordered. The new itinerary calls at Cozumel on Monday (September 8), Grand Cayman on Tuesday (September 9), Ocho Rios on Wednesday (September 10) and Labadee on Thursday (September 11). Liberty will return to Miami on Saturday (September 13). Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas - departed Miami Friday (September 5): Canceled its call at Coco Cay on Saturday, and will now call at Nassau on Saturday (September 6) and remain at sea on Sunday (September 7). The ship is scheduled to return to Miami on Monday (September 8). Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - departed Port Canaveral Sunday (September 7): The call at Ocho Rios has been canceled. The new itinerary calls at Labadee on Tuesday (September 9), Montego Bay on Wednesday (September 10), Grand Cayman on Thursday (September 11) and Cozumel on Friday (September 12). Mariner will return to Port Canaveral on Sunday (September 14). Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky - departed Miami Friday (September 5): Canceled its call at Great Stirrup Cay on Sunday (September 7) and will remain at sea. The ship is scheduled to return to Miami on Monday (September 8). Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas - departs Port Canaveral Monday (September 8): The ports have been reordered. The new itinerary is at sea Tuesday (September 9), calling at Nassau on Wednesday (September 10) and Coco Cay on Thursday (September 11). Sovereign will return to Port Canaveral on Friday (September 12). For links to other weather information, please see the cruise weather page on our main site at cruisenewsdaily.com. This item will be updated as changes are received from the cruise lines. Lowell is no longer considered a tropical system by NOAA so they are no longer issuing tracking statements. Carnival Elation - departed San Diego on Saturday (September 6): Canceled call at Cabo and extends port time at Ensenada. The revised itinerary remains at sea Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and calls at Ensenada on Wednesday (September 10 - 7am-7pm). Elation will return to San Diego as scheduled on Thursday (September 11). Updated September 11: Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas departed Los Angeles on Sunday (September 7): Canceled calls at Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan. On Thursday, the call at Cabo San Lucas was reinstated. The revised itinerary will now spend Monday and Tuesday at sea and call at Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday (September 10) and Cabo San Lucas on Friday (September 12). Vision will then spend Saturday at sea, and return to Los Angeles as scheduled on Sunday (September 14). For links other information, please see the cruise weather page on our main site at cruisenewsdaily.com. Carnival announced this afternoon that the Grand Turk Cruise Center will reopen on October 8, 2008 with the call of Carnival Destiny. All subsequent calls (Carnival and other brands) will operate as scheduled. Carnival reports they still have not completed alternate plans for their ships for the four weeks until Grand Turk reopens. Details were included in the September 11 edition of Cruise News Daily. Additional information was included in the September 8 & 9 editions of Cruise News Daily. Our assessment personnel who have returned from Grand Turk advise that there is no apparent damage to the cruise ship pier. The Grand Turk Cruise Center facility does have some roof damage as well as loss of landscaping. An accurate dollar figure for repairs cannot be determined at this time, pending a closer evaluation of the roof damage. Damage to the island in general is substantial and it appears it is going to take some time for Grand Turk to recover. Based on the relatively limited damage to the cruise center, repairs could be completed fairly quickly. However, the pace of repair work and re-opening of the cruise center is largely dependent on overall recovery efforts on Grand Turk. More information should be available in the coming weeks. For Carnival itineraries that included Grand Turk, the line is working on alternate ports and will advise impacted guests as those modifications are finalized. Initial reports from our assessment team that arrived in Grand Turk this morning indicate that damage to the island is substantial. It appears it is going to take some time for Grand Turk to recover. As a result, we are not able to provide an estimate for re-opening of the Grand Turk cruise facility at this time. Once overall reconstruction on the island gets underway, we can better evaluate the situation. We will pass along any additional details that may become available in the coming days specifically regarding the status of the Grand Turk Cruise Center. Hanna has now moved to New England where she can interfere with calls early in the week in New England and the Canadian Maritimes. At 5am EDT, Hanna was located approximately 350 miles west-southwest of Halifax, and moving northeast at about 36 miles per hour. Tropical storm force winds still extend outward up to 200 miles from the center. NOAA has now discontinued updates on the storm, but cruise lines are continuing to make adjustments to port calls in the Northeast for the early part of the week. Carnival Glory which left Port Canaveral Saturday (August 30) has canceled its call at Nassau on Sunday (August 31) and will remain at sea. The rest of the itinerary will continue as planned calling at St. Thomas on Tuesday (September 2) and St. Maarten on Wednesday (September 3). Carnival Glory will return to Port Canaveral as scheduled on Saturday (September 6). Carnival Legend which left Tampa on Sunday (August 31) will substitute a call at Key West for the one in Grand Cayman. The new itinerary will take the ship to Key West on Monday (September 1), Cozumel on Wednesday (September 3), Belize on Thursday (September 4) and Roatan on Friday (September 5). Carnival Legend will return to Tampa as scheduled on Sunday (September 7). Carnival Miracle, which sailed from New York on Friday (August 29), canceled its calls at San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. Initially, the itinerary had been modified to call at Port Canaveral (September 1) and then Nassau and Freeport. Due to the strong winds in the Bahamas, on Tuesday (September 2), the Nassau call was canceled. A call has now been scheduled at Newport (RI) on Friday (September 5). Carnival Miracle will return to New York as scheduled on Saturday (September 6). Carnival Sensation, which sailed on Sunday (August 31) from Port Canaveral, is shortening its port call at Nassau on Tuesday (September 2). It will now leave Nassau at 5pm on Tuesday rather than remaining in port overnight (original schedule called for a 6am departure on Wednesday). Carnival Sensation which sailed Thursday (September 4) from Port Canaveral will cancel its call at Nassau. It will now call at Freeport on Saturday (September 6 - 8am-4pm). The ship will return to Port Canaveral on Sunday (September 7) as scheduled. Carnival Triumph which sailed on Sunday (August 31) from Miami canceled its calls at Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios. The revised itinerary announced was that Carnival Triumph would instead operate an eastern Caribbean itinerary calling at St. Thomas on Wednesday (September 3), San Juan on Friday (September 5) and Grand Turk on Saturday (September 6). Then Hanna changed things again. The ship called at St. Thomas on Wednesday (September 3), and now will visit San Juan on Thursday (September 4). The ship will then remain at sea and return to Miami as scheduled on Sunday (September 7). Carnival Victory - departed New York Saturday (September 6): The call at Boston has been canceled, and the day will be spent at sea. The revised itinerary calls at Portland on Monday (September 8), St. John on Tuesday (September 9) and Halifax on Thursday (September 11). Victory will return to New York as scheduled on Saturday (September 13). Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas - departed Norfolk on Thursday (September 4): The ports have been reordered. The new itinerary calls at Halifax on Sunday (September 7), St. John on Monday (September 8) and Boston on Wednesday (September 10). Grandeur will return to Norfolk on Friday (September 12). Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas which sailed from Miami on Saturday (August 30) is reordering its ports so it will now have an eastward path though the Caribbean. It will call at Labadee on Monday (September 1), San Juan on Tuesday (September 2), and St. Maarten on Wednesday (September 3). The ship will return to Miami on schedule on Saturday (September 6). Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas which sailed Monday (September 1) from Miami canceled its call at Coco Cay and will remain at sea that day. The revised itinerary will call at Nassau on Tuesday (September 2) and Key West on Thursday (September 4). Majesty of the Seas will return to Miami on Friday (September 5) as scheduled. Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas which sailed from Port Canaveral on Sunday (August 31) canceled its port call at Coco Cay and remain at sea. The modified itinerary will then call at St. Thomas on Wednesday (September 3) and St. Maarten on Thursday (September 4). Mariner will return to Port Canaveral as scheduled on Sunday (September 7). Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky, which sailed from Miami on Monday (September 1) canceled its calls at Nassau, Freeport and Great Stirrup Cay. Instead, NCL sent the ship to the western Caribbean, calling at Cozumel on Wednesday (September 3) and Key West on Thursday (September 4). Norwegian Sky will return to Miami as scheduled on Friday (September 5). Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Spirit, which sailed from New York on Sunday (August 31) has revised its itinerary canceling the calls at Port Canaveral, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay. NCL is instead sending the 6-night cruise to Bermuda. With the storm's path, the original destination, at the least, probably would have keep it in bad weather during all of its port calls. Norwegian Spirit will now arrive King's Wharf in Bermuda at 4:30pm on Tuesday (September 2) and remain there until Thursday at 5pm. The ship will arrive back in New York two hours earlier than it would have coming from the Bahamas and is now scheduled to arrive New York at 8am on Saturday (September 6). Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas, which departed Port Canaveral on Monday (September 1), canceled its call at Coco Cay. The revised itinerary will now call at Nassau on Tuesday (September 2), Key West on Wednesday (September 3) and spend the night there leaving Thursday morning (September 4) spending the day at sea. Sovereign of the Seas will return to Port Canaveral on Friday (September 5) as scheduled. For links to other tropical storm and weather information, please see the cruise weather page on our main site at cruisenewsdaily.com. Carnival Conquest, Sunday, August 24 sailing from Galveston: Canceled its call at Montego Bay and instead called at Grand Cayman (August 27), Cozumel (August 28) and Progreso (August 29). Carnival Conquest, Sunday, August 31 sailing from Galveston: canceled its call at Montego Bay and replaced it with one at Progreso and reordered the ports. The new itinerary called at Progreso (September 2), Cozumel (September 3) and Grand Cayman (September 5). Carnival Ecstasy, August 28 sailing from Galveston: Called at Progreso on August 30) rather than Cozumel. Carnival then kept the ship at sea until September 3 rather than returning to Galveston on September 1. Carnival Ecstasy, September 1, 5-day sailing from Galveston was delayed until September 3 and will operated a 3-day cruise to nowhere, returning to Galveston on September 6. Passengers received a 50% refund of their cruise fare and a 50% discount on a future 3- to 5-day cruise. They also had the option of canceling and receiving a full refund. Carnival Fantasy, which sailed from its temporary homeport of Mobile on August 28, called at Progreso on August 30 rather than Cozumel. Carnival then kept the ship at sea until September 3 rather than returning to Mobile on September 1. Carnival Fantasy September 1, 5-day sailing from Mobile was delayed until September 3 and will operate as a 4-day cruise calling at Cozumel on September 5, and returning to Mobile on September 7. Passengers received a 25% refund of their cruise fare and a 25% discount on a future 3- to 5-day cruise. They also had the option of canceling and receiving a full refund. Carnival Inspiration August 30 sailing from Tampa: Canceled its call at Grand Cayman. Instead it called at Key West (August 31) and Cozumel (September 2). Carnival Liberty August 30 sailing from Miami: Reversed the order of ports, and called at Ocho Rios (September 1), Grand Cayman (September 2) and Cozumel (September 4). Carnival Triumph August 24 sailing from Miami: After calling at Cozumel (August 26), it canceled its calls at Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios. It then called at Half Moon Cay (August 29) and Nassau (August 30). Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas August 28 sailing from Ft. Lauderdale: The modified itinerary sailed called at Key West (August 29)and Nassau (August 30). Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas August 21 sailing from Norfolk: Canceled its call at Labadee (August 27) and replaced it with a call at Coco Cay (August 28). Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas August 24 sailing from Port Canaveral: Revised route to become an eastern Caribbean itinerary dropping its calls at Labadee, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. It called at St. Thomas (August 27) and St. Maarten (August 28). For other cruise weather information, please see the cruise weather page on our main site at cruisenewsdaily.com. We had a subscriber contact us this week to tell us that Norwegian Star was in need of some sprucing up. We contacted Norwegian Cruise Line to see what they could tells us, and they know. That's why this week they are in the process of laying new carpet (while the ship is in service) in various parts of the ship. The Norwegian Star is scheduled for a major drydock in November 2009. At this time, however, all the Freestyle 2.0 elements are in place on the ship, except for the action stations in the Lido restaurant, and those will be done during the drydock. Earlier this week in Cruise News Daily, we reported that Princess Cruises had enhanced their Captain's Circle loyalty program for the Platinum and Elite levels. One of the perks of those levels (beginning with the customer's seventh cruise to attain that level) is an internet credit of $75 to $400 per person, depending on the length of the cruise. Until now, that credit has applied only in the internet cafe; it has not applied if you connect to the internet via the ship's Wi-Fi. The program enhancement now allows members to use the credit on Wi-Fi connections as well as in the internet cafe. The announcement said, however, it would be rolled out on a ship-by-ship basis through the end of the year. Our subscribers asked if there was a schedule as to approximate date when the new plan will be offered on each ship. Princess tells us that it is dependent on new software being installed on each vessel. Currently it is installed and operating on all ships except Coral Princess, Golden Princess and Royal Princess. Princess doesn't have an exact schedule for those yet, but the software will be installed on each of them by the end of 2008. When Carnival announced they would be homeporting Carnival Triumph in New Orleans, we've had several subscribers write to tell us they are excited about 7-day Carnival cruises returning to the city beginning in November 2009. But knowing it will then be a ten-year-old ship, they've also wondered about its condition when it gets to New Orleans. We checked with Carnival for any major refurbishment plans before it moves to its new assignment. Carnival tells us that they have been doing some ongoing work as they always do, and one of the most notable additions was the addition of Club O2, the teen club, which was constructed while Carnival Triumph was in service. They did report that Carnival Triumph will go in for its biennial drydock next month. During that two-week time frame, in addition to the mechanical work (which is the main reason for these regular drydocks) they will do some general freshening (deep cleaning, carpet replacement, minor refurbishment, etc), and they will install one of the giant SeaSide Theater screens at the pool area. So late in September, the ship should come out looking fresh and clean, but, of course, who knows what will happen to it over the next year. So to anyone sailing on it in the next year, we're sure the people in New Orleans would appreciate it if you keep your feet off the couches and use a napkin under your glass. Tropical Storm Julio that affected the area of Mexico's Baja peninsula his dissipated. Tropical Storm Fay which was affecting cruise itineraries along the eastern coast of Florida has dissipated and is no longer considered a tropical system. Last Tuesday (July 1, 2008), Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands named Holland America's new Eurodam in Rotterdam harbor. We have uploaded some photos to a Picasa Album. Eurodam made its maiden call at Hamburg today. In celebration tonight, despite the rain which set in about 6pm, the port hosted a fireworks display over the river. While they would have to do a lot to surpass Holland America’s in Rotterdam Tuesday night, it certainly beat keys and plaques. Eurodam was christened today in Rotterdam by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. She did her thing and then went to tour the ship and meet some Dutch crew members. Amazingly, there were enough that they circled the entire swimming pool, and she went around and shook every last one’s hand and spoke with each. As I wrote in CND, even at the ceremony it seemed like she wanted to linger a bit longer because she was enjoying the music. It seems a shame that someone in that position, who technically could do anything she wants, in reality can’t. She can’t just say, “Let’s stay for dinner. I hear they are going to have an outstanding fireworks display to mark the occasion tonight.” She has other commitments and there are security concerns and so forth. It’s too bad she couldn’t have stayed. Holland America celebrated the christening of their largest vessel - and the largest ship flying the Dutch flag - with a formal dinner. After dinner at 11:15 tonight, Eurodam’s whistle signaled the start of an incredible fireworks display, one it will take Rotterdam a long time to forget. The fireworks were set off from a barge alongside the ship in the river. At any given time during the display there were at least six shells in the air, and many times, two or three dozen. Near the end of the 20-minute display, a sign constructed of tiny flares that said “HAL 135" (years) was lit on the barge, and that set off a massive launch of maybe 150 shells before a minute-long blast from Eurodam’s baritone whistle signaled to all of Rotterdam’s riverfront that Holland America’s new flagship was ready for service. The ship enters revenue service tomorrow. I worked all afternoon in my stateroom writing CND today. Most of the afternoon I had been aware of some racket outside (we are pierside in Rotterdam), but I didn’t pay any more attention than thinking it was annoying. I have a stateroom all the way forward on Eurodam, near the bow. Since we have arrived, I’ve been seeing them build more or less an amphitheater for Tuesday’s christening on the pier. There has been lots of banging and clanking as they built the stage and seating area. Of course the bow will be where the champagne breaks, so it is center stage. The first part of the afternoon I was aware of music, but since I was involved in my articles I wasn’t really paying much attention. Later in the afternoon, I became aware that the orchestra had set up on the new stage and was playing first the American national anthem and then the Dutch national anthem. They would get to points and stop and start all over again. I’ve probably heard these songs at least 15 or 20 times along with lots of other regal-sounding music. Then again, I have to realize, this may be these people’s only chance to ever play before the queen and they want it to be perfect. The picture above is a view from my balcony of seating area and stage (with orchestra) that they have built since we arrived on Sunday. Eurodam just arrived in Rotterdam where it will be named on Tuesday by Queen Beatrix. Just like for Oosterdam when it was named here a couple of years ago, the Dutch came out by the hundreds to watch it sail down the river and to dock here by Holland America’s original headquarters building. For many, it is a connection back to their family history, because for many generations, people had family members working at sea for the Holland America Line. But the strange thing is how they deal with this. For the most part, they are completely silent. There is no waving. There’s certainly no cheering. They just stand there in silence looking. Occasionally there is a flash from a camera. Some people do shift positions or walk about, but mostly they just stand there. It’s almost like their relatives, long passed, have returned, and by their presence here they are here paying their respects. And by Holland America returning here occasionally now, it seems the line is doing the same. When you pack for a trip, you just don’t exactly realize everything you are going to need until you actually get there and actually need it. You just can’t think of everything. The same is true with a new ship. Literally everything has to be brought aboard in the last month before the ship leaves the shipyard. If there’s something they haven’t thought of, you just don’t have it for awhile. I’m aboard Holland American’s Eurodam today as it is leaving Southampton for the first time. I just got all settled in bed and decided to watch the news on TV before I go to sleep. There’s a nice flat screen TV over in the corner, but I searched the cabin high and low for the remote to turn on the TV. I knew it had to be here somewhere in some cute little place that has been standardized where the stewards should always return them each day. It was probably right out in plain sight, but I couldn’t find it, so I finally gave in and asked. As it turns out, they forgot to load them for all the staterooms on my deck (and who knows how many others). They say we may get them when we get to Rotterdam. In the mean time there are buttons on top of the TV. This must be how they had to do it in Abe Lincoln’s day. In an artist's rendering, Carnival provided a detail of one of the "Scenic Whirlpool" aboard Carnival Dream. In the background along the Promenade Deck, the indoor/outdoor Piazza entertainment area can be seen. Carnival Dream is set to debut in the fall of 2009. The complete article appeared in the June 23, 2008, edition of Cruise News Daily. Earlier this week in Las Vegas, Norwegian Cruise Line president and CEO, Colin Veitch, revealed elements of the nightlife aboard their next generation of ships. Here he briefly describes, Las Vegas style, each of the four clubs and the Ice Bar. The complete story appeared in the June 20, edition of Cruise News Daily. Wednesday evening in Las Vegas, Norwegian Cruise Line revealed the second integral element of their new generation vessel, F3. This event revealed the nightlife. There will be five distinctive nightlife venues, but they aren’t just for the night, rather they will start entertaining passengers in the morning (some at sunrise) and morph from one distinct atmosphere to another throughout the day and the night. Some will be open to everyone, some just to suite passengers, and some will have a charge. Some will feature quite unique entertainment, even to the point of saying it hasn’t been attempted on a cruise ship before. And the venues have been designed specifically to support these concepts. To get you thinking along the right track, remember this reveal about "nightlife" was held in Las Vegas for a reason. Think the unusual production shows with visual effects; think the club scene. The nightlife may not be for everyone, but it is going to be like nothing currently on any other cruise ship. If the "nightlife" isn’t quite for you, there will be plenty of other entertainment, which will be revealed later. Like the new type of staterooms we’ve already seen, NCL, no doubt, has a twist ready to apply to the standard of cruise ship entertainment too. Full details will appear in Cruise News Daily. Last Saturday, on its way back to Miami, Carnival Valor spotted a raft with migrants aboard and carefully pulled close to investigate. They found six men and a woman on the raft, and in line with regular procedures, they advised the US Coast Guard, which said they would send a ship to pick up the people. Carnival Valor remained with the raft until the Coast Guard arrived to make sure the people would be safe. While they were waiting, they supplied the people with fresh water since they had been without for five days. But not all the communication was with the Carnival crew. The passengers usually want to know why the ship has stopped and quickly understand the situation. Even though it's a routine (and regular) occurrence for cruise ships, for the passengers, it's quite unusual. In this case, according to local Miami media, the passengers were shouting back and forth to the migrants and even taking pictures. At one point, one of the men on the raft shouted a Miami phone number to some women on a balcony and asked them to call his relatives and let them know that he was alive. The Coast Guard eventually did come and take the people aboard their ship, and Carnival Valor continued on its way back to Miami. Under US policies, since the people did not actually land on shore, it's doubtful they will be allowed to remain in the US. These happy people are transferring ownership of Eurodam from Fincantieri to Carnival Corp. Stein Kruse (at right), the president of the Holland America brand, is signing the document accepting delivery. The formalities took place today aboard the ship at Fincantieri's Marghera yard. The ship is the first in the new Signature-class and the 14th in the Holland America fleet. Carnival's own FlowRider surfing simulator entered service today at the Grand Turk Cruise Center. Catching one of the first waves was Carnival Cruise Lines' president, Gerry Cahill. The attraction is located adjacent to Margaritaville just at the end of the center's pier. It is available as a shore excursion on all ships stopping at Grand Turk. EasyCruise Life grounded briefly today while entering the harbor at the Greek port of Syros. There were no injuries. The ship was towed to port, and the cruise will continue as scheduled. Wireless Maritime Services reports that Royal Caribbean has renewed their contract for five years to provide cellular telephone service to passengers and crew members on the company's Royal Caribbean and Celebrity brands. The WMS agreement covers the existing ships in those brands as well as any new ships added during the life of the contract. Silversea's Prince Albert II arrived in London this morning sailing under the Tower Bridge. The ship embarks its first passengers on June 12. The complete article appeared in Cruise News Daily on June 11, 2008. The first steel was cut today at Meyer Werft in Papenburg for Celebrity Eclipse. Celebrity Eclipse will be the third in the 122,000-ton Solstice class and is scheduled for delivery in June 2010. The first, Celebrity Solstice, will be floated out in August, and delivered in October. The complete article appeared in the July 11, 2008, edition of Cruise News Daily. Oceania has decided to drop the 3-day call at Yangon, Myanmar, on Insignia's 16-night cruise from Dubai to Singapore. Much of Myanmar has been devastated by Cyclone Nargis last month. The itinerary has been adjusted by adding a day here and there so the ship will still depart Dubai on December 4 and arrive Singapore on December 20. On the bright side, the revision now makes a 3-day excursion to the Taj Mahal possible. The down side is the excursion costs $1899.

2019-04-25T12:20:26Z

http://cnd-cruiseblogger.blogspot.com/2008/

Below is Chapter 15 from a book entitled, "Diagnosis Unknown", by Randy Smith. The book, which is currently online (free) at the above link, chronicles Randy's wife's (Linda) journey through 5+ years of CFS. In a rather humorous manner, Randy describes their health journey through what many would consider "woo woo" alternative therapies. However, their journey culminated with them finding a diagnosis for Linda, which then led to complete resolution to her illness. I find Randy's writing style to be easy and enjoyable to read. The first 14 chapters lead to Chapter 15 which starts dealing with the resolution part of Linda's CFS. In short, they saw a man who did electrodermal screening, and who diagnosed Linda with three focal infections in her body. The main one was in her oral cavity which required cavitation surgery. Linda recovered quickly after having the recommended surgery done. I first read this book over ten years ago, but had virtually no money at the time to follow up on any of the things that worked for Linda. As I was reviewing some of this tonight, it reminds me of some of the higher priority things that I would like to pursue at this time, including accepting an offer from an acquaintance to do some complimentary SCIO work for me. Anyway, I thought Randy and Linda's story might be of interest to others here who are open to alternative therapies. It might be especially significant for some on this board who are considering the deleterious role of root canals and/or focal infections. I'm not certain about this, but I think most conventional MDs poo poo the idea of focal infections, unless they are major and easily identified. From what I can gather, identifying and adequately addressing them can resolve a lot of chronic health conditions. I think the moral of the story though is "persistence". Randy and Linda just never gave up, and persevered until they found their answers. I t seems everybody's individual answers will be different, but this story illustrates that it does pay to keep looking. Here’s all we knew about Douglas Leber before meeting with him at his mother’s house two days after Christmas of 1993. 1. Conduct a complete noninvasive physical exam and provide a printout of the results. 2. Identify the root cause of symptoms. 3. Test for toxic metals, chemical allergies, food allergies, parasites, and viruses. 4. Identify subhealth conditions before they manifested on standard medical tests. 5. Provide a course of action to restore the health of the body using homeopathics, herbs, vitamins, minerals, and dietary recommendations. Using the Computron to gather information, he would then look for confirming evidence in the individual’s medical history and symptoms in order to assess problem areas. Our initial consultation, which was supposed to last approximately two and one-half hours, would cost $500. This would include any initial treatments and homeopathic remedies. According to our information from Dr. Bart, Douglas Leber was also working with a biochemist on special formulas for chronic degenerative diseases including candida and Epstein Barr virus. The cost of these remedies, if prescribed, would be extra. This information, even though we decided to act on it, was confusing. The Computron, in the hands of Douglas Leber, purportedly could do everything we had been trying to do for the previous year and a half. It promised a diagnosis to the level of root causes and a course of treatment. How could it be that simple? Why didn’t every doctor have a Computron in his or her office? I was nearly a full-fledged advocate of alternative medicine although, as yet, it had not worked for us. The Computon, though, exuded the stinky sniff of quackery. I called Bart back to ask him how it worked. He told me he really didn’t know. It had something to do with electrical differences in the body. He also told me that Douglas Leber had seen eighteen people in Hawaii that week, many of whom were friends and acquaintances. We had a control group. “He travels all over the world,” said Bart. “Why don’t people come to him?” I wondered. Noble and Kendra were traveling with us to my parent’s house for Christmas. We kenneled the cats and loaded our Suburban, installing the third seat so Linda could use it as a bed. Kendra made a nest for her of quilts and pillows. We locked the house and headed north on Interstate 5. At rest stops we would laboriously remove Linda from the third seat, help squeeze moccasins onto her fat, swollen feet, and help her walk to the ladies room. She wore a skirt with an elastic waistband for easy access. Her fingers were so swollen and stiff she could not zip or button for herself. She could barely pull up and pull down. When we arrived at my mom and dad’s condo, Linda went straight to bed and, except for brief interludes, stayed there through Christmas, sleeping a lot, eating little, racked with pains. Each night, as had become our habit, she would wake me up once or twice to massage the particularly painful areas so she could sleep some more. Linda was gathering strength for her next adventure. Our appointment was set for 1:00 P.M. on the 27th, and we left before noon to drive the forty miles or so to Douglas Leber’s mother’s house. He didn’t live in Hawaii; his residence was somewhere in the southwest, and he was at his mother’s for Christmas before returning home. His directions were very clear, and we found the white farmhouse which sat with its outbuildings like an oasis surrounded by shopping centers. We arrived early. It was 12:30 P.M. and, at first, no one answered the back door, which was a screen door leading to a porch. From where I stood knocking I could see part of the kitchen, and at the end of the kitchen table sat a man holding onto a wire. Finally, a sixtyish woman with neatly curled and colored hair came to the door and invited us in. I waved to Linda to follow but had to go back to the car, as the door was too heavy for her to open by herself. We followed the smiling gray-haired woman into her living room. Once again, instead of finding ourselves in a modern medical clinic, we were in someone’s living room, looking for help. The house was decorated for Christmas with a large tree and hundreds of dolls, which Doug’s mother had collected from around the world. There were many large elf-like creatures standing near the fireplace and in corners and alcoves of the old house which added to the surreal aspect of this experience. Linda sat weakly on a couch and tried to make conversation with Doug’s mother—a lively, energetic woman who did her best to keep us company while we waited. And as we were to end up waiting for two and a half hours, she was able to relate her interesting life story and details of many of her travels. It was difficult for me to concentrate on her tales. I was anxious to get Linda hooked up to the Computron and find out what it did. Doug’s mother focused her energies on Linda, no doubt recognizing she needed a boost, and the two and a half hours passed relatively quickly while we waited for Doug to finish with his current client. Finally, as 3:00 P.M. arrived we were ushered into the kitchen where the Computron was set up on the kitchen table. Douglas Leber then appeared, a very large man dressed in loose beige clothing, his head covered with longish curly black hair, his face wreathed by a bushy black beard. I couldn’t guess his age. He was somewhere between thirty and forty. He was large, wide, substantial looking. His face, though obscured, was extremely kind and he radiated intelligence. He was not what I expected. Bait had provided no physical description. Linda took a seat in a kitchen chair, and I pulled one up beside her. I was lugging a gym bag full of vitamins and supplements, as Bart had told us Leber could check their efficacy on his machine. Doug Leber invited us to give him some background while he made himself a sandwich. He had worked through the lunch hour. The kitchen counters were strewn with the residue of a Christmas feast, including the partially gnawed carcass of a turkey which had taken on the dull brown color of leftover meat. I was disappointed that our latest health practitioner was not a vegetarian but had learned that vegetarianism was not a tenant of naturopathy. I told our story as Doug scooped dressing and gravy into a sauce pan and sliced some meat from the turkey’s breastbone for a sandwich. Thus, I had an adequate amount of time to relate our adventures while he ate. He chewed and nodded, asking few questions and when he finished, washed his hands, took a seat opposite Linda, and asked her to remove her shoes. A drop of gravy was stuck to his mustache on the left side of his mouth. I pulled my chair around so I was sitting between them. They faced each other and I was looking directly at the Computron. It was a computer with a monitor. Douglas Leber handed Linda a piece of copper attached to a wire which led to the Computron. Another wire led to a metal plate which looked like a grill for pancakes. The plate had a well in the center. Doug held a third wire in his hand which had a metal probe on the end. He began his procedure with no introduction or explanation. We had found our way to his mother’s kitchen; it was assumed that we knew why we were there. On the monitor was an outline of a human hand and a bar graph which rose and fell as Doug touched the probe at different spots on Linda’s fingers. The machine made a kind of whooping noise as the bars on the graph rose and dropped again. It was an eerie sound and, intuitively, Linda and I were able to differentiate between a “good” sound and a “bad” sound. Lots of bad sounds coming from the machine. Doug worked quickly and silently, occasionally asking a question, frequently laying down his probe to enter data on his keyboard. If I asked a question, he would stop and answer it clearly and in detail. He was an excellent, patient teacher. He was totally into his work, oblivious to time. The pictures on the screen changed as he probed and typed, the Computron whooped and, at intervals, he gave us expositions on the skin as an organ of elimination, Hering’s Law of cure, the problems of toxic burden on the liver, and the polarity of electrons in the blood. The hours came and went. Doug probed. Linda sat silently. I stared at the monitor. At 3:00 P.M. we had started what was advertised as a two and one-half hour procedure. At 6:00 P.M. Doug’s wife and mother slipped quietly into the kitchen, careful not to disturb his concentration, and removed covered dishes from the refrigerator and carried them back to the dining room. We continued with no breaks. As hunger swept over me, I quit asking questions in order to speed the process. Time was clearly of no concern to the inventor of the Computron. He would probe until the answers were revealed. He was in a healing zone. Suddenly, I noted the words “geopathic stress” appear on the screen. This startled me. “What’s geopathic stress?” I asked. I had unintentionally omitted telling him about Joyce and Mr. Mechem when I had recounted our medical history to him. “Probably,” said Doug Leber. “What is it’?” I asked him. “Where is it?” Doug put down the probe and handed me a small piece of paper and a pencil. “Draw me a diagram of your bedroom,” he ordered. I quickly drew an outline of the bedroom showing the door, windows, and location of the bed. Doug picked up the diagram, laid it on the kitchen table, and placed his hand over it moving it back and forth. “I’m map dowsing,” he told me. Then he held his hand in front of Linda’s chest, palm out, and moved it back and forth. Turning back to the diagram he picked up the pencil and drew some lines. He picked up the piece of paper and showed it to us. “The lines intersect right where your head hits the pillow,” said Doug. “An intersection of these noxious energies creates a hot spot which can be very harmful to health.” “What should we do?” I asked. “You need to move the bed as soon as you get home. That will get you off the top of these energies. You could also get some crystals and line them against the wall, here and here,” he said, indicating the points where the lines hit the wall. I was in a mild state of shock. For the third time in a month someone, first Joyce, then Mechem, now Doug Leber, had told us we had geopathic energies emanating from beneath the earth located in our bedroom. Two of the three, Mechem and Leber, had arrived at these identical conclusions using only a crudely drawn “map” of the house—or in Doug’s case, of the bedroom. Using only the power of their minds they were somehow able to tap into an information source which provided them details about geopathic rays located in our bedroom in Ashland, Oregon. Mechem was located fifteen miles away in Medford. But Doug Leber was sitting 500 miles away in Seattle. It had been amazing enough that Joyce could detect these things using her pendulum while in the room. Mechem, based on the fact that we had been referred to him by Joyce for a geopathic stress problem, could have made a guess that we had something going on in the bedroom. However, in Leber’s case we had not even raised the question of geopathic stress. He had detected the problem using the Computron and then quickly map-dowsed our bedroom, and had come to the same conclusion as Mr. Mechem. In that instant, I became a believer in dowsing and in Douglas Leber’s abilities. This was my first corroborated proof of the powers of telepathy, ESP, psychic ability, or whatever one wishes to call it. I knew that when we left that kitchen, we would have answers and remedies. This guy was for real. I experienced a wave of exultation. We had been at it for four hours. I was surprised that Linda was holding up, surprised she wasn’t complaining of cold feet. The probing continued and now it appeared that he was checking for remedies. I could see lists of names on the screen, names like lobelia, and as Doug moved his cursor down the list the Computron whooped and beeped. Doug bent over and rummaged through his bag and finally found some capsules. He placed them in the well on the metal plate and probed some more. He had Linda hold the copper wire next to her jaw. I couldn’t understand what was going on. I didn’t want to ask. He handed one of the capsules to her and poured her a glass of bottled water. “What is it?” she asked. “What’s it doing?” This was Linda’s first question in four hours. “That’s good,” Linda said. She was sitting up straighter in her chair, looking brighter than she had in some days. “I’m feeling better already,” said Linda, smiling at me. She took the other capsule. “Thank God for the placebo effect,” I thought, too hungry to ask about left-spinning blood. “Have you figured out what’s wrong?” I finally asked at about 7.30 P.M. I was writing feverishly. Linda sat staring at Doug, rapt with attention, eyes watery. “What causes me to ache so much?” she asked, on the verge of sobs. “What do we do?” I asked. Doug Leber was bent over, rummaging through a large black doctor’s satchel. It was very disorganized, and it was nearly five minutes before he found what he was looking for and spoke again. “Can a liver really regenerate?” I asked him. At that moment activity seemed to pick up in the kitchen as Doug’s mother and wife tiptoed past the kitchen table to return dirty dishes. In the days before fancy clinics, when healers made house calls, this was, I supposed, how it was done. He went to the porch and came back with a large bottle of Crystal Geyser water, removed the cap, and from a small plastic vial, put about two drops into the bottle. He shook it and labeled it. “We have a reverse osmosis system,” I told him. “That’s good.” “The filters need changing,” said Linda. “And move the bed,” said Linda. I had my checkbook out. “How much should I make this for then?” I asked. “Seven hundred dollars,” replied Doug. I wrote him a check while he wrote a receipt. He put the capsules in plastic zip-lock bags and labeled them. It was 9:30 P.M. We had been with him for five and a half hours! Doug had seen only two people that day. We had answers and remedies. We thanked him profusely. He acknowledged the thanks with modesty. Below is the first review at the above link. This book inspired me to look into alternative medicine and subtle (and not so subtle) energy work. The author has a straight-forward writing style and this book moves along at a good pace for the reader. This is a very personal story and journey and had all the elements of a great suspense novel - great characters and story line, etc., the only difference being ... this is all true. So many books written about alternative therapies today are heavy-handed and decidedly one-sided against modern medicine. The author takes a lighter tact. He simply tells the story of how he and his wife were slowly pushed into alternative methods due to the continuing pattern of "handoffs" from one allopathic "specialist" practitioner to another. Allopathic doctors were simply unable to find the true upstream cause of his wife's condition (triggered by a spider bite). It took a lot of courage to seek answers outside mainstream medicine. It's hard to put your life in someone's hands, when that someone isn't a doctor. We're taught from young that doctors are the final frontier when something ails the body. But Randy and his wife weren't looking for PhDs and fancy degrees on wall plaques. They needed answers for a condition that took much of his wife's vitality and nearly killed her on several occasions. There is some New Age stuff about colonic and Reiki and wheat grass therapy but ultimately, these methods were only partially successful and didn't really address the root causes. If you're open-minded, you'll learn a little about radionics, subtle energy work and map dowsing, etc. You might come away with a different view of how our bodies really work that contradicts much of what we've been taught in medical literature and the media. This book opens up a new world that so-called modern scientific research and the medical establishment denies the existence of - subtle energy and all the implications of energy work and distance diagnosis and healing. One of the best books I've read - I couldn't put it down. Here's another segment from the book, "Diagnosis Unknown". Chapter 15 (above in the first post) describes the diagnostic process which led to Linda Smith's seeking out a dentist to perform the recommended cavitation surgery. The part I'm pasting here gives a description of some of what transpired in the dental office during the surgery. I think this part is quite interesting, and thought it would make a nice complement to my original post. cavitations became a home for toxins and infections. Dr. Meinig outlines a very specific protocol for removing a root-canaled tooth. millimeter of bone and flushing out the socket with a saline solution. undergoing while I studied dentistry. It was dark in the waiting room of the Camelback Dental Clinic. our health. Linda had originally been made ill by root canals. body’s ability to fight infection, toxins and environmental poisons. trying to sit up. “I think we got it all,” said Dr. Lee. It was a mess. “It smelled pretty bad,” said Baxann, Dr. Lee’s assistant. “I don’t think so either,” said Baxann. penicillin. Dr. Lee said it was excellent. I paid the bill. It was $1,200. They accepted my out-of-state check. Linda wanted an ice cream cone because she had been so good. she ordered mint chocolate chip. report back for an inspection. We did. The incision was infected. Dr. went away and Dr. Lee cleared Linda for travel. mistake to not let the cavitations drain thoroughly after surgery. extremely uncomfortable and her right index finger began to hurt. away from the vital organs as possible. various substances used in dental materials. According to the biopsy there was no evidence of malignancy. The biopsy completely confirmed Doug Leber’s EAV diagnosis. disappeared within two weeks following the cavitation surgery. Randy & his wife seem to have certainly got their money's worth in the amount of time the Healer spent with them. At one stage in the article you posted, I wondered whether this computron was similar in method to a Vega allergy machine which was used on me back about 20 years ago. Whatever the method...........healing is healing. I wouldn't care if it was faith healing or a placebo effect or something proven by science & research. Healing is a wonderful result in any 'chronic illness' sufferer's life. This is a great post and I have started reading the book...it is a page turner. I have had all of my mercury removed and never had a root canal....but the interesting thing is before my relapse in Oct 09 I went to the dentist in April 09 for work on an old molar. When he took the old filling out and was poking around he made a comment that it was worse than he thought in there, but he was not going to mess with the old packing. So after poking around a bit and scraping he just covered over and did the filling around 3 sides of the tooth. I have often wondered if this somehow contributed to my problem.... who knows. But I am going to find one of these Academy of Biological Dentists and have him go over this tooth issue just to be on the safe side. saying they had a cancellation for a cleaning and would I like to come in tomorrow. Anyway thanks for the post and I will continue reading the book! That's vaguely similar to my experience with such machines. There are a few variations on the same theme kicking about, other names to look for include Listen Orion and Physiospect, both of which I've had run on me (only had two different machines used because it was a follow-up with the same practitioner who had upgraded from the former to the latter). The Physiospect comes from Russia and is apparently used in some hospitals there. In my case these machines did a wonderful job of identifying and eliminating some of my physiological burdens, the worst being a long-standing Rickettsia gut infection. So far not enough to spring into total recovery, but it's helped along the way. I recommend to anyone who is chronically ill and lacking a fully explanatory medical diagnosis to explore complementary medicine. It was an obvious path for me to take because I was a practising scientist, and no doctor I could find would investigate my illness with any degree of rigour, in spite of their claims to be the only "scientific" modality, so I was forced to go to other modalities to find practitioners prepared to consult in what I considered to be a scientific fashion, i.e. basing hypotheses on an adequate data set, entertaining multiple hypotheses, and separating their ego from their professional opinions. It also didn't help that the drugs I was being prescribed were making my condition worse and no doctor considered that to be of any importance. Funnily enough, since going to ME/CFS/FMS support groups I've noticed that all the attendees who say "I've been like this for 30 years" have never explored anything outside the medical establishment. I've also yet to hear anyone who's recovered say that the medical establishment was of any great help beyond the placebo effect of one's GP being supportive. It's taken the combined understanding of four different modalities, which I've had to integrate myself, to build a reasonably complete picture of how I got sick and how to get better. Through that process I've come to understand that there is some level of autonomic function that is invisible to the medical profession, but clearly visible to many complementary and alternative practices, including acupuncture, cranial osteopathy, kinesiology, dowsing, and these bio-energetic machines. It seems to me that all of these very different practices are homing in on probably the same fundamental process, and are able to interact with it, but since medical science can't see this it can continue to claim that these treatments are mere placebos. (Homeopathy is also operating on the same level, at least the first remedy I took did, although its practitioners can't physically measure the process in the patient's body.) In my experience both the primary tools of the medical profession - drugs and surgery - disturb this autonomic process. If one's autonomic processes are sound to start with, the body can accept and perhaps benefit from medical intervention. If not, it can't. I'm encouraged by the recognition of many researchers that the CFS family is characterised by autonomic dysfunction, and hope that they find something concrete before the establishment dumps that idea in favour of the next fad. I feel lucky to have found most of my answers and can see that many more answers would be found if those claiming to have a monopoly on "science" and "evidence-based medicine" could bring themselves to walk their talk, not least those on the front line. Through that process I've come to understand that there is some level of autonomic function that is invisible to the medical profession, but clearly visible to many complementary and alternative practices, including acupuncture, cranial osteopathy, kinesiology, dowsing, and these bio-energetic machines. Welcome to the forum! Thanks for your remarkable post, I really liked it; plus I read your other two posts you made today. The perspectives you share are very similar to my own. Again, welcome! I'll look forward to reading more of your perspectives and insights. I'm going to try to put more emphasis on trying some new therapies this year, and some of your experiences and knowledge could prove to be very helpful. Here's a link to some of the improvements I experienced after doing the Atlas Profilax. Thanks for your post & links Wayne. I've never heard of Atlas Profilax, which I presume was developed by a chiropractor. I have a few thoughts on it, which apply generally to many such interventions. 1. Sometimes these things come about because a manual practitioner wants to achieve the kind of leverage that the pharmaceutical industry enjoys, by patenting and distributing something. 2. I have got my best results from modalities that have big toolsets and practitioners who know which tools to use and how and when best to use them on any given patient. Atlas Profilax looks to me like a tool that any experienced cranial osteopath would have in their set, although one they would employ more gently. In fact I've found cranial osteopaths seem to have just about everything in their toolset when it comes to diagnosing and treating structural problems. There's a saying "give a small boy a hammer and he'll soon discover that everything he encounters requires pounding" - one-tool practitioners have the answer, they're just looking for the people with the right question. If your problem happens to require only their solution, you're in luck. If not, you just wasted your time and money, and, perhaps most critically, you learned very little in the process. It's pretty unlikely that a one-tool practitioner who can't help you, could reliably tell you who else could. 3. An osteopath by the name of Upledger seems to be trying to do #1 with cranial osteopathy, by developing what he markets as Cranio-sacral Therapy. The notion here is that anyone can be taught to treat the cranial rhythm in a weekend course. Well, anyone can be taught how to mess with the cranial rhythm in a weekend, but learning how to diagnose and improve it takes many years of education and practice. Unfortunately many people confuse his craniosacral therapists with cranial osteopaths, thinking they'd be getting the same outcome, which is unfortunate. So I wonder if everyone who purveys Atlas Profilax really knows what they're doing to the body. 4. Simple solutions work for simple problems. That example of the woman who was cured was a textbook case of someone who needed Atlas Profilax. She was perfectly functional until one day she moved her head in what sounds like a perfect manner to stress the atlas, something shifted, and suddenly she was disabled. So it was always likely that a short course of the right specific treatment would set her right again, but only until her body developed a more complex set of problems. Had she, say, had wisdom teeth extracted a couple of years later, and picked up some viral infection a couple of years after that, and perhaps thrown in a car accident for good measure, her trauma pattern would have become complex and a single, simple adjustment would be unlikely to work. They never work on me for this reason. If someone tried to shift my atlas that violently my body would fight to defend itself from the trauma, and even if they succeeded it wouldn't realign my entire body, as I grew into a dysfunctional pattern from infancy, I didn't get thrown into it by an event as a healthy adult. If you look up the history of chiropractic it's a similar story - guy hits head working under bench, goes deaf, therapist finds displaced vertebra in neck, corrects it, hearing returns. A textbook case but not one that presents to chiropractors every day, or applies to the majority of deaf people. 5. Osteopathy has attempted research into their interaction with the ANS - which might inadvertently cover Atlas Profilax - but it's not at all convincing. They aren't physically dealing with the primary neurological processes (i.e. nerves), only with movement in fluid and membranes that occurs as a result. They can correlate these two things but not demonstrate how one causes the other. Until that connection can be nailed down they will never be able to prove how their interventions work. Acupuncture seems to be in the same boat - they can measure stuff and they know empirically how it affects the patient, but they can't prove how it occurs. Your results from Atlas Profilax indicate that you have, or hopefully had, a major structural issue. Have you gone to any other structural practitioners for further investigation and teatment? Atlas Profilax looks to me like a tool that any experienced cranial osteopath would have in their set, although one they would employ more gently. ...... Your results from Atlas Profilax indicate that you have, or hopefully had, a major structural issue. Have you gone to any other structural practitioners for further investigation and treatment? I'm kind of wearing out at the moment, but wanted to get back to you on the above. From what I've learned, I would doubt that a cranial osteopath does an atlas profilax type of atlas repositioning, although I can't say for sure. Regarding your question about whether I've tried other structural practitioners: In short, I visited literally dozens of chiropractors over a 40-year period, trying just about every type of technique available. I also visited Osteopaths and acupuncturists, along with trying some physical therapy. Upper cervical chiropractic was most effective, specifically orthogonal chiropractic. Other techniques helped some, others were harmful. I made a fairly in-depth post on the ProHealth board in response to an inquiry about Atlas Profilax (AP). I'll paste it below, as it explains AP in a little more detail. I hope it will give you a little better insight into what it's all about. Please let me know if you have any specific questions after reading any of this. BTW, AP practitioners don't claim to be the final solution for all that ails us. They recommend we use other practitioners of all sorts to enhance the benefits that can be derived from AP. I might just add, about 4-6 weeks after I had my atlas repositioned using the Atlas Profilax technique, I visited my chiropractor, who is also an ND and cranial/sacral therapist. He gave me a quizzical look, and asked me how I was doing. When I answered my body was going through some remarkable changes, he replied, "I can tell, your whole facial structure has changed!" Orthogonal Chiropractic is just one of about 10 techniques that fall under the umbrella of "upper cervical chiropractic". As far as I know, they are all quite gentle, and focus almost entirely on the upper cervical area, which I think would be about the top 3-4 vertabrae. Upper cervical Chiropractors generally take x-rays, and do some very precise mapping of your upper cervical area. They then choose an adjustment that is perfectly suited to an individual's unique situation. My own DC told me there are literally over a million different adjustments that might be chosen. Last summer, I received an Atlas Profilax treatment and posted fairly extensively about my experience on a thread entitled Atlas Profilax Worked / is Working Very Well for Me. Real briefly, Atlas Profilax is a one-time treatment that permanantly aligns the uppermost vertabra called the Atlas. If the atlas does indeed work the way the AP people claim, then atlas repositioning looks to be a very valuable exercise. Sieve, sorry, memory permitting, I will ask my osteo about this joint next time I see him, and also get a status report on my occiput. The first cranial osteo I saw, in my first treatment, was staggered at how deformed my occiput felt, but that was some years ago, and I don't know how much of that was an anatomical and how much was a functional observation. I know my own atlas feels very unstable lately but until two years ago the joints either side of it were pretty much frozen stiff, and any increase in mobility initially causes pain. It still hasn't found a normal range of motion. It's also getting squished by too much tension between the skull and C2, which as of recently I can feel quite directly. Really interesting that you mentioned the vagus nerve. My vagus nerve is being leaned on and I have to wonder, given its crucial role in regulating lung, heart, digestive, and vascular function, if this is what causes much of my dysautonomia. I also sometimes wonder if a compromised vagus nerve is the culprit in a great many cases of dysautonomia. One of the interesting things about the vagus is that it forges its own unique path in exiting the skull. It has its own little hole for doing so, and this hole is next to the junction of the occiput, which is the foundation of the entire skull, and the sphenoid, which is the foundation of the face. If the joint between these two bones is compressed then the vagus nerve can easily get compromised. In my case these two bones are jammed too tightly together, in a skewed fashion. One of the things the osteos are gradually working their way towards is getting that joint mobile again, something they can't do until all the strain maintaining its existing state eased. In the meantime I have some very specific dysfunctions, at least one of which I can "switch off" by applying specific torsion to my skull (basically bracing against my lower jaw and twisting the top of my head anticlockwise). I have a chronic mucous drip at a specific spot in my lungs for example. It used to be constant, now it's episodic, but when it occurs, if I twist my skull correctly, it stops immediately. When I stop applying the torsion, the drip immediately returns. All of this is occurring from the occiput up, the atlas is not involved. Describing this phenomenon is guaranteed to put a blank look on the face of any doctor! what clinical trials have been performed on the "computron"? what are the scientific mechanisms behind it? i've been seen by someone that tested me for allergies using some kind of homeopathic machine, it was obvious pseudo-science, the practitioner couldn't even explain how it worked. how do you know the conclusions reached were not a coincidence and that if someone else followed advice from the same source they might not receive completely contradictory advice? the problem with this illness is because there are no clear cut answers people become prone to abandoning medical science and exploring "alternative" or "complimentary" medicine. there is no such thing as alternative medicine, only medicine that hasn't been proven to work. the second a treatment is proven to work it ceases to be alternative and just becomes medicine. it pains me to see people throwing money at these tenuous and untested remedies. Regular medicine has done little for CFS. I have had wonderful help with integrative medicine. Supplements help, many are used daily in hospitals, and doctors that are not ignorant also use them daily. You do not throw money away at all when you give your body the supplements it needs to be strong. You do have to understand what to buy, amount and brands. Having an integrative MD is great. Sure there are plenty of strange things that do not work, I have not done those, but supplemetents do work. No surgeon can explain why the body heals back towards its original form, but that doesn't stop them cutting people open, or you believing in what they do. Practitioners are practitioners, not theoreticians. how do you know the conclusions reached were not a coincidence and that if someone else followed advice from the same source they might not receive completely contradictory advice? A great many of us here receive a different dx every time we go to a doctor. That doesn't quite meet scientific standards of reproducibility. there is no such thing as alternative medicine, only medicine that hasn't been proven to work. Too simplistic. To prove that something works medically you have to demonstrate effect on a specific medical condition. Different modalities use different definitions and can prove efficacy against their own definitions, just as the medical profession can. the second a treatment is proven to work it ceases to be alternative and just becomes medicine. Look up the history of Helicobacter pylori, a very simple causal relationship that also, being a germ, fits right into the medical model. At a rough guess it took about 380,000,000 seconds for that to become medicine. You said it right there. Science and medical practice are not always the same thing. Do not confuse them. Don't blindly "believe in science" either. Think critically about it. it pains me to see people throwing money at these tenuous and untested remedies. To relieve pain, stop looking. Chapter 17, cavitation surgery. Having gangrene cut out of your jaw certainly would cure you of CFS. Nice to see other people have gone through the same as me. Shame there are so few dentists in the world that do cavitation surgery. I got a newsletter today from "The Better Health Guy", who just recently had cavitation surgery. Thought I would post that part of his newsletter here. I went to an alternative medicine conference hosted by Dr. Simon Yu MD in St. Louis, MO in September. I had met him a couple of times before and was always interested in a consultation. Fortunately, everything fell into line and I was able to see him the day before the conference. I've previously blogged about that experience here. The net of it was that he felt I had a high probability of having a dental issue in the areas where I had previously extracted wisdom teeth. He felt the highest likelihood was with the lower right which was in fact the one that got a dry socket years ago when they were removed. Cavitation surgery was the one thing I was hoping to never have to do, but I did not want to ignore something that could be an important next step. I had cavitation surgery on two wisdom tooth extraction sites in late October. While it has only been four weeks since the procedure, I'm optimistic that this will be another positive step forward as it is one less thorn for the body to have to accommodate. I have often been asked about Dr. Yu, and my interactions with him and his staff were superb. His primary areas of focus are outlined in his book Accidental Cure which I highly recommend. To learn more about his work or to schedule an appointment, you can find his web site here. I send gratitude for the piece of the puzzle that he has played in my continuing journey. what symptoms do u get in the mouth if u have cavitation??? It can create a lot of oral and/or facial pain, I believe especially when it involves the trigeminal nerve. But they apparently often don't have any overt, noticable symptoms at all, which is why so few people think of it as a possibility for their health problems; which can often be severe.

2019-04-20T13:15:45Z

https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/diagnosis-unknown-story-of-cfs-recovery.7299/

We invite you to join us in the fun of connecting with other women and discovering what TTN has to offer women in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. We have reserved a room in the Mezz, adjacent to the wine and beer bar. If you would like a food item or non-alcoholic beverage, please purchase in the Byerlys store and bring it upstairs with you. This store has many take-out food options including Big Bowl Chinese Express, Hissho Sushi, and Tucci Pronto. Arrive when you can and stay as long as you like. If you have questions please email [email protected] or call 612-387-1336. If you have any concerns that this event has been cancelled due to weather conditions, please check our Facebook page on April 17. Our Facebook page is located at https://www.facebook.com/MSPthetransitionnetwork.org/. Welcome, New TTN Members! Thank you for joining TTN! We hope you’ve started to connect with new friends and discover the resources to help you in your transition. To help you get the most of your membership, we welcome you to join us for an orientation webinar. Susan Collins, TTN Executive Director will lead this “get to know TTN" webinar along with a guest presenter from one of our chapters. (The webinars are usually offered monthly, however we will take a break from them in August.) Please register above to join this webinar. Prior to the date of the event, you will receive a confirmation of your registration and instructions on how to join the webinar directly from the webinar service. "See" you then! Contact Jennifer Monahan at [email protected] with questions. Cost: Early registration (by April 18) is $20 for members; $30 for guests. Register early, this event will fill quickly. Come help us celebrate women and the TTN Minneapolis/St. Paul chapter being designated as an official TTN chapter! Twin Cities author, comedian and actress Lorna Landvik as the keynote speaker. Lorna will sign copies of her books which will be for sale. Susan Collins, TTN Executive Director, to welcome Minneapolis /St. Paul as the fourteenth chapter of TTN and to join the local steering committee to provide more information about TTN and the MSP chapter. published in 1995. Her most current book is Chronicles of a Radical Hag (with Recipes). Click here to read a March 24th Star Tribune article about Lorna. She also has performed an all improvisational show, Party in the Rec Room, at Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis. out Lorna Landvik's official website at: https://www.lornalandvik.com/. Recent donations include two tickets for the Guthrie, a Martha Stewart 2-quart enameled cast iron pot, Cafe Latte item, wine in a gift box, Minnesota cookie baking kit, Bachman's gift card, a tea basket, plus more. We want the silent auction to be fun, so there will be some surprises! Please note: Checks and cash are welcome, but we cannot accommodate credit cards. Those interested in donating items or experiences for the auction should contact JeNell Jacobson at [email protected] or 612-387-1336. Iconic Jax Café in NE Minneapolis provided a classic comfortable setting for the sixteen women attending the March 19 th Mix & Mingle. Jill, our chair, described the journey of our chapter’s growth from a mere idea several years ago to reaching full chapter status June 1st! She lifted a glass to toast the achievements of all past and current leaders plus to all members who joined over the years that helped built this our organization. Clearly, it’s a story of women connecting, creating and contributing! At all Mix & Mingles participants enjoy hearing the personal introductions and this event was no exception. The energy was also high when talking about the May 18th Celebration. I recall only one woman say she wouldn’t be able to attend! The special evening was complete with delicious food, white table cloths, and the professional wait staff. We have new posts all the time. AND you can post and share things. Check it out!! Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are topic or activity-focused. There is no limit to the groups that can be created because they all originate with the members! If you have an idea for a new SIG and would like to find out if others are interested, please contact Eleni Skevas at [email protected]. Transition Peer Groups (TPGs) are Small groups who meet to discuss topics from career transitions to changing family relationships to the benefits and challenges of aging. Each group selects its own topics. TTN provides resources to help these groups. If you are interested in joining or starting a TPG, please contact Barbara O’Sullivan at [email protected]. Just a friendly reminder: We always welcome new women to check out our SIGs along with our many social occasions and programs. Please remember that non-members are welcome to attend SIGs & TPGs for a maximum of two times after which, per national policy, it is required to become a member of TTN to continue SIG/TPG participation.. Joining is easy and economical. Just go to the TTN website - Click Here! Let's Do It! Let's get into Transition Peer Groups! TTN provides help with the establishment and running of the groups by providing written guidelines for the groups. In addition, every group has an experienced TTN partner to help them during the initial meetings or at any point where they feel they need re-direction. As a general matter, members share responsibility for leading the group, facilitating discussions, and coming up with ideas for conversation topics or outings. Each group establishes its own group norms and expectations for behavior. An important consideration is that every TPG is meant to be a confidential, safe setting for sharing BUT a TPG is not a personal therapy or crisis group and is not a substitute for professional help in such situations. Email: Barbara O'Sullivan at [email protected]. Our Living with Purpose Peer Group March meeting focused on the discussion of friendships. We explored our questions and our insights on the importance of friendships in everyday life. Some ideas exchanged were how friendships bring energy and sometimes they can drain us. We discussed the importance of long-term friendships and how they have changed or remained constant; how we make new friends; how we end long-term friendships; and how we express gratitude for our friendships throughout our life. We all agree that TTN has created many opportunities to make new friends and to meet wonderful women to spend time with. Our April meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 25, from 6:30-8:00 PM at the Shoreview Library in the Community Room. We will focus our discussion on the book The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. Reading the book is not required to join into the discussion. The Four Tendencies help us identify a personality profile. The four profiles are: Upholder, Obliger, Rebel, and Questioner. The author conducted her investigation and has written the book for the purpose of making our lives better as well as making life better for the people around us. The quiz is a series of 13 questions that take just a few minutes to complete. The quiz can be accessed on the following website: happiercast.com/quiz. We are looking forward to an invigorating discussion. New members are always welcome. Please contact Barbara O'Sullivan with any questions, ideas or thoughts about the group. Email: [email protected] Phone/text: 651.983.7876. The Life Animated peer group cancelled their March meeting due to our challenging winter weather. April 11, Thursday, 11:45 AM-1:45 PM, Merriam Park Library. (Time changed to accommodate those attending the Music Appreciation class at St. Thomas’ Selim Center earlier in the day.) Topic: Listening, led by Julie. What or who do we listen to daily or weekly and why? What are some negative listening experiences we've had? How do we become better listeners in our private and public lives? How do specific sounds affect our well-being? And anything else on the topic of listening. (rescheduled from March) Favorite books/movies led by Jane and Terri. Bring a list of your top picks for discussion. Following the meeting, the group might attend a movie, possibly at the Riverview Theater. Please contact Eleni Skevas at [email protected] with any questions, ideas or thoughts about the group. Do you want to form a Special Interest Group? Special Interest Groups (SIGs) arise when TTN members find kindred spirits who share similar passions. Member-driven, a SIG can meet as often and for as long as the members desire. It can be on any topic or passion (excepting political limitations imposed by our 501c3 status). A quick glance at TTN chapters around the country indicate that members have taken advantage of the network and come up with lots of diverse, and sometimes surprising, SIGs. The Central Ohio Chapter, for example, has established SIGs around Netflix, game nights, genealogy, an authors' group, traveling and freecycling (a kind of reuse and recycling). Long Island has SIGs dedicated to day-tripping, dining out, mah jong, Scrabble, crafting, hiking, movies, and theater. These groups are member-driven, which means that anyone who wants to start a group can do just that! These groups are topic- or activity-specific and bring together members who share similar interests. Want to start a new SIG or join the ones already in place? Contact Grace Bartholet at 642-310-4604 or Eleni Skevas at 651-235-9599. On Tuesday, March 19, six women met at the Davanni’s in Roseville and discussed income and expenses in retirement. We utilized the Wealth Enhancement article "Transform your Savings into Retirement Income" and Income and Expense projection worksheets found on Vanguard website. We discussed some of the things that make us concerned including medical insurance and treatment costs, how to make our money last if we live long lives, and inflation. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 16, from 7:00-8:30 PM at the Roseville Library Board Room, 2180 Hamline Ave, Roseville. Since it is April, we will be talking about taxes and tax reform. As always, we will have open discussion. Our May meeting will be May 21 in the Board Room at the Ramsey County Library in Roseville. The purpose of this group is to increase our personal financial literacy. The knowledge of members about financial topics varies from beginner to more experienced. An article recently published on CNBC describes other groups of women with similar objectives: “Women Buddy Up to teach each other about finance”. Our topics will be selected based on what individual members are interested in. New members are welcome. Come and give it a try. Please email Cyndy at [email protected] if you are interested in joining us or have questions. The Urban Hiking SIG plans to begin meeting again in April. This SIG gives us the opportunity to explore and/or introduce others to new locations in the metro area. Our hikes last about 60-90 minutes and we walk at a moderately brisk and steady pace. All are welcome to join us as we walk and talk. We sometimes end our hikes with a stop at a local establishment for a coffee/drink/ice cream. Currently, we are considering a morning hike on Tuesday, April 23. Please let Cyndy know if you want to attend and/or have ideas for location. If you are interested in participating in this group, please let Cyndy know if you prefer weekday day, weekday evening, or Saturday hikes.Please contact Cyndy at [email protected] if you have comments or an interest in this SIG. Are you pro-choice? Are you pro-life? Are you able to see all sides of the abortion issue? Wherever you stand, the play Roe will be sure to honor your feelings, respect your views, and be brutally honest about the pain that colors whatever decision a woman makes about an unwanted pregnancy. On March 24, the Theater SIG attended this play, about the famous (and controversial) 1973 United States Supreme Court case which legalized abortion. With a skilled and perfectly balanced ensemble and a compelling script written by playwright Lisa Loomer, Mixed Blood staged a play that unflinchingly presented the many facets of the abortion controversy in America. Quite simply, the production blew away the entire audience, including all the Theater SIG members. Millennials would say it was INTENSE. Amen to that. the limit as to how to go forward as a cohesive group, the women decided to open up the discussion to all Theater SIG members. To that end, Robin Getman is offering her home in Minneapolis for a potluck dinner where Theater SIG members can brainstorm about this. The potluck will be on Sunday, April 28, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Robin will graciously provide beverages and a comfortable place for members to meet. SIG members should bring their ideas and a dish to pass. This will be fun and afford a chance to get to know each other better. Come! SIG members should look for a communication about this potluck soon. We always welcome new women to join this SIG. If you are a TTN member and wish to join the Theater SIG and attend this fun party, please contact Eleni Skevas at [email protected]. The Book Group met on April 9 with eight members. We first discussed group tasks and structure, we determined the books to be read for the next few months, and we set a hosting schedule. This month our theme was Lorna Landvik (Minnesota author) books in preparation for the TTN spring event featuring Lorna Lanvik. Each book group member talked about the Lorna Landvik book they had chosen to read. We had a lively and interesting discussion as each person shared their reactions and thoughts about their chosen book. We discussed: Patty Jane’s House of Curl, Once in a Blue Moon Lodge, and Chronicles of a Radical Hag. Our May meeting will be on May 14 at Julie’s house. We will be reading the book Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong about the World and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling. This book is a New York Times Bestseller recommended by philanthropists, Bill and Melinda Gates, to provide information about the way the world situation has improved more than most people realize. Like to read? Enjoy participating in lively discussion? Come and join us! If you are interested in discovering more about the local art scene, join the ART APPRECIATION SIG. Together we will experience many types of creative expression: paintings, pottery, sculpture, textiles. We usually meet on weekday afternoons, occasionally an evening or Saturday. Exhibits are FREE or low cost. On March 7th we visited the WARM Women’s Art Resources of MN featuring the curated show: Hysteria. WARM empowers and supports all feminist artists by honoring the legacy of the past and building a visible future. This show was curated by Beth Bergman, one of original members of WARM and founder of Wet Paint Store in St. Paul, and was on display at the Paul Larson Gallery in the Student Center of the U of M St. Paul campus. We also went to the Goldstein Museum of Design which had an exhibit showcasing an interesting variety of clay pots and objects by Minnesota artists including world-famous Warren McKenzie. The show was a ceramics collection of Ruth Crane. The Writing SIG members continue to enjoy reading aloud our recent work and giving positive feedback to each other. We also spend time during the meeting writing something new from shared prompts and then reading them. We laugh a lot and inspire each other. Five members is an ideal size for this group to give everyone a chance to participate and to fit around our gracious host’s table. In April, the group will be meeting on April 12 and 26. Want to volunteer? Please contact Grace Bartholet at [email protected] or 612-310- 4604 by May 10th. The exact format of the SIG hasn’t been determined. We could choose a standing date (say the second Saturday of the month) at the Riverside Theater, for instance, where tickets are just $3.00 each, and just commit to gathering for the matinee whatever it is and then go across the street for coffee and a snack. Or we could individually join the Minneapolis Film Society and as a group attend one of their offerings once a month. Or we could just provide the distribution list of Movie SIG members to SIG members and shoot out an email when one of us is looking for a companion with whom to go see a movie. Or all of the above. And, how about this: a Oscar Party! Let Eleni Skevas know if you’re interested and we can arrange an organizational meeting to come up with a format and a plan for leadership. Could be fun! Contact: Eleni Skevas at [email protected] or Grace Bartholet at [email protected], SIG Co-Chairs. There are many ideas being floated as to how else to focus a SIG. More ideas are welcome. Another idea is to create a SIG around exploring other ethnic cultures in the Twin Cities: visiting stores and markets, sampling food at restaurants, learning to cook ethnic dishes. If you have an idea and a yen to organize and lead a SIG around these topics or a specific passion of yours, please step up! One important principle is that YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO IT ALONE. You can partner with someone and you can rotate responsibilities with other committed women. Contact Eleni Skevas at 651-235-9599 or [email protected] if you're interested. MEMBER IDEA!!! Check it out! Members submit your ideas on potential local activities to Jill Goski ([email protected]) or Cyndy Nelson ([email protected]). The Transition Network is growing in the Twin Cities! The Minneapolis/St. Paul Founders Group is looking to connect with others to make the most out of the "50 years and forward" transition journey. While our situations may be varied, we can all learn and find support from other women who are also experiencing change. We have been reaching out to as many women as possible to make connections and planning as many events as we can. We already have active Special Interest Groups and are now in the process of creating more Transition Peer Groups. We plan to build a strong leadership team so we can reach out to more and more women in our community. Please join us! To join TTN click here. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity. For more information about the Minneapolis/St. Paul Group, please contact Steering Committee Chair Jill Goski at [email protected]. My name is Cyndy Nelson and I live in New Brighton. I took early retirement following my layoff from Target in July, 2016. As I enter this new phase of my life, I want to look for ways to use my abilities and interests to make a positive impact on others, make new friends, and have new experiences. I learned about TTN and joined in 2016. As I have participated in the Money SIG, the book discussion group, and numerous events, I have discovered that there are many women with similar goals to mine. I have joined the TTN Steering Committee so I can apply the skills I gained during my career as an IT Project Manager to help TTN grow in the Twin Cities. My hobbies are reading, walking, and traveling. I originally joined TTN off of their website. I was interested in an organization that advocates for women that are 50 forward. What appealed to me was the whole idea of staying relevant in the workplace as we age. I currently work for the Minneapolis VA. In addition, I found that as I have changed jobs and gone through various changes in my life that I am lacking connections. TTN allows me to meet interesting, engaged women from all walks of life and connect with them. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, reading and antiquing. I retired three years ago. I worked as a prosecutor for many years and was in the private practice of law for many years before that. I have three adult children and 5, soon to be 6, grandchildren. It's fulfilling to be a parent and a grandparent, but I believe that many people, like me, need something more to be happy. So, I've been on a quest to reinvent myself. Part of that reinvention has involved down-sizing from a big house to a smaller home, amenable to aging in place. Part of that reinvention has been exploring new areas of learning, like finally learning how to cook properly and creatively, taking up yoga, reading up on history, and learning about economics. Part of it has included the joy of landscaping our new home and seeing a beautiful thing form before my eyes. I look for appealing ways to be involved in my community, where whatever gifts and talents I have are useful to others. Of course, the task of nurturing old friendships and developing new ones is high on my agenda. Where does TTN fit in? To me, TTN provides a fitting substitute for the workplace. Like the workplace, it provides many opportunities to get to know a group of people over time, as we run into each other repeatedly at TTN-sponsored programs, social events, transition peer groups and affinity groups (TTN calls them Special Interest Groups, or SIGs). TTN in Minnesota is shaping up to be a community, like a workplace, where people, in this case women, commit to being available for the long term to each other to pursue connection, friendship, support and common interests. Sounds perfect to me. Iconic Jax Café in NE Minneapolis provided a classic comfortable setting for the sixteen women attending the March 19th Mix & Mingle. Jill, our chair, described the journey of our chapter’s growth from a mere idea several years ago to reaching full chapter status June 1st! She lifted a glass to toast the achievements of all past and current leaders plus to all members who joined over the years that helped built this our organization. Clearly, it’s a story of women connecting, creating and contributing! On a Monday evening in February, eight women gathered in the private room upstairs at the Byerlys in Plymouth. We were happy to welcome three new women to TTN –Cindy found us via the Star Tribune’s article about TTN’s Caring Collaborative, Joan recently moved to Minnesota and is embracing our winter, and Sue recently retired and is working PT in a Quilt shop. We were able to share information about ourselves so we could get to know one another. There was much discussion about the crafts these women are enjoying. We had great conversation and the women enjoyed a variety of food items available at Byerlys. On Wednesday, January 2, 11 women had dinner and saw Debra Dorgan's son, Derek Hughes, perform as a magician at Acme Comedy Club. The post-holiday conversation over dinner was lively and the food was delicious. We enjoyed Derek's performance and have no idea how he did what he did. Magic! We highly recommend seeing him perform at a future date. TTN sponsored a workshop about Conscious Aging on January 14. Karen West, long-time TTN member and founding member of TTN in the Twin Cities, was the presenter. Twenty-five women attended the workshop. Karen, who has been immersed in the conscious aging movement for several years, and who has earned a certification as a saging leader, gave a brief history of the movement. She emphasized the contributions of several thinkers in the movement and recommended books and other resources for further exploration. Explaining that the short two-hour length of the workshop limited what she could cover, Karen nevertheless covered a lot of ground during the allotted time. Participants were invited to share how they thought about the last 30 years of life and the inevitable aging that takes place. Were they denialists, realists or enthusiasts? Were they clinging to age 49? Were they equating successful aging to what they could "still" do? Were they embracing the potential of this time of life to become who they truly are meant to be? Successful aging embraces the physical changes and values spiritual growth. Karen led the group in doing individual "life reviews". To do this, participants chose a span of 7 years in their lives (usually the span of years they were currently in) and reflected on what were the significant moments, who were the people who guided and influenced them, and what were the positive developments that occurred within that span of years. Another exercise involved meditating out loud with a silent partner on the question "As I age, how am I becoming more the person I think I am meant to be?". The silent partner asked the question of the speaking partner repeatedly, thereby inviting the speaking partner to deeply explore the answer to the question. By switching roles halfway through the exercise, each woman was afforded the gift of being heard and the gift of time to meditate. Judging by participants' comments at the end of the workshop, the workshop was success, not only in opening people's vision of aging as a positive experience, but also in showing the value of exploring this critical subject. On a snowy and below zero Saturday morning in January, 10 women gathered at The Grateful Table in Roseville for warm conversation and delicious food and drink. Our thanks to Mary, owner of The Grateful Table, for accommodating our group. The attendees shared their involvement in TTN and identified something they were looking forward to. Not surprisingly, many people have plans to head someplace warm. On Wednesday, December 12, 17 wonderful women got together for a Winter Solstice party at the Davanni’s in Richfield. We were so busy connecting that we forgot to take a picture! We had a private room and were all able to sit around a large square table. The women had a great time chatting and learned about each other by playing “Two Truths and a Lie” and “Find your Twin”. Many women have done such amazing things that it was difficult to discern which was the lie. Eleni, with contributions from the attendees, put together a great holiday centerpiece (which I obviously can’t show you since we didn’t take any pictures of that either). Women commented that they enjoyed the opportunity to connect with women in a similar life stage and liked the inclusiveness of the group. Thanks to Eleni and Grace for organizing this fun event. On November 19th we met at Byerlys Edina. We reserved a room in the Mezz and had some wine and beer along with great company. It was nice gathering of women before Thanksgiving. On the "sage-ing.org" website, you'll find the following overview of the Sage-ing International conference: "240 elders aspiring to be on a Sage-ing journey and those who serve them came together at the Sage-ing International Conference: Elder Voices Transforming the World: Our Stories in Action, October 25-28, in Chaska, Minnesota, to stand for the well-being of the future. There were seven keynote speakers, over 40 workshop presentations, daily rituals, interactive sessions, fireside chats, walks in nature, music, poetry, film and dance." It was all that and so much more! My favorite part, the keynote speakers were Barry Barkan, Richard Leider, Rachael Freed, Yeye Luisah Teish, Bill Thomas, and Matthew Fox. All of their talks were good, but my favorite was Dr. Bill Thomas. I really recommend that you watch his TEDx talk "Elderhood rising-the dawn of a new age." It is really good, and it will be a good introduction to the TTN program I'm going to present on January 14 (which I hope all of you will come to). The "conscious aging" and "sage-ing" movement is helping elders realize what an exciting and empowering time elderhood can be if-as Bill Thomas says in his TEDx talk-"they are willing to leave "adulthood" behind and enter into "elderhood," or as I and so many other people say, if you are lucky enough to have discovered that there is a "second half" to life that we can choose to enter. Richard Rohr, in his book "Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life," says that the second half of life (should we choose to move into it) is very different from the first half. And he says this "further journey" is a "well-kept secret, for some reason." The people of Sage-ing International are in on that secret, and they want to share it with you. Everyone at the Sage-ing International conference learned a lot about being empowered as we age, but the best part of the conference was getting to know the people. I feel like I have been blessed, because I discovered this community and what it has to offer, and I really hope I get the opportunity to share this amazing resource with all the amazing women at The Transition Network. Workshop on Women in Transition (WIT): An Unqualified Success! Our Chapter-in-Formation hosted one of the signature programs of The Transition Network, namely Women in Transition or WIT, on October 6. The workshop was sold out. Every available seat was filled. In all, 31 women gathered at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul to learn how to think about and manage their personal transitions through the use of methods with a proven track record of success. The workshop was ably facilitated by Jean Palmer, a member of Santa Fe’s TTN Chapter, and by Debra Dorgan and Terri Evans, both members of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter-in-Formation. About half of the women in attendance were new to TTN, having learned about the workshop via various outlets, including Meet Up, a social media platform. They came from as far away as Duluth and Rochester. The post-workshop evaluations submitted by the attendees were overwhelmingly positive. challenging included the “empty nest”, retirement from work, unwanted unemployment, entering new work, caring for aging parents, health issues, becoming widowed or divorced, the birth of grandchildren, downsizing, and major geographic moves. The workshop included time for small groups to discuss and share problems and suggested solutions about their particular transition challenges. Each individual was invited to commit to an action plan addressing their area of concern and to be accountable to a workshop partner to report on progress made in the plan. The workshop materials included an extensive list of books and other resources related to the positive approach to aging and changing. Many of the participants are interested in continuing the conversation around transitions. As a result, the Steering Committee is launching an effort to encourage them to form their own Transition Peer Groups (TPG). Later in this newsletter you can find an article describing these efforts and inviting all TTN members to explore this possibility together. On September 8th Transition Network - MSP members shared a "Top Ten Weather Day" at the beautiful lakeside home of Debra Dorgan! The day was filled with great conversation, delicious food, and a presentation by Kerri and Kristin Vickers on individual wellness ("What's Missing from Your Wellness Plan? YOU!”). On August 23, 7 women enjoyed a potluck picnic at Minnehaha Falls Park. Three of us walked along the creek after the picnic. Beautiful summer evening. On Saturday, July 21, nineteen women from the Twin Cities area, gathered for TTN’s “Tea and Happy Things” at the home of Terri Evans. Hostesses Terri Evans, Jane Carlson, and Bobbi Weber welcomed guests with tea and mingling. Guests donned hats, gloves, and “pearls” for the occasion. The afternoon included games and prizes, a scrumptious brunch, a presentation on the Japanese Tea Ceremony by author Melanie-Heuiser-Hill (The Giant Pumpkin Suite) and Satomi Niki, croquet, and poetry readings by members. A lovely summer afternoon was had by all! 9 women enjoyed a delicious mix of homemade and purchased food at the beautiful Minnehaha Park. Although we were under the pavilion, we were happy that it didn’t rain and some of us walked to the falls after the event. We were happy to welcome a new attendee, Connie, along with some newer members, and some women we haven’t seen much recently. We had relaxed conversation as we got to know each other better. On May 10th a group of 10 ladies met at the Lake Monster Brewery. We had am evening of fun conversations and enjoyable drinks at this friendly taproom. On April 25, 10 women enjoyed a thought-provoking and enjoyable presentation by Karen Carr, a certified professional life coach and MSP TTN member. Our time focused on values, listening, and making it REAL. Karen provided us a practical way to make sure we are spending our time and energy on what is really important to each of us. We first spent a little time thinking about what we really value. Then we talked about connecting these values to your life by making it REAL: Realistic, Exciting/Engaging, Action, and Love/Luxury/Loyalty (you pick). Karen provided personal stories to illustrate the concepts and then the participants paired up to share our own information. It was a great way to think about our own situations and connect with another woman to learn about her life. Throughout the evening, we practiced listening. Karen challenged us to really listen to what the other person was really saying. We even had to listen to the other person for one minute without commenting – that was really hard and provided lots of insights about how little we actually listen to what another person is saying. It was a great evening and we want to thank Karen for sharing her expertise with us in her warm and caring way. On January 30, 21 women attended a thought-provoking presentation by Mary Farr about grief. Although we normally use the term grief only as related to death, it is actually an appropriate term for many losses in our lives. Mary observed that women often lack self-compassion, but should treat themselves during grief like they would a friend. She also spoke about hope and being on a journey toward wholeness. There are many actions that can contribute to our own healing or the healing of others with one of the most important that we listen to others and really hear what they are saying. Mary brought a wealth of ideas from her extensive career in the worlds of hope, healing, and humor. On October 24, 22 women gathered for a workshop titled “What’s Your Stuff Number” where stuff is defined as any tangible object that takes up space in my space. The leader, Jane Scheidnes, encouraged the attendees to think about how to get control of their stuff instead of belonging to their stuff. It is often overwhelming to think about our stuff in total, so she encouraged us to deal with it a single category or item at a time. It was a great starter session to help the attendees begin to take ownership of their stuff and their space. A follow up workshop is being offered on December 14. Make sure to sign up if you are interested in pursuing this topic further! A Picnic Gathering to Celebrate the 2017-2018 TTN Kick-Off! “On Wednesday, August 9, 13 hearty women ventured out on a cool and rainy evening for a potluck picnic at Minnehaha Park. We had the event under a pavilion (thanks to Gwen who staked it out early) so nobody got wet, but some women had to find warmer clothes and blankets in the back of their cars. Despite the non-August like weather, we had good food and great conversation. We were happy to welcome three women who had never attended a TTN event. The delicious foods brought by the attendees included both purchased and homemade foods. 12 women gathered at Kim Fischer's home to enjoy delicious potluck food and TTN friends. The weather did not permit an outside gathering, although we managed to grab a photo in-between the rain drops. During our meal we shared with 2 newcomers about how we came to TTN, what we have gotten out of our memberships, and a little bit about each of our lives. The group also shared their excitement over our newly formed Steering Committee (4 of us were in attendance). A great big "thank you" to everyone who made it out to the country and contributed to this delightful experience. And a big "Congrats" to Jill who couldn't make it as she became a grandma once again to granddaughter Lucy Rae, born that very afternoon. Another social activity is in the making before summer's end. On Wednesday, May 3rd we enjoyed a wonderful ge together at Karen Carr's house in South Minneapolis. Along with the wonderful food, we learned more about TTN and what it would mean to become a full chapter. Susan Collins, the National Executive Director, was on hand to talk about all the benefits of membership in this wonderful organization. On Wednesday, March 22 at 6:30, twelve of us interested in creating the future of our chapter met at Axel's in Roseville. The meeting generated not only great ideas and future plans, but also renewed energy going forward. We hope you will join us for these two May events! Jill Goski , Lisa Nabbefeld & Kim Fischer organized the event, and they were joined by those interested in supporting TTN MSP, either through special interests, or for a specific length of time or for a specific purpose. A table for 10 was reserved at a seating area at the end of the bar, and we had a great time brainstorming ideas for our new chapter! Eighteen months ago, six women joined together with organizer, Judy Harvey, to form a SIG about personal finance, investing and money management. With varying levels of investing knowledge and experience, the women decided to utilize the Investing/Money SIG for financial learning by researching topics to educate themselves and other members of the group. During its existence, the group discussed many topics including a variety of investing topics (technical analysis, sectors, socially responsible investing, etc.), housing options, financial management, smart spending, and essential legal documents. We also had good discussions based on the book How to Make Your Money Last by Jane Bryant Quinn. Recently, the group reflected on the valuable learning and connections they have made with other members of the group, but also recognized that they have varying interests in pursuing personal finance development at this time. Some members want to pursue other interests via newly formed SIGs or other personal endeavors and others want to take a break over the summer. We decided to end the current Money SIG. Special thanks to Judy for her role in making this group successful. In the fall, we will find out if there is any interest in starting a new Money or Investing SIG. For additional information, contact Jill Goski ([email protected]) or Cyndy Nelson ([email protected]). 6 women attended our first quarterly event for 2017 to get a taste of Guided AutoBiography, led by our very own, Diane Nimmer. There were exercises led by Diane, paired sharing and whole group sharing. Through that sharing, we learned about ourselves and each other. Diane will be offering 4 followup sessions going into greater detail with more exercises in May. Details coming soon. Future plans for our Chapter in Formation include an invitation to a focus group meeting involving a potluck opportunity and a chance to get more involved, coming this spring. This year's quaterly event was in collaboration with AARP with a local celebrity, Richard Leider, who talked about "Purpose". In-between our quarterly events we are going to hold workshops on his program "Life Reimagined". Our Wednesday, January 20 Event, “What kind of Legacy Will You Leave Your Loved Ones?” (and other similar titles….;), was our first quarterly event and was a success for the women who were there. They enjoyed a “Cardio Drumming” class from our very own Lori Gerval, enjoyed a protein shake and heard the 3 speaker panel presentation. There will be a follow-up workshop/event that everyone was interested in – Death by Dinner. More details to come in March…… And “Thank You” Lori, for hosting!! For our June main event, we took things outside to a beautiful part of the city that most of us had not been before. Nine TTN women and 2 guests joined up at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in the heart of the Minneapolis metro in Theodore Wirth Park. It's a little oasis with paths amongst beautiful oaks, perennials and even blooming Lady Slippers! We had so much fun that we have created a Special Interest Group (SIG) for walking the metro and would like to invite other TTN women to join us! Brenda Braget generously opened her home on Summit Avenue to host our May 18th TTN event. This wonderful setting provided the perfect opportunity for women to connect during the social hour over a glass of wine and light refreshments. The good conversation flowed into the program about Feng Shui, a fusion of an art and science. Sheree Vincent, Allied ASID, the principal of Fusion Designed LLC. (www.fusiondesigned.com), shared her expertise. She shared that now, more than ever, we desire our homes to be our personal sanctuary and how this ancient system of Feng Shui is used for creating a living and working environment that balances and harmonizes with nature. She provided compelling and practical examples of how understanding and applying Feng Shui – you can create an environment that supports your physical, emotional and spiritual well being - your own personal sanctuary! Robin Getman entertained, informed, and inspired 35 participants by injecting humor to reinforce a powerful message about methods to improve and build upon health and well-being. Through this fun and fast moving program, Robin expanded participant’s understanding of 3.5 degrees of learned optimism and four “curing” techniques that can be used to heal the worst, or preserve the best of each of the degrees, and guided them through tools and techniques for increasing overall happiness. Six women met at Carmelo’s for dinner before the program. Kathie Kosharek, a Gallup-certified Strengths Coach, guided participants through a highly interactive program to identify, with assistance from the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment, what makes them unique and what motivates them. Kathie’s skillful facilitation provided the foundation for participant discovery of how to apply their strengths and reenergize their day-to-day life. Participants left with the framework for creating a plan to explore how to leverage their strengths in the second half of life. Ten women gathered at Luci Ancora for the open dinner before the program.

2019-04-20T09:06:11Z

https://www.thetransitionnetwork.org/minneapolis-stpaul/

When we arrived in France seven years ago we threw our four children into french school. They were aged between six and twelve at the time. Normal, you might say – well not really, as they didn’t have a word of french between them. When I picked up my daughter on the first day after a couple of hours she was looking decidedly stressed, if not a little close to tears. In an attempt to soften the blow we gave them all mobile phones, thinking that they might be able to text us for translations of the more tricky words.. …well that might be all of them! But those phones were confiscated by the well-meaning staff in order to force them to integrate. And amazingly, integrate they did. One by one the language got under their skin and by about a year they were fabulous french speakers. Being fabulous french speakers, and being fluent and bilingual are not the same things. There are still days, seven years on where words do not come, coloquial meanings are a little ambiguous or words simply do not exist in the alternative language. and I always hoped it would! Only days earlier my sister-in-law and I had been messaging about a canadian author, a friend that she knew from her home town of Waterloo who was touring Northern France for her book tour. Carrie Snyder, author of “Girl-runner’, or more poetically known in France, “Invisible sous la lumière”(Invisible in the light) was in Rouen. At the last moment the organisers of the event had found themselves without a translator. I volunteered my daughter, now 19 for the opportunity. Translating is always easier from the foreign language to your native one, but this event required translating in both directions which involves remodulating, interpreting and rephrasing the dialogue on the spur of the moment in front of an audience avidly waiting for the ‘raison d’être’, the inspiration, the motivation and the explanations that the author wants to share about their book. ..for my daughter seemingly effortlessly translated the long dialogues and questions from the french presenter to Carrie, and took to the microphone to return to french the canadian author’s responses for us. Carrie signed for us a copy of her book, which we are excited to read. The french title seeming so much more succinct to us, a finger on the nerve fibre of the book, the raising of the achievements of a sportswoman, hitherto hidden in plain light of day under the discriminations of the era she lived and performed in, into the conciousness of today. “Invisible sous la Lumière” – for us, we are, after all in France! We have made it to the end of the first school year! I can’t quite believe it as it seems to have passed in a flash. I wonder what we all have made of it ? Rory has made it first to the goal of fluency, and I would like to stress to all readers that I am completely convinced that this milestone has been achieved thanks to three factors. The first and most important is confidence. Rory has from the outset been gregarious and enthusiastic, and never more noticeably than in the first weeks of term when his class-mates would shake him by the hand before launching themselves into a game of table-tennis before the start of classes. The second asset is musicality. In England he started playing the cornet at the age of 8, and had attained grade 3, and come third in the Lincoln music festival before we left. There is no doubting the ease which his ear has tuned into the language. His best French friend is in the Rouen Conservatoire , and I have been astounded at her ability to understand me in full speed English and her ability to reply to a question directed at my own kids. The third asset is determination, and Rory has it in spades. In fact he is a perfectionist by personality (often displayed by his frequent corrections of my accent) and now, as we approach the end of our first calendar, my french friends tell me that he has no trace of an English accent. So, in short, it can be done! However, conversely my other children are of a very different nature. What has struck me most about this year in France is that I have discovered who my children are with a clarity not available to me in the UK. In England life is a muddy stream, early consistent friendships, habitual hobbies and clubs give us all an underlying confidence and security. It is only when those are suddenly removed that one is given a glimpse of a person’s true relationship with life. I suddenly found that stripped of existing friends, two of my children were extremely timid. In fact I was astounded, having found them positively verbose in their opinions back home. Anabel is fairly musical, but not into any particular instrument, and had the disadvantage of age and timidity against her. Not only that but girls talk rather than play at that age. Consequently she found it extremely hard to begin with, and still does to an extent today. Not only are girls self-concious, but also need to look cool. Therefore it was excessively challenging for her to open her mouth and face stumbling through a conversation. I know myself how mortifying it is to construct a sentence which ultimately no-one understands. At the end of the first year she is still quite a way from fluency of speech, but her ability to read and understand is excellent, and her accent is fabulous. Theo, as the youngest has also stunned me by being timid. He spent the entire year refusing to speak, and declared that he wasn’t going to play with French kids. We had told him that he would be the first to fluency. We had been told he would achieve it within 3 months. Do not believe a word of it. English and French are hugely different, and French has all the complexities of gender agreements. The children who generally achieved fluency that quickly tended to be Spanish or Italian, where the construction of the language shared many more similarities. In fact, he was very angry that he didn’t achieve fluency so quickly, and there was a marked downward turn at Christmas when the novelty wore off and the target wasn’t met. With Both Anabel and Theo, I felt hugely guilty at their struggles, and it wasn’t until May, when we invited Carole’s son for lunch during school, that I suddenly realised that they were speaking French in the back of the car, and that Theo was asking question after question. He is not fluent yet, but I don’t think it will be long into the next school year that he will be. Some children simply don’t utter a word until they have unravelled the language in their heads, and then go on to amaze you by speaking full blown french after months of silence. Angus is a different kettle of fish from the others. He is a dreamer and generally gentle and easy going. He was the first to develop a couple of good solid friendships, which have strengthened through the year. How they communicated in the early days I have no idea, but lego figures seemed to help and a good deal of pointing! I still don’t know how far off fluency he is. I think we still have a way to go. Of all the kids, whist being hugely mathematical and top of the class in mental arithmatic, he has always found literacy challenging, and writing more so. He converses and is understood, but frequently doesn’t use complete sentences. Only time will tell. I can’t give you a difinitive view of the school except to say that it is highly regarded, and they seem to have learnt plenty and enjoyed themselves as much as kids do at school. Anabel’s class had a rowdy set of boys in it who were seen as quite disrutive by the teachers, but Anabel’s view was that they were really funny and definitely increased her enjoyment during class. There were some teachers she detested, and some classes which were excrutiatingly boring – but isn’t that always the way! If the school lacked anything it was in the field of art and design and particularly for primaire. I had always been told that sport was lacking in French schools, but whilst St Dominique lacked outdoor facilities on campus, being a city centre school, it bussed the pupils to the city stadium for athletics, basketball, rugby and baseball: to the ice-rink and to the swimming-pool; and taught fencing and badminton on campus. All sports were taken on a 6 week rota, and Anabel, not known for her fondness of sport actually admitted that she enjoyed it here rather than in the UK. The final aspect of French school worthy of note is communication. I am used to hopeless communication from English schools. But in France each student has a Carnet de correspondence which enables parents and teachers to send messages and book appointments. It also holds a record of late marks, black marks and detentions. It has to be with the student at all times and the measures taken if a student forgets or looses theirs are bst not mentioned. Having valiently slowed down the number of black marks against themselves from the begining of the year,( where they were doled out for missing school books and equipment or for arriving in class too late, despite having no comprehension of what the teacher had requested the previous lesson), we arrived at the last week of term with both Anabel and Rory nine points apiece. The tenth point would result in detention, and so I made great efforts to ensure that they arrived at school on time, including driving home twice one morning when we realised that we had forgotten a PE kit. Nevertheless, the tuesday before the end of term both arrived home with their tenth point. Rory’s was logged immediately and was expected ib detention the following day. This was highly inconvenient as it was held on a wednesday afternoon at exactly the same time as a party for Theo on the other side of town. I hastily wrote a message to the teacher in the Carnet de Correspondence, and the following day we set off for the party.When we arrived home there was a message on the answer machine, which I had to listen to three times before I got the gist of the message. Essentially, missing detention, note or otherwise was a hugely bad decision. Rory’s detention was doubled and rescheduled for the first week of the holidays. Anabel meanwhile failed to get her black marks logged, her teacher being a little less efficient. Consequently she kept her head down for the final three days of term, and encouraged by her class-mates, got away with it. It was therefore only Rory who was driven into school the first wednesday of the holidays, for a oenerous french grammar lesson followed by cleaning out of the school cupboards! When I related the story to one of my french friend she looked rather shocked at my audacity for writing the note in the first place – which had apparently been viewed by the head of the senior school, because the French view is that you cancel your holiday for detention, or raise from your death bed to get your children there. There is simply no excuse great enough to excuse you! The final note on the subject of this blog is regarding school reports. They are quite simply brilliant – in terms of the number received, not necessarily the content! We received a shorter, subject by subject report every half-term, complete with a record of all marks for tests and homework; and also the highest, lowest and average marks for each subject for the entire class. At the end of each term we received a fuller more detailed report, which also included a precis of the classes behaviour for the term. The most important difference between French and English school is the act of “Redoubling”. If the staff don’t feel that a student has achieved satisfactorily over the school year they are made to redouble, ie take the year again. It is not an idle threat. It really does happen. In about March an orange slip of paper comes home with options for the following year. This may present parent with the ability to register their kids on a bilingual course, or preferences for changing schools or passing to the next scchool year. We opted to give Rory Latin, in addition to German which he has now studied for a year. We opted to give Anabel Spanish. Rory’s form came back with an agreement that Rory should move up to Cinquieme and do Latin and German. Anabel’s form came back with a questionmark over the necessity to redouble. We made a concerted effort to oversee her homework and really keep on top of the maths, and on the third pass over of the orange form she too was approved for quatrieme. Theo and Angus also passed their school years which I think is a huge success and a credit to their hard work. Roll on next academic year! With the snow gone and spring on the horizon, the French mamans were more inclined to linger in the playground at school drop-off and lunch-time. And so it was that our first invitation to dinner appeared. Over the autumn term I had got to know a charming Spanish woman, completely bilingual, and married to a local notaire. She also had four children, whose ages were remarkably similar to those of my own. She and her husband had made a point of introducing their children to many languages and had a similar outlook to my own. Her children were already bilingual, French/Spanish and the two had spent a year at an English boarding school and were fluent in English too. The dinner party was to be held at their house in Rouen, close to the school in a chic area of town. Once the initial euphoria of having made it into the French social circle had worn off, I suddenly realised I had no idea as to the etiquette or dress code of the French dinner party! I am not completely clueless about dressing for dinner, but now it came to the crunch dressing for the playground is nothing compared to dressing for dinner when you haven’t actually met the husband, and his wife is always impeccably dressed, but hidden under a winter overcoat! I decided on simple and classic with a slightly more “avant guarde” necklace and heels! I wasn’t sure about the whole gift idea, but had no-one to ask without looking “gauche”, I knew with certainty that a bunch of chrysanthemums would place the kiss of death on the assembled company, so I opted for some excellent handmade chocolates from our boulangerie, a rather fine Chablis, and my husband threw in a wild-card African red just to challenge to the dinner crowd! I might add that having grown up in Africa, his choice of bottle was not an uneducated one! The next dilemma was to arrive at the right time, and we were not entirely sure what the right time would be. I had read that the French are invariably late – sometimes as much as a couple of hours, and that this is entirely fashionable and expected. Our babysitter arrived early, and being French, but completely bilingual we posed the question to her. Her response was that one arrived generally at the time on the invitation, give or take ten minutes. Hence we set off in good time, arrived far too early and parked around the corner to kill some time. Whilst sitting in the car, we noticed a police car pull in next to us, cut its lights and four armed officers step out. Scurrying stealthily to the street corner, the officers were joined by some more, and we were intrigued to see two further cars appear, lights already cut, and a group of officers start to congregate on the darkened street corner. The corner they had chosen was the boundary to a particularly beautiful, classic French town house in a sadly neglected state of repair, which was rumoured to be inhabited by immigrants. One by one the officers heaved themselves over the wall and disappeared into the garden. The plot was thickening , and we were watching enthralled when suddenly we remembered we were meant to be going out to dinner! We were now late! Hastily we left the car and made our way to the home of our friends, knowing that to give the true explanation to our lateness would give the game away, that in fact that we had been early and been forced to kill time in the car! There are times when a lack of fluency in a language can be the ideal way to fudge an issue – and we will never know exactly why all those policemen climbed over that wall. We did know that the owners were trying to sell it, and probably needed to clear it of illegal immegrants once and for all, but equally likely was a drugs link – only time will tell. As is often the case with French town-houses, the exterior belies the true interior. Suffering the wear and tear of the passing traffic, the dusty brick exterior gave way to an interior full of beautiful furniture and furnishings. Original tiled floors, marble fireplaces and huge shuttered windows gave onto a terraced garden. Our hosts, an amiable and effervescent couple had invited us to join a group of ten, and we, the English amongst them, had arrived last! Although I spend all my day speaking French, it is always in short bursts of half an hour to an hour at a time. This was to be my first experience of sustained French conversation, and with the exception of one couple and our hosts, the others were strangers! Unlike the British, who usually start with a glass of wine, or a gin and tonic, the French commence with an aperitif, and the tray was laden with bottles of Whiskey, Port and a huge variety of bottles I have never come across. We ealised that the guests were waiting for our arrival before being offered a drink and instantly felt guilty for our tardiness. Negotiating the aperitif tray was my first hurdle, closely followed by a quick question from the host whilst I was concentrating closely on a conversation on the other side of the room. I missed the question entirely, looking quizzically around to my host and a translation from Harry at my side (something I have never done before as I am usually on my own). The disappointment was almost audible as my host became aware that I might be utterly incapable of speaking French, and his relief was tangible as I launched into my reply to the now awaiting crowd. The moment was saved and the general hubbub in the room recommenced! Dinner went smoothly, being a Friday no meat was served, but fish. A consommé to begin with, followed by a layered bombe of rice, fish and spinach. The third course was salad, followed by cheese, and finally a delicious desert of gooseberry compote. The conversation around the table was quick and witty, much of the nuance lost to me, but I was able to keep up and respond when needed. We were quick to notice that the wines at the table were exceptionally high quality. In this country where wines can be bought at bargain prices, there are those who are true connaisseurs. Having started to relax, and with at thmy husband at the far end of the table, my host proceeded to pull the rug from under my feet with a question on my views of Sarkozy. Having managed to completely miss the mood of the assembled company regarding their politics, I decided this was absolutely the kind of time when I would make a huge “faux-pas” , and managed, with what I thought to be an inordinate amount of linguistic skill to reply “a la Francaise”, with a question of my own – therefore completely avoiding his question and forcing my host to reply to his own! As we retired for coffee to the fireside the conversation turned to the art of the French language and the ability, or lack of, for the average Frenchman to master the hardest of tenses – the subjunctive. My head was fast becoming befuddled and exhausted and as midnight approached, my husband threw in a perfect example of the subjunctive as we made our bid for the door and to relieve our babysitter. Interestingly, as we rose to leave, so too did the entire party, and we have noticed that at all ensuing dinner parties, this is the French form of behaviour. A charming end to a charming meal! Our second invitation followed swiftly on the heels of our first. A rather striking ,tall woman approached me and introduced herself. Having never really talked to her before, although she was generally part of the crowd of mamans I chatted with, I was intrigued by this invitation, but completely unable to give my husband any information about it. It occurred to me that this dinner party was also to be held on a Friday and that fish was going to be on the menu. We had been fortunate at the last dinner party to avoid the prawn issue, as my husband is allergic to them. However this time I decided that I had better warn our hostess. Making phone calls is probably the most difficult part of French life for me at present, and after some very strong personal resistance to the idea, I finally picked up the phone and relayed the allergy issue to our hostess. And a good thing I did! She went on to reinvent her menu! I decided this time to experiment with our gift-giving. In the local florist I had spotted some wonderful distressed boxes planted up with hyacinths and bought some, as well as a rather more expensive bottle of wine. The clothes issue had been successful, and hoping that there would be a different crowd of people I donned a variation on the same theme. This time we turned up on time, and were neither first nor last, and duly complemented ourselves on our ability to unravel the French social dining code! Interestingly, the gifts were rather hastily received and whistled away, and I noted that the following guests arrived empty-handed. Were Hyacinths close to Chrysanthemums in their connotations or were gifts unnecessary, or potentially embarrassing to the hostess? The host pressed upon me a small glass of “eau de vie” which the women of the group then advised me not to drink and the conversation commenced! This time my husband was fortunate that all the men spoke pretty reasonable English, most of them travelling far afield with their work. Not so the women, but they were a lively crowd, all of whom had careers of one sort or another. The meal was a gregarious affair with much banter and good humour, and less formal than the last, but equally enjoyable. It commenced with a marinaded raw salmon, followed by a crab mousse and sautéed vegetables, a cheese course and a delicious pecan patisserie for desert. After languishing over coffee, the assembled crowd rose to leave at the same time, in time to meet the hostesses older daughters returning from a night in Rouen! As we ambled through the chill air back to the car, we pondered on the ability to entertain in our rented house, the layout being such that the children’s bedrooms were only a stone’s throw from the dining table, and decided that our entertaining would have to take another form! I took the plunge with an “afternoon tea” English style. Having invited ten or so mamans from the school playground, I spent an afternoon baking scones and a chocolate roulade ready for my guests. Having whipped the cream, lit the fire and warmed the teapot, I was ready for the first to arrive. Truthfully I was more than a little nervous about their arrival and hoped that there would be more than two to arrive first. I am still not keen on prolonged one to one conversation, and still not confident that people would arrive on time. The first to arrive was the Spanish maman, and probably she was as anxious as me, but the “now-deceased” guinea pigs gave a good initial topic of conversation, even if she was a little bemused by my declaration that they had all been eaten by wolves. I realised a lot later that I had mistranslated the word for foxes, and had inadvertently added a new more deadly dimension to the forest outside my door! The other mamans arrived shortly after, and after a bit of confusion when I instructed them to “aidez-vous” to the scones (which they thought meant they might need some sort of rescue package during or after eating them) they educated me to the word “servez-vous” and proceeded to tuck in! The speed to which the scones were demolished put an end to the myth that French women don’t eat. However it was interesting that they didn’t touch the chocolate roulade. My learned friend from England reckons they can eat roulade all over France and that it isn’t nearly as interesting as the humble scone. The afternoon passed with genial good humour and demands for scone baking lessons and recipes. Who says that the English can’t cook!!! Shortly afterwards we received our third dinner invitation. By now I reckoned we were in the know when it came to gift giving and dress code! This time I had come across some great little biscuits (if such a name can be given to them) called Pappilles. They are a smaller version of the French macaroon, but without the filling and slightly drier. They come in an assortment of parfums, to accompany tea, or coffee, or scented with vanilla, passion fruit or red fruits. We chose a good wine and set of for the opposite side of Rouen for the evening. The French have a particularly un-amusing habit of numbering houses, which vary from three, four or five with the same number, to missing out a couple of hundred. For example our house number is 1455, and our neighbour is 1565. I have since learnt that it depends upon the meterage of the frontage of the house to the road. If an old house has sold off part of its plot for new development, the new houses will all have the same house number, despite the fact that the next neighbour is numbered several hundreds higher, and therefore with plenty of free numbers available to choose from! As we drove along the road looking for the address we kept passing from the 300’s to the 100’s, until we realised that there was only one house between those numbers, and we hazarded a guess that it might be pretty large! It was in fact wonderful: a truly classic Maison de Maitre standing in outstanding grounds with curling steps up to the front door. We passed another wonderful evening in great company. My comprehension of the conversation was satisfying and the conversation was a lively banter over the differences of the French and English ways of life! The challenge is on now to prove that the English can cook more than just the humble scone – it is time to show how good, good English food can be! The snow is still lying around us. The kids went out and built an excellent igloo, large enough for an adult and four children, and we carried steaming cups of hot chocolate out to them to drink inside it! Even as the rest of the snow starts to melt, the igloo stands defiant! I’ve never been very keen on January, I think many people feel the same! After the fun of Christmas it’s a long haul up to the summer. I felt concerned for the children after having seen all their friends in the UK for a couple of days, and the ease with which they were able to chat to them it was going to be difficult to kick off the January term in France. I wondered if it had been a good idea to go back to the UK so soon after leaving, but there had been building work done on our UK house which we had needed to check, and a water leak in the roof which had ended up in puddles on the kitchen floor. Ultimately the damage was too minimal to cause concern, the pipes were drained properly this time and the house shut up once again. There were groans generally about the return to school, but not unmanageable. With the novelty factor now truly worn off it was interesting to see how they would tackle the new term! I would classify January as the battle of the mobile phone! The two older children had been given simple mobile phones once they had passed their 11+ exams in the UK. Whilst in te UK and once at senior school we had considered it to be essential for them to be able to contact us easily as the senior schools were so far from home. We argued that in France, unable to speak the language, a phone might get them out of difficulties, and topped them up once a month. However, in reality most of the talk-time was being used on texts to English friends. Gradually they began texting French friends much to the apparent horror of the French parents as English to French texting is expensive, and their credit was being speedily used up. Demands for a French mobile started slowly and increased momentum throughout the month, until it reached a crescendo towards February. Trying to be clever we went out and bought French sim cards to put in the English handsets. All was well for twelve hours, until inexplicably Anabel discovered her 30 euro credit had dropped to zero. Topped up again, it was wiped out in the space of an hour or two. Neither Orange UK nor FR could explain what was going on, but it seemed that the French sim card had started sending automatically generated texts to the old English sim card that she had put into a redundant handset. Unable to retrieve the credit, we were forced to admit defeat and take out two entirely new contracts with French mobile and new handsets. A pricey conclusion to a long battle for economy, but now armed with unlimited texts, the kids were into a new world of French text-speak and another leap forward in French friendship making. I have been conscious that the three month mark since we arrived in France has been passed. We had been told that the youngest children would be starting to talk. A Spanish woman that I had met said that the first month was spent listening, the second month, understanding, and the third month, talking! I was watching Theo in particular, being the youngest, but there was no apparent sign of understanding, let alone talking. He had had several invitations to lunch, or to play which initially he’d been keen to go to. Gradually I noticed that he was, if anything, withdrawing. Used to him being headstrong and wilful at home, I realised that in truth he was a very timid little boy, barely speaking to me in more than a whisper at pick-up time. Try as I might to get him to say “Au- revoir” to Veronique, his teacher at the end of the school day, he refused! Despite this, the French children seemed to adore him, despite being constantly rebuffed. I am delighted to say that Angus has developed a friendship with a lovely boy in his class, whose mother is also a delight. Maybe this is the start of a breakthrough. There is no sign of conversation but Lego figures seem to be an aid to playing in the playground, along side marbles. I am struck more and more that the French seem to be 10 years behind us. The playground games seem to be those of my child-hood which I find strangely reassuring and comforting. I love the way the French teachers of the primary children are so warm and motherly. The teachers (so far all women) think nothing of kissing the children hello and goodbye and seem to have such a bond with them. It is fantastic to be so removed from the American (and now British) culture of fear of abuse. It is fresh, simple and nurturing! College for the older two is a different matter. The Children “Vous” their teachers, each one a specialist in his own subject, and call them by their family name where the primary children “Tu” and call them by their first name. Amongst themselves the girls kiss both boys and girls as a greeting, and the boys kiss the girls and shake hands for the boys. It’s great for our boys to learn to shake hands, a greeting that has all disappeared for English children. My Collége children are also struggling along with language though I am detecting a breakthrough with Rory. The hours of homework are also easing. Frequently they are completing it themselves without aid, and their increase in comprehension is obvious. Rory is now au fait with the passé simple tense, one of which I have never learnt and has extraordinarily managed to achieve a 17/20 for a French dictée. We still have some real “down” moments when something goes awry, a forgotten book that delivers the wrath of an irate teacher, a misunderstood direction which ends up with some-one ending up late for class, or worst still a change in schedule misunderstood. I am not sure I will ever be used to the quantity of cancelled classes in Collége, a teacher sick, or relegated for a school trip, and never a temporary replacement! On the up-side, we have had a few children home for lunch, though the silence on the trip in the car is somewhat excruciating, being used to the general hubbub in the UK. Once home though, with some basic attempts at conversation from me we have a good time and the kids mess around on the Wii with the instructions in French for their guests, and they return to school smiling – relief?! The subject of finance inevitably rears it’s ugly head during January. It is time to replace “Les Pages Jaunes”. The general job description had fitted in well with my desire to be accessible to the children for all their needs – which are understandably great at the moment and so I pick up the telephone for a second time and make the call to another distribution outfit. This time it is for weekly distribution of a variety of brochures ranging from the local Mairie to Carrefour supermarché. I am not sure about this as it impinges on my principles and I am not sure I will be well received by the general public. Again, a few teething problems writing down the address, but I make it to the presentation, understand a huge level of what is said and find myself registered “toute suite”! Amusingly my car creates problems on the automated computer registration form, which crashes each time we attempt to enter the car model and loading ability, but with a bit of tweaking we have a level of success and I am ready to go! I make a decision that if I am met with any level of derision or abuse I will quit as quickly as I registered. And so I make my first round ready prepared by some kind soul. I am amazed by the level of acceptance by the people I meet. Many ask for their copies or come out to collect them from me to save me the walk down to their letter boxes. I am frequently stopped for conversation and it doesn’t take long for them to realise that I am not French. They seem to be generally amused that a British person might be doing such a job and I assume that most French people believe that the British are all moving out to France, buying up old houses to renovate, and making property unaffordable to the average Frenchman. It appears that the French do not expect the English to be working, fully paid up members of the French social security and tax system. Memorably, I was stopped for at least ten minutes by one old retiree, wondering what the English thought about immigrants – I felt I wasn’t very well placed to respond but muttered something generally about Rome and Romans! We finally discover that the reason we have not heard from the social security office is because our marriage certificate, a non standard, elongated format, has had the last box of information clipped from its photocopy. We whisk in the original and allow them to photocopy it themselves, and to our delight receive our brand new social security numbers, and Cartes Vitales by return of post. Within a further fortnight we also receive a very welcome back-dated cheque for child benefit, a generous payment twice the value of that of Britain. We have now become fully fledged members of the French system! I have just begun to light the fire on a regular basis. We have a great hybrid open fire/woodburning stove with a nifty slide up front so that we can watch the flames dance throughout the evening and shut it up at night to slow burn throughout the night ready for stoking in the morning! It wasn’t until the middle of the month that we finally turned on the central heating. It is hugely satisfying to have lasted so long without it, and indeed to have enjoyed the left-over wood from the last tenant. At last, mid-december it was necessary to order more wood. We ordered three steres – the unit for a metre cubed of wood and had it delivered later that week by a local guy who was able to tell us where our wood had come from – many pieces being from the pollarding of the city centre trees. It was good to know the wood was from a sustainable source and not only that but it smelt delicious and burned well! We took to foraging in the forest across the road for kindling, piling it onto our trolley and stacking it daily into the basket next to the fire to dry. And then the snow began to fall! As we reached the penultimate week of term the roads iced over and our pathway became a death trap. I am used to the British system of gritting the roads. Here in France the system seems a little more haphazard. Our road was not gritted, despite being generally a well-used route into the city. The ploughs cleared one lane of the ring-road, and the route into the city centre and school appeared to be un-gritted! The French also have a dubious system of building basement garages on steep slopes below the bulk of the house and ours was no exception. Hence, on that first fall of snow, the whole exercise of getting the car out and making the school run was almost an impossible dream! Harry made the run, his car being further up the slope of the drive than mine, and I had only to hope that there was a brief thaw in order to pick them up again for lunch. The thaw came and at 4pm I once more set off to collect the children. Parking up, the half an hour wait was enough for the wind chill to refreeze the wet and slushy roads. Rouen is a city on a series of hills, essentially a series ravines carved out by the tributaries of the Seine. By 5pm havoc ensued, cars, including my own were simply not able to get out of parking spaces nor negotiate the tricky sloping bends and road junctions. Some cars were seen sliding sideways around cambered junctions, whilst others simply failed to stop at “Give Way” signs at a sloping junction, careering into passing cars on the main road! Having resorted to ringing Harry at the office to help rescue the car from its icy position, we spent 10 minutes finally manoeuvring it to the centre of the road. Being an automatic, and not known for handling icy conditions well, it was agreed that we would have to reverse the length of this narrow one way street rather than negotiate the sharp inclined junction at the top. It was at this point that a black Renault pulled up behind us hooting loudly for us to pull over to let him pass. These are early days for my language skills, and the word “reverse” was not amongst them. The burly Frenchman was not going to give way to an obviously illiterate foreigner and eventually forced us back into the kerb, only – and to my delight- to be beaten back himself by the steep slippery inclined junction. We managed to achieve the centre of the road again and reverse our way back, barely containing our smiles as we watched him do likewise whilst all the time avoiding eye contact! The snow lasted a month and is probably the longest duration of snow that I have encountered. The roads were generally cleared and the children generally managed to get to school, but as the bad weather continued we wondered if we would be able to leave France for our brief trip back to the UK at Christmas. One of the delights of the French build up to Christmas is the lack of decorations from October. Autumn remained autumn, and Christmas became Christmas mid-way through December. The department responsible for Christmas lights sent out its “technicians” during the rush hour to install the lights on the traffic lights at the main intersection, complete with “cherry-picker” to bring the traffic to a complete standstill and a multitude of mini Christmas trees were installed in various paved areas around the city garnished with a series of ostentatious fabric garlands and oversized bows in various shades of silver! What a great Christmas – This has been the first Christmas without all the family, and as such I wasn’t sure how it would be. The snow gave on a magical quality, the tree stood in a corner looking fabulous after a few mishaps in buying the wrong sort of Christmas lights from the supermarket thanks to my missing vocabulary. Starting with a fish laden chowder, thanks to our excellent fish market, followed by a plump turkey, and finished with Christmas Pudding, thanks to our local Comptoire Irlandaise. I had every intention of making my own Christmas pudding, buying packs of sultanas and mixed peel, but I came unstuck on the suet. The French haven’t heard of suet which translates as Rognon de graisse du boeuf. Eventually I found a small butcher who knew what I wanted but only had Rognon de boeuf. I wasn’t convinced that it would work, and neither was he. So I thanked my luck when I walked into the Comptoire and discovered not only Christmas puddings, but also Golden Syrup, Marmite, and Rowntrees Jelly. Of course all were at fabulously expensive prices, and next time I shall get suet sent out from England, but we bought two puddings and two jars of mincemeat. Angus’s teacher cooked up one of the puddings for his class to try towards the end of term, which went down with mixed results, and I had a baking day and made loads of mince pies, which were taken into Harry’s work and the kids school as a little taste of England! Peaceful and good-humoured, Christmas day continued with a fabulous snowy walk in the forest across the road, and finished with mulled wine in front of the fire and a fabulous new board game we’d bought the kids called Taxifoli – a race to drive clients round Paris with specific missions in mind – and all in French! The weather cleared sufficiently for our brief spell in the UK. We opened up our house again, stoked up the fires and brewed up another vat of Mulled Wine for all our old friends. A fabulous round up to a busy four months in France! It didn’t take long to realise that I would have to find a job. The speed with which money was leaving our account was truly frightening, yet we seemed to have little to show for it. As I once had done in the UK, comparing the cost of a Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose grocery shop, I did a dummy online Sainsbury’s shop and compared it with my most recent bill from Carrefour Supermarket, using my receipt to find as close to “like for like” items. The results were scary! With the exchange rates at parity there was a 30% increase in the cost of grocery shopping in France. Even with the exchange rates at the 2005 values, French bills were substantially higher. The same applied in other areas, clothes, shoes and particularly electronic equipment. Each week my mail box down at the gate is loaded up with brochures and flyers advertising the bargains available at my local Carrefour and Lidl and numerous others. I often browse through them hoping for a bargain deal, though often resort to saving the paper for lighting my fire in the evening (its glossy pages do not burn well!) However, tucked amongst them is the local “Top Annonces”, a nugget of a little paper with houses to rent or buy and the Job Vacancy page! Normally there are few jobs, an opening for a qualified butcher, an estate agent (I am not yet up to the sales patter) and numerous “hostesses” for city centre clubs! But suddenly, one day lurking amongst the rest in a bright yellow box was an advert for “Pages Jaunes”. I perked up, for this was none other than the French version of Yellow pages ready for its annual distribution, and looking for unlikely candidates prepared to brave all weathers to get them distributed. And I was the unlikeliest candidate of them all! An English Architect! The first step of course was to apply! For most French this would be a “walk in the park” but for me it entailed making a phone call, the one aspect of living in France that filled me with dread! It took me about three days to decide to actually ring to apply, partially because I knew I would succeed in making a relative fool of myself, and secondly because it was a job that I wouldn’t have considered in the UK. But needs must and I had plenty of time on my hands and I had nothing to loose. The phone call of course was as I predicted. The receptionist had a strong regional accent, and despite the fact I had rehearsed my speech, I was thrown when she requested my postcode first, since French numbers are notoriously difficult once into the thousands. My postcode typically was one of the wonderful hybrid numbers, 76230, the seventies being marginally easier than the eighties and definitely easier than the nineties, but whilst already written hundreds of times, had not been practiced by me aloud. A big pause therefore before I launched myself into it! Immediately afterwards she asked for my coordinées. I was a little disturbed by this, not knowing the map reference to my property, but guessing that a simple address might be adequate, I launched ahead, only to be stopped swiftly, as a telephone number was all she required. Since French phone numbers are always given in doubles, I was forced to gather myself again before proceeding. It is quite interesting how in the UK phone numbers are given using single digits and noone gives it another thought, but if you try to do the same thing in France, you feel utterly stupid. Breathing a sigh of relief, and believing the worst was over I was completely off guard when she announced I would need to go for an interview and proceeded to give me an address. I was to turn up to “Pole Emploi” she said in her regional accent. I caught the “Pole” but missed the emploi, and asked her to spell it, and there found myself tangled in a web of “E”s sounding like ur’s and “I”s sounding like “E”s, and embarrassed after two repetitions penned some letters down and hoped the street name might later throw some light on the destination! My appointment was in the afternoon, I knew that because she used the 24 hour clock, something that we never do in the UK, and the French always do. It is something to master later on as for me it entails a double translation, and my brain simply won’t work fast enough! Thanks to Google Maps I located my destination and found the office at the appointed time. I entered and introduced myself and went to wait in the waiting room. Within a few minutes the waiting room was “plein du monde” – full of the world, and shortly afterwards some thirty of us were ushered into a conference room. “You don’t live in Britain too, do you?” he replied laughing and on my reply to the negative he assured me the job was mine if I wanted it! He wrote down on a piece of paper the address of the storage depot, complete with a little hastily drawn map and the start time, and crossed a box with regard to the social security and sent me on my way wishing me “Bonne chance”, one of my favourite little French phrases to date – and so applicable and necessary to me! I was silently delighted with my first major success in France – I had joined the working population – it was a major coup! I can honestly say that the job itself was fun to do. I arrived at the depot to have my car loaded to the gunwhales with directories. The weather was superb and sunny, and I had four weeks to deliver as much as I could to maximise my income! I explored, as much as worked, my own district on foot, discovering what lay behind normally closed gates. Tiny cottages, manoirs and chateaux, reclamation yards, restaurants and garden centres. I discovered the lot and had interesting and quick conversations with people as I passed. But the joke was on me when one lady, irritated that I had not simply left the directory in her mail box, demanded why I hadn’t been given a master key! And so I had, the key I’d been carrying around with me for the last 700 distributions, which I had mistakenly confused for a master key to a block of flats, was none other than the master-key to all the mail boxes in France, and thus doubling my efficiency! Meanwhile the kids reached their first milestone – their first half-term and a major excuse for celebration and relaxation. So far so good – all alive and well and enjoying the Indian summer with trips to the local pool, and our first trip out westwards to Trouville and Deauville, the popular sandy beach resorts with their 1920’s Casino architecture. With weather like this, one can hardly believe we are only a month away from christmas! The kids are relieved to get away from school at mid-day! It’s hard to say goodbye in the morning seeing their anguish at what lies ahead and knowing that they understand nothing. Both the kids in collége have been given a Carnet de Correspondence, a very useful booklet to allow parents and teachers to communicate. The English schools could learn a thing or two! Each day Anabel demands that I write a note to her teachers explaining that she is English and doesn’t understand anything. Poor thing – I think they already know that! She is terrified to be caught without the right equipment or books and has a total fear that someone might ask her a question. They’re all in the same boat, no-one has a clue what is going on. They just turn up and write down what they can and hang in there till lunch. I am amazed that they haven’t thought to mutiny! Nothing can wipe from my mind the first evening’s homework. Just as at the beginning of English senior school, the first night the teachers really piled on the homework – just so as to remove any idea of complacency. Complacent we were not! Harry, being still at work, was unaware of the frenzied attempt to complete the task before us. There was an absolute certainty that this homework would have to be completed since none of the kids had the vocabulary to explain to an irritated teacher why they hadn’t done it – though I could see that Anabel’s phrase of “Je suis Anglais” would be getting more practice! In no particular order I began to laboriously translate 4 children’s homework, entice them into completing it in English, retranslate it and encourage them to write it out in their own handwriting. There were not enough hours that night, and I began to laugh rather hysterically at the thought of Theo learning by rote the Poesie (poem) for the following morning whilst not comprehending a word that he was saying! Toeing the line is not his strong point! Needless to say, I was still at the table long after the children had gone to sleep, trying to get it finished. There have been a great many tasks to complete to get us “up and running”. All the children need insurance to cover them whilst at school. We have had to sort out the school fees, and have been faced with innumerable letters home on every subject imaginable! The letters are often written in such flowery prose that at very least degree level French is advisable! “Veuillez croire, Chers parents, en mon sincère dévouement auprès de vos enfants . »writes Angus’ teacher at the end of a short note regarding an outing where they need to come armed with a euro. ( Would you believe, dear parents, in my sincere devotion towards your children) However I am getting faster at flicking through my trusted French dictionary. Throw away concise dictionaries – they simply don’t contain enough words and get a really hefty tome of a book! The trouble, of course, with having to ensure that your children have the requisite insurance is to be able to understand the small print of the insurance documents. Small print is hard enough in English! More worryingly still is when the window of the Acceuil (school reception) is thrown open for the very efficient secretary to call across the playground “Madame , S’il vous plait….” And you just know that your French is going to be REALLY put to the test. I really didn’t know if we had organised the insurance, there was a glimmer of possibility that she was inviting me to join the schools preferred insurance provider, and a definite comprehension that I really needed to reply by lunch-time. Which all in all promised the opportunity for me to ring the household insurance policy holder that very same morning and to hope that he would answer me with a “yes” or “no”! It is really quite extraordinary how the French do not answer with a simple affirmative, just when you really need them to! No matter how well you word the question to land them with only an opportunity for “yes” or “no” answer, they invariable reply with a question, leaving you in an unspeakably agonising position of admitting that you have absolutely no idea what they have just said to you! It happens to me all the time. This month I received a new cheque book in the post. It was very exciting, not least because it was completely different to an English one, and not completely clear how to fill it in. The school secretary however was very efficient in talking me through it! In the same post I received a letter from the bank with some instructions on in “bank-speak”. Aware that I was being asked to do something, I braved the telephone. Sadly I did not make it past the automated bank answering machine. I hung up, and made a couple more futile attempts before I finally reached a real person. I felt, understandably thrilled by this achievement until it came to explaining why I’d rung. However after some more very patient bank-speak I came to understand that I hadn’t needed to do anything. The letter was sent to me to tell me to contact them if I hadn’t received my cheque book, which of course I had, and therefore I had just wasted my entire morning on a job I hadn’t actually needed to do! This month we have also visited the CAF, (Caisse Allocation Familiale). This is the hugely important department which sorts you out with a social security number, and armed with this vital piece of information, you can then receive Family Allowance contributions which are significantly better than in the UK, and proceed to the CPAM (Caisse Primaire Assurance Maladie) and set yourself up with the health service and access a Carte Vitale for all reimbursement of medical costs. We arrived armed with endless copies of our birth certificates, passports, marriage certificates, proof of employment and so on. Having waited in line and filled in the documents we left and waited…. And waited….And waited… And are still waiting!

2019-04-18T11:15:18Z

https://myhusbanddrivesalemon.com/category/new-life-abroad/becoming-bilingual/

Of 1042 risk-listed objects, 43 have had news in the last 31 days. Updated at 2305 UTC on 17 April. Seven transient natural objects are reported to be less than ten lunar distances (LD) from Earth today. Nearest is risk-listed 2019 GC6, which enters the Earth-Moon system as it comes in from 1.66 to 0.66 LD, passing the Moon by 0.72 LD. This report was generated at 1942 UTC with follow-up in today's DOU MPEC for departed objects 2019 GW1 and risk-listed 2019 GS19, and for distant 68216 2001 CV26. Notes: Ten times the distance to the Moon (ten LD) has no astronomical importance but is a useful boundary for reporting about transient natural objects that approach our planet's gravitational sphere of influence (SOI), which has a radius of about 2.41 LD from Earth's center. This puts a focus on some of the most important and very best NEO observation work, representative of the much larger NEO discovery and tracking effort. "Distant" is used here to describe an object that has approached Earth within ten LD since A/CC began these traffic reports twelve years ago but is not currently coming so close. Object temporal distances are derived by A/CC from JPL Horizons data. See also current sky chart and object details (alt-details), ephemerides, and today's timeline. When last checked at 2358 UTC today, the Minor Planet Center's Near Earth Object discovery Confirmation Page (NEOCP) had 42 objects listed. Of these, nineteen were "one nighters." K16N90Z 2016 NZ90 (q=34.301 AU, Q=61.719 AU, H=7.0 ~135 km) was picked up at 1030 UT on 5 July 2016 by PS1, observing it at 2015 June 17.43-46p4 at G=22.1-4, 2015 June 19.47-49p3 at G=21.3-7, 2016 June 9.54p1 at G=21.7, 2016 July 5.44-47p8 at G=21.9-22.4, 2016 Aug. 3.35-39p4 at G=21.6-22.3, 2017 May 6.59-61p4 at G=22.1-6, 2017 May 26.56p1 at G=21.8, 2017 June 23.46-49p4 at G=22.1-5, 2017 July 26.37-40p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2017 Aug. 13.31-34p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2018 May 24.58-60p3 at G=22.4-6, 2018 July 10.39-43p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2018 July 11.39-43p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2018 Aug. 7.33-36p4 at G=22.3-5, and 2018 Aug. 14.34-37p4 at G=22.2-7. K16AR8N 2016 AN278 (KBO, q=36.800 AU, Q=56.570 AU, H=7.0 ~135 km) was picked up at 0800 UT on 12 Jan. 2016 by PS1, observing it at 2013 Dec. 30.37-42p4 at G=22.2-5, 2014 Jan. 10.34p1 at G=22.8, 2015 Jan. 21.33-37p4 at G=22.1-4, 2015 Jan. 21.45-49p4 at G=22.1-23.1, 2015 Feb. 19.23-27p4 at G=22.1-7, 2016 Jan. 12.33-37p4 at G=22.2-7, 2016 Jan. 31.31-35p3 at G=22.2-5, 2016 Feb. 10.28-31p4 at G=21.8-22.6, 2016 Feb. 12.28-32p4 at G=21.9-22.9, and 2017 Jan. 26.44-48p4 at G=22.4-23.0. K15DP0Z 2015 DZ250 (KBO, q=36.865 AU, Q=48.620 AU, H=5.7 ~245 km) was picked up at 1104 UT on 19 Feb. 2015 by PS1, observing it at 2015 Feb. 19.46-50p4 at G=22.1-4, 2015 Feb. 20.48-51p4 at G=22.1-23.6, 2015 March 20.44-47p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2016 Jan. 10.59-63p4 at G=22.1-3, 2016 March 6.43-46p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2016 May 6.26-29p4 at G=22.6-9, 2017 Jan. 10.61-64p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2017 April 1.41-45p4 at G=22.1-4, 2017 Dec. 26.63-66p4 at G=22.1-7, 2018 Jan. 2.57p1 at G=22.1, and 2018 Jan. 15.58-61p4 at G=22.0-22.3. K15Bu8G 2015 BG568 (i=36.9°, q=37.343 AU, Q=127.825 AU, H=6.7 ~155 km) was picked up at 0920 UT on 23 Jan. 2015 by PS1, observing it at 2014 Feb. 27.42p1 at G=21.5, 2014 April 5.25p1 at G=22.2, 2014 Nov. 23.63p1 at G=23.0, 2015 Jan. 23.39-43p4 at G=21.8-22.5, 2015 Jan. 25.37-40p2 at G=21.4-8, 2015 Feb. 19.35-39p4 at G=22.1-5, 2015 Feb. 20.37-38p2 at G=21.8-22.0, 2015 Dec. 7.59-62p4 at G=22.2-9, 2015 Dec. 8.55-56p2 at G=21.6-22.6, 2016 Jan. 11.47-51p7 at G=22.0-22.7, 2016 Jan. 12.43-47p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2016 March 2.31-35p4 at G=22.1-6, 2016 March 6.26-29p2 at G=22.1-4, 2016 March 10.24-27p2 at G=23.0, 2016 April 11.25-28p4 at G=21.8-23.0, 2016 Nov. 7.61-64p4 at G=22.2-23.0, 2017 Jan. 31.37-41p4 at G=21.8-23.1, 2017 Oct. 31.63p1 at G=22.7, 2017 Nov. 24.62-64p4 at G=22.3-23.9, 2018 Jan. 14.44-48p4 at G=21.9-22.6, and 2018 Jan. 15.42-46p4 at G=22.3-4. K15Bu8F 2015 BF568 (Centaur, q=12.352 AU, Q=24.405 AU, H=9.8 ~37.1 km) was picked up at 1023 UT on 19 Jan. 2015 by PS1, observing it at 2015 Jan. 19.43-47p4 at G=21.3-22.6, 2015 Jan. 21.38-42p4 at G=22.1-7, 2015 March 20.24-28p4 at G=22.4-7, 2015 March 22.26p1 at G=22.2, 2015 Oct. 28.63p1 at G=23.1, 2015 Dec. 5.60p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Dec. 6.51p1 at G=22.8, 2015 Dec. 8.55-59p4 at G=21.7-22.7, 2016 Jan. 10.54-58p4 at G=22.6-9, 2016 Jan. 12.44-48p4 at G=22.4-7, 2016 Feb. 10.34-38p4 at G=22.1-6, 2016 March 2.32-36p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2016 March 25.31p1 at G=22.7, 2016 April 4.25-29p4 at G=22.1-23.8, 2017 Jan. 3.52-55p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2017 Jan. 31.42-45p4 at G=22.3-9, 2017 March 13.30p1 at G=24.0, 2017 April 11.29p1 at G=21.8, and 2017 Dec. 28.51p1 at G=22.4. K15Bu8E 2015 BE568 (q=19.589 AU, Q=131.785 AU, H=9.2 ~49.0 km) was picked up at 1244 UT on 18 Jan. 2015 by PS1, observing it at 2011 April 4.24-25p2 at G=22.3-6, 2012 Jan. 29.54-58p3 at G=21.9-22.3, 2014 March 9.37-38p2 at G=21.4-22.0, 2015 Jan. 18.53-57p4 at G=22.1-4, 2015 March 23.39-42p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2015 April 23.31p1 at G=21.8, 2016 Jan. 9.59-62p4 at G=22.5-6, 2016 Jan. 18.56-59p3 at G=21.6-22.4, 2016 March 1.43-47p4 at G=21.4-9, 2016 March 15.38-40p2 at G=21.4-9, 2016 March 28.33-37p4 at G=21.3-22.1, 2016 April 3.34-38p4 at G=21.4-9, 2016 April 29.30-33p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2017 Jan. 30.54-57p4 at G=20.8-21.7, 2017 Feb. 17.52-55p4 at G=21.8-22.8, 2017 March 21.39-42p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2017 March 31.36-40p4 at G=21.6-22.1, 2017 Dec. 30.58-62p4 at G=22.0-23.1, 2017 Dec. 31.61p1 at G=22.7, 2018 Jan. 10.60-63p3 at G=22.0-22.4, 2018 Feb. 11.55p1 at G=22.2, and 2018 March 22.42p1 at G=21.4. K15AT3R 2015 AR293 (q=35.410 AU, Q=72.571 AU, H=7.0 ~135 km) was picked up at 1512 UT on 14 Jan. 2015 by PS1, observing it at 2015 Jan. 14.63-65p3 at G=22.2-4, 2015 March 16.47-50p4 at G=22.1-4, 2015 March 17.47-54p4 at G=22.3-8, 2015 April 20.33-37p4 at G=21.4-23.1, 2016 Jan. 31.58p1 at G=22.3, 2016 Feb. 10.43-46p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2016 Feb. 14.43-47p4 at G=22.2-23.2, 2016 Feb. 28.57p1 at G=21.5, 2016 March 13.34-37p4 at G=22.2-5, 2016 March 13.49-52p4 at G=22.3-7, 2016 April 30.35-39p4 at G=22.4-8, 2016 May 3.38p1 at G=21.2, 2016 May 30.31-34p4 at G=22.2-9, 2017 Jan. 31.47-49p3 at G=22.4-8, 2017 Feb. 18.31-44p8 at G=22.2-23.3, 2017 Feb. 18.61p1 at G=22.3, 2017 Feb. 18.65p1 at G=21.9, 2017 Feb. 19.38p1 at G=22.3, 2017 Feb. 23.63p1 at G=22.3, 2017 March 6.40p1 at G=22.3, 2017 March 29.32-33p2 at G=22.4-6, 2017 April 11.45p1 at G=20.7, and 2018 March 6.37p1 at G=21.7. K15AT3Q 2015 AQ293 (KBO, q=34.511 AU, Q=52.802 AU, H=5.8 ~234 km) was picked up at 0817 UT on 12 Jan. 2015 by PS1, observing it at 2012 Dec. 28.40p1 at G=22.6, 2013 Jan. 27.28p1 at G=22.3, 2013 Dec. 12.42p1 at G=21.7, 2014 Oct. 31.61p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Dec. 10.48-51p2 at G=22.0-23.5, 2015 Jan. 12.35-39p4 at G=22.2-7, 2015 Jan. 14.27-31p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2015 Jan. 15.28-32p4 at G=22.2-4, 2015 Jan. 16.27-32p4 at G=22.4-6, 2015 Sept. 22.57-60p4 at G=22.5-23.0, 2015 Sept. 23.58-61p4 at G=22.4-7, 2015 Sept. 24.57-61p4 at G=21.9-22.9, 2015 Oct. 25.51p1 at G=22.8, 2015 Oct. 26.45p1 at G=22.8, 2015 Dec. 6.41p1 at G=22.5, 2015 Dec. 13.47-51p4 at G=22.1-23.0, 2015 Dec. 14.43-46p2 at G=22.1-4, 2016 Jan. 9.38-41p8 at G=22.0-22.8, 2016 Jan. 11.35-39p4 at G=21.8-23.1, 2016 Jan. 30.32-36p4 at G=22.2-6, 2016 Feb. 12.24-26p3 at G=22.3-8, 2016 March 2.24-28p4 at G=22.8-23.5, 2016 Oct. 9.59-62p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2017 Nov. 9.55-58p3 at G=21.7-22.2, 2017 Nov. 18.44-48p4 at G=21.5-22.4, 2017 Dec. 14.40p1 at G=22.8, and 2017 Dec. 23.36-39p4 at G=22.4-9. K14Wr6C 2014 WC536 (KBO, q=31.532 AU, Q=46.891 AU, H=7.4 ~112 km) was picked up at 1006 UT on 28 Nov. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2011 Nov. 22.38-43p3 at G=22.0-23.1, 2012 Oct. 6.58-59p2 at G=22.4-7, 2012 Oct. 20.43-47p4 at G=21.9-22.8, 2014 Nov. 28.42-46p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2015 Jan. 8.20p1 at G=20.7, 2015 Jan. 21.22-26p4 at G=22.5-23.0, 2015 Sept. 11.55-59p4 at G=22.5-23.3, 2015 Sept. 12.53-56p4 at G=22.3-23.3, 2015 Oct. 8.58-61p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2015 Oct. 9.57-61p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2015 Nov. 1.56-57p2 at G=22.8, 2015 Nov. 3.42-44p2 at G=22.4, 2015 Nov. 6.38p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Nov. 17.35-38p4 at G=21.6-22.7, 2015 Dec. 1.43-44p2 at G=21.9-22.1, 2015 Dec. 9.35-39p4 at G=21.9-22.6, 2016 Jan. 30.27-31p3 at G=22.4-7, 2016 Oct. 28.45p1 at G=22.2, 2016 Nov. 5.41-45p8 at G=22.2-23.8, 2017 Sept. 30.54-58p4 at G=22.7-9, 2017 Oct. 28.51-54p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2017 Oct. 29.48-50p2 at G=22.0-22.3, 2017 Nov. 22.38-42p4 at G=22.1-7, 2017 Dec. 11.35-39p4 at G=22.3-6, and 2018 Jan. 5.24-28p4 at G=22.1-23.4. K14Wr6B 2014 WB536 (q=26.511 AU, Q=95.798 AU, H=8.4 ~70.8 km) was picked up at 1423 UT on 26 Nov. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2014 March 20.48-51p4 at G=21.2-9, 2014 March 25.30-34p4 at G=22.6-23.4, 2014 Nov. 26.60-64p4 at G=22.1-7, 2015 Jan. 21.56-60p4 at G=22.8-23.5, 2015 Jan. 29.53p1 at G=21.6, 2015 Jan. 31.54p1 at G=22.4, 2015 Jan. 31.66p1 at G=22.1, 2015 Feb. 16.41-45p4 at G=21.9-22.6, 2015 Feb. 17.54-58p4 at G=22.2-23.0, 2015 March 24.49-51p2 at G=22.5-7, 2015 March 25.50-54p3 at G=22.0-22.5, 2015 April 16.41p1 at G=22.6, 2015 July 9.29p1 at G=22.8, 2016 Feb. 2.60p1 at G=22.1, 2016 Feb. 9.49p1 at G=23.2, 2016 Feb. 16.53p1 at G=22.5, 2016 March 8.43p1 at G=22.6, 2016 March 15.35p1 at G=22.7, 2016 March 29.44p1 at G=22.2, 2016 April 3.42p1 at G=21.4, 2016 April 5.37p1 at G=22.5, 2017 Jan. 27.63-66p4 at G=22.5-23.0, 2017 Feb. 21.49p1 at G=22.2, 2017 March 4.45-48p4 at G=22.6-8, 2017 March 20.34-38p3 at G=22.5-8, 2017 April 3.46-50p4 at G=22.1-6, 2017 April 16.30-34p4 at G=22.4-9, 2017 April 20.37-40p4 at G=21.9-23.2, 2017 April 27.31-35p4 at G=22.2-6, 2017 Dec. 28.63-66p3 at G=22.6-23.2, 2018 Jan. 14.62-63p2 at G=22.3-6, 2018 Feb. 12.52-55p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2018 March 10.44p1 at G=23.0, 2018 March 17.44-48p3 at G=21.5-22.5, 2018 March 19.39-43p4 at G=22.5-8, and 2018 April 13.36-39p4 at G=22.2-23.0. K14Wr6A 2014 WA536 (q=30.518 AU, Q=80.492 AU, H=7.2 ~123 km) was picked up at 1439 UT on 23 Nov. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2012 Jan. 24.36-40p4 at G=22.3-6, 2013 Jan. 18.48-52p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2013 Dec. 26.55p1 at G=22.0, 2014 Jan. 20.43p1 at G=23.0, 2014 Nov. 23.61-64p4 at G=21.5-23.1, 2014 Dec. 7.51p1 at G=21.7, 2015 Jan. 23.39-43p4 at G=22.1-5, 2015 Jan. 25.38-42p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2015 Feb. 19.36-39p4 at G=21.9-22.1, 2015 Feb. 20.37-41p4 at G=22.4-7, 2015 Dec. 7.59-62p4 at G=21.6-22.3, 2015 Dec. 8.55-59p4 at G=22.3-8, 2016 Jan. 11.48-51p4 at G=21.4-22.4, 2016 Jan. 12.44-48p4 at G=22.2-3, 2016 March 6.26-30p4 at G=21.9-22.1, 2016 March 10.25-29p8 at G=21.9-23.1, 2016 March 25.26-30p4 at G=21.3-9, 2016 April 11.25-29p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2017 March 13.31p1 at G=22.0, 2017 April 11.25p1, 2017 Dec. 14.54-58p4 at G=22.1-6, 2017 Dec. 26.52-55p4 at G=22.1-6, 2017 Dec. 28.51-55p4 at G=22.2-5, 2018 Jan. 8.54-57p3 at G=21.4-22.9, 2018 Jan. 15.43-46p4 at G=21.5-7, 2018 Jan. 17.47-50p3 at G=21.7-22.1, 2018 Feb. 20.39p1 at G=21.7, and 2018 March 10.29-33p4 at G=21.3-9. K14Wr5Z 2014 WZ535 (KBO, q=37.445 AU, Q=43.844 AU, H=6.4 ~178 km) was picked up at 1431 UT on 23 Nov. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2014 Jan. 20.47p1 at G=22.7, 2014 Nov. 23.61-64p4 at G=22.2-4, 2015 Jan. 25.38-42p4 at G=22.3-8, 2015 Feb. 19.36-40p4 at G=22.1-5, 2015 Feb. 20.37-41p4 at G=21.7-22.6, 2015 Dec. 7.59-61p3 at G=22.7-23.4, 2016 Jan. 11.47-51p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2016 Jan. 12.44-47p3 at G=22.2-8, 2016 Feb. 2.42-45p3 at G=22.2-5, 2016 Feb. 11.33-37p4 at G=22.2-4, 2016 Feb. 25.39p1 at G=22.6, 2016 March 2.31-35p4 at G=22.1-7, 2016 March 6.26-30p4 at G=22.6-23.0, 2016 March 10.25-28p5 at G=22.2-9, 2016 Nov. 7.61p1 at G=22.6, 2017 Jan. 31.37-41p4 at G=22.2-8, 2017 March 13.33p1 at G=22.7, 2017 Oct. 31.63p1 at G=22.8, 2017 Dec. 10.55p1 at G=22.6, 2018 Jan. 7.50p1 at G=22.8, and 2018 Jan. 14.44-48p4 at G=21.9-22.3. K14Wr5Y 2014 WY535 (q=35.694 AU, Q=76.671 AU, H=6.4 ~178 km) was picked up at 1423 UT on 23 Nov. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2009 Dec. 29.49-50p2 at G=21.7-9, 2011 Dec. 23.50p1 at G=21.7, 2012 Dec. 23.49-51p3 at G=21.4-6, 2013 March 12.27p1 at G=22.2, 2013 Oct. 19.62p1 at G=22.1, 2013 Dec. 3.62p1 at G=21.3, 2014 Jan. 20.43p1 at G=21.7, 2014 Nov. 23.60-63p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2014 Dec. 6.53-54p2 at G=21.5-22.1, 2014 Dec. 7.48p1 at G=21.9, 2014 Dec. 15.52p1 at G=22.1, 2015 Dec. 7.58-62p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2015 Dec. 8.54-58p4 at G=21.7-22.0, 2016 Jan. 11.47-51p4 at G=21.5, 2016 Feb. 2.42-45p4 at G=21.9-22.6, 2016 Feb. 11.32-36p4 at G=21.6-7, 2016 Feb. 25.36-40p4 at G=21.5-22.1, 2016 March 2.35p1 at G=21.6, 2016 March 6.26-29p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2016 March 25.24-29p4 at G=21.3-9, 2016 April 11.24-28p8 at G=21.5-22.4, 2016 Oct. 28.62-64p3 at G=21.7-22.1, 2016 Nov. 7.60-63p4 at G=20.9-21.6, 2017 Jan. 31.37-40p4 at G=21.5-7, 2017 March 13.29-33p3 at G=21.2-22.2, 2017 April 11.24-28p4 at G=21.3-22.1, 2017 Oct. 31.62p1 at G=21.4, 2017 Nov. 24.61-64p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2018 Jan. 7.50-53p4 at G=21.7-22.1, and 2018 Jan. 15.42-46p4 at G=21.6-9. K14Wr5X 2014 WX535 (Centaur, q=12.304 AU, Q=36.829 AU, H=10.8 ~23.4 km) was picked up at 1317 UT on 23 Nov. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2012 Jan. 4.44-45p2 at G=22.3-4, 2012 Dec. 23.46-47p2 at G=21.9-22.2, 2013 Dec. 23.50p1 at G=22.0, 2014 Jan. 20.39-46p4 at G=21.3-22.2, 2014 Nov. 23.55-58p3 at G=22.0-22.4, 2014 Nov. 25.57p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Dec. 6.54p1 at G=22.4, 2014 Dec. 21.56-58p2 at G=21.8-22.1, 2015 Jan. 19.43-46p4 at G=21.6-8, 2015 Jan. 21.40-42p2 at G=21.7-22.0, 2015 Feb. 22.33-36p3 at G=21.7-22.1, 2015 March 20.24-28p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2015 March 22.24-29p3 at G=21.9-22.6, 2015 Oct. 19.58-59p4 at G=19.5-22.6, 2015 Oct. 24.59p4 at G=21.0-22.3, 2015 Oct. 28.60-63p3 at G=21.4-8, 2015 Dec. 6.51-55p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2015 Dec. 13.54-57p4 at G=21.4-6, 2016 Jan. 9.44-48p4 at G=21.6-7, 2016 Jan. 10.54-58p4 at G=21.2-6, 2016 Jan. 12.38-42p4 at G=21.5-8, 2016 Jan. 19.39-43p4 at G=21.3-7, 2016 Jan. 28.39p1 at G=21.5, 2016 Feb. 9.39-43p4 at G=21.4-6, 2016 Feb. 10.34-38p4 at G=21.3-9, 2016 Feb. 26.36-37p2 at G=21.2-22.4, 2016 March 4.30-33p4 at G=21.5-7, 2016 March 8.27p1 at G=21.3, 2016 March 25.31-34p4 at G=21.5-9, 2016 April 4.25-28p4 at G=20.9-21.5, 2016 Nov. 14.62-64p4 at G=21.4-22.1, 2017 Jan. 2.54-56p3 at G=21.9-22.1, 2017 Jan. 29.49-53p8 at G=21.4-7, 2017 Feb. 18.45-48p4 at G=21.3-8, 2017 Feb. 19.59p1 at G=21.4, 2017 Feb. 27.35-39p4 at G=21.4-6, 2017 March 31.31-33p3 at G=21.3-5, 2018 Jan. 20.56-59p4 at G=21.5-6, 2018 Feb. 21.44-47p4 at G=21.2-5, 2018 March 11.38-41p3 at G=19.2-21.7, 2018 March 17.34-37p3 at G=21.4-5, and 2018 March 20.34-38p4 at G=20.5-21.5. K14Wr5W 2014 WW535 (q=24.089 AU, Q=44.763 AU, H=9.1 ~51.3 km) was picked up at 1312 UT on 23 Nov. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2014 Nov. 23.55-59p4 at G=22.7-23.4, 2014 Nov. 25.55-58p3 at G=22.2-23.6, 2014 Dec. 15.61p1 at G=21.6, 2014 Dec. 21.56-58p3 at G=22.8-23.3, 2015 Jan. 21.37-42p4 at G=22.4-8, 2015 Feb. 20.36-40p4 at G=22.6-24.8, 2015 Dec. 5.55p1 at G=23.4, 2015 Dec. 6.53p1 at G=22.5, 2015 Dec. 7.59-62p4 at G=21.0-22.6, 2015 Dec. 13.53-57p4 at G=22.1-23.5, 2016 Jan. 11.47-50p4 at G=22.5-23.4, 2016 Jan. 12.44-47p4 at G=21.1-22.9, 2016 Jan. 19.38-42p4 at G=21.2-22.5, 2016 Feb. 2.42-44p3 at G=22.5-7, 2016 Feb. 11.33-35p3 at G=22.7-23.2, 2016 March 5.30-34p4 at G=22.2-9, 2016 March 6.26-29p4 at G=22.7-23.2, 2016 March 10.24-28p4 at G=21.6-22.8, 2016 March 25.30-33p3 at G=22.4-9, 2016 April 4.24-28p4 at G=22.6-23.5, 2016 April 11.25-27p2 at G=21.9-22.6, 2016 Nov. 7.61p1 at G=22.8, 2017 Jan. 20.46-50p4 at G=22.2-23.3, 2017 Jan. 29.45-48p4 at G=22.7-23.5, 2017 Jan. 31.37-41p4 at G=22.5-23.4, 2017 March 16.25-29p4 at G=22.8-23.3, 2018 Jan. 7.54p1 at G=22.6, and 2018 Jan. 15.42-46p4 at G=22.3-9. K14Wr5V 2014 WV535 (Centaur, q=12.393 AU, Q=29.838 AU, H=10.0 ~33.9 km) was picked up at 1240 UT on 22 Nov. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2014 Sept. 23.63p1 at G=22.4, 2014 Oct. 3.54p1 at G=20.7, 2014 Nov. 22.53-55p3 at G=21.8-22.3, 2014 Dec. 15.38-41p4 at G=22.3-23.1, 2015 Jan. 8.37-41p4 at G=21.7-22.9, 2015 Jan. 12.34-39p3 at G=22.3-8, 2015 Jan. 15.28-32p4 at G=22.3-7, 2015 Jan. 16.27-31p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2015 Sept. 22.57-60p4 at G=21.9-22.6, 2015 Sept. 23.58-62p8 at G=22.3-9, 2015 Sept. 24.58-61p5 at G=22.2-23.4, 2015 Oct. 26.48p1 at G=22.4, 2015 Nov. 16.55-56p2 at G=22.2-9, 2015 Nov. 23.52p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Nov. 30.46p1 at G=23.1, 2015 Dec. 6.40-44p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2015 Dec. 13.47-51p4 at G=21.9-22.7, 2015 Dec. 14.45-46p2 at G=22.5-23.2, 2016 Jan. 9.38-41p4 at G=22.3-6, 2016 Jan. 11.35-39p4 at G=21.6-23.0, 2016 Jan. 12.27-31p2 at G=22.4-8, 2016 Jan. 30.32-36p4 at G=22.6-23.9, 2016 Feb. 12.23-27p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2016 March 2.24-28p4 at G=21.5-22.7, 2016 Oct. 14.60p1 at G=22.7, 2016 Dec. 23.42-46p4 at G=21.9-23.3, 2017 Dec. 23.36-40p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2018 Jan. 12.38-42p4 at G=21.8-22.6, and 2018 Jan. 22.36p1 at G=21.6. K14Sa5A 2014 SA365 (KBO, q=36.454 AU, Q=44.222 AU, H=6.9 ~141 km) was picked up at 1402 UT on 20 Sept. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2013 Oct. 25.61p1 at G=22.9, 2014 Sept. 11.56p1 at G=22.4, 2014 Sept. 20.59-61p3 at G=22.2-6, 2014 Sept. 22.59-63p4 at G=22.2-7, 2014 Oct. 4.54p1 at G=22.7, 2014 Nov. 23.42p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Nov. 27.46-50p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2014 Dec. 11.42p1 at G=22.0, 2014 Dec. 15.38p1 at G=22.8, 2015 Jan. 15.28-32p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2015 Sept. 22.57-60p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2015 Sept. 23.58-61p4 at G=22.6-8, 2015 Sept. 24.57-61p4 at G=21.6-22.4, 2015 Nov. 23.51p1 at G=21.6, 2015 Nov. 28.51p1 at G=20.9, 2015 Nov. 30.45p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Dec. 6.40p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Dec. 7.42-46p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2015 Dec. 13.47-51p4 at G=21.6-9, 2015 Dec. 14.42p1 at G=21.6, 2016 Jan. 9.33-41p8 at G=21.7-22.4, 2016 Jan. 12.27-31p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2016 Jan. 28.28-31p4 at G=21.8-22.7, 2016 Feb. 12.24-26p3 at G=22.3-9, 2016 Oct. 9.59-62p4 at G=22.5-23.2, 2016 Dec. 23.42-45p4 at G=22.3-23.2, 2017 Jan. 27.33-36p4 at G=20.0-22.9, 2017 Nov. 9.59p1 at G=22.2, 2017 Nov. 18.44-48p3 at G=22.3-23.1, 2017 Dec. 7.47p1 at G=21.9, and 2017 Dec. 14.44p1 at G=22.5. K14P82M 2014 PM82 (q=36.261 AU, Q=74.810 AU, H=6.9 ~141 km) was picked up at 1248 UT on 6 Aug. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2013 Sept. 10.50-54p4 at G=22.2-23.4, 2013 Oct. 8.35-39p3 at G=22.5-6, 2014 July 30.56p1 at G=21.6, 2014 Aug. 6.53-56p3 at G=22.3-24.1, 2014 Aug. 18.45-48p3 at G=22.5-23.1, 2014 Aug. 19.45-49p4 at G=22.0-23.5, 2014 Aug. 30.45-48p4 at G=22.6-23.3, 2014 Aug. 31.41-45p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2014 Sept. 13.51-54p3 at G=21.9-22.7, 2014 Sept. 18.43-46p4 at G=22.3-9, 2014 Sept. 20.48-51p4 at G=22.3-7, 2014 Oct. 1.44-47p4 at G=22.0-23.2, 2015 July 23.55-59p4 at G=22.8-23.5, 2015 Sept. 10.48-51p3 at G=22.8-23.2, 2015 Sept. 11.46-49p4 at G=22.3-8, 2015 Oct. 8.38-41p3 at G=22.8-23.3, 2015 Oct. 9.37-41p4 at G=21.9-22.7, 2015 Oct. 10.34-37p6 at G=22.2-23.2, 2015 Oct. 13.38-39p2 at G=22.8-23.4, 2015 Oct. 29.32p1 at G=22.9, 2015 Nov. 1.29-32p4 at G=22.8-23.2, 2015 Nov. 2.32-34p2 at G=21.5-22.3, 2015 Nov. 6.26-30p4 at G=23.2-7, 2015 Nov. 7.22p1 at G=23.1, 2015 Nov. 28.25p1 at G=22.8, 2015 Dec. 9.25-29p4 at G=22.3-6, 2015 Dec. 31.21p1 at G=22.3, 2016 Sept. 30.42-43p2 at G=22.5-9, 2016 Oct. 9.35p1 at G=22.4, 2016 Nov. 21.21-24p3 at G=22.2-23.0, 2017 July 30.54-57p4 at G=22.4-23.5, 2017 Aug. 24.52-55p4 at G=22.2-9, 2017 Aug. 26.41p1 at G=22.7, 2017 Aug. 26.49p1 at G=22.5, 2017 Sept. 15.45-49p4 at G=22.1-9, 2017 Sept. 22.44p1 at G=23.2, and 2017 Oct. 23.36-41p4 at G=21.5-23.6. K14Of5X 2014 OX415 (q=28.766 AU, Q=50.547 AU, H=7.9 ~89.1 km) was picked up at 0641 UT on 27 July 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2014 July 27.28-30p3 at G=22.8, 2014 July 29.27-31p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2014 July 30.27-33p4 at G=22.8-23.4, 2015 March 29.59-62p4 at G=21.7-22.8, 2015 May 18.52-55p4 at G=22.4-7, 2015 May 19.43-46p4 at G=21.6-22.3, 2015 June 7.43-46p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2015 June 10.45p1 at G=23.0, 2016 March 9.62p1 at G=21.4, 2016 March 17.61-64p4 at G=21.9-22.9, 2016 April 1.61-63p4 at G=21.8-22.8, 2016 April 11.50-54p4 at G=22.3-6, 2016 May 4.51-55p4 at G=22.4-23.3, 2016 May 15.49-53p4 at G=21.6-22.2, 2016 June 7.44-48p4 at G=22.4-6, 2016 June 29.37-40p4 at G=22.4-5, 2016 July 6.35-39p4 at G=22.8-9, 2016 July 31.27-30p4 at G=22.3-7, 2017 March 30.62-63p3 at G=21.9-22.9, 2017 April 26.54-58p4 at G=22.0-22.9, 2017 May 22.49-52p4 at G=22.1-6, 2017 June 2.39-40p2 at G=22.7, 2017 June 23.35-39p4 at G=22.3-23.2, 2018 May 21.49-53p4 at G=22.2-6, 2018 June 10.44-45p2 at G=22.1-8, 2018 June 17.36-39p4 at G=22.2-6, and 2018 July 1.35p1 at G=22.3. K14KB3F 2014 KF113 (KBO, q=35.124 AU, Q=51.221 AU, H=7.0 ~135 km) was picked up at 1218 UT on 23 May 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2010 June 4.34p1 at G=23.2, 2010 July 30.26p1 at G=22.2, 2011 March 15.64p1 at G=22.3, 2011 April 28.60p1 at G=21.7, 2011 May 1.57p1 at G=22.6, 2012 May 14.38-40p3 at G=22.2-6, 2013 June 13.32p1 at G=21.6, 2013 June 17.37-42p3 at G=22.0-22.9, 2014 May 23.51p1 at G=22.4, 2014 May 25.48-52p4 at G=22.2-5, 2014 June 6.48-52p3 at G=22.2-7, 2014 July 31.33p1 at G=23.2, 2014 Aug. 20.25-29p4 at G=22.4-9, 2014 Aug. 21.25-29p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2014 Aug. 23.26-29p4 at G=21.9-22.8, 2015 May 13.52p1 at G=22.2, 2016 April 2.54-58p4 at G=21.6-22.6, 2016 April 20.53-57p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2016 May 13.50-54p4 at G=22.4-9, 2016 June 3.47-50p4 at G=22.4-9, 2016 June 5.31-35p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2016 June 23.40-44p4 at G=21.5-22.7, 2016 June 29.42-46p4 at G=22.1-8, 2016 July 5.40-43p3 at G=21.6-22.3, 2016 July 9.26p1 at G=20.9, 2016 July 28.33p1 at G=23.5, 2017 April 27.53-57p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2017 May 4.52p1 at G=22.9, 2017 May 29.48-50p3 at G=21.6-8, 2017 May 30.49-53p4 at G=22.1-5, 2017 June 25.35-38p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2018 April 13.60-62p4 at G=21.9-22.8, and 2018 June 13.36p1 at G=22.9. K14KB3E 2014 KE113 (q=40.465 AU, Q=106.808 AU, H=6.7 ~155 km) was picked up at 1150 UT on 21 May 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2012 April 27.56p1 at G=22.0, 2012 May 14.36-40p4 at G=22.6-23.0, 2013 March 8.63p1 at G=22.2, 2013 June 17.43p1 at G=22.9, 2014 May 9.45p1 at G=22.1, 2014 May 21.49-53p4 at G=22.0-23.0, 2014 May 27.43-46p3 at G=21.9-22.7, 2014 June 18.45p1 at G=23.0, 2014 June 28.37-41p4 at G=22.7-23.2, 2014 July 31.32-35p3 at G=22.1-9, 2014 Aug. 20.25-29p4 at G=22.4-23.4, 2014 Aug. 21.25-29p4 at G=22.3-7, 2015 April 12.62p1 at G=22.8, 2015 June 20.31-35p4 at G=22.5-6, 2015 Aug. 17.31p1 at G=23.3, 2016 March 19.62-63p4 at G=22.2-23.1, 2016 April 2.58p1 at G=22.4, 2016 April 10.59-63p4 at G=22.6-23.0, 2016 April 20.55p1 at G=22.8, 2016 May 6.55p1 at G=22.1, 2016 May 13.50-54p4 at G=21.2-23.0, 2016 May 27.48-50p3 at G=22.1-9, 2016 June 23.41p1 at G=22.8, 2016 July 1.42p1 at G=22.3, 2016 July 5.40-43p6 at G=22.4-23.5, 2016 July 28.32p1 at G=23.4, 2017 April 27.53-57p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2017 May 18.54p1 at G=22.6, 2017 May 30.51-53p2 at G=21.8-22.5, 2017 June 25.34-38p4 at G=22.3-8, 2018 April 13.60-62p4 at G=22.5-23.1, 2018 May 22.49-51p2 at G=21.4-22.7, 2018 May 22.55p1 at G=22.5, 2018 June 13.36-40p4 at G=21.8-22.9, 2018 June 21.35p1 at G=23.2, 2018 July 5.35-36p2 at G=22.2-8, and 2018 July 13.32-35p3 at G=22.5-23.0. K14J92R 2014 JR92 (q=25.705 AU, Q=61.056 AU, H=8.0 ~85.1 km) was picked up at 1051 UT on 9 May 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Feb. 28.65p1 at G=21.6, 2010 June 4.34-35p2 at G=22.0-22.5, 2011 April 28.60p1 at G=22.1, 2011 May 20.38p1 at G=21.7, 2012 April 24.58-59p2 at G=22.2, 2012 June 15.39-43p4 at G=22.5-6, 2013 Feb. 15.63-64p2 at G=22.9-23.6, 2013 June 26.41p1 at G=22.3, 2013 July 3.34-36p2 at G=22.2-8, 2014 May 9.45p1 at G=22.1, 2014 May 9.54-58p4 at G=21.5-22.7, 2014 May 21.49-52p3 at G=22.2-23.2, 2014 May 27.43p1 at G=22.3, 2014 June 8.52p1 at G=21.9, 2014 June 22.43p1 at G=23.6, 2014 June 28.38-41p4 at G=22.2-6, 2014 July 2.40p1 at G=22.5, 2014 Aug. 20.26-30p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2015 March 23.57p1 at G=22.9, 2015 May 13.53p1 at G=22.5, 2015 May 14.48p1 at G=23.0, 2015 June 20.32-35p4 at G=22.3-8, 2015 Aug. 17.28-33p3 at G=22.2-9, 2016 Feb. 24.65p1 at G=23.1, 2016 March 19.61p1 at G=23.1, 2016 April 2.55-57p3 at G=22.6-23.2, 2016 April 10.59-62p4 at G=22.2-23.5, 2016 May 6.52-56p4 at G=22.1-7, 2016 May 13.50-54p4 at G=22.3-5, 2016 May 15.60p1 at G=17.8, 2016 June 3.47-51p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2016 June 23.44p1 at G=22.6, 2016 July 5.39-42p3 at G=22.4-9, 2017 April 9.58p1 at G=22.9, 2017 April 20.54p1 at G=22.9, 2017 April 27.54-58p4 at G=22.9-23.4, 2017 May 18.58p1 at G=22.8, 2017 May 26.48-51p4 at G=20.1-23.0, 2017 June 21.41-45p3 at G=21.6-22.0, 2017 June 25.35-39p4 at G=22.4-23.3, 2018 April 16.57-61p4 at G=22.6-23.8, 2018 May 23.49-53p4 at G=22.4-23.6, 2018 June 8.46-49p4 at G=22.3-9, and 2018 June 15.42-46p4 at G=22.5-9. K14J92Q 2014 JQ92 (q=26.105 AU, Q=53.562 AU, H=8.4 ~70.8 km) was picked up at 0953 UT on 9 May 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Feb. 28.60-61p2 at G=21.4-5, 2010 April 19.55p1 at G=22.1, 2011 March 15.64p1 at G=22.5, 2011 April 28.60p1 at G=22.4, 2012 April 14.56p1 at G=22.8, 2012 April 27.56-59p4 at G=22.0-22.9, 2013 June 18.34-37p4 at G=21.5-22.9, 2014 April 23.57p1 at G=22.0, 2014 May 9.41-45p7 at G=22.0-22.8, 2014 May 9.54-57p8 at G=22.1-23.1, 2014 May 21.49-50p2 at G=22.2-5, 2014 June 28.38-41p4 at G=22.4-8, 2014 Aug. 21.25-29p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2015 March 23.55-58p2 at G=22.3-23.3, 2015 May 14.51p1 at G=23.1, 2015 June 20.31-35p4 at G=22.0-22.1, 2015 Aug. 17.33p1 at G=22.6, 2016 April 2.55-59p4 at G=22.6-23.0, 2016 April 10.59-62p4 at G=22.4-23.2, 2016 May 6.52-56p4 at G=21.3-22.0, 2016 May 13.51-54p4 at G=22.3-7, 2016 May 27.47p1 at G=22.0, 2016 June 3.47-50p4 at G=22.2-4, 2016 June 10.51p1 at G=22.3, 2016 June 23.41p1 at G=22.1, 2016 July 1.42p1 at G=22.9, 2016 July 5.40-43p4 at G=20.8-22.7, 2016 July 28.31p1 at G=22.7, 2017 March 29.59-62p4 at G=22.5-7, 2017 April 20.58p1 at G=23.1, 2017 May 4.48p1 at G=22.6, 2017 May 6.49p1 at G=22.7, 2017 May 18.58p1 at G=21.9, 2017 May 30.49-51p2 at G=22.1-23.1, 2017 June 25.35-39p4 at G=22.3-6, 2018 May 23.49-53p4 at G=22.3-9, 2018 June 8.46-49p4 at G=22.1-9, 2018 June 15.42-46p4 at G=22.5-7, 2018 July 8.40-44p4 at G=22.4-23.0, 2018 Aug. 3.32-35p4 at G=21.9-22.5, and 2018 Aug. 13.29p1 at G=23.0. K14HL1O 2014 HO211 (i=43.7°, q=37.955 AU, Q=94.299 AU, H=6.5 ~170 km) was picked up at 1130 UT on 28 April 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2011 Jan. 29.67p1 at G=23.1, 2012 March 20.61p1 at G=21.5, 2012 March 29.52p1 at G=21.7, 2012 April 2.39p1 at G=22.6, 2012 April 21.48p1 at G=22.3, 2012 June 16.32p1 at G=22.6, 2013 March 5.57p1 at G=21.9, 2013 March 19.55p1 at G=21.1, 2013 May 17.28p1 at G=22.2, 2013 June 24.33p1 at G=22.4, 2014 Feb. 13.66p1 at G=22.3, 2014 April 10.50p1 at G=22.3, 2014 April 28.48-51p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2015 Feb. 17.49-53p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2015 Feb. 18.49-52p4 at G=22.2-8, 2015 March 16.42-46p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2015 March 17.43-47p4 at G=22.3-7, 2015 April 12.32p1 at G=22.7, 2015 June 5.34-36p3 at G=21.4-22.5, 2016 Jan. 12.58-62p4 at G=22.2-9, 2016 March 16.57-62p7 at G=21.9-22.8, 2016 April 12.39p1 at G=22.2, 2016 May 5.41-45p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2017 Feb. 2.55-59p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2017 March 19.58p1 at G=22.3, 2017 March 27.55-59p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2017 May 17.41-44p4 at G=21.7-22.3, and 2018 April 12.35-39p4 at G=21.8-22.4. K14G65K 2014 GK65 (q=29.909 AU, Q=58.098 AU, H=6.9 ~141 km) was picked up at 0940 UT on 9 April 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2014 April 9.40-44p4 at G=21.4-22.0, 2014 May 5.32-34p3 at G=21.2-22.4, 2014 May 7.30-33p4 at G=20.8-21.5, 2014 May 19.28-31p4 at G=21.5-22.1, 2015 Dec. 29.66p1 at G=21.3, 2016 Jan. 13.60-62p3 at G=21.4-9, 2016 Feb. 12.54-58p4 at G=21.8-9, 2016 Feb. 20.49-53p4 at G=21.3-22.0, 2016 March 3.46-49p4 at G=21.7-22.0, 2016 April 4.40-43p4 at G=21.4-9, 2016 April 26.33-36p4 at G=21.2-22.0, 2017 Jan. 13.60-64p4 at G=21.2-22.2, 2017 March 20.46-49p4 at G=21.0-9, and 2017 May 27.27-30p4 at G=21.6-9. K14G65J 2014 GJ65 (i=46.5°, q=40.140 AU, Q=63.612 AU, H=6.6 ~162 km) was picked up at 1303 UT on 8 April 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2013 Aug. 30.27p1 at G=21.9, 2014 April 8.54-58p4 at G=22.0-23.1, 2014 April 10.54-56p2 at G=22.5-6, 2014 May 8.57-60p4 at G=22.4-8, 2014 May 9.62p1 at G=22.3, 2014 June 7.48-52p4 at G=22.3-23.1, 2014 June 9.51p1 at G=21.6, 2014 Aug. 25.26-30p2 at G=21.9-22.6, 2014 Aug. 27.26p1 at G=23.7, 2014 Sept. 15.24-25p2 at G=23.4, 2015 Feb. 17.64-66p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2015 March 19.59-63p4 at G=22.2-6, 2016 April 2.60p1 at G=22.5, 2016 April 4.58-61p4 at G=22.3-23.3, 2016 May 2.55-59p4 at G=22.4-7, 2016 May 13.55-58p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2016 June 9.49-53p4 at G=22.1-9, 2016 July 3.40p1 at G=23.7, 2016 July 28.38p1 at G=22.8, 2016 Aug. 27.28-30p3 at G=22.3-4, 2017 March 29.63p1 at G=23.0, 2017 April 20.58p1 at G=23.0, 2017 May 6.49p1 at G=22.3, 2017 May 26.48-52p4 at G=22.2-5, 2017 Aug. 8.35p1 at G=22.3, 2018 April 16.57-61p4 at G=22.2-8, 2018 June 15.43-46p3 at G=21.7-22.2, 2018 June 21.42p1 at G=22.7, 2018 July 8.40-43p3 at G=22.1-4, 2018 Aug. 3.36p1 at G=22.3, and 2018 Aug. 13.29-33p3 at G=22.3-5. K14B70F 2014 BF70 (q=11.562 AU, Q=172.652 AU, H=9.7 ~38.9 km) was picked up at 0922 UT on 25 Jan. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2013 Jan. 10.53-57p4 at G=22.7-23.6, 2013 Feb. 3.34-39p4 at G=22.4-23.3, 2014 Jan. 5.45p1 at G=23.3, 2014 Jan. 25.39-43p3 at G=21.3-22.7, 2014 Feb. 20.33p1 at G=22.4, 2014 March 20.26-30p4 at G=22.6-23.3, 2014 March 24.25p1 at G=24.0, 2014 March 28.33p1 at G=22.6, 2014 Dec. 18.55p1 at G=22.9, 2015 Jan. 18.41-45p4 at G=22.2-7, 2015 Jan. 22.55-59p4 at G=22.2-8, 2016 Jan. 15.60p1 at G=20.8, 2016 Jan. 17.42-45p4 at G=21.8-23.1, 2016 Feb. 2.38-42p4 at G=21.1-22.0, 2016 Feb. 15.35-39p2 at G=21.8-22.0, 2016 March 7.30-33p4 at G=22.3-5, 2016 April 4.35-38p4 at G=21.7-22.9, 2016 April 21.34p1 at G=22.9, 2016 May 20.27p1 at G=22.3, 2017 Jan. 26.49-52p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2017 Jan. 27.60-61p2 at G=22.1-2, 2017 Feb. 3.51-55p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2017 Feb. 16.48p1 at G=21.5, 2017 March 14.41p1 at G=21.9, 2017 March 31.34-35p2 at G=22.4-6, 2018 Jan. 13.51-55p4 at G=21.8-22.7, 2018 Jan. 20.56-60p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2018 Feb. 21.44-47p4 at G=21.6-9, and 2018 March 20.34-37p3 at G=21.7-22.0. K14B70E 2014 BE70 (q=39.122 AU, Q=169.337 AU, H=6.1 ~204 km) was picked up at 1106 UT on 21 Jan. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2014 Jan. 21.46-48p2 at G=21.9, 2014 March 9.33p1 at G=21.2, 2014 April 28.25-29p8 at G=21.7-22.2, 2014 Dec. 1.66p1 at G=23.1, 2014 Dec. 27.67p1 at G=20.3, 2015 Jan. 24.45-48p4 at G=21.9-22.9, 2015 Jan. 26.42-44p3 at G=21.7-8, 2015 April 13.25-28p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2015 April 21.29p1 at G=22.2, 2016 Jan. 15.49-53p4 at G=21.7-22.0, 2016 Jan. 17.47-51p4 at G=21.7-9, 2016 Feb. 12.45-48p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2016 Feb. 25.45p1 at G=22.5, 2016 March 3.34-38p8 at G=21.7-22.0, 2016 March 14.33p1 at G=20.4, 2016 April 1.32-35p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2016 April 12.27p1 at G=21.9, 2017 March 4.39-42p4 at G=21.4-22.5, 2017 March 13.37p1 at G=22.4, 2017 Dec. 4.59p1 at G=21.8, 2017 Dec. 14.59p1 at G=22.2, and 2017 Dec. 26.52-56p4 at G=21.7-22.2. K14B70D 2014 BD70 (KBO, q=35.727 AU, Q=46.940 AU, H=5.5 ~269 km) was picked up at 1018 UT on 21 Jan. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Feb. 8.37p1 at G=22.0, 2010 May 6.31p1 at G=21.5, 2010 Nov. 3.63p1 at G=22.1, 2010 Nov. 21.55p1 at G=21.1, 2011 Jan. 16.43p1 at G=22.2, 2011 Jan. 26.49p1 at G=22.5, 2011 Jan. 29.45p1 at G=22.3, 2011 April 15.24p1 at G=21.8, 2012 Jan. 2.52p1 at G=22.5, 2012 Jan. 24.35-39p4 at G=21.1-5, 2013 Jan. 21.39-40p2 at G=21.8-22.5, 2013 Feb. 28.29p1 at G=22.1, 2013 Nov. 17.56p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Jan. 7.46p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Jan. 21.43-44p2 at G=21.5-9, 2014 April 5.30-33p4 at G=21.7-23.0, 2014 Nov. 23.56-59p4 at G=22.2-5, 2014 Nov. 25.56-60p4 at G=21.1-22.2, 2014 Dec. 6.59p1 at G=21.2, 2014 Dec. 21.57-58p2 at G=21.9-22.0, 2015 Jan. 19.43-46p4 at G=21.6-22.1, 2015 Jan. 21.38-42p4 at G=21.6-8, 2015 March 20.24-28p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2015 Oct. 28.59-63p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2015 Dec. 5.55p1 at G=21.7, 2015 Dec. 13.53-57p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2016 Jan. 9.43-47p4 at G=21.6-7, 2016 Jan. 10.54-58p4 at G=18.3-21.3, 2016 Jan. 12.38-42p4 at G=21.6-22.2, 2016 Jan. 28.41p1 at G=21.9, 2016 Feb. 9.39-42p4 at G=20.2-21.7, 2016 Feb. 10.33-37p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2016 March 4.30-33p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2016 March 5.31-33p3 at G=22.3-5, 2016 March 25.33p1 at G=22.2, 2016 April 4.25-28p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2016 Oct. 27.63p1 at G=22.1, 2016 Nov. 28.61-62p3 at G=21.8-22.1, 2016 Dec. 23.56-60p4 at G=21.8-9, 2017 Jan. 4.43-47p4 at G=21.0-22.3, 2017 Jan. 20.46-50p4 at G=21.6-8, 2017 Jan. 29.45-48p4 at G=21.4-9, 2017 Feb. 2.42-44p2 at G=21.4-8, 2017 Feb. 14.37-39p2 at G=21.7-9, 2017 March 16.24-29p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2017 Dec. 23.49-53p4 at G=21.8-22.3, and 2018 Feb. 11.37-41p4 at G=21.9-22.8. K14A61F 2014 AF61 (KBO, q=34.962 AU, Q=55.442 AU, H=7.4 ~112 km) was picked up at 1028 UT on 1 Jan. 2014 by PS1, observing it at 2012 Feb. 13.30-35p4 at G=22.4-23.3, 2013 Feb. 12.29-32p4 at G=22.5-23.2, 2013 May 9.29-30p4 at G=22.5-9, 2014 Jan. 1.44-45p2 at G=22.2-3, 2014 March 2.24p1 at G=22.7, 2014 May 17.29p1 at G=21.9, 2014 Oct. 28.62p1 at G=23.4, 2014 Dec. 21.59-64p4 at G=22.5-23.1, 2014 Dec. 26.46p1 at G=24.0, 2015 Jan. 14.38-42p4 at G=22.6-23.4, 2015 Jan. 16.54-57p4 at G=22.8-23.2, 2015 Jan. 20.37-41p4 at G=22.2-23.0, 2015 Jan. 22.39-43p4 at G=22.3-23.5, 2015 March 16.39-41p3 at G=22.2-9, 2015 April 10.30-34p4 at G=22.9-23.9, 2016 Jan. 8.42-47p7 at G=22.2-23.0, 2016 Jan. 31.36-41p4 at G=22.3-23.1, 2016 Feb. 3.40p1 at G=20.7, 2016 Feb. 5.55-57p3 at G=22.8-23.5, 2016 Feb. 11.29-32p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2016 Feb. 27.48p1 at G=21.4, 2016 March 3.28-32p4 at G=22.2-23.2, 2016 March 14.25p1 at G=21.6, 2016 April 22.31p1 at G=23.0, 2016 April 28.28-30p3 at G=22.6-23.3, 2017 Jan. 28.38-40p3 at G=21.5-22.6, 2017 Feb. 4.52-56p4 at G=21.8-22.6, 2018 Jan. 14.55-59p4 at G=22.5-7, 2018 Jan. 15.56p1 at G=22.2, 2018 Feb. 12.35-39p4 at G=22.2-23.0, and 2018 March 8.27-31p4 at G=22.2-6. K13P84E 2013 PE84 (KBO, q=39.158 AU, Q=52.226 AU, H=6.7 ~155 km) was picked up at 1047 UT on 9 Aug. 2013 by PS1, observing it at 2010 June 21.62p1 at G=21.7, 2010 Sept. 15.30p1 at G=22.7, 2011 Aug. 24.44-48p4 at G=22.1-23.2, 2012 Aug. 14.48-53p4 at G=21.8-22.8, 2013 Aug. 9.45-49p4 at G=22.5-9, 2013 Aug. 26.47-51p4 at G=21.2-23.2, 2013 Aug. 30.45p1 at G=21.5, 2013 Sept. 1.42-47p4 at G=22.5-6, 2013 Sept. 22.40-41p2 at G=22.0-22.2, 2013 Oct. 24.25-26p2 at G=21.1-22.6, 2014 June 24.62p1 at G=20.7, 2014 Aug. 28.41-43p3 at G=21.7-22.5, 2014 Sept. 17.44-48p4 at G=21.5-22.6, 2014 Sept. 19.37-40p4 at G=22.5-8, 2014 Nov. 22.24p1 at G=22.7, 2014 Nov. 24.21p1 at G=22.9, 2015 Aug. 13.60-61p2 at G=22.8-9, 2015 Oct. 18.37p1 at G=22.7, 2016 Aug. 2.52-55p4 at G=22.4-5, 2016 Aug. 14.52-54p4 at G=21.8-23.1, 2016 Aug. 27.46-49p4 at G=22.0-22.9, 2017 July 25.56-60p4 at G=22.6-23.2, 2017 Aug. 18.49-52p4 at G=22.2-7, 2017 Sept. 15.41-44p4 at G=22.2-7, 2017 Sept. 23.39-43p4 at G=22.3-9, 2017 Oct. 11.40p1 at G=22.0, and 2017 Nov. 7.30p1 at G=22.6. K13P84D 2013 PD84 (q=36.929 AU, Q=167.529 AU, H=6.8 ~148 km) was picked up at 1039 UT on 9 Aug. 2013 by PS1, observing it at 2012 Aug. 17.45-49p4 at G=21.8-22.8, 2013 Aug. 9.44-49p4 at G=21.9-22.9, 2013 Oct. 6.31-36p4 at G=22.5-7, 2014 June 28.56-60p4 at G=22.7-23.1, 2014 July 6.56p1 at G=22.9, 2014 July 8.54-57p4 at G=22.5-23.0, 2014 July 29.50-54p4 at G=21.7-23.0, 2014 Sept. 18.38-42p4 at G=22.3-23.3, 2014 Sept. 20.33-37p4 at G=22.6-23.1, 2015 June 17.60p1 at G=23.0, 2015 June 20.58p1 at G=22.4, 2015 July 24.48p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Aug. 10.47-51p4 at G=22.4-8, 2015 Aug. 11.48-51p3 at G=21.7-22.5, 2015 Aug. 12.47-50p4 at G=22.1-8, 2016 July 7.54-57p4 at G=22.7-9, 2016 Aug. 3.51-54p4 at G=22.5-23.2, and 2016 Oct. 25.26-29p4 at G=22.7-23.5. This detection was confirmed by program code "!" (10) via DECam (2014 Sept. 21.06p1 at V=23.2, 2014 Sept. 21.15p1 & 2014 Sept. 21.21p1). K13N33U 2013 NU33 (q=32.261 AU, Q=108.007 AU, H=7.4 ~112 km) was picked up at 1142 UT on 14 July 2013 by PS1, observing it at 2011 July 26.45-49p4 at G=22.8-23.5, 2011 Aug. 4.44p1 at G=22.6, 2012 Aug. 21.38-43p4 at G=21.8-22.7, 2013 July 14.49-53p4 at G=22.3-23.3, 2013 Aug. 4.45-49p3 at G=22.3-23.2, 2013 Aug. 24.43-44p2 at G=22.1-6, 2013 Aug. 29.35-39p7 at G=21.8-23.2, 2013 Aug. 31.34p1 at G=21.9, 2014 June 27.53-55p3 at G=22.2-23.0, 2014 July 25.48-51p4 at G=21.9-22.8, 2014 Aug. 25.41-44p4 at G=22.3-23.2, 2014 Sept. 11.34p1 at G=22.7, 2014 Sept. 29.34p1 at G=22.7, 2015 June 29.57p1 at G=23.6, 2015 June 30.55-57p3 at G=22.0-22.8, 2015 July 18.53p1 at G=22.0, 2015 Aug. 10.42-46p4 at G=22.3-5, 2015 Aug. 11.43-46p3 at G=23.0-3, 2015 Sept. 6.34-37p4 at G=22.4-23.1, 2015 Sept. 8.46p1 at G=22.5, 2015 Oct. 2.30p1 at G=23.1, 2015 Oct. 3.27-30p4 at G=22.6-9, 2015 Oct. 8.29-32p4 at G=22.4-23.2, 2016 July 14.51-55p4 at G=22.2-23.0, 2016 Aug. 3.41-44p4 at G=22.2-8, 2016 Aug. 26.34-38p4 at G=22.3-8, 2016 Sept. 8.34p1 at G=22.4, 2016 Oct. 27.24p1 at G=21.9, 2016 Oct. 28.21p1 at G=23.5, 2016 Nov. 3.23p1 at G=22.5, 2017 July 26.46-50p4 at G=22.2-4, 2017 July 30.45-48p4 at G=22.3-8, 2017 Aug. 17.38-42p4 at G=22.1-4, 2017 Aug. 19.38-43p4 at G=22.4-23.0, 2017 Sept. 13.33-37p4 at G=22.1-9, 2017 Oct. 11.28-32p4 at G=22.2-23.0, 2017 Nov. 7.23p1 at G=22.6, 2018 July 9.57p1 at G=22.6, 2018 Aug. 5.41-44p4 at G=22.2-6, 2018 Aug. 6.44-47p4 at G=22.4-9, and 2018 Aug. 13.43-46p3 at G=21.9. K13N33T 2013 NT33 (Centaur, q=16.397 AU, Q=42.708 AU, H=9.1 ~51.3 km) was picked up at 1430 UT on 7 July 2013 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Sept. 3.40-44p4 at G=20.7-22.7, 2012 Sept. 4.45-46p2 at G=22.2-6, 2012 Dec. 23.21p1 at G=22.5, 2013 July 7.60-62p2 at G=22.0-22.6, 2013 Aug. 29.47-51p4 at G=21.3-22.3, 2013 Sept. 1.50p1 at G=21.2, 2014 Aug. 25.50-53p4 at G=21.7-22.6, 2014 Sept. 2.45-48p4 at G=21.7-9, 2014 Sept. 12.53-55p3 at G=22.1-4, 2015 July 19.57-60p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2015 Sept. 8.52-54p3 at G=21.7-8, 2015 Dec. 2.27-30p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2015 Dec. 3.27-30p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2016 Aug. 30.50-54p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2016 Sept. 8.53-56p4 at G=21.9-22.0, 2016 Oct. 2.45-49p4 at G=21.7-8, 2016 Nov. 18.32p1 at G=22.2, 2017 Aug. 24.57-61p4 at G=21.4-9, 2017 Sept. 16.56-58p3 at G=21.4-7, 2017 Sept. 18.49p1 at G=20.5, 2017 Sept. 26.44-48p4 at G=21.6-8, 2018 Aug. 8.59-61p4 at G=21.6-8, 2018 Aug. 15.58-62p4 at G=21.7-22.2, and 2018 Aug. 21.57-61p4 at G=21.6-8. K13M14E 2013 ME14 (i=37.4°, q=18.927 AU, Q=56.062 AU, H=9.4 ~44.6 km) was picked up at 1124 UT on 30 June 2013 by PS1, observing it at 2013 June 18.55p1 at G=22.4, 2013 June 30.48-51p4 at G=20.9-22.3, 2013 July 4.44-48p4 at G=21.7-9, 2013 July 17.46-47p2 at G=21.5-6, 2013 July 18.45-46p2 at G=21.6-22.2, 2013 July 19.42-45p4 at G=20.8-22.2, 2014 June 10.53-55p3 at G=21.8-22.3, 2014 June 20.56-58p3 at G=21.4-22.7, 2014 June 30.49-50p2 at G=21.9-23.0, 2014 July 29.36-40p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2014 July 30.38-42p3 at G=21.8-22.2, 2014 Aug. 1.39-43p3 at G=21.9-22.4, 2014 Aug. 3.38-42p4 at G=21.7-9, 2014 Aug. 5.38p1 at G=21.5, 2014 Aug. 16.37-40p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2014 Sept. 12.28-29p2 at G=21.7-9, 2014 Sept. 13.28p1 at G=22.2, 2015 June 13.53-56p4 at G=21.7-22.6, 2015 June 15.48-51p4 at G=21.9-22.6, 2015 June 20.50-53p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2015 June 26.54-57p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2015 June 28.57-60p4 at G=20.5-22.6, 2015 July 14.43-47p4 at G=21.0-9, 2015 July 19.47-49p3 at G=21.8-22.4, 2015 Aug. 11.33-36p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2015 Aug. 12.42-45p3 at G=21.8-22.4, 2015 Sept. 6.29-32p4 at G=21.3-22.0, 2015 Oct. 3.22-26p4 at G=22.2-3, 2015 Oct. 8.22-25p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2015 Oct. 24.24p1 at G=22.2, 2016 June 8.54-58p4 at G=22.5-8, 2016 July 13.47-50p4 at G=21.2-22.5, 2016 Aug. 8.41-45p4 at G=21.3-22.0, 2017 June 25.49-53p4 at G=21.6-22.2, 2017 July 1.57-60p4 at G=22.2-5, 2017 July 21.48p1 at G=21.5, 2017 Aug. 16.32-36p4 at G=21.9-22.0, 2017 Aug. 26.29-34p8 at G=21.9-22.8, 2017 Sept. 14.32-35p4 at G=21.9-22.6, 2017 Sept. 24.23-26p4 at G=22.1-4, 2017 Oct. 12.22-25p3 at G=22.0-22.1, 2018 June 23.55-58p4 at G=22.3-23.1, 2018 July 9.53-56p4 at G=21.6-22.7, 2018 July 13.48-49p2 at G=22.3-6, 2018 Aug. 11.41-42p2 at G=20.4-23.0, 2018 Aug. 12.37-41p4 at G=21.5-22.7, and 2018 Aug. 13.42-46p4 at G=21.4-22.3. K13L36Z 2013 LZ36 (q=36.418 AU, Q=75.730 AU, H=7.1 ~129 km) was picked up at 0853 UT on 9 June 2013 by PS1, observing it at 2013 May 31.38p1 at G=21.8, 2013 June 9.37-38p2 at G=22.0-22.5, 2013 June 16.39-41p3 at G=20.3-22.5, 2013 June 18.32-33p2 at G=22.3-9, 2013 June 18.38p1 at G=22.0, 2013 July 2.33-37p8 at G=21.8-22.9, 2014 May 5.46p1 at G=23.0, 2014 May 7.50-54p4 at G=22.1-6, 2014 May 23.42-46p4 at G=22.3-6, 2014 June 2.37-40p3 at G=21.0-4, 2014 June 6.41p1 at G=22.7, 2014 June 8.38p1 at G=22.2, 2014 June 16.37p1 at G=21.9, 2014 June 22.42p1 at G=22.4, 2014 June 30.37-41p4 at G=22.4-8, 2014 July 27.34-36p3 at G=21.9-22.2, 2014 Aug. 19.29p1 at G=22.8, 2015 Feb. 27.60p1 at G=23.0, 2015 March 31.59-63p4 at G=22.3-23.3, 2015 April 23.56-60p4 at G=21.9-23.3, 2015 April 24.59-62p3 at G=22.0-22.4, 2015 May 18.53-56p4 at G=21.3-23.3, 2015 May 19.43-46p4 at G=22.5-23.3, 2015 June 10.43-46p3 at G=22.0-23.5, 2015 June 15.35-38p4 at G=22.3-23.1, 2015 July 6.30-33p3 at G=22.2-9, 2015 July 7.28-31p4 at G=22.2-9, 2015 July 13.34-37p3 at G=22.3-9, 2015 July 14.34-38p4 at G=22.7-23.2, 2015 Aug. 10.28-31p3 at G=23.0-3, 2016 April 3.54-58p4 at G=22.8-23.0, 2016 April 4.53-57p4 at G=22.0-23.0, 2016 April 14.55-59p4 at G=22.4-23.2, 2016 April 15.52-55p4 at G=22.5-23.2, 2016 May 30.45-48p4 at G=21.4-22.7, 2016 June 5.37-40p4 at G=22.1-7, 2016 June 7.45-48p4 at G=22.2-23.4, 2016 July 31.27-31p4 at G=22.4-6, 2017 May 21.45-48p3 at G=22.8-23.1, 2017 June 24.39-42p4 at G=21.7-23.0, 2017 July 15.28-32p4 at G=21.8-22.5, and 2017 Aug. 9.27-31p4 at G=21.6-22.8. K13GE1W 2013 GW141 (q=23.522 AU, Q=1329.803 AU, H=8.2 ~77.6 km) was picked up at 0806 UT on 6 April 2013 by PS1, observing it at 2012 Feb. 20.45-48p3 at G=22.4-23.0, 2013 March 3.54p1 at G=22.8, 2013 March 8.51p1 at G=22.1, 2013 April 6.34-35p2 at G=22.5-7, 2014 May 19.33-36p4 at G=21.9-22.9, 2014 May 29.32-36p3 at G=22.2-8, 2014 Dec. 29.61-65p4 at G=22.3-23.2, 2015 Jan. 19.58-62p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2015 Feb. 19.51-55p4 at G=22.4-23.0, 2015 March 24.43p1 at G=21.7, 2015 May 21.27-31p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2016 Feb. 2.57p1 at G=22.2, 2016 Feb. 29.54p1 at G=22.5, 2016 March 7.44-48p4 at G=22.2-23.0, 2016 March 14.49-53p4 at G=22.0-23.1, 2016 April 3.41-43p3 at G=22.0-22.4, 2016 April 29.43p1 at G=22.2, 2017 March 5.52-56p3 at G=21.9-22.6, 2017 March 20.35-43p8 at G=22.2-23.2, 2017 March 29.40-44p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2017 April 3.47-51p4 at G=21.8-22.5, 2017 April 16.31-35p8 at G=21.8-22.6, 2017 April 20.37-40p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2017 April 27.31-36p4 at G=21.7-22.6, 2018 March 17.44-48p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2018 April 13.35-39p4 at G=21.5-22.1, 2018 June 6.27-31p4 at G=22.2-23.1, and 2018 June 7.29-30p2 at G=22.4. K13CM9F 2013 CF229 (q=42.347 AU, Q=53.076 AU, H=6.2 ~195 km) was picked up at 0803 UT on 3 Feb. 2013 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Feb. 4.48-49p2 at G=21.8-22.0, 2011 Jan. 25.37p1 at G=22.6, 2013 Jan. 21.52p1 at G=22.8, 2013 Feb. 3.34-38p4 at G=22.2-5, 2013 March 3.25-27p2 at G=22.3-5, 2013 May 10.26-27p4 at G=21.5-22.0, 2013 Oct. 22.62-65p2 at G=22.2-23.0, 2014 Jan. 5.43-47p4 at G=22.0-22.9, 2014 Nov. 29.51-55p4 at G=22.4-8, 2015 Jan. 24.53-54p2 at G=22.1-3, 2015 Jan. 26.51-55p4 at G=22.2-5, 2015 Feb. 18.29-33p4 at G=22.3-6, 2015 Feb. 19.29-33p4 at G=21.7-22.7, 2016 Jan. 15.55-59p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2016 Jan. 21.37-38p2 at G=21.9-22.0, 2016 Feb. 2.37-41p4 at G=21.7-22.5, 2016 Feb. 14.32p1 at G=21.9, 2016 Feb. 15.38p1 at G=21.9, 2016 Feb. 28.27-33p7 at G=21.8-22.6, 2016 March 7.27p1 at G=22.4, 2016 March 25.40p1 at G=22.4, 2016 April 4.34p1 at G=22.6, 2016 April 20.28p1 at G=22.2, 2016 Dec. 22.50-53p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2017 Jan. 26.38-41p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2017 Jan. 27.52-56p4 at G=22.3-7, 2017 Feb. 3.50-54p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2017 Feb. 21.33-37p4 at G=22.0-23.3, 2017 March 27.35-36p2 at G=22.8-23.1, 2018 Jan. 16.41-45p4 at G=22.1-5, 2018 Feb. 20.29-32p4 at G=21.7-22.5, 2018 March 7.24-27p4 at G=22.2-7, and 2018 March 17.28p1 at G=22.6. K12Y12G 2012 YG12 (KBO, q=30.901 AU, Q=47.566 AU, H=7.0 ~135 km) was picked up at 1011 UT on 30 Dec. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2012 Nov. 8.57p1 at G=21.9, 2012 Dec. 7.46p1 at G=21.9, 2012 Dec. 12.49p1 at G=21.5, 2012 Dec. 30.42-44p2 at G=22.2-3, 2013 Nov. 1.60-61p2 at G=21.6-8, 2013 Nov. 29.53-58p4 at G=21.5-22.5, 2013 Dec. 11.39-43p4 at G=21.8-22.8, 2013 Dec. 29.43p1, 2014 Feb. 25.29p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Feb. 28.25-29p4 at G=22.1-6, 2014 Nov. 20.52-56p4 at G=22.8-23.3, 2014 Dec. 2.44p1 at G=21.5, 2015 Jan. 15.37-41p4 at G=21.5-22.4, 2015 Jan. 17.35-39p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2015 Feb. 13.26p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Sept. 19.57-60p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2015 Oct. 8.53-57p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2015 Oct. 9.52-56p4 at G=22.1-5, 2015 Oct. 14.53-57p4 at G=22.1-5, 2015 Nov. 17.48p1 at G=22.6, 2015 Dec. 3.46-50p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2015 Dec. 5.41-45p8 at G=21.8-22.3, 2015 Dec. 31.44-47p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2016 Jan. 1.41-42p2 at G=21.1-22.2, 2016 Jan. 11.40-44p4 at G=22.5-23.1, 2016 Feb. 26.25-27p3 at G=22.4-8, 2016 Oct. 13.59-63p4 at G=22.1-6, 2016 Nov. 1.55p1 at G=23.1, 2016 Dec. 22.37-40p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2017 Jan. 20.40-43p8 at G=21.2-22.3, 2017 Jan. 28.28-32p4 at G=22.1-4, 2017 Nov. 24.51-55p3 at G=19.4-21.9, 2017 Dec. 25.42-46p4 at G=21.8-22.7, 2018 Jan. 3.49p1 at G=22.3, and 2018 Jan. 10.33-36p4 at G=21.8-22.2. K12Y12F 2012 YF12 (KBO, q=37.306 AU, Q=49.328 AU, H=6.1 ~204 km) was picked up at 0938 UT on 23 Dec. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2012 Oct. 13.60p1 at G=23.4, 2012 Dec. 12.43p1 at G=21.4, 2012 Dec. 23.40-41p2 at G=21.8-22.4, 2012 Dec. 24.36p1 at G=22.4, 2013 Jan. 27.33p1 at G=22.0, 2013 Oct. 8.62p1 at G=22.2, 2013 Nov. 29.46p1 at G=21.6, 2013 Dec. 10.39p1 at G=22.0, 2013 Dec. 12.43p1 at G=22.6, 2014 Sept. 11.60p1 at G=22.0, 2014 Oct. 3.53-57p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2014 Oct. 27.55p1 at G=22.0, 2014 Oct. 27.59-61p2 at G=22.2-3, 2014 Nov. 22.53-57p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2014 Dec. 10.52p1 at G=22.2, 2015 Jan. 8.38-41p4 at G=21.6-22.6, 2015 Jan. 14.27-31p4 at G=21.7-22.0, 2015 Jan. 16.28-32p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2015 Sept. 22.57-60p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2015 Sept. 23.58-62p4 at G=21.9-22.0, 2015 Sept. 24.59-61p3 at G=21.7-22.0, 2015 Oct. 25.51-54p3 at G=22.3-9, 2015 Oct. 26.50p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Nov. 16.52-56p4 at G=21.9-22.7, 2015 Nov. 23.51p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Nov. 30.46p1 at G=22.4, 2015 Dec. 6.41p1 at G=21.7, 2015 Dec. 13.48-52p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2016 Jan. 9.38-41p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2016 Jan. 11.37-39p3 at G=21.5-8, 2016 Jan. 30.33-37p4 at G=22.1-4, 2016 Feb. 12.23-27p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2016 March 2.26-28p3 at G=21.9-22.0, 2016 Oct. 9.60-63p4 at G=21.7-9, 2016 Oct. 14.56-60p3 at G=22.3-9, 2017 Jan. 27.33-37p4 at G=21.8-22.6, 2017 Nov. 9.57-60p3 at G=22.2-23.1, 2017 Nov. 18.45-49p4 at G=21.5-22.5, 2017 Dec. 7.46-49p4 at G=21.6-23.2, 2017 Dec. 14.41-45p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2018 Jan. 5.39p1 at G=22.3, 2018 Jan. 12.38-42p4 at G=21.8-22.1, and 2018 Jan. 22.35-36p2 at G=21.7-22.1. K12XF9W 2012 XW159 (KBO, q=31.230 AU, Q=47.266 AU, H=7.4 ~112 km) was picked up at 0858 UT on 9 Dec. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2012 Jan. 10.40p1 at G=21.6, 2012 Oct. 1.62p1 at G=21.9, 2012 Oct. 24.56p1 at G=23.1, 2012 Dec. 9.37-40p3 at G=22.0-22.6, 2013 Dec. 10.38p1 at G=21.0, 2013 Dec. 12.44p1 at G=22.3, 2014 Feb. 25.27p1 at G=21.9, 2014 Nov. 20.52-56p4 at G=22.2-8, 2014 Nov. 30.42-44p3 at G=21.8-22.6, 2015 Jan. 15.37-41p4 at G=22.4-7, 2015 Jan. 17.36-40p4 at G=22.1-4, 2015 Feb. 13.27p1 at G=22.9, 2015 Sept. 19.56p1 at G=22.4, 2015 Oct. 8.53-57p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2015 Oct. 9.52-53p2 at G=21.4-22.2, 2015 Oct. 14.53-56p4 at G=22.2-7, 2015 Oct. 27.51p1 at G=22.2, 2015 Nov. 17.47p1 at G=21.6, 2015 Dec. 3.46p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Dec. 4.41-45p4 at G=21.9-22.8, 2015 Dec. 5.41-44p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2015 Dec. 18.43p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Dec. 31.47p1 at G=22.2, 2016 Jan. 1.39p1 at G=22.3, 2016 Jan. 11.40p1 at G=22.0, 2016 Feb. 6.33-36p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2016 Feb. 26.25-28p4 at G=22.1-23.1, 2016 March 5.25-29p4 at G=22.3-7, 2016 Oct. 13.59-63p7 at G=21.9-22.6, 2016 Nov. 28.54p1 at G=22.1, 2016 Dec. 22.37-41p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2017 Jan. 3.36-39p4 at G=21.2-9, 2017 Jan. 20.40-43p4 at G=22.3-5, and 2017 Dec. 25.42-46p4 at G=21.5-22.1. K12W37D 2012 WD37 (KBO, q=35.530 AU, Q=44.558 AU, H=6.9 ~141 km) was picked up at 1252 UT on 28 Nov. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2010 May 6.26p1 at G=23.2, 2010 May 9.24p1 at G=22.9, 2010 May 10.25-26p2 at G=22.2-6, 2011 Nov. 10.58-60p2 at G=21.5-22.1, 2012 Jan. 28.46-50p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2012 Nov. 28.54-55p4 at G=21.9-23.2, 2012 Dec. 22.53-57p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2013 Feb. 1.45-47p2 at G=22.1-4, 2014 Jan. 19.46-48p2 at G=22.1, 2014 Nov. 21.52-56p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2015 Jan. 24.38-42p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2015 Jan. 27.52-55p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2015 Feb. 13.29-33p4 at G=22.2-5, 2015 Feb. 23.26p1 at G=22.1, 2015 March 24.37-41p4 at G=21.7-22.6, 2015 April 2.33p1 at G=22.5, 2016 Feb. 4.31-42p8 at G=21.9-22.4, 2016 March 4.24-28p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2016 March 11.25-26p2 at G=22.1-8, 2016 March 13.24-28p4 at G=22.1-6, 2017 Jan. 16.53-55p6 at G=21.0-22.2, 2017 Jan. 29.35-39p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2017 Feb. 14.43-47p4 at G=21.9-22.7, 2017 Feb. 21.29-33p4 at G=22.2-5, 2017 Oct. 7.61p1 at G=22.1, 2017 Nov. 21.54-57p2 at G=21.5-22.4, 2017 Dec. 13.47-51p4 at G=22.4-6, 2018 Jan. 11.56-60p4 at G=22.1-3, 2018 Jan. 13.44p1 at G=22.4, and 2018 Feb. 13.28-29p2 at G=22.0-22.5. K12VB6B 2012 VB116 (KBO, q=39.248 AU, Q=54.385 AU, H=5.2 ~309 km) was picked up at 1345 UT on 8 Nov. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2011 Jan. 12.27p1 at G=22.1, 2012 Jan. 11.44p1 at G=21.7, 2012 Feb. 15.26p1 at G=22.2, 2012 Nov. 8.57-58p2 at G=22.1, 2012 Dec. 7.45-46p2 at G=22.2-4, 2012 Dec. 23.43p1 at G=21.9, 2014 Nov. 4.56p1 at G=21.9, 2014 Nov. 20.52-56p4 at G=21.5-22.0, 2014 Nov. 30.43p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Dec. 2.42p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Jan. 15.38-41p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2015 Jan. 16.27-32p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2015 Jan. 17.40p1 at G=22.0, 2015 Feb. 12.28p1 at G=21.9, 2015 Sept. 19.57-61p4 at G=22.1-3, 2015 Oct. 8.53-57p4 at G=21.7-8, 2015 Oct. 9.53-56p4 at G=21.7-22.0, 2015 Oct. 14.53-57p4 at G=21.2-22.1, 2015 Oct. 25.51-56p4 at G=21.6-22.5, 2015 Oct. 26.49-50p2 at G=22.2, 2015 Nov. 17.44-46p2 at G=22.4-6, 2015 Dec. 3.46-49p3 at G=21.4-9, 2015 Dec. 4.41-43p2 at G=21.9-22.2, 2015 Dec. 5.41-45p4 at G=21.5-22.1, 2015 Dec. 6.41-43p2 at G=20.9-21.4, 2015 Dec. 14.43-46p3 at G=21.2-6, 2015 Dec. 31.44-47p4 at G=21.2-9, 2016 Jan. 1.40-43p4 at G=21.7-22.0, 2016 Jan. 25.38p1 at G=21.2, 2016 Feb. 6.34-37p4 at G=22.0-22.1, 2016 Feb. 12.24-26p3 at G=21.8-22.3, 2016 Feb. 26.25p1 at G=22.1, 2016 March 5.26-29p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2016 Oct. 13.59-63p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2016 Nov. 1.55-57p2 at G=21.7-22.0, 2016 Dec. 22.37-41p4 at G=21.4-7, 2017 Jan. 3.36-39p4 at G=21.6-8, 2017 Jan. 28.29-32p4 at G=21.7-8, 2017 Nov. 9.56-58p2 at G=21.5-22.3, 2017 Dec. 8.42-45p4 at G=19.7-21.6, 2017 Dec. 23.36-39p4 at G=21.7-9, 2017 Dec. 25.42-46p4 at G=21.2-9, and 2018 Jan. 10.33-37p4 at G=21.9-22.0. K12UI5E 2012 UE185 (KBO, q=35.558 AU, Q=47.710 AU, H=6.6 ~162 km) was picked up at 1431 UT on 23 Oct. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2012 Oct. 23.61-62p2 at G=21.2-7, 2012 Oct. 27.65p1 at G=20.7, 2012 Oct. 29.60-61p2 at G=21.7-22.8, 2012 Dec. 23.46-48p2 at G=21.7-22.0, 2013 Jan. 8.47p1 at G=22.0, 2013 Dec. 23.49p1 at G=21.6, 2013 Dec. 26.53-55p2 at G=21.7-22.5, 2014 Nov. 23.60-64p3 at G=21.8-22.5, 2014 Dec. 15.53p1 at G=23.0, 2015 Dec. 8.54-58p4 at G=22.1-6, 2015 Dec. 24.66p1 at G=21.5, 2016 Jan. 9.44-48p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2016 Jan. 11.47-50p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2016 Jan. 12.43-47p4 at G=21.9-22.6, 2016 Feb. 26.35-36p2 at G=21.2-4, 2016 March 8.24p1 at G=22.2, 2016 March 10.24-28p4 at G=22.2-6, 2016 March 25.24-29p4 at G=21.6-22.7, 2017 Jan. 31.37-40p4 at G=21.5-6, and 2017 March 13.33p1 at G=22.7. K12UI5D 2012 UD185 (q=28.706 AU, Q=31.532 AU, H=7.6 ~102 km) was picked up at 1151 UT on 23 Oct. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Oct. 15.55-56p2 at G=21.8-22.5, 2012 Oct. 23.49-54p4 at G=22.3-5, 2012 Oct. 24.54-55p2 at G=22.5-9, 2012 Nov. 3.50p1 at G=21.6, 2012 Nov. 5.45-46p2 at G=22.5-8, 2014 Oct. 28.48-52p4 at G=22.1-6, 2014 Nov. 25.26-30p3 at G=21.8-22.3, 2014 Nov. 27.41-44p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2014 Dec. 7.43p1 at G=22.6, 2016 July 13.59-61p4 at G=22.1-23.2, 2016 Oct. 8.41-44p4 at G=22.1-8, 2017 Sept. 1.54-57p3 at G=22.0-23.1, 2017 Oct. 29.39-41p3 at G=21.8-22.6, 2017 Nov. 18.29-33p4 at G=21.8-22.6, 2017 Nov. 19.33-37p4 at G=21.8-22.5, and 2018 Jan. 5.34p1 at G=23.3. K12P45V 2012 PV45 (Centaur, q=17.051 AU, Q=38.320 AU, H=9.7 ~38.9 km) was picked up at 0830 UT on 6 Aug. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2010 July 19.39-40p2 at G=22.0-22.5, 2012 Aug. 6.35-37p2 at G=21.6-22.2, 2012 Aug. 11.37p1 at G=20.3, 2012 Aug. 16.38p1 at G=21.5, 2013 July 9.47-51p3 at G=22.0-22.5, 2013 Aug. 9.42p1 at G=21.1, 2013 Aug. 15.36-37p2 at G=22.0-22.7, 2013 Aug. 16.41-43p3 at G=21.6-22.5, 2014 June 3.55-57p3 at G=22.6-23.3, 2014 June 11.53p1 at G=22.6, 2014 July 1.55-59p4 at G=22.1-5, 2014 Sept. 14.33p1 at G=22.4, 2014 Sept. 22.29-33p4 at G=22.4-23.0, 2014 Sept. 24.24-28p3 at G=22.3-9, 2015 June 29.49-51p3 at G=21.8-22.5, 2015 July 28.43-47p4 at G=21.8-23.3, 2015 Oct. 29.25p1 at G=22.2, 2015 Nov. 1.24-27p4 at G=22.1-4, 2016 Aug. 30.35-39p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2016 Sept. 26.30p1 at G=22.6, 2016 Sept. 26.36p1 at G=21.7, 2016 Oct. 15.31p1 at G=22.7, 2016 Nov. 14.24p1 at G=22.0, 2017 June 10.55-59p4 at G=21.8-22.5, 2017 June 25.59-60p3 at G=21.9-22.3, 2017 July 26.50-54p4 at G=21.8, 2017 July 29.51-55p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2017 Aug. 24.47-50p4 at G=21.5-8, 2017 Sept. 13.37-41p4 at G=21.5-22.0, and 2018 July 13.52-54p3 at G=21.9-22.1. K12P45U 2012 PU45 (KBO, q=31.154 AU, Q=56.760 AU, H=7.1 ~129 km) was picked up at 0828 UT on 6 Aug. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2011 Aug. 17.29-30p2 at G=21.7-9, 2011 Sept. 14.32p1 at G=22.1, 2011 Sept. 17.25p1 at G=21.8, 2012 May 20.57p1 at G=22.1, 2012 Aug. 6.35-36p2 at G=22.2, 2012 Aug. 16.38-39p2 at G=21.4-22.8, 2012 Aug. 25.31-33p2 at G=21.1-22.1, 2014 May 31.54-58p8 at G=21.7-22.4, 2014 June 22.54-58p4 at G=21.5-22.4, 2014 Aug. 20.32-34p2 at G=21.9-22.1, 2014 Aug. 21.30-34p2 at G=21.8-9, 2014 Sept. 22.28-33p4 at G=22.2-7, 2014 Sept. 24.23-28p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2015 June 19.56p1 at G=21.7, 2015 June 27.52-56p4 at G=21.9-22.1, 2015 June 28.45-47p2 at G=21.8, 2015 July 19.43-46p3 at G=21.2-22.1, 2015 July 27.38-42p4 at G=21.3-22.2, 2015 July 28.38p1 at G=21.7, 2015 Sept. 9.25-28p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2016 June 5.51-55p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2016 June 29.48-52p4 at G=21.5-22.0, 2016 July 29.39-43p4 at G=21.6-22.3, 2016 Aug. 8.37-40p4 at G=21.6-22.4, 2016 Aug. 26.31-33p3 at G=21.4-8, 2016 Oct. 1.23-27p4 at G=21.8-9, 2017 June 25.54-57p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2017 July 1.58-60p3 at G=21.5-22.0, 2017 July 15.52-54p3 at G=21.7-22.2, 2017 July 27.38-45p4 at G=21.6-22.1, 2017 Aug. 16.32-36p3 at G=21.4-8, 2017 Sept. 14.32p1 at G=21.2, 2017 Sept. 24.24-27p4 at G=21.5-9, 2018 June 23.56-58p3 at G=21.5-7, 2018 July 9.53-56p4 at G=21.6-22.2, 2018 Aug. 12.37-41p4 at G=21.5-9, and 2018 Aug. 13.42-46p4 at G=22.0-22.3. K12L27B 2012 LB27 (Centaur, q=15.634 AU, Q=25.238 AU, H=9.7 ~38.9 km) was picked up at 0740 UT on 9 June 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2012 June 9.32-33p2 at G=21.7, 2012 June 9.51-52p2 at G=21.5-6, 2012 June 13.34-39p4 at G=21.4-6, 2013 June 8.42p1 at G=21.3, 2013 June 12.49p1 at G=21.6, 2013 June 19.46-49p4 at G=20.6-22.1, 2013 Aug. 24.28p1 at G=22.1, 2013 Aug. 27.24p1 at G=22.5, 2014 March 17.65p1 at G=22.2, 2014 March 18.64p1 at G=22.6, 2014 April 28.58-61p4 at G=21.5-8, 2014 May 10.52-55p4 at G=21.4-5, 2014 May 26.49-52p6 at G=21.1-7, 2014 May 30.46p1 at G=21.3, 2014 June 29.41-45p4 at G=21.3-7, 2015 April 18.55-59p4 at G=21.8-22.6, 2015 April 20.54-58p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2015 April 25.57-61p4 at G=21.7-9, 2015 May 18.61p1 at G=22.0, 2015 May 19.48-51p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2015 May 20.49-53p4 at G=21.6-22.6, 2015 June 18.41-44p4 at G=21.1-5, 2015 June 19.39-43p4 at G=20.5-21.2, 2015 July 6.34-38p4 at G=20.5-22.2, 2015 July 7.32-36p4 at G=21.5-8, 2015 Aug. 13.27-30p4 at G=21.4, and 2015 Aug. 16.29-32p4 at G=21.9-22.2. K12J68D 2012 JD68 (q=27.956 AU, Q=51.541 AU, H=8.2 ~77.6 km) was picked up at 0849 UT on 14 May 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2012 April 14.54p1 at G=22.2, 2012 April 19.52p1 at G=23.2, 2012 April 24.59p1 at G=21.8, 2012 April 27.58p1 at G=22.7, 2012 May 14.37-39p3 at G=22.0-22.7, 2014 April 8.50-54p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2014 April 24.52p1 at G=23.4, 2014 May 4.40-44p4 at G=22.1-23.0, 2014 July 1.37-40p3 at G=21.8-23.1, 2015 April 13.56p1 at G=22.2, 2015 May 13.39-43p4 at G=22.1-8, 2015 June 6.48p1 at G=22.7, 2015 July 9.31-34p4 at G=22.5-23.5, 2015 July 12.31-35p4 at G=22.6-23.2, 2016 March 19.61-63p4 at G=22.1-23.2, 2016 April 10.58-62p4 at G=22.2-8, 2016 April 20.52p1 at G=22.4, 2016 May 6.52-55p4 at G=21.9-23.7, 2016 May 13.50-53p7 at G=22.2-23.1, 2016 June 3.47-50p4 at G=22.4-23.0, 2016 June 10.48-51p4 at G=22.8-23.0, 2016 July 5.39-42p4 at G=22.1-9, 2016 July 9.35p1 at G=22.2, 2016 July 28.30p1 at G=22.6, 2017 April 27.53-57p4 at G=22.1-9, 2017 May 4.50p1 at G=22.8, 2017 May 18.54p1 at G=22.2, 2017 May 30.49-53p4 at G=22.3-6, 2018 April 13.59-62p4 at G=21.8-23.6, 2018 June 13.36p1 at G=22.6, 2018 July 5.33p1 at G=22.4, and 2018 July 13.32-36p4 at G=22.2-7. K12H87X 2012 HX87 (q=34.865 AU, Q=179.233 AU, H=6.7 ~155 km) was picked up at 0839 UT on 24 April 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2011 April 2.47p1 at G=21.3, 2011 April 3.41-42p2 at G=21.5-6, 2011 June 28.27p1 at G=21.9, 2012 Jan. 26.67p1 at G=22.2, 2012 March 15.52p1 at G=21.4, 2012 April 24.36-41p4 at G=21.6-9, 2012 May 10.31p1 at G=20.7, 2014 April 10.40-44p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2014 April 30.36-40p4 at G=21.8-9, 2014 June 1.38p1 at G=21.8, 2015 Feb. 1.60p1 at G=22.5, 2015 April 23.44-48p4 at G=21.4-22.0, 2015 May 21.32-36p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2016 Feb. 14.64-65p2 at G=21.6-22.1, 2016 March 5.65p1 at G=22.5, 2016 March 7.55-58p4 at G=21.9-22.1, 2016 March 10.54-57p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2016 April 11.45-48p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2016 May 2.40-43p3 at G=21.7-22.3, 2016 June 11.27-30p4 at G=21.1-22.6, 2017 March 29.49-52p4 at G=21.4-22.1, 2017 May 4.39-43p4 at G=21.4-23.3, 2017 May 18.32-35p4 at G=21.8-22.5, 2017 May 21.35-38p4 at G=22.1-6, 2018 Feb. 11.62p1 at G=22.8, 2018 Feb. 12.62-65p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2018 Feb. 13.65-66p2 at G=21.9, and 2018 May 20.45p1 at G=22.7. K12H87W 2012 HW87 (q=32.488 AU, Q=155.932 AU, H=7.6 ~102 km) was picked up at 1149 UT on 21 April 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2011 April 28.52p1 at G=21.2, 2011 May 14.52p1 at G=22.0, 2012 April 21.49p1 at G=22.0, 2012 April 27.54p1 at G=22.5, 2012 June 13.35p1 at G=22.5, 2013 March 19.63p1 at G=22.3, 2013 May 31.39p1 at G=22.4, 2013 June 9.37-40p3 at G=22.4-8, 2013 June 16.42p1 at G=21.6, 2013 June 18.32-33p2 at G=23.1-4, 2013 July 2.33-37p4 at G=22.3-9, 2014 April 4.59p1 at G=23.1, 2014 May 1.47p1 at G=22.6, 2014 May 5.48p1 at G=23.0, 2014 May 7.50-54p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2014 June 6.41p1 at G=22.7, 2014 July 26.32-34p3 at G=22.4-23.1, 2014 Aug. 14.26p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Feb. 27.60-64p3 at G=22.4-23.3, 2015 March 31.59-62p3 at G=22.2-4, 2015 April 23.56-60p4 at G=22.5-23.2, 2015 April 24.59-62p3 at G=21.4-22.9, 2015 May 21.48-50p2 at G=21.9-22.3, 2015 May 22.49-52p4 at G=21.9-22.7, 2015 June 10.37-38p2 at G=22.6-23.0, 2015 June 13.44-46p2 at G=22.1-3, 2015 June 15.35-38p4 at G=22.2-5, 2015 June 23.41-43p3 at G=21.9-22.4, 2016 April 3.57p1 at G=22.6, 2016 April 15.52-56p4 at G=22.3-6, 2016 May 2.51-54p3 at G=22.2-6, 2016 May 30.45-48p4 at G=21.7-22.8, 2016 June 5.45-49p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2016 June 7.41p1 at G=22.7, 2016 June 28.43p1 at G=22.8, 2017 May 21.45p1 at G=22.3, 2017 June 24.42p1 at G=23.2, 2017 July 15.30-32p2 at G=22.3-24.0, 2018 June 8.42-45p3 at G=22.8-23.7, and 2018 July 4.34-38p4 at G=22.6-23.1. K12G41T 2012 GT41 (Centaur, q=16.277 AU, Q=36.816 AU, H=9.6 ~40.7 km) was picked up at 1333 UT on 2 April 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2011 Feb. 2.66p1 at G=23.0, 2011 March 26.53-56p4 at G=21.5-23.7, 2012 Feb. 5.57p1 at G=22.2, 2012 April 2.57-58p2 at G=22.1-5, 2012 July 29.25-26p2 at G=21.4-8, 2013 April 29.49-50p2 at G=21.7-8, 2013 May 3.35-36p2 at G=21.2-4, 2013 May 3.48-49p2 at G=21.8-22.1, 2013 May 10.49p1 at G=21.7, 2013 July 25.30-32p2 at G=22.0-22.5, 2014 March 5.67p1 at G=22.6, 2014 March 13.50-53p4 at G=21.5-22.6, 2015 March 31.47-50p3 at G=21.7-22.0, 2015 April 1.65p1 at G=20.8, 2015 June 5.43-47p4 at G=21.5-22.1, 2015 June 6.26-30p4 at G=21.6-9, 2015 July 1.34-37p4 at G=20.9-22.1, 2015 July 2.33-36p4 at G=21.5-22.1, 2015 July 3.34-37p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2016 March 7.65p1 at G=21.7, 2016 March 8.65p1 at G=20.8, 2016 March 10.65p1 at G=22.0, 2016 March 19.51-55p4 at G=20.7-21.0, 2016 April 15.57-60p4 at G=21.6-8, 2016 May 16.49p1 at G=20.8, 2016 May 24.44-48p4 at G=21.3-22.6, 2016 June 3.31-34p4 at G=21.1-4, 2016 June 10.27p1 at G=21.6, 2016 June 10.31-33p3 at G=21.2-7, 2017 April 20.59-61p4 at G=21.5-22.0, 2017 May 5.42-45p4 at G=21.5-22.3, 2017 May 17.46-50p4 at G=21.3-6, 2017 May 29.46-50p4 at G=21.2-7, 2017 May 31.48-51p4 at G=21.3-6, and 2018 June 14.46-47p2 at G=21.6-7. K12F87N 2012 FN87 (q=29.358 AU, Q=50.040 AU, H=7.8 ~93.3 km) was picked up at 1108 UT on 29 March 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2012 March 29.46-51p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2012 April 16.49p1 at G=22.8, 2012 April 25.37p1 at G=22.5, 2013 Feb. 5.66p1 at G=21.6, 2013 March 20.54p1 at G=22.9, 2013 April 2.54p1 at G=23.0, 2013 April 22.49p1 at G=22.0, 2014 April 5.43-47p4 at G=22.5-9, 2014 May 5.42p1 at G=23.5, 2014 May 25.38-42p4 at G=21.9-22.1, 2014 May 31.42-45p3 at G=22.0-22.8, 2015 Jan. 30.59-62p4 at G=22.1-3, 2015 Feb. 23.60-64p4 at G=22.3-23.1, 2015 Feb. 24.59-63p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2015 March 20.55-58p2 at G=21.9-22.1, 2015 March 21.55-56p2 at G=22.2-5, 2015 March 22.51-55p4 at G=22.1-23.2, 2015 April 12.53p1 at G=21.7, 2016 March 6.60-64p4 at G=22.2-9, 2016 March 8.52p1 at G=23.1, 2016 March 31.46-49p2 at G=22.3-5, 2016 April 3.49-53p4 at G=22.3-9, 2016 April 4.47p1 at G=20.9, 2016 April 26.44p1 at G=21.0, 2016 May 1.42-46p4 at G=22.0-23.0, 2016 June 28.31-35p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2016 Aug. 1.28-32p13 at G=21.4-23.1, 2017 March 7.57-61p4 at G=22.4-23.1, 2017 March 26.61-63p3 at G=22.4-8, 2017 April 3.57p1 at G=22.3, 2017 April 26.44-48p4 at G=22.3-5, 2017 May 17.31-34p4 at G=22.1-3, and 2018 March 17.57p1 at G=22.5. K12F87M 2012 FM87 (q=38.298 AU, Q=63.812 AU, H=6.3 ~186 km) was picked up at 0745 UT on 16 March 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Feb. 15.40p1 at G=21.6, 2010 Feb. 20.38p1 at G=21.8, 2010 May 13.27p1 at G=22.5, 2011 March 11.34-35p2 at G=22.0-22.1, 2011 April 22.27p1 at G=23.5, 2012 Jan. 2.65p1 at G=23.1, 2012 Feb. 13.49p1 at G=22.4, 2012 March 16.32-34p2 at G=22.0-22.1, 2012 March 19.34-38p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2012 May 15.26p1 at G=21.9, 2013 Feb. 13.58p1 at G=20.7, 2013 Feb. 15.47-51p4 at G=21.2-9, 2013 March 5.45-46p2 at G=21.8-22.0, 2013 April 3.33-37p4 at G=21.2-22.3, 2013 June 21.27p1 at G=22.0, 2013 Dec. 4.61-63p2 at G=22.1-4, 2014 Jan. 11.55p1 at G=21.8, 2014 Feb. 9.55-59p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2014 Feb. 28.40-44p4 at G=21.7-22.0, 2014 March 5.48-52p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2014 March 24.35-38p4 at G=21.6-22.3, 2014 April 30.25-29p4 at G=22.3-8, 2014 May 20.28-31p4 at G=22.1-5, 2014 Nov. 21.63-64p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2014 Dec. 10.58-62p8 at G=21.5-22.9, 2015 Jan. 17.68p1 at G=20.9, 2015 Jan. 19.52-56p4 at G=22.2-9, 2015 Jan. 21.56-58p3 at G=22.0-22.4, 2015 April 25.26-30p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2015 June 10.30p1 at G=22.4, 2016 Feb. 5.49-53p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2016 Feb. 6.67p1 at G=23.0, 2016 April 5.36-40p4 at G=22.1-5, 2017 Jan. 2.58-62p4 at G=22.1-9, 2017 Jan. 28.54-58p4 at G=22.3-6, 2017 Feb. 21.43-47p4 at G=22.0-22.9, 2017 March 18.30-34p4 at G=22.1-3, 2017 March 28.45-49p4 at G=22.2-5, 2017 Dec. 29.61-65p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2018 Jan. 11.63-66p4 at G=22.2-7, 2018 March 10.40-43p4 at G=21.2-22.1, 2018 March 18.36-39p4 at G=22.1-3, and 2018 April 13.31-34p4 at G=22.4-6. K12DA6Q 2012 DQ106 (KBO, q=36.530 AU, Q=51.418 AU, H=7.3 ~117 km) was picked up at 1351 UT on 16 Feb. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2011 March 10.46p1 at G=21.9, 2011 April 1.34-36p2 at G=22.8-23.7, 2011 Dec. 4.60p1 at G=21.1, 2012 Feb. 16.58-59p2 at G=22.3-23.0, 2012 March 20.37-41p4 at G=22.8-23.4, 2013 Jan. 10.61p1 at G=22.1, 2013 April 5.34-38p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2013 April 5.44-45p2 at G=23.0-2, 2013 April 17.30-31p2 at G=22.0-22.3, 2013 Dec. 14.64-65p4 at G=22.7-23.4, 2014 Feb. 26.51-55p4 at G=22.5-23.3, 2014 March 6.45-47p2 at G=22.3-9, 2014 April 4.40-43p3 at G=22.3-7, 2014 April 23.36-37p2 at G=22.6-23.2, 2014 April 29.30-34p4 at G=22.5-23.3, 2014 May 24.27-31p4 at G=22.6-23.5, 2014 May 25.33-36p4 at G=22.8-23.0, 2015 Jan. 25.53-58p4 at G=22.7-23.0, 2015 March 30.42p1 at G=22.8, 2015 April 13.38-40p3 at G=22.2-8, 2015 April 15.38-42p3 at G=21.9-22.6, 2016 Jan. 8.62-65p4 at G=22.5-8, 2016 Jan. 18.61-64p4 at G=22.1-23.3, 2016 Feb. 18.59p1 at G=22.2, 2016 March 1.48p1 at G=22.7, 2016 March 10.41-45p4 at G=22.5-24.1, 2016 March 13.43-47p4 at G=22.6-23.1, 2016 April 1.39-40p2 at G=22.6-7, 2016 April 2.38-39p2 at G=22.0-22.8, 2016 April 10.35-39p4 at G=22.4-9, 2016 April 10.45-49p4 at G=22.1-9, 2016 May 4.36p1 at G=22.7, 2017 Jan. 26.59p1 at G=23.5, 2017 Feb. 21.53p1 at G=23.0, 2017 March 19.37-41p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2017 March 27.45-49p4 at G=22.4-23.2, 2017 April 20.32-35p4 at G=21.4-22.5, and 2018 March 18.41-45p4 at G=22.3-6. K12BF9Z 2012 BZ159 (KBO, q=38.119 AU, Q=51.613 AU, H=6.7 ~155 km) was picked up at 1107 UT on 19 Jan. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2011 Jan. 30.46p1 at G=22.1, 2011 Feb. 5.47-49p2 at G=22.2-6, 2012 Jan. 19.46-51p4 at G=22.3-5, 2012 Feb. 13.45-49p3 at G=22.1-7, 2012 March 16.36p1 at G=22.4, 2012 March 19.33-38p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2012 April 12.29p1 at G=21.5, 2013 Feb. 15.47-51p4 at G=22.4-9, 2013 March 5.41-46p4 at G=22.2-5, 2014 Feb. 10.47p1 at G=22.3, 2014 Feb. 23.37-38p2 at G=22.0-22.3, 2014 Feb. 26.49-51p2 at G=22.5, 2014 March 6.39p1 at G=22.1, 2014 April 4.34p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Jan. 21.55-59p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2015 Jan. 29.51-55p3 at G=22.5-23.6, 2015 Jan. 31.55p1 at G=22.6, 2015 Feb. 16.45-49p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2015 April 22.27-30p3 at G=21.5-7, 2016 Feb. 5.49-53p8 at G=22.0-22.6, 2016 March 15.35p1 at G=21.7, 2016 April 5.30p1 at G=22.1, 2016 April 5.40p1 at G=21.5, 2017 Jan. 2.58-61p4 at G=22.4-9, 2017 Jan. 28.54-59p5 at G=20.8-22.7, 2017 Feb. 21.46p1 at G=21.8, 2017 March 18.29-33p4 at G=21.9-23.1, 2017 March 28.45-49p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2017 April 22.27-31p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2017 Dec. 29.61-64p4 at G=22.1-5, 2018 March 10.40p1 at G=22.0, 2018 March 18.36-39p4 at G=21.8-22.4, and 2018 April 13.30-34p8 at G=21.5-22.7. K12A25Z 2012 AZ25 (q=36.198 AU, Q=73.009 AU, H=5.5 ~269 km) was picked up at 1154 UT on 5 Jan. 2012 by PS1, observing it at 2011 Dec. 7.64p1 at G=22.6, 2012 Jan. 5.50-51p2 at G=22.0-22.1, 2012 Jan. 24.36-40p3 at G=21.8-22.2, 2013 Jan. 18.48-51p3 at G=21.7-22.4, 2013 Feb. 28.30p1 at G=21.9, 2014 Jan. 9.51-56p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2014 April 5.30p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Nov. 23.56-60p4 at G=21.1-22.1, 2014 Nov. 25.56-60p4 at G=22.2-6, 2014 Dec. 21.57-58p4 at G=22.2-5, 2015 Jan. 2.53p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Jan. 19.45-47p3 at G=22.3-23.0, 2015 Jan. 21.39-43p3 at G=21.5-22.8, 2015 Feb. 20.30-31p2 at G=21.5-22.7, 2015 Feb. 20.36p1 at G=22.1, 2015 March 20.25-29p3 at G=22.5-23.1, 2015 March 22.26-30p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2015 Oct. 21.58-59p4 at G=22.3-23.1, 2015 Oct. 28.63p1 at G=22.4, 2015 Nov. 27.55p1 at G=21.9, 2015 Dec. 5.56p1 at G=22.1, 2015 Dec. 6.55p1 at G=22.4, 2015 Dec. 9.56-60p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2015 Dec. 13.54-57p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2016 Jan. 9.43-48p4 at G=22.1-5, 2016 Jan. 19.39-43p4 at G=21.6-22.7, 2016 Jan. 28.40p1 at G=21.8, 2016 Feb. 9.39-43p4 at G=22.1-7, 2016 Feb. 26.33p1 at G=22.0, 2016 March 4.30-34p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2016 March 5.32-35p3 at G=21.9-22.2, 2016 March 25.33p1 at G=22.9, 2016 April 4.25-29p4 at G=22.4-7, 2016 Nov. 28.59-63p4 at G=22.2-8, 2016 Dec. 23.56-60p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2017 Jan. 4.43-47p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2017 Jan. 29.45-49p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2017 Feb. 2.40-44p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2017 Feb. 14.38-42p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2017 March 16.25-29p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2017 Nov. 22.59-60p2 at G=21.9, 2017 Dec. 29.53p1 at G=22.4, 2018 Jan. 12.46-50p4 at G=22.1-3, 2018 Feb. 11.44-47p4 at G=21.9-22.4, and 2018 March 17.34-35p2 at G=22.1-4. K11V24Z 2011 VZ24 (q=33.995 AU, Q=67.533 AU, H=7.0 ~135 km) was picked up at 1009 UT on 5 Nov. 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Nov. 10.45p1 at G=22.0, 2010 Nov. 16.50-51p2 at G=22.1-5, 2011 Oct. 21.57p1 at G=21.7, 2011 Oct. 25.55p1 at G=21.6, 2011 Nov. 5.42p1 at G=22.1, 2011 Nov. 5.52-53p2 at G=21.4-22.2, 2011 Nov. 25.44-49p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2012 Oct. 20.54-55p2 at G=21.9-22.2, 2013 Nov. 6.42-46p4 at G=22.3-8, 2013 Nov. 27.49p1 at G=22.4, 2014 Jan. 21.24-28p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2014 Oct. 2.54-59p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2014 Dec. 1.41p1 at G=22.2, 2015 Jan. 9.26-29p4 at G=20.5-22.2, 2015 Jan. 15.22-26p4 at G=22.1-3, 2015 Jan. 19.22-26p4 at G=22.3-9, 2015 Oct. 21.54-57p4 at G=22.4-23.5, 2015 Oct. 22.45p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Dec. 2.44p1 at G=21.8, 2015 Dec. 3.35-39p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2016 Jan. 1.33-37p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2016 Jan. 14.35-39p4 at G=22.2-7, 2016 Jan. 29.29-32p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2016 Oct. 13.54-57p4 at G=22.4-9, 2016 Oct. 13.64p1 at G=22.1, 2016 Nov. 1.50-51p2 at G=21.8-22.1, 2017 Jan. 24.24-28p4 at G=22.5-23.4, 2017 Sept. 19.60-63p4 at G=22.4-23.0, 2017 Sept. 30.59-62p4 at G=22.4-6, 2017 Oct. 20.59p1 at G=22.8, 2017 Oct. 27.48-51p4 at G=21.2-22.4, 2017 Dec. 23.31-35p8 at G=21.0-22.8, and 2018 Jan. 13.29-34p3 at G=21.0-22.4. K11SS1W 2011 SW281 (KBO, q=42.280 AU, Q=50.883 AU, H=6.5 ~170 km) was picked up at 1012 UT on 26 Sept. 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2009 Sept. 15.50p1 at G=22.3, 2011 Sept. 26.43-47p4 at G=22.6-23.1, 2011 Oct. 16.44-45p2 at G=22.0-22.7, 2012 Oct. 5.37-38p2 at G=21.3-22.0, 2012 Oct. 5.46-48p2 at G=22.6-23.2, 2012 Oct. 15.34-38p4 at G=22.3-23.2, 2012 Oct. 22.30p1 at G=22.7, 2012 Nov. 5.28-33p4 at G=22.5-23.4, 2014 July 30.57-61p4 at G=23.2-6, 2014 July 31.55-59p4 at G=22.6-23.2, 2014 Aug. 27.53-57p4 at G=22.1-7, 2014 Sept. 18.44-47p4 at G=22.3-7, 2014 Sept. 20.49-52p4 at G=22.7-23.4, 2014 Nov. 21.31p1 at G=22.5, 2014 Nov. 23.29-30p2 at G=22.0-22.3, 2014 Dec. 9.23p1 at G=22.5, 2015 July 23.56-60p4 at G=22.6-23.0, 2015 Sept. 10.49-56p4 at G=22.5-6, 2015 Sept. 11.47-50p4 at G=22.1-5, 2015 Oct. 13.38-40p3 at G=22.2-7, 2015 Dec. 1.28p1 at G=23.1, 2015 Dec. 9.27-29p3 at G=22.4-7, 2015 Dec. 14.25p1 at G=23.9, 2016 Aug. 2.56-60p4 at G=21.8-23.2, 2017 July 30.58p1 at G=22.2, 2017 Aug. 20.59p1 at G=22.8, 2017 Sept. 15.46-49p4 at G=22.5-23.4, 2017 Sept. 17.48-51p4 at G=22.1-4, 2017 Sept. 24.41-45p4 at G=22.5-7, 2017 Oct. 11.41-44p4 at G=21.9-22.7, 2017 Nov. 13.32-36p4 at G=22.1-7, and 2018 Aug. 19.57-61p4 at G=22.7-23.0. K11QA0Y 2011 QY100 (q=19.563 AU, Q=302.692 AU, H=8.3 ~74.1 km) was picked up at 1452 UT on 24 Aug. 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Oct. 9.52p1 at G=20.9, 2010 Oct. 18.50p1 at G=22.2, 2010 Dec. 5.28p1 at G=22.0, 2011 Aug. 24.62-63p2 at G=22.0-22.2, 2011 Sept. 24.48-52p4 at G=21.9-22.0, 2011 Oct. 18.42-44p2 at G=21.8-9, 2011 Oct. 20.41p1 at G=21.6, 2011 Oct. 20.46-47p2 at G=21.6-9, 2011 Oct. 29.45-48p3 at G=21.5-22.1, 2011 Nov. 22.38-44p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2011 Dec. 17.21-22p2 at G=21.2, 2012 Aug. 18.61-62p2 at G=21.6, 2012 Oct. 9.55p1 at G=21.9, 2012 Nov. 2.40-42p2 at G=21.4-9, 2014 Sept. 29.57p1 at G=21.4, 2014 Oct. 29.48p1 at G=21.6, 2014 Nov. 16.49-50p2 at G=21.0-9, 2014 Nov. 28.42-46p4 at G=21.1-5, 2014 Dec. 12.31-34p3 at G=21.7-22.0, 2014 Dec. 24.38p1 at G=21.2, 2015 Jan. 19.27-31p4 at G=21.3-7, 2015 Jan. 21.23-26p4 at G=21.5-7, 2015 Aug. 30.57-60p4 at G=20.9-21.9, 2015 Oct. 24.48-52p8 at G=21.3-8, 2015 Oct. 25.41-45p4 at G=21.0-6, 2015 Nov. 17.39-43p4 at G=20.6-21.2, 2015 Nov. 28.44p1 at G=21.0, 2015 Dec. 7.35p1 at G=19.9, 2015 Dec. 9.36-40p4 at G=21.2-3, 2015 Dec. 31.31-35p4 at G=21.5, 2016 Jan. 9.27-30p3 at G=20.4-21.0, 2016 Feb. 2.28-29p2 at G=21.4-6, 2016 Sept. 25.57-61p4 at G=21.1-2, 2016 Oct. 3.59-61p3 at G=20.8-21.6, 2016 Oct. 24.57-60p4 at G=20.8-21.9, 2016 Nov. 3.57-60p7 at G=21.2-5, 2016 Nov. 7.52-53p2 at G=20.4-21.0, 2017 Jan. 16.24-27p4 at G=21.2-5, 2017 Jan. 28.24-28p4 at G=21.3-5, 2017 Oct. 1.61-63p4 at G=21.1-3, 2017 Oct. 2.57p1 at G=21.1, 2017 Oct. 30.52-55p4 at G=20.9-21.2, 2017 Nov. 8.48-50p3 at G=21.1-3, 2017 Nov. 19.50-51p2 at G=20.1-21.2, 2017 Dec. 14.36-39p4 at G=20.6-21.2, 2017 Dec. 24.40-44p6 at G=21.2-5, 2018 Jan. 2.36-39p4 at G=20.8-21.6, and 2018 Jan. 10.27-31p4 at G=21.2-3. K11O61C 2011 OC61 (KBO, q=43.074 AU, Q=47.047 AU, H=6.4 ~178 km) was picked up at 1048 UT on 26 July 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2011 July 26.45-49p3 at G=22.4-6, 2011 Aug. 9.47p1 at G=23.0, 2011 Aug. 17.40p1 at G=22.4, 2012 Aug. 21.40-43p3 at G=22.7-23.8, 2013 May 24.62p1 at G=22.3, 2013 July 14.49-54p4 at G=22.4-23.1, 2013 Aug. 4.45-49p4 at G=22.4-23.0, 2013 Aug. 29.35-39p4 at G=22.4-7, 2014 June 27.52-55p4 at G=22.7-23.2, 2014 July 3.56-59p4 at G=21.7-23.0, 2014 July 25.48-51p4 at G=22.1-5, 2014 July 28.45-49p4 at G=22.5-23.1, 2014 July 31.46-49p4 at G=20.9-22.7, 2014 Aug. 25.41-44p4 at G=21.8-22.7, 2015 Aug. 10.42-46p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2015 Aug. 11.43-45p3 at G=22.5-9, 2015 Sept. 6.34-37p8 at G=22.1-9, 2015 Sept. 8.43-46p3 at G=22.4-8, 2015 Oct. 3.27-30p4 at G=22.4-23.4, 2015 Oct. 8.29-32p4 at G=22.9-24.0, 2016 July 14.51-55p4 at G=22.5-8, 2016 Aug. 1.42-45p4 at G=22.1-7, 2016 Aug. 8.46-49p4 at G=21.8-23.1, 2017 June 21.56p1 at G=23.2, 2017 July 26.46-50p4 at G=22.2-23.1, 2017 July 29.47-51p4 at G=22.5-24.0, 2017 July 30.45-48p4 at G=22.1-9, 2017 Sept. 15.33-36p3 at G=22.4-23.0, 2018 June 15.56-59p4 at G=22.9-23.4, 2018 June 18.56-60p4 at G=22.5-23.4, 2018 July 8.54p1 at G=22.6, 2018 Aug. 5.41-44p4 at G=22.3-23.1, and 2018 Aug. 13.43-47p4 at G=22.1-7. K11M11V 2011 MV11 (q=36.886 AU, Q=84.186 AU, H=6.3 ~186 km) was picked up at 1351 UT on 30 June 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2011 June 29.60p1 at G=22.1, 2011 June 30.58p2 at G=21.0-5, 2011 Sept. 23.39-41p2 at G=21.1-22.4, 2011 Oct. 3.32p1 at G=22.2, 2011 Oct. 3.43p1 at G=21.3, 2012 Nov. 1.34-35p2 at G=21.9-22.2, 2013 Aug. 9.45-49p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2013 Sept. 1.42-47p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2013 Sept. 22.40-41p2 at G=22.3, 2013 Oct. 24.25-26p2 at G=21.6-22.5, 2013 Nov. 19.21p1 at G=22.4, 2014 Aug. 28.41-44p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2014 Sept. 12.44p1 at G=21.5, 2014 Sept. 17.44-48p4 at G=21.6-22.2, 2014 Sept. 19.37-40p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2014 Sept. 23.37-40p4 at G=21.1-22.1, 2014 Sept. 29.35-37p3 at G=19.9-22.3, 2014 Nov. 12.23-24p2 at G=22.1-3, 2014 Nov. 22.21-24p4 at G=21.6-22.8, 2014 Nov. 24.21-24p4 at G=21.4-22.0, 2015 May 30.59-60p4 at G=21.9-22.0, 2015 July 14.62p1 at G=21.4, 2015 Aug. 13.58-61p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2015 Aug. 14.49-53p4 at G=21.7-8, 2015 Aug. 21.46-50p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2015 Oct. 18.37-39p3 at G=21.6-22.0, 2015 Nov. 8.24p1 at G=21.9, 2016 July 11.56-60p4 at G=22.1-7, 2016 Aug. 2.52-55p4 at G=21.7-9, 2016 Aug. 14.52-54p3 at G=21.8-22.3, 2016 Aug. 27.46-49p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2017 Jan. 8.22p1 at G=21.2, 2017 Jan. 9.22p1 at G=22.1, 2017 Jan. 10.21-22p2 at G=21.4-9, 2017 Aug. 18.48-52p4 at G=21.4-8, 2017 Sept. 15.41-44p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2017 Sept. 23.39-42p4 at G=21.5-8, 2017 Nov. 7.30-34p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2017 Dec. 5.26p1 at G=22.0, 2018 Jan. 5.22-23p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2018 July 10.57-60p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2018 Aug. 17.45-51p4 at G=21.6-22.1, and 2018 Aug. 18.51-55p4 at G=21.4-7. K11L29J 2011 LJ29 (KBO, q=41.065 AU, Q=47.803 AU, H=5.6 ~257 km) was picked up at 0927 UT on 6 June 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2010 June 7.40p1 at G=22.0, 2011 June 6.39-44p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2011 June 7.39-43p4 at G=21.5-9, 2011 June 8.37p1 at G=22.6, 2011 July 20.27p1 at G=21.3, 2012 May 10.49-50p2 at G=21.3-6, 2012 May 15.42p1 at G=22.4, 2013 April 4.59p1 at G=22.2, 2013 May 16.50p1 at G=21.8, 2013 June 7.41-42p2 at G=21.7-22.4, 2013 June 26.38p1 at G=21.4, 2013 June 30.33-37p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2014 May 21.44-48p4 at G=22.0-22.1, 2014 May 28.43-45p3 at G=21.0-4, 2014 June 8.43p1 at G=22.2, 2014 June 18.38p1 at G=21.7, 2014 June 26.37p1 at G=22.4, 2014 June 28.33-37p4 at G=21.7-22.0, 2014 July 25.31-35p5 at G=22.0-22.5, 2014 July 31.28p1 at G=23.0, 2015 Feb. 18.64p1 at G=22.1, 2015 March 20.61-64p2 at G=20.8-22.3, 2015 March 21.58-61p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2015 April 15.52p1 at G=21.7, 2015 May 21.44-47p4 at G=21.5-9, 2015 June 11.37-40p4 at G=21.6-22.1, 2015 June 13.38-40p2 at G=21.8-22.0, 2015 July 9.35-38p4 at G=21.3-8, 2015 July 12.35-39p3 at G=21.4-7, 2015 Aug. 6.29-32p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2015 Aug. 8.29-32p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2016 March 18.58p1 at G=22.2, 2016 April 5.58-60p3 at G=21.7-22.3, 2016 April 14.60-62p4 at G=21.4-9, 2016 June 8.44-47p4 at G=21.6-22.2, 2016 July 1.37-40p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2016 Aug. 18.28p1 at G=22.7, 2017 Feb. 4.66p1 at G=21.9, 2017 April 25.50-51p2 at G=21.8-22.0, 2017 May 4.53-57p4 at G=22.0-23.1, 2017 May 27.41-44p4 at G=21.7-9, 2017 June 20.36-39p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2017 July 25.28-31p4 at G=21.7-22.5, 2017 Aug. 11.26-29p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2018 April 12.55-58p4 at G=21.5-22.5, 2018 May 19.48-51p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2018 June 6.42-45p4 at G=19.9-21.2, 2018 June 14.43p1 at G=22.0, and 2018 July 12.34-37p4 at G=21.8-22.0. K11HA4N 2011 HN104 (q=27.910 AU, Q=51.711 AU, H=8.0 ~85.1 km) was picked up at 1249 UT on 30 April 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2011 April 30.51-53p2 at G=21.0-5, 2011 May 1.44-48p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2011 May 11.45-46p3 at G=21.8-23.4, 2012 April 24.55p1 at G=21.1, 2012 April 26.60p1 at G=22.5, 2012 May 1.46p1 at G=22.6, 2012 Aug. 13.25p1 at G=22.9, 2013 April 19.52-53p2 at G=21.2-4, 2013 May 12.45-49p4 at G=22.1-6, 2014 May 7.46-48p3 at G=21.8-22.3, 2014 May 23.47-50p4 at G=22.2-6, 2014 June 2.36-39p4 at G=22.2-5, 2014 June 30.37-40p3 at G=22.6-7, 2014 July 27.33p1 at G=22.9, 2014 July 29.31-33p3 at G=22.5-8, 2014 July 30.33-37p4 at G=22.2-8, 2014 Aug. 18.25-29p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2014 Aug. 19.25-29p4 at G=22.5-23.7, 2015 March 28.59-62p4 at G=22.5-7, 2015 March 29.59-62p3 at G=23.0-24.2, 2015 May 18.53-56p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2015 May 19.43-46p4 at G=21.7-23.3, 2015 June 7.44p1 at G=22.7, 2015 June 10.42-44p3 at G=22.3-9, 2015 July 6.29-32p3 at G=21.8-22.6, 2015 July 7.27-30p4 at G=22.3-7, 2016 March 17.62p1 at G=23.2, 2016 April 3.59p1 at G=22.3, 2016 April 11.50-55p4 at G=22.6-23.6, 2016 May 4.51-55p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2016 May 15.53p1 at G=22.0, 2016 June 5.37-40p4 at G=21.9-22.8, 2016 June 7.45-48p8 at G=22.4-23.5, 2016 July 6.36-39p4 at G=22.0-23.1, 2017 April 26.55-58p4 at G=21.9-22.7, 2017 May 22.48-52p4 at G=22.4-23.0, 2017 June 23.36-40p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2018 June 17.36-40p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2018 June 18.36-41p8 at G=22.1-6, and 2018 July 1.33p1 at G=21.4. K11E90Z 2011 EZ90 (KBO, q=38.238 AU, Q=43.993 AU, H=6.6 ~162 km) was picked up at 0847 UT on 14 March 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2011 March 14.37-41p4 at G=21.5-22.4, 2011 May 1.31p1 at G=22.7, 2012 Feb. 5.41p1 at G=22.8, 2012 Feb. 12.55-57p2 at G=22.0-22.2, 2014 Jan. 23.63p1 at G=22.9, 2014 Jan. 25.45p1 at G=22.9, 2014 Jan. 26.62p1 at G=22.4, 2014 June 9.36p1 at G=22.0, 2015 Jan. 14.63p1 at G=22.2, 2015 Jan. 30.57p1 at G=22.4, 2015 March 16.47-51p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2015 March 17.48-54p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2015 May 11.31-34p4 at G=22.0-23.3, 2016 Jan. 31.48p1 at G=21.7, 2016 Feb. 11.43-47p4 at G=22.1-4, 2016 Feb. 14.44-47p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2016 March 13.34-37p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2016 May 3.39p1 at G=22.4, 2016 May 30.31-35p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2017 Jan. 31.47-51p8 at G=21.8-22.3, 2017 Feb. 17.58-61p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2017 Feb. 20.63p1 at G=22.3, 2017 Feb. 23.44p1 at G=22.2, 2017 March 6.43p1 at G=22.3, 2017 March 18.34-38p4 at G=22.1-2, 2017 April 11.45p1 at G=21.9, and 2018 March 6.38p1 at G=22.7. K11E90Y 2011 EY90 (q=35.333 AU, Q=61.020 AU, H=7.0 ~135 km) was picked up at 1206 UT on 11 March 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2011 March 11.50p1 at G=23.2, 2011 March 13.46-47p2 at G=22.1-4, 2011 March 31.37-42p4 at G=22.1-5, 2011 Dec. 5.61-63p4 at G=21.9-23.1, 2012 Feb. 27.47-52p4 at G=22.3-9, 2012 April 2.44p1 at G=22.2, 2012 April 14.34-38p4 at G=22.4-6, 2013 March 13.47-51p4 at G=22.1-7, 2013 April 8.39-40p2 at G=22.1-3, 2014 June 2.27-29p3 at G=22.4-6, 2015 Jan. 20.60-63p4 at G=22.4-8, 2015 Feb. 25.52-55p3 at G=22.4-6, 2015 Feb. 27.50-53p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2015 April 25.37-39p3 at G=21.5-22.8, 2015 May 17.32p1 at G=22.5, 2015 May 18.33-37p4 at G=22.3-7, 2015 May 19.29p1 at G=22.5, 2016 Feb. 9.63-66p8 at G=22.3-23.3, 2016 Feb. 15.53-54p2 at G=21.4-5, 2016 Feb. 20.57-58p2 at G=22.5-8, 2016 March 4.57p1, 2016 March 14.55-58p4 at G=21.6-22.6, 2016 March 31.41-45p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2016 April 3.44-47p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2016 April 15.40-44p4 at G=21.2-22.1, 2017 Feb. 21.58-62p4 at G=22.5-23.0, 2017 March 17.45-48p4 at G=21.6-22.4, 2017 March 21.44-47p4 at G=22.5-7, 2017 March 28.50-53p4 at G=22.1-5, 2017 April 1.46-49p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2017 April 27.36-39p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2017 May 16.28-32p3 at G=22.3-7, 2017 Dec. 25.65-66p4 at G=21.9-23.3, 2018 April 12.42-46p4 at G=22.0-22.8, and 2018 June 5.27-30p3 at G=22.6-23.2. K11BH0Q 2011 BQ170 (KBO, q=37.541 AU, Q=54.280 AU, H=6.4 ~178 km) was picked up at 0957 UT on 30 Jan. 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2009 Dec. 29.52p1 at G=21.7, 2010 Feb. 15.38p1 at G=22.8, 2010 Feb. 24.36p1 at G=21.9, 2010 Dec. 15.64p1 at G=22.0, 2011 Jan. 30.41-46p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2011 Feb. 4.46-49p3 at G=21.4, 2011 Feb. 5.45-49p4 at G=22.1-3, 2011 March 10.46p1 at G=22.1, 2011 April 23.27p1 at G=22.0, 2012 Jan. 19.48-52p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2012 Feb. 15.51-54p3 at G=21.0-5, 2012 March 16.32-36p4 at G=21.5-22.3, 2012 March 19.34-38p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2012 April 12.27p1 at G=21.7, 2013 Feb. 5.57p1 at G=22.0, 2013 April 3.32-36p4 at G=22.1-4, 2014 Feb. 9.55-59p4 at G=20.9-22.3, 2014 Feb. 10.45-48p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2014 Feb. 22.47-50p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2014 Nov. 21.63-64p4 at G=21.9-22.9, 2014 Dec. 7.59p1 at G=22.1, 2015 Jan. 23.49-52p4 at G=22.1-23.1, 2015 Jan. 29.51-55p4 at G=21.8-22.5, 2015 April 14.30p1 at G=22.4, 2015 April 22.26-28p2 at G=22.1-5, 2015 April 25.26p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Dec. 13.63-65p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2016 Jan. 8.57-61p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2016 Jan. 21.56p1 at G=22.9, 2016 Feb. 10.48-51p7 at G=21.4-22.9, 2016 March 11.41-45p6 at G=21.2-23.5, 2016 April 5.36-39p3 at G=22.0-23.0, 2017 Jan. 26.54-58p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2017 Feb. 22.43-47p6 at G=21.7-22.8, 2017 Feb. 25.50-52p5 at G=21.7-22.4, 2017 March 19.32-36p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2017 March 29.34-38p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2017 April 23.32p1 at G=21.5, and 2018 Feb. 11.51-54p4 at G=21.9-22.4. K11BH0P 2011 BP170 (q=35.105 AU, Q=141.061 AU, H=6.6 ~162 km) was picked up at 0938 UT on 30 Jan. 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Jan. 11.46-47p2 at G=21.7-22.1, 2010 Feb. 13.38-39p2 at G=21.5-9, 2010 Dec. 15.63p1 at G=22.8, 2011 Jan. 30.40-45p4 at G=21.7-9, 2011 Feb. 3.49-51p2 at G=21.5-8, 2011 April 21.24p1 at G=21.4, 2012 Feb. 14.36-40p4 at G=21.2-9, 2012 June 8.28-30p4 at G=22.1-4, 2012 Dec. 9.60p1 at G=22.3, 2013 Feb. 8.49-54p4 at G=21.6-8, 2013 Feb. 10.48-52p4 at G=21.4-9, 2013 Feb. 21.44-46p2 at G=22.2-5, 2013 March 4.30-35p4 at G=21.6-8, 2014 Jan. 23.60p1 at G=22.5, 2014 Feb. 10.44-48p8 at G=21.2-22.2, 2014 Feb. 23.36-39p3 at G=22.0-22.3, 2014 Feb. 26.46-50p4 at G=21.4-6, 2014 March 6.35-38p4 at G=21.6-22.4, 2014 April 5.23p1 at G=21.1, 2014 April 23.25-29p2 at G=21.5-8, 2014 May 21.28-32p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2014 May 31.27p1 at G=21.8, 2014 Nov. 25.61-64p4 at G=21.9-22.1, 2014 Nov. 27.61-64p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2014 Dec. 6.60p1 at G=22.1, 2015 Jan. 16.48-51p4 at G=21.5-9, 2015 Jan. 18.47p1 at G=21.5, 2015 March 15.38-41p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2015 April 22.26-29p4 at G=21.6-22.6, 2016 Jan. 14.61-65p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2016 Jan. 21.66p1 at G=20.6, 2016 Feb. 2.47-51p4 at G=20.8-21.6, 2016 Feb. 6.48-52p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2016 Feb. 28.39-43p4 at G=20.7-22.3, 2016 March 7.34-36p3 at G=21.5-22.7, 2016 March 31.35-39p4 at G=21.6-8, 2016 Nov. 10.62-64p4 at G=21.4-22.0, 2016 Dec. 13.55-57p3 at G=21.7-9, 2017 Jan. 3.62-66p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2017 Jan. 26.50-53p4 at G=21.3-8, 2017 Feb. 16.48-52p4 at G=21.2-22.7, 2017 March 22.32-36p4 at G=21.6-22.3, 2017 June 19.28p1 at G=20.2, 2017 June 22.28p1 at G=21.9, 2017 June 23.27p1 at G=21.6, 2017 June 24.27p1 at G=21.7, 2017 June 25.28p1 at G=21.6, 2017 July 6.27p1 at G=22.4, 2017 July 10.27p1 at G=22.4, 2017 July 11.27p1 at G=21.0, 2018 Jan. 13.52-55p4 at G=21.5-8, 2018 Jan. 20.56-60p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2018 March 11.38-41p3 at G=21.3-22.2, and 2018 March 20.36p1 at G=21.0. K11BH0O 2011 BO170 (KBO, q=37.470 AU, Q=55.330 AU, H=6.9 ~141 km) was picked up at 0819 UT on 30 Jan. 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2011 Jan. 30.35-39p4 at G=22.3-23.1, 2011 Feb. 2.50-55p4 at G=22.3-9, 2011 Feb. 3.37-39p2 at G=22.2-9, 2011 Feb. 3.48-50p2 at G=22.4-23.0, 2012 Oct. 19.61p1 at G=22.4, 2012 Nov. 30.63p1 at G=21.5, 2013 Feb. 8.48-53p4 at G=22.0-22.7, 2013 Feb. 10.51p1 at G=22.0, 2013 Feb. 21.44-45p2 at G=21.5-22.0, 2013 March 4.29-34p4 at G=22.2-8, 2014 Jan. 5.44-49p4 at G=22.1-23.6, 2014 Jan. 26.44-48p4 at G=22.1-8, 2014 Feb. 20.41p1 at G=22.9, 2014 Feb. 28.36-39p4 at G=22.1-9, 2014 March 24.31p1 at G=22.6, 2014 April 24.26p1 at G=22.5, 2015 Jan. 15.44-46p3 at G=21.9-22.3, 2015 Jan. 17.54-57p3 at G=22.1-4, 2015 Dec. 6.63p1 at G=21.8, 2015 Dec. 9.57-61p4 at G=22.2-23.1, 2015 Dec. 12.62-65p4 at G=22.1-23.1, 2016 Jan. 4.50-54p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2016 Jan. 16.52-55p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2016 Jan. 29.47p1 at G=22.4, 2016 Feb. 5.45-48p4 at G=22.2-4, 2016 Feb. 6.43-47p4 at G=22.3-9, 2016 Feb. 14.41p1 at G=22.6, 2016 Feb. 27.40p1 at G=21.2, 2016 March 5.38-39p2 at G=22.6-9, 2016 March 13.29-33p2 at G=22.0-22.6, 2016 March 30.25-28p3 at G=22.2-6, 2016 April 25.27-29p3 at G=22.1-3, 2017 Jan. 29.50-53p4 at G=21.7-23.2, 2017 Feb. 27.36-38p3 at G=22.4-9, 2017 March 4.36-38p2 at G=22.4-6, 2017 March 31.31-35p3 at G=22.2-6, 2017 Dec. 29.58p1 at G=22.8, 2018 Jan. 12.47-54p4 at G=21.7-22.5, 2018 Jan. 13.51-54p4 at G=22.8-23.3, 2018 March 11.38p1 at G=21.4, and 2018 March 17.34-38p4 at G=22.4-6. K11BH0N 2011 BN170 (q=34.838 AU, Q=106.072 AU, H=6.9 ~141 km) was picked up at 0650 UT on 30 Jan. 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2011 Jan. 24.51p1 at G=21.9, 2011 Jan. 26.35p1 at G=21.3, 2011 Jan. 30.28-33p4 at G=21.5-9, 2011 April 24.29p1 at G=22.1, 2011 Sept. 30.59p1 at G=22.4, 2011 Nov. 26.62p1 at G=20.4, 2012 Dec. 23.56-60p4 at G=22.3-8, 2013 Jan. 3.53-56p4 at G=22.2-23.0, 2014 Jan. 1.40-44p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2014 Jan. 11.39-40p2 at G=21.9-22.2, 2014 Jan. 24.31-34p4 at G=22.3-5, 2014 March 2.25-27p3 at G=22.1-8, 2014 Nov. 21.52-56p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2014 Dec. 29.56-59p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2015 Jan. 24.40p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Jan. 27.51-55p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2015 Feb. 12.31p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Feb. 13.28-32p4 at G=22.4-6, 2015 Feb. 23.27p1 at G=22.9, 2015 March 23.32-36p4 at G=22.2-7, 2015 Dec. 3.51-54p4 at G=22.0-23.0, 2015 Dec. 4.46-50p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2015 Dec. 24.46p1 at G=21.8, 2016 Jan. 14.51-55p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2016 Feb. 4.31-34p4 at G=21.8-22.7, 2016 March 4.24-27p4 at G=22.2-5, 2016 March 13.24-27p4 at G=21.8-22.5, 2017 Jan. 6.60p1 at G=22.3, 2017 Jan. 8.62p1 at G=22.3, 2017 Jan. 9.58p1 at G=22.4, 2017 Jan. 16.55p1 at G=21.5, 2017 Jan. 18.54p1 at G=22.3, 2017 Feb. 14.45p1 at G=22.9, 2017 April 8.29p1 at G=22.4, 2017 Nov. 21.55-57p3 at G=22.2-4, 2017 Dec. 13.47-51p8 at G=21.8-22.2, 2018 Jan. 13.44p1 at G=20.6, and 2018 Feb. 13.30p1 at G=22.1. K11BH0M 2011 BM170 (i=46.7°, q=37.294 AU, Q=74.111 AU, H=6.0 ~214 km) was picked up at 1258 UT on 22 Jan. 2011 by PS1, observing it at 2010 March 13.54-55p2 at G=20.9-21.1, 2010 March 17.51-53p4 at G=19.9-21.1, 2011 Jan. 22.54-55p2 at G=21.6-22.3, 2011 March 12.39-40p2 at G=20.7-21.5, 2011 March 14.34-36p2 at G=21.8-9, 2013 April 27.34-35p2 at G=21.6-8, 2014 May 8.27-30p4 at G=21.3-7, 2014 May 10.27-31p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2014 June 9.33p1 at G=21.9, 2014 Dec. 11.65p1 at G=22.0, 2014 Dec. 25.62p1 at G=21.5, 2014 Dec. 27.61-65p4 at G=21.4-7, 2015 Jan. 1.60p1 at G=21.8, 2015 Jan. 14.58-62p4 at G=21.1-8, 2015 Jan. 30.54-57p4 at G=21.4-22.0, 2015 Feb. 1.54-58p4 at G=21.4-22.4, 2015 March 10.42-45p4 at G=21.6-22.1, 2015 May 11.31-33p3 at G=21.3-4, 2015 May 12.35p1 at G=21.9, 2015 Dec. 29.60-63p3 at G=21.7-22.3, 2015 Dec. 30.67p1 at G=22.1, 2016 Jan. 23.51-53p3 at G=21.1-9, 2016 Jan. 30.57-58p2 at G=21.1-5, 2016 Feb. 21.45p1 at G=22.2, 2016 Feb. 27.51-55p4 at G=20.9-21.6, 2016 March 17.41-45p4 at G=21.2-5, 2016 April 10.31-34p4 at G=21.6-7, 2018 Jan. 30.56-60p5 at G=21.6-22.4, 2018 March 7.44-46p3 at G=21.7-8, 2018 May 27.31p1 at G=21.4, and 2018 June 9.28-32p4 at G=21.7-8. K10W75N 2010 WN75 (KBO, q=36.874 AU, Q=44.277 AU, H=5.8 ~234 km) was picked up at 1016 UT on 18 Nov. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Sept. 28.62p1 at G=21.8, 2010 Nov. 18.43-44p2 at G=21.2-4, 2010 Nov. 18.51-53p2 at G=21.4-5, 2010 Dec. 4.47p1 at G=20.9, 2010 Dec. 30.33p1 at G=20.8, 2011 Sept. 30.63p1 at G=21.9, 2011 Oct. 9.60-61p2 at G=20.8-22.3, 2011 Dec. 15.42-44p3 at G=21.2-22.1, 2012 Jan. 20.29p1 at G=21.6, 2012 Feb. 13.22p2 at G=21.4-22.0, 2012 Feb. 15.23p1 at G=20.9, 2012 Dec. 12.47p1 at G=21.6, 2012 Dec. 23.40-41p2 at G=21.3-5, 2013 Jan. 27.31-32p2 at G=22.2-8, 2013 Nov. 29.45-46p2 at G=20.6-21.2, 2013 Dec. 6.43-44p2 at G=20.7-21.1, 2013 Dec. 10.39-40p2 at G=21.1-4, 2013 Dec. 12.42-43p2 at G=21.5-8, 2014 Sept. 11.60-62p4 at G=21.4-22.4, 2014 Oct. 3.53-57p4 at G=21.1-4, 2014 Oct. 27.54-55p2 at G=21.2-4, 2014 Oct. 27.59-60p2 at G=21.4-5, 2014 Nov. 22.53-57p4 at G=21.3-6, 2015 Jan. 14.27-31p4 at G=21.1-3, 2015 Jan. 16.27-32p4 at G=21.3-4, 2015 Oct. 25.51-55p4 at G=21.5-9, 2015 Oct. 26.46-50p4 at G=21.0-6, 2015 Nov. 23.49-52p4 at G=21.4-8, 2015 Nov. 30.46-48p2 at G=20.9-21.3, 2015 Dec. 6.40-44p4 at G=21.2-3, 2015 Dec. 13.47-51p4 at G=21.2-5, 2015 Dec. 14.43-46p4 at G=20.9-21.7, 2016 Jan. 9.38-41p8 at G=21.2-6, 2016 Jan. 11.38p1 at G=21.4, 2016 Jan. 12.27-31p4 at G=21.2-3, 2016 Feb. 12.23-27p4 at G=21.3-5, 2016 March 2.24-28p4 at G=20.8-21.6, 2016 Oct. 9.60-63p4 at G=21.5-7, 2016 Oct. 14.55-59p4 at G=20.4-21.5, 2016 Dec. 23.43-46p4 at G=21.2-4, 2017 Jan. 27.33-37p4 at G=21.2-4, 2017 Nov. 9.56-59p4 at G=21.4-6, 2017 Nov. 18.44-48p4 at G=21.2-3, 2017 Dec. 7.47-49p3, 2018 Jan. 12.38-41p4 at G=21.3-4, and 2018 Jan. 22.34-35p4 at G=21.2-5. K10W75M 2010 WM75 (q=42.053 AU, Q=58.203 AU, H=6.1 ~204 km) was picked up at 1302 UT on 17 Nov. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Nov. 17.54p1 at G=22.5, 2010 Nov. 27.51p1 at G=21.6, 2010 Dec. 5.42-45p3 at G=22.1-5, 2011 Oct. 23.46-50p4 at G=22.3-8, 2011 Nov. 20.53-54p2 at G=22.2-4, 2011 Dec. 6.52-53p2 at G=22.0-22.6, 2011 Dec. 16.39-42p3 at G=22.2-23.4, 2013 Jan. 8.32-33p2 at G=21.9-22.0, 2013 Nov. 29.53-57p4 at G=21.7-22.5, 2013 Dec. 11.38-42p5 at G=22.2-3, 2013 Dec. 29.40-44p4 at G=21.8-23.0, 2014 March 19.27p1 at G=22.9, 2014 Nov. 26.39-43p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2015 Jan. 17.25-29p4 at G=21.6-22.1, 2015 Jan. 17.35-39p4 at G=22.4-6, 2015 Oct. 19.51p1 at G=21.9, 2015 Oct. 23.56p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Dec. 3.46p1 at G=21.5, 2015 Dec. 5.41-44p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2016 Jan. 11.40-44p4 at G=21.9-22.8, 2016 Jan. 13.38-42p4 at G=22.0-23.2, 2016 Oct. 13.59-63p4 at G=21.6-22.9, 2016 Nov. 28.53-57p3 at G=21.8-22.5, 2017 Jan. 3.35-39p4 at G=22.2-7, 2017 Jan. 20.42p1 at G=22.3, 2017 Jan. 28.28-32p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2017 Feb. 14.31-35p3 at G=21.7-22.3, 2017 Nov. 24.51-55p4 at G=22.2-23.1, 2018 Jan. 3.49p1 at G=22.8, and 2018 Jan. 10.33-36p4 at G=22.3-6. K10UB0U 2010 UU110 (Centaur, q=17.205 AU, Q=27.637 AU, H=8.6 ~64.5 km) was picked up at 1520 UT on 31 Oct. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Oct. 31.64-65p2 at G=21.0-9, 2011 Jan. 15.44-45p2 at G=21.2-9, 2011 Dec. 15.54-58p4 at G=21.5-22.0, 2012 Jan. 6.39-41p2 at G=21.8-9, 2012 Oct. 26.59-62p3 at G=20.2-21.4, 2012 Nov. 7.63-64p2 at G=21.4-7, 2013 Jan. 8.53-54p2 at G=21.2-3, 2013 Feb. 2.39-43p3 at G=21.6-22.1, 2013 April 21.26p1 at G=22.2, 2013 Oct. 30.62p1 at G=22.8, 2013 Nov. 8.63p1 at G=18.9, 2013 Nov. 17.57-60p4 at G=22.1-8, 2013 Nov. 19.57p1 at G=22.5, 2014 Jan. 19.48-52p4 at G=20.5-21.5, 2014 March 19.34-35p2 at G=20.7-21.3, 2014 March 27.37p1 at G=20.8, 2014 Nov. 9.58p1 at G=23.0, 2014 Dec. 1.53-56p3 at G=21.8-22.1, 2014 Dec. 26.57-61p4 at G=21.5-8, 2015 Feb. 7.42p1 at G=23.5, 2015 March 24.25-29p4 at G=21.6-22.4, 2015 April 4.25-29p4 at G=21.6-22.7, 2015 Nov. 17.62-63p2 at G=21.5-22.6, 2015 Dec. 3.61-62p2 at G=21.4-6, 2015 Dec. 12.57-60p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2015 Dec. 31.52-56p4 at G=21.6-9, 2016 Jan. 20.43-46p4 at G=21.2-7, 2016 Jan. 28.48-51p3 at G=21.4-7, 2016 March 29.25p1 at G=21.6, 2016 April 5.25-29p4 at G=22.0-22.1, 2016 Dec. 22.60-63p4 at G=22.1-3, 2017 Jan. 21.38p1 at G=22.2, 2017 Jan. 23.56p1 at G=21.9, 2017 Jan. 24.31p1 at G=21.9, 2017 Jan. 24.38p1 at G=22.2, 2017 Jan. 24.49p1 at G=22.3, 2017 Jan. 24.57p1 at G=22.1, 2017 Jan. 25.37p1 at G=22.8, 2017 Jan. 25.49p1 at G=21.7, 2017 Jan. 25.63p1 at G=21.0, 2017 Feb. 1.42-46p4 at G=21.7-8, 2017 Feb. 5.29p1 at G=22.1, 2017 Feb. 5.36p1 at G=22.5, 2017 Feb. 5.48p1 at G=22.4, 2017 Feb. 5.55p1 at G=22.2, 2017 Nov. 19.60-62p3 at G=21.7-22.1, 2018 Jan. 9.51-54p4 at G=22.0-22.1, 2018 Jan. 20.45-48p8 at G=21.6-8, and 2018 Jan. 23.42-45p4 at G=21.8-22.2. K10TJ5T 2010 TT195 (KBO, q=40.062 AU, Q=46.368 AU, H=6.1 ~204 km) was picked up at 1020 UT on 9 Oct. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Oct. 9.43-48p4 at G=22.0-23.7, 2010 Oct. 30.54-55p2 at G=21.5-9, 2010 Nov. 8.48-52p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2011 Nov. 14.32-34p2 at G=22.0-22.2, 2012 Feb. 4.24p1 at G=22.1, 2012 Oct. 21.55-60p4 at G=21.9-22.6, 2012 Nov. 5.51-52p2 at G=22.0-22.3, 2012 Nov. 7.41p1 at G=22.2, 2013 March 4.24p1 at G=22.0, 2013 March 5.24-25p4 at G=22.3-7, 2013 Oct. 25.56p1 at G=22.9, 2014 July 31.59-61p3 at G=21.5-22.9, 2014 Sept. 22.64p1 at G=20.7, 2014 Nov. 18.51-54p2 at G=20.5-21.3, 2014 Dec. 10.44-48p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2015 Jan. 11.33-37p3 at G=22.2-3, 2015 Jan. 14.32-36p4 at G=22.3-7, 2015 July 26.58-60p4 at G=21.9-22.9, 2015 Sept. 9.52-56p4 at G=22.2-4, 2015 Nov. 4.39-40p2 at G=22.2-3, 2015 Dec. 13.44-46p3 at G=21.6-22.0, 2016 Jan. 8.34-38p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2016 Feb. 6.29-32p4 at G=22.3-7, 2016 Oct. 7.45-49p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2016 Oct. 25.56-60p4 at G=21.5-22.3, 2016 Nov. 26.46-48p3 at G=21.7-22.2, 2017 Oct. 28.56-60p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2017 Nov. 17.50-53p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2017 Dec. 8.28-33p4 at G=22.2-5, 2017 Dec. 9.27-31p3 at G=22.2-23.2, 2018 Jan. 11.36p1 at G=23.0, and 2018 Feb. 3.29-32p4 at G=21.8-23.2. K10TJ5S 2010 TS195 (KBO, q=34.527 AU, Q=44.055 AU, H=7.4 ~112 km) was picked up at 0930 UT on 7 Oct. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Oct. 7.40-45p4 at G=22.2-6, 2010 Oct. 15.36p1 at G=22.3, 2011 Oct. 18.40p1 at G=22.7, 2011 Oct. 20.38p1 at G=21.2, 2012 Oct. 8.44p1 at G=21.9, 2012 Dec. 7.23-28p3 at G=22.1-23.0, 2014 Oct. 2.45-48p7 at G=22.2-7, 2014 Nov. 21.36p1 at G=23.0, 2014 Dec. 11.29p1 at G=22.5, 2015 Aug. 21.57-60p4 at G=22.2-9, 2015 Sept. 23.49-52p4 at G=19.6-23.7, 2015 Oct. 12.44p1 at G=22.6, 2015 Nov. 6.43-47p4 at G=22.2-8, 2015 Nov. 7.43p1 at G=22.5, 2015 Dec. 8.31-35p8 at G=22.2-23.1, 2016 Jan. 4.25-29p8 at G=22.2-23.0, 2016 Jan. 14.23p1 at G=22.6, 2016 Nov. 5.41-45p4 at G=22.3-8, 2017 Sept. 18.59p1 at G=22.8, 2017 Sept. 30.57p1 at G=21.9, 2017 Oct. 1.55p1 at G=22.8, 2017 Oct. 29.48-52p4 at G=22.3-9, 2017 Nov. 13.37-41p4 at G=22.1-7, 2017 Nov. 22.38-39p2 at G=22.1, 2017 Dec. 11.36-38p3 at G=22.5-9, and 2018 Jan. 5.24-28p4 at G=22.7-23.0. K10TJ5R 2010 TR195 (q=29.113 AU, Q=49.488 AU, H=7.8 ~93.3 km) was picked up at 1016 UT on 6 Oct. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 June 15.60p1 at G=23.0, 2010 June 16.57p1 at G=22.1, 2010 Sept. 28.40p1 at G=22.6, 2010 Oct. 3.52p1 at G=22.2, 2010 Oct. 6.43-47p4 at G=22.2-24.0, 2010 Oct. 13.44-49p4 at G=22.2-6, 2010 Nov. 1.30-34p3 at G=22.1-23.1, 2011 Oct. 25.27p1 at G=22.3, 2012 Oct. 8.51p1 at G=22.8, 2012 Oct. 17.39-43p4 at G=22.3-23.2, 2012 Nov. 7.27-31p4 at G=21.9-23.4, 2013 Oct. 2.41-44p3 at G=22.0-22.9, 2013 Oct. 27.34-38p4 at G=22.1-23.1, 2013 Nov. 25.26-29p3 at G=22.7-9, 2014 Aug. 3.62p1 at G=23.6, 2014 Aug. 18.61p1 at G=22.4, 2014 Aug. 19.60p1 at G=22.5, 2014 Aug. 28.49p1 at G=22.8, 2014 Sept. 23.47p1 at G=23.5, 2014 Sept. 29.53-56p4 at G=20.0-22.7, 2014 Oct. 3.42p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Nov. 11.44p1 at G=23.4, 2014 Nov. 28.30p1 at G=24.4, 2015 Aug. 12.56-59p4 at G=21.9-22.8, 2015 Aug. 28.48-50p2 at G=22.7-8, 2015 Aug. 29.47p1 at G=21.4, 2015 Sept. 11.52-55p4 at G=21.9-22.6, 2015 Sept. 12.44-52p8 at G=22.3-23.0, 2015 Oct. 16.39p1 at G=22.6, 2015 Oct. 18.41-44p4 at G=21.1-22.8, 2015 Oct. 19.38-42p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2015 Dec. 3.22-26p4 at G=22.7-23.6, 2015 Dec. 14.33-37p4 at G=22.1-6, 2015 Dec. 31.27-30p4 at G=22.3-6, 2016 Jan. 1.24-27p4 at G=22.3-7, 2016 Jan. 29.26p1 at G=23.0, 2016 Aug. 16.53-57p4 at G=22.5-23.3, 2016 Sept. 27.45-49p4 at G=21.4-22.6, 2017 Sept. 27.59-62p4 at G=21.5-22.6, 2017 Sept. 29.56-60p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2017 Nov. 24.32-36p4 at G=22.3-5, 2018 Jan. 11.26p1 at G=21.8, and 2018 Feb. 3.24-27p4 at G=22.2-23.5. K10RJ0K 2010 RK190 (KBO, q=31.721 AU, Q=47.135 AU, H=6.1 ~204 km) was picked up at 1103 UT on 13 Sept. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2009 Sept. 14.52p1 at G=22.1, 2009 Sept. 15.52p1 at G=21.8, 2010 June 17.55p1 at G=22.3, 2010 June 19.54p1 at G=22.6, 2010 Sept. 13.46-50p4 at G=21.2-22.3, 2010 Sept. 15.49-52p4 at G=21.9-22.8, 2010 Sept. 16.44-46p3 at G=22.4-23.0, 2010 Oct. 4.45p1 at G=23.2, 2010 Oct. 9.31-32p2 at G=22.7-23.0, 2010 Oct. 14.30-31p2 at G=22.3-5, 2011 Nov. 30.20-21p2 at G=21.7-22.5, 2012 Oct. 9.34-39p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2012 Oct. 22.37-38p2 at G=21.6-22.8, 2012 Nov. 4.24-29p4 at G=22.5-23.2, 2013 Sept. 10.49-54p4 at G=22.3-7, 2013 Sept. 24.54p1 at G=22.8, 2013 Dec. 17.27p1 at G=22.6, 2014 Jan. 25.23p1 at G=22.8, 2014 Aug. 27.53-55p2 at G=22.3-8, 2014 Aug. 30.45-49p3 at G=22.8-9, 2014 Sept. 2.55-58p4 at G=22.6-23.0, 2014 Sept. 13.54p1 at G=22.0, 2014 Sept. 14.40p1 at G=23.6, 2014 Oct. 12.45p1 at G=23.1, 2014 Nov. 19.31-35p3 at G=22.6-23.3, 2015 Jan. 6.22p1 at G=22.6, 2015 Aug. 28.64p1 at G=21.1, 2015 Sept. 6.60p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Sept. 11.46-50p4 at G=22.3-5, 2015 Oct. 10.34-38p4 at G=22.4-9, 2015 Oct. 12.36-42p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2015 Oct. 13.36-40p3 at G=22.3-9, 2015 Oct. 23.32-35p3 at G=22.1-23.6, 2015 Oct. 29.34p1 at G=22.0, 2015 Nov. 1.29-33p4 at G=22.1-9, 2015 Nov. 2.32-35p4 at G=22.7-23.4, 2015 Nov. 7.28-29p2 at G=23.1, 2015 Dec. 9.26-30p4 at G=22.6-23.3, 2015 Dec. 24.24p1 at G=22.2, 2016 Feb. 2.23p1 at G=22.8, 2016 Sept. 26.49p1 at G=23.1, 2016 Sept. 30.42-46p3 at G=21.7-22.4, 2016 Dec. 14.23-25p3 at G=21.5-22.7, 2017 Aug. 26.35p1 at G=22.6, 2017 Aug. 26.42p1 at G=22.0, 2017 Sept. 2.44p1 at G=22.9, 2017 Nov. 22.21-24p3 at G=21.9-22.9, and 2018 Aug. 14.48-52p4 at G=22.4-9. K10RJ0J 2010 RJ190 (KBO, q=41.111 AU, Q=47.828 AU, H=6.8 ~148 km) was picked up at 0726 UT on 4 Sept. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Sept. 4.31-32p2 at G=22.4-6, 2010 Sept. 13.31-32p2 at G=22.6-7, 2010 Sept. 14.30-31p2 at G=21.8-22.4, 2011 July 27.48-52p4 at G=22.5-23.1, 2011 Aug. 24.43-47p4 at G=22.4-7, 2012 Aug. 17.44-48p4 at G=22.1-8, 2012 Sept. 4.43-44p2 at G=22.5-23.2, 2013 Aug. 26.48-51p3 at G=22.5-23.3, 2013 Aug. 31.42-46p4 at G=22.3-9, 2013 Sept. 14.38p1 at G=22.3, 2014 June 26.56p1 at G=22.9, 2014 June 28.52-55p4 at G=22.6-9, 2014 July 25.53-56p4 at G=22.4-23.7, 2014 Aug. 3.48-52p4 at G=22.7-23.1, 2014 Aug. 5.50-52p2 at G=22.2-23.5, 2014 Aug. 20.43-44p2 at G=22.3-8, 2014 Sept. 2.37-39p3 at G=22.6-7, 2014 Sept. 18.29-31p4 at G=22.6-23.4, 2014 Sept. 18.36-38p4 at G=22.0-22.8, 2014 Nov. 10.25p1 at G=23.2, 2015 July 12.50-54p4 at G=22.2-9, 2015 Oct. 26.27p1 at G=22.3, 2015 Nov. 3.27-31p4 at G=22.4-23.3, 2016 July 7.54-57p4 at G=22.5-9, 2016 July 11.56-60p4 at G=22.7-23.2, 2016 Aug. 2.51-55p4 at G=22.4-23.2, 2016 Aug. 27.45-49p4 at G=22.1-8, 2016 Oct. 6.36-40p4 at G=22.4-7, 2016 Oct. 25.26-29p4 at G=21.8-22.8, 2017 Sept. 15.40-43p4 at G=22.4-23.0, 2017 Nov. 7.31p1 at G=23.0, 2018 July 12.55-56p2 at G=22.6-23.1, 2018 Aug. 8.49-53p4 at G=22.7-23.5, and 2018 Aug. 18.55p1 at G=23.1. K10Q07Q 2010 QQ7 (q=35.420 AU, Q=194.623 AU, H=6.0 ~214 km) was picked up at 1018 UT on 18 Aug. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 June 19.62p1 at G=22.3, 2010 Aug. 18.43-47p5 at G=21.6-22.1, 2010 Sept. 16.42-43p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2010 Nov. 1.26-27p4 at G=21.1-22.7, 2011 Aug. 1.48-52p4 at G=21.6-22.2, 2011 Sept. 17.43-44p2 at G=22.5-6, 2012 Sept. 6.44-48p4 at G=21.2-8, 2012 Nov. 7.24p1 at G=22.1, 2012 Nov. 29.22p1 at G=21.9, 2013 Aug. 29.43-44p2 at G=21.6-7, 2013 Sept. 22.39p1 at G=23.5, 2014 Aug. 25.45-48p4 at G=21.3-22.0, 2014 Aug. 26.46-50p4 at G=21.6-9, 2014 Sept. 1.41-44p4 at G=21.6-8, 2014 Sept. 11.46p1 at G=21.3, 2014 Sept. 20.39-42p2 at G=20.8-21.5, 2015 Aug. 10.51-54p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2015 Aug. 11.52-54p4 at G=21.5-22.2, 2015 Oct. 15.30-33p4 at G=21.4-22.4, 2015 Oct. 16.31-34p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2016 Aug. 6.54-57p8 at G=21.5-22.0, 2016 Aug. 30.46-49p4 at G=21.6-22.2, 2016 Sept. 7.43-46p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2017 Sept. 12.38-41p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2017 Sept. 21.41-44p4 at G=21.4-22.1, 2017 Nov. 6.25-28p3 at G=21.3-5, 2018 Aug. 5.51-54p4 at G=22.0-22.7, and 2018 Aug. 7.50-54p4 at G=21.9-22.4. K10P88C 2010 PC88 (Centaur, q=24.380 AU, Q=27.163 AU, H=7.9 ~89.1 km) was picked up at 1407 UT on 4 Aug. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Aug. 4.59p2 at G=21.7-8, 2010 Oct. 6.49-50p2 at G=21.4-22.1, 2010 Oct. 7.48-50p2 at G=21.9-22.3, 2011 Sept. 8.54-58p3 at G=21.5-7, 2012 Oct. 24.35-37p2 at G=22.0, 2013 Jan. 1.21p1 at G=21.3, 2013 Aug. 12.62p1 at G=21.2, 2013 Oct. 4.49-50p2 at G=20.7-21.1, 2013 Oct. 10.41-44p3 at G=21.9-22.5, 2013 Oct. 25.30-35p4 at G=21.9-22.0, 2014 Aug. 6.57-61p2 at G=22.0-22.7, 2014 Aug. 20.58-61p4 at G=21.9-22.1, 2014 Oct. 1.49-52p4 at G=21.3-22.0, 2014 Nov. 12.36-39p4 at G=20.8-22.0, 2014 Nov. 28.34-35p2 at G=21.2-7, 2014 Dec. 12.26-29p4 at G=21.5-22.0, 2015 Jan. 11.23-27p4 at G=21.7-22.8, 2015 Sept. 23.44-47p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2015 Sept. 25.50-53p4 at G=21.1-22.5, 2015 Dec. 6.26-29p4 at G=21.9-22.1, 2016 Aug. 17.58-61p4 at G=21.9-22.8, 2016 Aug. 27.56-61p4 at G=21.8-9, 2016 Sept. 25.51-55p4 at G=21.5-9, 2016 Oct. 7.49-53p3 at G=21.8-9, 2016 Oct. 27.41-45p4 at G=21.7-22.0, 2016 Dec. 25.31p1 at G=22.2, 2017 Sept. 14.51-55p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2017 Sept. 22.47-51p4 at G=21.5-9, 2017 Oct. 11.46-50p4 at G=21.8-22.5, 2017 Nov. 8.41-45p8 at G=21.5-22.7, and 2017 Dec. 14.27-30p4 at G=22.2-7. This detection was confirmed by DECam/code "!" (10) (2013 Nov. 3.03p1, 2013 Nov. 3.09p1 & 2013 Nov. 3.19p1). K10OF3E 2010 OE153 (q=35.554 AU, Q=81.012 AU, H=5.4 ~282 km) was picked up at 0841 UT on 19 July 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2009 June 27.50-51p2 at G=21.4-5, 2010 July 19.36-37p2 at G=20.8-21.1, 2010 July 30.41-42p2 at G=20.6-9, 2010 July 31.39p1 at G=20.6, 2010 Sept. 28.22-23p2 at G=21.3-6, 2011 May 11.59-60p2 at G=20.6-21.1, 2011 June 26.52-53p2 at G=20.7-21.2, 2011 June 30.51-52p2 at G=20.7-21.2, 2011 July 20.39-43p4 at G=20.5-21.0, 2011 July 21.44-47p2 at G=21.1-22.1, 2011 July 27.41-42p2 at G=20.9-21.3, 2011 Sept. 12.27-28p2 at G=20.7-8, 2011 Sept. 17.25-31p4 at G=20.2-8, 2012 May 14.60-61p2 at G=20.8-21.5, 2012 June 10.49-52p4 at G=20.7-9, 2012 June 14.53-54p2 at G=20.8-21.0, 2013 June 17.52-56p4 at G=20.8-21.1, 2013 June 29.51-52p2 at G=20.9, 2013 July 6.50-54p4 at G=20.6-9, 2013 July 19.47-48p2 at G=21.2-7, 2013 July 26.47-48p2 at G=20.7-9, 2013 Aug. 7.41-42p2 at G=20.3, 2013 Sept. 22.23p1 at G=20.9, 2014 May 7.56-58p3 at G=20.8-21.0, 2015 May 5.61p1 at G=20.7, 2015 June 16.56-60p4 at G=20.9-21.2, 2015 June 18.53-57p4 at G=20.7-9, 2015 June 22.54-57p4 at G=21.0-2, 2015 June 23.51-55p4 at G=20.6-8, 2015 June 23.60p1 at G=20.9, 2015 June 26.49-53p4 at G=20.9-21.0, 2015 July 9.44-46p2 at G=20.2-21.6, 2015 July 11.48-51p3 at G=18.2-20.4, 2015 July 27.38-41p4 at G=20.8-21.0, 2015 July 28.37-41p4 at G=20.4-21.0, 2015 Aug. 5.46p1 at G=21.3, 2015 Sept. 8.37-41p4 at G=20.2-9, 2015 Oct. 10.22-25p4 at G=21.1-3, 2016 April 25.62p1 at G=20.7, 2016 June 8.53-57p4 at G=20.8-21.0, 2016 July 13.46-49p4 at G=20.7-9, 2016 Aug. 12.34-37p7 at G=20.5-21.7, 2016 Sept. 30.23-27p4 at G=21.1-2, 2017 May 27.57-60p4 at G=20.8-21.1, 2017 June 25.49-52p4 at G=21.0-4, 2017 July 21.42-44p2 at G=19.9-20.9, 2017 Aug. 26.29-33p4 at G=20.6-9, 2017 Oct. 12.22-25p4 at G=20.6-21.0, 2018 June 15.52-55p4 at G=21.2-3, 2018 June 22.50-54p4 at G=20.7-21.0, 2018 July 8.47-51p4 at G=21.1-2, and 2018 Aug. 11.40-44p4 at G=20.9-21.1. K10NE6G 2010 NG146 (Centaur, q=17.555 AU, Q=22.480 AU, H=9.0 ~53.7 km) was picked up at 1109 UT on 12 July 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2009 July 16.49-50p2 at G=21.5-7, 2010 July 12.47-48p2 at G=21.9-22.4, 2010 Aug. 18.32-36p4 at G=21.2-22.5, 2010 Oct. 8.22p1 at G=22.1, 2011 July 26.44-48p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2011 July 27.44-46p4 at G=21.5-22.6, 2011 Aug. 2.41-44p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2011 Aug. 17.35-36p2 at G=20.9-21.5, 2011 Oct. 1.25-26p2 at G=21.5-8, 2012 July 28.45-46p2 at G=21.9-22.3, 2012 Aug. 11.39-40p2 at G=21.3-8, 2012 Nov. 3.21-23p4 at G=22.1-7, 2013 July 13.47-51p4 at G=22.1-4, 2013 Aug. 4.45-49p4 at G=21.5-8, 2014 June 27.51-55p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2014 July 3.55-58p3 at G=20.8-21.6, 2014 July 25.48-51p4 at G=22.2-4, 2014 July 28.45-48p4 at G=21.5-22.2, 2014 Aug. 14.41p1 at G=21.7, 2014 Aug. 15.40-44p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2014 Aug. 24.44p1 at G=22.2, 2014 Aug. 25.41-44p4 at G=21.7-22.6, 2014 Sept. 11.32-35p4 at G=21.5-22.3, 2014 Sept. 29.32-34p3 at G=21.8-22.6, 2015 July 14.48-52p2 at G=22.8-23.0, 2015 Aug. 17.39-40p2 at G=22.3-6, 2015 Sept. 5.39-40p2 at G=21.7, 2015 Sept. 6.38-41p4 at G=22.3-7, 2015 Oct. 3.27-30p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2016 May 13.59p1 at G=22.8, 2016 July 4.54-57p4 at G=21.7-22.6, 2016 July 14.51-55p4 at G=21.8-22.5, 2016 Aug. 3.41-44p4 at G=22.1-4, 2016 Sept. 8.30-34p4 at G=20.8-22.1, 2016 Oct. 19.23-27p4 at G=21.8-22.5, 2016 Nov. 3.22p1 at G=22.9, 2017 July 5.56-59p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2017 July 24.48-52p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2017 Aug. 15.43p1 at G=21.9, 2017 Aug. 17.39-42p3 at G=21.9-22.0, 2017 Sept. 13.33-37p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2017 Nov. 7.21-25p4 at G=22.1-9, 2017 Dec. 5.21-22p2 at G=22.6-8, 2017 Dec. 12.22p1 at G=22.2, 2018 July 11.53-56p8 at G=22.0-22.9, and 2018 Aug. 8.45-48p4 at G=22.0-22.2. This detection was confirmed by Lori Allen via DECam (2013 April 16.39-41p3 at V=22.6 & 2013 April 18.36-41p3 at r=22.6). K10NE6F 2010 NF146 (KBO, q=43.136 AU, Q=43.779 AU, H=6.4 ~178 km) was picked up at 0648 UT on 1 July 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 May 13.31p1 at G=21.8, 2010 July 1.28-29p2 at G=22.1-23.2, 2010 Dec. 15.57-59p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2011 March 11.36p1 at G=21.9, 2011 April 2.30-35p4 at G=22.3-7, 2011 June 24.30p1 at G=22.7, 2012 Feb. 14.62p1 at G=22.2, 2012 Feb. 26.41-45p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2012 Feb. 26.55p1 at G=22.0, 2012 March 27.33-37p4 at G=22.3-9, 2012 May 16.26p1 at G=22.1, 2013 March 8.45-46p2 at G=22.2-5, 2013 June 28.28p1 at G=22.5, 2014 Feb. 9.56p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Feb. 26.56-60p4 at G=22.1-5, 2014 Feb. 27.48-52p4 at G=22.5-23.6, 2014 March 24.36-39p4 at G=21.6-22.9, 2014 June 28.27p2 at G=22.5-8, 2014 Nov. 30.64p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Jan. 19.58-62p4 at G=22.2-23.2, 2015 Jan. 21.60-64p4 at G=22.4-23.0, 2015 Feb. 18.53-57p4 at G=22.0-23.2, 2015 Feb. 19.50-54p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2015 March 23.48-52p4 at G=22.1-23.2, 2015 March 24.42-46p4 at G=21.9-22.7, 2016 Jan. 16.56-59p4 at G=22.4-9, 2016 Jan. 21.64p1 at G=22.6, 2016 Feb. 2.58p1 at G=22.8, 2016 Feb. 9.49-52p3 at G=22.5-9, 2016 Feb. 29.51p1 at G=22.7, 2016 March 7.47p1 at G=22.3, 2016 April 3.39-42p4 at G=22.1-8, 2016 April 29.43p1 at G=23.4, 2017 Feb. 21.48-51p4 at G=22.1-23.2, 2017 March 4.44-48p4 at G=22.2-8, 2017 March 20.34-38p4 at G=21.5-22.0, 2017 March 29.40-43p3 at G=22.2-8, 2017 April 3.46-50p4 at G=22.0-22.6, 2017 April 16.30-34p4 at G=22.3-6, 2017 April 20.37-40p4 at G=22.3-24.4, 2017 April 27.31-35p4 at G=21.8-22.5, 2017 Dec. 28.63-65p4 at G=22.7-23.2, 2018 March 10.46-47p2 at G=22.2, 2018 March 17.44-48p4 at G=22.3-9, 2018 March 19.39-43p4 at G=22.3-7, and 2018 April 13.35-37p3 at G=20.9-22.9. K10JL0J 2010 JJ210 (q=36.983 AU, Q=61.886 AU, H=7.0 ~135 km) was picked up at 1344 UT on 14 May 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 May 14.57-58p2 at G=22.9-23.3, 2010 Aug. 19.46p1 at G=21.3, 2010 Sept. 16.30-31p2 at G=22.0-22.5, 2011 Aug. 29.44-47p3 at G=20.9-22.4, 2011 Sept. 5.34-35p2 at G=22.1-7, 2011 Sept. 20.38p1 at G=21.8, 2012 Aug. 9.52p1 at G=22.4, 2012 Aug. 10.54p1 at G=22.5, 2013 Jan. 1.22p1 at G=22.8, 2013 Aug. 15.50-54p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2013 Sept. 3.42-46p4 at G=22.0-22.5, 2014 May 25.60p1 at G=21.8, 2014 May 31.59-60p2 at G=22.9-23.5, 2014 July 5.60p1 at G=22.9, 2014 Aug. 6.54p1 at G=22.4, 2014 Aug. 17.48p1 at G=22.8, 2014 Aug. 18.50p1 at G=22.5, 2014 Aug. 31.43-44p2 at G=22.4-7, 2014 Oct. 1.44-47p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2014 Oct. 3.36p1 at G=22.4, 2014 Oct. 25.31-35p2 at G=22.5-6, 2014 Oct. 27.29p1 at G=23.0, 2014 Nov. 18.20-24p4 at G=22.5-9, 2014 Nov. 26.25-28p4 at G=22.2-23.2, 2015 July 25.51-55p4 at G=22.8-23.5, 2015 July 28.57-60p4 at G=22.3-8, 2015 Aug. 6.60p1 at G=22.7, 2015 Aug. 7.57p1 at G=22.8, 2015 Aug. 21.51-55p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2015 Oct. 8.37-41p4 at G=22.4-8, 2015 Oct. 9.38-41p4 at G=22.5-23.0, 2016 July 7.58p1 at G=23.4, 2016 July 18.56p1 at G=22.7, 2016 July 29.62p1 at G=22.5, 2016 Aug. 3.63p1 at G=22.7, 2016 Aug. 12.51p1 at G=22.7, 2016 Oct. 8.31p1 at G=22.5, 2017 Jan. 16.22p1 at G=22.3, 2017 July 27.51-55p4 at G=22.8-23.4, 2017 July 28.57p1 at G=22.3, 2017 July 29.56-60p4 at G=22.5-23.2, 2017 Aug. 16.42-46p4 at G=22.7-8, 2017 Sept. 16.44-45p2 at G=22.2-5, 2017 Sept. 24.37-40p4 at G=22.4-23.1, 2017 Nov. 11.31p1 at G=22.2, 2018 July 13.58-60p3 at G=21.8-23.0, 2018 Aug. 13.52-56p8 at G=22.1-23.2, and 2018 Aug. 21.48p1 at G=23.3. K10JL0H 2010 JH210 (q=30.010 AU, Q=49.483 AU, H=7.3 ~117 km) was picked up at 0853 UT on 10 May 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 May 10.37p1 at G=22.8, 2010 May 11.36p1 at G=22.0, 2010 May 12.47p1 at G=21.1, 2011 April 30.40-44p4 at G=22.3-6, 2011 May 13.40p1 at G=23.5, 2012 April 27.53p1 at G=22.8, 2012 May 18.36-40p4 at G=22.1-5, 2013 May 10.39-43p4 at G=22.1-7, 2014 April 4.54p1 at G=22.5, 2014 April 29.36-40p4 at G=21.8-23.1, 2014 May 7.37p1 at G=22.2, 2014 May 16.41p1 at G=22.3, 2014 May 17.45p1 at G=22.3, 2014 May 21.39-43p4 at G=22.3-7, 2014 May 31.38p1 at G=22.8, 2014 June 20.35p1 at G=23.0, 2014 June 30.33p1 at G=22.8, 2015 March 1.63-65p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2015 March 28.53-57p4 at G=22.7-23.0, 2015 March 29.54-56p3 at G=22.3-6, 2015 April 20.44-48p4 at G=22.2-23.1, 2015 April 21.47p1 at G=22.6, 2015 April 21.52-54p3 at G=22.3-4, 2015 May 21.37-41p4 at G=22.1-4, 2015 May 22.47p1 at G=21.3, 2015 May 25.33-35p3 at G=21.8-22.6, 2015 May 26.32p1 at G=21.7, 2015 July 2.32p1 at G=22.6, 2016 March 5.59-63p4 at G=20.9-21.4, 2016 March 12.63p1 at G=22.2, 2016 March 31.55p1 at G=22.7, 2016 April 16.53p1 at G=22.2, 2016 May 5.46-49p4 at G=22.3-6, 2016 June 28.31-35p4 at G=21.8-22.9, 2016 July 6.31-34p4 at G=22.1-23.1, 2016 July 18.30p1 at G=22.6, 2017 April 28.52-55p4 at G=22.1-23.5, 2017 May 17.35-39p4 at G=22.1-7, 2017 May 27.36-39p4 at G=22.3-23.0, 2017 July 10.29-32p4 at G=22.1-7, 2018 May 21.44-47p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2018 June 4.37p1 at G=22.1, 2018 June 10.38-41p4 at G=22.3-7, and 2018 July 13.27-31p4 at G=20.8-22.3. K10JL0G 2010 JG210 (q=17.201 AU, Q=47.000 AU, H=8.8 ~58.9 km) was picked up at 0803 UT on 10 May 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 May 10.34-35p2 at G=21.7-22.3, 2010 May 11.31p1 at G=23.2, 2010 June 30.35p1 at G=22.5, 2011 April 13.38-41p4 at G=22.2-23.0, 2011 April 14.52-55p3 at G=21.8-22.8, 2012 May 19.34p1 at G=23.1, 2012 May 20.50p1 at G=22.0, 2013 June 16.38p1 at G=22.1, 2014 April 28.52-56p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2014 June 5.46p1 at G=22.4, 2015 Feb. 17.59-63p4 at G=21.4-22.3, 2015 Feb. 18.59-62p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2015 March 3.56p1 at G=22.9, 2015 June 5.43p1 at G=21.8, 2015 June 6.27-31p4 at G=22.0-22.2, 2016 April 9.60-62p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2016 April 16.59-62p4 at G=22.1-4, 2016 May 12.49-51p3 at G=22.2-7, 2016 June 3.31-35p4 at G=21.9-22.0, 2016 June 8.29p1 at G=23.0, 2017 April 7.54-57p3 at G=21.6-9, 2017 May 26.39p1 at G=21.7, 2018 April 13.59-62p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2018 May 22.49-50p2 at G=21.8, 2018 June 13.39p1 at G=22.1, and 2018 July 5.34p1 at G=22.4. K10JL0F 2010 JF210 (KBO, q=41.824 AU, Q=47.599 AU, H=6.5 ~170 km) was picked up at 0636 UT on 9 May 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 May 9.28p1 at G=22.5, 2010 May 10.29p1 at G=22.0, 2010 May 11.28p1 at G=22.6, 2011 Jan. 30.47-52p8 at G=22.3-23.2, 2012 Jan. 26.51-55p4 at G=22.2-9, 2014 Jan. 24.39-41p3 at G=22.5-23.4, 2014 May 17.33p1 at G=22.9, 2014 May 18.28p1 at G=21.0, 2014 Dec. 26.45p1 at G=22.9, 2015 Jan. 17.41-45p4 at G=22.1-8, 2015 Jan. 17.57-61p4 at G=22.8-23.1, 2015 Jan. 20.37-41p4 at G=22.3-6, 2015 Jan. 22.39-43p4 at G=22.2-7, 2015 March 14.29p1 at G=22.9, 2015 Oct. 12.62p1 at G=23.1, 2015 Dec. 24.50p1 at G=23.2, 2016 Jan. 7.59-63p4 at G=22.5-23.0, 2016 Jan. 8.41-46p3 at G=22.6-23.3, 2016 Jan. 18.42p1 at G=22.6, 2016 Jan. 31.36-41p3 at G=22.1-6, 2016 Feb. 5.54-58p4 at G=22.4-23.5, 2016 Dec. 23.61-65p4 at G=21.4-8, 2017 Jan. 21.42p1 at G=22.9, 2017 Jan. 28.38-42p4 at G=22.5-23.2, 2017 Feb. 4.52-56p4 at G=21.5-22.5, 2017 Feb. 22.28-29p2 at G=21.1-22.7, 2017 Feb. 22.34-36p2 at G=22.6-23.0, 2018 Feb. 12.35-39p4 at G=22.4-6, and 2018 March 8.27-31p4 at G=22.3-23.0. K10DA6F 2010 DF106 (q=25.749 AU, Q=35.216 AU, H=8.1 ~81.2 km) was picked up at 1050 UT on 21 Feb. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Feb. 21.45-46p2 at G=21.7-22.7, 2010 Feb. 23.46-47p2 at G=22.6, 2010 March 21.28-29p2 at G=22.8-23.1, 2010 Dec. 30.67p1 at G=21.9, 2010 Dec. 31.63p1 at G=21.2, 2012 Feb. 5.40p1 at G=21.9, 2012 Feb. 12.55-56p2 at G=22.2-3, 2013 Jan. 31.61p1 at G=22.6, 2014 Jan. 11.66p1 at G=22.6, 2014 Jan. 26.63p1 at G=22.6, 2014 Feb. 10.55-59p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2014 Feb. 25.56p1 at G=22.0, 2015 Jan. 14.63-65p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2015 March 17.47-54p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2015 April 20.34-38p4 at G=22.1-7, 2015 April 21.40p1 at G=22.0, 2016 Feb. 3.46-50p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2016 March 8.35-39p3 at G=21.8-22.2, 2016 March 10.36-39p4 at G=20.8-21.9, 2016 March 30.30-34p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2016 April 4.29-33p4 at G=22.1-7, 2016 May 19.36p1 at G=21.7, 2017 Feb. 1.59-64p4 at G=21.5-22.4, 2017 Feb. 22.38-42p4 at G=21.5-8, 2017 March 28.31-35p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2017 April 25.39-40p2 at G=21.9-22.2, 2017 Dec. 31.59p1 at G=22.7, 2018 Feb. 10.43-47p4 at G=21.9-22.1, 2018 March 7.33-37p4 at G=22.3-5, and 2018 March 10.35-39p4 at G=21.5-22.3. K10CR0D 2010 CD270 (Centaur, q=24.922 AU, Q=30.014 AU, H=8.2 ~77.6 km) was picked up at 1319 UT on 4 Feb. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Feb. 4.56p2 at G=22.2-3, 2010 Feb. 9.40p1 at G=22.5, 2010 May 31.28-29p2 at G=22.0-22.7, 2010 June 1.28p1 at G=22.2, 2010 June 5.30-31p2 at G=21.7-22.0, 2011 Feb. 3.43-44p2 at G=21.9-22.2, 2011 Feb. 4.42-44p2 at G=21.5-23.1, 2012 Feb. 3.61-62p2 at G=21.7-9, 2012 Feb. 4.55-56p2 at G=21.9-22.4, 2012 Feb. 14.53-54p2 at G=22.1-8, 2012 Feb. 15.36-40p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2012 Dec. 29.55p1 at G=22.2, 2013 Feb. 13.37-42p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2013 March 19.44-45p2 at G=21.7-9, 2014 Jan. 25.62p1 at G=20.5, 2014 March 25.50p1 at G=21.0, 2014 May 16.30p1 at G=22.2, 2014 May 23.27-31p4 at G=22.1-2, 2015 Feb. 20.57-61p4 at G=21.4-9, 2015 Feb. 23.36-40p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2015 March 28.30-34p4 at G=21.7-22.5, 2015 April 7.40-44p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2015 April 9.27p1 at G=21.4, 2016 Jan. 3.53p1 at G=21.4, 2016 Feb. 3.46-50p4 at G=21.9-22.1, 2016 March 7.49-53p4 at G=21.7-9, 2016 March 8.39p1 at G=21.5, 2016 March 10.35-39p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2016 April 4.29-33p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2017 Feb. 1.64p1 at G=22.7, 2017 Feb. 22.40-42p2 at G=21.5-22.9, 2017 March 28.31-35p4 at G=21.8-22.2, 2017 April 25.36-40p3 at G=22.0-22.5, 2017 Dec. 31.56p1 at G=22.0, 2018 Jan. 14.50-54p4 at G=21.8-22.6, 2018 Feb. 10.43-44p2 at G=22.1-7, and 2018 March 10.35-39p4 at G=21.3-22.1. K10BF3P 2010 BP153 (q=35.173 AU, Q=124.997 AU, H=6.3 ~186 km) was picked up at 1043 UT on 23 Jan. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Jan. 23.44-45p2 at G=22.3-4, 2010 Jan. 28.40p1 at G=21.3, 2010 May 31.27p1 at G=22.3, 2010 June 1.26p1 at G=22.1, 2011 May 29.26-27p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2012 Feb. 14.52-54p2 at G=21.8-22.1, 2012 Feb. 15.35-39p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2012 June 10.27p1 at G=21.8, 2013 March 19.44-45p2 at G=22.8-23.1, 2014 May 16.27-30p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2014 May 23.26-30p4 at G=21.5-22.1, 2014 June 14.30p1 at G=22.7, 2014 Nov. 27.59-60p2 at G=22.1-2, 2014 Nov. 29.56-60p4 at G=22.1-5, 2015 Jan. 22.45-49p4 at G=21.5-9, 2015 Feb. 1.44p1 at G=22.0, 2015 Feb. 16.33-37p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2015 Feb. 17.39-42p4 at G=21.5-22.4, 2015 March 14.31-35p4 at G=21.6-22.0, 2015 March 15.31-33p3 at G=21.4-22.0, 2015 June 16.27p1 at G=21.7, 2016 Jan. 8.47-51p4 at G=21.6-22.2, 2016 Jan. 9.49-52p4 at G=21.9-22.3, 2016 Jan. 19.47p1 at G=21.7, 2016 Feb. 9.54-58p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2016 Feb. 11.38-41p8 at G=21.7-22.0, 2016 March 6.33-36p4 at G=21.7-8, 2016 March 28.27-31p4 at G=21.6-9, 2016 April 3.25-28p4 at G=21.8-22.4, 2016 May 5.31-35p3 at G=21.9-22.3, 2017 Jan. 27.58-62p4 at G=22.1-5, 2017 Feb. 21.38-41p4 at G=21.4-7, 2017 March 19.42-46p4 at G=21.6-22.2, 2017 March 27.40-44p4 at G=21.5-22.4, 2018 Jan. 15.47-51p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2018 March 7.29-32p4 at G=21.4-22.1, and 2018 March 18.30-34p4 at G=21.5-22.2. K10AF3W 2010 AW153 (q=20.148 AU, Q=66.730 AU, H=9.2 ~49.0 km) was picked up at 1033 UT on 8 Jan. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Jan. 8.44-45p2 at G=21.9-22.2, 2010 Jan. 9.44p1, 2010 Jan. 10.41-42p2 at G=21.7-22.0, 2010 Jan. 12.42-44p2 at G=21.8-22.1, 2010 Jan. 25.39p1 at G=21.9, 2010 Feb. 4.34-35p2 at G=21.9-22.9, 2010 Feb. 4.48-49p2 at G=21.8-22.6, 2010 May 6.31-32p2 at G=22.1-6, 2010 Nov. 3.62-64p2 at G=22.8-23.1, 2011 Jan. 23.51-55p4 at G=21.6-22.4, 2011 Jan. 29.45-46p2 at G=21.0-22.4, 2012 Jan. 15.55-56p2 at G=21.9-22.1, 2012 Jan. 21.52-54p3 at G=20.9-21.9, 2012 Feb. 1.53-54p2 at G=21.5-7, 2012 Feb. 22.41-43p2 at G=22.0-22.7, 2012 April 9.30p1 at G=22.6, 2012 Oct. 31.63p1 at G=22.6, 2013 Jan. 10.53-57p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2013 Jan. 22.55p1 at G=22.2, 2013 Jan. 23.54p1 at G=20.2, 2013 June 2.26-28p4 at G=21.4-22.6, 2013 Dec. 12.64p1 at G=22.1, 2014 Jan. 24.38-42p4 at G=21.7-22.4, 2014 March 5.30-33p2 at G=21.8-22.1, 2014 Nov. 4.61-64p4 at G=21.4-22.3, 2015 Jan. 17.42-45p4 at G=22.2-5, 2015 Jan. 22.40-43p3 at G=21.5-22.4, 2015 March 14.26-30p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2016 Jan. 3.46-50p4 at G=21.6-22.1, 2016 Jan. 18.66-67p2 at G=21.5-22.0, 2016 Jan. 31.37-42p4 at G=21.6-22.1, 2016 Feb. 3.41-42p2 at G=21.3-6, 2016 Feb. 5.54-58p4 at G=21.9-22.5, 2016 Feb. 6.56-59p4 at G=21.6-22.1, 2016 Feb. 26.57p1 at G=21.6, 2016 March 3.29-33p4 at G=22.1-4, 2016 March 11.29-33p4 at G=19.9-22.3, 2016 March 25.41-42p2 at G=21.5-22.3, 2016 April 22.32p1 at G=22.2, 2016 May 18.31p1 at G=22.6, 2017 Jan. 4.48-52p4 at G=22.1-8, 2017 Jan. 31.57-61p8 at G=20.1-22.7, 2017 Feb. 18.30-38p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2017 Feb. 18.50-55p4 at G=21.7-22.0, 2017 Feb. 23.62p1 at G=22.2, 2017 Feb. 24.51-55p8 at G=21.4-22.0, 2017 March 17.29-33p3 at G=21.6-9, 2017 March 28.24-28p8 at G=22.0-22.4, 2017 Dec. 22.54-58p4 at G=21.9-22.3, and 2018 March 6.31-34p4 at G=21.9-22.0. K10AF3V 2010 AV153 (q=29.354 AU, Q=49.211 AU, H=7.3 ~117 km) was picked up at 0958 UT on 6 Jan. 2010 by PS1, observing it at 2010 Jan. 6.42p2 at G=21.0-7, 2010 Jan. 23.37p2 at G=21.6-7, 2010 Jan. 26.32-33p2 at G=21.0-22.2, 2010 Feb. 4.48-49p2 at G=21.9-22.7, 2010 May 6.30-31p2 at G=21.8-9, 2011 Jan. 23.54-55p2 at G=22.1-7, 2012 Jan. 15.55-56p2 at G=22.0-23.0, 2012 Jan. 26.50-51p2 at G=21.7-9, 2012 Oct. 30.62p1 at G=21.9, 2013 Jan. 17.48-53p4 at G=21.5-22.0, 2013 Jan. 21.48-49p2 at G=21.6-9, 2013 Oct. 22.65p1 at G=21.5, 2013 Dec. 25.61-62p2 at G=22.1-4, 2013 Dec. 31.55-59p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2014 May 21.26-28p4 at G=22.1-3, 2014 Nov. 29.52-55p3 at G=21.6-22.1, 2015 Feb. 19.29-33p4 at G=21.4-7, 2016 Jan. 4.55-58p4 at G=21.2-4, 2016 Jan. 5.59p1 at G=21.6, 2016 Jan. 7.54-55p2 at G=21.4-5, 2016 Jan. 21.38p1 at G=22.4, 2016 Feb. 1.34p1 at G=22.7, 2016 Feb. 28.27-31p4 at G=21.6-7, 2016 March 7.28p1 at G=21.1, 2016 March 25.37p1 at G=21.8, 2016 April 20.29p1 at G=22.0, 2017 Jan. 26.38-41p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2017 Jan. 27.53-56p4 at G=21.6-8, 2017 Feb. 3.48-50p2 at G=21.4-6, 2017 Feb. 19.24-27p4 at G=21.6-9, 2017 Feb. 21.33-37p4 at G=21.7-22.2, 2017 March 27.35-39p3 at G=20.7-21.8, 2017 April 9.33p1 at G=22.0, 2018 Jan. 16.41-45p4 at G=21.4-6, and 2018 Feb. 20.29-32p4 at G=21.6-9. K09Y26T 2009 YT26 (KBO, q=32.400 AU, Q=45.890 AU, H=6.7 ~155 km) was picked up at 0858 UT on 26 Dec. 2009 by PS1, observing it at 2009 Dec. 9.40p1 at G=21.1, 2009 Dec. 26.37-38p2 at G=21.2-3, 2010 Jan. 5.32p1 at G=21.0, 2010 Jan. 23.48-49p2 at G=21.9, 2010 Oct. 23.51-52p2 at G=21.4-9, 2011 Jan. 5.53p1 at G=21.0, 2011 Sept. 11.60-62p2 at G=21.7-22.2, 2011 Nov. 25.56-60p4 at G=21.3-9, 2011 Nov. 30.56-57p2 at G=21.5-22.0, 2011 Dec. 5.39-41p2 at G=21.3-4, 2013 March 3.34-36p2 at G=21.4-7, 2013 Sept. 23.60p2 at G=22.1-2, 2013 Nov. 24.61-63p4 at G=21.5-22.0, 2013 Dec. 22.54-55p2 at G=21.2, 2014 Jan. 6.48-50p2 at G=20.9-21.2, 2014 Nov. 17.41-45p4 at G=21.6-8, 2014 Dec. 3.56-60p4 at G=21.4-6, 2015 Jan. 23.29-33p4 at G=21.4-6, 2015 Oct. 28.54-58p3 at G=21.7-22.2, 2015 Nov. 18.49p1 at G=21.7, 2015 Dec. 18.40p1 at G=21.7, 2017 Jan. 16.47-51p4 at G=21.4-8, 2017 Jan. 28.43-47p4 at G=21.4-8, 2017 Oct. 29.54-57p4 at G=21.5-7, 2017 Dec. 25.53-57p4 at G=21.5-22.1, 2018 Jan. 15.33-36p4 at G=21.1-4, and 2018 Feb. 20.23-27p4 at G=21.3-8. K09Y26S 2009 YS26 (KBO, q=35.647 AU, Q=37.216 AU, H=6.7 ~155 km) was picked up at 0937 UT on 17 Dec. 2009 by PS1, observing it at 2009 Dec. 17.40-41p2 at G=22.5, 2010 Jan. 6.36-37p2 at G=21.5-7, 2010 Jan. 8.38p2 at G=21.8-9, 2010 Jan. 9.38p1 at G=21.9, 2010 Jan. 11.38p2 at G=21.7-22.1, 2010 Jan. 23.35p2 at G=21.8, 2010 Nov. 2.54-55p2 at G=21.8-9, 2010 Dec. 15.61-62p2 at G=22.7-23.4, 2012 Jan. 25.29-31p2 at G=22.0-22.4, 2013 Dec. 11.56-60p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2014 Jan. 26.29-34p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2014 Nov. 26.45-48p4 at G=21.9-22.4, 2015 Jan. 13.34-38p4 at G=21.8-22.0, 2015 Jan. 16.33-37p4 at G=21.8-22.1, 2015 Feb. 20.24-28p4 at G=21.9-22.9, 2015 Feb. 22.24-28p4 at G=22.0-22.4, 2016 Jan. 4.35-38p4 at G=21.6-9, 2016 Jan. 5.52-56p4 at G=22.0-22.3, 2016 Jan. 16.47-50p4 at G=21.0-22.3, 2016 Feb. 1.28-32p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2016 Feb. 5.28-33p4 at G=21.8-22.7, 2016 Feb. 10.28-32p8 at G=21.9-23.0, 2016 April 2.27-31p4 at G=21.4-22.3, 2017 Jan. 5.32p1 at G=21.2, 2017 Jan. 27.47-51p4 at G=21.7-22.3, 2017 April 9.25-29p4 at G=21.5-22.3, 2017 Dec. 12.44-47p4 at G=21.6-22.3, 2017 Dec. 23.41-45p4 at G=21.9-22.7, 2018 Jan. 11.53p1 at G=21.3, and 2018 Jan. 20.33-36p4 at G=21.7-9. K09Y26R 2009 YR26 (KBO, q=39.175 AU, Q=43.099 AU, H=6.1 ~204 km) was picked up at 0918 UT on 17 Dec. 2009 by PS1, observing it at 2009 Dec. 17.39-40p2 at G=21.6-22.2, 2010 Jan. 11.33-34p2 at G=21.5-6, 2010 Jan. 24.47p1 at G=22.1, 2010 Nov. 8.62p1 at G=21.8, 2011 Oct. 1.61-62p2 at G=21.6-22.6, 2011 Oct. 13.59p1 at G=21.6, 2012 Jan. 11.49p1 at G=21.1, 2012 Jan. 25.29-32p3 at G=21.7-22.7, 2012 April 16.25p1 at G=22.4, 2012 Oct. 28.52p1 at G=21.3, 2013 Dec. 30.38-41p3 at G=21.5-22.1, 2014 Jan. 10.32-33p2 at G=21.5-7, 2014 Nov. 26.44-48p4 at G=21.8-22.3, 2015 Jan. 13.34-38p4 at G=21.6-9, 2015 Jan. 16.33-37p4 at G=21.6-9, 2015 Jan. 20.29-32p4 at G=21.7-8, 2015 Oct. 26.54p1 at G=22.0, 2015 Dec. 8.65p1 at G=21.9, 2016 Jan. 5.52-56p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2016 Jan. 16.46-49p4 at G=21.3-8, 2016 Feb. 5.28-32p4 at G=21.9-22.2, 2017 Jan. 27.46-50p4 at G=21.7-22.1, 2017 Dec. 12.43-47p8 at G=21.7-22.1, 2017 Dec. 23.40-44p4 at G=21.6-22.1, 2018 Jan. 11.50-54p4 at G=21.5-22.3, 2018 Jan. 20.32-36p4 at G=21.6-8, 2018 Jan. 22.46p1 at G=21.2, 2018 Jan. 23.46p1 at G=22.0, 2018 Feb. 4.28-29p2 at G=21.3-4, and 2018 Feb. 18.23-25p2 at G=21.4-22.0. K09X26M 2009 XM26 (q=25.216 AU, Q=61.086 AU, H=7.9 ~89.1 km) was picked up at 1506 UT on 8 Dec. 2009 by PS1, observing it at 2009 Dec. 8.63-64p2 at G=21.6-8, 2009 Dec. 25.42-43p2 at G=20.9-21.2, 2009 Dec. 26.38-39p2 at G=22.3-5, 2010 Jan. 23.49p1 at G=21.4, 2010 Dec. 15.61-62p2 at G=21.9, 2011 Jan. 5.51-53p2 at G=21.5-6, 2012 Jan. 11.51p1 at G=21.7, 2012 Jan. 25.29-31p2 at G=21.8-22.1, 2012 Feb. 10.26-27p2 at G=21.5-9, 2012 Nov. 15.65p1 at G=21.4, 2013 Oct. 21.59p1 at G=22.5, 2013 Dec. 11.56-61p4 at G=22.0-22.9, 2013 Dec. 12.62-63p2 at G=21.7-22.0, 2014 Jan. 10.33-34p2 at G=21.4-22.4, 2014 Jan. 26.29-35p4 at G=22.1-4, 2014 Nov. 18.48-49p2 at G=22.3-6, 2016 Jan. 31.32-33p2 at G=21.1-8, 2016 April 2.27-31p4 at G=22.2-8, 2017 Jan. 5.36p1 at G=22.4, 2017 Jan. 26.45-48p4 at G=21.9-22.7, 2017 Nov. 22.54-58p4 at G=22.4-7, 2017 Dec. 24.45-48p4 at G=22.1-3, 2018 Jan. 12.54-58p4 at G=22.0-22.4, and 2018 Jan. 20.50-53p4 at G=22.0-22.1. Eighteen observers appear in today's MPECs. 2019 GS19 JPL Sentry 1730 2102-2102 1 1.512e-07 -7.27 -7.27 0 JPL: Computed at 08:10 today Pacific time based on 50 observations spanning 4.8914 days (2019-Apr-11.38728 to 2019-Apr-16.27868). Diameter approximately 0.026 km. from weighted mean H=25.60. NEODyS 1730 2069-2102 2 1.35e-07 -7.27 -7.33 0 NEODyS: "Based on 52 optical observations (of which 4 are rejected as outliers) from 2019-04-11.388 to 2019-04-16.279." 2019 GC6 JPL Sentry 2304 2113-2113 1 1.104e-07 -8.15 -8.15 0 JPL: Computed at 16:03 today Pacific time based on 90 observations spanning 17.397 days (2019-Mar-31.33428 to 2019-Apr-17.731084). Diameter approximately 0.017 km. from weighted mean H=26.52. 2019 GD1 JPL Sentry 1730 2115-2115 1 1.566e-06 -3.43 -3.43 0 JPL: Computed at 08:08 today Pacific time based on 53 observations spanning 12.845 days (2019-Apr-02.47647 to 2019-Apr-15.32175). Diameter approximately 0.310 km. from weighted mean H=20.18. NEODyS 1730 2115 1 1.76e-06 -3.38 -3.38 0 NEODyS: "Based on 53 optical observations (of which 0 are rejected as outliers) from 2019-04-02.477 to 2019-04-15.323."

2019-04-26T16:38:03Z

http://www.hohmanntransfer.com/mn/19/19107_0417.htm

Krishnamurti: This is a dialogue, a conversation between two people, but unfortunately there are too many people to have a conversation with two people. When we have a conversation of this kind we are talking over together as two friends perhaps our innermost deep problems that concern our daily life, not some theory, not some speculative ideas or hypothesis, but rather be concerned with something that affects our daily constant life. And so we are not opposing one opinion against another or one theory against another theory or hypothesis and so on but rather as two friends who know each other fairly well so there is a certain sense of affection, care, attention to what each one is saying to the other, and with that I hope we can talk over together any question, any problem that we have. So what would you like to talk over this morning? Questioner: Krishnamurti, when you become aware that you have just had a reaction, some thoughts, do you ever go back and look at all the thoughts that comprise that reaction? K: When you have a reaction of a particular kind must you trace it to all the other reactions one has - is that the question, sir? Q: The question is actually, do you look at all the thoughts that bring that reaction about? K: To look at the whole content of thought that brings the reactions. Is that right? Q: I'd like to hear your thoughts concerning what you consider telepathy to be, suggestion, magnetism, also what you think of the idea that the present, like I can talk and learn differently as to what the present is and how you differentiate that from the past, sort of why you make a difference. Also why you many times make a part of the whole thing, such as the experiencer, there is a difference there between the experiencer and the word experience, to me the experience is the whole actuality, the experiencer only perceives a relative portion of that actuality, and I'd like to know why you see no difference between the parts and the whole, and concerning telepathy, suggestion and magnetism. K: Yes, sir. I don't really quite understand your question. Would you make it brief? Q: What is the difference between a part and a whole, and what are your thoughts concerning telepathy, suggestion and magnetism, and this is kind of three questions, you've had two of them there, and this is the third, how do you distinguish between the present and the past? K: I've got it, sir. That's enough. You are asking, how do you differentiate between the present and the past. Q: No, what do you think the present is. K: What is the present. Q: A simple idea of `what is', as I've been taught. The past is only memories, it does not any longer exist, the same as the future does not exist, it's only today, it's only here and now. K: Yes, sir, I understand your question. So you are asking, what actually is the present. K: And the other is about magnetism. Q: Magnetism, telepathy and suggestion. K: Ah, magnetism, telepathy, occultism, mysticism, all that is implied in that question. And the first one, sir? Q: What is the difference between a part and a whole. K: Oh, yes, what is the difference. That's enough. Q: When you say that the observed is the observer, and I then take that to other psychological relationships to the observer, such as anger, envy, grief, I believe I see what you are saying. I have difficulty with only short glimpses of what you refer to, as when you really see that the observer is the observed and there is pure observation, that there is an immense release of energy. I see only footling bits of it. Is it that it is so terribly difficult to really see what is involved? K: All right, sir. The questioner asks - have you heard all of his question? - so I don't have to repeat it, have I? No? All right. Q: The question in my mind is that when one is investigating it's clear then and one begins to see how to translate this seeing into an action which is not somehow in the confusion and disorder, perhaps the mind becomes occupied with communicating this seeing or formulating an action, and the action itself turns out to be destructive. K: I don't follow your question, sir. Q: Well it seems that the mind can either see or it can communicate, formulate, and when you see and somehow relate this to other human beings, the mind can do one or the other but to translate the seeing into an actual action which has an effect in the world seems to be a very difficult thing to do. K: I don't quite follow it. If somebody else follows his question would they make it clear for me? Q: The different between thinking and clarity and putting it into action. Q: He felt it was difficult to express the clarity that he is thinking about in his everyday life, how do you translate it into action. K: When you see something very clearly how do you express that clarity in daily life, which is through action. Is that it? Q: This follows the question that was being asked, in the matter of the observer and the observed there seems to be a fear that exists that one will be overwhelmed by what one sees in that way. Could you comment on this - overwhelmed by whatever one is looking at, in particular fear. Q: Sir, I'd like to extend upon a topic we discussed this last weekend about pressure and what sort of pressure becomes ambition exerts on the brain; and the next part of this question involves self-improvement because I have noticed that within the past ten years in America, and especially here in California, there has been a vast proliferation of many sorts of methods of self-improvement. I can separate these into two basic categories, you have the psychological area where many people report that new creation and reality by certain visualization techniques, and the others are in developing motor skills and technical experiences, things like that; also the question is, all these sorts of meditation systems put pressure on the brain and that included with the pressure to become successful in life, and that type of pressure. K: I am lost! I am sorry, you are asking, sir, are you, would we discuss more deeply the whole question of pressure, is that it? K: Yes, that is, are you asking, sir, could we discuss this question of pressure and its effect on the brain and when there is a release from pressure is there a different structure in the brain - is that what you are asking? Q: Yes, and also the fear involved of not getting on this escalator of pressure, when you jump off of it. Do you still follow? K: I don't quite follow it, sir. Put it just simply, very simply. Sir, would it be helpful if we discussed this question of pressure and go into it in detail, in detail, then perhaps your question will be answered fully? K: Right, sir. Could we discuss that, do you want to discuss this question of pressure? Q: I would like to go into why you say the body must be light and sensitive in order to be attentive. Q: And how one can become light and sensitive, to be attentive without taking time. Q: Sir, I can understand all that you are saying and what you write and lecture, but to transform it in actuality becomes very difficult in the sense when you say investigate and be aware of experience, it becomes an action but the experiencer as me is always there, and it is becoming rather than being all the time. Q: How do I get free of this, it's like a dog chasing a flea all the time and I'm caught. K: Yes, I understand. Please, that's enough questions - I am not preventing you from asking your questions, sir, but there are so many questions I don't know what question you would like to talk over together. There is the question of pressure: could we discuss that in our daily life, how that pressure and the various forms of pressure affect our actions, distort our way of life, perverts or deforms the total comprehension of life. Could we discuss that? Perhaps all the other questions will be included in that. Would it help if we discussed that? K: You are sure? I wonder what we mean by the word `pressure', to exert pressure, to weigh down by a burden, by a weight, by propaganda, by various assertions of people that this is right, this is wrong, this should be, this must not be - the weight of nationalistic attitude, religious pressures, economic pressures, the pressure of knowledge, the pressure of tradition, and so on, do you want to discuss that? Will it affect our daily life, which is our daily action, if we understand the nature and the structure - we are using the word `structure' as a movement, not a physical edifice. So we are trying to find out together in a conversation what pressure does on our action, how it deforms the activity of the brain, both physically as well as psychologically - can we go into this. Is this what you want to discuss? So we are asking, what do we mean by pressure, the word, the actual word not the result of it? You may mean one thing and the speaker may mean a different thing, so we must both have the same meaning to that word, must give the same significance to that word. We mean by pressure, an imposition, a weight put on one, put on the brain and therefore on thought, on feeling and all the rest of it. Pressure in the sense of forcing you to a particular direction, compelling you to act in a limited way, making you do something that you may not totally agree with. The economic pressure of a society that is broken up, there is the pressure of the climate, the food, the coarseness, the insensitivity of one's organism and so on - do we agree to the meaning of that word together? Is this what you and the speaker mean when he uses the word `pressure'? Right? Are we clear on this? So first of all are we aware, know, conscious that we are acting under pressure? Whether it be religious pressure, economic pressure, climatic pressure or the pressure in relationship with each other and so on, are we aware that we live under tremendous pressure, tremendous strain? We mean by `aware' very simply, know, recognize, see, observe, feel. Are we? This is a discussion please, this is not a conversation with myself. Q: Could you repeat what you said? K: I'm afraid I can't but I will put it differently. Does one know for oneself, without being told, that you are under pressure, does one know for oneself that your whole life is lived actually under pressure? The word `pressure', we know what we mean by now, because we both understand the meaning of that word. Don't at the end of the talk, discussion, say, I didn't agree with you. If we don't agree with the meaning of that word now let's be clear on that point. Q: We are not referring mainly to physiological pressures. K: Both physiological as well as psychological. Q: Well I think most of the times that you refer to the psychological, social life pressures and a little bit more than that is that if we choose to live without those pressures, how can we go about it. K: We will find out, sir. We will find out first of all if it is possible to live without pressure, and then how will we act if we are not under pressure, both physiologically as well as psychologically. So that's the first question: do we know, recognize, be conscious, be aware that we are living under pressure? Q: Most of the time, no. K: Perhaps not, most of the time, part of the time. But it is really most of the time, but it doesn't matter, we will begin with part of the time. Are you aware that you are aware, know, recognize, see that you are under pressure? Then if you recognize it don't you ask yourself, why do I live under pressure. Right? Do you? Q: Is it possible to live not under pressure? K: We will find out, sir. We will find out later if it is possible or not possible. First of all we are asking, do you know, if you do know that you are under pressure, don't you ask yourself, why do I live under pressure? Does the society demand this pressure around you? We are just asking, don't say, yes, or not, we are going to find out, we are going into it very deeply. Does society act as a pressure? If you say, yes, is society different from you? The society has been created by you - not by you actually, by your grandparents, by your past - so the past with all its traditions has created this society, of which you are a part, you are not different from society. I wonder if you see that. Do we see that? That you are society. So don't say, I am acting under the pressure of society. So if that is very clear, please I am not forcing you to think in one particular way at all. I am not exercising pressure. I am trying to point out. So we say society is exercising pressure, economic pressure, national pressure, colour prejudice pressures, black and while and blue and yellow, all the nationalistic, racial, communal pressures. Right? Are we aware of them? Right? Are you aware of the pressure of the past? Which is, tradition, that tradition may be two days old or ten thousand years old, or a million years old, the past - (noise of clocks striking twelve) I was once speaking in Rome and there are a thousand churches there! And you can imagine what happened! Shall I go on? Yes, sir? Q: I wonder if you might add in your discussion the pressures brought by lack of unity within an individual? There are different centres for things in man, emotional, intellectual, in his mind and well whatever else you want to add. Can you include that perhaps? K: Yes, sir you can include all those. Please, if we leave out one kind of pressure it doesn't mean that we are not taking that into consideration, we said, pressure implies all this, pressure. The pressure of those bells, and the reaction to those bells and so on and on. Is this a joke? Is somebody pulling our leg? Now if we are aware of these various kinds of pressure, which is the pressure of the past, the pressure of relationship, the pressure of not knowing and wanting to know, the pressure of emotions, desires, fears, all that, if you are aware of them, don't you then ask, why does one have to live under this kind of pressure? Is it that we so easily accept, that we are so conditioned to live with these pressures it has become a habit, it has made us dull, therefore we don't break away from that pressure? So what is the fact, or the truth, why do human beings right throughout the world, wherever you go, live under pressure? Why? Why do you as a human being representing all humanity, which is an actual fact, why do you live under pressure? Q: If we broke away from it we would be afraid. K: If you broke away from this pressure, are you saying that you would be frightened? Q: In some cases it is because of a threat to life, many people live under pressures and for others it is because they enjoy pressures. K: Some people escape from one kind of pressure but live under other pressures, or others may enjoy the pressures. They must be a little odd if they enjoy the pressure which brings about neurotic activity - then if they like that kind of activity, they are welcome to it - we can't discuss that now. But we are asking: why do we live under pressure? Ask yourself please and find out why, the truth of it, not the opinion of yours or somebody else's, why? Is it habit? Is it that we are lazy, indolent and that's the easiest way to live? We have never even probably questioned it, and perhaps this is the first time you are questioning it. And if you are questioning it for the first time, what is your reaction? Q: Sir, I feel myself to be the pressure. K: Yes. That is, you are saying there is no outside pressure but the very essence of pressure is myself. Is that what you are saying? K: Is that so? I am not saying it is not. We are enquiring, we are exploring into that. Q: Perception of that pressure, like you can't really say, that's pressure and the self is only a part. K: Sir, we said there is the social pressure, there is the family pressure, there is the pressure of the girl or the boy, the husband over the wife, and the wife over the husband, the pressure of knowledge, the past, the pressure that is exercised by the propaganda of churches, of various religions, of various gurus, of ideals and so on and so on, does all that include the pressure in oneself? You understand my question, sir? Is the nature of pressure essentially the nature of desire? I am just asking, I am not saying it is. Wanting to be something, or not wanting to be something? Because it is very important, it seems to one, that we understand the nature of pressure and find out if it is possible to be free of pressure and what is the state or the quality of the mind, the brain, that is no longer functioning under pressure? These are the questions. Because a person who is living under pressure of any kind is not free. Right? If one lives under the pressure of a philosophy, which is the pressure - philosophy means the love of wisdom, the love of truth - if that love of truth acts as a pressure because it is just a theory then that also brings about a distorted action. Q: What is the difference between that and passion? You talk about passion. K: No, not quite sir. Is that what you mean, passive awareness? Q: Passionate more than pressures. K: It all depends what you call passion, what do you mean by that word? Do you mean by that word, lust? K: Just a minute, sir, I am exploring that, it's not what I mean but what we together mean by that word passion. Does it imply lust? Or there is a passion of a person who wants to make a tremendous lot of money. There is a passion or desire or the urge of wanting sexual release, or wanting to be somebody or other. We mean by passion, at least what the speaker means by that word, there is passion when there is the ending of sorrow. We won't go into that for the moment, if you don't mind. So are we aware of these various forms of pressure? If we are, why do we accept these pressures? Is it that we are indolent? Indifferent? We have got used to them and therefore we accept them? This constant repetition on the television, commercially, buy, buy, buy, buy, that acts as a pressure. So why do we live with pressures? Is it that we don't see what pressure does? Q: Is it that some are positive, whereas some are negative? K: No, there is no negative or positive pressures, there is only pressure. Q: Can't you see the difference between destructive and constructive? K: Just as minute, sir, by using the words constructive and destructive, we are then emphasizing there is a pressure which is constructive, a pressure which is destructive; we are talking of pressure, not whether it is creative or not creative. If you are under pressure obviously you cannot be creative, whatever that word `creative' may mean. If you are under pressure whatever you do will be destructive. K: Yes, sir, that's what I am asking you, sir, pressure. Now if one is aware of it, one has asked the question, it is absurd to live under pressure - not absurd, see first of all the reason, the logic, the sanity of being free from pressure. Right? Because one has exercised reason, logic and being sane about it, you say, is there a way of living in our daily life, which includes business action and all the rest of action, without pressure? Which means, is there a way of living completely free from every form of pressure? Q: Perhaps we should be free of our expectation. K: The pressure of expectation? Q: You would have to be in a spiritual state if you want to be free of all pressures. K: No, sir. First of all find out, sir, please be good enough to listen. K: Yes, sir. You may like one form of pressure and you don't like other forms of pressure. We are saying any form of pressure, any form whether you like it or don't like it, whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, whether it is profitable or not profitable, to live under pressure is to act not only defensively but also your actions will inevitably be deformed, incorrect, not actual. Q: The air pressure helps hold up our corporate form, keeps our physical form in place, there are gravitational pressures and physical pressures in the universe. K: We said that, sir. First of all do we see clearly that to act under a pressure brings about a deformation of action, it is not straight action. K: No, sir. First of all, pressure exists, and then do we react to those pressures. Q: That's what the discussion is about. K: Wait. That's what I am saying. Do we react to those pressures, some pressure you like which is pleasant, another pressure which you don't like and therefore avoid it. Sir, please let's be clear. We said every form of pressure, pleasant, unpleasant, good, bad, psychological, physiological and so on and so on, any form of pressure must deform action. That's all. If you say, I don't agree with you, then we can discuss that: I think you are talking nonsense, then we can talk about it. But don't say, certain pressures are necessary, certain pressures are not necessary. Q: Pressure is life and if we are life then we are pressure, and the fact that we respond to pressure. K: We said that. Pressure exists. Q: Yes, they exist without a reaction. K: Yes. First of all, do you see pressure exists and then your reaction to those pressure, that you like some pressures and you don't like some other pressures. Q: No, I don't see that. I just see pressure. K: Yes, that's all I am saying, just pressure. Q: Sir, would we be able to have a meeting like today without pressure, from our side perhaps the pressure of wanting to know, from your side perhaps the pressure of wanting to communicate? K: Did you come here under pressure? Did somebody force you to come here? Q: No, but it is the internal pressure. K: Wait, wait. That's what we said too, internal or outward pressure exercised by another or your own desire, any form of pressure is distorting. That's all I am saying, you may agree or disagree, go into it, let's go into it. K: Sir, wait a minute, perhaps mechanically or technically or welding together two metals, it's under great pressure. And the other is the pressure exercised by each one on each other, does that bring about a union. K: We said, sir, if you were there the other day when we were discussing in that little hall, the observer is the past. You may disagree with that, you are perfectly welcome to disagree, let's talk it over, don't say, I disagree with you, and walk out, or shut yourself and resist. We are saying the observer is the past, the past projects and that which is projected the observer sees. That's clear, isn't it? No? So the observer is the observed. Q: There is a sense of separation between the two. K: When there is a separation between the observer and the observed then there is conflict. That conflict acts as a pressure, or the division itself is the cause of pressure. Take, sir, what is happening in the Middle East, in the Far East, there are the Israelis, the Jews and the Arabs, the division, racial, communal, religious, territorial division, so where there is division there is pressure: the Muslim and the Hindu, that goes on all the time between various nationalities, this pressure. As long as there is division between man and woman, or between a group of people against another group, that very division creates pressure. Under that pressure we act, as an Arab, as a Jew, as a Hindu, as a Buddhist, as a Christian. So we say, any form of pressure which brings about division will inevitably be incorrect action. That's one problem, division. Division in myself. Right? Division in one's ideas, the ideal - I am this, I must be that - which is a division, therefore conflict, therefore pressure. I wonder if you see. Right? Pressure under communists brings about conflict. So we find, again logically, reasonably, observing factually, that where there is division that division brings pressure, as, I am a Hindu, or I am a Christian, I am a Jew, or I am an Arab, a Muslim and so on, that brings inevitably a division, that division brings a pressure because I believe in this and you believe in that. So out of that pressure there is effort, conflict, and we live under that conflict, with that conflict which acts as a pressure. Q: Are we saying that our likes and our desires of society are invalid? K: Yes, I am questioning the whole thing, sir. Q: If you say there is an incorrect action, you must have an idea of what correct action is. K: Yes, all right. If you say, this is wrong action, incorrect action, you are asking what is correct action. Right? Q: Your idea of it. K: Not `my idea', sir. You see. Q: You have to know it if you are to recognize it. K: Sorry, it's not `my idea'. You want to know what correct action is. If I tell you what value would it be? K: No, sir, just look, listen quietly, first find out what the poor speaker has to say. Q: Well, I agree with this lady in observation, I would not see something if it was not a question of sensation, although I am in the present and I may be only seeing the past around me because it has taken time. But you exist in your present at that point, and I exist in my present here, perceived in the past or having a memory of the past. The past is what has been and not `what is'. Q: Give the speaker a chance. Q: I thought this was a discussion in which I thought everyone was to be talking back and forth. Perhaps many other people have no thoughts and are not thinking, or just following the sentences as they go along and have not thought about it. Q: Mr Krishnamurti, assuming one has completely realized and understood what you are pointing out to us about all the pressures and even though one can throw the television set away, and try and dispose of as much as one can, there is still society. I personally have the same conflicts, if I go out with my friends there is always the pressure and then the only way for me to escape it, not to escape it, is to walk away from it. It's just instead of exchanging for one pressure to become a recluse which would create pressure again, just to walk away from it. But it's again pressure because then I miss people. K: Yes, of course. Quite. So would it be right if I suggested that, or said, put into words, does one see the danger of pressure, as you see the danger of a precipice, or the danger of a snake? If you see something is dangerous both physiologically as well as psychologically then it is a danger, you don't go near it. But apparently it is extraordinarily difficult to see the danger about something with which we are completely identified. If the speaker is totally identified with India, with all the superstitions, with all that goes on there then he belongs to a group of people opposed to another group of people. This division is the most dangerous thing. Right? If I see the tremendous danger of it I drop it, I am not a Hindu. That's all I am pointing out. I am sorry if you are cold. Q: I am sorry if you are. K: I am not, I am talking, it makes you warm. Q: This dropping bit that you speak about it sounds very easy but the vision that I recognize is not to say that I am this or I am that, but to say that I am. K: Instead of saying I am that, I am this, just say, I am. You know, just a minute, sir, when you say, I am, I wonder if you realize the meaning of such a word, those two words, I am. I believe, or rather I have discussed this point with some people, well-known scholars and religious people, only god, according to them, can say, I am. Right? And nobody else can. If you are god, then it's all right. Q: Well, all right. Is god separate from myself? K: Sir, then you have to enquire, what are you, when you say, I am, what are you? Q: I don't really know that. K: We are going to find out. You can't leave it to god, so you will have to find out when one says, I am, what does that mean? The name, the form, the bank account, if one has one, the attachments, whether to furniture or to a person, attachment to an idea, all that and more is what you are. If you say, I am not all that, then what are you? An idea? A conclusion? A supposition? Then it is the result of thought. So as long as you think, you say, I am; if you don't think, what are you? This is an old problem, this. Q: Sir, it may be right to say that I am a manifestation of man. K: All right, sir, what does that mean? Why do I have to assert, I am, and then give a meaning to it? K: Find out, madam, what it means. First of all, do you see the danger of it, that's all first. Do you actually see the danger of it, or is it an idea that it is dangerous? Q: I think it is the idea. K: That's right, sir. Like you don't actually see the danger of nationality, if you saw the real danger of nationality you would not belong to any nation, or to any group. Right? So do you actually see the danger of pressure? Don't include the pressures to everything, just pressure. One pressure is good enough, if you understand the danger of one pressure. Q: I don't know how to actually see. K: Sir, actually see it. What do you mean by that? Q: I see ideas, intellectually I can see the danger of nationality. K: Now wait a minute, if you see the danger of nationality are you free of it? You may carry the passport. Q: I think I see only the image of nationality but I do not see the actual danger. K: We will go into it, sir. Nationalities imply, don't they, glorified tribalism. Right? That means different tribes calling themselves different nationalities bring about one of the causes of war. Right? Don't you see the danger of war? Is that an idea? Or is it an actuality, people going about maimed, all the horror of war? That's not an idea. If you go to a veterans' hospital you will see the appalling things there. You see that is one of our difficulties, sir, that when we hear a statement we make an idea of it but we don't actually see the fact without the idea. That's one of our conditionings. Right? And also the word `idea' I believe in a dictionary means to observe. You understand, sir? The word `idea' has its root in seeing, it means to see, to observe, not conclude, not make a conclusion of what you see. Right? So if you see the danger of nationality, it's finished. Though you may carry a passport you are no longer a citizen of a particular group of people, of a country. Right? Now in the same way, does one see the fact, not the idea, that division brings about conflict: your belief and my belief. Right? Your conclusion and my conclusion, your god and my god, or your guru opposed to my guru, if I have one, thank god I haven't got any. So this division will inevitably bring conflict. Now if you see the danger of conflict, it's finished. If you see the danger of falling down a precipice you are very, very watchful of precipices, therefore it is not a temporary danger, it is a permanent danger. Q: We don't see the danger of a lot of pressures. K: That's it, you don't see the danger of pressures. That's all my point. Q: Isn't it a little bit easier to see the division between nationalities, races, those kind of external things, but I don't see how there is not a division between the observer and the observed. K: Oh, you don't see that. Sir, the division between the observer and the observed exists, doesn't it? K: When there is that division there is conflict between the observer and that which he has observed. K: Watch it, sir, just look at it, sir, just consider for a minute. When the observer says, I am greedy, or, I am angry, then the observer acts upon anger. Right? Either he suppresses it, rationalizes it, runs away from it, he is acting upon it, therefore there is conflict. Isn't that so? So is that conflict necessary? K: We will find out, sir, we will find out. If you see when there is conflict, out of that any action will be distorted. So if you want - if one wants to act correctly with regard to that greed then one has to find out why this division exists at all, division between the observer and the greed. Right? K: Is your anger different from yourself? Q: It is part of that response. K: It is part of you. You say that, do you, actually it is part of you, therefore there is no division. Q: But then there is something else. K: Ah, the something else is the good old idea that there is some super consciousness. Q: No, I don't mean that. I mean, well, I feel I am greed, and I know that is part of my personality at the moment, but I also feel myself as an actor who can possibly act. K: All right, at the moment of anger, at the moment of anger are you different from anger? Q: At the moment of anger I don't think I am completely conscious of myself. K: That's it. Which means what? You are anger. K: Wait, there is that state of anger. Q: Yes, it's my consciousness. K: That state, don't bring in consciousness and all that because then we go off into something else. So at the moment of anger there is not me who is angry, there is only that state. Then a second or a few seconds later the division takes place: I have been angry. K: Wait, go step by step. I have been angry, so division has taken place immediately. Why? Why does this division take place? Q: Because that which says, I have been angry, that I is dependent on that anger. K: That's what I am saying, sir. When you say, I have been angry, the I who says, I have been angry, is different from anger, is that so? Q: It seems to be because at the time when there was anger there was only anger, later on something else says, I have been angry. K: Yes. What makes you say that, that I have been angry? Q: No, it's not even the bad feelings. K: Wait, don't please accept what I am saying. Why should you say, I have been angry, why bring the division in? Q: Because that anger destroys the process. K: No, go into it, sir, look into it a bit more. Q: I feel that I should not be angry. Q: At the moment of anger there is an active threat. K: At the moment of anger, sir, there is not you who says, I have been angry, there is just that feeling, that reaction. Then a few seconds, or a few seconds later you say, I have been angry. Q: You mean that when I say, I have been angry, that is merely another thought? K: No. Just find out, sir. First of all when you are totally angry there is no division. Division takes place when you use the word `anger', because at the moment of that feeling you don't say, I am angry, there is only that state; then you recognize it, the recognition, the process of recognition is through words. You recognize, or put it differently, you recognize it, you can only recognize it by knowing that you have been angry, which means the past. So the past, which is the observer, says, I am different from anger. This is so simple. Q: If we said, I am anger, would that be no pressure? K: At that second there is no pressure. I may be wrong, find out. Sir, which indicates something extraordinary, if you go into it: facts, `what is' can never be under pressure, doesn't bring pressure. Right, sir? Say when I say, I am jealous, the feeling at that moment has no pressure, later on when you say, I have been jealous, then you try to do something about it, then that is a pressure. So facts have no pressure. Like seeing the fact that nationality is a danger is not a pressure. K: Direct action takes place when there is no distortion of pressure, you act according to facts. What time is it? Q: Five minutes to one. Q: There's an answer to the question and it's quite simple and it's just one word - which came first, the chicken or the egg, and there is an answer, which came first. It makes quite a lot of sense. And it fits. It's a question which has been asked for a long time, many people ask it and never bother to answer it. It's almost the difference between nationalism and nationality. To me nationality is a world that people come from, it's just a geographical location where a person is born and does not create a conflict, but nationalism is a travesty of one's nation's state over another and brings us into conflict and division. To the question, which came first, the chicken or the egg. K: The egg or the chicken? Q: There were eggs before there were chickens, reptiles laid eggs. K: It seems that it is rather an irrelevant question which came first, the egg or the chicken. Q: Not in the whole logic of the thinking involved in any of the questions about conflict. K: Look, sir, is there an observation of that feeling without naming it? The moment you say, anger, it is violence. Right? Q: I don't know what is happening, but it is violence. K: What we are saying, sir, is when we use the word `violence' is has got so many associations with that word, that you must not be violent, you should be violent, under certain circumstances you must be violent and so on and so on, whereas is it possible to observe that feeling without naming it. You can if you are really aware of the thing taking place. I think we had better stop now, don't you. Q: How do you observe without bringing in the observer? K: By not naming. By looking at something, sir. Experiment with it, try and find out, whether you can look at something without naming it.

2019-04-23T15:56:28Z

http://jiddu-krishnamurti.net/en/1978/1978-04-06-jiddu-krishnamurti-2nd-public-dialogue

Grazing is a major modulator of biodiversity and productivity in grasslands. However, our understanding of grazing-induced changes in below-ground communities, processes, and soil productivity is limited. Here, using a long-term enclosed grazing meadow steppe, we investigated the impacts of grazing on the soil organic carbon (SOC) turnover, the microbial community composition, resistance and activity under seasonal changes, and the microbial contributions to soil productivity. The results demonstrated that grazing had significant impacts on soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions in meadow steppe. The highest microbial α-diversity was observed under light grazing intensity, while the highest β-diversity was observed under moderate grazing intensity. Grazing shifted the microbial composition from fungi dominated to bacteria dominated and from slow growing to fast growing, thereby resulting in a shift from fungi-dominated food webs primarily utilizing recalcitrant SOC to bacteria-dominated food webs mainly utilizing labile SOC. Moreover, the higher fungal recalcitrant-SOC-decomposing activities and bacterial labile-SOC-decomposing activities were observed in fungi- and bacteria-dominated communities, respectively. Notably, the robustness of bacterial community and the stability of bacterial activity were associated with α-diversity, while this was not the case for the robustness of fungal community and its associated activities. Finally, we observed that microbial α-diversity rather than SOC turnover rate can predict soil productivity. Our findings indicate the strong influence of grazing on soil microbial community, SOC turnover, and soil productivity and the important positive role of soil microbial α-diversity in steering the functions of meadow steppe ecosystems. Grazing by livestock is one of the most extensive land uses and occupies more than one third of the global land area . Overgrazing has been reported to reduce floristic diversity and biomass and is probably the most pervasive and significant process of degradation in grasslands . The importance of floristic diversity in driving the productivity and other ecosystem functions has been demonstrated by many studies [3, 4]. However, the importance of floristic diversity has been questioned recently [5, 6]. Some of these queries suggest that the productivity of many terrestrial ecosystems depends on the availability of resources [7–9]. In particular, soil microbes are important components in maintaining ecosystem functions and enhance soil productivity due to their critical roles, including litter decomposition, biogeochemical nutrient cycling, soil agglomeration, and fertility promotion [10–12]. Therefore, it is important to promote the transition from above-ground studies to below-ground ones to increase our understanding of the soil microbial behaviors. These studies may provide ecologists with insights into the seemingly divergent results observed above the ground. To date, although some investigations have studied top-down interactions [13–15], our knowledge of the mechanisms by which soil microbial communities and ecosystems function to maintain soil productivity is limited, especially the grazing-induced changes in below-ground communities . It has been well established that both the composition and functional capabilities of soil microbial community can be strongly influenced by environmental variables such as climate , vegetation , and soil conditions . In steppe ecosystems, grazing is a key regulator that can directly or indirectly affect the abovementioned environmental variables [20, 21] and then affect the diversity and composition of soil microbial community , resulting in the alteration of the functional performance and nutrient provision patterns in soil . Indeed, some studies have demonstrated that grazing has a significant effect on soil microbial community and on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) availability [24–26]. It has also been suggested that different grazing intensities may alter the distribution of soil bacteria and fungi and affect soil respiration [27, 28]. Despite these findings, few studies have been conducted on the effect of grazing on below-ground microbial community and on the C sequestration capacity and productivity of soil in grassland ecosystems [29, 30]. Therefore, these integrated top-down and bottom-up interactions need to be further investigated. The Inner Mongolian grassland is an important component of the Eurasian grassland, and the grassland of Hulunber, which is at the east edge of Eurasian grassland, is the most representative temperate meadow steppe, with high soil fertility and biodiversity ; this grassland can undergo a loss of species under high grazing intensity and is favorable for our research. Therefore, to explore the impacts of grazing on soil microbial community and consequent on soil productivity, a long-term grazing-intensity-gradient experiment was established in 2009 at the Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Research Station (HGERS) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) in Hulunber, Inner Mongolia, China. 16S and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the rRNA gene amplicon sequencing were performed to evaluate the structure of soil microbial community. A variety of SOC-decomposing enzymatic activities were performed to evaluate the microbial activity on SOC turnover. The objectives of this study were to investigate grazing-induced changes in the composition, diversity, activity, and stability of soil microbial community and to study the microbial contributions to SOC turnover and productivity. The experimental site was located at the Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Research Station (HGERS) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) (119°94′~119°96′ E, 49°32′~49°34′ N) in Hulunber, Inner Mongolia, China. The soil at the station is kastanozems according to FAO/Unesco System of Soil Classification. This region covers a semi-arid continental climate with a mean annual temperature range of almost − 3 °C and annual precipitation range of 350~400 mm. The vegetation in this region is characterized as typical meadow steppe. Leymus chinensis, Stipa baicalensis, Carex duriuscula, Galium verum, Bupleurum scorzonerifolium, and Filifolium sibiricum are the dominant plant species. This grassland was subjected to six levels of cattle grazing intensity in a randomized complete block design (Additional file 1: Figure S1). Four of these six grazing intensities with 0.00, 0.42, 0.83, and 1.67 cattle ha−1, corresponding to 0, 2, 4, and 8 cattle per plot, were selected for this study, and these grazing intensities were designated G0, G2, G4, and G8, respectively. All these sites have been used as summer pastures, with a grazing period from June to September, since 2009. Rest grazing begins in October and ends in May of the following year. Soil samples were collected in June (designated J0, J2, J4, and J8 for soil samples collected from treatments G0, G2, G4, and G8, respectively) and August (designated A0, A2, A4, and A8 for soil samples collected from treatments G0, G2, G4, and G8, respectively) of 2015. To allow the detection of both α- and β-diversity, a nested sampling approach was established in which all sampling sites were located on concentric circles with radii of 150 m, 15 m, 1.5 m, and 0.15 m in a plot. With this sampling strategy, a total of 17 samples were collected from each plot (Additional file 2: Figure S2). Soil samples were obtained from the upper 20 cm (the litter layer was removed) of the plots in soil cores with diameters of 10 cm. All samples were sieved, homogenized, and subdivided using standard methods. Soils for measuring physiochemical properties were air-dried, soils for molecular analyses were stored at − 80 °C until extraction of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and soils for establishing microcosms were stored at room temperature. The edaphic properties of all soil samples were evaluated at the Qiyang Red Soil Experimental Station of the CAAS, and the detailed methods used were described previously . In this field experiment, different grazing intensities result in different plant coverage, which leads to differences in the soil water content of the plots (Additional file 3: Table S1) and influences the soil temperature. The water content and temperature of soil are important factors affecting C decomposition in soil. Thus, given the grazing-induced differences in water content and temperature conditions in situ and to provide an accurate assessment of the effects of grazing on the potential SOC decomposition rate, we established soil microcosms and incubated these microcosms under different water content and temperature conditions. The water content of G0 (22%) was defined as 100% of the field water content; 75% and 50% field water contents were chosen for moisture perturbance. A temperature gradient (24 °C, 33 °C, and 42 °C, which is consistent with changes in temperature between June and August) was used for temperature perturbance. Soil microcosms were prepared as described by Xun et al. . Eighteen replicate microcosms were established for each soil sample (thus, we have 18 microcosm replicates × 17 soil samples × 3 plot replicates = 918 microcosms for each grazing intensity), and each microcosm was constructed by placing 150 g of fresh soil into a 250-mL bottle. Sterile water was added to maintain the moisture level at 100% of the field water content, and the microcosms were preincubated at 24 °C in the dark. After preincubation for 1 week, 16 of these 18 replicate microcosms were randomly chosen for moisture and/or temperature perturbance testing, while the remaining 2 microcosms were incubated as before (control, no perturbance, moisture at 100% of the field water content, and temperature of 24 °C). The detailed incubation conditions are described in Additional file 4: Table S2. The incubation process lasted for 2 months. The following enzyme activity assays were conducted: (i) the activities of invertase (EC 3.2.1.26), maltase (EC 3.2.1.20), amylase (EC 3.2.1.1), xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8), cellulose (EC 3.2.1.4), and pectinesterase (EC 3.1.1.11) were measured using the 3,5-dinitro-salicylic acid colorimetric method with sucrose, methyl polyglycoside, starch, xylan, carboxymethylcellulose and pectin as substrates, respectively; (ii) the activity of β-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) was measured using an improved colorimetric method with p-nitrophenyl glycoside as the substrate. Total DNA was extracted from 0.25 g of soil using a PowerSoil DNA Isolation Kit (Mo Bio Laboratories Inc., Carlsbad, CA, USA). To minimize the DNA extraction bias, three successive DNA extractions of each soil sample were pooled before performing polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A NanoDrop ND-2000 spectrophotometer (NanoDrop, ND2000, Thermo Scientific, Wilmington, USA) was used to assess DNA quality on the basis of the 260/280 nm and 260/230 nm absorbance ratios. Extracted DNA was stored at − 20 °C until use. Bacterial and fungal abundances were determined by quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis using the Power SYBR Green PCR Master MIX (Biosystems, Warrington, UK) on an ABI 7500 Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems, CA, USA). The following primer sets were used: F347 (5′-GGAGGCAGCAGTRRGGAAT-3′) and R531 (5′-CTNYGTMTTACCGCGGCTGC-3′) (194 bp) for bacterial 16S rRNA gene abundance and FungF (5′-GTAGTCATATGCTTGTCTC-3′) and FungR (5′-ATTCCCCGTTACCCGTTG-3′) (346 bp) for fungal 18S rRNA gene abundance. The V4 hypervariable region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified using the primers 515F (5′-GTGCCAGCMGCCGCGGTAA-3′) and 806R (5′-GGACTACHVGGGTWTCTAAT-3′) to assess bacterial communities. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region of the rRNA gene of fungi was amplified using the primers ITS3 (5′-GCATCGATGAAGAACGCAGC-3′) and ITS4 (5′-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3′) to assess fungal communities. The PCR amplicons were combined in equimolar ratios, and sequencing was conducted by Bion Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Nanjing, China) on an Illumina MiSeq platform with separate sequencing runs for the 16S and ITS rRNA gene amplicon pools. The sequencing data were processed using the UPARSE pipeline (http://drive5.com/usearch/manual/uparse_pipeline.html) . The raw sequences were subjected to quality control. The singleton and chimeric sequences were removed after dereplication, and the remaining sequences were categorized into operational taxonomic units (OTU) with 97% similarity and then assigned taxonomy using the Silva database (Release 128) (https://www.arb-silva.de/) and the UNITE database (Release date: August 2016) (https://unite.ut.ee/) for the 16S and ITS rRNA genes, respectively. The 16S and ITS rRNA gene sequences are available at the NCBI Sequence Read Archive under the accession numbers SRP117970 and SRP119882. The sequencing data were analyzed as follows: (i) the percentage of each taxonomy was designated the relative abundance, (ii) taxonomic α-diversity was calculated as the OTU richness and Shannon diversity of a single sample site, (iii) taxonomic γ-diversity was calculated as the OTU richness of an experimental plot, and (iv) β-diversity (phylogenetic community dissimilarity) was calculated using FastUnifrac . Duncan’s multiple comparison test was used to calculate the statistical significance among samples. Tukey’s HSD test was used to calculate the statistical significance between two samples. Correlations were calculated using Mantel tests and Spearman correlations. All statistical analyses were performed with the Vegan package (v.2.4-1) in R software (version 3.3.2). Grazing had a significant impact on soil bacterial and fungal abundance, whereas the seasonal changes did not. The bacterial abundance was consistently higher in G2 and G4 and lower in G8 (Fig. 1a). However, the fungal abundance was highest in G0 and decreased with increasing grazing intensity (Fig. 1b). Overgrazing (G8) led to significant reductions in both bacterial and fungal abundance. When the bacteria/fungi ratios were calculated, we observed that higher bacteria/fungi ratios were associated with higher grazing intensities, indicating that bacteria become prevalent with increasing grazing intensity (Fig. 1c). Our sequencing results indicated significant differences in the bacterial and fungal communities responding to cattle grazing. The strongest distinctions were observed between the below-moderate (G0 and G2) and moderate-to-high (G4 and G8) grazing intensities. With regard to soil bacteria (Additional file 5: Figure S3A), most slow-growing bacteria of the phyla Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes, and Verrucomicrobia were more abundant in G0 and G2. However, most fast-growing bacteria of the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Nitrospira, and Proteobacteria were more abundant in G4 and G8. For soil fungi (Additional file 5: Figure S3B), the most abundant fungal phyla were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Glomeromycota, and Zygomycota. Among them, Ascomycota was the most prevalent phylum, with a relative abundance ranging from 80.6 to 89.9%. Moreover, the identified classes from the phyla Glomeromycota and Zygomycota and several classes belonging to Ascomycota (Geoglossomycetes, Pezizomycetes, Sordariomycetes, etc.) were more abundant in G0 and G2. Notably, seasonal changes had less impact on microbial composition than grazing. Soil microbial diversity was estimated using α-diversity (species richness at sample site level), γ-diversity (species richness at plot level), and β-diversity (the community differentiation among sample sites in one plot) simultaneously. First, light grazing intensity (G2) resulted in the highest soil microbial α-diversity, while high grazing intensity (G8) resulted in the lowest α-diversity, the significance of which is indicated by the Shannon index (Fig. 2a) and OTU richness (Additional file 6: Figure S4A) of the samples. Meanwhile, the sites with moderate grazing intensity (G4) possessed the same level of microbial α-diversity as G0. Second, microbial γ-diversity (Additional file 6: Figure S4B) was observed to be the highest in G2 and the lowest in G8. However, G4 had the same level of species richness as G2 at plot level. Third, the β-diversity of the microbial communities were calculated using the unweighted (Additional file 6: Figure S4C) and weighted (Additional file 6: Figure S4D) Unifrac distances, and the communities of G4 showed the greatest β-diversity, followed by the communities of G2, G0, and G8. A non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis was performed to compare the microbial communities. Bacterial communities were separated across the first principal coordinate on the basis of grazing intensity (Fig. 2b). The pattern of separation is consistent with a gradient of grazing intensity from G0 and G2, across moderate grazing intensity (G4), and to high grazing intensity (G8). In addition, the communities were separated by seasonal variation across the second principal coordinate, indicating that soil bacterial communities also respond to seasonal changes. Moreover, a similar separation pattern was observed for fungal communities. Grazing has significant effects on grassland microbial community composition and diversity, which may alter the robustness of microbial community. Indeed, community robustness is related to its responses to seasonal changes. Therefore, we conducted an OTU differential analysis using the normalized OTU relative abundances and performed a logarithmic ratio test between the soil samples collected at each level of grazing intensity in June and August to determine the community robustness. As indicated by the broom-shaped “tails,” where more divergent “tails” indicate weak robustness, the seasonal variations of the bacterial communities of G8 (Fig. 3d) were greater than those of the communities of G4 (Fig. 3c), followed by G2 (Fig. 3b) and G0 (Fig. 3a), which indicated that the stability of bacterial community decreased with increasing grazing intensity. In comparison, the seasonal variations in the fungal communities fluctuated considerably across all grazing intensities (Fig. 3e to 3h). To study how soil SOC turnover responds to seasonal changes, a soil incubation experiment was established by varying the water content and temperature conditions (moisture and temperature were determined by field investigation). Various soil enzymatic activities, including those of SOC-decomposing enzymes ranging from those involved in labile- to recalcitrant-SOC decomposition, were detected. We found that the soil enzymatic activities were different across incubation conditions, whereas the microbial abundances were not (qPCR data not shown). Intriguingly, the activities of the labile-SOC-decomposing enzymes (invertase, maltase, and amylase) exhibited positive relationships (R ≥ 0.597, P ≤ 0.019) with bacterial abundance but weak relationships (R ≤ 0.286, no significance) with fungal abundance (Table 1). However, the activities of the recalcitrant-SOC-decomposing enzymes (pectinesterase, cellulase, and xylanase) exhibited positive relationships (R ≥ 0.659, P ≤ 0.009) with fungal abundance but weak relationships (R ≤ 0.262, no significance, except P = 0.035 for xylanase) with bacterial abundance. Additionally, the activity of the enzyme β-glucosidase was positively correlated with both bacterial (R = 0.628, P = 0.021) and fungal (R = 0.585, P = 0.015) abundances. To provide a reasonable assessment of microbial activity, the ratios of enzymatic activity to microbial abundance were calculated (only the significantly correlated activities and microbial abundances were used for the calculations). Soil microbial activity responded differently to moisture and temperature perturbances; bacterial activity was detected to be the highest in G4 and lowest in G8 under temperature or water content gradient (Additional files 7 and 8: Figures S5 and S6). However, fungal activity was highest in G0 and lowest in G8 under temperature or water content gradient (Additional files 9 and 10: Figures S7 and S8). Meanwhile, the fungal activity seemed to be more sensitive than bacterial activity because of the high variability of fungal activity under moisture and temperature perturbances at the same grazing intensity. A normal distribution of microbial activity was performed to demonstrate the stability of microbial activity under various water and temperature conditions (Fig. 4). The right-most rectangle indicated higher activity, and the smaller-sized rectangle indicated more stable microbial activity under perturbances. In this analysis, the highest bacterial activity was observed in G4, whereas the most stable bacterial activity was found in G0. Moreover, the strongest individual predictor of bacterial activity was bacterial β-diversity (R = 0.794, P = 0.002), and soil bacterial activity was also significantly related to soil pH (R = 0.726, P = 0.004), bacterial γ-diversity (R = 0.692, P = 0.034), and bacterial α-diversity (R = 0.625, P = 0.045) (Table 2). However, the highest fungal activity was observed in G0, and the large variations in fungal activity indicated that fungal activity is sensitive to seasonal changes rather than to cattle grazing. In addition, the strongest individual predictor of fungal activity was fungal abundance (R = 0.829, P = 0.001), and soil fungal activity was also significantly related to fungal α-diversity (R = 0.571, P = 0.039) and SOC concentration (R = 0.507, P = 0.037). Soil productivity was estimated using both below-ground SOC concentrations and above-ground plant and livestock biomass. We observed weak correlations between microbial activity and soil productivity based on the results of Mantel tests. However, linear regression analysis results revealed that bacterial (R2 ≥ 0.597, P < 0.01) and fungal (R2 ≥ 0.476, P < 0.01) Shannon diversity indices had significant positive correlations with SOC concentrations in both June and August (Fig. 5a, b). Meanwhile, we found notable significant positive correlations between microbial Shannon diversity and average plant biomass accumulation (R2 ≥ 0.562, P < 0.01 for bacteria, Fig. 5c; and R2 ≥ 0.577, P < 0.01 for fungi, Fig. 5d) and between microbial Shannon diversity and average livestock biomass accumulation (R2 ≥ 0.746, P < 0.01 for bacteria, Fig. 5e; and R2 ≥ 0.695, P < 0.01 for fungi, Fig. 5f). Different grazing intensities have direct and indirect impacts on soil environmental conditions and microbial community . Livestock feed on aboveground plants and return nearly half of it as feces , which favors bacterial growth. Nevertheless, at overgrazing site, much trampling leads to high volume weights of soil , and lack of plant coverage induces drastic fluctuations in soil moisture and temperature, which results in a difficult environment for the growth of soil microorganisms. Therefore, we observed a leaping change in bacterial abundance. In addition, the increasing bacteria/fungi ratio suggested that bacteria became the dominant microorganisms while soil fungal abundance decreased at higher grazing intensities, which is probably because fungi favor less perturbed ecosystems . With regard to the effects of grazing on the composition of microbial community, we observed that different microbial taxa exhibited different behaviors. Many Basidiomycotal groups are sensitive to environmental perturbances and slow-growing due to the long-lasting dikaryotic state , and could be used as a fungal indicator of perturbance intensity. Moreover, the phylum Glomeromycota, members of which are known as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), is closely associated with plant biomass . Therefore, conditions of intensive grazing are not conducive to colonization by these fungi due to enhanced soil perturbance and decreased plant richness and biomass. Particularly, although the aboveground plants are nearly half-returned as feces, limited herbage under intensive grazing may impel the cattle to consume more energy foraging around the site, thus will increase the aboveground herbage consumption and belowground nutrient turnover, and consequently decrease the SOC concentration . However, in this site, intensive grazing increased the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Nitrospria, etc. These abundant bacterial taxa are mostly copiotrophic bacteria , which are generally fast growing and positively correlated with SOC concentrations . This result was initially surprising, as a previous study revealed that intensive grazing induces the proliferation of gram-positive bacteria , which was confirmed only on the bacterial phylum Firmicutes at the highest grazing intensity in this study. We considered that the feces contain more available nutrient and labile organic substrates than plant residues, hence promote the growth of copiotrophic bacteria. Taken together, these findings suggest that grazing shifts the microbial communities from slow growing and fungi dominated to fast growing and bacteria dominated. Grazing probably modulates the diversity of soil microbes by altering the competitive interactions between dominant microbes and releasing/suppressing subordinate microbes ; however, overgrazing may have negative effects on microbial diversity. In this study, the microbial α-diversity of G0 and G4 were both significantly lower than that of G2, but the γ-diversity of G4 was at the same level as that of G2. These data indicated that light grazing had positive effects on soil microbial species richness at local and regional scale. However, moderate grazing decreased microbial species richness at local scale but had little impact at regional scale. These variations in species richness at different scales in moderate grazing intensity lead to a high level of β-diversity . Indeed, we confirmed the observation using both unweighted and weighted Unifrac distances. Moreover, this observation was consistent with previous findings by Cline et al. , who carried out a long-term ungulate foraging intensity experiment and indicated that foraging intensity is associated with decreased bacterial richness (α-diversity) and increased distinct bacterial communities (β-diversity). They also predicted that high foraging intensity would lead to larger reductions in soil biological α- and β-diversity. Particularly, Griffiths et al. suggested that these kinds of variations in diversity mainly correspond to greater environmental variation. We propose that these findings may be attributed to selective feeding, which causes alterations of nutrient supply and demand pattern at local scale, leading to greater environmental heterogeneity at regional scale. In addition to the strong influence of grazing, seasonal changes affect soil microbial community synchronously . As indicated by the broom-shaped “tails” in Fig. 3, increased variations of soil bacterial community were observed with increasing grazing intensity. Since soil microbes are susceptible to soil moisture and temperature and many other characteristics , these differences were probably attributable to seasonal changes. For instance, grazing leads to a decrease in plant coverage , which induces rapid loss of soil moisture and sharp fluctuations of soil temperature . Therefore, intensive grazing makes the soil more susceptible to seasonal fluctuations and decreases soil microbial diversity, and thus, intensive grazing may decrease community robustness. However, in contrast to the bacterial communities, large variations were observed for fungal communities across all grazing intensities. We propose that plant growth may be the major factor responsible for the seasonal alterations in fungal community. This is consistent with Millard and Singh that demonstrated that bacterial communities are more influenced by soil characteristics, while fungal communities are primarily influenced by vegetation. Soil bacteria and fungi have different impacts on SOC pool; hence, grazing influences the size and composition of SOC fractions via altering the microbial abundance and composition in soil . Generally, intensive grazing lands require more available nutrients for plant growth. Therefore, soil microbes are forced to form a community, which exhibits higher nutrient-turnover rates. To date, we know that intensive grazing leads to bacteria-dominated food webs in soil [58, 59]. Our results are consistent with these observations, showing that bacteria, especially fast-growing copiotrophic bacteria, become dominant in intensive grazing lands. We detected the activities of several SOC-decomposing enzymes to provide an overview of SOC decomposition capacity. The distinctive relationships between SOC-decomposing enzyme activity and microbial abundance revealed that fungi are more important in recalcitrant-SOC turnover while bacteria are more important in labile-SOC turnover. For instance, fungi are more efficient at decomposing lignocellulose than bacteria . Moreover, more copiotrophic bacteria contain more labile-SOC-decomposing genes , which promotes labile-SOC turnover. Therefore, the dominance of soil bacteria or fungi regulates SOC decomposition. To provide a proper characterization of average microbial activity, we calculated the ratios of enzymatic activity to microbial abundance. This ratio is similar to the metabolic quotient (qCO2), which is defined as the respiration rate per unit of biomass . We observed that soil bacterial activity (labile-SOC decomposition) was highest in G4, suggesting that moderate grazing enhanced whereas overgrazing suppressed the bacterial activity and ability to decompose labile SOC. On the other hand, soil fungal activity (recalcitrant-SOC decomposition) was highest in the non-grazed site (G0), suggesting that the introduction of grazing suppressed soil fungal activity and the ability to decompose recalcitrant SOC. This finding supported the hypothesis that bacteria and fungi are relatively more important decomposers in intensively grazed and lightly grazed grasslands, respectively. We observed that the best parameter for predicting bacterial activity was bacterial β-diversity, followed by soil pH. It is apparent that soil pH has a strong effect on bacterial survival and activity ; however, there are few reports on the effects of bacterial β-diversity. We believe that the high bacterial activity in G4 was mainly due to the high proportion of copiotrophic bacteria. Therefore, moderate grazing will promote the growth of copiotrophic bacteria and enhance bacterial activity in meadow steppe. However, the activity of copiotrophic bacteria will be suppressed in overgrazed lands. Unlike bacterial community, weak relationship was found between fungal community and soil pH , and subsequent studies proved that soil fungal diversity and composition are related to SOC [63, 64], which is related to plant growth in grasslands. Moreover, Keiblinger et al. suggested that the SOC-decomposition efficiency of fungi is more sensitive to vegetation and requires a high fungal biomass. Therefore, the association between fungal abundance and recalcitrant-SOC decomposition efficiency may act as a good predictor for fungal activity in natural habitats. We also detected great fluctuations in bacterial activity at intensive grazing sites and in fungal activity across all grazing sites, which were related to the robustness of bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. Our findings were consistent with a previous result, which showed that microbial robustness determines the stability of soil functions . Importantly, although we did not find significant changes in fungal abundance under various incubation conditions, fungal activity showed the same fluctuation tendencies, indicating that fungal activity is also sensitive to moisture and temperature. Taken together, these findings indicate that soil bacterial activity mainly lays in the abundant copiotrophic taxa and soil properties, and these abundant copiotrophic taxa are primarily responsible for the efficiency of labile-SOC decomposition. In addition, fungal activity is mainly affected by fungal abundance and plant growth and is primarily responsible for the efficiency of recalcitrant-SOC decomposition. Generally, floristic complexity determines soil productivity in the absence of the interference of natural ecological systems [3, 67]. Ecologists have been trying to predict ecosystem services x(e.g., soil productivity) using floristic diversity in human- or herbivore-disturbed ecosystems, but the results have been mixed [3, 5, 7]. Van Der Heijden et al. summarized that closed nutrient cycling occurs in less-perturbed soils with fungi-dominated food webs and that these soils usually support slow plant growth and low net primary productivity. Nevertheless, we found that moderate grazing-induced bacteria-dominated food webs and faster labile-SOC turnover rate did not achieve the highest productivity either. We conjectured that in bacteria-dominated food webs, rapid nutrient cycling occurs to provide suitable conditions for the growth of fast-growing bacteria, which may shift the SOC pool from C sinks to C sources and may suppress plant growth and productivity. Herein, strong positive effects of microbial α-diversity on soil C storage and productivity were detected, suggesting that there may be an internal microbiological mechanism to increase the proportions of photoassimilates in the soil C pool and food chain with higher microbial α-diversity rather than higher nutrient turnover rates. Thus, soil management intensity and associated changes in soil microbial community can steer the multiple functions of ecosystems and trade-offs between human demands, and ecosystem functions still need to be concerned . The data presented here demonstrated that different levels of grazing had significant impacts on soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions in meadow steppes (Fig. 6). Grazing shifted microbial compositions from slow-growing and fungi-dominated to fast-growing and bacteria-dominated communities. We observed that fungal community was mainly responsible for recalcitrant-SOC decomposition and that fungal activity was positively correlated with fungal abundance. On the other hand, bacterial community was primarily responsible for labile-SOC decomposition, and bacterial activity was associated with β-diversity. However, microbial activity was suppressed in overgrazing soil. Particularly, soil productivity was not associated with bacterial or fungal activity but with microbial α-diversity. Thus, we argue that grazing affects soil productivity by regulating soil microbial community and nutrient turnover and that great soil productivity is principally determined by microbial α-diversity but does not require a very high microbial activity in meadow steppes. Xiaoping Xin and Ruifu Zhang contributed equally to this work. The authors thank the staff at the HGERS of the CAAS for managing the field experiments and helping with the collection of soil samples. This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (41601252), National Natural Science Foundation of China (41471093), Major State Research Development Program of China (2016YFC0500601), General and Special Financial Grant from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2016M601833 and 2017T100379), the support of China Agriculture Research System (CARS-34), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (KJQN201748). The authors declare that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and its supplementary information files. The sequencing data in this article is available at the NCBI Sequence Read Archive under the accession numbers SRP117970 and SRP119882. R-FZ, X-PX, and W-BX designed the study. W-BX and R-FZ conceived the ideas and designed methodology. R-RY, D-YJ, and X-PX conducted the experiment. YR, G-SZ, and Z-LC conducted the chemical analyses. W-BX and WX analyzed the data. W-BX and R-FZ wrote the manuscript with contribution from all authors. All authors reviewed and approved it. Middleton N. Rangeland management and climate hazards in drylands: dust storms, desertification and the overgrazing debate. Nat Hazards. 2016:1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2592-6.

2019-04-21T17:12:23Z

https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-018-0544-y

A guide for first time car buyers. The decision to buy a car has become a more complex and involved process. The buyer today faces not only an abundance of models to choose from, but also stringent federal and state regulations governing dealerships. Consumers also find the Internet deluged with resource tools, so getting to that final choice can be a daunting and even overwhelming task. This booklet has been written for any first time car buyer. We’ve designed it to simplify, clarify, and inform consumers and to help them make that first purchasing experience a positive one. It is our hope that this booklet will educate both the salesperson and the buyer to create a “win-win” transaction for both parties. © 2018, Washington State Auto Dealers Association. www.wsada.org. All information contained in this manual intended to be as up-to-date as possible, however consumers should ALWAYS consult with their own counsel to confirm the information or to answer any questions they may have. What sized car best suits my needs? What type of driving do I do? • Is this a company car or personal car? What are my priorities? How do I rank them? How long do I plan to keep this vehicle? How much do I plan to spend? Creating a checklist like this can help you narrow down your list down to the best options. Unless you’re able to focus your needs, shopping for a new car can quickly become a case of information overload. Paying attention to these areas will help you limit the possibility of disappointment or frustration. Buying a car that doesn’t suit your needs very well (e.g., it doesn’t fit your family, consumes more gas than you expected, or has higher payments than expected) may cause you to sell or trade-in too early and set you up for big losses down the road. Buying a car with a poor resale value can also mean making car payments for years only to sell or trade it in when you have little or no equity; or worse, still owe more than it’s worth. Thinking about your current car can also help you make choices about your next vehicle purchase. What do you like or dislike about it? What life changes have occurred or may soon occur that may change your needs? It’s important to understand these factors before you go out and buy a car because they will play a huge part in your life later on down the road. The internet can be an excellent resource for car buyers. There are many credible websites to assist you with car information, finance, safety issues, comparisons, e-opinions and statistical analyses. There are even resources that allow you to obtain a specific vehicle’s maintenance history. Understanding your needs and knowing where to find the right information is the first step towards making an intelligent buying decision. Cars on the street that “catch your eye” can certainly be a beginning. If particular a car catches your eye, consider asking the owner about their buying experience and where they bought it, as well as questions about the car itself. Many people love talking about their cars and can serve as great first-hand resources. Understanding all of the variables that go into making a wise decision will pay off long after you leave the dealership. A major consideration when deciding between a used and new vehicle is cost. Although a used vehicle may require more frequent repairs, they are often cheaper to operate and insure. Most vehicles depreciate in value the most during their first three years, and so the price point of a used vehicle can be more economical and attractive. Does a dealer have to perform a safety check before selling that vehicle? Generally, tires should have a minimum tread depth of 2/32 of an inch, no bulges, bumps or exposed cord or lining. Another cost is insurance — used vehicles costs less to insure than a new one. Banks require both liability and comprehensive insurance coverage when they finance a car contract, but usually have significantly lower insurance requirements for used cars. This will be discussed in greater detail in the Insurance section. The importance of your new car’s rate of depreciation is tied to how long you expect to own the car. If you tend to hold on to cars for longer than 5 years, depreciation is less of a factor. A car’s greatest depreciation occurs during its first three to four years, averaging a decline of 15-25% per year. On average, a new car will lose 60% of its total value over the first five years of its life. Traditionally, limited editions, luxury and exotic cars tend to hold their resale value a little better than others. Also, cars with higher trim levels usually retain a greater value than those with lower trim levels. “Trim level” is the designation a vehicle manufacturer uses to represent specific equipment packages. Cars with more safety features, high reliability ratings and neutral colors also tend to retain their value better than others. The resale value of a car can be enhanced by understanding how to maintain the investment of your new car. Simple tasks like washing and waxing your car regularly not only keep it looking great, but inhibit paint deterioration and oxidation. Keeping up to date with the manufacturer’s guidelines for service also protects your investment. Taking steps to maintain your car properly is crucial; if neglected, the potential breakdown and reconditioning costs can far outweigh maintenance costs. There’s another great reason to properly maintain your car: a manufacturer may reject warranty repairs if the owner has failed to comply with the warranty’s maintenance requirements. If an owner cannot show that the car has been properly maintained when a problem occurs, it may deny coverage. If you have purchased a used car, service and maintenance history can often be obtained from a dealership representing that manufacturer. Additional sources for obtaining a vehicle’s history are CarFax.com and Consumer Guide Vehicle History, (auto.consumerguide.com). For a fee, they research any vehicle’s major history when you provide them with the car’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). You will also need to decide whether to lease or purchase. A lease finances the use of a car for a period of time, but it is not a purchase of the car. Each has its own pros and cons depending on your needs, so you examine your situation before deciding which is most appropriate for you. The most common type of vehicle financing is dealership financing. In this arrangement, a buyer and a dealership enter into a contract where the buyer agrees to an installment contract, under which the buyer will pay for the vehicle and an agreed-upon finance charge in installments. The dealership may retain the contract, but usually sells it to a third party (such as a bank, finance company or credit union), which services the account and collects the payments. For more information, see the “Finance” Section below. Convenience – Buyers can obtain vehicles and financing in one place. Multiple financing relationships – The dealership’s relationships with a variety of banks and finance companies mean they can offer buyers a range of financing options. Special programs – Dealerships may offer manufacturer-sponsored finance specials to buyers. Q: Is having a new vehicle every two or three years with no major repair risks more important than long-term cost? A: If so, then leasing may be the better choice. Q: Is long term cost savings more important than lower monthly payments? Is ownership more important than lower up-front costs? A: If so, purchasing the vehicle may be the better choice. The decision whether to buy or to lease a car is not always an easy one. There are some facts you first need to know. When you buy a car you pay the entire cost of the vehicle, regardless of how many miles you drive. You will typically need to make a down payment, pay sales tax and the licensing fees in cash — or roll those expenses into your installment contract – and pay an interest rate or finance charge on the purchase price. Your payments usually start 30 to 45 days after you sign your contract, and most contracts can be paid off at any point without penalty. When you lease a car, you pay for only a portion of the vehicle’s cost – you pay for the portion that you “use” during the term of the lease. State sales tax applies to leases, and is calculated on the monthly payment rather than the total price of the car. Basically, lease finance rates are calculated by a money factor, which is similar to the interest rate on a loan, though the calculation is a bit more complex. Monthly lease payments are usually lower than monthly purchase payments, however at the end of a lease you must return the car unless the lease has an option to purchase and you agree to the terms. Consider how long you may want to keep the vehicle. Another important consideration is the mileage limit – most standard leases are calculated based on a specific number of miles, typically 12,000 or fewer per year. You can negotiate a higher mileage limit, but you will have a higher monthly payment since the vehicle will depreciate more during the lease term. If you exceed the mileage limit set in the lease agreement, you’ll probably have to pay additional charges when you return the vehicle. When you lease, you are also responsible for excess wear and damage, and missing equipment, and are required to service the vehicle in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Finally, you will have to maintain insurance that meets the leasing company’s standards. Be sure to find out the level of coverage required, and what this will add to your overall costs. Keep in mind that in most cases, you will be responsible for an early termination charge if you end the lease early, and that charge could be substantial. If you lease a car that costs $30,000, but is worth only $20,000 after 24 months, you pay for the $10,000 difference (this is called depreciation), plus finance charges and fees. Monthly lease payments are essentially two charges: a depreciation charge and a finance charge. The depreciation portion compensates the leasing company for the portion of the vehicle’s value which is lost during the life of your lease. The finance potion is interest on the money which the lease company is using to finance the vehicle. Loan payments also have two parts: the principal charge and the finance charge. The principal pays off the vehicle purchase price, while the finance charge is the interest or the monthly lending fee the institution charges you for the use of their money. All vehicles depreciate in value, regardless of whether they are leased or purchased. Thus, a part of the principle charge of each loan payment can be thought of like a depreciation charge under a lease. It’s money you won’t get back if you sell the car, because the car has already depreciated in value past that amount. The remainder of the principal charge goes toward equity. Equity is essentially resale value. It’s what you would get back if you sold the vehicle. The older a vehicle and the higher the mileage, the lower the resale value and equity you have. Below is a comparison between a typical lease, compared to a 0% loan and a more conventional loan. Remember, monthly payments for leases are lower, but are not the only factor that should influence your decision. Term of Contract 48 mos. 48 mos. 48 mos. Every state varies with different auto insurance requirements. Most states require motorists to show proof that they have liability insurance before they register a car. Other states use an “honor system” that doesn’t ask for proof of insurance. 25/ = ($25,000) Bodily injury liability maximum for one person injured in an accident. 50/ = ($50,000) Bodily injury liability maximum for all injuries in one accident. 10/ = ($10,000) Property damage liability maximum for one accident. Contracts for leased vehicles often require higher insurance coverage. Before you shop, determine how much you are willing to spend on a car. This will depend on a number of factors, including your budget, and the qualities of the vehicle that fits your needs. If the car will be financed, your monthly payment is also important. A dealership can offer “one-stop shopping” to expedite the buying process by helping you find a financial institution to help you buy your car. Remember to also budget for the other costs associated with vehicle ownership like insurance, gas, maintenance and repairs. Although prices are sometimes negotiable, cars are required by law to carry manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) stickers. This sticker, also called a Monroney label, is attached to a window of the vehicle. It shows the base price, including all standard equipment; manufacturer-installed options; transportation or freight charges (also known as destination or delivery charges); and the total MSRP. Details about the average gas mileage are also required on all cars and light trucks; this information is usually included on the sticker, but will sometimes be found on a separate sticker called the EPA Fuel Economy Label. The MSRP offers guidance for negotiations, but remember that these are suggested prices. The negotiated final price may be higher or lower, depending on the demand for that particular model. Some popular models sell for more than the MSRP, while others can sell for less. Some dealers may use other stickers that include additional charges, such as dealer-installed options and additional dealer markup. Have a clear understanding of all these charges before negotiations begin. The total cost of a new vehicle is also affected by manufacturer incentives, used by many auto companies today to attract buyers to their showrooms. These incentives include cash-back rebates, low or 0% financing, leasing programs, and option-package discounts. All of these can help you save, but be careful to figure out which one will work the best for you. If you are going to finance a total amount of $20,000, your monthly payment will be about $387 for a 60 months contract at 6% interest. Reducing the term to 4 years (48 months), raises the payment to $470 per month. So you can figure for every $10,000 you spend, it will cost you a little under $200/month for 5 years @ 6%. Finance a car for the shortest period of time you can afford because the longer you are paying, the more interest you will accrue. Trade in a car when you still owe more than the car is actually worth is referred to as being “upside down”, or having “negative equity”. Dealerships can take that negative equity from your trade-in and roll it into your financing on a new car, but be aware that this option is compounding your debt – you still owe the negative equity amount. So now, armed with budget calculations and driving preferences, you are just about ready to go out and have some fun! Be sure before you cover the basics before you get to the fun part – the “active” research – test drives! Once you start test driving, pay attention to things like how a car feels on a test drive and other things that can’t be captured by reading and researching. Dealerships are eager to let you test drive their product. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If it’s a new car you’re considering, allow a salesperson to do a “walk around” to explain the features and benefits of the car. Feel free to ask the salesperson to accompany you on the test drive – they can help you learn even more about the engineering, instrumentation, safety and performance features first hand. How easy and logically placed are the dashboard instruments? How easily do the doors and windows operate? Look under the hood – do the fluid receptacles have easy access? Can you add oil, wiper, transmission or brake fluid easily? Can you see the where fluid levels are? Make sure it has the room you need – If you’re a golfer, bring your clubs to the dealership and see if they fit comfortably into the trunk! Have the dimensions of your garage or parking space with you and make sure there is enough room to accommodate your new car. Listen to the engine as it changes gears on acceleration and deceleration. Check out the turning radius of the car in an open parking lot by turning the steering wheel as far as you can to the left and see how tight the turn is. Repeat the same process to the right. Check out your peripheral vision. Are there any significant blind spots? The general appearance of the car, the paint, upholstery, trunk, windshield, the engine, tires, muffler, stereo and any after-market alterations. Was the used car locally owned? Drive the car at a slow speed and turn the steering wheel as far as you can to the right and then to the left to listen for a rubbing sound. This is an indication that the CV boots might need replacement. Check to see if you can obtain the vehicle’s history from the dealer. Has the dealership performed an extensive “pre-owned” safety inspection? Is there a warranty available for this car? Is there any part of the factory warranty still available? Is the exterior paint is a different color than inside of the engine compartment, trunk or door interior? When looking across the side of the car, eye level with the door, do you see “orange peel” or small ripples in the paint? This can be a sign that the car has been repainted. If the doors of the hood or trunk tend to stick, or not close or open smoothly, this may indicate that they been replaced due to an accident. If the panel seams are out of alignment, it may mean that the hood is crooked with the fender panels. Are the trunk seams evenly aligned with the fender panels? Are the door seams evenly aligned with the side pillars or neighboring body panels? Consider taking the car to an independent mechanic for a “second opinion” They can help test the engine and other parts. This small investment can help ensure you avoid problems not obvious to the naked eye. In addition, Washington will carry forward brands from other states when a vehicle is titled here. For example, the title for a vehicle that comes into Washington on a California salvage certificate would contain the title brand “CA Salvage” in the comment portion of the title. Certain vehicles that are reported to the Department of Licensing as destroyed, repaired, and subsequently inspected by the Washington State Patrol, will have a “rebuilt” brand added to the Washington title/certificate of ownership. This means that your vehicle was damaged and subsequently rebuilt. Consider having it checked by a competent mechanic to ensure the vehicle’s safety and roadworthiness. In addition, you should be aware that vehicles with branded titles are typically worth significantly less than comparable vehicles without branded titles. Choosing the right dealership is as important as choosing the right car – it’s important that you feel confident and comfortable. Ask a salesperson for a tour of their facilities. Check out the service and parts departments. The dealership should be a clean and organized facility. Meeting the service manager and asking key questions can oftentimes provide a deeper understanding about the car you’re considering. Are parts generally in stock? If not, where are they ordered from and how long does it take? Do they provide a shuttle or loaners? A ride to work or a loaner car can make a big difference when your car is in the shop. Is their service department open on weekends or evenings? You want dependable service where and when you need it. Most manufacturers rate dealers by the percentage of satisfied customers. This is generally known as a Customer Satisfaction Index, or CSI. Ask your salesperson to show you information about the dealership’s CSI. Buying a car should never be a hostile experience. Today’s franchised auto dealers greatly value repeat and referral business, and the only way to achieve that is through honest, reputable business practices and long-term customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction also depends on intelligent, informed purchase decisions based on personal needs, lifestyle and financial capacity. Reputable dealers employ well-trained sales professionals and service technicians who are able to meet the needs of today’s informed customers. Salespeople should listen equally to their male and female customers and help you select a car that best fits your wants and needs. Rudeness or poor product knowledge need not be tolerated. Also try contacting your local Better Business Bureau to find out more about a dealership. Excessive complaints are a red flag. The company should be stable and well established in the community. The relationship between you and the dealership doesn’t end when the handshake is made for the deal; it is just the beginning, and hopefully it will be a positive and satisfying partnership for a long time. There are strict laws in Washington protecting consumers against misleading advertising. Washington State Auto Dealers Association (WSADA) encourages new car and truck dealers to embrace a code of ethics and to adhere to Washington advertising law. • Operate the business in accord with the highest standards of ethical conduct. • Treat each customer in a fair, open, and honest manner, and fully comply with all laws that prohibit discrimination. • Represent our products clearly and factually, standing fully behind warranties, direct and implied, and in all other ways justifying the customer’s respect and confidence. • Advertise our products in a positive, factual, and informative manner. • Meet transportation needs of our customers in a knowledgeable and professional manner. • Detail charges to assist our customers in understanding repair work and provide written estimates of any service work to be performed, upon request, or as required by law. • Resolve customer concerns promptly and courteously. Read the fine print carefully. If an advertisement offers a particular model at a terrific price, make sure the price includes freight and any additional dealer markup or options — tax, license and title charges are generally not included. Ads that guarantee large trade-in allowances or very low interest rates are good deals only if the price of the underlying vehicle is fair to begin with. If a dealer is reluctant to sell you a vehicle at the advertised sale price and terms, find another dealer. Sticker price, invoice price, factory-to-customer incentive, factory-to-dealer incentive, rebates, 0% financing, and “holdback” all are terms that can affect your vehicle’s price. There is much more to dealer cost than just dealing with the invoice, and you need to know all of the costs if you want to find the best deal. The factory invoice is the amount actually billed to the dealer for the car. The dealer pays invoice, less holdback. Holdback is a form of compensation to the dealer from the manufacturer for advertising and other expenses. The exact amount will often be printed on the factory invoice. A car’s factory invoice can be obtained from most dealerships, libraries, the internet, consumer guide books and other sources, making finding the true cost much easier. Factory-to-dealer incentives often carry the biggest reduction and are usually time sensitive. They can change frequently. Dealers compute invoice by deducting out holdbacks, optional advertising fees, mandatory advertising fees and manufacturer incentives must be deducted to show the actual cost, although mandatory advertising fees can be included. Focus on what can and cannot be included in the deal. The MSRP is also referred to as the sticker price. This may or may not include extras and options. Check every line item carefully to see what is being quoted. The sticker price can be negotiated to one that is fair and acceptable to both you and the dealership. Shop smart. Always compare quality as well as price. Be aware of simple tactics. For instance, if the dealership has an overabundance of red cars in your model, you have a better chance of getting a lower price if you buy a red car. A car that is very popular will yield the highest price. You may get a better price once the popularity of certain model you’re interested in declines or, if there is that vehicle is overstocked on the lot. in one last deal. Others feel that the beginning of the month works best because the dealership wants a fast start on their sales. None of these factors are specifically relevant to your purchase – a dealership is always ready to sell you a car. Search all resources for true costs, and available rebates and incentives. Be up front and ask the dealer to explain all additional costs, such as taxes, handling fees, loan fees, documentation fees, and destination fees. Ask the dealer if there are any other incentives or rebates available. Check advertisements for the car you want. Often large dealers will advertise cars at just over dealer cost to generate traffic. Search all resources for true costs, rebates and incentives offered on your car of choice. It is critical to know the value of your trade-in and the amount you still owe on it. The equity that you have in your trade-in gives you leverage in your purchase. Also, Washington offers a sales tax incentive to those who trade in a car. You pay sales tax only on the difference between your trade-in value and the price of your new car. This can cover some of the money you would have gotten if you sold the vehicle yourself. So what is your car worth? Check a current edition of the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) Used Car Guide or Kelley Blue Book for your region. Vehicle values can be very different from region to region. These publications can be found at a library, bookstore or on the Internet. Make sure that you use a current issue, since values can vary by hundreds of dollars from one month to the next. It is also important that you use this guide properly. (Add or subtract for mileage, etc.). Finally, remember that the book is only a guide, not the law. The automobile market can be a volatile one, and a number of factors can affect the value of your car. Some cars are notoriously ‘soft’ which means they often bring less than book value while other cars are ‘strong’ and usually bring book value or more. If you want to fine tune your figure, compare the book value to what similar cars are selling for in your area. Remember though, the asking price isn’t necessarily the selling price. Once you calculate the ACV, deduct any balance that you may still owe on the car. Call your bank and get an accurate 10 day payoff amount. The amount left over is your equity, and the amount you can apply to a purchase. What if you have negative equity? If you find yourself “upside-down,” owing more than your car is worth, don’t panic. This is more common than you might think! You might consider selling your car privately to try and get more than its wholesale value. Also use your down payment and any additional cash to make up as much of the difference as you can. Be sure you understand how much your trade-in equity affects the purchase. If you find yourself “upside-down”, you can roll the negative equity into the new car purchase contract. But understand that you are financing your negative balance of your trade-in, along with the cost of the new car – you are driving one car, but paying for two. When you finance negative equity, your monthly payments and/or length of time financed will increase. Even though people finance negative equity all the time, it should be your last option because it means you may find yourself in an even worse negative equity position the next time you trade in. Many people continually roll more and more negative equity into new purchases. Eventually this catches up with them, because a bank will limit the amount of money they will lend. One option that can help is leasing. Refer back to the “Lease vs. Purchase” section for more on making the right decision. If a dealership senses that you are most interested in a big discount off the retail price, they’ll structure the purchase to accommodate that interest. If you seem more interested in your trade-in value, they will structure it to maximize your trade-in value. You may not want to involve your trade-in until after you have established the selling price of the new car. In any event, maximize the value of your trade-in and minimize the retail price of the new car, but bear in mind that the two are intimately related to one another and a dealer can move either number only so far. The important thing is to focus on the trade difference figure, which is the difference between the new car’s selling price and the allowance given for your trade-in, including any discounts. It represents the bottom line amount you will pay for the vehicle. Always look for the best bottom line. Understand both the “wholesale” and the “retail” value. When you trade your car in to a dealer, they are usually paying wholesale alue, which is the approximate value it will bring at a dealer auction. This value can vary from hundreds to perhaps thousands less than the going retail price. You may need to advertise your car. If you advertise, you will have to filter out the unwanted phone calls. You will need to schedule appointments that may result in no-shows. You will have to let strangers take your car out for test drives. You will have to let strangers take your car to their mechanic for an inspection. Also consider potential hassles with financing and timing. If someone wants to buy your car, and you still owe money on it, the buyer will need to pay you first and then wait while your bank processes your payoff before they can obtain title to your car. Not everyone will be willing to do that. You may also have to deal with the delay created if they must dispose of their own car before buying yours, or if they need a loan in order to buy your car. There is also the issue of timing, if you finally sell your car and the car you want is not sitting on the dealer’s lot. There could be a huge gap between the time you’re ready to buy and the time your new car is actually available. Be prepared for delays that can occur. Make sure the car is clean inside and out. Consider repairing highly visible damage or wear (cracked windshield, worn tires, etc.). In many instances, dealerships will do a general tune-up, inspect shocks, tires and brakes and perform the necessary safety repairs before they resell your trade. With new car prices averaging more than $30,000, most consumers require financing or a lease. A buyer can seek out their own finance arrangements, called “direct lending” where they obtain a loan directly from a finance company, bank or credit union. Some consumers also search for lenders and arrange direct lenders over the Internet. In direct lending, a buyer negotiates directly with a bank to arrange a loan to purchase a vehicle. Once a buyer and a dealership enter agree to the vehicle price, the buyer will use the loan proceeds from the buyer’s direct lender to pay for the vehicle. Finance rates are determined by the buyer’s credit worthiness. Poor credit ratings will result in a higher interest rate that the bank charges the buyer for the use of their money. Be aware that a dealer may also charge service fee for arranging financing. The dealership will obtain a copy of your credit report, which contains information about current and past credit obligations, your payment record and data from public records (for example, a bankruptcy filing obtained from court documents). It also reflects each of your credit accounts, showing your account number, the type and terms of the account, the credit limit, the most recent balance and the most recent payment. The comments section describes the current status of your account, including the creditor’s summary of past due information and any legal steps that may have been taken to collect. Dealers typically sell your contract to an assignee, such as a bank, finance company or credit union. The dealership submits your credit application to one or more of these potential assignees to determine their willingness to purchase your contract from the dealer. These finance companies or other potential assignees will usually evaluate your credit application using automated techniques such as credit scoring, where a variety of factors, like your credit history, length of employment, income and expenses may be weighted and scored. Since the bank, finance company or credit union does not deal directly with you, it bases its evaluation upon what appears on your credit report and score, the completed credit application, and the terms of the sale, such as the amount of the down payment and the trade-in equity. The dealership may be able to offer manufacturer incentives, such as reduced finance rates or cash back on certain models. You may see these specials advertised in your area. Make sure you ask your dealer if the model you are interested in has any special financing offers or rebates. Generally, these discounted rates are not negotiable, may be limited by a consumer’s credit history, and are available only for certain models, makes or model-year vehicles. When there are no special financing offers available, you can negotiate the annual percentage rate (APR) and the terms for payment with the dealership, just as you negotiate the price of the vehicle. The APR that you negotiate with the dealer is usually higher than the wholesale rate described earlier. This negotiation can occur before or after the dealership accepts and processes your credit application. Be aware that your credit history may affect the finance rate you are able to negotiate. Generally, you’ll be able to get a lower rate if you have a history of paying your monthly credit obligations on time. If your loan is not approved due to insufficient credit history or poor credit history, you may be allowed to have a co-signer sign the finance contract with you in order to make up for any deficiencies in your credit history. A co-signer assumes equal responsibility for the contract, and the account history will be reflected on both your and the co-signer’s credit reports. After a deal is agreed upon and the contract signed, the dealer may contact you and say they have discovered they will need a larger down payment or higher monthly payments. You are not required to accept these new terms, though it may result in the dealer voiding the deal. By law, the dealer has 4 working days from the time of purchase/lease (excluding weekends and holidays) to get financing approved and finalize the sale according to the terms of the contract. In order to expedite finding a lender and minimize the inconvenience to the buyer, your contract may be submitted to more than one lender. Care should be taken when proceeding with this process. If any of the contract terms change, or need to be renegotiated, then the existing contract must first be voided out and a new contract must then be drafted. The dealer must advise you of these changes and then give you the opportunity to sign the new contract. If financing is not obtained, the dealership must notify you within that 3-day period and void the contract, and must return any down payment and any trade-in vehicle you gave them. Truth in Lending Act (TILA) – TILA requires that, before you sign the agreement, creditors give you written disclosure of important terms of the credit agreement such as APR, total finance charges, monthly payment amount, payment due dates, total amount being financed, length of the credit agreement and any charges for late payment. • Charges for default or late payments. Credit Practices Rule – This rule requires creditors to provide written notice to potential co-signers about their liability if the other person fails to pay and information on late charges, and also prohibits creditors from using certain contract provisions that the government has determined to be unfair to consumers. Equal Credit Opportunity Act – prohibits discrimination related to credit because of a purchaser’s gender, race, color, marital status, religion, national origin or age, the fact that a purchaser is receiving public assistance, or because the purchaser has exercised their rights under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. “Packing” or “Loading” Automobile Payments “Packing” or “loading” are slang terms used to describe a practice sometimes found in the auto industry to get customers to agree to purchase additional products, such as credit life insurance, service contracts, chemical protectants or security devices, without revealing the true impact the additions will have on their monthly payments. The customer agrees to a purchase price and the dealer quotes a monthly payment higher than what is really needed to cover the price of the vehicle. This is a “pack” or room in the payment to add in some optional products seemingly without effect on the payment amount – the products appear to the buyer to be either heavily discounted or without cost altogether. To avoid being a victim of packing, don’t let the negotiations focus solely on the monthly payment and do the math to make sure the quoted payments and loan term add up, and aren’t actually higher than what is needed to cover the purchase price of the vehicle and products you have agreed to buy. New-vehicle warranties are a very competitive commodity. Consequently, there is a wide array of warranties available. Basic coverage for mechanical or other defects range from 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, to 4 years or 50,000 miles. Some manufacturers also offer extended warranties on major drive train components (engine, transmission, transaxle, etc.) for up to 10 years and 100,000 miles. However, some of these drive train warranties may include a deductible (usually $100) which is paid by the owner on major repairs. In addition, service contracts and “wrap-around” warranties that cover repairs for a longer period, or those not included in manufacturer drive train warranties, may be purchased from manufacturer and warranty companies. The key to all types of warranties and service contracts is to understand exactly what they warrant. Implied Warranties – Used Vehicles Unless disclaimed, every vehicle sold in Washington by a dealer has an “implied warranty of merchantability,” which warrants that the vehicle will be fit for ordinary purposes. Generally, that means the vehicle will be of average quality among similar vehicles available in that price range. The duration and extent of coverage is based on the age, mileage and price of the vehicle, as well as the nature and timing of the problem. For more information on the Implied Warranty of Merchantability contact the Attorney General’s Consumer line at 1-800-692-5082 for information and a brochure. Vehicles can also carry an “implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose,” which states that if the seller knows you intend to use the car for a particular purpose, and knows you are relying on them to help select a car suitable to that purpose, they warrant that the car they sell you will actually be fit for that purpose. Some states limit or prohibit the elimination of implied warranties, which means the dealership must use the “Implied Warranties Only” version of the Buyer’s Guide and check the box next to the “Implied Warranties Only” heading if a written warranty is not offered. Washington is not one of these states. “AS-IS” No Warranty –Used Vehicles Most used cars are offered by dealers “As-Is.” If done correctly, the dealer will have waived the implied warranties that would have applied. If the car breaks down, you will be responsible for all repairs. Whether its one minute or one mile from the dealership, you’ll still be responsible! As an informed buyer, consider whether negotiating away your implied warranty rights is really in your best interest. Many used cars a dealership offer no warranties at all – written or implied. The dealership must use the “As-Is” version of the Buyer’s Guide and check the box next to the heading “As Is-No Warranty on the Guide. If the manufacturer’s warranty has not expired and you do not need to pay to assume its coverage, the dealership will have a check mark in the “Warranty” box on the Buyer’s Guide and will disclose in the “systems covered/duration” section that the Manufacturer’s Warranty Still Applies. If a dealership offers an express warranty, that dealership must check the box next to the heading “Warranty” and complete that section of the Buyer’s Guide. Warranties required by state law must be disclosed in this section. Always understand what warranties will cover the car you plan on purchasing. These cars are usually 2-5 year-old former lease and fleet vehicles that go through a careful inspection process to ensure they are free of body modifications or damage, a branded title, or substandard prior repairs or delinquency in repair history. While automakers tout anywhere from a 70 to 150 point inspection process checklist, it all boils down to a similar extensive inspection and reconditioning procedure that gets performed at either the factory or a certified dealership. The manufacturer generally includes a warranty, usually one or two years in length, in addition to the vehicle’s remaining warranty — or a total of three to ten years of coverage from the car’s original in-service date. The vehicles are then resold through participating dealerships at market value pricing. Feel free to ask the dealer what “Certified Pre-Owned” means. There is nothing more exhilarating than the excitement of driving your new car off the lot. But before you do, take the time to be sure that everything meets your specifications. Inspect you car! Check the engine compartment, fluid levels, odometer, wipers, alarm system, door locks, power seats, wipers, head and brake lights. Check the trunk to be sure the spare tire has its jack and lug wrench. Be sure you receive all of your spare keys and accompanying key code, if needed. A new car should look new in every respect. Don’t leave the dealership until you feel it’s perfect. The more you get to know all of the features on your new car, the more enjoyment and pleasure you will get from it. Take the time to read your owner’s manual and supplemental booklets. It’s impossible to remember everything being presented to you about the car at the time of delivery. Excitement runs high and all you can think about is just getting on the road to enjoy your new acquisition. Before driving your new car off the lot, take a moment to meet the Service Department Manager or a Service Advisor. Ask them their recommendations for your service intervals, because the factory’s service guidelines are universally established and may not take into consideration specific driving conditions and climates in extreme locations. Make sure that all of the recommended major service intervals are maintained and performed according to the warranty guidelines and done by an authorized dealer. This should also include keeping accurate records for all oil changes, whether performed at the dealership or though an independent facility. This is crucial. If a problem occurs and you have neglected following the factory’s guidelines, a service department does have the right to reject any warranty-related claim. Washington law does not provide for a three-day cooling-off period when a vehicle when is purchased from the dealership. Barring unusual circumstances, once the sale is complete, the car is yours. Washington does have a “Lemon Law” which recognizes that new car is a major consumer purchase and that a defective new car is likely to create hardship for, or may cause injury to, the consumer. The law was enacted with the hopes that it would encourage cooperation and communication between manufacturers and dealers, ensuring that a new car will be repaired within a reasonable number of attempts, or else replaced. If the manufacturer or the dealer cannot or will not conform the new motor vehicle to the warranty by repairing or correcting defects after a reasonable number of attempts, the consumer may submit a written request to the manufacturer’s corporate, dispute resolution, zone or regional office address requesting that the car be replaced or repurchased. The manufacturer must comply within 40 days. The vehicle is out-of-service by reason of diagnosis or repair of one or more nonconformities for a cumulative total of thirty calendar days, at least fifteen of them during the period of the applicable manufacturer’s written warranty. For purposes of this subsection, the manufacturer’s written warranty shall be at least one year after the date of the original delivery to the consumer of the vehicle or the first twelve thousand miles of operation, whichever occurs first. Consumers have rights under the Lemon Law, but may also pursue their rights and remedies against under any other law, including RCW 46.70; dealers and manufacturers and 46.71 RCW; automotive repair. KEEP A COPY of all documentation you have regarding your vehicle and its history, including all repair orders, purchase contracts, warranty book and owners manual that came with your car. TAKE WRITTEN NOTES of all conversations, including phone calls and in-person conversation, you have with your dealership and repair technicians concerning your vehicle and its “lemon” potential. Include the date, time and what was discussed. ASK ABOUT Technical Service Bulletins, (TSB’s), instructions from the manufacturer that alerts dealerships of specific defects or necessary repairs in certain models. THE LEMON LAW does not apply to vehicles purchased out of state. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE ORIGINAL OWNER of the vehicle to request arbitration, but your vehicle must meet all qualifications. You must apply for arbitration within 30 months of the vehicle’s original delivery date to its first owner. Before a sale transaction can close, a dealer must furnish you with a written and signed itemization separately disclosing the finance charge, insurance costs, taxes and other charges which have been paid or are to be paid by you. This disclosure does not have to include license and title fees, because they are identified on a separate line of a standard Purchase Order. Since those fees are an estimated cost, the dealer is required to refund any overcharge that might occur, after the transaction is completed. There is also a separate identification of the $3 Lemon Law Arbitration Fee, which is collected on the sale of all new vehicles, a $2.50 dealer administrative fee and a bank title lien release fee, if one is charged by the lending institution. As noted above, the Documentary Service Fee must be disclosed in writing before the execution of a vehicle purchase and sale or lease agreement. It must be clearly itemized on the purchase or lease agreement, and may not be represented as a fee or charge required by the state. It is illegal to use fraudulent means to obtain financial information. A dealership must disclose their privacy policies and practices about information sharing between affiliated and unaffiliated third parties. Dealerships do this by presenting you with a “Privacy Notice.” If a dealership engages in sharing their information with unaffiliated third parties, their Privacy Notice will include an “opt-out” option to allow you to prevent having your information shared. For additional information regarding Consumer Protection issues, check the Attorney General’s website. A fee charged to begin a lease. Also known as an initiation fee or a bank fee if the lessor is a bank. Acquisition fees start at about $300 and are seldom considered negotiable. The bank, finance company or credit union that purchases the contract from the dealer. The vehicle cost that a lease is based upon. It includes the car and any chosen options, and may include additional charges or amounts funded by the agreement. The typical lease contract, which allows the consumer to turn in the vehicle without having to purchase it or pay for a possible difference between the vehicle’s residual value (estimated at lease inception) and the true value, determined at the end of the term. Closed-end leases usually include an option to buy the car when the lease ends. Optional insurance that pays the scheduled unpaid balance if you die, or scheduled monthly payments if you become disabled. As with most contract terms, the cost of optional credit insurance must be disclosed in writing, and, if you want it, you must agree to it and sign for it. A component of the monthly lease payment that accounts for the value the car loses during the term of the lease. Depreciation is the difference between the vehicle’s list price and the projected residual value at the end of the lease. This figure, divided by the number of months in the lease, determines one part of the monthly fee; the lease charge is another. An initial amount paid to reduce the amount financed. Optional protection for repair or replacement on specified mechanical and electrical components of the vehicle available for purchase to supplement the warranty coverage provided with the new or used vehicle. The total dollar amount you pay to use credit. The finance rate remains the same over the life of the contract. Insurance or a debt waiver product that pays the difference between the amount you owe on your vehicle and the amount you receive from your insurance company if the vehicle is stolen or destroyed before you have satisfied your credit obligation. The company that grants the lease, such as a dealer, automaker or bank. The dealer effectively sells the car to the lessor, who then “rents” it to the consumer. The maximum number of miles you can drive a leased vehicle per year without incurring a penalty, as stated in the lease contract. An allowance of 12,000 miles is typical, though the amount may be negotiable, depending on the lessor. A charge levied if the lessee exceeds the mileage allowance; typically calculated per mile. Negotiating or paying for extra miles at the beginning is almost always less expensive than the penalty for exceeding the allowance. A fractional number, such as .0042, used to calculate the lease fee. The monthly payment combines the resulting fee with the depreciation charge. The money factor is not an interest rate; it is based on a formula devised by lessors to determine their profit. Consumers should look for a lower number. While lessors are not required by law to disclose the money factor, you still can insist on knowing it before entering a lease. The dollar amount due each month to repay the credit agreement. The purchase price of the vehicle agreed upon by the buyer and the dealer. The wholesale value of the car at the end of the lease, as projected at the beginning by the lessor. Higher residual values translate to lower monthly payments but increase the cost to buy the car at the end of the lease. The amount the lessee pays at the end of a closed-end lease. If they choose to purchase the car, they would then pay the residual value. The termination fee can include administrative charges, penalties for excessive damage or mileage overruns, the dealer’s cost to prepare the car for resale and other charges, real or imagined. The lessor can apply their security deposit toward this fee at termination. The finance rate varies and the amount you must pay changes over the life of the contract.

2019-04-18T23:36:21Z

https://www.wsada.org/news/buying-a-car

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Thank you, Optimally Organic, for all that you have done and your trust in the Lord. Your guidance, patience, and wisdom along with your quality products have been a wonderful experience. I am so gratefully blessed to have the chance to walk this journey together. Thank you for helping me get my life back! I am honored to be your client. I'm normally not in the habit of writing about products I purchase, however concerning your raw chocolate (Raw Cacao Powder), it is unbelievable. This has provided the missing link in my morning smoothie. I've been adding 1-2 Tbls of your raw chocolate, along with banana, apple, ..greens, coconut meat. Results are amazing! I'm 59 years old. This has given me so much more energy, especially considering we had several days of extreme heat in the NY area. Thanks so much for carrying this product. I will continue to purchase it when I run low and will also recommend it to all my friends. Regards. WOW! ...Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! It is VERY rare that someone EVER receives such EXCELLENT customer service. My 88 year old mom is doing great using the Fulvic Ionic Minerals. Thank you for great products. I received your products today... I immediately took 10 drops of Fulvic Acid (Fulvic Ionic Minerals) in Water. It tasted a bit strong, but ok. Maybe I need more water :-) After 10 minutes my back pain went away. Is that possible??? Then I took 10 drops of the Red Pine Needle Oil and got an instant energy boost. Terrific! and I tasted the Full Spectrum Daily (Superfood Powder Blend). What a marvelous taste. I'm so happy with these products!!!!! That's what I expected. Finally I found the perfect Fulvic Acid. You are right. It is the best in the world! I am loving this Red Pine Needle Oil. Thank you for supplying this Oil and the Fulvic Ionic Minerals. I am feeling a lot better since starting them only a month ago. Your products are an integral part of my day. Many thanks and blessings. I want you to know that I feel and look simply AMAZING. YOUR PRODUCTS ARE THE BEST ON PLANET EARTH. I'm only able to purchase the Coconut Oil today, but within the next two weeks I will purchase the Noni Juice and Acai Berry. My previous products are BEYOND BELIEF. The Red Pine Needle Oil, Fulvic Ionic Minerals, Full Spectrum Daily and the Maqui Berry are potent and DELIVER. I LOVE EVERYTHING AND IT WORKS!!! I will be restocking within 2 weeks. Once again I'm BLESSED ABUNDANTLY to have found your website!! I placed (my first) order about a month ago and although I wanted to try the Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, after several disappointing purchases of "pure" Coconut Oils before, I decided not to... I was and still am so impressed with the amazing benefits of my first order that I decided to place my order for the Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. MY MY MY, I received my order in record time, 2 days later just like my first order, and I tried it today for the first time. THIS OIL IS DELICIOUS. This is real time, it tastes so darn good it makes me want to use profanity (smile) LOL! I CAN'T BELIEVE THE TASTE AND MY HAIR AND SKIN IMMEDIATELY FELL IN LOVE WITH IT!! For anyone that wants the best products that DELIVER TRUE RESULTS AND HEAL THE BODY AND SOUL, don't hesitate, you will be AMAZED AT THE SUPERIOR QUALITY OF Optimally Organic, and they also have the BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!!! MAY GOD FOREVER BLESS YOU. PLEASE DON'T EVER CHANGE!!!! You have a LOYAL CLIENT FOR LIFE!! Your products have improved my life!! I can't explain how it feels to be TRULY HEALTHY!! As a Chinese Medicine student, there are very few herbs that we would recommend to take everyday - only if they balance out the yin/yang. Your products and company are the real deal. I am so incredibly excited to have found you and can't wait to order other products. My wife and I are pleased with your Maqui Berry Powder. I received the wonderful products a week ago (Fulvic Ionic Minerals, Red Pine Needle Oil, Maca Root Powder, Full Spectrum Daily Superfood Blend, and Wheatgrass Juice Powder) and started immediately. Am working up to a full dose as you recommended... I love the feeling I get when I take your products. I had my first 12 drops (of Fulvic Ionic Minerals) at 4a.m. This is amazing, I feel great. I'll be ordering more product next week and thanks for the suggestions. I found your website in 2006 when I was searching for natural products to help with my Leaky Gut Syndrome and all its painful and devastating symptoms. I was so ill I didn't want to add anything else to my protocol at that time for fear of an anaphylaxis reaction to a foreign protein. Fast forward to 2011 and I was led back again to your site. This time I ordered the Fulvic Ionic Minerals. It has been less than two weeks and for the first time in five years my pH has gone from 6.2 - 6.6 to 7.0! I know its starting to do something. As an Oriental Medical student using the concepts of Ying and Yang, I believe these minerals are deeply Yin coming from the moist soil vs. a mountainous crust. My herb professor believes (Ph.D with 30 years of experience) that we have to nurture the Yin as we get older. I believe these minerals give us an amazing Yin foundation. I am so grateful to have incorporated this into my health regimen and it's only been two weeks. I can't wait to try other products and see how my body will re-balance itself on these minerals. Thank-You Optimally Organic!!! I would like to thank you for your product line, I would also like to thank you for your desire to please our Lord Jesus Christ in your comments on your about us page. I am so very grateful to people who are in business and stand firm first for the Truth! Thank you and have a blessed Memorial weekend! We just received our shipment of the Fulvic Acid (Fulvic Ionic Minerals). It really tastes good, thanks! You are my favorite online store. I appreciate your high consciousness in this sometimes crazy cyberworld. Blessings to you all. The Cacao Butter, Cacao Beans, Red Pine Needle Oil and Fulvic Ionic Minerals are my favorites too! I'm very excited to have them again, I've been nursing the last little chunk of my cacao butter for too long. Blessings. To anyone considering purchasing the Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil (aka Pinus densiflora oil) from Optimally Organic-especially for Moregllan's sufferers, my name is Gail and I wish to give my testimony and endorsement regarding the efficacy of this wonderful medicine from mother nature. For years I have suffered with a skin condition that was initially diagnosed by my MD as scabies. However, after repeated applications of the good doctor's prescribed cream I was beset with what I believed to be recurring infections. After 2-3 visits to my MD I gave up going, not only because nothing helped that she prescribed, but also because of being treated with a good deal of sarcasm on my last visit. So, after three years of applying neat tea tree oil, neem oil and also taking soaks in various kinds of herbal baths, which all helped temporarily, still this nasty condition kept coming back. Finally, after some practical advice from Optimally Organic, I did some thorough research and realized I had contracted Morgellans. The horror stories I read on the net seemed all too familiar. The despair and the terrible fatigue, and being a self imposed social outcast. Now, instead of feeling isolated I understood that many others suffered from this weird and socially unacceptable, and never properly diagnosed, skin disease/rash. I followed Optimally Organic's advice about diet and dosing myself with Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil and the Fulvic Ionic Minerals for extra absorption, energy and efficacy. I was completely serious about the diet change and taking the Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil and Fulvic Ionic Minerals 3 times a day for a minimum of three months. The diet requires giving up all forms of sugar...which includes, of course, all fruits, honey, any alcohol, white bread, white rice and white potatoes. Wow!! Sounds limiting but brown rice, sweet potatoes and yams, whole grain sprouted breads etc are wonderfully filling and satisfying, and great for weight and mood control. I am already a vegetarian so know how to keep well and strong on beans, nuts, seeds, nut and seed butters, tofu, tempeh, lentils and an unending array of veggies. Meat is definitely out if you want to get cured. So...Within 48 to 72 hours the relief I felt was amazing! I had the best night's sleep in years and the burning, skin crawling, itching had completely gone. Eight weeks later all my sores had healed and the marks were barely perceptible. However, a word of caution to all who want to get well from this disease. Don't make the mistake that I did. I have had a life long sweet tooth and chocolate is my drug of choice! I resumed eating chocolate before the three month ban was up...and behold some little sores reappeared. I went back to the sugar restriction and maintained taking the Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil and Fulvic Acid and again... within a couple of days I got total relief. Now I eat fruit in moderation, and occasionally have chocolate... and have replaced wine with probiotic 'fizzy' drinks. My sweet tooth is satisfied using Stevia... the most amazing little gift for the sugarholics among us. My life is reclaimed!! Yes, I have my life back and give thanks from my heart to all at Optimally Organic for providing the purest, safest and most effective health supplements/natural medicinals available on the market... I thank them for their conviction and for sharing their knowledge and faith. I thank God for Christopher, Dana and the staff at Optimally Organic and their incredible products!! Hello:) I AM in love with your Fulvic Acid (Fulvic Ionic Minerals)! I can not believe my energy! Now looking at the Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil. THANK YOU! I have benefited greatly from your Fulvic Ionic Minerals and Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil products; from lessening hot flashes and good sleep to bringing back my natural hair color. The Cacao Butter tastes fantastic. All your products are truly blessed! Thank you! I have been praying for God's wisdom and discernment concerning my health purchases and I believe He led me to the right place! I just wanted to let you know that I started my husband on your Essiac Tea when he got cancer. There were 6 people in our little valley that had cancer all at the same time. My husband and our lady friend both drank the tea, several years later they are both alive. The other 4 passed away. Thank you very much for giving us hope. I just ordered organic cacao beans from you guys. I'm using them for a school project to show everyone how to make their own chocolate! Its so nice to see companies who care about the customer's need for organic and the worker's need for fair wages! Hi, I am really pleased with your Fulvic Acid (Fulvic Ionic Minerals). I swear it has helped in so many ways, one is my hair is changing. I lost hair from thyroid disease and it seems to be coming back in as it seems thicker, like I have more of it. Thanks So Much! As soon as I can I'll be ordering more of your products. Red Pine Needle Oil is on my list along with more Fulvic Acid (Fulvic Ionic Minerals). Great delivery service! I can't believe that I got my order so fast!!! Also I was impressed with how you packed the Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil (most people would probably keep the dropper in the bottle and not think of the consequences). Thank you for such quality products!!! I have noticed that my skin is very soft, clear and silky and I have only been on the Fulvic Acid (Fulvic Ionic Minerals X350) for 4 days .. I am truly Amazed :) Thank you so much for the info and your time!! I really wanted to thank you for all your help in such a quick manner!! I really love these products, my son is 5 and is benefiting tremendously from it as well. The Japanese Red Pine Oil worked for his lung condition when all the pharma breathing treatments didn't, I am so grateful for your wonderful products. Thanks again and may YHWH bless you!! My hair is turning brown again from the gray it was!!!! I guess it's the Fulvic Ionic Minerals. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have found your site. The information you have provided is irreplaceable... I also want to let you know that EVERYTHING I purchased is absolutely wonderful. I feel BORN again. Thus far this is my daily intake of my products. Upon awakening, I take my Fulvic Ionic Minerals, 7 drops in water, next I take 7 drops of my Japanese Red Pine Oil under the tongue. Then I take a walk on the beach, after my brisk walk I juice with my raw vegetables. After 1 hour I take 3 teaspoons of Maqui Berry in Tempt Hemp Milk, and 3 teaspoons of Full Spectrum Daily Plus in Tempt Hemp Milk. I take them separately. I take each powder again at noon and finally at 7:00pm. I hope I'm on the right track. I'm feeling AMAZINGLY WELL. Thank you so much, may GOD continue to bless you and your company!! I can't wait until my next order! Christian Greetings!! Good news! My patient.... a 3 year old who was about to die and several times got admitted to the hospital, is now improving. The joy of his parents cannot be expressed. The saliva that was constantly flowing from the mouth of the little child right now is gone. I gave a program with your Fulvic Ionic Minerals. Just 1 week and the improvement is amazing. During my work as a Doctor of Ministry in Alternative Medicine (DMNH) I use the Fulvic ionic Minerals with my herbs and diet program for my patients. Just a few drops of your Fulvic Ionic Minerals and behold--a blessing from God bestowed! I am very impressed to see your desire to serve Christ through business. Thanks for your dedication to getting the best superfoods. I want to thank you for the wonderful product, Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil (Pinus densiflora oil). It was an answer to my prayer. I have been suffering with some kind of infection in my lung for many months. I think it is a fungus. I went to my primary MD and was given 3 different antibiotics during the past several months. The infection went away and then slowly came back 2-3 weeks later. I have never had an upper respiratory infection or bronchitis. I am an RN and have been following an antifungal diet. It did help some but not completely.... I found your website and ordered Chaga Mushroom Tea and Fulvic Ionic Minerals. A couple of days later I read about the Red Pine Needle Oil and the nebulizer. I knew that was my answer. When I received them, I started right away. Unfortunately I think I put too much in the nebulizer and it was right after I ate. I was sick to my stomach the rest of the day. The next day I was ok but I noticed I wasn't coughing up the thick tan green sputum at all. I started the breathing tx's again 5 days after with 1 drops (of Red Pine Needle Oil) with water this time. It is working and I am so thankful for this product. Some of us really believe in what you are doing and wish to spread the word at an accelerated pace. Keep up the great work and may God continue to bless you. Thank you so much. Your customer service is consistently top-notch! I love all the products I have received and use from you guys (Fulvic Ionic Minerals, Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil, Full Spectrum Daily Plus, Noni Powder, Coconut Oil, Maqui Berry, Cacao Powder, Essiac Tea and Acai Berry). They are great! I am writing a testimonial for Optimally Organic Fulvic Acid / Fulvic Ionic Minerals. My husband and I have suffered from chemical sensitivity for the past 7-8 years. It became so severe we couldn't even buy a new car, mattress or clothing. Walking into a department store was a nightmare, the fumes would overwhelm us. The carpets, fabric, chemicals, etc. We started a detox program with herbs, supplements and diet, which made us feel better but did not actually "cure" us of the sensitivity. Then we heard about Fulvic Acid / Fulvic Ionic Minerals, ordered 3 bottles, and now after 9 bottles between us (3x a day) we feel we have cleared our condition. We can go shopping in public places without getting sick. Thank you!! Thanks so much... I really like your products (Fulvic Ionic Minerals and Red Pine Needle Oil). Unexpected obvious benefit from Fulvic Ionic Minerals x350: appetite control. I now sense a natural limit to desire to eat. It will be interesting to see how much weight I lose by eating less. Thank you! This Fulvic Ionic Minerals product is powerful!! I was also amazed that the 7 drops in water mixture tastes very much like lemon juice in water! Nice taste! Every opportunity I get, I am going to tell people about it! 'THE MISSING LINK IN NUTRITION!' Thanks again! Thank you so much and God Bless you for your web site to help people that want to stay well and fit. You came highly recommended from our acupuncturist/Chinese medicine practitioner. She is a 8th generation acupuncturist from China. She recommended both my husband and I take your Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil...Thank you so much for such wonderful products. - I used to have very poor dream-recall, upon waking. Now I can remember every detail. I am excited to share this progress with you. I have been delighted to share this product with my girlfriend, and FOUR other friends, all who have been taking it (in smaller doses than myself) for varying length, between 1 and 6 months. The Fulvic is by the far the most incredible product I have EVER taken. The Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil is also remarkable. I felt my body welcoming the healing oil, and it was as if on a pre-DNA level of awareness - it recognized it as an ancient healing 'friend'. I look forward to each morning and evening when I take it in pure distilled water. Thanks again for being here on the earth to provide people with such a life-changing supplement! This is Lisa, the one who had the skin mites. I had tried everything and spent hundreds (actually thousands) of dollars to eradicate them from my body and my environment. After almost three weeks on your products: the Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil, Fulvic Ionic Minerals, Chaga Mushroom and Acai, my body is completely free of mites and the wounds and bites are healed. I don't look like I have the measles anymore and the itching is gone... the best part is that it worked for my cat too. I was so scared I would have to have her put down (she is very old and could not fight this off no matter what I tried). She is laying here, calmly sleeping and her eyes are shining again and her fur is also healthy. She HATES the taste of the red pine oil, but she tolerates it every night (I wonder if she knows it has helped her too!). THANK YOU does not even begin to cover it. I would be happy to talk to any client you send my way. I am amazed. Of course, I am doing other things in my environment (Cedarwood oil) and have a ways to go there, but even that is resolving - maybe because there is no host anymore. I don't know. Anyway, thought I would check in and tell you what is going on. Let me know if I can be of assistance in any way. Soon I will post on every blog I can find and send people to your company so they too can be free of this awful scourge! Hugs to you, and thank you for your kindness. We love your products and wonder if you heard anything like this before. My wife and I both had bleeding gums for some time. After taking your Fulvic Ionic Minerals our gums stopped bleeding immediately. Several weeks later I forgot to take the minerals for a couple days and my gums started bleeding again. I took my fulvic minerals and sure enough it stopped right away. Your products are high quality. For years I've suffered with many health issues including depression and digestion problems. I bought many products from different companies. They all said their products were the best and would make be better. I even bought a $4,000 water ionizer they promised to cure me. Nothing worked and I developed severe anxiety. Then I found your website and for some reason it made me feel hopeful. Now I know why. Its because your products really work. Little by little by trying different things in different amounts I have a very nice program that works for me. I feel much better and sincerely want to thank you. My program is Fulvic Ionic Minerals, Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil, Full Spectrum Daily, Adaptogen Tea, Essiac Tea, Cacao Beans (quite a bit each day), Acerola Cherry and Cupuacu. Your products and service are excellent. Shalom. I just got my order for Maca Root, Noni Powder, Acerola Cherry - the BEST! I've ordered from other companies and just found your website (informative!). I have to tell you the quality of your products is astounding. WOW - taste, color, smell - far superior to the rest. Next on my list - your red pine oil caps - they sound amazing. My grandkids are big fans of your Japanese Red Pine Oil and have not had a cold since they started taking it. The kids in school cough and sneeze all over the place but they seem immune to it all when taking the oil. Thanks a bunch from a grateful grandmother. I contracted a pretty nasty nail fungus from a salon 8 years that I could not get rid of. You recommended the Fulvic Ionic Minerals and Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil which I have been taking for three weeks. I am happy to report the nail fungus is gone and I no longer have to hide my hands. I also have more energy and my memory seems to be improving too. Thank you for making these wonderful products available. Your Fulvic Ionic Minerals are amazing. They helped my body to recover from very bad tendonitis that radiated from my left shoulder, left elbow, and left wrist. My body healed in a record 3 months time using the product 350X twice a day, morning and evening. Other side benefits was it helped regrow hair in a bald spot in my left eyebrow that was about 1/4 inch bald that I had to pencil in. It's been several weeks and I still catch myself looking in the mirror with amazement. I also go through times of insomnia for what ever reason like so many people do, but while taking the fulvic acid minerals, it did not seem to matter, I was always able to have the energy to make it through the work day. Thank you for such a wonderful product, I can't imagine doing without it ever again. I am very happy with the products that I have gotten from you so far and I love your site. There is so much educational information there, I was really impressed the first time I was there about 2 years ago. I've been telling others about your site and products since. I also wanted to express thanks for the site's no gimmicks and up-front pricing!!!...unlike many other sites I have seen who try to sell, sell and the price isn't revealed till the end. That isn't even mentioning the questionable quality of their products. Your site educates and gives the customer a peace of mind about their purchase and the superior quality of the product. Thank you again. I work real heard every day on my farm. Since I started adding your Full Spectrum Daily to my morning smoothie I have had more energy and feel better than I've had in so many years. Thank you for the great suggestion. You are blessing so many people, directly and indirectly. Blessings and Great Health. I just want to send out a quick thank you - *Nice product! Great quality too!! I'm loving the freeze dried Acai berry. So glad I ordered it. I add it to any smoothie drink. Tastes Fantastic. Have a Wonderful Day - you found a New Customer in me. So many Thanx...I got my minerals today. The best around. You guys really do have the best Acai Berry out there, and I have tried them all. It is truly amazing. I take it every day and tell everyone I know to do the same. Thanks again. I purchased your water distiller about a month ago and I love it. Thank you. I can't wait to get my order. I'm very excited about the Japanese Red Pine Oil and Full Spectrum Daily. Your company came highly recommended. I purchased the Acai berry and it tastes great. Thank you! Just wanted you guys to know that I woke up really sick this morning and a few hours ago I started passing LIVER FLUKES!! I knew I had them, told other people I thought I did, but could never get rid of them!! These things have been a major problem and I KNOW IT!! LOVE AND AM SO GRATEFUL FOR THE JAPANESE PINE OIL AND FULVIC IONIC MINERALS, BLESSINGS!! I have had Epstein Barr Syndrome and the winter is particularly rough for me when cold and gloomy skies make it even harder to get out of bed. I took the Japanese Red Pine Oil for one day and could not believe how different it made me feel immediately. Now 3 weeks on it and the Fulvic Minerals I feel like my old self and am able to workout again. This oil has changed my life. Very best to you all. Thank you for the Acai and especially for the prayers for our baby. We are grateful to your company and the quality products and outstanding service. I am happy to learn about the Chaga, and am thankful for the information. I will share my experience with everyone I know. You have been continuously helpful and a blessing to us. God Bless. I have read some pretty powerful articles about Fulvic Acid and how it has been depleted from our food supply. I understood right away it was something I needed to get my hands on so I tried different sources to compare them being a rookie. After taking your X200 I was floored. I have so much energy and feel so balanced and clear headed. The other brands were just like drinking water. I just ordered the X350. Definitely recommending to everyone I know. I am having other family members try the Fulvic Ionic Minerals and Chaga tea. I appreciate the quality of your products! All the best. Thank you so much for suggesting your Fulvic Ionic Minerals and Maca powder for my menopause. I started taking them 8 days ago and was so pleased to find my hormones feel more balanced already. I am glad to not have to go down the hormone replacement therapy road. I really love your Red Pine Needle Oil! It has done wonders for me. We also love the Noni! All the best and many thanks!!! I am sleeping better since on your supplements Fulvic Ionic Minerals and Japanese Red Pine Oil...am finally sleeping several hours each night instead of sleeping one night then up all the night the next. Thank you! I've taken B vitamins for years and they have NEVER given me the kind of energy and stamina your cupuacua does! My body must really be absorbing the nutrients and vitamins in this stuff because it hits me within a half hour of taking it. Thanks again and btw it tastes amazing too. I wanted to thank you for telling me about the Siberian Ginseng/Eleuthero root tea for my training. I am able to push myself to higher levels than before and I'm not getting as sore the next day, and that was a very very pleasant surprise to me. I received my order for one bottle of the Fulvic Acid today. It was very well packaged, thank you. I've had one glass of distilled water with 3 drops to start off with. Wow, the taste is really great. Thank you! I wanted to share my experience with the Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil. I had a "skin tag" (a raggedy, protruding mole type growth) that was painful and irritated. I opened a capsule of red pine oil and rubbed it directly on the tag. I reapplied it several time a day for two days. It starting turning grey after the first days use. By the following day it was shrunken and brittle and it fell right off during my shower. I was amazed. I also would like to say that the Fulvic acid (Fulvic Ionic Minerals) is a GREAT calmative. I take it several time a week and I feel so relaxed and calm, so 'together'- like my body, mind, and spirit are in sync instead of flying off in different directions. These products are just wonder-full. Thanks for making them available. Several months ago, when I bought our first bottle of Fulvic Ionic Minerals, concentrated, I asked your advice re. if I should give it to my husband who has Chronic Lymphecytic Leukemia while he was still on an oral chemo. You advised me that it would enhance the effect of the chemo. I gave it to him and I think you might like to know that in a matter of a few days - or less?- the enlarged lymph glands that he had had all over his body for years disappeared. We know of no other reason, but we couldn't tell our amazed oncologist because he doesn't even approve of calcium supplements. He still has the disease and his platelet count, and most other blood factors are abnormal, but at his advanced age his life is rather good. Thanks so much for your help. I have only used the Fulvic Ionic Minerals for a week but noticed my desire for coffee in the morning evaporated and I drink TONS more water during the day. Thanks for offering such an amazing product! Sending warm wishes your way! Thank you for super quick service in sending this product! Love your Fulvic Ionic Minerals. Feeling Great. Thank you for answering my Acai storage question and also for providing great genuine healthy products! I just received the Japanese Red Pine Needle Oil and I wanted to just drop you a line and tell you that this is THE MOST POWERFUL SUPPLEMENT in the WORLD. It must have an extraordinary vibrational make-up. Thank-you SO much for making this available. My kitty just got an exam yesterday and the vet is really impressed with his progress after giving him the Fulvic Ionic Minerals. He was given 2-4 weeks to live back at the beginning of December, and at the end of January he’s playing and eating and being a normal kitty again. What a relief! Thanks again for everything! Ordered my organic freeze-dried acai only three days before receiving it! Thanks for being so prompt. I started using it last year when I was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. It really aided my energy levels, and I believe, my general health. So...I've decided to make it a regular part of my diet. I find that's it's excellent mixed in with yogurt and fruit smoothies. so hubba hubba. Just wanted to let you know that the fulvic acid (Fulvic Ionic Minerals) seems to be working very well for me. My vision seems to be improved. My aches and pains seem to be significantly lessened. I have a general sense of just feeling better. Interestingly, it seems to be helping regrow some hair. I am only guessing but think that it the high level of antioxidant action might be doing something to dht levels. When I start running out I'll give you another try. Back in the 1950s decided I become one of the better middle distance runners in the world. I had what I felt was a good training plan, and I read everything I could get my hands on to try and reach my goal. The Russians took large amounts of Vitamin C, so I took large amounts of vitamin C. Research showed that wheat germ oil aided endurance, so I bought wheat germ oil. Thru training harder than most and with a good solid nutritional program I did become a world class distance runner, and as luck would have it ended up with a world record. After my competitive running days where over I continued to embrace a healthy life style, doing the best I could to eat well and take nutritional supplements. I believe we are what we eat and what we put into our bodies. It was with this idea in mind that when i heard about "SUPPER FOODS" in early 2008 I started to take the powders of Cacoa, Acai, Goji, Chaga Mushroom and Noni. I fully expected not to see any real results from these "SUPPER FOODS" for a year or two. In August of 2008 I started to take Fulvic Acid. Within a month I was having dramatic results with "SUPPER FOODS and the Fulvic Acid, I was simply amazed. I have been taking supplements all my life, but never have I taken something that changed my sense of well being as quickly and as well as Fulvic acid.. As I tell my family and friends, I have never felt this good in my life, which is amazing, seeing I am 72 years old. I appreciate the fact that you return e-mails. I ordered the Fulvic Ionic Mineral yesterday. Looking forward to the great benefits it has to offer as well. FYI: I am iron deficient and need to take iron for the rest of my life. Since starting the Acai powder, I have had no need to take iron and/or vitamins anymore. I no longer get sleepy during the day. Thank you for distributing such quality products. Hi - I wrote I think to someone there named Jonathan a couple of months ago about my husband Taylor who has CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia). He was having lower back pain while taking it and you suggested cutting back on his dosage. He has - and it has helped immensely. You asked me to keep you informed on how Taylor is doing. He says he's sleeping like a baby at night because of your product and hasn't had a night sweat from his leukemia since he started the product. We just got a immune system check done on him because he had some dental gum dilemma's to solve and the hygienist said that out of 21 patients she got bacteria counts back from the lab on - Taylor had the highest immune system of all tested and he was the only one with cancer. I cried tears of joy that day - she asked me to stop or she would start crying. Thank you for all your great advice and thank you also for your incredible Fulivc Acid product - Taylor is now making me take it. We are praising God for all you do there!! God bless you all!! I have always wanted a natural, safe way to become healthier and lose weight. Fulvic Ionic Minerals was the answer for me and I have lost some pounds* and gotten stronger in the process. That extra layer on my stomach is finally gone! Now I tell everyone to give it a try and you won't regret it. I'm very impressed with Optimally Organic's Fulvic Ionic Minerals so far, way better than any other Fulvic Acid product I have tried before. The quality is top notch! I'm feeling really good!!! The past few days have been the most noticeable. Just feeling more balanced. Thanks again for all of your help - it has definitely been great!" I recently found your (Blend of Fulvic Powder, Chaga, Noni, Acai, & 6 Adaptogenic Tea Herbs) supplement product on Ebay (no longer available on Ebay, blend available by request) and decided to try it. WOW...what a product! Here is our story... We own an older pony that my daughter received for her first birthday present 17 years ago. Several years ago he got out of his pen and enjoyed our green pasture while we were gone and he foundered very severely. We were very upset as it set him back tremendously as he served many people as a therapy horse. He visited hospitals, nursing homes, handicapped children, churches, was an ambassador in many parades for special causes, attended special events dressed up as numerous characters, and attended my school regularly to visit our special needs kids. Due to his lameness he had to stop all of this as it became very painful for him to stand or even walk. He started spending most of his day laying down and after our farrier and vet said they had tried everything they both knew of we were reluctantly considering putting him down due to his ever increasing pain levels. I started doing alot of research on the internet trying to find something that would help him. By chance I found your product on Ebay so I thought what the heck I'd spend the money and give it a try, it certainly couldn't hurt! Within three days of taking your supplement Bean was up standing again and even whining at me as I entered the barn! Then by the end of the first week I cracked his stall door to water him and when I turned around to shut the stall door he has snuck out and was proudly trotting out of the barn to see his equine friends out in our arena.. As I called to him he proudly looked back, kicked up his heels, and off he went bucking around our arena. I was so amazed at this that I made an appointment later that day with our vet to show him Bean's progress. (In the beginning my vet was very skeptical about supplements...but said go ahead and try if I wanted to, but I was probably just wasting my money!) Bean is a favorite at our vet and most of the time the whole staff meets him at the front door. Well at all of their surprise Bean not only walked in, but I trotted him past everyone! Boy I wish you could have seen their faces! I certainly made believers out of them as Bean did his normal little bow to say hello to everyone! My vet was so impressed that he called the farrier in and within minutes my farrier became a believer too! He said, "OK - what kind of drugs did you give him so he can do that?" (Bean's feet had started to curl up and his front tendons were starting to seriously contract from the founder that he had been walking up on his tip toes to avoid the pain.) My farrier asked if he could check out his feet and within a short trim job Bean was walking perfectly normal again and if you hadn't seen him a week or so earlier you would have never known that he had severe laminitis!!!!! Well to make a long story short, my vet apologized to me and asked for information about your product. I gladly got on their office computer and showed all of them your website! Since then Bean and I proudly display his feet and his normal range of motion to everyone that we meet and we ALWAYS have to tell them about your product and how it saved his life!!! Bean will soon be back as a therapy horse again thanks to your wonderful product!!!!! * Testimonial ​Disclaimer: Testimonials appearing on this site are actually received from our customers via multiple media. They are individual experiences, reflecting real life experiences of those who have used our products and/or services in some way or another. However, they are individual results and results do vary. We do not claim that they are typical results that consumers will generally achieve. The testimonials are not necessarily representative of all of those who will use our products and/or services.

2019-04-19T11:33:15Z

https://www.optimallyorganic.com/testimonials

Have you been “Spoofed?” Say What? If you have scratched below the surface of the avalanche of articles on identity theft, scams, cyber-security, or related topics, you have probably run across the term “spoofing.” However, even many of us that work in the field are not very good at explaining to others what the term means, and the various ways the term might be used. So, here goes…. IP spoofing is a technique used to make a computer user think that a particular Internet IP being presented is a safe computer/server, and should be trusted. Most of us don’t directly confront this type of spoofing, and probably are unaware of how it works. Just like phone numbers, IP addresses are supposed to signal a unique address or location across the Internet, so faking an IP address can be used by criminals as a method of becoming part of a trusted network. A consumer is unlikely to be directly confronted with IP spoofing, unless they are working in a technical field. Caller ID Spoofing is used to make an incoming call present a phone number that the intended victim might know or trust. However, the number appearing on the Caller ID is not the real calling number, and “spoofing” the number is used for exactly that purpose, to gain trust in a situation when none should be given. With the advent of VOIP or Internet-based phones, the ability to make an incoming call look like it was from San Diego, when the caller is in Russia, is a fact. Caller ID cannot be trusted to determine anything about the caller. Caller ID Spoofing is done quite often, and the average consumer is often in the dark as far as knowing who is really making the call. If in doubt, the best policy is to disengage from the call, then look up the company by name, and call a listed number for the company to inquire about the contact. It should be remembered that people who do business with you already have the information about you, your account number, etc. It is an entirely different situation if you call the company, and are asked for credentials before they will discuss your business with them. However, if the call is coming from them to you, they are the ones that need to prove who they are before you give them any information. Be warned! Email Address Spoofing is probably the most common type of spoofing. Most of us have seen this many times on incoming email, although we may not have recognized it. All of us observe the senders name/address on incoming emails to see who the sender might be, and whether we think about it or not, we tend to give credibility to that email based upon any previous knowledge we may have of the purported sender. Spoofing the “From:” address is often done as part of a fraudulent scheme. If the “From:” address makes you think the email should be trusted, then you are much more likely to click on a link or take other action, or otherwise give some credibility to an email that is coming from a complete stranger, and possibly a thief. Many of the emails used in “Phishing” schemes will have spoofed sending addresses. In fact, a more deadly form of this attack, called “Spear Phishing” uses email addresses from someone recognized as an authority, such as a highly placed executive of your company, to make your response even more likely. You are not going to turn down a request from your Vice President are you? And, it’s a given that website links in these spoofed emails cannot be trusted: they are spoofed also, and will very rarely point your web browser to the address that the link purports to be. Altogether, it is wise for all of us to be wary of incoming email, unless we are very sure of the sender and the authenticity of the message. SMS or Text Spoofing: In a similar fashion to Caller ID and email spoofing, it is also possible for a text message (SMS) to appear to be from a trusted source, while it really is from a quite different sender. In a manner similar to other types of spoofing, be very aware when a text message invites you to take actions, or strongly implies a course of action that you had not anticipated. Like other forms of spoofing, the best answer is to be suspicious and fact check, before you act. Spoofing is a part of the world we live in now, and it is a key element of the “social engineering” used against consumers in attempts to commit fraud and identity theft. Being skeptical and checking information by other means is really the key to avoid becoming a victim. https://www.idtheftcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/32smWideLogo_edited-1-300x71.png 0 0 Charity Lacey https://www.idtheftcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/32smWideLogo_edited-1-300x71.png Charity Lacey2012-08-22 05:44:152018-05-05 20:17:18Have you been “Spoofed?” Say What? These days we hear a lot about “the cloud.” There are services encouraging you to upload your data to the cloud, and you can access it from anywhere and easily share files with others. But the flip side is the fact that you’re pushing your personal information from your own computer to data centers where you no longer have control over it. If you backup your computer to an online, or cloud, backup service, how do you know your data is safe? Let’s first define what a cloud backup provider is: a cloud (or online) backup service consists of an application that runs on your local computer which copies files to an online data center. In the event of a hard drive failure, theft, fire or flood, you can then restore (or copy) your data to your replacement drive and not lose any files. Many files contain personal information, which should remain confidential. In order to do this, cloud backup services encrypt the data before transmitting it. Most services use at least 128-bit encryption (the same as banks use) and will transmit the data via a secure connection. To decrypt the data, your private key is required. Without it, the data is useless. To make online backups easy for customers to use, providers typically will store the private key for you. After all, if you lose the key, you can’t get the data back. But, this means that with a court order, these providers can use your private key (which they store) and gain access to your data. To prevent this, create your own private key and either memorize it (it can be any length you’d like) or save it to another location (don’t save it to your hard drive, as if the hard drive fails & you can’t read the key file, you won’t be able to decrypt your backup set). Maintaining your own private key is a good step in securing your cloud backups, but the file structure is still saved in a non-encrypted format. So, if you have a filename or folder name that contains personal or confidential information (such as bank_accounts/5675196254.xls), the filename can be read and data assumed without even decrypting the file. To combat this, look for a service which not only encrypts the data, but also the filename and folder structure. Keeping a local backup of your data is often cited as an alternative to a cloud backup solution. The argument is that it’s cheaper (buy a 1TB drive for under $100 and add $20 for some backup software) and faster (a full local backup takes a few hours, a full online backup can take weeks). However, if you choose to backup your data to an external hard drive, make sure the data is encrypted. No need to make it easy for a thief to walk into your den and snag all of your data. When compared to local backups, the online service can be more affordable (it’s easier to pay $5 per month than it is to shell out $120 all at once) and while the initial backup is slower, subsequent backups only transfer the files that change, making them just as fast as the local option. In the end, having an online backup with the default encryption choices is still a better bet than no backup at all. Cloud backups give you remote access to your files and protect you when your hard drive fails (all hard drives fail – it’s a matter of “when,” not “if”). Knowing the different encryption options will help you choose the best online backup service. Eric Nagel is owner of OnlineBackupsReview.com, a site which reviews various online backup services. He’s been covering the online backup industry since 2008. While more light still needs to be shown on all the electronic data breaches that are occurring every day, the less flashy and attention-getting forms of attaining personal identifying information should not be overlooked. These “low-tech” strategies for stealing one’s information include stealing wallets or purses, mail theft, sifting through dumpsters for documents, and spying over your shoulder while you handle personal identifying information. The easiest of these forms of identity theft with the lowest risk of detection is looking for your documents in the trash, otherwise known as “dumpster diving.” It is of utmost importance to be vigilant against these forms of theft and one of the easiest ways to minimize low-tech ID theft is to keep a shredder handy around your house or office. The Identity Theft Resource Center maintains a cutting edge Data Breach Report on the type and number of data breaches in the United States. While electronic data compose the overwhelming majority of data breaches, paper data breaches still make up over 15% of all data breaches reported so far this year. While 15% may seem low, people must be aware that paper breaches can often be much more devastating than electronic breaches. While an electronic breach can be just as devastating, the information compromised in an electronic data breach may be just an e-mail address, a password, or user name. With Congress starting to take notice of cybersecurity, it is likely that low-tech ID theft, especially paper breaches, may increase as businesses begin to make a greater effort to upgrade their information technology systems. Paper breaches will often have significant amounts of your personal identifying information (PII) with extras such as what your signature looks like, fingerprints, or copies of your photo identification in a file. This is the mother lode for an identity thief. Now, the safest route to take is to simply shred every single piece of paper you throw away, but obviously not everyone wants to take the time and effort to shred that much paper on a daily basis. While you do not have to shred everything, you should always shred the following documents as soon as possible: tax returns, bank statements, credit card offers, old photo identification cards, pay stubs, convenience checks, canceled checks, old Medicare cards, and canceled credit cards or debit cards. These documents all contain sensitive personal identifying information that an identity theft can use to do considerable damage to you. Use a crosscut shredder, which means that the shredder won’t just cut the paper into long lines, that cuts the paper being shredded into hundreds of pieces which makes it virtually impossible for an identity theft to put back together. For documents containing PII that you must absolutely hang onto, the best thing to do is to scan these documents onto your computer, transfer them to a thumb drive, and then delete them from your computer. Store the thumb-drive either in a safe storage area like a safe or hide it somewhere that a thief would have trouble finding it. “Shred for Your Protection” was written by Sam Imandoust, Esq. Sam serves as a legal analyst for the Identity Theft Resource Center. We welcome you to post/reprint the above article, as written, giving credit to and linking back to the ITRC Blog. Progress in technology is occurring faster than ever before in human history. The wealth of information now at our fingertips makes things possible that were unthinkable even a few short years ago. One of these is an interesting new development in law enforcement tactics. The use of digital data, stored on sites like Facebook, or GPS tracking data harvested from your smartphone is being utilized by law enforcement to both track and convict criminals of crime. Utilizing technology as a tool for law enforcement is not a new concept, nor is its effectiveness in dispute. The use of such tactics is not without controversy however, and privacy advocates are expressing concern as to the morality and legality of using someone’s personal webpage against them. In January of this year, The U.S. Supreme Court for the first time limited police power to track people using GPS devices, setting a general standard for the privacy rights Americans should expect from a new generation of wireless electronics. From now on, law enforcement officers can expect that using GPS information to track and build evidence against a suspect will be scrutinized carefully if it is done without a warrant. Probable cause will need to be established. Essentially, the court ruled that the 4th amendment does extend to electronic surveillance of this kind. However, the divergent opinions expressed by the court leaves in doubt just exactly where the line will be drawn as to what will constitute an invasion worthy of 4th amendment protection. That line will need to be defined by future litigation, but what is already clear is that the court recognized technology’s ability to peek into our personal lives in a way that is new and unprecedented. And the court ruled that the 4th amendment in certain situations can and should provide us some protection from these intrusions. The use of Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter by law enforcement is also coming under scrutiny. Following the London riots of last summer, the New York Police Department formed a special unit to monitor gang activity on social media sites, and found it to be an incredibly effective tool. Criminals often post things indicating everything from gang affiliation, to evidence of the commission of a crime. The FBI too, has adopted similar tactics, with similar success. This notable success in preventing crime has been both cheered as groundbreaking, and criticized as an improper invasion of privacy. It’s hard to argue that a criminal boasting of committing crimes on social media pages has much expectation of privacy, but what is unclear up to this point is just how police go about getting information from social media, and what the standard of conduct is or should be related to viewing and extracting information from a potentially personal webpage. What is clear is that as technology grows ever more advanced, the balancing act between increased connectivity and expectation of privacy will be ever more difficult. “Phone and Social Media Tech Now Being Utilized by Police: Effective New Tool in the Fight Against Crime, or Invasion of Personal Privacy?” was written by Matt Davis. Matt is a Victim Advisor at the Identity Theft Resource Center. We welcome you to post/reprint the above article, as written, giving credit to and linking back to the ITRC Blog. Stalking, identity theft, scams, and other criminal acts all succeed best when the perpetrator has knowledge of his or her intended victim. The fact that the information the criminal started with was our public information does not make it any less useful. As an example, about a year ago I spent a few hours investigating geo-tagging,” which is where a cellphone or smartphone takes a photo and embeds the GPS location information directly in the image file. Most current phones with cameras have this ability, and each device may or may not be configured to geo-tag each photo. Having read about this, I was curious to find out whether photos posted to Facebook would have the information, and whether it was difficult to use. I downloaded about 20 photos from a variety of friends’ Facebook pages. Most did not have the embedded location information, but four of them did. Using that information and Google Maps, I was able in a few seconds to see the location, and even zoom in and look at the home involved. That’s more than a little scary – that’s a great tool for a Facebook stalker. The point I am making is not specific to this one type of exploit, but rather that we should all be very careful about having a complacent attitude regarding our privacy and security. Certainly there is a lot of our personal information “out there in the cloud,” and being used by a large variety of companies with which we have dealings. But there is a significant area of “privacy responsibility” that resides directly with each individual. In that context, it is a really good idea for all of us, including twenty-something young adults, to also pay close attention to our public persona. This article was originally posted by PRIVATE WiFi, a personal VPN software that encrypts your data in public wireless hotspots. Using our easy software prevents identity thieves from hacking into your emails, online banking, social media accounts, and other personal information. To sign up for a FREE three-day trial, visit privatewifi.com. We welcome you to post/reprint this article, as written, giving credit to the author and linking back to www.private-i.com. https://www.idtheftcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/32smWideLogo_edited-1-300x71.png 0 0 Charity Lacey https://www.idtheftcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/32smWideLogo_edited-1-300x71.png Charity Lacey2012-07-13 20:22:462018-02-15 20:16:10Generational Views On Privacy, Facebook, and Geo-Tagging: Who Owns Our Personal Information? I am one angry lady right now. My name is Nikki and I am the Social Media Coordinator here at the Identity Theft Resource Center. Something just happened to me that I had read about, but like everyone else had decided it would not happen to me. Yes…my Pinterest was hacked. For those of you who don’t know what Pinterest is, it is a social networking site where you can “pin” pictures to your “boards” so that you may go back later and find them. It is a visual social bookmarking site if you will. While I am not as obsessed as many users, I have thoroughly enjoyed pinning items to my craft board so that I can go back later and look when I have time. Last month I worked to spread the word to consumers about the scams that were running rampant on Pinterest, but I did not think it would happen to me and the small amount of pins I had acquired. I was wrong. Just now I happened to come across a Facebook post about how to make a very cool iPad case using wallpaper so I thought I would go ahead and pin it so I could check it out later. This is when the trouble began. I have several different “boards” on my Pinterest to organize what I find online, but the board to which this particular link wanted to post to was called “Make Money Online”. Fairly certain that I had not created that board, I logged into the site and found that several boards had been created and items had been pinned to them. The pinned items, when clicked on, would lead someone to either an online job scam or a malware download. Now, because of my work experience at the ITRC, I was able to recognize this and delete these boards before clicking on them. I changed my password and looked through my profile to be sure nothing else nefarious was going on. But I wonder how many people would actually know to do that? I also wonder if the Social Media Coordinator at the Identity Theft Resource Center had something that I just wrote about happen to me, then how often is this occurring? Needless to say, I understand that having some malicious linked pinned onto your Pinterest boards is not as devastating as having your checking account taken over. However, it did really make me feel vulnerable and a bit violated. In the end, the lesson was learned to check my Pinterest more often than once a month. I advise that you do the same. “My Pinterest Got Hacked” was written by Nikki Junker. Nikki is the Social Media Coordinator at the ITRC. Identity theft is problematic across the nation, being ranked fourth in the country for reports of identity theft means that Arizona is no stranger to this crime. The Office of the Arizona Attorney General has been instrumental in combating this crime through the creation and collaboration of various organizations and state agencies. In 2011 the Arizona Attorney General’s Office (AZ AGO) was awarded a grant as a part of the National Identity Theft Victims Assistance Networks Project that allowed the office to establish the Arizona Identity Theft Coalition (AITC). To create this coalition, AZ AGO teamed up with various public and non-profit agencies including: the U.S Attorney’s Office, ICE, US Postal Inspector, the IRS, State Bar of Arizona, Police Office Standards and Training Board just to name a few. AITC’s mission is to raise public awareness through community outreach programs and campaigns, improve inter-agency infrastructure, coordination, and referrals, as well as educate and train service professionals. Since its beginning, AITC has rolled out two major initiatives as part of their long term goals, the Law Enforcement Best Practices Task Force and the Strategic Education Task Force. Both of these task forces play a role in achieving the goals of the coalition by constructing efficient solutions for resolving identity theft incidences, educating the public on tips for preventing victimization, and raising the public’s awareness regarding identity theft. In addition to the work done through the AITC, the AZ AGO also strongly advocates specifically for senior citizens and military services members, who are often direct targets of identity theft. The AZ AGO began the Taskforce Against Senior Abuse (TASA) which is specifically designed to educate and increase awareness of various forms of senior/elder abuse. Seniors are often times the victims of identity theft for several reasons: they are still receiving and sending bank statements in the mail, they carry their Medicare card on their person, and they are easily fooled by fraudulent schemes. TASA’s community outreach program is dedicated to teaching seniors and their families, law enforcement, caregivers and other groups about how to best protect seniors from being victimized. Through public awareness campaigns, free educational presentations and training videos, TASA has been able to educate the senior community on preventative tips for avoiding identity theft. It is very important that community members invest in cross cut shredders or attend local Shred-a-thons in order to protect their identity from being stolen, as well as mailing personal information in a secure postal box or office. These are just a few of the many steps that TASA advocates to prevent seniors from becoming victims of identity theft. In addition to the Arizona seniors that are victims of identity theft, numerous military service members find themselves targeted for this crime as well. Approximately 14 % of Arizona Veterans have reported being victims of identity theft. Service members, veterans and their families are more prone to becoming a victim of identity theft mostly because their Social Security number has been used as their Service number for years. Despite a recent push to change service numbers, there is still plenty of other documentation that service members and veterans have that include their Social Security number. Often times, these families do not know how to properly store or dispose this information or sensitive materials get lost in the several times these families tend to move. “Service Members, Veterans, and their families need to be aware of the potential for them to be victims of consumer fraud and theft. Our Military population is at a greater risk over the general public for crimes such as Identity Theft, and it has to be proactive to protect itself. An important role of the Office of the Attorney General is to provide information and resources for our Military population to help them in that effort. Some of the methods employed by the Office of the Attorney General include partnerships with Military and Department of Defense organizations, providing direct service with community outreach presentations, and facilitating initiatives such as the C.A.M.O. committee. The Attorney General has also expanded his staff to include Veterans and Subject Matter Experts who can address these issues more efficiently,” states Patrick Ziegert, a Community Outreach and Education Specialist, as well as a United States Army Veteran. The AZ AGO recognizes the abundance of Veterans who are being affected within the state and have implemented a taskforce called CAMO to try and combat several Veterans issues. CAMO, which stands for “Command, Control, Communication, Connectivity and Intelligence Arizona Military Outreach,” was created in 2011 to address the 600,000 plus Veterans, 15,000 National Guard members, 20,000 active duty Service members and their families who live in Arizona. In terms of identity theft, CAMO’s “Command” committee is working towards preventative measures and providing assistance for Veterans through education, community outreach, Shred-a-thons, and public service announcements. The Attorney General’s Office has also been involved with the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program which provides information, instruction, resources and referrals to deploying military units about identity theft and how to freeze their credit before deployment, amongst other things. The Community Outreach division also works with school aged children to warn them of the dangers of connecting with strangers on line and sharing personal information that an Identity Thief could use against them, their parents, and grandparents. As technology allows us to get connected quicker with more resources, so does the problem of cyber ID theft. We must teach consumers simple practices to treat their phones and computers like they are purses, wallets, or bank accounts. Use secure passwords, be aware of current trends, and pay attention to your credit and accounts. Helping victims becomes easier when they are aware of how the theft may have occurred so they can change their behavior and guard against identity theft. For more information visit our website at www.azag.gov , or contact us at 1-602-542-2123, 1-602-542-2145 or 1-800-352-8431. The author of the above piece is Kathleen Winn, Director of Community Outreach for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and trained by the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resources Center, Inc. through the Department of Justice. Many professionals view air-travel days as an opportunity to get some extra work done, pay bills online, or distract themselves during their commute by surfing the internet. The convenience and ease of use of modern laptops and iPads have made it easy to stay connected in route. As a result, public Wi-Fi is now commonplace in most major airports and even becoming more common on the airplanes themselves. As with most technological conveniences these days, in addition to the obvious advantages, wifi in airports pose additional risk to consumers who may not be aware that they’re in potentially dangerous ‘hot zones’ for identity theft. Public wifi is a beacon for those who would seek to harvest your personal information through your internet connection. Free wireless networks are usually not password protected, or have a password that’s publicly available. This means that every time you sign on to a public wifi connection, you’re essentially sharing a connection with any and all strangers in the area. In an airport especially, even more so than in a coffee shop or other place usually associated with public wifi, the number of strangers in your immediate vicinity is usually much higher. Any and all of those have the potential ability to access the same network connection you’re using. All it takes is one malicious user on your network to cause you a lot of trouble. Anytime you access public connections to the internet, your computer is more exposed to the threats of malware or viruses which may be present on another’s laptop, not to mention the threat of a nefarious fellow traveler snooping through your shared files, shoulder surfing to watch you input your passwords, or otherwise monitoring your internet activity. Most people don’t realize that when sharing a network internet connection with someone, there is no additional firewall or security in place to protect the information stored on your computer. This quite naturally makes places like airports and other areas that offer free public wifi very attractive to would-be identity thieves. If you can avoid using public wifi altogether, do so…if you just can’t resist checking the scores or the weather while waiting to board your flight or arrive at your intended destination, try to avoid doing potentially dangerous activities like online banking, filing tax returns, or checking any email accounts that might have valuable information stored in it; as this information could be harvested from your machine and used against you. If you know you will be traveling often and find yourself using public wifi normally you may want to look into getting a personal VPN. A personal Virtual Private Network will help protect you against the dangers of public wifi. If using public wifi unprotected, be wary of any wireless network that shows up with a stronger signal than the network offered by the known provider (in other words, if you’re in the American Airlines terminal, you shouldn’t choose that random linksys server over the one labeled “Americanterminal1access” for example). Often potential hackers will generate their own network signal to have others “hook up” to them, exposing all their information. Other network users will see the stronger signal and connect to it unwittingly, without realizing that they’ve just voluntarily offered up anything that isn’t independently password protected for viewing by the thief. When using your home wireless connection, ensure that it’s always password protected. Remember, you never know who else may be online. What Are Security Patches and Why Are They Important? You may have heard the tech term “patches” thrown around the office or mentioned in news segments, but if you’re not already familiar, you should be. Patches are perhaps one of the single-most important cyber security tools that the everyday tech user needs, right up there with things like anti-virus software and scanning filters. A patch is a small piece of software that a company issues whenever a security flaw is uncovered. Just like the name implies, the patch covers the hole, keeping hackers from further exploiting the flaw. A number of holes have been exploited with severe consequences before their developers’ could create a patch, including the Heartbleed virus in 2014 and the recent WannaCry ransomware attack that struck just this month. WannaCry hit more than 200,000 computers and networks before a 22-year-old cyber security whiz identified and activated a kill switch. Some of the hardest hit networks were hospitals, as their systems were locked up by the attack. This resulted in the loss of patient care, and some facilities even had to turn away patients due to the inability to access any of their computers. The only way to unlock the computer and remove the ransomware was to pay the fine in bitcoin to the hackers, at least until the block was discovered. Microsoft had already issued a patch only a matter of weeks ago for the particular hole that led to WannaCry, but many users had either not installed it or did not have automatic updates activated on their systems. Whenever cyber security experts, researchers, or even just highly knowledgeable “hobbyists” discover a new flaw, the typical protocol is to alert the software developer immediately so they can issue a patch. They do not usually make the discovery public. This might seem counterproductive since typically the public can’t take action to protect themselves, but experience has shown that informing the public also alerts hackers to the existence of the flaw. By only telling the developers first, hopefully they will close up the hole before anyone else discovers it on their own. Unfortunately, this kind of secrecy—while necessary to keep hackers from launching new malware attacks—also means that if the developer themselves discovered the hole and patched it in the next regularly scheduled update, you may never know about it. That’s why it’s very important to keep all of your software and handheld devices up-to-date; depending on your comfort level with your own tech you might choose to set your computer to automatically install any new updates from the developer. https://www.idtheftcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/32smWideLogo_edited-1-300x71.png 0 0 Charity Lacey https://www.idtheftcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/32smWideLogo_edited-1-300x71.png Charity Lacey2012-06-17 05:48:042018-05-05 20:23:00What Are Security Patches and Why Are They Important?

2019-04-20T10:20:45Z

https://www.idtheftcenter.org/category/blog/page/97/

In case you were wondering, UVM comes from the Latin Universitas Viridis Montis, or University of the Green Mountains. Located in Burlington, UVM is the state’s flagship, land-grant university. With almost 10,000 undergraduates and 1,800 graduate students (about ¼ of whom are in the medical school), students say that it’s the “perfect size.” Although this is the flagship state university, 65% of students are not from Vermont; “There just aren’t that many students in Vermont,” said the tour guide. There’s a lot of diversity, openness, acceptance, and safe spaces around campus. In fact, it’s the first college in the country to have written into its bylaws that it wasn’t adhering to a particular religious sect – and was also the first school to all women and African Americans full membership status in Phi Beta Kappa. Some of the more unusual majors are Holocaust Studies, Community Entrepreneurship, Community and International Development, Molecular Genetics, Sustainable Landscape Horticulture, and Neuroscience. Athletic Training, Nursing, and Exercise Science are competitive and some of the most popular majors; nursing is restricted by capacity. They have a 5-year Engineering program with St. Mikes. It’s more difficult to transfer into Engineering or Nursing/health sciences if students don’t declare them coming in, but not impossible. Students completing an Animal Science major have an opportunity to gain early admission to the Tufts University Vet School. People in these departments can still study abroad and minor outside the department which is a bit unusual. The science center is one of the newest buildings on campus. They made use of local woods for the flooring which changes color to imitate changing landscapes (designed with student input). The building has “awesome lab spaces,” according to our tour guide, including hydraulics, soil, and more. They even have a wind tunnel! Their business program puts a great deal of focus on current themes in the business world such as global issues and entrepreneurship. Our tour guide also raved about the strong theater and music programs. They have three main stage events every year, and students are involved in the technical aspect as well. Their art department is impressive, and the university owns the largest art collection in the state (but is that saying much?). Students can be admitted to the Honors Program as a freshman or apply for sophomore admission with a certain GPA and recs from professors. Students in the program live in the newest housing on campus, and the seminars for the first 4 semesters are held in this building. Our tour guide said that her Pursuit of Knowledge was a nice break from Engineering, and the seminars are interesting. She took Discovering a Sense of Place: Transcendentalism. During Junior year, they take a thesis prep course to get ready for their senior thesis. Students must live on campus for the first two years. 70% of juniors and seniors move off, but they don’t have to. The tour guides said that there’s way more to do on campus than there’s time to do it all. They laughed when they told us about “The Bored Calendar” which lists all the activities on and around campus. Students complete quite a bit of community service right in Burlington, a city all the students raved about. “We’re in a city on a lake surrounded by mountains.” Church Street is a pedestrian area, well utilized by students and townies alike. When they get sick of the local area, they can hop on the Megabus which goes to both NY and Boston. Internships and career development are big. The host several career fairs every year with lots of out-of-state employers coming to each. One of the admissions reps said that “Career success is everyone’s job on campus.” Within 6 months of graduation, 20% of alumni are in grad school and 80% are employed. Burlington started in 1972 as the Vermont School of Community Involvement at which point all the students were adult learners. There was no campus; classes were held in offices, living rooms, anywhere around town. Even today, the college is still housed a single building. Courses involved negotiation between teachers and students and culminated in narrative evaluations. Although it’s become a little more traditional due to accreditation, their progressive tradition still allows the student to help focus the learning. There are still narrative evaluations (with options for grades), and the students and teachers have to agree on the grade/evaluation! They both sign it after going over it together. If they cannot come to an agreement (a rare event), there is arbitration available. Not surprisingly, the college’s tag-line is “No Boxes.” Students are a little quirky in that they have passions they like to combine. Because they only enroll about 220 students, it’s easy to have a non-traditional idea of a college class. Most only have 5-10 students, “15 if it’s a big class,” said one student. People sit around a table and talk. Students who “are conversationalists and who know themselves will be the quintessential perfect fit. These are the students who will be able to reach past boundaries.” Students here learn how to formulate questions, assess information, and use it. That’s the key to the first two years of seminars. The next two years are project based. They learn really amazing things like how to draft legislation. Teachers will start with a leading question like, How do you change the world a little bit at a time? – and then they work to figure it out. Students are creative, engaged, independent, and self-motivated (they have to want to be here). A student has been a voting member on the Board of Trustees, actively engaged in committees, helps make financial decisions. The college community is embracing, intimate, and inclusive, and ties to the town are very strong. The college is located in the North End of Burlington where there are lots of immigrants as well as long-term residents. One student interned with a neighborhood planning commission for the local ward; she so impressed them with her ability to think things through and her engagement with the community that the ward made it the first “town-gown NPA.” Part of the reason that relations are so good is that most students live in town. Most of the classes are scheduled in 3-hour blocks, and many students are able to work somewhere in town. Law and Studies program offers a Paralegal Certificate (the only one in Vermont). They’re about to launch a new Music School based on Music in Society. Their Woodworking program (yes, you can major in that!) is located in Fairfax: “It’s a bit of a schlep,” said a rep. Film and Documentary Studies and the Psychology departments are worth noting. They offer Early College (the only Private school in the state that does this). There isn’t housing available so it’s really only for local students. Admissions is rolling. “Some of our most successful students are those who are a bit in limbo. They may not even have college on their radar or aren’t sure if they’re ready.” They’re more than willing to spend time talking to students to make sure that Burlington is a good fit: “Any of us will come to you – from a student to an admissions person to the president!” They also work with transfer students, offering a 20% discount to students with an AA degree with at least a 3.0 GPA. They also run a summer semester for students who want to get ahead, try out the college, and/or save a great deal of tuition money. Their first-year retention is currently at 70%, up from 40% several years ago. This happened shortly after implementing the FYE program, comprised of five weeks of themed seminars help students transition. The first-year advisor is there to make the academic and social transition as easy and successful as possible. She reaches out to students as early as April before they even start, and then meets with them individually on campus after orientation. They plan to triple in size by 2020 and then stay at that size. They own 16 acres and will put housing on that area. They currently are only using about one-third of their current building and are slowly working on renovating the rest. Bennington College, with its enrollment of 500 students, is housed on a sprawling campus with eclectic architecture – a bit like their students! Academics are strong and individualized. The open curriculum means that there are no core requirements, and students create their own majors that almost always end up being interdisciplinary. Therefore, the students must be curious, independent, willing to be challenged beyond their comfort zone, and able to connect many interests. 1) Plan. “It’s a little foreign and scary to families,” said the Director of Admission. The process recognizes the students’ curiosity and capacity to learn beyond what they think is possible. This lets them figure out what they need, how they learn best, and more. They can push boundaries and take any class they want. The first year is all about the excitement of education. They meet regularly with the advisor, sometimes as a group, or meeting for lunch, or after class. In the first year, the advisor is one of their teachers who will push them to be analytical about why they chose certain classes and verbalize what they’re interested in. They’re pushed to think about whether there is an essential question or theme among all of them. In the sophomore year, students meet with a committee of 3 or 4 teachers who will make sure that the student has a liberal arts education. They’ll plan out classes based on the student’s interests. Students declare an area of study (a major) during this year. During junior and senior years, students complete the plan and work on a final senior project. Our tour guide’s senior project was writing a graphic novel. Ideally, she would like to work for DC Comics. 2) Fieldwork Term (FWT): This is a yearly, 7-week internship/mentorship/fieldwork/ something educational outside of the classroom. This must be completed every year, and has to be different every year. They can get grants for this; they have to write a budget and a proposal. Scholarships are also available for internships with a global impact ($250-$2000 depending on what they’re doing). Students get narrative evaluations in classes, but can opt for grades if they want them. This can be done on a class-by-class basis, or they get grades for every class. Sometimes they want reassurance that grad schools will take them seriously. However, Bennington is in the top 40 of schools sending students on to get PhDs. Academics are clearly strong. I was less impressed with the students than I thought I’d be. It was a beautiful day, but very few students were out; those who were out didn’t greet each other as they crossed campus, but the students I spoke to seemed friendly enough. One of the other counselors had heard that students there were cool and a bit stand-offish, and what we saw seemed to back that up. We asked our tour guide about her impressions and if she would agree with that. She said, “some of the kids are pretentious, but it’s drilled out of you.” There’s definitely an aura of affectation here. They have an amazing arts complex with extensive, open labs for ceramics, sculpture, and more. They have 4 black box theaters and an extensive prop shop. Students complete labs in lighting, costumes, props, and more. There’s usually 1 faculty-run production which is directed by a professor; almost all the rest are run by students. One of the facts they like to share is that they’re the first college to have included the arts (visual and performing) into the liberal arts curriculum/ college. They offer animation classes, and one called “Nature and Artifice” which deals with a lot of architectural issues. Not surprisingly, over 40% of their students major in something relating to the visual or performing arts. Almost all students live on campus (easy to do with the small enrollment). Dorms are called Houses, and many are Themed. The one we saw had a large lounge, a working fireplace, and a drum set and piano. Freshmen and Sophomores usually get doubles; Juniors and Seniors almost always live in singles. There is no Greek life on campus, nor are there varsity sports, but plenty of club sport opportunities, including fencing and archery. Although there are very few students majoring in the physical sciences, there are some interesting things going on there, as well. For example, there’s an Octopus Lab because the professor thought that “their brains are cooler” (according to our tour guide). I lucked into a tour run by an admissions rep, himself a recent alum of Marlboro. He was clearly passionate about his alma mater and loved showing it off. He was articulate, interesting, enthusiastic, and slightly quirky – a true embodiment of Marlboro students! He cut right across the grassy areas, took us into buildings that “aren’t on the tour just but you have to see it!” etc. This is one of the most interesting colleges I’ve seen. Students are curious, motivated, able to work across disciplines, and caring about the wider community. They’re life-long learners; they love the inquiry. Students learn to hone their passions in an aggressive way in order to pursue what they love. The first two years allow for exploration of different fields in seminars of 5-15 people. The students’ individual concentrations are then done in the junior and senior years when they design small seminars (often 1-on-1) with professors. In order to earn their degree, students must pass a writing requirement within 3 semesters, complete a plan of concentration, complete 120 credits, and complete an original project within the field which is independent of faculty feedback or advice. This gets mailed to an outside person for review who will come in to do a two-hour oral exam. Once the student passes that, they’ve officially finished their degree. 20% of students live off campus, but housing is guaranteed all 4 years. After freshman year, students can live in places like cabins in the woods and can be off the meal plan. There’s one apartment style building tucked up into the woods called “Out Of The Way” which houses several non-traditional or married students. Dorms are coed – as are some bathrooms. “There are definitely gender politics going on here,” our rep said. I knew that Norwich had a military component, but I didn’t know that it was the birthplace of ROTC or that a third of the students were “civilians” and not at all involved in the Corps of Cadets. This is a residential campus; all students must live here except those who grew up in town. However, the two sides of campus are pretty well separated: “Civilians know that the cannon goes off at 5 am, but don’t want to hear it. The Cadets know that the civilians can have an x-box, but don’t want to see it.” One of the admissions rep is a Norwich graduate who was on the civilian side; when asked why she choose to go to a school with such a strong affiliation to the military when she had no interest in joining the Corps, she said she came for the academics and the community. She liked that the college was different. Norwich, now located in Northfield, was founded in 1819 in Norwich, directly across the river from Dartmouth. It burned in 186; the rumor was that the fire was started by Dartmouth students when they couldn’t get dates (all the Dartmouth women were supposedly dating Norwich men). They moved to their current location at that point. Corps students have to choose a branch of the military and take that ROTC class. They can get an ROTC scholarship towards tuition and need 6 semesters of ROTC to graduate with that distinction on the diploma. One student wants to be an AF officer. He had Jr. ROTC experience, but this is not necessary to be part of the corps. Several things that make them stand out from other military institutions. It was the first military school to admit black students (in the early 1900s) and women (in the 1970s). They’re the only one with a US National Guard facility on a campus. There’s no live ammo on campus, but they do have a simulated rifle range. There are 12 buglers on campus (West Point, VMI, the Citadel, and others use recordings). They have the oldest collegiate marching band, and they have the largest collegiate ring – 44 pennyweight. If it were 45, it would be a weapon, although they still have to register it as a weapon in several states, including Massachusetts. It’s already had 2 confirmed kills in Iraq, although I’m not sure how. This is a diverse campus in all senses of the word. Many states around the country are represented, and there are many women in the Corps (and in the Civilian side, although that’s not news-worthy). The student we talked to said that they have a strong bond. She’s a nursing major so she studies with a lot of women on both sides. She feels that she has the best of both worlds: guys look out for them, and women have each other’s backs. Academics are strong, and students get one-on-one attention.. Their Computer Security program is ranked as #2 nationally. In the last two years, the nursing students have all passed the NPLEX on the first try. The Environmental Science programs are hands on; they spend 12 of the 15 weeks in the semester outside. They’ve implemented a Leadership Studies minor. There’s integrity, and people take the honor code seriously: “We are men and women of integrity. We do not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do”. One of the tour guides called Norwich an “and” school. It’s balanced, and students can get involved in lots of things. Their athletics are DIII, and 17 of 20 teams moved to post-season play. Pegasus Players is the theater troupe. “Disney Field” is the on-campus ropes course; “Lower Disney” has the volleyball and basketball courts, grills, and more. The director of admissions described Middlebury as a “quaint, quintessential small new England Liberal Arts College – but we’re not content just to be that.” They’re working to expand both programs and buildings and programs. For example, they’re expanding their relationship with the Prose Foundation for students interested in STEM programs. They also have new study abroad offerings in India and Cameroon with more being added all the time. They are currently downsizing because they have actually overenrolled over the last few years and are hovering just under 2,500 students. This year, they brought in 575 new freshmen and 85 new in February. Middlebury’s mid-year enrollment has been around a lot longer than other schools who have recently started up the trend, and it remains popular here; the term “Febs” is a common word in the vernacular to refer to these students. Middlebury provides as good an orientation for them as for those starting in the fall, and the Febs cohort becomes close. Because many of them also graduate mid-year, they hold a “Ski Bowl graduation” (and they’re also welcome to walk in the spring). This year, apps were down by about 10% but overall have doubled in the last 10 years. Their main overlaps include Bowdoin, Williams, Brown, and Dartmouth. One of the admissions reps said that size is the difference; it offsets the location. Most students live on campus; they can apply to move off during junior or senior year, but usually don’t. They have Social Houses (their version of Learning Living Communities) in which students can propose the themes. All students are on the all-you-can-eat meal plan, so they can come and go as they want. The tour guide said that this was great for when they want a cup of coffee or a snack between classes. Two of the dining halls serve all three meals; one only serves breakfast and lunch. They have a strong honor code, but this has come under scrutiny lately. Most of the buildings are impressive, and made of gray stone. Campus is sprawling and well-maintained with large grassy areas, occasional sculptures, and some trees that students are happy to put to use for hanging their hammocks. There are lots of bikes on campus which I imagine are useful; the campus is certainly walkable, but also fairly large for the size of the student body. Several students were out and about; many seemed a bit preppy. Middlebury offers the full range of majors that you would expect at a liberal arts institution with a few unusual additions including Neuroscience; languages such as Hebrew, Arabic, and Japanese (not surprising since they’re known for their language instruction); History of Art and Architecture (including concentrations in Museum Studies, Architecture and the Environment, and Architectural Studies); and Film and Media Culture. They have a strong involvement in the arts, but many more people participate than will major in theater, music, and dance. Several students participate in the Potomac Theater Project. They have to audition to participate as an actor or technician, but if they they’re accepted, they spend 6-8 weeks in NYC during the summer to work with equity actors. Mostly juniors and seniors go, but sometimes sophomores are accepted. We were lucky enough to eat dinner at the restaurant, and we had time to chat with students, faculty, and admissions reps. One of the chefs we talked has a cookbook coming out called Real World Farm to Table. One of the instructors is Chinese and is providing language classes for students in the BA program. Another one (Jean-Louis) won Chopped. He sat with us at dinner and provided some great entertainment! The student at our table is a first-gen college-goer. She was the first female to do an internship with a butcher. She grew up on a farm and understands the process, but said that being at a butcher was still a big adjustment. There are 500 students enrolled at any given time, but only half are on campus; the other half are off doing internships. Students complete several modules on campus separated by 6-month internships. They have a strong presence in Napa, New Zealand, Germany, and many the big cities around the country. Students are encouraged to stay in the country for their first internship. After that, they can go abroad. The classes and work on campus are set up to mimic the industry, so the students are scheduled for about 55 hours a week. Another way that they distinguish themselves from other culinary institutes are that students can’t hide here. Other places may have 100 kids in a lecture and 18 in the kitchen; here, classes are capped at 20 and no more than 10 will be in the kitchen at a time. In addition to all the experience working in both the bakery and the restaurant, they get other types of great experiences: we got to see Easter Bunny Chocolate Racecars that they made. There is also the annual “Wedding Cake Challenge” when groups are given a specific task such as to coordinate the cake with something like a specific article of clothing or to tea cups. They give tastes to the public who get to vote on appearance and taste. To expand some opportunities for students, they have looked at the Five-College Consortium and are now trying to get NECI, Sterling, Green Mountain, and Vermont Tech linked so students can do a 1-semester exchange among the colleges. They also offer Dual Enrollment for high-schoolers who can enroll online first by doing 9 weeks online and 1 weekend in residency. After that, they start on site. October is the traditional start for kids coming out of high school. Non-traditional students usually start in April or November. SVC sits on a sprawling, open 370-acre campus surrounded by mountains. Bennington, a small city of about 20,000 people, is about a mile down the hill from campus. The campus is divided into two sections: a modern residential section at the bottom of the hill, and a large stone mansion at the top of the hill which houses academics. The college was founded in 1926 as St. Joseph College but became independent when it was turned over to an independent board. Although it is a private institution, the tuition usually is about on-par with in-state tuition after aid is granted. About 90% of students receive Financial Aid; 35% are Pell eligible. The school only enrolls about 500 students, almost 2/3 of whom are first-gen students. They offer excellent student support on campus including LD support, tutoring, and career services. Admitted students average about a 2.8 GPA and 940 SAT. Admission is rolling, and the do a holistic, portfolio approach to making decisions. On-campus housing is guaranteed for first-year students. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors can have cars on campus for free because many of them commute, and so many of them have internships in town. However, even for students without cars, getting around isn’t an issue. They can walk into town, and there’s a lot going on on campus. The Activities Board plans lots of things on the weekend, including trips off campus to NYC, Boston, and Northampton. Because of their limited enrollment, they only offer 16 majors, but they do them all well. Nursing is Direct-Entry (min 2.8 GPA, 500 per section on the SAT, and a C+ or better in Bio and Chem). The Healthcare Education Center is located 1.5 miles away. Clinicals can be done at the VA hospital, the hospital in town, at Pittfield, Mass., the SW Regional Cancer Center, and more. Our tour guide (in Health Care Management) did a 130 hour practicum with a Women’s Advocacy Center. The Radiological Sciences, creative writing, criminal justice, healthcare management and advocacy, and business (with concentrations in management, sports management, and entrepreneurship) are also worth noting. “Business is strong because of our ability to integrate with the community. Bennington is a wonderful town. My classes always have a community component.” The bank in town provides $5000 for philanthropic funds. They do needs-assessment, write requests for proposals, solicit applications, create scoring rubrics, and do site visit checklists. Basically they go through the entire grant process. The President was very proud of their “Book Ends of Your Education” program. Students get a book (signed by the faculty) when they enter the community and another when they leave. It seems like a wonderful idea – but I found it interesting that our tour guide, a junior, couldn’t remember what her freshman book was. This is an excellent college choice for students who might need a little bit of academic or social support as they transition into college. It’s a small, supportive community in a beautiful location with excellent hands-on educational opportunities. 1) The Major (career based programs). They use an “Upside Down” curriculum providing in-depth classes in the freshman year. This allows students to know early on if they really are interested in this area of study. 2) The Core (Liberal Arts curriculum). This is an interdisciplinary program. One of the first classes is “Concepts of Self” incorporating history, neuroscience, and psychology. They started this program 7 years ago based on employer feedback: they wanted communication, teamwork, etc. 3) The Life Skills Program (such as community service, career management). This program is working; in 2012, 90% of their graduates were employed, most of which were in career-related jobs, and 40% of them receive promotions within 6 months. This was based on a 95% response rate of the 2012 graduates. The 2000 undergrads (62% of whom are male) are accepted into one of the four academic divisions. When they apply to the college, they can apply for a specific major or as undeclared within a specific division. Communication and Creative Media (including a BFA in Creative Media, and degrees in Broadcasting and Streaming Media, Public Relations, and Professional Writing). The head of the Cyber Security department talked to us about their program which is ranked as the #1 CS program in the country, graduating about 45 students a year. He’s committed to making sure they the students are up-to-date on current technology, but also have the critical thinking and creative skills to succeed in a field that is rapidly changing. For example, they have an entire class on Mobile Device Forensics. He will bring in all sorts of devices to have them work on, take apart, and learn from. Applications to Champlain have increased 12% last year, and have doubled in the past three years. Admitted students’ average GPAs are 3.3 with an average of 580 on each SAT section or a 26 on the ACT. During the admission process, students applying to Professional Writing, Game Design, Graphic Design, Digital Film, Creative Media, or Game Art and Design must submit a portfolio. About 80% of students live on campus; they’re in the process of constructing 3 new dorms (1 is already open; 2 more will open this summer). There is no housing requirement, but most students still choose to live on campus (maybe because it’s cheaper to live on campus than in Burlington). The Old Dorm holds 55 students and is one of the biggest; the smallest dorm holds 17 people. There are 2 rooms on campus that house 5 students which I’ve never heard of before, but these are usually comprised of 2 or 3 connected rooms. Located about 20 minutes north of St. Johnsbury in the eastern part of the Northern Kingdom of Vermont, Johnson State College is home to just under 1,500 students. For very outdoorsy kids who are interested in Broadcast Journalism and/or meteorology/atmospheric sciences, this could be the perfect place. They have an award winning news broadcast station on campus; students go on the air live, unlike many other school broadcasts. The director of the program said, “This puts us on par with Arizona State, Ohio State, and other huge schools; even places like Syracuse don’t usually go live to air.” People in the broadcast area can actually give feedback to the student broadcasters, and these ratings become part of the students’ grades. Even the students doing the weather reports are reporting on their own work – they aren’t just getting on the air to report; “they did the math,” said the director. In addition to winning awards for the student production, they have alumni working on air around the country – and the Weather Station was started by JSC grads! This isn’t the only area that stands out. The Music and Performing Arts students can go into Audio Production, Music and Self-Production, Music Industry Management, and Music Business and Industry. Recently, six students interned with James Taylor in his personal home studio. The Exercise Science students get certified before graduation as Personal Trainers, giving them a second area for a potential job when they graduate (and even before). These students work in the gym on campus, so the other students benefit from their expertise. The college takes the “I’ll show you how to do something; now YOU do it” approach to education. President Joe, now completing his 2nd year as president, says, “Other people talk about experiential education. Here, we have it in our back pocket.” Even he learns alongside the students. When he came here from Queens, NY, he had never done any of the outdoor things that take up so much of the students’ free time. He promised to at least try everything. Once he went mountain climbing, and one of the older students got him all hooked up in the gear – and then took it off. “Now you have to put it back on.” He and the three freshmen with him all learned to do this for themselves. The campus is small, and many of the main parts of campus (many academic areas, the athletic facilities, the library, the theater) are connected in one big building, giving is a bit of a glorified high school feel – although in the long winters and on rainy days, no one is complaining! Our tour guide said that she hated the school the first time she came; her mother insisted she come back during an admissions open-house weekend, and she started to like it better. Now she can’t picture being anywhere else. She said that things can get a bit boring on the weekend, but mostly there’s plenty to do.

2019-04-24T02:03:55Z

https://campusencounters.wordpress.com/category/college-visits/vermont-college-visits/

Mike was a financial reporter for The New York Times; a foreign correspondent and financial editor for the New York Herald Tribune; business editor of the Washington Star and the New York Post, and founding financial editor and economic commentator for CNN. He served twice as president of SABEW. I was financial editor of the New York Post in 1979, having been recruited for that job by Rupert Murdoch soon after he bought the paper at the end of 1976 with the promise that he would publish a “respectable” tabloid. For a while, we did just that. It had some good ingredients — a terrific sports section, outstanding cultural reporting and criticism, a still-liberal editorial page under the legendary Jimmy Wechsler, and, if I may say so immodestly, a superior financial section. It also had an innovative brand of gossip titled Page Six. But then the paper’s upfront news pages and headlines began getting more and more sensational, and so I began thinking of leaving, even though Rupert was paying me a good salary, in addition to a hefty fee for the syndicated column I wrote with my old friend and former New York Herald Tribune colleague Phillip Greer. Out of the blue, a friend asked me to have lunch with him and a fellow who was putting together an all-news television network for someone named Ted Turner. I agreed as a favor to my friend and met the first president of what was to become Cable News Network, a news visionary named Reese Schonfeld. If you’re going to do all that TV, I told him, why not devote at least some of it to covering business news, which I described as the real wasteland of television news. We’re going to do just that, with a half-hour program at 7 p.m., he responded. Great, I said, thanked him for lunch and went my way. The tube was not ever in my thoughts, what with my Brooklyn accent and a face more suited to radio than even a small TV screen. rudimentary camera pointed at me from the doorway, and I was asked to talk about myself, read something and interview the guy who was conducting the test. After listing my various jobs in journalism, I read from a carbon copy of the column I had just delivered to my syndicate and proceeded to ask the interviewer such questions as, “Who’s this guy Ted Turner?” and “Where is he getting the money for this new network.” Then I left, and on the way out and then down the street bumped into two old friends, both of them excellent financial journalists and younger and better-looking than me. Obviously, they were on the same mission, and so I wrote off that idea. So I took the job and started in January 1980. I figured I was too busy planning for the , network’s start that June to attend the SABEW convention in Dallas in May, but Schonfeld urged me to go, and I went. The folks running the meeting gave me a segment. While I was in the midst of discussing what we were going to do with a full half-hour of business news for the first time in the history of network television — including my own on-air role — a loud voice boomed out from the audience. It was from my friend Elizabeth Yamashita, a crusty professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. “YOU’RE going to be on television?” she exclaimed somewhat incredulously, amid a chorus of laughter. Those words still resonated to me during the 25 years I then spent at CNN and its various sister networks. If I ever felt I might be getting a swelled head, all I needed to do was to remember Elizabeth’s words, “YOU’RE going to be on television?” and that always got me down to earth. So SABEW deserves part of the credit. Born April 24, 1950, is president and publisher of USA Today. Prior to that he was an adjunct professor at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University and a media consultant. He authored “C-Scape: Conquer the Factors Changing Business Today,” (HarperCollins) in 2010. He was the first president of CBS Digital Media and founder, chairman and CEO of CBS MarketWatch. Prior to that he spent 20 years as an editor and business reporter for The Washington Post and the San Francisco Examiner. He has a BS in journalism from Syracuse and an MBA from Harvard. From age 12, when I was a newspaper delivery boy for the Bergen Record, a suburban afternoon newspaper in a New Jersey suburb of New York City, all I wanted to do was work for a newspaper. I loved being the guy who could run into a room and tell a story first and best, and I lived for the wide eyes of the kids who would listen to me when I told them. I never forgot that the magic was in those eyes. While I was in love with telling a story, I always knew that telling a story when no one was listening was just no fun at all. So if I could see they were bored or had heard the story before, I knew when to stop talking. That lesson, that success was measured not by how well I told the story, but how well it was received, served me well for the rest of my life, as a journalist, as a manager and very much so as an entrepreneur. I’m convinced that the success of Marketwatch.com can be traced to the fact that it started to serve a consumer need that we identified and the rest of the financial news industry ignored. Because we paid attention to that, and focused on those consumers, we were able to build a terrific business that was sold 7 years after it was created for $525 million. It is, in fact, a good business story itself. In the mid 1990s people were getting excited about Wall Street again. Tech stocks were starting to boom, and something called the Internet was giving people the sense that there might be a big change coming in how we could get information and communicate. Small start-up companies were becoming huge businesses over night. Everyone wanted to be a part of this new gold rush, and invest in companies that would grow so quickly that even the investors would make fortunes. And there were growing beliefs that stock brokers were more worried about their own income and weren’t much help to the investors who wanted to bet big on some exciting start up companies. So people were beginning to trade for themselves at home, using a new generation of brokerages that allowed them to do so without the help of a broker. As a business journalist and then a newspaper editor for 20 years I was acutely aware that business readers were hungry for information that could help them invest, and that most business journalism that influenced the markets was being delivered only to people who paid a lot for it and got it immediately on any one of several financial terminals, including those from Reuters, Dow Jones and Bloomberg. Those terminals cost around $2,000 a month, and they also delivered real-time stock and bond information. Consequently most were installed in business locations and paid for by employers. And we knew that the rapidly growing community of at-home day traders would demand real-time financial news to help them get through their trading day. So we decided that as long as the only good suppliers of that news made considerable money charging for it, there could be an opening for an advertising supported business that could offer the information free to the user: the model essentially used by content creators who served the mass market. Newspaper were charging a quarter in those days because they had to prove that someone bought the paper, not because the quarter contributed a real income. If they could, they would be giving them away. On the Internet, we didn’t need to charge anyone to prove they had read us. We could keep track of every page view. So advertisers would know exactly how many people saw their ad. They liked that and were willing to bet on this new form of information delivery. And since many new electronic brokers were popping up to serve this new audience, we had a huge list of potential advertisers who all wanted to reach our specific audience. So to our readers, we did as well as our high-priced competitors. Gradually we built the site up by adding more and more journalists, always assigning them to the next most heavily traded companies and sectors. When the advertising bust of 2000 occurred, we stayed the course and believed in our model, finding additional sources of revenue while we waited for advertising to return. We believed there were still huge numbers of people who wanted to read our content, but couldn’t or wouldn’t pay the price of the expensive terminals. It worked. When advertising returned, we were still there and many of our competitors had folded or become for-pay sites. Our advertising numbers roared back and we were well on our way to building a juggernaut. In the end, everyone in the company was so focused on our customers and what they wanted that even Dow Jones, arguably the best financial news organization in the country, was willing to pay half a million dollars for a small company with just over 100 journalists who covered the same thing as they did. Born May 29, 1952, became director of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in 1993. In her 20 years as a business journalist, she has reported, written and/or edited for the Coralville (Iowa) Courier, Purchasing Magazine, BusinessWeek, Institutional Investor, Working Woman, U.S. News & World Report and Lear’s. A graduate of New York University and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, and a 1981 Bagehot Fellow at Columbia, she is the author of “Biz Kids’ Guide to Success: Money-Making Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs” (Barron’s, 1992) and editor of “Writing About Business: The New Columbia Knight-Bagehot Guide to Economics and Business Journalism” (Columbia University Press, 2000). A former president of the New York Financial Writers’ Association, Thompson is the recipient of numerous journalism awards, including the NYFWA’s Elliott V. Bell award for making a significant, long-term contribution to the profession of financial journalism. But by the mid-1970s, with the looming oil crisis, the near bankruptcy of New York City, and the simultaneous appearance of both recession and inflation, business and economics became front-page news. And in 1975, Columbia University gave birth to the Walter Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism. The brainchild of Elie Abel, then dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia, the “Bagehot” was to be similar to the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard, a program for mid-career journalists who wanted to spend an academic year at Columbia. But unlike the Nieman, the Bagehot was to be rigorous: at least five courses per semester, complete with final exams. Training journalists, not academics, the program would be rooted in the Journalism School, with special seminars and dinners tailored specifically to the needs of journalists; at the same time, Fellows would study economics and business, drawing on the resources of the entire university. The name, by the way, is pronounced BADGE-it. The program was renamed the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in 1987 following a major endowment gift from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Shepard and Golden each ran the program for one year. The directors who followed were Welles, the eminent journalist who passed away in 2010; Mary Bralove, formerly of The Wall Street Journal; Pamela Hollie Kluge from The New York Times; and Pauline Tai from Money magazine. I’ve been director since 1993. Much has changed in the nearly four decades since the Fellowship was founded. In many ways, the world has gotten smaller as developments in technology and the growth of the Internet have brought us closer together. But one thing has not changed. Business and economics are complicated, and writing about them is risky. Every day holds a chance for mistakes, misunderstandings, and misrepresentations. A careless error in an investment story could cost an investor thousands of dollars. The fact that business and economics touch people’s lives so directly puts incredible demands on journalists to be accurate, reliable and thorough. Indeed, business journalists must be able to understand the intricacies of the field and write about them in clear, concise, intelligible prose. The purpose of the Knight-Bagehot program is to reduce the risk of careless reporting through rigorous education, and to empower business reporters to feel more confident in their writing. Increasingly, editors staffing business sections realize that to cover the field effectively, reporters need specialized experience and training. And throughout the years they have become more willing to grant their reporters the nine-month leave of absence that is required to complete the Fellowship. In May 2013, Columbia will graduate its 38th class of Bagehots, and 342 accomplished journalists will have completed this rigorous program. Nearly a fifth of Bagehot graduates found the fellowship year so invigorating that they applied and were accepted for admission to Columbia Business School to complete an MBA degree. The majority of Bagehot alumni, including those with MBAs, have remained in the field of journalism and have turned their personal academic enrichment into enriched journalism. Many have gone on to win impressive journalism awards and honors. And several are sharing their knowledge and expertise as teachers and educators. In 1996, we began recognizing the work of our accomplished alumni by awarding the “Best of Knight-Bagehot” at our annual fundraising dinners. Renamed the Christopher J. Welles Memorial Prize in honor of our esteemed former director, the prize is presented each year to a former Bagehot Fellow whose work best epitomizes Chris’s ideals of thorough reporting, good storytelling, and timeliness. Some of our winners wrote books, including John Authers, David Wessel, and Greg Farrell, and two of our winners, Caroline Donnelly and Peter Kibiriti, launched new business publications. All of the prize recipients were acknowledged for producing outstanding business journalism, and I am certain that Chris would be proud to know that the prize that bears his name is going to such deserving journalists. My year as a Bagehot Fellow during Chris’s leadership literally changed my life. And while I could never hope to be the great leader or role model that Chris was, the Knight-Bagehot Program carries on the mission of its founders and continues to transform the lives of those who are fortunate enough to be granted a fellowship. One of the questions I almost always get when I address an audience on the 2008 financial crisis is this: Why didn’t the financial press sound more of a warning about the dangers that were lurking in the economy in general and housing in particular? It is a frustrating question not only because it is a criticism of our work but also because it is accurate to some degree. Few financial reporters did enough to question the conventional wisdom leading up to the crisis — that housing prices never go down nationwide, that Wall Street’s newfangled securities defused rather than increased risk, that big banks could monitor themselves without help from regulators. But more important, this audience question provides business reporters with clarity on what it is that readers want. Indeed, it confirms that readers seek groundbreaking and insightful reporting and analysis on events or actions that affect the economy, their investments and their pocketbooks. And, as the world of finance and business becomes increasingly complex — who could have fathomed a decade ago the creation of collateralized debt obligations embedded with synthetic mortgage instruments? — penetrating analyses and clear explanatory writing become even more important. Put another way, readers don’t want business reporters to be court stenographers, recording without question the utterances of chief executives and their public relations operatives. They don’t want rewritten press releases or fawning profiles. Readers want articles that can help them understand the complexities that Wall Street creates, that shine a light on the dark corners where questionable business practices often flourish. Such reporting is not easy. It attracts criticism from powerful people who prefer to operate amid the fog. It induces attacks from those interested in maintaining the status quo. It generates angry calls to editors and publishers. As a result, it could not be more important. Providing readers with genuine insights about complex matters requires a dedication to the truth and a spine of steel, of course, not only from reporters, but also from their editors. You can get a lot out of being a journalist without making it your life’s work. That’s why, to the occasional discomfort of parents who are worried about their kids’ ability to make a living, I encourage young people who are interested in journalism to take a shot at it. Why? Because even though the economics of journalism are dreadful these days, you can get a lot out of being a journalist, even if you decide not to make it your life’s work. I’ve had a wonderful 40-plus years doing what I define as journalism: finding out stuff that it’s good for people to know and telling them about it in a way that engages them, using language that they don’t have to be insiders or jargon freaks to understand. But you don’t have to spend your entire career as a journalist to get something — quite a lot, actually — out of it. And who knows? Maybe you’ll like it, and figure out how to make a decent living at it. I did; there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to. Let me show you why a few years as a journalist can be good for you — and good for your future prospects — even if you decide to do something less déclassé, such as teaching or law or business. You don’t realize what a useful skill that is until you’ve spent as much time as I have dealing with people who don’t know what point they’re trying to make, or don’t know how to make the points that they do have. You learn to write what I call “a language approaching English” in a way that normal people can understand. This is a rare skill. You learn to write in the active voice. To keep sentences short and direct. To avoid jargon. And to be clear. It’s a skill that will serve you well, whatever you do with your life. You learn to figure stuff out — or, to use the jargon, to integrate data. You learn to think on your feet. You learn how to interview people, how to engage them, how to figure out what they have to tell you, and how to get them to tell it to you. Most important, you learn to write amazingly quickly — and to space — when the deadline finally comes. I have been putting this off for weeks, because the job that Fortune pays me to do kept getting in the way of my writing this. But when deadline time finally came, I wrote this to space (500 words) in little more than an hour. I hope it doesn’t show. Too much. Born Aug. 15, 1942, spent 15 years as reporter, Washington economics correspondent, and the business editor for The Los Angeles Times; 26 as reporter and editor for The Wall Street Journal; and five as founding editor and CEO of ProPublica, a non-partisan, non-profit, Internet-based investigative newsroom. In 2007, he received SABEW’s Distinguished Achievement Award. One of the most important roles of business journalism is to hold some of the world’s richest and most powerful people to account. It can be a challenging task, because misbehavior in business is often hard to prove and because the offenders often firmly believe that they have done nothing wrong. The line, for example, between judicious tax avoidance and criminal tax evasion is often narrow. Yet it is a crucial missed opportunity – even a dereliction of duty to society – for reporters and editors to shrink from this task. Capitalism has many virtues, if the participants play by the rules. It allocates resources efficiently, creates jobs and wealth, and reduces the risk that workers or money will be wasted. But playing by the rules is much more likely if business leaders know that someone is watching. This came home to me powerfully in the last of my 16 years of editing The Wall Street Journal, 2006-2007. Journal reporters had discovered that there was a high probability that executives at quite a few companies – they initially had identified around 10 – had maneuvered to secretly alter, to “backdate,” the timing of grants of stock options. Options had exploded as a way of compensation, because they allowed favored employees to benefit from the rise in their companies’ stock price without having to put their own money at risk. As most readers of this will know, a stock option confers the right to buy a certain number of shares at a fixed price for a specified period. If the “strike price” is, say, $100 per share, and the price rises to $150, the employee can buy the stock for $100 and sell it for $150 the same day, realizing an instant $50 profit on each share. Some executives in the halcyon years at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st realized tens of millions of dollars, or even hundreds of millions of dollars, in this fashion. Not content with such largesse, some executives and companies began to try to stack the deck. Under options plans approved by shareholders, the strike price was typically tied tightly to the day on which directors approved the option grant. Some companies tried to pick a day when the price was artificially low – such as immediately after a negative news announcement (known to some as “bullet-dodging”) or just before a favorable announcement (“spring loading”). A bit sleazy, but within the letter of the law. The lower the strike price, the greater the chances of ultimate profit . Going even further, other companies falsified the date on which the option was granted, “backdating” the strike price to a figure days or even weeks earlier when the market price of stock was near a monthly or quarterly low. In itself, backdating wasn’t illegal, so long as shareholders were told. Because companies didn’t want to change the shareholder-approved option plan, and because of certain unpleasant tax and accounting issues, they typically failed to make the disclosure and change the plan. In other words, they were lying to their shareholders. Journal reporters couldn’t prove that this was being done. But on March 18, 2006, they produced an extraordinary front-page story, “Perfect Payday.” It identified 10 companies whose pattern of options grants hit so consistently at low price points that, according to rigorous computer analysis, the odds against doing that by chance were better than those against a random $1 bet winning the multi-state Powerball lottery. Initially, all 10 companies denied backdating and attributed the success to luck. Leading business champions took us to task, saying we were making mountains out of technicality molehills. The late Steve Jobs, the brilliant founder of Apple computer, yelled at me over the phone for half an hour, accusing me of “East Coast bias,” even though I had worked in California long enough that two of my four children were born there. But led by a couple of top Journal editors, Daniel Hertzberg and Gary Putka (now both at Bloomberg News), reporters Mark Maremont, James Bandler, Charles Forelle, and Steve Stecklow persevered, producing a dozen follow-up stories during the ensuing six weeks. Soon, directors at companies all around the country were asking, “Do we have a problem?” As they poked into their own records, sometimes with the aid of outside counsel, they found dirty linen that led them to report errant behavior to the authorities, and sometimes oust respected executives. In the end, 130 companies were implicated (including all those in the original story), and 50 top executives or directors resigned or were fired. Was backdating options the worst transgression business executives have ever committed? Hardly. But in an era of mounting inequality, it only seems fair to hold the most favored few to playing by the rules. This work reminded people with great power that someone is watching, and that’s a noble task. Born December 1948. Author of the New York Times bestseller The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust, and a writer for The New York Times since 1989. She previously worked for Barron’s magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Trenton (N.J.) Times. If Sylvia Porter were alive today, she would be twice as old as SABEW. When Editor & Publisher magazine observed in February 1949 that Porter was “the only woman among 10,000 men financial writers,” it was wrong. As early as the 1930s, women financial writers were chipping away at gender barriers at The New York Times, United Press International, the Journal of Commerce and Fortune. Katharine Hamill was hired by Fortune magazine as a research assistant in 1931. But in 1966, when I went off to college with the fixed determination of becoming a journalist, my role models were few. Pauline Fredericks, who was already covering the United Nations for NBC when I was a child, and Nancy Dickerson, who was covering political conventions for NBC when I was in high school, were the only women in journalism prominent enough for my parents to have noticed them. My mother begged me to consider being an English teacher instead. She was certain my career ambitions would deny me a husband and entrenched sexism would deny me a career. To its credit, SABEW never excluded women, but its policy was exceptional. The Society of Professional Journalists, founded in 1909, did not admit women until 1969 – earlier than some other journalism organizations but too late, by a year, to be helpful to me. When I was an editor of my award-winning campus paper in Washington, D.C., in 1968, I was not included when my male colleagues hobnobbed with notable Washington journalists during lunches and dinners. Women reporters were famously confined to the balcony at the National Press Club when newsmakers addressed its male membership over lunch, giving Nan Robertson, one of the pioneering women at The New York Times, the title for her 1992 memoir, “The Girls in the Balcony: Women, Men and The New York Times.” The women escaped from the press club balcony in 1971, but it was not until 1975 that they were admitted to the New York Financial Writers’ Association. It’s different today. Women journalists are working in every sphere, from business news to sports. They have anchored the evening news, moderated presidential debates and reported from war zones. Women are prominent on SABEW’s board and in its annual roster of award winners; its endowed chair at the University of Missouri is held by a formidable woman journalist; and heaven help the man who thinks the women in SABEW can be confined to the balcony anywhere. Behind that achievement lie a lot of lonely years and countless infuriating, belittling insults borne quietly – or not. I have no patience for women of my vintage who blithely insist they never experienced any discrimination in the workplace. Watch a few “Mad Men” episodes, for heaven’s sake! I suspect that every woman journalist my age has a few jaw-clenching stories in their unwritten memoirs. Porter certainly did. An unidentified editor quoted in a Time magazine cover story in 1960 had this withering assessment: “Sylvia’s a non-woman.” The great Carol Loomis fought a fierce battle to be admitted to speeches held at the Economics Club in New York. Jane Bryant Quinn smiled through some dumb, sexist moments. Women journalists of the 1960s and 1970s all knew the bone-deep truth of the feminist calculation: A woman had to be twice as good to go half as far. Then there were the less subtle insults: The editor who wanted to know what method of birth control I was using as a new bride, so he could be sure I wouldn’t get pregnant and quit if he hired me. The groping accountant, whose offer of a lift to the train station became a jujitsu moment. The state legislator who repeatedly tried to kiss my cheek at press conferences. The paycheck that fell far short of what my male colleagues in identical jobs were making. As a well-behaved young lady, I didn’t whine or make a big deal out of these small insults at the time. Indeed, I haven’t thought of them for years. In some ways, they shaped my career for the better. Shut out of the late-night “happy hours” at local bars, where my male colleagues gathered hot tips from off-duty cops and tipsy county commissioners, I turned instead to the mortgage and title records at the county courthouse. That’s when I learned the immensely liberating fact that a document doesn’t care if you’re a man or a woman , and document-based scoops fueled my early career advancement. I still say I never met a document I didn’t like! It is also true that I never met a document that treated me as churlishly as some of the men I had to deal with on a daily basis in those days. So please, don’t expect me to believe there were star-dusted working women who navigated the same professional landscape during those years without ever encountering such behavior. It went with the territory – and the territory, slowly, was changing. Lawsuits filed in the 1970s against Time Inc., The New York Times and Newsweek helped unlock some doors. I landed my first reporting job in 1969 and was the beneficiary of those efforts. By 1982, I was covering Wall Street for The Philadelphia Inquirer. When I got to Barron’s in 1986, there were already a few women on staff. And when I was hired by The Times in 1989, I joined a business news department already occupied by a number of women journalists, including Sarah Bartlett, Claudia Deutsch, Geraldine Fabrikant and Leslie Wayne. It is true that women occupy more desks in business newsrooms today, but they are still scarce on the mastheads at major financial publications. The Times has had 10 top financial editors since 1920, none of them women – although Jill Abramson broke the gender barrier at the top of the Times’ masthead when she became executive editor in 2011. Of course, all this is a perverse reflection of the world we cover, where women CEOs and boardroom directors are still thin on the ground. Hamill, writing in Fortune in 1956, noted that “no woman has yet risen to the upper executive level at a big industrial corporation.” By the magazine’s estimate, there were about 250,000 “real” executives in the country, and fewer than 5,000 of them (2 percent) were women. With women making up more than half of the labor force, the 2012 report by Catalyst shows women filling just more than 14 percent of the executive jobs at Fortune 500 companies, and less than 17 percent of the Fortune 500 boardroom chairs. At that rate, how long will it take for those percentages to get anywhere close to 50 percent? So it is still an unfinished revolution, and too much remains that Porter would find painfully familiar. As SABEW marks its golden anniversary, and as we all mark the centennial of a pioneering woman financial writer, I find myself reflecting on how I owe the smart, brave women – and enlightened, supportive men – who made my career possible. I hope women working in newsrooms today realize how far we’ve come, how hard we all worked to get here and how much further we have to go. Born Oct. 6, 1925. Described as “Man of Many Hats” because of diverse career as journalist, professor, business executive, Navy commander, public servant: Senior officer of four major companies, served on 14 public and private boards of directors; syndicated newspaper columnist; author; speechwriter for President Dwight Eisenhower; professor at four universities for 30 years. Holds five academic degrees and diploma from Oxford. That article indicated that only a handful of newspapers had above-average business and financial sections despite the growing number of Americans who owned shares of American companies either directly or indirectly through pension and profit-sharing funds. Part of the problem can be traced to the lack of objectives: apparently, no decision was made as to whether the section should be edited for the investor-reader, local business, or personal business interests. Meanwhile, some of the business journals, such as Business Week, Fortune, and The Wall Street Journal, flourished. This changed with the growing popularity of television and the Internet, as well as the recession. As for the business sections of newspapers, they have returned to their old status because of the shrinking size of the newspapers, caused by their reduced readership, advertising, and profitability. However, business news and coverage increased on television and through the Internet, and a great number of investment and financial newsletters made their appearance. Business publications that were dependent on advertising suffered, the most notable example being BusinessWeek, which after major financial losses was sold to Bloomberg. For those interested in business writing, there is still a good deal of opportunity. For those who like the ambiance of living in a small city, I believe the key is to concentrate more on local business. Interviews with the CEO of local firms should be a staple. Covering annual stockholders meetings of local business firms should be a must. Running personal business articles, with information gleaned from some of the better personal business newsletters, and supplemented with interviews with local financial planners, brokers and insurance agents, also can create a great deal of reader interest. Business writers in these communities might also consider having a local radio or television program to give reports on local business news or to tackle consumer interest items by interviewing local experts (brokers, bankers, insurance agents, etc.) and use knowledge gained by reading personal finance newsletters. For those on major newspapers, continue to expand your knowledge of business by attending special business seminars or taking courses at local universities. If you have the time and your employer is willing, you might consider going for an MBA or take an executive MBA program. You might also try and concentrate on a special area of business in which you can become a real expert. You might also consider writing a book on an area of business which has not been adequately covered. The key to success as a business journalist in the years ahead is to be flexible. The Internet and television are changing the way the public wants to get financial information and advice. Working for, or creating your own business newsletter, may be an exciting and profitable way to go. Appearing on television with a business news or feature program can be exciting. Utilizing the Internet to present business news and features will also be an exciting possibility. The next few years will bring important changes in how business and financial information will be delivered. What is clear is that there will be a growing need for business writers and editors to provide these growing providers with information. The challenges are there. Be sure to take advantage of them.

2019-04-22T12:17:15Z

https://ahbj.sabew.org/category/essay/page/2/

Date Schedule of Kolkata Theatre Festival Salt Lake 2015, Opening & Closing last date of Kolkata Theatre Festival, Salt Lake 2015, Entry timings of Kolkata Theatre Festival Salt Lake 2015, time schedule of Kolkata Theatre Festival Salt Lake, location of 2015 Kolkata Theatre Festival, address of Kolkata Theatre Festival Salt Lake how to go, Ticket price of Kolkata Theatre Festival, 2015 ticket booking process online of Kolkata Theatre Festival Salt Lake. Due to sudden & unfortunate demise of former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the dates of Kolkata Theatre Festival 2015 has been rescheduled to 3rd August 2015 at Bharatiyam Complex (Salt Lake) at 5pm. EZCC presents biggest Theatre Show in Kolkata with 122 Play will be staged during 33-days long Theatre Festival (Natyo Utsav). • 2015 Kolkata Theatre Festival, Salt Lake Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the starting date & closing (last) date of Kolkata Theatre Festival, Salt Lake now. Kolkata Theatre Festival 2015 will begin on 3rd August 2015 (Monday) and will end on 5th September 2015. • 2015 Kolkata Theatre Festival, Salt Lake Timings: - Let’s check out the opening & closing time of Kolkata Theatre Festival, Salt Lake. Entry timing of Kolkata Theatre Festival is between 9:30am to 9:30pm [Daily]. • Ticket Price of Kolkata Theatre Festival, Salt Lake 2015: - Open to all and Free admission. • 2015 Kolkata Theatre Festival Location / Address: - Bharatiyam Complex, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), IB-201, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata-106. • Phone Contact number of Kolkata Theatre Festival, Salt Lake: - 033-2335-6796. • 2015 Kolkata Theatre Festival, Salt Lake Organizer details: - Kolkata Theatre Festival 2015 is organized by Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), Kolkata. Meet with the Maestros: - People can interact with 50 eminent Theatre Personalities of India in Kolkata Theatre Festival. Seminar at Kolkata Theatre Festival: - The Multiple Streams of Indian Theatre. Exhibition at Kolkata Theatre Festival: - The Journey of Kolkata Theatre. Theatre Haat at Kolkata Theatre Festival: - Traditional Crafts, Masks and Ornaments will be available for purchasing during Kolkata Theatre Festival. Workshop at Kolkata Theatre Festival: - Theatre personnel can learn Body Movements, Acting, Light design, Makeup and Costumes during various workshops at Kolkata Theatre Festival. Let’s check out few names of participating Theatre Groups who will performed (staged) ‘Natok’ (Play) during Kolkata Theatre Festival 2015 – Nandikar, Bohurupee, Nandipat, Padatik, Chetona, Howrah Bratyajon, Theatre Workshop, Rangakarmi, IFTA, Calcutta Puppet Theatre, East Kolkata Cultural Organization, Jadavpur Manthan, Salt Lake Theatre, Khardaha Theatre Zone, Dakshineswar Komal Gandhar, Barasat Kalpik, Candid Theatre, Kolkata Anubhab and many other theater groups. Be a part of Kolkata Theatre Festival 2015. Date Schedule of Ilish Utsav Kolkata 2015, date of Ilish Utsav, Kolkata 2015, Entry timing of Ilish Utsav Kolkata 2015, time schedule of Ilish Utsav Kolkata, location of 2015 Ilish Utsav, address of Ilish Utsav Kolkata how to go, price of Ilish Utsav, 2015 booking process online of Ilish Utsav Kolkata. West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (WBTDC) is going to organize Ilish Utsav on 16th August 2015. It's not like other Hilsa Festivals organized here & there, because WBTDC Ilish Utsav is going to give you delicious Lunch alongside mind-blowing Cruise on Hooghly River. • 2015 Ilish Utsav, Kolkata Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the date of Ilish Utsav, Kolkata now. Ilish Utsav is on 16th August 2015 (Sunday). • 2015 Ilish Utsav, Kolkata Timings: - Let’s check out the time of Ilish Utsav, Kolkata. Ilish Utsav in Kolkata by WBTDC is a day long program with Ganga River Cruise. So, people should come latest by 10:45am at Babughat. The Ilish Utsav Cruise will leave Babughat at 11am. • Ticket Price of Ilish Utsav, Kolkata 2015: - Ilish Utsav, Kolkata ticket price is only Rs.1500/- [inclusive all Taxes] per head for River Cruise & Treat. • How to book ticket of Ilish Utsav, Kolkata: - Let’s check out Ticket booking process, where to contact for seat (ticket) booking in Kolkata and Online Ticket booking procedure for upcoming Ilish Utsav in Kolkata – Those who want to buy tickets of Ilish Utsav, Kolkata are advised to contact Kolkata Tourism Office [Address: - WBTDC Tourism Centre, 3/2 BBD Bag, Kolkata-1]. You may also purchase tickets though Online Booking process at www.wbtourism.gov.in and www.wbtdc.gov.in website. • 2015 Ilish Utsav Location / Address: - The whole event of Ilish Utsav will happen on Hooghly River Cruise. People having tickets of Ilish Utsav are requested to come at Babughat (Kolkata) where from the Cruise will leave at 11am. • Phone Contact number of Ilish Utsav Organizer: - 033-2248-8271 / 033-2243-6440. • 2015 Ilish Utsav, Kolkata Organizer details: - Ilish Utsav of Kolkata is organized by West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (WBTDC) under the Department of Tourism (Government of West Bengal). It’s an initiative by Govt. of West Bengal. • 2015 Ilish Utsav, Kolkata details: - West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (WBTDC) [Government of West Bengal, Tourism Department] presents Ilish Utsav in Kolkata on 16th August 2015. This Ilish Utsav is going to be organized on the Cruise of WBTDC and not in any Hotel or Restaurant. So, an exciting River Cruise with variety of mouth watering Ilish Dishes in your lunch is waiting for you. Overall, it will be an unforgettable experience because of relaxing trip over Hooghly River with delightful Ilish dishes. Limited Seats are available. Please book your ticket for Ilish Utsav as soon as possible. Ilish to Relish, A Cruise to Cherish - Come Be a part of Ilish Utsav of Kolkata. Date Schedule of Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) Kolkata 2015, Opening & Closing last date of Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF), Kolkata 2015, Entry timings of Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) Kolkata 2015, opening & closing time schedule of Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) Kolkata, location of 2015 Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF), address of Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) Kolkata, Ticket price of Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF). India’s biggest Travel Show is back like every previous year at Netaji Indoor Stadium & Khudiram Anushilan Kendra only for 3-days (31st July, 1st Aug & 2nd August 2015) showcasing Domestic & International Tourism & Travel business opportunities. • 2015 Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF), Kolkata Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the starting date & closing (last) date of Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF), Kolkata now. Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) is a 3-day long Tourism Fair in Kolkata, starting on & from 31st July 2015 and ending on 2nd August 2015. 31st July 2015 (Friday) – Only entry for Travel Trade between 11:30am & 7pm. 1st August 2015 (Saturday) – Travel Trade entry (10:30am to 2pm) and General (Open for All) entry (2pm to 7pm). 2nd August 2015 (Sunday) – Open for all (General) entry timing (10:30am to 7pm). • Entry Ticket Price of Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF), Kolkata 2015: - Trade entry fee is Rs.50/- and General entry ticket price is only Rs.30/- per person. • 2015 Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) Location / Address: - Netaji Indoor Stadium & Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, Kolkata. • 2015 Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF), Kolkata details: - If you are in Travel Business, then do not miss India’s biggest Travel Show i.e., Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF), where Domestic & International tour operators, travel agents and Government Tourism taking part to showcase their upcoming economical / budget / luxurious packages along with exclusive offers & discounts on spot booking. Date Schedule of Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival) Kolkata 2015, Opening & Closing last date of Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival), Kolkata 2015, Entry timings of Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival) Kolkata 2015, opening & closing time schedule of Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival) Kolkata, location of 2015 Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival), address of Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival) Kolkata how to go, Ticket price of Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival), 2015 ticket booking process online of Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival) Kolkata. Purba Paschim is organizing Bengali Theatre Festival in Kolkata from 28th July 2015 – total of seven Bengali Natok will be staged during this Bangla Natok Utsav. Let’s check out in details below. • Entry Ticket of Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival), Kolkata 2015: - Tickets will be available at Rabindra Sadan from 23rd July 2015 and at Academy from 26th July 2015. You may also Book your seats by purchasing (buy) tickets online from www.indianstage.in website. • 2015 Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival) Location / Address: - Bengali Theatres will be performed at Rabindra Sadan, Academy & Sishir Mancha of Kolkata on various dates as per below mentioned schedule. • Phone Contact number of Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival), Kolkata: - 9830783356 / 8017476290. • 2015 Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival), Kolkata Organizer details: - It’s an initiative of Purba Paschim Natya Academy, Kolkata. 28th July 2015 at 6pm at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata: - Inauguration of Purba Paschim Natyotsav (Theatre Festival) by Shri Keshari Nath Tripathy (Honorable Governor of West Bengal) in the presence of Sri Bratya Basu, Sri Bibhas Chakraborty, Sri Ashoke Mukhopadhayay. Later, Ramaprasad Banik Memorial Award will be given to Sri Chandan Sen. At last, Bengali Theatre (Natok / Play) - Charandas Chor by BA, Assam [Director: Anup Hazarika]. 29th July 2015 at 6pm at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata: - Bangla Natok (Bengali Theatre / Play) - Fagun Rater Gappo by Rabindra Bharati Theatre Repertory [Direction: Tarun Pradhan]. 30th July 2015 at 6:30pm at Sisir Mancha, Kolkata: - At first, Centenary Tribute to Sambhu Mitra and then 'Tomare Smaran Kari Rupakar' by Bahurupee [Direction: Tulika Das]. 1st August 2015 at 3pm at Academy, Kolkata: - Bengali Theatre (Bangla Natok / Play) - Raktakarbi by Prangonemor, Bangladesh [Direction: Nuna Afroz]. 1st August 2015 at 6:30pm at Academy, Kolkata: - Bengali Play (Theatre / Natok) - Chhayapath by Rang Roop [Direction: Sima Mukhopadhaya]. 2nd August 2015 at 3pm at Academy, Kolkata: - Bangla Natok (Bengali Play / Theatre) - Harpaban by Purba Paschim [Script: Arup Shankar Moitra & Direction: Soumitra Mitra]. 2nd August 2015 at 6:30pm at Academy, Kolkata: - Bengali Theatre (Bangla Play / Natok) - Hasuli Banker Upakatha by Purba Paschim (A novel by Tarashankar Bandopadhayay) [Script & Direction: Koushik Kar]. For further details please visit www.purbapaschim.net official website of Purba Paschim Natyo Academy of Kolkata. Date Schedule of Australian Education Exhibition Kolkata 2015, date of Australian Education Exhibition, Kolkata 2015, Entry timings of Australian Education Exhibition Kolkata 2015, address / location of 2015 Australian Education Exhibition, entry ticket price of Australian Education Exhibition, Kolkata. Here is the chance to explore Australian Universities and courses offered there at Australia seating in Kolkata. Yes, Australian Education Exhibition in Kolkata gives you all the opportunity to discuss courses, scholarships, admission process, future career scope and many other queries directly from the Australian University executives on 7th August 2015. • 2015 Australian Education Exhibition, Kolkata Date Schedule: - Australian Education Exhibition in Kolkata will be held on 7th August 2015. • 2015 Australian Education Exhibition, Kolkata Timings: - Let’s check out the opening & closing time of Australian Education Exhibition, Kolkata. The exhibition will start at 12-noon and will end at 5pm. • 2015 Australian Education Exhibition Location / Address: - Hotel The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata. • Phone Contact number of Australian Education Exhibition, Kolkata: - 033-4006-1112 / 033-3053-2020. • 2015 Australian Education Exhibition, Kolkata Organizer details: - Australian Education Exhibition in Kolkata is organized by Global Reach (www.globalreach.in), Australia Future Unlimited, eVisa, Media Partner you and many others. • 2015 Australian Education Exhibition, Kolkata details: - Australian Education Exhibition, Kolkata is the place where people can explore various courses & career prospects of Universities & Institutions of Australia under one roof. Let’s check out few names of Institutions & Universities of Australia participating in Australian Education Exhibition 2015 Kolkata – Bond University, CQ University, Curtin University, Macquarie University, Queensland University of Technology, Study Group, The University of Melbourne, Navitas Group, UNSW, University of Canberra, University of Tasmania, University of Technology Sydney and many others. Students can enroll themselves (apply) for February, 2016 batch. Students will get support to get Student VISA and Post-Study Work for Degree students. Students will have the opportunity to discuss career plans directly with leading Australian Universities. Students will get answers of all queries on Courses, Scholarships, Admission & career prospects. Admission Application Fees waiver scheme is also available on booking. Students will get Free IELTS Guidance. Those students or parents interested in visiting Australian Education Exhibition 2015 in Kolkata are requested to register themselves for Pre Screening (suggested). To Register please call 9836483131 / 9831058809 / 033-2358-4093 numbers –or- contact Kolkata City Office (2W, The Millennium, 235/2A AJC Bose Road, Kolkata-20) –or- contact Salt Lake Office (D205, City Centre, Salt Lake, Kolkata-64). Please bring all academic credentials in original and a set of photocopy for application. National Safety Science Quiz (NSSQ) 2015 registration / application process, criteria eligibility requirement for participation in NSSQ 2015. NSSQ (National Safety Science Quiz) is back and the participation process is going on. NSSQ is the nationwide Quiz Competition organized by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) in association with Underwriter Laboratories (UL) where Indian School Students can only participate. National Safety Science Quiz (NSSQ) for school students will be organized during August to October 2015 and the registration process for participation will end on 31st July 2015. Interested students are advised to visit www.vismuseum.gov.in website to complete Online Registration Process which will close on 31st July 2015. Who can participate in NSSQ 2015? Minimum eligibility criteria for participation in NSSQ 2015 and for other details please visit www.ulnssq.org website or call +91-8022866200 / +91-80-2204-0233 phone numbers. Participate & Win prizes and be the next National Safety Science Champion. Uttam Chalachitra Utsav Date Schedule of Uttam Kumar Film Festival Nandan, Kolkata 2015, Opening & Closing last date of Uttam Kumar Film Festival, Nandan, Kolkata 2015, timings of Uttam Kumar Film Festival Nandan, Kolkata 2015, opening & closing time schedule of Uttam Kumar Film Festival Nandan, Kolkata, location of 2015 Uttam Kumar Film Festival, Ticket price of Uttam Kumar Film Festival, 2015 ticket booking process online of Uttam Kumar Film Festival Nandan, Kolkata Uttam Chalachitra Utsav & Uttam Kalaratna Awards. Shilpi Sansad has organized 1-week long Uttam Film Festival (Uttam Chalachitra Utsav) at Nandan on & from 24th July 2015. Total of 14 Bengali Cinemas of Mahanayak Uttam Kumar will be screened during 2015 Uttam Chalachitra Utsav at Nandan, Kolkata. Let’s check out what are Bengali movies will be shown, ticket price and movie timings of Uttam Film Festival 2015. • 2015 Uttam Kumar Film Festival, Nandan, Kolkata Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the starting date & closing (last) date of Uttam Kumar Film Festival, Nandan, Kolkata now. Uttam Chalachitra Utsav starts on 24th July 2015 and is going to end on 30th July 2015. 24th July 2015 – Chiriakhana (3pm) and Harano Sur (6pm). 25th July 2015 – Basu Pariwar (3pm) and Sanyasi Raja (6pm). 26th July 2015 – Rajkanya (3pm) and Deya Neya (6pm). 27th July 2015 – Sare Chuattar (3pm) and Mon Niye (6pm). 28th July 2015 – Sei Chokh (3pm) and Dui Bhai (6pm). 29th July 2015 – Rajbansha (3pm) and Ami Se O Sakha (6pm). 30th July 2015 – Shyamali (3pm) and Saptapadi (6pm). • Ticket Price of Uttam Kumar Film Festival, Nandan, Kolkata 2015: - Rs.30/-, Rs.40/-, Rs.50/- these are three types of tickets are available at Nandan Ticket Counter from 18th July 2015 between 1pm & 7pm. Kolkata Children’s Competition 2015 details, Sri Aurobindo Bhavan Kolkata address & phone contact number, Children’s Competition 2015 by Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata details, How to register participate enroll names in Children’s Competition 2015 by Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata. Kolkata's Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, under Sri Aurobindo Sakti Centre Trust, is going to organize Children's Competition 2015 in Kolkata from 25th July 2015 to 6th September 2015. Under 16 years of age, all children’s may enroll / register their names for participation in upcoming Children's Competition 2015 organized by Sri Aurobindo Bhavan of Kolkata. Let's check out how to enroll / register / participate in Children's Competition 2015, What are the sections / parts / events going to happen in Children's Competition 2015 and what are the requirement to participate in Kolkata's Children's Competition 2015. • Date Schedule of Children’s Competition 2015 by Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata – From 25th July 2015 to 6th September 2015. • Venue / Location of Children’s Competition 2015 by Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata – It will be hold at Bhavan campus in Kolkata (Address mentioned below). • Who can participate / compete in Children’s Competition 2015 by Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata? Any child up to 16 years of Age can participate in Children’s Competition 2015 by Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata. • What are the events available in Children’s Competition 2015 by Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata – Children can participate in single or multiple events that are available. Let’s check out on which events / departments the Competition will be hold – Story Telling, Elocution, Recitation, Essay Competition, Sit & Draw Competition, Quiz Competition, Rabindrasangeet, Nazrulgeeti, Atulprosad songs, Rajanikanta songs, Dwijendrageeti, Dilip Roy, Kathak Dance Competition, Odissi Nritya competition and Bharatnatyam dance competition. Sri Aurobindo Bhavan Kolkata Office, 8 Shakespeare Sarani Road, Kolkata-71. For further details on Children's Competition 2015 in Kolkata by Sri Aurobindo Bhavan please call 033-2282-3057 phone number or visit www.sriaurobindobhavankolkata.org website. Sri Aurobindo Bhavan of Kolkata does provide regular classes on Sanskrit Language, Multimedia, Karate, Yoga, Gym, Recitation, Drawing & Painting, Rabindrasangeet and Other Sons, Bharatnatyam & Kathak Dance at their Bhavan. Interested parents can contact Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata for admissions of their Child. Date Schedule of Tourist Spot Kolkata 2015, Opening & Closing last date of Tourist Spot, Kolkata 2015, Entry timings of Tourist Spot Kolkata 2015, opening & closing time schedule of Tourist Spot Kolkata, location of 2015 Tourist Spot, address of Tourist Spot Kolkata how to go, Ticket price of Tourist Spot, 2015 ticket booking process online of Tourist Spot Kolkata. 2015 Puja Vacations are coming in 2 months time. Puja vacations are the time when people love to go out with their families. Keeping this in mind, Anandabazar Patrika comes up with 3-day long Tourist Spot Event at Swabhumi (Kolkata) from 10th July to 12th July 2015. In this event, people will get the opportunity to explore known & unknown tourist places nearby. • 2015 Tourist Spot, Kolkata Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the starting date & closing (last) date of Tourist Spot, Kolkata now. Tourist Spot Event in Kolkata is going to held for only 3-Days (10th, 11th & 12th July 2015). • 2015 Tourist Spot, Kolkata Timings: - Let’s check out the opening & closing time of Tourist Spot, Kolkata. Entry gates will remain open from 11am to 8pm for the people visiting Tourist Spot, Kolkata Event. • Entry Ticket Price of Tourist Spot, Kolkata 2015: - Entry ticket (fee) is only Rs.5/-. • 2015 Tourist Spot Event Location / Address: - Rangmanch, Swabhumi, Kolkata. • Phone Contact number of Tourist Spot, Kolkata: - Tour Operators & Travel Agencies may contact at 9830019708 / 9830034359 / 9038777877 with queries regarding Stall Booking at Tourist Spot Event of Kolkata. • 2015 Tourist Spot Event, Kolkata details: - Just before peak season of travelling i.e., Durga Puja Holiday time, Anandabazar Patrika (ABP Group) is going to organize Tourist Spot Event at Swabhumi, Kolkata to provide each & every information of various tourist places in West Bengal, India and abroad. We all love going out with friends or family for a short or long trip every year. But, it’s not possible to know hidden places that not been accessed frequently by tourists; keeping this in mind, Tourist Spot Event of Kolkata will provide information of all known & unknown tourist places. It’s an obvious event to visit to all tour lovers. Apart from getting, information of all known & unknown tourist spots of Bengal, India and abroad; you all will get answers regarding Ticket Booking, Hotel Booking etc. Studio21 presents ‘Outside the Box’, which is an exhibition of new video works by Paul Holmes, in Kolkata till 3rd July 2015. • Outside the Box, Studio21, Kolkata Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the starting date & closing (last) date of Outside the Box, Studio21, Kolkata now. This exhibition of new video works by Paul Holmes in Kolkata is going on at Studio 21 and will end on 3rd July 2015. • 2015 Outside the Box, Studio21, Kolkata Timings: - Let’s check out the opening & closing time of Outside the Box, Studio21, Kolkata. Monday (3pm – 7pm), Tuesday to Saturday (11am – 7pm) and Sundays & Holidays Closed. • Entry Ticket Price of Outside the Box, Studio21, Kolkata 2015: - Free entry for all to explore the new video works by Paul Holmes. • Studio21, Kolkata Location / Address: - This exhibition is going on at Studio 21, 17L, Dover Terrace, Kolkata-19. • Phone Contact number of Studio21, Kolkata: - 033-2486-6735. • Outside the Box, Studio21, Kolkata details: - This is an initiative by CIMA Gallery to exhibit latest (new) video works by Paul Holmes in Kolkata at Studio21 Gallery till 3rd July 2015. Please email at [email protected] for further details. Date Schedule of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design Kolkata 2015, Opening & Closing last date of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, Kolkata 2015, Entry timings of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design Kolkata 2015, opening & closing time schedule of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design Kolkata, location of 2015 Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, address of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design Kolkata how to go, Ticket price of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, 2015 entry process online of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design Kolkata. People want to make career in Media Communication & Design [Fashion, Advertising, Film-making, VFX, Photography, RJ, DJ, Web Designing, etc.] and those who want to get more knowledge in several streams of Media Communication will get a chance of a lifetime to explore everything about Media Communication & Design for FREE at the India’s Biggest Education Festival & Exhibition in Kolkata held only for 2-days. • 2015 Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, Kolkata Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the starting date & closing (last) date of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, Kolkata now. 2-Days Edutainment Show in Kolkata starts on 30th May 2015 and will end on 31st May 2015. • 2015 Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, Kolkata Timings: - Let’s check out the opening & closing time of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, Kolkata. Interested people are requested to explore The Edutainment Show of Kolkata between 10am & 8pm. • Entry Fee of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, Kolkata 2015: - Free Entry for all. • 2015 Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design Location / Address: - The Edutainment Show is organized at Park Hotel, Kolkata. • Phone Contact number of Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, Kolkata: - For any query & registration purpose please call +91-77188-76482 / +91-70593-16395. • 2015 Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, Kolkata Organizer details: -Initiative by Event Capital in association with The Telegraph (Media Partner), SinGem (Skill Partner), along with several others. • 2015 Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design, Kolkata in Details: - India’s biggest Education Festival & Exhibition on Media Communication & Design i.e., The Edutainment Show 2015 is going to be organized at Park Hotel in Kolkata on 30th & 31st May 2015 [10am to 8pm] in association with The Telegraph, Amity University, NIFT and other leading names in Media Communication & Designing industry. The Edutainment Show of Kolkata is the place where people can explore specific streams on Media Communication & Design along with could hear from the world famous speakers as well. People visiting The Edutainment Show in Kolkata; will get to know career benefits on – Fashion Design, Films, Journalism, PR, Advertising, Music, Radio, Digital, Performing Arts, Graphic Design, Gaming, Animation, VFX, Photography, Disc Jockeying and Web Designing. World famous names like Suhel Seth (Writer, Author & Actor), Prahlad Kakar (Advertising Guru), Boria Majumdar (Author & Sports Historian), Arindam Sil (Filmmaker), RJ Jimmy & DJ Aakash will share valuable tips. Above all, through this Edutainment Show in Kolkata the FTV School Of Design will be launched. Be a part of it. For further details please visit www.mediadesignedu.com. Date Schedule of Tourism Fair Kolkata 2015, Opening & Closing last date of Tourism Fair, Kolkata 2015, Entry timings of Tourism Fair Kolkata 2015, opening & closing time schedule of Tourism Fair Kolkata, location of 2015 Tourism Fair, address of Tourism Fair Kolkata how to go, Ticket price of Tourism Fair, 2015 ticket booking process online of Tourism Fair Kolkata. 15th edition of Tourism Fair in Kolkata is going to be organized at Kshudiram Anusilan Kendra on the first week of June, 2015. Like every previous years, people will get to explore tourist spots of various states in India and outside along with best package rates. Let’s check out few details of 2015 Tourism Fair, Kolkata. • 2015 Tourism Fair, Kolkata Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the starting date & closing (last) date of Tourism Fair, Kolkata now. Tourism Fair is going to start on & from 5th June 2015 and will end on 7th June 2015. You will have only 3 days to explore various tour packages of best tour operators. • 2015 Tourism Fair, Kolkata Timings: - Let’s check out the opening & closing time of Tourism Fair, Kolkata. Every day between 11am & 8pm Tourism Fair will remain open for all. • Entry Ticket Price of Tourism Fair, Kolkata 2015: - Free entry for all. • 2015 Tourism Fair Location / Address: - Kshudiram Anusilan Kendro, Beside Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata. • Phone Contact number of Tourism Fair, Kolkata: - 033-2237-6678 / 033-2225-9212 / 033-2225-5266 – phone contact numbers of the organizer Blue Eye India Pvt. Ltd. • 2015 Tourism Fair, Kolkata Organizer details: - Blue Eye India Pvt. Ltd. organizes Tourism Fair 2015 in Kolkata in association with Association of Tourism Service Providers of Bengal. • 2015 Tourism Fair, Kolkata Features & Availabilities: - Government tour operators and Private tour operators will showcase their various tour packages in India and abroad under one roof at Tourism Fair, Kolkata. People will have the opportunity to check various tourist places & packages of different tour operators to select best one. Those people planning a vacation in coming months specially during Durga Puja Holidays; should explore Tourism Fair of Kolkata to know pocket friendly best luxurious or budget tours. Date Schedule of Color Pearls Festival of Chandrani Pearls 2015, Opening & Closing last date of Color Pearls Festival, of Chandrani Pearls 2015, Entry timings of Color Pearls Festival of Chandrani Pearls 2015, opening & closing time schedule of Color Pearls Festival of Chandrani Pearls, location of 2015 Color Pearls Festival, Kolkata address of Color Pearls Festival of Chandrani Pearls how to go, price of Color Pearls Festival, 2015 Color Pearls Festival of Chandrani Pearls. Chandrani Pearls comes up with Color Pearls Festival in India during this summer. In this, Color Pearls Festival jewelry lovers will get to see & buy latest designed Pearl jewelries at cheap price. Let’s check out few details of Color Pearls Festival organized by Chandrani Pearls in India. 2015 Color Pearls Festival of Chandrani Pearls Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the starting date & closings (last) date of Color Pearls Festival of Chandrani Pearls now. Color Pearls Festival by Chandrani Pearls jewelry shop starts on & from 8th May 2015 and will end on 19th May 2015. 2015 Color Pearls Festival, Of Chandrani Pearls Features & Availabilities: - Chandrani Pearls is a well known name in Jewelry Shoppes since 1985. It’s only deals with Pearl Jewelries all over India. Between 8th May & 19th May 2015, Chandrani Pearls is organizing Color Pearls Festival to showcase latest designs using colorful pearls. In this Color Pearls Festival 2015, people will get to see various types of Pearl Jewelries like Necklace, Bangles, Ear rings, Rings, Pendent etc. and these collection of pearl jewelries of Chandrani Pearls price starting from Rs.370/- to Rs.8000/- & above. People will also get an assured gifts from Chandrani Pearls if they purchase of Rs.1500/- & above or Rs.2500/- & above or Rs.4000/- & above during this Color Pearls Festival 2015. Color Pearls Festival of Chandrani Pearls is organized at all Chandrani Pearl Showrooms located at Kolkata [Minto Park, Baguiati, Barasat, Barrackpore, Baruipur, Behala, Bhowanipur, Birati, Bowbazar, Dunlop, Garia, Golpark, Dumdum Gorabazar, Jadavpur, Lake Mall, Lake Town, Madhyamgram, Mahamayatala, Dum Dum Nagerbazar, New Market, New Town, Phoolbagan, Salt Lake, Shyambazar, Sodepur, Tollygunge], Chandannagar, Chinsurah, Howrah, Sreerampore, Uttarpara, Asansol, Burdwam Durgapur, Berhampore, Jalpaiguri, Krishnanagar, Malda, Siliguri, Raniganj, Suri, Medinipur, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Guwahati, Jorhat, Lajpatnagar, Noida, Ghaziabad, Pitampura, Kanpur, Bangalore. Color Pearls Festival is being organized at all Chandrani Pearls Showrooms of Kolkata, Bengal and rest of India between 8th May & 19th May 2015. For further details on Color Pearls Festival of Chandrani Pearls please email your queries to [email protected] or SMS ‘CPEARLS’ to ‘56677’ number. If you want to see Pearl Jewelry Collection of Chandrani Pearls or want to buy jewelries of Chandrani Pearls online; then please visit www.chandranipearls.net website. Senco Gold & Diamonds Jewelry Showroom has come up with huge collection of latest designed Gold & Diamond Bangles on the occasion of Nababarsa 1422 & Akshay Tritiya. From 10th April 2015 to 22nd April 2015, Senco Gold & Diamonds is celebrating Bangle Utsav at all 70 showrooms in India. • 2015 Bangle Utsav, Senco Gold & Diamonds Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the starting date & closing (last) date of Bangle Utsav, Senco Gold & Diamonds now. Special offers & discounts during Bangle Utsav are available till 22nd April 2015 from 10th April 2015. • 2015 Bangle Utsav, Senco Gold & Diamonds Timings: - Let’s check out the opening & closing time of Bangle Utsav, Senco Gold & Diamonds. Normally, Senco Gold & Diamonds jewelry shop remains closed on Sundays; but on 19th April 2015 all showrooms of Senco Gold & Diamonds will remain open because of Bangle Utsav. • 2015 Bangle Utsav Location / Address: - People will get the discounts & offers not in a particular showroom, but in all showrooms of Senco Gold & Diamonds in Kolkata, West Bengal Bihar, Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal & Luckhnow during Bangle Utsav. Please check www.sencogoldanddiamonds.com website for your nearest Senco Gold & Diamond showroom. • Phone Contact number of Bangle Utsav, Senco Gold & Diamonds: - Since, Bangle Utsav offers & discounts are available at all branch showrooms of Senco Gold & Diamond Jewellery shop in Kolkata; thus giving you all the Toll Free Helpline number 1800-120-0017. 9% to 14% discount on Making Charge of Jewelries. Get 100% value on Diamond Jewelry exchange. Get the facility of Computerized Gold Testing on old Gold exchange. Get same amount of Silver on purchase of Gold. Exclusively designed & trendy Gold & Diamond Bangle collection – Diamond Noa, Diamond Churi, Bracelet Pola, Leaf Noa, Overlap Noa, Zig Zag Noa, Choko Bala, Feather Weight Churi, Light Naksa Bala, Light Bracelet Chur, Overlap Flower Naksha Bala, Rajanigandha Bala, Katai Chur, Kunri Kangan, Bracelet, Chakra Bala, Dhol Kangan, Agni Chur, Flora Chur, Royal Kangan Chur, Padma Kankan etc. Don’t miss out the opportunity to explore uniquely designed fashionable Diamond & Gold Bangles at your nearest Senco Gold & Diamonds Showroom during this Bangle Utsav 2015. Unjsons presents Moods n Melody musical program in Kolkata in association with Meera Audio & Recording Studio Co. on 4th April 2015. Let’s check out upcoming musical event in Kolkata i.e., Moods n Melody 2015 details below. • 2015 Moods n Melody, Kolkata Date Schedule: - 4th April 2015 (Saturday). • 2015 Moods n Melody, Kolkata Timings: - Musical show will start at 5.30pm in evening. • Entry Ticket Price of Moods n Melody, Kolkata 2015: - Tickets are available at various centers as follows – The Melody (Rashbehari Avenue), Modern Music (Sealdah Sisir Market), Sree Guru (Shyambazar), and Commiun Electronics (Menton Super Market, Behala). Apart from these ticket collection centers in Kolkata; Tickets will also be available at Kalamandir on & from 1st April 2015. • 2015 Moods n Melody Location / Address: - Kalamandir, Kolkata. • 2015 Moods n Melody, Kolkata Organizer details: - UNJSONS present Moods n Melody musical event in Kolkata in association with Meera Audio & Recording Studio Co. This event is managed by Wide Angle, supported by UD Entertainment Pvt. Ltd along with News Channel partner Focus Bangla and others. • 2015 Moods n Melody, Kolkata details: - Moods n Melody musical event is on 4th April 2015 at Kalamandir Auditorium (Kolkata) where eminent artists like Shilajit, Joy Sarkar, Saptak, Pankaj, Sanchari (Mumbai) and RJ Kaushik will be performing live. Please collect tickets now and please be seated by 5.15pm. Remember, children below 5 years are not allowed and also foods & drinks are not allowed inside. North Kolkata’s biggest Chaitra Sale is going on at Sinthi More in the name of Handloom & Handicraft Expo 2015 like previous year. Let’s check out few details of Handloom & Handicraft Expo 2015 below. • 2015 Handloom & Handicraft Expo, Sinthi More, Kolkata Date Schedule: - Let’s check out the starting date & closing (last) date of Handloom & Handicraft Expo, Sinthi More, Kolkata now. This mela (fair) started on 20th March 2015 and will end on 22nd April 2015. It means, North Kolkata’s biggest Chaitra Sale i.e., Handloom & Handicraft Expo 2015 is open for one month. • 2015 Handloom & Handicraft Expo, Sinthi More, Kolkata Timings: - Let’s check out the opening & closing time of Handloom & Handicraft Expo, Sinthi More, Kolkata. Entry gate opens at 4.30pm & closes at 9.30pm every day. • Entry Ticket Price of Handloom & Handicraft Expo, Sinthi More, Kolkata 2015: - Rs.10/- per person. • 2015 Handloom & Handicraft Expo Location / Address: - Sinthi More Circus Maidan, Beside B.T. Road and Behind Sinthi-Baranagar Auto Stand, North Kolkata. • 2015 Handloom & Handicraft Expo, Sinthi More, Kolkata Features & Availability: - Like every previous years, just before Bengali New Year biggest Chaitra Sale has been started at Sinthi More Circus Ground beside B.T. Road in North Kolkata. Handloom & Handicraft Expo (Fair) at Sinthi More has every product of daily need at cheap price. Starting from Fashion accessories, Bags, Clothing, Home decorative, Electronics and many more things are available here in this 2015 Chaitra Sale Mela, North Kolkata. Sellers from different states of India have participated with their trendy fashionable products. People could explore huge stock of latest trendy Clothes (Kurta, Tops, Jeans, Nightwear, Pants, Shirts etc.), Fashion accessories (Earring, ring, necklaces & other costume jewelry etc.), Bags & Wallets, Bed cover, Bed sheets, Home decorative products (Artificial flowers, antique showpieces etc.), Electronic products (AC, Fan, Air Coolers without Water etc.), Footwear at different stalls inside Handloom & Handicraft Expo 2015, Sinthi More. Jaipuri style latest kurti, Punjabi style decorative footwear, Khadi Saree, and many more things that will surely make you buy. For children, separate Kids zone is there along with so many food stalls. So many people from nearby areas (like Chiria More, Paikpara, Cossipore, Baranagar, Tobin Road, Alambazar, Dunlop, Dakshineswar, Ariadaha, Belgharia) visit Sinthi More Handloom & Handicraft Mela 2015. If you are thinking to take your 2-wheeler or 4-wheeler; then no issue; because ample Car Parking area is there as well against a nominal expense of Rs.10/- for Bike or Car Parking. A visit to biggest Chaitra Sale 2015 in Kolkata i.e., Handloom & Handicraft Expo is must for all.

2019-04-24T18:57:36Z

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Trek to Cho Oyu, the world's sixth highest & most accessible 8000 metre/26,200 foot peaks. Drive to basecamp experiencing the unique culture of the Tibetan plateau. Witness a Cho Oyu climbing expedition firsthand. Walk to ABC near the historic Nangpa La, great high altitude trekking on good snow-free trails. Add an exotic and historical trip to the ancient Tibetan city of Lhasa. Leadership: Leaders Dani Fuller & 5 time Cho Oyu summiter Dan Mazur, over 20 years experience leading treks in Tibet. Dates: 30 August to 16 September 2019 or 5 April to 22 April 20. 18 days in Tibet and Nepal. Optional trip to Lhasa, add $2450. Please click the logo for payment options including credit card, cheque, bank transfer, etcetera. Please view our new Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek video clips. Recent News: Our recent Cho Oyu Expedition has just returned from the mountains and the trip was a huge success. Click here to read news of our expedition, listen to audio dispatches, and view recent photos of the trek and climb. Please also visit our "Archived News" for more stories of past trips. Please click one of the links below to view that section of our introductory information or just scroll down (photo right: Cho Oyu at sunset). Introduction: Cho-Oyu at 8201 metres/26,906 feet has only recently become a popular mountain to climb. Our trek to the base of the world's sixth highest mountain allows you to enjoy the incredible beauty of the Tibetan Plateau, and walk to a very high altitude on good snow-free trails providing stunning views of Cho Oyu and Everest (photo right by Samuli Mansikka: Team members trekking down to basecamp after a successful season). The trek takes place during the autumn climbing season. You will have a chance to sample expedition life and check out the basecamps of teams from around the world. You travel at a very careful pace without having to carry a heavy rucksack, while enjoying freshly prepared meals and lots of hot drinks, all important for acclimatization. The logistics are all taken care of, so just relax and enjoy the pure and pristine environment of the high Himalaya. Leader and staff: In Kathmandu, on the drive across Tibet to basecamp, during the trek and in Chinese Base and ABC, our experienced staff is with you all of the way. Our skillful cooks prepare delicious, fresh, tasty food and hot drinks at least 3 times a day. On trek: Your guide, together with friendly and helpful sherpas, cooks and local people leading yak caravans carry all of your personal equipment, group equipment, and set up camp each day, prepare and serve delicious meals, so you can relax and enjoy the trip. You do not need to carry a heavy rucksack during the trek. Our comfortable basecamp and ABC: We have comfortable, heated dining tents with tables and chairs where our cooks and waiters will serve you delicious meals (photo above right by Tunc Findik: One of our team members taking a short hike above Chinese basecamp. On our rest days along the trek, we will have plenty of time to trek and explore the surrounding Tibetan plateau and get spectacular views of the Himalaya all around us). Cho Oyu National Park: The park is situated among rolling, vast green (in May, June and September) short-grass and boulder strewn valleys leading up to the basecamp. The environment is beautiful and stark, inhabited with wild birds and animals. Upon arriving in basecamp by vehicle, you trek towards the mountain, where the vegetation changes to become more alpine and rocky, with Cho Oyu and many smaller unclimbed peaks looming upwards above you. Plants in the park range from spruce, pine, a wide variety of evergreen trees, as well as coldbelt grasslands. Many precious animals inhabit Tibet, such as antelope, deer, fox, gazelles, yaks, and many species of birds (Photo right by Jon Otto: Tibetan gazelles abound in the grassy valleys around basecamp). Lhasa option: If you wish to add on a tour of the ancient city of Lhasa before arriving at basecamp, this is easily arranged so please let us know. Most people will prefer to fly to Kathmandu first to take advantage of the excellent equipment shopping there, then fly to Lhasa. The price includes a spectacular flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa over the Mount Everest massif. Some people prefer to fly to Lhasa from another city in China and we can also assist you with these arrangements. Trek to advanced basecamp: A beautiful trek to the base of the 6th highest peak in the world. This trek is very accomplishable by the average person who enjoys walking. Normally, you never step on snow and there is no climbing, only walking on moraine trails. There are gorgeous views of stunning mountains in the area, including Jobo-Rabzang, and many unclimbed and unnamed 6000 metre peaks. The trek is near the famous Nangpa La, an ancient route through the Himalaya where Tibetan traders carry goods to Namche Bazaar in Nepal and where many Tibetan refugees have fled for their lives. ABC is located at 5600 metres/18,400 feet (photo right by Guntis Brands: The view from advanced basecamp at 5600 metres/18,400 feet. On the left side of the photo is the famous Nangpa La, where Tibetan traders carry goods to Namche Bazaar in Nepal. Many of the peaks in this photo have yet to be climbed). We encourage men and women from around the world, of all ages to join us as an individual team member or with your own group, whether that is your spouse, partner, friends, sibling, clients, colleagues, etc. Most of our members join as individuals, our team dynamics work well, and we are able to build successful and safe groups of people that enjoy trekking, climbing, and traveling together. It would be nice if you have some experience with foreign travel, although we are happy to advise and help you if this is your first time out of the country and, for many of our members, it is (photo right by Samuli Mansikka: Our comfortable advanced basecamp, located at 5600 metres/18,400 feet). All of the work is done for you, such as cooking, carrying group equipment, setting up tents, etc. Trucks, yaks and sherpas will carry all of your personal items so you do not have to carry a heavy rucksack. Please "click" one of the links on the column on the upper right of your screen under "Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek" to learn more about our expedition. Emergency equipment and supplies: medical oxygen, gamow bag, basecamp medical kit, high-altitude medical kits, etcetera. Organization: During this full-service expedition, you will benefit from the organization provided by Dan Mazur. He is a relaxed, friendly and well organized person, and a highly-skilled professional with years of experience in getting people to the summit and back down with the highest attention to safety. He has been leading and organizing successful and safe overland, trekking, and mountaineering expeditions for over 20 years, to Tibet, Nepal, Tadjikistan, Pakistan, India, China, Africa, and North America. For more about Dan, please "click" on the Leadership link above. Tibetan-English Speaking Guides for the Group: (we are also able to provide Tibetan French and German speakers). Our trained guides will explain everything in extensive and historical/geographical detail to you, as they lead you on your trek and explain the goings-on as you drive through villages, trek to the base of Cho Oyu, and through the Tibetan plateau. Professional Drivers and Licensed Tourist Transport: All of our vehicles in Tibet are licensed by the Tibetan Government and operated by trained Tibetans at the wheel. In Nepal we use government licensed drivers and transport as well. Your Nepal visa is conveniently purchased by you upon arrival at the Kathmandu airport. It is not necessary to purchase a Nepalese visa prior to landing in Nepal. The cost of a 90 day visa was $100 USD & 30 days visa cost $60. Please bring cash and 2 extra passport-sized photos (extra photos are necessary to obtain the visa in the airport). Because the expedition is in Tibet, we provide special support to you in Kathmandu in organizing your Tibet-China visa. Be ready to pay up to $220 USD (US citizens) and $165 USD (non-US citizens) for your Tibetan visa. It may be cheaper, but we will tell you and provide a receipt. Thank you. Please Note: Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months fom the END of the expedition and contain at least 2 blank pages. Please click one of the links below to view that section of our Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek daily itinerary or scroll down. If you choose to do the Lhasa option, please note the slight itinerary alterations on days 3-7. Please also visit our Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek route description for more about what to expect on the drive from Kathmandu, during the trek itself, etcetera. Note: This is a proposed schedule, which has been developed through previous trips. The actual itinerary of your trip can differ depending on such factors as weather and local conditions. For example, the trip may finish earlier than these dates, or we may need every single day of the schedule. Thank you for being patient and flexible when coming to a foreign country like Nepal and Tibet. Lhasa option: Rest in Lhasa, tour Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, the most sacred building in all of Tibet. Lhasa option: Drive to Shigatse. Rest and acclimate, tour the surrounding area. Visit the 15th century Tashilunpo Monastery, the largest active monastic institution in Tibet. Lhasa option: Drive to Lhaze. Rest and acclimate, tour the surrounding area. Visit the Changmoche Monastery. Lhasa option: Drive to Tingri. Rest and acclimate, tour the surrounding area. Please click one of the links below to view that section for the route on the Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek, or scroll down (photo right: Cho Oyu at sunset). Some members wish to add an optional trip to Lhasa before reaching basecamp. If this includes you, most members will fly to Kathmandu first, then to Lhasa. Some people prefer to fly to Lhasa from another city in China and we can also assist you with these arrangements. For those flying from Kathmandu, you take a 1 hour and 45 minute flight in a jet over Mt. Everest and the spine of the Himalaya, arriving in Tibet's capital city. In the past, we have had some fabulous views out of the plane windows during this flight. At 3650 metres/12,000 feet of elevation, Lhasa was established around 600 AD on the banks of the Brahmaputra River. The heart of the city is centered around the Jokhang Temple, the most sacred building in all of Tibet. Our simple hotel is not too far from the famous Potale palace, Jokhang palace and the renowned Barkhor Market, where you can shop for exotic handicrafts and religious art from all across Tibet, China, and Buddhist India. After flying to Lhasa, upon arrival you will rest for 2 nights and one day. It's important that you use the rest day to get acclimated to the high altitude. Buddhist pilgrims from Amdo region circumambulating the Jokhang Temple in the Barkhor market. Photo: J. Otto. It is a three day drive from Lhasa to basecamp. From Lhasa, you will set out in government cars across the Tibetan plateau to meet the rest of the team in Tingri, before reaching Cho Oyu basecamp. The following morning after your day in Lhasa, you will drive to Shigatse at 3650 metres/12,000 feet, the second largest city in Tibet, with a famous Monastery. The road winds along the massive Brahmaputra River, past traditional warren-like Tibetan farm towns. In Shigatse, you can have a look around and try to visit the 15th century Tashilunpo Monastery, the largest active monastic institution in Tibet. Monks in maroon robes seem to be everywhere, going about their daily chores, praying, and practicing ceremonial music performances. After Shigatse, you will make the scenic drive to the ancient city of Lhaze (Lhatse), at 4000 metres/13,100 feet . At the western end of town is the small Changmoche Monastery, which you may visit while there. You can see interesting views of the surrounding Tibetan plateaus and hills. After the finalization of your Chinese visa, very early in the morning we set out in a bus for the 4 hour drive to the last Nepal town of Kodari at 1770 meters/5800 feet. We clear Nepalese customs and immigration, then hire local porters and vehicles to carry your bags across the Bota Kosi River on the Friendship Bridge, to Zhangmu, the gateway town in Tibet. On the Friendship Bridge, border Crossing between Nepal and Tibet (Bruce Manning). Bouldering in Nyalam on our rest day (Felix Berg). On the road to Tingri, Himalayan Giants in the background (DL Mazur). Our sturdy Tibetan trucks carry the equipment, here being loaded by our Sherpas (Tim Spear). A stop along the road near Tingri. There are simple developed hot springs here (Bruce Manning). Preparing our yak loads at Chinese basecamp (Bruce Manning). Blue mountain sheep in the cliffs above basecamp (Felix Berg). You then spend two days moving up to the "advanced basecamp" at 5,600 metres/18,500 feet, which is actually the true base camp for our Cho Oyu climbing expedition. A beautiful trek to the base of the 6th highest peak in the world. This trek is very accomplishable by the average person who enjoys walking. Normally, you never step on snow and there is no climbing, only walking on moraine trails. There are gorgeous views of stunning peaks in the area, including Jobo-Rabzang, and many unclimbed and unnamed 6000 metre peaks. The trek is near the famous Nangpa La, an ancient route through the Himalaya where Tibetan traders carry goods to Namche Bazaar in Nepal and where many Tibetan refugees have fled for their lives (photo right by Samuli Mansikka: Our comfortable advanced basecamp, located at 5600 metres/18,400 feet). Thank You for joining our Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek. Dan has been trekking in Tibet since 1986 and climber-leader-organizer of Cho Oyu, Everest, K2, and many other "eight-thousand-metre-peaks". He is a relaxed, friendly and well organized person, and a highly-skilled professional with 25 years experience in helping people explore the mountains, with the highest attention to detail, comfort, and safety. Dan leading a meeting on the roof of our hotel, where we describe the plan of our expedition (Franck Pitula). Max on route to basecamp. Angel on the summit. Photo by Pascal Tiercelin. Sherpas: We hire Sherpas and high altitude porters in a support capacity, and now have 23 of these very experienced, friendly, strong, helpful, and loyal people on our staff, including some of Nepal's best climbers and some of Nepal's only women Sherpas. Some of our Sherpas have been to the summit of Cho Oyu more than 7 times and led treks to Cho Oyu Basecamp, Everest Basecamp and overland Tibet tours countless times. One of our lady sherpas just became the first Nepalese woman to reach the summit of Ama Dablam, Pumori, and Cho Oyu. Many of our sherpas have personally assisted foreign climbers to the summits of more than ten of the highest peaks in the Himalaya, as well as to many remote and unique trekking destinations. During our trek they will be carrying group equipment such as tents, rope, food, and gas. They are also there to provide help in the extreme case that there is a sick member. Many of them hail from the areas we will be trekking through, personally knowing the route, villages, and people we will experience on our visit. They have an intimate knowledge of the area, making our trek more authentic and rewarding for our members and less of a common tourist experience. Extensive experience is not required for trekking to Cho Oyu basecamp. The most important thing is for members to be in adequate walking fitness. We hope that you will arrive for your Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek in good health, both mentally and physically prepared, so we can work together as a team and have a successful expedition. At low elevation, the temperatures can vary from 27°c to -7°c ( 80°f to 20°f). At higher elevations, the temperature can vary from 16°c to -15°c (60°f to 0°f). At night we stay in warm, comfortable hotels for most of the drive to basecamp. The wind is the most chilling factor, and can be quite variable, with everything from a flat calm, to strong at basecamp and ABC. There may be snow, rain, mosquitoes in wet areas, blowing dust, heat, and bright sunshine. Your Nepal visa is conveniently purchased by you upon arrival at the Kathmandu airport. It is not necessary to purchase a Nepalese visa prior to landing in Nepal. The cost of a 90 day visa is approximately $100 USD & a 30 day visa costs approximately $60. Please bring cash and 2 extra passport-sized photos (extra photos are necessary to obtain the visa in the airport). Please send these details to us via email to [email protected] (perhaps safer to divide this information into two emails) or via phone or post when you are ready to pay. In case you wish to use paypal, our paypal address is or [email protected] . If we decide to cancel the trip, 100 percent of your payment shall be returned. Please click here to view our Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek leadership page for more about our leader, organizer, sherpas, and staff. All of our treks include sherpas for the group. We hire Sherpas and high altitude porters in a support capacity, and now have 23 of these very experienced, friendly, strong, helpful, and loyal people on our staff, including some of Nepal's best climbers and some of Nepal's only women Sherpas. Some of our Sherpas have been to the summit of Everest more than 7 times. One of our lady sherpas just became the first Nepalese woman to reach the summit of Ama Dablam, Pumori, and Cho Oyu. Many of our sherpas have personally assisted foreign climbers to the summits of more than ten of the highest peaks in the Himalaya. During our expedition they will be carrying personal & group equipment, such as tents, rope, food, and gas. They are also there to assist in any rescues of a sick member. Your expedition is organized by our British, European, American, Nepalese, Tibetan, and Chinese office personnel working on-the-ground together as well as in your home-country. For example, one of our lead organizers is the very experienced Jon Christian Otto, fluent Chinese speaker, Tibet and China expert, with ten years experience in Chinese Himalayan climbing. Jon is an excellent communicator, an international diplomat, extremely well organized, with superb attention to each and every detail. For more about organizers, leaders, sherpa, and staff for the Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek, please "click" here. Most members prefer a single room while in Kathmandu. Our trek-tents and hotels along the drive are based on sharing. Each night, our group will camp in an established campsite or hotel where there are multiple trekking tents. Throughout the trekking days and camping nights, our leaders and sherpas will be trekking and camping together with you to help set up tents and make sure you are staying healthy and safe and that things are going well. The average group has probably been 6 people, with half of all treks having less, and half having more members. As we add members to our team, we hire more Sherpas to assist the group as a whole, bring additional supplies and equipment, and add additional leaders, assistant-leaders, and leaders-in-training. Hotel :Your trip includes 2 free Kathmandu hotel nights at the beginning and two free Kathmandu hotel nights at the end of the trip but not food. For more information, please click here. It's not necessary to be in extremely good shape to enjoy this trek. If you can have fun walking for 3-6 hours with a few 20 minute breaks mixed in, it is more than likely you can accomplish this trek. Our trek includes transport of all of your equipment from Kathmandu to your destination, and returned to Kathmandu. While on the trek, we DO NOT ask our members to carry heavy group equipment (although it is an option if you really want to), such as tents, rope, fuel, food, etcetera. We employ vehicles, trekking sherpas, sturdy yaks, and porters, to carry group equipment and supplies. You will only need to carry a small day-pack/rucksack along the trek with your water, jacket, camera, etcetera. Please see the Equipment link, to study what is needed. If you are not familiar with the necessary equipment, we suggest you attend one of our Glacier Schools, to learn about it and buy it affordably. For information about using your credit, bank, cash, ATM card in Nepal, please "click here". For more information about how much cash to bring for an Ama Dablam expedition, please "click here". You may encounter the occasionally very good inexpensive carpet and souvenir shopping that can be found in Tibet, at low prices where no credit cards and no traveler's cheques may be used. Those of you going to Tibet may wish to consider bringing only dollars or changing all of your currency into local currency in Zhangmu, upon crossing into Tibet from Nepal. There is a new cash machine in Zhangmu, hopefully it's still working. Cho Oyu Tibet walkers: please bring at least $1200 cash with you for the trip. The "staff tip" will be $250+ per foreign trekker. Expect to pay this tip no matter what. There is a difference of opinion. However, if you have not been to high altitude often, we suggest you consider trying Diamox. You may wish to start with one half of a tablet in Kathmandu to see how you react to the medication and if you have any side effects. During the approach to basecamp we suggest you consider taking one to two tablets per day, depending upon your body weight, rate of ascent, and your reaction to the medication. We encourage members who are going to high-altitude for their first time to try Diamox. During our trek, we can often tell which team members are using Diamox and which are not according to their level of activity vs. lethargy. Those trying Diamox are often seen laughing, playing cards, and throwing frisbees in camp, while those who are not are often seen hunched over their tea in the dining tent, holding their heads and grumbling about a headache. The non-users may also not be seen at all, as they are in their tent lying in their sleeping bag suffering a migraine-like headache. Please visit the medical section of the Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek Personal & Team Equipment link to view a full list of the medicines we recommend you purchase inexpensively in Kathmandu, without a doctor's prescription, before departing for the mountain. When you pack your bags in Kathmandu, please organize your materials into one locking duffle kit bag weighing no more than 20 kilos/44 pounds. This is the bag which will be put on the flight and tied on the yaks, so please make sure it is strong and secure. You may easily purchase such a bag inexpensively in Kathmandu. You will be able to store your excess baggage . All members must be present on the first day of our scheduled itinerary in Kathmandu unless you have made special arrangements. We need your passports on that day so that we can obtain the permit for you to go to the mountains, and do quite a bit of orientation and sight seeing before setting off on the trek, in the next day or two. Of course it is fine if you wish to arrive earlier than the first day of our scheduled itinerary. All members must be present on the first day of our scheduled itinerary in Kathmandu unless you have made special arrangements. We need your passports on that day so that we can obtain the permit for you to go to basecamp, and have an orientation before setting off for the mountains, in the next day or two. For information about using your credit, bank, cash, ATM card in Nepal & Tibet, please "click here". For more information about how much cash to bring for a Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek, please "click here". For Tibet visa for your expedition or trek - We provide you special support in Kathmandu to organizing your Tibet-China visa. Be ready to pay up to $220 USD (US citizens) and $165 USD (non-US citizens) for your Tibetan visa. It may be cheaper, but we will tell you and provide a receipt. Thank you. Please Note: Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the END of the expedition and contain at least 2 blank pages. We are now offering a Lhasa option at the start of the expedition for those members wishing to tour this ancient capital of Tibet before arriving at basecamp. The cost is $2450 USD. Most members fly to Kathmandu first because of the excellent equipment shopping and because it is easiest. From Kathmandu you will fly to Lhasa on the day the rest of the team leaves by motor vehicle. There are two to three flights each week.The flight takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes and goes over Mount Everest. It's only possible to take 20 kilos on the flight, so your big expedition bags will be brought to basecamp by truck from Kathmandu. Some members wish to fly to Lhasa from another city in China. We can also help you to arrange that. Upon arrival in Lhasa you will rest for 2 nights and one day. It's important that you use the rest day to get acclimated to the high altitude. Also, during your rest day in Lhasa, you could visit the beautiful Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple. It is a three day drive from Lhasa to basecamp. You will be driven in government cars. One car can hold four people and some luggage. If you have a lot of luggage you may incur high excess baggage penalties. Generally, you only bring a small bag with essentials and all your climbing equipment and clothing goes on the truck overland. The cost of the hotels and meals are included in the transport cost. If you wish to do the Lhasa option, please tell us as soon as possible. For more information about the route for the optional Lhasa tour, please click here. For more information about the itinerary for the optional Lhasa tour, please click here. The most important precaution while trekking to this altitude is to be aware of proper acclimatization and to be sure that you are well adapted to the altitude before moving up further. If you have never been to such a high altitude before, we encourage you to try Diamox. Members are allowed access to our extensive medical supplies, first-aid kits, medical oxygen, etc. Our methods and equipment used in expedition trekking are time-tested over more than 20 years. We do not spare expense and have a complete range of equipment and very in-depth knowledge and experience in the use of rescue equipment, communications equipment, cookers, fuels, cooking equipment, proper and nutritious foods, hydration supplies and techniques, a vast array of tents (both used and used), high-altitude camping equipment. Our philosophy is one of "It is better too bring too much than not enough". We believe that our philosophy of being extra prepared is one of the key factors in our long tradition of successful ascents. In case of emergency, God forbid, our leader and Sherpas would help apply first aid, provide medicines and assistance with our medical oxygen, and "Gamow-Bag", then we would transport you to basecamp, where an evacuation would take place. In Tibet and China, neither helicopters nor light aircraft are allowed. The evacuation might be via Yak and Jeep to the nearest hospital. The nearest hospital is in Kathmandu. You might reach KTM by road or you may have to take a helicopter from the border to KTM, again, all at your expense. Yes, this is true. All rescues in those countries are done by human, livestock, and wheeled vehicle to the nearest hospital. However, you will still need to be insured because emergency yaks, jeeps, and rescue teams can be extremely expensive, as the nearest hospital is in Kathmandu. You might reach KTM by road or you may have to take a helicopter from the border to KTM. BE SURE TO PURCHASE GOOD QUALITY CLIMBING, TRIP INTERRUPTION AND TRAVEL INSURANCE. In Kathmandu, for a few days only, at the beginning and the end of the trip, you pay for your own meals. There are a wide variety of tasty restaurants in Kathmandu serving continental and Asian food. Prices are reasonable compared to what you would pay at home, depending on how much alcohol you wish to drink with each meal. We do not encourage our members to drink too much. For example 10 - 30 US dollars, 5 - 15 pounds, 7 - 22 euros, a day should be enough for all of your meals. Please review how much cash to bring for the expedition. Thank you. During the drive to basecamp the organizers will pay for all of your meals. We will eat 3 meals a day in Tibetan/Chinese restaurants attached to the hotels we stay in. Our hosts prepare 3 hot meals a day for us, and the food is adequate; some people even consider it tasty. Tibetan cooks use many fresh ingredients, including fresh vegetables and meats, and fresh bread and boiled eggs for breakfast. If you are a vegetarian, be sure and tell us, so we can instruct the cooks to prepare vegetarian dishes, no problem. We stay in Chinese basecamp for just a few days then walk to interim camp, which is halfway to ABC. After resting in interim camp, we make the final journey to the foot of Cho Oyu. Along the way we stay in our comfortable trekking tents. Our well-prepared, simple, and nutritious meals in basecamp and advanced basecamp feature local cuisine and cooks. Our skillful and hard working cooks prepare three delicious hot meals each day with a very healthy diet of fresh vegetables, cheeses, eggs, and fresh as well as tinned fruits, meats and fish (all meats and fish are prepared separately out of respect for the vegetarians in our midst). They supply you with unlimited hot-drinks, the key to successful acclimatization. We have large weather-proof kitchens and dining tents, with comfortable chairs and tables. These meals are included at the organizers expense on the mountain. Please be sure to tell our leaders and cooks if you have special dietary needs, such as, vegetarian, food allergies, etcetera. We do not carry imported specialties such as “freeze-dried-food”, imported tinned meats and fish, nor imported sausages and cheeses. If you wish to eat these items, please bring them from your home. We do not provide cold “snack” food such as chocolate or "energy-bars". We ask that you bring or buy your own "snack" or daily cold energy food, 2 kilos/4 pounds, is a good amount. A growing variety of imported foods such as European and American cheeses, chocolates, biscuits, cookies, nuts, and locally made power-bars are now available in Kathmandu, at realistic prices. However, imported power bars, GU, re-hydration drinks, dehydrated food, "freeze-dried meals", imported cheese and sausage are not available. If you want these items, you must bring them from your home country. Many of our members, especially Britons, Europeans, and Australians with tiny baggage allowances, now purchase their daily snacks in Kathmandu. Our schedule in Kathmandu allows plenty of time for shopping. In Nepal and Tibet, electricity comes from the mains in your hotel at 220 volts with a European style two-round-pin plug. There is an automatic converter in most North American appliances which will allow you to plug 110 volt items into the 220 volt electricity in Nepal and Tibet. Please be sure to read the back of your appliance or charger to make sure it does this conversion automatically. If you are in a hotel or village in Tibet, you may have to plug into the ceiling light fixture and it's possible to buy a simple bayonet adapter in Kathmandu, Zhangmu, etcetera. Warning, there are power spikes and surges which may damage your appliance. Below are some short video clips taken from our recent Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek. Please click the picture or title in the left column to view each clip. In the right column is the description for each video. The trek from basecamp to ABC. 1 minute (8 MB). A look at our intermediate camp halfway between basecamp and ABC. 0:35 seconds (4.5 MB). The drive from Nyalam to Tingri on the way to Cho Oyu basecamp. 1 minute (8 MB). The route through the glacial moraine above advanced basecamp at 5,750 metres/18,900 feet. It's "easy" to walk here wearing only sturdy leather trekking boots with good ankle support. Trekkers may wish to explore this if time allows. 1:10 minutes (10 MB). A bit of background information about Cho Oyu. 1:30 minutes (12 MB). The town of Tingri. This is our last stop along the drive to basecamp. 0:25 seconds (3.5 MB). The drive from Kathmandu. 0:45 seconds (6.5 MB). A view of the bustling, scenic entry city for our Cho Oyu trek, Kathmandu. 1:15 minutes (11 MB). We will be expanding with more Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek video Clips. Thank you for reading about our past Cho Oyu Treks & Expeditions. To follow along with our ongoing trips around the world, please view our "Recent News" section. What questions do you have? Please ask as many questions as possible. This helps us to have a proper conversation so we can better understand one-another's expectations, so you will have a very safe, enjoyable, and successful trek. Thank you. Before completing the application forms, please be sure to carefully study the Cho Oyu Trek "Questions" website for information regarding flights, payment, team members, application forms, insurance, etcetera: Cho Oyu Trek Frequently Asked Questions. What questions do you have? Please ask as many questions as possible. This helps us to have a proper conversation so we can better understand one-another's expectations, so you will have a very safe, enjoyable, and successful trek. Thank you. Before completing the application forms, please be sure to carefully study the Cho Oyu Basecamp Trek "Questions" website for information regarding flights, payment, team members, application forms, insurance, etcetera: Cho Oyu Trek Frequently Asked Questions. We take our member's feedback and testimonials seriously. These help us to refine and make our Cho Oyu expeditions a successful, safe, and enjoyable experience for our future teams.

2019-04-20T02:22:08Z

https://www.summitclimb.com/trek/cho-oyu-basecamp-trek/request-info/

I love my new Kindle Paperwhite. The lighted screen combined with the thin and light form factor has brought back the fun of reading on an e-ink reader. It's not all light and happy, however. In this review I'll also talk about some of the dark sides of Amazon's new Paperwhite. The Light. Let's start with the best reason to buy this device - the new lighted screen. It truly makes a significance difference in reading. Once you read for 30 minutes with this revolutionary new lighting system, you'll wonder how you ever managed to read the old e-ink displays. Amazon has figured out how to distribute the light evenly across the entire screen for a dramatic improvement in ease of reading. Like others, I've found that I keep the light on in almost every reading condition - with the only possible exception of direct, bright sunlight. The Shadows. I'd heard so many positive things about this new lighting system that my expectations were off the chart. Perhaps Amazon has slightly oversold here. When I received my new Paperwhite I was concerned because of the four small shadows along the bottom of the device between the lights themselves. I honestly thought I had received a defective device. Then I heard Len Edgerly's weekly Kindle Chronicles podcast and discovered this was normal on all the devices. For me this is no big deal. It impacts only one line of text along the bottom. If I were grading this lighting system, I'd give it a 95% - still an easy "A." The problem is that I was expecting a 100% from all the hype. Compared to all the other non-lighted e-ink readers, the clarity of the reading experience jumps from a B to a solid A, a dramatic improvement. Look Ma... No Buttons! I love the touchscreen. Amazon has figured out how to make the screen advance or go back a page with just the touch of my thumb or finger. There is just enough of a texturized feel, a fine grain added to the screen, that gives me a good indication of how much pressure I need to apply. It's easy to advance without accidentally changing pages. For those who want to know - I'm jumping a generation from the Kindle Keyboard to this. I didn't buy last year's model, the Kindle Touch, so I can't compare the Touch to the Paperwhite. However, I have heard that this Kindle's capacitive touch is a more responsive than last year's IR interface. And it's miles ahead of having to push buttons on either side of the device to change pages! I've noticed something new happening on my Facebook wall: the collision of my friends, their faith, and their politics. This is not the first national election since the advent of Facebook. This is, however, the first election since Facebook has gone mainstream. Four years ago my Facebook friends were either tech-oriented or youth-oriented. Now many of my Facebook friends couldn't tell me the first thing about their IP addresses and, like me, are getting to the age where they have to think a moment to even remember their street addresses. Except when it comes to politics. A wise man once said that politics and religion, like oil and water, don't mix. What I'm witnessing is probably the same thing you are seeing. Many of my friends' walls are filled with reposted snarky and one-sided photos, which are considered funny to one side while hurtful to the other side. All I wanted to do was include an audio player in my podcast post in my Typepad blog. Should be simple, right? After waiting for almost a year for Typepad to improve it's own audio player. I invested a day two weeks ago figuring out how to do it myself. This article is written for those who also want to include an up-to-date audio player in their Typepad blog (or any other blog, for that matter) and don't want to move their blog away from Typepad. Why should you have to invest an entire day of your life, when you could learn from my experience? The Problem With Typepad's Audio Player. Typepad provides an icon in its Rich Text menu to upload an audio file and to insert an audio player. But the player doesn't work in all browsers. In IOS, for instance, a dialog message regularly comes back stating, "The operation could not be completed." Even when it does work, the player is so simple that there isn't even an option to scrub forward or back. On top of everything else using Typepad's provided audio player also inserts a lot of white space or padding at the bottom of the blog page. It's actually the audio player in your post here - http://www.churchrequel.com/church_requel/2011/09/audio-sermon-why-we-remember.html - that is causing the extra padding at the end of the page. We're going to further investigate why the built in audio player is causing the problem. In the meantime, you may want to remove the audio player from the post to restore your blog's design and instead place a link to download the file in post. After a week had gone by, I naively thought that maybe some progress was being made and wrote to ask. Here's what I heard back. When an issue is reported, we go through a specific, formal process in which the issue is discussed with the development engineers and a priority assigned. Once we can determine the cause of the problem, the code changes must be made in development, tested, and verified. Finally, they are assigned to a release and pushed into production. Since this process does take some time, we are unable to give a specific date at this time when the change would be made. This will be determined during the development process, as we said. We understand and appreciate your concerns. That we are unable to give a specific date before this issue has gone through the development process does not mean that we take it lightly. We do appreciate your taking the time to let us know how important this issue is for you though. It's now been 48 weeks and nothing has changed. So I guess if it's to be it's up to me. Online security is no longer someone else's problem. With the proliferation of online services combined with often lax security measures, pastors should be aware of and prepared for the protection of his work and the privacy of his church. In this post I'd like to share with you my own response to the recent acceleration of online security threats. First, the news. This past Friday, Mat Honan, a writer for Wired Magazine, was hacked hard. He tells the story as he experienced it: playing with his daughter, discovering his iPhone went dead, trying to recover his phone by plugging it into his MacBook, watching in horror as his laptop also fades to a gray screen. He grabs his iPad only to see that it had been reset too. He had been hacked and lost control not only of his devices, but also of all his online services like iCloud, Gmail, and Twitter. His laptop, along with all the photos of his one-year old daughter, had been remotely wiped. In many ways, this was all my fault. My accounts were daisy-chained together. Getting into Amazon let my hackers get into my Apple ID account, which helped them get into Gmail, which gave them access to Twitter... Had I been regularly backing up the data on my MacBook, I wouldn’t have had to worry about losing more than a year’s worth of photos, covering the entire lifespan of my daughter, or documents and e-mails that I had stored in no other location. Those security lapses are my fault, and I deeply, deeply regret them. Does this frighten you as much as it does me? The news is still developing. The hackers allegedly contacted Apple Care pretending to be Mat. Armed with the 4 last digits of Mat's credit card - obtained from Amazon - Apple sent out a new password to Mat's iCloud account. My purpose in writing this is not to disparage online services provided by Amazon and Apple. Surely there will be some major security changes coming from these and other companies. Here's the question people should be asking themselves today - and that includes pastors: What am I doing to prevent Mat's nightmare from becoming my nightmare? What horrified me so much as I was reading Mat's story was how easily his story could have been mine. Mat's security lapses, sadly, are also my own. Just because it has been so easy - and because of my own laziness - I have used mostly the same password and username combination in so many different online places. "Who would ever want to hack me?" I've asked. I'm sure Mat thought the same. Pastor, consider not only your own personal data that might be at risk, but also the data that could involve your parishioners. What about your journals? Your church's financial records? Your own preparation for this Sunday's sermon? What would your life look like if you were hacked hard? How would your congregation respond to you if their private information became public? If ever there was a time, pastor, when you need to "be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves," this is that time! I'm pleased to introduce a new friend to readers of Church Requel. I've invited Michael Cornett, the founder of Church Website Design, to guest post for me today. Thank you Michael - and I will take this advice personally! Lately, every time I mention Google Plus in my posts, there always seems to be someone who tells me why Google Plus doesn’t matter. People tell me “no one uses Google+”, “why not just use Facebook?”, “really, another social media site I have to use?” So today we’re going to look at 10 reasons why your church should be on Google Plus. 1 ) Unlimited Post Length – While this may seem like a trivial matter, being able to post a full devotional, thought, or event can be extremely helpful. 2 ) Edit Your Posts – Ever make your post then realize you need to re-do it because you misspelled a word or left out some punctuation? With Google Plus, simply edit your post instead of re-typing. 3 ) Hangouts On Air – In a recent post, I described how you could stream your sermon live through Hangouts On Air. 4 ) Hangouts – Although I already mentioned Hangouts on Air, the normal hangouts can be a great way for your church staff to meet from different locations, have devotionals, or even follow up ‘in person’ to share the Gospel. Yesterday I shared 5 reasons why Apple would sell their new iPad Mini for $199. This will be a big deal in the tech marketplace. But why should pastors or churches care one way or the other? Today I offer 5 reasons why this is an important development for pastors and churches. Reason #1: The lower price means even more people will own the device. At a price point of $199 many more potential congregants will be purchasing an iPad. It's obvious that a $300 lower price will mean a much higher buy-in. Consider the Amazon Kindle. At $400 the device was for fans only. At $79 it has become the ubiquitous e-reader for everyone. I even have two elementary-age grandchildren who own one. Reason #2: The smaller size means even more people will be toting them around. Even for fans of the 10-inch iPad, as light and thin as they are now, many people will not carry them around everywhere. At 7 inches, this device will be even more mobile. Pastors, you will be seeing lots of these in church, if you give people a reason to bring them. Reason #3: iPads, other tablets and mobile devices will become people's primary Bible. The YouVersion Bible app has already been downloaded to more than 50 million devices. To begin to grasp the significance of this in people's lives, check out the YouVersion Now web page. You will see incredible engagement with the Scriptures with a moment by moment update. There have been more than 110 thousand verses highlighted, more than 3.3 million reading plans started, and - as of this writing - more than 26 BILLION minutes of Bible reading time. This trend will only become more significant with the iPad Mini, where the initial costs will be lower and where there are no data plan requirements. Reason #4: The iPad Mini, as well as other mobile devices, will become people's primary communication tools. We are already seeing this as a significant trend. More and more people are using various electronic messaging services than ever before. But if your church is like mine, the congregants are divided between the haves and have-nots, when it comes to communicating electronically. There are two primary factors involved - tech comfort and cost. Some people are just not comfortable with figuring tech out. And many people cannot afford a data plan and or a computer or more expensive iPad. Apple has gone a long ways toward making the iPad so easy to use that it has become a simple appliance for the non-geek majority. And at $199 with no data plan, it will become even more affordable. This means that for pastors and churches that take advantage of this trend, you'll enjoy communication and feedback like never before! And at practically no cost for the church! Reason #5: The entire IOS platform - as well as Android - is becoming your congregants' wallets. At a recent developer's conference, Apple introduced significant new moves that will make IOS equipped devices the payment system of choice. If people are using their mobile devices to pay for dinner and a movie, it doesn't take too much imagination to see the day when these same devices are used for the offering plate. Already a significant portion of my congregation (more than half) make their contributions through purely electronic means. Think about how few of your congregation carry cash or checks with them. But they will bring their mobile devices - the same devices they use to pay many of their other bills. This trend could also accelerate with an inexpensive iPad Mini this fall. Yes, I admit to being an Apple fan as well as a long time enthusiast for all things tech. However, one does not need to be a geek to see the very near term future these smaller iPads could usher in to our church communities. Next week I'll talk about specific actions you and your leadership team can take to prepare for the coming new opportunities. In the meantime, I'd love to hear your feedback. What are you doing now to encourage your congregation to use their mobile devices as tools for church and spiritual growth? The iPad has become an integral part of my work-flow as a pastor. Recently I wrote about using my iPad when delivering sermons. Naturally all the recent speculation about Apple selling a smaller version of the iPad this fall has captured my attention. There is much speculation about the features of the new iPad Mini and even greater speculation about the pricing. For five very good reasons, I believe Apple will enter the 7-inch tablet market at the $199 price point. Reason #1 - Apple loves to surprise on the low end. I know many readers might initially take issue with this statement, noting that Apple has always been about profitablity and higher margins. This is true with the iPhones and MacBooks, but has not been the case with tablets. People forget this now, having become accustomed to the $499 iPad, but when this price was initially introduced NO ONE was expecting a $500 device. Most of the speculation was at the $1,000 price point. Most tech prognosticators were comparing the new expected tablet to the existing net-book market. Apple came in at half that price. Reason #2 - Apple has lower costs because of its purchasing power. Even at $199, Apple can make a profit. The gang over at This Week In Tech joked on Sunday that Apple owns the aluminum market and anyone wanting to make a new laptop would need to use magnesium. That was a funny exaggeration, but is not far from the truth. Comparing Apple's cost structure to anyone else's, including Amazon's, simply is not an (ahem) apples to apples comparison! Reason #3 - Apple wants to own this market. Sure - when the 10-inch iPad was initially introduced, Steve Jobs made a big deal about never making a 7-inch version. In fact, he said people would have to sandpaper down their fingers to use one. Remember that Apple was never going to make a phone (or a tablet) until they did. Apple does not want to cede this smaller tablet market to other brands. Reason #5 - The profits will come with more memory and with future devices. Apple doesn't have to make money on the $199 device initially. Surely they will still sell 2 other higher memory iPad Minis for $299 and $399 and they WILL make their profit margins on these devices. Remember also that once Apple sets the price, they won't change it any time soon. It's been just over 2 years since Apple initially introduced the iPad. Yet the prices are still the same. The tech gets better but the prices don't drop. Apple knows their cost curves will drop in the future so if they can capture the lion's share of the 7-inch market now, it will be even more profitable in the future. This blog is primarily aimed at church folks and pastors. So why is this tech news such a big deal? Tune back in tomorrow and I'll tell you why this is something pastors should be focused on now. In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Will Apple come out with the iPad Mini this fall? Will it be priced at $199? Comment below with your own speculations. I'm in the middle of delivering my sermon from my shiny new iPad. I'm focused on making the point and communicating God's truth from His Word to His people. Then my preaching device sings a loud "ding!" Up pops a notification badge: "Want to get away from it all? Cruises for as low as $399!" It took every ounce of self-control not to break out laughing. The funniest part was watching some of my older parishioners looking around to see which kid in the congregation was playing a game. I never told them the kid was me. For the past 15 months I've been preaching from my first-generation iPad. It truly has been a gift from God, a tool that helps me be even more effective as a communicator. I use my iPad rather than paper notes for 3 reasons. First, it saves me time and money. Connecting the word processor from my laptop to my iPad through iCloud means no more printing and cutting. Second, it provides me the opportunity to make last minute edits right on my iPad. Third, and this is the most important reason, it gives my parishioners permission to use their smart phones and tablets to follow the sermon, published in their YouVersion Bible apps. When they see their pastor opening his Bible on his iPad, they know it really is ok. Just yesterday Pastors.com reminded us how much Apple is changing the church. As a pastor I can choose to lead these changes rather than react to them. Here are 5 power tips I have learned in the last 15 months for how to preach with an iPad. 1. Use the power of the iCloud. I've read that many pastors preaching from an iPad write their sermons on their computer's word processor, save their document as a PDF file, then email it to themselves, then open their email app on their iPad, and then open their sermon document with a PDF reader app like GoodReader. There is an easier way! I write my sermons using Pages on my MacBook, then drag the file over to the iCloud in Safari. When I open Pages on my iPad, voila! My sermon is waiting and ready to go. 2. Use the power of Pages. One huge advantage for pastors using Pages on the iPad is that it is a fully functioning word processor. I have the ability to make last-minute edits right on my iPad. In the photo above from my sermon on June 24th, you'll notice that the first paragraph begins with, "Dismiss the children..." I wrote this note to myself in the tech meeting an hour before our worship service began. 3. Use the power of YouVersion LIVE. I believe that the YouVersion Bible app is the greatest development for pastors since the Gutenberg printing press. The YouVersion Bible is now installed on over 50 million devices and the installation curve is growing exponentially. I want all of my parishioners to install the Bible app, and read from it throughout the week. When their wait-in-a-line moment happens and they grab their smart phones, I want them to read their Bibles rather than playing the latest version of Angry Birds. I can help smooth the way if I also use the YouVersion app on my iPad when I'm preaching. This is also why I publish every sermon I write for YouVersion LIVE. 4. Use the power of wider margins. I use 2-inch margins when I type my original sermon document. Then, when I use this same document in my iPad Pages document, I can use the two-finger zoom gesture to make the font size up to 30% larger in portrait mode (my preference) or up to 70% larger in landscape mode. This is so much better than actually typing my original sermon document in a larger font. 5. Use the power of the P-R-E-P-A-R-E checklist. After that first experience of my iPad chirping away during my sermon I have developed my own PREPARE acrostic checklist to make sure I have remembered to configure my iPad for preaching mode. Blogsy App: I'm in love! I have fallen in love again. It's ok. Really. I'm not talking about another woman. I'm talking about my new Blogsy app on my first generation iPad. I've owned my iPad for a couple of years now. As a Typepad blogger, I've been frustrated with the lack of iPad support from Typepad. There is a limited Typepad iPhone app and no Typepad iPad app. Trying to use the Typepad online blog editing tools with an iPad is worse than frustrating. It's maddening! That meant that anytime I wanted to write in my blog, I needed to pull out my laptop. No more. Now I have Blogsy on my iPad. Blogsy is a full featured iPad application that allows me to do just about everything I want to do for blogging offline. I write, edit, insert pictures and videos on my iPad. I'm surprised by how well I can type on the built in iPad keyboard. I'm sure my typing skills probably has something to do with the fact that I've owned my iPad for awhile now. Blogsy provides 16 different font families, 7 different font sizes, and any text color or background I choose. The genius of the Blogsy app are the built in services that support my blog writing that slide in from the right hand side of the screen. From here I can insert any photo on my local iPad, many photos that might be available online or that I have stored in online media libraries. I can also connect with my online videos in my YouTube and Vimeo accounts. Inserting a photo takes a little bit of iPad finger coordination. One slides the photo over from the side and holds onto it with one finger, while moving the text up and down vertically with the other finger. I admit that I didn't do it right the first time. I can see this is something that just takes practice. Inserting a link Is also a thing of genius with Blogsy. The Blogsy app contains a built in browser that also provides an automatic link to any highlighted text. This means that the Blogsy app user doesn't have to continuously switch from the Blogsy app to the Safari app, copy the link, switch back to Blogsy, and paste. What if you are like me and sometimes want to work in HTML? Those of us who have been blogging for awhile sometimes like to peek behind the curtain. No problem in Blogsy. A three-finger swipe changes the screen from the pretty rich text interface to the actual HTML code. I especially like the black background on the HTML side. One more thing that makes the Blogsy app so wonderful: the built in support is the best I have ever seen. Lance Barton and company have really helped lower the learning curve with how-to videos, an online guide, and lots of FAQs. The Typepad user will especially appreciate all the FAQs dedicated to interfacing with Typepad's unique features. One thing that would have helped this newbie would have been some order to the videos. Many of the videos were code named to the particular past release of Blogsy, which was confusing. One negative to be aware is for those who still use the 1st gen iPads. Blogsy uses a significant amount of memory resources. While writing this review USA Today and Fox News flashed a breaking story on my iPad, causing Blogsy to crash. While there is an auto-save feature, I did lose my last paragraph. I'm sure this would not be a problem with the latest generation of iPads. Blogsy will change the way I blog. No longer will I reach for my laptop and hope that my battery will last long enough. Now I'll grab my Blogsy equipped iPad and be good to go for the whole day! What about you? Do you use Blogsy? What are the features you love? What would you love to see coming soon to a new release near you? Leave your comments below. Let's talk! Facebook recently floated the idea that it is considering expanding it's social media website to children under 13 years of age. This morning USA Today asked two child experts their opinions of this decision. Not surprisingly both the child advocate and the child psychologist thought that this wasn't such a good idea. USA Today didn't ask me. I admit that I'm not a child expert. Unless you count the fact that I raised 4 children. Unless being a grandpa of six counts. For what it's worth, these are my thoughts as a grandpa and a pastor. There are 3 big reasons why Baby Facebook is a stinker. Stinker Reason #1: Children under 13 aren't ready for the social interactions of the internet. Toddlers and preteens are still trying to figure out the social interactions of the playground. It's hard enough to get that right. Sure, Moms and Dads should be supervising them - but the truth is many parents don't do this well as they should. What is put on the Internet stays on the Internet! Consider just one childhood trauma that you suffered through as a kid. Would you want that following you around the rest of your life? I'm grateful that I don't remember much of it. I don't want Facebook reminding me. Also kids aren't ready to make such an adult decision as to whether they want to be internet connected or not. I love Facebook and being connected to family and friends. My brother - just two years younger - has no desire to do the Facebook thing. Same for my dad. At one time, my adult daughter decided to take a Facebook fast and left the social web for an entire year. Leave the adult decisions not just to the parents of the kids, but to the kids themselves - when they become adults! Stinker Reason #2: The parents of pre-teens aren't ready to supervise these children on the internet. The one thing that Moms and Dads should be able to do with absolute authority - and certainty - is manage the social interactions of their children. My parents taught me and I taught my children (and I hope they are teaching their children) that one of the most important things to learn is who your friends are. We are defined by the friends with whom we hang out. Throwing Facebook into consideration makes this job so much more difficult. The whole definition of "friend" changes with Facebook. As an adult who knew what real friendship meant for 5 decades before Facebook changed the idea, I can differentiate between "friend" and "Facebook friend." The 5-year-old will struggle with this subtlety. Besides all this, which adult friends would even want to risk being "friends" with a youngster on the Internet? Who wants to be that special uncle exchanging photos with a kid? Moms and Dads, don't forget that your main social objective of child-raising (teaching your child the value of solid relationships) and Facebook's social objective (connecting as many people socially to one another as possible) are miles apart. In this regard, Facebook is NOT your friend! Stinker Reason #3: This is a terrible idea for Facebook too. I understand that Facebook is not on the same growth curve of new users as they used to be. And I know that the pre-teen market is a valuable advertising market. I get it - Facebook wants to be to today's kids what television was to my generation. Facebook, your timing stinks! You just came out with your initial public offering, which hasn't gone so well. Your newest investors are feeling not only like they're losing money (which is bad enough), but also that they didn't have all the same facts as the largest institutional investors. So now you want to solve your growth problems by exploiting children? This is your solution? Holding out the shiny apple of social marketing to kids? I'm wondering if someone is asleep at the switch over in Facebook Land! Why should a pastor consider using the online YouVersion LIVE event software to provide his or her sermon notes on mobile devices? After all, as the pastor you already have more on your plate than you can handle. Especially if you are like me and pastor a new or small congregation, you wear a lot of hats. Why add one more? After four months of experimentation with the YouVersion Bible app, I have found it takes me on average another 30 to 40 minutes per week to provide a detailed version of our sermon notes to our congregation on their mobile devices. Why do I do it? Is it worth it? The WHY behind the LIVE Event. The mobile market of smart phones and tablet devices has been growing by leaps and bounds over this past year. Apple just reported their best quarter ever, selling 37 million iPhones and over 15 million iPads. While they don't report the specific numbers, most analysts estimate that Amazon sold over 5 million Kindle Fires in their first quarter. I have a good friend and parishioner who owns 13 Verizon stores and he tells me that the sales of all mobile devices have never been better. In the tablet market alone, it's estimated that in this past Christmas alone, the percentage of people who own a tablet device DOUBLED to 19 percent. The mobile device market is exploding, my pastor friend. And if you're not tapping into this incredible phenomenon, you're missing out on this fast-growing opportunity to multiply your weekly results from the weekly work you are already doing. And thanks to the YouVersion Bible app, this opportunity is FREE - both to you and to your congregation! Never before in our lifetime - and maybe not since the invention of the printing press - have we seen such an explosion in the number of people who are regularly accessing their Bibles! YouVersion does a pretty good job of sharing their own success story. But just in case you haven't heard, here are a few incredible statistics. The Bible App has been installed on more than 30 million devices. One device in seven carries the Bible app on it. To put this in numbers that might make sense to a pastor with a congregation of 100 parishioners. I would guess that 66 of your parishioners already have either a tablet or a smart phone. Of that number - if your congregation simply represents the averages - 10 of your attendees already have the Bible app. That number could easily be higher since your people are more likely than the average to be interested in the Bible. In other words, this is a trend already taking place within your church. It's not often that pastors are presented with trends moving in their direction! Why not take advantage of it? Since September 25th, a little over 4 months ago, Church Requel has been publishing its weekly sermon notes as a LIVE event for the YouVersion Bible app. The picture on the left is the slide we show in our pre-service announcements reminding our congregation that the sermons are available on their mobile devices. I've written quite a bit about the YouVersion Bible app in previous articles here on the CR blog. One thing I haven't written about, though, is my evolving use of the LIVE event as an additional tool for sermon notes. After 4 months, I am a confirmed fan of the YouVersion LIVE Event. More than half of the attendees in my church now follow along on their cell phones, iPads, or Kindle Fires. A new family started attending over the holidays. The husband - thinking everyone around him was being disrespectful - told his wife, "Look at everyone who has their cell phone out during the sermon!" To which she answered, "They're following the sermon notes! Get into the 21st century." And she promptly showed him her own smart phone with the sermon notes on it! I'd like to write to you about my own experiences - both my own evolution in developing the sermon notes for the LIVE event as well as the unexpected and surprising results we have heard about. I'll write these stories in subsequent articles. December 11th - I Will Be Resurrected, How can I KNOW I will be resurrected? October 16th - Dreaming Ugly, Don't Let My Dreams Turn Into Nightmares! Mark Strong's notes on last night's planning sheet. Have you ever wondered what kind of organization it takes for a Church Requel style worship service to take place? This morning as I was digging out all the gear from my blue "church in a box," I found the planning sheet (to the right) on top of my clipboard. The planning sheet is something I work up each week so all the tech team is literally on the same page as I am. I am especially humbled by the note he wrote to himself in the left-hand margin about a third of the way down. "Don't let Pastor down!" Wow! When I see something like this I am amazed that God allows me to work with such a dedicated and serve-oriented crew. Hey everyone! If you want to bring your iPads, Kindle Fires, Smart Phones, even laptops to Sunday night's Church Requel worship service - you are most welcome to do so! We even have Bible app stickers for you to attach to the back. Tomorrow's sermon notes are now up on your Bible app. Click on LIVE, enter "Church Requel" or "44906" in the search field, and it should come right up. Or you could check out our notes in your browser window by clicking http://bible.us/e/GdH. Hey all you Church Requel readers and parishioners! I'm working on the new sermon series from the life of Joseph today. We're calling it "Dreamcoat!" I'm learning all about the importance of dreams in our lives. I can't wait to share what I've learned with you! I've also learned a few new things about our website. (Thanks Cloversites for the great website tools!) Today I set up the front page of our website as a photo slideshow, highlighting the title, Scripture, and date of each sermon in the series. On top of that, we've included an overlay of basic info for new people checking out the website. Check it out! Church Requel's Live Event Tonight: Guard Your Faith! Would you like to follow my sermon tonight using the Bible on your phone? Here's the live event available from your YouVesion app on your mobile device. If you don't already have the YouVersion app on your phone, just search for Bible app on whatever kind of smart phone or tablet you have. Once you've downloaded it, click on "Live" and search for "Requel" or type in the zip code, "44906." Then you can follow along on your mobile device (iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Windows, etc.) tonight at Church Requel! I admit to being an audio fan. I love listening to books and podcasts on my smart phone. I've been collecting and listening to Audible books for years. So when I found out that YouVersion offers audio Bibles FOR FREE on their many different Bible apps, I was thrilled. The audio Bible was added to the Web version of the Bible in May, 2011 and most of the other mobile apps since then. I've been listening every morning to my Bible as I work my way through my reading plan. I'll write more on reading plans in a future post. Let me say here, however, that the combination of #1) the Bible on my mobile device, #2) the Bible arranged for me on a daily schedule, and #3) the Bible offered in audio format is the winning trifecta for me! Ten of the 27 English version Bibles on my devices show up as an audio Bible. If you want to know where you find the audio Bibles, it's really simple... though somewhat hidden if you don't know where to look. When you list out the Bibles available to you on your device, look for the little audio icon right next to the name. If it has the little speaker with wave sounds next to it, that means an audio Bible is waiting for you. For ASV, DRA, and HCSB (as well as some non-English versions), we only have audio for the NT so far, either because that is all that exists or all that we have been able to collaborate and bring to our platforms. My favorite audio Bible, by far, is the NIV Listeners Bible. Max McClean reads brilliantly. Listening to him read the Bible is like listening the God's Words as He might have spoken them. At least that's how it sounds to me. It's pretty exciting stuff! He varies his pitch, his speed and many other things probably too subtle for me to notice - but the end result is that the Bible comes alive like I've never heard it before. McClean has recorded 3 versions: KJV, NIV and ESV. Both the KJV and NIV by McClean are available to YouVersion readers. For the NIV versions, it is the same track - since the updated NIV came out, they have not created an updated audio file to go along with it. Since the number of updates were relatively limited (and therefore the number of times the audio and text wouldn't line up), both the publisher and our team felt it would be acceptable to keep the audio available for both until an update audio version becomes available. I actually like it that I can listen to the NIV84 while reading the NIV. There are only a few changes, but I can see them (hear them?) as I listen to one while reading with my eyes the other. That got me to thinking: I wonder if YouVersion will ever separate out the two and allow us to read one version while playing another version? Try hooking up a set of earphones to your device. A pair of bluetooth stereo headphones are surprisingly inexpensive. I listen every morning while I eat breakfast at a local restaurant. I find the headset really helps me stay focused. Once you start playing the audio Bible, leave it alone. Let it play. Control freaks like me like to press buttons all the time, right? When I first started listening the audio Bible I kept trying to advance to the next chapter. I thought to myself that the audio was set up for a chapter at a time and it was up to me to go to the next. Not true! The geniuses at YV have figured out that you will want to move forward. If you do nothing it will keep playing the next chapter after a moment or two. Find places and situations in your life when you could listen to the Bible while you are doing other things. For me listening while I'm exercising, riding my bicycle or just driving down the road afford many opportunities for being in the Word of God that wouldn't otherwise be there if I had to read with my eyes. Reading my YouVersion Bible with my ears has been a most gratifying experience. I am so thankful that this is now available to us in such a convenient form factor. I encourage you to making listening to your Bible a new and important part of your Christian discipleship! Church Requel's Live Event Tonight: Don't Fumble!

2019-04-25T06:16:38Z

https://www.churchrequel.com/church_requel/webtech/

Loaded Pickguard for Strat – Classic DiMarzio DP190N/DP417C/DP163N. Sigler Music is proud to be the exclusive US reseller of 920D Custom products. If you have a special&###xA0;or custom item that you’d like to order, please contact 920D Custom directly. White Pearloid Loaded Pickguard for Strat. See our other items. Sigler Music Center has been in business for over 50 years. Sigler Music Center 1191 Sturgis Rd Conway, AR 72034. Accessories, software and manuals MUST be included. Pack your return securely and insure it. We do our very best to help customers when they request to return an item. Customer service is our first and foremost concern. However, there are a few items that are non-returnable. Although unlikely, on occasion an item gets damaged while in transit. Usually when a box shows some wear and tear, the product inside is in perfect condition. Please be sure to inspect the contents. If you receive a product that you believe is defective, message Sigler Music immediately to speak with a product specialist. If necessary, a return authorization will be provided. Please Note: Oversize items need to be repaired locally whenever possible. A Sigler Music team member can help you find a nearby service center. If your item arrives damaged or does not work, please contact our office immediately. The item “Loaded Pickguard for Strat Classic DiMarzio DP190N/DP417C/DP163N” is in sale since Friday, September 29, 2017. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Parts & Accessories\Guitar Parts\Pickguards”. The seller is “sigler_music” and is located in United States. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion. You are looking at a brand new loaded pre-wired pickguard with a set of 3 genuine Fender Custom Shop’69 pickups. Initialed, and dated by Abby (Abigail Ybarra). The color is white on tortoise shell 8 hole pickguard. It looks very beautiful! There is a protective plastic cover on the pickguard to be peeled off when you get it. This listing is for Fender or Squire vintage style 8 hole pickguard, and it will fit all Fender/Squire American, Mexico, Japanese, and Custom Shop strats with 8 mounting screw holes. The picture may show an 11 hole pickguard, but you will get an 8 hole pickguard that will fit your Squire or Fender 8 hole body perfectly!! We can also do any custom color of pickguard loaded with any pickups with any custom wiring needs. For example, you can combine Fralin pickups with any Fender or Duncan pickups; or add a Duncan liberator system or 1-3 mini toggle switches for more versatile wiring. Our Custom Shop can do ANYTHING you want! Just send us a message and let us know what you need! Everything coming with the pickguard is brand new genuine Fender parts. Brand new Fender’69 Custom Shop pickups initialed by Abby. Brand new Fender 60s style 5 way toggle switch. Brand new Fender CTS pots (top quality, if you know them), turns extremely smoothly. The same American-made top quality cotton wrapped (shielded) wires used in Fender Custom Shop (Double-cloth jacket has a waxed cotton outer braid and a Celanese inner braid just like Leo used). High quality no lead soldering tin free from oxidation (the same used on high end stereo system). There are two long lead wires (one hot, one ground) soldered to the volume pot (not shown in the picture). So all you need to do is connect these two wires to your output jack. Cannot find the color you want? For more color and hole pattern customization options and more info, see here. 2011, the newer’69 pickups produced by. Fender Custom Shop are no longer dated and initialed by Abby, as the women, who wound pickups for Jimi Hendrix himself, is retiring. You won’t see new’69 pickups wound by Abby any more, and this makes the old stock of Abby signed pickups increasingly hard to get on the market. Order today and your investment will not go wrong! If you know it, Abby has been working at Fender Custom Shop and has hand wired pickups for numerous great guitar players since the 60s including Jimi Hendrix himself. More information on the pickups. Dated, and initialed by Abigail Ybarra. Fender Custom Shop’69 Strat Pickups offer you a unique construction and vibe. These are the guitar pickups that can deliver the coveted clear, transparent highs; thumping lows; and bleeding midrange response and feel that define electric guitar tone as we know it. Construction: Just like the originals, these Fender pickups are built using height-staggered Alnico V magnets and a special gray bobbin. Set of 3 Custom’69 Strat pickups. Used in neck, middle, and bridge position. Of course return is accepted if not as described. But if you simply don’t like the product, you can always return it within 14 days after receiving it! We work hard to accommodate any needs of our buyers including combined packaging and we declare custom report friendly. These will absolutely bring your playing skills up onto a higher level! Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Guitar Licks: The Best of Yngwie Malmsteen, A Step-by-Step Breakdown of His Guitar Styles and Techniques. Steve Vai Guitar Styles & Techniques. Metallica Style and Techniques Riff by Riff. Jennifer Batten Two-hand Rock for Guitar. The Best of Joe Satriani : A Step-by-Step Breakdown of His Guitar Styles and Techniques. Advanced Lead Metal Guitar Method by Troy Stetina. We custom assemble loaded/prewired pickguards in our custom shop. And you can choose combination of any pickguard, covers, knobs, pickups or routing scheme from the following list. Or if you want something not on the list, let us know and we will get it for you. Part of our inventories and prices: choose from 15 colors for loaded pickguards (lefty versions available). Fender Custom Shop 54 Strat pickups. Fender N3 Noiseless Strat pickups. Fender Vintage Noiseless Strat pickups. Fender Artist Signature series loaded pickguards. All colors and all hole patterns, and lefty models. Part of our inventory. Fender pickguards SSS 11 hole. Fender Black 3 ply 11 hole. Fender White 3 ply. Fender Chrome 1 ply. Fender Gold 1 ply. Fender Parchment/aged white 3 ply. Fender Gold Anodized 1 ply. Fender White Pearl 4 ply. Fender Aged white Moto/aged white pearl. Fender Black Pearl 4 ply. Fender Tortoise Shell 4 ply. Fender Mint Green 3 ply. Fender Black Glass Sparkle. Fender Aged Glass Sparkle. Fender pickguards SSS 8 hole. 57 Reissue SRV Black Pearl 8 hole. Tortoise Shell 4 ply. Gold Anodized 1 ply. Fender pickguard SSS 62 pattern 11 hole. Mint Green 3 ply. AXL pickguards (quality, sturdy parts). Aged cream 3 ply 11 hole. Black pearl 3 ply 11 hole. Blue pearl 3 ply 11 hole. Aged cream pearl 3 ply 11 hole. Red pearl 3 ply 11 hole. Aged cream 3 ply 8 hole. White 3 ply 8 hole. Black 3 ply 8 hole. Pearl white 3 ply 8 hole. Mint green 3 ply 11 hole 62 pattern. White 3 ply 11 hole 62 pattern. Fender Custom Shop 69. Fender Custom Shop 54. Fender Custom Shop Fat 50s. Fender Original 57/62 pickups. Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups. Fender Hot Noiseless pickups. Fender Lace Sensor (all colors). Fender Super 55 Split Coil pickups. All types of Seymour Duncan pickups. All types of Dimarzio pickups. All types of Lindy Fralin pickups. All types of EMG pickups. The item “Fender Loaded Strat Pickguard Abby CS 69 White Tortoise 8 Hole Squire Style” is in sale since Sunday, July 23, 2017. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Parts & Accessories\Guitar Parts\Pickups”. The seller is “musik123″ and is located in Los Angeles, California. This item can be shipped worldwide. Add to Favorite Sellers. Sign up to Newsletter. Fender 60s Strat LOADED PICKGUARD VINTAGE PUs Stratocaster Prewired Mint SALE! Description: Official Fender’60s Reissue Stratocaster Loaded 3 Ply Pickguard complete with Pickups, Pots, and Aged Knobs (complete set)- All original w/ screws- Genuine Fender. Type: Loaded Pickguard (3 Ply Mint Green). Comments: Perfect condition & never played- complete loaded Fender’60s Reissue Strat Pickguard- amazing tone and great looks! The STRATosphere is best known for offering the largest selection of brand name necks & bodies on the planet. Our customers range from working musicians to repair shops to some of the world’s most famous guitar players. You will receive a notification upon receipt. We are known to be the fastest shippers in the business. You will receive a prompt notification with tracking details. Rest assured we stand 100% behind every single item we sell to you. 112 Crawley Falls Rd Brentwood, NH 03833 That’s it! We want you to come back in the future for all of your guitar parts needs. Thank you so much for your business, we have you covered every single time! View more great items. Sign up for our Newsletter To Get our latest News and Offers. Sign Up Now >. The STRATosphere is not affiliated with Fender Musical Instruments. Strat&###xAE;, Stratocaster&###xAE;, Esquire&###xAE;, Telecaster&###xAE;, Tele&###xAE;, Jazzmaster&###xAE;, Jaguar&###xAE;, Mustang&###xAE;, P Bass&###xAE;, J Bass&###xAE;, Fender&###xAE; and the distinctive headstock design of Fender guitars are registered trademarks of Fender&###xAE; Musical Instruments. The STRATosphere is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with Gibson Brands, Inc. LES PAUL&###xAE;, SG&###xAE;, ES&###xAE;, EXPLORER&###xAE;, FLYING V&###xAE;, GIBSON&###xAE;, the corresponding body shape designs and headstock designs are registered trademarks of Gibson Brands, Inc. The STRATosphere is not an authorized dealer or reseller of Gibson products. This listing is currently undergoing maintenance, we apologise for any inconvenience caused. The item “Fender 60s Strat LOADED PICKGUARD VINTAGE PUs Stratocaster Prewired Mint SALE” is in sale since Tuesday, September 25, 2018. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Parts & Accessories\Guitar Parts\Pickups”. The seller is “thestratosphere” and is located in New Hampshire. This item can be shipped worldwide. Add to Favorite Sellers. Sign up to Newsletter. Fender American Professional HSS Shawbucker Strat LOADED PICKGUARD V-Mod Mint. Description: Official Fender American&###xA0;Professional Series HSS Shawbucker Stratocaster Loaded Pickguard complete with&###xA0;V-Mod Single Coil Pickups (Mid, Neck), Shawbucker Humbucker (Bridge), 250K/500K CTS Pots (Fender Delta Tone “No Load” Circuitry), 5 Position Switch, and Aged Knobs & Covers (complete set)- All original w/ screws- Genuine Fender. Type: Loaded Pickguard (Mint Green&###xA0;3 Ply). Comments: Perfect condition & never played! The new medium output humbucker mates perfectly with single coils and still sound very “Straty” through a clean amp allowing you to dial in the best of both worlds. Push it hard for tone nirvana! The STRATosphere is best known for offering the largest selection of brand name necks & bodies on the planet. Our customers range from working musicians to repair shops to some of the world’s most famous guitar players. You will receive a notification upon receipt. We are known to be the fastest shippers in the business. You will receive a prompt notification with tracking details. Rest assured we stand 100% behind every single item we sell to you. 112 Crawley Falls Rd Brentwood, NH 03833 That’s it! We want you to come back in the future for all of your guitar parts needs. Thank you so much for your business, we have you covered every single time! View more great items. Sign up for our Newsletter To Get our latest News and Offers. Sign Up Now >. The STRATosphere is not affiliated with Fender Musical Instruments. Strat&###xAE;, Stratocaster&###xAE;, Esquire&###xAE;, Telecaster&###xAE;, Tele&###xAE;, Jazzmaster&###xAE;, Jaguar&###xAE;, Mustang&###xAE;, P Bass&###xAE;, J Bass&###xAE;, Fender&###xAE; and the distinctive headstock design of Fender guitars are registered trademarks of Fender&###xAE; Musical Instruments. The STRATosphere is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with Gibson Brands, Inc. LES PAUL&###xAE;, SG&###xAE;, ES&###xAE;, EXPLORER&###xAE;, FLYING V&###xAE;, GIBSON&###xAE;, the corresponding body shape designs and headstock designs are registered trademarks of Gibson Brands, Inc. The STRATosphere is not an authorized dealer or reseller of Gibson products. This listing is currently undergoing maintenance, we apologise for any inconvenience caused. The item “Fender American Professional HSS Shawbucker Strat LOADED PICKGUARD V-Mod Mint” is in sale since Monday, September 17, 2018. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Parts & Accessories\Guitar Parts\Pickups”. The seller is “thestratosphere” and is located in New Hampshire. This item can be shipped worldwide. Add to Favorite Sellers. Sign up to Newsletter. Fender USA Custom Shop 1954 Strat LOADED PICKGUARD Vintage Guitar Parts. Description: Official American Fender Custom Shop&###xA0;’54 Stratocaster Loaded Pickguard complete with Handwound Pickups, Pots &&###xA0;5 Position Switch, and Knobs (complete set)- w/ screws- Genuine Fender. Type: Loaded Pickguard (White&###xA0;Single Ply). Comments: Perfect working condition and top shelf! The hand wound pickups deliver sparkling vintage tones! The STRATosphere is best known for offering the largest selection of brand name necks & bodies on the planet. Our customers range from working musicians to repair shops to some of the world’s most famous guitar players. You will receive a notification upon receipt. We are known to be the fastest shippers in the business. You will receive a prompt notification with tracking details. Rest assured we stand 100% behind every single item we sell to you. 112 Crawley Falls Rd Brentwood, NH 03833 That’s it! We want you to come back in the future for all of your guitar parts needs. Thank you so much for your business, we have you covered every single time! View more great items. Sign up for our Newsletter To Get our latest News and Offers. Sign Up Now >. The STRATosphere is not affiliated with Fender Musical Instruments. Strat&###xAE;, Stratocaster&###xAE;, Esquire&###xAE;, Telecaster&###xAE;, Tele&###xAE;, Jazzmaster&###xAE;, Jaguar&###xAE;, Mustang&###xAE;, P Bass&###xAE;, J Bass&###xAE;, Fender&###xAE; and the distinctive headstock design of Fender guitars are registered trademarks of Fender&###xAE; Musical Instruments. The STRATosphere is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with Gibson Brands, Inc. LES PAUL&###xAE;, SG&###xAE;, ES&###xAE;, EXPLORER&###xAE;, FLYING V&###xAE;, GIBSON&###xAE;, the corresponding body shape designs and headstock designs are registered trademarks of Gibson Brands, Inc. The STRATosphere is not an authorized dealer or reseller of Gibson products. This listing is currently undergoing maintenance, we apologise for any inconvenience caused. The item “Fender USA Custom Shop 1954 Strat LOADED PICKGUARD Vintage Guitar Parts” is in sale since Wednesday, August 22, 2018. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Parts & Accessories\Guitar Parts\Pickups”. The seller is “thestratosphere” and is located in New Hampshire. This item can be shipped worldwide. 920D Custom Shop Texas Special Loaded Pickguard Fender Strat 7 Way BP/BK. Sigler Music is proud to be the exclusive US reseller of 920D Custom products. If you have a special or custom item that you’d like to order, please contact 920D Custom directly. Fender Texas Special Loaded Strat Pickguard Black Pearl/Black This Black Pearl 3 ply pickguard has been custom wired in our 920D Custom Shop with a top of the line components and the Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Strat Pickups. It also features a mini toggle switch for neck on in any position. This gives you two new settings – neck and bridge or all three pickups at the same time. Overwound, calibrated, vintage style Stratocaster pickups with plenty of midrange chirp, crystal highs and tight bass. Alnico 5 magnets and enamel coated magnet wire create the increased output that demands respect! Product Code: 15-24-13 Components Fender CS Texas Special Black Black Pearl 3 Ply Pickguard Fender Black Skirted Knobs Genuine CTS 250K Pots Genuine CRL 5 way switch Mini toggle switch for neck on Gavitt Vintage Wiring Easy Installation Fender CS Texas Special Description Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Strat Pickups give you that classic blues sound. Take a set of vintage Fender Strat pickups and overwind them for more midrange, punch, and output and you get pickups with Attitude! If you want plenty of midrange bark and crisp high-end bite, get these Special Strat Pickups. Sigler Music Center has been in business for over 50 years. Sigler Music Center 1191 Sturgis Rd Conway, AR 72034. Accessories, software and manuals MUST be included. Pack your return securely and insure it. We do our very best to help customers when they request to return an item. Customer service is our first and foremost concern. However, there are a few items that are non-returnable. Although unlikely, on occasion an item gets damaged while in transit. Usually when a box shows some wear and tear, the product inside is in perfect condition. Please be sure to inspect the contents. If you receive a product that you believe is defective, message Sigler Music immediately to speak with a product specialist. If necessary, a return authorization will be provided. Please Note: Oversize items need to be repaired locally whenever possible. A Sigler Music team member can help you find a nearby service center. If your item arrives damaged or does not work, please contact our office immediately. See our other items. The item “920D Custom Shop Texas Special Loaded Pickguard Fender Strat 7 Way BP/BK” is in sale since Wednesday, February 10, 2016. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Parts & Accessories\Guitar Parts\Pickups”. The seller is “sigler_music” and is located in Conway, Arkansas. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion. This is a custom order for a loaded pickguard with Dimarzio Area 58, 61, and 67 pickups in All Mint Green. Area 58 in the neck, Area 67 middle, and Area 61 bridge. There is a push/pull pot in the lower tone position for 7 way switching. We can do any color and any hole pattern for you. Regular 11 hole, 8 hole, or the 62 hole pattern. Just use your imagination to make your pickguard different from everyone else! (see below for color options). We can also do any custom color of pickguard loaded with any pickups with any custom wiring needs. For example, you can combine Fralin pickups with any Fender or Duncan pickups; or add a Duncan liberator system or 1-3 mini toggle switches (like 7 function Gilmour switch, or the phase inverting switch, or a coil split push pull pot, or a Fender S1 system, adding a bassplate or vintage shielding etc) for more versatile wiring (extra charges may apply). Our Custom Shop can do ANYTHING you want! Just send us a message and let us know what you need! Everything coming with the pickguard is brand new. Of course return is accepted if not as described. But if you simply don’t like the product, you can always return it within 14 days after receiving it! We work hard to accommodate any needs of our buyers including combined packaging and we declare custom report friendly. These will absolutely bring your playing skills up onto a higher level! Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Guitar Licks: The Best of Yngwie Malmsteen, A Step-by-Step Breakdown of His Guitar Styles and Techniques. Steve Vai Guitar Styles & Techniques. Metallica Style and Techniques Riff by Riff. Jennifer Batten Two-hand Rock for Guitar. The Best of Joe Satriani : A Step-by-Step Breakdown of His Guitar Styles and Techniques. Advanced Lead Metal Guitar Method by Troy Stetina. We custom assemble loaded/prewired pickguards in our custom shop. And you can choose combination of any pickguard, covers, knobs, pickups or routing scheme from the following list. Or if you want something not on the list, let us know and we will get it for you. Part of our inventories and prices: choose from 15 colors for loaded pickguards (lefty versions available). Fender Custom Shop 54 Strat pickups. Fender N3 Noiseless Strat pickups. Fender Vintage Noiseless Strat pickups. Fender Artist Signature series loaded pickguards. All colors and all hole patterns, and lefty models. Part of our inventory. Fender pickguards SSS 11 hole. Fender Black 3 ply 11 hole. Fender White 3 ply. Fender Chrome 1 ply. Fender Gold 1 ply. Fender Parchment/aged white 3 ply. Fender Gold Anodized 1 ply. Fender White Pearl 4 ply. Fender Aged white Moto/aged white pearl. Fender Black Pearl 4 ply. Fender Tortoise Shell 4 ply. Fender Mint Green 3 ply. Fender Black Glass Sparkle. Fender Aged Glass Sparkle. Fender pickguards SSS 8 hole. 57 Reissue SRV Black Pearl 8 hole. Tortoise Shell 4 ply. Gold Anodized 1 ply. Fender pickguard SSS 62 pattern 11 hole. Mint Green 3 ply. AXL pickguards (quality, sturdy parts). Aged cream 3 ply 11 hole. Black pearl 3 ply 11 hole. Blue pearl 3 ply 11 hole. Aged cream pearl 3 ply 11 hole. Red pearl 3 ply 11 hole. Aged cream 3 ply 8 hole. White 3 ply 8 hole. Black 3 ply 8 hole. Pearl white 3 ply 8 hole. Mint green 3 ply 11 hole 62 pattern. White 3 ply 11 hole 62 pattern. Fender Custom Shop 69. Fender Custom Shop 54. Fender Custom Shop Fat 50s. Fender Original 57/62 pickups. Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups. Fender Hot Noiseless pickups. Fender Lace Sensor (all colors). Fender Super 55 Split Coil pickups. All types of Seymour Duncan pickups. All types of Dimarzio pickups. All types of Lindy Fralin pickups. All types of EMG pickups. The item “Loaded Strat Pickguard Dimarzio Area 58, 67, 61 with 7way Switch All Mint Green” is in sale since Sunday, July 23, 2017. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Parts & Accessories\Guitar Parts\Pickups”. The seller is “musik123″ and is located in Los Angeles, California. This item can be shipped worldwide. 920D Strat Loaded Pickguard with DiMarzio Satriani Satch Track / Mo’ Joe WH/WH. Sigler Music is proud to be the exclusive US reseller of 920D Custom products. If you have a special&###xA0;or custom item that you’d like to order, please contact 920D Custom directly. This Fender stratocaster loaded pickguard is a take off of the Joe Satriani Signature Ibanez model and features the DiMarzio Satch Track in the neck position along with the Mo’ Joe in the bridge position. There are two Bourns push-pull pots, the volume push-pull pot enables a high pass filter and the bottom tone push-pull splits the coils of both pickups. We used a Switchcraft 3 way toggle and wired the pickguard with Gavitt vintage wiring. This year Joe asked DiMarzio for a hotter and bigger version to replace the Fred in his Ibanez guitars. The name says it all. It has more power than the Fred, but it doesn’t sacrifice clarity or dynamics. Having more output makes it a perfect match for the PAF Joe in the neck position. The combination delivers great versatility and control from rhythms to solos. Recommended For: bridge position, solid and semi hollowbody guitars. Tech Talk: The last few years have seen Joe develop a new signature tube amp and start using heavier-gauge strings more often. DiMarzio achieved this by slightly increasing the distance between the center frequencies that the coils are tuned to, without increasing DC resistance. DiMarzio DP425WH Satch Track Joe Satriani is continually refining and sharpening his sound. Tech Talk The Satch Track Neck bridges the gap between classic humbucker and single-coil performance. It tracks pick attack and string vibration quickly and accurately like a single-coil, but the voicing is wider and stronger, like a humbucker. The highs are very warm, and clarity is created by keeping the mids and lows tight and focused. See our other items. Sigler Music Center has been in business for over 50 years. Sigler Music Center 1191 Sturgis Rd Conway, AR 72034. Accessories, software and manuals MUST be included. Pack your return securely and insure it. We do our very best to help customers when they request to return an item. Customer service is our first and foremost concern. However, there are a few items that are non-returnable. Although unlikely, on occasion an item gets damaged while in transit. Usually when a box shows some wear and tear, the product inside is in perfect condition. Please be sure to inspect the contents. If you receive a product that you believe is defective, message Sigler Music immediately to speak with a product specialist. If necessary, a return authorization will be provided. Please Note: Oversize items need to be repaired locally whenever possible. A Sigler Music team member can help you find a nearby service center. If your item arrives damaged or does not work, please contact our office immediately. The item “920D Strat Loaded Pickguard with DiMarzio Satriani Satch Track / Mo’ Joe WH/WH” is in sale since Thursday, September 28, 2017. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Parts & Accessories\Guitar Parts\Pickups”. The seller is “sigler_music” and is located in Fort Smith, Arkansas. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion. 920D Custom Shop Texas Special Loaded Pickguard Fender Strat 7 Way BK/AW. Sigler Music is proud to be the exclusive US reseller of 920D Custom products. If you have a special or custom item that you’d like to order, please contact 920D Custom directly. Fender Texas Special Loaded Strat Pickguard Black/Aged White This Black 3-ply pickguard has been custom wired in our 920D Custom Shop with a top of the line components and the Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Strat Pickups. It also features a mini toggle switch for neck on in any position. This gives you two new settings – neck and bridge or all three pickups at the same time. Overwound, calibrated, vintage style Stratocaster pickups with plenty of midrange chirp, crystal highs and tight bass. Alnico 5 magnets and enamel coated magnet wire create the increased output that demands respect! Product Code: 15-12-11 Components Fender CS Texas Special Aged White Black 3 Ply Pickguard Fender Aged White Skirted Knobs Genuine CTS 250K Pots Genuine CRL 5 way switch Mini toggle switch for neck on Gavitt Vintage Wiring Easy Installation Fender CS Texas Special Description Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Strat Pickups give you that classic blues sound. Take a set of vintage Fender Strat pickups and overwind them for more midrange, punch, and output and you get pickups with Attitude! If you want plenty of midrange bark and crisp high-end bite, get these Special Strat Pickups. Sigler Music Center has been in business for over 50 years. Sigler Music Center 1191 Sturgis Rd Conway, AR 72034. Accessories, software and manuals MUST be included. Pack your return securely and insure it. We do our very best to help customers when they request to return an item. Customer service is our first and foremost concern. However, there are a few items that are non-returnable. Although unlikely, on occasion an item gets damaged while in transit. Usually when a box shows some wear and tear, the product inside is in perfect condition. Please be sure to inspect the contents. If you receive a product that you believe is defective, message Sigler Music immediately to speak with a product specialist. If necessary, a return authorization will be provided. Please Note: Oversize items need to be repaired locally whenever possible. A Sigler Music team member can help you find a nearby service center. If your item arrives damaged or does not work, please contact our office immediately. See our other items. The item “920D Custom Shop Texas Special Loaded Pickguard Fender Strat 7 Way BK/AW” is in sale since Wednesday, April 26, 2017. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Parts & Accessories\Guitar Parts\Pickups”. The seller is “sigler_music” and is located in Conway, Arkansas. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion. Fender Stratocaster Strat Loaded Pickguard DiMarzio Area 58, 67, 61 BP/WH. Sigler Music is proud to be the exclusive US reseller of 920D Custom products. If you have a special&###xA0;or custom item that you’d like to order, please contact 920D Custom directly. A great one makes the sound jump out of the amp when you pick hard and drop way down when you play softly, and the tone varies when the string is picked at different spots. DC Resistance: 6.15K Output: 125mV Magnet: Alnico 2 Wiring: 4 conductor Tech Talk: The Area 58 has obvious similarities to the Virtual Vintage 2.1 it replaces, but there are several non-visible performance factors that have changed. Dynamic range and string definition are greatly increased, leading to improvements in both clean chord-playing and overdriven soloing. The’58 is very sensitive to small height adjustment differences: close to the strings produces a fatter, slightly compressed blues tone and further away yields crystal clean sounds. The final improvement is in noise reduction. All of the Virtual Vintage pickups have better hum cancellation than full-size humbuckers. Area’58 and Area 61 are even quieter. DiMarzio Area 67 The Monterey Pop Festival of 1967 was a watershed event in American music. When it was over, the world had heard and felt the sound of a Strat in the hands of a master. Single-coils in 1967 were bright and very clean. And, of course, they hummed. We’ve captured the classic bright and clean sound but totally eliminated the hum with our patented Area technology. We’ve also reduced magnet pull by 40% for improved sustain and clarity. The Area 67 has the chime of 60s pickups, and the 2 and 4 positions are light, bright and quack-happy. DC Resistance: 5.86K Output: 120mV Magnet: Alnico 2 Wiring: 4 conductor Tech Talk: Strat pickups in the late 1960s used full-strength Alnico 5 magnets. The patented magnetic field of the Area models is more efficient and focused than it is on’true’ single-coils, which allows us to use Alnico 2 instead. There’s much less magnet pull, but no loss of output. This is a major advantage in the neck and middle positions, where sustain and intonation can both suffer if the strings are exposed to strong magnetic fields. In the bridge position, the patented technology of the Area 67 produces a sound that’s very bright but not brittle. DiMarzio Area 61 DiMarzio has been working on serious vintage single-coil design with no hum for twelve years. Our goal has always been to capture the best qualities of pickups we heard from the 1950s and early 60s. We’ve played several pickups from the early 60s that had a unique tonality: they were steely, yet woody-sounding. Naturally, we wanted to nail this sound, and we wanted to do it with no hum and less magnet-pull. The Area 61 does it. It’s good in all three positions. DC Resistance: 6.43K Output: 142mV Magnet: Alnico 2 Wiring: 4 conductor Tech Talk: Over the last 10 years we’ve gotten literally hundreds of requests from guitarists asking for the Texas blues sound. This sound is centered on single-coils from the early 1960’s, but it’s also based on heavy strings and strong hands. We can’t change your strings or your hands, but the Area 61 captures the tonal bedrock this sound is based on. And like the Area’58 , its ability to cancel hum is superior to full-size humbuckers. Fits: American American Standard Hot Rod and Deluxe Series Stratocasters (USA) Standard Deluxe and’70s Stratocasters (Mexico). See our other items. Sigler Music Center has been in business for over 50 years. Sigler Music Center 1191 Sturgis Rd Conway, AR 72034. Accessories, software and manuals MUST be included. Pack your return securely and insure it. We do our very best to help customers when they request to return an item. Customer service is our first and foremost concern. However, there are a few items that are non-returnable. Although unlikely, on occasion an item gets damaged while in transit. Usually when a box shows some wear and tear, the product inside is in perfect condition. Please be sure to inspect the contents. If you receive a product that you believe is defective, message Sigler Music immediately to speak with a product specialist. If necessary, a return authorization will be provided. Please Note: Oversize items need to be repaired locally whenever possible. A Sigler Music team member can help you find a nearby service center. If your item arrives damaged or does not work, please contact our office immediately. The item “Fender Stratocaster Strat Loaded Pickguard DiMarzio Area 58, 67, 61 BP/WH” is in sale since Thursday, September 28, 2017. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Parts & Accessories\Guitar Parts\Pickups”. The seller is “sigler_music” and is located in United States. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guadeloupe, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Sri lanka, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion.

2019-04-21T08:34:08Z

http://stratloadedpickguard.com/2018/09/

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Due attentiveness even when establishing friendships is key! So, with much activation and trepidation I visited out to this glorious property that my Expert told me I might probably kick myself if I did not buy — to find a hold that is almost the perfect DUMP. Ok, ok, I’m in the business out of buying dumps and doing them pretty and reselling them, right? That is often what I am performing as a real est investor, right? Heck yep! Here’s the type of thing. My personal told the idea Realtor My personal need elements right so now that My friends and i can Convert and Make. 90 days, done. So, with this one that he was informing me the whole the pros and cons, the fix up plus the successes resale superb value. He transported me comps, the comps he sends back those things that he got saying and as a consequence then most! How exciting, man do I of all time need a single paycheck!!!! However ,. and, out of coarse, at this time there is another but, As well as start some of my due diligence, and lo and behold, the homes 2 home down is regarded as for sale, has been for 120 days for 183k and after that recently seemed to be reduced to help 169k. Genuinely is not mobility. Explanation away from the Realtor: that residential home is way dated. Ok, maybe, but that area still wasn’t boasting quarters prices amongst over 185k and to positively make your money I will need to sell during at extremely that amount. Ok, consider it with regard to stride, take a look at look of the stage. The local area is superb!! Houses have become pretty, its house 2 doors down-great! Whoa, remain a second, this nice looking house, 2 exterior doors down, utilizing the the pricetag dropped affordable to 169k is pretty, prettier than the house I basically , bought. I tell myself, well ok, let’s select a outlook in personalized house and as well see simply we should do. OK, WOW! This house typically is going so as to need excellent overhaul!! The idea house needs a kitchen update, the perfect new counter for every double comes in that this bathroom, another tub, cutting edge windows, hot doors, trim throughout, a huge new stove, a new master your bath update, fresh exterior paint, some siding replaced, that this basement is ordinarily a wreck with all these itty bitty (8×8) creepy quarters down there, (eww), what else, over there is even more-the purchase price of this rehab is definitely adding utility in my own, personal head. Not to retrieve all some stuff, the dumping premiums are visiting to end up being huge!!! A person’s carpet needs replaced and it roughly has that you simply real crazy feel if you want to me. Ok, I ask myself, easily even along with this, use to prevent possible look in the real estate 2 avenues down to see why is this I could be in a very position to trade my property or home at a meaningful higher price tag tag and afterward we’ll direct a appear to be at any rehab in addition to the figure inside what most can do with and as a consequence do possessing. So, a couple of doors down, it are clean, newly painted, has new living room cabinets, beginner floor when it comes to the kitchen, wood carpets polished, it also looks pleasurable. Only main problem I see upstairs will some fuddy-duddy wallpaper on a one wall membrane and a green counter-top top about the lavatory. But it is it, the type of house delivers a nice feel so that it will it so is step in totally ready. So, our own basement, the some other hand, delivers old, gross carpet in addition to needs fresh paint. So, how does our compare with my ability house. Well, my Real estate agent says that this your home does certainly not compare due to the it was so dated, it will look like others blue haired lady enjoyed here as well as 80 lights fixtures and pink rose wall paper. In my house, he tells our company that We all should grab up the carpet and polish how the wood floors, don’t swap out the cabinetry in a kitchen—see regarding painting them, buy the new stove, paint all exterior, paper the reddish bathtub, new floor inside of the kitchen, paint interior, clean the following up and additionally call that will good. So, tell use how morning I to auction off this for more besides 169k appreciate the own home 2 entry doors down? doing exactly the same situation but hang on —I won’t have new-found kitchen displays and my house have these itty-bitty creepy locations in the basement. So, what preferably should I do-Realtor says or perhaps is prepared to to bring risks, that experts claim is so what you go about doing in business, use buy it, and in this case wait, oh yeah yeah, take it suitable for 6 months and it doesn’t seem to work help it a rental. I don’t attain 6 few months to waste time. The bikini bottoms line is, this realtor wanted so that it will sell my opinion this residence. The recommend that I was proclaimed was sort of a destroyer deal, had not been. With problematic money costs, closing and / or selling costs, the solely way Now i could execute money is always if My hubby and i could sell around 185k, but that wasn’t going to always possible when 2 options down turned out to be not marketing at 169k. This Expert told i I was missing out on a good deal, but I disagree. Your deal Naturally i got was seen as – practicing to truly do business with here guy, he would sell me ocean perceive property by Arizona maybe I’d buy it. 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2019-04-24T18:42:19Z

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Not to be confused with Karachchi, Karashi, or Karachay-Cherkessia. Karachi (help·info) (Urdu: کراچی, Sindhi: ڪراچي) is the largest city, main seaport and the financial capital of Pakistan, and the capital of the province of Sindh. With a city population of 15.5 million, Karachi is one of the world's largest cities, 13th largest urban agglomeration and the 20th largest metropolitan area in the world.. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and trade. Karachi is home to Pakistan's largest corporations, including those that are involved in textiles, shipping, automotive industry, entertainment, the arts, fashion, advertising, publishing, software development and medical research. The city is a major hub of higher education in South Asia and the wider Islamic world. Karachi is ranked as a Beta world city. Karachi city is spread over 3,530 km2 (1,360 sq mi) in area, almost five times bigger than Singapore. It is locally known as the "City of Lights" (روشنیوں کا شهر) and "The bride of the cities" (عروس البلاد) for its liveliness, and the "City of the Quaid" (شهرِ قائد), having been the birth and burial place of Quaid-e-Azam (Muhammad Ali Jinnah), the founder of Pakistan, who made the city his home after Pakistan's independence. A view of the Sindh Arts College now renamed as D. J. Science College. The area of Karachi was known to the ancient Greeks by many names: Krokola, the place where Alexander the Great camped to prepare a fleet for Babylonia after his campaign in the Indus Valley; 'Morontobara' (probably Manora island near Karachi harbour), from whence Alexander's admiral Nearchus set sail; and Barbarikon, a port of the Indo-Greek Bactrian kingdom. It was later known to the Arabs as Debal, the starting point for Muhammad bin Qasim and his army in 712 AD. Karachi was founded as "Kolachi" by Baloch tribes from Balochistan and Makran, who established a small fishing community in the area. Descendants of the original community still live in the area on the small island of Abdullah Goth, which is located near the Karachi Port. The original name "Kolachi" survives in the name of a well-known Karachi locality named "Mai Kolachi". The city was visited by Ottoman Admiral Seydi Ali Reis in 1550s and mentioned in his book Mirat ul Memalik (The Mirror of Countries), 1557 AD. The present city started life as a fishing settlement when a Balochi fisherwoman called Mai Kolachi took up residence and started a family. The village that later grew out of this settlement was known as Kolachi-jo-Goth (Village of Kolachi in Sindhi). By the late 1720s, the village was trading across the Arabian Sea with Muscat and the Persian Gulf region. A small fort was constructed for its protection, armed with cannons imported from Muscat. The fort had two main gateways: one facing the sea, known as Kharra Darwaaza (Brackish Gate) (Kharadar) and the other facing the Lyari River known as the Meet'ha Darwaaza (Sweet Gate) (Mithadar). The location of these gates correspond to the modern areas of Kharadar (Khārā Dar) and Mithadar (Mīṭhā Dar). After sending a couple of exploratory missions to the area, the British East India Company conquered the town when HMS Wellesley anchored off Manora island on 1 February 1839. Two days later, the little fort surrendered. The town was later annexed to the British Indian Empire when Sindh was conquered by Charles James Napier in Battle of Miani on 17 February 1843. On his departure in 1847, he is said to have remarked, "Would that I could come again to see you in your grandeur!" Karachi was made the capital of Sindh in the 1840s. On Napier's departure, it was added along with the rest of Sindh to the Bombay Presidency, a move that caused considerable resentment among the native Sindhis. The British realised the importance of the city as a military cantonment and as a port for exporting the produce of the Indus River basin, and rapidly developed its harbour for shipping. The foundations of a city municipal government were laid down and infrastructure development was undertaken. New businesses started opening up and the population of the town began rising rapidly. The arrival of the troops of the Kumpany Bahadur in 1839 spawned the foundation of the new section, the military cantonment. The cantonment formed the basis of the 'white' city, where the Indians were not allowed free access. The 'white' town was modeled after English industrial parent-cities, where work and residential spaces were separated, as were residential from recreational places. Karachi was divided into two major poles. The 'black' town in the northwest, now enlarged to accommodate the burgeoning Indian mercantile population. In 1857, the First Indian War for Independence broke out in South Asia and the 21st Native Infantry stationed in Karachi declared allegiance to rebels, joining their cause on 10 September 1857. Nevertheless, the British were able to quickly reassert control over Karachi and defeat the uprising. In 1864, the first telegraphic message was sent from India to England, when a direct telegraph connection was laid between Karachi and London. In 1878, the city was connected to the rest of British India by rail. Public building projects, such as Frere Hall (1865) and the Empress Market (1890), were undertaken. In 1876, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was born in the city, which by now had become a bustling city with mosques, churches, courthouses, kota, paved streets and a magnificent harbour. By 1899, Karachi had become the largest wheat exporting port in the East. The population of the city was about 105,000 inhabitants by the end of the 19th century, with a cosmopolitan mix of Muslims, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Christians and Jews. There were various linguistic groups, such as Urdu speakers, Punjabis as well as Pashtuns and Balochis. The multi-ethnic mix can be imagined from the fact that there are more Pashtuns in Karachi than in any city of the North-West Frontier Province. In addition to local groups, there were immigrants of Persian, Lebanese, and European backgrounds. By the turn of the century, the city faced street congestion, which led to Southwest Asia's first tramway system being laid down in 1900. British colonialists embarked on a number of public works of sanitation and transportation — such as gravel paved streets, proper drains, street sweepers, and a network of trams and horse-drawn trolleys. Colonial administrators set up military camps, a European inhabited quarter, and organised marketplaces, of which the Empress Market is most notable. By the time the new country of Pakistan was formed in 1947 Karachi had become a bustling metropolis with beautiful classical and colonial European styled buildings, lining the city’s thoroughfares. Karachi was chosen as the capital of Pakistan, which at the time included modern day Bangladesh, a region located more than 1,000 km (620 mi) away, and not physically connected to Pakistan. In 1947, Karachi was the focus for settlement by Muslim migrants from India, who drastically expanded the city's population and transformed the demographics and economy. In 1958, the capital of Pakistan was moved from Karachi to Rawalpindi and then in 1960, to the newly built Islamabad. This marked the start of a long period of decline in the city, marked by a lack of development. Karachi had both a municipal corporation and a Karachi Divisional Council in the 1960s, which developed plans for schools, colleges, roads, municipal gardens, and parks. The Karachi Divisional Council had separate working committees for education, roads, and residential societies development and planning. During the 1960s, Karachi was seen as an economic role model around the world. Many countries sought to emulate Pakistan's economic planning strategy and one of them, South Korea, copied the city's second "Five-Year Plan" and World Financial Centre in Seoul is designed and modeled after Karachi. The 1970s saw major labour struggles in Karachi's industrial estates, (see: Karachi labour unrest of 1972). The 1980s and 1990s saw an influx of refugees from the Soviet war in Afghanistan into Karachi, they were followed in smaller numbers by refugees escaping from Iran. Political tensions between the Muhajir and other native groups (e.g. Sindhis, Punjabis, Pashtuns, and others), erupted and the city was wracked with political and racial violence. The period from 1992 to 1994 is regarded as the bloodiest period in the history of the city, when the Army commenced its Operation Clean-up against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Most of these tensions have now simmered down. Today, Karachi continues to be an important financial and industrial centre and handles most of the overseas trade of Pakistan and the other Central Asian countries. It accounts for a lion's share of the GDP of Pakistan, and a large proportion of the country's white collar workers. Karachi is located in the south of Pakistan, on the coast of the Arabian Sea. Its geographic coordinates are 24°51′ N 67°02′ E. Most of the land comprised largely of flat or rolling plains, with hills on the western and Manora Island and the Oyster Rocks. The Arabian Sea beach lines the southern coastline of Karachi. Mangroves and creeks of the Indus delta can be found toward the southeast side of the city. Toward the west and the north is Cape Monze, locally known as Raas Muari, an area marked with projecting sea cliffs and rocky sandstone promontories. Some excellent beaches can be found in this area. Khasa Hills lie in the north west and form the border between North Nazimabad Town and Orangi Town. The Manghopir mountain range lies in north west of Karachi and between Hub River and Manghopir. Located on the coast, Karachi tends to have a relatively mild, arid climate with low average precipitation levels (approximately 250 mm per annum), the bulk of which occurs during the July-August monsoon season. Winters are mild and the summers are hot; the proximity to the sea maintains humidity levels at a near-constant high and cool sea breezes relieve the heat of the summer months. Because of high temperatures during the summer (ranging from 30 to 44 degrees Celsius from April to August), the winter months (November to February) are generally considered the best times to visit Karachi. December and January have pleasant and cloudy weather. Evening scene on Clifton beach. In 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2009 Karachi was affected by heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. On June 23, 2007, Cyclone Yemyin lashed the city with heavy downpours and strong windstorms. On July 18, 2009, there was severe flooding, in which a record-breaking rainfall of 235 mm occurred in just 14 hours, killing 20 and injuring 150 people. The city's highest monthly rainfall—711.5 mm (28.0) inches—occurred in July 1869. Karachi's highest recorded temperature is 48 °C (118 °F) and its lowest is 0.0 °C (32 °F). The population and demographic distribution in Karachi has undergone numerous changes over the past 150 years. Non-governmental and international estimates of Karachi's population run anywhere from 12 million to 18 million – a huge increase over its population in 1947 (400,000). It is estimated that over 90% of its population are migrants from different backgrounds. The city's population is growing at about 5% per year (mainly as a result of rural-urban internal migration), including an estimated 45,000 migrant workers coming to the city every month from different parts of Pakistan. Before 1947, Karachi had communities of Sindhis, Balochs, Parsis, Hindus, Christian, Jews, Marathis, Goans, Armenians, Chinese, British, Lebanese and Gujaratis. After independence of Pakistan, a large number of Sindhi Hindus and Sindhi Sikhs left the city for Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Punjab and were replaced by Muslim migrants known as Muhajirs. The Muhajirs migrated from different parts of India the majority of them spoke Urdu. Karachi has a cosmopolitan mix of many ethno-linguistic groups from all over Pakistan and refugees from neighboring countries. The Sheedis, the local name for Afro-Pakistanis, trace their roots to African slaves. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, thousands of Biharis and Bengalis from Bangladesh arrived in the city, followed by Rohingya refugees from Burma, and Asians from Uganda. According to the UNHCR and the local law enforcement, approximately 50,000 registered Afghan refugees live in Karachi. Many other refugees from Iran and Tajikistan have settled in the city. With an estimated 7.0 million ethnic Pashtuns, Karachi hosts one of the largest Pashtun populations in the world. According to the census of Pakistan 1998, the religious breakdown of the city is as follows: Muslim (96.45%), Christian (2.42%), Hindu (0.86%), Ahmadi (0.17%) and other (0.10%). (Other religious groups include Parsis, Sikhs, Bahai, Jews and Buddhists). Karachi is the financial and commercial capital of Pakistan. In line with its status as a major port and the country's largest metropolis, it accounts for a lion's share of Pakistan's revenue. According to the Federal Board of Revenue's 2006-2007 year book, tax and customs units in Karachi were responsible for 46.75% of direct taxes, 33.65% of federal excise tax, and 23.38% of domestic sales tax. Karachi accounts for 75.14% of customs duty and 79% of sales tax on imports. Therefore, Karachi collects a significant 53.38% of the total collections of the Federal Board of Revenue (since renamed as the Central Board of Revenue), out of which 53.33% are customs duty and sales tax on imports. (Note: Revenue collected from Karachi includes revenue from some other areas since the Large Tax Unit (LTU) Karachi and Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur & Quetta cover the entire province of Sindh and Balochistan). Karachi's indigenous contribution to national revenue is 25%. Karachi's contribution to Pakistan's manufacturing sector amounts to approximately 30 percent. A substantial chunk of Sindh’s gross domestic product (GDP) is attributed to Karachi (the GDP of Sindh as a percentage of Pakistan’s total GDP has traditionally hovered around 28%-30%). Karachi’s GDP is around 20% of the total GDP of Pakistan. A PricewaterhouseCoopers study released in 2009, which surveyed the 2008 GDP of the top cities in the world, calculated Karachi’s GDP (PPP) to be $78 billion (projected to be $193 billion in 2025 at a growth rate of 5.5%). It confirmed Karachi’s status as Pakistan’s largest economy, well ahead of the next two biggest cities Lahore and Faisalabad, which had a reported GDP (PPP) in 2008 of $40 billion and $14 billion, respectively. Karachi's high GDP is based on its mega-industrial base, with a high dependency on the financial sector. Textiles, cement, steel, heavy machinery, chemicals, food, banking and insurance are the major segments contributing to Karachi's GDP. In February 2007, the World Bank identified Karachi as the most business-friendly city in Pakistan. Karachi is the nerve center of Pakistan's economy. The economic stagnation caused by political anarchy, ethnic strife and resultant military operation during late 80s and 90s led to efflux of industry from Karachi. Most of Pakistan's public and private banks are headquartered on Karachi's I. I. Chundrigar Road; according to a 2001 report, nearly 60% of the cashflow of the Pakistani economy takes place on I. I. Chundrigar Road. Most major foreign multinational corporations operating in Pakistan have their headquarters in Karachi. The Karachi Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in Pakistan, and is considered by many economists to be one of the prime reasons for Pakistan's 8% GDP growth across 2005. A recent report by Credit Suisse on Pakistan's stock market is a testimonial to its strong fundamentals, estimating Pakistan’s relative return on equities at 26.7 percent, compared to Asia’s 11 percent. Recently, Karachi has seen an expansion of information and communications technology and electronic media and has become the software outsourcing hub of Pakistan. Call centres for foreign companies have been targeted as a significant area of growth, with the government making efforts to reduce taxes by as much as 10% in order to gain foreign investments in the IT sector. Many of Pakistan’s independent television and radio stations are based in Karachi, including world-popular Business Plus, AAJ News, Geo TV, KTN, Sindh TV, CNBC Pakistan, TV ONE, ARY Digital, Indus Television Network, Samaa TV and Dawn News, as well as several local stations. Karachi has several large industrial zones such as Karachi Export Processing Zone, SITE, Korangi, Northern Bypass Industrial Zone, Bin Qasim and North Karachi, located on the fringes of the main city. Its primary areas of industry are textiles, pharmaceuticals, steel, and automobiles. In addition, Karachi has a vibrant cottage industry and there is a rapidly flourishing Free Zone with an annual growth rate of nearly 6.5%. The Karachi Expo Centre hosts many regional and international exhibitions. There are many development projects proposed, approved and under construction in Karachi. Among projects of note, Emaar Properties is proposing to invest $43bn (£22.8bn) in Karachi to develop Bundal Island, which is a 12,000 acre (49 km²) island just off the coast of Karachi. The Karachi Port Trust is planning a Rs. 20 billion, 1,947 feet (593 m) high Port Tower Complex on the Clifton shoreline. It will comprise a hotel, a shopping center, an exhibition center and a revolving restaurant with a viewing gallery offering a panoramic view of the coastline and the city. Karachi is home to some of Pakistan's important cultural institutions. The National Academy of Performing Arts, located in the newly renovated Hindu Gymkhana, offers a two-year diploma course in performing arts that includes classical music and contemporary theatre. The All Pakistan Music Conference, linked to the 45-year-old similar institution in Lahore, has been holding its Annual Music Festival since its inception in 2004. The Festival is now a well-established feature of the city life of Karachi that is attended by more than 3000 citizens of Karachi as well as people from other cities. The National Arts Council (Koocha-e-Saqafat) has musical performances and mushaira (poetry recitations). The Kara Film Festival annually showcases independent Pakistani and international films and documentaries. The everyday lifestyle of Karachi differs substantially from that of other Pakistani cities and towns. The culture of Karachi is characterized by the blending of South Asian, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Western influences, as well as its status as a major international business centre. After the partition of Indian subcontinent, Karachi received a large number of refugees from all over India, whose influence is now evident in the city's different sub-cultures. Karachi hosts the largest middle class stratum of the country. Karachi has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural styles and many modern style high rise buildings are under construction. The downtown districts of Saddar and Clifton contain a rich collection of early 20th century architecture, ranging in style from neo-classical KPT building to the Sindh High Court Building. During the British rule, Britishers wanted to model their Empire along the lines of ancient Rome and classical architecture was considered most appropriate for built monuments of the Raj. Karachi acquired its first neo-Gothic or Indo-Gothic building when Frere Hall, Empress Market and St. Patrick's Cathedral were completed. English Tudor style was introduced in Karachi Gymkhana and the Boat Club. Italian Renaissance was very popular and was the language for St. Joseph's Convent (1870) and the Sind Club (1883). Classical style made a comeback in the late nineteenth century as seen in Lady Dufferin Hospital (1898) and the Cantt. Railway Station. While 'Italianate' buildings remained popular, an eclectic blend termed Indo-Saracenic or Anglo-Mughal began to emerge in some locations. The local mercantile community began acquiring impressive mercantile structures. Zaibunnisa Street in Saddar area (known as Elphinstone Street in British days) is an example where the mercantile groups adopted the 'Italianate' and Indo-Saracenic style to demonstrate their familiarity with western culture and their own. The Hindu Gymkhana (1925) and Mohatta Palace are the example of Mughal revival buildings. The Sindh Wildlife Conservation Building, located in Saddar, served as a Freemasonic Lodge until the time it was taken over by the government. There are talks of it being taken away from this custody and being renovated and the Lodge being preserved with its original woodwork and ornate wooden staircase. In recent years, a large number of architecturally distinctive, even eccentric, buildings have sprung up throughout Karachi. Notable examples of contemporary architecture include the Pakistan State Oil Headquarters building and the Karachi Financial Towers. The city has numerous examples of modern Islamic architecture, including the Aga Khan University hospital, Masjid e Tooba, Faran Mosque, Bait-ul Mukarram Mosque and Quaid's Mausoleum. One of the unique cultural elements of Karachi is that the residences, which are two- or three-story townhouses, are built with the front yard protected by a high brick wall. Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Road displays a wide range of supertall buildings. The most prominent examples include the Habib Bank Plaza, PRC Towers and the MCB Tower which is the tallest skyscraper in Pakistan. Perhaps one of the most spectacular buildings of modern times, Port Tower Complex, a supertall skyscraper is proposed in the Clifton District of the metropolis. At 593 metres, the building will comprise a hotel, a shopping centre, an exhibition centre and a revolving restaurant with a viewing gallery offering a panoramic view of the coastline and the city.. Many more high rise buildings are under construction, such as Centre Point near Korangi Industrial Area, IT Tower, Sofitel Tower Karachi and Emerald Tower. The Government of Sindh recently approved the construction of two high-density zones, which will host the new city skyline. Karachi has always been proactive in organizing large events but because of the political and economic crisis in the country, activities have recently been slowed down. Karachi continues to host many different cultural and fashion shows. In 2009 a four-day-long fashion show was organized in Karachi's luxury Marriott hotel. Karachi has many glitzy shopping malls in the Clifton area, Tariq Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Hyderi shopping area, such as Park Towers, The Forum, Dolmen Mall and Millenium Mall. Zamzama Boulevard is known for its designer stores and many cafes. Almost all foreign brands along with famous Pakistani fashion labels such as Amir Adnan, Aijazz, Rizwan Beyg, Deepak Perwani, Shayanne Malik, Maria B, Khaadi, Sputnik Footwear, Metro Shoes, English Boot House, Cotton & Cotton, Men's store and Junaid Jamshed are present in various major shopping districts of the city. Cricket is the most popular sport of the city and is usually played in many small grounds around the city. Gully cricket is played in the narrow by-lanes of the city. Nighttime cricket, popularly called 'night match', can be seen at weekends when people play brightly lit, late night matches on less traversed city streets and the game continues till dawn. Karachi has one world-class cricket stadium, named National Stadium. The National Stadium (NSK), the largest cricket stadium in Pakistan, became Karachi's fifth and Pakistan's 11th first-class ground. The inaugural first-class match was played at NSK between Pakistan and India on April 21–24, 1955. In 34 Tests between that first match and December 2000, Pakistan won 17 and were never beaten. Their only Test defeat on the ground came in the gloom against England in 2000-01. Since then, major terrorist activity, mainly bombings, have meant that non-Asian sides have refused to play in the city, and in five years only Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have visited. The first One Day International at the National Stadium was against West Indies on November 21, 1980, and it went down to the last ball as Gordon Greenidge drove Imran Khan imperiously to the cover boundary with three needed. It has been a far less successful limited-overs venue, with defeats outnumbering victories. In fact, in a little under five years from the start of 1996, Pakistan failed to win on the ground. It staged a quarter-final match in the 1996-97 World Cup. Other popular sports in the city are hockey, boxing, association football, golf, table tennis, snooker, squash, and horse racing. Sports like badminton, volleyball and basketball are popular in schools and colleges. Football is especially popular in Lyari Town, which has a large Afro-Balochi community and has always been a football-mad locality in Karachi. The Peoples Football Stadium is perhaps the largest football stadium in Pakistan with respect to capacity, easily accommodating around 40,000 people. In 2005, the city hosted the SAFF Championship at this ground, as well as the Geo Super Football League 2007, which attracted capacity crowds during the games. The city has facilities for hockey (the Hockey Club of Pakistan, UBL Hockey Ground), boxing (KPT Sports Complex), squash (Jahangir Khan Squash Complex) and polo. Marinas and boating clubs add to the diverse sporting activities in Karachi. The towns are governed by elected municipal administrations responsible for infrastructure and spatial planning, development facilitation, and municipal services (water, sanitation, solid waste, repairing roads, parks, street lights, and traffic engineering), with some functions being retained by the City-District Government (CDG). The third-tier 178 union councils are each composed of thirteen directly elected members including a Nazim (mayor) and a Naib Nazim (deputy mayor). The UC Nazim heads the union administration and is responsible for facilitating the CDG to plan and execute municipal services, as well as for informing higher authorities about public concerns and complaints. Naimatullah Khan was the first Nazim of Karachi and Shafiq-Ur-Rehman Paracha was the first DCO of Karachi, Paracha even served as the last Commissioner of Karachi. Naimatullah Khan focused on building new parks, providing entertainment outlets to the youth (to celebrate events like Valentine's Day) and families (to celebrate events like Eid). In the elections of 2005, Mustafa Kamal was elected City Nazim of Karachi to succeed Naimatullah Khan, and Nasreen Jalil was elected as the City Naib Nazim. Mustafa Kamal was previously the provincial minister for information technology in Sindh. Mustafa Kamal is advancing the development trail and has been actively involved in maintaining care of the city's municipal systems. There are six military cantonments administered by the Pakistan Army which do not form part of the City District Government of Karachi. In 2008-09, the city's literacy rate was estimated at 65.26%, the highest in Pakistan, with a gross enrolment ratio of 111%, the highest in Sindh. Karachi Grammar School is the oldest school in Pakistan and has educated many Pakistani businessmen and politicians. The Narayan Jagannath High School in Karachi, which opened in 1855, was the first government school established in Sindh. Other well-known schools include L'ecole for Advanced Studies, the CAS School, Bay View High School, Bay View Academy, Karachi American School, The Paradise School and College, Little Folks Secondary School, Habib Public School, Mama Parsi Girls Secondary School, B.V.S. Parsi Grammer School, Civilizations Public School, The Oasys School, Avicenna, Lyceum, Ladybird Grammar School, The City School, Beaconhouse School System, The Educators schools, Shahwilayat Public School, St Patrick's High School, St Paul's English High School, St Joseph's Convent School, and St Michael's Convent School. The University of Karachi, known as KU, is Pakistan's largest university, with a student population of 24,000 and one of the largest faculties in the world. It is located next to the NED University of Engineering and Technology, the country's oldest engineering institute. In the private sector, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) provides reputable training in biomedical engineering, civil engineering, electronics engineering, telecom engineering and computer engineering. Dawood College of Engineering and Technology offers degree programmes in electronic engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, materials engineering and architecture. Karachi Institute of Economics & Technology (KIET) has two campuses in Karachi and has been growing rapidly since its inception in 1997. The Plastics Technology Center (PTC), located in Karachi's Korangi Industrial Area, is at present Pakistan's only educational institution providing training in the field of polymer engineering and plastics testing services. The Institute of Business Administration (IBA), founded in 1955, is the oldest business school outside of North America. The Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), founded in 1995 by Benazir Bhutto, is located in Karachi, with its other campuses in Islamabad, Larkana and Dubai. Pakistan Navy Engineering College (PNEC) is a part of the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), offering a wide range of engineering programs, including electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Hamdard University is the largest private university in Pakistan. Karachi is home of the head offices of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) (established in 1961) and the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMAP). Among the many other institutions providing business education are the College of Business Management (CBM), SZABIST, Iqra University and the Institute of Business and Technology (Biztek). Leading medical schools of Pakistan like The Aga Khan University and Dow University of Health Sciences have their campuses in Karachi. The National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES-FAST), one of Pakistan's top universities in computer education, operates two campuses in Karachi. Bahria University also has a purpose-built campus in Karachi. For religious education, one of the largest Islamic education centers of Asia, the Jamia Uloom ul Islamia, Banori Town, Karachi, is located in Karachi. Many of Pakistan’s independent television and radio channels are based in Karachi, including Business Plus, Geo TV, Good News TV, CNBC Pakistan, Hum TV, TV ONE, AAJ TV, ARY Digital, Express News, Indus Television Network, Kawish Television Network (KTN), Sindh TV and Dawn News, as well as several local stations. Local channels include Metro One. Pakistan's premier news television networks are based in Karachi, including News One, GEO News, ARY One World and AAJ News. AAG TV and MTV Pakistan are the main music television channels and Business Plus and CNBC Pakistan are the main business television channels based in the city. The bulk of Pakistan's periodical publishing industry is centred in Karachi, including magazines such as Spider, The Herald, Humsay, The Cricketer, Moorad Shipping News, and The Internet. Major advertising companies like Interflow Communications and Orient McCann Erickson have their head offices in Karachi. The Jinnah International Airport is located in Karachi. It is the largest and busiest airport of Pakistan. It handles 10 million passengers a year. The airport receives the largest number of foreign airlines, a total of 35 airlines and cargo operators fly to Jinnah International predominantly from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. All of Pakistan's airlines use Karachi as their primary transport hub including PIA - Pakistan International Airlines, Airblue, and Shaheen Air International. The city's old airport terminals are now used for Hajj flights, offices, cargo facilities, and ceremonial visits from heads of state. U.S. Coalition forces used the old terminals for their logistic supply operations as well. The city has two other airstrips, used primarily by the armed forces. The largest shipping ports in Pakistan are the Port of Karachi and the nearby Port Qasim. These seaports have modern facilities and not only handle trade for Pakistan, but serve as ports for Afghanistan and the landlocked Central Asian countries. Plans have been announced for new passenger facilities at the Port of Karachi. Karachi is linked by rail to the rest of the country by Pakistan Railways. The Karachi City Station and Karachi Cantonment Railway Station are the city's two major railway stations. The railway system handles a large amount of freight to and from the Karachi port and provides passenger services to people traveling up country. A project to transform the existing, but non-operational, Karachi Circular Railway into a modern mass transit system has recently been approved by the government. The $1.6 billion project will be financed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and will be completed by 2013. The city government has introduced an initiative to alleviate the transport pains by introducing new CNG buses. Karachi district is a centre of research in biomedicine. The city is home to at least 30 public hospitals and more than 80 private hospitals, including the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases, Spencer Eye Hospital, Civil Hospital, PNS Rahat, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and Liaquat National Hospital, as well as Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Ziauddin Hospital, South City Hospital, Kidney Centre, Institute of Child Health, Karachi Institute of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (KIRAN), Haji Rang Elahi Eye Hospital, Tabba Cardiac Medical Center, Patel Hospital, Layton Benevolent Trust Eye Hospital, Lady Dufferin Hospital, and National Medical Centre. As one of the most rapidly growing cities in the world, Karachi faces challenges that are central to many developing metropolises, including traffic congestion, pollution, poverty and street crime. These problems continue to earn Karachi low rankings in livability comparisons: The Economist ranked Karachi fourth least livable city amongst the 132 cities surveyed and BusinessWeek ranked it 175 out of 215 in livability in 2007, down from 170 in 2006. Traffic problems and pollution are major challenges for Karachi. The level of air pollution in Karachi is estimated to be 20 times higher than World Health Organization standards. A number of new parks (e.g., Bagh Ibne Qasim, Beach View Park and Jheel Park) have been developed and new trees are being planted in the city to improve the environment and reduce the pollution. The construction of new bridges/flyovers, underpasses and signal-free corridors (e.g., Corridor 1: S.I.T.E. to Shahrae Faisal, Corridor 2: North Karachi to Shahrae Faisal, Corridor 3: Safora Goth to Saddar) has improved the traffic flow in Karachi. The eventual completion of Corridor 4 (from the airport to Metropole Hotel) is expected to substantially reduce the travel time to reach the city centre and airport. Karachi is known for the legend of Morirro Mirbahar, whose bravery has been praised and sung by Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in his poetry. The legend has been depicted in the Sindhi movie Ghatoo Ghar na Ayaa (Sindhi: گھاتُو گھر نه آيا). Karachi jaa ddeeha' aee' raatioo' (Sindhi: ڪراچيءَ جا ڏينهن ۽ راتيون, English: Days and Nights of Karachi) is a novel written by Muhammad Bakhsh Johar. A twin city partnership with Chicago, Illinois, United States, was contemplated and initiated in 2000, but was never implemented. ^ "Government". City District Government of Karachi. http://125.209.91.254/cdgk/Home/Government/tabid/99/Default.aspx. Retrieved 2007-11-28. ^ "About Karachi". City District Government of Karachi. http://125.209.91.254/cdgk/Home/AboutKarachi/tabid/221/Default.aspx. Retrieved 2007-11-28. ^ a b "The largest cities in the world and their mayors". City Mayors. http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/largest-cities-mayors-1.html. Retrieved 5 February 2010. ^ "The world’s largest cities and urban areas in 2006". City Mayors. http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/urban_2006_1.html. Retrieved 5 February 2010. ^ "GaWC - The World According to GaWC 2008". Lboro.ac.uk. 2009-06-03. http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2008t.html. Retrieved 2009-09-14. ^ "GAWC World Cities Ranking List". Diserio.com. http://www.diserio.com/gawc-world-cities.html. Retrieved 2009-09-14. ^ Neill, , John Martin Bladen (1846). Recollections of four years' service in the East with H.M. fortieth regiment. http://www.archive.org/details/recollectionsoff00neilrich. Retrieved 27 Nov. 2009. ^ Planning Commission, Pakistan Economic Survey, 1964-65, Rawalpindi: Govt. Printing Press, 1965, p. 212. ^ a b c Asian Development Bank. "Karachi Mega-Cities Preparation Project". http://www.adb.org/Documents/Produced-Under-TA/38405/38405-PAK-DPTA.pdf. Retrieved 2009-01-01. ^ "Karachi". Meteorological Department of Pakistan. http://www.met.gov.pk/cdpc/karachi.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-08. ^ Note: The 1998 census showed a population of about 9 million and the City Government estimates "more than 15 million inhabitants". Reasons for the discrepancy include workers living in Karachi but registered as living elsewhere in Pakistan by NADRA (the National Database and Registration Authority); and Afghan refugees, Iranians and others (Indians, Nepalis, Burmese, Bangladeshis etc.) were not counted in the 1998 census. ^ ""Karachi turning into a ghetto"". Dawn Group of Newspapers. 2006-01-16. http://www.dawn.com/2006/01/16/letted.htm. Retrieved 2006-04-20. ^ a b Arif Hasan, Masooma Mohiburl (2009-02-01). "Urban Slums Reports: The case of Karachi, Pakistan" (PDF). http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Global_Report/pdfs/Karachi.pdf. Retrieved 2006-04-20. ^ a b c d "Federal Board of Revenue Year Book 2006-2007". http://www.cbr.gov.pk/YearBook/2006-2007/FBRyearbook2006-2007.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-12. ^ Pakistan and Gulf Economist. "Karachi: Step-motherly treatment". http://www.pakistaneconomist.com/database2/cover/c99-15.asp. Retrieved 2007-10-15. ^ a b Social Policy and Development Center. "Provincial Accounts of Pakistan: Methodology and Estimates". http://www.spdc-pak.com/pubs/pubdisp.asp?id=nps5. Retrieved 2009-01-01. ^ a b Dawn Group of Newspapers. "Sindh, Balochistan’s share in GDP drops". http://www.dawn.com/2006/02/21/ebr3.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-01. ^ Dawn Group of Newspapers. "Sindh’s GDP estimated at Rs240 billion". http://www.dawn.com/2007/06/16/ebr3.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-01. ^ Dawn Group of Newspapers. "Sindh share in GDP falls by 1pc". http://www.dawn.com/2004/12/02/ebr1.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-01. ^ The Trade & Environment Database. "The Karachi Coastline Case". http://www1.american.edu/TED/karachi.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-01. ^ a b c "Global city GDP rankings 2008-2025". PricewaterhouseCoopers. https://www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=3421&NewsAreaID=2. Retrieved 12 February 2010. ^ Dawn Group of Newspapers. "World Bank report: Karachi termed most business-friendly". http://www.dawn.com/2007/02/14/ebr1.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-15. ^ Thakur, Pooja. "Pakistan Stocks May Advance, Credit Suisse Says." Bloomberg.com. August 24, 2009. ^ Board of Investment, Pakistan. "IT Sector Overview." Retrieved 1 January 2008. ^ United Nations. "Information Technology Policy of Pakistan: Providing an Enabling Environment for IT Development." Retrieved 1 January 2008. ^ "Welcome to KTN TV". KTN. http://www.ktn.com.pk. Retrieved 2008-02-20. ^ "Sindh TV". Sindh TV. http://www.thesindh.tv/contact.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-20. ^ Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry. "Industrial Zones In Pakistan." Retrieved 1 January 2008. ^ Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. "Karachi Expo Center." Retrieved 1 January 2007. ^ Karachi Port Trust. "K.P.T. Projects". http://www.kpt.gov.pk/Projects/Proj.html. Retrieved 2006-04-17. ^ Dawn Group of Newspapers. "KPT to build Rs20bn tower complex". http://www.dawn.com/2004/10/12/local4.htm. Retrieved 2006-04-20. ^ National Academy of Performing Arts. ""Welcome to National Academy of Performing Arts"". http://www.napa.org.pk. Retrieved 2006-04-17. ^ Daily Times. "Culture department takes notice of Freemason Lodge Building". http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\09\30\story_30-9-2008_pg12_9. Retrieved 2009-01-16. ^ a b "City Towns (all Towns and Union Councils". City District Government of Karachi. http://125.209.91.254/cdgk/Home/Towns/tabid/72/Default.aspx. Retrieved 2008-01-07. ^ Dawn Group of Newspapers. ""Mustafa Kamal announces city reinforcement projects"". http://www.dawn.com/2006/01/20/local2.htm. Retrieved 2006-10-10. ^ "Projects". Karachi Port Trust. http://www.kpt.gov.pk/Projects/Proj.html. Retrieved 2007-11-19. ^ The Economist. ""Where grass is Greener"". http://economist.com/markets/rankings/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8908454&CFID=16415879&CFTOKEN=94552766. Retrieved 2007-08-22. ^ Business Week, Karachi Livable Cities Guide. Retrieved 2008. ^ "Karachi and Chicago to be Sister Cities". jang.com.pk. PakPositive.com. 7 April 2005. http://www.pakpositive.com/2005/04/07/karachi-and-chicago-to-be-sister-cities. Retrieved 3 September 2009. Karachi (Urdu: كراچى, Sindhi: ڪراچي) capital of the province of Sindh, is the financial capital and the largest city of Pakistan. It has a metropolitan population of 11.8 million and is currently ranked 20th in the world (by population). Karachi, located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, is the financial and commercial center of the nation, as well as its largest port. The city credits its growth to the mixed populations of economic and political migrants and refugees from different national, provincial, linguistic and religious origins, who generally come to the city to settle permanently. It is locally termed as the City of Lights, City of The Quaid, and City that Never Sleeps. Residents and those born in the city are called "Karachiites". Karachi is different from the rest of Pakistan in the same way that New York is different from the rest of the United States. The pace of life is more hurried; time is money, and money is life. Located on the coast, Karachi has a relatively mild climate with low levels of precipitation (approximately 10 inches per annum), the bulk of which occurs during the July-August monsoon season. Winters are mild, and the summers are hot. The city's proximity to the sea keeps humidity levels at a near-constant high, and cool sea breezes relieve the heat of the summer months. Due to the high temperatures during the summer (ranging from 30-44°C from April to October), the winter months (November to February) are generally considered the best times to visit Karachi. July, December and January have pleasing and cloudy weather when most of the social events, ranging from weddings to charity fundraisers, frequently take place. Tourists and expatriates usually visit Karachi in these months. The highest ever recorded temperature in Karachi is 47.8 °C (118.0 °F) while the lowest is 0 °C (32 °F). The everyday lifestyle of Karachi differs substantially from that of other cities and towns in Pakistan. Karachi's culture is characterized by the blending of Middle Eastern, Central Asian, South Asian and Western influences, as well as the city's status as a major international business center. As a whole, there is considerable diversity in culture, and this diversity has produced a unique cultural amalgam of its own type. Karachi also hosts the largest middle class stratum of the country. Karachi is home to some of Pakistan's important cultural institutions. The National Academy of Performing Arts, located in the newly renovated Hindu Gymkhana offers a two-year diploma course in performing arts that includes classical music and contemporary theater. The All Pakistan Music Conference, linked to the 45-year old similar institution in Lahore, has been holding its Annual Music Festival since its inception in 2004. The Festival is now a well-established feature of the city life of Karachi that is awaited anxiously and attended by more than 3000 citizens of Karachi as well as people from other cities. The National Arts Council (Koocha-e-Saqafat) also has musical performances and Mushaira (poetry recitations). The Kara Film Festival organized annually showcases independent Pakistani and international films and documentaries. Our Karachi Festival celebrates Architecture of Karachi. Jinnah International Airport (IATA: KHI ICAO: OPKC), , is Karachi's largest international and domestic airport. It has connections to many other hubs such as Toronto, London, Dubai, Delhi and Singapore. It is also the hub for Pakistan International Airlines , Pakistan's national carrier, which flies to numerous destinations, including Lahore, Peshawar, Beijing and Tokyo. Facilities in the airport include a McDonald's, ATMs (in Arrivals), free internet (in departure), WiFi, hotels and a duty free shop that doesn't sell alcohol. Immigration used to be a lengthy process, but after a rearrangement of counters and the introduction of a green channel in 2006 this is no longer the case. Karachi is very far from the rest of Pakistani cities, so try to come by plane only. Daewoo Sammi offers some direct services to/from Karachi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Lahore and Islamabad, UAN 111-007-008. First Class travel with Pakistan Railways is good, and Karachi has railway connections with various major cities in Pakistan including Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Rawalpindi, & Peshawar. Karachi is a major trading hub for dhows from around the Indian Ocean. Travelers wanting to arrive in the city this way will probably need to make their own arrangements with the captain of the vessel. Once you get the hang of traveling in Karachi, it becomes a very entertaining experience. You meet new people and get to see unexpected things. It's not very hard to find a mode of transportation and if you know what you are doing, it is very easy to get around. The most common method of traveling in Karachi is by bus, private and Government-run, and is used by most people. For lack of space, people often sit on roof, or hang from bars, and are jam-packed inside the bus. Outsiders might be put off by the cramped conditions in the buses, and might prefer traveling in taxis. There are three kinds of taxis in Karachi: Metro, Yellow and Black. The yellow ones are generally thought to be better than the black ones, although they charge a greater mark up. The Metros are chains of taxis operated by different private sector companies (i.e. private version of NY's TLC). As in any nation, some of the taxi drivers overcharge "foreigners". Most of the Black and Yellow taxis don't have any meter, so you should first fix the charge and the location with the driver before getting in. The official rate per kilometer is around 7 Rupees but expect to pay around double. There is also the so called Radio/White Cab service, which is air conditioned and can be called in at the airport or anywhere in the city. Typical cost for a full day (8 hours, 150 KM) is US$25. White Cab Tel No. +92-21-111-789-786 or within Karachi 111-789-786. Per kilometer rate is 15 Rupees plus Rs. 50 calling charges. A new company, Metro Cabs, (Tel +92-21-111-222-787 or 111-222-787 (Karachi)) is considered highly efficient. Their taxis are usually easily available from the airport, and their rates are very reasonable, they have white corolla fleet - Per Km charges: Pak Rs. 15/= Min charges: Pak Rs. 310/= within 15 km. Others companies include Sky Cab (Phone: 92-21-5677721-23) with Limousine fleets, Pak Radio Cabs (UAN: 111-732-732), Pearl Cabs (UAN: 111-725-786), Redtop Cabs (UAN: 111-733-867) - they have liana fleets, Citi Cab (021-5650581), FVG Cab (UAN: 111-126-111), Karachi Cab (UAN: 111-527-222), Sana Cabs (UAN: 111-222-787), Star Cabs (UAN: 111-567-827) - they have Lancer fleets, CallCar (UAN: 111-092-021)-Corolla Fleets and Smart Cabs (UAN: 111-000-747). It’s easier to hire a car with driver. Pearl Radio Cab (4604465) charges Rs 1500 per day including fuel, if you’re staying in the city limits and travel less than 100km. Walji’s (5660248; 13 Services Mess, Mereweather Rd) is recommended for self-drive cars. Prices are around Rs 2400 per day (without fuel; unlimited mileage). Clifton Beach was the world's most popular silver-sand beach and health resort during 20th century but now it is affected by an oil spill that occurred in 2003. Bagh-e-Ibn-e-Qasim located just next to the beach park, Bagh-e-Ibn-e-Qasim is the most famous park of the city. Attractions include: Lady Lloyd pier, Jahangri Kothari parade, a century old amusement park, an underground Hindu temple, a mosque and a mausoleum. Try to visit the park at late evening hours when the park is lit. Floating Ship at Sea View is a buffet-themed restaurant with thrilling experiences of Ocean turmoil (Thunderstorm, Lighting, Shark attack) and Kids theater with Fantasy world. French Beach - often cited as Karachi’s most beautiful beach. Masjid e Tooba, (in Defence) is the largest single-domed mosque in the world. Mereweather Tower, (on II Chundrigar road) is business landmark of the city. Also visit the nearby Stock Exchange building. Habib Bank plaza, (on II Chundrigar road) was the first skyscraper in the country. Aga Khan University hospital, (near Karsaz), famous for its modernist Islamic architecture, also see lake gardens & hill on its backside. PIA Planetarium, next to Karachi Expo Centre, on main University road; is a kind of virtual observatory which regularly puts on shows about the solar system and cosmic phenomenon. The shows in English are much more detailed, and are held every Sunday evening. On other days there are only Urdu shows. A ticketed, guided tour by an officer enables one to view the plane from the inside; its cockpit, pilot seats, and various other areas. Tickets for the planetarium show are Rs 45, and for the show plus the plane tour are Rs 60. National Museum of Pakistan, collections at this museum focus on the cultural history of Pakistan. Items on display include archeological artifacts, Islamic Art, and historical documents. Located on Dr Ziau-ddin Ahmed Road, the museum is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Saturday through Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Frere Hall, Bagh-e-Jinnah, houses Sadequain Galerie, library plus a peaceful garden. Replica of the famous Charminar at Bahadurabad roundabout. Karsaz Road, famous for places like The 'Arena' games arcade, Aga Khan University hospital, Golf club, Expo center and museums like Air Force museum, Maritime museum and PIA Planetarium. Askari Park, on Main University road. The reptilian house and aquarium are worth a visit. Arena , on Karsaz Road. Hill park & Jheel park, near Tariq road, offers Birds eye view of Karachi. Fiesta , Cosy , Samzu , Water world, Sunway Lagoon etc. WWF Wetland center at Sandspit is located in the middle of mangrove forests on 35 minutes drive away from the city center. It arranges trip to Mangrove forests, Beaches, Bird Watching, Turtle watching, Lake watching and Nature excursion. It also houses a museum. Dreamworld Resorts Though a member should accompany you. Hindu Gymkhana, MR Kayani road, is one of the first Mughal Revival buildings in the city. There is much to do in Karachi; a city of more than 16 million people is unlikely to be short on activities! Simply let yourself be overwhelmed by this city, its size and scope, its heart breaking disparity between rich and poor, and its breathtaking sights and sounds. Karachi isn't just a city, it is a world unto itself! You can shop to your heart's content, in the massive range of markets and bazaars that dot the city, or you can shop & enjoy one of the many modern shopping malls that are found across the city's more affluent sectors, namely Defence and Clifton. And don't worry too much about your budget; a recent survey by the Times newspaper (UK) found Karachi to be the second-cheapest city in the world! . Karachi has a fine collection of Anglo-Indian architecture, a legacy of the British Raj, which will keep history buffs engaged. Culture vultures will find a city with many art galleries, displaying a broad spectrum of works from Asia, and some New Age works from aspiring Pakistani artists. Medical tourism is a growing industry in Karachi due to its high quality and low cost, especially in sectors like Dental treatment, Hair transplant , , Cosmetic surgery , and Open heart surgery. One is spoiled for choice by the variety of sports that can be found in Karachi. Cricket can be found at every conceivable corner, from the lush grounds of the more wealthy professional clubs or elite schools to the side streets of the working class Saddar City district. Adventure lovers can visit Go Aish Adventure park on University road. Besides that, there are several fine golf courses which host international tournaments such as the Pakistan Open on the Asian circuit, a bustling race track, and a wide range of water sports - sailing (at the Karachi Yacht Club), Scuba diving , snorkelling, water-skiing, wind surfing, deep sea fishing which are accessible due to the City's Arabian Sea coast. There are a lot of water parks located in the suburbs of the city near the superhighway, like Fiesta , Cosy , Samzu , Water world, and Sunway Lagoon. Other things you might be interested in doing is catching a movie at the Karachi Cineplex . Or catch a bird's-eye view of the animals from the Chair lifts at Karachi Safari park or visit The Arena, a gaming arcade at Karsaz offering an ice skating rink, bowling alley, minigolf, arcade games, rock-climbing and much more or Area 51, a bowling alley. For those who love watching the city skyline, they can visit Hill Park, an amusement park, offering a nice view of the City or Polo ground or the Revolving Restaurant , which offers a good view of the Central Karachi. You can also walk along the beaches, under clear skies, which at night is an experience worth the travel alone, as visitors can gaze towards the heavens while the Arabian sea cascades over their sandalled feet. Streetlights dotting the coast of Karachi increase the beauty of the sea and surrounding areas. Most city dwellers visit other beaches at the outskirt of the city like Hawksbay, Paradise Point, Sansdpit & French Beaches. Huts are available on these far-flung beaches, where you can also fish, yacht, ride horses and camels, collect sea shells and dive! Explore the under water world, marine life and coral reefs via Scuba Diving . Manora Island, next to Clifton Beach, is another breathtaking place for a picnic. Private boats are the easiest way to reach the Island; they can be hired at the marshes of the PNSC building. Manora Island also has a shrine and some hundred-year old monuments. A Riding Victoria type horse carriage from Polo ground to Clifton can be a memorable experience. Karachi has recently been experiencing a spa boom, and there is now plenty of choice for everything from holistic Ayurveda to green tea hydrotherapy. Good spas can be found in most five-star hotels such as Avari, PC and on Zamzama Avenue. If you have the time, and inclination to smoke, check out one of Karachi's Cigar Lounges. They stock quality international brands including authentic Cuban Cigars at Club Havana (DHA 5). Other notable lounges are Castro's and the Cigar Bar in Zamzama. These places have luxurious interiors and can give the illusion of being in a 1950's film! Note that you will have to pay a handsome sum for the pleasure of genuine Cubans! You can also try shisha at Cafe Shisha or at Indulge. Karachi has numerous quality country clubs. If you know anyone who has membership (they are, of course, restricted) check them out. Arena , Karsaz Road, "offers Ice Skating rink, Bowling alley, Mini Golf, Arcade Games, Rock Climbing and much more". Carlton resort hotel & club, DC-5, Opp. Zulfiqar Street, Phase 8, D.H.A. UAN: 111-72-72-72, Dinner & boating excursion. Call for more details. Pavilion end club , Adjacent to Alladin park on Rashid Minhas road, offers Club house, Sporting facilities and Swimming pools. The Royal Rodale, a sports and recreational complex. TC-V, 34th Street, Khayaban-e-Sehar, Phase-V, Ext.,DHA UAN: 111-000-168. It offers dining, banquets, sauna, jacuzzi, gym, swimming pool, yoga, aerobics, tennis, billiards, snooker and much more. Actone, 2nd Floor, Sawasdee Thai Restaurant Building, Main Khayaban-e-Shahbaz, Tel: (92-21) 0333-311-3060, Power Yoga & Bollywood Dance Workout. Alliance Francaise, St 1, Block 8, Kehkashan, Clifton, Tel: (92-21) 587-3402, 586-2864, Call for activity information, classes offered & exhibition schedule. One of the world's largest schools of French language, the Karachi Alliance Française has a wide variety of courses for a visitor to choose from. Beatles Music Academy, 919 C-C Area, Jheel Park, P.E.C.H.S. offers Guitar & Keyboard lessons. Body Beat, Shapes Health Studio, 139 McNeil Road, Cant, Tel: (92-21) 565-5971, 565-59712, Dance workout set to the latest Indian and Hip-Hop music. Candela is a salsa dance group which teaches classes right here in Karachi. The instructors are from USA & Canada and have been dancing salsa and other Latin dance styles for over 10 years. Learn the hottest salsa moves from New York & Los Angeles. The Original & Classic Salsa from Puerto Rico. Capa Performing Arts Academy, 19-C Ittehad Lane 2, Phase 6, D.H.A. offers Guital, drums, piano, keyboard, violin, cello, flute, clarinet & saxophone lessons. Goethe institute, 2 Brunton Road, Civil Lines, Tel: (92-21) 566-1633, 566-1634, Call for more information & exhibition schedule. Rangoonwala Community center, Dhoraji Colony, Offers a variety of classes on cooking, computers, handicrafts, sewing, textile designing, English, fitness and more. Art gallery and other exhibitions. Swimming Classes at the Marriott Hotel (During Summer). Seaview Riding & Equestrian Club for Horse riding instructions. Karachi universities are generally well-regarded and draw exchange students from near and far. Aga Khan University Chartered in 1983, is Pakistan's first private university. Its facilities include teaching hospitals, Nursing Schools, a Medical College, and Institutes for Educational Development, an Examination Board, and Institute for Study of Muslim Civilisations. It also has campuses and programmes in Afghanistan, East Africa, Egypt, Syria and the United Kingdom. Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan is a professional body of Chartered Accountants in Pakistan, and represents accountants employed in public practice, business and industry, in the public and private sectors. Chartered Accountants Avenue, Clifton, Tel: 92-21-111-000-422, Fax: 92-21-9251626. Hamdard University founded by Shaheed Hakim Muhammad Saeed, former Governor of Sindh and a renowned Philanthropist. It offers Courses in Medical, Business Management, Social Sciences, Engineering and other disciplines. It also offers Courses in Eastern Medicine. There are a great number of shopping places in Karachi, ranging from the traditional bazaar to the modern shopping malls. A first-time visitor should try and visit the bazaars, The bazaars usually consist of many small vendors selling a variety of products from accessories to clothes to food and drink. In addition, there are larger stores which are more specific in their products. Also one would find that the bazaars are a more culturally enriching experience. A recent survey by the Times newspaper (UK) found Karachi to be the 2nd cheapest city in the world . The Pakistani currency is the Pakistani Rupee. It is usually advised to get your foreign currency converted in local currency before you buy stuff (off course thats only applicable if you're planning to buy with cash not credit card). A number of licensed Currency Exchange Companies operate their offices located in various parts of the cities that can be used for the exchange. A passport might be required as an identification document but the requirement is often ignored. Some good repute currency exchange companies are Khanani & Kalia, and Galaxy International. Most large department stores and souvenir shops, as well as all upscale restaurants accept major credit cards. Some small shops may choose to pass on their 2-3% service free on to you should you choose to use a credit card, but this is negotiable so don't hesitate to haggle. The Forum, Clifton - Includes shops, food court and Ebco superstore. Park Towers , Clifton - Includes Shop, food court, a superstore, an indoor kids theme park, art gallery etc. Makro Wholesale Center, Saddar, Sharah-e-Faisal, SITE . Also houses famous clothing brands like Gul Ahmed, Kurta corner, Cambridge and Junaid Jamshed. Tariq Road Bazaar also houses several malls such as Dolmen, Jumeirah, Lavish etc. Zamzama Boulevard for upscale designers boutiques, clubs and restaurants. Hyderi Bazaar, North Nazimabad, also visit malls such as Dolmen Hyderi, Madni and Saima mall. KDA Market, Gulshan Iqbal. Comparatively small than other Bazaars of Karachi, but KDA offers wide range of branded/non-branded clothes, foot-wear and cosmetics. Zainab Market For branded clothing for half the real price! Zebunissa Street, Formerly known as Elphinistone Street. There are also three underground bazaars in Karachi at Bohri Bazaar, Nazimabad chowrangi and Liaqatabad No. 10. These are just a few to mention. On the whole, shopping in Karachi is an interesting, exhilarating (because of the low prices!) and often tiring experience. You can buy very cheap garments, bed sheets, shirts, T-shirts from any store located at Tariq road or Zainab market; local branded stores include Chen One, Bonanza, Ideas (Gul Ahmed), Cambridge Shop . For upscale designers boutiques go to Zamzama Avenue, It is to be mentioned that many world renowned brands like Adidas, Levis, Slazenger, HangTen, Wal-Mart etc get their products prepared from Faisalabad which has got one of the largest textile industries of the World. You can find cheap products of these brands at local stores. You can get a pair of Levis jeans (or any other good brand for that matter) for just 300 PKR (5 USD). Buy leather goods like shoes, jackets and bags are also a specialty of Pakistan. Go to English Boot house , Sputnik, Shoe Planet, Servis, Metro, Gap shoes (at Tariq road), Lotus, Step-in (at Hyderi, North Nazimabad), Jaybees (at Zebunissa market, Saddar) for best quality shoes at low prices. Buy sports goods like cricket bats, balls, kits, footballs, sports wear and almost anything related to sports you can imagine. You will not find such high quality equipments at such low cost anywhere else. To mention, Pakistan produces ninety percent of the world’s sports goods and is the largest provider of sports equipment to FIFA for the World cup. Pakistan produces cheap and high quality musical instruments. You can even get an acoustic guitar for as low as 2000 PKR (34 USD). Buy Books from Liberty books located next to Bar BQ tonight restaurant in Clifton. Buy computer accessories from Regal center (Preedy Street, Saddar), Rainbow center (near Preedy Street, Saddar for CDs & DVDs), Technocity (II Chundrigar road, Saddar), Unicenter (II Chundrigar road, Saddar). Buy cheap Electronics & Cameras from Preedy street. Buy Arabian, Afghan, Iranian and Pakistani carpets from Afghan carpets (Marriott hotel), Asian carpet palace (Zebunissa st.), Habib carpets, Wazir Carpets (Hotel Metropole on Club road) or visit stores located at Zamzama Ave. Buy gold jewelry from different Gold souks located in Zebunissa market, some estimated suggests Gold in the city is cheaper than in Dubai. Buy gems , handicrafts, glassware, brassware, marble products, crystal works, carved wood and antiques from Zebunissa Street in Saddar formerly known as Elphinistone street. Also buy pashmina, rugs, wool-shawls or wraps, which can cost anywhere between $15 to as much as $700. Remember to bargain. Ajrak, a shawl is the souvenir of Sind province. For food stuffs go to any super store like Dmart, Makro, Naheed; especially buy Swat honey, Biscuits, Mitchells chocolate which are the best in the world. Sadequain Galerie, Frere Hall, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Tel: (92-21) 920-4325, Ongoing art exhibition & library plus a peaceful garden. Karachi has several fantastic upscale restaurants, which serve a huge variety of cuisines. Most of the upper-end restaurants are either located within one of the major hotels in the city (the Sheraton, the Pearl Continental and Avari Towers), or in the trendy shopping district of Zamzama in Defence. One can easily find a franchise of KFC (call: 111-KFC-KFC [111-532-532]), McDonald (call:111-244-622), Subway (call:586-8907), Papa Johns (Clifton) (call:585-3374}, Mr Cod (call:535-0746), Henny's (call:021-5867151, 5864023 9a-11p), Pizza Hut (call: 111-241-241) or Domino's (call: 111-DOMINO [111-366-466]). The beauty of the food in Karachi is that you will probably find cuisine for every taste. Beach Avenue, is famous for its giant food outlets like Floating Ship, McDonalds, KFC, Dip shop, Sweet n Sour, Salt'n'Pepper, Kinara etc. Zamzama, is a place where much of Karachi's trendier restaurants, such as Okra, Cafe Aylanto, Gunsmoke, Pompeii, Baan Thai, Chatterbox and Aqua Lounge are located. Aqua Lounge is most popular for sea food and steaks and is highly recommended. More commercial (and less trendy) eateries include the Copper Kettle restaurant. Coffee-shops are all over, with the most trendy being Espresso (it has another/larger branch in Defence), which also serves a good breakfast and tasty desserts. Latitute, Ciao and Costa are also popular for coffee, and new coffee places include The Second Floor (T2F) , The Avenue and Cafe Coffee Day. Boat Basin, is a neighborhood consisting of a mile-long strip of open-air street food/restaurants. Favorites tend to include Karachi Broast, Mr. Burger, Qasr-Al-Nakheel, Jans, Mughal Darbar, China town and Tandoori Hut. Boat Basin is where almost all of Karachi's late-partying citizens wind up, since food is often available until 5:00 or 6:00AM, and some restaurants are open 24 hours. Many people remain in their cars and are served by waiters there. Local style breakfast (such as halwa puri) is also served at Boat-Basin from 6 or 7AM onwards. Note that restaurants here will frequently only accept cash. It is a good idea to carry enough cash to tide you over (at most of these locations, Rs. 1000-2000 [US$20-35 approx.] per person will be more than sufficient). Burns Road is famous locally as the Delhi food district -the variety of Indian & Pakistani cuisine is wonderful. Located in the "old city" region of Karachi, known as Saddar, the area will give you the feeling of being in a crowded part of old Delhi. Restaurants such as Bundoo Khan's, Student's Biryani and Sabri Nihari are very popular. Visitors should also try kulfi ice cream, available in various local ice cream parlors. Be warned however: hygiene tends to be lax here and food here may not be suitable for everyone, and the restaurants here may only accept cash. The Food Court is located on the third floor of Park towers , it houses several multinational and fast food brands. Other food courts are also present inside Dolmen Mall, Millenium mall. Lal Qila Buffet (10/A, Main Shahrah-e-Faisal, M.A.C.H.S., Tel: (92-21) 438-8363-64, 438-8364) , Built in the style of a 17th-century Moghul fort, Lal Qila offers barbecue, biryani, and a local beef-based delicacy, haleem, in its open brick courtyard. Beware long lines during the peak evening dining hours. Revolving Restaurant Buffet(Caesars Tower 16th Floor, Main Shahrah-e-Faisal, Tel: (92-21) 278-5147, 278-5148) , Offers a nice view of Central Karachi. Floating Ship Buffet at Sea View is a buffet-themed restaurant with thrilling experiences of Ocean turmoil (Thunderstorm, Lighting, Shark attack) and Kids theater with Fantasy world. Rangoli Buffet(on Karsaz road) is located inside Arena gaming arcade. The Village located at Sea View. Al Habib Restaurant, Super Highway Near New Sabzi Mandi / Northern Bypass (On main shahrah-e-Pakistan road in suburb of Karachi. It is roughly 22kms away from city center and on highway going towards interior Sindh province), ☎ (92-21) 687-0702, 687-0703. 24. Al Habib Restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants of the City. It remains open 24 hours and has a huge sitting area and it receives a lot of diners from all over the city specially on weekends. You can try all kind of Pakistani food here for approx. $10/head. It is highly recommended to someone visiting the city after Bar B Q Tonight and Lal Qilla. $10/head approx.. Agha juice since 1960 main Nazimabad No1, Only 3 branches 1. Opp Amber Auditorium, Bahadurabad. 2. Main Rashid Minhas Rd, Gushan Iqbal. 3. Khadda Market Defence phase 5. The pioneer of juices in Karachi Pakistan, Located and founded in 1960, and open 11:30 am to 3 am. Make sure you go to the branches listed above as there are a lot of places similar to that name. Jans chicken, Boat Basin, Khayaban-e-Roomi, Opposite Clifton Jamat khana. If anyone is looking for "chaat" (a local-fare of chickpeas mixed with other things) Chatkharay in Khadda Market (Defence) is good. Singapore Sling, Clifton, Near the beach Singapore Sling offers Singaporean, Malaysian and Chinese foods and BBQ - Great food clean and reasonable. Secret Recipe, Khayaban-e-Shahbaz, Phase 6 DHA. Village, Opposite Avari towers, Club road, Also offers Sheesha. Cafe Coffee Day, First Stadium Lane, Khayaban-e-Shamsheer, Phase 5, D.H.A. Tel: (92-213) 546-3814, Live rock bands, usually on random Saturday nights. Call for schedule. Dumpukht, Marriott Hotel, 9 Abdullah Haroon Road, Tel: (92-21) 568-0111 Ext. 2201, SHOW: Indian traditional dancer every night except Monday from 8-11:30. FUCHSIA, E-23, 2nd Commercial Lane, Zamzama Phase 5, D.H.A. Cafe Rendezvous, Alliance Française de Karachi, Plot ST-1, Block 8, Kehkashan, Clifton. Original Crepe Factory, Shop #1, Khaada Market, Main Khayaban-e-Mujahid, Phase 5, D.H.A. Meezaj Restaurant (Arabian food center), Chapal ocean center, Sea View, Near Bilawal house, Clifton, Tel: (92-21) 537-3077 is in the lane next to shabestan (Iranian restaraunt) and Live Rostrum. Cafe Aylanto, 2-C, 9th Commercial Lane, Zamzama Phase 5, D.H.A. Pizza One, Arsal House, Main Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Block 3, P.E.C.H.S. Agha juice since 1960 main Nazimabad No1, branches 1. Opp Amber Auditorium, Bahadurabad. 2. Main Rashid Minhas Rd, Gushan Iqbal. 3. Khadda Market Defence phase 5. Crab Attack, Tel: (92) 0321-201-9687, Boating excursion & seafood buffet. Private bookings. Drinking alcohol in public areas is nominally banned, and most of the top end hotels have their own bars. Try local brands like Murree Brewery, in addition to that there are other brands such as Budwieser and Barveria with non-alchoholic beer. Also try, Lassi which is a classic yogurt drink that is served either plain or sweet, and is sometimes flavored or even fused with fresh fruit. Rooh-Afza, a red-color-sweet-herbal drink. Sugar Cane Juice which is extracted by mechanical force, it is best when fresh. You would also love the Falouda and Gola Ganda which include various kinds of syrups in crushed ice. If you want to drink plain water, always prefer bottled water of a good brand, it just costs Rs. 25 for a 1.5 liter bottle of Nestle water. Cafe Fresh (Juice Zone), Shop No. 1 Main Zamzama Blvd. Phase 5, D.H.A. Purple Haze, 66C-68C, 25th Street, Tauheed Commercial Area, Phase 5, D.H.A. , in the Basement of 'Evolution' restaurant. Tel: (92-21) 586-0941, 582-4651. It serves some of the best desserts in Karachi and also 'Shisha' (Arabic Tobacco). Plus, Karaoke nights are usually fun too. The Second Floor (T2F) [http"//www.t2f.com], 6-C, Prime Point Building, Khayaban-e-Ittehad, Phase 7, DHA, Karachi -75500, ☎ (92-21) 538-9273, . Noon - Midnight (Closed on Mondays). The Second Floor is a wireless coffeehouse, featuring a bookshop and a space for creative expression and intelligent discourse. Apart from excellent coffee, T2F also has a range of excellent sandwiches, snacks and dessert. There are regular events such as poetry readings, book signings, workshops, talks, debates, film screenings, unplugged music sessions, gallery openings, exhibitions and stand-up comedy. Numerous well-known politicians, artists, writers, musicians, dancers, filmmakers and thinkers of all ages frequent the place to speak, work or simply hang out. Excelsior, Toby's bar, Purple haze, Basement, the Casbah... Karachi's night life has become the envy of the region. Bars, nightclubs and dance halls have sprouted across the city and people have also made some places like that in their homes.In the seaview and defence area there are Sports car and bike races too. Enjoy Concerts, movie nights, masquerade balls at The Elbow room off II Chundrigar road. Enjoy Theatre at at the Spianz theater. Enjoy Cinema at Universe Cineplex. Live band playing all types of music from 8:30pm-11pm. Live Ghazal band from 11pm-2am at PC hotel and at Karachi Club. Saturday night dance party for couples at Beach Luxury hotel. Restaurants at Boat Basin are open till 6am. Carlton hotel offers luxury cruise buffet dinner for 35 persons, that takes you to deep sea water. There are thousands of less expensive hotels and dorms to sleep in. For $30 USD/night you can get a very decent room, with private bathroom, cable TV and air conditioning. As in any place, you get what you pay for. Best Western Plaza, Near Railway st. Gillani Hotel, Fatima Jinnah road, Near Railway St. Hotel Mona lisa, Near Railway St. Royal Inn, 245-2-H BLOCK-6, P.E.C.H.S. Hotel Shaheen, Fatima Jinnah road, Near Railway St. Umpire Hotel, Lilly road, Near Railway St. Beach Luxury Hotel, MT Khan road offers view of China creek. Carlton Hotel, DHA Phase-8 is beach resort away from the city center, located next to Area 51 bowling alley, DHA Golf club and Creek club. The area code for Karachi is 21. Prefix +92 If you are calling from outside Pakistan. Phone numbers are seven digits long. All mobile numbers, however are 11 digits long and begin with "03", and should not be dialled with the city prefix. Omit the '0' when dialing a cell phone from outside Pakistan and prefix the '92' code. Public Call Offices can be found all over the city. You will find a PCO in nearly 50% of the general stores , there is usually someone who operates the phone and fax. Fees will be charged according to the time spent, and you will pay when you have finished your call. Cybercafes can be found on virtually every street corner and the rates are as low as Rs.15-20 per hour. They usually don't have a very fast operating system so don't be too impatient. They usually use 14" monitors, Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows XP are usually installed on these operating systems. Most of the cafes have a decent speed internet connection. Internet Access can be obtained easily on notebook computers with the help of GRPS enabled mobile connections, supported by almost all of the 5 mobile operators. Mobilink provides EDGE based connection in very limited areas of Karachi, however Telenor's coverage of EDGE is wider. The standard cost of GPRS/EDGE usage is Rs.15 - Rs18/MB data transfer but Zong offers Rs.15/hour, however if you wish to download much more you may want to use unlimited packages, provided only by Mobilink and Telenor at this time. World Call offers USB internet. Wi-Fi There are several WiFi Hotspots in Karachi in Hotels, Malls,and Cafes/Resturants. If you are in a business district like Shahra-e-Faisal or I.I.Chundrigar Road, then most of the area will have free WiFi. Street crime in Karachi is about what you'd expect from a big city. Use common sense and avoid dangerous areas. Avoid going out alone, or walking by yourself on dark, empty streets. Never flash electronics or valuables in public; keep your cell phones, watches, and purses in a safe place. These things easily attract attention. There are also con men looking out for foreigners, so if someone you don't trust approaches you, just keep on walking. Beware of pickpockets when you are in any crowded areas. If you are planning to see colonial public buildings, especially those that are located on MA Jinnah road or Preedy street, try to see them at late evening, after 10pm or at early morning, before 7am because traffic in those streets are a nightmare during the day time. The people of Karachi are very hospitable. They tend to welcome any foreigner very warmly, but regardless of how nice someone seems you should remain aware and alert at all times. You should always keep the emergency telephone contact numbers of your country's foreign embassy in Karachi. The security situation in Pakistan has affected Karachi but not as much as Islamabad or Lahore.Still,do watch out near hotels etc. There should be no serious danger in the affluent parts of the city. Defence, Clifton, and Bahadurabad are regarded as safe at all times, as they are populated by the city's business and cultural elite. These districts offer the most "tourist-friendly" experience of Karachi, given that there will be no language barrier (most Pakistanis can speak some English, and many people in these districts will be completely fluent), and one will find a large degree of cultural understanding and compatibility between the residents and western tourists. Aga Khan Hospital is by far the best private hospital in the city, with world class medical care at an affordable cost. The free-government hospitals, however, aren't up to par with what Westerners may be used to. Traffic jams are a major hassle in Karachi. Although the city government has recently built dozens of underpasses and flyovers to get rid of the overflow of the traffic, it is a good idea to keep a look for any rallies/protests and check out alternate routes while traveling in the city. Thatta - Once a famous center of learning, arts, and commerce, as well as a provisional capital for about four centuries. Visit Makli a UN World heritage site, Debal The first Mosque of South Asia was built in 8th Century A.D. by Muhammad Bin Qasim, Jamia Masjid - built by Mughal emperor Shah Jehan -who also built Taj Mahal, Haleji Lake - Famous Birds sanctuary and Sunway Lagoon Waterpark. 55KM away from Karachi. Keenjhar Lake Resort- 16 miles from Thatta on left side is the famous Keenjhar Lake with cottages for overnight stay. Here, travelers can take a break, go boating, bird-watching and fishing. At night you can light beachcombers' torches to extend your enjoyment of the day, before turning in at your cottage. The cottages are booked through Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) offices located in Karachi on Stratchen Road, opposite Hotel Metropole. Hungol National Park- The biggest park in Pakistan, with sites including volcanoes and remnants of the country's ancient civilizations. Makran Coastal Highway - (Over 770Kms From Karachi to Gwadar) provides a unique destination for tourists. The highway, which follows the route that Alexander took through the coastal belt of Balochistan in 325 BC, takes you by some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. KARACHI, or Kurrachee, a seaport and district of British India, in the Sind province of Bombay. The city is situated at the extreme western end of the Indus delta, Soo m. by sea from Bombay and 820 m. by rail from Lahore, being the maritime terminus of the North-Western railway, and the main gateway for the trade of the Punjab and part of central Asia. It is also the capital of the province of Sind. Pop. (1881), 73,500; (1891), 105,199; (1901), 115,407. Before 1725 no town appears to have existed here; but about that time some little trade began to centre upon the convenient harbour, and the silting up of Shahbandar, the ancient port of Sind, shortly afterwards drove much of its former trade and population to the rising village. Under the Kalhora princes, the khan of Kalat obtained a grant of the town, but in 1795 it was captured by the Talpur Mirs, who built the fort at Manora, at the entrance to the harbour. They also made considerable efforts to increase the trade of the port and at the time of the British acquisition of the province the town and suburbs contained a population of 14,000. This was in 1843, from which time the importance of the place practically dates. The harbour of Karachi has an extreme length and breadth of about 5 m. It is protected by the promontory of Manora Head; and the entrance is partially closed by rocks and by the peninsula (formerly an island) of Kiamari. On Manora Head, which is fortified, are the buildings of the port establishment, a cantonment, &c. Kiamari is the landing-place for passengers and goods, and has three piers and railway connexions. The harbour improvements were begun in 1854 with the building of the Napier Mole or causeway connecting Kiamari with the mainland. The entrance has a minimum depth of 25 ft.; and a large number of improvements and extensions have been carried out by the harbour board, which was created in 1880, and transformed in 1886 into the port trust. The great extension of the canal colonies in the Punjab, entirely devoted to the cultivation of wheat, has immensely increased the export trade of Karachi. It now ranks as the third port of India, being surpassed only by Calcutta and Bombay. The principal articles of export, besides wheat, are oilseeds, cotton, wool, hides and bones. The annual value of exports, including specie, amounts to about nine millions sterling. There are iron works and manufactures of cotton cloth, silk scarves and carpets. The fisheries and oyster beds are important. Among the principal public buildings are government house, the Frere municipal hall, and the Napier barracks. The military cantonments, stretching north-east of the city, form the headquarters of a brigade in the 4th division of the southern army. An excellent water supply is provided by an underground aqueduct 18 m. in length. The chief educational institutions are the Dayaram Jethmal Arts College, with a law class; five high schools, of which two are for Europeans and one for Mahommedans; a convent school for girls; and an engineering class. The average rainfall for the year is about 5 in. The rainy months are July and August, but one or two heavy showers usually fall about Christmas. The end of May, beginning of June, and first fortnight in October are hot. November, December, January, February and March are delightfully cool and dry; the remaining months are damp with a constant cool sea breeze. The District Of Karachi has an area of 11,970 sq. m. Pop. (1901), 607,439, showing an increase of 6% in the decade. It consists of an immense tract of land stretching from the mouth of the Indus to the Baluch boundary. It differs in general appearance from the rest of Sind, having a rugged, mountainous region along its western border. The country gradually slopes away to the south-east, till in the extreme south the Indus delta presents a broad expanse of low, flat and unpicturesque alluvium. Besides the Indus and its mouths, the only river in the district is the Hab, forming the boundary between Sind and Baluchistan. The Manchhar lake in Sehwan sub-division forms the only considerable sheet of water in Sind. The hot springs at Pir Mangho are 6 m. N. of Karachi town. The principal crops are rice, millets, oil-seeds and wheat. In addition to Karachi, there are seaports at Sirgonda and Keti Bandar, which conduct a considerable coasting trade. Tatta was the old capital of Sind. Kotri is an important railway station on the Indus. The main line of the North-Western railway runs through the district. From Kotri downwards the line has been doubled to Karachi, and at Kotri a bridge has been constructed across the Indus opposite Hyderabad, to connect with the Rajputana railway system. See A. F. Baillie, Kurrachee: Past, Present and Future (1890). The capital of the province of Sindh, Pakistan, situated along the Arabian Sea. It is the largest city in Pakistan. Arabic: كراتشي ar(ar) (karaatshi) m. Karachi: Step-motherly treatment - KARACHI: Step-Motherly treatment? Town Municipal Administration, Sindh - New Page of Local Government Department Sindh. Street Photography from around Karachi - The Organic brew; pakistan, photography, qawwali, poetry & a general acerbic sentiment. | Tujhe hum vali samjh te..

2019-04-21T01:00:17Z

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Karachi

For a time when I was young, we lived in a house with a cluster of antique apple trees at the very back of our property. Thanks to this easy abundance, apples were one of the very first things I learned to preserve. In those days, my job was to help gather the windfall apples that seemed mostly whole until they filled a paper grocery bag. My mom did the rest, but I always stood by and watched. Later on, I’d help peel and core the apples (I absorbed a lot while watching). Both my sister and I would offer opinions about how much spice to add to the pot on the stove and when the sauce was all done, we’d sit down with cereal bowls full of warm, spicy applesauce. When the rest of the batch was entirely cool, I’d hold open plastic zip top bags while my mom spooned in the sauce for the freezer. Later on, we added apple butter to our fall repertory, but never felt the need to venture beyond those two basics with our apples. Pie filling was most decidedly not on the agenda, mostly because pies happened just twice a year (Thanksgiving and Christmas) and so there was no need to be prepared for a spontaneous pie. It’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve added pie filling to my personal canning routine and I’ve found it’s a nice preserve to have on the shelf. This time of year, a batch of apple pie filling is an easy way to put up several pounds of apples and it has a surprising number of uses beyond a basic pie. It tastes good stirred into oatmeal. If you have one of these old stovetop pie makers, you can make yourself a toasted hand pie with two slices of bread and a little smear of butter (it’s an especially fun project with kids). And, if you live in a household with an avowed fruit pie hater, you can make yourself a teeny tiny free form crostata with leftover quiche crust and a pint of filling. Not that I’d know anything about that. When making pie filling, there are just a few things to remember. The first is that you need to use Clear Jel , not cornstarch (and if you can’t find Clear Jel, it’s best to can your filling without thickener and add a little cornstarch slurry just before using it). The second is that no matter the size of jar you use, you need to leave a generous inch of headspace. Pie filling expands during processing and really loves to ooze out of the jars when they’re cooling. Proper headspace can help prevent that. Third thing is that when you put the rings on your jars of pie filling, you tighten them just a little bit more firmly than you do for most other preserves. Often, you’ll hear me raving about how you don’t want to overtighten those rings but in this case, a little extra twist helps keep your product in the jars. Finally, make sure to follow the instructions in the recipe and leave the jars in the canner for a full ten minutes after the processing time is up. Turn the heat off, slide the pot to a cooler burner, remove the lid and let the jars sit. This slower cooling processing will help prevent that dreaded loss of product. Really, the hardest part about making pie filling is keeping it in the jars once they’ve been processed. Oh, and one more thing. Notice those air bubbles in the jars? Pie filling is thick and really likes to trap air pockets. Bubble your jars as well as you can, but don’t kill yourself over it. For those of you who make pie filling, do you have any unconventional uses? Prepare a boiling water bath canner and six pint jars. Put new lids in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the apple slices for 1 minute. Remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl of cold water with a splash of lemon juice in it. In another pot, combine the apple cider, water, and lemon juice. Set over high heat. While it heats, whisk together the sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Stream the sugar mixture into the water and juice, whisking well to incorporate without lumps. Bring a boil and cook, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken. Once the canning medium has thickened, fold in the apples and remove it from the heat. Fill the jars, leaving a generous inch of headspace. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 25 minutes. When time is up, turn the heat off, remove the lid, and slide the pot to a cooler burner. Let the jars sit in the water for an additional ten minutes. This will help minimize the pie filling from siphoning out of the jars. Once that time is up, remove the jars from the canner and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. Makes 6 pints or 3 quarts. Processing time is the same for both sizes of jars. Adjust processing time is for sea level. If you live at a higher elevation, please adjust accordingly. Thx for the timely post. Im headed to Eastern WA and plan to hit an apple festival. Ive already put up plenty of applesauce and have been looking for pie filling recipes. I have Ball liquid pectin. ..is that the same as Clear Gel? It is not the same. Clear Jel is a modified corn starch that comes in powdered form. It is most definitely not the same as liquid pectin and the two are not interchangeable. Figures, I find the apple pie filling canning recipe I was looking for on the very same night the government is opened back up. Now I have to go back to work and I have apples overflowing my kitchen. Do you have a canning recipe for peach pie filling as well? Oh the other thing I forgot to ask, does the 25 minute processing time take into account high altitude? I live more than a mile above sea level and usually have to cook in the water bath a good 15 to 20 minutes longer than a recipe calls for. Cheryl, I live at sea level so all my recipes are written for that elevation. You should always increase your processing time for your elevation. Can I use a pressure cooker/canner? If so, how long should it process? I wouldn’t recommend processing this pie filling in a pressure canner. It has more than enough acid to be safe for the boiling water bath canner. What’s more, the heat and intensity of a pressure canner would make this product siphon even more than it already has a tendency to do. Oooooh! Looks wonderful! Am heading out to Linvilla Orchards tomorrow. Any suggestions as to which apple varieties will hold up in wedges and not turn to sauce in the jars? Judy, here is a table which suggests which apples are good for different purposes. I hope this helps! Can I replace the sugar with Splenda or other sugar substitute ? In this recipe, sugar isn’t playing a thickening role, so you certainly can swap it out for Splenda. However, I don’t know what the conversion would be. I used coconut sugar in a 1/1 ratio. Thanks for this “if you can’t find Clear Jel, it’s best to can your filling without thickener and add a little cornstarch slurry just before using it”. I’ve been frantically reading all the apple pie filling recipes I can find. Some say you must use ClearJel, others say that Cornstarch is alright. It just seems strange to me that if it’s so required for making pie filling, that it’s not available in stores. By avoiding the ingredient altogether and adding thickener when I make the pie/whatever itself, this is great. PS – I’ve been waiting for a pie filling recipe on your site! Thanks so much! It’s not required for making pie filling if you’re not canning it – apparently the processing doesn’t work well if you use regular corn starch (additionally, it’s not an “approved” canning addition, so there may be safety concerns as well). I think it gets too thick, thus potentially hampering the heat penetration of the product. Not hot enough in the middle -> not safe. I have canned apple pie filling with cornstarch instead, but I won’t do it again. It REALLY jelled up in the jar after processing, sort of turning it into one big blob standing away from the sides. We still have a few jars from last year because nobody really wants to eat it. It tastes ok, if bland (probably not related to the thickener), and no one has died of eating what we have used, though. I have also read that cornstarch may only have enough “oomph” to thicken once, in this case after processing, so it wouldn’t really work properly in the pie afterwards. I used cornstarch when I canned pie filling last year, as I was a rookie and followed an old recipe. It was fine. No one got sick out of the 11 jars used, but it didnt look very pretty when it was dumped into the pie crust, and it did not re-heat very well. Some parts were very watery, while other parts were thick. I learned my lesson and get clear-jel. You can get it on amazon, from some Amish stores (if you live near any), or from SBCanning’s fb page. I turned my neighbor on to clear jel finally this year, she had done pie filling for 40 years with corn starch and seemed reluctant to change. I had it shipped in to her and she did 100 qts this fall! She now raves about clear jel and how wonderful it is. She even did 24 qts. for me…she’d gotten a new peeler and between it and the clear jel she was having a blast. I got my Clearjel at King Arthur Flour. I would not use as much next time though. My mixture was a huge glob so I used more apple cider and a little more lemon juice. I ended up with 4 quart jars. I found it at a bakery supply store. Also saw this at amazon.com. . Can’t wait to try this out. I find that a terrific substitute for the Clear Jel is the King Aurthor Flour pie filling enhancement. It’s great in most pies and one bag will work for this 8-jar recipe, and you might have some left over. I can’t wait to find out! Can you confirm if pasteurized cider is ok or this recipe. Thanks so much!! You can use any kind of apple juice or cider you want. Pasteurized is fine. It’s a dreary day here today, so this just might be my project! Thanks for the tips about how the pie filling expands…good to know! Brilliant suggestion to just leave out the Clearjel! I’ve been avoiding canning apple pie filling because of it, and this completely solves the issue. Looking forward to trying it out! Oh how I needed this a couple of weeks ago! I recently had my first try at apple pie filling and ClearJel, needless to say the recipe was not as good as yours and it was nearly disasterous. Thank goodness for the canning helpline! I too have had trouble with locating Clearjel! Question though~ If the Clearjel is left out, should the amount of water be adjusted? Adjusting my plan to include apple picking today! Thanks for your website, without you I wouldn’t be a canner! You’ll still need the same amount of water to serve as canning medium. Getting 80 lbs of apples tomorrow and I was planning on canning some apple pie filling. Thanks for sharing your apple pie filling recipe! I need search no more, for I know this one is the best! Will it be okay to double the recipe or should I make one batch at a time? You can certainly double the recipe, though you’ll need a giant pot to accommodate all the pie filling. I have made apple filling for several years and am always looking for different ways to use it. Some of my favorites are to make a layered baked apple french toast in the oven and a fruit pizza with an oatmeal crumb topping. My new experiment this year was to fill a batch of cinnamon rolls with it and top with cream cheese frosting- I will be making those again soon!! Yahoo! Doing this today and will be sharing the jars in Christmas gift baskets. Thanks so much! I too am unable to find the clear jel in Canada and US will not ship it here. I will try without, but sure would like a source for it here. I really enjoy your blog and have tried many if your recipes. I hope to receive your book for Christmas. It appears to be available through Amazon.ca. Does one pint jar = one pie? Thanks. Typically, two pints equals one pie. You could can it in quarts for an easier conversion. I do mine in quarts for added flexibility. I can make smaller pies or eat the filling in oatmeal without a giant quart jar taking up room in my fridge. Marisa, what about using half gallon jars? How long would the water bath need to be? I made quart jars last weekend and got rave reviews, but one quart isn’t enough for a large deep dish pie. I made my first batch of filling using ClearJel a few weeks ago – it was stunning how quickly it thickened, and how thick it was afterward. I’ve never used anything like it. Wild. Such a timely post! I was just situating my brain around putting some pies in the freezer, but I’m never truly happy with this. They take up so much room, are so time-consuming when I don’t really have a lot of spare time, I’m never really happy with the results, and they are so easy to pop in the oven that my husband is always filching them to feed his sugar addiction–which creates major unpleasantness in this particular husband. Ahh! My aunt always talks about canning peach pie and apple pie fillings, but I’ve never really latched on to the idea. I know not why. But, now, I’m thinking I’m going to try out your method as soon as I get these greenhouses laid by. Maybe, Sunday. I’ve been using several of your recipes and am pleasingly impressed. You’re doing a fine job. Thank you. By the way, what would you think of using all cider instead of cider and water? I could probably cut the sugar a little more that way, huh? Would the liquid get too glucky without the water? Happy to try this recipe this weekend. I personally never use thickener aside from a little flower when making apple pies and turns out fine. As long as one uses baking apples and not eating apples! Don’t know if this is a stupid question – would it be okay to leave the peels on? I like apple peels and I also REALLY hate peeling apples cause I’m not good at it. 🙂 I’m also curious about using all cider – that sounds yummy! We do qts. and find if you make big or deep pies, 3 qts. work well for two pies. If making only one big pie may use one qt. and add some blueberries or something to fill it up more. So just for clarification, if you don’t have Clear jell, you follow the direction exactly as written and add corn starch later when you make your pies? So you don’t add liquid or powder pectin to it when you prepare it for canning. Thanks. I have your canning books and I love it. I have tried several recipe and they tuned out go. I just made apple pie filling using a recipe very similar to this. It is great. I immediately made a pie for my sister. I can mine in both quarts and pints. I use the pints for the 2 of us and the quarts when we have guests. It is nice to have something so good and quick when I need a dessert. I am fortunate that I can buy the Clear-Jel at a local Amish store. Does anyone know how long the Clear-Jel powder can be stored? I have a good bit left and need to mark it’s use by date. Funny. I just did a trial run on the recipe (pretty close, anyway) and found that I’m going to need to make quarts and pints inasmuch that it takes about 1 1/2 quarts to make a good sized pie in my preferred pie pan. I’ve been told by our extension agent that Clear-Jel has a very long shelf life–several years if kept clean and dry. Amazon has Clear Jel and Instant Clear Jel. Which one should I buy? You want the regular for this, it thickens as it cools. Yay! Thank you for recipe! I’m going to scrump some apples this weekend. Thanks for this post! It is very timely as I am hosting a girls night tonight with the intent of canning apple pie filling. I love your extra tips! Stupid question. How do you then use the filling to make a pie? I saw in an earlier comment that it takes 2 pints for 1 pie, but how long would you recommend baking it for and at what temp? I want to make some and give it away as gifts and would like to have instructions to go with it. Thanks!! I’d bake a pie made with pie filling at 425 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Really, you’re just cooking long enough to fully brown the crust. Thanks, Judy, for the information on storing Clear-Jel. All my pie pans are my preferred ones! The deep dish does take 1 & 1/2 quarts, a regular one takes a quart. I have a deep dish personal pie pan that takes a pint. It’s the one I use for hubby and me only. Even though it’s a”personal” pie pan there is enough for 2 generous servings. I REALLY want to toss aside my weekend to-do list and make a batch of these, Marisa. Great tutorial. just a reminder to all you home jelly and jam makers… save your apple peels and cores! these are full of natural pectin, and can be used to thicken jams and jellies. you can even make your own pectin from them. see this tutorial: http://foodpreservation.about.com/od/Preserves/r/Homemade-Apple-Pectin.htm. They should be fairly thin or they won’t soften appropriately. Can you use fresh lemon juice instead of the bottled? I do not want the preservatives from the juice in the apple pie filling.. In this recipe, it would be okay to use fresh lemon juice. I made some pie filling with a friend and they were overfilled. Some of the filling leaked out and the jars where quite sticky, but the seal held. Are they ok to save? Or do they need to be refrigerated? The seal is the thing, if it’s good, the jar is good. Be sure to carefully clean ALL the residue from the outside of the jar. Mold will form if you don’t, and that’s really icky to find later on. Thank You, for getting back to me with my other question. This is my first time canning and want to get it right. This is the most informative website I have found. I live in long island, NY and am confused about sea level? Where do I find out if I am above sea level and how would I adjust accordingly? Some of my filling leaked out after canning (the jars were too full). The lids are still sealed and tight. Are they still ok to use? Or should I try again? As long as the seals are good, it is fine. Leaving the jars in the canner for a few minutes after processing should help minimize that loss, but it does still happen on occasion. Last week we finished putting up over 30 quarts of applesauce, apple butter and apple pie filling. We give away much of it in holiday gift baskets, along with homemade bread with the applesauce as one of the ingredients and homemade dry soup mixes and various other goodies. The baskets are always a big hit with family and friends. This blog is a fantastic resource; count me as a new regular reader! I was thinking about canning applie pie, just last weekend, thank you for this récipe, I just have a question. Here in Guatemala, central america there is no Clear gel so I’m going to leave it out, but my question is when I’m making my pie, in what point do I add the cornstarch sluchie? When your pie crust is ready, pour the pie filling into a bowl and whisk in a cornstarch slurry. If you want to ensure that it sets up, you could even drain off the juice from the fruit, pour it into a saucepan, add the slurry and heat until it thickens. Put the apples in the crust and pour the thickened liquid over them. Top and bake. “no need to be prepared for a spontaneous pie” I’m horrified. There is ALWAYS a need for Spontaneous Pie. Thanks so much for this! I made it without the Clear Jel and it was fantastic. I made my first pie tonight- yum! Instead of adding cornstarch I boiled the liquid down with a little butter until it was almost caramel like. I poured the carmelized liquid over the apples in the pie- so so so delicious! I will use this recipe again and again. I have made pie filling with a recipe very close to this for years and it is sooo great. Glad to see this on your site and thanks for the no clearjel tip but especially the head space tip! That took me a couple of years to figure out and what a mess! An inch head space is about perfect but it is different than most canning recipes. I found clear jel at my local kitchen supply store. The one where you can buy all the unusual kitchen implements, the gluten free flours, the bulk suppy beans. I think almost every decent sized town has one. The first time I did over thicken the liquid but it wasn’t a problem, it will thin a bit when it’s heated. If I am doing multiple pounds of apples I do them in batches so they are still hot when they hit the canner. If you are going to do more than your water bather will hold then do smaller batches so the hot pack is still hot when you put it in. One way that I use these is to take left over flour tortillas, make a “burrito” by folding the apple pie filling in them, place side by side in a pie plate, brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 until they are brown and bubbly on top. We always have left over tortillas and this makes a delightful way to use them up. I made a double batch of this apple pie filling today. It looks and smells great, but the proof will be in the pie. I’m not able to compost the apple scraps, and the thought of just throwing the cores and peels away pained me. Instead, I put the cores and peels, along with two vanilla pods split down the middle, in a large pot. I covered it with water, brought it to a boil and then reduced the heat to a gentle simmer. I left it simmer, uncovered, while I made the pie filling. I cooled it, removed the peels, cores and vanilla pods, and filtered the liquid through a double layer of fine cheesecloth. I then returned it to the pot, added about the same volume of sugar as I had liquid, and simmered until it thickened. I cooled it and ladled into two bottles. It’s a very pretty, intensely apple syrup. Can’t wait to try it in oatmeal and over pumpkin pancakes. I think I’m going to make this syrup every time I make an apple pie. It’s a very satisfying way to feed my desire not to waste food, even scraps. Thank you so much for this recipe! I have a huge basket (greater than half-bushel) of apples in my kitchen just waiting to be canned as pie filling. One question – I made my first batch today and, when I took it out of the water bath, there was a good inch of liquid at the bottom of the quart jar and the apples were floating. (I’m not using Clear Jel, as I want these apples processed ASAP, and I don’t want to wait for Amazon to deliver.) Would it be better to try and pack more apples into the jars next time, or is there a minimum amount of canning liquid that is necessary for proper storage of the filling? Thank you for the recipe I tried a small batch and it is yummy. I used Thick Gel made by a company called Cornaby’s. Clear Gel is made with GMO corn. The thick Gel is organic, gluten free, made for canning and freezing and is used exactly the same way. Can you use fresh squeezed lemon juice? Just received two large boxes of apples, going to make this recipe today!!! looks and sounds delicious. It will be great to have on the shelf for when I get the urge for some apple turnovers-either use puff pastry or pie dough grab a jar of apple pie filling-and you have almost instant turnovers or hand pies!! Thanks for a great recipe! Clear Jel and pectin are not the same things. There’s nothing else that substitutes safely for Clear Jel. It’s designed specifically to be heat stable. Can you use regular apple juice? And do you have an idea about how much slurry to add after canning? I want to give them as Christmas gifts this year. Thank you. Yummy looking recipe. Can this be made with Splenda instead of sugar? I’m diabetic. My sister & I substituted the apples for peaches and oh boy! were we satisfied! We licked every spoon clean… And made sure to scrape out what was left in our dutch oven. Instead of apple cider, we used the peach infused water from boiling after blanching our peeled and chopped peaches. It is heaven!! Our’s did not, however, expand. After processing and removing, our filling levels remained the same. I almost wished we would have added an extra half inch. Adding a vanilla bean would be really good as well. Thank you for such great inspiration! I’m a huge new fan of yours & will be doing a batch of your pickled cherries tomorrow! Thank you, thank you! I know this is an older post but I just went apple picking and have a ton of apples to can! But my question is how do you keep them from turning brown between peeling, slicing and cooking? Mine see to turn so fast it seems inevitable. I’ve tried a little lemon niice and water, but yours look absolutely perfect! I really didn’t do anything beyond working quickly. Can I double the recipe to make 6 quarts and still can safely? I’ve seen some recipes that say don’t go beyond doubling or tripling. Thank you! Apple picking is on the list for this weekend. Yes. You can double this preserve because it doesn’t need to reduce in the same way that jam does. Just make sure you’re using a big pan to accommodate the volume of filling! I made these today without the Clear Jel. I let the liquid-spice-sugar mixture reduce some, but it definitely wasn’t syrupy. I still left the generous inch of headspace. Now looking at my jars, I see some apple slices not covered by liquid. Will this compromise their safety and/or deliciousness down the road? Should I redo them with a more reduced liquid? I,too, have the problem of my apples not being completely covered by the syrup and was wondering if it will affect the quality of the pie filling? I have the same problem… now what? Make some apple pies quickly, I guess! Unless someone has a better idea? As long as the seals are good, the apples will still be fine. The ones that aren’t covered by syrup may discolor a little, but they won’t be unsafe to eat. Have you ever used maple syrup to sweeten this apple pie filling instead of sugar? I would prefer to use maple syrup, but am not sure if it makes a difference when canning. Unfortunately, maple syrup can alter the acidity of the finished product and render it unsafe. You could use maple sugar, which doesn’t impact the finished acidity in the same way. Thank you for responding to my maple syrup recipe! I have one more question, could I leave out the clear jel and thicken the apples as needed once I open the jar? Yes! Leaving out the thickener is totally fine. Hi Marisa, I’m wondering how much ClearJel or cornstarch should I use for a quart of filling to make a “slurry” after opening since I didn’t have ClearJel at the time of canning? I typically use 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons for every quart of pie filling. I tried this the first time without thickener, but the apples seemed to lose all structural integrity. I was using fresh, crisp apples, so the result was a little mystifying. The second batch with the same apples a few days later had thickener (was waiting on Amazon for it…) and I skipped the blanching step. These definitely retained their apple shape in comparison. Out of curiosity — why include the step where you blanch them? Because according to the National Center for Home Preservation, that’s how you’re supposed to do it. And because it worked, I didn’t question the necessity of that step. Ah, thanks! I’m relatively new to canning, so wanted to make sure I wasn’t skipping steps that I shouldn’t be skipping. Maybe getting them into colder water more quickly or blanching smaller batches at a time will help the apples hold their shape. Do you immediately drain off the cold water or do the apples sit in the cold water until you’re ready to fold them in to the sauce? It can depend on the type of apple your using, some are softer/mushy when cooked whilst others retain a little texture. Just made this with apples from a local orchard- delicious!!!! Thanks so much for the recipe.. Hi, I am going to leave out the clear jell. Will the. Canning medium still thicken in step #4? It will not thicken without the Clear Jel. Hi there! I just ordered my clear jel and I’m planning on making this next week. What are the best varieties of apple to use in filling? I’m guessing granny smith, just like a regular pie? Or a variety? Make sure to use something with a sturdy texture. Soft apples will dissolve. I knew you’d have a recipe with less sugar than the one I’ve used in the past. Thank you! I have a ton of apples and was wondering if you think the apple peeler/corer/slicer would make the apple slices too thin. I think in the past I’ve cut them by hand so they have a thicker slice but it would be so nice to be able to get through them faster. What do you think? I like to do them by hand for bigger chunks. Nope, no tapioca is not recommended. Do you think cranberries could be safely canned with the apple pie filling? If not, I’ll just add them when I open the jars 🙂 Thanks!! I missed this one last year – and am so glad I found it this year. I have found a source for clear gel in Canada!! I used honey crisp apples and they have held up nicely from start to finish. We also eat this with cottage cheese. Hi there! So I have kind of a general question about canning apples. Do I really have to peel the skins off of the apples before canning them? I really like the peels and am trying to save myself some work! 🙂 ) thank you so much for such an informative website!! The peels are going to give you a really unpleasant texture in the finished product if you leave them one the fruit. Ben, there’s so much variation in the water content of fruit that it’s hard to nail the right thickness every time. I’d suggest increasing the amount of flour or cornstarch she’s using to improve the set. I have an electric pressure cooker that is also a canner and was wondering how to can the pie filling in it? I just bought several 6 cup canning jars from a thrift shop, I am going to fill all of them with your apple pie filling and sell them at a flea market in October. I’ll paint the lids with chalkboard paint and label them with chalk. How fun! Thanks for the amazing idea! Kitty, as far as I know, there’s no such thing as a 6 cup canning jar. It’s not recommended that you can this pie filling in anything larger than a 4 cup, quart jar. Nope. They are very different products. I am not sure what is meant by, “This will help minimize the pie filling from siphoning out of the jars.” How would that happen when the the lids and seals are on the jars? Sorry for being a dunce here, but I can’t figure this out. When you take jars out of the canning pot, the seal hasn’t actually been formed yet. And so, there is still space for liquid to seep out of the jars, even with the lids and rings in place. Can you please tell me the shelf life of this? I’d like to give as a gift. Like nearly all other homemade preserves, this one keeps for at least a year. When you leave the jars in the hot water aftter the time is up,,,to keep it from siphoning out ….what exactly does that mean? I’ve never heard of that…. Siphoning is the loss the of liquid that occurs when the pressure inside the jars changes rapidly. So…baking instructions for pie? Like normal? 400 for 10 mins then 350 for 30? Can’t find Clear Jel around here. Can I use cornstarch instead? No. It is not canning safe. I would like to know what type of apples work best for this recipe. I know that a macintosh wouldn’t be the best. What have you used and it worked well? Thank you! Apples that hold their texture like Granny Smiths are a good choice. Can I substitute 100% apple juice for the cider? Can this recipe be made with crabapples? No. The only thing crab apples are good for is jelly or butter. First recipe with the 60 pounds of apples that I bought this year from a local organic farm. Also first time trying this recipe. I thought that blanching the apples was a little odd. We are at 6500 feet altitude so processing time is 40 mins. I was sure the apples would be tender enough after that amount of time, but since it was my first time trying the recipe, I followed the recipe. I used some leftover Speculaas Spice for seasoning. I was expecting the canning liquid to boil like jam but it was more like a pot of volcanic lava due to the thickness of the sauce using Clear Jel. The tips about headroom, tightening rings, and the 10 min wait before removing jars from the canner were very helpful. No product seeped out of the jars and every jar sealed. CNt wait to try it.

2019-04-25T04:56:00Z

https://foodinjars.com/recipe/spiced-apple-pie-filling/

Note: Watch the video…you get to see me in costume in crude Viking armor with a silly axe. A few years ago I stumbled upon a game by a little Indie group called Logic Artists. It was called Expeditions: Conquistador wherein you played as a Spanish Conquistador sent to 15th century Central America. Along with you was your Hermandad, a group of your most trusted supporters. Well Logic Artists have recently released a new game in the Expeditions series…Expedition: Vikings. And that is why those of you following me on social media have seen very little of me over the past month. In Vikings you have a Hird with you, which is your most trusted supporters amongst your tribe of Scandinavian warriors. These Hirdsmen are the characters you will travel through Denmark and the British Isles with – they are your only supporters when you cross the ocean as a Viking. So…were there similar ideas to the Hermandad or the Hird in Japan? Of course there were. They were called Hatamoto. Hatamoto literally means Under The Banner, denoting someone who would be nearby you in a military camp i.e. someone ‘Under Your Banner’. You see Hata means flag or banner and Moto, of course, means underneath or at the base of. Hermandad, as I mentioned from Conquistador, means Brotherhood and can easily be compared to the Italian term Fraternity. Hermandads were essentially groups of vigilantes who took up arms to protect the local populaces of Iberia from the Moors. One theory is that they actually modeled themselves off the Shurta, an Islamic peacekeeping force of the post-Mohammed Muslims. I find this ironic since they were Christian Spaniards who, ostensibly, were protecting fellow Christian communities from invading Muslims…by acting like the Muslim police. A good example of a Hermandad in contemporary media is actually, strangely enough, Kurosawa’s epic film Seven Samurai. In the movie a group of, you guessed it, seven samurai gather together to protect a village from bandits. This would be a Japanese version of a Hermandad. As for the Viking version of things, a Hird was a group of a Scandinavian lord’s closest personal retainers. You may have heard of Huscarls – that is Freemen of the House. Freemen of course referring to the fact that they were not slaves and the house referring to the immediate household of the lord in question. Huscarls were also known as Hirdsmen, members of a lord’s Hird – his household. This is because in Scandinavian societies lords would often have large houses, hence the term longhouse, where their immediate family and servants would live in the longhouse with them. If not inside, then they would often live very nearby. So someone who lived in the lord’s house and served the lord and his family could be a member of his Hird. So I told you all that to tell you this…Hatamoto were similar to Hermandads and to Huscarls, but they were not the same. The Hatamoto were the closest retainers of a daimyo. They may be family members or just clansmen from a family who had served loyally, perhaps for very a long time. In our story of Minamoto no Yoshitomo’s betrayal of his father and brothers, the two men I mentioned who carried out his deeds: Kamada Masakiyo and Hadano Yoshimichi – they would be similar to Yoshitomo’s hatamoto. Minamoto no Raikou’s four chief retainers – Watanabe, Usui, Urabe, and Sakata would be his hatamoto. Of course…in the times of both Yoshitomo and Raikou, they wouldn’t have been called Hatamoto. They would have been Gokenin – Housemen, stemming from Goke which means house and Nin which means person. Aha, see the similarities between the Gokenin and the Hirdsman? Now one thing to note is that there was another, similar term: Kenin. Kenin were retainers, indentured servants of a household who were in a classification above slaves. Sometimes the honorific prefix ‘Go’ was attached to the word Kenin, turning it into Go-Kenin…which basically meant ‘Prestigious House Man.’ At times these two version of Gokenin are apparently used somewhat interchangeably but once you start getting into the later Heian periods and into the Sengoku the Go-Kenin version really doesn’t apply to the type of people who eventually evolved into the Hatamoto. Most hatamoto were free men of samurai status, or even daimyo in their own right, not indentured servants of a prestigious house. Technically speaking, the Gokenin were the retainers who served the Kamakura and Muromachi Shoguns directly. The Gokenin acted on the authority of the Shoguns and could collect taxes, gather and field an army, and spend on public works as they saw fit – in the Shogun’s name and on what was theoretically the Shogunate’s lands. So eventually the Gokenin gave way to the Hatamoto – the closest retainers of a daimyo, any daimyo. As I said, technically speaking the Gokenin served the Shogun directly; but Hatamoto could serve anyone. In the game series Total War: Shogun a general and lords have a slew of elite armored cavalry guarding them – the game refers to these horsemen as the lord’s Hatamoto. Technically the term Hatamoto could refer to anyone working within the lord’s command tent; the person in charge of lord’s camp guards was the Honjin-Hatamoto. Eventually as we get into the Edo period Hatamoto became the title for the closest retainers of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Tokugawa Hatamoto were mostly the retainer families who had served Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Matsudaira clan before that, when he was in Mikawa and stayed with him when he moved to the Kanto. Clans like the Ii, Honda, and Sakakibara. Hatamoto were generally given lands surrounding the Tokugawa’s own domain. This is because they were expected to be the most loyal and dedicated to the Tokugawa cause. This created a buffer zone between the Tokugawa and the Fudai, the Inner Lords who had supported Tokugawa at Sekigahara but did not have the tenure under the Tokugawa to be hatamoto. Clans such as the Maeda, Kuroda, and Hosokawa. Outside of the Fudai were the Tozama, daimyo and their clans who fell in line after Sekigahara but were either neutral in the fighting or had actually supported the enemy during the battle. Clans such as the Shimazu, Mori, and Tachibana. Just like the various levels of daimyo, there were also various levels to the Hatamoto. On the higher end you had Hatamoto who were promoted to daimyo-level status like the Ii and Honda clans which held over 150,000 koku domains each. When Hatamoto held daimyo titles, meaning they had more than 10,000 koku worth of land, they were often placed into the Fudai Daimyo classification; because they were no longer Hatamoto – they ruled their own lands, now. Legitimate Hatamoto would, essentially, make less than 10,000 koku per year. Beneath them was a class that utilized a term we’ve already heard before: Gokenin. Only now, these two terms mean something much different than when they were first introduced. Gokenin and Hatamoto were both direct retainers of the Shogunate, however Hatamoto were the higher-class and were granted permission to request an audience with the Shogun. If they were in town and dinner was held, they could presumably sit in the hall with the Shogun as one of his retainers. Gokenin, however, did not have such permission and were not allowed audiences with the Shogun. That is not to say that Hatamoto were always better off than Gokenin…but a Hatamoto was likely to have higher income, more control of their lands, and more chances for promotion. Even so, I’ve read that during the Edo period nearly a quarter of the Hatamoto ranks were destitute. There is a term describing how powerful the Hatamoto and the Gokenin were – numerically speaking, of course. The Tokugawa utilized the term Hatamoto Hachimanki or the Eighty Thousand Shogunal Retainers. In reality there were likely only around six-thousand Hatamoto during the Edo period and about 20,000 Gokenin; at their most numerous. For a smaller daimyo their hatamoto would consist of their most ardent personal retainers, much like the Hirdsmen of Expeditions: Viking are to your main character. This is where I’ve been! If you’ve been watching Samurai Gaiden for a while, I’m sure you’re rather familiar with the battle of Okehazama. In the year 1560 the relatively weak warlord Oda Nobunaga was invaded by the powerful warlord Imagawa Yoshimoto. However in the plains of Okehazama Nobunaga brought about a resounding surprise victory over Yoshimoto ending the political aspirations of the Imagawa and cementing Nobunaga’s dominance over the area. Two-thousand Oda soldiers versus twenty-thousand Imagawa soldiers! If you’ve played Onimusha you’ve at least seen a representation of Okehazama, as I mentioned in the Akechi Samanosuke video which I’ll link to in the description. So here’s the set up. Ito Yoshisuke has secured himself the rulership of the Ito clan from his brother, Sukemitsu in the year 1533. He then went about expanding the influence of the Ito clan, bringing it to new heights not seen since they were first founded by Fujiwara Korekimi in the Heian period. This, of course, brought him into conflict with the neighboring Shimazu clan, ruled by Shimazu Takahisa. Yoshisuke had also gone to the capital and presented a pretty good case for the Ito, winning himself the court rank of Jusan’i –Junior 3rd Rank. Yoshisuke was certainly a good daimyo; a qualified commander and good political backstabber. When the Kitahara and Hongo clans were at war he sided with the Kitahara – however when the Kitahara suffered a succession dispute Yoshisuke was quick to swallow them up. Their master Kitahara Kanetaka fills up about half a sentence in history books, his most notable feat being murdered by an Ito retainer. So like I said before, Yoshisuke has made a case for the Ito in the Imperial Court and spent some time in Kyoto. After seeing the pomp and luxury of the capital he decided to start styling himself like a courtier, rather than a common samurai. He had begun dressing like a courtier and was living a luxurious lifestyle, having placed his relative, Ito Sukeyasu in charge of his army. The Ito had allied with the Sagara, the Kimotsuki, and the Nejime…effectively surrounding the Shimazu on three sides. Yoshisuke began encroaching on Shimazu territory and made the war pretty official by invading and capturing Obi castle in southern Hyuga. With the Sagara taking territory from the Shimazu on the north, the Kimotsuki from the south, and the Ito from the east…Shimazu Takahisa had to do something. Especially since his uncle, Shimazu Tadachika had died as a result of the Ito and Kimotsuki capturing Obi castle. Shimazu Takahisa went about beating back the Kimotsuki and Nejime first, securing a strong base in Osumi province. With the Kimotsuki threat nullified for the moment he made preparations for a battle against the Ito. His armies moved into position at the Osumi-Hyuga border, however Takahisa died before the fighting could begin. Just a quick council meeting to compose poetry, before we ride out and slaughter a numerically superior force! Now I believe that Takahisa had already retired in favor of his eldest son years before his actual death, but there is some reason to believe that his death could be a weak point for the Shimazu side. So there it was…Takahisa’s second son, the indomitable Shimazu Yoshihiro leading three-hundred Shimazu soldiers on the Osumi side of the Kizakihara and Ito Sukeyasu commanding three-thousand soldiers on the Hyuga side of the field. Now for your own reference if you’re planning on looking up more information on the battle, it is sometimes called Kizakibaru – same characters in Japanese, just different way to pronounce them. So on the fields of Kizakihara we have the Shimazu outnumbered ten to one. Yoshihiro is somehow able to convince the Ito forces that they have a larger army than they really do. One unit assembled of about 60 men reinforced Kakuto fort, while another unit of 40 gunners took a position behind the Ito army some distance away from the fighting. They laid in wait. Yoshihiro then led the majority of his forces, around 130 men, around Sukeyasu’s formation and attacked him from behind. Yoshihiro proved himself a brave commander in the fighting, but when Sukeyasu turned his army around and put the brunt of his significant numbers against the Shimazu, Yoshihiro called for a retreat. Sukeyasu, seeing victory within his grasp, chased Yoshihiro’s army. As Sukeyasu’s army was just about to catch up to Yoshihiro’s forces, the arquebusiers opened fire into Sukeyasu’s forces, throwing them into disarray. I imagine Ito Sukeyasu looking far more confused than he does in this artist’s rendition. The pursuit was finished. But Yoshihiro was quick to turn his main force around and charge into Sukeyasu’s confused army. Before Sukeyasu could get his army coordinated enough to wage a proper counter offensive to Yoshihiro’s…originally counteroffensive, the forces sent to reinforce Kakuto fort rushed out and attacked Sukeyasu from an unprotected flank. Sukeyasu, though outnumbering the Shimazu forces badly, was now engaged on three flanks. Yoshihiro is a pretty impressive commander, I must say, to have surrounded a force ten times his size. In the process his army actually manages to overtake the Ito command center, killing several prominent Ito generals; including Ito Sukeyasu, himself. Instructions: How to surround 3,000 soldiers with only 300 of your own. In the end the Ito army was routed and fled back to Yoshisuke in utter defeat. The Ito clan would never again reclaim their lost prosperity. Within two years the Shimazu would subjugate the Nejime, a branch of the Kimotsuki, and forced the Sagara to remain on the defensive. Shimazu Yoshihiro would take the opportunity to actually recapture some of the Ito-held lands. Yoshisuke would be defeated again by the Shimazu at Takabaru in 1576 and then again at Tozaki-Kamiya the year after that. In the end the Shimazu would conquer the Ito and Yoshisuke would while away the rest of his life in Kyoto, eventually dying in the city of Sakai in 1585. His younger son, Ito Suketaka would join the Toyotomi and have a small amount of the Ito lands in Hyuga province restored after the Shimazu’s defeat in the 1580s; but they would never again see the heights they achieved before their unexpected loss to the numerically inferior Shimazu forces at Kyushu’s Okehazama…Kizakihara. A topic I’ve brought up a handful of times is the court rank and title of various samurai. Akechi Hidemitsu is most often known as Samanosuke, Takayama Shigetomo is usually known as Ukon, and Yamamoto Haruyuki is usually referred by his court title of Kansuke. So what exactly are these court titles and why did all these samurai have them? Well, today we’re going to take a very basic look at Japanese court titles and examine how they worked and what they meant. And the answer is…they often meant nothing. But we’ll get to that closer to the end of today’s discussion on Japanese Court Titles. So the first thing to note is that the Japanese Imperial Court went through several different incarnations as far as rank structure, what ranks meant, and how ranks were signified. In the early days the system strongly mimicked the Chinese style in a form known as Kan’i where each position correlated to a particular rank and that rank was noted by wearing a different colored cap. However eventually this was replaced by wearing different colored clothing when at court. Now without getting caught up in the drudgery of a century of Asuka-Nara minor and major political changes, let’s look at the system instituted during the reign of Emperor Mommu in the early 8th century. The divisions of court ranks at this time were divided into princely ranks and official ranks, that is ranks for officials within the empire. Rarely will we be dealing with princely ranks, because for most of what we’re dealing with just know that those would be for the Imperial family and the like. They came in four levels: Ippon, Nihon, Sanbon, and Yonhon – that is First, Second, Third, and – you guessed it – Fourth. The official ranks were set up in a similar fashion classed from highest to lowest as Ichi’i, Ni’i, San’i, Shi’i, Go’i, Roku’i, Shichi’i, Hachi’i, and Sho’i. The lingering ‘I’ sound on all of those the character ‘I’ which simply means rank. So from high to low that equates to First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Beginner Ranks. The first second and third ranks were also split into two parts: Senior and Junior. So that means that you had ranks like Shoni’i, Senior Second Rank and Jusan’i, Junior Third Rank. Ranks within the spectrum of fourth through eighth were even split into four subsections: High Senior, Low Senior, High Junior, and finally Low Junior. Can you imagine being made High Junior Sixth Rank? You’d have to introduce yourself as Juroku’i-ju. Now I’ve just told you all of that to tell you not to worry about it much. Rarely will you see someone actually referring to themselves as Oda Shoichi’i Nobunaga. And not just because he had been dead for over three hundred years before the court posthumously awarded him the right of Senior First Rank. No what you always hear are actually the opposite of these things. What we’ve just talked about were Court Ranks, but things like Samanosuke and Ukon were Court Titles. These titles equated to jobs within the Imperial Court…although by the time of the Sengoku period and beyond really very few of the people who held those ranks probably actually did the jobs inherent of that position. For instance the Ii family held the post of Kamon no-kami which can be translated as Director of the Palatial Cleaning Department or…Captain of the Janitors. Did he actually command the palace’s cleaning crews on a day-to-day basis? No, he was busy running Hikone-han. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it was beneath Lord Ii to sign his name Ii Kamon no-kami Naosuke. It was an honor to be given a post within the Imperial Court and one that many samurai wore as a badge of honor and pride. Remember that through most of the Japanese civil wars it was still ostensibly ‘fact’ that the Emperor was divine. The wars to become Shogun was essentially Head Samurai, but on paper they were still subservient to the Emperor; kind of like being Prime Minister of a monarchy. On paper the King is the highest authority in the land, but really the Prime Minister runs the government. Now as I said – each title was basically a post in the Imperial Court and was associated with a particular court rank. Hence why I bothered to tell you anything about that court rank. So you could be given the rank of Shugoku no Jou, or Secretary of the Prisons, only if you had the equivalent court rank of Senior Eighth Rank. So if somebody wanted to then promote you to Assistant Director of the Department of Poetry, or the Uta no-suke, you would generally have to be promoted to the court rank of Senior Sixth Rank. That is not to say that in rare occasions it didn’t work without the dual promotion, but generally how it would work is you would be given a Court Rank and that would allow you to hold a position within that rank which you could hope to be given. If you did something meritorious and earned yourself a promotion to a higher court rank, you may be given a nicer title. So lets take a look at Akechi Hidemitsu’s title…and that is not to say he was the only one known by this title. Many samurai were known to have held by the title of Samanosuke. Samanosuke can be translated several ways such as…Vice-Commander of the Left Stables, Lieutenant of the Left Cavalry Division, or Deputy Director of the Left Stable Department. Literally it comes out to mean Assistant Head of the Left Horses. So we can assume that Hidemitsu held the court rank of Senior Sixth Rank, since that is the equivalent post within the court. Yamamoto Haruyuki, was known by the title of Kansuke; which near as I can tell means he was an Advisor. Kansuke translates as Giving Aid, formed of the characters Kan and Suke which mean Intuition or Perception and Assistant, respectively. So an Assistant of Intuition…or an Advisor. Takayama Shigetomo was known as Ukon this means that he held a rank in the Ukan’e, the Palace Guards-Right Division. I don’t know his formal rank in the department, but that was the department his rank came from. The prolific writer, Murasaki Shikibu gets her name from her father’s position within the Imperial Court: Shikibu no Daijo. Shikibu no Daijo means Senior Secretary of the Department of Ceremonies and in all likelihood he would signed his name as Fujiwara Shikibu no Daijo Tametomo. At one point in his life the aforementioned Nobunaga was known as Oda Kazusa no-suke Nobunaga, or Lieutenant Governor of Kazusa Province. Proving that court titles really meant nothing…Nobunaga did not rule over Kazusa at any point in his life – as a matter of fact, it is unlikely he ever set foot in the province. Similarly Nabeshima Naoshige held the court title of Echizen no-Kami, however that province was ruled by the Maeda family. Naoshige was a Ryuzoji retainer who defected to the Toyotomi when Hideyoshi came aboard Kyushu and was eventually given much of their territory for himself. The Ryuzoji lands were on the other side of the country from Echizen so its unlikely he ever even went there for a visit, even less likely he ran anything in the province. But he was still considered to be the governor of that province by the Imperial Court, which by this point in time had no real power to its name. So hopefully that helps you to better understand a bit about the Imperial Ranks and Titles that we throw around all the time. If you have any questions on a particular rank or title…or you just want to know more about court ranks and titles in general, let us know in the comments. You can also check out our last video which was answering a viewer question on how Japanese swords were made or check out the playlist of all of our other videos. So today we’re going to do a neat little thing and use this video to explain the process, in simplified terms, of Japanese sword-making. Now as a caveat, we’re going to talk about traditional manufacturing. If you’ve ever seen modern sword-making it is not very interesting. A bunch of sweaty Chinese men pull hot pieces of rebar out of a foundry and run it under an auto-hammer until they’re flat. So the first thing we need to discuss is Tamahagane. Tamahagane literally translates as “Round Steel”, but figuratively it means gem-like steel. A common misconception is that Japanese steel is of exceedingly high quality, but in reality Japanese steel is very low quality. Unlike most European swords which were made by producing pig iron and then refining it and creating steel through that process Japanese steel is made from very low-quality magnetite iron sands, called satetsu. The satetsu is traditionally placed into a clay tub, called a tatara, and then mixed with a source of carbon, traditionally charcoal. However I have seen in modern times even traditional swordmakers using a large metallic foundry wherein the iron sands and charcoal are dumped into the top and the resulting tamahagane is pulled out from the bottom. So the myth is that katana are so strong because they’re two, or even sometimes three, different types of steel folded multiple times over to create a steel-layered weapon. The truth is that Tamahagane is actually still a fairly low-quality steel. That is why the folding of multiples types of steel is done. Not because it makes Japanese swords the greatest steel, but because without it Japanese swords would be complete junk. Before the age of katana the Japanese made swords more in line with the old Chinese style, the Tsurugi being the basic type of Japanese sword during the pre-Heian periods. Even in Heian periods the de facto samurai piece was the Tachi, a sword designed for use from horseback. The katana derives from this Tachi style, but it is still different in ways. Length, the way it is worn, the way it is used, etc. It was during the Heian period that the katana first started to really become popular and then by the Muromachi period they were the standard side-arm of the samurai. But back to how they’re made. You see the swordsmith takes the Tamahagane and separates it into two, or as I said sometimes three, distinct types. These types would be Hagane – hard steel, Shigane – soft steel, and the third type is Kawagane – medium steel. So the lowest and cheapest swords would just have Hagane steel, folded a few times, and forged into a sword. This would be a junk blade for a peasant person or for a simple knife. Or more modern wall-hanger swords are said to be done in this style – hence why you really shouldn’t use the modern rat-steel blades for cutting purposes. The steel could be layered in numerous different ways and each smith could be different in how big of a medium piece he used, how thick of a hard layer, whether the softer Shigane was placed on the sides of the blade, and so on. In the end what you get is a bunch of hard steel, which retains its shape and holds an edge well, wrapped around a softer core center, which allows for flexibility and durability. These types of steel are then forge-welded together creating a compromise of sorts between the multiple types of steel. The edge is not so hard and sharp as an all-hard steel blade, but it also won’t shatter the first time you swing it. Likewise it is not so durable as an all-soft steel blade, but you’ll actually be able to use it to cut something. So, now that we’ve got that out of the way…let’s go onto the next step. After the various pieces of Tamahagane are forged together the smith would then coat the blade in clay mud. He would use different thicknesses and mixtures of mud before performing the quenching process. This is a big part of why the katana is shaped as it is. The back of the blade has a different clay on it than the front, causing the molecules of steel to react differently on the front of the blade than to the back. The clay-coated quenching process also creates the wavy line on the blade, called the Hamon. Hamon – wave pattern on blade. Once the forging and quenching is complete the blade would then be signed, by chiseling the smith’s signature into the tang of the blade. With the tang signed, the blade is then polished using whetstones of varying degrees of coarseness. Eventually you wind up with the beautiful, brightly shimmering, katana. So, like I said, this was a question submitted to us by Javacentral. If you want to see what they’re up to, they’ve got an interesting video on coffee in Japan which we have the link to. Check them out and don’t forget to subscribe for more Samurai Gaiden. I imagine by this point anyone with an interest in Japanese history has probably heard of the Chushingura – the tale of the 47 Ronin. The macguffin of the story is that Asano Naganori, the Lord of Ako, breaks the law and is punished and his retainers murder the man who offended Asano and caused him to break the law. Well…we’re not talking about that today; that was just the elephant in the room we had to address because we are going to be talking about Naganori’s cousin…Asano Nagaakira. Nagaakira was the son of Asano Nagamasa. Nagamasa was one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s higher retainers – what with being brother-in-law to Hideyoshi’s wife and all. He served in many of Toyotomi’s battles and even acted as the mediator to Tokugawa Ieyasu during the end of Komaki campaign. Following Toyotomi’s victory over the Hojo at Odawara, Nagamasa was given control over Fuchu in Kofu province, worth some two-hundred thousand koku. Nagamasa was accompanied to Odawara by his eldest son, Asano Yukinaga – also known as Yoshinaga. They both also fought in the Korean campaigns for Toyotomi, serving under Kato Kiyomasa during the siege at Ulsan. In 1598 he was named as the senior-most member of the Go-Bugyo, the 5 Administrators of Japan tasked with keeping the government working efficiently after Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s death. Not to be confused with the 5 Regents, of course, he was step down from there. Lo and behold, however, that two years later when things came to a head between Toyotomi’s son, Hideyori, and Tokugawa…both of Nagamasa’s son joined Tokugawa. This may have had something to do with the fact that the elder son, Yukinaga, narrowly avoided being implicated – and subsequently executed – in the controversy surrounding Hideyoshi’s relative and one-time heir, Toyotomi Hidetsugu. And who saved Yukinaga? Well it was actually Maeda Toshiie, however I’m sure that nearly getting executed for being friendly acquaintances with your master’s nephew-in-law is not something that really brings you around to the master’s infant son. Another point of conflict was supposedly the fact that Nagamasa was not exactly on friendly terms with Ishida Mitsunari. Nagamasa apparently believes the war in Korea had been going well when he was sent there, while Mitsunari believed it was going poorly and advised recalling the troops. During the battle of Sekigahara, Yukinaga commanded troops on Tokugawa’s side, leading a sizable force of 6,500 troops in the battle. Nagaakira was also present under Yukinaga’s campaign and while Yukinaga was awarded lordship over Wakayama domain in Wakasa province. Nagaakira was then made a page for Tokugawa Ieyasu’s son and heir, Tokugawa Hidetada. Nagaakira ruled his eventual domain from here – Hiroshima Castle. Apparently one of the daimyo of the pro-Toyotomi ‘Western Army’, Hideyoshi’s half-brother, Kinoshita Iesada was moved from his 40,000 koku domain of Himeji in Harima and given control of the smaller domain of Ashimori in Bitchu province – worth a little more than half his old domain, 24,000 koku. What does Iesada have to do with Nagaakira? Well you see, first of all Iesada was of the defeated side, but Tokugawa Ieyasu respected the valorous deeds that Iesada committed while fighting him and so he was rewarded with only having his domain reduced, rather than being totally removed. However Iesada died somewhere between 1603 and 1610 – several sources had different lifespans listed. It seems that Iesada’s son, Kagetoshi, who had been totally removed from his previous domain, was accused of treason and the Shogunate refused to let him or Iesada’s younger sons inherit the realm. Ashimori was then given to Asano Nagaakira, making him a daimyo in his own right, now. Fast forward a mere three years when the elder son, Yukinaga, dies without an heir. Nagaakira, who now has some pretty potent connections – being Tokugawa Hidetada’s former page, being liked by Ieyasu…oh and did I mention he married Tokugawa Furihime – Ieyasu’s granddaughter, making him Ieyasu’s grandson-in-law. I’m sure you can see where this is going…Nagaakira is made Yukinaga’s heir and he inherits the entire domain of his late brother. So when the Toyotomi were causing trouble again and everything was leading up to the the eventual Siege of Osaka it makes sense that the pro-Toyotomi folks came after the Asano clan to get its support. Of course Nagaakira has no reason to join them – sure his father was one of Hideyoshi’s favorites, but he has ascended to great heights under the Tokugawa shogunate. He’s even married into the shogunal family. So why would the Toyotomi even bother coming to him for support? Well, one thing I may have neglected to mentioned earlier is that…Yukinaga, his brother, died under suspicious circumstances. And the suspected leader of the ‘let’s kill Yukinaga‘ conspiracy? Tokugawa Ieyasu. So needless to say, on the outside it looked like relations may have been strained between the Tokugawa and the Asano. I’ve read that Yukinaga’s official cause of death was kidney failure, however the official records were later changed to suggest he died of complications due to syphilis – apparently caused by his habit of amorous relations. Although I don’t know for sure if those were contemporary records or more modern records, the source was vague and…not a fully reliable one, to be fair. The Battle of Kashii was part of the battles involved in the Siege of Osaka. Of course, as anti-climactic as it may seem, Nagaakira remained loyal to the Tokugawa and took part in the Siege of Osaka. His forces were also the main defenders of the Battle of Kashii, which was the first battle of the Osaka Summer campaign. In the battle Toyotomi-loyalist Ono Harunaga led a force of three-thousand to besiege Wakayama castle…Nagaakira’s home. Nagaakira was apparently able to determine that Harunaga only had three-thousand troops, while Nagaakira had five-thousand. So Nagaakira engaged the besiegers in the field near Kashii and, after killing two of Harunaga’s lieutenants in battle, the Asano army forced the Toyotomi loyalists to retreat. During the actual siege of Osaka, Nagaakira participated in the Tokugawa force’s rearguard. Apparently throughout the campaign Nagaakira claimed to have taken 44 heads during the combined two years of battles. After the completion of the Osaka campaign for his valor and loyalty Nagaakira was moved to Hiroshima domain in Aki province, worth a grand total of about 426,000 koku. You know…after it was removed from Fukushima Masanori’s control in 1619. Hitler receiving the Chancellorship from President Hindenberg. FDR won his second term in a landslide 523-8 in 1936. in the country, Tokugawa family not included. His family remained as the lords of Hiroshima for a total of twelve generations, until the domain was dismantled as part of the Meji Restoration at which point Nagaakira’s descendant – Asano Nagakoto – was named a Marquis and served as a member of Chamber of Elders and ambassador to Italy. Nagakoto was one of the last daimyo of Japan to die, living to the age of 96 and passing away in the year 1937. A man who ruled as a samurai daimyo lived to see Adolf Hitler elected Chancellor of Germany and FDR win a landslide victory for his second term in office. And it all started with Asano Nagaakira succeeding his brother as Lord of Hiroshima and keeping loyal to his grandfather-in-law. Aaah, the sweet smell of a rose. Well, okay actually this one is made from brass and the perfume that was on it when I bought it has since faded. But February is still the month of love, with Valentine’s Day coming in about a week and a half. Oh, don’t give me that look…yeah it was kind of a cheap trick to do the story of Tadaoki and Garasha last year, but this time I’m going to do a legit Valentine’s day episode. And I figure…what better Valentine’s topic than…Valentine’s Day in Japan. Valentine’s Day made its way to Japan in the late 1930s and it was actually marketed to Foreigners living in Japan. It wasn’t until the 1960s that an actual ‘tradition’ began to develop within the modern Japanese culture. Valentine’s Day in Japan is a little bit different than here in America. Instead of men going out and buying their wives chocolate, cards, stuffed animals, and taking the ladies out on a fancy dates…in Japan it is the women who give chocolate to the men in their lives. And not just their spouses. First of all it is basically just chocolate, the cards, stuffed animals and the like aren’t nearly as prominent in Japan. After the Christmas holiday has ended stores will start displaying raw chocolate and chocolate making kits – the idea being that the ladies are supposed to make their own chocolate, rather than just buy store-bought candy. Secondly the chocolate is doled out to the people in the lady’s life in one of three styles: Giri-choco, honmei-choco, or the less popular tomo-choco. Giri-Choco means Obligation Chocolate. It is given by women to their male peers – coworkers, fellow students, etc. Honmei-choco is the True Feeling Chocolate or Favorite Chocolate. It is given by women to their spouses, boyfriends, or perhaps to a crush to show that they like him. Finally, Tomo-Choco is Friendly Chocolate. It is supposed to be given from one girl to another to express a deep friendship and appreciation between the two ladies. I’ve read that there was an attempt to get men to buy Marshmallows for the ladies who gave them chocolates, but it didn’t become very popular. In the 1980s the Japanese started to celebrate White Day, where men were supposed to return the favor by giving gifts to the ladies who gave them chocolate – Giri or Honmei – and on top of that it is considered unseemly to give a gift less than double the value of the chocolate. Generally the men will either buy or make a chocolate dish for the women, usually out of white chocolate, hence the name of the day where men return the favor is called White Day. It is also acceptable for men to buy the ladies small gifts such as flowers, other types or candy, or just something neat…probably jewelry. In America, as I said before, Valentine’s Day is often a day for big, fancy dates. But that is actually usually a part of the Christmas celebrations in Japan and Valentine’s Day is usually just an exchange of chocolate. Now a similar day occurs in July during the Tanabata festival, which is based on an old Chinese festival called the Qixi Jie or Festival of the Two Sevens. Tanabata is just the Japanese pronunciation for Qixi, of course. In the Heian period Empress Kokken adopted part of the Qixi Festival’s idea and created the Kikkoden or Festival to Plead for Skills. Although interestingly enough you can apparently translate that in a more literal fashion to wind up with Festival of the Begging Craftsman. Anyway, the idea was that you would write little wishes on a piece of paper and offer them up to the Shinto deities – the idea being to ask for help or luck in improving your skills. Generally ladies asked for improvement in sewing or cooking and men asked for improvement in the manliest of skills…penmanship. Which creates an interest paradox. If your penmanship is so bad the deities can’t read it…will they still help you or not? He’s only a swordsman in Age of Ishtaria. Weaver and the Herdsman, Orihime and Hikoboshi. In the story the Weaver is the daughter of the sky king and was tasked with creating heavenly fabric every day of her life, on the banks of the Amanogawa – the Heavenly River. Amanogawa is, of course, a euphemism for the Milky Way. The Sky King realizes that his daughter is sad and she explains that because all she does is work on the river’s edge, she can never find anyone to fall in love with and marry. The Sky King introduces her to the herdsman, Hikoboshi, who kept his herd on the other side of the river. Orihime and Hikoboshi fall in love at first meeting and get married. Shortly thereafter the Sky King realizes that Orihime is spending all her time with Hikoboshi and has stopped producing the heavenly fabric. At the same time, Hikoboshi’s herd is left to wander all over heaven on their own with no herdsman to command them. The Sky King angrily separates the two lovers, sending Hikoboshi back to his own side of the river and forbidding them to see each other any longer. Orihime was despondent at the loss of her love, though, and begged her father to let her see Hikoboshi, again. The Sky King eventually relented and made a caveat – if Orihime produced lots of heavenly fabric for him, then she could meet Hikoboshi once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th month, hence Festival of the Two Sevens. Orihime did as was expected of her, but on the 7th day of the 7th month when she went to the river to meet with Hikoboshi she found that her father had removed the bridge – possibly when he first forbade them from meeting. So she could not cross to Hikoboshi’s side and he could not cross to hers. Orihime dropped to her knees on the bank of the Heavenly River and cried so hard that a flock of Magpies were moved by her sorrow and rose to the heavens, promising to carry her across the river. They formed a living bridge so that Orihime could walk across the river and meet with Hikoboshi. So once a year the, literally star-crossed lovers, are able to meet. And the myth goes that…if it rains on Tanabata Day it is because the magpies were unable to form the bridge and it is the lovers’ tears at being forced to wait another year to meet. Well…that was, only slightly less depressing than Tadaoki and Garasha’s story. At least no one died in it. Although I’ve gotta say I would be a might bit tempted to throw the Sky King in the river and drown him if I was Orihime. But alas, Tanabata is certainly a more touching story to found your own version of Valentine’s Day rather than the modern interpretation of the holiday which is…basically to keep candy companies in business. A few months ago in America we had an election for a new President. The election basically boiled down to a contest between two factions, each supporting a chosen candidate. Voters essentially had to choose between two wealthy bourgeoisie financial people with a history of racist remarks, a lack of understanding for the common man, and accusations of political corruption. And each of their factions were headed up by moneyed interests – other wealthy bourgeoisie – who cared only about their own interests over that of the country as a whole. You know what that kind of reminds me of? The Onin War. You know, the war that arguably began the Sengoku Period where the Yamana and Hosokawa clans openly fought against each other and brought destruction to the capital. But where did it all begin? The difference between the American election and the Onin War are that…in America we voted with ballots and in Japan they voted with spears and arrows. But like everything in life it all started with a woman, as life is wont to do. And that woman in particular was Hino Tomiko. Tomiko was the daughter of Hino Shigemasa. Shigemasa was Naidaijin during the reign of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. The Hino clan, at the time, was a strong kuge family. It was arranged that Tomiko would marry the Shogun and so she became his wife at the age of 16, because that’s how political marriage works. Four years after the marriage, Tomiko gave birth to her first child. Unfortunately the child died later that day. Tomiko, not wanting to be ostracized as infertile or anything and replaced as the Shogun’s wife decided to blame the child’s death on the wet-nurse, Imaimari no Tsubone. Tsubone was exiled to Oki island, upon lake Biwa, and she committed suicide before arriving. Yoshimasa was a relatively lazy man, though, and really didn’t even want to be Shogun. He wanted to retire and make someone else rule for him. Since his son hadn’t survived infancy he decided to name his younger brother Yoshimi as his heir. The idea was that Yoshimi would be taken under Yoshimasa’s wing and would eventually ascend to the position of Shogun. Tomiko did not like this idea, she wanted to be the wife of the Shogun and the mother to the next Shogun. Unfortunately being the mother of no one, meant that she had little say in her husband’s plans. That is until a year after Yoshimasa had already put his plan in motion when Tomiko gave birth to a fancy new son. She pushed for Yoshimasa to halt his plan to enthrone his brother, and instead name their newly minted son as heir. This caused factions to form within the capital. Yoshimi – the brother – was backed by the very powerful Hosokawa clan, while the young son – eventually named Yoshihisa – was naturally backed by Tomiko’s family, the Hino clan and also the strong Yamana family. And thus we have the McGuffin for the Onin War. Eventually things degraded between the Yamana and Hosokawa to the point of all-out war, destroying much of the capital and setting up what eventually became the Sengoku Period. The Onin War is often cited as the straw that broke the camel’s back and led the way for the Sengoku Period to begin. It showed that the Ashikaga Shogunate no longer had any of the real authority they once had and that they couldn’t control their underlings: The samurai daimyo of the outer provinces. And one could argue that it was all caused by an ambitious woman who wanted her son to be ruler of the nation. That woman was Hino Tomiko. One could also argue it was all caused by a lazy man, but this month’s story was about Tomiko so I ended on her name, instead of Yoshimasa’s. If you’d like to hear more about the finer details of the Onin War, then let us know in the comments. If there’s anything else samurai-related you’d like to learn about, let us know that, too. We hope this will help to be more productive and enjoyable to all our fans! Okay, so you might have noticed we’ve made some changes to our format. A little crisper, a little cleaner perhaps? Well maybe we should try a new topic as well? Maybe something Heian? No, no, we’ve done Heian for the past several months. Nara period? Well, we had Yorozu. What’s something we haven’t done, yet? Oh, I’ve got it! Let’s do something in the Edo period, how about that? And not just any samurai from the Edo period, but let’s actually leave Japan for it. Let’s talk about…Yamada Nizaemon Nagamasa. Yamada was born in the year 1590, the son of a knife-maker in the Tokugawa-controlled Sunpu domain. At the age of sixteen he got a job as a palanquin bearer for the Okubo clan of nearby Numazu domain. It seems that he held this position for about seven years before the daimyo of Numazu, Okubo Tadasuke, died without an heir. The Tokugawa Shogunate took control of Numazu and Yamada was forced to return to his homeland, now unemployed. Yamada’s father had died when he was a small boy and when he returned home he discovered that his mother had died while he was in Numazu and that his relatives sold their property and moved away without telling him. I suppose if your mother can die without you knowing, you’re probably not the kind of relative anyone would want to leave a forwarding address with. Regardless of the Yamada’s dysfunctional family situation, this left him unemployed and homeless. Yamada is said to have made his way to the port city of Sakai and taken up a position as a dockworker. At some point, apparently before the year 1612, he hopped aboard a ship and sailed to Thailand, at that point still known as the Kingdom of Siam. Japan and Siam had been allies and trading partners for many years at this point and had a thriving Japanese community in Ayutthaya. The head of the community was named Kiya Kyuzaemon and he took a liking to Yamada, taking the young man under his wing. Under Kiya’s tutelage Yamada learned Siamese and an unknown European language. He became involved in the lucrative deerskin trade of the region and it was around this time he changed his name to Yamada Nagamasa. Ayutthaya was economically prosperous, in part because King Songtham traded freely with the European trading companies of the Dutch, English, Spanish, and Portuguese as well as the Chinese, Malay, Vietnamese, and of course…the Japanese. Part of the reason why the Japanese were so well tolerated within Ayutthaya were that King Songtham utilized them as a major component of his royal bodyguards. You see, many of the Japanese who moved to Siam were ronin. Samurai who had backed the wrong horse at Sekigahara, fired samurai who were unable to be rehired because of strict Tokugawa regulations on ronin, and retainers of confiscated domains – like Yamada. Yamada volunteered to fight alongside the Siamese troops in the north against a Burmese incursion. During the battle Yamada engaged the general of the Burmese army, defeating and killing the enemy commander. For this deed he was invited to the royal palace and granted a title of nobility. He eventually became commander of King Songtham’s Royal Guards and was permitted to control a monopoly on the deerskin trade and eventually even owned his own trade ship. When Kiya decided to leave Siam and return to Japan, he named Yamada as his successor. This happened sometime between 1619 and 1621, although it is unclear exactly when this occurred or exactly what happened to Kiya after his departure. It’s never really mentioned whether he converted to Christianity or not in the sources I read. So he either didn’t, or it wasn’t considered particularly important. Now as the head of Songtham’s royal guards and the head of the Japanese colony within Ayutthaya he sent word to the Tokugawa Shoguns several times in advance of formal Siamese embassies being sent. The Shogunate, curious who this man was, had him and his background investigated, and so he is recorded in formal Shogunate documentation at this point in history for the first time. Yamada was the Siamese royal court’s official representative to Japan, after all. Between 1624 and 1629 Yamada sent several trade missions to Nagasaki, loaded with Siamese deerskin. He had wanted to receive a red seal for his ship, allowing him to trade with the Japanese, however it took over a year to get the ship approved. In this time he sent another load of deerskin on a Dutch ship and apparently made quite a profit. After he received the red seal of approval from the Japanese government he committed to a few more trade missions with Nagasaki. However he fell into a bit of an issue in 1627 when the Dutch fleet captured his ship and held it. However when the Dutch realized who the ship belonged to the local governor for the Dutch East India Company released the ship and awarded Yamada a trading license for the Dutch properties within Batavia. Yamada began a very profitable trade with the Dutch East India Company after this. King Songtham fell ill in the year 1628 and named his younger son, Chettha as his heir. Since Chettha was so young he also named his maternal cousin, Prasat Thom, and Yamada as regents for the boy. With Songtham’s death a power struggle ensued between the Prasat and Yamada backed Chettha and Songtham’s older son, Phra Srisin. Phra fled and took up the priesthood to escape being killed off. Prasat convinced Phra to return in his princely vestments and used it as an excuse to murder the man. Phra was arrested and thrown into a well to starve to death, however his supporters threw a corpse into the well and helped Phra escape. Yamada is supposed to be the guy on the right. Although Yamada died before he would have reached the age of that actor. Phra started a rebellion and Yamada, as head of the Royal Guards, was sent to put down the rebellion. Phra was captured and executed as a result. Within a relatively short while Chettha was on Prasat’s hit list as well. Prasat had become annoyed with the young king’s activities; for instance when Chettha’s mother died he held a state funeral for her. Prasat was annoyed that all of the government officials had gone to the funeral for the king’s mother and he wasn’t able to hold council and get any work done. This came to a head in 1629 when Prasat’s father died and he gave the man a state funeral of his own, going so far as to have his father’s remains cremated twice…a ritual normally reserved for kings. Chettha is said to have become enraged at this affront to his royal line and wanted to punish Prasat for his indolence, but one of Prasat’s allies calmed the king down. And so it was a complete surprise when Prasat’s soldiers entered the palace and began killing the king’s supporters. King Chettha fled the palace but was captured and executed. With the king now dead, Prasat put the late king’s brother on the throne. Yamada and another minister of the kingdom voiced concerns over this treasonous act. Prasat accused the minister of treason and had him arrested and executed, but Yamada was popular and commanded the veteran elite Japanese forces of the royal guard. Prasat figured there was a better way to get rid of his ally-turned-nemesis: Promote him. Prasat was suffering from a rebellion in the southern province of Ligor and told Yamada that if his forces could put down the rebellion, Yamada would be named governor of the entire province. Prasat probably figured that it was a win-win for him. Yamada would either go south and fail, taking heavy casualties, at which point he would be easier to deal with by assassination…or he’d succeed and be given a prominent post far away from the capital. Well regardless of Prasat’s plan, Yamada marched his men south and put down the rebellion, taking control of Ligor. Yamada married a member of the royal family after taking control of Ligor and set about governing his new province. Yamada had suffered a leg wound in the fighting and was content to relax, govern, and heal with his new wife and his adult son, Oin. He was forty years old now, it was time to start settling down. It wasn’t long, however, before Prasat became even more ambitious. He murdered the king he had just put on the throne a few months earlier and declared himself the new king. Yamada is said to have voiced opposition to Prasat’s claim to the kingship and his repeated acts of regicide. Yamada would never get the opportunity to stage his own rebellion, however, because his new wife was an agent of Prasat’s. While tending to his wound, Yamada’s wife wrapped a poisonous cast around his leg and he died shortly thereafter. At least he got this cool statue built in his honor, right? His son, Oin, took over as governor of Ligor and is said to have possibly raised a rebellion in his late father’s name. Prasat sent his army south and took control of Ligor forcing Oin and many of his Japanese compatriots out of Siam. Shortly thereafter Yamada’s red seal ship returned from a successful trading mission in Nagasaki and Prasat attempted to seize it for himself. The Japanese inhabitants of Ligor refused to turn it over and so Prasat burnt down the Japanese colony there, killing many of the Japanese inhabitants and forcing many more to flee. Oin and his men joined the Cambodian army and eventually led an invasion of Siam…where they were slaughtered in a marine operation. Yamada Nagamasa fell into the mists of obscurity at that point. Well at least until World War II when he became a prominent figure in Japan, being billed as an adventurous patriotic pioneer who made great contributions to ‘southern nations’ in the name of Japan. His role within Siamese society and government and his military capabilities were used to justify Japan’s involvement and expansionism in those regions during the war. Not a bad run for a knife-maker’s son? Second most powerful man in the kingdom of Siam and leader of an elite 700-man strong force of Japanese warriors.

2019-04-21T08:40:37Z

https://dickjutsu.wordpress.com/category/samurai-gaiden/

All teacher candidates are required to design and implement innovative units in their student teaching and/or practicum experiences. As in the case of lesson plans, we believe it is important in at least one case to make explicit your thinking processes about design, implementation, and assessment. The following guidelines explain the minimum required components we expect in innovative unit papers. This assessment, in conjunction with final student teaching evaluations, will determine if a candidate will “pass” student teaching. Assessment of the innovative unit paper will occur on two levels: 1) Candidate ability to design, implement, and analyze the unit as described in these guidelines, and 2) Candidate ability to address in the unit the relevant standards set by their professional organization and Warner School proficiencies. The rubric is divided into three parts and is included in this packet. Content area faculty may provide additional rubrics specific to that specialization. Introduction: This section should provide a brief description of the unit that gives a context for the components of the unit, including an essential question and/or topic addressed if appropriate. Include a clear description of the context of implementation for the unit, including grade level, racial, ethnic and gender make-up of students and teachers, a description of the school and classroom, and whether the implementation occurred in the first or second student teaching/practicum experience. Theoretical framework: Provide a clear, well thought out theoretical framework that both guides and provides a foundation for, the unit, using course readings (and outside readings where appropriate). Candidates should state their definition of the content area addressed and their theory of learning. In other words, how does your definition of [literacy, language, science, math, English, social studies] and theory of learning frame the unit? This section should also include a clear rationale for the unit (e.g. why is this unit important? Why will student learning be meaningful and relevant in this unit?). Goals/Professional Standards: Describe the overarching goal/s of the unit and connect the goal/s to the larger curriculum in your class (e.g. an integrated curriculum in elementary or the specific content area in secondary). Discuss the professional and/or state standards this unit addresses. Make explicit the specific content addressed and connections to the theoretical framework, curriculum, and overarching unit goal/s. Objectives: Clearly articulate the specific unit objectives and connect these objectives to the unit goals and professional standards. Assessment of Student Learning over Time: Describe the multiple forms of assessment used across the unit. Include formative, summative, formal, and informal assessments. Explicitly connect your assessment to the theoretical framework, unit goals and objectives, and professional standards. In other words, how will your assessments help you scaffold student learning over time and how will you know you have accomplished your goals? How will your assessments inform instruction? Pedagogy: Describe the series of connected lessons and/or experiences in the unit. Include your detailed lesson plans for selected lessons in this section using the lesson plan format given to you. Describe in detail how you will scaffold and support student learning over time, and address any relevant safety considerations. Unit Implementation: Describe what happened when you implemented this unit, with particular attention to students’ responses to its main activities. Reflect on what went well and what you would change in future implementations. Analysis of student learning: Report the results of a systematic analysis of what your students learned as a result of the unit, making explicit references to goals and objectives, and using data from formal assessments and classroom observations (see number 5 above). Refer as appropriate to the assessment results and student work in an appendix to support your claims. Unit Analysis: This section is a detailed analysis of the implementation of the unit that brings together content, theory, and practice. Describe how you have integrated the components of the unit into a coherent whole that produces meaningful and relevant student learning and addresses the goals articulated in Part 2 and 3 of the rubric. Connect the unit implementation with the larger curriculum and theoretical framework described in the introduction. Appendix: Include: 1) text of key assignments and assessments, including rubrics or handouts given to students; 2) aggregate assessment data; 3) samples of student work with your comments. Part I: Designed to evaluate the extent to which the candidate has fulfilled the requirements of this project, as outlined in the detailed description of the assignment. Failing to do so may require the candidate to revise or redo the assignment before he/she can pass the course. Part II: Designed to evaluate the extent to which the candidate has met some key standards about planning and implementing instruction set by his/her professional organization. Part III: Designed to evaluate the extent to which the candidate has met some key proficiencies identified as target for Warner science teacher candidates. Part IV: Designed to evaluate the extent to which the candidate has met some key proficiencies identified as target for all Warner teacher candidates. Please remember to complete all four parts. Each part has different rubrics, so please carefully review the instructions provided at the beginning of each part before scoring. We expect both the candidate and the instructor to independently complete this evaluation. 3. Basic proficiency: The criteria described are essentially met. The Innovative Unit report can be used as evidence that the candidate is able to plan, implement and evaluate worthwhile instructional units. 4. Outstanding performance: The unit fully meets the criteria described and provides an outstanding example that the candidate is able to plan, implement and evaluate worthwhile and innovative instructional units. The description of the unit does not provide a context for the components of the unit and does not include an essential question and/or topic addressed. The description of the context of implementation is inadequate. The description of the unit gives some context for the components of the unit and includes an essential question and/or topic addressed where appropriate. The description of the context of implementation is partial or incomplete. The description of the unit gives a sufficient context for the components of the unit and includes an essential question and/or topic addressed where appropriate. The description of the context of implementation is clear, but some specifics are not present. The description of the unit gives a clear context for the components of the unit and includes an essential question and/or topic addressed where appropriate. The description of the context of implementation is clear and rich and includes grade level, racial, ethnic, and gender make-up of students and teachers, a description of the school and classroom, and indicated to which student teaching experience the unit applies. The theoretical framework is not articulated. Candidate has not adequately used course readings. The definition of the content area addressed and the theory of learning are unclear. The rationale for the unit is not clearly stated with little or no articulation of the importance of the unit to meaningful and relevant student learning. The theoretical framework is somewhat articulated. Candidate has used some course readings where appropriate. The definition of the content area addressed and the theory of learning are unclear. The rationale for the unit provides some articulation of the importance of the unit to meaningful and relevant student learning. The theoretical framework sufficiently guides, and provides a foundation for, the unit. Candidate has used course readings where appropriate. There is both a definition of the content area addressed and a theory of learning with some connections to the larger curriculum. The rationale for the unit sufficiently explains the importance of the unit to meaningful and relevant student learning. The theoretical framework is clear and well thought out. It clearly guides, and provides a foundation for, the unit. Candidate has used course readings and has included some outside readings where appropriate. There is both a definition of the content area addressed and a theory of learning. The rationale for the unit clearly explains the importance of the unit to meaningful and relevant student learning. The overarching goal/s and/or larger curriculum are not adequately described and no connections are made. The specific goals for the unit are not adequately described. Few, if any, links to a discussion of the professional standards this unit addresses are provided. There are no connections to the content addressed, the theoretical framework, curriculum, theoretical framework and overarching unit goal/s. The overarching goal/s and the larger curriculum are described but the connections are unclear. The specific goals for the unit are vaguely described. Some links to a discussion of the professional standards this unit addresses are provided. There are a few connections to the content addressed, the theoretical framework, curriculum, theoretical framework and overarching unit goal/s. The overarching goal/s and connections to the larger curriculum are sufficiently described. The specific goals for the unit are sufficiently stated and are linked to a discussion of the professional standards this unit addresses. There are some connections to the content addressed, the theoretical framework, curriculum, theoretical framework and overarching unit goal/s. The overarching goal/s and connections to the larger curriculum are clearly articulated. The specific goals for the unit are clearly stated and are explicitly linked to a thorough discussion of the professional standards this unit addresses. Explicit connections to the content addressed, the theoretical framework, curriculum, and overarching unit goal/s are richly described. Specific unit objectives are not clearly stated and connections between these objectives and the unit goals and professional standards are not described. Some specific unit objectives are stated and connections between these objectives and the unit goals and professional standards are briefly described. Specific unit objectives are articulated and connections between these objectives and the unit goals and professional standards are sufficiently discussed. Specific unit objectives are clearly articulated and connections between these objectives and the unit goals and professional standards are thoroughly discussed. The multiple forms of assessment used across the unit are not described and do not include an appropriate range of assessments. Assessments are not connected to the theoretical framework, unit goals and objectives, and professional standards. How assessments will facilitate the scaffolding of student learning over time is not described, nor is how assessment will inform instruction. The multiple forms of assessment used across the unit are described somewhat and include either formative/summative or formal/informal assessments. Assessments are loosely connected to the theoretical framework, unit goals and objectives, and professional standards. How assessments will facilitate the scaffolding of student learning over time is unclear, as is how assessment will inform instruction. The multiple forms of assessment used across the unit are sufficiently described and include formative, summative, formal, and informal assessments. Assessments are connected to the theoretical framework, unit goals and objectives, and professional standards. How assessments will facilitate the scaffolding of student learning over time is stated, as is how assessment will inform instruction. The multiple forms of assessment used across the unit are described in detail and include formative, summative, formal, and informal assessments. Assessments are explicitly connected to the theoretical framework, unit goals and objectives, and professional standards. How assessments will facilitate the scaffolding of student learning over time is described in detail, as is how assessment will inform instruction. The series of connected lessons and/or experiences in the unit are poorly described. Some lesson plans are included (with few relevant materials, e.g. rubrics, handouts, etc.) and are not consistent with the lesson plan format given. Strategies for scaffolding and supporting student learning over time are not mentioned, and relevant safety considerations are not addressed. The series of connected lessons and/or experiences in the unit are vaguely described. Selected lesson plans are included (with most relevant materials, e.g. rubrics, handouts, etc.) and are somewhat consistent with the lesson plan format given. Strategies for scaffolding and supporting student learning over time are unclear, and relevant safety considerations are minimally addressed. The series of connected lessons and/or experiences in the unit are described. Sufficiently detailed lesson plans of selected lessons are included (with some relevant materials, e.g. rubrics, handouts, etc.) and are consistent with the lesson plan format given. Strategies for scaffolding and supporting student learning over time are described, and relevant safety considerations are addressed. The series of connected lessons and/or experiences in the unit are thoroughly described. Detailed lesson plans of selected lessons are included (with all relevant materials, e.g. rubrics, handouts, etc.) and use the lesson plan format given. Strategies for scaffolding and supporting student learning over time are richly detailed, and relevant safety considerations are addressed. Unclear description of what happened when the unit was implemented, with little attention to students' responses to its main activities. Includes no reflection on what went well and what he/she would change in future implementations. Some description of what happened when the unit was implemented, with particular attention to students' responses to its main activities. Includes some reflection on what went well and what he/she would change in future implementations. Good description of what happened when the unit was implemented, with particular attention to students' responses to its main activities. Candidate reflected on what went well and what he/she would change in future implementations. Clearly describes what happened when the unit was implemented, with particular attention to students' responses to its main activities. Candidate reflected in detail on what went well and what he/she would change in the future. Addressed fewer than six of the seven core competencies for unit implementation identified by the NSTA. Addressed most of each of the seven core competencies for unit implementation identified by the NSTA. Addressed and offered evidence for each of the seven core competencies for unit implementation identified by the NSTA. Offered compelling evidence for successful implementation of each of the seven core competencies for unit implementation identified by the NSTA. Analysis of student learning is absent and there is no reference to unit goals and objectives. There is little or no supporting evidence in student work. Analysis of student learning is present but not systematic or complete and there is little reference to unit goals and objectives. Supporting evidence in student work is inconsistent. Systematic analysis of student learning with sufficient reference to unit goals and objectives. Includes sufficient analysis of assessments that is supported by evidence in student work. A thorough systematic analysis of student learning with explicit reference to unit goals and objectives. Includes clear and succinct analysis of multiple forms of assessment that is supported by evidence in student work. Analysis of the implementation of the unit that brings together content, theory, and practice is not articulated. How the candidate integrated the components of the unit into a coherent whole that produces meaningful and relevant student learning is not described. Connections between the unit implementation and the larger curriculum and theoretical framework are not mentioned. Analysis of the implementation of the unit that brings together content, theory, and practice is somewhat articulated. How the candidate integrated the components of the unit into a coherent whole that produces meaningful and relevant student learning is unclear. Connections between the unit implementation and the larger curriculum and theoretical framework are mentioned with some detail. Analysis of the implementation of the unit that brings together content, theory, and practice is sufficiently articulated. How the candidate integrated the components of the unit into a coherent whole that produces meaningful and relevant student learning is described. Connections between the unit implementation and the larger curriculum and theoretical framework are adequately described. A richly detailed analysis of the implementation of the unit that brings together content, theory, and practice is clearly articulated. How the candidate integrated the components of the unit into a coherent whole that produces meaningful and relevant student learning is thoroughly described. Connections between the unit implementation and the larger curriculum and theoretical framework are clearly described. Few of the suggested items are included. Most suggested items are included. All suggested items are included. All suggested items are included and some additional evidence added. 4. Outstanding performance – i.e., the lesson plan provides a great example of addressing this standard. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate insufficient understanding of the knowledge and practices of contemporary science. Evidence of interrelationship and interpretation of important concepts, ideas, and applications in their fields of licensure is missing. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate basic understanding of the knowledge and practices of contemporary science. E Some evidence of interrelationship and interpretation of important concepts, ideas, and applications in their fields of licensure is included. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate clear understanding of the knowledge and practices of contemporary science. Evidence of interrelationship and interpretation of important concepts, ideas, and applications in their fields of licensure is included. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate advanced understanding of the knowledge and practices of contemporary science. Evidence of interrelationship and interpretation of important concepts, ideas, and applications in their fields of licensure is included. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate insufficient knowledge and understanding of the major concepts, principles, theories, laws, and interrelationships of their fields of licensure and supporting fields as recommended by the National Science Teachers Association. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate basic understanding of the major concepts, principles, theories, laws, and interrelationships of their fields of licensure and supporting fields as recommended by the National Science Teachers Association. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate proficient understanding of most of the major concepts, principles, theories, laws, and interrelationships of their fields of licensure and supporting fields as recommended by the National Science Teachers Association. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate detailed understanding of the major concepts, principles, theories, laws, and interrelationships of their fields of licensure and supporting fields as recommended by the National Science Teachers Association. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate an insufficient understanding of the central concepts of the supporting disciplines and the supporting role of science-specific technology. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate a basic understanding of the central concepts of the supporting disciplines and the supporting role of science-specific technology. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate solid understanding of the central concepts of the supporting disciplines and the supporting role of science-specific technology. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate detailed understanding of the central concepts of the supporting disciplines and the supporting role of science-specific technology. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate insufficient understanding of state and national curriculum standards and their impact on the content knowledge necessary for teaching P-12 students. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate a basic understanding of state and national curriculum standards and their impact on the content knowledge necessary for teaching P-12 students. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate a proficient understanding of state and national curriculum standards and their impact on the content knowledge necessary for teaching P-12 students. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate a detailed understanding of state and national curriculum standards and their impact on the content knowledge necessary for teaching P-12 students. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate insufficient understanding of how students learn and develop scientific knowledge and use scientific inquiry inconsistently to develop this knowledge for all students. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate basic understanding of how students learn and develop scientific knowledge and take some advantage of using scientific inquiry to develop this knowledge for all students. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate how students learn and develop scientific knowledge. Candidates use scientific inquiry to develop this knowledge for all students. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate a detailed understanding of how students learn and develop scientific knowledge and optimize use of scientific inquiry to develop this knowledge for all students. Unit plan and implementation narrative include inquiry approaches that demonstrate insufficient knowledge and understanding of how students learn science. Unit plan and implementation narrative include a variety of inquiry approaches and demonstrate a basic knowledge and understanding of how students learn science. Unit plan and implementation narrative include a variety of inquiry approaches and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how all students learn science. Unit plan and implementation narrative include a variety of inquiry approaches and demonstrate mastery level knowledge and understanding of how all students learn science. Unit plan and implementation narrative do not provide opportunities for students to collect and interpret data or data use does not support students to develop and communicate concepts and understand scientific processes, relationships, and natural patterns. Applications of science-specific technology are not included in the lessons. Unit plan and implementation narrative include some active inquiry opportunities where students collect and interpret data in order to develop and communicate concepts and understand scientific processes, relationships and natural patterns from empirical experiences. Applications of science-specific technology are included in the lessons when appropriate. Unit plan and implementation narrative include frequent active inquiry opportuities where students collect and interpret data in order to develop and communicate concepts and understand scientific processes, relationships and natural patterns from empirical experiences. Applications of science-specific technology are included in the lessons when appropriate. Unit plan and implementation narrative consistently include inquiry opportunities where students collect and interpret data in order to develop and communicate concepts and understand scientific processes, relationships and natural patterns from empirical experiences. Applications of science-specific technology are included in the lessons when appropriate. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate insufficient instruction and assessment strategies that confront and address naïve concepts/preconceptions. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate basic instruction and assessment strategies that confront and address naïve concepts/preconceptions. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate consistent instruction and assessment strategies that confront and address naïve concepts/preconceptions. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate detailed instruction and assessment strategies to confront and address naïve concepts/preconceptions. Unit plan and implementation narrative lack clarity for engaging all students in science learning by setting appropriate goals that are consistent with knowledge of how students learn science and are aligned with state and national standards. The plans inconsistently reflect the nature and social context of science, inquiry, and appropriate safety considerations. The plans reflect inconsistent design and selection of learning activities, instructional settings, and resources--including science-specific technology, to achieve those goals; and inconsistently demonstrate fair and equitable assessment strategies to evaluate if the learning goals are met. Unit plan and implementation narrative minimally provide for engaging all students in science learning by setting appropriate goals that are consistent with knowledge of how students learn science and are aligned with state and national standards. The plans minimally reflect the nature and social context of science, inquiry, and appropriate safety considerations. The plans reflect minimally designed and selected learning activities, instructional settings, and resources--including science-specific technology, to achieve those goals; and minimally demonstrate fair and equitable assessment strategies to evaluate if the learning goals are met. Unit plan and implementation narrative consistently provide for engaging all students in science learning by setting appropriate goals that are consistent with knowledge of how students learn science and are aligned with state and national standards. The plans consistently reflect the nature and social context of science, inquiry, and appropriate safety considerations. The plans reflect design and selection of learning activities, instructional settings, and resources--including science-specific technology, to achieve those goals; and they demonstrate fair and equitable assessment strategies to evaluate if the learning goals are met. Unit plan and implementation narrative optimally provide for engaging all students in science learning by setting appropriate goals that are consistent with knowledge of how students learn science and are aligned with state and national standards. All plans reflect the nature and social context of science, inquiry, and appropriate safety considerations. All lesson plans reflect design and selection of learning activities, instructional settings, and resources--including science-specific technology, to achieve those goals; and they demonstrate fair and equitable assessment strategies to evaluate if the learning goals are met. Unit plan and implementation narrative include insufficient use of strategies to demonstrate the candidates’ knowledge and understanding of how to select the appropriate teaching and learning activities – including laboratory or field settings and applicable instruments and/or technology- to allow access so that most students learn. These strategies are inconsistently inclusive and motivating for students. Unit plan and implementation narrative include basic use of strategies to demonstrate the candidates’ knowledge and understanding of how to select the appropriate teaching and learning activities – including laboratory or field settings and applicable instruments and/or technology- to allow access so that most students learn. These strategies are inclusive and motivating for most students. Unit plan and implementation narrative include a variety of strategies to demonstrate the candidates’ knowledge and understanding of how to select the appropriate teaching and learning activities – including laboratory or field settings and applicable instruments and/or technology- to allow access so that all students learn. These strategies are inclusive and motivating for all students. Unit plan and implementation narrative include minimal inquiry opportunities where students collect and interpret data using applicable science-specific technology in order to develop concepts, understand scientific processes, relationships and natural patterns from empirical experiences. These plans provide for equitable achievement of science literacy for some students. Unit plan and implementation narrative include basic inquiry opportunities where students collect and interpret data using applicable science-specific technology in order to develop concepts, understand scientific processes, relationships and natural patterns from empirical experiences. These plans provide for equitable achievement of science literacy for most students. Unit plan and implementation narrative include active inquiry opportunities where students collect and interpret data using applicable science-specific technology in order to develop concepts, understand scientific processes, relationships and natural patterns from empirical experiences. These plans provide for equitable achievement of science literacy for all students. Unit plan and implementation narrative include advanced inquiry opportunities where students collect and interpret data using applicable science-specific technology in order to develop concepts, understand scientific processes, relationships and natural patterns from empirical experiences. These plans provide for equitable achievement of science literacy for all students. Unit plan and implementation narrative do not include fair and equitable assessment strategies to analyze student learning and to evaluate if the learning goals are met. Assessment strategies are not designed to continuously evaluate preconceptions and ideas that students hold and the understandings that students have formulated. Unit plan and implementation narrative sometimes include some fair and equitable assessment strategies to analyze student learning and to evaluate if the learning goals are met. Assessment strategies are sometimes designed to continuously evaluate preconceptions and ideas that students hold and the understandings that students have formulated. Unit plan and implementation narrative include fair and equitable assessment strategies to analyze student learning and to evaluate if the learning goals are met. Assessment strategies are typically designed to continuously evaluate preconceptions and ideas that students hold and the understandings that students have formulated. Unit plan and implementation narrative consistently include fair and equitable assessment strategies to analyze student learning and to evaluate if the learning goals are met. Assessment strategies are consistently designed to continuously evaluate preconceptions and ideas that students hold and the understandings that students have formulated. Unit plan and implementation narrative do not articulate a learning environment and learning experiences for all students that demonstrate chemical safety, safety procedures, and the ethical treatment of living organisms within their licensure area. Unit plan and implementation narrative sometimes articulate a learning environment and learning experiences for all students that demonstrate chemical safety, safety procedures, and the ethical treatment of living organisms within their licensure area. Unit plan and implementation narrative articulate a learning environment and learning experiences for all students that demonstrate chemical safety, safety procedures, and the ethical treatment of living organisms within their licensure area. Unit plan and implementation narrative do not demonstrate evidence of chemical safety, safety procedures, and the ethical treatment of living organisms needed in the P-12 science classroom appropriate to their area of licensure. Unit plan and implementation narrative sometimes demonstrate evidence of chemical safety, safety procedures, and the ethical treatment of living organisms needed in the P-12 science classroom appropriate to their area of licensure. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate evidence of chemical safety, safety procedures, and the ethical treatment of living organisms needed in the P-12 science classroom appropriate to their area of licensure. Unit plan and implementation narrative consistently demonstrate evidence of chemical safety, safety procedures, and the ethical treatment of living organisms needed in the P-12 science classroom appropriate to their area of licensure. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate insufficient safety techniques for the preparation, storage, dispensing, supervision, and disposal of all materials used within their subject area science instruction. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate basic safety techniques for the preparation, storage, dispensing, supervision, and disposal of all materials used within their subject area science instruction. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate adequate safety techniques for the preparation, storage, dispensing, supervision, and disposal of all materials used within their subject area science instruction. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate advanced safety techniques for the preparation, storage, dispensing, supervision, and disposal of all materials used within their subject area science instruction. Unit plan and implementation narrative show insufficient proficiency in design of activities in a P-12 classroom that demonstrate an ability to implement emergency procedures and the maintenance of safety equipment, policies and procedures that comply with established state and/or national guidelines. Candidates ensure safe science activities appropriate for the abilities of some students. Unit plan and implementation narrative show basic proficiency in design of activities in a P-12 classroom that demonstrate an ability to implement emergency procedures and the maintenance of safety equipment, policies and procedures that comply with established state and/or national guidelines. Candidates ensure safe science activities appropriate for the abilities of most students. Unit plan and implementation narrative show adequate proficiency in design of activities in a P-12 classroom that demonstrate an ability to implement emergency procedures and the maintenance of safety equipment, policies and procedures that comply with established state and/or national guidelines. Candidates ensure safe science activities appropriate for the abilities of all students. Unit plan and implementation narrative show exemplary proficiency in design of activities in a P-12 classroom that demonstrate an ability to implement emergency procedures and the maintenance of safety equipment, policies and procedures that comply with established state and/or national guidelines. Candidates ensure safe science activities appropriate for the abilities of all students. Unit plan and implementation narrative describe activities in a P-12 classroom that demonstrate insufficient proficiency in ethical decision-making with respect to the treatment of all living organisms in and out of the classroom. They emphasize safe, humane, and ethical treatment of animals and comply with the legal restrictions on the collection, keeping, and use of living organisms. Unit plan and implementation narrative describe activities in a P-12 classroom that demonstrate basic proficiency in ethical decision-making with respect to the treatment of all living organisms in and out of the classroom. They emphasize safe, humane, and ethical treatment of animals and comply with the legal restrictions on the collection, keeping, and use of living organisms. Unit plan and implementation narrative provide evidence to show that P-12 students’ understanding of major science concepts, principles, theories, and laws have changed as a result of instruction by the candidate and that student knowledge is at a level of understanding beyond memorization. Candidates provide clear evidence for the diversity of students they teach. Unit plan and implementation narrative provide evidence to show that P-12 students’ understanding of major science concepts, principles, theories, and laws have changed as a result of instruction by the candidate and that student knowledge is at a level of understanding beyond memorization. Candidates provide exemplary evidence for the diversity of students they teach. Unit plan and implementation narrative provide evidence to show that P-12 students’ understanding of major science concepts, principles, theories, and laws have changed as a result of instruction by the candidate and that student knowledge is at a level of understanding beyond memorization. Candidates provide insufficient evidence for the diversity of students they teach. Unit plan and implementation narrative provide evidence to show that P-12 students’ understanding of major science concepts, principles, theories, and laws have changed as a result of instruction by the candidate and that student knowledge is at a level of understanding beyond memorization. Candidates provide some evidence for the diversity of students they teach. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate inconsistent proficiency in collecting, organizing, analyzing, and reflecting on diagnostic, formative and summative evidence of a change in mental functioning demonstrating that scientific knowledge is gained and/or corrected. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate basic proficiency in collecting, organizing, analyzing, and reflecting on diagnostic, formative and summative evidence of a change in mental functioning demonstrating that scientific knowledge is gained and/or corrected. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate solid proficiency in collecting, organizing, analyzing, and reflecting on diagnostic, formative and summative evidence of a change in mental functioning demonstrating that scientific knowledge is gained and/or corrected. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate advanced proficiency in collecting, organizing, analyzing, and reflecting on diagnostic, formative and summative evidence of a change in mental functioning demonstrating that scientific knowledge is gained and/or corrected. Data is provided to support that P-12 students are able to distinguish science from nonscience, understand the evolution and practice of science as a human endeavor, and critically analyze assertions made in the name of science. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate insufficient evidence of engaging students in developmentally appropriate inquiries that require them to develop concepts and relationships from their observations, data, and inferences in a scientific manner. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate basic evidence of engaging students in developmentally appropriate inquiries that require them to develop concepts and relationships from their observations, data, and inferences in a scientific manner. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate proficient evidence engaging students in developmentally appropriate inquiries that require them to develop concepts and relationships from their observations, data, and inferences in a scientific manner. Unit plan and implementation narrative demonstrate detailed evidence of engaging students in developmentally appropriate inquiries that require them to develop concepts and relationships from their observations, data, and inferences in a scientific manner. 1. Insufficient – i.e., this proficiency was not met. 2. Emergent/needs improvement –i.e., you found some evidence that the candidate demonstrated this proficiency, but it was only partial or inconsistent. 3. Basic proficiency – i.e., you found evidence that the candidate demonstrated this proficiency at the minimum acceptable level. 4. Outstanding performance – i.e., the unit provided an excellent example that the candidate has achieved proficiency in this area. We realize that in some cases you may not have had the opportunity to gather pertinent information for all proficiencies listed below. Therefore, we have given the option, whenever appropriate, for you do indicate “n/o” (“not observed”) to clearly distinguish this situation from the one where you had the opportunity to observed relevant behavior and found it lacking. There are some proficiencies, however, for which this is not an option since your evaluation is critical to assessing the candidate on that particular dimension – as indicated by a lack of the “n/o” option.

2019-04-18T11:16:34Z

https://www.warner.rochester.edu/programs/rubric/367

Lying within the western regions of modern-day Iraq, Mesopotamia - literally 'The Land between the Rivers' - is the name given since ancient times to the great alluvial plain built up by the silt deposits of the Euphrates in the west and the Tigris in the east. It extends from north of Baghdad down to the mouth of the Persian Gulf, and is bordered in the north and east by the vast mountain ranges stretching down from Kurdistan to the Zagros in Iran, in the west by the Syrian desert. The land is rich and fertile, ensuring high yields for farmers especially in ancient times. Indeed it has been identified with the biblical 'Garden of Eden', especially since the Euphrates is one of the rivers quoted in Genesis 2:14 as flowing out of it. However this is to over-simplify the matter. The annual flood levels are entirely dependent on the degree of inundation coming down from the surrounding mountain ranges, and this is highly variable - unlike, for example, the Nile plains in northern Egypt. The resulting alternation between drought and devastating flood made the area at worst highly vulnerable to famine, and at best an unpredictable place to live. Small wonder, say the traditionalists, that the early settlers revered their gods and prayed so much for favourable conditions. This unpredictability was coupled with the inhospitable terrain surrounding the plains, which harboured many well-protected potential enemies and ensured escape was difficult. Furthermore the land was lacking in fundamental resources for building work; stone, timber and metal were in short supply unless brought in from surrounding areas some distance away. It was not therefore the paradise for the earliest civilisations on earth to develop and flourish which some commentators would have us believe. Although there are those who are beginning to provide strong arguments that the earliest signs of modern civilisation are to be found in the Indus Valley to the east [i] or in Anatolia to the west [ii], the bulk of conventional opinion continues to support the contention that it was the Sumerians who first introduced the identifiable elements of civilised life, as distinct from the less advanced and communalised farming life that had preceded it for many millennia. The emergence of civilisation in Sumer, whose name is derived from the Babylonian name for Southern Mesopotamia, is dated under this paradigm to somewhere between the middle and end of the 5th millennium BC, although there remains some difficulty in tying this date down further. Certainly most scholars currently agree that the other most commonly discussed early civilisation, that of Ancient Egypt, did not develop properly until some time later, and possibly not until towards the end of the 4th millennium BC. The dating process for Sumer works broadly along the following lines: reliable links between the archaeological and documentary evidence can be established as far back as approximately 2500 BC. This date is recessed somewhere between 1500 and 2000 years based on the extent of stratified remains unearthed before virgin soil is encountered in excavations of the oldest occupied sites. However the respected Assyriologist Samuel Noah Kramer, of the University of Chicago, has indicated that this approach is further confused by geological arguments about the extent to which the Persian Gulf at one time extended into Southern Mesopotamia; about the timing of its recession; and also about the underlying levels of the water table on the land.[iii] These factors can evidently render any assumption about reaching virgin soil inaccurate, and may imply a 'false bottom' which masks earlier evidence of civilisation. Waterways and Irrigation: In order for some stability to be brought to bear on the irrigation of this area, extensive and complex systems of canals, weirs, dikes and reservoirs were built; these feats required advanced engineering skills, including accurate surveying and measurement. Furthermore these waterways required considerable annual maintenance to ensure they did not become clogged up with silt. Such tasks required significant levels of co-operation between neighbours over an extended area. Indeed the orthodox view is that it was this very necessity for extended co-operation which led to the emergence of civilisation in the area. Shipping and Transport: Given their reliance on waterways, it comes as no surprise to find that the Sumerians list many types of shipping vessel in their records. Kramer also supports the relatively modern view that from early times they were undertaking significant sea voyages (assumed until recently to be impossible at that time), engaging in trade with places such as Egypt and Ethiopia in order to acquire materials that their own region did not provide.[v] According to the current orthodoxy they were also the first to introduce the wheel, from which they developed both the cart and chariot. Architecture and City-States: These developed from the smaller towns and villages at the latest by the start of the 3rd millennium BC, and housed populations of anything up to 100-200,000 people. The complexity of housing construction varied according to status, with the poor occupying single-story houses built usually of reinforced clay or mud bricks, while the better-off enjoyed grander dwellings of two or occasionally even three stories. However the concept of town planning was not particularly advanced, with private houses muddled together along usually narrow and jumbled streets and alleyways. Nevertheless the imposing and often monumental stepped temple or ziggurat of the patron god, and in later times the palace of the ruler (the ensi or lugal), were splendid affairs made of more expensive materials, and highly decorated inside and out with columns, arches and mosaics. These buildings, sometimes combined with large and ornate city gates, wide boulevards and walkways, and central public squares which were a focal point for recreation, dominated the city. So successful was this prototype of civilised life that in subsequent millennia the city-state thrived from the Indus Valley in the east right through to the Mediterranean in the west, based largely on the Sumerian model. Indeed our modern western city-based culture owes much to this original Sumerian influence as against that of, for example, Ancient Egypt, which never adopted the city-state concept. Writing and Printing: The Sumerians were the first race of people to develop a system of writing by imprinting on clay tablets using a stylus. A form of printing was a similar first: they carved 'negative' images onto 'cylinder seals'; these were stone cylinders, usually between 2 to 6 cm long, which could then be repeatedly rolled over fresh clay to produce the 'positive' inscription. As forerunners of the rings used to imprint wax seals in later times they were used to identify possessions such as pottery, to seal written tablets to guarantee their authenticity, and to protect other valuables via clay stoppers on containers such as bottles, urns and leather bags. With details of over 6000 already published, and many more residing in unpublished private collections, they provide an abundant source of information - especially since they portray scenes including gods (usually identified by horned headgear) and mortals, as well as including inscriptions [vii] (particularly in later times). Culture and the Arts: Not only did the Sumerians produce complex stone sculptures including inscribed stelae, and highly decorated pottery and clothing, but they also developed musical instruments such as the harp and lyre which were used to accompany the recital of their many epic literary works. They developed the concept of the library, assiduously collecting and cataloguing their mass of not only literary but also administrative, scientific and historiographic texts. And there are some indications that they indulged in vigorous debates both in public and private. Legal and Political Systems: Textual evidence indicates that they had a form of congress or assembly for making key political decisions using a consensual approach; and that they held courts to make legal judgements over such things as house ownership, divorce and inheritance settlements, and slave rights. This legal and political system was at least in later times enshrined in a regularly published Law Code - effectively the earliest 'bills of rights' - which formed the prototype for later Greek and Roman systems. That they also developed some understanding of economics is attested by evidence of price-setting agreements. Metalwork and Smelting: The Sumerians used many metals in the construction of buildings, household objects and jewellery; these included gold, silver, tin, lead, copper and bronze. They were also familiar with a wide variety of techniques for working with metals, such as annealing, granulation, riveting and filigree. Schools and Education: Centres of scholarship or edubbas were set up in most city-states at the latest by the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. Primarily these provided education for the offspring of the better-off, and their main aim was to train the pupils to become specialist scribes. Given the complexities of the Sumerian language which by then existed, graduating from the edubba was no mean feat. Learning how to write the language, made harder because it was not alphabetic or phonetic, was a multi-stage process: students started with vocabulary, for example learning and copying 'scientific' lists of botanical, zoological and mathematical words, each of which could extend into the hundreds or even thousands; they then progressed to mastering the complexities of Sumerian written grammar. But the edubba was at the same time a 'centre of learning' where, as now, lecturers and senior scholars also engaged in original research to add to the extant body of knowledge in many areas. Furthermore, even in the literary areas, writing was not only directed towards learning, copying and preserving, but also occasionally towards the creation of new epics. Astronomy and Mathematics: The Sumerians developed a highly-advanced quasi-sexagesimal system of mathematics, and a highly accurate lunar calendar with adjustments to reconcile it to the solar calendar. As to their broader astronomical knowledge, orthodox opinion holds that they knew of only about 25 stars which were presented in simple lists, and that their knowledge of the other planets in our solar system was limited or non-existent. However this view has of course been challenged by the new breed of alternative historians. Medicine: The majority of the hundreds of medical tablets currently excavated date only to the early part of the 1st millennium BC, and are written in Akkadian.[viii] Nevertheless these utilise many Sumerian words and phrases which indicate their heritage, and a few similar tablets have been found which date as far back as the start of the 2nd millennium BC. It has been suggested that these ancient pharmacopoeias, which describe a variety of illnesses and cures, would probably be remarkably similar to one compiled only a couple of hundred years ago. But although the texts describe fundamentally practical procedures, these tend to be couched in a moral framework which views disease as a punishment for wrongdoing; as a result we regularly come across 'supernatural' elements in Sumerian medical thinking, including for example exorcism. It would also appear that their medical knowledge did not develop a great deal over several millennia. However this should not detract from the evidence that they researched a great many herbal remedies, many of which apparently worked, and indeed they were perhaps more aware than many modern practitioners of the 'healthy mind, healthy body' approach, and the possibility of psychosomatic illness. Science in General: Both the Sumerians and their successors in Mesopotamia were highly curious and lovers of knowledge, often just for its own sake. They were particularly methodical, and therefore arguably made good scientists. To say as some have that Mesopotamian science was a 'science of lists' is to do it a grave disservice; although textbooks did not exist (or if they did they have not yet been found), evidence suggests a strong reliance on lectures for teaching and explanation. But what of the character of the Sumerians, which can become neglected when one is engrossed in archaeological and linguistic details? Kramer’s view is that the Sumerians loved life and wanted to extend it as much as possible, at least in part because they believed death led them to the rather uninviting and dreary netherworld.[ix] He suggests that in adopting this approach they appear to have had little concept of a utopian heaven, or an abominable hell for that matter, nor indeed of reincarnation. My own view is that this needs more thought, and that they may have been more spiritually advanced than Kramer allows, albeit that they do not appear to have developed anything like the esoteric wisdom of the Ancient Egyptian and Vedic civilisations. Nevertheless one does form an impression that they were fundamentally materialistic, competing aggressively for pre-eminence, social standing and prestige. Combined with the fact that as citizens they identified with their city-state more than with Sumer itself, this trait lead the city-states into perpetual wars with each other in the struggle for ascendancy - to such an extent that dominant rulers always struggled to keep Sumer united. Indeed their civilisation was ultimately brought down by being weakened from within in this way, rendering them vulnerable to attack from external invaders. Vanity and lack of humility were also highly evident in their make-up, especially in the self-laudatory royal hymns of the ensis. And yet they seemed at the same time to have had a great sense of morality, prizing truth, compassion, law and order, justice and freedom, wisdom and learning, and courage and loyalty. Enigmatic people indeed! The Mesopotamian city-states were repeatedly abandoned and reoccupied in ancient times. Either water levels rose, or over time the rivers changed their course, (for example, in places the course of the Euphrates is now as much as 50 kilometres to the west of its position c. 2000 BC [x]), either of which could render their continued occupation untenable. And of course the in-house rivalry for supremacy between them, let alone invasions by foreign usurpers, meant that they were often attacked and destroyed. When sites were later reoccupied, the old ruins were simply levelled and used as foundations. Hence the 'levels' referred to by archaeologists. When they were finally abandoned the mainly mud-brick buildings collapsed, leaving piles of rubble which rapidly became covered with sand or vegetation. Despite their often impressive size, the resulting mounds or tells rising out of the by now primarily arid desert attracted little attention over the intervening millennia - until a few travellers in the 17th century began retrieving the odd brick, and isolated fragments of tablets bearing 'unknown inscriptions'. Western interest in the area grew, and in 1842 the French consul in Mosul, Paul Emil Botta, undertook the first proper excavation at Kuyunjik in northern Mesopotamia. When initially nothing was found he switched his attentions to nearby Khorsabad, and was duly rewarded when he discovered the ruined palace of the Assyrian King Sargon II, dating to the latter part of the 8th century BC. Then in 1845 Englishman Sir Austen Henry Layard began digging at both Nimrud and Kuyunjik. This time he struck archaeological gold, because the latter site turned out to be the infamous biblical city of Nineveh; and there he uncovered the ruins of the Royal Library of King Ashurbanipal, the great-grandson of Sargon II, which contained literally thousands of tablet-fragments which would subsequently prove to be collations of the vast body of literary and administrative texts of the Ancient World, written in the wedge-shaped or cuneiform script of the period. In fact Layard and his colleagues Hormuzd Rassam and George Smith continued their work at this site for the next 25 years, unearthing a total of between 25 and 30,000 fragments which it is estimated represent as many as 10,000 complete tablets.[xi] A similarly valuable source of tablets were the libraries at Ashur, unearthed by a German archaeological team between 1902 and 1914. However we are jumping ahead of ourselves. At the time of Layard’s initial discovery the unusual script on the tablets was still undeciphered. In fact to trace how the script was decoded we need to go back to the trilingual inscriptions found on the ruins of a magnificent palace at Persepolis in Iran. From the writings of various travellers it is clear that these were known to the western world as far back as the beginning of the 16th century. However it wasn’t until the end of the 18th century that scholars established that the first language or 'Class' was Old Persian, and alphabetic. But translation of the other two proved impossible because the inscriptions were too short and consisted of mostly proper names. Then in the 1830’s, a British Army officer who was to become arguably the most historically influential figure in the understanding of cuneiform script, culminating in his heading up the Department of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum, entered the fray. Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson started work on some similar trilingual inscriptions carved into the rock outcrops at Behistun, which were far lengthier and therefore allowed greater scope for understanding the languages involved. Often risking his own neck because the inscriptions were several hundred feet off the ground, Rawlinson meticulously copied them down over a number of years. By 1850, and with the help of other scholars - in particular Irishman Edward Hincks and Frenchman Jules Oppert, the three becoming known as cuneiform’s 'holy triad' - the decipherment of both the first and second Class (which proved to be Elamite) was more or less complete. These three then turned their attention to the third Class, and realised that the huge number of symbols and variants thereof were caused by the fact that the language and its symbols were both syllabic and ideographic - the latter meaning that whole words could be written with one symbol. They also realised it was polyphonic, in that the same sign could have more than one sound or value. Finally they were assisted by the discovery of syllabaries at Nineveh which the ancient scribes had prepared to assist understanding of the language. And by 1859 Oppert was able to publish a study of the language, now known as Akkadian, which was so authoritative that the foundations of its understanding were complete. This launched a tidal wave of scholarly effort directed towards the increasing numbers of Akkadian tablets being found at Nineveh and elsewhere, the translation of which from a linguistic point of view is now reasonably assured. However at about this time Hincks was already turning his attention to another mystery. The Assyro-Babylonians who inhabited Mesopotamia for the bulk of the 1st and 2nd millennia BC were a Semitic race, this term deriving from the name of Noah’s son Shem from whom all Semites are thought to be descended; and yet the syllabic values of the Akkadian script could not be linked with Semitic counterparts. He began to suspect that the script must have derived from one developed by previous non-Semitic inhabitants of Mesopotamia. Then in 1869 Oppert delivered a lecture in which he noted that inscriptions contained the phrase King of Sumer and Akkad - and thus the Sumerians were formally rediscovered. Any lingering doubts about the existence of this non-Semitic race were soon dispelled by the recommencement of excavations, this time in southern Mesopotamia. In 1877 the French began excavations at Telloh (now recognised as the Sumerian city of Lagash), which were continued by successive French teams right through to 1933. In 1887 an American team began work at Nippur, where over the next decade one of the largest sources of mainly Sumerian texts was unearthed; in all some 30,000 fragments were removed from its sacerdotal library. A German team, working at Uruk (the biblical Erech) for nearly 50 years from the turn of the century, discovered 1000 tablets dating as far back as the start of the 3rd millennium BC; as yet these remain the oldest tablets found, and they contain the earliest forms of Sumerian 'pictographic' script. The Germans also dug a proper test pit some 20 metres deep which assisted the understanding of chronological development at this site from the earliest times. Another German team worked at Shuruppak from 1902-3; a French team at Kish from 1912-14; an Anglo-American team again at Kish from 1923-33, under Stephen Langdon; and a British team at Ur (the biblical home of the patriarch Abraham) from 1922-34, under Sir Leonard Woolley. Having taken some time to build up from humble beginnings, the Iraqi Directorate of Antiquities was by the time of the second world war a well-established outfit quite capable of organising its own excavations. One of its earliest and most notable achievements was the re-discovery of Eridu, the oldest known Sumerian city, in 1946; here they excavated the patron god Enki’s temple down to its earliest incarnation c. 4000 BC - although unfortunately no tablets came to light. And although in the 1950’s an American team under Harvard professor Thorkild Jacobsen was allowed back to Nippur, where they uncovered two temples dedicated to the patron deities Enlil and Inanna, and 1000 more mainly literary tablet-fragments, since the war years the responsibility for continued excavation in Mesopotamia has rested primarily, although not exclusively, with the Iraqis themselves. But let us return to the issue of the Sumerian language. Once tablets had been found, for example at Nippur and Uruk, which contained non-Akkadian cuneiform script, the decipherers faced a new challenge. But in some senses they faced an easier task than before. The Akkadians and later Assyrians not only borrowed the Sumerian script, they also treasured its literary inheritance. Not only did this mean that in their edubbas they copied hundreds of Sumerian texts into their own language and script to preserve them - albeit with some political and religious editing over the centuries which we will consider in a subsequent paper - but they also prepared detailed Sumerian-Akkadian dictionaries and lexicons which considerably assisted the Sumerologists in the translation of words and understanding of grammar. Many of these had already been found at Nineveh. Furthermore, the excavations at Nippur yielded numerous lexicons concerned with Sumerian vocabulary and grammar in its own right. This allowed scholars such as Francois Thureau-Dangin, Arno Poebel, A.H. Sayce, R.E. Brunow, and J.D. Prince to complete rudimentary modern Sumerian lexicons at the beginning of this century. However the language is complex, and our understanding of it still leaves much to be desired - again a topic to which we will return in a subsequent paper. As a result of the profusion of archaeological activity over the last 150 years, hundreds of thousands of fragments of tablets have now been unearthed; indeed some put the estimate as high as half a million. The fact that so many apparently fragile tablets have survived at all, albeit fragmented, is in part due to the unfortunate fate that befell many of the sites in which they were preserved. When the city-states were attacked by enemies they were usually set on fire, which meant that although buildings were destroyed, the clay tablets were fired and better preserved for our archaeologists to find. This wealth of written information is backed up by hundreds of pictorial representations of early events engraved on temple walls, stone stelae, and decorative friezes. Although no doubt some are housed in inaccessible private collections, the majority of the tablets and carvings can be viewed in university and museum collections all around the world - for example in the British Museum, the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul, the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, the Vorderasiatische Museum in Berlin, the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena in East Germany, and the Philadelphia University Museum. Many of the texts which the tablets represent are still incomplete in varying degrees, and many more fragments undoubtedly remain as yet undiscovered. But we already have a vast inheritance, and it is of course not only due to the efforts of the linguists who originally deciphered the Akkadian and Sumerian scripts that we are able to read them now. Arguably even greater scholarly effort has had to be expended in piecing together the fragments. This job is far more difficult than completing a conventional jigsaw. Remember that the pieces were often found at different times by different expeditions, and sometimes taken to be housed in different collections in different countries. Imagine that you have a jigsaw where you don’t know the complete size and shape, where the pieces can be mutilated at the edges, and where the picture is very uniform (that is, all writing). The only saving grace was that multiple copies of especially literary texts were often found, many of which were, for example, exercise tablets from edubbas that were preserved for us by being dumped and used as in-fill for building foundations. Although this in turn presented problems in that the scholars had to attempt to identify any errors made by poor or inexperienced students, it did mean that where one copy was incomplete, another might fill in the gaps if it overlapped enough to be recognisable as the same text. One other factor which assisted the identification process was that colophons were often inscribed at the end of each tablet to identify them: these recorded the title of the text (which was not a separate title but based on the opening line); the number of the tablet within the series (equivalent to a page or chapter number); and an 'identifying phrase' which was usually made up of several lines of the text which would be repeated at the beginning of the next tablet. In any case, the decades of painstaking work undertaken on Akkadian and Sumerian tablets by scholars such as George Smith, L.W. King, Stephen Langdon, E.A. Speiser, Alexander Heidel, Samuel Noah Kramer, W. Lambert, A. Millard, Adam Falkenstein, Thorkild Jacobsen and Stephanie Dalley, among others, has ensured that the multiple pieces of the various jigsaws have been progressively slotted into place. And among the wealth of information revealed has been concrete proof that some of the biblical versions of early events in mankind's history are edited highlights of far earlier versions which contain considerably greater detail. Most obvious of these is the story of the Deluge, and we will examine all of the main texts in subsequent papers. There are two main paths to follow in reconstructing early Mesopotamian history. The first is the conventional archaeological one of digging down into successive layers of remains at key sites. Anyone who has watched the popular television programme 'Time Team' on Channel 4 in the UK will by now have become familiar with this approach, which involves digging test trenches and sinking test pits. Once a trench or pit has been dug in the correct place, now often revealed by geophysical surveys, the various artifacts discovered at each level are dated by reference to finds at other sites. However when archaeologists commenced their investigations of Ancient Mesopotamia they did not have this cross-referencing capability, since the whole area was a 'green-field' site. So to what could they turn for assistance with date verification? Votive Inscriptions: From at least as far back as c. 2750 BC the ensis of the various city-states had personal memorials inscribed just about everywhere: on stone and clay tablets, building bricks and stones, stelae and plaques, statues and statuettes, and bowls and vases. Echoing the self-laudatory tone of their hymns, these inscriptions listed the ensi’s major accomplishments in terms of subjugating other races and cities, and of building, rebuilding and refurbishing temples and palaces. Not only did they often include useful descriptions of religious offerings and ceremonies, but they also indicated which gods were being worshipped in a given place at a given time. Prime examples of these include the Sargon Inscriptions, a contemporary record of all the inscriptions on statues and stelae in the reign of the first king of the Akkad Dynasty c. 2300 BC, prepared meticulously by a scribe and found on tablets at Nippur; and the Gudea Temple Inscriptions, consisting of two long tablets of 54 columns, found at the city of Lagash over which Gudea ruled c. 2100 BC. These inscriptions often included 'date-formulas', used from c. 2500 BC by the Sumerian scribes, which commemorated significant religious and political events not via an absolute year reference but by the number of years into an ensi’s reign in which they occurred. Royal Lists: By contrast these contained lists dealing with more than one ruler. Examples include the Tummal Inscription, which catalogued the rulers in charge of the building and rebuilding of the patron god Enlil’s temple complex at Nippur; and the Lagash Inscriptions, which listed the various rulers of Lagash starting with Ur-Nanshe c. 2500 BC. This is just as well, because indubitably the most important royal list of all, the Sumerian King List, records the rulers of all the Sumero-Akkadian dynasties except those of Lagash and Larsa - perhaps because these dynasties were not regarded as ruling the whole of Sumer-Akkad. This latter list, compiled from about 15 different but fragmented copies found mainly at Larsa and Nippur, has played a pivotal role in the development of the chronology of Ancient Mesopotamia - albeit that the task was complicated by the fact that the dynasties it records sometimes overlapped considerably. Law Codes: We have already mentioned these briefly, but the major texts of this type are as follows: The Urukagina Reform Text, prepared at the instigation of the ensi of Lagash c. 2350 BC, describes how the common people were freed of the burden of unnecessary taxes, and records laws for the punishment of various crimes. This was followed by the similar Law Code of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the 3rd Dynasty of Ur c. 2100 BC; the Law Code of Lipit-Ishtar, a ruler of the Isin Dynasty c. 1900 BC; and the Law Code of Hammurabi, the great conqueror who established the Assyro-Babylonian empire in the early 18th century BC. The latter three all follow a similar format, with a prologue, the laws themselves - which lay out basic rules regarding such issues as property, slaves, marriage and inheritance - and an epilogue. Royal Letters: The earliest of these date to c. 2400 BC. Particularly useful is the correspondence of the last ruler of the 3rd Dynasty of Ur, Ibbi-Sin, revealing how his one-time courtier turned rival Ishbi-Erra built up the Dynasty of Isin until Ibbi-Sin was forced to capitulate at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. Court Decisions: Also known as ditillas, these contained judgements regarding divorce, land, livestock and other disputes. Admittedly some of these records were of an administrative nature, and assisted the understanding of cultural more than of chronological history; and even the historiographic records were insufficient on their own. However, when enough of them had come together it proved possible to attempt to work backwards from independently verified history. The chronology from 911 BC onwards is more or less exact in that it was possible to corroborate astronomical records of eclipses on Assyrian tablets with those recorded by the Greek Ptolemy. Although when working backwards from here some of the pieces of written evidence seem to contradict each other, and it is not always clear whether events are consecutive or overlapping, the current orthodox view appears to be that dates going back to c. 3000 BC can vary from source to source, but not materially for the purposes of most research. In order that the various references to periods and rulers in subsequent papers may be placed in context, the results of this reconstruction are summarised in the following table. The dates are taken from the chronological tables prepared by Georges Roux, a former medical officer with the Iraq Petroleum Company turned Assyriologist, in his excellent reference work Ancient Iraq.[xiii] Although his book was originally published in 1964, this information is taken from the updated third edition published in 1992. Prehistoric Pre-3000 Earliest occupation at Eridu c. 5000 BC. Early Dynastic (Sumerian) 3000-2300 Sumerian dominance, primarily under dynasties of Kish I-II-III-IV, Uruk I-II-III and Ur I-II. Heroes of epics rule in early dynasties; e.g., Etana and Aka during Kish I; Enmerkar, Lugalbanda and Gilgamesh during Uruk I. Alternation of power caused by warring between city-states, whose inhabitants felt more allegiance to their city than to Sumer as a whole; various rulers attempt to keep it keep it united, but Sumer’s power gradually weakened by these internal disputes, leaving it open to attack by external invaders. Dynasty of Akkad (plus Gutium and Ur III) 2300-2000 Akkadians from north conquer Sumer under Sargon the Great c. 2334 BC. Gutians from further north conquer Sumer-Akkad c. 2150 BC. Ur III briefly comes to prominence c. 2112 BC until fall of Ur c. 2004 BC signals end of Sumer’s predominance as political force in Mesopotamia. Isin-Larsa 2000-1750 Dynasty of Isin commences under Ishbi-Erra. Old Assyro-Babylonian 1750-1600 Hammurabi conquers whole of Assyria and Mesopotamia and rules from Babylon, signalling final collapse of weakened Sumerian civilisation as an independent political force. Assyro-Babylonian Empire forms a Semitic state built on a Sumerian foundation. Kassite-Hittite 1600-1150 Babylon conquered by Hittites c. 1595 BC. Middle Assyro-Babylonian 1150-750 Babylon continues its pre-eminence. Late (Neo-) Assyro-Babylonian 750-500 Sargon II and Sennacherib transfer power to Nineveh c. 700 BC; set up Royal Library which contains copies of many Sumerian texts. Ashurbanipal adds to library at Nineveh c. 650 BC. Sumerian cultural influence still in evidence; like Latin now, Sumerian language still used in some scholarly and liturgical documents even though it had not been spoken for over a millennia. [i] For example, see Georg Feuerestein, Subhash Kak and David Frawley, In Search of the Cradle of Civilisation (Quest, 1995). [ii] For example, see Andrew Collins, Gods of Eden (Headline, 1998), Chapter 15, pp. 212-230. [iii] Samuel Noah Kramer, The Sumerians (University of Chicago Press, 1963), Chapter 2, pp. 39-40. [iv] The information that follows comes primarily from ibid., Chapter 3. [v] Ibid., Chapter 8, p. 276. Kramer argues that Magan and Meluhha, which are frequently mentioned in texts from earliest times as places with whom Sumer had important trade connections, correspond to Egypt and Ethiopia. Previously scholars had attempted to get round the problem that this implied an advanced seafaring capability by claiming that, originally, these names referred to lands on the much nearer east and south-east Arabian coasts, and that their usage was subsequently translocated. Kramer finds this unlikely, as do I. It is interesting to note that Sumerologist Thorkild Jacobsen goes as far as to say that "modern scholars tend to think that in earlier times it (Meluhha) denoted India", which would make the seafaring capability all the more impressive (Jacobsen, The Harps that Once…, Yale University Press, 1987, p. 363, Note 7). [vi] Ibid., Appendix I, pp. 340-2. [vii] Of the form "Name of owner’s patron god, or ruler; owner’s name; owner’s father’s name; owner’s title". [viii] A brief introduction as to the various terminology used is appropriate at this point for those unfamiliar with Mesopotamian history. The Sumerians were pre-eminent, especially in Southern Mesopotamia, in the 4th and most of the 3rd millennia BC. However for much of that time they co-existed with the Akkadians, so-called after their capital city of Agade or Akkad, who lived to the north. They in turn came to dominate the area for the latter part of the 3rd millennium BC, but their reign was short-lived, lasting only a few hundred years before they were usurped by the Assyrians, also known as the Babylonians after their capital city of Babylon. Hence the compound terms often used: 'Sumero-Akkadian' and 'Assyro-Babylonian'. However, to further complicate matters, it was the Akkadian language which was still used for writing in the Assyro-Babylonian era; indeed on occasion the Sumerian language was still used in some formal writing at this late stage as well - or at least certain Sumerian words were still used. This parallels the way in which Latin continued as a dominant written language long after the collapse of the Roman Empire, with certain words still used by us today. Both the Akkadian and Sumerian languages were written using the distinctive wedge-shaped script which is known as 'cuneiform'. Note also that scholars of Ancient Mesopotamian history are often referred to as 'Assyriologists' because Assyrian artefacts and texts were those first discovered during excavations, even though the term is now used to cover the study of earlier civilisations. [ix] As expressed in Kramer, op. cit., Chapter 7. [x] See Map 2 in Georges Roux, Ancient Iraq (Penguin, 1992). [xi] The distinction between the numbers of tablets and fragments is in my view worth making, if only because many sloppily written books fail to - leaving one with the initial impression that far more complete tablets have been found than is in fact the case. [xii] Kramer, op. cit., Chapter 2. [xiii] Roux, op. cit., "Chronological Tables".

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http://ianlawton.com/mes1.html

October 16-17, 2019: Ivo Dinov is presenting at the BIG DATA Analytics in Health Care Session of Re-Imaging Health Symposium, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada. August 18–23, 2019: Ivo Dinov is organizing an Invited Presenter Session; IPS35: Imaging Statistics and Predictive Data Analytics at the International Statistical Institute’s 2019 World Stats Congress. April 12-13, 2019: Ivo Dinov is presenting DataSifter: Sharing of Sensitive Data via Statistical Obfuscation at the 2019 Statistics, the Impact of Big Data Conference, FSU, Tallahassee, FL. March 26, 2019: Ivo Dinov is presenting Challenges and Opportunities in Predictive Big Data Analytics at the Ann Arbor Chapter of ASA. January 10 and January 15, 2019: 2019 SOCR-MDP All-Hands JumpStart Meeting. November 2, 2018: Ivo Dinov is presenting on Open Data Science and Predictive Health Analytics at the SfN 2018. Oct 25, 2018: Ivo Dinov is presenting DataSifter: Sharing of sensitive information via statistical obfuscation (Video) at the 14th annual cyber security conference on Security at University of Michigan IT (SUMIT), an event for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month on the latest technical, legal, policy, and operational trends, threats, and tools in cybersecurity and privacy. Oct 15-16, 2018: Ivo Dinov is presenting the Michigan Institute of Data Science: Computational Challenges and Research Opportunities at the 2018 Center for Network and Storage-Enabled Collaborative Computational Science (CNSECCS) Symposium, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Oct 12, 2018: MNORC-IBIC/SOCR/HAC Health Data Analytics Workshop. Sept 21, 2018: Ivo Dinov is presenting The Enigmatic Kime: Time Complexity in Data Science at the University of Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) Seminar Series, Slidedeck, YouTube video of this seminar. Sept 18, 2018 : SOCR semi-annual retreat (12-2 PM, SNB 1250). Sept 15, 2018: Ivo Dinov is presenting High-Dimensional Biomedical Data & Predictive Health Analytics at the Fall 2018 DCMB/UMich Retreat, Frankenmuth, MI. Sept 6, 2018: Ivo Dinov is presenting Data Science & Predictive Neuro-Analytics at the 2018 Advanced Computational Neuroscience Network (ACNN) Workshop, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio. August 30, 2018 (11:20 AM): New School of Nursing Faculty Orientation: Ivo Dinov will present an Introduction to SOCR. July 26, 2018: Ivo Dinov is presenting Data Science & Predictive Health Analytics at the 2018 Symposium on Big Data, Human Health and Statistics, University of Michigan. June 22, 218: Ivo Dinov presented the Advanced Computational Neuroscience Network (ACNN) at the NSF BIGDATA Conference in Washington DC. May 17, 2018, Ivo Dinov is presenting a day-long series on Big Data & Health Analytics at the Global Sexual Health Summer Institute. Specifically, Dr. Dinov is presenting an interactive session on Big Healthcare Data: Research Challenges, AI Capabilities, and Educational Opportunities. May 11, 2018, Ivo Dinov is presenting Exploratory, Confirmatory, & Predictive Big Cancer Data Analytics at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center Head and Neck Cancer Retreat. May 04, 2018: Ivo Dinov is presenting Predictive Health Analytics at the University of Michigan Nursing Board of Science Innovation Forum. April 24, 2018: Ivo Dinov is presenting two talks at the Data Science Initiative, SUNY Binghamton: Michigan Institute of Data Science – Organization, Education Challenges and Research Opportunities and Compressive Big Data Analytics (CBDA). April 18, 2018: SOCR semi-annual retreat (12-2 PM, SNB 1250). Dec 08, 2017, (12 Noon ET, GMT-5) Ivo Dinov is presenting "Big Brain Data Science & Predictive Health Analytics" webinar at the BD2K Guide to the Fundamentals of Data Science Series, Webinar ID: 932-094-291, Slides. Nov 05, 2017, A. Sharma (Emory University), W. Hsu (UCLA), E. Siegel (University of Maryland), K. Cheng (Penn State University) and I. Dinov (University of Michigan) are organizing a half-day workshop at AMIA 2017. The title of the workshop is (W15) Does Integrative Data Analytics on Biomedical Imaging Bring Us Closer to Precision Medicine?, which is sponsored by the AMIA Biomedical Imaging Working Group, Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009. Dr. Dinov's keynote lecture is on Big Brain Data & Predictive Analytics. Sept 8-9, 2017, Ivo Dinov presents Predictive Big Brain Data Analytics at the 2017 Advanced Computational Neuroscience Network (ACNN) Big Data Workshop, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Aug 15, 2017, Ivo Dinov is presenting a keynote lecture on Predictive Data Analytics at the Malaysia Telemedicine Conference 2017 (August 15-17, 2017, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). Aug 10-18, 2017: Ivo Dinov, Alex Fornito, Andrew Zalesky, Satrajit Ghosh, and Eric Tatt Wei Ho are organizing a INCF/IBRO Neuroscience Summer School for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Dinov will be lecturing on (1) Statistical Computing, (2) High-Throughput Processing of Big Neuroscience Data, and (3) Neuroimaging-genetics. The Summer Neuroscience School is part of the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF)/International Brain Research Organization IBRO-APRC School on Neuroinformatics and Brain Network Analysis, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. July-September 2017, Summer 2017: Data Science and Predictive Analytics (UMich HS650), a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). May 8-12, 2017: Ivo Dinov is offering a week-long Bootcamp: Predictive Big Data Analytics using R. This deep dive into modern Big Data Analytics will take place Monday (May 8, 2017) through Friday (May 12, 2017), 8:00AM to 4:00PM, at SNB 1250, University of Michigan, 426 North Ingalls, Ann Arbor, MI. The event will also be streamed live (see details on the bootcamp site). March 23, 2017: FireFox 52+ will not support Java plug ins. SOCR users that are interested in continuing to access SOCR Java Applets via FireFox need to install the 32-bit version of FF Extended Support Release (52 ESR). Mar 16-17, 2017: The principals (Rich Gonzales, Ivo Dinov, John Marcotte, Franco Pestilli, Olaf Sporns, Andrew Saykin, Dhabaleswar Panda, Xiaoyi Lu, Hari Subramoni, Satya Sahoo, Daniel Marcus, and Lei Wang) of the Advance Computational Neuroscience Network (ACNN) will give talks and present posters at the 2017 NSF BigData Meeting at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington DC. Mar 3, 2017: Ivo Dinov is presenting Brain Visualization, High-throughput computational processing, and the SOCRAT Statistical Computing Framework at the 2017 Brainhack-Global Meet in Ann Arbor. Nov 12, 2016: Alex Kalinin is co-organizing a2-dlearn 2016 – the 2nd annual Ann Arbor Deep Learning event and will present Deep Learning Year in Review 2016: Computer Vision Perspective. The goal of a2-dlearn 2016 is to bring together deep learning enthusiasts, researchers and practitioners from a variety of backgrounds. Venue: 1670 Bob and Betty Beyster Building, University of Michigan, 2260 Hayward St, Ann Arbor, MI. Nov 01, 2016: Ivo Dinov is presenting Predictive Big Data Analytics Workshop, School of Nursing University of Michigan Analytics Seminar Series, 1:00PM, 1240 SNB. This presentation will focus on Predictive Big Data Analytics. We'll go over characteristics and fundamentals of Big Data, methodological and computational challenges, health science research, and opportunities. Applications to biosocial (Medicare/Economics) and neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson's Disease) will be presented. The foundations of compressive Big Data Analytics (CBDA) and several demos will be shown. In October 2016, Ivo Dinov participated in an expert International panel including government officials of a dozen countries affected by the Zika virus. The panel reviewed evidence and made recommendations to public officials on strategies to combat the spread of the Zika virus and the associated microcephaly in newborns. Sept 20-21, 2016: Ivo Dinov, Rich Gonzales, George Alter (University of Michigan), Franco Pestilli, Olaf Sporns, Andrew Saykin (Indiana University), Dhabaleswar Panda, Khaled Hamidouche, Xiaoyi Lu, Hari Subramoni (OSU), Satya Sahoo (CWRU), Daniel Marcus (Washington University), and Lei Wang (Northwestern University) are organizing a 2-day Midwest Workshop on Big Neuroscience Data, Tools, Protocols & Services, Ann Arbor, MI. Aug 04, 2016 (8:30-10:30 AM): Ivo Dinov is presenting Big, Deep, and Dark Data: Fundamentals, Research Challenges, and Opportunities, at the Recent advances in massive imaging data analysis, Section on Statistics in Imaging, at the Joint Statistics Meeting (JSM), Chicago, IL, (CC-W McCormick Place Convention Center, West Building, Session: 659, Thu, 8/4/2016, 8:30 AM - 10:20 AM, CC-W187b). July 08, 2016: Ivo Dinov was interviewed by NOVA (WGBH/PBS) on a recent PNAS Report identifying significant potential shortfalls of Big Data functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, of which there may be over 35,000 in the past quarter century. The article used 500 normal control subjects (null data) to generate 3 million simulation studies where every experiment included randomly chosen subjects, either resting state or task activation fMRI, and found false-positive discoveries (significant grouping effects where there were none) up to 70% of the simulations. Although this does not discredit any specific previously published fMRI findings, the investigations suggests the need for novel Big Data analytics methods, and scalable software tools, that can reduce the false-positive rate. May 19, 2016 (12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT): Ivo Dinov is presenting an AMIA Education & Training Webinar entitled Predictive Big Data Analytics: Imaging-Genetics Fundamentals, Research Challenges, and Opportunities, PDF Slides and video/webcast. Mar 07, 2016, Ivo Dinov was Elected as a Member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI). ISI is the world’s most prestigious Statistical Organization Established in 1885 as a non-profit, non-government, organization with a consultative status within the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The ISI organizes the World Statistics Congresses every two years across the Globe. Jan 19, 2016, Ivo Dinov gave a lecture on Big, Deep, and Dark Data: Fundamentals, Research Challenges, and Opportunities at the Survey Research Center (SRC) seminar series, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Nov 23-24, 2015, Ivo Dinov is giving a keynote address (Predictive Big Data Analytics: Using Large, Complex, Heterogeneous, Incongruent, Multi-source and Incomplete Observations to Study Neurodegenerative Disorders) at the 2015 Big Data Analytics Experience Conference, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey Tech), Santa Fe, 01389 Ciudad de México, D.F., Mexico. Oct 14, 2015, Ivo Dinov interviewed by Inside Higher Ed on 'Double-Dipping' With MOOCs. Oct 9-10, 2015, Carl Kesselman and Ivo Dinov organized a working group on Scientific Tools and Workflows for Big Data Discovery Science, Palm Springs, CA. Oct 06, 2015, Ivo Dinov presented the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) Education and Training Program. Oct 02, 2015, Petros Petrosyan, Sam Hobel, and Ivo Dinov present the Hippocampal Meta-Analysis Workflow at USC Pipeline Demo Day. Sept 23, 2015, Ivo Dinov presented Exploratory Big Data Analytics at the University of Michigan (PDF). Sept 10 and Sept 17, 2015, Ken Powell, Eric Michielssen, and Ivo Dinov presented opportunities for graduate studies in computational and data sciences at the University of Michigan. August 8–13, 2015, Ivo Dinov organized a special session on Big Data: Modeling, Tools, Analytics, and Training at the 2015 Joint Statistical Meeting, Washington State Convention Center, 800 Convention Place, Seattle, WA 98101. June 14-18, 2015, Ivo Dinov and his colleagues presented "The Pipeline Environment: A Scalable, Distributed and Service-Oriented Neuroimaging and Genetics" at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Honolulu, Hawaii. June 14-17, 2015, Ivo Dinov presented the SOCR Resources at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC), Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada. May 5, 2015, Deb Barton and Ivo Dinov presented the Center for Complexity and Self-management of Chronic Disease (CSCD) at the 2015 National Institute of Nursing Research Center Directors Meeting, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland, Natcher Conference Center: Room E1/E2. April 21-24, 2015, Ivo Dinov organized a micro Big Data Analytics workshop at the University of Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS). The focus of this micro-workshop is to lay down the foundation for developing a new Compressive Big Data Analytics (CBDA) foundation enabling representation, modeling, analysis and interrogation of large, incongruent multi-source, incomplete and messy data. The highlights of the workshop include talks from Dr. Saeid Amiri and Dr. S. Ejaz Ahmed. February 18, 2015, Ivo Dinov gave a lecture on "Management, Modeling & Analytic Challenges of Big Biomedical Data" at the University of Michigan Psychiatry Grand Rounds. January 13-14, 2015, Ivo Dinov presented the "Pipeline graphical workflow environment for computational genomics, proteomics, image and shape analysis" at the Big Data Discovery Science (BDDS) Meeting in Seattle, WA. Aug 05, 2014, Ivo Dinov is presenting the new UMSN Analytics Curriculum (Scientific Methods for Health Sciences, SMHS). July 8-9, 2014: Ivo Dinov is presenting "Portable Pipeline Workflows for Nuclear and Chromosomal Shape Morphometry Analysis" at the 4D Nucleome Workshop, University of Michigan. May 22, 2014, Ivo Dinov (SOCR/Michigan), Dennis Pearl (MBI/OSU), and Kyle Siegrist (VLPS/UAH) are organizing a Workshop entitled Web Resources for Interactive Probability Instruction at the 2014 eCOTS (Electronic Conference On Teaching Statistics) conference. April 28, 2014: Ivo Dinov is interviewed on "The Big Data" by Center for Science, Technology, and Security Policy (CSTSP), at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). April 1-2, 2014: Ivo Dinov presented a talk entitled "Big Data Challenges: Data Management, Analytics & Security" at the AAAS/FBI Summit on Big Data, Life Sciences, and National Security in Washington DC. See blog post. Jan 30, 2014: Ivo Dinov is giving an NCIBI Tools and Technology seminar entitled SOCR Infrastructure for Technology-enhanced Trans-disciplinary Health Research & Science Education. January 16, 2014: Ivo Dinov is organizing a special American Mathematical Society (AMS) session on Big Data: Mathematical and Statistical Modeling, Tools, Services, and Training, at the Joint Mathematics Meeting (JMM), Baltimore, MD, USA. January 14, 2014: Ivo Dinov (SOCR), Dennis Pearl (MBI/OSU) and Kyle Siegrist (VLPS/UAH) are organizing a continuing education workshop: 2014 Distributome JMM Workshop: Interactive Probability Instruction, Stadium Ballroom 4, 2nd Floor, Marriott Inner Harbor. Dec 11 and Dec 18, 2013: Ivo Dinov is giving a 2-part presentation about the State of the SOCR Project: Part 1: Scope, Projects and Organization; Part 2: Exploratory Data Analyses (EDA) (Videos: Part 1: EDA and Part 2: Tools). Nov 15, 2013: Ivo Dinov is a keynote speaker at 2013 CIMAT Neuro Imaging, El Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas A.C. (CIMAT) y el Instituto de Neurobiología de la UNAM, Guanajuato, Mexico. His talk is entitled Biomedical Informatics: Mathematical Techniques, Computational Challenges & Imaging-Genetics Applications. Oct 19, 2013: Nicolas Christou, Albert Wong and Ivo Dinov, present a SOCR blended approach for teaching the California Common Core State Standards for Probability and Statistics (for LAUSD Teachers). Oct 18, 2013: Ivo Dinov is giving a talk entitled "Computational Challenges in Neuroimaging-Genetics: Predicting MCI conversion to AD" at the University of Michigan, Neurodegenerative Disease Research Seminar series. Oct 16, 2013: Ivo Dinov is Chairing a panel discussion on "Big-Data" at the 2013 Annual meeting of the Michigan Bio-Industry, MichBio; 8:00-9:00 am on October 16, 2013, Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center, Kalamazoo, MI. June 26, 2013: Ivo Dinov is speaking about "Analytical Pipeline Workflows, Resource Interoperability and Processing of “Big” Genomics Data" at a session on The Science of Investigation and Interpretation at The Clinical Genome Conference (TCGC), Hotel Kabuki 1625 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115. June 16, 2013: Ivo Dinov is organizing a Continuing Education Course entitled Neuroimaging ‘Big Data’ Challenges and Computational Workflow Solutions. This workshop is part of the 2013 Organization for Human Brain Mapping Meeting in Seattle, Washington. Ivo Dinov is presenting The Pipeline Workflow Environment at this workshop. May 20, 2013: Ivo Dinov is organizing a Computational Genomics Training Workshop at UCLA. This workshop will be postponed to a future date, due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts. May 15-16, 2013: USCOTS 2013 Workshop: Dennis Pearl (Ohio State), Kyle Siegrist (University of Alabama) and Ivo Dinov (UCLA) are organizing a 2 day workshop Interactive Probability Instruction, at the USCOTS 2013 meeting. The organizers will provide continuing education training for using the Probability Distributome webapps, classroom use of the Virtual Laboratories in Probability and Statistics, exploratory data analysis using the Statistics Online Computational Resource. April 08, 2013: Ivo Dinov is presenting the Pipeline Workflow Environment (PPTX) at the Epilepsy Bioinformatics Workshop at UCLA. March 21, 2013: Nicolas Christou and Ivo Dinov, presented the SOCR blended mathematics and statistics education resources relative to the California Common Core State Standards, LAUSD. March 4-6, 2013: Ivo Dinov is presenting a paper entitled How to Ride the Perfect Neuroimaging-Genetics-Computation Storm? Collision of Peta Bytes of Data, Thousands of Software Tools and Millions of Hardware Devices at the New Horizons in Human Brain Imaging, Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu, Hawaii USA. January 23-25, 2013: 2013 AAAS TUES/CCLI conference in Washington, DC; American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS, and the National Science Foundation, NSF, Programs for Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement, CCLI, and Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, TUES. Ivo Dinov is presenting the SOCR resource. Kyle Siegrist, Dennis Pearl and Ivo Dinov are presenting the Probability Distributome Project. November 27, 2012: Ivo Dinov (SOCR/UCLA), Dennis Pearl (MBI/OSU) and Kyle Siegrist (UAH/VLPS) are presenting a CAUSEWeb Webinar: Hands-on Distributome Activities for Teaching Probability (Tuesday, 2:30 PM Eastern Time). October 09, 2012: Dr. Ivo Dinov consults on a PBS NOVA/WGBH Interactive Mapping the Brain Webapp providing understanding of the relationship between brain anatomy, function and physiology. This resource enables the exploration of complex connections between different brain regions, and showcases the difference between normal and abnormal brain variability. August 02, 2012: Ivo Dinov is presenting an invited talk entitled Computational Neuroinformatics: Challenges, Methods & Tools at the 2012 JSM meeting in San Diego, CA. Session, (207361), Innovations in Biomaging and the Impact of Statistics”, Session #587, Thursday, 8/2/2012, from 8:30 AM - 10:20 AM. July 31, 2012: Scott Kamino, Bilal Bhakhrani, Nicolas Christou and Ivo Dinov are presenting a paper entitled Bivariate Normal Distribution: A New SOCR Applet at 2012 JSM Meeting in San Diego, CA (Tue, 7/31/2012, 10:30 AM - 12:20 PM, CC-Room 30C). July 13, 2012: Ivo Dinov is giving a lecture entitled Multimodal Neuroimaging and Distributed Computing using the Pipeline Environment at the 2012 Multimodal Neuroimaging Training Program (MNTP) at the University of Pittsburgh. May 2012: SOCR Analyses are utilized as the key statistical computing library part of the Pipeline Graphical Workflow Environment. One example is the use of the SOCR Multivariate Linear Regression and False Discovery Rate (FDR) utilities for analyzing multidimensional neuroimaging data (http://ucla.in/Ie80ps). April 26, 2012: Ivo Dinov and Nicholas Christou are presenting a special session entitled Technology-Enhanced Mathematics and Statistics Education at the 2012 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCMT) Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (April 25-28, 2012). April 17, 2012: Jack Van Horn, Ivo Dinov, Paul Eggert and Arthur Toga organized a workshop Big Data Analysis Using the LONI Pipeline. March 16-17, 2012: Ivo Dinov is organizing a Pipeline Training Workshop at the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), Cincinnati, OH. September 2011: SOCR Applications in Human Brain Mapping. Human brain mapping investigators use SOCR resources and tools to investigate frontal, temporal, and ventricular dysmorphology in schizophrenia, putamen/pallidum enlargements, medication exposure in early studies, and genetic predisposition for schizophrenia. This report published in the HBM Journal reveals the role of specific genetic or environmental risk factors toward altered brain morphology in schizophrenia. Sept. 17, 2011: Ivo Dinov is interviewed by Daily Bruin "On The Record" about student loans and the rate of increase of the cost of college tuition. August 12, 2011: Scott Kamino, Lance Perry and Mat Swatek submitted a video entitled "To Stat, or not to Stat?" responding to the ASA contest to promote the practice and profession of statistics. August 03, 2011: Dave Zes, Nicolas Christou and Ivo Dinov are presenting a paper entitled Spatial Statistics and Cartography Using SOCR (Abstract #302579) in Session # 524 (Wed, 8/3/2011, 11:20 AM) at the Joint Statistical Meeting in Miami Beach, Florida, July 30–August 4, 2011. July 15, 2011: Dr. Dinov was interviewed and quoted in an article in the Wall Street Journal about the proliferation of days designated to mark certain numerical properties - Happy Square-Prime Sandwich Day. June 24-25, 2011: Ivo Dinov is presenting SOCR resource utilization in the University of California - Online Statistics Instruction (UC-OSI) program. UCOP OIPP Meeting, Berkeley, California. See the video on YouTube. April 11-14, 2011: outGRID workshop, Vilnius, Lithuania. Ivo Dinov is presenting a paper entitled Visual Informatics and Computational Genomics using the Graphical Pipeline Environment. January 26-28, 2011: Ivo Dinov is presenting the SOCR resource at the 2011 AAAS TUES/CCLI conference in Washington, DC (American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Programs for Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) and Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, TUES). January 07, 2011: Distributome-An Interactive Web-based Resource for Probability Distributions: Kyle Siegrist, Ivo Dinov, and Dennis Pearl will present the State of the Probability Distributome Project, 2011 JMM meeting, NSF Division of Undergraduate Education, Napoleon A1-A3, 3rd Floor, Sheraton, 2:00-4:00PM. December 04-05, 2010: 2010 CMC-North Annual Asilomar Mathematics Conference. Ivo Dinov will present the SOCR Resource. November 18, 2012: Dr. Dinov presented a seminar entitled Computational Neuroinformatics: Challenges, Methods, & Tools, UCLA Computer Science Seminar Series. November 05-06, 2010: 2010 CMC-South Annual Palm Springs Mathematics Conference. Ivo Dinov and Nicolas Christou will present the SOCR Resource. September 2010: The SOCR MotionCharts Project receives an honorable mention in the 2010 ASA Hands-On Statistics Activity Competition. September 2010: In a High Speed Network partnership with K-12 educators, the SOCR Probability and Statistics EBook is posted on the K12HSN network and made freely and openly available to the entire K-12 educational community. August 13, 2010, SOCR AP Statistics Continuing Education Workshop at UCLA. Juana Sanchez, Nicolas Christou and Ivo Dinov will present SOCR CLT Applet and Activity, Session #478, Abstract #307049, Tue, 8/3/2010, 2:00 PM. Nicolas Christou and Ivo Dinov will present Enhancing the Teaching of Statistics: Analysis of Spatial Data Using SOCR and R, Session #478, Abstract #308613, Wed, 8/4/2010, 8:30 AM. July 20-23, 2010 Sloan Consortium/MERLOT symposium (Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, CA). Nicolas Christou, Ryan Rosario and Ivo Dinov will present a session entitled Technology-Enhanced Probability and Statistics Education Using the Statistics Online Computational Resource. June 09, 2010: SOCR V2.6 receives the Softpedia "100% Free & Clean" award. This certifies that all SOCR tools are free of all forms of malware, including spyware, viruses, trojans and backdoors, and can be used and installed with no concern by any computer user. May 14, 2010: Dr. Dinov was interviewed and quoted in an article in the Wall Street Journal about the concept of implicit egotism, or people’s unconscious attraction to things or people that resemble themselves — as manifested by name similarity. May 11, 2010: CAUSE SOCR Teaching and Learning Webinar. April 19, 2010: The largest neuroimaging study to-date identifies the relations between obesity gene (FTO) and brain tissue loss using the SOCR computational libraries. March 25, 2010: We upgraded the SOCR user web-statistics mechanism. Now we provide anonymous access to dynamic and complete statistics on the web-users of the main SOCR server. The new SOCR web-statistics architecture allows anyone to see anytime the locations and types of the last 500 SOCR users. Each user is uniquely counter daily, irrespective of usage-time or number of SOCR resources they used. Other SOCR servers have separate tracking mechanisms. March 17, 2010: Brain abnormalities in children exposed to meth - a news-brief on a recent article on Prenatal Methamphetamine use, co-authored by Dr. Dinov, is distributed by the National Institutes of Health. January 12, 2010: NSF/DUE PI Meeting at the 2010 JMM Meeting in San Francisco, CA. Dr. Dinov presented the SOCR Resource. October 2009: A new major upgrade of SOCR Analyses is released that fixed the appearance of the tabs on all SOCR analysis applets. The new version only shows the tabs that are appropriate for the specific SOCR Analysis chosen by the user. This upgrade of Analyses resolves this inconsistency and makes the navigation to data-input, variable-mapping and result-interpretation much more intuitive and user-friendly. September 2009: A new SOCR forum is introduced. Users, instructors, students and developers may use this forum to post questions, learn about various SOCR datasets, tools, learning materials, and contribute to the SOCR knowledgebase. August 16, 2009, SOCR Workshop at 2009 ISI Meeting. August 17, 2009, A special session entitled Interactive, Data-Driven and Technology-Enhanced Approaches for Probability and Statistics Education, organized by Ivo Dinov and Nicolas Christou at 2009 ISI Meeting. August 10, 2009: The Daily Bruin published an article about SOCR, summarizing the project scope and interviewing Ivo Dinov and Nicolas Christou. August 10-12, 2009, SOCR Training & Development Workshop at UCLA. August 03, 2009, Confidence Intervals using SOCR. Nicolas Christou and Ivo Dinov are presenting SOCR at the 2009 JSM Meeting in Washington, DC. June 27, 2009, Nicolas Christou presented a poster (page 19) at the 2009 USCOTS conference at OSU. April 16, 2009, SOCR Sponsored Teaching Statistics Seminar by Webster West, 4-5 PM, Math Science 5137. January 05-08, 2009: Ivo Dinov will give 2 talks and present a poster at 2009 Joint AMS/MAA Meeting in Washington, DC, January 05-08, 2009. Interactive, Data-Driven and Technology-Enhanced Approach for Probability and Statistics Education, at a session on Demos and Strategies with Technology that Enhance Teaching and Learning Mathematics, Tuesday, January 06, 2009, 9:20AM, 1046-E1-26, PPT Slides and PDF Slides. Statistics Online Computational Resource for Education, at a session on MAA Poster Session on Projects Supported by the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education, Tuesday, January 06, 2009, 2 PM, Blue Room and Foyer, Omni Shoreham Hotel. Integrated, Multidisciplinary and Technology-Enhanced Science Education: The Next Frontier, at a Mathematics Education session, Wednesday, January 07, 2009, 1:15PM, 1046-97-25, PPT Slides and PDF Slides. November 17, 2008: SOCR Presentation at Statistics 495A (Fall 2008). October 17, 2008: SOCR presentation at the UCCP/UCLA CDI meeting at at UCLA CDI. September 27, 2008: Ivo Dinov is presenting the SOCR resources at a continuing education event at Santa Monica College. September 17, 2008: The complete SOCR source code, v.2.5, was publicly released via the SOCR Google Code project page. This new release contains the latest version of the SOCR libraries and all additional resources needed to revise, compile, package and deploy the entire SOCR resource on the Internet. August 14-15, 2008: Ivo Dinov is presenting the SOCR resource at the 2008 CCLI AAAS conference in Washington, DC. August 9, 2008: Nicolas Christou will present a seminar entitled Law of Large Numbers: The Theory, Applications and Technology-based Education, at the 2008 MERLOT International Conference (1:30-2:00 PM in the Conrad A Room). August 2008: SOCR is releasing a new electronic polling survey to solicit open and anonymous community feedback on existing SOCR resources and recommendations for development of future SOCR materials and tools. July 29, 2008: Ivo Dinov will give a hands-on demonstration entitled Using SOCR to Motivate Simulation Experiments in Middle and High School at the Second CensusAtSchool International Workshop, 3:15-4:00 PM, CCLIC Lab. July 07, 2008: Luminita Vese and Ivo Dinov are co-organizing a SIAM Imaging Science session on Computational Science and Biology: The Challenges, Data, Methods and Tools (MS4), Part I and Part II. June 20, 2008: Nicolas Christou will present a seminar entitled Web-based, Data-driven Probability and Statistics Education, at the UC21st Century - Teaching, Learning and Technology: Past, Present and Future Conference (11:45AM - 12:30PM). Video (WMP, FLASH) and PPT slides ara available online. June 05, 2008: SOCR End-of-Year Event. Thursday May 29: Phil Stark, Department of Statistics, UC Berkeley, Thursday, 4-5pm, Math Science # 5137. Thursday, May 1: Dennis Pearl, Dept. of Statistics, The Ohio State University. "The Statistical Buffet" course redesign at OSU, Thursday, 4-5pm, Math Science # 5137. Thursday, April 24: Andee Rubin, TERC, Software as a Learning Context: the Case of TinkerPlots and Statistical Reasoning, Thursday, 4-5pm, Math Science # 5137. Thursday April 10: Helen MacGillvray, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, Roles of Assessment in Learning of Statistics and Mathematics, Thursday, 4-5pm, Math Science # 5137. May 19, 2008: Dr. Nicolas Christou will be awarded the prestigious Brian P. Copenhaver Award for Innovation in Teaching with Technology. More information about this event and Nicolas' contributions is available here. Nicolas Christou (video-stream) Interview and UCLA Today article. May 05, 2008: Ivo Dinov will give a ASA/GAISE Webinar for middle school teachers in various science and quantitative disciplines. Priscilla Chui, Nicolas Christou and Ivo Dinov will present a talk on Numbers and Sense. January 6-9, 2008: Joint Mathematics Meetings (AMS/MAA), San Diego, CA. Annie Che, Nicolas Christou, Jenny Cui and Ivo Dinov will present a poster entitled SOCR Analyses: a free Internet-based Statistical Analysis Toolkit, on 01/07/08, 2-4 PM, as part of the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education session. Rahul Gidwani, Nicolas Christou and Ivo Dinov will present a paper (1035-P1-707) Interactive Web-Based Probability Distribution Mathlets: www.SOCR.ucla.edu at the MAA Session Mathlets and Web Resources for Mathematics and Statistics Education, 1:20 PM, Wednesday Jan. 9, 2008. Rahul Gidwani, Nicolas Christou and Ivo Dinov will present a paper (1035-62-1789) Generating Functions: Web-based SOCR Applets and Computational Library Interfaces, 3:45 PM on Jan 09, 2008. Dec. 07, 2007, Dr. Dinov was interviewed and quoted in An article in the Wall Street Journal about a paper by Leif Nelson (NYU) and Joseph Simmons (Yale) entitled Moniker Maladies: When Names Sabotage Success. In this article the authors present experimental designs and data to support hypotheses that unconscious behavior can insidiously undermine conscious pursuits. Sept. 24, 2007: The National Science Foundation (NSF) extended the funding for the UCLA Statistics Online Computational Resource (SOCR) for another 4 years (2007-2011). This is a great accomplishment for the SOCR team and recognition of the SOCR Resource achievements since 2002. In the next 4 years, SOCR will design, test, validate, and disseminate 1) tools (applets, demos, GUI interfaces), 2) educational materials (activities, class notes, tutorials), and 3) resources (Statistics Online Computational Resource Wiki, consulting, workshops, etc.) More information is available online. Aug. 01, 2007: JSM - Nicolas Christou will present Enhancing the Teaching of Statistics with Technology Using the Statistics Online Computational Resource (SOCR) in Session 466, at 2:00 PM at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Salt Lake City, Utah, July 29-August 2, 2007 (Abstract #309845, PDF). June 01 and June 08, 2007 (4PM): The State of the Statistics Online Computational Resources, Ivo Dinov will present at the UCLA Statistics Teaching Seminar. May 21-22, 2007, Gary Simon, NYU Stern, will visit SOCR and give a seminar talk (TBD). May 17-19, 2007: SOCR will be presented at an invited breakout session of the USCOTS 2007 (Juana Sanchez, Nicolas Christou and Ivo Dinov). Mar. 07, 2007. An article in the Wall Street Journal discussing probability estimations quotes Ivo Dinov. Feb. 27, 2007. An article in the Wall Street Journal quotes the SOCR PI, Dr. Dinov. Jan. 05-08, 2007: SOCR Resource is presented at the Joint AMS/MAA meeting in New Orleans, LA. Maria Pilar Munoz, Dept. of Statistics, North Carolina State University, visited SOCR and gave a talk on Formal Assessment of a Web-based Tool Designed to Improve Student Performance in Statistics, Tuesday, November 21, 2006, 3-4 pm; 6627 Math Sciences Bldg. Seminar#: 297. Juana Sanchez presented SOCR Usage and Validation at the Section on Statistical Education of the Joint Statistics Meeting, August 2006, Seattle, WA. Juana Sanchez presented various SOCR Activities at the ICOTS7, July 2006. Nicolas Christou gave a SOCR Colloquium Talk at the department of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Cyprus, June 2006. 2006 SIAM Symposia on Brain Segmentation, May 15-17, 2006 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Ivo Dinov organized a symposium at the 2006 SIAM Conference on Imaging Science entitled Mathematical Methods and Tools for Volumetric Brain Segmentation. This page was last modified on 14 March 2019, at 10:10. This page has been accessed 215,455 times.

2019-04-18T20:42:44Z

http://wiki.socr.umich.edu/index.php/SOCR:Current_events

This week keeps getting weirder and weirder…Come on guys I am running out of popcorn and in middle of snow storm…. Thank you Sundance it gives us all hope and belief. It is great to have Sundance spell it out for idiots like me. I have YET to see any indication from ANYONE that ANYTHING is going to happen to bring any of these people to justice. What am I missing? Trust me, you are no idiot. All one has to do is go to AOC’s twitter and read away. It makes a person feel better about themselves as they get a REALLY big laugh at the tweets. That is a simple but salient point that I think we need to always remember. Its easy to get discouraged when it seems like nothing is being done in the name of justice. But Trump winning the presidency was, in itself, a yuuge plate of justice being served. The fact is, it seems our government has been FUBAR for a long time, and the election and presidency of Donald J. Trump has exposed it. I certainly did not realize the depths of the corruption in our government, on both sides of the aisle, the Uniparty, the globalists, etc…. At least it is now being exposed. Its human nature to get impatient after we realized the depths of the attempted coup, the cover-up of Hillary, our totally FUBARed DOJ, etc, etc… But I think we have to accept the fact that the wheels of justice grind slowly and this is just going to be a long war that we are going to have to get up and fight every day, for a long time. Its easy to get exhausted when we wake up everyday thinking a big hammer is going to drop. This is a test of our endurance. Let’s see what happens when Barr gets confirmed. Whittaker knew his appointment was temporary and his testimony showed he was aware of much, he disagreed with it, but there’s no point for him to instigate investigations until Barr is in place. I fully believe that documentation of all these details is a big factor in future justice. Yes, thank you SD for writing it all out. It cannot be undone. I agree, Peoria. Sundance has revealed it and it can never now be completely hidden again. Thanks also to To Fitton at Judicial Watch. They will also (along with CTH) be getting a donation from me again tomorrow. Sundance does a lot of good reporting & investigating. kinthenorthwest, many superlatives added to that sentence would be justified, for sure. Parsimony has no place, when characterizing Sundance. Where and how he gets such amazing inside information, in such detail, is truly a wonderment. It’s well beyond “good reporting and investigating”. The cost, in dollars, is also significant! If Bondo Barr reads nothing else, he should read this article. (And he should get the unredacted text messages) Sundance, you nail it once again. I don’t know if your last paragraph is totally correct, because I think Mueller would do just about anything for the people he mentored and he has as much to cover up as the small group does, but this small focus piece is illustrative of the entirety of the Clinton email investigation and obviously ran alongside Spygate with many of the same people involved in both. Yes “Sundance” does a great job. I think he is on the trail…always has been. But I do not understand why it does not translate. Tired of the accolades and great job ol boy…what, why and how need to be answered and mostly…why not? William: The answer is very simple. The msm are not covering any of this! So this never happened! The number of people who read SD’s work are only in the thousands! If we treepers try to educate those around us we get labelled as right wing nuts and ignored! I dont think Mueller is looking to close up shop. Why should he be afraid of Barr? The bottom line is very few folks are keeping track of all these shenanigans. The average American doesn’t have a clue. The big question is why POTUS doesn’t demand his DOJ start prosecuting the corrupt Deep State officials? Very important! But if you’re anti-social media like me, you talk to people and email the articles/posts. Because “no holds” soon to be “no holds BARRed”. Barr is coming in to smooth everything out…..mistakes have been made. He is going to institute some very tough reforms don’t you know? There is going to be real accountability FROM HERE OUT. so this never ever happens again….he isn’t going to investigate this other then in terms of some sort of announcement of reform of DOJ FBI practices. There will be some token resignations maybe a firing or two. Thats it. How are they all not being prosecuted and/or disbarred? This is horrendous!! Well, it sure would be surprising if the tables indeed turn, wouldn’t it? Golly, Gomer, what did you later think would be the effect on President Trump to be under the same cloud–at your doing no less?? Proves the premeditation of Comey. He feared buggering Clinton’s presidency and turns around and feigns horror that President Trump would feel the same way as a victimized Clinton would. This guy is stoopid. Spelling Nazi here. You left out a few ‘o’s in stoooooopid. So what do they do…they make Trump the subject of a fake investigation. Voila! Will we ever find out what was on Weiner’s laptop? That is the big question. Wieners laptop has everything on it. It is the holy grail of corruption. When the contents of that laptop “magically” re-appear, damn straight they will “all be hanging from nooses”!! Will someone from the NYPD PLEASE step up and be counted as honest! That laptop or the contents of that laptop will never be made public. At least for the next 20 years or so. Even if the laptop content wasn’t destroyed (someone has a copy) the content will be deemed “classified”, you know the drill. whomever got a hold on the Weiner laptop, immediately it was copied widely and fully and spread around to key criminals. The ‘laptop copies’ are insurance policies, hole cards, ready and waiting. Trouble coming, asses in a sling. hope so but isn’t it whoever? IG Report page 294 lists what is on the laptop from FBI agent in Washington interviewed by IG. Last line on the list = “CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN”. NYPD found this first and threatened arrests until Loretta Lynch shut them down. But wouldnt that be Weiner sexting/emailing with a minor? The crime against children? Is there another crime listed that covers Weiners perverted and pedophilic actions that would make this “Crime Against Chlidren” be something else, related to the Clintons? Maybe this is why the senate opened an investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein (convicted Pedo) conviction? Just an observation from all the Treepers and a thought popped into the brain matter…If the FBI agent was so distraught about “wiping” his computer of all evidence, and since this is NEW YORK…I do believe that one individual has ALL THE EMAILS…RUDY GUILIANI…PDJT hired him in April ’18? and has kept him on staff. 3) Judges are being confirmed in goodly fashion. Reason: IF these perps are allowed to walk,..WE WILL NEVER HAVE A JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT IS TRANSPARENT AND ABOVE ALL ELSE…FREE FROM THE INJUSTICES AND DUPLICITY THAT WERE INFLICTED ON A DULY ELECTED PRESIDENT. Don’t forget, when this President leaves office, he wants the mess cleaned up because like a good neighbor he doesn’t want this to happen to anyone else AFTER he is gone…So yes, this is going to be released in due time!!! livefreeordieguy, I remember hearing, way back when, that Rudy got a copy of the Wiener laptop. Surely he would have put the safety of it as top priority. Also, every piece of info on it would have gone to the NSA data base in real time, as it happened, right? Or am I incorrectly characterizing that data base? Mad Max says EVERYTHING about EVERYONE is on it! It was just a rumor I read. Hillary’s server was used as a intel library for countries willing to donate to the CF. Her and Ovomit were also selling you name it they sold it (Mil secrets to guns, tanks, warships, nukes). The secrets they were selling were also secrets from other countries enough to start WW3. Weiner’s lappy has all the Satan stuff like Prince mentions. Maybe thats how the idea originated? He contemplated the ramifications of a President being under FBI investigation (Hillary) with horror, thinking how much it would handicap a new administration. Except they started spygate way before the election….it began in at least late 2015, with the hiring of Nellie Ohr at Fusion GPS, the Podesta-Clinton meeting about creating a Russia Russia drama against whoever became the Republican nominee….and OVomit unmasking Americans. It didn’t just start at the election of Donald Trump. Dan Bongino (using reporting by John Solomon) has recently discussed the revelation that the Russian collusion story FIRST appeared when John McCain was running for President in 2008, and Hillary Clinton was running for the Democratic nomination. Hillary hired Fusion’s people to do opposition research on McCain, found some Russia connections to exploit and was gearing up to run with the damaging goods (never mind her own Russian connections). Bush’s IC people saw what was in the works, warned McCain, and he escaped. The plan was simply dusted off for 2016, a few names changed, and voila! Of course, Trump did not have any warning from any Obama IC component that there are people “out there” that it is probably best to avoid. It’s ironic, t hey worry about the effects if it’s Hillary, but revel in them when it’s President Trump. This is exactly what I thought as I read the article! Ya know what’s kinda (maybe) interesting… unless his name is redacted, I don’t see Andrew McCabe (he of “Andy’s Office” fame) on the email thread. Lisa Page is there, though. Was McCabe already in the proverbial Doghouse? If redacted, why? We don’t who and when these were redacted. McCabe could have been one of the redaction editors. My old articles here: https://dailycaller.com/2018/06/22/fbi-ignored-golden-emails-and-abedin-messages/ and prior at https://dailycaller.com/2018/06/19/fbi-doj-and-hillary-clinton-weiner-problem/ but Sundance puts it all together here perfectly. I think Mueller is in it all up to his eyeballs as he had to have been emailing Clinton on her unsecured server and known exactly what he was doing. He IS the insurance policy. Nail on the head, Sidney. Mueller is the insurance policy for sure. I thought it was Sessions but I now believe he was simply duped. Great to see you here. “It” and “lots of other stuff”. The Apple (Comey) doesn’t fall far from the Tree (Mueller). It’s not an accident Mueller was chosen for this gig. IMO. Thank you ma’am for including those articles. They are must-reads for refreshers and for those new to this investigation. Those not familiar – check out Ms Powell’s book License To Lie and her website Creeps On A Mission. Answers many back-story questions about Mueller and the Mueller team, Andrew Weissman in particular. These are Very Bad people. Sidney, you and Sundance are the go-to people on all of this. Do you foresee ANYTHING being done about any of this when Barr takes office or will it just be more of what we have had for the last 2 years? Sidney, a true Patriot, can answer for herself… but my money is on “B”. Hope I’m wrong. Thank You! The articles you included are excellent refreshers. There is so much happening DAILY that some of it can be forgotten. Your statement that Mueller was emailing Cinton on her server suggests that Mueller was involved in deep state operations meddling prior to his placement as SC. If so, how long has Mueller been involved in this scam? Similarly to Sydney Blumenthal? Many years? How can Barr, not investigate the investigators at this point? There is so much evidence that IMO points to a true conspiracy, cover-up and frame job. It would be so dishonest IMO if Barr takes the easy way out and sweeps this all under the rug. I am right with you there, bogeyfree! To me, its more important than a wall, illegal immigration, or anything else. If we dont have justice, we have nothing to preserve anyway. Mueller didn’t leave his job at the FBI until September 2013. Hitlery left hers February 2013, so, of course, if they exchanged emails, he knew she wasn’t using a government-secured server. And I believe it was Hitlery who ordered Mueller to take the “reputed” uranium sample from a Georgian uranium heist to Moscow. OK. So my question has been with Mueller continuing to pull strings after his ‘exit’. I may have answered my own question with your assistance! Sidney Powell, YOU are one of my top 3 heroes! TY!!! Deb, have you seen Sidney’s interview with Mark Levin on his TV show Life, Liberty & Levin? She’s superb (when he gives her a chance to answer his questions)! Sidney, we are all so grateful to you for all the work you have put into bringing to light the revelations about the tag-team abomination known as Mueller and all his ilk. I suspect that laptop is The Ring of The Fellowship that must be destroyed, so I am curious if you think it has already gone into the fires of Mount Doom? Is it even remotely possible that some LEO or noble attorney would have stashed it somewhere for safekeeping? There were rumors that Rudy had been given a copy of it by NYPD but he is all over the map lately and I don’t what to think about him…he and the President are very close so IF Rudy has a copy then Donald Trump does as well. Sidney, any thoughts? I don’t think the NYPD ever had their hands on the Weiner laptop. Despite what Erik Prince said in the Breitbart interview. Weiner’s lawyer give to SDNY(Preet) & they turn over to FBI NY. Weiner was prosecuted by the Feds for his texting and what have you. I just don’t see the feds sharing it. We also would have had some sort of leak by now. I am convinced that laptop has all the Hillary emails, as well as a ton of Foundation correspondence. Mueller and ” and even by other Democratic members of Congress was so disgusting they gave it to the FBI”, and likely many more in the swamp. It explains so much if Hillary had been collecting dirt on so many, and it explains so much why they are fighting as if their lives depend on this never going anywhere. How many Democrats visiting Epsteins island? How many RINO’s? Look at Alex Acosta and his corrupt plea deal. Lying. Money-laundering. Corruption. Selling access to the highest bidder. All of that is lawless and thoroughly corrupt. All of it is expected when a Clinton is involved. What I would like to know is, what would be so heinous as to be described as “disgusting” by the NYPD? Surely they would all be familiar with the Clinton’s and their crimes. In my opinion, disgusting means much more than just the typical Clinton criminal actions. I think the NYPD agreed. What a bunch of slimeballs. It’s the Dept. of Just-us. It’s a big club, but y’all ain’t in it. skylark2016, I’d give you 1,000 ‘Likes’ if I could… First donation is to CTH, second is to Judicial Watch… Both doing the job that the people who are SUPPOSED to be doing the job won’t do. Yes,I donated to bothat the end of the last 2 years! Best investment into our future. Then buy books. I said the same above, Skylark and Livefree! Donations to CTH and JW. Livefreeordieguy, thank you for your post. Many people don’t realize how it works because unlike many others, CTH does not solicit. Sincerely hope we’re all tossing them a few $. What we still don’t know with any certainty (any spoken or written evidence that implies..) is the whereabouts of the laptop or if copies of the emails were made by NYPD. Certainly the data on the laptop is nuclear-level evidence that PDJT may know about and, IF NYPD secretly made copies and got those copies to the Prez, he is holding as ultimate leverage. But I would not think he could even hint that he has anything yet that is this “red hot”, because his enemies would be far more cautious in their scheming and more difficult to ensnare. Somehow, I believe that the NYPD gave RUDY G a copy of what was on that laptop. And I have to believe that Weiner made copies for himself as an insurance policy. If Eric Prince knows so much about the information acquired through the SDNY, then how did he get to see so much? If Eric Prince knows, then POTUS knows….it is very reassuring that Prince knows so much. Does this make sense? I don’t believe Prince actually SAW anything, I THINK he was just TOLD about it. Something this HOT, it would be very difficult NOT to tell someone. But, by the same token, with something this HOT, you don’t pass it around for everyone to peruse. And, when it comes to 1PP, (NYPD top brass) this surely isn’t the first time they have known about something politically explosive, and decided it was best to keep it in their pocket. … and furthermore, who was Prince’s “source”? – has he said, even if only alluding? I haven’t followed that aspect closely, just hoping for a quick answer from someone who has. I think Prince’s sources are in the NYPD. Like Rudy, he has ties to the NYPD. You can bet that Trump supported the BOYS in BLUE in NYC… and I would be willing to bet that because Rudy has alluded to the contents of the LAPTOP Trump knows what it contains. This President has been absolute in his support for the Thin Blue Line and it has not gone unnoticed! After the obvious disdain, contempt, and sometimes open hatred for LEOs from the last administration, I really pray that IF NYPD has a copy of Weiner’s laptop, then they will make sure it gets into the hands of those who need it!! And what about 650,000 emails on one mans laptop. If he had sent and received a total of 100 emails per day that’d work out to be almost 18 years of emails. That laptop wasn’t that old. Or else it had every email he ever sent or received since the turn of the century. Doesn’t seem realistic. Was it 650K emails or 650Kb of emails? Something mistranslated possibly? GB how many of the emails are pictures? How could we even guess? Also, the format of each email – rich text or plain text – affects file size, along with attachments. Reading Sundance’s article from last July does seem to reinforce the assertions that there were 600K+ separate emails on the laptop. Specifically, the statements from the NY agent who initially investigated the laptop and reported the serious content he found, seems to affirm the high volume figures. Only reaffirms…laws are for we not thee. New boss same as the old boss. I think PTrump knows answers of all these questions. Mueller is there to save establishment and deep state. It seems PTrump does not want to blow whole thing so people have no trust on govt or waiting for Muller to go. POTUS is interested in moving forward…and knows he can’t take down the DOJ/FBI alone (virtually alone). I think there’s been some sort of unspoken deal brokered. And when it’s all said and done, no one of any significance is going to jail-Barr will try to reign back in the DOJ but won’t destroy the institution in the process. NO!!!! This is why the judges that PDJT has put into place will counter-act whatever the deep states throws their way. Also, the Supreme Court will play a role and RBG is either on-board or near the time it HAS TO BE DECLARED THAT SHE IS NO LONGER ABLE TO CARRY OUT HER DUTIES. Kendall’s original email only went to Baker and one other individual, redacted. And then Baker sends it out to the small world. Amazing. Some people just do not realize what they are doing. And who was the only other original recipient on the thread? Hmmm. WSB, do you have a guess? Intriguing question. Well, Baker is in the legal department. Clintons attorneys would want legal technicians or decision makers. Comey’s name was on later emails and unredacted. Would it have been someone in Mueller’s circle himself? This question burns my brain. Because the answer could be so simple. It would I think only be in the FBI or at DOJ. But Baker is the first name on the ‘To’ address, the other is second…so there is hierarchy there, no? Who was under or equal to Baker? Comey actually said, “what if a prez got elected and everyone found out there was an active FBI investigation on him/her”???!! He say that, as if it would be a bad thing!! Yet, this is exactly what they were all involved in??!! Projection. Yet again. So predictable. That makes me curious, but I don’t think I could handle Coney memoir. His overly dramatic tweets are too much. Comey sounds conflicted in so many ways. I think Comey has “cognitive dissonance” between his self image as an upright, uber-moral Boy Scout vs. how others perceive him. So Comey often works himself into knots to try to justify himself (to himself as well, perhaps). But that still small voice of the soul–the one that speaks truth to us about our shortcomings and sins, is still bothering Comey. Comey knows he did wrong, and since he was a one-time altar boy, he also knows that God knows ALL of our innermost secrets. I read a book something like 30 years ago called “People of the Lie” which perfectly describes Comey and the hell on earth he has created for himself. Yes, his primary lies are to himself first. Therein lies Comey’s dilemna. He is conflicted. He doesn’t know if he is “amazing!!!!” or merely “extraordinary!!!!”. What I would like to know, SD……Is, when is the book coming out and who is doing the screenplay? Just a matter of perceptions. They never even looked at the laptop, right? Also neatly explains why SDNY keeps popping up alongside Mueller. That office has plenty they would prefer to keep hidden (or rather under investigation for eternity). Thanks for the article Sundance, it is REALLY appreciated. I read about this earlier today on the JW site. The timing of the conversations and the conversations themselves, between the Fed and Hillary’s Atty., is a BIG deal IMO. It appears to me that there was collusion between the DOJ/FBI and Hillary to cover her illegal activities above and beyond what I could imagine. Will we see this whole mess resolved under the rule of law, or is the rule of law and it’s equal application non-existent in America? sundance, a true Patriot, can answer for himself… but my money is on “B”. I hope I’m wrong. So my question: Is the Clinton campaign more like Al Capone with the FBI being more like Frank Nitti, or is Clinton campaign more like Frank Nitti with the FBI being more like Al Capone? I guess it would be more the former. Morally speaking, the Clintons are far worse than Capone. Capone readily admitted he was a racketeer, and as such had to operate in a world of corrupt police captains and judges. The Clintons pretend to be our guiding lights, who support the working people of our nation, They are depraved, power hungry grifters, and have sold out the American people. First Satan created the Mafia. That was just for practice. Then he created the FBI. Has anyone considered that the main objective of the phony FISA warrant here was to prevent Hillary Rotten’s emails from ever reaching anyone on the Trump team? The FBI, Klapper and Brennan knew the server was compromised. They also knew (or suspected) that Hillary Rotten was not the only one using sending and receiving emails using the unsecured server. There was also others — Mills, Abedin, and probably the big fish Obamanable himself. So the objective was to intercept the emails to prevent the whole lot of them from being exposed. Clapper, Brennan, Obama, Huma, Val Jarrett, McCain, Mills, Lynch, Comey, Susan Rice, et al. They all used private emails. Indicting Clinton would have been indicting themselves. Makes you wonder even more about the “security” of the Democrat House server under the Awan IT crew from Pakistan. Wonder if it was ever breached? Obama sent and rec’d emails via HRC’s private server. The email addy would have been the clue. still no word from Erik Prince’s vomiting NYPD detectives. Hope they’re feeling better. The biggest question is where is the server? No one knows including FBI (PTrump knows). We may see slow drip drip this whole mess in next few months it will be difficult for Dims. I read/heard somewhere that Mueller may be going after Prince. (Might have been on a Bongino podcast). Clearly Prince represents a risk the corruptocrats behind Spy-gate/Crossfire Hurricane. And given Prince’s past history (running Blackwater), I suspect that Prince has some fairly sophisticated ways to capture and hide documents. Remember too that Betsy de Dos is Prince’s sister. What she does or doesn’t know is perhaps not important, but there are certainly folks besides Guiliani within Trump’s circle that know all the gory truth. Some have said, and I think it is likely, that the damage that would be sustained by a full reveal (particularly all the creepy stuff with Epstein) would be the equivalent of a nuclear bomb in American trust for institutions–already at a low ebb. But aren’t there also contemporaneous calls to re-examine how the FBI handled Epstein? Not sure if that is just a counter-move against Mueller and the Dems, or the prelude to more revelations. There’s no way Barr’s gonna delve the truly radioactive stuff. At best there will be a polite chasing down of some corruption. It was indeed on a Bongino podcast recently that he predicted Prince would be the next arrest. Stuck in my mind as well because of the laptop! IIRC correctly it was also because of new plans by the seditious cabal to start looking into Middle Eastern Collusion. The whole mess is created in one assumption that Hillary will be president so better to save her and be a good pet. And then that didn’t work out very well. I thought PT’s response the ‘Lock Her Up’ chant tonight was very interesting. WSB, I missed that comment, thanks. If Sessions was merely duped, why wouldn’t he hold a press conference laying out the real facts as exposed in this article and discrediting the charade that was playing out when he was AG? If he is on Trump’s side, call for indictments to gain back some semblance of credibility. How does he get away with just resigning? He was kept and kept himself away from any material related to this whole thing. There is really nothing for him to contribute at this point. I wonder if this is an unusual case of nearly too much evidence taking so much time to work through? If there are hundreds of thousands of e-mails, text messages, “insurance files”, 301s, etc., does not the prosecution team have to go through it all to make a case? or a whole set of cases? There is the crime, the coverup, the leaks, the extortion, etc. What if the restaffed Trump DOJ instituted their set of FISA warrants? That could not happen until a whole lot of house cleaning took place. Any prosecutor would have hundreds more files than Sundance and he has gone through massive amounts of stuff just from the crumbs provided. I love how Comey admits to the political calculus that went into his announcement: how badly it would damage a President Hillary if it came out that she was elected while being investigated by the FBI- then made sure it came out that Trump was being investigated by the FBI when he was elected. So he knew EXACTLY what he was doing. All of these corrupt FBI/DOJ people were SES (Senior Executive Service). They are nearly impossible to fire. And there are THOUSANDS of these career obstructors all across our government. They could not be removed during the last shutdown because it was an “unplanned” shutdown and the laws would not allow reductions in forces then. What did have to happen after the first shutdown was a proposed Reduction In Force (RIF) plan in the event of the next shutdown. Meaning, they could go through and weed out who each department could do without. But this next shutdown, to begin 2/15, is PLANNED. And after 22 consecutive missed work days (which would be 3/21 since 2/18 is a holiday and weekends don’t count) many of the corrupt SES employees can receive their Reduction In Force layoff. It is these SES people that are the protectors of the Deep State and with them gone, the guilty can be held accountable. I hope and pray this happens and I am not expecting any arrests until after the next shutdown is over. This would be a great way to shrink the size of government. Could you create a small committee in the senate. Have them start reviewing each SES with a lie detector. Refer all liers to the DOJ for prosecution. Focus the questions on their involvement. Even if you could, there are precious few Senators who would be interested in firing government officials who vote for those Senators and help them retain power. Swamp isn’t gonna get rid of other Swamp. And to think the Senate is not part of the global clan. The actions of McTurtle prove otherwise. The SES (and its close equivalents in some agencies) are supposed to be the leaders That was the idea in the Civil Service Reform Act, under Carter. But they are not leaders (how can someone lead ehen nobody trusts them?), they are simply unelected politicians. They are experts at working the system, networking, smooozing, and sometimes just plain grifting. They can receive awards in the tens of thousands of dollars, and are immune from any form of discipline. They area in which they excell is taking some silly notion and drveloping it into a program, which they then infict on the field, whose task it is to make it look like it is some great boon to the taxpaying public. Books must be cooked until they are well done, and important work must be placed on hold while stats are concocted to that somebody in DC can get the big payout. Among the many wastes of taxpayer money, the SES is at the top of the list. Unfortunately (for the SES employees) I haven’t read anything else that conflicts with your post. I don’t see anything unfortunate about what DeAnna tells us. I am very optimistic at this hope of clearing deadwood. Bring on the planned shutdown and start that clock ticking right away! Was reading through some of the 215 docs JW received. Some confirming (again) the FBI to media relationship. My memory is that FBI said they were going to reviews weiners laptop, and then in a miraculous amount of time they didn’t come up with anything. Strzok email from 11/06/2016 morning (pg198) indicates they will start the indexing and they should be done by evening with review. (this feels like all they really did) This email in the time frame of reviewing various drafts (pgs before 198) of what I am guessing is the eventual (predetermined) Clinton email outcome. All the docs from new release in case anyone interested. Paging Mr. Barr. You will have no choice but to address this mess. You can start with the DOJ legal opinion that required investigators to find a flashing neon sign from Hillary saying, “YES – I intended to mishandle classified information.” After that, you can look into the FBI HQ decision to not investigate the emails on the Weiner laptop. I’d recommend that you talk to the FBI white hats in NY, who were pushing for a search warrant, ran into a brick wall at HQ and got pissed off. Maybe they made multiple copies of the data after they sensed a cover up…just to make sure it didn’t get buried. Could the SDNY (i.e., 1PP, One Police Plaza in New York) have a copy of the Laptop Hard Disk Drive? I think – Yes, because they were bought off or because they expected to die later without an insurance of their own. You see, we are talking about people at the FBI and DOJ who were willing to take part in Treason. The penalty for Treason is life in jail or worse. Do I think SDNY still have a copy, you bet! Wouldn’t you? There are several good reasons for 1PP to have made a copy of the hard drive, and few if any reasons NOT to. Firstly, “chain of evidence”; you don’t want to accidentally mess up the original, when looking at it, so the FIRST thing you do is make a copy of the hard drive, and look at THAT. Secondly, if they assumed Hillary would win, its leverage for Federal funding, or to use to get the civil rights division to back off on investigating the next Gardener incident. But then, Trump wins. Once again, its leverage. And yeah, insurance to prevent arkanicide epidemic. Right off hand, I can’t think of any reason to NOT make an “extra” copy (in addition to the one they surely made i.e. chain of evidence). Nice one James M Rector! O’yes their is at-least one copy. One of us is confused. I thought 1pp (One Police Plaza New York) was the head office of New York Police Department and SDNY is the FBI branch known as Southern District New York (where Preet Baharara ruled). They are not the same outfit. It was the boys in blue (NYPD) who were sickened by the laptop contents, and the boys in suits (SDNY) who threatened the boys in blue if they pursued criminal activity revealed by the laptop contents. I hear Weiner is getting out of Club Ped in May. If he finds out that his laptop is under John McCains pillow, will we see a headline “Fallen Clinton Associate Caught With Backhoe Digging Up Arlington At 2:00 AM” ?? No Name was buried at the Naval Academy, not Arlington!! It would seem to me that Carlos Danger is safer in prison with his husband than he will be once he gets out. He just knows too much. Rosenstein’s behavior leads me to believe he is complicit. He may have been pressured, but probably not very much. Just look at his behavior. “There’s absolutely ZERO evidence of anyone looking at emails or scouring through laptop data…. and FBI Agent Peter Strzok has no staff under him who he discusses assigned to such a task…. and Strzok damned sure ain’t doing it.” Sundance how can that be? DOJ said the computer was reviewed. Someone “confirmed” to CBS that most of the emails were duplicates. DOJ/FBI show us the evidence this was done! So this review of Weiner’s laptop is all BS! The DOJ/FBI/msm in collusion to cover up the data on Weiner’s laptop and their involvement in the coup attempt. God help us get the truth out! Duplicate emails, sounds like a reasonable story. Let’s see if this holds up. FBI Agent Peter Strzok is in charge of this small group reviewing the Anthony Weiner laptop hard disk drive. A co-conspirator known to be a lier and someone willing to commit Treason against a setting President based on his text messages and his own testimony before congress. I think – NO! These emails were not reviewed and even this moron would have enough sense to keep some get out jail material. That may be a cover story. In order to cross-reference the two sets of emails (Wiener’s laptop vs original emails Hillary had provided), both need to be in electronic form in computer databases. The simplest example of such a database is the email program itself – like your email program you use. Your email interface fronts a back-end database that – for each email – has items populated like To:, From:, Cc:, Bcc, Subject:, Date/Time, and the body text of the email, plus any attachments. For each and every email. My understanding – correct me if I’m wrong – is that Hillary did not provide her emails in electronic form. She printed off paper copies. Can anyone verify or shoot me down right there? To get Hillary’s printed paper contents back into a computer, the paper copies would have had to have been scanned, like on a scanner – modern photocopiers can do this: they can print paper copies of what’s on the glass or they can send the scanned image to a file, like a PDF file. At that point, it’s still a simple image. You can’t compare images to jack sh1t in a computer in a way that’s meaningful to the task. The page images next need to be processed through OCR (optical character recognition) software that will convert lines on the image into lines of ASCII text of the sort I’m typing here, and of the sort that resides in that other database you’re wanting to compare to. Often requires manual intervention, as the OCR doesn’t get everything correct. The final step – or perhaps it can be made integral to the overall process – is to populate that scanned and converted text into a database – one that has the same “attributes” (To:, From: etc) as the other email database you’re comparing to. Only then can you make a cross-comparison between the two email sets, searching for ones that match up on all attributes and body of text. Date/Time would be particularly useful, as it’s specific and somewhat unique to each message. Was it ever even done for Hillary’s emails she provided printed paper copies of ? When was that described in published articles? I didn’t follow it closely as it happened, perhaps someone here did and can comment knowledgably. Note that the Wiener emails WERE in electronic form. They’re in the laptop. The question is: WAS IT? Sundance has expressed his opinion a couple times that it wasn’t (the laptop sat and FBI did NOT exert a concerted effort to download and cross-check”). I believe Sundance has intimated that was a lie and smokescreen (the frantic ‘weekend’ of computer cross-checking) – that it didn’t happen. An email database contains all sorts of “meta-data” – information about the email like long server addresses, routing, just a bunch of technical stuff that’s probably valuable for forensic examination. Even scanning and repopulating a database from printed copy will only have the stuff that’s of face value – the To:, From:, body of email text, etc. That CAN be used for a simple cross-check to another database. But it’s not as rich as having the meta-data too, which is lost unless one turns over an electronic copy of the entire email database in computerized form. Printing copies on paper is a way to stymie forensic examination and delay it, make it a far more lengthy and difficult task and less likely to be successful. Having done some of this work in a few isolated instances i can testify that it would be impossible to have a true review in the weekend that Comey and the FBI allotted to reviewing the emails found on Weiner’s laptop. Didn’t we just read (in JW trove I think), that this was the reason that a number of classified emails were not identified then. And since State Dept did not turn over all the emails before, how could there be a decent DB created before the Weiner laptop was found? I remember when Hillary turned over her 30,000 emails out of the 60,000 (the ones she destroyed were just the goat yoga class scheduling ones) and I SCREAMED out loud when I read that she provided only paper copies — that’s a lot of work to go to instead of simply making a memory card, etc., copy. And Captiva uses a Sql Server Database system as the back end!!! WHO HAS THE DATABASE FILES? Agree with all your reasoning, absolutely. However, Hillary was not smart enough to think of this herself. She might have been onboard but she didn’t think it up. That I can tell you. Printed emails aren’t emails…….they’re just mail. Related: if one simply made a list of the actions taken by Hillary such as the printing of emails, the use of “I don’t recall”, etc., a very simple and compelling case could be made that they could be explained by NOTHING OTHER THAN the desire to hide criminality! Use the old “If she was guilty how would she have acted differently?” approach- it is something the average person can grasp and a way to simplify a (purposely) complex mess! I was mostly speculating from very superficial experience as an email and pdf user, I appreciate expert email ITs confirming I was in the ball park. In email, I’ve done little more than hit “properties” on suspicious spam hitting my inbox, that’s where I’ve seen metadata with server routings and such that lie behind the “front page” of our emails. And I’ve scanned printed pages into pdfs at the office photocopier and used OCR to get the converted text into a Word document, that’s where I’ve seen that. And the errors that OCR produces that need hand intervention to correct or at least flag. And I’ve got a little database experience with Geographic Information Systems. So just a superficial user. Finally, Sundance brought us all back to firmer footing by referencing his July 20, 2018 post with his analysis of the weekend FBI “amazing things” investigation of the Wiener laptop – the one that Sundance judges didn’t actually happen. Looks like Sundance appended this current post with a lot of that content, probably because folks like me were unnecessarily going on long-winded speculation while he had already dissected the issue thoroughly last year. Quite simply, that was an old CBS report. Do you believe CBS reports? I personally do not, but do believe they report nothing that isn’t pre-crafted to support a desired narrative. Sundance based his assertion on the fact that there was zero mention of reviewing the mails in any of the discussions noted in the strzok-page texts or other internal comms. While that’s not 100% conclusive, given everything else the “tight team” discussed in detail (even if somewhat cryptic) one would reasonably expect some mention in their text convos of email content or laptop content other than emails had the FBI truly reviewed the hard drive. I remembered Sundance’s having reached a s judgement on it but didn’t remember the rationale. Now that you mention the lack of mention in the internal “tight team” discussions, I recall that Sundance article more solidly where he laid that reasoning out. I hope that case agent’s copy that he wiped wasn’t the only copy made. Thanks for posting this because reading it again with this information makes it more understandable. The key in your report last July was that despite the significant discussion by Strzok & Co. of how they reviewed the laptop, the conflicting testimony and IG report fails to corroborate their stories but does make most plausible the possibility that the laptop was buried (virtually or literally) along with any evidence that may have been found on it. GB thanks I agree! No of course I don’t believe CBS but I do believe Sundance! I was being sarcastic and I wasn’t calling out Sundance’s analysis but rather highlighting the msm involvement in providing Hillary and the FBI cover over the Weiner laptop at that time. The msm always have some so called “experts” to bolster their fake news whether it’s the climate change hoax or the FBI reviewing laptops. My hope is after this email Judicial Watch discovered that someone sues the FBI for evidence that the Weiner laptop was actually reviewed. There has to some evidence of a computer program, FBI timesheets of the agents who worked on the review etc. This collusion between the msm and the deep state to cover up the coup attempt and Hillary’s corruption is about to be blown wide open is my hope and prayer! Godspeed President Trump! Is anyone going to ask Barr once he is confirmed the following…….. 1) Why has no one in the FBI/DOJ looked at the DNC server that was supposedly hacked? 2) Why has no one from the FBI/DOJ looked through all 600K emails on the Wiener laptop? 3) Mr. Barr where is the Wiener laptop and has all the emails been erased? 4) Why has no one from the FBI/DOJ spoken with Assange? 5) Why has no one from the FBI/DOJ talked to the FISA Judge and also Judge Roberts who overseas the FISA judges about FISA abuse? 6) Why has no one from the FBI/DOJ audited the NSA database to see how many contractors accessed it and who was queried and who gave the contractors permission and what information was queried? Bogey free, and why has no one found out what top secret and confidential data the Awan brothers stole off the Democrat House of Representative servers….and whether those Congress members have been bribed/coerced/threatened because of such stolen information. Also, who did the Awan brothers sell this info to? Pakistan? Taliban? Turkey? Did it have any confidential military data or info? That would all be good to know. Consider: six weeks before Hillary is expected (without reservation from many corners) to be elected President Of The United States Of America. What could happen at that point that would be the WORST POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT? Well how about: Anthony Freaking Weiner’s laptop containing the ENTIRETY of Hillary’s corrupt transactions before and during her gig at State is uncovered. I mean how’s THAT for timing?!?!? Do you think she peed her pants a little when she got that call from her lawyer? IIRC, She got “the call”, NOT from her lawyers, but ?’s from reporters, as her plane landed. There is a photo of her glaring at Huma, and if looks could kill, well lets just say Huma would NOT have been exchanges messages with Lindsey at McCains funeral; she would have been waiting for John to join her. A truly ‘unscripted moment’, and QUITE telling. To me it appears Hillary is looking at whatever Huma is looking at, also the man seated by Hillary is also looking in the same direction. Something or someone has drawn the attention of all three of them. IMO the quote is an incorrect interpretation of what the camera captured. there are others to choose from, maybe someone else has a better preference. I was only guessing at the one James might have had in mind. I remember seeing one taken at that same time where she was definitely shooting daggers ( what’s larger) at Huma. I don’t know where to find it though. mr. piddles…the moniker fits you VERY WELL!!! The scope of this simply boggles the mind! This right here is why nobody at the FBI or DOJ has been seriously prosecuted for anything involving their cover-up of Granny’s emails. At some point, I can only hope a copy leaks. Perhaps it already has, since everyone is so interested in Assange. My understanding is that the Chinese already have a copy of everything on Hillary’s private email server, apparently a copy each email was sent from her server to a nearby Chinese business down the road too. And, the CIA was wondering why some of their agents in China were being killed. Meanwhile Brennan just stomps his little feet whenever POTUS triggers him again. Maybe somebody at the CIA wondered. I doubt Brennan ever did. It wasn’t just a few agents killed. Thank You, for the correction. …and “everyone” was so concerned that President Trump put himself in a position to be blackmailed by Russians. Methinks that spotlight needs to be shifted to our lady of perpetual misbelievings. Insofar as we’re asking basic questions about this. My first questions to Comey would be why Hillary got the “midyear exam” while Trump got “Crossfire Hurricane” moving into election season, 2016. It’s an interesting question that needn’t be answered once you look at the timeline. I was trying to keep it out of the gutter. I believe it IS an “endoscope” that they use. Lol. I didn’t consider it gutter talk just medical. I’ve had both done at same time. One is down and one is up. The procedures are to the ‘oscopy’ and maybe the instrument is the scope. “Thanks to the wizardry of our technology”… Who in the actual f*ck talks like this at a time of crisis unless they are up to something? I give tremendous props to CTH research for breaking this down in terms I could understand. This was exactly what the initial reports said it was. Operation Reciprocity from the remake of Clear & Present Danger with a new cast. Led by Obizzle my Nizzle and his head of State Lil Hill. Just look at these and see how accurate they predicted the behavior within. This was Orwellian when it came out but ironically Slick Willy was in office. Just watch em. . The book was published in 1989 so was written during Reagans term. That movie followed the book, although somewhat Hollywood-ized and of course significantly condensed. I have the hardcover book, bought and read in ‘89. Clancy was far more deeply researched and aware than he ever admitted in any interview (he had many). The corruption that brought about the humiliation in SVN continued through to today. Clancy merely captured some of the government’s standard, corrupt practices and willingness to sacrifice Americans lives for corrupt political goals. Hasn’t changed, only the newer technology improves their ability to engage in even more corruption. It’s a fantastic look Clancy gave us into the systemic conflict of interest that the CIA is and how it’s grown into a separate war mechanism that is perpetually funded by Congress and too sensitive to be given proper oversight. If I remember right it was founded as a corrupt arm of government by Hoover to keep his political foes in check. They’ve certainly made him proud all these years later. The book is always better than the movie. But when it’s something as complex as this the BSR doesn’t have the computing capacity to imagine the setting lol. Got cut off sorry. Roy Blunt takes his fair amount of criticism here which I like. But he and Democrat Claire McCaskill were absolutely two of the same. That’s the part that always frustrates me the most. We can call our senators all we want for any topic in the State of MO. But even now that Claire has been replaced both senators are beholden first and foremost to Boeing’s interests not ours. I started reading Clancy novels when I was about 10 and read them throughout my teenage years. This whole thing is “better” than every one of them. I just wish it were fiction. Exactly! Funny how real life is actually more diabolical than the plots in the best fiction on the same topic. I just remember Hillary saying “If that b**tard wins we’ll all hang from nooses”. We can hope and pray that we’ll get justice in the end because there must be accountability for this massive coup. And guess who has COPIES.. ? I still hold out hope that somebody in the NYPD has a copy of that information and will use it. Give it to Sundance hopefully. Lord knows the NYT and Washintron Post would bury it. It is very likely that Weiner made copies. They trapped him with a minor who posed as an older girl, just to put him in jail. MI think that Weiner and Abedin collected information as leverage because Abedin is complicit in Hillary’s corruption. Did we ever find out why so much info was on the husband’s laptop? Huma’s is understandable but why Weiner’s? Maybe Huma had sinister motive. “No, that’s not MY laptop” – that is, it’s not a gummint computer that was issued to her. It was one step removed. Why would anyone ever get Anthony’s laptop and find all of her stuff on it too? Oops – sexted a 15-yr-old girl. Why was the SoS’s email on yahoo? Clinton is responsible for her email & documents. Why were they on yahoo? For Huma’s part, I think I surmised from published articles at the time that Huma was forwarding emails from work to her home computer, for which perhaps her private email address was a yahoo account. Ostensibly, to make “print-outs”, I think she fibbed. Like they don’t have printers at gummint offices, right? Perhaps it was Huma off-loading her own private “insurance plan”? Wasn’t the bulk of it in a folder called “insurance”? For Hillary’s part, we know she had the shady server, lots of gummint stuff probably got forwarded there. Maybe she also used a private yahoo email, or perhaps she sent some stuff to Huma’s yahoo email. Someone up-page or on another thread mentioned Brennan and others using private accounts. It’s all just a great big free-for-all. Ah – and beyond possible over-the-internet forwarding, David Zink downthread points out that the Hillary/Huma content on Wiener’s laptop could have been “back-ups” – likely exporting email databases onto a memory stick at work and then uploading it to the laptop at home – that’d be the most likely way in this day and age. I suspect the email docs got on Weiner’s laptop via Yahoo. There is a theory…that when the laptops came within “range” of reach other there was an automatic download sequence that took place that the the emails were copied down. Which can happen. Esp. IF THE SOFTWARE WAS DONE BY A GOV PROGRAMMER…Pushing that many emails throughout the day to a cloud and then copying down…INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME and also to delete what is in the cloud!!! Those MOFUs!!! How I wish we still had public hangings for treason!! “It appears that your concerns were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”). The FBI and prosecutors declined to file charges against Ms. Clinton, her attorney, or those who allegedly assisted her in deleting the emails. We are satisfied that the misconduct alleged was properly reviewed”. Equally problematic is Ms. Herman’s blind confidence in the FBI and Justice Department. Even before the FBI’s about face on Friday, I had already provided evidence that the FBI investigation was fundamentally tainted. On October 19, 2016, I emailed Ms. Herman an October 5, 2016 letter from four Congressional committee chairman to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch regarding Ms. Lynch’s role and Mr. Comey’s role in the destruction of evidence. The letter can be found at http://tinyurl.com/gtkl2ap. As indicated in that letter, both Ms. Lynch and Mr. Comey were personally involved in the destruction of evidence sought by Congress, specifically the destruction of laptops belonging to Ms. Mills and Ms. Samuelson. To an outside observer, it appears that Ms. Lynch and Mr. Comey destroyed evidence to protect others who destroyed evidence, namely Mr. Kendall, Ms. Mills, Ms. Samuelson and, ultimately, Mrs. Clinton. For that reason, I filed bar grievances against Ms. Lynch and Mr. Comey in New York, where they are both admitted to practice. See October 20, 2016 Letter from Ty Clevenger to Grievance Committee of the U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y. (http://tinyurl.com/hffys78). If Ms. Lynch and Mr. Comey were aiding and abetting the suspects they were investigating, as the evidence suggests, then it should come as no surprise that the suspects were exonerated. Either way, the FBI’s refusal to recommend charges says nothing about whether the respondent attorneys violated the professional rules. A more fundamental problem is Ms. Herman’s seeming disregard for the rules governing your office, particularly D.C. Bar Rule XI(6)(a)(2). That rule imposes a duty to “investigate all matters involving alleged misconduct by an attorney subject to the disciplinary jurisdiction of this Court which may come to the attention of Disciplinary Counsel or the Board from any source whatsoever, where the apparent facts, if true, may warrant discipline.” As a matter of standard practice, your office requires attorneys to respond in writing to misconduct complaints whenever those complaints state a prima facie violation of the professional rules. In this case, however, Ms. Herman bypassed the normal practice and dismissed my complaints out of hand without any genuine investigation. Why? I have read all of this plus the Bongino info, Sara Carter, Solomon, etc. The part that is never pointed out is that any review looking for confidential info would have included Huma, Mills, Podesta and others emails and ALL of their devices. A review of the server would have shown you all IP addresses that attached to that email system. Just finding these Huma emails from an obvious back up of her and obviously Hilary’s accounts so late in the game just shows what a farce the whole mid year review was and they should have all been fired for incompetence. When you see James Baker, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Mike Kortan, Hillary Clinton, Comey. You will notice that they all have something in common. Arrogance, they know, they are not going to be touched. They know, they will be protected. So is powerful enough to offer them this kind of reassurance? Well it’s not the setting President, it’s not a common member of congress, how about the Gang-Of-Eight, how about a former setting President? Who is powerful enough to protect these people against Treason charges?

2019-04-24T22:40:34Z

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/02/11/judicial-watch-uncovers-email-between-clinton-lawyer-david-kendall-and-fbi-lawyer-james-baker-same-day-fbi-was-forced-to-re-open-investigation/comment-page-1/

For our Featured Author posts in 2017, 12 x 12 is happy to celebrate with our members who have books that are being published this year. We know the hard work these writers have put in to their career and we hope you will be encouraged and inspired by their journeys to being published picture book authors. This month’s featured author, Cheryl Keely, will be offering a picture book manuscript critique at our first check-in of the year on January 31st. Registration will open January 10th for the new 12 x 12 year here. When Kelli Panique asked if I would be interested in being a featured 12 x 12 author to coincide with my debut picture book, A Book of Bridge: Here to There and Me to You, coming out in February by Sleeping Bear Press, I was very flattered. As a debut author, so much is new and exciting and I can’t wait to be a part of this world I’ve been journeying to for so long. But then I began to panic. Big time. What could I — as someone so new to the game — possibly contribute? I felt like I was actually on a rickety, ratchety rope bridge like one featured in my book. Too scared to go across. Definitely not looking down, but as I’d already said yes, out too far to go back. But I calmed myself by doing what I do when I’m uncertain about something or where to go and what to do next. I read. Specifically, I read my book and thought about how I could not be more thrilled that this book, which is all about making connections, would be coming out in a time when there is so much anxiety, divisiveness and turbulence in our world. As I wrote in my pitch, Here to There addresses the technical way bridges connect us, as well as the heartfelt way we connect as human beings. I thought, maybe, just maybe this book will add a little positive to this world. Maybe one child will take comfort in seeing in a small way that we are all in it together, no matter where we live and how different we are. I would be lost without all the books I have read. Books have shown me the way when I felt doubt, lost, or struggled to find my way more than one time in my life, and I’m forever thankful for the bridges they have made. So, if I can add a bridge to something positive for even just one person through my book, I will be a happy person. And that I thought, could be my contribution, a reminder that writers, like bridges, do more than connect one place to another, they can bring people together. And no matter how much we know that our voices matter, it’s always helpful to be reminded because sometimes the journey can get discouraging. Times can get tough and the road ahead can be so full of pit stops, detours, and pot holes, it can sometimes seem like we’d be better off just pulling over to the side, stopping and letting the world go on without us. But the world would not be better off without our voices. What we do matters, and our voices are always needed. Because, really, as turbulent as the times seem now, it is always a time of uncertainty, anxiety, and searching for understanding and acceptance for someone, somewhere in the world. We are so fortunate as writers that we can offer our words and pictures to help show others that those scary bridges we must cross from time to time can actually be swinging and swaying their way to beautiful places. We as writers and illustrators will always have something to contribute no matter how scared we might be about our own journey. So it made my heart happy to see the characters illustrator Celia Krampien chose for Here to There. In the beginning stages of the book, it was written as if one family was doing the traveling. That changed over time, but that picture remained in my head. When I saw the characters were of three diverse ethnic backgrounds I made a bridge from ear to ear my grin was so big. Krampien made a bridge from my words to something better. As writers and illustrators, we can be direct and blunt in trying to bridge divides or laying out paths to understanding and acceptance for sure. Or we can do it simply and eloquently, just by providing a glimpse of a bridge that is up head waiting for someone to cross in his or her own time. We have so many voices and that diversity is our strength as writers and illustrators, as well as human beings. What matters most is that we keep putting our voices out there. For each of our voices is bound to connect with someone at some point and that makes traveling the road worthwhile. So let us continue to make our bridges of words, of paint and the simple holding of hands. It is always a great time to be a writer. Author Cheryl Keely loves traveling wherever bridges may take her, but enjoys returning to her home in Louisville, Ky., just as much. She resides there with her husband, a dog, a cat and a fish she is training to do tricks. Her debut picture book, A Book of Bridges: Here to There and Me to You, is scheduled for release by Sleeping Bear Press Feb. 15. Please visit her at http://www.cherylkeely.com/. Great post, Cheryl! Thank you for letting us know that we are not alone… I also grab a book and read when I’m uncertain about something, or where to go and what to do next… but usually I head outside and sit on the porch to read that way I’m surrounded by not only the sights and sounds of nature, but also the smells. Sometimes before reading, I close my eyes and just listen to the world around me. Thank you. Yes. book, nature or a good walk with the dog! What a beautiful idea for a picture story book Cheryl! The bridges are so tangible, and such a powerful symbol of connection. Very heart-warming to be able to read and share books like this. Thank you. I hope you have a wonderful year of writing. This book sounds amazing!! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!!! I can’t wait to read in February! Thank you. Have a wonderful 2017. Congrats on your book. It sounds very interesting. Congrats. What a lovely idea for a book! Thank you, Cheryl, for your inspirational post. I look forward to reading A Book of Bridges! Congratulations! Your book has all the feels! What a wonderful premise about connections and a simple way of explaining that to children using bridges. Kudos! Can’t wait to read it. ? Thank you for this inspirational post, Cheryl! I’m looking forward to your book’s release next month. Congratulations! What a profound and inspirational post, Cheryl. Thank you! Congratulations on your book and best of luck with it! Congratulations! A wonderful post. Can’t wait to read your book. Julie and Kelli could not have picked a more perfect author to start the new year off with! Cheryl’s post is beautiful and poignant. I can’t wait to read her new book! What a perfect post to start off the new year! Thank you, Cheryl, for your beautiful and powerful words. I look forward to reading your book. Well Cheryl, I got teary reading this post, so you definitely created a bridge to me! I love the metaphor and deeper meaning behind bridges, in addition to their very practical uses. This is the perfect post to begin our 2017 together! This was really inspiring and so appropriate to start the new year. Thank you for your encouraging words! Excellent post to kick off a new year of 12×12! Congratulations, Cheryl! Lovely idea for a book. It sounds as if you have invested a lot of emotion and thought into the writing of it. Something to look forward to in February. Cheryl, your heartfelt post is beautiful and inspirational. We are fortunate as writers to be able to show how making connections makes us all better people. I’m looking forward to this book, which I can tell will be wonderful just by how you write about it. Very encouraging and uplifting post, Cheryl. Thank you. Does seem like perfect timing for your book to be released. Congratulations! Thank you. I love Celia’s illustrations. They are beautiful. What an interesting post. Interested in reading your book also. Love the concept of bridges. Thanks! I’m looking forward to reading your book. The cover is very appealing! I enjoyed learning a bit about its making! Thank you, Cheryl! Yes! This is the perfect first post! I visualize a bridge to tomorrow! Thanks for sharing. A wonderful message at the start of this new year. Thank you for sharing and congrats on your first book! Wonderful post. I can’t wait to read your book! Congratulations Cheryl! I can’t wait to read it!! It sounds like a great book for opening up some wonderful discussions in the classroom! Thanks, Cheryl. I’m really looking forward to reading your book! What a terrific topic for a picture book! I look forward to reading your story. Thanks for helping us remember to keep building bridges across worlds, words, countries, divides, humanity…especially now. What a wonderful book idea, and what a wonderful time for it to be published – Congratulations! What a fabulous post. I totally agree with you, and I had to laugh when you said “But I calmed myself by doing what I do when I’m uncertain about something or where to go and what to do next. I read”. That is absolutely what I do too. Thanks for the reminder that we all have something to contribute, no matter how uncertain or inexpert we may feel. Congratulations on your book, which looks stunning. You must be so proud!!! I will definitely be looking to read this book. I love the idea of bridges as connectors for people and places, and I especially like what you said about writers: “We are so fortunate as writers that we can offer our words and pictures to help show others that those scary bridges we must cross from time to time can actually be swinging and swaying their way to beautiful places.” Thank you for inspiring me to create today! What a thoughtful and lovely post. Thank you for sharing! What a beautiful gentle voice you have. I so agree that we need to show by example, and show the beauty each has in their heart instead of the downward slide society has taken. Thank you for your voice and picture book! What a fantastic (and timely) idea for a book and a great post! Can’t wait to see your baby in bookstores and the library! Congratulations! Thank you for a beautiful, timely post! I look forward to reading your book. Congratulations, Cheryl! Thank you for your positive post – you’ve added a bridge to your fellow 12x12ers. I can’t wait to read your book! Perfect time for “bridges”. Another key element to gaining success…timing! Enjoy the ride Cheryl! Thanks for the interesting post. Can’t wait to see your book. It sounds fascinating! What a thoughtful and inspiring post, Cheryl — can’t wait to read the book. Congrats on your publication success! I can’t wait to read your book! The premise sound lovely and full of heart. Beautiful post. What a great topic for a book – I can’t wait to read it. What a great idea to use bridges and multi cultural connections. I had never thought of that. Congratulations on your new book. Yes! Thank you Cheryl. This is why I write, why I worked in museum education, why I taught…my roundabout career has been built around helping children (and their adults) build bridges between their own experiences and the bigger world around them. I love your book’s concepts – both the abstract and concrete connections that bridges forge, not to mention the fact that they are engineering marvels! Congrats on your debut release! Your books looks lovely and I can’t wait to check it out. Thank you for the wonderful post and the encouragement! Wonderful post Cheryl. Congratulations on your debut book. I love bridges for many reasons especially as a metaphor when I am helping children at school. Cheryl – I love the idea of bridges connecting places and people. Thanks for this inspiring post. I am so excited to read your debut book. Congratulations!! Congratulations on your debut book. I can hardly wait to read it. Thanks for persevering and sharing your creative thoughts. I look forward to reading your inspiring book, Cheryl. Thank you for sharing your journey and your bridge. I really enjoyed reading this post. I find it really helpful to hear from a debut author and you had lots of wonderful words to share with us that I appreciated! Thank you for an inspiring reminder of what is so important about what we do and how our words and pictures can help us readers and writers alike rejoice in our connectedness, particularly, as you point out, during such divisive times. Your book sounds wonderful! Great post Cheryl! I could not be happier for you and I can’t wait to get my copy! Children’s book writers and illustrators create bridges with words and images. What a great message. We are engineers and we didn’t know it! You nailed it, Cheryl. Connecting with others in positive ways is the best new year resolution for 2017. Thank you. Wow Cheryl, what a timely post, and congratulations. This looks like another beautiful book and will land on my want list. There are no shortage of ideas…ever! Thank you for your book. It was inspiration to me…anything, any subject can be the genesis of an idea and a manuscript. Cheryl, beautifully expressed. What inspirational thoughts! I love how you acknowledged the great contributions of the illustrator and how her work complemented yours. I look forward to reading your book. Good luck! What an amazing book! Connecting with others contributes to understanding and peace. You have made your mark with this book! Thank you! This post is a wonderful start to 2017. Thank you, Cheryl, and congratulations on a book I’m going to be looking for in February. Congratulations on your debut book! I’m sure it is the first of many. What a thoughtful and thought-provoking post. I am very much a kindred spirit. My book for teachers is titled Books as Bridges: Using texts to connect home and school literacy and learning. The metaphor of the author/book as a bridge for building connections and understanding is a powerful one. All the best on your debut pb! Thank you, Cheryl, for providing a bridge to a connection on so many levels! Love your post, Cheryl! Beautiful thoughts and inspiration. I have a picture of a bridge that disappears into a fog by my writing desk, sort of a way to keep me going when I hit that foggy place that writing can sometimes take us. There is always away through, and I’m glad to see you came out the other side of writing into publishing! I already know I’m going to love your book. Thank you so much for the thoughtful post. This is a beautiful way of thinking about bridges! Looking forward to reading your book! Thanks for this post and the lovely reminder to build bridges with others instead of burning them. I look forward to reading your book! I enjoyed reading this and in particular loved the image of the railway bridge from the U.S to Mexico. There it is with the fence between the two countries. You can see the the fence also on the actual railway track so people won’t climb onto it. So very interesting for me. This book is a narrative but has a ‘political’ message which needs to be aired and discussed openly. There are many people, clearly, who disagree with you and many of us at 12×12. Questions need to be asked why. And ensure that children are involved in that discussion. Thank you so much for your wonderful post. I love the whole concept, and I love how you used bridges as a metaphor for how we can connect as people. Also appropriate in this era of technology and ‘disconnecting’ from one another more and more. Congratulations on the publication of your book! Thanks for the great post, and I can’t wait to read your book! It looks terrific. Thank you for an inspirational post to start off this challenge! The themes in your book are incredibly important, and wonderfully appropriate in light of everything going on in the world. I’m sure your book will be a wonderful resource for teachers and librarians all over; I look forward to purchasing a copy for my son’s preschool classroom. I didn’t think I had any interest in bridges, but I’m really looking forward to reading your book. I am inspired by how you wrote on two levels, combining the architectural/informational aspect with the human/heart element. I look forward to reading your book! What a fascinating subject! Congratulations on your debut book! Thanks for the encouragement. I had always heard that being a writer can be lonely. The more I delve into this journey the more I realize how true that can be at times. But I also am seeing how this community can also encourage one another and help us keep putting one foot in front of the other. Congratulations!It is inspiring to know that a prepublished PB author has actually made it. I look forward to reading your book and seeing the bridges it connects. Congratulations!It is inspiring to know that a previously unpublished PB author has actually made it. I look forward to reading your book and seeing the bridges it connects. So inspirational… I am just as curious to know the nitty gritty details of how you work, and your personal bridges, if you ever feel like sharing this as well. Thanks for the visual inspiration particularly. Eager to see the book! Cheryl, a wonderful, motivational book and message to start off the year crossing a new bridge. Hopeful about where it will lead us. I am intrigued by your idea to write about bridges and how they connect us. I am looking forward to your story. May this be the first of many opportunities for you! I’m happy you so thoughtfully fleshed out the bridge metaphor. You’re spot on about needing to build bridges in this time of divisiveness. Wow! This is a beautiful post and I am excited to see your book when it comes out. We need more bridges, more inclusiveness, more love! Thank you for sharing! I really enjoyed reading your post and feel your passion for bridges and how they connect us. I live on Vancouver Island where we rely on ferries to connect us to the mainland and was born in Vancouver, B.C. which is a city of bridges. As a preschool teacher I have witnessed children building bridges many times and sharing those bridges as they take turns driving little cars or trains across. Your book looks really appealing! I liked when you said “what matters most is that we keep putting our voices out there.” That is very encouraging to me as a new author. Thank you. Well said, Cheryl, and a terrific way to kick off a year when a whole lot of us will be mustering the courage to cross our own bridges between doubt and just doing it. Thank you! Congratulations on your first book. It sounds like a clever concept, but I imagine it was challenging to go from concept to complete story. Thank you for sharing it with us. First, congratulations on your first book! What an exciting year this will be for you! I love the concept of bridges bringing people together and can’t wait to enjoy your book! I live in Pittsburgh, so I can certainly appreciate bridges, LOL. Thank you for a lovely post and best of luck to you! Cheryl, I am SO looking forward to this book! My dad was a bridge builder. You can’t go in or out of California without crossing something he made; so bridges have always held a special pace for me and my artwork. I truly love what you have to say about joining people together in these rather difficult times, and will keep this in the forefront of my mind as I try to navigate. I look forward to adding this book to our collection. It sounds lovely. And congratulations on the book launch. What a fantastic way to start the year off. Wow!!! What a great post. Love it. What a wonderful idea for a picture book, Cheryl. Thanks for the inspiring post and your words of encouragement. Cheryl, I love that you find solace in books (how appropriate). Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of your book — congrats! Great post Cheryl, it’s interesting to read about he thought process that goes into writing a picture book. Can’t wait to read it. All the best. Great message, and so timely in this turbulent world. I love your cover. I’m guessing the illustrations are amazing as well. Congrats on the book, I can’t wait to read it! Touching idea for a book. I can’t wait to read it. I had to pause and reread it a few times. It is not only true for the world right now, but for this adventure of writing we are all on. Thank you for the reminder that voices matter, and writing matters, and bridges build a better world. A very inspiring post , and not just for writers, but for everyone. I love bridges, even the scary white-knuckles ones that I’ve had to cross in my life. Sometimes they’re so tall that when I look down I think I might need to wear a parachute! Others are so old and rickety that I worry as I place each foot very carefully in front of me. But they are all good. All good. I really enjoyed this post and can’t wait to read your picture book… to myself and to my grandkids. Thank you for this post! Cheryl, I love your metaphor with bridges, needed now more than ever. And I sincerely appreciate that you’re trying to put something good into the world–which you are! I’m excited to read your book when it comes out. I can’t wait to read your debut book! It sounds wonderful. When I taught creative writing, I used to have an assignment that required students to examine and integrate a) bridges and/or b) walls in their stories. We looked at lots of factual and fictional and metaphorical examples to build their ideas. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas and vision–here and in your book. I’m flipping over to my library page to look up your book now! What an amazing insight you had, bridges connecting places and people. Lovely! Can’t wait to read your book. Great post! Congratulations on your debut book! What perfect timing for your book, post and positivity. Thank you for the reminder to keep marching forward, and that there is a place, and need, for our varying voices. Congratulations to YOU! Cheryl – I absolutely love this book’s theme and your obvious concern for all of us who are in this world together. Thanks for introducing me to the bridge that got left out of your book. It’s hard to beat elephants crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, but the International Rail bridge between Brownsville, TX and Mexico is a hopeful symbol in these times we are living through. I did not know about the bridge between Mexico and the U.S.! Thank you for sharing with us, and congratulations on your new book! What a wonderful post. I can’t wait to read your book in February. Thank you, Cheryl! We really need this message of hope right now. Looking forward to seeing your book in the library! Your experience of the illustrator taking your text and making it “a bridge to something better” is a good reminder that we need to trust our illustrators! Leaving an illustrator the freedom to interpret the text in their way own opens the possibilities beyond what the author could imagine. For me, it’s this symbiosis that makes picture books special. I look forward to reading your book, Cheryl. My boys literally love bridges, and I love them both literally and figuratively. 😉 Happy 2017! Looking forward to reading your book, too, Cheryl! What a perfect way to “bridge” our journeys into 12 x 12. Thank you, Cheryl, for sharing your experience–and your beautiful new book–with us. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy when it comes out next month. A very timely book, Cheryl. I love the idea of bridges connecting everyone and everything, geographically and metaphorically. Teachers, kids and parents will love it. Thank you Cheryl. Your book sounds like it promotes bridges on many levels. It comes to us at an important and difficult time in our country. I look forward to reading it. I truly look forward to reading your debut picture book. How lovely to show a bridge connecting people, rather than a wall separating people. This will certainly be a book for now. Great post Cheryl, and I love the premise of your story about building bridges and not walls! More important and relevant now than ever. Just the post I needed to read as I prepare to get my voice out there with manuscript submissions today. I was on the fence about joining 12 x12. After I read your article I signed up! Your theme of building bridges inspired me to become part of such a supportive community. I look forward to reading your book. We are all on a journey that brings us to certain crossings in our life. Choosing the right bridge is important. What a timely book to have coming out, can’t wait to read it. Found your comments inspiring as I am just starting on this journey. Thank you! Your inspiring comments encouraged me. I think diversity in picture books is important. Can’t wait to read your new book. Congratulations. Wow! Can’t wait to read your book. It definitely sounds like one I would have purchased for my library with all the lovely layers. Congratulations! What a lovely story and thank you for sharing your inspiring words of kindness. Thanks for you well-written and inspiring comments. Look forward to reading your book. Crossing bridges is indeed a timely subject. Thank you for sharing the thoughtful and heartfelt underpinnings of your bridges. “Only connect”– the central aim of what we do, or try to. Congratulations on your book, which I will look for! What a great kickoff to the 12x 12 challenge. I’m adding to my goals for the challenge to be a “bridger”, not a “divider”. I made a comment yesterday. Did I have to wait until the check-in? I was on the fence about joining 12 x12. After I read your article I signed up! Your theme of building bridges inspired me to become part of such a supportive community. I look forward to reading your book. Thank you for sharing this post! I found this to be so inspiring. I’m looking forward to reading your book next month. Congratulations! Can’t wait to read your book! And how appropriate for such a time as this. Thanks you again for sharing your writing experience with us. Wonderful post! I had no idea about the elephants, what a cool story. I can’t wait to read your book! This was an absolutely wonderful read–to start the day and to come back to across the challenging days ahead (as a writer and as a human!) Thank you for the positivity. And congratulations on your huge accomplishment–can’t wait to read it! Cheryl, I look forward to reading and sharing your book with my read aloud groups. Thanks. Your book looks fantastic. What a cool concept book! Thanks for this heartfelt and encouraging post! Great concept for a book! And I love the cover. I think this is such a timely topic and an interesting way to approach it. I hope you have a great book release! I love the idea of bridges as a way to unite us. Congrats. The book looks amazing! What a great book about connections during these tough times! Kudos, first of all, for taking that leap of faith and writing the article. What I’ve learned over the years is that this group, of creative writers and illustrators, are the most supportive and nonjudgmental of all the groups I’ve been involved in! We build bridges everyday with our words, our pictures, our willingness to share, and, most of all, our optimism that children are what will save our world. As I move forward with next month’s challenge, I will keep the bridge image in my head. To remind myself that its only through ‘connection’ that we truly pull the reader into our stories. Thank you for sharing! Bridges are so much better — and more necessary — in the world we all inhabit. Thank you, Cheryl, for your timely book and post. Thank you for the post! Encouraging words for these times. Congrats on the book. It sounds wonderful and timely. I love how you described writers as bridges above. What a heartening thought. Thank you so much for being a featured author! As an aspiring author, it’s great to hear from a debut author-it gives me hope! Your book sounds fascinating and I’m excited to read it! Congrats Cheryl on the amazing article and book. I can’t wait to read it. Children and adults will learn the current divisions are only part of the bigger picture because of books like yours. What matters most is that we stay connected and creating! Thank you for this beautiful reminder. Congratulations! Your book sounds amazing. I can’t wait to read it. Thanks for the inspiration. Hi Cheryl, This post meant a lot to me after what has been happening in our country this week. I have at times felt angry, lost, confused, and hurt. I love your use of bridges as a metaphor for bridging people. I look forward to reading your book…and congratulations! I love your story of your study of bridges, and look forward to reading your debut book. Congratulations! What you wrote of, this ability to inspire and connect, is probably the strong thread that binds us Kiddielit writers, our need to be an uplifting influence in the lives of kids. Such great thoughts. Building bridges, literally and metaphorically, is such an important thing to keep in mind. Very happy for you, Cheryl – can’t wait to read your book! What an inspiring post, wow. I would have picked this book off the shelf just for the cool cover but now I’ll definitely go looking for it. I love the idea, it sounds like a fantastic book to add to a literary arsenal intent on bringing a little more love into the world. Thank you! Lovely. Thank you for sharing your heart and your words. AWESOME POST! Can’t wait to read the book! My daughter and I recently got lost in and around NYC so rather than get all stressed, we enjoyed all the bridges we saw that we would have missed taking the direct route! My ancestors were part of the crew that built the Verrazano Narrows Bridge so you could say its in my blood! It never ceases to amaze me how often a message that germinated months or years ago finds its voice at the exact moment it needs to be heard the most. Your story idea undoubtedly came to you long before we had any idea what the world would like like right now in 2017. And it couldn’t be coming out at a better time. The message of connection is one we all need to hear and can offer us all some comfort. Thank you for sharing your story! I can’t wait to read your book. I love the idea of bridges that connect a divide. It is such a timely book and much needed right now. Good luck with your release. I’m excited to see what you come up with next. Thank you for taking the time to share your story and your heart with us. I thought I had commented earlier in the month, but I can’t seem to find it here – but please know your post was read and appreciated. I’m looking forward to reading your book! I liked hearing your dreams for your book. We have images we hope to convey and some we must set aside, but it was fun to read about the concepts and images that persevered and made you grin. Thank you for this inspiring post! Can’t wait to read the book. Congratulations! What a wonderful and timely idea for a children’s book. I’m look forward to reading it. LOVE THIS! Congrats on your debut…can’t wait to read it! I just posted your book on my fb page and hope it takes off. This is what we need as writers for inspiration, and as people in general. Let’s hope we get a glut of humanity this year! Well done! This is a great concept for our troubled times! I much prefer bridges to walls. Thank you for telling a little of the story of your story! What a lovely and timely post, Cheryl. Thank you, and congratulations on your beautiful new book! Thank you for your thoughtful post. Can’t wait to check out your book! I love hearing what the illustrator brought to your book! Picture books are collaborations–an example of people working together to create something wonderful. We need as much collaboration as we can get these days. Thank you, Cheryl, for the important and timely thoughts. Lovely post. Look forward to reading your book! Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration, Cheryl. And congratulations on your lovely debut PB! Congrats on your debut book! Can’t wait to read it. And what important words for today – and everyday. This post is so beautiful, as I’m sure is your book. I just ordered it. What a timely and inspiring post! Thank you, Cheryl, for sharing your story with us. May we all build bridges when the opportunity arises. I used to be a die-hard fiction pb-er, but now I’m really falling in love with non-fiction. The reason is books like yours! I can already tell I’m gonna love this one and I can’t wait to read it. Thank you, Cheryl! I love the visual of bridges tying us all together. I just joined a new critique group and I feel like they are my bridge, helping me revise and improve my writing so I can cross over to the “published” side of the river. Thanks, Cheryl. I love your bridge book concept and the hope it gives that we can be bound together despite divides. It’s funny how something so simple, so commonplace — a bridge — something we take for granted, can mean so much, especially now, a time when nothing can be taken for granted. Looking forward to reading this with my children! Thank you Cheryl. What a beautiful post. I will look for bridges in my own writing going forward, I promise that. Be well, and best of luck with you debut release! Thank you for your lovely article!! Best of luck with your writing. Lovin’ it, Cheryl! Made an instant connection with me! I look forward to walking with you in your book all about physical places and emotional/spiritual spaces; about the importance of individual steps and journeys, and the exploration of the concept of “getting there” with someone/to someone else. A gentle sway with a big and long lasting speak to one and all. Beautiful in so many ways! Kudos! Congratulations! I love the analogy you create with structural bridges and the bridges we build between each other as humans. Beautiful! I can’t wait to get your book. I’m excited to read your book. It looks beautiful, and I love the concept. Congratulations and thank you for sharing your thoughts! A wonderful article and topic. Thank you for sharing your time and energy with us. Thank you Cheryl for sharing your moment of doubt. We all get there, so it is encouraging to see someone who has faced it and moved beyond. What a wonderful and timely theme for your debut picture books. Many congrats to you! Simon and Garfunkel came into my head when I finished reading this post… thanks for the needed and timely thoughts Cheryl — and congrats on the book! Have not been able to stop thinking about your post. I can especially envision a child halfway across a bridge having gone too far to turn back but too anxious to continue. I have worked with so many children that found themselves in this place. That’s why caring adults are so important, to reach out, take a hand and help them to finish their journey. Thank you, Cheryl, for a book that makes transitions less scary and less alone, for creating an experience that is about physical spaces and spiritual/emotional places, for reminding me every step I take is a bridge of some kind…and likewise with the people I meet. An informational lovely! A true companion. Congratulations, Cheryl! How exciting! I look forward to reading your debut book, HERE TO THERE AND ME TO YOU. Thank you for your timely post, Cheryl. Your book sounds awesome and, being from Michigan, I love that it’s being published by Sleeping Bear Press. Cheryl, your words and vision couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you for being an inspiration. I’ll definitely be buying your book for my school library! A lovely and timely post. A great way to start off 2017! Thanks. I look forward to reading your book! Congrats to you and your journey! “We are all in it together, no matter where we live and how different we are.” This is so true and everyone needs to be reminded of this especially right now. Thank you for sharing! What a lovely and positive message, congratulations on your debut! Cheryl your book is an inspiration to all of us. Thank you. Congratulations on the book launch. Such a wonderful topic to explore with kids, especially in these troubled time. I’m looking forward to sharing it with my family. I love the topic you spoke of and write about in your book, Congrats on your success. I am going out to find it right now. You are a truly an interesting and inspiring writer. Thank you for starting off the year with some wonderful inspiration Cheryl! I look forward to reading your book. Wonderful post. I may have said this already before, but it’s so important in a time when we need bridges the most. What a beautiful post Cheryl – thank you for sharing your book with us! Congratulations Cheryl! What a powerful and timely concept. Now, more than ever, we need to build bridges, foster connections, and establish strong bonds. I look forward to reading this book with my children. The world is in need of books like yours, filled with hope and positive messages! Thank you. Looking forward to crossing many bridges in 2017! Yeah for us! Great post, Cheryl. Word of the day for me was the BRIDGE. Bridges of words (and art) are a lovely thought for this particular time in history, thank you. Thank you for this lovely and inspiring post! I needed to read this. 🙂 Sometimes the anxiety about the world keeps me from writing. But it helps to see my writing as a way to put my voice out there and find the connections that I know are there. Congratulations on your book! What a great premise for a book – I’ve been looking forward to this one. Great Post!!! Congrats on your book! Lovely post to start 2017. Look forward to reading your debut book. What a beautiful book and thoughtful post! I can’t wait to read this! Congrats on a wonderful and timely debut! What a wonderful and important topic for a picture book! Congratulations, Cheryl, I can’t wait to read it! Thank you for your encouraging post. Our voices do matter. I love that you liken creating books to building bridges. I think we’d have a lot fewer problems in this world if we focused on what we had in common and not our differences. Thank you so much for such a lovely post. Thank you for your thought on publishing. Bridges are always important, but it is sooooo timely now. Congratulations and thanks for sharing your story with us! Can’t wait to read it. Such a great post! I look forward to reading your book. Congratulations! Your book sounds lovely, perfect for the current political climate. I’ll be looking for it. Thanks Cheryl..I enjoyed reading your post. I think we are all looking and hoping to see bridges built right now in so many area of our lives….thanks for sharing your inspirations. I look forward to your book release…congratulations! Congratulations on your book. It sounds wonderful, and yes, so timely in 2017. Thank you for sharing your story, Cheryl! Congrats Cheryl and Celia! Can’t wait to read the book! The book looks great, thanks for sharing your inspiration with us. Sweet sentiments and imagery. Congrats on your book! I only got the read this today- the last day of January- and now I’m glad I was late. I needed this post today. Thank you. Wonderful post – especially now. Bridges, bridges, more bridges. Thanks for the inspiration and the encouragement! Thank you for this inspiring post! I do believe positive books like these make a difference. Sometimes I agree that it would be easier to ‘just pull over to the side, stop and let the world go on without us.’ Your observations and warm reflections are heartfelt by many. Thank you! thanks for the inspiration. Congratulations on your debut pb. I look forward to reading it! I love your bridge connections. I love your bridge connections. Congrats on your new book! Congrats and thanks for a great post! Great post, Cheryl! I’m looking forward to reading your new book! What a beautifully written post Cheryl. I cannot wait to get your book. Your choice of subject has really got me thinking about what Story Storm idea can translate into a book that builds bridges. Thank you! Thank you Cheryl, building bridges and connections – such a positive and timely subject. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on your book! Can’t wait to read your book! Thanks for the great article. Great post, Cheryl. I like the book title, too. Great post, Cheryl. I really like the title too. Your bridges are perfectly timed right now. It’s just what we need as a country. I appreciate the reminder that as writers we can create these bridges. It was the kick in the pants I needed to get some work done on my PB draft! What a great message in these anxious times. Looking forward to reading your book! Wonderful post, Cheryl. I love bridges – I’m so happy to live close to one of the most iconic in the world (Golden Gate) and used to live close to another (Tower Bridge, London). Looking forward to reading your book, congratulations! I absolutely Loved the idea of this book, and can’t wait to read it! I also love how perfect the idea of this book sounds for right our times, and everything our country is going through. I grew up in western Pennsylvania and my grandparents lived in Queens, NY. I remember when the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened and the first time we crossed it. It was the biggest bridge I had ever seen in my life! I’m looking forward to reading your book. Thank you, Cheryl, for what looks to be a meaningful and beautiful book. Love the many meanings of bridges in your book. They can be so magical like when I biked across the Golden Gate Bridge that was swathed in fog. The timing of your book is certainly serendipitous as the world needs a reminder of the invisible bridges that criss cross the globe. This is a great post. Thank you Cheryl. I love the idea of your book and am eager to read it. The Sleeping Bear Press (originally from my home state of MI), always finds wonderful ideas to promote. Congratulations on your debut picture book and thank you for your heartfelt message. Thank you for your thoughtful post, Cheryl. Earlier this week I asked people on Facebook (originally on my site) to post titles of picture books that would help our children to understand the issues we are all struggling with in light of current events. In particular I asked for books about government, social justice and the emotions of children. I love your book’s concept about combining actual bridges with the emotional connections between (different) people. It seems a timely addition to our libraries and I can’t wait to read it. So timely & so impt, Cheryl! Can’t wait to read your book. Great post. Thank you! Congratulations! Beautiful post. Thank you for the inspiration. Can’t wait to read your book. Cheryl, great post, love the idea of this book starting in my block area at school and then sparking many more insightful conversations from there!!! Thank you for this insightful, timely book! I love the imagery of bridges! It seems technology has granted us instant access to each other, but without real-life bridges, we’re all still islands. Best of luck in life and books! Congratulations, Cheryl, on your debut picture book! It looks like such a beautiful book! Great post! Congrats on your debut! Thank you for this thoughtful post. I can relate to the feeling of not knowing what to say to a group, and I think you found a great way to reach us! I’m looking forward to seeing your book, great timing and the concept sounds really interesting! Such a beautiful message Cheryl, I can’t wait to read it! I’m looking forward to reading this book! Thanks for sharing your insight. Thanks for kicking off 2017, Cheryl! May countless readers connect with what looks to be such a beautiful book! Thanks, Cheryl, for speaking so eloquently on so relevant a topic, especially now. The bridge is a powerful metaphor. I simply cannot wait to read your book! An informative PB that also engages the reader emotionally is a rare gem. Congratulations! I love the symbolism in your book. And perfect timing! What a lovely post, Cheryl! I can’t wait to read your book! Congratulations! Congratulations Cheryl! And thank you for sharing inspiration! Your book sounds awesome, and you are correct that the timing is perfect for our current state. Look forward to finding your book in the stores! I want this book. I need this book. Congratulations! You are such a beautiful writer, and the symbolism portrayed by your story about bridges is so needed right now. I, too, love that your illustrator chose to depict diverse children in your story. As an educator, this appeals to me a great deal and I am sure it enriches your book. Thank you for your inspiring post and beautiful book. What a great time to read about people being connected via bridges and our humanity. Thanks, Cheryl. I love the concept of your book! A perfect way to debut! Thank you for this beautiful, heartfelt and inspirational post. I love the cover of your book and can’t wait to read it. We so badly need bridge-building these days! Such an uplifting concept for a book, and so timely. I look forward to reading it! Thanks for sharing your inspirational message, Cheryl. We do so need to build more bridges than walls. Thanks for reminding us that writing — and sharing your writing — does that! This is outstanding. I don’t even have anything smart to add, just… this was something I needed to read this week. Thanks, Cheryl. I can’t wait to check out your book. Thank you, Julie…your words are like a soothing balm on a wound…our country has an ‘owie’ and as picture book writers, we can help with our stories. Just like Cheryl mentioned…our books can be bridges. I was lucky enough to get a peek at the ARC for Cheryl’s book…it is beautiful! Great perspectives shared. Congrats on your debut pb as well! Congratulations on your book! I love the title and the beautiful artwork. I spent most of my childhood in 2 states with famous bridges: Florida and Michigan. Congratulations on your book, Cheryl, and thank you for such a heartfelt post! I felt very emotional while I read and thought about how special it is that, through picture books, we can share those deep feelings and ideas and connect with children-not only those we love, but everywhere. Can;t wait to read your book. Best wishes! This book is so timely! Thank you, Cheryl, for your lovely book and your words of inspiration and encouragement: “What we do matters, and our voices are always needed.” Congratulations on your debut picture book – I can’t wait to read it! Beautiful and inspirational post! Thanks so much! Cheryl, thank you so much for your words, your thoughts and your book. After reading this post, your book will have even more meaning for me. Looking forward to reading it. Thank you for writing it! I love this post!!! It gave me such a feeling of hope, hope even in spite of all that’s going on. Thank you so much!!! “What we do matters, and our voices are always needed. Because, really, as turbulent as the times seem now, it is always a time of uncertainty, anxiety, and searching for understanding and acceptance for someone, somewhere in the world.” Beautiful words, and so inspiring! Congratulations on your book! Such a unique concept, and its release couldn’t be more timely. I can’t wait to read it! What a beautiful book with a timely message, Cheryl! Can’t wait to read it. Congratulations, this looks like an amazing book. I love bridges! Thank you for such an inspirational post. Wow-it’s amazing that your book is so relevant and timely….cannot wait to read it soon! Thank you. Thanks for such a timely reminder of the need to be building bridges across the wide divides in our country. Congratulations on your book? I always think of bridges as the shortest way to get to somewhere or something far away. Your ideas brought this to mind. Sometimes it seems scary to cross, but what is learned is monumental. I remember reading this post earlier and being so impressed with your take on bridges–what a wonderful combination of social theory and engineering! Thank you for a great post. I am looking forward to reading this book. Definitely need bridges, of all sorts, these days. I love the idea of the bridge as a symbol for connection. I look forward to reading your book. Congratulations on a wonderful book! I love your perspective of bridges and especially love that you wanted to include the bridge from Texas to Mexico during these challenging times. Thank you for the reminder that our voices matter. Congratulations on your book! Congratulations! I look forward to reading your book! Hello Anne. I know there are many Anne Youngs out in the world but you are the first one I have met. What fun! This looks like a wonderful book! Thank you for sharing and Congrats on your debut!!! Thank you so much for your inspiring words! It’s so neat that you wrote a book about connections to the world around us. Too many people are angry now days. I think it’s important kids know that it’s important to keep and open mind and keep going in the midst of all this adversity. That there is a way they can be safe. Tolerance is as important as ever if we, as a community want to have peace. Thank you for writing such an inspiring book. I look forward to it coming out. Congratulations, Cheryl! And thank you for sharing your lovely story with us. Cheryl, Thank you for this hopeful and inspiring post. I look forward to reading your book. Congratulations! Have a great inspiring year at 12 X 12! I am inspired by your non-fiction book having so much ‘heart’. I am pondering a n-f myself and this has been very useful. I’m hoping to find your book in my local UK bookshop this afternoon. What a great post, I look forward to reading your book… And how apt, I feel the same as you right now – on that rickety bridge hopefully to publication one day. Your story of success is an inspiration and one that helps lift the fog!! I love this way of looking at my writing…bridges: simple and eloquent. Thanks for the great post! Amazing where you find inspiration. Wonderful post. Looking forward to reading your book! Something I think I’ll post on my goal board to inspire me as I write this year! As I read the reasons you wrote Here to There and Me to You, I couldn’t help feeling the beauty and love inside you as a person. Love the positivity of this post and your new book. Congratulations! Two bridges I have enjoyed riding on are the Tappen Zee and the Golden Gate. Great post! Thank you for sharing. We all need to connect more and think of building bridges in different ways. Cheryl, thank you for putting your words out there, in your debut PB & in this post. I love the idea of a bridge as metaphor for connection, and I look forward to reading your book. Thank you for this delightful post, Cheryl! I love hearing your thoughts on how your book can impact the world, one kid at a time. I love the idea of bridges as the physical and literal and also the metaphorical. This is a great learning point for kids without being too message-y. I can’t wait to read it! Thank you for your honesty about how it feels to be a published, yet new author, and how you can still have some insecurities! Can’t wait to read your book! I’m excited to get my hands on this book! I will be using it for my kid’s yoga classes for sure. Thank you for sharing this! I can’t wait to read your book (it really looks beautiful)! Thank you Cheryl, for your inspiring post. I can’t wait to read your book with my grandsons. I would also stop to see elephants parade across a bridge. I love the idea of a bridge of words. Particularly as we critique each other’s work, we build our strength from each other and open new avenues forward. I cannot think of anything more appropriate to this time than to be in a group like 12×12. Thank you for your post—I can’t wait to see your book in the wild. I love the idea of bridges connecting us. It is inspiring to consider the way bridges bring people together. What a wonderful book idea – can’t wait to see it! Thanks for the inspiring post. Thank goodness for books that can let us both escape the anxieties we may have about the world and imagine ways to improve the situation. I love the idea of bridges for a picture book. My daughter loves them and built so many at summer camp last summer. Can’t wait to check your book out! What a beautiful post during such an ugly time in our history. Thank you for the much needed glimmer of hope, and congrats on your book! Loved this post. I can’t wait to read your book. I will see about getting copies for my local library and school. Congratulations Cheryl! What an absolutely perfect way to begin this year and 12×12. Thank you for sharing your heart with us. I love the theme and heart behind this story! So glad you were our January person! Wonderful idea esp. for this day in age. Great post. Emotions are the key and the heart is the key to emotions. What a wonderful post! I can’t wait to read your book, Cheryl. More than ever we need to think about connections. Thank you. Smiled in response to your honest opening and feelings of reluctance … “What could I possibly contribute?” Great post and inspiration. Fascinating info – can’t wait to read your book (with my grandsons). Congratulations Cheryl! “Here to There” sounds like a wonderful book and I will look for it. I also loved learning about the bridge connecting Texas and Mexico. Perhaps now is a great time to write another book devoted solely to that bridge. What a heartfelt post. I appreciate your originality and look forward to reading your book soon. Bridges…help to carry us forward….so we all need to keep keeping on! Thanks Cheryl. Love the bridge idea. So creative and inspiring. It’s a good reminder that stories can make a difference. Your new book looks wonderful! Thanks for the lovely post. Thanks so much for the inspirational post, Cheryl! Thank you for your post! It’s very inspiring. I love the heart poured into your story! Thank you so much for sharing. Congratulations, Cheryl. And thank you for your inspiring post. It’s true that communication between people bridges whatever divides them. So inspiring and so moving. Thank you for what you do. We need this, especially right now. Congratulations Cheryl on your debut…what a wonderful post. Timely as well. My company’s mantra is to “Be the bridge” because we liaise between marketing and sales (two very disparate lingos). But ultimately we all share a common goal. This is great and I love the elephant story! Your book looks terrific and I will surely purchase for my library! Thanks Cheryl. I very much enjoyed reading your post. Wow! What a timely topic. I can’t wait to read your book! Thank you!! Thank you so much for sharing, Cheryl! The story behind why you wrote you book is so inspiring. Thank you so much for this insight on our beautiful jobs as children’s writers. ? What a wonderful sounding story. Congratulations on getting published! Great advice on our job as children’s writers! ? Wonderful post! I can’t wait to read your book! Thank you, Cheryl for your beautiful and inspiring words. I’m eager to read your book. The timing and theme are perfect. Congratulations. Congratulations on your PB debut!!! Cant wait to read your book and thank you for the inspirational post. What a lovely post! I often wonder how useful my writing has been or will be. But I believe that if it touches just a few young readers and they feel some pleasure or meaning from it, then the time has been well spent. Thanks for your post, Cheryl, and congratulations, too! I love what you said about bridges and the importance of connecting with others. Beautifully said and sadly very timely. Cheryl congratulations on your debut book. I can’t wait to read it. Your words really touched me and I want to work on building more bridges with others. Love this! When I was a wee girl in Scotland my biggest thrill was taking a train ride over the Firth of Forth Bridge near Edinburgh. I think bridges have huge child appeal to kids all over the world. What a great connection between books and bridges that connect us to one another and to our deepest selves! Congratulations! I like the interplay of literal and figurative bridges and look forward to reading this book. Loved the use of bridges connecting and how we humans use our hearts to connect. Congrats on your debut of your picture book. Great post and uncanny timing. Definitely need a few more bridges these days. Thank you for your post. I love how the subject of your book is a perfect example of what we all must do now: connect, share, bridge differences. And what a great cover! I can’t wait to see the inside in a bookstore. Every success story forms its own bridge for us hopeful writers. Congrats on a great story and pist!!!! I am overjoyed to see such positive books being published! Bravo! Cheryl, it took me by surprise when I realized something holding me back was balking at taking the bridge from one image of my life and career to a COMPLETELY different one. Thanks for the imagery that is moving me forward! What a wonderful thought about writers being like a bridge. That just sticks with me. Thank you Cheryl for the insight. Wow! Great post and perfect timing for your story to be released. I can’t wait to read your book. Congratulations on your debut! Enjoyed reading your post! Thinking about all the bridges I’ve crossed in my life, both physically, emotionally, poetically, etc. Wish you wouldn’t have had to have chosen between your last two bridges, what a mark in time that you chose the bridge between the US and Mexico; not sure in this world today though that neighborhood to neighborhood will become even more important as we travel this time in turmoil. I can’t wait to read your book! Your post made me think about bridges in so many different ways. Congratulations on your book and thanks for your positive message. Making bridges for our readers is what it’s all about. Connecting them to feelings, working things out, or just having fun–I love when that can happen! Bridges is the perfect topic for today. We need bridges especially now that it is so easy to become isolated. Congrats Cheryl! Sounds like a great book. Wishing you all the best, D. I just reread your column and feel even more strongly than the first time I commented that, indeed, we need a reminder that bridges from each of us to others do indeed exist and help keep us connected. I love the reminder than there should be bridges between neighborhoods. Thank you for an inspiring post. This –> “We have so many voices and that diversity is our strength as writers and illustrators, as well as human beings. What matters most is that we keep putting our voices out there. ” THANK YOU. Cheryl, your book sounds wonderful! Congratulations, how exciting to see your baby in print ?. Your bridge concept is beautiful. I’ll be keeping an eye out (or requesting it) at our local library. A great concept for a book – love the connection between a physical bridge (the constructions of which are fascinating in themselves) and a bridge connecting people from different places – whether that be countries or sides of town. So amazingly timely. The wonderful thing about bridges is that they go both ways! Looking forward to picking up your book! What an eloquent post, Cheryl! And a wonderful idea for a book! “a reminder that writers, like bridges, do more than connect one place to another, they can bring people together” – this really resonated with me, as I realize more and more how much of my writing also is about distances, and more importantly, bridging them. Lovely post and book! I love the concept of this book and am so pleased for you at your success. I, too, am writing about compassion and am heartened to know that agents and publishers are interested in stories that help the world heal. We all need a bridge. Look forward to reading this one. Thank you. Congratulations Cheryl! And thanks for allowing us to connect with you through 12×12. Best wishes! Congratulations, Cheryl! And thank you for an uplifting post filled with hope. Thank you for your uplifting words, Cheryl. Kids need this kind of book to put diversity in a positive light to counteract all the garbage they are hearing on the news. I look forward to reading it. The words of your post are inspirational. I look forward to reading your book. In my elementary school each year, the fifth graders worked in cooperative groups to build bridges as an assignment for one of their science units. I could picture your book being used in the introduction or follow up to this assignment. Congrats Cheryl! I love bridges, and was lucky enough to marry an engineer who is fascinated by them. We took our wedding pictures with the beautiful mid-hudson bridge in the background. I loved the idea of it signifying bridging two individual people and families together. I can’t wait to read your book! Wow! I’ve needed to cross a huge bridge to post this! So many people thrilled by your book. Great book and great moment. Success to you. Great reminder of the power Writer’s have! Looking forward to reading your book. I am a bridge. And I want to do more “bridging.” I refuse to allow the negativity and the turmoil to stop me from being me, from making a difference, one act, one person, one problem at a time. I’m looking forward to reading your book, Cheryl. I love the idea of bridges, especially right now and cannot wait to read this book with my kids! Congratulations on your debut book, and thanks for your post. I am trying to keep positive in these scary times. This book is so fitting for the times we’re living in. We need more books like this! I can’t wait to read your book and share it with my kids! I love bridges and all the connection they represent. Thank you for this post! Very inspiring, especially for a new author. The importance of a story about bridges cannot be overstated right now. Congrats! Bridges both physical and personal are so important! Let’s keep building bridges (instead of walls). Thanks Cheryl for such a thoughtful and meaningful book. How lovely! Such a beautiful idea for a book! Thank you for such a thoughtful post and congratulations on your book! Can’t wait to read it. Thank you for building and sharing bridges. May they lead everyone to new, inspiring places. “We are so fortunate as writers that we can offer our words and pictures to help show others that those scary bridges we must cross from time to time can actually be swinging and swaying their way to beautiful places. We as writers and illustrators will always have something to contribute no matter how scared we might be about our own journey. Such a good reminder that what we do, who we are is bridge-builders. What a great topic for a picture book! I can just imagine the fantastic pictures. Can’t wait to see it! Bridges with their metaphorical and literal significance could not be more important than right now. Well done, Cheryl. Looks like a beautiful book. And we need bridge building today more than ever. Thanks for the lovely post, Cheryl. What an appropriate time to be sending a book about bridges out into the world! Your book sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing – such a lovely idea for a book. Congratulations on your debut book! How exciting. I’m not there yet, but do have a beginning collection of “champagne” rejection letters. I believe that there is more that we all have in common than what separates us. Sounds like your book is a beautiful testament to that. Thank you for sharing such beautiful imagery. Congratulations on your debut! What a fantastic idea for a book, and what a great time for its birthing. Congratulations, Cheryl. And congratulations to your illustrator as well–the cover design is breath-taking. A very inspiring post and an inspiring story — love the concept of bridges. I also love that you have a dog, cat and fish (and would really love to know what tricks you’re teaching to the fish!) I have 3 dogs, 3 cats, 3 betta fish (all in separate tanks of course!), and a 30 gallon tank with a variety of peaceful smaller fish. Lovely, heartfelt post full of hope and inspiration ~ thank you! Congratulations on Here To There and Me To You. I’m glad you swallowed your fear and wrote a post for us. It’s inspiring to see a 12×12 member make it to print! Man, that first bridge picture (Vietnam) is not a bridge I would cross! I’ll be curious to see if your story talks about bridges that see scary and why crossing is worth it. It’s a very timely story and one worth telling in new ways over and over again for sure. This is beautiful, Cheryl! Congratulations on your wonderful book. So needed! Can’t wait to read it. Congratulations, Cheryl! They say timing is everything, but your book’s theme of togetherness will remain timely for a long time to come. I’m looking forward to reading it and embracing its message of unity rather than division. Thank you! The book looks great, can’t wait to read it. I love bridges. I love taking pictures of them while my husband drives. I’m looking forward to your book. Sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing. What a great timing to have your book published. Congratulations Cheryl! Your story inspired me to continue writing what I want to write. What an awesome book idea! Looking forward to reading and sharing with my class and kids. Thank you Cheryl for your wonderful post. I am looking to reading your book. What a lovely post. So inspiring! I wonder if the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan is in your book. It is one of the most beautiful! It is not. I had it in at one point as it is so beautiful, but it didn’t really fit with the book. It was hard selecting bridges — there’s so many cool ones out there! What an inspiring post! Thank you so much for sharing…great book idea! Beautiful, inspiring post. Thank you for sharing with us Cheryl.

2019-04-25T14:27:31Z

http://12x12challenge.com/2017/01/02/12-x-12-january-2017-featured-author-cheryl-keely/

§20-682 E. The benefits that the fund becomes or may become obligated to cover shall not exceed the lesser of: 1. The contractual obligations for which the impaired insurer or insolvent insurer is liable or would have been liable if it were not an impaired insurer or insolvent insurer. 2. With respect to one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (a) three hundred thousand dollars in life insurance death benefits, but not more than one hundred thousand dollars in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance. (b) in disability insurance benefits: (i) one hundred thousand dollars for coverages not defined as disability income insurance or basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance or long-term care insurance. (ii) three hundred thousand dollars for disability income insurance and three hundred thousand dollars for long-term care insurance. (iii) five hundred thousand dollars for basic hospital medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance. (c) two hundred fifty thousand dollars in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. 3. With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, or the beneficiary of a deceased payee, an aggregate of two hundred fifty thousand dollars in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, if any. F. Notwithstanding subsection E of this section, the fund is not obligated to cover more than either: 1. An aggregate of three hundred thousand dollars in benefits with respect to any one individual under subsection E of this section except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under subsection E, paragraph 2, subdivision (b) of this section, in which case the aggregate liability of the fund shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars with respect to any one individual. 2. With respect to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons, more than five million dollars in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. (Amended effective 9/12/13). §23-96-114 A. The benefits that the Association may become obligated to cover shall in no event exceed the lesser of: (1) The contractual obligations for which the insurer is liable or would have been liable if it were not an impaired or insolvent insurer; or (2)(a) With respect to any one (1) life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (i) Three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in life insurance death benefits or net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (ii) Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in accident and health insurance benefits, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, provided coverage for disability insurance benefits and long term care insurance benefits shall not exceed three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000); (iii) Three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (b) With respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement benefit plan established under section 401(k), section 403(b), or section 457, of the United States Internal Revenue Code covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased, in the aggregate three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (c) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased, three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, if any. B. (1) Provided, however, that in no event shall the Association be obligated to cover more than (i) three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in benefits in the aggregate with respect to any one life under §§ 23–96–106, 23–96–107, and this section except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under paragraph (A)(2)(a)(ii) of this section, in which case the aggregate liability of the Association shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) with respect to any one individual, or (ii) with respect to one owner of multiple non-group policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons, more than one million dollars ($1,000,000) in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner; (2) With respect to either (i) one (1) contract owner provided coverage under § 23–96–107 (A)(3)(b); or (ii) one (1) plan sponsor whose plans own directly or in trust one or more unallocated annuity contracts not included in paragraph (A)(2)(b) of this section, one million dollars ($1,000,000) in benefits, irrespective of the number of contracts with respect to the contract owner or plan sponsor. However, in the case where one or more unallocated annuity contracts are covered contracts under this chapter and are owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit of two (2) or more plan sponsors, coverage shall be afforded by the Association if the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract or contracts is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in this state and in no event shall the Association be obligated to cover more than one million dollars ($1,000,000) in benefits with respect to all of these unallocated contracts. (Amended effective 5/7/2013). § 1067.02(c). The benefits for which the association may become liable for life insurance and annuity policies shall in no event exceed the lesser of the following: (1) Eighty percent of the contractual obligations for each policy or contract as modified pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b), for which the insurer is liable or would have been liable if it were not an impaired or insolvent insurer. (2)(A) With respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (i) Three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in life insurance death benefits, but not more than one hundred thou-sand dollars ($ 100,000) in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance. (ii) Two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash sur-render and net cash withdrawal values. (B) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased, two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (C) Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A) and (B), in no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than an aggregate of three hundred thousand dollars ($300, 000) in benefits with respect to any one life under subparagraphs (A) and (B). (D) Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), with respect to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation, or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees, or other persons, in no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than five million dollars ($5,000,000) in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. (d) The health insurance benefits for which the association may become liable shall in no event exceed the lesser of the following: (1) The contractual obligations for which the insurer is liable or for which the insurer would have been liable if it were not an impaired or insolvent insurer. (2) With respect to any one individual receiving health care benefits, regardless of the number of policies or contracts, two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) in health insurance benefits; an amount that shall increase or decrease based upon changes in the health care cost component of the consumer price index from January 1, 1991, to the date on which the insurer becomes an insolvent insurer. Amended effective 9.27.2010. §10-20-104(3). The benefits for which the association may become liable shall not exceed the lesser of: (a) The contractual obligations for which the insurer is liable or would have been liable if it were not an impaired or insolvent insurer; or (b)(I) With respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts with that insurer: (A) Three hundred thousand dollars in net life insurance death benefits, and no more than one hundred thousand dollars in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (B) For health insurance benefits: One hundred thousand dollars for coverages not defined as disability, basic hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical insurance or long-term care insurance, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; three hundred thousand dollars for disability insurance; three hundred thousand dollars for long-term care insurance; or five hundred thousand dollars for basic hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical insurance; (C) Two hundred fifty thousand dollars in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; or (D) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, two hundred fifty thousand dollars in present-value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (II) The association is not obligated to cover: (A) More than three hundred thousand dollars in benefits, in the aggregate, with respect to any one life under sub-subparagraphs (A) to (D) of subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (b); except that, with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical, and major medical insurance under sub-subparagraph (B) of subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (b), the aggregate liability of the association shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars with respect to any one individual ; or (B) More than five million dollars in benefits with respect to an owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, regardless of whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation, or other person; whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees, or other persons; or the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. (Amended 3/15/2013). §4403(c). The benefits that the Association may become obligated to cover shall in no event exceed the lesser of the following: (1) the contractual obligations for which the insurer is liable or would have been liable if it were not an impaired or insolvent insurer, or (2)(A) with respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: a. $300,000 in life insurance death benefits, but not more than $100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; b. In health insurance benefits: 1. $100,000 for coverages not defined as disability insurance or basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; 2. $300,000 for disability insurance and $300,000 for long-term care insurance. For purposes of this section, “disability insurance” shall mean the type of policy which pays a monthly or weekly amount if an individual is disabled and cannot work. “Long-term care insurance” shall have the meaning as defined in 18 Del. Code § 7103(5). 3. $500,000 for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance. For purposes of this section "basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance" shall mean a policy which pays a certain portion of hospital room and board costs each day. This type of policy also pays for hospital services and supplies such as x-rays, lab tests, medicine and other items up to a stated amount. "Major medical insurance" shall mean health insurance to finance the expense of major illness and injury, characterized by large benefits maximums. This type of insurance reimburses the major part of all charges for hospital, doctor, private nurses, medical appliances, prescribed out of hospital treatment, drugs and medicines, above an initial deductible. The insured person as co-insurer pays the remainder; or c. $250,000 in present value of annuity benefits including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (B) With respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement benefit plan established under § 401, § 403(b) or § 457 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code [26 U.S.C. § 401, § 402(b) or § 457] covered by an unallocated annuity contract, or the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased, $250,000 in the aggregate in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (C) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity (or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee, if de-ceased), $250,000 in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, if any; (D) However, in no event shall the Association be obligated to cover more than (I) an aggregate of $300,000 in benefits with respect to any one life under paragraphs (2)(A), (2)(B) and (2)(C) of this subsection except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under paragraph (2)(A)b. of this subsection, in which case the aggregate liability of the Association shall not exceed $500,000 with respect to any one individual, or (ii) with respect to one owner of multiple non-group policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons, more than $1,000,000 in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner; (E) With respect to either (i) one contract owner provided coverage under Subsection (a)(3)b. of this §; or (ii) one plan sponsor whose plans own directly or in trust one or more unallocated annuity contracts not included in paragraph (2)(B) of this subsection, $1,000,000 in benefits, irrespective of the number of contracts with respect to the contract owner or plan sponsor. However, in the case where one or more unallocated annuity contracts are covered contracts under this chapter and are owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit of two (2) or more plan sponsors, coverage shall be afforded by the Association if the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract or contracts is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in this state and in no event shall the Association be obligated to cover more than $1,000,000 in benefits with respect to all these unallocated contracts. Amended 01/06/2010. 215 ILCS 5/531.03(3). (b)(i) with respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (A) $300,000 in life insurance death benefits, but not more than $100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (B) in health insurance benefits: (I) $100,000 for coverages not defined as disability insurance or basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance or major medical insurance or long-term care insurance, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (II) $300,000 for disability insurance and $300,000 for long-term care insurance as defined in Section 351A–1 of this Code; and (III) $500,000 for basic hospital medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance; (C) $250,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (ii) with respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement benefit plan established under Sections 401, 403(b), or 457 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased, in the aggregate, $250,000 in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (iii) with respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased, $250,000 in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, if any; or (iv) with respect to either (1) one contract owner provided coverage under subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of this Section or (2) one plan sponsor whose plans own directly or in trust one or more unallocated annuity contracts not included in subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (b) of this subsection, $5,000,000 in benefits, irrespective of the number of contracts with respect to the contract owner or plan sponsor. However, in the case where one or more unallocated annuity contracts are covered contracts under this Article and are owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit of 2 or more plan sponsors, coverage shall be afforded by the Association if the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract or contracts is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in this State. In no event shall the Association be obligated to cover more than $5,000,000 in benefits with respect to all these unallocated contracts. In no event shall the Association be obligated to cover more than (1) an aggregate of $300,000 in benefits with respect to any one life under subparagraphs (i), (ii), and (iii) of this paragraph (b) except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under item (B) of subparagraph (i) of this paragraph (b), in which case the aggregate liability of the Association shall not exceed $500,000 with respect to any one individual or (2) with respect to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation, or other person and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees, or other persons, $5,000,000 in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. Amended effective 8.20.2010. §508C.8.(8)(a)(2)(a) With respect to one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (i) Three hundred thousand dollars in life insurance death benefits, but not more than one hundred thousand dollars in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance. (ii) Five hundred thousand dollars for health insurance benefits which are basic hospital expense coverage, basic medical-surgical expense coverage, or major medical expense coverage as defined by the commissioner by rule pursuant to section 514D.4; three hundred thousand dollars for health insurance benefits which are disability income protection as defined by the commissioner by rule pursuant to section 514D.4; three hundred thousand dollars for long-term care insurance as defined in section 514G.103; or one hundred thousand dollars for other health insurance benefits including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (iii) Two hundred fifty thousand dollars in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (iv) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, or the beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if the payee is deceased, two hundred fifty thousand dollars in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (b)(i) With respect to each individual participating in a benefit plan established under section 401, 403(b), or 457 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, or each unallocated annuity contract account, excluding a plan established under section 401, 403(b), or 457 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, not more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars in the aggregate, in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for the beneficiaries of the deceased individual. (ii) However, the association shall not in any event be obligated to cover more than an aggregate of three hundred fifty thousand dollars in benefits with respect to any one life under subparagraph division (a) and this subparagraph division (b), except with respect to benefits for basic hospital expense coverage, basic medical-surgical expense coverage, or major medical expense coverage under subparagraph division (a), subparagraph subdivision (ii), in which case the aggregate liability of the association shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars with respect to any one individual, or more than five million dollars in benefits to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance regardless of whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation, or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees, or other persons, and regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. (c) With respect to a plan sponsor whose plan owns, directly or in trust, one or more unallocated annuity contracts not included under subparagraph division (b), not more than five million dollars in benefits, regardless of the number of contracts held by the plan sponsor. However, where one or more such unallocated annuity contracts are covered contracts under this chapter and are owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit of two or more plan sponsors, the association shall provide coverage if the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in the state but in no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than five million dollars in benefits in the aggregate with respect to all such unallocated contracts. b. The limitations on the association's obligation to cover benefits that are set forth under this subsection do not take into account the association's subrogation and assignment rights or the extent to which such benefits could be provided out of the assets of the impaired or insolvent insurer that are attributable to covered policies. The association's obligations under this chapter may be met by the use of assets attributable to covered policies or reimbursed to the association pursuant to the association's subrogation and assignment rights. Amended effective 7.1.2010. §40-3008(o)The benefits for which the association may become liable shall in no event exceed the lesser of: (1) The contractual obligations for which the insurer is liable or would have been liable if it were not an impaired or insolvent insurer; or (2) with respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (A) $300,000 in life insurance death benefits, but not more than $100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (B) in health insurance benefits: (i) $100,000 for coverages not defined as disability insurance or basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance or long-term care insurance including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (ii) $300,000 for disability insurance and $300,000 for long-term care insurance; (iii) $500,000 for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance; (C) $250,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (D) with respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity (or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased), $250,000 in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (E) however, in no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than: (1) An aggregate of $300,000 in benefits with respect to any one life as provided in paragraphs (A), (B), (C) and (D) of this subsection except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under (o)(2)(B)(iii) of this subsection, in which case the aggregate liability of the association shall not exceed $500,000 with respect to any one individual; or (2) with respect to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons, more than $5,000,000 in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner; (Amended effective 7/1/2011). KRS 304.42-030(3)(a) The benefits that the association may become obligated to cover… with respect to any one (1) life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: 1. In life insurance, three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) In death benefits, but not more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; 2. In health insurance benefits: a. One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for coverages not defined as disability insurance or basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance, major medical insurance or long term care insurance, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; b. Three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) for disability insurance and three hundred thousand ($300,000) for long term care insurance; and c. Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for basic hospital medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance; and 3. In annuity benefits, two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; except with respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased, two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (b) In no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than: 1. An aggregate of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in benefits with respect to any one (1) life under subparagraphs 2. and 3. of paragraph (a) of this subsection except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance and major medical insurance as stated in paragraph (a) of this subsection, in which case the aggregate liability of the association shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) with respect to any one individual; or 2. With respect to one (1) owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation, or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees, or other persons, more than five million dollars ($5,000,000) in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. Amended effective 3/30/2010. §4603.3.B. With respect to one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (1) Three hundred thousand dollars in life insurance death benefits, but not more than $100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (2) The following limits for health insurance benefits: (a) Three hundred thousand dollars for coverages not defined as disability insurance or basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (b) Three hundred thousand dollars for disability and long-term care insurance; or (c) Five hundred thousand dollars for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance; or (3) Two hundred fifty thousand dollars in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; or §4603.3.C. With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased, $100,000 in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values §4603.4. Notwithstanding subsection 3, the association is not in any event obligated to cover more than: A. An aggregate of $300,000 in benefits with respect to any one life under subsection 3, paragraph B except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under subsection 3, paragraph B, subparagraph (2), in which case the aggregate liability of the association may not exceed $500,000 with respect to any one individual; or B. Five million dollars in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner, with respect to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons. Amended effective 5/11/09. §500.7704(6)(b) With respect to 1 life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (i) $300,000.00 in life insurance death benefits, but not more than $100,000.00 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance. (ii) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraphs (iv) and (v), $100,000.00 in health insurance benefits, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (iii) $250,000.00 in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values * * *. (iv) $300,000.00 in disability income insurance benefits or long-term care benefits. (v) $500,000.00 in basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance benefits. (c) With respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement benefit plan established under section 401(k), 403(b), or 457 of the internal revenue code of 1986, 26 USC 401, 403, and 457, covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the beneficiaries of each such individual, if deceased, in the aggregate, $250,000.00 in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (d) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, or the beneficiary or beneficiaries of a deceased payee, $250,000.00 in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, if any. (e) For either 1 contract owner provided coverage under subsection (1)(c)(ii) or 1 plan sponsor whose plans own directly or in trust 1 or more unallocated annuity contracts not included in subdivision (C), $5,000,000.00 in benefits, irrespective of the number of contracts with respect to the contract owner or plan sponsor. However, if 1 or more unallocated annuity contracts are covered contracts under this chapter and are owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit of 2 or more plan sponsors, coverage shall be afforded by the association if the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract or contracts is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in this state, but in no event is the association obligated to cover more than $5,000,000.00 in benefits for all those unallocated contracts. (7) In no event is the association obligated to cover more than the following: (a) An aggregate of $300,000.00 in benefits for any 1 life under subsection (6)(b)(i), (ii), (iii), and (iv), (c), and (d). (b) An aggregate of $500,000.00 in benefits for any 1 life under subsection (6)(b)(v). (c) For 1 owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation, or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees, or other persons, $5,000,000.00 in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. Amended effective 9.2.2010. §61B.19, subd.4 (2). With respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (i) $500,000 in life insurance death benefits, but not more than $130,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (ii) $500,000 in health insurance benefits, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (iii) $250,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (iv) $410,000 in present value of annuity benefits for structured settlement annuities or for annuities in regard to which periodic annuity benefits, for a period of not less than the annuitant's lifetime or for a period certain of not less than ten years, have begun to be paid, on or before the date of impairment or insolvency; or (3) subject to the limitations in clauses (5) and (6), with respect to each individual resident participating in a retirement plan, except a defined benefit plan, established under section 401, 403(b), or 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended through December 31, 1992, covered by an unallocated annuity contract, or the beneficiaries of eachsuch individual if deceased, in the aggregate, $250,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (4) where no coverage limit has been specified for a covered policy or benefit, the coverage limit shall be $500,000 in present value; (5) in no event shall the association be liable to expend more than $500,000 in the aggregate with respect to any one life under clause (2), items (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), and clause (4), and any one individual under clause (3); (6) in no event shall the association be liable to expend more than $10,000,000 with respect to all unallocated annuities of a retirement plan, except a defined benefit plan, established under section 401, 403(b), or 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended through December 31, 1992. If total claims from a plan exceed $10,000,000, the $10,000,000 shall be prorated among the claimants. Amended 5/8/09. §83-23-205(3)(b)(i) With respect to any one (1) life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: 1. Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 300,000.00) in life insurance death benefits, but not more than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 100,000.00) in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; 2. In health insurance benefits: a. One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 100,000.00) for coverages not defined as disability insurance or basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance or long-term care insurance, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; b. Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 300,000.00) for disability insurance and Three Hundred Thou-sand Dollars ($ 300,000.00) for long-term care insurance; c. Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 500,000.00) for basic hospital medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance; or 3. Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($ 250,000.00) in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (ii) With respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement benefit plan established under Section 401, 403(b) or 457 of the United States Internal Revenue Code covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased, in the aggregate, Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($ 250,000.00) in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (iii) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity (or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased), Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($ 250,000.00) in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, if any; (iv) However, in no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than (a) an aggregate of Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 300,000.00) in benefits with respect to any one (1) life under paragraphs (b) (i), (b) (ii) and (b) (iii) of this subsection except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under paragraph (b) (i) of this subsection, in which case the aggregate liability of the association shall not exceed Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 500,000.00) with respect to any one (1) individual, or (b) with respect to one (1) owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons, more than Five Million Dollars ($ 5,000,000.00) in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner; (v) With respect to either (a) one (1) contract owner provided coverage under subsection (1) (c) (ii) of this section; or (b) one (1) plan sponsor whose plans own directly or in trust one or more unallocated annuity contracts not included in paragraph (b) (ii) of this subsection, Five Million Dollars ($ 5,000,000.00) in benefits, irrespective of the number of contracts with respect to the contract owner or plan sponsor. However, in the case where one or more unallocated annuity contracts are covered contracts under this article and are owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit of two (2) or more plan sponsors, coverage shall be afforded by the association if the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract or contracts is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in this state and in no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than Five Million Dollars ($ 5,000,000.00) in benefits with respect to all these unallocated contracts; (Amended effective 3-17-2014). §686C.210(1) (b) With respect to one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (1) Three hundred thousand dollars in death benefits from life insurance, but not more than $100,000 in net cash for surrender and withdrawal for life insurance; or (2) Two hundred fifty thousand dollars in the present value of benefits from annuities, including net cash for surrender and withdrawal; (c) With respect to health insurance for any one life: (1) One hundred thousand dollars for coverages other than disability insurance, long-term care insurance, basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance, including any net cash for surrender or withdrawal; (2) Three hundred thousand dollars for disability insurance or long-term care insurance; or (3) Five hundred thousand dollars for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance; (d) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased, $250,000 in present value of benefits from the annuity in the aggregate, including any net cash for surrender or withdrawal; or (e) With respect to each participant in a governmental retirement plan covered by an unallocated annuity contract which is owned by a governmental retirement plan established under section 401, 403(b) or 457 of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. §§?401, 403(b) and 457, respectively, or the trustees of such a plan, and which is approved by the Commissioner, an aggregate of $250,000 in present-value annuity benefits, including the value of net cash for surrender and net cash for withdrawal, regardless of the number of contracts. 2. In no event is the Association obligated to cover more than: (a) With respect to any one life or person under paragraphs (b) to (e), inclusive, of subsection 1: (1) An aggregate of $300,000 in benefits, excluding benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance; or (2) An aggregate of $500,000 in benefits, including benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance. (b) With respect to one owner of several nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the owner is a natural person or an organization and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons, more than $5,000,000 in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. §17B:32A-3.d. (2) with respect to any one insured individual, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (a) $500,000 in life insurance death benefits, but not more than $100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (b) $500,000 in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, but not more than $100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for annuity benefits; provided, however, that in no event shall the association be liable to expend more than $500,000 in the aggregate with respect to any one individual under this paragraph (2); or (3) with respect to any one unallocated annuity contract, $2,000,000 in benefits; or (4) with respect to any one group, blanket, or individual accident or health insurance or group, blanket or individual accident or health insurance policy, unlimited benefits. e. A provider of health care services, in order to receive payment directly from the association upon a claim of the provider against an insured, shall agree to forgive the insured of 20% of the obligation which would otherwise be paid by the insurer had it not been insolvent. The obligations of solvent insurers to pay all or part of the covered claim are not diminished by the forgiveness provided in this subsection. The association is not bound by an assignment of benefits executed with respect to the coverage provided by the insolvent insurer. The association may aggregate all claims owed health care providers when negotiating direct payment of claims of all covered individuals. §7708(b)(3). The corporation's aggregate liability shall not exceed $500,000 for all benefits, including cash values, with respect to any one life, or to the extent benefits are not allocated pursuant to a covered policy to any one life, to any one covered policy; provided, however, (i) aggregate liability does not apply to any group, or blanket accident, or health insurance, or accident and health insurance policy and (ii)that the corporation shall be liable in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 for all benefits, including cash values, with respect to any group annuity contract (or portion thereof) that does not guaranty benefits with respect to any specific individual identified in the contract and with respect to any funding agreement issued to fund benefits under any employee benefit plan. §26.1-38.1-01.4. b. (1) With any respect to one life, regardless of the number of policies, or contracts: (a) Three hundred thousand dollars in life insurance death benefits, but not more than one hundred thousand dollars in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (b) In health insurance benefits: One hundred thousand dollars for coverages not defined as disability insurance or basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance or major medical insurance or long-term care insurance,including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. Three hundred thousand dollars for disability insurance, and three hundred thousand dollars for long-term care insurance. Five hundred thousand dollars for basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance or major medical insurance. (c) Two hundred fifty thousand dollars in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (2) With respect to each individual participating in a government retirement benefit plan established under section 401(k), 403(b), or 457 of the United States Internal Revenue Code covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased, in the aggregate, two hundred fifty thousand dollars in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (3) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity or beneficiary, or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased, two hundred fifty thousand dollars in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values , if any; (4) However, in no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than: (a) An aggregate of three hundred thousand dollars in benefits with respect to any one life under paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 of subdivision b except with respect to the benefits for basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under subparagraph b of paragraph 1 of subdivision b, in which case the aggregate liability of the association shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars with respect to any one individual; or (b) With respect to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees, or other persons, more than five million dollars in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. (5) With respect to either one contract owner provided coverage under subparagraph c of paragraph 2 of subdivision b of subsection 1; or one plan sponsor whose plans own directly or in trust one or more unallocated annuity contracts not included in paragraph 2 of subdivision b, five million dollars in benefits, irrespective of the number of contracts with respect to the contract owner or plan sponsor. However, in the case in which one or more unallocated annuity contracts are covered contracts under this chapter and are owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit of two or more plan sponsors, coverage must be afforded by the association if the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract or contracts is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in this state and in no event is the association obligated to cover more than five million dollars in benefits with respect to all these unallocated contracts. Amended effective 8/1/2011. §2025.C.2. a. with respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (1) Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00) in life insurance death benefits, but not more than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance, (2) in health insurance benefits: (a) One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) for coverages not defined as disability insurance or basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance or long-term care insurance as defined in Section 4424 of this title, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, (b) Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00) for insurance providing income payments to an insured wage earner when income is interrupted or terminated because of illness, sickness or accident, commonly known as disability insurance and Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00) for long-term care insurance as defined in Section 4424 of this title, and (c) Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or insurance providing coverage in excess of that provided by a basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance, commonly known as major medical insurance, or (3) Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00) in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, or b. with respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if the payee is deceased, Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00) in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, c. however, in no event shall the Association be obligated to cover more than: (1) an aggregate of Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00) in benefits with respect to any one life under this subparagraph and subparagraphs a and b of this paragraph except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under division (2) of subparagraph a of this paragraph, in which case the aggregate liability of the Association shall not exceed Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) with respect to any one individual, or (2) with respect to one owner of multiple non-group policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons, more than Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner, Amended effective 11/1/2010. § 734.810(11)(b) With respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (A) $300,000 in life insurance death benefits, but not more than $100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance. (B) $100,000 in health insurance benefits other than basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance, major medical insurance, disability insurance or long term care insurance, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (C) $300,000 in disability insurance benefits. (D) $300,000 in long term care insurance benefits. (E) $500,000 in basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance. (F) $250,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (c) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity or the beneficiary of the payee if deceased, $250,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; or (d) $250,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, with respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement plan established under section 401, 403(b) or 457 of the United States Internal Revenue Code covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased. (12) The association may not be liable for more than: (a) $300,000 in benefits, in the aggregate, with respect to any one life under subsection (11)(b), (c) and (d) of this section, with the exception of benefits under subsection (11)(b)(E) of this section, in which case the aggregate liability of the association may not exceed $500,000 with respect to any one life. (b) With respect to one policyholder of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, regardless of whether the policyholder is an individual, firm, corporation or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons, $5 million in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the policyholder. Amended effective 5/27/2011. 40 PS §991.1703(c). (ii) (A) With respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts, the following shall apply: (I) Three hundred thousand ($300,000) dollars in life insurance death benefits, but not more than one hundred thousand ($100,000) dollars in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance. (II) Three hundred thousand ($300,000) dollars in health insurance benefits, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (III) Three hundred thousand ($300,000) dollars in annuity benefits, including one hundred thousand ($100,000) dollars in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (IV) Three hundred thousand ($300,000) dollars in long-term care insurance benefits, as defined under section 1103, including any cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (B) With respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement plan established under section 401, 403(b) or 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased, in the aggregate, three hundred thousand ($300,000) dollars in annuity benefits, including one hundred thousand ($100,000) dollars in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (C) With respect to any one contract holder covered by any unallocated annuity contract not included in clause (B), five million ($5,000,000) dollars in benefits, irrespective of the number of such contracts held by that contract holder. Amended effective 7.17.2007. T.26 §3903.3. The benefits of which the Association may become liable shall not, in any case, exceed the lesser of the contractual obligations for which the insurer is liable or would have been liable if he/she were not an impaired, or insolvent insurer, or, with respect to any life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: I. three hundred thousand (300,000) dollars in life insurance death benefits, but not more than one hundred thousand (100,000) dollars in net cash surrender values and net cash withdrawal funds values; II. one hundred thousand (100,000) dollars in disability insurance benefits including any net cash surrender values and net cash withdrawal values; III. one hundred thousand (100,000) dollars in the present value of annuity benefits including any net cash surrender values and net cash withdrawal values. However, in no case shall the Association be bound to disburse more than three hundred thousand (300,000) dollars in aggregate form with respect to any one life. §38-29.70(10). No liability with respect to any portion of a covered policy to the extent that the benefits to any one person exceed an aggregate of $300,000. §463.204. A contractual obligation does not include (1) death benefits in excess of $300,000 or a net cash surrender or net cash withdrawal value in excess of $100,000 under one or more covered policies on any one life, (2) an amount in excess of $250,000 in the present value under one or more annuity contracts issued with respect to one life under individual annuity policies or with respect to each payee of a structured settlement immediate annuity or an amount in excess of $5,000,0000 in unallocated annuity contract benefits with respect to any one contract holder irrespective of the number of such contracts, (3) an amount in excess of the following limits for health insurance benefits on any one life, including net cash surrender or cash withdrawal values: (A) $500,000 for basic hospital, medical-surgical, or major medical insurance, (B) $300,000 for disability and long-term care insurance, (C) $200,000 for coverage not defined as basic hospital, medical-surgical, major medical, disability or long-term care insurance, (4) an amount in excess of $250,000 in present value annuity benefits with respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement benefit plan established under Section 401, 403(b), or 457 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 covered by an unallocated annuity contract, (5) an amount in excess of $250,000 in present value with respect to each payee of a structured settlement immediate annuity, or (6) aggregate benefits in excess of $300,000 with respect to one life except for (A) benefits paid under basic hospital, medical-surgical, or major medical insurance policies, in which case the aggregate benefits are $500,000 and (B) benefits paid to one owner of multiple non-group policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation, or other person, in which case the maximum benefits are $5,000,000 regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner, (7) an amount in excess of $5,000,000 in benefits, with respect to either one plan sponsor whose plans own directly or indirectly or in trust one or more unallocated annuity contracts. Amended effective 9/1/2011. §31A-28-103(3). (b) with respect to one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (i) for a life insurance policy: (A) if the insured died before the coverage date, $500,000 of the death benefit; (B) if the insurer received a valid request for cash surrender before the coverage date but has not paid the cash surrender value before the coverage date, $200,000 of cash surrender benefits; or (C) if neither Subsection (3)(b)(i)(A) nor (B) apply, the covered portion of each benefit provided under the policy; (ii) for an annuity contract, the covered portion of each benefit provided under the contract; (iii) for a disability policy: (A) classified as basic hospital and medical or major medical, $500,000; or (B) not classified as basic hospital and medical or major medical, the covered portion of each benefit provided under the policy; (c) for an individual, or a beneficiary of that individual if the individual is deceased, participating in a governmental retirement plan established under Section 401, 403(b), or 457, Internal Revenue Code, covered by an unallocated annuity contract, in the aggregate $250,000 in present value of annuity benefits, including: (i) net cash surrender; and (ii) net cash withdrawal values; or (d) for a payee of a structured settlement annuity or a beneficiary of the payee if the payee is deceased, the limits set forth in Subsection (3)(b). (4) Notwithstanding Subsections (3)(a) through (d), the association may not be obligated to cover more than: (a) an aggregate of $500,000 in benefits for any one life under: (i) Subsection (3)(b)(i)(A); (ii) Subsection (3)(b)(i)(B); (iii) Subsection (3)(b)(ii); and (iv) Subsection (3)(b)(iii)(B); (b) $5,000,000 in benefits for one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance: (i) whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation, or other person; (ii) whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees, or other persons; and (iii) regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner; and (c) $5,000,000 in benefits, regardless of the number of contracts held by the contract owner or plan sponsor, for: (i) one contract owner provided coverage under Subsection (1)(b)(ii)(B); or (ii) one plan sponsor whose plans own, directly or in trust, one or more unallocated annuity contracts not included in Subsection (3)(b)(ii). (5)(a) Notwithstanding Subsection (4)(c) and except as provided in Subsection (5)(b), the association shall provide coverage if one or more unallocated annuity contracts are: (i) covered contracts under this part; (ii) owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit of two or more plan sponsors; and (iii) the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract or contracts is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in the state. (b) Notwithstanding Subsection (5)(a) the association may not be obligated to cover more than $5,000,000 in benefits with respect to the unallocated contracts described in Subsection (5)(a). Amended effective 5/11/2010. §4158(8). (B)(i) With respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (I) $300,000.00 in life insurance death benefits, but not more than $100,000.00 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (II) In health insurance benefits: (aa) $100,000.00 for coverages not defined as disability insurance or basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance, or major medical insurance, or long-term care insurance, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (bb) $300,000.00 for disability insurance and $300,000.00 for long-term care insurance; (cc) $500,000.00 for basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance, or major medical insurance; or (III) $250,000.00 in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash with-drawal values; or (ii) With respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement plan established under Section 401, 403(b), or 457 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the be-neficiaries of each such individual if deceased, in the aggregate, $250,000.00 in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; or (iii) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity (or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased) for which coverage is provided under subdivision 4153(a)(3) of this title, $250,000.00 in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, if any; (iv) With respect to any one contract holder covered by any unallocated annuity contract not included in subdivision (B)(ii) of this subdivision (8), $5,000,000.00 in benefits, irrespective of the number of such contracts held by that contract holder; and (v) Provided, however, that in no event shall the association be liable to expend more than $300,000.00 in the aggregate with respect to any one individual under subdivisions (B)(i)(I), (B)(i)(II)(aa) and (bb), B(i)(III), (B)(ii), and (B)(iii) of this subdivision (8); and provided further, however, that in no event shall the association be liable to expend more than $500,000.00 in the aggregate with respect to any one individual under subdivision (B)(i)(II)(cc) of this subdivision (8). Amended effective 7.1.2010. §38.2-1700.D.2. With respect to: a. One life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (1) $300,000 in life insurance death benefits, but not more than $100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (2) In health insurance benefits, (i) $100,000 for coverage not defined as disability insurance, basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance, major medical insurance or long-term care insurance including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (ii) $300,000 for accident and sickness insurance that constitutes disability insurance or long-term care insurance; and (iii) $500,000 for accident and sickness insurance that constitutes basic hospital medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance; and (3) $250,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; b. Each individual participating in a benefit plan established under Section 401, 403(b) or 457 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code who (i) selected an investment option that includes investment in unallocated annuity contracts and (ii) is covered by such an unallocated annuity contract, including the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased, in the aggregate, $250,000 in present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; c. Each payee of a structured settlement annuity (or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased), $250,000 in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, if any; and d. One plan sponsor whose plans own directly or in trust one or more unallocated annuity contracts part or all of any of which is not included in subdivision 2 b, $5 million in benefits, irrespective of the number of contracts with respect to the plan sponsor. However, in the case where one or more unallocated annuity contracts are covered contracts under this chapter and are owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit or two or more plan sponsors, coverage shall be afforded by the Association if the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract or contracts is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in the Commonwealth and in no event shall the Association be obligated to cover more than $5 million in benefits with respect to all such unallocated contracts. In no event shall the Association be obligated to cover (i) more than an aggregate of $350,000 in benefits with respect to any one life under subdivisions D 2 a, b, and c except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance, and major medical insurance under subdivision D 2 a (2), in which case the aggregate liability of the Association shall not exceed $500,000 with respect to any one individual, or (ii) with respect to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation, or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees, or other persons, more than $5 million in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. Amended effective 7/1/2010. §48.32A. Section 3(3)(b)(i) With respect to one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (A) Five hundred thousand dollars in life insurance death benefits, but not more than five hundred thousand dollars in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (B) In disability insurance benefits: (I) Five hundred thousand dollars for coverages not defined as disability income insurance or basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance or major medical insurance including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (II) Five hundred thousand dollars for disability income insurance; (III) Five hundred thousand dollars for basic hospital medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance; or (C) Five hundred thousand dollars in the present value of annuity benefits, including cash surrender values; (ii) With respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement benefit plan established under section 401, 403(b), or 457 of the United States Internal Revenue Code covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased, in the aggregate, one hundred thousand dollars in present value annuity benefits, including cash surrender values; (iii) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased, five hundred thousand dollars in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values, if any; (iv) However, in no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than: (A) An aggregate of five hundred thousand dollars in benefits with respect to any one life under (i), (ii), and (iii) of this subsection (3)(b) except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under (i)(B) of this subsection (3)(b), in which case the aggregate liability of the association shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars with respect to any one individual; or (B) with respect to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation, or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees, or other persons, more than five million dollars in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner; (v) With respect to either: (A) One contract owner provided coverage under subsection (1)(d)(ii) of this section; or (B) one plan sponsor whose plans own directly or in trust one or more unallocated annuity contracts not included in (ii) of this subsection (3)(b), five million dollars in benefits, irrespective of the number of contracts with respect to the contract owner or plan sponsor. Amended effective 7/22/01. §33-26A-3(c)(2). (2)(A) With respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts: (i) Three hundred thousand dollars in life insurance death benefits, but no more than $100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance; (ii) In health insurance benefits: (I) One hundred thousand dollars for coverages not defined as disability insurance or basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance or long-term care insurance as defined in section four, article fifteen-a, of this chapter, including any net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (II) Three hundred thousand dollars for disability insurance and $300,000 for long-term care insurance as defined in section four, article fifteen-a of this chapter; (III) $500,000 for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance or major medical insurance; or (iii) $250,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values; (B) With respect to each individual participating in a governmental retirement plan established under section 401, 403(b) or 457 of the United States Internal Revenue Code covered by an unallocated annuity contract or the beneficiaries of each such individual if deceased, in the aggregate, $250,000 in present value annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values. (C) With respect to each payee of a structured settlement annuity, or beneficiary or beneficiaries of the payee if deceased, $250,000 in present value annuity benefits, in the aggregate, including net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal value; (D) However, in no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than: (i) An aggregate of $300,000 in benefits with respect to any one life under paragraphs (A), (B) and (C) of this subdivision except with respect to benefits for basic hospital, medical and surgical insurance and major medical insurance under subparagraph (ii), paragraph (A) of this subdivision, in which case the aggregate liability of the association shall not exceed $500,000 with respect to any one individual, or (ii) With respect to one owner of multiple nongroup policies of life insurance, whether the policy owner is an individual, firm, corporation or other person, and whether the persons insured are officers, managers, employees or other persons, more than $5 million in benefits, regardless of the number of policies and contracts held by the owner. (E) With respect to either one contract owner provided coverage under paragraph (B), subdivision (3), subsection (a) of this section or one plan sponsor whose plans own directly or in trust one or more unallocated annuity contracts not included in paragraph (B), subdivision (2) of this subsection, $5 million in benefits, irrespective of the number of contracts with respect to the contract owner or plan sponsor. However, in the case where one or more unallocated annuity contracts are covered contracts under this article and are owned by a trust or other entity for the benefit of two or more plan sponsors, coverage shall be afforded by the association if the largest interest in the trust or entity owning the contract or contracts is held by a plan sponsor whose principal place of business is in this state. In no event shall the association be obligated to cover more than $5 million in benefits with respect to all of these unallocated contracts. (Amended effective 7.10.09).

2019-04-20T05:05:51Z

https://www.nolhga.com/factsandfigures/main.cfm/location/lawdetail/docid/8

But the op-ed also demonstrates that the Kagans continue to be clueless over the question they raise in their title: “why” we Americans are in Afghanistan at all and they fail to demonstrate any understanding of how outside forces can impact on a limited military presence’s viability in a foreign land. They make the same mistakes in their predictions of the likely course of developments as they did regarding Iraq. Like the Iraqis, the Afghans will have a say in their future and might not like the idea of continuing to grant legal immunity to a foreign occupying force. Nor does it appear that the perpetually rebuilding Afghan army will ever be battle ready, meaning that the American soldiers will become trapped in their bases, hostages to Afghan internal politics. Like it or not local sentiment does matter, even to a superpower, and it can serve to derail the best laid plans of the Kagans and Joint Chiefs of Staff. The stay-in-Afghanistan crowd generally argues that a continued presence is necessary to stop Afghanistan from becoming a failed state that would permit the return of terrorist groups. But Afghanistan is already a failed state if measured by massive corruption, its narco-economy, and the inability of the central government to control much of the country. Even if the Taliban returns it will undoubtedly have learned the lesson of 2001 and would not invite a return by U.S. forces by giving groups like al-Qaeda a safe haven, so the continued occupation serves no meaningful objective. And what of the terrorist threat itself? By the government’s own reckoning in its annual report on global terrorism, the al-Qaeda remnant in Afghanistan-Pakistan is a spent force that has been largely decapitated, suffers from poor morale and is only locally and intermittently funded. Al-Qaeda affiliated groups in places like Yemen and the Maghreb are far more formidable, but even including the threat they pose the Obama Administration is reported to be considering an end to the military-based approach against them that has been in place since 2001, replacing it with conventional intelligence and law enforcement. So why maintain the equivalent of two U.S. Army divisions in an unstable country where the local populace is far from friendly just to “fight against” a threat that approaches insignificance. Obviously there is no reason to do so. That the Kagans are beating the drum for war and still more war is not surprising as that is how they make a living, but it is more disturbing when newspapers and media outlets that pretend to be reputable persist in providing a forum for their cheerleading. The Kagans are likely familiar to many readers of TAC, having been leading neoconservative spokesmen since 9/11. Kimberly is currently president for the oddly named Institute for the Study of War while Fred, who claims to have been a co-creator of the surge policy that was applied in Iraq, is the director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute. Fred’s brother Robert is at the Brookings Institution and has also been a foreign policy adviser to both John McCain and Mitt Romney. The Kagans are classic neocon entrepreneurs who rely on nepotism and cronyism to work their way through the system. Kimberly studied ancient history at Yale under Donald Kagan and then married his son. She is now billed as a “military expert” by the neocon media in spite of her lack of any actual military experience. Kimberly and Fred have together attached themselves firmly to the COIN counterinsurgency strategy and to the surge tactics as well as to two of its leading proponents, General Stanley McChrystal and General David Petraeus. Kimberly has written a book glorifying Petraeus entitled “The Surge: a Military History.” For the neocon Weekly Standard she wrote a hagiography of the plodding General Raymond Odierno called “The Patton of Counterinsurgency” which might well be considered a comedy piece but for the fact that it was serious. Fred and Kimberly write mostly about the Middle East, but they do not appear to have working knowledge of either Farsi or Arabic, like many of the other neocon so-called experts, so their knowledge is derivative. The two Kagans, enthusiastic cheerleaders for overthrowing Saddam Hussein back in 2003, seem to have short memories and they have been dead wrong about Iraq. In an op-ed in the Washington Post on the impending US departure from Iraq in December 2011 they described five “American core interests” in the region. They were: that Iraq should continue to be one unified state; that there should be no al-Qaeda on its soil; that Baghdad abides by its international responsibilities; that Iraq should contain Iran; and that the al-Maliki government should accept US “commitment” to the region. But looking back a bit, in 2003 Iraq was more unified and stable than it is today; there was no al-Qaeda presence; Saddam abided by a sanctions regime imposed by the UN; and Iraq was the principal Arab state restraining Iran. Then, as now, the US was clearly “committed” to the region through the presence of its armed forces and one should add parenthetically that Iraq in no way threatened the United States, or anyone else. It was precisely the US invasion that dismantled the Iraqi nation-state, introduced al-Qaeda to the country, wrecked the nation’s economy, and brought into power a group of Shi’a leaders who are now much closer to Tehran than they are to Washington. So none of the five “core interests” have actually been achieved, or, rather, they have actually been reversed due to the invasion and occupation by the United States endorsed by the Kagans. The Kagans also used their media access to promote the trajectory of General David Petraeus and reportedly also became his advisers when he moved to CIA, so it is apparent that being wrong repeatedly has no effect on one’s employability. Seeing Iraq as a stepping stone to war with Iran Kimberly once wrote a bizarre opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal entitled “The Second Iran-Iraq War” which repeated the Petraeus claim that Iran was responsible for most of the violence in Iraq and then went on to assert that the “US must recognize that Iran is engaged in a full-up proxy war against it in Iraq.” In her piece on the “Patton of Counterinsurgency” Kimberly shamelessly flattered Petraeus and his colleague Ray Odierno, “Great commanders often come in pairs: Eisenhower and Patton, Grant and Sherman, Napoleon and Davout, Marlborough and Eugene, Caesar and Labienus. Generals David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno can now be added to the list.” The deceased generals whom Kagan cites won their laurels by fighting against enemies who were as well armed, well equipped, and numerous as their own forces. They didn’t earn their stars and garters by bombing Fedayeen irregulars or arming and then bribing the insurgents to cease and desist as was done during the surge in Iraq. Far from being a respected battlefield tested soldier, Petraeus has only one decoration for valor, a somewhat dubious Bronze Star awarded when he was already a general. He has never seen combat at a close and personal level. Nor has Odierno. And so relying on such expert advice we might well soldier on in a war that the United States will inevitably lose. Only “over 30,000” more troops in Afghanistan in perpetuity and we will be just fine. The Kagans guarantee it. 50 Comments to "The Forever Wars of Frederick & Kimberly Kagan" More than most propagandists they rely on the amnesiac tendency of the public mind. And as several of the quotes above suggest, their stuff seems stale and over-the-top within months of being written. That gushing bilge on Petraeus and Odierno is priceless. One looks forward to the day that people like this are registered as foreign agents. The Kagans’ motto seems to be “a sucker is born every minute”. Prime candidates for Rod Dreher’s Bush List of a few weeks ago. One hopes the GOP, at least, will wake up. A lot of their base refused to vote for Romney because of his association with the Kagan-cabal and will, in future, do the same for any other GOP candidate who walks hand-in-hand with these “people” giddy for war, war and more war. Kagan along with his brother Robert Kagan, who is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group, and their father Donald, are all signatories to the Project for the New American Century manifesto titled Rebuilding America’s Defenses. None of these Kagans ever served in the military, let alone ever saw combat up close and personal. I am just going get it off my chest as ofetn as possible: “Told them so.” We wanted about twenty players an we sent 80,000. Unless we are willing to do what it takes, the best choice may be to partition a safe haven state as with the Kurds (I doubt that will pan out as we’d like.) in the hops that they will in time become an effectual society. And it may not even be our place to do that. I have no doubt that somewhaere in the background (shadows) there are serious business interests that have visions of mineral and oil pipeline developments. A few months back, retired Gen. Jack Keane, another coauthor of the Iraq surge, was on the NPR program Talk of the Nation along with Andrew Bacevitch. At one point, Keane mentioned the need to maintain a “residual force” in Afghanistan even after “we pull out all our troops” by the end of 2014. When asked about the size of the “residual force,” Keane said “15,000 to 30,000.” I believe Keane and the Kagans talk frequently. That occurred a few weeks after the NY Times had a piece mentioning that the size of the residual force, first mentioned by Obama in the spring of 2012, was being discussed in the range of 10,000 to 15,000. What I find astounding is that Obama has been given credit (by Gen.Colin Powell, among others) for speeding our withdrawal from Afghanistan more than two years before it actually happened and this was only after he greatly expanded the troop presence in Afghanistan and extended the war by at least six years. (More than 70% of American deaths in Afghanistan have occurred under Obama’s presidency.) I toss his speeding our withdrawal from Afghanistan in the same category as his saving the U.S. from a “second Great Depression” and his great contribution to world peace that was commemorated by the award of the Nobel Peace Prize. We need to get the hell out of that place. Afghanistan and it’s people offer the United States nothing! Washington is simply emptying the coffers of the American taxpayer by continuing this idiotic war. It is smoke and mirrors. There is no objective to achieve. Cronies like Petraeus say that “we have to win their hearts and minds” to win the war. That is totally insane. How can you base a military strategy on something so subjective and vague! It’s impossible to “win hearts and minds”. The Afghan people have to win their own hearts and minds, not our brave men and women in uniform. COIN strategy is an absolute failure. There is no ands, ifs, or buts about it. It promotes funneling American taxpayer dollars to the “Afghan economy” in order to foster relationship building. I can tell you from first-hand experience that our dollars go directly to Taliban and terrorist-linked organizations. Washington is directly funding the war against us! How many more American military members must die from “Green on Blue” violence or whatever it is they call it. The Afghans don’t want us there! They want to kill us! They have no allegiances and they share no values that our countrymen cherish. It is a losing proposition and has been from the very beginning. We need to get the hell out of there! The afghan army is not as incompetent as is widely believed, and can probably hold out with some support. The reason that Af-Pak al qaeda/pakistani mujahedeen are so beaten up is the ongoing campaign that the american military/cia has been waging against them. End that campaign, and the ISI’s terrorist network will simply spin back into action and begin projecting power back into afghanistan. Without the bulwark of the drones on their eastern border, the afghan army has little chance. We are still at something of a tipping point where afghanistan could go either way. It is no longer necessary to conduct massive operations there, but full withdrawal at this point looks foolish and irresponsible. Just because we are all tired of having soldiers overseas does not mean that the job is done. That the Kagans are loathesome creatures doesn’t change the facts on the ground. There is still much that could go wrong if we are too hasty about leaving the afghans to their own devices. There is so much wrong and on so many levels with these two characters (The Kagans) that it is difficult to even pinpoint the actual starting point for discussion of their article’s (I did go and read that opus on WP site) cascading platitudes and cliches, as well as barely hidden resentment towards readers . Amateurs can discuss imaginary, over-the-horizon “light footprint” strategies. Professionals must consider logistics. Physics and military reality dictate the minimum number of troops needed to have any U.S. presence in Afghanistan without inviting calamities worse than the events in Benghazi, Libya. Since Kagans imply here that they are “professionals” and, consequently, the readers should be the amateurs, by using beaten to death cliche about tactics (in some versions–strategy, in others, like Rommel’s–quartermasters) and logistics, it would be a good idea for Kagans to take some serious classes in Calculus (especially Differential Equations and good ole Lanchester) and to get acquainted at least with the basics of the Theory Of Operational Research, the way it is taught in serious military academic establishments. Then, maybe, they will learn (don’t hold my breath, though) that serious operations’ planning (that is the one not on the platoon or battalion level) and the required force is calculated, how to put it politely, with more than just consideration of “military reality” (c), since assessment of this same “military reality” is the thing, which also dictates contingencies. So before military reality begins to “dictate” anything, serious militaries study reality itself. And there is a lot that goes into that study. Mentioning of physics is, certainly, cute but how about geography, hydro-meteorology and some other “disciplines”?? I am pretty sure that Lt.Colonel Davis has a much better grasp of war calculus (in literal sense also) than Kagans. But it also cannot hide the fact that if there are any amateurs here–those are The Kagans. The Kagans do not want to accept the simple fact that the very presence of US troops in Afghanistan is part of the problem. How many trillions of dollars has the US squandered due to bad advice from the Kagans? Let’s remember that the Sunnis and Shias in Iraq were getting along much better, overall, in the years prior to the idiotic US invasion in 2003. Considerable intermarriage. I too find it astounding that Obama gets credit for pulling US troops out of Afghanistan, when he blundered badly by trebling the US military presence in that country – – thanks to bad advice from General Petraeus, Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates. Would you believe Petraeus and “Desert Ox” (Thankyou Jeff Huber) are Varro and Paullus, Burgoyne and Howe, Brunswick and Hohenlohe or Haig and Nivelle? war is very serious business. And either we do a war required to pacify a nation or we pair down our objetives. But attempting to piece meal a natios as would kniw a quilt under the current circumstances seems fool hardy. Yeah, there’s a pair you want to emulate. What “vital national interests” does the U.S. have in that backward, landlocked Muslim country half a world away that would justify the loss of one American soldier? Why should Americans care about what goes on in Afghanistan? Shouldn’t those questions be answered before you do the complicated mathematical analyses to determine whether you can succeed in “winning” that war, which lost its point nine, if not ten, years ago? No actual evidence of nepotism and cronyism is offered, only insinuation. And the little reasoning that exists is obviously flawed. You don’t need military experience to be a military expert. Otherwise a distinguished military historian such as John Keegan could not be considered an expert. Kimberly Kagan, although only 40, has written two books on military history as well as numerous essays, and founded a think tank for researching military affairs (the Institute for the Study of War), which she has headed since 2007. I’d say that qualifies her as an expert. This article by Giraldi is not much more than puerile screaming and thrashing. Are only those who see combat “up close and personal” are qualified to decide whether the U.S. should go to war? That would mean that no more than 8% of our population, if that (not all veterans have seen combat), would be allowed to vote on the matter. Everyone knows the real reason that Americans oppose the war is because they do not want to spread gay rights and feminism to Iran. I think Fred Kagan was one of the minds behind the Surge in Iraq. And the necessary extension of all troops there from 12 to 15 month tours. I remember that 15 month tour quite distinctly, and how we would sit and trade murderous thoughts about the author of that idea, that idea and the idea of “stop-loss.” AKA, stay in the military until we’re done with you, never mind what your enlistment contract says. So a bunch of had our deployment and enlistment lengthened within a very short time frame. I completely agree that someone somewhere needs to sit and think through what our vital national interests actually are. Wouldn’t it be cool if the Kagans went on patrol in A-stan in order to boost their “street cred” with the other neocon fantasists? Wouldn’t it be even cooler if they took Max Boot with them? 1) Our reputation. Immediate withdrawal would throw afghanistan into violent chaos, and we would be blamed for it. Even if one ignores the humanitarian consequences of such foolishness for the Afghans, themselves (who no one here seems to care about), it would make us look like callous cowards. 2) The terrorist training camps that flourished in the Af-Pak region before 9/11 haven’t been permanently defeated. If the US military disappears completely, they will come back. Pakistan will see to that. 3) Our relationship with India. Afghanistan without US troops would likely become the site of an expanded proxy war between India and Pakistan. Our continued presence there relieves pressure on the Indian government, and they are aware of this fact. This would go far toward improving our country’s leadership. To hell with all the chicken hawks calling the shots on the sidelines. If they had some real skin in the game, the thought of more wars wouldn’t always leave them panting with excitement. Afghanistan was engaged in a civil war for more than 20 years before we invaded after 9/11; it has continued to be involved in a civil war after we invaded; and it will continue to be involved in a civil war after we withdraw our troops. It is not a matter that concerns Americans which Afghan faction rules in Afghanistan. Do you really think the Taliban is so stupid that it will allow new Al Qaeda training camps to be established in Afghanistan should it regain power in Afghanistan? If they do allow such camps, we merely bomb Afghanistan back to the pebble age. Do you really think the U.S. should be losing American lives and spending billions of U.S. dollars in Afghanistan in order to prevent a future war between India and Pakistan? According to Wikipedia, “Since the partition of British India in 1947 and creation of India and Pakistan, the two South Asian countries have been involved in four wars, including one undeclared war, as well as many border skirmishes and military stand-offs. Additionally, India has accused Pakistan of engaging in proxy wars by providing military and financial assistance to violent non-state actors.” That line of thinking would permit the stationing of U.S. troops in numerous places around the world and our involvement in endless wars. Kimberly Kagan, although only 40, has written two books on military history as well as numerous essays, and founded a think tank for researching military affairs (the Institute for the Study of War), which she has headed since 2007. I’d say that qualifies her as an expert. Expert in what? Military history, with which I, personally have no quarrels in this case, or, and here it comes, Operational Planning and Research. While the former is, definitely, a great thing to have in one’s background it does not in any way determines the expertise in the latter. In fact, those two fields are two different animals. To understand the significance of this difference one has to know what lays in the foundation of such things as combat tactical and operational manuals and what goes into them, and how they are incorporated into the planning (and execution) process of the superior staffs and what calculations go into this in justification of the decision on operation, let alone war (campaign). This is an incredibly complex and multifaceted process in which Ph.D in Military History could be plain simple irrelevant. One does not have to go too far to understand what it means–enough to take a look at the list of the academic courses in any respectable military academy of any first rate military power to see what goes into those courses. While having a study of military history, those courses are heavily loaded with the higher mathematics ranging from calculus to heavy study of statistics and probability, not to mention, especially in the case of navy and air force, huge emphasis on technological (with, applied, engineering accent) disciplines. This is not done for the reason that someone simply wanted to make the life of officers miserable, it was done to form the appropriate state of mind and to develop a necessary set of skills for modern warfare, which is an extremely complex matter. Understanding of it is paramount, especially on the level of military planners. So, now some neo-cons, who already lost any credibility they may have had on Iraq, try to come up with some off the wall number for Afghanistan and tell that they know how to calculate it?? Sure (sarcasm), especially when the “specialist” in “Russian and Soviet military history” such as Frederick Kagan takes part. Clausewitz has a wonderful dictum (I am pretty sure Kagans know that): “It is legitimate to judge an event by its outcome, for this is the soundest criterion.”(c) The outcomes are really visible today for any unbiased observer. The role of those “ideologues” like Kagans in those outcomes is, also, very clear. So, do we have to trust their judgement in the matters of policy, strategy, operations and numbers?? The answer is obvious. Perhaps one should note at this point that Russia and China, and Iran, have a larger stake in stability in Afghanistan, than does the US. Yet the Kagans want to continue to hose the American taxpayers. That’s OK. Our reputation is already in the toilet thanks to the way we’ve gone about this. And it makes us look even more callous to be killing innocent civilians, attracting fanatical foreign fighters, and paying off so many corrupt and rapacious Afghan officials and warlords. They’ll either flourish in Af-Pak or someplace else. After 11 years of failure it’s high time that we stopped bankrupting and making fools of ourselves and let India, China, Pakistan and Iran work out at a regional solution. The most important factor contributing to conflict in this region is our destabilizing presence. Every regional actor knows this, India included. India doesn’t want us there, Pakistan doesn’t want us there. Afghanistan doesn’t want us there. In brief, there is no downside to pulling out of Afghanistan immediately, unless you’re a defense contractor, a bribed Afghan official, or a neocon who wants to create lots of Moslem enemies for the United States so that we are forced into the same foxhole as the Israelis for another generation. Actually, you do. In some cases it makes the difference between professionals who know what they’re talking about and liberal arts majors who leapfrogged the tough stuff into policymaking positions. You can be a military historian without military experience – and there are fine ones, the dire case of the Kagans notwithstanding – but military expertise requires experience. (Socrates, himself a veteran in case you didn’t know it, makes this point many times). … and yet Giraldi has been right about almost everything the Kagans have gotten completely, dismally wrong. And there’s no reason to think that record will not be burnished in the years to come. Maybe that’s because Phil, unlike the Kagans, has real expertise? For a good example of “puerile screaming and thrashing” see “the real Iraq Study Group” nonsense that the Kagans circulated out a few years ago. Compare to reality, then come to Jesus and feel free to snigger like the rest of us. The Kagan’s don’t care about the disastrous results of their incompetent advice (see Iraq surge and aftermath), so long as American troops are standing between Israel and its enemies. That is the ultimate purpose of all of this. It has virtually nothing to do with US security, not in the region, and certainly not elsewhere in the world. I can’t seem to recall any foxhole the Israelis have shared with American soldiers in Israel’s 64 year old history. And, they could ask the British, who had plenty of experience in Afghanistan during the 19th and 20 centuries. That worked out well, didn’t it. Too right. Fascinating, isn’t it? Our “most valuable ally in the region” never actually gets around to fighting shoulder to shoulder with us, does it? No matter, our emerging alliance with Israel, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Canada and the Czech Republic will more than make up for the loss of dead weight old-school allies like Germany, Britain, France, Australia and Japan. We’re all going to forge each other’s passports and assassinate our enemies with drones. South Asia, not Southeast Asia. I hope the editor’s mistake isn’t repeated in the print edition. If you’re to be taken seriously those things must not slip by. Easy to imagine someone stuck in the 1960s. Take it up a notch. I prefer “southwest Asia” myself. Includes Pakistan & Afghanistan doesn’t leave out the source of so many problems. “2) The terrorist training camps that flourished in the Af-Pak region before 9/11 haven’t been permanently defeated. If the US military disappears completely, they will come back. Pakistan will see to that. The reason they will flourish is not because of Pakistan, (although Pakistan’s ISI does have a close relationship with jihadist groups); but because of Saudi Arabian, Qatari, and other Gulf state funding. Saudi and Gulf donors are the biggest source of funding for al-Qaeda, according to American officials. There is also funding for madrassas, the factories for future terrorists, jihadists, Taliban, which comes from Saudi and Gulf sources. Yet, America has a very close relationship with Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries. We give them military aid. It seems that America is indirectly funding the Islamist terrorists it pretends to fight. Is this a good thing for American interests or bad thing? That’s OK. Our reputation is already in the toilet thanks to the way we’ve gone about this. No, our reputation was hurt by the Iraq war. Most of the world sees Afghanistan as a difficult but necessary conflict. Less so today than in 2002, but Afghanistan is not viewed as some great American failing, in large part because it is backed by the UN. They’ll either flourish in Af-Pak or someplace else. Except that they are not flourishing anywhere at the moment, in large part because the CIA pursues them wherever they go: Af-Pak, Somalia, Yemen, etc. You talk about “bankrupting ourselves”, but the specific benefit of using drones is that they are cheap. “Small footprint” solutions which leave a modest number of American troops guarding a drone base and occasionally conducting special ops missions are economically sustainable, and don’t put many American lives at risk. $70,000 for a hellfire missile that kills a few terrorists in training is pennies on the dollar compared to other methods of hunting them. As much as I dislike the “fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them here” argument as it was used to justify the Iraq war (relevance, zero), it has a good deal of pull in the theatres where we are trying to stamp out actual terrorist activity. The most important factor contributing to conflict in this region is our destabilizing presence. Lol. Open a history book. The Indians and Pakistanis (or more broadly and more accurately, Hindus and Muslims) have a thousand year history of hatred and bloodshed. They will go on murdering one another and using their neighbors as cat’s paws long after we are gone. What motivates the Kagans and the other neoconservatives in promoting these debilitating neo-imperial wars in the Muslim world is simply their fierce allegiance to the ideology of Vladimir Zeev Jabotinsky and the Zionist ultra-nationalist project of a Greater Israel. Central to this is promoting enmity and military invasions of the 1. 5 billion Muslim world which inevitably leads to radicalization and retaliation in kind as we witnessed on 9/11 (and which was most certainly not due to our freedom), thus further revitalizing the vicious cycle. It is the fault of the vast majority of Americans, (both Republicans and Democrats) who dont share these ethno-sectarian identities and allegiances (and those of the crazed Armageddon Evangelical churches) for allowing American foreign policy to be hijacked and American blood and treasure squandered while we compromise our liberties at home and our great power status abroad on behalf of 4 million Israelis and their racist blood and soil settlement project. The smallest footprint of all is to get out, and the cheapest solution is to change our Middle East policy. There is no reason not to do both, and we’ve got pressing problems here at home that demand all our attention. Open a history book. The Indians and Pakistanis (or more broadly and more accurately, Hindus and Muslims) have a thousand year history of hatred and bloodshed. They will go on murdering one another and using their neighbors as cat’s paws long after we are gone. As will Jews and Arabs. Get out and leave them to it. We have nothing to add except more fuel for the flames. The fact that we are involved in any way in this mess is almost beyond belief. Most of the world sees Afghanistan as a difficult but necessary conflict. The majority in every country contributing to the international force in Afghanistan want to withdraw immediately. Big, 60+ percent majorities in most of them, and over 55 percent in the US. The number who see going into Afghanistan as having been a mistake in the first place is growing. One poll in the link above reports that of 47 countries surveyed, only 2 wanted the US and the international force to remain: Israel and Kenya. “Germany: 68% think the German military should never have been allowed to deploy, while 23% think the military deployment is still appropriate. 70% no longer believe in the success of the military mission. 50% think they should leave when they have ‘suitably concluded’ their mission, and 44% want an immediate withdrawal of German troops. 78% feel they have been misinformed by their government, and 12% thought that the government had provided them a clear picture of the situation. United Kingdom: 57% want all of their soldiers brought home immediately. 71% think the war is unwinnable, an increase of 11% from June, and 60% said the war was not worth the deaths of British soldiers. 62% disagree that having British military forces makes Britain a safer place and 58% say their country’s military intervention actually increases the likelihood of a terrorist attack at home. Actually, you do. In some cases it makes the difference between professionals who know what they’re talking about and liberal arts majors who leapfrogged the tough stuff into policymaking positions. It depends, there are people (but they are few, it has to be pointed out) with the history and some national security studies background who, while never serving in military, DO have a gravitas, especially in strategic and policy issues. Also, in some tactical and operational issues. Those, purely civilian, people do exist and they are highly respected. One of those people is Norman Polmar, whose understanding of the naval tactical, operational, strategic and technological issues rivals that of the foremost naval thinkers. Having said all that, when talking about tactical and operational issues, that is the issues related to, especially so, Command and Control and leadership, which involves a first hand experience with leading a personnel, as well as being in charge of interaction of this personnel and assigned weapon systems, and the way they are used, from the platoon level up–this is an indispensable experience and knowledge, which comes only through actual military academia and service. This all in no way relates to The Kagans whose “military” activity is based around parroting whatever is told to them by the ideologically close military officers–people from the same party (bottom) line as Kagans are. Or, trying to make those military people ideologically close to Kagan’s neo-con positions. Some of the Kagans writings are, actually, difficult to read without cringing. As for teaching of the military history, say, in West Point as one of the Kagans did–this, in no way, makes him an expert on war. It merely makes him an expert on narrative. Especially, against the background of the more or less firm global consensus in the issues of the military history from ancient times all the way to the end of the Cold War. After that, if memory serves me right, Plutarch’s dictum comes in play in which it is stated that it takes about 50 years after war’s end for historian to judge it objectively. In the case of Kagans it may take centuries, if ever. Plus, there is a huge difference between narrating a campaign (and interpreting it) and, for example, explaining what mathematical (and statistical) modelling and application of the network-centric planning for, say, developing the decision on battle for armored brigade are. Really?? So, invasion of Indonesia is also in plans?? Wow, live and learn. As for marked in bold, Sir, are you sure that this is a Hamas or Hezbollah forum?? Your post reeks of the islamists’ propaganda and this is my impression, and I cannot stand neocons. What’s wrong with supporting Islamists in Syria and Libya? I thought that was the point. There’s no reason to be concerned if they killed our ambassador because they aren’t attacking any US civilians in my suburban neighborhood. We have to overthrow Bashar with the help of al-Qaeda affiliated mercenaries supported by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Bashar is guilty of giving a safe haven to Iraqi Christians who ought to have been slaughtered by Saudi supported insurgents. For Bashar’s crime of helping Christians, the Islamists have gone crazy in Syria. We should be supporting them, because these Wahabi Islamists hate the Shia, which are represented by Hezbollah in Lebanon. So if you hate Hezbollah, and support our troops, you must support Sunni Islamists in their slaughter of Christians and all Shia men, women and children, because every Shia is a supporter of Hezbollah. I have always repudiated the ghoulish calculus employed by welfare queens like the Kagans (whose money all comes from the pseudo-private Thanatocracy – the Merchants of Death who suckle at the public teat and are therefore net tax recipients), but what the hey, let’s do so for a second. The BEST thing – for humanity – that could happen to the US military would be a redux of the massacre of Elphinstone’s column at Gandamak Pass in 1842 as they sought to retreat from Kabul: that was, IIRC, the largest tactical defeat inflicted on the vaunted British military in its history to that point. Because let’s make this clear: unless and until the US military experiences its own Stalingrad, it will continue to extend its malificent tentacles across the world. It is a machinery of death and mayhem, despite all its self-hagiography (augmented by the tax-whores like Kagan, Kristol et seq.). I find that Petraeus w/ his Bronze Star and the Kagans w/ their Soviet Star have been able to direct US military efforts when they have never put their lives on the line by serving in combat. The insistence of this couple (the Kagans) on American continuous presence in Afghanistan centers around their desire to use the remnants of US forces in Afghanistan to attack Iran from Afghanistan front! Please, do not underestimate the two couple and those who support them! They will not blink to sacrifice any Iranian willing to fight or Iraqis and youth from other nations who ca be talked into joining American youths to bleed on their behalf. Africans youths are now being used to fight in Somalia. They will buy any leader of any nation in the world who is willing to sacrifice that nation’s youth, just like the Bulgarians and Polish youth did in Iraq! The tanking of the world economy has made it very difficult for young people to earn decent wages. All of us remember that the world’s economy was turned upside down while everyone’s attention was focus on the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan! There is massive unemployment worldwide and many youths are willing to do anything to earn a living. So, do not underestimate the Kagans and their supporters! What is an “Army”? Should it not be the organization that defends a country from invaders? By that definition the “Afghan Army” is functioning quite well. They seem to be able to hold off a military that consumes half the planet’s military spending with minimal weaponry. As for the argument that to be a “military expert” one must take calculus, physics and other math and science courses I think it’s obvious that those classes may be nice but, are merely window dressing. How many of the tribesmen in Helmand have take calculus? Physics? War is the ultimate crime. War mongers and the war profiteers they work for are the ultimate criminals. It’s a mistake to argue details with a talk show Napoleon. The Iraq “war” was mass murder and nothing more. The AfPac war serves nobody except the rich men who are made richer. Talk of winning or losing is for rubes.

2019-04-22T16:22:44Z

http://www.unz.com/pgiraldi/the-forever-wars-of-frederick-kimberly-kagan/

Japanese gardens (日本庭園, nihon teien?) are traditional gardens that create miniature idealized landscapes, often in a highly abstract and stylized way. The gardens of the Emperors and nobles were designed for recreation and aesthetic pleasure, while the gardens of Buddhist temples were designed for contemplation and meditation. The idea of these unique gardens began during the Asuka period when Japanese merchants witnessed the gardens that were being built in China and became so inspired by the gardens that they would frequently import many facets of the Chinese culture back to their own country. Today, in many parts of Japan and the western part of the world the traditions of Japanese garden art still maintain their full intensity of expression and continue to inspire the many artists that aspire to create a personal Japanese garden of their own. Japanese gardens first appeared on the island of Honshu, the large central island of Japan. In their physical appearance they were influenced by the distinct characteristics of the Honshu landscape; rugged volcanic peaks, narrow valleys and mountain streams with waterfalls and cascades, lakes, and beaches of small stones. They were also influenced by the rich variety of flowers and different species of trees, particularly evergreen trees, on the islands, and by the four distinct seasons in Japan, including hot, wet summers and snowy winters. Japanese gardens have their roots in Japanese religion of Shinto, with its story of the creation of eight perfect islands, and of the shinchi, the lakes of the gods. Prehistoric Shinto shrines to the kami, the gods and spirits, are found on beaches and in forests all over the island. Sometimes they took the form of unusual rocks or trees, which were marked with cords of rice fiber (shimenawa), and surrounded with white stones or pebbles, a symbol of purity. The white gravel courtyard became a distinctive feature of Shinto shrines, Imperial Palaces, Buddhist temples, and zen gardens. Japanese gardens also were strongly influenced by the Chinese philosophy of Daoism, and Amida Buddhism, imported from China in or around 552 AD. Daoist legends spoke of five mountainous islands inhabited by the Eight Immortals, who lived in perfect harmony with nature. Each Immortal flew from his mountain home on the back of a crane. The islands themselves were located on the back of an enormous sea turtle. In Japan, the five islands of the Chinese legend became one island, called Horai-zen, or Mount Horai. Replicas of this legendary mountain, the symbol of a perfect world, are a common feature of Japanese gardens, as are rocks representing turtles and cranes. The earliest recorded Japanese gardens were the pleasure gardens of the Japanese Emperors and nobles. They are mentioned in several brief passages of Nihon Shoki, the first chronicle of Japanese history, published in 720 AD. In the spring of the year 74 AD, the chronicle recorded: "The Emperor Keikō put a few carp into a pond, and rejoiced to see them morning and evening". The following year, "The Emperor launched a double-hulled boat in the pond of Ijishi at Ihare, and went aboard with his imperial concubine, and they feasted sumptuously together". And in 486, "The Emperor Kenzō went into the garden and feasted at the edge of a winding stream". The Chinese garden had a very strong influence on the early Japanese gardens. In or around 552 AD Buddhism was officially installed from China, via Korea, into Japan. Between 600 and 612, the Japanese Emperor sent four legations to the Court of the Chinese Sui Dynasty. Between 630 and 838, the Japanese court sent fifteen more legations to the court of the Tang Dynasty. These legations, with more than five hundred members each, included diplomats, scholars, students, Buddhist monks, and translators. They brought back Chinese writing, art objects, and detailed descriptions of Chinese gardens. In 612, the Empress Suiko had garden built with an artificial mountain, representing Shumi-Sen, or Mount Sumeru, reputed in Hindu and Buddhist legends to be located at the center of the world. During the reign of the same Empress, one of her ministers, Soga no Umako, had a garden built at his palace featuring a lake with several small islands, representing the islands of the Eight Immortals famous in Chinese legends and the Daoist philosophy. This Palace became the property of the Japanese Emperors, was named "The Palace of the Isles", and was mentioned several times in the Man'yōshū, the "Collection of Countless Leaves", the oldest known collection of Japanese poetry. It appears from the small amount of literary and archeological evidence available that the Japanese gardens of this time were modest versions of the Imperial gardens of the Tang Dynasty, with large lakes scattered with artificial islands and artificial mountains. While they had some Buddhist and Daoist symbolism, they were meant to be pleasure gardens, and places for festivals and celebrations. Like the Chinese Emperors and court, the Japanese aristocrats enjoyed their gardens in small boats with carved dragon heads. In 794, at the beginning of the Heian Period, the Japanese court moved its capital to Heian-kyō (present-day Kyoto). During this period, there were three different kinds of gardens; palace gardens and the gardens of nobles in the capital; the gardens of villas at the edge of the city; and the gardens of temples. The architecture of the palaces, residences and gardens in the Heian period followed Chinese practice. Houses and gardens were aligned on a north-south axis, with the residence to the north and the ceremonial buildings and main garden to the south, there were two long wings to the south, like the arms of an armchair, with the garden between them. The gardens featured one or more lakes connected by bridges and winding streams. The south garden of the imperial residences had a specially Japanese feature; a large empty area of white sand or gravel. The Emperor was the chief priest of Japan, and the white sand represented purity, and was a place where the gods could be invited to visit. The area was used for religious ceremonies, and dances for the welcoming of the gods. "It is a good omen to make the stream arrive from the east, to enter the garden, pass under the house, and then leave from the southeast. In this way, the water of the blue dragon will carry away all the bad spirits from the house toward the white tiger." The Imperial gardens of the Heian Period were water gardens, where visitors promenaded in elegant lacquered boats, listening to music, viewing the distant mountains, singing, reading poetry, painting, and admiring the scenery of the garden. The social life in the gardens was memorably described in the classic Japanese novel, the Tales of Genji, written in about 1005 by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting to the Empress. The traces of one such artificial lake, Osawa no ike, near the Daikaku-ji Temple in Kyoto, still can be seen. It was built by the Emperor Saga, who ruled from 809 to 823, and was said to be inspired by Dongting Lake in China. A scaled-down replica of the Kyoto Imperial Palace of 794 AD, the Heian-jingū, was built in Kyoto in 1895 to celebrate the 1100th birthday of the city. The south garden is famous for its cherry blossoms in spring, and for azaleas in the early summer. The west garden is known for the irises in June, and the large east garden lake recalls the leisurely boating parties of the 8th century. Near the end of the Heian period a new garden architecture style appeared, created by the followers of Pure Land Buddhism. These were called "Paradise Gardens," built to represent the legendary Paradise of the West, where the Amida Buddha ruled. These were built by noblemen who wanted to assert their power and independence from the Imperial household, which was growing weaker. The best surviving example of a Paradise Garden is Byōdō-in in Uji,near Kyoto. It was originally the villa of Fujiwara Michinaga, (966-1028), who married his daughters to the sons of the Emperor. After his death, his son transformed the villa into a temple, and in 1053 built the Hall of Phoenix, which still stands. The Hall is built in the traditional style of a Chinese Song Dynasty temple, on an island in the lake. It houses a gilded statue of the Amithaba Buddha, looking to the west. In the lake in front of the temple is a small island of white stones, representing Mount Horai, the home of the Eight Immortals of the Daoists, connected to the temple by a bridge, which symbolized the way to paradise. It was designed for mediation and contemplation, not as a pleasure garden. It was a lesson in Daoist and Buddhist philosophy created with landscape and architecture, and a prototype for future Japanese gardens. Osawa lake in Kyoto was part of the old imperial gardens of the Emperor Saga (809-823 AD). Model of a residence and garden at Heian-kyō (Kyoto), around 1000 AD. A 19th-century scaled-down reconstruction of the Heian-jingū, the first Kyoto Imperial Palace Garden, as it was in 794 AD. Stepping stones in the garden of the first Kyoto Imperial Palace. These stones were originally part of a 16th-century bridge over the Kamo River, which was destroyed by an earthquake. The weakness of the Emperors and the rivalry of feudal warlords resulted in two civil wars (1156 and 1159), which destroyed most of Kyoto and its gardens. The capital moved to Kamakura, Kanagawa, and then in 1336 back to the Muromachi quarter of Kyoto. The Emperors ruled in name only; real power was held by a military governor, the shogun. During this period, the Government reopened relations with China, which had been broken off almost three hundred years earlier. Japanese monks went again to study in China, and Chinese monks came to Japan, fleeing the Mongol invasions. The monks brought with them a new form of Buddhism, called simply Zen, or "meditation". The first zen garden in Japan was built by a Chinese priest in 1251 in Kamakura. Japan enjoyed a renaissance in religion, in the arts, and particularly in gardens. Many famous temple gardens were built early in this period, including Kinkaku-ji, The Golden Pavilion, built in 1398, and Ginkaku-ji, The Silver Pavilion, built in 1482. In some ways they followed Zen principles of spontaneity, extreme simplicity and moderation, but in other ways they were traditional Chinese Song-Dynasty Temples; the upper floors of the Golden Pavilion were covered with gold leaf, and they were surrounded by traditional water gardens. The most notable garden style invented in this period was the zen garden, or Japanese rock garden. One of the finest examples, and one of the best-known of all Japanese gardens is Ryōan-ji in Kyoto. This garden is just 9 meters wide and 24 meters long. It is composed of white sand carefully raked to suggest water, and fifteen rocks carefully arranged, like small islands. It is meant to be seen from a seated position on the porch of the residence the abbot of the monastery. There have been many debates about what the rocks are supposed to represent, but, as garden historian Gunter Nitschke wrote, "The garden at Ryōan-ji does not symbolize. It does not have the value of representing any natural beauty that can be found in the world, real or mythical. I consider it as an abstract composition of "natural" objects in space, a composition whose function is to incite mediation." Several of the famous zen gardens of Kyoto were the work of one man; Musō Soseki (1275–1351). He was a monk, a ninth-generation descendant of the Emperor Uda. He was also a formidable court politician, writer and organizer, who armed and financed ships to open trade with China, and founded an organization called the Five Mountains, made up of the most powerful Zen monasteries in Kyoto. He was responsible for the building of the zen gardens of Nanzen-ji; Saihō-ji (The Moss Garden); and Tenryū-ji. Ginkaku-ji, or the Silver Pavilion, in Kyoto, was (and is) a Zen Buddhist temple. (1482). The zen rock garden of Ginkaku-ji features a miniature mountain shaped like Mount Fuji. Nanzen-ji garden, Kyoto, built by Musō Soseki. Not all zen gardens were made of rock and sand; monks here contemplated a forest scene. Tenryū-ji garden in Kyoto. The Sogen pond, created by Musō Soseki, is one of the few surviving features of the original garden. The garden at Tokushima Castle (1592) on the island of Shikoku features water and enormous rocks. It was meant to be seen from above, from a viewing pavilion. The Momoyama period was short, just 32 years, and was largely occupied with the wars between the daimyo, the leaders of the feudal Japanese clans. The new centers of power and culture in Japan were the fortified castles of the daimyo, around which new cities and gardens appeared. The characteristic garden of the period featured one or more ponds or lakes next to the main residence, or shoin, not far from the castle. These gardens were meant to be seen from above, from the castle or residence. The daimyos had developed the skills of cutting and lifting large rocks to build their castles, and they had armies of soldiers to move them. The artificial lakes were surrounded by beaches of small stones and decorated with arrangements of boulders, with natural stone bridges and stepping stones. The gardens of this period combined elements of a promenade garden, meant to be seen from the winding garden paths, with elements of the zen garden, such as artificial mountains, meant to be contemplated from a distance. The most famous garden of this kind, built in 1592, is situated near the Tokushima castle on the island of Shikoku. Its notable features include a bridge 10.5 meters long made of two natural stones. Another notable garden of the period still existing is Sanbō-in, rebuilt by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1598 to celebrate the festival of the cherry blossom, and to recreate the splendor of an ancient garden. Three hundred garden-builders worked on the project, digging the lakes and installing seven hundred boulders in a space of 540 square meters. The garden was designed to be seen from the veranda of the main pavilion, or from the "Hall of the Pure View", located on a higher elevation in the garden. In the east of the garden, on a peninsula, is an arrangement of stones designed to represent the mythical Mount Horai. A wooden bridge leads to an island representing a crane, and a stone bridge connects this island to another representing a tortoise. which is connected by an earth-covered bridge back to the peninsula. The garden also includes a waterfall at the foot of a wooded hill. One characteristic of the Momoyama period garden visible at Sanbō-in is the close proximity of the buildings to the water. The Momoyama Period also saw the development of the chanoyu (tea ceremony), the chashitsu (teahouse), and the roji (tea garden). Tea had been introduced to Japan from China by Buddhist monks, who used it as a stimulant to keep awake during long periods of meditation. The first great tea master, Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591), defined in the most minute detail the appearance and rules of the tea house and tea garden, following the principle of wabi (侘び?) "sober refinement and calm". Following Sen no Rikyū's rules, the teahouse was supposed to suggest the cottage of a hermit-monk. It was a small and very plain wooden structure, often with a thatched roof, with just enough room inside for two tatami mats. The only decoration allowed inside a scroll with an inscription and a branch of a tree. It did not have a view of the garden. The garden was also small, and constantly watered to be damp and green. It usually had a cherry tree or elm to bring color in the spring, but otherwise did not have bright flowers or exotic plants that would distract the attention of the visitor. A path led to the entrance of the tea house. Along the path was waiting bench for guests and a privy, and a stone water-basin near the tea house, where the guests rinsed their hands and mouths before entering the tea room through a small, square door called nijiri-guchi, or "crawling-in entrance", which requires bending low to pass through. Sen no Rikyū decreed that the garden should be left unswept for several hours before the ceremony, so that leaves would be scattered in a natural way on the path. Tokushima Castle garden on the island of Shikoku. Tai-an tea house at Myōki-an Temple in Kyoto, built in 1582 by Sen no Rikyū. The garden at Daigo-ji (1598) is famous for its cherry blossoms. During the Edo Period, power was won and consolidated by the Tokugawa clan, who became the Shoguns, and moved the capital to Edo, which became Tokyo. During this time, Japan, except for the port of Nagasaki, was virtually closed to foreigners, and Japanese were not allowed to travel to any country except China or the Netherlands. The Emperor remained in Kyoto as a figurehead leader, with authority only over cultural and religious affairs. While the political center of Japan was now Tokyo, Kyoto remained the cultural capital, the center for religion and art. The Shoguns provided the Emperors with little power, but with generous subsidies for building gardens. The Edo period saw the widespread use of a new kind of Japanese architecture, called Sukiya-zukuri, which means literally "building according to chosen taste". The term first appeared at the end of the 16th century referring to isolated tea houses. It originally applied to the simple country houses of Samouri warriors and Buddhist monks, but in the Edo period it was used in every kind of building, from houses to palaces. The Sukiya style was used in the most famous garden of the period, the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto. The buildings were built in a very simple, undecorated style, a prototype for future Japanese architecture. They opened up onto the garden, so that the garden seemed entirely part of the building. Whether the visitor was inside or outside of the building, he always had a feeling he was in the center of nature. The garden buildings were arranged so that were always seen from a diagonal, rather than straight on. This arrangement had the poetic name ganko, which meant literally "a formation of wild geese in flight." Most of the gardens of the Edo Period were either promenade gardens or dry rock zen gardens, and they were usually much larger than earlier gardens. The promenade gardens of the period made extensive use of shakkei, the borrowing of landscapes in the distance, such as mountains, and integrating them into the garden; or, even better, building the garden on the side of a mountain and using the different elevations. Edo promenade gardens were often composed of a series of meisho, or "famous views", similar to postcards. These could be imitations of famous natural landscapes, like Mount Fuji, or scenes from Taoist or Buddhist legends, or landscapes illustrating verses of poetry. Unlike zen gardens, they were designed to portray nature as it appeared, not the internal rules of nature. The hermitage garden of the poet and scholar Ishikawa Jozan at Shisen-dō, built in 1641. It later became a temple. Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden in Tokyo, begun in 1629, is now surrounded by office buildings. Kenroku-en, 18th and 19th centuries, finished in 1874. Murin-an in Kyoto, finished 1898. During the Showa period (1926–1988), many traditional gardens were built by businessmen and politicians. After World War II, the principal builders of gardens were no longer private individuals, but banks, hotels, universities and government agencies. The Japanese garden became an extension of the architecture of the building. New gardens were designed by architecture school graduates, and often used modern building materials, such as concrete. Some modern Japanese gardens, such as Tōfuku-ji, designed by Mirei Shigemori, were inspired by classical models. Other modern gardens have taken a much more radical approach to the traditions. One example is Awaji Yumebutai, a garden on the island of Awaji, in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan, designed by Tadao Ando. It was built as part of a resort and conference center on a steep slope, where land had been stripped away to make an island for an airport. The ability to capture the essence of nature makes the Japanese gardens distinctive and appealing to observers. Traditional Japanese gardens are very different in style from occidental gardens. The contrast between western flower gardens and Japanese gardens is profound. "Western gardens are typically optimised for visual appeal while Japanese gardens are modelled with spiritual and philosophical ideas in mind." Japanese gardens have always been conceived as a representation of a natural setting. The Japanese have always had a spiritual connection with their land and the spirits that are one with nature, which explains why they prefer to incorporate natural materials in their gardens. Traditional Japanese gardens can be categorized into three types: tsukiyama (hill gardens), karesansui (dry gardens) and chaniwa gardens (tea gardens). The main purpose of a Japanese garden is to attempt to be a space that captures the natural beauties of nature. The small space given to create these gardens usually poses a challenge for the gardeners. Due to the absolute importance of the arrangement of natural rocks and trees, finding the right material becomes highly selective. The serenity of a Japanese landscape and the simple but deliberate structures of the Japanese gardens are what truly make the gardens unique. "The two main principles incorporated in a Japanese garden are scaled reduction and symbolization." Japanese gardens always have water, either a pond or stream, or, in the dry rock garden, represented by white sand. In Buddhist symbolism, water and stone are the ying-yang, two opposites that complement and complete each other. A traditional garden will usually have an irregular-shaped pond or, in larger gardens, two or more ponds connected by a channel or stream, and a cascade, a miniature version of Japan's famous mountain waterfalls. In traditional gardens, the ponds and streams are carefully placed according to Buddhist geomancy, the art and science of putting things in the place most likely to attract good fortune. The rules for the placement of water were laid out in the first manual of Japanese gardens, the Sakuteiki, or "The Creation of Gardens", in the 11th century (see "Literature" below). According to the Sakuteiki, the water should enter the garden from the east or southeast and flow toward the west because the east is the home of the Green Dragon (seiryu) an ancient Chinese divinity adapted in Japan, and the west is the home of the White Tiger, the divinity of the east. Water flowing from east to west will carry away evil, and the owner of the garden will be healthy and have a long life. According to the Sakuteiki, another favorable arrangement is for the water to flow from north, which represents water in Buddhist cosmology, to the south, which represents fire, which are opposites (ying-yang) and therefore will bring good luck. The Sakuteiki recommends several possible miniature landscapes using lakes and streams: the "ocean style", which features rocks that appear to have been eroded by waves, a sandy beach, and pine trees; the "broad river style", recreating the course of a large river, winding like a serpent; the "marsh pond" style, a large still pond with aquatic plants; the "mountain torrent style", with many rocks and cascades; and the "rose letters" style, an austere landscape with small, low plants, gentle relief and many scattered flat rocks. Traditional Japanese gardens have small islands in the lakes. In sacred temple gardens, there is usually an island which represents Mount Penglai or Mount Horai, the traditional home of the Eight Immortals. The Sakuteiki describes different kinds of artificial island which can be created in lakes, including the "mountainous island", made up of jagged vertical rocks mixed with pine trees, surrounded by a sandy beach; the "rocky island", composed of "tormented" rocks appearing to have been battered by sea waves, along with small, ancient pine trees with unusual shapes; the "cloud island", made of white sand in the rounded white forms of a cumulus cloud; and the "misty island", a low island of sand, without rocks or trees. A cascade or waterfall is an important element in Japanese gardens, a miniature version of the waterfalls of Japanese mountain streams. The Sakuteiki described seven kinds of cascades. It notes that if possible a cascade should face toward the moon and should be designed to capture the moon's reflection in the water. An island of weathered rocks and a single pine tree in Rikugi-en garden in Tokyo represents Mount Horai, the legendary home of the Eight Immortals. Rock, sand and gravel are an essential feature of the Japanese garden. A vertical rock may represent Mount Horai, the legendary home of the Eight Immortals. or Mount Sumeru of Buddhist teaching, or a carp jumping from the water. A flat rock might represent the earth. Sand or gravel can represent a beach, or a flowing river. Rocks and water also symbolize yin and yang, (in and yō in Japanese) in Buddhist philosophy; the hard rock and soft water complement each other, and water, though soft, can wear away rock. Rough volcanic rocks (kasei-gan) are usually used to represent mountains or as stepping stones. Smooth and round sedimentary rocks (suisei-gan) are used around lakes or as stepping stones. Hard metamorphic rocks are usually placed by waterfalls or streams. Rocks are traditionally classified as tall vertical, low vertical, arching, reclining, or flat. Rocks should vary in size and color but from each other, but not have bright colors, which would lack subtlety. Rocks with strata or veins should have the veins all going in the same direction, and the rocks should all be firmly planted in the earth, giving an appearance of firmness and permanence. Rocks are arranged in careful compositions of two, three, five or seven rocks, with three being the most common. In a three-arrangement, a tallest rock usually represents heaven, the shortest rock is the earth, and the medium-sized rock is humanity, the bridge between heaven and earth. Sometimes one or more rocks, called suteishi, ("nameless" or "discarded") are placed in seemingly random locations in the garden, to suggest spontaneity, though their placement is carefully chosen. In ancient Japan, sand (suna) and gravel (jari) were used around Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Later it was used in the Japanese rock garden or Zen Buddhist gardens to represent water or clouds. White sand represented purity, but sand could also be gray, brown or bluish-black. Shitenno-ji garden. Note the three-rock composition in the center. A large flat rock on an island in Korakuen garden in Tokyo, which represents a turtle's head. Carefully positioned stones around the pond in Ritsurin Garden. Combination of checkerboard pattern and watter patterns at the Negoro-Temple (Negoro-ji), Prefecture Wakayama. while the cult of stones is also central to Japanese gardening … as stones were part of an aesthetic design and had to be placed so that their positions appeared natural and their relationships harmonious. The concentration of the interest on such detail as the shape of a rock or the moss on a stone lantern led at times to an overemphatic picturesqueness and accumulation of minor features that, to Western eyes accustomed to a more general survey, may seem cluttered and restless. Such attention to detail can be seen at places such as Midori Falls in Kenroku-en Garden in Kanazawa, Ishikowa Prefecture, as the rocks at the waterfall's base were changed at various times by six different daimyo. In Heian Period Japanese gardens, built in the Chinese model, buildings occupied as much or more space than the garden. The garden was designed to be seen from the main building and its verandas, or from small pavilions built for that purpose. In later gardens, the buildings were less visible. Rustic teahouses were hidden in their own little gardens, and small benches and open pavilions along the garden paths provided places for rest and contemplation. In later garden architecture, walls of houses and teahouses could be opened to provide carefully framed views of the garden. The garden and the house became one. The symmetrical and highly ornamental architecture of the Phoenix Hall in Byōdō-in Garden, Kyoto, (1052 AD) was inspired by Chinese Song Dynasty architecture. A chashitsu or teahouse in Jo-an garden in Inuyama, from 1618. The simple and unadorned zen teahouse style began to be used on all Japanese buildings, from garden pavilions to palaces. This teahouse was declared a National Treasure of Japan in 1951. The architecture of the main house of the Katsura Imperial Villa (1619-1662) was inspired by the simplicity of the tea house. Bridges first appeared in the Japanese garden during the Heian period. At Byōdō-in garden in Kyoto, a wooden bridge connects the Phoenix pavilion with a small island of stones, representing the Mount Penglai or Mount Horai, the island home of the Eight Immortals of Daoist teaching, The bridge symbolized the path to paradise and immortality. Bridges could be made of stone (ishibashi), or of wood, or made of logs with earth on top, covered with moss (dobashi); they could be either arched (soribashi) or flat (hirabashi). Sometimes if they were part of a temple garden, they were painted red, following the Chinese tradition, but for the most part they were unpainted. During the Edo period, when large promenade gardens became popular, streams and winding paths were constructed, with a series of bridges, usually in a rustic stone or wood style, to take visitors on a tour of the scenic views of the garden. A bridge at Tokushima castle made of two stones resting on a third stone (1592). Wood and stone bridge at Suizen-ji garden. The garden was begun in 1636. The Flying Geese Bridge in Kenroku-en garden (Between 1822 and 1874). Japanese stone lanterns (台灯籠, dai-dōrō?, lit. platform lamp) date back to the Nara Period and the Heian Period. Originally they were located only at Buddhist temples, where they lined the paths and approaches to the temple, but in the Heian period they began to be used at Shinto shrines as well. According to tradition, during the Momoyama Period they were introduced to the tea garden by the first great tea masters, and in later gardens they were used purely for decoration. In its complete and original form, a dai-doro, like the pagoda, represents the five elements of Buddhist cosmology. The piece touching the ground represents chi, the earth; the next section represents sui, or water; ka or fire, is represented by the section encasing the lantern's light or flame, while fū (air) and kū (void or spirit) are represented by the last two sections, top-most and pointing towards the sky. The segments express the idea that after death our physical bodies will go back to their original, elemental form. Stone water basins, (tsukubai) were originally placed in gardens for visitors to wash their hands and mouth before the tea ceremony. The water is provided to the basin by a bamboo pipe, or kakei, and they usually have a wooden ladle for drinking the water. In tea gardens, the basin was placed low to the ground, so the drinker had to bend over to get his water. Lantern in Shukkei-en garden in Hiroshima. Stone water basin in Kenroku-en garden. Snow lanterns, like this one in Kenroku-en garden, have wide brims which catch the snow, to create picturesque scenes. A shishiodoshi is garden device, made of bamboo and wood, designed to scare away birds. As the bamboo tube fills with water, it clacks against a stone, empties, then fills with water again. Nothing in a Japanese garden is natural or left to chance; each plant is chosen according to aesthetic principles, either to hide undesirable sights, to serve as a backdrop to certain garden features, or to create a picturesque scene, like a landscape painting or postcard. Trees are carefully chosen and arranged for their autumn colors. Moss is often used to suggest that the garden is ancient. Flowers are also carefully chosen by their season of flowering. Formal flowerbeds are rare in older gardens, but more common in modern gardens. Some plants are chosen for their religious symbolism, such as the lotus, sacred in Buddhist teachings, or the pine, which represents longevity. The trees are carefully trimmed to provide attractive scenes, and to prevent them from blocking other views of the garden. Their growth is also controlled, in a technique called Niwaki, to give them more picturesque shapes, and to make them look more ancient. They are sometimes constrained to bend, in order to provide shadows or better reflections in the water. Very old pine trees are often supported by wooden crutches, or their branches are held by cords, to keep them from breaking under the weight of snow. In the late 16th century, a new art was developed in the Japanese garden; that of o-karikomi, the technique of trimming bushes into balls or rounded shapes which imitate waves. According to tradition this art was developed by Kobori Enshu (1579–1647), and it was most frequently practiced on azalea bushes. It was similar to the topiary gardens made in Europe at the same time, except that European topieary gardens tried to make trees look like geometric solid objects, while o-karkikomi sought to make bushes look as if they were almost liquid, or in flowing natural shapes. It created an artistic play of light on the surface of the bush, and, according to garden historian Michel Baridon, "it also brought into play the sense of 'touching things' which even today succeeds so well in Japanese design." The most common trees and plants found in Japanese gardens are the azalea (tsutsuji), the camellia (tsubaki), the oak (kashiwa), the Japanese apricot (ume), cherry (sakura), maple (momiji), the willow (yanagi), the ginkgo (ichō), the Japanese cypress (hinoki), the Japanese cedar (sugi), pine (matsu), and bamboo (take). The style of topiary plant sculpture known as o-karikomi in Chionin Garden. O-karikomi sculpted trees and bushes at Chiran Samurai Residence. Bamboo and Japanese maple combined at Tenryū-ji Garden in Kyoto. The use of fish, particularly nishiki-goi (colored carp), or goldfish as a decorative element in gardens was borrowed from the Chinese garden. Goldfish were developed in China more than a thousand years ago by selectively breeding Prussian carp for color mutations. By the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279), yellow, orange, white and red-and-white colorations had been developed. Goldfish were introduced to Japan in the 16th century. Koi were developed from common carp in Japan in the 1820s. Koi are domesticated common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that are selected or culled for color; they are not a different species, and will revert to the original coloration within a few generations if allowed to breed freely. Kept of Amaterasu in the Ise Grand Shrine 2005. Miniaturization. The Japanese garden is a miniature and idealized view of nature. Rocks can represent mountains, and ponds can represent seas. The garden is sometimes made to appear larger by placing larger rocks and trees in the foreground, and smaller ones in the background. Concealment. (miegakure, literally 'hide and reveal.') The Zen Buddhist garden is meant to be seen all at once, but the promenade garden is meant to be seen one landscape at a time, like a scroll of painted landscapes unrolling. Features are hidden behind hills, trees groves or bamboo, walls or structures, to be discovered when the visitor follows the winding path. "Borrowed" Scenery (Shakkei). Smaller gardens are often designed to incorporate the view of features outside the garden, such as hills, trees or temples, as part of the view. This makes the garden seem larger than it really is. Asymmetry. Japanese gardens are not laid on straight axes, or with a single feature dominating the view. Buildings and garden features are usually placed to be seen from a diagonal, and are carefully composed into scenes that contrast right angles, such as buildings with natural features, and vertical features, such as rocks, bamboo or trees, with horizontal features, such as water. Landscape gardener Seyemon Kusumoto wrote that the Japanese generate "the best of nature's handiwork in a limited space." Architecture. Chinese gardens have buildings in the center of the garden, occupying a large part of the garden space. The buildings are placed next to or over the central body of water. The garden buildings are very elaborate, with much architectural decoration. In later Japanese gardens, the buildings are well apart from the body of water, and the buildings are simple, with very little ornament. The architecture in a Japanese garden is largely or partly concealed. Viewpoint. Chinese gardens are designed to be seen from the inside, from the buildings, galleries and pavilions in the center of the garden. Later Japanese gardens are designed to be seen from the outside, as in the Japanese rock garden or zen garden; or from a path winding through the garden. Use of Rocks. In a Chinese garden, particularly in the Ming Dynasty, rocks were selected for their extraordinary shapes or resemblance to animals or mountains, and used for dramatic effect. They were often the stars and centerpieces of the garden. In later Japanese gardens, rocks were smaller and placed in more natural arrangements. integrated into the garden. Marine Landscapes. Chinese gardens were inspired by Chinese inland landscapes, particularly Chinese lakes and mountains, while Japanese gardens often use miniaturized scenery from the Japanese coast. Japanese gardens frequently include white sand or pebble beaches and rocks which seem to have been worn by the waves and tide, which rarely appear in Chinese gardens. The chisen-shoyū-teien, literally "lake-spring-boat excursion garden", was imported from China during the Heian Period (794-1185). It is also called the shinden-zukuri style, after the architectural style of the main building. It featured a large, ornate residence with two long wings reaching south to a large lake and garden. Each wing ended in a pavilion from which guests could enjoy the views of the lake. Visitors made tours of the lake in small boats. These gardens had large lakes with small islands, where musicians played during festivals and ceremonies worshippers could look across the water at the Buddha. No original gardens of this period remain, but reconstructions can be seen at Heian-jingū and Daikaku-ji Temple in Kyoto. Heian-jingū is a recreation of the old imperial pond garden of Kyoto. The Paradise Garden appeared in the late Heian Period, created by nobles belonging to the Amida Buddhism sect. They were meant to symbolize Paradise or the Pure Land (Jōdo), where the Buddha sat on a platform contemplating a lotus pond. These gardens featured a lake island called Nakajima, where the Buddha hall was located, connected to the shore by an arching bridge. The most famous surviving example is the garden of the Phoenix Hall of Byōdō-in Temple, built in 1053, in Uji, near Kyoto. Other examples are Jōruri-ji temple in Kyoto, Enro-ji Temple in Nara Prefecture, the Hokongoin in Kyoto, Mōtsū-ji Temple in Hiraizumi, and Shiramizu Amidado Garden in Iwaki City. Byōdō-in Temple in Uji, near Kyoto. Enjō-ji Temple in Nara Prefecture is a good example of a paradise garden of the late Heian Period. Jōruri-ji, a paradise garden in Kyoto. The pond was dug by monks in 1150. Karesansui gardens (枯山水) or Japanese rock gardens, became popular in Japan in the 14th century thanks to the work of a Buddhist monk, Musō Soseki (1275–1351) who built zen gardens at the five major monasteries in Kyoto. These gardens have white sand or raked gravel in place of water, carefully arranged rocks, and sometimes rocks and sand covered with moss. Their purpose is to facilitate meditation, and they are meant to be viewed while seated on the porch of the residence of the hōjō, the abbot of the monastery. The most famous example is Ryōan-ji Temple in Kyoto. The tea garden was created during the Muromachi Period (1333–1573) and Momoyama Period (1573–1600) as a setting for the Japanese tea ceremony, or chanoyu. The style of garden takes its name from the roji, or path to the teahouse, which is supposed to inspire the visitor to meditation to prepare him for the ceremony. There is an outer garden, with a gate and covered arbor where guests wait for the invitation to enter. They then pass through a gate to the inner garden, where they wash their hands and rinse their mouth, as they would before entering a Shinto shrine, before going into the teahouse itself. The path is always kept moist and green, so it will look like a remote mountain path, and there are no bright flowers that might distract the visitor from his meditation. Early tea houses had no windows, but later teahouses have a wall which can be opened for a view of the garden. A teahouse and roji, or tea garden, at Ise Jingu. Promenade or stroll gardens (landscape gardens in the go-round style) appeared in Japan during the Edo Period, (1600–1854), at the villas of nobles or warlords. These gardens were designed to complement the houses in the new sukiya-zukuri style of architecture, which were modeled after the tea house. These gardens were meant to be seen by following a path clockwise around the lake from one carefully composed scene to another. These gardens used two techniques to provide interest; shakkei, or "borrowed scenery", which took advantage of views of scenery outside the garden, such as mountains or temples, incorporating them into the view so the garden looked larger than it really was; and miegakure, or "hide-and-reveal," which used winding paths, fences, bamboo and buildings to hide the scenery so the visitor would not see it until he was at the best view point. Edo Period gardens also often feature recreations of famous scenery or scenes inspired by literature; Suizen-ji Jōju-en Garden in Kumamoto has a miniature version of Mount Fuji, and Katsura Villa in Kyoto has a miniature version of the Ama-no-hashidate sandbar in Miyazu Bay, near Kyoto. The Rikugi-en Garden in Tokyo creates small landscapes inspired by eighty-eight famous Japanese poems. Two hills covered with trimmed bamboo grass which represent Mount Lu in China. This feature is in Koishikawa Korakuen Garden in Tokyo. Suizen-ji Jōju-en Garden, begun in 1636, has a miniature replica of Mount Fuji. The trees on the upper part of the hill are trimmed to be smaller, to make the mountain look taller. The courtyard garden of a former geisha house in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. The trees are covered with straw to protect them from the snow. These small gardens were originally found in the interior courtyards of Heian Period and palaces, and were designed to give a glimpse of nature and some privacy to the residents of the rear side of the building. They were as small as one tsubo, or about 3.3 square meters. During the Edo Period, merchants began building small gardens in the space behind their shops, which faced the street, and their residences, located at the rear. These tiny gardens were meant to be seen, not entered, and usually had a stone lantern, a water basin, stepping stones and a few plants. Today, tsubo-niwa are found in many Japanese residences, hotels, restaurants, and public buildings. A good example from the Meiji Period is found in the villa of Murin-an in Kyoto. A hermitage garden is a small garden usually built by a samurai or government official who wanted to retire from public life and devote himself to study or meditation. It is attached to a rustic house, and approached by a winding path, which suggests it is deep in a forest. It may have a small pond, a Japanese rock garden, and the other features of traditional gardens, in miniature, designed to create tranquility and inspiration. An example is the Shisen-dō garden in Kyoto, built by a bureaucrat and scholar exiled by the shogun in the 17th century. It is now a Buddhist temple. The first manual of Japanese gardening was the "Sakuteiki" ("Records of Garden Making"), probably written in the late eleventh century by Tachibana no Tohshitsuna, (1028–1094). Citing even older Chinese sources, it explains how to organize the garden, from the placement of rocks and streams to the correct depth of ponds and height of cascades. While it was based on earlier Chinese garden principles, it also expressed ideas which were unique to Japanese gardens, such as islands, beaches and rock formations imitating Japanese maritime landscapes. Besides giving advice, Sakuteiki also gives dire warnings of what happens if the rules are not followed; the author warns that, if a rock that in nature was in a horizontal position is stood upright in a garden, it will bring misfortune to the owner of the garden. And, if a large rock pointed toward the north or west is placed near a gallery, the owner of the garden will be forced to leave before a year passes. Other influential garden manuals which helped to define the aesthetics of the Japanese garden are Senzui Narabi ni Yagyo no Zu (Illustrations for Designing Mountain, Water and Hillside Field Landscapes), written in the fifteenth century, and Tsukiyama Teizoden (Building Mountains and Making Gardens), from the 18th century. The tradition of Japanese gardening was historically passed down from sensei to apprentice. The opening words of Illustrations for designing mountain, water and hillside field landscapes (1466) are "If you have not received the oral transmissions, you must not make gardens" and its closing admonition is "You must never show this writing to outsiders. You must keep it secret". These garden manuals are still studied today. The Tale of Genji, the classic Japanese novel of the Heian Period, describes the role of the Japanese garden in court life. The characters attend festivals in the old Kyoto imperial palace garden, take boat trips on the lake, listen to music and watch formal dances under the trees. Gardens were often the subject of poems during the Heian period. A poem in one anthology from the period, the Kokin-Shu, described the Kiku-shima, or island of chrystanthemums, found in the Osawa pond in the great garden of the period called Saga-in. only one chrysanthmum can grow. of the pond of Osawa? Painting of part of Landscape of the Four Seasons by the monk Tensho Shubun from the Muromachi Period, showing an idealized Japanese landscape, where man was humble and lived in harmony with nature. This ideal landscape was also depicted in Japanese gardens. The Japanese rock gardens were intended to be intellectual puzzles for the monks who lived next to them to study and solve. They followed the same principles as the suiboku-ga, the black-and-white Japanese inks paintings of the same period, which, according to Zen Buddhist principles, tried to achieve the maximum effect using the minimum essential elements. One painter who influenced the Japanese garden was Josetsu (1405–1423), a Chinese Zen monk who moved to Japan and introduced a new style of ink-brush painting, moving away from the romantic misty landscapes of the earlier period, and using asymmetry and areas of white space, similar to the white space created by sand in zen gardens, to set apart and highlight a mountain or tree branch or other element of his painting. He became chief painter of the Shogun and influenced a generation of painters and garden designers. Japanese gardens also follow the principles of perspective of Japanese landscape painting, which feature a close-up plane, an intermediate plane, and a distant plane. The empty space between the different planes has a great importance, and is filled with water, moss, or sand. The garden designers used various optical tricks to give the garden the illusion of being larger than it really is, by using distant "borrowed scenery" outside the garden, or using miniature trees and bushes to create the illusion that they are far away. Adachi Museum of Art Garden, Yasugi. Boldface entries specify World Heritage Sites. However, the Education Minister is not eligible to have jurisdiction over any imperial property. These two gardens, administered by Imperial Household Agency, are also considered to be great masterpieces. This view from the Symbolic Mountain in the gardens in Cowra, Australia shows many of the typical elements of a Japanese garden. "Robbed of its local garb and mannerisms, the Japanese method reveals aesthetic principles applicable to the gardens of any country, teaching, as it does, how to convert into a poem or picture a composition, which, with all its variety of detail, otherwise lacks unity and intent" Samuel Newsom's Japanese Garden Construction (1939) offered Japanese aesthetic as a corrective in the construction of rock gardens, which owed their quite separate origins in the West to the mid-19th century desire to grow alpines in an approximation of Alpine scree. According to the Garden History Society, Japanese landscape gardener Seyemon Kusumoto was involved in the development of around 200 gardens in the UK. In 1937 he exhibited a rock garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, and worked on the Burngreave Estate at Bognor Regis, and also on a Japanese garden at Cottered in Hertfordshire. The lush courtyards at Du Cane Court—an art deco block of flats in Balham, London, built between 1935 and 1938—were designed by Kusumoto. All four courtyards there may have originally contained ponds. Only one survives, and this is stocked with koi. There are also several stone lanterns, which are meant to symbolise the illumination of one's path through life; similarly, the paths through the gardens are not straight. Japanese maple, Japanese anemone, cherry trees, evergreens, and bamboo are other typical features of Du Cane Court's gardens. According to David A. Slawson, many of the Japanese gardens that are recreated in the US are of "museum-piece quality". He also writes, however, that as the gardens have been introduced into the Western world, they have become more Americanized, decreasing their natural beauty. A Japanese zen garden at the Auburn Botanical Gardens, in Auburn, Sydney. Japanese Garden, Tully, County Kildare. Red lacquered arched bridges are Chinese in origin and seldom seen in Japan, but are often placed in Japanese-style gardens in other countries. Hayward Japanese Gardens (Hayward, California), the oldest traditionally designed Japanese garden in California. Bulgaria: Japanese Garden at the Kempinski Hotel Zografski in Sofia; built in 1979 as a large-scale copy of the garden at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo, first and only Japanese Garden in the Balkans until 2004. Chile: La Serena and Santiago. Built by the embassy of Japan. Costa Rica: Lankester Botanical Gardens, property of the Costa Rica University, in Paraíso, Cartago. The Departmental Museum of Albert Kahn (Musée Albert-Kahn) in Boulogne-Billancourt has two Japanese Gardens. Japanese Garden at the UNESCO Head Quarters, created by Isamu Noguchi in 1958. Rising sun garden (Jardin du Soleil levant) in the Botanical garden of Upper Brittany. Germany: Hamburg, Leverkusen, Kaiserslautern, Munich (in the Englischer Garten). Hungary: Small Japanese garden on Margaret Island, Budapest and another one in the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden. ^ Gunter Nitschke, Le jardin japonais, pg. 9-10. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. Garden and landscape design: Japanese. Accessed: 7 March 2008. ^ Nitschke, Le Jardin japonais, pg. 14-15, and Young, The Art of the Japanese Garden. ^ These three quotations are cited in Nitschke, Le Jardin Japonais, page 30. ^ Nitschke, Le Jardin Japonais, pg. 30. ^ Nitschke, Le Jardin japonais, pg. 36. ^ See on the manual Kuitert, Themes in the History of Japanese Garden Art, pp 30-52. The quote is from Nitschke, Le Jardin japonais, pg. 36. ^ Danielle Elisseeff, Jardins japonais, pg. 22-23. ^ Gunter Nitschke, Le Jardin japonais, pg. 92. English translation of excerpt by D.R. Siefkin. ^ a b Nitschke, Le jardin japonais, pg. 120. ^ Miyeko Murase, l'Art du Japon, pg. 213-215. ^ Nitschke, Le jardin japonais, pg. 160-162. ^ Nitschke, Le jardin Japonais, pg. 158. ^ Roberts, Jeremy. Japanese Mythology A to Z. New York, NY: Chelsea House, 2010. Print. ^ Michel Baridon, Les Jardins, pg. 492. ^ Young, The Art of the Japanese Garden, pg. 24. ^ Heyd, Thoams (2008). Encountering Nature. Abingdon, Oxen: Ashgate Publishing Group. p. 156. ^ Danielle Elisseeff, Jardins japonais, pg. 24. ^ Young and Young, the Art of the Japanese Garden, pg. 33. ^ "Five Element Pagodas, Stupas, Steles, Gravestones". Onmark Productions. Retrieved 25 April 2010. ^ Michel Baridon. Les Jardins. Pg. 475. excerpt translated from French by D.R. Siefkin. ^ a b Young, The Art of the Japanese Garden, pg. 20. ^ a b Vincent, Gregory K. (2008). A history of Du Cane Court : land, architecture, people and politics. Woodbine. ISBN 0-9541675-1-1. ^ Young, The Art of the Japanese Garden, pg. 84. ^ Young, The Art of the Japanese Garden, pg. 118-119. ^ Gunter Nitschke, Le jardin japonais, pg. 225. ^ For a review of Sakuteiki and various translations in Western languages see: De la Creation des Jardins: Traduction du Sakutei-ki by Michel Vieillard-Baron. Review in English by: Wybe Kuitert in Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 53, No. 2, Summer 1998, Pages 292-294 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2385689 See also Sakuteiki: Visions of the Japanese Garden by Jiro Takei and Marc P. Keane. ^ Michel Baridon, Les Jardins, pg. 485-486. ^ Michel Baridon, Les Jardins, pg. 485. ^ Nitschke, Le Jardin Japonais, pg. 42. Excerpts translated from French by DR Siefkin. ^ Danielle Elisseeff, Jardins Japonais, pg. 39. ^ Miyeko Murase, L'Art du Japon, pg. 183. ^ Virginie Klecka, Jardins Japonais, pg. 20. ^ Slawson 1987:15 and note2. ^ Conder quoted in Slawson 1987:15. ^ Slawson, David A. (1987). Japanese gardens: design principles, aesthetic values. Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd. p. 15. ISBN 4-7700-1541-0. ^ "Gardens". University of Southern Queensland. Retrieved 14 April 2014. ^ "Japanese Gardens in the UK and Ireland — Compton Acres". Retrieved 2007-12-11. ^ a b c d e f "UK and Ireland Survey". Japanese Garden Journal 35. September–October 2003. Retrieved 2007-12-11. ^ "Leeds - Places - Japanese Garden at Horsforth Hall Park reopens". BBC. 2009-08-27. Retrieved 2013-12-22. ^ "Japanese Gardens and Where to visit them in the UK". Homeandgardeningarticles.co.uk. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2013-12-22. ^ Eliovson, Sima (1971). Gardening the Japanese way. Harrap. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-245-50694-9. Red lacquered arched bridges are seldom seen in Japan, although they are often placed in Japanese-styled gardens in other countries. These are of Chinese origin and there are only a few in evidence in Japanese gardens. ^ The Japanese Gardens. Dmtonline.org. Retrieved on 2010-12-25. ^ "The Hotel". Kempinski Hotel Zografski Sofia. Retrieved 2009-11-06. 40x40px Wikimedia Commons has media related to Japanese gardens.

2019-04-25T00:50:17Z

http://research.omicsgroup.org/index.php/Japanese_garden

How time flies. Ten years ago this month, I wrote my first post on Eight to Late. The anniversary gives me an excuse to post something a little different. When rummaging around in my drafts folder for something suitable, I came across this piece that I wrote some years ago (2013) but didn’t publish. It’s about our strange relationship with time, which I thought makes it a perfect piece to mark the occasion. The metaphor of time as a river resonates well with our subjective experiences of time. Everyday phrases that evoke this metaphor include the flow of time and time going by, or the somewhat more poetic currents of time. As Heraclitus said, no [person] can step into the same river twice – and so it is that a particular instant in time …like right now…is ephemeral, receding into the past as we become aware of it. On the other hand, organisations have to capture and quantify time because things have to get done within fixed periods, the financial year being a common example. Hence, key organisational activities such as projects, strategies and budgets are invariably time-bound affairs. This can be problematic because there is a mismatch between the ways in which organisations view time and individuals experience it. The idea that time is an objective entity is most clearly embodied in the notion of a timeline: a graphical representation of a time period, punctuated by events. The best known of these is perhaps the ubiquitous Gantt Chart, loved (and perhaps equally, reviled) by managers the world over. Timelines are interesting because, as Elaine Yakura states in this paper, “they seem to render time, the ultimate abstraction, visible and concrete.” As a result, they can serve as boundary objects that make it possible to negotiate and communicate what is to be accomplished in the specified time period. They make this possible because they tell a story with a clear beginning, middle and end, a narrative of what is to come and when. For the reasons mentioned in the previous paragraph, timelines are often used to manage time-bound organisational initiatives. Through their use in scheduling and allocation, timelines serve to objectify time in such a way that it becomes a resource that can be measured and rationed, much like other resources such as money, labour etc. At our workplaces we are governed by many overlapping timelines – workdays, budgeting cycles and project schedules being examples. From an individual perspective, each of these timelines are different representations of how one’s time is to be utilised, when an activity should be started and when it must be finished. Moreover, since we are generally committed to multiple timelines, we often find ourselves switching between them. They serve to remind us what we should be doing and when. But there’s more: one of the key aims of developing a timeline is to enable all stakeholders to have a shared understanding of time as it pertains to the initiative. In this view, a timeline is a consensus representation of how a particular aspect of the future will unfold. Timelines thus serve as coordinating mechanisms. In terms of the metaphor, a timeline is akin to a map of the river of time. Along the map we can measure out and apportion it; we can even agree about way-stops at various points in time. However, we should always be aware that it remains a representation of time, for although we might treat a timeline as real, the fact is no one actually experiences time as it is depicted in a timeline. Mistaking one for the other is akin to confusing the map with the territory. This may sound a little strange so I’ll try to clarify. I’ll start with the observation that we experience time through events and processes – for example the successive chimes of a clock, the movement of the second hand of a watch (or the oscillations of a crystal), the passing of seasons or even the greying of one’s hair. Moreover, since these events and processes can be objectively agreed on by different observers, they can also be marked out on a timeline. Yet the actual experience of living these events is unique to each individual. As we have seen, organisations treat time as an objective commodity that can be represented, allocated and used much like any tangible resource. On the other hand our experience of time is intensely personal. For example, I’m sitting in a cafe as I write these lines. My perception of the flow of time depends rather crucially on my level of engagement in writing: slow when I’m struggling for words but zipping by when I’m deeply involved. This is familiar to us all: when we are deeply engaged in an activity, we lose all sense of time but when our involvement is superficial we are acutely aware of the clock. This is true at work as well. When I’m engaged in any kind of activity at work, be it a group activity such as a meeting, or even an individual one such as developing a business case, my perception of time has little to do with the actual passage of seconds, minutes and hours on a clock. Sure, there are things that I will do habitually at a particular time – going to lunch, for example – but my perception of how fast the day goes is governed not by the clock but by the degree of engagement with my work. I can only speak for myself, but I suspect that this is the case with most people. Though our work lives are supposedly governed by “objective” timelines, the way we actually live out our workdays depends on a host of things that have more to do with our inner lives than visible outer ones. Specifically, they depend on things such as feelings, emotions, moods and motivations. OK, so you may be wondering where I’m going with this. Surely, my subjective perception of my workday should not matter as long as I do what I’m required to do and meet my deadlines, right? As a matter of fact, I think the answer to the above question is a qualified, “No”. The quality of the work we do depends on our level of commitment and engagement. Moreover, since a person’s perception of the passage of time depends rather sensitively on the degree of their involvement in a task, their subjective sense of time is a good indicator of their engagement in work. All this may seem far removed from organisational concerns, but it is easy to see that it isn’t: a Google search on the phrase “increase employee engagement” will throw up many articles along the lines of “N ways to increase employee engagement.” The sense in which the term is used in these articles is essentially the same as the one Csikszentmihalyi talks about: deep involvement in work. So, the advice of management gurus and business school professors notwithstanding, the issue is less about employee engagement or motivation than about creating conditions that are conducive to flow. All that is needed for the latter is a deep understanding how the particular organisation functions, the task at hand and (most importantly) the people who will be doing it. The best managers I’ve worked with have grokked this, and were able to create the right conditions in a seemingly effortless and unobtrusive way. It is a skill that cannot be taught, but can be learnt by observing how such managers do what they do. Organisations tend to treat their employees’ time as though it were a commodity or resource that can be apportioned and allocated for various tasks. This view of time is epitomised by the timeline as depicted in a Gantt Chart or a resource-loaded project schedule. In contrast, at an individual level, the perception of time depends rather critically on the level of engagement that a person feels with the task he or she is performing. Ideally organisations would (or ought to!) want their employees to be in that optimal zone of engagement that Csikszentmihalyi calls flow, at least when they are involved in creative work. However, like spontaneity, flow is a state that cannot be achieved by corporate decree; the best an organisation can do is to create the conditions that encourage it. The organisational focus on timelines ought to be balanced by actions that are aimed at creating the conditions that are conducive to employee engagement and flow. It may then be possible for those who work in organisation-land to experience, if only fleetingly, that Blakean state in which eternity is held in an hour. I am delighted to announce that my new business book, The Heretic’s Guide to Management: The Art of Harnessing Ambiguity, is now available in e-book and print formats. The book, co-written with Paul Culmsee, is a loose sequel to our previous tome, The Heretics Guide to Best Practices. Many reviewers liked the writing style of our first book, which combined rigour with humour. This book continues in the same vein, so if you enjoyed the first one we hope you might like this one too. The new book is half the size of the first one and I considerably less idealistic too. In terms of subject matter, I could say “Ambiguity, Teddy Bears and Fetishes” and leave it at that…but that might leave you thinking that it’s not the kind of book you would want anyone to see on your desk! Rest assured, The Heretic’s Guide to Management is not a corporate version of Fifty Shades of Grey. Instead, it aims to delve into the complex but fascinating ways in which ambiguity affects human behaviour. More importantly, it discusses how ambiguity can be harnessed in ways that achieve positive outcomes. Most management techniques (ranging from strategic planning to operational budgeting) attempt to reduce ambiguity and thereby provide clarity. It is a profound irony of modern corporate life that they often end up doing the opposite: increasing ambiguity rather than reducing it. On the surface, it is easy enough to understand why: organizations are complex entities so it is unreasonable to expect management models, such as those that fit neatly into a 2*2 matrix or a predetermined checklist, to work in the real world. In fact, expecting them to work as advertised is like colouring a paint-by-numbers Mona Lisa, expecting to recreate Da Vinci’s masterpiece. Ambiguity therefore invariably remains untamed, and reality reimposes itself no matter how alluring the model is. It turns out that most of us have a deep aversion to situations that involve even a hint of ambiguity. Recent research in neuroscience has revealed the reason for this: ambiguity is processed in the parts of the brain which regulate our emotional responses. As a result, many people associate it with feelings of anxiety. When kids feel anxious, they turn to transitional objects such as teddy bears or security blankets. These objects provide them with a sense of stability when situations or events seem overwhelming. In this book, we show that as grown-ups we don’t stop using teddy bears – it is just that the teddies we use take a different, more corporate, form. Drawing on research, we discuss how management models, fads and frameworks are actually akin to teddy bears. They provide the same sense of comfort and certainty to corporate managers and minions as real teddies do to distressed kids. Most children usually outgrow their need for teddies as they mature and learn to cope with their childhood fears. However, if development is disrupted or arrested in some way, the transitional object can become a fetish – an object that is held on to with a pathological intensity, simply for the comfort that it offers in the face of ambiguity. The corporate reliance on simplistic solutions for the complex challenges faced is akin to little Johnny believing that everything will be OK provided he clings on to Teddy. When this happens, the trick is finding ways to help Johnny overcome his fear of ambiguity. Ambiguity is a primal force that drives much of our behaviour. It is typically viewed negatively, something to be avoided or to be controlled. The truth, however, is that ambiguity is a force that can be used in positive ways too. The Force that gave the Dark Side their power in the Star Wars movies was harnessed by the Jedi in positive ways. Our book shows you how ambiguity, so common in the corporate world, can be harnessed to achieve the results you want. For those who prefer paperbacks, the print version is available here. Reactivist managers are a step worse than inactivists because they believe that disaster is already upon them. This is the type of manager who hankers after the “golden days of yore when things were much better than they are today.” As a result of their deep unease of where they are now, they may try to undo the status quo. As Ackoff points out, unlike inactivists, reactivists do not ride the tide but try to swim against it. Typically reactivist managers are wary of technology and new concepts. Moreover, they tend to give more importance to seniority and experience rather than proven competence. They also tend to be fans of simplistic solutions to complex problems…like “solving” the problem of a behind-schedule software project by throwing more people at it. Preactivists are the opposite of reactivists in that they believe the future is going to be better than the past. Consequently, their efforts are geared towards understanding what the future will look like and how they can prepare for it. Typically, preactive managers are concerned with facts, figures and forecasts; they are firm believers in scientific planning methods that they have learnt in management schools. As such, one might say that this is the most common species of manager in present day organisations. Those who are not natural preactivists will fly the preactivist flag when they’re asked for their opinions by their managers because it’s the expected answer. Interactivists planners are not satisfied with the present, but unlike reactivists or preactivists, they do not hanker for the past, nor do they believe the future is automatically going to be better. They do want to make things better than they were or currently are, but they are continually adjusting their plans for the future by learning from and responding to events. In short, they believe they can shape the future by their actions. Experimentation is the hallmark of interactivists. They are willing to try different approaches and learn from them. Although they believe in learning by experience, they do not want to wait for experiences to happen; they would rather induce them by (often small-scale) experimentation. They treat ideals as relative absolutes: ultimate objectives whose formulation depends on our current knowledge and understanding of ourselves and our environment. Therefore, they require continuous reformulation in light of what we learn from approaching them. To use a now fashionable term, interactivists are intrapreneurs. Despite my obvious bias in my characterization of these four postures, there are circumstances in which each is most appropriate. Put simply, if the internal and external dynamics of a system (the tide) are taking one where one wants to go and are doing so quickly enough, inactivism is appropriate. If the direction of change is right but the movement is too slow, preactivism is appropriate. If the change is taking one where one does not want to go and one prefers to stay where one is or was, reactivism is appropriate. However, if one is not willing to settle for the past, the present or the future that appears likely now, interactivism is appropriate. The key point he makes is that inactivists and preactivists treat planning as a ritual because they see the future as something they cannot change. They can only plan for it (and hope for the best). Interactivists, on the other hand, look for opportunities to influence events and thus potentially change the future. Although both preactivists and interactivists are forward-looking, interactivists tend to be long-term thinkers as compared to preactivists who are more concerned about the short to medium term future. Ackoff’s classification of planners in organisations is interesting because it highlights the kind of future-focused attitude that managers ought to take. The sad fact, though, is that a significant number of managers are myopic preactivists, focused on this year’s performance targets rather than what their organisations might look like five or even ten years down the line. This is not the fault of individuals, though. The blame for the undue prevalence of myopic preactivism can be laid squarely on the deep-seated management dogma that rewards short-termism. As my readers are undoubtedly aware, my friend Sherlock Holmes is widely feted for his powers of logic and deduction. With all due modesty, I can claim to have played a small part in publicizing his considerable talents, for I have a sense for what will catch the reading public’s fancy and, perhaps more important, what will not. Indeed, it could be argued that his fame is in no small part due to the dramatic nature of the exploits which I have chosen to publicise. Management consulting, though far more lucrative than criminal investigation, is not nearly as exciting. Consequently my work has become that much harder since Holmes reinvented himself as a management expert. Nevertheless, I am firmly of the opinion that the long-standing myths exposed by his recent work more than make up for any lack of suspense or drama. A little known fact is that many of Holmes’ insights into flawed management practices have come after the fact, by discerning common themes that emerged from different cases. Of course this makes perfect sense: only after seeing the same (or similar) mistake occur in a variety of situations can one begin to perceive an underlying pattern. The conversation I had with him last night is an excellent illustration of this point. “Yes, it is,” I said, intrigued by his remark. Dabbing my mouth with a napkin, I put down my fork and waited for him to say more. I thought about it for a minute before responding. “Well, we follow routine because we like…or need… regularity and predictability,” I said. “Indeed, as a medical man, I know well that our bodies have built in clocks that drive us to do things – such as eat and sleep – at regular intervals. That apart, routines give us a sense of comfort and security in an unpredictable world. Even those who are adventurous have routines of their own. I don’t think we have a choice in the matter, it’s the way humans are wired.” I wondered where the conversation was going. “Yes, I do,” I replied. Holmes’ abrupt conversational U-turns no longer disconcert me, I’ve become used to them over the years. I remembered the details of the case like it had happened yesterday…indeed I should, as it was I who wrote the narrative! “Did anything about the case strike you as strange?” he inquired. The organization suffered from a high rate of project failure (about 70% as I recall). The standard prescription – project post-mortems followed by changes in processes aimed at addressing the top issues revealed – had failed to resolve the issue. Holmes’ insightful diagnosis was that the postmortems identified symptoms, not causes. Therefore the measures taken to fix the problems didn’t work because they did not address the underlying cause. Indeed, the measures were akin to using brain surgery to fix a headache. In the end, Holmes concluded that the failures were a consequence of flawed organizational structures and norms. Of course flawed structures and norms are beyond the purview of a mere project or program manager. So Holmes’ diagnosis, though entirely correct, did not help Bryant (the manager who had consulted us). He went into the kitchen, leaving me to ponder his question. He returned with dessert a few minutes later. “So, Watson,” he said as he sat down, “have you come up with anything? I told him what I thought. “But isn’t that contrary to the aim of a PMO – which, as I understand, is to facilitate project work?” I queried. “Excellent, my dear Watson. You are getting close to the heart of the matter. “I am?” To be honest, I was a little lost. “Ah Watson, don’t tell me you do not see it,” said Holmes exasperatedly. “I’m afraid you’ll have to explain,” I replied curtly. Really, he could insufferable at times. I wasn’t entirely convinced. “May be the reason that PMOs fail is that organisations do not implement them correctly,” I said. “Well, one would expect after so many years, these so-called implementation errors would have been sorted out. Yet we see the same poor outcomes over and over again,” said Holmes. “That’s a strong a statement to make on rather slim grounds,” I said dubiously. “ I’ll have to think about it,” I said. “You do that,” he replied , as he pushed back his chair and started to clear the table. Unlike him, I had a lot more than dinner to digest. Nevertheless, I rose to help him as I do every day. Evening conversations at 221B Baker Street are seldom boring. Last night was no exception. This tale was inspired David Wastell’s brilliant paper, The fetish of technique: methodology as social defence (abstract only). Although the numbers quoted above can be contested, the fact is that as far as team performance is concerned, conditions matter more than the quality of leadership. In this post, I draw on Hackman’s paper as well as my work (done in collaboration with Paul Culmsee) to argue that the real work of leaders is not to lead (in the conventional sense of the word) but to create the conditions in which teams can thrive. Poor performance of teams is often attributed to a failure of leadership. A common example of this is when the coach of a sporting team is fired after a below par season. On the flip side, CxOs can earn big-buck dollar bonuses when their companies make or exceed their financial targets because they are seen as being directly responsible for the result. Attributing the blame or credit for the failure or success of a team to a specific individual is called the leadership attribution error. Hackman suggested that this error is a manifestation of a human tendency to assign greater causal priority to factors that are more visible than those that are not: leaders tend to be in the limelight more than their teams and are therefore seen as being responsible for their teams’ successes and failures. This leader-as-hero (or villain!) perspective has fueled major research efforts aimed at pinning down those elusive leadership skills and qualities that can magically transform teams into super-performing ensembles. This has been accompanied by a burgeoning industry of executive training programmes to impart these “scientifically proven” skills to masses of managers. These programmes, often clothed in the doublespeak of organisation culture, are but subtle methods of control that serve to establish directive approaches to leadership. Such methods rarely (if ever) result in high-performing organisations or teams. The failure to find direct causal relationships between such factors and team performance led Hackman to propose a perspective that focuses on structural conditions instead. The basic idea in this alternate approach is to focus on the organisational and social conditions that enable the team to perform well. Innovation: Most attempts to foster innovation focus on exhorting people to be creative and/or instituting innovation training programmes (causal approach). Such approaches usually result in innovation of an incremental kind at best. Instead, establishing a low pressure environment that enables people to think for themselves and follow-up on their ideas without fear of failure generally meets with more success (structural approach). Collaboration: Organisations generally recognise the importance of collaboration. Yet, they attempt to foster in the worst possible way: via the establishment of cross-functional teams without clear mandates or goals and/or forced team-building exercises that have the opposite effect to the one intended (causal approach). The alternate approach is to simplify reporting lines, encourage open communication across departments and generally make it easy for people from different specialisations to work together in informal groups (structural approach). A particularly vexing intra-departmental separation that I have come across recently is the artificial division of responsibilities between information systems development and delivery. Such a separation results in reduced collaboration and increased finger pointing. The group must be a real team– i.e. it must have clear boundaries (clarity as to who is a member and who isn’t), interdependence (the performance of every individual in the team must in some way depend on others in the team) and stability (membership of the team should be stable over time). Compelling direction– the team must have a goal that is clear and worth pursuing. Moreover, and this is important, the team must be allowed to determine how the goal is to be achieved – the end should be prescribed, not the means. The structure must enable teamwork– The team should be structured in a way that allows members to work together. This consists of a couple of factors: 1) The team must be of the right size – as small and diverse as possible (large, homogenous teams are found to be ineffective), and 2) There must be clear norms of conduct. Note that Hackman lists these two as separate points in his paper. Supportive organizational context– the team must have the organisational resources that enable it to carry out its work. For example, access to the information needed for the team to carry out its work and access to technical and subject matter experts. In addition, there should be a transparent reward system that provides recognition for good work. Coaching– the team must have access to a mentor or coach who understands and has the confidence of the team. Apart from helping team members tide over difficult situations, a good coach should be able to help them navigate organizational politics and identify emerging threats and opportunities that may not be obvious to them. To reiterate, these are structural rather than causal factors in that they do not enhance team performance directly. Instead, when present, they tend to encourage behaviours that enhance team performance and suppress those that don’t. Another interesting point is that some of these factors are more important than others. For example, Ruth Wageman found that team design (the constitution and structure of the team) is about four times more important than coaching in affecting the team’s ability to manage itself and forty times as powerful in affecting team performance (see this paper for details). Although the numbers should not be taken at face value, Wageman’s claim reiterates the main theme of this article: that structural factors matter more than causal ones. One of the things I noticed when I first read Hackman’s approach is that it has some similarities to the one that Paul and I advocated in our book, The Heretic’s Guide to Best Practices. The Heretic’s Guide is largely about collaborative approaches to managing (as opposed to solving!) complex problems in organisations. Our claim is that the most intractable problems in organisations are consequences of social rather than technical issues. For example, the problem of determining the “right” strategy for an organisation cannot be settled on objective grounds because the individuals involved will have diverse opinions on what the organisation’s focus should be. The process of arriving at a consensual strategy is, therefore, more a matter of dealing with this diversity than reaching an objectively right outcome. In other words, it is largely about achieving a common view of what the strategy should be and then building a shared commitment to executing it. The key point is that there is no set process for achieving a shared understanding of a problem. Rather, one needs to have the right environment (structure!) in which contentious issues can be discussed openly without fear. In our book we used the term holding environment to describe a safe space in which such open dialogue can take place. Problem is, some of these are easier to achieve than others. Inclusion, autonomy and power neutrality can be encouraged by putting in place appropriate organisational structures and rules. Empathy and transparency, however, are typically up to the individual. Nevertheless, conditions that enable the former will also encourage (though not guarantee) the latter. In our book we discuss how such a holding environment can be approximated in multi-organisational settings such as large projects. It would take me too far afield to get into specifics of the approach here. The point I wish to make, however, is that the notion of a holding environment is in line with Hackman’s thoughts on the importance of environmental or structural factors. Some will argue that this article merely sets up and tears down a straw man, and that modern managers are well aware of the pitfalls of a directive approach to leading teams. Granted, much has been written about the importance of setting the right conditions (such as autonomy)…and it is possible that many managers are aware of it too. The point I would make is that this awareness, if it exists at all, has not been translated into action often enough. As a result, the gap between the rhetoric and reality of leadership remains as wide as ever – managers talk the talk of leadership, but do not walk it. Perhaps this is because many (most?) managers are reluctant let go the reins of control when they know they will be held responsible if things were to go belly-up. The few who manage to overcome their fears know that it requires the ability to trust others, as well as the courage and integrity to absorb the blame when things go wrong (as they inevitably will from time to time). These all too rare qualities are essential for the approach described here to truly take root and flourish. In conclusion, I think it is fair to say that the biggest challenges associated with building high-performance teams are ethical rather than technical ones. Don’t miss Paul Culmsee’s entertaining and informative posts on the conditions over causes approach in enterprise IT and project management. Heraclitus: Hello Parmenides, it’s been a while! What have you been up to since we last met? Parmenides: Heraclitus, it is good to see you my old friend. You’re not going to believe it, but I’ve been doing some consulting work on managing change in organizations. Heraclitus: [laughs] You’re right, that is beyond belief, particularly in view of your philosophical position on change. So, have you recanted? Have you now come around to the truth that everything changes and nothing stands still? Parmenides: Ah, yes I am familiar with your views on change my friend, but I hate to disappoint you. My position remains the same as before: I still believe that the world is essentially unchanging. The key word here is “essentially” – by which I mean that the changes we see around us are superficial and that the essential properties of the world do not change. Indeed, as paradoxical as it may sound, understanding this unchanging essence enables us to manage superficial changes such as those that happen in organizations. Parmenides: OK, let me try explaining this using an example. Let us consider the case of a physical law and a real world situation to which it applies. A concrete instance of this would be Newton’s Law of Gravitation and the motion of a spacecraft. The former represents the unchanging essence while the latter represents one of its manifestations. The point is this: the real world (as represented by a moving spacecraft) appears to be ever changing, but the underlying unity of the world (as represented by Newton’s law) does not change. If one understands the underlying unchanging laws then one has the power to predict or control the superficial changes. Heraclitus: Hmm….I don’t see how it relates to organizations. Can you give me a more down to earth illustration from your work? For example: what is the “unchanging essence” in organizational change? Parmenides: That’s easy: the unchanging essence is the concept of an organization and the principles by which they evolve. Consultants like me help organizations improve performance by influencing or adjusting certain aspects of their structure and interactions. However, the changes we facilitate do not affect the essence of the entities we work with. Organizations remain organizations, and they evolve according to universal laws despite the changes we wrought within them. Heraclitus: Ah Parmenides, you are mistaken: concepts and principles evolve in time; they do not remain constant. Perhaps I can convince you of this by another means. Tell me, when you go into an organization to do your thing, how do you know what to change? Parmenides: Well, we carry out a detailed study by talking to key stakeholders and then determine what needs to be done. There are a host of change models that have come out of painstaking research and practice. We use these to guide our actions. Heraclitus: Are these models akin to the physical laws you mentioned earlier? Heraclitus: But all such models are tentative; they are always being revised in the light of new knowledge. Theory building in organizational research (or any other area) is an ongoing process. Indeed, even physics, the most exact of sciences, has evolved dramatically over the last two millennia – consider how our conception of the solar system has changed from Ptolemy to Copernicus. For that matter, even our understanding of gravity is no longer the same as it was in Newton’s time. The “unchanging essence” – as you call it – is but a figment of your imagination. Parmenides: I concede that our knowledge of the universe evolves over time. However, the principles that underlie its functioning don’t change. Indeed, the primary rationale behind all scientific inquiry is to find those eternal principles or truths. Heraclitus: It is far from clear that the principles are unchanging, even in a so-called exact discipline like physics. For example, a recent proposal suggests that the laws of physics evolve in time. This seems even more likely for social systems: the theory and practice of management in the early twentieth century is very different from what it is now, and with good reason too – contemporary organizations are nothing like those of a century ago. In other words, the “laws” that were valid then (if one can call them that) are different from the ones in operation now. Heraclitus: I take your point about the laws of physics…but I should mention that history is replete with “minority views” that were later proven to be right. However, I cannot agree with your argument about superficial change because it is beyond logic. You can always deem any change as being superficial, however deep it may be. So let me try to get my point across in yet another way. You had mentioned that you use management principles and models to guide your actions. Could you tell me a bit more about how this works in practice? Parmenides: Sure, let me tell you about an engagement that we recently did for a large organization. The problem they came to us with was that their manufacturing department was simply not delivering what their customers expected. We did a series of interviews with senior and mid-level managers from the organisation as well as a wide spectrum of staff and customers and found that the problem was a systemic one – it had more to do with the lack of proper communication channels across the organisation rather than an issue with a specific department. Based on this we made some recommendations to restructure the organisation according to best practices drawn from organisational theory. We then helped them implement our recommendations. Heraclitus: So you determined the change that needed to be made and then implemented the change over a period of time. Is that right? Heraclitus: And would I be right in assuming that the change took many months to implement? Parmenides: Yes, about a year actually…but why does that matter? Heraclitus: Bear with me for a minute. Were there any significant surprises along the way? There must have been things that happened that you did not anticipate. Parmenides: Of course, that goes with the territory; one cannot foresee everything. Heraclitus: Yet you persisted in implementing the changes you had originally envisioned them. Parmenides: Naturally! We had determined what needed to be done, so we went ahead and did it. But what are you getting at? Heraclitus: It’s quite simple really. The answer lies in a paradox formulated by your friend Zeno: you assumed that the organization remains static over the entire period over which you implemented your recommendations. Parmenides: I did not say that! Heraclitus: You did not say it, but you assumed it. Your recommendations for restructuring were based on information that was gathered at a particular point in time – a snapshot so to speak. Such an approach completely overlooks the fact that organisations are dynamic entities that change in unforeseen ways that models and theories cannot predict. Indeed, by your own admission, there were significant but unanticipated events and changes that occurred along the way. Now you might claim that those changes were superficial, but that won’t wash because you did not foresee those changes at the start and therefore could not have known whether they would be superficial or not. Parmenides: Well, I’m not sure I agree with your logic my dear Heraclitus. And in any case, my approach has the advantage of being easy to understand. I don’t think decision-makers would trust a consultant who refuses to take action because every little detail about the future cannot be predicted. Heraclitus: Admitting ignorance about the future is the first step towards doing something about it. Parmenides: Yes, but you need to have a coherent plan, despite an uncertain future. Heraclitus: True, but a coherent plan can be incremental…or better, emergent – where planned actions are adjusted in response to unexpected events that occur as one goes along. Such an approach is better than one based on a snapshot of an organisation at a particular point in time. Parmenides: Try selling that approach to a CEO, my friend! Heraclitus: I know, organizations are ever-changing, but those who run them are intent on maintaining a certain status quo. So they preach change, but do not change the one thing that needs changing the most – themselves. Parmenides: [shakes his head] Ah, Heraclitus, I do not wish to convert you to my way of thinking, but I should mention that our differences are not of theoretical interest alone: they spell the difference between being a cashed-up consultant and a penurious philosopher. Heraclitus: [laughs] At last we have something we can agree on.

2019-04-21T16:01:49Z

https://eight2late.wordpress.com/category/general-management/

Series introduction: Family worship doesn’t save; only Jesus can do that. But I’m convinced that the practice of coming together as a family to worship God in the home is sorely needed in our homes today. Because there’s no specific to-do list in the Bible about family worship, I’ve struggled this year to work out what it looks like for us when I’m leading my own growing family. To encourage myself and others about this, I’ve interviewed a few families that Cheryl and I respect and look up to, learning from them what they do, what they don’t, how they struggle, how they persevere with intentionally leading their families to know and love Jesus Christ. One of the benefits of being in the wider body of Christ is the ability to be sharpened and encouraged by friends from all over the world. Bobby and Kristen have been one such family to us, particularly via their blog, from which they regularly spin out helpful articles about worship, songwriting, hymnology, church communications and other related topics. I always love how relentlessly they point readers and listeners to the gospel in all areas of life – particularly last year when they went through the trial of having a stillborn child. Bobby has co-written several Sojourn Music songs (a family favourite is “Warrior”, which E has been known to stomp excitedly to). Whatever they’re up to, you can tell that for Bobby and Kristen, the gospel is at the centre of everything they do. Kristen and Bobby were kind enough to answer some questions about what worship looks like in their home. 1. Tell us a bit more about your family. Kristen: Bobby and I got married 3 years ago and at that time I became the stepmother to his three sons, Garrett (17), Logan (14) and Connor (10). Parker, our first child together, was stillborn last October. We continue to share great joy over Parker’s new life in Christ and the reality that we will know and fellowship with him in heaven, even as we mourn being temporarily separated from our son. We are also comforted by and find great joy in the growing relationships with have with Garrett, Logan and Connor. We live in New Albany, Indiana and have Garrett, Logan and Connor with us every other week. We work in Louisville, KY—Bobby is the Communications Director for Sojourn Community Church (also where we are members) and I work full-time as a legal administrative assistant at a large law firm. 2. Can you describe what family worship looks like in your home? Kristen: Bobby intentionally plans our family devotion times together with the boys. After each evening supper we share with them, Bobby will read the Scriptures to our family (and sometimes other devotional books) and then ask the boys questions about the readings. Bobby also intentionally talks with the boys about the Gospel on walks, car rides, and other times. We’ve also begun practicing ACTS prayer that includes Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication (ACTS). Our times of singing together happen as we gather with the church on Sunday mornings. 3. Did your parents lead/practice family worship when you grew up? What did it look like? Kristen: My parents led me and my sister and two brothers in weekly family devotionals. As worship leaders at our church, my parents would also lead us at home in singing songs of praise and praying for known needs in our family and in our church family. My dad regularly read or recited Bible stories to us and my mom would sing to and with us throughout our days growing up. I remember a lot of singing, praying and reading the Scriptures in our home. I’m very thankful for this now, even if I got bored with (or annoyed by) it sometimes as a kid! Bobby: My parents frequently read to us from the Bible and occasionally other devotional literature. My mom actually wrote a story about Jesus feeding thousands with the little boy’s lunch, which was a favorite story in our home. I should also mention that we went to church services a LOT when I was growing up, as many used to do. We went twice on Sundays and every Thursday, as well as longer convention meetings three times a year. We also always ate supper and prayed together, even when two out of the three of us siblings were in high school. 4. What’s convinced you to start family worship in your home? Why is it important? Kristen: Bobby was already practicing these devotional times with his boys before he and I got married. It was natural for us to continue this practice together as a blended family. He and I share the same vision for raising all of our children according to the Gospel by which we are saved. We pray regularly for them to be saved and to grow in fearing God and honoring (and treasuring) His Word. Bobby: I believe that parents have a duty to pastor their homes well, rather than simply leave all spiritual disciplines and teaching up to the local church. 5. Kristen, you help lead gathered worship at Sojourn. Isn’t that the best place for worship to happen, led and experienced in the gathered church? Why another time of worship at home? Kristen: Worshiping together as a family with the gathered church is certainly a healthy practice. Our children need to experience and participate in (like we do) the building up of the saints in the corporate gathering through hearing God’s Word preached, singing God’s Word back to Him and to each other in praise, praying and confessing our sins together and being continually assured of God’s glorious Gospel of grace toward sinners. We also need to be charged corporately as a family of believers to be on God’s mission in the world. But worship is all of life and so it’s also fitting to share times of worship together in our homes and community groups (also little churches) throughout the week. Regular times of individual Bible study and prayer are vital for growing into maturity in Christ, and this is something we should be teaching/modeling to our children as they grow up under our stewardship. 6. Bobby, you’ve written a book about families and worship, “Our Home is Like A Little Church“. Could you tell us more about this? Bobby: Sojourn’s Family Pastor Jared Kennedy asked me and another church member, Lindsey Blair, to write the book. The concept was Jared’s. And another member, Tessa Janes, drew the illustrations. The concept is simple – it teaches that every Christian home is a “little church” where the father teaches his children God’s commands and leads them to worship God. It’s convicting to me, because I frequently fall short of it. 7. How do you guard the time to have family worship consistently? Kristen: Since we don’t have the boys with us full-time, we are very careful to guard the times we do have with them by not scheduling too many other events that disrupt our family rhythm. Bobby and I are very intentional about being present at home with the boys, and we are diligent to spend time together praying and reading God’s Word before and after meals (it’s good to gather around the table!). As the boys have gotten older and are participating in more extra-curricular activities, we have to be even more guarded and disciplined in our family devotional life. 8. Do you use the bible, or other resources? If so, what? Since the boys are older now, we don’t use any “children’s music” resources. We do play a lot of worship music at home as well as in the car. We’re currently praying together a lot, using the A.C.T.S. model (Adoration-Confession-Thanksgiving-Assurance). We read through books of the Bible mostly. We somewhat follow the Christian liturgical calendar in our devotional readings (for instance, Advent-related passages during December), as well as following Sojourn’s preaching calendar (our pastors are preaching a sermon series on the Gospel of John, so we recently read John as a family). We’ve supplemented with many other books. We studied apologetics for awhile and read through the children’s version of all Lee Strobel’s “Case For ___” books. Currently we’re working through Dave Ramsey’s Teen Financial Peace materials. We’ve also read Spurgeon devotionals together. 9. One piece of advice for the family or married couple wondering how to start? Don’t set the bar too high. If you try to conceive of a rigid liturgy with all kinds of readings, sing-a-longs, and prayers, you’ll wear yourselves (and your kids) out. It would be better to start with, say, 5 minutes of devotional time. Start with a brief prayer and a chapter in the Bible or Bible storybook. Then maybe end with one short song. 10. One piece of encouragement for the family that’s finding it hard to keep going? It’s like anything else – it becomes easier over time if you can get to the place where it becomes a habit. That’s why the spiritual disciplines are also called “spiritual habits.” When situations or seasons of life make it harder to get together, come up with a workable adjustment plan. Again, it would be better to have 5 minutes a day than 30 minutes, once a month. This entry was posted in Parenting, Quotes, William and tagged family worship, interview on 26 November, 2013 by W C. For a family with seven kids, Rob and Maria are some of the most laid-back, easy-going parents we’ve met. Rob is always quick to offer a laugh, while Maria is a constant wellspring of encouraging words. Their children fan out all over church on Sunday, and recently we’ve had Tahina join in the young adult homegroups during the week. The Fuatas were one of the earliest families to join HBC after Peter Somervell joined as Senior Pastor (perhaps single-handedly doubling the Sunday School roll at the time!) They were one of the many families who welcomed us when we were still new to the church in 2008. I remember one Sunday service in that first year where we celebrated Maria’s baptism and profession of faith in Christ. Rob works in IT and is especially skilled in setting up WiFi networks (including our church’s), while Maria is an accountant by training but now keeps tabs on the Fuata clan full-time. Maria kindly answered some questions about what family worship looks like in their busy home. We are originally from a tiny island called Rotuma (North East of Fiji); Rob and I were born and raised in Fiji and immigrated to NZ in 2003 with 3 kids. Fast forward 10 years and we now have a child in every level of the NZ education spectrum from Kindy (Tamia – 4); Primary (Tianne – 6, Tamara – 7 & Aaron – 9); Intermediate (Talia – 11); College (Wilson – 18) and University (Tahina – 19)! I think each one of us brings something unique and special to what makes us a family. We love, share, fight, cry, laugh, joke, eat, play and hang out together 24/7, 7 days a week! Dad and the kids all love sports (mum loves cheering from the side). We also spend a lot of time with our extended family and are very involved in our Rotuman cultural group here in NZ. 2. So what happens in your home for family worship? Over the years we’ve done our family worship first in segments and then together as a family. In the first segment, one parent reads a lesson and bible reading from John Macarthur’s “I Believe In Jesus” for the littlies (Tamia, Tianne, Tamara) while the other parent takes the primary/intermediates (Talia and Aaron) through “A Faith to Grow On”. We then do our full family worship where Rob leads our prayer using a list on his iPad. This is a real joy where as a family we discuss our prayer points from church, family and especially when prayer has been answered. We then tuck in the littlies into bed then carry on with the older kids (“Training Hearts, Teaching Minds” by Starr Meade). However, recently we’ve started reading the Bible in chronological order as a family, which has been very enlightening for all of us. It was very interesting reading through Job together and while it seemed to drag on in some parts, I will never forget the littlies’ faces when we talked about how God made the lightning and thunder, galaxy and storm towards the end of Job, because it was during those stormy winter nights in Auckland. Time is our biggest challenge – we have resorted to some days following our full family worship guide and the other days just the reading of a Psalm and family prayer. 4. How do you cater family worship for such a wide age range in your house, and have your kids involved? I think it comes down to being flexible and willing to keep things interesting and engaging but at the same time providing a foundation and routine for what our family worship is about. Using the different resources has definitely helped offer gospel truths tailored to different ages, while keeping it simple, interesting but sound biblically as well. A couple of times Rob has played a “Way of the Master” video as our family worship or even read an article from “Voice of the Martyrs” newsletters about fellow believers being persecuted, this has been an eye-opener for all of us. The kids take turns in reading a Psalm before we start our bible reading. It sometimes ends up in tears when we forget who read the last time (monitoring and tracking who did what last is a key to getting family worship on time in the Fuata household!) The kids are also given the opportunity to pray at the end of our devotions, as we feel we need to teach them how to talk to God and how important prayer is. We have also found that it can be useful to use life-changing moments/events that affect our teens to bring them back to the gospel. For example, the recent suicide of a very close friend of our teens was an opportunity for us to address the issue for their salvation. 5. Do you guys incorporate singing in your family devotions? We also love to sing children’s praises with the guitar (Wilson plays the guitar) and the kids love to do action songs from Sunday School. Plus a family favourite is playing a worship song via the Apple TV with the lyrics on the TV like those on the Gospel Project. 6. How do you guard your times for family worship? As the kids have gotten older, this has been more challenging, especially with club and school sports, extra-curricular activities at school, family meetings and gatherings, bible study groups etc. Plus juggling work, school runs, getting dinner done as well. We try to have one particular night in the week for all of us to be home and worship together. What Rob has tried to instill into our family is that 7.15pm is family worship, and whatever you’re doing, it needs to stop, and you need to make your way to the sitting room. Sometimes this has meant half-eaten dinner after training, but it was the best time before the littlies start to get too tired and most kids would’ve have had time to shower after training. But on average, family worship time has really been at 7.30ish… which means we just get used to 1 or 2 littlies ending up horizontal by the end of the prayer! 7. Why is family worship important to you? As parents we are the first teachers of our faith to our children and it is our God-given roles to do so. Teaching and leading our children to saving faith is our primary calling, and while we continue to care, nurture and love them, ultimately it is their salvation that we are most focussed on. So family worship is a significant part of this responsibility in action. Of course, the truths that we learn from Gods word as a family also translates to how we live our lives each day and the every day reminders that we are sinners, of our we need for a saviour, and that salvation is only found in the person of Jesus Christ and what He did on that cross on Calvary. Most importantly, its teaching our kids that we ourselves as parents are in much need of God’s grace as they are, for we are far from perfect. 8. Both of you became Christians after most of your children were born. Is it too late to start family worship once your children are in their teens? We have been very fortunate to be exposed to solid gospel doctrine from the outset through Rob’s brother Nick who strongly recommended materials for our family worship and growing our faith. Rob pretty much took the lead making the change in our family. While it is difficult to start even at the Intermediate age, we have tried and continue to persevere, for we know as parents, that is our role. Its a difficult one with pre-teens and teens alike, but I must say its very fulfilling and heart-warming when you can discuss these gospel truths with your teens, even if they still say they don’t profess their faith just yet. It’s definitely not too late because we know we have planted the seed. Our job is to teach them God’s Word and to be used to lead them to salvation. We have faith in the fact that God saves no matter what age or circumstances. 9. What resources have you found helpful in leading family worship? ESV and John MacArthur bibles together with the NKJ for footnotes where necessary. It is so important to get good resources to use with your bible. We were blessed in this area – what seemed like a daunting task for a family of our size and mix, became easier than expected because of the gospel-centred resources available through Grace to You, John MacArthur. Denys Tomaselli from Grace Books in Hastings also played a significant part in getting us our resources, but also in our family finding a solid bible-teaching church home. 10. Any last words for readers? While this all may seem like a lot, to be honest, we have not always been faithful and consistent in following this guide. But by using family worship as an opportunity to teach our children the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we trust they would be better equipped to stand firm amidst the influences and temptations of this world (particularly as our children attend state schools). As a family we’ve struggled and many times felt like giving up, but there is so much joy when your littlies pray thanking Jesus for dying on the cross to save us (though it’s in God’s timing when He calls our children to saving faith). Whatever the end result though, the fruits right now is definitely His moulding of Rob and I as parents, and the frequent reminders of our need for His grace each day! This entry was posted in Parenting, Quotes, William and tagged family worship, interview on 19 November, 2013 by W C. One of the many blessings from our church hosting a conference each year is the opportunity to meet and make friends with Christians from other churches. That’s how I first got to know Philip and Nahomi Dhinakar (after they attended STAND 2010). Over the years we’ve enjoyed meeting them at other events and getting to know their three children: Tim, Lydia and Priscilla, who attend our young adults’ homegroup from time to time. Over the years we’ve enjoyed and benefited from their encouragements, prayers and curiosity. We see the Dhinakars as an example of a house wholly devoted to serving the Lord, as Joshua 24:15 describes. Nahomi and her children offer a generous(!) glimpse into their lives as a worshipping family, striving by God’s grace to pass the gospel on to their future generations. Philip – an accountant by trade, reads theology in his free time and takes Bible studies for interested groups among friend-and-family circles. Nahomi – technical writer, dreamed once of starting an orphanage like Amy Carmichael did (but God obviously did not need it). Prisy (24), loves history, good to have on your team for Bible quiz. Tim (22), civil engineering cadet, plays guitar and loves being with other young people zealous for the Lord. Lydia (20), studying to be a nurse, takes an interest in the community and currently serves as Secretary of the Manurewa Youth Council. Loves to sing. 2. Describe what you did the last time you worshipped together as a family. Typically, Philip and I along with Prisy, Tim, and Lydia gather in the lounge. We are joined by my father GB, who sits down in his special chair, and any others who may be staying/visiting with us at the time. Our cat Millie loves family prayer because it gives her uninterrupted lap time. The term we use for this activity is Kudumba Jebam which means “family prayer” in Tamil. The whole exercise takes about 20 minutes… Needless to say, prayer is the one component that is always a part of our family worship. Very often we include singing (from our family hymnbook). But Bible reading, listening to sermons, or reading a book are various components that come and go. When we pray, we go around in a circle mentioning points for thanksgiving and then our petitions. GB who does a lot of evangelising over the phone has plenty of points for both thanksgiving and petitions. In addition to the many easily-discerned earthly blessings and seemingly-pressing material needs, we try to acknowledge and ask for spiritual assistance, in keeping with Colossians 3:2. Philip, who has not taken notes, closes with prayer, fleshing out every point, without missing a single one. If we come to a season when it is difficult to gather like this, we convert the “Grace” before our evening meal into something a bit more elaborate. Maybe Philip will pray a more comprehensive prayer before the meal or, better still, elicit points for prayer from those seated at the table. 3. Tell me more about your family hymnbook, and how you use it. In the past we sang from hymn books compiled by GB when he was pastoring our former church in India. It was GB who also introduced us in the 70’s to David & Dale Garratt’s Scripture in Song, a song book we would use in past years along with the hymnal. The current one was compiled by Tim. He leads the singing, accompanying us on the guitar. Sometimes he uses online musical accompaniment. He has introduced our family to several new and wonderful hymns, much like how GB did in the past. 4. Did your parents practise any sort of family worship when you grew up? Yes – it is normal for people from traditional Christian backgrounds in south India to have family prayers. Philip remembers regular family prayers in his parental home with his grandmother reading from the prayer book. My father GB, the son of a Lutheran Pastor, remembers how much his family would struggle to have the family prayers on a regular basis. Impetus for regular family worship can come from tradition and it can come from a real relationship with God. Whichever way this legacy was handed down to us, we are grateful. My father GB came to faith when I was about five, and so all the family worship that I can remember in my parental home were his heart expression of worship to God and his attempts to move away from anything that smelled of tradition. The hundreds of family prayers we must have had have all blended into a haze, but I do remember one night vividly when GB read Isaiah 6. I remember being terrified and trying to cover myself completely, during the prayer that followed, with the blanket that I had with me at the time. 4. So what convinced you personally about the importance of family worship? Nahomi: Family prayer times are an important part of the adherence of the practical principle laid out in Deuteronomy 6:7. Whether we are guiding the conversation to godly things during family prayer times or when we are waiting for the school bus, it rings true to the child only when Christ is real to you. Lydia: Now that I look back, I am so grateful that I have memorised so many scriptures. It helps me in life, especially now as a young person facing various temptations, struggles, sins, and trials, the memorised chapters and verses seem to just pop up in my head. Prisy: From the point of view of the child, family worship was where a lot of our spiritual training was done. It was there that we learnt to memorise scripture. It was there that we learnt to pray. It was there where our questions were answered. Family worship was also where we learnt to grow together in faith. When our family went through its Great Theological Change from a Dispensational Arminian side to the ‘Covenantal’ Reformed side, family worship was where we developed a lot of our understanding. 5. What other books, resources have you used as a family? Have you done things differently over the years? Tim: It has morphed a lot. Almost all stages involved us singing and praying at the end. But we tried to fit the Bible in differently at every stage. In the early stages, were just memorizing passages such as Psalm 23. This I can recall from when I was three or four. Prisy: We’ve studied certain books of the Bible together (Acts and Nehemiah come to mind). At one time, we were doing John MacArthur’s A Faith to Grow On. We’ve tried reading Pilgrim’s Progress together more than once. The last time we tried, we got up to Christian meeting Hopeful, I think. Sometimes Papa reads from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening. I think a lot depended on how old we were at the time. Nahomi: I believe I know why Prisy remembers reading the book of Nehemiah; it was because we wrote the names of the builders down on a long roll of paper that, when stood up, looked like a wall itself. 6. Would you do anything differently if you were starting over? Prisy: I don’t know if our parents could have done things too differently because our family prayers changed and developed according to our circumstances: moving houses, moving to different countries, Dad’s work situation, Mum’s work situation, church circumstances, changes in theology, growing children. Still I think we would have benefited from some more structure and order; a lot of it was just so haphazard. Nahomi: In India, work hours were crazy. Philip was on call 24/7 and worked till 9pm each weekday and till 7pm on Saturdays. Commuting to and from work was not easy either. When Lydia was six, I went out to work as well. Although Saturdays were usually holidays for me, I had to work late on weekdays and sometimes spent the night in the work place. Time spent with children and nurturing them in the fear of the Lord had to be really high up in our list of priorities, for things to have worked out as they did. What grace and favour we were shown by the Lord that we had that motivation! 7. What’s one thing that’s worked well for your family devotions? Nahomi: As a child, I had a Sunday School teacher who impressed Psalm 119:11 (“I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you”) to me as she encouraged me to memorise scripture. Sadly, I could not retain more than half of the scriptures I learned by memory as a child. I was determined that my children would not forget the scriptures they memorised, and the Lord showed me a way to do this. I would take a really difficult-to-memorise passage like John 1:1-18, and start composing a tune, phrase by phrase. Musically, to this day, I have no idea what it all means! Lydia: But we can still remember all of them and can sing them by heart to this day. 8. And one thing that didn’t work so well? Nahomi: Attempting to read Pilgrim’s Progress has been one of my failures. Tim tells me that it is becauseth I haveth decideth to read it in the original! I have not given up; I am sure that I can bribe them yet. Or maybe I need to give in and instead learn from those days in the 70s when the story of David Wilkerson and Nicky Cruz made family prayers something to look forward to. 9. So now that Tim, Lydia and Prisy are all young adults, do you still fit in family worship into your schedules? Prisy: I think it’s been quite hard for us to guard the time for family worship, especially with us young ‘uns all grown up. We have so many different commitments, youth fellowships, Bible studies and prayer meetings that it’s really hard to get evenings free to ourselves. It’s just too difficult to schedule time for family worship. But because it’s been such a big part of our family life, we make it a point to have it just whenever we can. Tim: We’ve tried schedules but they don’t last long. Since someone or other is busy every day of the week with spiritual events, we have stripped family worship to prayer at least. When we have more time we sing and listen to a video/sermon or read something. 10. Final words you’d like to leave for readers? Nahomi: It is possible for readers to look at a post like this and feel discouraged, thinking that achieving something like this is beyond their reach. In reality, the only reason our story may look alright is because the luxury of looking back over 20 years allows one to overlook many of the failures. Readers do not see our everyday irritations and moods. Moreover, our adherence to any structure, order, or schedule has been and still is woefully inadequate. So, far from discouraging you, let our family’s case be an example of the grace of God to you. This entry was posted in Parenting, Quotes, William and tagged devotions, family worship, interview on 12 November, 2013 by W C. We’ve known the Waltzes since they moved to New Zealand about a year and a half ago (March 2012). One of the first things I noticed about them was that their children sing in church – even all the adult songs with big words. In fact, they were more engaged in singing than some of the nearby adults! I later learned that Luke teaches them many of the songs we sing at church to the kids. The Waltzes have temporarily called Auckland home while Luke’s managing a research and development team for Crown Equipment. Kelli homeschools their four children now that they’re in NZ. In our times together we’ve enjoyed learning more about American culture, delicious home-made pies (with sweet, not savoury fillings), Ohio State University rivalries, and the trials and rewards of parenting four busy kids. Luke was kind enough to answer some questions below. We have four children: Nathan 11, Laura 9, Ryan 8, and Elisabeth 5. We’ve been in New Zealand for about a year and a half. We’re fairly active; we like sports such as baseball, basketball, gymnastics, camping, and a good day at the beach. This evening, we sang several songs together, with me leading on the piano (10,000 Reasons, How Great is Your Faithfulness, and Come Thou Fount). We read Psalm 135 and discussed it. Then we prayed together at the end. It probably took 30 minutes. Our family devotions generally have singing, reading / discussion, and prayer, but not every time. We don’t sing every night, but most nights we will read / discuss and pray together. If we’ve been out late that evening, we may just pray together. And if we’re out extremely late, the kids will go straight to bed. On weekday mornings, Kelli also leads a 15 minute devotional with the kids. 3. Did your parents practise any sort of family worship when you grew up? No. While we both grew up in families that regularly attended church, family worship was not practised. 4. So how did you guys end up starting it in your home? We probably started when Nathan was around 4 years old. We believed it was important, but neither Kelli or I had experienced it first-hand growing up. It was something that we sort of organically started doing. 5. You also help lead gathered worship at church. How does being a worship leader there influence how you view and lead it in your home? In a practical sense, I have access to a lot of good songs and am able to lead with a guitar or piano. However, YouTube has also been a great resource for us. Before our musical instruments arrived in New Zealand, we would play Sovereign Grace songs or Getty songs on YouTube on our iPad and would sing with them. We sing the same songs that are sung in church on a Sunday morning. I’ve also developed some convictions that if we’re going to sing, we ought to sing songs that have deep, lyrical gospel centred content. So we tend to sing songs in our family worship that also fit that criteria. 6. Have you done these things the same way since you started? It has evolved over time. I can’t really think of any meaningful way that it has changed or ways that we would do it differently. As our children get older, the conversations continue to get deeper. 7. Do you have to guard the time to worship together as a family? If so, how? I don’t feel like we actively guard our time. It is just something that is a natural part of our routine. However, as our children get older, we may need to get more aggressive in guarding our time. 8. Do you use the Bible, or other books? 9. What’s your advice to someone who’s wondering how to do this, or think they can’t do this? There’s no magic to it. Just keep doing it. In our culture of twitter and instant everything, we tend to want instant results. You won’t get instant results from having family devotions. Just like the Christian life is described as a marathon, so raising our kids could be viewed that way also. There will be days when everyone is tired and not able to concentrate very well. Do it anyway. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a night. Don’t worry if you’re not a good singer. We’re in it for the long-term. Let’s run a little better each and every day. This entry was posted in Parenting, Quotes, William and tagged family worship, interview on 5 November, 2013 by W C. A couple of months back, Thabiti Anyabwile (Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) and his family came over to New Zealand for our church’s STAND conference. Sure, Thabiti is a popular blogger, preacher and author in reformed evangelical circles. But in hanging out with them during meals, and chatting over conversations between conference sessions, the impression I got was that they’re a regular family like rest of us… with similar concerns, hopes, and desires for their children to grow up with their own faith in Christ. Pastor Thabiti kindly offered to share, as he put it, “words from a fellow struggler”. My wife and I have been married 22 years. We have three children, ages 15, 13, and 6.5. 2. Could you describe what happened the last time you worshipped with your family? At our last time of “family worship” (a term I find incurably burdensome!), we finished our meal together, talked about our day and prayed together. The mix of questions usually leads to rich back-and-forth and engagement, a lot of laughter, and not a few things mom and I need to note in our teenage daughters’ lives. We then prayed and blessed the children individually. If you subtract all the little rabbit trails our discussion takes, it probably took us about 15 minutes (though the rabbit trails have prizes of their own!). I was raised in a nominally Christian home. We never had family worship. That’s one thing that contributes to my difficulty in being consistent and creative. We had no models and I’m usually plagued with thoughts like, “Am I doing this right?” In God’s grace, we continue with fits and starts and we give ourselves permissions to start over or try something different every so often. 4. So how did you come to find it important? What convinces you to persevere with it today? Well, I think I’m mainly convinced by the portions of Scripture that call me to teach my children the faith and promise God’s blessing on their lives. In that sense I’m motivated by obedience and hope in God. But depending on what you mean, “family worship” can be from the pits of hell! If it’s perpetually guilt inducing, drudgery, leads to self-righteousness, or provokes the children to wrath then it’s not actually worship. So I want to be cognizant of both my motive and the effect of our times together. And I’ve also found that too much emphasis can be placed on “family” in family worship. Sometimes it’s better to have spiritual exercises with the members of the family individually. My six year old boy is in a totally different place than my 15 year old girl. With my boy, a great account from the Old Testament engages and grips him. My girl needs her daddy’s ear and prayers. But it’s all with members of the family and it’s worshipful when we’re on our game. 5. Depending on what you mean… so is “family worship” the best term to use then? On the one hand, “family worship” is a fine term for training our children. Yet it’s not a biblical term or a required term, so we might call it a variety of things. Whatever works for you. And if “family worship” puts you in a rigid, formal frame of mind, it might not be a useful term. Also, the term can suggest that this is something we do at a set time for a set period rather than something we’re to always be doing as we “walk by the way” (Deut. 6). Perhaps it’s helpful to remember that “worship” is never used of a NT time of gathering but used of our entire lives. Worshipers is what we are and therefore what we’re always doing. No, definitely not! We’ve changed everything several times over! If I could start over I would have fun play a more active role. I would work harder to transfer to the children the idea that they should enjoy God. For children that means play, creativity, activity and the like—not just sitting on the couch while we read or pray. I want them to learn to focus and sit while we read and pray, but I also want their imaginations and hearts engaged in a developmentally appropriate way. I was so eager to “give them the word” that I failed to stop and think, How will they best receive the word? And I suspect that if our times of spiritual play were fun for the kids, then it would be fun for me, too. And the truth is, I need more fun in my life! 7. How do you guard the time to worship together as a family? Well, this is an ongoing battle. Between travel and the schedule of the church, we realistically set a goal of some form of spiritual exercise 3-5 nights a week. The easiest way we’ve found to preserve the time is to link it to meals. When we’re good about having our meals at the dinner table, we’re usually pretty good about family devotions. That being said, having meals at the table has been a struggle because my wife and I grew up with really different habits around meal time. My family gathered in the living room around the television, plates on laps, laughing and talking with the show. Her family had dinner about the same time every day, sat at the table, and mostly talked to each other. We’re a cross-cultural marriage in that sense. So we’ve gone back and forth between the two. Her way is better for our family and for spiritual devotion. Both. We’ve used different things depending on interest. Right now, we’re reading The Action Bible with my son. I love that Bible! And so do my teenage daughters. Wonderful graphic novel level illustrations, faithful to the text, and engaging story telling. At other times we’ll also include a chapter from a classic like The Chronicles of Narnia. We have a great time reading different characters in different voices and talking about the lessons we gleaned from the readings. 9. What advice would you give to parents who don’t have anything going yet? For getting started, don’t forget to make it fun and engaging. “Finishing” the Bible or the study isn’t the main thing. Engaging the family’s heart is. Deuteronomy 6 seems to envision lively conversation about the things of God during the ordinary course of life, not a staid curriculum and forced routine. Think about the natural anchoring points of your family’s routine (which will be meals for most people), remove the distractions (which will be some kind of screen for most people), and have fun talking about the things of the Lord. 10. Any tips for those of us struggling with leading family worship? If you’re finding it difficult to keep going, take a break. Have a week where as a family you cook dinner together and watch a movie. Let each member of the family determine the menu and choose a movie each night of the week. Let the bad experience perish in the fun of a “free” week. Meanwhile, think about how to make it fun and natural when you resume the following week. Try something different. There are no rules here. If you aim at doing something fun for the family, you’ll find it easier to keep going. And by the way, if you’re starting this with teenagers, don’t be thrown off by that look of great disinterest or boredom. They’re listening. They’ve simply trained their faces to make you think they’re not. Hang in there. They’re training you in perseverance, patience and hope. That’s why God gave them to you! You’ll reap if you don’t faint. 11. Could you recommend a go-to resource for folks to find out more about family worship? The best resource is your family! Ask them what interests them spiritually. Even if someone says “Nothing,” you’ll be talking about spiritual things! Listen for what they enjoyed and what they thought failed. Make adjustments and keep engaging and listening. This entry was posted in Parenting, Quotes, William and tagged family worship, interview on 29 October, 2013 by W C.

2019-04-24T23:47:37Z

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You must agree to the Terms in order to use the Service. If you use any aspect of the Service, or click to accept or agree to the Terms if presented to you in a user interface for the Service, we will understand this as your acceptance of the Terms and your agreement to all of its terms and conditions. By accepting the Terms or using the Service, you represent and warrant that you have the legal capacity to enter a contract in the jurisdiction where you reside. If you do not accept the Terms, then you may not use Service. If you are using the Service on behalf of your employer or another entity, you represent and warrant that you have full legal authority to bind your employer or such other entity to the Terms. If you do not have such authority, then you may not use the Service on behalf of your employer or such other entity and you must discontinue all such use immediately. Anedot may update the Terms at any time, and Anedot will post the updated version of the Terms on the Site and the App. You understand and agree that you will be deemed to have accepted the updated Terms if you use any aspect of the Service after the updated Terms are posted. If at any point you do not agree to any portion of the Terms then in effect, you must immediately stop using the Service. You are responsible for any Internet connection and telecommunications fees and charges that you incur when accessing the Service. You acknowledge and agree that Anedot may make changes to any aspect of the Service at any time without notifying you in advance. If your Account is terminated for any reason or no reason, you agree: (a) to continue to be bound by this Agreement, (b) to immediately stop using the Service and to remove all card logos from your website and wherever else they are displayed, (c) that the license provided under this Agreement shall end, (d) that we reserve the right (but have no obligation) to delete all of your information and Account data stored on our servers, and (e) that Anedot shall not be liable to you or any third party for termination of access to the Service, deletion of your information or Account data, or export of your information or Account data. Anedot reserves the right to deny service to any person or entity at Anedot's sole and absolute discretion. You acknowledge and agree that Anedot may stop providing the Service or restrict your use of the Service at any time, without notifying you in advance, for any reason or no reason, including, without limitation, for any violation of the Terms or if Anedot suspects that you have used any aspect of the Service to conduct any fraudulent or illegal activity. If Anedot disables your access to your Account (as defined below), you may be prevented from accessing the Service, your Account details or any materials contained in your Account. You may terminate this Agreement by closing your Account at any time. When you close your Account, any pending transactions will be cancelled. Any funds that are held in custody for you at the time of closure, less any applicable fees, will be paid out to you according to your payout schedule, assuming all payout-related authentication requirements have been fulfilled. If you voluntarily deactivate your User or Account, you may reactivate that User or Account at any time by contacting us via email at [email protected]. Users and Accounts terminated by Anedot for any type of abuse including, without limitation, a violation of the Terms, may not be reactivated for any reason. Additionally, we will securely store your User and Account activity following deactivation or termination for our records and for fraud prevention purposes. If we reasonably suspect that your User or Account has been used for an unauthorized, illegal or criminal purpose, you expressly authorize us to share information about you, your User and/or Account, your access to the Service and any of your transactions with law enforcement. To access the Site generally and to make a donation through the Service, you do not need to have an account. However, to access certain aspects of the Service, you must have a personal user account (each, a "User"). You can create a User by completing the applicable registration process. To access certain other aspects of the Service, you may also be required to create a fundraising Merchant account (each, an "Account"). A "Merchant" is a User that is an individual (at least eighteen (18) years old or older), a business, or a non-profit organization that accepts payments through the Anedot Services. Users may be Donating Users (as defined below) or may be authorized Account users, and multiple Users may be associated with and manage an Account. You may be required to provide information about yourself as part of the registration process or your continued use of the Service. You agree that any registration information that you submit to Anedot will be correct, accurate and up to date. The "DonorID" feature enables users who make contributions through the Service ("Donating Users") to store their personal contact and payment information so that they do not need to input this information each time they make a donation through the Service, and to track their prior transactions. To use DonorID, Donating Users must create a password or add an alternative method of authorization accepted by Anedot. Anedot does not retain amounts (other than applicable service charges) contributed by a Donating User, but instead these amounts are transmitted by Anedot directly to one or more Accounts designated by the Donating User. These transactions are between Donating Users and recipient Accounts ("Recipients"), and Anedot is not a party to these transactions. Unless otherwise noted, all currency references are in U.S. dollars. All contributions and related service charges are payable in accordance with payment terms in effect at the time such contribution is made. Anedot may, from time to time, modify, amend, or supplement its pricing and billing procedures, and such changes shall be effective immediately upon posting a link to an update of the Terms or posting such changes elsewhere on the Site or the App. If there is a dispute regarding the Service in general, Anedot shall have the right to terminate the applicable User or Account without prior notice. Refunds are not available for donations, payments or gifts made through Anedot. All transactions are final. However, our Service team can help research and resolve problems that arise with transactions. If a Donating User is unable to contact the Recipient or the Recipient is unreachable, the Donating User may contact Anedot by emailing [email protected] and specifying the request. For the avoidance of doubt, if a credit card chargeback is initiated by a Donating User, a debit memo may be issued to the corresponding Recipient. EACH DONATING USER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ALL SERVICE CHARGES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE BY ANEDOT IN WHOLE OR IN PART. The Services support most domestic credit, debit, prepaid or gift cards with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover logo. In addition, the Services support most international cards with these logos. We may add or remove support for certain payment cards at any time without prior notice. We may elect only to process cards that receive an authorization from the applicable issuer. You agree to accept all of the cards listed in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. We have implemented technical and organizational measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration or disclosure. We cannot guarantee, however, that unauthorized third parties will never be able to defeat those measures or use your personal information for improper purposes. You acknowledge that you provide your personal information at your own risk. Maintaining the security of your account is very important. You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password/passphrase for accessing your User ID or Account. You agree to notify Anedot immediately if you become aware of any unauthorized use of your password or of your User or Account. Each User is registered to the corresponding individual user only and may not be transferred to a third party under any circumstances. Any Account that is inactive for more than six (6) months and has a balance of more than $10 will be subject to a $10 per month inactivity fee until the Account becomes active, including due to funds transfer requests or new transactions involving Account. Accounts with a balance of less than $10 will be subject to an inactivity fee totaling the remaining balance. You have the right to deactivate your User or Account at any time. You may do so by following the deactivation link and instructions available on the Site or by contacting us via email at [email protected]. Once you deactivate your User or Account, your personal information will no longer be viewable by users of the Service. However, content previously shared with other users of the Service may remain viewable by those users until you delete such content. Deactivation of a User or an Account shall not relieve the User or the Account and its authorized users of their continued obligations under the Terms, including but not limited to obligations with respect to payment of service charges or chargebacks related thereto or other obligations to Donating Users who have made donations. If you are a Merchant, you agree to process returns of, and provide refunds and adjustments for goods or services through your Account in accordance with this Agreement. It is required that you will (a) maintain a fair return, cancellation or adjustment policy; (b) disclose your return or cancellation policy to purchasers at the time of purchase, (c) not give cash refunds to a purchaser in connection with a payment card sale, unless required by law, and (d) not accept cash or any other item of value for preparing a payment card sale refund. Your refund policies must be the same for all payment methods. If your purchaser is dissatisfied with your refund policy, the purchaser may chargeback the payment. You may not bill or collect from any purchaser for any purchase or payment by means of a card unless the purchaser has exercised chargeback, you have fully paid for the charge, and you otherwise have the right to do so. You represent and warrant to us that: (a) you are eligible to register and use the Service and have the right, power, and ability to enter into and perform under this Agreement; (b) the name identified by you when you registered is your name or business name under which you sell goods and services; (c) any transaction submitted by you will represent a bona fide sale by you; (d) any sales transactions submitted by you will accurately describe the goods and/or services sold and delivered to a purchaser or donor; (e) you will fulfill all of your obligations to each purchaser or donor for which you submit a transaction and will resolve any consumer dispute or complaint directly with the purchaser; (f) you and all transactions initiated by you will comply with all federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations applicable to your business, including any applicable tax laws and regulations; (g) except in the ordinary course of business, no transaction submitted by you through the Service will represent a sale to any principal, partner, proprietor, or owner of your entity; (h) you will not use the Service, directly or indirectly, for any fraudulent undertaking or in any manner so as to interfere with the use of the Service; (i) your use of the Service will be in compliance with these Terms. To register for an Anedot Merchant account, a Merchant must provide an email address, password, street address, telephone number, tax identification number, and date of birth. You agree to provide supplemental documentation upon request. You authorize Anedot, directly or through third parties, to make inquiries or verify that this information is accurate. You specifically authorize Anedot to request a consumer report that contains your name and address. If at any time Anedot is unable to verify that the identity information you provided is correct and up-to-date, then, unless you provide verifiable information promptly, Anedot may terminate your access to your account so that you cannot accept additional payments. To qualify for a Merchant account, you myst be a an individual (eighteen (18) years or older), business, or a non-profit organization located in the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Terms, Anedot hereby grants you a limited, non-exclusive, personal, non-sublicensable, non-assignable license to use the Service, which may only be used in in accordance with the Terms and any rules, restrictions or documentation set forth by Anedot from time to time. In connection with the Service, you may install the App on one or more mobile devices that you own or control and that meet the minimum specifications provided by Anedot. Anedot may require that you download and install updates to the App from time to time. You acknowledge and agree that Anedot may update the Service with or without notifying you and add or remove features or functions to the Service at any time in its sole discretion. You acknowledge and agree that Anedot has no obligation to make the Service available to you, make any subsequent versions of the Service available to you or to continue to support the Service in any way. You acknowledge that your access to the Service may not be continuous, features may change during your use of the Service, and Anedot may terminate your access to the Service or stop offering the Service at any time. You are responsible for determining any and all taxes assessed, incurred, or required to be collected, paid, or withheld, in connection with your use of the Services. You are solely responsible for collecting, withholding, reporting and remitting any taxes to the appropriate tax authority. Anedot is not obligated to, and will not, determine whether taxes apply, or calculate, collect, report or remit any taxes to any tax authority arising from your use of the Service. Anedot permits you to view and use the Service solely for your own personal (in the case of Donating Users) or limited commercial use (in the case of Recipients), in either case not inconsistent with the intended purpose of the Service. For the avoidance of doubt, you may be both a Donating User and a Recipient based upon your use of the Service. You agree not to license, create derivative works from, transfer, sell or resell any information, content, materials, data or services obtained from the Service. Anedot reserves the right to add or remove information, content or services from the Service at any time at its sole discretion. You agree not to access, or attempt to access, the Service by any means other than through the user interface provided through the Site or the App. You specifically agree not to access, or attempt to access, the Service through any automated means (including, without limitation, through the use of scripts, bots, spiders or web crawlers), and you agree to comply with the instructions contained in any robots.txt file present on the Site or the Service. You agree that you will not, in connection with your use of the Service, violate any applicable law, ordinance, rule, regulation or treaty. Without limiting the foregoing, you agree that you will not make available through the Service any material or information that infringes any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other right of any party (including rights of privacy or publicity). You may not connect to or use the Service in any way that is not expressly permitted by the Terms. You may not: (i) remove any proprietary notices from the Service; (ii) cause, permit or authorize the modification, creation of derivative works, translation, reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling or hacking of the Service; (iii) sell, assign, rent, lease, act as a service bureau, or grant rights in the Service, including, without limitation, through sublicense, to any other person or entity without the prior written consent of Anedot; or (iv) make any false, misleading or deceptive statement or representation regarding Anedot or the Service. Without limiting the foregoing, you agree that you will not: (i) institute, assist, or become involved in any type of attack including, without limitation, denial of service attacks, upon the Service (or any servers, systems or networks connected to the Service) or otherwise attempt to obstruct, disrupt or interfere with the operation of the Service or any other person's or entity's use of the Service (or any servers, systems or networks connected to the Service); (ii) attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, an Account registered to other Users, a User associated with another user, or any servers, systems or networks connected to the Service; (iii) use the Service for any commercial purpose unless consistent with the Terms and the intended use of the same, or for the benefit of any third party, or charge any person or entity, or receive any compensation for, the use of the Service, unless you are specifically authorized to do so in a separate written agreement with Anedot; (iv) use the Service to develop, generate, transmit or store information that is defamatory, harmful, abusive, obscene or hateful; (iv) use the Service to perform any unsolicited commercial communication not permitted by applicable law; or (v) use the Service to engage in any activity that (A) constitutes harassment or a violation of privacy or threatens other people or groups of people; (B) is harmful to children in any manner; (C) constitutes phishing, pharming or impersonates any other person or entity, or steals or assumes any person's identity (whether a real identity or online nickname or alias); or (D) violates any applicable law, ordinance, rule, regulation or treaty. Without limiting the foregoing, you agree that you will not use the Service for any other unlawful, prohibited, abnormal or unusual activity as determined by Anedot in its sole discretion. You agree that you will not (a) obtain or attempt to obtain any information from the Service including, without limitation, email addresses or mobile phone numbers of other Donating Users or Recipients or other data; (b) intercept, examine or otherwise observe any proprietary communications protocol used by the Service, whether through the use of a network analyzer, packet sniffer or other device; or (c) use any type of bot, spider, virus, clock, timer, counter, worm, software lock, drop dead device, Trojan horse, trap door, time bomb or any other codes, instructions or third party software that is designed to provide a means of surreptitious or unauthorized access to, or distort, delete, damage or disassemble, the Service. You acknowledge and agree that you are solely responsible, and Anedot has no responsibility or liability to you or any other person or entity, for any breach by you of the Terms or for the consequences of any such breach. Anedot may at its option, terminate its relationship with you, or may suspend your Account immediately if it determines you are using the Service contrary to the restrictions found in this Article 6 or any other terms of the Terms. The Site may contain links to websites operated by other parties. Anedot provides these links to other websites as a convenience and use of these websites is at your own risk. The linked websites are not under the control of Anedot and Anedot is not responsible for the content available on the other websites. Such links do not imply Anedot's endorsement of information or material on any other website and Anedot disclaims all liability with regard to your access to and use of such linked websites. Unless otherwise set forth in a written agreement between you and Anedot, you must adhere to Anedot's linking policy as follows: (a) the appearance, position and other aspects of the link may not be such as to damage or dilute the goodwill associated with Anedot's or its licensors' names and trademarks; (b) the appearance, position and other attributes of the link may not create the false appearance that your organization or entity is sponsored by, affiliated with, or associated with Anedot; and (c) when selected by a user, the link to the Site must display the Site on full-screen and not within a "frame" on the linking website, except as permitted by Anedot for purposes of embedding a campaign form onto a Recipient's website. Anedot reserves the right to revoke its consent to the link at any time and in its sole discretion. The Anedot name and logo are trademarks and service marks of Anedot. Unless permitted in a separate written agreement with Anedot, you do not have the right to use any of Anedot's trademarks, service marks or logos and your unauthorized use of any of these may be a violation of federal and state trademark laws. You acknowledge and agree that Anedot, or its licensors, owns all right, title and interest in and to the Service, including all intellectual property, industrial property and proprietary rights recognized anywhere in the world at any time and that the Service is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Further, you acknowledge that the Service may contain information that Anedot has designated as confidential and you agree not to disclose such information without Anedot's prior written consent. We, including third party partners and our affiliates, may ask you for Feedback (as further defined below) on your experience with the Services. Anedot shall become the owner of any reviews, comments, suggestions or other feedback regarding the Services posted to the Services or on Anedot's social media pages (collectively, "Feedback") and it may share with any of its affiliates. Anedot will not be required to treat any Feedback as confidential and will not be liable for any Feedback posted on the Services or elsewhere. Without limitation, Anedot will have exclusive ownership of all present and future existing rights to the Feedback of every kind and nature everywhere and will be entitled to use the Feedback for any commercial or other purpose whatsoever, including to advertise and promote Anedot, without compensation to you or any other person sending the Feedback. To the extent that you decide to post any content ("User Content"), including your profile information or Feedback, on the Services or on Anedot's social media pages, you agree that your User Content will not contain third-party copyrighted material, or material that is subject to other third-party proprietary rights, unless you have permission from the rightful owner of the material or you are otherwise legally entitled to post the material and to grant Anedot all of the license rights granted herein. You acknowledge that you are responsible for whatever material you submit, and you, not Anedot, have full responsibility for the Feedback, including its legality, reliability, appropriateness, originality, and copyright. Anedot may refuse to accept or transmit User Content. Additionally, Anedot shall have the right to delete, edit, modify, reformat, excerpt, or translate any of your User Content. You specifically waive any "moral rights" in and to the User Content. The Service is operated by Anedot in the United States. If you choose to access the Service from a location outside of the United States, you do so on your own initiative and you are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws. Anedot is not the source of, does not verify or endorse and takes no responsibility for the content of communications made using the Service or any materials submitted or made available through the Service via any function which allows a user to post or share content ("Submitted Content"). By using the Service, you agree that any content that you submit may be viewable by other users of the Service. The content of communications is entirely the responsibility of the person from whom such content originated. You therefore may be exposed to content that is offensive, unlawful, harmful to minors, obscene, indecent or otherwise objectionable. Submitted Content may be protected by intellectual property rights owned by third parties. You are responsible for the content you choose to communicate and access using the Service. In particular, you are responsible for ensuring that you do not submit material that (a) is protected by copyright, contains trade secrets or otherwise is subject to third party proprietary rights, including privacy and publicity rights, unless you are the owner of such rights or have permission from the rightful owner; (b) is false or is a misrepresentation; (c) is offensive, unlawful, harmful to minors, obscene, defamatory, libelous, threatening, pornographic, harassing, hateful, racially or ethnically offensive, or that encourages conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, gives rise to civil liability, violates any law, or is otherwise objectionable; or (d) impersonates another person. Anedot may in its sole discretion block, prevent delivery of or otherwise remove the content of communications as part of its effort to protect the Service or its customers, or otherwise enforce the terms of the Terms. Further, Anedot may in its sole discretion remove such content and terminate an Account if the Recipient or any authorized user submits any content that is in breach of the Terms. Anedot does not claim ownership of any of your Submitted Content. With respect to all of your Submitted Content, you grant Anedot a perpetual, irrevocable, non-terminable, transferable, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, fully paid-up, non-exclusive and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, modify, copy and perform the Submitted Content or any part of the Submitted Content in connection with the Service and Anedot's (and its successors' and affiliates') business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service (and derivative works thereof) in any and all media formats and through any and all media channels. You also hereby grant each user of the Service a non-exclusive license to access your Submitted Content through the Service while the Submitted Content is made available through the Service. You may take down any of your Submitted Content at any time; however, you acknowledge and agree, that Anedot may still have access to such Submitted Content and that the above license granted by you to Anedot will remain in effect despite your removal of the Submitted Content from the Service. You hereby represent, warrant and covenant that any Submitted Content you provide does not include anything (including, but not limited to, text, images, music or video) to which you do not have the full right to grant the license specified in this Section 11.2. You acknowledge and agree that: (a) by using the Service, you may be exposed to content that you may find offensive or indecent and you do so at your own risk; (b) you are solely responsible for, and Anedot has no responsibility to you or any third party for any Submitted Content that you create, submit, post or publish on or through the Service; (c) Anedot does not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to your Submitted Content; and (d) Anedot is not responsible for any Submitted Content provided by third parties that you may have access to through your use of the Service and all Submitted Content is the responsibility of the person from whom such Submitted Content originated. You acknowledge and agree that (i) Anedot has no control over and is not responsible for the use of Submitted Content by its users, including any user that has uploaded Submitted Content to a personal device; and (ii) Anedot may not be able to remove Submitted Content that is uploaded onto a user's device. Anedot does not endorse any Submitted Content or any opinion, recommendation, or advice expressed therein, and expressly disclaims any and all liability in connection with Submitted Content. You acknowledge that Anedot has the right to pre-screen your Submitted Content, but has no obligation to do so. At Anedot's sole discretion, any Submitted Content may be included in the Service in whole or in part in modified form. In addition, Anedot and its designees shall have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse or remove any Submitted Content that is available via the Service that violates the Terms or is otherwise objectionable including, but not limited to, being unlawful, offensive, threatening, libelous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene or violating any party's intellectual property. You acknowledge that your Submitted Content is your sole responsibility. You agree, under no circumstances, will Anedot be liable in any way for any Submitted Content, including, but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any Submitted Content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use or distribution of any Submitted Content transmitted or otherwise made available via the Service. The Service is not directed toward children under 13 years of age, and Anedot does not knowingly collect information from children under 13 or allow them to create a User or an Account or access a User or an Account. If you are under 13, please do not submit any personal information about yourself to Anedot. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK AND THAT THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANEDOT EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND THOSE ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. ANEDOT MAKES NO WARRANTY AS TO THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS OR RELIABILITY OF ANY MATERIALS, INFORMATION OR DATA AVAILABLE THROUGH, OR THE PERFORMANCE OF, THE SERVICE. ANEDOT DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT (a) YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICE AT THE TIMES OR LOCATIONS OF YOUR CHOOSING; (b) THAT OPERATION OF THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE OR ERROR-FREE; (c) YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; (d) DEFECTS IN THE OPERATION OF THE SERVICE WILL BE CORRECTED; OR (e) THE SERVICE IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ANY MATERIAL DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK AND THAT YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER, MOBILE PHONE OR OTHER DEVICE OR ANY LOSS OF DATA RESULTING FROM DOWNLOADING OR OBTAINING SUCH MATERIAL. Anedot does not make any representations or guarantees regarding Merchants utilizing the Service. Use of the Services in no way represents any endorsement by Anedot of a Mechant's existence, legitimacy, ability, policies, practices, or beliefs. Anedot does not have control of, or liability for, goods or services that are paid for with the Service. A charitable organization may use Anedot to accept payments as a Merchant. Not all charitable organizations are tax-exempt, and not all contributions to charitable organizations are tax-deductible. Charitable organizations are responsible for correctly classifying themselves and their transactions, issuing any required reports and receipts, and making any required tax or other filings. Donors are responsible for verifying the status of organizations to which they donate and reporting their donations correctly for tax and other purposes. Anedot specifically disclaims any liability in this regard. 14.1.4 (I) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT; (II) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE SERVICE; (III) ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SECURE SERVERS AND/OR ANY AND ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION STORED THEREIN; (IV) ANY INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM THE SERVICE, OR ANY DELAY IN PERFORMING OUR OBLIGATIONS UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE FAILURE OR DELAY IS CAUSED BY AN EVENT OR CONDITION BEYOND OUR CONTROL; (V) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE THAT MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH THE SERVICE BY ANY THIRD PARTY; (VI) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY CONTENT OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY CONTENT POSTED, EMAILED, TRANSMITTED, OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE; AND/OR (VII) USER CONTENT OR THE DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE, OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY. 14.2 WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, IN NO CASE SHALL THE LIABILITY OF ANEDOT OR ANY OF THE RELATED PARTIES EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF FEES EARNED BY ANEDOT IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE DURING THE THREE (3) MONTH PERIOD IMMEDIATELY PRECEEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM FOR LIABILITY. Because some states or jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or the limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, in such states or jurisdictions, the liability of Anedot and the Related Parties shall be limited to the fullest extent permitted by law. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold Anedot and the Related Parties harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities damages and losses including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees, resulting from or arising out of (a) your use of the Service; or (b) your breach of the Terms or any other policies that Anedot may issue for the Service from time to time. The Terms is governed by Delaware law and/or applicable federal law (including the Federal Arbitration Act), without regard to conflict of laws principles. The application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is expressly excluded. You and Anedot agree that, except as otherwise provided in Article 17 below, the state and federal courts located in Wilmington, Delaware will have exclusive jurisdiction of all disputes arising out of or related to the Terms or your use of the Service and agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction and venue of these courts. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Anedot shall be allowed to apply for equitable remedies (including injunctions) in any jurisdiction. It is Anedot's goal that the Service meets your expectations and lives up to our promises to you. However, there may be instances when you feel that Anedot has not fulfilled its obligations or you may have a different type of problem or dispute that needs special attention. In those instances, Anedot is committed to working with you to reach a reasonable resolution that satisfies you; however, we can only do this if we know about and understand your issue. Therefore, for any problem or dispute that you may have with Anedot, you acknowledge and agree that you will first give Aedot an opportunity to resolve your problem or dispute. In order to initiate this dispute resolution process, you must first send us a written description of your problem or dispute within thirty (30) days of the services being performed by sending an email to: [email protected] or by mail to 1920 MCKINNEY AVE, 7TH FLOOR DALLAS, TX 75201. You then agree to negotiate with Anedot in good faith about your problem or dispute for at least sixty (60) days after Anedot's receipt of your written description of it. If we cannot come to a resolution, you agree to abide by arbitration procedures below. You and Anedot agree that, except as provided in Section 17.4 below, all disputes, controversies and claims related to the Terms (each a "Claim"), shall be finally and exclusively resolved by binding arbitration, which may be initiated by either party by sending a written notice requesting arbitration to the other party. Any election to arbitrate by one party shall be final and binding on the other. The arbitration will be conducted under the Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures of JAMS that are in effect at the time the arbitration is initiated (the "JAMS Rules") and under the terms set forth in the Terms. In the event of a conflict between the terms set forth in this Article 17 and the JAMS Rules, the terms in this Article 17 will control and prevail. In the event that you or Anedot are not able to resolve a Dispute with American Express, or a claim against Anedot or any other entity that American Express has a right to join, Exhibit B Section 3 will apply. Except as otherwise set forth in Section 17.4, you may seek any remedies available to you under federal, state or local laws in an arbitration action. As part of the arbitration, both you and Anedot will have the opportunity for discovery of non-privileged information that is relevant to the Claim. The arbitrator will provide a written statement of the arbitrator's decision regarding the Claim, the award given and the arbitrator's findings and conclusions on which the arbitrator's decision is based. The determination of whether a Claim is subject to arbitration shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act and determined by a court rather than an arbitrator. Except as otherwise provided in the Terms, (a) you and Anedot may litigate in court to compel arbitration, stay proceedings pending arbitration, or confirm, modify, vacate or enter judgment on the award entered by the arbitrator; and (b) the arbitrator's decision shall be final, binding on all parties and enforceable in any court that has jurisdiction, provided that any award may be challenged if the arbitrator fails to follow applicable law. The arbitration will take place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, unless the parties agree to video, phone or internet connection appearances. You and Anedot agree that any arbitration shall be limited to the Claim between Anedot and you individually. YOU AND ANEDOT AGREE THAT (a) THERE IS NO RIGHT OR AUTHORITY FOR ANY DISPUTE TO BE ARBITRATED ON A CLASS-ACTION BASIS OR TO UTILIZE CLASS ACTION PROCEDURES; (b) THERE IS NO RIGHT OR AUTHORITY FOR ANY DISPUTE TO BE BROUGHT IN A PURPORTED REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY OR AS A PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL; AND (c) NO ARBITRATION SHALL BE JOINED WITH ANY OTHER ARBITRATION. You and Anedot agree that the following Claims are not subject to the above provisions concerning negotiations and binding arbitration: (a) any Claim seeking to enforce or protect, or concerning the validity of, any of Anedot's intellectual property rights; (b) any Claim related to, or arising from, allegations of theft, piracy, invasion of privacy or unauthorized use; and (c) any claim for equitable relief. In addition to the foregoing, either party may assert an individual action in small claims court for Claims that are within the scope of such court's jurisdiction in lieu of arbitration. You and Anedot agree that if any portion of this Article 17 is found illegal or unenforceable (except any portion of Section 17.4), that portion shall be severed and the remainder of the section shall be given full force and effect. If Section 17.4 is found to be illegal or unenforceable then neither you nor Anedot will elect to arbitrate any Claim falling within that portion of Section 17.4 found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Claim shall be exclusively decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within New Castle County, Delaware, and you and Anedot agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court. The Terms may only be revised in a writing signed by Anedot, or published by Anedot on the Site. You agree that no joint venture, partnership, employment, or agency relationship exists between you and Anedot as a result of the Terms or your use of the Service. Anedot may assign its rights under the Terms to any person or entity without restriction. The rights granted to you under the Terms may not be assigned without Anedot's prior written consent, and any attempted unauthorized assignment by you shall be null and void. If any part of the Terms is determined to be invalid or unenforceable, then that portion shall be severed, and the remainder of the Terms shall be given full force and effect. All provisions of the Terms that are reasonably necessary to accomplish or enforce the purpose of this Agreement shall survive termination, including, without limitation, ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability. The Service is controlled and operated from facilities in the United States. Anedot makes no representation that materials contained on the Service or products described or offered on or via the Services are appropriate or available for use in jurisdictions outside the United States, or that the Terms comply with the laws of any other country. Accessing the Service is prohibited from territories where the Content is illegal. You may not use the Service if you are a resident of a country embargoed by the United States, or are a foreign person or entity blocked or denied by the United States government. If you access the Service from other locations, you do so at your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws. You agree that you will not access the Service from any territory where the contents are illegal, and that you, and not Anedot, are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws. Unless otherwise required by law, an action or proceeding by you relating to any dispute must commence within one year from the event giving rise to the cause of action. In the event any litigation or arbitration is brought by either party in connection with the Terms, except as otherwise provided in Section 17.5, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover from the other party all the reasonable costs, attorneys' fees and other expenses incurred by such prevailing party in the litigation. Our failure to enforce any provision of the Terms shall in no way be construed to be a present or future waiver of such provision, nor in any way affect our right to enforce the same provision at a later time. An express waiver by Anedot of any provision, condition or requirement of the Terms shall not be understood as a waiver of your obligation to comply with the same provision, condition or requirement at a later time. All notices given by you or required under the Terms shall be in writing and sent to [email protected]. If you are, or are entering into the Terms on behalf of, any agency or instrumentality of the United States Government, the Software is "commercial computer software" and "commercial computer software documentation," and pursuant to FAR 12.212 or DFARS 227.7202, and their successors, as applicable. You acknowledge and agree that Anedot would be irreparably damaged if the terms of the Terms were not specifically enforced, and therefore you agree that we shall be entitled, without bond, other security, or proof of damages, to appropriate equitable remedies with respect to breaches of the Terms, in addition to such other remedies as we may otherwise have available to us under applicable laws. The Terms, including the documents referenced in the Terms, constitutes the entire agreement between you and Anedot with respect to the Service and supersedes any and all prior agreements between you and Anedot relating to the Service. This Merchant Services Agreement for Merchants ("Merchant Agreement") is made among VANTIV, LLC, having its principal office at 8500 Governors Hill Drive, Symmes Township, OH 45249-1384, and its designated Member Bank (collectively "Acquirer"), Anedot, and the User as defined in, and in connection with, the Terms of Service between Anedot, Inc. and the User (herein referred to as "Merchant"). Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein have the respective meanings given them in the Anedot Terms of Service. Acquirer will provide Merchant with certain payment processing (the "Services," as further defined in the Anedot Terms of Service) in accordance with the terms of this Merchant Agreement. In consideration of Merchant's receipt of credit or debit card funded payments, and participation in programs affiliated with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and certain similar entities (collectively, "Associations"), Merchant is required to comply with the Operating Regulations (as further defined below) as they pertain to applicable credit and debit card payments. In addition, if Merchant meets certain requirements under the Operation Regulations or an Association or the Operating Regulations otherwise require, Merchant may be required to enter into a direct relationship with an entity that is a member of the Associations. By agreeing to the Anedot Terms of Service to which this Merchant Agreement is an exhibit (by "click through" agreement or otherwise), Merchant has fulfilled this requirement, if and when applicable. However, Acquirer understands that Merchant may have contracted with Anedot to obtain certain processing services and that Anedot may have agreed to be responsible to Merchant for all or part of Merchant's obligations contained herein. Merchant agrees to comply, and to cause third parties acting as Merchant's agent ("Agents") to comply, with the Associations' and other payment networks' by-laws, operating regulations and/or all other rules, policies and procedures, including but not limited to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, the VISA Cardholder Information Security Program, the MasterCard Site Data Protection Program, and any other program or requirement that may be published and/or mandated by the Associations or payment networks (collectively, "Operating Regulations"). Merchant may review the VISA, MasterCard, and Discover websites for a copy of the Visa, MasterCard and Discover regulations. The websites are: https://usa.visa.com/support/consumer/visa-rules.html; http://www.mastercard.com/us/merchant/; and https://www.discovernetwork.com/merchants/. Without limiting the foregoing, Merchant agrees that it will fully comply with any and all anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Bank Secrecy Act, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Federal Trade Commission. For purposes of this section, Agents include, but are not limited to, Merchant's software providers and/or equipment providers. Merchant may elect to be a limited-acceptance merchant, which means that Merchant has elected to accept only certain Visa and MasterCard card types (i.e., consumer credit, consumer debit, and commercial cards) and must display appropriate signage to indicated the same. Acquirer has no obligation other than those expressly provided under the Operating Regulations and applicable law as they may relate to limited acceptance. Merchant, and not Acquirer, will be solely responsible for the implementation of its decision for limited acceptance, including but not limited to policing the card type(s) accepted at the point of sale. Merchant shall only complete sales transactions produced as the direct result of bona fide sales made by Merchant to cardholders, and is expressly prohibited from presenting sales transactions which are produced as a result of sales made by any person or entity other than Merchant, or for any purposes related to any illegal or prohibited activity, including but not limited to money-laundering or financing of terrorist activities. the minimum transaction amount does not exceed ten dollars (or any higher amount established by the Federal Reserve). AND the maximum transaction amount does not differentiate between MasterCard, Visa, or any other acceptance brand. Unless otherwise agreed to in writing between Anedot and Merchant, Anedot does not charge fees on a variable rate or in connection with any discount. Anedot charges 4% + 30¢ per transaction (processing included) as a flat rate. (x) enter into interchange a transaction that represents collection of a dishonored check. Upon receipt of Merchant's sales data for card transactions, Acquirer will process Merchant's sales data to facilitate the funds transfer between the various Associations and Merchant. After Acquirer receives credit for such sales data, subject to the terms set forth herein, Acquirer will fund Merchant directly to Merchant's designated demand deposit account ("Merchant-Owned Designated Account") or, at Merchant's request, to a third-party check writer's account.. Any dispute regarding amount of settlement shall be between Anedot and Merchant. Any dispute regarding the receipt of settlement shall be between Acquirer and Merchant. Acquirer will debit the Anedot Reserve Account for funds owed to Acquirer as a result of the Services provided hereunder, provided that Acquirer may also debit the Merchant-Owned Designated Account for funds owed to Acquirer as a result of the Services provided hereunder. Further, if a cardholder disputes a transaction, if a transaction is charged back for any reason, or if Acquirer reasonably believes a transaction is unauthorized or otherwise unacceptable, the amount of such transaction may be charged back and debited from Merchant or the Anedot reserve account. This Agreement shall be binding upon Merchant upon Merchant's acceptance (by "click through" agreement or otherwise). The term of this Agreement shall begin, and the terms of the Agreement shall be deemed accepted and binding upon Acquirer, on the date Acquirer accepts this Agreement by issuing a merchant identification number and shall be coterminous with Anedot's Terms of Service with Merchant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Acquirer may immediately cease providing Services and/or terminate this Agreement without notice if (i) Merchant or Anedot fails to pay any amount to Acquirer when due, (ii) in Acquirer's opinion, provision of a service to Merchant or Anedot may be a violation of the Operating Regulations or any Laws, (iii) Acquirer believes that Merchant has violated or is likely to violate the Operating Regulations or the Laws, (iv) Acquirer determines Merchant poses a financial or regulatory risk to Acquirer or an Association, (v) Acquirer's agreement with Anedot terminates, (vi) any Association deregisters Anedot, (vii) Acquirer ceases to be a member of the Associations or fails to have the required licenses, or (viii) Acquirer is required to do so by any of the Associations. Further, Visa/MasterCard shall have the right to limit or terminate a Member's agreement with any Merchant at Visa/MasterCard's sole discretion. Merchant agrees to provide Acquirer, via a communication with Anedot, with written notice of any alleged beach by Acquirer of this Agreement, which notice will specifically detail such alleged breach, within thirty (30) days of the date on which the alleged breach first occurred. Failure to so provide notice shall be deemed an acceptance by Merchant and a waiver of any and all rights to dispute such breach. EXCEPT FOR THOSE EXPRESS WARRANTIES MADE IN THIS AGREEMENT, ACQUIRER DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Merchant's sole and exclusive remedy for any and all claims against Acquirer arising out of or in any way related to the transactions contemplated herein shall be termination of this Agreement. In the event that Merchant has any claim arising in connection with the Services, rights, and/or obligations defined in this Agreement, Merchant shall proceed against Anedot and not Acquirer, unless otherwise specifically set forth in the Operating Regulations. In no event shall Acquirer have any liability to Merchant with respect to this Agreement or the Services. Merchant acknowledges Acquirer is only providing this Agreement to assist in Anedot's processing relationship with Merchant, that Acquirer is not liable for any action or failure to act by Anedot, and that Acquirer shall have no liability whatsoever in connection with any products or services provided to Merchant by Anedot. If Anedot is unable to provide its services to Merchant in connection with this Agreement and Acquirer elects to provide those services, directly, Merchant acknowledges and agrees that the provisions of this Agreement will no longer apply and the terms of Acquirer's then current Bank Card Merchant Agreement, which would be provided to Merchant, will govern Acquirer's relationship with Merchant. If Anedot subsequently provides its services to Merchant in connection with this Agreement, Acquirer will cease to provide such services after receipt of notice from Anedot and this Agreement will govern Acquirer's relationship with Merchant. In the event Merchant accepts American Express, the following terms shall apply: The following will only apply to Merchant's participation in the American Express Program and need to be included in the agreement between the Payment Facilitator and Merchant: Capitalized terms in this Section are defined in the American Express Merchant Requirements. (i) Merchant hereby authorizes Anedot to submit transactions to, and receive settlement from, American Express on behalf of Merchant. If Merchant is placed in the American Express Program, Merchant shall be responsible for complying with the provisions set forth in Exhibit B attached hereto and Merchant Requirements. (ii) Acquirer may disclose Transaction Data, Merchant Data, and other information about Merchant to American Express; and American Express may use such information to perform its responsibilities in connection with the Program, promote the American Express Network, perform analytics and create reports, and for any other lawful business purposes, including marketing purposes within the parameters of the Agreement. American Express may use the information from the Agreement at the time of setup to screen and/or monitor Merchant in connection with Card marketing and administrative purposes. (iii) Merchant may be converted from the American Express Program to a direct Card acceptance relationship with American Express if and when Merchant has either (i) greater than $1,000,000 in Charge Volume in a rolling twelve (12) month prior or (ii) greater than $1,000,000 in Charge Volume in any three (3) consecutive months (hereinafter "High CV Merchant"). Upon conversion, (i) Merchant will be bound by American Express' then-current Card Acceptance Agreement; and (ii) American Express will set pricing and other fees payable by Merchant for Card acceptance. (iv) Merchant shall not assign to any third party any payments due to it under the Agreements, and all indebtedness arising from Charges will be for bona fide sales of goods and services (or both) at its Establishments and free of liens, claims, and encumbrances other than ordinary sales taxes; provided, however, that Merchant may sell and assign future Transaction receivables to Acquirer, its affiliated entities and/or any other cash advance funding source that partners with Acquirer or its affiliated entities, without consent of American Express. (v) Third-party beneficiary rights may be conferred to American Express, but not obligations to Merchant Processing Agreement, providing American Express the ability to enforce the terms of the Agreement against Merchant in association with the American Express Program only. (vi) Merchant may elect to opt out of accepting American Express Cards at any time without directly or indirectly affecting its rights to accept other payment products by notifying Acquirer. (vii) Anedot may terminate Merchant's right to accept American Express Cards if it breaches any of the provisions in this Section or Exhibit B. (viii) Acquirer has the right to immediately terminate a Merchant from the American Express Program for cause, fraudulent or other activity, or upon American Express' request. (ix) Merchant may not bill or collect from any American Express cardholder for any purchase or payment on the Card unless Chargeback has been exercised, Merchant has fully paid for such Charge, and it otherwise has the right to do so. (x) Upon termination of the Agreement or termination of Merchant's participation in the Program, Merchant must remove any and all American Express Licensed Marks from Merchant's Website and wherever else the American Express Marks are displayed. Merchant must accept the Card as payment for goods and services (other than those goods and services under prohibited uses) sold, or (if applicable) for charitable contributions made, at all of its Establishments, except as expressly permitted by state statute. Merchant is jointly and severally liable for the obligations of Merchant's Establishments under the Agreement. Merchant may offer discounts or in-kind incentives from Merchant's regular prices for payments in cash, ACH funds transfer, check, debit card or credit/charge card, provided that (to the extent required by Applicable Law): (i) Merchant clearly and conspicuously disclose the terms of the discount or in-kind incentive to Merchant's customers, (ii) the discount or in-kind incentive is offered to all of Merchant's prospective customers, and (iii) the discount or in-kind incentive does not differentiate on the basis of the issuer or, except as expressly permitted by applicable state statute, payment card network (e.g., Visa, MasterCard, Discover, JCB, American Express). The offering of discounts or in-kind incentives in compliance with the terms of this paragraph will not constitute a violation of the provisions set forth above in this Section B, "Treatment of the American Express Brand". Whenever payment methods are communicated to customers, or when customers ask what payments are accepted, Merchant must indicate Merchant's acceptance of the Card and display our Marks (including any Card application forms provided to Merchant) as prominently and in the same manner as any Other Payment Products. Merchant must not use the American Express Marks in any way that injures or diminishes the goodwill associated with the Mark, nor (without prior written consent from Processor) indicate that American Express endorse Merchant's goods or services. Merchant shall only use the American Express Marks as permitted by the Agreement and shall cease using our Marks upon termination of the Agreement. Any and all Card Member Information is confidential and the sole property of the Issuer, American Express or its Affiliates. Except as otherwise specified, Merchant must not disclose Card Member Information, nor use nor store it, other than to facilitate Transactions at Merchant's Establishments in accordance with the Agreement. E. ARBITRATION AGREEMENT (as to Claims involving American Express). In the event that Merchant or Processor is not able to resolve a Claim against American Express, or a claim against Processor or any other entity that American Express has a right to join, this section explains how Claims may be resolved through arbitration. Merchant or American Express may elect to resolve any Claim by binding individual arbitration. Claims will be decided by a neutral arbitrator. If arbitration is elected by any party, neither Merchant nor Processor nor American Express will have the right to litigate or have a jury trial on that Claim in court. Further, Merchant, Processor, and American Express will not have the right to participate in a class action or in a representative capacity or in a group of persons alleged to be similarly situated pertaining to any Claim subject to arbitration under this Agreement. Arbitration procedures are generally simpler than the rules in court. An arbitrator's decisions are final and binding, and the arbitrator's final decision on a Claim generally is enforceable as a court order with very limited review by a court. Other rights Merchant, Processor, or American Express would have in court may also not be available in arbitration. Claims may be referred to either JAMS or AAA, as selected by the party electing arbitration. Claims will be resolved pursuant to this Arbitration Agreement and the selected organization's rules in effect when the Claim is filed, except where those rules conflict with this Agreement. Contact JAMS or AAA to begin an arbitration or for other information. Claims may be referred to another arbitration organization if all parties agree in writing, if American Express selects the organization and Merchant selects the other within 30 days thereafter or if an arbitrator is appointed pursuant to section 5 of the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1-16 (FAA). Any arbitration hearing will take place in the federal judicial district where Merchant's headquarters is located or New York, NY, at Merchant's election. If any party elects to resolve a Claim by arbitration, that Claim will be arbitrated on an individual basis. No Claim is to be arbitrated on a class or purported representative basis or on behalf of the general public or other persons allegedly similarly situated. The arbitrator's authority is limited to Claims between Merchant, Processor, and American Express. An arbitration award and any judgment confirming it will apply only to the specific case brought by Merchant, Processor or American Express and cannot be used in any other case except to enforce the award as between Merchant, Processor and American Express. This prohibition is intended to, and does, preclude Merchant from participating in any action by any trade association or other organization against American Express. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, if any portion of these Limitations on Arbitration is found invalid or unenforceable, then the entire Arbitration Agreement (other than this sentence) will not apply, except that Merchant, Processor, and American Express do not waive the right to appeal that decision. Merchant, Processor, or American Express may elect to arbitrate any Claim that has been filed in court at any time before trial has begun or final judgment has been entered on the Claim. Merchant, Processor, or American Express may choose to delay enforcing or to not exercise rights under this Arbitration Agreement, including the right to elect to arbitrate a claim, without waiving the right to exercise or enforce those rights on any other occasion. For the avoidance of any confusion, and not to limit its scope, this section applies to any class-action lawsuit relating to the "Honor All Cards," "non-discrimination," or "no steering" provisions of the American Express Merchant Regulations, or any similar provisions of any prior American Express Card acceptance agreement that was filed against American Express prior to the Effective Date of the Agreement to the extent that such claims are not already subject to arbitration pursuant to a prior agreement between Merchant and American Express. The arbitrator will have the power and authority to award any relief that would have been available in court and that is authorized under this Agreement. The arbitrator has no power or authority to alter the Agreement or any of its separate provisions, including this arbitration agreement. Merchant, Processor, or American Express may seek equitable relief in aid of arbitration prior to arbitration on the merits if necessary to preserve the status quo pending completion of the arbitration. This section shall be enforced by any court of competent jurisdiction, and the party seeking enforcement is entitled to seek an award of reasonable attorneys' fees and costs to be paid by the party against whom enforcement is ordered. American Express will not elect arbitration for any Claim Merchant properly files in a small claims court so long as the Claim seeks individual relief only and is pending only in that court. This Arbitration Agreement is made pursuant to a transaction involving interstate commerce and is governed by the FAA. The arbitrator shall apply New York law and applicable statutes of limitations and honor claims of privilege recognized by law. The arbitrator shall apply the rules of the arbitration organization selected, as applicable to matters relating to evidence and discovery, not federal or any state rules of procedure or evidence, provided that any party may ask the arbitrator to expand discovery by making a written request, to which the other parties will have 15 days to respond before the arbitrator rules on the request. If Merchant's Claim is for $10,000 or less, Merchant may choose whether the arbitration will be conducted solely based on documents submitted to the arbitrator, through a telephonic hearing, or by an in-person hearing under the rules of the selected arbitration organization. At the timely request of a party, the arbitrator will provide a written opinion explaining his/her award. The arbitrator's decision will be final and binding, except for any rights of appeal provided by the FAA. Judgment on an award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any state or federal court in the federal judicial district where Merchant's headquarters or Merchant's assets are located. The arbitration proceeding and all information submitted, relating to or presented in connection with or during the proceeding, shall be deemed confidential information not to be disclosed to any person not a party to the arbitration. All communications, whether written or oral, made in the course of or in connection with the Claim and its resolution, by or on behalf of any party or by the arbitrator or a mediator, including any arbitration award or judgment related thereto, are confidential and inadmissible for any purpose, including impeachment or estoppel, in any other litigation or proceeding; provided, however, that evidence shall not be rendered inadmissible or non-discoverable solely as a result of its use in the arbitration. Merchant will be responsible for paying Merchant's share of any arbitration fees (including filing, administrative, hearing or other fees), but only up to the amount of the filing fees Merchant would have incurred if Merchant had brought a claim in court. American Express will be responsible for any additional arbitration fees. At Merchant's written request, American Express will consider in good faith making a temporary advance of Program Merchant's share of any arbitration fees, or paying for the reasonable fees of an expert appointed by the arbitrator for good cause. If the arbitrator rules in Merchant's favor against American Express for an amount greater than any final settlement offer American Express made before arbitration, the arbitrator's award will include: (1) any money to which Merchant is entitled as determined by the arbitrator, but in no case less than $5,000; and (2) any reasonable attorneys' fees, costs and expert and other witness fees incurred by Merchant. For purposes of this section only, (i) American Express includes its Affiliates, licensees, predecessors, successors, or assigns, any purchasers of any receivables, and all agents, directors, and representatives of any of the foregoing, (ii) Merchant includes Merchant's Affiliates, licensees, predecessors, successors, or assigns, any purchasers of any receivables and all agents, directors, and representatives of any of the foregoing, and (iii) Claim means any allegation of an entitlement to relief, whether damages, injunctive or any other form of relief, against American Express or against Processor or any other entity that American Express has the right to join, including, a transaction using an American Express product or network or regarding an American Express policy or procedure. Notify payment processing company immediately. If not providing refunds or exchanges, post notices indicating that all sales are final (e.g., at the front doors, by the cash registers, on the Charge Record and on websites and catalogs). Return and cancellation policies must be clearly disclosed at the time of sale. For Advance Payment Charges or Delayed Delivery Charges, delivery of the goods or services which have already charged to the Card Member is required or Credit must be issued for any portion of the Charge for the goods or services not delivered.

2019-04-25T21:50:24Z

https://anedot.com/terms

A push installation system including a server and clients connected via a network, the server installing a device driver on one or more clients via the network, is provided. The server includes an acquisition unit for acquiring, via the network, an operating state of each of the clients connected to the network; a determination unit for determining whether or not each of the clients is in a ready-for-installation state, in which installation can be performed, based on the operating state of each of the clients acquired by the acquisition unit; and an installation unit for performing processing, via the network, for installing or updating the device driver on at least one client that is determined to be in the ready-for-installation state. This application claims priority from Japanese Patent application No. 2003-205052 filed Jul. 31, 2003, which is incorporated hereby by reference. The present invention relates to installing a device driver on one or more clients from a server via a network. In order to install printer drivers using operating system (OS) dependent systems, for example, using Windows®, users select “add printer” on a “properties” page for printers and then input necessary information through a dialog called a wizard. Also, in order to minimize the number of user operations, in addition to applications, printer drivers are installed using installers. When the installation methods described above are used in large companies having many users, that is, having many clients, printer drivers must be installed on many clients. Thus, the total number of man-hours required for installing the printer drivers on all of the clients is not negligible from an economic point of view. Also, such clients need to have a performance higher than a predetermined level for installation of printer drivers. Thus, detailed manuals for such operations must be prepared and training must be provided for all the clients. In the worst case, network administrators must perform a large number of tasks, such as installing a printer driver on each of the clients. In other words, in accordance with an increase in the number of clients, operational man-hours are increased proportionally. Also, in companies having many computers, many days may be needed for properly installing drivers on the many computers. Point and print installation using a printer server is used in order to reduce as much as possible such operational man-hours required for installing printer drivers. In this installation method, a mechanism provided in Windows NT® or Windows 2000® for automatically distributing a printer driver to a client is used. However, although such a point and print method using a printer server is capable of installing a printer driver on all of the clients by automatically distributing the printer driver, installation of the printer driver starts irrespective of the state of the clients. Thus, if, for example, a printer driver is updated when a client is performing printing, the printing is suspended or the printer driver cannot be updated. An aspect of the present invention is to provide a push installation system capable of installing or updating a device driver on a client without interfering with the client. A push installation system including an information processing apparatus and clients connected via a network is disclosed. The information processing apparatus installs or updates a device driver on one or more clients via the network. The information processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit for acquiring, via the network, an operating state of each of the clients connected to the network; a determination unit for determining whether or not each of the clients is in a ready-for-installation state based on the operating state of each of the clients acquired by the acquisition unit; and an installation unit for performing processing, via the network, for installing or updating the device driver on at least one client that is determined to be in the ready-for-installation state. The client includes a search module for receiving an operating state request from the in formation processing apparatus, determining the operating state of the client and transmitting the operating state of the client to the information processing apparatus; and an execution module for installing or updating the device driver received from the information processing apparatus via the network. Other features and advantageous of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a network system in which a push installation system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of a server shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of a printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 shows a memory map of a random access memory (RAM) on the server. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process performed by the server for push-installing a printer driver. FIG. 6 shows an example of a screen for printers and clients displayed on the server after performing searching. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the structure of one of the clients for receiving the printer driver. In the network system, a server 101, a plurality of clients 102, 103, and 104, and a printer 105 are connected to each other via a local area network (LAN) 100. A so-called push installation system in which the server 101 installs a printer driver on the clients 102, 103, and 104 via the LAN 100 is installed in the network system. The push installation system is described below. In addition to the apparatuses described above, other clients, other printers, a scanner, a digital camera, a facsimile machine, a mouse, a speaker, a sound source, a telephone set, a copying machine, or some combination thereof (none of which are shown) may be connected to the LAN 100. The structure of the server 101 is described next with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the server 101 shown in FIG. 1. The server 101 includes a main unit 200. The main unit 200 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 1 for launching an operating system (OS) stored in a program read-only memory (ROM) of a ROM 3 or in an external memory 11 and for performing various types of processing on the OS. The CPU 1 generally controls devices connected to a system bus 4. For example, the CPU 1 performs document processing, in accordance with a document processing program stored in the program ROM of the ROM 3 or the external memory 11, for drawings, images, characters, and tables (including spreadsheets) mixed together. The CPU 1 uses a random-access memory (RAM) 2 as a work area for performing various types of processing. The ROM 3 includes a font ROM and a data ROM, in addition to the program ROM. The font ROM stores font data used for the document processing or the like. Also, similar font data may be stored in the external memory 11. The data ROM stores data used for the document processing or the like. Devices connected to the system bus 4 include a keyboard interface (I/F) 5, a display I/F 6, an external memory I/F 7, and a network I/F 8. The keyboard I/F 5 controls input from a keyboard 9 and a pointing device, such as a mouse (not shown). The display I/F 6 controls display of a display 10, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT). The external memory I/F 7 controls access to the external memory 11. The external memory 11 includes a hard disk (HD), a floppy disk (FD), and the like for storing various application programs, font data, a user file, an editing file, a printer driver, and the like. The network I/F 8 is connected to the LAN 100 and performs communication control processing between the printer 105 and the clients 102, 103, and 104. For example, the CPU 1 performs rasterization of an outline font in RAM for display information provided in the RAM 2 so as to enable WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) on the display 10. Also, the CPU 1 opens various windows registered in accordance with commands designated by a mouse (not shown) or the like on the display 10 to perform various types of data processing. Each of the clients 102, 103, and 104 has a structure similar to that of the server 101 described above. Therefore, the structure of the clients 102, 103, and 104 is not described herein. The structure of the printer 105 is described next with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of the printer 105. The printer 105 includes a controller 300 for controlling operations of the printer 105. The controller 300 includes a network I/F 16 connected to the LAN 100. The network I/F 16 captures, via the LAN 100, printing information, such as characters, drawings, and images, output from the clients 102, 103, and 104 in a printer language format. The captured printing information is supplied to a CPU 12 via a system bus 15. The CPU 12 expands the printing information output from the clients 102, 103, and 104 in a work area of a RAM 13 in accordance with a control program stored in a program ROM of a ROM 14 or in an external memory 21. The CPU sends image data for each page as a picture signal to a printing section (printer engine) 19 via the system bus 15 and a printing section I/F 17, and controls the printing section 19 to record the picture signal for each page on recording paper. The ROM 14 includes a font ROM and a data ROM, in addition to the program ROM. The font ROM stores font data used for generating the picture signal. The data ROM stores data used in the clients 102, 103, and 104. Also, this data may be stored in the external memory 21. The RAM 13 is used for storing results of calculation and processing and is used as a buffering area for input data, an expansion area of drawing information for both sides of recording paper, an environment data storage area, a non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), and the like. An optional RAM connected to an expanded port (not shown) may be provided, in addition to the RAM 13, so as to expand the memory capacity. The external memory 21 includes storage means, such as a hard disk (HD) and a floppy disk (FD). Access to the external memory 21 is controlled by an external memory I/F 18. Also, the external memory 21 may include other storage media, such as a memory card. The number of external memories is not necessarily limited to one. A plurality of external memories that store programs for understanding printer control languages of different language systems and option fonts, in addition to stored fonts, may be connected. Furthermore, an NVRAM may be provided in order to store printer mode setting information sent from an operating section 20. The operating section 20 sends instructions to the CPU 12. The operating section 20 includes keys used for setting various modes, an LED (light emitting diode) indicator, and the like. In this embodiment, push installation in which the server 101 installs a printer driver on one or more clients via the LAN 100 is performed. Such push installation of the printer driver is described next with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. FIG. 4 shows a memory map of the RAM 2 on the server 101. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process performed by the server 101 for push-installing the printer driver. FIG. 6 shows an example of a screen displayed on the server 101 listing printers and clients as determined based on a search. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the structure of the client 102 for receiving the printer driver. Referring to FIG. 4, in the server 101, an installation-related program 204 is loaded into the RAM 2, so that the printer driver can be push-installed. The installation-related program 204 includes an installation control program for realizing push installation of the printer driver. In FIG. 4, a state in which an application 201, related data 203, an operating system (OS) 205, and a basic input/output system (BIOS) 206, in addition to the installation-related program 204, are loaded in the RAM 2 is shown. A space area in the RAM 2 is represented by a space memory 202. The installation control program includes an acquisition module for acquiring an operating state of each of a plurality of clients via the LAN 100, a designation module for designating a printer driver to be installed and for designating one or more clients as installation destinations of the designated printer driver from among the plurality of clients, a determination module for determining whether or not each of the clients designated as the installation destination is in a ready-for-installation state based on the operating state of each of the plurality of clients acquired by the acquisition module, and an installation module for performing processing for installing the designated printer driver via the LAN 100 on the clients that are determined to be in the ready-for-installation state by the determination module. In exemplary embodiments, at least one of the operating rate of a CPU of the client and the amount of memory usage of the client is acquired as the operating state of the client. Based on such information, it is determined whether or not the client is in the ready-for-installation state in which a printer driver can be installed. As shown in FIG. 7, a service (or application) 120 operates in each of the clients 102, 103, and 104 on which a printer driver is installed. The service (application) 120 includes two general parts, namely, a search module 121 and printer driver installation modules, such as a decryption module 122, a control module 123, a communication control protocol (Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)) 124, an extensible Markup Language (XML) parser 125, an execution module 126, and an executable code module 127. In response to an instruction from an administrator, the server 101 sends a driver installation set including the printer driver to each of the clients 102, 103, and 104 via the LAN 100. SOAP is used as a protocol on the LAN 100. Since SOAP can use a text-based extensible markup language (XML) format, a command (the driver installation set including the printer driver) is encrypted for security. In each of the clients 102, 103, and 104, the encrypted command sent from the server 101 is decrypted by the decryption module 122, and, in accordance with this, the control module 123 controls the execution module 126 to perform installation of the printer driver. If a printer driver is already installed, after uninstalling the installed printer driver, a new printer driver is installed. The push installation of a printer driver according to this embodiment is described next with reference to FIG. 5. The process shown in FIG. 5 is performed by the CPU 1 of the server 101 in accordance with the installation control program described above. Referring to FIG. 5, in step S1001, the CPU 1 searches for printer information on printers connected to the LAN 100 to find printers on the LAN 100 for which printer drivers are to be installed, and acquires the printer information. This search processing is performed using a communication protocol using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) or the like. The printer information acquired here is information about printers for which printer drivers can be installed. The printer information includes, for example, the names and Internet protocol (IP) addresses of the printers. The results of searching for the printers are displayed on an operating screen of the display 10, and designation by an administrator on this operating screen is input. FIG. 6 shows an example of the operating screen. On the operating screen shown in FIG. 6, a printer list 2000 of the printers for which printer drivers can be installed is displayed on the left of the screen. The printer list 2000 includes the names and IP addresses of the printers acquired in step S1001. Portions in the IP addresses of the printers expressed as “a” in FIG. 6 should actually be expressed in numbers. In step S1002, the CPU 1 searches for client information on clients connected to the LAN 100 using a communication protocol using Service Location Protocol (SLP), Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP), or the like, and acquires the client information. The client information acquired includes the names and IP addresses of the clients and the operating rates of CPUs of the clients as operating states of the clients. Although the operating rate of a CPU of a client is acquired as an operating state of the client in this embodiment, the amount of memory usage may be acquired instead of the operating rate of the CPU. In step S1003, the CPU 1 checks the operating rates of the CPUs (or the amounts of memory usage) of the clients in accordance with the information representing the operating states of the clients acquired in step S1002 to determine whether each of the clients is in an idle state or a busy state. A client in which the operating rate of a CPU is lower than a predetermined level (or in which the amount of memory usage is less than a predetermined value) is determined to be in the idle state. A client in which the operating rate of a CPU is higher than or equal to the predetermined level (or in which the amount of memory usage is greater than or equal to the predetermined value) is determined to be in the busy state. The results of searching for the clients are displayed on the right of the operating screen shown in FIG. 6 as a client list 2001 for the clients connected to the LAN 100. The client list 2001 includes a Control Port field which includes identifications of connection ports (connection port numbers) and a Status field which includes operating states of the clients, in addition to the names and IP addresses of the clients acquired in step S1002. Portions of the IP addresses of the clients expressed as “a” in FIG. 6 should actually be expressed in numbers. The Status of the clients is based on the results of the operating rate check of the clients in step S1003. In exemplary embodiments, for a client that does not respond due to power interruption, none of the information is displayed. Alternatively, “No Response” displayed as the Status. In this example, for a client that does not respond due to power interruption, none of the information is displayed. In step S1004, the CPU 1 inputs a printer and a client designated by the administrator on the operating screen. For example, the administrator selects an icon representing the name of a printer and superimposes the selected icon on an icon representing the name of a client by a drag-and-drop operation on the operating screen, so that the client on which a printer driver corresponding to the selected printer is to be installed can be selected. Also, if the printer driver is to be installed on a plurality of clients, they can be selected by using a Shift key, a Control (Ctrl) key, or the like. Accordingly, the clients on which the selected printer driver is to be installed are selected. Then, a confirmation message, such as “Is a printer driver corresponding to the selected printer to be installed on all the selected clients?” is displayed on the operating screen, although this is not illustrated here. When an “OK” button is clicked, start of installation of the printer driver corresponding to the selected printer on all of the selected clients is instructed. Then, in step S1005, the CPU 1 determines whether or not a client in a state other than the idle state, namely, a client in the busy state, is included in the clients selected by step S1004. If it is determined that no client in a state other than the idle state is included in the selected clients, the CPU 1 proceeds to step S1006. On the other hand, if it is determined that a client in a state other than the idle state is included in the selected clients, in step S1010, the CPU 1 sends, via the LAN 100, a message urging the client in a state other than the idle state included in the selected clients to be changed to an idle state. Then, the CPU 1 proceeds to step S1006. In step S1006, the CPU 1 downloads the selected printer driver on the client in the idle state from among the selected clients via the LAN 100. For a client in which a printer driver is already downloaded, an update may be performed. The update may actually: (1) update the existing installed printer driver; or (2) replace the installed printer driver with a new printer driver. In the first case, the existing driver is not uninstalled and the updates are written to the existing driver. Such updates may include additions to the printer driver and/or rewiring (updating) portions of the existing installed printer driver. In the second case, the existing installed printer driver is uninstalled, and after uninstalling the existing installed printer driver, the downloaded printer driver is installed, as described above. When installation or update of the printer driver is properly performed on the client, an installation or update completion notification is sent from the client to the server 101. In step S1007, the CPU 1 performs acknowledgement processing for installation completion notifications received from the clients on which installation is performed. In the acknowledgment processing, the installation completion notification sent from the client is received and driver information including the name of the printer driver installed or updated is sent to the client in response to the received installation completion notification. In step S1008, the CPU 1 displays a list of the results of installation of the printer driver on all of the selected clients in response to reception of the installation completion notifications received by the server 101 in step S1007. Here, information representing whether or not installation for each of the selected clients is properly completed is displayed. For example, if a client in a state other than the idle state is included in the selected clients, a message urging the client to be changed to the idle state is sent to the client in the state other than the idle state, but the printer driver is not installed. Thus, information associated with the fact that the selected printer driver is not installed is displayed for the client in the state other than the idle state. If there is such a client on which the printer driver is not installed due to the state other than the idle state, a “retry” button for designating retry of installation of the printer driver, in addition to the list of the results of installation described above, is displayed. In step S1009, on the basis of clicking of the “retry” button, the CPU 1 determines whether or not retry is designated. If retry is not designated, the process terminates. In contrast, if retry is designated, processing by the CPU 1 returns to step S1002. Accordingly, it can be determined whether or not a client to which the message urging the client to be changed to the idle state is sent has changed to the idle state. If the client is in the idle state, reselecting the client enables installation of the printer driver. As described above, an operating state of each of the clients 102, 103 and 104 can be acquired by the server 101 and the printer driver is installed only on clients that are determined to be in the idle state based on the acquired operating state. Thus, interference occurring in the client when the printer driver is installed can be avoided. Also, if a client in a state other than the idle state is included in the clients selected as installation destinations, a message urging the client to be changed to the idle state is sent to the client in the state other than the idle state. Thus, a client in the busy state selected as an installation destination is urged to be changed to the idle state. Also, the client in the busy state can be changed to the idle state by the time installation of the printer driver on other clients has been completed. As a result of this, for installing the printer driver on the client in the busy state, the client in the busy state can be immediately changed to the idle state, namely, to a ready-for-installation state in which the printer driver can be installed. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, only inputting an instruction for push installation, which is an instruction for batch installation, from a predetermined terminal by a network administrator automatically performs installation on a plurality of clients without putting loads. Thus, the working efficiency of the network administrator can be significantly increased. Although a case in which a printer driver is installed is described in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. The principles of the present invention are also applicable to installation of various device drivers, such as drivers for displays, scanners, digital cameras, facsimiles, mice, speakers, sound sources, telephone sets, copying machines, and the like. A storage medium (or a recording medium) may be supplied on which program code (software) for realizing the functions of the embodiments described above is stored to a system or an apparatus and the program code stored in the storage medium by a computer (or a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro-processing unit (MPU)) may be read and executed by the system or the apparatus. The functions of the embodiments described above can be realized not only by executing the read program code by the computer but also by performing part or all of the actual processing by an operating system (OS) or the like running on the computer on the basis of instructions of the program code. Furthermore, the functions of the embodiments described above can also be realized by performing part or all of the actual processing by a CPU or the like arranged in a function expansion card of the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer on the basis of instructions of program code read from the storage medium after the program code is written in a memory of the function expansion card or the function expansion unit. As described above, according to the present invention, a device driver can be installed on a client without interfering with the client. wherein processing by the installation unit and the sending unit are executed in parallel. the installation unit is configured to perform processing for installing or updating, via the network, the designated device driver on each of the designated clients determined to be in the ready-for-installation state. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to transmit, via the network, a message urging a respective client determined not to be in the ready-for-installation state to be changed to the ready-for-installation state. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of each of the clients includes an operating rate of a central processing unit of the respective client. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine that a respective client having an operating rate of the central processing unit less than a predetermined operating rate of the central processing unit is in the ready-for-installation state. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of each of the clients includes an amount of memory usage of the respective client. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine that the respective client having an amount of memory usage less than a predetermined amount of memory usage is in the ready-for-installation state. 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a driver information notification unit configured to receive an installation completion notification from each of the respective clients on which the device driver is installed, and sending, via the network, information about the installed device driver to the respective clients in response to reception of the installation completion notification. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a driver information notification unit configured to receive an update completion notification from each of the respective clients on which the device driver is updated, and sending, via the network, information about the updated device driver to the respective clients in response to reception of the update completion notification. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the installation unit is configured to determine if a version of the device driver is already installed on a respective client, and to update the device driver to be updated by performing processing for uninstalling the version of the device driver already installed on the respective client before performing processing for updating the device driver by installing, via the network, the device driver on the respective client. 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device driver is a printer driver. wherein (iv) and (v) are performed in parallel. performing processing for installing the device driver comprises performing processing for installing or updating the designated device driver, via the network, on the designated clients that are determined to be in the ready-for-installation state. 14. The push installation method according to claim 12, further comprising sending to at least one client determined not to be in the ready-for-installation state, via the network, a notification message urging the at least one client to be changed to the ready-for-installation state. 15. The push installation method according to claim 12, wherein, the load of the central processing unit in the operating state acquired from each of the clients includes an operating rate of a central processing unit of the respective client. 16. The push installation method according to claim 15, wherein, a respective client having an operating rate of the central processing unit that is less than a predetermined operating rate is determined to be in the ready-for-installation state. 17. The push installation method according to claim 12, wherein, the load of the central processing unit in the operating state acquired from each of the clients includes an amount of memory usage of the respective client. 18. The push installation method according to claim 17, wherein, the respective client having an amount of memory usage that is less than a predetermined amount of memory usage is determined to be in the ready-for-installation state. sending, via the network, information about the installed device driver to the at least one client in response to reception of the installation completion notification. sending, via the network, information about the updated device driver to the at least one client in response to reception of the update completion notification. if it is determined that the device driver needs to be uninstalled on the respective client, performing processing for uninstalling the version of the device driver already installed on the respective client before performing processing for installing the device driver, via the network, on the respective client. 22. The push installation method according to claim 12, wherein the device driver is a printer driver. wherein processing performed by the sending module and the installation module is performed in parallel. wherein processing performed by the installation means and the sending means is performed in parallel.

2019-04-20T04:00:03Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US7552432B2/en

​Which is true?  Did God create everything or did all life evolve by itself? Evolutionists attempt to show how life began by describing a hypothetical distant past. They theorize that after the earth formed, it gradually cooled and had an atmosphere of simple gases such as hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, carbon dioxide, with little or no oxygen. This type of atmosphere was subject to electrical discharges of energy from lightning resulting in the formation of elementary amino acids. The elementary amino acids accumulated in the primitive oceans to reach the consistency of a hot diluted soup. At the same time, somehow all the chemicals necessary for the formation of proteins from amino acids were also formed from the basic gases and accumulated in the soup. Then by random combinations, the elementary amino acids in this pre-biotic soup formed proteins. When all the conditions were just right, by a lucky accident single celled life emerged from the proteins that had formed in the soup. Once single-celled simplest life forms emerged, over a very long time through very gradual natural processes they evolved into ever more complex forms of life, and finally into man. The process of moving from simple single-celled life to higher forms of life took place over millions and millions of years in tiny incremental changes. Let’s go over the steps in this process. In the first step, evolutionists assume matter always existed, governed according to well-defined laws of physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics. In the second step, the molecules of gases through the action of energy such as lightning combined to form amino acids. These amino acids accumulated in a type of ocean of hot soup. Then the amino acids combined to form all the proteins necessary for life. Somehow all the other chemicals that constitute the simplest single-celled organisms also existed along with the randomly formed proteins. Then in the third step, when conditions were just perfect, through a lucky accident, the proteins combined to produce the first simplest form of life, the single-cell living organism. In the fourth step, these simple single-celled creatures progressively evolved in tiny increments over millions of years into higher and better adapted forms such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and eventually primates such as apes, chimpanzees, and finally man. For evolution to be true, each of these four steps in the chain had to take place. If it can be shown that it was impossible for even one of these steps to have taken place, evolution will stand proved as a false theory.  Otherwise we no longer need to give the biblical account any credibility. Let’s look at what some scientists who interpret the evidence truthfully have to say about the possibility of the four steps of evolution to have taken place. In step one, evolutionists assume that matter has always existed, or came into existence by itself. Their theory begins with an existing universe, operating harmoniously according to laws of physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, mass, motion and energy. Scientists observe these laws working predictably and flawlessly. We all experience the effects of gravity and know that it is a consistently functioning universal law. Human experience also tells us that for laws to continue to function they must also be sustained.  It requires continuous use of power to sustain the laws. That demands a Sustainer of the laws of the material universe. Human governments enact laws. Those laws are monitored and enforced by punishing violations by use of force or power. The same applies to the laws of the material universe. They are sustained by power. Evolutionists also assume that matter has always existed? How reasonable is this assumption? Here is what scientists have discovered. Till the early 1900s, most astronomers thought that any motion of the galaxies was just random drift. Then astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that the universe was expanding outward everywhere he looked. Other astronomers and physicists then confirmed Hubble’s observations and conclusions. It was a sensational discovery. John D. Barrow, professor of astronomy at the University of Sussex, England, explores the meaning of this discovery in his book The Origin of the Universe. He writes: “This was the greatest discovery of the twentieth-century science, and it confirmed what Einstein’s general theory of relativity had predicted about the universe: that it cannot be static. The gravitational attraction between the galaxies would bring them all together if they were not rushing away from each other. The universe can’t stand still. “If the universe is expanding, then when we reverse the direction of history and look in the past we should find evidence that it emerged from a smaller, denser state – a state that appears to have once had zero size. It is this apparent beginning that has become known as the big bang” (1994, pp. 3-5). The conclusion the astronomers reached was that what they were observing was the result of an incredible event that had hurled matter and energy outward in all directions from the locus of the event which they termed the “big bang.” In other words, they were observing the effects of the event that began the universe. This discovery shook the scientific world. Robert Jastrow, founder of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and former professor of astronomy and geology at New York’s Columbia University writes: “Few astronomers could have anticipated that this event – the sudden birth of the Universe – would become a proven scientific fact, but observations of the heavens through telescopes have forced them into that conclusion” (The Enchanted Loom: Mind in the Universe. 1981, p. 15). There is further solid scientific proof that matter has not always existed, that it came into being at some specific time. Discovery and studies of radioactivity have proved that there has not been a past eternity of matter. Uranium is a radioactive element with an atomic weight of 238. Through alpha decay, it gives off a helium atom with an atomic weight of 4. With two more alpha decays (and beta decays), the product left is radium. Radium thus is the end product after uranium 238 has lost three helium atoms. Then decay continues in radium. The final product of the process of radioactive decay is the stable element lead. The half-life of radium is about 1600 years, and the half-life of uranium 238 is 4.46 billion years. What this means is that radioactive elements which are in existence today have not been in existence long-enough to have run their course to disintegrate into lead. If these elements had always existed in the past, they would have long ago run their course.  Since these elements exist today, this means that at one time in the past they did not exist.  Thus we have scientific proof that matter has not always existed. It was brought into existence at some specific point in time. Some evolutionists would have us believe that matter came into existence at some time by itself. Is it rational to believe that matter came into existence by blind chance? How can something come into being of itself from nothing? And then how can that something start governing itself by astonishingly fantastic, precise, predictable, flawless laws? There has to be a cause for every effect. Nothing comes into existence by itself, and from nothing. The sum total of our human experience cries against this utterly foolish assumption. We see then that the evolutionist starts out with a proven false assumption to build his theory. Matter has not always existed, and it did not create itself by blind chance out of nothing. Therefore, the first step in evolution did not take place, and matter and the universe were in fact created. Proteins Necessary for Life Formed By Chance? The proponents of evolution want us to believe that the second step in the evolutionary process is that the gas molecules present in the atmosphere combined to form amino acids through discharges of electric energy from lightning. (Of course, based on their first assumption, these gas molecules have always existed, which we have proved to be false.)  These amino acids accumulated in a pre-biotic hot soup. Then random combinations in the ocean of pre-biotic amino acid soup formed all the proteins, enzymes and other molecules necessary for life. How probable is it that random combinations of amino acids will produce the required proteins to form the simplest single-celled living organism? Fortunately astronomers, mathematicians and other scientists have made probability calculations that give us a good idea of how likely it is that the required proteins can be produced by random combinations of amino acids. Before delving into the probability calculations, it would be worthwhile to understand the structure and functioning of a single cell. Michael Denton, a molecular biologist and senior research fellow at the University of Otago in New Zealand, describes how scientists viewed the cell in Darwin's day with a magnification capability of only hundreds of times with their best technology. They saw "a relatively disappointing spectacle appearing only as an ever-changing and apparently disordered pattern of blobs and particles which, under the influence of unseen turbulent forces, [were] continually tossed haphazardly in all directions" (Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, p. 328). But today, this is how the cell is viewed. "To grasp the reality of life as it has been revealed by molecular biology," writes Dr. Denton, "we must magnify a cell a thousand million times until it is twenty kilometers in diameter and resembles a giant airship large enough to cover a great city like London or New York. What we would then see would be an object of unparalleled complexity and adaptive design. "On the surface of the cell we would see millions of openings, like the port holes of a vast space ship, opening and closing to allow a continual stream of materials in and out. If we were to enter one of these openings we would find ourselves in a world of supreme technology and bewildering complexity. We would see endless highly organized corridors and conduits branching in every direction away from the perimeter of the cell, some leading to the central memory bank in the nucleus and others to assembly plants and processing units. "We would wonder at the level of control implicit in the movement of so many objects down so many seemingly endless conduits, all in perfect unison. We would see all around us, in every direction we looked, all sorts of robot-like machines. We would notice that the simplest of the functional components of the cell, the protein molecules, were astonishingly complex pieces of molecular machinery, each one consisting of about three thousand atoms arranged in highly organized 3-D spatial conformation. "We would wonder even more as we watched the strangely purposeful activities of these weird molecular machines, particularly when we realized that, despite all our accumulated knowledge of physics and chemistry, the task of designing one such molecular machine—that is one single functional protein molecule—would be beyond our capacity…Yet the life of the cell depends on the integrated activities of thousands, certainly tens, and probably hundreds of thousands of different protein molecules" (pp. 328-329). This is a molecular biologist's description of just ONE cell which cannot be seen with the naked eye. There are about 10 TRILLION (10,000,000,000,000) brain, nerve, muscle, bone, hair and more than 200 other types of cells in the average human body. Now as complex as the cell is, the tiniest living organisms are even far more intricate. Sir James Gray, professor of Zoology at Cambridge University is quoted as stating: “Bacteria [are] far more complex than any inanimate system known to man. There is not a laboratory in the world which can compete with the biochemical activity of the smallest living organism” (Marshall and Sandra Hall, The Truth: God or Evolution?, 1974, p. 89). After understanding how astonishingly complex single-celled creatures are, we can look at some probability calculations to see if the enzymes necessary to form these creatures could be produced by random chance. Enzymes are catalysts that speed up the production of proteins in the cell. Most of the enzymes are proteins themselves, though not all of them. In proteins, amino acids have to be arranged in a particular sequence in the right quantities and structures. If any specific amino acid is out of place, the amino acid molecules do not form the protein molecule. The simplest protein molecule consists of 50 amino acids whereas more complex ones contain thousands. ​What is the probability of an average-sized protein molecule composed of 300 amino acids, containing 20 different types of amino acids being formed by random combinations? These 300 amino acids can be arranged in 20 raised to the power of 300 or 10 raised to the power of 390 different ways. (This is a tremendously huge number, consisting of 1 followed by 390 zeros.) Of all these possible arrangements, only one forms the required protein molecule. The other amino-acid chains are not part of living things and could potentially be harmful to them. But that is not the end of it. To produce a protein, all the amino acids have to be left-handed. The probability of an amino acid being left-handed is one half. Therefore for all 300 amino acids to be left-handed, the probability is 1 in 2 raised to the power of 300, which is equal to 1 in 10 raised to the power of 90 (or 1 followed by 90 zeros).  In addition, for all the amino acids to form a chain, they must be united together in a chemical bond called a “peptide bond.” The probability of two amino acids combining together in a peptide bond is about 50%. Therefore, the chance of 300 amino acids combining together in a peptide bond is 1 in 2 raised to the power of 299 or nearly 1 in 10 raised to the power of 90. The total probability then of 300 amino acids of 20 different types randomly combining together to form the average sized protein is obtained by multiplying all the probabilities, which is 1 chance in 10 raised to the power of 570, (570 is obtained by adding 390, 90 and 90). To get a perspective on this number, consider that a probability of less than 1 in 10 raised to the power of 50 (or 1 followed by 50 zeros) is considered by mathematicians to be a complete impossibility (Alan Hayward, Creation and Evolution: Rethinking the Evidence From Science and the Bible, 1985, pp. 35-37).  Another mathematician, Sir Arthur Eddington estimates there are no more than 10 raised to the power of 80 atoms in the universe (Francis Hitching, The Neck of the Giraffe, 1982, p. 70). ​To get a feel for these numbers, consider the difference between the probability numbers 10 raised to the power of 50 and 10 raised to the power of 56. The probability represented by 10 raised to the power of 56 is one millionth the probability represented by 10 raised to the power of 50. Similarly the probability represented by 10 raised to the power of 59 would be one billionth the probability or chance represented by 10 raised to the power of 50. Now consider: if an event with one chance in 10 raised to the power of 50 is considered to be impossible, then what is the likelihood of an event taking place with a probability of one in 10 raised to the power of 570? That event simply cannot take place. Thus it is impossible for one average sized protein of 300 amino acids from 20 different types of amino acids to form by random combinations.The same probability for even the simplest protein of 50 amino acids forming by chance is 10 raised to the power of 95, again totally out of the realm of possibility. Harold F. Blum, an evolutionist scientist, states that "The spontaneous formation of a polypeptide of the size of the smallest known proteins seems beyond all probability." (W. R. Bird, The Origin of Species Revisited. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Co., 1991, p. 304). The above probability was calculated for an average sized protein. But there are other giant protein molecules, with thousands of amino acids that are all required to produce even the simplest single-celled living creatures. The probability of those proteins forming by chance is that much more remote. Each and every one of these proteins (about 2,000 of them in all) is a part of the simplest, single-celled living organism. Now let us take it to the next step. It was seen that one of the tiniest single-celled living creatures, the R coli bacterium, has some 2000 genes, each with around 1,000 enzymes (which are mainly different types of proteins). These enzymes would be composed of about 2,000 different types of proteins. What are the odds that the enzymes needed to produce this simplest of living organisms could form through random combinations of amino acids by chance? Astrophysicists Sir Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe have calculated the probability as one chance in 10 raised to the power of 40,000 (that is 1 followed by 40,000 zeros). If it is impossible for even one average sized protein to form by chance, or even the simplest protein to form by chance, there is absolutely no chance that 2,000 proteins required for producing the simplest, tiniest living creature will form by random combinations of amino acids. Hoyle and professor Wickramasinghe concluded that the possibility of life arising as theorized by evolutionists is “an outrageously small probability that could not be faced even if the whole universe consisted of organic soup” (Evolution from Space, 1981, p. 24). That, however, is not the end of the story. One of the simplest, tiniest single-celled living creatures is much more than the 2,000 proteins required to produce it. In addition to the proteins, a cell also consists of nucleic acids (the DNA and RNA, the instructions for the living organism on how to function), carbohydrates, lipids (or “fat,” but more formally defined as a substance such as a fat, oil or wax that dissolves in alcohol but not in water; important part of living cells), vitamins, and many other chemicals. But just having all these molecules together in one place does not make a cell. They all have to be arranged together in specific quantities and structures to perform the required functions. Michael Behe writes about the functions each cell performs: “The “simplest” self-sufficient, replicating cell has the capacity to produce thousands of different proteins and other molecules, at different times and under variable conditions. Synthesis, degradation, energy generation, replication, maintenance of cell architecture, mobility, regulation, repair, communication – all of these functions take place in virtually every cell, and each function itself requires the interaction of numerous parts.” (Darwin’s Black Box, The Free Press printing, 2003, p.46). All the molecules don’t just arrange themselves together in the cell by random combinations to perform all these functions. The probability of all these structures forming in the same cell has not been added to the calculations by Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe. Really how remote can it get beyond the impossible? William Stokes, an American geologist, writes in his book Essentials of Earth History, that the probability is so small "that it would not occur during billions of years on billions of planets, each covered by a blanket of concentrated watery solution of the necessary amino acids." (Quoted in W. R. Bird, The Origin of Species Revisited. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Co., 1991, p. 305). “Indeed, such a theory (that life was assembled by an intelligence) is so obvious that one wonders why it is not widely accepted as being self-evident. The reasons are psychological rather than scientific.” (Sir Fred Hoyle, Chandra Wickramasinghe, ibid., p. 130). Conclusion: the second step of evolution that proteins spontaneously formed out of oceans of soup of amino acids could not have happened. It is utterly impossible. But this inevitable conclusion does not prevent the evolutionists from continuously inventing ever more irrational arguments to muddy the debate. They claim that all the proteins don’t have to be produced sequentially for evolution to have taken place. They could have been produced simultaneously. But that argument has no leg to stand on. We have already seen that even a single average sized protein could not have formed by chance. The probability of that happening is way out of the realm of possibility. And the probability of a more complex protein with 2,000 amino acids that would also be required would be 10 raised to the power of 3,800. Again way out in the realm of possibility for just one single protein out of the hundreds, or even thousands that would be required to produce a single cell. Next, all the protein molecules must be formed in the same place simultaneously, if we are to work with that argument. If they are formed in different places of the ocean, that is of no value in forming a living cell, because the cell must be formed from all the proteins, nucleic acids and other chemicals together. So they must all be produced in one place, one next to the other. For that to happen, the probabilities would be no different from the probabilities calculated by Sir Hoyle and professor Wickramasinghe. Another foolish argument has been put forth that life did not originate into the simplest single-celled organism, but into some pre-forms that finally combined to form the simple, tiny living unicellular creature. Michael Behe has in his book, Darwin’s Back Box, explained that these tiniest, simplest single-celled living organisms are “irreducibly complex.” This means that they cannot function if any part of them is missing. The cell would not be living but dead if any part is missing. All parts had to have been produced simultaneously as part of the organism. According to the argument these pre-forms were not living creatures. They presumably were blobs of protein. But again, we have seen that even the simplest protein could not have formed by chance. If these intermediate blobs of protein were somehow produced, they certainly were not self-replicating because they were not life.  So they would simply disintegrate through natural decay, just like dead carcasses. There would be no mechanism for their replacement as in living things. The life of the proteins within a living entity is prolonged because of the life processes at work within the body of the entity. Proteins outside a living organism would degrade much faster. Indeed, that is what happens at death. Thus even if proteins could have somehow formed, they would have been destroyed unless they were part of a living organism. Some have tried to question Sir Hoyle and professor Wickramasinghe’s probability calculations. But all they have shown is that those calculations were optimistic. And that can be done simply by making some additional stringent assumptions. Hoyle’s and Wickramasinghe’s calculations were simply more conservative, and illustrated the point that the probability of life forming by random combinations of amino acids is way out of the realm of possibility. We have already seen in our discussion that additional issues can be brought into the calculations such as all the other chemicals contained in a cell besides proteins. This would make the probability of the cell being produced by blind chance even more unlikely. The evolutionists cannot find fault with Michael Behe’s concept of “irreducibly complex” as he applied it to cells. So they just accuse him of hijacking the term from information science to attack his credibility. Only the most gullible would fall for such peripheral, irrational accusations that have no bearing on the issue. But why are evolutionists taking aim at Hoyle and Wickramasinghe (H&W) and Michael Behe? Because H&W with their pioneering work, have convincingly, mathematically destroyed the argument of evolutionists for origin of life by blind chance. And Michael Behe’s concept of “irreducibly complex” as applied to single-celled organisms is necessary to show that all the 2,000 or so proteins would be required to produce the tiniest, simplest single-celled organism. Even if a few are missing, the organism dies. Even Richard Dawkins, professor of Zoology at Oxford University, a diehard evolutionist has admitted that, “the essence of life is statistical improbability on a colossal scale.  Whatever is the explanation for life, therefore, it cannot be chance. The true explanation for the existence of life must embody the very antithesis of chance.” (Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker; 1986, p. 317, emphasis added). Muddying the waters using mathematical arguments is an old trick of the critics. They know that less than 1% of the world’s population will understand these mathematical probability calculations. So they can put forth any clever but irrational mathematical argument against the calculated probabilities or the methods used to arrive at them or state different assumptions and they can create doubts in the minds of 99% of the population. That is why they have been able to keep the world hoodwinked for decades.  But those who understand probability and statistics know that their criticisms are dishonest and arguments irrational. The probability calculations were a major factor in leading to the conversion of the author from atheism to Christianity. The conclusion therefore, is that none of the proteins, the building blocks necessary for life could have been produced by chance. Life did not originate as the evolutionists theorize. The second step in the process of evolution is an impossibility. Life simply did not evolve by chance or lucky accident. Proteins Formed the First Living Cell Through a Lucky Accident? ​According to evolutionists, once all the necessary proteins had formed by chance, and all the chemicals necessary for life had accumulated, when all the conditions were just perfect, then through a lucky accident the first simplest single-celled living creature was formed. This according to them is the third step in the process of origination of life and evolution. How possible is it that this step could actually happen? Throughout nature there is abundant proof of the daily working of the law of biogenesis.  No fact of science stands more conclusively proved. Evolution has not been able to provide a shred of evidence to disprove this law. Researchers have tried to create life in the laboratory. They succeeded in producing a few amino acids by sending an electric spark through a mixture of gases. Even for this purpose, they chose a mixture of gases (methane and ammonia) that were not representative of the atmospheric environment that contains carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, and water vapor. When experiments were repeated by other scientists using gases representative of the environment, no amino acids were created. But even if amino acids could be created in a laboratory, the scientists have never been able to create life.  They have not even demonstrated the remotest possibility of life forming out of chemicals, even all the right chemicals in perfectly controlled conditions for an indefinite period of time. Even with the advanced technology available to us today, scientists have managed to create only a handful of chemicals needed for organisms to live. They have never even been able to arrange all components necessary for life in anything resembling the simplest, tiniest single-celled organism, much less a living one. Sir Fred Hoyle again commented on life forming out of inanimate matter: “If there were a basic principle of matter which somehow drove organic systems toward life, its existence should easily be demonstrable in the laboratory. One could, for instance, take a swimming bath to represent the primordial soup. Fill it with any chemicals of a non-biological nature you please. Pump any gases over it, or through it, you please, and shine any kind of radiation on it that takes your fancy. Let the experiment proceed for a year and see how many of those 2,000 enzymes (proteins produced by living cells) have appeared in the bath. I will give the answer, and so save the time and trouble and expense of actually doing the experiment. You will find nothing at all, except possibly for a tarry sludge composed of amino acids and other simple organic chemicals.” (Earth, "Life's Crucible", February 1998, p.34). We all know and feel the effects of the law of gravity. Because of it no one will jump down from the top of the World Trade Center Tower in New Yrok to try to prove that the law is not in effect. The law of biogenesis is a similar universal law. Life can come only from preexisting life. Man simply cannot create life from non-life. Neither can blind chance.  Only a living Master Designer and Planner, the original Source of all life, could have created it.  We can, therefore, conclude that the third step in the theorized process of origination of life is an impossibility. It cannot happen. Let us now look at the theorized fourth step in the process of evolution. Did Complex Life Forms Evolve From Simple Life Forms? When Charles Darwin proposed his theory in the mid-19th century, he anticipated that fossil discoveries would provide convincing evidence in support of his ideas. He predicted that countless transitional forms would be found in the fossil record. Science writer Richard Milton writes that to prove Darwin’s theory, the missing links to be found “included every part of the animal kingdom: from whelks to whales and from bacteria to Bactrian camels. Darwin and his successors envisaged a process that would begin with simple marine organisms living in ancient seas, progressing through fishes, to amphibians – living partly in the sea and partly on land – and hence on to reptiles, mammals, and eventually the primates, including humans” (Richard Milton, Shattering the Myths of Darwinism, 1997, p. 253). Geologist Carl Dunbar states: “Although the comparative study of living animals and plants may give very convincing circumstantial evidence, fossils provide the only historical, documentary evidence that life has evolved from simpler to more and more complex forms” (Historical Geology, Dunbar, 1960, p.47). First of all, let us be clear about one thing: comparative study of living animals cannot provide proof that they evolved. All living creatures are still living because they have survived so far and are suited to their environment, and we cannot prove that they are evolving because in the short time we have to observe them in our life times, we will not notice any changes in them. To assume that one currently living creature evolved into another living creature is not proof. It is baseless conjecture, because all these living creatures are still living. If they evolved from one to the other, then higher level transitional forms should still be living. Evidence of that is nowhere to be found in the world. Circumstantial evidence obtained from comparative study of living animals, therefore, cannot be convincing. It cannot be proof of evolution. Thus according to evolutionists, the fossil record with countless transitional forms is the only way to convincingly prove that life evolved from simpler to more complex forms of life. Evolutionists arrange fossils in various arrangements that purport to show that evolution took place. Do you know that any set of objects of a particular type can be arranged in a way that would indicate that they evolved, when in fact no evolution took place? For example take footwear of different kinds such as thong flip flops, sandals, sneakers, leather dress shoes, leather shoes that reach mid-way to the calf and finally leather boots that reach almost till the knee. Ask a group of students to arrange them from simple to more complex, following the rules of evolutionary taxonomy. They will probably arrange them in the order they were named above. The different pairs of footwear would be arranged in a way which would imply that they evolved, when in fact they did not. Just like this exercise, various fossil arrangements purporting to show that evolution took place have no basis in reality. Thus comparative study of living animals cannot be used as proof of evolution. Without wasting any further time, let us see what scientists say about the fossil evidence. First of all, Darwin himself was troubled by the fossil record as it failed to support his theory. “…Why, if species have descended from other species by fine gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms?...Why do we not find them imbedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth?” (Origin of Species, 1958 Masterpieces of Science edition, pp. 136-137). He wrote, “The number of intermediate varieties, which have formerly existed, [must] be truly enormous. Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against the theory” (ibid. pp. 260-261). Darwin, however, was convinced that later discoveries would fill in the gaps in the fossil record of transitional species. Now after a century and a half what does the fossil evidence indicate? First of all, let us see how complete the fossil record is. Michael Denton, a medical doctor and biological researcher writes: “…when estimates are made of the percentage of [now] living forms found as fossils, the percentage turns out to be surprisingly high, suggesting that the fossil record may not be as bad as is often maintained” (Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, 1985, p. 189). He goes on to explain that “of the 329 living families of terrestrial vertebrates [those with backbones such as mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians] 261 or 79.1 percent have been found as fossils and, when birds (which are poorly fossilized) are excluded, the percentage rises to 87.8 percent” (Denton, ibid. p. 189). This means that almost 88 percent of the varieties of mammals, reptiles and amphibians found living on the earth have been found in the fossil record. Have any transitional forms been found among these? “…Although each of these classes [fishes, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and primates] is well represented in the fossil record, as of yet no one has discovered a fossil creature that is indisputably transitional between one species and another species. [The disputed ones over the years have been exposed to be deliberate frauds.] Not a single undisputed ‘missing link’ has been found in all the exposed rocks of the Earth’s crust despite the most careful and extensive searches” (Richard Milton, Shattering the Myths of Darwinism, 1997, pp. 253-254, emphasis added). Harvard University paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould admits that the “extreme rarity” of evidence for evolution in the fossil record is “the trade secret of paleontology.” He further acknowledges that “the evolutionary trees that adorn our textbooks have data only at the tips and nodes of their branches [meaning apes and man himself in the assumed evolution of man, with no transitional forms]; the rest is inference, however reasonable [which in fact is illogical reasoning], not the evidence of fossils” (“Evolution’s Erratic Pace,” Natural History, May 1977, p. 14, emphasis added). Is this ‘trade secret of paleontology’ shared with others?  Francis Hitching, member of the Royal Archaeological Institute writes: “Reading popular and even textbook introductions to evolution…you might hardly guess that they [fossil gaps] exist, so glibly and confidently do most authors slide through them. In the absence of fossil evidence, they write what have been termed “just so” stories. A suitable mutation just happened at the crucial moment, and hey presto, a new stage of evolution was reached” (The Neck of the Giraffe: Darwin, Evolution and the New Biology, 1982, pp. 12-13). If Darwin’s theory were true, the fossil record would contain innumerable transitional creatures such as invertebrates with various stages of partially developed backbones, fish with primitive legs, reptiles with elementary wings and so on at various stages of development. But no such creatures exist. They are completely absent from the fossil record. Conclusion: fossil evidence does not support evolution. In fact, this lack of evidence unequivocally disproves evolution. The fourth step in evolution, that life evolved from simpler life forms to more complex life forms did not occur. Man did not evolve. •    Simpler life forms would gradually appear. •    Simpler life forms would gradually evolve over time into more complex life forms. •    There would be numerous transitional links between different kinds of creatures such as fish and reptiles, and reptiles and birds. •    These transitional creatures would have partial features such as new limbs, bones and organs in various stages of development. •    The less complex life forms would become extinct. For example, if chimpanzees evolved into man, then there is no logical reason why chimpanzees should still exist. All should have evolved into man. •    Complex life forms would suddenly appear. •    Complex life forms would multiply “after their kinds” (Genesis 6:20), but with limited variety within those kinds. All the varieties and species of animals within the kind would be able to interbreed. •    There would be no transitional links between kinds of creatures. •    There would be no creatures with partial features such as new limbs, bones and organs; all parts would be complete and fully functional. •    Various kinds of creatures would continue to co-exist. After years of study and research, what does the fossil record show? It contains all the features predicted if the biblical account of creation is true. Conclusion: IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR LIFE TO HAVE EVOLVED! We have seen that diehard evolutionists like Richard Dawkins have admitted that life could not have originated by chance. Why then do others keep putting forth irrational criticisms of Hoyle & Wickramasinghe’s probability calculations for formation of all the proteins necessary for producing the simplest living organisms by random combinations of amino acids? Evolutionist paleontologists like Harvard’s Stephen Gould and many others have admitted that the fossil record has not provided evidence for evolution. Why then do they continue to preach evolution? Will these irrational arguments and criticisms ever end? Not until Satan (the true source of them) remains the ruler of the earth. He and his agents do not seek the truth. Their goal is deception, for Satan deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9). They will continue to invent arguments against creation by an all-wise God without end. But H&W with their pioneering work have destroyed the argument of the evolutionists for good, as many honest scientists have acknowledged. God anticipated these criticisms and described the mindset of Satan’s agents through the apostle Paul: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1:18-22). Creation is proof of the existence of God, and these evolutionist scientists know it. They too see that proof in the creation. But because they do not want to acknowledge God, they will continue to invent arguments without end to deceive people into believing otherwise.  The account of how life came into being in Genesis 1 is the only true account. Copyright © Church of God Message. All rights reserved.

2019-04-26T16:30:18Z

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Abstract: This study reviewed state-of-the-art Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology for highway sign applications, describes key problems with current technology, and proposes reliable new technology to meet future needs. OCR has become commonly available in recent years, allowing computer programs to automatically identify and interpret text in scanned images. As a result, many organizations have developed solutions to document image interpretation problems using OCR. However, only a few organizations are investigating specialized applications, such as highway sign OCR for digital photo log data. Currently, effective OCR technology for automated interpretation of highway signs remains elusive, and a definitive standard has not been developed. This study summarizes the reasons OCR of highway signs is currently unreliable, proposes effectual solutions to existing problems, and studies the benefits of OCR technology for automated highway sign interpretation. Applications: The ULIP can measure roughness on newly poured concrete pavements to assess their quality and to provide an opportunity to correct problems before final curing. As the ULIP is able to travel where ever wheel-chairs go, the condition of these traveled surfaces, including sidewalk accessibility and roughness, can be assessed to determine needed improvements. Applications: Successful implementations of OCR technology in the field of document imaging allow problems like automated highway sign recognition to be simplified. Because OCR problems can be solved for most document images, highway sign recognition research is focused on preprocessing sign images to match scanned text images as closely as possible. Image contrast, geometry, and other parameters of highway sign images must be adjusted during preprocessing to compensate for variable lighting conditions, geometric distortions, and other effects. This study illustrates how state-of-the-art OCR for highway sign applications can be successful for selected images and also shows its limitations for other types of common photo log images. Finally, techniques for effective highway sign OCR are described for future development and implementation. Abstract: A set of chain parameter matrices of 20 circuit elements and 10 transfer function elements was developed and implemented into SEQS in collaboration with Mr. Milton K. Mills. The effort resulted in about three times as many elements in SEQS as originally planned. The theory and a set of examples were tested and verified in MathCAD. The superequation for the two-port applications has two broad groups of structures. The first one handles the circuits elements shown in Figure 20 with the four possible conditions of operation. There are two patterns of terminals, one with inputs, the other without. Condition zero is the only one which utilizes the pattern of terminals without inputs. The basic process of the two-port element updates the global and local two-dimensional matrices. The local matrix is passed through the upper terminals, the global through the lower. A finite difference algorithm was provided by Milton K. Mills in the form of theory, equations, Fortran code, and references needed and example applications. The equations of finite difference were used to solve Poisson’s equation for magnetic field problems and Laplace’s equation for electrical field problems. The problem of determining the capacitance between two round insulated wires used in inductive loop detector applications was solved using the above technique. All theory and examples were tested, validated, and verified in two independent programming environments. Abstract: The process of stereoscopy is applied to images captured by two forward-facing digital cameras in a moving vehicle. The first step is the calibration of the system. The geometry between the two views is described by the epipolar geometry. It is encapsulated in a 3x3 matrix known as the Fundamental Matrix F, which is a complete description of the intrinsic geometry (intrinsic parameters of cameras) and their relative position. At least eight points must be correctly matched in each image to satisfy the requirements of the least-squares solution, the SVD decomposition, and the singularity constraint. The RANSAC algorithm is used to search for a satisfactory solution for F by removing outliners (bad correspondences). The best solution is the one that maximizes the number of points whose distance to the model is below a certain threshold. The second step is the rectification of images and calculation of depth or range. By knowing the fundamental matrix, the images are rectified to the canonical stereo configuration where epipoles move to infinity. An important advantage is that, in this case, there is a simple relationship between disparity and depth. The stereo correspondence is reduced to a 1-D search problem during a dense 3D reconstruction. Applications: Stereoscopy contributes to the fusion process of the DHM vehicle to define the three-dimensional geometry of the roadway. Abstract: Pattern and gradient search optimization algorithms were applied to a two-port problem using a six dimensional amplifier transistor. Multiple methods were investigated: pattern search, gradient, neural network, and genetic algorithm. The pattern search method was based on the Hook and Jeeves approach. The Rhea method was also tested. The gradient search method selected was the conjugate gradient method using the Fletcher-Reeves approach. It requires the ability to compute the objective function’s gradient, or first derivative, at any arbitrary point in a specified range. The Fletcher-Reeves method is identical to the Polack-Ribiere method, except for the method of increment in the derivative term. Another method of interest in the future was the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno method which is categorized as a metric search method. It differs from the Fletcher-Reeves method only in the method of retaining and accumulating the information to access convergence. Instead of a vector on dimension N, it requires a matrix of dimension NxN, where N is the number of dimensions in the objective function. Focusing on the Fletcher-Reeves method, the next point in the search is estimated as the sum of the previous point and a scalar times the estimation of the gradient at the previous point. The scalar is set using a bracketing technique and Brent’s method that minimizes round-off errors. Given the previous point, Pi, and the gradient at Pi, dPi, the search for the optimum scaling factor, ai, is performed in two steps that do not affect Pi and dPi. The next value, Pi+1, is equal to Pi + ai x dPi. The Fletcher-Reeves method was implemented in MathCad. Applications: The collection of optimization methods were applied to the two-port solution of an amplifier-transistor. Abstract: There are many data mining tools available on the market. Many of them are for experienced statistical specialists. In this project, Scenario from Cognos Software was selected because it provides a good balance between accuracy and ease of use. A very moderate level of experience is required to get immediate data analysis results. This visual tool permits a first investigation to identify structures and relationships between the data. Scenario uses the concept of targets and factors. Target is the field to be examined and factors are the fields that could influence the target. Scenario helps identify the “overall fit”, which is an estimate of how well the analysis explains the target’s variation. For that purpose, Scenario explores the data and groups them into segments. A segment contains data that are similar to each other in term of impact on the target. The model used in Scenario is based upon decision trees. Any discovery should be cross-checked with other approaches, such as logistic, sigmoidal or hinging hyperplanes. Applications: Using the National Bridge Inventory System (NBI) data, a few analyses are presented. The approach of data mining the NBI can be extended to explore data for other projects with minimal effort. Abstract: The long-range purpose of the project was to increase the level of insight a researcher acquires from merging powerful visualization tools, large data sets, and corresponding computational hardware. Custom applications were also developed to explore tire-pavement interaction noise and warp and curl databases. One example using OpenDX focuses on determining the global pollution dispersion over a region-based on the information available at the micro level and the wind conditions. The detailed dispersion pattern vs. time is compared to the instantaneous average for the region as computed from the micro level data. The other example depicts the evolution of many origin-destination patterns in the micro level data. The next objective is to compare the resulting patterns with other existing O-D data formats in use by the transportation community and to evaluate the strength and weakness of each. The focus of this work is to explore the power of merging visualization tools, computational tools, and large data sets using a personal computer, with specific emphasis on increasing problem insight for a researcher. Applications: The consistent images of the total investigation process can lead to potential improvements and/or enhancements of the analysis process. Visualization is not only a way to produce images for presentations at the end of the project, but can be integrated within the investigation process to test new hypotheses, and to spot data details and patterns not yet predicted. OpenDX was the primary software used to set up a visualization tool of vehicle-emissions produced at the micro level over a geographic area. Different scenarios of traffic simulation were used to depict and evaluate the impact of micro conditions on global pollution dispersion. Abstract: The Digital Highway Measurement (DHM) Vehicle uses multiple sensors to measure the horizontal and vertical alignments of roads and highways. Profiles of the roadside and characteristics of the pavement surface are also created, while traveling at normal traffic speeds and with accuracy not available commercially. The areas of improvement to the state-of-the-practice provided by the DHM vehicle are: a) the accuracy and precision of the vehicle position by at least an order of magnitude, b) elimination of vehicle lane wander to produce centerline traces, and c) no affect from stop-and-go operations in urban and rural environments where continuous GPS coverage is not available. A complete functional specification for the hardware and software for the DHM is included in the full task report. In addition, other analyses such as cross sections; roadside profiles; and image processing, including stereoscopy, pattern recognition, and GPR are discussed. In the full task report, graphs present the details of the comparisons within each type of data to support the analysis on the accuracy of the DHM. A summary of the results is provided in an executive report. Specifically, the accuracy and precision in establishing a centerline are discussed. The large data sets from each of the DHM sensors are fused to define an accurate geometry of the road and the roadside, the vehicle wander in the lane is then removed from the data to produce an accurate centerline trace. From this centerline an accurate project coordinate system is defined. The post processing software extracts key points of the horizontal alignment from the measured centerline. When possible, a similar post process is performed on the vertical profile to identify points of vertical curvature and tangency. For each site, six runs were analyzed. The results are contrasted with those obtained with a state-of-the-practice vehicle. The following sources of potential “ground truths” were considered: site plans, static laser scan using the CYRAX technology, and digital orthophotography from the Virginia Geographic Information Network. Applications: The ability to determine the vehicle position on the road as a function of time, so that its trajectory can be accurately determined for the purpose of: a) analyzing the trajectory to determine if the driver is falling asleep, b) analyzing the trajectory to determine if the driver is driving erratically, c) advising the driver of approach to road geometry variations (filtered to a necessary level in order to prevent excessive false alarms), d) including the vehicle dynamics to determine potential loss of control due to excessive speed, e) including measured road surface friction condition for dry and wet conditions, f) including warning of hazards under reduced visibility conditions, g) including highway construction locations provided by the states, h) providing localized profile of the grades at the approach and exit of railroad crossings, i) providing overhead bridge clearances (measured simultaneously with other geometry data), j) providing project-level condition assessment of existing conditions for planning and design, and inspection of final rehabilitation or new construction projects for pay-factors, and k) providing existing conditions information to highway-driver simulators and to interactive highway-safety design software. Dr. Gagarin, under a task order agreement with FHWA, collaborated with Dr. N.E. Huang of NASA, under an inter-agency agreement with FHWA to study and apply the HHT to highway engineering problems. Abstract: There are many non-stationary and nonlinear processes present in the highway environment. In the past, the methodologies for extracting engineering information were based primarily on the Fourier analysis and similar linear and stationary methods. The development of the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) has provided a tool to analyze these same processes without the limiting assumptions of the above methods. The objective of the study is to identify problems which will benefit from use of the HHT. The paper describes the problems and data initially explored. The description and status of the following applications are in the paper: 1) decomposition of sound pressure levels for the analysis of tire-pavement interaction noise, 2) impact-echo experiment for the computation of quality factor for freeze-thaw damage in concrete, 3) error analysis, synchronization, and comparison of road profiles, 4) pavement thickness estimation using ground penetrating radar, 5) a review of falling weight deflectometer time-series data, and 6) filtering of strain measurements for bridge weigh-in-motion and condition assessment. Preliminary results are also discussed. Other areas under consideration are: 1) wind-structure interaction, 2) earthquake response, 3) scour in hydraulics, and 4) disturbances in traffic flow. Applications: Inertial road profile measurements are widely used to assess the condition of existing pavements and monitor the quality control for smoothness of newly constructed pavements. A metric known as the International Roughness Index (IRI), computed from the inertial road profile quantifies the ride quality of the pavement. Within the inertial road profile, the variation of frequency-amplitude content versus distance is nonlinear and non-stationary. The Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT) and its Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) is well suited for nonlinear and non-stationary data. In the application of the HHT to inertial profile analysis, the intrinsic mode functions and their Hilbert transform can be used to: 1) represent the frequency/wavelength content of a profile; 2) filter the data in the distance domain in preparation for secondary analyses, and 3) compare two profiles and assess their similarities by performing simultaneous distance-frequency synchronization. Abstract: The findings and tools in the two-port circuit design utilities described above were applied to the analysis of the High Accuracy DGPS diplexer. The electrical performance of the current diplexer design will be determined. The solution is designed so that circuit component values can be changed either automatically using an optimizer, or manually to see if improved performance is possible. The potential use of neural network, and genetic algorithm optimizers in this problem were investigated. The electrical performance of the diplexer is displayed in both a phase/amplitude and Smith Chart graph. Abstract: In cooperation with the Virginia Department of Transportation, pavement surface texture and Skid Number was simultaneously collected on a continuous basis on a wide variety of pavement surfaces at the NASA Wallops Island runway test surfaces. The data allowed for a correlated analysis of Skid Number changing dynamically as the surface texture and surface features, such as joints, patches, faults, and profile change, thus a clearer picture of friction / macrotexture interaction is achieved. Applications: A laser-based system for the measurement of texture on a continuous basis at a network level can provide a quick, relatively inexpensive, and comprehensive method of pavement friction condition assessment. This information can then be used as part of a pavement management system for allocating resources for pavement management and rehabilitation.The dynamic relationship between surface features and texture with Skid Number was clearly illustrated. Current single point Skid Numbers for a test section and manual methods of surface feature and texture measurement are not truly representative of the dynamic nature of pavement surfaces with respect to friction. The work performed showed the need and benefit of simultaneous data collection using multiple sensors. Abstract: The Advanced Research Team (ART) worked on establishing a Computational Resource Laboratory (CRL) at the TFHRC. The CRL process is intended to run over many years. The need for such a laboratory is the result of the maturation of the SEQS software. As the SEQS software has developed, the number of powerful analysis tools within it has steadily increased and ART is now turning its attention to streamlining the accessibility to these tools by other researchers at the TFHRC. The ART staff needed to provide a seamless access for all researchers at the TFRHC to the SEQS documentation and software with a few minor conditional constraints. The first step of this project conceptualized a total system that accomplishes the long-range objectives for the CRL. The “system” includes every type of item from hardware to software, both presently within SEQS or other external support software, or hardware that would maximize the operation of the CRL, including analytical training videos or self-paced training materials. The conceptualization process considered direct connection to a CRL server from any computer at the TFHRC. Abstract: The long-range purpose of the project is to increase the level of insight a researcher acquires from merging powerful visualization tools, large data sets, and corresponding computational hardware. Custom applications were also developed to explore tire-pavement interaction noise and warp and curl databases. One example using OpenDX focuses on determining the global pollution dispersion over a region-based on the information available at the micro level and the wind conditions. The detailed dispersion pattern vs. time is compared to the instantaneous average for the region as computed from the micro level data. The other example depicts the evolution of many origin-destination patterns in the micro level data. The next objective is to compare the resulting patterns with other existing O-D data formats in use by the transportation community and to evaluate the strength and weakness of each. The focus of this work is to explore the power of merging visualization tools, computational tools, and large data sets using a personal computer, with specific emphasis on increasing problem insight for a researcher. Abstract: A parametric study of the inertial profiling technology using mathematical simulation concluded that the level of sensitivity of accelerometers was a source of error. Roll and pitch were also hypothesized as additional sources of error. The objective of this study was to determine the accelerometer requirements of high-speed inertial profilers to collect accurate profiles at speeds from 15 to 70 miles per hour and using both a 200 and 300 foot long-wave filter. This research consisted of 10 runs at each speed varying over the 15 to 70 miles per hour speed range, and using multiple accelerometers of various manufacturers and models. Data Acquisition (DAQ) software, data mining tools and analysis applications were developed to study the effect of accelerometer sensors on the accuracy and precision of road profiles. An electronics and hardware package was constructed using sensors available within the FHWA Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) Pavement Surface Analysis (PSA) Lab and from FLHD. A follow-up experiment using two commercial light-weight profilers confirmed the effect of pitch and roll accelerations on the accuracy of inertial profiles. Applications: The requirements produced by this research were adopted and implemented in the portable systems used by FLHD. These updated systems passed the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Transportation Institutes Certification procedure, which is similar to the proposed AASHTO guide specification for the certification/validation of inertial profilers. Results were used by an AASHTO Expert Task Group in the development of inertial profiler guidelines. This project also identified potential sources of measurement error in both high-speed and light-weight profilers subsequently confirmed in the later DHM and ULIP projects. The design of the experiment included “real world conditions” and the simulation methods used exposed limitations of one-dimensional inertial profiling technology. Abstract: The feasibility of measuring slab-curvature using a non contact, high-speed profiler system was assessed by the Pavement Surface Analysis Laboratory (PSAL) of the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The primary objectives of the pilot study were to (1) measure the curvature of the concrete slabs using existing profiling technology, (2) establish a standard procedure to identify warp and curl from profiler data, (3) quantify the change in curvature due to temperature changes, (4) determine the sampling interval required to measure curvature, (5) determine the relationship between curvature and roughness measurements, and (6) relate curvature data to premature transverse pavement cracking and construction conditions. The PSAL research profiler was used in the survey of 64 lane-miles of interstate highway in a period of 24 hours. A single pass of 16 miles in each lane was collected during four windows of two hours. The time windows were 4-6am, 6-8am, 11am-1pm, and 6-8pm. A procedure to measure joint rotation and faulting was established. A report focused on the analysis, including faulting and joint rotation, with the effect of temperature. The parallel coordinates approach to visualization was applied to concrete slab condition assessment. A visualization program named “WarpExplorer” was developed to browse the verification and validation database of inertial profiles. A visualization program named “CurlExplorer” was developed to browse the database of 16,000 concrete slabs that includes joint condition, slab profiles, roughness, cracking information, deformation parameters, and temperature. Applications: Measuring the change in slab surface profiles and joint condition at different temperature loads using a high-speed inertial profiler provides a method of monitoring the condition of concrete slabs. Using parallel coordinates approach on more than twenty parameters related to the profile measurements, the slabs most likely to fail can be isolated from the entire set of slabs measured. Abstract: This project is the continuation of the previous work under a task order agreement by Starodub and FHWA. Limitations on the level of interactive help, number of equations, graphics, and functionality were addressed. The software for the following tasks was specified, designed, and implemented in the SEQS environment: a) Data Fusion and Mining of Tire-Pavement Interaction Noise, Pavement and Tire-Print Textures, b)Tire-Pavement Interaction Noise, c) Data Fusion and Mining of Skid Numbers and ROSANv Macro-texture, d) Data Mining of 1-D and 2-D ROSANv Macro-texture Samples, e) Development of Warp and Curl Analysis Algorithms, f) Data Reduction of validation sites in Delaware and Pennsylvania for Warp and Curl project, g) Automatic Sign Recognition System, h) Development of an Ultra Light Inertial Profiler, and i) Two-Port Electrical Circuit Elements for Electromagnetic modeling. Applications: Starodub proposed to use SEQS as a means to disseminate the library of algorithms and references in the CRL and monitor the use of software of the CRL in the future. In addition, SEQS will be used in the training and technology transfer to the highway community. The ULIP product is an example of the use of SEQS to fuse the data acquisition process under the national instruments NIDAQ environment, and post processing under seven different libraries of analysis functions. Similar approaches can be applied to more complex system., SEQS is intended to be used by the FHWA. Abstract: The Automatic Sign Recognition System uses a local eigen feature method to define the optimum orientation of the dimensions in a digital image. The new method is also based on an eigen solution. However, the features of interest in a training set are processed globally to produce a series of statistically significant features to be searched in a digital image. This method can be applied to various features of interest. Abstract: The Equation Shell Software is a computer tool which developed to facilitate data analysis. It incorporates research findings in the development of new highway products, assisting a small research staff with limited resources to develop convoluted solutions. EQS is an object-oriented programming system with a graphical user interface that allows a graphical definition and construction of algorithms. It can be used as a tool for rapid prototyping, verification, validation, visualization, production/diagnosis, and training/teaching. It is people-oriented/user-friendly and its components are reusable. To date, six major phases of development have been completed: 1. information gathering, 2. synthesis and verification of knowledge base, 3. identification of highway applications, 4. system design and development of functionality of EQS (three cycles), 5. preparation of a set of equations in EQS objects, with testing and checking, and 6. initial deployment. Abstract: The freeze-thaw experiment on small-size concrete beams requires two main components. The first is a data acquisition setup with two sensors -- an accelerometer and an impulse hammer, the second is analysis software to reduce the recorded data. Both components of the freeze-thaw experiment have been integrated into the EQS software for demonstration purposes. A basic data acquisition equation to collect simultaneous samples from two sensors was developed and tested with a signal generator and also with the two sensors. The analysis component was reviewed and can be integrated. The focus of the project is the development of a production version of the quality factor application shell. Applications: The project was the first data acquisition problem within SEQS. The DHM and ULIP projects followed. Data mining using state-of-the-art signal processing method. Abstract: The Pavement Surface Analysis (PSA) team conducted a series of experiments at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) base at Wallops Island, collecting data for a tire-pavement noise interaction study. The primary objective of the study was to define the relationship between noise levels, tire texture, and pavement texture. The Wallops Island NASA facility provided an excellent test site with over a dozen concrete or asphalt pavement surface conditions with and without grooves, and a variety of textures. Three types of vehicles ‑‑car, sport utility vehicle, and small truck‑‑ were used on eight of the pavement surfaces for two experimental setups. These setups were: 1) outside noise/single vehicle/controlled conditions, and 2) inside noise/single vehicle/controlled conditions. This project led to two additional task orders: to study the relationship between macro-texture and sound pressure levels and to develop a data visualization tool. In addition, Dr. Gagarin collaborated with Dr. James Mekemson in the production of a ROSANv unit for CALTRANS to assist them in their follow-up on this research. A visualization software package named “WaveExplorer” was designed and developed to browse a limited database of tire-pavement interaction noise developed by the Pavement Surface Analysis Laboratory. The data for the database are from two sets of experiments: a) out-of-vehicle noise with a microphone placed near the travel lane, and b) in-vehicle noise with a microphone installed in the vehicle. Tire texture was estimated by obtaining a print of the tread pattern at the time of the tests and, using image processing, identifying the tire pattern line. Pavement texture was measured using ROSANv. A graphical user interface was developed to enable a user to select and change the value of the parameters controlling the types of tests to be heard and seen on the screen simultaneously. Applications: After a published progress report on this research effort, six state DOTs inquired directly about the status and availability of the final product. A tire-pavement noise database was developed which contains not only the characteristics of the pavement surface, but also that of the tire texture. Abstract: A sequence of image processing functions is applied to identify the presence of features in the photologs as part of a prototype of an automatic sign inventory system. This ongoing effort will produce a system capable of recognizing a finite set of individual traffic signs from photolog data from the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) database from eight states. To date, a computer program was developed to interface with the database and define training sets for pattern recognition definition. After the training sets were defined, a process of verifying and validating the set was created using a data browser. The data is subjected to a quality check procedure which determines the limits of the domain covered. The design and implementation of the pattern recognition model was completed. This work led to a task order to review the findings of Connecticut DOT. The algorithm within the ASRS system was retrained. The outliers identified by Connecticut DOT were in fact properly detected with the updated system. Applications: The state of Connecticut is collaborating closely with the HSIS laboratory and eventually other states of the eight states will become users of the system. A software application driven by a proprietary algorithm was developed and copyrighted. The first version of the Automatic Sign Recognition System was deployed in Connecticut in January 2000. Abstract: The FHWA has produced an extensive database on development length of prestressing strands in full-size AASHTO girders Type VI with and without decks, small-size beams, and deck panels. Three diameter sizes were used, and uncoated and epoxy-coated surface conditions were included in the experimental phase. In order to respond to the immediate request of AASHTO, the focus of analysis was directed to uncoated results for full-size girders and small-size beams, including available information from all sources. An extensive structural analysis of the data was conducted to estimate effective and ultimate prestress strengths for each test. Combined with transfer and flexural-bond strength information, with statistically based criteria for inclusion of data in the final database, a design equation to estimate the development length of prestressing strands was produced and submitted to the AASHTO T-10 committee for review. Applications: The equation has been approved by the AASHTO T-10 committee after a six-month review period by the states. It will be included in the AASHTO design specifications for the design of prestressed concrete highway bridges. Abstract: The Equation Shell Software (EQS) is a computer tool which was developed to facilitate data analysis. It incorporates research findings in the development of new highway products, assisting a small research staff with limited resources to develop convoluted solutions. EQS is an object-oriented programming system with a graphical user interface that allows a graphical definition and construction of algorithms. It can be used as a tool for rapid prototyping, verification, validation, visualization, production/diagnosis, and training/teaching. It is people-oriented/user-friendly and its components are reusable. To date, six major phases of software development were completed: 1. information gathering, 2. synthesis and verification of knowledge base, 3. identification of highway applications, 4. system design and development of functionality of EQS (three cycles), 5. preparation of a set of equations in EQS objects, with testing and checking, and 6. initial deployment. Limitations on the level of interactive help, number of equations, graphics, and functionality were corrected. The software for the following tasks was specified, designed, and implemented in the SEQS environment: a) Data Fusion and Mining of Tire-Pavement Interaction Noise, Pavement and Tire-Print Textures, b)Tire-Pavement Interaction Noise, c) Data Fusion and Mining of Skid Numbers and ROSANv Macro-texture, d) Data Mining of 1-D and 2-D ROSANv Macro-texture Samples, e) Development of Warp and Curl Analysis Algorithms, f) Data Reduction of validation sites in Delaware and Pennsylvania for Warp and Curl project, g) Automatic Sign Recognition System, h) Development of an Ultra Light Inertial Profiler (ULIP), and i) Two-Port Electrical Circuit Elements for Electromagnetic modeling. Applications: Starodub proposes to use SEQS as a means to disseminate the library of algorithms and references in the Computational Research Lab (CRL) and monitor the use of software of the CRL in the future. In addition, SEQS will be used in the training and technology transfer to the highway community. The ULIP product is an example of the use of SEQS to fuse the data acquisition process under the National Instruments NIDAQ environment, and post processing under seven different libraries of analysis functions. Similar approaches can be applied to more complex systems such as the Digital Highway Measurement (DHM) system. Abstract: In October 1997, FHWA and Surfan Engineering Software, Inc.(SES, Inc.) signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement which supported the conversion process of the research prototype of the ROad Surface ANalyzer (ROSAN) into a product available to the highway industry, including state agencies, contractors, and researchers. After a year of effort, the CRADA team (FHWA and SES, Inc.) completed the first phase of product development. Applications: Truly an intermodal venture, ROSAN has applications in all branches of the Department of Transportation (DOT). ROSAN has fulfilled the need to monitor the surface condition of runways, answering the FAA regulation requirements imposed on primary airports. Also, AMTRAK expressed interest during an exploratory meeting with SES, Inc. in Philadelphia to develop a version of ROSAN to survey the track‑pentograph‑catenary system along the Northeast corridor. A year after the initiation of the CRADA, SES, Inc. measured runway texture and grooves at Kennedy airport for the New‑York/ New‑Jersey Port Authority, supported aggregate segregation research at Auburn University, and, before the end of the year, an updated version of the ROSAN product with profiling capabilities became available. Abstract: In preparation of a handbook of expert systems, the following were included: 1) drawings illustrating six-rule expert system, showing Hoffman regions (binary example), 2) drawings illustrating rule-based expert system, with numerical tests, showing nontrivial Hoffman regions, 3) drawings incorporating decision tables, 4) drawings showing flowchart instead of trees, 5) drawings illustrating atomic formulas, 6) study of proof of theorems, and 7) review of text, indicating possible need for details, clarification, and examples. Abstract: An artificial neural network (ANN) is used to estimate scour at bridge piers. The ANN is based on 515 sets of field data assembled in a report by Gao in 1992. Its performance is compared to the Chinese equations for live bed and clear water pier scour presented by Nordin. It was found that ANNs may be better in understanding the governing processes where many uncertain scour conditions exist than in predicting actual depth quantities. Applications: Other researchers are emulating these findings and continuing this research. A software application driven by a proprietary algorithm was developed and copyrighted. Abstract: An artificial neural network is used as a computing device for determining sediment transport in open channels. The application was developed from 1,455 data sets extracted from laboratory and field records assembled and used for developing formulas and regression equations used in BRI-STARS for sediment accounting. The network was trained to estimate sediment transport for all channel and bed material types. The advantage of this ANN application is that it can be nested in BRI-STARS or other sediment transport models without the need to select the most suitable transport equation. Abstract: The applicability of multidimensional modeling of engineering and natural systems with emerging empirical numerical techniques labeled artificial neural networks (ANNs) was investigated. ANNs are built of large sets of simple computing units operating in parallel. The function embedded in each unit or activation function is defined by a few parameters with values determined during a training process based on a few simple rules. Applications: A series of proprietary software applications were developed, of which the next two applications below are examples. Abstract: A large number of computer-aided applications were developed in the 90's to monitor the highway system in an efficient and effective manner. The hardware, used to gather data from various environments and to process large volumes of floating point operations, has greatly improved in the past decade. Large databases are now common place, with gigabytes of data which can include images, arrays of discrete time series, or verbal descriptions. The control and analysis algorithms which have to handle these diverse forms of information often include signal processing and pattern recognition (SP/PR) methods. In the past, much of the SP/PR work has been primarily based on the Fourier transform; in recent decades, a variety of new approaches have been proposed as alternatives and complements to the Fourier transform approach. Applications: The primary objective of this study was to classify and present in a systematic manner a selection of modern or second generation SP/PR methods for use by highway engineers. In the introduction, definitions of "signal processing" and "pattern recognition" were proposed to support the layout of this primer. Then, the format used to present each individual SP/PR method was discussed. An attempt was made to define the manner in which the reader should consider the information provided on a given method. The plane of information was related to the level of interest of the user, taking into account his expertise, degree of involvement in the technology, and job objectives. A copyrighted primer of methods was prepared containing a chart which summarizes the scope and applicability to highway problems of each type of method. Abstract: The rainflow method was applied to strain measurements collected on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge at fatigue critical structural details to estimate the number and level of stress cycles. A computer program was developed to automate the analysis process. Applications: The results of the analysis were used in the report on the condition of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge prepared by the structures laboratory of TFHRC. Dr. Gagarin provided and used a customized version of his proprietary fatigue analysis software developed during his dissertation. Abstract: A FHWA memorandum was issued in 1989 to restrict existing design practice for determining the development length of prestressing strands. The structures division of the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) researched the behavior of prestressing strands in concrete. One component of the research focused on the pull-out tests for prestressing strands. Linear discriminant analysis with multivariate analysis and Hotelling’s t2 quantified the differences in behavior of different strands. Applications: After the publication of an article in the PCA journal and a presentation to leading members of prestressed-concrete research and industry, the limitations and strengths of the pull-out tests were accepted. Pull-out tests of prestressing strands were performed and the interpretation of the results followed the basic procedure described in the report prepared for FHWA on this project. Advanced multidimensional statistical analysis were configured and applied to this structural research problem. The copyrighted and proprietary algorithms and software are designed to interpret the data and present the results. With the method developed by Dr. Gagarin, the hypotheses proposed by the research experiment on prestressing strands were demonstrated. Abstract: A bridge is instrumented with strain gages on its beams and tape switches on the pavement surface near its approach. The deformations of the bridge are acquired synchronously with tape switch trigger events that are used to estimate the position of a vehicle on the structure as well as its axle configuration. With a model of the elastic behavior of the cross section, each axle weight is estimated using regression. A new estimation of axle configuration and weights utilizes the strain gage patterns without any tape switch information. Applications: This new technology was not available prior to this research project. Bridge Weigh-In-Motion systems have been used in various states, including Colorado, Michigan, and California. There were three main contributions. The first presents the use of finite element analysis in the conventional use of Bridge Weigh-In-Motion and generation of stress patterns for the fatigue analysis of highway bridges. The second is the use of Bridge Weigh-In-Motion in the fatigue analysis. The third is the use of unique and proprietary pattern recognition algorithms – including artificial neural networks, Markov models, and matching techniques – to determine truck axle configuration and axle weights without the use of tape switches on the pavement. copyright © 2009 Starodub, Inc. All rights reserved.

2019-04-18T19:28:11Z

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Eating to live better is a simple concept with many dimensions. My travels and constant education in integrative and functional medicine inform the process. Eating to live better is a simple concept with many dimensions. My travels and constant education in integrative and functional medicine inform the process. Nutrition and Mental Health: The Missing Link to Rediscovering Joy and Vitality? My heart goes out to anyone struggling with mental health challenges. Adding scientifically based nutrition interventions to your treatment program may be the missing link in getting back your joy, vitality, vigor and harmony. Nutrient imbalances can affect your ability to feel joy. You may feel like you are trapped inside a worrying mind that you can’t seem to catch a break from. You may feel shy and find it hard to be around people. Impulse control may be an issue. These can all be signs of a nutritional imbalance. If so, part of your issues may be nutritionally related. You may be given a label to describe your cluster of symptoms such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, or ADD. However, functional medicine nutritionists may instead use terms such as iron deficiency, zinc and magnesium deficiency, MTHFR or COMT genetic variants, low protein status. Regardless of the diagnostic label you are given, we look for the nutritional biochemical needs that are not being met and could contribute to your symptoms. Nutrient imbalances can have an enormous impact on mental health. Medications and therapy, albeit extremely important, can’t correct nutrient imbalances. I see nutrient imbalances in people struggling with mental health issues on an almost daily basis. Many of these imbalances are caused by genetic factors, intestinal issues, and our current diet. Hopefully this article will entice you enough to consider adding nutrition to your overall healthcare plan to more effectively manage your mental health concerns. The brain is an organ just like the heart, and it responds to nutrients. Sub-clinical nutrient deficiencies typically show up with mood and behavior changes. Our nutrition status is determined by our absorption, genetics, food choices and agricultural practices. We need to address gut health in order to produce a healthy level of neurotransmitters. Hormones play a huge role in mental health and we can positively influence our hormonal balance by diet and lifestyle factors. Choosing organic whole, unprocessed foods, and eating a balance of the right foods can positively affect brain chemistry. Besides nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and meditation are huge factors in balancing the brain/body chemistry and hormones. For challenging mental health issues, dietary supplements can be very helpful in balancing brain chemistry and improving the health of the nervous system. Diet is often not enough. Working with a team including a nutritionist, doctor and psychotherapist can be a winning combination for tackling mental health issues. Homeopathy is very effective with mental health challenges and can safely be used with medications and nutrition supplements. The brain is one of the first organs affected by nutrient deficiencies, and you can bet that other organs will also be affected by these deficiencies over time if they remain unaddressed. No matter what mental health diagnostic “label” you are given, it is highly UNLIKELY that there is NOT a nutritional component to your symptoms. You may still need psychiatric intervention with medications, as well as psychotherapy, but you should also get the underlying nutritional imbalances corrected. Based on my 30 years of clinical experience, I think that it is a mistake NOT to work with a nutritionist if you are suffering from mental health challenges. I don’t know the exact reason people are not referred to a nutritionist when suffering with mental health challenges. It may be due to busy providers, as well as lack of nutritional knowledge among these providers. A provider cannot recommend something that they are not educated in, or knowledgeable about. There is also a strong belief among clients, and parents of clients, that do-it-yourself nutritional care is sufficient. I am here to tell you that it is not, and it can sometimes can make things worse. Given my clinical experience, I believe that a winning combination for helping mental health challenges is the use of advanced level nutritionists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists together. Most people these days are familiar with the term neurotransmitters (the body’s chemical messengers that transmit messages between neurons) and they are aware that neurotransmitter imbalances can affect mood. Neurotransmitters are produced by nutrients, yes you heard me, by NUTRIENTS. If you consume the right nutrients you will be able produce enough of the right neurotransmitters to make you feel good. Nutrients can also quiet down the production of neurotransmitters that are causing anxiety and insomnia. Neurotransmitters affected by nutrition include serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, acetylcholine, gaba and glutamate. When your body has an imbalance of neurotransmitters we can use targeted nutrients to bring back balance and harmony to the system. Nutrient requirements will be unique for every single person, based on their symptoms, lab work, and genetics. Some of the nutrients we look at in lab work include specific amino acids (from protein) such as methionine, tryptophan, tyrosine, glycine, taurine, theanine; vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, folate, B12, inositol, vitamin C; the minerals magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, copper, selenium, lithium; other nutrients such as choline, TMG, SAMe; electrolytes such as potassium and sodium. All of these nutrients play a crucial role in making neurotransmitters. A person may have one or a several of these nutrients in short supply, thus affecting the ability to produce a balanced level of neurotransmitters. Serotonin helps with happiness, a feeling of calm, sleep and impulse control. Dopamine helps with motivation, pleasure, concentration and focus. A deficiency of dopamine is often a huge factor in addiction, loss of concentration and motivation, and when it feels like nothing in life brings pleasure anymore. Norepinephrine helps with sustained focus and is often low in people experiencing ADD/ADHD. Epinephrine (adrenaline) is our vital fight or flight neurotransmitter, but when levels are excessive it can cause panic and anxiety. Acetylcholine is required for learning, memory, deep REM sleep and autonomic functions such as bladder and bowel emptying. Gaba brings us peacefulness and allows us to calm down and sleep. We can feel chronic anxiety when gaba levels are too low. Certain amino acids help to produce our own natural gaba. Glutamate is required for concentration and focus, but when levels are too high it can cause anxiety and damage to the brain, such as after head trauma. Through specific nutrients we can help to metabolize out excessive glutamate and protect the brain from high glutamate levels. Glutamate converts to GABA, but some people have a genetically slow functioning enzyme that is responsible for this conversion and they end up with excessive glutamate. Vitamin B6 is one of the nutrients that helps that enzyme convert glutamate to GABA so we can feel calm. Nutrients are the building blocks for making neurotransmitters. We can test levels of neurotransmitter metabolites in urine as well as genetic variants to precisely target neurotransmitter balance through nutrients. There are a variety of nutritional products and specific foods that can bring balance to the body chemistry thus relieving the distressing symptoms of neurotransmitter imbalances. Exercise and meditation are also extremely important in balancing out your production of neurotransmitters. Meeting individual nutrition needs is not exclusively about the diet you eat, it is a bit more complicated than that. You may be eating a healthy diet but suffer terribly from mental health concerns. Research supports that individual nutrient requirements can have a genetic basis; in other words, we (including our family members) may genetically require high amounts of specific nutrients that are not available in our current diet. These genetic variations are not dysfunctional, in fact, they probably played an important role to our survival at one point, and were a non-issue because our ancestors were eating regional foods that were robust in these certain nutrients. What is important now is that your ancestors have migrated geographically away from their original diet and the specific foods that kept them healthy. These genetic variations are passed down through generations of people who may not be eating enough of the specific foods that help them express their genetic variations in a healthy manner, so they can feel robust and vital. You may notice that you have extended family members who exhibit similar patterns of mental and physical health complaints. We may find that these family members share gene variants that may require higher levels of nutrients such as choline, folate, riboflavin, magnesium, vitamin B6 and B12, etc. If your diet heavily consists of white flour products (bread, pizza, pastries, cookies, pasta, rice) and sugar with very little produce and nutritional variety, you will be deficient in most of the nutrients that are required for good mental health. For example, an abundance of organic leafy greens in the diet can provide enough folate to make up for an MTHFR genetic variant, but people with this gene variant who don’t eat an abundance of leafy greens, would logically experience mental health and physical health challenges. Since these nutrient requirements run in families, we may see a mother who is genetically low in zinc, B vitamins, magnesium and iron, and she is experiencing depression, anxiety and sensitivity to external stimuli such as bright light, loud noises, crowds; and it is likely that her children are also low in these same nutrients, and are experiencing similar symptoms that show up as challenging behaviors. These unique nutritional genetic requirements become even more of a problem when our current agricultural and food processing practices strip vital nutrients out of our food. Added to that, we choose a diet that is full of processed foods instead of whole foods that retain vital nutrients to help us balance our brain chemistry. Depending on the genetic variants we inherit, we may actually require supplements to get enough of these crucial nutrients to enjoy robust mental health. Most of our neurotransmitters are produced in the gut rather than the brain. Most of our immune system also is in our gut. Immune system issues, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and mental health challenges can all occur together and can be related. In addition, there is bi-directional communication between the gut and the brain carried out by our friendly probiotic bacteria. The gut and brain influence each other. Malabsorption of nutrients interferes with our ability to produce enough neurotransmitters to feel good. Malabsorption can occur due to a variety of factors such as celiac’s disease, an inflamed intestinal tract or overgrowth of bacteria, fungus or parasites. This is area where a nutritionist can play a crucial role in finding out causes of low nutrient absorption and helping to correct those imbalances so you can start producing healthy levels of neurotransmitters. We can also find clues in your lab work to suggest if you need to see a gastroenterologist for further testing. Current mainstream agricultural practices strip the soil of nutrients and beneficial microorganisms, as well as discourage the diversity of plants in our food supply. Diversity of plants make our immune system stronger and help us have a healthy expression of our DNA. As a result, we now have an abundance of food that is lower in the specific nutrients and plant diversity that is required to keep us robust and healthy. We also are bombarded with foods that are loaded with chemicals such as flavorings, colorings, preservatives and hormones that affect behavior. Chemicals used in big agriculture are neurotoxic and can damage our brains and nervous systems, they deplete the soil of nutrients and beneficial micro-organisms, disrupt our healthy bacteria, cause excessive estrogen levels in males and females, and are linked with diabetes and liver damage. Our grandparents and great grand-parents grew up with a healthy, non-toxic food supply and it is my belief that we deserve the same right. An abundance of toxic, processed foods has set our society up for serious mental and physical health challenges. When our food no longer contains nutrients required for making neurotransmitters, we will quickly experience mood, thought and behavioral dysregulation. To protect your mental and physical health, buy your food from small local organic farmers that are going back to basics by enriching the soil with nutrients and beneficial bacteria, and saying NO to using harmful chemicals that weaken the plants and poison our bodies. These farmers are focusing on growing food that can once again nourish our bodies as nature intended. I personally feel safer using small farmers from a standpoint of food-borne illness. It seems that big agriculture operations lose control over quality and have far more recalls on their products. Hormone imbalances are another HUGE factor that affect our brain chemistry. When I talk about hormones I am talking about thyroid, adrenal (DHEA and cortisol), insulin, melatonin, vitamin D, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. These imbalances are often unrecognized by mainstream medicine. Most people don’t realize that hormones can be affected by our food choices, environmental contaminants such as plastic food packaging, lifestyle choice such as lack of exercise, in addition to ages and stages of life. Hormone imbalances affect mood and brain chemistry. I often see women struggling with depression, anxiety and addiction as they are headed into menopause. Or they may experience post-partum depression and anxiety, as well as premenstrual syndrome PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). These are due to hormonal changes and imbalances, and they may have genetic nutritional needs that are not being met, which would result in not being able to produce enough serotonin or dopamine. Middle aged men with depression, irritability and hopelessness may be experiencing declining DHEA and testosterone levels combined with high or low cortisol levels from stress, high insulin levels, and can feel like the wind has been knocked out of their sails. I also see many young men with depression and anxiety that also have low testosterone levels. Testosterone levels can be affected by poor diet, environmental contaminants, lack of exercise, lack of sunshine, possibly marijuana and alcohol use, and eating foods packaged in plastic and BPA. Vitamin D and cholesterol are important for producing hormones, so if these are low they need to be addressed as well. Kids going through puberty often struggle with depression and anxiety as well. Psycho-social stress is also at an all-time high for this age group. Imbalances in hormones can cause anxiety, fatigue, depression, low energy, insomnia, and achiness. Circadian rhythm disruptions can cause a whole host of issues for mental and physical health. Oral contraceptives can cause a variety of nutrient deficiencies that affect mental health. The good news is that positive changes with diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors can have a terrific effect on balancing hormone levels. To help people with mood concerns, I start with blood work through their doctor combined with a mood questionnaire that can help pinpoint neurotransmitter issues. Based on these results, I custom tailor specific nutrients and foods to start using right away. At the first visit I give people a few samples to try based on their most pressing symptoms and taking into account any medications they are taking. Through lab work, nutrient levels, hormonal levels, clues that point to a deficiency of specific nutrients, an unhealthy balance of bacteria in the gut, malabsorption, inflammation, genetic variations that may affect nutritional status. Functional medicine nutritionists look at lab work differently than physicians. We use reference ranges that are narrower in scope for the purpose of optimizing health, and we look for patterns in lab work that point to specific nutrient needs. Medical reference ranges are very large and are looking for a diagnosis of disease. Often, I find a nutrient that is just barely above the level of an overt deficiency, but it didn’t get flagged as low, so it was missed by the physician. If someone wants to get more specific, we also have the option to test neurotransmitter metabolites in urine to get a better reflection of what is low. We can do nutritional genomics testing (a cheek swab) to see exactly which variants the person has inherited that we need to more closely target with lifestyle changes, specific foods, and supplemental nutrients. Sometimes the nutrition genomic testing is the magic bullet in figuring out puzzling mental and physical health challenges. I find that when nutritional status is optimal people start sleeping and have far more motivation and energy to get out and do things; they feel like socializing, cooking, exercising; and they become very efficient in life as they can concentrate and focus far better at work and school. They also have a much easier time conquering their old self-medicating habits such as binge/compulsive overeating, excessive caffeine, alcohol, marijuana, etc. In fact, I often don’t even suggest they give these habits up as they seem to naturally do it themselves. Overall, mental health challenges seem very responsive to targeted, common sense nutritional interventions combined with psychotherapy. If someone is on medications through a psychiatrist, we can custom tailor the plan to be safe with these medications. Adding nutrients to a medication regime is often a very beneficial one-two punch that can help people can start to feel much better quickly. Nutritional products also act quickly, sometimes in 30 minutes to an hour, unlike medications that can take weeks or months to kick in. Subclinical nutrient deficiencies usually first show up with mood and behavior changes. Most of our neurotransmitters are produced in the gut so we need to address gut health in order to produce a healthy level of neurotransmitters. Exercise is a huge factor in balancing your brain/body chemistry and hormones. Learning techniques such as meditation to balance your stress level can change neurological pathways and chemicals in the body. The right dietary supplements can be very helpful in balancing brain chemistry. If your intestines are chronically miserable, it is time to stop suffering and get some help. Please note: This article discusses an uncomfortable topic, but if you suffer from this condition you need to know that help is available. This article is geared toward adults and does not address children with chronic constipation. If you have a child with this issue you need to see a pediatrician and pediatric nutritionist. This article is not a replacement for medical care. See your physician if you have frequent constipation. Chronic constipation can be so distressing, embarrassing, and debilitating for some people that they may begin to socially isolate themselves, and feel unable to live a full life. If you have this condition, then you know that traditional remedies such as using a fiber supplement, taking a laxative, drinking more water and exercising don’t necessarily work. The number of people going to the emergency room for constipation increased by 42% between 2006 and 2011. Infants and the elderly (over age 65) are more likely to end up in the emergency room. There can be a multitude of causes for this condition, and to successfully tackle this you may need to assemble a team of health care professionals. Please read on to understand some of the possible causes of chronic constipation and how you can get help. If you suffer from chronic constipation feel free to BOOK A 15 MINUTE CHAT RIGHT HERE to find out about nutrition services. According to the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, bowel movements should occur AT LEAST every third day, if not more. If a bowel movement requires great effort to expel, or does not satisfactorily empty, a person would be considered to have constipation even if they are having “normal frequency” of bowel movements. But if a bowel movement occurs every third day, is normal and formed, and does not require great effort to expel and the feeling of complete emptying occurs this is considered normal. Holistic practitioners advocate for a daily bowel movement for overall health and detoxification purposes, but if this can’t happen without overuse of laxatives then expectations need to be changed. I my practice, I see chronic constipation occurring with other issues such as anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, headaches, insomnia, bladder pain, dry eyes and sometimes even all over achiness. Food allergies, gas, bloating, reflux, and nausea may also be part of the picture. These other symptoms can provide clues as to what is causing the chronic constipation. A Diet Low in Fiber and Fluids. Most people with chronic constipation are told to eat more fiber and drink more fluids. This is a good commonsense strategy to try first as sometimes it works. The type of fiber you choose is important. Eating fiber keeps the muscles in gastrointestinal tract strong, just like lifting weights keeps our skeletal muscles strong. Fiber may help strengthen the wave of peristalsis that moves food through our gastrointestinal tract. Fiber also helps to prevent hemorrhoids. High fiber foods include unprocessed foods such as beans and lentils, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and wholegrains. In other words: unprocessed food from plants. Not all of these foods may be appropriate for people with chronic constipation. A Diet Too High in Fiber. Sometimes people are recommended to use a fiber supplement or to start eating lots of high fiber grains such as oatmeal and quinoa for chronic constipation. This can make matters worse. Too much fiber, or suddenly greatly increasing the amount of fiber you are consuming, can cause constipation. This sounds counter-intuitive to most people. However, a study was done in 2012 on individuals with chronic constipation. The researchers observed that typically people with chronic constipation are self-treating with too much fiber. This bulks the stool, making it harder to pass, slows down gut transit time and therefore, causes trapped gas and worsens the symptoms of gas, bloating, constipation. If the person has an overgrowth of bacteria or yeast in the small intestine, the fiber may serve as a food source for these organisms thus worsening their GI symptoms. In the study they put people with chronic constipation on a no fiber diet for two weeks, followed by a low fiber diet, or what felt an acceptable level of fiber. Those on the low fiber diet had complete resolution of symptoms, those who resumed a high fiber diet had a return of all symptoms. If you are given a fiber supplement by your doctor, start very slow, such as ¼ teaspoon in water, instead of a whole serving which could be 2 tablespoons. Don’t increase the amount by over ½ teaspoon per week. The Wrong Type of Fiber--- Fiber that is high in FODMAPs. FODMAP foods are high in fermentable carbohydrates called Fructans, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols or, “FODMAP” foods for short. The carbohydrate in these foods ferment in the GI tract and can make gas, bloating and constipation worse. Examples of these foods include apples, pears, cauliflower, pistachios, beans, lentils, whole wheat, wheat bran…. In other words, foods that we often think of consuming for constipation. There are tons of high fiber foods that are low in FODMAPS and may really be helpful for constipation without causing gas, bloating and intestinal pain. These foods are in a table at the end of this article. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Irritable bowel syndrome is considered a functional motility disorder where the motility of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can be uncoordinated. There is IBS-C (constipation) or IBS-D (diarrhea). IBS may involve low grade inflammation, poor muscle coordination of the GI tract, food sensitivities, and bi-directional communication between the gut and brain. IBS is associated with abdominal pain, irregular bowel movements and typically the pain is relieved by having a bowel movement. Many people with chronic constipation have IBS. Your physician can diagnosis IBS. Food Allergies/Intolerances/Sensitivities. Gluten intolerance (Celiac’s disease), corn, oats and diary or other individual food sensitivities may be correlated with constipation. Certain medications. Always speak with your doctor and pharmacist about any medications you are taking that may be causing constipation. Examples include opoids, anti-cholinergic medications, antispasmodic medications, some psychotropic medications such as tricyclic anti-depressants, calcium channel blockers, NSAIDs like ibuprofen and aleve, and antihistamines like Claritin or Zyrtec. Certain iron supplements may also cause constipation. Low Serotonin Production. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that many people associate with a happy, calm mood. We make about 70% of our serotonin in our GI tract. Serotonin helps with peristalsis or the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract (motility). Certain supplements can help to boost the production of serotonin which may be helpful for some people to improve peristalsis and thus constipation. Low acetylcholine production. Some people may genetically underproduce acetylcholine, or may be taking a medication that blocks acetylcholine production. Some symptoms of low acetylcholine production may include slow gut transit time, difficulty emptying the bladder, difficulty with memory and learning, lack of deep REM sleep, facial flushing, dry eyes, and mood instability. If you can check the box on these symptoms, lack of acetylcholine may be an issue for you. Certain supplements can help boost the production of acetylcholine. Lack of acetylcholine production may also have to do with vagus nerve dysfunction. Vagus Nerve Dysfunction. The connection with the vagus nerve and constipation is still being researched. The vagus nerve is a cranial nerve that starts in the brainstem and runs through the chest all the way to the colon. It serves as a communication highway between the gut and the brain. The vagus nerve is an important part of our autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for things our bodies do automatically such as breathe and digest food. The vagus nerve releases acetylcholine when it is stimulated. When the vagus nerve is not stimulated enough you may experience brain fog, slow gastric emptying and constipation, anxiety, panic attacks, tinnitus, depression. To stimulate the vagus nerve you can try deep belly breathing, splashing cold water on your face, massaging your feet or gargling forcefully several times per day. Acupuncture and cranial sacral therapy may also stimulate the vagus nerve. Meditation is another option to explore on a daily basis. Hyperparathyroidism. Hyperparathyroidism can be another cause of chronic constipation. This condition is diagnosed by a physician. The parathyroid gland is situated behind the thyroid gland in the neck. When your parathyroid is over active (hyperparathyroidism) it can cause constipation as well as bone loss and calcification of soft tissues. You can have primary hyperparathyroidism (often due to a benign tumor) or secondary hyperparathryoidism due to malabsorption of calcium and Vitamin D (common in malabsorption disease, gastric bypass surgery, and celiac’s disease). You can ask your doctor to run a blood test to measure parathyroid hormone (PTH) level. Hypothyroidism or a sluggish thyroid. Whether or not you receive a true diagnosis of hypothyroidism, you may have a sluggish thyroid contributing to chronic constipation. As nutritionists, we work to improve the function of the thyroid by making sure you have enough of the nutrients that support thyroid function. Removing foods that contribute to hypothyroidism and inflammation is part of the answer as well. When we help people with thyroid issues, we work on gut healing which also improves constipation. Asking your doctor to run a thorough thyroid panel can be helpful in determining if this is contributing to constipation. Your physician can diagnose hypothyroidism. Not drinking enough water can result in a hard stool that is difficult to pass. Suppressing the urge “to go.” Peristalsis is the wave of muscle contraction that sweeps through our intestinal tract and allows us to have a bowel movement. Typically it happens in the morning, after a meal or a hot beverage. Some people are in a hurry and don’t wake up in time to eat and relax; and therefore don’t allow that “wave” to happen in the morning. And then when the “wave” does happen later, they can’t get away to use the restroom so it is suppressed. Chronic stress and not enough time to relax. If the “urge to to” is suppressed on a regular basis it can result in lack of movement in the GI tract and things get backed up. School aged kids often don’t want to “go” at school, and then this can be compounded by after school activities where they don’t get to come home and “relax” to have a bowel movement. Adhesions or scarring after abdominal surgery .Think of C sections, hysterectomies, tummy tucks, hernia repair and other abdominal surgeries. Adhesions or scar tissue as a result of surgery can build up over time and block the intestine. Pelvic floor physical therapy specialists can help with adhesions and other mechanical reasons for chronic constipation. Anesthesia used during any surgery, even if it is not abdominal surgery, can slow the GI tract and result in small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) which can in turn result in chronic constipation. Gastro-intestinal tract function after surgery should be managed to prevent constipation. If you have a surgery coming up, make sure you speak to your surgeon in advance to prevent constipation after surgery. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or small intestinal fungal overgrowth (SIFO) is a condition where bacteria or yeast is overgrowing in the small intestine. This condition can slow the “migrating motor complex” that stimulates peristalsis in the small intestinal tract, thus slowing down transit time of the whole intestine. In order to correct SIBO, the underlying functional motility issue must be addressed. There are supplements that can act as “pro-kinetics” and help restore functional motility of the gut. Sometimes SIBO can take a few years to get under control so patience, persistence, and a positive attitude (easier said than done), are helpful here. This condition is diagnosed by a physician. Dysbiosis. Dysbiosis in the GI tract (imbalance, overgrowth, or low amount of normally occurring friendly bacteria) can occur from antibiotics, artificial sweetners, lack of fiber from plant foods, and just too much sugar and junk food. Nutritionists help you rebalance the gut bacteria with healthy diet, probiotics and certain herbs. Intestinal Inflammation. Intestinal inflammation can be caused by a variety of reasons such as bacterial or yeast overgrowth, too little beneficial bacteria, celiac’s disease, NSAID (ibuprofen) or aspirin use, crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Intestinal inflammation may be a culprit in chronic constipation. Inflammation can be seen by gastroenterologists through certain diagnostic tests. Lack of moisture in the intestinal tract. The person may constitutionally have dry mucous membranes all over, such as eyes, mouth, GI tract or sinuses. For these folks, not only water, but also essential fats can help with dryness all over the body. Flax seed oil, olive oil, fish oil, avocado and sources of gamma linoleic acid (GLA) oil such as evening primrose oil or black current seed oil are examples essential fats. Pelvic floor dysfunction.The causes of pelvic floor dysfunction are many. When these muscles spasm or function with poor coordination, it can certainly lead to colon and bladder irregularities as well as back pain. Physical therapists that specialize in the pelvic floor muscles can help you correct the underlying dysfunction. Neurogenic bowel. (lack of nervous system control). This can occur from diabetes, multiple sclerosis, spinal injury, etc. This is a serious situation and can require many interventions to manage. This is diagnosed by a physician. Anatomical Reasons:. Enterocele, sigmoidocele, rectocele, and rectal prolapse. These conditions are diagnosed by a physician. Colonic stricture or narrowing. This can occur from inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, radiation, etc. This is diagnosed by a physician. I suggest starting with your physician and a nutritionist. All of these scenarios should be discussed with your physician so you can start investigating the cause and start finding a solution. I recommend putting together a team of professionals that can include a gastroenterologist, a functional medicine dietitian/nutritionist, homeopath, physical therapist and even an acupuncturist. Most people have multiple issues going on and that is why their condition is so serious. For instance, abdominal surgery, pelvic floor dysfunction, sluggish thyroid, SIBO, food sensitivities, and insufficient acetylcholine production can all occur together, feeding into one another. The number one way to improve the healthy bacteria in your gut is by eating plants: Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and possibly beans and whole grains. Cut down on white carbohydrate foods (sugar, flour, pasta, tortillas, bread, chips, baked goods). Don’t overdo fat or protein. You can shift the bacterial balance toward a more friendly population in 24 hours. Fermented foods such as kim cheese, sauerkraut, yogurt and kefir may or may not be helpful. These may make gas and bloating worse, or conversely make everything better. Working with a nutritionist to sort this out will be beneficial. To improve the balance of healthy bacteria in your gut, eat lots of plants. There are a number supplements that your functional medicine nutritionist can recommend that augment diet and lifestyle changes to help address slow GI motility, low serotonin, low acetylcholine, inflammation of the GI tract, low mucin production, excessive mast cell production, food allergies, gut healing, and probiotic bacteria and the right type of fiber for your circumstance. Do it yourself supplement programs may not always be a wise idea. It is best if supplements are discussed with an expert in the use of supplements for gastrointestinal dysfunction. Set up a routine with daily exercise, plenty of fluid, stress reduction and a sleep/ wake cycle that allows plenty of time in the morning to have a bowel movement. Work with a nutrition professional to identify foods that may be worsening constipation, foods that may help constipation, and supplements that may help constipation. Seek out sources of fiber that are low in FODMAPS. Have your functional medicine nutritionist or doctor help you with integrative lab work, such as stool cultures, to identify dysbiosis that may be causing inflammation in the intestinal tract. Work with your doctor to identify medications such as antihistamines or NSAIDs; or medical conditions such as hypothyroidism or hyperparathyroidism that may be worsening constipation. Visit with a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor therapy. ·Work with a homeopath. Homeopathic remedies that look at your whole constitution can be very helpful in correcting chronic constipation. You can just eat straight prunes or turn it into a dessert with some hemp or chia seeds sprinkled on top. Process ½ cup of prunes and ½ cup of water, in a food processor. This makes 2 servings. Prunes are high FODMAP but have a laxative effect that can be helpful. I suggest eating this at night so you can “go” in the morning. 1 - 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh fruit that can be helpful with digestion including berries, pineapple, kiwi, papaya. Options to add creaminess: avocado or nut butter. Vegetable Option: ½ cup spinach or kale. *Beware that protein powders and collagen may sit like a lump and make constipation worse. Aloe vera juice is often recommended to be added to smoothies for constipation but it may ferment, irritate, and bloat. Water with slices of lemon, lime, cucumber, strawberries. The better it tastes the more likely you are to drink it. Fruit: Berries, kiwis, pineapple, grapes, melon (not watermelon), citrus fruit. Non Starchy Veggies: Aim for about 2 cups of non-starchy vegetables a day. Choose from broccoli florets, bok choy, kale, arugula, celeriac, carrots, green cabbage, red bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini. A simple trick to get a variety of vegetables is to saute 7-10 different types of veggies and eat those throughout the week. Avoid cauliflower, celery, onion, garlic, shallots, mushrooms, asparagus, snow peas if you have IBS symptoms. Parsnips: Roast or boil and mash parsnips with olive oil and broth with little sprinkle of nutmeg are delicious. You can eat about ½ cup per day. Mash them as you would make mashed potatoes (but use low lactose milk). Winter Squash: Roasted acorn, delicata, kabocha, and spaghetti squash are excellent sources of fiber and can replace pasta, rice and other low fiber grains. (Butternut squash and sweet potatoes are high in FODMAPS and may be irritating). Gluten Free Grains: Quinoa, oats, millet, teff, brown rice are three examples of high fiber grain replacements (quinoa is a seed). These can work wonders for people with constipation or conversely, can cause inflammation and intestinal distress. Try small portions of these and see how you do. Lentils and Beans: If tolerated, lentils and beans can be helpful with constipation. Beans contain fermentable carbohydrates as well as a protein called lectin that might irritate the GI tract lining, so they really may cause distress in certain people. Beans are often NOT well tolerated with IBS. If you are eating beans it may be best to choose canned beans that have been cooked in a pressure cooker to destroy lectins, or soak them overnight and cook them in a pressure cooker yourself. Nuts: Keep nuts to about ¼-1/3 cup per day or about 2 -4 Tablespoons of nut butter. Some good choices include macademia nuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. Chia seeds and flax seeds are used in much smaller amounts, start at ¼ teaspoon and slowly increase to 1-2 Tablespoons if tolerated. Be careful with pistachios, cashews as these are high in FODMAPS and can worsen intestinal distress in people with a FODMAP intolerance. Too many nuts in general can worsen IBS. Make Healthier Baked Goods: You can add pureed prunes (baby food prunes), psyllium and ground flax seed, chia seeds in baked goods to help with constipation. Fiber Supplements: Psyllium, ground flax seed and chia seed are Low FODMAP sources of fiber that are NOT prone to fermentation by bacteria in the small intestine and may be tolerated easier by people. You must start with a very low dose such as 1/8-1/4 teaspoon in water and very, very slowly build up. Don’t increase the amount of these fibers by more than ½-1 teaspoon per week. Some people cannot tolerate very much of these at all. It may take up to 4 weeks for these to consistently help with constipation. You may hit a threshold where you are taking too much fiber and it will cause constipation and slow transit time. Some people cannot tolerate over a ½ teaspoon/day of any of these. I typically start people on straight psyllium powder rather than flax or chia seed. Do not give these to small children, instead, work with your pediatrician and a pediatric nutritionist for simple solutions. Children can respond quickly to very simple interventions. Chronic constipation can be a lifelong health condition that has to be managed. Learning effective strategies to manage this condition may greatly improve your quality of life. Chronic use of laxatives is NOT a safe option, so if you are using laxatives regularly it is time to seek professional help. Car trips are a great way to bond with your loved ones and create lasting memories. However, they can be challenging if you have dietary restrictions. You can spare a lot of frustration and greatly increase your happiness factor by being prepared! Spring is here and it is the beginning of car trip season!! Car trips are a great way to see the sights, bond with your loved ones, and create lasting memories. For people who value eating healthy, or have dietary restrictions, car trips can be challenging as you pass through long stretches of greasy diners and convenience stores. You can spare a lot of frustration and greatly increase your happiness factor by being prepared. Both kids and adults will enjoy these food suggestions. GF trail mix (make your own with GF nuts/seeds, GF dried fruit, GF chocolate chips, GF pretzels or cereal). For long hikes or bikes: Healthier sports drink powders (like Skratch) that can be dumped in water bottles. Wax food storage bags (or ziplock bags) for food storage and sandwiches, etc. Small travel bottle of dish soap, sponge and dish towel to wash containers and water bottles in hotels or campsites. Flaxseed is a nutritional power house for both women and men and has some special properties that set it apart from other nuts and seeds. Flaxseed can help to manage hormone related health conditions in women AND men as well as lower the risk of heart disease. Flaxseed oil can help heal irritated skin and the lining of the GI tract. § Is an excellent source of mucilage, a “gum” type of fiber that can provide special nourishing support to the gastrointestinal tract. § Is helpful with hormone balance and decreased risk of hormone sensitive cancers for women and men. § May help to lower the risk of heart disease. § Flax seed extracts decreased urinary symptoms and the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH-also known as prostate gland enlargement). § Decreased the uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells with prostate and breast cancer. § Significantly lowered cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. § Is particularly high in an omega-3 fatty acid called alpha linoleic acid that has anti-inflammatory properties and is especially beneficial for skin conditions, intestinal irritation, and the inner lining of blood vessels. § Contains the highest source of dietary lignans of any food, a type of fiber that is rich in antioxidants and may provide protection against hormone related cancers. Flaxseed consumption in males may help to normalize excessive conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by downregulating an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase (whfoods.org). High DHT in comparison to testosterone is hypothesized to be associated with male pattern baldness (English, R.S., Jr., 2018), acne, and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). However, some DHT is necessary for good health. It might be expected that downregulating the 5-alpha reductase enzyme with a food such as flaxseed (a low potency source), as opposed to using powerful medications that block this enzyme altogether (such as the medications used to combat hair loss and BPH), would be far gentler on the body, and therefore, have far fewer negative side effects. More studies are needed to confirm this and flax seed itself has not been studied for hair loss and acne yet. Flaxseed lignans are associated with decreased prostate tumor cell proliferation (uncontrolled cell growth) (Azrad et al., 2013). Both breast and prostate cancer patients had decreased tumor cell proliferation when the patients were fed flax seed for one month prior to surgery to remove the tumor compared to patients who didn’t receive flax seed (Azrad et al., 2013). In women, flaxseed consumption has been shown to reduce breast cancer risk by 33-70%, reduce all cause mortality by 40-53%, reduce breast cancer tumor growth, does not interfere with tamoxifen effectiveness, and is safe to consume with breast cancer (Mason & Thompson, 2014). In rats with experimentally induced BPH, the consumption of a lignan extract of flax was associated with a significantly decreased weight of the prostate gland, thus concluding that flax seed might be a viable option for lowering the risk of developing BPH (Bisson, Hidalgo, Simons, & Verbruggen, 2014). In another study on subjects with BPH, the effects of using a flaxseed lignan extract on alleviating urinary tract symptoms, was shown to improve the urinary symptoms of BPH and improve quality of life similar to that of commonly used medication interventions. (Zhang et al., 2008). Ground flaxseed consumption at two tablespoons a day along with a low fat diet for six months, resulted in significantly decreased circulating prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels in men scheduled to undergo repeat prostate biopsies. (Demark-Wahnefried et al., 2004). Do you feel you need help with nutritional intervention for hormone balance? I offer a free 15 minute phone consult to discuss how I can help you with this. In terms of heart disease risk, flax seed consumption (2 tablespoons/day) has been shown to decrease plasma total and LDL cholesterol level, even beyond that of cholesterol lowering medications in those with documented cardiovascular disease (Edel et al., 2015). Ground flax seed (2 tablespoons/day) may be one of the most potent blood pressure lowering foods in those with cardiovascular disease markers (Rodriguez-Leyva et al., 2013). Two tablespoons a day of ground flax seed was shown to lower systolic blood pressure (the top number) 10-15 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) around 7 mm Hg. (Rodriguez-Leyva et al., 2013). Flax seed is considered to be a very beneficial addition to the diet in those with peripheral arterial disease for controlling all of the above risk factors, and does not appear to interfere with blood thinning medications. Lastly, ground flaxseed has been shown to lower blood sugar, most likely due to it’s fiber content. It’s not just the fiber and lignans in flaxseed that are healthy, the oil can be helpful to the GI tract and skin as well. One property of flaxseed oil is that is soothing to the GI tract and it was found to heal intestinal ulcers in rats about as well as the medication zantac (Dugani, Auzzi, Naas, & Megwez, 2008). In fact, for those with inflammation in the intestinal tract, flax seed oil may have a healing benefit and be easier to tolerate than ground or whole flax seeds. Flax seed oil is also helpful in decreasing skin irritation and sensitivity. (Neukam et al., 2011). If you are using the oil, buy it in small containers as it can go rancid quickly, and do not cook with it or you will ruin the beneficial properties of the oil. Not sure how to use flaxseed in your diet? First of all, it needs to be ground to make all the beneficial properties are available to absorb. Also, if you are gluten free make sure you buy flaxseed that is labeled as such. Bob’s Red Mill is one company that makes gluten free flaxseed. Keep it in the freezer so it doesn’t go rancid and if you prefer to grind it in advance then keep it in a dark storage container that blocks the light because light can encourage rancidity or “spoiling” of the beneficial fatty acids. The beneficial properties of flaxseed remain intact with cooking (compared to using the oil). To make your bake goods healthier and give them a lower glycemic index, start adding ground flaxseed to pancakes, waffles, muffins, or bread. You can also blend it into smoothies, stir it into oatmeal or yogurt or put it on top of a whole grain cereal. The website World’s Healthiest Foods (whfoods.com) has more information about how to use flaxseed. This is one of my favorite websites about the health properties of foods so please check it out. Flax can pack a punch with fiber and has a mild laxative effect so it is great for those with bowel elimination concerns. You need to work up slowly with flaxseed. Start with 1-2 teaspoons a day and then work up to about two tablespoons per day. Beware of too much flaxseed in young children. While an excellent source of fiber it may be irritating to the gastrointestinal tract and dull their appetite, or cause upset stomach and diarrhea. Incorporating ground flaxseed in baked goods is likely enough for children without going overboard and adding it to smoothies, etc. Likewise for adults with inflammation in the intestinal tract, flaxseeds might be irritating, so start with a small amount (around 1 teaspoon) and slowly work up, knowing that you might not be able to tolerate two tablespoons. Ground flaxseed has hormone balancing effects, cancer protective effects, and cardiovascular protective effects for both men and women. Flaxseed oil can help with skin and gastrointestinal irritation. Try to incorporate flaxseed on a regular basis in baked goods, smoothies and cereal. Be careful not to over consume flaxseed, especially in children. Overdoing any seeds and nuts can be irritating to people with certain bowel conditions so use common sense when consuming any nuts and seeds, including flaxseed. Please see the recipes on my website for morning glory muffins and homemade gluten free bread (coming soon). Today’s blog is about iron overload. This topic is especially relevant after a news report on the Iowa Women’s Health Study, which showed that multivitamins increased the risk of death. The Study revealed that it was likely the amount of copper and iron that increased the risk of death. Iron was found to be especially toxic in a dose dependent manner. In other words, the more iron that was supplemented, the higher the risk of death. The average age of women in this study was 60 years. These women were post-menopausal and should not have been taking iron. Heavy metal toxicity has long been recognized for mercury, lead and arsenic, but iron toxicity was thought to only occur in those with a genetic condition called hemochromatosis. New research is suggesting that iron overload is actually very common in the average person. High iron levels accelerate degeneration of the body. Excessive iron has been linked to diabetes, liver and colon cancer, neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, heart attack, kidney damage and joint damage. Free, unbound iron causes “rusting” or oxidation of the tissues. High iron levels also feed bacteria which can result in frequent or more severe infections. Researchers at UCLA found that in healthy older adults, those with the highest accumulations of iron in the brain had the poorest performance on memory and information processing. The body’s defense against high iron is to trap it in cages called “ferritin”. We see ferritin levels rise as iron is accumulating in the body’s tissues. In states of chronic inflammation and infection, we also see the ferritin levels rise as a protective mechanism. Ferritin levels are not routinely measured, but in light of new research on iron accumulation, you should start requesting this test routinely from your doctor. Women have been thought to be protected from a lifetime of excessive iron build up since menstruation helps to decrease iron levels. But researchers have found that women who have undergone hysterectomies had higher iron levels in the brain than women who went through menopause naturally. The levels of iron build up in the brain in women with hysterectomies matched the levels found in men. The newer generation of birth control pills that only allow four menstrual periods per year may pose a risk for iron build up in young women starting at a younger age. Have an iron assessment by a clinical nutritionist or registered dietitian trained in functional medicine. We use tighter reference ranges than doctors. For instance, we like ferritin levels to be around 100 ng/mL. Current medical reference ranges consider ferritin levels as high as 400 ng/mL to be normal. Do not cook in cast iron if you have high iron levels. However, cast iron is great for low iron levels. For men, post-menopausal women or women who only have several periods a year, make sure your multivitamin does not contain iron (unless you are anemic). Alternate different forms of protein. Eat less red meat and more fish, poultry, and vegetarian sources of protein. Limit alcohol as it increases the absorption of iron. Red wine is a good source of iron. In fact, it is the largest source of iron in the Italian diet. Steak dinners with red wine should be saved for special occasions. Drink green tea after meals—it decreases the absorption of iron by 70%. Talk to your doctor about giving blood regularly if your iron levels run on the high normal side. This not only helps people in need but will keep you healthier over the long run. If your iron stores are on the high normal side, there are numerous foods and supplements that clinical nutritionists can use to help you naturally “chelate” iron out of the body. There are also changes in diet that can be made to ensure that iron stays in the“bound” form instead of “free” form, helping to prevent oxidative damage or “rusting” of the body.

2019-04-24T22:02:19Z

http://www.nutritionbymargo.com/blog-five/

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Bring in brand-new site visitors to the web site is the first as well as one of the most essential tasks that a sales channel does. This is the mouth of the funnel. The cheap Clickfunnels price dollars larger the variety of site visitors drew in to the internet site, the a lot more active consumers there will go to the end. This is done by attractive layouts and themes of internet sites, straightforward user interfaces and very easy social networks showcases that assistance amazed site visitors to get the word out. The conversion procedure is when a mere visitor ends up being a possible client, which is a lead. This stage is narrower and also in the following step of the channel and also should be well kept because they are likely to earn a purchase in the next few phases as long as you maintain them pleased. Closing is the final phase of a channel where a lead comes to be a client. They proactively make the order as well as buy your item, enroll in your newsletter or generally do just what you planned them to do by creating the channel. Next degree is customer retention or keeping them delighted with your item or the purchase, so they become return customers. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars It is a popular– and instead scary– statistic that everybody in the organisation globe has actually listened to that “90% of the startups fail”. If you take a look at these failed businesses which as soon as began with much vitality and also excitement, they seldom fail because the principle or the idea of business itself was negative. cheap Clickfunnels price dollarsThere are several organisations with terrific potential that fall short because of the lack of knowledge the founders have regarding marketing or in fact making a sale. It does not matter just how wonderful your product or the service is if you do unknown exactly how to turn your leads right into conversions. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars It is comparable to a vehicle sale without a salesman. There will certainly be numerous visitors who involve see the cars and trucks, yet without that included press, there will be no sales. An internet site without a sales channel coincides, which is why you should buy Click Funnels to get one of the most number of sales feasible. Click Funnels supply you with a pre-designed and well-curated sales channel which will certainly take your visitors via a convincing trip that will certainly make them acquire your item at the end. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars Click Funnels have actually created a variety of sales funnels that could lead you to accomplish your purposes by taking your site visitors through a well believed out sales funnels. A sales funnel positively impacts the mind of your site visitors to earn the choice to go onward with your purpose. This is extra or less offering that little push a salesperson would give up a physical shop to finally compose the state of mind to go ahead with a purchase. A web site resembles a virtual store, as well as the objective of placing a huge financial investment right into creating a web site is to eventually assist raise the revenue of your service. A lot of people, particularly the start-ups as well as the business owners who are brand-new to the online business world emphasis way too much on the looks of the layout to think about whether it is reliable sufficient to actually make a sale. You could spend a great deal of money to employ the finest internet developers and developers, and they could also deliver a wonderful looking website to you, but if you need to think of the sales process within the web site, your financial investment will just cost you money without a return. This is why you have to acquire Click Funnels. A website created via that service is laser-focused to supply great advertising and marketing and also sales results from the starting to the end. Adhering to are the four important points that a well selected and also placed sales funnels do. Drawing in brand-new visitors to the site is the very first and one of the most vital jobs that a sales channel does. This is the mouth of the channel. This phase is narrower as well as in the next step of the channel and also must be well maintained given that they are likely to make an acquisition in the next few stages as long as you keep them pleased. Closing is the last of a funnel where a lead comes to be a consumer. They proactively make the order and acquire your product, enroll in your e-newsletter or basically do just what you meant them to do by developing the channel. Following level is customer retention or maintaining them delighted with your item or the purchase, so they end up being return clients. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars It is an incredibly popular– as well as instead scary– figure that everybody in the business world has actually heard that “90% of the start-ups fail”. If you look at these fallen short businesses which once began with much vitality as well as enthusiasm, they seldom stop working due to the fact that the idea or the idea of business itself was negative. cheap Clickfunnels price dollarsThere are numerous companies with wonderful potential that fail as a result of the absence of knowledge the founders have regarding advertising or in fact making a sale. It does not matter how excellent your product or the solution is if you do unknown ways to transform your leads right into conversions. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars It is comparable to an automobile sale without a sales representative. There will certainly be many visitors who come to see the vehicles, yet without that added push, there will certainly be no sales. An internet site without a sales channel coincides, which is why you should buy Click Funnels to get one of the most variety of sales feasible. Click Funnels supply you with a pre-designed as well as well-curated sales channel which will take your site visitors with a persuading journey that will make them acquire your item at the end. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars Click Funnels have actually developed a range of sales funnels that could lead you to accomplish your goals by taking your site visitors with a well assumed out sales funnels. A sales funnel positively influences the idea process of your site visitors making the choice to go ahead with your goal. This is essentially considering that little press a sales representative would certainly give up a physical shop to finally comprise the way of thinking to go on with a purchase. An internet site is comparable to a digital store, and the objective of placing a large financial investment right into developing a site is to eventually aid raise the income of your organisation. The majority of people, particularly the startups and also the entrepreneurs who are brand-new to the online business world emphasis also a lot on the appearances of the style to think about whether it is reliable enough to in fact make a sale. You might spend a whole lot of cash to employ the finest internet developers and also programmers, and also they may also provide a wonderful looking site to you, but if you need to assume regarding the sales procedure within the site, your financial investment will just cost you money without a return. This is why you have to acquire Click Funnels. A web site produced through that service is laser-focused to deliver wonderful marketing and sales impacts from the beginning throughout. Complying with are the four primary things that a well chose and also placed sales funnels do. Drawing in new visitors to the site is the initial and among one of the most essential jobs that a sales funnel does. This is the mouth of the funnel. The cheap Clickfunnels price dollars bigger the number of visitors drew in to the site, the more energetic clients there will be at completion. This is done by appealing designs as well as templates of sites, easy to use user interfaces as well as simple social media sites showcases that assistance satisfied site visitors to get the word out. The conversion procedure is when a simple site visitor ends up being a prospective customer, which is a lead. This phase is narrower and also in the following step of the funnel as well as need to be well preserved given that they are likely to make an acquisition in the next couple of stages as long as you maintain them amazed. Closing is the last of a funnel where a lead becomes a consumer. They actively make the order and also purchase your product, register for your newsletter or generally do exactly what you intended them to do by developing the channel. Next degree is customer retention or keeping them delighted with your product or the acquisition, so they end up being return customers. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars It is an extremely preferred– and rather terrifying– fact that everybody in business globe has actually listened to that “90% of the start-ups stop working”. If you take a look at these failed companies which as soon as started with much vigor and enthusiasm, they seldom fail due to the fact that the principle or the concept of the business itself was poor. cheap Clickfunnels price dollarsThere are several organisations with great possible that fall short due to the absence of knowledge the founders have concerning advertising and marketing or in fact making a sale. It does not matter just how wonderful your item or the solution is if you do not know how you can turn your leads into conversions. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars It is similar to a cars and truck sale without a salesperson. There will be many visitors that concern see the automobiles, yet without that added push, there will be no sales. A website without a sales channel is the same, which is why you have to buy Click Funnels so as to get one of the most number of sales possible. Click Funnels provide you with a pre-designed and also well-curated sales funnel which will certainly take your site visitors with a persuading trip that will make them buy your product at the end. This final purpose can be different depending upon the product that you market or the service that you supply. However, Click Funnels have actually created a variety of sales funnels that can lead you to attain your goals by taking your site visitors through a well considered sales funnels. Following are some of the purposes which could be met by a sales funnels. A sales channel favorably affects the thought procedure of your visitors to make the choice to go forward with your purpose. This is basically offering that little press a sales representative would certainly provide in a physical shop to ultimately make up the mindset to go on with an acquisition. A site resembles a digital shop, and also the objective of putting a big financial investment into developing an internet site is to eventually aid raise the profits of your organisation. Many people, especially the start-ups as well as the entrepreneurs who are brand-new to the online business globe emphasis excessive on the appearances of the style to think about whether it is reliable sufficient to really make a sale. This is why you require to acquire Click Funnels. Complying with are the four main points that a well picked and put sales funnels do. Attracting brand-new visitors to the internet site is the first and one of the most essential jobs that a sales channel does. This is the mouth of the channel. This stage is narrower and in the following action of the channel and also ought to be well kept since they are most likely to make a purchase in the next few stages as long as you maintain them pleased. Closing is the final stage of a channel where a lead comes to be a client. They proactively make the order and also buy your product, enroll in your e-newsletter or generally do exactly what you meant them to do by producing the funnel. Following level is consumer retention or keeping them thrilled with your item or the acquisition, so they come to be return clients. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars There are many companies with terrific prospective that fall short due to the lack of knowledge the creators have concerning advertising and marketing or really making a sale. There will be numerous visitors who come to see the automobiles, but without that added push, there will certainly be no sales. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars A site without a sales funnel is the very same, which is why you require to acquire Click Funnels in order to obtain the most number of sales possible. Click Funnels provide you with a pre-designed and also well-curated sales funnel which will take your site visitors through a persuading trip that will certainly make them acquire your product at the end. This last goal could be various depending upon the item that you market or the service that you supply. Click Funnels have produced an array of sales funnels that can lead you to attain your goals by taking your visitors through a well assumed out sales funnels. Following are several of the goals which could be met by a sales funnels. A sales funnel positively impacts the idea procedure of your site visitors to make the choice to go ahead with your purpose. This is basically providing that little push a sales representative would certainly offer in a physical store to finally comprise the attitude to proceed with an acquisition. A web site resembles a digital shop, and also the function of putting a large investment right into creating an internet site is to ultimately help boost the profits of your business. Most individuals, specifically the startups and the entrepreneurs that are new to the online company globe emphasis excessive on the looks of the style to think about whether it works sufficient to in fact make a sale. You may invest a lot of cash to work with the ideal web designers and also designers, and also they may also provide a great looking web site to you, however if you need to believe regarding the sales procedure within the internet site, your investment will just cost you money without a return. This is why you require to acquire Click Funnels. A website developed with that solution is laser-focused to supply great advertising and also sales effects from the starting throughout. Adhering to are the 4 main points that a well chose as well as positioned sales funnels do. Attracting new site visitors to the site is the very first as well as one of the most crucial tasks that a sales funnel does. This is the mouth of the funnel. This stage is narrower and in the next action of the funnel and need to be well maintained since they are most likely to make an acquisition in the next few phases as long as you maintain them amazed. Closing is the final stage of a channel where a lead becomes a consumer. They proactively make the order as well as buy your product, enroll in your e-newsletter or essentially do just what you planned them to do by developing the channel. Next level is consumer retention or keeping them thrilled with your item or the purchase, so they end up being return clients. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars There are several companies with terrific prospective that stop working due to the lack of knowledge the founders have about advertising and marketing or really making a sale. There will certainly be numerous visitors who come to see the vehicles, yet without that added push, there will certainly be no sales. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars A website without a sales funnel is the same, which is why you need to buy Click Funnels in order to obtain the most number of sales possible. Click Funnels offer you with a pre-designed and well-curated sales funnel which will take your visitors via a convincing trip that will certainly make them buy your item at the end. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars Click Funnels have actually developed a range of sales funnels that could lead you to attain your objectives by taking your visitors via a well assumed out sales funnels. A sales channel positively affects the thought procedure of your visitors to earn the decision to go forward with your objective. This is basically offering that little press a salesman would certainly provide in a physical store to finally comprise the way of thinking to go on with a purchase. A web site is similar to a virtual store, and the function of putting a huge financial investment into developing a website is to eventually aid increase the profits of your organisation. Most individuals, especially the startups and the entrepreneurs who are new to the online organisation globe emphasis way too much on the looks of the layout to think about whether it works enough to really make a sale. You might invest a great deal of loan to hire the best internet developers and also developers, and also they may also supply a terrific looking web site to you, but if you have to consider the sales process within the internet site, your investment will only cost you cash without a return. This is why you have to get Click Funnels. An internet site created with that service is laser-focused to provide wonderful marketing and sales effects from the beginning to the end. Complying with are the four main points that a well selected as well as positioned sales funnels do. Attracting new site visitors to the site is the very first and one of the most crucial tasks that a sales funnel does. This is the mouth of the channel. This stage is narrower and also in the next action of the funnel and need to be well maintained considering that they are most likely to make a purchase in the next few phases as long as you maintain them impressed. Closing is the final stage of a funnel where a lead ends up being a customer. They proactively make the order and also purchase your item, register for your e-newsletter or basically do what you intended them to do by producing the channel. Next degree is customer retention or keeping them delighted with your product or the acquisition, so they become return customers. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars There are lots of organisations with great possible that stop working due to the lack of expertise the owners have regarding advertising or really making a sale. There will be several site visitors who come to see the autos, yet without that added press, there will be no sales. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars A site without a sales funnel is the same, which is why you need to acquire Click Funnels in order to get the most number of sales feasible. Click Funnels offer you with a pre-designed and also well-curated sales funnel which will certainly take your visitors via a convincing journey that will make them buy your item at the end. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars Click Funnels have produced a range of sales funnels that can lead you to attain your goals by taking your site visitors through a well thought out sales funnels. A sales funnel favorably affects the thought process of your visitors to earn the choice to move forward with your purpose. This is a lot more or much less providing that little press a sales representative would give up a physical store to finally make up the attitude to go in advance with an acquisition. A website resembles a digital shop, and the function of putting a huge investment into designing a site is to ultimately aid increase the revenue of your business. Lots of people, especially the start-ups and also the entrepreneurs that are brand-new to the online company world emphasis also much on the appearances of the layout to think about whether it works enough to actually make a sale. You could spend a great deal of cash to employ the very best web designers and programmers, and they might also deliver an excellent looking web site to you, yet if you have to think of the sales procedure within the website, your financial investment will just cost you cash without a return. This is why you require to buy Click Funnels. A website created with that solution is laser-focused to supply terrific advertising and also sales impacts from the starting throughout. Adhering to are the four primary points that a well picked and positioned sales funnels do. Drawing in brand-new visitors to the web site is the first as well as among the most important tasks that a sales funnel does. This is the mouth of the funnel. The cheap Clickfunnels price dollars larger the variety of site visitors drew in to the internet site, the much more active clients there will certainly go to the end. This is done by attractive designs and also design templates of web sites, straightforward user interfaces and also very easy social media sites showcases that aid pleased site visitors to get the word out. The conversion procedure is when a simple visitor becomes a possible client, which is a lead. This stage is narrower as well as in the following action of the funnel and also must be well maintained given that they are most likely to make an acquisition in the next couple of stages as long as you maintain them satisfied. Closing is the last of a channel where a lead ends up being a consumer. They proactively make the order and also buy your product, sign up for your newsletter or primarily do just what you meant them to do by developing the channel. Next level is client retention or keeping them happy with your product or the acquisition, so they end up being return clients. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars It is an incredibly popular– as well as rather scary– statistic that everybody in business world has heard that “90% of the start-ups fall short”. If you look at these fallen short companies which once started with much vitality and also excitement, they hardly ever fail since the principle or the idea of the business itself was poor. cheap Clickfunnels price dollarsThere are lots of companies with fantastic possible that stop working due to the absence of understanding the owners have about advertising or actually making a sale. It does not matter just how terrific your item or the solution is if you do unknown the best ways to turn your leads right into conversions. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars It resembles an automobile sale without a sales representative. There will be lots of visitors who pertain to see the cars and trucks, yet without that included push, there will certainly be no sales. A website without a sales channel is the same, which is why you have to acquire Click Funnels in order to obtain the most variety of sales possible. Click Funnels offer you with a pre-designed and well-curated sales funnel which will certainly take your visitors with a convincing trip that will certainly make them purchase your item at the end. This final objective can be different depending on the item that you market or the solution that you use. Nonetheless, Click Funnels have actually developed a series of sales funnels that can lead you to attain your goals by taking your site visitors via a well considered sales funnels. Complying with are a few of the objectives which can be fulfilled by a sales funnels. A sales funnel favorably impacts the idea procedure of your visitors to earn the choice to move forward with your objective. This is much more or much less considering that little push a salesman would give up a physical store to ultimately compose the attitude to go on with an acquisition. A web site is similar to an online store, and also the objective of putting a large financial investment into designing a web site is to ultimately assist boost the revenue of your organisation. Most individuals, specifically the startups and also the entrepreneurs who are brand-new to the online organisation world focus also much on the looks of the style to think about whether it works sufficient to really make a sale. This is why you require to acquire Click Funnels. Adhering to are the 4 primary points that a well picked and also placed sales funnels do. Bring in new visitors to the web site is the initial and among one of the most important tasks that a sales funnel does. This is the mouth of the channel. The cheap Clickfunnels price dollars larger the variety of visitors attracted to the website, the much more active customers there will certainly be at the end. This is done by attractive styles as well as templates of web sites, straightforward interfaces and easy social media sites showcases that help satisfied site visitors to spread the word. The conversion process is when a simple site visitor comes to be a prospective client, which is a lead. This stage is narrower as well as in the next step of the funnel and must be well preserved because they are most likely to make an acquisition in the following few phases as long as you maintain them pleased. Closing is the last of a channel where a lead comes to be a customer. They proactively make the order and buy your item, register for your newsletter or essentially do exactly what you planned them to do by producing the funnel. Next level is customer retention or keeping them happy with your item or the acquisition, so they end up being return clients. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars There are many services with wonderful possible that stop working due to the lack of knowledge the creators have about marketing or in fact making a sale. There will be many site visitors that come to see the autos, but without that included push, there will certainly be no sales. cheap Clickfunnels price dollars A web site without a sales channel is the very same, which is why you require to get Click Funnels in order to obtain the most number of sales possible. Click Funnels provide you with a pre-designed and also well-curated sales funnel which will certainly take your site visitors with a persuading trip that will make them buy your item at the end. This last purpose can be different depending upon the product that you offer or the service that you offer. However, Click Funnels have actually produced a series of sales funnels that could lead you to attain your objectives by taking your site visitors with a well considered sales funnels. Adhering to are some of the objectives which could be met by a sales funnels. A sales channel positively affects the mind of your site visitors making the choice to move forward with your goal. This is much more or much less providing that little press a salesman would certainly give up a physical store to finally comprise the way of thinking to go ahead with a purchase. How Do Click Funnels assist increase your profits? A website is comparable to an online store, as well as the objective of putting a big financial investment right into making a site is to inevitably assist increase the profits of your service. The majority of people, especially the startups and also the entrepreneurs who are brand-new to the online business globe emphasis excessive on the appearances of the design to consider whether it is reliable enough to in fact make a sale. This is why you need to buy Click Funnels. Complying with are the four main points that a well chose and put sales funnels do. Bring in brand-new visitors to the internet site is the very first as well as among the most important jobs that a sales funnel does. This is the mouth of the funnel. The cheap Clickfunnels price dollars bigger the number of visitors brought in to the web site, the extra energetic clients there will go to completion. This is done by eye-catching styles as well as themes of internet sites, easy to use interfaces as well as very easy social media includes that aid amazed site visitors to spread out the word. The conversion process is when a plain site visitor ends up being a possible client, which is a lead. This stage is narrower and in the following step of the funnel and also should be well maintained considering that they are most likely making an acquisition in the next few phases as long as you maintain them impressed. Closing is the last stage of a channel where a lead comes to be a client. They actively make the order as well as buy your product, register for your e-newsletter or basically do just what you intended them to do by creating the funnel. Following level is client retention or keeping them pleased with your item or the purchase, so they end up being return customers.

2019-04-22T16:18:05Z

https://oldjewstellingjokesonstage.com/cheap-clickfunnels-price-dollars/

I needed to have x-rays and an ultrasound the last two emergent visits to my Doctor. On both occasions the staff at Montclair Radiology went above and beyond to schedule my appointment the same day. The staff showed concern for my situation and they are always very friendly. I am happy to have the opportunity to share these pleasant experiences with others and highly reccomend Montclair Radiology for their outstanding service. I am using my tail wagging dog because as a human we can not wag our tail when comfortable or pleased with an encounter.......such as a patient at Montclair Radiology. I have used Montclair radiology over the last at least 20 years. Just recently I had to have a MRI of my right hip done. The technician unfortunately I do not remember his name, was wonderful. I had numerous questions, that he answered fully and completely. The MRI was done professionally and quickly. It only took about 15 to 20 minutes versus the latest MRI I had done in the hospital that took over 45 minutes to complete. I would highly recommend Montclair radiology to anyone. It was easy to schedule the appointment and I was very satisfied with the time my technologist took with me. It was my first time visiting this center. My first impression was a cozy environment, staff is very friendly and all my needs were met. I highly recommend MR. It was my first MRI and it was a tough one. I was very anxious but, from the minute I walked in to the Montclair office, I was greeted with a smile that somehow assured me that everything will go smoothly. After a few moments, I was brought in by the technician who was very compassionate and understanding about what I was going through and may be feeling. He also treated me with a care that made me feel at ease. I made it through the MRI with very little anxiety after that. The staff truly made my experience an effortless one. Montclair Radiology has been an essential part of navigating all that life has thrown at me the past several years. Whether it's been the biopsy and ultrasounds I've needed for my thyroid, an MRI for the quadricep muscle that pulled away from my knee when I fell, or simply the imaging that confirmed a suspected fatty liver, Montclair Radiology has been a trusted provider of health related information. I had a very good experience being treated at Montclair Radiology. They got in contact with me as soon as they knew that something was abnormal in my X-rays. Always a pleasure going here. So easy to get an appointment and the staff was very friendly. The technicians are personable and professional. Would definitely recommend. Montclair Radiology made it simple to schedule my appointment, communicate with my doctor and their staff was very professional and comforting. I can honestly say this was such an amazing experience. I had heard horror stories about MRIs and this went so smoothly. The technician was amazing the receptionist was so helpful especially with scheduling because I had some issues with my insurance! The facility was clean and welcoming. I traveled an hour away from home based on a recommendation to come to Montclair Radiology and it was well worth the drive. I don’t think I’ll go anywhere else. I was very satisfied with the amount of time the technologist spent with me. Everyone at the Nutley office were so attentive. They all made me feel really comfortable. My experience was great (as usual) and my tech/nurse was so patient and nice. She made sure I was comfortable and ok through my entire MRI process. I love Montclair Radiology, I consistently use them because they’re the best. And I always get very nice nurses and techs too, which always makes my experience great. My name is Christina and I am a 36 year old, proud mother of two amazing boys and a special education teacher. Both of my mother’s sisters have had issues with their breasts, so I decided to be proactive and get a mammogram as a precaution. I was very nervous, but the staff at the Verona office was kind, understanding, and compassionate. My technician explained everything she was doing throughout the process, in addition to words of encouragement. Now, I just await my test results! Thank you for guiding me through my first mammogram. Enjoy your summer! This is not my first time there! I have returned several times throughout the years because of you’re excellence I have trusted Montclair Radiology with my children! From the minute I walked in the door until I left I was treated with the utmost professionalism and pleasantness! I highly recommend Montclair Radiology! I was told by my orthopedic that I needed an MRI for my shoulder. I never had one and heard stories of claustrophobia, fearing that would be my case. The technician was so knowledgeable and kind that I made it through without discomfort. I am thankful for this positive experience. I had a very nice first visit. And everything went smoothly. Your staff has always been very understanding and friendly. I get very anxious when I come and they always calm me down. Thank you. I walked in worried about my insurance being accepted, and the staff was very patient with me as I called the company to be sure I was covered. Everyone was super nice and made me feel welcome. I didn't spend much time in the waiting room, but it looked very comfortable and offers complimentary coffee, tea, and water. Haven't seen that at any other radiology place I've been to. Kudos to management! I have been going to the Montclair location for over 10 years and each time the Staff and technicians are very kind and courtesy in taking care of my exam and I just would to thank you for being so thoughtful. Everything was great! I was treated well. I would love to revisit your facility again. Montclair Radiology has always been my "go to" place for any tests that I've needed to have. Making appts is easy and quick as there are many convenient locations. The staff is compassionate and friendly which always makes for a comfortable nice experience! Needed an MRI, called for the appointment, the staff called my insurance right away, got the approval. Even early on Sat. AM (7:30) the staff was upbeat and pleasant, only waited about 10 minutes for the MRI tech to come get me. He was excellent, explained everything I would see and hear, made sure I was ok once in the MRI instrument. He also let me know every few minutes how much longer it would be. I was in and out of the appointment, even with 20 minutes for the actual MRI, in 45 minutes. Awesome teamwork MRG!!! I went to Montclair Radiology for my yearly mammogram exam and knowing how uncomfortable and painful this test usually is, the staff was very understanding, professional and quick. I have been going here for years and will as long as I can. I lost my prescription a couple of days before my appointment, but the secretaries at my primary doctor’s office were gracious enough to fax it to Montclair Radiology. I was running late for my Saturday appointment, but luckily had the opportunity to go right in for my thyroid ultrasound. They already had everything, including the paperwork, prepared for me. The technician was fast and efficient so I was in and out! I am a cancer patient and the first time I had a biopsy through Montclair Radiology, during the exam time, my technician was very professional and kind to keep me calm . I had just gotten out of three weeks of rehab at the Kessler Institute, and I had to go out and get blood work. It was a process of getting out of bed, taking the walker to a chair at the top of the stairs, then down the stairs one at a time, transfer into the car, and you get the idea. We got the blood taken, and remembered that we needed an x-ray of my back for an appointment the following week. We called Montclair Radiology on the spur of the moment, and they had something available right away. They took me right in, took and checked the x-rays, and we're just very nice the whole time. It was a great experience, and I was so glad to get that done on my first trip out of the house. The staff at the Nutley office are some of the sweetest and efficient I have ever encountered. A dreaded mammogram became a pleasant experience. Excellent service. Very satisfied with my visit. I've been going to Montclair Radiology for many years. I never feel anxious or worried. Everyone is so very pleasant and patient. I never had to wait long periods of time. My appointments were right on time. They are very organized and I actually like going...even when I had to have a biopsy and was a little worried about the results. With that being said, it makes a huge difference when the staff is so polite and sweet! I Have used Montclair Radiology for many years, particulatly the West Caldwell office. I always ask that the results also be sent to me... and I never have to worry because they always are sent. Last visit, i had coffee and a breakfast bar while waiting for the film to be read. It makes a tense time much more relaxing! Very prompt with scheduling appointments. Staff were friendly and courteous. Very professional. Everyone there is great! All of the Technicians as well as the Billing /Receptionists are all wonderful and always make you feel at ease. I don’t get afraid to get a Mammogram anymore!!! Thanks so much Ladies!!! Lori thanks again for all of your helpful knowledge!! Well done West Caldwell Montclair Radiologist!!! Easy to schedule my appointment. I was very satisfied with the time my technologist spent with me. Everyone is very nice and pleasant, which makes the experience a little easier to tolerate! Montclair Radiology is a well run place. Was easy to make appointment, getting in and out is efficient. Staff is always friendly. Great staff, very easy to make an appointment. Cindy made my breast mri experience so comforting. I am extremely claustrophobic and she was so wonderful in talking with me before during and after! I will only hope if I ever need another imaging appt. I will be back and request her as my tech. My experience was on Friday the 23rd of March. I needed to X-Ray my left and right ankles. The X-Ray tech was so patient and comforting to me because the position I had to put my ankle was a bit painful but she made it easy through the session. And the front desk was also amazing they are polite and curious to me and explain how the process work. Thank you Montclair Radiology. There were challenges getting my body situated just just right for the mammogram, but the technician was both apologetic and persistent because she wanted to be sure to get everything so I didn't have to come back. She was very attentive and professional. My Tech was great, and also the nurse on the premises was outstanding. The service was outstanding. I would highly recommend your facility. Thank you! ANDREW ODonnell, Fire captain and superior officer union president. As someone who has had to have frequent MRIs since they were 15 I can’t recommend Montclair Radiology enough! I’ve gone to other places and Montclair Radiology has been the best! They’ve also treated my family members and friends super well! It’s easy to make an appointment and everyone is super friendly the day of the appointment! I was asked to do an ultra sound, picked Montclair Radiology and it was the right choice. From booking an appointment to the actual test went very smoothly. Great experience! The staff incredibly friendly from the moment I walked through the door all to the CT table. It's a very well kept place & the staff are friendly & knowledgeable. Great atmosphere all around! The staff at Montclair Radiology was very friendly and professional. I would recommend it! Jasmine was great... she has a personable disposition and made me feel very comfortable in an uncomfortable exam. Receptionist was nice too. Very organized! Thank you. My technician was Cindy - she was very kind and thorough. Took the time to explain everything to me and was able to get the IV access with only one stick (no small feat!) I was seen on time and the whole procedure took less than 30 minutes. My doctor's office had a bit of trouble obtaining the prior authorization needed and I needed to reschedule, but the office staff was very accommodating about that. Getting ready for my first 3D mammography! Not only did I just turn 40 but I also had to schedule a mammogram... I was quite apprehensive because my mother used to tell me horror stories about how awful these were. The technician did a wonderful job explaining the procedure and guiding me through it. It was over in less than 10 minutes. Slightly uncomfortable but not painful at all! Scheduling was as easy as 1 phone call. Technicians were kind and caring. Appointment times were adhered to as well. I am have been a patient at your facility quite a few times. Love the way I am treated. Their very professional and you never have to wait too long. I've visited all three locations very clean. I would not go anywhere else. I called for an MRI on Friday for my foot and the staff worked quickly and efficiently to schedule me for later that day. I am always greeted pleasantly and professionally when I arrive. The technician was very patient and knowledgeable and was able to easily answer all my questions. The best place ever for mammograms. They get you in and out and get the job done!! Very nice technicians!! I had a wonderful technician at Montclair Radiology. She was kind and efficient and put me at ease. I have been coming here for years and they make having my mammogram done a quick and painless procedure. I have been going to Montclair Radiology in Nutley for years and it is always a pleasant experience. Everyone is professional and there is no extended wait time. Everything is explained and you are treated like an individual! I am a Nurse, and I have worked with women’s health issues, and heard horror stories about mammograms. I would recommend Montclair radiology in Nutley to all!! Won’t go anywhere else, keep up the great work! Over 20 years of excellent service for our entire family. Customer Service was great. I was a few minutes late and saw the doctor in no time. The doctor was very nice, and concerning, very patient. I would definitely go back. I am glad that I went to Montclair Radiology in Jersey City for my chest x ray because staff and service is exceptional and quick !! Asked my technician if they ever found cancer. She said “All the time.” I was not happy until she explained that their equipment is so excellent that they pick up the littlest cells. Now I am happy! Had a regular mammogram done and had to go to back for a sonogram. All three visits to each location were efficient and pleasant. My experience is always wonderful at the West Caldwell office. I didn't even look anywhere else. I have so many good memories with Montclair radiology. I know how fast and professional they are. I had PAT X-rays for both my daughter and myself and they were done so fast, we were both surprised. But then again, I really wasn't. You guys are just awesome! First let me start by saying I have a abnormal fear of cancer so years ago when I was called bk for additional pics for my mamo I freaked out!! Barbara Locasio in the West Caldwell office went above & beyond for me. She was compassionate, explained everything, professional and even got me in for the pics sooner than I was originally told I could come (I was called bk on a Friday & was told I would have to wait until Monday). In the end it all turned out ok. Barbara's kindness will never be forgotten!! She did not treat me as just another patient. Her personal touch made me feel calmer & more at ease. That goes a very long way when you are waiting for results that could go either way. Since then I always ask for an appt. when she is working. She is outstanding!! You guys have a great ship floating there. Fantastic service. Blessings to you all! The staff saw to all my concerns and needs and the procedure went smooth. The office was very helpful in helping me reschedule and get me another appointment asap . Technicians made you feel very comfortable and were very professional They were all so nice. I had a very early appointment so it was nice n quite and quick. The tech was very pleasant. I was nervous about getting a mammogram, the staff reassured me and explained every step of the way. I will make sure I don’t skip this important test again! In the fall of 2015 I had a MRI in Montclair of the lumbar spine for pain which noted a large left adnexal cyst on one ovary. This was a shock to me and my OBGYN. Had a pelvic in April with no sign or symptoms of a problem. After a pelvic ultrasound it was confirmed that the cyst was on my left ovary the size of a softball. The ovary and tube on the left were removed. I made a complete recovery! Thank you MR in Montclair. Pain was degenerative disc disease and facet arthrosis. I have always gone to MR Nutley office for all my imagines and have always been extremely satisfied with everything. No improvement necessary! I always use Montclair Radiology because I trust them and the respect my needs. Everyone is always so nice!! I got my appt. the within hours of my request and it was very good experience. The woman that helped me went out of her way to be helpful in any way possible. I went in worried and came out calm and reassured by the wonderful staff. Thank you! I was very satisfied with the time my technologist spent with me. Been a PT of MR for over 25 yrs, truly satisfied and hankful for the wonderful Techs and courteous, caring , helpful staff. Been to all locations, kudos to all!!!! Thank you! Fast, friendly, professional service. They pay attention to all the details. and pain free in time for the Holidays. The dogs were happy too! I love this place , Everyone is very nice and respectable willing to make your day as comfortable as possible while you are visiting for the day. I highly recommend this office in Nutley NJ. I have been going to the Nutley location for years. From the moment you walk in, the front desk associate greets you promptly and with a smile on their face. The person doing the testing always treats me with compassion. They take the time to explain everything and are always friendly! Very easy to schedule appointment. Great experience - Will definitely come back. "I was very nervous about getting a MRI. When I arrived I filled out some paperwork and then was immediately greeted by a very calming tech. I was glad I didn't have time to worry in the waiting room. The tech reassured me that she would be right there if I felt like I had to come out of the machine. She explained exactly how long it would take and gave me updates during the test. The open MRI is really not bad if you are claustrophobic." "I came to Montclair Radiology for an MRI on my right knee, which I had injured playing basketball six weeks earlier. Because of a busy travel schedule, I had a need for an almost immediate turnaround of the results to my orthopedic surgeon. The people at Montclair Radiology listened to me describe my particular need - and they delivered the results to my surgeon within 24 hours. Consequently, I was able to meet with my surgeon the day after my MRI. Everyone at Montclair Radiology, where I have gone for various radiology needs over the years, has been courteous, kind, and professional. They get an A+ in my book!" My most recent visit to Montclair Radiology was for a CT scan of my right foot. I was facing possible metatarsal surgery, after breaking three bones. As usual, from the minute I entered the door until I left, I received A Plus service! I appreciated the sense of professionalism humor and genuine kindness of everyone whom I came in contact with. Thanks a million! PS: the scan showed that I didn't need surgery, thanks to the results of the scans. On the day of my visit I was nervous because of past visits and multiple returns; I shared this with the tech and she said your insurance carrier now pays for three D so hopefully this will eliminate return visits so do not stress out over it, and thanks to God I received a letter that all is normal. Always a warm and friendly greeting. Staff is comforting and they answer all questions completely. They take the fear out of the experience. I had a wonderful experience at Montclair Radiology. The staff is extremely efficient , respectful and professional. I was seen right away and all of my questions were answered. I am thankful and happy for every good report I get from Montclair Radiology. The staff has always been so kind to me and my husband (yes, my husband has visited as well). Yesterday, we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary! I had the same technician I had last year who did my Mammo and I was so thrilled she was doing it again (I forgot her name) however she is one of the nicest people I have ever met and made me feel so comfortable. I also loved the technician who did my ultrasound as well. I was scared and she made me feel very comfortable as well. I will come back for all my services at the West Caldwell location. My experience at Montclair Radiology was wonderful. The staff are very polite and accommodating for example, they serve coffee and water for the patients most of all appointments are flexible. I went to the West Caldwell location to get 2 MRI's in the open MRI machine and from the second I walked in to the second I left the staff there was so accommodating, warm and welcoming. My appointments there are always on time or even earlier than my appointment time. They answer questions with a smile and always make me feel comfortable during any procedure. I know every time I go there that I'll have a pleasant experience. I really can't say enough about this location and the staff there. I would recommend this place to everyone I know. Thank you for being so great!! Montclair Radiology is my first choice for any x-rays or medical imaging procedures I need. Making an appointment is easy as I am always able to get an appointment that is convenient for my schedule. The office staff is friendly and the atmosphere is very nice and comfortable. The technicians are exceptional, professional and also very nice and I am always greeted with a smile. "I have a complicated medical history and been going to W. Caldwell a lot this year. I get scared, the staff, all of the staff show great compassion and I am at ease. All are friendly, gentle and in no time test is done. The office is clean and accommodate while waiting. But in the end it's all about the GREAT STAFF. Thank you ALL." "I know that by coming here i am treated with respect and dignity and the staff are wonderful." "I was able to get my script from my doctor in the morning and Montclair Radiology was able to schedule my appointment for the same afternoon, mammography and bone density as well. Didn't have a long wait at all, staff is very friendly and it is a very comfortable, clean location. Plus I already got results in the mail. A friend of mine has recently developed breast cancer so it was very important to me to have the testing done, I do go every year and prefer Montclair Radiology over any other similar agencies." "I always have a great experience coming to Montclair Radiology. The staff is always congenial. Kindness towards people during their various conditions and circumstances, goes along way. It’s comforting to be among professionals who are caring for patients." "I have been going to the Nutley location for many years for various tests and each and every time I have been there the staff is so very pleasant and caring. From the minute I walk in and am greeted by the receptionist to the technician performing the test I feel at ease and genuinely cared for!" "I have always been uncomfortable with MRI and always fail to complete them. The young lady at your facility was the first person that ever help me be confident enough to get through this procedure without quitting before it was complete. Because of her I think I can move forward pass my fear.. and I'm grateful to God and her for this... THANKS!" "I have been using Montclair Radiology for about 10 years for routine and non-routing procedures. The most devastating time was when I was 6 months pregnant and needed an MRI because my legs went numb. Every time I ever went to Montclair Radiology, the staff was pleasant and accommodating. I moved less than an hour out of the Nutley area last year, but I still choose Montclair Radiology for my Xray, MRI and mammogram needs. Thank you!" "Montclair Radiology provided an appointment at 7am the following day of me calling which was very accommodating to my every day schedule. The receptionist and technician were great! Overall it was a great experience and I plan on using them for my next appointment." "I met the finest staff at Montclair Radiology when I was there for X-Rays Saturday August 19 at 8:30am. Very pleasant staff. It was a quick in and out." Over many years I have been a patient at the Nutley location for a variety of tests that are offered. I have always felt comfortable and appreciate the professional and kind staff from the check in to the tech's. In fact, I have brought friends and family to this location as well as recommend people to the Nutley offices. From making the appointment, to being checked-in, to each radiology service, everyone was really friendly and made me feel welcomed and cared for. It was very easy to schedule my appointment. Very friendly atmosphere makes you feel very comfortable...very knowledgeable techs/drs and office staff and always on time! I have only gone to the Nutley office for mine & my families radiology needs. My last visit was in the West Caldwell facility, and I must say, I won’t ever go back to the Nutley office or any other office. I had to have a biopsy done and the staff was AMAZING. From the receptionist to the technician, Jenni, that explained the whole procedure and stayed with me & held my hand throughout, to the young lady that had to do the mammogram after the procedure and the doctor who performed the procedure. They were all wonderful, kind, courteous and professional. I went to this facility twice in 2 weeks. I like the idea that the parking was easily accessible and the tests were done so quickly. In and out both times within 1/2 hour. Staff is very friendly and professional. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone. Getting a Mammogram is never fun but having a quick and easy time of it is wonderful. I have been going to the West Caldwell location of Montclair Radiology for several years now and am always impressed with their staff and service. They are truly top notch. I thank them all for everything they do! I have to have an MRI every year because I have MS. I always go to Montclair Radiology in Nutley NJ. The appointment making process is easy, (no matter what insurance I have at the time) and I never have to wait when I get there. I especially like the technician that performs the MRI. He is professional, but also friendly and he makes me feel at ease. We talk about our dogs and trade our different dog stories. After that, he makes sure I knew exactly what is going to happen. He asks me if I'm comfortable before we start. I never worry during the MRI process. I always feel very welcome at Montclair Radiology. I have been going there for years. The staff is professional, courteous, knowledgable and warm. I am always in and out quickly too! I have always chosen Montclair Radiology as the place I go to any and all services related to radiology. The staff at the Montclair site are superb and very welcoming. I give thumbs up to the staff in this office and wouldn’t choose to go anywhere else. My name is Jenn. I was having trouble breathing and my dr. recommended Montclair Radiology for chest xrays to see what might be going on. I was sent to office immediately and they took me immediately, I only waited a short time after I filled out my paperwork and the radiologist was so kind and she made me feel very comfortable and not afraid. She answered all my questions and even showed me back to the dressing room. Very kind and so was her assistant. It was a very pleasant visit for the circumstances of breathing problems I was having. Thank you Montclair Radiology. I'd recommend your business to everyone!!! I've had both MRIs and Mammograms done at the Nutley office. Each time my wait was very short if any at all, appointments have been easy to make and the staff is always kind and considerate. THANK YOU! I was a long time patient at a facility in Clifton. After a bad experience, I was referred to Montclair Radiology. I wish I hadn't wasted any years anywhere else. The staff are always friendly and professional. The wait times are always very reasonable ... almost too quick to believe! I feel very confident that all my medical needs are now in very capable hands! I had an excellent experience with my recent visit to Montclair Radiology. The staff was very much humble and treated me like a special customer. Full attentions were given to my personnel needs. They had in and out in less than 20 minutes. I recommend everyone to use this facility. I have been with Monclair Radiology since try opened up and wry please with the comped staff . I would recommend hem to everybody . I have been going to the Nutley location for many years for various tests and each and every time I have been there the staff is so very pleasant and caring. From the minute I walk in and am greeted by the receptionist to the technician performing the test I feel at ease and genuinely cared for! My experience at Montclair Radiology in West Caldwell could not have been better. Everyone was professional and friendly. Danielle, my technician, was very patient in explaining everything about my procedure. My doctor also advised me about all of the steps in the process. I was very calm and confident that all would go well. It did. I could not have been happier during my visit. I will recommend Montclair Radiology in West Caldwell to anyone who needs similar services. Thank you. My first time experience at the Montclair Radiology of Nutley on Aug.14, 2017 was great I got an appointment the same day the speedy service I received taking my xray and the technician was nice and the receptionist as well. I would recommend anyone to go there. So pleased thank you Montclair Radiology of Nutley. When I needed a pre-approval from my insurance company, Lori and Montclair Radiology called me. She told me she had contacted my doctor, but also suggested that I call him because the doctor's office had not responded in a timely fashion. Thanks! The staff at Montclair Radiology are always professional and courteous. They treat you with respect and do everything to make you feel comfortable. A very caring experience is given, not matter what type of test you are taking. There's always a pleasant environment at Montclair Radiology in West Caldwell. The facility is clean and the staff is friendly. I do like the ample parking too! I am very uneasy about doing an MRI. I went to the Nutley office and the technologist was very patient and worked with me to make me feel comfortable. There was also headphones with music provided to those who might need to feel soothed while doing the MRI. The receptionist was very nice and was easy to work with to fit my schedule for my appointment. I did not have to wait long, my appointment was 7:00am and I arrived at 6:50am and by 7:02am I was called in to take my MRI. I highly recommend Montclair Radiology to anyone in need of an xray, MRI or anything else they offer. I go to Montclair Radiology twice a year to keep tabs on a tumor. I always go right in, and receive professional treatment from any staff member that I encounter. I have never felt rushed, and everything is explained so that I understand what's going on. It's a great place, and I've been to most of their offices over the years. Consistent quality and service. I recently had to see two diff't technicians: MaryAnn and Alicia. They were both very professional and compassionate - something that is needed in the medical field! This was my first MRI and I was a bit nervous. The ambiance of the office was very pleasant which helped me feel comfortable. The office was very neat and organized. I love the option to listen to a radio station during my MRI because it definitely helped calm my nerves. The staff was excellent and super nice. I am definitely making this my go-to place! Thank you everyone at Montclair Radiology! I had an ultrasound done and the tech whom I had the pleasure of dealing with was wonderful.. Hope to have her again at my next visit at 32 weeks. I recently had a mammogram in which I had to return for additional views. I was told this on a Friday (early afternoon) by my doctor. I phoned for an appointment( in a panic) and was given one for that afternoon. I had the additional views and sonogram done. When it was finished the radiologist came in and gave me the wonderful news that everything was normal. Not having to wait the weekend (or a week from most places) was an absolute blessing. This facility is not only professional but consider the feelings of their patients, unlike many doctors and hospitals in today's society. I highly recommend the Nutley office, all the time. But then again, I always did. Wonderful caring staff and the atmosphere and waiting time is like no other. Excellent experiences ALWAYS!!! I was a nervous wreck about my first MRI experience and basically started to tear up the second I walked in the building. The staff was incredible. The woman who took my information could see my stress and explained the procedure to me - assuring me that it would be quick and easy. The nurse who brought me in was also wonderful, she even let me walk into the room before my procedure so I could see the MRI machine before I went into it. I felt much more comfortable after that and she even checked in during (on the headphones) to let me know that it was almost over. The MRI itself was not my favorite thing, but the staff made it a much better experience. Thanks to all! I have been going to this office for the past few years and every experience has been excellent. Wait time is minimal, a very friendly and caring staff, and test results sent promptly as requested. I highly commend the entire operation. You guys are amazing. Great job. Doctor wanted me to go to Saint Barnabas Radiology. I told them no thanks. I love Montclair Radiology. Thank you all. I’m very happy with the service. I had no discomfort after. Thank you Montclair Radiology. I forgot my technicians name but she was excellent. I was comfortable from the moment I met her and she was very thorough with explaining everything she was going to do. I have been going to West Caldwell for a few years and everyone is wonderful and pleasant. Staff is great and very accommodating. The Doctor and Nurses were wonderful. The nurse who took care of me afterwards and stayed with me was wonderful. Thank you all. Facility and service were excellent. Initially my primary physician/doctor recommended your facility. When I contacted your appointment office, the lady was so accommodating and friendly. On my appointment date, the receiving staff was so nice that we exchanged jokes. On the second floor the receptionist was understanding. Your technician was helpful in assisting me putting on the garment for the x-ray. My right arm is in constant pain due to a congenital deficiency. The lady technician was kind and caring. I felt at home at the facility. Thank you! It is always a pleasure to deal with this location in my home town. I never have to wait long for an appointment; sometimes it is the same day as soon as I walk next door from my doctor at Vanguard Medical. Excellent service and really quick to make appointment and once I walked fast to register and quick to attend your patients really nice people at your main desk really professional. The Jersey City location has excellent service and environment! The staff is incredibly friendly - from the moment I walked through the door all the way to the CT table. It's a very well kept place & the staff are friendly & knowledgeable. Great atmosphere all around! I have actually been there a few times, for myself and my husband. Staff is very pleasant, from signing in to walking out. Also make you feel relaxed.

2019-04-22T16:04:16Z

http://www.montclairradiology.com/what-our-patients-are-saying

Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, General Linguistics. University of Ghana. This paper describes the noun class system of Sl, a Na-Togo, Kwa (Niger-Congo) language spoken in the Volta Region of Ghana. As shown in this paper, Sl hasa noun class system with an equal number of singular and plural classes that are paired inirregular ways. The singular-plural pairs are referred to as genders. Nouns normally agreewith certain modifiers within the noun phrase. The agreement targets are determiners,numerals, interrogative pronouns and some adjectives. Outside the noun phrase, nounclasses may be indexed on the verb to signal long distance anaphora, a strategy thatspeakers rarely use. The paper provides a detailed account of possible semantic andcultural motivations for the assignment of nouns to a particular gender and/or class. This paper discusses standard negation in Sɛlɛɛ. Sɛlɛɛ is a Ghana-Togo Mountain (GTM) Language of the Kwa group of the Niger Congo family. Standard negation is the negation of declarative verbal clauses. Different strategies are used in Sɛlɛɛ to negate declarative verbal main clauses depending on the tense and aspect category of the verb. The basic negation strategy used in standard negation is tonal alternation, with or without other negation markers. The other strategies are the use of portmanteau morphemes, affixes and vowel lengthening. Interestingly, in one and the same tense paradigm, different persons can select different negation strategies. There is syncretism among the 1st person singular forms of the negative recent past, the negative habitual and the negative perfect. Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, General Linguistics. University of Ghana, Ghana. Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, General Linguistics. This talk deals with the conceptualisation of temperature in some of the Ghanaian languages as reflected in their systems of central temperature terms, such as hot, cold, to freeze, etc. We will discuss these systems in the light of a large-scale cross-linguistic collaborative project, involving 35 researchers (including the present authors) and covering more than 50 genetically, areally and typologically diverse languages (Koptjevskaja-Tamm ed. 2015). The key questions addressed here are how the different languages carve up the temperature domain by means of their linguistic expressions, and how the temperature expressions are used outside of the temperature domain. Languages cut up the temperature domain among their expressions according to three main dimensions: TEMPERATURE VALUES (e.g., warming vs. cooling temperatures, or excessive heat vs. pleasant warmth), FRAMES OF TEMPERATURE EVALUATION (TACTILE, The stones are cold; AMBIENT, It is cold here; and PERSONAL-FEELING, I am cold), and ENTITIES whose “temperature” is evaluated. Although the temperature systems are often internally heterogeneous, we may still talk about the main temperature value distinctions for the whole system. The Ghanaian languages favour the cross-linguistically preferred two-value systems, with water often described by a more elaborated system. An interesting issue concerns conventionalisation and frequency of expressions with a primary meaning outside of the temperature domain, for temperature uses. For instance, the conventionalised expressions for talking about ‘warm/hot’ in Ewe involve sources of heat (‘fire’) and bodily exuviae (‘sweat’). The Ghanaian languages often manifest numerous extended uses of their temperature terms. However, strikingly, none of them conforms to one of the most widely quoted conceptual metaphors, “affection is warmth” (Lakoff & Johnson 1999:50), which is also true for many other languages in (West) Africa and otherwise. This paper investigates the encoding of temperature in Sɛlɛɛ, a Niger-Congo language of the Kwa group, spoken in Ghana. The lexicon of temperature in Sɛlɛɛ consists of six central and two non-central temperature terms, distributed among the word classes of nouns, adjectives and verbs. The grammatical constructions associated with temperature evaluation vary according to the word-class status of each temperature term and its contexts of use. The distribution of the different grammatical constructions according to different types of temperature evaluation is discussed in the paper. Metaphorical uses of temperature-related terms are also discussed in the context of neighbouring and highly related languages. Finally, special patterns of temperature evaluation in connection with water are surveyed. Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies. This paper discusses the possible semi-creole status of Brazilian Vernacular Portuguese and questions some of the literature on semi-creoles in general. It presents some differences between Brazilian Vernacular Portuguese and creole languages and makes a revision of the semi-creoles. Finally, it proposes new delimitations for the semi-creole concept. A high proportion of repetitions is one of the distinctive features of child-directed speech (CDS). Research has shown that the percentage of repetitions in CDS varies over time depending on the age of the child. In addition, it is suggested that repetitions in CDS correlate with child language development. The aim of the study was to investigate the possible variations over time in the percentage of repetitions in CDS during the child’s first year, and to try to find a connection between repetitions and the child’s language development. Repetitions in parent speech in ten parent-child dyads as the children were 3, 6, 9 and 12 months old were investigated quantitatively. Exact and varying self-repetitions and exact and varying repetitions of the child’s utterances were investigated and compared to the same children’s linguistic level at 18 months of age. The results showed that the percentage of exact self-repetitions was more than 30 percent lower at the age of 12 months than at 3, 6 and 9 months of age. The total percentage of repetitions of the child’s utterances increased more than four times from 3 to 12 months of age. A connection was found between the repetitions during the child’s first year and the child’s language development, indicating that a low percentage of exact self-repetitions at 6 to 9 months of age correlated with a high vocabulary at 18 months of age. A link between the expressive language of the child and the repetitions in parents’ speech was suggested. The languages spoken on northern Halmahera and surrounding small islands constitute a group of related ‘Papuan’ languages called North Halmahera. They are also, together with other Papuan and Austronesian languages, included in a proposed sprachbund which is called East Nusantara. Neuter gender and numeral classifiers have both been proposed to characterize the sprachbund. Consequently,an investigation of the noun categorisation systems in the North Halmahera languages, which is the subject of this study, can be of interest for the characterization of the sprachbund. The method for the investigation is to search for information about seven languages in existing grammatical descriptions, complemented with information which can be culled from published texts in the languages. There are mainly two categorisation systems in all the investigated languages: genders and numeral classifiers. The numerals often contain fossilized prefixes. Among the numeral classifiers, the human classifiers are special because of their origin from pronominal undergoer prefixes and the limitations of its use in some languages. Except in West Makian, there is a default classifier and a classifier for trees, and secondarily for houses, in all languages. A classifier for two-dimensional objects is also quite common. The other classifiers are used with a very limited number of nouns. Research Centre for Grammar and Language Use, Aarhus University . Research Centre for Grammar and Language Use, Aarhus University. In creolist circles, there has been a long-standing debate whether creoles differ structurally from non-creole languages and thus would form a special class of languages with specific typological properties. This debate about the typological status of creole languages has severely suffered from a lack of systematic empirical study. This paper presents for the first time a number of large-scale empirical investigations of the status of creole languages as a typological class on the basis of different and well-balanced samples of creole and non-creole languages. Using statistical modeling (multiple regression) and recently developed computational tools of quantitative typology (phylogenetic trees and networks), this paper provides robust evidence that creoles indeed form a structurally distinguishable subgroup within the world's languages. The findings thus seriously challenge approaches that hold that creole languages are structurally indistinguishable from non-creole languages. For the purposes of computational dialectology or other geographically bound text analysis tasks, texts must be annotated with their or their authors' location. Many texts are locatable but most have no ex- plicit annotation of place. This paper describes a series of experiments to determine how positionally annotated microblog posts can be used to learn location indicating words which then can be used to locate blog texts and their authors. A Gaussian distribution is used to model the locational qualities of words. We introduce the notion of placeness to describe how locational words are. We find that modelling word distributions to account for several locations and thus several Gaussian distributions per word, defining a filter which picks out words with high placeness based on their local distributional context, and aggregating locational information in a centroid for each text gives the most useful results. The results are applied to data in the Swedish language. The paper analyzes a form of epistemic marking in Kogi (Arwako-Chibchan) that positions information between the speech-participants from the perspective of the speaker. This form of epistemic marking is tentatively labeled “complex epistemic perspective” and is found with five prefixes that attach to the auxiliary verb. Relevant meaning contrasts are between speaker-perspective and addressee-perspective forms, which may in turn be separated into symmetric and asymmetric forms that signal shared and exclusive knowledge access. The meaning dimension of knowledge access is also subject to a private/public distinction that parallels the notion of “territory of information” (Kamio 1997; Heritage 2012) where information may belong more to one of the speech participants than the other. The analyzed forms thus share a core function in specifying two simultaneous perspectives as part of the referential ground (e.g. Hanks 1990; 2009). The paper builds on first-hand data collected in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region of northern Colombia and offers the first comprehensive analysis of epistemic marking in the language. The paper describes epistemic marking in Ika (Arwako-Chibchan, Colombia) and proposes an analysis in terms of a typologically unusual pattern called conjunct/disjunct, which has been attested for a small number of Asian and South American languages. Canonically, conjunct occurs with first person subjects in statements and with second person in questions, as opposed to any other combination of subject and sentence-type, which is disjunct. The pattern found in Ika both conforms to expectations and, at the same time, contributes to a more nuanced analysis of the functional motivations of the conjunct/disjunct pattern. In Ika, conjunct marking encodes the speaker's direct access to an event that involves either (or both) of the speech participants. In addition, conjunct/disjunct marking interacts predictably with a second set of epistemic markers that encode asymmetries in the epistemic authority of the speaker and the addressee. The analysis builds on first-hand data but remains tentative, awaiting further investigation. The paper focuses on inter-personal aspects of the context in the analysis of evidential and related epistemic marking systems. While evidentiality is defined by its capacity to qualify the speaker's indexical point of view in terms of information source, it is argued that other aspects of the context are important to analyze evidentiality both conceptually and grammatically. These distinct, analytical components concern the illocutionary status of a given marker and its scope properties. The importance of the hearer's point of view in pragmatics and semantics is well attested and constitutes a convincing argument for an increased emphasis on the perspective of the hearer/addressee in analyses of epistemic marking, such as evidentiality. The paper discusses available accounts of evidentials that attend to the perspective of the addressee and also introduces lesser-known epistemic marking systems that share a functional space with evidentiality. The paper accounts for the grammaticalization of uúch, (‘previously’, ‘long ago’) from a one-place predicate in Yukatek Maya meaning ‘to happen’, to a cognate adverbial in Lakandon Maya denoting ‘knowledge asymmetry’; a change from subjective ‘time’ to intersubjective ‘knowledge’. The paper proposes an analysis of uúch and the contrasting kuúch/ka’ch as operators of second-order stance, using a Jakobsonian model for analyzing verbal categories forwarded by Paul Kockelman (2004) to operationalize the notion of stance, as visible in Q’eqchi’ modals. Intersubjectification as a process of language change aligns with Kockelman’s original suggestion that first-order stances may be embedded to produce second-order stances, i.e. “stance about stance”. The present paper considers attested variation found in egophoric marking systems in order to discuss the role of such variation for the defining features of egophoric marking viz. a speech-act participant's epistemic authority subject to his/her involvement in an event. Austin Hale's (1980) pioneering description of egophoric marking in Kathmandu Newar (called conjunct/disjunct by Hale) has largely shaped our conception of what such systems look like, but in recent years, research on comparable systems has revealed that egophoric marking systems vary with respect to every purportedly defining feature of such systems. The one remaining variable that appears constant is the epistemic authority of the speech-act participants. When attempting to analyze and compare egophoric marking, one should consider all relevant cross-linguistic variation in order to determine what features are defeasible, and which ones are not. In this paper we explore the range of participant-roles that can be associated with egophoric marking focusing on secondary egophoric markers that map onto undergoers, affected participants, and the attitudes of the speech-act participants. It will become clear that these less prototypical instances of egophoric marking bridge such systems to a seemingly unrelated grammatical constructions, known as ethical datives. The paper argues for a view of evidentials as a type of shifter and outlines a theory of reference for evidentials that separates the configuration of the ground from the relational axis, as well as the alignment between ground and figure. The paper also evaluates a proposal by Kockelman (2004) that draws on Jakobson’s notion of “event type” and Goffman’s “speaker roles” to suggest an existing analogy between “commitment events” for modals and “source events” for evidentials. The scope properties of ‘factual’ forms in both systems notably constitute a formal difference between (epistemic) modality and evidentiality that cannot be accounted for solely by the referential properties of evidentials. The article offers three illustrations of how the process of “intersubjectification” (Traugott & Dasher 2002) can be observed in the development of time deictics, person markers and sentence-type markers to encode aspects of the speaker’s assumptions concerning the addressee’s epistemic access to an event. First-hand data from Lakandon Maya (Yukatekan, Mexico), Kogi, and Ika (Arwako-Chibchan, Colombia) is discussed in order to offer a potentially more nuanced view of intersubjectification in language. While suggested in previous accounts of intersubjectification, the article argues that this process of language change only involves categories and expressions definable as “shifters” (Jespersen 1922), i.e. expressions that at the same time refer to aspects of the speech situation and the proposition. The chapter focuses on the role of sentence type and subject person in accounting for egophoric marking in Ika, an Arwako-Chibchan language spoken in northern Colombia. Egophoric marking in Ika is only found in declarative clauses for which the speaker either assumes the role of epistemic authority, or where the speaker shares this role with the addressee. Interrogatives are treated as non-egophoric with all subject persons, as they do not encode the speaker’s assumptions about possible answers. This restriction, together with ones that pertain to predicate type and temporal frame of reference, point to epistemic/observational access as an important parameter in a system where public acts and personal attributes involving the speaker and/or the addressee are the only ones available for egophoric marking. As a complement to models of dialogical stance-taking (e.g. Du Bois 2007), the notion of “complex epistemic perspective” (see Bergqvist 2016) is introduced to identify which perspective configurations allow for egophoric marking. In this paper, I will dicuss positive present tense forms in spoken Khalkha Mongolian. Khalkha is analyzed to have five non-finite aspect markers, the Progressive, Continuative, Habitual, Perfect, and Prospective. They mainly combine with the three suffixes ‑n, ‑aa and ‑dag. On its own, ‑n expresses an instantiated potential or neutral future and ‑aa combines epistemic possibility and resultativity. In combination with aspect markers, though, they express the evidential value of direct vs. indirect perception. As the resultant state of a perfect can be perceived directly, the division runs between direct sensual perception of the event and an event inferred from direct sensual perception vs. events that are concluded from assumptions, hearsay, and previous perception. The suffix ‑dag expresses habitual and generic semantics. It is most commonly used on its own, but can also take other aspect markers into its scope, e.g. expressing a habitually ongoing event. Next to its main use, it is even used to refer to mono-occasional events that diverge from what the speaker perceives as the normal course of events. In addition, absolute-final and other uses of the participle ‑h and final uses of the converb ‑aad are discussed. In this paper, the meaning and use of the evidential particle bilee and its shortened derived form lee in Khalkha Mongolian are investigated. In indicatives, bilee is used to indicate one's own recollection. Simple past is formed together with the past inferential -j. Similarly, with a hortative mood bilee indicates the recollection of one's mental state. Both confirmation and surprise can be found as connotations, but the notion of surprise even appears to have grammaticalized into the more specific construction -na lee which either expresses surprise or is used to beg for attention. In questions, bilee can both express that one has witnessed, but cannot recall a given event, or an event that the addressee is presumed to remember. With the imperfective -dag, bilee can sometimes induce mono-occasional readings, but these are even possible with -dag alone or most commonly with -dag baijee. Khalkha Mongolian has four past tense suffixes, -v, -san, -laa and -jee, and their semantic difference has been the subject of considerable disagreement in the literature. Robert Binnick discussed these suffixes in two earlier papers (1979, 1990). With The past tenses of the Mongolian verb (henceforth PTMV) he has now dedicated a full monograph to solving this problem. The basic past tense suffixes in spoken Khalkha are ‑sɑ̆ŋ, -ɮɑ, -tʃe and the peripheral -w. The basic opposition is between established knowledge (‑sɑ̆ŋ) and non-established (mostly new) knowledge, which is then further differentiated into firsthand (-ɮɑ) and non-firsthand sources (‑tʃe). This adds the factor “time of acquisition” to “source of information.” However, vivid recollection and deferred realization allow for using ‑ɮɑ and -tʃe, respectively. Additionally, -ɮɑ is used to establish a fictive scenario in discourse. In the corpus, past ‑sɑ̆ŋ is thrice as frequent as past -ɮɑ and -tʃe combined and due to its opposition to the latter seems to acquire a connotation of factual, reliable information. In declaratives, ‑w accounts for just 0.7% of past tense uses. It is used for events that surprised the speaker in the past. In questions, -tʃe is used to ask the hearer to give an answer based on inference. In self-directed discourse, -ɮɑ is used by a speaker who tries to remember something she once knew, irrespective of whether this knowledge was acquired as firsthand knowledge or not. All past markers have future uses. For an event for which the speaker has sensory or internal evidence (including when the speaker refers to her own intentions), -ɮɑ is fairly common. Clues as to whether a future or past interpretation hold are mostly syntactical, but stative aktionsart or the presence of the boundary-actualizing marker -tʃʰ- restrict the interpretation to the past. ‑ɮɑ can be used in questions about the future in which case the speaker seems to motivate her question on the basis of a presumption based on firsthand evidence. The morphological form of -ɮɑ in such contexts is different from the form used in past questions. ‑tʃe can be used when a future event is inferred, and ‑sɑ̆ŋ marks it as inevitable. Both are exceedingly rare in future contexts, so that they presumably only work in a salient future context. Future ‑w expresses preventive warnings. This paper provides an overview of the linguistic properties of temperature terms in Khalkha Mongolian. It begins with a general overview of the temperature vocabulary, which is most elaborated in relation to coldness. It then considers in closer detail the application of these terms to tactile, ambient and personal-feeling temperature domains, and the terms' metaphoric extensions. The paper continues by investigating different ways of expressing degrees of temperature adjectives within a morphological system of intensification and attenuation. Finally, the syntax of temperature terms is discussed. This paper contains an analysis of aspect, tense and evidentiality in Middle Mongol. This language has a fairly complex aspectual system, consisting of mostly periphrastic constructions built up from converbal, participial and final suffixes, and two different stative copula verbs. These express progressivity, habituality, genericity, perfectivity, perfect and resultativity on the present and past tense level. Present progressivity and resultativity can both be expressed by two different constructions that differ by their aspectual scope and/or actional properties. The three past tense suffixes mark factual, firsthand and secondhand information. This evidential trichotomy is restricted to the perfective aspect, while all other aspectual past tense markers only receive firsthand or secondhand marking. No aspectual distinctions seem to be made in the future, though both the future participle and the resultative participle can form contrafactual constructions. Khorchin, a Mongolian dialect spoken in eastern Inner Mongolia, has a tense-aspect system slightly simpler than Middle Mongol and considerably simpler than Central Mongolian dialects (Khalkha, Chakhar). While it can express the time stability of ongoing events with many nuances, present habitual and generic events are not distinguished. The existence of a present perfect category is doubtful, but in any case it doesn’t extend to the past as participle-copula-combinations are impossible. Evidentiality was lost in the central verbal system, but a non-obligatory quotative/hearsay marker exists. This article is an attempt to fit these phenomena into a coherent system of tense, aspect and related notions and to explore some of its diachronic implications. In this paper, we investigate frequency and duration of signs and parts of speech in Swedish Sign Language (SSL) using the SSL Corpus. The duration of signs is correlated with frequency, with high-frequency items having shorter duration than low-frequency items. Similarly, function words (e.g. pronouns) have shorter duration than content words (e.g. nouns). In compounds, forms annotated as reduced display shorter duration. Fingerspelling duration correlates with word length of corresponding Swedish words, and frequency and word length play a role in the lexicalization of fingerspellings. The sign distribution in the SSL Corpus shows a great deal of cross-linguistic similarity with other sign languages in terms of which signs appear as high-frequency items, and which categories of signs are distributed across text types (e.g. conversation vs. narrative). We find a correlation between an increase in age and longer mean sign duration, but see no significant difference in sign duration between genders. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur väl tvåspråkiga elever i årskurs 9 behärskade vanligt förekommande idiomatiska uttryck i skrivet språk. Tre faktorer som enligt tidigare studier visat sig påverka idiomförståelse är; semantisk transparens, om uttrycket står i en kontext samt tidigare kännedom om uttrycket. Läsförmågan kontrollerades med ett standardiserat avkodnings- och läsförståelsetest, och idiomförståelsen testades utifrån ett test med 45, främst transparenta frekventa idiomatiska uttryck, isolerade respektive i en kontext. Resultaten visade att typ av tvåspråkighet och nivå på läskunnighet påverkade idiomförståelsen. De successivt tvåspråkiga med svenska som andraspråk klarade inte av att använda kontexten vid tolkningen i lika hög grad som de simultant tvåspråkiga och successivt tvåspråkiga med svenska som förstaspråk. Däremot presterade båda grupperna bäst vid tolkningen av idiomatiska uttryck som de hade kännedom om sedan tidigare. Enligt utvecklingsmodellen, global elaboration model (GEM) börjar utvecklingsprocessen för figurativ kompetens i 8 årsåldern hos enspråkiga barn. Enligt resultaten i denna studie kunde successivt tvåspråkiga med svenska som andraspråk i årskurs 9 jämföras med enspråkiga barn i 7-8 årsåldern, medan gruppen med simultant tvåspråkiga och successivt tvåspråkiga med svenska som förstaspråk, kunde jämföras med enspråkiga barn mellan 9-12 år. Gerholm, ToveStockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, General Linguistics.Marklund, EllenStockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, Phonetics.Marklund, UlrikaStockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, Phonetics.Molnar, MonikaNilsson Björkenstam, KristinaStockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, Computational Linguistics.Schwarz, Iris-CorinnaStockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, Phonetics.Sjons, JohanStockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, Computational Linguistics. WILD 2015 is the second Workshop on Infant Language Development, held June 10-12 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden. WILD 2015 was organized by Stockholm Babylab and the Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University. About 150 delegates met over three conference days, convening on infant speech perception, social factors of language acquisition, bilingual language development in infancy, early language comprehension and lexical development, neurodevelopmental aspects of language acquisition, methodological issues in infant language research, modeling infant language development, early speech production, and infant-directed speech. Keynote speakers were Alejandrina Cristia, Linda Polka, Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz, Angela D. Friederici and Paula Fikkert. Organizing this conference would of course not have been possible without our funding agencies Vetenskapsrådet and Riksbankens Jubiléumsfond. We would like to thank Francisco Lacerda, Head of the Department of Linguistics, and the Departmental Board for agreeing to host WILD this year. We would also like to thank the administrative staff for their help and support in this undertaking, especially Ann Lorentz-Baarman and Linda Habermann. The WILD 2015 Organizing Committee: Ellen Marklund, Iris-Corinna Schwarz, Elísabet Eir Cortes, Johan Sjons, Ulrika Marklund, Tove Gerholm, Kristina Nilsson Björkenstam and Monika Molnar. this way, a sample of 101 languages was chosen from an initial set of the 222 languages that are best represented in WALS.The number of languages from different macroareas in this sample can be taken as an indication of the internal diversity of the area in question.Two issues are discussed in some detail: (i) the high diversity of the indigenous languages of the Americas and the tendency for these to be underrepresented by previous sampling methods; (ii) the extreme areal convergence of Mainland South East Asian languages. It is concluded that areal factors cannot be neglected in typological sampling, and that it must be questioned whether the creation of elaborate sampling algorithms makes sense. Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Centre for the Study of Cultural Evolution. Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, General Linguistics. This rather programmatic paper discusses the use of parallel corpora in the typological study of grammatical categories. In the author’s earlier work, tense-aspect categories were studied by means of a translational questionnaire, and “cross-linguistic gram-types” were identified through their distribution in the questionnaire. It is proposed that a similar methodology could be applied to multilingual parallel corpora. The possibility of identifying grammatical markers by word-alignment methods is demonstrated with examples from Bible texts. The paper discusses the relationship between cross-linguistic differences in grammatical resources and linguistic complexity. It is claimed that Sirionó (Tupí-Guaraní) lacks syntactic coordination as in English John and Mary are asleep. Instead, Sirionó employs a number of different strategies – the ‘with’ strategy, the list strategy, and the ‘also’ strategy – to make up for this. It is argued that one or more of these strategies may serve as a diachronic source of syntactic coordination. The development of syntactic coordination in a language exemplifies condensation processes in grammaticalization and increases complexity in the sense that a certain type of complex syntactic structure is introduced, and makes it possible to express in one syntactic unit what previously needed two or more. This book looks at some phenomena within the grammar of the noun phrase in a group of traditional North Germanic varieties mainly spoken in Sweden and Finland, usually seen as Swedish dialects, although the differences between them and Standard Swedish are often larger than between the latter and the other standard Mainland Scandinavian languages. In addition to being conservative in many respects – e.g. in preserving nominal cases and subject-verb agreement – these varieties also display many innovative features. These include extended uses of definite articles, incorporation of attributive adjectives, and a variety of possessive constructions. Although considerable attention has been given to these phenomena in earlier literature, this book is the first to put them in the perspective of typology and grammaticalization processes. It also looks for a plausible account of the historical origin of the changes involved, arguing that many of them spread from central Sweden, where they were later reverted due to the influence from prestige varieties coming from southern Scandinavia.

2019-04-24T07:14:12Z

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Click on the text size you need. REFRESH the page if needed. I receive them and add them to this webpage myself. These boat lifts are solidly built and reliable. I have had mine in the water since 2004 and have had no issues. I grease the wheels and chain in the spring and the fall. I also remove the bunks in the fall. The lift still looks new. When I decided to look for a boat lift I researched as many as I could find. In the end I found this to be the best built one with excellent quality. I needed one that I could leave in the water during the winter and this also met that requirement. I raise the lift to the maximum height in the fall and in the spring it is ready to go (our lake level drops about 5 feet in the fall and then is back up in the spring). I also found them the most knowledgeable on lifts. When I bought the lift I did not include the lift motor. After three years I changed boats and the new boat was heavier. After a year with the heavier boat I decided to add the lift motor. The boat lift was already designed for the motor and I was able to install it myself with very good instructions from Bo (this was my decision to install it myself). Any time I have had questions they are always willing to spend time to answer them and help. I definitely recommend this boat lift and would not hesitate to buy one again. (personal stuff)....As for the boat-lift by Viking, well, what can I say? It has performed like a Viking: hardy, reliable and ultimately problem-free and absolutely no rust! Kinda like me, a well-oiled machine! As you know, I have put out many, many recommendations for Viking Boat-Lifts over the years and, will continue to do so! Take care and great to hear from you! Thank you we are fine! Our Viking lift continues to work as promised by your company. We have done some greasing and oiling but other than that we just use it. Excellent piece of equipment. We have had our Viking boat lift since 2007 - BEST INVESTMENT I HAVE MADE AT THE COTTAGE !!! My Dock has shifted and has been repaired 3 times - My Viking Lift has not moved an Inch !!! I recommend this lift to anyone I know, I am very pleased with the functionality, reliability and service provided by Bo and company. The lift is beautiful, it is sleek and clean, I still get compliments on the lake about the lift !!! General Manager, Lintex Computer Group Inc. ...thought we would share our first evening with our boat on the lift with you! All went well. It was worth the wait!! I can't believe that its been 5 years since the boat lift has been installed. It has worked flawlessly since you set it up. Its a neighborhood land mark..."the floating sail boat", because the lift hides behind the boat, and from most angles, the observer only sees, the boat lifted into the air, but cannot see the lift. Its a great work of art and engineering. I couldn't be happier with your product. It's been a long time since I sent you an email! My family and I really enjoyed the dock and lift this past season! The Viking Lift System WORKS GREAT! I did adjust the left bunk as instructed, and will send a new picture soon. The lake has been OVER the dock three times since installation! I left the boat on the lift this winter, and so far it has weathered very well. I trust that Bo and everyone at Viking are doing well! I just wanted to drop you a note and let you know that I am truly happy in that I have the cleanest boat on the lake! The Viking Boat lift, now over a year old, is still working and looking great. The ability to effortlessly raise my new boat in and out of the water is awesome. It is so very different from the traditional lifts and very sleek. And it hasn't moved an inch....even through the winter ice. Thanks again for building and installing the best boat lift on the market! Hi Angelina � thanks for reaching out to me and for checking in on our boat lift. Our Viking boat lift has performed perfectly since it was installed. I have not had one problem and it has not shifted one inch even with it being left in the water through winter ice and snow. Our neighbors got a lift a Viking Boat Lift about 2 years ago after having seen our lift (Doug and Deb) and I continually talk about the lift whenever we have visitors to our cottage. One of these days I need to add the electric motor to the lift so I can keep up with my neighbors. I highly recommend Viking boat lifts to anyone who will listen and many of my cottage neighbors are very jealous. Overall the lift works fine. Have had a 4000 lb 24 ft triple pontoon with a 225 engine on it no problem. Lift is stable and hasn't budged despite the mucky bottom. Even had one incident of 40 mph winds. Nothing moved. And yes, way less intrusive than the typical 4 post cable lift. even with the ice all around it. Really pleased with the purchase. Well it has been a very busy summer for us. The weather has been incredible, so having the boat lift has given us the pleasure of even more boating. I must admit, winding it up and down is definitely a chore, but well worth the effort. I have a boat that is clean as a whistle on the bottom. We have the kids (all 6 of them) help with the up and down. I am including some photos - to show you that having an unobstructed view of the river is very important to us. We can watch the ships going up and down and the sunsets without having to look around a big ugly boat lift. Thanks to Bo for a good job done! In October of 2004 we had Bo from Viking Boat Lift come and install one of their lifts at our dock. It was one of the best purchases we made for our boat. Not only does it look fantastic down at the dock, but even after six years our boat still fits like new. Living in Huntsville, Ontario we were greatly concerned about what we would need to do in the winter months as our lake freezes over. Bo assured us that this would not be an issue. The lift is permanent so there is no extra work during the different seasons and even with the ice there has been no movement of the lift. The mechanics of the lift also work just as good the day they were installed. Even as we are completely satisfied with the sturdy craftsmanship of the lift itself, we are even more impressed and satisfied with the superior customer service that we receive from Bo and Angelina. Our questions and concerns have all been directly answered and addressed in a pleasant manner. Bo continues to follow-up with us on a regular basis to verify that no issues have arisen. He even stops in when in the area just to see for himself that everything is running to his first-class standards. In all we are very, very pleased with both the service and the product of Viking Boat Lift and would highly recommend their business to anyone and everyone. Everything is good with us and I hope with you as well. We are very pleased with the lift and it works like a charm. I must admit that it met and even exceeded my expectations. Quite impressive. Also the installation went fairly smoothly and Bo is quite the character. All and all it was a good investment and I do appreciate you going out of your way to make this a pleasant experience. Thank you very much for the great service on the long weekend. It is nice to know that there still are providers out there with quality installations and service still available. I have just completed Year II of my Viking Boat LIft Experiment with great success and hope to continue for many more. My lift is in about 4 feet of water on a sandy bottom 140 feet from shore on Lake Simcoe in a big bay. We remove the dock each fall as the ice and storms have been know to rip apart anything left in their wake. So far Bo's lift design has withstood 2 winters, (more importantly 2 springs and ice melts) without a hitch. We raise the bunks up all the way and put a snow fence around the lift, so that the snow mobiles and ice fishing vehicles don't crash into it. It is a great design with the lowest draft, which we need for our shallow water. Our Malibu looks great sitting on the lift. I met Bo and he seems to be a very hard working, honest guy, who designed, built and installed the lift. Angelina is great too. This boat lift is great! Permanent installation required no season removal, and minimal maintenance. First day after ice melt in the spring, my boat is on the lift and ready for the season. I recommend this boat lift for people that need high quality and (a) 'heavy weather conditions' proof product. We remain very happy with the lift. It works and looks great, and I found it very easy to get used to, from pulling the boat in, to cranking it up, to locking it. The lift has performed well. Overall I am very pleased. It is very well built and handles the ice well. This lift has satisfied my major concerns: well built and rugged. Leave in the water in winter. Able to move it if necessary and a clean wave free boat. Well, after a slow start to spring I'm happy to say that I couldn't be more pleased with the boat lift! Even better than the ease of use however were all the the people who this spring had to admit they were wrong when they doubted the lift would survive staying in all winter! Not only did it stay in, it didn't move an inch! I am VERY pleased and would highly recommend the Viking Boat Lift. Time has really been rushing by. We are well and continue to enjoy our place here on the Tennessee River. Your lift continues to work just like it did the day it was installed. After 5 years all we have done is grease the fittings and replace the bunk board carpets. It is one well built piece of machinery. Thanks so much for building such a reliable product. Always available for a demo if you need one in this area. It has consistently gone up and down with a boat (on it) and without a problem. I would hazard to guess that it is probably the finest boat lift ever made. We have used the Viking Lift for going on ten years now and other then doing basic maintenance we have had no problems with it. Bo did a terrific job! This photo shows a Donzi, we've had our 21' wake boat on it and several others as well. Elegant engineering-simple design, with few moving parts, flawless operation for 5 years! Safe and secure lift. Ease of operation- with a push of a button the boat is in the water, no ropes, lock down mechanism required- just lower and go! Very secure system...worth every penny. I purchased a Viking Boat Lift in 1996....works great, and now my neighbours have purchased as well.....they all work excellent. Thanks to Bo and Angela @ Viking Marine International on an Excellent Product with excellent service. I purchased a Viking lift for my Ski Boat after meeting Bo @ the Cottage Life Show. The lift was custom Manufactured by Bo including a Custom Step Platform jointly designed by Bo and Myself. He and his crew made the journey to our lake, where it was professionally installed and has endured 5 seasons without incident! Many people stop and ask who makes this lift and how it lasts through the heavy ice in the spring. I highly recommend the Viking Lift for all Boats! It is virtually Maintenance free and the best part is you never move it! We've had our Viking for 2 years now, and 2 winters, and its in the exact same spot where Bo first put it. We're absolutely thrilled with our decision to get a Viking. Its not just clean-looking, its also incredibly solid. At the end of the season you just leave it. Every other boatlift is more work. Every other boatlift is uglier. Its a simple decision, call Bo'. Long time no talk. I guess we are still hibernating. Hope all is well with you. Thank you for taking time to look for asking about the Viking Boat Lift. I guess you are quite confident about your lift to go and prompt for feedback. I had so far no problem with the Viking Boat Lift. I just love it. So nice to be able to leave home and not worry about finding your boat banging on the dock, or worst, in the middle of the lake or banging on the rocks. We will probably put the bigger boat in the water next summer. It will be a toss between the Sea-Doo and the bigger boat as to which one will sit securely on the boat lift. Perhaps on the long run, we may have to buy a second lift. The ice last year has not moved the lift by an inch. This year, it will be another test. I have confidence however that it will not move. I have so much confidence that I have attached my dock to the boat lift. My dock is too heavy to be removed from the water. Normally, I tie it up along the shore, but this year, I decided to leave it in place (with removal of the bars holding each sections) and leave it in place tied-up to the boat lift. A new experience�. All that to say that whoever wants to hear it, this is one of the best purchases I made. It was about one year ago when the door bell rang and Bo was here at last. I had been waiting for some time but I knew that this lift would be worth the wait. I was not disappointed. This lift is the talk of our neighborhood here on Lake Murray in South Carolina. This lift is really a heavy duty, well constructed unit that is easy to use. The outside walkway is a must if you plan to cover your boat. My bass boat weighs about 3000 lbs. and cranks up with little effort. We get high wave action at my location and believe me, the lift has not moved from the position Bo placed it. Angelina is great to work with and will always tell you straight-up whats going on with your lift order. It has been almost 10 months since Bo came to install our boat lift. First, I have to say that I was somewhat skeptical about leaving the boat lift in the lake all winter knowing how rough the ice can be in the Spring. I am glad to say that the boat lift has not moved an inch and since then, we have purchased a Sea-Doo and using the lift for it. It is unbelievably stable and such easy to use. It brings a lot of questions from friends visiting and neighbors. I do not think that one person have not said something about the original and neat look of the boat lift compared to the other types available on the market. All that to say that the little family is extremely satisfied with the Viking boat lift and finally found a way to fully enjoy our waterfront with leaving our boat secured in the lake and not having to worry about having the bottom of the boat all dirty. We really liked Bo and felt he was very knowledgeable and professional. Sharon was impressed and now understands why I trusted you guys with my money and patience. The picture on the website looks fantastic. My boat hoisted up beside the Canadian flag paints a perfect picture. Bo and Gary never quit the job until they got the lift just right. Now we can jump in the boat, drive away in seconds at the push of a button. When we leave our cottage we are comfortable knowing our boat is safe and secure. Thanks on a great job. I will recommend your lift to everyone!! The picture looks " Tremendous " on your web site. The very best of good luck to Viking Boat Lift & its staff. You guys are the very best in the business!!! I really love this lift, it is a great way to keep the boat out of the water and still get it back in 60 seconds. I use this lift every single day June to September and it is working very well for me. Lift is performing very well and more importantly we are able to enjoy our boat more. We no longer worry about the boat hitting the dock with bad weather or heavy boat traffic. Love the way the boat looks on the lift. The installation went well. Its a great boat lift. Well engineered and it has a sleek modern look. It is well worth the wait. I am certain that it will lift the boat high enough to keep it above the water when the level of the lake rises. It will make it possible to use my boat year round, and lift it up during bad weather. Things are going great. The lift is working out fine. This will be the 4th Michigan winter for the lift and it still looks like its new. I get all kinds of compliments on how good it looks. Just wanted to let you know how well the Viking Lift is working out for us here in Florida. It works flawlessly and is the envy of my neighbors. It's exactly what I wanted, a 6000 lb. capacity lift that operates well on 115 v. As an added bonus, when the property appraiser came around, unlike my neighbors who were taxed on their lifts as real property, I was not as mine is not attached to the seawall and is considered portable. We are extremely proud of our Viking boat lift, not only because of the appearance but also the performance of the lift. We normally have to clean the hull and bottom for two days after being in the water all summer. The boat lift keeps our boat looking great all the time. Entering and exiting the lift is a breeze. We are always showing the lift to other people. Hopefully they don�t think we are boasting. Most people don�t realize that we have a lift until they get to our dock. It is the best investment we could of made with our boat. Always good to hear from you and Bo. The lift is working great! It has performed without any problems since deliver. It is so nice to have a piece of marine equipment you do not have to second guess. "I don't know about you, but after reading a bunch of these, I am amazed that EVERY boat owner isn't clammering for one of these lifts. I know these are actual client comments because some come directly to me via email, to be added to the site. This has GOT to be one fine product." The lift works great have had it for six months now and have had no problems. has handled winds up to about 30 mph and has not moved. love the remote feature. It (the Viking Boat Lift) has worked as advertised. I will attach a copy of a photo with the boat. If we can serve as a reference for western Montana we would be happy to. When we look out from the house and see our boat high and dry from the wave action we are reminded just how well your Viking lifts work and how well they hold up under all conditions. Your installation of our lift was positioned just as we had planned and to this day the lift has not moved. Thanks again for building a product that works so well and almost disappears when in use. We really like it. exactly where I wanted it. The remote control is a great feature I use it all the time. I want you to know that I am extremely happy with the lift, and am impressed with the rugged construction. Again thanks for a great product and a job well done. We are located on the North Shore of Upper Rideau Lake. Boat's here have sunk on this shoreline which were fastened with whips. We copied our next door neighbour who has had his Viking Boat Lift since 1999....... It hasn't moved an inch with the ice break-ups. We have complete trust with ours, and it is a joy winding down so easily to float, and then raising it up to it's absolute secure and high levels. Bo and his helper are great guys who know exactly what they are doing, and enjoy it!! Believe it or not, it is almost a year since the lift was put in at our cottage on Pigeon Lake. It worked great all year and docking into the cradle was never an issue. The option of putting the cover on after it is docked is great also. I was up last weekend and the lift, as you said, did not move. It is very comforting knowing that the boat was safe and sound when we were not there. We did have a number of people stop to see how the boat was supported, hopefully you get a few calls. I did my research and came up with your product via the Internet. I was right! Your product and service were/are #1. We just love our boat-lift and how it operates so easily and looks absolutely great with our boat perched on top! The Viking boat lift tripled our family's boating pleasure on Lake Ontario this past summer. Instead of travelling to the marina and back, we just hit the remote to lower the boat down, turned the key, and we were out on the lake within minutes! Also,the guides made it simple to drive right back up on the crib when you're done. Couldn't be easier! We would recommend Viking's smartly engineered and quality built boat lift to anyone who wants to get the most use of their boat. I am glad I had a Viking Boat Lift versus others......... August Friday the 13th. Hurricane Charley roaled past at 145 mph. (173 mph unconfirmed). Some lift's collapsed but this one stayed in place and kept my boat safe......thankyou. Bo's Note: Joe's boat was on the lift during the storm. Everyone here is fine. The lift performs beautifully. It weathered the hurricane winds with the boat on it without a problem. We feel this lift was one of the best investments we have ever made. So easy to operate, sturdy, even a child could pull the boat in. Please tell Bo the family says hello and wishes him well. I looked at a number of lifts before going with the Viking. The Viking design is simply the most rugged and aesthetically pleasing lift available. Our lift has been in the lake for 3 years, ice and all, and has never let us down. You cannot go wrong with the Viking (boat) lift. The entire process, from ordering to installation to operation went very well...No surprises. Your product is unique and works great. I have recommended your company to other waterfront/boat owners in my area. Y'know, to be completely fair, we should show some of the 'negative' comments on our boat lift. "What? It doesn't come in RED?" My wife says the Viking Boat Lift was just installed. "I can't see it!" "Where'd he put it?" All my neighbours came over to see it and said: "That's it?" "Where's all the wheels and slings?" They think I got ripped off. "What? It doesn't come in PINK?" My wife had a Viking Boat Lift installed and it works so easy that I no-longer have any more reasons to NOT go out there. I don't have the heart to tell her....I hate boating. Don't buy one! You'll be asked about who makes it, at least once a day. Its been a whole summer since I received my Viking Boat Lift and my neighbour still bugs me about when am I getting it. I keep telling him that "It's--just--right--there!", but he can't see it. What? I can't get it in Baltimore Colts colours? Following up from my boat lift installation over a year ago, I just wanted to mention how impressed I am that everything continues to work as promised (or better). I wanted a lift that was going to be easy to use and also stand up to the ice, since I wasn't able to take it out for the winter. After the first winter, the lift is still sitting in the water exactly as Bo installed it-- without any sign of wear or aging and without the need for any adjustment. Of course, we get a little bit of exercise cranking the boat (an 18 foot Bayliner) out of the water, but my wife or kids have no trouble doing it on their own. We tend to park the boat along side our floating dock during the day, but always put it on the lift in the evening or in any kind of rough weather. My cottage neighbor finally got a boat and we recommended he consider a Viking Boat Lift also. We love the boat lift. It is so easy to use, very accessible, and has dramatically improved our attitude! The installation was smooth and easy, even with our challenging terrain - we just can't say enough good things. Many boats have done a double take to check it out - I expect you will have many referrals. Thanks for all your help, and feel free to refer people to us for references. I wanted to drop you a note and tell you how please I am with my Viking lift. As you know I purchased a brand new 20-foot inboard ski boat at the Toronto Boat Show 2003. I decided that I did not want to tie my boat up to my dock so I started researching boatlifts. At the time I was only familiar with the standard four post cable units that are from my opinion an eyesore, not to mention the fact that you must remove it from the lake every fall and reinstall it in the spring. So I took to the web to search out alternatives and found your web site. After my first meeting with the two of you I was convinced that you offered the best product and tremendous customer service! It has been a year since you installed my lift and I am happy to say the unit has work flawlessly and it survived a very difficult Muskoka winter without any issue. Bo did a fantastic job installing the lift, during a miserable cold and rainy day. He willingly returned to make some minor adjustments. You have also been very responsive to my questions via phone and email. I just wanted to share with you my satisfaction now that I have enjoyed using the lift for a year and say thanks for building such a great product and providing excellent service! The Viking Boat Lift has turned out to be exactly the boat lift we were looking for. We had several concerns in our location: salt water, a very muddy bottom, tidal water which can get fairly shallow and a narrow canal which didn't allow us to use pilings. We also wanted a unit that was easy to use and dependable. The lift accommodates all of these concerns. After seeing the thickness of the metal used on the lift, I'm sure it's lifespan will outlast our boat. The lift sits solidly despite a muddy bottom and we are able to get our boat off even at low tide. The lift is easy to use and the mechanism is so ingeniously simple I expect it to be trouble free for years to come. In addition to all of this, it has been a pleasure to deal with Bo and Angela. We looked for a lift for quite some time and are very happy with our final decision. Just a short note to say THANK YOU for such a "1"derful product that you guys produce. Once again, after a long cold winter, we just put our boat back in the water and as always, your boat lift worked perfectly. Our boat is now setting all save (*safe*) and sound out of the water. The quality of your product is exemplified by the "3" other Viking Boat Lifts in our neighborhood and the inquires we receive from others. I also would like to THANK you for the expert installation of your product. Your boat lift is the center piece of our dock. Thanks again from another happy customer. We just wanted you to know how much we appreciate using our Viking Boat Lift. After three summers, it still looks and works like new. However, the best part is that, we do not have to take it out of the water for the winter and then put it back in the spring. We have a lot of ice in Sandusky Bay, and the lift has survived with no damage. The facts are simple.... I love the lift !!! I showed it to a lakefront neighbor today when we were taking the kids snowmobiling. The first year was great, and can't wait to put my trophy on the lift in the spring. Because I did not take any pictures of my boat during the summer season, I thought I would write to you next season. As I was down at the lake today, it dawned on me, you may be able to use this information -- it is one of the reasons I purchased your lift. If you remember our lake level could vary drastically during the summer season. In fact, two seasons ago, the water level was too low, and I had to leave my boat sitting in the water for a month before the water rose again... drove me nuts. To my point, the two pictures attached, I took today. My one daughter is holding a tape measure. I sprayed a red stripe on the lift to indicate when the water depth is getting to low in the lake for me to leave my boat on the lift. The top of the red strip is 25 inches off the lake bottom. That is the point that I need to be careful. The draft on my Sea Ray is 19inches. When the water is 23-25 inches, I still have no problem having my boat float on and off the lift. Where else can you get a lift with such low water needs. I love this lift. I will send you more and more pictures when my boat is sitting 4 feet above my docks. It is my trophy ! "When I first started looking for a boat lift back in January of 2000, I wanted a lift due to the fact that my boat was so heavy I could not really tow it and the fact that I lived on a busy slew, had a lot of boat traffic and wanted to lift the boat out of the water due to the fact that the (river) leaves dirty "coffee stain" on the hull and the only way to remove it is to scrub, scrub, scrub. I did not have power at my dock so I searched the internet for boat lifts, I looked at solar power lifts, cantilever lifts, pneumatic lifts and finally a manual lift from Viking Marine. I found your internet site and after talking with you several times I made the decision to purchase you[r] manual lift for my 25 ft Sea Ray, which weighs about 5,200 lbs (with fuel) vs. buying one that required me running power to the dock. I had some concerns about the weight of the boat and the manual lift but the large hand wheel you supplied to raise and lower the lift made it seem effortless (even to my 13 year old son who lifted the boat several times - even Mom helped - sometimes)." "obviously my neighbours must have liked it too because three other lifts (all from Viking Marine) went up in our slew within a few months." "Since I have installed the electric motor at my new home (YEA :-) I have power at the dock) I love the lift even better, especially the remote. I also have enjoyed all the attention the lift gets, people come by the dock 'just to look' and I even had one person ask what was lifting my boat." "I have enjoyed working with you and Bo and hope to see ya'll again soon, installing lifts for my new neighbours. Thanks for everything, Eric B." "Hi! Bo. I've got to tell you the lift has been wonderful for us up here on Lake Nipissing. For the last five years we've had no trouble. And being the fisherman I am its used on average twice a week, from ice out to ice on. Speaking of ice, we've had ice shifts at thaugh [thaw] and it never moved a thing. MUST HAVE BEEN YOUR PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION. THANK YOU MUCH FOR YOUR WONDERFUL SERVICE. Hi Bo - just wanted to let you know that the lift you installed at my cottage on Lake Huron is still working great! After 3 winters of the lift being frozen in solid ice and a number of wicked storms - the lift still looks and works as well as the day you installed. It definitely is passing the 'test of time'. Keep up the good work and thanks for a great lift! ~ And it works like a charm (smooth, reliable, easy). When I decided to buy a beautiful restored wooden boat, I knew I wanted a boat lift. But all the lifts advertised in the Boat mags and on the web were all wrong. The 4-legged versions were too expensive, ugly, had to be removed in the Winter and could only work in shallow water. In short, a lot of money for NOT a lot of lift. I wanted a lift I could put at the end of my dock, where it was almost 15 feet deep. The only versions that could seem to do this (I thought!) were pontoon contraptions that I really did not like (very unattractive and looked very tricky). What to do.. Then, by luck, I stumbled across your website, and it seemed to be too good to be true. A lift that could go in almost any depth, was nearly invisible when in use, and did not have to be removed in Winter. Working with you was a dream - you are great. Friendly, cooperative, and willing to explain everything. And the ultimate - Bo would do the installation - all the other so-called fancy lift companies wanted me to both arrange for the installation and the seasonal removals and re-installations. Argh. Bo and his crew installed the whole extraordinary thing in a couple of hours and I was in business. AND - the Viking Lift was the most reasonably priced unit on the market. Twice the lift for nearly half the price. There is a kind of art in great design - your lift is on the list of great yet simple designs. And it's backed by a great team. You and Bo have shown an interest in me as a customer after the sale and that kind of follow-up is rare these days. A resounding "It's the best lift in the biz" from Josh. So, best of luck and have a great Summer. I just wanted to send you a follow-up note on the boat lift you installed two years ago. I can sum-it-up in one word, "awesome". Your dual lift system with remote control, lifts my 30', 10K lbs., cruiser with ease. As you may recall, the canal water was shallow and the bottom very soft, but your lift remains in the exact same installed location. I also thought that our cold winter ice would move the lift. No way. . .this lift supports my boat all winter and remains as steady as a rock. Your boat lift is truly an excellent product, and your installation and follow-up was superb. Several of my neighbors are interested in your boat lifts and should be calling you soon. I thought I would send you an e-mail to let you know that I am very pleased with the boatlift Bo installed for me. I always had a great deal of concerns with my boat sitting in the water between our cottage visits. The new lift has provided me with relief and a great deal of peace of mind from many concerns such as sinking, drifting away, banging against the dock and reduced risk of theft. The unit has had no impact on the way we use our waterfront which is a bonus. It fit very neatly between our two slips and I thank Bo for his ingenuity working around the cribs. I am looking forward to many years of use and peace of mind. Dear Sir: I am writing to express my great satisfaction with your boat lift. I shopped long and hard before making a decision, and I am convinced that I made a great purchase. This is the most unobtrusive lift available. I did not want an "apparatus" ruining my waterfront. It seems as if my boat floats in air rather than sits hanging in a metal sling. When the boat is gone, the stem of the lift seems like it belongs to the dock even though it is not attached. Launching and docking are an absolute breeze with this lift. I recommend your company to all who inquire about the lift. The technology, strength, esthetics and delivery and installation were superior. Just a short note to provide feedback about my level of satisfaction with my Viking Boat Lift. Four years ago we noticed the Viking Boat Lift on display and was provided with a great "touch-and-feel" demo of the product. We did not own a boat that would compliment the lift, but kept it in mind. Since then, we have acquired a nice boat that we wanted to keep "on the ready" for weekends of fun. The Viking product was our point of reference and standard for comparison as we shopped around. Through our search, we became more and more convinced that the price and installation service provided by Bo at Viking was making sense. The attractiveness of the non-obtrusive Viking lift, and the ability to leave it in the lake over the winter were most favourable. We even convinced Bo to paint the lift hunter green colour to match our cottage and boat trim. (didn't know that Bo had it in him to respond so favourably to the female touch). I am delighted to know that my boat is safe and secure, and ready to go when I get to the cottage. It has been a most favourable experience, right down to the installation and customary photo shoot upon completion. Excerpt from a letter sent by Ruth and Geoff..... "Just wanted to let you know that the Viking lift worked great during hurricanes Dennis and Floyd.We had some soundside flooding so I had cranked the boat up about six feet above normal water level. Water came to within a foot of the bottom of the boat. I also felt that the boat was absolutely safe in winds up to 80 mph with no movement at all. I wish other boat owners could have seen this boat sitting high above the flood waters." Fred saw us at the Cottage Life Show in March '99 - so did Jim, and Michael, and Peter, and Diane, and Doug, and John, and Elgin and Cindy. They all enjoy their own Viking Boat Lifts this year. Actually, John liked it so much that he purchased three - all electric - two for inside his boathouse, and one for outside. Peggy said that if they were going to purchase a boat lift it would be preferable to have one that would not interfere with the beautiful view outside their window. So Hazel went shopping with that thought in mind. He found us at the Cottage Life Show '98, and now Peggy and Hazel enjoy their own Viking Boat Lift - and the view. John was one of the first people to purchase. He ordered the Viking Boat Lift with a custom swim deck ( you saw the picture ). He ordered another standard Viking Boat Lift the following year. He and his family get a lot of use out of their lifts. He has actually been kind enough to show interested people his lifts. He showed Bob and now Bob enjoys his own Viking Boat Lift. Peter sent us a nice letter. He " shopped long and hard before making a decision ", and Peter said that " launching and docking are an absolute breeze ". Peter and Diane appreciate that the Viking Boat Lift is " the most unobtrusive lift available ". Mike, after over two years, still comes by to visit us once in a while. He has a neighbour who would like us to come by to see his site. Another future home for the Viking Boat Lift? We will let you know as soon as we find out. (Aug '99) We went to see Mike's neighbour - and guess what? Turns out Mike had two neighbours who were interested in the Viking Boat Lift. Chris and Larry both chose the Viking Boat Lift.

2019-04-24T14:48:44Z

http://vikingboatlift.com/test.html

SPRING CREEK COAL COMPANY, Petitioner, v. SUSAN McLEAN, o/b/o of Bradford McLean, deceased; DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION PROGRAMS, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, Respondents. Before BRISCOE, LUCERO, and BACHARACH, Circuit Judges. William S. Mattingly, Jackson Kelly PLLC, Lexington, Kentucky, appearing for Petitioner. Sean G. Bajkowski , Counsel for Appellate Litigation (Nicholas C. Geale, Acting Solicitor of Labor, Maia S. Fisher, Associate Solicitor, and Rita A. Roppolo, Attorney, with him on the brief), United States Department of Labor, Washington, DC, appearing for Respondent, Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, United States Department of Labor. Jared L. Bramwell, Kelly & Bramwell, P.C., Draper, Utah, appearing for Respondent Susan McLean. Bradford McLean was born in Sheridan, Wyoming, on November 23, 1943. In October 1977, Mr. McLean began working for Wyoming-based Big Horn Coal Company (Big Horn). During his time with Big Horn, Mr. McLean worked as a shop laborer, plant laborer, utility oiler, drill helper, drill operator, and truck driver. In the summer of 1986, Mr. McLean left his employment with Big Horn and began working for Montana-based Spring Creek. At Spring Creek, Mr. McLean worked as a utility person, an assistant driller/shooter, and a driller shooter. It is undisputed that all of Mr. McLean's work occurred above ground in open pit coal mines. In approximately 2001, Mr. McLean for the first time “noted running out of breath with heavy physical exertion.” Joint App. at 10. Mr. McLean did not immediately seek a medical evaluation of his condition, and instead waited until approximately 2003 to discuss the matter with his primary care physician. “[B]y 2006 he was unable to complete the requirements of employment and eventually was unable to complete activities of daily living ․” Id. at 21. In 2006, Mr. McLean was referred to Dr. Robert Merchant, a pulmonologist in Billings, Montana. According to Mr. McLean, he was told by Dr. Merchant “that only 29% of his lungs were working” and Dr. Merchant diagnosed him as suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Id. at 10. Mr. McLean stopped working in or around coal mines on March 31, 2006, at the advice of his doctor. On September 28, 2006, Mr. McLain was approved for long-term disability. At that time, Dr. Merchant concluded that Mr. McLain was suffering from “severe lung disease from a combination of tobacco use and coal mine dust exposures.” Id. at 9. Dr. Merchant further concluded that Mr. McLain was “severe[ly] impair[ed]” and “totally disabled.” Id. On October 1, 2008, Mr. McLean transferred from long-term disability to retirement. In addition to his exposure to coal dust during his employment, two other factors potentially contributed to his COPD. First, Mr. McLean's childhood home lacked electricity and, therefore, “food was cooked on a wood or coal burning stove.” Id. at 21. “Such an activity is associated with a very high risk for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ․” Id. Second, Mr. McLean smoked for most of his adult life. More specifically, between the ages of twenty and sixty-four, he smoked approximately 1.5 packs of cigarettes per day. He ultimately quit smoking in May of 2008. On September 7, 2010, Mr. McLean submitted a claim for benefits under the BLBA. Mr. McLean died on June 11, 2011, while his claim for benefits was pending. Mr. McLean's wife, Susan McLean, succeeded him as the claimant. The DOL's “District Director approved the claim, because the evidence established the elements of entitlement that Mr․ McLean had [coal worker's pneumoconiosis] and was totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis.” Id. at 242. On July 21, 2011, Spring Creek requested a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). Consequently, the case was referred to the Office of Administrative Law Judges for a formal hearing. The case was assigned to a specific ALJ on June 27, 2013. On September 23, 2013, the ALJ held an evidentiary hearing in Denver, Colorado. Both Mrs. McLean and her son testified about Mr. McLean's experiences as a coal miner. Spring Creek presented its own witnesses who testified about the working conditions at the mine where Mr. McLean was employed. On October 6, 2015, the ALJ issued a decision and order awarding benefits to Mrs. McLean under the BLBA. In doing so, the ALJ first found “that for at least 15 years of his coal-mine employment at Spring Creek ․ , Mr. McLean worked in dust conditions substantially similar to those found in underground mining.” Id. at 247. The ALJ explained that “[e]ven though Mr. McLean worked inside a cab with an attached dust collector, he was regularly exposed to coal dust when he worked for Spring Creek.” Id. “Furthermore,” the ALJ noted, “Mr. McLean's wife's and son's testimony of his daily appearance after work suggest[ed] Mr. McLean was regularly exposed to dust.” Id. As for the evidence submitted by Spring Creek regarding the dust exposure that Mr. McLean likely encountered during his employment,2 the ALJ concluded that it was “insufficient to show that Mr. McLean was not regularly exposed to coal mine dust.” Id. The ALJ therefore concluded that “the first condition necessary to invoke the [applicable statutory and regulatory] presumption of total disability due to pneumoconiosis” had been met. Id. The ALJ in turn noted that “[t]he parties stipulated that [Mr. McLean] had a totally disabling pulmonary or respiratory impairment.” Id. at 247-48. Thus, the ALJ concluded that Mrs. McLean “ha[d] established the applicability of the rebuttable presumption that [Mr. McLean] was totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis.” Id. at 248. To rebut this presumption, the ALJ noted, Spring Creek was required to show either (1) that Mr. McLean “did not have any form of pneumoconiosis under the pertinent statutory and regulatory standards,” i.e., that he did not suffer from either “clinical pneumoconiosis” or “legal pneumoconiosis,”3 or (2) “that ‘his respiratory or pulmonary impairment did not arise out of, or in connection with, employment in a coal mine.’ ” Id. (quoting 30 U.S.C. § 921(c)(4)). Addressing the evidence in the record, the ALJ found “that the x-ray evidence and Dr. [Peter] Tuteur's medical opinion establish[ed] that [Mr. McLean] did not have clinical pneumoconiosis.” Id. at 251. And, “[t]here being no evidence to the contrary,” the ALJ “f[ou]nd that [Spring Creek] ․ disproved the existence of clinical pneumoconiosis pursuant to Section 718.305(d)(1)(i)(B).” Id. As for legal pneumoconiosis, however, the ALJ found “that the medical opinion evidence [offered by Spring Creek][wa]s insufficient to disprove the existence of legal pneumoconiosis.” Id. More specifically, the ALJ found that “[t]here [wa]s simply no well-reasoned, documented opinion, consistent with the regulatory standards and their scientific bases, establishing that [Mr. McLean] did not suffer from legal pneumoconiosis.” Id. at 258. Thus, the ALJ concluded that Spring Creek “failed to establish by a preponderance of the credible medical evidence that [Mr. McLean] d[id] not suffer from pneumoconiosis.” Id. at 259. The ALJ in turn found that Spring Creek “ha[d] failed to rebut the presumption that [Mr. McLean] was totally disabled due to legal pneumoconiosis.” Id. Consequently, the ALJ concluded that Mrs. McLean “[wa]s entitled to benefits under the Act.” Id. at 260. Because it was unclear from the record when Mr. McLean “became totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis,” the ALJ ordered that “benefits sh[ould] commence from September 2010, the month in which [Mr. McLean] filed the claim.” Id. Spring Creek appealed the ALJ's decision to the DOL's Benefits Review Board (the Board). Spring Creek asserted two general arguments: (1) that the ALJ “erred in finding that [Mr. McLean] established at least fifteen years of qualifying coal mine employment,” and in turn erred in finding that Mr. McLean “invoked the Section 411(c)(4) presumption”; and (2) that the ALJ “erred in finding that [Spring Creek] did not rebut the presumption.” Id. at 264. On February 16, 2017, the Board issued a written decision and order rejecting Spring Creek's arguments and affirming the ALJ's decision. In doing so, the Board first rejected Spring Creek's argument that the ALJ “applied an incorrect standard” in deciding to credit Mr. McLean “with at least fifteen years of qualifying coal mine employment.” Id. at 267. The ALJ, the Board noted, “applied the correct standard, requiring claimant to establish that [Mr. McLean's] surface coal mine employment regularly exposed him to coal-mine dust.” Id. The Board in turn rejected Spring Creek's argument that the ALJ “erred in finding the evidence established that [Mr. McLean] was regularly exposed to coal-mine dust while working at his surface coal mine employment.” Id. at 268. Thus, the Board in turn affirmed the ALJ's “determination that claimant invoked the rebuttable presumption of total disability due to pneumoconiosis at Section 411(c)(4).” Id. Finally, the Board rejected Spring Creek's argument that the ALJ “erred in finding that [Spring Creek] failed to establish that [Mr. McLean] did not have legal pneumoconiosis.” Id. at 269. In doing so, the Board concluded that the ALJ “permissibly discredited the opinions of [Spring Creek's experts] Drs. [Robert] Farney and [Peter] Tuteur, the only opinions supportive of a finding that [Mr. McLean] did not suffer from legal pneumoconiosis.” Id. at 270. Accordingly, the Board affirmed the ALJ's decision and order awarding benefits to Mrs. McLean. Spring Creek now petitions for review of the Board's decision and order. “Once the Board makes a merits determination, the [BLBA] allows for only ‘limited’ judicial review to determine ‘whether substantial evidence supports the factual findings of the ALJ and whether the legal conclusions of the [Board] and ALJ are rational and consistent with applicable law.’ ” Westmoreland Coal Co. v. Stallard, 876 F.3d 663, 668 (4th Cir. 2017) (quoting Hobet Mining, LLC v. Epling, 783 F.3d 498, 504 (4th Cir. 2015)). As a result, “we review the ALJ's factual findings for ‘substantial evidence’ ․ and the Board's legal conclusions de novo.” Id. Further, “we do not reweigh the evidence, but instead ask if, based on the record as a whole, substantial evidence is present to support the ALJ's decision.” Antelope Coal Co./Rio Tinto Energy Am. v. Goodin, 743 F.3d 1331, 1341 (10th Cir. 2014). “ ‘[T]he task of weighing conflicting medical evidence is within the sole province of the ALJ.’ ” Id. (quoting Hansen v. Dir., OWCP, 984 F.2d 364, 368 (10th Cir. 1993) (alteration in original)). The stated purpose of the BLBA is “to provide benefits ․ to coal miners who are totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis [ (black lung disease) ] and to the surviving dependents of miners whose death was due to such disease.” 30 U.S.C. § 901(a). Pneumoconiosis, according to DOL regulations implementing the BLBA, is “a chronic dust disease of the lung and its sequelae, including respiratory and pulmonary impairments, arising out of coal mine employment.” 20 C.F.R. § 718.201(a). “This definition includes both medical, or ‘clinical’, pneumoconiosis and statutory, or ‘legal’, pneumoconiosis.” Id. Clinical pneumoconiosis “consists of” a number of “diseases recognized by the medical community as pneumoconiosis” that are “characterized by permanent deposition of substantial amounts of particulate matter in the lungs and the fibrotic reaction of the lung tissue to that deposition caused by dust exposure in coal mine employment.” Id. § 718.201(a)(1). Legal pneumoconiosis “includes any chronic lung disease or impairment and its sequelae arising out of coal mine employment.” Id. § 718.201(a)(2). To establish entitlement to benefits under the BLBA, a claimant must demonstrate that: (1) he is a miner as defined in the applicable regulation; (2) he has pneumoconiosis (either form); (3) the pneumoconiosis arose out of coal mine employment; (4) he is totally disabled; and (5) the pneumoconiosis contributes to the total disability. 20 C.F.R. § 725.202(d). [I]f a miner was employed for fifteen years or more in one or more underground coal mines, and if there is a chest roentgenogram submitted in connection with such miner's, his widow's, his child's, his parent's, his brother's, his sister's, or his dependent's claim under this subchapter and it is interpreted as negative with respect to the requirements of paragraph (3) of this subsection, and if other evidence demonstrates the existence of a totally disabling respiratory or pulmonary impairment, then there shall be a rebuttable presumption that such miner is totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis, that his death was due to pneumoconiosis, or that at the time of his death he was totally disabled by pneumoconiosis. In the case of a living miner, a wife's affidavit may not be used by itself to establish the presumption. The Secretary shall not apply all or a portion of the requirement of this paragraph that the miner work in an underground mine where he determines that conditions of a miner's employment in a coal mine other than an underground mine were substantially similar to conditions in an underground mine. The Secretary may rebut such presumption only by establishing that (A) such miner does not, or did not, have pneumoconiosis, or that (B) his respiratory or pulmonary impairment did not arise out of, or in connection with, employment in a coal mine. The fifteen-year presumption outlined in § 921(c)(4) “was [first] created in 1972” and later “repealed in 1981.” Consolidation Coal Co. v. Dir., Office of Workers' Comp. Programs, 864 F.3d 1142, 1145 (10th Cir. 2017). “In 2010, however, Congress revived the presumption as to all claims filed after January 1, 2005, and pending on or after March 23, 2010.” Id. (iii) The miner has, or had at the time of his death, a totally disabling respiratory or pulmonary impairment established pursuant to § 718.204, except that § 718.204(d) does not apply. (2) The conditions in a mine other than an underground mine will be considered “substantially similar” to those in an underground mine if the claimant demonstrates that the miner was regularly exposed to coal-mine dust while working there. 20 C.F.R. § 718.305(b) (emphasis added). (ii) Establishing that no part of the miner's death was caused by pneumoconiosis as defined in § 718.201. Spring Creek challenges the legitimacy of 20 C.F.R. § 718.305(b)(2). According to Spring Creek, the “regularly exposed to coal-mine dust” standard adopted in that part of the regulation for assessing claims of above-ground coal miners, such as Mr. McLean, fails to satisfy the statutory standard that is outlined in 30 U.S.C. § 921(c)(4), i.e., that “conditions of a miner's employment in a coal mine other than an underground mine were substantially similar to conditions in an underground mine.” Simply put, Spring Creek contends the regulation's “regularly exposed to coal-mine dust” standard does not equate to the statute's standard which requires a showing of conditions “substantially similar” to those in an underground mine. Spring Creek argues that an above-ground mining position is not “substantially similar” to an underground mining position merely because a miner in an above-ground position is “regularly” exposed to coal mine dust. Aplt. Br. at 25. Indeed, Spring Creek argues, “[a] ‘regular exposure to dust’ standard eliminates any inquiry into whether the quantity of dust exposure was ‘substantially similar’ or if the dust exposure essentially resembled underground mining without being identical.” Id. Thus, Spring Creek argues, the DOL's “§ 718.305(b)(2) regulation provides a definition different from the statute by looking only for regular dust exposure to find work in conditions other than an underground mine sufficient to invoke the 15-year presumption.” Id. at 26. Spring Creek also argues that, even though the regulation allows operators to introduce dust sampling and other information to attempt to rebut the presumption, the regulation provides “no guidance” as to “how the introduction of such technical data is relevant or may be used in analyzing the ‘inherently anecdotal’ lay evidence” that will inevitably be introduced by a claimant. Id. at 29. Spring Creek's arguments, however, are undercut by our prior decision in Antelope Coal. In that case, we dealt with a BLBA claim and, in doing so, had to decide as a threshold matter whether the revised versions of 20 C.F.R. §§ 718.305(b)(2) and (d)(1) applied to the case since they became effective after the claim was filed. We held that the revised subsections did in fact “apply because they do not change existing law and are substantially consistent with prior regulations and agency practices.” 743 F.3d at 1342. With respect to § 718.305(b)(2) in particular, we noted that it “addresses when a surface miner's working conditions are substantially similar to underground mining working conditions.” Id. Further, we noted that the Seventh Circuit was “[t]he only circuit to address this issue” and it “has long held that surface miners do not need to provide evidence of underground mining conditions to compare with their own working conditions.” Id. (citing decisions from the Seventh Circuit). “These [Seventh Circuit] decisions,” we held, “validate the [DOL]'s longstanding position that consistently dusty working conditions are sufficiently similar to underground mining conditions.”7 Id. And, we held, “[t]he revised regulation,” i.e., § 718.305(b)(2), “codifies that interpretation by making regular exposure to coal mine dust the standard to determine substantial similarity of surface working conditions to those in underground mines.” Id. Spring Creek acknowledges Antelope Coal in its opening brief, but attempts to distinguish it as a factual matter. According to Spring Creek, Antelope Coal “was more tenuous that [sic] the Board suggests and driven by the facts presented.” Aplt. Br. at 34. In particular, Spring Creek asserts that in Antelope Creek “there was no evidence to consider but for the miner's testimony about his exposure to dust at above-ground mines.” Id. Further, Spring Creek argues that “[t]here was no § 718.305(b)(2) to consult at the time of [the] hearing” in Antelope Creek “as it was not published until September 25, 2013.” Id. Lastly, Spring Creek asserts that in Antelope Creek “there was no scientific information to measure similarity and guide the fact finder's analysis.” Id. at 35. We reject Spring Creek's arguments. To begin with, it is immaterial whether or not the employer in Antelope Creek presented evidence—scientific or otherwise—to rebut the miner's testimony. The important point, for purposes of the instant appeal, is Antelope Creek's discussion of the miner's burden that is outlined in § 718.305(b)(2). And, in turn, Spring Creek is incorrect in suggesting that § 718.305(b)(2) was somehow inapplicable in Antelope Creek simply because it had not been published at the time of the October 20, 2010 evidentiary hearing before the ALJ. Indeed, the court in Antelope Creek expressly held that § 718.305(b)(2) was applicable to the miner's claim. 743 F.3d at 1341-42. Thus, contrary to Spring Creek's assertions, we conclude that Antelope Creek is directly on point and effectively rebuts Spring Creek's challenge to the standard outlined in § 718.305(b)(2). Moreover, Spring Creek's position is also undercut by the various Seventh Circuit decisions that we referred to in Antelope Coal. Most notably, in Dir., Workers' Comp. Programs, U.S. Dep't of Labor v. Midland Coal Co., 855 F.2d 509 (7th Cir. 1988), the Seventh Circuit addressed “the question whether a surface miner, in order to qualify for the presumption of § [921(c)(4) ], bears the burden of producing evidence of conditions prevailing in an underground mine.” Id. at 511. In answering this question in the negative, the Seventh Circuit analyzed the language of § 921(c)(4) and could “discern no plain meaning of [its] requirement of ‘substantial similarity.’ ” Id. “Instead,” the Seventh Circuit stated, “immediately apparent is the fact that the [BLBA] does not specify whether a claimant must establish similarity to a particular underground mine, a hypothetical underground mine, the best, worst, or an average underground mine.” Id. Turning to the legislative history of the BLBA, the Seventh Circuit found “it somewhat ambiguous,” but was “persuaded” that it “establish[ed] that Congress, at the very least, was aware that underground mines are dusty and that exposure to coal dust causes pneumoconiosis.” Id. at 512. The Seventh Circuit in turn held that “[t]his supports the conclusion that Congress focused specifically on dust conditions in enacting the ‘substantial similarity’ provision.” Id. Ultimately, the Seventh Circuit held that “in order to qualify for the presumption of [§ 921(c)(4)], a surface miner must only establish that he was exposed to sufficient coal dust in his surface mine employment.” Id. “It is then the function of the ALJ,” the Seventh Circuit held, “based on his expertise and, we would expect, certain appropriate objective factors (such as whether the surface miner was employed near the tipple—where conditions are apparently known to be very dusty— or further away from the tipple), to compare the surface mining conditions established by the evidence to conditions known to prevail in underground mines.” Id. at 512-13 (footnote omitted). The final rule's revised language clarifies the Department's intent about how the substantial similarity analysis should be conducted. The final rule acknowledges, as the Seventh Circuit recognized in Midland Coal, a fundamental premise underlying the BLBA, as demonstrated by the legislative history, i.e., that “underground mines are dusty.” Midland Coal, 855 F.2d at 512. Given that legislative fact, it is unnecessary for a claimant to prove anything about dust conditions existing at an underground mine for purposes of invoking the 15-year presumption. Instead, the claimant need only focus on developing evidence addressing the dust conditions prevailing at the non-underground mine or mines at which the miner worked. The objective of this evidence is to show that the miner's duties regularly exposed him to coal mine dust, and thus that the miner's work conditions approximated those at an underground mine. The term “regularly” has been added to clarify that a demonstration of sporadic or incidental exposure is not sufficient to meet the claimant's burden. The fact-finder simply evaluates the evidence presented, and determines whether it credibly establishes that the miner's non-underground mine working conditions regularly exposed him to coal mine dust. If that fact is established to the fact-finder's satisfaction, the claimant has met his burden of showing substantial similarity. And if the periods of regular exposure in non-underground mine employment (combined with any underground mine employment) total 15 years or more, the claimant will be entitled to invoke the presumption if a total respiratory or pulmonary disability is also established. This procedure will also alleviate one commenter's concern that some administrative law judges may not be knowledgeable about conditions in underground mines. To the extent the comments urge the Department to adopt technical comparability criteria, such as requiring a claimant to produce scientific evidence specifically quantifying the miner's exposure to coal mine dust during non-underground mining, the Department rejects the suggestion. Benefit claimants, who must bear the burden of proving substantial similarity to invoke the presumption, generally do not control this type of technical information about the mines in which the miner worked. See generally Usery, 428 U.S. at 29 (noting that “showing of the degree of dust concentration to which a miner was exposed [is] a historical fact difficult for the miner to prove.”). Instead, the coal mine operators control dust-sampling and similar information about their mines. While this information is publicly available from the Mine Safety and Health Administration for some mines, it may not be relevant or available in any particular case. Dust sampling in non-underground mines is done on a designated-position basis (e.g., bulldozer operator, driller). See generally 30 CFR 71.201 et seq. Thus, the results may not be relevant to miners doing other jobs and certainly would not be an adequate basis for the Department to adopt an exposure rule for all non-underground miners. Instead, the Department believes the standard should be one that may be satisfied by lay evidence addressing the individual miner's experiences. Congress enacted the Section 411(c)(4) presumption to assist miners and their survivors in establishing entitlement to benefits, and also permitted certain claimants to prove entitlement by lay evidence. 30 U.S.C. 923(b). Putting insurmountable hurdles in claimants' paths does not comport with that intent. Moreover, because a claimant's dust exposure evidence will be inherently anecdotal, it would serve no purpose for the Department to develop an objective, and therefore dissimilar, benchmark of underground mine conditions for comparison purposes. The legislative fact that underground coal mines are dusty is fully sufficient for this purpose. Of course, nothing would preclude a coal mine operator from introducing evidence—including any technical data within its control—showing that the particular miner was not regularly exposed to coal mine dust during his non-underground coal mine employment. Regulations Implementing the Byrd Amendments to the Black Lung Benefits Act: Determining Coal Miners' and Survivors' Entitlement to Benefits, 78 Fed. Reg. 59102, 59104-59105 (Sept. 25, 2013). As these comments make clear, the DOL clearly considered and rejected the same argument that Spring Creek is asserting in this case. Of course, we are not bound by the DOL's determination that its own regulation is consistent with the BLBA. But we must defer to the DOL's reasonable interpretation of the BLBA. See Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Nat. Res. Def. Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 842-45 (1984); Andersen v. Dir., Office of Workers' Comp. Programs, 455 F.3d 1102, 1103 (10th Cir. 2006) (noting that courts must give “considerable weight” to the DOL's interpretation of the BLBA). And the DOL's explanation reasonably and persuasively indicates why the standard adopted in § 718.305(b)(2) is consistent with § 921(c)(4)'s “substantial similarity” standard. Moreover, the DOL's explanation undercuts Spring Creek's argument on appeal that “[a] ‘regular exposure to dust’ standard eliminates any inquiry into whether the quantity of dust exposure was ‘substantially similar’ or if the dust exposure essentially resembled underground mining without being identical.” As the DOL notes, that is precisely what an ALJ must do in analyzing an above-ground miner's claim to the presumption, i.e., the ALJ must, based upon the evidence presented by the miner and the coal company, determine how much coal dust the miner was exposed to during his/her career and decide whether that exposure was substantially similar to what a miner would have been exposed to in an underground mine. Finally, and relatedly, it is simply unclear what Spring Creek would have an ALJ do in assessing an above-ground miner's claim. Really all that an ALJ can do is precisely what the DOL indicates they must do: “simply evaluate[ ] the evidence presented, and determine[ ] whether it credibly establishes that the miner's non-underground mine working conditions regularly exposed him to coal mine dust.” 78 Fed. Reg. 59,105 (Sept. 25, 2013). Thus, in sum, we reject Spring Creek's challenge to the legitimacy of § 718.305(b)(2). c) Did the ALJ err in his analysis of the medical opinions? Spring Creek also argues that the case must be remanded because the ALJ “err [ed] in his analysis of the medical opinions” that were offered at the evidentiary hearing. Aplt. Br. at 45. In support, Spring Creek first asserts that “if the 15-year presumption is inapplicable” (as it argues in its first issue), “the ALJ must be instructed to reweigh the evidence for proof pneumoconiosis and [whether] pneumoconiosis significantly caused disability rather than determining if the evidence disproves legal pneumoconiosis and disproves disability due to pneumoconiosis.” Id. For the reasons outlined above, however, we conclude that the ALJ properly applied the 15-year presumption. Consequently, we reject Spring Creek's argument that the case must be remanded. Additionally, Spring Creek argues that “the ALJ's use of the Preamble [to the DOL's regulations] is flawed.” Id. “The Preamble,” Spring Creek asserts, “explained why the [DOL] found coal mine dust can cause COPD in some instances” and “its purpose was not to establish that coal mine dust is the cause of all COPD in all coal miners.” Id. at 45-46. Spring Creek in turn argues that “[t]he Preamble, the regulations, and the case law recognize that miners can have COPD that is not due to coal mine dust exposure.” Id. at 46. Spring Creek argues that the ALJ in this case, however, essentially treated the “Preamble standards” as standing “for the proposition that any disabled miner with COPD has legal pneumoconiosis.” Id. at 52. “Such a reading of the regulation,” Spring Creek argues, “flies in the face of the definition of legal pneumoconiosis, as well as portions of the preamble.” Id. Spring Creek also argues that the ALJ effectively fashioned, based upon the Preamble, “rule[s] of law that physicians are unable to use parameters of pulmonary function studies to determine disease causation” and “that decrements in the FEV1/FVC ratio are always due to coal dust.” Id. at 46 (emphasis in original). Spring Creek is mistaken. “As revised in 2000, the [DOL] regulations are preceded by an extensive Preamble that ‘sets forth the medical and scientific premises relied on by the [DOL] in coming to [its medical] conclusions in [crafting] its regulations.’ ” Westmoreland Coal, 876 F.3d at 667 (quoting Harman Mining Co. v. Dir., Office of Workers' Comp. Programs, 678 F.3d 305, 314 (4th Cir. 2012)). These conclusions, which are “[t]he product of notice-and-comment rulemaking,” must be accorded “substantial deference” by this court. Id. Consequently, courts have “repeatedly held that ALJs may look to the Preamble in weighing medical opinions addressing the cause of a claimant's disabling lung disease.” Id. In this case, the ALJ, after concluding that Mr. McLean was entitled to the statutory/regulatory presumption of pneumoconiosis, in turn analyzed the medical evidence to determine whether Spring Creek had rebutted that presumption. The ALJ first concluded that, in light of the x-ray evidence in the record, there was no evidence that Mr. McLean suffered from clinical pneumoconiosis and thus “f[ou]nd that [Spring Creek] ha[d] disproved the existence of clinical pneumoconiosis.” Aplt. App. at 251. The ALJ then examined the “medical opinion evidence” and concluded that it was “insufficient to disprove the existence of legal pneumoconiosis.” Id. In reaching this conclusion, the ALJ first noted that Dr. Eva Gottschall, who actually examined Mr. McLean for the DOL prior to Mr. McLean's death, “opined that [his] coal dust exposure during 29 years of employment in open pit coal mines in Wyoming and Montana and his 66 pack-year smoking history [we]re ‘substantially contributing factors to his COPD/emphysema, resulting in lung function abnormalities and oxygen requirements.’ ” Id. at 252. Dr. Gottschall “stated that above-ground strip mining was a ‘substantial contributor’ to the disabling impairment.” Id. She “diagnosed legal pneumoconiosis based on Mr. McLean's smoking history and his coal mine dust exposure.” Id. The ALJ concluded that Dr. Gottschall's conclusions and diagnosis were “supported by the underlying data,” “well-reasoned,” and “entitled to full probative weight.” Id. The ALJ in turn rejected the opinions of Drs. Farney and Tuteur, both of whom were offered by Spring Creek. Dr. Farney, who did not examine Mr. McLean and instead reviewed only the medical records, “found that Mr. McLean's chronic tobacco smoke exposure was the overwhelming cause of his emphysema and severe obstructive airway disease and that the probability that coal dust had any etiologic role was miniscule.” Id. at 253. Dr. Farney stated in his deposition “that Mr. McLean's COPD, due to emphysema, [wa]s one hundred percent related to his tobacco smoke exposure and that it d[id] not have anything to do with coal-dust exposure.” Id. at 254. Dr. Farney also “stated that Mr. McLean's FEV1 levels would not typically be associated with occupational exposure to coal mine dust as a surface miner.” Id. Dr. Tuteur, who likewise did not examine Mr. McLean and instead reviewed only the medical records, “opined that Mr. McLean's respiratory disease was caused by chronic inhalation of tobacco smoke, not coal mine dust.” Id. at 255. Dr. Tuteur “cited to studies discussing that exposure to coal mine dust is insignificant when considering the cause of an average of FEV1 loss.” Id. “Since Mr. McLean was a cigarette smoking coal miner with advanced [COPD], dominantly emphysema, Dr. Tuteur concluded that the etiology of the COPD was chronic inhalation of tobacco smoke not coal mine dust.” Id. The ALJ concluded that “the opinions by Drs. Farney and Tuteur [we]re not consistent with the scientific evidence accepted by the [DOL].” Id. at 256. The ALJ explained that “the prevailing view of the medical community as expressed by the [DOL] in the Preamble to its regulations is that the effects of cigarette smoke and coal dust on [COPD] and chronic bronchitis are additive” and “that dust-induced emphysema and smoke-induced emphysema occur through similar mechanisms.” Id. Also, the ALJ noted, the DOL “cited with approval the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (‘NIOSH’) findings ‘that coal miners have an increased risk of developing COPD’ and that ‘COPD may be detected from decrements in certain measures of lung function, especially FEV1 and the ratio of FEV1/FVC.’ ” Id. (quoting 65 Fed. Reg. 79,943 (Dec. 20, 2000)). “Both Drs. Farney and Tuteur,” the ALJ noted, “expressed views contrary to these positions.” Id. The ALJ also noted that “Drs. Farney and Tuteur” failed to “explain[ ] why coal mine dust could not have been a contributing or aggravating factor.” Id. at 257. More specifically, the ALJ concluded that “neither physician explain[ed] or adequately support[ed] his opinion, that the Miner's coal mine dust exposure did not contribute to his respiratory disability, with the science underlying the Preamble, which stands for the proposition that coal mine dust exposure, even in the absence of clinical pneumoconiosis, may contribute to an obstructive impairment reflected in a reduced FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio in an additive fashion with smoking.” Id. The ALJ in turn noted that “under the regulations, coal mine dust need only make a substantial or significant contribution to an impairment or condition for the condition to constitute legal pneumoconiosis, and it does not need to be the most significant cause or factor.” Id. In Mr. McLean's case, the ALJ noted, Spring Creek's “experts have failed to explain why coal mine dust could not have contributed to or substantially aggravated his condition, even if it was primarily due to cigarette smoking.” Id. Thus, in sum, the ALJ's findings and decision in this case were case-specific and confined to the specific flaws in the testimony of Drs. Farney and Tuteur. The ALJ did not, as Spring Creek argues in its appeal, interpret the Preamble standards as indicating “that any disabled miner with COPD has legal pneumoconiosis.” Aplt. Br. at 52. Instead, the ALJ simply recognized, as he was required to do by the Preamble, (1) “that the effects of cigarette smoke and coal dust on [COPD] and chronic bronchitis are additive,” (2) “that dust-induced emphysema and smoke-induced emphysema occur through similar mechanisms,” (3) “that coal miners have an increased risk of developing COPD,” and (4) “that COPD may be detected from decrements in certain measures of lung function, especially FEV1and the ratio of FEV1/FVC.” Aplt. App. at 256 (internal quotations omitted). Nor did the ALJ, as Spring Creek now asserts, fashion new rules “that physicians are unable to use parameters of pulmonary function studies to determine disease causation” or “that the Preamble posits that decrements in the FEV1/FVC ratio are always due to coal dust.” Aplt. Br. at 46 (emphasis in original). Instead, the ALJ simply noted that neither Dr. Farney nor Dr. Tuteur explained why decrements in Mr. McLean's FEV1/FVC ratio were caused solely by his smoking and not at all from his work-related exposure to coal dust. In short, the ALJ, properly taking into account the medical conclusions adopted by the DOL in the Preamble (as he was required to do), simply and correctly pointed out the flaws in the opinions of Drs. Farney and Tuteur, i.e., their absolute failure to explain why coal dust exposure could not have contributed in some measure to Mr. McLean's COPD. Spring Creek criticizes the ALJ's reliance on the testimony from Dr. William Houser, who testified that Mr. McLean did suffer from legal pneumoconiosis. According to Spring Creek, Dr. Houser's ultimate conclusion should have been “discredit[ed]” because it “was not consistent with the facts of this case.” Aplt. Br. at 51. But Spring Creek mischaracterizes “the facts of this case” in making that argument. In particular, Spring Creek asserts that Mr. McLean experienced “minimal dust exposure.” Id. But that is clearly contrary to the findings of the ALJ. Moreover, Spring Creek's arguments ignore the medical conclusions in the Preamble, particularly the conclusion that the effects of cigarette smoking and coal dust exposure are additive—a conclusion that its own doctors effectively ignored. Finally, Spring Creek makes a passing reference to the ALJ “confus[ing] the disability causation definition with legal pneumoconiosis and the burden incumbent to establish its absence with the ‘rule out’ standard for determining disability is due to coal dust exposure.” Aplt. Br. at 52. But, contrary to Spring Creek's arguments, the ALJ did not require its physician-experts to “rule out” the possibility that Mr. McLean's coal dust exposure contributed to his COPD. Instead, the ALJ simply took those physicians to task for failing to support their proffered opinions that that was the case. In other words, it was Drs. Farney and Tuteur who opined that coal dust exposure played no role in Mr. McLean's COPD, and the ALJ found those opinions lacking in evidentiary support. The ALJ's approach to this opinion evidence was not improper. Thus, we conclude that the ALJ did not err in his analysis of the proffered medical opinions, and that there is no need to remand this case for further proceedings. 1. Shortly after Spring Creek filed its petition, the clerk of this court directed the parties to address the matter of this court's jurisdiction in light of the fact that Mr. McLean last worked at a coal mine in Montana. The parties unanimously assert, and we agree, that we have jurisdiction over Spring Creek's petition because, even though Mr. McLean's place of last exposure to coal mine dust was in Montana, he also was exposed to coal mine dust when he worked in Wyoming. See Consolidation Coal Co. v. Chubb, 741 F.2d 968, 970-71 (7th Cir. 1984) (holding that jurisdiction is proper in any jurisdiction where a coal miner was employed because pneumoconiosis “is caused by extensive, extended exposure to coal dust, and it is impossible to say that any one exposure caused the disease.”). 2. Spring Creek's witnesses reported that approximately twenty-three dust samples were taken at the driller position over a twenty-year period and that those samples showed the dust levels to be lower than the maximum limit established by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). 3. As the ALJ noted, ““[c]linical pneumoconiosis consists of those diseases recognized by the medical community as pneumoconiosis such as coal workers' pneumoconiosis or silicosis” while “[l]egal pneumoconiosis is defined as ‘any chronic lung disease or impairment and its sequelae arising out of coal mine employment.’ ” Aplt. App. at 248 (quoting 20 C.F.R. § 718.201(a)(2)). 4. Subsection 921(c)(3), which is referred to in subsection 921(c)(4), provides, in essence, that a miner suffering from a chronic dust disease of the lung shall be entitled to an irrebuttable presumption that he is totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis if chest x-ray opacities indicate the presence of complicated pneumoconiosis. 30 U.S.C. § 921(c)(3); see Usery v. Turner Elkhorn Mining Co., 428 U.S. 1, 7 (1976) (noting that “pneumoconiosis is customarily classified as ‘simple’ or ‘complicated’ ”). In this case, it is undisputed that Mr. McLean had simple, rather than complicated, pneumoconiosis. 6. Although the “regulation went into effect on October 25, 2013, it applies to all claims covered by the statutory amendment.” Consolidation Coal Co., 864 F.3d at 1145 (citation omitted). 7. The ALJ in this case also relied on Seventh Circuit case law in expressly noting: “Courts have found that, for the § 718.305 presumption to be applicable to non-underground employment, a claimant carries the burden of establishing comparability of dust conditions to employment in an underground mine.” Joint App. at 245 (citing Dir., OWCP v. Midland Coal Co., 855 F.2d 509, 512 (7th Cir. 1988)).

2019-04-23T01:08:41Z

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-10th-circuit/1888235.html

The cost for living with epilepsy is a tough thing to fathom. It is very much possible that the cost for keeping someone epilepsy alive and health until the age of 80 could be more than the amount of money earned by that person were he or she employable. So how can that be? I found it hard to believe the first numbers I came up with when I analyzed the cost for my care of seizures from 1958 to 2003, the day I departed my welfare life. After a day or so of collecting the facts from the records I kept, entering the prices I recall being charged for my care when as a kid with seizures I was covered by my parents’ IBM health insurance program. In recent talks with the family of my pediatrician, we were able to recall such things as costs for visits back then, including housecalls, and the lack of many of the procedures and therapeutic options that are out there today. I recall for example my first CAT scan that I received in the late 1960s. That procedure was so new, the ‘X’ used to map out the brain were about 1/4 to 3/8 inch in size, and only a few of these X’s formed the width, height and depth of the brain cavity that they represented in some of the images in the report. EEGs back then were up to an hour long experiences. In 1965, the laws were such that my pediatrician Dr. D. told my mom that he was concern about those that could result in my being institutionalized. Decades later, following up on my memories of that comment, I found that his concerns were true, although the state had not abided by such rules it had passed for 10 or more years. By 1970 (entering high school), the state had vocational rehabilitation people knocking on my door. Their role was to check out my functionality in school, and determine whether to send me to some vocational program or allow me to undergo some pre-college testing and prep. I underwent the pre-SATs and SATs in the four high school years, and underwent a number of tests, twice, evaluating my math and language performance. Just before graduating high school I had to see the voc rehab counselor in her office to undergo that test they give you on what occupations served you best, and to set up a plan for how to precede. Graduating in June of 1975, I had already placed myself in the Emergency Department at the local hospital as a “candy stripe” worker, or so they called me. My uniform was not the pinkish red stripe nurse’s aide piece however. The MD’s had me wear a plain white garment. At the time, heroin was big in the street drug market. Throughout that time, my primary role was to assist in various events dealing with handling/controlling heroid addicts coming in for each and everything possible. The most memorable case was an anorexic black woman perhaps in her 20s or early 30s, emaciated and anorexic looking, with arms that looked like twigs, bearing tracks of needle marks, and a forearm swollen up like the one in the famous cartoon character Popeye. I had to assist the MD in her fasciotomy, watch as the flesh opened up and capturing whatever oozed out, so her swelling would reduce and her knotted veins healed slightly. In spite of a childhood experience with epilepsy, one that was frequently unpleasant I might add, I was able to land the position I needed to stay out of vocational schooling. Several months after my graduation from high school, I was back in that office talking with the voc rehab person I was assigned to, and convinced her that I deserved to go to community college–I went first for just some EMT certification and an ambulance corps job. That opened the door to premed schooling a year later, and ultimately medical schooling 6 years later. All of this in spite of my ongoing epilepsy problem. Entering medical school in Fall of 82, things went well, but in 1984, one professor saw me during a complex partial seizure event leading me to walk around a bit between classes. He “turned me in” so to speak to the dean, who required the Chief Neurologist to review me, and the school made the decision to confront me about this. The worst happened in 1985, when the medical school decided it was too risky for someone with seizures to manage patients due to possible loss of consciousness. As a result, the career path I was on stopped. Voc Rehab ceased assisting me. The national non-profit groups serving the cause for epilepsy decided to side with the medical school. The worst critics of an epileptic are the health care professions. When a doctor cares for a person with epilepsy, that physician is guided along the right path. But if that doctor has to work alongside such an individual, personality takes hold of the events, and legal and financial concerns develop. Back in the mid-1980s, this problem was at its peak, and when I tried returning to medical school followed by graduate school in general, I realized that these criticisms and concerns had not gone away. It wasn’t until 1994 when Hillary Clinton made the decision to assist students go off medicaid and return to school that people like myself would no longer cost as much as before to the federal Medicaid program. But the rewards for making such a decision is still not there in the academic and medical world for epileptics. Having all of my paperwork and notes kept about these experiences, I can calculate how much it cost the system to keep me alive from 1985 to 1994. I can also tell you how much I would be costing the system, were I still receiving Medicaid and Welfare financial assistance today. This brings to mind for me a question on the value of how the health care system manages disabled people today. The current managed care system is designed to reduce the costs for health care over the next decades. But how effective might it be? And does it/it’s leaders have a true understanding of the long term cost for care of the retired and the disabled? It is my contention that healthcare leaders at the government and academic and institutional (insurance company/PBM) level ignore this problem and are doing nothing to make the current system better. We see what appear to be some very supportive changes when it comes to reducing the costs for care, yet at the current rate of change and current costs, to keep a person alive past retirement and well into his or her older years will cost us millions of dollars, per person. I can argue this amount based upon how the cost for my care during the epilepsy years changed between 1957/8 and now (2015). Method for charting costs over time: approximately 28 cost factors were defined, and evaluated as 20 entities. Some entities were repeated costs developed during different time intervals (i.e. Social Services, PCP visits, Voc Rehab), but counted as same cost type (placed in same column). Is it possible to assign a financial value to an individual who has epilepsy? Or taken differently, is there a value to living with seizures and experiencing the ups and downs in life that will happen due to your recurring seizure problem? An equally important question to ask pertains to the “value” of seizures or living with the diagnosis of epilepsy. Because an individual is diagnosed with epilepsy, a variety of costly practices and behaviors come to mind when effective treatment is imperative. Doctors that provide these people with medical care, often engage in reactionary practices, therapeutics that are typically designed to suppress seizures from happening. One of the first effective chemical agents found to treat epilepsy very effectively was lithium bromide, a unique form of medicinal mineral waters known as lithium water. The second most effective chemical to surface was phenobarbital, a substance derived from the oil-coal tar industries, found to influence the work performance of employees of certain factory settings during the early to mid 1900s. Medicine has often had the desire to develop and effective form of preventive health program meant to service people with epilepsy, making it possible for them to live with less seizures, or less severe seizures, or to reduce the fear they have of not being able to control their health condition, the likelihood of another seizure event recurring hours, days or weeks later. In more recent decades, we have come to include counselors in a typical epilepsy treatment plan. This role of the counselor is to inform the patient about the need to know his or her personal and physical abilities and inabilities due to this medical history. The counselor has more recently taken on numerous other roles in assisting certain people with epilepsy finding the right therapeutic course to take, and how to best live with the limits that a seizure history can have on your role and performance in the workplace. In effect, it can be said that every health care practitioner or allied health individual who is engaged in the treatment of epileptics is there to improve the quality of life and long term performance and survival of someone with epilepsy. Be that person diagnoses with simple localized seizures, or the kinds of diagnoses that are most often linked with generalized convulsion, no matter what the ultimate diagnosis is for the kind of seizures that impact a person, no matter what the problem or its severity, treating, preventing and recovering from a seizure event, as well as preparing for the next day or the next time one has to go to school or work in spite of this history, whatever actions are taken to treat a patient costs the health care system money. The amount that having seizures can cost someone, in a conservative sense, costs the government and people a minimum of a half million dollars per individual with a recurring lifetime or mostly lifetime seizure actively recurring seizure pattern. Ironically, the actual frequency of seizures on a given time basis, such as per day, week, or month, has minimal impact on the total lifetime coast for this potentially lifelong health experience. When we look at the long term costs for having epilepsy, the earliest events are what define what will happen later healthwise. These later events are what define the ultimately cost for treating an individual who has epilepsy. The numbers of seizures per given period of time, the numbers of hospitalizations per year, the numbers of days a person with seizures is disabled due to an “episode” only impact the long term cost for care in that if an when the health care system fails to respond to them in the most correct way possible, it is that system and its healers that define what kind of long term life expectations that a person with epilepsy will ultimately have to live with. People with epilepsy are responsible for their care and future as much as the healthcare staff involved in each case should be. This is why we pay doctors, nurses, counselors, school psychologists, occupational therapists, home care givers, directors of non-profit groups, neuropsychologists, vocational rehabilitation counselors, Federal Medicaid workers, to provide the services that they are trained in to epileptics. Their role is to make the quality of life better in spite of your serious re-occuring seizure related experiences, and to make it possible for you to take whatever path you wish or need to take. Unfortunately, this is not at all the case with the current health care system. Healthcare providers based their judgments only upon what they’ve witnessed take place as short term live events. reviewing an entire life experience tells us the kind of life an epileptic has to live, and why such as experience not only happens, but is in many ways ridiculed, ignored or tolerated at the clinical and social guidance level. To prove this last claim, one need only ask a single question: How much money does a person with epilepsy cost the healthcare system? How much money is needed to keep an epileptic alive? At what age does the action needed to improve the quality of life for an epileptic need to begin? What are the consequences of not reacting to this particular sociocultural medical need? Do the programs we provide for epileptics, in the long run, save us money. If we compare them to the possibility that an epileptic may return to work, make a living, and ultimately become less dependent upon the social services programs, how much of an income change is generated by converting the personal “disabled” by epilepsy, into someone who s no longer living as a pauper, but instead in paying back to the government system in the form of taxes? Unfortunately, none of these questions can be easily answered. So just how much are all of these activities related to treating people with epilepsy costing us? How many dollars are spent providing the care that is needed by an epileptic to maintain a decent quality of life? Just how much does the care process itself cost the healthcare system, insurance agency, or taxpayer as a whole over the years? How much is the life of an epileptic worth? How much is spent to keep them alive? For how long? I did the calculations needed to answer these questions. I base my numbers of my own life experience. I found, that in my case, which is very unusual, the cost for my care to society, the taxpayers, the government, and the teams that produces and managed the Medicaid system that I was so dependent upon, was only just under a million dollars. For a little more than the first forty-four years of my life, that amounts to $21,626.78 per year, on average. Afterward, you have the costs for another neuropsych evaluation, along with the physical therapist, occupational therapist and speech therapist. A few of these costs went on for a number of weeks more as part of the costs for my “rehabilitation” after I left the hospital. Normally, after you leave the hospital for something as serious as brain surgery, you get to stay in a short term 24 hour care facility, usually for about a month of two. I didn’t have to do this fortunately; my mother stayed at my place. That saved the state and Medicaid program at least several thousand dollars. None of the information about these costs escaped my consciousness since those years. I interpreted them as some sort of lesson, and later used this reasoning to argue about why I decided I should not remain a part of the welfare program for the rest of my life. Now granted, I was receiving all of these health care benefits for free, at the cost of the taxpayer responsible for the state welfare program I was enrolled in. My entry into the State Medicaid Program happened about 5 or 6 months before the neurosurgery, just before the WAIS and initial electrode implant with a week’s worth of sleep monitoring. The final surgical process itself happened on December 19th, 1988. I was in the hospital for 10 days. Now, 27 years later, I am enrolled in yet another education adventure, trying for a PhD, which is why I decided it was time to evaluate these costs, with a new look based upon what I am learning in the healthcare admin PhD program. I partly due this for reasons of continuing my past reviews of what I have endured. Over the decades, the system in general has not been good to a successful post-neurosurgery outcomes like myself. The status quo expect a post-op epileptic to remain eligible and enrolled in the Medicaid program he or she is in. There are very few scholarships available for epileptics to take advantage of, and those that are out there appear more as token gestures of respect for people with epilepsy. Living with epilepsy is itself worthy of recognition. However, most people have some personal experience worthy of similar attention. So it is not expected for every accomplishment that is made by everybody that is out there, including epileptics, be granted some special status. In general, it is up it the culture at the the time to determine who or what is rewarded at a particular time, and who or what is not. This human side of judging people is not necessarily ethical or morally perfect all of the time, but neither is the purpose of this review to condemn everything that takes place out there due to human behavior. All people are, by example, prejudicial, opinionated, judgmental, and disenfranchising to anything out there in search for some sort of moral support. People are by second nature prejudice, for which reason people who are disadvantaged, like epileptics wishing to learn, as as mistreated today as much as they were the first decades after they were removed from the common prison setting around 1800. The only thing still shared today with yesterday’s belief about epilepsy, is that they have a problem, but at least it is not directly related to society’s criminal behaviors. But back to the purpose of this posting. It is not my intent to put down the program that is out there, as much as it is to note and emphasize what is NOT out there and what SHOULD BE out there, for epileptics to benefit from, not for npo’s and the like to benefit from because the epileptics in dire need of their services are the financial reason they exist. An old conspiracy hypothesis this reminds me of would be the notion that they don’t want to cure you, because if they could, their program would fail to generate the income it is producing. From The Medical Repository, a journal for the New York Medical College, 1812. The main question here is what medical school practitioners and professors teach, and what the profession does–why are these counter to each other? For every dollar you contribute to a program devoted to assisting people with epilepsy, the epileptic is lucky if an organization puts out a quarter of its investments per dollar that is handed over by parents of kids with epilepsy and the epileptics themselves. Grants for people with epilepsy are outnumbered by those out there for the visually and hearing impaired, the physically handicapped, those with interests in attending college in spite of birth defect or developmental or hormonal disorders. Potential students with some of the rarest medical diagnoses have plenty of opportunity to go to college, not epileptics. The epilepsy scholarship program that is available serves only a handful of individuals, and even then has its issues regarding the selection process. Of the many full year tuition programs that are out there for applicants to university, less than five at any time are available for someone with disability, and for some of these scholarships, one has to stretch the rules somewhat. In discussions about this issue more than twenty years ago, it was stated that epilepsy is typically not covered in most disability and potential learning disabled grants (such as the grants for autism) due to the assumption that the other national agencies devoted to this medical issue provide such opportunities. But I learned over the years that re-researching that claim results in no finds. When I revealed to them my findings that only a series of scholarships totaling about $20,000-$40,000 (depending upon the year) exist for epileptics who wished to go to school, but only as $2500 scholarships awarded to just 8-10 (sometimes 20) applicants were available, the agencies did not believe me. In 1992, I made it even clearer to the academic officials devoted to disability how wrong such claims were, when I showed them that the scholarship that did exist were only designed for young kids that entered college as freshman students. Of course, the hidden message implied here is that the various epilepsy agencies don’t think epileptics can manage college programs. If they did, they would reward any such person with a compete first year scholarship like many honorable programs and institutions. So, my education in epilepsy as an undergraduate student, and later as a medical student taught me that the system is there to help you as an epilepsy student, but only in a very limited way. This means you have to find those options in life than the given. Giving into disease is what makes it control your life. The decisions you make about what to do, where to be 5, 10, 15, or 20 years down the road, define whether you recover or not, whether you live or die, for the most part. To me, this meant that there was no way I was going to continue to sit in those chairs waiting to see the Medicaid officer again for my annual case review, every year, for the rest of my life. There was a way out of this dilemma I knew, due to my schooling. I had therefore been given the chance to define what path to take. To review the cost for a patient with epilepsy, these experiences led me to decide there were three possible paths I had to review. The first path was my own–including everything through and after the medicaid eligibility years, up to the present. I am now 57 years of age, and more than a quarter of century past my neurosurgery year. Two, going on three, advanced graduate college degrees later post-op, I am fortunate to have been able to take this route to learning. But what were the consequences of these experiences? Are they worth having other epileptics consider as part of some future life plan? Are they worth pressuring the federal programs, the state programs, the population at large to promote for other people with epilepsy to improve their quality of life experience with? What prejudices do I myself have due to my own experiences with these frustrating parts of the health care system, to result in how I now interpret this review of costs over time? It ends up that my case may be just one notch above an average case in terms of cost analysis. There are cases of epilepsy that impact the lives of patients to a lesser degree than my own. Relatively few epileptics undergo the very aggressive neurosurgery option to deal with their condition. Most depend upon pills for most of their life, a good self-image, a few counselors and a decent network of healers, hopefully focused on your expert neurologist/epileptologist. The numbers of epileptics who undergo neurosurgery have even lessened to some extent, replacing removal of brain tissue with the option of electrode implants, which are used to monitor cerebral activity and activate the brain in certain ways to prevent seizures from forming the focus needed to cause a full-fledged seizure to develop, one for which consciousness is lost, and movements and activities no long in conscious, awareness-related control. These milder forms of electroshock are now the away to treat people with recurring, usually mild seizures. Not the aggressive removal of tissue that is already so abnormal, that losing has limited impact on your mental functions, except to cause a special form of lapse in memory or two (i.e. Wernicke’s Aphasia, Conduction Aphasia). The cost for my personal case in my life span, out of my pocket and the pocket of my parents and health insurance companies, is about a half million dollars. That is to say, for all of the events and healthcare procedures linked to that day I had a febrile seizure at just 3 or 4 months of age, have cost the people involved about $500,000. A half million dollars seems like a lot. But remember it is for 57 years of health and healthcare experience. That means the total averages to less than $10,000 per year. Or to be exact, $8,865.65 per year. [$505,342 / 57 years]. If I had not been so lucky . . . and had not found my way away from the dilemma I was 1with no choice other that to make it through the rest of my life in this manner. If I had a moderate or somewhat normal seizure experience in the years to come, I would have cost the system about $1,488,240, or $26,109.47 per year by now (calculated for 57 years, more on this is a minute or two). But this also means that I saved the system about $982,898 or about $17,243.82 per year, if divvied up over the entire lifespan, by resolving a situation that the federal systems in place are designed not to resolve. Still, it is better evaluating this worth in real time. After all, the clock starting ticking on the high costs for my care when I reach the age of 27. That is when the need for neurosurgery in order to stopped the intractable seizures seemed inevitable, but due to its innovativeness was refused by the university hospital I was a student at. Adjusting for inflation and the changing consumer price index over time (how much you get for your dollar, applied to health care), the amount I just stated for the 30 years of Medicaid managed care is nearly doubled. Using a $10 amount, and evaluating the price changes one year at a time, from my birth year forward, this site provided me year by year values for the change in value of a ten dollar bill, along with the multiplier for each change. I plugged this data into an excel spreadsheet and used it to recalculate all the numbers provided for the costs of whatever services or experienced I noted. This resulted in new values assigned for the health care procedures I experienced due to epilepsy. Note, it does not take into account the changes in technology of medicine that have taken place over the past 57 years. For example, a visit to a doctor’s office in 1958 was very different that if the same visit were to happen today. There would be more tests performed today than back then. more procedures required for diagnosis, perhaps even more options with therapeutic routes and counseling/mental health functionality and assessment routes, had I been diagnosed today with having temporal lobe epilepsy. None of these new treatment requirements are considered here–only what really happened. So the adjusted costs for what I went through in my life, were this same life re-experienced, changed from a total of $505,340 to $951,578 ($446,238 more), representing a 88.3% increase–1.83x the out-of-pocket, live price, or a little less than a doubling of costs. This means that over a thirty year span, I would have cost the government/taxpayers about $31,719.27 per year, a $14,474.53 difference or increase from the unadjusted costs. So calculating those savings over the 30 years period, instead of 57, this means the value of the process for dealing with my case, to the state and federal government, is $982,898/30 or $34,763.27 per year, for 30 years. That is how much I saved the system by being able to manage my own health problem. Now, these numbers are more accurate. and they haven’t taken into account the others factors often review when evaluating expenses over time. Inflation, and the change in the worth of the U.S. dollar have to be taken into account. Relating this same logic to the less successful, moderately improved quality of life patients, who did not eliminate their seizure problem, the new cost for treatment becomes $2,172,975 instead of $1,042,792, a difference of $1,130,183 representing a 108% increase. When we apply the same cost adjustment formula to the case of a patient whose life is “moderately impacted” by epilepsy, requiring his or her retention in the Medicaid program during the later mid-life years, the results we come up with are as follows. Services rendered at a total cost of $1.49 million are increased to $2.17 million. In the graphic displayed with this data, the increase in range of the vertical (y-) axis makes it difficult to even see the event where all of this happened in my life (that small rise where it says (OR-Welfare). That single event represents a neurosurgery that cost the facility and government about $50,000, according to an RN on the surgical team whom I discussed this with, back around 1990 (18 months post-op). There were two pre-surgical steps involved as well that were of considerable cost. The first was an mandibular electrode implant to monitor the brain more closely next the the temporal cortex, performed four months prior to ‘the big event’. The second was for a neuropsychology function test. Together, these and the prep and post-procedures steps, altogether came out to about 50,000 more in costs, making the entire process (3 OR steps, staffing, anesthetics, etc. etc.) worth $100,000 at the time–$about $200,000 once inflation and consumer price index multipliers (CPI) are included in this formula. Treating the above values like I did for my own personal, recovery case, this means that in today’s currency, all of my medical procedures over that 30 year period, from 27 years fo age to now, would cost the government/taxpayer on average more than $72,432.50 ($37,672.77 difference from raw value calculations) per year. What constitutes a high risk case in epilepsy? A high risk case is one in which the lifelong experience is not only complicated by the typical events of dealing with more common epilepsy experiences, but also an increase in the severity of these events over time, to such a degree that more hospitalizations are required and more aggressive interventions are necessary. Many of these cases may be classified as “intractable” and are coded as such based on the ICDs entered into the EMR. Typically, the longevity of people with severe intractable cases is shortened. This because the lack of control of seizures can have a significant impact upon feelings of self-worth and blame, resulting in one of the “positive-feedback loops” which results in a bad case getting worse over time. Intractable, high risk cases are often linked to early death due not only to the seizure event itself, but also to events secondary to the seizure such as accidental falls, head injuries, walking into traffic, post-ictal events, etcetera. Additional causes for increased mortality might include complications related to secondary comorbidities, such as ictal or post-ictal physical medical conditions or behaviors linked to psychiatric and/or psychological behavioral patterns. Suicide, for example, can result in some cases. Lack of concern for personal health, by way of unhealthy street drug use, overconsumption of alcohol, and other unhealthy behaviors that can lead to death. In the above figure, the cost for such an experience in the out-of-pocket sense is about $2.89 million by the age of 57. Adjusted costs for these cases consist of a rise of just $0.11 million, and amount to just over $3 million. Now, what about the total cost for someone who has epilepsy, throughout his or her lifespan? First, asking this question is somewhat problematic. It does not consider the expected changes in lifespan of people with epilepsy, whose lives are shortened either directly or indirectly due to events related to epilepsy. Setting that aside, we assume that these people are somehow miraculously kept alive no matter what happens, and that they never experience a very high cost single event that often takes the life of its victim. Instead we assume they have many non-fatal events, thus defining their high level of risk. The risk assessed is the cost for their health care. And so, we assume that a high risk epileptic, with many seizure events and emergent/urgent care needs, who is kept alive all of their years, is able to reach the age of 80, in spite of their medical condition worsening at a fairly stead rate. just how much these individuals cost the health care system? is the question being addressed here. Surprisingly, the cost for such an individual at first appears just slightly higher than the moderately changed individual with epilepsy. The total cost evaluated here is $2,288,995 for the unadjusted cost. For my case, the maximum cost for epilepsy was reached once I was off the medicaid program and no longer required doctor’s visits for keeping up with my history or renewing the refills for prescription drugs. This lack of need for continued care came to be in October of 1994, when I realized it was possible to no longer take my medications so long as the right mindset was in place. This manner of withdrawing from the epilepsy treatment program is not recommended to most or nearly all individuals with epilepsy. And the manner in which I made it possible is worthy of discussion elsewhere. But this case, represents how once the seizures are gone, you can reduced the needed visits and use of the medicaid system, and over time no longer need prescription drugs, and ultimately make the needed life changes, should you desire to do so, such as going back to college, or entering (re-entering) the workforce. With each of these positive actions taken, the likelihood of requiring more epilepsy care lessens, and the cost for being managed for you epilepsy diminishes, and finally goes away. As noted above, the cost for my care also results in a “Prediction Model” that predicts the epilepsy will never return. The result therefore stands at the costs needed to make such a long term outcome possible. The cost for my care was $505,340, for 1958-2003 about, adjusted to $951,578, as total amount spent by the age of 57. The second scenario provided is of a person who underwent the same procedure as myself, but has a slightly more complex history before and after the main event. Due to this increased seriousness of the case, the individual fails to completely recover, and so lives a life with the seizure history, tolerating everything he or she can, as much as possible through the remaining lifespan. This is meant to represent a fairly typical case. Although the surgical history does make the first case different from many, if we interpret that first event as an “Event”, of any form of fashion, and assume that many of not most epileptics do undergo such an event that is health or quality of life changing, then we can ignore the impact of that single event. As the chronological price charts will demonstrate, whether or not such a drastic event occurred in an epileptic’s life is not really much of a concern. In a long term sense, it has minimal impact on overall costs for treating the seizure victim. In the case example provided, the cost for that event was estimated to be $50,000 in the actual workplace, with an equal amount of costs added on in the form of pre-surgical testing and processes, and post-surgical follow-up and ongoing therapeutic and recovery processes (i.e. MRIs, EEGs, occupational and speech therapy for left hemispheric surgery, etc.). The cost prediction model for this case assumed that the individual survives until the age of 80 years. Based on the above example, which defined $2,172,975 as the adjusted cost for care by the age of 57 (adjusted for inflation, consumer price index related value of the dollar changes over time), the projected cost for care of this person is $4,642,735 total, or cumulative, by the time the age of 80 is reached. This projected value represents a more than doubling of total expenses (a 2.13658-fold increase) for treating this individual for the final 23 years of his or her life. The $2,469,760 generated over 27 years represents an average of about $91,472.59 per year. For a middle class family member, this also shows that the cost to the system for an individual having a disability and being unemployed, is about equals to the income generated by that same individual being employed instead. This third case represents a high cost scenario, in which the “average” moderate risk lifestyle is jeopardized in several common ways. The ‘High Risk’ case produced a cost of $2,888,995 based on original payments made in the medical history. This amount was adjusted by the CPI inflation defined equivalent dollar value multiplier to $3,081,503. This demonstrates that in spite of the increasing numbers of smaller events during the earlier childhood years, and the post-“Event” stage, by the age of 57 (30 years later), overall costs for keeping this person alive and health haven’t increased too much. The increase in cost is $908,528, a 41.8 percent increase from the previously described ‘Moderate Risk’ case. One thing to not with the higher risk case, is the impact of new requirements to keep the individual alive. The greater number of medical events are assumed to not be fatal, but do require more focused, and even personal care over time. So the daily care requirements added to this scenario are the need for more directed care and care givers, and the ultimate requirement of some assisted housing. Typical healthcare programs have limited provisions for in-house care, or care provided by a long-term care (LTC) facility the individual has to reside in. For this case, a two year period is assumed, meaning that long term care provisions were not provided until the person reached 78 years of age, and therefore underwent it for the two year period of 78 to 79.99 years of age. The line generated by the previous two decades of care, prior to the age of 57, dictate the curve for the subsequent 37 years. With this in mind, it was estimated that the cost for care of such a person, who is in exceptionally poor health and yet remains around another two decades, is approximately $12,882,195. $12,882,195, for 23 years of care, represents an average of $560,095.43 per year. Even if we consider this estimate to be a drastically mistaken, and we cut these amounts in half in the end, we still end up with a high cost for caring for somebody with epilepsy–$6,441,097.50 total, averaging $280,047.73 per year. That’s more than most people earn in a year for the final years of their career path. The lack of adequate programs designed to facilitate the recovery of potentially productive epileptics back into the workplace has a phenomenal effect on the healthcare system. The burden of care linked to epilepsy can have a major impact on the cost for healthcare in the decades to come. Currently, the epilepsy programs that are out there do not provide adequate services to people with seizures. These inadequacies in turn place the epileptic in a very unstable life-work setting. The lack of much needed financial services means their quality of life and way of living, below the poverty, could no doubt outspend whatever finances the current programs have to cover these anticipated changes. But as Case 1 demonstrates, departure from the current way of living, early on in life, has the potential of saving a healthcare system at least 12 fold in savings, 5 or 6-fold if the desire is to be conservative with your estimate. Exactly how many people in this country have the same experience is also a question that needs to be answered, if this model is to be of any value. The frequency of epilepsy as a lifelong experience is different from a case where it comes on later in life. people who experience this form of life change just before retirement, by a decade or two, still cost the system in the long run. If we look at when the highest costs are generated, we find that every patient is of relatively equal financial risk, be he/she of low, moderate or high risk for the disease impacting the cost of care for their entire life. It is the events that take place once the “Great Event” occurs in someone’s life, that determines that individual’s long term outcomes and chances for reduced quality of life and income, or not. Both individuals and healthcare systems groups (corporate and/or npos) have the responsibility of better managing these people. The scenarios in this review do not include cases of comorbidities, such as older epileptics with a history of obesity, diabetes, or some mental health diagnosis. They also do not include the forgotten people with epilepsy who are institutionalized, and whom due to this produce the highest burden of all with epilepsy on the health care system as a group. The cases presented here are also very individualist in nature. The highly expensive long term care facility option present could in theory be reduced greatly by improving these programs. Even so, such savings will not effectively reduce to long term care costs in half, like the second version of this high risk model was used to display (the 50% reduction across all classes for cost). This also demonstrates just how much of an impact increased longevity of people can have on the value of health care overall. If I am still around and reach the age of 80 (2037/8), I expect there to be no healthcare system in place that is at all like the system we have in place today. Each and every health care system, health care facility, health insurance company, and non-profit group has to change its interpretation of its role in improving population health. The current system does indeed seem to be a failure waiting to happen, based on the predictive modeling and health economics analyses demonstrated on this page. Historical Medical Geographer and Disease Detective. Investigating and interpreting the past in population health, with applications for the future. This entry was posted in Managed Care. Bookmark the permalink.

2019-04-24T21:54:11Z

https://altonenb.wordpress.com/2015/03/10/the-cost-for-having-seizures/

If anyone anywhere on our planet espoused the view that there is nothing left to invent today, he would be unceremoniously laughed out of the room. The notion that innovation continues to change the world is nearly universally accepted. Even Karl Marx said, “The only constant is change.” However, such troglodytian sentiments are fodder for endless reflection at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I can largely understand the merits of rendering laws of nature and natural/physical phenomena ineligible for patent protection. (There is, however, tremendous room for clarity as to what exactly is patent eligible.) But I cannot understand the logic of rejecting patent applications because a series of people skilled in the art could have (should have or would have) sequenced their knowledge in a manner similar to the applicant but never did so. Suppose Mrs. Johnson from San Diego, California assigned all of her third-graders with the task of writing an eight-page term-paper. Little Johnny worked diligently preparing his term paper on autonomous automobiles, the driver of his imagination. Reading and writing were never easy for this dyslexic child. Nevertheless, he preserved. When the other little San Diegans were immersed in playing Fortnite and grazing on Doritos, little Johnny spent hours researching, composing, editing and proofreading his eight-page report. His labors bore fruit: Little Johnny received an “A” on his report. The teacher was so impressed with little Johnny’s term paper that she praised him in front of his classmates. Mrs. Johnson seized the moment to motivate the thirty eight-year olds under her care. She told the students, “With enough hard-work and focus high hurdles can be overcome. To achieve goals, sacrifices are often required. Research leads to learning. While learning is a reward in itself, learning acts like compound interest; the more you know, the further you can go.” While all of the eight-year olds understood Mrs. Johnson and committed to work harder in school, a cabal of their parents unsheathed their swords. Page 8 sharing similarities in terms of an antennae with a report prepared in 1995 in Hebrew by little Nimrod in Israel. Perhaps because a posse of parents primed to pounce to revoke little Johnny’s “A” by waging multiple attacks on that child’s work product, the San Diego School Board accepted the father’s petition. The Board overlooked the fact that none of the children cited above produced a term-paper even faintly resembling little Johnny’s in its entirety. They also skirted the issue that even if all of the other children wrote their papers in English, those papers still couldn’t possibly flow together as seamlessly as little Johnny’s paper. The narrative just wouldn’t work. Nevertheless, the School Board agreed with the initial petitioner and rescinded little Johnny’s “A”. Mrs. Johnson was threatened with removal from her position should she ever again dare praise a sham creator. Little Johnny’s parents were forced to pay the costs of the hearing. This litany of events sapped little Johnny’s creativity and motivation. The librarian become less helpful to little Johnny and his friends no longer agreed to review his writing. Little Johnny’s writing abilities showed so much promise but were extinguished before his work saw the light of day. This is article is an excerpt from The Plight of the Patentee. My patent examiner told me 3 times in phone interview that my application had patentability. Also told me to argue BASCOM.. And so I did. Then came another final rejection. Does the USPTO ever grant software patents? Or must the application be remanded from the courts to get the approval? Want a story for your book? Can I hold on long enough until the madness stops… an article on this forum dated September 13, 2018. Your excellent analogy would be humorous … were it not so painfully true. Thank you David. This is exactly the plight of the modern American inventor. This is wrong and either (1) reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the law re: 101 or (2) is an attempt to mislead others. Neither is a good look. The PTAB didn’t decide that an MRI machine is an abstract idea. It decided that the claim was directed to an abstract idea and that the claimed generic MRI hardware wasn’t “enough” to move the needle back to eligibility. The PTAB decided that this claim to an MRI machine is ineligible, not that an MRI machine is abstract. There’s a clear distinction between the two that isn’t difficult to understand. Alice itself says that the fact that something exists in the real world isn’t dispositive of eligibility. This PTAB decision follows directly from that. Now, is this a good thing? No, it’s a mess of a test that should be abolished. But misstating the facts won’t get you very far, it will make you look bad. Someone share this awesome analogy with Gorsuch. Perhaps he can enlighten the other justices on the bench who spit law. The pendulum needs to be adjusted for all inventors. Whether you like it or not, the PTAB decided in Itagaki that the claimed MRI machine was an abstract idea. Finesse it any way you like, but quote you don’t like is a perfectly reasonable characterization of the ruling. The Itagaki decision is nonsense (How can a recited MRI machine not be significantly more than a judicial exception?), but SCOTUS decisions in Alice and Mayo are logically inconsistent. If SCOTUS decides that p is true and then holds that ~p is true, the PTAB and the CAFC can make any judgment and still follow SCOTUS guidance. I discuss in Did SCOTUS Botch Its Own Test in Mayo v. Prometheus and Break the US Patent System?. Nevertheless, the Itagaki MRI camera was completely obvious, and those claims should have been found unpatentable and not patent-ineligible. The CAFC should have remanded and made the PTAB write a better decision, but unfortunately SCOTUS is generating rulings from the Twilight Zone. All the Justices but Gorsuch should acknowledge their incompetence and resign in shame. Thanks David for a glimpse into your book. I am looking forward to reading it and learning that your efforts (et al) have moved the pendulum back to the side of American Innovation being respected again! A key aspect was the classifying of different machine parameter based images from different stations in an MRI machine and combining these images to a display as a single-body image. The parameters as claimed are machine parameters, not image parameters. evidence reinforces our view that the focus of claim 1 is on classifying images in a particular orientation. The Board wanted to reject (perhaps, like you, they found the invention undeserving) so they applied the Alice magic to let it disappear. The PTO promotes the infinite monkey theorem – a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will eventually type out the complete works of William Shakespeare. Therefore, William Shakespeare’s work is without merit. Good article. Most 103 analyses are absurd. Examiners work like super lnventors by using the disclosures as maps. I am an expert in medical imaging technology. I helped develop the PET scanning system at MGH. In the old days the Itagaki device (pre-1952) would have been found ineligible under the patent law Doctrine of Aggregation. I discuss Reckendorfer v. Faber, 92 U.S. 347 (1875) in SCOTUS Made Rubber-Tip Pencil into Hemlock for US Patent System. The same logic applies under post-1952 non-obviousness and KSM. Unfortunately Rubber-Tip Pencil overshadows the much better written Reckendorfer because Rubber-Tip Pencil refers to an idea of itself, which SCOTUS and many judges pounced on as support for abstract idea findings. BTW, if the PTAB and the Examiner can’t justify the rejection, the Applicant is entitled to an issued patent. That’s the law. If later someone objects, he can hire me as an expert in DC or in a PTAB Review proceeding. The USPTO must follow the law. The USPTO does not have policy-making or legislative authority. Do you know what is an even worse “look? Pretending as you do that the state of law vis a vis 101 is clear, or NOT mired in serious misunderstandings and overplays of judicial muckery. It is NOT as you put it EITHER of a fundamental misunderstanding (understanding the law as written by Congress as NOT being the law put in play by the Court takes critical thinking and is the opposite of what you imply) OR an attempt to mislead (the misleading is going on in the opposite direction). You yourself “claim” a clear distinction, yet fail to make any such distinction, and your statement above at 3) and 4) have the opposite meaning of what you think those statements mean. You appear to want to eliminate the thing as not being the thing claimed. You appear to have stopped your own critical thinking and have failed to understand the bigger picture (and exactly why there is NO such “clear distinction”). Even if we put aside for the moment the fact that you glibly accept a plethora of undefined terms (and how “clear” can you really be given the fact that key terms ARE undefined?), you “miss” on the logic of your own sentences. From 1), the PTAB very much DID decide that an MRI machine was an abstract idea. Yes, the “reasoning” offered was that the claim (which was TO A MACHINE) was “directed to” something, and that something else was not enough (this being your “2),” and the court’s rather undefined view – to be another undefined “state” of “enough.”). But make NO mistake – the claim was STILL to a machine, and it is the claim (as TO that machine) WAS deemed “abstract.” Your statement of 3) is something that you appear to not really grasp the import. You appear to have fallen for the fallacy of “directed to” BEING the claim. What this amounts to is the very “attempt to mislead” that the Court has engaged in (and which, by proxy and your support, YOU are engaging in). Any sense of BLINDLY following a “directly flow from” without engaging in an attorney’s ethical duty to NOT place the Supreme Court above the Constitution is WHAT should be criticized. The bottom line – and the actual point of clarity – is that 3) IS saying that a claim to an actual physical item may be “considered to be” (or even “considered to be directed to”) a NON-PHYSICAL item based SOLELY on the whims of a judge (or Justice). THIS is a fundamental misunderstanding of reality AND an elevation of the Justice’s OWN desires over the words of Congress. Claims must be one of four statutory THINGS. To engage in the type of “well, we know what is ‘really’ being claimed” writes out of the statute those four THINGS. See 35 USC 101, See 35 USC 100(j), See 35 USC 112(b). Let’s be abundantly clear: the minute ANY “gisting” and “abstract” “directed to” is going on is the minute that the Court has gone rogue and violates the clear direction from Congress as to exactly whom has the authority (and responsibility) for defining exactly what the invention is. For ALL of the Court’s “protests” against “scriviners,” it is the Court itself that has engaged in scrivining (of statutory law, whose SOLE Constitutional allocation of power to write that law is not to the judicial branch). wherein the display control unit displays the plurality of images by image types in spatial order of station positions, based on the classification result by the classification processing unit. The first digitally filmed and post produced feature film was Windhorse, shot in Tibet and Nepal in 1996 on a prototype of the digital-beta Sony DVW-700WS and the prosumer Sony DCE-VX1000. The offline editing (avid) and the online post and color work (Roland House / da Vinci) were also all digital. The film, transferred to 35mm negative for theatrical release, won Best U.S. Feature at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in 1998. Anon, you’re being incoherent. The court didn’t hold an MRI machine to be abstract. If you disagree provide a pincite. It’s a simple distinction and a simple test when viewed from 10,000 feet. What’s difficult is that SCOTUS left the lynchpins of the test – “abstract idea” and “significantly more” – undefined. That’s what makes it “a mess of a test that should be abolished,” as I wrote above. I’m on the anti-Alice side, but am so sick and tired of what seems to be people’s fundamental inability to understand the mechanics of the test. If I hear one more person blather on about how something should satisfy the Alice test because it’s a machine they can sit on I may just lose it. Certainly don’t say that cr*p to your clients, because they’ll fire you. I have. What is disturbing is you claiming superior intellectual high ground and indignation. Fact, the PTAB said the claimed MRI machine covered an abstract idea. Fact, an MRI machine is not an abstract idea. Fact, there are two parts to the Alice/Mayo framework. Fact, if you or the judges on the PTAB went into a pitch-black room with an MRI machine and walked around you’d soon discover that the claimed MRI machine at a minimum added significantly more than anything that could have possibly been abstract because the MRI machine itself is NOT abstract. And if you want to lose it go right ahead. Tangibility is not enough because the Supreme Court doesn’t understand anything about what they are doing, which is exactly why you can have a PTAB full of chemically trained APJs who know nothing about computers decided that a claim to an MRI machine is directed to an abstract idea, which is asinine — just like your ridiculous protestations. What’s next? The self driving automobile claims are directed to abstract ideas? Oh, of course not! Google is inventing in that area and a car is tangible. Very different than an MRI machine I’m sure. I am having some difficulty in posting the rest. Cinematography uses multiple stations. Post-production means selecting and categorizing by machine parameters. Raw files initially had to be processed in specialized image editing programs, but over time many mainstream editing programs, such as Google’s Picasa, have added support for raw images. Rendering to standard images from raw sensor data allows more flexibility in making major adjustments without losing image quality or retaking the picture. Note that the DCF specification was defined in 1998 ten years before the patent application in question was first filed. As far as I can tell, the multistation MRI scanner improvement, which is being claimed, consists solely of functionality that had existed for years in cinematography and consumer digital cameras and that was certainly obvious to a PHOSITA to combine into an MRI scanner digital imaging system. Digital imaging is a single art whether medical imaging, cinematography, consumer digital photography, or scanners. Engineers working in this art keep track of all digital imaging developments. What was the motivation to combine? We used to have carry tapes from scanner lab to the computer room — something that was totally irritating. We combined data to create slices at various angles and thickness because the doctors demanded it. That math is not hard (really “pencil and paper” calculations). Was device implementation obvious without undue experimentation? Yes. It just required moving the data from the MRI camera to a computer to create the desired images in the desired file structure. There were numerous ways to do so already in the 1980s. A 103 (a) rejection of the claims of the patent application in question is certainly appropriate. The Examiner did not use the appropriate prior art to create his obviousness rejection. Actually in-house it is interesting that what you are doing is using the twisted logic of Alice to form your own ideas. The MRI machine as a whole was found to be an abstract idea. It was just done with a two part process that you mimic in your argument to argue that it wasn’t found to be an abstract idea. Look at the big picture. There is a claim to an MRI machine. Now tell us how it wasn’t found to be an abstract idea again without the twisted logic. In-house counsel clearly does not even recognize the problem with how the Supreme Court has so seriously mashed up the law concerning 35 USC 101. So much so that he thinks my explanation is incoherent while BLINDLY accepting the undefined use of terms to somehow BE coherent. Tell me, in-house, what is the definition of “significantly more” that turns a “directed to” “GIST” into some THING that the statutory category requirement MANDATES that a claim satisfy? Do you even understand what the statutory categories mean, or why they are significant, or even what it means to claim a machine? This is the second time that you have made a broad – and unsubstantiated – claim as to “simple distinction” without actually saying anything meaningful, let alone something meaningful in view of the law as written by Congress (as opposed to the scrivening of the Court). Leaving critical terms undefined is NOT just “difficult,” it makes a LIE of your claim of “simple.” “seems to be people’s fundamental inability to understand the mechanics of the test.” – you cannot have a “mechanics of the test” given the undefined terms; unless of course, you are perfectly fine with a “mechanics” that is entirely meaningless. Your problem is that you appear to not understand what 101 is about at all, and you have merely accepted at face value the lack of understanding from the Court as the Court has mashed the wax nose of 101. You need not be concerned about firing me, as if you were my client and showed such improvident thinking, I would likely be firing you. For those that may merely feed back your rhetoric (and lack of understanding thereof), how are you ever going to manage them when they tell you “so sorry,” you cannot have a patent because you do not meet the undefined terms that make up that oh so simple distinction in the mechanics of the Supreme Court scrivined test.” Will you pat them on the head, pay their bill, and try again? Will you try again in the SAME undefined (and thus unknowable), but to you, oh so simple mechanized test? Will you expect some different result with the same technique? Or maybe – just maybe – you will try to understand just why those who seek to protect innovation are so upset with the muckery from the Court? Will you try to understand “beyond” that “oh so simple mechanized Two Step” when it comes to why your own particular patent attempts are rejected? To your point of “tangibility is not enough” exemplifies how the Court has eviscerated the actual words of the Statute. At least in part. More to the point, if one takes as a given that the utility aspect of belonging in the Useful Arts has been satisfied, then the “tangibility” factor somehow NOT being dispositive of meeting a statutory category element of 35 USC 101 shows the mashing of the wax nose of 101. 2) have your innovation take form in at least one of the statutory categories. All else is ultra vires and evidences the Court violating the separation of powers. That the Court does this in a Void for Vagueness manner (undefined terms) should really scream out. That the Court “banks” its reach into a “Constitutional” foundation for its scrivening by taking a subjective, conjectural, FUTURE-based “May” (which necessarily includes the notion of “May NOT,” as in, “this undefined something more is what removes the preemption concern about what MAY be blocked in the future” merely evidences the infirmity of the Court violating its Constitutional authority of PRESENT case or controversy. It must be wonderful to be so simple minded as to not see issues. Dear mother of God I’ve written twice now that it’s a bad test that needs fixing. What you don’t seem to comprehend is that lambasting anyone below SCOTUS for actually following what they wrote does nothing to help your cause. The solution doesn’t come from calling the PTAB names and whining about witches and such. The solution is either (1) get SCOTUS to reverse itself (not happening) or (2) lobbying your representatives to overrule SCOTUS via legislation. Writing hit pieces about ‘idiot’ PTAB judges and posting myriad comments about “Google witch hunts’ isn’t going to help anything and furthers the narrative on the other blog that anti-Alice attorneys are biased money grubbing bottom feeders. The persuasive argument is that the test is on its face impossible for anyone to apply in a repeatable manner and needs to be clarified or abolished. Joachim. An MRI machine is not a digital camera, even though one can find analogies. Also, the image processing on MRI image data is in many respects different from digital camera image processing. For example an electronic calculator would be directed to an abstract idea according to Alice . The fact that “underlying math is simple” or of “paper and pencil calculations”-quality is and should be irrelevant to the patent eligibility and patentability of a machine that performs those calculations. (a moving average filter comes to mind). You are trying to make a distinction, which is pilpul or quodlibet. I have to reiterate. Digital imaging is a single art whether digital medical imaging, digital cinematography, consumer digital photography, or digital scanners. Engineers working in this art keep track of all digital imaging developments. Digital medical imaging comprises MRI, CAT, PET, and other technologies. And yes the probes for MRI, CAT, and PET are different but they are basically collecting some form of signals that are digitized and then processed. The math differs somewhat, but it’s all computable functions and algorithms that have been around at least as far back as the 50s. I’ve worked primarily on PET and a little on MRI. When I was at MGH, CAT was considered a mature technology. From the standpoint of the electronics and algorithms, the medical imaging differed little from the consumer and cinematographic digital imaging. The digital scanner technology is probably the simplest, but it is also a digital imaging technology. I have to note that everyone at MGH routinely referred to MRI, PET, and CAT cameras. The digital imaging art is crowded. The USPTO is supposed to cut some slack for minor improvements in a crowded art, but the Itagaki improvement in 1999 was an obvious combination of existing pieces; doctors were demanding this improvement; and the improvement was a straightforwardly implemented combination of communications tech, digital circuits, mechanicals, a programmable computer, imaging algorithms, and graphics algorithms. I was a manager back in the 1990s. If a marketer developed a product spec in 1999 for the Itagaki device, I would have scheduled a project for it without a second thought even though no similar device existed in the world. It would not have occurred to me that my team was creating a patent-eligible invention. In 1979 I probably would have thought I was creating a patent-eligible invention while I could probably argued both sides of the question in 1989. Some good points there. But two points: (1) what we are doing is discrediting the opinion, which is important to get it reversed or for legislation. (2) The CAFC has the power to render it toothless, which would be easy with interpretation, e.g., Berkheimer is a good start. Anyway, maybe I am not being productive. Curious certainly seems to think so. Joachim, a digital camera does not have T1 and T2 relaxation, it also does not have echo-time considerations, no MIP projection, no tomography, no signal sequences, no slice processing. There are no voxels in digital cameras and no volumes are generated. 3D image object segmentation is different from 2D. Location tracking of 3D objects in a volume is (for instance with Bayesian probability) different from 2D images. Rendering of 3D images is a special art by itself. To say that “image processing” is a single art is incorrect. It is an enormously diverse field, with many distinctive specialties and the majority is mathematics based processing. I believe you that you would have found Itagaki obvious. But in the sense as you describe: when confronted with the question of the Itagaki problem you most likely would have created something very similar. But the question was never asked and you (or your team) never did the invention. Luckily, determination of obviousness relies on prior art, not on if you “could have done it when asked.” We all know that asking the right question is the foundation of an invention. That is of course the misery with Alice, wherein a judge is being convinced that he/she could almost have done the invention and hence it is directed to an abstract idea. In saying “that my team was creating a patent-eligible invention,” I hope you mean a “patentable invention.” I see no reason pre-Alice why Itagaki should not be patent-eligible. Shouting really does not make you more convincing. We had a team at MGH that built PET cameras, MRI cameras, and CAT cameras. The team consisted of physicists, electronic engineers, software engineers, and mechanical engineers. The same team could have built a digital consumer camera, a digital cinematography system, a digital x-ray camera, a digital thermal camera, or a digital scanner. Digital imaging is a single technological art. It just is. Each guy, who built any one of the first of each of the devices above, genuinely invented something new under the sun. Improvements like the Itagaki device used to be called aggregations. If I am not mistaken the Doctrine of Aggregation comes from Reckendorfer v. Faber, 92 U.S. 347 (1875) even if I would assert that Rubber-Tip Pencil Co. v. Howard, 87 U.S. 498 (1874) makes the exact same point. The combination, to be patentable, must produce a different force or effect or result in the combined forces or processes from that given by their separate parts. There must be a new result produced by their union; if not so, it is only an aggregation of separate elements. An instance and an illustration are found in the discovery that, by the use of sulphur mixed with india-rubber, the rubber could be vulcanized, and that without this agent the rubber could not be vulcanized. The combination of the two produced a result or an article entirely different from that before in use. Another illustration may be found in the frame in a saw mill which advances the log regularly to meet the saw, and the saw which saws the log; the two cooperate and are simultaneous in their joint action of sawing through the whole log; or in the sewing machine, where one part advances the cloth and another part forms the stitches, the action being simultaneous in carrying on a continuous sewing. A stemwinding watch key is another instance. The office of the stem is to hold the watch, or hang the chain to the watch; the office of the key is to wind it. When the stem is made the key, the joint duty of holding the chain and winding the watch is performed by the same instrument. A double effect is produced or a double duty performed by the combined result. In these and numerous like cases, the parts cooperate in producing the final effect, sometimes simultaneously, sometimes successively. The result comes from the combined effect of the several parts, not simply from the separate action of each, and is therefore patentable. In the case we are considering, the parts claimed to make a combination are distinct and disconnected. Not only is there no new result, but no joint operation. When the lead is used, it performs the same operation and in the same manner as it would do if there were no rubber at the other end of the pencil; when the rubber is used, it is in the same manner and performs the same duty as if the lead were not in the same pencil. A pencil is laid down and a rubber is taken up, the one to write, the other to erase; a pencil is turned over to erase with, or an eraser is turned over to write with. The principle is the same in both instances. It may be more convenient to have the two instruments on one rod than on two. There may be a security against the absence of the tools of an artist or mechanic from the fact that the greater the number, the greater the danger of loss. It may be more convenient to turn over the different ends of the same stick than to lay down one stick and take up another. This, however, is not invention within the patent law, as the authorities cited fully show. There is no relation between the instruments in the performance of their several functions, and no reciprocal action, no parts used in common. The Doctrine of Aggregation is narrower than 35 U.S. Code § 103, but § 103 fully encompasses this Doctrine. The Examiner and the PTAB should properly have argued unpatentability under § 103. It is disturbing that they all knew that Itagaki was not entitled to an issued patent but could not articulate the reason coherently. Instead they resorted to a § 101 argument, which was complete and utter nonsense. It would not have occurred to me that my team was creating a patentable invention. In 1979 I probably would have thought I was creating a patentable invention while I could probably argued both sides of the question in 1989. At MGH in 1978 we had PET, MRI, and CAT cameras that collected data from radiation that interacted in some way with the object to be imaged. We dumped the data onto tape and brought it to a Mod Comp computer that could render images in slices in any plane the doctors wanted. Multistation MRI cameras were available by the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s. Workstations that ran X Window System software that could do 2D rendering and implemented GKS were available in the middle 80s. I know because I worked on the X Window System at Project Athena at MIT during the middle 80s. Silicon Graphics publically released a 3D rendering system X/GLX in 2000. Hardware parameterization was already in imaging standards by 2000. Networking the digital medical cameras, consumer digital cameras, digital cinematography systems was was common by the late 90s. The Itagaki device sees almost to represent an archetypal invention that is nothing more than an aggregation. Joachim, you are verifiably wrong. While Itagaki includes known elements, it also teaches new integrating elements: 1) a computer based method to classify imaging methods based on different machine parameters at different discrete locations ; and 2) a computer based method to generate and display a whole-body image, based on the classification. The PTAB correctly decided, based on the record before them, that the claimed invention was not obvious. The use of a computer to do the classification and image generation as claimed is meaningful and technical and has not been do prior. That we agree upon it seems. While your background compels you in hindsight to assert that “you could have done that if asked the question” you have not produced any easily accessible paper or other disclosure that supports your allegation of obviousness. In fact, your own words suggest that the claimed invention fulfilled a long felt need. Where is the synthesis that makes the Itagaki device more than two devices: a multistation MRI & a graphics data processing computer put into a single enclosure? (I’m not even sure that it was so enclosed.) On May 9, 2007 all aspects of the multistation MRI have been around for years. Likewise all aspects of the graphics data processing computer workstation have been around for years. One could just dump the multistation MRI data to a tape and bring it over to the graphics workstation where the data could be read into the workstation, but by the 90s both a multistation MRI and a graphics workstation are commonly networked. 10GBASE-T 10 Gbit/s Ethernet over copper twisted pair cable is already standardized in 2006 in 802.3an. A bus is a bus whether it’s a serial Ethernet bus or an advanced PCI parallel or serial bus. The image data format and image data file system formats are all internationally standardized by 2000. In the 1979 creating the Itagaki device would have required a lot of genuine craftsmanship (tekhne) and genuine practical technological wisdom (phronesis). The Itagaki device in 1979 would have represented a genuine invention that merited patent protection. (Remember multistation MRI cameras were first created sometime in the late 90s or early 2000s — multistation digital cinematography systems existed at least since 1996). Likewise in the Itagaki device would have represented a patentable invention in 1989 and possibly just barely patentable as a very incremental improvement in a very crowded field in 1999, but by 2007 putting the multistation MRI and the graphics workstation connected together by a network/advanced PCI interconnection bus into a single mechanical enclosure is just praxis (well-understood, routine, conventional activity/functionality). There was no invention in the Itagaki apparatus in 2007. I went through the File Wrapper. The Examiner was looking in the wrong place for published documents describing MRI apparatus while Japanese are parochial and miss a lot of international publications. I doubt there was any long felt need in 2007, for the data transfer problem had almost certainly already been solved at Loma Linda, Austin, the University of Pennsylvania, MGH or any of the new major imaging research facilities that I don’t know. The principal researchers at these research facilities don’t typically apply for patents. They are doctors, who usually are not the inventors at the facilities. The grants, under which they work, often don’t budget for patent applications. These doctor-researhers publish in specialized medical journals. The Itagaki apparatus/system is an aggregation like Blair’s device/system (Rubber-Tip Pencil) or the Reckendorfer device/system (another lead pencil/eraser system). There is no question the the Itagaki apparatus was patent-eligible. The PTAB (like SCOTUS) is out somewhere in the Twilight Zone with respect to eligibility. Yet the Itagaki apparatus was not patentable. Here is my summary. A patentable invention in 1979 became an aggregation of prior art and praxis in 2007 — something not surprising 30 years later. I discuss praxis, SCOTUS, and the CAFC in Praxis: The Fourth Judicial Exception.

2019-04-22T19:58:06Z

https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2018/09/17/could-have-should-have-would-have/id=101220/

Description Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease, characterized by destruction of the periodontal attachment apparatus including the alveolar bone. Previous studies have provided evidence for the involvement of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling in periodontitis progression. TGF-β signaling is responsible for a variety of cellular processes including proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The SMAD2 transcription factor lies at the heart of TGF-β intracellular mediators. Previous authors have reported the effect of Smad2 overexpression on multiple mouse tissues (Ito et al 2001), but did not report the role of Smad2 overexpression on the progression of periodontal disease. We hypothesized that Smad2 overexpression alters apoptosis, cell proliferation, and inflammatory cytokine secretions in the junctional epithelium (JE), leading to periodontal attachment loss. A mouse model that overexpresses Smad2 in epithelial cells driven by the cytokeratin 14 promoter (K14) was used to test the hypotheses. The K14-Smad2 mice findings were compared to those observed in wild type (WT) mice that served as controls. The results of the study showed that Smad2 overexpression reduced the histological surface area of JE when compared to WT mice. The reduction of the JE surface area in K14-Smad2 mice was attributed to an increased apoptotic index and a reduced proliferation rate. The overexpression of Smad2 increased the apoptotic index by down regulating Bcl2, an antiapoptotic molecule. Smad2 overexpression also reduced the proliferation rate of the JE cells in K14-Smad2 mice by upregulating c-Myc, which in turn upregulates phosphorylated retinoblastoma P15, and P27. The overexpression of Smad2 resulted in severe alveolar bone loss in the K14-Smad2 mice when compared to the WT controls. Smad2 overexpression resulted in a reduction in the bone density and bone volume in the K14-Smad2 mice when compared to their WT counterparts. The severe alveolar bone loss in K14-Smad2 mice was attributed to an upregulation in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) , RANKL and increased osteoclast numbers. In summary the overexpression of Smad2 reduced the histological surface of JE and resulted in severe bone loss that follows a chronic disease pattern in K14-Smad2 mice. SMAD2 OVEREXPRESSION AND THE PROGRESSION OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE by Mazen Kitab Alotaibi BDS, King Saud University, 2005 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Craniofacial Science) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) July 2015 © Mazen Kitab Alotaibi, 2015 ii Abstract Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease, characterized by destruction of the periodontal attachment apparatus including the alveolar bone. Previous studies have provided evidence for the involvement of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling in periodontitis progression. TGF-β signaling is responsible for a variety of cellular processes including proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The SMAD2 transcription factor lies at the heart of TGF-β intracellular mediators. Previous authors have reported the effect of Smad2 overexpression on multiple mouse tissues (Ito et al 2001), but did not report the role of Smad2 overexpression on the progression of periodontal disease. We hypothesized that Smad2 overexpression alters apoptosis, cell proliferation, and inflammatory cytokine secretions in the junctional epithelium (JE), leading to periodontal attachment loss. A mouse model that overexpresses Smad2 in epithelial cells driven by the cytokeratin 14 promoter (K14) was used to test the hypotheses. The K14-Smad2 mice findings were compared to those observed in wild type (WT) mice that served as controls. The results of the study showed that Smad2 overexpression reduced the histological surface area of JE when compared to WT mice. The reduction of the JE surface area in K14-Smad2 mice was attributed to an increased apoptotic index and a reduced proliferation rate. The overexpression of Smad2 increased the apoptotic index by down regulating Bcl2, an antiapoptotic molecule. Smad2 overexpression also reduced the proliferation rate of the JE cells in K14-Smad2 mice by upregulating c-Myc, which in turn upregulates phosphorylated retinoblastoma P15, and P27. The overexpression of Smad2 resulted in severe alveolar bone loss in the K14-Smad2 mice when compared to the WT controls. Smad2 overexpression resulted in a reduction in the bone density and bone volume in the K14-Smad2 mice when iii compared to their WT counterparts. The severe alveolar bone loss in K14-Smad2 mice was attributed to an upregulation in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) , RANKL and increased osteoclast numbers. In summary the overexpression of Smad2 reduced the histological surface of JE and resulted in severe bone loss that follows a chronic disease pattern in K14-Smad2 mice. iv Preface Chapter 2 has been published. Fujita, T., Alotaibi, M., Kitase, Y., Kota, Y., Ouhara, K., Kurihara, H., & Shuler, C. F. (2012). Smad2 is involved in the apoptosis of murine gingival junctional epithelium associated with inhibition of BCL-2. Archives of Oral Biology, 57(11), 1567–1573. The work presented in Chapter 2 was carried out in collaboration between all authors. Dr. Fujita, Dr. Kurihara and Dr. Shuler defined the research theme. Dr. Fujita and Dr. Kitase designed methods and experiments. Dr. Aloatibi and Dr. Fujita carried out the laboratory experiments and analyzed the data. Dr. Kitase and Dr. Fujita interpreted the results and wrote the manuscript. Dr. Yuki and Dr. Ouhara interpreted the results, read and commented on the drafts. Dr. Shuler edited the manuscript. All authors have contributed to, seen, and approved the manuscript. Chapter 3 has been published. Alotaibi, M. K., Kitase, Y., & Shuler, C. F. (2014). Smad2 overexpression reduces the proliferation of the junctional epithelium. Journal of Dental Research, 93(9), 898–903. Dr. Shuler, Dr. Kitase and Dr. Alotaibi defined the research theme and designed the research methods. Dr. Mazen Alotaibi carried out the laboratory experiments and analyzed the data. Dr. Alotaibi wrote the manuscript. Dr. Shuler, and Dr. Kitase reviewed and edited the final manuscript. Chapter 4 has been submitted for publication. Dr. Shuler, Dr. Kitase and Dr. Alotaibi defined the research theme and designed the research methods. Dr. Alotaibi carried out the laboratory experiments and analyzed the data. Dr. Alotaibi wrote the manuscript. Dr. Shuler and Dr. Kitase reviewed and edited the final manuscript. The Animal Care Committee of The University of British Columbia approved the v studies (A09-0227). vi Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................... ii  Preface ..................................................................................................................................... iv  Table of Contents .................................................................................................................... vi  List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ x  List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... xi  List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................ xii  Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... xiv  Dedication .............................................................................................................................. xvi  Chapter 1: Review of the Literature……………………………………………………….. 1  1.1   An Overview of the Research Plan ....................................................................................... 1  1.2   Anatomy and Development of the Junctional Epithelium .................................................... 2  1.3   The Role of the JE in Maintaining Health ............................................................................ 4  1.4   Periodontal Disease and Genetics ......................................................................................... 6  1.5   The Role of Apoptosis on the Progression of Periodontal Disease ...................................... 7  1.6   TGF-β Superfamily ............................................................................................................... 8  1.7   TGF-β Activation ................................................................................................................ 10  1.8   The Role of TGF-β in Wound Healing ............................................................................... 11  1.9   The JE and TGF-β Receptors Expression in Health and Disease ....................................... 13  1.10   The Role of TGF-β on Apoptosis and Mitotic Activity ..................................................... 13  1.11   The Role of Inflammatory Cytokines/Chemokines in the Progression of Bone Loss ........ 14  1.12   K14-Smad2 Mice Phenotype .............................................................................................. 15  1.13   Hypothesis .......................................................................................................................... 17  1.14   Aims and Objectives ........................................................................................................... 17  Chapter 2: SMAD2 is Involved in the Apoptosis of Murine Gingival Junctional Epithelium Associated with Inhibition of BCL-2………………………………………… 19  2.1   Overview ............................................................................................................................. 19  2.1.1   Objective ...................................................................................................................... 19  2.1.2   Methods ........................................................................................................................ 19   vii 2.1.3   Results .......................................................................................................................... 19  2.1.4   Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 20  2.2   Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 20  2.3   Materials and Methods ........................................................................................................ 21  2.3.1   Animals and Genotyping ............................................................................................. 21  2.3.2   Real-time PCR ............................................................................................................. 22  2.3.3   Immunohistochemistry ................................................................................................. 22  2.3.4   Analysis of Junctional Epithelial Apoptosis Rate ........................................................ 23  2.4   Results ................................................................................................................................. 24  2.4.1   Activation of Overexpressed SMAD2 Was Associated With an Increase in Endogenous Tgf-β1 Expression in Gingival Epithelial Tissue ................................................ 24  2.4.2   Increased JE Apoptosis in K14-Smad2 Mice ............................................................... 25  2.4.3   Reduction in BCL-2 Expression in K14-Smad2 Mice ................................................. 27  2.5   Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 29  2.5.1   Mouse Model System ................................................................................................... 30  2.5.2   Overexpression of Smad2 Induces Apoptosis in JE ..................................................... 30  2.5.3   Underlying Mechanism by Which Overexpression of Smad2 Induces Apoptosis in JE……………………………………………………………………………………………..31  2.6   Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 32  Chapter 3: Smad2 Overexpression Reduces the Proliferation of the Junctional Epithelium…………………………………………………………………………………...33  3.1   Overview ............................................................................................................................. 33  3.1.1   Objective ...................................................................................................................... 33  3.1.2   Methods ........................................................................................................................ 33  3.1.3   Results .......................................................................................................................... 33  3.1.4   Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 34  3.2   Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 34  3.3   Materials and Methods ........................................................................................................ 36  3.3.1   Animals and Genotyping ............................................................................................. 36  3.3.2   Histology and Immunohistochemistry ......................................................................... 37  3.3.2.1   Decalcification and Paraffin Embedding of the Samples ..................................... 37  3.3.2.2   Hematoxylin and Eosin ......................................................................................... 37  3.3.2.3   Immunohistochemistry ......................................................................................... 37  3.3.3   Real-time PCR ............................................................................................................. 38   viii 3.3.4   Western Blots ............................................................................................................... 39  3.3.5   Statistical Analysis ....................................................................................................... 40  3.4   Results ................................................................................................................................. 40  3.4.1   Smad2 Overexpression Altered the Surface Area of the JE Cells ............................... 40  3.4.2   Smad2 Overexpression Reduces the Proliferation Rate of the JE Cells ...................... 42  3.4.3   Increased SMAD2 Up-regulates c-MYC ..................................................................... 44  3.4.4   Smad2 Overexpression Increased Both P15 and pRB to Inhibit JE Cell Proliferation ............................................................................................................................ 45  3.5   Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 46  Chapter 4: Smad2 Overexpression Induces Alveolar Bone Loss by Up-regulating TNF-α………………………………………………………………………………………...49  4.1   Overview ............................................................................................................................. 49  4.1.1   Background .................................................................................................................. 49  4.1.2   Methods ........................................................................................................................ 49  4.1.3   Results .......................................................................................................................... 49  4.1.4   Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 50  4.2   Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 50  4.3   Materials and Methods ........................................................................................................ 53  4.3.1   Animals and Genotyping ............................................................................................. 53  4.3.2   Photographs .................................................................................................................. 53  4.3.3   Micro CT Analysis ....................................................................................................... 54  4.3.4   Histology and Immunohistochemistry ......................................................................... 54  4.3.4.1   Decalcification and Paraffin Embedding of the Samples ..................................... 54  4.3.4.2   Hematoxylin and Eosin ......................................................................................... 54  4.3.5   Immunohistochemistry ................................................................................................. 55  4.3.6   Real-time PCR ............................................................................................................. 55  4.3.7   Western Blots ............................................................................................................... 57  4.3.8   Statistical Analysis ....................................................................................................... 57  4.4   Results ................................................................................................................................. 58  4.4.1   Smad2 Overexpression Results in Severe Alveolar Bone Loss ................................... 58  4.4.2   Increased SMAD2 Up-regulates Tnf-α and Rankl ....................................................... 61  4.4.3   The Overexpression of Smad2 Increased the Number of Osteoclasts ......................... 62  4.5   Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 63  Chapter 5: General Discussion, Conclusions, and Future Directions…………………... 68   ix 5.1   General Discussion ............................................................................................................. 68  5.1.1   JE to Maintain Health .................................................................................................. 68  5.1.2   Recombinant TGFβ1 Mediated Periodontal Regeneration .......................................... 69  5.1.3   Smad2 and Bone Loss .................................................................................................. 70  5.2   Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 71  5.3   Future Directions ................................................................................................................ 72  References .............................................................................................................................. 74   x List of Tables Table 1: The Effects of SMAD2 Overexpression on Healing and Gingival Cells…………..12 Table 2: Primer Sequences for p15, p21, p27, and Gapdh…………………………………..38  Table 3: Primer Sequences for Tnf-α , Il1-β, Ifγ, Rankl, Opg and Gapdh…………………..56 xi List of Figures Figure 1: The Dento-Gingival Unit............................................................................................2  Figure 2: TGFβ Signalling Through SMAD2.........................................................................10  Figure 3: Activation of Overexpressed SMAD2 was Associated with an Increase in Endogenous Tgf-β1 Expression in Gingival Epithelial Tissue...........................................25  Figure 4: Increased JE Apoptosis in K14-Smad2 Mice...........................................................27  Figure 5: Reduction in Bcl-2 mRNA Expression in K14-Smad2 Mice...................................28  Figure 6: Reduction in BCL-2 Protein Expression in K14-Smad2 Mice.................................29  Figure 7: Smad2 Overexpression Altered the JE Surface Area...............................................41  Figure 8: Smad2 Overexpression Reduced the Proliferation Rate of JE Cells........................43  Figure 9: Smad2 Overexpression Inhibits C-MYC..................................................................45  Figure 10: Smad2 Overexpression Up-regulates P15, P27 and Increases the Protein Level of p-RB....................................................................................................................................46  Figure 11: Smad2 Overexpression Induces Chronic Alveolar Bone Loss...............................59  Figure 12: Smad2 Overexpression Reduces Both Bone Volume and Bone Density...............61  Figure 13: Smad2 Overexpression Up-regulates Tnf-α and Rankl..........................................62  Figure 14: Smad2 Overexpression Increased the Number of Osteoclasts in K14-Smad2 Mice ....................................................................................................................................... 63  Figure 15: Smad2 Overexpression and the Progression of Periodontal Disease ................... 72   xii List of Abbreviations BAD Bcl-2-associated death promoter BAX Bcl-2-associated X protein BCL2 B-cell lymphoma 2 BCL-XL B-cell lymphoma-extra large BMP bone morphogenic protein BID BH3 interacting-domain death agonist BIK Bcl-2-interacting killer BIM Bcl-2-like protein 11 CEACAM1 carcinoembryonic Ag-related cell adhesion molecule DAPI 4′, 6′- diamidino-2-phenylindole DAT directly attached to tooth ECM extracellular matrix EGF epidermal growth factor GS the glycine-serine rich region of TGF-β receptor type I ICAM-1 intercellular adhesion molecule-1 IFγ interferon gamma IL-1α interleukin-1 alpha IL-1β interleukin-1 beta IL-8 interleukin-8 JE junctional epithelium K14-Smad2 Smad2 overexpression mice MAP kinases mitogen-activated protein kinases OPG osteoprotegerin PBS Phosphate-buffered saline PCNA Proliferating cell nuclear antigen PI3K phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases PLS papillon–Lefèvre syndrome PMN polymorphonuclear leucocyte P-RB phosphorylated retinoblastoma xiii RANKL receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand SLC small latent complex TβRI TGF-β type I receptor TβRII TGF-β type II receptor TGF-β transforming growth factor-β TNF-α tumor necrosis factor alpha TRAP tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase TUNEL terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling WT wild type XIAP X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein xiv Acknowledgements Praise be to Allah the most merciful It is with pride and pleasure that I extend my acknowledgement to a number of people that helped me during my time at UBC. I want to thank my supervisor Dr. Charles Shuler for giving me the opportunity to work with him. Dr. Shuler gave me analytical skills that helped me to think, evaluate data, and most importantly ask the right questions independently. I want to thank Dr. Shuler for his support, guidance, and importantly his patience during my period at UBC. Dr. Shuler has been a teacher, a leader, a mentor, and a father figure for me in Vancouver, so words will not explain my gratitude to him. I special thanks goes toward Dr. Yukiko Kitase. Dr. Kitase took me under her wing and guided me during my PhD. I thank Dr. Kitase for spending endless hours teaching me the appropriate laboratory techniques and most importantly discussing and developing my research. I want to thank my advisory committee, Dr. Clive Roberts, Dr. Edward E. Putnins, and Dr. Lari Hӓkkinen, for their support and valuable comments that helped me develop this thesis. I greatly appreciate the support that Dr. Roberts has given me during my time at UBC in both the graduate periodontics program and the PhD program. Dr. Roberts’ guidance as an academic advisor has helped me to develop and progress during the years of my studies. I want to thank Dr. Edward E. Putnins for his wise insight and words of encouragement during my studies at UBC. Dr. Putnins, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am running as fast as I can to take my PhD. Many thanks to Dr. Lari Hӓkkinen for opening my vision and xv enhancing my interpretations of the periodontal literature. The periodontal literature review course directed by Dr. Hӓkkinen helped me to interpret, evaluate, and criticize the data in the literature, which was translated in this dissertation. This work would not have been possible without the support of my family, particularly my wife Siham, who has given me love and support throughout my life. Siham, your love is the light that brightens my life and the power that keeps me going forward. The best way that I can express how I feel is by saying I love you. To my lovely daughters Alhanoof, Dimah, and Lama, thank you for your love and support during my studies. The time has come for me to spend more time with you as we have all sacrificed a lot during the past few years (Daddy is coming home). I owe everything in my life to my parents. My father Dr. Kitab Alotaibi and my mother Miznah have devoted their lives to making me happy and because of them I am the man that I am today. Special thanks are extended to the Saudi government and to the Saudi Cultural Bureau for their academic and financial support during my studies at UBC. This dissertation work has received a Dr. Joseph Tonzetich Fellowship. Financial support for the study discussed in chapter 2 was provided by a research grant (RO1 DE16296) from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to CS and a Grant-in-aid for the Encouragement of Young Scientists (B) (No. 22792087) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan to Dr.Fujita. xvi Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to My Wife Siham Siham your love is the light that brightens my life and the power that keeps me going forward And also to My parents for their love and support 1 Chapter 1: Review of the Literature 1.1 An Overview of the Research Plan This study focuses on the effect of Smad2 overexpression on the periodontal apparatus; SMAD2 is a member of a transcriptional complex that is a primary intracellular mediator of the TGF-β signalling pathway. Previous authors have reported the effect of Smad2 overexpression on multiple mouse tissues such as the skin, palate, and teeth (Cui et al., 2005; Hosokawa, Urata, Ito, Bringas, & Chai, 2005; Ito et al., 2001; Owens, Han, Li, & Wang, 2008), but none of those studies have reported the role of Smad2 overexpression on the progression of periodontal disease. The following list provides an overview of the rationale for examining the effect of Smad2 overexpression on the progression of periodontal disease. 1) TGF-β increases apoptosis and reduces the mitotic activity of epithelial cells. 2) Apoptosis and mitotic activity play a significant role in the progression of periodontal disease by reducing the number of cells available for the barrier function of the junctional epithelium. 3) Inflammatory cytokines are up-regulated by TGF-β through the SMAD2-mediated intracellular signalling pathway. These previous findings have led to the following hypothesis for this proposal: Smad2 overexpression alters apoptosis, cell proliferation, and inflammatory cytokine secretions in the junctional epithelium, which are associated with periodontal attachment loss. This hypothesis will be tested by three specific aims developed to examine the attachment loss in the K14-Smad2 transgenic mice that 2 overexpress Smad2. The first aim is to determine if Smad2 overexpression causes alveolar bone loss, as alveolar bone loss is an important feature in periodontal disease. The next aim is to analyze the role of Smad2 overexpression on the junctional epithelium that represents the first line of defence against periodontal disease. The final aim is to examine the secretion of molecules from the junctional epithelium cells of K14-Smad2 overexpression mice and determine how they are associated with alveolar bone resorption. 1.2 Anatomy and Development of the Junctional Epithelium The junctional epithelium (JE) is the part of the dento-gingival unit that is attached to the tooth surface. The JE develops from the reduced enamel epithelium and it has been proposed that over time it is replaced by the basal cells of the oral gingival epithelium (Salonen, Kautsky, & Dale, 1989). The JE extends coronally to the base of the oral sulcular epithelium and apically to the connective tissue attachment at the cementoenamel junction (Fig. 1). The JE forms the lining of the interdental col (Gargiulo & Wentz, 1961). 3 Figure 1: The Dento-Gingival Unit Represents the different parts of the dento-gingival unit from a 12 months WT mouse. OGE=oral gingival epithelium. E=enamel. D=dentin. CEJ=cementoenamel junction. A=alveolar bone. CT=connective tissue. JE=junctional epithelium. The biological width is the dimensions of soft tissues that are attached to the tooth up to the level of the alveolar bone and in average it is 2.04 mm (JE+ connective tissue attachment) (Gargiulo & Wentz, 1961). The JE represents an average of 0.97 mm from the total biological width. The remaining is the oral sulcus 0.69 mm and the connective tissue attachment 1.07 mm (Gargiulo & Wentz, 1961). The biological width is not constant and varies both from tooth to tooth and between individuals; in particular the JE demonstrates variability between 0.9 and 1.14 mm (Vacek, Gher, Assad, Richardson, & Giambarresi, 1994). The clinical significance of the biological width lies in that any violation to the width during restorative dental treatment of teeth can result in gingival inflammation, gingival recession, and alveolar bone resorption (Newcomb, 1974; Tal, Soldinger, Dreiangel, & Pitaru, 1989). The JE has two basal laminas (Schroeder, 1969). The first basal lamina faces the tooth surface (internal basal lamina) and the second basal lamina faces the connective tissue (external basal lamina) (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005). The external basal lamina matrix has the same structures as other basement membranes such as collagen types IV and VII, laminin, heparan sulfate proteoglycan, fibronectin, nidogen (entactin), and the proteoglycan perlecan (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005). The internal basal lamina is not considered a true basal lamina and differs from the external basal lamina in that it lacks collagen types IV and VII, most laminin isoforms, perlecan, and a lamina fibroreticularis (Hormia, Owaribe, & Virtanen, 2001; Kogaya, Haruna, Vojinovic, Iwayama, & Akisaka, 1989; Salonen & Santti, 1985). The internal basal lamina is distinguishable from the 4 external basal lamina in that it contains laminin V (Oksonen, Sorokin, Virtanen, & Hormia, 2001). 1.3 The Role of the JE in Maintaining Health The JE is the first line of defence against periodontal disease; it provides an important barrier activity by contacting the tooth surface with cells directly attached (DAT cells) through hemidesmosomes ( Salonen, Kautsky,& Dale, 1989; Listgarten, 1966). The JE maintains its integrity by expressing multiple molecules that interact in a cell-cell or cell-surface manner. Integrins are cell surface receptors that allow cells to interact with ECM; also integrins play a role in cell-cell interactions (Danen & Sonnenberg, 2003). The JE expresses multiple integrins, namely α6β4 (Gürses, Thorup, Reibel, Carter, & Holmstrup, 1999), αvβ6 (Ghannad et al., 2008), α2β1, α3β1, and α6β1 (Del Castillo et al., 1996). Each integrin has specific function for example α6β4 is responsible for the formation and stabilization of hemidesmosomes (Wilhelmsen , Litjens , & Sonnenberg , 2006) and α2β1 is the major collagen (collagen type I) binding integrin (Arlinghaus , & Eble , 2013). Any change of the expression of the integrins might alter the types of integrins present and play a role in periodontal disease progression (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005). Indeed the absence of αvβ6 integrin resulted in a severe periodontal disease in mice (Ghannad et al., 2008). The JE expresses molecules that are related to cell-cell contact such as E-cadherin and carcinoembryonic Ag-related cell adhesion molecule (CEACAM1) (Ye, Chapple, Kumar, & Hunter, 2000). In general, E-cadherin and CEACAM1 provide the cohesion function of the JE cell (Heymann, Wroblewski, Terling, Midtvedt, & Öbrink, 2005). For that reason, the loss of these 5 molecules could reduce the JE integrity and induce periodontal disease (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005). The JE cells play an active role in the synthesis of a variety of molecules that are part of the defence against bacterial invasion. In health the JE contains PMNs as they keep and maintain defence against continuous bacterial challenge from the oral cavity (Tonetti, Imboden, & Lang, 2012). In addition to maintaining the JE integrity, CEACAM1 directs and guides PMNs through the JE (Heymann et al., 2005). Another important molecule in the PMNs guidance within the JE is the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). ICAM-1 acts as a ligand for the leucocytes integrin β2 (Crawford & Hopp, 1990). Leucocytes bind to ICAM-1 and migrate to protect against bacterial invasions (Tonetti et al., 2012). A molecule of a particular interest in the host response against periodontal disease is IL-8 cytokine, which has a chemotactic ability. The IL-8 has the ability to select the best path for PMNs as it directs them to bacterial challenge (Tonetti, Gerber, & Lang, 1994). The JE has the ability to secrete antimicrobial molecules such as α- and β-defensins, cathelicidin family members, and calprotectin (Dale, 2002).These antimicrobial molecules have the ability to kill invading microorganisms and maintain periodontal health (Dale, 2002). The JE expresses a variety of growth factors that help in cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and wound healing (Nordlund, Hormia, Saxén, & Thesleff, 1991). Epidermal growth factor (EGF) has the ability to induce proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells. EGF is expressed in JE in both health and periodontal disease, which can help the JE during the healing process (Tajima et al., 1992). 6 The JE maintains health through a physical barrier connection with teeth and the secretion of multiple molecules that regulate immunity, kill bacterial invasion, and promote growth (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005). Therefore any disturbance of the JE’s integrity or the ability of secretion protection could reduce the defensive properties of the JE, leading to periodontal disease progression (Overman & Salonen, 1994). Damage to the JE cells could induce periodontal disease. Clinical diagnosis of periodontal disease has been identified as attachment loss of either the soft tissues or alveolar bone and in many cases both are damaged (Armitage, 1999). During routine dental examination dentists evaluate the levels of soft tissues clinically and bone loss radiographically (Armitage, 1996). Any change in the level of attachments is considered periodontal disease and the underlying cause should be investigated (Armitage, 1999). 1.4 Periodontal Disease and Genetics Genetics play a major role in the progression of periodontal disease as almost 50% of periodontal disease is attributed to genetic and hereditary factors (Michalowicz et al., 2000). The main role of genetic aspects of periodontal disease is that genetically inherited properties make the host response susceptible to periodontal disease progression (Hassell & Harris, 1995; Marazita et al., 1994). Multiple syndromes have been identified with gene mutations that have been linked to the causation of periodontal disease (Genco & Borgnakke, 2013). An example of gene mutations is the mutation in cathepsin-C gene, which is expressed at high levels in immune cells such as polymorphonuclear leucocytes, and macrophages (Hart et al., 1999). Cathepsin-C gene mutation causes a syndrome called Papillon–Lefèvre syndrome (PLS) (Hart et al., 1999). PLS is characterized by severe periodontal disease and Palmoplantar keratosis (Hart et al., 1999). 7 Another important point is the expression of specific genes that might increase the progression of periodontal disease (Genco & Borgnakke, 2013). The overexpression of IL-1α in oral epithelium has been found to increase the susceptibility to and progression of periodontal disease (Dayan, Stashenko, Niederman, & Kupper, 2004). On the other hand, a knockout of a single gene can cause severe periodontal disease as exemplified by the experimental knockout of the αvβ6 integrin (Ghannad et al., 2008). Theoretically any change in periodontal tissue-specific gene expression could increase the susceptibility and progression of periodontal disease (Taba, Souza, & Mariguela, 2012). Thousands of up- and down-regulated genes are involved in periodontal disease but the diagnosis of periodontal disease cannot be based only on patterns of gene expression (Demmer et al., 2008). Periodontal disease is a complex multi-factorial disease therefore it is very difficult to establish a cause and effect relationship for any one specific causative factor. Due to the complexity of periodontal disease the hallmark of periodontal disease diagnosis is attachment loss (Armitage, 1999). 1.5 The Role of Apoptosis on the Progression of Periodontal Disease Apoptosis or programmed cell death is present in the JE epithelium in health and disease, especially the coronal portion of the JE epithelium that normally has high numbers of apoptotic cells when compared with other locations (Jarnbring, Somogyi, Dalton, Gustafsson, & Klinge, 2002). The mitotic activity of the JE is also high to replace the cells that are lost through apoptosis. This high turnover rate is presumed to eliminate diseased and injured cells to establish an equilibrium between microorganisms and epithelial cells (Watanabe et al., 2004). The JE is unique in that the basal cells of both the 8 internal and external basement membranes have the ability to proliferate (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005). The ratio of apoptotic JE cells to the total number of JE cells differs between health and disease (Ruissen, Van De Kerkhof, & Schalkwijk, 1995). With chronic periodontitis, the number of apoptotic cells increases within the base of the JE, which gives an indication of the linkage of JE apoptosis with the initiation of periodontal disease (Tonetti, Cortellini, & Lang, 1998). Bacterial invasion also increases the apoptosis ratio in the JE (Stathopoulou et al., 2009). Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Streptococcus gordonii, and Porphyromonas gingivalis have all been shown to increase the apoptosis of oral epithelial cells, providing additional evidence that apoptosis of epithelial cells is an important component in the progression of periodontal disease (Dickinson et al., 2011; Stathopoulou et al., 2009). 1.6 TGF-β Superfamily The TGF-β superfamily consists of Cripto, Nodal, TGF-β, Activin, and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) (Kitisin, Saha, Blake, & Golestaneh, 2007). These growth factors can activate both SMAD and non-SMAD signalling pathways (Attisano & Wrana, 2002). In general the SMAD pathway is activated when TGF-β binds to TGF-β receptor type II (Kitisin et al., 2007). The interaction of TGF-β with TGF-β receptor type II phosphorylates the glycine-serine (GS)-rich region of TGF-β receptor type I (Kitisin et al., 2007). In turn TGF-β receptor type I phosphorylates the receptor SMADs (SMAD2 and SMAD3) (Attisano & Wrana, 2002). Receptor SMADs together with the co-mediator SMAD4 form a complex that enters the nucleus with the potential to alter patterns of gene expression (Massagué & Chen, 2000) (Fig. 2). The non-SMAD pathway occurs 9 when the TGF-β superfamily activates GTPases, MAP kinase, and Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K) pathways (Mu, Gudey, & Landström, 2012; Weiss & Attisano, 2013; Zhang, 2009). The multiple ability of the TGF-β superfamily to control multiple signalling pathways justifies the broad role that it plays in many cellular functions (Gordon & Blobe, 2008). The TGF-β superfamily has different effects on cells within different organs. An example is the role of TGF-β in osteoclast differentiation (Fiorelli et al., 1994), as some studies have shown that it induces osteoclast differentiation (Fiorelli et al., 1994) while other studies have shown that TGF-β reduces osteoclast differentiation through the reduction of the secretion of RANKL by osteoblasts (Quinn et al., 2001). For that reason studying a single path and selected molecules of the TGF-β superfamily would be appropriate to detect the effect of each growth factor on multiple tissues. 10 Figure 2: TGFβ Signalling Through SMAD2 TGF-β binds to TGF−β receptor type II that in turn phosphorylates TGF-β receptor type I. TGF-β receptor type I phosphorylates SMAD2. SMAD2 together with the co-mediator SMAD4 form a complex that enters the nucleus with the potential to alter patterns of gene expression. 1.7 TGF-β Activation The pro TGF-β is cleaved by enzymes called furin-like enzymes within cells leading to the formation of the active form of the TGF-β (Dubois, Laprise, Blanchette, Gentry, & Leduc, 1995; Massagué & Chen, 2000). Small latent complex (SLC) is formed by the binding of the mature TGF-β to the latency-associated protein (LAP) (Dallas et al., 1994). Large latent complex (LLC) is generated by the binding of SLC to the latent TGF-β-binding proteins (LTBP) (Saharinen & Keski-Oja, 2000). Almost all cells secrete TGF- 11 β in the form of LLC in high amounts, as it is used as a reservoir (Miyazono, Olofsson, Colosetti, & Heldin, 1991; Todorovic et al., 2005). TGF-β has to be separated from the LAP to be biologically active and bind to its cell surface receptors to start the TGF-β signalling process (Annes, Munger, & Rifkin, 2003). 1.8 The Role of TGF-β in Wound Healing The literature shows conflicting results when looking at TGF-β in wound healing. TGF-β1 enhanced wound healing by stimulating cell migration (Santibáñez, Iglesias, Frontelo, Martínez, & Quintanilla, 2000), increase wound contraction by inducing the α-smooth muscle actin (Desmoulière, Geinoz, Gabbiani, & Gabbiani, 1993), and increased the production of ECM molecules (Leask & Abraham, 2003). On the other hand, TGF-β1 was found to reduce the growth and the migration of gingival keratinocytes in wound healing, which will reduce the re-epithelialization process (Glick et al., 1993). The overexpression of TGF-β1 has shown delayed re-epithelialization of burn wounds in the epidermis of transgenic mice. The opposite is also true as the deletion of TGF-β1 in transgenic mice has showed increased re-epithelialization when compared to WT mice (Koch et al., 2000). TGF-β1 has been shown to stimulate the formation of ECM (Powell et al., 1999). The formation of ECM is beneficial during periodontal disease healing, however TGF-β1’s ability to form ECM will lead to scar formation in the skin and gingiva (Powell et al., 1999), which might not be aesthetically pleasing to patients (Arx, Salvi, Janner, & Jensen, 2008). TGF-β has the ability to control the expression of collagen type I genes, as it influences the COL1A2 gene by a TGF-β response element (Inagaki Y, Truter S, & Ramirez F, 1994). The overexpression of SMAD2 affects both 12 healing and oral gingival cells. The multiple effects of SMAD overexpression are discussed in Table1. Table 1: The Effects of SMAD2 Overexpression on Healing and Gingival Cells Authors Effects of SMAD2 overexpression on healing Effects of SMAD2 overexpression on gingival cells (Tomikawa K etal.,2012) (Shimoe M etal.,2014) (Hosokawa R etal., 2005) (Gregory LG etal.,2010) (Meng XM etal.,2010) Reduce the re-epithelialization of the gingiva during wound healing. Delay wound healing in the oral gingival and skin wounds. Increased epithelial airway hyper reactivity after allergen challenge by up-regulating IL-25 and activin A. Reduction in TGFβ1-SMAD3 activation, which results in a reduction of collagen I expression in tubular epithelial cells. Inhibition of cytokeratin 16 which reduced the migration of keratinocyte. Reduces the proliferation of oral epithelial cells through the down regulation of P15 and P21. Defects in the migration of the basal keratinocytes, which results in the migration of the suprabasal layer in the wound. 13 1.9 The JE and TGF-β Receptors Expression in Health and Disease TGF-β1 is expressed in JE cells in health (H. Lu, Mackenzie, & Levine, 1997). There is a difference in the expression of TGF-β receptors in health, as TGF-β type II receptor (TβRII) is present at a higher level than TGF-β type I receptor (TβRI) (H. Lu et al., 1997). The levels of TGF-β1 have been shown to increase in chronic periodontitis patients (Skaleric, Kramar, Petelin, Pavlica, & Wahl, 1997), and TβRI is up-regulated in advanced periodontal disease (J.-P. Lu et al., 2003), which gives an indication of the active role of TGF-β signalling in active periodontal disease. Due to the variability of TGF-β receptors in the JE it would be preferable to focus downstream of the receptors on the SMAD intracellular signalling pathway. The overexpression of Smad2 in the K14-Smad2 mouse model is independent of the presence or absence of the TGF-β receptors (Ito et al., 2001). The overexpression of Smad2 would result in a situation analogous to continuous TGF-β signalling and what role it might have on periodontal disease and health. 1.10 The Role of TGF-β on Apoptosis and Mitotic Activity TGF-β signalling has been found to cause apoptosis in epithelial cells through activation of the intracellular SMAD proteins (Schuster & Krieglstein, 2002). There are 8 SMADs that can be classified into 3 different groups. SMADs 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 are called receptor-activated SMADs; SMAD4 has been called the common mediator SMAD. SMAD7 is involved in the inhibition of the intracellular signalling process (Brown, Pietenpol, & Moses, 2007). When TGF-β and activin bind to a specific growth receptor they activate the receptor complex, resulting in the phosphorylation of the intracellular 14 SMAD2 (Derynck & Zhang, 2003). Phosphorylated SMAD2 binds with SMAD4 to form a cytoplasmic complex that will enter the nucleus to function as a transcription factor leading to changes in DNA transcription (Massagué, Seoane, & Wotton, 2005). One result of this transcriptional activation is to increase caspase transcription, specifically caspase3, which plays a critical role in the apoptosis pathway (Wyllie, 2010). Another pathway of SMAD2 related apoptosis is through the activation of the BCL-2 family (van der Heide, van Dinther, Moustakas, & Dijke, 2011). BCL-2 family has both pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic molecules (Brenner & Mak, 2009). The increased expression of the pro-apoptotic molecules such as BAX, BAD, BIK, and BIM will increase the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria and lead to programmed cell death (Lindsay, Esposti, & Gilmore, 2011). On the other hand the increased anti-apoptotic molecules, namely BCL-2, BCL-XL, and XIAP, will protect from apoptosis (Lindsay et al., 2011). TGF-β signalling has been reported to reduce the mitotic activity of epithelial cells (Coffey & Moses, 1989). TGF-β induces p21Cip1 and 2150p15Ink4b, which are cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, and at the same time TGF-β down-regulates transcription factors involved in proliferation, for example, MYC, ID1 and ID2 (Ijichi et al., 2004; Seoane, 2006; Yagi et al., 2002). SMAD2 overexpression could increase apoptosis and reduce mitotic activity of the JE, a combination of changes that would reduce the protective ability of the JE cells (Overman & Salonen, 1994). 1.11 The Role of Inflammatory Cytokines/Chemokines in the Progression of Bone Loss The overexpression of Smad2 will induce GADD45β expression leading to the activation of P38 MAPK (Takekawa et al., 2002). As P38 becomes activated, it will up-regulate pro-inflammatory cytokines, namely TNF-α and IL1β (X.-L. Chen, Xia, Ben, 15 Wang, & Wei, 2003). Another path that might activate TNF-α and IL1β is apoptosis, as cleaved caspase 3 has been shown to activate inflammatory cytokines (Joshi, Kalvakolanu, & Cross, 2003). Both TNF-α and IL1β cytokines have been linked to bone loss as they play a central role in osteoclastogenesis by inducing stromal cells, T-lymphocytes, and osteoblasts to secrete RANKL, which will bind to the RANK receptors of the osteoclast precursors leading to an activation of the IkB kinase (T. A. Silva, Garlet, Fukada, Silva, & Cunha, 2007). IkB kinase phosphorylates the inhibitor of kappa B leading to the release of nuclear kappa B that will act as a transcriptional factor resulting in increased osteoclastogenesis (D. Drugarin, Drugarin, Negru, & Cioaca, 2003). In addition, TNF-α will induce a higher apoptosis ratio of the osteoblasts through TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) (Mori, Brunetti, Colucci, & Ciccolella, 2006). The activation of TRAIL will activate caspase-8 and caspase-3 leading to a higher apoptosis ratio of osteoblasts (Mori et al., 2009). By increasing both osteoclastogenesis and the increased apoptotic ratio of osteoblasts the balance of bone resorption and bone deposition will tip more towards bone resorption leading to bone loss, which is considered the hallmark of the progression of periodontal disease (Graves, Li, & Cochran, 2011). 1.12 K14-Smad2 Mice Phenotype Overexpressing Smad2 in mice driven by the cytokeratin 14 promoter resulted in multiple phenotypical characteristics (Ito et al., 2001). The macroscopic phenotypes of K14-Smad2 mice were smaller body size until the age of three months, thicker skin, shorter tail, less hair on the ventral skin surface, fragile chalky white incisors and the skin of the ear’s pinna was retarded when compared to their wild type WT counterparts (Ito et 16 al., 2001). The microscopic phenotypes were the tail’s ill-defined basement membrane with reduced laminin content, increased proliferation rate in the keratinocyte layer of the epidermis, disorganized ameloblasts, and the amelogenin was not confined in the enamel matrix but also in between the disorganized ameloblasts (Ito et al., 2001). K14-Smad2 mice showed impaired wound healing (Tomikawa et al., 2012). The basal keratinocytes of the K14-Smad2 mice had a lower migration rate during wound healing when compared to WT mice due to the inhibition of keratin 16 expression by SMAD2 (Hosokawa et al., 2005). The overexpression of Smad2 rescued the cleft palate in TGFβ3 -/- mice (Cui et al., 2005). The TGFβ3 -/- mice were mated with K14-Smad2 mice and the offspring that were TGFβ3 null but K14-Smad2 positive exhibited a rescue of the cleft palate defect (Cui et al., 2005). The exact mechanism of the rescue is not fully understood, but clearly restoration of the intracellular SMAD2 signalling pathway was sufficient to complete the process of palatogenesis. The studies showed that SMAD2 plays a significant role in the palatal shelf medial edge epithelium during palatal development. Studying the effect of the knockout of Smad2 currently is not possible in vivo as the knockout of Smad2 resulted in multiple severe defects during the three weeks of embryonic development and the absence of lower jaws or eyes (Nomura & Li, 1998). None of the previous studies (Cui et al., 2005; Hosokawa et al., 2005; Ito et al., 2001; Owens et al., 2008) have examined the role of Smad2 overexpression in JE cells on the progression of periodontal disease. The K14-Smad2 mouse model is unique and specific as Smad2 is overexpressed only in tissues that express cytokeratin 14 (Ito et al., 2001). Cytokeratin 14 is expressed in the JE cells but not in connective tissue, bone, 17 cementum, and PDL cells, therefore it is specific to study the role of Smad2 overexpression in JE cells and what effect that might have on the periodontal tissues. 1.13 Hypothesis Smad2 overexpression alters apoptosis, cell proliferation, and inflammatory cytokine secretions in the junctional epithelium, which are associated with periodontal attachment loss. 1.14 Aims and Objectives Aim 1: To detect and quantify alveolar bone loss that occurs as a result of Smad2 overexpression (Chapter 4). Objective 1 To investigate in vivo the effect of Smad2 overexpression in JE cells on alveolar bone loss by determining bone loss, bone density, and bone volume for K14-Smad2 mice and compare them with their WT counterparts. Objective 2 To quantify the secreted molecules that cause bone loss (TNF-α, IL1-β, IF-γ, OPG, and RANKL) in K14-Smad2 mice compared to WT mice and to link them to periodontal disease progression. Objective 3 To quantify the number of osteoclasts in K14-Smad2 mice and compare them to WT mice. Aim 2: To analyze the effect of Smad2 overexpression on the viability and proliferation of JE (Chapters 2 and 3). Objective 1 To assess the JE surface area of K14-Smad2 mice and compare them to WT mice. 18 Objective 2 To quantify the apoptotic rate of the JE of K14-Smad2 mice and compare them to WT mice. Objective 3 To evaluate the role of Smad2 overexpression in apoptosis of JE cells by quantifying pro-apoptotic molecules (cleaved caspase 3, BAX, BAD, BIK and BIM) and anti-apoptotic molecules (BCL-2, BCL-XL, and XIAP) in K14-Smad2 mice and comparing them to WT mice. Objective 4 To determine the mitotic activity of the JE cells of K14-Smad2 and WT mice. Objective 5 To test the role of Smad2 overexpression on the proliferation rate of the JE cell of K1-Smad2 mice and WT mice by determining effects of molecules that control mitosis (P21, P15, P27, c-MYC, and pRB). 19 Chapter 2: SMAD2 is Involved in the Apoptosis of Murine Gingival Junctional Epithelium Associated with Inhibition of BCL-2 2.1 Overview 2.1.1 Objective Gingival junctional epithelium (JE) actively contributes to the homeostasis of the periodontium. Altered activation of TGF-β signalling is implicated in the epithelium from chronic periodontitis. However, little is known about the effects of TGF-β signalling on the JE. In this study, we investigated the relationship between SMAD2, which plays an important role in mediating TGF-β signal, and induction of apoptosis in the JE. 2.1.2 Methods K14-Smad2 transgenic mice were used to observe the effect of overexpression of Smad2 driven by CK14 promoter in the JE. We performed TUNEL technique to evaluate the epithelial apoptosis. Expression of apoptosis-related genes were examined using real-time PCR and immunofluorescence. 2.1.3 Results K14-Smad2 mice showed an increased number of phospho-SMAD2 positive JE cells associated with an increase in TGF-β1 expression. K14-Smad2 mice have a significantly higher percentage of TUNEL positive cells in the JE. Immunofluorescence double labelling revealed that TUNEL positive cells showed immunoreactivity to phospho-SMAD2. Real-time PCR analysis of apoptosis-related gene expression provided evidence of lower expression of BCL-2 in the gingival tissue from K14-Smad2 mice. There was a strong positive reaction for BCL-2 protein in the junctional epithelium of 20 wild type mice, while the gingival tissue of K14-Smad2 transgenic mice had only a faint signal for BCL-2. 2.1.4 Conclusions The present study provided evidence that SMAD2 plays a crucial role in the induction of apoptosis in gingival JE through inhibition of BCL-2. 2.2 Introduction Gingival junctional epithelium (JE) represents the first line of defence against microbial plaque in the dento-gingival complex (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005).The epithelium can serve as part of the local immune system, providing not only a fundamental structure as a physical barrier but function crucial for the host response against bacterial infection via the expression of a large variety of cytokines and antimicrobial peptides (Beagrie & Skougaard, 1962; Dale, 2002; Dickinson et al., 2011; Miyauchi et al., 2001). The structural and functional integrity of the JE therefore contributes to the homeostasis of periodontal tissue. TGF-β is a pleiotropic cytokine that controls homeostasis in the adult tissue. Aberrant activation of TGF-β signalling has been linked to various diseases such as fibrosis and cancer (Bierie & Moses, 2006; Pohlers et al., 2009). Previous studies showed distinct expression patterns of TGF-β ligands and their receptors in the JE as chronic periodontitis progressed (H. Lu, Mackenzie, & Levine, 1997; Ye et al., 2003), which indicated aberrant activation of TGF-β signalling could be linked with the disease. However, little is known about the effects of TGF-β signalling in the JE. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate whether uncontrolled persistent activation of TGF-β signalling has the potential to alter the response of the JE. 21 TGF-β is known to exert its biological effects by activating a diverse range of intracellular signal transduction pathways. To dissect the molecular mechanism of TGF-β dependent effects on gingival epithelial tissue, we took advantage of a mouse model system that induces overexpression of Smad2, which is one of the crucial downstream effectors for TGF-β (Feng & Derynck, 2005; Massagué, Seoane, & Wotton, 2005) under the control of the cytokeratin 14 promoter. SMAD2 has been demonstrated to induce apoptosis that is observed in epithelial cells such as gastric (Ohgushi et al., 2005) and prostate epithelial cells (Seoane, 2006; Yang, Wahdan-Alaswad, & Danielpour, 2009). Activation of SMAD2 by autocrine and paracrine actions of TGF-β may regulate apoptosis in the JE during periodontal inflammation. In this study, we clarified the linkage of canonical SMAD pathway and induction of apoptosis in the gingival JE using K14-Smad2 transgenic mice. Secondly, we investigated the underlying mechanism by which overexpression of Smad2 induced apoptosis in the JE. Our result revealed that overexpression of Smad2 causes apoptosis of the gingival JE associated with regulation of BCL-2. 2.3 Materials and Methods 2.3.1 Animals and Genotyping All animal procedures complied with guidelines of, and were approved by, the Animal Care Committee of The University of British Columbia. K14-Smad2 transgenic mice were originally provided by Dr. Yang Chai (Ito et al., 2001). The genotype of the mice was determined by PCR using genomic DNA extracted from ear biopsies. Primer sets to detect the K14-Smad2 transgene were designed to be specific for the cytokeratin 14 promoter region (Ito et al., 2001). 22 2.3.2 Real-time PCR A total of five eight-week-old male mice were used in this study. Gingival tissue was dissected and total RNA was extracted using RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen, CA, USA) and quantified by spectrometry at 260 and 280 nm. First standard cDNA synthesis was performed with 1 µg of total RNA extract in a total volume of 20 µl using iScript cDNA Synthesis Kit (Bio-Rad Laboratories, CA, USA). SYBR-Green based real-time PCR was performed with a Roter-Gene RG3000 using SsoFast EvaGreen Supermix (Bio-Rad). Primers used in this study were obtained from Primer Bank (Tgf-β1: ID6755775a1, Tgf-β2: ID15029686a1, Tgf-β3: ID13529608a1, Bcl-xl: ID118129881b1, Xiap: ID157951673b1, Bax: ID133778943b1, Bad: ID133892666b1, Bim: ID90093352b2, Bik: ID#13277643a1 and Gapdh: ID#126012538b1) except Bcl-2 (forward primer: 5′-CTGGCATCTTCTCCTTCCAG-3′ and reverse primer: 5′-GACGGTAGCGACGAGAGAAG-3′) (Spandidos, Wang, Wang, & Seed, 2010). Gapdh expression levels were used as a reference for normalization. 2.3.3 Immunohistochemistry Eight-week-old male mice were used in this study. Tissue samples were collected from the left and right molar regions and fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde solution. They were then decalcified in a 20% sodium citrate and formic acid solution (2:1) for seven days at 4 °C. The decalcified tissue blocks were dehydrated through graded ethanol and embedded in paraffin. Sections (5 µm thick) of the frontal plane parallel to the long axis of the maxillary teeth, including the root apex, were cut and collected on glass slides. After deparaffinization and antigen retrieval, sections were blocked with 1% BSA/0.1% Triton-X/PBS blocking solution at room temperature for 30 min and incubated with the 23 primary antibody against cytokeratin 14 (1:100, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, CA, USA), phospho-SMAD2 (1:20, Cell Signaling Technology, MA, USA), BCL-2 (1:100, Cell Signaling Technology) and E-cadherin (1:100, BD Transduction Laboratories) for 2 h at room temperature followed by a fluorescent labelled secondary antibody (1:100, Invitrogen, CA, USA) for 1 h at room temperature, washed with PBS, and cover-slipped with mounting media including DAPI. All sections were examined with a Nikon Laser Scanning Confocal microscope (C1) that was equipped with an argon (488 nm) and two He–Ne lasers (543 nm and 633 nm). Sections were scanned with a Plan Fluor 40X NA0.75 lens and a Plan Apo VC 60X NA1.4 oil lens. For quantification of the number of phospho-SMAD2 positive cells, total (DAPI) and phospho-SMAD2 positive cells were counted in JE and the percentage of positive cells was determined. Eight sections with 100 µm distance each obtained from first and second molars in the maxilla were analyzed, and average values were obtained for three biological replicates in each group. These mean values were used for the Student t-tests that compared phospho-SMAD2 positive cells in the control and the K14-Smad2 mice groups. 2.3.4 Analysis of Junctional Epithelial Apoptosis Rate Apoptotic cells were detected in paraffin sections by the TUNEL technique using an In Situ Cell Death Detection Kit (Roche Applied Science, Basel, Switzerland). Slides were cover-slipped with mounting medium including DAPI. Total (DAPI) and apoptotic (TUNEL positive) cell counts were made in JE that was shown as the area surrounded by the dotted line in Fig. 4A. The percentage of apoptotic JE cells was calculated as follows: apoptotic JE cells (%) = number of TUNEL positive staining cells/number of total DAPI positive cells × 100. Eight sections with 100 µm distance each obtained from first and 24 second molars in the maxilla were analyzed, and average values were obtained for three biological replicates in each group. These mean values and the standard deviations were used for the Student t-tests that compared apoptotic cells in the control and the K14-Smad2 mice groups. 2.4 Results 2.4.1 Activation of Overexpressed SMAD2 Was Associated With an Increase in Endogenous Tgf-β1 Expression in Gingival Epithelial Tissue We performed real-time PCR to confirm overexpression of Smad2 mRNA in the K14-Smad2 transgenic mice. Gingiva from K14-Smad2 mice had 5-fold higher expression of Smad2 mRNA than that isolated from wild type mice (Fig. 3A). We performed immunofluorescence to determine the level of SMAD2 protein under the control of the cytokeratin 14 promoter in wild type and K14-Smad2 transgenic mice. We confirmed cytokeratin 14 expression in gingival JE, sulcus epithelium and oral epithelium. The strongest signals were observed in JE (Fig. 3B). Gingival tissue from K14-Smad2 mice had high levels of phospho-SMAD2, which is the active form. Positive cells were dominant in JE and basal cell layer of oral epithelium, which corresponded to the localization of cytokeratin 14 (Fig. 3B). K14-Smad2 mice had an 11-fold higher percentage of phospho-SMAD2 positive JE cells compared to wild type mice (Fig. 3C). We also evaluated the expression level of endogenous TGF-βs in the gingival tissue to determine whether activation of overexpressed SMAD2 was mediated by TGF-βs. K14-Smad2 mice had a 2-fold increase in the endogenous Tgf-β1 compared to the wild type control (Fig. 3D). Tgf-β2 was not detectable in either wild type or K14-Smad2 mice. There was no significant difference in Tgf-β3 between the experimental and control 25 samples (Fig. 3D). Figure 3: Activation of Overexpressed SMAD2 was Associated with an Increase in Endogenous Tgf-β1 Expression in Gingival Epithelial Tissue (A) Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of Smad2 mRNA in gingival tissue. **Differs significantly (P < 0.05). (B) Immunolocalization of phospho-SMAD2 (red) and cytokeratin 14 (green) in gingival tissue from wild type and K14-Smad2 mice. Original magnification (600×). (C) Quantification of phospho-SMAD2 positive cells expressed as percent of total nuclei in the JE. **P < 0.01. (D) Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of TGF-βs mRNA in gingival tissue. *P < 0.05. Error bars represent the standard deviations. The white scale bar represents a 100µm 2.4.2 Increased JE Apoptosis in K14-Smad2 Mice TUNEL assay was conducted to examine whether overexpression of Smad2 can 26 induce apoptosis in JE. Sections treated with DNase I were used as positive control of apoptosis. No TUNEL positive nuclei were observed in negative control sections (Fig. 4A). K14-Smad2 mice exhibited a 12-fold increase in TUNEL positive JE cells (36%) compared to the wild type (3%) (Fig. 4B). Immunofluorescence double staining revealed TUNEL positive JE cells showed immunoreactivity to phospho-SMAD2 (Fig. 4C). 27 Figure 4: Increased JE Apoptosis in K14-Smad2 Mice (A) Representative image of TUNEL staining (green) from wild type and K14-Smad2 mice, counterstained with DAPI (blue). The area surrounded by dotted line represents JE, in which we counted apoptotic cells. Original magnification (600×). (B) Quantification of apoptotic JE cells on the basis of TUNEL-positive staining expressed as percent of total nuclei in the JE. **P < 0.01. (C) Immunofluorescence double staining of phospho-SMAD2 (red) and TUNEL (green), counterstained with DAPI (blue). Arrowheads indicate double positive JE cells. Original magnification (1200×). Error bars represent the standard deviations. The white scale bar represents a 100µm 2.4.3 Reduction in BCL-2 Expression in K14-Smad2 Mice We performed real-time PCR to investigate the underlying mechanism by which overexpression of Smad2 induced apoptosis in the JE. Figure 5 provides the evidence that more than a 2-fold lower expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 occurs, but no significant difference in the expression level of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family genes; Bcl-xl and Xiap, pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family genes; Bax, Bad, Bim, and Bik in the gingival tissue from K14-Smad2 mice when compared to wild type mice. At the protein level, immunofluorescence analysis, presented in Figure 6, demonstrated a strong positive signal for BCL-2 in wild type mice, especially in the JE. On the other hand, the gingival tissue of K14-Smad2 transgenic mice had only a very faint signal for BCL-2. 28 Figure 5: Reduction in Bcl-2 mRNA Expression in K14-Smad2 Mice (A) Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of gene expression encoding anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Xiap in gingival tissue from wild type and K14-Smad2 mice. **P < 0.01. (B) Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of gene expression encoding pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, Bax, Bad, Bim, and Bik in gingival tissue from wild type and K14-Smad2 mice. Error bars represent the standard deviations 29 A B Figure 6: Reduction in BCL-2 Protein Expression in K14-Smad2 Mice (A) Immunolocalization of BCL-2 (red) and E-cadherin (green) in gingival tissue from wild type and K14-Smad2 mice. Original magnification (400×). (B) Higher magnification of boxed area on (A). Original magnification (600×). The white scale bar represents a 100µm 2.5 Discussion TGF-βs have important roles in the control of tissue homeostasis. Little is known about the effects of TGF-β signalling in the JE during periodontitis in which aberrant TGF-β activation was implicated (H. Lu et al., 1997; Ye, Chapple, Kumar, & Hunter, 2000). Here we demonstrate that the SMAD2 activation induces apoptosis in gingival JE by regulating the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family member, Bcl-2. 30 2.5.1 Mouse Model System We used K14-Smad2 transgenic mice to dissect the molecular mechanism of TGF-β dependent effects in the JE. Overexpression of Smad2 was confirmed to be expressed in only gingival epithelial cells with cytokeratin 14 expression. SMAD2 becomes activated by receptor-mediated phosphorylation to form a complex with SMAD4 and regulate the expression of TGF-β targeted genes (Feng & Derynck, 2005; Massagué et al., 2005). Detection of a higher level of phosphorylated SMAD2 in K14-Smad2 mice provided evidence that overexpression of Smad2 using a cytokeratin 14 promoter system functions successfully in mediating signals in the JE. We also showed that overexpressed Smad2 increased expression of Tgf-β1, thereby generating a positive feedback loop leading to phosphorylation of the overexpressed SMAD2, which is consistent with a previous study (Ito et al., 2001). This mouse model is a powerful tool to evaluating TGF-β/SMAD pathway dependent effects in gingival epithelial tissue. 2.5.2 Overexpression of Smad2 Induces Apoptosis in JE TGF-β is a pleiotropic cytokine that regulates diverse cellular processes such as cell growth, apoptosis, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (Heldin, Landström, & Moustakas, 2009). With respect to the apoptotic response, the canonical SMAD2 pathway plays an important role in mediating the signals as well as a p38 dependent pathway, which appears to be cell type-dependent (Moustakas & Heldin, 2005; Schuster & Krieglstein, 2002).We evaluated whether overexpressed Smad2 can induce apoptosis in the JE using the TUNEL technique. The results demonstrated a higher apoptotic ratio in K14-Smad2 mice compared to controls. This indicates that the SMAD2 signalling pathway played a role in inducing TGF-β dependent apoptosis in JE. Colocalization of p- 31 SMAD2 and TUNEL signals provide strong evidence to support the relationship between activation of SMAD2 and induction of JE apoptosis. In gingival tissue, apoptosis was detected in both the superficial layers of the JE in clinically healthy teeth (Tonetti, Cortellini, & Lang, 1998) and pocket epithelium in chronic periodontitis (Vitkov, Krautgartner, & Hannig, 2005; 2009). However, JE cells collected from patients with chronic periodontitis had a higher apoptotic ratio than those from healthy teeth (Zhang & Li, 2009). Maintenance of the balance between cell proliferation and cell death is a prerequisite for the proper function of JE to control the constant microbiological challenge. Altered JE cell turnover with increased numbers of apoptotic cells may be induced by the TGF-β/SMAD2 pathway during periodontitis, which may contribute to the progression of periodontitis due to loss of junctional epithelial integrity. 2.5.3 Underlying Mechanism by Which Overexpression of Smad2 Induces Apoptosis in JE TGF-β has been described to induce cell death by controlling the balance between anti-apoptotic factors such as BCL-2 and BCL-XL and pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family members such as BAX, BIM, and BIK depending on the cellular context (Q. Lu, Patel, Harrington, & Rounds, 2009: Motyl et al., 1998; Ohgushi et al., 2005; Spender et al., 2009; Yu et al., 2008). In models of mesothelial and pulmonary endothelial cell apoptosis induced by TGF-β1, SMAD2 was correlated with BCL-2 repression (Q. Lu et al., 2009; Lv et al., 2012).In gingival JE, activation of SMAD2 alters the expression of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family member, BCL-2, but does not affect the pro-apoptotic ones. A previous study reported that no BCL-2-positive cells were detected in the JE with strong TUNEL positive signals (Tonetti et al., 1998). We also demonstrated an inverse correlation between the apoptotic cell ratio and Bcl-2 expression level in the JE. Our 32 present data therefore suggest that BCL-2 plays a pivotal role in gingival JE cell homeostasis, and reduction in the expression level of Bcl-2 shifts a life-death balance towards cell death in the JE. Although SMAD2 was not involved in the alteration of gene expression in the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members, we cannot exclude their involvement in JE apoptosis during chronic periodontitis since the p38 dependent pathway activated by TGF-β may regulate their transcriptional expression and augment the apoptotic response in the JE. 2.6 Conclusion In conclusion, this study demonstrates that overexpression of Smad2 results in increased apoptosis of the gingival JE cells. This is associated with reduction in Bcl-2 expression in the JE. The TGF-β/SMAD signalling may play an important role in the progression of periodontitis by regulating JE cell apoptosis. 33 Chapter 3: Smad2 Overexpression Reduces the Proliferation of the Junctional Epithelium 3.1 Overview 3.1.1 Objective The overexpression of the intracellular signalling molecule of the transforming growth factor–beta family (TGF-β) Smad2 was found to induce apoptosis and inhibit the proliferation rate of oral epithelial cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate in vivo the effect of Smad2 overexpression on the proliferation rate of the junctional epithelium (JE). 3.1.2 Methods Smad2 overexpression was driven by the cytokeratin 14 promoter (K14-Smad2) in transgenic mice. The K14-Smad2 mice were compared with wild type (WT) mice selected as the control group. Tissue samples were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and analyzed by image analysis. Immunohistochemistry was conducted for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and c-MYC as markers of cell proliferation. The expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (P15, P21, and P27) was determined by real-time polymerase chain-reaction (RT-PCR). The quantity of phosphorylated retinoblastoma (pRB) was determined with Western blots. 3.1.3 Results The overexpression of Smad2 altered the area of the junctional epithelial cells in one-year-old K14-Smad2 mice. The area was 32,768 (± 3,473) µm2 for the WT and 24,937.25 34 (± 1,965) µm2 for the K14-Smad2 mice. There was a significant difference in the proliferation rates of the JE (PCNA-positive cells) between the WT and K14-Smad2 mice, 20.7% (± 1.1) and 2.1% (± 0.5), respectively. A significant difference in c-MYC expression occurred between experimental and control samples. The K14-Smad2 mice had a mean of 2.3% (± 0.6), and the WT mice had a mean of 20.1% (± 3.6). Smad2 overexpression up-regulated the mRNA expression of P15 by 2.3-fold and that of P27 by 5.5-fold in the K14-Smad2 mice. Finally, the pRB protein showed a 2.3 (± 0.5)-fold increase in K14-Smad2 mice when compared with WT mice. 3.1.4 Conclusions Smad2 overexpression inhibits the proliferation of JE cells by down-regulating c-MYC and up-regulating P15 and P27, which resulted in an increase in pRB, leading to cell-cycle arrest. 3.2 Introduction The junctional epithelium (JE) is the part of the dento-gingival unit that is attached to the tooth surface. The junctional epithelium develops from the reduced enamel epithelium and over time it is replaced by the basal cells of the oral gingival epithelium (Salonen, Kautsky, & Dale, 1989).The junctional epithelium extends coronally to the base of the oral sulcular epithelium and apically to the connective tissue attachment at the cementoenamel junction and forms the lining of the interdental col (Gargiulo & Wentz, 1961). The junctional epithelium is the first line of defence against periodontal disease; it provides an important barrier activity by contacting the tooth surface with cells directly attached to the tooth (DAT cells) through hemidesmosomes (Listgarten, 1966).The junctional epithelial cells play an active role in the synthesis of a 35 variety of molecules that are part of the defence against bacterial invasion such as the carcinoembryonic Ag-related cell adhesion molecule (1CEACAM1), which directs and guides PMNs through the junctional epithelium, and IL-8 cytokine, which has a chemotactic ability (Heymann, Wroblewski, Terling, Midtvedt, & Öbrink, 2005; Tonetti, Imboden, & Lang, 2012). Therefore the balance between cell death and mitotic activity is critical to maintain the number of junctional epithelial cells, which affects the defence properties of the junctional epithelium and eventually disease progression (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005; Overman & Salonen, 1994). Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is a potent cytokine that is involved in both development and disease (Chang, Brown, & Matzuk, 2013). TGF-β signalling occurs through the binding of TGF-β to the type II receptor, which in turn phosphorylates the TGFβ type I receptor activating the intracellular kinase. The activation of type I results in the phosphorylation of the intracellular transcription molecule SMAD2. SMAD2 and SMAD4 bind together and enter the nucleus to start the transcription of TGFβ dependent genes that mediate multiple processes including apoptosis, cell proliferation, and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines (Wyllie, 2010). To study the effect of Smad2 overexpression on the JE cells we used a mouse model (K14-Smad2) that overexpresses Smad2 specifically in epithelium using a cytokeratin14 promoter (K14) (Ito et al., 2001). The transgenic mouse model presents an advantage as it induces an overexpression of Smad2 controlled by the K14 promoter specifically in JE cells, which makes the model suitable to investigate the role of Smad2 overexpression in the JE cells (Fujita et al., 2012). Our lab recently published data showing an increased apoptotic index of the JE 36 cells in Smad2 overexpression mice. Smad2 overexpression induced apoptosis of the junctional epithelial cells through the down-regulation of the anti-apoptotic molecule BCL2 (Fujita et al. 2012). The JE cells ordinarily have a high proliferation rate, which could overcome the increase in apoptosis thus maintaining the homeostasis of the JE (Watanabe et al., 2004). Previous studies have shown that TGF-β inhibits the proliferation rate of cells through the up-regulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor and the repression of the c-MYC. c-MYC is a transcription protein that represses cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (p15, and p21) leading to an inhibition of the cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase (Seoane, 2006). The hypothesis of this study is that Smad2 overexpression will reduce the proliferation rate of JE cells through the up-regulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors secondary to the down-regulation of c-Myc. The availability of the K14-Smad2 transgenic mice permits the role of Smad2 overexpression to be examined in vivo in the JE cells, thus the aim of the current study was to investigate the role of Smad2 overexpression on the proliferation rate of the JE cells in vivo. 3.3 Materials and Methods 3.3.1 Animals and Genotyping K14-Smad2 mice that have Smad2 overexpression through a K14 promoter were selected to represent the model of this study. Dr. Yang Chai, University of Southern California Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, generously provided these mice. All methods were within the guidelines of and approved by the Animal Care Committee of The University of British Columbia. The genotype of the mice was detected using a primer set that detected the K14-Smad2 transgene through the cytokeratin14 promoter 37 region. Mice that overexpressed Smad2 were analyzed at 3 and 12 months of age were the test group and compared to age-matched wild type controls. The total sample size was 40 mice. Sample size was divided as shown in Figure 7. The sample size was based on power analysis (G*power software) that was conducted for all methods, which gave a power of 0.8 for each. 3.3.2 Histology and Immunohistochemistry 3.3.2.1 Decalcification and Paraffin Embedding of the Samples Hemisections of mice maxillae were dissected under the microscope, and the samples were decalcified using Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) for four to six weeks at room temperature. The decalcified samples were embedded in paraffin blocks and stored at -50 C. 7µm sections were obtained for subsequent analysis. 3.3.2.2 Hematoxylin and Eosin Slides were stained with Harris’s hematoxylin for 2.5 minutes and then transferred to running tap water for 20 minutes; thereafter the slides were immersed in eosin for 40 seconds, dehydrated, and cleared through a series of ethanol and Xylene respectively. Finally, slides were cover-slipped using mounting media and viewed under light microscopy (Wazen, Moffatt, Zalzal, Yamada, & Nanci, 2009). 3.3.2.3 Immunohistochemistry EDTA antigen retrieval was done and then the sections were blocked with 2% goat serum for 30 minutes at room temperature. 2µl primary antibody against E-cadherin (Cell Signaling Inc, mouse polyclonal), PCNA (Cell Signaling Inc, mouse polyclonal) and c-MYC (Abcam Inc, rabbit polyclonal) were incubated with the sections for 2 hours and then rinsed with PBS three times for 5 minutes. Secondary antibody goat anti-mouse 38 (Alexa Fluor 488 IgG, Invitrogen, Inc) and goat anti-rabbit (Alexa Fluor 568, IgG, Invitrogen, Inc) were incubated with the slides for 1 hour at room temperature, followed by PBS rinse three times for 4 minutes. Finally, slides were cover-slipped with mounting media, which included DAPI to identify the cell nuclei. Nikon Laser Scanning Confocal microscopy (C1) was used to examine the slides (Watanabe et al., 2004). Liver and small intestine tissues were used as positive control samples for PCNA and c-MYC proteins respectively. Negative control samples were obtained by omitting the primary antibody. 3.3.3 Real-time PCR The samples were collected from the buccal and palatal attached gingiva of the first and second molar teeth of the K14-Smad2 and wild type mice. Tissues were homogenized using a mortar and pestle, and the RNA was purified using RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen). The total RNA was measured, and equal amounts of the RNA were used for cDNA synthesis using Iscript Kit (Bio-Rad). Nucleotide sequences for the PCR primers were obtained from the National Center for Biomedical Information as shown in Table 2. Table 2: Primer Sequences for p15, p21, p27, and Gapdh Primer Forward Reverse P15 P21 P27 Gapdh 5’-CCCTGCCACCCTTACCAGA-3’ 5’-CCTGGTGATGTCCGACCTG-3’ 5’-TCAAACGTCAGAGTGTCTAACG -3’ 5’-GGTCCTCAGTGTAGCCCAAG-3’ 5’-CAGATACCTCGCAATGTCACG -3’ 5’-CCATGAGCGCATCGCAATC -3’ 5’-CCGGGCCGAAGAGATTTCTG -3’ 5-‘AATGTGTCCGTCGTGGATCT-3’ 39 cDNA samples were added to a PCR amplification mixture containing forward and reverse primers and SsoFast EvaGreen Supermix PCR master mixture (Bio-Rad Laboratories, California, USA). Then samples were subjected to a denaturation reaction for 5 minutes at 94C. Finally, annealing and DNA synthesis were done for 60 seconds at 60 C. The data were normalized against Gapdh and calculated by the CT method (Hart, Shaffer et al. 2004). 3.3.4 Western Blots The attached gingiva from the first and second molar of the maxilla of K14-Smad2 transgenic mice and wild type mice were collected under the microscope. The tissue samples were homogenized using 500-µL lysis buffer NP-40 and 10 µL of the proteinase inhibitor cocktail on ice. The samples were placed in dry ice for 20 minutes, then the tubes were centrifuged at 12000 rpm for 15 minutes at -4C. The protein concentrations were determined through the bovine serum assay standard and then equal protein samples were subjected to 5% SDS-PAGE buffer and electrophoresed for 45 minutes at 160V at room temperature. The samples were transferred from the SDS-PAGE gels to a membrane (BioRad trans blot pure nitrocellulose) at 60V for 2 hours. Then the membranes were washed with PBS for 10 minutes on a shaker. Blocking solution Odyssey (Li-Cor) was applied for 1 hour at room temperature. The primary antibody for phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (Rabbit polyclonal, Abcam) was applied at a concentration of 0.2 µg/ml for 1 hour. The membrane was washed in PBS 5 times for 5 minutes. The samples were incubated with a fluorescent secondary anti-rabbit IgG antibody for 1 hour. Then the membrane was washed in PBS 5 times for 5 minutes. Finally, the membrane was scanned and the bands intensities were quantified using the 40 Image tool program (Lohinai et al., 2001). 3.3.5 Statistical Analysis The data were interpreted using One-way ANOVA and student t test. 3.4 Results 3.4.1 Smad2 Overexpression Altered the Surface Area of the JE Cells The JE surface area was measured using image tool at 3 and 12 months of age for both K14-Smad2 and wild type mice. Connecting the internal basement membrane to the first horizontal cell in the external basement membrane outlined the JE surface area. As shown in Figure 7 the mean JE surface area of the K14-Smad2 remained almost unchanged from 23036.5(±3754) µM2 at 3 months to 24937.25(±1965) µM2 at the 12 months time point. On the other hand the mean surface area of the wild type mice was 21728(±4724) µM2 at 3 months and increased significantly to 32768(±3473) µM2 at the 12 months time point (Fig. 7). 41 Figure 7: Smad2 Overexpression Altered the JE Surface Area (A) H&E image showing the JE of three months WT mice. (B) H&E image of K14-Smad2 JE surface area at three months time point. (C) H&E image showing the JE of 12 months K14-Smad2 mice. (D) H&E image showing the JE of 12 months WT mice. (E) Quantification of the JE surface area of the three months and the one-year samples. *(P<0.05). Error bars represent the standard deviations. Scale bars represent a 100µm 42 3.4.2 Smad2 Overexpression Reduces the Proliferation Rate of the JE Cells Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) positive cells were selected as representative of proliferating cells. The positive cells (PCNA+DAPI) were counted and divided by the total number (DAPI) of JE cells to identify the percentage of proliferating cells. The 3-month-old K14-Smad2 mice had a significantly lower proliferation rate than their wild type counterparts the mean proliferation of the JE cells was 20.79% in the wild type mice and 1.31% in the K14-Smad2 mice (Fig. 8). 43 Figure 8: Smad2 Overexpression Reduced the Proliferation Rate of JE Cells (A) Representative image of PCNA positive cells (Green) and DAPI (Blue) from WT mice at 3 months time point. (B) PCNA positive cells and DAPI from K14-Smad2 mice at 3 months time point. (C) PCNA window of WT 3 months mice showing multiple positive cells. (D) PCNA window of K14-Smad2 mice showing limited positive cells. The dotted line represents the JE. Original magnification (x600). (E) A x1200 Magnification of WT mice showing multiple colocalizations between PCNA and DAPI. (F) A x1200 Magnification of K14-Smad2 mice showing limited colocalizations between PCNA and DAPI. (G) Positive control small intestine tissue showing multiple PCNA positive cells. (H) Negative control of JE cells showing no PCNA signal. (I) Quantification of the PCNA positive cells represented by PCNA +DAPI positive cells. **(P<0.001). The white bar represents 100mm. Error bars represent the standard deviations 44 3.4.3 Increased SMAD2 Up-regulates c-MYC The mean c-MYC positive cells in the JE were counted and the percentage of c-MYC positive cells calculated. Increased SMAD2 reduced the number of c-MYC positive cells in the JE in K14-Smad2 experimental mice (2.3%) compared to the wild type controls (20.1%) (Fig. 9). 45 Figure 9: Smad2 Overexpression Inhibits C-MYC (A) Representative image of C-MYC (Red) expression in the JE with E-cadherin (Green) from WT mice at 3 months time point. (B) c-MYC positive cells and E-cadherin from K14-Smad2 mice at 3 months time point. (C) c-MYC window showing positive cells of WT mice. (D) C-MYC window no positive cells of K14-Smad2 mice. The dotted line represents the JE. Original magnification (x600). (E) A x1200 Magnification of WT mice showing multiple colocalizations between c-MYC and DAPI. (F) A x1200 Magnification of K14-Smad2 mice showing limited colocalizations between c-MYC and DAPI. (G) Positive control liver tissue showing multiple c-MYC positive cells. (H) Negative control of JE cells showing no c-MYC signal. (I) Quantification % of C-MYC positive cells **(P<0.001). The white bar represents 100mm. Error bars represent the standard deviations 3.4.4 Smad2 Overexpression Increased Both P15 and pRB to Inhibit JE Cell Proliferation SMAD2 increased the expression of the mRNA of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p15 by 5.56-fold when compared to wild type mice. P21 gene expression did not show any statistically significant difference between K14-Smad2 and wild type mice. Smad2 overexpression increased (2.3-fold) the pRB protein in the JE cells of K14-Smad2 mice when compared to wild type mice (Fig. 10). 46 Figure 10: Smad2 Overexpression Up-regulates P15, P27 and Increases the Protein Level of p-RB (A) Western blots of K14-Smad2 and WT mice representing P-RB and GAPDH. (B) Quantification of the P-RB western blot results **(P<0.001). (C) Real-time PCR expression of P15, P21, and P27. **(P<0.001). Error bars represent the standard deviations 3.5 Discussion The junctional epithelium has an important protective role providing the barrier ability and the secretion of defence molecules (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005; Heymann et al., 2005; Listgarten, 1966; Overman & Salonen, 1994; Tonetti et al., 2012). In our lab we previously published data showing that Smad2 overexpression causes an increased apoptotic index in the JE cells through the inhibition of BCL2 (Fujita, Alotaibi et al., 2012). The present study expanded on the original findings to determine if increased levels of SMAD2 also altered the JE proliferation and thus the combined effects of increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation would negatively impact JE homeostasis. In the current study the JE of K14-Smad2 mice showed a reduced surface area when 47 compared to wild type mice at 12 months, which indicated that the JE does not have the same size/integrity as the wild type control tissue. The change in JE area at 12 months can be explained by a combination of increased apoptosis and a reduced proliferation rate that decreases the replacement of the dead cells. A limitation of the current methodology to collect the JE tissue samples for the Western blots and the real-time PCR was a potential confounding variable. The JE cells were isolated by doing Modified Widman incisions, which included oral and JE epithelium for both test and control groups. To understand the underlying mechanism of the role of Smad2 overexpression on the reduction of the proliferation rate we examined molecules that control the proliferation rate such as c-MYC, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (P15, P21, and P27) and pRB (Warner, Blain, Seoane, & Massagué, 1999). It was reported in vitro that Smad2 overexpression induces p21 and p15, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors that inhibit cell cycle progression from G1 to the S phase and thus prevent proliferation (Shimoe et al., 2014). Our findings have the same outcomes as the previous in vitro study since increased levels of SMAD2 result in an up-regulation of the expression of both P15 and P27. Some differences in specific cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors can be explained by the specific epithelial cells and tissues examined. The in vitro study used oral epithelial cells and in our study we specifically investigated the JE epithelial cells. It has been reported that TGF-β down-regulates transcription factors involved in proliferation such as c-MYC (Warner et al., 1999). Previous studies have shown that c-MYC was a repressor of P27 (Amendola et al., 2009) and P15 (Staller et al., 2001), and down-regulation of c-MYC would up-regulate these cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors . Current results supported by the current in vivo analysis of increased intracellular signalling in the TGFβ 48 pathway reinforce this mechanism to reduce cell proliferation. Studies have shown that the activation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors would lead to increased levels of pRB, again consistent with the findings in the present study. The increased levels of pRB in turn release E2F a transcriptional factor that causes cell cycle arrest (Ravitz and Wenner 1997). From the results presented above we can concluded that Smad2 overexpression in reduces the proliferation rate of the JE cells. Smad2 overexpression reduces the surface area of the JE cells by inhibiting c-MYC, which in turn up-regulates the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (P15, and p27) leading to excess phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein. 49 Chapter 4: Smad2 Overexpression Induces Alveolar Bone Loss by Up-regulating TNF-α 4.1 Overview 4.1.1 Background Previous studies found that Smad2 overexpression reduced the surface area of the junctional epithelium (JE) through increased apoptosis and a reduced proliferation rate. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether Smad2 overexpression in JE cells induced alveolar bone loss, and to understand the mechanisms regulating the bone loss. 4.1.2 Methods A mouse line was created that used a cytokeratin 14 (K14) promoter to overexpress Smad2 in the epithelium of the transgenic mice (K14-Smad2)(Ito et al., 2001). Hemi maxilla samples were stained with Van Gieson’s and Ponceau S solutions and photographed. Micro CT radiographs (µCT) were used to assess bone loss, bone volume, and bone density. The expression of Tnfα, Il1-β, Ifγ, Rankl, and Opg were assessed by RT-PCR. Western blots were used to detect the protein levels of TNF-α and IL1-β. Immunohistochemistry was done for Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) as a marker for osteoclasts. Wild type (WT) mice were used as controls in all steps of the current study. 4.1.3 Results Smad2 overexpression induced alveolar bone loss at 12 months of age in the K14-Smad2 mice. The µCT analysis provided evidence that K14-Smad2 mice had 52.5% (±4.2) root 50 exposed compared to 32.4%(±3.2) in the WT mice. There was a significant difference in alveolar bone volume in the K14-Smad2 mice when compared to WT mice 2.65mm3 (±0.3) and 4.3 mm3 (±0.35) respectively. K14-Smad2 mice also had reduced bone density 696.8 mg/cc (±70) at 12 months when compared to WT mice 845.9 mg/cc(±10). The mRNA levels of Tnfα and Rankl increased by 3.26- and 2.5-fold respectively in the K14-Smad2 mice when compared to controls. The protein level of TNF-α was also significantly increased to 2.8-fold in K14-Smad2 mice when compared to WT mice. Smad2 overexpression increased the total numbers of osteoclasts in K14-Smad2 mice (3.4 ±0.2)-fold when compared to WT mice. 4.1.4 Conclusion Smad2 overexpression increased the osteoclastogenesis through the up-regulation of TNF-α and RANKL to induce alveolar bone loss. 4.2 Introduction The JE develops from both the reduced enamel epithelium and the oral epithelium (Salonen, Kautsky, & Dale, 1989). The JE provides protection to the underlying periodontium by two mechanisms. The first mechanism is through cells directly attached to the tooth (DAT cells) by hemidesmosomes. DAT cells provide a physical barrier that prevents bacterial invasion (Listgarten, 1966), and the JE cells have high apoptotic and proliferation rates that allow microorganisms to be pushed into the gingival cervical fluid away from the periodontal tissues. The second mechanism is through the secretion of multiple molecules that help in the protection and development of the periodontium, such as Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1 or CD54), Lymphocyte function antigen-3 (LFA-3), Interleukin-8 (IL-8), Epidermal growth factor (EGF), and defensins (Crawford, 51 1992; Dale, 2002; Tajima et al., 1992; Tonetti, Imboden, & Lang, 2012). Any disturbance to the JE cells could reduce the protective ability of the JE cells and lead to periodontal disease progression (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005). Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) is a cytokine that belongs to the transforming growth factor beta superfamily. TGFβ1 was found to be involved in health maintenance and disease progression through the regulation of multiple cellular functions such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis (Ehinger, Bergh, Johnsson, Gullberg, & Olsson, 1997; Granerus, Schofield, Bierke, & Engström, 1995; Takizawa et al., 2001). When TGFβ1 binds to the TGFβ receptor type II (TβRII) it activates Type I receptor (TβRI), which in turn phosphorylates SMAD2(Massagué, Seoane, & Wotton, 2005). SMAD2 is a transcription factor of the TGFβ signalling pathway (Kitisin, Saha, Blake, & Golestaneh, 2007). SMAD2 activation leads to the binding of SMAD2 and SMAD4 (Nakao et al., 1997). The SMAD2- SMAD4 complex enters the cell’s nucleus to activate the transcription of multiple genes that ultimately alters the cell’s function (Massagué & Chen, 2000). One result of this transcriptional activation is an increase in caspase3 expression that is linked to apoptosis (Wyllie, 2010). TGF-β has been reported to reduce the mitotic activity of epithelial cells (Seoane, 2006). TGF-β induces P21Cip1 and 2150 P15Ink4b, which are cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (Tomikawa et al., 2012). TGF-β down-regulates transcription factors involved in proliferation, for example MYC, ID1 and ID2 (Seoane, 2006). Our laboratory used a mouse model that overexpresses Smad2 driven by a cytokeratin 14 promoter (K14) (Fujita et al., 2012). The K14 promoter resulted in the overexpression of Smad2 in the epithelial cells especially the JE cells (JE) (Fujita et al., 2012). Interestingly, it was shown that the overexpression of Smad2 52 increased the apoptotic index and at the same time reduced the proliferation rate of the JE, consequently reducing the JE surface area (Alotaibi, Kitase, & Shuler, 2014). Apoptosis has been linked to the activation of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL1β (Joshi, Kalvakolanu, & Cross, 2003). It has been shown that Smad2 overexpression increases the secretion of TNF-α through a cross-talk up-regulation of the P38 MAP kinases (X.-L. Chen, Xia, Ben, Wang, & Wei, 2003; Takekawa et al., 2002). Both TNF-α and IL1β cytokines have been shown to up-regulate RANKL leading to increased binding to RANK (Garlet, Martins, Fonseca, Ferreira, & Silva, 2004; Steeve, Marc, Sandrine, Dominique, & Yannick, 2004). The RANKL-RANK complex will activate nuclear factor kappa β (T. A. Silva, Garlet, Fukada, Silva, & Cunha, 2007), which will up-regulate the osteoclastogenesis process (D. Drugarin, Drugarin, Negru, & Cioaca, 2003). Periodontal disease is a complex disease process with multiple etiologic factors. A clinical diagnosis of periodontal disease has been identified as attachment loss of either the soft tissues or alveolar bone and in many cases both are damaged (Armitage, 1999). During routine dental examination dentists evaluate the levels of soft tissues clinically and bone loss radiographically (Armitage, 1996). Any change in the level of attachments is considered periodontal disease and the underlying cause should be investigated (Armitage, 1999). We hypothesized that Smad2 overexpression alters the expression of inflammatory cytokines in JE cells. This overexpression of the cytokines is associated with bone loss and periodontal disease progression. The specific aims of the current study were: 1) to investigate in vivo the effect of Smad2 overexpression on alveolar bone loss; 53 and 2) to investigate secreted molecules that control bone metabolism and link them to periodontal disease progression. 4.3 Materials and Methods 4.3.1 Animals and Genotyping We thank Dr. Yang Chai for providing the K14-Smad 2 mice. Methods within this study followed the guidelines of the Animal Care Committee of The University of British Columbia. To identify the K14-Smad2 transgene a PCR primer set was used to detect the cytokeratin 14 promoter region. Three age time points were selected (3,6, and 12 months) to analyze the K14-Smad2 mice and compared with their age-matched wild type counterparts as a control group. The total sample size was 40 mice divided into groups, with 5 mice in each of the groups analyzed. G*power software (Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany) was used to calculate the sample size as it gave a power of 0.9 for all groups in each methodology. 4.3.2 Photographs Mice hemi maxilla were defleshed using 2%KOH then the samples were stained with Van Gieson’s solution for 30 seconds followed by Ponceau S solution for 5 minutes. The combination of Van Gieson’s and Ponceau S solutions allowed for identification of collagen that stains the roots and outlines the cemento-enamel junction (Ghannad et al., 2008; Leach, 1946). To record the staining of the tissue samples the specimens were mounted and photographed (Canon REBEL T2i, Macro lens 100mm, with ring flash, Japan) (Barczyk, Olsen, & da Franca, 2009). 54 4.3.3 Micro CT Analysis Mice Hemi maxillae from 6 and 12 months of age K14-Smad2 and WT mice were scanned for their entire length at 45 kV, for 12.5 min (VivaCT, Scanco, Brüttisellen, Switzerland). The settings of the Micro CT were 55 kvp and 140uA. Calibration was done with a phantom. The nominal pixel size was 10um. The frame matrix was 4096 x4096 pixels. Exposure was 316 ms. 3D images were reconstructed and Micro CT analysis performed to quantify the height of alveolar bone, bone density, and bone volume (Um, Jung, Kim, & Bak, 2010; Wilensky, Gabet, Yumoto, Houri-Haddad, & Shapira, 2005). 4.3.4 Histology and Immunohistochemistry 4.3.4.1 Decalcification and Paraffin Embedding of the Samples Hemisection of mice maxillae were collected using a dissecting microscope. The samples were decalcified with Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) at room temperature for a period of from 4 to 6 weeks that was governed by the thickness of the samples. The samples were embedded in paraffin blocks. The specimens were sectioned at 7-mm thickness, sections placed on slides, then deparaffinized and rehydrated. 4.3.4.2 Hematoxylin and Eosin Harris’s hematoxylin (2.5 minutes) was used to stain the slides. The slides were washed extensively with tap water for 20 minutes and then stained with eosin for 40 seconds. Dehydration and clearing of the slides were done by a series of graded ethanol then xylene. A cover slip was placed on the slides with the use of a mounting media. The slides were viewed by light microscopy (Wazen, Moffatt, Zalzal, Yamada, & Nanci, 2009). 55 4.3.5 Immunohistochemistry Prior to the application of the primary antibody, the sections were blocked with goat 2% serum blocking solution for 30 minutes at room temperature. The primary TRAP antibody (1:100, Goat polyclonal, Santa Cruz Biotechnology Inc, CA, USA) was incubated with slides for 2 hours at room temperature. The slides were rinsed with PBS for 5 minutes three times. The slides were incubated with the secondary antibody, rabbit-anti mouse (1:100, Rabbit polyclonal, Invitrogen Corporation, CA, USA). Slides were rinsed with PBS for 5 minutes three times. The slides were incubated for 10 minutes in streptavidin (50mL) for enzyme conjugation (HRP- streptavidin Invitrogen corporation, CA, USA). Slides were washed 3 times in PBS for 2 minutes. The slides were incubated with AEC Chromogen (100mL) for 10 minutes (AEC Chromogen, Invitrogen Corporation, CA, USA). The slides were rinsed well in distilled water for 10 minutes. The slides were counter-stained with hematoxylin for 60 seconds. The slides were placed under running tap water for 20 minutes then covered with a cover slip with a mounting medium. The slides were viewed under light microscopy (Garcia et al., 2011). 4.3.6 Real-time PCR Two sets of samples were collected. The first set represented the buccal and palatal attached gingiva of the first and second molar teeth that were collected from 5 K14-Smad2 and wild type mice. The second set of samples were bone hemi-sections of mouse maxillae from the 1st and 2nd molar regions. The total sample size for the second set was 10 mice representing 5 mice in each group. The bone samples were placed in a Spex 6700 bone-milling machine. The Spex 6700 was filled with liquid nitrogen then the bone samples were milled for 5 minutes or until the entire sample produced a 56 homogenous bone powder. The tissues from both the first and second sets of samples were homogenized using a mortar and pestle, and the RNA was purified using RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen). A spectrophotometer was used to measure the total RNA, and only good quality RNA was used as the A260/A280 ratios for all RNA samples were above 2.0. Equal amounts of RNA from each sample were used for cDNA synthesis using Iscript Kit (Bio-Rad). Nucleotide sequences for the PCR primers were obtained from the National Center for Biomedical Information for Tnf-α , Il1-β, Ifγ, Rankl, and Opg (Table 3). PCR amplification was done by the addition of a mixture containing forward and reverse primers and SsoFast EvaGreen Supermix PCR master mixture (Bio-Rad Laboratories, California, USA) to cDNA samples. Then samples were denatured for 5 minutes at 94C. The next step was annealing for 60 seconds at 60 C then DNA synthesis for 60 seconds at 60C. The data were normalized against Gapdh and calculated by the CT method (Hart et al., 2004). Table 3: Primer Sequences for Tnf-α , Il1-β , Ifγ , Rankl, Opg and Gapdh Primer Forward Reverse Tnf-α Il1-β Ifγ Opg Rankl Gapdh 5’-CAGGCGGTGCCTATGTCTC-3’ 5’-GAAATGCCATTTGACAGTG-3’ 5’-ATGAACGCTACACACTGCATC-3’ 5’-ACC CAGAAACTG GTC ATC AGC-3’ 5’-CAGCATCGCTCTGTTCCTGTA-3’ 5’-GGTCCTCAGTGTAGCCCAAG-3’ 5’-CGATCACCCCGAAGTTCAG-3’ 5’-CTGGATGCTCTCACTAGGACA-3’ 5’-TCTAGGCTTTCAATGACTGTG-3’ 5’-CTGCAATACACACACTCATCACT-3’ 5’-CTGCGTTTTCATGGAGTCTCA-‘3 5‘-AATGTGTCCGTCGTGGATCT-3’ 57 4.3.7 Western Blots Tissue collection from the attached gingiva was done under the dissecting microscope. The tissue samples represent the attached buccal and lingual gingiva from the maxilla of first and second molar of K14-Smad2 transgenic mice and wild type control mice. Homogenizations of tissues were done using a 500-µL NP-40 lysis buffer and 10 µL of the proteinase inhibitor cocktail on ice. Samples were stored on dry ice for 20 minutes then centrifuged at 12000 rpm for 15 minutes at -4C. Bovine serum albumin standard was used to determine protein concentrations. Equal quantities (15 mg) of the protein samples were mixed with 5% SDS-PAGE buffer and electrophoresed for 45 minutes at 160V at room temperature. The proteins were transferred to a membrane (BioRad transblot pure nitrocellulose) at 60V for 2 hours. Membranes were washed with PBS for 10 minutes. Blocking was done by the application of Odyssey (Li-Cor) blocking solution for 1 hour at room temperature. This was followed by application of the primary antibody: TNF-α (Rabbit polyclonal, Abcam Inc, MA, USA) or IL1-β (Rabbit polyclonal, Santa Cruz Biotechnology Inc, CA, USA), used at a concentration of 0.2 µg/ml for 1 hour. The membrane was washed in PBS 5 times for 5 minutes. A secondary antibody, anti-Rabbit IgG, conjugated to a fluorescent dye was incubated with membranes for 1 hour. Membranes were washed in PBS 5 times for 5 minutes. The membranes were transferred then scanned using a Licor Odyssey scanner (Lincoln, NE, USA). The bands’ intensities were quantified using the Image tool program (Lohinai et al., 2001). 4.3.8 Statistical Analysis The data were interpreted using One-way ANOVA and Student’s t test. 58 4.4 Results 4.4.1 Smad2 Overexpression Results in Severe Alveolar Bone Loss The overexpression of Smad2 resulted in severe bone loss. As shown in Figure 11 µCT linear bone measurement showed that samples from 12 months old K14-Smad2 had 52.5% (± 4.2) root exposed compared to 32.4%(±3.2) for the WT mice. At 6 months of age there was no statistically significant difference between K14-Smad2 and WT mice with 22.4% (±3.6) and 20.2%(±3.6) bone loss respectively (Fig. 11). The total sample size for the linear bone measurements was 20 mice representing 5 mice in each group. 59 Figure 11: Smad2 Overexpression Induces Chronic Alveolar Bone Loss (A) Photograph of 6 months WT mice with mild loss. (B) Photograph of 6 months K14-Smad2 mice with mild loss. (C) A representative photograph of a hemi maxilla stained with Van Gieson’s and Ponceau S solutions of WT 12 month mice with mild bone loss. (D) Photographs of hemi maxilla stained with Van Gieson’s and Ponceau S solutions of K14-Smad2 12 month mice with severe bone loss. (E) µCT image of 6 months WT mice with mild bone loss. (F) µCT image of 6 months K14-Smad2 mice with mild bone loss. (G) µCT representative image of 12 months WT mice with mild bone loss. (H) µCT image of 12 months K14-Smad2 mice with severe bone loss. (I) Quantification of the linear bone loss (exposed roots %) of 6 months and 12 months time points of both K14-Smad2 and WT mice*(P<0.05). Error bars represent the standard deviations The 1st and 2nd maxillary molars were digitally extracted using µCT viewer program to remove the effect of teeth on bone measurements. The images of bone 60 without teeth were interpreted for bone volume and density. The bone volume measurements at the 1st and 2nd maxillary molars revealed that there was a significant difference between 12-month-old K14-Smad2 and WT mice with 2.65 mm3 (±0.3) and 4.3mm3 (±0.35) bone volume respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the bone density at 12 months of age with K14-Smad2 696.8 mg/cc (±70) and WT 845.9 mg/cc (±10) (Fig. 12). 61 Figure 12: Smad2 Overexpression Reduces Both Bone Volume and Bone Density (A) Representative µCT image showing the alveolar bone of 12 months WT mice without the 1st and 2nd molars. (B) An µCT image showing the alveolar bone of 12 months K14-Smad2 mice without the 1st and 2nd molars. (C) Quantification of bone volume of K14-Smad2 and WT 12 month mice *(P<0.05). (D) Quantification of bone density of both K14-Smad2 and WT 12 month mice *(P<0.05). Error bars represent the standard deviations 4.4.2 Increased SMAD2 Up-regulates Tnf-α and Rankl Smad2 overexpression increased the mRNA levels of 6 months K14-Smad2 Tnf-α to 3.26(±0.6)-fold when compared to WT mice. Also, SMAD2 increased the protein level (2.8 ±0.7-fold increase) of TNF-α in 6 months K14-Smad2 when compared to their WT controls. However there were no statistical differences with Il1-β and Ifγ mRNA levels in either group. The overexpression of Smad2 up-regulated 6 months K14-Smad2 Rankl levels to a 2.5(±1.2)-fold increase when compared with WT mice. There were no differences in the levels of expression of Opg between WT and K14-Smad2 mice (Fig. 13). 62 Figure 13: Smad2 Overexpression Up-regulates Tnf-α and Rankl (A) Real-time PCR expression of Tnf-α , Il-1β, and Ifγ representing the 6 months time point of WT and K14-Smad2. *(P<0.005). (B) Real-time PCR expression of Opg, and Rankl representing the 6 months WT and K14-Smad2. *(P<0.005). (C) Western blots of K14-Smad2 and WT mice representing TNF-α and GAPDH. (D) Quantification of the TNF-α western blot results *(P<0.005). 4.4.3 The Overexpression of Smad2 Increased the Number of Osteoclasts TRAP positive cells were selected to represent osteoclasts. The numbers of osteoclasts (TRAP positive cells) were counted over a surface area of 1mm2. An area from the base of the JE cells until mid-alveolar bone was included in the evaluation. Both the buccal and lingual alveolar bones were evaluated for TRAP positive cells. The mean TRAP positive cells were calculated from 5 mice in each group. A total of 3 slides (12 sections per slide) per mouse were included to represent the sample size. Smad2 63 overexpression increased the numbers of osteoclasts in 6 months K14-Smad2 to 3.4 (±02) fold when compared to WT mice (Fig. 14). Figure 14: Smad2 Overexpression Increased the Number of Osteoclasts in K14-Smad2 Mice TRAP positive cells (brown stain and red arrows) were counted and the mean cell counts were calculated over a surface area if 1mm2. (A) TRAP stain image of WT mice showing no osteoclasts. (B) TRAP stain image of K14-Smad2 mice showing multiple osteoclasts on the buccal alveolar bone. Original magnification 600X. (C) Quantification of the TRAP stain for both WT and K14-Smad2 mice *(P<0.005). Error bars represent the standard deviations 4.5 Discussion An increase in of TGF-β in JE cells has been shown to be correlated with periodontal disease (Steinsvoll, Halstensen, & Schenck, 1999). TGF-β has to bind to its receptors to start the process that results in the phosphorylation of the intracellular transcription factor SMAD2 (Nakao et al., 1997). Phosphorylated SMAD2 combined with SMAD4 enters the nucleus with subsequent alteration in the patterns of gene 64 expression process, which ultimately results in changes in multiple cellular functions (Massagué & Chen, 2000). Interestingly, the expression of TGF-β receptors in JE cells has been shown to be different in health and disease (Lu, Mackenzie, & Levine, 1997). Therefore to study the impact of the overexpression of the TGF-β signalling pathway the focus should move from the cell surface receptors to the intracellular levels of the phosphorylated SMAD2 transcription factor (Alotaibi et al., 2014; Fujita et al., 2012; Ito et al., 2001). A positive advantage of the K14-Smad2 mouse model is that the overexpression of Smad2 and subsequent phosphorylation of SMAD2 is independent of the presence or absence of TGF-β receptors and TGF-β growth factors. Thus, SMAD2 intracellular signalling is independent of both the growth factors and the cell surface receptors (Ito et al., 2001). Another important point is that due to the K14 promoter the overexpression of Smad2 only occurs in tissues of ectodermal origin. Smad2 is only overexpressed in epithelial cells and not in bone, connective tissue, and PDL cells (Ito et al., 2001). Thus, the K14-Smad2 mouse model is more specific to study the role of Smad2 overexpression in JE cells and what effect that might have on alveolar bone loss without trying to manipulate TGFβ ligand and receptors. It has been reported that there is a genetic component in the etiology that can be attributed to 50% of periodontal disease cases (Michalowicz et al., 2000). Indeed, gene mutations (Hart et al., 1999), the knockout of a single gene (Ghannad et al., 2008) and/or the overexpression of another gene (Dayan, Stashenko, Niederman, & Kupper, 2004) have been shown to cause severe periodontal disease. It is interesting that gingivitis may stay stable for long periods of time and might not progress to periodontitis. The progression of gingivitis to periodontitis is controlled by multiple factors such as the 65 presence of invasive microorganisms, a susceptible host, and a conducive environment that aids periodontal disease progression (Genco, 1996). The findings of the current study support the premise that focal changes in gene expression can alter the host response to periodontal disease and increase the susceptibility to periodontal disease progression (Genco,1992). It is clearly presented in the current study that Smad2 overexpression in JE cells resulted in severe periodontal disease when compared to WT mice. It is interesting for future studies to further investigate different levels of gene expression and the magnitude of periodontal disease, which might help clinicians to accurately classify and treat periodontal disease. It is well documented that the JE has a protective role in that it secretes defence molecules and has barrier ability (Bosshardt & Lang, 2005). Our lab has published data highlighting the effect of Smad2 overexpression on JE cells. The overexpression of Smad2 increased the apoptotic rate of JE cells by down-regulating Bcl2 (Fujita et al., 2012). Other studies have shown that Smad2 overexpression reduced the JE cell’s proliferation rate by down-regulating c-MYC the repressor of cyclin-dependent kinases P15 and P21 (Alotaibi et al., 2014). The combined effect of increased apoptosis and reduced proliferation rate of the JE cells in K14-Smad2 resulted in a decrease in the amount of JE in K14-Smad2 mice when compared with their WT counterparts (Alotaibi et al., 2014). The current study advances the knowledge of those original findings, as it shows that Smad2 overexpression in JE cells induces alveolar bone resorption by up-regulation of inflammatory cytokines associated with bone loss. Bone resorption is considered a hallmark in periodontal disease that eventually causes the loss of the bony support for teeth and consequently leads to tooth loss 66 (Armitage, 1999). The current study shows clearly that the overexpression of Smad2 in JE cells causes severe bone loss. To overcome the limitation of photographic assessment of bone loss, µCT radiographs were performed to accurately analyze the mineralized tissue to detect the level of alveolar bone and relate it to the length of the roots. In other studies, µCT radiographs provide data about bone density and bone volume characteristics that are also affected by periodontal disease (Um et al., 2010; Wilensky et al., 2005). The results of the current study show that the overexpression of Smad2 in JE cells resulted in severe bone loss in K14-Smad2 mice when evaluating the crown:root ratio levels. Occlusal wear should be considered when evaluating the levels of the crown:root ratio. With occlusal wear, roots might over-erupt giving undesirable crown root ratio (Steedle & Proffit, 1985). Another point to consider is cementum deposition, which might change the results of the study by increasing the vertical dimensions of roots. It has been shown that cementum deposition is increased in occlusal overload (hypercementosis) (Comuzzie & Steele, 1989). However this is not the case in the current study, as there was no statistical difference in root length between K14-Smad2 and WT mice when measured by µCT from the CEJ to the total root length, which include dentine and cementum (data not presented). The literature linking bone density and periodontal disease presents conflicting results (Genco & Löe, 1993). Some studies concluded that bone density did not have an effect on periodontal disease progression (Ward & Manson, 1973). While others show the opposite concluding that lower bone density could enhance bone loss and increase the progression of periodontal disease (Esfahanian, Shamami, & Shamami, 2012). Bone density and volume have been considered as risk modifiers of periodontal bone loss, as 67 subjects with lower bone density had more bone loss when compared to healthy individuals (Tezal et al., 2000). Increased inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α are linked to periodontal disease and other diseases associated with lower bone density such as osteoporosis (Manolagas & Jilka, 1995). The current investigation agrees with these findings as K14-Smad2 mice had a higher TNF-α level combined with lower density and volume of bone when compared to the WT mice. To investigate the mechanism of Smad2 overexpression and alveolar bone loss we examined molecules that are involved in bone metabolism such as TNF-α, IL1-β, IFγ, RANKL, and OPG (Koide et al., 2013; T. A. Silva et al., 2007). The current study showed an increase in TNF-α, a potent inflammatory cytokine that has the ability to induce alveolar bone loss both in vivo and in vitro (Abu-Amer, Ross, Edwards, & Teitelbaum, 1997). Bone loss in the current study can be explained by the up-regulation of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α, which has been shown to increase the number of osteoclasts by up-regulating RANKL, which is consistent with the observations in our study. RANKL will bind to the RANK receptors of the osteoclast precursors leading to an activation of the Ikb kinase and ultimately more osteoclasts will be formed (D. Drugarin et al., 2003; T. A. Silva et al., 2007). With more osteoclasts formed the balance of bone resorption and bone deposition will be directed toward resorption leading to periodontal bone loss (Graves, Li, & Cochran, 2011). From the results above we can conclude that Smad2 overexpression induces alveolar bone loss by up-regulating TNF-α and RANKL, leading to increased numbers of osteoclast and osteoclastic activity. 68 Chapter 5: General Discussion, Conclusions, and Future Directions 5.1 General Discussion 5.1.1 JE to Maintain Health The JE maintains health for the periodontium, as it secretes protective molecules and growth factors, and aids with the guidance of inflammatory cells to bacterial insult (Tonetti, Imboden, & Lang, 2012; Ye, Chapple, Kumar, & Hunter, 2000). Any alteration to the JE integrity will reduce the protection of the underlying periodontal tissues as seen in our results. The activation of SMAD2 during periodontal disease was reported in the literature, which indicated that Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans had the ability to activate phosphorylation of SMAD2 during periodontal disease. This linkage of bacterial insults and TGF-β signalling in periodontal disease progression provides a clear foundation for our studies (Yoshimoto et al., 2014). We demonstrated that the overexpression of Smad2 in JE cells resulted in severe periodontal bone loss that had a pattern of chronic progression. Our results showed that Smad2 overexpression resulted in a reduction of the JE surface area at 12 months of age (Alotaibi, Kitase, & Shuler, 2014). The reduction of the JE surface area was attributed to an increase in the apoptotic ratio combined with a reduction of the proliferation rate of JE cells (Alotaibi et al., 2014; Fujita et al., 2012). Our results showed that Smad2 overexpression in JE cells reduced the anti-apoptotic molecule BCL2, which contributed to JE cells’ increased apoptosis (Fujita et al., 2012). Smad2 overexpression resulted in the increase of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors P21 and P15 by down-regulating their repressor, c-MYC (Alotaibi et al., 2014). The reduced JE surface area has a clinical significance because after supportive periodontal therapy or surgical procedures JE heals as a long JE that has been shown to 69 be stable over time (Beaumont, O'Leary, & Kafrawy, 1984; Yukna, 1976). Thus, the reduced JE surface area might not be stable over time and could aid in the progression of periodontal disease. 5.1.2 Recombinant TGFβ1 Mediated Periodontal Regeneration Our results could explain the different results in the literature regarding TGFβ1 effects on periodontal regeneration. Some data in the literature show positive results with TGFβ1 mediated regeneration while others show negative or no results in relation to regeneration with the TGFβ1 (Lind et al., 1996; Wikesjö et al., 1998). A shortcoming of all of those studies was that they focused on the TGFβ ligand-receptor interaction, as they increased the levels of TGFβ1 without investigating whether the TGFβ1 intracellular signalling pathway was initiated or not (Lind et al., 1996; Wikesjö et al., 1998). It has been reported that the receptors of TGFβ1 differ between health and disease (Lu, Mackenzie, & Levine, 1997; Ye et al., 2003), and for that reason alone it is understandable that the literature reports conflicting results. A main advantage of using the K14-Smad2 mouse model was the ability to focus on the intracellular signalling transcription factor Smad2 irrespective of the presence or absence of TGFβ1 ligand or receptors (Ito et al., 2001). The constitutive phosphorylation of SMAD2 made it possible to examine the downstream effects of TGFβ1 signalling (Fujita et al., 2012). It is interesting to note that although Smad2 overexpression induced severe bone loss in the mice in our studies, other studies have reported that inhibiting TGFβ1 also resulted in severe bone loss, which gives an indication that there is likely an equilibrium state of activation of TGFβ1 signalling that is required in maintaining the health of the 70 periodontium. 5.1.3 Smad2 and Bone Loss Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease associated with increased numbers of inflammatory cells, inflammatory cytokines, and increased osteoclastic activity (Sterrett, 1986). Our results showed that the overexpression of Smad2 up-regulated TNF-α, a potent inflammatory cytokine that is involved in periodontal disease progression. Smad2 overexpression in JE cells also up-regulated RANKL, a protein involved in osteoclastogenesis. When RANKL binds to RANK on the osteoclast precursor cells the intracellular nuclear kappa B will be released to alter gene expression resulting in more osteoclast formation (T. A. Silva, Garlet, Fukada, Silva, & Cunha, 2007). Our results clearly show that SMAD2 up-regulates TNF-α and RANKL, and that an increased number of osteoclasts were found in the K14-Smad2 mice. Periodontal disease progress can be characterized as either chronic or aggressive (Smith, Seymour, & Cullinan, 2010). The difference between the two models of disease progression is the amount of destruction within a period of time (Smith et al., 2010). With aggressive periodontitis periodontal tissues are broken down in a short period of time (Lang et al., 1999). Chronic periodontitis represents periodontal tissue destruction over a longer period and according to the literature the tissue destruction follows either a linear pattern of destruction or a random burst pattern of tissue destruction (Socransky, Haffajee, Goodson, & Lindhe, 1984). Our results show that the bone destruction in the K14-Smad2 mouse model has a chronic pattern of disease, as the bone destruction was significant only at the 12 months of age time point. In other words, the continuous Smad2 overexpression in JE releases TNF-α over time leading to a chronic bone destruction 71 pattern that is detected at 12 months of age. 5.2 Conclusion The conclusions generated by the research in this dissertation (Fig. 15) are as follows: 1- Smad2 overexpression increased the apoptosis rate in JE cells by inhibiting BCL2, the anti-apoptotic molecule. 2- The overexpression of Smad2 in JE cells reduced the proliferation rate of the JE cells by down-regulating c-MYC, the repressor of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor. 3- Smad2 overexpression up-regulated the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors P21 and P15. 4- The combined effect of increased apoptosis and reduced proliferation rate induced by Smad2 overexpression resulted in a reduction of the surface area of the JE. 5- Smad2 overexpression in JE cells up-regulated TNF-α and RANKL. 6- The overexpression of Smad2 increased the numbers of osteoclasts. 7- The overexpression of Smad2 in JE cells resulted in severe alveolar bone loss that follows a chronic pattern of destruction. 72 Figure 15: Smad2 Overexpression and the Progression of Periodontal Disease (A) Smad2 overexpression in JE cells (purple color) reduced the surface area of the JE by: (1) increasing the apoptosis rate in JE cells (by inhibiting BCL2, the anti-apoptotic molecule); (2) reducing the proliferation rate of the JE cells (SMAD2 down-regulated c-MYC, the repressor of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, which resulted in the up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors P21 and P15). (B) Smad2 overexpression in JE cells resulted in severe alveolar bone (pink and orange colors) loss by: (1) up-regulating TNF-α and RANKL; and (2) increasing the numbers of osteoclasts. 5.3 Future Directions 1- We have shown clearly that Smad2 overexpression upregulates TNF-α. It would be interesting for future studies to show the actual mechanism by which Smad2 activates TNF-α. Future studies should detect TNF-α by immunohistochemistry 73 and in situ hybridization to detect which cells secrete TNF-α. A recommended pathway for the activation of TNF-α is P38 MAPK as some studies have shown that TGFβ can active TNF-α through this pathway. 2- Detecting the level of SMAD2 that causes disease is an important factor that should be examined in the future. Our study shows clearly that the overexpression of Smad2 causes severe periodontal disease in mice. Interestingly, inhibiting TGFβ1 resulted in severe periodontal disease in mice. Future studies should focus on examining tissues from healthy patients and patients with severe periodontal disease to determine the levels of SMAD2, TGFβ1 and RANKL by immunohistochemistry and Western blots, as it would give an indication about which levels are linked to periodontal disease. 3- The K14-Smad2 mice displayed an up-regulation of RANKL, which resulted in more osteoclasts. Theoretically in clinical situations Smad2 overexpression should not respond to supportive periodontal therapy or surgery because the cause of periodontal disease in this situation is an overexpression of a gene that results in more osteoclasts. It would be interesting for a therapeutic purpose to inhibit the function of osteoclast with osteoclast inhibitors such as cathepsin K inhibitor. However, this approach should be done in mice, as the cathepsin K inhibitors are still under investigation for their clinical safety in humans. 74 References Abu-Amer, Y., Ross, F. P., Edwards, J., & Teitelbaum, S. L. 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2019-04-20T21:39:33Z

https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0166384

The Committee went through submissions from National Treasury and gave the Treasury to respond to the response given by the drafting team. There was agreement that the issue of transfer payments to constitutional institutions should be dealt with in a separate process. The Committee should not be stopped from its work by the fact that Treasury was in the process of amending the Public Finance Management Act. Some amendments to the Act would have some impact on the Bill. The drafters of amendments to the Act should be sensitive to the contents of this Bill. The accounting officer of Parliament would be expected to report all instances of unauthorised expenditure. The Committee also considered submissions from Parliament. Members agreed that Parliament was autonomous but felt that there was no need to treat Parliament differently to other government Departments. There would be an extra code of ethics that would apply to the executive authority of Parliament. The Committee would have to consider the policy on party funding before it could make a decision on how to regulate this matter. Mr N du Plessis (Treasury Chief Director: PFMA Implementation), Prof C Murray (Legal drafter), Mr C Barberton (Legal drafter), Mr P Benjamin (Legal Drafter) and Adv F Jenkins (Parliament: Legal Adviser) attended the meeting. Mr C Barberton summarised yesterday’s discussions on Treasury's submissions and Mr du Plessis commented on the Committee's views on the submissions. Mr Barberton said that Treasury had recommended that the Bill should provide for transfer payments to constitutional institutions on the Vote of Parliament. The Committee had indicated that a process was underway to review the governance structures of these institutions. Whilst the Committee supported the proposal, it was felt that the issue should be left to a separate process. Mr du Plessis agreed that the issue should be addressed at a later stage. Mr Y Bhamjee (ANC) asked how the amendments to the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) would impact on the Committee’s work. Mr du Plessis replied that Treasury was in the process of drafting amendments to the PFMA and the amendment Bill might be tabled towards the end of year. The issue under discussion could be accommodated in the amendment Bill. Mr Bhamjee asked how the conflict, if any, between this Bill and the PFMA Amendment Bill (once introduced in Parliament) would be resolved. The current arrangement was that constitutional institutions were funded from Votes of various departments. The proposal was that they should be funded from Parliament and there seemed to be general agreement with this. One could allow for transfer payments in the PFMA Amendment Bill. It was obvious that Treasury would focus on this issue only when drafting the amendments to the PFMA. The drafters PFMA should be sensitive to this Bill when drafting the amendments to the PFMA and note that it was a special kind of legislation. The Chairperson said that Mr Bhamjee had raised a valid point. It was important to sensitise the drafters of amendments to the PFMA to the contents of this legislation. Mr Barberton said that in terms of clause 64(1) and (2) of the Bill, the executive authority had the power to make regulations or issue instructions not inconsistent with the Bill. Regulations and instructions could prescribe that the prior approval of the executive authority should be obtained. Treasury submitted that provisions should be included in the Bill to allow for approval by the executive authority of departures from regulations and condonation of non compliance with regulations on good grounds. The Committee’s response was that it wanted to discuss the issue further in order ensure that it did not create an opportunity to override the regulations willy nilly. The Chairperson said that the Committee was concerned that the submission, if accepted, might have unintended consequences. Mr du Plessis said that the submission was a very practical proposal and was one of the issues identified following the implementation of PFMA. Irregular expenditure could arise as a result of non-compliance with legislation and regulations. One of the current regulations provided that a Department could not increase its personnel expenditure without approaching Treasury. This was a good principle but in practice departments had increased personnel expenditure and this was regarded as an irregular expenditure. It was then left to Treasury to condone what it should have approved upfront. The expenditure would be classified as irregular expenditure and referred to Parliament for it to deal with. The Chairperson asked how this was taken care of in the PFMA. Mr du Plessis replied that there was a provision that dealt with the matter. Treasury would include a condonation clause in the PFMA Amendment Bill. Mr Barberton said that Treasury submitted that the definition of unauthorized expenditure should be reconsidered. It included expenditure from donor funding. Donor Funding should be dealt with in accordance with the Reconstruction and Development Programme Fund Act, 1998 (Act no. 79 of 1998). The drafting team had looked at the provision of the RDP Fund Act and it applied to donor funds for use by the Executive and not the Legislative. It could be argued that it was not relevant to donor funds applicable to Parliament. The Committee was of the view that the intention of the clause was correct. The problem was its application to unauthorised expenditure. He wondered if the definition could be worded differently. Mr du Plessis said that donor funds did not form part of the Votes of national Departments. Mr Barberton proposed to extract donor funding from the definition and include it as separate issue not linked to unauthorised expenditure. Dr van Dyk (DA) asked what was the procedure for dealing with this issue in the PFMA. Mr A Moloto (ANC) said that the Committee wanted Parliament to account for donor funding. Donor funding could be extracted from the definition as long as Parliament would still be required to account. Mr du Plessis said that although the expenditure was from two sources, donor funds were included in the financial statements of the departments. The Auditor General (AG) audited statements of donor funding. There would be no harm done to accountability should donor funding be taken out of the definition. The Chairperson told the drafter to move the donor funds and put them somewhere else. Mr Barberton said that Treasury had also submitted that any revision of an appropriation should be made by a national adjustments budget subject to the criteria (purposes) for which the Minister of Finance might provide for funds in an adjustments budget. The Committee had suggested that to facilitate the consultation process clause 15(2) should be repeated in clause 16. Mr du Plessis said that the problem was with the wording of the clause. He agreed that the suggestion by the Committee would solve the problem. Mr Barberton said that clause 19(3) dealt with virements and whether the accounting officer could approve virements from funds appropriated for specific purposes. Treasury had indicated that a similar provision in the PFMA had proved impractical. The Committee should consider the redrafting of the clause so that there could be transfers of money from one programme to another. The concern was that to allow the accounting officer to transfer funds from one programme to another would amount to the dilution of the initial intention of Strategic Plan and the appropriation of funds. Mr du Plessis said that a similar provision had caused problems with implementation of PFMA. The intention was good but in the case of capital expenditure and transfer payments, the PFMA was very specific. One could budget a certain amount of money for capital projects but end up with some savings as a result of prices dropping. He gave an example of transfers to the Aids Trust. The Trust had done what it was supposed to do but still ended up with huge savings. The Department of Health wanted to use the saving for other purposes related to HIV but Treasury could not approve the use of the funds because the Act was very specific. He appealed to the Committee to give more flexibility to departments. An independent person would have to approve the use of the savings. Mr Barberton said that one way of dealing with the dual roles of the accounting officer was to require that, when acting as the Treasury, all decisions should be reported to the Joint Committee. This would provide transparency with regard to decisions of the accounting officer. Mr Bhamjee said that the Committee should look at the clause closely because it could be abused. Dr van Dyk said that clause 19(1) and 19(3) (a) were contradictory. Mr Benjamin said that it seemed that there was agreement on the concept but the question was whether it was adequately covered in the Bill. Mr Bhamjee asked what role would the Joint or any Committee play. How would the Committee support or endorse the suggestion by the executive authority. Mr du Plessis said that one would like to see unspent funds being taken into account when compiling the next budget. Mr Barberton said that there was a submission that clauses 20 and 21 should be deleted as Parliament was currently not required to surrender surplus voted funds. Savings could not realize from a direct charge against the National Revenue Fund. Only actual expenditure could be withdrawn from the National Revenue Fund as a direct charge. He suggested that the clauses should be redrafted to ensure that the current situation regarding unspent appropriated funds was fixed in legislation. The provision should also require that Parliament would have to approve the use of such unspent funds going forward. He also suggested that clause 21 should be deleted and clause 20 be redrafted. The new clause 20 would formalise the existing informal arrangement in terms of which Parliament did not have to return unspent funds. The funds would no longer be called appropriated funds but own funds. The Committee had agreed with the revised clause 20. Adv Jenkins said that asked if Parliament was not required to return unspent funds in terms of the Powers and Privileges Act, 1963. He was of the view that the Powers and Privileges Act did not contradict section 13 of the PFMA. Parliament only kept unspent funds that were part of its own revenue or donor funds. Unspent money from money that was received from the National Revenue Fund (appropriated funds and not direct charges) should be returned in terms of legislation. This had been an issue since 1998. Parliament could keep unspent funds only with the consent of National Treasury. The current position was more or less similar to the one provided in the Bill. There was a need for clarity on this matter. Mr Barberton said that the discussion in relation to clause 55(2) (d) was whether financial statement should include particulars of all unauthorised or “material” unauthorised expenditure. The accounting officer would be forced to give details of even minor expenditure should the Bill refer to all unauthorised expenditure. The word “material” would require the accounting officer to focus on unauthorised expenditure that involved large amounts of money. The PFMA, in the case of irregular expenditure, referred to material expenditure. Mr du Plessis said that the Bill should refer to all unauthorised expenditure. Even an overspending of R1 should be reported and be left to Parliament to approve. Mr Moloto said that the views of Treasury were valid. The accounting officer should account for every single cent. Mr Barberton said that the issue was not that certain amounts should not be reported but whether the accounting officer should give details of transaction that gave rise to the expenditure. There was a need to provide a new wording that would provide for the reporting of all unauthorised expenditure. Transaction that had given rise to the unauthorised expenditure should be reported separately. Mr du Plessis agreed with Mr Barberton. Departments should be allowed to group same categories of irregular expenditure. Each instance of unauthorised expenditure should be listed separately so that Parliament could look at independently. Mr Barberton said that another submission provided that the approval of regulations issued by the Executive Authority by Parliament might be impractical. Draft regulations should be published for public comment in the National Government Gazette before their enactment. This submission was in relation tot clause 63. The Committee was of the view that Parliament should approve the Regulations and that they should be published in the gazette and tabled in Parliament before their enactment. Mr Moloto said that the Regulations should be tabled in Parliament if they were minor in nature. Mr Bhamjee said that Members of Parliament would generally insist that they should have oversight on legislation before it was passed. There was no culture of actually studying Regulations and departments were well aware of this. Regulations were often passed without Portfolio Committees making any input on them. It was important to create such a culture. The Committee should ensure that the Regulations that would be passed got their necessary attention. Dr van Dyk wondered if the Bill should not provide that the Regulations should be published for public comments to be considered by the Committee. Mr Barberton replied that there was publication for public comment and for promulgation. The Joint Committee would recommend whether or not to approve regulations. The Committee could even decide to have the Regulations published for comment. This could be appropriate in certain instance. Professor Murray focussed on instructions versus Regulations. She said that Parliament sat only part of the year. It might be inappropriate to have instructions (issued on an ad hoc basis to respond to certain issues) approved by Parliament. Dr van Dyk said that the intention of the clause was that Regulations should come to Parliament. Mr Barberton said that the drafting team had not yet drafted the clause but the intention was to draft a clause that would require that the Regulations should be referred to the Joint Committee and tabled in Parliament. Mr B Mnguni (ANC) said that the Committee should be careful not to encroach on administrative issues that the administrative section of Parliament could do. Committees should do their oversight work. Mr Bhamjee said that the Joint Committee should be consider the Regulations in time and should be sent a reminder should it not attend to the Regulations timeously. Some departments did not follow up on Regulations and the Regulations were published without any response from the Committee. In the event of no response from the Committee, the Chairperson and the Secretary of the Committee should be held accountable. The Chairperson said that it was up to Committees to understand the importance of doing their work. Mr du Plessis said that there were differences in the PFMA and the Municipal Finance Management Act with regard to this issue. The PFMA required publication for public comment and the MFMA required that the Regulations should be submitted to Parliament for its scrutiny. Prof Murray was a little bit confused by Regulations and instructions. She said that an Act contained the skeleton and Regulations provided the meat. Regulations had the force of law once promulgated whereas instructions were not legally binding as regulations were. Instructions could be given to an employee by any superior official in the workplace. The effect of instruction could be slightly different in the context of National Treasury in that the instructions could be directed to people in another government Department to do certain things. In the context of Parliament, one would have the executive authority or the accounting officer issuing instructions to their own staff. Failure to comply with the instructions would not constitute a breach of law but a simple disciplinary matter. It would be inappropriate to require that instructions should be sent to Parliament for approval. Only Regulations should be approved by Parliament. The Committee agreed with Prof Murray's views. Mr Benjamin said that maybe the Bill should allow for the issuing of instruction in any topic where there could be Regulations. Dr van Dyk said that Regulations would be issued by a specific Minister and instructions would come from the accounting officer of the specific Department. The difference with Treasury was that over and above the Regulations there might be instructions that applied to other Departments. Mr du Plessis said that Dr van Dyk was correct. Mr Moloto asked the drafters come with proposal on how to address the matter. Mr Barberton said that there was also a proposal that norms and standards should be included in Schedule one of the Bill. The Committee felt that there was a need to cognisance of fact that the Committee did not want to infringe on the independence of provincial legislatures by over prescribing to them. The Chairperson invited Adv Jenkins to take the Committee through Parliament's submissions. Adv Jenkins said that the submission reflected views of the different section managers in Parliament. The structure of the long title and preamble of the Bill was inconsistent with the usual structure of legislation of this nature. Whereas the preamble preceded the long title and the arrangements of sections, the usual structure was that the long title was followed by the arrangement of sections and then, if at all, the preamble. Such structure appeared more logical than the one followed in the Bill. The preamble was also not a necessary accessory to the Bill as it merely reiterated what was already contained in the long title and the objects clause. Traditionally, preambles were found in noteworthy legislation, for example, the Constitution. He agreed that it was normal practice to include preambles in legislation required by the Constitution. He said that since the Bill made provision for norms and standards applicable to provincial legislatures in Schedule 1, the long title should include a specific reference to this. Section 216 of the Constitution required national legislation to provide for financial management and good governance. Section 116 of the Constitution provided that provincial legislatures could determine their internal proceedings and procedures. There was no intention to overstep the boundary. He indicated that he had had a meeting with the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) who indicated that provinces were in favour of having a chapter in this Bill that would set out the provincial legislatures' financial management obligations. He suggested that the Committee should try to get some input from the legislatures. The Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Bill contained a separate chapter that indicated provisions that applied to provincial legislatures. It was not desirable to have nine pieces of legislation that might not even be uniform coming from provinces. Mr Moloto said that the Committee had a long discussion on this issue when it started processing the Bill. He asked the drafters and Adv Jenkins to resolve the matter together and bring a proposal to the Committee. Mr Bhamjee asked if the political heads of Parliament had made any input on the Bill. Adv Jenkins replied that a submission had been given to the Secretary to Parliament who had intended to discuss it with the Speaker and the Chairperson. He could not say if the discussion had taken place. The political office bearers where not part of the meetings in which the submissions were drafted. He said that the Bill provided a definition for “official”, which referred to “employee of Parliament”. He proposed that the word "official" should be replaced by "employee" throughout the Bill for the sake of consistency. He agreed with the response of the drafting team on this matter. The Bill required the accounting officer to discipline employees. The question was whether the word "employee" included contractors. This was not legally possible at that point in time. There was a need to look at the definition carefully and to exclude those who could not be subjected to discipline in terms other provisions of the Bill. Adv Jenkins said that the submission on the definition for “standards of generally recognised accounting practice” was based on an erroneous provision of the PFMA. He withdrew the submission. He noted that the Bill contained no definition of "this Act". He proposed that "this Act" should be defined and should include the regulations. He also said that the finance section of Parliament had problems understanding the definition of unauthorised expenditure. It seemed that any expenditure that was not in accordance with the Vote would be called unauthorised expenditure. It looked like one could never have any virement or apply savings to any other purpose even if related to the purpose for which the funds were appropriated. He said that Parliament was of the view that there were instances were the Bill had over-regulated things especially in relation to the establishment of Committees and membership of the Committees. The Constitution provided for Joint Committees to do legislative work for Parliament. It was not imperative to have Joint Committee that would conduct oversight on Parliament. Parliament had adopted certain structures for oversight: the Joint Budget Committee, The Budget Forum and the Oversight Authority. All of these were joint structures. The concern was that the Joint Committee referred to in the Bill would operate in terms of the Bill and all other rules that applied to Committees. Could Parliament create an alternative structure should it decide to do so at a later stage? Since this was a possibility, it was felt that providing for a specific Committee in the Bill might remove some of the elasticity that Parliament wanted to have in the management of its financial affairs without compromising accountability, transparency and good governance. Whilst reference in clause 2 to oversight through Joint Committees could not be as problematic, clause 15 could prove to be very problematic. It would be problematic to say that the executive authority should be held accountable for the budget in which they had no say. The Committee referred to in clause 15 had zero accountability. Committees were merely extensions of the House and providing for Committees in the legislation cemented the position of the Committee. He conceded that Regulations could be approved by a Joint Committee. There would be questions asked should Parliament decide that the Budget Forum or the Oversight authority should approve the budget. One of the questions would be that 'this is not the joint Committee referred to in the Bill". Parliament would then be forced to stick to the legislation until it was amended. The Secretary was very much uneasy about this kind of regulation in the Bill. Dr van Dyk said that it was not totally correct to say that the Speaker and the Chairperson had no say in the final budget yet they had to be accountable. The responsibility referred more to the management of the budget. Mr Moloto said that the Bill referred to a Joint Committee. There was nothing in the Bill that prohibited Parliament from calling the Committee in a different name. It could be called the Oversight Authority or the Budget Forum should Parliament decide to use any one these names. The point was that the accounting authority could not be part of the Committee because they could not account to themselves. The Minister of Finance did not sit of the Portfolio Committee on Finance. He had to come and account to it. In the case of the accounting officer forming part of the structure, they would have to excuse themselves when the Committee discussed issues that had to do with Parliament. Prof Murray understood that Committees did not make decisions and that decisions were made by Parliament. She asked if there was any reason why the Bill could not allow the Committee to make decisions. Adv Jenkins said that it was true that there was a role for the executive authority to play in relation to the budget. The executive authority was required to draft the budget and send it to the Joint Committee for approval. The Bill did not make it clear if the Committee could reject part of or the whole budget or even amend it. It did not seem that the Committee could take over the role of the executive authority and redraft the budget. The Committee could approve the budget should the legislation empower it to do so but it would be strange not to allow Parliament to approve the budget because it was its budget. It would be immaterial whether Parliament used the Budget Forum or the Oversight Authority as long as Parliament would approve the budget at the end. He said that he was not bothered that much about the name of the Committee. The problem was that there no participation of the executive authority in the forum. It was inappropriate to have the executive authority sitting on the oversight body when the oversight body was conducting oversight on it. The approval of the budget was a decision making power that, although closely related, was different from oversight. Mr Bhamjee said that the oversight role was crucial. This was the role of Members of Parliament. The Strategic Plan was crucial and gave direction on how much money would be spent. It also ensured that officials were spending money effectively. Politically, it revealed if the Minister had delivered in terms of policy objectives. Any Committee had the right to reject a specific Budget Vote. The Minister would then have to go back and re-submit the budget. The Minister also have to determine how to adjust figures and this was a separate issue to the right of Parliament to adjust the figures. Parliament was involved in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework process. The suggestion put forward by Parliament was weak because Parliament was not different from other departments. He accepted Parliament's autonomy and sovereignty. Parliament should come up with something different to motivate for a different treatment. Mr Mnguni said that the Joint Committee should function that like any other parliamentary Committee. Mr Moloto said that the Committee should also consider that final the budget would be approved by Parliament collectively. This was simply a process to submit the budget to the Minister of Finance. Members of Parliament should be able to contribute to the budget process. Adv Jenkins had issues with the approval part. There were various ways of doing it. It was not desirable to create extra bureaucracy for Parliament by writing roles for Committees in legislation. Mr Barberton said that the drafting team had discussed the need to include an explicit clause setting out the composition and the role of the Joint Committee. Prof Murray said that the decision was not to specify the Committee in too much detail. The decision was taken in a meeting that Mr Barberton had not attended. The Committee was referred to in causes 2 and 15 but not introduced upfront. Adv Jenkins said that the repetition of definition of "executive authority" in clause 3 was unnecessary. He felt that clause 3(3) should be deleted. Clause 3(3) dealt with the code of ethics of the executive authority. The issue was why should there be an extra code of conduct for the executive authority. The clause was not properly developed and Parliament was concerned that about introducing an extra code of ethics. The issue of conflict of interest and having a bias when drafting the budget would be solved by the code of ethics of Members of Parliament. It might be the case that there was a need for extra rules that would apply to the executive authority. Mr Moloto disagreed with the view. The executive authority’s responsibilities were different from those of ordinary Members of Parliament. There was a need for the extra code of conduct. He said that he did not know any piece of legislation that prohibited any Member of Parliament to tender with Parliament. This Bill would prohibit such kind of conduct. Mr Barberton said that in this case the executive authority was analogous to Ministers. The code of conduct should speak to the roles of the executive authority. Adv Jenkins said that political authority and responsibility in terms of this Bill lied with the executive authority. Although they had certain administrative functions, the bulk of the administration of this legislation would lie with the Secretary as the accounting officer. Mr Bhamjee said that the Secretary was the administrative head and took guidance from the Strategic Plan. It would be the political head who would determine if the administrative head had discharged his or her obligations. Adv Jenkins said that clause 7, which provided for an Acting Accounting Officer, was restrictive. The clause did not allow the Executive Authority discretion to designate a person other than the Deputy Secretary to perform the duties of the Accounting Officer. The Executive Authority still remained accountable for the implementation of the legislation. Where it allowed another person to be designated, it was subject to conditions. It should furthermore refer to an Acting Accounting Officer in the clause, and not just in the heading, in order to be consistent with the definition of Accounting Officer. Dr van Dyk said that the executive authority had the power and knowledge to appoint a person who would perform the functions properly. Mr du Plessis said that the principle in drafting the PFMA was that the head of the Department should be the accounting officer. If the head was not there, the acting head became the accounting officer. Adv Jenkins Clause 14 provided that the Accounting Officer should prepare a draft budget for Parliament and present it to the Executive Authority at least 10 months prior to the start of the financial year. Due to the short period in which to prepare such a draft budget, Parliament was of the view that it made more sense to submit the draft budget six months prior to the start of the financial year. From a purely practical perspective such period was more realistic. There was a need to think about staggered implementation of the legislation in case there could be problems during its implementation. He said that Parliament had a smaller administration section compared to other government Departments but had special challenges at times. The Bill should try and accommodate cases wherein Parliament could find it difficult to meet the deadline for valid reasons. Mr Moloto said that the administration part of Parliament small and this meant that even its administrative functions were small compared to government Departments. This meant that it should not be difficult for it to comply with the deadlines. Mr Barberton said that Parliament was working in an environment where there were multi year budgets. This meant that it would not have to work from the scratch when preparing a budget for the next financial year. The idea was that discussion should begin between the administration and members of Parliament as to what should go into budget and the Strategic Plan. The Bill did not envisage that this would be the final document. Adv Jenkins said that clause 15 was inconsistent with the decisions of Parliament in regard to its budget process. As the Constitution authorised Parliament to control its internal arrangements, proceedings and procedures (sections 57(1) and 70(1)), the Bill should allow Parliament to determine its internal procedures. Adv Jenkins said that there were two basic support systems for political parties. One of them was the constituency funding that was given to political parties represented in the National assembly. The second one was for members of the Members of the National Assembly. A distinction should be drawn between the two especially when it came to reporting because they were from different sources. He agreed with the proposal made by the drafting team on this issue because it was very broad and could include any kind of support that Parliament might want to give at a later stage. Mr Mnguni said that the Committee should go through the policy on party funding before endorsing any provision on party funding. Mr Moloto wondered if the policy had any authority in Parliament and if all political parties had adopted it. Adv Jenkins was not aware of the policy. He knew that a policy being developed in terms of constituency funds and political parties were usually afforded an opportunity to make their input. Mr Moloto said that the AG should audit funds in accordance to the policy adopted or agreed upon by Parliament. He assumed that there would be consultation with political parties on the policy. Mr Bhamjee said that the policy should be linked to the Strategic Plan because it cost money and should be reflected in the plan. He wondered what would happen if the policy was not reflected in the Strategic Plan and a Department or Parliament informed the National Assembly that it would introduce a policy in the middle of the year. The question would be where would the money needed for the introduction of the policy come from. Mr Barberton said that the reality was that sometimes the Executive developed policies mid year or during the course of speeches and wanted them implemented. There could be some difficulties if the policies were not accommodated in plans for that particular year. The implementation would then have to be postponed until the following year. One was working in a very strict environment of enforcing plans. Some plans could be accommodated within existing budgets and the administration would then be required to massage the numbers to accommodate the policy imperatives. Adv Jenkins replied that ideally a Strategic Plan should give a five-year programme. This posed problems in programming and budgeting because unforeseen events could always arise during the five-year term. Adv Jenkins was of the view that the provision in clause 33(6) dealing with penalties for late submission of financial statements was a matter that might be inconsistent with section 57(2)(c) of the Constitution insofar as it applied to parties in the Assembly forfeiting funds. The Constitution did not allow for the forfeiture of funds for failure to comply with accounting responsibility. The withholding of the funds would be acceptable for a reasonable time limit should the party not comply with the accounting requirements. Furthermore, the issue of enforcing compliance with audit requirements was a matter of policy that should be left for Parliament to decide. He said that clause 42 created the impression that the Accounting Officer should notify the Auditor-General and the Executive Authority if a contract was concluded not in accordance with the supply chain management policy. He proposed that the clause should be redrafted to provide that the Accounting Officer should notify the Auditor-General and the Executive Authority in writing if a contract was concluded in respect of a tender, quotation, or other bid other than the one recommended. Mr Moloto agreed that an explanation should be given for choosing a tender that was not recommended. Adv Jenkins said that Clause 49(2) created the impression that the internal audit unit, which was part of the parliamentary service, was accountable to the audit committee, which was not part of the parliamentary service. The correct position was that the internal audit unit was accountable to the Accounting Officer. He understood that the clause reflected best practise in accounting. There were also concerns about the requirement that the audit committee should approve the audit procedures of the unit. The requirement in clause 47(2)(b) that the audit committee should meet at least four times a year was not practical as a minimum requirement. He proposed that the committee should meet at least three times a year. The Committee was of the view that the audit committee should meet four times a year. Adv Jenkins said that Clause 59(3) provided that the audited financial statements of Parliament should be referred to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. He felt that this was inappropriate because SCOPA was a Committee of the National Assembly. Parliament should be allowed to create its own body to review its financial statements. Clause 64(3) provided for the coming into effect of regulations made by the Executive Authority. The draft Bill required the prior approval of these by Parliament. He was of the opinion that it was not necessary to require that the regulations made by the Executive Authority in terms of section 64(1) be approved by Parliament. Furthermore, the requirement that the Accounting Officer should publish the regulations was an internal matter that was regulated by the instructions from the Executive Authority to the Accounting Officer. The Bill could achieve the required objective by being more prescriptive in regard to where the regulations should be published and that these would become operative after such publishing.

2019-04-21T16:30:39Z

https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/6873/

Ellen M. Ross is assistant professor of the History of Christian Life and Thought at Boston College. Ross has recently published articles in Downside Review and Listening. Her major research interests are in the fields of medieval mysticism and contemporary feminist theology. Then God said, "Let us make the human person [adam] in our image, after our likeness" (Genesis 1:26). What use have feminist theologians for a concept that characterizes human persons as imitators of a God who is often portrayed as a male deity?2 What use have we for a description of the human person which has been at times applied in a primary way to males and only derivatively or secondarily to females?3 Some may say that we would do well to abandon the scriptural theme of "human persons’ creation in God’s image" because the history of its use has been resistant to the affirmation of women’s full humanity. I want to suggest something quite different here. By engaging in dialogue with the writings of two medieval theologians of the Augustinian tradition, Richard of St. Victor (12th cent.) and Walter Hilton (14th cent.), and the contemporary theologies of Rosemary Radford Ruether and Dorothee Soelle, I will argue for the wisdom of reconsidering this central concept of the Christian tradition, suggesting that the heritage of what this symbol has meant to Christian believers may yet proffer theological guidance to communities of renewal and hope in the late twentieth-century. In conversation with Richard of St. Victor and Walter Hilton, I will argue for the centrality of the image of God theme in a contemporary feminist theology, suggesting that it is precisely the practical or moral implications of image-bearing that can be most helpful to theology today. In this vein I will consider the work of Rosemary Radford Ruether and of Dorothee Soelle who, for differing but complementary reasons, provide excellent resources for articulating a systematic and inclusive understanding of our identities as image-bearers. Ruether, who gives explicit attention to the imago Dei theme, is a feminist theologian committed to retrieving the scriptural message and affirming its transmission in the Christian tradition. Although critical of the Christian tradition’s distortions of the message, Ruether is unwilling to dismiss Christianity’s theological heritage completely, but prefers to draw selectively and constructively from it and from other disciplines and thought traditions in order to enrich contemporary theological reflection. The German theologian Dorothee Soelle, who speaks eloquently to the need for development of the interior life as the only possible cure to the social ills afflicting the contemporary world, makes little direct use of the image of God theme. But her lengthy discussions of the motifs related to it, and in particular, her analysis of the "sins" or "vices" of our time, makes her a valuable resource. Soelle provides a contemporary analysis of what Hilton would call "the image of sin," our dissimilarity to God, and a vision of solidarity, an affirmation of the unalterable connection between love of God and love of neighbor. In considering Ruether and Soelle as representatives of prevalent tendencies within feminist theology, I will indicate how the image of God theme as described by the two medieval Augustinian canons might complement and enrich feminist theologians’ affirmations of our full humanity and call for a holistic, developmental way of being which invites the use of all our human faculties in a socially responsible context. The image of God theme as set forth by Richard of St. Victor and Walter Hilton provides a rich symbol of the "thinking-relational"5 self both Ruether and Soelle help us to recover. In particular, I will suggest that the contribution of medieval reflection on the image to contemporary theology arises from (1) its depiction of the human person as constituted in a fundamental way by its relationship to the Divine; (2) its analysis of the importance of personal and social transformation in our lives; and (3) its offering of language and imagery to express our intimacy with God and the world. In the dialectic between medieval and contemporary feminist theology, feminist thought, for its part, introduces themes that highlight dimensions of the image concept which were unexplored during the Middle Ages; specifically, I will point to feminist theology’s major role in recognizing the implications of the image of God theme for shaping our political experience. Despite significant differences in style and method — Ruether more concerned with reclaiming the systematic structure of the Christian tradition, and Soelle with rejuvenating the spiritual life of her audiences — Ruether and Soelle are united in their concern to celebrate the dignity of the human person in relationship to God and the world and to celebrate the possibilities of the Christian tradition. And like much of contemporary theology which focuses on the political ramifications of theological expression,6 the theologies of both Soelle and Ruether are explicitly political and economic insofar as theological claims have praxis implications that call for concrete responses. While precedents for these concerns are not readily apparent in the political claims of medieval thinkers like Richard and Hilton, we can find a compatible sensibility in the significant social dimensions of theology evident, for example, in Richard and Hilton’s identification of love with mutual interaction of love of God and neighbor, and not exclusively — with either love of self or love of God. As Richard puts it, for us to attain love in its highest degree, charity or love must be directed toward another person.7 Hilton describes this phenomenon even more exactly in saying that we do not actually "leave" God in loving our sisters and brothers: ". . . if you are wise you won’t leave God but will find God and possess God and see God in your fellow-Christians as you do in prayer, but you will have God in another way."8 For Hilton the greatness of the human person is measured by the degree to which one loves God and other human persons.9 In conjunction with this model, contemporary feminist theology pushes us beyond the medieval context to recognize the implications of traditional conceptions of love of God and neighbor for our own time. Before embarking on a project which entails application of medieval themes to contemporary thought one of the first questions we must ask is how the image of God theme can be retrieved when it has been associated at times with the claim that man is truly and essentially the image of God, while woman is the image of God only derivatively and not even fully. Although we can find such explanations beginning even with scriptural passages,10 such claims do not accurately represent the thought of the figures considered here. Because of space constraints I can do little more than mention this important topic, and state my own attempt to deal with it. I maintain that the inferiority of women is not built into the medieval theological system as a primary structural support, but rather appears as a form of gender symbolization carried over from the patriarchal society in which the authors lived. Despite the symbolic female/male differences wherein woman represents the physical and man the spiritual, for the most part the medieval tradition affirmed that women and men are equally images of God. As this example indicates, we must read these medieval writers with a constant eye to patriarchal distortions, and to inconsistencies in their claims about the human person. Although we should be always alert to the possibilities for systematic distortion, we need not summarily dismiss everything that has been said or written about male and female in these texts, particularly because they often include contradictory claims, that is, statements which disparage women because they are reflective of a patriarchal social context, and others which could be the basis for affirming the dignity and equality of all human beings, females and males. In the context of Richard of St. Victor and Walter Hilton’s thought I will ask here what the image of God concept meant, what potential it did express, and what emancipatory prospects it might offer for us today. In what follows I will attempt to draw together three central ideas associated with the imago Dei in medieval theology: the fundamental orientation of the human person to God, the dynamics of transformation in human existence, and the discourse of intimacy that defines the God/human nexus. I will offer three thesis statements about the image that reflect traditional and contemporary uses of the image theme. 1. Our Existence as Images of God Expresses Both a Capacity and a Present State. As We Develop as Images of God We Come to Express Our Full Humanity in a Unity of the "Thinking-Relational" Self, and We Learn to Respect the Image Character of Other Human Persons. In the work of Richard of St. Victor and Walter Hilton the image of God in us describes both a state of being and a capacity. First, the image of God theme refers to a present, already-existing state of being in which we are defined in an originary way by our relationship to the Divine of whom we are reflections by nature. Presupposing the revelatory function of Scripture, the medieval tradition interprets Gen 1:26 to mean that human persons from their creation are constituted in an inalienable way as images of God. The narrative of the fall of Adam and Eve and the concomitant damaging of the image reflects the tradition’s perception that the image is somehow blurred and not fully actualized in our experience, although the human person remains in a fundamental way, by virtue of its nature, an image of God. Thus a second aspect of the image emerges: the image describes a capacity, namely that about us which makes it possible for us to grow in relationship with the Divine as the breach symbolized by the fall is healed. Although we may not yet fulfill our capacities, we are images of God already simply by virtue of the fact that we have the ability to know and to love, and to the extent that we actively love and know God we are developing as images and fulfilling our capacities in actuality. In referring to both an actuality and a potentiality the image alerts us to our nature and to our destiny. This is the logic of medieval anthropology: by virtue of our being images of God we are offered an intimate relationship to God, but it is only insofar as we are images of God that we are capable of receiving this heritage. In the medieval tradition represented here the image concept guides and directs all aspects of the human person’s relationship to the Divine. Growth in relationship to God is measured by one’s reformation as an image of God. Writers like Walter Hilton describe the work of God and Christ in our lives as a process of reforming us in Christ’s image. The image of God theme plays an integral role in the divine-human relationship: it is only insofar as we are image-bearers that we can even be rendered capable of the relationship, and our relationship to God is measured by the development of the image within us. Specifically, the image of God in us describes our capacity to become like God by understanding and loving the God who is love. Rosemary Radford Ruether also employs the notion of capacity and present state in accepting the dichotomy of classical theology between a good creation represented by Christ and a fallen humanity which we primarily encounter now.22 The imago Dei, "remanifest in history as Christ," represents authentic human nature, what we can be potentially — in other words, it represents a present human capacity.23 For Ruether and for the image tradition explored here, though, there is no absolute dichotomy between imago Dei and fallen humanity (as there is, e.g., in Karl Barth). Our existence as images of God is more than simply a capacity since at times we experience the full or partial fulfillment of that capacity in our present state. As Ruether writes, "the fullness of redeemed humanity, as image of God, is something only partially disclosed under the conditions of history. We seek it as a future self and world, still not fully achieved, still not fully revealed. But we also discover it as our true self and world, the foundation of and ground of our being."24 The image in us points to our nature and to our destiny. Dorothee Soelle affirms some similar aspects of the imago Dei theme, although the concept plays no explicitly central role in her theological formulations. She associates the image theme with "the Jewish affirmation of our being created as images of God, empowered to grow into love and to become love ourselves."25 "The directive is clear . . . We are beckoned to approximate God . . . Created in the image of God, we therefore are able to imitate God."26 And what does the capacity refer to? In what does the imitation consist? For Soelle, representative of the political turn in contemporary theology, the fact that we are God’s image-bearers means that our destiny is to realize God’s justice in the world. Soelle draws here on Carter Heyward’s understanding of God as power-in-relation which refers not to dominating power-over, but rather to the Divine’s capacity to empower others to love,27 and "to become love ourselves."28 Insofar as we can become or are bearers of that love we are images of God in that we potentially are or actually become co-creators with the Divine. The challenge for feminist theology is to articulate recommendations for the implementation of justice in specific instances, but the Christian image of God tradition reminds us of our nature as having the capacity to fulfill God’s way of being in the world and as actualizing our nature in doing so. In calling for an end to the compartmentalizing of roles in our lives as one significant condition for attaining a justice which respects the full humanity of all persons, male and female, Ruether raises one of the issues the image of God theme can most productively address. She writes, "[W]omen want to integrate the public and the private, the political and the domestic spheres in a new relationship that allows the thinking-relational self to operate throughout human life as one integrated self, rather than fragmenting the psyche across a series of different social roles."29 The image of God theme as described by Richard and Walter provides a theological concept which symbolizes exactly the holistic integration of the thinking-relational self Ruether advocates. The fact that we are image-bearers tells us that we are thinking-relational beings. Traditionally many theologians have emphasized one or the other side of the love-knowledge dichotomy; indeed, theology in the second half of the twentieth-century can be characterized by its emphasis on love.34 Perhaps, though, we need to reconsider for a moment the importance and possibilities for the theme of knowledge in the process of recognizing the full humanity of all human persons. We are taught to "love our neighbors," but this has little meaning; often, we cannot even determine who our neighbors are. The notion of "knowledge" could be helpful here. We would see things in a new way and in a way closer to the medieval insight if we were to imagine "knowing" our neighbors as images of God. Frequently we "know" people as "the sister or brother of so-and-so," "the husband or wife of so-and-so," "the author of a particular book," "the advocate of a particular cause." "Knowing someone as generally results in our having particular preconceived attitudes towards the person before ever meeting her or him. If we know someone as "an advocate of peace concerns," for example, we might expect (rightly or wrongly) the person to have particular interests or particular attitudes. How would we think differently if we were to "know" people as "images of God"? Richard of St. Victor points us in this direction in making the insightful point that in spiritual matters we must love first by deliberation, and only later will we love by affection.35 A first step of deliberation is a knowledge which we eventually come to understand more deeply and more experientially. We begin by emphasizing that we must first "know" ourselves and all other people as images of God, and after acting out of that knowledge, contemplating it, and striving to live from that perspective more faithfully, we then become able to love and understand more fully the meaning of our and all humanity’s existence as images of God. Contemporary theologians’ attention to the political ramifications of our action in the world reiterates the medieval recognition of the emptiness that results from bifurcating love and knowledge. It is that very practice of dividing our lives into a series of separate and limited territories, separating the religious from the political, or the economic from the social, or the feminist from the theological, that makes it possible for us to talk about "love of neighbor" without making a commitment to economic sanctions, for example, which might free our neighbor from political, economic, or social oppression. In a variety of ways theologians like Ruether and Soelle affirm the interconnectedness of our lives and focus especially on the too-often-neglected political nature of theology. In their explicit attention to political matters their starting point and central concerns differ from those of Richard of St. Victor or Walter Hilton and their emphases shed new light on the implications of the image of God theme; however, the basis for using the image tradition to speak of each and every person’s originary constitution and dignity as a reflection of the Divine and use of the image concept to highlight the interrelationship between love and knowledge can be traced back to the medieval insights examined here. II. The Way to Image Restoration Is By Way of Spiritual Transformation, Including the Cultivation of Self-Knowledge, the Active Metamorphosis of Vices into Virtues, and the Pursuit of Love and Knowledge of God. As we have seen in the cases of Richard of St. Victor and Walter Hilton, in medieval thought the image theme often appears in the context of holistic descriptions of a Christian life of seeking to imitate God by "becom[ing] love and not just receiv[ing] it."36 The image of God theme and its medieval articulation highlights the transformative nature of human persons. Practical and moral analyses of the image consistently chart the dynamics of this transformative process through which persons seek to actualize their potential as bearers of the Divine image. While the specific stages of transformation are articulated in different ways, the development is frequently depicted as a journey, variously described as a process of faith seeking understanding, or as a process of the transformation of the image of sin within us into an image of Jesus. While I am not advocating a wholesale return to medieval categories of transformation, I do want to point to the critical role accorded transformation in medieval understandings of the human person, and most visibly in medieval discussions of the image of God theme. Although as theologians we sustain ourselves by hope for transformation in the world around us we too often focus on the way things should be, or on the way things are, with little regard for cultivating the process of effecting change. Guided by medieval descriptions of the transformative process we might renew our vigor in attending to the place of change in human existence. Most of us at times experience disjunction or disunity, (a sense of alienation from the world around us and from God. We could argue as Hilton does that our enslavement to vices such as apathy, gluttony, pride, and lechery, accounts for our disjunction with the world.38 And we could argue that progress in the transformation of vices into virtues signals progress in growth as images of God so that the virtues he prescribes as correctives to vice are useful to characterize the situation in which we would be at one with the world. There are, however, some other contemporary ways to convey the sense of what Hilton suggested with his contrast between vices, or sin, and virtues. Dorothee Soelle is even more sensitive to the significance of spiritual development and more vocal about the political and social demands of Christianity than Ruether. She deepens the understanding of our distorted relationality to the world by naming its five characteristics: (1) isolation, (2) reduction to the individual, (3) muteness and speechlessness, (4) fatalism and apathy, and (5) immanence.43 What is the antidote to this situation? The tradition has answered "Virtue," and writers such as Richard of St. Victor have called love the chief of all virtues. But how do we understand "virtues" and "love" today? Soelle names an antidote to each of the vices named above and the common denominator of all the "virtues" is solidarity, the cultivation of full humanity, an active recognition of the uniqueness, value, and interconnectedness of each human being and of all human beings. Her catalogue of contemporary "virtues" vis-a-vis the "vices" of modernity are the following: (1) connectedness, (2) collective experience, (3) symbolic and linguistic expression, (4) readiness for political action, and (5) transcendence. Connectedness is the opposite of isolation because in affirming our connectedness we affirm our solidarity, our interdependence. Rather than celebrating the individuality of our experience we appreciate its collective nature. Affirming our own and others’ experiences, and struggling to find a voice to express them, we deny fatalism and we emerge from the pit of apathy. As we demand our right to speak and the rights of others to speak we enter into the political arena to assure voices for collective human experience. Listening to others and speaking to others calls for transcendence, an ability to look beyond our immediate surroundings to a future, to the practical consequences of what we do and say. Although Soelle does not pose the question in quite this way, it is important to ask how we move from the situation of seclusion to the situation of solidarity. More implicit than explicit, but present in Soelle’s work seems to be the claim that the inward journey, the spiritual path, provides the means for moving from seclusion to solidarity. The "way of inwardness" has love (here understood as solidarity) as its goal and involves a process of development, which can be understood in terms of a movement from the negative side to the positive side of the polarities she describes. III. The Goal of Image Restoration Is the Conformity of Our Wills to God’s Will So That One Perceives Oneself Not as a Servant of the Divine, But Rather as a Friend of God. Christ plays a central role in medieval depictions of persons response to God’s offer of love in that, as Hilton explains, we begin the transformation process by contemplating Christ’s humanity, by cultivating our resemblance to Jesus. Richard echoes this when he says that " . . . one who does not follow the footsteps of Christ perfectly does not enter the way of truth rightly."50 He describes the highest earthly stage of love of God in terms of conformity of our wills to the image of Christ: "In this state the image of the will of Christ is set before the soul so that these words come to her: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."’51 Dorothee Soelle uses the same passage from Phil 2:5 "to have this mind . . . which you have in Christ Jesus." She explicates it in a similar way to Richard: "Living as Christ lived means the inward journey to . . .surrendering of the ego and the return journey to the midst of the world."52 Richard makes the point that in this fourth degree we are torn between being "dissolved and being with Christ" and remaining in the flesh which the "charity of Christ compels."53 His contrast captures the experience of the person who, having tasted the love of God, on the one hand, longs to be taken up completely into that love to dwell entirely within it, but who, on the other hand, cognizant of humanity’s existence as an embodied reality, recognizes the significance of loving others in concrete experience as an expression of our love of God. Charity compels us to go out into the world with compassion. The role of the maleness of Christ quickly becomes an issue in a retrieval of the imago Dei, since Christ was regarded as the Image of God and insofar as we learn to love and understand Christ as human and divine we learn to love and understand God. In speaking of Christ as both human and divine the western Christian tradition sought to indicate at the very least that Christ presented God to the world in a particularly vivid way. And perhaps this is the very least Christians can say now, namely that Christ’s life and way of being in the world leads us to understand and to love God. For the time being we can affirm what Ruether and Soelle do as very similar to the insights of Walter Hilton: we can say that imitation of Christ leads to a moral shift which will in time change our way of being in the world. This moral shift will disallow the patriarchal focus on the maleness of Jesus and promote instead the full humanity and gender-inclusive message and mission of the saving Christ. It will in no way deny the particularities of Jesus’ ethnic and sexual identity, but it will not use these particularities to undermine the complete participation of all people — male and female — in the religious, social, and political dimensions of human existence. The discourse of intimacy used to describe the relationship between image-bearers and the Divine vividly conveys the nature of the practical and operational shift that results from allying oneself with Christ’s way of being in the world. Far from construing the lot of image-bearers as being one of mere obedience to a dictatorial exemplar whom we mechanically imitate from a great distance,59 the dominant imagery expressing our relationship to God as images is language of friendship and even marriage. In considering the image of God tradition feminist thought can acknowledge and retrieve traditional alternatives to relating to God as the "Almighty Father."62 The Christian image tradition, starting with the affirmation that we are images of God, signals our closeness to God through speaking of the union of wills with the Divine and by invoking language of intimacy. The focus in traditional interpretations of the imago Dei theme is on our nearness to God and on the possibilities for advancing that nearness to the point where we may be considered friends of God. This discussion set out to illustrate some of the preliminary points of convergence between medieval reflections on the image of God theme and contemporary reflections on the human person, suggesting that feminist theology can reclaim this image of God tradition as a resource which describes a holistic and responsible way of life, and encouraging further consideration of this and other symbols that have potential for affirming the full humanity of all persons, female and male. The image of God theme is a concept that conveys something of our relationship to God, self, and the world. We move from the datum of revelation that we are created in God’s image to the process of actively realizing our potential as images of God by cultivating the unity of the "thinking-relational self," and by learning to see and actively respond to others as images of God (a response which includes political, economic and social action). We seek to become images of God by becoming images of Christ by way of a conformity of will, that is, by directing ourselves to the community around us in charity and understanding. We look inward, actively cultivate our relationship to God, and, as Richard said, we "go out into the world in compassion"63 to affirm the full humanity of all people as images of God. Feminist theology, as a significant voice in contemporary theological reflection, can affirm the tradition’s recognition that all people are created in God’s image. It can further draw on the tradition’s insight that while the image points to a present state of all created human persons it points also to a relational capacity of all human persons to actualize their abilities to love and to know the Divine and the world around them. While theologians like Ruether and Soelle recognize the features of distorted and healthy relationality, we might be even more attentive to the tradition’s insight concerning the importance of transformation as a basic experience of the human person in the world. By placing the medieval and contemporary traditions into dialogue with one another, we become reflective about the nature of the transformative process as a way to guide human persons to fulfillment of their capacities to love and to know. Despite its sometimes checkered history with respect to speaking about the full humanity of women, the vision of the God/human/ world relationship described in the image of God tradition may offer support for feminist theology’s retrieving imagery from the Christian tradition. The image of God tradition does not lead believers to a slavish imitation of a domineering God; rather the God of whom we are images appears as a friend, and even as a spouse, inviting all of us to share in the creative and emancipatory work of love and understanding in the world. 1. I would like to thank Mark Wallace for his helpful comments on this article, Bernard McGinn for reading this at an earlier stage, and my colleagues in Soundings at Boston College for their conversation about this material. 2. The Latin imago Dei makes this clear. 3. E.g., I Cor 11:7. 4. A second tendency, represented by thinkers like Nemesius of Emesa (4th c.) and John the Scot (9th c.), is to focus on the metaphysical dimensions of the image. 5. Rosemary Radford Ruether, Sexism and God-talk (Boston: Beacon Press, 1983) 113. 6. "We are living parts of active love" [Dorothee Soelle with Shirley A. Cloyes, To Work and to Love: A Theology of Creation (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984) 43]. 7. References are given to The Twelve Patriarchs, (hereafter TP), The Mystical Ark (MA), and Book Three of the Trinity (DT) by book (where applicable), chapter, page reference in Patrologia Latina for TP and MA, and for DT to book, chapter, and page number in Jean Ribaillier’s (R) critical edition of De Trinit ate (Paris: J. Vrin, 1958). This reference is to Grover Zinn, trans., Richard of St. Victor: The Twelve Patriarchs, The Mystical Ark, Book Three of the Trinity (New York: Paulist Press, 1979) DT, 3:2:374; R, 3.2: 136. (Since all Pat rologia Latina references to Richard of St. Victor are from Volume 196, I include here column number only). 8. The Stairway of Perfection will be referred to in the notes as SP; references are to book, chapter, and page reference in the English translation. The reference is to Walter Hilton, The Stairway of Perfection, trans. M. L. Del Mastro (New York: Image Books, 1979) 1.83; 175-176. 9. Hilton says, "As much as you know and love God and your fellow-Christians, so great is your soul" (ibid., SP, 1.89; 182). 11. Kari Borreson, Subordination and Equivalence: The Nature and Role of Women in Augustine and Thomas Aquinas (Washington, D.C.: University Press of America, 1981). 16. Augustine, The Literal Meaning of Genesis, trans. John Hammond Taylor (New York: Newman Press, 1982) 3.22.34; 99. It may be helpful to see the original here: cf. De Genesi ad litteram in Augustine, Opera Ornnia, ed. Benedictine Monks of S. Maur (Paris: Gaume Fratres, 1836) vol. 3; 263D, Itaque quamvis hoc in duobus hominibus diversi sexus exterius secundum corpus figuratum sit, quod etiam in una hominis interius mente intelligitur; tamen et femina ma quae est corpore femina, renovatur etiam ipsa in spiritu mentis suae in agnitone Dei secundum imaginem ejus qui creavit, ubi non est masculus et fermina. 17. Eleanor McLaughlin, "Equality of Souls, Inequality of Sexes: Woman in Medieval Theology," in Religion and Sexism: Images of Woman in the Jewish and Christian Traditions, ed. Rosemary Radford Ruether (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974) 213-266. 18. Caroline Walker Bynum, "‘And Woman His Humanity’: Female Imagery in the Religious Writing of the Later Middle Ages," in Gender and Religion: On the Complexity of Symbols, Caroline Walker Bynum, Stevan Hamell, and Paula Richman, eds. (Boston: Beacon Press, 1986) 257-288. 19. Caroline Walker Bynum, "Introduction: The Complexity of Symbols," in Gender and Religion 8. 20. Symbols also have power as "inventing, questioning, rejecting and transcending gender as it is constructed in the individual’s psychological development and sociological setting" (ibid.). 22. Ruether, Sexism and God-talk 38. 25. Soelle, To Work and to Love 43. 27. "When will you discover that all is possible to her who participates in God’s power?" (ibid., 4.6). 29. Ruether, Sexism and God-talk 113. 31. Richard of St. Victor, MA, 4:10;274, 145C-D. 32. For an excellent analysis of this see Mary Midgley, Beast and Man: The Roots of Human Nature (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1978). 33. Parker J. Palmer, To Know as We Are Known: A Spirituality of Education (San Francisco: Harper and Row, nd.) 8. 34. See, e.g., Jurgen Moltmann, Karl Rahner, Thomas Merton, Dorothee Soelle. 35. Richard of St. Victor, MA, 4.11:274; 146A. 36. Dorothee Soelle, Death By Bread Alone: Texts and Reflections on Religious Experience, trans. David L. Scheidt (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1975) 102. 39. Ruether, Sexism and God-talk 163. 43. Dorothee Soelle, The Strength of the Weak: Towards a Christian Feminist Identity, trans. Robert and Rita Kimber (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1984) 11-22. 45. Idem, Death By Bread Alone 134. 48. References to Richard of St. Victor’s De quatuor quadibus violentae caritatis given to page numbers in Claire Kirchberger’s English translation and to Gervais Dumiege’s critical Latin edition. This reference is to Richard of St. Victor Dq, 224; D, 29:157. 49. Soelle, Death By Bread Alone 69. 50. Richard of St. Victor, TP, 79:136; 56C-D. 51. Ibid., Dq, 230; D, 43:171. 52. Soelle, Death By Bread Alone 135. 53. Ibid., Dq, 230; D, 44:173. 54. For discussion of these issues see: Anne Marie Gardiner, ed., Women and Catholic Priesthood: An Expanded Vision (New York: Paulist Press, 1976); Leon Swidler and Arlene Swidler, eds., Women Priests: A Catholic Commentary on the Vatican Declaration (New York: Paulist Press, 1977). 55. Ruether, Sexism and God-talk 136. 57. Swidler, Women Priests 26 (Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, "Declaration on the Question of the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood," 5.26). 59. Another productive area of dialogue between medieval and contemporary theology is in the area of imitation. In this regard see Karl Morrison, The Mimetic Tradition of Reform in the West (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1982). 60. Richard of St. Victor, MA, 4.16:288; 155B. 61. Hilton, SP, 2.43;332. Or, again, "The lover of Jesus is his friend, not because he desires it, but because God, of His merciful goodness makes him His friend by a true agreement. And therefore, He shows His secrets to him, as to a true friend who pleases Him with love (rather than one who serves Him through fear, like a slave)" (ibid. 2.43; 329). 62. A recent excellent example of this which might make even more explicit links to the Christian tradition is Sallie McFague’s Models of God: Theology for an Ecological, Nuclear Age (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1987). 63. Richard of St. Victor, Dq, 224; D, 29:157. Previous PostPrevious Chapter 10: Was Mark Anti-Semitic?

2019-04-19T04:30:59Z

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Behind the anticipated lacklustre performance, its members point to continued headwinds in the form of geopolitical and macroeconomic obstacles; an increased number of regulatory compliance issues and ongoing structural change within the industry. The RTT members believe that consumer spending will be the key area of weakness for the sector, with disposable income squeezed by stagnant wage growth and elevated inflation – albeit real incomes are expected to improve in the second-half of 2018, as inflation eases. In the meantime however, the divide between food and non-food retail is expected to become more pronounced, with non-food sales dented by inflated food prices. This ‘perfect storm’ of factors may even see the industry reach a pivotal point in 2018, with increased levels of defensive consolidation and creative collaboration – as well as the inevitable fall out of casualties – the likely outcome in the ongoing fight to survive. 2017 was unquestionably a challenging year for retail. Indeed, Dr Tim Denison, RTT Co Chairman and Director of Retail at Ipsos Retail Performance, stated that the year “won’t go down in the UK retail annals as a memorable one, simply because the challenging narrative barely made a detour”. James Knightley, Chief International Economist at ING, shed more light on the rather dreary picture, stressing that: “Whilst 2017 painted a rosier picture for global counterparts – complete with growth being revised higher across the developed and emerging markets, asset pricing hitting new highs, volatility declining and some perceived political risks fading away – the picture in the UK was in stark contrast”. Referring to global economic growth figures, he added: “Business surveys suggest that the US could expand 3% in real terms, whilst the European economy may grow by more than 2%. In the UK however, growth is likely to be just 1.4% – the weakest outturn since the depths of the financial crisis in 2009, when the economy contracted 4.2%”. Martin Newman, CEO at Practicology, further reinforced the challenges faced by the sector in 2017 when he pointed to the recent Autumn Budget. He said: “We’ve had a downgrade for the growth of productivity, we’ve also had the Institute of Financial Studies forecast that average UK earnings could be lower in 2022 than when the financial crisis hit in 2008”. All this, he concluded, will add to less disposable income for the consumer. Added to this, James Knightley also highlighted that: “The Bank of England is keen to see a slowdown in the pace of consumer credit growth, having cited potential financial stability risks”. Indeed, 2017 marked the first interest rate rise in over a decade, which will most likely see an end of retail growth coming at the expense of rising consumer credit. Against the backdrop of questionable growth in the sector, Paul Martin, RTT Co Chairman and UK Head of Retail at KPMG, suggested that “winning market share will remain a core focus for businesses”, with significant consolidation and partnerships between retail players in 2017 pointing to this fact. Jonathan De Mello, Head of Retail Consultancy, Harper Dennis Hobbs, said: “2017 has very much been a year of consolidation”, with Amazon’s acquisition of Wholefoods, Tesco’s acquisition of Booker, the Co-op’s takeover of Nisa some momentous examples. However, the fight for market share was not restricted to just retailers, as Jonathan pointed out when he also highlighted the mergers between property giants Unibail-Rodamco and Westfield, as well as Hammerson and Intu. With the Hammerson and Intu merger creating by far the biggest shopping centre owner in the UK, Nick Bubb, Retail Analyst, suggested that: “With major shopping centres huddling together defensively…2018 could see more defensive M&A activity in Non-Food retailing and corporate activity in general”. Meanwhile, Jonathan added that such mergers may create opportunities for retailers looking to expand quickly, however more established retailers with large property portfolios may face less favourable bargaining positions – given the size and strength of the entity they are negotiating with. The RTT believes that the year ahead will encompass both a continuation of the ongoing issues, as well as the introduction of new challenges for the sector to grapple with. For one, there was widespread agreement amongst RTT members that the structural changes currently faced by the industry will step up – if not come to a head. Looking first at the disruptive nature of online retail, Paul Martin said: “The UK retail sector continues to undergo fundamental structural change. With online now reaching close to 20% penetration (28% in non-food) of all retail transactions, the store-based business model (in its extent today) is threatened”. That said, the think tank also flagged that growth in online sales is showing signs of maturing. Martin Hayward, Founder of Hayward Strategy and Futures, added that whilst rapidly growing online retailers have haunted the established store-based industry, the rate of online growth is beginning to slow. He pointed to well integrated multi-channel businesses proving popular with consumers and also highlighted how online ‘pure players’ are beginning to open physical stores. Perhaps most poignant, Martin Hayward suggested that: “As the multichannel marketplace matures, fundamental truths need to be addressed by the industry as a whole, including understanding the real cost of home delivery”. Whilst consumers have been conditioned to expect free delivery at the expense of the retailer, Martin believes that 2018 may mark a shift on this front – with the likely outcome being that the cost is increasingly passed onto the consumer in one form or another. Regulatory and compliance issues were also cited by the RTT members as a major concern for 2018, given they often add to a retailer’s cost pressures. Paul Martin said: “We already experienced a flurry of regulatory and compliance related topics playing an important role for the retail sector”, with many RTT members pointing to the National Living Wage and Apprenticeship Levy as prime examples. In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – designed to strengthen data protection for all individuals within the European Union – will mark another hurdle for the industry to overcome. The RTT suggests that the regulation will increase the challenge of retailers knowing who their customers are, but equally they believe it could offer a timely restart and opportunity to work with their data, enabling retailers to review what customer insights they actually have at their disposal. Linked to this, Paul Martin suggested that “reputational risk is becoming increasingly important for the C-suite” – as noted in KPMG’s 2017 Global CEO Survey. However, as well as impacting reputation he also stressed that the penalties are often financially severe. In the case of GDPR, non-compliance is “non-negotiable”, with penalties as high as 4% of global revenue in some instances. Naturally Brexit was also a key consideration for the RTT members when discussing the prospects of retail in 2018. The think tank members expect to see close correlation between the outcome of Brexit negotiations and the overall health of the industry, with a ‘soft’ Brexit resulting in meagre growth, and a ‘hard’ Brexit potentially seeing the market contract. Further reinforcing the fact that consumer confidence is at the heart of the retail industry’s overall health, Martin Newman added that: “Continued uncertainty around Brexit and its implications is undoubtedly affecting consumer confidence, which is clearly on the wane”. The RTT believed that details on a future trading agreement, as well as a transitional period, will be the key areas of focus for retailers. They also believed that in the face of prevailing uncertainty, retailers should remain cautious and continue their contingency planning. Whilst the overall prospects for 2018 clearly pivot around the fate of multiple moving parts, James Sawley, Head of Retail & Leisure at HSBC, suggested that: “As the headwinds facing the sector continue, there will no doubt be winners and losers leading to further administrations and consolidation”. As discussed, much of the fight in the coming year will be for market-share and remaining relevant to consumers. As an example, Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer and Business Insights, said: “Nielsen are expecting another year of around 3.5% growth for the grocery industry with discounters again the fastest growing channel and increasing market share to over 14%.” Similarly, Martin Newman said that “value retailers will take on greater significance over the next year, while at the other extreme, luxury brands will quite clearly weather the storm”. Looking at the likely losers however, Paul Martin pointed to mid-market clothing, along with other larger discretionary purchase categories, as the main victims of a squeezed consumer wallet. Meanwhile, Nick Bubb suggested that the department store sector look poised for a shake-out, given reported financial problems of various players. In such an unforgiving environment, Tim Denison suggested that “retailers will be working manically behind the scenes re-inventing the ways in which they deliver that all-important customer-experience”. Indeed, the RTT members highlighted that many retailers will be revisiting their business models in light of the era of retail ‘platforms’ disrupting the status quo. As Mike Watkins remarked: “Business models are under threat and its now the case of investing for the longer term in order to remain relevant”. Globally, the news just kept getting better as we progressed through 2017, with growth being revised higher right across developed and emerging markets, asset prices hitting new highs, volatility declining and perceived political risks fading away. 2018 looks as though we will see an even better global growth picture with business surveys suggesting the US could expand 3% in real terms while the European economy may possibly grow by more than 2%. Unfortunately, it is a very different story for the UK. The consensus amongst economists is that the UK will grow just 1.4% in 2018 – the weakest outturn since the depths of the financial crisis in 2009, when the economy contracted 4.2%. Only Japan (1.3%) and Italy (1.2%) are expected to post weaker numbers in the developed markets. Consumer spending is expected to be a key area of weakness as the ongoing squeeze to spending power from low wage growth and elevated inflation continues. Economic and political uncertainty is also likely to persist, making households wary of over exerting themselves. Furthermore, the Bank of England is keen to see a slowdown in the pace of consumer credit growth, having cited potential financial stability risks. They have made banks hold more capital against unsecured borrowing and have raised interest rates. The result is that households will need to run down more of their savings if we are going to see any meaningful increase in spending. Nonetheless, people have jobs and asset prices are high, which should provide a decent base and mean that spending probably won’t contract. Brexit will remain the main threat – both to the upside and the downside for growth risks. If progress can be made on future trading arrangements and a transitional period is agreed to smooth the Brexit process then this could lift business sentiment. This could lead to a reversal in the slowdown in UK job creation and may also make businesses more amenable to offering pay rises. It would also likely lead sterling to rally, which will dampen imported inflation. Consequently we could see favourable developments on real incomes in this positive scenario. However, there is clearly the risk that Brexit politics turns even more toxic and could in the extreme lead Theresa May’s government to fall. This opens up a new array of potential scenarios, but in the near term would create huge levels of uncertainty over prospects for the UK and would see asset prices and sterling come under downside pressure. The combination of spiking inflation, worried households and businesses and a political vacuum as Britain heads for the EU exit doors, would be deeply damaging for the UK retail sector. In the end we hope that sense will prevail and an outcome that minimises the negative economic implications for all participants can be agreed. Unfortunately, the experience so far suggests this is unlikely to be a smooth process. In many respects 2017 won’t go down in the UK’s retail annals as a memorable year, simply because the challenging narrative barely made a detour throughout the year: strong employment, weak pound, rising inflation, falling disposable incomes, Brexit uncertainty, resilient shoppers and squeezed margins. Yet it was a seminal year in at least one regard evidenced by the acquisition of Whole Foods by Amazon, albeit a full two years after Alibaba’s strategic alliance with Suning, China’s leading electronics retailer. While consumers don’t discriminate between channels – “shopping is shopping, whenever and wherever it’s done” – the practicalities are very different and joining technology companies and retailers at the hip, combining expertise, may define the future of retailing. So expect to see more such M&As and partnerships announced this year, as online marches towards 25% of non-food sales in the UK and retailers grapple with finding and investing in the “right” technologies – ones that genuinely improve the customer experience rather than solve problems that shoppers don’t have. The quest to offer a personalised shopping experience remains elusive. The signs are that that may change in 2018, if retailers jump on the back of the ever-rising popularity of messaging platforms. Successful trials involving Facebook Messenger, with retailer apps from the likes of Sephora and American Eagle, together with the announced launch of Apple Business Chat and testing of WhatsApp business exchange features, could provide the necessary momentum to see retail chat tools break through this year. This assumes that consumers won’t mind retailers operating in spaces previously reserved for conversations with friends and family. Chat isn’t the only new communication tool likely to make its mark in retailing in 2018. So-called “conversational commerce” is in its nascent state, but the fact that EchoDot (which houses Alexa) was Amazon Prime Day’s top seller this year indicates that shoppers are open to linking up with retailers using this new, convenient medium. Inevitably there are downsides to the continued investment in technology. Job losses ensue. 20,000 went in 2017 and more than this can be expected this year. The rise in the minimum wage rate alone will add an extra 1.7% onto the sector’s operating costs, if left unaltered. Cost control will inevitably remain front-of-mind in the board room, on the shop floor and in the warehouse. 2018 may not be shaping up to be a stellar year either from a retail sales perspective, but it may edge up to realise 1.5% growth. Growing certainty of the outcome of Brexit negotiations and falling inflation will help the cause. Footfall, too, should see the annual decline narrow from 4% in 2017 (expected) to 2.7% in 2018. However, although the market may continue to be subdued, retailers will be working manically behind the scenes re-inventing the ways in which they deliver that all-important customer experience. From a technology perspective 2018 won’t disappoint, just as the best of the Christmas TV adverts never do. Even though it seems the UK has moved on from the first phase of Brexit negotiations and can now start discussing what a transitional period and subsequent future trade deals could look like, retailers are recommended to stay cautious and continue their contingency planning as uncertainty prevails. Sterling continues to be worth significantly less than before the referendum, and with a large proportion of both food and non-food products being imported, prices for many items have increased – in some cases over 20%. With inflation continuing to rise (albeit a fall in H2 of 2018 back to 2% is likely) and wage growth stagnant, the consumer is feeling the pinch. This will result in reduced consumer spending over the course of 2018. Over the last couple of years we have already experienced a flurry of regulatory and compliance related topics playing an important role for the retail sector. The national living wage and apprenticeship levy being two prime examples. 2018 will see additional themes move to the forefront of the agenda. The Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to name one of the most important, is due to be implemented in May. Failing to comply is non-negotiable and fines of up to 4% of global revenue can be imposed. We are observing reputational risk becoming increasingly important for the C-suite, as highlighted in KPMG’s 2017 CEO Outlook Survey, with operational and reputational rsik coming top of CEO’s worry list. Although these regulatory and compliance related topics are – in most cases – of pivotal importance to safeguard organisations and broader society, they are adding additional complexity and cost pressures to retailers. Finally, the UK retail sector continues to undergo a fundamental structural change. With online now reaching close to 20% penetration (in non-food 28%) of all retail transactions, the store-based business model is threatened. Although stores will remain the most important channel for many years to come, their role will unquestionably continue to change. The UK has a sizeable over-supply of physical retail property, which depending on the category may be between 5% and 25%. In a stagnant market this issue will need to be addressed by many businesses, otherwise this could lead to increased business failures throughout the year. Another trend that will continue to gain momentum in 2018 will be the platform business model. We are observing an increased number of retailers interested in either building, buying or collaborating with platforms. The platform business model, as highlighted in KPMG’s recent omni-business research paper, is the natural evolution from the pure-play and market-place business model and is likely to supersede the omni-channel business model many retailers are currently striding towards. In summary, Food and Health & Beauty are the two categories that will likely continue to top the leaderboard in 2018, although inflation will continue to represent a large part of their growth. Non-food, especially mid-market clothing and some of the larger discretionary purchase categories, will find it much more difficult to be on the winning team. For the last few years the spectre of rapidly growing online retailers has haunted the established, store based industry. Conferences are now managing to fill whole agendas with analyses of how brilliant Amazon is, and at this time of year, predictions of continuing carnage amongst retailers are fashionable. Online share of shopping continues to grow, but for a number of reasons we are now entering a new phase of the evolution and need to begin a much calmer, more considered analysis of what needs to happen next. Against this backdrop of a maturing multi-channel marketplace, where the benefits and symbiotic roles of different channels are better understood by both retailers and consumers, there are now some more fundamental truths that need to be addressed by the industry as a whole. Financial – there is widespread belief that a lot of home delivery is uneconomic, yet the battle for share dictates that it is better to lose money than lose share. Consumers are arguably becoming conditioned to expect free delivery at the expense of the health of the retail market and the real costs must be better understood to ensure future decisions are based on fact. Traffic, pollution and congestion – the marauding white vans of home delivery are creating large amounts of traffic unnecessarily – it is not environmentally economic to deliver small items by van. No fun – it is likely that the thrill of being able to get something rapidly is beginning to pale. As stores get better at replenishment and same day pick up, it is likely that shoppers will venture out with confidence again. Creating a level taxation playing field – the industry has to be more vocal about the extraordinary tax evasion that international internet businesses indulge in. VAT, Corporation taxes and employee taxes are being denied to the government by tricky international structures that are bad for the country and bad for our retailers. Better understand attribution – there is still much work to do to understand the relative role of instore experience, advertising and other influences on online sales and vice versa. It is crucial that we better understand these interactions to help justify expenditure and better manage profitability. As we enter 2018, it is time for a much more educated discussion about the pros and cons of online retail. The consumer needs to be helped to understand the real costs of their choices. In tandem, as our existing retailers continue to respond and evolve their multi-channel offers, the consumer will increasingly enjoy their urge to forage and socialise in nice environments with confidence that they will always find and get what they want. Nobody in the UK needs to spend more time inside, staring at a screen, waiting for a van to arrive – the thrill will wear off. UK retailers have become used to facing yet another difficult trading year. Over the past decade, ever since the financial crisis of 2008, times have been tough for retailers. Austerity, rising costs, shifting consumer demand, have all been making life hard, and then, just as retailers were acclimatising to a new world order, along comes Brexit. The devaluation of the pound pushing up prices and the uncertainty surrounding future trade arrangements are new and very unwelcome factors for retailers to manage. Against this latest backdrop expect to see more casualties, just as we did a decade ago. While disruptors like Amazon, using new technology, have designed a business that is entirely customer focused, there are legacy retailers, like Toys R Us, that have ignored changing consumer demand and left it far too late to adapt. They are encumbered with expensive, unprofitable, property, and shrinking demand. Indeed, all retailers are faced with shrinking demand, not just from consumers having less money to spend but their preference to prioritise leisure spending over buying more products. And with consumer confidence weak because of future economic uncertainty, there is a reluctance to spend on big ticket items. So, as we all have to eat, it is non-food retailers that are feeling the greatest burden, and will produce the majority of casualties. With all the economic indications at play currently it’s clear that it’s going to be a challenging year for the retail sector in 2018. Post budget, we’ve had a downgrade for the growth of productivity, we’ve also had the Institute for Fiscal Studies forecast that average UK earnings could be lower in 2022 than when the GFC hit in 2008. If this is true, this is going to manifest itself with consumers having both less disposable income as well as moving from a ‘spend it’ to a ‘save it’ mindset. The continued uncertainty around Brexit and its implications are undoubtedly affecting consumer confidence, which is clearly on the wane. In October GFK research forecast consumer confidence to have slipped from -9 to -10. Trading economics are forecasting -12 for the last 2 months and into 2018. This will drive more caution when it comes to discretionary spend. Add to this the rise in interest rates, inflation and the increasing trend of millennials opting for experiences over buying things, and retailers could well be in for a perfect storm in 2018. Despite the headwinds, there will be winners. Value retail will take on even greater significance over the next year, while at the other extreme, luxury brands will quite likely weather the storm. In part buoyed by the continual influx of tourist shoppers from the Far East. Those with the biggest challenge in the year ahead will be the retailers stuck in the middle. Those with a homogenous product and price proposition or a lack of clarity over their value proposition, purpose and relevance. Many of whom also find themselves with too many under-performing stores in their portfolio. It’s fair to say that we’re seeing a changing of the guard in retail. In the US, the market capitalisation of Amazon is pretty much double that of the next eight largest retailers combined, including Walmart, Macy’s JC Penney, Sears, Best buy, Target et al. In the UK, Asos’ share price has recently overtaken that of M&S. Retailers are also struggling with the cost to serve customers, whose expectations for service levels have been re-set by Amazon, Asos and the like. This makes the requirement to get closer to existing customers all the more important. Retailers need to drive customer lifetime value and to do so, focus more on forward facing KPIs such as customer satisfaction and less on pure commercial KPI’s. If they get the inputs right around customer experience and service, the outputs will take care of themselves. The UK continues to be one of the most confident markets in Europe but uncertainty about the final terms of Brexit and falling real incomes is unsettling shoppers, who are now feeling nervous about spending. This change of sentiment started to impact consumer spend towards the end of 2017, with Nielsen research showing that only 47% of shoppers now believe it’s a good time to buy things they may want or need, which is a 2 year low (Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Survey). Whilst this is not good news for `big ticket` and some clothing retailers, food retailing remains the most buoyant sector and this is expected to continue in 2018. With inflation peaking and volumes slowly improving, Nielsen are expecting another year of around +3.5% growth for the grocery industry, with discounters again the fastest growing channel and increasing market share to 14% (Nielsen Total Till). This growth will be helped by an accelerated new store opening programme but will also come from remodelled stores selling more fresh foods, which accounts for 45% of the shopping basket purchasing of all shoppers in the UK. The change from monthly shopping at large stores to weekly shopping at smaller stores and supplemented with online (big and infrequent) and convenience shopping (little and often) will continue. This is how most shoppers buy food and drink for consumption at home and the trend will help multi format and omnichannel supermarkets. We can also expect a third wave of disruption – the first two were value retailing and e commerce. The consolidation underway in wholesale will continue and could reach food service and the fragmented out of home channel. With supermarkets battling for a bigger share of a shrinking pie, and shoppers keen to blend their leisure time with food purchasing, we have probably reached a tipping point. Consumers are in control. With households changing spending habits in order to save on household expenses, in terms of food-related cost-cutting activity, switching to cheaper grocery brands is still the most popular activity followed by cutting down on takeaway meals. This suggests that a `dining in at home with a lower priced takeaway` could be one of the more profitable growth opportunities, particularly for any supermarket with scale, credentials in food preparation, provenance and customer service. For all retailers however, it will be the better use of technology – mobile, in-store, digital platforms, subscription services, and advertising – that will help reduce costs in the supply chain and increase loyalty to store and online. Business models are under threat and its now the case of investing for the longer term in order to remain relevant. It is impossible to predict retailer performance for 2018, without first looking at Black Friday 2017. Black Friday – as with 2016 – was very much an online phenomenon; the main difference being that, in 2017, despite the majority of the high street engaging in Black Friday discounting, footfall actually dropped over the Black Friday weekend across the UK when compared with the previous year. The effect of this could be profound on some physical retailers who, forced to discount at a time when they should be selling at full price, still have overheads to cover such as payroll, property costs and business rates, when compared to online pure plays that benefit doubly from increased demand and much lower costs. The real test for physical retailers will be quarterly rent day on the 25th of December – will they have made enough cash to cover this cost, or will it be the rather large and unwelcome straw that breaks them? Multiyork and Feather and Black could not last to December, and there are rumours about other retailers that may soon face a similar fate. Toys R Us closing a tranche of UK stores (albeit down to more global issues than UK), and M&S deciding to halt the construction of a number of new stores that were in the pipeline, highlights the issues retailers are facing, with many seeking to operate leaner business models – and frankly fewer physical stores – prior to the onset of Brexit proper. Both the increased discounting culture we are seeing in the UK, as well as fears over Brexit (which has severely damaged consumer confidence) could be playing a part in the channel shift from bricks and mortar to online, where products are generally cheaper. With an increase to the Living Wage recently and not enough done about business rates in the recent budget (bar the move from RPI to CPI), physical retail faces very challenging times. Simply put, not enough has been done by the government to level the playing field between physical and online retailers. 2017 has very much been a year of consolidation, and 2018 is likely to continue this trend. In 2017 we saw consolidation between Amazon and Whole Foods, Tesco and Booker, and the Co-Op and Nisa – this on the back of Sainsburys’ seminal acquisition of Argos in 2016. I would expect Amazon to continue acquiring and investing in physical retail globally, and it is a matter of time before they either materially expand Whole Foods in the UK, or more likely buy a major UK/European grocer. Consolidation has not been restricted to retailers however, with a major merger between property giants Unibail-Rodamco and Westfield, following on from Hammerson and Intu’s merger last week. In the case of Hammerson and Intu, their merger will create by far the biggest shopping centre owner in the UK. With combined assets including Trafford Centre, Bull Ring and Lakeside to name a few, the new business will control some of the UK’s best shopping centres. This creates opportunity for new retailers in the sense that they can get access to a number of schemes quickly as they look to expand, but for those more established retailers with large property portfolios, this merger could affect their bargaining position on rent review given they would be dealing with a much larger, stronger entity. Simon Property Group – the largest owner of shopping centres in the USA – have recently taken on the mighty Starbucks for lost rent given the closure of Teavana stores (owned by Starbucks). Could this merger between Hammerson and Intu – or Unibail and Westfield for that matter – embolden them to do something similar, should a retailer decide to close stores due to poor trading in their centres? My view is that this is unlikely as it is still very much a retailer rather than landlord’s market in the UK, but it is still food for thought! The return of Food price inflation in 2017 was not as helpful to the big supermarkets in stockmarket terms as might have been expected, and the Food Retailing sector overall performed disappointingly. Despite a late rally, the share prices of the “Big 3” (Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons) ended the year trading at slightly lower levels than a year before, with the best performances in 2017 coming from the second-tier players like Booker, Ocado and Greggs. The single best performing sector player in 2017, however, was the drinks wholesaling group Conviviality (which is listed on AIM). And the neglected industry of wholesaling was something everybody had to learn more about in 2017, after the surprise Tesco bid for Booker at the end of January and Morrisons’ move to exploit its fresh food manufacturing operation by developing a wholesaling offshoot under the Safeway brand. The Tesco Booker deal is still grinding through the regulatory mill, but the CMA was remarkably unconcerned about the competition issues and gave the Tesco Booker merger its blessing, despite the repercussions already being felt in the convenience store industry, after the shock collapse of the wholesaler Palmer & Harvey. If diversification has been the response of the big supermarkets to the disruptive rise of the discounters Aldi and Lidl, with wholesaling moves the big focus in 2017, perhaps 2018 will see a renewed focus by the supermarket chains on the eating out/takeaway food market, given the competitive threat that this represents. 2017 was an increasingly tough year for Non-Food retailers, but the General Retail sector only underperformed the UK stockmarket slightly overall, despite the growing pressures on Marks & Spencer and Next and the challenges posed by the relentless growth of Online shopping. Performance was very polarised, however, in General Retailing with the stockmarket winners in 2017 including WH Smith, B&M and Sports Direct and the losers including Dixons Carphone, Pets at Home and Debenhams: a pretty disparate bunch. JD Sports and Boohoo.com were early stars in the first half of the year, but faded through the second half. With the major shopping centres huddling together defensively, in the form of the planned Hammerson and Intu Properties merger, 2018 could see more defensive M&A activity in Non-Food retailing and corporate activity in general seems likely to be the key focus within the sector. The Department Store sector looks to be heading for a shake-out in 2018, given the reported financial problems of House of Fraser, and the young fashion sector may not be far behind, given the reported financial problems of New Look. New Look is also involved, indirectly, in the spectacular collapse of the scandal-ridden South African linked Steinhoff International, which is almost certain to lead to the break-up of its UK retail empire in 2018. And with the London housing market showing distinct signs of cooling and interest rates on an upward trend, it will be interesting to see if the recent warning from the well-known fund manager Neil Woodford about a stockmarket bubble, with multiple lights flashing red, is borne out. From a banker’s perspective, we will naturally be watchful and vigilant regarding the outlook for the retail industry in 2018. As the headwinds facing the sector continue, there will no doubt be winners and losers leading to further administrations and consolidation. I see the environment for consumer spending not getting worse, but then not getting better either. Inflation will naturally unwind as the GBP devaluation impact falls out the CPI numbers, and will likely stabilise around the 2% mark, while wage growth, currently also c2%, should be buoyed by full employment. Technically therefore the consumer is no better or worse off. In 2018 I believe confidence will be the main driving factor. As Brexit negotiations unfold, headlines will drive sentiment and hence purchasing decisions. Consumer confidence is key, but so is business confidence, companies need greater clarity on the UK’s place in the world before expanding and investing, which in turn drives employment prospects and willingness to spend. At a category level, I do foresee a continuation of the trend that non-discretionary items such a food will continue grow in value terms (driven largely by inflation) at the expense of non-food spending. On the FX front, the positive impact of news on progress in Brexit talks on GBP is evident, and indeed cable has recovered from 12 month lows. While this lends some relief the current rate remains materially off historic budget rates. As pre and post Brexit currency hedges completely phase out, it’s going to be challenging to pass these additional costs onto the already fragile consumer. I believe in 2018 retailers will continue to protect themselves against further volatility and to help manage that all important margin (the key threat for 2018). Retail is not alone, in my day job I also cover the hospitality sector where a moderation in consumer spending, combined with FX and cost headwinds, is also being felt by operators in their margins. Key to success (or survival!) in 2018 will be a forensic and relentless focus on the bottom line, backed by a strong balance sheet. When so many factors impacting a retailer’s P&L are outside of our control (rent, rates, NLW, tax, FX etc), a focus on product, service and costs will be imperative. Companies with efficient and flexible supply chains and operating models, those who stick to their knitting in serving their core customer, and those with scale and international exposure will likely outperform. On a more positive note for 2018, savings from the change in how business rates are indexed will hopefully offset planned increases in National Living Wage (NLW), and the year might also present itself as a good year to strike new and better deals with landlords, as retailers and casual dining brands scale down their operations.

2019-04-22T01:00:39Z

http://www.retailthinktank.co.uk/whitepaper/uk-retail-prospects-2018-get-worse-gets-better/

Magic Sword, Sentimental Flower is a novel by Yun Zhongyue. The novel was originally published as two books: "Magic Sword, Sentimental Flower" and the continuation novel "Love Locks Witch Mountain (情鎖巫山). "Love Locks" is not a sequel, it is merely the continuation of the novel. For some reason wuxia novels in Taiwan were often broken up into two books, or one book and a "continuation" book. That is, if you only read "Magic Sword", you would not get the full story as it ends in the middle of it. The end of volume three of "Magic Sword" asks the reader to continue with "Love Locks Witch Mountain". So in my table of contents above I have separated the novel into two "books" (each book is actually three volumes, so six volumes total), though it is all really one novel: Magic Sword, Sentimental Flower. The copy I have also includes illustrations, so I will upload those as we come to them. The picture above is the frontispiece of volume one, which depicts the very first scene of the novel. I aim to update every week with as much as I have translated to that point. Hopefully I can get a chapter a week, but we'll see. This is a side project for me: my main project right now is working on a wuxia magazine I plan to launch next year. Song of the Exile, which I had started to translate, will be put on hold for a while. "Magic Sword" starts out a bit quicker and has a lot more dialogue, which makes translation faster, so that's why I went with this novel. Is it a good novel? I don't know. Yun Zhongyue fans on the internet say his work is all pretty consistent in quality, the consensus being that if you like his style, you'll like just about all of his novels. All comments are welcome, and thanks for reading! The small mountain at the southern extremity of Mt. Heng is called Returning Goose Peak. It is said that during the goose’s migration they cross Dongting flying south, but when they reach Returning Goose Peak but instead make a few circles around the peak before heading back toward Dongting where some of them pass the winter, while others settle down in the marshlands of the Xiang River. A small boat to the south of the peak was approached riverbank, and an old man wearing a gray robe, not bothering to wait for the boatman to let down the gangplank, lightly leapt onto the bank. A tall stalwart youth wearing a green short gown, holding a bundle, leapt leapt onto the bank after him. This was not an area for mooring a boat, on along the banks grew pine and cypress trees before giving way to a thick bamboo grove. To the southwest was open country; this place rarely saw traces of people. Forty paces from the bank stood a tall ginkgo tree whose dense shade covered the sky. At the top saw a big magpie nest where all day chattered a dozen or more magpies, their cries piercing and unpleasant to the ears. This was an auspicious bird sound. But their noise was not as pleasant to hear as the cawing of crows. On the north side of the bamboo grove, a green-robed person approached. The youth couldn’t help but heave a sigh. “Kid, you have regrets?” the old man asked calmly. “Master, you know your disciple has no regrets,” the youth said in earnest. The middle-aged man was already within twenty-five steps, so that his excited expression was plainly visible, looking intently upon the youth. His feet weren’t walking, they were dashing madly. Actually the man wasn’t fat-faced nor big-bellied, he was of sturdy and robust stature. Half a century old, vigorous of spirit, legs nimble and quick, any expert could take one look at him and tell he was well-versed in martial arts, so even though he looked robust like the head of a bull, but at least his belly didn’t stick out. “You…” Squire Zhuang foamed with rage. The old man grabbed the youth, Zhuang Yiping’s, hand and put it in Squire Zhuang’s. “Nonsense! Who bet with you?” Squire Zhuang shouted. “I am sometimes unreasonable,” the old man said, grinning. “Let’s settle this, you and I, how about it?” the old man said hopefully. “What’s left to settle?” Squire Zhuang said. “Master! Take care of yourself,” Zhuang Yiping yelled. He kowtowed four times to see him off. Qiu Lei turned slowly and forced a smile. “Zhuang Shirong, remember what I said: a person who seeks fortune for himself is not worthy of respect. But one who seeks fortune for himself in order to benefit others, his life has real meaning. Qiu Lei was already gone. He was faster than lightning, gradually he was gone from the riverbank. The boat sailed back toward Returning Goose Peak, past the Heng-Xiang bridge, and before long it was already far away. The Spring floods had passed recently, but the water level was still high, the turbid Xiang River current flowed swiftly, and the boat shot away like an arrow. The Southern Mountain’s first peak, Returning Goose Peak, was already out of view, you could only see the prefectural city’s northern outskirts’ Goose Pagoda on the top of Stone Drum Mountain. “Not to worry! A hundred li is nothing,” the oarsman said confidently. Chastened, the oarsman ask anything else. The little boat was quick, soon overtaking a mid-size passenger boat. It was a Three Lakes Boat Company passenger-cargo ship, it’s route was from Hengzhou to Yuezhou, with its main station at Changsha prefecture. On the deck of the passenger ship, several travelers leaned on the railing enjoying the view of the river. The little boat approached the ship and gradually slipped past it. Qiu Lei gazed at the passengers on the ship. Suddenly his eyes caught something and without thinking he adjusted his clothes and stood up. His word were not at all polite. The little boat sped up and in no time was ahead of the passenger ship. “That’s him,” Mountain Essence Liu Xiang said, still watching the little boat pulling away ahead. “I saw it,” the Daoist priest said. *Zhurong is the God of Fire, also called the God of the South. I read a little bit the original Chinese and compare it to this translation. This is a very good translation. Thanks a lot JohnD. Hope you can post more! Thanks! I still have a lot of improving to do, but at least it's getting better than it was a few years ago. Full Moon Terrace, at the top of Zhurong Peak. Zhurong Peak is the Southern Mountain’s largest peak. At Full Moon Terrace during a full moon, it’s actually hard to see, the climate fluctuates a lot, often draped in clouds and oozing mist. Sometimes for three to five nights you can’t even see the moon’s outline. Those willing to ascend the thirty to forty li to the top to admire the full moon are few. The terrace and the 15th Day Pavilion on the east face, along with Upper Seal Temple are sites tourists are reluctant to leave. Literati would stay overnight at the Upper Seal Temple and rise early to see the sunrise, and go out at night to view the bright moon. You could say it’s the peak’s famous spot. Upper Seal Temple was originally called Heavenly Light Temple, but name was changed during the Sui dynasty. From a Daoist temple to a Buddhist temple, this no doubt resulted in disputes between Daoists and Buddhists. For a thousand plus years, even though the Mt. Heng has been controlled by Buddhists, Master Sida and Monk Lianghai founded Daoist sites there, but the gods worshiped by disciples there were not Buddhist gods, and they didn't chant Amituofu, they instead chanted “Heaven and Shangdi bring peace to the country, protect the nation, Heavenly Sovereign”. Heavenly Sovereign is a god of the Southern Mountain. Upper Seal Temple can certainly be counted as a great Chan Buddhist Temple, standing atop the mountain top, spectacular and majestic, towering large, nothing can compare to it. Zhurong Peak is the tallest peak of the Southern Mountain range, and Upper Seal temple is at the top of that, so it is also the highest temple monastery. Even at midsummer it is chilly, and during winter it is frigid, not often frequented. At the temple over a hundred monks reside and practice asceticism, and only during the eighth month in autumn during the temple fair period is the site overrun with pilgrims. At this time it was the end of spring leading into summer, when few people could be spotted walking the mountain paths. Near noon, Mystical Freak Qiu Lei, all by his lonesome, appeared in front of Upper Seal Temple. The monks inside the temple knew this old man was not here to burn incense, so they were lethargic in sending a monk out to receive him. Mystical Freak had long roamed the rivers and lakes, so to see him was a bit unusual. The monks on this famous mountain were all snobbish, but they would never ignore anyone who made the arduous thirty some-odd li trek to visit the temple. He couldn't see any trace of a monk, nor hear anyone chanting prayers, and the open door was deserted, not so much as a lonely ghost. “How can that be?” he mumbled to himself. These past twenty years heroes had sprung up all over the rivers and lakes, following the deteriorating political situation, desperadoes growing more and more by the year. Those among the wulin unwilling to remain out of the limelight also followed the times, and one after another expanded their power and built themselves up. Among them the four that stood out the most were known as the Four Wind and Rain Hegemons of the Jianghu. These four master of the wulin had built up their strength over the years and turned more and more vicious. Their friends, sons and brothers, disciples, kith and kin…some good, some bad, had become embroiled in who knows how many incidents. There was also four men of lofty prestige and fame, known as the Four Heroes of the Wulin. Dongshen, Xidao, Nanheng, and Beiyue, their status in the martial fraternity was certainly the highest. Apart from them were the Six Demons and Ghosts, regarded among the rivers and lakes as Gods of Plague, known together as the Six Freaks, monsters detested by all. Mystical Freak Qiu Lei was widely guarded among the rivers and lakes as the head Freak. Drifting among the rivers and lakes for forty years, he had become like an immortal, not only well-experienced, but also profoundly skilled beyond comprehension. In forty years no one had ever heard of him losing, and even the Four Heroes of the wulin respected his skill, he made them wary, so that they all avoided him like the plague and kept their distance. He looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. But he could feel that something wasn't right, thought he couldn’t put his finger on what. He raised his head and looked at the sky, the sun overhead, almost high noon. He took up his eight-sectioned bamboo staff from his belt. It was a bamboo root, every section half an inch long, very well-proportioned, as thick as your thumb. Because it had been handled for so long, it had already turned a deep brown with a dark red luster. Drawing his bamboo root, he felt the atmosphere was very close, a feeling like some disaster was afoot; he had seemingly already seen numerous bad omens. This bamboo root was his only weapon, his only means of self-protection. Usually when he encountered an enemy his two hands were enough for him handle the situation. He thought about entering the temple to look around, but he didn't, only hesitating a little before heading over to the 15th Day Pavilion nearby. First, standing outside the pavilion, he picked up a stalk of grass and stuck it in the ground to judge the time from its shadow. He drew a line marking the noon position, then walked into the pavilion. He hesitated, then sat down cross-legged by a pillar, closed his eyes and rested and waited for noon to arrive. He had soon entered an oblivious state of mind. The shadows cast by the sun moved slowly, and the stalk’s shadow finally touched the noon mark on the ground. He was about fifty years old, with a square face and big ears, he kept his long beard in three tufts, a man of extraordinary mettle, big flashing eyes, and in his belt was stuck a folded bamboo fan. He approached, smiling. “That’s right, how did you know?” Brother Yu said, clearly shocked. Brother Yu didn't laugh, his expression severe, his face changed quickly. “Excuse me.” Mystical Freak strode out of the pavilion. The two had spoken politely, and both sides carried themselves with composure, urbane, who would have thought these two were actually mortal enemies, accumulating enmity for twenty years. They left Upper Seal Temple, walking side by side, talking and laughing rather amiably. Not long after, the true summit came into view. To one’s surprise, here one could see several seven or eight foot tall short pine trees, looking very ancient. Although the trees were short, they were one or two hundred years old. In the surging, howling wind one could see the tenacious power of life’s hold, a marvelous sight. Going uphill no vegetation was visible, the gradient high and steep, plus the bone-piercing high winds, even walking became difficult. This place was commonly called Wind Cave, where the wind comes from, so no wonder no vegetation could grow here. On the left was an old hall used for sacrificing to the True Sovereign of the Southern Mountain, three rooms, stone walls and iron tiles, antique and quaint. Normally there were only three to five old monks or priests, all of them well-advanced in age, never asking for news of the outside world, and paying no attention to pilgrims. The two men stood smiling at each other on a level area of ground to the side of the hall. Standing in this place would make anyone feel small in the world, jutting peaks in all directions, spread out everywhere at your feet. The Xiang River, the Nine Faces and Nine Ridges come clearly into view. If you look down, from a height of a thousand ren, your spirit would move, your guts would turn cold, enough to make you absolutely terrified, add to that the strong winds, your clothes and beard and hair all flapping loudly, your dread would increase thirty percent. “Please!” Nine Extremes Deity Yu Hualong cupped hand in fist in salute. “Well said, well said.” Mystical Freak’s expression remained constant. “Let’s not talk about propriety,” Brother Yu said agitated. “Then you will never have another opportunity,” Mystical Freak said coldly. The two took their places and performed the proper salutes, then spread their arms and crouched in the horse stance. Mystical Freak’s stance was unusual, his left hand palm positioned at the right side of his stomach, his right palm at the space between his eyebrows, the back of his palm facing outward and slanted, as if he could flick it out at any time. His feet were in a 丁 shape, but more like a Xuanmen disciple’s Big Dipper stance, but both feet were off. This kind of unorthodox posture was really strange. Brother Yu’s form was the more traditional Four Flat Posture, both palms level, facing up, the left palm slightly out half an arm’s length, showing when the attack comes, it would be from the right palm. Because the left palm was out a bit, the full power could not be used, there was not enough distance to let out all the power. The wind howled but it could not shake their horse stances. Nine Extremes Deity’s gown did not rustle, and his long beard, not bothered by the wind, hung straight down. According to reason, this was not a possible occurrence. His three tufts of beard were nearly a foot long, but not being blown by the wind? But that’s how it was. His face began to turn dark red, his palms becoming red like blood, his breathing seemed to have ceased, like he had already obtained the Xuanmen disciple’s Turtle Breathing essence. Mystical Freak’s body was also odd. The sleeves of his robe were not affected by the wind, but were instead swelling outward to rhythm of some unheard drum, rising and falling each time like an umbrella opening and closing, not slowly and not quickly. They both moved at the same time, closing the gap by five feet. A low shout, and they came together. A name of some place. The Chinese is 止止軒. Seems to be some Daoist martial arts school or maybe a temple of some kind? 九絕神君. Not sure how to translate 絕, so I went with "extremes". I don't really like it, but it's a hard word to translate to English. 仞 a measurement, equal to about eight Chinese feet 尺. 玄門, refers to Daoism. Not sure here if it is a name of a school or just a general term for Daoism. Thanks JohnD for introducing Yun Zhongyue. Thanks for reading everyone, hope you're liking it. This part is the last for chapter one. Chapter two will begin shortly. I won't be able to post so quickly all the time, but I wanted to get the first chapter done because it is always the hardest for me for some reason. Please forgive the outlandish nicknames, they are hard to translate well into English. I did my best. In this final part of chapter one we get to see Yun Zhongyue's fight scene technique. I quite like it as it's different from other wuxia writers I have read. He uses a lot of real martial arts terminology and he doesn't explain too much or drag the fight out too long. Anyway, enjoy! Both had had attained a high level of martial skill, their miraculous speed in reacting was equal. No one could say who actually attacked first, but anyway the sound of them clashing would make people dazzled. Four large palms moving rapidly, producing two light shockwaves, their shadows interlocking and passing, vigilantly striking and moving. Their shadows slanted and they separated, and immediately they spun and exchanged positions, moves striking out like moonlight reflected on flowing water, like lightning, then once again closing in to strike. “Pu Pu Pa!” Three strange sounds, energy bursting forth, and then the shadows divided. Nine Extremes Deity bellowed and pounced. His twin palms circled and flashed above and below Mystical Freak, fast as lightning, the power overwhelming. To the naked eye it looked to be a palm form, but actually it was an overbearing iron finger skill emphasizing grappling. Mystical Freak twisted and spun and threaded through the seams of the fingers. To Nine Extremes Deity’s left side, where he seized an opportunity to lash out and hook with his left foot. Nine Extremes Deity raised his left foot and shouted, his left palm turning and shooting out. A warm current followed his palm, its force like a thunderclap. “Pa!” Mystical Freak’s left palm turned and both palms connected. This strike was stone-smashing and heaven-shaking, and both were knocked back five or six feet from the impact. “I don’t believe it!” Nine Extremes Deity cried out. In a flash he closed in, shot his palm out like a shock of lightning, striking above and below. This time they didn't take it so lightly, now they didn't touch and go, but instead opened up the full strength of their learning while attacking, one move changing to another so fast the eye couldn't follow it. They fought violently for twenty rounds or so, the sound of their forceful strikes on their bodies lingering in the ear. Both of them possessed remarkable body-protecting qigong so they could endure the strikes, withstanding several without a care. They both looked for a chance to strike at their opponent’s vitals while protecting their own, but the other parts, were unable to avoid being struck. A good even match between two complementary foes, well-matched in a contest, six of one, half a dozen of the other, completely forgetting everything outside them, both parties using forceful energy on the other, now speeding up and pressing, their latent energy already brought out to its limit. Another twenty or thirty rounds passed and their moves began to slow. Once the moves slowed, one had to rely on his true strength to fight with all his might, and real opportunities became more and more. “Pu Pa!” They traded blows. “Pa!” Two palms suddenly struck home. Mystical Freak shook and his stance faltered. “Pei!” Nine Extremes Deity roared, attacking with all his power, his palm already at Mystical Freak’s throat, like a big axe chop startling heaven. This palm strike was quick and fierce, overwhelmingly powerful, if Mystical Freak could not dodge it, his neck very well might be smashed to pieces. Success was imminent, Nine Extremes Deity was ecstatic. Damn! He saw Mystical Freak’s neck unexpectedly follow the movement of his palm, but discovered his own right wrist was locked up, his true strength not yet decreased for being held up. But was being drawn in by a monstrous power, surging out like a tidal wave, once burst it could not be held back. Normally when one goes all-out one loses some control, once it’s out it cannot be recalled, and the force emitted is more violent, more overbearing, more mighty. He knew it was bad, but it was too late! There was no time to reconsider, life and death, victory and defeat would be decided in the twinkling of an eye. He shot forward and flew up, involuntarily flying out some thirty feet. He thought to control his body, but he was powerless to do so. When Mystical Freak’s hand had let go of his wrist, borrowing his strength to propel him in the blink of an eye, his vitality drained and his whole body shook like it had been struck by thunder and lightning, and he was too weak to move, he had no control over his body. “I’m finished!” he despairingly cried out from the bottom of his heart. “Peng!” He hit the ground and bounced and slid forward, toward the edge of the cliff. He heaved a long sigh, shut his eyes and waited for death. This fall, at the least would be a drop of two or three hundred feet before stopping, his bones would likely be smashed before then. He felt his sinking heart pause, and his sliding body was suddenly jerked up. Mystical Freak, just in time, grabbed right heel and pulled him up, from the gates of hell pulling him back out into the land of the living. “Twenty years ago, your fist and sword struck out my aspirations to lord it over heaven and earth. “Maybe it’s like that old man of the frontier who lost a horse, how can you know it’s not a blessing?” Mystical Freak said quietly. “Only you are a formidable adversary, not even the Four Heroes of the Wulin are worth a look. I hate you! I…” Nine Extremes Deity cried out like he had gone crazy. “I won’t argue with you, I’m leaving.” Mystical Freak turned to leave. Mystical Freak had already turned around and left quickly. “Ha ha ha ha…” Nine Extremes Deity crazily laughed up to the heavens. Mystical Freak shook his head and hurried his pace. Just past the old hall, past the small hill and the road junction. Below the short pines below rose three figures, a monk, a priest, and a pretty woman. Behind him a long laugh, and from inside the old hall strolled out two middle-aged men wearing white. They looked the same, their dress completely alike, down to the ornaments on their beltswords, really like a pair of strapping traveling scholars. “Ha ha! There’s still us Twin Savages of the World Cao Ying and Cao Jun,” one of them said. Nine Extremes Deity stood towering, laughing maniacally. The Three Evils of the Mortal World presently enjoyed eminence as followers of the demon’s path. The monk was Hundred Prohibitions Monk Wufei. According to rumors, this ‘stop-at-no-evil depraved Buddhist had no prohibitions, and he was the fifth of the Six Freaks. Who knows if it was true or not, even head Freak Qiu Lei was not certain of this scoundrel monk’s background. The old Daoist priest was Cultivating the Real West Dongting Shandong Divine Youxu. Youxu’s Xuanmen Big Dipper Energy had reached a state of near perfection. The pretty woman was Cloud Skirt Immortal Yuan Yuyan. At forty or so she still looked fresh as a twenty year old virgin. Twin Savages Cao Ying and Cao Jun were twin brothers. They were also about forty years old. Heavenly Savage Cao Ying was the most vicious. Once his sword was out of the scabbard it would not return until it saw blood. These two brothers had roamed heaven and earth for ten or more years, and rumor had it that they had never encountered a rival. The titles of these five, although not as resounding as that of the Six Freaks of the Jianghu, yet they were real talents, and they were not necessarily inferior to the Six Freaks. Although they had never tangled with Mystical Freak, but at least their manner showed they did not consider themselves inferior to him. Below, the Three Evils of the Mortal World strode forward. The Three Evils and the Savage Twins were all wulin masters, and when combined with the strength of Nine Extremes Deity, six is better than one. Mystical Freak, old hand of the rivers and lakes, knew that flaunting his superiority was no use, how could he wait for his opponents to surround him and attack? He turned it over in his mind, and shortly came up with an idea. He had to break through the Three Evils so he could escape off this mountain. There was no vegetation to hide in up here on the mountain, only in descending was there a way out. Below, the Three Evils had already arrived. Mystical Freak charged, bamboo root in hand. Just as he was about to hit the monk he turned his body and flew to the side, moving with unbelievable speed, soaring over the head of Hundred Prohibitions Monk. The slope was steep, he jumped ten feet or more over the monk’s head, and thirty feet out the height was already more than forty feet, dropping down meant either breaking his legs or his arms one. Forty feet high was already the height of three storeys. He fell rapidly, his whole body loose, and smacked with a jolt, his back and hands and feet landing at the same time. His landing technique was really something. The Three Evils turned and gave chase, followed by the Savage Twins. He slid down, down forty or fifty feet, and when he finally came to a halt he stood up and sprinted down. “Stop you old freak! You coward!” Hundred Prohibitions Monk shouted abuse and charged after him like a snorting bull. He broke through several crowded short pines, already a hundred steps out. Suddenly, he heard a strange sound from behind, but it was too late to reconsider, he heard a “Pa!” sound and felt his whole body shake, and from the pit of his stomach up to his eyes gold stars flashed by, his throat turned sweet, and he lost the ability to move. Normally, the Three Evils would not have been able to catch up to him, as his qinggong had already attained perfection, he was fast as lightning and moonlight on flowing water. The Three Evils were inferior to him by quite a bit. The one who attacked him from behind could not have been the Three Evils. “Who plots against me!” he shouted madly. He fell heavily and rolled quickly like a paper ingot. The one who launched a surprise attack was a curly-bearded hefty man who had earlier tucked away in the short pines waiting for him to pass before striking out with a palm to the back, catching him by surprise. Even though he didn't hit him dead-on, the Air-Splitting Palm was more terrible. “He suffered my Heart Busting Palm!” curly-beard said excitedly, and followed him down. Mystical Freak rolled to a stop, but just as the curly-bearded man was upon him, in a flash he sprang up suddenly and flew down the mountain. The curly-beard called out in surprise, dumbfounded for an instant, pausing in his tracks before coming to his senses and continuing the chase, but Mystical Freak had already ran away twenty steps or so. Past Upper Seal Temple, the mountain fresh and verdant, the main path deserted, Mystical Freak had already vanished into thin air. The seven demons searched every corner within three li of the vicinity, finally gathering up in disappointment on a small path in the corner under a cliff. “So strange! How could he escape?” the curly-bearded man said, his face a little bit unsettled. “You really hit him in the back?” Heavenly Savage Cao Ying asked, his sword-like eyebrows locked tight, his face betraying his doubt. “Absolutely, if I hadn't hit him in the back, how could he have fallen down?” the curly-beard explained resolutely. “But the old freak not only didn't meet his death, he even escaped under the very eyes of us seven masters,” Hundred Prohibitions Monk roared angrily. 牛鼻子. Ox nose, a derogatory term for a Daoist, so called because the traditional way Daoist priests were their hair up resembled an ox's nose. Also because it was said that the founder of Daoism, Laozi, rode an ox through the gate of the city on his way into retirement. 塞翁失馬，焉知非福. When the old man of the fortress lost his horse, who could know if it would be fortuitous or not? There is a story from the Huainanzi that goes: An old man living on the frontier lost his horse, and everyone tried to console him, but the old man said how can I know this is not a blessing? Later, the horse returned from the land of the Xiongnu, but it was accompanied by another, better horse. The story goes on, but this section of it is now used as a proverb, meaning a "blessing in disguise". A wooden fish is an instrument Buddhists used to remind monks to stay alert and focused on their meditations. It is struck in a steady rhythm. The percussion instrument itself is in the shape of a fish because a fish does not close its eyes, be it day or night. Therefore, the fish represents vigilance. It was a serious problem. The seven eyed each other, at a loss, their faces taking on a look of dread. “We’ll just have to spend some time searching heaven and earth to try to root him out and finish him,” Nine Extremes Deity forced himself to say. But everyone knew how it was. Seven people had laid an ambush, but still they had labored in vain. Searching heaven and earth, is that not easier said than done? And when he was found, what then? Mystical Freak’s ability to disguise himself was known to be without equal. A thousand faces and ten-thousand transformations, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. He had already been missing for ten years without a word of news about him. Of the thousands of people among the rivers and lakes, who among them had not run across him unawares, how could you go look for him? Hundred Prohibitions Monk hadn’t really faced off man to man with Mystical Freak, so it was hard to avoid him being a bit conceited. But though his words betrayed no fear, in his heart sat a rumbling of misgivings. On the path below strolled four people wearing green. The man leading was about fifty years old, with a triangular face with a pair of expressionless mountain goat eyes. In his belt a three-section staff, and under his arm he carried an extra large ‘hundred treasures’ bag. There was a dark, gloomy ghostly feeling about him, which helped to make him forgettable, and warn others with one glance not to provoke him. “Are you trying to provoke us?” Cloud Skirt Immortal said, her face clearly showing an inciting look. “What do you think we’re doing here?” Heavenly Savage Cao Ying asked coldly. “That’s right,” Spirit Calling Envoy said off-hand. “Is he an enemy or a friend?” Remote Void said. “Hard to say, it will have to wait until I’ve met him that I decide that,” said without expression. “He is going to meet with you?” Nine Extremes Deity said. “If he fails to appreciate a favor, I will make him acknowledge it,” Spirit Calling Envoy said proudly. His words were shocking, and the seven people’s hearts all jumped. “You don’t believe me, Brother Yu?” Spirit Calling Envoy said. “You want to have a go?” Spirit Calling Envoy asked coldly. “Why not?” Nine Extremes Deity said indignantly. He spoke madly, really madly, to face the famous Nine Extremes Deity, yet fearlessly charge ahead, doing exactly what he said, his Dragon Appears Palm shooting out, a wild move, indeed causing people to stop and take notice. His palm shot out not fast at all, it was clear he was not using his real internal strength, his horse stance also not well-established. The way Brother Wan spread out his arms and legs and moved, it was really like no one else in the world. The two palms connected and suddenly power burst forth, a hot wave spreading out in all directions. Brother Wan took a step back, then retreated another three steps, his expression changing. His right hand was shaking uncontrollably, his palm had clearly not taken it lightly. Nine Extremes Deity also didn’t take it well, retreating two steps the red in his face and hand slowly dissipating. He couldn’t lift his right arm. Brother Lü extended his palm and his face suddenly went pale as paper and he thrust his palm out effortlessly. It was like his whole body suddenly shrank. He was short to begin with, but he had clearly become shorter still. For those who are seventy percent or more proficient in Empyreal Wind, the palm will emit a thunderclap sound and then disappear. Any opposing force, once meeting Empyreal Wind will be thrown back with a shock and Empyreal Wind will seize the opportunity to shoot out more than three feet, strong enough to wound. Remote Void Regulated Breathing Scholar’s level of attainment with the Empyreal Wind skill was already more than seventy percent so you could tell anything was different just by watching his palms. Something strange happened, the priest was five feet away, his palm extended, and the hollow of his palm was no more than half a foot away from Brother Lü. Brother Lü raised his hand to meet it, and his palm just did come in contact with the priest’s. The priest suddenly flew back eight feet, letting out a strong scream. Brother Lü laughed coldly, then without a word, returned to his position and stood with his arms folded. Nine Extremes Deity and the others were all stupefied, staring in disbelief at the unremarkable-looking Brother Lü. “What kind of strange skill was that?” Remote Void Regulated Breathing Scholar said, shocked, his face green and pale, his arrogance completely evaporated, fear clearly visible in his eyes. Spirit Calling Envoy humphed and stood with his hands behind his back, a smug look on his face. Nine Extremes Deity was no dummy, he knew that Remote Void Regulated Breathing Scholar had lost face, so he smiled faintly and turned to his companions and waved his hand. The seven cut out of there quickly with their tails between their legs. Spirit Calling Envoy and his fellows searched the vicinity for an hour, but finally descended the mountain in disappointment. In the old days, a bag a warrior would carry around which contained all his necessary items. It may not be clear from the dialogue, but Brother Lü was being sarcastic when he asked for leniency, prompting Remote Void’s response. 狼狽. 狼 means wolf, and 狽 is another kind of wolf-like creature, possibly legendary. The phrase means to be between a wolf and this other creature, or to be between a rock and a hard place as we say in English. That is, a difficult situation. Here the phrase is used to show that they got out of their quickly and cut sorry figures doing it, hence I used the “tail between your legs” idiom so common in English. To the right of Returning Goose Peak is Magnificent Spirit Peak, and between them sat a big manor, its master, Wei Anren, the third of the Four Heroes of the Wulin. The Calm Sword Great Xia Wei was often called by friends of the jianghu the Retired Scholar of the Southern Mountain. Wei Anren was usually absent from his manor, as halfway up Returning Goose Peak he had erected a small study where he went to cultivate and enjoy himself. He was also one of the Ten Great Protectors of the Dharma of the Sandalwood Tree at Goose Peak Monastery. For the past few years he seldom roamed the rivers and lakes, having developed a sentimental fondness for the misty rain of Goose Peak. About a li distant from Goose Peak Monastery was the manor of Zhuang Shirong. From the foot of Returning Goose Peak to the summit was the sphere of influence of those with wealth and power. Villas everywhere, pavilions and terraces, flowers and trees, more beauty than one can take in. To get from his study to the prefectural city one must pass the three-forked junction to the left of the Zhuang manor, where on the roadside the Zhuang family had erected the Mist and Rain Pavilion for travelers to stop and rest. On that day, not long after noon, Yiping wore a green robe, walking along the small path to the prefectural city with his brother Yixin. As they passed the Mist and Rain Pavilion, on the right they could see the towering Goose Peak Monastery, and to the north the city emerging in the distance below. Yixin was eight years Yiping’s senior, but he was not as strongly built as Yiping. He had studied at the prefectural school for ten years, and had twice sat the triennial provincial examinations without success. He held only the rank of Xiucai, and at the moment held no hope for success, so he could only return to the family home and help with the farming. Still, in this area, the rank of xiucai was already a high position. Yiping was speechless and did not speak for some time. “Little Brother, today I’m taking you to the store to have a look, dad wants…” Yixin said, trying to change the subject. “Big Brother, can you really not see?” Yiping said. “See what?” Yixin really didn’t understand. “I have my own plans,” Yiping said calmly. “That’s right, the world is a big place,” Yiping said, smiling. “No, Little Brother, you…” Yixin said, worried. Yiping stopped him with a gesture. There was someone coming and he didn’t want others to hear what they were discussing. Yixin also saw the person approaching, and his face changed slightly. Two big men wearing black, following a twelve-year-old boy, walking proudly with heads held high. The young man wore blackish-green short jacket and trousers. He not only looked refined, he also at turns delicate and pretty, and strong and robust, his eyes glittering, his face carrying a mischievous appearance. Holding a bamboo stick, walking and batting the vegetation on the side of the road with it, laughing and hurrying as the leaves fluttered about. The boy saw the Yixin and Yiping and stopped smacking the vegetation, and he stared curiously at Yiping, his eyes betraying his shrewdness. Yixin grabbed his brother’s arm and they smilingly made way to the side of the road. Yiping frowned and his face sank. The boy’s features were delicate, cute, his face white like powder or a jade carving, vigorous from head to toe, everybody’s darling, how could such a one be anything but cultured? “I am the Fourth Brother of the Zhuang family, what of it?” Yiping’s manner was unfriendly, he had already developed an intense dislike for this lad. “What did you say?” The lad fumed. Yiping stepped back when he was kicked, and how he balled his fists, ready to demonstrate his power. “Little Brother, don’t,” Yixin said hurriedly. Yiping contained his anger, only sighing in incomprehension. “Young Master, don’t take offense,” Yixin apologized submissively. The lad humphed, smiled haughtily, and motioned to the two men, and they went on their way. “Yunfei? The higher they fly, the heavier they fall. Humph! He’ll bring trouble to the Wei family,” Yiping said angrily. Henceforth, he had a very bad impression of the Wei family, an impression too deep to analyze. Of course he knew the master of the Wei family was the third of the Four Heroes of the Wulin, known as Calm Sword. His swordplay emphasized calm, still movements, ending abruptly when not attacking, but hitting the mark when attacking. Those in the jianghu also called the Four Heroes of the Wulin the Four Sword Sages, as all of them were renowned among the martial grove for their exceptional swordplay. The first among their ranks was the Eastern Deity, the Divine Sword of Penglai Divine Mountain Lu Fei, whose swordplay was miraculous. He was known as the top swordsman of the wulin. The Western Daoist was ranked second. It was said he came from Western Kunlun, and his Daoist name was Heavenly Immortal. His nickname was Foreign Sword. Kunlun disciples were famous among the wulin for their swordplay. Heavenly Immortal’s swordplay was strange and fantastic. Those who met him in a fight were mystified before falling to his sword. The old priest had no quarrel with people, but the sect’s disciples varied in rank and personality. Ranked fourth was Northern Mountain Hegemon Sword Chang Zongyuan. He lived on Mt. Song on the east side of Five Tiger Ridge in a small secluded mountain village. He was Shaolin’s most accomplished layman, already attaining the essence of the Dharma Sword Skill which was extremely powerful. The swordplay of the Four Sword Sages each had its strong points, and although their accomplishments were not unprecedented, among the contemporary rivers and lakes it was very difficult to find someone who could best them in swordplay. The four were scattered among the four directions. Some people think: If the four were to fight each other, who would be the best? But this is an unnecessary question, because they were all self-cultivated and magnanimous and righteous persons. Even if they gathered together they wouldn’t fight over position or rank. The ranking of the Four Sword Sages had nothing to do with the superiority or inferiority of their skill, but was just a way for those among the rivers and laked to remember easily, so they used East, West, South, and North to rank them, nothing more. Yixin had no idea that his brother was a wulin master, much less that his brother was familiar with the ins and outs of the rivers and lakes. They didn’t talk much more, but hurried on toward the prefectural city. 大俠, lit. Great/Big Xia, a title, the xia is the same xia as in “wuxia”. Basically, a Chinese knight-errant. 秀才, a title granted to those who pass the county-level examinations. 畝, a measurement used for land, about 1/6 acre or 0.0667 hectare. Guandong, in the deep south of China, was home to a lot of unsinicized tribes at this time, which the Chinese referred to as barbarians. 三腳貓, lit. three-legged cat, means jack-of-all-trades, but specifically the negative meaning of that English idiom, that is, someone who has a superficial knowledge of many things, but is not outstanding in anything. The boy is calling the Zhuang family a bunch of mediocre, third-rate martial artists. Here is a video of the author himself, Yun Zhongyue! I added the subtitles myself, hope they make sense. First time I've ever subtitled anything. Yun Zhongyue passed away in 2010 and this video is in memory of him. Make sure the "CC" button is on for the subtitles/captions to work. JohnD : Thanks for translating this story. I really enjoy and appreciate it. After watching the video, and knowing that YZY is a very realistic writer, I wonder if you would be willing to post pictures of the locations mentioned in this story. For example : the small mountain at the southern extremity of Mt. Heng which is called Returning Goose Peak, etc. I think it would be really awesome. I don't mind to help you if you need hands. The Zhuang family had several shops in the prefectural city, Clear Water Xiang shop the largest. It sold locally-produced products to the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, the ships loaded in Hengzhou. The Zhuang family had an agreement with the shipping companies, their storehouses frequently piled with goods. Yixin had his own matters to attend to, so he only dallied in the shop a short while before leaving his brother with the manager to arrange things. There were a lot of small jobs to do around the shop, and dealing with customers was no simple matter, it could be quite complicated. One must be patient and flexible in handling affairs in order to do it well. The shop stayed busy until around the hour of the monkey, and the manager always had several clerks to help him. He was confused, how could there be someone looking for me? As far as he knew, he didn’t have any friends or acquaintances with the surname Liu, but how could a shop not receive a guest? He thought about having the manager go to meet the guest with him, but he refrained. He had been back home for only a few days, and this was his first day on the job, so to have someone suddenly show up to see him surprised him. The reception room was where clients were received and business was discussed, and when he arrived he instructed a clerk to prepare tea. At the door to the reception room was a middle-aged man with an honest face. The guest was none other than Mystical Freak Qiu Lei, who had escaped with his life from Zhurong Peak. “I could tell from your eyes,” Yiping said with a smile. Zhuang Yiping was unable to maintain his composure, his face changed slightly. “Seems that way…” Mystical Freak told about his run in on Zhurong Peak with Nine Extremes Deity. Finally, he said, “I was hiding in the grasses after suffering injury and trying to recover, all I could do was hide it out, but just then Spirit Calling Envoy ran into those other lowlife trash and had to duke it out, not more than eight feet away from where I was hiding. “I bet it’s probably Calm Sword Wei Anren,” Zhuang Yiping said confidently. “Whether you have or haven’t doesn’t matter, but its affect is another matter. I’m afraid you will be seized with a sudden impulse to take matters into your own hands, and you might get played and trapped into something you can’t get yourself out of. “Calm Sword conducts himself well, if he has been unable to endure the threats and bribes and has thrown in with Yan Jian, that would be the martial grove’s misfortune. The martial fraternity’s integrity would be completely ruined. Sunset clouds filled the sky, Zhuang Yiping walked route back to his home. He appeared to be laden with anxiety, walking with his hands clasped behind his back and his head down, lost in thought. A weary crow returning to the forest, on the small path one frequently could see people traveling in twos and threes, heading back home. Passing through a small wood, he heard the sound of footsteps. He didn’t pay any attention. He had only been back home a few days, he had been gone for twelve years, none of the neighbors come these past ten years left much of an impression on him. Whoever was coming probably would not recognize him. In the last ten years he had grown up, even his close relatives had not recognized his change, so there was no need to say hello. A burst of light, high grade, particularly delicate fragrance entered his nose. He froze, then instinctively turned his head back to look. A brief glimpse and he froze again. Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, and Guangxi were collectively referred to as Hu-Guang. Qilin, 麒麟, a mythical creature somewhat akin to a unicorn, but is chimeric. “Oh! What a pretty girl,” he thought. Then recognition shook him. The feeling pulled him back more than ten years to vague memories from when he was a kid. She was a refined, beautiful girl, two eyes like deep pools, her pupils sparkling like diamonds. Although she wore plain unadorned clothes, it couldn’t cover up her graceful bearing, and it really couldn’t cover up her beauty. In short, she was a fifteen or sixteen year old bud in the flower of her youth, truly a hard to forget young girl! She also recognized him and her face glowed with astonishment. Her feet slowed and the wildflowers in her hand suddenly fell to the ground. He knew who she was, and he thought of the little tyrant who had kicked him earlier. First impressions were most important. If the first encounter is pleasant then if there is no special incidents, that impression won’t change. At the same time, the impression extends to associations. If you like the person tehn you will also like that person’s brothers, sisters, and friends. And vice-versa. Zhuang Gege (Gege=big brother), do you really think that?” Chunchun asked faintly. “Thanks for waiting for me,” he mumbled. Mentioning the little tyrant, his mood began to darken. He left home when he was twelve, Chunchun was only six then. In their area all the kids would play together every day, running around the mountain stealing peaches and picking plums. Chunchun and the other seven or eight kids who were around six to eight years old would all follow the boys. Back then he didn’t have any special feeling toward the gentle girl who would cry so easily and liked to follow him around, he just knew Chunchun didn’t like to contend with the others for things, so he would often give her extra fruit to make up the difference, nothing more than that. Then, that crybaby girl still followed behind him. But in fact that ugly girl had turned into a celestial maiden, now she walked beside him and talked tirelessly of the past. He remembered Chunchun had two elder brothers. The oldest was Yunpeng, four years older than him. He had been the leader of their group of boys. He grown strong like a mountain and his disposition was just as fierce. The second brother was Yunyi, he was two years older than him. He was a dirty troublemaker who was always the fastest to steal his neighbor’s fruit. Anyhow, the two boys didn’t take good care of their little sister, as if they felt a crybaby little sister tagging along behind them spoied their splendor and pleasure. “Are your brothers well?” he asked. He remembered better now, Xiaoxia, that eight or nine years old girl in pigtails, clever and cunning and coquettish, everyone liked her. Yes, he liked Xiaoxia the best, they had been childhood playmates. Now she already had to kids of her own. “Don’t joke around, Chunchun.” He forced a smile. “If I really went to see her it would only make her days more troublesome. Rumors would abound and it would be the talk of the town. As they walked side by side talking carefree about the old days they lost track of time and before they knew it Mist and Rain Pavilion came into view. Not far from there was Yiping’s house. A three-way junction lay before the pavilion, one of the other pathes led to Wei Family Manor. Two dark shadows emerged on the little path. They stood before the pavilion and saw Yiping and Chunchun walking side by side. The little path was not very wide so they of course had to walk close together, making them look intimate. The two shadows were two handsome young men, dark robes fluttering, obviously men of talent. Especially the one on the left dressed like a scholar, who wore a pearl and jade inlaid magnificent long sword. He looked stalwart and unrestrained. His arrogant, heaven-disdaining dignified tiger gaze made one not dare to look at him the wrong way. “That’s my younger sister,” the young man on the right said. “Who is that person?” The sword-wearing scholar asked, his slanting eyebrows knit, eyes flashing like cold lightning. Zhuang Yiping these past ten years had roamed the jianghu with his shifu, who had hid his identity and covered his true appearance and taken him tosee coldly all matters of the jianghu. Therefore, he was familar with the jianghu, he had seen and heard a lot, but unless it was a life-and-death crisis he didn’t meddle in others’ affairs, but the activites of the jianghu didn’t not escape he and his shifu. “Eh! How do you know all this jianghu stuff?” Chunchun asked, surprised. “That……I’m not too sure about.” They quickened their pace and were soon at the pavilion. Wei Yunyi returned the greeting and smiled, “News of your return has already spread within and without the city, you still look faintly the same as before, how could I not remember? The sword-carrying scholar really was Gongsun Yunchang. As soon as his eyes lit on Wei Chunchun they radiated. Introductions complete, they said a few polite words. When Gongsun Yunchang heard Wei Yunyi introduce Yiping as part-farmer, part-businessman, son of the country wealthy man who never leaves Hengzhou, how could he not look down on Yiping? Plus Yiping’s plain clothes, so even a nod and a greeteing from him was obviously forced. But Wei Chunchun, the Young Master of the Wulin was particular attentive to her, smilng proudly, he said with pleasure to her, “From what your brother says, your waigong and neigong training has reached an outstanding level, worth notice to all under heaven. Presently the whole world is un upheaval, disciples from all the famous schools are making their start among the jianghu, there’s really no lack of talent among the wulin. Gongsun Yunchang, standing to the side, his tiger eyes flashed cold lightning.

2019-04-20T23:14:17Z

http://wuxiasociety.freeforums.net/thread/409/magic-sword-sentimental-flower-zhongyue

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at http://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/4357, first published Feb 18, 2015. Background: Many concerns have been raised about pharmaceutical companies marketing their drugs directly to consumers on social media. This form of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) can be interactive and, because it is largely unmonitored, the benefits of pharmaceutical treatment could easily be overemphasized compared to the risks. Additionally, nonexpert consumers can share their own drug product testimonials on social media and illegal online pharmacies can market their services on popular social media sites. There is great potential for the public to be exposed to misleading or dangerous information about pharmaceutical drugs on social media. Objective: Our central aim was to examine how pharmaceutical companies use social media to interact with the general public and market their drugs. We also sought to analyze the nature of information that appears in search results for widely used pharmaceutical drugs in the United States on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube with a particular emphasis on the presence of illegal pharmacies. Methods: Content analyses were performed on (1) social media content on the Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies in the world and (2) the content that appears when searching on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for the top 20 pharmaceutical drugs purchased in the United States. Notably, for the company-specific analysis, we examined the presence of information similar to various forms of DTCA, the audience reach of company postings, and the quantity and quality of company-consumer interaction. For the drug-specific analysis, we documented the presence of illegal pharmacies, personal testimonials, and drug efficacy claims. Results: From the company-specific analysis, we found information similar to help-seeking DTCA in 40.7% (301/740) of pharmaceutical companies’ social media posts. Drug product claims were present in only 1.6% (12/740) of posts. Overall, there was a substantial amount of consumers who interacted with pharmaceutical companies through commenting (23.9%, 177/740). For the drug-specific analysis, we found that the majority of search results contained drug product claims (69.4%, 482/695); more claims mentioned only benefits (44.8%, 216/482) relative to only risks (27.2%, 131/482). Additionally, approximately 25% (150/603) of posts on Twitter and YouTube were presented as personal testimonials. A considerable percentage of content on Facebook contained advertisements for illegal online pharmacies (17%, 16/92). Conclusions: Pharmaceutical companies avoid making drug product claims on their social media accounts but frequently post content that is consistent with FDA definitions for help-seeking DTCA. Thousands of people often view content posted by pharmaceutical companies on social media; users also share company postings making both direct and indirect influence possible. Finally, people are likely to be exposed to drug product claims and information about illegal pharmacies when searching for information about popular pharmaceutical drugs on social media. Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of pharmaceutical products is an increasingly used but widely debated practice [1,2]. Electronic DTCA (eDTCA), in particular, is a rapidly growing marketing strategy that was recently declared a “global health challenge” . In particular, the features and affordances of social media (ie, interactive Web platforms where users can connect, collaborate, and exchange user-generated content) add complexity to pharmaceutical drug marketing. For instance, pharmaceutical companies can quickly and cheaply reach a variety of consumers online with multimodal, interactive, promotional activities, and consumers can produce promotional content as well . Despite growing concerns about harmful effects, there is a lack of academic research on eDTCA . Given that approximately 75% of adults online in the United States use social media frequently , it is critical to examine how social media are being used for eDTCA [4,5]. This study seeks to further our understanding of eDTCA by examining how pharmaceutical companies use social media to interact with the general public and market their drugs. In addition to pharmaceutical companies’ official social media accounts, it is important to document what information consumers are exposed to when searching popular social media sites for drug information. Researchers have noted that other consumers’ reviews and testimonials are often quite persuasive [3-5]. The extent to which nonexperts make drug efficacy claims and share personal testimonials on social media currently has not been well documented despite the potential for such information to highly influence viewers. Public health officials are also greatly concerned that social media sites are being used to promote or host illegal pharmacies that directly harm patients [3,7,8]. The presence of drug efficacy claims and illegal pharmacies on social media sites is important to examine because these media have the potential to convey a degree of credibility to content they host . Put differently, people might trust the claims made by illegal pharmacies or nonexperts more when the claims are hosted on popular social media sites than on strange or unknown websites. To better understand the prevalence of these concerns and how severely the public might be affected by drug information on social media, we analyzed the nature of information resulting from searches for the 20 most highly sold drugs in the United States on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The practice of DTCA is controversial. Proponents suggest DTCA has positive effects, such as generating disease awareness and increasing patient involvement in health decisions, but opponents suggest DTCA promotes misinformation, overemphasizes the benefits of pharmaceutical treatment over the risks, increases inappropriate prescribing, and more [2,10,11]. Due to these concerns, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the content of DTCA, banning all untruthful or misleading advertisements . Additionally, the FDA requires product claim advertisements, a specific type of DTCA that names the drug and the condition(s) it treats, to present a “fair balance” of the benefits and risks of product use. In print advertisements, pharmaceutical companies must provide a brief summary of all risks associated with product use to meet fair-balance requirements. For broadcast advertisements, a statement of the major risks and information on where to locate complete risk information is required. The 2 other types of DTCA, reminder advertisements and help-seeking advertisements, do not indicate which condition(s) a product treats and thus are not subject to fair-balance rules. Reminder advertisements name the drug and often include information on dosage form or price. Help-seeking advertisements describe a health condition and encourage consumers to discuss the condition and potential treatment options with their doctor. Online promotional activities, or eDTCA, now occupy an increased share of pharmaceutical companies’ marketing budgets and more companies are marketing through social media [2,3]. Public health researchers have documented the negative effects that can occur from frequent and widespread eDTCA [3,4]. However, it remains unclear how pharmaceutical companies are currently using social media to market their drugs. Prior to changes in Facebook’s commenting policy, many companies had specific social media pages for their products [3,12]. Although most product-specific pages have since been discontinued, pharmaceutical companies still maintain official social media accounts. As such, the first step of this study was to assess the extent to which information akin to the 3 forms of DTCA is present on major pharmaceutical companies’ official social media accounts. We also documented the audience reach of eDTCA and whether companies are adhering to the FDA’s fair-balance guidelines on social media. In addition to eDTCA shared directly by companies, the interactive nature of social media has raised concerns that consumers might provide inaccurate and dangerous information about drugs on the official social media platforms of pharmaceutical companies . People might be more likely to trust information posted by an outside source, particularly if the source claims to have personal experience with the topic at hand [3-5]. Additionally, pharmaceutical companies can potentially delete or alter negative consumer reviews, leaving only the most flattering portrayals behind . Accordingly, we examined whether pharmaceutical companies provide formal policies that regulate what users can post to their official social media accounts (hereafter user postings/contributions are referred to as “user-generated content”) and the frequency and nature of the posted user-generated content. Specifically, we examine whether users posted personal testimonials about health-related issues, the tone of user-generated comments, and the degree to which companies interacted with consumers. Although people can get information directly from pharmaceutical companies’ sites, they can also search for information about particular drugs within popular social media sites. In particular, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are 3 of the most common social media platforms [5,6,13,14] that provide search capabilities; in a recent survey, 40% of participants had searched for health information on general social media sites such as these before . The pharmaceutical drug information shared on these sites could have a large impact on their users’ treatment decisions. Specifically, personal testimonials and drug efficacy claims, particularly from people unaffiliated with the pharmaceutical company, can be highly influential [3-5]. What information are people exposed to when they search for pharmaceutical drugs on social media? To address this question, we analyzed the nature of information people are exposed to when searching for the 20 most highly sold drugs in the United States on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Of critical interest to public health researchers is the extent to which illegal pharmacies are allowed to persist online. Illegal pharmacies are sites where consumers can purchase prescription drugs without a prescription and can compromise public safety by providing drugs to people who have not consulted medical officials and/or by providing counterfeit drugs that are ineffective, lead to injury, or cause death [7,8,12,15]. Given these serious implications for public health safety, we assessed the extent to which people are exposed to illegal pharmacies when searching on popular social media sites for commonly purchased pharmaceutical drugs. In analyzing the results that appear when people search for pharmaceutical drugs on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, we more broadly documented the audience reach of the resulting pages and classified who controls the social media accounts (ie, is the site proprietor the pharmaceutical company or a consumer). We also documented the format and tone of the information posted as well as the nature of the associated user-generated comments. To what extent is eDTCA present on pharmaceutical companies’ social media accounts? What is the nature of the user-generated content present on pharmaceutical companies’ social media accounts? To what extent are (1) drug efficacy claims, (2) personal testimonials, and (3) illegal pharmacies present when searching on popular social media sites for pharmaceutical drugs? Two content analyses (company-specific and drug-specific) were conducted. For the company-specific analysis, the social media content of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies in the global and US Fortune 500 rankings were analyzed [16,17]. The drug-specific content analysis examined information on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube about the top 20 drugs in 2013 based on US spending . Table 1 lists the pharmaceutical companies and drugs examined. Table 1. Pharmaceutical companies and drugs examined. We analyzed (1) the social media information on the company’s website; (2) each company’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube page-level characteristics (eg, overall number of followers, commenting policies); (3) randomly selected posts appearing on those pages; and (4) user-generated comments on the randomly selected posts. For the individual posts, we randomly selected 20 posts from each site during a 1-year time frame (October 1, 2013-September 30, 2014). For pages with fewer than 20 posts in the time frame, the 20 most recent posts were selected. A total of 740 posts and 348 user-generated comments were analyzed. See Figures 1 and 2 for examples of content analyzed in the company-specific analysis. Figure 1. Example Facebook page from company-specific analysis. Figure 2. Example tweet from company-specific analysis. For Facebook and YouTube, each drug’s name was entered into the site’s search bar. Because most people do not venture past the first page of search results , the top 10 results were selected. Additionally, we collected the 10 most recent user-generated comments on the selected pages. For Twitter, we searched for each drug using a hashtag with the drug name (eg, #abilify) and randomly selected 20 tweets made within a 1-year time period (October 1, 2013-September 30, 2014). See Figure 3 for an example tweet from the drug-specific analysis. As in previous social media analyses, the sample was limited to content written in English [20,21]. A total of 800 pages/tweets/videos were analyzed. Figure 3. Example tweet from drug-specific analysis. Any social media site links on the company’s official webpage, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn, Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, or blogs, were recorded. As in other content analyses of social media, the page likes (Facebook), followers (Twitter), and subscribers (YouTube) were coded to assess audience reach [20,22]. For each page, the presence or absence of a policy for user-generated comments was recorded. If a commenting policy existed, we assessed whether it prohibited discussions of (1) drug products, (2) drug benefits, and (3) drug risks, and whether the policy stated (4) the company would remove misinformation and (5) how users should report adverse events to the FDA. We assessed whether the content was originally authored by (1) the pharmaceutical company, (2) other for-profit company, (3) media outlet (news, television, radio, etc), (4) government agency, (5) nonprofit or academic organization, (6) consumer, or (7) other source. These categories were adapted from previous social media content analyses [23,24]. We coded the presence or absence of the following content for each post/comment. Using the FDA’s DTCA definitions, a post/comment could include (1) drug product claims or information about a specific drug and condition(s) it treats, (2) reminder information or information about a specific drug without uses, or (3) help-seeking information or information about a health condition without mentioning a treatment. For drug product claims, it was also noted whether the content included benefit and/or risk information. Additionally, content could include (4) nondrug treatment or information about nonpharmaceutical options to treat conditions and/or improve physical or mental health, (5) company information or news, or (6) job information/career opportunities. Based on previously used categories , we assessed the format of the information posted online. Information could be presented as either one or a combination of the following: (1) video, (2) image, (3) audio, and/or (4) text. Additionally, a post/comment could be an (5) interactive click-and-choose activity (poll, quiz, contest, or game) or (6) personalized/tailored content, where users receive a unique response based on provided information. We also coded whether a post/comment was presented as a testimonial (personal experience or story) or as didactic information (facts, reasons, or opinions without personal experience). The interactivity of the post was assessed in multiple ways. First, following previous social media studies, we coded audience engagement as the number of “likes” (Facebook, YouTube), views (YouTube), shares (Facebook), and retweets and favorites (Twitter) [20,24]. Second, we assessed whether commenting was allowed and, if so, if the post solicited comments (ie, directly asked users to comment, retweet, or share the content) . Third, the number of user-generated comments on each post and the number of company replies were recorded. The valence of user-generated comments was coded as either (1) positive (ie, expressing support for the company, its products, or the content of the initial post), (2) negative (ie, expressing opposition to the company, its products, or the content of the initial post), or (3) mixed/neutral (ie, expressing both support and opposition). User-generated comments could also either be (1) relevant to the original post and on-topic or (2) irrelevant to the original post and clearly off-topic. In addition to using the source options from the company-specific analysis, we also noted whether the site proprietor or account holder/creator was (1) an individual, (2) pharmaceutical company/representative, (3) another organization/group, or (4) other. The presence or absence of the following information was recorded for both the main posts and the user-generated comments. First, it was assessed whether the content was actually about the drug. Additionally, the content could make a claim about the drug’s efficacy; if coded, we assessed whether the claim included benefit and/or risk information. Other content included (1) alternative treatment options, including other drugs or behaviors; (2) pharmaceutical company news; (3) emotional/informational support from other patients; (4) illegal pharmacies; and (5) lawsuits against the pharmaceutical company. See Figure 4 for an example of an illegal pharmacy on Facebook. The format codes from the company-specific analysis were used to classify the format of the content in the drug-specific analysis. We also coded whether the content was presented as humorous, such as joking about the side effects of the drug, or serious/nonhumorous. Figure 4. Example Facebook page from drug-specific analysis. Two separate teams of 3 coders each practiced extensively to clarify definitions and coding decisions. Each coder averaged a training time of approximately 30 hours. Each team coded 10% of their respective samples for reliability testing and intercoder reliability was established for all reported variables (Krippendorff’s α>.70). For the company-specific analysis, Krippendorff’s alpha scores ranged from .73 to 1.00. For the drug-specific analysis, scores ranged from .81 to 1.00. With the exception of Sinopharm, all pharmaceutical companies linked to at least one social media account on their website. Twitter was the most common social media site used (93%, 14/15), followed by Facebook (66%, 10/15), YouTube (66%, 10/15), and LinkedIn (60%, 9/15). Other less common social media sites included blogging platforms (26%, 4/15), Pinterest (26%, 4/15), Instagram (13%, 2/15), Flickr (13%, 2/15), and Google+ (6%, 1/15). The audience reach of 38 pages (10 Facebook, 17 Twitter, and 11 YouTube) was analyzed. The Facebook pages ranged in likes from 4716 to 642,816 (mean 105,806, SD 194,560; median 21,342.50, IQR 113,799). The Twitter pages ranged from 1521 to 98,589 followers (mean 36,723, SD 32,770). The YouTube accounts had a mean 2074 subscribers (SD 3169; median 924, IQR 1879), ranging from zero to 11,096 subscribers. Across sites, the majority of pages did not have a formal commenting policy (63%, 24/38). Of the existing policies, most suggested misinformation would be removed (92%, 13/14), but did not explicitly prohibit consumers from making claims about their pharmaceutical products (85%, 12/14). The majority of policies did, however, provide information on how to report adverse events to the FDA (85%, 12/14). A total of 740 posts on pharmaceutical companies’ social media accounts (200 Facebook, 340 Twitter, and 200 YouTube) and 348 user-generated comments (225 Facebook, 69 Twitter, and 54 YouTube) were analyzed. Table 2 displays the percentage of posts and user-generated comments on company-run Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages that included information that matched the FDA’s definition of DTCA. Help-seeking information was the most common form of eDTCA; it was present in approximately 40% of all main posts (301/740), but was more commonly found on YouTube and Twitter than on Facebook (χ22=14.6, P=.001). Drug product claims were present in only 1.6% of posts (12/740); of these, all posts mentioned the benefits of the drug (12/12) and only 33% (4/12) also mentioned its risks. Only 0.1% (1/740) of posts contained reminder information. Overall, most eDTCA found in pharmaceutical companies’ social media posts could be classified as help-seeking advertisements; specific information about drug products was rare. However, when drug product claims were made, the majority did not follow fair-balance rules. a Percentages in table based on column N, except where noted. b Statistically underrepresented in sample. c Statistically overrepresented in sample. d Percentages based on drug product claim posts only (n=12). e Percentages based on drug product claim comments only (n=4). The user-generated comments on pharmaceutical companies’ social media posts followed a similar pattern. Information that matched the FDA’s definition of a help-seeking advertisement was the most common in comments (8.6%, 30/348) and was primarily found in user replies to company tweets (χ22=8.5, P=.02). Drug product claim information was present in 1.1% (4/348) of comments, with half of these comments mentioning only benefits and half mentioning only risks. Similar to posts, reminder information was rare in comments (0.6%, 2/348). Overall, user-generated comments did not contain much DTCA-related information, but of those containing drug product claims, half did not provide any risk information. Table 3 displays the percentage of non-DTCA content in posts and user-generated comments on company-run Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages. The majority of pharmaceutical companies’ posts shared company news (63.4%, 469/740), with this information most commonly shared on Twitter (χ22=15.3, P<.001). A small portion of posts shared job information (5.0%, 37/740) and approximately 15% (112/740) of posts shared nondrug treatments for improving health. User-generated comments followed a similar pattern, as company news was the most common type of content (21.3%, 74/348) followed by nondrug treatments (2.9%, 10/348) and job information (1.4%, 5/348). Overall, both pharmaceutical companies’ social media posts and user-generated comments primarily discussed company news. a Percentages in table based on column n. Pharmaceutical companies authored the vast majority of content on their social media sites (91.9%, 680/740). However, pharmaceutical companies also shared information from media sources (3.8%, 28/740), advocacy groups (1.8%, 13/740), government agencies (1.2%, 9/740), and other companies and groups (1.3%, 10/740). Consumers posted the majority of user-generated comments (79.6%, 277/348), although pharmaceutical company employees or representatives posted 11.8% (41/348) of the comments. Other sources of comments included advocacy groups (4.0%, 12/348) and other companies or groups (4.5%, 16/348). The majority of pharmaceutical companies’ social media posts were text-based (51.1%, 373/740) or video-based (26.3%, 199/740), and 20.0% (148/740) included both text and images. Interactive click-and-choose activities (0.1%, 1/740) and personalized/tailored content (0.1%, 1/740) were uncommon. Testimonials were used in 16.7% of posts (123/740). Table 4 displays the degree of interaction found on the pharmaceutical companies’ social media posts. In terms of audience engagement, Facebook posts averaged 65.53 likes (SD 75.98) and 8.5 shares (SD 15.18). Tweets averaged 2.11 favorites (SD 2.94) and 3.94 retweets (SD 4.98). YouTube videos averaged 1597.38 views (SD 31,886.88) and 211.76 likes (SD 2361.65). Close to 25% of posts had comments present (177/740), with an average of 0.50 comments per post (SD 1.32). Replies from the company were less common (mean 0.03, SD 0.20). Most interaction occurred on Facebook; of the posts with comments, half were on Facebook (χ22=74.0, P<.001). Additionally, Facebook posts were more likely to solicit user-generated comments (χ22=26.5, P<.001) and have replies from the company (χ22=13.8, P=.001). Only YouTube allowed companies to disable comments on their posts and almost half of the YouTube videos sampled (96/200) had disabled the commenting function. Overall, audience engagement with pharmaceutical companies’ social media posts was high, as users often interacted through liking and sharing the content. Additionally, a quarter of the posts included interaction through comments and pharmaceutical companies used Facebook to both solicit comments and have discussions with consumers. b Statistically overrepresented in sample. c Statistically underrepresented in sample. Approximately 14% (47/348) of user-generated comments on pharmaceutical companies’ social media posts were testimonials. More than half of the user-generated comments were positive (186/348), 37.4% (130/348) were classified as mixed/neutral, and 9.2% (32/348) as negative. Positive comments were overrepresented on YouTube and negative comments were overrepresented on Twitter (χ22=17.0, P=.002). The majority of comments were also relevant to the initial post (83.0%, 289/740). Relevant comments were overrepresented on YouTube (χ22=8.0, P=.02). Positive comments were more likely to be relevant to the initial post (177/289), whereas mixed/neutral comments were more likely to be irrelevant (42/59; χ22=42.6, P<.001). The majority of positive comments were on pages with a commenting policy (153/186), whereas most negative comments were on pages without a commenting policy (19/32; χ22=8.7, P=.01). There was no relationship between comment relevance and presence of a commenting policy (χ21=0.1, P=.75). Overall, it appeared that user-generated comments were mostly supportive of the pharmaceutical company and its products, particularly when the company had a commenting policy in place. Of the 800 Facebook pages, tweets, and YouTube videos sampled from social media searches for pharmaceutical drugs, 86.9% (695/800) were actually about the searched-for drug. The following analyses included this portion of the sample. Of the 695 main posts about the searched-for drug, the majority of site proprietors were individuals (51.1%, 355/695) or nonpharmaceutical organizations (48.3%, 336/695). Pharmaceutical companies ran 0.6% of accounts (4/695). On Twitter and YouTube, consumers created most of the content (41.1%, 248/603), closely followed by media sources (37.0%, 233/603). Other sources included advocacy groups (6.0%, 36/603), pharmaceutical companies (3.3%, 20/603), other for-profit companies (9.0%, 54/603), and government agencies (1.0%, 6/603). Overall, most information from searches for drugs on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube was attributed to members of the public rather than pharmaceutical companies. Table 5 displays the percentage of drug product claims in the search results on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The majority included drug product claims (69.4%, 482/695), most of which were on YouTube (χ22=13.7, P=.001). Of the drug product claims, posts mentioning only the benefits (44.8%, 216/482) were significantly more common than both risk-only posts (27.2%, 131/482) and posts that discussed both benefits and risks (28.0%, 135/482; χ22=28.6, P<.001). The majority of user-generated comments on Facebook and YouTube videos also contained drug product claims (85.4%, 140/164). In contrast to the main posts, risk-only information (39.2%, 55/140) was significantly more common in comments than benefit-only information (22.9%, 32/140; χ22=7.0, P=.03). Overall, results indicate that when the public searches for drugs on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, they are likely to come into contact with claims about those drugs’ effectiveness. Although the main posts often highlight the benefits of the drug, the user-generated comments often present a contrasting view. c Percentages in row based on drug product claim posts only (n=482). d Statistically underrepresented in sample. e Percentages in row based on drug product claim comments only (n=140). Table 6 presents the other content found in the social media search results. Illegal pharmacies were present in 17.4% (16/92) of Facebook pages. Illegal pharmacies were less common on YouTube (χ22=29.6, P<.001). Links to illegal pharmacies were also present in 9.1% (15/164) of user-generated comments on Facebook and YouTube; these comments were also more common on Facebook (χ21=13.7, P<.001). When searching for drug information on social media, consumers were likely to come into contact with at least one link to an illegal pharmacy, particularly if consumers conducted the search on Facebook. Lawsuit information was present in 5.6% (39/695) of all drug-specific social media posts and was more common on Facebook and Twitter than YouTube (χ22=15.1, P=.001). Patient support (6.6%, 46/695) and alternative treatment information (4.3%, 30/695) were present in fewer posts than company news (18.8%, 131/695). The majority of patient support was on YouTube (χ22=48.8, P<.001). Most of the company news was on Twitter (χ22=30.9, P<.001). There was no difference in alternative treatment information based on social media site (χ22=1.3, P=.53). Thus, when searching for drug information on social media sites, consumers were likely to find information about the pharmaceutical company on Twitter, but support from other patients on YouTube. Information regarding lawsuits was found slightly less often than illegal pharmacies on Facebook. Alternative treatment options were relatively uncommon on all social media sites. In contrast to the posts, patient support (36.0%, 59/164) and alternative treatment information (20.7%, 34/164) were more common than company news (9.8%, 16/164) and lawsuit information (6.7%, 11/164) in user-generated comments on Facebook and YouTube. Lawsuits (χ21=19.7, P<.001) and company news (χ21=20.8, P<.001) were more common on Facebook, whereas support was more common on YouTube (χ21=5.0, P=.04). Overall, these results indicate that other consumers commented to provide alternative treatment options and support, even though this content was largely absent in the main posts. Approximately 25% of posts on Twitter and YouTube were testimonials (150/603). Additionally, a large majority of tweets and YouTube videos had a serious, nonhumorous tone (96.7%, 583/603). The Facebook pages ranged from zero to 62,427 likes (median 69.0, IQR 328.3). Approximately 80% of tweets had zero favorites and zero retweets, with a mean of 0.42 favorites (SD 1.53) and 1.25 retweets (SD 16.32). YouTube video views ranged from 2 to 1,077,399 (median 4707.0, IQR 14,009). YouTube video likes ranged from zero to 1671 (median 51.83, IQR 30.0). In general, the majority of posts that arose from searches about specific drugs on social media provided didactic, nonhumorous information. The degree of audience engagement with drug information on social media sites varied widely. The results of this study directly address critical concerns raised by researchers and public health officials about the marketing of pharmaceutical drugs via social media. Importantly, novel evaluations are provided about (1) how pharmaceutical companies use social media for DTCA, (2) how greatly companies reach and interact with consumers through social media, and (3) how likely people are to be exposed to drug efficacy claims and information about illegal pharmacies when searching for information about pharmaceutical drugs via social media. Respectively, the results suggest that (1) pharmaceutical companies avoid making drug product claims but frequently post help-seeking content, (2) thousands of people often view and share content posted by pharmaceutical companies, and (3) people are likely to be exposed to drug product claims and information about illegal pharmacies when searching for information about popular pharmaceutical drugs on social media. More specifically, approximately 40% of all pharmaceutical companies’ Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube posts in our sample met the FDA’s definition of a help-seeking advertisement. This content focuses on generating awareness of a health condition or disease and often suggests that the audience should learn about potential treatment options from their doctor or other source. Despite concerns that specific drugs would be heavily advertised through pharmaceutical companies’ social media accounts, product claim advertisements were uncommon. Only approximately 1% of posts contained a product claim. However, one-third of the product claim posts did not include any information on drug risks, thus failing to adhere to FDA regulations for traditional DTCA. Although this occurred in a relatively small number of posts overall, the problems surrounding the absence of risk information in product claims is well documented [2,4,5,25]. The FDA has developed draft guidelines for eDTCA regulations , and the inclusion of risk information is required for all company postings about specific products. To increase compliance with fair-balance rules on social media, the FDA should finalize the eDTCA regulations and formally detail how regulatory oversight will be enacted. Although monitoring every single post is likely unfeasible, the FDA could follow the procedures of this study to regularly monitor a random selection of posts and require pharmaceutical companies to notify the FDA whenever they use any media to share information with the public that is consistent with traditional forms of DTCA. It is particularly important for the FDA to monitor pharmaceutical companies’ social media accounts because they can have rather large audiences. Pharmaceutical companies’ social media pages averaged approximately 45,000 followers or subscribers. Additionally, our results indicate that audience members are actively interacting with companies and sharing the content that the companies’ post with people in their own social networks. For instance, posts are often liked and shared on Facebook and favorited and retweeted on Twitter. The public approval of this information on users’ social network pages increases the potential for these posts to influence a large portion of the public. For example, research suggests that health behaviors and attitudes often spread through social networks and a number of social media-based interventions have shown that exposure to health information on social networking sites leads to health behavior change [27,28]. Thus, the messages that pharmaceutical companies share through social media channels have the potential to reach and influence millions of people worldwide; estimates of direct exposure grossly underestimate the cumulative influence of eDTCA on social media. One common concern regarding eDTCA is that positive (and potentially misleading) product claim testimonials would populate the user-generated comments on pharmaceutical companies’ pages [3,4]. Approximately 25% of posts had at least one comment and most were supportive of the company. However, very few comments contained information that would be classified as DTCA if the pharmaceutical company had produced the comments. Most commonly, user-generated comments contained information that resembled content that would appear in a help-seeking ad. When users did make drug product claims, however, they tended to focus either exclusively on benefits or risks. Additionally, most companies did not explicitly prohibit users from making product claims in their commenting policies. According to current FDA draft guidance documents, pharmaceutical companies are not responsible for the content of user-generated comments unless the comments were created by, paid for, or edited by the company [29,30]. Most commenting policies did, however, suggest that inaccurate information would be removed. Under current FDA draft guidance documents, pharmaceutical companies can, but are not required to, correct misinformation about their products in user-generated comments . Interestingly, companies with commenting guidelines had significantly more positive comments than those without a commenting policy. Although it cannot be determined through this analysis, companies who are more aware of user-generated comments (and thus have a commenting policy) might be deleting negative user-generated comments . If companies selectively delete user-generated comments, the information in the remaining user-generated comments would be applicable to FDA regulations [29,30]. Although uncommon on pharmaceutical companies’ sites, product claims and testimonials were largely present in posts resulting from general searches for drug information on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The majority of the top search results contained drug efficacy claims. Troublingly, most claims were made by nonexpert sources and mentioned only benefits of the drug rather than presenting a balanced view of both the benefits and risks of product use. Given that approximately 20% of Internet users check online reviews of particular drugs , our results suggest that consumers are likely getting incomplete drug information through social media. Additionally, around 25% of these posts were testimonials, a format that often enhances the credibility of the claims made [3-5]. Furthermore, it is likely that well-known and trusted media such as Facebook lend credibility to the health information posted within their pages relative to other online channels . For example, young adults, the most prolific users of social networking sites , are the most likely age group to trust health information on social media and to search for health advice and others’ health experiences on social media . There are some limitations to the present study. First, we focused our analysis on the top pharmaceutical companies and best-selling drugs. As a cost-effective marketing strategy, smaller companies might rely on social media advertising more so than larger companies and pharmaceutical companies might use social media channels to introduce newer, less established drugs to the marketplace . Additionally, although we analyzed a large number of postings, our review only focused on 1 year of social media activity. As marketing trends constantly change , future research should investigate if the presence of eDTCA changes over time. Last, we focused on the presence of product claims, benefits, and risks and did not examine the accuracy of the claims or whether benefits or risks were emphasized within in a single post. To get a more complete picture of the pharmaceutical drug information that appears on social media sites, future research should explore these areas. Social media sites are an accessible channel for pharmaceutical companies and others to easily deliver drug information to millions of people across the globe. Although pharmaceutical companies are not directly marketing specific products through their social media accounts often, they are posting content similar to help-seeking DTCA, which describes a health condition without providing a specific solution. If people search for drug solutions to these ailments via social media sites, they will likely be exposed to testimonials that highlight pharmaceutical drug benefits over risks as well as links to pharmacies where they can illegally purchase these drugs. Thus, pharmaceutical drug information on social media sites is potentially quite dangerous to public health and should be monitored accordingly. The authors wish to thank Jennifer Brewer, Abigail Cohen, Juho Ma, Jenna McGlade, and Taylor Walton for their assistance with the coding of the data. Flanagin AJ, Metzger MJ. Digital media and youth: unparalleled opportunity and unprecedented responsibility. In: Metzger MJ, Flanagin AJ, editors. Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press; 2008:5-28. ©Jennifer Tyrawski, David C DeAndrea. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 01.06.2015.

2019-04-23T00:17:28Z

https://www.jmir.org/2015/6/e130/

1993-10-04 Assigned to XEROX CORPORATION reassignment XEROX CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: HARKINS, LARRY E., HAYWARD, KEN, HERCEG, THOMAS J., LEVINE, JONATHAN D., PARSONS, DAVID M. 2015-07-08 US case 2:15-cv-01240 filed litigation Critical https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/2%3A15-cv-01240 Source: District Court Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court "Unified Patents Litigation Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2015-07-08 US case 2:15-cv-01233 filed litigation https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/2%3A15-cv-01233 Source: District Court Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court "Unified Patents Litigation Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2015-07-08 US case 2:15-cv-01235 filed litigation https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/2%3A15-cv-01235 Source: District Court Jurisdiction: Texas 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A user interface to automatically distribute information to a receiver on a network using devices (such as printers and facsimile machines) and communication channels (such as electronic mail) defined in a receiver profile. The receiver profile establishes the properties and mode for receipt of information for receivers on the network and the profile is published in a network repository for all network users or is accessible by selected groups or individuals on the network. Receivers have additional control over network senders by defining an information filter which further controls sender channel access (to a receiver) by defining some channels as having priority of access such as direct or delayed access, as well as selectively permitting senders to override the receiver profile. Consequently, receiver profiles provide a variable receiver definable link to senders using multiple forms of media as well as multiple hardware platforms and network configurations. The present invention relates to a user interface for improving communication between devices or stations on a network. More specifically, the invention relates to a user interface having the option to define communication channels or virtual links between individual users or groups of users on the network and the capability to automatically send data to receivers based upon predetermined receiver defined communication channels. Protocols defining integrated system behavior for devices such as printers, scanners, workstations and facsimiles, are well known. These protocols define how the systems should integrate across networks. Operational transparency across networks and device platforms, provide users with an increasingly integrated and transparent system environment. In this environment the manipulation of information (such as documents) is transparent to users as a result of the various network protocols that define the manner in which devices manipulate information. For example, "Office Systems Technology" Xerox Corporation, Palo Alto, Calif., 1984, OSD-R8203, is an overview of the Xerox Corporation "8000" series products, which include workstations, services, ethernet and software development. The "8000" series products are integrated using Ethernet and the Xerox Network Systems Communication Protocols which include: Intelnet Transport Protocols: Xerox System Integration Standard, Xerox Corp., Stamford, Conn., December 1981, XSIS-028112; Courier: The Remote Procedure Call Protocol, Xerox System Integration Standard, Xerox Corp., Stamford, Conn., December 1981, XSIS-038112; Clearinghouse Protocol, Xerox Corp., Stamford, Conn., April 1984, XSIS-078404; Authentication Protocol, Xerox Corp., Stamford, Conn., April 1984, XSIS-098404; Filing Protocol, Xerox Corp., Stamford, Conn., May 1986, XNSS-108605. Another example of an integrated system is the ISDN telephone network that provides services such as fax mail boxes and voice mail boxes. The following Xerox Corporation U.S. patents include examples of systems indicating a network, server and printer usually having shared remote user terminals: U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,577; 5,113,517; 5,107,443; 5,072,412; 5,065,347; 5,008,853; 4,947,345; 4,939,507; 4,937,036; 4,899,136; 4,531,239; 3,958,088; 3,920,895, also, Fuji Xerox Co. U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,355. By way of background for system user interfaces, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,072,412 and 5,107,443 disclose workspaces having an object-based user interface that appear to share windows and other display objects. A display system object can be linked to several workspaces giving workspaces the appearance of shared windows. These workspaces can be navigated through using metaphors such as moving from one room to another through doors. Additionally, these workspaces can be shared by groups of users over a network. Also of interest are U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,853 disclosing shared structured data by multiple users across a network, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,347 disclosing a method of presenting information hierarchically using a folder metaphor. Also noted is a print server disclosure by IBM Corp. U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,278 issued Mar. 17, 1987 to A. Herzog, et al. Also, noted for examples of printer controls are Xerox Corporation U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,048, and the October 1990 publication "The Xerox DocuTech® Production Publisher" from BIS CAP International, Newtonville, Mass., by Charles LeComte. Noted also are Xerox Corporation U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,340, and allowed U.S. Ser. No. 07/591,324 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,679, on networking thereof. Additionally, "Acrobat" products by "Adobe" will provide transparent document sharing. "Acrobat" can be viewed using a portable document format, through a "PostScript" file format that describes pages and their interrelation within a document. Also noted are commercial network systems with printers is the 1992 Xerox Corporation "Network Publisher" version of the "DocuTech®" publishing system, including the "Network Server" to customer's Novell® 3.11 networks, supporting various different network protocols, such as "Ethernet™" and TCP/IP. Additionally noted is the Eastman Kodak "LionHeart™" system. A network publication noted is "Mastering Novell® Netware®", 1990, SYBEX, Inc., Alameda, Calif., by Cheryl E. Currid and Craig A. Gillett. Further noted are page description languages (PDL) for printers and systems as defined in "Interpress™: The Source Book", Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1988, by Harrington, S. J. and Buckley, R. R.; and Adobe Systems Incorporated "PostScript® Language Reference Manual", Addison-Wesley Co., 1990. Also noted is the Apple Corp. "Quickdraw™" software and its published materials. Another example of an established commercial integral system, with a shared printer and system server, comprises the Xerox Corporation "VP Local Laser Printing" software application package, which, together with the Xerox "4045" (or other) Laser Copier/Printer (CP), the "6085" "Professional Computer System" using Xerox Corporation "ViewPoint" or "GlobalView®" software and a "local printer [print service] Option" kit, comprises the "Documenter" system. The laser printer prints text and graphics with high quality resolution on a variety of paper sizes and special papers, including transparencies, labels, and envelopes. [When equipped with the optional copier feature, the "4045" CP also alternatively provides quick copies, functioning as a copier.] Printing occurs as a background process, enabling system users to continue with other desktop activities at their terminals. VP Local Laser Printing software can be loaded at a networked, remote, or standalone Xerox "6085" Professional Computer System (workstation). Different workstations can access print services in different ways. To print a document, desirably the user can simply "copy" or "move" the document, with a mouse click or other command, to a printer icon on the workstation desktop, and set the displayed printing options, as on Xerox Corporation workstations. From other workstations such as the IBM PC's, the user may need to select menu items or type in commands to obtain access. The workstation selectable print options can include the number of copies, selected pages to be printed, paper size, image orientation, a choice of printers, and phone numbers when sending to a facsimile device. In addition, the option sheet allows the user to specify whether to delete the "Interpress™" or other master, or retain it at the workstation desktop. Already print-formatted or master documents may be transmitted to the printer directly, eliminating the need to repeat the conversion or decomposition process if another copy of the document is desired. If saved, an "Interpress™" master can be stored at the file service or even mailed to one or more individuals via an electronic mail service. Utilizing an internetwork routing service, users can transmit "Interpress™" or other printing masters through a network and then across an intelnet, typically, via telephone lines, twisted pair wires, coaxial cables, microwaves, infrared, and/or other data links, allowing documents created in one location to be automatically routed to a print service and printer hundreds or even thousands of miles away, in seconds or minutes. The "User Handbook, Version 3.01" ©1988, for the Xerox "FaxMaster 21" product, indicates that it can automatically load hours of multi-page, multi-destination, facsimile transmission documents, and send them all with a few simple keystrokes, and can retrieve document from multiple locations, print them at the hub, store them on disk for later printout, or forward them to other facsimile terminals [automated store and forward]. It provides electronic mail capability by storing documents for retrieval by remote network users. It provides confidential [electronic] mailboxes, enabling secure document reception for only authorized personnel. It utilizes a personal computer with software, and can use remote touch-tone telephone access to the hub unit. Of particular interest, especially re voice telephone notification to recipients of fax messages, is U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,718 to T. Sueyoshi, assigned to Fuji Photo Film Co. It refers to facsimile correspondence containing codes for telephone numbers and sensors in the receiving equipment for reading these telephone codes. An "Octel System 200" voice mail system is called "outcall notification" and may be as follows: when one receives a message on his voice mail system that telephone system dials your pager number to alert you that you have a message. One's voice mail box number and pager number are both dedicated. Also, of course, manually, for many years, a Western Union operator would call a person to let them know that their telegram came in. Accordingly it would be desirable to provide a user interface including a screen display for recipients of data to define the information flow and, particularly, a user interface enabling an operator at the interface to establish the format, communication channel, and disposition of information to be transmitted. It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved user interface with the capability to selectively define the properties and communication channels for information to be sent over a network. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a user interface to define the preferred form of receiving information such as physical properties (printed) or intermediate properties (electronic mail, digitally stored voice mail or facsimile mail) or services and devices such as printers, facsimiles, telephones and video terminals. Still another object of the present invention is to be able to access a screen display to identify preferred channels or preferred receipt status for data sent to a receiver. Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features characterizing the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. The present invention is a user interface to automatically distribute information to a receiver on a network using devices (such as printers and facsimile machines) and communication channels (such as electronic mail) defined in a receiver profile. The receiver profile establishes the properties and mode for receipt of information for receivers on the network and the profile is published in a network repository for all network users or is accessible by selected groups or individuals on the network. Receivers have additional control over network senders by defining an information filter which further controls sender channel access (to a receiver) by defining some channels as having priority of access such as direct or delayed access, as well as selectively permitting senders to override the receiver profile. Consequently, receiver profiles provide a variable receiver definable link to senders using multiple forms of media as well as multiple hardware platforms and network configurations. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a multi-function device user interface 40 which is displayed on screens 10 of Work station 4, printer 11 and scanner 5. User interface (UI) 40 can operate remotely from any system; it is extensible across network services using remote windowing protocols such as X windows ("X Window System", W. Scheifler and James Gettys, Digital Equipment Corporation, U.S., 1992, ISBN 1-55558-088-2). For example, the user interface 40 on printers 11 is available remotely from any Work station 4 or alternate service such as scanner 5. Specifically, the user interface 40 is divided into three regions; resource bar 42, status bar 43, and service area 44. Resource bar 42 is a menu bar that provides users access to high level services that are integrated on network 24. Within the resource bar document source or suitcase 45 provides the user with a temporary storage space for documents. Suitcase 45 stores active and editable documents for easy movement across network services, or it is a transitional space where documents are stored while a user navigates through network 24. In particular, the send service 57, which is a service displayed on service bar 55, is selected and opened on user interface 40 as shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the send service 57 has sub service bar 58, with sub-services, quick-send 59 and distribution lists 60. The send service 57 provides virtual links or communication channels to other users on network 24. Channels 62 are published to the network by a receiver in the form of a receiver profile to provide the receiver with the flexibility to define the mode (facsimile, hardcopy, email, voice mail, etc.) that the receiver's information should be received. In essence, the communication channels 62 are receiver setable information filters. A single communication channel 63 is identified using the user's name 64 as well as location 65 and illustrative identification 66 (e.g. a scanned-in picture, graphic, icon, etc.). Distribution list 60 is a sub-service that provides similar functionality as a quick-send sub-service except that distribution lists are communication channels that are directed to groups of individuals. It is a means for a user to build distinct distribution lists. Distribution list 60 subservice provides either distribution lists published to the network or be created by individual users. Communication channel control begins with the receiver defining the preferred form(s) that documents should take when received. The user activates profile 150, shown in FIG. 4, by selecting display user profile command (not shown) from the network administration menu 47. User profile 150 is completed by a user, for example Fred Smith, and published to network administration 105 using the publish command 151 or the profile herald bar 152. Publication to other network users defines the preferred form with which the publisher, namely Fred Smith, desires his information to be received. Profile properties 153 are a number of different profile categories, each category can be either checked, locked, or unselected. If a category is unselected, then a category is neither locked nor checked. A checked category such as fax category box 155 identifies facsimile as the users established default receive preference. For example, given Fred Smith checked the fax box, then all facsimile documents sent to him are routed to the fax at the identified phone number in the profile properties 153. In a similar manner, Fred Smith can set his preference for a particular page printer, color printer, or any other device to receive information. It should be noted that it is well within the scope of the present invention that multiple printers or devices can be listed or scrolled and the user or receiver can rank the devices or modes of communication in a priority of preference to receive information. Each profile property 153 is further selectable through each box category as indicated above. For example, the page printer selection window 159 shown in FIG. 5 depicts how users change the set-up of a particular category. Page printer window 159 opens as a result of double clicking on the page printer button 156. Once the user, Fred Smith, has selected a preferred page printer by filling out the appropriate categories in window 159 including a privacy button P as shown, the user can either apply these selections or cancel them by selecting "Cancel." or "Close" on the herald bar of window 159. The profile properties 153, however, are not limited to those shown in user profile 150. Any preferred form of receipt may be entered as a property in profile 150, some examples include a video conferencing center and a voice mailbox. The sequence of steps for publishing the user profile 150 (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) with network administration 47 is depicted in FIG. 6. In box 160, the user opens the user profile by invoking the "open user profile" command (not shown) in the network administration menu 47. In box 161, manager 110 (FIG. 3) is activated with receipt of the open channel profile command identified as "Open Channel Profile" in Appendix A. To return the user profile, manager 110 queries channel profile database 112 for the logged on user's current profile. Alternatively, if the user profile is not available from local DB 112, the admin server 105 is queried. Once the profile is returned to UI 111, the user can invoke any profile property displayed on profile 150. In box 162, the UI 111 dispatches any commands received from open profile 150. From profile 150, receive priorities 154 can be selected to open receive priorities window shown in FIG. 7 to select additional priorities for receipt of information based upon factors such as the identity or status of the sender. Direct access priorities 181 and delayed access priorities 182 establish the access control of a user's communication channel 63. In this case, priorities established by a user determine where information is to be received and what level of priority should be given to that information. Priorities 154 sorts network users into multiple directories such as directories 181 and 182. Direct access places received information or data into a preferred location such as directly into the receiver's electronic mailbox whereas delayed access places received data in a remote or less accessible location. Delayed access group 182 is a directory of network users (e.g., a network directory). This directory is updated by manager 110 by querying admin server 105. The user can move individuals from one directory to another simply by selecting the individual and moving its iconic representation to an alternate directory. Additionally, access properties can be retrieved from any network supporting an admin server 105 by identifying the path 183 of the network. Access properties can be modified individually for each user listed in directories 181 and 182, as shown, for example, for user Marri Flaherty in FIG. 8. The sequence of steps required to establish channel access for different users is shown in FIG. 6. At box 164, receive priorities 154 has been selected. Since only necessary information is maintained locally to system 102, remote admin server 105 is queried at box 178. Displayed access properties 182 can be altered to the preference of the user. For example, the access rights property 186 specifies whether a sender's information is sent to a printer, to a queue or to a desktop. For instance, a receiver may provide an individual with "interrupt at desktop" privileges and another with a "reject" or busy return message. Priority property 187 ranks users as to their interrupt priority. Formatting property 188 provides the receiver with the ability to keep the senders finishing options (e.g. job ticket information). For example, a document sent may specify staple or bind for output specifications. Using formatting property 188, a user can specify whether to ignore such document specifications. To summarize, communication channel control includes channel profile publication, where a network user who is the receiver of a document has the capability to set forth either through publication to the network or in a more limited fashion to other network users (or groups of users through distribution lists) a profile describing the preferred form (facsimile, electronic mail, voice mail, hard copy, color or black, file server, etc.) and service (the specific printer, facsimile machine etc.) documents should take to be rendered. Thus, individuals always wanting their documents printed on a color printer can specify the printer and the appropriate format that document should take. As a result, users are provided with an ability to establish consistency in the form with which documents are to be received by each user on a network using a universal method (i.e. method which is easily accessible to everyone on the network). To operate a communication channel such as channel 63, select a document from document source 45 (:e.g. report 34) and move it to communication channel 63 as shown in FIG. 9. Job status window 195 shown in FIG. 10 subsequently displays the document send progress. When sending a document through a communication channel without modifying its properties as shown in FIG. 11, the channel takes on properties published by the receiver. Profile properties window 196, open by a user sending information, displays properties of the channel device from the receiver's channel profile. In the example shown in FIG. 11, Debbie Cahn's communication channel allows the sender of information to select a document's disposition from either fax, page printer, color printer, or electronic mail. This option is enabled by the receiver at the time of channel publication. For example, this channel could have been forwarded to the current document sender by Debbie Cahn in order that this individual have adequate flexibility to send information. In this example, if the sender using system 4 had sent report 34 to Debbie Cahn without accessing Debbie's profile 196, Debbie would have received report 34 over her Fax line (123-888-3456) since her Fax line is prioritized highest of the selected (checked) profile properties. It should be noted that it is well within the scope of the present invention to provide many alternate modes of identifying, listing, and accessing options, priorities, and defaults with respect to a receiver profile and making such options and priorities selectively accessible to potential individual senders as well as groups and categories of senders. means for altering the priority scheme for identifying a preferred mode in which to transmit data to said predetermined devices. 2. The graphical user interface of claim 1 including means for preventing the altering of the priority scheme for identifying a preferred mode in which to transmit data to said predetermined devices. sending said information to the selected receiver over a first communication channel in response to a first preference of data receipt specified in the communication channel profile of the selected receiver including the capability of altering the communication channel profile of said receiver at the graphical user interface. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein said communication channel profile defines a second preference of data receipt including the step of sending said information to the selected receiver over the second communication channel in response to the second preference of data receipt. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said first communication channel is unavailable. 6. The method of claim 3 wherein said communication channel profile defines a second preference of data receipt including the step of automatically sending said information to the selected receiver over the second communication channel in response to the failure of said first communication channel. 7. The method of claim 3 including a plurality of sources of information and wherein said preferences of data receipt for receivers over the network is a function of the source of the information to be sent. means for automatically transmitting a data file to one of the selected network users by engaging the data file icon with the identifier of one of the selected network users in the quick send directory, the automatic transmitting means transmitting the data file in accordance with the communication channel profile of the selected network user so that the data file is received in a mode of data transmission preferable to the selected network users. 9. The graphical user interface of claim 8 including a window for displaying the progress of the transmitting of the data file to said one of the selected network users. 10. The graphical user interface of claim 8 wherein the window specifies preferred devices for receipt of a data file. 11. The graphical user interface of claim 10 wherein the window specifies a priority of modes for receipt of a data file. 12. The graphical user interface of claim 11 wherein the preferred mode for receipt of a data file include at least one from a set of printer, facsimile, and electronic mail devices. 13. The graphical user interface of claim 12 including means for a network user to set a preferred mode of receipt of a data file. 14. The graphical user interface of claim 13 wherein the means for a network user to set a preferred mode of receipt of a data file includes a displayed window for selecting predetermined devices. 15. The graphical user interface of claim 13 including means for a network user to bar alteration of the preferred mode of receipt of a data file. 16. The graphical user interface of claim 13 wherein the priority scheme is responsive to a data file type. 17. The graphical user interface of claim 13 including means for altering the priority scheme of modes of data receipt for a plurality of remote address profiles. 18. The graphical user interface of claim 13 wherein the remote system element is a printing system.

2019-04-22T14:23:14Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5657461A/en

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) are highly heterogeneous at the molecular level and comprise 75% of all lung tumors. We have previously shown that the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) MET frequently suffers gain-of-function mutations that significantly promote lung tumorigenesis. Subsequent studies from our lab also revealed that PAX5 transcription factor is preferentially expressed in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and promotes MET transcription. PAX8, however, is also expressed in NSCLC cell lines. We therefore investigated the role of PAX8 in NSCLC. Using IHC analysis, PAX8 protein expression was determined in archival NSCLC tumor tissues (n = 254). In order to study the effects of PAX8 knockdown on NSCLC cellular functions such as apoptosis and motility, siRNA against PAX8 was used. Confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to monitor the localization of MET, RON and PAX8. The combinatorial effect of PAX8 knockdown and MET inhibition using SU11274 was investigated in NSCLC cell viability assay. Relative levels of PAX8 protein were elevated (≥ + 2 on a scale of 0–3) in adenocarcinoma (58/94), large cell carcinoma (50/85), squamous cell carcinoma (28/47), and metastatic NSCLC (17/28; lymph node). Utilizing early progenitors isolated from NSCLC cell lines and fresh tumor tissues, we observed robust overexpression of PAX8, MET, and RON. PAX8 knockdown A549 cells revealed abrogated PAX8 expression with a concomitant loss in MET and the related RON kinase expression. A dramatic colocalization between the active form of MET (also RON) and PAX8 upon challenging A549 cells with HGF was visualized. A similar colocalization of MET and EGL5 (PAX8 ortholog) proteins was found in embryos of C. elegans. Most importantly, knockdown of PAX8 in A549 cells resulted in enhanced apoptosis (~6 fold) and decreased cell motility (~45%), thereby making PAX8 a potential therapeutic target. However, the combinatorial approach of PAX8 knockdown and treatment with MET inhibitor, SU11274, had marginal additive effect on loss of NSCLC cell viability. PAX8 provides signals for growth and motility of NSCLC cells and is necessary for MET and RON expression. Further investigations are necessary to investigate the therapeutic potential of PA8 in NSCLC. Lung cancer is a devastating illness with an overall survival of 17% in NSCLC. NSCLC has differential histological classification (adeno carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma) and prognosis is dependent considerably on the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis . In order to make an impact on the disease, understanding key molecular changes is crucial. Most recently, EGFR mutations, ALK/ROS1 translocation and MET amplification have been shown in a subset of NSCLC . A much wider impact, however, can be achieved by investigating the role of transcription factors, as they regulate gene transcription programs. PAX genes comprise a relatively small family with 9 members that are highly conserved through evolution. They play key indispensable role in development. PAX proteins are defined by the presence of an 128 amino acid DNA binding domain at their amino terminal end referred to as the, ‘Paired Domain’, which makes sequence specific contact with DNA and regulates the transcription of select genes. PAX genes are divided into four different subgroups based on the presence or absence of additional domains such as homeodomain and octapeptide motif . We have previously shown differential expression of PAX5 and PAX8 in lung cancer . While PAX5 is selectively expressed in SCLC cells, the expression of PAX8 was found mostly in NSCLC cells. We have also shown that PAX5 positively regulates the transcription of MET in SCLC. We therefore investigated further the role of PAX8 in NSCLC. Under conditions of normal development, PAX8 is expressed in the thyroid, kidneys, some part of central nervous system, and the placenta. In adults it is expressed in thyroid follicular cells and is indispensable for the differentiation of thyroid cells . In follicular thyroid carcinoma, PAX8 undergoes gene rearrangement as a result of (2;3) (q13;p25) chromosomal translocation with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- γ(PPARγ). Significant expression of PAX8 was found in most carcinomas of thyroid, ovary and placenta [7–10]. PAX8 is known to activate the transcription of BCl2, which is an anti-apoptotic gene, and it is also involved in suppression of p53 thus suggesting a role in tumor initiation and progression [11, 12]. We have previously shown that the simple soil nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, can be used as a model to study the basic signaling pathways involved in lung cancer . Their relatively short life cycle (~3 days), completely sequenced genome, invariant cell lineage make them attractive in vivo models. Our previous work demonstrated that the forced expression of a MET mutant, originally discovered in human NSCLC, results in an abnormal vulval phenotype with marked hyperplasia. In C. elegans, PAX8 (also 2 and 5) equivalent is EGL-38, which plays an indispensable role in the hermaphrodite egg laying process . We show here that PAX8 is preferentially overexpressed in NSCLC tumors. In NSCLC cells, upon stimulation with HGF, we observed a strong nuclear colocalization of PAX8 and phosphorylated MET and RON in the nucleus and a similar colocalization was also seen in C. elegans eggs suggesting that this soil nematode can be used a model to study the genetics of MET/PAX8 and signaling axis. Silencing of PAX8 resulted in a significant decrease in not only PAX8 levels but also that of MET and RON expression. The functional consequences of loss of PAX8 expression were decreased viability and cell motility in NSCLC cells. Finally, treating PAX8 knockdown NSCLC cells with the MET small molecule inhibitor (SU11274) had no synergistic effect on the loss of cell viability. This is most likely due to the fact that PAX8 is essential for MET and RON expression. NSCLC cell lines were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA) and were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium from Gibco/BRL supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum at 37°C with 5% CO2. PAX8 and PAX2 antibodies were purchased from Abcam (Cambridge, MA). The phospho-specific (pY1230/1234/1235) anti- MET rabbit polyclonal and total MET mouse antibody was from Invitrogen. EGFR, β Ron and p-Ron antibodies were purchased from Santa cruz Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, CA). SU11274 (3Z)-N-(3-Chlorophenyl)-3-(3,5-dimethyl-4-((4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)carbonyl)-1H-indole-5-sulfonamide, the MET small molecule inhibitor was from EMD Calbiochem (San Diego, CA). A set of four different small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) specific for PAX8 and scrambled control siRNA were purchased from Qiagen (Cambridge, MA). Recombinant human HGF was purchased from R & D systems (Minneapolis, MN). Whole cell lysates were prepared using RIPA lysis buffer (50 mM Tris (pH 8.0), 150 mM NaCl, 10% glycerol, 1%NP-40, 0.5% Sodium deoxycholate, 0.1% SDS) containing protease and phosphatase inhibitor cocktail. Protein concentrations were determined by using the Bradford Assay. Protein lysates about 80–100 ug were separated by 7.5% SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions and transferred to PVDF membranes (Millipore, Bedford, MA). The membranes were blocked in 5% BSA prepared in TBST. Proteins were detected by immunoblotting using kit from Boston Bioproducts (Worcester, MA). A549 cells were plated in 60 mm plates at a density of 1.5 × 105 in 10% RPMI and transfected with 100 nM siRNA or scrambled control RNA (scRNA) using oligofectamine transfection reagent according to the manufacture’s protocol (Life Technologies Grand Island, NY). After 96 h incubation with siRNA, the lysates were prepared using Ripa lysis buffer. For cell viability assay A549 cells were plated in 96 well tissue culture plates at a density of 1 × 104 per well. Each experiment was done in 12 or more replicates. The next day, the cells were transfected with PAX8 and control siRNA as described above. Cell viability was determined using Alamar blue (Sigma, St. Louis, MO), a non-toxic compound, which gets reduced in the cell and emits fluorescence. The amount of reduced Alamar blue formed is proportional to metabolic activity of cells. After 96 h, the cells were washed with PBS and 100 μl fresh growth medium was added. Alamar Blue was added to the media to get final concentration 10%. Plates were incubated at 37°C for 3 to 8 hours and fluorescence was measured using a plate reader (530/590 ex/em). The A549 cells were plated in 60 mm plates and PAX8 was knocked down using PAX8 specific siRNA. The percentage of apoptosis was determined by Annexin V staining using FITC Apoptosis detection kit from BD Biosciences (San Jose, CA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. PAX8 knock down A549 cells were trypsinized. 1 × 105 cells were replated in 24 well plates containing cell culture inserts (IBIDI, Verona, WI). The next day, the inserts were removed and the cells were washed with PBS and fresh media was added. The fine scratch created by the inserts was photographed at various time points. Cell migration was determined in A549 cells transfected with PAX8 siRNA or scrambled siRNA. After a 72 h transfection, cells were trypsinized and replated for migration assay into Transwell chambers (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA) containing 500 μl serum free media at a density of 1 × 105 cells per chamber. The chambers were placed into wells of 24 well plate containing 500 μl RPMI with 10% FBS as a chemo attractant. After 24 h, the top and bottom chambers were washed twice with PBS. The cells were then fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 10 min at room temperature and washed again with PBS. After removing non-migrated cells from the top chamber using a cotton swab, the remaining cells were stained with Crystal violet for 30 minutes and then rinsed thoroughly with distilled water to remove the extra stain and dried overnight. Images of each chamber were captured using a microscope and the migrated cells were counted using Image J. The procedure is similar to the one we previously used . Tissue blocks of patients with lung cancer at the University of Chicago Medical Center (diagnosed between 1992 and 2005) were selected for the study after obtaining appropriate institution IRB approval. Clinical and pathological information were collected and the database tabulated in an anonymous fashion. Samples of tissue sections from primary tumors were identified and 1.5-mm cores of the identified tissues were punched from the donor blocks and inserted into a recipient block. Where available, the edge of primary tumor and corresponding normal lung tissue were identified and included into the tissue microarray (TMA). The TMA was cut in 5-μm sections and immunohistochemistry was performed as detailed below. The TMA slides were deparaffinized in xylene and rehydrated through graded ethanol solutions to distilled water and then washed in Tris-buffered saline (TBS). Antigen retrieval was carried out by heating sections in Citrate Buffer (pH = 6) for 15 min in a microwave oven. Endogenous peroxidase activity was quenched by incubation in 3% H2O2 in methanol for 5 min. Non-specific binding sites were blocked using Protein Block (DAKO) for 20 min. Then tissue sections were incubated for 1 h at room temperature with PAX8 Goat antibody from Abcam. This step was followed by 30 min incubation with goat anti-mouse IgG conjugated to a horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled polymer (ImmunoDetector HRP, CA). Slides were then developed for 5 min with 3-3’-diaminobenzidine (DAB) chromogen, counterstained with hematoxylin, and coverslipped. Negative controls were performed by substituting primary antibody step with non-immune mouse immunoglobulins. Cytoplasmic and membranous staining for each sample was quantified manually using a conventional four-point pathology scoring system (0 - no staining, 1 - weak staining, 2 - moderate staining and 3 - strong staining), and then by an Automated Cellular Imaging System (ACIS, Chromavision, USA). These parallel methods were found to have a strong positive correlation with //r2 = 0.75// (p < 0.0001). While similar trends were seen in manual scoring and ACIS analyses, we report only ACIS data. Automated measurement of immunostaining intensity based on three related color parameters: the color defined by hue, the “darkness” defined as luminosity, and density of the color defined as the saturation. ACIS software was programmed by experienced user-pathologist (MT), by setting the color-specific thresholds, to determine the intensity of brown (cytoplasmic and membranous) positivity of cells within the outlined areas of interest. For each TMA spot we selected representative areas of tumor containing comparable number of cells (approximately 200–500 cells). ACIS software calculated the average intensity for each region as a measure of IOD (integrated optical density) in cytoplasmic and membranous compartments. The IOD of each image (region) is given as the average of optical densities of each molecule (pixel) within the region. Computing of IOD is directly proportional to the concentration of molecule recognized by the stain according to Beer-Lambert Law. IOD is a proxy for antigen content and it is calculated as intensity multiplied by brown area in microns. For comparison purposes we normalized IOD value to the entire measured area by calculating //IOD/10 μm^2//. A549 cells were cultured in medium lacking FBS on glass coverslips coated with poly-lysine in 6 well culture plate overnight. The cells were then stimulated with HGF (100 ng/ml) for 10 min. The cells were fixed and permeabilized as previously reported and incubated with primary antibodies against p-MET, or p-RON, or PAX8 and appropriate secondary antibodies labeled with fluorescein (CY3 and CY5) and the samples were mounted in vectashield. Immunostaining of C. elegans embryos was performed as described . Wild type N2 adult worms were placed on poly-lysine coated slides. A coverslip was overlaid, and pressure was applied to extrude the embryos. The slides were placed on dry ice or liquid N2 and coverslips were immediately removed. The worms were fixed at -20°C in methanol for 5 min and then incubated for 30 min in PBST (PBS containing 0.1% Tween 20). Worms were then washed once with PBST, incubated in 5% nonfat dry milk, for 1 hour, washed once again with PBST and incubated overnight at 4°C with primary antibodies. Next day the slides were washed three times for 10 min with PBST and then incubated with Alexafluor secondary antibodies for 1 h at room temperature. Slides were washed once again three times with PBST and mounted using mounting media containing Dapi. Results for viability, wound healing, and migration assays were expressed as mean ± SE. The statistical significance between the means was measured by t-test. We have previously shown that PAX8 is preferentially expressed in a variety of NSCLC cell lines . In order to validate the expression of PAX8 in NSCLC tumors, we determined PAX8 protein expression using TMA (Tissue Microarray) which represents archival NSCLC tumor tissues and carried out IHC analysis of PAX8 expression in adeno carcinoma (n = 94), Large cell carcinoma (85), squamous cell carcinoma (47), and metastatic tumor tissue samples (28) are shown in Figure 1. The various panels in Figure 1A represent PAX8 protein expression in adeno, large cell, and squamous carcinomas, with representative images of increasing intensities from left to right. The pie charts to the right show the relative proportions of weak, moderate, and strong staining in the three types of NSCLC. The bar graphs in Figure 1B represent the above results as percentages and the detailed data is summarized in Table 1. The intensity of PAX8 expression increased from squamous cell carcinoma to large cell carcinoma to adenocarcinoma. The highest % of negative cases was found in adeno carcinoma (Figure 1B-C and Table 1). PAX8 protein expression in NSCLC tumor tissues. A. PAX8 staining was carried out as described in Methods. Representative immunohistochemistry pictures of weak (+1), moderate (+2) and strong (+3) of PAX8 expression in adeno (top panel), large cell (middle) and squamous cell (lower) carcinoma of the lung are shown. To the right of each panel, pie charts that represent PAX8 expression intensity in that particular type of lung cancer is shown. B. The bar graph summarizes the percentage NSCLC tumors that express various amounts of PAX8 protein. C. Intensity of PAX8 protein expression in adeno, large cell and squamous NSCLC tumors is shown. The intensity of PAX8 expression scored for various NSCLC archival tumors examined are shown, with 3+ being the maximum. The total number of samples analyzed for each category is shown in the last column. In adeno carcinoma, almost 20% cases were PAX8- nonexpressors, whereas in large cell carcinoma, only 6-7% of the cases were negative for PAX8 expression. The 47 squamous cell carcinoma tissues examined, however, were all positive for PAX8 protein expression. No major differences were noted with respect to PAX8 expression when primary tumors were compared with metastatic tumor samples (Figure 1B-C and Table 1). We previously showed that PAX5 was a key transcription factor for MET transcription . In order to check the relationship between PAX8 and MET/RON levels, we knocked down PAX8 expression using specific siRNA and observed the effect on the levels of other PAX transcription factors and MET and RON expression levels. As shown in Figure 2, there was a dramatic loss in PAX8 expression only when the NSCLC cells were treated with PAX8 specific siRNA but not with control scrambled siRNA. The specificity of PAX8 siRNA can be appreciated by the unaltered levels of PAX2 protein. Loss of PAX8 expression was also accompanied by a dramatic decrease in the expression of both MET and RON but not EGFR tyrosine kinases. This suggests that PAX8 is a key transcription factor for MET and RON, as was the case with PAX5. Effect of PAX8 knockdown on the expression of PAX8, PAX2, MET and RON in A549 cells. A549 cells were transfected with scrambled and PAX8 specific siRNA at 100nM concentration. The whole cell lysates were prepared and then immunoblotted with anti-PAX8, anti-PAX2 antibodies. The lysates were used in parallel to determine the MET, RON, and EGFR expressions using specific antibodies in immunoblotting. β-actin was used as a loading control. As shown, the knockdown of PAX8 had no effect on PAX2 levels. However a precipitous decrease in both RON and MET expression levels was observed. Earlier, we showed that PAX5 not only promoted MET transcription but also colocalized with p-MET (active MET) in the nucleus, in SCLC cells. We therefore checked whether PAX8 also behaved in a similar fashion in NSCLC cells. The representative confocal images of PAX8 and p-MET in resting and HGF stimulated NSCLC cells are shown in Figure 3A. In untreated cells, PAX8 expression was mostly restricted to the perinuclear region and p-MET was hardly seen. However, in HGF treated cells, there was a sharp increase in the p-MET expression, most of which was localized to the nucleus. Also there was a strong colocalization of PAX8 and p-MET in the nucleus, suggesting that they could be functionally linked. A similar colocalization between MET related kinase RON and PAX8 was observed (Figure 3B). In addition, we also observed a strong colocalization of PAX8 (EGL5) with MET and RON in C. elegans embryos (Figure 3C), suggesting that the highly conserved association between MET, RON and PAX8 could have strong functional significance. MET and RON are localized to the same cellular compartment that is evolutionarily conserved. A. The colocalization of phospho-MET (active form of MET) with PAX8 transcription factor in the peri-nuclear area with HGF stimulation. Representative confocal pictures showing individual staining patterns for phospho–MET and PAX8 and the two merged in control (left panel) and HGF treated (right panel) in A549 cells are shown. The cells were treated with HGF for 15 min at concentration of 100 ng/ml. B. The colocalization of phospho-RON (active form of RON) with PAX8 transcription factor in the peri-nuclear area with HGF stimulation: Representative confocal pictures revealing staining patterns of p-RON and PAX8 as well as their merged pictures are shown. C: Colocalization of PAX8 with MET and RON in C. elegan’s embryos. Immunofluorescence of C. elegans was performed as described in Methods. The left panel shows representative confocal pictures of C. elegan’s embryos stained with DAPI, PAX8, MET and merged. The right side panel shows staining with DAPI, PAX8, RON, and merged. The effect of PAX8 knock down in A549 cells on apoptosis was investigated using flow cytometry based analysis after staining with Annexin V and PI and representative results are shown in Figure 4. There was a six fold increase in early apoptosis (compare bottom right quadrants in scrambled and PAX8 siRNA panel) thereby indicating a cell survival role for PAX8. Effect of PAX8 knockdown on A549 NSCLC cell apoptosis. A549 cells were transfected with control (scramble) and PAX8 specific siRNA at 100 nM concentration for 72 h. Apoptosis was quantified using flow cytometry after staining with Annexin V/PI and effect of loss of PAX8 expression on apoptosis is shown in the representative charts. Both early (right lower quadrant) and late (right upper quadrant) stage apoptosis increased in PAX8 knockdown cells as shown by flow cytometry analysis. Next we determined the effect of PAX8 knockdown on wound healing, which is routinely used to measure the cell motility - an index of metastatic potential. A549 cells were treated with either control (scrambled) or PAX8 specific siRNA, allowed to grow to confluence in 24 well plates with cell culture inserts, and then inserts were removed to create a fine scratch. The closure was documented over a period of 12 h as shown in Figure 5A. There was a clear loss in cell motility as reflected by prominent gaps in the scratches made in PAX8 knock down plate compared to control cell monolayer. The quantitative differences between control and PAX8 knockdown cells are shown as bar graphs in Figure 5B. Effect of PAX8 knock down on A549 NSCLC cell motility and migration. A. Wound healing assay was performed in A549 cells transfected with control (scramble) and PAX8 specific siRNA for 72 h and then replated in 24 well plate containing cell culture inserts. The fine scratch created by the inserts was monitored and photographed for 12 hr. Representative pictures of the degree of wound closure in A549 cells when subjected to a scratch in control and PAX8 knock down cells at 12 hr. B. The open wound at each time point was quantified and normalized to 0 h. The experiments were done in triplicate and the average data is shown with standard error bars. C. A549 cells were transfected with either control or PAX8 specific siRNA as described in Methods. After 96 h the cells were replated in Boyden chambers for migration assay. Migrated cells were fixed and stained with Crystal violet. Representative images of control and PAX8 knockdown cells were captured using a microscope. D. The migrated cells were counted using Image J. The experiments were done in triplicate and the averages with standard error bars are shown. We also carried out a cell migration assay using Boyden Chamber with fetal calf serum as chemoattractant. The dramatic decrease in cell migration in PAX8 knockdown cells compared to control cells can be appreciated from representative photographs shown in Figure 5C and the summary results shown as bar graphs in Figure 5D. The knock down of PAX8 had a significant but marginal decrease in cell viability compared to controls (compare 75% Vs. 83%%). Treatment of A549 cells with small molecule inhibitor of MET, SU11274, however resulted in an almost 50% loss in cell viability that further decreased to 43% in PAX8 knocked down cells under comparable conditions. This suggests that the combinatorial effect is additive and not synergetic (Figure 6). The Combinatorial effect of PAX8 knockdown with MET inhibitor (SU11724) on NSCLC cells. A549 cells were transfected with either control or PAX8 specific siRNA. As shown they were then treated with SU11274. The viability assay was done using Alamar Blue. The histograms represent percentage of cell viability with standard error bars. PAX transcription factors usually play an indispensable role in various developmental processes. For instance PAX5 plays an important role in B cell development and PAX8 has a key role in the differentiation of thyroid epithelium . However, we have previously shown that PAX5 and PAX8 are differentially expressed in lung cancers; while PAX5 expression is restricted to SCLC cells, PAX8 expression is apparent more in NSCLC cell lines . Such out-of-context expression underscores the loss of any normality in lung cancer. In this paper, we have shown that PAX8 is functional in NSCLC and is overexpressed in a majority of NSCLCs, irrespective of their sub-type, including their lymph node metastatic forms. As with PAX5, there appears to be strong physical as well as a functional link between PAX8 and the receptor tyrosine kinases MET and RON. A strong cellular colocalization between PAX8 and MET was observed and the loss of PAX8 expression in NSCLC cells also revealed a concomitant loss in the expression of MET and RON receptor kinases but not EGFR. With respect to functionality, PAX8 is very likely to significantly contribute to both lung tumor growth and metastasis as surmised from its role in cell viability and motility. Knockdown of PAX8 resulted in a significant but modest loss in cell viability, and further treatment with the MET inhibitor SU11274 had only a marginal additive effect. Under physiological conditions, PAX8 is required for the normal development of the kidneys, thyroid gland, and the Mullerian system [13, 18, 19]. Recently, a systematic study of more than 1100 (normal and tumor) cases revealed that it was overexpressed in majority of the renal, ovarian, and endometrial cancers; whereas only one out of 100 lung cases turned out to be positive . This is clearly in contrast to the findings reported here. Our IHC analysis of archival lung tumor tissues unmistakably showed that the majority of large cell carcinoma (94%), adeno carcinoma (80%), squamous cell carcinoma (100%), and metastatic tumors in lymph nodes (93%) were positive for PAX8 expression (n = 254). Also, overexpression of PAX8 in endometrial cancer is associated with a poor prognosis [19, 21]. Although site directed loss-of-function mutants have been reported in hypothyroidism, no gain-of-function mutants have been reported for PAX8 in any cancers. Using genomic DNA extracts prepared from NSCLC archival tumor tissues, we failed to see any mutations in PAX8 genomic DNA (exons), while MET mutations were apparent (data not shown). In 36% of follicular thyroid cancers, there is a chromosomal translocation (2;3) (q13;p25) resulting in the formation of PAX8-PPAR-γ (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ) fusion protein . While, in vitro experiments have clearly demonstrated the oncogenecity of the above fusion protein, recent studies in follicular thyroid carcinoma suggest a better prognosis in cases where the fusion protein was found to be overexpressed . The silencing of PAX8 in NSCLC cells not only resulted in decreased levels of MET, but also that of RON. MET and RON are family members of the receptor tyrosine kinase and are important in the pathogenesis of a number of malignancies. The synergistic role of MET/RON is just beginning to be defined and their inhibition appears to be more important than inhibition of either one of the receptors. The findings here show that MET/RON could potentially be down regulated by decreasing expression by the PAX8. A recent PAX8 silencing study using rat FLT-6 thyroid cells revealed a total of 2815 genes modulated. A key finding of this study was that PAX8 is the primary regulator of thyroid morphogenesis and differentiation. In addition to genes that play a direct role in thyroid development and function, the authors identified several genes regulated by PAX8 that belonged to cell proliferation, apoptosis, tyrosine kinases, DNA replication, and anion transport. One of the genes positively regulated by PAX8 was MET. However the decrease in MET transcripts in PAX8 knockdown cells, although significant, was only 1.4 fold . In the present study, we observed a dramatic decrease in the protein expression levels of MET and RON. We previously showed the presence of a functional PAX binding site in MET (and also RON) proximal promoter region . It thus appears that PAX8 regulates the transcription of MET and RON but not EGFR. Similar to our earlier report with respect to PAX5 , we also observed a strong colocalization of PAX8 with active forms of MET and RON kinases, especially after the NSCLC cells were stimulated with HGF. The fact that the colocalization between PAX8 and the RTKs is conserved even in the simple nematode suggests a strong functional link. One possibility that is being currently tested is whether the active forms of MET and RON as feedback inhibitors of PAX8 transcription. We have shown here clearly that PAX8 promotes cell motility and wound healing, a harbinger of its role in metastasis. Most likely, the above effect is through its ability to promote the transcription of both MET and RON RTKs. We and others showed that both MET and RON provide essential growth signals for lung tumor development and also play a key role in metastasis . It is not surprising that PAX8 knockdown results in significant loss in A549 cell viability; as such a role was demonstrated for PAX transcription factors including PAX8 in the promotion of cancer cell growth [12, 24, 25]. In order to rule out the vagaries of using one transformed cell line, A549, we also repeated the functional assays using H1993, another NSCLC cell line and investigated the effects of PAX 8 knockdown on loss of cell motility and viability. We have consistently observed that they were similar to that shown for A549 cells. For instance, knockdown of PAX8 in H1993 cells resulted in a loss in the ability to close the gap created in scratch assay by about 20% at 12 h that was comparable to that seen in PAX8 knockdown A549 cells in relation to respective scrambled RNA treated controls, although actual values were somewhat different. In terms of cell viability, PAX8 knockdown had a marginal inhibitory effect in both A549 and H1993 cells. Inhibition of MET using specific inhibitors is also known to adversely affect NSCLC cell viability and is the basis for several ongoing clinical trials aimed at testing the efficacy of MET inhibitors in NSCLC and other cancers . Our results using SU11274, an ATP-competitive small molecule inhibitor of the catalytic activity of MET in A549 cells, clearly support the above. However, a combinatorial approach of using SU11274 in PAX8 knockdown background failed to induce synergetic loss in A549 cell viability. Also in H1993 cells, it was the MET inhibitor (SU11274) that had maximum inhibitory effect on cell viability that was comparable to that observed in A549 cells. There was however no discernible synergy on loss of cell viability when the SU11274 was used in PAX8 knockdown H1993 cells. These observations substantiate our contention that PAX8 knockdown effects in NSCLC cells are consistent and due to the use of any select NSCLC cell line. The lack of synergy can be logically explained by the fact that a loss in PAX8 transcription factor activity results in a dramatic loss in MET expression, thereby making the use of SU11274 redundant, at least with respect to MET. Synergy in killing NSCLC is more likely to be achieved by combining PAX8 knockdown with a non-overlapping disparate approach such as cisplatin that forms DNA adducts . In conclusion, we report here a potential therapeutic target PAX8 whose silencing in NSCLC cells promotes loss in viability and motility; most likely through the deprivation of essential signals from MET and RON RTKs. Grant Support: RS is supported by NIH/NCI, and EV is supported by ASCO Translational Award. RS and RK conceived and designed the study. RK, EEH and ID performed the experiments and assembled the data. RS and RK analyzed the data and prepared the manuscript. RS supported the study financially. MT and AH did the IHC analysis. SS performed the immunoblot analysis. JS performed the characterization of cell lines. EV obtained the tumor and tissues with clinical information where pertained. All authors contributed extensively to the work presented in this paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

2019-04-25T04:19:42Z

https://0-bmccancer-biomedcentral-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/articles/10.1186/1471-2407-14-185

Abstract: Over the past decade, there has been growing interest in legal warfare or “lawfare.” While the U.S. is focusing on the interplay between the law and counterinsurgency operations, China is approaching lawfare from a different perspective: as an offensive weapon capable of hamstringing opponents and seizing the political initiative. Indeed, Chinese planners are almost certainly preparing legal war plans aimed at controlling the enemy through the law or using the law to constrain the enemy. Consequently, the United States must take steps to prepare for the possibility of legal warfare and incorporate defensive measures into its strategic, operational, and tactical policies. Over the past decade, many nations have demonstrated a growing interest in legal warfare or “lawfare.” In the United States, lawfare discussions are focusing on the interplay between the law and counterinsurgency operations. Specifically, the U.S. is concerned that opponents, especially insurgents, may employ legal means to secure victories that they cannot obtain on the battlefield. The People’s Republic of China (PRC), and, in particular, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), is approaching lawfare from a different perspective: as an offensive weapon capable of hamstringing opponents and seizing the political initiative in wartime. Chinese writings often refer to the “three warfares” (san zhan): public opinion warfare, psychological warfare, and legal warfare. Chinese analyses almost always link the three together, as they are seen as interrelated and mutually reinforcing. Public opinion/media warfare is the struggle to gain dominance over the venue for implementing psychological and legal warfare. It is seen as a stand-alone form of warfare or conflict, as it may occur independent of whether there is an actual outbreak of hostilities. Indeed, it is perhaps best seen as a constant, ongoing activity, aimed at long-term influence of perceptions and attitudes. One of the main tools of public opinion/media warfare is the news media, including both domestic and foreign entities. The focus of public opinion/media warfare is not limited to the press, however; it involves all of the instruments that inform and influence public opinion (e.g., movies, television programs, and books). Psychological warfare provides the underpinning for both public opinion/media warfare and legal warfare. With regard to the PLA, psychological warfare involves disrupting the enemy’s decision-making capacity by sapping their will, arousing anti-war sentiments (and therefore eroding the perception of popular support), and causing an opponent to second-guess himself—all while defending against an opponent’s attempts to conduct similar operations. Legal warfare is one of the key instruments of psychological and public opinion/media warfare. It raises doubts among adversary and neutral military and civilian authorities, as well as the broader population, about the legality of adversary actions, thereby diminishing political will and support—and potentially retarding military activity. It also provides material for public opinion/media warfare. Legal warfare does not occur on its own; rather, it is part of the larger military or public opinion/media warfare campaign. In order to be as effective as possible, both psychological warfare and legal warfare require the use of public opinion warfare. Public opinion warfare and legal warfare require psychological warfare guidance so that their targets and methods can be refined. Public opinion warfare and psychological warfare are, in turn, strengthened by information gleaned through legal warfare. From the Chinese perspective, political warfare, including legal warfare, is seen as a form of combat. Military combat preparations include the development and innovation of military political work, as well as more kinetic forms of operations. Indeed, political warfare is seen as a vital complement for more traditional forms of military operations. While they may not be decisive in their own right, political warfare tactics nonetheless may allow their practitioner to seize the initiative and otherwise multiply the effects of military power. Legal warfare, at its most basic, involves “arguing that one’s own side is obeying the law, criticizing the other side for violating the law [weifa], and making arguments for one’s own side in cases where there are also violations of the law.” The instruments of legal warfare include national laws as well as the full range of legal instruments: legislation, judicial law, legal pronouncements, law enforcement, and legal education. Like more conventional forms of warfare, legal warfare is conducted under a unified command organization. It will include the use of the law in implementing offensive actions, defensive actions, counterattacking actions, and other forms of combat. Legal warfare includes such operations as legal deterrence (falu weishe) and the imposition of sanctions (zhicai). Legal warfare is also an important tool for consolidating gains made during a war. Underlying the Chinese interest in legal warfare are two broad influences: a different view of the role of law and a perception that other states already employ legal warfare. Chinese Views of the Role and Rule of Law. Important historical and cultural considerations inform the PRC’s understanding of legal warfare, an understanding that is very different from that of the West. The concept of the rule of law—that the law exists as a distinct autonomous entity and applies to both the ruler and the ruled—is one of the foundations of the West’s legal traditions. Despite its importance to the West, however, the rule-of-law maxim remained weak throughout imperial China and was ultimately devastated by Maoist rule. The Confucian and Legalist schools of thought had the greatest impact on imperial Chinese understanding of the law. Confucianism emphasized morality and ethics as the proper basis for managing society. Laws were secondary to the network of obligations enunciated under the Confucian ethic, supplemented by the presence of “moral men” who would apply the law and, more important, enforce morality and ethics. The Legalist “school” (more a loose set of ideas articulated by various scholars who disagreed with Confucianism) placed more emphasis on the creation of legal (as opposed to ethical) codes. But, like the Confucianists, the Legalists saw the law as a means of enforcing societal (and state) control of the population. No strong tradition that held the law as a means of constraining authority itself ever developed in China. In the broadest sense, pre-1911 Chinese society viewed the law from an instrumental perspective—a means by which authority could control the population rather than a control extended over authority. Thus, imperial China may be said to have experienced rule by law, not rule of law. Not surprisingly, a strong, independent judiciary failed to develop in imperial China, while lawyers were neither numerous nor held in high esteem. During the early years of the PRC, Chinese legal development was influenced by the Marxist perspective that the “law should serve as an ideological instrument of politics.” Consequently, during the formative years of the PRC, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) considered the law to be essentially an instrument of governance, but not a constraint upon the Party, much less the Great Helmsman (Mao Zedong). In any case, the Party exercised rule by decree rather than through legal mechanisms. During the Cultural Revolution, Mao himself effectively abolished both the judiciary and the legal structure. Since the passing of Mao, the CCP has made a concerted effort to create a body of laws—a tacit admission that governance by decree is incompatible with the expansion and modernization of China’s economy. Most of these new regulations, however, focus on commercial and contract law; the legal structure for criminal and civil law remains weak, and international law is virtually nonexistent. Moreover, the law remains an instrument that applies primarily to the “masses,” as opposed to the Party. As a result, China is still subject to rule by law rather than the rule of law. Nor is this solely a matter of legal philosophy. According to PLA analyses of recent conflicts, including the two Gulf Wars, the United States is one of the leading practitioners of legal warfare. For example, Chinese analysts note that in the first Gulf War, the United States obtained U.N. authorization for sanctions, as well as the use of force, against Iraq, thus providing itself with a legal basis for waging war. The ability to impose sanctions legally is a powerful instrument of legal warfare, as it affects all the partners of the sanctioned state (including those who might have opposed the imposition of sanctions in the first place). Chinese authors also note that the U.S. used the law to justify such actions as the bombing of both the al-Firdos bunker (which Chinese writings describe as an air raid shelter) and retreating Iraqi forces. Furthermore, PRC analyses note that in the Kosovo conflict, even though the United States failed to obtain U.N. authorization, the U.S. argued that its actions were “consistent with the law” because they were undertaken under NATO auspices. Finally, the PRC studied the second Gulf War, a conflict for which the U.S. did not obtain formal U.N. authorization and in which NATO was not involved. Beijing believes Washington was able to manipulate international law to portray the Iraqis as violating previous U.N. resolutions regarding weapons of mass destruction. These violations were, in turn, sufficient to provide a legal justification for the invasion of Iraq. Even more disturbing, in the view of PRC authors, was the use of threats of legal prosecution, in many cases transmitted directly to Iraqi generals to dissuade them from following any orders Saddam Hussein might have issued for the use of WMD. It should be noted that, from the Chinese perspective, it was the Iraqis who waged more successful, albeit defensive, legal warfare in the second Gulf War. Through adroit legal and diplomatic maneuvering, Iraqi officials were able to prevent the U.S. from securing U.N. approval for its actions. The Iraqis’ legal advantage, however, did not translate into meaningful military or political benefit. According to PRC analyses, by conducting over a decade of public opinion warfare, the United States was able to demonize Saddam Hussein to the extent that Baghdad was unable to capitalize on its legal warfare victories. Consequently, no nation was willing to support Iraq openly, despite (in Beijing’s view) Iraq’s superior legal case and the lack of legal authority for the American action. Legal warfare, therefore, is not decisive on its own—it must be backed by military capability. Aside from recent wars, the Chinese also perceive a legal warfare component in two major irritants in Sino–U.S. relations. The United States has long justified the sale of arms to Taiwan as a requirement of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). In particular, the following clause is essential: “The United States will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability.” From Beijing’s perspective, the U.S. is claiming that its domestic laws justify, if not require, interference in what Beijing has long termed a purely domestic concern. Similarly, Beijing has argued that the annual Department of Defense (DOD) report to Congress on Chinese military developments is an obstacle to better relations and has compared these documents with the Cold War–era Soviet Military Power reports. That the report is mandated under the fiscal year (FY) 2000 National Defense Authorization Act does little to assuage the Chinese, who consider these reports to be an example of legal warfare facilitating public opinion warfare, which in turn serves the American goal of stoking the “China threat” fear. In some ways, the Chinese definition of legal warfare is not that different from the one held by U.S. analysts, who define legal warfare (or lawfare) as “a method of warfare where law is used as a means of realizing a military objective.” Thus, both Chinese and American analysts, at one level, see legal warfare as the use of law as an instrument of war. Upon closer examination, however, the differences between the two nations’ understanding of legal warfare become clear. First, American analysts often point out that discussions of legal warfare are distinct from the use of laws to determine whether a nation is justified in going to war (jus ad bellum) or to govern the conduct of armies and nations in war (jus in bello). Whether a war is just is, from the American perspective, an issue separate from the concept of legal warfare. On the other hand, the proper conduct of armies and nations, especially in the context of the Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC), is seen as integral to legal warfare. A brief, non-exhaustive review of American writings suggests that U.S. analysts of legal warfare focus on how charges of violations of the LOAC might be used to frustrate or hinder American military operations, especially in the context of counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. Dunlap himself has since somewhat modified this view, emphasizing that the concept of legal warfare is neutral rather than pernicious. He has recently described legal warfare as “the strategy of using—or misusing—law as a substitute for traditional military means to achieve an operational objective,” eliminating the presumption that it is misuse of the law (while noting that such misuse may nonetheless occur). The U.S. remains concerned that Western military commanders will operate under excessive restraint, choosing to err on the side of caution for fear of violating international law—especially the LOAC. Exacerbating this undue caution would be concerns about undercutting public support, both at home and abroad, if military operations were seen as contravening legal standards. In some respects, Western militaries have already begun to restrain themselves. From the suspension of airstrikes after the bombing of the al-Firdos bunker in the 1991 Gulf War to imposition of restrictive rules of engagement governing airstrikes in Afghanistan, fear of legal sanction (and attendant loss of public support) has constrained the West’s ability to exploit its considerable military advantages. For example, the DOD is said to have forgone certain cyber attacks against Slobodan Milosevic during the Kosovo conflict because of the possibility that such actions might be construed by some as constituting war crimes. More controversially, permission for an orbiting Predator drone to attack Mullah Omar early in the Afghanistan war was reportedly withheld due to legal concerns about civilians in Omar’s convoy. In surveying (briefly) American and Chinese views on legal warfare, it becomes apparent that there are both strategic and operational/tactical differences between those views. Strategic Level. The most important strategic difference between the two nations is that there is little evidence that Chinese analysts and decision-makers see legal warfare as a misuse of the law. Given the much more instrumentalist view of the law in Chinese history, the idea that the law would be employed toward a given end (in support of higher military and national goals) would be consistent with Chinese culture but problematic, if not antithetical, from the Western perspective. Chinese writings specifically note that the purpose of legal warfare is to obtain military, and not legal, victory. In this regard, it is essential to recall that legal warfare occurs only in the context of actual warfare; legal disputes and proceedings in a non-military context are not legal warfare. Consequently, legal warfare, from the Chinese perspective, must focus on a conflict’s political objective: attaining previously determined objectives and retaining the political initiative. A second strategic difference is that the Chinese view legal warfare (as well as public opinion warfare and psychological warfare) as beginning before the onset of formal hostilities—and continuing afterward. This distinction has important implications, as it entails pre-war “preparation of the battlefield” and post-conflict legal maneuverings that, like wartime legal warfare activities, are aimed at fulfilling larger strategic goals. In this regard, PRC writers assign equal importance to preparing the legal and physical battlefields. Such preparations include the creation of legal experts—both military lawyers and a cadre of internationally recognized legal scholars—whose opinions will carry influence abroad as well as at home. In this light, the passage of several Chinese laws governing territorial claims over Taiwan should be seen both as providing a foundation for legal warfare and as a means of influencing the broad international community. In particular, the 2005 Anti-Secession Law should be seen as providing the basic legal justification for any move against Taiwan (or Tibet or Xinjiang). In addition, though, the 1992 Law on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone may also have a legal warfare function even though it was enacted before the recent focus on lawfare. Similarly, China’s idiosyncratic interpretations of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), whether it is regarding its claims to the South China Sea or to the Arctic, should be seen as strategic-level preparation for legal warfare. Operational/Tactical Level. The PRC’s discussions of legal warfare (and political warfare in general) emphasize the importance of coordinating military and legal operations. This blurring of the political and the martial is in sharp contrast to the attitude of U.S. military operators who consider psychological operations (renamed military information support operations or MISO) as distinct from typical military activities. In this regard, the General Political Department may simplify the PLA’s legal warfare efforts. At present, there is an entire GPD chain of command that is separate from the operational chain of command (but still within the PLA). Therefore, the PLA is potentially able to execute a unified political warfare campaign from strategic to tactical level. Furthermore, because of the intimate, extensive links between operational and political officers, it is possible that legal warfare operations may be integrated into military operations more smoothly than in Western military operations. When considered alongside the PLA’s commitment to waging political warfare under a unified command structure, these facts suggest that there may be a political warfare cell within the campaign headquarters that oversees Chinese legal warfare operations, especially within the joint campaign command headquarters (JCCH). Such coordinated legal warfare operations, in turn, would most likely be offensive in nature. As noted, there is a fundamental cultural divergence about the role of the law in general, a divergence that extends to the LOAC. Western military legal experts appear more focused on ensuring that their forces and commanders are not liable to war crimes charges than they are on undertaking offensive legal warfare, unlike their Chinese counterparts. This variance is compounded by the differences between the PRC and the U.S. in their allocation of legal warfare responsibilities. With regard to the American side, it is diplomats (informed by a variety of legal and political advisers) who are often responsible for “offensive” legal warfare rather than traditional military forces, much less military legal bodies. Not only are these actions not necessarily coordinated with military actions; they are not even necessarily considered (by the implementing bodies) to be offensive legal warfare. By contrast, Chinese writings suggest a conception of legal warfare that would involve a range of activities intended to seize the initiative on the legal and public opinion battlefield in addition to disrupting an opponent’s military activities. These activities would include legal coercion/deterrence efforts, which would warn an opponent that they were under close scrutiny for possible violations of the laws of armed conflict; legal strikes, which would charge the enemy with operational activities in violation of international and domestic laws; and legal counterattacks, which would highlight the enemy’s attempts to slant or misrepresent international law, unfavorably contrast their conduct with one’s own (in legal terms), and counter any enemy legal activities. Chinese planners are almost certainly preparing legal war plans aimed at “controlling the enemy through the law, or using the law to constrain the enemy [yifa zhidi huo yong fa zhi di].” Some of these efforts are likely indistinguishable from typical governmental activities, such as the expansion of the military legal infrastructure. For example, China has been expanding its entire corpus of laws while training additional lawyers, so it is quite probable that the military would benefit from additional human resources whether it was engaging in legal warfare or not. The PRC, however, will likely take some actions that stand out as obvious attempts to advance a legal warfare agenda. In the pre-war context, some of the possible legal warfare measures include research into third-party laws and regulations and exploitation of identified vulnerabilities, influencing international legal customs and laws, and creating a cadre of international legal experts. The last two have already been mentioned. The first, however, is an important additional consideration. There can be little doubt that the PLA and Chinese leaders in general are well aware that the success of U.S. military operations often hinges on access to foreign bases. Much of the recent discussion of anti-access/area-denial operations has focused on the physical weapons that might be employed to prevent American military access. But the increasing emphasis on political warfare suggests that there are additional (rather than alternative) anti-access measures available to Beijing. The most obvious such measure would be the filing of a variety of legal motions in American courts aimed at delaying any American intervention. These motions could be filed in response to a host of issues, ranging from the War Powers Act to the right to mobilize various American resources. More subtle actions could include legal action related to environmental or labor law—areas that, while not directly related to foreign policy and national security, could still have an impact on U.S. military operations. Such efforts are not limited to the U.S. and may also be aimed at any of America’s allies and security partners—such as Australia, Singapore, and the Philippines—that might provide the U.S. with forward basing facilities. Such efforts would be coordinated not only with military activities (overflights, naval exercises), but also with economic measures such as promises of expanded investment or threats of factory closures, as well as diplomatic-legal steps such as support in other territorial or economic disputes (e.g., World Trade Organization cases). In particular, Japan appears vulnerable to legal warfare. Japan’s pacifist constitution (as embodied in Article IX) and Japanese laws and policies pertaining to national defense and military engagement (e.g., rules governing arms trade) create fertile ground for the raising of legal issues about support provided by Tokyo to the United States. One could imagine, for example, legal challenges to the U.S.–Japan defense guidelines in a period of tension, coupled with a PRC public diplomacy and public opinion campaign warning Japan of dire consequences should it challenge China. Similarly, any provision of Japanese weapons, or even fuel and food, to American forces might be seen as contravening Japanese rules regarding arms exports to belligerents. Such challenges are likely to begin in peacetime, both (ideally for the Chinese) in order to prevent Japanese cooperation with the U.S. and in order to hamper American logistical planning. For example, American military planners would have to take into account the possibility that Japanese courts might limit Japanese cooperation with the U.S. Such a scenario would require American military planners to account for the spare parts and ammunition expected from Japanese sources—how much additional transport space would be required? This might not be a likely scenario, but given Japanese political ineffectiveness over the past several years, it must be considered. The intensity of such measures is likely to rise as a crisis deepens or as military operations become more imminent. Such an uptick in activity would provide valuable intelligence and warning (I&W); however, in this scenario, local lawyers—not Chinese nationals or the Chinese government—might take many of these theoretical legal actions. Nor would these measures necessarily be carried out at China’s behest; organizations or persons with no visible sympathies or links to the PRC could drive these actions. For example, an environmental activist group could attempt to limit the U.S. Navy’s anti-submarine warfare activities on the grounds that sunken nuclear-powered boats would constitute an environmental hazard. Similarly, where there is universal jurisdiction, there might also be attempts to use third-party national courts to issue warrants for the arrest or subpoena of American and allied military and political leaders, again without an explicit Chinese role. In the wartime context, possible legal warfare measures include charges of war crimes against U.S. and allied forces and exploitation of “fault lines” between U.S. and allied laws. As noted, American analysts are concerned that during a conflict, the U.S. military might be accused of violating the LOAC, particularly if enemy forces tried to spark such a violation by, for instance, hiding forces among civilians. Indeed, such concerns are hardly hypothetical: Consider the American experience with the Iraqis in the 2003 conflict (where Iraqi forces were deployed near mosques and hospitals) and the Israeli experience in Lebanon in 2006 (where Hezballah forces dispersed forces and matériel among civilians)—two recent examples of deliberate attempts to create violations of the LOAC. The potential resources available to a nation as large and wealthy as the PRC would multiply the problem substantially. Other possible forms of legal warfare might entail activities intended to raise doubts about which nation started a conflict. Chinese legal warfare measures would almost certainly occur in conjunction with psychological and public opinion/media warfare measures. Chinese analyses of the second Iraq War suggest that the ability of the coalition to contact Iraqi commanders and warn them not to employ weapons of mass destruction is deeply disturbing. It would not be surprising if the PLA sought to engage in comparable legal and psychological warfare operations against U.S. and allied commanders, attempting to dissuade them from engaging in military activities (e.g., attacking key infrastructure or transportation targets) that could be seen as violating norms or laws. Moreover, in the context of a Taiwan contingency, Chinese legal warfare would most likely include not only offensive legal operations against the United States and its allies, but also a campaign in support of public opinion/media warfare measures intended to demonstrate that China’s actions were justified. Such a campaign would entail references to the Anti-Secession Law, perhaps as part of a legal/public opinion warfare effort to portray the CCP as having no choice but to act. At the same time, Beijing would almost certainly argue that any such conflict was a domestic issue because, as the PRC believes, Taiwan is part of China. How such a legal argument (that conflict with Taiwan was an internal affair) would affect Chinese policies ranging from the PRC’s “no-first-use” of nuclear weapons through treatment of prisoners of war is unclear. Current PRC behavior suggests that one should not necessarily expect the Chinese to refrain from engaging in activities that they condemn in others. The Chinese do not necessarily accept that they operate under the same legal regime that they expect of others. For instance, the Chinese claim that although Okinotori (controlled by Japan) should not be an island, Chinese-claimed portions of the Spratlys should be. In 2010, they argued that the United States should not engage in naval activities in the Yellow Sea (an international body of water) while they themselves were engaged in major transits of the Miyako Straits. These actions suggest that China does not necessarily feel bound by the rules it invokes. In the post-war context, Chinese legal warfare efforts would be aimed at consolidating gains that had been made and obtaining additional benefits where possible. It is difficult, at this time, to determine what those legal warfare measures might entail, but they would likely include adjudication of new frontiers and borders, dealing with prisoners of war (both those captured by the Chinese and those suffered by the PLA), and addressing war crimes charges. China almost certainly would also continue to push legal arguments that justified actions it had undertaken. American emphasis on the rule of law has generally assumed that one’s adversaries will not engage in offensive lawfare—legal activities that are designed specifically to hamstring the opposition rather than seek legal redress. Chinese writings on legal warfare, however, serve as a warning that this might not be the case in the event of a Sino–American conflict. Equally as important, however, Chinese analysis suggests that international law, including the structuring of treaties, must be considered through the prism of legal warfare and how it might be exploited against American and allied interests. Carefully examine new international commitments. At the strategic level, the growing Chinese interest in legal warfare highlights the need to examine new international commitments carefully. For example, Chinese legal warfare operations suggest that it would be wise for America to remain outside the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) regime. It has been insinuated that American failure to join UNCLOS leaves the U.S. vulnerable to legal warfare under UNCLOS, but a treaty that the United States has not ratified can hardly be seen as constraining the U.S. By contrast, once the treaty has been ratified, the U.S. would be subject to its jurisdiction. In the context of U.S. naval operations, the PRC’s legal warfare could pose real problems. The Chinese claim that, under their interpretation of UNCLOS, foreign naval operations within another nation’s 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) should be subject to the approval of the owning state. Such a position is at odds with the American interpretation but not necessarily that of other states, including India. There is little question that the Chinese are trying to use UNCLOS to restrict U.S. naval operations at a time when the Chinese navy does not yet have the wherewithal to do so directly. Joining UNCLOS would only further jeopardize American freedom of navigation. Yet it is by no means clear that China would feel itself constrained by the UNCLOS rules. In the ongoing confrontation with the Philippines over islands and shoals in the South China Sea, China has refused to submit to UNCLOS arbitration, although both Manila and Beijing are signatories. Similarly, American championing of an international code of conduct for space operations begs the question of whether such a code of conduct could ultimately be wielded against American national security interests. As China seeks to develop anti-access/area-denial capabilities, American countermeasures are likely to entail operations against Chinese sensor networks—including space-based ones. Yet the code of conduct proposed by the Obama Administration would restrict interference with space-based systems (including jamming) and forbid the testing of systems that might generate space debris. If a military will fight the way it trains, how are American forces expected to practice defeating anti-access/area-denial systems? The lives of thousands of American servicemen hang on the answer to that question. Incorporate legal warfare countermeasures into U.S. operational planning and training. At the operational and tactical levels, Chinese legal warfare suggests a need for U.S. operational planning and training that incorporates legal countermeasures. For an example of an effective legal countermeasure program, the U.S. need look no further than the Israeli “operational verification” measures, which provide Israeli combat units with trained documentation teams. In order to counter charges of illegal activities, these teams provide real-time documentation of military activities. Such a move, of course, effectively cedes the initiative to opponents, as it grants them a measure of credibility by viewing their charges as something that requires rebuttal. Train American military legal experts to be more conversant with foreign military legal systems. Rather than focusing on how Chinese forces might be subjected to others’ application of legal warfare, PLA writings suggest that the Chinese will focus on identifying how opposing forces may be violating the LOAC and national and international laws. Consequently, American military legal experts should become more conversant with the military legal systems of the PLA (and other potential opponents) so as to be able to assess their adherence to the LOAC and their own national laws. In the cases of violations, not only should there be prosecution (which may not occur until after the conflict is concluded), but ample publicity should be focused on foreign failure to adhere to international norms, the LOAC, and national legal regimens. Address issues of legal interoperability with allied and friendly forces. One question posed by the legal warfare debate is of particular concern: The issue of legal interoperability and whether differences among allies’ legal systems and infrastructures might not create points of vulnerability. In NATO’s Operation Allied Force in Kosovo, for example, “differences between the nineteen coalition members over what constituted a legal and legitimate target impacted unity of effort, lengthened NATO’s military decision cycle, and adversely affected the efficiency and morale of tactical level units.” Lawyers from many of the coalition forces each reviewed targets according to national laws and regulations, apparently in an uncoordinated fashion and often with very different views of what constituted a legitimate military target. NATO forces faced a relatively overmatched opponent who had not spent months or years potentially preparing for legal warfare (including influencing both national and international laws). Against the PRC, such legal interoperability problems could be problematic—especially if exacerbated by pre-war attempts to alter or modify such legal concepts as what constitutes valid military targets. To avoid the potential problems of incompatible legal strictures, there needs to be pre-war engagement of key allies regarding such issues as targeting policies and a reconciliation of points of difference. Just as communications, logistics, and other support functions cannot be coordinated “on the fly,” neither can the legal policies that govern how the military selects its targets. Given the PRC’s understanding of lawfare as an offensive weapon, the U.S. must alter its current legal warfare strategy; no longer can America regard lawfare from a purely defensive standpoint. Indeed, offensive legal warfare—whether practiced by the PRC or by militarily overmatched insurgents—can neutralize America’s military might while damaging its allies and strategic partners. Sun Tzu, the great Chinese military strategist, once cautioned, “Know your enemy.” The American military, in planning its future lawfare strategies, especially with regard to the PRC, would be well served to heed Sun-Tzu’s advice. The PLA is not managed by its services, but by four general departments: the General Staff Department, responsible for war planning; General Political Department, responsible for political education and personnel issues; General Logistics Department, responsible for providing logistics support; and General Armaments Department, responsible for weapons development. Major General Liu Jiaxin, “General’s Views: Legal Warfare—Modern Warfare’s Second Battlefield,” Guangming Ribao, November 3, 2004. At the time, MG Liu was commandant of the Xian Political Academy of the PLA General Political Department. Dwight Perkins, “Law, Family Ties, and the East Asian Way of Business,” in Culture Matters, ed. Lawrence E. Harrison and Samuel P. Huntington (New York: Basic Books, 2000), p. 233. Eric W. Orts, “The Rule of Law in China,” Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, January 2001. Murray Scot Tanner, The Politics of Lawmaking in China (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1999), p. 43, and Perkins, “Law, Family Ties, and the East Asian Way of Business,” in Culture Matters, p. 235. Carl von Clausewitz, On War, trans. Michael Howard and Peter Paret (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976), p. 75. Zong Wenshen, Legal Warfare: Discussion of 100 Examples and Solutions (Beijing, PRC: PLA Publishing House, 2004), pp. 184–186. Taiwan Relations Act, http://www.taiwandocuments.org/tra01.htm (accessed May 11, 2012). Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., “Law and Military Interventions: Preserving Humanitarian Values in 21st Century Conflicts,” Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, Carr Center for Human Rights Working Paper, November 29, 2001, p. 8. Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., “Lawfare Today,” Yale Journal of International Affairs, Winter 2008, p. 146. “Lawfare, the Latest Asymmetries,” Council on Foreign Relations, summary of FY03 National Security Roundtable, sixth session, March 18, 2003, http://www.cfr.org/national-security-and-defense/lawfare-latest-asymmetries/p5772 (accessed April 28, 2012). U.S. Department of Defense, The National Defense Strategy of the United States of America (Washington, DC: Office of the Secretary of Defense, March 2005), p. 5. U.S. Department of Defense, The National Defense Strategy of the United States of America (Washington, DC: Office of the Secretary of Defense, June 2008), p. 2. Thomas E. Ricks, “Target Approval Delays Irks Air Force Officers,” The Washington Post, November 18, 2001, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/Airwar18.html (accessed April 28, 2012). William M. Arkin, “The Cyberbomb in Yugoslavia,” The Washington Post, October 25, 1999, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/dotmil/arkin.htm (accessed April 28, 2012), and Julian Borger, “Pentagon Kept the Lid on Cyberwar in Kosovo,” The Guardian, November 8, 1999, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/1999/nov/09/Balkans (accessed April 28, 2012). Seymour Hersh, “King’s Ransom: How Vulnerable Are the Saudi Royals?” The New Yorker, October 22, 2001, p. 36. For an alternative view, Gary Solis argues that the failure was in the commanding officer and the rules of engagement (ROE), not the JAG per se. Gary Solis, The Law of Armed Conflict (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), p. 499. But failure to adhere to ROE may itself become the grounds for legal action and would therefore seem nonetheless vulnerable to lawfare. Zhang Yuliang, The Science of Campaigns (Beijing, PRC: National Defense University Press, 2006), p. 209. Liu, Study Volume on Legal Warfare, p. 3. Zong, Legal Warfare, p. 5. On August 31, 1939, German forces dressed as Poles staged an attack against a German radio station at Gleiwitz. The action was intended to portray Germany as acting defensively when it invaded Poland. Donald Rothwell, “The Law of the Sea, Maritime Security, and Naval Operations in the South China Sea,” paper presented at the 2011 International Law Association Asia–Pacific Regional Conference, May 29–June 1, 2011, http://www.law.smu.edu.sg/centre/practitioner_sem/4Oct11/paper_4Oct11.pdf (accessed May 14, 2012). Guoxing Ji, “The Legality of US Conduct in the South China Sea,” China Security, No. 14 (2009), http://chinasecurity.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=266&Itemid=8 (accessed April 30, 2012). Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., “Lawfare: A Decisive Element of 21st Century Conflicts?” Joint Force Quarterly, No. 54 (2009), pp. 36–37. Lieutenant Colonel Troy Stone, “War Is Too Important to Be Left to the Lawyers,” paper submitted to the Naval War College, October 29, 2008, p. 5, http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a494360.pdf (accessed April 30, 2012).

2019-04-18T21:29:34Z

https://www.heritage.org/asia/report/winning-without-fighting-chinese-legal-warfare

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If the program does terminal interaction, make it output a short notice like this when it starts in an interactive mode: ``` Copyright (C) This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type `show w'. This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions; type `show c' for details. ``` The hypothetical commands \`show w' and \`show c' should show the appropriate parts of the General Public License. Of course, your program's commands might be different; for a GUI interface, you would use an "about box". You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or school, if any, to sign a "copyright disclaimer" for the program, if necessary. For more information on this, and how to apply and follow the GNU GPL, see . The GNU General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the library. If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Lesser General Public License instead of this License. But first, please read .

2019-04-23T11:15:41Z

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Love – Do we know what it is? Man—is that who we are? What can I do for the idea? Classes on this page are sorted alphabetically by Tapecode. If you encounter problems with downloading or purchasing, see tips for Downloading and Purchasing Classes on the Problems and Troubleshooting page. This series introduces the basic constituents of the Science of Being and its divine system of reference: The 7 synonyms for God (Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love), the 4-fold operation of Being (Word, Christ, Christianity, Science), and the 4 levels of Science (Science itself, divine Science, absolute Christian Science, Christian Science). Recordings A-1 through A-5 are general introductions to the subject, while the A-6 Syllabus series goes in-depth. In our longing for harmony and health, we search for an absolute principle of life. The Science of Christian Science teaches the Science of life—the Science of divine being. This Science provides the solutions to “all of our life&apos;s problems.” This is an excellent primer for both new and advanced students, providing an overview of the Science in the Bible and in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. This class is an excellent introduction to the Science of Being and its divine system of reference: the 7 synonyms for God, the 4-fold operation of Being, and the 4 levels of Science. We are shown how the divine system of reference resolves the human/mortal system of reference. Both new and advanced students find the scientific tools needed to approach this infinite subject. The 7 synonyms for God: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love (see S&H 465:10) constitute the core teaching of the Science of Christian Science. Martha Bogue, who attended Mary Baker Eddy’s class in 1888, writes that Mrs. Eddy said: “Upon the truth of these terms for God rests the basis of the Science; in fact they are the Science” (Mis. Doc. p. 61). This introductory level seminar deals with the practical questions and implications of studying the synonyms for God. An excellent preparation prior to beginning study of the Compendiums or Syllabus I. The Syllabus lectures provide in depth study of the divine system of reference: The 7 synonyms for God (Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love), the 4-fold operation of Being (Word, Christ, Christianity, Science), and the 4 levels of Science (Science itself, divine Science, absolute Christian Science, Christian Science). A-6I, Syllabus I, is the first in a series of five study programs on the fundamentals of the divine system of reference. This class focuses on the 7 synonyms for God: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love (see S&H 465:10). The 7 synonyms for God are the basis for a new spiritual language—the language of Spirit, God. We need to culture a new structure of consciousness—a divine consciousness—to “speak” this language of Spirit, and to understand the deep-structure language of the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. This program, used in conjunction with Complete Compendium for the Study of Christian Science, provides the most in-depth study of the 7 synonyms. A-6Ia, The Rules for Studying the 7 Synonymous Terms for God in Science and Health, explains the 13 scientific rules and methods that John W. Doorly and Max Kappeler used for ascertaining the specific ideas that uniquely characterize each of the 7 synonymous terms for God as found in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. For example, to answer the question &ldquo:How is a synonym characterized in a sentence in the Textbook?,” we must always name a characteristic of the synonym itself. For instance, in S&H 143:26 we find, “Mind is the grand creator.” Here Mind is characterized as the creator. It conveys something about the nature of the synonym itself, and not our attitude toward, or personal thoughts about, a synonym. Syllabus II provides insight into “the numerals of infinity” and the “divine infinite calculus” of Being. It builds on the tones of the 7 synonyms for God and shows “blending” (reflection) of each synonym and their ideas with all the other synonyms, giving insight into the self-reflection of Being. The self-reflection of Being forms the underlying spiritual structure of the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. This is a key to scientific text-interpretation and interpreting the universal laws of Being. “The numerals of infinity, called seven days, can never be reckoned according to the calendar of time. These days will appear as mortality disappears, and they will reveal eternity, newness of Life, in which all sense of error forever disappears and thought accepts the divine infinite calculus” (S&H 520:10). This class analyzes the Christ-order, Christianity-order, and Science-order of the 7 synonymous terms for God. It shows how these orders, along with the Word-order, present the 4-fold operation of Being on the level of Christian Science. This is the fourth in a series of five classes that cover the basics of Science in depth. The structure of the Bible and Science and Health rests on three fundamental categories of divine Being. They are: (1) The 7 synonymous terms for God, (2) The 4-fold operation of God, (3) The 4 levels of Science. The first 2 categories were dealt with in Syllabus I–IV. The third category, the 4 levels of Science, is discussed in this class. These levels are: Science itself, divine Science, absolute Christian Science, and Christian Science. The 4 levels of Science are vital for understanding the oneness of Being, as they explain how the infinite One, through translation, operates as “the many” on different levels of conscious experience, yet still remains the infinite One. Why Study Christian Science as a Science? This series covers the metaphysics-to-Science and spiritual consciousness aspects of the Science of Being. Students should have a good working understanding of the 7+4+4 before starting this series. Upon completion of this class, Max Kappeler declared joyously: “I have just presented a comprehensive overview of the orderly unfoldment of spiritual consciousness.” He realized that he had touched upon Mary Baker Eddy’s statement: “This creation consists of the unfolding of spiritual ideas and their identities, which are embraced in the infinite Mind and forever reflected. These ideas range from the infinitesimal to infinity, and the highest ideas are the sons and daughters of God” (S&H 502:29). This class on Christian Science practice is designed for students who already have a good working knowledge of the divine system of reference in Christian Science. Max Kappeler deals with the historical, theoretical, and practical implications of practice. Since Principle and practice are one, one’s spiritual development impacts their practice. Therefore, the basis of one’s spiritual development must be sound. Nothing is more practical than a good theory, and nothing is more impractical than practice without theory. This compilation CD includes all the ‘Fundamental Questions on the Science of Christian Science’ recordings: Part I: Steps from Metaphysics to Science, Part II: Advancing Spiritual Consciousness, Part III: The Christ, Part IV: Ascending and Descending in the 4 Levels of Science, Part V: Structural Consciousness. This is an exploration of the development from ordinary metaphysics to divinely scientific metaphysics, showing the vast difference between metaphysical thinking and scientific consciousness. It describes 8 ordered steps to finding our oneness with Being. A discussion of the evolution of consciousness over seven 1000-year periods, showing the evolution of spiritual understanding from a metaphysical to a scientific approach—demanding a higher interpretation of the Bible and Science and Health. In this presentation of the Christ-idea, Kappeler discusses the Christ-vertical in the “Model of Being” (the “Chart”). A discussion of the Christ as seen from the standpoint of the 4 levels of Science. This talk discusses the ascending way of understanding and the descending way of practice and demonstration as symbolized by the Model of Being, and explained in The Four Levels of Spiritual Consciousness by Max Kappeler. Because our age is an age of “science,” we are urged to cultivate a structural consciousness. We need to make the transition—the paradigm shift—from atomistic thinking and reasoning to a structural understanding of being. Today we understand that “knowledge of a single fact, not known as related to any other…does not reach the meaning of science: science is knowledge reduced to law and embodied in a system” (Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary). In these lectures, Kappeler shows the divinely scientific structure of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. Kappeler realized that to analyze the Textbook in its coherency, he could not focus on single words or sentences; a broader view was required. His method was to find the main subjects within each chapter, and then consider them in their ordered sequence. This method revealed that most of the main subjects within each of the 16 chapters follow the definite order of Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle Life, Truth, Love—the order given in the definition of God (S&H 465:10). Then Kappeler discovered that the sequence of the chapters follow the definite order of Word, Christ, Christianity, Science—the order of the four sides of the Holy City, as envisioned in the book of Revelation. Using this method, the Textbook can be seen as one great systematic elaboration of the fundamentals of Christian Science. The overall standpoint of Chapters I–IV is the revelation of God’s nature. In Chapter I, Prayer, we see that we must accept God’s nature in us. In Chapter II, Atonement and Eucharist, we find that God’s nature manifests itself in us in spite of error. Chapter III, Marriage, shows us that God’s nature demonstrates itself in us as a higher humanhood. And in Chapter IV, Christian Science versus Spiritualism, God’s nature can be understood only by scientific methods of understanding; only the spiritual is real. This recording shows the Word of God in its 4-fold operation within the matrix of Christian Science (the Textbook-matrix). Scientific text-interpretation reveals Chapter I, Prayer, to be the Word reflecting the Word; Chapter II, Atonement and Eucharist, as the Word reflecting the Christ; Chapter III, Marriage, as the Word reflecting Christianity; Chapter IV, Christian Science versus Spiritualism, as the Word reflecting Science. In this set of lectures, Kappeler discusses the historical development of the fundamental ideas out of which the Christian Science movement arose. It includes the history of Mary Baker Eddy’s revelation and subsequent writing of the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures . He defines the work of John W. Doorly and examines the impact of these developing ideas on Christian Science practice and healing. Chapter I, Prayer, presents the inward attitude needed to atone with God. In Chapter II, Atonement and Eucharist, we atone ourselves with the divine nature of God by being ready to give up our human will and submit to God’s demands (Eucharist). An unprecedented account of the concept of animal magnetism, covering the history of mesmerism, hypnotism, psychology, and consciousness. Also discussed is the development of animal magnetism in the Textbook, and the spiritual laws that handle the belief in animal magnetism (hypnotism). Chapter XVI, The Apocalypse, interprets verses from the “The Revelation of St. John” in the Bible. It presents a description of the universal self-operation of Principle and its idea on all levels of spiritual consciousness. Thought is led first in an ascending way of understanding, and then in a descending way of demonstration. Kappeler‘s spiritual and scientific insight into “The Apocalypse” (S&H) and “Revelation” (Bible) are revolutionary. This is a very scholarly insight into the deep structure of Being, and a timely issue for our present age. In Chapter X, The Science of Being, we are confronted with the warfare between idea and illusion, reality and unreality. Part I shows how ideas dissolve false beliefs (the dissolving of latent error). Part II shows how the belief that man is mortal yields to the divine fact that man is immortal (the dissolving of concrete error, the Adam-dream). Mrs. Eddy shows us the great importance of Part III, “The Platform,” in this way: “When the following platform is understood and the letter and the spirit bear witness, the infallibility of divine metaphysics will be demonstrated” (S&H 330:8). The Platform informs us of the dynamics of the Christ-idea, and shows why an idea can cause the disappearance of a false belief. When we realize that everything is determined by our state of consciousness, a completely new universe opens up: the universe of ideas. Mental limitations and restrictions fall away. True creation is seen as the infinite image, or infinite idea, of the infinite Mind, because all is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation. The translation of physiological man into spiritual manhood cannot be accomplished by trying to get rid of the material body, but by laying down the material concept of it. It is a question of consciousness. Part I of Chapter VIII, Footsteps of Truth (the humanity of divinity), presents the seven scientific pillars of divine consciousness. Part II (the divinity of humanity), shows that the effect of divine consciousness is the gradual disappearance of erroneous, human consciousness. Chapter XV, Genesis Part I, presents the first record of creation (Love & Mind: Love embracing its own perfect creation). Part II presents the second record of creation (Truth & Mind: Truth excluding the suppositional creation of error). Part III presents the Science of Life versus material theories of evolution (Life & Mind: Life is its own creator, creating through Mind). When we accept the demands of God (Chapter II, Atonement and Eucharist) in our daily lives, the outcome is that we experience a higher state of humanity (Chapter III, Marriage). Through “wedding” ourselves with the nature of God, we experience a superior, more harmonious and more permanent sense of existence. Chapter XI, Some Objections Answered, presents the fundamental objections of the human mind that interfere with scientific, theoretical Christianity demonstrating itself as practical Christianity. These objections prevent us from seeing every idea in its perfect spiritual reflection. Kappeler discusses how, from Chapter I through Chapter XI, we have grown to the degree of understanding that enables us to let the Christ-idea demonstrate itself in every situation. Now, in Chapter XII, Christian Science Practice, we “practice” by accepting that a scientific understanding of ideas is real health. Part I (Love & Mind) shows the attitude of the true practitioner; Part II (Truth & Mind) shows what the practitioner knows in treatment; Part III (Life & Soul) shows the practitioner’s unchanging method in treatment; Part IV (Love & Spirit, Truth & Spirit, Life & Spirit) show Love, Truth, and Life reflected in the patient’s case. Chapter VII, Physiology, shows that the Christ translates mortal man (physiological man) back into immortal man, and that Truth is supreme in the realm of Truth and in the realm of error. Part I shows that Truth is supreme over the mortal body. Part II shows that Truth’s supremacy brings the true idea of man to light. Prayer is the beginning of every approach to God, and Chapter I, Prayer, shows the qualities necessary for such an approach. In Christian Science, in order to pray correctly, we need to have a deep desire to know God as God is. When we open ourselves to God’s nature and accept the divine nature as our own, our lives become “answered” prayer. Chapter XIV, Recapitualtion, explains how divine Principle expresses itself through a scientific system of metaphysics. Science has a Christ, and the office of the Christ within Science is to reduce or translate the divine Principle to a system of ideas which can be taught, learned, demonstrated, and lived. In its first form, this chapter appeared as a separate booklet entitled “The Science of Man,” and was used by Mrs. Eddy for Class Instruction. Here Mrs. Eddy expounds the divine Principle and its operation that underlies every single chapter in the Textbook. This chapter has a very symmetrical layout. The 24 questions and answers are divided into four groups of six questions and answers each. We find that there are six questions and answers that depict the Word, six the Christ, six Christianity, and six Science. In Chapter IV, Christian Science versus Spiritualism, we find that Spirit, God, is the overall tone of the entire chapter. It teaches that Spirit is the only reality, that so-called matter is unreal, and that the belief in matter must be handled scientifically and spiritually. Spiritualism, in its broadest sense, is dualism; it is the belief that Spirit and matter cooperate, which is gross materialism. This chapter explains how to handle the universal belief in materiality (unreality). Part I (Soul & Life) analyzes what is real and what is unreal. Part II (Mind & Truth) shows that the Mind of Christ uncovers a wrong state of mind. Part III (Spirit & Love) postulates that the final spiritualization of all things is the plan of Love—the complete disappearing of all inharmonies before the supremacy of Spirit. In Chapter XIII, Teaching Christian Science, we are taught to be Scientists. We are taught to have strict adherence to the divine Principle, to know ourselves only as Principle’s idea, and to conform to the ethics of Christian Science. This demands strict adherence to the wisdom of Mind, the purity of Spirit, the divine rules of Soul, the onmipotence of Principle, the method of Life, the consciousness of Truth, and the motherhood of Love. In the C-1 series of recordings, Max Kappeler introduces students to the divine structure of the Textbook. But…how did he arrive at his conclusions? In this C-2 series of talks, he outlines the exact method that enables any student of Science to get beyond personal interpretations of a revealed text and discover its divinely objective structure. Using the first five chapters of the Textbook as a working example, these classes teach the fundamental method of spiritually scientific text-interpretation: (1) How to discern the spiritual structure of the text, (2) How the Textbook presents it’s spiritual symphony, and how to distinguish the leading tones and elements within the symphony, (3) How to work with the spiritual structure to answer questions intrinsic to the subject, as well as practical implications for daily living. This program is for more advanced students of Science. An excellent understanding of the divine system of reference or completion of the Syllabus I–V program is recommended. Using the method of scientific text-interpretation and working with epitomes, we ascertain the main theme of Chapter II, Atonement and Eucharist, to be, “through our unity with God, we overcome all that is unlike God in ourselves.” We see how this theme is developed through the chapter’s main tones and subtones, which follow the order of the definition for God: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, and Love. Chapter V, Animal Magnetism Unmasked, discusses the necessity of handling evil by knowing that evil—animal magnetism—must be understood as nothing. Anything that is not derived from God has neither power nor influence. God, good, alone translates itself constantly to mankind, putting mankind only under the influence of God. Through the method of scientific text-interpretation, we discover that the main theme of Chapter III, Marriage, is “spiritual unity in God brings forth a higher humanity.” The main theme is developed through the main tones and subtones, and in this chapter we find such comparatives as: nobler life motives, higher aims, better balanced minds, sounder constitutions, greater responsibilities, a nobler race, higher joys, and stronger spiritual adherence. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures , by Mary Baker Eddy, must be understood in its Science through system and structure, including the 7 synonymous terms for God. Using the method of scientific text-interpretation, we first find the overall theme of the chapter. Then we investigate the chapter’s main tones and subtones. The result of this study shows us that true prayer is a step-by-step spiritual process toward understanding God. The method of scientific text-interpretation yields the comprehensive structure of Chapter IV,Christian Science versus Spiritualism. Spirit is seen to be the overall tone of the chapter. Spirit, God, handles the belief in spiritualism&mdahs;gross materialism. Mrs. Eddy states: “Spiritualism would transfer men from the spiritual sense of existence back into its material sense. This gross materialism is scientifically impossible, since to infinite Spirit there can be no matter” (S&H 75:8). The chapter is divided into three parts: Part I (Soul & Life), analyzing error, Part II (Mind & Truth), uncovering error, and Part III (Spirit & Love), annihilating error. Over the last century, the understanding of Christian Science has gradually evolved from the standpoint of metaphysics (the contemplation of ideas) to the standpoint of Science (the contemplation of the infinite One, including its own ideas). This is a vital synopsis of the 16 fundamental aspects of oneness found in the 16 chapters of the Textbook. Each chapter accentuates a different aspect of oneness and deals with a specific claim of dualism. Through an investigation into this subject we gain insight into the Science of oneness, an understanding found only through a study of the work of John W. Doorly and Max Kappeler. This set of 4 CDs include the subjects of oneness and the matrix of Science and Health (4×4). The 16 chapters of Science and Health provide a spiritually structured framework in which to explore aspects of oneness, as well as a method for culturing our spiritual consciousness and understanding God, divine Principle. This class facilitates a scientific understanding of the Christian Science textbook by challenging the method of atomistic thinking (thinking in terms of isolated facts) and offering instead a scientifically structured method of approach. Only a structural sense of Science can successfully lead to an understanding of the infinite Principle, God. The following ponts are dealt with: structure and structuralism, deductive and inductive reasoning, and the matrix of Science and Health. An introduction to structural consciousness as based on the matrix of Science and Health. Matrices dealt with are: Handling evil though the 16 chapters of the Textbook, the question of healing as seen in the Textbook, and the scientific law of how ideas dispel false beliefs. Other subjects include Mary Baker Eddy as a Scientist, and the logic of Christian Science. The question of oneness, which has occupied thinkers from earliest times, still remains one of the key questions that humanity strives to answer. The mystic conceives of this “oneness” as an undifferentiated whole. The Christian Scientist, however, explains the infinite One as a systematically, classified, differentiated whole that has categories, structure, and divine laws. The aspects of oneness in the 16 chapters of Science and Health are stated through definite divine laws. These laws are elaborated and seen as operating in every facet of our daily life. The specific aspect of dualism dealt with in each chapter is also analyzed. The D-series provides a thorough understanding of the 4 levels of consciousness, divine cybernetics, and shows how the Model of Being provides the framework for the “divine laws of Life, Truth, and Love” (S&H 107:2). Divine Being, God, can be scientifically understood only when we learn how the infinite One interprets itself through the 4 levels of Science according to its divine laws of translatability. We must evolve from a metaphysical outlook to the standpoint of Science, where consciousness no longer looks “up to” Principle, but “out from” Principle, which knows only its own realm of ideas. When our consciousness touches Science, we become aware of the 4 levels of Science given in Science and Health: Christian Science, absolute Christian Science, divine Science, and Science itself. With each level of Science, the form of consciousness changes, different questions are dealt with, varying phenomena appear, and fundamental problems such as evil, matter, and healing are resolved. This class provides an introduction to “divine cybernetics,” the self-operating, self-organizing, self-regulating, divine laws of Life, Truth, and Love (see S&H 107:1). These divine laws are the inherent force behind the error-preventing and error-correcting self-regulating feedback circuit of divine Being. Our job is to culture a spiritual consciousness, which allows us to accept, and not reject, the self-operation of God, the divine Principle of all being. This talk is geared to those students who already have a general understanding of the 7 synonymous terms for God and their specific ideas. Through an understanding of the dimensional translatability of God, we discover that the power of an individual idea is the power of the infinite One itself. Each synonym is shown to symbolize a different divine law when viewed from the standpoint of the 4-fold operation of God (Word, Christ, Chrisitianity, and Science) and the 4 levels of Science (Science itself, divine Science, absolute Christian Science, and Christian Science). This class is revolutionary as it presents the “divine laws of Life, Truth, and Love” discovered by Mary Baker Eddy (S&H 107:2). The Model of Being is the framework in which these divine laws are explained. The subject dealt with is divine cybernetics—the divine laws of interdependence operating on the levels of divine Science, absolute Christian Science, and Christian Science. These divine laws form the essence of our everyday life experience. This class, along with E-1, can be considered Kappeler‘s highest teaching. It is recommended that students have completed the following prior to this course: (1) Book: The Four Levels of Spiritual Consciousness, (2) Recordings: D-1, The Four Levels of Science and (3) D-2, Divine Cybernetics: the proto-Science, the integral Science. Every science rests on laws. Christian Science teaches the divine laws of God. What are these laws? How can they be defined? How do they operate? How do they govern our everyday life experience? This class answers these questions, which can be considered Kappeler‘s highest teaching of the Science of Being (along with D-4). It is recommended that students have a thorough understanding of the concepts presented in Kappeler‘s book, The Four Levels of Spiritual Consciousness. This class gives a clear and basic introduction to what constitutes a matrix and how matrices are used in Christian Science as a tool for understanding Being and its universal laws. It is designed for students who are well acquainted with the three categories (7+4+4) comprising the divine system of reference. Mary Baker Eddy refers to the “matrix of immortality”—the matrix of Being. In all sciences, matrices are a scientific tool for presenting a complex subject in a clear and concise way. Matrix work cultivates our ability to reason in categories and relationships, and aids in the recognition of structure and laws. Once this structure is recognized, matrices can be guides for creative thinking and lead to greater insight. In this series, The Bible in the Light of Christian Science, Kappeler shows us the structure and the spiritual laws that underlie the Minor Prophets, the Epistles, and the Gospel of St. John. In Science and Health we find “the Key to the Scriptures.” This key consists of the categories of Being: the 7 synonyms for God, the 4-fold operation of Being, and the 4 levels of Science. John W. Doorly showed how biblical symbolism can be interpreted with this key, thereby showing that one spiritual system underlies the Bible, Science and Health, and Being itself. Adhering to this spiritually scientific system, this class shows that the Prophets in the Bible—the twelve Minor Prophets and the four Major Prophets—announce the Christ-operation through a different divine aspect when considered in a 4×4 Christ-matrix. These 16 different aspects form a coherent, divinely structured spiritual message. Thus, within each prophetic book there is a spiritually ordered layout, which gives rise to timeless spiritual laws. The Bible has been read by millions over thousands of years, and yet, has it been interpreted in its spiritual Science? How does the one Being reveal itself through spiritual laws? This class is a primer in interpreting and understanding the Bible through the Science of Christian Science. Presented 25 years after his first class on The Minor Prophets (F-1), this class teaches the underlying method of spiritually scientific text-interpretation using the “Key to the Scriptures” found in Science and Health. The divine laws of the Minor Prophets are shown to be the universal laws of the Christ, which govern all levels of existence. Using the same spiritually scientific method of biblical text-interpretation as in the class on the Minor Prophets (see F-1), the spiritual laws underlying each Epistle are discerned. The Minor Prophets illustrate the Christ-matrix, whereas the Epistles give an example of the Christianity-matrix. The Epistles teach “Christianity” in its full sense as the reciprocal relationship of man to the grace of God (Word), the glory of Christ (Christ), the idea of man’s perfection (Christianity), and the Science of man (Science). Furthermore, they show the spiritual evolution that must take place in consciousness, bringing salvation through faith in grace. By accepting the new faith (Word), claiming it (Christ), steadfastly abiding in it (Christianity), and living it, we can prove the effectiveness of this new faith (Science). Christianly scientific manhood can be demonstrated, not by starting with man, but by working from the category of the 4-fold operation of Being: Word, Christ, Christianity, and Science. In this context, we evolve our true manhood scientifically by relying on the workings of the Christ in all aspects of life. Each of the 16 Epistles presents a distinct standpoint within the 4 x 4 Christianity-matrix in the Bible. Reasoning deductively from this matrix, we understand and demonstrate our true being. The method of obtaining these structural findings is shown by using the text of the Epistles to explain the method of scientific text-interpretation. We can discern the spiritual structure and the laws constituting the spiritual message of the Christianity-matrix. This unique class presents the beautiful Christianly scientific structure of Jesus’ life as presented in the Gospel of St. John. By building on the scientific basis of the divine categories of reality that John W. Doorly presented in his Talks at the Oxford Summer School 1949, Vol. II, Kappeler presents the predominant theme of this Gospel, “the Science of true Christianity.” This class is a must for all students of Science, as it explores the place-value of John’s gospel within the Model of Being?the point of the Science-order on the level of Christian Science. This class builds upon Kappeler‘s 1990 class on the “Gospel of St. John,” revealing the practical implications of St. John’s message for everyday life-practice, and its timeless universality. The “Gospel of St. John” shows the shift from an atomistic consciousness (old science) to a structural, dimensional, cybernetic, and holistic consciousness (new science) through Jesus’ mission. We see how St. John’s teachings present the “new” scientific Christianity, one that prefigures today’s world situation and demands. The G Series of recordings looks at the implications of Science in the world today…as the Science of all sciences. This class explores how the idea of the Science of Being has impacted world-consciousness. The changes taking place in the world today are brought about by the impact of the divine idea, leading in an ordered way to successively higher stages and forms of consciousness. This outstanding lecture, held in the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London, explores how today we are witnessing the striking evolution from linear to exponential growth of information, a phenomenon that indicates a mutation of consciousness taking place in our age. This class focuses on the new concept of holistic Science implicit in Mary Baker Eddy’s revelation. Whereas, the science of the last three centuries has been marked by atomistic, material, and reductionist methods, the “new science” takes as its object, method, and aim, “the whole”—divine reality. Kappeler shows how this new science reflects the Science of Christian Science—the universal Science of all sciences. More than any political or technical alternative, this Science offers a total solution to today’s world crises. What was Mary Baker Eddy’s concept of spiritual progress? Does spiritual evolution end with her one great pioneering achievement? Drawing upon her article, “Caution in the Truth” (Un. pp. 1–7), Kappeler shows that, just as the sciences and all mankind have undergone continual and dramatic evolution, so too must human understanding of the divine idea in its Science evolve. In 1887, the most that students of Christian Science could accept was the Science of physical harmony. Today, Science demands that we investigate the Science of spiritual harmony. G-5 - The World‘s Problems Today—and We? G-5 — G-5 – The World‘s Problems Today—and We? The present age faces multiple crises that threaten global survival. What is the solution? As Kappeler explains, the solution lies entirely with spiritual consciousness, with a scientific understanding of God. These crises arise from a materialistic consciousness that begins and ends with man—mortal manhood. More than 100 years ago, Mary Baker Eddy foresaw the current state of world affairs and gave the right analysis and solution at the end of S&H Chapter IV, Christian Science versus Spiritualism. Do we truly see the present crises as the result of Love’s purpose to annihilate all material beliefs and then usher in complete spiritualization? Peace and hope are at hand if we go the way of Science and, in doing so, work out individually the collective problem. Kappeler investigates the writings of Mary Baker Eddy to discover the law of the self-evolution of Science. This evolution of Science—and consciousness—is outlined in the first 16 chapters of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. This class also presents the self-evolving laws of universal Science as illustrated through the symbol of the Model of Being. The trend of natural scientists toward a more metaphysical standpoint is discussed. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy asks the most fundamental and eternal question: “What is God?” She answers: “God is incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love” (S&H 465:8–10). Fannie L. Pierce, who attended Mrs. Eddy’s November Class of 1888, recorded the great importance Mrs. Eddy attached to these 7 terms for God: “Upon the Truth of these terms for God, rests the whole structure of Christian Science” (Mis. Doc., p. 61). In this recording, Joel Jessen conducts a comprehensive investigation into the meaning and implication of the 7 synonyms in our lives and world consciousness. This introductory class by Joel Jessen examines the subject of Kappeler‘s booklet The Ordered Approach to the One Being. It answers our basic concerns of how we can become one with divine Principle, God, itself, and attain a state of divine consciousness. This class by Joel Jessen, offered originally as an “Introductory Class” at Kappeler‘s 1989 summer school, presents the divine philosophy that is the spiritual foundation “for accurate views of creation” (S&H 255:9). This divine philosophy is presented in the Bible and in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and expounded upon by John W. Doorly and Max Kappeler. Mary Baker Eddy asks: Is the universe, including man, evolved by atomic force? She answers: “The universe, including man, is not a result of atomic action, material force or energy; it is not organized dust” (Mis. 23:20). “We tread on forces…human knowledge calls them forces of matter; but divine Science declares that they belong wholly to divine Mind, are inherent in this Mind, and so restores them to their rightful home and classification” (S&H 124:26–31). In this class, Joel Jessen discusses how Mrs. Eddy presents a challenge to all mankind to understand the spiritual origin of the universe, inclusive of man. As we enter the 21st century, mankind is alive with the question: What constitutes the true government of man? Max Kappeler, in his book Christian Government—Its Scientific Evolution (p. 10), states: “Democracy will certainly fail unless democracy patterns theocracy. In order to gain a purer sense of democracy, we must first gain a scientific understanding of theocracy—the government of God, the reign of divine Science.” In this class, Joel Jessen presents an in-depth discussion of man’s birthright to be governed by God, divine Principle. Divine government is based on divine laws, rights, duties, and divine justice. Chapter VI in Science and Health—Science, Theology, Medicine—was the last chapter of the Textbook that Mary Baker Eddy wrote, in 1891. In this chapter, she gives the scientific criteria for a new Science of all sciences. On the basis of our understanding and acceptance of this new scientific standpoint (Science), we will be able to progress in consciousness and experience the standpoint of the new theology and new medicine. The JC-2 Series includes both Part I & Part II classes. Chapter VI in Science and Health—Science, Theology, Medicine—was the last chapter of the Textbook that Mary Baker Eddy wrote, in 1891. In this chapter, she gives the scientific criteria for a new Science of all sciences. On the basis of our understanding and acceptance of this new scientific standpoint (Science), we will be able to progress in consciousness and experience the standpoint of the new theology and new medicine. Part I covers: how the place-value of Science, Theology, Medicine is important within the Textbook-matrix; the law of oneness (divine Science) underlying the chapter; the main theme of the chapter; the main tones of Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle—the basis of the new Science; and an investigation of the law of translation and reformation. Chapter VI in Science and Health—Science, Theology, Medicine—was the last chapter of the Textbook that Mary Baker Eddy wrote, in 1891. In this chapter, she gives the scientific criteria for a new Science of all sciences. On the basis of our understanding and acceptance of this new scientific standpoint (Science), we will be able to progress in consciousness and experience the standpoint of the new theology and new medicine. Part II covers: Theology: The main tone of Life in the chapter; Medicine: The main tone of Truth in the chapter. The Model of Being is a new model of Science and consciousness that will aid mankind in meeting the challenges of the 21st century, the age of Love. Part I of this class focuses on the Model of Being as a symbol of the laws of universal Science, and how it represents the consciousness of our current age, the 7th 1000-year period in biblical history. It explains the startling and rapid mutation in consciousness that is dawning upon the world now, during the 21st century.In Part II, students join in open discussion about how each one can culture their consciousness in the tonality of the Model of Being (ie: the realm of Love). The Model of Being is a new model of Science and consciousness that will aid mankind in meeting the challenges of the 21st century, the age of Love. Part I of this class focuses on the Model of Being as a symbol of the laws of universal Science, and how it represents the consciousness of our current age, the 7th 1000-year period in biblical history. It explains the startling and rapid mutation in consciousness that is dawning upon the world now, during the 21st century. The Model of Being is a new model of Science and consciousness that will aid mankind in meeting the challenges of the 21st century, the age of Love. In Part II, students join in open discussion about how each one can culture their consciousness in the tonality of the Model of Being (ie: the realm of Love). This class is a breakthrough for the advanced thinker in Christian Science. Focused on the holistic Science implicit in Mrs. Eddy?s revelation, this Science, more than any political, religious, or mental alternative, offers a solution to today?s world crisis. The Model of Being—the subject of Max Kappeler?s The Four Levels of Spiritual Consciousness—is the product of Mrs. Eddy?s divine revelation. Today we witness the ongoing impact of divine revelation, as leading scientists begin to discover and write about God?s all-encompassing universal laws that are governing “the rolling of worlds…to a potato-patch” (Mis. 26:7–8). The whole of mortal consciousness, which constitutes mortal man, must yield to the divine consciousness, which constitutes the real spiritual man of God’s creating. But what is mortal consciousness? How does it operate, and how does it manifest itself? These vital questions are dealt with in this introductory level class. The divine concept of “Science, Theology, Medicine” (Ch. VI in Science and Health), is leavening the human concept of science, theology, and medicine in the world. We are witnessing in this age a great transformation in world thought as to what can be considered science. It is a scholarly presentation. An introduction to the method of investigating the matrix of Science and Health. This recording defines structuralism and how it applies to the Christian Science textbook. A review of the Bible in 1000-year periods up to the “Prophetic Age” as viewed in the light of Christian Science. Kappeler shows step-by-step how the Christ-idea handles the belief in evil. The emphasis is on the need for structure-recognition and the practicality of Science. A discussion of “animal magnetism” and the divine laws that handle it. Kappeler shows how the claim of animal magnetism is handled through the seven main revisions of Science and Health in the context of the 7 synonymous terms for God: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love (see S&H 465:10). From Genesis to Revelation, the steps of our spiritual development are shown through the symbol of the 1000-year periods. Kappeler shows how the tones of the 7 synonymous terms for God relate to these periods in biblical history. The meaning of each of the 7 synonymous terms for God is defined in the Christian Science textbook. The purpose of this class is to cultivate distinct tonalities of the synonymous terms with their characteristic ideas on the 4 levels of spiritual consciousness. M-17 - Why Study Christian Science as a Science? M-17 — M-17 – Why Study Christian Science as a Science? The essence of Christian Science is a Science concerned with God, the divine Being. Mary Baker Eddy discovered a Science of the highest order as presented in Science and Health. We must open our thought to approach God scientifically and not as a religion. An overview of the 1000-year periods in biblical history illustrating the advancing states and stages of spiritual consciousness. Kappeler examines the place value of the Book of Revelation in the development of Judeo-Christian history. A discussion of John W. Doorly’s discoveries and Kappeler‘s further development of the scientific nature of Christian Science. Topics discussed include: (1) Is Science and Health a scientific textbook? (2) The structure of Science and Health, (3) Christian Science today. An introduction to the scientific nature of Christian Science showing how the constituents of mortal consciousness are resolved by the constituents of divine consciousness. Kappeler discusses the four fundamental factors of divine Being. A summary of the 16 chapters in Science and Health, outlining the spiritually ordered steps in the search for Truth. It shows the 4-fold order of the chapters as Word, Christ, Christianity, and Science, which form the structure of the 4×4 matrix of the Textbook. Here Kappeler gives an outline of what we can do to meet our spiritual responsibility to the present age. The questions that concern us are answered by following the line of spiritual reasoning presented in the seven 1000-year periods of biblical history. Kappeler discusses the development of oneness and scientific healing found in Mary Baker Eddy’s revelation of Christian Science. This includes descriptions of the steps from ordinary metaphysics to the Science of oneness, and scientific oneness vs. mysticism. An introduction to the eithics of Christian Science and its strict adherence to divine Principle, God. This means adherence to the wisdom of Mind, the purity of Spirit, the divine rules of Soul, the onmipotence of Principle, the method of Life, the consciousness of Truth, and the motherhood of Love. This discussion includes the main tones of Chapter XIII, Teaching Christian Science, which touch on the issue of the ethics of Christian Science. Kappeler discusses the meaning of the “Scientific Translation of Immortal Mind” and the “Scientific Translation of Mortal Mind” in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (pp. 115–116). An understanding of the two translations is vital to comprehending Christ Science and the self-operating, divinely cybernetic laws of Life, Truth, and Love as discovered by Mary Baker Eddy. Kappeler discusses the implications of the “Scientific Translation of Immortal Mind,” and the “Scientific Translation of Mortal Mind” given in Science and Health (pp. 115–116). These implications involve the universal impact that the divine laws that rule “translation” have on tranforming our lives, forcing our consciousness to evolve from the physical, through the moral, and finally, to the spiritual standpoint. The 4-fold self-operation of Word, Christ, Christianity, and Science work through a dynamic feedback system as in a cybernetic cycle. This is an explanation of the translatability of an “idea” to every level of spiritual consciousness. Kappeler discusses the 4-fold operational sense of Being as the Word, Christ, Christianity, and Science. He shows the arrangement of the 7 synonyms for God in the Word-order, Christ-order, Christianity-order, and Science-order as found in Science and Health. Kappeler gives examples of the 4-fold operation of Being found in Science and Health and the Bible. The divine system of reference is explained in 3 categories: (1) the 7 synonymous terms for God, (2) their 4-fold operation, and (3) the 4 levels of Science. This shows the need to understand the infinite One in its Science through system and structure. Other subjects discussed are: mysticism, religion, classical and transclassical metaphysics, divine cybernetics, and dimensionalism vs. reductionism. Dimensional consciousness of the one Being is shown through 4 levels of Science (Christian Science, absolute Christian Science, divine Science, and Science itself), explaining God as a consistent whole. Problems are solved according to a specific level of consciousness. The dimensionality of the one Being is discussed, giving a dimensional understanding of all levels of consciousness and life-experience by explaining the one Being through 4 aspects of Science (Science itself, divine Science, absolute Christian Science, and Christian Science). This discussion is set within the framework of the Model of Being. The concept of dimensionalism shows that being is not restricted to one realm, but embraces multiple levels or dimensions at once. Kappeler discusses how the 4 levels of Science (Science itself, divine Science, absolute Christian Science, and Christian Science), provide a dimensional analysis of specific issues: life, death, evil, matter, healing, problems, and Jesus as a Scientist. Exercises are done along the ascending way of understanding, from the level of Christian Science to the level of Science itself. These exercises train us to avoid the temptation of trying to “leap” directly to the standpoint of Science-itself. Here Kappeler explains Mrs. Eddy’s statement: “The numerals of infinity, called seven days, can never be reckoned according to the calendar of time. These days will appear as mortality disappears, and they will reveal eternity, newness of Life, in which all sense of error forever disappears and thought accepts the divine infinite calculus” (S&H 520:10). The structure of the 16 chapters in Science and Health are discussed in the context of the Mind-matrix and the matrix of handling evil. A brief overview of the Textbook-matrix is also investigated. A discussion of the development of the healing practice through the Christian Science textbook, Chapters I–XVI in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. How does an understanding of the levels of Science apply to healing work? This question is considered when dealing with these subjects: the ascending way of understanding, the descending way of demonstration, practice on the levels of absolute Christian Science, divine Science, and Science itself. We gain an understanding of the aim, method, and success of healing. Kappeler gives instructions for blending the ideas of the 7 synonymous terms for God. This includes a definition of the nature of ideas in Christian Science, based on references from Science and Health. It shows how divine ideas counteract false beliefs. What is the Science of Being? What is divine cybernetics? Kappeler introduces the concept of cybernetics as applied to the Science of Christian Science. He defines divine cybernetics and gives examples of how this concept forms the foundation of a new Science of all sciences. This class provides a deeper analysis of the Christ-translations as found in Science and Health (pp. 115:12–116:3). Subjects covered are: the Christ-idea, the ascending way of understanding, the descending way of demonstration, analysis of the two Christ-translations, and biblical references to the two Christ-translations. In Science and Health we find the divine system of reference and the categories of Being: 7 synonymous terms for God (Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love), their 4-fold operation (Word, Christ, Christianity, Science), and the 4 levels of Science (Science itself, divine Science, absolute Christian Science, and Christian Science). This presentation of the divine system of reference marks Christian Science’s contribution to mankind. A discussion of the Christ-idea and how it contrasts with human thought. This explains the meaning of the Christ-translation, and shows how the Christ-idea operates as Word, Christ, Christianity, and Science. The story of David depicts the spiritual development of true manhood. Max Kappeler discusses John Doorly’s method of interpreting biblical symbols according to the divine system of reference in Science and Health. A comparison of the story of David (I & II Samuel) with the story of Jesus (St. Matthew) is given. Kappeler presents a powerful and timeless explanation of the dynamic self-operation of God. The four terms—Word, Christ, Christianity, and Science—represent the 4-fold operational factors of Being. This seminar defines the 4 levels of spiritual consciousness, and discusses how divine Principle, God, translates itself through different levels according to the divine law of translatability. Examples of dimensionalism in world thought today are given. Also discussed: How the laws of the levels deal with the question of “problems,” healing, and handling evil. A discussion of dimensional consciousness in terms of the 4 levels: Christian Science, absolute Christian Science, divine Science, and Science itself. This includes what issues the levels handle, and the tonality of each level. A description of the Model of Being (the “Chart”) and the meaning of each of the 4 levels of Science within the Model of Being. This includes a summary of the 7 synonymous terms for God, and how evil is handled on the 4 levels. A discussion of how the question of evil is handled from the standpoint of the 4 levels of Science. This talk also explores how the last four chapters of Science and Health symbolize the 4 levels of Science. A discussion of healing practice based on the Model of Being, which is a symbol for the whole dynamics of spiritual Being. The framework for the Model of Being is the 4 levels of spiritual consciousness (Science itself, divine Science, absolute Christian Science, and Christian Science). Each level of spiritual consciousness is governed by the translated forms of the divine laws of Life, Truth, and Love. Kappeler defines and describes the 7 synonymous terms for God presented in Science and Health as Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, and Love (see S&H 465:10). A seminar on healing practice, as seen through the matrix of Science and Health as presented in Chapter I, Prayer, through Chapter XVI, The Apocalypse. This matrix gives a spiritually structured answer to life’s problems. Healing in Chapter XII, Christian Science Practice, is also discussed. During this seminar, the Model of Being is seen as the model of divine cybernetics. Divine cybernetics is defined as divine Principle, God, operating as a self-organizing, sefl-regulating, error-preventing, and error-correcting goal directed system. The 4-fold operation of input, process, output, and feedback is discussed in their relationship to the 4-fold operation of Word, Christ, Christianity, and Science. Kappeler asks: What is a crisis? What is our attitude toward a crisis? He answers these questions by showing that the global crisis of today is impelled by the Christ-idea, and must be seen as part of evolution pushing us into a higher spiritual paradigm. He discusses Mrs. Eddy’s interpretation of: “he uttered his voice, the earth melted” (Psalms 46:6). Mrs. Eddy states: “This Scripture indicates that all matter will disappear before the supremacy of Spirit” (S&H 97:26). An exploration of the question of oneness, and how the biblical concept of monotheism—the “I AM THAT I AM” (Ex. 3:14)—developed over time. Kappeler also examines the development of the idea of oneness in the history of Christian Science. An introduction to the Science of Christian Science, which includes the divine system of reference and a description of what “practice” means. It is a discussion of the 4 levels of practice as found in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health. Kappeler discusses the historical development of the practice of healing from Mrs. Eddy’s time through John W. Doorly. He shows how a new theory demands new methods of treatment. He shows that the Christ-idea alone, and not human thinking, is the impulsion behind all spiritual healing. Christianity is the outcome of living the Christ-attitude. Kappeler shows the scientific approach to the healing practice of Christianity and describes scientific healing. Mrs. Eddy is seen as a divine Scientist—a Scientist of the first magnitude. Kappeler shows us how the concept of “ideas” evolved through philosophy to the point of Mrs. Eddy’s discovery of the “Science of ideas,” based on the divine laws of Life, Truth, and Love (see S&H 107:2). Mrs. Eddy reduced this Science of ideas to a language of spiritual tonality—the language of Spirit, God. Divine cybernetics, the Science that governs changes, and the Science of the oneness of Being, are also discussed. This describes how ideas dispel illusions, as shown in the form of a 7×7 matrix of the 7 synonyms for God (Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, and Love). This matrix is embedded in Chapter X, Science of Being, Part I, in Science and Health. Kappeler shows us how to understand the Science that governs spiritual birth: scientific obstetrics. The spiritually scientific method of being reborn as the idea of divine Science resolves the question of death. Jesus explained the new birth to Nicodemus in biblical language, whereas Mrs. Eddy presents it to our age in the language of divine Science (see S&H 463:5–20). An overview of the development of medical science in relation to Christian Science. Kappeler shows that the trend is away from matter and toward Spirit in an explanation of S&H Chapter VI, Science, Theology, Medicine. In the Science of the one divine Being, two particular questions are most fundamental: (1) What is spiritual reality? (2) How can I become one with reality? The answer to the first question is found in the three main categories of spiritual reality that lie at the root of the Christian Science textbook. The second question is answered according to the 8 ordered steps to finding our oneness with Being: the ascending way of understanding and the descending way of demonstration. Kappeler discusses the parallel development of the concept of cybernetics in science and the discovery of the idea of divine cybernetics in Christian Science. The term cybernetics is explained, along with the concept of the Christ-idea and its relation to divine cybernetics. Max Kappeler discusses classical logic, transclassical logic, and one-valued, divine logic in relation to Christian Science. The Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, cannot be understood through classical logic, it must be understood through the transclassical, multi-dimensional, divine logic of Science. Logic on the 4 levels of spiritual consciousness is also discussed. This recording presents a rare opportunity to hear John W. Doorly speaking as he is presenting a 1950 lecture based on S&H Chapter XII, Christian Science Practice. Doorly’s dynamic and lively presentation, along with his deep insights into the pure Science of Christian Science, warms the heart and stirs the intellect. This recording is unique, as it is the only remaining voice recording of John W. Doorly giving one of his “Talks.” His original recordings were made on wire, and Peggy M. Brook, his secretary and co-worker, recovered this single recording and preserved it for future generations. The recording is produced and distributed with permission from the John W. Doorly Trust, England. Kappeler describes the healing process and methods of healing. He discusses what the practitioner must know and do in a Christian Science treatment based on Chapter XII, Christian Science Practice, in Science and Health. A discussion of methods of handling evil in Christian Science. This is a survey of how error is reduced to its native nothingness. Kappeler shows how evil destroys itself. It includes a discussion of the Textbook-matrix for handling evil. The 7 synonymous terms for God—Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, and Love—are found in Science and Health (see p. 465:10). But what does each term mean? We gain the full meaning of each synonym by first identifying the ideas associated with that synonym (as found in Science and Health). Then, by pondering all of the ideas, the full tone of each synonym becomes clear. A good grounding in the tonality of each synonym is necessary for a full understanding of Science. Kappeler provides a survey of the terms idea and ideas. Topics include the definition and origin of idea/ideas; divine Principle, God, and its idea; all is infinite Mind and its infinite idea; man is the compound idea; idea as a dynamic, divine, multidimensional structure; the Christ-idea. Kappeler discusses how “idea” and “ideas” are used in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. This discussion includes the history of the term “idea” based on the research by John W. Doorly and his students. Each of the 7 synonymous terms for God can be defined through specific ideas. An explanation of the differences between the concepts of metaphysics and Science. It also shows the different standpoints of the 7 synonymous terms for God in metaphysics and in Science. The information published by the Kappeler Institute for the Science of Being, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are for informational purposes only. The purpose of these publications is to promote broad understanding and knowledge of various philosophical topics in the light of Christian Science. The wide range of topics covered, which include health subjects, are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare provider(s) with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.

2019-04-18T16:33:35Z

https://kappelerinstitute.org/classes/kappeler-classes-by-tapecode/

US Home Prices see new record drop. US Dollar mixed in Forex Trading. NZ Kiwi drops. Home prices in the U.S. continue to decline as the Standard & Poors/Case-Shiller index released today showed that home prices fell new record amounts in January when compared to a year prior. The S & P’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index measures sale prices of existing single- family homes nationally and tracks 10-city and 20-city composite home price measurements. The January house prices report showed that the 20-city composite index fell a record annual amount of 19.0 percent in January while the 10-city composite index also fell a new record 19.4 percent compared to last year. The areas hardest hit on an annual basis were Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Francisco with annual declines of 35.0 percent, 32.5 percent and 32.4 percent, respectively. On an annual basis, none of the 20 metropolitan areas measured have shown house price increases with Dallas being the area with the lowest annual decline at 4.9 percent. On a monthly basis from December to January, Phoenix registered the largest house price decline with a fall of 5.5 percent while Charlotte and New York registered the smallest declines for the month with each falling 1.2 percent. US Dollar mixed in forex trading. NZD falls sharply. The U.S. dollar has been mixed in forex trading against the major currencies today on the last day of the first quarter. The euro has gained versus the dollar as the EUR/USD has edged up from today’s 1.3257 opening exchange rate at 00:00 GMT to trading at approximately 1.3267 near the end of the US trading session at 4:28pm EST according to currency data by Oanda. The British pound has advanced slightly today versus the American currency from 1.4314 to trading at 1.4336 dollars per pound. The dollar has advanced gained against the Japanese yen today as the USD/JPY has gained from its 98.32 opening to trading at 98.87. The dollar has also gained against the Canadian dollar after opening at 1.2570 earlier today to trading at 1.2626. Meanwhile, the USD has declined against the Swiss franc from 1.1451 to trading at 1.1387. The Australian dollar has gained ground verses the USD as the AUD/USD trades at 0.6907 after opening today at 0.6884. The NZD dropped approximately 100 pips in less than an hour and now the NZD/USD trades around the 0.5603 level after opening the day at 0.5686. NZD/USD Chart – The New Zealand kiwi spiking lower late in the day versus the USD in forex trading after Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard reiterated his view that interest rates in New Zealand would stay low for some time. The euro appreciated vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the single currency tested offers around the US$ 1.3340 level and was supported around the US$ 1.3175 level. Data released in the eurozone overnight saw flash March eurozone consumer price inflation recede to its lowest level ever, declining to 0.6% from 1.2% in February – much lower than expected. EMU-16 inflation remains in a downward trend and this will likely provide the European Central Bank with more scope to reduce interest rates in the near term. It is possible the ECB will reduce its main refinancing rate by 50bps on Thursday from the current 1.50%. Notable, the ECB has already reduced rates by 275bps since October and there is widespread speculation the ECB may adopt a quantitative easing framework that could involve the purchase of sovereign debt in the secondary market. Eurogroup chairman Juncker said the European Union’s €200 million fiscal stimulus plan will not have a “tangible immediate” impact on the economy and sees a greater impact in 2010. Other eurozone data saw German unemployment rise in March, up 69,000 to around 3.586 million. In U.S. news, St. Louis Federal Reserve President Bullard expressed concen with the rapid growth in the U.S. monetary base. Data released in the U.S. today saw the 20-city January S&P Case-Shiller home price index off 19.0% while the average price of U.S. homes dipped to 2003 levels. Data to be released today include March consumer confidence and March Chicago PMI. Euro bids are cited around the US$ 1.3245 level. The yen depreciated vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the greenback tested offers around the ¥98.65 level and was supported around the ¥97.20 level. There is talk that Japan may have decided to move forward with its third fiscal stimulus plan. Today is the last day of Japan’s fiscal year and many data were released overnight. First, February all household spending was off 3.5% y/y. Second, February construction orders were off 24.9% y/y to ¥916.8 billion. Third, February housing starts were off 24.9% y/y to 62,303 units. Fourth, the February jobless rate rose to 4.4%. The Nikkei 225 stock index lost 1.54% to close at ¥8,109.53. U.S. dollar offers are cited around the ¥104.15 level. The euro moved higher vis-à-vis the yen as the single currency tested offers around the ¥131.55 level and was supported around the ¥128.20 level. The British pound moved higher vis-à-vis the yen as sterling tested offers around the ¥141.35 level while the Swiss franc moved higher vis-à-vis the yen and tested offers around the ¥86.65 level. The Chinese yuan appreciated vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar as the greenback closed at CNY 6.8330 in the over-the-counter market, down from CNY 6.8331. The British pound strengthened vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as cable tested offers around the US$ 1.4345 level and was supported around the $1.4240 level. Bank of England Deputy Governor Tucker indicated implement countercyclical regulations is “incredibly ambitious.” London will host the Group of Twenty meeting over the next couple of days and traders are paying attention to some key themes. First, dealers want to see if the eurozone is cajoled into increasing the size of its fiscal stimulus by U.S. officials. Second, dealers want to see if there is any movement afoot to create an international reserve currency much as China and Russia have suggested. Third, dealers are waiting to see if the global financial community tried to implement an international regulatory framework, a plan that is being sharply resisted by Germany and some other nations. Data released in the U.K. today saw the January index of services worsen to -1.3% from -0.8%. Also, the GfK NOP consumer confidence figure improved to -30 from -35 in February. Cable bids are cited around the US$ 1.4085 level. The euro rallied vis-à-vis the British pound as the single currency tested offers round the ₤0.9315 level and was supported around the ₤0.9240 level. The Swiss franc appreciated sharply vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the greenback tested offers around the CHF 1.1355 level and was capped around the CHF 1.1515 level. Swiss National Bank is expected to continue pursing quantitative easing measures by conducting franc-selling intervention in the foreign exchange markets. Data released in Switzerland today saw the February UBS consumption indicator decline to 0.89. U.S. dollar bids are cited around the CHF 1.1165 level. The euro came off vis-à-vis the Swiss franc as the single currency tested bids around the CHF 1.5140 level while the British pound lost ground vis-à-vis the Swiss franc and tested bids around the CHF 1.6260 level. Turmoil in the U.S. auto industry had currency traders moving into safe haven positions of the Dollar and Yen. Further equity losses also contributed to a lack of confidence in the global economy and lower risk taking. The Dollar continued its appreciation yesterday as fears of bankruptcy filings in the U.S. auto industry sparked safe haven currency bets. Losses in U.S. equity markets triggered by autos and bank worries also helped to bring traders to the Dollar. The EUR/USD finished the day at 1.3190 from 1.3268, while the GBP/USD ended at 1.4256 from 1.4276. Yesterday there was little reason for Forex Traders to take positions in riskier currencies. Over the weekend Treasury Secretary Geithner said some banks may need further capital injections. Also shaping the markets was the Obama administration’s position that it may prefer a bankruptcy filing of an auto maker versus further bailouts. Now a looming threat of a General Motors or Chrysler bankruptcy filing hangs over the head of the market. A situation like this could have a detrimental effect on the financial markets as the debt of these two companies is widely held throughout the global financial system. Looking to today’s trading, traders should be aware of the release of Canadian monthly GDP at 12:30 GMT. The USD/CAD appreciated by 1.2% today as the market anticipates a contraction of Canadian GDP by 0.6% in January. If the result comes in worse than the forecasted value, look for the USD/CAD to rise close to the 1.2700 resistance level. EUR – Is Inflation a Concern for the EUR? The EUR appears to be in a correction as the currency’s gains on the Dollar are unraveling. The currency has slid the past 2 days amid concerns of future monetary policy moves by the European Central Bank (ECB) and a drop in risk tolerance. Yesterday the EUR finished lower against the Dollar while the EUR/GBP fell to 0.9250 from 0.9312. Market forecasts have the ECB slashing rates by another 50 basis points later this week. However a debate still rages whether the ECB will take further measures to ease the strained European credit markets through a program of buying long term government bonds. This would follow a move taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan. Yesterday ECB President Trichet addressed the European Parliament and said that the European economy has weakened since the beginning of the year. Also notable was the downgrade of the sovereign debt rating of Ireland. Today the EUR may be impacted by the release of the yearly CPI Flash Estimate. It is an early indicator of inflation in the EU. Trichet yesterday mentioned that there is no significant risk of deflation and the ECB has set a target rate of inflation near 2%. The Flash Estimate is forecasted to rise by 0.7%. A higher number that contradicts Trichet’s statement yesterday may hurt the EUR further during today’s trading. Yesterday the USD/JPY saw heavy volatility on the heels of the Obama administration favoring an orderly bankruptcy of the American auto manufactures and large losses in equity markets. The pair ended at 98.15 from 97.75. The EUR/JPY also experienced heavy volatility yesterday, reaching as low as 126.40 to close at 130.05 from an opening price of 129.76. This was the strongest the Yen has been against the EUR in the past 11 days. In early morning hours of the Japanese trading session, the Yen began to slip after Japanese unemployment numbers came in worse than expected. Some economists believe that unemployment rates may not yet have peaked. As the number of Japanese exports continues to decline, manufacturers will eventually cut back on costs in the form of further workforce reductions. Traders will be watching for the release of the Tankan Manufacturing Index later today. It is a key gauge of market sentiment in the Japanese economy. The release of poor results for this indicator could send the Yen lower against the other majors. The price of Crude Oil has once again dropped below the psychological price level of $50. Crude Oil shed 4.5% yesterday as fears of bankruptcy for the Big 3 American auto manufacturers hurt the demand for Crude and sent equity markets lower. The recent recovery in the Dollar has also been a source of restrain in the price of Crude Oil. The market has once again sent the price of Crude lower as the global economy shows very few signs of recovery. Continued job losses and equity losses have dropped the price of Crude Oil from last week’s high of $54. Traders may not see any support today as the U.S. CB Consumer Confidence will be released today at 2:00pm GMT. Don’t be surprised to see a gloomy reading from American consumers. This may send Oil lower today, near the $48 price level. The price of this pair appears to be floating in the over-sold territory on the 4-hour chart’s RSI indicating an upward correction may be imminent. The upward direction on the daily chart’s Slow Stochastic also supports this notion. When the upwards breach occurs, going long with tight stops appears to be preferable strategy. The daily chart is showing mixed signals with its RSI fluctuating at the neutral territory. However, the Hourly Chart’s RSI is already floating in the overbought territory indicating that a bearish correction might take place in the nearest future. When the downwards breach occurs, going short with tight stops appears to be preferable strategy. The pair has been range-trading for a while now, with no specific direction. The Daily chart’s Slow Stochastic providing us with mixed signals. All oscillators on the 4 hour chart do not provide a clear direction as well. Waiting for a clearer sign on the hourlies might be a good strategy today. Narrow range trading continues as the pair did not make a significant move in either direction, and is currently traded around the 1.1480 level. The 4 hour chart’s RSI is already floating in an overbought territory suggesting that a recent upwards trend is loosing steam and a bearish correction is impending. When the downwards breach occurs, going short with tight stops appears to be preferable strategy. Oil prices are once again dropping, and a barrel of oil is currently traded around $48.93. And now, all oscillators on the 4- hour chart are giving bullish signals, indicating that oil prices might go up. This might give forex traders a great opportunity to enter a very popular trend. Market Analysis provided by Forex Yard. The euro fell vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the single currency tested bids around the US$ 1.3160 level and was capped around the US$ 1.3285 level. Traders will pay close attention to the Group of Twenty meeting in London on 2 April amid widespread doubt as to how much officials can realistically expect to accomplish this week. One key theme being watched closely is any indication that Europe will not give in to the Obama administration’s putative calls for more fiscal stimulus. Another key theme this week will be any sort of reaction to China’s and Russia’s calls for a new international reserve currency, possibly to the detriment of the U.S. dollar. The Obama administration is said to be forcing General Motors Chief Executive Officer Wagoner to step down from his post with one report suggesting the government believes a “quick and surgical bankruptcy” may be the best way to rescue the ailing company. In eurozone news, European Central Bank President Trichet is scheduled to speak later in the day. The European Commission’s economic sentiment indicator for the eurozone fell to 64.6 in March from 65.3 in February – the lowest print since 1985 as the new orders sub-index fell to -57. Euro bids are cited around the US$ 1.3245 level. The yen appreciated vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the greenback tested bids around the ¥95.95 level and was capped around the ¥98.30 level. Data released in Japan overnight saw February industrial output off 9.4% m/m, worse-than-expected and marginally better than January’s record 10.2% pullback in the sector. Notably, exports were off 49% y/y in February and these data may collectively force the Aso government to broaden the fiscal stimulus plan it is availing to counter the massive recession in Japan. Other data saw the trade balance print at ¥217.26 billion between 1 – 10 March. Japan’s fiscal year ends tomorrow. The Nikkei 225 stock index lost 4.53% to close at ¥8,236.08. U.S. dollar offers are cited around the ¥104.15 level. The euro moved lower vis-à-vis the yen as the single currency tested bids around the ¥126.40 level and was capped around the ¥130.55 level. The British pound moved lower vis-à-vis the yen as sterling tested bids around the ¥135.70 level while the Swiss franc moved lower vis-à-vis the yen and tested bids around the ¥83.40 level. The Chinese yuan depreciated vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar as the greenback closed at CNY 6.8331 in the over-the-counter market, up from CNY 6.8280. Chinese ambassador to the U.K. said China is not calling for a replacement of the U.S. dollar. The British pound weakened vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as cable tested bids around the US$ 1.4110 level and was capped around the $1.4295 level. Data released in the United Kingdom overnight saw February net lending to individuals increase to ₤1.3 billion and February mortgage approvals reached their highest level in nine months, up to 38,000 from 32,000 in January. Overall mortgage lending activity expanded to ₤1.5 billion in February from ₤1.1 billion in January. Additionally, M4 money supply growth rose 18.7% in February. Cable bids are cited around the US$ 1.4085 level. The euro rallied vis-à-vis the British pound as the single currency tested offers round the ₤0.9340 level and was supported around the ₤0.9275 level. The Swiss franc depreciated vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the greenback tested offers around the CHF 1.1515 level and was supported around the CHF 1.1440 level. Swiss National Bank is expected to continue pursing quantitative easing measures by conducting franc-selling intervention in the foreign exchange markets. U.S. dollar bids are cited around the CHF 1.1165 level. The euro came off vis-à-vis the Swiss franc as the single currency tested bids around the CHF 1.5125 level while the British pound lost ground vis-à-vis the Swiss franc and tested bids around the CHF 1.6230 level. The Australian dollar moved lower vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the Aussie tested bids around the US$ 0.6765 level and was capped around the $0.6925 level. Data released in Australia overnight saw HIA new home sales up 3.9% m/m. Australian dollar bids are cited around the US$ 0.6690 level. The Canadian dollar came off vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the greenback tested offers around the C$ 1.2535 level and was supported around the C$ 1.2380 level. Bank of Canada Governor Carney speaks today. U.S. dollar bids are cited around the C$ 1.2065 level. Greenback Rallies on Speculation the ECB will cut Rates to Its Lowest. The Dollar rose 0.2% against the EUR as weaker than expected Euro-Zone industrial orders and German inflation data undermined recent investor confidence and favored the safe haven greenback. The ECB is pressured to follow the Federal Reserve in buying bonds to lower Interest Rates, a policy known as quantitative easing. Along expectations that it will cut its main policy Rate by half a percentage point to a new record low of 1%, the market is keen to see how far it might follow other central banks such as the Fed in taking unconventional steps to shore up the economy. USD – Could the Dollar Continue Its Bullish Trend? Last week gave some extraordinary opportunities for Forex traders to make profits from going long on the U.S Dollar. The two leading fronts on which the USD marked unique gains are against the EUR and the GBP. It appears that the USD saw this bullish trend as a result of some unexpected positive news, especially regarding the housing sector. Last week, both the Existing Home Sales, and the New Home Sales, delivered better than expected figures, reflecting in 4.72M residential buildings that were sold during February, and in 337K new single-family homes that were sold during February as well. This data came as a big surprise, as analysts had quite gloomy predictions for the two reports, and therefore turned a very strong uptrend for the Dollar. In addition, as you all must remember, this entire recession began as a result of a deep crisis in the U.S home sector, and now a series of positive result from that sector has managed to elevate the USD so rapidly. Another positive data which came last week were the Durable Goods Orders indices which delivered both much better than expected figures. Whilst analysts anticipated negative growth in the total value of new purchased orders for durable goods during February, the real figures showed almost 4.0% growths. As for the week ahead, two major events will most likely determine the Dollar’s direction for the upcoming week. The first will be the Pending Home Sales which is currently expected to continue to positive line of the housing sector; however a surprising negative result could create some worries among investors regarding the U.S economy. The second major news event will of course be the Non-Farm Employment Change, expected on Friday, 12:30 GMT. as proven many times before, investors are putting a lot of faith in the credibility of this survey, and as such react immediately to its results. Traders are advised to follow those two leading economic indicators as they are likely to set the tone for the USD trading this week. EUR – Would the ECB Cut Interest Rates to 1.00% Later On This Week? An extremely volatile week, which included many ups and downs, concluded with a deep drop for the EUR. The EUR/USD dropped to almost 1.32, and the EUR/JPY fell below 129.50. The first reason for the EUR drop was the strengthening Dollar, which rose against the EUR as well. The second and even greater reason was the unwillingness of the European Central Bank (ECB) to create a rescue plan for the European Nation, which could somehow imitate the American plan. Investors are now seeing the U.S economy as a dynamic, flexible economy, in which its leaders are doing all they can in order to salvage the situation while they can. On the other hand, the European monetary system is beginning to be seen as a conservative organization, which is reluctant to react to the rapidly changing conditions of the global economy. Investors are thirsty for a European rescue plan, and if one shall arrive, it will probably signal an uptrend for the European currency. As for this week, the ECB will announce the new Minimum Bid Rate on Thursday, and is widely expected to cut Interest Rates by 0.5% to merely 1.00%. Some might say that this move is too little, too late, as the U.S, Japan and Great Britain have all lowered their Rates below 1.00%, without succeeding in making a real change in their economies. Nevertheless, if indeed the ECB will decide to cut Interest Rates, an immediate reaction of a drop in EUR value is expected. Forex traders are also advised to follow Jean-Claude Trichet’s speech on Monday, as he may discuss the possibility of cutting Interest Rates. Such comments could have massive influence on the market. Over the last trading week the JPY saw rising trends against the EUR and the GBP, and experienced mixed results vs. the USD. The JPY underwent it most remarkable bullish trend against the EUR, as the EUR/JPY dropped to the 129.40 level. Last week the Japanese Trade Balance showed a difference of -0.04T between exported to imported goods during February. Although this is a negative figure, it was much better than the -0.29T which was expected. This indicator has an immense impact on the Japanese economy as it relies greatly on its export activity. Also last week, the Tokyo Core Consumer Price Index, which measures the change in price of goods and services, rose by 0.4% in March, also indicating that the Japanese economy is on the phase of expanding, and not contracting. As for the week ahead, most of the impacting data will be delivered from the Euro-Zone and the U.S economy. Nevertheless, traders should follow the Tankan Indices, which are expected on Tuesday night. These surveys cover a wide range of the local manufacturers, and thus have a large impact on the Yen. Analysts forecast extremely negative figures for the indices, and such result might generate a bearish trend for the JPY. OIL – Will Crude Oil Reaches Below $50 a barrel? Crude Oil prices has dropped dramatically just before the weekend. After peaking at over $54 a barrel, Crude Oil is currently traded for $51.50 a barrel. Crude Oil prices fell predominantly as a result of the surging Dollar. Crude Oil is priced in Dollars, and as such, a rising trend for the USD tends to have to opposite affect on Crude Oil. Another data that helped to lower Oil prices was the U.S Crude Oil Inventories indicator from Wednesday, which came higher-than-expected, reflecting 3.3M additional barrels of Crude Oil held in inventory by commercial firms from the previous week. The combination of high supply and strong Dollar are a simple formula for dropping Crude Oil prices. As for this week, traders should follow global economic news, especially from the U.S, as they are likely to determine Oil prices. Traders are advised to keep notice that for as long as the USD continues to appreciate, Crude Oil prices might continue to decline, as low as $50 a barrel! The 4 hour chart is showing that the pair is still floating within its bearish channel. However, the RSI on the daily has crossed the 30 line, indicating that the market is oversold. The Slow Stochastic on the 4 hour chart is also showing a fresh bullish cross, suggesting that a bullish trend might take place. Going long with tight stops appears to be preferable. The bearish trend continues with plenty of steam as the pair now floats around 1.4210. The RSI of the hourly charts indicates that there is still more room to run. The next target price might be 1.4143. Going short with tight stops seems like the right choice today. The 4 hour chart is showing mixed signals with its Slow Stochastic fluctuating at the neutral territory. However, the Daily Chart’s RSI is already floating in the overbought territory indicating that a bearish correction might take place in the nearest future. Going short with tight stops appears to be preferable strategy. There is a very distinct bullish formation continues on the hourly level, as the pair is now floating in its lower section. In addition, all oscillators on the daily chart are pointing up, suggesting that the bullish move might extend. Going long might be the right strategy today. This commodity has been on a sharp sinking movement over the weekend and this bearish correction is likely to stick around in the near future. All charts are still providing a mild bearish signal; however, there may be short-term corrections during this downtrend. Therefore, forex traders can maximize profits by selling on highs and taking advantage of this bearish trend. UK GDP declines by 1.6% in 4th Quarter. Pound Sterling mixed in Forex Trading. The United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product fell a bit more than expected in the fourth quarter of 2008 according to a report by the Office of National Statistics today. The U.K. preliminary estimate showed that quarterly GDP fell by 1.6 percent in the October through December quarter of 2008 following a revised decline of 0.7 percent in the third quarter. The previous release on fourth quarter GDP had shown a 1.5 percent decline. The fourth quarter GDP decline brought the U.K. economy into its first recession since 1991 and the 1.6 percent GDP decline marked the sharpest quarterly fall in GDP since the second quarter of 1980. The generally accepted definition of a recession is negative GDP growth for two consecutive quarters and the U.K. joins other major economies such as the U.S. and the Eurozone in recession. On an annual basis, the fourth quarter GDP fell by 2.0 percent from the level of the fourth quarter of 2007 and marked the largest annual decline since the 1991 recession. Today’s data just surpassed economic forecasts which were expecting the quarterly GDP to decline by 1.5 percent and the annual GDP rate to fall by 1.9 percent. Contributing to the contraction in GDP was a decline of total production output in the fourth quarter by 4.5 percent after falling by 1.8 percent in the third quarter. Construction activity fell by 4.9 percent while total services output saw a decline by 0.8 percent in the fourth quarter and surpassing the 0.5 percent decline in the third quarter. Household spending declined by 1.0 percent in the quarter. Overall for the 2008 year, U.K. GDP increased by 0.7 percent after advancing by 3.0 percent in 2007 and marked the slowest growth pace in 17 years. The U.K. trade deficit narrowed to 7.6 billion pounds in the fourth quarter from 9.9 billion pounds in the third quarter. Exports decreased by 3.9 percent while imports also decreased by 5.9 percent for the quarter. British Pound Sterling mixed in Forex Trading versus majors. The British pound has been mixed today in forex trading against some of the other major currencies. The pound is lower versus the US dollar today for the third straight day as the GBP/USD trades at the exchange rate of 1.4305 at 3:03pm EST after opening the day at 1.4481(00:00GMT) according to currency data by Oanda. The euro has lost ground today versus the pound as the EUR/GBP trades at 0.9298 after opening the day at 0.9368. The pound has advanced versus the Swiss franc as the GBP/CHF has gained approximately 65 pips from its opening rate of 1.6276 to trading at 1.6341. The pound, meanwhile, is trading lower against the Japanese yen today with the GBP/JPY falling from 142.43 to trading at 140.24. Against the Canadian dollar, the pound is falling for the third straight day as the GBP/CAD has fallen from the 1.7776 opening rate to trading at the exchange rate of 1.7680 CAD per GBP. The euro fell sharply vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the single currency tested bids around the US$ 1.3290 level and was capped around the US$ 1.3590 level. Stops were reached below the $1.3435 level as the common currency reached its lowest level this week. Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA sought government aid after announcing its Q4 2008 profit plunged 47%. Data released in the eurozone today saw January industrial new orders decline 3.4% while France reported its Q4 2008 gross domestic product was off 1.1% q/q and 0.9% y/y. Bank of Italy reported the EMU-16 economy contracted at a slower pace in March. Germany reported January import prices were off 0.5%. In U.S. news, traders will pay close attention to the meeting in Washington, D.C. today between President Obama and the chief executives of several financial institutions. Some U.S. banks are now trying to return the TARP funds they borrowed last year or withdrawing their TARP applications. The other big news in Washington, D.C. continues to be Treasury Secretary Geithner’s plans to enhance regulation of derivatives and seek power to seize troubled financial institutions. Data released in the U.S. todays saw February personal spending climb +0.2% while personal income was off 0.2%. Also, the personal consumption expenditures core price index was up +0.2% m/m and 1.8% y/y. Additionally, final March University of Michigan consumer sentiment printed at 57.3, up from 56.3 at the end of February. Euro bids are cited around the US$ 1.3245 level. The yen appreciated vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the greenback tested bids around the ¥97.10 level and was capped around the ¥98.85 level. Sentiment in global equities markets soured overnight and the yen moved higher as risk aversion increased. Data released in Japan overnight saw February retail sales decline 5.8% y/y, the sharpest decline since February 2002 and the fifth consecutive monthly decline. Also, February core consumer prices were flat y/y but most economists expect annualized rates of inflation to turn negative soon. Core consumer price inflation for the Tokyo area softened to a preliminary 0.4% in March. Many traders believe Bank of Japan will soon increase its purchase of asset-backed securities to try and ease credit strains. Japan’s fiscal year concludes on 31 March and some financial institutions may receive subordinated loans from the central bank to bolster temporary liquidity demand. The Nikkei 225 stock index lost 0.11% to close at ¥8,626.90. U.S. dollar offers are cited around the ¥104.15 level. The euro moved lower vis-à-vis the yen as the single currency tested bids around the ¥129.35 level and was capped around the ¥133.85 level. The British pound moved lower vis-à-vis the yen as sterling tested bids around the ¥139.00 figure while the Swiss franc moved lower vis-à-vis the yen and tested bids around the ¥85.05 level. The Chinese yuan appreciated vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar as the greenback closed at CNY 6.8280 in the over-the-counter market, down from CNY 6.8304. People’s Bank of China called for enhanced international financial regulation to arise from the G20 meeting in London next week. The British pound weakened vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as cable tested bids around the US$ 1.4265 level and was capped around the $1.4495 level. Bank of England Chief Economist Dale reported said the central bank may only need to purchased a “relatively small” amount of corporate bonds as part of its quantitative easing strategy. BoE has purchased ₤13 billion in government bonds and ₤128 million in corporate bonds to date. Yields on gilts have declined 40-60 basis points since the BoE announced it will purchase government debt. Dale also sees an economic recovery materializing by the end of the year. Chancellor of the Exchequer Darling said the government will likely hold a “significant” stake in the U.K. banking sector for years to come. The government has injected ₤37 billion of capital into major banks and offered insurance against toxic assets worth hundreds of billions more. Data released in the U.K. today saw the Q4 current account deficit narrow more than expected to ₤7.6 billion. Prime Minister Brown indicated the government will not implement a broad second fiscal stimulus next month when the Budget statement is released. Cable bids are cited around the US$ 1.4085 level. The euro came off vis-à-vis the British pound as the single currency tested bids around the ₤0.9275 level and was capped around the ₤0.9420 level. The Swiss franc depreciated vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the greenback tested offers around the CHF 1.1440 level and was supported around the CHF 1.1220 level. Data released in Switzerland today saw the March KOF leading indicator decline to -1.79. U.S. dollar bids are cited around the CHF 1.1165 level. The euro came off vis-à-vis the Swiss franc as the single currency tested bids around the CHF 1.5175 level while the British pound gained ground vis-à-vis the Swiss franc and tested offers around the CHF 1.6385 level. The Australian dollar moved lower vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the Aussie tested bids around the US$ 0.6900 figure and was capped around the $0.7030 level. Australian dollar bids are cited around the US$ 0.6785 level. The Canadian dollar came off vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar today as the greenback tested offers around the C$ 1.2410 level and was supported around the C$ 1.2265 level. U.S. dollar bids are cited around the C$ 1.2065 level. The Dollar has seen increased strength as rising U.S. equity markets helped to erode the dramatic price declines from the previous week. Trading will end this week as a slue of economic data due to be released today will provide ample opportunities for traders to enter the market on higher than normal volatility. The Dollar rose yesterday against most of its major rivals as riskier currencies fell out of favor. Despite strong gains in U.S. equities, the Dollar gained ground as the likelihood of further European Interest Rate cuts loom over the currency markets. At the end of the Thursday’s trading, the EUR/USD was little changed, despite high volatility most of the day. The USD/JPY closed higher at 98.32 from 97.77. Against the Pound the Dollar also finished higher at 1.4481 from 1.4585. The dramatic sell off of the Dollar appears to have ceased as yesterday’s trading was characterized by reduced market risk and future Interest Rate levels. The Dollar was sold heavily last week, sparked by the announcement that the Federal Reserve will begin a quantitative easing program. Slowly the currency markets are returning to relatively normal trading patterns as traders see little reason to take risks on higher yielding currencies in the face of the economic downturn. Today’s trading may be characterized by a glut of economic indicators surrounding consumer spending and attitudes. Due today are personal spending numbers and a revised consumer sentiment report. A better than expected result in the data releases could provide another boost to the Dollar as the currency continues to recoup its losses from last week. Look for the EUR/USD to drop below the 1.3500 level today. The EUR experienced mixed results yesterday as the market begins to price in potential Interest Rate cuts to the European currency. Minor declines were seen against the Dollar, but the EUR climbed consistently against its other currency crosses. The EUR/JPY finished the day higher at 133.41 from 1.3267, and the EUR/GBP ended up at 0.9368 from 0.9301. Market participants are set to start pricing in the potential for another Interest Rate cut by the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB is scheduled to meet next week to decide if European Interest Rates will need to be trimmed from their current rate of 1.5%. One politician weighing in on the matter was British Prime Minister Gordon Brow. In a press conference; Brown said he expects that the European benchmark rate would fall below its current level. Perhaps Prime Minister Brown is short on the EUR for obvious reasons. Traders today will want to pay attention to a few important releases from the Euro-Zone economy and Britain. From Europe we will see new industrial order numbers. This indicator is forecasted to show worsening numbers that highlight the deep recession that plagues Europe. Also we will have Britain’s current account figures released. This number may have the potential to surprise the market. Better than expected results could add some buoyancy to the GBP against the EUR in today’s European trading session. The Yen suffered during yesterday’s trading; sliding against the Dollar, but in early morning hours of the Japanese trading session the trend began to reverse. Recent gains in equity markets have proven to be troublesome for the Yen. The Japanese currency has traditionally been used as a safe haven asset, but recent safe haven currency movements have not been kind to the Yen. Perhaps this is due to the underlying weakness in the Japanese economy and the rapid decline of the country’s export sector. The Yen slid against the Dollar to 98.32 from 97.77. Against the Pound the JPY finished down slightly at 142.40 from 142.63. The JPY’s most notable loss was against the EUR, as the EUR/JPY level finished up 74 pips at 133.41. The financial year in Japan wraps up at the end of March. With the New Year coming, so may be the 100.00 Yen mark against the Dollar. The resistance level is significant as the USD/JPY has not touched on this valuation since the beginning of November. The price of Crude Oil soared in Thursday’s trading session, adding to big gains in the past several weeks. Crude prices finished up slightly over $1.50 or 3% at $53.81. Helping the commodity continue its price appreciation has been the recovery of U.S. equity markets from their New Year lows. What has also helped Crude prices as of late is the increased optimism by from investors, which was initiated last week by a string of positive economic data releases from the U.S. An uptrend is showing in the last two weeks of trading with a host of a number of factors working in favor of rising Crude Oil prices. The rally in stocks has correlated with the rise in price of Crude Oil. It has also raised hopes that a spike in demand may be coming along with it. Adding support to the price appreciation has been the steadfast commitment by OPEC to continually reduce the supply of Crude Oil. Combine this with a weak U.S. Dollar and it makes for a rally in the price of Oil. Traders may look for a short term price cap of $55 to take profits. The typical range trading on the 4 hour chart continues. Both the hourly RSI and Slow Stochastic are floating in neutral territory. However, the daily Chart’s RSI is already floating in the overbought territory indicating that a bearish correction might take place in the nearest future. When the downwards breach occurs, going short with tight stops appears to be preferable strategy. The bullish trend is loosing its steam and the pair seems to consolidate around the 1.4480 level. The 4 hour chart’s RSI is already floating in an overbought territory suggesting that a recent upwards trend is loosing steam and a bearish correction is impending. When the downwards breach occurs, going short with tight stops appears to be preferable strategy. The hourly chart is showing mixed signals with its RSI fluctuating at the neutral territory. However, there is a fresh bearish cross forming on the daily chart’s Slow Stochastic indicating a bearish correction might take place in the nearest future. In that case traders are advised to swing in after the breach takes place. The price of this pair appears to be floating in the over-sold territory on the daily chart’s RSI indicating an upward correction may be imminent. The upward direction on the 4-hour chart’s Momentum oscillator also supports this notion. When the upwards breach occurs, going long with tight stops appears to be preferable strategy. Oil prices rose significantly in the last two week and peaked at $53.75 per barrel. However, daily charts’ RSI is floating in an overbought territory suggesting that a recent upwards trend is loosing steam and a bearish correction is impending. This might be a good opportunity for forex traders to enter the trend at a very early stage. New Zealand GDP falls 0.9% in 4th Quarter. Exports, Imports decline. The New Zealand economy decreased for the fourth straight quarter in the fourth quarter of 2008 according to a release today by Statistics New Zealand. The GDP report showed that the Gross Domestic Product declined by 0.9 percent in the October to December quarter following a GDP decline in the third quarter by 0.4 percent. On an annual basis, the GDP declined by 1.1 percent over the fourth quarter of 2008 following an annual decline of 0.1 percent in the third quarter. Economic forecasts had expected that the GDP would decline by 1.1 percent for the fourth quarter and by 2.0 percent annually over the fourth quarter of 2007. The fourth quarter GDP was the lowest quarterly reading since the December of 2000 quarter when the GDP contracted by 0.8 percent. Contributing negatively to the GDP decline for the quarter was a decrease of 3.8 percent in the manufacturing sector. A separate report by New Zealand Statistics showed that exports and imports declined in February compared to February of 2008. Exports fell by 6.6 percent on an annual basis over the February 2008 level and marked the first annual decline since August 2007. Imports decreased by 14.2 percent on an annual basis and registered the largest decline in 16 years in February. Contributing to the lower imports was a decrease in oil imports by 70.1 percent. New Zealand’s trade balance registered a surplus of $489 million NZ dollars in February. More information on the NZ TWI can be found here. US GDP revised lower in 4th Quarter. Jobless Claims edge up. US Dollar mixed in Forex Trading. The U.S. economy contracted in the fourth quarter of 2008 by more then previously reported according to the latest release by the U.S. Commerce Department. The final estimate report released today showed that the U.S. Gross Domestic Product contracted at an annual rate of 6.3 percent in the October to December 2008 quarter. Today’s report surpassed February’s preliminary estimate of a 6.2 percent GDP decline and marks the largest quarterly GDP fall since 1982. The third quarter of 2008 GDP fell by 0.5 percent while the second quarter GDP grew by a 2.8 percent. Today’s data did manage to surpass economic forecasts that were expecting a decrease of 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter. Contributing largely to the decreased GDP for the fourth quarter was a second consecutive quarterly decline in consumer spending which makes up approximately two-thirds of U.S. economic activity. Consumer spending decreased by 4.3 percent in the fourth quarter after decreasing by 3.8 percent in the third quarter and produced the lowest reading since 1980. Exports declined sharply from the third quarter as exports of goods and services decreased by 23.6 percent in the fourth quarter after increasing by 3.0 percent in the third quarter. Imports declined in the fourth quarter by 17.5 percent following a decline of 3.5 percent in the third quarter. Weekly U.S. initial jobless claims rose in the week that ended on March 21st according to the U.S. Labor Department today. Jobless claims totaled 652,000 unemployed workers edging up by 8,000 from the week prior that had 644,000 initial jobless claims. The 4-week moving average of unemployed workers fell by 1,000 from the prior week to 649,000 workers. Meanwhile, workers seeking continued claims for unemployment benefits for the week ending March 14th grew by 122,000 workers to a new record high total of 5,560,000 unemployed workers. The four week moving average of continuing claims grew by 123,750 workers from the previous week to 5,331,250 workers. Forex Market – US Dollar mixed in Fx Trading today. The U.S. dollar has been mixed in forex trading today against the other major currencies. The dollar has gained so far against the euro, British pound, Swiss franc and Japanese yen while decreasing versus the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian dollars today. The euro is lower versus the dollar today as the EUR/USD has declined from today’s 1.3568 opening(00:00 GMT) to trading at approximately 1.3529 in the afternoon of the US trading session at 3:43pm EST according to currency data by Oanda. The British pound has fallen so far today versus the American currency from the 1.4584 opening to trading at 1.4447 dollars per pound and is falling for the second consecutive day. The dollar is trading higher against the Japanese yen after falling yesterday as the USD/JPY has gained slightly from its 97.79 opening to trading at 98.77 yen per usd. The dollar has declined against the Canadian dollar after opening at 1.2313 earlier today to trading later at 1.2293. The USD has gained against the Swiss franc after opening at 1.1227 to trading at the 1.1284 exchange rate. The Australian dollar has also gained ground as the AUD/USD has advanced from 0.6993 to 0.7022 while the New Zealand dollar has been virtually unchanged from its opening. The NZD/USD trades at 0.5746 after opening the day at 0.5745. GBP/USD Chart – The British Pound declining against the US Dollar in Forex Trading for the second consecutive day(Hourly Chart).

2019-04-21T23:00:41Z

https://www.countingpips.com/fx/2009/03/

本発明は、生活排水や下水など、低濃度有機排水の処理方法及び処理装置に関する。 The present invention, such as domestic wastewater and sewage, to method and apparatus for treating low-concentration organic waste water. 有機性排水の処理方法として、好気性生物処理、嫌気性生物処理が挙げられる。 As the method of treating organic waste water, aerobic biological treatment, anaerobic biological treatment. 嫌気性生物処理の中でメタン発酵処理は、酸素のない嫌気性環境下で生育する嫌気性微生物の代謝反応を利用して、有機物をメタンガスや炭酸ガスなどに分解する生物処理方法である。 Methane fermentation in anaerobic biological treatment utilizes the metabolic reactions of anaerobic microorganisms that grow in an oxygen-free anaerobic environment, the organics are decomposed biological treatment methods, such as methane gas and carbonic acid gas. メタン発酵処理は、好気性生物処理と比べて、汚泥発生量が少なく、ブロワ−（曝気）などの電気代が不要なためランニングコストがかからない。 Methane fermentation process, as compared to aerobic biological treatment, small amount of sludge, the blower - (aeration) not less running cost for electricity bill is not required, such as. また、発生したメタンガスを有効利用できたりするなどのメリットがあるため、近年、下水処理、し尿処理、産業排水処理等の分野などで普及している。 Moreover, because of the advantages such or can effectively use the generated methane gas, in recent years, sewage treatment, night soil treatment, are popular in the fields of such as industrial wastewater treatment. メタン発酵処理の種類としては、例えばＵＡＳＢ（Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket（上向流嫌気性汚泥床）の略）法、固定床法、流動床法等のメタン発酵処理方式などが知られている。 The types of methane fermentation treatment, e.g. UASB method (upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Abbreviation (upflow anaerobic sludge blanket)), a fixed bed process, such as methane fermentation treatment method such as fluidized bed method is known. 中でも、ＵＡＳＢ法は、嫌気性微生物の自己造粒機能を利用して、沈降性の優れたグラニュ−ル汚泥を槽内に高濃度に保持でき、ＣＯＤｃｒ負荷１０〜３０ｋｇ／ｍ 3 ／ｄのような高い負荷をかけることができため、有機性排水の処理方法として国内外で普及している方法である。 Among them, UASB method utilizes a self-granulation functionality of anaerobic microorganisms, precipitated excellent granulite - can be held at a high concentration in the sludge in the tank, as CODcr load 10~30kg / m 3 / d since it is possible to apply a a high load, a method widely used in home and abroad as a treatment method for organic waste water. メタン発酵処理は、前述のように好気性生物処理と比較して、曝気が不要なため運転動力費用が安価であるばかりか、生成したメタンガスを各種発電設備の燃料として利用できるなどのメリットがある。 Methane fermentation process, as compared to the aerobic biological treatment as described above, not only aeration is operating power costs because unnecessary low cost, there are advantages such as the generated methane can be used as fuel for various power plant . その一方で、メタン発酵処理のみでは、有機物が残存するため河川などに直接放流できる水質までに浄化することができないというデメリットを抱えていた。 On the other hand, only methane fermentation treatment, had the disadvantage that organic matter can not be purified by water which can be discharged directly into rivers to remain. このため、メタン発酵処理後、活性汚泥法などの好気性生物処理を行ない、放流基準を満足する水質まで浄化した後、河川に放流することが提案されている。 Therefore, after the methane fermentation treatment, subjected to aerobic biological treatment such as activated sludge method, after purification to water quality satisfying the effluent standard, it has been proposed to be discharged into rivers. メタン発酵処理と好気性生物処理とを組み合わせた処理として、例えば特許文献１には、工場等から排出される排水を、嫌気性微生物を利用した嫌気性処理工程において排水中の有機物をメタンガスに分解することで燃料としての再利用を図った後、好気性微生物を利用した好気性生物処理工程においてリンや窒素などの無機物を除去し、環境への悪影響を与える化学物質を除去した上で放流する方法が開示されている。 Decomposition as a process which combines a methane fermentation process and aerobic biological treatment, for example, Patent Document 1, the waste water discharged from factories or the like, the organic matter in the waste water in the anaerobic treatment process using anaerobic microorganisms methane after working to re-use as a fuel by, inorganic substances such as phosphorus and nitrogen removal in an aerobic biological treatment process using aerobic microorganisms, to discharge after removing the chemicals adversely affect the environment method is disclosed. 特許文献２には、被処理水をメタン発酵処理し、処理後の消化液を活性汚泥法による好気性生物処理する有機性排水処理方法であって、前記被処理水の有機物濃度が、設定濃度以上であればメタン発酵処理を行い、前記設定濃度に達しない場合は前記消化液と共に好気性生物処理することを特徴とする有機性排水処理方法が開示されている。 Patent Document 2, the treated water to methane fermentation process, the digestion solution after processing an organic waste water treatment method for aerobic biological treatment by activated sludge method, organic matter concentration of the water to be treated, sets concentration perform methane fermentation process as long or more, if not reaching the set concentration organic waste water treatment method characterized by aerobic biological treatment together with the digested liquid is disclosed. 特許文献３には、排水に対して酸生成工程とメタン発酵工程と好気性生物処理工程とを順次行う排水の処理方法において、前記酸生成工程に供給される排水を、前記メタン発酵工程が終了し前記好気性生物処理工程に送出される処理水と熱交換させることにより予熱することを特徴とする排水の処理方法が開示されている。 Patent Document 3, in the processing method of wastewater sequentially performing an acid generating step and methane fermentation step and an aerobic biological treatment process with respect to waste water, the waste water supplied to the acid production process, the methane fermentation step is terminated method of processing waste water, characterized in that preheating is disclosed by the be-treated water and the heat exchanger to be sent to the aerobic biological treatment process was. このようにメタン発酵処理と好気性生物処理とを組合わせることにより、比較的安価に有機性排水を放流基準に適合する水質まで浄化することができるばかりか、燃料などとして利用可能なメタンを回収することができるため、環境的なメリットと経済的なメリットの両面で利点があった。 By thus combining the methane fermentation process and aerobic biological treatment, relatively low cost not only the organic waste water can be purified to water conforms to discharge standards, recovering methane can be utilized as a fuel it is possible to, there are advantages both in terms of environmental benefits and economic benefits. しかし、後工程の好気性生物処理方法では、微生物は、取り込んだ有機物の一部を酸化分解し、残りの有機物は汚泥に変換されて余剰汚泥として排出されることになり、難脱水性の余剰汚泥が大量に生成するという課題を抱えていた。 However, in a later step of aerobic biological treatment method, microbes, some of the organic matter captured by oxidative degradation, the remaining organic matter is converted into the sludge will be discharged as excess sludge, flame dewatering of excess sludge was having the problem of generating a large amount. そこで従来から、このような余剰汚泥の減容化を行う処理方法として、例えば、曝気槽又は沈殿槽から余剰汚泥を引き抜き、この引抜汚泥をオゾン処理、加熱処理、酸またはアルカリ処理等の改質処理により易生物分解性に改質し、改質された汚泥を曝気槽に返送して生物分解させる方法などが提案されている（例えば特許文献４）。 Therefore conventionally, as a process method for performing volume reduction of such excess sludge, for example, pull the excess sludge from the aeration tank or the precipitation tank, the extracted sludge ozonation, heat treatment, acid or modification of the alkaline treatment, etc. reforming the easily biodegradable by treatment, such as a method of biodegradation and return the modified sludge to the aeration tank has been proposed (e.g. Patent Document 4). 本発明は、被処理水としての有機性排水を、先ずメタン発酵処理した後、好気性生物処理を行なって処理水を十分に浄化する処理方法に関して、好気性生物処理から生じる難脱水性の余剰汚泥の減容化を図るとともに、エネルギー回収率をさらに高めることができる、新たな有機性排水の処理方法及び処理装置を提供せんとするものである。 The present invention is an organic waste water as water to be treated, first after methane fermentation treatment, with respect to the processing method for sufficiently purify the treated water subjected to aerobic biological treatment, flame dehydration of surplus resulting from aerobic biological treatment strive to reduce the volume of sludge, it is possible to further increase the energy recovery, is to St. provide method and apparatus for treating a new organic waste water. 本発明は、図１に示すように、嫌気性生物を用いて被処理水をメタン発酵処理して、メタンガスを含む発生ガス、メタン発酵処理水及びメタン発酵処理汚泥を得るメタン発酵処理工程と、好気性生物を用いて前記メタン発酵処理水を生物学的酸化分解処理して好気性生物処理水及び好気性生物処理汚泥を得る好気性生物処理工程と、前記好気性生物処理汚泥の一部又は全部を酸発酵処理して酸発酵処理汚泥を得る酸発酵処理工程と、該酸発酵処理汚泥を、混合脱ガス槽で発酵ガスを分離した後、前記メタン発酵処理工程の入り口側に、前記メタン発酵処理工程におけるスカムの発生を抑制するために供給する工程と、を備えた有機性排水の処理方法を提案するものである。 The present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, and methane fermentation process the water to be treated using the anaerobic organisms, the generated gas containing methane, and methane fermentation step to obtain a methane fermentation treatment water and methane fermentation sludge, aerobic biological treatment step of the methane fermentation treatment water obtaining a biological oxidative decomposition to aerobic biological treatment water and aerobic biological treatment sludge using aerobic organisms, some of the aerobic biological treatment sludge or and all acid fermentation process to acid fermentation sludge acid fermentation process to obtain the process, the acid fermentation sludge, after fermentation gas is separated in the mixing degassing vessel, the inlet side of the methane fermentation step, the methane and supplying to suppress the generation of scum in the fermentation process, it is to propose a method of processing organic waste water having a. 本発明が提案する有機性排水の処理方法によれば、好気性生物処理から生じる好気性生物処理汚泥、すなわち難脱水性の余剰汚泥を、酸発酵処理工程に供給してメタン発酵し易い有機酸等に変換した後、メタン発酵処理工程に戻すことができるので、最終的に系外へ排出する汚泥の減容化を図ることができる。 According to the method of treating organic waste water of the present invention proposes, aerobic biological treatment sludge resulting from aerobic biological treatment, i.e. flame dewatering of excess sludge, likely organic acid methane fermentation is supplied to the acid fermentation step after converting the like, can be returned to the methane fermentation process, it is possible to reduce the volume of sludge to be finally discharged out of the system. しかも、前記難脱水性の余剰汚泥をその後にメタン発酵工程に戻すことになるため、当該余剰汚泥からエネルギー源としてのメタンを回収することができ、エネルギー回収率をさらに高めることができる。 Moreover, since that would return the excess sludge of the flame dehydrating the subsequent methane fermentation step can be recovered methane as an energy source from the excess sludge, it is possible to further enhance the energy recovery rate. また、上述した従来の処理方法、すなわち被処理水を先ず酸発酵処理した後、メタン発酵処理し、好気性生物処理する処理方法に比べると、本発明では、酸発酵処理工程で処理する被処理量が少なくて済むため、該被処理水を加熱する加熱エネルギー量が顕著に少なくて済み、処理工程全体の消費エネルギー及び処理コストを抑えることができる。 Also, conventional processing method described above, i.e. after the first acid fermentation process water to be treated, and methane fermentation treatment, compared to the processing method of processing aerobic organisms in the present invention, the process of treating with acid fermentation step requires less amount, heat energy for heating the 該被 treated water requires remarkably less, it is possible to suppress the energy consumption and processing costs of the overall process. 本発明はまた、酸発酵工程で生じた酸発酵処理汚泥を、そのままメタン発酵処理工程に戻すのではなく、酸発酵処理汚泥中の発酵ガスを分離するガス分離槽を通した後、該酸発酵処理汚泥をメタン発酵処理工程に戻すことをも提案する。 The present invention also relates to an acid fermentation sludge generated in acid fermentation step, is not directly returned to the methane fermentation step, then passed through a gas separation tank for separating the fermentation gas acid fermentation treatment sludge, acid fermentation the sludge also propose to return to the methane fermentation step. 酸発酵処理汚泥には発酵ガスが含まれており、この酸発酵処理汚泥をそのままメタン発酵処理工程に戻すと、発酵ガスによって反応槽下方にあるスラッジソーンが反応槽内を上昇してしまって上層部にスカムが発生することになる。 Acid fermentation treatment sludge includes a fermentation gas and returned to the acid fermentation sludge as it is the methane fermentation step, the sludge Thorn in the reaction vessel below the fermentation gas accidentally raised the reaction vessel upper scum is generated in the part. そこで、酸発酵処理汚泥中の発酵ガスを分離するガス分離槽を通した後、メタン発酵処理工程に戻すようにすれば、スカムの発生を抑えることができる。 Therefore, after passing through a gas separation tank for separating the fermentation gas acid fermentation treatment sludge, if back to methane fermentation process, it is possible to suppress the generation of scum. ところで、日本においては冬期下水の温度が１８℃未満まで下がる場合、このような低温の下水を被処理水としてメタン発酵処理すると、槽内の嫌気性菌の活性が下がり、槽内に懸濁物質（Ｓｕｓｐｅｎｄｅｄ Ｓｏｌｉｄｓ、以下ＳＳとする）が溜まって、メタン発酵が進行しないようになり、発酵槽内の汚泥界面が上昇して最終的には溢れることになってしまう。 Incidentally, when the temperature of the winter sewage in Japan falls to less than 18 ° C., when the methane fermentation treatment such low temperature sewage as treatment water lowers the activity of anaerobic bacteria in the tank, suspended in the bath material (Suspended Solids, hereinafter referred to as SS) is accumulated, now methane fermentation does not proceed, the sludge interface in the fermenter becomes overflows it eventually rises. この際、被処理水としての下水を加温するには、通水量が多いために多量のエネルギーが必要となるため、現実的ではない。 At this time, to warming the sewage as water to be treated, because it requires a large amount of energy for many passing water, not realistic. そこで本発明は、例えば被処理水の水温が１３℃以上１８℃未満（なお、被処理水の水温はメタン発酵槽内の水温とほぼ同じ。）の場合に適切な処理方法として、前記メタン発酵処理汚泥の一部又は全部を、酸発酵処理工程の入り口側に供給することを提案する。 The present invention is, for example, water temperature is 13 ° C. or higher less than 18 ° C. in the water to be treated (Note that substantially the same. Water temperature of the water to be treated and the water temperature in the methane fermentation tank) as a suitable processing method in the case of the methane fermentation some or all of the treated sludge, which proposes to supply to the inlet side of the acid fermentation step. このように、メタン発酵処理汚泥の一部又は全部を、メタン発酵槽から抜き出して酸発酵処理工程に供給するようにすれば、発酵槽内の汚泥界面の上昇を抑えることができるばかりか、酸発酵処理工程で該メタン発酵処理汚泥をメタン発酵し易い有機酸等に変換し、再びメタン発酵処理工程に戻すことができるので、水温が低くて嫌気性菌の活性が下がっていてもメタン発酵処理を促進させることができる。 Thus, some or all of the methane fermentation treatment sludge, if to supply the acid fermentation step and withdrawn from the methane fermentation tank, not only it is possible to suppress an increase in the sludge interface in the fermenter, acid the methane fermentation sludge in a fermentation process to convert the methane fermentation easily organic acid, can be returned again to the methane fermentation step, the methane fermentation treatment even water temperature is low going down the activity of anaerobic bacteria it can be promoted. また本発明は、例えば被処理水の水温が１３℃未満の場合に適切な処理方法として、被処理水を固液分離して分離水と分離汚泥を得、該分離汚泥或いは該分離汚泥を濃縮した濃縮分離汚泥を、好気性生物処理汚泥の一部とともに酸発酵処理して酸発酵処理汚泥を得、該酸発酵処理汚泥を前記分離水と共にメタン発酵処理工程の入り口側に供給することを提案する。 The present invention, for example as an appropriate processing method when the water temperature of the water to be treated is below 13 ° C., to separate solid-liquid treatment water to give the separated water and the separation sludge, the separation sludge or concentrating the separation sludge proposed concentrated separated sludge, and acid fermentation process together with a part of the aerobic biological treatment sludge to obtain an acid fermentation sludge, to supply the acid fermented sludge inlet side of the methane fermentation process together with the separated water to. 被処理水の水温が１３℃未満の場合は、嫌気性菌の活性がさらに下がることになる。 If the water temperature of the water to be treated is below 13 ° C., so that further decrease the activity of anaerobic bacteria. そこで、被処理水を先ずは固液分離して、分離汚泥或いは該分離汚泥を濃縮した濃縮分離汚泥を酸発酵処理工程に供給してメタン発酵し易い有機酸等に変換した上でメタン発酵処理工程に供給することにより、水温がさらに低くて嫌気性菌の活性がさらに下がっていてもメタン発酵処理を促進させることができる。 Therefore, the treated water is first is by solid-liquid separation, the methane fermentation treatment in terms of supplying the separated sludge or concentration and separation sludge concentrating the separated sludge to the acid fermentation step was converted to the methane fermentation easily organic acids such as by supplying the process, it can also promote the methane fermentation process water temperature has not further decreased the activity of anaerobic bacteria even lower. 本発明の一例に係る有機性排水の処理方法の装置並びに工程を示した図である。 It shows an apparatus and process of the treatment method of organic wastewater according to an embodiment of the present invention. 本発明の実施形態の一例に係る有機性排水の処理方法Ａの装置並びに工程を示した図である。 It shows an apparatus and process of the processing method A of organic waste water according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 本発明の実施形態の一例に係る有機性排水の処理方法Ｂの装置並びに工程を示した図である。 It shows an apparatus and process of the treatment method B of organic waste water according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 本発明の実施形態の一例に係る有機性排水の処理方法Ｃの装置並びに工程を示した図である。 It is a diagram showing a processing method C of the apparatus and process of the organic waste water according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. メタン発酵処理装置の一例として、上向流嫌気性汚泥ろ床法（ＵＡＳＢ）を実施することができるＵＡＳＢ装置の一例を示した図である。 As an example of the methane fermentation treatment apparatus is a diagram showing an example of a UASB apparatus upflow anaerobic sludge filter bed method (UASB) can be carried out. ＵＡＳＢ装置の他例を示した図である。 It is a diagram showing another example of a UASB apparatus. ＵＡＳＢ装置のさらなる他例を示した図である。 It depicts a further another example of the UASB apparatus. 図７に示したＵＡＳＢ装置におけるメタン発酵槽の上部を上方から見た平面図である。 It is a plan view of the upper portion of the methane fermentation tank from above in UASB apparatus shown in FIG. 実施例及び比較例を評価するために行った評価基準処理方法、すなわち、現在行われている通常の下水処理方法の処理工程を示した図である。 Based processing method performed to evaluate the examples and comparative examples, i.e., a diagram illustrating the processing steps of conventional sewage treatment methods that are currently performed. 図２は、本実施形態の一例に係る有機性排水の処理方法Ａ（「本処理方法Ａ」と称する）の装置並びに工程の一例を示した図である。 Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of an apparatus and process of the treatment method of organic wastewater according to an example A (referred to as "treatment method A") of the present embodiment. 本処理方法Ａは、酸発酵処理工程から供給される酸発酵処理汚泥と被処理水（原水）とを混合すると共に、当該酸発酵処理汚泥中の発酵ガスを抜いて脱ガス混合水を得る混合脱ガス工程と、脱ガス混合水をメタン発酵処理し、メタンガスを含む発生ガス、メタン発酵処理水及びメタン発酵処理汚泥を得るメタン発酵処理工程と、メタン発酵処理水を好気性生物処理して、好気性生物処理水と好気性生物処理汚泥を得る好気性生物処理工程と、好気性生物処理汚泥の一部（余剰汚泥）を必要に応じて濃縮して濃縮余剰汚泥を得る余剰汚泥濃縮工程と、好気性生物処理汚泥若しくは濃縮余剰汚泥を酸発酵処理して酸発酵処理汚泥を得、該酸発酵処理汚泥を前記混合脱ガス工程に供給する酸発酵処理工程と、を備えた有機性排水の処理方法である。 This treatment method A, as well as mixing the acid fermentation sludge supplied from the acid fermentation process water to be treated (raw water), mixing remove the fermentation gas of the acid fermentation treatment sludge obtain degassed mixed water a degassing step, a degassing mixed water to methane fermentation treatment, generation gas containing methane, and methane fermentation step to obtain a methane fermentation treatment water and methane fermentation sludge, methane fermentation treatment water treated aerobic organisms, aerobic biological treatment step of obtaining the aerobic biological treatment water and aerobic biological treatment sludge, and excess sludge concentrate to obtain the aerobic biological treatment portion of the sludge (excess sludge) and concentrated excess sludge and concentrated as needed , aerobic biological treatment sludge or concentrated waste sludge and acid fermentation processes to obtain an acid fermentation treatment sludge, and acid fermentation step for supplying the acid fermentation sludge in said mixing degassing step, the organic waste water comprising it is a processing method. 本処理方法Ａを実施するための装置としては、例えば、混合脱ガス槽１、メタン発酵処理装置２、好気性生物処理装置３及び酸発酵処理装置４を備えており、被処理水（原水）を供給する被処理水供給管５が混合脱ガス槽１の入り口側に接続され、混合脱ガス槽１の出口側には混合水供給管６を介してメタン発酵処理装置２が接続され、メタン発酵処理槽２の出口側には発生ガス排出管７、メタン発酵処理水供給管８及びメタン発酵処理汚泥排出管９が接続され、当該発生ガス排出管７は発生ガス処理装置１０に接続され、当該メタン発酵処理水供給管８は好気性生物処理装置３の入り口側に接続され、当該メタン発酵処理汚泥排出管９は脱水装置１１に接続され、好気性生物処理装置３の出口側には好気性生物処理液排出管１２が接続され The apparatus for carrying out the processing method A, for example, mixed degassing tank 1, methane fermentation treatment apparatus 2 comprises a aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3 and the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4, the water to be treated (raw water) treatment water supply pipe 5 is connected to the inlet side of the mixing degassing vessel 1 supplies, to the outlet side of the mixing degassing vessel 1 methane fermentation treatment apparatus 2 via the mixing water supply pipe 6 is connected, methane generated on the outlet side of the fermentation tank 2 gas exhaust pipe 7, the methane fermentation treatment water supply pipe 8 and the methane fermentation sludge discharge pipe 9 is connected, the generator gas discharge pipe 7 is connected to the generator gas processing device 10, the methane fermentation treatment water supply pipe 8 is connected to the inlet side of the aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3, the methane fermentation sludge discharge pipe 9 is connected to a dewatering device 11, favorable to the outlet side of the aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3 temper biological treatment liquid discharge pipe 12 is connected 当該好気性生物処理液排出管１２は固液分離装置１３の入り口側に接続され、固液分離装置１３の出口側には好気性生物処理水排出管１４と好気性生物処理汚泥供給管１５が接続され、好気性生物処理汚泥供給管１５は途中で分岐して、一方は、好気性生物処理装置３の入り口側に接続され、他方は濃縮装置１６に接続され、この濃縮汚泥供給管１７は酸発酵処理装置４の入り口側に接続され、酸発酵処理装置４の出口側には酸発酵処理汚泥供給管１８が接続され、この酸発酵処理汚泥供給管１８は前記混合脱ガス槽１の入り口側に接続されてなる構成を備えた装置を挙げることができる。 The aerobic biological treatment liquid discharge pipe 12 is connected to the inlet side of the solid-liquid separator 13, solid-liquid separator 13 outlet aerobic biologically treated water discharge pipe 14 and the aerobic biological treatment sludge supply pipe 15 to the can connected, aerobic biological treatment sludge supply pipe 15 is branched midway, one is connected to the inlet side of the aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3 and the other is connected to the concentrator 16, the concentrated sludge supply pipe 17 is connected to the inlet side of the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4, the outlet side of the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 is connected to the acid fermentation sludge supply pipe 18, the acid fermentation sludge feed pipe 18 entrance of the mixing degassing vessel 1 mention may be made of a device with a structure formed by connecting the side. 但し、上記濃縮装置１６は必要に応じて設置すればよく、常に必要である訳ではない。 However, the concentrator 16 may be installed as required, it is not always necessary. 以下、各工程及びそれを実施するための設備について詳述する。 It described in detail below equipment for carrying out the process and the same. 被処理水(原水)としては、低濃度有機性排水、具体的にはＣＯＤｃｒ値が１０００ｍｇ／Ｌ以下、特に３００ｍｇ／Ｌ以上或いは６００ｍｇ／Ｌ以下の有機性排水が本処理方法に適している。 The water to be treated (raw water), a low-concentration organic waste water, CODcr value specifically is 1000 mg / L or less, particularly 300 mg / L or more, or 600 mg / L or less of the organic waste water are suitable for the present treatment method. ちなみに、下水は一般的にＣＯＤｃｒ濃度４００〜１０００ｍｇ／Ｌの低濃度有機性排水である。 Incidentally, sewage are generally low-concentration organic waste water of the CODcr concentration 400~1000mg / L. また、本処理方法Ａは、比較的低温の水温でも効果的に実施できる特徴を有しているものの、メタン発酵槽内の水温が１８℃以上の場合、特に２０〜２５℃以上である場合に実施するのが特に好ましい。 Further, the processing method A is relatively although cold has a feature that can be implemented effectively in the water temperature, when the water temperature of the methane fermentation tank is more than 18 ° C., in the case in particular 20-25 ° C. or higher particularly preferably carried. 同様の観点から、被処理水(原水)が１８℃以上、特に２０〜２５℃以上であるのが特に好ましい。 From the same viewpoint, the water to be treated (raw water) is 18 ° C. or higher, and particularly preferably in particular 20-25 ° C. or higher. 混合脱ガス工程では、被処理水供給管５を通じて混合脱ガス槽１に供給されてきた被処理水（原水）と、酸発酵処理工程から酸発酵処理汚泥供給管１８を通じて混合脱ガス槽１に供給されてきた酸発酵処理汚泥とを、混合脱ガス槽１において混合すると共に、酸発酵処理汚泥中の発酵ガスを抜き、得られた脱ガス混合水を、混合水供給管６を通じてメタン発酵処理装置２に供給する。 Mixed in the degassing step, the treatment water which is supplied to the mixing degassing vessel 1 through the treatment water supply pipe 5 (the raw water), a mixed degassing vessel 1 through acid fermentation sludge supply pipe 18 from the acid fermentation step an acid fermentation sludge that has been supplied, the mixing in the mixing degassing vessel 1, disconnect the fermentation gas acid fermentation treatment sludge, degassed mixed water resulting methane fermentation treatment through mixed water supply pipe 6 supplied to the device 2. 混合脱ガス槽１は、発酵ガスを分離するガス分離手段を備えているのが好ましい。 Mixed degassing vessel 1 is preferably provided with a gas separating means for separating the fermentation gas. 発酵ガスとは、主にＣＯ ２ガスであり、一部Ｈ ２ガスを含むガスである。 The fermentation gas is predominantly CO 2 gas is a gas comprising a part H 2 gas. 発酵ガスがメタン発酵処理装置２に流入すると、汚泥の浮上が促進されるため、汚泥と嫌気性生物が十分に接触しないうちに汚泥が浮上することになり、メタン発酵処理装置２内でスカムの発生が促されることになる。 When the fermentation gas flows into the methane fermentation treatment apparatus 2, since the floating of the sludge is accelerated, it will be sludge floats While sludge and anaerobic organisms are not sufficiently contact with the scum in methane fermentation processing apparatus 2 so that the occurrence is promoted. そこで、メタン発酵処理工程の前工程で、予め酸発酵処理汚泥中の発酵ガスを分離除去することにより、メタン発酵処理装置２でのスカムの発生を抑制することができる。 Therefore, in the previous step of methane fermentation process, by fermentation gas in advance acid fermentation process sludge separated off, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of scum in the methane fermentation treatment apparatus 2. ここで、発酵ガスを分離するガス分離手段としては、例えば、被処理水（原水）と酸発酵処理汚泥とを混合する混合槽に該混合水を一時的に滞留させ、大気と接触させることにより、該混合水から発酵ガスを分離除去できるようにした構成のものを挙げることができる。 Here, the gas separation means for separating a fermentation gas, e.g., temporarily retained the mixed water in the mixing tank for mixing the acid fermentation sludge water to be treated (raw water), by contact with air include those of the configurations to be separated and removed fermentation gas from the mixed water. さらに、混合水を迂流、自然流下、オーバーフロー等させて、含有する発酵ガスの分離を促進させるようにしてもよい。 Further, the mixed water baffled channel, gravity flow, by overflow or the like, may be made to facilitate the separation of the fermentation gas containing. また、混合槽内部に撹拌機を設けるようにしてもよい。 Moreover, the internal mixing chamber may be provided with a stirrer. メタン発酵処理工程では、混合脱ガス槽１から供給された脱ガス混合水を、メタン発酵処理装置２においてメタン発酵処理し、メタンガスを含む発生ガス、メタン発酵処理水及びメタン発酵処理汚泥を得、前記発生ガスを発生ガス排出管７を通じて発生ガス処理装置１０に供給する一方、前記メタン発酵処理水を、メタン発酵処理水供給管８を通じて好気性生物処理装置３に供給し、前記メタン発酵処理汚泥をメタン発酵処理汚泥排出管９を通じて脱水装置１１に供給する。 The methane fermentation step, to obtain a degassed mixture water supplied from the mixing degassing tank 1, methane fermentation in the methane fermentation treatment apparatus 2, the generated gas containing methane, the methane fermentation treatment water and the methane fermentation sludge, while supplying the generated gas treatment apparatus 10 the generated gas through the generator gas discharge pipe 7, the methane fermentation treatment water is supplied to the aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3 through the methane fermentation treatment water supply pipe 8, the methane fermentation sludge and it supplies the dehydrator 11 through the methane fermentation sludge discharge pipe 9. ここで、メタン発酵処理とは、ＯＲＰが−４００ｍＶ以下の範囲で行なう嫌気性生物学的処理であり、嫌気性微生物によって有機物をメタンガスと二酸化炭素まで分解し、発生したメタンガスをエネルギーとして有効利用できるようにする処理である。 Here, the methane fermentation process, ORP is anaerobic biological treatment performed in the range -400 mV, the organics decompose to methane and carbon dioxide by anaerobic microorganisms can be effectively utilized generated methane gas as energy it is a process that way. 本処理方法Ａのメタン発酵処理法としては、例えば上向流嫌気性汚泥床法（ＵＡＳＢ）、固定床法、流動床法など公知の方法を適宜採用可能である。 The methane fermentation treatment method of the present treatment method A, for example, upflow anaerobic sludge bed process (UASB), a fixed bed process, it is possible to employ a known method such as fluidized bed processes as appropriate. 中でも、上向流嫌気性汚泥ろ床法（ＵＡＳＢ）を採用するのが好ましい。 Among them, it is preferable to employ the upflow anaerobic sludge filter bed method (UASB). 上向流嫌気性汚泥ろ床法（ＵＡＳＢ）は、嫌気性微生物の集塊作用を利用して活性の高い菌体をグラニュール（直径２〜３ｍｍの粒状汚泥、糸状性の酢酸資化性メタン生成属細菌が中心となった緻密なフロック）として反応槽に大量に保持する方法で，反応槽の下部から排水（被処理水）を注入して嫌気状態で排水中の有機物を分解させる方法である。 Upflow Anaerobic Sludge filter bed method (UASB), the highly active bacteria granules using agglomeration action of anaerobic microorganisms (diameter 2~3mm granular sludge, filamentous acetic acid-assimilating methane in a method of generating bacteria holds a large amount in the reaction vessel as a dense flocs) which plays a central drainage from the bottom of the reaction vessel (in a way to decompose the organic matter in the waste water under anaerobic conditions by injecting water to be treated) is there. 上向流嫌気性汚泥ろ床法（ＵＡＳＢ）は、嫌気性微生物の自己造粒機能を利用して沈降性の優れたグラニュール汚泥を槽内に高濃度で保持できるため、ＣＯＤｃｒ負荷を高めることができる。 Upflow Anaerobic Sludge filter bed method (UASB), because a good granular sludge by utilizing the self-granulation functionality of sedimentation of the anaerobic microorganisms can be maintained at a high concentration in the tank, increasing the CODcr load can. しかも、通常の嫌気性処理に比べて、比較的低濃度の排水にも適用できるうえ、高速の処理が可能で、且つ曝気を必要としないため、わずかな電力で運転でき、副産物として大量のメタンガスを生成することができる。 Moreover, compared to conventional anaerobic treatment, after which can be applied to a relatively low concentration of the waste water, it is capable of high-speed processing, and because the aeration does not require, can be operated with little power, a large amount of methane gas as a by-product it can be generated. その反面、低濃度排水の場合には、ＣＯＤｃｒ負荷を高くとるために、多量の排水を槽内に供給する必要があり、この排水の水流によってメタン発酵槽内の汚泥床が系外に流出してしまう場合がある。 On the other hand, in the case of low concentration waste water to take high CODcr load, it is necessary to supply a large amount of waste water in the tank, the sludge bed in the methane fermentation tank flows out to the outside of the system by the water flow of the waste water there is a case would. そこで、メタン発酵槽内の汚泥床を高濃度に維持するためには、メタン発酵槽への通水量を制限するのが好ましい。 Therefore, in order to maintain the sludge bed methane fermentation tank at a high concentration, it is preferable to limit the passing water amount into the methane fermentation tank. ＵＡＳＢ槽内のグラニュール汚泥を維持させるためには、通水速度を０．５〜２．０ｍ／ｈとするのが好ましく、特に０．７５〜１．５ｍ／ｈとするのがより一層好ましい。 In order to maintain the granular sludge in UASB tank is preferably a water flow rate of the 0.5~2.0m / h, and still more preferably, to a particular 0.75~1.5m / h . したがって、ＵＡＳＢ法をＣＯＤｃｒ１０００ｍｇ／Ｌ以下の低濃度排水に適用した場合、通水速度を下げる必要があるため、ＣＯＤｃｒ負荷は１〜２ｋｇ／ｍ 3 ／ｄと低くなる。 Therefore, when applying the UASB process a low concentration waste water following CODcr1000mg / L, it is necessary to decrease the water flow rate, CODcr load as low as 1~2kg / m 3 / d. メタン発酵処理装置２の好ましい一例として、図５に示すような、上向流嫌気性汚泥ろ床法（ＵＡＳＢ）を実施することのできるメタン発酵槽３０（「ＵＡＳＢ装置３０」とも称する）を挙げることができる。 A preferred example of the methane fermentation treatment apparatus 2, as shown in FIG. 5, include methane fermentation tank 30 capable of implementing the upflow anaerobic sludge filter bed method (UASB) (also referred to as "UASB apparatus 30") be able to. メタン発酵槽３０は、その内部に、汚泥床３２、気固液分離部（ＧＳＳ）３３およびメタン発酵処理水を分離する越流堰３４を備え、メタン発酵槽３０の上部を覆う覆蓋３５を備え、さらに、混合脱ガス槽１からの脱ガス混合水を供給する混合水供給管６がメタン発酵槽３０の底部に接続され、汚泥を移送するメタン発酵処理汚泥排出管９がメタン発酵槽３０の下部に接続され、越流堰３４内に流入するメタン発酵処理水を好気性生物処理装置３に供給するメタン発酵処理水供給管８が越流堰３４に接続され、発生ガスを発生ガス処理装置１０に供給する発生ガス排出管７が気固液分離部（ＧＳＳ）３３に接続されてなる構成を備えている。 Methane fermentation tank 30, in its interior, the sludge bed 32 includes a weir 34 which separates the gas-solid-liquid separating section (GSS) 33 and the methane fermentation process water, comprising a covering lid 35 which covers the top of the methane fermenter 30 further mixing the water supply pipe 6 for supplying the degassed mixed water from the mixing degassing tank 1 is connected to the bottom of the methane fermentation tank 30, the methane fermentation sludge discharge pipe 9 for transferring sludge methane fermenter 30 is connected to the lower, overflow methane fermentation treatment water supply pipe 8 supplies the methane fermentation treatment water aerobic biological treatment device 3 flows into the weir 34 is connected to the weir 34, the generated gas processing device generating gas generating gas discharge pipe 7 for supplying the 10 is provided with a structure formed by connecting to the gas-solid-liquid separating section (GSS) 33. メタン発酵槽３０においては、混合脱ガス槽１からの脱ガス混合水がメタン発酵槽３０の下部から流入し、汚泥床３２すなわち下部に沈殿しているグラニュールの層に均一に拡散して、被処理水に含まれた有機物や、酸発酵により生成した溶解性有機物、酢酸・プロピオン酸等の有機酸は、メタン発酵槽３０内の嫌気性菌によってメタンガスと二酸化炭素ガスに分解される。 In the methane fermentation tank 30, mixed degassed mixed water from the degassing tank 1 flows from the bottom of the methane fermentation tank 30, and uniformly diffused into the layer of granules that are precipitated sludge bed 32, i.e., lower, organic substances and contained in the water to be treated, soluble organic substances produced by acid fermentation, organic acids such as acetic acid and propionic acid is decomposed into methane and carbon dioxide gas by anaerobic bacteria in the methane fermenter 30. そして、これらの発生ガスとグラニュールは、処理水とともに浮上し、気固液分離部（ＧＳＳ）３３よって発生ガス、メタン発酵処理汚泥（グラニュール）、メタン発酵処理水などに分離される。 And these generated gas and granules, surfaced with treated water, gas-solid-liquid separating section (GSS) 33 Thus generated gas, methane fermentation sludge (granules) are separated into methane fermentation process water. そして、前記発生ガスは、発生ガス排出管７を通じて発生ガス処理装置１０に供給され、エネルギー源として利用される。 Then, the generated gas is supplied to the generated gas treatment apparatus 10 through the generator gas discharge pipe 7, it is used as an energy source. 前記メタン発酵処理水は、メタン発酵処理水供給管８を通じて好気性生物処理装置３に供給され、前記メタン発酵処理汚泥はメタン発酵処理汚泥排出管９を通じて脱水装置１１に供給されて減容化されて系外に排出される。 The methane fermentation treatment water is supplied to the aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3 through the methane fermentation treatment water supply pipe 8, the methane fermentation sludge is volume-reduced is supplied to the dehydrator 11 through the methane fermentation sludge discharge pipe 9 It is discharged to the outside of the system Te. 本処理方法Ａでは、前述したように、混合脱ガス槽１にて、予め酸発酵処理汚泥中の発酵ガスを分離除去しているため、メタン発酵槽３０でのスカム（浮上汚物）の発生を抑制することができる。 In the processing method A, as described above, mixed with degassing tank 1, since the fermentation gas in advance acid fermentation treatment sludge separated off and the generation of scum (floating dirt) in the methane fermentation tank 30 it can be suppressed. 下水のような低濃度有機性排水をＵＡＳＢ処理する場合には、汚泥床（スラッジゾーン）を確保するために通水速度が制限されるため、ＣＯＤｃｒ容積負荷は１ｋｇ／ｍ ３ ／ｄと低い有機物負荷となる。 When UASB process a low-concentration organic waste water such as sewage, since the water flow rate is limited to ensure the sludge bed (sludge zone), CODcr volume loading is 1kg / m 3 / d and low organic matter the load. 一方、食品産業排水のような高濃度有機性排水のＵＡＳＢ処理では、ＣＯＤｃｒ容積負荷は１０〜２０ｋｇ／ｍ ３ ／ｄと高い有機物負荷となる。 On the other hand, in UASB process high-concentration organic waste water such as food industry wastewater, CODcr volume load becomes 10~20kg / m 3 / d and a high organic load. すなわち、低濃度有機性排水は、高濃度有機性排水に比べ、有機物負荷が１／１０〜１／２０と低く、嫌気性菌の密度が低くなり、汚泥床のグラニュール汚泥の粒径は０．１〜０．５ｍｍと小さなものになる。 That is, the low-concentration organic waste water as compared to the high-concentration organic waste water, as low as organic load is 1 / 10-1 / 20, the lower the density of the anaerobic bacteria, the particle size of the granular sludge of sludge bed 0 .1~0.5mm to be a small thing. このように低濃度有機性排水をＵＡＳＢ処理する場合には、グラニュ−ル汚泥の沈降速度と流入ＳＳの沈降速度の差が、高濃度有機性排水に適用されている従来のＵＡＳＢグラニュ−ル汚泥に比べて小さいため、流入するＳＳ濃度、排水の性状によっては、メタン発酵槽３０内でのスカムの発生量が多くなり、メタン発酵槽３０内の汚泥の維持が困難になる可能性がある。 Thus in the case of UASB process a low-concentration organic waste water is granulite - the difference in sedimentation velocity of the sedimentation rate and the inflow SS of sludge is, prior being applied to a high-concentration organic waste water UASB granulite - sludge small compared to, SS concentration flowing, depending on the nature of the waste water, the number occurrence of scum in the methane fermentation tank 30, there is a possibility that it becomes difficult maintain sludge in the methane fermentation tank 30. こうした理由から、メタン発酵処理の被処理水、すなわち脱ガス混合水のＳＳ濃度は２０００ｍｇ／Ｌ以下であるのが好ましく、中でも１０００ｍｇ／Ｌ以下であるのが特に好ましい。 For this reason, the water to be treated in the methane fermentation treatment, i.e. SS concentration of degassed mixed water is preferably at most 2000 mg / L, and particularly preferably at inter alia 1000 mg / L or less. そして、脱ガス混合水のＳＳ濃度を２０００ｍｇ／Ｌ以下、中でも１０００ｍｇ／Ｌ以下とすることが好ましい。 Then, the SS concentration of degassed mixed water 2000 mg / L or less, it is preferable to inter alia 1000 mg / L or less. 前述のようにＵＡＳＢ法を低濃度排水に適用すると、汚泥床のグラニュール汚泥の粒径は０．１〜０．５ｍｍと小さくなり、沈降速度も小さくなるため、流入ＳＳ濃度の影響を受けやすくなる。 Applying UASB method as described above the low concentration waste water, the particle size of the granular sludge of the sludge bed is reduced and 0.1 to 0.5 mm, since the reduced sedimentation velocity sensitive to inlet SS concentration Become. そのため、以下の２つの改善方法のいずれかを採用するのが好ましい。 Therefore, it is preferable to adopt one of the following two improvement methods. 但し、必ずしも採用しなくてもよい。 However, it is not necessarily adopted. （１）沈降性のよい粒径０．１ｍｍ〜１．０ｍｍ、好ましくは０．２ｍｍ〜０．７ｍｍの砂やゼオライト、活性炭等の担体を、汚泥床容量に対して１〜１０％、好ましくは５〜７％の割合で汚泥床に添加する。 (1) precipitated good particle size 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm, preferably 0.2mm~0.7mm sand, zeolite, a carrier such as activated carbon, 1-10% relative to the sludge bed volume, preferably It added to the sludge bed at a rate of 5-7%. （２）有機性排水に由来する被処理水に、Ｆｅ塩を好ましくは１〜２０ｍｇ／Ｌ（ａｓＦｅ）、中でも好ましくは５〜１０ｍｇ／Ｌ（ａｓＦｅ）の割合で添加する。 (2) the treatment water derived from the organic waste water, preferably a Fe salt 1 to 20 mg / L (ASFE), among them preferably added in a proportion of 5 to 10 mg / L (ASFE). 前記（１）の方法では、担体に嫌気性菌を付着させることで、汚泥床における嫌気性菌の割合を高めることが可能となる。 In the method of (1), by attaching anaerobic bacteria carrier, it is possible to increase the proportion of anaerobic bacteria in the sludge bed. 前記（２）の方法では、Ｆｅ塩以外にＣａ塩なども適用することができる。 In method (2) it can be applied, such as Ca salts in addition to Fe salts. メタン発酵槽３０内の水温は、１８℃以上であるのが好ましく、特に２０℃以上、中でも特に２０〜３０℃であるのが好ましい。 Temperature of the methane fermentation tank 30 is preferably at 18 ° C. or higher, particularly 20 ° C. or higher, is preferably Among them, particularly 20 to 30 ° C.. また、メタン生成の段階で中心的役割を果たすメタン生成菌は、中性付近のｐＨを好むため、好ましくはｐＨ６〜８に調整するのが好ましい。 Further, it plays a central role methanogens in the stage of methanogenic because prefer near-neutral pH, preferably adjusted to pH 6-8. また、メタン生成細菌には、活性温度によっていくつかの種類に分類されるが、本処理方法Ａでは、活性温度が２０〜３０℃のメタン生成菌を用いるのが好ましい。 Furthermore, the methane producing bacteria are classified into several types by the activation temperature, in this processing method A, the activation temperature is preferably used 20 to 30 ° C. of methanogens. 図６は、メタン発酵処理装置の変形例としてのメタン発酵槽４０を示した図である。 Figure 6 is a diagram showing the methane fermentation tank 40 as a variation of the methane fermentation treatment apparatus. メタン発酵槽４０は、図５に示したメタン発酵槽３０と対比すると、メタン発酵槽４０内部に気固液分離部（ＧＳＳ）３３を設けず、気体を透過しない材料からなる屋根材４１でメタン発酵槽３０の上部を密閉被覆し、屋根材４１とメタン発酵槽３０との接続部分にガス排気口４２を設け、このガス排気口４２に発生ガス排出管７を連結して反応ガスを排出可能とした構成を備えた装置である。 Methane fermentation tank 40, when compared with the methane fermentation tank 30 shown in FIG. 5, not gas-solid-liquid separation section (GSS) 33 provided inside the methane fermentation bath 40, methane roofing 41 made of a material impermeable to gases the top of the fermentor 30 sealed cover, a gas exhaust port 42 provided at the connection portion of the roof member 41 and the methane fermentation tank 30, the reaction gas can be discharged by connecting the generator gas discharge pipe 7 to the gas exhaust port 42 a device provided with a configuration. 但し、ガス排気口４２を設ける位置は任意に設計可能である。 However, the position of providing a gas outlet 42 can be arbitrarily designed. 例えば屋根材４１のいずれかに設けてもよいし、メタン発酵槽３０の上部に設けてもよい。 For example it may be provided in any of the roofing material 41, it may be provided on top of the methane fermentation tank 30. 被処理水(原水)が下水である場合、上述のように一般的にＣＯＤｃｒ濃度４００〜１０００ｍｇ／Ｌの低濃度有機性排水であるため、メタン発酵処理槽（ＵＡＳＢ槽）でのＣＯＤｃｒ容積負荷が１ｋｇ／ｍ ３ ／ｄと低く、食品製造排水のような高濃度有機性排水のメタン発酵処理に比べ、発生ガスの量は少ない。 If the water to be treated (raw water) is sewage, because of the low-concentration organic waste water generally CODcr concentration 400~1000mg / L as described above, CODcr volume loading of methane fermentation treatment tank (UASB tank) is 1kg / m 3 / d and low compared to the methane fermentation process of the high concentration organic waste water such as food production waste water, the amount of generated gas is small. そのため、図５に示した装置のような気固液分離部（ＧＳＳ）３３を設けなくても、発生ガス回収し排出することができる。 Therefore, without providing a solid-liquid separation section (GSS) 33 feel like of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to generate gas recovery discharged. 図７は、メタン発酵処理装置のさらなる変形例としてのメタン発酵槽５０を示した図である。 Figure 7 is a diagram showing the methane fermentation tank 50 as a further modified example of the methane fermentation treatment apparatus. メタン発酵槽５０は、図６に示したメタン発酵槽４０と対比すると、メタン発酵槽５０内部の超流堰３４と同じ高さであって、超流堰３４の内側部分に、スカムを集めるスカム捕集枠５１を設けた構成を備えた装置である。 Methane fermentation tank 50, when compared with the methane fermentation tank 40 shown in FIG. 6, a same height as the methane fermentation tank 50 internal super weir 34, the inner portion of the ultra-weir 34 and collect scum scum a device having a configuration in which the collection frame 51. スカム捕集枠５１は、図８に示すように、メタン発酵槽５０の対向する内壁に渡って固定するようにしてもよいし、また、スカム捕集枠５１に昇降手段５２を設け、必要に応じてスカム捕集枠５１を超流堰３４と同じ高さに配置したり、液面の上方に配置したりするように構成することもできる。 Scum collecting frame 51, as shown in FIG. 8, may be fixed over the opposite inner walls of the methane fermentation tank 50, also a lifting means 52 provided in the scum collecting frame 51, needs depending or to place scum collecting frame 51 at the same height as the ultra weir 34, may be configured or arranged above the liquid surface. 好気性生物処理工程では、メタン発酵処理水供給管８を通じて供給されたメタン発酵処理水を、好気性生物処理装置３において、好気性生物を用いて前記メタン発酵処理水を生物学的酸化分解処理し、得られた好気性生物処理水と好気性生物処理汚泥の混合処理液を、好気性生物処理液排出管１２を通じて固液分離装置１３に供給し、固液分離装置１３において、好気性生物処理水と好気性生物処理汚泥に分離し、前者の好気性生物処理水は好気性生物処理水排出管１４を通じて系外に排出し、後者の好気性生物処理汚泥は、好気性生物処理汚泥供給管１５を通じて、その一部を好気性生物処理装置３の入り口側に返送し、他方（これを「余剰汚泥」と称する）を濃縮装置１６若しくは酸発酵処理装置４に供給する。 The aerobic biological treatment step, the methane fermentation process water supplied through the methane fermentation treatment water supply pipe 8, in an aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3, the biological oxidative decomposition of the methane fermentation process water with aerobic organisms and, a mixed treating solution of the resulting aerobic biological treatment water and aerobic biological treatment sludge is supplied to a solid-liquid separator 13 through aerobic biological treatment liquid discharge pipe 12, the solid-liquid separator 13, aerobic organisms separating the treated water and aerobic biological treatment sludge, the former aerobic biological treatment water is discharged from the system through aerobic biological treated water discharge pipe 14, the latter of aerobic biological treatment sludge, the aerobic biological treatment sludge supply through line 15, a portion was returned to the inlet side of the aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3, other supplies (this is referred to as "excess sludge") to the concentrator 16 or acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4. 好気性生物処理は、溶存酸素が十分ある環境下で、好気性微生物によって、有機性物質、アンモニア性窒素等を酸化分解する方法である。 Aerobic biological treatment in an environment where dissolved oxygen is enough, by aerobic microorganisms, an organic material, a method of oxidation decomposing ammonium nitrogen and the like. 本処理方法Ａが採用し得る好気性処理方法としては、例えば曝気によって生物フロックを浮遊させた状態で有機物質を生物学的酸化分解する方法（活性汚泥法に代表される）や、担体に微生物を付着増殖させて生物膜を形成させ、これを排水に接触させて生物学的酸化分解する方式（生物膜法に代表される）など、公知のいずれの方法も採用可能である。 As aerobic treatment method the processing method A may be employed, for example, biological oxidation decomposing the organic substances in a state of being suspended biological floc by aeration (typified by activated sludge process), the microorganism to the carrier the by attaching grown to form a biofilm, which is brought into contact with the effluent (typified by a biological membrane method) biological oxidation decomposing method, such as any of the methods known to also be employed. 中でも、本処理方法Ａでは、下水などの低濃度有機性排水を好適に処理できる観点から活性汚泥法が好ましい。 Above all, in this processing method A, activated sludge method is preferable from the viewpoint of suitably processing the low-concentration organic waste water such as sewage. 活性汚泥法は、活性汚泥と呼ばれるさまざまな好気性微生物や有機性物質や無機性物質などからなるゼラチン状のフロックを用いた処理方法である。 Activated sludge method is a processing method using a gelatinous floc made of various aerobic microorganisms and organic substances and inorganic substances called activated sludge. 好適な好気性生物処理装置３としては、微生物による有機物の酸化分解によって消費される酸素を大量に供給するための曝気装置を付属した処理槽と、汚泥と処理水とを分離する汚泥沈殿槽とを備えたものを挙げることができる。 Suitable aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3, a treatment tank that came aeration device for mass supply of oxygen consumed by the oxidative decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms, and sludge settling tank for separating the sludge and treated water mention may be made of those with. 例えば、被処理水中の浮遊物質など除去する最初沈殿池と、活性汚泥と混合すると共に曝気し、微生物の代謝によって有機物を分解する曝気槽と、汚泥と処理水とを分離するための汚泥沈殿槽とを備えた好気性生物処理装置３を例示することができる。 For example, a primary sedimentation to remove such suspended matter in the water to be treated, aerated with mixed with activated sludge, sludge settling tank for separating the aeration tank for decomposing the sludge and treated water organic matter by way of metabolism of a microorganism it can be exemplified aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3 provided with and. 但し、公知の好気性生物処理装置であれば採用可能である。 However, it is possible to employ any known aerobic biological treatment apparatus. 次に、固液分離装置１３としては、例えば沈殿池、遠心分離機、膜分離等の固液分離装置を挙げることができる。 Then, as the solid-liquid separator 13 may include, for example, sedimentation, centrifugal separator, a solid-liquid separator of the membrane separation. 下水のような大水量で低ＳＳ濃度の固形物を無薬注にて固液分離するためには、設備面、維持管理面からみてスケ−ルアップ容易であること、ランニングコストが低く、維持管理が容易であることなどから、沈殿池が適している。 To solid-liquid separation of solids low SS concentration at Mukusurichu a large amount of water such as sewage, equipment surfaces, viewed from the maintenance surface scale - pull-up it is easy, low running cost, maintenance etc. it is easy, sedimentation tank is suitable. 固液分離装置１３は、従来の活性汚泥処理で用いられている最初沈殿池であってもよい。 Solid-liquid separator 13 may be a primary sedimentation used in the conventional activated sludge process. また、通常の好気性生物処理装置３では、好気性生物が好気性生物処理汚泥と共に流出（wash out）してしまうため、本処理方法Ａでは、固液分離装置１３において、好気性生物処理水と好気性生物処理汚泥に分離し、図２に示すように、好気性生物処理汚泥の一部を好気性生物処理装置３の入り口側に返送するのが好ましい。 Further, in the conventional aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3, for aerobic biological flows out with aerobic biological treatment sludge (wash out), the present processing method A, the solid-liquid separator 13, aerobic biological treatment water and separated into aerobic biological treatment sludge, as shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable to return a part of the aerobic biological treatment sludge to the inlet side of the aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3. 固液分離装置１３で分離された好気性生物処理汚泥の一部（余剰汚泥）は、必要に応じて濃縮装置１６に供給され、濃縮装置１６において濃縮して濃縮余剰汚泥とし、濃縮汚泥供給管１７を通じて酸発酵処理装置４に供給する。 Solid-liquid separator 13 in an isolated aerobic biological treatment portion of the sludge (excess sludge) is fed to the concentrator 16 as necessary, and concentrated to an concentrated excess sludge in the concentrator 16, the concentrated sludge feed pipe supplied to the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 through 17. なお、当該余剰汚泥濃縮工程は必ずしも必要な工程ではない。 Note that the excess sludge concentration step is not a necessary step. 例えば膜分離活性汚泥法（Membrane Bioreactor：ＭＢＲと略す）のように沈殿池のかわりに精密ろ過膜（ＭＦ膜）や限外ろ過膜（ＵＦ膜）を使う場合には、曝気槽のＭＬＳＳ濃度が５０００〜１００００ｍｇ／Ｌに高濃度になるため、余剰汚泥濃縮工程は必ずしも必要とならない。 For example membrane bioreactor: when using microfiltration membranes instead of settling pond as (Membrane Bioreactor abbreviated as MBR) (MF membrane) and an ultrafiltration membrane (UF membrane) is MLSS concentration in the aeration tank to become a high concentration 5000~10000mg / L, excess sludge concentration step not necessarily required. 通常は沈殿池を用いる場合が多いため、余剰汚泥を濃縮した上で酸発酵処理工程に供給するのが好ましい。 Since in many cases usually using a sedimentation tank, preferably fed to the acid fermentation step on concentrating the excess sludge. 酸発酵処理装置４では、好気性生物処理汚泥（余剰汚泥）若しくは濃縮余剰汚泥を酸発酵処理して酸発酵処理汚泥を得、該酸発酵処理汚泥を、酸発酵処理汚泥供給管１８を通じて混合脱ガス槽１に供給する。 The acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4, to give the aerobic biological treatment sludge (excess sludge) or acid concentrated excess sludge fermentation to acid fermentation sludge, the acid fermentation sludge, mixed de through acid fermentation sludge supply pipe 18 supplied to the gas tank 1. 酸発酵処理では、好気性生物処理汚泥若しくは濃縮余剰汚泥中の有機物の一部を、酢酸、プロピオン酸等の有機酸に低分子化することができる。 In acid fermentation process, some of the organic matter in aerobic biological treatment sludge or concentrated excess sludge, acetic acid, may be low molecular weight organic acids such as acetic acid and propionic acid. 酸発酵処理において、酸生成に関与する微生物は通性嫌気菌であり、ＯＲＰが−２００〜５０ｍＶの範囲で生育させるのが好ましい。 In acid fermentation process, the microorganisms involved in the acid produced is facultative anaerobic bacteria, ORP is preferably grown in the range of -200～50MV. 酸発酵処理装置４は、汚泥を撹拌することができる手段を備えているのが好ましい。 Acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 is preferably provided with a means capable of stirring the sludge. 撹拌手段としては、撹拌機を設置してもよく、空気等のガスを曝気してもよい。 The stirring means may be provided with a stirrer may be aerated gas such as air. 酸発酵処理装置４は、酸発酵槽内を加温する手段を備えているものが好ましい。 Acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4, which includes means for heating the acid fermentation tank is preferred. この際、加熱用の熱源として、メタン発酵槽３０から回収されたメタンガスｇ１をボイラーで蒸気に変換して利用することもできる。 At this time, as a heat source for heating the methane gas g1 recovered from the methane fermentation tank 30 can be utilized to convert to steam in a boiler. 酸発酵処理工程で被処理物を加温することは、例えばメタン発酵処理装置２において被処理水を直接加温する場合に比べ、加温に必要なエネルギーを減らすことができる。 Warming the object to be treated with acid fermentation step, for example compared with the case of methane fermentation treatment apparatus directly heating the water to be treated in the 2, it is possible to reduce the energy required for heating. そればかりか、酸発酵槽においては、濃縮汚泥中に含まれる固形物（ＳＳ分）の一部は、加水分解、有機酸発酵を経て、溶解性の有機物（酢酸、プロピオン酸等）に変換されるため、こうした物質の存在によりメタン菌の活性を維持し、低水温の有機性排水であってもメタン発酵処理を良好に行なうことができる。 Not only in the acid fermentation tank, a portion of the solid materials contained in the concentrated sludge (SS min) hydrolysis, through organic acid fermentation is converted to soluble organic substances (acetic acid and propionic acid) because, such a presence of a substance to maintain the activity of the methane bacteria, methane fermentation process may be an organic waste water of a low temperature it can be satisfactorily performed. 酸発酵処理装置４内の温度は、好ましくは２０〜３５℃、下水水温と発生ガスの熱エネルギ−から判断すると、より好ましくは２０〜２５℃の範囲である。 Temperature of acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 is preferably 20 to 35 ° C., the thermal energy of the sewage water temperature generated gas - in the range of Judging from, more preferably 20-25 ° C.. このように、酸発酵処理装置４に流入した好気性生物処理汚泥若しくは濃縮余剰汚泥は、外部熱源により２０℃以上に加温して酸発酵処理するのが好ましい。 Thus, aerobic biological treatment sludge or concentrated waste sludge which has flowed into the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 is preferably warmed acid fermentation process to 20 ° C. or higher by an external heat source. こうして、酸発酵処理装置４では、有機性排水中に含まれる、そのままの状態では微生物が分解できない固形物（ＳＳ分）が、酸生成菌による有機酸発酵を経て、溶解性の有機物（プロピオン酸、酢酸等）に変換される。 Thus, the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4, contained in the organic waste water, solids which can not be decomposed microorganisms intact (SS minute), through the organic acid fermentation by acid producing bacteria, soluble organic substances (propionic acid It is converted to acetic acid, etc.). 酸発酵処理での酸発酵処理槽の最適なＨＲＴ（Hydraulic Retention Time：水理学的滞留時間）は、溶解性有機物濃度（Ｓoluble ＣＯＤcr：Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒと略す）および酢酸・プロピオン酸・乳酸等の有機酸の生成量により決定するのが好ましい。 Optimum HRT acid fermentation tank with acid fermentation (Hydraulic Retention Time: hydraulic retention time), soluble organic substances Concentration (Soluble CODcr: S-CODcr abbreviated) and organic such as acetic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid preferably determined by the amount of acid. すなわち、固形性有機物が可溶化した割合をＣＯＤｃｒの可溶化比（Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ／ＣＯＤｃｒ）と定義し、溶解性有機酸ＣＯＤｃｒ中に含有する有機酸の割合を（ａｓＣＯＤｃｒ）／Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ比として定義した場合において、ＣＯＤｃｒの可溶化比及び有機酸（ａｓＣＯＤｃｒ）／Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ比が一定値を示したときのＨＲＴを最適ＨＲＴとするのが好ましい。 That is, the ratio of solid organic material is solubilized defined as solubilization ratio of CODcr (S-CODcr / CODcr), as a percentage of (asCODcr) / S-CODcr ratio of organic acid to be contained in the soluble organic acid CODcr when defined, preferably in the optimum HRT of HRT when solubilization ratio and an organic acid (asCODcr) / S-CODcr ratio of CODcr showed a constant value. 例えば、最初沈殿池汚泥の場合、酸発酵槽の温度２０℃、ＨＲＴ２日〜３日で、Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ／ＣＯＤｃｒ比は０．１５〜０．２０（−）、有機酸（ａｓＣＯＤｃｒ）／Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ比は０．３〜０．４となり、酸発酵槽の温度２５℃、ＨＲＴ１日〜２日では、Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ／ＣＯＤｃｒ比は０．１５〜０．２０（−）、ＶＦＡ（ａｓＣＯＤｃｒ）／Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒは０．５５〜０．６５となる。 For example, if the primary sedimentation sludge, temperature 20 ° C. of acid fermentation tank, in HRT2_nichi 1-3 days, S-CODcr / CODcr ratio 0.15-0.20 (-), organic acids (asCODcr) / S- CODcr ratio becomes 0.3 to 0.4, temperature 25 ° C. of acid fermentation tank, the HRT1_nichi 1-2 days, S-CODcr / CODcr ratio 0.15~0.20 (-), VFA (asCODcr) / S-CODcr will be 0.55 to 0.65. 一方、ＵＡＳＢの濃縮汚泥の場合、酸発酵槽の温度２０℃、ＨＲＴ２日〜３日で、Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ／ＣＯＤｃｒ比は０．１０〜０．２０（−）、ＶＦＡ（ａｓＣＯＤｃｒ）／Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ比は０．１３〜０．２０となり、酸発酵槽の温度２５℃、ＨＲＴ１日〜２日で、Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ／ＣＯＤｃｒ比は０．１０〜０．２０（−）、ＶＦＡ（ａｓＣＯＤｃｒ）／Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ比は０．３５〜０．４５となる。 On the other hand, if the concentrated sludge of UASB, temperature 20 ° C. of acid fermentation tank, in HRT2_nichi 1-3 days, S-CODcr / CODcr ratio 0.10~0.20 (-), VFA (asCODcr) / S-CODcr ratio becomes 0.13 to 0.20, temperature 25 ° C. of acid fermentation tank, in HRT1_nichi 1-2 days, S-CODcr / CODcr ratio 0.10~0.20 (-), VFA (asCODcr) / S -CODcr ratio is 0.35 to 0.45. このように、最初沈殿池汚泥、ＵＡＳＢ槽の濃縮汚泥共に酸発酵槽の温度が高くなると酸生成菌の活性が上がるため、ＨＲＴは短縮され、水温２０℃で最適ＨＲＴは２〜３日、水温２５℃で最適ＨＲＴは１〜２日、水温３０℃で最適ＨＲＴは０．５〜１．５日となる。 Since the primary sedimentation sludge, the activity of acid-producing bacteria at higher temperatures the acid fermentation tank to the concentrated sludge both the UASB tank rises, HRT is shortened, the optimum HRT is 2-3 days at a water temperature 20 ° C., the water temperature optimum HRT is 1-2 days at 25 ℃, the optimal HRT at a water temperature of 30 ℃ will be from 0.5 to 1.5 days. ＵＡＳＢ槽の濃縮汚泥は排水中の有機物がＵＡＳＢ槽で嫌気性菌により一部分解された後のものなので、最初沈殿池汚泥とＵＡＳＢ槽では、濃縮汚泥のＳ−ＣＯＤｃｒ／ＣＯＤｃｒ比、有機酸（ａｓＣＯＤｃｒ）／Ｓ−ＣＯＤｃｒ比は、共にＵＡＳＢ槽の濃縮汚泥の方が小さい値になる。 Since the concentrated sludge of UASB tank such that after the organic matter in the waste water are decomposed in part by anaerobic bacteria in UASB tank, the primary sedimentation sludge UASB tank, S-CODcr / CODcr ratio of the concentrated sludge, organic acids (AsCODcr ) / S-CODcr ratio, towards the concentrated sludge of UASB tank becomes smaller together. 酸発酵処理装置４の濃縮汚泥の撹拌は、連続的あるいは間欠撹拌にて行なうことが好ましい。 Agitation of the concentrated sludge in the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 is preferably carried out in a continuous or intermittent stirring. 酸発酵処理装置４内のＭＬＳＳ濃度が２００００〜４００００ｍｇ／Ｌと高濃度であるため、汚泥を均一に撹拌するための動力がかかる。 For MLSS concentration in the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 is a high concentration and 20000~40000mg / L, takes power for stirring uniformly the sludge. しかし、撹拌が強いと生成した有機酸が揮発あるいは酸化され減少する。 However, agitation is strong organic acid produced is volatilized or oxidation decreases. したがって、酸発酵槽の撹拌は間欠に行なうのが好ましい。 Thus, agitation of the acid fermentation tank is preferably carried out intermittently. 例えば１〜２時間の撹拌停止後、５〜１５分撹拌を行うような間欠撹拌を行なうことが好ましい。 For example After the stirring was stopped for 1 to 2 hours, it is preferable to perform intermittent agitation such as performing stirred 5-15 minutes. 図３は、本実施形態の一例に係る有機性排水の処理方法Ｂ（「本処理方法Ｂ」と称する）の装置並びに工程を示した図である。 Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the apparatus and process of the treatment method B of organic waste water according to one embodiment of the present invention (referred to as "treatment method B"). 本処理方法Ｂを実施するための装置は、図２に示した本処理方法Ａを実施するための装置において、メタン発酵処理汚泥排出管９を分岐し、分岐した一方を脱水装置１１に接続し、他方の分岐管２０が酸発酵処理装置４の入り口側に接続されている点以外、図２に示した本処理方法Ａを実施するための装置と同様である。 Apparatus for carrying out the present process method B, in the apparatus for carrying out the processing method A shown in FIG. 2, and branches the methane fermentation sludge discharge pipe 9, either branched and connected to the dehydrator 11 , except that the other branch pipe 20 is connected to the inlet side of the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 is similar to the apparatus for carrying out the processing method a shown in FIG. 本処理方法Ｂは、上記本処理方法Ａにおいて、メタン発酵処理装置２で生じたメタン発酵処理汚泥の一部又は全部を、分岐管２０を通じて酸発酵処理装置４に供給し、酸発酵処理装置４において、前記メタン発酵処理汚泥の一部又は全部と好気性生物処理汚泥（余剰汚泥）若しくは濃縮余剰汚泥とを混合し、この混合物を酸発酵処理するようにしている点以外は、上記本処理方法Ａと同様である。 This treatment method B, in the present treatment method A, a portion or all of the methane fermentation treatment sludge generated in the methane fermentation treatment apparatus 2 is supplied to the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 through the branch pipe 20, acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 in the methane fermentation process part of the sludge or the whole and aerobic biological treatment sludge (excess sludge) or a mixture of a concentrated excess sludge, except that the mixture to be acid fermentation process, the present processing method is the same as the a. 冬期の日本のように下水の温度が下がる場合、低温の下水を被処理水として本処理方法Ａを実施すると、槽内の嫌気性菌の活性が下がり、槽内に懸濁物質（ＳＳ）が溜まって、メタン発酵が進行しないようになり、発酵槽内の汚泥界面が上昇して最終的には溢れる可能性がある。 If the temperature of the sewage as winter in Japan is lowered, when carrying out the present process method A cold sewage as treatment water lowers the activity of anaerobic bacteria in the tank, suspended solids in the tank (SS) is collected and, now methane fermentation does not proceed, eventually there is a possibility that overflow the sludge interface in the fermenter is increased. この際、被処理水としての下水を加温するには、通水量が多いために多量のエネルギーが必要となるため、現実的ではない。 At this time, to warming the sewage as water to be treated, because it requires a large amount of energy for many passing water, not realistic. そこで、本処理方法Ｂのように、メタン発酵処理汚泥の一部又は全部を、メタン発酵槽から抜き出して酸発酵処理工程に供給するようにすれば、発酵槽内の汚泥界面の上昇を抑えることができるばかりか、酸発酵処理工程で該メタン発酵処理汚泥をメタン発酵し易い酸に変換し、再びメタン発酵処理工程に戻すことができるので、水温が低くて嫌気性菌の活性が下がっていてもメタン発酵処理を促進させることができる。 Therefore, as in the present treatment method B, and part or all of the methane fermentation treatment sludge, if to supply the acid fermentation step and withdrawn from the methane fermentation tank, possible to suppress an increase of the sludge interface in the fermenter not only can convert the methane fermentation sludge acid fermentation process to easily acid methane fermentation, can be returned again to the methane fermentation step, the lower the water temperature is not lowered activity of anaerobes it can also promote the methane fermentation process. よって、本処理方法Ｂは、被処理水（原水）の水温、好ましくはメタン発酵槽内の水温が１３℃以上１８℃未満の場合に実施するのが特に好ましい。 Thus, the treatment method B is the water temperature of the water to be treated (raw water), preferably particularly preferably carried out when the water temperature in the methane fermentation tank is less than 13 ° C. or higher 18 ° C.. 図４は、本実施形態の一例に係る有機性排水の処理方法Ｃ（「本処理方法Ｃ」と称する）の装置並びに工程を示した図である。 Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the apparatus and process of the treatment method of organic wastewater according to one embodiment of the present invention C (referred to as "treatment method C"). 本処理方法Ｃを実施するための装置は、図２に示した本処理方法Ａを実施するための装置において、混合脱ガス槽１の上流側に固液分離装置２１を設け、被処理水（原水）を供給する被処理水供給管５を当該固液分離装置２１の入り口側に接続し、当該固液分離装置２１の出口側に接続された分離水供給管２２を混合脱ガス槽１の入り口側に接続する一方、当該固液分離装置２１の出口側に接続された分離汚泥供給管２３を酸発酵処理装置４の入り口側に接続している点以外は、図２に示した本処理方法Ａを実施するための装置と同様である。 Apparatus for carrying out the present process method C is the apparatus for carrying out the present process method A shown in FIG. 2, provided a solid-liquid separation device 21 on the upstream side of the mixing degassing tank 1, water to be treated ( the treated water supply pipe 5 for supplying raw water) to the inlet side of the solid-liquid separator 21, the solid-liquid separator 21 outlet connected to the separated water supply pipe 22 a mixture of degassing vessel 1 while connected to the inlet side, the except that the separating sludge supply pipe 23 connected to the outlet side of the solid-liquid separator 21 is connected to the inlet side of the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4, the process shown in FIG. 2 method a is the same as the apparatus for carrying out. 本処理方法Ｃは、被処理水（原水）を固液分離装置２１で固液分離し、得られた分離水を混合脱ガス槽１に供給し、混合脱ガス槽１では、当該分離水と酸発酵処理汚泥とを混合すると共に酸発酵処理汚泥中の発酵ガスを抜く処理を行い、得られた混合水を、混合水供給管６を通じてメタン発酵処理装置２に供給する一方、固液分離装置２１で得られた分離汚泥は、分離汚泥供給管２３を通じて酸発酵処理装置４に供給し、当該分離汚泥と好気性生物処理汚泥の一部（余剰汚泥）とともに酸発酵処理して酸発酵処理汚泥を得、該酸発酵処理汚泥を混合脱ガス槽１に供給する点以外は、上記本処理方法Ａと同様である。 This processing method C is solid-liquid separated in the water to be treated (raw water) to solid-liquid separation device 21, resulting supplying separated water to the mixed degassing tank 1, the mixture degassed tank 1, and the separated water It performs a process of removing the fermentation gas acid fermentation treatment sludge while mixing the acid fermentation sludge, mixed water obtained, while supplied to the methane fermentation treatment apparatus 2 through the mixing water supply pipe 6, the solid-liquid separator separated sludge obtained in 21 separate supply to the acid fermentation treatment apparatus 4 through the sludge feed pipe 23, the separated sludge and the aerobic biological treatment portion of the sludge (excess sludge) with acid fermentation process to acid fermentation sludge the resulting, non-point and supplies the acid fermented sludge mixed degassing vessel 1 is the same as the present treatment method a. 被処理水の水温が１３℃未満の場合、前述した場合よりも嫌気性菌の活性がさらに下がることになる。 If the water temperature of the water to be treated is below 13 ° C., so that further decrease the activity of anaerobic bacteria than the previous case. そこで、被処理水を先ずは固液分離して、分離汚泥或いは該分離汚泥を濃縮した濃縮分離汚泥を酸発酵処理工程に供給してメタン発酵し易い酸に変換した上でメタン発酵処理工程に供給することにより、水温がさらに低くて嫌気性菌の活性がさらに下がっていてもメタン発酵処理を促進させることができる。 Therefore, the treated water is first is by solid-liquid separation, the methane fermentation step in terms of supplying the separated sludge or concentration and separation sludge concentrating the separated sludge to the acid fermentation step and converted into liable acid methane fermentation by supplying, it can also promote the methane fermentation process water temperature has not further decreased the activity of anaerobic bacteria even lower. 低濃度有機性排水のメタン発酵処理では、メタン発酵処理槽で発生したメタンガスの４０〜６０％はメタン発酵処理水に溶存し、系外に排出される。 In the methane fermentation process of the low-concentration organic waste water is 40 to 60% of the methane gas generated in the methane fermentation treatment tank dissolved in the methane fermentation process water is discharged out of the system. したがって、低濃度有機性排水のメタン発酵処理で得られるメタンガスからの熱エネルギー量には制約がある。 Therefore, the amount of thermal energy from the methane gas obtained in the methane fermentation process of the low-concentration organic waste water is limited. また、下水のＳＳ濃度は通常２００ｍｇ／Ｌの低濃度であり、この状態（ＳＳ２００ｍｇ／Ｌ）で、メタン発酵で発生したガスをボイラ−にて蒸気に変換し加温エネルギ−として利用しても水温を上げることは難しい。 Moreover, SS concentration of the sewage is a low concentration of normal 200 mg / L, in this state (SS200mg / L), the gas generated in the methane fermentation boiler - be used as - converted to steam heating energy at it is difficult to increase the water temperature. その点、ＳＳを固液分離して濃縮汚泥濃度（２００００〜４００００ｍｇ／Ｌ）として、約１００〜２００倍に濃縮した濃縮汚泥量は少容量となるため、発生ガス中のメタンガスを利用して酸発酵槽内の温度を５℃前後上昇させることは可能となる。 That point, the SS as a solid-liquid separation, and concentrated sludge concentration (20000~40000mg / L), the amount of concentrated sludge that has been concentrated to about 100 to 200 times by using for a small volume, methane generated gas acid causing the temperature in the fermenter is increased before and after 5 ° C. is allowed. 本明細書において「Ｘ〜Ｙ」（Ｘ，Ｙは任意の数字）と表現する場合、特にことわらない限り「Ｘ以上Ｙ以下」の意と共に、「好ましくはＸより大きい」或いは「好ましくはＹより小さい」の意も包含する。 "X~Y" herein (X, Y are any numbers) When expressed as, together with the meaning of as long as "X or greater but Y or less" otherwise specified, "preferably greater than X" or "preferably Y also encompasses the meaning of less than ". また、「Ｘ以上」（Ｘは任意の数字）或いは「Ｙ以下」（Ｙは任意の数字）と表現した場合、「Ｘより大きいことが好ましい」或いは「Ｙ未満であることが好ましい」旨の意図も包含する。 Also, "X or more" (X is an arbitrary number) or "Y or less" (Y is an arbitrary number) when expressed as "greater than X is desirable" or "preferably less than Y" in effect intended also encompasses. 以下、実施例に基づいて本発明を説明する。 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on examples. ただし、本発明がここで説明する実施例に限定されるものではない。 However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein. 比較例１及び実施例１〜４では、次の低濃度有機性廃水を原水として、季節（１月〜２月、３月〜５月、６月〜１０月、１１月〜１２月）ごとに処理方法を適宜変えながら処理を行い、得られた脱水ケーキ量を比較した。 In Comparative Example 1 and Examples 1-4, the following low-concentration organic waste water as raw water, season (January-February, March to May, June to October, November and December) each to processing method performed appropriately changed while processing, and compared the resulting dewatered cake volume. 実施例及び比較例で処理した原水、すなわち低濃度有機性廃水の性状を表１に示す。 Raw and treated in the examples and comparative examples, i.e., the properties of the low-concentration organic waste water shown in Table 1. 本実施例では、図２に示した有機性排水の処理方法Ａにおいて、酸発酵処理後の発酵ガスのガス抜きをせずに処理を行い、脱水ケーキ量（乾燥重量）を毎日測定し、一日当たりの脱水ケーキ量を求めた。 In this embodiment, in the processing method A of organic waste water shown in Fig. 2 performs the process without venting fermentation gas after acid fermentation process, the amount of dehydrated cake (dry weight) were measured daily, single It was determined the day of the dehydrated cake amount. 処理期間は次の期間である。 Processing period is the next period. なお、原水の温度とＵＡＢＢ槽内水温はほぼ同じ温度であったので、ＵＡＢＢ槽内水温のみを記載する。 Since temperature and UABB intracisternal temperature of the raw water was almost the same temperature, describing only UABB intracisternal temperature. この点は、後述する実施例、比較例でも同様である。 This point, the embodiment described below, is the same in Comparative Example. 具体的には、低濃度有機性排水（原水)と、後述する酸発酵処理装置で処理して得た酸発酵処理汚泥とを、通水速度０．５ｍ／ｈで、図５に示すようなＵＡＳＢ槽（容量９００Ｌ）内に供給し、該槽内のＣＯＤｃｒ負荷を１．０ｋｇ／ｍ 3 ／ｄとし、メタン発酵処理を行った。 Specifically, the low-concentration organic waste water (raw water), and acid fermentation sludge obtained by treatment with an acid fermentation treatment apparatus described later, at a water flow rate of 0.5 m / h, as shown in FIG. 5 is supplied to the UASB tank (capacity 900 L) within the CODcr load in cistern and 1.0kg / m 3 / d, was methane fermentation process. なお、種汚泥は、下水の中温消化汚泥を種汚泥としてＵＡＳＢ法で約一年間馴到した汚泥を用いた。 It should be noted that the seed sludge was used for about one year 馴到 sludge in the UASB method sewage of mesophilic digestion sludge as seed sludge. 次に、好気性生物処理装置にて、活性汚泥を用いて前記メタン発酵処理水を生物学的酸化分解処理した。 Next, in the aerobic biological treatment apparatus, and biological oxidative decomposition of the methane fermentation process water using activated sludge. この際、好気性生物処理装置３としては、最初沈殿池、曝気槽及び汚泥沈殿槽を備えた好気性生物処理装置３を使用した。 At this time, the aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3, using a primary sedimentation, aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3 provided with an aeration tank and the sludge settling tank. そして、得られた好気性生物処理水と好気性生物処理汚泥の混合処理液を、固液分離装置に供給して、好気性生物処理水と好気性生物処理汚泥に分離し、後者の好気性生物処理汚泥の一部を好気性生物処理装置の入り口側に返送する一方、残りの好気性生物処理汚泥（余剰汚泥）を濃縮装置において濃縮して濃縮余剰汚泥として得た。 Then, a mixed treating solution of the resulting aerobic biological treatment water and aerobic biological treatment sludge, is supplied to the solid-liquid separator, and separated into aerobic biological treatment water and aerobic biological treatment sludge, the latter aerobic while returning a part of the biological treatment sludge to the inlet side of the aerobic biological treatment apparatus, to obtain a remaining aerobic biological treatment sludge (excess sludge) as a concentrated excess sludge concentrated in the concentration device. 次に、前記のようにして得た濃縮余剰汚泥を、酸発酵処理装置において、濃縮余剰汚泥を２５℃に加熱すると共に撹拌して、ＯＲＰが−２００〜５０ｍＶの範囲で酸発酵処理して酸発酵処理汚泥を得、該酸発酵処理汚泥を前記の混合脱ガス槽に供給した。 Next, the concentrated excess sludge obtained as in the acid fermentation treatment apparatus, and stirred with heating the concentrated excess sludge to 25 ° C., and ORP are the acid fermentation in the range of -200~50mV acid the resulting fermented sludge was fed the acid fermented sludge mixed degassing vessel described above. この際、酸発酵処理装置としては、酸発酵処理槽（容量１０Ｌ）と、汚泥を撹拌する手段と、加熱手段を備えたものを使用し、酸発酵処理槽のＨＲＴ２日とし、酸発酵槽の撹拌は、１時間の撹拌停止後、５分間撹拌を行うような間欠撹拌を行なった。 At this time, the acid fermentation treatment apparatus, acid fermentation treatment tank (the volume 10L), means for stirring the sludge, using those with heating means, the acid fermentation treatment tank HRT2_nichitoshi, the acid fermentation tank stirring after the stirring was stopped for 1 hour, it was subjected to intermittent agitation such as performing stirred for 5 minutes. 本実施例は、図２に示した有機性排水の処理方法Ａにおいて、酸発酵処理後の発酵ガスのガス抜きを行い、脱水ケーキ量（乾燥重量）を毎日測定し、一日当たりの脱水ケーキ量を求めた。 This embodiment, in the processing method A of organic waste water shown in Fig. 2 performs the degassing fermentation gas after acid fermentation process, the amount of dehydrated cake (dry weight) were measured daily amount per day of dehydrated cake I was asked. 具体的には、ＣＯＤｃｒ値３１５〜５２０ｍｇ／Ｌである低濃度有機性排水（原水)を被処理水とし、先ず混合脱ガス槽において、当該被処理水と、後述する酸発酵処理装置で処理して得た酸発酵処理汚泥とを混合すると共に、酸発酵処理汚泥中の発酵ガスを抜き、脱ガス混合水（ＳＳ濃度５００〜１５０００ｍｇ／Ｌ）を得た。 Specifically, the water to be treated a low-concentration organic waste water (raw water) that is a CODcr value 315~520mg / L, first mixed in degassed vessel and the treated water, treated with acid fermentation treatment apparatus described later while mixing the acid fermentation sludge obtained, disconnect the fermentation gas acid fermentation treatment sludge, to obtain degassed mixture water (SS concentration 500~15000mg / L). そして、この脱ガス混合水を、通水速度０．５ｍ／ｈで、図５に示すようなＵＡＳＢ装置のＵＡＳＢ槽（容量２００Ｌ）内に供給し、後の工程は、実施例２と同様に処理した。 Then, the degassed mixed water, at a water flow rate of 0.5 m / h, was supplied to the UASB tank (capacity 200L) in the UASB apparatus as shown in FIG. 5, after the step, as in Example 2 treated. 本実施例は図３に示した有機性排水の処理方法Ｂにおいて、酸発酵処理後の発酵ガスのガス抜きを行った実施例である。 This embodiment in the processing method B of organic waste water shown in FIG. 3, an embodiment of performing the degassing of fermentation gas after acid fermentation process. 本実施例では、上記実施例２において、メタン発酵処理汚泥の一部（５〜３０質量％）を酸発酵処理装置に供給し、酸発酵処理装置において、前記メタン発酵処理汚泥の一部と前記濃縮余剰汚泥とを混合し、この混合物を酸発酵処理するようにしている点以外は、上記実施例１と同様に処理を行った。 In this embodiment, in the above Example 2 was fed to the acid fermentation treatment apparatus part (5 to 30 mass%) of the methane fermentation sludge, in an acid fermentation treatment apparatus, wherein a portion of the methane fermentation sludge mixing the concentrated excess sludge, except that the mixture as acid fermentation was carried out similar processing as in example 1. なお、メタン発酵処理汚泥の一部と濃縮余剰汚泥との混合割合は質量比率で１：１０〜１：３であった。 Note that 1 in mixing ratio by weight ratio of a portion of the methane fermentation treatment sludge concentrated waste sludge: 10: 3. 本実施例は、図４に示した有機性排水の処理方法Ｃにおいて、酸発酵処理後の発酵ガスのガス抜きを行い、脱水ケーキ量（乾燥重量）を毎日測定し、一日当たりの脱水ケーキ量を求めた。 This embodiment, in the processing method C of organic waste water shown in FIG. 4, performs the degassing of fermentation gas after acid fermentation process, the amount of dehydrated cake (dry weight) were measured daily amount per day of dehydrated cake I was asked. 本実施例は、上記実施例２において、混合脱ガス槽の上流側に固液分離装置を配置し、被処理水（原水）を当該固液分離装置で固液分離し、得られた分離水を混合脱ガス槽に供給し、混合脱ガス槽において、当該分離水と酸発酵処理汚泥とを混合すると共に酸発酵処理汚泥中の発酵ガスを抜く処理を行う一方、前記固液分離装置で得られた分離汚泥を酸発酵処理装置に供給し、当該分離汚泥と濃縮余剰汚泥とをともに酸発酵処理した以外は、上記実施例２と同様に処理を行った。 This embodiment, in the second embodiment, mixed arranged solid-liquid separation device upstream of the degassing vessel, the treated water (raw water) to solid-liquid separation in the solid-liquid separator, resulting separated water It is supplied to the mixing degassing vessel, in a mixing degassing vessel, while performing a process of removing the fermentation gas acid fermentation treatment sludge with mixing and the separated water and acid fermentation sludge, obtained in solid-liquid separator was supplied to separated sludge to the acid fermentation treatment apparatus, except that the with the separation sludge and concentrated excess sludge together acid fermentation treatment was subjected to the same treatment as in example 2. なお、分離汚泥と濃縮余剰汚泥との混合割合は質量比率で０．５：１〜２：１であった。 The mixing ratio of the separation sludge concentrated excess sludge in a mass ratio of 0.5: 1 to 2: 1. 比較例１は、図１に示した有機性排水の処理方法において、酸発酵処理工程のない場合の例であり、脱水ケーキ量（乾燥重量）を毎日測定し、一日当たりの脱水ケーキ量を求めた。 Comparative Example 1, in the processing method of the organic waste water shown in FIG. 1, an example of the absence of acid fermentation step, the amount of dehydrated cake (dry weight) were measured daily, calculated per day of dehydrated cake volume It was. 具体的には、低濃度有機性排水（原水)を、通水速度０．５ｍ／ｈで、図５に示すようなＵＡＳＢ装置のＵＡＳＢ槽（容量２００Ｌ）内に供給し、該槽内のＣＯＤｃｒ負荷を１ｋｇ／ｍ 3 ／ｄとしてメタン発酵処理を行い、メタンガスを含む発生ガス、メタン発酵処理水及びメタン発酵処理汚泥を得た。 Specifically, the low-concentration organic waste water (raw water), at a water flow rate of 0.5 m / h, was supplied to the UASB tank (capacity 200L) in the UASB apparatus as shown in FIG. 5, CODcr in cistern perform methane fermentation process loads as 1kg / m 3 / d, generating gas containing methane, to obtain a methane fermentation treatment water and methane fermentation sludge. 次に、前記のようにして得たメタン発酵処理汚泥を、好気性生物処理装置にて、好気性生物を用いて前記メタン発酵処理水を生物学的酸化分解処理した。 Next, a methane fermentation sludge obtained as described above, in aerobic biological treatment apparatus, and biological oxidative decomposition of the methane fermentation process water with aerobic organisms. この際、好気性生物処理装置３としては、最初沈殿池、曝気槽及び汚泥沈殿槽を備えた好気性生物処理装置３を使用した。 At this time, the aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3, using a primary sedimentation, aerobic biological treatment apparatus 3 provided with an aeration tank and the sludge settling tank. 前記実施例・比較例と同様の低濃度有機性排水（原水)を、図９に示した処理方法(メタン発酵処理を含まない通常の下水の活性汚泥処理)で、一年を通じて処理し、この処理方法で得られた脱水ケーキ量（乾燥重量）を測定した。 Said Examples and Comparative Examples and similar low-concentration organic waste water (raw water), at processing method shown in FIG. 9 (activated sludge process of conventional sewage without the methane fermentation process), treated throughout the year, this dehydrated cake quantity obtained by the processing method (dry weight) were measured. そして、この方法で得られた一日当たりの平均脱水ケーキ量（乾燥重量）を１００として、前記実施例及び比較例の値と比較して評価を行った（表３）。 The average dehydrated cake weight per day obtained in this way (dry weight) as 100, were evaluated in comparison with the value of the examples and comparative examples (Table 3). なお、図９に示した実験装置の使用を表２に示す。 Incidentally, Table 2 shows the use of the test device shown in FIG. 比較例１では、メタン発酵槽の水温１３℃以上１８℃未満においては、嫌気性菌の活性が低下したため槽内に汚泥が蓄積した。 In Comparative Example 1, in less than 18 ° C. water temperature 13 ° C. or more methane fermentation tank, the sludge was accumulated in the tank for activity of anaerobic bacteria is decreased. 頻繁に汚泥処理を行う必要があった。 There was a need for frequent sludge processing. このため、汚泥発生量の測定は８０であった。 Therefore, measurement of the amount of sludge was 80. メタン発酵槽の水温１８℃以上２５℃未満（中水温期間）では嫌気性菌の活性が上がったため、汚泥発生量は６０となった。 Since the methane fermentation tank water temperature 18 ° C. or higher than 25 ° C. of (medium temperature period), the activity of anaerobic bacteria has risen, sludge generation amount became 60. 他方、実施例１では、脱ガス槽を設けなかったため、いずれの温度条件においてもメタン発酵槽内でスカムが発生し、ＵＡＳＢ槽内の汚泥床濃度が安定せず、汚泥発生量は中水温期間で７８、高水温期間で５８であった。 On the other hand, in Example 1, because not provided degassing vessel, even scum occurs in the methane fermentation tank at any temperature condition, sludge bed concentration UASB tank is not stable, the medium is generated amount of sludge water temperature period in 78, it was 58 at the high temperature period. 実施例２は、脱ガス槽を設けることで、中水温期間における汚泥発生量が７２となり、高水温期間における汚泥発生量が５５となった。 Example 2, by providing the degassing tank, sludge generation amount 72 becomes the middle temperature period, the amount of sludge in the high temperature period was 55. しかし、水温１８℃未満の中水温期間では、嫌気性菌の活性が低下したためメタン発酵槽内に汚泥が蓄積した。 However, at a water temperature period within less than a water temperature 18 ° C., the sludge was accumulated in the methane fermentation tank for activity of anaerobic bacteria is decreased. そのため、頻繁に汚泥処理を行う必要があった。 Therefore, there is a need for frequent sludge processing. このように水温１８℃以上の高水温期間においては、脱ガス槽を設けることで、ＵＡＳＢ槽内の汚泥床の汚泥濃度が安定したため処理が安定した。 In this way, water temperature 18 ° C. or more high temperature period, by providing a degassing vessel, the process for sludge concentration of sludge bed in UASB tank was stabilized is stabilized. しかしながら、高水温期間に比べて中水温期間の汚泥発生量は多くなる傾向にあった。 However, sludge generation amount of the middle temperature period as compared with the high temperature period was in many tend. 実施例３では、ＵＡＳＢ槽内の汚泥の一部を酸発酵処理することで、中水温期間における汚泥発生量は５８となった。 In Example 3, by acid fermentation process part of the sludge in UASB tank, sludge generation amount in the medium temperature period became 58. 実施例２の中水温期間における汚泥発生量７２に比べて低くなった。 It was lower than the amount of sludge 72 in the water temperature period in the second embodiment. 他方、水温１３℃未満の低水温期間になると、嫌気性菌の活性度がさらに低下したため、メタン発酵槽内の汚泥が蓄積した。 On the other hand, at a low temperature period of less than the water temperature 13 ° C., since the activity of anaerobic bacteria is further reduced, the sludge of methane fermentation tank has accumulated. このため頻繁に汚泥処理を行う必要があった。 For this reason it is necessary to perform frequent sludge processing. 低水温期間における汚泥発生量は８０となり、中水温期間に比べると増加した。 Amount of sludge in the low water temperature period was increased as compared to the 80 next, the medium temperature period. 実施例４では、処理方法Ｃ（図４）を適用した。 In Example 4, the application of the treatment method C (Figure 4). その結果、低水温期間における汚泥発生量は６５となり、実施例３の低水温期間に比べて汚泥発生量は低下した。 As a result, amount of sludge in the low water temperature period 65, and the the amount of sludge in comparison with the low-temperature period of Example 3 was reduced. 嫌気性生物を用いて被処理水をメタン発酵処理して、メタンガスを含む発生ガス、メタン発酵処理水及びメタン発酵処理汚泥を得るメタン発酵処理工程と、好気性生物を用いて前記メタン発酵処理水を生物学的酸化分解処理して好気性生物処理水及び好気性生物処理汚泥を得る好気性生物処理工程と、前記好気性生物処理汚泥の一部又は全部を酸発酵処理して酸発酵処理汚泥を得る酸発酵処理工程と、該酸発酵処理汚泥を、混合脱ガス槽で発酵ガスを分離した後、前記メタン発酵処理工程の入り口側に、前記メタン発酵処理工程におけるスカムの発生を抑制するために供給する工程と、を備えた有機性排水の処理方法。 And methane fermentation process the water to be treated using the anaerobic organisms, the generated gas containing methane, and methane fermentation step to obtain a methane fermentation treatment water and methane fermentation treatment sludge, the methane fermentation process water with aerobic organisms the biological oxidative decomposition to aerobic biological treatment water and aerobic biological treatment and aerobic biological treatment step of obtaining a sludge, the aerobic biological treatment some or all the acid fermentation process to the acid fermentation sludge sludge and acid fermentation process to obtain a, the acid fermentation sludge, after separation of the fermentation gas in the mixing degassing vessel, the inlet side of the methane fermentation step, for suppressing the occurrence of scum in the methane fermentation step method of treating organic waste water comprising process and, to be supplied to. 前記メタン発酵処理汚泥の一部又は全部を脱水処理して脱水ケーキを得る脱水処理工程を備えた請求項１に記載の有機性排水の処理方法。 The method of treating organic waste water according to claim 1, further comprising a dehydration treatment to obtain a dehydrated cake dehydrated some or all of the methane fermentation sludge. メタン発酵槽内の水温が１８℃以上となる場合に実施することを特徴とする請求項１又は２に記載の有機性排水の処理方法。 The method of treating organic waste water according to claim 1 or 2 which comprises carrying out when the water temperature of the methane fermentation tank is 18 ° C. or higher. 前記メタン発酵処理汚泥の一部又は全部を、酸発酵処理工程の入り口側に供給することを特徴とする請求項１又は２に記載の有機性排水の処理方法。 The method of treating organic waste water according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that part or all of the methane fermentation treatment sludge is fed to the inlet side of the acid fermentation step. メタン発酵槽内の水温が１３℃以上１８℃未満の場合に実施することを特徴とする請求項４に記載の有機性排水の処理方法。 The method of treating organic waste water according to claim 4, characterized in that the temperature of the methane fermentation tank is performed when the below 13 ° C. or higher 18 ° C.. 被処理水（原水）を固液分離して分離水と分離汚泥を得、該分離汚泥或いは該分離汚泥を濃縮した濃縮分離汚泥を、好気性生物処理汚泥の一部とともに酸発酵処理して酸発酵処理汚泥を得、該酸発酵処理汚泥を前記分離水と共にメタン発酵処理工程の入り口側に供給することを請求項１又は２に記載の有機性排水の処理方法。 Separating a solid-liquid water to be treated (raw water) to give the separated water and the separation sludge, the separation sludge or the separated concentrate separated sludge sludge was concentrated, acid and acid fermentation together with a part of the aerobic biological treatment sludge the resulting fermented sludge, the method of treating organic waste water according to claim 1 or 2 to supply the acid fermented sludge inlet side of the methane fermentation process together with the separated water. メタン発酵槽内の水温が１３℃未満の場合に実施することを特徴とする請求項６に記載の有機性排水の処理方法。 The method of treating organic waste water according to claim 6, characterized in that the temperature of the methane fermentation tank is performed when less than 13 ° C.. 上向流汚泥床式メタン発酵水槽と、該メタン発酵水槽から出たメタン発酵処理水を、好気性生物を用いて生物学的酸化分解処理する好気性生物処理槽と、好気性生物処理槽から出た好気性生物処理汚泥の一部を酸発酵処理する酸発酵処理槽と、該酸発酵処理槽から出た酸発酵処理汚泥を、混合脱ガス槽に供給して発酵ガスを分離した後、メタン発酵処理槽の入り口側に、前記メタン発酵処理槽におけるスカムの発生を抑制するために供給する供給手段と、を備えた有機性排水の処理装置。 Upflow sludge bed methane fermentation aquarium, a methane fermentation process water exiting from the methane fermentation aquarium, the aerobic biological treatment tank for processing biological oxidative decomposition using aerobic organisms, from aerobic biological treatment tank and the acid fermentation tank for acid fermentation process some aerobic biological treatment sludge exiting the acid fermentation sludge exiting from the acid fermentation tank, after a fermentation gas is separated and supplied to a mixing degassing vessel, the entrance side of the methane fermentation treatment tank, the organic waste water processing device and a supply means for supplying in order to suppress the generation of scum in the methane fermentation treatment tank. メタン発酵処理槽から出たメタン発酵処理汚泥の一部又は全部を脱水処理して脱水ケーキを得る脱水処理装置を備えた請求項８に記載の有機性排水の処理装置。 Organic wastewater processing apparatus according to claim 8 comprising a dehydration treatment apparatus part or all of the methane fermentation sludge exiting from the methane fermentation treatment tank dehydrated get dehydrated cake. メタン発酵処理槽から出たメタン発酵処理汚泥の一部又は全部を酸発酵処理槽の入り口側に供給することを特徴とする請求項８又は９に記載の有機性排水の処理装置。 Organic wastewater processing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that to supply part or all of the methane fermentation sludge exiting from the methane fermentation treatment tank inlet side of the acid fermentation treatment tank. 上向流汚泥床式メタン発酵水槽の入り口側に、被処理水を固液分離して分離水と分離汚泥を得る固液分離装置を配置し、該分離汚泥或いは該分離汚泥を濃縮した濃縮分離汚泥を、好気性生物処理汚泥の一部とともに酸発酵処理槽に供給し、酸発酵処理槽から出た酸発酵処理汚泥を、前記分離水と共に前記メタン発酵処理槽の入り口側に供給することを請求項８〜１０の何れかに記載の有機性排水の処理装置。 The entrance side of the upflow sludge-bed methane fermentation water tank, arranged to solid-liquid separation device to obtain a separated water and separating sludge and solid-liquid separation treatment water, concentration and separation enriched for the separation sludge or the separated sludge sludge, that is supplied to the acid fermentation tank together with a part of the aerobic biological treatment sludge, the acid fermentation sludge exiting from the acid fermentation tank, is supplied to the inlet side of the methane fermentation treatment tank together with the separated water organic waste water processing device according to any one of claims 8-10.

2019-04-19T09:05:03Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/JP5873736B2/en

Welcome back to another round of my Home Tour Series!! If you’ve missed any of the blogs leading up to this one, make sure to check them out under the Home Renovations tab! Today I’m giving you all of the nitty-gritty details on both, my kitchen AND my dining room!! Both of these spaces turned out pretty much perfect (in my opinion!) but I’ll be honest, if I could go back and do it all over again, I would have pushed the kitchen walls out further! I actually had the opportunity to do this and I don’t know WHY I didn’t as we spend about 90% of our time in this space as a family and now I find myself wishing it was a bit bigger!! Considering this was a reno … we had the option to where the kitchen was going to be placed in the house, it was either going to be where it is now … OR, I had the option to have it where our dining room and living room currently is and I had always envisioned the kitchen to be overlooking the pool so I was really struggling where to place this but I’m happy with the decision we made with the layout of everything as I think it makes the most sense for what we wanted. I get a lot of questions about the colour of my kitchen cabinets and to be honest, myself and Clarice Maidment from Home Image Interiors lost sleep over these damn cabinets! LOL! They were originally painted “Grey Owl” which turned out to be TOO blue and then we thought about going with “Revere Pewter” but that made us worried that the kitchen would look too tan/brown … and then Clarice found “Nimbus” by Benjamin Moore. I was SO nervous to go for it originally and she sent me MULTIPLE photos and we went back and forth on it for what seemed like ages until we finally decided to just go for it, which was done out of pure trust for Clarice’s gut instinct. I wasn’t happy with any of the colours that we were sampling and then I had to run back to Vancouver and Claire said to make a decision … she ended up making a decision without me even saying it and I’m so happy I trusted her because I absolutely loved it!! She was so dedicated to me and the entire project and knew exactly what I was looking for. Everyone (including myself) was shocked that I went for something this different but I think the colour is warm and cozy! Our walls are “Cloud Cover” from Benjamin Moore!! I’m also a huge fan of our cabinet hardware from Schaub, for the drawers, we used the Country Cup Pull (in 6″ with a polished nickel finish) and for the cabinets, we used the Traditional Round Knob (1-1/2″ diameter in the polished nickel finish)! All of the appliances in our kitchen and dining room are from Best Buy Canada and they always seem to blow my mind (and everyone else’s minds … LOL!!), mainly our Miele range, (which seems like it’s something from outer space!), it’s a microwave AND a stove all in one … it has crazy features like a temperature prong which allows you to gauge the temperature of the food electronically, a warming drawer and so freakin much more, lol. Our fridge is KitchenAid and our dishwasher is Miele … at first I actually didn’t LOVE our dishwasher because I thought it was too small but after a few times of using it I realized that it has these orange levers that actually allow you to adjust and rejig the compartments which allow for SO MUCH ROOM … and the cherry on top is how quiet and quick this dishwasher is … you can do an entire load in 12 MINUTES!! Insane!! Our Miele built-in coffee machine is a staple of ours and certainly gets used on the daily (totally worth the investment for us!) … it can make lattes, cappuccinos, etc. and you can also customize the strength of the espresso along with the temperature of your drinks! One mistake that we made in our kitchen is deciding to go for Face Frame cabinets (if you look at the cabinets and drawers you will notice a border around them!) … I THOUGHT this was a great idea at the time and loved the custom look they give, but after they were installed we realized that the Face Frames take up so much room and make the drawers much more shallow so, in the end, my drawers aren’t as deep as I wanted them … let this be a lesson to everyone out there who may be in the process of renovating their kitchens … stay away from Face Frame! Our farmhouse sink and faucets are from Kohler and I LOVE them! However, it’s a single basin sink and most people have a double basin sink in their kitchen’s but Kohler doesn’t REALLY have an option for a double basin sink, the one that I found only has a little separator that goes not even halfway up the actual sink so since there wasn’t really good option so I went for a huge farmhouse sink instead and I don’t even notice the missing basin … until I have to drain pasta and I have to run to another sink! LOL!! One of my favourite parts of our kitchen is the folding windows above the sink, these are from Plygem, and they’re perfect for the warm summer months in the Okanagan because we open them wide up and on the opposite side we have a little bar area where the kids can sit on stools and have a snack while they’re taking a break from the pool!! The countertops in the kitchen and the dining room are “Calacatta Nuvo” from Caesarstone, and the tile backsplash is Frost 4×8 from Fireclay Tile, it has a nice crackle finish to it! The custom window coverings in the dining room and the roman shade in the kitchen are both from Q Design Centre! The industrial pendant lights in the kitchen and the fixture above our dining room table are both from Visual Comfort & Co! I actually found a more affordable version of the fixture in our dining room from Wayfair! I’ve linked both for you below! The actual lighting itself is from Sylvania and the electrical work was all done by Bridge Energy! Oh, and the rug in the kitchen is from Caitlin Wilson and the stools at the island are from IKEA, I had custom slipcovers made for them by a lady by the name of Ardelle from Creative Expressions in Lake Country! Alright …moving on to the dining room … one of my favourite things in this space is the bar area, I particularly love the millwork and the built-ins which were designed by Clarice from Home Image Interiors and built by the talented team at Kelowna Innovative Cabinets!! This millwork and the cabinetry took SO MUCH design work and I couldn’t be more thankful for how beautifully everything turned out!! Kelowna Innovative Cabinets actually did ALL of the custom millwork in our home and Daryl was a total sweetheart to deal with, they have this welcoming family-style approach when working with their customers which I truly loved!! I also love our wine fridges and drink dispenser drawers, which are from Best Buy Canada! We find this space to be super functional as we like to set it up as a bar area when we’re entertaining (which helps to keep people out of the kitchen!) and it’s also where I like to store all of my fancy utensils, plates, and napkins! I knew that I wanted a large dining room in this house (our last house was just too tight!) because I really wanted to seat at least 10 people comfortably around our dining room table (in our next house, I’m aiming for 16!! LOL! The more, the merrier!!) so we made sure that this space was big enough to fit a custom table that my friend, Carson, from Urban Roots Furniture made for us! Ps. If you’re looking for a table similar to this, unfortunately, Carson isn’t taking on any side projects at the moment but you can check out Holly from The Shed Wood Co! Carson also made the beams in our house, these were actually an afterthought (so many people forget to think about ceiling detail!) and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get them or not as SO MANY Interior Designers turn their noses up at beams if they weren’t a part of the original house but I decided to not worry about what other Interior Designers thought and I just went for it and I’m so glad I did as I LOVE how they turned out!! The wood Carson used to make these beams is from Western Reclaimed and while I’m not exactly sure where the wood came from I do know that it IS reclaimed and I like to tell myself that it’s from a 100-year-old barn! LOL! You’ll also notice that you can see part of the wall paneling in the dining room and the high baseboards, this is all thanks to the folks at Metrie!! I love how it gives the house a historic feel! Also, I know I’ll get a ton of questions about our flooring, it’s “Cinder” from PurParket and it’s my absolute FAVOURITE flooring because it looks old and rustic and you only have to wash it once every four days or so because you can’t see ANY footprint or crumbs on it … it ALWAYS looks clean. However, the only downfall of this flooring is the fact that it’s unfinished, so if you spill anything on it, like oil, it stains … but I have noticed that it tends to “fix itself” … AND it doesn’t scratch easily … Nacho tried, tested and true! LOL! Just behind our dining room table we also had two sets of front doors installed as I thought we would have them open all the time … when in reality, I would only use them if I had to escape quickly after a bean filled meal … LOL! I almost wish we just installed a bank of windows here instead, but oh well, lots of light is able to flood in, either way! Ps. The artwork in the dining room is from Minted (and the white wood chairs around the dining table are from Wayfair!) and the two wingback chairs at the head of the table are from Restoration Hardware!! That’s it, that’s all!! If you have any specific questions, make sure to share them with me below! Wood for Beams: Western Reclaimed Timber Corp. Where did you get your countertop chairs from ? Was looking at those at ikea, did you get the cushion as well? Or just slip covered over the wood? Where did you get your slipcovers made? ?? is it the henriksdal bar stool? I want to get them also but how did you get white legs? They only sell black and brown? LOVE these rooms Jillian! I’m in the middle of deciding just how big to go at our house and with you saying you wish it was bigger – I’m torn. Like you said – it’s about as many friends/family as possible. How big is your island and dining table? I can’t seem to find any “standard” for how long of a table I should have for 10 chairs. Thanks for the great house tour posts – always look forward to them! With your white back splash, what grout did you use? What is the name of your caesarstone counter top ? Love the color! Thanks!! Do you know what the style name of the cabinet is? The doors look classic shaker but I’m wondering the specifics especially on the drawers. Thank you!! Your house is the perfect mix of cozy and stylish! Beautiful beautiful! Where did you get picture …Wild At ❤️? It’s a tea towel I had framed! What material are your counter tops? Beautiful kitchen ? What type of flooring is in your home? Engineered ? Hardwood? I’m looking to do a Reno and have concerns about pets and wood in the kitchen. Jilly where is your planter and plant from? I know you said that it wasn’t doing so well before, is it a special plant? How often do you water it. What color is the wainscoting on the walls? What colour grout did you use for your kitchen back splash? Is it grey or white? Also what hardwood did you use? Loving this home tour series! I must have missed this but where are your hardwood floors from? Beautiful kitchen!! What is the color of the ceaserstone? When you are ready to sell let me know! Beautiful and my style! Is your island also the grey? It looks white in picture . Any tips on decluttering? We are renovating our entire main floor including the kitchen and we just have so much stuff! How did you do it? Also – we want to put wood floors in our kitchen like you did. Do you find things like oil/flour stain it more than it would be if it was ceramic? Can you tell me where that wooden tray on your island is from? Thanks!! Do you mind sending links to the faucet and sprayer? Details question? What colour is the grout on the backsplash? Do you know the name of the colour of your kitchen counters from Cesarstone? Question the Color on your walls grey owl did you lighten it at all? How many bedrooms do you guys have in your house ? And how many upstairs? Love how your house is built! Hi Jillian! I just adore your house design and decor. Can you tell me what specific kitchen farmhouse sink and faucet you chose from Kohler? I’m currently picking finishings for a house and I LOVE your choices. Beautiful. Where are your drapes and window hardware from? Is grey owl used throughout your entire main floor? Would you recommend this colour to someone who typically uses white a lot? Could you please tell me about your island? Did you design it or was it prefab? I’m looking to add one to the kitchen of my 1908 home. I recently redid the kitchen in a similar style to yours. Should I have a contractor or cabinetry company give me a price to make one? I have looked at many online and they seem quite small or more like bar height dining tables. Perhaps I’m just not looking in the right place. Perhaps you may have a suggestion of something cool I may repurpose? What are your thoughts? What’s the name of you’re countertops by caeserstone? Hi, your photos are always gorgeous…do you take them yourself? If so, what camera do you use? Thanks! What is the name (color) of your caesarstone? Thank you! ? Absolutely Gorgeous kitchen!! What grout color/maker did you use for your backsplash tile, Jillian?? Thank you for sharing your home! Hi, what are the counter tops made from? They are gorg ? What is the size of your kitchen island? Love how large it looks! Hi Jillian, what colour caesarstone is your kitchen countertop? The dining room cabinets are a different color than the kitchen cabinets? If so, what color are they? I absolutely love your style, your home is amazing! I have one question, being a humble European with a humble European house and a very humble European kitchen, which cupboards are actually half empty, I always wonder what do you actually have in those huge kitchens!!!! And always thinking about having a bigger one! Wtf? ??? Anyway I love your style and really enjoy how “me” you are, crazy but sensitive, strong but emotional, undecided. It’s so funny you make me LOL! ?? Lots of love to you and your beautiful family! ?? I love it! Based upon your paint chip blog post in the fall, I painted my dining room Grey Owl and I love the colour. It always looks different depending on the time of day! After seeing your white dining table, I’m so going to make my own table and paint it white! If only I could make the chairs too! Your house is beautiful and inspires me! Thanks for sharing! What are your countertops made of? Thanks for sharing! What color are your dining room cabinets? STUNNING kitchen! A lot of what you’ve done is what I’m wanting in my upcoming builds. The beams are perfection. THANK YOU for your honesty on face framing as I was about to do this myself. Do you use the mini fridge a lot? The easy access to the dining area is so smart. Hi! I love your design choices! Would you mind sharing where you got the kitchen bar stool fabric covers? The space turned out beautifully. What model are the windows? I would love to see a photo of them open and a photo from outside. Assuming your countertop extends on the exterior do the windows have a track recessed into the countertop? thank you! I LOVE your home tours. I am for sure checking out minted. Question thou, from your house tour to date I haven’t noticed any indoor plants at all?! No green thumb? I really like your kitchen and dining room. Lots of great features. I have a Miele dishwasher too but it sure doesn’t do dishes in 12 minutes!! Have only had one large sink in my last 2 kitchens which works well for our family. I’m always curious why people only have seats on one side of an island in the kitchen. When we were designing our kitchen, our architect suggested that we have seating on at least 2 sides for better conversation. We don’t have a dining table so this has worked really well for us. What is the name of the caesarstone countertop you chose? How do you like them and how do you keep the white from getting marked? This may already be answered in one of your other blog posts, but what are your floors? We’re about to put new flooring throughout our house, and I love yours! Lovely spaces! I envy your large dining room! It’s perfect for parties! What are the paint colours for your kitchen and dining room cabinets? You forgot to mention Nachos’s food dish? Where did you get it? Love it! How high are your ceilings? They look 10ft? What colour grout did you use for your backsplash? Love everything. What caesarstone countertop is it? Thanks! LOVE your kitchen! what collection of ceaserstone did you end up using for your countertops? Can you do a video of you making a latte and what you have to do to clean after every drink? I am really interested in adding this to our remodel but can find no videos of what the daily cleaning of he milk spout takes – do you have to do the steam cleaning in a sewerage cup? How high are your ceilings? 10ft? House is beautiful! Are your cabinets solid wood painted or MDF? This entire space is literally #lifegoals. I’m obsessed with how bright and airy it looks. I love the built-in in the dining area. Such an incredible job!!! What’s the name of your countertop and type of counter you went with… I love the subtle marble throughout, wondering if I can find a similar style in laminate, for the more affordable option ? Beautiful! Where did you get a picture Wild At ❤️? What color ceasarstone counter tops did you go with? Thanks! Please tell me more about these drink dispensing drawers you have!? Where is the Wild at ❤️ Picture from? So cute! Very beautiful! Crisp, clean, and classic! I absolutely love everything about your home. It is so cozy yet stylish. I’m wondering about the style of cabinet door and drawer. Looks like shaker with a twist. Could you provide the exact details? Thank you! Thanks for the post Jilly…loved it! I am looking to refinish a dining table white and was wondering how you got the table to match the chairs. Any tips or tricks? Thx! Thank you Jillian for sharing your house renovation. Currently starting phase 2 on our house and seeing your comments about your kitchen are great. Also, love your style and giving me lots of inspiration. Renovating is definitely an interesting adventure! I’m curious about your tile grout colour! I love how subtle it is while still giving some definition. It’s so dreamy and inspirational! Question: why do you have to run to another sink to drain pasta? LOL if my sink is filled with water to wash my dishes … I don’t have a separator in my sink! What is your distance between island and kitchen counters? Exactly what fabric and color of drapes did you get from QDesign? Thnx ? I love your style! Your house is so beautiful. I’m definitely envious and would love to either renovate our own house top to bottom or build. Can you share the dimensions of the island? I love the scale and roominess! Not sure if my question made it to you but would you be able to tell me what is the name of the IKEA barstools you have? It looks like the Henriksdal ones, but I’ve ever only seen the black legged ones for sale and I love your white legged ones! Were the legs painted white? Thanks! I love your kitchen ??? Jillian your home is stunning! I love every detail. And what I find most adorable, the wooden Winnie the Pooh high chair! We had (still have!) the identical one growing up ❤️ The best. Can you please share the dimensions of your peninsula – specificially the overhang for the stools? Trying to prepare for our kitchen/dining room reno and so unsure of how much space I need for counter height stools (and then how much space I need behind the stools to push out and not hit the furniture behind!). Advice is very welcome. So gorgeous!!!!! Do you know what colour the trim work is?? Hi! I love everything you’ve chosen! We’re in the planning stages of a kitchen reno and I’m nervous about not having or overlooking efficient places for tableware, bakeware, cookware, etc. I want the most efficient, well laid out kitchen possible. While I always love seeing the kitchen design, I’m super interested in what’s behind the cupboard doors and how all-things-kitchen are stored. Any tips or resource suggestions would be great! 🙂 thanks! What is the countertop name you went with from Caesarstone? In awe of your kitchen and dining room #goals! Would you be able to do a blog post on how to paint kitchen cabinets if you’re wanting a refresh? Beautiful! Where can I find the ‘WIld at Heart’ print? Thank you for all the details, beautiful finishes. One thing I was hoping to get information on was the colour of your trim/ceiling? Hey Jillian! Are those the Henriksdal chairs from IKEA? How did you get them in white? Did you paint them? Please let me know! ?? I have a question about the cabinets. Do you prefer to use an MDF base for the cabinet and wood doors or keep the product the same for cabinet and doors. I will be doing a first kitchen reno, so curious about best quality products for kitchen cabinets. Are the bar stool covers custom made? What Ceasarstone colour was used for the countertops? Beautiful!! Just finishing a renovation & we are installing a Kohler farmhouse sink as well. Just curious if it scratches easily and if you purchased any sink accessories ( i.e. rack on base of sink , etc) to protect it? Do you think it’s necessary? Thanks!! Love the house. Where are the bar stools? If I has just read the comments I would have seen the answer. So where do you get slip covers made? Thanks again for all the wonderful pics and all the details provided. We swapped them out for the chairs instead!! Love love love your house and style! Can you tell me where your rug is from and should it go the full length of the island? My island is 10.5 ft and want a similar look. I lOVE your home tours! You guys did an amazing job. My husband and I and our two babes are nearing the end of our Reno. What colour of grout did you use for your kitchen backsplash tiles? Beautiful kitchen!! Where is you milk container from? It’s so pretty! Love the countertops you tell us they are Cesar stone but can you be more specific what is the name ? Love everything about this kitchen, and your entire house! What’s the name of the caesarstone counter top you have? SO SO beautiful! What is the name of the cearstone countertop? Thanks! I love your floors. We are about to start a renovation and I’ve contacted a Purparket supplier to order them, but after reading the care and maintenance details I’m very hesitant to pull the trigger. Do you find them alot to maintain? Have you had to oil yours yet? Your place is so beautiful! ? I also live in Kelowna ! You have done an amazing job and thank you for sharing all your resources. I believe at one point you mentioned nimbus is different in the U.S. and Canada. If so, did you pick up your paint in the U.S.? And I remember in your stories you were worrying about water stains when you first moved in. In my last house I had similar floooring (oiled and waxed) and I wondered if you have figured it out and how you are finding them now. Thanks again for all that you share. It’s awesome!! We are in the middle of a kitchen Reno right now! There are way to many amazing things that you can incorporate into the kitchen that it makes it hard to decide!! Can you tell me the size of your island? It looks similar to what we are doing. I’m just starting a full kitchen remodel and your beautiful home has given me so much inspiration. You mentioned your countertops are from Caesarstone, what design did you go with? They look just plain white in most of your pictures but I think I see some veining in others?? Loved seeing all angles of your kitchen and all the fine details. I just ordered out cabinets in Grey Owl and now I am freaking out because of your Blue comment… I have painted a couple rooms in Grey Owl and have noticed it does have a slight blue tint to it… it is stressing me out!!!! I know someone who has grey owl cabinets and I LOVE them, so I am praying to god they will look good. Beautiful Jillian. Just a silly question …do people in B.C. not have flies or bugs in the summer? I have never seen screens in projects there. We could never do without screens in Ontario. You guy are so lucky!? OMG YESSSSS!!!! We have lots of bugs here!! Hello! Do you have a source for the beautiful runner on your floor between your kitchen sink and island? Thank you! Nice! Where are the drapes and window hardware from? Beautiful! I painted my sons play room “grey owl” and found it is blue as well! Everyone thinks I am crazy for thinking it looks blue. The lady at the paint store told me it was the greyest grey they had when I told her I wanted a solid grey color.. anyways – I’m wondering where you got your runner between your island and sink? Where is the wild at heart picture from? It’s actually just a framed tea towel!! Benjamin Moore’s Nimbus- is it at 100 % for your cabinets? They are so beautiful and soft looking with the white. I’m javing such s hard time deciding between white or Nimbus! Beautiful home Jillian! It’s been a great inspiration for me during my kitchen and laundry room remodel. I’m wondering what countertops you selected from Caesarstone. Can you share the details on your gas fireplace please?:) size, model etc… Thank you ! Can you please share the model and size etc of your gas fireplace ? Dear Jillian! Thank you so much for the tv show Love it or List it! Even my husband started to watch it. You are so beautiful and the renos have been fantastic! You and Todd made a great team. Now there is a new show but we do not like it at all, it is awful!!! We try to watch your show reruns..! We live in Finland in Helsinki. Now we bought a house in Florida and my husband said that he needs Jillian’s help furnishing it ?. I just found tour blog site so i am going to follow that, thank you for letting us all to enjoy your wonderful ideas! And if you ever come to Finland you are welcome to visit our house!!! Wondering where you got the wild at heart art work! So obsessed with it and moving in a month and am dying for it!!! Such a helpful post! Just wondering what colour of grout you used on your backsplash, would you recommend staying away from white? Pardon me while I wipe my drool. The ceiling beams have got to be my favourite touch, it really adds balance, keeps things from looking too precious. Hi Jillian, what colour of grout did you use for the kitchen tile backsplash? It looks like a light grey. Thanks! Do you have any issues with your countertop? I love the subtle veining and would like to go with Nuvo for our house if it holds up well. So far I absolutely LOVE IT! What I’ve seen so far on your blogs re your home is absolutely stunning; I see open clean space with elegant lines in the furniture & cabinetry. Looks like it’s easy to clean as well. ❤️ your home!! Thank you for sharing! Love your kitchen, wish we were in the same zip code. Did you have the beams stained gray? I your hugest fan! I am loving the home tour – we are planning on building in the next few years and my big question is how to incorporate a garage (eyesore!) into your home plan and not kill the curb appeal/look? Are you going to post a floor plan? Your home is serving as major inspiration! PS – can’t wait for the Jilly box ! What type of mop and cleaner do you use on your unfinished hardwood? Your floors always look so clean! Beautiful Kitchen! What is the name of your Caesarstone countertops? Thank you! I love you kitchen island stools! I can’t seem to find them on the ikea Canada or ikea us website. are they the “Ingolf” ones? and who did you get your covers made from on etsy? they are beautiful! such a smart idea! In awe of your kitchen design. Do you know if the beams were stained. I like the gray tone. Thank you for sharing. Can you please tell me what colour your trim and baseboards are? Thank you. I love the colour “cloud cover,” what colour are your base boards and trim? I was looking at “simply white,” but worry that it has too much yellow to go with the gray. Also, we are in the process of picking from a few different styles that are pre picked for our new townhouse. All three styles have the perimeter kitchen counter tops different from the island. Is this trend over? I really like the island surface, but am unsure about the darker perimeter surface. I know that you are very busy, I would love your opinion. Thank you in advance. I don’t think that I can attach the picture on here. Your home is beautiful ? How can I get a hold of the lady who made your slip covers for your kitchen chairs? Thank you. ? She lives in Lake Country BC! What are the dimensions of the kitchen and dining room? Love the house/room tours! I would be so curious to see a floor plan/overhead shot to see how all the rooms connect. Sometimes in pics and videos the mirror effect occurs and I have a hard time mentally picturing the layout. Love your tips and what you would have done differently. My husband and I plan to build and this is SUPER helpful!!! Thanks!! Hi Jiliian may I ask you where you bought the long white curtains and are what material is it? I’m in the middle of a kitchen Reno and was going to go with the same cabinets so I REALLY appreciate your comments on the style. Looks beautiful but you do lose a lot of space. I’m going with a double farmhouse sink (I had to buy online via US ?). The runner in the kitchen – where is this from? I soooo want this for my kitchen ? thanks for sharing your gorgeous home. Love the coffee station! Where did you get that adorable cream jar and tray from? Not sure if it was said before, but is your countertop quartz or granite? Is your Kohler sink – Whitehaven 36”? where is the round wooden tray on your island from? Where can I get the dining room chandelier? Hey Jillian! Just wondering… how do you organize your dishware? I am in the midst of planning my new kitchen design and hoping for ideas on where to put our dishware/utensils. I think we may end up with just two uppers on either side of the range and the one above the hood fan. Hope you have some ideas to throw my way! Congrats on the news of your little one, I wish you a healthy and easy pregnancy! Also, what colour is the dining table? Is it the same as kitchen cabinets? Love your kitchen! I about to reno ours. What is the dimension of your Island? I’m trying to get a sense if I can get 3 or 4 stools at mine! Where do you get the covers for your bar stools? I had them made locally in Kelowna with fabric I purchased! I am currently in the process of converting a barn to home (just north of Toronto). We wanted to do a window over our kitchen sink like you have. We contacted Plygem and were told that they did not supply your window and do not make a window like that. Please help! I need that window! I love what you have done with your home renovation ?. We have a farmhouse that we would love to renovate within the existing walls but I just can’t seem to envision a layout that would work and be functional for big family gatherings . Do you do this anymore ? Or are you just doing your own home ? Hi! I’ve been looking for the kitchen stool you have for Leo.. i know you posted the link a few days ago for tge local bc company who makes them but i forgot to save it. Would you mind sharing again please. Thanks! It’s rare that I completely love any else’s kitchen, but this one is perfect. I have a Miele dishwasher and love it ~ it’s so quiet and does a great job of cleaning. I do have the 70/30 split Kohler farmhouse sink in stainless which is great because you can soak a sheet pan or roasting pan on the large side and still use the small side for washing veggies or your hands. Love the chair covers. Would love to make those for our island stools. Thanks for the inspiration. good morning, it’s not pictured here and can’t seem to see it elsewhere on instagram etc. the countertop standing chair you have for leo? please can you tell me where it’s from.? thanks so much… love all of this.! I love your white hood fan, is it from Best Buy as well? I haven’ t found anything but stainless here in Vancouver. Where did you get Leo’s helper stool for the kitchen from? Hi Jillian! Would you please be so kind to share the dimensions (LxW) of the table top? I’m hoping to make something and I’m just not sure how big a table should be to seat 10. Thank you!!! Your house looks amazing! I really appreciate your detailed explanations of colour, product and where to find them! Question about wall colour: have you ever considered, or ever used, Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore? I’m thinking of using it throughout my home, or variations of it, taking into consideration the natural light that comes in. The sun rises in front of me and doesn’t fade until late afternoon as I face south/southeast. I’m concerned that it may be too washed out or too cold looking. I’m searching for that neutral colour that will keep the warmth! PS…..Your Home Tour Series makes me feel like I’m walking around with you….so genuine and authentic! Are your cabinets wood or mdf? I love your home, it’s absolutely stunning!!! hi! I can’t seem to find a link for the round wood tray on your island. Can you share the source? I love the kitchen. where did you get your “Wild at heart” print? Wondering what your thoughts are on using the cup pulls vs. a bar pull for the drawers. We are currently building a new home and I love the look of the cup pull but think the bar pull may be more practical since you can open it from the top or bottom. Hi Jillian! Your house is so dreamy!! ? Do you min telling me what color grout you used for the kitchen backsplash? Thank you! What color are your kitchen cabinets? I tried to find the “Nimbus” by Benjamin Moore. But my store couldn’t find it. Is it a US color? Love EVERYTHING!! Hello- I am wondering what the rule of thump for getting the right size light fixture would be? For instance above a dining table. I am building a custom little farmhouse and these design choices are so difficult. Hi Jillian! Thank you for sharing your home. I appreciated your honesty about wishing you had done a few things differently. My husband and I are building a home and it is stressful making decisions. Not sure if you are aware but the link to your dishwasher and farmhouse sink are broken. I am wondering whether to do a single-bowl farmhouse sink or one with a divider (our sink will be on the island).. any advice?? Thank you! For your Kohler apron sink in the kitchen – did you use the tall or short apron? I’m curious as I love the look of yours! Stunning, and completed with just excellent taste! Can you tell me please if your quartz countertop is honed or polished? Huge fan & follower. I noticed your kitchen hardware is chrome/nickle but your bar pendants are brass/gold. Is it OK to mix both metals in the kitchen? We recently moved into a new home with all chrome kitchen hardware on white cabinets however the lighting is all brass…..I know gold is making a huge comeback and I’m wondering if I should change all the kitchen hardware to brass or is it ok visually to mix the 2 metals? Appreciate your design expertise ! Look forward to your reply. Where did you buy Leo’s kitchen helper stool? I love it all! Your beams are amazing. What stain colour (if any) was used? My house has beams but I hate the colour so much and would love to get them refinished. Jill, do you know the dimensions of the runner in your kitchen? Thanks! Hi Jillian! Are your cabinets mdf or wood? I LOVE what you have done with your home and am using it as inspiration for our renovation! Just want to clarify, in this post you wrote all the walls are cloud cover but in the “how to pick paint” post you mention that the kitchen and dinning room walls are “grey owl”. Can you please clarify what colour the kitchen and dinning walls are. Thanks so much!! I know you’ve posted this a million times but I can’t seem to find it! Where is the stool from that Leo uses at the island? Thank you in advance!! I love your kitchen remodel! We are in the middle of our own remodel, third home remodel in 6 years, and I was just looking for cabinet pulls for our kitchen. I found some on Amazon I really liked and figured I’d pop over here to see what you did, since I love your kitchen, come to find out you have the same pulls I was looking at! Great minds think alike. Thanks for all the great home reno inspiration! Do you know the sizes of your Beams? Like how far they come down from ceiling and how wide they are? Hi there! Just wondering what brand Leo’s little tower thing he stands at to be with you guys in the kitchen/at counter height. Currently trying to find the best one for my son as he loves to be involved and I’d like to have both hands free lol! Hello! I went to Benjamin Moore today and picked up a swatch of Nimbus…it looks very blue and very different from the photos of your kitchen cabinets. I just want to clarify, did you go with a 50% of that colour or am I missing something? Thanks!! Question on your Miele Range…Is the built in microwave truly a built in microwave, and is it also a second oven? Gorgeous! Would you ever put a rug under the dining room table? I’m trying to decide if I should have one, because otherwise the dining room doesn’t feel very pulled together, but I have a three year old…! I don’t see it mentioned anywhere, but do you remember the dimension (size) of your kitchen island? Thanks! Hi Jillian! My husband and I love your kitchen so much that it is is the inspiration for our current kitchen remodel!! What color white did you use for your wainscotting in your dining room? We love how it looks against Cloud Cover! Just wondering what colour of grout you used in your kitchen? We are going to be doing a white tile back splash and I like the crisp look of the white grout but worry about discolouring. I’m thinking a warm grey so it isn’t so bold and attention stealing from the tile but a bit more durable in colour. Any suggestions from your experience? Did you use the color Nimbus for all of your kitchen cabinets? It looks like some of them are white especially around your stove and your island.

2019-04-22T14:47:25Z

https://www.jillianharris.com/home-tour-series-kitchen-dining-room/

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SecretCloset makes no effort to review any SNS Content for any purpose, including but not limited to for accuracy, legality or non-infringement and SecretCloset is not responsible for any SNS Content. We will create your SecretCloset Account and your SecretCloset Account profile page for your use of the Site and Application based upon the personal information you provide to us or that we obtain via an SNS as described above. You may not have more than one (1) active SecretCloset Account. SecretCloset reserves the right to suspend or terminate your SecretCloset Account and your access to the Site, Application and Services if you create more than one (1) SecretCloset Account or if any information provided during the registration process or thereafter proves to be inaccurate, not current or incomplete. You agree that you will not disclose your password to any third party and that you will take sole responsibility for any activities or actions under your SecretCloset Account, whether or not you have authorized such activities or actions. You will immediately notify SecretCloset of any unauthorized use of your SecretCloset Account. As a Member, you may create Listings. To create a Listing, you will be asked a variety of questions about the Item of Clothing to be listed, including, but not limited to, the item type, size, color, style, season, condition, material, as well as initial price and selling price. In order to be featured in Listings via the Site, Application and Services, all Items of clothing must have valid information and description. Listings will be made publicly available via the Site, Application and Services. Other Members will be able to look through your Items of Clothing via the Site, Application and Services based upon the information provided in your Listing. You understand and agree that once a Buyer requests a purchase of your Item of Clothing, you may not request the Buyer to pay a higher price than in the purchase request. will (a) be in compliance with all applicable laws, Tax requirements, and rules and regulations that may apply to any Item of Clothing included in a Listing you post, and (b) not conflict with the rights of third parties. Please note that SecretCloset assumes no responsibility for a Seller’s compliance with any agreements with or duties to third parties, applicable laws, rules and regulations. SecretCloset reserves the right, at any time and without prior notice, to remove or disable access to any Listing for any reason, including Listings that SecretCloset, in its sole discretion, considers to be objectionable for any reason, in violation of these Terms or SecretCloset’s then-current Policies, or otherwise harmful to the Site, Application or Services. If you are a Seller, you understand and agree that SecretCloset does not act as an insurer or as your contracting agent. If a Buyer requests a purchase of your Item of Clothing, any agreement you enter into with such Buyer is between you and the Buyer and SecretCloset is not a party thereto. SecretCloset Payments does not serve as the limited authorized payment collection agent of the Seller for the purpose of accepting, on behalf of the Seller, payments from Buyers of such amounts stipulated by the Seller. All the corresponding payments shall be carried out directly between the Seller and the Buyer. SecretCloset is not responsible for carrying out any of such payments. If you are a Seller, you acknowledge and agree that, as a Seller, you are responsible for your own acts and omissions and are also responsible for the acts and omissions of any individuals who are somehow related to Items of Clothing excluding the Buyer. SecretCloset may offer Sellers the option of having photographers take photographs of their Items of Clothing (the terms of provision of the specified services by SecretCloset, including the order of payment for the provision of such services, shall be negotiated within the separate agreement). If you as a Seller choose to have a photographer do this, the photographs taken will be made available to you to include in your Listing with a watermark or tag bearing the words “SecretCloset Verified Photo” or similar wording (“Verified Images”). All images, materials and content created by these photographers provided by SecretCloset, including Verified Images, constitute SecretCloset Content, regardless of whether you include them in your Listing. No Endorsement SecretCloset does not endorse any Member or any Item of Clothing. You understand that Verified Images are intended only to indicate a photographic representation of the Item of Clothing at the time the photograph was taken. Verified Images are therefore not an endorsement by SecretCloset of any Member or any Item of Clothing. Members are required by these Terms to provide accurate information, and although SecretCloset may undertake additional checks and processes designed to help verify or check the identities or backgrounds of users, we do not make any representations about, confirm, or endorse any Member or the Member’s purported identity or background. Any references in the Site, Application or Services to a Member being “verified” or “connected” (or similar language) only indicate that the Member has completed a relevant verification process, and does not represent anything else. Any such description is not an endorsement, certification or guarantee by SecretCloset about any Member, including of the Member’s identity and whether the Member is trustworthy, safe or suitable. Instead, any such description is intended to be useful information for you to evaluate when you make your own decisions about the identity and suitability of others whom you contact or interact with via the Site, Application and Services. We therefore recommend that you always exercise due diligence and care when deciding whether to carry out purchases at a Seller’s or to accept a purchase request from a Buyer, or to have any other interaction with any other Member. We are not responsible for any damage or harm resulting from your interactions with other Members. You agree not to attempt to impose liability on or seek any legal remedy from SecretCloset with respect to such actions or omissions. Accordingly, we encourage you to communicate directly with other Members on the Site and Services regarding any purchases or Listings made by you. Purchase of Items of Clothing and Financial Terms Key definitions “Item of Clothing Price” means the amounts that are due and payable by a Buyer in exchange for a Buyer’s purchase of an Item of Clothing. The Seller alone, and not SecretCloset, determines these amounts. “Subscription Fees” means the fee that SecretCloset charges a Member, being a Seller and/or a Buyer, for the use of its online platform within a certain period of time. The Subscription Fees constitute the fixed amount depending on the time period of use of the online platform and are determined by SecretCloset alone. If you are a Seller and a request on purchase of your Item of Clothing is sent via the Site, Application and Services, you will be required to either confirm or reject the request on purchase within the Request Period, otherwise the request on purchase will be automatically cancelled. Items of Clothing, disposed to sale by he Buyer via the Site, Application and Services, so that you can view such information before confirming or rejecting the request on purchase. When you confirm a request on purchase sent by a Buyer, your telephone number will be sent to the Buyer. Please note that SecretCloset does not currently charge fees for the creation of Listings. However, you as a Seller acknowledge and agree that SecretCloset reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to charge you for and collect fees from you for the creation of Listings. Please note that SecretCloset will provide notice of any Listing fee collection via the Site, Application and Services, prior to implementing such a Listing fee feature. The Sellers, not SecretCloset, are solely responsible for honoring any confirmed requests on purchase and making available any Items of Clothing requested through the Site, Application and Services. If you, as a Buyer, choose to enter into a transaction with a Seller for the purchase of an Item of Clothing, you agree and understand that you will be required to enter into an agreement with the Seller and you agree to accept any terms, conditions, rules and restrictions associated with such Item of Clothing imposed by the Seller. You acknowledge and agree that you, and not SecretCloset, will be responsible for performing the obligations of any such agreements, that SecretCloset is not a party to such agreements, and that SecretCloset disclaims all liability arising from or related to any such agreements. Cancellation by the Buyers of the confirmed requests on purchase made via the Site, Application and Services, as well as cancellations by the Sellers of the confirmed requests on purchase shall be carried out by means of exchange of corresponding messages directly between Buyers and Sellers in any form available upon agreement of the parties. SecretCloset may, in its sole discretion, round up or round down amounts that are payable from or to Buyers or Sellers to the nearest whole functional base unit in which the currency is denominated (e.g. to the nearest dollar, euro or other supported currency); for example, SecretCloset will round up an amount of $101.50 to $102.00, and $101.49 to $101.00. Some currencies are denominated in large numbers. In those cases, SecretCloset may determine the functional base unit in which those currencies are denominated to be 10, 100 or 1,000 of the currency; the corresponding examples for such currencies would be for SecretCloset to round up an amount of 1,045 up to 1,050 and 1,044 down to 1,040, or 35,450 up to 35,500 and 35,449 down to 35,400, or 837,500 up to 838,000 and 837,499 down to 837,000. You as a Buyer are solely responsible for keeping the information in your tax forms current, complete and accurate. the Taxes that should be included, and for including Taxes to be collected or obligations relating to applicable Taxes in Listings. You are also solely responsible for remitting to the relevant authority any Taxes included or received by you. SecretCloset cannot and does not offer Tax-related advice to any Members. Damages Both Buyers and Sellers agree to cooperate with and assist SecretCloset in good faith, and to provide SecretCloset with such information and take such actions as may be reasonably requested by SecretCloset, in connection with any complaints or claims made by Members relating to Items of Clothing or with respect to any investigation undertaken by SecretCloset or a representative of SecretCloset regarding use or abuse of the Site, Application or the Services. Upon SecretCloset’s reasonable request, and to the extent you are reasonably able to do so, you agree to participate in mediation or similar resolution process with a Host, at no cost to you, which process will be conducted by SecretCloset or a third party selected by SecretCloset. Each foreign currency conversion is processed at a foreign currency conversion rate. This rate generally refers to the amount of one currency that must be paid to buy a certain amount of another currency at a given time. For example, if it costs US$125.00 to buy €100.00, the currency conversion rate of US dollars to Euros would be 1.25, and the currency conversion rate from Euros to US dollars would be 0.8. Currency conversion rates will vary from time to time. Key definitions “Display Currency” means the currency in which users view Listing prices on the SecretCloset platform. Display Currency is changed depending on the currency adopted in the city of Site, Application or Services functioning. You understand and agree that you are solely responsible for compliance with any and all laws, rules, regulations, and Tax obligations that may apply to your use of the Site, Application, Services and Collective Content. SecretCloset has the right to investigate and prosecute violations of any of the above to the fullest extent of the law. protect the rights, property or safety of SecretCloset, its users, or members of the public . You acknowledge that SecretCloset has no obligation to monitor your access to or use of the Site, Application, Services or Collective Content or to review or edit any Member Content, but has the right to do so for the purpose of operating and improving the Site, Application and Services (including without limitation for fraud prevention, risk assessment, investigation and customer support purposes), to ensure your compliance with these Terms, to comply with applicable law or the order or requirement of a court, administrative agency or other governmental body, to respond to content that it determines is otherwise objectionable or as set forth in these Terms. SecretCloset reserves the right, at any time and without prior notice, to remove or disable access to any Collective Content that SecretCloset, at its sole discretion, considers to be objectionable for any reason, in violation of these Terms or otherwise harmful to the Site, Application or Services. The Site, Application, Services, and Collective Content are protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws of the Russian Federation and foreign countries. You acknowledge and agree that the Site, Application, Services and Collective Content, including all associated intellectual property rights, are the exclusive property of SecretCloset and its licensors. You will not remove, alter or obscure any copyright, trademark, service mark or other proprietary rights notices incorporated in or accompanying the Site, Application, Services, or Collective Content. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, SecretCloset grants you a limited non-exclusive, non-transferable license to download and install a copy of the Application on a single mobile device or computer that you own or control and run such copy of the Application solely for your own personal use. as permitted by the “Usage Rules” set forth in the Apple App Store Terms of Service. SecretCloset reserves all rights in the Application not expressly granted to you by these Terms. access and view any Member Content to which you are permitted access, solely for your personal and non-commercial purposes. No licenses or rights are granted to you by implication or otherwise under any intellectual property rights owned or controlled by SecretCloset or its licensors, except for the licenses and rights expressly granted in these Terms. We may, in our sole discretion, permit you to post, upload, publish, submit or transmit Member Content. By making available any Member Content on or through the Site, Application and Services, you hereby grant to SecretCloset a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free license, with the right to sublicense, to use, view, copy, adapt, modify, distribute, license, sell, transfer, publicly display, publicly perform, transmit, stream, broadcast, access, view, and otherwise exploit such Member Content on, through, by means of or to promote or market the Site, Application and Services. SecretCloset does not claim any ownership rights in any such Member Content and nothing in these Terms will be deemed to restrict any rights that you may have to use and exploit any such Member Content. neither the Member Content nor your posting, uploading, publication, submission or transmittal of the Member Content or SecretCloset’s use of the Member Content (or any portion thereof) on, through or by means of the Site, Application and the Services will infringe, misappropriate or violate a third party’s patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, moral rights or other proprietary or intellectual property rights, or rights of publicity or privacy, or result in the violation of any applicable law or regulation. the content, products, or services on or available from such websites or resources. Links to such websites or resources do not imply any endorsement by SecretCloset of such websites or resources or the content, products, or services available from such websites or resources. All trademarks, service marks, logos, trade names and any other proprietary designations of SecretCloset used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of SecretCloset. We welcome and encourage you to provide feedback, comments and suggestions for improvements to the Site, Application and Services (“Feedback”). You may submit Feedback by emailing us at [email protected]. You acknowledge and agree that all Feedback will be the sole and exclusive property of SecretCloset and you hereby irrevocably assign to SecretCloset and agree to irrevocably assign to SecretCloset all of your right, title, and interest in and to all Feedback, including without limitation all worldwide patent, copyright, trade secret, moral and other proprietary or intellectual property rights therein. At SecretCloset’s request and expense, you will execute documents and take such further acts as SecretCloset may reasonably request to assist SecretCloset to acquire, perfect, and maintain its intellectual property rights and other legal protections for the Feedback. SecretCloset respects copyright law and expects its users to do the same. It is SecretCloset’s policy to terminate in appropriate circumstances the SecretCloset Accounts of Members or other account holders who repeatedly infringe or are believed to be repeatedly infringing the rights of copyright holders. We may, in our discretion and without liability to you, with or without cause, with or without prior notice and at any time, decide to limit, suspend, deactivate or cancel your SecretCloset Account. we may contact your Buyers to inform them about potential alternate Items of clothing with other Sellers that may be available on the Site, Application and Services, and € you will not be entitled to any compensation for requests (even if confirmed) that were cancelled as a result of a suspension, deactivation or termination of your SecretCloset Account. You may cancel your SecretCloset Account at any time via the “Cancel Account” feature of the Services or by sending an email to [email protected]. Please note that if your SecretCloset Account is cancelled, we do not have an obligation to delete or return to you any Content you have posted to the Site, Application and Services, including, but not limited to, any reviews or Feedback. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES OR COLLECTIVE CONTENT, YOU DO SO AT YOUR SOLE RISK. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT SECRETCLOSET DOES NOT HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO CONDUCT BACKGROUND CHECKS ON ANY MEMBER, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SELLERS AND BUYERS, BUT MAY CONDUCT SUCH BACKGROUND CHECKS IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION. THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES, COLLECTIVE CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, SECRETCLOSET EXPLICITLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, QUIET ENJOYMENT OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. SECRETCLOSET MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES, COLLECTIVE CONTENT, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE LISTINGS OR ITEMS OF CLOTHING, OR THE REFERRAL PROGRAM WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR BE AVAILABLE ON AN UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE BASIS. SECRETCLOSET MAKES NO WARRANTY REGARDING THE QUALITY OF ANY LISTINGS, ITEMS OF CLOTHING, THE SERVICES OR COLLECTIVE CONTENT OR THE ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, TRUTHFULNESS, COMPLETENESS OR RELIABILITY OF ANY COLLECTIVE CONTENT OBTAINED THROUGH THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED FROM SECRETCLOSET OR THROUGH THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES OR COLLECTIVE CONTENT, WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY MADE HEREIN. YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER USERS OF THE SITE, APPLICATION OR SERVICES AND WITH OTHER PERSONS WITH WHOM YOU COMMUNICATE OR INTERACT AS A RESULT OF YOUR USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATION OR SERVICES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY SELLERS AND BUYERS. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT SECRETCLOSET DOES NOT MAKE ANY ATTEMPT TO VERIFY THE STATEMENTS OF USERS OF THE SITE, APPLICATION OR SERVICES OR TO REVIEW ANY ITEMS OF CLOTHING. SECRETCLOSET MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE CONDUCT OF USERS OF THE SITE, APPLICATION OR SERVICES OR THEIR COMPATIBILITY WITH ANY CURRENT OR FUTURE USERS OF THE SITE, APPLICATION OR SERVICES. YOU AGREE TO TAKE REASONABLE PRECAUTIONS IN ALL COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER USERS OF THE SITE, APPLICATION OR SERVICES AND WITH OTHER PERSONS WITH WHOM YOU COMMUNICATE OR INTERACT AS A RESULT OF YOUR USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATION OR SERVICES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SELLERS AND BUYERS, PARTICULARLY IF YOU DECIDE TO MEET OFFLINE OR IN PERSON REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH MEETINGS ARE ORGANIZED BY SECRETCLOSET. SECRETCLOSET EXPLICITLY DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY ACT OR COMISSION OF ANY BUYER OR OTHER THIRD PARTY. Limitation of Liability YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES AND COLLECTIVE CONTENT, YOUR LISTING OR REQUEST IN RELATION TO ANY ITEM OF CLOTHING VIA THE SITE, APPLICATION AND SERVICES AND ANY CONTACT YOU HAVE WITH OTHER USERS OF SECRETCLOSET WHETHER IN PERSON OR ONLINE REMAINS WITH YOU. NEITHER SECRETCLOSET NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING, OR DELIVERING THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES, COLLECTIVE CONTENT WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA OR LOSS OF GOODWILL, SERVICE INTERRUPTION, COMPUTER DAMAGE OR SYSTEM FAILURE OR THE COST OF SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS OR SERVICES, OR FOR ANY DAMAGES FOR PERSONAL OR BODILY INJURY OR EMOTIONAL DISTRESS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THESE TERMS, FROM THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES OR COLLECTIVE CONTENT, FROM ANY COMMUNICATIONS, INTERACTIONS OR MEETINGS WITH OTHER USERS OF THE SITE, APPLICATION, OR SERVICES OR OTHER PERSONS WITH WHOM YOU COMMUNICATE OR INTERACT AS A RESULT OF YOUR USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES, OR FROM YOUR LISTING OR PURCHASE OF ANY ITEM OF CLOTHING VIA THE SITE, APPLICATION AND SERVICES, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), PRODUCT LIABILITY OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT SECRETCLOSET HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE, EVEN IF A LIMITED REMEDY SET FORTH HEREIN IS FOUND TO HAVE FAILED OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT WILL SECRETCLOSET’S AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THESE TERMS AND YOUR USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATION AND SERVICES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FROM YOUR LISTING OR PURCHASE OF ANY ITEM OF CLOTHING VIA THE SITE, APPLICATION AND SERVICES, OR FROM THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES, OR COLLECTIVE CONTENT AND IN CONNECTION WITH ANY ITEM OF CLOTHING OR INTERACTIONS WITH ANY OTHER MEMBERS, EXCEED THE AMOUNTS OF ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (US$100). THE LIMITATIONS OF DAMAGES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF THE BASIS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN SECRETCLOSET AND YOU. the use, condition or purchase of an Item of Clothing by you, including but not limited to any injuries, losses, or damages (compensatory, direct, incidental, consequential or otherwise) of any kind arising in connection with or as a result of use or purchase of an Item of Clothing. SecretCloset, not Apple, is solely responsible for the App Store Sourced Application and content thereof. As between SecretCloset and Apple, any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs or expenses attributable to any failure to conform to any warranty will be the sole responsibility of SecretCloset. You and SecretCloset acknowledge that, in the event of any third-party claim that the App Store Sourced Application or your possession and use of that App Store Sourced Application infringes that third party’s intellectual property rights, as between SecretCloset and Apple, SecretCloset, not Apple, will be solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement and discharge of any such intellectual property infringement claim to the extent required by these Terms. You and SecretCloset acknowledge and agree that Apple, and Apple’s subsidiaries, are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms as related to your license of the App Store Sourced Application, and that, upon your acceptance of the terms and conditions of these Terms, Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms as related to your license of the App Store Sourced Application against you as a third-party beneficiary thereof. engages in any other disturbing conduct, you should immediately report such person to the appropriate authorities and then to SecretCloset by contacting us with your police station and report number at : __________________, provided that your report will not obligate us to take any action beyond that required by law (if any) or cause us to incur any liability to you. These Terms constitute the entire and exclusive understanding and agreement between SecretCloset and you regarding the Site, Application, Services, Collective Content, and any requests or Listings of Items of Clothing made via the Site, Application and Services, and these Terms supersede and replace any and all prior oral or written understandings or agreements between SecretCloset and you regarding requests or listings of Items of Clothing, the Site, Application, Services, Collective Content. You may not assign or transfer these Terms, by operation of law or otherwise, without SecretCloset’s prior written consent. Any attempt by you to assign or transfer these Terms, without such consent, will be null and of no effect. SecretCloset may assign or transfer these Terms, at its sole discretion, without restriction. Subject to the foregoing, these Terms will bind and inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors and permitted assigns. via email (in each case to the address that you provide) or by posting to the Site or via the Application. For notices made by e-mail, the date of receipt will be deemed the date on which such notice is transmitted. The failure of SecretCloset to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not constitute a waiver of future enforcement of that right or provision. The waiver of any such right or provision will be effective only if in writing and signed by a duly authorized representative of SecretCloset.

2019-04-21T00:57:46Z

http://secretcloset.net/terms-of-service

This article is dedicated to the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings. Aerial view of Copley Square taken from a plane in 1957. Note the entirely different layout and composition of the square and the area around it prior to the construction of the Prudential Center and John Hancock Tower. Image courtesy MIT Libraries. Copley Square, along with Government Center and the West End, is one of the parts of Boston most significantly altered by urban renewal. Since the Prudential Center Urban Redevelopment Project was implemented by City Hall in the early 1960s, the function and functionality of Copley Square have changed significantly. In the years following the groundbreaking of the project in 1960, the primary landmarks in Copley Square have gone from a massive rail yard, the old John Hancock Building and the Mechanics Building (see my article "E Branch" for more information about the Mechanics Building) to Boston's two tallest and most prominent skyscrapers, the Prudential Tower and new John Hancock Building, and the Shops at the Prudential Center. The Boston Public Library, of course, has stayed constant as a Copley Square landmark since the turn of the century. 1895 Bromley Map of Copley Square. Map courtesy Ward Maps. Already in 1895, as shown by the map above, Copley Square was a functional, well-developed urban square. The Boston Public Library's McKim Building, shown at the center of the map, had just been completed and many longstanding prominent Boston institutions, such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Society of Natural History (the predecessor to the Boston Museum of Science) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), called Copley Square home. On the west side of Exeter Street, one can see MIT's gymnasium, and at the corner of Dartmouth Street and Huntington Avenue, the Museum of Fine Art's former main building is visible. Two majestic churches, both visible in the photo below, tower over the square. Across from the Boston Public Library on Boylston Street is Old South Church (not shown above), and at the corner of Huntington Avenue and Boylston Street, at the time an intersection, is Trinity Church. Across from each other by Exeter and Huntington are the Copley Square Hotel, which stands to this day, and Hotel Oxford, since demolished, marking Copley Square's position as a fashionable and important destination for Bostonians to spend time and for visitors to Boston to stay. Copley Square in 1909. At the far right is Old South Church, to the right of the photo is the Boston Public Library, in the center is the Museum of Fine Arts and to the left is Trinity Church. 1909 was the last year of the Museum of Fine Arts' tenure in Copley Square before moving west down Huntington Avenue to the Boston-Roxbury line across from Northeastern University and by the Back Bay Fens. Note the streetcar on the far right. Image courtesy Boston Public Library. Copley Square's prominence meant that there were several transportation investments put into the area. Even before horsecar lines began to be electrified, there were horsecar lines running through Copley Square. The last horsecar ever to run in Boston ran through Copley Square along a line through the Back Bay that has long since been abandoned. Last horsecar ever to run in Boston, pictured in 1900 in front of Old South Church in Copley Square. Copley Square continues to be served by electric streetcars to this day. The streetcar lines that became the A, B, C and E branches of the Green Line, as well as many other trolley lines, originally passed through Copley Square as street-running streetcars. When the Boylston Street Subway, an extension of the Tremont Street Subway further downtown, opened in 1914, the A, B and C branches moved underground and the Copley Square subway station opened (see "Subway" for more information). The E branch continued to run through Copley Square via surface streets until the Huntington Avenue Subway opened in 1941, giving the E branch access to the Boylston Street Subway and ending surface streetcar surface through Copley Square (see "E Branch" for more information on the Huntington Avenue Subway). Copley Square was also well served by passenger railroads. In 1899, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad opened Back Bay Station on Dartmouth Street for the Railroad's Boston and Providence Division. Now, one could board trains from the four aforementioned major east coast cities to Boston that would bring one to the heart of Boston, Copley Square. In 1900, the Boston and Albany Railroad relocated its main station in the Copley Square-Park Square area, Columbus Avenue Station located by the corner of Columbus Avenue and Berkeley Street in Bay Village by Park Square, to Copley Square, building two separate stations—Trinity Place (westbound) and Huntington Avenue (eastbound). 1895 Bromley map showing the former location of the B & A RR's Columbus Avenue Station, circled in blue. It is important to note that prior to the opening of Back Bay Station in Copley Square and South Station downtown, the NY, NH & H RR's Providence Division's main station in Boston, circled in red, was located in Park Square near the Public Garden, circled in green and pointed to with a green arrow, respectively. Map courtesy Ward Maps. Circled in red is the Boston and Albany Railroad's old main station, located adjacent to Kneeland Street between Lincoln and Utica Streets. Circled in blue is the main station of the NY NH & H RR's Old Colony Division, which was also replaced by South Station. Map courtesy Ward Maps. Present state of former locations of B & A RR (circled in red) and Old Colony Division (circled in blue) main stations. Circled in green is a flour warehouse which appears to be the only building spared from the construction of the Central Artery on the plot of land between Hudson Street and Federal Street that now houses the I-93 portal. The purple arrow shows the path of Albany Street, which along with Hudson and Utica Streets (and formerly many other streets in the area—more on that in "The West End's Transformation") that were named after Boston and Albany Railroad destinations. Note the South Station Connector—South Station is located about a minute northeast along the Connector by car. All of the buses driving along the Connector are likely headed to the nearby South Station Bus Terminal. 1905 MIT campus map As you can see, MIT's pre-Cambridge campus was focused in and around Copley Square. In the bottom center of the map, off Dartmouth Street, is Back Bay Station on the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad's Boston and Providence Division, the predecessor to the modern Southwest Corridor. Just north of Back Bay Station is Trinity Place Station, and to the left of Trinity Place Station is Huntington Avenue Station, both on the Boston and Albany Railroad, along whose former right-of-way the Mass Pike now runs. Map courtesy MIT Archives. Yet despite the grandeur associated with the most prominent institutions that called Copley Square home, a grittier element of Copley Square sat west of Exeter Street. The Boston and Albany Railroad operated a massive train parking and repair facility on acres of land stretching along Boylston Street and Huntington Avenue from Exeter Street to Dalton Street. Huntington Avenue at Exeter Street in around 1930, looking south towards Boylston Street. At right is the Lenox Hotel, one of the most prestigious hotels in Boston to this day. As you can see, hundreds of B & A RR passenger coaches were parked on prime land right in Copley Square. 1912 Bromley map showing the eastern half of the old B & A RR yard in Copley Square. At the top is Exeter Street, at left is Boylston Street and at right is Huntington Avenue. Map courtesy Ward Maps. 1912 Bromley map showing the western half of the old B & A RR yard in Copley Square. At left is Boylston Street, at right is Huntington Avenue and at the bottom is Dalton Street. Note the Mechanics Building, circled in green. Map courtesy Ward Maps. Naturally, as the years went by and it became clear that Copley Square would remain a prominent location in Boston for years to come, the B & A RR's lot there became a prime target for development. Accordingly, the B & A RR's sale of its Highland Branch to the MTA in 1958 (See "D Branch" Green Line article), eliminating the need for many commuter coaches, heralded a series of changes that were to come to Copley Square in the years to come. In 1960, construction began on the Prudential Center development between Exeter and Dalton Streets, directly on top of the old rail yard. Construction would take four years and would require the demolishing of the Mechanics Building, a prominent Copley Square building since the early 1890s that hosted countless conventions, shows and other special events. By 1964, the massive rail yard that had sat in Copley Square for over seventy years was gone, replaced with a skyscraper that has since become synonymous with Boston. The B & A RR's yard in 1932, looking west towards Brookline, prior to the development of the Prudential Center. The domed building up ahead is Boston's Christian Science Center, and at left is the Mechanics Building, the predecessor to the Prudential Center and a significant landmark in Copley Square covered at greater detail in my "E Branch" article. Image courtesy Boston Public Library. Aerial view of the development that has taken place as of 2013 on the former site of the B & A RR's rail yard. As a reminder, the yard was bounded by Dalton Street, Boylston Street, Exeter Street and Huntington Avenue. By the following year, 1965, construction concluded on the Massachusetts Turnpike, a new highway that now cut straight through Copley Square. The Pike was built along the right-of-way of the Boston and Albany Railroad through downtown Boston; construction involved demolishing virtually all buildings on the westbound side of the right-of-way to widen it and replacing the tracks with traffic lanes. The Pike passes directly under the Prudential Center, carrying millions of cars per day; train tracks were reinstalled on the eastbound side of the Pike and continue to be used today by MBTA commuter trains. 1895 Bromley map showing the area near Kenmore Square that the next two pictures will show. As you can see, the Boston and Albany Railroad's median through Boston ran right where the Pike runs today, sporting five tracks, and buildings lined what was to become the westbound side of the Pike. By 1920, there would have been many more buildings in addition to the ones shown. Map courtesy Ward Maps. Construction of the Pike by Kenmore Square in the early 1960s. The tall building under construction in the distance is the Prudential Center, which will briefly serve as the tallest building in Boston. To its left is the Boston Transit Building, formerly the headquarters of the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) with Hynes Convention Center (formerly Massachusetts) Station still built below it. At right is the Buck's Printing Building, whose large sign was once a Boston landmark much like the Citgo Sign, also visible from Fenway Park. As you can see, all buildings along what is to become to the westbound side of the Pike have been demolished; sections of their concrete shells are still visible in the photograph above. Prior to their uprooting, five tracks ran across the median in the location pictured. Image courtesy Boston Public Library. Note: the picture of the Pike's construction posted above is also posted in my "Massachusetts Station" article, where I cover the buildings that were once along the westbound side of the Pike (which included Massachusetts Station!) in additional detail. The Pike by Kenmore Square (same location pictured above) today. The traffic lanes of the Pike now run where buildings and train tracks once stood; the tracks have been relocated to the far right. The Prudential Center is now fully constructed, as is the shorter building at its right, 111 Huntington Avenue, which houses the Shops at the Prudential Center and offices. At the Prudential Center's left is the John Hancock Building, the tallest building in Boston as of 1975. Note that the Buck's Printing sign is now gone, replaced by a billboard. Image courtesy Flickr User wallyg. Despite the reconstruction of the B & A RR's median, the Railroad continued to serve South Station and the Financial District until its Boston-serving routes were assumed by Amtrak and the MBTA in the early 1970s. However, the Railroad now stopped at Back Bay Station in Copley Square, as the Pike's construction, by uprooting and relocating the Railroad's tracks, required the demolition of Trinity Place and Huntington Avenue stations. Looking from around Huntington Avenue Station, we see trains passing under Dartmouth Street and through Trinity Place Station in 1964 during the station's last few months of use. Buildings around the track median have already been cleared, and soon the tracks will be removed and the Pike paved. Images copyright Bob Coolidge. Trinity Place Station sat by the intersection of Trinity and Stanhope Streets, whose intersection was demolished to make way for the Pike. The 100 Clarendon Street parking garage built over the Pike sits where the station would have been located. Huntington Avenue Station sat on a plot of land now occupied by Copley Place on Stuart Street. Same 1957 aerial image of Copley Square used at head of page zoomed in on the three train stations that Copley Square once hosted. Circled in red is the westbound Trinity Place Station; at Trinity Place Station's immediate left are the Trinity Court Apartments. At Trinity Place Station's right, circled in green, is Back Bay Station. Circled in blue is the eastbound Huntington Avenue Station; at the bottom of the page is Huntington Avenue. 1928 Bromley map showing the former location of Trinity Place Station in Copley Square circled in red. The station was accompanied by a small park and shared its land plot with the Trinity Court Apartments, a Copley Square residential fixture that was demolished to make way for the Pike. Aerial view of the area around Trinity Place Station today. The 100 Clarendon Street parking garage now sits where the station used to be; the station's approximate former location is circled in red. Image courtesy Google Maps. 1928 Bromley map showing the former location of Huntington Avenue Station in Copley Square circled in red. Map courtesy Ward Maps. Aerial view of the area around Huntington Avenue Station today. A major building of the Copley Place development, which houses an upscale mall, Marriott hotel, parking garage and offices, is built on top of the Pike and on the former location of the station. Image copyright Google Maps. By the late 1960s, Copley Square had undergone a dramatic transformation. In addition to the Prudential Center development having replaced the Boston and Albany Railroad's yard, the Railroad's tracks were now paved over with hundreds of thousands of private cars passing over them per day. Many of Copley Square's signature buildings were either, in the case of the Mechanics Building, replaced by new real estate, or, in the case of the SS Pierce Company's former headquarters at the corner of Huntington Avenue and Dartmouth Street, demolished to make way for the Pike leaving behind a grassy vacant lot. Copley Square in 1929. Circled in red is the Boston and Albany Railroad rail yard atop which the Prudential Center development was built. Circled in purple and blue are Trinity Place and Huntington Avenue Stations, respectively. Circled in green is the distinctive headhouse of the Copley Square streetcar subway station, shown earlier in this article. Circled in orange is the SS Pierce Grocery Company's headquarters. The orange arrow shows Huntington Avenue's former path through Copley Square; at the time, Huntington Avenue intersected Boylston Street. At the tip is the arrow is the end of the Huntington Avenue streetcar reservation used by the predecessor of the E Branch of the Green Line prior to the construction of the Huntington Avenue Subway (see my article "E Branch" for more details). Image courtesy Boston Public Library. 1969 aerial image of Copley Square area, courtesy Boston Redevelopment Authority. Circled in blue and red are two grassy vacant lots. The red one once hosted Huntington Avenue Station and a US Army armory, as well as a parking garage and an apartment building, Technology Chambers, that once served as an MIT dormitory back when MIT was based in Copley Square (see earlier in this article). Now the lot is mostly occupied by an entrance-exit ramp for the Pike. The blue one once hosted a theater, apartment buildings, more MIT dorms, a hotel and the headquarters of the SS Pierce grocery company, a former mainstay of Boston's grocery economy. The grassy vacant lot circled in green is the former location of Trinity Place Station of the B & A RR and the Trinity Court apartments; the green-circled lot remained vacant until the construction of the parking garage at 100 Clarnedon Street, which extends over the Pike to connect with Back Bay Station. 1922 Bromley map showing the buildings that once occupied the area in Copley Square, bordered in blue, that remained vacant for nearly twenty years prior to the construction of Copley Place and is marked with blue and red circles in the aerial photograph shown previously. Map courtesy Ward Maps. Public domain photograph of the headquarters of the SS Pierce grocery company as it stood on the corner of Huntington Avenue and Dartmouth Street until it was demolished in 1958 to make way for the Pike. A similar building, shown below, which served as a branch of the SS Pierce grocery store, still stands today at the corner of Beacon and Harvard Streets in Coolidge Corner in Brookline. The Brookline building is used today to house various small business on its ground floor and offices above. Beacon Street at Harvard Street in Brookline. The building up ahead with the clock tower is the SS Pierce Building, built in 1897, which formerly housed an SS Pierce grocery store. Note that the C Branch of the MBTA's Green Line runs right past; shoppers at SS Pierce evidently utilized the C Branch and route 66, a former trolley line that runs on Harvard Street as a bus perpendicular to the C Branch at this location, to get to and from the SS Pierce store. The street grid of Copley Square had also been altered. As part of the urban renewal efforts in the area, Huntington Avenue no longer intersected Boylston Street; it now ended at its intersection with Dartmouth Street, and a new park stood in the center of Copley Square where Huntington Avenue had once passed. 1957 aerial view of Copley Square showing Hunting Avenue cutting across Copley Square to intersect Boylston Street. At the time, there were two smaller parks located in the center of the Square cut off from one another by Huntington Avenue. Notable landmarks are the old John Hancock Building, an office building which still stands today and at the time was Boston's second-tallest building (after Custom House Tower in the Financial District), circled in green, and the Trinity Court apartments, circled in blue and easily recognizable by their pair of golden turrets and center courtyard, which stool adjacent to Trinity Place Station, whose accompanying small park is visible to the right of the blue circle. Image courtesy MIT Libraries. 1969 Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) aerial photograph of Copley Square. The red arrow shows Huntington Avenue's former path through what is now a park at the center of Copley Square. The new park serves as a public gathering spot and a much-expanded courtyard for Trinity Church, circled in purple, which has long been a Copley Square landmark. Circled in blue is the parking lot onto which the Boston Public Library's 1895 McKim Building will soon be extended as part of an imminent spur of development in Copley Square. Also to be built will be the John Hancock Tower, which will be completed in 1975 and whose footprint is circled in green. Yet even after all of the drastic changes to Copley Square, even more development was to come. In 1975, construction ended on the John Hancock Tower, a gleaming new skyscraper that to this remains the tallest building in Boston. The Hancock Tower complemented the Berkeley Building (also known as the "Old John Hancock Building), circled in green two photographs above, as the John Hancock Insurance Company's headquarters. Copley Square now had three significant skyscrapers, up from one as early as 1960. View of Copley Square skyline through a Cambridgeside fence. At far right is the Prudential Tower, at center is the John Hancock Tower and at far left is the Berkeley Building (Old John Hancock Building). Image courtesy City of Boston Archives. Berkeley Building (Old John Hancock Building) by night. Note the spire topping off the building; this is a weather beacon. The spire shines blue when skies are clear, flashes blue when clouds are expected, shines red when rain is forecasted and flashes red when it is expected to snow. Image courtesy City of Boston Archives. The subsequent major developments in Copley Square were mainly shopping-related with some additional office buildings and hotels. In the early-1980s, the Copley Place development, which has been oft-mentioned over the course of this article, was constructed on the two grassy vacant lots along Huntington Avenue that were cleared to make way for the Pike. Subsequently, in 2002, the Shops at the Prudential Center (otherwise known as 111 Huntington Avenue) were constructed adjacent to the Prudential Tower, bringing Copley Square a gleaming new mall and additional office space above. After the construction of the Pike, the only other significant transit development that affected Copley Square was the construction of the Southwest Corridor, a right-of-way built along the former path of the NY NH & H RR's embankment through downtown, Jamaica Plain and Roxbury originally intended to be used for a highway but later repurposed as a new train right-of-way for MBTA commuter trains and a new path for the MBTA's Orange Line, replacing the Washington Street Elevated, bringing Orange Line service to Copley Square for the first time ever (see "Boston's Cancelled Highways" and "Orange Line" for more information). The effects of the Corridor's construction were most significantly felt in Roxbury, particularly in the Mission Hill and Fort Hill residential neighborhoods which abut the Corridor and lost much of their appeal during the Corridor's construction, and the Jackson Square and Roxbury Crossing commercial districts, which were virtually cleared of their commercial infrastructure to make way for the Corridor and remain studded with vacant lots to this day. However, Copley Square was still influenced by the Corridor's construction, though much more positively. In 1987, a new Back Bay Station opened, this time serving both commuter and Orange Line trains. While a historic station was lost, the new Back Bay Station and the Southwest Corridor brought a convenient new transit option to Copley Square, the Orange Line. The old Back Bay Station, circa 1910. Note the majestic, intricate architecture of the building. Image courtesy Boston Public Library. 1970 aerial of the Pike and, to the right, the South End. In the foreground is the old Pike exit ramp in Copley Square on top of which Copley Place sits today. Circled in red is the old Back Bay Station; the purple square denotes the future location of the 100 Clarnedon Garage, which will be built on top of the Pike in the mid-1970s. The blue arrow shows the path of the new Boston and Albany Railroad median along the Pike, and the green arrow shows the still-in-use (for another 17 years) NY NH & H RR median coming from Roxbury. Image copyright Steve McGinn via Dirty Old Boston. 1979 view of the new Boston and Albany Railroad median, by now owned by the MBTA, approaching the old Back Bay Station, the brick building up ahead. By now, the 100 Clarnedon Garage has been built; it is visible to the left of the old Back Bay Station. If you look at the last photo, the photographer of this photo would have been standing just behind the tip of the blue arrow, in the grassy vacant lot occupied by the Pike exit ramp in Copley Square. Image copyright Steve Dunham. The new Back Bay Station, opened in 1987, on Dartmouth Street. Copley Square was most positively affected by the Southwest Corridor's construction in the St. Botolph Street neighborhood, a section of the South End which closely abuts Copley Square and Huntington Avenue. For years, the South End as a whole had been one of Boston's poorest neighborhoods, plagued by rampant decay, overcrowding and crime. 1963 photograph taken from an alley in the St. Botolph Street neighborhood. Up ahead is the under-construction Prudential Tower nearing completion. As is evident from the surrounding, the neighborhood is not is very good shape—litter covers the thoroughfare, and piles of garbage line its sides. The construction of the Southwest Corridor dramatically changed the South End. Firstly, the construction of the Corridor and the re-routing of the Orange Line through it meant the end of the Washington Street Elevated, which was torn down promptly with the opening of the new Orange Line. The Elevated had cast a dark shadow upon Washington Street, the South End's main thoroughfare, since 1901, and with the new sunlight shining down onto the Street came a new beginning for the South End, for better or for worse, as the South End became a more desirable place to live. Subsequently, the South End experienced significant real estate development and accordingly gentrification. The area around Northampton Station on the El in the South End in 1979. Buildings have a run-down appearance, and the block on Washington Street is dominated by a large vacant lot. In the distance is the John Hancock Tower, completed just four years previously. Image copyright Joe Testagrose. Washington Street in the South End at the former location of Northampton Station today. The vacant lot shown in the previous photograph now hosts a sparkling new real estate development, and the older buildings have been beautifully restored. On the right is a Silver Line bus; the Silver Line Bus Rapid Transit system is the replacement for the Washington Street Elevated in the South End. Even before the area of the South End around Washington Street began to gentrify, the St. Botolph Street neighborhood experienced gentrification with the opening of Southwest Corridor Park in 1987. Where there once was a railroad median now ran a sparkling new linear park, built on top of the new Southwest Corridor, lush with grass, walking/biking paths and community gardens. With a fresh new park replacing train tracks perceived as noisy and dirty, yet efficient trains still running through the neighborhood and providing residents with convenient public transit access, as well as the neighborhood's proximity to Copley Square, the St. Botolph Street quickly became the highly-desirable district is is today. 1930 aerial view of the St. Botolph Street neighborhood, located between the blue arrow, which denotes Huntington Avenue, and the red arrow, which denotes the old NY NH & H RR median running through the neighborhood. Circled in orange are Back Bay (NY NH & H RR) and Trinity Place (B & A RR) stations, and circled in green is the old park at the center of Copley Square and what was then the intersection of Huntington Avenue and Boylston Street. Image courtesy Boston Public Library. Southwest Corridor Park, with (left to right) the Prudential Center, Copley Place, the John Hancock Tower, the Berkeley Building and a new residential high rise, One Back Bay, located on Clarnedon Street towards Copley Square from the Garage at 100 Clarnedon. Yet with all of these changes, Copley Square remains much the same as it has always has been; it has simply been kept up with the times. Copley Square's institutions remain among the most prestigious and emblematic in Boston, from intellectual institutions like the Boston Public Library to classic grand hotels such as the Copley Square Hotel, Copley Plaza Hotel and Lenox Hotel. Many classic Copley Square buildings still remain—the Boston Public Library's McKim Building for one, as well as the Boston Society of Natural History's (now the Boston Museum of Science) former headquarters and all three John Hancock Buildings, as well as Trinity and Old South Churches and many more. Boylston Street in 1900, already laden with the high traffic that would later necessitate the construction of the Huntington Avenue Subway (see my "E Branch" article). Circled in red is the building which at the time housed the Boston Society of Natural History. The building remains in the same exact location today and, following its sale in the late 1940s, housed a branch of the department store Bonwit-Teller and Company until Louis Boston moved in in 1989. Louis Boston moved in 2010 to the Innovation (Seaport) District, and the building presently houses a Restoration Hardware (RH) furniture store. The original John Hancock Building, renamed the Stephen L.. Brown Building in 2001, in Copley Square. The Brown Building was completed in 1922 and continues to be owned by John Hancock to this day, even after the completion of the Berkeley Building in 1947 and the John Hancock Tower in 1975. What Copley Square lost to urban renewal was quickly returned—the Mechanics Building gave way to the Prudential Center and the nearby Hynes Convention Center (opened in 1988 further down Boylston Street by the corner of Boylston and Dalton, next to Massachusetts Station), the SS Pierce grocery headquarters gave way to Copley Place, the Trinity Court apartments gave way to high rises such as One Back Bay, the old park by Boylston and Huntington gave way to a new one, and so on and so forth. Very few vacant lots remain along the Pike in Copley Square; with their prime location, almost all have been re-developed or are now being redeveloped with fresh infrastructure. Vacant lot by Stanhope Street in Copley Square. To the left is the Pike, and up ahead is the 100 Clarnedon Garage. The Google Street View shown here is out of date; in 2013, a new park, Frieda Garcia Park, opened on this lot. However, the Pike's construction left it vacant for over forty years. 1938 Bromley map showing buildings on the lot above, between Stanhope Street and the old B & A RR right-of-way where the Pike now runs. These buildings were demolished to make way for the Pike, and the lot sat vacant for almost forty years before its redevelopment. Map courtesy Ward Maps. Even Copley Square's transit options remain roughly the same, albeit with some significant changes to better address modern trends. Streetcars still stop in Copley Square as they have for one hundred and fifty years, dating back to horsecars, at the same subway station they have stopped at since 1914. Routes once operated the the Boston and Albany & New York, New Haven and Hartford railroads still run through and stop in Copley Square, albeit operated by different companies—the MBTA and Amtrak—and on significantly modified infrastructure—the railroad tracks on the side of the Mass Pike as opposed to the full B & A RR right-of-way that traversed the same route, and the Southwest Corridor as opposed to the old NY NH & H RR right-of-way and embankment that ran through the St. Botolph Street neighborhood and Roxbury. On a local level, the B & A RR's Highland Branch commuter railroad that served Brookline, Newton and Weston still runs today as a streetcar line, the D Branch of the T's Green Line, and serves Copley Square just as it used to, though it stops in the streetcar subway station as opposed to at Trinity Place. The rest of the trains that pass through Copley today, including the new Orange Line, stop at the new Back Bay Station, which opened in 1987. Quite literally, much of old Copley Square remains concealed under the new. When the Prudential Center was built on the site of the Boston and Albany Railroad's old yard in Copley Square, the tracks were never removed; rather, the buildings and roads were built on top of them. To this day, expansion joints remain in the street throughout the Prudential Center development to hold the road together and ensure that the pavement does not break apart and infrastructure does not shift as the tracks below, which are sensitive to changing temperatures, contract and expand with Boston's fluctuating climate. Ring Road in Copley Square, which cuts across the Prudential Center to connect Boylston Street and Huntington Avenue. The tracks in the street visible above are expansion joints, which keep the street from breaking apart as the train tracks below expand and contract as the seasons progress. While the construction of the Mass Pike and the Prudential Center destroyed several significant parts of Boston's infrastructure, their construction created a vital artery for Boston that brought the city up to date transportation wise and made the city significantly better equipped to handle car traffic, as well as a hub of public shopping and dining in Boston that satisfied a growing demand for office space, hotel rooms and general entertainment. Driving through Boston would have been a nightmare today had the Pike had not been constructed, as the major streets leading to downtown (Huntington, Boylston, Commonwealth, etc.) date back to when streetcars ruled Boston's streets and cars were exclusive to the upper classes and accordingly can get extremely congested with car traffic. While Copley Square has undergone significant change over the years, much of the old remains and is well complemented by the new. Which is what makes Copley Square an epitome of Boston. One need only take a walk through the Back Bay, the South End, Beacon Hill, the Fenway and much of Dorchester and Mattapan, or compare these districts to an old Bromley map, to see just how much original real estate has been preserved and how consistent much of the layout of Boston has remained over the years. Yet even so, new developments, particularly real estate in the South End, have arisen over the years that are consistent with the city's original architecture and satisfy the growing demand for real estate and other urban resources in Boston, all of which goes to show that like Copley Square, Boston as a whole is a city that stays up to the times not only by starting from scratch, but by preserving existing historical infrastructure and bringing it in line with the present, ensuring that Boston's rich history will remain for years to come.

2019-04-22T02:49:08Z

http://www.bostonstreetcars.com/copley-square.html

Lymphopenia is a frequent event during Glioblastoma (GBM) disease progression and treatment. Treatment-related lymphopenia is profound and prolonged and can be used as a prognostic factor for GBM patients 1). Lymphopenia in patients with glioblastoma (GBM) is related to treatment as well as disease progression. A retrospective study investigated the prevalence, influencing factors, recoverability, and clinical significance of lymphopenia in GBM patients treated with concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). A total of 219 patients with newly diagnosed GBM who had received at least 3 cycles of adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) followed by CCRT with TMZ were enrolled. Serial data on complete blood cell counts, including differential cell counts, were collected just before a new phase and before every treatment cycle of the regimen. Relationships between white blood cell (WBC) variable changes and treatment modalities as well as survival were analyzed. Lymphopenia was classified using the definition of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0. A total of 92 patients (42.0%) showed decreased levels of lymphocytes (< 1500/µL) at baseline. The WBC count, absolute neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were all significantly decreased after RT/TMZ treatment and did not recover during the adjuvant TMZ period. However, these metrics all began to recover 3 months after the last TMZ cycle, except for the lymphocyte count. The proportion of lymphopenia patients (< 1500 lymphocytes/µL) increased to 74.8% after RT/TMZ and remained steady at approximately 71.5% (range 63.7-75.3%) throughout the management period. Moreover, the number of patients with grade 3 lymphopenia (< 500 lymphocytes/µL) also increased significantly after treatment to reach 2.9% (from 0.9% at baseline). Statistically, 75.7% of lymphopenia patients were predicted to recover in a median time of 240.3 days (95% confidence interval ± 104.7 days) after TMZ withdrawal. There were no dose-dependent relationships between RT or TMZ and lymphopenia. Grade 3 (< 500 lymphocytes/µL) lymphopenia measured at 1 month after RT/TMZ predicted significantly reduced survival (13.0 months vs. 19.5 months, p = 0.011). Lymphopenia is a frequent event during GBM disease progression and treatment. Treatment-related lymphopenia is profound and prolonged and can be used as a prognostic factor for GBM patients 2). 2: Byun HK, Kim N, Yoon HI, Kang SG, Kim SH, Cho J, Baek JG, Chang JH, Suh CO. Clinical predictors of radiation-induced lymphopenia in patients receiving chemoradiation for glioblastoma: clinical usefulness of intensity-modulated radiotherapy in the immuno-oncology era. Radiat Oncol. 2019 Mar 27;14(1):51. doi: 10.1186/s13014-019-1256-6. PubMed PMID: 30917849; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6436232. 3: Hui CY, Rudra S, Ma S, Campian JL, Huang J. Impact of overall corticosteroid exposure during chemoradiotherapy on lymphopenia and survival of glioblastoma patients. J Neurooncol. 2019 Mar 12. doi: 10.1007/s11060-019-03146-7. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30864102. 4: Maraka S, Groves MD, Mammoser AG, Melguizo-Gavilanes I, Conrad CA, Tremont-Lukats IW, Loghin ME, O'Brien BJ, Puduvalli VK, Sulman EP, Hess KR, Aldape KD, Gilbert MR, de Groot JF, Alfred Yung WK, Penas-Prado M. Phase 1 lead-in to a phase 2 factorial study of temozolomide plus memantine, mefloquine, and metformin as postradiation adjuvant therapy for newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Cancer. 2019 Feb 1;125(3):424-433. doi: 10.1002/cncr.31811. Epub 2018 Oct 25. Erratum in: Cancer. 2019 Apr 15;125(8):1387. PubMed PMID: 30359477. 5: Chongsathidkiet P, Jackson C, Koyama S, Loebel F, Cui X, Farber SH, Woroniecka K, Elsamadicy AA, Dechant CA, Kemeny HR, Sanchez-Perez L, Cheema TA, Souders NC, Herndon JE, Coumans JV, Everitt JI, Nahed BV, Sampson JH, Gunn MD, Martuza RL, Dranoff G, Curry WT, Fecci PE. Sequestration of T cells in bone marrow in the setting of glioblastoma and other intracranial tumors. Nat Med. 2018 Sep;24(9):1459-1468. doi: 10.1038/s41591-018-0135-2. Epub 2018 Aug 13. Erratum in: Nat Med. 2019 Mar;25(3):529. PubMed PMID: 30104766; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6129206. 6: Chaskis E, Luce S, Goldman S, Sadeghi N, Melot C, De Witte O, Devriendt D, Lefranc F. [Early postsurgical temozolomide treatment in newly diagnosed bad prognosis glioblastoma patients: Feasibility study]. Bull Cancer. 2018 Jul - Aug;105(7-8):664-670. doi: 10.1016/j.bulcan.2018.05.006. Epub 2018 Jun 22. French. PubMed PMID: 29937336. 7: Suryadevara CM, Desai R, Abel ML, Riccione KA, Batich KA, Shen SH, Chongsathidkiet P, Gedeon PC, Elsamadicy AA, Snyder DJ, Herndon JE 2nd, Healy P, Archer GE, Choi BD, Fecci PE, Sampson JH, Sanchez-Perez L. Temozolomide lymphodepletion enhances CAR abundance and correlates with antitumor efficacy against established glioblastoma. Oncoimmunology. 2018 Feb 21;7(6):e1434464. doi: 10.1080/2162402X.2018.1434464. eCollection 2018. 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2019-04-24T18:22:57Z

https://operativeneurosurgery.com/doku.php?id=lymphopenia_in_glioblastoma

This week to summarise a great 2014, we give the top ten International Teams their annual report card using a marking system of 0-10, and as this is a Canadian site, we also have a look at how the Canuck men and women’s teams did over the year. So without any further ado we’ll start off in Buenos Aires. Let’s face it, overall it has been a great year for Los Pumas and a superb platform on which to build for this year’s World Cup. If they can keep up the momentum of last year, then Argentina could be a serious contender for some significant upsets at RWC 2015. On the basis of their current form they should easily qualify as runners-up in their pool and thus go to a quarter-final with either France or Ireland. If it’s France, then you could see them going all the way to the semi-finals – heady stuff and is reminiscent of 2007. Argentina under new coach Daniel Hourcade were very impressive in 2014. We got an inkling of what they might do during Ireland’s tour of Argentina in June. With many of their top players just returned from an exhausting season of French rugby, and Hourcade wisely resting some of his stars in preparation for the Rugby Championship, a second string Pumas side made Ireland work hard in both their matches. This left many of us wondering how a full strength Puma side with a sprinkling of the new talent we saw on hand in June would do. We were not disappointed. In Argentina’s opening game of the Rugby Championship in South Africa, under a torrential downpour complete with hail, Argentina were unlucky to lose and for much of the match had the better of the Springboks. In the return fixture in Argentina, Los Pumas as expected took their game to another level and were unlucky to lose by the smallest of margins to a Springbok side that they outplayed for seventy minutes. It was this seventy minute issue that denies them a ten out of ten score for me. In all but the last game of the Rugby Championship this was Argentina’s weakness. They played a great 70 minutes but seemed to run out of steam and ideas after this causing them to settle for narrow loss after narrow loss. Hourcade obviously worked hard with his team and by the end of the Rugby Championship in the last game against Australia, the Pumas finally figured out the formula for playing a full eighty minutes. The result – their first ever win in the Rugby Championship. On their tour of Europe in November, they came unstuck against Scotland despite a late comeback, pulled off an unimpressive victory over Italy, but gave France all kinds of concerns for this year’s World Cup by ending their year with an impressive win in Paris. As they prepare for this year, they do so knowing they have probably the best scrum in the world, an impressive set of forwards, a strong midfield and an exciting backline. Hourcade and Captain Agustin Creevy did a fantastic job in 2014 of building a truly world-class team, and we all look forward to seeing them take it up a notch in 2015. Given the talent they have Australia should have scored a lot better than the 7/10 I am giving them. However, for whatever reason they consistently stopped short of greatness this year. Having said that, I doubt very much that this will be the case in 2015 – this is a team getting ready to peak at just the right time for the World Cup. Still, enough talk of what could be and more on what was. Australia started their International campaign in 2014 under coach Ewen Mckenzie on a bright note, with a well executed dismissal of a weary and fractured French side in three tests in Australia in June. However, some of the problems stemming from attitude issues in the Australian camp reared their head in the second French test as an overconfident and perhaps slightly arrogant Wallaby side struggled to keep the French at 6-0 in one of the strangest Tests we saw all year. This wake up call however served to do the Wallabies some good as Australia comprehensively thrashed the French in the third and final test. Then came the Rugby Championship which all looked so promising for Australia only to end in tears. Australia would blow hot one test and then luke warm the next, coupled with all kinds of off field political drama worthy of one of Mexico’s best soap operas. The Wallabies started the Championship with a nail biting draw against an off form New Zealand and took credit for finally breaking the All Blacks winning streak. They then travelled to New Zealand and were mere schoolboys in a clinical pounding by the All Blacks. Against South Africa next, they produced a superb display and showed the finishing power for eighty minutes that South Africa lacked. From here on however, Australia fell into disarray and despite individual displays of brilliance by a group of very talented players it ultimately didn’t translate into a consistent run of wins. At home against Argentina they looked in danger of losing the match in the dying minutes as a proud Argentinian side made a valiant comeback. In South Africa, they imploded in the last ten minutes, allowing South Africa to run in three unanswered tries. It was the last match in Argentina that perhaps best summed up the Wallabies’ woes. With the team at loggerheads with beleaguered coach Ewen Mckenzie and some members of the team displaying an arrogance akin to spoilt schoolboys, Argentina took advantage of a divided and confused team, using their devastating scrum to attack the key weakness of Australia all year – a consistent and solid forward performance. Yes there was an unfortunate laser incident at the match, but even without that Argentina would still have one by one point, they simply out-muscled and outmaneuvered Australia for 80 minutes. It was this lack of forward prowess coupled with some questionable attitudes by some of the players that ultimately cost Australia the Championship and much of their November tour to Europe. Despite starting off on a winning note against the Welsh, the rest of Australia’s tour was not much to write home about, losing to the French, Irish and English. However, Australia can take heart from the fact that new Coach Michael Cheika was given a baptism of fire by inheriting the team two weeks before the tour, and to give him and the team credit, there was some definite improvements seen in November both in terms of attitude and skill. So although Australia underperformed in 2014, there is still much to look forward to in 2015. Some key players are returning to the Wallaby fold in 2015 to help address some of their forward pack issues, and with the world class talent they have in their midfield and back line then this is a team to be very wary of. They will only get better as the year progresses and all the other possible World Cup contenders will need to take serious note – underestimate this sleeping giant at your peril. In much the same way as Australia, this is a team who on paper should have done so much better in 2014 than they did. As hosts of this year’s World Cup, England needed to consolidate their team and unfortunately this is still very much a team under construction. I can’t help feeling that mistakes were made in not choosing players on the basis of actual form as opposed to supposed potential. Nowhere was this more evident than in the continual search for a settled number 10. For me, I can’t help feeling that George Ford should have been given the starting number 10 shirt for the November Internationals, instead of for just the last two Tests against Samoa and Australia. That being said however, in the pressure cooker that was England’s final Test of the year, against Australia Ford passed with flying colors and if Stuart Lancaster is serious about taking the Webb Ellis trophy this October, then Ford should be given as much game time as possible to build his experience. For me this would mean him getting the number 10 shirt for all of England’s Six Nations games. What surprised me the most was how poorly England’s backline and centre pairings worked overall. Sure there were individual flashes of brilliance but nothing consistent and players that we expected so much from such as Mike Brown never really fired at every match. Once again this probably can be traced back to the indecision surrounding the number nine and ten positions, but it nevertheless was disappointing when we all know how much talent is there. England’s Six Nations campaign was disappointing and a case of so close yet so far. Follow this up with a tough but ultimately disappointing tour to New Zealand, where England were competitive for all three Tests, especially in the second match, but somehow just couldn’t find that last few plays to finish off the All Blacks. The November tests were in short a nightmare for the Men in White, and by the time the Australian test rolled around, the pressure on England was enormous. However, despite it being too little too late to change the overall tone of the year, England dug deep and produced their best performance of 2014. It seemed that they had finally found the combinations from 1-10 that click, if they can do that for 11-15 then they will truly be a major threat for the World Cup this year. The performance of England’s forwards in their last Test of the year against Australia that produced that vital win is rapidly becoming the stuff of legends. It was vintage rugby and gave England the much-needed confidence booster they so desperately needed going into 2015. We now wait for the Six Nations with bated breath to see if we will finally see the finished English product – if we do the Webb Ellis trophy could well be theirs for the taking. We all know what the French can do, it’s just they do it so very rarely these days. In a country that produces some of the best club rugby in the world, admittedly shored up by a huge influx of quality foreign players, it always amazes me that the fortunes of French rugby have been so dismal in the last few years. Yes there are coaching problems aplenty in France and much of the discord between coaches and players is a significant contributing factor to France’s woes on the pitch, but they still should be doing so much better in spite of this as that French flair is always lurking in the background waiting to be let loose. France started the year with a Six Nations campaign that looked like it might go their way after the win against England in the opening round but thereafter it all went horribly wrong for Les Bleus. Up against a determined Irish side wanting to give their beloved Brian O’Driscoll one last piece of silverware to hold, France were ultimately outclassed in final match in Paris, and it became clear that the talent pool France is working with at present is not vintage France. A weary French squad dragged themselves onto the plane to Australia in June after the usual exhausting French club season and were essentially annihilated in three Tests, leaving them demoralised and confused. Come the autumn Tests, salvation reared its head in finding the superb Camille Lopez at fly half, the spectacular Teddy Thomas on the wing and Aaron Spedding at fullback. However, despite the shock win over Australia, France were ultimately undone by an Argentinian side determined to make a statement in their last match. Coach Philippe Saint- Andre and his players don’t seem to be on the same wavelength, and there isn’t anybody waiting in the wings who might be able to step in and address this fundamental disconnect between players and coaching staff. It remains to be seen in 2015 if this can be fixed. If it can then given some of the emerging talent in the French team, this sleeping giant of world rugby could once again regain their status of World Cup dark horses. For now though, it’s all about finding something to cheer about in the Six Nations. For the sake of the game and a sense of spectacle in 2015 let’s hope that French flair is back in fashion! How to build a world-class side in 12 months. Hire a coach with a brilliant tactical mind who has a good understanding of how your provincial rugby works and its strengths and weaknesses. Take the talent that is available in the provinces and give them solid game time in important matches and develop a strong second string. Make sure you develop depth available to you come selection time. Lastly focus on each match at hand and less on the future and what could be. Under Joe Schmidt’s tenure this is exactly what happened in 2014, resulting in Ireland being the most improved team this year and finishing the year number three in the IRB world rankings. In short, impressive. Ireland thrilled us all with some great running rugby, solid tactical play and phenomenal defence. Every Irish player selected to wear the green jersey this year rose to the occasion. Sure they were’nt always perfect and they are certainly not the All Blacks’ equals yet but they are narrowing the gap and definitely helping close the gulf between Northern and Southern Hemisphere rugby. Perhaps most impressive of all was the depth that Ireland developed this year and how quickly they were able to adapt and improve on mistakes from previous matches. In a year where many in the Irish media were concerned with Ireland’s significant injury list, by the end of it, there was a feeling that for every first choice player for a position there is a more than adequate understudy ready to step up. This is superb preparation for a World Cup. Ireland were superb in the Six Nations, with only the narrow loss to England dampening their spirits. As deserved Six Nations champions many were concerned that the end of the Six Nations saw the departure of Irish national treasure Brian O’Driscoll. The emotional scenes at the Aviva stadium at the end of the game against Italy and O’Driscoll’s last appearance in front of the Landsdowne faithful said it all. It was therefore with bated breath that we watched Ireland’s first foray against an under strength Pumas side in two Tests in Argentina in June. Although Ireland won both matches it wasn’t without a struggle, and I must say I for one was not overly hopeful of Ireland’s chances come the Autumn Tests. Come November and despite a daunting injury list to some key players, Ireland worked hard and delivered in two superb performances against Australia and South Africa, along with a solid showing of some of Ireland’s rising talent in the match against Georgia. Of particular note was Ireland’s game against South Africa. Ireland shut down all of the Springboks danger men while their forwards were fast and accurate at the breakdown, in short a clinical dismantling of all of South Africa’s strengths. In the game against Australia, which was much closer and left the crowd on the edge of their seats for eighty minutes after a first half try fest from both sides, Ireland held their nerve and discipline and carved out a narrow but convincing win. There is still lots of work to do for Ireland to truly deserve the mantle of dark horse for this year’s World Cup, but there is no doubt that 2014 saw them build an exceptionally solid platform. With the return from injury of several of Ireland’s key players this year, you know that this team is only going to get stronger. Combine a team growing in confidence and developing some serious depth with one of the best coaching minds in the International game and 2015 really could be a champagne year for Ireland! If you’re an Italian supporter, 2014 is probably a year you will want to forget. Italy started their Six Nations campaign with intent against Wales but come round three and a 1 point loss to Scotland, the wheels quite literally fell off for the Italians as they received thumping defeats at the hands of England and Ireland. Add to that a disastrous tour of the Pacific which saw them lose to Fiji, Samoa and Japan, so that by the time the November Internationals rolled around there really wasn’t much to get excited about in Italy. It wasn’t all gloom and doom though in November. A convincing rematch with Samoa saw Italy this time emerge triumphant. What epitomised Italy’s woeful year however was losing their next autumn test to Argentina. This was a game Italy should have won against a Pumas side that only just showed up on the day. A spirited performance from the Italians in an effort to salvage some pride then saw them hold South Africa level for the first half of their last Test of the year, only to see South Africa have to throw everything at the Azurri in the second half, which eventually saw an exhausted and frustrated Springbok side claw out a 22-6 victory. Italy is a competitive team, but is woefully inconsistent at the moment, perhaps not helped by their whipping boy status at club level in the European Champions Cup so far this season. It remains to be seen how they will do in this year’s Six Nations and I hope for their sake that some of the obvious talent they have will come to the fore, otherwise it is going to be a long and disappointing year for the Azurri which will make their troubles in 2014 seem minor. Look let’s face it, they had one poor game this year. The opening game of the Rugby Championship in which they drew with Australia. Other than that New Zealand were THE complete team this year, as much as perhaps some of us hate to admit it – just as they were last year. Coach Steve Hansen has got the best out of his charges again this year and there is no question that should their form continue they will be the team to beat at this year’s World Cup. In a year that saw them without star fly-half, Dan Carter, lo and behold they found themselves blessed with two high quality number 10s as replacements and who both have many years ahead of them. Beauden Barrett and Aaron Cruden were simply outstanding and left the All Blacks wanting for very little. Add to that the find of the year in Brodie Retallick at number 4, and the list goes on. Julian Savea and Ben Smith provided some of the most memorable tries of the year. Richie McCaw was his usual unbreakable self despite being under heightened scrutiny from referees throughout the year. The All Black scrum was a pillar of strength throughout the year and were only really challenged by the Pumas scrum. New Zealand also showed that they were the masters of closing out big games and how to play the last ten minutes. Time and again we saw them return from the edge of disaster only to then blow their opponents aside in the last ten minutes. There is so much quality and depth in this All Black side at the moment, that Steve Hansen is the only coach in International Rugby who is truly spoilt for choice in selecting players for all 15 positions. The interplay between all 15 New Zealand players on the field is superb and they have a superb understanding of where they all are at any given moment in a match. This makes them a very, very difficult proposition to beat. An injury list for New Zealand unlike for the rest of the top teams seems not to be a concern. In short, there is not much to say about New Zealand in 2014. They were simply the best and it will take an exceptionally talented and focused team to wrestle the Webb Ellis trophy away from them this year. The only question on everyone’s lips is have they peaked too soon and can they actually win the World Cup away from New Zealand? Remember they have never done this since the tournament’s inaugural competition in New Zealand in 1987. It’s a big question, but right now I would have to err on the side of New Zealand of being more than capable of putting such doubts to rest in 2015 – for the rest of the world the benchmark has been set. Can anyone upset the All Black juggernaut when it matters most in 2015? We wait and see! Some might argue this is an unfair score given the exceptional rejuvenation of Scotland in the November Tests. However, November was only one month in a rather long and painful year for Scotland. The positive is that under new coach Vern Cotter the team was effectively reborn in November and there is much to be excited about in Scottish rugby heading into 2015. However, for much of 2014 it was a lonely, cold year for Scottish rugby fans as their team failed in Test after Test. The Six Nations was for the most part a depressing affair, with some record and embarrassing scorelines against the Scots. There was some salvation in the one point win over Italy and the narrow loss to France, but apart from that it was a pretty dismal experience. The summer tour however showed some promise with wins against Argentina and the USA and a close fought victory over Canada. However it all ended in tears as an exhausted Scotland were annihilated in South Africa at the end of a summer tour which should leave most of the team with a healthy air miles balance for the next year. Then came November and hints of what could have been all year finally came to light in no uncertain terms. Egged on by the fantastic success of Glasgow Warriors in this season’s European club competitions Scotland came out of the blocks in November as a team on fire. Their opening game against Argentina was inspirational to watch and saw them get a well deserved 41-31 victory in a thrilling display of fast paced running rugby. The Gray brothers, Richie and Jonny were fantastic and helped ensure that Argentina’s forward dominance was put to the test for the full eighty minutes, while Greg Laidlaw’s boot kept Scotland on target throughout the match. It was a great team performance which was then followed up by a superb effort against the mighty All Blacks. Although Scotland lost the match the improvements and motivation of the Scottish players were there for all to see. The final thumping of the Tongans and Scotland’s superb five tries sealed an extremely productive month for the Scots. Furthermore they have answered their critics that they are now a potent try scoring machine. The revival of this proud rugby nation this year has been great to watch and we are all looking forward to a Scotland that instead of duking it out with Italy for the wooden spoon at Six Nations time, has the potential to cause some major upsets and even challenge for the silverware. I’m going to be honest here, South Africa were lucky to get a 7, and only really get it on the basis of their win over England in November and beating the All Blacks in the last game of the Rugby Championship. For the rest of the year this was a pretty mediocre team despite flashes of brilliance. Where the blame lays, is hard to say. Most readers of these pages know that I don’t hold Heineke Meyer in very high regard, and on the basis of this year’s performance by the Springboks do not feel he is the right man to take the Boks to the World Cup – despite it being too late to change that now. Still enough of the coach what about the team. South Africa started the year well enough by beating Wales comprehensively in the first of two tests in June, but then almost came horribly unstuck in the second test managing to claw out a one point win. Despite being rattled by this narrow escape they then went on to put 55 points past Scotland. Then came the Rugby Championship. In their opening game in Pretoria against a fired up Pumas side in appalling weather conditions they managed to emerge the victors but the display was far from convincing. In Argentina a week later the Springboks were completely outplayed for 75 minutes and it was only the Pumas inability to close out big games that saw South Africa emerge the victors 33-31. In Australia, they threw the game against the Wallabies but found some redemption a week later in holding the All Blacks close, but still unable to topple the All Black machine. Back in South Africa the Springboks finally managed to find their rhythm and played two superb games, running in three unanswered tries against Australia in the final ten minutes to emerge the deserved winner in Cape Town and finally managing to be the first team to break the All Blacks unbroken record in 2014 in Johannesburg. For me the key decisions were at the coaching level as Heineke Meyer finally got his charges to stop kicking away good possession and also choosing the right players, in particular putting in Patrick Lambie at fly half instead of the brilliant but inexperienced Handre Pollard and giving Cobus Reinach the chance to shine at scrum half as opposed to Francois Hougaard who I feel is one the most overrated players in South African rugby. Then came November, and Meyer seemed to forget everything the Springboks had learned in the closing rounds of the Rugby Championship as they were clinically dismantled by a very well organised Ireland. South Africa played a woeful kicking game while Hougaard and Pollard were chosen once more as starting number nine and ten and showed levels of incompetence that left many speechless. In a performance that to many displayed a certain degree of arrogance in thinking that the Irish were inferior opponents, South Africa were quite literally handed their shirts. To their credit they then ate humble pie and went back to the combinations that worked in the dying stages of the Rugby Championship and produced a superb performance against England that showed just how good a team they can be when they get the basics right and use the right players. After that they then slipped back into their old ways as they struggled for much of the game against Italy and really only managed to claw a scrappy win in the last twenty minutes of the game. Their final performance against Wales which they lost and sadly saw a horrific injury to Captain Jean de Villiers, was one of their worst games all year. Perhaps what was most alarming was the decline in form as the year wore on of star fullback Willie le Roux. He started the year being one of the most exciting players in Test Rugby, but by the November tests had been relegated to the status of schoolboy as a series of spectacularly poor performances made him have a year I am sure he would rather forget. Sure there were some standout players all year-long, Cornal Hendricks on the wing was always exciting to watch, Duane Vermeulen at number eight was rightly nominated as one of the players of the year and Jean De Villiers as Captain epitomised the sportsmanship synonymous with our great game. But to be honest those were the highlights of a Springbok side brimming with talent but lacking the ability to consistently deliver results. Their biggest problem and one which must surely be a concern to every Springbok supporter is their inability to win away from home. Look at the results in 2014, three wins out of seven on the road. Considering they have to win all seven games at this year’s World Cup away from home – it’s not a promising track record. If they can fix this during this year’s Rugby Championship then make no mistake, this troubled side can once again be one of International Rugby’s great powerhouses. Wales promised so much all year-long but sadly failed to capitalise on many of the winning situations they found themselves in. In a Six Nations campaign that had flashes of what Wales could be but ultimately didn’t see them get into the top three, many Welsh fans were left disappointed. The summer tour to South Africa also was frustrating as the inability to finish off South Africa at the death in the second and final test left many feeling that Wales no longer had it in them to take on the Southern Hemisphere giants. November reinforced that belief as they lost a game they should have won against Australia and threw a game where until 65 minutes they had a dominant lead over the All Blacks. By the time of their final game of the year against South Africa, most people had written Wales off. Yes they managed a win, but the South Africans played so badly that day that it wasn’t exactly a benchmark performance by Wales. What is perhaps most surprising is that this Welsh team has heaps of talent. Dan Biggar at fly-half impressed all year, and Sam Warburton’s athleticism and sheer immunity to pain at times was the stuff of legends as he continued to rally not just his fellow forwards but the entire team. Leigh Halfpenny was always reliable at fullback and deserved the recognition he always gets. George North is always a potent threat on the wing and Welsh scrum half Rhys Webb had a particularly impressive November. So what’s not working? To be honest like most people, I don’t have an answer. This is a team that should be doing so much better than it does. They promise so much but ultimately seem to deliver so little. It remains to be seen if the morale boosting win over South Africa at the end of a woeful Welsh year will be enough to spark this talented group of individuals to Six Nations glory come February. If not, expect to see an early exit of the Welsh from the World Cup at the end of the year. So although not in the top ten International teams, as a Canadian site we now turn our attention to our national squad. We’re going to divide this into two sections – the men’s and women’s teams – especially as the spectacular performance of our women at the 2014 Womens’ World Cup detracted from a pretty dismal year for the men. Canada should have done better this year – enough said. Winning one out of six games is simply not good enough going into the World Cup, especially as we only played one of the top ten teams this year and lost. Furthermore to suffer a significant loss to the only pool opponent we have a chance of beating in this year’s World Cup, Romania, doesn’t bode well for World Cup glory. Canada played well at times and showed some definite flair all year-long, sometimes too much for my liking at the expense of the basics, but were constantly found lacking in the last ten minutes of every match they played. Even in the one game we won against Namibia, had the game been five minutes longer a consistent Namibian assault on a tiring Canadian defence would probably have seen the game swing in favour of the Namibians. As a result although happy to see Canada’s one win this year it was still far too close for my liking. Canada has talent and exciting players. Conor Trainor and DTH Van der Merwe in the back line always impress along with James Pritchard at fullback. Canada has strength, experience and physicality in their forwards through Jamie Cudmore and the emerging Nanyak Dala is an exciting talent to watch in the future. However as mentioned above, while they were great to watch at times this year, some of the basics went begging at key moments and a little less adventurous play and more emphasis on strengthening our core skills will serve Canada well this year. The men’s team should spend some time with the women’s’ team this year and if nothing else absorb some of the culture of winning big games that served our women so well in 2014. I think everyone would agree with me that we end the Lineout’s report card for 2014 with a gold star for Canada’s women who captured our and the rest of the world’s imagination at the 2014 Womens’ World Cup. This was, like the All Blacks, a complete team performance and was inspirational to watch. As I mentioned above the Canadian men could learn a lot from spending some time with this remarkable group of women in their own preparations for this year’s World Cup. Although Canada didn’t win the ultimate prize of the World Cup, their performance in this tournament made everyone and the rugby world in general sit up and take notice of them. Magali Harvey’s spectacular try against France in the semi-final has become the stuff of rugby legends and was a deserving nominee for try of the year. Captain Kelly Russell’s leadership of her team was an example to all and the spirit and commitment with which this team played throughout the tournament showcased all the best qualities of our great sport. At the end of the tournament I was delighted to see the Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper, devote a full color page to the women’s’ team saluting their performance. This and Canada’s effort in the World Cup has done wonders in elevating the status of the women’s’ game both here at home and overseas. So that’s it for 2014 – bring on 2015 and so much to look forward to! Thanks to all for your support this past year!

2019-04-22T09:28:17Z

https://therugbylineout.com/2015/01/01/the-lineouts-end-of-year-report-card/

Javed is a lawyer with Hill Dickinson his particular expertise covers, travel law, commercial contracts, media law and regulatory compliance, visas and immigration. His clients are major cruise operators, P&I insurance clubs, and certain UK ports. Kyriakos (Kerry) Anastassiadis is the CEO of Celestyal Cruises and the current Chairman of CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) Europe. Prior to taking the helm at Celestyal Cruises, Kerry distinguished himself as General Manager, CEO and President at renowned corporations such as The Coca-Cola Company, Procter & Gamble, Polaroid and Aujan Industries. Mr. Anastassiadis's mother tongues are Greek and English, and he is also fluent in French, Italian and Portuguese. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and raised in Southern Africa, Kerry studied Commerce at the University of Witwatersrand and obtained his postgraduate title in Market Research and Advertising. I’m responsible for recommending the optimal fleet deployment and to design the detailed plan, to coordinate all relevant stakeholders in their participation to the process, manage itinerary changes and supervise their implementation in all Company’s systems. After having reached a bachelor degree in Economic and a Master degree focus on development of relationship marketing, I began my career in Maconi Communication as Business Analyst where I worked for three years. In 2003 I began my experience in Costa Crociere, where I have had many roles: Business Analyst in the Business Intelligence and Datawarehouse, Decision Making Support before Analyst and afterwards Manager in Revenue Management department. From 2013 I started working in Itinerary Planning dept, last May I was appointed as Director. She has worked in the shipping industry for 37 years, first for Lloyd’s Register of Shipping before joining Seatrade’s editorial team in 1985. Mary had edited MedCruise News and MedCruise Yearbook since mid-2000. Nick Borbone is Head of Business Development for Trimline’s European Cruise portfolio as well as the Company’s defence account. With a deep maritime background, Nick joined Trimline in 2016 following a highly successful career in the Royal Navy. During his career, he saw service across the globe and commanded several ships including the Destroyer HMS Edinburgh. In his last appointment in the Royal Navy he worked as a communications advisor in the Ministry of Defence in London. Since joining Trimline, Nick has been focused on working closely with partners and clients in the cruise and defence sectors to ensure that Trimline’s reputation for quality, reliability and innovation is upheld, ensuring that the Company remains at the forefront of the global marine interior refurbishment industry. Paul is Marine Operations Manager at Disney Cruise Line, based in London. In this role he is responsible for global itinerary planning and European ports of call. He is a member of the CLIA Europe Ports and Destination Committee. Daniel is Chief Services Officer at River Advice, the leading independent management company of river cruise passenger ships based in Basel, Switzerland. His career in the river cruise industry started 1994. He is President of IG RiverCruise, the European River Cruise Association. Daniel started his career in 1994 with a Dutch river cruise company. 2000 he joined Viking River Cruises as VP Sales & Marketing. He left the shipping business for a couple of years and worked in a senior management position for the Culture & Convention Center in Lucerne before he joined River Advice in 2001. Daniel Buchmüller holds an MBA in Tourism & Leisure Management and a Marketing degree from the Universities of Salzburg/Austria and St. Gallen/Switzerland. Alessandro Carollo is Head of Port Operations - Europe, Middle East, Africa and India for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. His career in the maritime industry started in 2000 as port agent for several Italian and international agency service providers, (Medov and Inchcape Shipping Services among others). Responsible to deliver operational excellence, relationship management with authorities at both local and national level, selection and management of vendors and port agencies, development of new ports of call, as well as management of port costs budget for the three U.S. brands of RCCL; Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. Holds a PFSO certification and since 2014 he is a member of CLIA Europe’s Ports and Destinations sub-committee. Mr. Chrysostomou is responsible for managing the department of European Affairs covering these areas, including liaising with European institutions and other bodies or agencies. He is a seasoned professional in the shipping industry. Mr. Chrysostomou holds an MBA (Masters in business administration) and he graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, with a Bachelor of Engineering in naval architecture and shipbuilding. Before joining CLIA, Chrysostomou was Director of the Department of Merchant Shipping, the competent Authority for Maritime Affairs of the Government of the Republic Cyprus, and General Manager of Transmed Shipping Co., Ltd. He held senior management roles in fields such as safety and security, protection of the marine environment and administration. He also served as the elected Chairman of the Design and Equipment Subcommittee of the IMO and of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), one of the main Committees at IMO. He was twice elected Chairman of the International Mobile Satellite Organization (a UN agency) and served as member of the Board of Governors of the World Maritime University (WMU). He also served as President of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMAREST). Mr. Chrysostomou received the 2011 Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Shipping’ and the ‘Distinguished Public Service Award’ by the United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Coast Guard. He received the ‘Green Shipping Technology Award - Leading Shipping Personality of the Decade 2003 – 2013’ and in 2015, he was honoured with the ‘Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Award - International Personality of the Year’. Lars Clasen is a business economist with an international background in cruise, shipping and finance. As Managing Director he led in the founding of the AIDA Cruises brand in 1994. In 2000, he initiated and implemented a merger of AIDA and P&O Princess and became President of AIDA Cruises. He successfully strengthened AIDA’s position as the market leader in Germany and assisted with the sale/merger to Carnival Corporation. In 2004, he co-acquired the A-ROSA brand and river fleet. As CEO he led the company to become the leading German river cruise operator. In 2013, he started development work on The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. As Managing Director he is responsible for operations, finance and shares responsibility for strategic development. Fred has an MSc in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Helsinki University of Technology. He started his professional career at the Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard in 1978. During his 39 years with Wärtsilä he has held different positions in mostly sales oriented disciplines but also in corporate development and quality development. Ten of these 39 years has been in the USA and the last 17 years he has been Director for the Cruise Business. Fred is now based at Wärtsilä Headquarters in Helsinki. Fred has been active in promoting environmental solutions in the cruise world for many years as well as emphasizing the Total Lifecycle Cost approach in evaluating investments. David is Chairman of Maritime UK, a Director and Past President of the UK Chamber of Shipping, and a Board member of the European Community Shipowners Association (ECSA). David Dingle was appointed Chairman of Carnival UK in October 2014, having previously held the position of CEO from June 2007 with full operating responsibility for the UK-based brands P&O Cruises and Cunard. He entered the shipping industry in 1978 when he joined P&O’s Passenger Division. He is also Past Chairman of the European Cruise Council (now CLIA Europe), sits on the CLIA Europe Executive Committee as Vice Chairman and chairs its Tax Committee. David is a Younger Brother of Trinity House and holds an Honorary Doctorate in Business from Plymouth University. Felix Eichhorn (37) studied Business Management at the Economic Academy Hamburg. The native of Rostock has accompanied the unique growth of AIDA Cruises in various management positions of increasing responsibility for more than 17 years. Since September 1, 2015, Felix Eichhorn is heading the cruise company AIDA Cruises as President. Felix Eichhorn started his career at AIDA Cruises in 1999 with a dual studies program. In the following years, he held a wide variety of positions on board and ashore before assuming responsibility for sales and yield management of AIDA Cruises and Costa in Germany as Senior Vice President Sales, Yield Management & Flight Operation in 2013. In May 2014, Felix Eichhorn was appointed chairman of the committee Ship of the German Travel Organization (DRV). Frederik Erdmann is Seatrade's German cruise correspondent since 2002. As a maritime trade press correspondent and visiting lecturer of the Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, Frederik Erdmann concentrates on ferry and cruise ship management, port development as well as safety and security in passenger shipping. He is also a member of the Flensburg Chamber of Commerce's Tourism Committee. Following secondary school graduation he joined the port agency network, Sartori & Berger, on a vocational training program. After subsequent studies of Business Administration, Frederik Erdmann held various positions at Sartori & Berger until 2010. After a period of working with the Flensburg Chamber of Commerce, he was appointed Designated Person Safety/Security, Environment and Quality of the coastal ferry operator, Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei. Liz Gammon is a creative cruise marketing expert based in Iceland where she assists her clients make an impact on the world by creating innovative and effective marketing strategies that promote the long-term growth for their businesses and get them noticed. Her specialities include engaging content creation, social media management and digital storytelling. Liz’s past lives include a stint on the beauty counters of South Wales as a sales consultant, a decade spent travelling the world as a solo piano bar entertainer, time spent as popular licensed tour guide and eight years as manager of a busy shore excursions department. Her passion for the cruise industry and innovative marketing strategies has earned her global recognition along with several international awards for marketing achievements and innovative product development. Timo Hogestraat (40) studied interior architecture at the Peter Behrens School of Arts in Düsseldorf. The talented interior architect started his career at PSD in 2007. He learned cruise ship design from the scratch at Partner Ship Design. Today, Timo Hogestraat, is the creative head and visionary who creates cruise ships together with the owner and the entire team. Throughout the years Andra managed shore excursions in Asia, South America, Africa, India, South Pacific, and Australia/New Zealand and continues to manage and specialize in the regions of the Mediterranean and Middle East. Andra Howie has been a Manager of Shore Excursions for Holland America Line from 2005 then adding Seabourn in 2011 and Princess Cruises in 2014 as part of the Holland America Group. She started her cruise industry career as staff onboard ships in 2001 then moved to the Seattle office in 2003, holding positions in the Reservations then the International Sales departments before joining the Shore Excursions department. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration, International Business Concentration and a Bachelor of Arts, Italian Studies Major from Gonzaga University. Britta Konkel is a Manager for buying and sourcing and leading a team which is responsible for shoes and accessories for Bonprix, a leading international Fashion Company, which is one of the biggest members of the Otto Group. Britta started her career in 1999 in the same field, and was in charge of carpets and home decoration items. She graduated from University in Geography and Mathematics. Her passion is travelling (cruising, but also travelling individually) and she is interested in good food and sports (hiking and horse riding). Guido Laukamp, 49, has been Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director of nicko cruises Flussreisen GmbH since it has been taken over by Mystic Invest in August 2015. Under Guido’s leadership, the turnaround was achieved after only one year. nicko is now back on an expansion course, both on the most beautiful rivers of the world and on the high seas. Thanks to his past experience of more than eleven years with Viking River Cruises as Corporate Planner and Senior Vice President Europe, Guido knows the market of river cruising and small ships intimately. His strategic thinking and sales and marketing skills he developed in prior positions as consultant at McKinsey & Co. and at Mobil Oil. As Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Stuart provides leadership to Royal Caribbean International’s EMEA business, overseeing Royal Caribbean International UK & Ireland, and all three brands (Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises), across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A proven, dynamic leader with experience across the airline, hotel and dot.com sectors, Leven joined Royal Caribbean in 2013 with a clear vision to build a distinct brand and attract a new audience to cruise through strategic relationships with the trade and disruptive communication to consumers. The new role of Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) was created in December 2016, amidst growing interest in cruising across Europe and a clear opportunity for increased deployment in the region. The UK and Ireland market saw unprecedented growth under Leven’s tenure and his experience and expertise are key to ensure RCL Cruises Ltd. realizes its potential in Europe. Leven has an impressive 20-year track record of delivering sustainable profit growth through strategic alignment and new product development in the European leisure and hospitality industry. He previously held senior commercial roles with businesses such as Intercontinental Hotels Group and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Rita Berstad Maraak is Port director for Geirangerfjord cruise port (Stranda Port Authority). She has principal responsibility for ensuring a sustainable fjord system (finance, environment and security) that promotes business and commerce in the area and for the inhabitants. Rita's background centres around economy and marketing. She has working experience as a Director of Sales and Marketing in the hotel business and as a shipping agent. She has worked as an excursion leader and been involved in producing excursions and activities. She has worked as Managing Director of numerous local companies and has an active role within local politics. She took on the position of Port director in Stranda municipality in 2007. She is a member of the board for Cruise Norway and KS Bedrift havn, and is committed to the ongoing discussions around the environment and sustainability. She is one of the persons behind SUSTRANS – a research project aiming to develop an integrated sustainability appraisal methodology for transportation in rural tourism pressure areas. Roberto Martinoli is the CEO of Silversea and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2013. Prior to joining Silversea, Martinoli was the Chairman and CEO of Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV), a leading ferry company in the western Mediterranean. He currently retains his position of Chairman at Grandi Navi Veloci. Martinoli was President and COO of Norwegian Cruise Line (2009-2010) and Advisor to Apollo Global Management (2008 – 2009). He served as EVP Operations at Carnival Cruise Lines (2000 – 2008) and SVP at Costa Crociere S.p.A (1997 – 2000). He also owned and operated Martinoli SAM (1976 – 1997), a ship management and consulting company. Martinoli currently sits on the Board of Directors of Confitarma, Rome and Interferry Europe, Brussels. He also chairs the Short Sea Shipping Commission in Confitarma, and is a member of the association’s executive committee. He is the Chairman of European Shortsea Network (ESN). Martinoli holds a master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Genoa and attended an Executive Advanced Program at Kellogg School of Management Northwestern University, Illinois in 2006. Captain Michael McCarthy is the Commercial Manager for the Port of Cork Company Ireland, the current Chairman of Cruise Europe and past president of the Irish Institute of Master Mariners. He is a Class 1 Master Mariner and a University College Cork postgraduate in Management and Marketing. He has built up an extensive knowledge of the port and shipping sector over the last 46 years including many EU Funded Cruise and Motorway’s of the Seas Projects. Michael has served in many shipping roles from Deputy Harbour Master / Port Security / Operations and Terminal Manager; he was a Director / Marine Surveyor with Sea Service, Marine Cargo Insurance Surveyors and served 14 years at sea with Irish Shipping from Cadet to Master. Wybcke Meier was appointed new CEO of TUI Cruises on October 1, 2014. The qualified travel agent started her career at Fischer Reisen, where she held various positions with managerial responsibility for marketing and sales. After Fischer Reisen was sold to Condor Flugdienst GmbH, she was at the helm of the integration process of the tour operator into C&N Touristic AG. In 2000, Wybcke Meier became head of sales at “Via 1 – Schöner Reisen” online travel shopping channel in Hamburg. From 2002 to 2010, she headed sales and marketing as an authorized signatory and member of the management board at tour operator Öger Tours. Most recently, Wybcke Meier was managing director at Windrose Finest Travel and OFT. Carmen worked on-board in various media and revenue management roles for various cruise lines for almost 10 years, based out of Miami, before brief stints with Canon in the UK and Azkoyen in Spain. In 2013, Carmen joined Intercruises as Shorex Manager Asia, where she led shorex operations and product development across thirteen countries. In 2015 Carmen was promoted to Global Shore Excursions Manager, in charge of global product development and operation delivery, with a focus on innovation and adoption of new technology, including Augmented & Virtual Reality equipment, geo-localization systems and eLearning tools. Carmen is originally from Romania and is a keen photographer, capturing images of all her travel destinations. Sveinung Oftedal holds a Masters of Science in geophysics and is currently Specialist Director in the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment with focus on international negotiations on environmental requirements for the maritime sector. Has also been working with these issues in the Norwegian Maritime Directorate and for several years been acting as Norwegian Head of Delegation to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at the Marine Environment Protection Committee. He has been involved negotiations on the hot topics at the IMO such as Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Air Pollution, Ship Recycling, Ballast Water Management and others. Chairman of the PPR Sub-Committee at the IMO, and intersessional working group on reduction of GHG emissions from ships. As CEO, Gianni Onorato oversees MSC Cruises’ business from its Geneva-based headquarters and reports to the Company’s Board of Directors and to its Executive Chairman. With over 30 years’ experience in the cruise industry, Mr Onorato has a finely developed understanding of the cruise business and extensive experience in senior executive leadership, having served as President of Costa Cruises from 2004 to 2013. Mr Onorato began his career in 1986 at Costa Cruises as Food and Beverage Manager before becoming Cruise Product Director. From 1997 he served as Vice President & Cruise Operations Director and was responsible for logistics and provisioning, as well as all activities relating to calls, excursions and hotel operations. Effective February 1st, 2015, Neil Palomba has been appointed President of Costa Cruises. In this position, Neil has been guiding the organization to secure a profitable future through the delivery of innovative and customer oriented solutions with passion, style and quality. Palomba, Italian, 36 years old, joined Costa Cruises as Senior Vice President Hotel Operations & Guest Experience at the beginning of January 2014. Under Neil’s guidance, Costa achieved many improvements for Guests experience onboard. He substantially contributed to the success of the new flagship Costa Diadema which entered into service at the end of October 2014. Moreover he played a key role in developing the new Costa positioning “Italy’s finest”. Over the past months, Neil and his team’s contribution included a strong boost to Costa’s positioning, through the announcement of the order to build two next-generation cruise ships powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Before Costa, Neil gained tremendous experience in the cruise industry. He was project manager with MSC Cruises new builds department in 2001, in charge of coordinating all the departments involved in the new shipbuilding projects. In 2006 Neil was appointed Chief Operating Officer of MSC Sales and Marketing office based in Fort Lauderdale, overseeing USA, Canada, Caribbean and Mexico. In 2010 he was appointed Corporate Operating Officer based in Geneva. From 2010 to 2013 he was also Chairman of the Ports and Infrastructure Sub-Committee of European Cruise Council, representing the main European cruise lines (now CLIA Europe). Since May 2017 he is Member of the Executive Committee CLIA Europe. Olga has over 25 years of experience in aviation and port operations, joining British Airways in 1987 as an Operations Agent. During her thirteen year career with British Airways, Olga held the roles Duty Manager and Customer Service Manager at Barcelona airport, becoming responsible for all operations and direct revenue. In 2000 Olga joined Eurohandling UTE BCN, a start-up ground handling company, coaching and leading a team of 150 staff during a year-long project. In 2003 Olga joined Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services as Operations Director, responsible for international operations worldwide, encompassing over 60 countries and 300 ports. In 2016 Olga became Intercruises Managing Director and now leads the business. Olga has a Certificate in Management from Oxford Brooks University, an International MBA from La Salle, Manhattan College and has completed numerous business and operations training courses. Maria is global head of the Marine Trade and Energy Division of Hill Dickinson LLP with particular expertise in the Cruise and port industries dealing. Maria is a specialist in assisting in respect of incidents and accidents, minor or major, civil or criminal on land or at sea and has been involved in a number of high profile cases. She is a Health and Safety and Emergency response specialist offering proactive advice and training to clients on their responsibilities. Services include Data Protection, EU legislation, cyber security, crime at sea, shore excursions and other tour operator/ leisure activities including commercial agreements, charters and tickets. Maria chairs the Tourism and Consumer Affairs sub Committee for CLIA, and is on the ABTA advisory and UK Chamber of Shipping committees including Cruise and Ferry. Specialisms include crew CBA’s, MLC issues and litigation/ arbitration. Hill Dickinson was highly commended by Lloyds List ilaw for its work in the cruise industry in 2016 and Maria has received awards for personal injury lawyer of the year for services to the marine industry. In April 2016, Karl J. Pojer was selected Chairman of the Leadership of CLIA Germany. With his long-time expertise in the hotel and tourism industry, Pojer represents the growing cruise industry in this role. Born in Austria on 20 December 1954, Karl J. Pojer, who speaks four languages, followed his school education with several years of professional hospitality studies in Austria. He then undertook international training in the USA. His first professional positions took him to New York, the InterContinental Hotel in Vienna and the Grand Metropolitan Hotels in Paris. From 1980 to 1995, the hotel expert held high-level positions - such as manager, general director and regional director - in the USA, Germany, Belgium and Portugal, at leading hotel groups such as Kempinski Hotels, Sheraton Hotels and Pestana Hotels, Resorts & Casinos. A post as Austrian consul enabled Pojer to gain diplomatic experience. In January 1996 Pojer joined TUI and served as the Managing Director (speaker) of Robinson Club GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of TUI AG, until May 2003. From June 2003 to December 2005, Pojer was the Director of TUI Hotels & Resorts, and the Divisional Director from January 2006 to May 2013. The World of TUI currently encompasses more than 300 hotels with 210,000 beds, making TUI Hotels & Resorts Europe’s largest holiday hotelier. Its portfolio of hotel companies includes brands such as Riu, Robinson, Grecotel, Grupotel and lberotel. In May 2013 Pojer became CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, a 100% subsidiary of TUI AG, assuming the management of the luxury cruise ship company whose portfolio includes the EUROPA 2 and the EUROPA, the only two ships in the world to have been awarded the prestigious 5-stars-plus ranking by the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships 2016. Its two additional expedition ships are the HANSEATIC and BREMEN, which have also received many awards for their diverse routes and expedition expertise. In 2015, Pojer was voted German Travel Industry Manager and was named the Hamburg Cruise Personality in the same year. Tim is responsible for managing tonnage tax and other shipping-specific taxes, and for co-ordinating all issues relating to the ferry and cruise sector. Having been with the UK Chamber for over twenty years, Tim is experienced in facilitating the movement of passengers and goods through UK ports, monitoring port procedures and statutory charges on ships. Since February 2015 Sacha Rougier is Managing Director of Cruise Gate Hamburg GmbH (CGH), a subsidiary of the Hamburg Port Authority. As operator of the three cruise terminals (Altona, HafenCity and Steinwerder) CGH oversees terminal operation, berthing allocation, cruise development and terminal planning. Previous to her employment at CGH, Sacha Rougier worked for the Port of Marseille, where she held various positions in marketing and cruise development. S. Rougier holds a Master Degree in Change Management and a Bachelor degree in European Studies (economics, German and Spanish). Sacha Rougier is playing an active role in Hamburg´s cruise development as member of the Board of trustees of the Cruise Cluster “Hamburg Cruise Net” and of the Board of Directors of Hamburg Cruise Center. She furthermore is co-lecturer on Port Economics & Business at the University for Maritime & Air Transport Antwerp (C-MAT). Born and raised in Switzerland, Lucas Sandmeier chose to enter the travel industry for his vocational 3 years training after his school years. 39 years later, with very short interruptions only, tourism is still on his mind. Having worked in offices in Switzerland, France, England and the USA for a renowned Swiss Tour-operator, he specialized in destination Management 25 years ago, and added River Cruise to his expertise 10 short years ago. For Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours he opened the European office in Zug Switzerland, to manage the rapid growth of the company as a ship operator, from humble newcomer to a fleet of 23 river cruise ships worldwide and growing. In 2014 he joined Hamburg Messe as Business Unit Director for the maritime and technology fairs, including SMM, the leading international maritime trade fair and WindEnergy Hamburg, the global on and offshore expo. His first career step was project manager for Koelnmesse, organizing fairs in India and Brazil. After that he joined kogag, Germany’s leading event marketing agency back then, to later become head of Berlin office. He volunteered as English teacher in Tamil Nadu, India, before joining EF Education First, the world’s leading company for education, working as Sales Director for Europe and Latin America. Claus Ulrich Selbach was born in a wine maker family at the Mosel River, Germany. After graduating high school in Germany and in the US, he studied social science and history in Paris and Bonn. Tom Strang is Senior Vice President Maritime Affairs for Carnival Corporation and plc, responsible for developing a group wide strategy for the supply of LNG for the next generation of cruise ships under order. He also provides representation for the Carnival group at various maritime authorities in Europe and other regions relating to marine and technical regulatory activities. Tom has a degree in ship science from Southampton University and is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. Tom is married with three children and his interests include sailing, motorcycling and travel. Daniel Thiriet is born in Basel, Switzerland and has worked since the beginning of his business life in the tourism and the cruising industry. His knowledge about river cruising comes from his long-term function as managing director of SCYLLA. Now he is co-managing director of AmaWaterways GmbH in Basel, managing the AMA-Fleet of 17 luxury river cruising vessels. He also represent SEA CHEFS, the internationally operating cruise ship restaurant and hotelmanager, as Managing Director for both parts of their Swiss based activities, the central Holding as well as the operative arms in Zug and Basel. Thiriet is also Vice-President of IG RiverCruise. He lives and works in Basel, Switzerland, and his office has a beautiful view on the River Rhine! From 1992 till 2006 Monic operated as an independent consultant focused on IT solutions. In 2006 she became Manager IT at the Port of Amsterdam. Monic was responsible for many projects within and outside the IT area. From 2016 she joined Alma Prins in the cruise cluster as commercial manager with a primary focus on rivercruise. It is her drive to guarantee cruiselines, crew members and passengers a warm and safe welcome in the Amsterdam Region. Every year approximately 335.000 sea cruise passengers, 500.000 river cruise passengers and 105.000 crew members visit Amsterdam. Recently, he has been appointed as the new president and CEO of Pullmantur Group. Since May, he also supports Saga Cruises as Non Executive Director. Vogel’s professional career is strongly linked to the tourism sector, in particular the cruises. It has led him from Seetours via AIDA Cruises and TUI Cruises to Pullmantur Group. At Seetours Vogel initiated the building, orientation and distribution of the brand AIDA. As MD and VP Marketing & Sales at AIDA Cruises, he played a significant role in developing and establishing the brand. Within the TUI Group, he was instrumental in the establishment of TUI Cruises. As its Chairman & CEO he led it to become a leader company within the cruise sector in Europe. Andrew has a background in events, having been Managing Director of the UK`s National Boat Shows who organise two of Europe’s largest consumer boat shows. Prior to that, Andrew worked at many well-known companies including UK Managing Director at MGM Films and at Nintendo UK, as well as senior management positions for over ten years within The Walt Disney Company. He originates from Wales and is a devoted follower of his nation’s rugby team. Ben Wirz is a hospitality and management professional with extensive international operations experience in a variety of positions. Hotel Management School in Switzerland, Manager of a market research survey, Bar Manager on a luxury mega yacht, Maître d’Hôtel on a luxury expedition cruise ship, Manager in an exclusive London private members club at renowned chef and entrepreneur Anton Mosimann, Masters in Business Administration, Member of Chartered Management Institute in UK. Since March 2012 he is with GRC Global River Cruises which owns and operates 13 luxury boutique river cruise ships and supports charter operations worldwide for Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, currently holding the position of Managing Director. An accomplished and results oriented Cruise Ship and hospitality Executive with an enviable portfolio of achievements leading new build as well as major refit projects for some of the largest and most prestigious mega cruise ships in the world including the QE2, Norwegian Epic, and numerous others. Proactive and well organised with polished communication skills and natural gravitas, this confident, decisive professional leads from the front to build and empower cross-functional, multicultural teams to ensure they achieve goals and exceed expectations. With a wealth of experience in all areas of building, refurbishing, refitting and operating major cruise vessels as well as resorts and hotels, this personable and enthusiastic individual uses strong interpersonal skills to build respectful relationships with all stakeholders and will be an asset to any forward thinking organisation.

2019-04-19T13:10:22Z

https://www.seatrade-europe.com/programme/conference/speakers/

A physiological monitoring garment includes first and second elastic fabric portions. An elongate stretchable textile data/power bus is disposed between the first and second elastic fabric portions. The elongate stretchable textile data/power bus includes a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof. One or more sensors are connected to the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/497,423 filed Aug. 22, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. This invention was made with U.S. Government support under Contract No. Contract No. DAMD17-03-C-0022 awarded by the U.S. Army Medical Material Command. The Government may have certain rights in the subject invention. This invention relates to “wearable electronics”, “wearable computers”, “smart fabrics” and the like and more particularly a physiological monitoring garment including at least an integrated data/power bus. This invention also relates to a respiration monitoring device and sensors useful in connection with the physiological monitoring garment or other physiological sensor systems. The idea of “wearable computers” and electronic circuits built entirely out of textiles to distribute data and power and designed to perform functions such as touch sensing was first fully described in a disclosure called “Smart Fabric, or Washable Computing” by E. Rehmi Post and Maggie Orth of the MIT Media Laboratory available on the Internet at http:/www.media.mit.edu/%7EREHMI/fabric/index.html and also on pp. 167-168 of the Digest of Papers of the First IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers, Oct. 13-14, 1997 held in Cambridge, Mass. Prior to the applicant's invention described herein, electrical or electronic components were sometimes fastened to articles of clothing or placed in pouches or pockets. Individual wires between these components were then fastened to the outside of the clothing or disposed partially or wholly in seams and the like. In this way, a soldier could “wear” a radio and a computer and/or global positioning satellite system. Consumers, in turn, could, for example, “wear” a cellular telephone connected to a headset or a speaker and/or microphone located on the collar of a jacket. The problem with this design is that the wires are separate from the textile material of the clothing. As a result, the wires are unsightly and uncomfortable, do not wear well, can catch and tangle on objects, reduce mobility, add weight, are not washable, and are not resistant to corrosion. In general, such a design is not very robust. Therefore, those skilled in the art sought to integrate the electronic circuits and data and power conductors within the textile of the articles of clothing themselves. See the MIT disclosure referred to above and incorporated herein by this reference. In the MIT reference, metallic yarn forms the weft of the fabric and, running in the other direction, plain silk thread forms the warp of the fabric. Surface mount light emitting diodes (LED's), crystal piezo transducers, and other surface mount components are then soldered directly onto the metallic yarn. But, since the metallic yarn only runs in one direction, communications and interconnections between the electronic devices can only take place in that direction. Worse, the individual metallic yarns which do not electrically interconnect two components must be cut to provide electrical isolation for the individual metallic yarns which do electrically interconnect two components. This design thus raises serious design concerns, namely manufacturability, shielding, and electrical interference. Moreover, the fabric including the soldered-on electronic components is delicate, cannot be washed, has no stretch, and is uncomfortable to wear. Finally, if the fabric is folded back on itself, an electrical short will occur. Thus, special insulative coatings or substrates must be used which further render the fabric uncomfortable to wear. Others have designed textile fabrics with conductive fibers for electrically interconnecting two electronic components. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,080,690 and 5,906,004 incorporated herein by this reference. Again, the main idea is that the whole garment is made of this special fabric. As such, a sensor can be electrically connected to a controller right on the garment. Still, routing of the data or power between the devices is limited without extensive formation of electrical junctions in the fabric—a very cumbersome manufacturing process. In addition, such garments are also uncomfortable and cannot withstand repeated wash cycles. See also U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,666 incorporated herein by this reference. Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,727,197, incorporated herein by this reference, discloses designs of textile materials with integrated data or power buses which are simple to manufacture, pleasing in appearance, comfortable, washable, which wear well, which do not add significant weight, which are corrosion resistant, which do not impede mobility, which exhibit high fatigue strengths, and which also properly meet or exceed the electrical interface and shielding requirements of the specific application, be it military or consumer-based. The present invention more particularly relates to physiological sensing systems as they pertain to wearable electronics. Such systems (e.g., garments) are useful for ambulatory/home monitoring (prophylaxis, diagnosis and/or treatment), in-hospital post-operative monitoring, athletic performance training, infant respiration monitoring for the detection of sudden infant death syndrome, and the like. There has been a lot of activity in this field and in one example it is proposed to include conductive electrocardiogram electrodes and inductive plethysmographic sensors sewn, embroidered, embedded or otherwise attached to a garment such as a shirt with an adhesive. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,203 incorporated herein by this reference. To date, however, the applicants are unaware of a marketable system which employs low profile sensors held in position against the body throughout a typical range of movements for mechanical and electrical coupling. And, although the prior art teaches garments with integral electrodes and sensors, there is a general failure in the art to consider a non-intrusive, conformable, comfortable integrated data/power bus for providing power to the sensors and electrodes (as required) and for routing sensor/electrode signals to the appropriate processing and/or transmission circuitry. Any viable system will probably be required to include physiological sensors, electrodes, a textile data/power bus with the appropriate connectors and conductors, sensor conditioning/processing capability, and a power source. Optional elements could be body worn or externally located for analysis and warning features and also include a communication system to support data transmission. A preferred system would include a textile-based elastic body conforming garment including textile fibers formed using knitting, weaving, or braiding techniques and incorporating elastic fiber elements such as Lycra. The sensors would include one or more physiological sensors such as ECG or R-wave sensors, EMG sensors, a respiration sensor, and perhaps skin temperature and body position and motion sensors. Preferably, the sensors would be integral to the garment and operate without the requirement of any user manipulation. Gels and adhesives would preferably not be required. The sensors and their associated electronics should be modular and detachable from the garment for replacement or maintenance. The data/power bus should also be integrated into the garment textile structure to minimize intrusiveness and to maximize user comfort and convenience. The data/power bus should also be transparent to the user and require minimal user manipulation after the system has been donned. The garment should be moisture and temperature resistant for operation under typical environmental conditions, and could include a combination of reusable washable elements and, in some examples, disposable elements. Integral connectors would allow the sensors and electronics to be detached for washing and the remaining garment should survive numerous wash cycles. In another possibility, the sensors and electronics of the system are permanently attached to the garment if it can be manufactured at such a cost that it can be disposed of. A review of the prior art reveals no system which meets the above criteria for a viable physiological monitoring garment. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved physiological monitoring garment. It is a further object of this invention to provide a more comfortable and more robust physiological monitoring garment. It is a further object of this invention to provide a physiological monitoring garment that does not impede mobility and is simple to manufacture. It is a further object of this invention to provide a physiological monitoring garment that is useful for numerous applications such as ambulatory home and outpatient monitoring and athletic performance training. It is a further object of this invention to provide a physiological monitoring garment including an integrated stretchable power/data bus for use with a variety of sensors. It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved flexible low profile sensor, as well as to provide an improved respiration monitoring device, each of which may be used in conjunction with the improved physiological monitoring garment. The invention results from the realization that an improved physiological monitoring garment can be achieved with an elongate stretchable textile data/power bus disposed in an elastic fabric having one or more sensors connected to it. The invention results from the further realization that an improved sensor useful with the physiological monitoring garment can be achieved with a flexible circuit board configured as an electrode with a conductive portion on one surface and a dielectric material on the conductive portion. The flexibility helps prevent bridging and capacitive coupling avoids the necessity of conductive gels or adhesives. The invention also results from the further realization that an improved respiration monitoring device useful with the physiological monitoring garment can be achieved with an elongate stretchable textile member and conductive components associated therewith, where the textile member provides dielectric separation between the conductive components such that expansion and contraction of the textile member results in a change in the spacing between the conductive components, resulting in a change of capacitance, by which respiration can be measured. This invention features a physiological monitoring garment including a first elastic fabric portion, a second elastic fabric portion, and an elongate stretchable textile data/power bus between the first fabric portion and the second fabric portion. The elongate stretchable textile data/power bus includes a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof. One or more sensors are connected to the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. The first fabric portion may be the upper portion of a shirt and the second fabric portion may be the lower portion of the shirt. The first fabric portion may be connected to the second fabric portion via the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. The elongate stretchable textile data/power bus may be attached to the garment between the first fabric portion and the second fabric portion. The physiological monitoring garment may further include at least a third elastic fabric portion and at least a second elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof, and one or more sensors connected to the at least second elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. The plurality of conductors may be woven, knitted, or braided in a strain relief pattern. The plurality of conductors may include conductors for data transfer, conductors for power transfer, and conductors structured and arranged to form an electronic shield for reducing noise. Also, a coating of conductive material may be disposed on the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus to form an electrical shield for reducing noise. The strain relief pattern may be out of the plane of the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus or in the plane of the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. Connectors may connect the one or more sensors to the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus, and the connectors may be insulation displacement connectors. A sensor connected to the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus may include a respiration monitoring device, and the respiration monitoring device may include at least a first elongate stretchable textile member, a first conductive component associated with said textile member, and a second conductive component associated with said textile member. Threads of the textile member provide dielectric separation between the at least first and second conductive components so that the expansion and contraction of the textile member results in a change in the spacing between the first and second conductive components for measuring change in capacitance. The first conductive component may include woven, knitted, or braided conductive threads integral with the first textile member. There may be a plurality of elongate stretchable textile members adjacent each other, and each may include integral woven, knitted, or braided conductive threads. The respiration monitoring device may be disposed in or on the garment proximate the data/power bus. Another sensor connected to the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus may include a flexible circuit board configured as an electrode, a conductive portion on one surface of the flexible circuit board, and a dielectric material on the conductive portion. An opposing surface of the flexible circuit board may include signal conditioning circuitry, or the flexible circuit board may be connected to a second flexible circuit board that includes signal conditioning circuitry. Conductive traces may interconnect the conductive portion with the signal conditioning circuitry. The conductive portion may be a conductive foil laminated on the flexible circuit board. The conductive portion may be conductive material sputtered or plated on the flexible circuit board. The dielectric material may be material sputtered, laminated, evaporated, or spun onto the conductive portion. The sensor may include an insulating edge for preventing short circuits. The sensor may be configured to include at least two electrodes, and each of the electrodes may each include signal conditioning circuitry. This invention also features a physiological monitoring garment including an elastic fabric portion, at least one elongate stretchable textile data/power bus disposed on the elastic fabric portion, the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof, and one or more sensors connected to the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. The plurality of conductors may be woven, knitted, or braided in a strain relief pattern. The plurality of conductors may include conductors for data transfer, conductors for power transfer, and conductors structured and arranged to form an electronic shield for reducing noise. A coating of conductive material may be disposed on the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus to form an electrical shield for reducing noise. The strain relief pattern may be out of the plane of the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus or in the plane of the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. Connectors may connect the one or more sensors to the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus, and the connectors may be insulation displacement connectors. This invention further features a physiological monitoring garment including an elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof, and one or more sensors connected to the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. This invention also features a physiological monitoring garment including a first fabric portion, a second fabric portion, and an elongate stretchable textile data/power bus between the first fabric portion and the second fabric portion. The elongate stretchable textile data/power bus includes a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof in a strain relief pattern. A respiration monitoring device is connected to the textile data/power bus and includes a first elongate stretchable textile member, a first conductive component associated with the textile member, and a second conductive component associated with the textile member. Threads of the textile member provide dielectric separation between the first and second conductive components so that the expansion and contraction of said textile member results in a change in the spacing between the first and second conductive components. At least two sensors may be connected to the textile data/power bus. The sensors each may include a flexible circuit board configured as an electrode, a conductive portion on one surface of the flexible circuit board, and a dielectric material on the conductive portion. This invention also features a physiological monitoring garment including an elastic fabric portion, at least one elongate stretchable textile data/power bus disposed on the elastic fabric portion, the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof in a strain relief pattern, and a respiration monitoring device connected to the textile/data power bus. The respiration monitoring device includes a first elongate stretchable textile member, a first conductive component associated with the textile member, a second conductive component associated with the textile member, and threads of the textile member providing dielectric separation between the first and second conductive components so that the expansion and contraction of the textile members results in a change in the spacing between the first and second conductive components. The physiological monitoring garment also includes at least two sensors connected to the textile data/power bus, the sensors each including a flexible circuit board configured as an electrode, a conductive portion on one surface of the flexible circuit board, and a dielectric material on the conductive portion. This invention further features a physiological monitoring garment including a first fabric portion, a second fabric portion, and an elongate stretchable textile data/power bus between the first fabric portion and the second fabric portion, the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof in a strain relief pattern. The physiological monitoring garment may include at least a third elastic fabric portion and at least a second elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof, and one or more sensors connected to the at least second elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. This invention also features a physiological monitoring garment including an elastic fabric portion and at least one elongate stretchable textile data/power bus disposed on the elastic fabric portion, the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof in a strain relief pattern. This invention also features a physiological monitoring garment including a first fabric portion, a second fabric portion, and an elongate stretchable textile data/power bus between the first fabric portion and the second fabric portion. The elongate stretchable textile data/power bus includes a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof in a strain relief pattern. A respiration monitoring device is connected to the data/power bus and includes a first elongate stretchable textile member, a first conductive component associated with the textile member, a second conductive component associated with the textile member, and threads of the textile member providing dielectric separation between the first and second conductive components so that the expansion and contraction of the textile member results in a change in the spacing between the first and second conductive components. The physiological monitoring garment may include at least a third elastic fabric portion and at least a second elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof, and one or more sensors connected to the at least second elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. This invention further features a physiological monitoring garment including an elastic fabric portion, at least one elongate stretchable textile data/power bus disposed on the elastic fabric portion, the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof in a strain relief pattern, and a respiration monitoring device connected to the data/power bus. The respiration monitoring device includes a first elongate stretchable textile member, a first conductive component associated with the textile member, a second conductive component associated with the textile member, and threads of textile member providing dielectric separation between the first and second conductive components so that the expansion and contraction of the textile member results in a change in the spacing between the first and second conductive components. This invention further features a physiological monitoring garment including a first fabric portion, a second fabric portion, an elongate stretchable textile data/power bus between the first fabric portion and the second fabric portion, the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof in a strain relief pattern, and at least one sensor connected to the textile data/power bus, the sensor including a flexible circuit board configured as an electrode, a conductive portion on one surface of the flexible circuit board, and a dielectric material on the conductive portion. The physiological monitoring garment may include at least a third elastic fabric portion and at least a second elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof, and one or more sensors connected to the at least second elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. This invention also features a physiological monitoring garment including an elastic fabric portion, at least one elongate stretchable textile data/power bus disposed on the elastic fabric portion, the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof in a strain relief pattern. At least one sensor is connected to the textile data/power bus, the sensor including a flexible circuit board configured as an electrode, a conductive portion on one surface of the flexible circuit board, and a dielectric material on the conductive portion. This invention also features a data/power bus for a garment, the data/power bus including an elongate stretchable textile member and a plurality of conductors woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof integral with threads of the elongate stretchable textile member in a strain relief pattern. The strain relief pattern may be out of the plane of the elongate stretchable data/power bus or the strain relief pattern may be in the plane of the elongate stretchable data/power bus. The data/power bus may include connectors for attaching sensors to the data/power bus. The plurality of conductors may include conductors for data transfer, conductors for power transfer, and conductors structured and arranged to form an electronic shield for reducing noise. This invention further features a respiration monitoring device including a first elongate stretchable textile member, a first conductive component associated with the textile member, a second conductive component associated with the textile member, and threads of the textile member providing dielectric separation between the first and second conductive components so that the expansion and contraction of the textile member results in a change in the spacing between the first and second conductive components. The first conductive component may include woven, knitted, or braided conductive threads integral with the textile member. There may be first and second elongate stretchable textile members adjacent each other and each may include integral woven, knitted, or braided conductive threads. This invention also features a sensor for a garment including a flexible circuit board configured as an electrode, a conductive portion on one surface of the flexible circuit board, and a dielectric material on the conductive portion. The opposing surface of the flexible circuit board may include signal conditioning circuitry. The flexible circuit board may be connected to a second flexible circuit board including signal conditioning circuitry. Conductive traces may interconnect the conductive portion with the signal conditioning circuitry. The conductive portion may be a conductive foil laminated on the flexible circuit board or the conductive portion may be conductive material sputtered or plated on the flexible circuit board. The dielectric material may be material sputtered, laminated, evaporated, or spun onto the conductive portion. FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the physiological monitoring garment of FIG. 1A including the improved sensor of FIG. 14. One embodiment of a physiological monitoring garment in accordance with the present invention is shown at 10 in FIG. 1A. As shown, physiological monitoring garment 10 includes elastic fabric portions 12 and 14. Elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 is disposed between elastic fabric portions 12 and 14. Elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 includes a plurality of integral conductors 20 woven, knitted, or braided along the length of elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 and one or more sensors 30, 32 connected to the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. These latter features are discussed more fully below, as well as the multiple sensors which are not limited to any particular type or number and which may be attached to elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16. In the example shown, the elastic fabric portion 12 is connected to the elastic fabric portion 14 via elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16. Elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 is attached to garment 10 between elastic fabric portion 12 and elastic fabric portion 14. As shown, elastic fabric portion 12 is the upper portion of a shirt, and fabric portion 14 is the lower portion of a shirt, although this is not a necessary limitation of the invention. Elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 may also be located at any point between elastic fabric portions 12 and 14. Further, elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 or another similar bus may be located between the right and left elastic fabric portions of the garment such that it extends vertically through physiological monitoring garment 10 rather than around the torso of the wearer. Also, physiological monitoring garment 10, FIG. 1B, may include two or more elongate stretchable textile data/power buses 16 and 16′ as desired for a particular application. In such an example, elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 is between fabric portions 12 and 14 and elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16′ is between fabric portions 14 and 15. Elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16, FIG. 1C, may connect fabric portions 12 and 14, and elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16′ may connect fabric portions 14 and 15. Elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16′ may also include a plurality of conductors 20′ (not shown), woven, knitted, or braided along the length of elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16′. Elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16′ may also include one or more sensors 30′, 32′ attached to it. Also, elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16, FIG. 1D, may be disposed on fabric portion 12 of physiological monitoring garment 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 1E in cross-section but not to scale. In the latter case, there is a single fabric portion 12 instead of multiple fabric portions. Fabric portion 12 may be in the form of a sports bra or tube top, for example. Elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 may be attached to fabric portion 12 by any known appropriate means. Overall, there may be any number of fabric portions as desired, and there may be any number of desired elongate stretchable textile data power buses, also as desired or needed for a particular application. In another example, physiological monitoring garment 10 including elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 as shown in FIG. 1D, may be worn as a strap directly on the subject or patient underneath the fabric portion (not shown), without being attached to a fabric portion, such as fabric portion 12, at all. In all embodiments, the elastic fabric portions, including elastic fabric portions 12, 14 and 15, FIGS. 1A-1E, preferably include an elastic material such as Lycra, which has radial and longitudinal stretchability. The elastic material, i.e. Lycra, is incorporated with textile fibers such as nylon, polyester, silk, or cotton, by weaving, knitting or braiding. This allows physiological monitoring garment 10 to be form fitting yet comfortable, such that various sensors as described below are properly held in position. Furthermore, the moisture sensitivity of physiological monitoring garment 10 may be reduced using water-repellant coatings, and biocidal materials may be incorporated into physiological monitoring garment 10 to minimize bacterial growth. In any of the foregoing examples, the elongate stretchable textile data/power bus of the physiological monitoring garment may include integral conductors, connectors, materials and/or sensors as will now be more fully described. As noted above, elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16, FIG. 2, typically includes a plurality of integral conductors 20 which are woven, knitted, or braided along the length of stretchable textile data/power bus 16. In FIG. 2 integral conductors 20 are shown as woven with external loops from elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16. This can also be effective for making electrical connections, as discussed further below. In use, integral conductors 20 may not be visible to the user. Stretchable textile data/power bus 16 also includes textile portion 18. Textile portion 18 of physiological monitoring garment 10 may be comprised of either natural or synthetic textile materials such as polyester, cotton or nylon. In a preferred embodiment, textile portion 18 is comprised of Lycra combined with natural or synthetic textile materials through weaving, knitting, or braiding, in order to provide elasticity. Typically, plurality of integral conductors 20 in stretchable textile data/power bus 16 are woven, knitted, or braided in a strain relief pattern as described below. When the subject invention is in use, textile portion 18 expands or stretches, and the strain relief pattern of integral conductors 20 allows them to lengthen and shorten. FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 with plurality of integral conductors 20 woven in strain relief pattern 22 in the plane of elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16. Integral conductors 20, FIG. 3B, include conductors 20′ for data transfer and power transfer. Integral conductors 20 may also include conductors 20″ structured and arranged to form an electrical shield for reducing noise, as known in the art. Alternatively, a coating of conductive material 19, FIG. 3C, such as metal, may be disposed on elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 to form an electrical shield to reduce noise. In another embodiment, the strain relief pattern 25, FIG. 4, for conductors 20, shown as 20 a . . . 20 n, is perpendicular to or out of the plane of elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16. In this embodiment, integral conductors 20 a . . . 20 n may be partially visible to the user. Alternatively, the strain relief pattern may be a combination of in plane and out of plane (not shown). Either in plane strain relief pattern 22 or out of plane strain relief pattern 25 of integral conductors 20 and 20 a . . . 20 n may resemble a sinusoidal pattern. In one example, strain relief patterns 22 and 25, FIGS. 3A and 4, are achieved by weaving, knitting or braiding integral conductors 20 and 20 a . . . 20 n when textile portion 18 is fully or partially stretched. Integral conductors 20, 20 a . . . 20 n may include conventional insulated cables or wires. Thus, when textile portion 18 is released from its stretched configuration, integral conductors 20 form a strain relief pattern whereby slack is introduced into integral conductors 20. In this way, when textile portion 18 of stretchable textile data/power bus 16 is expanded or stretched during use, damage to integral conductors 20 due to stretching forces is lessened or eliminated. Sensors 30-38, FIG. 6 may be mechanically attached to physiological monitoring garment 10 through energy welding processes including ultrasonic welding, thermal melding, RF welding, or other suitable techniques. Preferably, however, sensors 30-38 are configured to take greater advantage of physiological monitoring garment 10 by being attachable to and detachable from stretchable textile data/power bus 16 via sensor connectors 100. Elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 may include one or more connectors 100 for connecting sensors 30-38, which are included in physiological monitoring garment 10, to elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16. Insulation displacement (IDC) type connectors, which are generally available off the shelf, or end type connectors, may be used as connectors 100 to attach sensors 30-38 to integral conductors 20. Such IDC connectors are best shown in FIG. 5 at 100. Alternatively, integral conductors 20, FIG. 3A, may be spliced or broken to allow for connections to sensors 30-38, FIG. 6. It will be apparent that, as necessary or desired, sensors 30-38 may be attached to one another, and then connected to elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16. The outputs of sensors 30-38, FIG. 6, are typically fed into conditioning electronics 105 in processing hub 112, which includes microprocessor 115, and may include an analog-to-digital converter 114 and filters 116. Microprocessor 115 will also typically include appropriate software/algorithms for determining the applicable health status of the patient from the data and information received. Processing hub 112 and power supply 120 are electrically connected to elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16. Preferably, processing hub 112 and power supply 120 are incorporated into physiological monitoring garment 10, but this is not a necessary limitation of the invention. For example, processing hub 112 and power supply 120 may attach to or snap onto the patient's belt or be hip mounted, or otherwise be carried by the patient, depending on the needs of a particular desired application. Additionally, power source 120 is preferably not separate from processing hub 112 but is in one package (not shown) as part of a hip mounted package, for example. Additionally, a wireless telemetry system 200 may be connected to elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 of physiological monitoring garment 10 for wireless communication via radio frequency or other conventional means. Wireless telemetry system 200 may also be incorporated into physiological monitoring garment 10 or part of a hip mounted package with processing hub 112 and/or power supply 120, for remote connection between the patient user and personal computer 300 at a distance. Thus, physiological monitoring garment 10 including elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16 provides the capability of data and power routing from a multiplicity of sensors 30-38, to and from processing hub 112 and power supply 120, and does so while effectively and comfortably maintaining pressure on sensors 30-38 to hold sensors 30-38 in place against the patient or subject. Physiological monitoring garment 10 further allows sensors 30-38 to be detachable via connectors 100 in stretchable textile data/power bus 16. This gives physiological monitoring garment 10 adaptability and washability without risk of damage to potentially fragile and/or expensive sensors. The physiological monitoring garment of the present invention is not limited to any particular type of sensor, however. Any number or type of sensors may be utilized, depending on a particular desired application or health status information desired. Sensors which may be connected to elongate stretchable textile/data power bus 16 in physiological monitoring garment 10 include electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors 32, sensors for muscle activity (EMG) 33, skin temperature 34, body orientation 36, and motion sensors 38, and may include associated alarm systems to alert the patient to various physiological conditions. Another type of sensor for use with physiological monitoring garment 10 is respiration sensor 30. Preferably, respiration sensor 30 is an improved respiration sensor for use with physiological monitoring garment 10, namely respiration monitoring device 40, FIGS. 7A-7C. Conventional respiration sensors include impedance pneumography, inductive plethysmography, or measurements of changes in strain (resistive strain gage or piezoelectric), tension or pressure which can be used to infer respiration. In contrast, respiration monitoring device 40 in accordance with this invention provides textile based capacitive transduction as a means for sensing respiration. Conductive portions act as electrodes and non-conductive textile material acts as a dielectric material between the conductive portions. Particularly, respiration monitoring device 40 includes elongate stretchable textile member 42, and conductive components or members 44 and 46 associated with textile member 42. Textile member 42, including threads 48 of textile member 42, provide dielectric separation between conductive components 44 and conductive component 46 such that expansion and contraction of textile member 42 results in a change in the spacing between conductive components 44 and 46. Conductive components 44 and 46 act as electrodes, and are used to sense the capacitance of textile member 42, which acts as a non-conductive dielectric. Textile member 42 may be comprised of either synthetic or natural textile materials such as polyester, cotton, or nylon. where A is the area of the conductive plates, εo is the dielectric of any air between the plates, d is the spacing between the plates, t is the thickness of the dielectric, and εr is the dielectric of the material. Therefore, it can be seen that the capacitance of a dielectric material is proportional to the dielectric constant of the material and the thickness of the material or spacing between the electrodes. For respiration monitoring device 40, as textile member 42 is stretched, the spacing between conductive components or members 44 and 46 decreases, decreasing the space between conductive components “electrodes” 44 and 46. Tests have revealed that measured capacitance varies nearly linearly with elongation of respiration monitoring device 40. From this capacitive transduction mechanism, including sensing the change in capacitance, both the type and rate of respiration can be determined. In further detail, respiration monitoring device 40, FIGS. 7A and 7B, includes textile member 42 having threads 48, as well as conductive components 44 and 46 shown a distance d1 apart. When the subject or patient inhales, for example, textile member 42 stretches lengthwise, as shown at 50, FIG. 7B, along the length of respiration monitoring device 40. As textile member 42 stretches, the distance between conductive components 44 and 46 decreases to a distance d2, where d2 is less than d1. As noted, the change in the spacing between conductive components 44 and 46 changes the capacitance, which is an indication of respiration. Conductive components 44 and 46 may be woven, knitted or braided integral with textile member 42. Also, in another example, there may be a plurality of conductive components 44 a . . . 44 n and 46 a . . . 46 n, FIG. 7C, which may also be woven, knitted or braided integral with textile member 42. The operation of these conductive components will be the same as described above in FIGS. 7A and 7B, that is, as textile member 42 stretches lengthwise, distance d1′ between conductive threads 44 a and 46 a will decrease. The same will hold true with conductive threads 44 b . . . 44 n and 46 b . . . 44 n. As shown in FIGS. 7A-7C, the stretching is in plane. In another embodiment of respiration monitoring device 40, FIG. 9, stretching of the textile occurs out of plane, but capacitance is measured in much the same way, namely, the distance between conductive components or threads changes which is reflected as a change in capacitance. In this embodiment, respiration monitoring device 40 includes elongate stretchable textile members 60 and 62 adjacent each other. Each of elongate stretchable textile members 60 and 62 also include threads 48. Textile member 60 further includes integral woven, knitted or braided conductive component 44 including conductive threads or yarns 64 a . . . 64 n, and textile member 62 includes conductive component 46 including integral woven, knitted or braided conductive threads 66 a . . . 66 n, such that textile member 60 is between conductive threads or yarns 64 a . . . 64 n and 66 a . . . 66 n. In this configuration, a textile/conductive laminate structure is formed. With conductive threads 64 a . . . 64 n and 66 a . . . 66 n acting as electrodes and textile member 60 as a dielectric, when respiration monitoring device 40 stretches lengthwise as shown at 50, textile member 60 becomes thinner. Therefore, the spacing between conductive threads 64 a . . . 64 n and 66 a . . . 66 n is less, thus changing the capacitance. Elongate stretchable textile members 60 and 62 are preferably connected along stitched regions 65 at predetermined spaced intervals. In this example, the conductive threads which collectively serve as the electrodes also undergo a change in respective electrode area as they are stretched. This effects a change in capacitance in addition to the change in capacitance due to the change caused by the spacing between the conductive threads. FIGS. 10A and 10B show respiration monitoring device 40 with a single elongate stretchable textile layer or member 60′. In a top view, FIG. 10A, integral woven, knitted or braided conductive component 44 includes conductive threads 64 a′ . . . 64 n′ on top side 65 of elongate stretchable textile member 60′, and conductive threads 64 a″ . . . 64 n″, FIG. 10B, on bottom side 67 of elongate stretchable textile member 60′. In this single layer or member configuration, respiration monitoring device 40 can be even thinner. In any of the foregoing embodiments, respiration monitoring device 40 may be disposed in or on physiological monitoring garment 10, FIG. 6 as an improved respiration sensor 30. Respiration monitoring device 40 may be in or on the garment as shown, or respiration monitoring device 40 may be disposed on elongate stretchable textile data/power bus, and attached by any conventional means. In either case, respiration monitoring device 40 is connected to elongate stretchable textile data/power bus 16. Alternatively, respiration monitoring device 40 may be in the form of a strap. The respiration monitoring device 40 of FIGS. 10A and 10B is shown fully, in strap form, in FIG. 11. In this view, only one conductive component 46 including conductive threads 66 a . . . 66 n and only one textile member 62 are discernible. Fastener 200 such as Velcro at each end of respiration monitoring device 40 holds respiration monitoring device 40 tightly around the subject or patient. To minimize the effects of moisture, respiration monitoring device 40 is typically treated with a moisture-resistant material, or a coating is applied such as fluoropolymer fabric water proofing spray. Other treatments include, for example, incorporation of biocidal materials in order to minimize bacterial growth. Thus, respiration monitoring device 40 provides textile based capacitive sensing in a convenient, comfortable and functional form as a means for sensing respiration rate and type of respiration. As noted above, other known sensors such as sensor 32, FIG. 6, may also be used with physiological monitoring garment 10. However, a majority of such sensors, i.e. bioelectrode sensors used for bioelectric sensing (e.g., ECG etc.) are conductively coupled, and suffer from a number of disadvantages, such as: extraneous noise induced by contact movement or pressure; base line drift associated with shifts in D.C. levels at the electrode-skin interface, and partial rectification or polarization of the monitored signal. Conductive electrodes are also size-sensitive. Electrode application becomes easier with decreasing size, but since source impedance increases with decreasing size, small electrodes are subject to greater noise. Furthermore, these conventional electrodes are subject to chemical reactions or even drying which can affect signals and tend to cause skin irritation, especially after extended use. In contrast, capacitively coupled electrodes eliminate any current flow between the skin and the electrode. This decoupling has advantages including: eliminating the possibility for tissue polarization; minimizing sensitivity to chemical reactions; eliminating contact and movement artifacts; minimizing noise sensitivity; and providing an increased level of safety, since electrical problems in the conditioning electronics cannot create a shock to the user. Thus, the advantages of capacitively coupled electrodes over any conductive electrode are clear. In one example, sensor 32, FIG. 6, for use with physiological monitoring garment 10 of the subject invention, a conventional bioelectrode sensor 70, FIG. 12, which may be a capacitive electrode such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor. Although an improvement over conductive electrodes, such a conventional prior art sensor 70 typically includes thick rigid plastic housing 72, printed circuit board with conditioning electronics 74, and a stamped metal electrode 76, FIG. 13 which usually includes a thin oxide coating 77 on its front side 78. Even though this form of capacitive electrode does not require complete surface contact with the skin, however, because it is rigid and thick, prior art sensor 70 is prone to bridging, i.e. sensor 70 does not remain in full contact with the patient's skin. Folds of flesh, either fat or muscle, can lift rigid disk sensor 70 on an edge, leading to a complete loss of contact. When bridging occurs, a true signal from sensor 70 is not maintained, resulting in less than accurate readings. Although such conventional sensors may be used, even with their inherent disadvantages, preferably sensor 32, FIG. 6, for use with physiological monitoring garment 10 of the subject invention is improved sensor 80, FIG. 14. Sensor 80 includes flexible circuit board 82 configured as an electrode, with conductive portion or layer 84, FIG. 15, on one surface 86. Flexible circuit board 82 is preferably comprised of a flexible material such as a liquid crystal polymer or polyesters. Conductive layer or portion 84 can be etched using conventional circuit board fabrication techniques to form specific circuit patterns on the surface. In this way, opposing surface 88, FIG. 14, of flexible circuit board 82 typically includes signal conditioning circuitry 90, although this is not a necessary limitation of the invention as discussed below. Conductive traces 94 interconnect conductive portion 84 with signal conditioning circuitry 90. The flexible nature of circuit board 82 allows the low-profile signal conditioning circuitry 90 to be located with flexible circuit board 82, thus minimizing electrical connections. In one example, conductive portion 84 is a conductive foil laminated on flexible circuit board 82. Conductive portion 84 may also be conductive material that is sputtered or plated on flexible circuit board 82. Thermal lamination or deposition techniques such as vapor deposition may also be utilized to integrate conductive portion 84 onto flexible circuit board 82. Conductive layer or portion 84 may include a thin layer of copper, although the invention is not limited to this material. Dielectric material or coating 96, FIG. 15, is disposed on conductive portion 84. In FIG. 15, dielectric material 96 is invisible and covers the entirety of conductive portion 84 and flexible circuit board 82 on this front side. Dielectric material 96 separates flexible circuit board 82, acting as an electrode, from the patient's tissue. As known in the art, changes in biological signals induce a charge in the electrode electrostatically. When dielectric material 96 completely covers conductive portion 84 on the front side of improved sensor 80, it forms insulating edge 97 to prevent short circuiting. Dielectric material 96 may include ceramics or polymers. Dielectric material 96 may include oxides and nitrides such as titanium oxide, silicon oxide or silicon dioxide, titanium oxide or titanium dioxide. Dielectric material 96 may be sputtered, laminated, evaporated, or spun onto conductive portion 84, with a typical thickness of approximately 100 nanometers to 1 micron. As noted, flexible circuit board 82, FIG. 16A, preferably includes signal conditioning circuitry 90, and conductive traces 94 interconnect conductive portion 84 with signal conditioning circuitry 90. However, signal conditioning circuitry 90′, FIG. 16B, may be included on second flexible circuit board 83 connected by wire 99 or other suitable means to flexible circuit board 82, or adjacent conductive portion 84 on flexible circuit board 82, FIG. 16C. In another example, flexible circuit board 82, FIG. 16D, may be configured as at least two electrodes 400, 402 with conductive portions 84′ and 84″, and dielectric material 96′, 96″, respectively, and each electrode 400, 402 may include signal conditioning circuitry 90″ and 90′″. The result is improved sensor 80 which is flexible, thin and low profile, as best shown in FIG. 17. These features make improved sensor 80 more comfortable, and decrease the likelihood of bridging and its effects. Also, with flexible circuit board 82 configured as an electrode and dielectric material disposed on the surface for contact with the patient's skin, sensor 80 acts as a dry capacitive sensor. Thus, the necessity of conductive lubricants or gels, which are required for conventional conductive sensors is eliminated. For ECG monitoring, for example, in operation physiological monitoring garment 10, FIG. 18, will typically include two sensors 80 and 80′, and may include as many as twelve sensors placed at various locations on the subject or patient as known in the art. In accordance with the present invention, typically one conductive electrode 110 is used as a driven ground to reduce the effects of noise. It is well known that ECG signal strength increases with decreasing distance and orientation to the heart muscle. Thus, when sensor 80 is utilized as an ECG sensor, sensors 80 and 80′, are suitably placed on the patient at optimum locations for ECG recording, with locations being known by those skilled in the art. For capacitively coupled electrodes such as improved sensor 80, high impedance buffer electronics 118 will typically be included between sensor 80 and conditioning electronics 105. This is due to the time constant, τ, that exists in the equivalent RC circuit. Heart signal detection requires low frequency response with a large time constant since the events themselves are relatively slow. Furthermore, buffer electronics 118 may act as a transformer to make the signal compatible with conventional monitoring systems, such as conventional ECG monitoring which are typically designed for low source impedance sensors. The signals from buffer electronics 118 can then be fed to the analog-to-digital converter 114 and filters 116 in processing hub 112, which includes microprocessor 115. In accordance with improved sensor 80, buffer electronics 118 are typically included on flexible circuit board 82, FIG. 14. As noted above, however, buffer electronics 118 need not be on flexible circuit board 118 but may be on a second circuit board, for example. Although the operation of sensor 80 has been described as associated with ECG monitoring, sensor 80 may be used for EMG (electromyography) monitoring or EEG (electroencephlograph) monitoring as well. The physiological monitoring garment of the present invention thus provides a comfortable non-obtrusive, versatile, robust system for monitoring any number of physiological conditions under dynamic conditions and environments, and it does so while the subject or patient remains ambulatory. The garment is useful for ambulatory monitoring, whether in-patient, out-patient, or for non-clinical use, such as athletic performance training, sleep studies, or detection of the onset of sudden infant death syndrome. The inclusion of the stretchable textile data/power bus provides power and data transfer and routing to and from a variety of sensors, which can be attached to or detached from the stretchable textile data/power bus. Thus, the physiological monitoring garment can be washed, without damage to the sensors, and because stretchable textile data/power bus is incorporated into the physiological monitoring garment, it is more comfortable than wiring attached to or surrounding the patient. Also, the improved respiration monitoring device and flexible sensor according to the present invention can be attached or connected to the garment. The respiration monitoring device provides the advantage of added comfort as well as textile based capacitive transduction as a means for sensing respiration. The flexible sensor provides a low profile structure with flexibility to decrease bridging effects and distinct, clear signals for indicating physiological status. By utilizing capacitance, in contrast to conductive systems, there is no direct electrical contact from the patient's skin to the electrode. There is an increased level of safely for the patient or subject, and conductive gels or pastes are not necessary. a dielectric material on said conductive portion. threads of the textile member providing dielectric separation between the first and second conductive components so that the expansion and contraction of said textile member results in a change in the spacing between the first and second conductive components. 4. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 3 further including at least a third elastic fabric portion and at least a second elongate stretchable textile data/power bus including a plurality of integral conductors, woven, knitted, or braided along the length thereof, and one or more sensors connected to said at least second elongate stretchable textile data/power bus. threads of the textile member providing dielectric separation between the first and second conductive components so that the expansion and contraction of the textile member results in a change in the spacing between the first and second conductive components. 7. The respiration monitoring device of claim 6 in which the first conductive component includes woven, knitted, or braided conductive threads integral with said textile member. 8. The respiration monitoring device of claim 7 in which there are first and second elongate stretchable textile members adjacent each other and each conductive material sputtered or plated on said flexible circuit board. threads of said textile member providing dielectric separation between the at least first and second conductive components so that the expansion and contraction of the textile member results in a change in the spacing between the first and second conductive components for measuring change in capacitance. 10. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 9 in which the first conductive component includes woven, knitted, or braided conductive threads integral with said first textile member. 11. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 10 in which there are a plurality of elongate stretchable textile members adjacent each other and each includes integral woven, knitted, or braided conductive threads. 12. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 9 in which said respiration monitoring device is disposed in or on said garment proximate said data/power bus. 14. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 13 in which said flexible circuit board is connected to a second flexible circuit board including signal conditioning circuitry. 15. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 13 further including conductive traces interconnecting said conductive portion with said signal conditioning circuitry. 16. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 13 in which the flexible circuit board is configured to include at least two electrodes. 17. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 16 in which the two electrodes each include signal conditioning circuitry. 20. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 19 in which the first conductive component includes woven, knitted, or braided conductive threads integral with said first textile member. 21. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 20 in which there are a plurality of elongate stretchable textile members adjacent each other and each includes integral woven, knitted, or braided conductive threads. 22. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 19 in which said respiration monitoring device is disposed in or on said garment proximate said data/power bus. 24. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 23 in which said flexible circuit board is connected to a second flexible circuit board including signal conditioning circuitry. 25. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 23 further including conductive traces interconnecting said conductive portion with said signal conditioning circuitry. 26. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 23 in which the flexible circuit board is configured to include at least two electrodes. 27. The physiological monitoring garment of claim 26 in which the two electrodes each include signal conditioning circuitry. ITFI20030308A1 (en) * 2003-12-03 2005-06-04 Milior S P A knit fabric for monitoring vital signs. MX337677B (en) * 2014-03-10 2016-03-10 Paulino Vacas Jacques Wearable motherboard with exchangeable modular design for monitoring, information and control purposes. "E-broidery: Design and Fabrication of Textile-based Computing", by E.R. Post et al., IBM Systems Journal, vol. 39, Nos. 3&4, 2000, pp. 840-860. "Electric Suspenders: A Fabric Power Bus and Data Network for Wearable Digital Devices", Michael M. Gorlick, The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, California, 1999 IEEE, pp. 114-121. "Intrabody Buses for Data and Power", E. Rhemi Post et al., MIT Media Laboratory, 1997 IEE, pp. 52-55. "Wearable Sensor Badge & Sensor Jacket for Context Awareness", Farringdon et al., Philips Research Laboratories, Surrey, U.K., 1999 IEE, pp. 107-113. Gemperle, Francine, Kasabach, Chris, Stivoric, John, Bauer, Malcolm, and Martin, Richard, Design for Wearability, Institute for Complex Engineered Systems, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, http://www.ices.cmu.edu/design/wearability, 1998 (7 pages). Harper Charles A., Handbook of Plastics, Elastomers, and Composites, Third Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1996, pp. 6.14-6.19. Neuman, Michael R., Biopotential Electrodes, The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, vol. I, edited by Joseph D. Bronzino, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2000, pp. 48-1-48-12. Post, E. Rehmi and Maggie Orth, Smart Fabric, or "Wearable Clothing," the MIT Media Laboratory, pp. 167-168 of the Digest of Papers of the First IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers, Oct. 13-14, 1997 held in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Post, E. Rehmi and Maggie Orth, Smart Fabric, or Washable Computing the MIT Media Laboratory, Digest of Papers of the First IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers, Oct. 13-14, 1997 held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 4 pages.

2019-04-21T01:49:19Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US7559902B2/en

President Obama answers question from the press in the East Room. THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. Please have a seat. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been talking about what I believe should be our number-one priority as a country -- building a better bargain for the middle class and for Americans who want to work their way into the middle class. At the same time, I’m focused on my number-one responsibility as Commander-in-Chief, and that's keeping the American people safe. And in recent days, we’ve been reminded once again about the threats to our nation. Now, keep in mind that as a senator, I expressed a healthy skepticism about these programs, and as President, I’ve taken steps to make sure they have strong oversight by all three branches of government and clear safeguards to prevent abuse and protect the rights of the American people. But given the history of abuse by governments, it’s right to ask questions about surveillance -- particularly as technology is reshaping every aspect of our lives. I’m also mindful of how these issues are viewed overseas, because American leadership around the world depends upon the example of American democracy and American openness -- because what makes us different from other countries is not simply our ability to secure our nation, it’s the way we do it -- with open debate and democratic process. In other words, it’s not enough for me, as President, to have confidence in these programs. The American people need to have confidence in them as well. And that's why, over the last few weeks, I’ve consulted members of Congress who come at this issue from many different perspectives. I’ve asked the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to review where our counterterrorism efforts and our values come into tension, and I directed my national security team to be more transparent and to pursue reforms of our laws and practices. And so, today, I’d like to discuss four specific steps -- not all inclusive, but some specific steps that we’re going to be taking very shortly to move the debate forward. First, I will work with Congress to pursue appropriate reforms to Section 215 of the Patriot Act -- the program that collects telephone records. As I’ve said, this program is an important tool in our effort to disrupt terrorist plots. And it does not allow the government to listen to any phone calls without a warrant. But given the scale of this program, I understand the concerns of those who would worry that it could be subject to abuse. So after having a dialogue with members of Congress and civil libertarians, I believe that there are steps we can take to give the American people additional confidence that there are additional safeguards against abuse. One of the concerns that people raise is that a judge reviewing a request from the government to conduct programmatic surveillance only hears one side of the story -- may tilt it too far in favor of security, may not pay enough attention to liberty. And while I’ve got confidence in the court and I think they’ve done a fine job, I think we can provide greater assurances that the court is looking at these issues from both perspectives -- security and privacy. Fourth, we’re forming a high-level group of outside experts to review our entire intelligence and communications technologies. We need new thinking for a new era. We now have to unravel terrorist plots by finding a needle in the haystack of global telecommunications. And meanwhile, technology has given governments -- including our own -- unprecedented capability to monitor communications. So I am tasking this independent group to step back and review our capabilities -- particularly our surveillance technologies. And they’ll consider how we can maintain the trust of the people, how we can make sure that there absolutely is no abuse in terms of how these surveillance technologies are used, ask how surveillance impacts our foreign policy -- particularly in an age when more and more information is becoming public. And they will provide an interim report in 60 days and a final report by the end of this year, so that we can move forward with a better understanding of how these programs impact our security, our privacy, and our foreign policy. So all these steps are designed to ensure that the American people can trust that our efforts are in line with our interests and our values. And to others around the world, I want to make clear once again that America is not interested in spying on ordinary people. Our intelligence is focused, above all, on finding the information that’s necessary to protect our people, and -- in many cases -- protect our allies. It’s true we have significant capabilities. What’s also true is we show a restraint that many governments around the world don't even think to do, refuse to show -- and that includes, by the way, some of America’s most vocal critics. We shouldn’t forget the difference between the ability of our government to collect information online under strict guidelines and for narrow purposes, and the willingness of some other governments to throw their own citizens in prison for what they say online. And let me close with one additional thought. The men and women of our intelligence community work every single day to keep us safe because they love this country and believe in our values. They're patriots. And I believe that those who have lawfully raised their voices on behalf of privacy and civil liberties are also patriots who love our country and want it to live up to our highest ideals. So this is how we’re going to resolve our differences in the United States -- through vigorous public debate, guided by our Constitution, with reverence for our history as a nation of laws, and with respect for the facts. So, with that, I’m going to take some questions. And let’s see who we’ve got here. We’re going to start with Julie Pace of AP. Q Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to ask about some of the foreign policy fallout from the disclosure of the NSA programs that you discussed. Your spokesman said yesterday that there’s no question that the U.S. relationship with Russia has gotten worse since Vladimir Putin took office. How much of that decline do you attribute directly to Mr. Putin, given that you seem to have had a good working relationship with his predecessor? Also will there be any additional punitive measures taken against Russia for granting asylum to Edward Snowden? Or is canceling the September summit really all you can do given the host of issues the U.S. needs Russian cooperation for? Thank you. THE PRESIDENT: Good. I think there’s always been some tension in the U.S.-Russian relationship after the fall of the Soviet Union. There’s been cooperation in some areas; there’s been competition in others. It is true that in my first four years, in working with President Medvedev, we made a lot of progress. We got START done -- or START II done. We were able to cooperate together on Iran sanctions. They provided us help in terms of supplying our troops in Afghanistan. We were able to get Russia into the WTO -- which is not just good for Russia, it’s good for our companies and businesses because they're more likely then to follow international norms and rules. So there's been a lot of good work that has been done and that is going to continue to be done. What's also true is, is that when President Putin -- who was prime minister when Medvedev was president -- came back into power I think we saw more rhetoric on the Russian side that was anti-American, that played into some of the old stereotypes about the Cold War contests between the United States and Russia. And I've encouraged Mr. Putin to think forward as opposed to backwards on those issues -- with mixed success. And I think the latest episode is just one more in a number of emerging differences that we've seen over the last several months around Syria, around human rights issues, where it is probably appropriate for us to take a pause, reassess where it is that Russia is going, what our core interests are, and calibrate the relationship so that we're doing things that are good for the United States and hopefully good for Russia as well, but recognizing that there just are going to be some differences and we're not going to be able to completely disguise them. And that's okay. Keep in mind that although I'm not attending the summit, I'll still be going to St. Petersburg because Russia is hosting the G20. That's important business in terms of our economy and our jobs and all the issues that are of concern to Americans. I know that one question that's been raised is how do we approach the Olympics. I want to just make very clear right now I do not think it's appropriate to boycott the Olympics. We've got a bunch of Americans out there who are training hard, who are doing everything they can to succeed. Nobody is more offended than me by some of the anti-gay and lesbian legislation that you've been seeing in Russia. But as I said just this week, I've spoken out against that not just with respect to Russia but a number of other countries where we continue to do work with them, but we have a strong disagreement on this issue. And one of the things I'm really looking forward to is maybe some gay and lesbian athletes bringing home the gold or silver or bronze, which I think would go a long way in rejecting the kind of attitudes that we're seeing there. And if Russia doesn't have gay or lesbian athletes, then it probably makes their team weaker. Q Are there going to be any additional punitive measures for Russia, beyond canceling the summit? THE PRESIDENT: Keep in mind that our decision to not participate in the summit was not simply around Mr. Snowden. It had to do with the fact that, frankly, on a whole range of issues where we think we can make some progress, Russia has not moved. And so we don't consider that strictly punitive. We're going to assess where the relationship can advance U.S. interests and increase peace and stability and prosperity around the world. Where it can, we’re going to keep on working with them. Where we have differences, we’re going to say so clearly. And my hope is, is that over time, Mr. Putin and Russia recognize that rather than a zero-sum competition, in fact, if the two countries are working together we can probably advance the betterment of both peoples. THE PRESIDENT: Okay, I want to make sure -- everybody is asking one question it would be helpful. Q No, I understand. It was a part of a question that you didn’t answer. Can you get stuff done with Russia, big stuff done, without having a good personal relationship with Putin? THE PRESIDENT: I don’t have a bad personal relationship with Putin. When we have conversations, they’re candid, they’re blunt; oftentimes, they’re constructive. I know the press likes to focus on body language and he’s got that kind of slouch, looking like the bored kid in the back of the classroom. But the truth is, is that when we’re in conversations together, oftentimes it’s very productive. THE PRESIDENT: No. Right now, this is just a matter of where Mr. Putin and the Russian people want to go. I think if they are looking forward into the 21st century and how they can advance their economy, and make sure that some of our joint concerns around counterterrorism are managed effectively, then I think we can work together. If issues are framed as if the U.S. is for it then Russia should be against it, or we’re going to be finding ways where we can poke each other at every opportunity, then probably we don’t get as much stuff done. See, now I’ve forgotten your first question, which presumably was the more important one. No, I don’t think Mr. Snowden was a patriot. As I said in my opening remarks, I called for a thorough review of our surveillance operations before Mr. Snowden made these leaks. My preference -- and I think the American people’s preference -- would have been for a lawful, orderly examination of these laws, a thoughtful fact-based debate that would then lead us to a better place. Because I never made claims that all the surveillance technologies that have developed since the time some of these laws had been put in place somehow didn't require potentially some additional reforms. That's exactly what I called for. So the fact is, is that Mr. Snowden has been charged with three felonies. If, in fact, he believes that what he did was right, then, like every American citizen, he can come here, appear before the court with a lawyer and make his case. If the concern was that somehow this was the only way to get this information out to the public, I signed an executive order well before Mr. Snowden leaked this information that provided whistleblower protection to the intelligence community -- for the first time. So there were other avenues available for somebody whose conscience was stirred and thought that they needed to question government actions. But having said that, once the leaks have happened, what we’ve seen is information come out in dribs and in drabs, sometimes coming out sideways. Once the information is out, the administration comes in, tries to correct the record. But by that time, it’s too late or we’ve moved on, and a general impression has, I think, taken hold not only among the American public but also around the world that somehow we’re out there willy-nilly just sucking in information on everybody and doing what we please with it. That's not the case. Our laws specifically prohibit us from surveilling U.S. persons without a warrant. And there are a whole range of safeguards that have been put in place to make sure that that basic principle is abided by. But what is clear is that whether, because of the instinctive bias of the intelligence community to keep everything very close -- and probably what’s a fair criticism is my assumption that if we had checks and balances from the courts and Congress, that that traditional system of checks and balances would be enough to give people assurance that these programs were run probably -- that assumption I think proved to be undermined by what happened after the leaks. I think people have questions about this program. And so, as a consequence, I think it is important for us to go ahead and answer these questions. What I’m going to be pushing the IC to do is rather than have a trunk come out here and leg come out there and a tail come out there, let’s just put the whole elephant out there so people know exactly what they're looking at. Let’s examine what is working, what’s not, are there additional protections that can be put in place, and let’s move forward. And there’s no doubt that Mr. Snowden’s leaks triggered a much more rapid and passionate response than would have been the case if I had simply appointed this review board to go through, and I had sat down with Congress and we had worked this thing through. It would have been less exciting. It would not have generated as much press. I actually think we would have gotten to the same place, and we would have done so without putting at risk our national security and some very vital ways that we are able to get intelligence that we need to secure the country. Q Thank you, Mr. President. I’d like to ask you about this debate that's playing itself out in editorial pages, in the blogosphere, even in the Senate Democratic caucus, about the choice you eventually will make for the next Federal Reserve chairman. There is a perception among Democrats that Larry Summers has the inside track, and perhaps you’ve made some assurances to him about that. Janet Yellen is the vice chair of the Federal Reserve. There are many women in the Senate who are Democrats who believe that breaking the glass ceiling there would be historic and important. Q Are you annoyed by this sort of roiling debate? Do you find it any way unseemly? And do you believe this will be one of the most important -- if not the most important -- economic decisions you’ll make in the remainder of your presidency? THE PRESIDENT: It is definitely one of the most important economic decisions that I’ll make in the remainder of my presidency. The Federal Reserve chairman is not just one of the most important economic policymakers in America, he or she is one of the most important policymakers in the world. And that person presumably will stay on after I’m President. So this, along with Supreme Court appointments, is probably as important a decision as I make as President. I have a range of outstanding candidates. You’ve mentioned two of them -- Mr. Summers and Mr. Yellen -- Ms. Yellen. And they're both terrific people. I think the perception that Mr. Summers might have an inside track simply had to do with a bunch of attacks that I was hearing on Mr. Summers preemptively, which is sort of a standard Washington exercise, that I don't like. Because when somebody has worked hard for me and worked hard on behalf of the American people, and I know the quality of those people, and I see them getting slapped around in the press for no reason -- before they’ve even been nominated for anything -- then I want to make sure that somebody is standing up for them. I felt the same way when people were attacking Susan Rice before she was nominated for anything. So I tend to defend folks who I think have done a good job and don't deserve attacks. But I consider them both outstanding candidates. My main criteria -- I’ve stated this before, but I want to repeat it -- my main criteria for the Fed Reserve chairman is somebody who understands they’ve got a dual mandate. A critical part of the job is making sure that we keep inflation in check, that our monetary policy is sound, that the dollar is sound. Those are all critical components of the job. And we’ve seen what happens when the Fed is not paying attention. We saw, prior to Paul Volcker coming into place, inflation shooting up in ways that really damaged the real economy. And, frankly, I think both Larry Summers and Janet Yellen are highly qualified candidates. There are a couple of other candidates who are highly qualified as well. I’ll make the decision in the fall. Q Can you see how the perception of you defending Larry Summers as vigorously as you just did and in other quarters lead some to believe you’ve already made up your mind? Carol Lee. And, Carol, congratulations on Hudson. THE PRESIDENT: Do you have pictures? THE PRESIDENT: Okay, I’m going to have to see them. Q I appreciate you making it a slow news week. I wanted to ask you about your evolution on the surveillance issues. I mean, part of what you’re talking about today is restoring the public trust. And the public has seen you evolve from when you were in the U.S. Senate to now. And even as recently as June, you said that the process was such that people should be comfortable with it, and now you’re saying you’re making these reforms and people should be comfortable with those. So why should the public trust you on this issue, and why did you change your position multiple times? THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think it’s important to say, Carol, first of all, I haven’t evolved in my assessment of the actual programs. I consistently have said that when I came into office I evaluated them. Some of these programs I had been critical of when I was in the Senate. When I looked through specifically what was being done, my determination was that the two programs in particular that had been at issue, 215 and 702, offered valuable intelligence that helps us protect the American people and they're worth preserving. What we also saw was that some bolts needed to be tightened up on some of the programs, so we initiated some additional oversight, reforms, compliance officers, audits and so forth. And if you look at the reports -- even the disclosures that Mr. Snowden has put forward -- all the stories that have been written, what you're not reading about is the government actually abusing these programs and listening in on people's phone calls or inappropriately reading people's emails. What you're hearing about is the prospect that these could be abused. Now, part of the reason they're not abused is because these checks are in place, and those abuses would be against the law and would be against the orders of the FISC. Having said that, though, if you are outside of the intelligence community, if you are the ordinary person and you start seeing a bunch of headlines saying, U.S.-Big Brother looking down on you, collecting telephone records, et cetera, well, understandably, people would be concerned. I would be, too, if I wasn't inside the government. And so in light of the changed environment where a whole set of questions have been raised, some in the most sensationalized manner possible, where these leaks are released drip by drip, one a week, to kind of maximize attention and see if they can catch us at some imprecision on something -- in light of that, it makes sense for us to go ahead, lay out what exactly we're doing, have a discussion with Congress, have a discussion with industry -- which is also impacted by this -- have a discussion with civil libertarians, and see can we do this better. I think the main thing I want to emphasize is I don't have an interest and the people at the NSA don't have an interest in doing anything other than making sure that where we can prevent a terrorist attack, where we can get information ahead of time, that we're able to carry out that critical task. We do not have an interest in doing anything other than that. And we've tried to set up a system that is as failsafe as so far at least we've been able to think of to make sure that these programs are not abused. But people may have better ideas and people may want to jigger slightly sort of the balance between the information that we can get versus the incremental encroachments on privacy that if haven't already taken place might take place in a future administration, or as technologies develop further. And the other thing that’s happening is, is that as technology develops further, technology itself may provide us some additional safeguards. So, for example, if people don’t have confidence that the law, the checks and balances of the court and Congress are sufficient to give us confidence that government is not snooping, well, maybe we can embed technologies in there that prevent the snooping regardless of what government wants to do. I mean, there may be some technological fixes that provide another layer of assurance. And so those are the kinds of things that I’m looking forward to having a conversation about. If I tell Michelle that I did the dishes -- now, granted, in the White House I don’t do the dishes that much -- (laughter) -- but back in the day -- and she’s a little skeptical, well, I’d like her to trust me, but maybe I need to bring her back and show her the dishes and not just have her take my word for it. And so the program is -- I am comfortable that the program currently is not being abused. I’m comfortable that if the American people examined exactly what was taking place, how it was being used, what the safeguards were, that they would say, you know what, these folks are following the law and doing what they say they’re doing. But it is absolutely true that with the expansion of technology -- this is an area that’s moving very quickly -- with the revelations that have depleted public trust, that if there are some additional things that we can do to build that trust back up, then we should do them. Q Thank you, Mr. President. You have said that core al Qaeda has been decimated, that its leaders are on the run. Now that we’ve seen this terror threat that has resulted in embassies closed throughout the Arab world, much of Africa, do you still believe that al Qaeda has been decimated? And if I can ask in the interest of transparency, can you tell us about these drone strikes that we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks in Yemen? THE PRESIDENT: What I said in the same National Defense University speech back in May that I referred to earlier is that core al Qaeda is on its heels, has been decimated. But what I also said was that al Qaeda and other extremists have metastasized into regional groups that can pose significant dangers. And I’d refer you back to that speech just back in May where I said specifically that although they are less likely to be able to carry out spectacular homeland attacks like 9/11, they have the capacity to go after our embassies. They have the capacity, potentially, to go after our businesses. They have the capacity to be destabilizing and disruptive in countries where the security apparatus is weak. And that’s exactly what we are seeing right now. So it’s entirely consistent to say that this tightly organized and relatively centralized al Qaeda that attacked us on 9/11 has been broken apart and is very weak and does not have a lot of operational capacity, and to say we still have these regional organizations like AQAP that can pose a threat, that can drive potentially a truck bomb into an embassy wall and can kill some people. And so that requires us, then, to make sure that we have a strategy that is strengthening those partners so that they’ve got their own capacity to deal with what are potentially manageable regional threats if these countries are a little bit stronger and have more effective CT and so forth. It means that we’ve got to continue to be vigilant and go after known terrorists who are potentially carrying out plots or are going to strengthen their capacity over time -- because they’re always testing the boundaries of, well, maybe we can try this, maybe we can do that. So this is a ongoing process. We are not going to completely eliminate terrorism. What we can do is to weaken it and to strengthen our partnerships in such a way that it does not pose the kind of horrible threat that we saw on 9/11. And I’m not going to discuss specific operations that have taken place. Again, in my speech in May, I was very specific about how we make these determinations about potential lethal strikes, so I would refer you to that speech. Q So you won’t even confirm that we carried out drone strikes in Yemen? THE PRESIDENT: I will not have a discussion about operational issues. Q I hope you would defend me as well. Q Okay, thank you. I want to ask you about two important dates that are coming up. October 1st you’ve got to implement your signature health care law. You recently decided on your own to delay a key part of that. And I wonder, if you pick and choose what parts of the law to implement, couldn’t your successor down the road pick and choose whether they’ll implement your law and keep it in place? And on September 11th we’ll have the first anniversary of Benghazi. And you said on September 12th, “Make no mistake, we’ll bring to justice the killers who attacked our people.” Eleven months later, where are they, sir? THE PRESIDENT: Well, I also said that we’d get bin Laden, and I didn’t get him in 11 months. So we have informed, I think, the public that there’s a sealed indictment. It’s sealed for a reason. But we are intent on capturing those who carried out this attack, and we’re going to stay on it until we get them. Q And you’re close to having suspects in custody? THE PRESIDENT: I will leave it at that. But this remains a top priority for us. Anybody who attacks Americans, anybody who kills, tragically, four Americans who were serving us in a very dangerous place, we’re going to do everything we can to get those who carried out those attacks. With respect to health care, I didn’t simply choose to delay this on my own. This was in consultation with businesses all across the country, many of whom are supportive of the Affordable Care Act, but -- and many of whom, by the way, are already providing health insurance to their employees but were concerned about the operational details of changing their HR operations, if they’ve got a lot of employees, which could be costly for them, and them suggesting that there may be easier ways to do this. Now, what’s true, Ed, is, is that in a normal political environment, it would have been easier for me to simply call up the Speaker and say, you know what, this is a tweak that doesn’t go to the essence of the law -- it has to do with, for example, are we able to simplify the attestation of employers as to whether they’re already providing health insurance or not -- it looks like there may be some better ways to do this; let's make a technical change to the law. That would be the normal thing that I would prefer to do. But we're not in a normal atmosphere around here when it comes to "Obamacare." We did have the executive authority to do so, and we did so. But this doesn't go to the core of implementation. Let me tell you what is the core of implementation that's already taken place. As we speak, right now, for the 85 percent of Americans who already have health insurance, they are benefiting from being able to keep their kid on their plan if their kid is 26 or younger. That's benefiting millions of young people around the country, which is why lack of insurance among young people has actually gone down. That's in large part attributable to the steps that we've taken. You've got millions of people who have received rebates, because part of the Affordable Care Act was to say that if an insurance company isn't spending 80 percent of your premium on your health care, you get some money back. And, lo and behold, people have been getting their money back. It means that folks who have been bumping up with lifetime limits on their insurance, that it leaves them vulnerable. That doesn't exist. Seniors have been getting discounts on their prescription drugs. That's happening right now. Free preventive care -- mammograms, contraception. That's happening right now. I met a young man today on a bill signing I was doing with the student loan bill who came up to me and said thank you -- he couldn't have been more than 25, 26 years old -- thank you; I have cancer, thanks to the Affordable Care Act working with the California program, I was able to get health care and I'm now in remission. And so right now people are already benefiting. Now, what happens on October 1st, in 53 days, is for the remaining 15 percent of the population that doesn’t have health insurance, they're going to be able to go on a website or call up a call center and sign up for affordable quality health insurance at a significantly cheaper rate than what they can get right now on the individual market. And if even with lower premiums they still can't afford it, we're going to be able to provide them with a tax credit to help them buy it. And between October 1st into March there will be an open enrollment period in which millions of Americans for the first time are going to be able to get affordable health care. Now, I think the really interesting question is why it is that my friends in the other party have made the idea of preventing these people from getting health care their holy grail, their number-one priority. The one unifying principle in the Republican Party at the moment is making sure that 30 million people don't have health care and, presumably, repealing all those benefits I just mentioned -- kids staying on their parents' plan; seniors getting discounts on their prescription drugs; I guess a return to lifetime limits on insurance; people with preexisting conditions continuing to be blocked from being able to get health insurance. That's hard to understand as an agenda that is going to strengthen our middle class. At least they used to say, well, we're going to replace it with something better. There’s not even a pretense now that they're going to replace it with something better. The notion is simply that those 30 million people, or the 150 million who are benefiting from the other aspects of Affordable Care, will be better off without it. That's their assertion -- not backed by fact, not backed by any evidence. It’s just become an ideological fixation. Well, I tell you what, they're wrong about that. There is no doubt that in implementing the Affordable Care Act, a program of this significance, there are going to be some glitches. No doubt about it. There are going to be things where we say, you know what, we should have thought of that earlier. Or this would work a little bit better. Or this needs an adjustment. That was true of Social Security. That was true of Medicare. That was true of the Children’s Health Insurance Program. That was true of the prescription drug program, Part D, that was rolled out by a Republican President and supported by Republicans who are still in the House of Representatives. That's true, by the way, of a car company rolling out a new car. It’s true of Apple rolling out the new iPad. So you will be able to, whenever you want during the course of the next six months and probably the next year, find occasions where you say, ah-ha, you know what, that could have been done a little bit better. Or that thing, they're kind of making an administrative change; that's now how it was originally thought this thing was going to work. Yes, exactly. Because our goal is to actually deliver high-quality, affordable health care for people and to reform the system so costs start going down and people start getting a better bang for the buck. And I make no apologies for that. Q Thank you, Mr. President. And following on what you just said, Republicans in the House might give you that choice soon to either allow the government to shut down or see Obamacare defunded. Would you choose to let the government shut down to ensure that Obamacare remains funded? THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’m not going to engage in hypotheticals. I can tell you that the American people would have difficulty understanding why we would weaken our economy, shut down our government, shut down vital services, have people who are not getting paid who then can't go to restaurants or shop for clothes, or all the other things that we’re doing here because Republicans have determined that they don't want to see these folks get health care. Again, they used to say they had a replacement. That never actually arrived, right? I mean, I’ve been hearing about this whole replacement thing for two years -- now I just don’t hear about it, because basically they don’t have an agenda to provide health insurance to people at affordable rates. And the idea that you would shut down the government at a time when the recovery is getting some traction; where we’re growing, although not as fast as we need to; where the housing market is recovering, although not as fast as we would like; that we would precipitate another crisis here in Washington that no economist thinks is a good idea -- I’m assuming that they will not take that path. I have confidence that common sense, in the end, will prevail. Q And if they do, sir, you will have to make that choice? THE PRESIDENT: We’ll see what happens. We’ve got a couple of months. Q When’s the last time you spoke to Speaker Boehner about the budget? THE PRESIDENT: Fairly recently, yes. Probably right before they left. Q Thank you, Mr. President. Part of the political logic behind immigration reform was the strong showing by Latino voters last November. That doesn’t seem to resonate with a lot of House Republicans who represent overwhelmingly white districts. What other political leverage can you bring to bear to help move a bill in the House? THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’ve got an economic report that shows that our economy would be a trillion dollars stronger if we get immigration reform done. We’ve got evidence that our housing market would be stronger if immigrants are in a situation in which, having paid a fine, having paid back taxes, that they now have the ability to actually enter into the housing market. We’ve got strong evidence that our technological and research edge would be better if we get immigration reform done. We know that the Senate bill strengthens border security, puts unprecedented resources on top of the unprecedented resources I’ve already put into border security. So if your main priority is border security, I’d think you’d want to vote for this bill. We know that the Senate bill creates a system in which employers are held accountable for when they hire undocumented workers. This is something that people say is a bad thing. I agree. Let’s make sure that that system for holding employers accountable is in place. So when I hear the opposition to immigration reform, I just run through the list of things they’re concerned about, I look at what the Senate bill does, and I say to myself, you know what, the Senate bill actually improves the situation on every issue that they say they’re concerned about. Now, what they may argue is it doesn’t solve the problem 100 percent. I don’t know a law that solves a problem 100 percent. Social Security lifted millions of seniors out of poverty, but there are still some poor seniors. The Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act drastically reduced discrimination in America, but there’s still discrimination. That doesn’t make them bad laws, it just means that there are very few human problems that are 100 percent solvable. So what I see right now is a strong bipartisan vote coming out of the Senate. I think that the Speaker and others have said they need to do something, and I’d urge, when they get back, to do something -- put forward a bill that has an opportunity to actually pass. It may not be precisely what’s in the Senate bill. My preference would be for them to go ahead and call the Senate bill. But if they’ve got some additional ideas, I think the Senate is happy to consider them. And get that bill on the floor, put it up for a vote. I am absolutely certain that the votes for the Senate bill -- which strengthens border security; demands responsibility from undocumented workers to pay a fine, pay a penalty and get to the back of the line; reforms our legal immigration system; holds employers accountable -- I am absolutely confident that if that bill was on the floor of the House, it would pass. So the challenge right now is not that there aren’t a majority of House members, just like a majority of Senate members, who aren’t prepared to support this bill. The problem is internal Republican caucus politics. And that’s what the American people don’t want us to be worrying about. Don’t worry about your Washington politics. Solve problems. And this is one where you’ve actually got some pretty broad consensus. I don’t know an issue where you’ve got labor, the Chamber of Commerce, evangelicals, student groups -- you name it -- supportive of a bill. Let’s get it done.

2019-04-24T17:09:34Z

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/photos-and-video/video/2013/08/09/president-obama-holds-press-conference

1990-03-29 Assigned to HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY, A CORP. OF DE reassignment HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY, A CORP. OF DE ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: LEE, MARTIN G., TERBRACK, WILLIAM H. A low frequency pilot signal having predetermined positive and negative excursions is applied to an electrical modulation signal input (26) of a Mach-Zehnder electrooptic modulator (18) together with an electrical input signal. A bias voltage VB selected to bias the modulator (18) at a linear point (Vπ/2) is also applied to the signal input (26). The optical output signal of the modulator (18) is sensed, and the magnitudes of the positive and negative excursions of the output signal which correspond to the positive and negative excursions of the pilot signal are compared with each other. If the modulator (18) is linearly biased as desired, the excursions will have the same relative relationship as the excursions of the pilot signal. If the modulator (18) has drifted away from the linear bias point (Vπ/2), one excursion will have a larger magnitude relative to the other than in the pilot signal, indicating the direction of deviation. The bias voltage VB is automatically adjusted toward the linear bias point (Vπ/2). Where the bias voltage range includes a plurality of linear bias points (Vπ/2) within the limits thereof, the voltage difference (2Vπ) between two of the linear bias points (Vπ/2) is automatically measured at startup. If the modulator (18) drifts into one of the limits, the bias voltage VB is reset to a value spaced from the respective limit by the voltage difference (2Vπ), thereby automatically resetting the bias voltage VB to another linear point (Vπ/2) within the range. The present invention generally relates to the art of optical data communications, and more specifically to an automatic bias controller for an electro-optic modulator such as a Mach-Zehnder modulator. Transmission of data using optical carriers enables very high bandwidths and numbers of multiplexed channels with low signal loss and distortion. A coherent laser light beam is amplitude modulated with a data signal, and propagates to a remote receiver either directly through the atmosphere, or via a system of optical fibers and repeaters. The light beam may advantageously be modulated with electrical signals in the microwave frequency range using an electro-optic modulator such as a Mach-Zehnder modulator or optical coupler. A Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator per se is known in the art, as presented in an article entitled "A new waveguide switch/modulator for integrated optics", by W. Martin, Applied Physics Letters, vol. 26, no. 10, pp. 562-564 (May 1975). An electro-optic modulator based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer generally includes a monolithic substrate formed of an electro-optic material such as LiNbO3 or ZnSe. An optical waveguide is formed in the substrate having two arms or branches which extend generally in parallel with each other. The index of refraction of the material in the waveguide is higher than the index of refraction of the material of the substrate. The branches have equal lengths. In the absence of an applied electrical bias voltage, an input optical or light beam produced by a laser or the like applied to the waveguide divides equally between the branches. The optical signals propagating through the branches recombine at the optical output of the waveguide in phase with each other, such that their amplitudes are additive and an optical output signal which is essentially similar to the optical input signal appears at the output of the waveguide. Application of a predetermined electrical bias voltage differential to one branch of the waveguide relative to the other branch causes the indices of refraction of the material in the branches to vary differently due to the electro-optic effect, such that the effective optical lengths of the branches vary accordingly. At a bias voltage known in the art as Vπ, the effective optical lengths have varied to such an extent that the optical signals emerging from the branches are 180° out of phase with each other. The amplitudes of the signals combine subtractively, cancelling each other out, such that a zero output is produced at the optical output. For most optical communication applications, it is desirable to bias the modulator at a voltage Vπ/2, which produces linear operation. However, device instabilities and environmental effects, especially temperature variations, cause the operating point to drift, and constant manual readjustment has been required to maintain the proper linear operating point. The linear bias point must be maintained during link operation to achieve maximum dynamic range, since second order harmonic and intermodulation distortion increase rapidly with increasing bias voltage error. An electro-optic modulator system including a provision for manual bias voltage adjustment is illustrated in FIG. 1, and generally designated as 10. A laser 12 feeds a coherent light beam through an optical fiber 14 into an optical input 16 of a Mach-Zehnder modulator 18, optical coupler, or other appropriate electro-optic modulator. The light beam propagates through a waveguide having two branches 20 and 22, which recombine at an optical output 24 of the modulator 18. An electrical data signal, preferably in the microwave frequency range, is applied to the branch 20 via an electrical input line 25 and modulation signal "T" input 26. The optical carrier signal constituted by the laser beam is modulated with the data signal, and fed through an optical fiber 28 to a remote receiver (not shown). In order to control the modulator 18 to linearly modulate the optical carrier with the data signal, it is necessary to bias the modulator 18 at a linear operating point corresponding to the voltage Vπ/2. In the prior art arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1, a tap 30 is provided in the output optical fiber 28 which leads through an optical fiber pigtail 32 to a photodetector 34. A second optical fiber pigtail 36 leads from the substrate of the modulator 18, and is designed to feed a portion of the light scattered into the substrate to a second photodetector 38. The photodetectors 34 and 38 produce electrical signals which are complementary inverses of each other. The correct bias point is initially determined by a complex manual procedure whereby both photodetector outputs are measured at the correct operating point. Manual adjustment of the bias voltage by means of a potentiometer 40 or the like, of a manual bias voltage controller 42, is performed to maintain the ratio of the two detector outputs constant. Constant monitoring and manual adjustment of the bias voltage is required to correct for variations in the operating point of the modulator 18. It is not feasible to implement the prior art system 10 as a practical industrial product. The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art by providing automatic bias voltage control of an electro-optic modulator, preferably a Mach-Zehnder modulator, thereby enabling the manufacture of Microwave Modulated Fiber Optic Links (MMFOL) as viable industrial products. The present bias controller continuously and automatically maintains the modulator bias voltage at a linear point Vπ/2, compensating for drift of the operating point of the modulator caused by variations in ambient temperature and other effects. The controller is insensitive to optical power variations caused by laser instability or changes in optical fiber coupling efficiency, and requires only a single photodetector connected to the modulator. The invention generally includes modulating an input bias signal with a pilot signal, sensing the portion of the modulator's output which corresponds to the pilot signal, sensing a non-linear relationship between the pilot signal and the sensed portion of the modulator output, and adjusting the DC bias level toward a more linear relationship. More specifically, a low frequency pilot signal having predetermined positive and negative excursions is applied to an electrical modulation signal input of a Mach-Zehnder modulator, optical coupler, or other applicable electro-optic modulator together with an electrical input signal. A bias voltage selected to bias the modulator at a linear point is also applied to the signal input. The optical output signal of the modulator is sensed, and the magnitudes of the positive and negative excursions of the output signal which correspond to the positive and negative excursions of the pilot signal are compared with each other. If the modulator is linearly biased as desired, the excursions will have the same relative relationship as the excursions of the pilot signal. If the modulator has drifted away from the linear bias point, one excursion will have a larger magnitude relative to the other than in the pilot signal, indicating the direction of deviation. The bias voltage is automatically adjusted toward the linear bias point. Where the bias voltage range includes a plurality of linear bias points within the limits thereof, the voltage difference between two of the linear bias points is automatically measured at startup. If the modulator drifts into one of the limits, the bias voltage is reset to a value spaced from the respective limit by the voltage difference, thereby automatically resetting the bias voltage to another linear point within the range. FIG. 7 is a timing diagram illustrating the operation of the present bias voltage controller. Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawing, an electro-optic modulator system embodying the present invention is generally designated as 50, and includes elements illustrated and described above with reference to FIG. 1 which are designated by the same reference numerals and operate in a similar manner. It will be noted, however, that the system 50 does not require the second optical fiber pigtail 36 and photodetector 38 of the prior art system 10. The present system 50 includes an automatic bias voltage controller 52, which continuously maintains the modulator 18 biased at a linear point via a line 53, and will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. The principle of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. In both of these graphs, the horizontal axis represents applied modulator bias voltage VB, whereas the vertical axis represents the optical power output EO of the modulator 18 as a function of applied bias voltage VB. It will be seen that as the bias voltage is increased, the optical power increases and decreases in a sinusoidal manner. The sine curve appearing in the drawings has a plurality of positive peaks 54 and negative peaks 56. Linear bias voltage points 58 are constituted by positive inflection points in the rising portions of the sine curve between adjacent negative peaks 56 and positive peaks 54, whereas linear bias voltage points 60 are similarly constituted by negative inflection points between adjacent positive peaks 54 and negative peaks 56. Although operation at the negative inflection points 60 is within the scope of the invention, signal inversion will result therefrom, and further description of the invention will be limited to operation at the positive inflection points 58. The linear bias points 58 have voltage values halfway between those of the peaks 54 and 56, and are the points Vπ/2 described above. In accordance with the present invention, the DC bias voltage applied to the modulation input 26 of the modulator 18 is amplitude modulated with a relatively low frequency pilot signal or tone. The pilot signal has a frequency of, for example 400 Hz, which is different from the frequency of the input signal on the line 25, and includes alternating positive and negative pulses or half-cycles 62 and 64 respectively. The half-cycles 62 and 64 preferably have a square waveform, although the invention may be practiced using a pilot tone having a sinusoidal or other waveform. Although the half-cycles are illustrated as being symmetrical and equally spaced in time, they may be separated in time by equal or unequal spacings if a suitable provision is made for sampling the half-cycles at the proper intervals. The main requirement for the pilot signal is that the positive and negative half-cycles be constituted by waveform portions which have predetermined peak values or excursions relative to a predetermined reference level. Although the excursions are illustrated in the preferred example as being equal, with the reference level being equal to the bias voltage, the invention is not so limited. The excursions may have unequal peak values as long as the relationship of the magnitudes thereof relative to the reference value is predetermined. In addition, the positive and negative excursions may have different durations, as long as the durations are sufficient to enable sensing of the peak values of the excursions. Further description of the invention will be simplified by assuming that the positive and negative half-cycles or pulses have equal peaks or excursions relative to the bias voltage as illustrated. With the modulator biased linearly as illustrated in FIG. 3, the electrical output signal of the photodetector 34, which corresponds to the optical output signal at the optical output of the modulator 24, includes positive half-cycles 66 and negative half-cycles 68 which are centered about the linear bias point 58 and correspond to the half-cycles 62 and 64 of the pilot signal respectively. The half-cycles 66 and 68 are equal in magnitude or amplitude. FIG. 4 illustrates the bias voltage VB as being increased from the linear point 58 to a non-linear point 58'. The transfer function of the modulator 18 becomes non-linear, with the result that positive half-cycles 66' of the output signal have smaller amplitude than negative half-cycles 68'. With the bias voltage VB reduced from the linear point 58 to a non-linear point 58", positive half-cycles 66" have a larger amplitude than that of negative half-cycles 68". Therefore, the direction of deviation of the operating bias point from the linear value Vπ/2 can be sensed by determining which of the positive or negative half-cycles has the larger amplitude. The present controller 52 operates by automatically sensing the relative amplitudes of the positive and negative half-cycles 66 and 68, increasing the bias voltage VB if the amplitude of the positive half-cycles 66 is larger than the amplitude of the negative half-cycles 68, and decreasing the bias voltage VB if the amplitude of the positive half-cycles 66 is smaller than the amplitude of the negative half-cycles 68. In this manner, the bias voltage VB is continuously and automatically adjusted to the linear bias point 58 at which the amplitudes of the positive and negative half-cycles 66 and 68 are equal. Referring now to FIG. 5, the present bias voltage controller 52 includes an up-down counter 70 which stores therein a count value which determines the bias voltage VB. The counter 70 may be a 12-bit unit, having a count value which is variable from 0 to 4095. The output of the counter 70 is applied to an digital-to-analog converter 72, which converts the count value into a DC voltage which is applied through an analog adder or mixer 74 to a bias voltage amplifier 76. The amplifier 76 produces the bias voltage VB, which is applied through the line 53 to the modulation input 26 of the modulator 18. Where the voltage output of the converter 72 varies from -10 V (at a count value of 0) to +10 V (at a count value of 4095), and the amplifier 76 has a gain factor of two, the amplifier 76 will produce the output bias voltage VB having a range with limit values of -20 V and +20 V. The controller 52 further includes a clock pulse generator unit 80, which, although not shown in detail, typically incorporates therein a clock pulse generator which generates primary clock pulses at a frequency of 100 KHz, and frequency dividers which divide the primary clock pulses to produce system clock pulses at frequencies of 6.4 KHz, 200 HZ, 400 HZ, and 800 HZ. The 400 HZ and 800 HZ clock pulses are applied to a modulation signal timing decoder unit 82, which produces timing pulses T1, T2, T3 and T4 and applies the same to a modulation signal generator unit 84. The timing signals are synthesized from the 400 Hz and 800 Hz clock pulses as illustrated in the timing diagram of FIG. 7, and are themselves used to synthesize the pilot signal. As shown in FIG. 7, the pilot signal includes the positive half-cycles 66, negative half-cycles 68, zero-voltage spacing intervals 86 between adjacent half-cycles 66 and 68, and zero-voltage spacing intervals 88 between adjacent half-cycles 68 and 66. Referring also to FIG. 6, the output of the photodetector 34 is applied through a trans-impedance amplifier 90 and voltage amplifier 92 to signal inputs of synchronous switches 94, 96 and 98. The timing pulses T1 which correspond to the positive half-cycles 66 of the pilot signal, are applied to a control input of the switch 94. The logical sum of the timing pulses T2 and T4, which corresponds to the spacing intervals 86 and 88 between the positive and negative half-cycles 66 and 68, is applied to a control input of the switch 96. The timing pulses T3, which correspond to the negative half-cycles 68 of the pilot signal, are applied to a control input of the switch 98. The output of the switch 94 is connected across a sample and hold capacitor 100 to the non-inverting input of a differential amplifier 102. The output of the switch 96 is connected across a sample and hold capacitor 104 to the input of an amplifier 106, the output of which is connected to the inverting input of the differential amplifier 102 and to the non-inverting input of a differential amplifier 108. The output of the switch 98 is connected across a sample and hold capacitor 110 to the inverting input of the differential amplifier 108. The output of the differential amplifier 102 is connected to the non-inverting input of a differential amplifier 112, whereas the output of the differential amplifier 108 is connected to the inverting input of the differential amplifier 112. The output of the differential amplifier 112 is connected to the non-inverting input of a comparator 114, the inverting input of which is grounded. The timing pulses T1, T2+T4, and T3 turn on the switches 94, 96 and 98 respectively for the durations of the respective timing pulses. The positive half-cycles 66 of the pilot signal are synchronously gated through the switch 94 and charge the capacitor 100 to the peak value of the half-cycles 66. The negative half-cycles 68 are similarly gated through the switch 98 to charge the capacitor 110. The capacitor 104 is charged to the voltage of the spacing intervals 86 and 88, which is approximately zero volts, and constitutes a median reference level. The differential amplifier 102 produces an output voltage which is equal to the peak amplitude of the positive half-cycles 66 relative to the reference level of the spacing intervals. The differential amplifier 108 similarly produces an output voltage representing the peak amplitude of the negative half-cycles 68. It will be noted that although the voltage across the capacitor 110 is negative, the output of the differential amplifier 108 will be positive due to the reversed connections of the signal and reference level inputs thereof. The differential amplifier 112 produces an output voltage which is equal to the difference between the output voltages of the differential amplifiers 102 and 108. The output of the amplifier 112 will be positive if the amplitude of the positive half-cycles 66 is larger than the amplitude of the negative half-cycles 68, and negative if the relationship is opposite. The comparator 114 converts the analog output of the differential amplifier 112 into a digital logic signal, producing a logically high output in response to a positive input, and a logically low output in response to a negative input. The output of the differential amplifier 114 is connected through a line 116 to a control unit 118. During normal operation of the system 50, the control unit 118 feeds 200 Hz clock pulses through a line 120 to the clock input of the counter 70, causing the counter 70 to count continuously. The direction in which the count value in the counter 70 changes in response to the clock pulses is determined by the logical state of an up/down control signal applied to the counter 70 through a line 122. Assuming that the bias voltage VB drifts below the linear point 58, the amplitude of the positive half-cycles 66 will become larger than the amplitude of the negative half-cycles 68, and the comparator 114 will produce a logically high output. In response, the control unit 118 applies a signal on the line 122 causing the counter 70 to count up in response to the clock pulses. As the count value in the counter 70 increases, the output voltage of the digital-to-analog converter 72 and thereby the bias voltage VB increase, so that the bias voltage is increased toward the linear point 58. This operation continues until the bias voltage VB exceeds the linear point 58, the amplitude of the positive half-cycles 66 becomes smaller than the amplitude of the negative half-cycles 68, and the output of the comparator 114 goes logically low. When this occurs, the control unit 118 changes the logical sense of the signal on the line 122, and causes the counter 70 to count down and thereby reduce the bias voltage VB toward the linear point 58. In this manner, the controller 52 continuously hunts around the linear bias point 58. If desired, the controller 52 may be modified to produce a hysteresis or dead band around the linear bias point 58. Although the relative polarities or logical senses of the control signals have been described as "positive" and "negative", it will be understood that the relative polarities may be reversed at any point in the system from the particular exemplary arrangement described above, as long as a deviation of the bias voltage from a linear point in a particular direction results in the system adjusting the bias voltage in the opposite direction back toward the linear point. It has been determined in practice that the operating point can be maintained to within ±20 mV over an operating range of ±20 V. Microwave modulation levels in the range of 0 dBm to +12 dBm produced second harmonic suppression of 35±5 dBc down from the fundamental. The second harmonic suppression levels frequently determine the dynamic range of a modulator used in microwave links. The present invention enables the design of optical communication links with 35 dB of dynamic range for microwave input levels up to 10 dBm. At lower microwave input levels, the second harmonic suppression increases, whereas at higher input levels, it decreases. (1) Startup and calibration mode. (3) Reset mode in which the bias voltage is automatically reset from one linear operating point to another if the first linear point drifts into one of the -20 V or +20 V limit values of the bias voltage operating range. The normal servo mode (2) was described in detail above, and consists of adjusting the bias voltage VB to a linear point in response to fluctuations in the modulator operating point caused by variations in ambient temperature, etc. The startup and calibration mode (1) includes initially setting the bias voltage VB to a linear operating point. This function is accomplished using a 2Vπ memory which may be embodied as a 12 bit counter 124. The counter 124 is used to measure and store the bias voltage difference 2Vπ between adjacent positive peaks 54 or negative peaks 56. The voltage difference 2Vπ is also the difference between adjacent linear bias points 58, and between adjacent negative slope linear bias points 60. The parallel outputs of the counter 124 are applied through a controllable true/complement converter 126 to parallel inputs of the counter 70. When the system 50 is first energized, a power-up time delay unit 128 feeds a power-up signal PWRUP to a 2Vπ calibration timing and control unit 130 and to the control unit 118 after a time delay which is sufficient for all operating voltages in the system 50 to reach normal levels. In response to the PWRUP signal, the control unit 118 clears the counter 70, sets the line 122 to command the counter 70 to count up, and applies a negative ENABLE signal to the control unit 118 which causes the same to gate 6.4 KHz clock pulses to the counter 70. Further in response to the PWRUP signal, the control unit 130 clears the 2Vπ counter 124. During the calibration period, the control unit 130 feeds the negative ENABLE signal to the decoder unit 82, which inhibits the unit 82 from feeding clock pulses to the signal generator unit 84. Thus, the voltage applied to the signal input 26 of the modulator 18 consists of the pure DC bias voltage VB. The clock pulses applied to the counter 70 cause the bias voltage VB to be swept or ramped up from -20 V toward +20 V. The system 50 further includes a peak detector 132 which produces and feeds an output signal PEAK to the control unit 130 in response to sensing a positive or negative peak 54 or 56 in the output signal from the amplifier 90. In response to the first PEAK signal, the control unit 130 begins gating 6.4 KHz clock pulses therethrough to the counter 124, causing the same to count up. No action is taken in response to the second PEAK signal, although the system may be modified to measure the voltage difference between adjacent peaks 54 and 56 and multiply the measured value by two. In response to the third PEAK signal, the control unit 130 terminates gating the clock pulses to the counter 124, causing the count therein to subsequently remain unchanged. The final count value in the counter 124 corresponds to the measured voltage difference 2Vπ between two adjacent peaks 54 or 56, and to the voltage difference between two linear operating points 58. In response to the third PEAK signal, the control unit 130 changes the sense of the ENABLE signal from negative to positive, causing the decoder 82 to feed the timing pulses T1, T2+T4, and T3 to the signal generator unit 84 to initiate the normal servo mode (2) operation. The positive ENABLE signal also causes the control unit 118 to feed the 200 Hz clock pulses, rather than the 6.4 KHz clock pulses, to the counter 70. The count in the counter 70 at the termination of the calibration or 2Vπ voltage difference measuring operation corresponds to third sensed peak value 54 or 56, which may be positive or negative respectively. The normal servo operation of the system 50 will result in automatic adjustment of the bias voltage to the closest linear bias voltage point 58. The reset mode (3) is automatically invoked when the operating point of the modulator 18 drifts into one of the -20 V or +20 V limits. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the rightmost linear bias point 58 is illustrated as drifting into the +20 V limit. The operation is similar when a leftmost bias point drifts into the -20 V limit, although not shown in the drawing. The reset mode (3) of operation of the system 50 utilizes the fact than when the linear operating point drifts into a limit, the next linear operating point is spaced back into the bias voltage range from the limit by the value 2Vπ. Thus, system operation from an operating point which drifted into the -20 V limit can be restored by resetting the count value in the counter 70 from -20 V to 2Vπ. Similarly, operation from drift into the +20 V limit can be restored by resetting the count value in the counter 70 from 4095 to (4095-2Vπ). The reset operation is performed by the control unit 118 in combination with the true/complement converter 126. When the counter 70 reaches a 0 or 4095 count, it feeds a terminal count signal TERM to the control unit 118. The counter 70 also applies a signal MSB to the control unit 118. The signal MSB corresponds to the most significant bit of the count in the counter 70, having a logically low value when the count in the counter 70 is zero, and a logically high value when the count in the counter 70 is 4095. Thus, the control unit 118 is able to determine whether the counter 70 has reached the lower or upper limit. In response to a count of 0, the control unit 118 feeds a TRUE signal to the converter 126 which causes the same to apply the parallel output of the counter 124 to the parallel input of the counter 70 in unaltered form. The control unit 118 also feeds a LOAD signal to the counter 70 which causes the 0 count to be replaced by the value of 2Vπ from the converter 126. In response to a count of 4095, the control unit inverts the logical state of the TRUE signal, causing the converter 126 to apply the two's complement of the count value in the counter 124 to the counter 70. The two's complement of 2Vπ is equal to (4095-2Vπ) which is the count value desired to be set into the counter 70 in response to drift of the operating point into the 4095 count limit. After resetting of the operating point, the system 50 reverts back to the normal servo mode (2) of operation. While several illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention not be limited solely to the specifically described illustrative embodiments. Various modifications are contemplated and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. bias voltage control means for controlling, in accordance with the first or second logical sense of the control signal, adjustment of the bias voltage in a direction to cause the positive and negative excursions of the output signal to approach said relative values of the positive and negative excursions of the pilot signal. wherein the control means is constructed to increase or decrease the count value in the counter means in response to the first or second logical sense of the control signal respectively. the control means controlling the source means to adjust the bias voltage toward a nearest one of the linear bias voltage values. reset means for adding the difference value stored in the measuring means to the first limit value, or subtracting the difference value from the second limit value, in response to sensing of the first or second limit value respectively by the limit sensing means. 5. A bias controller as in claim 4, in which the measuring means is constructed to measure the difference value as corresponding to a voltage difference between said two of the linear bias voltage values which are separated from each other by a third of the linear bias voltage values. 6. A bias controller as in claim 4, in which the measuring means comprises means for sweeping the bias voltage from the first limit value toward the second limit value, sensing first and second peak values of the output signal, and determining the difference value as a voltage difference between first and second values of the bias voltage at the first and second peak values respectively. 7. A bias controller as in claim 6, in which the measuring means comprises means for terminating said sweep of the bias voltage in response to sensing of the second peak value, and controlling the source means to set the bias voltage to the difference value. 8. A bias controller as in claim 1, in which the electro-optic modulator is a Mach-Zehnder modulator. 9. A bias controller as in claim 1, further comprising photosensor means for generating an electrical output signal in response to an optical output signal at the optical output of the modulator, the detector means comparing positive and negative excursions of the electrical output signal. 10. A bias controller as in claim 1, in which the generator means is constructed to generate the pilot signal such that the positive and negative excursions thereof are equal. 11. A bias controller as in claim 10, in which the reference level of the pilot signal is equal to the bias voltage. (c) adjusting the bias voltage in a direction to cause the positive and negative excursions of the output signal to approach said relative values of the positive and negative excursions of the pilot signal. (g) setting the bias voltage to a value equal to the second limit value minus the difference value when the bias voltage is sensed at the second limit value in step (e). 14. A method as in claim 13, in which step (d) comprises measuring the difference value as corresponding to a voltage difference between said two of the linear bias voltage values which are separated from each other by a third of the linear bias voltage values. (j) determining the difference value as a voltage difference between first and second values of the bias voltage at the first and second peak values respectively. (l) setting the bias voltage to the difference value. feedback means responsive to a non-linear relationship between said pilot signal and said sensed output alternations for adjusting the DC bias level toward a more linear relationship. 18. A bias controller as in claim 17, in which the positive and negative pulses of the pilot signal are symmetrical about the DC bias level. 19. A bias controller as in claim 17, in which the pilot signal has spacing intervals between the positive and negative pulses. 20. A bias controller as in claim 19, in which the pilot signal has a predetermined DC level during the spacing intervals, the positive and negative pulses being symmetrical about said predetermined DC level. 21. A bias controller as in claim 17, in which frequencies of the pilot signal and said modulating signal are different. 22. A bias controller as in claim 17, in which the feedback means comprises means for generating a control signal having a logical sense corresponding to the direction of deviation of the DC bias level from the linear relationship, and adjusting the DC bias level in accordance with the sense of the control signal. means responsive to a non-linear relationship between said pilot signal and said sensed portion of the modulator output for adjusting the DC bias level toward a more linear relationship. Martin, W.; "A New Waveguide Switch/Modulator for Integrated Optics"; Applied Physics Letters; vol. 25, No. 10; May 1975; pp. 562-564.

2019-04-21T20:36:44Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5003624A/en

A talking cat lives outside his door. Every night, when he is falling asleep, it comes. If he opens his eyes he can almost catch its shadow, pacing along the gap where the light shines in through the door. The light is magical, he thinks; it holds enchanted things. He thinks of the cat, and happiness, and bread sprinkled with sugar. He lives, by day, among the trees in the yard, with the other boys from the kommunalka. Climbing, fighting, catching insects, waging wars. His family shares a communal apartment with four others. In this part of Moscow, that makes them lucky, he knows: The flat upstairs holds 12. Fifty people under one roof. There are no social classes in the workers’ paradise, but his father is a machine-tool adjuster. Families who live in Maryina Roshcha are not well off. Bandits operate in the area; some of them prey on children. Some of them are children. His family, the Norsteins, are Jewish. The word doesn’t mean much to him, but sometimes old women spit and call him Christ-killer, which is strange, since the atheist eyes of the state look upon the New Testament not much more favorably than on the Old. Sometimes his friends lash out at him. One day after class his drawing teacher pulls him aside and tells him not to come back. He cries when this happens, because he loves art more than anything. He does not understand that Stalin is stoking anti-Semitism for political purposes. He only feels that the mood of the world shifts unpredictably, and sometimes the days are bad. He knows who Stalin is because he sees his picture on the street. Joseph Vissarionovich says there will be no bread tomorrow. Comrade Joseph, who won us the war. He knows what the war was because he remembers it, a little, the fear and the fireworks and the close-typed lists of the dead. The war is why his Aunt Bella came home alone and pregnant, after serving with the air force on the front. He was very small then. When the baby died, Aunt Bella gave him her milk. There was so little other food, so little of anything. “Auntie, auntie,” he would call to her across the yard, “do you have any milk for me?” The war is why the nights are still so dark, why the streetlamps are dull and why the hallway bulb is dimmer than the paraffin stove, barely as bright as a candle. The war is why so many of the people he hears being talked about are people he never can meet. He doesn’t mind the dark. It, too, is magical. When the moon is out he watches the wind sweep the leaves from the ground, like a big arm scooping itself up. He listens to the music playing somewhere, the accordion always sighing out the same song, the tango “Weary Sun.” After bedtime the dark belongs to the little gray wolf, who, according to the lullaby his mother sings, will take him away if he sleeps too close to the bed's edge, take him away and hide him in the woods, under the willow root. The little gray wolf is scary but also comforting, a familiar phantom. He has noticed that a kind of strange potential seems to surround his everyday life. It waits just past the boundary of what he normally sees and hears, and though he does not see it or hear it, it is always there, as real to him as the fathers and mothers and brothers who never came out of the war. A bad day: His father is fired. Stalin is moving against the Jews, and the consequences reach all the way down to the machine shop. He feels the tension, sees the worried lines on his parents’ faces, without fully understanding the cause. Then an hour comes when the world pulls back in thrilling disbelief: Stalin is dead. Afterward people tell him about the transports, already prepared, that the dictator had intended to carry the Jews to a forced resettlement in Siberia. Wood smoke and wax smoke. Potatoes rattling in a pan. Granny Varya, whose son spies for the government. Climbing the poplars, higher than the buildings, climbing hair-raisingly high. He knows every handhold, every branch. Later, when he is an old man, he will marvel at these memories. His childhood, when the days seemed so long. And leafing now and then through a book about Siberia: Well, well, Joseph Vissarionovich; but here I am. Well. Here he is, an old man, onstage at the Dom Kino. Cinephiles of Moscow, your evening’s entertainment: Yuri Norstein, 74, white-bearded, small, stout, urbane, rumpled, and mischievous. Sitting in front of a pale gold curtain, with a bump on his nose the size of a pistachio shell. Considered by many to be a great, if tragically self-defeating, Russian artist. Considered by many to be the finest animator in the world. Still: a good crowd tonight for his lecture. In the vestibule outside the hall, his assistant, Tania, has set up the usual table, selling postcards and picture books and refrigerator magnets. The faces of his most beloved characters look out from the racks, in tiny dozens; the same faces he’ll project, enormous, onto the screen behind him while he speaks. The little gray wolf. The poet’s cat. The hedgehog, the owl, the bull that turns the jump rope. Some people might find it strange to see their dreams living outside their heads. For him it is the other way around: The moments are rare when he is not surrounded by dreams. He turns his bright, sad eyes over the crowd. He has given this talk, and many talks like it, many times before. He has to give talks because he has to pay his rent. A few years ago he collected his lectures on the art of animation into a kind of memoir, Snow on the Grass; it sold so well he ran out of copies for Tania to stock at the table. His charm onstage is casual, but he knows how to hold an audience. He is romantic: He believes that humanity has lost its connection to a better, simpler way of being, that we have fallen out of harmony with nature and with each other. He believes that imagination, embodied in art, offers an escape from what is degraded and alienating in a society that wants to make us machines. But he is also a clown: He likes to shock people, he knows how to make them laugh. He has hidden a bottle of beer in the lectern. He’ll reveal it when the cognac runs out. He speaks of the great paintings, how they move when he looks at them. Here, consider Kandinsky: The lines go up and down like pistons, while the circles float like soap bubbles. Michelangelo’s bust of Brutus: electrifying, how it changes from different sides. He has never been to the Accademia in Florence, but in his mind he sees it in three dimensions. It makes his heart race. On his left wrist he wears an enormous watch. When he talks, he has a habit of rubbing it, carelessly, with his knuckles: the way you might run the back of your hand over the top of a purring cat’s head. He speaks of his own work. Wolf and hedgehog, heron and crane. Here is the image of the infant at the breast that appeared in Tale of Tales. Here is a photograph of his wife, Francheska — his most important collaborator, the art director for his films — in a similar pose, breast-feeding their son Borya. (Can it really have been 50 years ago? It was: in the late 1960s.) He remembers how furious she was when he included the photo in his memoir. But he loves it so much; and then, he and Francheska have been married a long time, and they put up with each other, which is to say, she puts up with him. He tells the story onstage, and her long-ago anger tickles him. He chuckles. He talks freely about The Overcoat. Why not? He shows sketches. He explains how scenes were made. He mulls over themes. The story — it concerns a poor clerk in St. Petersburg who has to save up for a new coat, only to have it stolen as soon as he acquires it — is one of the foundational works of Russian literature, as important, he says, as a book of the Bible. He says nothing about the film’s state of completion, but he plays clips, as he sometimes does, from what he’s finished so far, and wonder passes through the crowd like a bird ruffling its feathers. He doesn’t treat it as an unfinished project. He speaks of it as something long accomplished, widely known. Perhaps this is backward, describing the making of a film that technically does not exist yet. But he cares about this work, which has consumed half his life. He cares about how it is received. If the film were a real overcoat, you could see light shining through its holes. But he knows what he has, and he knows what it has cost him. And what artist does not want to be praised? From the stage, he looks out at the old movie palace. High ceilings, dusty light, faded velvet, better days. You don’t have to have seen the revelation to hear about God in a church. A church: That is where they put him to work when he finishes animation school. Or not a church, precisely. It has stone walls and a bell tower, a steeple and onion domes; it is set back from the street behind a black iron gate. But the bureaucrats seized it from the priests years ago and, exercising their own power of transubstantiation, made it into something else. Now it is a puppet workshop that only happens to look like a church: in the same way that Eucharist blood once happened to taste like wine. He works, posing puppets, for Soyuzmultfilm, the Soviet state animation studio. He doesn’t like the work; he would rather be doing something else. He is young, headstrong, frustrated. At times he almost quivers with impatience. Listen, animation is not serious art. Not really! His dream, his whole life, has been to become a painter. But the state permits artistic careers only to those who have successfully finished art school, and when he tried that, all he managed to do was fail the entrance exam. That, however, he did very successfully: He failed it four times. He wound up in a furniture factory, pounding nails into packing crates. There was one way out: a two-year training course in animation. He thought it might offer a roundabout path to art school, which it didn’t. But what was he supposed to do, stay at the factory and get sawdust up his nose? What a waste of time! If you believe in progress and the revolutionary logic of history, which treats time as a straight line, then the church is no longer a church and never will be again. It is a building like any other, a part of the neighborhood: the snow and the trash cans, crooked streets and barking dogs. But he is not sure he sees much reason to believe in progress. And he has never been sure he believes that time is a straight line. The studio’s films embarrass him. Puerile Disney knock-offs, whitewashed for Communist children. He went to the Pushkin Museum not long ago, with his mother, to see the Old Master paintings the Red Army rescued from Germany after the war. The awe he felt in those rooms! A cloak painted so that you could feel the rhythm of its rippling in the wind. A staff painted so that you saw clearly how its angle would change as the bearer put weight on it. This, he felt, was what art should be: not entertainment, not instruction, but something that spoke to the highest possibilities of the human spirit. People say that now, with Khrushchev having succeeded Stalin, Soviet artists are finally free to express themselves; the Thaw, they're calling it. Besides, the bureaucrats see animators as harmless, so they have room to experiment, or at least the directors do. So why are they all so cautious? All he knows is that he yearns to create work worthy of Leonardo, of Goya, yet he spends his days tweaking the joints of a puppet shaped like a ewe. He isn’t shy about sharing his opinions. Animators, like many Soviet workers, are strictly divided into ranks. It is true that, within the relatively relaxed, creative environs of Soyuzmultfilm, a certain irony tinges the observation of this hierarchy. Good morning, Animator Class 1, how are you today? About the same, Director Class 3, only I wish I slept better. Still, he speaks his mind impetuously enough that he annoys his superiors. Norstein, they snort; a talented boy, but why ask so many questions? There is one well-known director, old Ivan Ivanov-Vano, who spots his potential and tries to help him. But Norstein sees his peers moving ahead of him, watches as his classmates from the training course are entrusted with promotions and given their own films to direct. And he bristles, and he shifts a hoof 2 inches, and he sighs. It isn’t a matter of capability; he can do things they can’t. He can do things no one has thought of. One day, on a film being made with cutouts — essentially two-dimensional puppets, drawings with movable limbs — he startles his colleagues by gathering all the cutouts and tearing the hinges out of their joints. Why rely on hinges when he can make them move more naturally as loose collections of shapes? Sometimes he senses a possibility in this, a faint stirring of potential. But it remains distant. He works on one film, My Green Crocodile, a lyrical, melancholy fantasy about a crocodile who falls in love with a cow, which makes audiences gasp with delight. But the experience is unsatisfying, because the film is made with puppets, and he has learned that he finds puppet animation too limiting. Why go to so much trouble to emulate realistic physical space, he thinks, when if animation offers anything, it’s the freedom to create any sort of space you can dream up? At the studio he meets a young designer. She is dark, quiet, careful, and serious, all things that he is not. He sees immediately that she is a better painter than he is, a more skillful illustrator. Francheska Yarbusova: a film student, helping out at Soyuzmultfilm in the evenings. She had wanted to work on live-action movies, but her adviser convinced her that a woman would never be able to order men around on a set; she should try animation, where the men are imaginary. He is the son of a machine-tool adjuster not long out of the factory himself; she is the daughter of a famous psychologist who made important contributions to the study of the human eye. He is irascible, she is implacable. They are both opinionated. Their conversations are charged. Still, he thinks: Something good may come from this job after all. It’s a good joke, him working where he works. As a boy he was banned from drawing class because he was Jewish. Now he spends his days in an Orthodox church, making children’s cartoons under a dome built for Christian murals. Saints and their serious faces, angels with fiery wings. In his studio the dried flowers rustle like birds’ wings. He pads, in house slippers and cargo shorts, through the warren of dark rooms, holding a white teacup: Lipton yellow label, splash of milk. Kuzya, the dog, snores by the door. From outside, in the park, he hears birds singing. It occurs to him that Kuzya, who is deaf, can’t hear them, and he feels a twinge of pity: What would a life without birdsong be like? Now it is spring, and Moscow is noisy with construction. Jackhammers ripping up sidewalks; cranes tipping themselves above buildings like giraffes over watering holes. He hates what Putin is doing to the city. The old Moscow had an organic order to it, like a beehive: church, square, shops, neighborhood, church, square, shops, neighborhood, and again, in simple, untroubled succession. Now everything is haphazard. Every rooftop suddenly needs a café. At least the studio, where he lives as well as works, is his to arrange as he likes. Not that he owns it. This is capitalism; he pays rent like anyone else. It keeps him young, he thinks, having to chase his living. He has hung bells, many bells, from the low ceilings. Every surface in the small dark rooms is cluttered with books, lamps, dried blossoms, postcards, art: his sketches, other people’s sketches, children’s sketches, charcoal portraits of 19th-century clerks, religious icons, tubes of paint, a large wooden camel, a travel poster from Seville, hangers from Marks & Spencer, a magazine photo of a Brazilian soccer fan with her breasts spilling out, triangular rulers, tiny scissors, glass bottles, an old record player, a small green chair, stills from his films, interesting stones, rolls of masking tape hung on hooks, a spotted frog, and hedgehogs, dozens of hedgehogs, painted and molded and carved; people keep giving him hedgehogs because they love his most famous character, the little yozhik who goes to visit his friend the bear cub and finds himself lost in a fog. “Enough hedgehogs!” he says. In his bathroom he has taped a sign reading “Pirate’s Corner” — Pirate was his last, and deeply loved, dog — to the wall over a phalanx of miniature samurai standing in formation on a glass shelf. The cup beside the samurai is full of paintbrushes, encircling one single tube of toothpaste. On Saturday mornings, he opens his studio to admirers, who come to buy his pictures and his magnets and the children’s books he has made from his films. Tania takes payment in cash; she prints receipts with an adding machine. Most of the time, his Saturday crowds are small, but sometimes — on the day he released his memoir, for instance — the lines stretch around the block. Occasionally they include foreigners; his friend Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary Japanese animator behind classics like Spirited Away, sometimes compliments his films in the press, and that brings him some attention, Miyazaki being so well known. But mostly they are Russians, of all ages. He tells them jokes. With a flourish, with an exclamation mark, he signs their books. The trouble with Russia, he thinks, is that it’s so hard to trust anything. Many things seem real but aren’t; other things, like art, seem made-up but are really the places to look for the truth. This morning, for instance. This morning is perfect. The white clouds over the city are staggering, enormous. Someone will say that if you park yourself in the middle of Red Square and face St. Basil’s, the candy-bright cathedral will look, under the citadel of cloud, about 3 inches high. Well: beautiful. But Putin’s head is always poking in. Even into the weather, even into nature, where it ought not to be. The government seeds the clouds every April to ensure blue skies for the May Day parades, and that, people say, is the real reason the air over the city grows so dramatic in late spring. He, Norstein, only autographs picture books. Putin can’t rest until he has signed his name on the sky. He keeps photos of Putin on the corkboard over his worktable: the all-powerful autocrat, caught making ridiculous faces. Scrunching his head down into his neck while counting money. Jutting out his neck, a blond turtle, to straighten his tie. Here they come: the revolutionaries. Marching down the street. A band of jostling silhouettes, red, flat, wearing workers’ caps, with jagged bayonets affixed to the ends of their rifles. Their momentum pulls the angular city behind them into a line-streaked blur. Capitalists — fat, black-jacketed squiggles with fat round squiggles for faces — wobble out from the buildings, shaking fat fists and bellowing: Go back, stop this at once! The workers keep coming. The music is by Shostakovich, and when the cymbals crash, the silhouettes flash, they come faster. Faster. Running now, rifles akimbo, limbs flying: a red chaos, a sea serpent seething with spines. The capitalists gape and totter backward into their towers. He is making his first film as a director. Finally, after so many years. He is 26 now, in 1967, and he feels that he has waited a long time. He and Francheska have moved into their own apartment, his first home away from the kommunalka, where he has lived with his mother since his father died. The film is an eight-minute short about the October Revolution. He is co-directing it with another animator, Arkady Tyurin. He and Tyurin share an enthusiasm for the avant-garde political art of the early Soviet era, the period of Tatlin and Malevich, and they have decided to bring the uprising to life by bringing revolutionary paintings and posters from the era of the uprising to life. This is, of course, a way to talk about politics that is also a way to talk about art, and about the relation of animation to art. He has learned a great deal in the years he has spent working on other people’s films, and he is eager to think about what he has learned, and about how the lessons might tie together to make a career. One thing he has learned: He likes working with cutouts. The trick, in producing animated films, is how to make the labor manageable. The most straightforward way to make a picture move is to draw it over and over, changing it slightly where movement occurs: Think of the flip-book doodles you might make on the corner of a notebook. But this becomes prohibitively labor-intensive once you start to imagine scenes with many static elements — walls, windows, trees, background imagery — because each of them would have to be redrawn, in exactly the same way, every time a character turned her head or took a step. Traditional cel animation gets around this difficulty by placing moving elements on transparent sheets of celluloid, which are then overlaid on one background image. You make several drawings of the dragon flying, then photograph each of them, in turn, atop a single drawing of the castle. Run the photographs at high speeds, and you see the dragon soaring across the battlements. In cutout animation, the principle is similar, but instead of redrawing the dragon to make it fly, you make a dragon cutout, a jointed drawing with articulating parts, and physically move its wings. This is intended as a way of saving time, but he feels it as an artistic possibility. Cutout characters have a consistent physical identity, unlike in cel animation. But unlike in puppet animation, where the puppets are three-dimensional objects inhabiting the same physical universe as people, cutout characters can be integrated into their backgrounds in the same ways drawings can, with the same tricks of depth and perspective. Cutout animators interact with their characters like puppeteers do, but it is as if they are puppeteers inside the worlds created by their drawings. The film takes its name from a poem by Mayakovsky: “25th — The First Day.” He and Tyurin incorporate works by Chagall, by Mayakovsky himself, by the revolutionary era’s great artists, then throw them together in hurtling juxtapositions; the pace and the use of double-exposed images recall Vertov’s Man With a Movie Camera, the groundbreaking work of Soviet silent cinema. But when they come to the end, a problem is waiting for them. They want to use a painting by the artist Pavel Filonov, whose aesthetic system, Universal Flowering, combined aspects of Cubism and futurism. They find this fascinating; but Filonov has been in disgrace with the authorities since the late 1920s. They are told to rework their script. Lectures in dismal offices: Some suggestions, comrades, for your ending. Ugly ashtrays, buzzing lights. The people need a film about Lenin. The people have no need of this frippery about art. They try to concoct a plan that will please the bureaucrats while keeping the film true to their conception. But they are young and inexperienced, and they have no leverage with the studio. They are forced to insert a scene, made by splicing together photographs and old film footage, that shows Lenin giving a speech to a celebrating crowd. It looks and sounds like a newsreel, and it has nothing to do with the study of revolutionary art and its relationship to animation that he has tried to make. He feels ashamed — and his bosses hate the film anyway. He is rewarded for his contribution to the smooth functioning of the propaganda machine by being trucked off to produce a fire-safety video for children. Well, comrade, what did you expect? You have a role to play in the state. You make light entertainments for the masses. Isn’t it a little late to pose as an aggrieved artist? He thinks: To do what you see in your mind, you will have to learn to manipulate the system. He thinks: I don’t care what happens to me, I am never going to compromise again. If civilization is fallen, if the imagination of the artist offers our only model of a better world, then not to compromise is the artist’s first duty; a vision adulterated by outside influence is a vision infected by the malady it means to cure. But what if the refusal to compromise results in a masterpiece that cannot be finished? What if the prerequisite for producing great art makes a great artwork impossible to produce? He begins The Overcoat at the start of the 1980s: a good time for him, a moment when his career feels like a fight he has won. Tale of Tales, his luminous, nonlinear film about art and memory, has been rapturously received at international film festivals; the authorities have allowed the film to travel, though not him with it. He has been in and out, and mostly out, of the state’s good graces, but he has on his side a group of fellow animators and artistic administrators that his friend, the writer Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, calls a “mafia of decent people.” They know how to maneuver against the censors to keep him in theaters, if not in favor. When Tale of Tales was under review, the authorities assumed that it must be subversive, since they had no idea what it was about. But his friends anticipated this, and arranged for his past work to win an important state prize just before the new film went before the functionaries. That way, the censors could not ban Tale of Tales without attacking the judgment of the powerful prize committee; they fumed, but they let the film pass. He has learned how to obfuscate, how to plot, how to disguise his intentions. He has learned to speak a language in which yes means maybe and perhaps means never. He writes film treatments that bear no resemblance to the movies he wants to make, then, when the budget is approved, throws out the treatments and gets to work on the movie. And when the bosses complain, about unannounced changes, budget overruns, blown deadlines: But of course we can talk about it, comrade, nothing could be simpler. Perhaps we should assemble a committee? Delay till you can get them on your side. Delay till your film exists and can persuade them. Delay till they have a choice between releasing your film and releasing nothing; let them think about how, if they choose nothing, they will explain themselves. The story of “The Overcoat,” Gogol’s story, is dear to him. Akaky Akakievich is a lowly clerk in St. Petersburg. This is mid-19th century, czarist Russia. St. Petersburg is the imperial capital. The functions of government are divided among a large class of civil servants, each ranked according to a rigid hierarchy, from the meanest scribe to the most exalted minister. One's place in the hierarchy determines, in many cases, one's whole life. It limits relationships, it defines circumstances. So here, already, we see the Russian national disease, the flaw that has unspooled from serfdom on, the flaw Communism was supposed to (but did not) correct: the obliteration of common human feeling by an overmastering mania for rank. Akaky Akakievich’s rank is lowly. At 50 — pale, stooped, balding — he spends his life hunched over an inkwell, copying official papers. He has no friends, and his imaginative life is wholly confined to his work: Sometimes he brings pages home to copy in the evenings, just for his own satisfaction. But early one winter, when the snow is swirling and the cold is nipping at the heels of the clerks on Nevsky Prospect, he realizes that his old overcoat is too thin and frayed to last another season. He will have to replace it. An overcoat is a huge expense: He saves for months. He finds himself, quite uncharacteristically, fantasizing about his new garment: how warm it will be, how rich, how splendid. At last the day comes when the tailor delivers the coat. Carefully, Akaky slips it on: It’s perfect. Everything seems different now that he has the coat. His small swelling of pride actually dizzies him. His colleagues, who normally tease him, invite him to a party. On the way home, he is stopped by robbers in a dark square: They steal his new coat. In shock, he goes to see a high-ranking official who, he is told, will be able to find his coat for him. But the official only upbraids and belittles him. It is freezing in St. Petersburg, and soon Akaky Akakievich catches a fever. He dies. After Akaky’s death, a ghost is reporting prowling around the city, a ghost that rips the coats off people’s shoulders as if it is searching for its own. He is drawn to “The Overcoat” partly because Gogol’s imagination seems ideally suited to an animated film; the details are so eccentric and so vivid. There is the tailor, Petrovich, with his deformed big toenail, “thick and hard as a tortoiseshell,” who curses at his thread when it won’t go through the needle: “You’ll be the death of me, you devil!” There is the “rather weakly built” policeman who, Gogol tells us, was once knocked off his feet by a “quite normal-sized, fully mature piglet which came tearing out of a private house.” But he also loves “The Overcoat” for the same reason the story has resonated so strongly in Russian culture: Its moral theme, the perversion of empathy by power, is a cry right from the heart of an everyday Russian tragedy. He thinks his adaptation will be 20 minutes long and take at most a few years to complete. But the film grows in the making. A scene that is meant to last one and a half minutes comes in at more than 16. Deadlines fly by. Perhaps it will run for 60 minutes instead of 20. Perhaps a little more. Problems hit the production almost immediately, and the problems compound. He and Francheska have furious arguments — they always fight when they’re working, always have fought when she’s designed one of his films, but this time the stakes seem higher because Gogol’s story is so important. The characters and the setting must look exactly right. They spend months searching for the precise downcast angle of the eyes, the precise worried furrow of the brow, to represent Akaky Akakievich. Production stops for months at a time while he maneuvers behind the scenes to get a promotion for his longtime cameraman, Alexander Zhukovsky, but the elitist buffoons who control the Soviet art system reserve advancement for university graduates. Norstein isn't one, and neither is his friend. The attempt fails, after consuming huge swaths of the calendar. By 1986, the studio has promised his space to another director: He is evicted. Soon he is out of the studio completely. He has no choice but to abandon The Overcoat or find a way to make it on his own. While the structure of his creative life is collapsing, the whole world seems to follow suit. The Berlin Wall comes down. The Eastern Bloc disintegrates. With the rest of the world, he watches Yeltsin standing on a tank — Boris Nikolayevich, with his face like beaten dough — and witnesses the end of the economic and cultural regime under which he has labored for his entire career. The problem now is one of how to live. How can he get by, with a stalled film and a back catalogue from which he has no clear hope of profit? He can teach classes, for one. He can give lectures. He finds that he is admired enough abroad, in Europe and Japan, for opportunities to present themselves; and now he is free to travel, so: Paris, Tokyo, art schools, film schools, museums. He plows his fees back into The Overcoat, or toward keeping his small team of artists together. He works on it when he can. When he takes on foreign investment, the deals go badly, because the investors want a say in what his film will be like, and he refuses to listen to them. The investors want him to work abroad, where they can watch how their money is being spent, and he does not want to move away from Moscow. It turns out that the tactics he has learned for operating under Communism, the oblique stubbornness and disguised perseverance, do not work in the same way under capitalism, where stricter accounts are kept; and he feels frequently unmoored, unsure of his reference points. In any case, the troubled status of his film limits interest from investors. The endless production of The Overcoat costs him his chance at Miyazaki-like international fame, but then, what good would international fame be if it meant rushing or skimping on The Overcoat? The story matters more to him than ever; it is only the work that is slow. And so, slowly, his status in the culture of the new Russia drifts into something curious; he is half laughed at, half revered. Once a decade or so, he releases a few minutes of new work: a series of sugar commercials in 1994, a set of opening titles for a long-running children’s TV show in 2000. In 2003, his tiny, two-minute sequence about the poet Basho appears in a Japanese omnibus film called Winter Days, featuring the work of 35 directors. Each of these pieces is, in its own way, marvelous; between their appearances, the people who remember him wait for The Overcoat, and ask him when he will finish it, and wonder whether he still works on it at all. He thinks that time is strange. He has never quite understood the way other people seem to perceive it. To imagine life as something so finite, so headlong! Art takes what it takes, and memory has a way of looping back on itself; things that are forgotten are gathered up again and remembered, things that have gone slowly suddenly go very fast. Sometimes an unfinished work — there are portraits by Rembrandt like this — seems old when it is new and then, when it is old, seems new again. Sometimes, at his talks, he shows the crowd a clip from the scene in which Akaky Akakievich holds his old coat up to the light, to see whether the fabric can be mended. The footage is black-and-white. Akaky’s big, fretful head turns in the unsteady candlelight. He wipes his nose. He has been out in the storm. Shining droplets roll off the brim of his hat. He raises the coat and bunches the fabric in his fingers. He puts it over his head like a tent. His fingers slide out through small holes. It is as simple as that. He is quiet, careful, and serious. The scene is so mesmerizing, and so unlike anything the audience has seen before, that unless the crowd is full of animators, no one thinks to ask how a two-dimensional cutout could create realistic bulges and wrinkles in cloth. How can a two-dimensional cutout inhabit a three-dimensional world? Animation is traditionally filmed by a camera that points downward, into parallel sheets of glass: This is the system that Disney, for instance, used from the 1930s through The Little Mermaid in the late 1980s. The lowest sheet holds the static background painting; the top sheet holds foreground elements, typically characters, either cutouts or drawings on celluloid. A minimal setup might have only two or three panes, but in a more complicated one, layers of glass between top and bottom might be used for objects in the middle distance, or to create an illusion of depth. The camera is suspended above the stack of panes, so that when it takes a photograph, it resolves the separate layers into a single image, the way your eye might if you looked through a series of windows, each with part of a picture painted on it. A complex multiplane system, such as the one Disney developed, offered early animators a solution to one of the new medium’s trickiest problems: how to simulate advanced camera movement. Animators wanted their work to incorporate the visual grammar of live-action films, but a two-dimensional image behaves differently under a camera from three-dimensional space. Tracking shots, for instance, were almost impossible to achieve in early hand-drawn animation, because zooming the camera in on a flat background drawing would make distant elements grow larger at the same rate as closer ones, which is not how we perceive forward motion in the physical world: When we drive down the highway, the far-off mountain and the road sign do not grow at the same pace. With a multiplane animation stand, however, animators could simulate tracking shots by raising foreground and middle-ground planes toward the camera while leaving the background plane in place. An animation stand of this sort would typically be operated by several technicians working at once, and would require a great deal of calculation to make sure that rules of perspective were maintained. He is allowed to make his second film as a solo director in 1974, when he is 33. For his text, he takes an old Russian folktale, a skazka, but when he thinks of the look he wants for the movie, he finds that his thoughts keep straying to some ideas he has about Asian painting, ideas that have been with him for a long time. The year his father died, when he was 15, he came across a book of Japanese poetry. He was thrilled by its combination of extreme concision and extreme openness, the way it painted tiny, vivid scenes that seemed to contain vast meaning. Now he thinks: Isn’t the haiku a perfect template for an animated scene? It offers one resonant action, one perfected moment: The old frog jumps into the pond. The dragonfly sees its shadow. The firefly lights up inside the soldier’s helmet. His love of Japanese poetry has led him, over the years, to Japanese painting, and then to Chinese painting, and he has been thinking about the ways in which these traditions treat perspective and background: not as a mathematical extension of foreground but as something free-floating, suggestive, something unfixed. The hint of a mountain in faint brushstrokes, ink flowing behind smoke. He thinks that he wants to explore the potential of indefinite background depth in an animated film. He thinks that perhaps the way to turn animation into the kind of art he values is not to make it self-consciously “adult,” not to make it political or place it in explicit dialogue with avant-garde aesthetic movements, but instead to intensify what it already traditionally is: uncomplicated, lovely, with access to strong, direct feeling. He imagines a film that is technically marvelous, that is beautiful, but that places the most sophisticated techniques in the service of a haiku-like simplicity. What if it were possible to make films that could be loved by adults and children alike, because they made no distinction between work intended for one and work intended for the other? At their most childlike, they would possess a visionary beauty that linked them to fine art; at their most experimental, they would have the sincerity of lyric and the radiance of childhood memory. With Francheska, he has been exploring ways to merge his physical cutouts with their drawn surroundings. They have found that if they make the cutout from celluloid instead of card stock, and leave a margin of transparent cel around the outline of the character, they have more control over how the cutout blends into its environment. They have also decided to forgo static background painting altogether. Instead, they experiment with building each background element from multiple layers of cel, then arranging those layers across different planes on the animation stand to create a sense of texture and physical depth, what he calls “a play of the air.” So everything is a cutout, and everything is a drawing: Francheska, it turns out, manages this brilliantly. At the same time, he is working with Zhukovsky to design a new multiplane animation stand. It is radically, audaciously simple: three panes of glass that can be moved freely, independent of one another, and a few slots for additional panes, which cannot be moved. Unlike the laborious system used by most large studios, including Soyuzmultfilm, their stand can be operated by just two people, an animator and a cameraman. Instead of being optimized for mathematically precise, classical perspective, it is designed to allow the relation between foreground and background to remain unstated, like that of a Chinese ink painting. So: In a dark, overgrown garden, full of ruined pillars and fountains, live a heron and a crane. They are lonely, and they would like to live together. But they are also vain. The crane thinks he is the handsomest bird in the garden; you can tell from the smug way he examines the tips of his wing feathers, like a lothario contemplating his fingernails. The heron is a bit of a snob. She walks with her head pointed up in the air, and when she sees the crane, she scans him from head to toe and says: “Hmph!” He brings her a bouquet of dandelions and asks her to marry him; she blows the dandelion fuzz in his face and says no. But then she thinks, Why did I reject him? I don’t want to live alone, so she runs after him and says that she will marry him after all. But now the crane is wounded and angry, so he rejects her. As soon as he does, he thinks, But why did I say that, I do want to marry her; I should go after her and tell her. And this continues, with each bird alternately acting as the pursuer and the pursued, through many transformations. The story is a gentle satire of human pride, simple enough for a child to find it funny; the narration, by the legendary Soviet actor Innokenty Smoktunovsky, is a small masterpiece of baritone suavity. But the film becomes darker as it goes. The heron and the crane begin to seem trapped in a ritual they are powerless to escape, and at the same time their suffering begins to seem more real and less cartoonish. Some of this has to do with the way the setting behaves. The garden is a place of strange yellow mists hanging over faraway fields. The black treeline floats over the horizon. Time seems partly suspended because space seems partly suspended. The sudden rains that seem to blow through whenever the birds have an argument feel like iterations of the same recurring storm. In the last scene, the heron walks angrily through one such rain while the crane follows her, trying to shield her with an umbrella. We see them from the side, in profile, and from some distance away, behind long slashes of rain, so that they are only silhouettes. We can’t hear the dialogue, but the heron seems to snap at the crane to leave her alone. He falls back. Then he scampers forward, gives the heron his umbrella, and runs off into the storm. The heron, chastened by this gesture of kindness, takes a few tentative steps after him. Mist from the rain covers her up, and though the narrator tells us that the story keeps going, the movie ends. Moscow keeps going. Moscow ends. It is 1976 and he is back in Maryina Roshcha, his childhood neighborhood, to see it before it disappears. The state is sending bulldozers to knock down old houses from before the Revolution. The people who live here are being moved somewhere else; soon, when the new apartment towers are finished, people from somewhere else will be moved here. Brezhnev has ideas about how the populace ought to be housed: Out with wooden matchboxes, in with concrete piles. This year the autumn days are warm. He walks, with Zhukovsky, among the old, sunken houses, among thickets of dark trees. Zhukovsky takes pictures. Already the place looks half abandoned. In the yards are piles of broken furniture, plaster statues missing arms and heads, car parts, abandoned firewood. He sees a beautiful bent-wood chair under a poplar tree, propped up on an old nail crate. A cat slinks by. Zhukovsky speaks to it. Later, when he sees the photographs, he will think: What a fine silver sheen we give to the departing world. He is working on a new film. He has commissioned his friend, the novelist and playwright Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, to write the treatment. Petrushevskaya's bleak, intelligent literary work has been banned by the government, but animation isn't literature; why should anyone care if a writer wants to waste time on something as safe as a children's movie? Petrushevskaya has a new baby, and for weeks, the writer and the animator have been walking in the park together, pushing the stroller and arguing about ideas. His last film, Hedgehog in the Fog, was a triumph, a picture-book story that left children breathless and animators baffled: How did he make this? The hedgehog sets out with a tiny bottle of jam wrapped in a spotted kerchief, only to find himself lost in a fog that acts like it is alive. The fog is too dense and deep to be a drawing, but it cannot be a cutout, and if it is a trick of light and filters, how is it controlled? It opens onto incredible visions, which the little yozhik watches with wonder-stricken eyes. It parts to reveal a huge white horse, a funny, scary owl, an enormous fish, a bounding dog. It explodes in a glitter of butterflies. Hedgehog is immediately loved by almost everyone who sees it. But now, Petrushevskaya tells him, he has come to a dead end. He cannot possibly make a film more beautiful than this one. He needs to look in a new direction, she argues, toward the mundane, away from the magical. He needs to look toward the stuff of everyday life. He thinks that he would like to make a film about a poet who is misunderstood. But he is also thinking about memory, about the way life is built up from fragments gathered and mixed together. When you look back on your own life, you never see it as a straight line; it comes to you in a series of moments, loops that play out of order and dissolve around the edges. He thinks: Perhaps I could capture the way that feels, that mingling. Perhaps the way to make animation into art is to animate the experience of time. They write draft after draft of a treatment about a poet. But when he begins to write the shooting script, he is drawn back to his visit to Maryina Roshcha. He goes to see it again, only to find that the bulldozers have been in before him and left it in ruins. He had thought of calling his film Tale of Tales, after a poem by the Turkish writer Nazim Hikmet. Now he thinks of a new title: The Little Gray Wolf Will Come. He and Francheska begin working on designs. They have terrible arguments. He gives her sketches to work from, and he wants her to work quickly, so that her drawings have a spontaneous energy; she prefers to linger over each image until it is perfect. He stomps and thunders. She goes on strike. One night he dreams that he is flying over the earth with lightning bolts shooting out of his chest, killing people on the ground; Francheska tells him that this is all the nastiness coming out of him. But slowly, over months, the look of the film emerges and a loose structure takes shape. What he comes up with is a work far longer than his other movies — 29 minutes — and far more ambitious. It will have no single plot, but will be made up of parallel stories, or fragments of stories, that emerge and subside and come back again. A girl jumps rope with the help of her friend, an enormous bull who stands on two legs and turns the rope. A fisherman rows out to sea. In the time of the war, a ghostly procession of soldiers drifts through the air. A mother nurses her infant, humming a lullaby. A poet works on a manuscript. The little gray wolf moves from story to story, watching with big, frightened eyes. The stories look so different from one another that they might take place in different worlds. The jump-roping girl and the poet live in a warm, bright, seaside idyll with almost no color in it: They look like ink sketches flickering on parchment. Another story, set in a snowy winter garden, is vividly saturated with color: There is a little boy eating a green apple, and his coat is sapphire blue. The atmosphere is melancholic. In the time of the war, young women and young men are dancing under a streetlamp to the tango “Weary Sun.” One by one, blip blip blip, the young men disappear. Loose papers, blown in by the wind, circle in the air. The women grasp for them, to read the names of the dead. The irony is not lost on Yuri Norstein — how could it be? A great Russian artist failing to finish a masterwork adapted from a great Russian artist who died with his masterwork unfinished. Sometimes it seems as if the process is working in reverse: He set out to adapt Gogol, and instead, Gogol adapted him. But he has no interest in God and no desire to starve himself. “His children tease him,” Tania says. “They say, ‘Papa, Papa, why do you live this way, why do you make things so difficult? Come on vacation to Greece with us!’ But Yuri Borisovich says, ‘No, no, I need to be in Moscow. I need to touch the flowers. I need my cross-country skis. I need to feel the wind in my face!’” He likes to swim in his pond and he likes to sit with Kuzya in the studio, and on weekends he likes to visit Francheska at the dacha, where she now spends most of her time. He likes being applauded at his talks. He likes drinking cognac. He likes to storm and yell and fire his assistants, too, but he always hires them back before they get to the door. He looks through books of nature drawings and fantasizes about visiting the Arctic. He thinks that for all the damage people do to it, the world is too fascinating a place to turn away from. He likes to tell a story about a time when Francheska surprised him. He has always been in awe of her intuitive connection to nature. One year, they brought home a bundle of nettles that turned out to be full of caterpillars. The caterpillars crawled all over the room; soon a chrysalis hung from every available space. One morning Francheska told him, “A butterfly is about to come out of that chrysalis.” And as he watched, “my heart pounding with excitement,” the shell cracked and a pair of wet wings came through. The wings began, slowly, to beat, and Francheska explained that the butterfly was drying itself, preparing to fly for the first time. “She knew in advance each action of the butterfly,” he says, and it happened just as she told him. When it is time, it is time. Many years ago, when he was 15, he was chosen to attend a special art class for talented students, two days a week. The class was held in a stately old mansion in Moscow, near the planetarium. The bright, spacious quiet of the studio was utterly new to him, coming from where he did. After the dark, crowded kommunalka, it opened his eyes to a different world. He discovered ancient Greece through the alabaster statues in the art room: There was Laocoön, silently screaming; there was Socrates, bald and with a nose like a potato. He remembers the sound of the easels rattling, the clinking of the watercolor brushes in their saucers. It is good, he thinks, to have memories like these. He keeps them among his sources of enchantment — along with bright light, and sweet bread, and a talking cat whose shadow he can almost see.

2019-04-22T02:15:12Z

http://www.mtv.com/news/interactive/yuri-norstein-the-little-gray-wolf-will-come/

We hope a list like this can inspire you to record, remember, and reflect on your own personal lists, as well as help us share the good word about supporting people with disabilities. When we help people with disabilities, we are helping everybody. 1. Our Party for People with Special Needs (PPSN) founders were engaged with the government in the dialogue that eventually resulted in the creation of Canada's Registered Disability Savings Program (RDSP), and were acknowledged in the government report that led to its creation in 2008. 2. PPSN founders were cited as the #1 organization consulted on the Report of the Minister of Finance’s Expert Panel on Financial Security for Children with Severe Disabilities, 2006. 3. PPSN founders submitted two reports to the Low Murchisson Commission formed for the development of the Registered Disability Savings Plan. 4. PPSN founders are advocating for People with Disabilities to the Finance Minister, the Hon. Jim Flaherty. PPSN founders formed Citizens to Restore Tax Credits for People with Disabilities to ask the government to restore the Disability tax credits for the years 1985 to 1996. On December 31st 2004 back-filing privileges for these years was removed from People with Disabilities with very little advance warning. An estimated $3 billion was lost to families with this action that was never clearly identified to taxpayers. 5. PPSN founders were instrumental in getting Segregated Funds recognized as a Life Insurance Policy. This permits People with Disabilities to save without losing their ODSP benefits. A brief was submitted to the Director of ODSP for Ontario. Minister of Community and Social Services was John Baird, who supported this initiative. This is now recognized in regulations Directive 4.8 and is now on the Ministry web site under internal staff directives, ODSP handbook. 6. PPSN founders made the key steps in getting ODSP offices to not deduct Life Insurance dividends from ODSP cheques. This was supported by Frank Klees, MPP, & John Baird, MCSS. 7. PPSN founders made submissions to the federal government’s Technical Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities. 8. PPSN founders intervened with the City of Toronto RFP on computer purchasing. PPSN founders advocated for standard software facilities to be available on all the City’s computers so that People with Disabilities could do their job no matter what workstation their job placed them at. 9. PPSN founders advocated that the jobs for the new 311 government information service be telework jobs, accessible for People with Disabilities. Presentations were made to the Newmarket Town Council and the City of Toronto 311 public hearings. “311 These jobs are our jobs”, jobs for People with Disabilities. 10. PPSN founders has been instrumental in developing alternatives to Henson Trusts for protecting the long-term financial security of People with Disabilities. Segmented Funds are cheaper, easier to set up, do not require a trustee, and require no annual tax filings or financial reporting. 11. PPSN founders supports York Region alliance to end homelessness and has made deputations to the “Streets to Homes” program in Toronto. 12. PPSN founders conducts free educational seminars on financial planning for People with Disabilities. 13. PPSN founders have raised objections to Shelter Allowance request delays at ODSP offices. MPP Frank Klees read a letter from PPSN founders into the parliamentary record. People with disabilities deserve better service to prevent delays in processing. The Minister agreed to investigate delays. 14. PPSN founders have been recognized as advocates for People with Disabilities by the National Post, Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, Abilities Magazine, Exceptional Families Magazine, Investors Guidebook, TD Canada Trust, & Mutual Fund Magazine. 15. PPSN has helped families with disabilities raise over $2.4 million by successfully lobbying to get Disability Tax Credit to cover previous seven years, and then informing and educating people of new legislation through networking and social media. Why the RDSP is failing? 1. Sales In conversations with financial advisors and mutual fund agents they have stated that the commission for selling an RDSP are so small it’s not worth their efforts to prospect for 5% of the Canadian population that have a child with a disability and then target 3% of that group for parents who have a child under age 18 with enough disposable income to invest in the plan. Mutual fund commissions on new deposits are 4%, out of which 2% is paid to the agent and 2% goes to the dealer. Commissions are only payable on the initial RDSP deposit and not on the grants or bonds. To prospect for 5% of the population and then target 3% of that group for a $1,500 deposit to earn $30.00 and a .05% annual trailer fee of $2.09 a month on the total assets of $5,000 has little incentive for the agent. In addition a mutual agent is required to submit $15,000, $20,000 or more of investment deposits per month or their contract with their dealer will be terminated. Add to this their monthly expenses for gasoline, mortgage, food, utilities and other items and their financial needs prohibit them from leaving their current lucrative sales efforts to prospect for 3% of the population who have $20,000 of disposable assets to invest in an RDSP. Furthermore there is the requirement of annual reviews and the concern that many of these families will not continue to deposit $1,500 a year or $125 a month for 20 years. Already Financial institutions complain that they spend thousands of dollars administering hundreds of thousands of RESP’s that families started and never continued. 1.1 Marketing Since 1989 I have dedicated my financial planning practice to planning for families or people with a disability. I can attest that leaving the family market to concentrate on families who have a child with a disability takes a lot of effort and time. From 1989 to 2001 758 families purchased a LifeTRUST Life insurance policy I designed to provide their child with a lifetime income they cannot outlive. I have conducted over 400 seminars to families on life planning for people with a disability. I am the registered ISBN author of “lifetime Security Planning Kit” and “Just Imagine” a board member of my local Community Living association, and a fee for service life planner who is recognized as being instrumental in helping to shape provincial and federal policy that makes life planning possible, helping hundreds of Ontario families have peace of mind that would not have been possible without my efforts. Merrill Lynch, Tri/Mark, Met Life, Prudential of America, Northwest mutual, Mutual Life of New York and Protective Life insurance of Birmingham Alabama who established “Estate Planning for people with Disabilities”, are major financial institutions in the United States. They established divisions dedicated to financial products for families who have a child with a disability. Over the years I have met and spoken to all of them, but all their programs failed. Met Life, Tri/Mark and Prudential of America continue to have a disability presence within their companies, but they all failed for the same reason. Protective life told me we found that “you can’t turn a financial advisor into a social worker and you can’t turn a social worker into a financial advisor”. They failed for one simple reason, they were selling product. Solution The solution to this dilemma is the creation of foundations similar to the ones that market and sell RESP’s which the RDSP was modeled after. Foundations such as Heritage education and the Canadian Scholarship trust successfully sell RESP’s through a sales force that can earn a living wage selling RESP’s. Or a pooled RDSP that offers GIC’s only. A pooled trust offering GIC’s only will allow organizations, associations, agencies, family members, individuals and the more than 75,000 deposit agents and financial advisors across the country who offer GIC’s to sell RDSP’s in which the beneficiary can be the holder . 2. The identity of the holder The second reason the plan is failing is because of the interpretation of a holder set out in the regulations. Below is your definition of a holder. The holder of the RDSP is the person or organization that opens and manages the RDSP. * For beneficiaries under the age of majority, the holder can be a legal parent, legal representative or public department. * For beneficiaries over the age of majority, the holder is generally the beneficiary. In certain circumstances, a guardian, legal representative or public department may be eligible to become the holder. One of my clients attempted to open an RDSP for his niece who is in receipt of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). When his niece applied for the ODSP it was found that she has an IQ of 71, 1 point above the cutoff for the ODSP program. ODSP accepted her and she applied for an RDSP and named herself the holder. This was rejected. She completed a Power of Attorney naming her uncle as her power of attorney, the bank rejected the application. Her uncle emailed the director of the plan at the bank asking why he could not be the holder. The email reply he received from the major bank is set out in italics below. The name of the bank is anonymous. 2.1 THE BANKS COMMENTARY ON THE DEFINITION OF A HOLDER As you are no doubt aware, the scenario you have outlined on the legal representation of the RDSP has caused great concern to all parties involved with the RDSP, as we have all clearly heard in the sessions hosted by CRA on the RDSP 3 year review. The RDSP is not a bank product governed by the Bank Act but is a Trusteed Plan governed under the Income Tax Act with a Trustee and a Bank as an agent. The RDSP was clearly not intended as a transactional type account. The whole concept of the RDSP makes the RDSP plan more complex that a savings account, with federally funded grant and bond payments, multiple investment options, and the impacts of making a withdrawal. The current definition of who can be a Holder to open an RDSP is very restrictive; parent of a minor child, a legal guardian, or the beneficiary (over 18). If the beneficiary is to be the Holder we require that the beneficiary is capable of entering into a contractual agreement and managing their finances. I believe the issue is more around the restrictive requirements of opening a plan, than the underlying investment decisions. Once the plan is opened, the Sales Person would engage the Holder in the discussion of appropriate investments within the plan; mutual funds or GIC. From my understanding of the situation you have described, our hands are tied in opening a RDSP that follows the current definition of an RDSP Holder. Your (relative) would require the appointment of a legal guardian, of which I can completely understand the reasons for you not wanting to do so. The Finance Department is clearly aware that legal representation of the RDSP is an issue and as part of the 3 year review has specifically reached out to the industry (including Providers, provincial Public Guardian & Trustee, Associations for Community Living etc) to review potential solutions. 2.3 What is Legal Capacity? The banks answer was “did the beneficiary of the plan know that if they withdrew $10.00 from the plan they would lose $45,000”. They are referring to paying back all the grants and bonds if a partial withdrawal from the plan is taken. This was something I was not aware of and none of the people in the review session I attended were aware of. If that is the test of capacity, how many of the parents who now hold an RDSP for their child is aware of the consequences of this regulation? I would venture that less than 1% or none. Valued social inclusion of people with a disability is an important commitment in the United Nations Charter on people with a disability. People with an intellectual disability have the same rights as other citizens and have the right to live and participate in the community. They have the right to open a bank account, sign documents with the Ontario Disability Support program, and they should have the right to participate in the RDSP program. Denying them the right to own an RDSP denies their right to belong to the community and participate in the plan. 2.4 What is the benchmark to determine legal capacity? What is the measure or benchmark that the banks and issuers of the RDSP use to determine if the beneficiary is competent and has the capacity to be the holder of their RDSP? Is the benchmark the way they write or cannot write their name, their manner of speech, facial expression or mobility? In the absence of a clear definition we are left with the interpretation of eight corporate legal opinions. If you asked eight lawyers for a legal opinion you’ll get eight different answers, that’s par for the course. I have a large number of people with a disability who have placed their assets in a segregated fund to exempt them from the ODSP asset rule and none of these applications have been denied. They own their own plan. In the absence of a clear definition of what the capacity of the holder is the plan will fail. If legal guardianship is the only benchmark of a holder as was stated at the seminar, the plan will not proceed. * If the holder of the RDSP is the person or organization that opens and manages the RDSP, the organization that supports the person with a disability should be allowed to be a holder. * Allow a foundation established to help people with a disability be a holder. * Establishment a deposit trust with a pooled RDSP fund offering guaranteed fixed assets only and the person with the disability can hold their RDSP. * Remove the restriction that ONLY a trust company can offer a RDSP. This will allow life insurers to offer RDSP’s through their segregated funds. Over the past twenty or thirty years, the world has undergone dramatic changes. This is also true in the lives of persons with disabilities, including those of us who are blind, deaf-blind or partially sighted. We used to say that access to information was our greatest barrier, then the internet came along, and now we also must deal with information overload, yet Donna Jodhan was compelled to file a Charter challenge against the federal government over inaccessible federal government websites. Technology has made it possible for some individuals with disabilities to live more independent lives, yet much of the world's new technology is not developed with us in mind, often requiring work around or expensive adaptations. The range of jobs is probably wider, yet some jobs that employed numbers of blind persons, like darkroom technician, transcriptionist, and telephone operator have been rendered largely obsolete by this same technology. Braille is easier to produce than ever before, yet less and less is being made available, as some incorrectly argue it is no longer needed. More and more blind students are attending colleges and universities, yet, even in this more technological era, these students must still deal with obtaining essential texts and other course materials in a readable format and timely manner. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the rights of persons with disabilities, but the federal government cancelled the Court Challenges Program, which makes it extremely difficult to go to court to test the reach of these rights. Human rights codes now cover persons with various disabilities, yet enforcing our rights have too often become bogged down in legal procedural wrangling and growing case backlogs. Descriptive narration is now being introduced to some movies and television shows, but some Canadian broadcasters will not or cannot "pass through" the dv track from some American programs that already include the dv track. Intervenor services for deaf-blind persons have been developed, but governments have failed to adequately fund these critical programs and today they are also facing cutbacks. Many museums are more physically accessible, but their displays often contain even more "hands off" restrictions than in years past. More blind persons are out and about in their communities, yet few restaurants offer braille or large print menus. More and more audible pedestrian signals are appearing in our communities, but community pressure leads to some being turned off at 10:00 or 11:00 p.m., long before some of us are home and snug in our little beds. Studies tell us public attitudes have improved, but our level of employment has not increased significantly. And while there is now a growing network of consumer-led organizations of us rights holders across Canada, governments and businesses too often still turn to service organizations when they are seeking advice on disability issues. Disability is the only equity seeking group that everyone can, and many will join during your lifetime, and with the aging of the baby boomer population, more and more individuals will experience disability, either permanently or temporarily, and so may your family members, friends or associates. Thus, it is in everyone's interest to help persons with disabilities join the mainstream of Canadian society. The more persons with disabilities are present every day in newsrooms, the more likely we will see stories that cover the reality of our lives, and will tell the public about our aspirations and needs. The more we work with developers and manufacturers of new technology, the more likely that universal design approaches will be built in from the start of the development phase. And if more Canadians with disabilities participated more actively in the political process as staff members for the various parties, sought nomination as candidates, ran for elected office, and succeeded in getting elected - the more that members of our community participate more directly where decisions that affect our lives in a very direct way get made, the more likely those decisions will help bring us into the mainstream of Canadian society. The research has been conducted. The recommendations are in. As our numbers continue to rise, will we see increased government and business commitment and concrete action? Engage with us. Involve us. Collaborate with us. Join us at the square, and come down to Occupy Toronto if you can! They're making great efforts to be accessible down there. It is also to recognize that when cuts happen, people with disabilities are often the first to be hit. Under the Rob Ford administration, Wheeltrans services were almost on the chopping block, and social housing still is. Not only are people with disabilities part of the 99%, they are typically part of the lowest 1% of the 99% - even in Canada.! It's time we showed Toronto that Torontonians with Disabilities have a voice, and we will not be sold out or discriminated against! What is a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)? It’s a long term savings plan, created by the Canadian Government in 2008, designed to help Canadians with disabilities and their families save for the future. Canada is the first country in the world to initiate a program that helps people with disabilities save for their future. The Canadian government will pay a matching Canada Disability Savings grant of up to $3,500 a year based on contributions. The government will also pay a Canada Disability Savings bond of up to $1,000 a year into an RDSP for low and modest income Canadians. No contributions are necessary to receive a Canada Disability savings bond. To qualify as the beneficiary of an RDSP a person with a disability must be under age 60, a Canadian resident with a social insurance number and be eligible for the Disability Tax Credit. To qualify for the disability tax credit an individual must have a” severe and prolonged physical or mental disability”. It’s a non-refundable tax credit that will reduce the amount of income tax a person with a disability or their related caregiver has to pay. For more information on the disability tax credit visit www.cra.gc.ca/disability. What is the Canada Disability grant? It is a matching grant that the government will deposit into an RDSP. The government will provide up to 300% in matching grants depending on the amount deposited and the individual’s net family income up to a maximum grant of $3,500 each year, with a lifetime limit of $70,000. Grants will be paid into an RDSP until the year the beneficiary of the RDSP turns 49 years old. For example if the beneficiary’s net family income is less than or equal to $83,088, for the first $500 deposited each year the government will deposit $3 for every $1 deposit. For the next $1,000 deposit the government will deposit $2 for every $1 deposit up to $1,500 a year; subject to beneficiary’s net family income. (Note the income amounts shown are for 2011, the amounts will be updated each year based on the rate of inflation). After age 18 the net family income is based on the individual’s net income and not their parents net family income. What is the Canada Disability Savings Bond? It is money the government will deposit into an RDSP of low or modest income Canadians. RDSP beneficiaries who qualify for a bond will receive up to $1,000 a year, with a lifetime limit of $20,000. Bonds will be paid into an RDSP until the year the beneficiary turns 49 years old. No contributions are necessary to receive the bond. Emotion and confusion often marks the lives of people with disabilities when it comes to long range planning by their families when they die without leaving specific plans and resources for their family member with a disability. Inevitably, with no plans for the future, the courts and public agencies will move in to deal with the problem, which are now beset with government fiscal woes, growing bureaucracies and curtailed services. Families who want to leave money to their sons/daughter or grandchildren with a disability may disqualify them from most of the public programs available to people with disabilities in Canada. Programs such as the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), Supportive Independent Living, assisted public housing and a host of services and programs, all required recipients to have resources of less than their provincial asset limit. The current threshold in Ontario is $5,000. In spite of alternatives for lifetime planning, very few families who have a family member with a disability actually take steps to provide resources and programs for their family member after their death. People with disabilities are facing increasingly tragic alternatives when their families have not adequately provided for, or planned for their future financial security after they’ve gone. In their later years people with a disability are destined to eke out a living relying on food banks and homeless shelters. In Canada there are more than one million people with a disability living with their families who have made little or no provision for them when the family members are no longer alive or able to provide assistance. They should engage the services of a financial planner with experience and expert knowledge in this area to assist with the family’s estate plans. A reputable “Life Planner” or “Chartered Life Planner” (Ch lp) will recognize that most families who have a family member with a disability have limited resources. The planner’s primary job is to find available resources and reallocate them to the trust so that the future funding of the trust will be realistic without offending other children or creating a drawn-out legal battle should they or the government place claims against the estate and the financial plan. Your Donation costs less due to Ontario Political tax credits! You can support our movement generously, and for the most part, expect a 75% refund. This comes in the form of an Ontario Political Tax Credit which is refunded in cash at tax time, April of next year. See the numbers below. The government is generous in often refunding 3/4 of your donation to you because there is a pressing need to engage more Canadians in making political donations. Only 2% of Canadians donate to political parties. There is a need to increase this to improve participation and increase the legitimacy and credibility of our democratic system. Corporations making political contributions can deduct up to a maximum of $16,800 from the Ontario portion of their taxable income in any fiscal period. Thank you for your listening, your compassion, and your generosity.You will be mailed an official Ontario Political Tax Receipt prior to tax time next year. Last week some members of the Justice Committee requested of me, Dr. Jane Pritchard, some recommendations for amendments to Bill 140, based on my deputation, March 31,2011. Attached please find my recommendations for amendments. I have prepared these recommendations in collaboration with Dan King, who is a tenant and former director of Toronto Community Housing Corp. If it pleases the Justice Committee, we would be very honoured to be summoned to present our recommended amendments and to respond to questions from the Committee. In view of how important we consider Bill 140 to be for the future of hundreds of thousands of citizens living in social housing, we would be happy to make ourselves available, at the pleasure of the Committee, to provide an in-depth understanding of our recommendations for the legislation. We look forward to hearing from the Chair regarding our appearance before the Committee. Dan has lived in TCHC as a market rent tenant since 1979. In the fall of 2007 Dan was elected as a tenant director of Toronto Community Housing Corp and has since served four years on the board. He has served on the Audit committee, the Finance committee, the Building and Investment Committee and the Corporate Affairs Committee. He runs his own business and also serves on the board of four registered Canadian Charities in the Toronto community. We are at a crossroads as we consider legislation that will have a profound effect on the safety and even survival of the most vulnerable members of our society over the next ten years. Our responses to Bill 140 reflect our concern for their welfare. 1. Affordable housing strengthens the foundations of communities and is an important public asset. Social housing is a necessity for all communities, literally to prevent needless and costly deaths that will happen in the streets. disadvantaged. In one documented example, "Million Dollar Murray", a homeless man in Las Vegas in one year, cost the State of Nevada over a million dollars in emergancy services. We know of many examples of daily visits by police and paramedics to vulnerable tenants in Toronto with inadequate social supports. These could be largely prevented by in-house support services for tenants. That the Province implement a strategy of reducing costs for emergency services by reducing the need for these services by meeting the needs of vulnerable tenants using social housing. Expanding effective delivery of supports in social housing will reduce emergency costs. 2. HOUSING AGENCIES MUST BE EMPOWERED to access the support services their tenants need, provided in-house. Local sourcing will reduce barriers and mistrust among a needy population and increase voluntary engagement in receiving needed services. Vulnerable tenants are often unwilling or unable to travel to obtain the services they need to stay housed. Housing and services must be provided simultaneously to minimize disruption to stable communities. This can be done by first reducing the funding of a range of agencies that could provide these services. This money can then be allocated by population to social housing providers who must be forbidden to spend the money themselves, on their own budgets. These moneys could only be reallocated to those same external service providers, who have the in-depth expertise to deal with problems requiring specialized skills. To meet their needs, housing providers can allocate the monies to the agencies they have selected. 3. Social Housing agencies must be able to provide CASEWORKERS IN-HOUSE. There will be a mix of in-house workers as well as workers from outside agencies with higher skills qualified to deliver the services. 4. Many EXPERIMENTS IN TENANT DEMOCRACY have been effective in delivering engagement and communication between the tenant community and management. Maintain existing tenant participation programs that exist in some social housing venues and add more to meet the needs of the community for community engagement. This will support a long-term trend to reduce the cost of emergency services. Tenant participation programs - Tenants elect their own representatives in their buildings or unit. Participatory Capital budgeting allocation program - tenants get to design and advocate local improvements. Social investment fund grants - money is available for local community-building projects. eg. Youth employment programs and resume workshops. Eviction prevention programs - many more alternatives are negotiated when a tenancy agreement is violated. 81 recommendations of the Lesage Report were compiled at public expense as a blueprint for improving social housing to a standard that meets its mandate. All of these have been experimented with in some social housing, and should be expanded to meet community needs. These will save money in the long run and avoid a build-up of a costly social deficit that will be paid in increased demand for emergency services. Bed bugs are an emerging menace that must be dealt with comprehensively or we will lose this battle. What happens to the poor happens to all of us. Publically funded projects must lead the way to non-toxic structural pest control, bed bugs in particular. Tenants inevitably resist toxic sprays, especially second or third followup applications. This already causes tension, threatened evictions, and raises real questions of toxic liability. Effective methods, notably heat, dry ice, and detection by dogs, face no such resistance from tenants. Furthermore, only buildings pest controlled in these ways are LEED certifiable. This is a major factor in attracting both public and private investment. By keeping vulnerable tenants in social housing we can create accessibility to effective monitoring and sustainable treatment of these problems, reducing service costs. 6. There have been many many examples of how the burden of paperwork has led to an unjustified "failure to qualify" by a needy person for their Rent Geared to Income program. The consequences of this have been eviction, homelessness and sometimes death. The Rent-Geared-to-Income program qualification process must be simplified. Simply signing a CRA T1013 form should give housing authorities all of the access they need to monitor a tenant's annual income through the Canada Revenue Agency online system. Any expanded system that looks at tenants' income in more detail is not cost effective. Rental offices frequently make miscalculations in determining the amount of rent a tenant should pay from year to year. Since we are dealing with a vulnerable population that may not be empowered to challenge their housing office, greater accessibility to fair process is required. Tenants need an independent review process when disputing decisions made by housing providers, such as revoking a rental subsidy. The people reviewing the decisions should not be the co-workers of the people who made them in the first place. Bill 140 should mandate the creation of an independent reviewer to consider these disputes. Similarly, under existing legislation, co-ops and non-profits have not had the ability to seek an independent review of Municipal Service Manager actions or decisions that did not involve costly court proceedings. The Bill 140 must introduce an independent, fair and transparent appeals process for housing providers. Tenants on social assistance who live in social housing should not be worse off if they find a job. They may need some breathing room to pay off old debts and get their life in order andy pay for the expenses of starting new employment. This may include accumulated credit card debts or new work clothes required for their new position. The Bill 140 should protect tenants from rapid rent hikes if their income rises. 10. Means must be found to improve security in social housing buildings. Currently there is no recognition of a portion of the population that can be designated as "hard to house". This has a disproportionate impact on those communities receiving our most vulnerable citizens, often with quite a disruptive impact. Enabling legislation must recognize the needs of the "hard to house", especially when they return to their homes after an episode in an institutional setting. We need to provide a means to prepare serving professionals in their community for their return. By setting up "outreach workers" in an institutional setting, nurses or physicians, who are qualified to go out and serve tenants in their homes and communities. Transfer of files from the institution to in-house professionals. eg. CAMH to certified visiting medical professionals or housing staff medical professionals. Followup services will be delivered in their homes eg. the administration of medication. One of the most effective means of improving security is to ensure that social housing consists of mixed communities, RGI and normal market rent tenants. Market rent tenants will have a fulfillable demand for security in their homes and provide diversity to their community. One of the fastest and fairest ways to create safe, stable, equitably accessible, affordable housing is to ensure that it is built into any new development. The government needs to amend the Planning Act to allow municipalities to introduce inclusionary housing policies. Change the Planning Act and the Condominium Act to permit mixed of condos and social housing suites in a single building. 11. COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT is an essential component of social housing. Economic opportunities to create their own small businesses and jobs in the economic activity of the housing operation must be made available to tenants. Restoring their place in our society and the economy will relieve social problems and improve self-sufficiency. Make programs for jobs and training to be made available from the economic activity surrounding housing delivery. eg. A Unit refurbishment contract has a specified formula for dollars spent against the number of jobs created for tenants. Introduce the world famous "Micro-loans program" into social housing all over Ontario. Paradoxically, the sentiment is increasing that if it worked in Bangladesh, it will work here in Ontario in social housing. 12. THE DEMAND FOR SOCIAL HOUSING will only increase with the current demographic trend - aging population. Passing control to municipalities must not be used to dismantle it and sell the assets. Transfer of mandate from Province to municipality must not mean transferring responsibility for standards, which will only mean an incentive to erode service. Individual municipalities will find that they will save money if they to allow the poor and the needy to become "somebody else's problem". The disadvantaged will be given "bus tickets to Toronto". The Bill 140 should make it illegal for municipalities to reduce the number of units of social housing offered in their communities. We need provincial standards and requirements for social housing as delivered by municipalities. There should be a freeze on the reduction of social housing. Eventually, the federal government should take control over national standards. The Funding source - must be regional or provincial to prevent inter-regional negative competition. The best plan is for a balance of service, offered by all communities. 13. Some components of privatized delivery of services have been experimented with. eg. Private management, private contracting of some services. Best is to gradually implement a mix of public and private delivery rather than an all-out conversion to a private system without any knowledge that it can work. Desire to experiment with privatization to get costs savings continues to exist. Every experiment must be carefully evaluated in terms of the savings obtained versus negative impacts on stable communities. Sec. 4(1)d "has a role for the private market in meeting housing needs" Considerable apprehension is felt on this issue. Public discussion is needed before any untested expansion or major changes in this area are made. Many private services are currently implemented already in the delivery of some components of public housing. These are already standard practice and well-accepted. 15. Initiate measures to introduce some equalization between communities. "416" has much greater social housing than "905" This will permit people who need social housing to stay in their own communities, rather than having to switch communities. Additionally, with a municipally funded system, this will introduce some equity between municipalities. Finally, a provincially-organized pool of funding for social housing, once in place, now discontinued, was a stop-gap measure to spread out the burden of social housing between all municipalities in a region. This should be resurrected and continued until the burden is equally distributed among all communities. 16. A ROYAL COMMISSION is needed. • population demographics point to massive increase in demand to meet the needs of an aging population. So what can we do to save and fix TCHC? Be informed, get involved- find out for yourself what’s going on, go to meetings, check online and alternative media as well as the news, and talk to your family and neighbours. We all have the right to defend our rights to affordable, decent, secure housing that is managed within a democratic and accountable framework. Reformed Provincial housing laws to allow TCHC to function better and be able provide needed services and community investment. To get more elected tenants on the board, at least many as there are councillors, including youth- who have a long-term stake in the issue. The recommendations of the Lesage Inquest to protect vulnerable tenants must be implemented…. Any form of partnership set up to manage TCHC must include tenant and public participation as it is a valuable public asset. Adequate funding from the city, province and federal government to maintain and retrofit healthy energy efficient housing, and to provide more housing for the 75,000 people still on the waiting list. Action: Attend all candidates meetings and ask why Canada does not have a social housing strategy like all other western nations, tell them stable funding for social housing is an investment in healthy communities, ask if they will commit to supporting social housing. We do not need our homes and leases to be exploited by private companies. Private corporations are only accountable to their owners and shareholders and cannot afford to deliver services to vulnerable tenants. Publicly owned Housing is an investment in healthy families and communities, not a cost to society! Homelessness and broken families are more costly in every way. Action: Call and or email your councillor as well as Mayor Rob Ford. Send your letters (keep them short) to the media as well….it’s easy! google the City of Toronto and find your councilor’s contact info, and or look up newspapers online and look for letters to the editor, or send emails to the CBC, CTV etc. Don’t be afraid to stand up for your rights, it is against the law to threaten people with eviction or firing for speaking up to defend their human rights. Get advice from community legal clinics to be sure of your rights and responsibilities, ensure you have legal support if needed. Call 211 to find out where your local legal clinic is. Some can also help you organize your community! Social housing has been sold off in other places and many people lost their homes. If you don’t get involved, you may find yourself asking what might have happened if you had!

2019-04-20T15:13:21Z

http://specialneedsparty.blogspot.com/

This paper is an attempt to reconstruct the Keezhvenmani dalit massacre of 1968 by placing it in the larger socio-political scenario, giving it a ‘pre-history,’ scouring the various narratives of the incident and its aftermath, the emotions and movements it spurred, and finally how it lives on – constructed and shaped by memories. Keezhvenmani often finds mention in the discourse of dalit atrocities as one of the earliest and most violent crimes in post-independent India. But the passage of time, lack of proper documentation and multiplicity of narratives have buried the incident in mystery and uncertainty. The incident in which 44 people, mostly women and children, belonging to dalit agricultural families, were burnt alive by landlords and their henchmen is more than just a class clash. Politics, caste and class issues are so inextricably intertwined that it is impossible to know where one ends and another begins. But at its core, it is a gruesome reminder of the treatment that is meted out to the oppressed when they start demanding what is rightfully theirs. The shooting at Paramakudi and Madurai on September 11, 2011, in which seven people died when police opened fire on dalits who had gathered to pay their respects to their leader Immanuel Sekaran, is only one among the long list of dalit atrocities in Tamil Nadu. Even as fact finding teams and judicial enquiries ascertain the facts of the incident, one cannot ignore the voices of human rights and dalit activists who allege government complacency, police torture and mishandling of the issue. Suspicion about the State’s anti-dalit psyche is deafeningly loud and so is the fear of the recurrence of widespread caste clashes witnessed by the state in the mid 1990s (Dorairaj, 2011). Paramakudi now joins the lexicon of anti-dalit atrocities in Tamil Nadu- Mudukalathur (1957), Keezhvenmani (1968), Melavalavu (1997), Paralipudur (2011). The list is endless. Keezhvenmani, often finds mention in the discourse of dalit atrocities, as one of the earliest and most violent crimes in post- independence India (Teltumbde, 2008); but the passage of time, lack of proper documentation and multiplicity of narratives have buried the incident in mystery and uncertainty. My interest in the incident springs from my identity as a Tamil, tracing my roots to a town near Thanjavur district where the incident happened, and deeply discomfited due to my caste identity – belonging to a non-brahmin land owning caste that traditionally practiced untouchability against farm labourers. My family hails from Chidambaram, which lies hardly a hundred kilometers from Keezhvenmani, and yet nobody from my family was able to recollect details of this event**. This tells a lot about the obscurity of the event in collective memory. This essay is an attempt to reconstruct the event, looking at it not in isolation but by placing it in the larger socio-political scenario, by giving it a ‘pre-history’ (Amin, 1995) as it were, by scouring the various narratives of the incident itself, the aftermath, and the emotions and movements it spurred among the people and finally how it lives on, constructed and shaped by memories. Keezhvenmani, an obscure village in the Nagapattinam taluk of erstwhile Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, shot to significance when in 1968, 44 dalits were locked in a hut and burnt to death. The violence was a response to their demand for wage hike. Keezhvenmani marked a defining moment in the discourse of violence against dalits in post-independent India. But while history books chronicle Periyar’s Self Respect Movement in great detail and even the anti-Hindi movement finds mention, Keezhvenmani for most part is shrouded in silence. While the incident has been of immense significance to the Left politics of the area and to land reform movements like LAFTI, outside of the dalit imagination and academic interest, it has almost ceased to exist. On the night of 25th December 1968, 44 people, mostly women and children, belonging to dalit agricultural families were burnt alive by landlords and their henchmen in Keezhvenmani (Sivaraman, 1973). But the Keezhvenmani incident is more than just a class clash. Politics, caste and class issues are so inextricably intertwined that it is impossible to know where one ends and another begins. But at its core, Keezhvenani is a gruesome reminder of the treatment that is meted out to the oppressed when they start demanding what is rightfully theirs. To assign the dead agency only as daily wage labourers who demanded an increase in wages would be both misleading and unjust. Labour is the father of material wealth, the earth is its mother. Land and labour were the sites upon which these contests – of caste and class – in Keezhvenmani were played out. In the 1960s, Thanjavur district, the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, accounted for almost one third of the state’s paddy production. Large tracts of land belonged to temple trusts. These were leased out to prominent members of the society who would then become cultivating tenants and exercise control over these lands. A mere 4 per cent of the cultivating households held almost 26 per cent of the cultivated land under their control. Conversely, Thanjavur also had the highest proportion of landless labourers in the state – an appalling 41 per cent (Sivaraman, 1973). Most of them were dalits- untouchables, impure. Extreme poverty and abject pollution made these people the lowest in class and caste. All of these factors contributed to a long history of oppression in this region. The dalits who tilled the fields were usually bonded labourers. When the Communist movement started gaining momentum in the region and the labourers started demanding their rights, the zamindari system was abolished and the Tanjore Pannaiyal Protection Act, 1952 (later repealed) and the Tamil Nadu Tenants Protection Act, 1955 were passed. The labourers though, did not really benefit from this, because they just went from being bonded labourers to being highly exploited daily wage labourers. In 1966, due to fall in agricultural produce and various other economic reasons, the price of paddy shot up, and this led to the dalit labourers demanding half a litre more of rice. This new found voice of the traditionally oppressed, caused much trepidation among the Mirasdars, the land owning class that quickly organised itself into a union called the Paddy Producers Association (PPA), to safeguard its own interests (Viswanathan, 2006). When the Left Communist kisans started taking out protests, claiming wages above the mamool wages, the Association refused to comply and instead tried to arm-twist the landless labourers into withdrawing from the Communist parties and becoming a part of PPA. When the labourers resisted, the association brought in workers from outside for harvest. The local labourers tried to prevent the outsiders from working in the fields. Pakkirisamy Pillai, a labourer from outside the village, was killed in the ensuing clashes. Also in the month leading to the massacre itself, three agricultural workers and prominent members of the CPI (M) led Agricultural Workers Association were also ruthlessly killed (Sivaraman, 1973). By November 1968, the fault lines began to deepen. In fact, according to the farmers in the village, in a PPA meeting held on 15 November 1968, the Mirasdars openly threatened Keezhvenmani with arson if the farmers didn’t comply. Following this, the Thanjavur District Secretary of the agricultural workers association wrote to the then Chief Minister C Annadurai, seeking protection. The letter was acknowledged in January, a week after the massacre (Krishnakumar, 2005). The letter was also published in Theekadhir, the political organ of the Communist Party of India Marxist Tamil Nadu wing – the only paper that covered the Keezhevnmani incident extensively. According to eye witness accounts, on 25th December 1968, at around 10 p.m., the mirasdars and their henchmen came in police lorries and surrounded the cheri (hutments), cutting off all routes of escape. They shot at the labourers and their families who could only throw stones to protect themselves or flee from the spot. They also started burning the huts in the vicinity. Many of the women and children, and some old men, sought protection in a hut that was 8 ft x 9 ft. The hut was burnt down, and the people with it. Both the sessions court and the high court that later heard the case, held that those who committed the arson were not aware of the presence of people in that particular hut (Krishnakumar, 2005). But eye witness accounts by the survivors point to an altogether different truth. “They speak of the heart rending cries heard far far away, of the bolted door, of the burning hut surrounded by bloodthirsty murderers with lethal weapons, of two children thrown out from the burning hut in the hope that they would survive, but thrown back into the fire by the arsonists, of six people who managed to come out of the burning hut, two of whom were caught, hacked to death and thrown into the fire, of the fire systematically stoked with hay and dry wood, of the leading lights of the PPA, who led the rioting, going straight to the police station and demanding protection against reprisals and getting it. They were arrested much later after the matter had got out of the hands of the local police” (Sivaraman, 1973). But these descriptions came much later. This for instance, is an account from the article titled ‘The Gentlemen Killers of Kilvenmani’ that appeared in the Economic and Political Weekly after the accused in the case were acquitted by the Madras High Court. The reportage of the event, immediately after it happened, did not quite run on these lines. The Untouchables have no press. Most dailies – both Tamil and English – that covered the event saw it in isolation, shorn of its caste and class dimensions, and reported it as a conflict between two groups of farmers instead. The Hindu’s headline on December 27 read: “42 Persons burnt alive in Thanjavur Villlage following Kisan Clashes”1. Though the article goes on to mention that all the people burnt alive happened to be ‘harijans’ (a term used for dalits in that period); the event itself is not reported to have a caste basis. It is seen rather as a clash between two groups of peasants (1968). The Indian Express said, “Kisan Feud Turns Violent, 42 burnt alive in Thanjavur”2 (1968) Even Tamil newspaper Dinamani said, “Clashes between Kisans- 42 burnt alive” (1968). The simplistic reporting masked caste identities and brought to the fore the media’s indifference to the dalit cause. When in 1973, the Economic and Political Weekly featured an article on the incident, post the Madras High Court ruling in the case, it scathingly attacked the media of the time for unquestioningly lapping up the state’s version of the incident. “The newspapers had informed us at that time that as labourers persisted in demanding wage increases year after year, the landowners exercised their ‘constitutional right’ to hire labour from wherever they liked. Outside labour was imported; local labour attacked outside labour; the poor fought the poor. What else could you expect from illiterate, uncultured labourers” (Sivaraman, 1973). Anand Teltumbde commenting on the indifference of the media towards caste issues, argues that caste violence, even when viewed superficially, complicates reality. This is because it centres around the discourse of non-dalits attacking the dalits, and it becomes difficult for both the producer and the consumer of the news to then distance themselves from the story because they share the same value system that caused the violence in the first place. He also clarifies that even before the neoliberal reform, the media has had a dismal record vis-a-vis the dalits. This he reasons, is because dalits and adivasis who comprise one fourth of India’s population did not exist for the ‘nationalist’ media (Teltumbde, 2008). It is that privileged connotation which kneads the plurality of these utterances recorded from concerned individuals – from a mother, a sister and a neighbor – into a set of judicial evidence, and allows thereby, the stentorian voice of the state to subsume the humble peasant voices which speak here in sobs and whispers. Keezhvenmani massacre is an undeniable ugly truth, but it does not lend itself to clarity due to the various versions of the truth. The police for instance claimed that it came to know of the incident only the morning after, this, despite the fact that there was a police station barely three miles from Venmani. Discrepancies arise in the basic details of the case itself, like the number of people killed. While police records and post mortem reports fix the number at 42, the villagers and the union that took a census of the survivors the next day pin the number at 44 – 45 men, 20 women and 19 children (Krishnakumar, 2005). Two court cases – Pakkirisamy’s murder case and the murder of 42 dalits – were held simultaneously at the Nagai Sessions court. The court ruled that while the former was not a planned attack; the latter was a preconceived and deliberate act. In the former, one of the accused was given a life sentence and the other seven were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for varying number of years; in the latter, the accused were sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment. Both the cases were taken to the Madras High Court. In the former case, the ruling was upheld; in the latter, it was quashed. “… there was something astonishing about the fact that all the 23 persons implicated in the case should be mirasdars. Most of them were rich men, owning vast extent of lands and Gopala Krishna Naidu possessed a car. However much they might have been eager to wreak vengeance on the kisans, it was difficult to believe that they would walk bodily to the scene and set fire to the houses, unaided by any of their servants. They were more likely to play safe, unlike desperate hungry labourers. One would rather expect that the mirasdars, keeping themselves in the background would, send their servants to commit the several offences which according to the prosecution the mirasdars personally committed… The evidence did not enable Their Lordships to identify and punish the guilty” (Sivaraman, 1973). This was confirmed by the Supreme Court. In 1980, Gopalakrishna Naidu was waylaid by a group of people and hacked to death. The main accused in this case was a youth in his mid twenties called Nandan. Villagers say he was one of the eyewitnesses on that fateful winter night 12 years ago (Krishnakumar, Ramiahvin Kudisai (The Hut of Ramiah), 2005). When the HC verdict was passed there were no mass protests, no uprisings. Only a few hundred workers of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) marched to the High Court protesting the injustice. Even before the massacre, Theekadhir the political organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Tamil Nadu was the only newspaper to document the brewing tensions in the region (Krishnakumar, 2005). Immediately post the massacre, the only people that reacted strongly were the Communists, under whose umbrella the kisans had protested. In 1968, when the incident occurred the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was in power at the State. Just a year before that, they had won the state elections, becoming the first party other than the Indian National Congress to win state level elections with a clear majority on their own. Reacting to the carnage, the then Chief Minister C Annadurai, sent two of his ministers – PWD Minister M Karunanidhi and Law Minister Madhavan- to the site of the incident. He also conveyed his condolences and promised action (Clashes between Kisans- 42 burnt alive, 1968). But nothing much happened. In fact, Anna’s government was later accused of downplaying the incident (Krishnakumar, Ramiahvin Kudisai (The Hut of Ramiah), 2005). When the Communist Party (Marxist) represented by MLA A Balasubramaniam sought an adjournment motion in the state assembly, regarding the Keezhvenmani incident, he said that it was a matter of emergency and great public importance. He also spelt out that the reason the party didn’t demand a judicial probe was to ensure that the offenders could be tried in a court of law and punished. The Deputy Speaker ruled out the adjournment (Venmani Incident, 1969). Gopalakrishna Naidu, the president of the PPA, was known to be a supporter of the Congress (Venmani Incident, 1969). The DMK had completed just one year in its first tenure in power, in a country in which the Congress was not just the ruling party at the Centre, but also the only major pan Indian political party. That the DMK didn’t want to upset the power equations is more than plausible. One of the most important features of DMK’s 1967 election manifesto was to provide 3 measures of rice for a rupee. Post the elections the new government was able to do only partial justice to this promise, by enabling sale of rice at a rupee a measure in Madras City (Chennai) and its suburbs, and in Coimbatore. According to the newly declared policy, the government was to procure the surplus produce of those holding more than 40 acres of land and distribute the same. But this policy was not strictly implemented. Furthermore, the ban on movement of rice within all districts except Thanjavur was lifted and free rice shops were given licences even in statutory ration areas. This meant that the DMK had to appease the powerful landlords for it to keep up its poll promises (Sivaraman, 1970). Ironically, the DMK itself was founded as a breakaway faction of the Dravida Kazhagam popularly known as the Justice Party headed by Periyar, the pioneer of the Self Respect movement that sounded the clarion call for the annihilation of caste and religion. But while it encouraged the contravention of caste identities, it also facilitated the consolidation of non-Brahmin land owning castes. The irony is exacerbated when one notes that this caste-class dominance was precisely what the DMK, before it came to power, had accused the Congress of. Mythily Sivaraman, in her essay, notes how one of the couplets used widely by the DMK in its campaign is a lament of the widow of a DMK labourer who demands higher wages and is punished for the same. My love, he slumped dead with a bullet in his guts! She points out that it is ironic that this was ‘enacted’ under the DMK rule (Sivaraman, 1970). Teltumbde notes that since the 1960s, non-Brahmin castes have been responsible for most atrocities against dalits. These castes had emerged into a dominant position, becoming landowning peasant castes, and were then taking on the landless dalit labourers (Teltumbde, 2008). But these upwardly mobile backward castes also formed the major vote bank for the newly elected DMK government. The DMK’s sway over the Tamil public was tenuous and the times, tempestuous. The government chose to remain a mute spectator. Following the massacre the DMK government appointed the Ganapathi Pillai Commission to look into the relation between the labourers and the landlords, and suggest remedies for the ‘existing tensions’. The landlords threatened to let 8 lakh acres of land lie fallow if the government failed to extend ‘protection’ to them. According to reports a large number of police personnel were sent to the field in the pretext of security, but clearly to prevent labourers from agitating further. Even when the report was released it recommended only a ten per cent increase in wages, which according to the Commission itself was measly and did not come near a ‘living wage’ (Sivaraman, 1970). “The saga of struggles and steady political mobilization by the dalits in Nagapattinam district- despite setbacks such as the court rulings on the Keezhavenmani murders and periodical dilution of land ceiling laws in Tamil Nadu- stand out as a success story in the fight against exploitation and casteism in the country” (Forty years since Keezhavenmani, 2009). On the 40th anniversary of the Keezhvenmani massacre, this is what an EPW editorial had to say. The flashpoint in 1968, became a shot in the arm for the political movement for higher wages. By the 70s, workers were earning much higher wages than before. This in turn was consolidated into a political movement, and the area remains a Left bastion till date. In fact, in the 2011 State Assembly elections the Kilvelur, the constituency that Keezhvenmani is part of, set a record with 91% voter turnout, the highest registered in an assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu (Satyanarayana, 2011). Land ownership patterns have also changed, thanks to the concerted efforts of the public, the state and NGOs. Many dalits who were previously landless labourers are now small farmers with land holdings. “I saw Ramaiyyah’s hut in which the people had taken refuge. Charred limbs of women and children were in a heap3. On a coconut tree near the hut, there were large blood stains. On enquiring, I found that one of the women had thrown a baby out of the hut, hoping to save it, but the men outside had butchered the child and threw the body back into the flames. I will never forget the horror of the event. At 85, it is the unfading memory of this event and the knowledge that the Dalits will remain oppressed till the time they are landless labourers, which inspires me to spend my life to empower rural poor through the redistribution of land” (Jeganathan, 2011). While interviewing Krishnammal, I bring up the topic of the HC verdict that acquitted all those accused, she brushes that aside, “What has happened, is in the past. A verdict cannot right those wrongs. Land reform can. Giving the dalits a chance at a livelihood can. That is what I want to do” (Jeganathan, 2011). Krishnammal was not alone when she visited Keezhvenmani. She was accompanied by Mythily Sivaraman. Mythily was back in India after a four year stint in the United States of America during which she worked as a research assistant in the Committee on Decolonisation at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations. She was interested in the Sarvodaya ideals she met with Vinoba Bhave’s followers Krishnammala and Jegannathan. In fact, when Mythily and Krishnammal, accompanied by a CPI comrade, arrived at Keezhvenmani, the police suspected them of being ‘militants’. Mythily’s well-placed friends had to intervene for the women to be able to meet the villagers (Sivaraman, 2013). The smell of smouldering ash and the howl of a dog looking for the family that had been there until the night before would continue to haunt Mythily throughout her life (Sivaraman, 2013). Her essays on the incident remain one of the very few documentations of the event in the English language and have been an invaluable resource for this research as well. “That episode and visit brought home to Mythily the starkness of life in this grain rich part of Tamil Nadu… She realised that the price for dignity, for daring to declare oneself a communist was very high in these parts – many had paid with their lives… Unsurprisingly, in her subsequent reflections, she refused to concede that the monstrous incident at Kilvenmani was only a wage dispute gone wrong, and argued passionately for it to be recognised for what it was: class struggle in the countryside” (Geetha & Karunakaran, 2013). It would not be off the mark to say that the incident and her experience of it laid the foundation of Mythily’s life-long mission of empowering the marginalised. Popular culture – books and films – enables access to the larger ideological polemics and political concerns underpinning the society at a particular point in time. Two years post the Mardas High Court Verdict in the Keezhvenmani massacre case, in 1975, noted Tamil novelist Indira Parthasarathy, wrote Kuruthipunal (The River of Blood) that was a fictionalized account of the tragedy. It was serialized first in Kanaiyazhi, a literary magazine based in Delhi at that time. It was later published as a novel and won the author the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1977 (Viswanathan, Dalit struggle and a legend, 2003). He himself admitted that writing a story based on a real life tragedy was one of the most difficult exercises he undertook as an author. This he attributed to the fact that both the author and the audience knew the ‘real’ story. In Kuruthipunal, the assassin mirasdar employs a façade of machismo to hide his impotence. The CPI (M) condemned it as ‘a Marxist novel with a Freudian twist’ (Ramnarayan, 2010). In the forty years since the event itself not more than a couple of mainstream movies have drawn from it. Among these, the most viewed is the 1983 film Kan Sivandhal, Man Sivakkum (which roughly translates to ‘The earth turns red, if the eye reddens’). Directed by Sreedhar Rajan, the movie tries to understand the power equations at play in a rural set up through the lens of a city based photographer journalist. The movie also employs koothu (dalit folk music and dance) to talk about the rampant oppression against the tillers of the land. In the movie, the agricultural labourers who demand for a wage hike are threatened and their houses are set on fire. The portrayal of media in KSMS is interesting. When one of the main characters Kaalai, a protesting agricultural labourer, dies in the process of fighting the landlords’ henchmen, the local newspaper reports that he was a Naxalite and died while manufacturing country bombs that the naxals were planning to use to attack the pannaiyar (landlord). This addresses the dubbing of Leftist agricultural protestors as Naxalites, by the State and the fourth estate thereby justifying the violence perpetrated against them by hegemonic powers, which has become a trope in every struggle against oppression (Rajan, 1983). The movie Aravindhan (1997), takes off from the Keezhvenmani incident and dalits raising their voices against oppression. But soon, it digresses into a one man’s fight against the system. In fact the protagonist who is a college educated young man, turns to violence and guerilla warfare to change the system as it were (Nagarajan, 1997). A comparative study of these two movies, lends itself to interesting observations. Both movies portray two characters that adopt different approaches to the problem of oppression. While one strongly believes that the fight against oppression can be won by peaceful means, the other is convinced that under the given situations, violence was the only option left for the suppressed. And surprisingly in both these movies, the latter dies while the former, in desperation, resorts to violence. Ramiahvin Kudisai (Ramiah’s Hut 2005), is probably the only documentary based on the episode. The film weaves in interviews of dalit eyewitnesses who lost their kin in the massacre, retired local police officers and even a mirasdar who was initially convicted of the crime. One of the interviewees is Selvaraj, who recounts how he lost eleven of his family members to this horrendous crime. What makes the scene poignant is the fact that he does not break down like the others. There is an undefinable expression on his face which haunts the onlooker and conveys the fact that he is unable to come to terms with the incident even after 40 long years. Some survivors bear scars from gunshot wounds that have become perpetual reminders of their ill fate. These remnants of the massacre have been much projected and valourised by the CPI(M) members for lending impetus to their agitations4. But for the survivors and the relatives of the victims, the burden of this disaster has now become an indelible part of their lives and weighs down their hearts (Krishnakumar, 2005). “The untouchability continues. The victims of the massacre continue to be victims of untouchability even after their death. Mainstream cinema will draw from the terrorist attacks and other social issues that affect the ‘common man’… Even the LTTE question. But nobody is interested in the plight of the untouchables, a plight that has not changed much in more than half a century since independence. Art they say reflects life. It sure does, mass media practices untouchability as firmly as the society itself” (Krishnakumar, 2011). It is often easy to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home. One of the most important questions I had to grapple with while working on this paper was that of collective memory and its exclusivity. According to the figures of the National Crime Bureau, every single day two dalit houses are burnt, three dalit women are raped, two dalits are murdered and eleven dalits are beaten. But compounding this fact, and make it even worse is the knowledge that only a miniscule percentage of crimes against dalits even gets registered. How does a collective memory deal with a human tragedy of this scale? What gets remembered, recorded for ever by posterity, commemorated, read and re-read? What gets forgotten, hidden in the crevices of our past? How does one make sense of the vast, varied instances of oppression? Another issue I had to grapple with was the veritable absence of women in the narrative. According to village reports, of the 44 people murdered that night, 20 were women and 19, children; but surprisingly women seem missing throughout every commentary of the event. They merely feature as those acted upon. Never once, in all these narratives – political, economical, social, fictional and even subaltern – are they given agency. The ways in which women were affected by the movement, their struggles for survival and growth remain unexplored. They remain the sub-subaltern, relegated to the margins of even the subaltern. A critical historiography archiving women’s experiences can help in not just giving these unheard voices a platform but also invest them with legitimacy, enabling them to become if nothing, a site for textual struggle, an attempt at reclaiming history. Remembering Keezhvenmani demands a reality check. It forces one to look at the long history of oppression against a group of people. But most importantly it compels one to think of silences, silences against oppression – big or small, extraordinary or quotidian, contiguous or distant, past or present. Nithila Kanagasabai works on the issue of gender violence at the Prajnya Trust in Chennai. She completed her Masters in Media and Cultural Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai in May 2013. She was a television journalist for two years between 2009 and 2011. Her interests include gender studies and cultural studies. She has co-directed two films – Badalte Nakshe (Changing Maps) that traverses the tenuous realm of children, memory and the 1992 Bombay riots; and Daane Daane Pe (On Every Grain…) that explores street-food politics in the city of Mumbai. Bharathi Krishnakumar- Male, 45, from Chennai- Documentary film maker, Director of Ramiahvin Kudusai. **P.R. Venugopal- Male, 85, from Chidambaram- Retired horticulturalist. 42 Persons burnt alive in Thanjavur Villlage following Kisan Clashes. (1968, December 27). The Hindu , p. 1. Amin, S. (1995). Event, Metaphor, Memory- Chauri Chaura 1922-1992. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. Clashes between Kisans- 42 burnt alive. (1968, December 27). Dinamani (Tamil) , p. 1. Editorial. Forty years since Keezhavenmani. (2009, January 3). Economic and Political Weekly , pp. 6-7. Geetha, V., & Karunakaran, K. (2013). Introduction. In M. Sivaraman, Haunted by Fire (pp. 7-53). New Delhi: LeftWord Books. Kisan Feud Turns Violent, 42 burnt alive in Thanjavur. (1968, December 27). The Indian Express , p. 1. Krishnakumar, B. (Director). (2005). Ramiahvin Kudisai (The Hut of Ramiah) [Motion Picture]. Nagarajan, T. (Director). (1997). Aravindhan [Motion Picture]. Rajan, S. (Director). (1983). Kan Sivandhal, Man Sivakkum [Motion Picture]. Sivaraman, M. (1970, January) “The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam: The Content of its Ideology” . The Radical Review, Vol.1, No. 2, 4-14. Sivaraman, M. (1973). “Gentlemen Killers of Kilvenmani”. Economic and Political Weekly , 926-928. Sivaraman, M. (2013). Haunted by Fire. New Delhi: LeftWord Books. Teltumbde, A. (2008). Khairlanji- A Strange and Bitter Crop. Pondicherry: Navayana Publishing. Venmani Incident. (1969, February 2). Theekadhir , p. 36. Also known as the 1957 Ramnad riots that witnessed clashes between the Thevars (dominant caste) and the Devendrars (dalits) after the murder of Immanuel Sekaran Devendrar. Six people were hacked to death. One of the victims was Murugesan a 35 year old Dalit, who had won the panchayat elections after Melavalavu was declared a reserved constituency in September 1996, but was unable to perform his duties as President because the Thevars physically prevented him from entering the panchayat office. More than two dozen houses and 10 motorcycles were set on fire following a clash between caste Hindu and Dalit groups.

2019-04-21T16:19:33Z

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Bonefont, Elisa was born 7 March 1949, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 810 Providence Trace Cir, Apt 101, Brandon, Florida 33511. Florida voter ID number 110932332. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2018. 31 October 2017 voter list: Elisa Bonefont, 4205 Mariners Cove Ct, APT 101, Tampa, FL 336109025 Florida Democratic Party. 31 July 2017 voter list: Elisa Bonefont, 4321 Mariners Cove Ct, APT 201, Tampa, FL 336109013 Florida Democratic Party. 31 March 2016 voter list: Elisa Bonefont, 6727 S Lois Ave, APT 303, Tampa, FL 336161627 Florida Democratic Party. 31 December 2014 voter list: Elisa Bonefont, 802 Providence Trace Cir, Apt 102, Brandon, FL 335114025 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2013 voter list: Elisa Bonefont, 936 Milano CIR, Apt 105, Brandon, FL 335117046 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2012 voter list: Elisa Bonefont, 703 Providence Trace Cir, Apt 103, Brandon, FL 335117046 Florida Democratic Party. 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This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 September 2015 voter list: Anielka Lucia Bone Gutierrez, 1003 EIFFEL LN, Kissimmee, FL 34759 Florida Democratic Party. BONEH, BEA was born 5 October 1917, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 4072 Exeter D, Boca Raton, Florida 33434. Florida voter ID number 112193714. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 28 February 2015. Boneh, Charles was born 7 August 1954, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 7511 Trent Dr, Tamarac, Florida 33321. Florida voter ID number 101876660. His telephone number is 1-954-770-9619. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 September 2017 voter list: Charles O. Boneh, 9896 NW 2Nd CT, Plantation, FL 33324 No Party Affiliation. BONEH, ENA was born 25 January 1953, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 4072 Exeter D, Boca Raton, Florida 33434. Florida voter ID number 112259544. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Boneh, Hellen Cecilia was born 19 March 1954, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 7511 Trent Dr, Tamarac, Florida 33321. Florida voter ID number 101876663. Her telephone number is 1-954-465-8531. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 September 2017 voter list: Hellen C. Boneh, 9896 NW 2nd Ct, Plantation, FL 333247092 No Party Affiliation. 31 May 2015 voter list: Hellen C. Boneh, 9896 NW 2nd Ct, Plantation, FL 333240000 No Party Affiliation. Boneham, Brittany N. born 13 September 1991, Florida voter ID number 119915067 See Casey, Brittany Nicole. CLICK HERE. Boneham, Brittany Nicole born 13 September 1991, Florida voter ID number 119915067 See Casey, Brittany Nicole. CLICK HERE. Boneham, Diane Jay was born 29 November 1949, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 6767 San Casa Dr, Lot 70, Englewood, Florida 34224. Florida voter ID number 105455686. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2018. 30 April 2016 voter list: Diane Jay Boneham, 22805 Taylor DR, Bradenton, FL 342111923 Republican Party of Florida. 30 June 2015 voter list: Diane J. Boneham, 22805 Taylor Dr, Bradenton, FL 34211 Republican Party of Florida. Boneham, Rosemary was born 26 December 1946, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 194 Newport Dr, Apt 901, Naples, Florida 34114. Florida voter ID number 123298704. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Boneham, William Jay was born 6 January 1946, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 6767 San Casa Dr, Lot 70, Englewood, Florida 34224. Florida voter ID number 105527974. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 January 2019. 30 April 2016 voter list: William J. Boneham, 22805 Taylor Dr, Bradenton, FL 342111923 Republican Party of Florida. 30 June 2015 voter list: William J. Boneham, 22805 Taylor Dr, Bradenton, FL 34211 Republican Party of Florida. Boneham, William Jay was born 4 July 1974, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1112 Broadview St, Port Charlotte, Florida 33952. Florida voter ID number 102648298. His telephone number is 661-2262 (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: WILLIAM J. BONEHAM, 1112 BROADVIEW ST, PORT CHARLOTTE, FL 33952 Republican Party of Florida. Bone Hernandez, Jimmy Steve was born 25 January 1999, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 7014 Songbird Ln, Mascotte, Florida 34753. Florida voter ID number 125234029. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonehill, Betty S. was born 30 July 1931, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 4024 Westwood Dr, Holiday, Florida 34691. Florida voter ID number 113567327. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 287 Forge Dr Lebanon OH 45036. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2017. Bonehill, Brian Thomas was born 27 June 1977, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 125 W New York Ave, Deland, Florida 32720. Florida voter ID number 108533700. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 7303 Autumn Flower Converse TX 78109. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2012. Bonehill, Kelly Ann was born 26 September 1976, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 125 W New York Ave, Deland, Florida 32720. Florida voter ID number 108812729. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2012. Bonehill, Sara E. was born 15 June 1985, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 3020 Surf Dr, Deltona, Florida 32738. Florida voter ID number 108658311. Her telephone number is 1-386-561-1130. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonehill, Solange was born 13 May 1966, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 4133 Carambola Cir S, Apt 204, Coconut Creek, Florida 33066. Florida voter ID number 118510241. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2016 voter list: Solange Bonehill, 1434 SW 1ST WAY, Apt 3, Deerfield Beach, FL 334416740 Florida Democratic Party. 30 June 2015 voter list: Solange Bonehill, 1434 SW 1St WAY, Apt 3, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441 Florida Democratic Party. 30 November 2014 voter list: Solange Bonehill, 315 Lock Rd, APT 32, Deerfield Beach, FL 334423805 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2012 voter list: Solange Bonehill, 253 NE 2Nd ST, APT 3205, Miami, FL 331322313 Florida Democratic Party. BONEILLO, GEORGE J. was born 12 February 1930, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 12029 Cr 103, Apt 316, Oxford, Florida 34484. Florida voter ID number 104893632. The voter lists a mailing address and probably prefers you use it: 704 CENTRAL AVE APT 322 SUMMERVILLE SC 29483-3758. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 April 2017. 29 February 2016 voter list: George J. Boneillo, 1409 Lindsey Ln, Lady Lake, FL 32159 Republican Party of Florida. BONEK, AMELIA G. was born 24 November 1956, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 8591 Alvarado Calzada, Pensacola, Florida 32507. Florida voter ID number 120320472. Her telephone number is 1-240-993-6925. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonek, Christopher Scott was born 17 January 1995, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1625 Myrtle Lake Ave, Fruitland Park, Florida 34731. Florida voter ID number 121156853. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. BONEK, RICK ALLEN was born 5 July 1968, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 4150 Eastgate Dr, Apt 7206, Orlando, Florida 32839. Florida voter ID number 123787668. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 October 2018 voter list: Rick Allen Bonek, 4868 Shell Stream BLVD, New Port Richey, FL 34652 No Party Affiliation. Bonek, Roy Steven was born 22 March 1970, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1625 Myrtle Lake Ave, Fruitland Park, Florida 34731. Florida voter ID number 122126556. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonek, Shawn Anthony was born 28 September 1991, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 1625 Myrtle Lake Ave, Fruitland Park, Florida 34731. Florida voter ID number 117766271. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 January 2015 voter list: Shawn Anthony Bonek, 5433 Royal Oak DR, Fruitland Park, FL 34731 No Party Affiliation. Bonek, Steven Michael was born 19 July 1989, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 330 Sandy Oak Cir, Apt 302, Leesburg, Florida 34748. Florida voter ID number 118092767. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 November 2016. 31 May 2012 voter list: Steven Michael Bonek, 5433 Royal Oak Dr, Fruitland Park, FL 34731 No Party Affiliation. BONEK, ZACHARY NICKOLAS was born 14 November 1995, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 4150 Eastgate Dr, Apt 7206, Orlando, Florida 32839. Florida voter ID number 123750900. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 December 2018 voter list: Zachary Nickolas Bonek, 4868 Shell Stream BLVD, New Port Richey, FL 34652 No Party Affiliation. 31 December 2017 voter list: Zachary Nickolas Bonek, 7983 Avenal LOOP, New Port Richey, FL 34655 No Party Affiliation. BONEKAMP, CLAIRE G. was born 7 August 1930, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1813 Pamplico Ct, The Villages, Florida 32162-4051. Florida voter ID number 111742603. Her telephone number is 415-1688 (no area code listed). This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 October 2015 voter list: Claire G. Bonekamp, 1660 Pine Valley Dr, #307, Fort Myers, FL 33907 Republican Party of Florida. BONEKEMPER, CURTIS WILLIAM was born 20 February 1968, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 700 8Th St N, St Petersburg, Florida 33701. Florida voter ID number 105908129. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 22 October 2014. BONEKEMPER, PATRICIA GAIL was born 25 November 1946, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 4617 Cason Cove Dr, Apt 934, Orlando, Florida 32811. Florida voter ID number 120148795. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. BONEKER, JANEEN was born 6 July 1948, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 101 Park Blvd S, #209, Venice, Florida 34285. Florida voter ID number 126434272. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. BONEKER, PAUL FRANCIS was born 22 November 1949, is male, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 101 Park Blvd S, #209, Venice, Florida 34285. Florida voter ID number 126434271. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. BONEL, ALEX B. was born 27 October 1982, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 5336 Hawks Landing Dr, #203, Fort Myers, Florida 33907. Florida voter ID number 117543956. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 May 2012. BONEL, ALEX BRYAN was born 27 October 1982, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 5238 Laval Dr, Orlando, Florida 32839. Florida voter ID number 122824740. His telephone number is 1-917-855-0682. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 April 2017 voter list: Alex Bonel, 5319 Centennial Blvd, Lehigh Acres, FL 33971 No Party Affiliation. Bonel, Cintya Cassandra was born 10 November 1993, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 2134 Lincoln St, Apt 9, Hollywood, Florida 33020-3963. Florida voter ID number 124656017. Her telephone number is 1-786-473-4581. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 December 2017 voter list: Cintya Cassandra Bonel, 260 SW 113th TER, Pembroke Pines, FL 33025 No Party Affiliation. Bonel, Luis was born 31 July 1939, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 340 Sunset Dr, Apt 1410, Ft Lauderdale, Florida 33301. Florida voter ID number 117730329. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 30 November 2016. Bonela, Brian was born 2 July 1991, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 6201 N Brandywine Dr, Margate, Florida 33063. Florida voter ID number 124738095. His telephone number is 1-908-370-2810. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonela, Jennifer Bilski was born 16 June 1989, is female, registered as Libertarian Party of Florida, residing at 1408 Andrea Ct, Brandon, Florida 33511. Florida voter ID number 124169355. Her telephone number is 1-813-789-8851. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonelis Diez, Santiago was born 23 February 1988, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 12170 Olive Jones Rd, Apt 102, Tampa, Florida 33625. Florida voter ID number 123517148. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonell, Andres was born 18 February 1971, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 3130 Indiana St, Miami, Florida 33133. Florida voter ID number 123315472. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonell, Andres born 27 February 1984, Florida voter ID number 120518928 See Bonell Lopez, Andres. CLICK HERE. BONELL, ANDRES F. was born 27 February 1984, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 5441 Pointe Vista Cir, Apt 303, Orlando, Florida 32839. Florida voter ID number 118340477. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonell, Bethany Anne was born 23 November 1989, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 4985 Creekside Ln, Milton, Florida 32570. Florida voter ID number 116185402. Her telephone number is 1-850-712-8750. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 January 2019 voter list: BETHANY ANNE BONELL, 322 E SUNSET AVE, PENSACOLA, FL 32507 Republican Party of Florida. 30 June 2016 voter list: BETHANY ANNE BALKOM, 322 E SUNSET AVE, PENSACOLA, FL 32507 Republican Party of Florida. Bonell, Blanca A. was born 24 December 1941, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 21150 Sw 87Th Ave, #103, Cutler Bay, Florida 33189. Florida voter ID number 116064262. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. BONELL, BRITTANY CHRISTINE was born 18 September 1990, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 4124 Lake Underhill Rd, Apt 204, Orlando, Florida 32803. Florida voter ID number 116143004. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2013 voter list: BRITTANY CHRISTINE BONELL, 12153 BLACK KNIGHT WAY, APT 14 204B, ORLANDO, FL 32817 Florida Democratic Party. 31 May 2012 voter list: BRITTANY CHRISTINE BONELL, 12754 BIDEFORD AVE, WINDERMERE, FL 34786 Florida Democratic Party. Bonell, Carmen was born 7 July 1934, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 8638 Harding Ave, #602, Miami Beach, Florida 33141. Florida voter ID number 109373206. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonell, Cecilia Blanca was born 24 December 1941, is female, registered as Florida Democratic Party, residing at 21150 Sw 87Th Ave, Apt 103, Cutler Bay, Florida 33189. Florida voter ID number 119869941. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonell, Estrella was born 1 March 1973, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 21150 Sw 87Th Ave, Cutler Bay, Florida 33189. Florida voter ID number 122175391. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonell, Frank was born 3 July 1961, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1210 S Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach, Florida 32931. Florida voter ID number 124235499. His telephone number is 1-970-726-0897. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 April 2018 voter list: Frank Bonell, 115 La Riviere RD, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931 Republican Party of Florida. Bonell, Gloria Jean was born 21 January 1956, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1033 Blossom Dr, Sebastian, Florida 32958. Florida voter ID number 114519012. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 March 2014 voter list: GLORIA JEAN BONELL, 119 W KALEY ST, ORLANDO, FL 32806 Republican Party of Florida. 31 May 2012 voter list: GLORIA JEAN BONELL, 12754 BIDEFORD AVE, WINDERMERE, FL 34786 Republican Party of Florida. BONELL, JENNIFER R. was born 26 August 1980, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 7902 Reynolds Dr, Tallahassee, Florida 32312. Florida voter ID number 109772559. Her telephone number is 1-305-878-2351. Her email address is [email protected]. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 January 2014 voter list: Jennifer R. Bonell, 21493 SW 85Th Ave, Cutler Bay, FL 33189 No Party Affiliation. BONELL, JESPER K. was born 25 January 1971, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 119 S Village Way, Jupiter, Florida 33458. Florida voter ID number 102228348. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonell, John C. was born 23 December 1925, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1149 Hillsboro Mile, Apt 410 N, Hillsboro Beach, Florida 33062-0000. Florida voter ID number 101274653. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 August 2014. Bonell, Josefina was born 22 January 1943, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 4692 Sw 13Th Ter, Miami, Florida 33134. Florida voter ID number 110251982. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonell, Josephine was born 13 February 1967, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 5100 Bayview Dr, Apt 301, Ft Lauderdale, Florida 33308. Florida voter ID number 101422058. Her telephone number is 1-954-491-8606. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonell, Juan C. was born 5 October 1966, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 2609 Belmont Ln, North Lauderdale, Florida 33068-4297. Florida voter ID number 101780715. His telephone number is 1-954-296-3421. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2015 voter list: Juan C. Bonell, 2609 Belmont LN, North Lauderdale, FL 33068 No Party Affiliation. Bonell, Julia Irene was born 11 July 1944, is female, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 240 Galen Dr, ##312, Key Biscayne, Florida 33149. Florida voter ID number 110096684. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. BONELL, KALINA KATHRYN born 14 February 1987, Florida voter ID number 120750699 See BONNELL, KALINA KATHRYN. CLICK HERE. Bonell, Lewis Anthony was born 25 December 1944, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 2277 Nw 139Th Ave, Sunrise, Florida 33323-5332. Florida voter ID number 101870929. His telephone number is 1-954-838-9025. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2015 voter list: Lewis Anthony Bonell, 2277 NW 139th Ave, Sunrise, FL 33323 No Party Affiliation. Bonell, Mercedes was born 25 January 1944, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 6231 Sw 78Th St, Apt 17, South Miami, Florida 33143. Florida voter ID number 109648928. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. Bonell, Milton E. was born 21 July 1970, is male, registered as No Party Affiliation, residing at 11525 Sw 100Th Ter, Miami, Florida 33176-2528. Florida voter ID number 109870899. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 June 2017 voter list: Milton E. Bonell, 11525 SW 100Th Ter, Miami, FL 331766811 No Party Affiliation. Bonell, Nicole Dionne was born 20 April 1971, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1210 S Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach, Florida 32931-2607. Florida voter ID number 124754281. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 July 2018 voter list: Nicole Dionne Bonell, 115 La Riviere RD, Cocoa Beach, FL 329312607 Republican Party of Florida. Bonell, Peter Joseph was born 23 October 1953, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 1033 Blossom Dr, Sebastian, Florida 32958. Florida voter ID number 114561129. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 30 April 2014 voter list: PETER JOSEPH BONELL, 119 W KALEY ST, ORLANDO, FL 32806 Republican Party of Florida. 31 May 2012 voter list: PETER JOSEPH BONELL, 12754 BIDEFORD AVE, WINDERMERE, FL 34786 Republican Party of Florida. Bonell, Rose C. was born 12 November 1958, is female, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 2827 Ne 60Th St, Ft Lauderdale, Florida 33308-2735. Florida voter ID number 101300601. Her telephone number is 1-954-491-6677. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019. 31 May 2015 voter list: Rose C. Bonell, 2827 NE 60th St, Ft Lauderdale, FL 333080000 Republican Party of Florida. Bonell, Ryan David was born 28 September 1979, is male, registered as Republican Party of Florida, residing at 2321 Scotland Rd, Cocoa, Florida 32926. Florida voter ID number 125467651. This is the most recent information, from the Florida voter list as of 31 March 2019.

2019-04-22T13:03:51Z

https://flvoters.com/pages/b108490.html

As of July 31, 2015, 2,207,459 shares of our common stock were outstanding (excluding 302,475 shares held as treasury stock). References in this report to "we," "our," "us," or the "Company" refer to Altisource Asset Management Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated. References in this report to “Residential” refer to Altisource Residential Corporation, unless otherwise indicated. References in this report to “Altisource” refer to Altisource Portfolio Solutions S.A. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated. References in this report to “Ocwen” refer to Ocwen Financial Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated. Our disclosure and analysis in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which we refer to as the “Securities Act,” and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the “Exchange Act.” In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” or “potential” or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. You can also identify forward-looking statements by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. governmental regulations, taxes and policies. While forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, they are not guarantees of future performance. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of their respective dates, and we assume no obligation to update them to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information or otherwise. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could cause our future results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements, please see the risk factors set forth in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. Certain information contained herein is presented as of July 31, 2015, which we have concluded is the latest practicable date for financial information prior to the filing of this quarterly report. We were incorporated in the United States Virgin Islands on March 15, 2012, which we refer to as “inception.” Subsequent to our separation from Altisource Portfolio Solutions S.A. ("Altisource") on December 21, 2012, we immediately commenced operations. In October 2013, we applied for and were granted registration by the SEC as a registered investment adviser under section 203(c) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Our primary business is to provide asset management and certain corporate governance services to Altisource Residential Corporation, which we refer to as “Residential.” Residential is a Maryland corporation that acquires and manages single-family rental properties by acquiring sub-performing and non-performing mortgages throughout the United States. We have concluded that Residential is a variable interest entity (“VIE”) because Residential’s equity holders lack the ability through voting rights to make decisions about Residential’s activities that have a significant effect on the success of Residential. We have also concluded that we are the primary beneficiary of Residential because under the Residential AMA we have the power to direct the activities of Residential that most significantly impact Residential’s economic performance including establishing Residential’s investment and business strategy. As a result, we consolidate Residential in our consolidated financial statements. Additionally, we provide management services to NewSource Reinsurance Company Ltd., which we refer to as “NewSource,” a title insurance and reinsurance company in Bermuda. In October 2013, we invested $2.0 million in 100% of the common stock of NewSource and Residential invested $18.0 million in the non-voting preferred stock of NewSource. On December 2, 2013, NewSource became registered as a licensed reinsurer with the Bermuda Monetary Authority (“BMA”). Because we own 100% of voting common stock of NewSource and there are no substantive kick-out rights granted to other equity owners, we consolidate NewSource in our consolidated financial statements. NewSource commenced reinsurance activities during the second quarter of 2014. In December 2014, NewSource determined that the economics of the initial business did not warrant the continuation of its initial reinsurance quota share agreement with an unrelated third party. NewSource therefore transferred all of the risk of claims and future losses underwritten to an unrelated third party. Since Residential commenced operations, it has completed three public equity offerings with aggregate net proceeds of approximately $1.1 billion. Residential also entered into three separate repurchase agreements to finance its acquisition and ownership of residential mortgage loans and REO properties. The maximum aggregate funding available under these repurchase agreements at December 31, 2014 was $1.2 billion. On April 10, 2015, Residential also entered into a loan and security agreement (the “Nomura loan agreement”) with Nomura Corporate Funding Americas, LLC (“Nomura”). The purpose of the Nomura loan agreement is to finance Residential's beneficial ownership of REO properties. The maximum aggregate funding available to Residential under the repurchase agreements and the Nomura loan agreement as of June 30, 2015 was $1.0 billion, subject to certain sublimits, eligibility requirements and conditions precedent to each funding. As of June 30, 2015, an aggregate of $810.2 million was outstanding under Residential's repurchase agreements and the Nomura loan agreement. All obligations of Residential’s subsidiaries under the repurchase agreements and the Nomura loan agreement are fully guaranteed by Residential. capacity to $225.0 million on December 31, 2014 with a maturity date of April 20, 2015, subject to an additional one-year extension with the approval of the lender. On April 20, 2015, Residential entered into an amended and restated repurchase agreement with CS that increased the aggregate borrowing capacity from $225.0 million to $275.0 million, increased the REO sublimit under the facility and extended the maturity date to April 18, 2016. Deutsche Bank (“DB”) is the lender on the repurchase agreement entered into on September 12, 2013 (the “DB repurchase agreement”). The DB repurchase agreement matures on March 11, 2016 and includes a provision that after March 2015, Residential is not eligible for additional funding under the facility, thereby reducing Residential's aggregate funding capacity under the DB repurchase agreement to $91.8 million, which was the amount outstanding under the facility on June 30, 2015. Wells Fargo (“Wells”) is the lender on the repurchase agreement entered into on September 23, 2013 (the “Wells repurchase agreement”) with an initial aggregate maximum borrowing capacity of $200.0 million. Throughout 2013 and 2014 the Wells repurchase agreement was amended several times increasing the aggregate maximum borrowing capacity to a high of $1.0 billion, and on December 31, 2014 was reduced to $750.0 million, subject to certain sublimits, to reflect the securitization of a significant portion of Residential's non-performing loans that previously had been financed under the Wells repurchase agreement. The maturity date of the Wells repurchase agreement was March 23, 2015. However, on February 20, 2015, Residential exercised its option to extend the termination date of this facility to March 23, 2016 without any additional funding, thereby reducing Residential's aggregate funding capacity under the Wells repurchase agreement to $471.3 million on June 30, 2015, which was the amount outstanding under the facility on that date. Residential is in discussions with Wells to further extend the repurchase agreement with an ability to obtain additional funding. No assurance can be provided that Residential will be able to renew this facility on reasonable terms, on a timely basis or at all. The agreement calls for the advance rate to be reduced by 10% after the first 90 days of the extension term. The 10% reduction date has been extended for an additional 90 days while the parties are negotiating an amended and restated repurchase agreement. Nomura is the lender on the Nomura loan agreement entered into on April 10, 2015 with an initial aggregate maximum funding capacity of $100.0 million. On May 12, 2015, Residential amended the terms of the Nomura loan agreement to increase the aggregate maximum funding capacity to $200.0 million, subject to certain sublimits, eligibility requirements and conditions precedent to each funding. The Nomura loan agreement terminates on April 8, 2016. On June 29, 2015, Residential completed a securitization transaction in which ARLP Securitization Trust, Series 2015-1 ("ARLP 2015-1") issued $205.0 million in Class A Notes (the “ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes”) with a weighted coupon of approximately 4.01% and $60.0 million in Class M Notes (the “ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes”). Residential retained $34.0 million of the ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes and all of the ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes. No interest will be paid on any ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes while any ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes remain outstanding. The ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes and ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes are secured solely by the non-performing mortgage loans and REO properties of ARLP 2015-1 and not by any of Residential's other assets. The assets of ARLP 2015-1 are the only source of repayment and interest on the ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes. The ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes mature on May 25, 2055, and Residential does not guaranty any of the obligations of ARLP 205-1 under the terms of the Indenture governing the notes or otherwise. As of June 30, 2015, the book value of the underlying securitized assets held by ARLP 2015-1 was $275.7 million. On November 25, 2014, Residential completed a securitization transaction in which ARLP Securitization Trust, Series 2014-2 ("ARLP 2014-2") issued $270.8 million in Class A Notes (the “ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes”) with a weighted coupon of approximately 3.85% and $234.0 million in Class M Notes (the “ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes”). Residential initially retained $95.8 million of the ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes and all of the ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes. On February 9, 2015, Residential sold $50.7 million of the retained ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes to an unrelated third party. No interest will be paid on any ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes while any ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes remain outstanding. The ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes are secured solely by the non-performing mortgage loans and REO properties of ARLP 2014-2 and not by any of Residential's other assets. The assets of ARLP 2014-2 are the only source of repayment and interest on the ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes. The ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes mature on January 26, 2054, and Residential does not guaranty any of the obligations of ARLP 2014-2 under the terms of the Indenture governing the notes or otherwise. As of June 30, 2015, the book value of the underlying securitized assets held by ARLP 2014-2 was $329.0 million. On September 25, 2014, Residential completed a securitization transaction in which ARLP Securitization Trust, Series 2014-1 (“ARLP 2014-1”) issued $150.0 million in Class A Notes (the “ARLP 2014-1 Class A Notes”) with a weighted coupon of approximately 3.47% and $32.0 million in Class M Notes (the “ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes”) with a weighted coupon of 4.25%. The ARLP 2014-1 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes are secured solely by the non-performing mortgage loans and REO properties of ARLP 2014-1 and not by any of Residential's other assets. The assets of ARLP 2014-1 are the only source of repayment and interest on the ARLP 2014-1 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes. The ARLP 2014-1 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes mature on September 25, 2044, and Residential does not guaranty any of the obligations of ARLP 2014-1 under the terms of the Indenture governing the notes or otherwise. As of June 30, 2015, the book value of the underlying securitized assets held by ARLP 2014-1 was $208.5 million. Residential retained all of the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes issued by ARLP 2014-1 in its taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”). On September 30, 2014, pursuant to a master repurchase agreement, the TRS sold $15.0 million of the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes to NewSource. The master repurchase agreement initially required the TRS to repurchase the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes from NewSource at a 5.0% yield on December 28, 2014, with the parties having the option to extend the master repurchase agreement for additional 89-day periods. In no event can the master repurchase agreement be extended beyond September 29, 2015. The agreement is currently due to expire on September 22, 2015. On March 18, 2014, we closed a private placement for the issuance and sale of 250,000 shares of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock to Luxor Capital Group, LP, a New York based investment manager, and other institutional investors for proceeds of $250.0 million. In connection with the foregoing, the Company's Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program that authorizes us to repurchase up to $300.0 million of our common stock. We used substantially all of the proceeds from this transaction to repurchase shares of our common stock and for other corporate purposes. We have an aggregate of $59.4 million remaining for repurchases under our Board-approved repurchase plan. The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States which we refer to as “U.S. GAAP.” All wholly owned subsidiaries are included and all intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. presented in this Quarterly Report as permitted by SEC rules and regulations. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our 2014 annual report on Form 10-K. During the first quarter of 2014, we issued $250.0 million of convertible preferred stock. All of the outstanding shares of preferred stock are redeemable by us in March 2020, the sixth anniversary of the date of issuance, and every five years thereafter. On these same redemption dates, each holder of preferred stock may cause us to redeem all the shares of preferred stock held by such holder at a redemption price equal to $1,000 per share. Accordingly, we classify these shares as mezzanine equity, outside of permanent stockholders' equity. The holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock will not be entitled to receive dividends with respect to the Series A Preferred Stock. The shares of Series A Preferred Stock are convertible into shares of our common stock at a conversion price of $1,250 per share, subject to certain anti-dilution adjustments. (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock into which the Series A Preferred Stock is then convertible multiplied by the then current market price of the Common Stock. The Series A Preferred Stock confers no voting rights to holders, except with respect to matters that materially and adversely affect the voting powers, rights or preferences of the Series A Preferred Stock or as otherwise required by applicable law. With respect to the distribution of assets upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the Series A Preferred Stock ranks senior to our common stock and on parity with all other classes of preferred stock that may be issued by us in the future. We account for repurchased common stock under the cost method and include such treasury stock as a component of total shareholders’ equity. We have repurchased shares of our common stock (i) under our Board approval to repurchase up to $300.0 million in shares of our common stock and (ii) upon our withholding of shares of our common stock to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of our restricted stock. In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30) - Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. ASU 2015-03 requires that debt issuance costs are presented on the balance sheet as a deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability instead of being presented as an asset. Debt disclosures will include the face amount of the debt liability and the effective interest rate. The standard requires retrospective application and represents a change in accounting principle. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. We do not expect the impact of adopting this standard to have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810) – Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis. ASU 2015-02 makes targeted amendments to the current consolidation guidance that change the analysis a reporting entity must perform to determine whether it should consolidate certain types of legal entities. This guidance addresses concerns that current accounting might require a reporting entity to consolidate another legal entity in situations in which the reporting entity’s contractual rights do not give it the ability to act primarily on its own behalf, the reporting entity does not hold a majority of the legal entity’s voting rights, or the reporting entity is not exposed to a majority of the legal entity’s economic benefits or obligations. The standard is effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early application is permitted. We are evaluating the impact of ASU 2015-02 on our consolidated financial statements, which could result in the deconsolidation of Residential's financial information in our consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model requiring a company to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount reflecting the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 may be applied using either a full retrospective or a modified retrospective approach and is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2016. We do not expect this amendment to have a significant effect on our financial position or results of operations. During the six months ended June 30, 2015, Residential did not acquire any portfolios of non-performing residential mortgage loans. During the six months ended June 30, 2014, Residential acquired an aggregate of 5,797 residential mortgage loans, substantially all of which were non-performing, and 190 REO properties having an aggregate UPB of approximately $1.6 billion and an aggregate market value of underlying properties of $1.4 billion. The aggregate purchase price for these acquisitions was approximately $940.5 million. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, Residential recognized $0.3 million and $0.4 million, respectively for due diligence costs related to a potential purchase of a portfolio that was not ultimately acquired. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, Residential recognized $2.4 million and $2.9 million, respectively, for due diligence costs related to transactions in both general and administrative expense and related party general and administrative expense. Generally, we expect that Residential's mortgage loan and REO portfolios may grow at an uneven pace, as opportunities to acquire distressed residential mortgage loans and REO portfolios may be irregularly timed and may involve large portfolios of loans or REO, and the timing and extent of Residential's success in acquiring such assets cannot be predicted. In addition, for any given portfolio of loans that Residential agrees to acquire, it typically acquires fewer loans than originally expected, as certain loans may be resolved prior to the closing date or may fail to meet Residential's diligence standards. The number of loans excluded from an acquisition typically constitutes a relatively small portion of a particular portfolio. In some cases, the number of loans Residential does not acquire could be significant. In any case where Residential does not acquire the full portfolio, appropriate adjustments are made to the applicable purchase price. Throughout this report, all unpaid principal balance and market value amounts for the portfolios Residential has acquired are provided as of “cut-off date” for each transaction unless otherwise indicated. The “cut-off date” for each acquisition is a date shortly before the closing used to identify the final loans being purchased and the related unpaid principal balance, market value of underlying properties and other characteristics of the loans. During the three months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, Residential transferred 687 and 894 mortgage loans, respectively, to REO at an aggregate fair value based on broker price opinions ("BPOs"), of $133.9 million and $120.8 million respectively. Such transfers occur when the foreclosure sale is complete. In connection with these transfers to REO, Residential recorded $14.7 million and $28.5 million, respectively, in net unrealized gains on mortgage loans. During the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, Residential transferred 1,411 and 1,530 mortgage loans, respectively, to REO at an aggregate fair value based on BPOs, of $268.7 million and $217.4 million respectively. Such transfers occur when the foreclosure sale is complete. In connection with these transfers to REO, Residential recorded $33.1 million and $52.1 million, respectively, in net unrealized gains on mortgage loans. At June 30, 2015 Residential had 6,316 loans with a carrying value of $1.3 billion that were in the foreclosure process compared to 7,841 loans with a carrying value of $1.5 billion at December 31, 2014. During the three months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, Residential disposed of 270 and 135 mortgage loans, respectively, primarily through short sales, refinancing, foreclosure sales, and sale of loans that had transitioned to re-performing loans from prior non-performing loan acquisitions. In connection with these dispositions, Residential recorded $19.3 million and $10.8 million, respectively, of net realized gains on mortgage loans. During the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, Residential disposed of 420 and 251 mortgage loans, respectively, primarily through short sales, refinancing, foreclosure sales, and sale of loans that had transitioned to re-performing loans from prior non-performing loan acquisitions. In connection with these dispositions, Residential recorded $34.7 million and $20.1 million, respectively, of net realized gains on mortgage loans. On June 27, 2014, Residential acquired 879 re-performing mortgage loans with an aggregate market value of underlying properties of $271.1 million for an aggregate purchase price of $144.6 million. Under ASC 310-30, acquired loans may be aggregated and accounted for as a pool of loans if the loans being aggregated have common risk characteristics. A pool is accounted for as a single asset with a single composite interest rate and an aggregate expectation of cash flows. These 879 re-performing residential mortgage loans were determined to have common risk characteristics and have been accounted for as a single loan pool. During October 2014, Residential sold an aggregate of 934 re-performing loans to an unrelated third party for an aggregate purchase price of $164 million. The sale included 770 loans from the re-performing mortgage loans purchased in June 2014, and 164 loans that had transitioned to re-performing status from prior non-performing loan acquisitions. During June 2015, Residential sold an aggregate of 189 re-performing loans to an unrelated third party for an aggregate purchase price of $34.6 million. The sale included 52 loans from the re-performing mortgage loans purchased in June 2014, and 137 loans that had transitioned to re-performing status from prior non-performing loan acquisitions. Approximately $2.0 million of the proceeds from the June 2015 re-performing loan sale were used to purchase the loans out of Residential's ARLP 2014-1 and ARLP 2014-2 securitizations and approximately $16.4 million of the proceeds were used to purchase the loans out of Residential's Wells repurchase facility. Therefore, Residential's net proceeds from the June 2015 re-performing loan sale were approximately $16.2 million. Under ASC 310-30, Residential estimates cash flows expected to be collected, adjusted for expected prepayments and defaults expected to be incurred over the life of the loan pool. Residential determines the excess of the loan pool's contractually required principal and interest payments over the expected cash flows as an amount that should not be accreted, the nonaccretable yield. The difference between expected cash flows and the present value of the expected cash flows is referred to as the accretable yield, which represents the amount that is expected to be recorded as interest income over the remaining life of the loan pool. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, Residential recognized no provision for loan loss and no adjustments to the amount of the accretable yield. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, Residential accreted $0.2 million and $0.5 million, respectively, into interest income with respect to these re-performing loans. As of June 30, 2015, these re-performing loans, having a UPB of $8.8 million and a carrying value of $6.0 million, were held for sale. During the six months ended June 30, 2015, Residential acquired no REO properties as part of their portfolio acquisitions. During three and six months ended June 30, 2014, Residential acquired 190 REO properties for an aggregate purchase price of $27.6 million. On June 28, 2015, Residential entered into an agreement (the “IH Purchase Agreement”) to purchase an aggregate of 1,325 REO properties, the substantial majority of which were rented and occupied, from certain subsidiaries of Invitation Homes (“Invitation Homes”) for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $112.6 million (the “IH Transaction”). The IH Purchase Agreement provided for a 30-day contingency period after signing in which Residential was entitled to complete due diligence on the REO properties, with each of Invitation Homes and Residential having the ability to terminate the IH Purchase Agreement based on the due diligence results. On July 28, 2015, the contingency period expired, and Invitation Homes and Residential determined to move forward with the closing of the IH Transaction. We currently expect Residential to complete the IH Transaction in the third quarter of 2015. There can be no assurance that Residential will be able to complete the IH Transaction on a timely basis or at all. As of June 30, 2015, Residential had 3,977 REO properties held for use. Of these properties, 777 had been rented, 96 were being listed for rent and 111 were in varying stages of renovation. With respect to the remaining 2,993 REO properties, we will make a final determination whether each property meets Residential’s rental profile after (a) applicable state redemption periods have expired, (b) the foreclosure sale has been ratified (c) Residential has recorded the deed for the property, (d) utilities have been activated and (e) Residential has secured access for interior inspection. A majority of the REO properties are subject to state regulations which require Residential to await the expiration of a redemption period before a foreclosure can be finalized. Residential includes these redemption periods in its portfolio pricing which generally reduces the price Residential pays for the mortgage loans. Once the redemption period expires, Residential immediately proceeds to record the new deed, take possession of the property, activate utilities, and start the inspection process in order to make its final determination. As of December 31, 2014, Residential had 3,349 REO properties held for use. Of these properties, 336 had been rented, 197 were being listed for rent and 254 were in various stages of renovation. With respect to the remaining 2,562 REO properties, we were in the process of determining whether these properties would meet Residential's rental profile. As of June 30, 2014, Residential had 1,766 REO properties held for use. Of these properties, 102 had been rented, 40 were being listed for rent and 140 were in various stages of renovation. With respect to the remaining 1,484 REO properties, we were in the process of determining whether these properties would meet Residential's rental profile. If a REO property meets Residential's rental profile, we determine the extent of renovations that are needed to generate an optimal rent and maintain consistency of renovation specifications for future branding. If we determine that the REO property will not meet Residential's rental profile, we list the property for sale, in certain instances after renovations are made to optimize the sale proceeds. As of June 30, 2015, Residential classified 819 properties having an aggregate carrying value of $134.0 million as real estate held for sale as they do not meet its residential rental property investment criteria. As of December 31, 2014, Residential had 611 REO properties having an aggregate carrying value of $92.2 million held for sale, and as of June 30, 2014, Residential had 192 REO properties having an aggregate carrying value of $27.6 million held for sale. None of these REO properties have any operations; therefore, we are not presenting discontinued operations related to these properties. Residential records residential properties held for sale at the lower of either the carrying amount of REO or its estimated fair value less estimated selling costs. If the carrying amount exceeds the estimated fair value, as adjusted, Residential records impairment equal to the amount of such excess. If an increase in fair value is noted at a subsequent measurement date, a gain is recognized to the extent of any previous impairment recognized. As of June 30, 2015 Residential had $7.8 million of impairment on the 819 REO properties having a fair value of $153.9 million. As of December 31, 2014 Residential had $4.9 million of impairment on the 611 REO properties having a fair value of $96.0 million. There was no impairment on the 192 REO properties held at June 30, 2014. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, Residential disposed of 321 and 575 REO properties, respectively, and recorded $12.4 million and $23.0 million of net realized gains on real estate, respectively. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, Residential disposed of 22 and 24 REO properties, respectively, and recorded $1.2 million of net realized gains for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014. Residential has not transferred any assets from one level to another level during the six months ended June 30, 2015 or during the year ended December 31, 2014. Market value is based on the most recent BPO provided to us by the applicable seller for each property in the respective portfolio as of its cut-off date or an updated BPO received since the acquisition was completed. Residential's operating partnership and certain of its Delaware Statutory Trust subsidiaries, as applicable, have entered into master repurchase agreements with major financial institutions. The purpose of these repurchase agreements is to finance the acquisition and ownership of mortgage loans, rental properties and REO properties in its portfolio. On April 10, 2015, Residential entered into the Nomura loan agreement for the purpose of financing its beneficial ownership of REO properties. Residential has effective control of the assets associated with these agreements and therefore it has concluded these are financing arrangements. As of June 30, 2015, the weighted average annualized interest rate on borrowing under Residential's repurchase agreements and the Nomura loan agreement was 3.30%, excluding amortization of deferred financing costs. Under the terms of each of its repurchase agreements, as collateral for the funds Residential draws thereunder, subject to certain conditions, Residential's operating partnership will sell to the applicable lender equity interests in its Delaware statutory trust subsidiaries that owns the applicable underlying assets on its behalf, or the trust will directly sell such underlying mortgage assets. In the event the lender determines the value of the collateral has decreased, the lender has the right to initiate a margin call and require Residential, or the applicable trust subsidiary, to post additional collateral or to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings. The price paid by the lender for each mortgage asset Residential finances under the repurchase agreements is based on a percentage of the market value of the mortgage asset and may depend on its delinquency status. With respect to funds drawn under the repurchase agreements, Residential's operating partnership is required to pay the lender interest based on LIBOR or at the lender's cost of funds plus a spread calculated based on the type of applicable mortgage assets collateralizing the funding, as well as certain other customary fees, administrative costs and expenses to maintain and administer the repurchase agreements. Residential does not collateralize any of its repurchase facilities with cash. Pursuant to the CS repurchase agreement, Residential is entitled to collateralize a portion of the facility with securities. As of June 30, 2015, approximately $10.6 million of the amounts outstanding under the CS repurchase agreement was collateralized by $17.0 million of the Class M Notes issued and retained by Residential in connection with the securitization completed in September 2014 by ARLP 2014-1, and approximately $29.4 million of the amounts outstanding under the CS repurchase agreement was collateralized by $45.1 million of the Class A-2 Notes issued and retained by Residential in connection with the securitization completed in November 2014 by ARLP 2014-2. The repurchase agreements require Residential to maintain various financial and other covenants, including maintaining a minimum adjusted tangible net worth, a maximum ratio of indebtedness to adjusted tangible net worth and specified levels of unrestricted cash. In addition, the repurchase agreements contain customary events of default. Residential is restricted by the terms of its repurchase agreements from paying dividends greater than its REIT taxable income in a calendar year. Residential is currently in compliance with the covenants and other requirements with respect to its repurchase agreements. We monitor Residential's banking partners' ability to perform under the repurchase agreements and have concluded there is currently no reason to doubt that they will continue to perform under the repurchase agreements as contractually obligated. For additional information on the repurchase agreements, please see "Note 1. Organization and basis of presentation." Under the terms of the Nomura loan agreement, subject to certain conditions, Nomura may advance funds to Residential from time to time, with such advances collateralized by REO properties. The advances paid under the Nomura loan agreement with respect to the REO properties from time to time will be based on a percentage of the market value of the applicable REO properties. Under the terms of the Nomura loan agreement, Residential is required to pay interest based on the one-month LIBOR plus a spread and certain other customary fees, administrative costs and expenses in connection with Nomura's structuring, management and ongoing administration of the facility. The Nomura loan agreement requires Residential to maintain various financial and other covenants, including a minimum adjusted tangible net worth, a maximum ratio of indebtedness to adjusted tangible net worth and specified levels of unrestricted cash. In addition, the Nomura loan agreement contains events of default (subject to certain materiality thresholds and grace periods), including payment defaults, breaches of covenants and/or certain representations and warranties, cross-defaults, certain material adverse changes, bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings and other events of default customary for this type of transaction. The remedies for such events of default are also customary for this type of transaction and include the acceleration of the principal amount outstanding under the Nomura loan agreement and the liquidation by Nomura of the REO properties then subject thereto. On June 29, 2015, Residential completed a securitization transaction in which ARLP 2015-1 issued $205.0 million in ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes with a weighted coupon of approximately 4.01% and $60.0 million in ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes. ARLP 2015-1 is a Delaware statutory trust that is wholly-owned by Residential's operating partnership with a federally-chartered bank as its trustee. Residential retained $34.0 million of the ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes and all of the ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes. No interest will be paid on any ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes while any ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes remain outstanding. The ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes and ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes are non-recourse to Residential and are secured solely by the non-performing mortgage loans and REO properties of ARLP 2015-1 but not by any of Residential's other assets. The assets of ARLP 2015-1 are the only source of repayment and interest on the ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes, thereby making the cash proceeds received by ARLP 2015-1 of loan payments, loan liquidations, loan sales and sales of converted REO properties the sole sources of the payment of interest and principal by ARLP 2015-1 to the bond holders. The ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2015-1 Class M Notes mature on May 25, 2055, and Residential does not guaranty any of the obligations of ARLP 205-1 under the terms of the Indenture governing the notes or otherwise. As of June 30, 2015, the book value of the underlying securitized assets held by ARLP 2015-1 was $275.7 million. On November 25, 2014, Residential completed a securitization transaction in which ARLP 2014-2 issued $270.8 million in ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes with a weighted coupon of approximately 3.85% and $234.0 million in ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes. ARLP 2014-2 is a Delaware statutory trust that is wholly-owned by Residential’s operating partnership with a federally-chartered bank as its trustee. Residential initially retained $95.8 million of the ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes and all of the ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes. On February 9, 2015, Residential sold $50.7 million of the retained ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes to an unrelated third party. No interest will be paid on any ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes while any ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes remain outstanding. The ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes and ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes are non-recourse to Residential and are secured solely by the non-performing mortgage loans and REO properties of ARLP 2014-2 but not by any of Residential's other assets. The assets of ARLP 2014-2 are the only source of repayment and interest on the ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes, thereby making the cash proceeds received by ARLP 2014-2 of loan payments, loan liquidations, loan sales and sales of converted REO properties the sole sources of the payment of interest and principal by ARLP 2014-2 to the bond holders. The ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes and the ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes mature on January 26, 2054, and Residential does not guaranty any of the obligations of ARLP 2014-2 under the terms of the Indenture governing the notes or otherwise. As of June 30, 2015, the book value of the underlying securitized assets held by ARLP 2014-2 was $329.0 million. Indenture governing the notes or otherwise. As of June 30, 2015, the book value of the underlying securitized assets held by ARLP 2014-1 was $208.5 million. Residential retained all of the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes in its TRS. On September 30, 2014, pursuant to a master repurchase agreement, the TRS sold $15.0 million of the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes to NewSource. The master repurchase agreement initially required the TRS to repurchase the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes from NewSource at a 5.0% yield on December 28, 2014, with the parties having the option to extend the master repurchase agreement for additional 89-day periods. In no event can the master repurchase agreement be extended beyond September 29, 2015. The agreement is currently due to expire on September 22, 2015. Elimination of ARLP 2015-1 Class A Notes due to ARNS, Inc. Elimination of ARLP 2014-2 Class A Notes due to ARNS, Inc. Elimination of ARLP 2014-1 Class A Notes due to ARNS, Inc. Elimination of ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes due to ARNS, Inc. Elimination of ARLP 2014-2 Class M Notes due to ARNS, Inc. The expected redemption date for the Class A Notes ranges from June 25, 2018 to June 25, 2019. The expected redemption date for the Class A Notes ranges from November 27, 2017 to November 27, 2018. The expected redemption date for the Class A Notes ranges from September 25, 2017 to September 25, 2018. The expected redemption date for the Class M Notes is September 25, 2018. The Police Retirement System of Saint Louis v. Erbey, et al. On June 30, 2015, The Police Retirement System of Saint Louis and the defendants entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Compromise, Settlement and Release (the “Settlement Stipulation”) for the settlement of this derivative action (the “Settlement”), and the parties filed the Settlement Stipulation with the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland (the “Court") on the same day. By Order dated August 3, 2015, the Court preliminarily approved the Settlement, scheduled a hearing on November 9, 2015 to consider final approval of the Settlement, and authorized Residential to provide notice of the proposed Settlement to stockholders. If the Settlement is finally approved by the Court and, ultimately, no shareholders successfully object to the Settlement, it will resolve and release all claims in the action that were, or could have been, brought by or on behalf of Residential challenging the Original AMA among Residential, Altisource Residential L.P. and us, or the negotiation of, the terms and provisions of, or the approval of the New AMA. In addition, pursuant to the Settlement Stipulation, the parties agreed that the defendants will pay the attorneys' fees and expenses of plaintiff’s counsel, in an amount not to exceed $6.0 million. We have been informed by our insurers that the Settlement will be a covered claim under our insurance policy. City of Cambridge Retirement System v. Altisource Asset Management Corp., et al. On May 12, 2015, the court entered an order granting the motion of Denver Employees Retirement Plan to be lead plaintiff and denying the three other motions to be lead plaintiff. On May 15, 2015, the court entered a scheduling order requiring plaintiff to file an amended complaint on or before June 19, 2015, defendants to file their motions to dismiss on or before July 20, 2015, plaintiff to file a response to any such motion on or before August 19, 2015 and defendants to file any reply briefs on or before September 3, 2015. On June 19, 2015, the lead plaintiff filed an amended complaint, and on July 20, 2015, defendants filed a motion to dismiss all claims in the action. We believe the amended complaint is without merit. At this time, we are not able to predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, nor can we estimate the range of possible loss, if any. Kanga v. Altisource Asset Management Corporation, et al. On May 15, 2015, the plaintiff and the defendants filed an agreed motion to stay the action until the earliest of any of the following events: (i) the City of Cambridge action is dismissed with prejudice; (ii) any of the defendants in the City of Cambridge action file an answer in that action; and (iii) defendants do not move to stay any later-filed derivative action purportedly brought on behalf of us arising from similar facts as the Kanga action and relating to the same time frame, or such motion to stay is denied. Sokolowski v. Erbey, et al. On July 16, 2015, we filed a motion to dismiss all claims against us in the action, based upon, among other arguments, lack of personal jurisdiction and failure to state a claim. Co-defendant Residential has filed a similar motion to dismiss the complaint as to all claims asserted against it. Briefing on the motions to dismiss the complaint is ongoing. Hulstrom v. William C. Erbey, et al. On April 23, 2015, a shareholder derivative action was filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, Division of St. Croix by a purported shareholder of Residential under the caption Kirk Hulstrom v. William Erbey et al. SX-15-CV-158. The action names as defendants William C. Erbey and each of the current and former members of Residential’s Board of Directors and certain officers of the Company, Residential and Ocwen. In the complaint, plaintiff asserts claims against the individual defendants for breach of fiduciary duty, abuse of control and gross mismanagement in connection with the asset management agreement among Residential, Altisource Residential, L.P. and us. As to Ocwen and us, plaintiff alleges that Ocwen and we aided and abetted the purported breaches of fiduciary duty and that we have been unjustly enriched by the asset management agreement. The complaint also names Residential as a nominal defendant. At this time, we are not able to predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, nor can we estimate the range of possible loss, if any. In connection with the Police Retirement System case described above, management had previously established a consolidated litigation accrual in the amount of $3.0 million. Given the notice received by us from our insurers that the Police Retirement System case is a covered claim, we have reversed the $3.0 million litigation accrual. Management does not believe that we have incurred an estimable, probable or material loss by reason of any of the above new or updated actions. Conversion Fee. We are entitled to a quarterly conversion fee equal to 1.5% of the market value of the single-family homes leased by Residential for the first time during the quarter. Residential has the flexibility to pay up to 25% of the incentive management fee to us in shares of Residential common stock. Under the New AMA, we will continue to be the exclusive asset manager for Residential for an initial term of 15 years from April 1, 2015, with two potential five-year extensions, subject to Residential achieving an average annual return on invested capital of at least 7.0%. Under the New AMA, Residential will not be required to reimburse us for the allocable compensation and routine overhead expenses of our employees and staff, all of which will now be covered by the base management fee described above. Neither party is entitled to terminate the New AMA prior to the end of the initial term, or each renewal term, other than termination by (a) Residential and/or us “for cause” for certain events such as a material breach of the New AMA and failure to cure such breach, (b) Residential for certain other reasons such as Residential’s failure to achieve a return on invested capital of at least 7.0% for two consecutive fiscal years after the third anniversary of the New AMA, and (c) Residential in connection with certain change of control events. Under the amended fee structure of the New AMA, the fees due from Residential reduced from $15.5 million in the second quarter of 2014 to $5.2 million in the second quarter of 2015. The $5.2 million fees due from Residential in the second quarter of 2015 consists of a $4.8 million Base Management Fee and a $0.4 million Conversion Fee. No Incentive Management Fee was due from Residential for the second quarter of 2015 because return on invested capital (as defined in the New AMA) was below the required hurdle rate. The amount by which return on invested capital was below the required hurdle rate in the second quarter of 2015 is a deficit which is carried forward for up to seven future quarters or until the deficit is reduced by Residential's future performance above the hurdle rate. In future quarters, return on invested capital must exceed the required hurdle rate for the current quarter plus any carried forward cumulative deficit from the prior seven quarters before any Incentive Management Fee is due from Residential. Through January 16, 2015, William C. Erbey served as our Chairman as well as the Executive Chairman of Ocwen, Chairman of Altisource, and Chairman of Residential. Effective January 16, 2015, Mr. Erbey stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Ocwen and Chairman of each of Altisource, Residential and AAMC and is no longer a member of the Board of Directors for any of these companies. Accordingly, at that point, Ocwen and Altisource are no longer considered related parties of Residential and AAMC as defined by FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 850, Related Party Disclosures. Transactions under our agreements with Ocwen and Altisource for the current year through January 16, 2015 were not material to our consolidated results of operations. On September 30, 2014, pursuant to a master repurchase agreement, Residential's TRS sold $15.0 million of the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes to NewSource for a purchase price of 15.0 million. The master repurchase agreement initially required the TRS to repurchase the ARLP 2014-1 Class M Notes from NewSource at a 5.0% yield on December 28, 2014, with the parties having the option to extend the master repurchase agreement for additional 89 day periods. In no event can the master repurchase agreement be extended beyond September 29, 2015. The agreement is currently due to expire on September 22, 2015. During the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, we granted 44,132 and 8,765 shares, respectively, of market-based restricted stock to certain members of executive management under our 2012 Equity Incentive Plan with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $181.02 and $791.27, respectively. Our directors each received annual grants of restricted stock equal to $60 thousand and $45 thousand based on the market value of our common stock at the time of the annual stockholders meeting for 2015 and 2014, respectively. This restricted stock vests and is issued after a one-year service period subject to each director attending at least 75% of the Board and committee meetings. No dividends are paid on the shares until the award is issued. During the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 , we granted 1,122 and 205 shares of stock, respectively, pursuant to our 2013 Director Equity Plan with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $162.66 and $1,090.26, respectively. We recorded $2.1 million and $2.9 million of compensation expense related to these grants for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, respectively, and recorded $(0.5) million and $2.7 million of compensation expense for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, respectively. As of June 30, 2015 and 2014, we had an aggregate $23.1 million and $22.3 million, respectively, of total unrecognized share-based compensation cost to be recognized over a weighted average remaining estimated term of 1.8 years and 3.1 years, respectively. We are domiciled in the United States Virgin Islands ("USVI") and under current USVI law are obligated to pay taxes in the United States Virgin Islands on income and/or capital gains. We applied for tax benefits from the United States Virgin Islands Economic Development Commission and received our certificate of benefits, effective as of February 1, 2013. Under the certificate of benefits, so long as we comply with the provisions of the certificate, we will receive a 90% exemption on our USVI sourced income taxes until 2043. NewSource is considered a controlled foreign corporation ("CFC") to AAMC. Subpart F income generated by a CFC is taxed currently in the USVI and is not eligible for the reduced tax rate under the certificate of benefits. As of June 30, 2015 and 2014, neither Residential nor we accrued interest or penalties associated with any unrecognized tax benefits, nor was any interest expense or penalty recognized during the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014. Residential recorded nominal state and local tax expense on income and property for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015. Our subsidiaries and we remain subject to tax examination for the period from inception to December 31, 2014. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, we had 16,947 and 29,674 weighted average restricted shares, respectively, that were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share as they were antidilutive. Our primary business is to provide asset management and certain corporate governance services to Residential. Residential's primary business is the acquisition and ownership of single-family rental assets. Residential's primary sourcing strategy is to acquire these assets by purchasing sub-performing and non-performing mortgage loans. While we focus on Residential acquiring rental properties through the acquisition of distressed mortgage loans, we have also always considered purchasing rental properties through other avenues, including, without limitation, though the purchase of portfolios of single-family rental properties, REO properties, residential mortgage-backed securities, clean-up calls and other distressed assets. As a result, we operate in a single segment focused on the management of Residential's resolution of sub-performing and non-performing mortgages and ownership of rental residential properties. Our primary business is to provide asset management and certain corporate governance services to Residential and NewSource. We are an SEC-registered investment adviser under section 203(c) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Residential is currently our primary source of revenue and currently drives our results. We have concluded that Residential is a variable interest entity because Residential’s equity holders lack the ability through voting rights to make decisions about Residential’s activities that have a significant effect on the success of Residential. We have also concluded that we are the primary beneficiary of Residential’s financial condition and results of operations because under the AMA we have the power to direct the activities of Residential that most significantly impact Residential’s economic performance including establishing Residential’s investment and business strategy. As a result, we consolidate Residential’s financial results in our consolidated financial statements. Under the New AMA, we will continue to be the exclusive asset manager for Residential for an initial term of 15 years from April 1, 2015, with two potential five-year extensions, subject to Residential achieving an average annual return on invested capital of at least 7.0%. Under the AMA, Residential will not be required to reimburse us for the allocable compensation and routine overhead expenses of our employees and staff, all of which will now be covered by the base management fee described above. hurdle rate for the current quarter plus any carried forward cumulative deficit from the prior seven quarters before any Incentive Management Fee is due from Residential. Additionally, we provide management services to NewSource. On December 2, 2013, NewSource became registered as a licensed reinsurer with the BMA. Because we own 100% of voting common stock of NewSource and there are no substantive kick-out rights granted to other equity owners, we consolidate NewSource in our consolidated financial statements. During 2014 and 2013, Residential completed the acquisition of an aggregate of 15,817 residential mortgage loans, substantially all of which were non-performing, and 277 REO properties having an aggregate unpaid principal balance (“UPB”) of approximately $4.2 billion and an aggregate market value of underlying properties of approximately $3.6 billion. The aggregate purchase price for these acquisitions was approximately $2.4 billion. Residential did not complete any acquisitions of non-performing residential loan portfolios in the six months ended June 30, 2015. Additionally, in June 2014, Residential acquired 879 re-performing mortgage loans with an aggregate market value of underlying properties of $271.1 million for an aggregate purchase price of $144.6 million. During October 2014 and June 2015, Residential sold 770 and 52 of these re-performing mortgage loans, respectively. During June 2015, Residential sold an aggregate of 189 re-performing loans to an unrelated third party for an aggregate purchase price of $34.6 million. The sale included 52 loans from the re-performing mortgage loans purchased in June 2014, and 137 loans that had transitioned to re-performing status from prior non-performing loan acquisitions. Approximately $2.0 million of the proceeds from the June 2015 re-performing loan sale were used to purchase the loans out of Residential's ARLP 2014-1 and ARLP 2014-2 securitizations and approximately $16.4 million of the proceeds were used to purchase the loans out of Residential's Wells repurchase facility. Therefore, Residential's net proceeds from the June 2015 re-performing loan sale were approximately $16.2 million. To date, Residential has acquired its non-performing and re-performing mortgage loans through direct acquisitions from institutions such as banks, HUD and private equity funds. From inception through June 30, 2015, Residential modified an aggregate of 876 mortgage loans, converted an aggregate of 5,317 non-performing and 2 re-performing mortgage loans into REO properties and disposed of an aggregate of 1,366 non-performing and 11 re-performing mortgage loans through short sale, refinancing or other liquidation events. Residential's preferred resolution methodology with respect to distressed loans is to modify the sub-performing and non-performing loans. We believe modification followed by refinancing generates near-term cash flows, provides the highest possible economic outcome for Residential and is a socially responsible business strategy because it keeps more families in their homes. Residential also sold 800 REO properties from inception through June 30, 2015. As of June 30, 2015, Residential's portfolio consisted of 9,134 residential mortgage loans, substantially all of which were non-performing, having an aggregate UPB of approximately $2.5 billion and an aggregate market value of underlying properties of $2.3 billion. Residential also owned 4,796 REO properties with an aggregate carrying value of $803.4 million, of which 3,977 were held for use and 819 were held for sale. Of the 3,977 REO properties held for use, 777 REO properties had been rented and were occupied by tenants, 96 were being listed for rent and 111 were in varying stages of renovation. With respect to the remaining 2,993 REO properties held for use, Residential will make a final determination whether each property meets its rental profile after (a) applicable state redemption periods have expired, (b) the foreclosure sale has been ratified, (c) Residential has recorded the deed for the property, (d) utilities have been activated and (e) Residential has secured access for interior inspection. Residential also owned 44 re-performing mortgage loans held for sale having an aggregate UPB of approximately $8.8 million and an aggregate market value of underlying properties of approximately $11.1 million as of June 30, 2015. previously disclosed that Residential expected to continue to transfer servicing away from Ocwen. As such, in June 2015, Residential transferred servicing on mortgage loans of approximately $680 million of UPB to Fay and BSI. Although these transfers have continued to hamper Residential's ability to covert loans to REO during the second quarter, and may continue to hamper its resolution efforts in the short term, we believe these will be beneficial to Residential in the long term. To date, Residential has acquired rental properties primarily through the acquisition of sub-performing and non-performing mortgage loan portfolios, which is a differentiated approach that we believe strategically positions Residential to take advantage of market opportunities better than market participants that are solely focused on REO acquisitions. Given evolving market conditions, commencing in the second quarter of 2015, Residential expanded its acquisition strategy to opportunistically acquire portfolios of single-family rental properties as an avenue to more quickly achieve scale in its rental portfolio where we believe the economics make sense. Residential also commenced a program to begin purchasing REO properties on a one-by-one basis sourcing listed properties from the Multiple Listing Service ("MLS") and alternative listing sources. We expect the first purchases of this program to occur in the third quarter of 2015. We believe that the events affecting the housing and mortgage market in recent years have created a significant rental demand for single-family properties. These events have created a large supply of distressed mortgage loans for sale in the market. Therefore, Residential historically has had opportunities to acquire single-family properties through the acquisition of sub-performing and non-performing loan portfolios at attractive valuations. We expect an integrated approach of acquiring sub-performing and non-performing residential mortgage loans and converting them to rental properties will enable Residential to compete more effectively for attractive investment opportunities. While we focus on Residential acquiring rental properties through the acquisition of distressed mortgage loans, we have also always considered purchasing rental properties through other avenues, including, without limitation, though the purchase of portfolios of single-family rental properties, REO properties, residential mortgage-backed securities, clean-up calls and other distressed assets. In the first two and one-half years of Residential's operations, although we had considered the alternative approaches to acquiring single-family rental homes described above, our most opportunistic acquisition strategy involved acquiring portfolios of non-performing loans. However, as market conditions have continued to evolve, and non-performing mortgage loan pools became relatively higher priced, opportunities in these alternative acquisition strategies have grown and become more prevalent in the marketplace. Although we have been and are continuing to review, assess and assist Residential in bidding on portfolios of non-performing mortgage loans, entities are seeking to sell portfolios of REO properties and rental properties. We have been exploring and reviewing these other sources of single-family rental assets, including the acquisition of portfolios of single-family rental properties and the purchase of certain REO properties on a one-by-one basis, as we believe they may also provide alternative attractive avenues to grow Residential's rental portfolio. As a result of these activities, on June 28, 2015, Residential entered into the IH Purchase Agreement to acquire an aggregate of 1,325 REO properties, the substantial majority of which were rented and occupied, from certain subsidiaries of Invitation Homes for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $112.6 million. The IH Purchase Agreement provided for a 30-day contingency period after signing in which Residential was entitled to complete due diligence on the REO properties, with each of Invitation Homes and Residential having the ability to terminate the IH Purchase Agreement based on the due diligence results. On July 28, 2015, the contingency period expired, and Invitation Homes and Residential determined to move forward with the closing of the IH Transaction. We currently expect Residential to complete the IH Transaction in the third quarter of 2015. There can be no assurance that Residential will be able to complete the IH Transaction on a timely basis or at all. Prior to the second quarter of 2015, Residential had acquired its non-performing and re-performing mortgage loans through direct acquisitions from institutions such as banks, HUD and private equity funds. We expect to continue to review and acquire portfolios of non-performing loan portfolios at attractive prices, but we expect to be disciplined in doing so, rather than acquiring non-performing loans at inflated prices that do not fit Residential's investment criteria. NewSource commenced reinsurance activities during the second quarter of 2014. In December 2014, NewSource determined that the economics of the initial business did not warrant the continuation of its initial reinsurance quota share agreement with an unrelated third party. NewSource therefore transferred all of the risk of claims and future losses underwritten to an unrelated third party. On March 18, 2014, we closed a private placement for the issuance and sale of 250,000 shares of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, to Luxor Capital Group, LP, a New York based investment manager, and other institutional investors for proceeds of $250.0 million. In connection with the foregoing, the Company's Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program that authorizes us to repurchase up to $300.0 million in shares of our common stock. We used substantially all of the proceeds from this transaction to repurchase shares of our common stock and for other corporate purposes. We have an aggregate of $59.4 million remaining for repurchases under our Board-approved repurchase plan. In the future we may consider using excess cash generated from operations to repurchase shares of our common stock when trading at attractive prices. Such stock repurchases may be made in the open market, block trades or privately-negotiated transactions. Net realized gain on mortgage loans. Residential records net realized gains, including the reclassification of previously accumulated net unrealized gains, upon the liquidation of a loan which may consist of short sale, third party sale of the underlying property, refinancing or full debt pay-off of the loan. We expect the timeline to liquidate loans will vary significantly by loan, which could result in fluctuations in revenue recognition and operating performance from period to period. Additionally, the proceeds from loan liquidations may vary significantly depending on the resolution methodology. Residential generally expects to collect proceeds of loan liquidations in cash and, thereafter, have no continuing involvement with the asset. Net unrealized gains from the conversion of loans to REO. Upon conversion of loans to REO, Residential marks the properties to the most recent market value. The difference between the carrying value of the asset at the time of conversion and the most recent market value, based on BPOs, is recorded in Residential's statement of operations as net unrealized gain on mortgage loans. We expect the timeline to convert acquired loans into REO will vary significantly by loan, which could result in fluctuations in Residential's revenue recognition and its operating performance from period to period. The factors that may affect the timelines to foreclose upon a residential mortgage loan include, without limitation, state foreclosure timelines and deferrals associated therewith; unauthorized parties occupying the property; inadequacy of documents necessary to foreclose; bankruptcy proceedings initiated by borrowers; federal, state or local legislative action or initiatives designed to provide homeowners with assistance in avoiding residential mortgage loan foreclosures and continued declines in real estate values and/or sustained high levels of unemployment that increase the number of foreclosures and which place additional pressure and/or delays on the judicial and administrative proceedings. Net unrealized gains from the change in fair value of loans. After Residential's sub-performing and non-performing mortgage loans are acquired, the fair value of each loan is adjusted in each subsequent reporting period as the loan proceeds to a particular resolution (i.e., modification, or conversion to real estate owned). As a loan approaches resolution, the resolution timeline for that loan decreases and costs embedded in the discounted cash flow model for loan servicing, foreclosure costs and property insurance are incurred and removed from future expenses. The shorter resolution timelines and reduced future expenses each increase the fair value of the loan. The increase in the value of the loan is recognized in net unrealized gain on mortgage loans in our consolidated statements of operations. The exact nature of resolution will be dependent on a number of factors that are beyond our control, including borrower willingness to pay, property value, availability of refinancing, interest rates, conditions in the financial markets, the regulatory environment and other factors. Net realized gain on real estate. REO properties that do not meet Residential's investment criteria are sold out of its taxable REIT subsidiary. The realized gain or loss recognized in financial statements reflects the net amount of realized and unrealized gains on sold REOs from the time of acquisition to sale completion. renovation expense was $22,630 per property for 433 renovations completed during 2015, the average number of days between commencement of renovation and listing of the property for rent was 40 days for 178 properties for which renovation began during 2015, and the average number of days from listing to leasing a property was 27 days for 354 properties listed in 2015. We believe the key variables that will affect Residential’s rental revenues over the long term will be average occupancy and rental rates. We anticipate that a majority of Residential’s leases of single-family rental properties to tenants will be for a term of two years or less. As these leases permit the residents to leave at the end of the lease term without penalty, we anticipate Residential’s rental revenues will be affected by declines in market rents more quickly than if its leases were for longer terms. Short-term leases may result in high turnover, which involves expenses such as renovation costs and leasing expenses, or reduced rental revenues. Residential's physical occupancy rate at June 30, 2015 was 83%. For properties in lease-up without stabilized occupancy rates, management believes the physical occupancy rate is the appropriate performance metric. In the lease-up phase, Residential may utilize rent concessions and other incentives, and thus financial occupancy which is based on contractual revenue is not considered the best metric to quantify occupancy. Residential's rental properties had an average annual rental rate of $14,375 per home for 777 properties rented at June 30, 2015. Although Residential seeks to lease the majority of REO properties it acquires, it may also sell the properties that do not meet its rental investment criteria and generate cash for reinvestment in other acquisitions. The real estate market and home prices will determine proceeds from any sale of real estate. In addition, while we seek to track real estate price trends and estimate the effects of those trends on the valuations of Residential’s portfolios of residential mortgage loans, future real estate values are subject to influences beyond our control. Residential's investment strategy is to develop a portfolio of single-family rental properties in the United States which provide attractive risk-adjusted returns on invested capital. In determining which REO properties to retain for its rental portfolio, Residential considers various objective and subjective factors, including but not limited to gross and net rental yields, property values, renovation costs, location in relation to our coverage area, property type, HOA covenants, potential future appreciation and neighborhood amenities. Residential's expenses have primarily consisted of rental property operating expenses, depreciation and amortization, real estate selling cost and impairment, mortgage loan servicing, interest expense, general and administrative expenses, and expense reimbursement and incentive management fees under the Original AMA. Rental property operating expenses are expenses associated with Residential's ownership and operation of rental properties including expenses such as property management fees, expenses towards repairs, utility expenses on vacant properties, turnover costs, property taxes, insurance and HOA dues. Depreciation and amortization is a non-cash expense associated with the ownership of real estate and generally remains relatively consistent each year in relation to Residential's asset levels since these properties are depreciated on a straight-line basis over a fixed life. Real estate selling cost and impairment represents Residential's estimate for the costs to be incurred to sell a property and an amount that represents the carrying amount over the estimated fair value less costs to sell. Mortgage loan servicing costs are primarily for servicing fees, foreclosure fees and advances of residential property insurance. Interest expense consists of the costs to borrow money in connection with Residential's debt financing of its portfolios. General and administrative expenses consist of the costs related to the general operation and overall administration of Residential's and our business. Historically, expense reimbursement consisted primarily of our employee salaries in direct correlation to the services they provided on Residential’s behalf and other personnel costs and corporate overhead. We were not reimbursed by Residential for certain general and administrative expenses pertaining to stock-based compensation and our expenditures that were not for the benefit of Residential. Under the New AMA, there are no general expense reimbursements. The incentive management fees consist of compensation due to us. Historically, this was based on the amount of cash available for distribution to Residential’s stockholders for each period. Under the New AMA, the management fees are based on Residential's invested capital and leased properties. The expense reimbursement and incentive management fee are eliminated in consolidation but increase our net income by reducing the amount of net income attributable to noncontrolling interest. Residential’s operating results will depend on our ability to source sub-performing and non-performing loans, other residential mortgage loans and REO properties. We believe that there is currently a large supply of sub-performing and non-performing mortgage loans as well as REO properties and single family rental properties available to Residential for acquisition. Generally, we expect that Residential’s mortgage loan and single-family rental and REO portfolios may grow at an uneven pace, as opportunities to acquire distressed residential mortgage loans and REO properties may be irregularly timed and may at times involve large portfolios, and the timing and extent of Residential's success in acquiring such assets cannot be predicted. Our ability to grow Residential’s business is dependent on the availability of adequate financing including additional equity financing, debt financing or both in order to meet Residential’s objectives. We intend to leverage Residential’s investments with debt, the level of which may vary based upon the particular characteristics of its portfolio and on market conditions. To the extent available at the relevant time, Residential’s financing sources may include bank credit facilities, warehouse lines of credit, structured financing arrangements and repurchase agreements, among others. We may also seek to raise additional capital for Residential through public or private offerings of debt or equity securities, depending upon market conditions. To qualify as a REIT under the Code, Residential will need to distribute at least 90% of its taxable income each year to its stockholders. This distribution requirement limits its ability to retain earnings and thereby replenish or increase capital to support its activities. Residential's business model is dependent on the success of its loan modification and other resolution efforts and the conversion of a significant portion of those loans to REO. Residential’s preferred resolution methodology is to modify the sub-performing and non-performing loans. We believe modification followed by refinancing generates near-term cash flows and provides the highest possible economic outcome for Residential. Upon liquidation of a loan, which may consist of short sale, third party sale of the underlying property, refinancing or full debt pay-off of the loan, Residential records net realized gains, including the reclassification of previously accumulated net unrealized gains. We expect the timeline to liquidate loans will vary significantly by loan, which could result in fluctuations in revenue recognition and operating performance from period to period. Additionally, the proceeds from loan liquidations may vary significantly depending on the resolution methodology. Upon conversion of loans to REO, Residential marks the properties to the most recent market value and recognizes net unrealized gains for the difference between the carrying value of the asset at the time of conversion and the most recent market value, based on BPOs. The timeline to convert acquired loans into REO can vary significantly by loan, which can result in fluctuations in Residential's revenue recognition and its operating performance from period to period. The factors that may affect the timelines to foreclose upon a residential mortgage loan include, without limitation, state foreclosure timelines and deferrals associated therewith; unauthorized parties occupying the property; federal, state or local legislative action or initiatives designed to provide homeowners with assistance in avoiding residential mortgage loan foreclosures and continued declines in real estate values and/or sustained high levels of unemployment that increase the number of foreclosures and which place additional pressure and/or delays on the already overburdened judicial and administrative proceedings. The size and composition of Residential’s sub-performing and non-performing mortgage loan portfolio is, and has been, a key factor affecting its overall operating results. The following table summarizes, by quarter and for the six month periods, the key metrics reflecting the operating performance of Residential’s loan portfolio. Excludes mortgage loans held for sale. Subsequent to the foreclosure sale, we may be notified that the foreclosure sale was invalidated for certain reasons. Second quarter 2015 conversions to REO included 2 properties that were previously in Residential's re-performing mortgage loans held for sale. In addition, as of June 30, 2015, 107 of Residential's mortgage loans were on trial modification plans, compared to 207 mortgage loans on trial modification plans as of December 31, 2014. The size of Residential’s investment portfolio will also impact operating results. Generally, as the size of Residential’s investment portfolio grows, the amount of revenue it expects to generate will increase. A growing investment portfolio, however, will drive increased expenses including possibly higher servicing fees, property management fees and, potentially, depending on our performance, fees payable to us. Residential may also incur additional interest expense if it incurs additional debt to finance the purchase of its assets. these acquisitions was approximately $2.4 billion. Residential did not complete any portfolio acquisitions in the six months ended June 30, 2015. Residential’s sub-performing and non-performing mortgage loans become REO properties when it has obtained legal title to the property upon completion of the foreclosure. Additionally, some of the portfolios Residential purchases may, from time to time, contain a small number of residential mortgage loans that have already been converted to REO. If and as Residential acquires more REO properties directly, rather than converting loans to REO, its portfolios may rely less on acquiring and resolving loans. As of June 30, 2015, Residential had 4,796 REO properties, consisting of 3,977 REO properties held for use and 819 held for sale. Of the 3,977 REO properties held for use, 777 properties had been rented and were occupied by tenants, 96 were being listed for rent and 111 were in varying stages of renovation. With respect to the remaining 2,993 REO properties held for use, Residential will make a final determination whether each property meets its rental profile after (a) applicable state redemption periods have expired, (b) the foreclosure sale has been ratified, (c) Residential has recorded the deed for the property, (d) utilities have been activated and (e) Residential has secured access for interior inspection. A majority of the REO properties are subject to state regulations which require Residential to await the expiration of a redemption period before a foreclosure can be finalized. Residential includes these redemption periods in its pricing which generally reduces the price Residential pays for the mortgage loans. Once the redemption period expires, Residential immediately proceeds to record the new deed, take possession of the property, activate utilities, and start the inspection process in order to make its final determination on whether to rent or liquidate the property. If an REO property meets Residential’s rental investment criteria, Residential determines the extent of renovations that are needed to generate an optimal rent and maintain consistency of renovation specifications for future branding. If it is determined that the REO property will not meet Residential’s rental investment criteria, the property is listed for sale, in some instances after renovations are made to optimize the sale proceeds. As of June 30, 2014, Residential had 1,766 REO properties held for use. Of these properties, 102 had been rented, 40 were being listed for rent and 140 were in various stages of renovation. With respect to the remaining 1,484 REO properties at June 30, 2014, Residential was in the process of determining whether these properties would meet its rental profile. Additionally, 192 REO properties owned as of June 30, 2014 were held for sale. The carrying value of an asset is based on historical cost which generally consists of the market value at the time of foreclosure sale plus renovation costs, net of any accumulated depreciation and impairment. Portions of the Existing Portfolio are used to collateralize Residential's secured financing obligations, including its securitization transactions. Weighted average age is based on the age weighted by carrying value for each state. The remainder of Residential’s Existing Portfolio consists of a diversified pool of sub-performing and non-performing residential mortgage loans with the underlying properties located across the United States. The aggregate purchase price of Residential’s Existing Portfolio of mortgage loans for acquisitions completed through June 30, 2015 was 67% of the aggregate market value, as determined by the most recent BPO provided by the applicable seller for each property in the respective portfolio as of its cut-off date. As of June 30, 2015, the aggregate carrying value of Residential's Existing Portfolio of mortgage loans was $1.7 billion (which does not include the carrying value of Residential's REO properties of an additional $803.4 million). The carrying value of mortgage loans is based on our proprietary pricing model. The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of Residential's mortgage loans are discount rates, forecasts of future home prices, alternate resolution probabilities and foreclosure timelines. Significant changes in any of these inputs in isolation could result in a significant change to the fair value measurement. For a more complete description of the fair value measurements and the factors that may significantly affect the carrying value of Residential's assets, please see Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements.

2019-04-23T11:51:26Z

http://getfilings.com/sec-filings/150810/Altisource-Asset-Management-Corp_10-Q/

Headquarters, 127TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Member of Typographical Union No. 163 at Superior, WI; married Mabel O., father of 1; enlisted in WNG ca. '04; commissioned 2d Lt. on 4 May '14; promoted 1st Lt. in Co. I, 3D Wis. Inf., at Superior, WI, on 4 Jan. '16; served during Mexican Border Crisis; 1st Lt. and Cdr. of the unit when mobilized; assigned to Co. F, 127TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; rode to France on USS George Washington; promoted Capt. 5 Sep. '18; assigned Adjutant, 127TH Inf.; earned Croix de Guerre for his actions at Juvigny; also cited for bravery at Oise-Aisne and Meuse-Argonne; wrote The History of the 127th Inf... in '19; joined Regular Army after the war; assigned to 10TH Inf. at Camp Custer, MI; Col. Russell C. Langdon, former Cdr. of 127TH Inf., was Cdr. of 10TH Inf. at that time, he had several former 32D Div. officers serving with him and sent Capt. Ackerson to Milwaukee in Jul. '19 to recruit former members of 32D Div. to enlist to serve with 10TH Inf.; graduated Inf. School Co. Officers' Course in '21; assigned asst. professor of military science and tactics at U. of Iowa ca. Jun. '22; Maj. at Command and Gen. Staff School in '33, 1 of his student papers was, Operations of 127TH Inf., 32D Div.: Aisne-Marne offensive, 18 Jul.-6 Aug. '18; also served during WWII; reached Hawaii 6 Oct. '39 and assigned cmd. of a regt. at Schofield Barracks; witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; assigned as Admin. Off. at Ft. Bliss, TX ca. Jan. '44; son Frederick also served as Army off., Capt. when WIA in Korea, con artist saw his name on a casualty list and contacted his parents and tried to scam them out of money, told them he could get their wounded son home for Christmas leave if they sent money, father instantly recognized it as a scam (incident made the papers), Lt. Col. and Cdr. of 1ST Bn., 5TH Cav., 1ST Cav. Div. in Vietnam. He enlisted in Co. K, 1ST Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Milwaukee, WI; served with 127TH Inf., likely Co. K. Also earned Distinguished Service Cross; WIA, listed on 6 Feb. '19 casualty list. Son of Clifton Cass and Nany (Briney) Allen; WIA during Meuse-Argonne; listed on 7 Jan. ‘19 casualty list; earned Purple Heart; married Mildred. He enlisted in HQ Co., 1ST Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Milwaukee, WI; was Pvt. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis. He was transferred from a line co. to succeed Capt. Frank H. Crane as cdr. of Sup. Co., 127TH Inf. on 1 Nov. '18. Promoted to Sgt.; also earned Distinguished Service Cross; WIA; earned Purple Heart. Married, father of (at least) 1; earned Distinguished Service Cross, posthumously, for his actions 31 Jul.-3 Aug. ‘18. Company L, 128TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Earned Distinguished Service Cross, WIA, listed on 29 Nov. '19 casualty list. Enlisted in Michigan National Guard; WIA 29 Aug. '18 and carried a bullet in his heart for the rest of his life; transferred to Army Candidate School (ACS) at some point overseas; family history includes invitations from the President for him to be a member of the color guard for the 1st burial of the Unknown Soldier. Company H, 127TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Family moved Manitowoc, WI in '13; enlisted in Co. H, 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Manitowoc, WI in '15; was Pvt. in that unit when mobilized for Mexican Border Crisis, was Cpl. when mustered out; assigned to Co. H, 127TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; promoted to Sgt. in France; WIA, gassed, suffered ill effects until he passed away; 1st Sgt. of the unit when it returned home in May '19; brother Herbert also served; served in post-war WNG; commissioned 2d Lt. shortly after the war; promoted to 1st Lt.; promoted Capt. and Cdr. of Co. E, 127TH Inf., at Manitowoc, WI in '25; retired due to ill health on 18 Aug. '26, succeeded by Capt. Robert Franz; graduated from Wis. Business College; worked as clerk for Chicago & North Western Railroad (C&NW); hired as chief clerk for City of Manitowoc public utility commission on 26 Jun. '22; member of Guy Drews Post No. 88 of American Legion at Manitowoc, WI; member of Masonic order. He enlisted in WNG on 14 Jul. '17, likely MG Co., 2D Wis. Inf. or Co. G, 6TH Wis. Inf. at Ashland, WI; served with 127TH Inf.; earned Croix de Guerre w/gilt star and palm (palm was likely unit award bestowed upon 127TH Inf.); WIA, earned Purple Heart, which he received in a ceremony at Escanaba, MI in '43; married Lenore L. Remortel, father of Edward L.; worked as prison guard at Marquette, MI at '30 census; worked for War Dept. at Escanaba, MI during WWII; passed away at age 51; son Edward L. was Army Pfc. at Caledonia in Pacific Theater at the time. 121ST Machinegun, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. He enlisted in MG Co., 3D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Rice Lake, WI; was Pfc. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; severely WIA, listed on 21 Dec. '18 casualty list; married Ellen Gustafson at Hennepin Co., MN 4 Mar. '22; married Jean. Enlisted in Michigan National Guard; WIA 1 Aug. '18; married Edna B. WIA; earned Purple Heart; married Leona Abreo, father of 5; resided at Upper 2406 Chartres, New Orleans, LA at '40 census. He enlisted in Co. A, 1ST Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Reedsburg, WI; assigned to Co. A, 128TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized. Son of Rev. Henry Christian and Clara R. (Lorenz) Banks, Lowell, MI; he and his brother graduated Lowell H. S. in ‘16, football, track; he and his brother enlisted in Co. K, 32D Mich. Inf., Michigan National Guard, on 23 Jun. ‘16; served during Mexican Border Crisis; assigned to Co. K, 126TH Inf., when 32D Div. was organized; promoted to Cpl.; promoted to Sgt.; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 28 Aug. (29 Aug.) ‘18 near Juvigny, continued to lead his platoon during attack after he was severely WIA by machinegun fire; listed on 4 Oct. ‘18 casualty list; transferred to Army Candidate School (ACS); commissioned 2d Lt.; transferred to Aviation Section Signal Corps (ASSC); 2d Lt. in Officers’ Reserve Corp ca. ‘20; married Lillian Hammerstroem at Orion, MI; graduated Northwestern U. in ‘23, DDS; practiced dentistry at Orion, MI for 2 years before moving to Chicago, IL; resided at 1536 E. 69th St., office at 6856 Stony Island Ave., ca. ‘29; member Psi Omega, American Legion, Combat Medal Men’s Assn., Masons, Odd Fellows, Fort Dearborn Athletic Club; brother served with same unit, 1st Lt. Theodore P., Mich. NG, Co. K, 126TH Inf., WIA, Croix de Guerre. Son of Rev. Henry Christian and Clara R. Banks, Lowell, MI (hometown); he and his brother graduated Lowell H. S. in ‘16, football, track (some references state he graduated Flint H. S.); he and his brother enlisted in Co. K, 32D Mich. Inf., Michigan National Guard, on 23 Jun. ‘16; served during Mexican Border Crisis; Sgt. assigned to Co. K, 126TH Inf., when 32D Div. was organized; WIA, shrapnel to knee and gassed; commissioned 2d Lt. 31 Oct. ‘18; promoted 1st Lt. 18 Mar. ‘19; earned Croix de Guerre and a British decoration; stationed at Weis, Germany, with Army of Occupation; a letter home, describing the Armistice and Army of Occupation, was printed in Lowell Ledger on 13 Mar. ‘19; returned home Jun. ‘19; 1st Lt. in Officers’ Reserve Corp ca. ‘20; also served during WWII; recalled to active duty 28 Mar. ‘41 as Maj. and Cdr. of Athletics Section, Morale Branch; promoted Lt. Col. in Feb. ‘42; attained rank of Col.; appointed asst. head of Army Special Services Div. in ‘44; traveled to Antilles, Africa, England, Italy and France, participated in Operation Dragoon, invasion of southern France, landed via glider on D-Day; he helped develop Army physical training program and write Training Circular 87 (TC 87); released from active duty 1 Jan. ‘45; enrolled at U. of Mich., football, basketball, baseball, boxing, bowling, Theta Chi, Sphynx, VFW, Gun and Blade, Flint Club, Class President, student council, graduated in ‘23 (‘22); math teacher, athletic coach at Patterson, LA for 6 years; asst. football, boxing, and baseball coach at Tulane U. ‘29-‘35; head football coach at U. of Idaho ‘35-‘41; married Madylin Huber, father of 2; resided at Moscow, ID at ‘40 census; president of Athletic Institute, Inc. for 20 years; moved to Indian Wells, CA ca. ‘66; member of El Dorado Country Club, Bermuda Dunes Country Club; brother served with same unit, Sgt. Carl H., Mich. NG, Co. K, 126TH Inf., WIA, DSC, Croix de Guerre. WIA, listed on 4 Nov. '18 casualty list; attended U. of Iowa, soph. ca. '20, jr. ca. '21; married Esther Koch, father of at least 1. He went to work for the Post Office when he turned 17; attended McLaughlin Business College in Grand Rapids; married; enlisted in Michigan National Guard on 13 Sep. '15; served during Mexican Border Crisis; served with Co. H, 125TH Inf.; also earned Distinguished Service Cross, posthumously, for his actions 31 Jul. ‘18; namesake of Francis A. Barlow Post No. 95 of American Legion at Cheboygan. Attended Ripon College ca. '82; graduated Rush Med. College in '88; post-graduate course at NY; interned at Brooklyn City Hosp.; practiced medicine with his father at Ripon, WI; Capt. and Cdr. of Co. D, 2D Wis. Inf., Ripon, WI, during Spanish-American War; commissioned 1st Lt. and Asst. Surgeon, 2D Wis. Inf. on 15 Jun. '99 during post-war reorganization of WNG; promoted Capt. on 1 Mar. '00; Asst. Surgeon, WNG Med. Dept. ca. '01; promoted Maj. on 29 Jul. '05; Surgeon, WNG Med. Dept. (assigned to 2D Wis. Inf.) ca. '13; Maj., San. Det., 4TH Wis. Inf. when mobilized 15 Jul. '17; served with 107TH Engr. Regt.; earned Croix de Guerre; Maj., Med. Det., 127TH Inf., Ripon, WI ca. '22; Lt. Col., Med. Sect., 22D Cav. Div., Ripon, WI ca. '24; promoted Col. on 1 Mar. '26; assigned Cdr., 135TH Med. Regt.; retired from WNG on 3 Feb. '29; married Amy Douglass Field; resided at 344 Jackson, Ripon, WI at '40 census. Son of Henry Lesley Alexander and Rebecca Helen (Rixon) Bates (father, NoK, was English, born in India, mother born in Canada), 727 Paru St., Alameda, CA; graduated Hitchcock Military Academy in '12; worked as surveyor for Pacific Electric Co.; attended U. of Cal., Berkeley, played football, withdrew during senior year to volunteer for Army service; completed Officers' Training School at Camp Kearney, CA and commissioned 2d Lt.; assigned to Co. D, 159TH Inf., 40TH Div.; sailed for France 8 Aug. '18; 40TH Div. designated a replacement unit; transferred to 103D Inf., 26TH Div. on 10 Sep. (1 Sep.) '18; earned Distinguished Service Cross (some references state Distinguished Service Medal) for his actions 26 Sep. '18 near Marchéville, his 1st time going "over the top"; transferred to Co. M, 126TH Inf. after the Armistice; served with Army of Occupation; received his DSC on 12 Feb. '19; promoted 1st Lt. on 18 Mar. (16 Mar.) '19; 3 brothers also served, Norman in USMC, Lesley in Air Service, Richard graduated Naval Academy in '15 and served during WWI and WWII; returned home and resumed medical education at Stanford and Cornell U.; married Elizabeth Marston or Elizabeth Marsden Black at Manhattan, NY on 6 Oct. '23, father of 3; earned med. degree in '24; after internship and residency returned to San Francisco area to establish med. practice (ENT), retired after 47 years; member of American Legion; 32nd Degree Mason; member of several other civic or fraternal organizations. He graduated Jefferson Med. College of Thomas Jefferson U. in '86; married; member of Med. Society of Penn.; 1st Lt., med. off., assigned to Med. Det., 127TH Inf.; rode to France on USS George Washington; also served with 128TH Fld. Hosp., 107TH San. Tr.; promoted to Capt.; also earned Silver Star Citation; discharged 2 Jun. '19; passed away 31 Dec. '19 at Scranton, PA, 16 days after his wife passed away. He was a farmer; entered service 27 May '18 at Vincennes, IN; trained at Camp Taylor, KY; assigned to Co. A, 153D Inf., 39TH Div.; overseas 6 Aug. '18; 39TH Div. was designated a replacement div. when it reached France; transferred to Co. M, 126TH Inf.; also earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 14 Oct. ‘18; discharged 29 May '19. He graduated USMA at West Point, Class of '01 (entered academy as Robert Taylor Beck, name changed Robert McCandless Beck, Jr. by authority of Secretary of War, 14 Mar. '98); commissioned 2d Lt., Cav., 18 Feb. '01; assigned to 12TH Cav.; promoted 1st Lt., 11TH Cav., on 2 Aug. '05; transferred to 12TH Cav. on 30 Oct. '05; assigned professor of military science and tactics at College of St. Paul (MN) on 29 Jul. '11; assigned to 2D Cav. on 11 Dec. '12; promoted Capt. on 12 Jun. '16; promoted Maj. on 5 Aug. '17; promoted Lt. Col. on 11 May '18; assigned to HQ, 32D Div. on 9 Jul. '18; Chief of Staff of 32D Div. in France; promoted Col. on 14 Sep. '18; earned DSM; also earned Officier de la Légion d'Honneur (French Legion of Honor); assigned to Gen. Staff, War Plans Div., Washington, D.C. on 3 Jul. '19; continued service in Regular Army after the war; instructor at Army War College; promoted Brig. Gen. ca. Jan. '37; retired as Maj. Gen. in '39. NoK Mrs. Anne Berg, sister, Angelo, WI; also had ties to Black River Falls, WI; enlisted in Co. L, 3D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Sparta, WI; was Cpl. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; assigned to Co. L, 128TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; also earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 30 Aug. and 8 Oct. ‘18. Native American, Chippewa, and French ancestry; NoK Mrs. Frank J. Bell, wife, 935 Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL; entered service 9 Nov. '17 at Camp Grant, IL; ca. 1 Aug. '18 near Cierges, he rescued his wounded assistant gunner by carrying him back to safety, he was struggling because his assistant was twice his size, Capt. Charles L. Sheridan, cdr., saw them and ran out to help him the rest of the way, Bell had left his 'sho-sho' (M-1915 Chauchat) in a wheat field in order to carry his comrade, after his buddy had been dragged to cover, he ran back out through heavy fire, retrieved his automatic rifle, and returned to the fight; WIA 6 Oct. '18; also earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 6 Oct. ‘18; award of the DSC was announced in General Orders on 26 Jul. '19, but the government couldn't find him to present the decoration, he had moved from his last known address, they were still searching for him as of 6 Apr. '21 (announcements were placed in newspapers and American Legion Weekly to try to find him). Served with 32D MP Co. (107TH MPs). Married Marie 'Mary' (Buytaert) Goodreau, step-father of Frank; owned a tavern at Norway, MI ca. '30s; night patrolman at Norway, MI ca. '43. He attended U. of Wis., freshman ca. '95; married Sophia Branson Kemper, father of 4; vice-president of Wis. Trust Co. ca. '16; attended Fed. Training Camp at Ft. Sheridan, IL 20 Sep.-17 Oct. '15; 1st Lt. and Adjutant, 3D Bn., 1ST Wis. Inf. as well as Aide-de-Camp to Brig. Gen. Lorrain T. Richardson, 1ST Wis. Bde., Wisconsin National Guard, during Mexican Border Crisis; promoted Capt. ca. 19 Jul. '17; Cdr. of HQ Co., 5TH Wis. Inf., WNG, at Milwaukee, WI when mobilized 15 Jul. '17; assigned Cdr. of Co. D, 119TH MG Bn. when 32D Div. was organized; rode to France on USS George Washington; landed at Brest on 4 Mar. '18; transferred to 121ST MG Bn. ca. Mar. '18; completed Gen. Staff College at Langres in Sep. '18; assigned Asst. Ops. Off., HQ, 32D Div.; temp. assigned Ops. Off., HQ, 128TH Inf. on 9 Nov. '18; returned to HQ, 32D Div. ca. 17 Nov. '18; promoted Maj. on 16 Mar. '19; earned Div. Citation; home for 2 week leave ca. 15 May '19, had to return to Camp Grant, IL for discharge; promoted to Lt. Col. at some point; Gen. Charles King, on his deathbed in Mar. '33, requested that Col. Best arrange his funeral. Headquarters, 125TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. He enlisted in 33D Mich. Inf., Michigan National Guard, possibly Co. I, or Co. L, or (?); may have served during Mexican Border Crisis; served with HQ Co., 125TH Inf.; hosted reunion of old NG unit at his home 30 Aug. '64. Headquarters, 3D Battalion, 127TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Family moved to U.S. when he was 6; graduated Lawrence U.; married Olive M.; newspaper reporter and editor at Appleton Crescent prior to WWI; enlisted in Co. G, 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Appleton, WI on 4 Jul. '96; served as Cpl. in Puerto Rico during Spanish-American War; Capt. assigned to HQ, 2D Wis. Inf. at Appleton, WI during Mexican Border Crisis; assigned to HQ, 127TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; rode to France on USS George Washington; WIA 1 Aug. '18, machinegun bullet to torso; WIA 30 Aug. '18, shrapnel to leg; listed on 21 May '19 casualty list; earned Purple Heart w/OLC; returned home in mid-Nov. '18 to assume cmd. of a regt. bound for France, that didn't happen due to Armistice; promoted Lt. Col. 8 Jun. '19; moved to Madison, WI in '20; assigned to Insp. Gen. Dept., State Staff (WI), on 1 Jan. '21; transferred to Insp. Section, HQ, 22D Cav. Div. on 1 Apr. '27; transferred to Insp. Section, HQ, 32D Div. on 15 Mar. '28; retired after 41 years of service in '37; became naturalized citizen of U.S. on 18 Jul. '38, he believed his father had become naturalized citizen while Thomas was a minor, which would have made Thomas a citizen as well, it turned out his father had not completed citizenship process; editor of Wis. Nat. Guard Review for 22 years, '22-'44; Rev. Gustav Stearns, former 32D Div. Chaplain, officiated his funeral. He enlisted in 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Appleton, WI, possibly Med. Det.; was Pfc. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; served with Co. H, 127TH Inf.; WIA, gassed; discharged 18 May '19; married Grace Williams; resided at 647 Superior St., Appleton, WI; assistant manager of Langstadt-Meyer Co., 767 College Ave., Appleton, WI; member of Eastern Star Masonic Order and United Commercial Travelers. He attended U. of Ill. College of Med. ca. '13; enlisted in Co. I, 3D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Superior, WI; was Sgt. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; completed First Officers' Training Camp, Fort Sheridan, IL, 15 May-15 Aug. '17, assigned to 7TH Co., 10TH Regt.; assigned to 128TH Inf.; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions as 1st Lt. commanding a company and later a battalion 29 Aug. & 2 Sep. '18; bestowed Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (French Legion of Honor), by Presidential Decree of 5 May '19, “for valor on the battlefield”; attended U. of Wis. ca. '19-'22; member of Exec. Committee of 32d Division Veteran Association; married Miss Nell Dwyer 30 Jun. '30 at New York; resided at 315 Bedford, Lexington, MA ca. '37. Attended U. of Wis. ca. '16; asst. instructor of Agricultural Chemistry at U. of Wis. ca. '22. Headquarters, 2D Battalion, 127TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. He attended Oberlin College; attended U. of Ind.; attended Franklin College; graduated Chicago College of Med. and Surgery in '10; interned at Rockford City Hosp., Cook Co. Hosp., St. Mary's Hosp. at Chicago, IL, and St. Anthony's TB Hosp. at NY; established private practice at Lima, OH; commissioned 1st Lt., Med. Corps, in Jul. '17; sent to England and attached to British army; sent to France and assigned to fld. amb. unit in 37TH Div.; WIA, gassed, Nov. '17; evacuated to Base Hosp., Havre; returned to duty Dec. '17 and assigned to same hosp.; transferred to 2D Bn., 127TH Inf. on 1 May '18; earned Div. Citation, HQ 32D Div., Gen. Orders No. 28, 7 Apr. '19, “By his contempt for danger in establishing and maintaining advanced dressing stations, was inspiration to his men.”; served with 32D Div. with Army of Occupation until 18 Apr. '19; married Marcelle Teresa Apte, from Paris, on 6 Feb. '19 (her father was mayor of a French town and killed during the war), father of Odette, Suzanne J.; departed Brest 14 May '19 aboard Victoria, with his French wife; landed at NY 22 May '19; discharged at Camp Dix, NJ on 25 May '19; returned to OH and established private practice at Freeport, OH; moved to CA ca. '73. Citation Needed: 2d Lt. Blaney likely earned his Croix de Guerre while serving with the 42D Div. He was commissioned 2d Lt. on 3 May '17; assigned to Co. I, 167TH Inf., 42D Div.; transferred to Sup. Co., 126TH Inf. on 5 Dec. '18; transferred to Co. F, 126TH Inf. on 27 Feb. '19; transferred to Base Section at Brest on 25 Apr. '19. He graduated Aitkin, MN, H. S.; enrolled in State Normal School at Superior, WI where he was a top debater, played football and baseball, and was athletic editor of the school yearbook, Gitche Gumee, graduated in '16; teacher at Virginia, MN during brief period between Mexican Border Crisis and mobilization for WWI; enlisted in Co. I, 3D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Superior, WI; Sgt. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; 1st Sgt. in that unit when it mobilized 15 Jul. '17; assigned to Co. I when 127TH Inf. was organized; commissioned at some point; 1st Lt. assigned to Co. D by the time the 127TH Inf. sailed for France aboard USS George Washington; also earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 30 Aug. ‘18; may have been promoted to Capt.; may have been assigned to Co. M, 127TH Inf. at some point; namesake of Henry S. Blomberg Post No. 847 of VFW in Superior. He enlisted in Co. M, 31ST Mich. Inf., Michigan National Guard, at Jackson, MI; assigned to Co. F, 126TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; transferred to Co. I, 128TH Inf.; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 30 Aug. ‘18; brother Laurence also served; married Irene Young, father of at least 1; self-employed electrician; member of William Sparks Chapter 10 of DAV. 121TH Machinegun Battalion, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. He graduated Gillett H. S.; served with Co. M, 127TH Inf.; WIA; married Agnes Schmeichel at Two Rivers, WI 25 Jun. '27, father of 3; retired as traffic manager at Hamilton Mfg. Co. after 38 years of service; chairman of fire and police commission at Two Rivers, WI for 20 years; helped found the Manitowoc-Two-Rivers Traffic Club in '38; served as on Two Rivers' War Transportation Committee, Two Rivers Harbor and Transportation Commission, Two Rivers Branch of American Red Cross, and Two Rivers Civil Defense Council during WWII; charter member of Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church; member of Robert E. Burns Post No. 165 of American Legion and Eleven Gold Star Post No. 1248 of VFW. Worked as draftsman at A. O. Smith Co. and Vilter Manufacturing Co.; enlisted in Co. E, 1ST Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Milwaukee, WI on 19 Jun. '17; assigned to Co. E, 128TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; Alsace, Fismes, Juvigny, Romagne, Meuse-Argonne; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions 30 Aug. '18 near Juvigny, assumed command of a company and led it in attack after the officers fell wounded; discharged at Camp Grant, IL on 18 or 19 May '19; married Margaret H.; resided at S. 62nd St., West Allis, WI at '40 census. He enlisted in Co. A, 1ST Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Reedsburg, WI on 22 Apr. '17; assigned to Co. A, 128TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; landed overseas 18 Feb. '18; earned Croix de Guerre; promoted Cpl. on 4 Nov. '18; departed France on 5 May '19; discharged 19 May '19; brothers Carl S. and Chester also served, Chester was severely WIA ca. 3 Oct. '18 and died 21 Oct., Edward A. was from Lime Ridge and also served in France, not sure of relationship; member of American Legion, VFW, and the 32d Div. Veterans Assn. He enlisted in Co. L, 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Rhinelander, WI; assigned to Co. L, 127TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 30 Aug. ‘18; married Elizabeth F., father of at least 1; resided at Stella, WI at 1930 and 1940 census. Married Viola L., father of 1; resided at 715 Foster Ave., Coeur D'alene, ID at '40 census. He graduated Junction City H. S. in '13; graduated Baker U., College of Liberal Arts, ca. '17; married Jean; commissioned 2d Lt., 14TH Cav., 9 Aug. '17; landed in France in Sep. '17; promoted 1st Lt., 6TH Cav., 12 Oct. '17; promoted Capt., brevet, 18 Jun. '18; served with 127TH Inf., some references state bn. cdr.; reportedly twice cited for gallantry; reportedly earned 2 Silver Star Citations (some references state he earned it as staff officer with III Corps in Germany, that is unlikely, he likely received it while assigned there); definitely earned Div. Citation, likely basis of Silver Star Citation; reportedly twice recommended for DSC; temp. assumed cmd. of Co. C, 127TH Inf. ca. Mar. '19; when Div. departed Germany for home in Apr. '19, he was transferred to HQ, III Corps and assigned Asst. Intel. Off.; returned to U.S. in Jul. '19; assigned to 13TH Cav. on 1 Feb. '20; attached to Tex. NG as Cav. instructor ca. '20; promoted Capt. on 1 Jul. '20; promoted Maj. on 1 Aug. '35; promoted Lt. Col. on 9 Aug. '40; also served during WWII; promoted Col. on 24 Dec. '41; regt. cdr. in 12TH Armor Div. ca. '43; appointed Asst. Commandant of Armor School, Ft. Knox, KY, ca. '45; retired 3 Jun. '46. Citation Needed: Sgt. Borski likely earned his Croix de Guerre when he and his squad of 8 fought off an enemy attack for 2 hours, then went “over the top” and eliminated 8 machinegun nests and captured 64 Germans at Juvigny. Married Emily, father of at least 1, resided at 665 Muskego Ave. or 716 6th Ave., Milwaukee, WI; worked as a baker at National Biscuit Co.; enlisted in Co. K, 1ST Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Milwaukee, WI on 19 Jun. '16; was Cpl. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; his employer vowed to pay his salary to his wife while he was mobilized; assigned to Co. K, 127TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; overseas in Feb. '18; Alsace, Château-Thierry, Soissons, Juvigny, Argonne Forest; WIA, gassed; he and his squad were taken POW at Juvigny; he was released on 15 Dec. '18; landed in U.S. on 1 Apr. '19; discharged 20 Apr. '19 at Camp Grant, IL. He graduated McDonald H. S. and St. Joseph's H. S.; attended Valparaiso U. and Boston U. Law School; worked at newspapers at Manchester, Haverhill, Boston and New York; married Helen Elizabeth Rawlins on 2 Sep. '21, father of at least 1; enlisted in 1ST N. H. Inf., N. H. NG; served during Mexican Border Crisis; transferred to 128TH Inf.; transferred to G-1 Section, HQ, 32D Div.; Alsace, Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne; earned Silver Star Citation; earned Div. Citation, which may have been basis for Silver Star Citation; also earned Serbian/Yugoslavian Knight's Cross of the Order of the White Eagle, Polish Bene Merentibus; also served during WWII; appointed Adjutant Gen. for N. H. in '40; promoted Brig. Gen.; promoted Maj. Gen.; retired 13 Jan. '54 after 38 years of service; intended to write novels in retirement; member of American Legion, VFW, Rotary. Machinegun Company, 125TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Also had ties to Clio, MI; married Polly C., father of 2; resided at 1519 Detroit St., Flint, MI ca. '22; resided at San Leandro, CA at '30 census. He worked for Great Northern Railroad as a brakeman; enlisted in 3D Wis. Inf., likely Co. I, Wisconsin National Guard, 12 Jul. '17; assigned to Co. H when 128TH Inf. was organized; sailed for France Feb. '18; St. Gilles, Juvigny, Marne Woods; transferred out of the mess section into an infantry platoon 12 Sep. '18, tired of being a cook; once, lost and alone, he captured 2 Germans even though all he had was an empty pistol; earned Silver Star Citation, posthumously, for his actions 29 Aug.-2 Sep. ‘18. Company D, 125TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. He enlisted in Co. A, 3D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Neillsville, WI on 7 Apr. '16; was Pvt. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; Pfc. when mobilized 15 Jul. '17; assigned to 128TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; discharged 19 May '19; worked as a longshoreman in CA; returned to WI and went to work for Northern States Power Co.; constable of Humbird, WI ca. '43; member of Melchor-Matti Post No. 320 of American Legion at Humbird, WI. He enlisted in Co. M, 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Oconto, WI; was Pvt. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; assigned to Co. M, 127TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized. Company C, 107TH Engineer Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Resided at 648 South River St. (later 324 E. South River St. when number system changed ca. mid-'20s), Appleton, WI; also had ties to Menominee, MI; graduated Lawrence College in '15; graduate student, chemistry, at U. of Ill. ca. '15-'16; enlisted in Med. Det., 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Appleton, WI; was Sgt. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; Sfc. in the unit when mobilized again on 15 Jul. '17; assigned to Med. Det., 127TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; attended U. of Wis. ca. '22; worked as a chemist, teacher, and school administrator; superintendent of Sparta, WI schools ca. '38-'40. Father William A. Bruenn, NoK, 127 Prospect St., Meriden, CT; enlisted in Co. L, 1ST Conn. Inf., Conn. NG; promoted to Sgt. ca. 16 Aug. '17; assigned to Co. L, 102D Inf. when 26TH Div. was organized; commissioned 2d Lt.; served with 125TH Inf.; WIA, listed on 1 May '19 casualty list; married Ada Burnett, father of Wayne B. Company D, 121ST Machinegun Battalion, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. He and brother Henry G. owned Brunkhorst Bros. Saloon at 13 E. 2nd St., Fond du Lac, WI ca. '05, John was sole operator ca. '11, by '15 Henry was bar keeper at 102 N. Main St.; enlisted in Co. E, 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Fond du Lac, WI in or prior to '03; member of Co. E's winning basketball team in '03, played teams throughout the Mid-West; 1 of the organizers of the Fond du Lac Boxing Club, incorporated in '13, it may have been affiliated with Co. E somehow, the Cdr. was also 1 of the organizers; 1st Sgt. of Co. E, 2D Wis. Inf., during Mexican Border Crisis; 1st Lt. in Co. M, 5TH Wis. Inf., WNG, at Fond du Lac, WI when mobilized 15 Jul. '17; assigned to Co. D, 119TH MG Bn., when 32D Div. was organized; rode to France on USS George Washington; promoted Capt. and assigned Cdr. of Co. D, 121ST MG Bn. at some point; member of Military Order of Foreign Wars; married Margaret H.; resided at 103 Harrison Pl., Fond Du Lac, WI at '40 census; Fond du Lac Co. Register of Deeds '21-'58, re-elected in '58 but County Board forced him to retire because they thought he was too old for the job, he sued to keep the position he was elected to, but Wis. Supreme Court ruled against him. Married Grace, father of at least 1; served in Navy, possibly aboard USS South Carolina, during occupation of Veracruz, Mexico in '14; enlisted in Co. F, 1ST Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Milwaukee, WI; was Pvt. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; son, Francis, Jr., served in Army and Army Air Forces during WWII. He worked as apprentice at Tacoma Ledger; enlisted in Co. M, 2D Wash. Inf., Washington National Guard, at Centralia, WA on 1 Apr. '15; was Pvt. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; trained at Camp Elmer E. Brown before heading to Mexican border; initially trained at Camp Murray, WA after mobilization in Jul. '17; assigned to Co. M, 161ST Inf. when 41ST Div. was organized; sailed for France 12 Dec. '18 aboard President Lincoln; that unit was designated a replacement div. when it reached France; transferred to Co. C, 125TH Inf.; earned DSC for his actions 2 Oct. '18 as a company runner and liaison near Cierges; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 2 Oct. ‘18; some references imply he may have earned 2 Croix de Guerre; pinned with DSC ca. Apr. '19 before heading home; departed France in Apr. '19 aboard Great Northern; discharged at Camp Lewis, WA on 24 May '19; married Ruth F., father of George S., Benny E.; resided at Pierce Co., WA at 1920 census; resided at Eugene, OR at 1930 census; linotype operator at University Press at U. of Oreg. ca. '32; selected Grand Marshall of Eugene, OR Armistice Day parade in '32. Company D, 126TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. He enlisted in Co. D, 32D Mich. Inf., Michigan National Guard, at Ionia, MI in '16 at age 19; served during Mexican Border Crisis; commissioned 2d Lt. 16 Mar. '17; promoted 1st Lt. 4 Dec. '17; assigned to Co. D, 126TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized (newspaper article says he was 1st Sgt. of Co. D when 126TH Inf. departed NY aboard USS President Grant 16 Feb. '18 and promoted 2d Lt. shortly after arriving at Brest 4 Mar. '18); detailed acting adjutant of 1ST Bn. on 8 Jun. '18 and Scout Officer 1ST Bn. on 22 Jun. '18; assigned Regt. operations officer 30 Jul. '18; promoted Capt. on 5 Sep. '18; slightly WIA at Château-Thierry, minor shrapnel wound above his eye; earned Croix de Guerre w/silver star as Capt. and cdr. of Co. D, 126TH Inf. (newspaper article says he earned it as OIC of 126TH Inf. scouts during first raid on enemy trenches by U.S. troops in German territory near Mulhause, Alsace, 22 May '18, it was during that raid that Pvt. Joseph Guyton became first U.S. Soldier killed in German territory, “On their return from this raid, one man was found to be missing. Major Burke crawled on his hands and knees, 150 yards through machinegun fire to a shell hole where he found the missing man wounded, and brought him back to American lines.”); newspaper article says he earned DSC for effectively reorganizing his shattered Bn. while under fire in the Argonne (haven't found any other information); some references state he was cdr., as Capt., of 3D Bn. when armistice went into effect; promoted to Maj. on 16 Mar. '19 at age 22, Maj. Gen. Haan reportedly told him he was the youngest Maj. in the Army at that time; cdr. of 1ST Bn. 18 Apr. '19; served during WWII as commandant, rank of Col., at Army prison camps. Son of Marcellus and Nellie (Sheehan) Burley; 2d Lt. with 22D Inf. ca. ‘07; 1st Lt. ca. ‘12; promoted to Maj. ca. 8 Dec. ‘17; assigned to 61ST Inf., 5TH Div., ca. 15 Dec. ‘17; assigned Adjutant, HQ, 63D Inf. Bde. ca. 20 Jul. ‘18; Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne; promoted to Lt. Col.; assigned Chief of Staff, 77TH Div., on 5 Dec. ‘18; married Elizabeth Eckerson O’Connor at Portland, OR on 4 Jun. ‘07, father of at least 1. He earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 31 Jul. ‘18; brother Paul C. also served; employed as auto worker and resided at 838 Spencer, Flint, MI ca. '20; married Sadie (Sadil) Carlson, father of at least 1; resided at 1102 W. Dayton, Flint, MI at 1940 census. NoK Mrs. L. P. Goodwin (Godwin), mother, 812 Tyler St., Gary, IN, moved there in '09; graduated Gary H. S.; attended Cornell U., College of Architecture, Class of '18; entered First Officers' Training Camp at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, IN, in May '17; transferred to Artillery Training School at Ft. Monroe, VA; completed course and commissioned 2d Lt., Coast Artillery Corps, in Aug. '17; assigned to 4TH Trench Mort. Bn. or 4TH Trench Mort. Btry. at some point; overseas 12 Sep. '17; transferred to 308TH Trench Mort. Btry.; earned Distinguished Service Cross, posthumously, for his actions 23 Oct. '18 near Brabant-sur-Meuse; earned Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (French Legion of Honor), by Presidential Decree of 14 May '19; WIA, gassed, 23 Oct. '18, initially refused evacuation (mustard gas affected eyes, nose, throat, and lungs); evacuated to hosp. 28 Oct. '18; DW (KIA) 2 Nov. '18 at Bordeaux. He also earned Distinguished Service Cross, posthumously, for his actions 1 Aug. ‘18. WIA, listed on 19 Jan. '19 casualty list; earned Purple Heart; married Martha Francis Reno or Martha Renauld, father of 3. Road construction contractor at Bristol, RI ca. '12; Capt. and Cdr. of Co. C, 2D R. I. Inf. during Spanish-American War; Lt. Col. and XO of 107TH Engr. Regt. when it landed in France; promoted Col. and Cdr. of 107TH Engr. Regt. and 32D Div. Engr. at some point; earned Div. Citation, may have been basis of Silver Star Citation; earned Croix de Guerre; married Fannie O'Neil, father of Rita B., Luke H.; Col. in Officers' Reserve Corps ca. '20; promoted Brig. Gen. in Officers' Reserve Corps ca. '22; Cdr. of RI Dept. of American Legion ca. '22; ran for Gov. of RI ca. '34. Married Emma C.; executive at Klingman Sample Furniture Co., Grand Rapids, MI; enlisted as Pvt. in Michigan National Guard; Sgt. with Co. B, 32D Mich. Inf., during Spanish-American War; 2d Lt. in Co. B, 2D Mich. Inf., at Grand Rapids, MI ca. 26 Sep. '99; Capt. and Cdr. of Co. M, 2D Mich. Inf., at Grand Rapids, MI ca. '08; Adjutant, HQ, 1ST Mich. Bde., when mobilized 15 Jul. '17; assigned Adjutant, HQ, 63D Inf. Bde. when 32D Div. was organized; later served with HQ, 32D Div.; served in post-war Mich. NG; Maj. and Cdr. of 2D Bn., 126TH Inf. when it received federal recognition 31 Dec. '20 during post-war reorganization of 32D Div.; acting commandant of Soldiers Home at Grand Rapids, MI ca. '27; retired as Brig. Gen. ca. 28 Jun. '35; member of Guy V. Henry Post, Camp No. 3, United Spanish War Veterans, at Grand Rapids, MI. He may have enlisted in 2D Mich. Amb. Co., Michigan National Guard, at Bay City, MI; WIA 29 Aug. '18 by artillery shell near Juvigny, Sgt. Carl H. Smith and Sgt. Ben Zielinski were also WIA and Pfc. John E. Olk was KIA by the same shell as the 4 men were trying to place a wounded Soldier in an ambulance; also earned Silver Star Citation and Purple Heart. He also earned Silver Star Citation, posthumously, for his actions 22 Jul. ’18; the date of action for Silver Star might be erroneous, on 22 Jul. the Div. was in transit between the Alsace Sector and the Château-Thierry area, they “went over the top” 30 Jul. and reached the Vesle ca. 31 Jul.; WIA 22 Jul. '18; KIA 28 Aug. '18 (some references state DW 4 Aug. '18). He enlisted in Trp. H, 1ST Wis. Cav., Wisconsin National Guard, at Merrill, WI on 22 Jun. '17; served with Co. G, 128TH Inf.; earned Croix de Guerre; discharged on 12 May (29 May) '19; brother Pfc. Frederick T., WNG, served in same unit, KIA 4 Oct. '18; married Catherine D., father of 3. Sanitary Detachment, 126TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Son of Thomas Joseph and Bridget M. (Whalen) Cavanaugh, father NoK, 614 W. Bridge St. or 115 N. Warren Ave., Big Rapids, MI, both parents Canadian immigrants; member of Knights of Columbus, Big Rapids Council No. 1300; not listed in 32D Div. in WW as a casualty but his Croix de Guerre is listed. Married Priscilla; enlisted in Co. L, 33D Mich. Inf., Michigan National Guard, at Menominee, MI on 21 Jun. '16; served during Mexican Border Crisis; promoted Cpl. 16 Jul. '17; assigned to Co. L, 125TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; landed at Brest 24 Feb. '18; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 31 Jul. ‘18; severely WIA 31 Jul. '18; WIA 9 Oct. '18; returned to U.S. 18 May '19; discharged at Camp Custer, MI on 29 May '19. Citation: “Near Fismes [circa 31 July – 6 August 1918], on his own initiative and accompanied only by his brother he made a reconnaissance of the zone beyond the front and executed it with great courage and much skill.” His brother, Pvt. Ruel B. Chellis, does not appear to have been decorated for his role in the event. Son of Ezekiel John and Ida E. (S.) (Hand) Chellis, father NoK, Ellsworth, MI; enlisted in Co. I, 33D Mich. Inf., Mich. NG, East Jordan, MI; served during Mexican Border Crisis; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 31 Jul.-6 Aug. ‘18 near Fismes; ordered to return to U.S. as an instructor; he spoke to a packed house at East Jordan’s Temple Theatre on 11 Oct. ‘18, while home on furlough; married Kathryn Cornelia ‘Kate’ Wieland on 8 Mar. '9, father of 3; resided on S. Ellsworth Rd., Banks Township, Antrim Co., MI at ‘40 census; brother served with same unit, Pvt. Ruel B., Mich. NG, HQ Co., 125TH Inf.; son served during WWII, T. Sgt. Walter L., Jr., Army, Italy. He enlisted in Co. G, 3D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Wausau, WI; was Cpl. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; assigned to Co. G, 128TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized. SN 303384; this unit was organized as Mich. Ambulance Co. No. 2 at Bay City, MI so he might be Mich. NG. He earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 31 Jul. ‘18; married Elizabeth G. Dumma at Saginaw, MI on 12 Oct. '21, father of at least 4; worked at Niagara Lumber Co. Graduated U. of Wis.; Pvt., Cpl., and Sgt. Co. I, 3D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, 10 Aug. '01 to 13 Jan. '06; commissioned 1st Lt., infantry, on 14 Jan. '06; Capt. on 11 Jul. '10; cdr. of Sup. Co., 3D Wis. Inf. during Mexican Border Crisis; Adjutant, 2D Wis. Inf. Bde. when mobilized 15 Jul. '17; Maj. on 3 Sep. '17; graduated AEF Gen. Staff College at Langres in May '18, he was sent to France before Div. left Camp MacArthur; G-2, HQ, 32D Div. during WWI; promoted Lt. Col. 21 Sep. '18; earned Distinguished Service Medal, Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (French Legion of Honor), by Presidential decree of 29 Apr. '19, “for the praiseworthy manner in which he performed the difficult task of furnishing information concerning the enemy, thus rendering great aid in the engagements of Juvigny and Terny-Sorny,” and Div. Citation during WWI; joint author and historian of 32D Div. in WW, exec. off. of 32D Div. Historical Detail; Lt. Col. and XO, HQ, 128TH Inf., West Salem, WI when it received federal recognition during post-war reorganization on 16 Apr. '21; Col. and cdr. of 128TH Inf., on 10 Apr. '22; Brig. Gen. and cdr. of 64TH Inf. Bde., on 2 Feb. '29; Brig. Gen. and cdr. of HQ, 64TH Inf. Bde., at Baraboo, WI on 15 Oct. '40; transferred from Div. and assigned director of security and intelligence for 7TH Service Command at Omaha, NE ca. '41; assumed command of 32D Div. on 28 May '46; his Regular Army commission as Brig. Gen. expired 30 Sep. '46 but he continued to serve with his Wis. Nat. Guard rank of Maj. Gen. until post-war reorganization was completed; relinquished cmd. of 32D Div. in '47; earned degree from U. of Wis.; attended U. of Minn., Western Central School of Agriculture, Morris, MN, ca. '16-'17; teacher and principal of Carpenter School at Superior, WI; moved to Milwaukee, WI (hometown WWII) ca. Sep. '22 and became principal of Walter Allen School; became asst. superintendent of public schools in Milwaukee in Nov. '23, retired in Jun. '53, held the position for 29 years (military leave of absence '40-'44); retired to country home at Solon Springs, WI; a new building dedicated at Wis. Veterans Home at King in '61 was named in his honor. Entered service at Columbus Barracks, OH or Wilmington, DE on 7 Jul. '17; trained at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, IN; transferred to Med. Det., 328TH FA Regt., 85TH Div. at Camp Custer, MI on 26 Aug. '17; transferred to 128TH Amb. Co., 107TH San. Tr. on 31 Oct. '17; overseas 10 Feb. (17 Mar.) '18; def. sec., center sec., Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne; promoted to Pfc. on 10 May '18; WIA 29 Aug. '18; earned Purple Heart, awarded 12 Jun. '40; returned to U.S. 20 May '19; discharged at Camp Dix, NJ on 2 Jun. '19. Citation Needed: Sgt. Coates earned his Croix de Guerre for his actions at Oise-Aisne. Worked as machinist at Illinois Steel Co.; enlisted in 1ST Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Milwaukee, WI on 6 Apr. '17; served with Co. D and HQ Co., 127TH Inf., also possibly HQ, 32D Div.; Alsace, Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne; discharged at Camp Grant, IL on 18 May '19; married Luella, father of 2; worked as machinist and later as supervisor at Nash Motor Co.; resided at Kenosha, WI at '40 census; served on Kenosha city council ca. '42-'48; may have served in Wis. State Guard during WWII, 1st Lt. in Co. D at Kenosha. He may have enlisted in MG Co., 4TH Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Tomahawk, WI; earned Silver Star Citation for rescuing a wounded Soldier 29-30 Aug.18 near Juvigny; History of Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas Counties, Wis. states that he and Mech. Orville G. Scheffner were cited for running through an artillery barrage to warn the artillery that their barrage was falling short and inflicting American casualties; married Ella Emilie Pache 19 Aug. '20, father of 3. Citation Needed: 1st Lt. Cohen likely earned Croix de Guerre for his actions as a medical officer 30 Jul.-6 Aug. '18 near Cierges. Commissioned 1st Lt., med. corps, on 10 Dec. '17; assigned to San. Det., 126TH Inf. on 28 Jun. '18; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions as med. off. 30 Jul.-6 Aug. '18 near Cierges; promoted Capt. on 30 Mar. '19. Son of Hilan and Ida May (Turrell) Cole; he or NoK resided at 880 Beniteau Ave., Detroit, MI (hometown); SN 261418; served with Co. B, 125TH Inf.; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions and leadership on 22 Jul. ‘18 near Cierges; earned Belgian Chevalier de Ordre de Léopold II (Order of Leopold II), by Royal Decree of 27 Feb. ‘20, “In recognition of meritorious service rendered the Allied cause.”; WIA; earned Purple Heart; married Coral A. Beckwith at Battle Creek, MI on 20 Sep. ‘19, father of Alan L.; involved with Boy Scouts, Scout Master of Troop 8 at Battle Creek, MI ca. ‘20s; resided at 151 Summer, Battle Creek, MI ca. ‘32; son Alan L. served in Air Corps during WWII and Air Force Reserve after the war; worked for Post Office for 26 years; member of Metropolitan club, First Presbyterian Church and Lieut. Harold J. Payette Post of VFW. He attended State U. of Iowa, College of Applied Sciences, ca. '11; transferred to U. of Calif. ca. '13, civil engineering; assigned to 116TH Engr. Regt., 41ST Div.; that unit was designated a replacement div. when it reached France; transferred to Co. F, 107TH Engr. Regt.; Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 4-6 Aug. '18, conducted bridge recon. under heavy fire along River Vesle, near Fismes; severely WIA ca. 6 Aug. '18, listed on 2 Oct. '18 casualty list; 1st Lt. in Officers' Reserve Corps. ca. '20. He attended Hanover College; he and his brother William D. operated R. Connor Lumber Co., founded by their father Robert; enlisted as Pvt. in Co. A, 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard at Marshfield, WI in '02; commissioned 2d Lt. in '04; promoted Capt. and Cdr. in '09; resigned his commission in '15 to focus on business concerns; re-enlisted as Pvt. in Co. A, 2D Wis. Inf. in '16 for Mexican Border Crisis; during the mobilization he served as battalion sergeant major, was commissioned 1st Lt. and assigned bn. adjutant, and promoted Capt. and Cdr. of Co. I, 2D Wis. Inf., from Marinette, WI; Maj. and Cdr. of 3D Bn., 4TH Wis. Inf. when mobilized 15 Jul. '17; temp. Cdr. of Horsed Bn., 107TH Ammo Tr. for about 5 weeks ca. Nov. '17 while Maj. Martin D. Imhoff was on temp. assignment; served as assistant G-1, 32D Div.; attended Gen. Staff College at Langres; assigned G-1, HQ, 32D Div. on the eve of Meuse-Argonne when Lt. Col. John H. Howard went off to Gen. Staff College; earned Div. Citation; returned to U.S. and separated at Camp Upton, NY in Jun. '19; helped organize and was 1st cdr. of American Legion Post No. 54 at Marshfield, WI; elected mayor of Marshfield; moved to Ironwood, MI in '25; cdr. of American Legion Post No. 5; elected vice-commander of Mich. Dept. of American Legion; member of Elks, Masons, Knights Templar and the Shrine; passed away 26 Jun. '34 at Hines Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, at age 56, lung infection, believed result of gas during the war. Death: 16 June 1960 at Washington, D. C. Married Elsa Van Vleet on 6 Nov. '07; attended U. of Iowa; graduated USMA at West Point in '97, 1st in his class (honor graduate), capt. of football team; commissioned 2d Lt., engineer, 11 Jun. '97; promoted 1st Lt. on 5 Jul. '98; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions during Philippine Insurrection; graduated U.S. Engr. School, Willet's Point, NY, in Jun. '01; stationed at Washington Barracks, D.C., ca. '02; instructor at USMA 23 Aug. '03-28 Aug. '04; promoted Capt. on 23 Apr. '04; graduated Staff College on 30 Jun. '05; graduated Army War College in '09 ('08); promoted Maj. on 9 Feb. '10; served with Gen. Staff, War Dept., ca. '09-'16; Chief Engr., Philippine Dept., Nov. '16; Office of Chief Engr., Washington, D.C. in '17; promoted Lt. Col. 15 May '17; landed in France on 28 Jul. '17; assigned to Ops. Section, Gen. Staff, A.E.F.; promoted Col. (brevet) on 5 Aug. (27 Aug.) '17; promoted Brig. Gen. (brevet) 26 Jun. '18; assigned Chief of Staff, 32D Div. 1 May-21 Jul. '18; assumed cmd. of 63D Inf. Bde. on 22 Jul. '18, succeeded Brig. Gen. Louis C. Covell; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions 3 Aug. '18 near Mont St. Martin; assigned Cdr., Base Section No. 2, Service of Supply, Bordeaux, on 8 Aug. '18, succeeded by Brig. Gen. Robert Alexander; earned Distinguished Service Medal, British Companion of the Bath, Commandeur de l'Ordre de l'Etoile Noire (Order of the Black Star), Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur (French Legion of Honor), Panamanian Medal of La Solidaridad; assigned Chief of Staff, Service of Supply, A.E.F. on 12 Nov. '18; assigned Cdr., Service of Supply, Army of Occupation, on 15 May '19; assigned Cdr. of A.E.F. on 28 Jul. '19, resided at 7 Rue de Tilloit, Paris, served until Jan. '20; in a communique to Army Chief of Staff on 29 Oct. '19, he proposed the idea of a formal ceremony to honor America's unknown dead, after learning of French plans for such a ceremony; assigned Chief of Staff, Supply Div., War Dept. Gen. Staff, ca. '22; Cdr., U.S. Army Forces in China ca. '23-'26; promoted Maj. Gen. in '26 and assigned Cdr., 2D Div.; Commandant of Army War College, Dec. '27-Apr. '32; Superintendent of USMA at West Point Apr. '32 until he retired in Feb. '38; recalled to active duty during WWII, assigned to War Dept. '41-'42. He earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 31 Jul. ’18. Son of Henry and Dinah (Story) Cook, Box 96, R. F. D. No. 5, Ithaca, MI; SN 13974; severely WIA, listed on 6 Oct. '18 casualty list; married Ruby Belle Wright at Gratiot Co., MI on 23 Jun. '23. Company H, 126TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Married; attended U. of Neb., Class of '20; withdrew from school to enlist; trained at Ft. Snelling; commissioned 15 Aug. '17; sailed for France 20 Nov. '17 with Co. C, 168TH Inf., 42D Div.; transferred to Co. H, 126TH Inf. 20 May '18; also earned Silver Star Citation, posthumously, for his actions 4 Aug. '18 near the Vesle River. Native of Bowling Green, KY; married Florence Matlock; graduated Vanderbilt U. Med. School in '15; interned at Madison Gen. Hosp. '15-'16; commissioned 1st Lt. and assigned to Fld. Hosp. Co. No. 2, Wisconsin National Guard, at Madison, WI; may have served with 127TH Fld. Hosp., 107TH San. Tr. before being assigned to Med. Det., 127TH Inf.; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions as a med. off. 31 Aug. '18 near Juvigny; earned Croix de Guerre; practiced med. at Jackson Clinic, Madison, WI ca. '20; established private practice at Madison, WI in '23; surgeon and physician at Madison, WI for 50 years; appointed an honorary Kentucky col. in '61 by Gov. Bert Combs. Citation: “He displayed extraordinary heroism and great initiative near Juvigny, on [28 August] 1918. His platoon having been completely destroyed by the fire of machine guns, he, with two comrades, captured an enemy machine gun. He turned the fire of the latter against an important nest, attacking it in flank and succeeded in capturing several pieces and 47 Germans.” Cpl. Ernest A. Sheer was 1 of the men, earned Croix de Guerre for his actions that day, was recommended for DSC but never received it, received Silver Star in '74. Pvt. Donald H. Towler was the 3rd man, earned French Medaille Militaire for his actions that day. NoK Mrs. Anna Comiska, R. F. D. 2, Alpena, MI; enlisted in Co. F, 32D Mich. Inf., Michigan National Guard, 19 Jul. '17 at Grand Haven, MI; assigned to Co. L, 126TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized. Medical Detachment, 120TH Field Artillery Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Attended Benton H.S.; graduated Milwaukee Med. College (Med. Dept. of Marquette U.) in '07; practiced medicine at Scales Mound, IL ca. '12; practiced medicine at Lake Geneva, WI ca. '17; 1st Lt. in San. Det., 1ST Wis. Cav., Wisconsin National Guard, when mobilized 15 Jul. '17; assigned to Med. Det., 120TH FA Regt. when 32D Div. was organized; earned Croix de Guerre, received it on 21 Apr. '19 in ceremony at Camp Pontanezen, Brest; married Bess Roberts; resided at Milwaukee, WI at '20 census; resided at Kohler, WI at '30 census, address 407 Ridge Ct. at '40 census. Citation: “Near Mont St. Martin on August 1918, his noncommissioned officer having been wounded on open ground he applied first aid with fine disregard of the shells and bullets and with another soldier transported the wounded man to a place of safety.” The other Soldier was Mech. Phillip R. Yaney and they rescued numerous wounded Soldiers, mostly from 1ST Bn., 126TH Inf., who had been lying on the battlefield nearly 24 hours. Mech. Yaney was later KIA 5 Oct. '18. He enlisted in Co. F, 32D Mich. Inf., Michigan National Guard, at Grand Haven, MI on 21 May '17, was Pvt. in the unit when mobilized; assigned to Co. L, 126TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; promoted to Mech. ca. May '18; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions 2 Aug.. '18 as a litter bearer on the Vesle River; promoted to Cpl. ca. Sep. '18; also earned Div. Citation, likely basis for his Silver Star Citation; recommended for DSC by Capt. George L. Olsen for his actions at Aisne-Marne; WIA 10 Oct. '18; brother Cpl. Albert R. served with Btry. A, 328TH FA Regt.; resided at Marne, MI ca. '72. Son of David Wilmont and Lucinda A. (Gregson) Covell; enlisted in Michigan National Guard; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions 28 Jul. ‘18 on the Vesle; awarded Belgian Ordre de Leopold II (chevalier), by Royal Decree of 27 Feb. ‘20, “In recognition of meritorious service rendered the Allied cause.”; earned Div. Citation, likely basis for Silver Star Citation; recommended for Distinguished Service Cross by Capt. George L. Olsen for his actions during Aisne-Marne; ordered back to U.S. as an instructor, left the unit on 17 Aug. ‘18; commissioned at some point; married Bessie S. Simonson, father of 2; resided on Colby St., Whitehall, MI at ‘40 census; served as Muskegon Co. Sheriff ca. mid- to late-‘20s; three brothers served during WWI, Sgt. Lawrence G., Co. I, 126TH Inf., Andrew J., 36TH Div., Alvin L. Headquarters Company, 322D Field Artillery Regiment, attached to 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Son of Harry and Katherine (Catherine, Catharine) Cecelia (Schick) Craft, father NoK, Rose City, MI, father English immigrant; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions 28 Jul. '18 on the Vesle River, repaired telephone lines under heavy fire; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 15-18 Oct. '18 at Bois-de-Grand Montagne, repaired telephone lines under heavy fire; brother Pvt. Henry M. served with 256TH Fld. Hosp.; married Alvena A. Beck on 25 Jun. '19, father of at least 1. Also earned Distinguished Service Cross, posthumously, for his actions 31 Jul. ‘18; namesake Harding-Olk-Craidge Post No. 18 of American Legion. Son of Samuel Wilson and Harriet Louella (Trower) Croce, father NoK, Fulton, IA (hometown); WIA, listed on 30 Oct. '18 casualty report; earned Purple Heart; married Effie Mae Cunningham at Muskogee Co. OK in Sep. '19, father of 5. Married Grace E. McRobert ca. '12, father or step-father of at least 1; worked as streetcar conductor ca. '13, assigned to the infamous Grandville Ave. line, which had a reputation for conductors being beaten and robbed by ruffians late at night, legend has it that he was attacked by a gang of 4-7 thugs one night and he emerged victorious; earned an amateur boxing championship and ca. '13 had a brief professional boxing career, nicknamed “The Fighting Conductor”; enlisted in Michigan National Guard; SN 219938; assigned to HQ Co., 126TH Inf.; transferred to G-2 Section, HQ Trp., 32D Div.; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions 29 Sep.-20 Oct. '18 as Divisional Observer near Romagne; received his Croix de Guerre from Gen. Mangin at Rengsdorf, Germany on 13 Apr. '19; worked as a salesman at Grand Rapids, MI ca. '22; 1 of several Legionnaires injured in a brawl after an American Legion parade encountered a group of Communist agitators at Grand Rapids, MI on 1 Aug. '31, several of the Communists were thrown in the river; served during WWII; Lt. Col. assigned to Mich. Selective Service HQ at the time of his death. He graduated Owosso H. S.; graduated U. of Mich. in '06; married Mary Florence 'Minnie' Schorr on 24 Oct. '06, father of Leo J. and Mary F.; resided at 1327 or 1329 Hill Crest Ave., Kalamazoo, MI; member of Masons, Owosso Lodge No. 81; joined Michigan National Guard ca. '01; 1st Lt. and med. off. assigned to San. Det., 126TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions running an aid station on 1 Aug. '18 near Cierges; promoted Capt. 4 Mar. '19; transferred to Base Sect. at Brest on 23 Apr. '19; discharged 28 Jul. '19 at Camp Custer, MI; served in post-war Mich. NG; Maj. in Med. Det., 126TH Inf. at Kalamazoo, MI ca. '22; had a medical office at 413 S. Burdick, Kalamazoo, MI ca. '21-'35; resided at 220 W. Cedar, Kalamazoo, MI; issued patent 1664664 for Exercising Device in '28; son enlisted in Co. C, 126TH Inf., Mich. NG, in '26, served during WWII but was assigned to different unit after he was commissioned 2d Lt. He became a Maccabee (a.k.a. Knights of the Maccabees), Crescent Star Tent. No. 152 at Grand Rapids, 1 Sep. '15; enlisted in Michigan National Guard; also earned Distinguished Service Cross, posthumously, for his actions 27 May ‘18; WIA 27 May '18; DW 3 Jul. '18. Might be the same man as Cpl. Earl M. Curnow, below. After completing grade school, he went to work for American Auto Trimming Co. at age 13; went to work for Detroit Lumber Co. as a sticker hand in '14; assigned to Co. H, 128TH Inf. on 9 Aug. '17; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 29 Aug.-2 Sept. '18 near Juvigny; WIA, severely gassed, 2 Sep. '18; returned to Detroit and the Detroit Lumber Co.; married, father of Margot E., John E.; started work as machinist at Kestrick Lumber Co. in '23; moved to Hammond, IN in '25, vice president of Woodmar Lumber & Supply Co.; moved back to Detroit in '29, machinist at Braun Lumber Co.; resided at Keego Harbor, MI ca. '31; member of Red Arrow Club and American Legion. He enlisted in Co. A, 1ST Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Reedsburg, WI on 14 May '15; was Cpl. in that unit during Mexican Border Crisis; assigned to Co. A, 128TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; landed overseas 4 Mar. '18; Alsace, Aisne-Marne; Chateau Thierry; Meuse-Argonne; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 1 Aug. '18 as a platoon leader near Cierges, twice WIA, and 9 Oct. '18 near Gesnes, assumed cmd. of the company after cdr. was killed and was WIA again; also earned Purple Heart w/1 OLC; sailed for home 5 May '19; discharged 17 May '19; commissioned at some point, 2d Lt. in Officers' Reserve Corps ca. '20; married Alma G. Anderson 18 Sep. '20 at Chicago, IL, father of 3; moved to Barron, WI in '22; ran Curt's Lunch for several years; served with Barron police dept. for several years; served as deputy sheriff and appointed acting sheriff while actual sheriff served during WWII; donated his medals to Barron Co. in '65, they were displayed in the courthouse; they were later returned to the family, his son displayed them at his car dealership. Company D, 128TH Infantry Regiment, 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division, A.E.F. Son of Jakob (Jacob) and Katherine (Catherine) (Piotrowski) Czaskos, father was Army veteran; graduated South Division H. S.; graduated Cream City Business College; married Eleanor Rogalska, NoK, ca. Jun. ’16; enlisted in Co. K, 1ST Wis. Inf., WNG, Milwaukee, WI on 21 Jun. (6 Jun.) '16; served during Mexican Border Crisis; transferred to Co. I, 5TH Wis. Inf., Milwaukee, WI ca. spring of ‘17; commissioned 1st Lt. on 13 Jul. ‘17; assigned to Co. D, 128TH Inf., when 32D Div. was organized; also earned Silver Star Citation for his actions near Cierges ca. 1 Aug. ‘18 (newspaper article states he earned DSC, not Silver Star, haven’t found any other evidence); promoted to Capt. on 10 Jun. ‘18 and assumed command of Co. D about that time; severely WIA 31 Aug. ‘18 near Juvigny (7 pieces of shrapnel and several bullets); listed on 15 Nov. ‘18 casualty list; earned Purple Heart; stationed at Puderbach, Germany with Army of Occupation; discharged at Camp Grant, IL on 4 Jun. ‘19; received $227 Wis. service recognition bonus ca. ‘20, larger than most; served with post-war WNG; Capt. and Cdr. of Co. K, 127TH Inf., Milwaukee, WI ca. ‘22; guest of honor at 3rd annual Red Arrow Ball at Milwaukee, WI on 6 Jun. ‘22; Milwaukee Co. Register of Deeds on 2 Dec. ‘35; member of Retired Officers’ Assn., Disabled Officers’ Assn., Polish Legion of American Veterans, National Assn. of Internal Revenue Employees, George Washington Post No. 2 of American Legion at Milwaukee, Military Order of the World Wars; 3 brothers-in-law, Pvt. Harry, Pfc. George, and Pvt. Edward Rogalska, also served with 128TH Inf., George was KIA 2 Aug. ’18. Citation: “During the advance from the Ourcq to the Vesle, from July 31st to August 6th, 1918, he carried out his duties heedless of danger and without interruption under a violent fire. By his comforting words and his fine example of abnegation and bravery he encouraged the men of his regiment who were advancing to the assault.” It is unclear whether the decoration was presented to him or if it was bestowed posthumously, probably the latter. Son of Lawrence and Mary (Kane) Davitt, mother NoK, 842 Chicopee St., Willimansett, Chicopee, MA (hometown), father Canadian immigrant, mother Irish immigrant; graduated Chicopee H. S. in ‘03; graduated College of the Holy Cross in ‘07, renowned football player and team captain, also wrestled and played basketball, accumulated numerous trophies; ordained at Grand Seminary, Montreal, Quebec, CAN, in Dec. ‘11; assigned to St. John’s Church, Worcester, MA, active in local charitable and philanthropic causes, including chaplain of Lyman School for Boys (State Industrial School) and organizing St. Agnes’ Guild; assigned assistant pastor of St. Ann’s Catholic Parish, Lenox, MA, in ‘16; member of Knights of Columbus (K. of C.), Holyoke Council, became K. of C. chaplain in Sep. ‘17 and served at Camp MacArthur, TX; volunteered to serve as an Army Chaplain, commissioned 1st Lt. ca. 6 Nov. ‘17; assigned to 120TH MG Bn.; sailed for France in Feb. ‘18; transferred to 125TH Inf.; earned Distinguished Service Cross or Distinguished Service Medal, possibly for finding and burying 125 American dead, under fire, between Courmont and Mont St. Martin ca. 31 Jul.-5 Aug. ‘18, or possibly for organizing and leading a group of volunteers to rescue 40 wounded Soldiers isolated in a ravine along the Vesle River on 6 Aug. ‘18; assigned special duty of chief burial officer for V Corps on 23 Sep. ‘18; cited by Maj. Gen. Summerall, V Corps Cdr., GO 26, 20 Nov. ‘18 “For faithful and conscientious performance of duty and for extreme coolness under shell fire in the performance of his duty as Acting Chief Burial Officer, V Corps, during the Meuse-Argonne Operations.”; “Cited for bravery Aug. 6, ‘18, during operations along the Vesle River: “To rescue 40 wounded soldiers who were temporarily isolated from their command, he led a party of volunteers through a hail of machine gun bullets. All were rescued and returned to their command without the loss of a single man.””; earned Silver Star Citation, posthumously, for braving heavy shell fire to bury the dead near Courmont 4 Oct. ‘18; “Cited for bravery Oct. 20, ‘18, during the Argonne offensive: “To rescue three wounded soldiers, he leaped over the top of the trench, and, under enemy machine gun fire, dragged them to safety one by one.””; KIA at 1040 hours on 11 Nov. ‘18 near the Regt. CP at Écurey (likely Écurey-en-Verdunois) (there are numerous, varied stories regarding the time and circumstances of his death, some sources state the time was 1100, 1045 or 0945 hours, cause ranges from sniper to artillery shrapnel (of those which state artillery, some claim he was killed by the last German shell fired in the war, which is not likely), some references state he poked his head above the trench to wave the flag, others state he had just exited the CP after presenting a flag to the Regt. Cdr., others state he had just exited the CP after retrieving the Regt. flag, others state he had just climbed down from a tree after hanging the flag); his funeral was officiated by Chaplain George S. L. O’Connor, who had recently been promoted from Senior Chaplain, 32D Div. to Senior Chaplain, III Corps, the two were college classmates and close friends; he was likely the 32D Division’s last combat casualty of WWI; numerous references consider him to be the last U.S. Soldier killed during the war, but that is not likely, he probably was the last U.S. officer killed; Davitt Cottage at Lyman School for Boys, where he had been in charge of Catholic religious instruction, was dedicated in his honor; a song or poem, “Father William Francis Davitt World War Martyr,” was composed in his honor by William Kimberley Palmer at Chicopee, MA in Jan. ‘34; the Davitt Memorial Bridge in Chicopee was dedicated in his honor when it was built in ‘31, it was rebuilt in ‘13 and rededicated in his honor on Veteran’s Day ‘13; namesake of William F. Davitt Post No. 625 of VFW, Davitt Square in Worcester, MA, and Knights of Columbus Father William F. Davitt Council 2412, Lenox, MA; brother, 1st Lt. James L., served with 94TH Aero Sqdn., commanded by Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker. Married Rosina (Rosa) Marty; worked at Monroe Electric Co.; enlisted in Wisconsin National Guard, at Monroe, WI; 1st Sgt. of Co. H, 1ST Wis. Inf. during Mexican Border Crisis; assigned to Co. H, 127TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; commissioned 2d Lt. at some point; WIA, earned Purple Heart; served in post-war WNG; 1st Lt. in Co. K, 128TH Inf. at Monroe, WI when it received federal recognition on 2 Mar. '20 during post-war reorganization of 32D Div.; transferred to WNG Reserve ca. '21; worked at Wis. Power and Light Co., retired in '55 after 35 years; elected alderman in Apr. '57, did not seek re-election due to ill health; past commander of Zilmer-Riley Post of American Legion at Monroe, WI. He earned Silver Star Citation for his actions 1 Aug. '18 at Cierges, went to aid 2 wounded comrades under heavy fire (some transcripts of citation list date as 28 Jul., the Div. didn't enter front line in that sector until evening of 29 Jul., actual date is more likely 1 Aug., as stated in Croix de Guerre citation); married Flavie M. NoK Mrs. Ellen De Vall, Mount Pleasant, NY; enlisted in Co. H, 31ST Mich. Inf., Michigan National Guard; served during Mexican Border Crisis; commissioned 2d Lt. in Co. H on 14 Aug. '16; promoted 1st Lt. on 27 Jan. '17; assigned to Co. H, 126TH Inf. (128TH Inf.) when 32D Div. was organized; assumed temp. cmd. of Co. I, 126TH Inf. 28 Mar.-4 Apr. '18; returned to Co. H; assumed cmd. of Co. H, 126TH Inf. after Capt. Frederick W. Beaudry was struck by shrapnel 1 Aug. '18, died 2 hours later; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions 4 Aug. '18 near Fismes, stayed with his unit after being WIA; severely WIA 4 Aug. '18 near Fismes, listed on 3 Oct. '18 casualty list; returned to duty on 12 Aug. '18; ordered to U.S. as instructor on 14 Aug. '18; earned Div. Citation, likely basis of Silver Star Citation; promoted to Capt. ca. Oct. '18; promoted Maj. on 7 Jun. '19; served with Regular Army after the war; reverted to Capt. 1 Jul. '20; assigned to 37TH Inf. on 17 Mar. '21; promoted Maj. Married Freda M. Blunt, father of 3; served with Co. M, 125TH Inf. (possibly Michigan National Guard, Co. M was from nearby Owosso, MI); earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 31 Jul. '18 near Sergy, singlehandedly eliminated a machinegun; resided at Ingham, MI at '30 and '40 census. Married Esther Schrader at Milwaukee, WI on 20 Mar. ‘13, father of at least 1; graduated Marquette U. Med School in ‘14; established med. practice in WI, likely in or near Cazenovia, WI; commissioned 1st Lt., Med. Corps, and assigned to San. Det., 6TH Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard; assigned to Med. Det., 128TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; Alsace, Chateau Thierry, Juvigny, Meuse-Argonne, Army of Occupation; promoted Capt. in Apr. ‘19; discharged at Camp Grant, IL on 17 May ‘19; wife was active in Red Cross during the war; established practice at 3004 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, MN in Sep. ‘19; member of Hennepin Co. Med. Society, American Med. Assn., Lions Club, Automobile Club, Minneapolis Athletic Club, Minnetonka Golf Club. Graduated Northwestern H. S.; entered service 25 Apr. '17; Alsace, Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne, Army of Occupation; earned a U.S. citation; discharged on 24 May '19. He graduated St. Thomas Military Academy; attended U. of Mich. ca. '15-'17; completed First Officers' Training Camp at Ft. Logan H. Roots, AR, 19 May-15 Aug. '17, assigned to 1ST Co., and commissioned 2d Lt.; assigned to Co. G, 125TH Inf. on 1 Oct. '17; promoted 1st Lt. on 9 Nov. '17; assumed cmd. of Co. G ca. mid-Aug. '18; also earned Order of the White Rose of Finland; promoted Capt. on 3 Oct. '18; severely WIA 9 Oct. '18, shrapnel to lung, listed on 21 Dec. '18 casualty list; earned Purple Heart; evacuated to Base Hosp. No. 104; discharged at Base Hosp. No. 29, Ft. Snelling, MN, on 16 May '19; graduated U. of Minn., law, in '20; married Virginia Testman on 18 Jun. '24, father of 4; probate judge, Ontonagon Co., MI, '21-'24; prosecuting attorney, Ontonagon Co., MI, '25-'28 and '31-'32; asst. attorney gen. of MI, '33; U.S. Attorney, '33-'37; law office at 322 Shelden Ave., Houghton, MI; member of American Legion, Knights of Columbus, Elks. Enlisted in Co. E, 3D Oreg. Inf., Oregon National Guard; married Mildred M.; resided at 231 Bay Blvd., Newport, OR at '40 census. He enlisted in Michigan National Guard on 23 Jun. '16; likely served during Mexican Border Crisis; served with Co. G, 126TH Inf.; earned Silver Star Citation for his actions 28 Jul. '18 on the Vesle River, assumed cmd. after co. cdr. wounded (the Div. didn't enter front line in that sector until evening of 29 Jul., actual date is more likely 1 Aug., when 1st Lt. Donald C. McMillan was WIA or 4 Aug., when 2d Lt. Irving L. Kinkle was WIA); attained rank of 1st Sgt. before being commissioned 2d Lt. at some point after Oise-Aisne; transferred to Co. A, 139TH Inf., 35TH Div.; SN 280271; discharged 1 May '19. Son of William and Ottilie (Ottelia) (Zamzo) Draheim, both German immigrants; family moved to Beaver Dam, WI in ‘89; enlisted in Co. K, 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, Beaver Dam, WI; served during Mexican Border Crisis; promoted to Sgt.; mobilized with the unit again on 15 Jul. ‘17; likely assigned to Co. D or Co. M, 127TH Inf., when 32D Div. was organized; SN 283727; transferred to Co. D, 128TH Inf.; received $234 Wis. service recognition bonus ca. ‘20, larger than most; served with post-war WNG; 1st Lt. in Co. E, 128TH Inf., Beaver Dam, WI, when it received federal recognition on 11 Dec. ‘20 during post-war reorganization of 32D Div.; attended Inf. School, Camp Benning, GA ‘21-‘22; married Stella, father of 4; member of John E. Miller Post No. 146 of American Legion, Beaver Dam, WI; at least 3 brothers served with the same unit, initially, Pvt. Arthur O., WNG, likely 127TH Inf, 1st Lt. George E., WNG, Co. D, 127TH Inf., Sgt. Hugo F., WNG, transferred to Co. I, 44TH Inf., 13TH Div.; at least 2 brothers served during Spanish-American War, Pvt. Paul W., 2D Wis. Inf., Albert R. W., Co. K, 2D Wis. Inf. Also earned Distinguished Service Cross, posthumously, for his actions 31 Aug. '18 near Juvigny. He earned Silver Star Citation for his actions 4 Aug. '18 near St. Gilles, rescued wounded Soldier under fire. Son of James Crawford and Ida (May) Dry, father NoK, Richfield, NC; married Georgia F. Rogers at Ridenhour, NC on 21 May '14, preceded him in death; married Nellie Misenheimer, father of Wofford A. Dry, Jr.; served with Co. C, 107TH Fld. Sig. Bn.; earned Croix de Guerre; KIA 29 Aug. '18, strafed by German plane; listed on 21 Oct. '18 casualty list; interred at New Mount Tabor United Methodist Church Cemetery, Stanly Co., NC; son served in Army during WWII. Earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions 1 Sep. '18. He attended Assumption College '88-'93 (Sandwich, Ont.), St. Jerome's College '93-'94 (Kitchener, Ont.), and St. Mary's Seminary '94-'98 (Baltimore, MD); elected mayor of Lapeer, MI in spring of '12 (supposedly the only priest elected mayor of a city up to that time); bestowed with Mich. Medal for Bravery for his efforts during a small-pox epidemic at Lapeer, MI; commissioned and assigned Chaplain of 2D Mich. Inf., Michigan National Guard, in '07; his unit was sent to UP in '12 during labor unrest in the copper mines, he conducted service in a nearby church where he met some Native Americans who presented him with an old chalice, they purported that Father Pére Jacques Marquette had given it to their ancestors for safekeeping in the 1660s, Dunigan bequeathed it to the Manresa Jesuit Retreat House in Bloomfield Hills, MI, some are convinced it was used by Father Marquette, others acknowledge it is old, but not old enough (it was used to celebrate Marquette U. High School's 150th anniversary in '07); promoted Capt. on 9 Sep. '14; served during Mexican Border Crisis; assigned Chaplain of 126TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized; earned Distinguished Service Cross for his actions as Chaplain 31 Jul. & 1-4 Aug. '18 near Sergy; after Aisne-Marne he described how “thirty members of a band wore gas masks while transporting wounded from the battlefield. They went twenty-four hours without food. The men were under the command of John W. Rickert of Grand Rapids.”; bestowed Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (French Legion of Honor), Presidential Decree of 24 Oct. '19; WIA, gassed, 1 Aug. '18 near Cierges; detailed as Div. Burial Off. 15 Sep. '18; assigned Chaplain of 32D Div. Div. on 13 Dec. '18; later transferred to HQ, V Corps.; served as senior Chaplain of Third Army with Army of Occupation; promoted to Maj. at some point; received at least 1 of his Croix de Guerre from Gen. Mangin at Rengsdorf, Germany on 13 Apr. '19; continued to serve as Chaplain of 126TH Inf. after the war; his DSC was presented to him by Maj. Gen. William C. Haan, former 32D Div. cdr., in a ceremony at Flint, MI in May '23; appointed Monsignor in May '23 by Pope Pius XI; bestowed with Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by U. of Detroit on 8 Jun. '23; held pastorates at Detroit, Argyle, Croswell, Lapeer, and Flint; Mich. State Police Chaplain '32-'34; member of Elks, Knights of Columbus, Flint Country club, American Legion and VFW; namesake of Msgr. Patrick R. Dunigan Council 695 of Knights of Columbus at Flint, MI and Msgr. Patrick R. Dunigan Assembly No. 510 of Knights Of Columbus at Grand Blanc, MI.

2019-04-22T16:10:09Z

http://www.32nd-division.org/history/ww1/cdg-ww1/CdG-32ww1(A-D).html

Many people are jumping all over Piketty's claim that r>g implies growing inequality. I'm going to leave that alone, but I do want to make some points that may or may not be relevant. Many years ago, Joan Robinson suggested that workers are exploited to the extent that capitalists consume more than zero! Here's why: she 's assuming workers save nothing, so the savings rate will be arK/Y. where a is the rate at which capitalists save. Since the long-run value for K/Y is the net savings rate divided by g, the growth rate -this is one of Piketty's fundamental laws and is trivial to establish- we then have, in the long run K/Y =(arK/Y)/g, or r =g/a. So when capitalists live on air, a=1 and r=g. If capitalists consume anything, a falls short of 1 and r>g. And here's the key: r=g is needed to satisfy the Golden Rule: steady-state consumption is maximized for the representative generation only when r=g. If you are familiar with the overlapping generations model - the canonical articles, especially Gale (1973)- you know that this is right. Many people note that r less than g is inefficient. But most characterize r greater than or equal to g as efficient. And it's true, if r strictly exceeds g, we have efficiency. But the reason for the efficiency is that moving towards the golden rule would require harming the initial old generation. Every other generation, however, will be better off both transitionally and in the golden rule steady state. And what's more - see Gale and also Diamond (1965) - the harm to the initial old can be made arbitrarily small. I think people don't make this point because they've bought the infinitely-lived agent nonsense, or the Barrovian dynastic equivalent, where the optimal r is the rate of time preference. But as Gale made a point of noting, in an over-lapping generations frame-work, time preference is irrelevant! We need r=g for optimality. Robinson, as usual, was right! "Finally, there is McArdle’s dubious takedown of Snicket’s statistics. By now, Snicket’s controversial equation “r>g,” where r = points per game from center Nicklas Backstrom and g = penalty minutes/100 for winger Tom Wilson, has become something of a mantra in left-wing circles. McArdle responds with her own equation, which seems much less convincing– s = (bs – epst)*hyk, where s stands for success, bs for number of bootstraps, epst exposure to public school teachers, and hyk the Coefficient of Hayek. While I appreciate McArdle’s focus on hard work, this seems to do little to address the book’s real thesis." I'm damned if can put the link in, but look around and you'll find the whole thing! Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan have just signed an agreement to have a Eurasian customs union come into place this coming January, with trade barriers set to fall, "cooperation" claimed to move forward for leading sectors, and for workers to be able to freely move about from one nation to the other without work permits or visas for purposes of employment. This resembles agreements made in the past within what used to be known as the European Economic Community, now developed into the European Union. Ukraine was supposed to be part of this deal, but the overthrow of former President Yanukovich by Maidan Square demonstraters made that not happen, and newly elected President Poroshenko is unlikely to join, although he has expressed willingness to negotiate wiht Russian President Putin on various matters. I note that this moves forward Putin's effort to reconstitute at least a portion of the former Soviet Union in an economic and political group led by Russia. Led by Europe's most dictatorial leader, Alexander Lukashenka (or Lukashenko), Belarus has long been the most closely allied with Russia of any of the former other 14 republics, now nations. It is fourth in population of the former republics and I think also fourth in land area, although not quite sure about that last figure. Its economic system is probably the closest to that of the old Soviet Unon of any of the former republics, although it has a few rivals in Central Asia not part of this agreement. It has been quite economically stagnant since the end of the USSR, although higher in income than many of the former republics. Kazakhstan is second in land area and contains substantial energy resources. Like in non-member Uzbekistan, its leader, Nursultan Nazarbayev, is a full holdover from the Soviet era, a former member Communist Party chief of the republic at the time. All both of these leaders did was to change the name plates on their doors and replace their old party affiliations with newly created ones. Kazakhstan has had more success than Belarus in making successful changes in its economy and has substantially improved its economic standing, one of the better performers among the former republics, although its political system remains highly authoritarian, very much along the lines of what one finds in the other two nations in the new union. Where does all of this fit in to other groups and what are its prospects? One place it fits is with the larger Shanghai group that includes other former republics as well as China and Iran and a few other nations. This latter group is more of a political and military grouping, although as of now still very loose and more of a talking shop and designed to signal a degree of friendliness and lack thereof with respect to the US. I doubt there will be too much interaction between these two groups. More interesting will be to see which of the former Soviet republics might join, at least in the near future. The most immediate candidate appears to be Armenia, which has also long had relatively friendly relations with Russia, whom its leaders view as a protective big brother against such hostile neighbors as Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, all of which are not particularly friendly with Russia. Another possible near term candidate whose leader attended the signing ceremony, although he has not said anything about specifically about joining so far, is Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. Much smaller than either Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan has had a complicated post-Soviet history. It is on the Chinese border and reportedly Chinese economic influence has become very large there. At one point it was viewed as the most reformist and pro-US of the Central Asian nations, providing airfield support for the US military effort in Afghanistan. However, it has moved to becoming much more pro-Russian in recent years. It could easily join, but is a small and not very well-off nation. Among other former republics there is a range of attitudes towards Russia, with this likely being the main variable determining the interest or lack thereof in joining this new group, which will probably enjoy some increase in mutual trade and investment as a result of this agreement. Many of these attitudes are deeply entrenched and date back to the Soviet era. So, none of the Baltic nations are likely candidates, now all members of the EU, with two of them now also both using the euro and in NATO, namely Estonia and Latvia, although arguably Lithuania may be the most nationalist and anti-Russian of the three. Others that have been and are strongly anti-Russian and not likely to join are Georgia, which was invaded by Russia in 2008, and Azerbiajan, among the trans-Caucasian nations. Moldova, the lowest income nation in Europe, is also unlikely to join, given Russian support for the trans-Dniestrian republic that supports Russia and is carved out of Moldovan territory, with this autonomous republic probably the model for the still-asserting itself Donetsk Peoples' Republic in eastern Ukraine, with Ukraine not likely to join either, as already noted. The situation in Central Asia is somewhat more complicated. Kazakhstan is joining, while the third largest in population of the former republics (after Russia and Ukraine), Uzbekistan appears unlikely to do so. With its former Soviet official, Islam Karimov, in charge, he has gone back and forth in regard to his relations with Russia, currently on the not-so-friendly side, although that nation is part of the Shanghai group. Ironically, Uzbekistan is one of those most closely competing with Belarus for having an economic system that most closely resembles that of the former Soviety Union's, but it has always been run by local elites and been a source of major corruption, with the famous case of the nonexistent cotton mill under the USSR not existing in Uzebekistan. Finally, there are Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The former has long been the poorest of the former republics, dating from Soviet times, the extreme opposite of well-off and semi-Nordic Estonia. It could conceivably be a candidate to join this new grouping, but has so far made no moves to do so. As for Turkmenistan, it contains substantial natural gas reserves and has chosen a path almost like North Korea's in being extremely isolationist on almost all fronts and issues, using its gas to cut bilateral deals and otherwise keeps to itself in a highly authoritarian state. It also competes to be like the former USSR in its economic system, althoiugh more idiosyncratic, but with its current highly nationalist and isolationist approach, it is highly unlikely to join this new grouping. The New York Times on Carbon Cap-and-Trade: How Many Errors Can You Fit into a Single News Article? As I sit down to write this, I am daunted by the prospect of identifying and explaining every misconception, omission and distortion in this morning’s background piece, “A Price Tag on Carbon as a Climate Rescue Plan”. The sad, but liberating, truth is that I can’t take on most of them. Too much work, too little time. So let me pull out a few choice morsels. First a quick summary of the article itself. According to the Times, California has created the world’s best system for halting the steady increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They are giving away carbon permits to firms that produce carbon emissions, and firms can either use them, trade them to other firms, or emit without a permit if they pay for an approved project somewhere else (“offsets”). The long term plan is to switch to a system under which the permits would be sold, and controls are in place to ensure that carbon prices do not fluctuate too much. They currently go for $11 per ton of carbon equivalent, higher than the price of permits issued in Europe. Revenue from permit sales will go into alternative energy projects. The article quotes several economists extolling the California model, along with several natural scientists and environmental activists who think it is flawed but do not give any specific reasons. Here are just a few problems with the article out of many I could jump on. 1. $11 per ton is truly paltry. The implications should be spelled out. For instance, for simplicity let’s take the price of a gallon of gas in the US to be $4. According to the Congressional Budget Office, a carbon tax of $11/ton would translate to an 11 cent increase in gas prices, about 2.8%, and this is somewhat higher than the corresponding increase in other energy costs. A reasonable estimate of the long run price elasticity of demand for fossil fuels across the US economy is .5. So, being generous, we would get a decline in energy demand of a bit under 1.5% if the whole country were on the California plan. And this would be a one-time decline to a new, slightly lower level. (And one that doesn’t take into account population growth, economic growth or any other factor working in the opposite direction.) If you want to go lower you have to raise the tax. If by chance the US wanted to do its part to reach the IPCC’s carbon budget target, on the other hand, our demand would need to fall by about 5% per year, every year. In other words, there’s a gaping scale mismatch that a conscientious reporter would want to point out. 2. Handing out free permits is giving away money. Permits are valuable. If you give them to a firm and the firm sells them, that is a pure transfer. And who pays for it? Everyone who has to pay higher prices because they have permit costs built into them. OK, it’s not very much money because the system is so timid, but it’s the principle of the thing. 3. In fact, even if the permits are sold, the ultimate cost is paid by consumers. A carbon tax is simply a kind of value added tax (VAT). In itself it is highly regressive. If you used ordinary tax dollars from a neutral or slightly progressive tax system to pay for renewable energy, energy efficiency and other nice stuff, you would do much better. It is well known, on the other hand, that rebating carbon revenues on a per capita basis is highly progressive. 4. The biggest problem with the article is its celebration of offsets. It begins with a heart-warming story about a dairy farmer in Wisconsin who installed a methane digester with subsidies from California. Extra carbon, over and above the “cap” was allowed to be emitted because money was funneled to this biogas operation. The article was entirely credulous about all aspects of this transaction, but the story actually illustrates two of the key problems with carbon offsets. First, the offsets are supposed to adhere to the criterion of additionality, meaning that the project would not have occurred without the funding from the offset program. The article does in fact quote the farmer as saying he has long wanted to install a digester but the net cost was too high. However, without impugning anyone’s honesty, as a reporter I would have wanted to take a look at the economics myself—after all, many farmers have installed these systems without added subsidies. To be blunt, it is in the interest of the farmer to say that the offset money is needed in order to buy the digester; that’s how you get the money. More than that, even if subsidies are needed to jumpstart biogas operations, surely a lot of this has to do with the fact that natural gas prices are unnaturally low because they do not incorporate the externalities associated with fracking. (Or with climate change, for that matter.) Thus the subsidies achieve additionality only if other responsible environmental policies are not implemented. Go figure. Second, the offset racket is based everywhere on dubious carbon accounting. Think of it this way: the point of climate change mitigation is to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases. The vast majority of the increase in these gases is due to the extraction and burning of fossil fuels—the portion of the carbon that was in the earth’s atmosphere (or soils or other sinks) in long ago times and was gradually sequestered and buried beneath the earth. Since the dawn of the industrial revolution we have been on a crash program to undo hundreds of millions of years of earth history, and we have to stop. This is the yardstick by which all “mitigation” programs have to be measured. Does a methane digester, in itself, reduce fossil fuel extraction? No. It offers a renewable energy resource, but there is no reason to expect that the extra energy from cow poop will offset fossil fuels joule for joule. The most likely scenario is that this type of energy subsidy will increase total energy use, from fossil and renewable sources combined. Partial fuel substitution may be better than none, but the carbon accounting of the offset system assumes it’s complete. It gets more complicated, however. The cow poop that goes into the digester is derived, like all organic matter, indirectly from the photosynthesis of primary producers. By turning it into methane, we are shifting it from one pathway along the carbon cycle into another. That has ramifications for the whole cycle, however. If grain is grown for cows to eat, and the cows don’t return their droppings to the soil, some other source of fertilization will be required. A dairy operation that takes in feed on one end and turns out biogas on the other is just one piece of the larger cycle; applications needed to keep the soils devoted to grain productive is another linked piece. And the use of land to grow the grain that feeds the cows rather than growing some other crop that might have different carbon cycling implications (including other biogas feedstocks) is still another. Without turning this already too long blog post into an agroecology textbook, I can’t possibly disentangle all the carbon consequences of a feedlot-dairy-biogas operation. The one point that should be clear, however, is that the bottom line, whatever it is, has almost nothing to do with the carbon accounting framework of the offset administrators—it would be as murky to them as it is to me if they actually cared about it. Offsets are not about efficiency in climate change mitigation; they are a side payment to influential economic interests in order to buy their support for a cap-and-trade system. As such, they are more loophole than not. This is enough for one morning. There’s so much more, but it will have to wait. Did The European Parliament Elections Show That The European Union Is Doomed? There has been much moaning and wailing and gnashing of teeth in many quarters over the outcome of the European parliementary elections. In many nations nationalist anti-immigrant parties made substantial gains, and many observers have argued this shows general disaffection with the European Union. Supposedly Putin is overjoyed that parties led by people who admire him, such as Marine Le Pen and the National Front in France, and also like traditional values, have done so well. Does this mean The End Is Night For The EU? Probably not. Certainly there is much unhappiness out there in the EU. But the unpleasant results may not matter all that much nor indicate all that much. While the European parliament is gaining increased powers, it remains still largely toothless compared with national legislatures. Apathy is more what has been seen, with apparently a lower turnout than any previously. Angry voters wanting to "send a message" have turned out, but otherwise not much has happened, and the more centrist parties will remain in control there, despite what appear to be embarrassing results for those centrist parties in several nations. The other point, noticed by few observers and why I am shooting this off, is that amazingly enough the nations where we saw the biggest gains by these far right parties are not in the nations that have suffered the worst economic impacts from the euro crisis and Great Recession. The three that saw a far right party do the best of any part are UK, France, and Denmark. The UK is not even in the euro and its economic problems are due to its own policies, not the ECB or the EU more broadly. I have no particular explanation why France and Denmark showed their particular results, but note that Denmark is also not in the euro, and neither has been a particularly bad performer economically relative to other nations in the EU, despite much negative press coverage about France in particular. Indeed, as many commentators have recently noted, France's job performance has been arguably superior, or at least no worse, than that in the US. What may be surprising is that the nations where we have seen victories by overtly anti-EU parties have not included the PIIGS nations, with one exception, these being the nations where economic suffering has been the worst, with that suffering arguably due to some extent being in the eurozone and suffering from policies imposed by the dominant Germans through the ECB, and so on. The one exception is indeed the nation that has suffered the worst economic damage of all, Greece. And there, the party that won is the main opposition party, left-wing Syriza, not a racist anti-immigrant party like France's National Front. Indeed, it is not an anti-EU party at all. Its complaint is against the austerity policies noted above, perfectly understandable that there would be unhappiness there about those. What is amazing is that such parties did not do better in other of the more economically suffering nations rather than relatively well-off ones. So, there are certainly reasons to worry about some of the political trends and manifestations going on in Europe, but offhand they are not nearly as bad as some of the publicity associated with them, and in the end they say much less about the future viability of the EU or even the eurozone than many are claiming. Nobody should get all relaxed over this, but this is also not worthy of panicking over. "Traditionally, it is a fallacy of the economically naïve left -- for example, four years ago France's Socialist government tried to create more jobs by reducing the length of the workweek." Now that you've mentioned this fact, Paul, how about revisiting the cogency of the lump-of-labor fallacy claim? "Economists call it the "lump of labor fallacy." It's the idea that there is a fixed amount of work to be done in the world, so any increase in the amount each worker can produce reduces the number of available jobs. (A famous example: those dire warnings in the 1950's that automation would lead to mass unemployment.) As the derisive name suggests, it's an idea economists view with contempt, yet the fallacy makes a comeback whenever the economy is sluggish." In today's Washington Post, editorial page editor, Fred Hiatt, has a column under his own name entitled, "A critique of Obama catches on." The critique amounts to Obama being "too passive" in foreign policy, with this supposedly punctuated by the recent events in Ukraine, although there is not a shred of evidence that any action or lack thereof by Obama in the Middle East (Hiatt's main focus) would have deterred Putin from annexing Crimea and engaging in further games in Russia's near neighbors. Even having a couple of more ships in the Black Sea, which I would not have minded seeing and which Hiatt never mentioned, would not have made any difference on that, frankly. So, anyway, Hiatt gets to join a general bashing of Obama and completely botches it, making a total fool of himself. What is his case? He argues that Obama missed his chance to play like George H.W. Bush at the fall of the Berlin Wall, with "the most heartbreaking being the missed opportunity of the Arab Spring," even as Hiatt notes that he still has troops in Afghanistan and has droned after al Qaeda and the Taliban in Yemen and Pakistan and elsewhere, with many thinking there has been way too much of the latter. Hiatt pinpoints as where Obama should have done something two places: Iraq and Syria. For the former, he makes the absurd argument that the US should have kept troops in Iraq. This fails to notice that al-Maliki wanted us out totally and had been making this demand of Bush, Jr. prior to Obama becoming president. Was Obama supposed to insist on keeping our troops there over the virulent objection of the leader we supported to put in place there? In any case, while it is true that things have deteriorated in Iraq recently, the situation there has nothing to do with the Arab Spring. That did not remotely happen there, and the problems there reflect political mismanagement by al-Maliki, particularly his removal of any influence by Sunnis and outright repression of them. That this has now resulted in Sunnis in the western provinces becoming militarily active and supporting their fellow Sunnis in Syria is not at all surprising. But this has very little to do with either Obama or the Arab Spring. Of course, Hiatt can argue that this does relate to Syria and he has long argued that Obama bungled by not supporting the moderate opposition more strongly when he was asked earlier. Of course, he is supporting that opposition, but those who are unhappy claim he should have done more, provided lots of military equipment. Well, maybe, but there were mighty good reasons not to. The main problem was that even back then it was clear that the radical Sunni opposition was strong, quite likely stronger in the long run than the rather wimpy moderates who wanted help, and the memory of Islamist radicals in Afghanistan using US weapons against us was very vivid and real. It was reasonably felt that the Islamist radicals would get their hands on these weapons as well. That danger only seems greater as time goes on, and although I dislike the Assad regime and he has clearly been bloodthirsty and thuggish, he looks better than the Sunni opposition. And, while there may have been some violations, it looks like the process of getting Assad's chemical weapons destroyed is on track, although Hiatt does not mention this. So, arguably the uprising in Syria began as part of the Arab Spring and is now stalled out, but the events in Iraq have nothing to do with it. What about the rest of the Arab world and nearby countries? Well, the Arab Spring began in Tunisia. After some hiccups, that is one nation where the hopes initiated with it look to maybe actually coming to pass. A more democratic and open regime is now in place. The US role there has been to stay on the sidelines and provide quiet support. Looks like a success, pretty much, although Hiatt has nothing to say about that. One of those is Yemen. The former regime was in fact replaced by a new one, although apparently not much different from the old one. As Hiatt notes, there is an ongoing drone war there with al-Qaeda. What exactly was Obama supposed to do there that he did not? Hiatt does not say, and, again, many think he is doing too much right now with the drones. The other biggies are Egypt and Libya. Egypt has certainly turned out to be a central disappointment, but it is not at all clear what the US could have done to improve things there, particularly given the deep alliance the US has with Israel, who did not want too much upsetting of the established order there. Mubarak was overthrown and the US supported democratic elections, which, as forecast by many for years, led to a victory by the Ikhwan, the Muslim Brotherhood. Now, they had a chance to play fair and make things go right, and the US was providing support for them, despite unease on the part of many. But they stepped too far and repressed too many, which led to a military coup supported by many who had supported overthrowing Mubarak. So, we are back to Square One there, although now with a younger military dictator than previously. Yes, very disappointing, but I have to say I do not see Hiatt mentioning anything that Obama could have done to bring about a better outcome, and I can think of nothing. There is also Libya, which I discussed in a post yesterday. I shall go further than I did then and say that I think Obama handled that very well with his middle of the road "lead from behind" strategy. Unfortunately, although those officially in charge there are very pro-US, the situation is completely disorganized and chaotic, with the Benghazi! situation completely dominating all discussions in the US to the point of absurdity. But, looking past that and recognizing that the place is very much a mess, in some ways it is a success of the Arab Spring, with a dictatorship overthrown, even if the government that has followed has not been able to establish its authority. What is there is in fact fairly democratic. Not as bad as most think, really. Finally, there is the matter of Israel-Palestine. I do not want to get into a broader discussion of this, and Hiatt does not mention it all. Indeed, the current view is that this is a big failure of Obama's and Kerry's. There they went, trying to bring about a peace accord against the advice of all the hawks and many others., shame on them. And they failed, just as all these wise pundits predicted. Hot stuff. But Hiatt's complaint is that Obama was not doing anything and only making minimal "hitting singles" moves. Offhand, I would say that this failed effort was exactly not that, if not related directly related to the Arab Spring. They went for a final settlement, a very ambitious goal, in the face of long odds. Their effort failed, but it was not for want of trying. Sneering at this effort while whining that Obama has not been trying anything daring strikes me as the height of hypocrisy. But then, Fred Hiatt has never been exactly fully consistent in his arguments. Chapter 5: Vietnam: Invitation to a Morass. The Matrix is an exploration of the intricate relationships between war, the economy, and economic thinking. Because of the complexity of our subject, we have tried to make our exploration more manageable by organizing our analysis around a simplified matrix, consisting of the natural world upon which life depends, together with the and three man-made subjects mentioned in the title, treated as separate pillars. Throughout history, the interrelations between these relationships have proved to be extremely dangerous, largely because of their paradoxical nature in which seemingly people in power confidently take actions that set off unexpected chain reactions with tragic consequences. The Matrix will explore that history in order to throw light upon the present. Although people had already thought about economic matters in ancient times, the idea of an economy as a separate sphere of society had not yet developed. Instead, economic thinking was largely the domain of philosophers, such as Adam Smith, who was a professor of moral philosophy. Only later did economics become a separate subject of study. By the late 19th century, a few economists were beginning to frame their work as the science of economics ‑‑ a name intended to indicate an affinity with physics. Soon thereafter, supposedly scientific economic thinking acquired increasing authority, so much so that people often became convinced that they could disregard economic analysis at their own peril. Their fear may not have been well‑placed considering how often well‑regarded economic theories helped to create disasters. Not holding another hearing in the US House of Representatives to investigate who determined or approved of Susan Rice's talking points for a Sunday morning TV talk show in Fall 2012, which represented CIA views, and which in fact were pretty close to the facts, that the attack on the State Department building (not really a consulate) and the CIA building there was inspired by the video that had set off riots in many other Muslim cities around the world, most dramatically in Cairo a few hours earlier. It is taken for granted by those on the committee, and even many Democrats, that this claim was false, but it now appears to be substantially true, although the CIA and Ansar-es-Shariah had been engaging in a covert battle for some months in the city, which the CIA wished to cover up at the time of Rice's testimony (the anger over which led to being removed as a candidate to become Secretary of State due to Congressional opposition). So, out of all the many hearings on Benghazi, I have lost count, what has Congress done? They have cut funding for security at US diplomatic facilities around the world. Can anybody justify this? No. They have also made it virtually impossible for the US to aid either the central government or the authorities in Benghazi itself in any substantial way whatsoever, because of, well, Benghazi! This in spite of the fact that both the central Libyan government, such as it is, and the local government in Benghazi, are massively pro-US, among the most pro-US in the entire Arab world. But neither has effective control, not the central government over the nation nor the local government in Benghazi over the groups that in fact carried out the attack on the US facilities there. We cannot help them because, well, Benghazi! I recognize that it is far from clear that the US government handled the Libyan situation correctly. In the end, the Obama admistration effectively took a middle of the road stance with its "leading from behind" strategy there, with Republicans criticizing the administration both for doing anything at all as well as not for going in full force in a "leading from the front" approach, with certain politicians (Sen. Lindsey Graham comes to mind) actually making both criticisms within the same paragraph of a given speech. It is easy to forget that the US did not initiate the movement against Gaddhafi, who had become much friendlier to the US in recent years after giving up his nascent nuclear weapons program a decade or so ago. The impetus came from the Arab League, led at the time by Amr Moussa of Egypt, a fan of the now defunct "Arab Spring," who was hoping to ride this to the presidency of Egypt, something that did not remotely come to pass. But with the Arab League going after Gaddhafi, that got the UN Security Council on board, with Russia and China abstaining on the anti-Gaddhafi resolutions, which were followed by the active military involvement of Britain and France, along with some token input from a few Arab nations such as Qatar, and backup support from the US. One can argue that later there was not enough security provided in Benghazi, but it can also be argued that there was not (and still is not) enough security provided for the much more important embassy in Tripoli. Who knows? But if there was not enough security (which clearly there was not), Congress's subsequent cutting of funds for diplomatic security have not helped at all. In the meantime a local military leader in Benghazi, Khalifa Haftar, is leading a Libyan National Army group (an old rebel group) against Ansar-es-Shariah and other Islamist groups in Benghazi, but without the support of the central government, and with the Speaker of the Parliament accusing him of wanting to foment a military coup. Up to 43 people have died with the fighting in Benghazi, which is still going on, with apparently little to zero input from either the US or Tripoli. Certainly the forthcoming hearings, apparently designed mostly to try to embarrass Hillary Clinton, will be completely irrelevant to whatever ends up happening on the ground in the actually existing Benghazi that is there beyond the imaginings of Fox News and others who are now so obsessed with the idea of the place, Benghazi! In the wake of Piketty, “inequality” is in. But it comes marinated in confusion. The problem is that there are two inequalities with relatively little in common. The one we had been arguing about for several decades is wage inequality. Most pay has stagnated in the US, while a few occupations, like finance, have seen stupendous rewards. Within the professions, a few superstars are making oodles while the rest are left to envy. There has been a big debate: is it about “human capital”? Winner-take-all? Deunionization, deregulation and political derepresentation? But a second inequality has appeared on the scene: the growing share of income going to capital rather than labor. This is Piketty's issue, the topic of his book. There is actually little overlap between them. Inequality I is about the division of labor income, inequality II the falling share of labor income overall. Inequality I is about the 99% versus the 1%; inequality II is about the 1% of the 1% (the top .0001) versus everyone else. The reason I'm writing this is that the current discussion mixes up these two inequalities, with the result that #2 is ignored. The first inequality is the one we think we understand, so we try to squeeze Piketty into it. But he doesn't fit. But it is not merely that they misuse their time; the main evil is that they are taught by the Unions that it is only by deliberate idleness and shirking of work that they can force up wages. From "The Working Man As He Is." The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art, April 1, 1876. "When a reduction of hours was first proposed, a great deal was said about the working-man’s need of leisure to improve his mind, and the increased energy which he would put into such work as he did; but experience has shown very different results. It is certainly not surprising that ignorant men should not all at once appreciate the value of intelligent study or recreation, and it might be hoped that, in the course of time, they would make a better use of their new-found leisure. But it is not merely that they misuse their time; the main evil is that they are taught by the Unions that it is only by deliberate idleness and shirking of work that they can force up wages. Many of the men have, no doubt, a love of idleness for its own sake, and when this is indulged it grows terribly, and is shaken off with difficulty; but the majority decline to work more than a short time, not so much from a dislike of labour as with the object of making labour artificially scarce, and, as they think, consequently dear. Within certain limits this may perhaps be accomplished, but these limits have long been overpassed; and what the workingman has to consider is whether he will be content with a small income for little work, or whether he will do enough work to yield a satisfactory income. From every part of the country, and in regard to every branch of industry, we hear the same complaint that the industrial power of the nation is more or less paralysed by the caprices of the men. Not only are shorter hours insisted on, but during the hours of supposed work the great object is to take care that as little as possible shall be done. A good day’s work, as it was once known, is never heard of. The men dawdle about in the factory during their comparatively brief attendance, and take continual holidays. In some trades it is scarcely possible even for the most liberal masters to get their hands to stick steadily to work. As soon as they have got a little money, they go off to spend it, and come back in distress. They are quiet and subdued for a little while, recover their spirits as they find themselves once more in funds, and then off they go on other bouts of dissipation. It is impossible that such men can be good workmen. They have no heart in their work, and are constantly being corrupted by their bad habits and dishonourable evasion of honest labour. "It must not be supposed that we are drawing a sweeping indictment against a whole class of men, or that we attribute the misconduct which is gradually gaining ground among the labouring population to some inherent immorality on their part. There are, no doubt, still workmen who would be glad to secure a stable position for themselves and families by steady continuous work; but they too suffer from the spirit which is spreading among their class, and which is deliberately cultivated by the Trade-Unions." Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century has commandeered our intellectual conversation in a way no other book has in recent years. You're probably thinking everyone has weighed in on it. Wrong. Today, we're posting a sneak preview of our Summer issue -- our review of Piketty, by Lawrence H. Summers. The former Treasury secretary, one of our most distinguished economists, offers a comprehensive take on Piketty's arguments. While he has "serious reservations" about Piketty's theories as a guide to understanding inequality, he believes that his study of the phenomenon amounts to a "Nobel Prize-worthy contribution." Our Summer issue hits newsstands in June. You can look forward to new essays from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former Sen. Harris Wofford, E.J. Dionne Jr., Cristina Rodríguez, Paul Starr, Todd Gitlin, and Rachel Kleinfeld. As always, thank you for reading." I'm not sure how "comprehensive" Lawrence Summers's take on Piketty's arguments is. Inequality has "microfoundations" to use the "dry technocratic prose of most contemporary academic economists." And those microfoundations have been both concealed by the technocratic prose and reinforced by the resulting policy advice of academic economists, prominently including Dr. Summers. Nearly a century ago, Thorstein Veblen offered insights into one important mechanism underlying the concentration of wealth that he termed "industrial sabotage" or the "conscientious withdrawal of efficiency" by business. The basic idea is that the pursuit of maximum pecuniary gain is not the same thing as maximizing output of product. Veblen's intuition is compatible with the neoclassical analysis of imperfect competition, but, as Warren Samuels noted twenty years ago, the dry technocratic academic economists who developed theories about efficiency wages and equilibrium unemployment didn't seem to care that the "shirking" they contemplated was entirely one-sided. Lawrence Summers was among those self-styled "New Keynesians." There is much, much more to say about these "microfoundations." I have explored them in a series of blog posts at EconoSpeak titled "Microfoundations of Inequality and Sabotage." "In sum, these models [efficiency wage] provide a new, consistent, and plausible microfoundation for a Keynesian model of the cycle." -- Janet Yellen (1984). Inequality and Sabotage, explored the relationship between Thomas Piketty's "r > g" inequality and speculated, based on Veblen (1921) and Kalecki (1943), that businesses would pursue r > g efficiencies but oppose r < g efficiencies. Canny Ca'Canny, presented a hypothetical case study examining the relationship between wages, output and hours of work under imperfect competition for a firm with some degree of monopsony power to dictate wages and hours. Scoundrel Time, documented the pejorative one-sidedness, noted earlier by Warren Samuels, of the propositions about "shirking" in the efficiency wage literature and, most recently, The Sticky Wages of Sin reviewed criticisms of the efficiency wage hypothesis that make explicit its peculiarly inverted relationship to Marx's theory of the industrial reserve army. In common with the efficiency wage hypothesis, Kalecki saw unemployment as playing a key role in maintaining "discipline in the factories." Unlike the efficiency wage theorists, though, Kalecki underscored the political dimension of this discipline. Conspicuously missing from the mainstream discussion of efficiency wages and shirking is the fact that work effort is composed of both intensive and extensive dimensions. That is to say, a worker might work twice as hard for half as long and produce the same amount of output. Or half as hard for twice as long. Labor productivity is calculated by dividing total output by the number of hours worked. Edmund Phelps (1992) gives a slight nod in this direction when he offers "on-the-job leisure" as a less pejorative substitute for "shirking." If higher wages can act as a deterrent to "on-the-job leisure" why wouldn't the provision of greater off-the-job leisure perform the same feat? Robert LaJeunesse (1999) proposed just such an "efficiency week" hypothesis but there appear to have been few takers among the mainstream. The only source that cites him in connection with the Shapiro/Stiglitz hypothesis (Ferguson, 2004) curtly turns to other issues with the disclaimer that LaJeunesse's argument about reducing the hours of work increasing effort and output, "will not be pursued here." Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm for an efficiency workweek model reflects mainstream adherence to the "canonical" labor-leisure choice model of labor supply in which the hours worked are the choice of the individual worker? Paradoxically, in such a model, the wage would have a considerable effect on workers' preferences, depending on the relative strengths of income and substitution effects. Furthermore, in the labor-leisure choice model, unemployment is treated as a voluntary preference for more leisure. The approach of Shapiro & Stiglitz (1984) is formulated around a ‘no shirking’ condition, with dismissal from current employment being the consequence of being caught ‘shirking’: it is the threat of dismissal and the loss of employment, not the ‘threat’ of working fewer hours, in this instance, which deters shirking. In a similar vein, the ‘cost of job loss’ approach (Bowles, 1985), as its title indicates, is based on job loss, and not on fewer hours worked. Here fortunately it is possible to be brief. The days are gone when it was necessary to combat the naïve assumption that the connection between hours and output is one of direct variation, that it is necessarily true that a lengthening of the working day increases output and a curtailment diminishes it. Systematic study of the conditions of efficiency has abundantly vindicated the view, which after all is not very sophisticated, that, if we wish to maximise daily output, just as it is possible to work too little, so it is also possible to work too much. In "The Economic Effects of Variations of Hours of Labour" Robbins investigated the consequences, not the causes, of a change in the length of the working day, assuming such a change occurs. One scenario that Robbins discussed is of particular interest. It is the case of wages and hours fixed by collective bargaining, which in effect, Robbins maintains, "is only a simple application of the general theory of monopoly." Instead of the price accommodating itself to the given supply so that the actual quantity demanded clears the market, the amount demanded accommodates itself to the price that is fixed. For our purpose here, we can ignore the stipulation that the wages and hours be fixed by "collective bargaining" and extrapolate Robbins's conclusions equally to the consequences of wages and hours unilaterally fixed by an employer with some monopoly power. Except, of course, the outcome for the firm will be the inverse of the outcome for the union members. Robbins assumes first an agreement by workers to lengthen their working day and accept a reduction of hourly wages that keeps the daily wage constant. He argues that the resulting level of employment would vary according to the elasticity of demand for labor. At elasticity equal to unity, employment would remain constant. If elasticity is greater than one then "employment will be increased (or profits will rise); if it is less, it will be diminished." …it is not difficult to show that in certain cases a lengthening of the working day with increasing output must result in lower wages per head than would have prevailed if the day had not been lengthened… The popular belief that, if hours are lengthened, a fall in wages can always be averted or at least diminished, is only true when certain conditions are satisfied. Clearly we are a long way here from the harmony we found existing between individual income and output. A group which puts more into the common pool may be compelled to take out less, and a group which diminishes the size of the pool may receive an enhanced share. Conveniently, Robbins didn't happen to notice that there is an intermediary -- the employer -- between the group and the "common pool." The extent to which an employer can arbitrage the discrepancy between the more the group puts in and the less it takes out is indeterminate but clearly depends on the employer's monopoly (monopsony) power. This, remember, is for the case in which an increase in working time results in an increase in output, although not necessarily proportionate. At the beginning of his article, Robbins cited S.J. Chapman's "Hours of Labour" as authoritative on the technical, legal, economic and subjective factors that determine the hours of work. But there is another aspect of Chapman's article that bears directly on Robbins's point that a lengthening of the working day doesn't necessarily increase output, nor does a curtailment necessarily diminish it. Chapman's analysis goes further than that to conclude that, under competition, the hours of labour will tend to be set in excess of those that maximize output. That "under competition" is an important disclaimer. Whether the hours set under imperfect competition will be too long, too short or just right is indeterminate. If not compelled by competition, state regulation, collective bargaining or ignorance, why would an employer set hours of work that were longer than optimal for output? I am arguing that maintaining overly long hours is a strategy to maintain both an artificial scarcity of product and an artificial surplus of labor inputs. On one side, by limiting output, the seller with some monopoly power can keep prices high and thus maximize marginal revenue. On the other side, by setting longer hours, the employer can, under certain conditions, enforce lower wages and thus minimize costs. Those certain conditions are that the employer exercises some monopsony power in the labor market and that the elasticity of demand for labor is less than one. Robbins might have had something like this possibility in mind when he cautioned, "Deliberately to recommend an increase of hours when the conditions of demand are not elastic is either very ignorant or very Machiavellian." Robbins did not elaborate on his "Machiavellian" inference. Instead, he launched into a soliloquy aimed at the folly of arguing "from the possible success for a group of a policy of restriction to the probable success for society as a whole of a similar policy." As usual, it is labor, not business, that Robbins assumes to be the culprit in such policies of restriction. With all due respect to Machiavelli, "Machiavellian" has come to be almost as pejorative a term as shirker. To ease up on the casting of aspersions, I propose to designate the necessity for slack a matter of "design tolerance." The variability of markets requires a flexible response. Since the source of the difficulty is external to the firm, naturally the entrepreneur would prefer to also externalize the cost of responding to it. How might "on-the-job leisure" (to use Phelps's euphemism for idleness) be strategically imposed by management, at the expense of workers, with the objective of a “conscientious withdrawal of efficiency”? See Canny Ca'Canny for an illustration. Note: the link above to S.J. Chapman's "Hours of Labour" takes you to a thirteen-part series posted to EconoSpeak in November of 2008. The full article is also available as a pdf file, Missing: The strange disappearance of S. J. Chapman's theory of the hours of labour. See also The Hours of Labour and the Problem of Social Cost. Samuel Bowles (1985) "The production process in a competitive economy: Walrasian, neo-Hobbesian, and Marxian Models," American Economic Review, 75, pp. 16-36. Sydney J. Chapman (1909) "Hours of Labour." The Economic Journal, 19: 75 , pp. 353-373. William D. Ferguson (2004) "Worker Motivation, Wages, and Bilateral Market Power in Nonunion Labor Markets." Eastern Economic Journal, 30: 4, pp. 527-547. Michal Kalecki (1943) "Political Aspects of Full Employment." Robert M. LaJeunesse (1999) "Toward an Efficiency Week." Challenge, 42: 1, pp. 92-109. Edmund S. Phelps (1992) "Consumer Demand and Equilibrium Unemployment in a Working Model of the Customer-Market Incentive-Wage Economy." The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 107: 3, pp. 1003-1032. Malcolm Sawyer and David Spencer (2010) "Labour Supply, Employment and Unemployment in Macroeconomics." Review of Political Economy, 22: 2, pp. 263-279. Carl Shapiro and Joseph E. Stiglitz (1984) "Equilibrium Unemployment as a Worker Discipline Device." The American Economic Review, 74: 3, pp. 433-444. Lionel Robbins (1929) "The Economic Effects of Variations of Hours of Labour." The Economic Journal, 39: 153, pp. 25-40. Janet L. Yellen (1984) "Efficiency Wage Models of Unemployment." The American Economic Review, 74: 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Ninety-Sixth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association, pp. 200-205. "Only now can one fully understand the effrontery of these apologists." -- Karl Marx, Capital. "Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it is just the reverse." -- Polish joke (cited by J. K. Galbraith in Journey to Poland and Yugoslavia, 1958). David Spencer (2002) and Aaron Pacitti (2011) have each observed similarities between the efficiency wage explanation for equilibrium unemployment (Shapiro and Stiglitz, 1984) and Marx's theory of the reserve industrial army. "In a sense," writes Spencer, "the debate has come full circle. Marx’s reserve army of labour, it seems, is alive and well and still operates to discipline resistant workers." "Efficiency wage models arrive at the same conclusion," Pacitti argues, "but for reasons altogether different than those suggested by Marx." Because the efficiency wage model indicates an inverse relationship between the unemployment rate and the wage premium needed to discourage shirking, the hypothesis, "strengthens Marx's conclusion that unemployment will lead to lower wages, albeit through a different channel." Both Spencer and Pacitti are critical of the efficiency wage hypothesis, as are Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot (1994) and Warren Samuels (1994). Robert LaJeunesse (2004) cites Samuels's criticism of the asymmetrical treatment of shirking by the neoclassical mainstream and elaborates on Veblen's more balanced analysis of sabotage by both management and labor. Spencer mentions in a footnote the incongruity of earlier economists viewing low wages as a necessary spur to work effort "to combat the labourer’s high demand for leisure and to maintain labour discipline." He also mentions in passing that "workers may deliberately slow down the pace of their work as a defensive reaction against the threat of unemployment." Spencer neglected to mention, however, that indignation at such "restriction of output" by workers was a perennial motif of businessmen, economists and editorialists in their exasperated denunciations of a supposed lump-of-labor fallacy. These accusations were the context for Elizabeth Gurley Flynn's I. W. W. pamphlet, Sabotage, that served as an inspiration for Veblen's (1921) discussion of the "conscientious withdrawal of efficiency" by business. "Sabotage..." wrote Flynn, "is a very old thing, called by the Scotch 'ca canny.' All intelligent workers have tried it at some time or other when they have been compelled to work too hard and too long." If this labour-economics stood alone, it might be dismissed as shortsighted partisanship. But put by its side the corresponding doctrine and practice of employers, embodied in the economics of trusts and combinations. What is the directly impelling motive for the formation of most of these capitalist combines? The avoidance of 'cut-throat competition.' And what else is this than a recognition of a tendency of unregulated capitalism in an industry to produce goods faster than the market can and does expand to receive them, at a price adequate to cover costs of production? In other words, combination for restriction of output is the capitalist alternative to over-production, congestion and stoppage. Orthodox economic theory has thus come full circle, from viewing low wages as a prod to work effort and shirking as a misguided response by workers to the threat of unemployment to theorizing high wages as an incentive for work effort and unemployment as an employers' disciplinary device to discourage shirking. One element has remained constant, though: it is the workers who are presumed to sin against productivity. Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot (1994) "The Logic of Contested Exchange." Journal of Economic Issues, 28, pp. 1091–1114. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1916) Sabotage. I. W. W. John A. Hobson (1922) The Economics of Unemployment. Robert M. Lajeunesse (2004)"Keeping Labor Productive: Veblen's notion of reserve capacity and procyclical productivity analysis." Journal of Economic Issues, 38:3, pp. 611-627. Aaron Pacitti (2011) "Efficiency Wages, Unemployment, and Labor Discipline." Journal of Business & Economics Research, 9:3, pp. 1-10. Warren J. Samuels (1994) "On 'Shirking' and 'Business Sabotage': A Note." Journal of Economic Issues, 28:4, pp. 1249-1255. Carl Shapiro and Joseph E. Stiglitz (1984) "Equilibrium Unemployment as a Worker Discipline Device." The American Economic Review, 74:3, pp. 433-444. David A. Spencer (2002) "Shirking the Issue? Efficiency wages, work discipline and full employment." Review of Political Economy, 14:3, 313-327. Thorsten Veblen (1921) The Engineers and the Price System. Under imperfect competition, according to a 1960s Samuelson textbook, "The canny seller contrives an artificial scarcity of his product so as not to spoil the price he can get on the earlier pre-marginal unit." The obvious corollary to this rule is that the canny employer of labor who has some monopsony power contrives an artificial surplus of labor inputs so as to restrain labor costs. The old textbook deftly manages to evade that implication and instead treats wages and hours of work as if they were determined by perfect competition and worker preferences for income or leisure, unless disturbed by the monopolistic practices of collective bargaining. I'm guessing the omission is sustained in current textbooks. Something interesting happens, though, if we depart from the fairy tale about perfectly competitive setting of wages and hours of work and consider what might happen where the employer has considerable latitude in such matters. Keeping in mind the firm's objective is to maximize profits (not maximize output) a longer than optimal-for-output working day may offer attractive prospects. Table 1, below, presents a hypothetical case in which an eight-hour day would be optimal for output. That is to say, over the long period in this scenario, working a longer day than eight hours would subtract from potential physical output due to fatigue or "systematic soldiering." The scenario assumes that workers are identically productive and work the same number of hours. Compensation is based on output per day. The hourly rate is thus arrived at by dividing the daily compensation by the number of hours in the workday. As Table 1 shows, to achieve approximately the same output in a day, the fewest workers are required if an eight-hour day is worked. The number of workers required increases with either an increase or a decrease in the hours of work because daily output per worker declines in either direction. Now compare the eight-hour day and the nine-hour day. Daily pay per worker for the nine-hour day is almost the same as for the eight-hour day. There are only two additional workers required to produce approximately the same output. But there is nearly a 15% increase in the number of hours supplied. That's 118 more hours per day to deal with such contingencies as late deliveries, equipment breakdowns, coverage of lunch and coffee breaks, shift changes and absenteeism. Although, there is no overtime premium in the calculation, this could easily be accommodated by dividing the daily compensation by, for example, nine and a half hours instead of nine. Thus for a nine hour day, pay would be $15.08 for the first eight hours and $22.62, "time and a half for overtime" for the ninth hour. In our example, those 118 hours cost the employer ten bucks -- or less than a dime an hour. Such a deal! Moments are indeed the elements of profit. A ten-hour schedule would provide even more slack time but would result in a much reduced hourly rate and daily income in addition to increases in per-employee fixed costs. In the event of layoffs, there's also a 10% greater cost reduction per layoff for the nine-hour day than the ten-hour day. Remember, the employer's power to set wages and hours is not absolute. The example in Table 1 makes it plain that although the maximum output per worker per day may be achieved in fewer hours, an extension of the working day beyond that output optimum offers greater flexibility to the employer to alter the rate and volume of output in response to external conditions, especially if the cost of providing that flexibility is borne by the workers, either through layoffs or through imposed, unpaid "on-the-job leisure." This example can, of course, be extended to look at the revenue side of the profit maximizing problem for the firm, assuming imperfect or monopolistic competition. That would be a routine introductory textbook exercise. The above demonstration is not routine, however. I have withheld discussion of the background analysis and literature for a later post because I think the example in Table 1 makes two crucial points: first, that the distinction between maximizing profits and maximizing output has consequences for the determination of wages and hours of work; second the standard "perfect competition" fairy tale ignores these consequences. Start with his almost-namesake, John Luther Adams, much of whose music is quite spacy, in an appealing way. Then add rhythm with Steve Reich. I’ll bet there has been many a cannabis-enclouded evening spent with Music for 18 Musicians. Bela Bartok comes to mind. You can’t go wrong with his Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, and the first two piano concertos should hit the spot too. Readers can chime in if posting a comment is not too much hassle. Pejorative emphasis on shirking merely, but effectively, constitutes either taking the employer side or assuming that there is nothing further to be worked out, which in practice is typically simply inaccurate. Indeed, even talking about management's failure to solve the principal-agent problem privileges the employer position. Mainstream theory is asymmetrical. The analyst who opposes worker shirking without criticism of industrial sabotage is taking sides, and the analyst who opposes industrial sabotage without criticism of shirking is also taking sides. It's worth delving into just how pejorative shirk is. Oxford defines it as "to avoid meanly, to shrink selfishly from duty... Slink or sneak away, practice fraud or trickery..." Etymologically, the word is suspected of coming from the German Schurke, a scoundrel. Well, there's your value-free positive, eschewing the normative, neoclassical economics for you! Samuels's criticism was resoundingly ignored by economists theorizing about shirking. A Google Scholar search turns up ten citations, four of them by David Spencer. By contrast there are 4575 results for a search on the canonical source by Carl Shapiro and Joseph Stiglitz, "Equilibrium Unemployment as a Worker Discipline Device." Searching inside the search results for Shapiro and Stiglitz gives further insight into the asymmetry of mainstream theory. Using ten phrases such as "shirking workers" and "employee who shirks" and a like number of complementary phrases, "shirking employers" and "firms who shirks" returns totals of 588 and 3, respectively, after eliminating the false positives for the latter such as "…to prevent shirking, employers…" The Washington Post reports (5/8/14) that on the 69th anniversary of the end of WW II in Europe, the granddaughter, Susan Eisenhower, of the commander of the Normandy invasion, Susan Eisenhower, spoke at the WW II memorial in Washington, reciting her grandfather's "Victory Order of the Day," and I shall I quote the opening passages, "Men and women of the Allied Expeditionary Force,...The crusade on which we embarked in the early summer of 1944 has reached its glorious conclusion...Full victory in Europe has been attained." Today in Moscow, May 9, there will be as there has been for 69 years, a celebration of the victory of the Stalin-led Soviet victory over Hitler's Germany, when at the first celebration the flags of Hitler and his allies were repudiated and massively publicly reviled. WaPo reported Susan Eisenhower's speech at DC's pathetic WW II memorial (no disrespect to Bob Dole, whose one functioning hand I once shook, and he is responsible for the fact that even this pathetic joke of a memorial exists in Washington), was reported on p.2 as a barely there story. So, I do not yet have what the ceremony will be in Moscow, but for this one , a day later than the US one, there will be a total national blowout in celebration. The simple explanation for this is that US deaths were a bit under a million, while those in what used to be the USSR were over 20 million. This celebration invokes the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, where both on the surface agree in celebration, but many, particularly in parts of eastern Ukraine, see it more precisely as a statement of their separate existence from Russia (or the former USSR). where y is an outcome variable, x1 is an explanatory variable of interest, the other x’s are control variables, the β’s are coefficients on these variables (or a constant term, in the case of β0), and ε is a vector of residuals. We could apply the same analysis to more complex functional forms, and we would see the same things, so let’s stay simple. What question does this model answer? It tells us the average effect that variations in x1 have on the outcome y, controlling for the effects of other explanatory variables. Repeat: it’s the average effect of x1 on y. This model is applied to a sample of observations. What is assumed to be the same for these observations? (1) The outcome variable y is meaningful for all of them. (2) The list of potential explanatory factors, the x’s, is the same for all. (3) The effects these factors have on the outcome, the β’s, are the same for all. (4) The proper functional form that best explains the outcome is the same for all. In these four respects all units of observation are regarded as essentially the same. Now what is permitted to differ across these observations? Simply the values of the x’s and therefore the values of y and ε. That’s it. Thus measures of the difference between individual people or other objects of study are purchased at the cost of immense assumptions of sameness. It is these assumptions that both reflect and justify the search for average effects. Well, this is a bit harsh. In practice, one can relax these assumptions a bit. The main way this is done is by interacting your x’s. If x1 is years of education and x2 is gender (with male = 1), the variable x1 x2 tells us that education is regarded as a factor if the observation is male, otherwise not. In this way the list of x’s and their associated β’s can be different for different subgroups. That’s a step in the right direction, but one can go further. So what other methods are there that make fewer assumptions about the homogeneity of our study samples? The simplest is partitioning subsamples. Look at men and women, different racial groups or surplus and deficit countries separately. Rather than search for an average effect for all observations, allow the effects to be different for different groups. Interacting variables comes close to this if you interact group affiliation with every other explanatory variable. It doesn't go all the way, however, because (1) it still requires the same outcome variable for each subgroup and (2) it imposes the same structural form. Running separate models on subsamples gives you the freedom to vary everything. When should you evaluate subsamples? Whenever you can. It is much better than just assuming that all factors, effects, and sensible regression choices are the same for everyone. A different approach is multilevel modeling. Here you accept the assumption that y, the x’s and structural methods are the same for everyone, but you permit the β’s to be different for different groups. Compared to flat-out sample partition, this forces much more homogeneity on your model, but in return you get to analyze the factors that cause these β’s to vary. It is a way to get more insight into the diversity of effects you see in the world. Third, you could get really radical and put aside the regression format altogether. Consider principal components analysis, whose purpose is not hypothesis testing (measurement of effects, average or not), but the structure of diversity within your sample population. What PCA does, roughly, is to find a cluster of correlations that appear among the variables you specify, making no distinction between explanatory and outcome variables. That gives you a principal component, understood as subpopulation with distinctive characteristics. Then the procedure analyzes the remaining variation not accounted for in the first set of correlations; it comes up with a second cluster which describes a second subgroup with its own set of attributes. It does this again and again until you stop, although, in social science data, you rarely get more than three significant principal components, and perhaps less than this. PCA is all about identifying the “tribes” in your data sets—what makes them internally similar and externally different. In the end, statistical analysis is about imposing a common structure on observations in order to understand differentiation. Any structure requires assuming some kinds of sameness, but some approaches make much more sweeping assumptions than others. An unfortunate symbiosis has arisen in economics between statistical methods that excessively rule out diversity and statistical questions that center on average (non-diverse) effects. This is damaging in many contexts, including hypothesis testing, program evaluation, forecasting—you name it. I will mention just one example from my own previous work. There is a large empirical literature on whether and to what extent workers receive compensating differentials for dangerous work, a.k.a. hazard pay. In nearly every instance the researcher wants to find “the” coefficient on risk in a wage regression. But why assume such a thing? Surely some workers receive ample, fully compensating hazard pay. Some receive nothing. Some, even if you control for everything you might throw in, have both lower wages and more dangerous jobs, because there is an irreducible element of luck in the labor market. Surely a serious look at the issue would try to understand the variation in hazard pay: who gets it, who doesn't, and why. But whole careers have been built on not doing this and assuming, instead, that the driving purpose is to isolate a single average effect, “the” willingness to pay for a unit of safety as a percent of the worker’s wage. It’s beyond woozy; it’s completely wrongheaded. The first step toward recovery is admitting you have a problem. Every statistical analyst should come clean about what assumptions of homogeneity are being made, in light of their plausibility and the opportunities that exist for relaxing them. UPDATE: I fixed a couple of bloopers in the original post (an inappropriate reference to IV and a misspelling of PCA).

2019-04-25T00:06:28Z

http://econospeak.blogspot.com/2014/05/

2002-10-08 Assigned to RANIR/DCP CORPORATION reassignment RANIR/DCP CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: FAASSE, ADRIAN, LAI, JANET, MUDUMBA, SREENIVASU, BESKAR, EMILIE S., BRYAN, CHRISTOPHER D., TOWNSHEND, JOSEPH C., WILLISON, MICHAEL P. An oral care agent delivery device is provided which comprises a permanently deformable backing layer, an anchor layer overtop the backing layer, and an oral care layer overtop the anchor layer. The device is sized to fit over a plurality of teeth in an upper or lower dental arch of a subject. The oral care layer comprises at least one oral care agent and at least one hydrophilic polymer. The oral care layer is in contact with the anchor layer and forms an adhesive bond with the anchor layer; however, the oral care layer is minimally invested in the anchoring layer. When hydrated, the oral care layer has an adhesiveness relative to the surface of a user's teeth that is sufficient to retain the device on the user's teeth when placed thereon. The device can also have an oral care agent which is activated on hydration of the oral care layer, or an oral care layer which releases the oral care agent over time. The invention further provides a method of making a device for delivering an oral care agent, which device comprises permanently deformable backing layer, an anchor layer overtop the backing layer, and an oral care layer overtop the anchor layer. The device is sized to fit over a plurality of teeth in an upper or lower dental arch of a subject. The oral care layer comprises at least one oral care agent and at least one hydrophilic polymer. The oral care layer is in contact with the anchor layer and forms an adhesive bond with the anchor layer; however, the oral care layer is minimally invested in the anchoring layer. When hydrated, the oral care layer has an adhesiveness relative to the surface of a user's teeth that is sufficient to retain the device on the user's teeth when placed thereon. The method of making the device comprises the steps of providing the permanently deformable backing layer, attaching the anchor layer to the backing layer, and extruding the oral care layer onto the anchor layer. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 3. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 9. FIG. 14 is a plot of the in vitro H 2O2 release rate (in mg/cm2-min.) vs. time (in minutes) for devices of the invention having approximately 3% H2O2 (“3% H2O2 Device”); approximately 6% H2O2 (“6% H2O2 Device”); approximately 9% H2O2 (“9% H2O2 Device”); and Crest Whitestrips (“Whitestrips”). Wax S.P. 162 @25° C. Adhesiveness can be expressed in units of force per distance (e.g., “Newtons/meter” or “N/m”), and cohesiveness can be expressed in terms of tack. A suitable strength for an adhesive bond between the oral care layer and the surface of the teeth ranges from about 200 to about 400 N/m. A suitable tack for the oral care layer is greater than about 50 g/cm 2. Suitable anti-tartar/anti-calculus agents include phosphates such as pyrophosphates, polyphosphates, polyphosphonates (e.g., ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate, 1-azacycloheptane-1,1-diphosphonate, and linear alkyl diphosphonates), and salts thereof; linear carboxylic acids; and sodium zinc citrate; and mixtures thereof. Preferred pyrophosphate salts are the dialkali metal pyrophosphate salts, tetra-alkali metal pyrophosphate salts; and the hydrated or unhydrated forms of disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate (Na 2H2P2O7—), tetrasodium pyrophosphate (Na4P2O7), and tetrapotassium pyrophosphate (K4P2O7). The pyrophosphate salts are described in more detail in Kirk & Othmer, Encyclopedia of Clinical Technology Third Edition, Volume 17, Wiley-Interscience Publishers (1982), the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Suitable nutritional supplements for local delivery to the teeth and surrounding tissue include vitamins (e.g., vitamins C and D, thiamine, riboflavin, calcium pantothenate, niacin, folic acid, nicotinamide, pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin, para-aminobenzoic acid, and bioflavonoids); and minerals (e.g., calcium, phosphorus, fluoride, zinc, manganese, and potassium); and mixtures thereof. Vitamins and minerals useful in the present invention are disclosed in Drug Facts and Comparisons (loose leaf drug information service), Wolters Kluer Company, St. Louis, Mo., 1997, pp 3-17; the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. The release liner may be formed from any material which exhibits less affinity for the oral care substance than the oral care substance exhibits for itself and for the release liner material. The release liner preferably comprises a rigid sheet of material such as polyethylene, paper, polyester, or other material which is then coated with a non-stick type material. The release liner material can be coated with wax, silicone, teflon, fluoropolymers, or other non-stick type materials. A preferred release liner is Scotchpak( produced by 3M. The release liner may be cut to substantially the same size and shape as the oral care layer surface of the device, or the release liner may be cut larger than the oral care layer surface of the device to provide a readily accessible means for separating the material from the strip. The release liner may be formed from a brittle material which cracks when the device is flexed, or from multiple pieces of material or a scored piece of material. Alternatively, the release liner can comprise two overlapping pieces, such as a typical adhesive strip bandage design. In one embodiment, the optional release liner can be integral with a package enclosing the device. A further description of materials suitable for use as a release liner is found in Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Fourth Edition, Volume 21, pp. 207-218, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The covering enclosing the inside (e.g., the concave side) of the present device can be made of similar materials. FIGS. 1 and 2 show back isometric and front isometric views, respectively, of an oral care delivery device of the invention generally designated as 90, which is designed to fit the upper dental arch. The device is bent into a horseshoe-shape that generally conforms to the catenary arch of a user. The inside 100 of the device, which is bounded by front edge 110, back edge 120, left side edge 130 and right side edge 140, contains the oral care layer. FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of the device of FIGS. 1 and 2. Line 5-5 in FIG. 3 bisects the device along a line corresponding to the medial line of a dental arch, and defines the two arms of the horseshoe. The horseshoe arms are set at angle a of approximately 36°, generally corresponding to the angle of a user's teeth in the catenary arch. Main fold line 150 and secondary fold lines 160 and 161 extend from left side edge 130 to right side edge 140 along the long axis of the device. Generally, the fold lines are formed when the device is pressed or vacuum formed into a forming die during the folding process; however, other methods of producing the fold lines (e.g., etching or gouging) such as are known in the art can also be used. The device is folded along the main and secondary fold lines, with the oral care layer to the inside 100 of the device, and the backing layer to the outside. The main fold line 150 and secondary fold lines 160 and 161 are offset towards back edge 120 of the device. Folding of the device along the offset fold lines provides a portion of the inside of the device from the front edge to the fold lines which is larger than the portion of the device from the back edge to the fold lines. This larger portion is intended to contact the facial surface of the teeth when the device is placed over the dental arch. As used herein, an “axis” of the device includes both linear and curvilinear lines running from side edge to side edge of the device. FIG. 4 is a back view of the device of FIGS. 1 and 2, showing how folding of the device along the offset main fold line 150 and secondary fold lines 160 and 161 provides divides the device into larger and smaller portions as described above. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the device 90 of FIGS. 1 and 2 along line 5-5 of FIG. 3, showing the arrangement of backing layer 170, anchor layer 180, and oral care layer 190. The device is bent along main fold line 150 and secondary fold lines 160 and 161 into a “reversed J” shape, so that the oral care layer 190 is located to the inside 100 of the device. The long arm of the “reversed J” ends in the front edge 110. FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the device of FIGS. 1 and 2 shown in flattened form to illustrate the rectangular shape of the unfolded device. Front edge 110 and back edge 120 are non-intersecting, and left side edge 130 and right side edge 140 are non-intersecting. Main fold line 150 and secondary fold lines 160 and 161 are located approximately ⅓ the distance from front edge 110 to back edge 120. FIG. 7 is a back isometric view of another oral care delivery device of the invention generally designated 190, which is designed for placement over either the upper or lower dental arch. The inside 200 of the device, which is bounded by front edge 210, back edge 220, left side edge 230 and right side edge 240, contains the oral care layer. A plurality of notches 245 are spaced essentially evenly along the back edge 210 of the device. As described above, the notches help prevent buckling of the device when the device is formed over the curve of the dental arch. The device is substantially straight, and is molded to fit the curvature of the catenary arch during placement in the user's mouth. FIG. 8 shows the device 190 of FIG. 7 shown in flattened form to illustrate the rectangular shape of the unfolded device, and the positioning of notches 245. The device has a main fold line 250 and secondary fold lines 260 and 261 offset from front edge 210 as in the previous embodiment, located approximately ⅓ the distance from front edge 210 to back edge 220. The notches 245 extend from back edge 210 to the secondary fold 230 line closest to the back edge, with the apex of the notches contacting the secondary fold line. The sides of each notch form an angle β of approximately 28°. FIG. 9 is a back view of the device 190 of FIG. 7, showing how folding of the device along the offset main fold line 250 and secondary fold lines 260 and 261 provides a portion of the device from the front edge to the fold lines which is larger than the portion from the back edge to the fold lines. The larger portion contacts with the facial surface of the teeth when the device is placed over the dental arch. The notches 245 are contained within the portion of the device which contacts the lingual surface of the teeth when placed over the dental arch. The sides of each notch form an angle γ of approximately 28°. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the device 190 of FIG. 7 taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9, showing the arrangement of backing layer 270, anchor layer 280, and oral care layer 290. The device is bent along main fold line 250 and secondary fold lines 260 and 261 into a “reversed J” shape, so that the oral care layer 290 is located to the inside 200 of the device. The long arm of the “reversed J” ends in the front edge 210. The surface of oral care layer 290 between the secondary fold lines 260 and 261 is bent into an angle δ of approximately 90° by folding the device along ε the main fold line 250. The surface of the oral care layer 290 between front edge 210 and the secondary fold line 260, and the surface of the oral care layer 290 between the back edge 220 and the secondary fold line 261, are bent into an angle ε of approximately 45° relative to each other by folding the device along each secondary fold line. FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a further oral care delivery device of the invention generally designated 290, which is designed to fit the upper dental arch of a user. The device is shown in flattened form to illustrate the rectangular shape. The rectangle is defined by front edge 310 and back edge 320, and side edges 330 and 340. The device has a single fold line 350 which is slightly offset from the center axis of the device toward the back edge 320. A plurality of substantially evenly spaced notches 345 are cut into back edge 320. The sides of each notch 345 form an angle ζ of approximately 22°, and the apex of each notch contacts fold line 350. FIG. 12 is a top plan view of another oral care delivery device of the invention generally designated 390, which is designed to fit the upper dental arch of a user. The device is shown in flattened form to illustrate the rectangular shape. The rectangle is defined by front edge 410 and back edge 420, and side edges 430 and 440. Front edge 410 and back edge 420 are curved in the same way and side edges 430 and 440 are slightly off-parallel. The device has a single fold line 450 which is slightly offset from the center axis of the device toward the back edge. A plurality of substantially evenly spaced notches 445 are cut into back edge 420. The sides of each notch 445 form an angle η of approximately 22°, and the apex of each notch contacts fold line 450. FIG. 13 is a top plan view of a further oral care delivery device of the invention generally designated 490, which is designed to fit the lower dental arch of a user. The device is shown in flattened form to illustrate the essentially trapezoidal shape. The trapezoid is defined by front edge 510 and back edge 520, and side edges 530 and 540. Front edge 510 and back edge 520 are slightly curved, and back edge 520 is shorter in length than front edge 510. Side edges 530 and 540 are not straight, but follow an irregular course which forms protrusions on either side of the flattened pattern. When the device is folded and placed over the dental arch, the protrusions ensure that at least the facial surface of the incisors are in contact with the oral care layer. The device has a single fold line 550 which is slightly offset from the center of the device toward the back edge 520. A plurality of substantially evenly spaced notches 545 are cut into back edge 520. The sides of each notch 545 form an angle θ of approximately 22°, and the apex of each notch contacts fold line 550. Accelerated H 2O2 stability studies were conducted at 40° C./75% relative humidity (RH) with the individual ingredients used to form the backing, anchor and oral care layers as described in Example 1. As shown in Table 5, the H2O2 showed good stability for up to 9 weeks under these conditions. The rate of H 2O2 release in vitro for devices of the invention made as in Example 1 was evaluated and compared to the in vitro H2O2 release rate for Crest whitestrips™ (lot#1298BT3B, Nov. 19, 2002, The Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, Ohio). Crest Whitestrips™ (hereinafter “Whitestrips”) are a commercially available tooth whitening system, which have 6% hydrogen peroxide in a Carbopol 956 gel on a thin polyethylene film. The in vitro release of H 2O2 from Whitestrips (containing approximately 6% H2O2) and from the present devices (containing approximately 3%, 6% or 9% H2O2) was measured through filter paper by standard techniques. In case of Whitestrips, peroxide levels dropped and the whitening efficiency decreased after 30 minutes (see FIG. 14). The data obtained for the Whitestrips is equivalent to published data (see Sagel P A, et al. (2000), Vital Tooth Whitening With a Novel Hydrogen Peroxide Strip System: Design, Kinetics, and Clinical Response. Compendium, Suppl. 29, Vol. 21: S10-S15, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. The devices of the present invention released H 2O2 at a higher rate than the Whitestrips through 30 minutes and up to the 60 minute time-limit of the study (see FIG. 14). The H2O2 release rate for the device containing 6% H2O2 (which has an H2O2 concentration comparable to the Whitestrips) at 5, 30 and 60 minutes was approximately 7.5-, 24- and 10-fold higher, respectively, than the H2O2 release rate from the Whitestrips for the same time points. The H2O2 release rate for the device containing ˜3% H2O2 at 5, 30 and 60 minutes was approximately 3-, 7- and 5-fold higher, respectively, as compared to the Whitestrips at the same time points. The data used to produce the plot of FIG. 14 is given in Table 7 below. After each animal was anesthetized, the right and left cheek pouches were everted, examined and visually scored. An approximately 1 cm 2 piece of the device (hereinafter the “patch”) was inserted into the right cheek pouch. After dosing, a collar, fastened with Velcro, was placed around the animal's neck to prevent it from everting its cheek pouch or removing the patch. The left cheek pouch remained untreated as a control. One hour after dosing, the patch was removed from the right cheek pouch and the cheek pouch was visually scored. The patches were weighted on a precision analytical balance after removal. The dosing and scoring procedure was repeated four times over four hours, at one hour intervals. After the fourth dose, the patches were removed and the cheek pouches examined and visually scored one final time. and wherein the oral care layer is minimally invested in the anchor layer and has an adhesiveness when hydrated relative to the surface of a the teeth of wearer that is sufficient to retain the device on the user's teeth when placed thereon. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the backing layer is from about 0.025 mm to about 2 mm thick. 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the backing layer is from about 0.125 to about 0.8 thick. 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the backing layer is about 0.75 mm thick. 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the backing layer comprises a non-polymeric material. 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the non-polymeric material comprises a wax, a resin, or mixtures thereof. 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the wax is selected from the group consisting of a microcrystalline wax; a paraffin wax; a synthetic paraffin wax; and mixtures thereof. 8. The device of claim 6, wherein the resin is a hydrocarbon resin. 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the hydrocarbon resin is a water-white, clear cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon resin. 10. The device of claim 1 wherein the backing layer is colored. 11. The device of claim 10 wherein the backing layer is colored with at least one colorizing compound. 12. The device of claim 11 wherein the at least one colorizing compound is selected from the group consisting of FD&C Red No. 3; Food Red 17; Food Yellow 13; FD&C Yellow No. 5; FD&C Yellow No. 6; FD&C Green No. 3; FD&C Blue No. 1; FD&C Blue No. 2; FD&C Red No. 40; Orange B; Citrus Red No. 2; and combinations thereof. 13. The device of claim 11 wherein the at least one colorizing compound is selected from the group consisting of annatto extract; beta-apo-8′-carotenal; beta-carotene; beet powder; canthaxanthin; caramel color; carrot oil; cochineal extract (carmine); toasted, partially defatted, cooked cottonseed flour; ferrous gluconate; fruit juice; grape color extract; grape skin extract (enocianina); paprika; paprika oleoresin; riboflavin; saffron; turmeric; turmeric oleoresin; vegetable juice; and combinations thereof. 14. The device of claim 12 wherein the at least one colorizing compound is selected from the group consisting of titanium dioxide; chromium oxide greens; ultramarine blues and pinks; and ferric oxides. 15. The device of claim 11, wherein the dye comprises a dye-lake form. 16. The device of claim 15, wherein the dye-lake form is selected from the group consisting of FD&C Green #1 lake; FD&C Blue #2 lake; FD&C R&D #30 lake; and FD&C Yellow #15 lake. 17. The device of claim 11, wherein the at least one colorizing compound comprises about 0.05% to about 10% by weight of the backing layer. 18. The device of claim 17, wherein the at least one colorizing compound comprises about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of the backing layer. 19. The device of claim 11, wherein the backing layer comprises multiple colors. 20. The device of claim 19, wherein the multiple colors comprise a pattern. 21. The device of claim 11, wherein the backing layer further comprises glitter particles. 22. The device of claim 1, wherein the backing layer is embedded or decorated with decorative items. 23. The device of claim 11, wherein the backing layer is embedded or decorated with decorative items. 24. The device of claim 1, wherein the backing layer displays letters, words, or images. 25. The device of claim 11, wherein the backing layer displays letters, words, or images. 26. The device of claim 1, wherein the anchor layer comprises a layer of open-cell foam. 27. The device of claim 26, wherein the open-cell foam comprises a polyurethane, polystyrene or polyethylene foam. 28. The device of claim 27, wherein the open-cell foam comprises an ether based reticulated polyurethane foam. 29. The device of claim 1, wherein the anchor layer is from about 0.025 mm to about 1 mm thick. 30. The device of claim 29, wherein the anchor layer is about 0.6 mm to about 0.8 mm thick. 31. The device of claim 1, wherein the anchor layer is colored. 32. The device of claim 31 wherein the anchor layer is colored with at least one colorizing compound. 33. The device of claim 32 wherein the at least one colorizing compound is selected from the group consisting of FD&C Red No. 3; Food Red 17; Food Yellow 13; FD&C Yellow No. 5; FD&C Yellow No. 6; FD&C Green No. 3; FD&C Blue No. 1; FD&C Blue No. 2; FD&C Red No. 40; Orange B; Citrus Red No. 2; and combinations thereof. 34. The device of claim 32 wherein the at least one colorizing compound is selected from the group consisting of annatto extract; beta-apo-8′-carotenal; beta-carotene; beet powder; canthaxanthin; caramel color; carrot oil; cochineal extract (carmine); toasted, partially defatted, cooked cottonseed flour; ferrous gluconate; fruit juice; grape color extract; grape skin extract (enocianina); paprika; paprika oleoresin; riboflavin; saffron; turmeric; turmeric oleoresin; vegetable juice; and combinations thereof. 35. The device of claim 32 wherein the at least one colorizing compound is selected from the group consisting of titanium dioxide; chromium oxide greens; ultramarine blues and pinks; and ferric oxides. 36. The device of claim 32, wherein the dye comprises a dye-lake form. 37. The device of claim 36, wherein the dye-lake form is selected from the group consisting of FD&C Green #1 lake; FD&C Blue #2 lake; FD&C R&D #30 lake; and FD&C Yellow #15 lake. 38. The device of claim 32, wherein the colorizing compound comprises about 0.05 percent to about 10 percent by weight of the anchor layer. 39. The device of claim 38, wherein the colorizing compound comprises about 0.1 percent to about 5 percent by weight of the anchor layer. 40. The device of claim 32, wherein the anchor layer comprises multiple colors. 41. The device of claim 1, wherein the oral care layer is from about 0.025 mm to about 4 mm thick. 42. The device of claim 41, wherein the oral care layer is from about 0.125 mm to about 1.5 mm thick. 43. The device of claim 42, wherein the oral care layer is from about 0.25 mm to about 1.0 mm thick. 44. The device of claim 43, wherein the oral care layer is about 0.3 mm thick. 45. The device of claim 1, wherein the adhesiveness of the oral care layer with respect to the surface of the user's teeth is from about 200 N/m to about 400 N/m. 46. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one oral care agent is entrapped within the oral care layer. 47. The device of claim 46, wherein the at least one oral care agent is released from the hydrophilic polymer upon hydration of the oral care layer. 48. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one oral care agent is activated upon hydration of the oral care layer. 49. The device of claim 1 wherein the oral care layer comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising at least one oral care agent, at least one hydrophilic polymer, and at least one water-soluble plasticizer that is miscible with the hydrophilic polymer. 50. The device of claim 49 wherein the at least one hydrophilic polymer has a hydrophilicity as measured by water uptake of greater than about 25%. 51. The device of claim 50 wherein the at least one hydrophilic polymer has a glass transition temperature T(g) or melting point T(m) higher than about 25° C. and lower than about 120° C. 52. The device of claim 51, wherein the at least one hydrophilic polymer has a glass transition temperature T(g) or melting point T(m) higher than about 30° C. and lower than about 100° C. 53. The device of claim 49 wherein the at least one hydrophilic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polysaccharides; water-soluble synthetic polymers; polypeptides; and natural gums. 54. The device of claim 49 wherein the at least one hydrophilic polymer is selected from the group consisting of starches and starch derivatives; polyvinyl pyrrolidone; polyvinyl alcohol; hydroxypropyl cellulose; sodium carboxymethyl cellulose; polyethylene oxide; polyacrylic acid; polyacrylates; carboxylic acid polymers; xanthan gum; karaya gum; and gelatin. 55. The device of claim 49 wherein the at least one plasticizer is liquid at room temperature and has a boiling point higher than about 80° C. 56. The device of claim 55 wherein the at least one plasticizer is selected from the group consisting of glycerins; sorbitol; glycols; polysorbate 80; triethyl titrate; acetyl triethyl titrate; and tributyl titrate. 57. The device of claim 49, wherein the oral care layer comprises at least one crosslinked or non-crosslinked polymer selected from the group consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanesulfonic acid; polyvinyl pyrrolidone; polyethylene oxide; acrylates; polyvinyl alcohol; and carboxylic acid polymers. 58. The device of claim 57, wherein the oral care layer comprises crosslinked or non-crosslinked 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanesulfonic acid. 59. The device of claim 57, wherein the oral care layer comprises crosslinked or non-crosslinked polyvinyl pyrrolidone. 60. The device of claim 1, wherein the oral care layer is a sustained release oral care layer. 61. The device of claim 49, wherein the oral care layer is a sustained release oral care layer. 62. The device of claim 59, wherein the oral care layer is a sustained release oral care layer. 63. The device of claim 62 wherein the sustained-release oral care layer releases the at least one oral care agent at a rate of approximately 0.2 mg/cm2-min to 1 mg/cm2-min. 64. The device of claim 1, wherein the amount of the at least one oral care agent in the oral care layer is about 0.01% to about 40%. 65. The device of claim 64, wherein the amount of the at least one oral care agent in the oral care layer is about 0.1% to about 20%. 66. The device of claim 65, wherein the amount of the at least, one oral care agent in the oral care layer is about 0.5% to about 10%. 67. The device of claim 66, wherein the amount of the at least one oral care agent in the oral care layer is about 1% to about 7%. 68. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one oral care agent is a pharmaceutically active agent or a cosmetically active agent. 69. The device of claim 68, wherein the pharmaceutically active agent is selected from the group consisting of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory/analgesic; a steroidal anti-inflammatory agent; a local anesthetic; a bactericide/disinfectant; an antibiotic; an antifungal; a tooth desensitizing agent; a fluoride anticavity/antidecay agent; an anti-tartar/anti-calculus agent; an enzyme which inhibits the formation of plaque, calculus or dental caries; and a nutritional supplement for local delivery to the teeth and surrounding tissue. 70. The device of claim 69, wherein the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory/analgesic agent is selected from the group consisting of acetaminophen; methyl salicylate; monoglycol salicylate; aspirin; mefenamic acid; flufenamic acid; indomethacin; diclofenac; alclofenac; diclofenac sodium; ibuprofen; flurbiprofen; fentizac; bufexamac; piroxicam; phenylbutazone; oxyphenbutazone; clofezone; pentazocine; mepirizole; and tiaramide hydrochloride. 71. The device of claim 69, wherein the steroidal anti-inflammatory agent is selected from the group consisting of include hydrocortisone; prednisolone; dexamethasone; triamcinolone acetonide; fluocinolone acetonide; hydrocortisone acetate; prednisolone acetate; methylprednisolone; dexamethasone acetate; betamethasone; betamethasone valerate; flumetasone; flourometholone; budesonide; and beclomethasone dipropionate. 72. The device of claim 69, wherein the local anesthetic is selected from the group consisting of dibucaine hydrochloride; dibucaine; lidocaine hydrochloride; lidocaine; benzocaine; p-buthylaminobenzoic acid 2-(diethylamino)ethyl ester hydrochloride; procaine hydrochloride; tetracaine hydrochloride; chloroprocaine hydrochloride; oxyprocaine hydrochloride; mepivacaine; cocaine hydrochloride; and piperocaine hydrochloride. 73. The device of claim 69, wherein the bactericide/disinfectant is selected from the group consisting of thimerosol; phenol; thymol; benzalkonium chloride; benzethonium chloride; chlorhexidine; providone iodide; cetylpyridinium chloride; eugenol, and trimethylammonium bromide. 74. The device of claim 69, wherein the antibiotic is selected from the group consisting of penicillin; meticillin; oxacillin; cefalotin; cefaloridin; erythromycin; lincomycin; tetracycline; chlortetracycline; oxytetracycline; metacycline; chloramphenicol; kanamycin; streptomycin; gentamicin; bacitracin; and cycloserine. 75. The device of claim 69, wherein the antifungal drug is selected from the group consisting of amphotericin; clotrimazole; econazole nitrate; fluconazole; griseofulvin; itraconazole; ketoconazole; miconazole; nystatin; terbinafine hydrochloride; undecenoic acid; and zinc undecenoate. 76. The device of claim 69, wherein the tooth-desensitizing agent is selected from the group consisting of potassium nitrate and strontium chloride. 77. The device of claim 69, wherein the fluoride anticavity/antidecay agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium fluoride, potassium fluoride and ammonium fluoride. 78. The device of claim 69, wherein the anti-tartar/anti-calculus agents is selected from the group consisting of phosphates; pyrophosphates, polyphosphates, polyphosphonates; linear carboxylic acids; sodium zinc citrate; and mixtures thereof. 79. The device of claim 69, wherein the enzyme which inhibits the formation of plaque, calculus or dental caries is selected from the group consisting of proteases; lipases; dextranases, glucanohydrolases, endoglycosidases, mucinases; amylases; and mixtures thereof. 80. The device of claim 69, wherein the nutritional supplement for local delivery to the teeth and surrounding tissue is a vitamin or mineral. 81. The device of claim 80, wherein the nutritional supplement for local delivery to the teeth and surrounding tissue is a vitamin selected from the group consisting of vitamin C; vitamin D; thiamine; riboflavin; calcium pantothenate; niacin; folic acid; nicotinamide; pyridoxine; cyanocobalamin; para-aminobenzoic acid; bioflavonoids; and mixtures thereof. 82. The device of claim 80, wherein the nutritional supplement for local delivery to the teeth and surrounding tissue is a mineral selected from the group consisting of calcium; phosphorus; fluoride; zinc; manganese; potassium; and mixtures thereof. 83. The device of claim 68, wherein the cosmetically active agent is selected from the group consisting of a breath freshener; a tooth whitening agent; and a tooth coloring or tinting agent. 84. The device of claim 83, wherein the tooth whitening agent is selected from the group consisting of peroxides; metal chlorites; perborates; percarbonates; peroxyacids; and combinations thereof. 85. The device of claim 84, wherein the tooth whitening agent is a peroxide selected from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide; calcium peroxide; carbamide peroxide; and mixtures thereof. 86. The device of claim 84, wherein the tooth whitening agent is a metal chlorite selected from the group consisting of calcium chlorite; barium chlorite; magnesium chlorite; lithium chlorite; sodium chlorite; and potassium chlorite; hypochlorite and chlorine dioxide. 87. The device of claim 84, wherein the concentration of tooth whitening agent in the oral care layer is about 0.01% to about 40%. 88. The device of claim 85, wherein the peroxide compound in the oral care layer is equivalent to about 0.1% to about 20% hydrogen peroxide. 89. The device of claim 88, wherein the peroxide compound in the oral care layer is equivalent to about 0.5% to about 10% hydrogen peroxide. 90. The device of claim 89, wherein the peroxide compound in the oral care layer is equivalent to about 1% to about 7% hydrogen peroxide. 91. The device of claim 90, wherein the peroxide compound in the oral care layer is equivalent to about 6% hydrogen peroxide. 92. The device of claim 85, wherein the amount of hydrogen peroxide in the oral care layer is from about 0.1% to about 30%. 93. The device of claim 92, wherein the amount of hydrogen peroxide in the oral care layer is from about 3% to about 20%. 94. The device of claim 93, wherein the amount of hydrogen peroxide in the oral care layer is from about 6% to about 10%. 95. The device of claim 1, wherein the oral care layer further comprises a colorizing compound; food additive; flavorant; sweetener; or preservative. 96. The device of claim 95, wherein the flavorant is selected from the group consisting of wintergreen; peppermint; spearmint; menthol; fruit flavors; vanilla; cinnamon; spices; flavor oils; oleoresins; and mixtures thereof. 97. The device of claim 95, wherein the sweetener is selected from the group consisting of sucrose; fructose; aspartame; xylitol; and saccharine. iii) the oral care layer comprises 6% hydrogen peroxide, 58% polyvinylpyrrolidone K90, 33% polyethylene glycol 400; and 12% methacrylic acid—ethyl acrylate copolymer (1:1). 99. The device of claim 98, wherein the anchor layer is colored. 100. The device of claim 1, further comprising a release liner or covering over the oral care layer. 101. The device of claim 1, further comprising a scrim embedded in the oral care layer. 102. The device of claim 98, further comprising a scrim embedded in the oral care layer. 103. The device of claim 102, wherein the scrim comprises woven, non-woven or perforated sheetlike materials. 104. The device of claim 103, wherein the woven materials are selected from the group consisting of cotton; a polyolefin; polyester; polyurethane; polyamide; polyaramide; and glass. 105. The device of claim 103, wherein the non-woven material is selected from the group consisting of felt; a polyolefin; polyester; polyurethane; polyamide; polyaramide; and glass. 106. The device of claim 103, wherein the perforated material comprises fine pitch polypropylene net. 107. The device of claim 101, wherein the scrim comprises a non-woven polyolefin. 108. The device of claim 102, wherein the scrim comprises a non-woven polyolefin. 109. The device of claim 1 which has a “J”, “reversed J”, “V”, “U”, or “C” shape when viewed in cross-section. 110. The device of claim 1 which is sized to fit the primary, mixed or permanent dentition of a human being. 111. The device of claim 1 which is of sufficient length and width to cover the facial surface, crowns and at least partially cover the lingual surface of the incisors in an upper or lower dental arch of a human being. 112. The device of claim 1 which is of sufficient length and width to cover the facial surface, crowns and at least partially cover the lingual surface of the anterior teeth in an upper or lower dental arch of a human being. 113. The device of claim 1 which is of sufficient length and width to cover the facial surface, crowns and at least partially cover the lingual surface of the anterior and posterior teeth in an upper or lower dental arch of a human being. 114. The device of claim 1 designed to fit the upper dental arch of a human being, wherein the device is about 7 cm to about 9 cm in length, and about 0.8 cm to about 2.5 cm in width. 115. The device of claim 1 designed to fit the lower dental arch of a human being, wherein the device is about 4 cm to about 6 cm in length, and about 1 cm to about 2 cm in width. 116. The device of claim 1, wherein the device, when viewed in plan view, is bent into an essentially horseshoe shape that generally matches the catenary arch of a human being. 117. The device of claim 1 further comprising one or more notches. 118. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is substantially non-flat. 4) conforming the device to the teeth and surrounding tissue by manual pressure so that the oral care layer is in contact with at least the facial surface of the teeth to be treated. 120. The method of claim 119, wherein the treatment comprises the treatment of an undesirable physiological condition. 121. The method of claim 120, wherein the undesirable physiological condition is selected from the group consisting of halitosis; periodontal and oral infections; periodontal lesions; dental caries or decay; and gingivitis. 122. The method of claim 119, wherein the oral care layer comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising at least one oral care agent, at least one hydrophilic polymer, and at least one water-soluble plasticizer that is miscible with the hydrophilic polymer. 123. The method of claim 122, wherein the at least one hydrophilic polymer has a hydrophilicity as measured by water uptake of greater than about 25%. 124. The method of claim 123, wherein the at least one hydrophilic polymer has a glass transition temperature T(g) or melting point T(m) higher than about 25° C. and lower than about 120° C. 125. The method of claim 124, wherein the oral care layer comprises at least one crosslinked or non-crosslinked polymer selected from the group consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanesulfonic acid; polyvinyl pyrrolidone; polyethylene oxide; acrylates; polyvinyl alcohol; and carboxylic acid polymers. 126. The method of claim 125, wherein the oral care layer comprises crosslinked or non-crosslinked 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanesulfonic acid. 127. The method of claim 125, wherein the oral care layer comprises crosslinked or non-crosslinked polyvinyl pyrrolidone. 128. The method of claim 119, wherein the oral care layer is a sustained release oral care layer. 129. The method of claim 127, wherein the oral care layer is a sustained release oral care layer. 130. The method of claim 129, wherein the sustained-release oral care layer releases the at least one oral care agent at a rate of approximately 0.2 mg/cm2-min to 1 mg/cm2-min. 131. The method of claim 119, wherein the treatment comprises a cosmetic treatment. 132. The method of claim 119, wherein the device is left on the teeth for about 15 minutes to about 4 hours. 133. The method of claim 132, wherein the device is left on the teeth for about 30 minutes to about 1 hour. 4) conforming the device to the teeth and surrounding tissue by manual pressure so that the oral care layer is in contact with at least the facial surface of the teeth. 135. The method of claim 134, wherein the oral care layer comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising at least one tooth whitening agent, at least one hydrophilic polymer, and at least one water-soluble plasticizer that is miscible with the hydrophilic polymer. 136. The method of claim 135, wherein the at least one hydrophilic polymer has a hydrophilicity as measured by water uptake greater than about 25%. 137. The method of claim 136, wherein the at least one hydrophilic polymer has a glass transition temperature T(g) or melting point T(m) higher than about 25° C. and lower than about 120° C. 138. The method of claim 137, wherein the oral care layer comprises at least one crosslinked or non-crosslinked polymer selected from the group consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanesulfonic acid; polyvinyl pyrrolidone; polyethylene oxide; acrylates; polyvinyl alcohol; and carboxylic acid polymers. 139. The method of claim 138, wherein the oral care layer comprises crosslinked or non-crosslinked 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanesulfonic acid. 140. The method of claim 138, wherein the oral care layer comprises crosslinked or non-crosslinked polyvinyl pyrrolidone. 141. The method of claim 134, wherein the oral care layer is a sustained release oral care layer. 142. The method of claim 140, wherein the oral care layer is a sustained release oral care layer. 143. The method of claim 142, wherein the sustained-release oral care layer releases the at least one tooth whitening agent at a rate of approximately 0.2 mg/cm2-min to 1 mg/cm2-min. 144. The method of claim 134, wherein the device is left on the teeth for about 15 minutes to about 4 hours. 145. The method of claim 134, wherein the device is left on the teeth for about 30 minutes to about 1 hour. 146. The method of claim 134, wherein the tooth whitening agent is selected from the group consisting of peroxides; metal chlorites; perborates; percarbonates; peroxyacids; and combinations thereof. 147. The method of claim 146, wherein the tooth whitening agent is a peroxide selected from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide; calcium peroxide; carbamide peroxide; and mixtures thereof. 148. The method of claim 146, wherein the tooth whitening agent is a metal chlorite selected from the group consisting of calcium chlorite; barium chlorite; magnesium chlorite; lithium chlorite; sodium chlorite; and potassium chlorite; hypochlorite and chlorine dioxide. 149. The method of claim 134, wherein the concentration of tooth whitening agent in the oral care layer is about 0.01% to about 40%. 150. The method of claim 147, wherein the peroxide compound in the oral care layer provides an amount of peroxide equivalent to about 0.1% to about 20% of hydrogen peroxide. 151. The method of claim 147, wherein the peroxide compound in the oral care layer provides an amount of peroxide equivalent to about 0.5% to about 10% of hydrogen peroxide. 152. The method of claim 147, wherein the peroxide compound in the oral care layer provides an amount of peroxide equivalent to about 1% to about 7% of hydrogen peroxide. 153. The method of claim 147, wherein the peroxide compound in the oral care layer provides an amount of peroxide equivalent to about 6% of hydrogen peroxide. 154. The method of claim 147, wherein the amount of hydrogen peroxide in the oral care layer is from about 0.1% to about 30%. 155. The method of claim 147, wherein the amount of hydrogen peroxide in the oral care layer is from about 3% to about 20%. 156. The method of claim 147, wherein the amount of hydrogen peroxide in the oral care layer is from about 6% to about 10%. 3) extruding an oral care layer onto the anchor layer. 158. The method of claim 157, in which an aqueous solution of the oral care agent is printed onto the anchor layer prior to extruding the oral care layer onto the anchor layer. 159. The method of claim 157, further comprising placing a scrim on the anchor layer before extruding the oral care layer onto the anchor layer. 160. The method of claim 159, wherein the scrim comprises a non-woven polyolefin. MXPA05000022A MXPA05000022A (en) 2002-07-02 2003-06-09 Device and method for delivering an oral care agent.

2019-04-20T14:40:35Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20040005277A1/en

Each year, usually in November, Rawlings announces the winners of their annual Gold Gloves for the best fielder at each position in each league. The announcement is normally carried in your local paper or on your favorite web site as a brief Associated Press story that tells us who won, which players are repeat winners, and how many times each player has won the award. The selections are made by a vote of managers and coaches that is taken before the end of the regular season. I'm not aware of any guidelines that are provided to the voters, so I don't know how much weight they put on great range versus soft hands or a strong and accurate arm or the ability to turn the double play. One hopes that the voters take all of those things into consideration, with the proper weight placed on each skill, when they arrive at an overall assessment of each player's performance in the current season.Each year, usually in November, Rawlings announces the winners of their annual Gold Gloves for the best fielder at each position in each league. The announcement is normally carried in your local paper or on your favorite web site as a brief Associated Press story that tells us who won, which players are repeat winners, and how many times each player has won the award. But we don't know how they made their decisions because the announcement story doesn't provide any justification for any of the selections. We never see any relevant numbers (except the occasional error total) or comments from the voters. Nothing. I'd be absolutely amazed to discover that the Gold Glove voters have any of this information at their disposal when making their selections. My assumption is that their votes are based on traditional fielding statistics, reputations, and appearances. That's not necessarily a bad thing. In a good number of cases each year, our analysis concurs with the Gold Glove selections, in part because the best fielders are going to look good no matter what methods you use to evaluate them. But there are some differences, and we'll go through each position and discuss the players we view as being the most worthy candidates. At the end, we'll compare our Gold Glove choices to the official winners and offer a few comments on other players who caught our eye as we did the fielding ratings for our 2002 Season Disk. There's a very strong tendency for Gold Glove voters to fixate on one guy and keep giving him the award year after year after year, as long as he doesn't get hurt or do anything to make it clear that something has changed. This tendency is especially strong for pitchers, perhaps because the voters don't get to see them as often as position players. At other positions, we can judge performance over a span of 1,000 to 1,400 defensive innings, but even the most durable starting pitchers are in the field only for 200-250 innings. And relievers get only a fraction of the innings of a starting pitcher. With 14 or 16 teams in the league, a voter might get to see a certain shortstop play 80 innings in the field. That's not much in the context of a whole season, but it sure beats the 10-20 innings they might see of a starting pitcher or the 4-5 innings a reliever might pitch in those games. So it's hard for anyone to evaluate pitcher defense just by watching, because none of the voters is in position to watch enough pitchers in enough situations to get a complete picture. And it's hard to evaluate pitchers just by looking at their putouts and assists because a pitcher's tendency to induce ground balls can have a major impact on those numbers. Even if you're a brilliant fielder, you're not going to look good next to an extreme ground-ball pitcher like Greg Maddux if you're a fly-ball pitcher and they're using traditional fielding stats to evaluate you. Other worthy candidates include Steve Sparks, Mike Mussina (last year's winner), Corey Lidle, Mark Buehrle, and Roy Halladay, but I believe Rogers was the right choice. In the NL, Greg Maddux won his 13th straight, and there's no question that he's a very good fielder. This year, he handled 69 chances successfully, making only one error in the process. Maddux gets a lot of assists because he's an extreme ground ball pitcher, but he's not the best in the league, at least not any more. Kirk Rueter handled 53 chances without an error and took part in five double plays. He hasn't made an error in three years, he consistently converts more batted balls into outs than does Maddux, and he is almost impossible to run on. But he may not be the best this year, either. At the top of the list of pitchers who bested Maddux in converting opportunities into outs are Steve Trachsel, Livan Hernandez, Rueter, and Tom Glavine. Trachsel has consistently looked good in our fielding analysis, but this is the best he's looked. He made two errors and was involved in three double plays. I'd like to see him perform at this high level for another year before I believe he's really as good as the others on this list. Hernandez is a great athlete who always makes a lot of plays. This wasn't his best year, but he handled 71 chances successfully and led the majors with seven double plays while making three errors. Glavine handled 71 chances without making an error, turned three double plays, and held runners well. Hernandez and Rueter usually rank higher than Glavine in converting batted balls into outs, and while I'd pick Rueter as the league's best fielder over the past five seasons, I think Glavine was slightly better this year, and he would have received my vote. Ivan Rodriguez has owned this award for a long time. Even though he threw out only 36% of opposing runners this year, he was still intimidating enough to deter enemy runners from challenging him in the first place, so he was a strong candidate again. But he also made seven errors and missed time due to his knee problems, opening the door for someone else. In a year when many teams split the position among several players and nobody stood out, Bengie Molina emerged as the deserving winner. Molina gunned down 45% of the runners who tried to steal and made only one error on the season. In the NL, I'd second the selection of Brad Ausmus, too. He threw out only 32% of opposing runners this year, but he has a history of throwing very well and now plays for a manager (Jimy Williams) with a track record of advising pitchers to focus more on the hitter than on the runners. The only serious challenger would be Jason LaRue, who's arm didn't get tested very often and who threw out 45% of the runners who dared. But LaRue allowed 20 passed balls to Ausmus's two, made one more error than Ausmus, and was involved in four fewer double plays. Charles Johnson had a good year throwing but didn't play nearly enough to be a serious candidate. In a down year for AL first basemen, Doug Mientkiewicz should have been a slam dunk winner, and I don't understand the selection of John Olerud. For the second year in a row, Mientkiewicz turned a higher percentage of batted balls into outs than any other AL first sacker, and he matched Olerud in fielding percentage. Olerud has been a very good fielder in the past, and before he went to the Mets and got noticed, we singled him out as someone who consistently looked very good in our ratings despite getting no credit for his defense. But he's getting up in years and we just don't see any evidence that he's making enough plays at this stage in his career. It's true that the other Seattle infielders made only 47 errors this year, the fifth lowest total in baseball, suggesting that Olerud may have bailed out his mates by scooping throws on more than a few occasions. But that's a very inexact measure. And Minnesota was one of the three teams that was even better on this score, so Mientkiewicz gets the nod here, too. There was more competition in the NL, but Todd Helton stood out anyway, and I agree with this selection. Helton turned far more batted balls into outs than the other guys at this position, and that in my mind is enough to overcome a quite ordinary record in starting double plays and the seven errors he committed. Tino Martinez, a contender in the AL a year ago, exhibited very good range and made only five errors, but didn't excel in starting double plays, either. Derrek Lee led the league in starting DPs and got to a lot of balls, too, but tarnished that record by making 12 errors. Travis Lee's defense must have been the main reason he was playing as much as he did, because he didn't have a great year at the plate. His range was good, his fielding percentage above average and his DPs nothing to write home about, but didn't do enough to match the year Helton had. If Helton had a weakness this year, it might be found in the fact that the Rockies led the majors in errors (75) made by their other infielders, perhaps indicating that Helton wasn't taking care of as many bad throws as his counterparts. On the other hand, the Rockies have the 7th-lowest 2B/3B/SS error total over the five years that Helton has been the regular first baseman, so his track record doesn't indicate a problem in this area. Unfortunately, we don't have good data on how well first basemen scoop throws. We can count the throwing errors made by other infielders, but the play-by-play files don't tell us how many errors were saved by a good scoop, a great stretch, or a clever sweep tag on a wide throw. And if there are runners on base, we can't tell from the data whether the throw went to first or some other base. Certain first basemen like J.T. Snow make their name on these plays, but it's difficult to measure just how valuable they are in that way. With Roberto Alomar plying his trade in the other league this year, the battle for the AL Gold Glove was a fair fight for the first time in a long time. Last year, I committed several paragraphs to a detailed evaluation of Alomar's defense in 2001, concluding that his ability to cover ground had diminished with age to a degree that outweighed his excellent fielding percentage. I believe Adam Kennedy deserved the honor last year, and Kennedy came through with another terrific defensive season in 2002. If it was my call, he'd have a Gold Glove for each hand right now. According to our analysis, Kennedy made 37 more plays than the average 2B this year, and when he got to a ball, he was above average in starting double plays and getting force outs. Other fielders were a little more inclined to settle for the out at first. And there were no weaknesses to offset these pluses; Kennedy was at or a little better than the league in making the pivot and avoiding errors. Bret Boone was every bit as steady as he's been in the past, and that's likely what convinced the voters to give him his second Gold Glove overall and his first in the AL. Boone led the position in fielding percentage with only seven errors on the season, but he didn't get to nearly as many balls as did Kennedy and he was below average in turning double plays. In my view, Texas's Mike Young was a slightly better candidate than Boone, nearly matching Boone's fielding percentage while getting to a few more balls and having a better pivot percentage on double plays. For the second year in a row, Jerry Hairston looked quite good in our analysis, and would have been a better selection than either Boone or Young. But neither player came close to making as many plays as Kennedy. At age 26, he's young enough to get more chances, but there are some terrific young players who are ready to challenge him. I'm thinking of Cleveland's John McDonald and Oakland's Mark Ellis, both of whom looked terrific this year but didn't play enough to challenge Kennedy for the top spot in my mind. Both played shortstop almost exclusively in the minors, and it's not at all uncommon for converted shortstops to become outstanding second basemen very quickly. Last year, I wrote that if Pokey Reese had played the entire year at second, instead of splitting his time between second and short, he would have gotten my vote. But he didn't, so I opted for Fernando Vina instead. In 2002, Vina repeated as the Gold Glove winner at this position. But Reese did play the entire year at second this time, and he would have been a much better choice, in my opinion. Vina had a disappointing year at the plate, losing 33 points off his batting average and much of his extra-base power. I'm not saying this because I think hitting stats should be considered when picking Gold Glovers. I mention it because we saw a noticeable decline in his range as well, and sometimes these things are connected. His 13 errors and .981 fielding percentage were merely average, and while he continues to be terrific at turning the double play, he didn't create enough extra outs that way to make up for the many extra balls that Reese gets to. According to our analysis, Reese made 26 more plays than the average 2B, while Vina was near the average. Reese made only 8 errors and posted a .988 fielding percentage, besting Vina in both categories. And Reese was above average in making the pivot, too. Not quite at Vina's level but close enough to make it clear that Reese was the better overall player this year. Mark Grudzielanek, like Reese a converted shortstop, was another player with a strong all-around season, getting to plenty of balls (even allowing for the help given him by Dodger Stadium), notching a very impressive .989 fielding percentage, and turning double plays at an above-average rate. At third base, the voters selected Eric Chavez and Scott Rolen. Both are repeat winners, with Rolen riding a three-year streak and picking up his fourth overall. Rolen is a perennial standout who has made far more plays relative to the norm for his position than any other NL fielder over the past four years. For the second year in a row, Rolen is my choice for NL Defensive Player of the Year. You might argue that someone at a more demanding position, a shortstop or center fielder, should be given preference over the top third baseman. But Rolen has dominated his position like nobody else. And it's not as if third base is an easy position to play; it requires great reflexes, a strong arm, and the versatility to handle a wide variety of plays. But he wasn't the only NL third baseman to have a very good year in the field. In the wake of Robin Ventura's move to the other league, Rolen's main rivals were David Bell, Placido Polanco (the man Philly received in the Rolen trade), Craig Counsell, and Aaron Boone. Bell was on my short list of candidates for the AL Gold Glove at this position in 2001, but I gave the nod to Chavez partly because Bell didn't play as much (26 fewer starts). Bell played more often this year, but some of that time was spent at other infield positions, so his time at third was about the same. And he was better this year in both range and sure-handedness. Polanco has played second, third and short for Tony LaRussa's Cardinals since his debut in 1998, but third base appears to be his best position. He covered a lot of ground, posted a fielding percentage that was 24 points better than the average, and was fifth in the majors in double plays despite playing at least 200 fewer innings at third than the four guys ahead of him. With the recent free agent signing of David Bell, the Phillies now have two of the league's best defensive 3Bs on the same roster. One, most likely Polanco, is expected to play second next year. Counsell had a terrific defensive season at second base in 2001, and when he was moved to third to fill in for Matt Williams in 2002, Counsell excelled there, too. He might have given Rolen a run for his money had he been able to stay healthy all year. With Williams having vetoed his proposed trade to Colorado, we may not get a chance to find out what Counsell can do at third over a full season. Like Polanco, Counsell is a three-position player who may be best suited for third base defensively while hitting more like a typical second baseman. According to our analysis, Boone has been less consistent than the other players just mentioned. He was terrific in 1999 and very good again this year, but didn't make as many plays in the two intervening seasons. He tied Rolen for the major-league lead in DPs this year with 42, but he made 20 errors and didn't cover quite as much ground as the other guys on this list. All in all, he's not really a serious challenger for the Gold Glove, but he is one of the league's better defensive 3Bs. The AL produced three strong candidates, Robin Ventura, Corey Koskie, and Eric Chavez (the winner). According to our analysis, Koskie outplayed Chavez by a small margin this year, making a few more plays, posting a higher fielding percentage, but trailing in double plays. Ventura's range was quite a bit better than either of the other two, but his 23 errors were quite a bit worse. Overall, even with the errors, Ventura made a few more plays. Chavez led the other two in assists by a big margin, but that's largely a function of playing behind a ground ball staff with one of baseball's highest percentages of innings thrown by left-handed pitchers. So the choice comes down to how much weight you put on range versus fielding percentage. If you don't care too much about the errors as long as a guy is making loads of other plays, Ventura's your guy. If you put a premium on fielding percentage, then Koskie's the pick. If you're looking for a blend of the two, it could go either way. My vote would go to Koskie, but only by the slimmest of margins. When the Gold Gloves were announced, Omar Vizquel expressed surprise that (a) he didn't win it again and (b) it wasn't Mike Bordick who got it. Here's what he said, as reported by ESPN.com: "I didn't think I was going to lose the Gold Glove this year. I don't think I gave it up. I know I had the numbers to compete." Vizquel's comments fit neatly with two longstanding patterns in the Gold Glove voting. First, when the voters settle on a player, he tends to get the award year after year as long as he doesn't give them a reason to change their minds, even if he's not the most deserving candidate that year. Unlike batting and ERA titles, you don't see two or three great players duking it out for the top spot year after year, with the lead changing hands based on which of them had the better year. The process of measuring fielding performances is murky enough that the voters often can't figure out which of the best players actually had the better year, so the incumbent has a big advantage. Second, a lot of weight is placed on errors. When Vizquel was talking about having the numbers to compete, he was talking about errors. When he mentioned Bordick as a viable candidate, he was referring to the fact that Bordick ended the season with only one error in 569 chances, for a remarkable .998 fielding percentage, and a record-setting streak of 110 consecutive errorless games. Because I have long attributed these beliefs to the voters, I was surprised to see these comments come from a player, especially a player who in his prime had as much or more range at shortstop as anyone in the league. I would have expected someone like Vizquel to look at the "numbers" more broadly than he apparently did. And I'm a little surprised that he talked as if the award was his to lose. Everything else in baseball starts over at zero on Opening Day. Nobody is supposed to have a head start on anything; you're supposed to earn it all over again. So I was pleasantly surprised when the voters chose Alex Rodriguez despite all of this. Even though Vizquel did have a good year in the field, making only seven errors, his range was only slightly above average. It's impressive that a 35-year-old like Vizquel can still cover as much ground as his younger counterparts, but that's not the same as saying that Vizquel is still as good as he was ten years ago or that he's a Gold Glover at this stage of his career. Like Vizquel, Bordick is getting up in years (he turned 37 in July), his range was only a little above average, and his main asset was reliability. That his reliability was of historic proportions makes him a Gold Glove candidate even though injuries limited him to 117 games. But Rodriguez also had a very good year in the field, and I think he deserved the award. Awards should go to the player who accomplished the most that season, so it matters that A-Rod was able to play in every game while Bordick's season was truncated. Rodriguez was very steady, compiling an impressive .987 fielding percentage at a position where the norm is .973. And Rodriguez got to a higher percentage of balls than either Vizquel or Bordick. In recent years, there hasn't been a huge gap between the best and worst fielders at this position. Teams have always been unwilling to trade off too much defense for offense at short, so you don't see awful fielders with big bats like you sometimes do at less challenging positions. With the emergence of a young crop of great-hitting shortstops, it seems as if fewer teams are willing to go with great-glove no-hit Mark Belanger types. Some of the more defense-oriented shortstops (like Bordick and Vizquel) are past their primes, while others (like Rey Sanchez and Pokey Reese) have moved to second base. So it wouldn't be accurate to say that Rodriguez was far and away the best at his position this year. David Eckstein, Nomar Garciaparra, Royce Clayton, Chris Woodward, Carlos Guillen, and Miguel Tejada also played quite well. Nomar and Guillen covered a lot of ground but made too many errors. The others were steadier, but nobody rose to A-Rod's level this year. It was much harder to pick out the strongest NL candidates. Juan Uribe and Jack Wilson were at or near the top in the range factor rankings, but their putout and assist totals were inflated because both played behind ground ball staffs. Last year's winner, Orlando Cabrera, led the majors with 29 errors, so he took himself out of the running in a hurry. Uribe tied with Rafael Furcal for second with 27 errors each. Cesar Izturis made a lot of plays, and could be the best fielder at this position, but he started only 109 games at short. Rey Ordonez and Jose Hernandez showed very good range but hurt their cases with 19 errors each. The voters' choice, Edgar Renteria, also made 19 errors. I think I would have picked Ordonez, but because nobody really separated themselves from the pack, I can't really argue with the selection of Renteria. In the third base comments above, I named Scott Rolen as my choice for the fictional NL Defensive Player of the Year award. Darin Erstad is my nominee in the AL. He led all major league outfielders with 452 putouts despite starting only 142 games. Mike Cameron was a distant second with 415 even though he played 90 more innings than Erstad. Andruw Jones was third with 404 in 129 more innings than Erstad. If all three had played 1357 innings, as Jones did, the numbers would have been 499 for Erstad, 427 for Cameron, and 404 for Jones. Erstad and Cameron got a boost from playing behind fly ball staffs, but Erstad was the top outfielder even after you take this and all other factors into account. This shouldn't come as a surprise. Erstad won a Gold Glove in 2000 and, in my opinion, should have received one last year, too. The Seattle outfield turned a higher percentage of fly balls and line drives into outs than any other team this year, with Anaheim and San Francisco tied for second and Minnesota fourth. The difference among these four teams was quite small, only about 7 batting average points, so the order could change if we took park effects into account. What is clear, however, is that these four outfields were the clear leaders in this category. For Seattle, Mike Cameron and Ichiro Suzuki were responsible for their place in this elite group. Eight players shared left field, with Mark McLemore and Ruben Sierra getting about 70% of the playing time between them. Ichiro was selected as a Gold Glover for the second year in a row. We thought highly enough of Ichiro's defense to assign him our top rating for both range and throwing this year, but if you can only justify picking one player from the Seattle outfield, Cameron's my choice. Cameron made 44 more plays than the average center fielder given the array of chances presented to him, the second-highest figure in baseball this year behind Erstad, and well ahead of Ichiro's mark in right field. The debate about the relative value of a center fielder and corner outfielder also applies to Minnesota's Torii Hunter (CF) and Jacque Jones (LF). According to our analysis, Jones was the top left fielder in baseball this year. (Rondell White was second.) Jones is a legitimate center fielder, too; in 147 games at that position from 1999 to 2001, he was among our top-rated players at that position. Casual fans may remember Torii Hunter's 2002 season based on two plays, his spectacular homerun-saving catch in the All Star game and the ball he misplayed into an inside-the-park homerun in game three of the AL division series. But we can't define a player's entire season based on two plays. Overall, our analysis indicates that Hunter was one of the better center fielders in the league but trailed Erstad and Cameron. In my view, the three AL Gold Gloves must come from the group that includes Erstad, Cameron, Jones, Hunter, Ichiro, and Johnny Damon of the Red Sox. With three teams dominating the league in outfield defense, it makes sense to pick the best outfielder from each team. Erstad's the easy pick for Anaheim. Cameron gets the nod for Seattle. The Minnesota pick is a tossup, but I think Jones had a slightly better year, so I'll go with him over Hunter. As I mentioned a few paragraphs back, San Francisco's outfield turned more fly balls and line drives into outs than any other NL team. The next three teams in this category were St. Louis, Arizona, and Cincinnati. The spacious dimensions of Pacific Bell Park boosted the San Francisco percentage a little, but the players deserve most of the credit. Specifically, center fielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo and right fielder Reggie Sanders were among the top-rated fielders at their positions this year, and both are Gold Glove candidates in my mind. The St. Louis outfield was led by Jim Edmonds in center and JD Drew in right. Over the years, Edmonds has shown above-average range in the years when he's been healthy and below-average range when he's been playing with one of his many ailments. One constant is an athletic ability that often allows him to make memorable plays on the balls he does get to. In the past, Drew has shown terrific range in right field and below-average range in center. He was still above average in right this year even though he was playing with a bad knee, but didn't turn in the kind of performance to justify a Gold Glove. Arizona's top outfielders were Steve Finley and Luis Gonzalez. Finley is quite similar to Edmonds in that his ability to get to balls is exceeded by his ability to make great catches when he gets there. That may sound like a back-handed compliment, but it's not meant that way, and Finley's range was above average this year. Gonzalez has always shown very-good-to-great range in left and still looks good even though he turned 35 in September. Cincinnati's outfield defense was led by Austin Kearns, who topped our net plays rankings in right field and also played a little left and center. Kearns was fifth in the majors in putouts per nine defensive innings; all four of the guys ahead of him played behind staffs that generated a higher rate of fly balls, including three who played behind two of the more extreme fly ball staffs in the game. We didn't find any NL left fielders who stood out this year. Geoff Jenkins has been very good for several years and was on pace to be the league's top LF again before he destroyed his ankle and missed 90 games. Luis Gonzalez played well, but left field is the easiest of the three positions, and he didn't do enough to be compared with top players at the other two spots. The top center fielders were Shinjo, Jay Payton, Finley, Andruw Jones, and a bunch of part-timers who didn't play enough to be seriously considered for a Gold Glove. Shinjo lost his job because he didn't hit, but his defense was never a problem, and you could make a very good case that he was the league's top defensive CF in 2002. Before taking ballparks into consideration, the top right fielders were Kearns and Sanders, with Drew a distant third. Colorado's Larry Walker is a difficult player to judge because he often plays hurt and his park makes outfielders look bad. One way to judge the impact of a park on outfielders is to compare the percentage of batted balls that become hits in that team's home and road games, excluding homeruns. Coors Field yielded 897 more hits from 1999 to 2002, with 321 of them on ground balls and the remaining 576 on fly balls and line drives. That's 144 extra fly-ball and line-drive hits per year for both teams, or 72 per year for the Rockies alone, or 24 per year per position. In other words, in any fielding analysis that measures the percentage of batted balls turned into outs, Colorado's outfielders begin the season with a deficit of 24 plays compared to players in normal parks. Without adjusting for his home park, Walker ranked in the bottom third in our net plays analysis. Take the park into account and Walker ranks in the top third of the game's right fielders, and we rated him accordingly. The voters awarded the three outfield Gold Gloves to Andruw Jones, Larry Walker, and Jim Edmonds, and all three were worthy of consideration. The pool of candidates is limited by the fact that some of the top outfielders didn't play enough. Neither Shinjo nor Kearns started 100 games in the outfield this year. Jay Payton had a very good year but started only 83 games in center and 109 overall. It would be a reach to pick any of them despite their fine defensive play. All things considered, including playing time, my choices are Andruw Jones, Reggie Sanders, and Steve Finley. I believe Finley was a little better than Edmonds in center field, while Sanders showed just enough extra range to make up for Walker's superior throwing arm. We agree on eight of the eighteen selections. Last year we agreed on twelve, and at the time, I wrote that it was the highest number of matches I could remember. So I'm not surprised to see that we differed on a few more choices this year. Eric Chavez, 3B -- In 2001, Chavez won his first Gold Glove, largely (I would guess) because he led the league in fielding percentage while making an above-average number of plays. Prior to that season, our analysis indicated that his range was slightly below average, and we had given him mostly Average and Fair ratings. He got to a lot more balls in 2001, however, and he was right at the boundary between our Excellent and Very Good ratings. It was a tough call, but we decided to take a chance and give him an Excellent rating even though his history didn't really support it. It now appears that a Very Good rating would have been a better choice, as his range reverted to the league average in 2002. Tony Clark, 1B -- Clark has generally received our Very Good rating but dropped to Fr in 2001 because back problems limited his mobility. We predicted that he'd bounce back to the Very Good level if he was healthy, and he did just that. Of course, he didn't hit a lick, so his playing time was severely reduced despite his skills in the field. Jermaine Dye, RF -- Dye has been one of our top-rated right fielders for years but struggled to come back from a severely broken leg. He missed the first few weeks of the season and after his return admitted that it was affecting his play in the outfield. His bat came around in the second half, suggesting that he may be on his way to better things for 2003, but his overall defensive numbers in 2002 were low enough to earn a Poor rating. Brian Giles, LF -- Pittsburgh's outfield was by far the worst in the majors at converting fly balls into outs, so it's no surprise that Giles, the only Pirates outfielder to start more than 77 games, has to shoulder a major part of the blame. As a result, his range rating dropped to Poor. Ken Griffey, CF -- For the second year in a row, Griffey tried to play through some leg injuries. He didn't play much, and when he did, he wasn't anywhere near his usual self. So he gets a Fair rating again. I'm hoping we get to see him back at 100% in 2003, and look forward to seeing how well he performs if he's healthy. Derek Jeter, SS -- Once again, Jeter was at or near the bottom in just about every measure of range that we use. As was the case with Scott Brosius from 1998 to 2000, his raw numbers were hurt by playing next to a third baseman (Robin Ventura this time) who cuts off a lot of balls that might be playable by the shortstop. Without taking Ventura's impact into account, it would be tempting to rate Jeter's range as Poor. But he's better than the raw numbers indicate. Not enough to earn an Average rating, though, and we have again assigned him a Fair range rating and a better-than-average error rating. Raul Mondesi, RF -- Once had a very good reputation for defense, mostly based on his great arm. In terms of range, our analysis shows that he's been slightly above average throughout his career. In 2001, it was reported that Mondesi came to camp carrying some extra weight, and his defensive numbers took a big dive. Coincidence? Maybe, but we felt a Fair rating was an accurate reflection of his 2001 performance. We thought he might rebound in 2002, but he continued his slide instead. As a result, we dropped him to a Poor rating. Manny Ramirez, LF -- Ramirez has been an adequate corner outfielder in the past, but you wouldn't know it from his performance in 2002. Chronic hamstring problems have made him very cautious in the field and on the bases, and his Poor rating in left field reflects that. If Ramirez can find a way to overcome his hamstring problems and get back to playing at full speed, his rating might improve. But he's such a great hitter that he and the team may not feel it's not worth taking the chance to find out lest he pull another hammy and take his bat out of the lineup for a few weeks. Rey Sanchez, 2B -- I fully expected Sanchez to emerge as a Gold Glove candidate this year. He's been one of our top-rated shortstops for several years. Most shortstops shine when they make the move to second, and Sanchez had the edge of having played second quite a bit in the past, so the transition should have been an easy one. For a couple of months, he did look like a Gold Glover, but then he pulled a hamstring and missed several weeks. The highlight film plays weren't nearly as abundant after that, and his overall numbers were quite ordinary in the end. As a result, he earned our Average rating for range. Can pitchers prevent hits on balls in play?

2019-04-18T22:50:54Z

https://diamond-mind.com/blogs/baseball-articles/43582148-2002-gold-glove-review

Hc Verma i Solutions for Class 11 Science Physics Chapter 10 Rotational Mechanics are provided here with simple step-by-step explanations. These solutions for Rotational Mechanics are extremely popular among class 11 Science students for Physics Rotational Mechanics Solutions come handy for quickly completing your homework and preparing for exams. All questions and answers from the Hc Verma i Book of class 11 Science Physics Chapter 10 are provided here for you for free. You will also love the ad-free experience on Meritnation’s Hc Verma i Solutions. All Hc Verma i Solutions for class 11 Science Physics are prepared by experts and are 100% accurate. Can an object be in pure translation as well as in pure rotation? Yes, such motion is possible if the translation takes place along the axis of rotation. This type of motion is called screw motion. A simple pendulum is a point mass suspended by a light thread from a fixed point. The particle is displaced towards one side and then released. It makes small oscillations. Is the motion of such a simple pendulum a pure rotation? If yes, where is the axis of rotation? Yes, it is an example of pure rotation. The axis of rotation passes through the pivot of the pendulum, perpendicular to the plane containing the pendulum. No, we cannot use componendo-dividendo theorem of proportion here. This is because α and a, and v and ω are dimensionally different. Therefore, ​v + ω and/or ​α + a are not possible. A ball is whirled in a circle by attaching it to a fixed point with a string. Is there an angular rotation of the ball about its centre? If yes, is this angular velocity equal to the angular velocity of the ball about the fixed point? Yes, there is an angular rotation of the ball about its centre. Yes, angular velocity of the ball about its centre is same as the angular velocity of the ball about the fixed point. Let the time period of angular rotation of the ball be T. After one revolution about the fixed centre is completed, the ball has come back to its original position. In this case, the point at which the ball meets with the string is again visible after one revolution. This means that it has undertaken one complete rotation about its centre. So, angular velocity is again ​2πT. Thus, in both the cases, angular velocities are the same. The moon rotates about the earth in such a way that only one hemisphere of the moon faces the earth (figure 10-Q1). Can we ever see the "other face" of the moon from the earth? Can a person on the moon ever see all the faces of the earth? No, we cannot see the other face of the Moon from the Earth. Yes, a person on the Moon can see all the faces of the Earth. Explanation: Angular velocity of the Moon about its own axis of rotation is same as its angular velocity of revolution about the Earth. This means that its rotation time period equals its revolution time period. So, we can see only one face of the Moon from the Earth. However, angular velocity of the Earth about its axis is not same as the angular velocity of Moon about the Earth. So, all the faces of the Earth is visible from the Moon. The torque of the weight of any body about any vertical axis is zero. If it always correct? No, its not always correct. But in fig. 2, as R and CM do not lie along the same vertical line, there exists a torque about the vertical axis. The torque of a force →F about a point is defined as →Γ=→r×→F. Suppose →r, →F and →Γ are all nonzero. Is r×→Γ||→F always true? Is it ever true? No,→ r×→τ|| →Γ is not true.In fact, it is never true. This is because:→ r×→τ=→ r×→ r×→FApplying vector triple product, we get:→ r×→ r×→F=→ r.→F→ r-→ r.→ r→F∵→ r.→ r=r2=→ r.→F→ r-r2→FIf → r.→F=0; that is, →r⊥→F, then:→ r×→Γ=-r2→FWe know that r2 is never negative and → r×→Γ=-r2→.FThis implies that both vectors may be antiparallel to each other but not parallel. A heavy particle of mass m falls freely near the earth's surface. What is the torque acting on this particle about a point 50 cm east to the line of motion? Does this torque produce any angular acceleration in the particle? If several forces act on a particle, the total torque on the particle may be obtained by first finding the resultant force and then taking torque of this resultant. Prove this. Is this result valid for the forces acting on different particles of a body in such a way that their lines of action intersect at a common point? Let f1→ , f2 →, f3→ ,... fn→ be the forces acting on a point P.Let O be the point along which torques moments will be taken.Let: f1→ + f2 →+ f3→ +...+ fn→=R→ ...1Moments of force torque fi→ about O will be:τ1→=OP →×f1→The sum of the torques about O will be:M→= OP →×f1→+OP →×f2→+...+OP →×fn→⇒ M→= OP →×f1→+f2→+f3→ +...+fn→⇒ M→=OP →×R→ From 1Thus, we see that the torque of the resultant force R→ of the forces f1→ , f2 →, f3→, ..., fn→ gives the sum of the moments of the torques. If the sum of all the forces acting on a body is zero, is it necessarily in equilibrium? If the sum of all the forces on a particle is zero, is it necessarily in equilibrium? No, if the sum of all the forces acting on a body is zero, the body is not necessarily in equilibrium. To be in equilibrium, the sum of torque acting on the body must be zero too (see the fig.). In the above case, although the sum of the forces acting on the body is zero (F1→+-F1→=0). Still, the body will rotate along OP→. So, it won't remain in equilibrium. If the angular momentum of a body is found to be zero about a point, is it necessary that it will also be zero about a different point? No, angular momentum is dependent on the position vector of the particle, angle between the radius vector and the linear velocity of the particle. So, there may be finite angular momentum along any different point even if it is zero at a particular point.If angular momentum is zero along O' but finite along O. If the resultant torque of all the forces acting on a body is zero about a point, is it necessary that it will be zero about any other point? No, it is not necessary that the torque about any other point be zero if it is zero about one point. Let F →be the resultant force due to all the forces acting on the plane of the body. Therefore, torque due to force F→ at any pointwill be the resultant torque. Now, we see that the torque due to F →at point Q will be zero because Q lies on the line of support of the force F but the torque due to force F→ will not be zero along the point P. A body is in translational equilibrium under the action of coplanar forces. If the torque of these forces is zero about a point, is it necessary that it will also be zero about any other point? Yes , if the torque due to forces in translation equillibriumis zero about a point, it will be zero about other point in the plane. Let us consider a planner lamina of some mass, acted upon byforces F1→, F2→, ... Fi→, etc.Let a force Fi→ act on a ith particle and torque due to Fi→ be zeroat a point Q.Since the body is in translation equillibrium, we have:ΣFi→=0 ...1Again, torque about P is zero. Therefore, we have:Σrpi→×Fi→=0 ...2Now, torque about point Q will be: Σr→Qi×Fi→=Σr→QP+r→Pi×Fi→ From fig. 13=Σr→QP×Fi→+rPi→×Fi→=ΣrQP→×Fi→+ΣrPi→×Fi→=rQP→×ΣFi→+0 From 2=rQP→×0 From 1=0Thus, F→ is zero about any other point Q. A rectangular brick is kept on a table with a part of its length projecting out. It remains at rest if the length projected is slightly less than half the total length but it falls down if the length projected is slightly more than half the total length. Give reason. The centre of mass CM of a rectangular block lies in the middle of the block. When the block is projected less than half of its length (CM being over the table), no net force acts on it. Thus, no net torque acts upon the body. But if the block is projected more than half of its length outside the table (CM being outside the table), gravitational force acts along the CM of the block. This force produces a moment along the edge of the table. This rotates the block, and as a result, it falls down. When a fat person tries to touch his toes, keeping the legs straight, he generally falls. Explain with reference to figure (10-Q2). When the man tries to touch his toe, he exerts force along the hand downwards. This force produces amoment along the Centre of Mass CM of the man as shown in the figure. This moment makes him rotateand, thus, he falls down after losing the balance. A ladder is resting with one end on a vertical wall and the other end on a horizontal floor. If it more likely to slip when a man stands near the bottom or near the top? The ladder is more likely to slide when the man stands near the top. This is because when the man stands near the top, it creates more torque compared to the torque caused by the weight of man near the bottom. When the man stands near the bottom, the Centre of Gravity of the ladder is shifted to C' from C. Now, the couple due to forces m+Mg and N makes the ladder fall. We see that due to its shift from C to C', the moment arm of the couple decreases from r to r'; hence, the couple decreases. When the man stands near the top of the ladder, the Centre of Mass shifts from C to C'. This increases the moment arm of the couple and from r to r'.Increase in moment arm increases the couple and, thus, the ladder easily falls. When a body is weighed on an ordinary balance we demand that the arum should be horizontal if the weights on the two pans are equal. Suppose equal weights are put on the two pans, the arm is kept at an angle with the horizontal and released. Is the torque of the two weights about the middle point (point of support) zero? Is the total torque zero? If so, why does the arm rotate and finally become horizontal? When the balance is kept at an angle, there is a net extra torque given to one of its arm. When the extra torque is removed, the balance becomes torque free and sum of all the torque acting on it is zero. But balance kept at an angle has got a greater potential energy compared to the balance kept horizontal. The potential energy acquired is due to the initial torque applied on it. This displaces the balance by an angle. As soon as the body is set free to rotate, the body tends to have the lowest potential energy. Thus, potential energy starts converting in to kinetic energy, but on the other side, kinetic energy converts into potential energy when the other arm of the balance is raised. This energy transformation oscillates the balance. But in this process, friction with the air and fulcrum dissipates energy converting into heat. Finally, the balance loses the energy and becomes horizontal, or attains equilibrium. The density of a rod AB continuously increases from A to B. Is it easier to set it in rotation by clamping it at A and applying a perpendicular force at B or by clamping it at B and applying the force at A? It will require more force to set the bar into rotation by clamping at A and then clamping at B. Explanation: Since the rod has mass density increasing towards B, the Center of Mass (CM) of the rod is near B. If the rod is clamped along A, the distance of CM of the rod from the pivot will be greater when the rod is clamped along B. Greater distance of CM from the Center of rotation increases the moment of inertia of the rod and hence more torque will be necessary to rotate the bar about A. Greater torque implies greater force will be necessary to rotate it. We have to find the torque required to rotate rod clamped at A to produce angular acceleration a. We have to find torque required to rotate rod clamped at B to produce angular acceleration a. When tall building are constructed on earth, the duration of day-night slightly increases. Is it true? Yes, because tall buildings have their CM much above the ground. It increases moment of inertia of the Earth. As the Earth’s rotation does not involve torque, its angular momentum is constant. Thus, an increase in MI leads to lower angular velocity of the Earth about its axis of rotation. This means length of night and day will increase. However, the increase is very small. If the ice at the poles melts and flows towards the equator, how will it affect the duration of day-night? Ice caps near the poles concentrate the mass of water at the poles through which axis of rotation of the Earth passes. If the ice melts, water will spread across the globe due to hydrostatic equilibrium and tend to move to the equatorial areas of the Earth due to centrifugal force of rotation. Mass, now being distributed more along the equator, will increase MI of the Earth and this in turn will decrease the angular velocity of the Earth. Decrease in angular velocity will increase the duration of day-night. A hollow sphere, a solid sphere, a disc and a ring all having same mass and radius are rolled down on an inclined plane. If no slipping takes place, which one will take the smallest time to cover a given length? The body with the smallest moment of inertia will roll down taking the smallest time. Here, the solid sphere has the lowest moment of inertia among all the other bodies. So, it will roll down taking the least time. A sphere rolls on a horizontal surface. If there any point of the sphere which has a vertical velocity? Some points on the equator of the sphere has got vertical velocity with respect to the direction of motion of the sphere. For a purely rotating body, the axis of rotation is always perpendicular to the velocity of the particle. The unit vector along the axis of rotation and the unit vector along the resultant force on the particle are perpendicular to each other in a uniform rotation. m, v and y are constant; therefore, angular momentum remains constant. (d) ω is independent of r. In a pure rotation, angular velocity of all the particles remains same and does not depend on the position of the particle from the axis of rotation. It is given that angular velocity is same for both the wheels. Because resultant force on a particle of the body rotating uniformly is always perpendicular to the rotation axis and pass through it. The resultant force on a particle of the body rotating non-uniformly is always horizontal and skew with the rotation axis because net torque on the body is non-zero. Thus, τ→ is perpendicular to r→ and F→. Consider a small portion of rod at a distance x from the clamped end (as shown in fig.) with width dx and mass dm. (d) at a distance larger than l/2 from O. (c) at a distance l/2 from O. It is given that there is no force along x-axis. COM of rod will remain and will not shift along x-axis (horizontal direction). Force gravity is acting along y-axis (vertical direction). So, COM will shift along the y-axis by l/2 distance and COM of horizontal rod is at a distance l/2 from one end. Therefore, lower end of the rod will remain at a distance l/2 from O. (d) depends on the actual values of t and r. Here, t is the thickness of the disc. (d) the relation depends on the actual magnitude of the torques. (d) increases if the rotation is clockwise and decreases if it is anticlockwise. Moment of inertia of a mass is directly proportional to the square of the distance of mass from the axis of rotation. As the tube is rotated, water is collected at the end of tube because of centrifugal force and distance from the rotation axis increases. Hence, moment of inertia increases. Consider an element of length, dl = rdθ. Let I1 an I2 be the moments of inertia of two bodies of identical geometrical shape, the first made of aluminium and the second of iron. (d) relation between I1 and I2 depends on the actual shapes of the bodies. The density of iron is more; therefore, I2 will be greater. (d) cannot be deduced with this information. We have three equations and four variables. So, Iz cannot be deduced with the given information. Let N be the normal reaction on the block. From the free body diagram of the block, it is clear that the forces N and mgcosθ pass through the same line. Therefore, there will be no torque due to N and mgcosθ. The only torque will be produced by mgsinθ. No external torque is applied on the ring; therefore, the angular momentum will be conserved. Rate of change of angular momentum of the body is directly proportional to the net external torque acting on the body. No external torque is applied on the person or on the table; therefore, the angular momentum will be conserved. As shown in the figure, the velocity of the particle will be the resultant of v0 and ωr. As the distance covered in one revolution about the centre is less than the perimeter of the wheel, it means that the direction of torque due to frictional force opposes the motion of wheel, i.e., the frictional force acting on the wheel by the surface is along the velocity of the wheel. Therefore, increase in petrol input will not affect the angular velocity and hence the linear velocity of the scooter will remain the same. (d) all will take same time. The incline is smooth; therefore, all bodies will slip on the incline. Also, as the mass of bodies is same, they will reach the bottom in equal time. Let θ be the inclination angle. The friction coefficients between the objects and the incline are same and not sufficient to allow pure rolling; therefore, all the bodies come down with the same acceleration. (d) all will achieve same kinetic energy. Torque is same for all the bodies; therefore, the angular momentum will be conserved. So, the body with greater value of moment of inertia will have smallest kinetic energy at the bottom of the incline. Hence, the hollow sphere will have the smallest kinetic energy at the bottom. As shown in the figure, the velocity of the string will be resultant of v0 and ωr. (d) may pass through a particle of the body. It is not necessary that the axis of rotation of a purely rotating body should pass through the centre of mass or through a particle of the body. It can also lie outside the body. Here, Γtotal is is the total torque on the system due to all the external forces acting on the system. So, equation (B) is not true as in non-inertial frames, pseudo force must be applied to study the motion of the object. (d) about any given point remains constant. If the point is on the straight line, r→and v→ will have the same direction and their cross product will be zero. Hence, angular momentum is zero. (c) If the point is not on the straight line, r→and v→ will not have the same direction and their cross product will not be zero. Hence, angular momentum is non-zero. (d) No external torque is applied on the body; therefore, its angular momentum about any given point remains constant. If there is no external force acting on a nonrigid body, which of the following quantities must remain constant? Let IA and IB be moments of inertia of a body about two axes A and B respectively. The axis A passes through the centre of mass of the body but B does not. (d) If the axes are not parallel, IA ≥ IB. Here, r is the distance between two axes and m is the mass of the body. A sphere is rotating about a diameter. (a) The particles on the surface of the sphere do not have any linear acceleration. (b) The particles on the diameter mentioned above do not have any linear acceleration. (c) Different particles on the surface have different angular speeds. (d) All the particles on the surface have same linear speed. The sphere is rotating about a diameter; therefore, the position vector of the particles on the diameter is zero. Thus, linear acceleration of the particle is zero. All the particles of the body have the same angular velocity. All the particle on the surface have different linear speeds that depend on the position of the particle from the axis of rotation. A wheel is making revolutions about its axis with uniform angular acceleration. Starting from rest, it reaches 100 rev/sec in 4 seconds. Find the angular acceleration. Find the angle rotated during these four seconds. A wheel rotating with uniform angular acceleration covers 50 revolutions in the first five seconds after the start. Find the angular acceleration and the angular velocity at the end of five seconds. A wheel starting from rest is uniformly accelerated at 4 rad/s2 for 10 seconds. It is allowed to rotate uniformly for the next 10 seconds and is finally brought to rest in the next 10 seconds. Find the total angle rotated by the wheel. It is given that the area under the ω-t curve gives the total angular displacement. ∴ Total angle rotated in 30 s = 800 rad. (d) torque of the applied force. The torque of the applied force does not depend on the density of a rod. It depend on the distance between the pivot and the point where F is applied. So, it does not depend on which end of the rod is pivoted. Consider a wheel of a bicycle rolling on a level road at a linear speed ν0 (figure 10-Q5). (d) the speed of B is greater than the speed of O. Velocity of the particle at A, B, C and D will be resultant of v0 and ωr. (d) the information given is not sufficient to tell which sphere will reach the bottom first. a is independent of mass and radii; therefore, the two spheres reach the bottom together. A hollow sphere and a solid sphere having same mss and same radii are rolled down a rough inclined plane. (a) The hollow sphere reaches the bottom first. (b) The solid sphere reaches the bottom with greater speed. (c) The solid sphere reaches the bottom with greater kinetic energy. (d) The two spheres will reach the bottom with same linear momentum. The acceleration of the solid sphere is greater; therefore, it will reach the bottom with greater speed. (d) a rough inclined surface. A sphere cannot roll on a smooth inclined surface and on a smooth horizontal surface because there is no backward force (force of friction) to prevent its slipping. (d) on the car is in the backward direction. (a) On the rear wheels, friction force is in the forward direction because it favours the motion and accelerates the car in forward direction. (b) Because of the movement of the car in forward direction, front wheels push the road in forward direction and in reaction, the road applies friction force in the backward direction. (c) As the car is moving in forward direction, the rear wheels have larger magnitude of friction force (in forward direction) than on the front wheels. (d) the angular momentum of the sphere about its centre will remain constant. The given coefficient of friction (17g tanθ) is less than the coefficient friction (27g tanθ) required for perfect rolling of the sphere on the inclined plane. Therefore, sphere may slip while rolling and it will translate and rotate about the centre. (d) decrease the angular velocity. If a sphere is rolled on a rough horizontal surface, the force of friction tries to oppose the linear motion and favours the angular motion. (d) its linear velocity will slowly decrease. Therefore, if the sphere is set in pure rolling on the incline, it will continue pure rolling. A body rotates about a fixed axis with an angular acceleration of one radian/second. Through what angle does it rotate during the time in which its angular velocity increases from 5 rad/s to 15 rad/s. Find the angular velocity of a body rotating with an acceleration of 2 rev/s2 as it completes the 5th revolution after the start. (b) the middle point of a radius. A disc rotates about its axis with a constant angular acceleration of 4 rad/s2. Find the radial and tangential accelerations of a particle at a distance of 1 cm from the axis at the end of the first second after the disc starts rotating. A block hangs from a string wrapped on a disc of radius 20 cm free to rotate about its axis which is fixed in a horizontal position. If the angular speed of the disc is 10 rad/s at some instant, with what speed is the block going down at that instant? It is given that the string is moving on the rim of the disc and block is connected with the string. Therefore, the speeds of the block going down and the rim will be same. (b) passing through one of the particles and perpendicular to the plane of the particles. (b) Now, let the axis of rotation passes through A and is perpendicular to the plane of triangle. Particles of masses 1 g, 2 g, 3 g, .........., 100 g are kept at the marks 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, ..........., 100 cm respectively on a metre scale. Find the moment of inertia of the system of particles about a perpendicular bisector of the metre scale. It is given that the perpendicular bisector of the metre scale is passed through the 50th particle. Therefore, on the L.H.S. of the axis, there will be 49 particles and on the R.H.S., there will be 50 particles. Consider the two particles positioned at 49 cm and 51 cm. I2 = 100 × (2)2 gm-cm2. Here, I' is the moment of inertia of particle at 100 cm. Find the moment of inertia of a pair of spheres, each having a mass mass m and radius r, kept in contact about the tangent passing through the point of contact. It is given that two bodies of mass m and radius r are moving along a common tangent. The moment of inertia of a uniform rod of mass 0⋅50 kg and length 1 m is 0⋅10 kg-m2 about a line perpendicular to the rod. Find the distance of this line from the middle point of the rod. Let the rod moves at a distance d from the centre. Find the radius of gyration of circular ring of radius r about a line perpendicular to the plane of the ring and passing through one of its particles. The radius of gyration of a uniform disc about a line perpendicular to the disc equals its radius. Find the distance of the line from the centre. Let there be a small sectional area of width dx at a distance x from the x-axis. The surface density (mass/area) of a circular disc of radius a depends on the distance from the centre as ρr=A+Br. Find its moment of inertia about the line perpendicular to the plane of the disc thorough its centre. Consider a ring of thickness dx at a distance r from the centre of the disc. A particle of mass m is projected with a speed u at an angle θ with the horizontal. Find the torque of the weight of the particle about the point of projection when the particle is at the highest point. Therefore, the direction of torque is perpendicular to the plane of the motion. A simple pendulum of length l is pulled aside to make an angle θ with the vertical. Find the magnitude of the torque of the weight ω of the bob about the point of suspension. When is the torque zero? Here, w is the weight of the bob. The torque will be zero when the force acting on the body passes through the point of suspension, i.e., at the lowest point of suspension. When a force of 6⋅0 N is exerted at 30° to a wrench at a distance of 8 cm from the nut, it is just able to loosen the nut. What force F would be sufficient to loosen it if it acts perpendicularly to the wrench at 16 cm from the nut? To loosen the nut, torque in both the cases should be the same. Calculate the total torque acting on the body shown in figure (10-E2) about the point O. Let the anticlockwise torque and clockwise acting torque be positive and negative, respectively. Torque at O due to 5 N force is zero as it is passing through O. A cubical block of mass m and edge a slides down a rough inclined plane of inclination θ with a uniform speed. Find the torque of the normal force acting on the block about its centre. From the free body diagram of the block, it is clear that forces N and mgcosθ pass through the same line. So, there will be no torque due to N and mgcosθ. The only torque will be produced by mgsinθ. A rod of mass m and length L, lying horizontally, is free to rotate about a vertical axis through its centre. A horizontal force of constant magnitude F acts on the rod at a distance of L/4 from the centre. The force is always perpendicular to the rod. Find the angle rotated by the rod during the time t after the motion starts. Let the torque produces an angular acceleration α. A square plate of mass 120 g and edge 5⋅0 cm rotates about one of the edges. If it has a uniform angular acceleration of 0⋅2 rad/s2, what torque acts on the plate? Consider a small area element of width dx and length a at a distance x from the axis of rotation. τ=ma23×α =120×10-3×52×10-43×.02 =40×25×10-7×0.2 =2×10-5 N-m. Calculate the torque on the square plate of the previous problem if it rotates about a diagonal with the same angular acceleration. A flywheel of moment of inertia 5⋅0 kg-m2 is rotated at a speed of 60 rad/s. Because of the friction at the axle, it comes to rest in 5⋅0 minutes. Find (a) the average torque of the friction, (b) the total work done by the friction and (c) the angular momentum of the wheel 1 minute before it stops rotating. Let the angular deceleration produced due to frictional force be α. Because of the friction between the water in oceans with the earth's surface, the rotational kinetic energy of the earth is continuously decreasing. If the earth's angular speed decreases by 0⋅0016 rad/day in 100 years, find the average torque of the friction on the earth. Radius of the earth is 6400 km and its mass is 6⋅0 × 1024 kg. A wheel rotating at a speed of 600 rpm (revolutions per minute) about its axis is brought to rest by applying a constant torque for 10 seconds. Find the angular deceleration and the angular velocity 5 seconds after the application of the torque. A wheel of mass 10 kg and radius 20 cm is rotating at an angular speed of 100 rev/min when the motor is turned off. Neglecting the friction at the axle, calculate the force that must be applied tangentially to the wheel to bring it to rest in 10 revolutions. A cylinder rotating at an angular speed of 50 rev/s is brought in contact with an identical stationary cylinder. Because of the kinetic friction, torques act on the two cylinders accelerating the stationary one and decelerating the moving one. If the common magnitude of the acceleration and deceleration be one revolution per second square, how long will it take before the two cylinders have equal angular speed? After t seconds, let the angular velocity of two cylinders be ω. A body rotating at 20 rad/s is acted upon by a constant torque providing it a deceleration of 2 rad/s2. At what time will the body have kinetic energy same as the initial value if the torque continues to act? So, in 10 s the body will come to rest. The same torque continues to act on the body, therefore, it will produce the same angular acceleration. The kinetic energy of the body is same as the initial value; therefore, its angular velocity should be equal to the initial value ω0. A light rod of length 1 m is pivoted at its centre and two masses of 5 kg and 2 kg are hung from the ends as shown in figure (10-E3). Find the initial angular acceleration of the rod assuming that it was horizontal in the beginning. Suppose the rod in the previous problem has a mass of 1 kg distributed uniformly over its length. (a) Find the initial angular acceleration of the rod. (b) Find the tension in the supports to the blocks of mass 2 kg and 5 kg. Figure (10-E4) shows two blocks of mass m and M connected by a string passing over a pulley. The horizontal table over which the mass m slides is smooth. The pulley has a radius r and moment of inertia I about its axis and it can freely rotate about this axis. Find the acceleration of the mass M assuming that the string does not slip on the pulley. A string is wrapped on a wheel of moment of inertia 0⋅20 kg-m2 and radius 10 cm and goes through a light pulley to support a block of mass 2⋅0 kg as shown in figure (10-E5). Find the acceleration of the block. Suppose the smaller pulley of the previous problem has its radius 5⋅0 cm and moment of inertia 0⋅10 kg-m2. Find the tension in the part of the string joining the pulleys. The pulleys in figure (10-E6) are identical, each having a radius R and moment of inertia I. Find the acceleration of the block M. The descending pulley shown in figure (10-E7) has a radius 20 cm and moment of inertia 0⋅20 kg-m2. The fixed pulley is light and the horizontal plane frictionless. Find the acceleration of the block if its mass is 1⋅0 kg. Let the mass of block be m1 and mass of pulley be m2. Acceleration of the massive pulley will be half of that of the block. The pulley shown in figure (10-E8) has a radius 10 cm and moment of inertia 0⋅5 kg-m2 about its axis. Assuming the inclined planes to be frictionless, calculate the acceleration of the 4⋅0 kg block. Solve the previous problem if the friction coefficient between the 2⋅0 kg block and the plane below it is 0⋅5 and the plane below the 4⋅0 kg block is frictionless. A uniform metre stick of mass 200 g is suspended from the ceiling thorough two vertical strings of equal lengths fixed at the ends. A small object of mass 20 g is placed on the stick at a distance of 70 cm from the left end. Find the tensions in the two strings. A uniform ladder of length 10⋅0 m and mass 16⋅0 kg is resting against a vertical wall making an angle of 37° with it. The vertical wall is frictionless but the ground is rough. An electrician weighing 60⋅0 kg climbs up the ladder. If he stays on the ladder at a point 8⋅00 m from the lower end, what will be the normal force and the force of friction on the ladder by the ground? What should be the minimum coefficient of friction for the electrician to work safely? Let N2 be the normal force on the ladder by the ground. Let N1 be the normal force on the ladder by the wall. Let fr be the force of friction on the ladder by the ground. Suppose the friction coefficient between the ground and the ladder of the previous problem is 0⋅540. Find the maximum weight of a mechanic who could go up and do the work form the same position of the ladder. Let the maximum mass of a mechanic who could go up be m. Therefore, weight of the mechanic, who can go up and do the work, should be less than 44 kg. A 6⋅5 m long ladder rests against a vertical wall reaching a height of 6⋅0 m. A 60 kg man stands half way up the ladder. (a) Find the torque of the force exerted by the man on the ladder about the upper end of the ladder. (b) Assuming the weight of the ladder to be negligible as compared to the man and assuming the wall to be smooth, find the force exerted by the ground on the ladder. (a) We have to find the torque due to the weight of the body about the upper end of the ladder. (b) Let us find the vertical force exerted by the ground on the ladder. The door of an almirah is 6 ft high, 1⋅5 ft wide and weighs 8 kg. The door is supported by two hinges situated at a distance of 1 ft from the ends. If the magnitudes of the forces exerted by the hinges on the door are equal, find this magnitude. It is given that the magnitudes of the forces exerted by the hinges on the door are equal. A uniform rod of length L rests against a smooth roller as shown in figure (10-E9). Find the friction coefficient between the ground and the lower end if the minimum angle that the rod can make the horizontal is θ. It makes an angle θ with the floor. Height of the wall is h. A uniform rod of mass 300 g and length 50 cm rotates at a uniform angular speed of 2 rad/s about an axis perpendicular to the rod through an end. Calculate (a) the angular momentum of the rod about the axis of rotation, (b) the speed of the centre of the rod and (c) its kinetic energy. A uniform square plate of mass 2⋅0 kg and edge 10 cm rotates about one of its diagonals under the action of a constant torque of 0⋅10 N-m. Calculate the angular momentum and the kinetic energy of the plate at the end of the fifth second after the start. Let ω be the angular velocity after time t (t = 5 s). Calculate the ratio of the angular momentum of the earth about its axis due to its spinning motion to that about the sun due to its orbital motion. Radius of the earth = 6400 km and radius of the orbit of the earth about the sun = 1⋅5 × 108 km. Two particles of masses m1 and m2 are joined by a light rigid rod of length r. The system rotates at an angular speed ω about an axis through the centre of mass of the system and perpendicular to the rod. Show that the angular momentum of the system is L=μ r2ω where μ is the reduced mass of the system defined as μ=m1+m2m1+m2. A dumb-bell consists of two identical small balls of mass 1/2 kg each connected to the two ends of a 50 cm long light rod. The dumb-bell is rotating about a fixed axis thorough the centre of the rod and perpendicular to it at an angular speed of 10 rad/s. An impulsive force of average magnitude 5⋅0 N acts on one of the masses in the direction of its velocity for 0⋅10 s. Find the new angular velocity of the system. A wheel of moment of inertia 0⋅500 kg-m2 and radius 20⋅0 cm is rotating about its axis at an angular speed of 20⋅0 rad/s. It picks up a stationary particle of mass 200 g at its edge. Find the new angular speed of the wheel. A diver having a moment of inertia of 6⋅0 kg-m2 about an axis thorough its centre of mass rotates at an angular speed of 2 rad/s about this axis. If he folds his hands and feet to decrease the moment of inertia to 5⋅0 kg-m2, what will be the new angular speed? Let ω2 be the final angular velocity of the diver. A boy is seated in a revolving chair revolving at an angular speed of 120 revolutions per minute. Two heavy balls form part of the revolving system and the boy can pull the balls closer to himself or may push them apart. If by pulling the balls closer, the boy decreases the moment of inertia of the system from 6 kg-m2 to 2 kg-m2, what will be the new angular speed? A boy is standing on a platform which is free to rotate about its axis. The boy holds an open umbrella in his hands. The axis of the umbrella coincides with that of the platform. The moment of inertia of "the platform plus the boy system" is 3⋅0 × 10−3 kg-m2 and that of the umbrella is 2⋅0 × 10−3 kg-m2. The boy starts spinning the umbrella about the axis at an angular speed of 2⋅0 rev/s with respect to himself. Find the angular velocity imparted to the platform. Let the angular velocity imparted to the platform be ω2. A wheel of moment of inertia 0⋅10 kg-m2 is rotating about a shaft at an angular speed of 160 rev/minute. A second wheel is set into rotation at 300 rev/minute and is coupled to the same shaft so that both the wheels finally rotate with a common angular speed of 200 rev/minute. Find the moment of inertia of the second wheel. Let I2 be the moment of inertia of the second wheel. A kid of mass M stands at the edge of a platform of radius R which can be freely rotated about its axis. The moment of inertia of the platform is I. The system is at rest when a friend throws a ball of mass m and the kid catches it. If the velocity of the ball is ν horizontally along the tangent to the edge of the platform when it was caught by the kid, find the angular speed of the platform after the event. Suppose the platform of the previous problem is brought to rest with the ball in the hand of the kid standing on the rim. The kid throws the ball horizontally to his friend in a direction tangential to the rim with a speed ν as seen by his friend. Find the angular velocity with which the platform will start rotating. Initial angular momentum of the system is zero (L1 = 0). Let the platform starts rotating with an angular velocity ω. Suppose the platform with the kid in the previous problem is rotating in anticlockwise direction at an angular speed ω. The kid starts walking along the rim with a speed ν relative to the platform also in the anticlockwise direction. Find the new angular speed of the platform. Let ω' be the angular velocity of platform after the kid starts walking. Let ω be the angular velocity of the wheel before walking. When we see the (kid-wheel) system from the initial frame of reference, we can find that the wheel moves with a speed of ω and the kid with a speed of ω'+νR, after the kid has started walking. External torque is zero; therefore, angular momentum is conserved. (a) the speed of the centre of mass, (b) the angular speed of the rod about the centre of mass, (c) the kinetic energy of the rod and (d) the angular momentum of the rod about the centre of mass after the force has stopped to act. Assume that t is so small that the rod does not appreciably change its direction while the force acts. (b) Let the angular speed about the centre of mass be ω. A uniform rod of length L lies on a smooth horizontal table. A particle moving on the table strikes the rod perpendicularly at an end and stops. Find the distance travelled by the centre of the rod by the time it turns through a right angle. Show that if the mass of the rod is four times that of the particle, the collision is elastic. Now by we consider the angular momentum imparted by the particle to the rod. => ω = 6mu1/ML ---2. Suppose the particle of the previous problem has a mass m and a speed ν before the collision and it sticks to the rod after the collision. The rod has a mass M. (a) Find the velocity of the centre of mass C of the system constituting "the rod plus the particle". (b) Find the velocity of the particle with respect to C before the collision. (c) Find the velocity of the rod with respect to C before the collision. (d) Find the angular momentum of the particle and of the rod about the centre of mass C before the collision. (e) Find the moment of inertia of the system about the vertical axis through the centre of mass C after the collision. (f) Find the velocity of the centre of mass C and the angular velocity of the system about the centre of mass after the collision. (a) It is given that no external torque and force is applied on the system. Two small balls A and B, each of mass m, are joined rigidly by a light horizontal rod of length L. The rod is clamped at the centre in such a way that it can rotate freely about a vertical axis through its centre. The system is rotated with an angular speed ω about the axis. A particle P of mass m kept at rest sticks to the ball A as the ball collides with it. Find the new angular speed of the rod. Let the new angular speed of the rod be ω'. Here, net torque on the system is zero. So, the angular momentum is conserved. (a) the linear speeds of the balls A and B after the collision, (b) the velocity of the centre of mass C of the system A + B + P and (c) the angular speed of the system about C after the collision. (a) Collision will not affect the velocity of ball B because the light rod will exert a force on it only along its length. Suppose the rod with the balls A and B of the previous problem is clamped at the centre in such a way that it can rotate freely about a horizontal axis through the clamp. The system is kept at rest in the horizontal position. A particle P of the same mass m is dropped from a height h on the ball B. The particle collides with B and sticks to it. (a) Find the angular momentum and the angular speed of the system just after the collision. (b) What should be the minimum value of h so that the system makes a full rotation after the collision. Let the particle P collides the ball B with a speed u and system moves with speed v just after the collision. Two blocks of masses 400 g and 200 g are connected through a light string going over a pulley which is free to rotate about its axis. The pulley has a moment of inertia 1·6×10-4 kg-m2 and a radius 2⋅0 cm, Find (a) the kinetic energy of the system as the 400 g block falls through 50 cm, (b) the speed of the blocks at this instant. The pulley shown in figure (10-E11) has a radius of 20 cm and moment of inertia 0⋅2 kg-m2. The string going over it is attached at one end to a vertical spring of spring constant 50 N/m fixed from below, and supports a 1 kg mass at the other end. The system is released from rest with the spring at its natural length. Find the speed of the block when it has descended through 10 cm. Take g = 10 m/s2. A metre stick is held vertically with one end on a rough horizontal floor. It is gently allowed to fall on the floor. Assuming that the end at the floor does not slip, find the angular speed of the rod when it hits the floor. Let the mass of the rod and its angular velocity be m and ​ω (when hits the ground), respectively. It is given that the rod has rotational motion only. A metre stick weighing 240 g is pivoted at its upper end in such a way that it can freely rotate in a vertical place through this end (figure 10-E12). A particle of mass 100 g is attached to the upper end of the stick through a light string of length 1 m. Initially, the rod is kept vertical and the string horizontal when the system is released from rest. The particle collides with the lower end of the stick and sticks there. Find the maximum angle through which the stick will rise. Let the angular velocity of stick after the collision be ω. Find the magnitude of the force acting on a particle of mass dm at the tip of the rod when the rod makes and angle of 37° with the vertical.A uniform rod pivoted at its upper end hangs vertically. It is displaced through an angle of 60° and then released. Let the length of the rod be l. Mass of the rod be m. Let the angular velocity of the rod be ω when it makes an angle of 37° with the vertical. Let the angular acceleration of the rod be α when it makes an angle of 37° with the vertical. So, total force on the particle of mass dm at the tip of the rod will be the resultant of Fc and Ft. A cylinder rolls on a horizontal place surface. If the speed of the centre is 25 m/s, what is the speed of the highest point? Let vc be the translational velocity of the cylinder. Let ω be the rotational velocity of the cylinder. Let r be the radius of the cylinder. A sphere of mass m rolls on a plane surface. Find its kinetic energy at an instant when its centre moves with speed ν. Let radius of the sphere be R and its angular speed be ω. A string is wrapped over the edge of a uniform disc and the free end is fixed with the ceiling. The disc moves down, unwinding the string. Find the downward acceleration of the disc. Let the radius of the disc be R. Let the tension in the string be T. Let the acceleration of the disc be a. A small spherical ball is released from a point at a height h on a rough track shown in figure (10-E13). Assuming that it does not slip anywhere, find its linear speed when it rolls on the horizontal part of the track. Let r be the radius of the ball. Let v be the linear speed of the ball when it rolls on the horizontal part of the track. Let ω be the angular speed of the ball when it rolls on the horizontal part of the track. Potential energy the ball has gained w.r.t. the surface will be converted to angular kinetic energy about the centre and linear kinetic energy. A small disc is set rolling with a speed ν on the horizontal part of the track of the previous problem from right to left. To what height will it climb up the curved part? Let the angular velocity of the disc ω. Let the height attained by the disc be h. A sphere starts rolling down an incline of inclination θ. Find the speed of its centre when it has covered a distance l. Let radius of the sphere be r. Let r be negligible w.r.t. l. A hollow sphere is released from the top of an inclined plane of inclination θ. (a) What should be the minimum coefficient of friction between the sphere and the plane to prevent sliding? (b) Find the kinetic energy of the ball as it moves down a length l on the incline if the friction coefficient is half the value calculated in part (a). It is given that a hollow sphere is released from the top of an inclined plane of inclination θ. A solid sphere of mass m is released from rest from the rim of a hemispherical cup so that it rolls along the surface. If the rim of the hemisphere is kept horizontal, find the normal force exerted by the cup on the ball when the ball reaches the bottom of the cup. The radius of the solid sphere (r) is negligible w.r.t. the radius of the hemispherical cup (R). Let the ball reaches the bottom of the cup with a velocity v and angular velocity ω. Figure (10-E14) shows a rough track, a portion of which is in the form of a cylinder of radius R. With what minimum linear speed should a sphere of radius r be set rolling on the horizontal part so that it completely goes round the circle on the cylindrical part. Let the sphere be thrown with velocity v' and its velocity becomes v at the top-most point. Figure (10-E15) shows a small spherical ball of mass m rolling down the loop track. The ball is released on the linear portion at a vertical height H from the lowest point. The circular part shown has a radius R. (a) Find the kinetic energy of the ball when it is at a point A where the radius makes an angle θ with the horizontal. (b) Find the radial and the tangential accelerations of the centre when the ball is at A. (c) Find the normal force and the frictional force acting on the if ball if H = 60 cm, R = 10 cm, θ = 0 and m = 70 g. (a) Let the velocity and angular velocity of the ball at point A be v and ω, respectively. (b) Let us now find the acceleration components. A thin spherical shell of radius R lying on a rough horizontal surface is hit sharply and horizontally by a cue. Where should it be hit so that the shell does not slip on the surface? If the shell does not slip on the surface, its motion should be pure rolling. Let the cue hits at a height 'h' above the centre. Let the centre of shell moves with velocity vc and shell rotates with angular velocity ω after hitting. A uniform wheel of radius R is set into rotation about its axis at an angular speed ω. This rotating wheel is now placed on a rough horizontal surface with its axis horizontal. Because of friction at the contact, the wheel accelerates forward and its rotation decelerates till the wheel starts pure rolling on the surface. Find the linear speed of the wheel after it starts pure rolling. As no external torque is applied, angular momentum will be conserved. A thin spherical shell lying on a rough horizontal surface is hits by a cue in such a way that the line of action passes through the centre of the shell. As a result, the shell starts moving with a linear speed ν without any initial angular velocity. Find the linear speed of the shell after it starts pure rolling on the surface. A hollow sphere of radius R lies on a smooth horizontal surface. It is pulled by a horizontal force acting tangentially from the highest point. Find the distance travelled by the sphere during the time it makes one full rotation. Let M be the mass of the hollow sphere and α be the angular acceleration produced in the sphere by the tangential force F. Let d be the distance travelled in this time t. A solid sphere of mass 0⋅50 kg is kept on a horizontal surface. The coefficient of static friction between the surfaces in contact is 2/7. What maximum force can be applied at the highest point in the horizontal direction so that the sphere does not slip on the surface? Let α be the angular acceleration produced in the sphere. A solid sphere is set into motion on a rough horizontal surface with a linear speed ν in the forward direction and an angular speed ν/R in the anticlockwise directions as shown in figure (10-E16). Find the linear speed of the sphere (a) when it stops rotating and (b) when slipping finally ceases and pure rolling starts. Angular momentum about point A' after it starts pure rolling. A solid sphere rolling on a rough horizontal surface with a linear speed ν collides elastically with a fixed, smooth, vertical wall. Find the speed of the sphere after it has started pure rolling in the backward direction. Let the velocity be ν' and the corresponding angular velocity be v'R. So, the sphere will move with velocity 3v7.

2019-04-23T01:07:57Z

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epistemology | J.W. Wartick -"Always Have a Reason" Stephen Parrish’s The Knower and the Known is not merely a critique of physicalism. As we noted in the review of the first part, that critique itself is a decisive, thorough demolishing of major physicalist theories of mind. Here, we will explore Parrish’s exposition of a theory of consciousness. What does it mean to have a thought? Parrish notes several aspects which go into the very act of knowing. There must be an object of knowledge; there must be a subject to consider the object; there must be consciousness in order to apprehend concepts and aboutness; there must be a relationship between subject and object and consciousness; there must be understanding of that relationship; and finally there must be a view of the world in which all of this can occur. Consciousness itself is an extremely complex notion which involves phenomenality: the actual experience of thought; intentionality: the turning of one’s thoughts to consider an object; subjectivity: an agent which is itself the subject of the thought; and rationality: the capacity to order thoughts in such a way as to make sense of them. (206-213). Consciousness has certain phenomenal properties. That is, when we consider our own thoughts, there is a distinct feeling to them which allows us to differentiate them from simple sense perceptions. There is an aspect of inentionality or attending-to our thoughts which is itself irreducible. Moreover, we are able to comprehend things which are themselves non-physical, such as the nature of a logical argument like modus ponens (226-228). Consciousness must somehow interact with the physical world. If one is a physicalist, it becomes a matter of reducing consciousness to purely physical explanations, eliminating consciousness, or offering a brute relationship between consciousness and the physical world. Qualia are also extremely important when considering consciousness. How is it that we are able to see objects as objects with certain properties? What process allows for individual particles/rays of light to manifest themselves in phenomenal consciousness in such a way as to provide a coherent picture of an object? Moreover, “there is more to recognizing qualia than just having color in one’s sensory field; there is also our attention to said qualia, the judgments we make about them, the objects that they represent, and also our memory of them–and these factors can make all of the difference” (257). Subjectivity is also extremely important to forming a theory of consciousness. It seems that subjects are, in fact, irreducible. For the physicalist, the concept of a subject is extremely difficult. After all, a subject at t1 is going to be different from that subject at t2 in a number of highly relevant physical ways. Their neurons are firing differently from t1 to t2. How is it that subjectivity is maintained. The substance dualist holds that subjectivity is maintained through unity of consciousness which may not be reduced to the physical (291). The unity is preserved through intentionality but more thoroughly through rationality. The use of reason is one of the primary ways to offer continuity of the self. For the subject, S, at t3 is considering both thoughts at t1 and t2 in order to come to a conclusion at t4. Reason itself has aspects of intentionality which cannot be accounted for on a physicalist view of reality, for a physical object is capable of performing mathematical computations but not understanding the aboutness inherent in those computations (266-267). Parrish grounds his understanding of consciousness in a theistic worldview. There are numerous difficulties with an account of substance dualism which seem to only be soluble on a theistic interpretation. One of these is the problem of the interaction between body and mind. If God exists, then it seems inherently possible that a deity would be capable of forming the world in such a way that mind could interact with body. Parrish addresses several objections to the notion that an immaterial being could interact with a physical universe while also making an argument for non-physical selfs apart from God interacting in the universe (324ff). The match of our minds with the world is something which must be accounted for. Parrish notes that if we ground ideal objects in an immaterial being like God, the difficulties with such objects existence and subsistence may be solved. Moreover, the glorious match of our mental life with reality is also explained, for a rational being is the source of all which we observe. If that is the case, then we no longer must appeal to simple brute fact to attempt to explain the phenomena of consciousness; instead, we may note that it is exactly as one might expect given theism (337ff). Parrish concludes the work with a brief comparison of physicalism and substance dualism across multiple questions related to consciousness and the physical world. Finally, there are two appendices which address free will/agency and the theory of panpsychism, respectively. In Part 1 of this review I outlined Parrish’s discussion of physicalism. Here, we have seen the structure of his substance dualism. It seems to me that Parrish’s deconstruction of physicalism is quite powerful. In particular, I noted that he makes a strong argument that physicalist theories ultimately boil down into either epiphenomenalism or mysterianism, neither of which is plausible. Moreover, his use of numerous examples and thought experiments throughout makes the work easier to comprehend while also providing a solid basis for grounding further discussions in philosophy of mind. Finally, the vast amount of research and documentation Parrish provides makes the work invaluable as a reference for physicalist writings alongside its clear value as a thorough critique of those same works. The second major section, in which Parrish outlines his view of a theistic dualist ontology, is equally important. He provides a large amount of background for understanding how to put together various aspects of consciousness while also noting that, on theism, these observed phenomena cohere within an ontology, while on physicalism they are generally either discredited or ignored. The one thing the work may lack is a bit of cohesion in the section on substance dualism. Parrish has given a broad vision for how to hold a dualist ontology, but sometimes leaves it up to the reader to put the pieces together. The pieces are there, but not always assembled. I should note, however, that even here Parrish has provided an invaluable resource for those who wish to argue for a dualist vision of philosophy of mind. I have already noted that Parrish’s The Knower and the Known is a tour de force in the realm of analyzing physicalist theories. However, the work is much more than a simple refutation of physicalism. Alongside that critique, Parrish has laid out the groundwork for substance dualism as a cogent alternative. Simply put, it is a must read for anyone with any interest in philosophy of mind. Comprehensive in scope, exhaustively documented, and interesting to read, The Knower and the Known is a must-have. Stephen Parrish, The Knower and the Known (South Bend, IN: St. Augustine’s Press, 2013). Recently, the atheist Alex Rosenberg debated the theist William Lane Craig. The meat started to happen in the rebuttals, so I will focus on those. For a full review, check out Wintery Knight’s excellent summary. Craig pointed out the extreme implausibility of the naturalistic worldview in contrast to theism. He outlined several ways in which naturalism fails as an explanation of reality and cited Rosenberg’s work several times throughout this discussion. He argued that mental states have an “aboutness” which naturalism cannot explain.Then, he pointed out the profound difficulty naturalism has with locating truth and meaning within the worldview. He asserted that libertarian free will and purpose are incompatible with naturalism. Finally, the concept of the “self” and the first-person awareness cannot be explained by naturalism. He also argued that different religious books are false, so there is no reason to trust the New Testament. Rosenberg said if Craig could provide an explanation for this, then he would become a Christian. Craig immediately exclaimed his excitement over Rosenberg’s possibility of becoming a Christian, arguing that the logical problem of evil, which Rosenberg seemed to be using, has been largely abandoned due to its immense problems. In order to make this argument, the atheist assumes that if God is all powerful than he can create any world he wants, but this is not necessarily true. It is logically impossible for God to make someone freely do something. The atheist would have to prove that there is a world with as much free good in this world but without as much free evil. It seems this premise is impossible to prove. Thus, the logical problem of evil has largely been dropped. Craig pointed out the fact that Rosenberg was simply mistaken about the importance of metaphysical naturalism. If metaphysical naturalism is false, then it seems clear that theism is that much more plausible. Craig also once again pointed out that discrediting things like the Book of Mormon or the Qur’an does nothing to undermine the truth of the New Testament documents. Rosenberg continued to attack Craig as well as the format of the debate. He asserted that Craig was merely repeating himself. Then he commented that the format of a debate does not work to discuss questions like those at hand. One honestly is forced to wonder why Rosenberg chose to engage in the debate, if such were his opinions. Rosenberg attacked Craig’s arguments for “giving philosophy a bad name” and said he would be “embarrassed” to outline Craig’s defense of his arguments. He did get into some actual comments on the arguments, however. He argued that some things can come into being from “nothing at all,” specifically alpha particles. Finally, he got to the problem of evil. Here I continued to be confused over whether Rosenberg was sure which variety of the problem of evil he was presenting. He continued to utilize the evidential problem of evil as though it were the same as the logical problem of evil. He was confusing his arguments, mixing necessity with contingency. There is little to comment on here, because it was so confused. Regarding the New Testament, Rosenberg essentially argued that we cannot know how corrupt the New Testament is. Craig turned once more to Rosenberg’s construction of the problem of evil. He pointed out that Rosenberg was mistaken about free will as well as the nature of the God’s creation. He pointed out that the holocaust was not necessary. Instead, he noted that the onus is upon Rosenberg to show that God could have actualized a world with as much good as there is in this world while simultaneously showing there would be less evil, which is of course beyond the ken of the atheist (or the theist). Craig pointed out that we can confirm that New Testament sources we have go back to within 5 years of the actual events. Furthermore, Rosenberg was mistaken in saying that the New Testament documents were written in Aramaic. They were written in Greek. Rosenberg used his closing to present an “obvious” argument for atheism. He argued that science has no need of the God hypothesis and that there is no basis “to invoke God for explanatory or any other purpose” in science. Thus, science has no reason to accept the existence of God. I find it interesting that he chose to save this argument for the point when he couldn’t be rebutted on the argument. Perhaps that is due to the extreme weakness of the argument. Only be equating science with knowledge could this argument have any relevance. This is not to mention that he is mistaken on this, but to show that he is mistaken would take us too far afield. Interested readers can view the links at the end of this post. Rosenberg closed with “advice from an atheist.” His advice was to tell theists to not demand that their faith be reasonable. He continued with a discussion saying that theists should say “I believe because it is absurd.” He essentially asserted that theists cannot be reasonable. Honestly, this was just an insult. I admit I was not surprised by this comment by the end of the debate, as Rosenberg’s general strategy had seemed to be to denigrate, rather than interact with, theism. I was honestly stunned by Rosenberg’s assertion that substance dualism or a debate over naturalism had nothing to do with faith in God. It seems quite obvious that such things are indeed germane to the discussion. If substance dualism is true, then theism has a much better account than non-theistic worldviews. If naturalism is false, the plausibility of theism increases greatly. In the Q+A following the debate, someone asked Rosenberg why they should believe anything he said in the debate if he himself doesn’t believe in true. Rosenberg basically answered by saying that he’s just rearranging the brain in a way to meet truth… but of course he already denied that we can know what truth is. It’s just a certain way of orienting the matter in one’s brain! Ridiculous. I’m sorry, but it is ridiculous. Regarding the debate itself, there were a number of non-scientific ways that people voted on the results of the debate. A formal panel awarded Craig the victory 4-2. The local (Purdue) voting on the debate 303-1390 Craig won. Online vote favored Craig 734-59. In other words, Craig crushed Rosenberg. I agree wholeheartedly. Let me know your thoughts. Comment below! Wintery Knight provided a simply fantastic summary of the debate. Glenn Andrew Peoples has a post on quantum events in relation to the cosmological argument which is very relevant to this debate. Shoulders of Giants?- Philosophy and Science in Context, or, “Lawrence Krauss Jumps off!”– I write on the relationship of science to philosophy as well as Christianity. Science: “Thanks Christianity!”– Does Christianity say anything about science? Lawrence Krauss recently appeared on the English [UK] radio show “Unbelievable?” In this radio program, Krauss and Randy Holder, a Christian, were in dialog about “A Universe from Nothing?” [not necessarily Krauss’ book, but the subject in general]. The dialog, unfortunately, showed that Krauss continues in his ignorance of the importance of philosophy to his own subject, as well as his own flippant dismissal of generations of scientists. I can’t think of a more galling statement for a contemporary cosmologist to make. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, for those who don’t know, happened to be one of the men who discovered infinitesimal calculus. He also (among countless other contributions to mathematics, science, social sciences, engineering, and philosophy) developed a calculator, contributed to the development of binary language, was one of the first to posit that space was relative, and developed the principle of sufficient reason (which supports all scientific investigation). Yet, according to Krauss, because he lived in a time before we know how large the universe was, he “knew nothing!” You see, Krauss, and some other scientists and thinkers with a scientistic/physicalist bent, too often throw out the very basis of their thought. How far do you think Krauss could get in his cosmological research without infinitesimal calculus? How would Krauss go about investigating the causes of various natural phenomena without the principle of sufficient reason? The answer is pretty simple: he wouldn’t get anywhere. Really, Krauss? Let’s see how well your next research project goes if you throw out all the contributions they made to your methodology. Next time you do an experiment, try to do it without parsimony or inference to the best explanation. Write to me how that goes! What’s happened with people like Krauss, and I can think of others (like Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins) who do the same thing, is that in their gusto for the marvels of modern science, they have forgotten the very basis for their methods, their research, and their rationality. Without philosophy, there would be no way to infer causes from effects; without the principle of sufficient reason, there would be no reason to think that causes even have effects; without a well developed notion that what will happen can be inferred from what has happened, these scientists could not even get going. But then they have the absurd tendency to turn around and reject philosophy. They say things like the quote Krauss fired off above. Here’s the thing: science is utterly dependent upon philosophy to survive. If we didn’t have philosophy–if we didn’t have the developed notions of rationality, inference, and the like–there would be no science. Other theists (and philosophers) have contributed things like parsimony/Occam’s Razor to the wealth of philosophical methodological backbone which makes the scientific enterprise possible. In fact, there is still debate over whether we can reliably make inferences from science (for one example philosophically defending scientific inference, see Wesley Salmon, The Foundations of Scientific Inference). Some scientists have now apparently become those who sit in the ivory towers, blissfully ignorant of how their own research depends upon others’ outside of their field. I suspect a multifaceted problem behind the motivation of those who throw philosophy out the window once they’ve embraced full-fledged empiricism. First, many of these thinkers have demonstrated they don’t actually know what empiricism means as a–that’s right–philosophical system. Apart from Krauss and Hawking, one could cite the recent example of Richard Dawkins admitting that he doesn’t know what “epistemic” means. Note to those who embrace that philosophical system of Krauss et al.: without epistemology, you would not even be able to justify inferences to best explanation. How’s that for a dose of reality? Second, there is a kind of blatant ignorance of–or even intentional trampling on–the historical development of scientific inquiry. I hesitate to say that philosophy makes a “contribution” to science, because that’s not what it is. A simple study of schools of knowledge reveals that science, by its very nature, is utterly dependent upon epistemological research. Without such development, there would be no scientific method. Third, these scientists constantly make philosophical claims, apparently in complete ignorance of the fact that they are philosophical claims. For example, in the same dialog Krauss argues that “the universe certainly doesn’t care what I like…” and throughout the discussion points out that it doesn’t matter what we think, the universe is revealed in a certain way by research. He apparently seems utterly oblivious to the fact that that, in itself, is a philosophical position. One could take a rival position and argue that the appearances of nature don’t actually determine reality because everything is mind-dependent (idealism, solipsism, or other schools). It’s not enough to just point at nature and say “see, this is how things are!” because if that’s all one does, then someone could say “Your ideas about how things are are dependent upon your mind and ideas, and therefore don’t have any access to reality.” No scientific research could rebut such an argument, only a philosophical position in which nature can give us a reliable record for rationality can ground science. Krauss dismisses philosophy very nonchalantly. It seems as though he (and others like him) is oblivious to the fact his entire system is philosophical. Consider the claim that “science can examine reality.” How does one go about proving it? One could argue that one could simply make a test and show that over and over again in circumstances y, x result happens, so we are justified that when we assert that if y, then x. But of course we would have to justify that a test can be connected to reality; we’d have to figure out what it means to have “justified” belief; we have to show that our scientific method is trustworthy; we have to assume that mathematical truths are true; we have to operate within a rational perspective; etc. All of these are philosophical positions. Some of them are debates within philosophy of science, in fact. The bottom line is that whenever someone does science, they are utterly reliant upon philosophy. By simply taking the empirical world as something which can be explored, they have made a number of philosophical assumptions, whether realized or not. Scientists take much of the philosophical development as a given before they even start their research. And then, some of them, like Krauss, have the gall to turn around and dismiss philosophers as though they “know nothing.” Suddenly, he has undermined his own system of thought, without even acknowledging that it is a system of thought. Frankly, some of these scientists are just confused. Thankfully, many scientists operate with a system that respects the contributions of philosophy to science and encourage the interplay between the fields of knowledge. Here’s the bottom line for those scientists who agree with Krauss: your entire field of research can only proceed if you grant over a thousand years of philosophical development. One major contribution was made by Leibniz, whom people like Krauss casually dismiss. But without the theistic philosopher with the awesome wig, scientists would have nothing. Thanks, philosophy! Thanks again, Christianity! there are no tables or chairs or any other visible objects except living organisms (1). This sounds odd to a great many people, and he acknowledges this. The thesis, however, solves many of the standard problems of composition. Specifically, van Inwagen seeks to answer, specifically, the special composition question: “In what circumstances is a thing a (proper) part of something?” (21). He surveys traditional answers to this question and finds them wanting. Some have argued simply that “contact” is enough to deduce when an object is composed of other objects, but van Inwagen utilizes a series of thought experiments to show this cannot be right (33ff). Specific types of physical bonding fair no better (61ff) while nihilism (there are no composite objects) and universalism (one can’t compose something, because if there are disjoint xs they compose something ) fall victim to a number of difficulties (72ff). (there is a y such that the xs composes y) iff the activity of the xs constitutes a life (or there is only one of the xs) (82). He goes on to define what he means by life (87ff). Against those who argue that his answer violates ordinary beliefs, van Inwagen proposes various linguistic fixes to allow for everyday language to still be “correct” without violating his suggested answer to the composition question. Thought experiments about artifacts (constructs of people/other living things) help bolster his points (124ff). After these sections, van Inwagen turns to questions over how to identify life as well as offering attempts to deal with various dilemmas presented to materialists. This composes most of the rest of his work, but more on that shortly. Van Inwagen’s analysis of the problem of composition seems quite sound, and while his proposed modifications of everyday language to fit into the philosophical answer he has proposed may seem a bit odd to many, they seem to answer the charges his opponent may level against him regarding such questions. Furthermore, his proposed answer gets past the difficulties of the other answers which have been proposed. The most intuitive answer, “contact,” van Inwagen shows is at least fraught with difficulties. That said, there are some significant problems with van Inwagan’s approach, most of which stem from those which he, being a materialist, has presented to himself and other materialists. One place to identify van Inwagen’s problematic approach is in section 12. He writes, “…the fact that I am a thinking being shows that there is at least one composite material object…” (120). He continues, “What is the ground of my unity? …It seems to me to be plausible to say that what binds [the simples which compose me] together is that their activites constitute a life…” (121). Now, wholly apart from whether or not “simples” can be thinking objects, this argument seems unsound. For, on materialism, what justifies 3? Why think that whatever thinks is alive? I’ve already noted that there are philosophers of science and biologists who seem to think there isn’t such a distinction as alive/nonliving (see, for example, Iris Fry’s work, The Emergence of Life on Earth). This therefore reflects the problem I’ve noted already: without a clearer definition of “life,” it is hard to analyze van Inwagen’s thesis. Yet one may also question the second premise. Why suppose that “I think?” Materialists cannot be substance dualists and must therefore justify personhood in purely materialistic ways. As I’ve argued elsewhere, it seems that materialists almost must deny that there are such things as subjects. Yet van Inwagen just makes the assumption that “I think.” What is “I” on his view? Finally, why think that 1 is true? One can see the great difficulties with his position illustrated when he turns to thought experiments about when human life begins. Van Inwagen argues that we cannot be the same as the zygote which was our intial state because it splits from A into B and C, neither of which is identical to A (152ff). He argues that the zygote ceases to exist. One instantly wonders how it is that “I” am therefore the same person as I was yesterday, or years ago when all the material which composes me is different. Van Inwagen’s answer is his thesis (above) with the supposition that life actively continues itself. But then one wonders why he doesn’t consider a zygote alive, because it clearly self-organizes, continues itself, etc. In fact, when one examines van Inwagen’s definitions of life, one sees that a zygote meets every criteria. They maintain themselves, they are individuating events, they are “jealous events,” etc. (see his brief discussion 87-90). So why suppose that the zygote isn’t alive? Again one can observe van Inwagen’s frustrations with brain transplants (section 15). Eventually, he resorts to a mock discourse in which he uses question-and-answer format to try to deal with some extremely illogical consequences of his own naturalism (196ff). Similar confounding issues arise with the “vagueness of composition,” unity and thought, and the identity of material objects. One can see that van Inwagen’s materialistic bias truly undermines his position in each of these problems. If one holds to substance dualism, one can easily answer any of these problems. Not only that, but his “proposed answer” makes much more sense conjoined with substance dualism, which allows one to make sense of the persistence of persons, living things, etc. without any of the counter-intuitive solutions to which van Inwagen must adhere. Thus, it seems to me that Material Beings is an excellent book which will provoke much thought, but that its author is, unfortunately, trapped within his own materialism. If he’d think outside the [brain] box, the seemingly insurmountable problems he honestly faces find solutions. Peter van Inwagen, Material Beings (Ithaca, NY: Cornell, 1990). If materialism, are there subjects? In this post I seek to establish one premise: If materialism is true, there are no subjects. There has been much extended discussion in my post on atheism’s universe, wherein (in the comments) I asserted that, on atheism, there are no subjects. It is high time I clarified my position and drew out its implications. My argument is based upon a materialist or physicalist view of reality [I use the terms ‘materialism’ and ‘physicalism’ interchangeably here–I realize they are sometimes used to delineate differences between hard and soft materialists, but for the sake of this post one may assume that any time I mention “physicalism” I mean materialism at large]. I am asserting that: if physicalism is true, there are no such things as “subjects.” I’ve briefly argued elsewhere (see the post linked above) that the only consistent atheism is materialistic. For atheists who are not materialists, I leave it to them to show that their view consistently allows for immaterial entities. One constant objection to my position is that I never defined what I meant by “subject.” One reason I did not seek to define the term is because I did not want the debate to boil down into a semantic war over the meaning of subject. There are some features of “subjects” which most parties agree upon, but how to lay out those features is hotly debated. Further, I did not wish to beg the question against the materialist by defining a subject in such a way that no materialist ontology could even attempt to approach it (suppose I defined a “subject” as a “wholly mental feature of reality which acts as the center of consciousness”; in such a case, I’ve added nothing to the discussion because I’ve excluded materialism from the debate without argument). There is no easy way to define what is meant by “a subject.” I will seek now to define it as broadly as possible, so as to avoid any questions begged. Endures from moment-to-moment as one being. A subject would be the same subject at T2 as it was at T1. Accounts for any mental states–whether they are actually aphysical or physical. Hopefully these terms are agreeable to both sides. I’m sure people on either side will want to flesh out the notion of “subject” more, but it seems to me that these points can be acknowledged by all. The first point seems to be fairly clearly true. It is “I” who experience x and not someone else. The second point is necessary for subjects because otherwise “I” would be a different “I” from T1 to T2, and in fact not be the same being at all. The third point, likewise, seems fairly obvious, because it seems mental life is what comprises a subject to begin with. Whether the image in my mind of a cat is a purely physical phenomenon or not, any theory of the mind must take it into account. On materialism, what is it that is the referent of the term “I”? Is it my brain (only)? Is it my body? What am “I”? I will here offer a brief argument that no materialist account can take seriously the notion that “I” am distinct from other entities. It is, basically, an offshoot of the “one and the many” problem in philosophy. Materialism holds that all which exists is matter. Thus, “I” am composed of matter. The problem is distinguishing between everything else and me, for ultimately “I” am just a rearrangement of matter. Suppose that all matter is referred to as (M), and I am referred to by (I). Ultimately, on materialism, (I) is reducible to (M), which is really just all real being on materialism. Why suppose there are separate entities, (I) and (I2) and (I3) when all are, ultimately, (M)? It is much simpler to just suppose that (M) is all and that (I), (I2), and (I3) are (M) in rearranged forms. Now I don’t suppose for a moment this isn’t highly contentious. Some will come along and say that their own experience is enough to confirm that they are a different being from every other. But why suppose this? Ultimately, that conscious experience is reducible to the brain, which is reducible to matter, which is everything. On materialism, there really is just one “thing”: the material universe as a whole. The “parts” of this “thing” are ultimately reducible to smaller and smaller particles which comprise all the “things” themselves. Ultimately, all is matter, merely arranged in different ways at different times. I’m not suggesting that matter is some kind of single entity. It is particulate. But matter is also one kind of thing. Ultimately, on materialism, all things are just this kind of thing: material. The only way to differentiate between them is by time and place, but even then every individual thing is itself composed of particles of matter. All things are reducible to the same thing. On what basis can a materialist affirm that I, J.W., am the same subject now as I was 20 years ago? All my matter has been replaced. There is no material component of me which is the same as it was back then. Yet my experience tells me that I am the same subject. How can materialists account for this? One possibility is that they can simply point out that I am numerically identical to my past self. Although the individual pieces of matter which comprise me are not the same as they were 20 years ago, they were replaced only in portions, during which my body endured as a totality. The difficulty with this scenario is that it only serves to underscore the problems with materialism. Imagine a mad scientist, who, over the course of a day, cuts my brain into 24 pieces. Each hour, he removes one piece of my brain and places it into another body, which has no brain. He simultaneously replaces the piece of brain with an exact molecular copy. After the day, there is a body which has my brain in it, and my body, which has a copy of my brain in it. Which is me? And, if that question can be answered on materialism (which I doubt), when did my body/brain cease being me and transfer to the other body/brain? Materialism simply cannot answer these questions. The worldview is baffled by them. Yet in order for something to be a subject, it must endure through time. On materialism, I have not endured through time at all. My entire being–from my fingers to the hairs on my head to my brain–is material, and has been replaced by new material. Where am “I”? When I experience thought A’, it is because of a prior brain state, A. My mental states are either identical to, or supervenient upon, the physical state of my brain. The problem with this is that it relegates mental states to epiphenomenalism… This is because the mental state is entirely dependent upon (or identical to) the brain state. On physicalism, a mental state does not occur without a brain state occurring prior to, or in conjunction with, it. You came to this book assuming that the basic units of human cognition are states such as thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, desires, and preferences. That assumption is natural enough: it is built into the vocabulary of every natural language… These assumptions are central elements in our standard conception of human cognitive activity, a conception often called ‘Folk psychology’ to acknowledge if as the common property of folks generally. Their universality notwithstanding, these bedrock assumptions are probably mistaken. In other words, the notion that “I’m a subject! I have meaning!” is nothing more than a philosophical dinosaur, a remnant of our ‘folk psychology’ which we should cast off now that we know the truth of materialism. Those who object in such a fashion as materialists seem to be blissfully unaware that they stand aligned against the vast majority of materialistic philosophy of mind. They must justify their position, but cannot, as they arguments above have shown. Objection 2: Neuroscience has shown that the brain is the center of consciousness. When we think things, we can observe specific areas of activity in the brain. This objection is clearly mistaken. The previous arguments have sought to establish the premise: On materialism, there are no subjects. I could easily grant Objection 2 without doing any damage to my arguments. Sure, when we “think thoughts” we may be able to observe effects in the brain. How does it then follow that “we” are subjects? All that this has done–assuming I grant it–is show that our consciousness is somehow related to our brains. It doesn’t demonstrate that mind is identical to brain, nor does it justify the position that “I am a subject.” In fact, it seems to undermine the notion that materialism can explain subjects, because it implies, once more, that “I” am reducible to “my brain” which is, of course, reducible to its component matter as well. Any one of these problems provides insurmountable problems for materialists who believe they are, themselves, subjects. There is no way, on materialism, to distinguish the one from the many; there is no way for subjects to endure; mental states are reduced to causally inert epiphenomena; and there is no way to account for mental phenomena. Thus, if atheism is committed to materialism, and materialism cannot account for subjects, it follows that, without question, there is no meaning on atheism. There cannot even be subjective meaning, for to reference something as a “subject” is, itself, illusory. Jaegwon Kim, Mind in a Physical World (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000). J.P. Moreland, The Recalcitrant Imago Dei (London, UK: SCM Press, 2009). Paul Churchland,The Engine of Reason, The Seat of the Soul: A Philosophical Journey into the Brain, (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996). W. Norris Clark, The One and the Many: A Contemporary Thomistic Metaphysics (South Bend, IN: Notre Dame, 2001). Clifford Williams’ Existential Reasons for Belief in God (hereafter ERBG) is one of the most unique philosophy of religion books this reader has experienced. Rather than engaging in systematic arguments for the existence of God based upon sensory experience or philosophical reflection on the cosmos, Williams focuses on the subject of his subtitle: A Defense of Desires & Emotions for Faith. Williams argues that “Christians need a conception of faith that is at least as much need-based as reason-based” (13). By uniting these into one concept Christians can help acquire and sustain faith (13). Need has been too often cast aside or ridiculed when it comes to faith (12). 2. Faith in God justifies these needs. Clearly, this is not the typical argument for the existence of God. It’s not an argument for God’s existence at all. Williams recognizes this fact and argues that there is a distinction between evidential and existential reasons for belief. “In evidential justification for believing in God, one believes in God because of what one takes to be good evidence for doing so ” (41). By contrast, “The existential argument… says that faith in God is justified solely because it satisfies certain needs” (41). The argument, therefore, is not to show God exists, but to show that one can rationally believe in God. Williams argues that such existential justification is permissible for a number of reasons. First, it helps clarify what nature is–it is not merely a faith based on aspects of reality but is instead a faith which is aimed at meeting certain needs (41). Second, people use existential reasoning in other instances–for example when they need to eat, they know that they are justified in going to meet that need (41). Objections to this reasoning will, of course, be raised. The first objection is that “the existential argument does not guarantee truth” (61). With this objection, one sees the distinction between evidential and existential arguments becoming very clear. Williams returns to the food analogy. The existential argument there would be “1. Humans get hungry; 2. Eating food assuages hunger; 3. Therefore, eating food is justified” (63). Here the argument is not to establish the existence of food but rather to establish that eating food is justified (63). Similarly, with the existential argument for God, the argument is to establish the justification for believing in God (63-64). The argument presupposes, to some extent, the existence of God, and justifies that very belief (64). 2. The best explanation for the presence of these needs in humans is that there is a God who has put them into humans. 3. Faith in God satisfies these needs. 1. Needs must be felt by many others… most people, if not all. 5. Needs must be felt strongly (89). Why, however, should we believe these criteria? Williams argues that these criteria are independently verified and that they have been found useful in a number of settings, including psychology, courtrooms, and in assessment of unusual phenomena (90). A third objection notes that not everyone feels existential needs. Williams challenges this notion and argues that most people will be aware of having the various needs he has outlined (119). Finally, it may be objected that we can satisfy these needs without faith. Williams counters by presenting a various tests wherein subjects may find temporary satisfaction in varied cases but their ultimate needs are not met (133ff). Williams also surveys various thinkers–from Pascal to William James to Freud–and what they had to say about needs. He offers critiques of several theories while advancing his own. There are those who may be thinking this is, so far, an entirely fideist account. Williams begs to differ and provides several reasons for why faith and emotion can work with the mind and reason to bring about a satisfactory, fulfilling faith (chapter 8). He concludes by showing various ways needs can draw us toward and away from God. Ultimately, “We humans find ourselves with certain deep and abiding needs… We need meaning… We need to kneel, so we kneel” (183). One interesting thing to note throughout the book is that Williams continually underscores his points with excerpts written by people who have had various existential needs met by faith. These illustrations are also used to show various objections or difficulties people have when their needs aren’t met. They give ERBG a unique feel to it–one that is more intimate than most philosophy works. They’re also useful in that they give readers a concrete example for his argument. Those coming from a very evidentialist view of apologetics and philosophy will have difficulties with this book, as this reader can attest to. It’s hard to admit that needs and emotions have their place in a rational world, but Williams does an excellent job focusing the reader on this fact. Too often, the focus is only upon a posteriori arguments based upon the world as opposed to those based upon the human condition. Williams adequately defends existential reasons for belief, and–perhaps most importantly–presented them in a way to which evidentialists can relate and understand. He acknowledged difficulties in the argument and responded to many key objections. Hopefully, Williams has reopened an avenue for philosophers of religion to explore. Too long have they ignored the usefulness of existential reasoning. Clifford Williams, Existential Reasons for Belief in God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Academic, 2011). Can we evaluate worldviews? How to navigate the sea of ideas. Think about it this way: worldviews are supposed to be reality. If a worldview does not match reality, how can it be reality? Thus, before I continue to offer critiques of other religions, I offer some epistemic groundwork. First, it must be noted that worldviews are not mere matters of feeling, regardless of what the supporters of the varied views claim. For example, if one says “You can’t analyze what I believe, it’s just a matter of faith” they are making a claim about reality–that their faith cannot be analyzed. Similarly, if one claims “Israelites sailed to the Americas from the Middle East,” [Mormonism] or “There is no God” [atheism] they have made a claim about reality. Such truth claims are capable of analysis, by definition. Statements are true or false. All worldviews make claims about reality, which are therefore true or false. Simply stating that one’s belief is “just faith” or “obvious” does not exclude it from making claims. How Do We Evaluate The Claims of Worldviews? One’s beliefs should conform to reality, if one seeks to be rational. Certainly, one could say “To heck with the evidence, I’m going to believe x, y, and z! I don’t care if I can’t support the belief and that there is strong evidence against x, y, and z.” But if one were to say this, one would abandon their reason. Their heart could believe, but their mind could not. Ultimately, all truth claims can and should be put to the test. Testing the claims of varied worldviews is no easy task. There must be objective criteria, otherwise one view will be favored over another. One cannot simply make their own view the default and argue that only by filtering truth claims through their position can truth be attained. Atheism, by no means, provides a neutral basis for evaluating religions, as I’ve argued elsewhere. In fact, atheism must past the standards for truth claims, just as any religion must. If one remains an atheist despite positive evidence to the contrary (or despite reasons to disbelieve the claims of varied atheistic worldviews like materialism), one abandons reason just as if one clung to a false faith. 1) Coherence– if a religion is contradictory, it simply cannot be true. For example, if a religion claimed that “Person Z is god, and person Z is not god,” that religion would be incoherent (Samples, 33). Furthermore, “If a worldview’s essential propositions are coherent… it is more likely to be true than if its essential propositions are not related in this way” (Groothuis, 55). 2) Balance– “A valid worldview will be ‘neither too simple nor too complex.’ All things being equal, the simplest worldview that does justice to all aspects of reality deserves preference (Samples, 33-34). 3) Explanatory Power and Scope– Does the worldview explain what we experience in enough detail? If a worldview does not explain our world, or it cannot account for certain phenomena, then it is lacks explanatory power (Samples, 34). Worldviews which make propositions which they cannot account for lose credibility (Groothuis, 53). 4) Correspondence– Does the worldview match the facts we know about the world to our experience of the world? If we know that the worldview in question promotes claims we know are false, it does not match reality (Samples, 34-35). Think about it this way: worldviews are supposed to be reality. If a worldview does not match reality, how can it be reality? We are able to test factual claims through empirical and scientific methods, so if a worldview continually is able to establish its essential claims by means of these methods, it is more likely to be true (Groothuis, 55). 5) Verification– Can this worldview be falsified? Worldviews which cannot be found to be false cannot be found to be true either. 6) Pragmatic Test– Can we live by this worldview? This test is less important, but still has credibility–we must be able to live out the worldview in question (Samples, 35-36). But worldviews should also be fruitful in the development of greater intellectual and cultural discoveries (Groothuis, 57). 7) Existential Test– Like the pragmatic test, this one is not as important as whether the view is factual, but it is still helpful. If worldviews do not account for inherent human needs, it is possible the view is false (Samples, 36). Again, this is not necessary for a worldview, but it helps measure a view’s completeness. 8 ) Cumulative Test– Does the worldview gain support from all the previous criteria? If a worldview is able to satisfy all the criteria, it gains credibility (Samples, 36-37). 9) Competitive Competence Test– If the worldview satisfies the previous criteria with more evidential power than other worldviews, it gains credibility over and against them (Samples, 37). 10) Radical ad hoc readjustment– Groothuis presents this as a negative test for worldviews. “When a worldview is faced with potentially defeating counterevidence, an adherent may readjust its core claims to accommodate the evidence against it. Various theories and worldviews can legitimately refine their beliefs over time, but radical ad hoc readjustment reveals a deep problem…” (Groothuis, 57). There is, as Groothuis pointed out, a line between refining belief and simply readjusting belief in an ad hoc way. If, for example, it were discovered that Jesus did not rise from the dead, then Christianity would be false (more on that below). If, however, one simply adjusted Christianity to say “Jesus spiritually rose from the dead,” that would constitute a desperate, ad hoc measure to preserve the worldview and count as discrediting Christianity. These tests present objective criteria for testing worldviews. If, for example, one wished to deny their worldview had to be coherent, they’d have to affirm that which they denied, for in denying that criterion, they were attempting to make their view more coherent. The testing of worldviews is a legitimate task, and indeed one in which people should engage. Some things, if falsely believed, are harmless (for example, if one believed it rained yesterday when it did not). Worldviews, however, if falsely believed, are damaging on any number of levels. If one believed God didn’t exist when, in fact, He did, then one would be doing a great evil by not acting upon the truth of God’s existence (and the contrary). Thus, the testing of worldviews is no task to be skimmed over, but one which should be approached with fear and trembling. The criteria outlined above allow people to engage in this task and evaluate the realm of ideas. What I find extremely interesting is that Christianity, unlike many world religions, doesn’t discourage the discovery of truth, nor does it evade evidence by claiming that it is merely a faith or feeling. Rather, the founders of Christianity explicitly stated that it is based upon certain truth claims, and that if those claims are false, then Christianity is worthless. Paul, for example, wrote “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). The truth of Christianity rests exactly upon a testable claim: Jesus rose from the dead. If He did not, Christianity is false. Christianity’s scope and explanatory power are superior- it can account for the existence of contingent objects, persons, consciousness, life, and the like. Christianity corresponds to reality, satisfies existential and pragmatic needs, is simpler than many other explanations, its coherent, and it matches all the criteria. Christianity expects its adherents–and outsiders–to test the faith and discover whether it is true. I have found, personally, that it pasts these tests over and over. Whether one agrees or not, it is simply the case that religions make claims about reality. These claims are, in turn, true or false. Not only that, but they must match with reality in several important ways. Christianity not only adheres to these tests, but it encourages them. It also passes these tests. Does your worldview? Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011). Kenneth Samples, A World of Difference (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007). I took this picture at Waldo Canyon near Manitou Springs, Colorado on my honeymoon. Use of this image is subject to the terms stated at the bottom of this post. The other image is the book cover from Samples’ book. “Extraordinary claims need…” What, exactly? It’s a maxim repeated all over the internet, and it keeps popping up in debates between Christians and atheists. But what exactly is the phrase telling us? Do extraordinary claims really need extraordinary evidence? And what exactly qualifies as “extraordinary” evidence anyway? Do extraordinary claims really need extraordinary evidence? Well, intuitively, it seems the answer yes. But is it really true? Suppose I were to claim that I were not a human, and instead am a giant pink salamander. What kind of evidence would be required in order to back this claim? Well I could obviously submit pictures of myself typing these blog posts as evidence. I could submit videos. I could allow people to come observe me. None of these would really be “extraordinary” types of evidence. Merely observing something is nothing extraordinary. But these could certainly serve as proof for my claim. People would be justified in believing me upon observation–it’s possible that they could be within their epistemic rights simply by seeing pictures of me typing (though with Photoshop and the like, it is more difficult to justify that epistemically). So despite our intuitions, it seems there must be some kind of argument to establish the truth of the phrase. It seems, upon further thought, that the phrase is false. Ordinary evidence (x observes y to be the case, therefore, x believes y is true) will do even for extraordinary claims. Examples of this nature could be multiplied. So it seems the phrase, on this interpretation, is simply false. What qualifies as an ‘extraordinary’ claim? Another problem with the statement “Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence” is that those who make the claim never explain what exactly it is that qualifies as an “extraordinary claim.” I mean surely, we could reduce almost any claim to something extraordinary, if we worked hard enough. I claim to be human; that entails a huge amount of ontology such as the existence of a planet which is capable of supporting life, the existence of life on said planet, the higher order of life such that intelligent life could exist, intelligent life which created machines capable of typing out thoughts, etc, etc. Any claim could be said to be “extraordinary”. The attack on “extraordinary claims” fails, in part, because it does not define what qualifies as “extraordinary”. I suspect this is another case of proving too much or not enough: either all claims are extraordinary and not to be believed until we have overwhelming evidence, or claims need just enough evidence to be justified in believing them. What exactly is “extraordinary evidence” anyway? The phrase is thrown around as though it has meaning, and for someone studying philosophy with a heavy analytic bent, this is maddening. What is meant by “extraordinary”!? I think it could give us one of two options: either a) a large amount of evidence; or b) extremely powerful evidence. But even these definitions are ambiguous: what constitutes a “large amount” of evidence or “extremely powerful” evidence? The phrase therefore seems to rely upon a certain ambiguity in order to maintain its power. There is no clear definition of what constitutes extraordinary evidence; and it seems likely that the phrase is merely used to try to increase the burden of evidence on the theist. Without a clear definition or any kind of argument to support the assertion, however, the theist is justified in rejecting it. Consider 1) first. The reasoning here could be that something, like God, which can’t be observed simply by going somewhere and staring, would need extraordinary evidence in order to justify belief in said being. The problem here is that the definition of extraordinary is being used differently than (I think) the phrase is intended. For here, extraordinary would have to mean simply”other” than the ordinary. There would have to be some kind of evidence for a thing’s existence such that it would act as a substitute for “seeing” the thing. But that doesn’t mean we need “more” or “greater” evidence for something described by 1) than we would for something which is a standard, everyday kind of thing. All it means is that we’d have to have a different kind of evidence. What kind of evidence, specifically? Well it seems as though logical evidence or philosophical argument could serve as a valid substitute for empirical evidence. So either of those could serve to justify someone in her belief in a deity. Consider 2)–that claims of great existential import need extraordinary evidence. William Lane Craig discussed this in his Reasonable Faith Podcast, “Doubting the Resurrection.” He asserted that if something is of existential importance, we don’t demand more evidence for it; if anything, we should be more open and eager to explore the viability of the claims. Craig proposed the following example: suppose you are diagnosed with a fatal disease and there was “some experimental evidence that a vaccine… might cure you, wouldn’t you be desperate to [try the medicine and] find out if that might save your life… rather than saying, ‘Well, this is such a life-changing situation that I’m going to be as skeptical as I can, and only take this medicine as a last resort when it’s been demonstrated absolutely that” it will cure the disease. The key point is that claims of extraordinary existential significance require evidence, but they are of such import that it is almost absurd to be totally skeptical of these claims due to their total importance. As Craig points out, if God exists and sent His Son to save us through belief in Him, that is such an extraordinarily significant difference between the universe if that is true as opposed to if it is false that it is worth exploring. He points out that even if there’s only a 1/1,000,000 chance that it’s true, it is worth looking into. The most obvious rebuttal to this kind of reasoning is a kind of argument from religious diversity: “All the world’s religions have existential significance, and it would be impossible to fully explore all of them in a lifetime”… therefore, what? Perhaps one could argue that because we can’t explore all the options, we shouldn’t bother with any–but that seems to be throwing out everything for no reason. A diversity of options does not entail the falsehood of all. It may be best to instead look at world religions in light of the kinds of evidence which could be available, and take 1) above with 2) to yield an exploration of religions based upon the types of evidence available for them. For example, the Qur’an contradicts the Bible on the topic of whether Jesus was crucified. Yet we have irrefutable evidence that Jesus was indeed crucified from both Gospel accounts and extrabiblical, contemporary accounts. Therefore, one could see it fit to exclude Islam from the exploration and move on. Perhaps one finds the existential claims of Buddhism less compelling than that of Judaism–in such a case, she would be well within her epistemic rights to explore Judaism rather than Buddhism. A complete answer to this objection would take us far afield, but for now I think that it may be best to note simply that the objection does not undermine the argument against 2) anyway. As noted, a mere diversity of positions does not entail they are all false. Similarly, our inability to explore all possible options does not mean we should explore none. Perhaps it means, instead, that we should get started. The Myth of Atheism: Is it (epistemic) Neutral Ground? Is there such a thing as epistemic neutral ground? The question deserves serious consideration, for if there is epistemic neutral ground, surely we should all stand upon it in order to evaluate worldviews. The reason for this is because the ability to strip away all bias and preconceptions and simply evaluate a worldview “as is” without any pretensions would be highly invaluable. I’ve run into atheists who seem to think that atheism somehow counts as this epistemic neutral ground. I think there is good reason to doubt that there is such a thing as epistemic neutral ground; and if there is, atheism is surely not it. What reason do we have for thinking atheism is neutral ground? Those who argue that it is tend to say that it is neutral ground because they reject all religions a priori, which allows them to evaluate religious truth more fairly. This seems clearly misguided; rejecting all alternative worldviews hardly means that one is on neutral ground. In fact, it is more like dogmatics than neutrality. But is atheism really a worldview, properly formulated? If it is not, can it serve as our elusive neutral ground? There is no doubt that those who are nontheists share little in common other than the simple attribution of “not believing in God” or “believing there is no God”. There are atheists who are buddhists; atheists who believe in ghosts; atheists who are staunch secular humanists. There doesn’t seem to be any shared connection. Does this mean it is not a worldview? I think the answer is yes and no. Atheism, construed as some kind of singular entity, is not a worldview. Rather, each atheists has his or her own worldview–part of which is atheism. Analyzed in this light, then, atheism is a piece of the fabric weaving together a worldview, not the worldview itself. Does this, then, allow for atheism to be epistemic neutral ground? Again, I don’t see why it would. What reasons are there for favoring atheism as a research program (borrowing the phrase from Michael Rea) over theism? Again, it seems the only answer could be that it rejects all gods, so it somehow must allow for equal evaluation of other views. This still seems totally misguided. Why does rejecting all things make one neutral? If I am presented with some event, e, and possible explanations for e, A, B, and C, and then I reject A, B, and C, does this somehow make me neutral towards A-C? No! It means I reject them as explanations for e! Perhaps this is because I have my own explanation for e, or believe that e cannot be explained, but that doesn’t mean I am neutral towards the explanations which have been offered. It therefore seems as though atheism cannot serve as epistemic neutral ground, either as a worldview itself, or as a method for research. Can alternative views suffice? It seems as though logic could serve as a research method which can be epistemically neutral. The immediate objection to this could be that there are those who reject logic and claim that there can be contradictions, impossibilities, and the like. My answer to this is that even those who reject logic can only claim to do so for logical reasons. In other words, they formulate logical arguments in order to argue that logic is false. It seems as though if someone has to assume the truth of some proposition (in this case that logic is true) in order to argue against that same proposition, then their arguments can in no way undermine the truth of that proposition. I’m happy to follow logic where it leads. It seems to me that it leads straight towards the existence of God. Why? I’ve discussed this elsewhere: the Liebnizian Cosmological Argument, the Ontological Argument, Purposively Available Evidence, and the Teleological Argument. I’ve written on this same subject here.

2019-04-20T12:17:17Z

https://jwwartick.com/category/philosophy/epistemology-philosophy/

I grew up in the living room of my parents’ apartment. I shared my space with the dining table and a movable TV set. I was sleeping on a couch that we opened up in the evening. Every morning I put my bedding in the tray underneath the couch, leaving no trace behind. My father smoked as long as I can remember. Years later my mother started smoking, too. After dinner they smoked, drank tea with rum and watched TV. The apartment also had a kids’ room, which was occupied by my two brothers. My elder brother did not like me. I had no place to go. To this day I hate TV. I went to school 8 months earlier than most other kids. I had been looking forward to it. I was eager to learn, to know, to get out of the house and be with other kids. There had been no kindergarten for me, since my mother had stopped working to take care of us kids. School turned out to be rather disappointing. Sitting for hours listening to the teacher felt like torture. I had always loved to move, dance, talk and do things. But there was little of that. My teachers would complain that I raised my hands too often and that I participated too much. In high school the boredom of school was hardly bearable. For 8 long years I was sitting in the same classroom from 8 in the morning to 2 or 3 in the afternoon, listening to the same set of teachers with only a cheese sandwich for lunch and getting very hungry in the afternoons. In the last year before graduation our class had shrunk to only 9 girls and none of them was my friend. When I graduated it was like coming out of a coma. The joy of being in charge of my life gradually spread through my being and slowly melted the armor around my emotions. It is spring 1984 and I am on my way to my office job in Vienna. Sitting in the metro on this early morning I make the long contemplated decision to finally quit my utterly boring office job. I had been thinking about this step for several months, but never gathering enough courage to act according to my inner reality. I dreaded to let go of the security of my well-paid job, and yet I wanted to dance, live and be free and hang out with inspiring dancers and musicians. I was done with my colleagues who were spending their lives counting the days until retirement. I had enough of typing letters and answering phone calls for my boss. I just was not interested in the ins and outs of the Austrian petroleum industry. I knew I did not want to live hidden away in an office. It was a matter of survival for me. Sitting in the metro, listening to the sound of the trains metal wheels scratching against metal, something inside told me that I was ready to take the jump. It had to be done or my dream of freedom would weigh me down "like a heavy load"(Hughes). Today was the day to give notice to my boss. After I had quit my job I remember listening to American jazz pop on my walkman whenever I was going to places. The walkman helped me to escape the terrifying fear of not knowing what would come next. I had no plan how to earn a living, what exactly to do with my life and my fears threatened to crush me. The music kept me sane and helped me feel the part of my soul that rejoiced and confirmed that I was on the right path. Jumping out of security is a great way to escape boredom. The financial insecurity of being self-employed turns life into an adventure; it woke me up and forced me to live in present time. Living as an independent dance and drumming teacher taught me to trust my instincts, to go with what feels right and exciting. Acting according to the whisperings of that small inner voice in spite of the fear is part of the existential learning process, the Tao. Insecurity is a must. Learning is not possible in the security of a dull life. Following the soul's desires and dreams one starts to flower and grow. No possibility of fulfillment without risking the known. The routine of repeating the safe and narrow is the death of creativity. Boredom embraces those who don't have the courage to step outside a life lived at the conveyor belt. The slavery of a modern day working day does not allow the freedom to follow the stirrings of the soul. Working in an office for 8 to 10 hours, five days a week did not leave me with much creative energy to spend. I needed "The heart, the guardian of intuition with its secret, often fearful intentions"… [to be] "the boss" (Hampl, 102) of my life's adventure and not the 9 to 6 schedule of somebody else's enterprise. Beyond escaping a boring office routine and opting for a life of dancing there was another motivation for my action. Basically I had grown up amongst unhappy and unfulfilled people. My father lived with my mother without much love; my mother stayed with an unloving husband because she was financially and emotionally dependent. His life revolved around making money as a salesman, her life revolved around raising children. That's what most people did: earning a living, having a family, looking forward to a vacation once or twice a year and to retirement - and death, I would add. How I dreaded to live like this and die without having lived. But there were these rare moments strewn into my years of growing up. Walking to high school in the warmth of spring I felt inexplicable joy welling up in me without any reason. Sitting in a classical piano concert I felt a breeze of aliveness touching me and warming my heart. Sometimes in the midst of a dance routine I would enter this space of merging, disappearing and observing. I could sense another dimension of life that nobody around me ever talked about or seemed to know. A dance teacher from Los Angeles whom I met at a dance workshop in my mid-twenties was the first person that seemed to be familiar with this other dimension. I could see it in her dance and sense it in her being. Although I did not know what it was, I felt pulled to take all her classes and imbibe her spirit. In a way I quit my job because of her. I wanted to be able to take her three-week workshop and dance with her every morning. And so I did and got rewarded by spending most of the summer dancing with her and other fellow dancers and living a life of joy and freedom. I ended up following the drummer who accompanied her African dance workshops to Berlin and making this city my home for the next 15 years. It was in Berlin where I found an answer to my questions about the deeper meaning of life. I found meditation, the art of consciously entering the present moment, the art of dropping doing, of watching and allowing things to unfold. Meditation is often misunderstood as concentration, as a guided journey or more general as an Eastern concept that we in the West don’t really need. In my understanding meditation is the art of observing what is without getting identified with it and without judging it. Ultimately thoughts subside and the watcher becomes aware of himself. Many meditation techniques are available. Vipassana or Zazen, are the most direct approaches of just watching the breath going into the body and leaving it again. Focusing on the breath, I don’t allow thoughts to kidnap my attention; instead I watch the thoughts and bring my focus back to observing the breath. It sounds simple, and is simple, but it was rather impossible to accomplish when I tried it the first time. Somehow thoughts always won. They dragged me back into mental discussions with a friend, preparation of the next meal or wondering why I had so little connection with my mother. They left me unconscious of myself and where I was and I only noticed it minutes later. I obviously was not in charge of my doing, if I could not even do such a simple exercise. It took me several months of practicing every day till I finally got a glimpse. I was sitting quietly and thoughts were running through my head as usual, but I did not get carried away. I was just watching and suddenly I found myself immersed in a wave of blissful energy. Meditation was the answer to my inquiry for a meaningful life - a life beyond boredom. Even teaching dance eventually became too much of a routine for me and I had to develop and express other sides of myself. But meditation remained the thread that is connecting me with my heart, soul and voice. Staying true to my callings in each moment is the practice. Not needing to know what the next step will be, but allowing myself to be “like the tail on a kite” (King, 50), a kite that is blown by the winds of existence. Trusting life - as it always gives me what I need on my way home. Learning to live like water that “[u]nlike mountains cannot be powdered down or broken apart” (Chang, 179). Transforming my fear of failure into excitement of living along the way. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho). “Ecstasy – the Forgotten Language, Discourses on Songs of Kabir”. Bombay: Rajneesh Foundation. 1978. Print. Chang, Lan Samantha. “Water Names”. Dreams and Inward Journeys, Eight Edition, Marjorie Ford, Jon Ford. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print. Hampl, Patricia. “Memory and Imagination”. Dreams and Inward Journeys, Eight Edition, Marjorie Ford, Jon Ford. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print. Hughes, Langston. “A Dream Deferred”. Langston Hughes homepage. 25 June 1996. Web. 24 April 2013. Stephen King. “The Symbolic Language of Dreams”. Interview by Naomi Epel. Writers Dreaming: 26 Writers Talk About Their Dreams and the Creative Process. New York: Vintage Books, 1993. 133-143. Print. I started ballet when I was nine years old. My ballet teacher was an impressive man: tall and beautiful, all the girls admired and fancied him. And he liked the girls. Once, when I was about 12 years old, he asked me to come to the class early. I was so excited and proud and figured he would give me some private instructions. Well, the instructions I received were of a different nature than I had expected. Nothing major happened, but it was enough to destroy my admiration and trust. I did not talk to anyone about this as my parents would have stopped the classes and I wanted to learn ballet. A few years later I got a chance to stand up for myself. One day, my ballet teacher was in such a good mood that he was jovially hitting each girl at the beginning of a certain exercise. When it was my turn to start and he gave me that hit, I hit him back. I hadn’t intended to – it was a happening. He hit me on the shoulder; I hit him back in the face. This time he didn’t say a word, he just sat down quietly for the rest of the class. I felt proud of myself. I had discovered some courage inside of me. Years later, I had just graduated from the University of Economics in Vienna and was working fulltime as a secretary for the general manager of the state-owned petroleum company of Austria. I was earning a lot of money – by my standards. I had grown up in a poor working-class family, where the lack of money had always been the number-one issue. I had been the first one of my family to go to college, and now I had this very secure, very well-paid job, and I felt utterly miserable – as if my wings had been clipped. My heart yearned to go out into the sun; my whole being rebelled against the idea of spending my life in the confinement of an old-fashioned office. I wanted to dance. I wanted to live. My training in classical ballet and jazz dance had not made me an outstanding dancer. And now, at 27, it was much too late for a dance career anyway. But my heart knew nothing about my age; my heart wanted to dance. While working in the office, I had always felt that there must be more to life than waiting for another working day to be finished; more than marrying, having kids, and waiting for retirement. I tried to talk with my family, friends, and colleagues about this. Everybody told me to keep my job and promised that my yearnings would go away as I got older. But I knew that if I kept this job, I would never get that old. So one morning, without telling anybody, without having planned my future in any way, I decided to quit. I went to my boss and told him that I needed to quit my job and start my dance career. I could see in his eyes that he considered me completely nuts. That’s when my dream of becoming a respected member of society dropped and my life started. I became Osho’s sannyasin, and a dance teacher, and went on my soul-searching journey. What an exciting life. No regrets! Going to the Ranch, doing Dynamic Meditation for six months without missing a day… Making a living as a dance teacher, never knowing how many people would come to the class and if I would be able to pay for my rent… So much joy, so much insecurity. What an experience, to go through the streets of Berlin in a red robe and with a mala around my neck, not being able to hide amongst the other sheep any more. What a relief, what freedom! I don’t fight against society; I fight for the freedom to live according to my own insights. Because I am an artist, people don’t expect me to be “normal.” Artists don’t need to follow the rules. People put you in a different box: You are allowed to be different because you bring color into their lives. I don’t feel I can change society. Instead, I create my own world and my own rules within the boundaries of my courses, workshops, and meditations; in my dance and my songs; with friends and while alone. When I am clear about what I want and go for my truth – wherever it takes me – I find that people sense my sincerity and are supportive. Even those who don’t have the courage to follow their own yearnings seem to recognize my baby steps toward becoming an individual. And sometimes it’s contagious. I create a space for people to do Dynamic, to dance or drum, and to get into their own power. This sometimes gives them the extra energy and trust needed to make a change – to quit a job, or to leave a suppressive partner – and to start living. I avoid people I don’t care for. I don’t do business with people I don’t like. There are so many wonderful people in the world – if I have a choice, why should I deal with people who are unpleasant? I find that I have a choice most of the time. I do speak up and engage myself when I see that it’s possible to change a situation, and when I feel a person has enough openness to understand me. Living and telling my truth sometimes has an explosive effect on situations and relationships. It scares me. As a Libra, I prefer harmony to confrontation, and of course I want to be loved and appreciated. But with my love for truth, and a chart with Pluto rising, I have created painful situations for myself on more than one occasion. Once I got kicked out of a percussion band because I had Osho’s picture on the wall, and I didn’t want to eat out of the same bowl as everybody else. Well, stupid people, you would say, but it hurt because I loved the music we played. I have a tendency to eat different foods from most people – sometimes vegetarian, sometimes organic – and I don't drink alcohol or coffee. This seems to have the power to create a gap between me and others. I can’t quite explain it. It’s not logical, since I don’t try to convince anybody else to follow my example. But having a coffee or a beer together, or eating the same foods, seems to be one of those modern-day rituals that make you part of society. Being honest can create turmoil and shifts that surprise me – and everybody else. When I was a new, enthusiastic sannyasin in Berlin, my lover was a therapist in a live-in massage therapy project. As his girlfriend, I often listened to the therapists talking among themselves, and I noticed some dishonesty in the crew toward the woman who was financing the project. At the next meeting I confronted the crew leader in front of all the crew and students. I stated my observations, without judging and without blaming. I just sat there, breathing into my heart, and spoke my truth. She did not deny it. This single action led to the voluntary closure of the project. Of course, this is not the way of the “normal” society. This is Osho’s world, where people are ready to change and grow. And sometimes things are pleasant and easy, where I expected trouble. One day while I was living at the Ranch, I was sitting on the bus on my way to work when the bus took a different direction and went to Mandir – where Osho was going to speak. So I decided to listen to Osho instead of going to my shift. Miraculously, nobody objected when I arrived at my work. In fact, the rules for workers attending discourse were changed the very next day. As I said, I am not a great revolutionary. I just try to be as honest and truthful with myself and others as I can be. I still like to avoid confrontation – it often feels like it’s not worth the trouble. Also, today’s methods of enslavement are no longer so brutal; they are subtler, using social conditioning and the media instead of force. Still, it takes intelligence and alertness to escape these influences. It takes courage and the overcoming of survival fears to live in my own way. In a world that has forgotten the language of the heart, to follow my creative, spontaneous energy without knowing where it will lead is rebelliousness. In my workshops and performances I can create a space of love and harmony, of expression and listening. I can create the world I want to live in. I can share the precious gifts that I have received from Osho. I can teach people to trust and express their creative energy, with awareness and love for each other. I can lead groups in such a way that no group leader is needed anymore. Going into the silence of my heart is the key that leads me through darkness and fear. Finding inner peace in meditation creates an invisible gown that protects me from the madness of the world. Meditation gives me the trust and the power needed to stand up for this incredible, bubbling, ever-changing, creative flux of energy called my life. Being a sannyasin has been a process of learning to trust myself. My intrinsic tendency to reject rules and regulations and instead trust my own judgement received much confirmation in the world of Osho. Spending time in meditation, doing Osho’s active meditations and listening to his words has helped to uncover this inner voice, my own sense of direction. Meditation strengthens this space of knowing. Whereas trying to reach a decision through thinking usually just puts me into a state of confusion. I took great pleasure learning how to read tarot cards, to use a pendulum and go on dream journeys to explore the unconscious parts of myself. These tools have helped me along the way and I still use them as a means of self-exploration. Although I have developed a better sense of just knowing, tarot cards can still show me facets of an issue that I had not seen before. I also use tarot cards to help other people to get a better understanding of their inner world and to make decisions that are closer to their own inner truth. By doing this work I am strengthening my inner sense of knowing, of being an open space for the universe to come through. Giving readings I rest in this intimate space of love and mutual sharing, a space I would like to live from generally. Aloneness, quiet time with myself, cooking, folding laundry, washing dishes, all this strengthens my being inside of myself. My favorite is the quiet time I spend in our back yard. Surrounded by birds, resting in the shade of our beautiful peach tree I connect with the universe, feel loved and know that there is nothing to achieve. Where I get in trouble is with my significant other or friends. I find it hard to stay conscious. I get lost in the process of communication. I try to please; I compromise and find it difficult to say no when I need to. I fight over words, concepts and become a robot where you can push a button und you get a standard emotional response. When I notice that I lost contact with source, because I feel lousy, drained and disconnected from my own body, all that I need to do is give up the desire to be heard, understood or to be right. Then I turn around and enter my inner garden, where I am always welcome and loved, where nothing is ever achieved and nothing is lost and I drop my demands that the other person should behave in a certain way. Looking at it from the other side, the demands of close friends on me confuse my inner compass. It is hard to stay in my flow when my significant other expects me to go along with his flow. How do I know that it is not only my ego making demands to stay separate? How do I know that it is not my friend’s deluded mind that makes requests on me? The plain answer is: I don’t know and there are no rules and there is every possibility of getting it wrong. All I can do is be present in the situation with the other and trust whatever I feel. But there have been times when I did not want to notice, when I was too invested in achieving a certain outcome, when I compromised who I was for the sake of peace or recognition. This led to quite unpleasant situations. My learning is that even if it looks like a compromise will buy you peace, safety or just a good time with somebody you love, it never pays off. One compromise leads to another and what would have been a small difficulty can turn into a nightmare. So my suggestion to others and myself is to be true to whatever self you can find inside yourself. It may not be the purity of your soul, it may just be a stupid ego, but it’s better to work with what you feel inside than to rely on somebody else’s judgment. You may be considered being difficult, it may cost you some friends, but it will help you to get in touch with yourself and will help your inner growth. With every decision you make on your own you learn how to trust yourself more, you notice how it feels when you follow your truth and how it feels when you go astray. I learnt not to avoid confrontation, to stand up for myself. Being myself is more important than fitting in. And that brings me back to the beginning: Meditation is that tool that cuts through all those lies that keep us imprisoned in darkness. I was in my twenties when an astrologer told me that I had to be re-born in this life. When I met Osho, this started to make more sense. I noticed that I was out of touch with myself. I could not really tell what my being wanted and what others had put into me. Doing Osho’s active meditations I went from feeling fragmented and split to feeling more whole and at ease. I was rediscovering parts of myself that had gone missing and discarding ideas that were not really mine. I started to reclaim my inner child, my sensitivity, my anger, sadness, and I connected with my intrinsic sense of knowing. In those first years of meditation there was this hope I could become somebody more perfect, somebody without wounds and crippling conditionings; somebody free, powerful, and successful. The enthusiasm and intense energy around Osho and His commune was so uplifting that I could be more myself, more of this curious and alive energy. I became more daring, trusted what life had in stock for me, and was less concerned with security and fitting in. I was in the middle of my first Saturn return, discarding everything that was not truly me and feeling protected by Osho's energy. Then experiences of failure, physical limitations, unfulfilled love desires, and Osho's physical death brought some doubts into my magical kingdom of unending blissfulness and gave rise to the all-too-familiar desire to overcome any future obstacles and to control life. One of the traumatic experiences of this time was to be in love with somebody unavailable. I could not express this love energy, nor could I ignore it. Sitting on it, I became more and more gloomy. Meditation would not help, not even Dynamic, and finally I had an accident. The accident was a tragedy for me as a dance teacher, but also a relief as it ended my depression and brought me back to myself. I had to wear a cast and could not work for a while. But mostly my image of myself as a sannyasin was shattered: No higher powers had saved me. My unconsciousness was exposed, and I felt a bit ashamed. On the positive side, the experience of this accident stopped my habit of running after unavailable men. I started to value myself more and focused on my own dreams. But a bit of innocence was lost, too. Now I wanted to be somebody special, somebody men would run after. In short, a new, more ambitious ego was born with its dreams of power and a more fulfilling life somewhere in the future. Fear, worries, and limiting thoughts arise as byproducts of a mind running the show. Each desire to succeed brings the dread of failure. The desire to look good and be the center of attention brings stage fright and the suspicion of never being good enough. This cripples the spontaneous flow of life energy in all its forms of expression. Excessively thinking about strategies of success and protection against the pitfalls of life, I lose contact with alive presence and exhaust my energies. When I allow this mind of mine to run the show, much is wrong and unfulfilled and so little time left to finally get it right. I slowly sink into dark spaces of despair, distrust, ambition, and fear. Coming back into my heart I am excited and happy with life as it is, full of creativity and love. I feel like a child in a wondrous land, enjoying myself. It's a peaceful place and does not need much. Being with Osho has brought much joy and easiness to my being. It has melted away much of my general distrust in life and in people. A taste of blissfulness lingers in ordinary moments. When challenges arise old habits tend to come back: I become more controlling, and think I can do it all by myself. I believe it’s just a matter of improving my skills, my thoughts, my outer experience. Do you know the story of Heaven and Hell? It's one of the old Osho tarot cards and tells how by becoming unconscious we create hell right here, right now. It's our own choice. I find that meditation helps to get me out of insanity. Meditation brings light into my darkness. It quiets my mind and allows me to just be. There is only one problem with it: I actually have to do it and do it regularly. It's not a once-in-a-while thing, it needs continuity. It's like a living plant. If you stop watering it for a few days, the leaves start looking ugly. So once again I had to drag myself out of my own turmoil and find my way back to clarity and a regular morning meditation. This time it's yoga and Vipassana. It feels wonderful! When I was in my mid-twenties I attended a weeklong dance festival in Vienna. My favorite dance teacher was from Los Angeles. She taught Jazz Dance and African Dance. One of her classes was accompanied by live drumming. I think this was the first time I was exposed to live, ethnic drumming and I immediately fell in love with the energy and sound of the drums; and also with the drummer. I bought a Conga drum from him and started jamming. Some time later I attended my first drumming workshop. It was supposedly for beginning drummers, but most students already had some experience. I had a hard time following the instructions and when I finally thought I got it and was playing with more confidence everybody else stopped. I obviously had not been able to merge with the beat that the other players had established. I did not understand what I could do better and this workshop remained quite an unpleasant experience for me. Later in Berlin I signed up for a weekly course of Conga drumming. This worked out better as everybody in the group was new to drumming and it was easy for me to follow, but the class was quite boring. The instructor was extremely thorough and we spent about 30 minutes at the beginning of each class just working on sounds. So I dropped the class and continued to play on my own. I developed my own rhythms, discovered the “hand-to-hand” system, walking my hands in a continuous fashion to keep my beat steady. Improvising on my own was fun, but then I reached a point where I felt I needed input from an experienced drumming teacher. I eventually found a class for African djembe drumming and something clicked inside of me. This was neither boring nor complicated. The instructor played the most superb rhythms and we just copied him and played along. It was great fun and at times I completely dropped out of my thinking mind and was just present with the feeling and the sound of drumming. I felt the power in those rhythms. They were a transforming force for me, connecting me with my own wild energy. After some time it started to disturb me that I did not really know what I was drumming. I could not remember the rhythms and with my lack of musical education I was not able to write them down either and consequently was not able to play them by myself. I just played along in the class and did not feel I was making real progress. Then I met Stefan Gluecklich. He had studied with many African djembe players and had also spent time in Africa. Moreover he was trained in mathematics and had a very logical mind. In him I found somebody who could teach me basic rhythmical concepts. He was familiar with the work of Reinhard Flatischler - an Austrian percussionist - and his rhythmical concepts using body movement and clapping to illustrate different rhythmical components. I learned to write down rhythms in a simple way - no classical music education required. Little by little I was able to discern the qualities of rhythmical elements. It took me years to fine-tune my timing. My timing ability seemed to have been adversely affected by traumatic childhood experiences. I worked on my own with body percussion, moving, clapping and tapping the beat with my foot while playing rhythms with my hands. I discovered that there is an energetic feedback loop when a groove is established. Good timing creates an upsurge of energy. This is important to remember when playing alone or with a group. Good timing gives you energy; lack of timing makes you feel tired. When a rhythm is played well people spontaneously start dancing. Although I was able to improve my timing dramatically this way, there was still a small residue of timing difficulty when I played with other drummers. It was as if I was resisting to merge with the pulse of others. The problem finally dissolved after a bodywork session for my “Hara” - the energy center two inches below the navel. The “Hara” seems to be the place where the sense of rhythm resides in the body. My drumming journey has been very healing for me. Drumming helped me to go beyond my indecisive, hesitant and fearful way of approaching life. Growing up in a threatening, unsafe environment I learnt to be very careful not to upset anybody around me. Drumming gives me a safe environment to express myself without fear. Drumming connects with my power, it transforms depression, fears and aggression into creativity and strength. Drumming calms my emotions gives me energy and dissolves my chattering mind. Drumming with a group of sincere drummers is an uplifting, intimate experience that allows me to express my energy in a creative, non-verbal way. An energy field is created where egos melt, presence is felt and in this shared experience we get to know each other on a deeper level. My experience of Osho and the community around Him has always been an intensely personal one that had little to do with any form of organization. In 1984, after doing Dynamic Meditation for a few weeks, I participated in a group called Opening the Heart with Deva Waduda. It was a beautiful group, very supportive, and I experienced small miracles, like I could feel somebody's aura for the first time. In this group it became clear to me that I wanted to take sannyas. So I went to the office there in Rajneesh Stadt and encountered a Ma who I felt gave me little attention, only handing me some application pages to fill out. Being outside my thinking mind at that point, I thought I had come to the wrong place and just dropped the idea for the moment. I took sannyas a couple of months later in the Berlin disco. I had not met Osho in person yet, just attended satsangs in Berlin and experienced this intense energy connection with Osho. It felt like He played with me. As soon as I took sannyas this connection became more calm and peaceful. The passion of my honeymoon gave way to a sense of being protected and loved. Later in Buddha Hall in Oregon I nearly drowned in the intensity of love energy. It was really hard for my mind to survive this overdose of love, and the yearning arose to be close to Him at all times. So I came back the next year, did three weeks of groups, and started to be part of a workers program. At the end of my stay I inquired whether I could stay for good. Fortunately the answer was "no," as the Ranch closed down a few weeks later. Swami Ramatheertha, the interviewer, advised me to join the commune in Berlin instead. Upon my return I tried to do just that, but people there did not trust my ability to bring in enough money for the commune. I was a freelance dance teacher at the time. In a way I felt fine with their decision. It was my desire to be close to Osho; being part of a commune away from Him was another story. In 1989 I was able to visit the Pune ashram. Entering the Gateless Gate I felt the same intensely sweet loving energy. The whole ashram was soaked in it. I felt His loving energy everywhere. That's what is called a Buddhafield, but that name seemed to me to be much too dry an expression for this overwhelming feeling of having come home. Throughout these years I had been practicing meditation. It was much easier in Osho's presence, but meditation had started happening in glimpses and small bliss attacks that could happen anywhere: sitting on a bus looking out the window, taking a walk around the block, or just sitting with closed eyes in my room. These moments of presence, of bliss carried His name, the memory of His love and ecstasy. At the same time they are not attached to any person. They seem to be the flavor of no-mind. And then came the moment when Osho left His body. When I received the message I screamed and was devastated, as I felt I was not ready to be on my own, to be without His guidance. At the same time I felt a sense of freedom and relief that the constant longing to be close to Him would subside now. Having left His physical form He gave me the freedom to be on my own again, to live anywhere and do my own thing without having this constant pull to see Him. The organization around Osho had not played any significant part in this, and certainly does not today. The people running the organization seemed to me to be people like me, doing their best, having their shortcomings and their strengths and messing up at times. Yes, some were great people, some not so great, but their job was just utilitarian. My journey was with Osho. No priests in between. Osho has often talked about this: We are fellow travelers on the same path, but our spiritual connection is with Him alone. As far as the disputes and litigations going on between different groups of sannyasins are concerned, they make me feel uncomfortable. I feel reminded of the time when I was a small child and my mother wanted me to take her side against my father and my father talked poorly about my mother. It hurt, as I loved them both. So today – again - I choose not to take any side in this quarrel. This fight just gives me one more incentive to pass on what I have received from Osho in my own way and spread Osho’s work as I understand it. My first contact with Osho was through his people. They were different, more loving, upbeat, alive, present and a lot more interesting to hang out with than ordinary folks. When I started doing Dynamic Meditation it blew me away and liberated my inner being. Memories flooded me and I became aware of my madness, my power, I became more courageous and outspoken. The experience of satsang, of sitting, humming and listening to the master helped me connect with my receptive, feminine side and I felt showered with bliss and love. All of the above is still happening today. When I am with fellow sannyasins there is a certain vibration and my heart starts singing. When I visit other spiritual communities something is missing for me. I never found this combination of depth and ecstasy, of celebration and awareness anywhere else. I love to move. So active meditations are perfect for me to this day. But when I want to find a whole hour in my day for meditation, my mind gives me a list of numerous things that urgently need my attention. Knowing this I keep creating meditation groups around me. Meditating together with others seems perfect and I find the time for it without a problem. "You are here to become more and more alive; you are here to become more and more intelligent; you are here to become more and more happy, ecstatically happy." I'm still working on becoming more and more blissful. Catching myself when my thoughts want to recreate the old tune of misery and failure. Instead I come back to celebrating the sun, my existence, the new experiences that each day has for me and feel blessed with wonderful friends. So, yes I am still part of Osho's tribe. Once I caught a glimpse of the truth how can I ever forget?

2019-04-20T20:39:04Z

https://pashyo.com/stories.html

Synthesizer artist Michele Ippolito continues to carve out her own special niche of soothing electronic music for relaxation on her third, and best, release, Drifting In Dreams. Where her first recording, Mystic Moods (2006) drew a lot of comparisons to the music of Liquid Mind, she is now emerging from that shadow of similarity as she explores a different vein of soothing synthesizer tonalities, while still retaining some of the neo-classical influences that Liquid Mind (aka Chuck Wild) harnesses. Ippolito deftly expands the colors of her palette adding some new instrumentation and additional spacemusic textures, mixing her strings, synth chorals, and spacy washes/pads with the result being a cohesive "wholeness" of blissful sonic soundscapes. At times, the music has an almost organic quality to it, as it ebbs and flows with a breath-like semblance. Also worth mentioning is how great a job of mixing and mastering was done by her husband, Vince. This is one relaxation album that you may be sorry if you don't listen to it on headphones - the mix is sumptuous and the engineering is crystal clear. Before I get on to describing individual tracks, I do want to comment on something tangential to the music. I must admit that when I first saw a picture of Michele Ippolito (and her husband) I was taken aback. Now, of course, the new age and spacemusic genres don't automatically connotate a certain type of person as being representative of that category. Still, when I saw Michele and Vince's pictures, my first thought was "They look like someone's grandparents!" And I don't mean that in an ageist way, but more that with the undeniable scarcity of women making electronic music today, the last thing I expected was a woman who looked more like she should be bringing me a plate of fresh-baked cookies as opposed to first rate ambient/new age electronic music. Talk about misjudging the book by the cover! Anyway, it just goes to show that electronic music's appeal is broad indeed and, as Vince told me in an email, "We all age...but music keeps all of us young." Amen to that! Moving on to the music on Drifting In Dreams, some track titles portray the sensation of slow and gentle movement that those songs will musically convey to the listener, e.g. Ship Ahoy and Drifting In Dreams, while others paint a more subdued, less active, mood, e.g. Mystical Forest, Ancient Lullaby, and On The Prairie. Reaching for the Stars represents one of the "newer" directions Ippolito is exploring on this album, as she folds in twinkling upper-register bell tones among the undulating strings, chorals, and ambient textures. On headphones, hearing the tones appear one at a time is a treat, as if individual stars were blinking into and out of view. The title track hints at mystery as it opens with some lower (almost drone-like) washes, and here some chime-like tones are also heard, but deeper in the mix. The palpable sense of "drifting" is characterized by the ebbing and flowing of the chorals and synth textures. Across Still Waters starts off with low-pitched bass and violin strings and a pronounced classical feel before injecting some ethereal elements. Any movement characterized by the song's music is less emphasized than on Drifting In Dreams, as the title would suggest. On The Prairie does indeed have a pastoral glow to it, with waves of chorals and lush strings enveloping the piece in warmth and capturing the wide horizon aspect of standing on the prairie as the sun sets on a clear, perfect summer day. Mystical Forest is, most likely, the biggest departure from the artist's previous releases as synth wooden flute at the outset is accompanied by a low-pitched solo string bass line and reverbed upper register tones. The track takes the listener into the titular forest, as deepening shadows don't bring fear, but instead reveal a new world come to life as daylight fades under the canopy of leaves. This is a classic slice of electronic new age music, recalling the glory days of the genre in the late '80s and early '90s! Ippolito also tries her hand at injecting rhythms into her music for the first time on Midnight Moonlight Trance. Tribal drumbeats and ethnic percussion pulse underneath amorphous layers of synthesizers with an echoed tone now and then pinging in the background. The track's success would seem to indicate that Ippolito may want to consider migrating more of this music style into her future discography, as she does it well. Note that the toms and percussion were played by Vince...is there another Ippolito soon to emerge as a recording artist on the horizon? Time will tell. As with many albums of this type, the CD works best when played all the way through, because while the 11 tracks have their own identity, the cohesion of Ippolito's trademark sounds allows for strong mood continuity throughout the album. Earlier I endorsed headphones for listening to Drifting In Dreams, but it would sound just as soothing (maybe even more so) played on external speakers. A person might miss some of the nuance but the music is so peaceful and relaxing that unless you don’t mind falling asleep with headphones on (what I wear for 'phones, would result in a big "Ouch!"), I'd only use headphones when you are fairly wide awake. Either way, Michele Ippolito has your ticket to dreamland, punched and ready to go. Nighty-night and you WILL sleep tight. What an appropriate title. The hour it takes to glide through Michele Ippolito’s third release, Drifting in Dreams, goes by with you embraced in a warm haze of equal parts New Age and spacemusic with a lovely hint of classical. Ippolito layers in soft synth washes, harp, flute, and more to load her songs with strong emotional content and breath-slowing calm. If anything, Ippolito’s music exists closer to the spacemusic side, but with a bit of restraint. Her scenes are more intimate and immediate; she’s not guiding us to the farthest reaches, but inviting us to turn inward. Yet the work has that deep dreaminess, that sense of the voyage. Her style has the potency of a Constance Demby, but without relying on the celestial trappings. “Ship Ahoy” takes us as far as any starfaring synth track, and carries a waft of aching melancholy that cuts through the misty wall of sound around it. It’s a very touching piece. “Reaching for the Stars” starts off feeling a little sweet, but soon melts into another reflective set of washes. Keyboard notes twinkle in the background. There’s a lot to like here. ”Mystical Forest” takes a repeating phrase on keyboard and intertwines it through long pads and breathy flute tones. Ippolito makes excellent use of subdued percussion on “Midnight Moonlight Trance,” building in a bit of mystery and tension, along with just a touch of the tribal. The beat nicely breaks up the long flows on either side of it. “Across Still Waters” is another flute-led piece that courses along on warm synth pads. This is one that’s quite easy to get lost in as Ippolito whispers her story in your ears. There are a few points on the disc that get almost too standard-meme New Age-y for my tastes, but Ippolito never veers too far toward the sugary side of the equation. The depth of emotion and the slow, sure pace keep things strong. The work is solid throughout. Bill Binkelman "Retailing Insight Magazine" Michele Ippolito’s Drifting in Dreams refines the artist’s lush electronic keyboard soundscapes as she explores subtle new variations in choral, string, and textural ambient tone poems. Ippolito’s command of her synthesizers has grown; it’s deeper in emotional resonance and more expansive as she explores her palette of keyboard sounds. While her first release elicited comparisons to Liquid Mind, with Drifting in Dreams she has fully developed her own distinct approach to soothing, melodic, synthesizer music that blends neo-classical with New Age and spacemusic stylings. With one exception (“Midnight Moonlight Trance” features some subtle ethno-tribal rhythms), the music on Drifting in Dreams is indeed quite dreamy—and dream inducing, too. Michele Ippolito has another winner for us. Drifting in Dreams is a lovely, relaxing album. If one meditates or is a practitioner of reiki, massage therapist, or just looking for a totally inspirational CD, this is your choice. From the opening notes, one is transported to another dimension of a peaceful and uplifting nature. Take a voyage out of the ordinary with Drifting in Dreams, a therapeutic adventure for the psyche. This week we received a very nice new recording by Michele Ippolito, "Drifting In Dreams." It's a perfect fit for our special Sunday night show The Painted Cave. Listen tonight for 3 tracks from Michele's new record, on KZAM.net from 9P-12M PDT. The music of Michele Ippolito is a smooth stream of healing waves which cocoons the listener from the first seconds and gives him shelter from the everyday worries. And one wants to be protected and stay in this sanctuary alone for a while with these divine harmonies. It is easy to relax and meditate with the music of the newest album of Michele Ippolito named “Drifting In Dreams”. When you listen to its soothing compositions you realize that all your troubles remain in the past and it is not necessary to regret them because the new exciting world is opened before your eyes. The new hopes come into your heart and your mind becomes clear and receptive for creation. The keyboard music of Michele Ippolito is truly wonderful. It sounds so gently and at the same time majestic. Soft arrangements, ethereal and polyphonic orchestrations create an inimitable environment. What can one want to say while listening to the album “Drifting In Dreams”? Most of all one statement comes to mind – listen to this music and be inspired! Think about this scenario. Your day has been horrible, everything that could possibly go wrong did, and you have finally made it home to what is hopefully your place of sanctuary. You pour something to refresh yourself, and begin to relax, but there’s something missing. You lit the candles, you're in your comfy clothes and chair, but t.v. is out of the question, and the quiet storm is not quiet enough for tonight. Chicago born and bred composer Michele Ippolito is the answer to your prayers with her very tranquil album "Drifting In Dreams." When I listen to classical music or jazz, my mind is connecting to all of the elements that are unfolding, and my radar is on to catch the next phrase or rhythm. “Drifting In Dreams” is relaxing. Michele’s music is a flow of one breath to the next. Sounds of ease and comfort are set to form with tasteful analog digital orchestral, and vocal textures that cascade with peaceful textures and are never frantic or pressured. The 11 track CD will soothe you from beginning to end. On the last 3 selections, "Midnight Moonlight Trance," Mystical Forest," and "Ancient Lullaby," Ippolito incorporates even more elements, like the electric piano answering breathy flutes. Percussion is rarely used, but on “Midnight Moonlight Trance,” I’m reminded of composer/keyboardist Patrick O’Hearn’s interesting use of minimal sounds against a wash of weaving harmonies. There is no disruption in the overall relaxing experience of this CD. I especially liked the use of harp, and vocal “Ahhs” on “Ancient Lullaby.” I like electronic music, especially good electronic music when it’s not grating to listen to. The music of "Drifting In Dreams" is soothing and perfect for setting a quiet mood. The mix sounds great with headphones on, and I recommend highly it for unwinding, relieving tension, or for use as background music while you kick back with a good book. This is also great music to get a massage by. When was the last time you sat around on your favorite spot and just daydreamed? Did you ponder the future, wonder about the what ifs and lose yourself in thought? Yeah, I don't do it much anymore either. But we owe it to ourselves for the sake of sanity to do it every once in a while. Electronic keyboardist Michele Ippolito has taken that issue to task and produced eleven tracks of restful ambient music for just such a purpose and she does it superbly on her album called Drifting In Dreams. Each song suggests a different landscape, an unusual time, or a unique situation. This is not a one-size-fits-all experience. In the past, I have done my thinking sitting on a rock in the shady oak woods in front of the house. The leafy canopy above is swayed by the western breezes and the sun leaves speckled shadows on the rock. The quiet is tangible. This is the memory suggested by Michele's opening tune Quiet Repose. The music is serene and it allows me to hear my own breathing. It could be the beginning of a journey of the spirit. The title tune, Drifting in Dreams starts out quietly, and then it flows along, reaching out to you. It is an invitation to let go of the present world and take a journey into one of your own making. This particular tune took me back many years when I attempted to change my life using self-realization. It is the kind of song that is liberating. No dream would be complete without water music and Michele provides us with Across Still Waters. Many can relate to crossing a body of water when the wind is howling or the whitecaps are at eye level and the waves crash across your bow, but there is something comforting about water that lets you glide over it, fearless and ever hopeful. My favorite on the album is called Inspired because it says what it does. It is music played lento, but with a continuous theme that allows the mind to flow, rest and stream again. The melody is celestial, with strings and horns paired up in a peaceful ensemble. Mystical Forest is so appropriate for the autumn I am experiencing as I listen. The woodlands, once glowing with green, have taken on the guise of gold, orange, and umber, as if donning a multi-colored cloak to hide itself. The mystery is in the changing. The towering trees are watching all the time, witnesses to what happens below. The music will urge you to go deeper and explore within. Gentle as a butterfly kiss, the tune Ancient Lullaby, is as soothing as a mother's voice and warmer than her embrace. Every mother, anywhere. The tune sings sweetly of comfort and safety. There is the sense of tenderness and above all else, pride. It is a tune sung by Gaia herself. What all eleven tunes have in common along with Ippolito's practiced hand at composition, are a sense of weightlessness, the aura of calmness and a sensuousness that is earthy rather than physical. If you want a little rest for your weary world, then get out on that lawn or under that tree, (or find your own sitting rock) click play, and let Michele's music take you on what my generation called an amazing journey. Michele Ippolito's debut recording, Mystic Moods, came seemingly out of nowhere in 2005 and garnered impressive reviews, including the following praise from me; "There is a rich emotional resonance permeating all the pieces on Mystic Moods despite the presence of so many overt electronic components in the music…Michele Ippolito’s debut CD is one of the best first efforts I have heard in years. It’s near impossible to believe that she is a newcomer." About the only knock on her first recording was its short length of thirty minutes. In The Clouds clocks in at twice that in duration and, like Mystic Moods, it's filled to the brim with soothing lush electronic soundscapes that wrap around the listener like a feather-light down comforter. This CD would make an ideal soundtrack for watching the sun set amongst a sea of clouds, the sky going from blue to gold to purple and eventually to smooth velvety darkness with pinpricks of stars dotting the inky black sky. Some reviews mentioned a palpable and recognizable similarity to Liquid Mind's music present on Mystic Moods. On first listen to In The Clouds, one might be tempted to repeat that assertion, but just as I stated in my Mystic Moods review, there are plenty of subtle and even not so subtle differences coursing through Ippolito's music which distinguishes it from Chuck Wild's (Liquid Mind). In The Clouds actually hews closer to a blend of new age and classic spacemusic, while the Liquid Mind series has, in more recent years, featured a strong neo-classical element (more sampled orchestral instruments, such as solo woodwinds). As far as comparisons go, the track "On Skylark's Wings" reminds me of Jon Mark's Asia Journey, owing not just to the synthesizers used but also a hint of Asian motifs via plucked strings. "Dreamstar," the next song on In The Clouds, brings to mind Robert Haig Coxon's The Inner Voyage with its soothing flowing melody played on a variety of keyboards and buoyed by haunting angelic chorals. There is also a hint of Llewellyn scattered in amongst some tracks, such as "Reflections," although the almost omnipresent abundance of chorals makes the comparison somewhat tenuous, I admit. Yet another comparison (which I pointed out in my Mystic Moods review) is with Larry Kucharz, but Ippolito takes much less of a minimalist approach than Kucharz does, preferring to keep the music flowing non-stop on each track. Ippolito also introduces some new wrinkles on In The Clouds, such as the lilting flute on "Horizon" (this elicits yet another comparison, that being to English artist Mike Simmons, who frequently blended layers of keyboards with sampled wind instruments). "Celestial Voices," likewise, sounds "new" to me with delicate plucked harp joined by high pitched chorals and not as many other synthesizers in the mix as on other cuts. The variety that becomes evident as one delves deeper into the CD is a sure sign that Ippolito is maturing and growing as an artist. While there can be little denying that In The Clouds is cut from the same cloth as Mystic Moods, that statement could be made about many artists in this genre (i.e. albums frequently contain an artist's musical "signature"). Still, when I listened on headphones, I was surprised by just how (a) "new" and (b) varied the music on this recording is. Obviously, if you play it in the background and very softly, you may not hear the same degree of change that I do. The whole issue of "new" versus "the same" not withstanding, what In The Clouds does contain, with out a doubt, is a collection of peaceful calming electronic new age music pieces, a sixty-minute musical tonic for de-stressing from the insanity that most of our day-to-day lives have become. Michele Ippolito proves that she is no one-hit wonder with this strong and accomplished sophomore effort. Solidly recommended. Once in a while an artist puts forth a quality album and it reminds me of why I started listening to the genre in the first place. Michele Ippolito's new release In the Clouds is such a work. It is blending of electronic, New Age and a bit of ambient music and every song is deliciously thought provoking and peace rendering. From the first note to the last, the lightness of being is freed over and over again unfettering the spirit to reflect, relax and refresh. In the tune Sunrising I could see the first rose-pink glow of the daystar and feel the simultaneous warmth. I knew that soon my day would be bathed in the light of life. Every second was fresh and the moment held possibilities. Michele's music is uplifting and bright as layer upon layer of darkness gives way to the sunlight hours. Dreamstar is a very delicate song. The sighing of sound is ever so gently mixed with flowing waves of shimmering reverberation. It is as if the sonic vibrations stretch out a gossamer hand and I grasp it to be pulled along with the music. I feel the spirit floating away to an ephemeral destination that only a free spirit can know. Horizon is one of my favorites on In The Clouds. It has whispering waves of sound in the music. Angel voices, almost imperceptible sing softly. The dominant voice of the flute lends a mellow, almost Celtic tone to an already beautiful, ambient foray along the boundaries of human perspective. Michele's music encourages me to look beyond the horizon, no matter how far, to see another side of my dreams. Mixed with low vibrations Atmospheric is a rather heady tune with a surrealistic melody. As the music unfurled in the background I felt weightless, without the burden of corporal hindrances and I could feel the ascension of the soul up beyond my own imagination. Is this what it is like to be out of the body? Celestial Voices is an eponymous tune that seems to drift on forever. It has an insubstantial quality that suggests voices floating up into the heavens and echoing until they reach the end of the universe. You may or may not believe in helpful celestial beings, but there you have it. Somehow, Michele has discovered what they sound like in a state of bliss and captured the feeling for all to enjoy. Finally the title tune, In The Clouds, with its throaty sound and echoing melody closes the album. The tune centered on a familiar phrase and it calmed me without my putting too much thought into it. I just surrendered to the music and it rewarded me with tranquility. The music was layered in blue skies and white puffy clouds until it reached the upper atmosphere and then the stars were there waiting for me like old friends. The known constellations welcomed me with their pleasing configurations and fantastic anthologies. The music of Michele Ippolito never fails to deliver peace. The eleven songs on the album flow into one another almost seamlessly. It is one continuous journey in the realms of quietude on a road paved with serene music. I recommend this album to all who love pure New Age and ambient music. To be lying in a lush, green field looking up at light clouds on a sunny day is for many the very idea of relaxation. When looking up you are experiencing a powerful atonement while the troubles of everyday seem unimportant and small. Many will also have fond memories of such carefree cloud gazing from their early childhood. But sadly there are not many times in grown-up life you are able to throw everything aside and just stretch out in a field and do nothing but looking up. Even in your holidays you will find yourself constantly on the move, even when the idea was to stay still and relax. This is where Michele Ippolito’s new album In The Clouds has something profound to offer. This one hour long album successfully recreates the very atmosphere of looking up and imagining actually being in and among the clouds. Ippolito’s second album (first being Mystic Moods from 2005) strikes a perfect balance of lightness and vastness; it is not too bright and it is not too cold either. Simplicity is a keyword here. I find Michele Ippolito’s arrangement to be tasteful and very well done. I must admit that I am a fan of analogue synths, and Ippolito’s is using some fine choir and string synth banks – but it must be said that some listeners might find the sound to be a bit dated. But even if you fall under this category, give it a chance because the album’s true quality lies in the gentle ambient melodies. Michele Ippolito is classically trained on piano and this can easily be heard in the flute, harp and string melodies, which for some reason reminds me of classical music. In The Clouds strikes a perfect balance of lightness and vastness; it is not too bright and it is not too cold either. The atmosphere is very much the same throughout the album, but on some parts have a more detached and cold feel, while other parts are considerably brighter – just like a day in the field. After all, the sky is constantly changing. It is hard for me to select one or two favorite tracks because they are all connected, but I absolutely love the colorful second track On Skylark’s Wings. Other reviewers have compared Ippolito to Chuck Wild’s massively popular Liquid Mind project. I think that is a good comparison, and Wild’s fans will feel right at home here. But Ippolito has managed to create an album that just might be a little lighter and less complex – all in a good way. For this In The Clouds has been nominated for the 2009 Zone Music Reporter Awards in two categories. After all, looking at the clouds is perhaps the most relaxing thing you can do. In The Clouds is simply a perfect album if you need something from a 5 minute to a 1 hour timeout. If you give yourself just a small dose of this before a stressful business meeting or a large family gathering, you will for sure find back to that priceless inner calm you felt as a child when you were cloud gazing in a green field. Anything that can give such an effect must be considered a gift to the listener. What a wonderful and remarkable album!!! What songs is your heart singing? What memories is your heart longing for? This music is a precious remedy in a human’s mad world. It arouses the spirit and harmonizes it. It lifts it above the everyday worries and gives the listener a long awaited space. You can easily stay in the endless cosmos for a long time. And this Universe is you. The present-day society tends to collapse your inner world in order to more easily manage your consciousness and behavior because it needs obedient slaves. The music of Michele Ippolito is a convenient possibility to free yourself. Her long awaited album “In The Clouds” is the artist’s second release. Michele Ippolito continues to compose celestial harmonies which create a peaceful state of mind and soul. Her music is perfectly suited for various healing techniques and meditation. Delicate ambient textures very gently support your mind in tranquility helping to realize the sources of your anxieties and sadness. The music of Michele Ippolito is good for every day life as well as for very special moments of your life. Following up on her critically acclaimed debut EP, Mystic Moods, electronic keyboard artist Michele Ippolito has released In the Clouds, a full-length CD filled with 11 tracks of gorgeous flowing synthesizer soundscapes that caress the air with a sensation of gentle ethereal comfort. As was the case with Mystic Moods, comparisons to Liquid Mind are inevitable, but under attentive listening, Ippolito’s music is neither derivative nor imitative, standing on its own as a unique artistic statement. Chorals, lush synth pads, twinkling tones, orchestra strings, a smattering of sampled classical instruments and a myriad of electronic textures all coalesce to form a curative sonic treatment which will wash away everyday stress and worry. "Yesterday, previewed tranquil new CD by Michele Ippolito. Nice contemplative stuff." This is soothing, calming music that is appreciated for reflection, meditation, mental/emotional preparation for sleep, reducing anxiety, making a prayerful or thoughtful environment, perhaps for creative processes such as writing or painting, massage or healing meditations. It is very effective for calming the restless spirit and agitated mind - a common state of being these days! Some "new age" music can have jarring moments that disrupt a calm moment, but this music is serene and calming throughout and reflects the artist's respect for the process of inviting peace and calm to the mind and spirit. Truly lovely music. "Michele thank you for your great work, it is a great addition to our playlist." "Michele's album is very relaxing and extremely musical compositionally. Good luck with it....God Bless you and her for producing it." "As someone who practices daily mindfulness for relaxation, I can recommend this album in it's entirety to anyone who want to enjoy the moment to moment unfolding of the soundscape Michele creates. Just close your eyes and be swept away into a tranquil state of relaxation, by listening to the gentle ebb and flow of beautiful music, interesting sounds, and the illusion of angelic voices. This combination captures the attention, easing the process of staying anchored in the present moment". "In the Clouds" is the second independent release of Illinois-based Michele Ippolito, who started out as a classically trained pianist. What we actually got here is a new age recording in a kindred vein as the music of e.g. Liquid Mind or Robert Haig Coxon’s "The Silent Path". The eleven tracks make up one hour of overall relaxing and free form music that sooths the mind while it offers a welcome repose and escape from the hectic of nowadays world. The long form synthetic textures and choral pads are serene and warm, making a perfect audio companion while e.g taking a break on a sunny day while looking up to the sky to see cloud formations slowly drift by. All in all, the intimate and harmonic content and gentle flowing melodies of "In the Clouds" will easily bring the listeners into a state of harmony, peace and tranquility while it also revitalizes the inner spirit. This "refreshing oasis for the mind/spirit" is also well suited for meditation. "Bill Binkelman is a long-time icon in the industry" From newcomer Michele Ippolito comes the album Mystic Moods, an excellent collection of serene electronic ambient/classic new age compositions in the same vein as Liquid Mind, Robert Haig Coxon, and others like them. Equating someone’s debut recording to Liquid Mind is a bold statement, to be sure. However (after multiple playings of the album), I am confident in my assessment. Ippolito does belong in the company of Chuck Wild (a.k.a. Liquid Mind), albeit perhaps not as his equal yet, but she is certainly close behind. The seven tracks on Mystic Moods are lush, floating soundscapes, played out on an assortment of synths and keyboards, notably chorals, strings, plucked harp, and also “classic” new age sounds and textures. While the recording is short (just a few ticks under 30 minutes), what’s here is of such high quality that I can’t imagine anyone complaining – just hit the repeat button for goodness’ sake! While there is a certain sameness to the music from track to track (obviously intentional so as not to present jarring juxtapositions song-to-song), upon closer inspection (if one listens intently on headphones), the subtle, even pronounced, differences between selections are readily apparent. The opening “Destination” features ethereal chorals and delicate plucked harp while “Malibu” emerges as closer to hushed spacemusic with gently ebbing and flowing tones and washes anchored by a plaintive and lovely solo melody which resembles a woman soprano and the added sounds of soft bell-trees. The title track begins with harp and lilting flute cushioned by soft synth washes, fleshed out by the later addition of strings. “Sunset” presents the kind of massed chorals that Larry Kucharz uses on some of his recordings and the effect from Ippolito is no less mesmerizing than Kucharz attains on his albums. The relative starkness of the chorals, uncluttered with much in the way of accompaniment, introduces a minimalism that perfectly captures the essence of the song’s title while still glowing with warmth and beauty. “Spa” closes the CD with classic electronic new age elements flowing serenely under gentle harp and plucked guitar. There is a rich emotional resonance permeating all the pieces on Mystic Moods despite the presence of so many overt electronic components in the music. Michele Ippolito’s debut CD is one of the best first efforts I have heard in years. It’s near impossible to believe that she is a newcomer. Everything from the mix, production, quality of the synths, and even the subdued simplicity and beauty of the album’s (professional looking) graphics and fonts points to this being the work of someone who has been around for a long time. For lovers of calm and peaceful electronic new age and spacemusic (as well as ambient fans who don’t require dark soundscapes or minor tonalities), I can’t recommend Mystic Moods highly enough. I have no doubt you will be as impressed and delighted as I was. You’ll never be as you used to be before…. What is attractive in a new, half-hourly Michele Ippolito’s album called "Mystic Moods"? What makes this calm electronic music such a magnetic one? And why doesn’t it “set you free”? This is a music-meditation, the music that impels you to listen attentively to your feelings, to sense your inmost wishes and stay alone with yourself. And, maybe after one has listened to "Mystic Moods" he will realize what it means as far as he had never plunged in the innermost of his own personality before. And what is hidden behind the veil of a day-to-day tumult and goals and wishes dictated by other people? What is dozing off somewhere deep in your consciousness, for the time being dispirited by the society around you, or, maybe hidden from it. And what is your true self, a real one, without far-fetched conventionalities and false masks? Michele Ippolito’s music impels to think and feel empathy. This music expresses an inconstancy of everyday emotions and a permanency of an inexhaustible depth of human consciousness. The constancy of that inner source which rules over the life. As far as the divine is concealed deep in human consciousness and one have to learn how to feel it. It is so easy and incredibly different at the same time. Michele Ippolito proposes to start a journey to your true self. Her music sends you back to the source which is consigned for oblivion for a while but this very source is you. With great care the musician is guiding you through emotions flashing by before your eyes like glimpsing pictures of a colour movie. You are plunged deeper and deeper all the time. This plunge brings a content to you. An angelic music of "Mystic Moods" is a guide of the divine to the world of humans. New Age sounds with a decided Classical influence make this a perfect sound for relaxation or meditation. The compositions by Michele Ippolito are just right for bringing peace and harmony to both mind and body. Classically trained pianist Michele Ippolito used several keyboards to create the music for Mystic Moods (Penrose Records), which was influenced by contemporary music, film score arrangements, and jazz. Taking the "Spa" experience into consideration---there is even a track called "Spa"---the CD offers soothing new age music that relaxes the body and calms the mind. Says Ippolito, "I like to create music that is picturesque with unusual effects, giving attention to detail that prepares the listener's mind for the full meditative experience." "Mystic Moods" is a beautiful space travel based on the use of synthesizers, ideal to let imagination soar through inner worlds. The Ambient style present in the album is melodic and symphonic, full of spectacular orchestrations with synthesizers and a certain romantic character though it doesn't fall into an excessive sweetness. Michele offers us a careful selection of seven pieces in which she presents us the best of herself as a composer. The impressive orchestrations of the themes show her experience as a composer as well. The music transpires sensitivity from all its pores. The back of the CD case explains the music well: "Soothing melodic sound voyage...soundscapes allow the listener to create their own moods". It accomplishes what it sets out to do. This short debut album by Michelle Ippolito features slow motion airy washes and drones in a manner that is reminiscent of Liquid Mind. As with other relaxing and meditative new age/ambient albums the music on Mystic Moods is designed to instil a sense of peace and harmony in the listener. It does this by a delicate blend of wafting electronic clouds, piano, harp, and flute sounds. My first impression was that the tracks are rather samey, but pay more attention and you'll notice the changes – it's like seeing cloud formations throughout the day as they gradually shift their patterns. We get started with “Destination” where airy chorale effects brush changing hues of sound across parts of the soundscape and sparing harp notes add an almost solemn emotional feel. The track that captivates me most is “Cerebral”. Shimmering ribbons continually whoosh past, and again there are vocally tinged washes but this time they are deep or nasal conveying a sense of deep thoughts wondering about the meaning of life. The overall feel of this piece is one of earnest contemplation. The mood changes a little between tracks, so that the following piece “Mystic Mood” is somewhat lighter with plucked harp and brighter washes. Mystic Moods is a worthy debut, generally pleasant to listen to and the right length for this kind of music that for me can become mentally wearing if too long. Comparison to Liquid Mind is apt, and anyone who enjoys his brand of restful drifting new age ambience would do well to check out Michelle's release.

2019-04-24T20:43:40Z

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