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A Quiet Place (2018)
Dir. John Krasinski; John Krasinki, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds
[3 out of 4 stars]
We seem to be living in the midst of a horror renaissance. In the past few years, we have been graced with critical and audience darlings such as The Conjuring (2013) and The Babadook (2014), and in just the past year the likes of Get Out (2017) and It (2017) have taken pop culture by storm. Horror has always served as wonderful thermometer for Americans cultural anxieties. Since these movies have started to appear in earnest, the American public has had much to be anxious about, from heightened awareness of terrorist activity, to a tumultuous election cycle. It is the tension from these fears and frustrations that no doubt inspire such horror on the big screen. Many of them feature truly visionary filmmaking, which push the edges of both the horror genre and filmmaking writ large. Enter A Quiet Place (2018).
Directed by, written by, and starring John Krasinski, A Quiet Place takes place in a post-apocalyptic world circa 2020. Few details are given about the circumstances which have pushed the world into disarray, but the vague facts we can pin down are these: a meteor of some sort crash landed, and from the meteor a breed of monster has fanned out to hunt anything that lives. The brilliant caveat of these beasts is that they are completely blind, relying entirely on an elevated sense of sound to hunt. Lee (Krasinski), Evelyn (Emily Blunt), and their children live in the midst of this insanity, carving out a self-reliant existence on a meandering family farm in a rural town. Within minutes of the film's opening, their youngest son Beau (Cade Woodward), meets a ruthless end when he presses a button on the space shuttle he is playing with, which sets off a series of buzzes and beeps. The noise alerts a nearby creature who snaps him up before Lee can save him. From this point, we jump about a year into the future where the husband, wife, and the two remaining children, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe), grapple with the grief of losing a family member, while just trying to survive.
The idea of a family surviving in a post-apocalyptic world is not a revolutionary narrative by any means, but how the film toys with the presence of sound sets it apart. Because these creatures hunt using sound, it constrains the amount of noise that any of the characters can make, and Krasinski and the sound mixers lean on this heavily. For instance, the family pours sand along the walkways they use around the house and walk only in bare feet to avoid making noise. Within the old farmhouse, there are patches of gray paint on the safe spots on the floor, spots one assumes have come from an enormous amount of trial and error, stepping on all the squeaky floorboards. Submerged under the barn is the space that the family has converted into a home, insulated with layers of paper and a mattress thrown over the entrance to mediate any accidental sound that comes from within. The result is that any time one of them makes a noise, such as when Marcus knocks over a lamp in the midst of a game of Monopoly, it feels amplified beyond compare. We are brought so intently into this near-silent world that the terrified reactions which accompany any accidental sound seem completely believable, and it seemed to me that every person in the theater was holding their breathe just as intently as the characters, wondering if that sound would be their last.
As the character most tightly connected to silence, Simmonds emerges as the magnetic center of the film. Simmonds is actually deaf, something that carries over into her performance as Regan. Most of the communication between the family members is done through sign language, which is subtitled for the viewer, and Regan's deafness makes the signing seem an integral part of the family as opposed to a quick fix to help with communication. The entire cast possess wonderfully expressive features, and exercises a precise control of their bodies to emulate the emotions they are feeling in such an expressive way that I never found myself wishing they would speak more, much in the same way as Sally Hawkins' performance in The Shape of Water (2017). But it is Simmonds who I found myself drawn to again and again. It is her expression when Beau is killed, frozen in preemptive grief and terror, that resonated throughout the film. Furthermore, it is her guilt over having given Beau the toy that lead to his death, and the perceived blame from her father, that motivates her throughout the movie. She desperately wants to prove herself to Lee, and her brother wants nothing more than to stay away from the outside world, while their mother quietly keeps the peace amongst them all. At one point, Lee forces Marcus to go fishing with him even though the boy is terrified, while Regan begs to be taken along. Within this exchange we see the tension surrounding the gendered expectations of the children, and the spectre of residual resentment on Lee's part from Regan's part in Beau's death. All the while, Evelyn stands by to pick up the pieces when the fight has ended. It is the portrait of a family that could be painted onto any scenario, examining the fault lines that run between us all. Yet, here they also happen to live in a world that wants to make communicating all the more complicated.
When we are experiencing the world aligned with her, the sound is completely turned off. We are brought into her personal interactions with the world as the movie imitates the silence which makes up her life. At times, it is incredibly poignant, such as when she visits Beau's grave, and we are resultantly entirely focused on the pictures and mementos she is seeing, and other times, it is terrifying, as we can see a creeping creature that she cannot hear. We are terrified for a threat she is completely unaware of, and that we know she will never hear coming. In other films there is always the chance something could alert a character to the threat, but here we can only hold our breath and hope. Krasinski insisted on casting a deaf actress in the role of his daughter to make sure that the true experience of being deaf was presented with nuance and care. His casting alongside the decision to lean into the sound design around her, by helping the viewer experience the world just as she does, is the most inspired choice of the movie.
While Krasinski as a director falls prey to an arsenal of familiar jump scares, and while the mother and father concerned for the safety of their children is a compelling if tired narrative, the assemblage of set pieces and path towards family reconciliation that he puts together in the back half of the film make up for any less than original stretches in the first half. It is the film's sensitivity to sound design which results in a family besieged by silence that make the second half of the film some of the most effective building of tension I've experienced in a movie. I will not elaborate on the final forty-five minutes because one of the true joys of watching this film is being scared out of your wits as you watch the characters desperately try to stay alive. I would hate to knock any of the air out of some truly innovative direction which left myself and the friends I was seeing the movie with squeezing all the feeling out of each others' hands. It is a taught and lean thriller with nothing extra to bog it down, and while it may not taut the allegorical heft of Get Out or The Babadook, it is a profoundly effective bit of horror filmmaking.


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CASE Study Challenge #19
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
my Etsy shop after the holidays. It's looking pretty grim over there, since I donated most of its contents, back here, to the silent, art auction, for The Kyrie Foundation, which I just realized I've never given you an update on. My ten, five-card sets brought in, nearly, $100 for the foundation! Isn't that amazing?! I was, absolutely, thrilled!
The above cards were inspired by CASE Study's Challenge #19, which is all about being inspired by this gorgeous card by Nina Brackett.
ColourQ Queen for this layout. Thank you so much, ladies! What an honor!
BIG News! yet, run check it out over here. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all your sweet congrats! You all are, truly, the best! Also, be sure to check back, at The Play Date Cafe, later today, for the reveal of our final, two designers. What a great team, Julie and Sarah have concocted! Only two more days, until Christmas, ya'll! What will you be doing?
{Supplies & Tools}
Stamps: La Letter (Hero Arts); Butterfly Dreams (PTI) Paper: Summer Sun, Basic Black, & Whisper White (SU) Ink: Summer Sun (SU); Barn Door (Ranger); Moonlight White (Brilliance); VersaMark Other: black thread & sewing machine; sheer, white, satin-trimmed ribbon (Hobby Lobby); Dessert Sun gemstones (Bazzill Basics); Perfect Pearls (Ranger); clear embossing powder (SU)
7 comments:
- Tracey said...
WOW!!! LOVE this card Jinny!! Big CONGRATS again on being the Colour Queen....that LO is awesome!! So excited to be on the same DT as you :)
- December 22, 2010 at 8:29 AM
- Colleen Dietrich said...
Jinny, I love that shimmery set you made for a neighbor! Can I move in next door to you, too? ;) ANd congrats on the ColourQ win! Whoo hoo!
- December 22, 2010 at 11:09 AM
- Cristina said...
You WHAT???!!! Painted over your embossing with that amazing, luminescent concoction? That's so cool. The result is stunning. Thanks for playing with us at CASE Study, and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
- December 22, 2010 at 4:48 PM
- Jaclyn Miller said...
Fantastic card Jinny! I love the colors.
- December 23, 2010 at 6:21 AM
- Laurie said...
Gorgeous Jinny! WOW!! These are stunning!!! OH and Congrats on the Colour Q win!!
- December 24, 2010 at 7:04 AM
- Iwona Palamountain (Chupa) said...
LOOVE!! The shimmer, the layout, and how you interpreted the colours! Magnificent work :)
Thank you for joining us in this busy season, Happy New Year wishes to you!! xxx
- December 28, 2010 at 10:40 PM
- Jean Martin said...
What a beautiful card Jinny! And that SHIMMER! Wow! Thanks for playing with us and congrats on the Colour Q Win! :)
- December 29, 2010 at 4:46 PM

subset: commoncrawl


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SPAIN ISSUE 463 May 2014
Ana Sánchez-Peña Makeup & Hair Barcelona styling, hair, makeup
Born in Cáceres, Spain, Ana Sánchez-Peña is a creative make-up artist based in Barcelona. She has worked in Los Angeles (US) and Seville.
Always attracted by art, beauty and fashion, she began studying to be a hair stylist, cosmetologist and aesthetician, eventually turning towards make-up artistry. As an artist, Ana is constantly researching the latest trends, finding inspiration, developing new skills and selecting the best products to work with. Ana really loves and enjoys what she does.
She has a passion for transforming people into a character, collaborating with others to create a look, effect or theme, bringing out the best features or natural beauty. She works quickly, skilfully and really enjoys travelling, photography, music, paintings and architecture.
Tag your comment using @productionparadise to share with us!


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Different Treatments for Eye Wrinkles
Different Treatments for Eye Wrinkles
The process old creates many improvements in our physical condition as well as appearance. Having eye lines is actually just one of all of them. Yet do you learn what took such changes? It is actually certainly not only as a result of the grow older of the person. That is actually because of an individual's exposure to the sunlight and also ultraviolet radiations.
You could not see the effect when you are actually still young. But as you may possess detected, there are folks who remain to seem young regardless of whether they are actually currently aged as well as the other way around. This all condense on exactly how severely your skin is actually affected by such kind of visibility.
Much less Worries
Begin, this is actually the time and also grow older where there appears to get an answer to every complication. Individuals may head to an expert on whatever kind of health problem they are experiencing as well as they are going to be actually given specific therapy and also medications for whatever that is they are experiencing.
Therefore if you are fretted about your under eyes creases or even your crows feet, you have a lot of possibilities. But you have to match your choice baseding on what are going to make you delighted and just what you may provide. Are you heading to attempt the latest creams and also emollients or even are you prepared to take this case to the doctor?
Listed here are actually some recommendations that you can easily abide by if you remain in this sort of dilemma.
1. Thermage is a new treatment for under eye concerns like creases. This will create the skin layer on that location to firm up to ensure that the lines will certainly not be too much apparent.
2. Botox as well as Restylane can easily work as facial fillers. The great results of these procedures may last for a great six months or additional, depending upon your skin layer type as well as the treatment that you allocate for your skin layer to have.
3. Silk Touch as well as Fraxel lasers are actually learnt to get rid of wrinkles. You simply need to inquire your skin specialist if they will advise the pointed out operations on the kind of skin layer that you have as well as with the condition of the creases on your eyes.
4. Nonprescription items like Vitamin C, Alphahydroxy and also copper peptide are additionally understood to minimize the unwanted series around examinations.
5. If you have additional concerns like eye luggages or the dark circle your eyes, you may select Photo Genica as well as Lyra. These are part of the innovation of the innovation that will certainly remove the source of the issue, which are the enlarged capillary. However if you don't intend to have that route, you may constantly deal with the trouble than an excellent comprise.
One thing that you have to don't forget when choosing what form of operation you want to undertake is that do you actually have to do this. Such operations may have a cost on your bodily appearance when you are actually presently too outdated to undergo via the exact same factor.
But the instant elegance will surely create you delighted as you are going to observe prompt end results. This are going to be actually helpful if your appearance possesses something to carry out with your project or your means of profit.
If you wish to grow older gracefully and you are actually certainly not the style to have serious measures just so you could remove your eye wrinkles, at that point thus be that. You can easily regularly mention to individuals that those collections were actually caused by satisfied lifespan that you have led and is actually still resulting in now.


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Observation system simulation experiments have been performed at the
National Centers for Environmental Prediction primarily for the purpose
of evaluating the forecast improvement potential of proposed new
observation instruments. Validation of the simulations have been
conducted primarily by comparing results from corresponding data denial
experiments in both simulated and real data assimilation contexts.
Additional validation is presented here using comparisons of some
statistics of analysis increments determined from a baseline simulation
using the entire suite of observations utilized during a reanalysis for
February 1993. By exploiting the availability of a data set
representing "truth" in the simulations, the background and analysis
errors produced for the baseline simulation are computed. Several
statistics of these errors are then determined, including time means
and variances as functions of location or spherical harmonic wave
number, vertical correlations, Kalman gains, and balance as measured by
projections onto normal modes. Use of an OSSE in this way is one of the
few means of estimating analysis error characteristics. Although this
work with the present NCEP OSSE should not be considered definitive, it
reveals some important ways in which OSSEs may be utilized beyond their
original purposes.


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Carving in Walnut
Created by Norman John Forrest
Date: 1944
Usually date of exhibition rather than production
Object class: sculpture
Material: wood - walnut
Exhibitions and other Events
Exhibited at Jubillee Annual Exhibition of the Society of Scottish Artists, 1944
On sale at Jubillee Annual Exhibition of the Society of Scottish Artists, 1944
Society of Scottish Artists, Exhibition Catalogues 1892-1951
cat. no. 454
Citing this record
'Carving in Walnut', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/object.php?id=msib6_1211376140, accessed 08 Oct 2022]


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The Granite is like a CX (Cyclocross) bike but built for Endurance riding. Such features make this bike perfect for dirty distance racing, across varied terrain. Also, this bike is perfect for all-conditions commuting. However, don't take our word for it. Here's what Bike Radar had to say.
'The gravel grinder category is a tough one. Specifically, the bikes that fall into this niche are expected to perform on paved roads just as well as dirt, gravel, and any other terrain that you'd encounter as you leave the comfort of sealed roads.
At first glance, the Reid Granite all-road adventure bike looks like something from a big name brand that will cost your left arm and firstborn child. On closer inspection, you'll realise it comes from Australian consumer-direct brand Reid.
The frame is alloy, though Reid has employed subtle hydroforming that helps to stiffen up select areas and allowing a bit of 'give' in others. However, the most surprising feature is the carbon fork, complete with rack mounts, which shaves some grams off the front end. Moreover, it does well to damp some of the vibrations coming through the bars.
Geometry-wise, the Granite is pretty relaxed with a long 1028mm wheelbase and slack 70.2-degree head angle. The more relaxed geometry slows down the steering a bit. With a relatively low bottom bracket, this is a bike that inspires confidence on rough-and-tumble unpaved descents.
When things get smoother, you could argue that the Granite's handling comes over a bit boring. Nevertheless, this isn't designed for performance riding. It's all about sitting back and enjoy the scenery. Although it's built for putting in long miles on unsealed roads, we think the Granite will do great service as a commuter with the relaxed riding position. Furthermore, front and rear rack mounts make it ideal for your trip to and from work.
It's the Continental 35C Cyclocross Speed tyres that bare the brunt of the bike's comfort. The wide rubber takes the edge off the bumps as your ride over them. The file-tread tyres are ideal for gravel grinding as the minimal knobs don't add much rolling resistance. Nonetheless, there's enough tread, especially on the shoulder of the casing, to offer a bit of extra confidence on variable road surfaces. Despite the wide rubber, there's plenty of clearance, and we'd say you can confidently fit up to a 40C model.
Stopping power
Disc brakes on a gravel bike are a given, and the TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes brought the Granite to a stop with haste. Even in the wet and packed full of grime, the dual-piston design remained untroubled providing loads of power and good modulation. Given the price, it's no surprise to see front and rear quick-release skewers. However, we had no trouble with brake rub, wheel alignment or flex under braking throughout our testing.
Shifting duties are left in the hands of Shimano's entry-level 8-speed groupset Claris Groupset, which still sees the older style Shimano shifters and gear indicators. When the road points to the sky, you'll be thankful for the wide range 11-32t cassette. Although with only eight speeds on hand, there are some pretty big gaps between gears which made for lots of back and forth shifting in an effort to find a comfortable cadence.'
Check out the full review here.


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Now, I've been avoiding talking about this for a long time, mainly because I honestly felt I wasn't strong enough to make this declaration. But you know what, I'm doing it.
Guys! I'm celibate, I'm not perfect and my gosh it's hard but I'm trying. I'll be honest, after another failed relationship I felt it was time I really started to appreciate my worth, now what a better way to do it then not having sex.
Now this is just my opinion and really revolves around my own experience but I feel that in my case: If you have had more of a troublesome past or in a case where choices have been taken from you, you use sex a tool, a form of power. You end up with more sexual partners, and what once felt good and feels like your in control, starts to spiral out of control and I personally end up broken hearted and depressed.
I had to do a lot of self-reflection about what was causing these relationship failures it's easier to blame men and trust me my ex's played major roles. BUT; what did I do to contribute to these failures.
Again, using sex as almost a numbing tool, "As long as someone loves me, I'll be ok" little did I know or pay much attention to the difference between Lust and Love.
I absolutely loved having a family, someone to come home to, cook with and build memories, but there were underlying issues:
PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Just another diagnosis to add to the pot, It took over 2 years to even watch a wedding show on tv after my failed engagement. I mistakenly walked right into another relationship with all these fears of commitment and needless to say, it failed. I was still carrying far too much baggage from previous encounters and my biggest fears became my reality.
It was a process, I changed my number, tried to find myself and did something even I would say was drastic.
I went on Tinder, (read my Tinder date gone wrong 😂) i used it more as a tool, I was never use to having people in my life for a season and struggled when they left. So I made it my business to date, make that decision whether someone was worth my time and energy and who would be able to remain interested in me without SEX.
Result: Not one!
Back to celibacy, So I figured, If no one sees my worth and value then I must concentrate on myself. I must see my worth and not use SEX as a way to entice a man to be with me.
"Relationships don't have to revolve around sex"
I think self reflection is key to progression and I needed to acknowledge that having sex was restricting me from finding true happiness. So I stopped. Reluctantly…..
I started reading my Bible again and started praying, genuinely praying to help me heal from issues I believed were over but carried a invisible cloud above my head.
Now, I am Christian but me choosing to become celibate was more about me than God. It was actually because it's something I've never tried and by my standards I've failed with everything thing else so why not try something different?
"Sexual gratification is no fun (for me) without love"
So for however long it takes I'm going to write my thoughts and feelings about this journey on here until I make it to Marriage.
Wish me Luck!
If anyone here has waited until marriage or attempted waiting after previously being sexually active. What was your experiences and I would love to know…Was it worth the Wait?
With Love x


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- For alcohol and other drug counselling and support call Kalkarindji Health Centre 08 8975 0785 (Katherine West Health Service)
- NT Mental Health Line (24 hours) 1800 682 288
- Has Liquor Permits for community alcohol drinking
- Liquor Permit applications must be signed by Kalkarindji Police before submitting to Licensing NT for approval.
Local Restrictions
- is an Alcohol Protected Area and a General Restricted Area
Read where you can't drink in the NT
- Liquor Permit applications for community drinking must be endorsed by Police and a Community Council representative before submitting for approval to Licensing NT.
Read about how to apply for a Liquor Permit
Takeaway alcohol sales information
Notice, to buy takeaway alcohol, you will need photo ID for the Banned Drinker Register
Top Springs Hotel
- Sunday to Friday 10am to 10pm
- Saturday and Public Holidays 9am to 10pm
- No trading on Good Friday or Christmas Day
- Maximum 24 cans of 375ml Midstrength beer/premix/cider per person per day, or
- 3 cartons of 24 pack of 375ml cans Midstrength alcohol per vehicle per day.
Warnkurr Sports and Social Club
- On premise and takeaway alcohol sales to Members only
- Monday to Thursday 4.30pm to 10pm
- Friday 4pm to 11pm
- Saturdays 1pm to 11pm
- Canned beer only
Disclaimer: While all care has been taken to ensure this information is correct, if it contradicts please refer to the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory Act 2012(Cth) and the Liquor Act 2017(NT)
Last updated: 05 January 2018
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Summer camp was organized from 27th May to 7th June 2019 for senior students. Following activities were undertaken:-
Visit to religious places, Indian Idol Academy, Sarabha Nagar Market, Kipps Bakery, Bank & P.A.U Poultry Farm and Dairy Farm were arranged.
Plantation, gardening, yoga and cleanliness drive were undertaken. Story-telling, magic show, needle work, paper-cutting, paper folding, painting, drawing, rangoli, mehandi, music and dance activities were enjoyed by all the students. Cooking without gas, table setting and table manners were also taught to the students.
A pool party was organized on the last day which was the most enjoyed activity of the camp.


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(Medscape) – On February 19, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized 23andMe to market a direct-to-consumer (DTC) carrier test for Bloom syndrome. The agency's decision to classify such carrier screening tests as class II medical devices, and exempting them from premarket review, may pave the way for a return of DTC genetic testing. The decision and the open door, however, have garnered mixed reviews from genetic counsellors and clinicians.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by these authors and blogs are theirs and do not necessarily represent that of the Bioethics Research Library and Kennedy Institute of Ethics or Georgetown University.


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Betting on basketball is a big deal and in the United States, March is a great month to get out there and start playing the odds. It's not only fun, but you can really win some money when you bet the right way. Of course, you don't want to just blow your funds and it's pretty unlikely that you're willing to just visit some guy off the street to place a bet on your favorite basketball team.
Not to mention the fact that if you're like lots of savvy betting people, you want to know the odds at any time of your chosen team winning. Placing a bet on a losing team is like trying to hold up a sinking ship – why do it? It is, after all about money.
Now, you don't have to do all kinds of studying and math to determine who the winning team will be when you're betting on basketball because there is a site that has done it for you. There are quite a few online sports betting sites, so it will come down to what you get for betting with the site you choose. For instance, do you get statistics and odds of the teams that you're interested in?
Can you bet on many different sports or are you confined to betting on one sport that you might not really be that interested in? What do you have to bring to the table? It's a good idea to choose an online sport betting site that lets you bet within your means and budget or you might discover that you lose all your winnings trying to keep yourself in the game.
Remember that on a good site, even a small bet can mean a pretty significant win and even though you're not necessarily playing with the "high rollers," you can still enjoy the game and take a little something away with it while you're at it.
The problem for many people that want to place a wager on an online sports betting site is that they aren't really sure what the site is all about to start with. If you don't know what you're getting into, it's the same thing as finding a shady bookmaker – it might work, but then again it might not. You need to know that you're going to get just what you want and nothing else.
Consider choosing a site that offers you the best reviews possible when it comes to online sports betting sites. A site that has many connections will offer you many different options when it comes to betting sites so you can feel confident that you're betting your way every time. Plus, a great review site will also offer you tons of information that you need to know before you get started in the world of sports betting.
Whether you're interested in betting on basketball, American football, football or almost any other sport, you'll find that a great online betting review site is your best place to get started.


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After 115 years, Boston has perfected the art of the marathon. This year on April 18, Patriots Day, a perfect day to run (40 degrees at the start and 50 degrees at the finish) a new world record was set at 2 hours and 3 minutes. I was within 200 yards of the winner . . . then the starter shot his pistol.
This year the 27,000 runners were divided into 3 waves in order to help with the running hoard. The bibs for the runners in wave 1 were colored red; in waive 2 white; and wave 3 blue. It was Patriots Day, the holiday commemorating the start of the Revolutionary War, so red, white and blue were apropos.
During the months of training for a marathon, I ran anywhere from 40 to 70 miles a week. On the weekend, I did my "long runs", which were typically 18 to 20 miles. Before you "toe the line," you must be in shape. So, the first 16 miles are not too bad. However, at mile 16 the runners enter the Newton Hills, culminating in the famous Heartbreak Hill. By the time I hit
the peak of Heartbreak Hill and headed into Boston, I was pretty worn out.
When you hit the crest of Heartbreak Hill, there are only 5 more miles to gut-out and you can see Boston in the distance.
Just when you think you can't run any more, and you are telling yourself that you will never run another marathon, you run through thousands of cheering students from Boston College, and in the distance, you can see a giant "Citgo" sign, which is 1 one mile from the finish line.
The final mile at Boston is amazing. The cheering from the thousands of people as you turn towards Boylston is deafening. Then you turn back North and can see the finish line less than a quarter mile in the
distance. Your legs ache and you are exhausted, but you maintain a silly grin knowing that you are almost finished.
When you finally hit the finish line, exhausted and elated, you fall into a crowd of walking dead, where high-fives and kudos are exchanged between complete strangers.
What a great place for a marathon.


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Letten Centre
The Letten Centre is a facility for two-photon laser scanning microscopy, a technique that offers real-time brain imaging with micrometer resolution.
Photo: Letten Centre, UiO.
The Centre was established in 2009 after a donation from Letten Fondation to the University of Oslo. The aim of the Centre is to provide insight into mechanisms that govern synapse development and turnover in the healthy and diseased brain.
The Centre hosts GliaLab.
This laboratory is investigating functions of astrocytes, the predominant glial cell type of the central nervous system. Our aim is to resolve roles of astrocytes in the healthy and diseased brain. We are focusing on neuronal-glial-vascular interactions and glial regulation of ion and water homeostasis.
Our principal technology is in vivo two-photon laser scanning microscopy, which offers real-time imaging of physiological and pathophysiological processes in the brain of living animals. Through a cranial window or thinned skull, we study the dynamics of neuronal and glial calcium signaling, metabolism, interstitial fluid movement, and blood flow.
GliaLab is headed by Associate Professor Rune Enger. He is an affiliated investigator at the Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM), a partner institution in the Nordic EMBL Partnership.
Read more about the research group


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It's Friday. Friday is a casual day at the Hub (even though we started the Battledex project today), so we usually browse the interwebs looking for interesting and relaxing stories and news.
Today is no exception as we explored the crazy world of fan made Pokémon GO songs. Honestly, we had very low expectations, but after a few surprisingly strong entries we were quick to reconsider.
The musical world of Pokémon GO is a mish mash of parody, team songs and remixes of popular 2016 tunes. There is deep quality, satire and appreciation for the game to be found here.
We advise our readers to listen to some entries without their kids, as quite a few are what we consider mildly NSFW.
"Small Town Pokémon GO" by AOK
Kicking it off with a really strong entry, "Small Town Pokémon GO" discusses the challenges and problems of playing Pokémon GO in a rural area. Based in an unnamed "small town" the song introduces us to common problems of rural players, their gripe with the game and lack of PokéStops.
The introduction of the players' only rival ("gas station guy") made us chuckle and the satirical depiction of Rattata is awesome.
We give this song 9/10 as it's well written, well played and interesting to listen. It did lose 1 point due to usage of profanity which makes it unsuitable for younger audiences.
Best lines:
Gotta Catch 'em all
It's you and me
and 10,000 Pidgey
Oh you're my best friend 'Cause I have no other friends RATATTA
Run this City by NerdOut
This song has a lot going for it: strong rap lines, a fat backing track and a really interesting music video. Published in the first weeks after the game was released, Run this City features powerful lyrics and interesting catches.
The production quality is great, there is no profanity and the song is really catchy. We give this song 8/10.
Best lines:
We sing this song
For the Champions
We're here to show
What we're made of
So step and fight on
Everybody knows that
We run this city!
Pokémon GO Theme Song Parody by Screen Team
Now this is a curious entry to our list, as it's NSFW only if you watch the music video that shows a lot of skin. If you ignore the music video, you're left off with a great song that documents all the initial frustrations and events that took place in Pokémon GO:
- Server crashes
- People skipping work to play
- Weirdly amazing night hunts in local parks
- etc…
Out of all songs we've heard today, this one brought out most of the nostalgia.
We're giving this song 9/10, as we're not ready to give 10/10 on terms of the slightly NSFW music video. If you ignore that, this song is amazing.
Best lines:
I wanna play the very best
App that ever was
To swipe them, is my real test
Even if i lose my job.
Pokémon GO Crazy by BeanoToons
"Pokémon GO Crazy" is a long time favourite of ours, mostly due to it's sharp tune, child friendliness and great lyrics. It's catchy, interesting and features a great animated music video which has our strong recommendation:
We give this song 10/10, as it's great to sing along, has a SFW music video and it's interesting for all generations to listen.
And that's it! What's your favourite Pokémon GO song? Share it on Twitter or in the comment section below.


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black caps, canning, cooked jam, Fermentation, foraging, from scratch, homebrew, Jam, Mason Jars, preserving, sour cherries, Summer, wine
Jam and Wine Bubbling Away!12:36 PM
I pitted the sour cherries and had about 4 gallons of frozen blackcaps in the freezer. It is OFFICIALLY time to make Blackcap Jam and Wine!
|Here's this years first small batch of Blackcap Jam!
Follow the link above to find my original recipes for these.
This year I'm doing a variation on the Blackcap wine recipe that includes 2 lbs of pitted sour cherries. For the fruit, you just add 2 lbs Blackcaps and 2 lbs Sour cherries. Mash, add dried cranberries (or golden raisins) as suggested let set 24 hours, and carry on from there just as the instructions from the original post tell you!
|First, you pit the Sour Cherries!
|Put all of your frozen fruit (cherries and blackcaps) into a large pot, add raisins (or dried/sweetened cranberries), and top off with 4 quarts of water.
|Cover with a hand towel and set sit 24 hours. This is actually 2 different batches of wine. One plain Blackcap, and one Sour cherry/blackcap
Have Fun, and Happy Fermenting!!!


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7 Truths About Cloud Computing
News Analysis Carol Wilson, Editor-at-large 5/12/2011
It's too soon for cloud service standards
Telecom service providers typically want to move to standardize services, but that's not yet on anyone's mind. Doug Junkins, CTO of NTT America Inc. , and Scott Cain, head Global Portfolio Management, BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA), both agreed on this point during a panel I moderated at the Carrier Cloud Forum. There are still too many things to work out to begin cementing things in standards, although standard APIs for connecting pieces of cloud services will become important. A day later, Chris Gesell, chief cloud strategist at Verizon Enterprise Solutions , agreed and went a step further, saying Verizon doesn't want to commit to standards now and get locked into an approach that loses a VHS-Betamax battle down the road. Even Tom Mornini, CTO and co-founder of EngineYard, a cloud platform provider, agrees that it's too early to nail down standards.
But end-users can't get locked into cloud solutions
On this point, cloud will have to remain different from other networking services, where term contracts are the norm and CPE is tied into the network offering. At an Interop panel on cloud moderated by Randy Bias, CTO of cloud consultant Cloudscaling , a diverse set of industry experts agreed that end-users must be able to move from one cloud platform to another or pull their services back onto their own premises. That thinking confirmed what Mark Thiele, VP of data center strategy for ServiceMesh, an IT software and services company, said at our Carrier Cloud Forum a day earlier. This will be a key trust factor for early adoption of cloud. (See Clouds Need More Than SLAs.)
Network operators who want to develop cloud services should move fast -- with caution
The battle for the cloud already includes Web providers such as Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) and Rackspace and some, including Bias, think telecom service providers won't win the battle for green-field apps versus these more nimble Web competitors with their commodity pricing:
That said, service providers can leverage their networks, their relationships with businesses but they need to proceed carefully -- what Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR)'s Mike Marcellin calls "placing many small bets" versus a few large ones, and staying close to the roulette wheel, so to speak, to be ready to double-down on those with greater chances of success. (See Characteristics of Cloud Computing.)
Next page: Vertical Reach & Mobility
— Carol Wilson, Chief Editor, Events, Light Reading


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Penson Worldwide Appoints Independent Director
The Penson Worldwide group of companies provides execution, clearing, custody, settlement and technology infrastructure products and services to financial services firms and others servicing the global financial services industry. The Penson Worldwide group of companies includes Penson Financial Services, Inc., Penson Financial Services Canada Inc., Penson Financial Services Ltd., Nexa Technologies, Inc., Penson Asia Limited, and Penson Financial Services Australia Pty Ltd.
Schueneman is filling the vacancy left by David A. Reed, who resigned last Friday.
Schueneman previously served as senior vice president and head of Global Infrastructure Solutions of BofA Merrill Lynch (formerly, Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc.) from April 2006 to 2008, where she was responsible for all technology, infrastructure, client services and operations worldwide for Capital Markets, Private Wealth and Asset Management. Prior to that, she was head of Global Operations & Infrastructure Services of BofA Merrill Lynch from October 2004 to April 2006.
Schueneman started her career at Merrill in 1971 as an account executive in Institutional Sales. Subsequently, she served in a number of roles with increasing responsibility in International Equities in the UK, Global Futures Execution and Clearing Services, Global Fixed Income and Derivative Operations, Operations and Administration for Merrill Lynch Investment Managers worldwide and Global Private Client Services & Technology Division, where she was responsible for all banking and brokerage services and technology provided to Merrill's retail, middle market and 401(k) clients.
Schueneman currently is a non-executive director of ICAP plc. She also has served as a director of Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC); a Member of Global Board of Managers of Omgeo, LLC, which automates trade lifecycle events between investment managers, broker/dealers and custodian banks; and a director of Capco Group, which provides integrated consulting, technology and transformation services to the financial services industry in North America and internationally.
« Court Denies Summary Judgment in CalPERS Kickback Case


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Despite nearly doubling in population in the past decade, Dallas County voters did not feel passing a bond referendum for a new administrative building and public safety facility was the answer to our current space shortages and future facility needs. As a small government conservative, I supported the proposal because it was necessary for a county that has experienced the level of growth in such a short period of time. Let me share why I supported this plan.
I believe in addition to the list of responsibilities that individual elected officials have outlined for them in the Iowa Code, we also have two other critical responsibilities. The first is to be forward-thinking, and secondly to be frugal with public dollars. This plan brought forth by the board of supervisors met both of these responsibilities. I commend the supervisors for working to trim this project down to the size it was, and being very frugal with your tax dollars. They also worked diligently to ensure under this plan Dallas County had room to grow their facilities in the future. Regardless of what any critics may say about the plan, this plan did just those two things.
Some voted no because they wanted the county administration offices to remain in the historic downtown Adel area. Others voted no because they did not want their taxes raised. I understand both positions. Reasonable people can agree to disagree on the plan. It is my hopes that no grudges are held because of differing opinions on this matter.
As a small government conservative, I am not a fan of raising taxes. I do, however, recognize that the county has services to provide to its residents that are outlined in the Iowa Code. These are services the county "shall" provide. Shall doesn't mean "if you get around to it" in the Code; it means you WILL provide them, and Dallas County needs room to meet these needs. As a former Chamber of Commerce Director, I recognize and think most of our residents do as well, that no business could double in size in 15 years and not provide additional space to operate. Dallas County government must grow with our growing population.
Some would say that as the county population expands we should have ample resources to provide the necessary space. It is true that the county's population and tax base has expanded. The reality is the board of supervisors has reduced the county tax levy numerous times as the tax base has expanded, lessening the taxpayers burden and not overtaxing our citizens. For every dollar of tax paid in Dallas County, 13.5 cents of every dollar goes to the county. The remaining 86.5 cents goes to other government entities such as cities and schools. Of the top 10 most populated counties in Iowa, Dallas County has the lowest levy rate. In addition to that, the other nine counties in the top 10 have additional revenue in the form of either a local option sales tax or gambling revenue that helps to offset expenses.
Dallas County is a low-tax county. Dallas County is a blessed county to have phenomenal growth with no end in site. Dallas County is fortunate to have so many fiscally conservative citizens and elected officials. However, Dallas County must add space to provide the required services. I hope that Adel city leaders and the county board of supervisors come together soon to develop a plan that keeps our taxes low and accommodates our rapidly growing county. I look at the August 6th election referendum defeat as an opportunity for more citizens to come to the table and share in a reasonable thoughtful approach on how to best address our growing needs.


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1948 – 1951
Sir James Mitchell was the first Australian-born Governor of Western Australia. He was born in 1866 at Dardanup on Paradise Farm, near Bunbury, the son of a grazier.
In 1905 he resigned as a manager with the Western Australian Bank in Northam after being elected to the Legislative Assembly. He held a number of portfolios while in government including Agriculture, Lands, Industries, Railways and Water Supply. He was Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Lands and Repatriation from 1919 to 1924 and served a second term as Premier in 1930.
Sir James was subsequently appointed Lieutenant-Governor, a position he held for 14 years until 1948 when he was finally appointed Governor on 5 October. Sir James actually served as Governor for 18 years because no Governor was appointed over him after his appointment as Lieutenant-Governor in 1933.
His final years at Government House were darkened by personal tragedy. His wife Clara died in 1949, and by his retirement on 30 June 1951 all but one of his children had predeceased him. Sadly, in the early hours of 26 July 1951, after having spent the day shooting with his son Roy near Donnybrook, he died in his sleep in the Vice Regal railway carriage.


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The Daily Knight #39 – Game of Thrones S6:E4 "Book of the Stranger", Star Wars, DC and Marvel News
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Game of Thrones, Season 6, Episode 4, "Book of the Stranger", Star Wars, DC and Marvel News
Like The Daily Knight on Facebook to get daily movie/TV/geeky updates: https://www.facebook.com/thedailyknight/
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This is The Daily Knight for Thursday, May 19, 2016. The Daily Knight supports Making Biscuits Cat Rescue, a 501c3 charity. If you like this podcast, please consider making a donation or adopting a rescue cat at makingbiscuits.org. I'm your host, Gerardo San Diego, and today we'll be talking about Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 4, entitled "Book of the Stranger", Star Wars, DC and Marvel News….
- Game of Thrones scene-by-scene breakdown
- Star Wars: Rogue One leaked photos and character names
- Geoff Johns will co-run DC Films for Warner Bros. After "Batman v. Superman" Backlash
- Chloe Bennet says Marvel doesn't care enough about its Agents of SHIELD
- The last 2 Flash episodes ("The Runaway Dinosaur" directed by Kevin Smith and "Invincible") were FANTASTIC
- Star Wars Episode 8 SPOILERS!!! Not kidding, do NOT look unless you want to be spoiled!
If you're free on Saturday, June 4 between 1-5pm, and if you like to eat and drink different types of beer for hours and hours, go here!
SoCal Brewfest
If you enjoyed this and want to donate to a good cause, please consider sending a PayPal gift of any amount to Making Biscuits Cat Rescue. Even if you donate JUST ONE DOLLAR, that dollar will buy a can of food that a rescuer can feed a stray cat, or help get the cat in a humane trap so it can be taken to an animal hospital to be checked out medically and spayed/neutered. Just one dollar will help prevent unnecessary kittens being born and help with overpopulation. If you give just one dollar, you'll feel good about yourself. Promise.
Or go here and select "Making Biscuits Cat Rescue" as your charity of choice (it costs you NOTHING, Amazon will donate a % of THEIR profits to the charity):
Geeky T-shirts etc. at GeekSwag.me
If you enjoyed this podcast, please help support it by buying geeky t-shirts and other stuff at GeekSwag. To get free shipping, go to http://GeekSwag.me and enter the promo code TDK at checkout.
Intro music is "Orbiting A Distant Planet" by the Denver, Colorado group Quantum Jazz, through the Free Music Archive:
Creative Commons License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text: LANCASTER, PA—Explaining how their once-active discussion barely had the strength to continue on, sources confirmed Thursday that conversational lamprey Brian Kenney was slowly draining the life from acquaintance Josh Carrington's dinner party. According to sources, Kenney firmly latched himself onto each of the night's talking points and refused to let go until he sucked every ounce of energy from them, ultimately leaving each one too weakened and feeble to keep going. Despite their best efforts to shake off the conversational parasite and maintain a healthy discourse, guests confirmed that as soon as Kenney opened his mouth and dug into a topic, its vitality began quickly fading away, and it was only a matter of time before it wound up depleted and dead. After sapping the last bit of life from the dinner party, Kenney was reportedly seen trying to attach himself to a female guest in a desperate attempt to spawn.


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Priscila and Jazmine interview the crafty and creative mastermind behind Rosehound Apparel.
Collage by Priscila, Products shown from Rosehound Apparel, Megan's own picture.
Earlier this week, Megan Campagnolo, owner, founder, and creator for the awesome Toronto-based independent online shop Rosehound Apparel, graciously spared us some of her time to sit down and answer our questions on feminism, being a female e-commerce owner, and what inspires her.
Rosehound Apparel sells the most celestial stuff to put on your clothing, backpack, forehead, etc., from quirky, beautifully hand-crafted patches, to buttons and pins reminiscent of Tai Frasier from Clueless. You can follow Megan's mind baby here.
RISEN: What inspired you to start Rosehound Apparel? What does the shop name mean?
MEGAN: The idea for Rosehound sparked during my 4th year at Ryerson University's School of Fashion, where I attended in Toronto. The feel and body of my brand was largely inspired by my graduation project, which was Twin Peaks themed and really focused on my interest in embroidery. It led to creating my first collection of embroidered sweatshirts, which turned into embroidered patches and eventually lapel pins. The name... came to me one morning that I woke up in my room (which at the time was painted pink and fully adorned in floral prints and Black Sabbath posters) and I realized just how obsessed I was with flowers, especially roses. That was the day I designed what would becoming my "Sorry not Sorry" patch, which depicts a hand holding a bouquet of flowers that were ripped from a garden. Since then, I have made it a point to include flowers in most things I create. I guess I am a hound for roses??
RISEN: What struggles have come up whilst owning your very own online store?
MEGAN: As an independent designer running my own store, there is an overwhelming amount of multi-tasking that I've had to take on. From designing new products on time, creating samples, conducting market research, updating social media, taking product photos, making sure mail is being sent out every day, customer service, dealing with stockists, inventory, and maintaining a website, I do everything over here. There are challenges every day, and I'm always trying to learn something new. The most difficult part of my job for me would have to be the tech-y stuff, because I swear I am crying to someone over the phone every day trying to figure out how to set up my printer or something similar.
RISEN: Do you consider yourself a feminist? Who is your favorite feminist icon?
MEGAN: As a female-run independent company, I very much consider myself a feminist. We live in a time where feminism is brought up a lot in social politics, and we as females have a long way to go. I think we owe a lot to Emma Goldman, who played a huge part in the fight for womens' sexual rights, which is something I feel really strongly about.
RISEN: Rosehound Apparel carries a lot of pop culture-relevant items, as well as dreamy, nostalgic 90's wear such as young Leonardo Dicaprio pins and amazing patches with phrases such as "feeling salty". Would you say that pop culture has a major influence on you as a creative and as a shop owner?
MEGAN: Oh, totally. I am such a nut about the 80's and 90's. I watch way too much TV and movies on Netflix while I sew and draw, that it's inevitable. Especially Twin Peaks, and countless cult high school movies. It's really great that so many of my customers also identify with this stuff!
RISEN: What social justice issue are you most passionate about, and why?
MEGAN: I was super disappointed when I learned that Planned Parenthood was defunded in the States. I live in Ontario, Canada where birth control and abortion are fully accessible to women, and I can't imagine a world where this wouldn't be supported by our government. Planned Parenthood is such a great organization, where I have personally gone at a crucial time that I needed advice. In the spring of 2016, I am hoping to begin giving a portion of my brand's proceeds to Planned Parenthood in light of this very recent, horrible news.
RISEN: What is the weirdest, quirkiest thing about yourself that you would like to share with us?
MEGAN: I have blue hair and salt and pepper hand tattoos, but the quirkiest thing about me has got to be my insanely variable schedule. I have no problem with staying up all night sewing or drawing, and my schedule flip flops a lot. Most of my friends, especially my roommates, think that I am crazy. I've been known to eat hot dogs at 7 AM, and go out for brunch around midnight.
RISEN: Favorite album of all time?
MEGAN: "Of all time" puts a ton of pressure on me! It's definitely a toss up between "Fever to Tell" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and "Blood Visions" by Jay Reatard.
RISEN: Name your five must-follow Instagram accounts and why you follow them!
MEGAN: @shannoneperry - I love tattoos so much, and make it a point to visit artists when I am out of town. Shannon Perry from Seattle is my favourite - her work is so interesting and truly unlike anything I've seen in Toronto.
@patchyalater - As someone who is in the "patch game", I have completely fallen victim to collecting patches myself. Patchyalater makes some of the most original patches out there, heavily influenced by the vintage look of patches from the 70's.
@rikohelmet - Is an illustrator based in Tokyo who I've been following since the beginning. I saw her work through Hunx and his Punx and Shannon and the Clams' album artwork and fell in love!
@lennyletter - The feminist newsletter project of Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner is full of great, positive material bringing together art, politics, and every day stories pegged at bringing women together.
@pygmyhipposhoppe - Also an Instagram I've followed forever... Emi has the best selection of curated knick knacks and vintage treasures. When she asked to stock my stuff earlier this summer, I was over the moon with excitement. Definitely recommended!


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MicroVoltsMMO third-person shooter promising "vibrant gameplay" and "thrilling action".
Markham, Canada 7th June 2010 - Rock Hippo Productions Ltd is pleased to announce a partnership agreement with SK-imedia to publish upcoming fast and furious MMO-TPS (Massively Multiplayer Online Third Person Shooter) MicroVolts in North America and Europe territories.
Originally titled H.A.V.E. Online, and renamed MicroVolts, it features vibrant gameplay and thrilling action. Check out the official website at www.microvolts.com that features the latest information on the title and a high quality teaser-video of the game.
Rock Hippo's Vice president Jeff Friedman commented: "MicroVolts is a fabulous title and we believe it will be a great success in North American and Europe markets with its superb character system, excellent gameplay qualities and innovative style and presentation."SK-imedia's Director Jun Lee "MicroVolts we believe will successfully transfer from Asia to North America and Europe markets through our partnership with Rock Hippo and SK-imedia expects the title will provide endless hours of fun to users with its high quality game content."
MicroVolts is a highly charged online shooter that offers an innovative Third Person approach over the traditional First Person shooter, making it easier to play and more fun to watch while offering extra excitement and intensity. Among a thriving number of different weapons, characters, levels and fast paced gameplay, another of the games unique feature is the possibility to customize your character. With literally thousands of cosmetic items either purchasable or freely available, no one character must look the same.
Each individual player's statistics are logged and MicroVolts also gives the opportunity to level up so your character becomes an even more feared opponent in the fun-to-play levels. MicroVolts takes place in a fun environment that features the battle of puppets vs. puppets. Watch from Third Person perspective how your own puppet handles the Gatling Gun and wreaks havoc among the enemy puppets.
Game modes include Deathmatch team battle, Deathmatch item battle, Weapon restriction battles and many more, while also featuring various maps designed by toy concept. For more information about MicroVolts, please visit www.MicroVolts.com
About Rock Hippo Production Ltd.
About Rock Hippo Production Ltd.is a digital media provider and publisher of online, community based video games for distribution to the mass market on a global scale. Founded in 2009, Rock Hippo seeks to provide premier "free-to-play" interactive entertainment, which offers a community and social networking experience to gamers all over the world, resulting in a gaming experience that is second to none.
For more information about Rock Hippo and its current product offerings, please visit www.rockhippo.com
Dan Muir
G4box PR & Community Liaison


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Mary Jo Kopechne unavailable for comment.
"Ted can now rest. He's finally f*#%ed everybody in the country."
Actually, stamping Ted Kennedy's name on what will eventually amount to a massive tax increase for increasing numbers of Americans as companies dump out of insuring their employees privately isn't entirely inappropriate.
And this:
Nancy Pelosi on Ted Kennedy: "I know that when he left us, he'd go to heaven and help us pass the bill."
— DCCC (@dccc) June 28, 2012
Maybe Ted's been reincarnated. If John Roberts is spotted drinking Chivas tonight and chasing tail at Au Bar it'll be confirmed.
(h/t Twitchy)


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Currently, I'm working my way through Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Good harrowing zombie steampunk fun.
I really enjoy steampunk. Its aesthetic is immediately inviting, balancing the fashions and architecture of an amazingly elegant (IMHO) period with a technology that is both more wondrous and more graspable (physically and mentally) than the modern day real world. Indeed, the continuing miniaturization of gadgetry makes imagining a realistic – but visually pleasing – future increasingly difficult. What does a cyberpunk world hold and how can an artist make it both believable (at the current pace of technology) and somehow convey what it's like to exist in a nano-tech controlled world where so much of what makes life fantastical by today's standards would be invisible to the naked eye?
Even though I've been aware of steampunk since before it made the leap from a concept to a subculture, I've never actually drawn anything steampunk. Sure, some of Magic's self-described 'mage-punk' comes close but that's still a fantasy world of wizards and goblins. How much fun to jump back to a world of stiff collars and even stiffer upper lips!
And one slice of (admittedly far flung fantastical) steampunk I avidly follow is the wonderful Girl Genius comic book by Phil & Kaja Foglio, two of the original Magic artists (with exceptional coloring by Cheyenne Wright).
Okay, back to reading and recuperating.


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You may not recognize simply how crucial local business news can be to your business. Nowadays, with access to the Web business can monitor all of the market updates, what their rivals depend on, any essential law changes, what your customers are trying to find or have an interest in, plus much more.
To end up being an effective business on the planet today, you need to keep a competitive benefit because no matter what specific niche your business falls under, there is a large number of competitors with essentially the same quantity of customers. Contending for the business of those customers is one way to ensure that your business will survive.See Tribune World to know more about Business news.
Remaining on top of the current info, from all angles, through using the local business news ought to be among your leading concerns. You can do this by using RSS feeds from different news sites, market associated blogs, and more. Have all of the details from all of the different pertinent websites pertain to you in one simple place for you to see everything. This will conserve you hours of research every day simply searching for the info that you require.
Despite the fact that the Web is a terrific way to monitor the local business news, do not forget that you can also monitor the papers in your area and even business publications that accommodate your particular niche.
You must be geared up with appropriate knowledge about the market before investing your money. Financial news aired in tv may not suffice for you as you will require an in-depth summary. And if you miss out on a specific area, you will have to wait till the next news reading begins. And if you do not listen and watch with attention, you may still miss on crucial points.
Global business deals are not practical with one currency just. Even if you are on an abroad trip, you will have to bring the currencies of the country where you will land. Use a currency exchange converter to know the exact currency exchange rates. Forex traders are familiar with currency exchange rates, as they sell worldwide currencies.
Whatever kind of market you remain in, and whatever your job description may be, there's no doubt that knowledge is power. From financing to marketing, a law to politics, the more you know, the much better off you'll be. You may be the chairman of the board, or just holding down the fort in an entry level position, however making an effort to research a range of subjects, associated to your company or otherwise, is the key to success.
Do not let the competitors pass you buy and pick up your customers as they do. Stay an action ahead of everybody else through using the tools and resources that you have available to you: your computer, Web access, papers, and so on. Set an hour aside a day to examine all of the newest news short articles and details that have been released since your last upgrade. Local business news can be your next best friend.


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On a visit to Greece, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today discussed the refugee crisis with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, urging States to address the root causes of displacement and more evenly share the responsibility for the welfare of migrants and refugees.
"The main topic of discussion at this time is of course the tremendous challenges you are facing in addressing the needs of so many desperate people fleeing war and persecution," Mr. Ban said in a press conference held in the country's capital, Athens.
Mr. Ban's two-day visit to Greece came just ahead of the World Refugee Day on 20 June, and in the runup to UN General Assembly's High-Level Meeting to address the large movements of refugees and migrants on 19 September.
The UN chief acknowledged Greece's important contributions to the United Nations across the international agenda, and thanked the people of Greece for their global citizenship.
"Despite the country's own economic troubles, Greece has been generous in saving lives," he said. However, "Greece should not be left to address this challenge on its own," he added.
"I remained deeply distressed at the high number of deaths in the Mediterranean. We must work together to protect people and address the root causes of displacement. I continue to call for greater sharing of this responsibility across Europe and, indeed, across the world," he said.
Greece should not be left to address this challenge on its own
Mr. Ban and the Prime Minister also discussed the conflict in Syria, recent terrorist attacks and other challenges that are causing large-scale suffering and instability, as well as the Middle East peace process.
On the progress made by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders in their talks, which were conducted under Mr. Ban's good offices and facilitated by his Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide, the UN chief welcomed both leaders' commitment, expressed in their joint statement last month, to reach a solution within the year.
Mr. Ban also commended Greece for its active engagement with the UN Human Rights Council, noting that Greece has put in place an important coordination mechanism to address various human rights challenges – including migration, asylum and related issues.
Finally, they discussed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the climate change challenge. Greece joined 176 other nations in signing the landmark Paris Agreement two months ago in New York.
"Now we must bring the agreement into force as soon as possible -- and work for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Mr. Ban said.
He also met with President Prokopis Pavlopoulos yesterday and with Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias today before leaving for Lesbos, a Greek island, which has become migrants' entry point to Europe.
Meanwhile, ahead of World Refugee Day, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recently launched the #WithRefugees petition, which aims to gather public support for the growing number of families forced to flee conflict and persecution worldwide.


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When do collective redundancy consultations rules apply to a chain of shops?
USDAW v Woolworths C-80/14
Today the CEJU handed down its judgment on C‑80/14 Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), B. Wilson v WW Realisation 1 Ltd, in liquidation, Ethel Austin Ltd, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. Since the Advocate General's Opinion in [5/2/15] the expectation has been that the CJEU would rule against the union's interpretation of when the rules for collective redundancy apply, and this has now happened. However the reasons are interesting as they represent a balance being struck the CJEU.
The case is a reply to a request by the Court of Appeal in England and Wales for a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of Article 1(1)(a) of Council Directive 98/59/EC of 20 July 1998 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to collective redundancies (OJ 1998 L 225, p. 16). Normally the titles of these documents are considered a nuisance to write out in full, but in this case the title is of significance. The aim of the Directive is the approximation of the member states' laws.
The facts are simple and well known. Woolworths and Ethel Austin were companies active in the high street retail sector throughout the United Kingdom, operating chains of stores under the trade names 'Woolworths' and 'Ethel Austin' respectively. They became insolvent and went into administration, which resulted in the dismissal on grounds of redundancy of thousands of employees across the United Kingdom.
When proceedings were brought under the UK's implementation of the Directive (section 189 Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 ('TULRCA')), the employment tribunal looked at section 188(1) of the TULRCA:
'Where an employer is proposing to dismiss as redundant 20 or more employees at one establishment within a period of 90 days or less, the employer shall consult about the dismissals all the persons who are appropriate representatives of any of the employees who may be affected by the proposed dismissals or may be affected by measures taken in connection with those dismissals.'.
It determined that approximately 4 500 former employees were to be denied a protective award on the ground that they had worked at stores with fewer than 20 employees, and that each store was to be regarded as a separate establishment. However on appeal the UKEAT held that a reading of section 188(1) of the TULRCA compatible with Directive 98/59 required the deletion of the words 'at one establishment', pursuant to the obligation placed on the national court by the judgment in Marleasing (C‑106/89, EC:C:1990:395) to interpret its national law in the light of the wording and the purpose of the directive concerned.
Before the Court of Appeal, the referring court, the Claimants submitted that the concept of 'collective redundancy' in Article 1(1)(a)(ii) of Directive 98/59 is not limited to a situation in which at least 20 employees in each establishment are made redundant over a period of 90 days, but encompasses a situation in which at least 20 employees of the same employer are made redundant over a period of 90 days, whatever the number of workers at the establishments in question, that is to say, the establishments at which the redundancies are made.
The Secretary of State, who would be responsible for the insolvent businesses' payments, relied on previous CJEU case law to argue that the concept of "establishment" in the Directive means the unit to which the worker who may be made redundant is assigned. The Court of Appeal decided that it would be appropriate to make a request for the CJEU to determine a series of questions, only one of which was answered by the CJEU. The question which the CJEU addressed in its judgment was:
'(1) (a) In Article 1(1)(a)(ii) of [Directive 98/59], does the phrase "at least 20" refer to the number of dismissals across all of the employer's establishments in which dismissals are effected within a 90 day period, or does it refer to the number of dismissals in each individual establishment?
(b) If Article 1(1)(a)(ii) [of that directive] refers to the number of dismissals in each individual establishment, what is the meaning of "establishment"? In particular, should "establishment" be construed to mean the whole of the relevant retail business, being a single economic business unit, or such part of that business as is contemplating making redundancies, rather than a unit to which a worker is assigned their duties, such as each individual store?
The questions went on. In my recent blog [Drafting a good ref to the Court of Justice] I did not mention an observation made by one of the experts at the ERA seminar in Prague in the workshop on drafting requests. She smiled on hearing that I was from the UK and said "Oh yes, you British love your "(vv)s'" and your "(aa)"'s". I suspect that sometimes UK lawyers are over enthusiastic about trying to have every possible question determined. That was not the case in the Woolworths reference. The two questions were modest, yet powerful.
So essentially the question sought to find out whether "establishment" meant the part of the undertaking in which an employer contemplates making redundancies. The concept arose in the scoping provision of the Directive, Article 1.
Article 1 of the directive, entitled 'Definitions and scope', provides:
'1. For the purposes of this Directive:
(a) "collective redundancies" means dismissals effected by an employer for one or more reasons not related to the individual workers concerned where, according to the choice of the Member States, the number of redundancies is:
(i) either, over a period of 30 days:
at least 10 in establishments normally employing more than 20 and less than 100 workers,at least 10% of the number of workers in establishments normally employing at least 100 but less than 300 workers,at least 30 in establishments normally employing 300 workers or more,
(ii) or, over a period of 90 days, at least 20, whatever the number of workers normally employed in the establishments in question;
For the purpose of calculating the number of redundancies provided for in the first subparagraph of point (a), terminations of an employment contract which occur on the employer's initiative for one or more reasons not related to the individual workers concerned shall be assimilated to redundancies, provided that there are at least five redundancies."
The Directive does not define "establishment" and the CJEU noted that the term "establishment" is a term of EU law (para 45) and therefore must be given an autonomous and uniform interpretation. This is an important interpretive principle, as can be seen when the Court makes reference to the aims of the Directive. It means that the concept cannot be defined by reference to the law of a member state. Again, the court's consideration will be to achieve the aims of the Directive across the member states. Unlike the anti-discrimination Directives aims, the aims of Directive 98/59 pull in sometimes opposing directions.
Consistency of interpretation
Referring to Rockfon, C 449/93 the CJEU noted that an employment relationship is essentially characterised by the link existing between the worker and the part of the undertaking or business to which he is assigned to carry out his duties. The member states did have a choice between implementing the duty to consult by reference to numbers contemplated as redundant based on size of employing establishment, as opposed to the alternative where the duty is triggered, over a period of 90 days, if at least 20, whatever the number of workers normally employed in the establishments in question. In the Rockfon case Denmark had chosen, as the UK has done, the first of these options.
Therefore, said the CJEU the term had been interpreted in the context previously. Referring to paragraph 32 of the judgment in Rockfon the CJEU noted that the term 'establishment' in Article 1(1)(a) of Directive 98/59 must be interpreted as designating, depending on the circumstances, the unit to which the workers made redundant are assigned to carry out their duties. It is not essential in order for there to be an 'establishment' that the unit in question is endowed with a management that can independently effect collective redundancies.
So in order to determine the establishment at which an employee is employed for these purposes it appears it is necessary after Woolworths to determine whether the employee is assigned to that establishment. It is likely that similar considerations will arise on that essentially factual question as arose in TUPE cases (see e.g. CPL Distribution Ltd v Todd [2003] I.R.L.R. 28 CA (Civ Div).). Thus it may be that the correct question to ask will be to ask a similar question to the question posed in Gale v Northern General Hospital NHS Trust [1994] IRLR 292. This was a case in which the position of a trainee doctor at a particular hospital was considered. Lord Bingham M.R. stated at paragraph 12:
"He was not, in my judgment, part of the human stock belonging to the Northern General Hospital, but was somebody who was at the behest of the health authority completing his training there."
Clearly there will be a difference between being assigned to an establishment and having it as one's temporary contractual base on this test.
The CJEU does not answer every question on establishments but simply shifts the focus elsewhere, but its test for when there is a separate unit may be instructive.
It points out that it is not essential in order for there to be an establishment that the unit is endowed with a management that can independently engage in making collective redundancies.
The core of the guidance is at paras 47, 49 and 51 of the CJEU judgment. In paragraph 49 the CJEU points out that in the judgment in Athinaïki Chartopoiïa (C‑270/05), the CJEU further clarified the term 'establishment' (paragraph 27). For "the purposes of the application of Directive 98/59, an 'establishment', in the context of an undertaking, may consist of a distinct entity, having a certain degree of permanence and stability, which is assigned to perform one or more given tasks and which has a workforce, technical means and a certain organisational structure allowing for the accomplishment of those tasks."
From this it appears that an establishment can be
– a distinct entity
– having a degree of permanence and stability
– assigned to perform one or more tasks
– with a workforce, technical and organisational structure allowing for the accomplishment of the assigned tasks
– the entity in question need not have any legal autonomy, nor need it have economic, financial, administrative or technological autonomy, in order to be regarded as an 'establishment' (Athinaïki Chartopoiïa (C‑270/05) para 28).
The Court (at para 52) concluded that where an 'undertaking' comprises several entities meeting the above criteria (set out in paragraphs 47, 49 and 51 of its judgment) it is the entity to which the workers made redundant are assigned to carry out their duties that constitutes the 'establishment' for the purposes of Article 1(1)(a) of Directive 98/59.
I said that the focus of debate shifts now to the question of assignment. Inevitably the scope for bringing collective redundancy claims is very much curtailed by this interpretation. Some questions remain on the issue of assignment but these are likely to be for the national court to determine in future cases.
Thus if there is a reorganisation and an area manager who works out of a store, but works at many different stores will he or she be assigned to any particular store? Is there a separate establishment for managers?
The language of the directive
The Claimants had pointed to the use of the plural "establishments" in several language versions of the Directive. However the CJEU stated that this was not significant because if plural in the first option (adopted by the UK, Article 1(1)(a)(i)) the concept would be in the plural in the second and alternative implementation option (not so adopted, Article 1(1) (a)(ii)). The CJEU said that the two methods are therefore equivalent. UK lawyers often find the approach to language adopted by the CJEU frustrating particularly when the CJEU blithely determines that the linguistic difference on the basis of which a considerable amount of client money has been spent, is of no significance.
The CJEU reinforces this approach by pointing out that the difference between the two sub paragraphs was never considered significant in previous CJEU judgments. It makes reference to the "operative part" of the judgment in Athinaïki Chartopoiïa (C 270/05. The operative part of a CJEU judgment is the part that binds the domestic courts and is significant for future CJEU cases. Because the CJEU in that case had not distinguished between the context of the first implementation option and that of the second, no significance would be attached to the linguistic difference between the two sub-paragraphs. Given that member states can choose between the two options, it followed that any linguistic differences in relation to scope based on the term "establishment" are of no significance.
The underlying policy
At para 48 the CJEU pointed out that because it had previously used the words 'distinct entity' and 'in the context of an undertaking', the Court had clarified that the terms 'undertaking' and 'establishment' are different and that an establishment normally constitutes a part of an undertaking. In Athinaïki Chartopoiïa (C‑270/05), the Court referred to the aims of the Directive. It concerns the socio-economic effects that collective redundancies may have in a given local context and social environment.
The CJEU noted at para 59 that the member states had a choice in relation to implementation, and that indicated not only that the term "establishment" could not be interpreted differently depending on which implementation method was adopted, but also that it would run counter to the following aims of the directive:
– the need to promote the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to collective redundancies (see para 60)
– to ensure comparable protection for workers' rights in the different Member States (para 62)
– to harmonise the costs which such protective rules entail for EU undertakings (para 62)
Although the broader interpretation for which the Claimants argued was likely to increase protection of employees in these situations (para 61), that interpretation would run counter to the above aims (para 63). In a rather less convincing argument the CJEU noted also, at para 64, that the broader interpretation might mean that the existence of a solitaire worker at a unit might trigger the consultation duty at other units which had fewer than the minimum number. Equally it would require collective consultation for the redundancy of that single employee.
The CJEU stated in para 70 that it was for the domestic court to establish whether the stores to which the employees affected by the dismissals were assigned were separate 'establishments'. It must do that in the light of the specific circumstances of the dispute. However in doing so a tribunal must apply the case law (Rockfon and Athinaïki Chartopoiïa)and the factors identified above.
For the Woolworths workers and unions the result is likely to be largely determined by this judgment but it raises questions about those who do not work in similar types of chain store employment. The more mobile a workforce, the less likely that they are assigned to a particular establishment. In those circumstances the aims of the directive do not seem to pull away from the need to protect the workforce and their entitlement to collective consultation.


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Proposed features/Tag:baseball=infield
|Proposal status:
|Abandoned (inactive)
|Proposed by:
|Applies to:
|adding the infield of a baseball field.
|Rendered as:
|tan area
|RFC start:
An infield is the dirt area in a baseball diamond that includes first, second, and third base, home plate, and the pitcher's mound. Infields often, (but not always) have a grass area between home plate, the foul line, and the bases with the pitcher's mound in a dirt area in the middle, as shown in the diagram below.
One who is browsing the map may come across baseball diamonds. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't know about baseball, and seeing the infield may help them identify it as a baseball field and may even incline them to learn about the sport. Unless one knows some about baseball, he may find the shape of the baseball field weird, especially in places were baseball is not generally played. Moreover, seeing infields in Open Street Map will make the map more interesting and colorful, and maybe even more useful!
Additional Tags
Additional tags may be used along with this to make it more useful. Such tags may be:
leisure=pitch One could almost say use of this tag with baseball=infield is required. Use the infield tag without this will make it make no sense at all. sport=baseball
Rendering of this would simply be a tan area.
Comments and Discussion
Please comment on this in the Discussion Page.


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If Cara Delevingne keeps this up, we'll have to start calling her an actress/model instead of a model/actress.
The fashion world's resident wild child is being considered for a major role in director David Ayer's upcoming comic book blowout, Suicide Squad. According to Latino Review, Warner Bros. is seriously considering the fledgling actress for the juicy part of Harley Quinn, in what is shaping up to be DC Comics' answer to Marvel's runaway hit, Guardians of The Galaxy.
Suicide Squad follows a similar premise: A group of super villains are recruited to perform covert black-ops missions. Harley Quinn, of course, is the loyal accomplice and sometimes girlfriend of Batman nemesis, The Joker. To add fuel to the fire, Delevingne recently Instagrammed a mock-up of herself as Quinn, with the caption "Dress up time!!"
Other stars attached to the film include Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Tom Hardy, and Ryan Gosling, so Delevingne would find herself in some pretty heavy company. But, with upcoming roles in Michael Winterbottom's Amanda Knox biopic, The Face Of An Angel, and Joe Wright's Peter Pan adaptation, Pan, Cara D should have no problem holding her own.


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Kitchen Chat – The Art of Dining
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Do you enjoy unique food experiences? Nick and Barbara Vahlkamp, owners of Kamp Gallery, discuss the perfect pairing of fine art with fine wine and fine food at a pop-up dining event at their gallery in Winnetka. This unique and trendy concept will include a 4 course menu inspired by original Mediterranean Master paintings on display at their gallery and a presentation on culinary travel to Italy by Jens Bauerle, founder of Gourmet Destinations. In this show I also share my own culinary adventures in Paris. Highlights include my food walk with Wendy Lyn founder of The Paris Kitchen along with my foie gras and my faux pas.


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Gnugo (Giacomo in his official identity card, because Gnugo was a Sinti name) was the grandson of Giovanni (Jean) De Barre, a French Sinto; and Ida Truzzi, a circus artist from an Old Italian circus family. His father's name was Armando De Bar (called Ciao), who worked as an acrobat; the mother was Albertina Innocenti (called Gonia), who came from a fairground family.
In the 1920s, the grandparents performed mainly acrobatic numbers in the legendary circuses of Teta Togni and Paolo Orfei. In the thirties, Jean De Bar (the French family name became Italianized) traveled through northern Italy with his own circus show in which all of his 10 children participated. A few months after Italy's entry into the war (10 June 1940) the traveling circus life of the De Bar family ended. The Italian security authorities used the entry into the war to order the internment of all people considered dangerous for the State security (antifascists, foreigners of enemy countries and "gypsies" without a fixed abode). Italian Sinti were particularly affected by this measure, who often tried to earn their living as ambulatory handicraft workers, but also as street musicians or artists. The detention of the circus family De Bar took place on 11 November 1940. In the internment site Prignano della Secchia Gnugo was born on 4 of December 1940.
So far, research has been able to identify 20 internment sites and 3 internment camps for so-called "Gypsies" for the Italian peninsula. In the internment site of Prignano della Secchia were between 1940 and 1943 about 80 people interned. The camp conditions were harsh. Inmates were not provided with sufficient food. In the colder months, wood was lacking to warm up. Some internees were allowed by the authorities to perform for the villagers to get some food. In September 1943, the De Bar family took advantage of the power vacuum created by the collapse of the fascist regime in Rome and the ceasefire between the new Italian government and the Allies (8 September 1943) to leave the internment site of Prignano della Secchia. In order not to fall into the hands of German security agencies and their Italian helpers, the family had to remain hidden until 1945. Two male members of the family joined the resistance and carried out sabotage operations between 1944 and 1945 in the Lombard province of Mantua, which was still under the control of the Wehrmacht and Italian-fascist auxiliary troops.
In the summer of 1945, the De Bar family began again to travel with their circus show through the Italian countryside. In the clown show Gnugo played the role of the stupid August. The family stopped travelling with its circus show in 1964. After that Gnugo bought a carrousel and earned his living as a show man. He also wrote down his family's history in the book "Strada, patria sinta" [The Street of the Sinti], published in 1998.
On April 10, 2010, he participated in the solemn inauguration of the commemorating plaque for the Sinti who were interned in Prignano sulla Secchia. In public Gnugo habitually expressed his commitment to the circus world by wearing a conferencier jacket, a typically article of clothing for the circus. Picture: Paola Trevisian
Author: Paola Trevisian
De Bar, Gnugo: Strada, patria sinta. Cento anni di storia nel racconto di un saltimbanco sinto. Firenze 1998; Torre, Vladimiro, Relandini Walter et alii: Storie e vite di sinti dell'Emilia, Paola Trevisan (ed.). Roma 2005; Trevisan, Paola: «Sinti e circensi: storia di un legame invisibile»: Alle radici dell'Europa. Mori, giudei e zingari nei Paesi del Mediterraneo occidentale, Vol. III: secoli XIX-XX, Felice Gambin (ed). Firenze 2011, pp. 249-273; Trevisan, Paola: The internment of Italian Sinti in the province of Modena during fascism: from ethnographic to archival research, in Romani Studies, 2013, December issue, Vol. 23 (2): 139-160,
This post is also available in: Deutsch (German)


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Archives for: May 2014
Case for Higher Taxes
The yields on the Spanish 10 year note dropped below 3%. We live in a strange dream.
It seems that the never ending money printing exercise of central banks is dragging the real world into a financial twilight zone, where no one really knows what the risk associated with debt is worth, where the responsibilities for repayment have been blurred and the prices of assets are whatever the central bankers want them to be. Monetary smoke and mirrors is the only thing that keeps sustaining the runaway government spending. Should the interest rates go back to historically normal levels at which the market risks would be fully priced in, most governments in the developed world would go belly up.
What seems clear, however, is that the primary benefactors of the frivolous monetary spigots are people with assets - which mostly means the top 1%. Whether your capital is stored in real estate, stocks or bonds, the rising financial tide has most likely lifted your boats into the stratosphere. But for people who live hand-to-mouth, the conditions on the ground have slowly been deteriorating. The fact that inflation hasn't exploded yet is only due to strong deflationary pressures from the general improvement of productivity and utilization of cheap labor overseas.
In such circumstances I think we should return to simpler basics, starting with a balanced budget. Every state spends whatever the taxpayers are willing to directly support through taxes. That means both higher taxes and lower spending. Where the balance of this process lies should be the subject of a fair political fight. And to make sure that such drastic measures won't drag the economy back into the quagmire of prolonged recession, any future monetary easing should be done on behalf of all taxpayers. Sending checks to all people should kick start the consumption and equalize the beneficial effects of financial engineering.
The thing is that when the public entities can borrow beyond their means, it is very easy to smuggle unnecessary items into the budget. Only when each and every expense comes from someone's taxes will there be a true political debate about what is necessary and what isn't.
Taxes should also be gradated to accommodate the revenue needs. Why? Because the higher up in the food chain you are, the more you benefit from the functioning society. Not to mention that it is really hard to evaluate many factors that are contributing to the bottom line, such as environment, public education, safe trading routes or essentially free contributions of past authors. Even free market cannot fully appreciate those costs and put a price tag on them. No one can really come up with a great idea on his own these days. All the low hanging fruit has been picked long ago.
Most technological advances are made on the back of numerous collaborators, scientists, researchers, whether through freeware or by making use of old scientific results. Say you make a great discovery in semiconductors and are ready to monetize it. You pay your workers and staff, you pay for your input materials and then whatever you get for your outputs is your profit. Right? But imagine the countless hours of public research that went into your discovery? How are those accounted for? Who pays mathematicians and physicists whose theories enabled the engineering discovery. Who pays the teachers who taught them? Who pays authors of free software that enabled better programs. Simply put, not all social benefits can be expressed in terms of immediate pay structure. By making contributions to society today, we enable similar discoveries in the future.
We will have to rethink the idea of taxes. We will have to find mechanisms that will counteract the increasing income inequality. Or we will wake up one day and realize that the Earth belongs to a thousand or so richest families.


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RALEIGH, N.C. — Four months after she was fined, North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps has worked out a schedule to pay off her penalty.
In June, the State Board of Elections ordered Phipps to pay 130,000 for campaign finance violations. Phipps' attorneys submitted a proposal Tuesday to pay $30,123 by the end of November.
The remaining $100,000 would be paid in quarterly installments through next year.
Officials say the Phipps campaign is already in debt, so the commissioner will have to pay the fine out of personal funds.