text:
Related trivia
In George Romero's "Day Of The Dead", who was the zombie tamed by Dr. Frankenstein?
Chris Berman Nicknames | Funny Cool Nicknames For Chris Berman
Chris Berman Nicknames | Funny Cool...
Which film is the story of two cops going after a serial killer?
Which "Friends" star appeared in the movie "Scream"?
In "Child's Play", why did Chucky hurt John?
Which band appears in the 1983 movie "The Hunger" performing their classic "Bela Lugosi's Dead"?
In "Friday the 13th Part VIII", what does Jason see on a billboard near the water?
What is the name of the hotel in the book, "The Shining"?
In the movie "Scream" what was one of the cardinal rules of scary movies?
What Italian horror director created the musical score for "Dawn of the Dead"?
In "The Silence of the Lambs", which city is Dr. Lecter imprisoned in?
In the movie "Tremors II: Aftershocks", what were the underground creatures called?
"Scream" was originally going to be called what?
Which film is about a new evil lurking 6 months after the incidents with a video?
What was the name of Bela Lugosi's co-star in the 1935 film Mark of the Vampire?
On which real-life serial killer was the killer in "Scream" based?
In the 1981 movie "The Shining", which hotel did Jack and family look after?
Which film featured a woman being decapitated in a car?
The 1922 film "Nosferatu" was remade in 1979 with which actor playing the bald-pated Count Dracula?
In "The Birds", what California town do the birds attack?
In "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives", how does Jason come back to life?
What happened to Dewey in the "Scream" horror film series after he was stabbed?


text:
Can Women Domesticate Men?
Can Women Domesticate Men? The Science of the #MeToo Movement, Anthropology, and Female Bonobos
By Heath Shive
The effect of the #MeToo Movement was immediate and powerful.
Millions of women began to share their experiences of sexual harassment and assault on Twitter. From shared experience came shared encouragement, which progressed to shared empowerment.
A lot of power.
In time, evidence accumulated and the voices of women could destroy the success of very powerful men, from business leaders (Harvey Weinstein), to celebrities (Louis C. K. and Aziz Ansari), to legends (Bill Cosby), and members of Congress (Al Franken).
Accusations alone were enough to ruin some careers. Young men were banished from college campuses on hearsay alone. In time, even some women – from female Harvard academics to a conservative Secretary of Education – began to warn of the dangers of abandoning due process.
This is #MeToo in the short term.
But what could the long term effects be?
Could female empowerment change the evolution of human beings?
To the science of anthropology!
Girl Power? Thy Name Is Bonobo
Chimpanzee and bonobo primates are genetically very similar. They are so similar that bonobos weren't considered a separate species until well into the 20th century. Before that recognition, bonobo skulls were considered to be unusually large skulls of chimpanzee juveniles.
But there are differences between the 2 species. Sexual dimorphism (the physical differences between males and females) is less pronounced in bonobos, with males barely bigger than females. Bonobo skulls are rounder. But the most pronounced difference is social. Bonobo primates are not nearly as ultraviolent as chimpanzees.
And females are in charge!
As you might have read in a previous blog article, infanticide and homicide rates among non-human primates seem almost sociopathic! Males dominate males, females dominate females. Toddlers are killed as potential threats to resources.
But not the bonobos.
So why the profound difference? Well, for starters, bonobo females dominate (or discipline, if you wish) the group. If a male becomes too pushy or aggressive, the female bonobo screams. All females in the area converge.
Female bonobos look out for each other.
The result is that aggressive males cannot breed. Aggression – at least on the male chromosome – is weeded out of the gene pool.
Bonobo "sisterhood" domesticated the species.
Domestication Destiny
Dogs descended from wolves, but their differences are obvious. Dogs are more likely to have floppy ears, larger heads proportional to the body, less dramatic sexual dimorphism, and broader muzzles.
In other words, dogs look more like wolf cubs than wolves! That's what domestication does to an animal species. Sexual dimorphism is decreased. Heads and eyes are bigger in proportion to body. There are fewer violent tendencies and a greater tendency to play.
Physically juvenile qualities were not bred into the dogs, rather these qualities "piggy-backed" on the genes that favored less reactive violence.
Domesticating Men?
Richard Wrangham has a book out that is very much in vogue right now entitled The Goodness Paradox.
Wrangham – an anthropologist – noticed that human reactive violence (killing your neighbors) is very low, whereas our proactive violence (like war) is very high – the exact opposite of other species!
Wrangham also noticed that – when compared to our mid-Pleistocene ("cave man") ancestors – sexual dimorphism is less pronounced in humans today.
In other words, Wrangham saw evidence of "domestication" in human beings.
But how? Where were the "shepherds" of humanity?
Wrangham in his book makes the point that as language evolved, so did communication.
As humans could gossip, complain, and share experiences – especially about how they hated their oppressor – they could also strategize, plan, and judge. Wrangham says that language gave birth to cooperation – principally among the other males – and the ultra-violent that "crossed the line" were executed.
Hence the beginning of social law – and the culling of the ultra-violent DNA out of the human gene pool.
Can Women Do the Same?
If women can censure aggressive men ("toxic masculinity"), than women can control which men mate, and therefore which genes continue to the next generation.
Unlike many of my friends, I think that equality of the sexes has long since arrived in the United States - certainly the tools for equality are already here. What has been lacking is self-actualization. MeToo served as a kind of oriflamme to this cause.
Hopefully it evolves from here – both in power and responsibility.
Wrangham, Richard. The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution. Pantheon Books, 2019.
Red Republicans, Blue Democrats: Political Identity and the Psychology of Colors
By Heath Shive
Part of the blessing of thinking is the curse of overthinking.
Children see pretty colors. Adults…overthink this.
We can see green in the leaves and grass. But green is symbolic too – of St Patrick's Day, Irish Catholic politics, and of Islamic culture.
Orange can remind us of citrus fruit…or Irish Protestant politics, Halloween, and the Orange Revolution.
Somewhere along the way, Americans associated Republicans and Democrats with "red" states and "blue" states.
This relatively recent color coding has been credited to the broadcast networks' election coverage during the 1980s, but was locked in during the 2000 Presidential election campaign.
Is it that simple?
Let's overthink this.
To the science of primary colors and political identity!
Embodied Cognition
Embodied cognition is a concept in psychology which asserts that not only do humans ascribe a metaphor or belief to a sensation, but sensations imprint feelings onto the human mind.
To influence a person's sensory input is to influence their mental thinking.
In 2005, psychologist Danny Hayes studied "trait ownership" in politics and discovered that people generally ascribe "hard" qualities to Republicans and "soft" qualities to Democrats.
Do political views have a "hardness" or "softness"? And does the opposite happen, does hardness connect to a political idea?
Three psychologists – Michael Slepian, Nicholas Rule, and Nalini Abady – published a paper in 2012 that revealed the power of hard and soft sensations on thinking. In one experiment, they had the participants squeeze either a soft ball or hard ball. While squeezing the balls, the participants had to look at four male and four female faces and guess each face's political orientation.
Those who squeezed a soft ball were more likely to guess Democrat; those who squeezed a hard ball were more likely to guess Republican.
Embodied cognition!
But how does color come into play?
Red State, Blue State
In a previous blog ("Devil in a Red Dress"), I wrote about the psychological connections between the color red and the human mind.
Waitresses wearing red get tipped more. The color red can make women more attractive to men, and vice versa.
But this blog is about politics, not sex appeal.
Two researchers Anthony Little and Russell Hill experimented to see if the color red conveyed dominance even in inanimate objects. People were shown blue circles and red circles. Then they were asked which circle seemed more dominant.
The participants judged the red circle more dominant.
Circles are not famous for dominance. And no state looks red or blue from outer space. But still, we associate certain colors with certain feelings, and vice versa.
So let's combine the thoughts of the above studies. Republicans are perceived to have more hard-line political views. Hardness communicates assertion, strength, and power.
People can be forgiven if they naturally associate the color red with Republicans.
What are the stereotypical associations with the color blue? Peace, acceptance, and higher thought. People can be forgiven if they naturally associate blue with Democrats.
The funny thing is that Republicans for most of the 20th century were associated with the color blue!
So what is different now in the psychology of the political landscape?
D. Hayes (2005). Candidate qualities through a partisan lens: a theory of trait ownership. American Journal of Political Science, 49 (4), 908-23.
A. C. Little and R. A. Hill (2007). Attribution to red suggests special role in dominance signaling. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 5 (1-4), 161-68.
M. L. Slepian, N. O. Rule, and N. Ambady (2012). Proprioception and person perception: Politicians and professors. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39 (12), 1621-28.
For more about embodied cognition, see:
Lobel, Thalma. Sensation: The New Science of Physical Intelligence. Atria Books, 2014.
Your Greatest Threat Is From Your Own Species: The Science of Animal Murder and Disney Delusions
Your Greatest Threat Is From Your Own Species: The Science of Animal Murder and Disney Delusions
By Heath Shive
Spring has arrived. The birds are singing. But it isn't peaceful.
Bird song is a declaration of territory, a warning to competitors, an announcement of virility, a call to feeding, a warning of danger, and a cry of anger.
Species can always threaten another species.
But in Nature, the greatest threat comes from your own species.
To the gruesome science of when animals kill their own kind.
Disney Delusions
In a Disney movie, animals talk to each other. They enjoy profound conversations. They save their friends.
Humans are bad. Humans are sinful and wicked…unless they have animal friends.
Humans have destroyed a lot of animal habitat - forests cleared for farming, rivers dammed for electricity. Humans could – and must – do this constructively.
But the greatest threat to any animal's life (including human life) comes from your own species.
Because you all eat from the same bowl, so to speak.
Red in Tooth and Claw
Researchers up to the 1960s thought that primates (except humans) were benign, social, and harmless.
But the more anthropologists were in the field, the more they witnessed how ultraviolent primates can be. Follow this link to learn more of the Gombe Chimpanzee War.
Infanticide occurs in half of all mammal species. For example, new alpha lions will kill all the cubs of the pride's predecessor – while the mother lionesses watch.
But among primates, infanticide happens with horrific frequency. Infanticide could be as high as 37% among mountain gorillas, 44% in chacma baboons, 47% in blue monkeys, and 71% among red howler monkeys.
Baby chimps are not killed by leopards or poachers nearly as much as they killed by other chimpanzees.
Adult animals "murder" adults too. For example, a study of 155 wolf corpses in Yellowstone Park over 12 years revealed that 37% of the wolves had been killed by other wolves.
Not all species have these kind of intra-species "homicide" rates – but they are found particularly in social carnivores (packs) and primates.
Now compare these rates with humans. How often do babies die by infanticide? Is it even 1%?
What is the murder rate of human beings? Is it near the 40% mark of wolves?
The Goodness Paradox
Anthropologist Richard Wrangham wrote a remarkable book entitled The Goodness Paradox.
Wrangham points out that humans have a profound capacity for good and compassion, but how do we reconcile that with humanity's equally profound appetite for destruction?
Wragham argues that there are 2 forms of violence: reactive violence (violence in response to an immediate threat or perceived threat) and proactive violence (planned, strategic, and intentional).
Two men fighting in a bar is reactive violence. Two nations going to war is proactive violence.
Wrangham remarks that humans are unique in the animal world – because humans are phenomenally low in reactive violence while being extremely high in proactive violence.
It's the exact opposite in the animal world.
Wrangham's central hypothesis in the book is this: humans evolved uniquely from other primates because we found a way to "self-domesticate."
Put 300 chimpanzees on an airplane and when the plane lands, you'll find dead chimps.
But humans ride airplanes all the time without incident. That explains how humans can form large groups, whereas other animal species cannot.
This is how humans can build civilization, whereas primates and wolves cannot.
Cubaynes, Sarah,Daniel R. MacNulty, Daniel R. Stahler, Kira A. Quimby, Douglas W. Smith, and Tim Coulson. 2014. "Density-dependent intraspecific aggression regulates survival in northern Yellowstone wolves (Canis lupus)." Journal of Animal Ecology 83: 1344-56.
Infanticide data from Watt 1989; Henzi et al. 2003; Butynski 1982; Crockett and Sekulic 1984.
Butynski, T. M. 1982. "Harem-male replacement and infanticide in the blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni) in the Kibale Forest, Uganda." American Journal of Primatology 3: 1-22.
Crockett, Caroline M., and Ranka Sekulic. 1984. "Infanticide in red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus)." In Infanticide: comparative and evolutionary perspectives, edited by G. Hausfater and S. B. Hrdy, pp. 173-91. New York: Aldine.
Watts, David P. 1989. "Infanticide in mountain gorillas: new cases and a reconsideration of the evidence." Ethology 81: 1-18.
Wrangham, Richard. The Goodness Paradox. Pantheon Books, 2019.
Exposure Anxiety: When "Strong" Isn't Smart
By Heath Shive
Exposure anxiety is the fear of looking weak. It is also a "cognition trap" – a mind-set (belief, personal philosophy) that limits your ability to think and act.
Maybe everyone has felt this way. But when very powerful people are afraid to look weak, the results are disastrous and large-scale.
Zachary Shore is a professor of national security affairs. He is also the author of a book entitled "Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions."
It's a great read, and his chapter on exposure anxiety is the first "cognition trap" he tackles.
To the history of exposure anxiety!
Orwell and His Mad Elephant
When he was young, the future-author George Orwell had been a police officer in Burma. A local elephant had broken free and gone on a rampage. When Orwell finally found the elephant, the elephant's rage was gone and it was calmly eating grass. But the entire town had come out to watch Orwell deal with the elephant.
Everyone expected a show. Orwell didn't want to shoot – but if he didn't do something "strong," how could the Burmese respect his authority?
Orwell shot the elephant repeatedly…but it wouldn't die quickly. In frustration, Orwell just left. The elephant died a half hour later.
Orwell didn't look very powerful. He didn't impress. He felt a fool. Even though Orwell did not want to shoot the animal, he did not want to look weak to his audience.
Greeks and the Price of Overkill
In the 5th century B.C.E, the Greek island of Mytilene had revolted against the city of Athens. In retaliation, Athens sent a war party to the island with these orders: kill every man, enslave every woman and child.
However, some Athenians had second thoughts. So they had a debate. The Athenian Cleon argued that if Athens showed mercy, it would look weak and there would more revolts in the future.
But the Athenian Diodotus argued for mercy. He pointed out that not all the Mytilenians had revolted. Many of the rebels had surrendered their arms. But – Diodotus argued – if other cities knew that there would be no mercy, new revolts would be better planned and the rebels would fight to the death. There would be no incentive for surrender.
Cleon's show of strength actually would make future revolts more ferocious and implacable.
Athens sided with Diodotus and a fast ship was sent to stop the war party in Mytilene.
Abu Ghraib and the Need for Morale
The abuses at the prison of Abu Ghraib made international headlines. Many Americans did not see the big deal – the victims were enemy soldiers. Sergeant Ivan Frederick was court-martialed for his part in the crimes. In the closing statement, the prosecutor Major Michael Holley said that treating enemy soldiers to basic dignity was essential for long-term warfare. Because if the "prisoner – or an enemy, rather – believes that he will be humiliated…why wouldn't he continue to fight to his last breath?"
If surrender wasn't incentivized, then the fighting would be more intense and more soldiers' lives lost.
Exposure anxiety leads its victims to overreact, but the aftermath usually leaves them less secure than before the conflict began.
Anxiety warps our feelings and imagination. Anxieties create a chain of fears. Anxieties cripple our ability to get what we want, because we fear how we look.
It is important to not act on fear. Act in your interest. Then you can win.
Shore, Zachary. Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions. Bloomsbury, 2008.
More than an Easter Bunny: 5 Famous Rabbits From Around the World
By Heath Shive
1) Why do we have an Easter Bunny?
The use of an Easter bunny was formerly credited to the Saxon goddess of spring, Eostre. But the only surviving mention of this goddess is by the medieval historian the Venerable Bede - who doesn't associate a rabbit with her at all!
Ancient and medieval cultures around the world associated rabbits with springtime. Rabbits begin their mating season as early as February and continue to September. The rabbits would chase each other in courtship which - when combined with their large litter sizes - made rabbits a symbol of the growing fertility of the spring season.
The pagan symbolism of the rabbit was vouchsafed by the early Christian church.
But, the use of a rabbit who hides colored eggs for Easter is generally credited to the German Lutherans. Early Protestants - unlike old-school Catholics - didn't abstain from eating eggs during Lent.
Eggs were colored as apropos for the season. But while many ancient cultures decorated their eggs, it was the Germans who created the Osterhase, or what we call the Easter Bunny, a rabbit who brings colored eggs for children. The tradition was brought to America by German immigrants.
Sounds crazy? But rabbits are often thought of as crazy - which is why the British have an expression...
2) ...Mad as a March hare. Rabbits have an infamous fecundity - producing large litters after relatively short gestation periods. This hyperactive fertility can cause males to act strangely - running in circles and hopping vertically. Males can get too aggressive in the their courtship - which is why females often fight to protect themselves. A lawn full of fighting fertile rabbits? Rabbits would look crazy, hence "mad as a March hare."
The most famous March Hare is the character in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Many cultures didn't just think a rabbit was "mad," but instead was...
3) ...a masterful trickster.
The rabbit trickster is very common in Northern Native cultures, but he has a different name wherever you go. The rabbit trickster was called Glosscap by Eastern Native nations and Wisakedjak by the Cree farther west.
Nanabozho was a trickster spirit, a primordial deity born at the beginning of time. He was also a lying, stealing, and manipulative con-man too. Nanabozho could take many forms, but was a rabbit most frequently.
But the trickster rabbit was also famous in western and southern African cultures! The people of Senegal called him Leuk.
4) But we know him better as Br'er Rabbit, or Brother Rabbit.
Br'er Rabbit is the star of many of the Uncle Remus stories of the Old South. He outwits kings and peasants and every predator in the woods with his wits alone. Br'er Rabbit - like all tricksters - is morally ambiguous. He can be larcenous or heroic. But he always proves that even the physically small and weak can win - provided they have the wits.
Br'er Rabbit has fallen into disfavor in the current political climate, but...
5)...the trickster rabbit survives today as Bugs Bunny!
Bugs Bunny is the premier character of the Warner Brothers cartoon classics. Bugs is flippant, insouciant, and confident. Bugs is shown to be able to outsmart any of his antagonists - all of whom are trying to do Bugs harm. But while talking with a Brooklyn accent, and starting his repartee with a "What's up, doc?", Bugs always proves his nonchalant superiority and becomes the very model of cartoon "cool."
According to Guinness World Records, Bugs Bunny is the 9th most portrayed film personality in the world! Bugs even has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Devil in a Red Dress: How Color Affects Men, Women, and Our Sex Drives
By Heath Shive
Did you know that men tip waitresses more when the women wear red?
Psychologist Nicolas Gueguen published a paper on this little color insight.
But it doesn't stop there.
The story goes that matadors use red capes because the color provokes the bulls, and baboons flash a red butt to signal status.
Does red bring out the animal…in you?
This is called embodied cognition, and psychologist Thalma Lobel has written an entire book about it called Sensation: The New Science of Physical Intelligence – which is where I found following studies.
To the science!
Are Men Suckers for Red?
Researchers Andrew Elliot and Daniela Niesta published a study in 2008. They showed 2 groups of men a black-and-white photo of a young woman for about 5 seconds. Both groups of men saw the same woman - but half of the men saw on the picture with a red background and the other half saw the picture on a white background.
The men were then asked to rate the woman's attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 9.
The men who saw the woman on a red background rated her as more attractive than the men who saw the white background.
Typical oversexed men, right?
Are Women Suckers for Red Too?
In 2010, researchers (again including Elliot and Niesta) performed a similar experiment on women. Women were shown the picture of a man. But the women either saw the picture with a red, white or gray background.
As expected, women who saw the picture of the man with a red background rated him as more attractive and more desirable than the women who saw the other backgrounds.
Red has a measurable effect on humans.
But don't get carried away, guys. Just because an effect is measurable does not mean it is of primary significance.
Though women seem to succeed with wearing red dresses, there's a reason men don't wear red suits, looking like cartoonish villains.
But observe the color of a politician's tie, a rich man's car, or even a stop sign.
Red gets our attention.
Psychology frequently tells us that our instincts and experiences (our insides) affect our actions in the outside world.
But studies can also show that the outside world (its colors, smells, sounds, and textures) affect our inner selves and thinking too.
Whether we admit it or not, we are all are sensual creatures.
A. J. Elliot and D. Niesta (2008). Romantic red: Red enhances men's attraction to women. Journal Personality and Social Psychology, 95 (5), 1150-1164.
A.J. Elliot, D. Niesta Kayser, T. Greitenmeyer, S. Lichtensfeld, R. H. Gramzow, M. A. Maier, and H. Liu (2010). Red, rank, and romance in women viewing men. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 139 (3), 399-417.
Lobel, Thalma. Sensation: The New Science of Physical Intelligence. Atria Books, 2014.
N. Gueguen and C Jacob (2012). Clothing color and tipping: Gentlemen patrons give more tips to waitresses with red clothes. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, April 18, 2012.
The First Cherry Blossoms of Washington D.C...Were Burned to Protect America from Foreigners?
The First Cherry Blossoms of Washington D.C...Were Burned to Protect America from Foreign Invasion?
By Heath Shive
The famous cherry trees of Washington, D.C., will begin blooming on March 20, peaking on April 4th.
The trees are beautiful, iconic, and worthy of an American's bucket list.
And the first batch was destroyed to protect America from foreign invaders.
To the history!
The Food Explorer David Fairchild
In the later 1800s, the U.S. adopted a largely unregulated gold standard which – when combined with mass production – created what economists called "the Long Depression."
Between 1870 and 1895, the price for a bushel of corn dropped from 43 cents to 30 cents. A bushel of wheat worth $1.06 in 1870 had lost almost 40 percent of its value by 1900.
Realizing that American farmers needed more variety than just corn and wheat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent out "food explorer" David Fairchild to gather seeds and plantings from around the world.
Fairchild is credited with introducing nectarines, avocadoes, mangoes, soybeans, and kale to the U.S.
But Fairchild's wife Marian loved Japanese flowering cherry trees, and when the Fairchilds finally bought their first home outside D.C. in 1906, Marian ordered over 100 flowering cherry trees.
The Fairchild's lawn become famous in the capital.
Flower Power
Then-president William Howard Taft had also been to Japan and had loved their flowering cherry trees. But here's the thing: mainstream America was xenophobic just then. There had been a general ban on all Asian immigrants – especially Chinese – for decades. By 1907, Japanese and Korean immigrants in California were forced into segregated neighborhoods.
And it wasn't good to make Japan mad. Japan was a rising world power. From 1895 to 1905, Japan had successfully won wars against China and Russia.
Planting beautiful Japanese flowering cherry trees in America's capital carried political importance.
So 300 flowering cherry trees were shipped from Tokyo to Washington, D.C.
There was just one problem. Or rather, thousands of tiny problems.
The Fruit Man vs. the Bug Man
Charles Marlatt was the USDA's chief entomologist. When California's crops were being destroyed by the San Jose scale (an invasive insect), it was Marlatt who had saved the day by bringing back the scale's natural predator - ladybugs.
Yes, Charles Marlatt was the man who introduced ladybugs to the United States! But during the trip to Asia, Marlatt's wife contracted disease and died.
Foreign crops were Fairchild's fame, but Marlatt's pain.
Marlatt inspected the imported cherry trees and found them rife with pestilence: root gall, 2 kinds of scale bugs, a new species of borer, and 6 more dangerous insect species.
Taft had no choice but to burn the entire lot of trees, which newspapers made into a public spectacle.
Taft and the diplomatic corps were afraid of Japan's reaction, but Japan expressed only shame – shame that they had given so inferior a gift.
New trees were sent, and these trees passed even Marlatt's scrutiny.
And on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Taft planted the first tree and the Japanese ambassador's wife planted the second tree.
A century later, the trees still bloom, and national news networks use the blossoming as a kind of harbinger of spring.
In fact, Americans love the trees so much, that no one cares that these trees don't make cherries.
Stone, Daniel. The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats. Dutton, 2018.
Bad Choices, Bad Turns, Bad Relationships: The Psychology of Stubborn
By Heath Shive
Obstinate people think that it is a virtue to be stubborn.
Why is it hard for us to change our minds, our jobs, our relationships, or our lives?
There is no inherent virtue in inflexibility. After all, the chair that I sit on is unchanging – but my chair is neither faithful nor wise.
But, scientifically, all humans might be programmed to be a little stubborn.
To the science!
My Mug, My Chocolate, My Choice?
In a 1989 paper, economist Jack Knetsch asked one group of students to choose between a coffee mug and a chocolate bar.
Of these students, 44% wanted the chocolate bar, 56% wanted mug.
Knetsch gave a second group only coffee mugs – but they could exchange for chocolate later, if they wanted.
Knetsch gave a third group nothing but chocolate bars – but they could exchange for mugs later, if they wanted.
One would expect that 44% of the students would have traded mugs for chocolate, and that 56% would have traded chocolate for mugs, right?
No! Only about 10% of the students wanted to exchange!
Knetsch's experiment is used to demonstrate the endowment effect – that a person ascribes more value to something when he owns it.
But psychologist Richard Thaler interpreted the experiment differently in his book Nudge.
Thaler thought the experiment demonstrated "choice inertia" – that we do not like to change our minds.
We have an instinct to be stubborn.
Stubborn In The Face of Facts
Social psychologists M. Deutsch and H. Gerard performed a study on 3 different groups of college students. The students had to estimate the lengths of some lines.
One group guessed mentally without revealing their estimate. Another group had to write down their estimates, sign the paper, and hand these papers to the experimenter.
All students could change their mind as new evidence was introduced.
The students that only mentally guessed were the most likely to change their minds. But the students that wrote, singed, announced their guess were the least likely to change their decision.
The more effort we put into a decision, the more stubborn we become.
Betting On the Wrong Horse
Back in the 1960s, psychologists R. E. Knox and J. A. Inkster performed a study at a horse track. Knox and Inkster discovered that gamblers were more confident about their bet after they made their gamble.
There was no change in facts. The horses, the track, and the weather were all the same. But 30 seconds after they made their bet, they were more confident of winning.
Humans can delude themselves about the facts, if it reinforces their earlier decision.
To be stubborn is to be deluded.
Why are we pre-disposed to stick to our choices?
There is something called prospect theory, which – and this is my translation – means that we make choices based on imagined results, rather than factual probability.
Nobody gains skill, romance, or achievement after only one attempt.
We have to try and try again – imagining that someday we will win or that we will be proven right. This is perseverance - and it might be a human instinct.
So what is the difference between stubborn and perseverance?
We are stubborn when we pervert our innate optimism to serve our egos, in spite of the facts and results.
Deutsch, M., and H. B. Gerard. "A Study of Normative and Informational Social Influences upon Individual Judgment." Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 51 (1955): 629-36.
Knetsch, Jack L., "The Endowment Effect and Evidence of Nonreversible Indifference Curves," American Economic Review, 1989, 79, 1277-1284.
Knox, R. E., and J. A. Inkster. "Postdecisional Dissonance at Post Time." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 8(1968): 319-323.
Thaler, Ricard. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Yale University Press, 2008.
The Pee That Set the World on Fire: Phosphorus and the "Last Alchemist"
By Heath Shive
A lot of science has its origins with weird people doing weird things!
The mother mold of all modern penicillin was discovered on a rotten melon by a woman named Mary ("Moldy Mary," as she was called by her jerk co-workers).
The so-called "last of the alchemists" Hennig Brand discovered the element phosphorus in his urine – a whole lot of urine – in 1669 in Hamburg.
And if "truth is stranger than fiction," then no wonder science can be pretty weird.
To the science of the pee that set the world on fire!
The Elixir of Life…and Other Stuff
Not much is known of Hennig Brand's early life, except that he married very well – with a substantial dowry – and then pursued his chemistry research full-time.
Water fascinated alchemists; it is after all the universal solvent. And humans created water in the form of urine. Urine happens to have a golden color, and gold just so happened to fascinate alchemists too.
Brand boiled and condensed thousands of liters of urine. God only knows what his house must have smelled like. Brand noticed a vapor from boiling urine that had a ghostly glow, and that the vapor could be condensed into a waxy white substance that also glowed.
"Phosphorus" means "bringer of light.
Brand showed off his new prize to the courts and scholars of Europe, but he kept the secret of its making to himself. After Brand's death, it was a generation later before other chemists repeated his success.
The Recipe
The famous scientist Robert Hooke recreated Brand's work and wrote a recipe – which can be found in Hugh Aldersey-Williams' book Periodic Tales.
The recipe goes something like this: Take a quantity of Urine (not less for one Experiment than 50 or 60 Pails full); let it lie steeping…till it putrify (sic)…in 14 or 15 days. Then…set some to boil…till at last the whole Quantity be reduced to Paste…add thereto some fair Water…boil them together for ¼ of an Hour…strain…boil'd till it come to a Salt…
Incidentally, in Periodic Tales, the author does try to create phosphorus from his own pee.
Don't judge. After all, some people play golf.
A century later, two Swedes named Carl Scheel and Johan Gahn showed that bones were actually a much better source for phosphorus. About 20 percent of the human skeleton is calcium phosphate. Industrial phosphorus today comes from phosphate rocks, like apatite.
The Fire
Phosphorus doesn't just glow with an "inner fire," it violently combusts on contact with oxygen – which is why phosphorus is usually stored under water.
In July 1943, during World War Two, Brand's hometown of Hamburg was bombed with 1,900 tonnes of white phosphorus incendiary bombs. On the third night of bombing, a firestorm was created that "melted between forty thousand and fifty thousand people."
Since then, phosphorus has been a military staple used to create illumination at night or smokescreens. But dropping phosphorus bombs (on civilian targets) has never happened since.
Phosphorus may burn with an inner fire, but so do human beings. Sometimes we burn with eccentric curiosity, like Brand. Sometimes we burn with a violence, like war.
Aldersey-Williams, Hugh. Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements from Arsenic to Zinc. Viking, 2011.
Stwertka, Albert. A Guide to the Elements. 3rd ed. Oxford, 2012.
Would You Pass the Marshmallow Test? Success and Delayed Gratification
By Heath Shive
There are a lot of books and commercials and gurus telling us that we need to be "happy." They tell us how to be happy, how to quest for happiness, how to attain happiness, and what is wrong with us if we are not "happy." They seem to think that the purpose of life is to grab hold of happiness and God help you if you ever let go.
But what if happiness wasn't the point? What if happiness was only at the end of hard work - similar to how dessert was at the end of a meal?
And speaking of desserts, do you like marshmallows?
Scientists at Stanford University once used marshmallows to test the willpower of children. And then the children grew up. What did they find?
To the science!
The Marshmallow Test
In the 1960s, the psychologist Walter Mischel devised "the marshmallow test" to measure the willpower of children.
Mischel and other psychologists at Stanford University presented the children with a challenge: they could either eat a marshmallow now, or wait 15 minutes and eat 2 marshmallows.
Only a third of the kids were able to resist the temptation.
This in itself isn't all that weird.
But Mischel and the other psychologists found the same children years later and discovered something peculiar.
The kids who showed self-control grew up to be more accomplished both socially and academically. On the average, the kids had higher SAT scores, greater educational attainment, and a lower body mass index.
Is there a correlation between success and delayed gratification?
There was a book - a bestseller 20 years ago - entitled The Millionaire Next Door. The authors Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko found that the majority of millionaires in their study didn't become rich by being doctors, lawyers, and CEOs.
The majority of millionaires lived in modest houses and had ordinary careers. The millionaires "next door" became wealthy by a lifetime of frugality and savings. For a middle-class American, it would take 40 years of chronic investment to be a millionaire...but that's precisely how most millionaires acquired their wealth!
Not glamorous. Just delayed. Success by constant willpower and self-discipline.
Mischel, Walter; Ebbesen, Ebbe B.; Raskoff Zeiss, Antonette (1972). "Cognitive and attentional mechanisms in delay of gratification". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 21 (2): 204–218.
Stanley, Thomas J. & William D. Danko. The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy. Longstreet Press, 1996.
Hello! My name is Heath Shive, content manager at ScholarFox. I'll be the author of most of the blog posts. I'm a former geologist and currently a freelance writer. The world is complex and seemingly crazy. Good! Because when you love to learn, you'll never be bored.
July 2019

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Main Collection
PembrokeDark Brown Suede
Pembroke, our classic full brogue country-style derby shoe with wing tip design and punching detail. Made from the finest dark brown suede with Dainite rubber soles and a storm welt for added waterproof protection. From the Men's Main Collection.
This colourway of repello suede is tanned to be water repellent. Fully treated with 'Scotch guard' during the tanning process, the material achieves an exceptionally high level of water resistance to water and oil based substances. This proofing remains effective throughout the life of the footwear although we do recommend you continue with general suede shoe care.
- Pembroke Tan Scotch Grain
- Pembroke Tan Scotch Grain (G Fitting)
- Pembroke Dark Brown Scotch Grain
- Pembroke Black Scotch Grain
- Pembroke Dark Brown Suede
- Pembroke Black Cavalry Calf
- Pembroke Burgundy Cavalry Calf
- Pembroke Whisky Cordovan
- Pembroke Dark Brown Wax Calf
- Pembroke Burgundy Cordovan
- Pembroke Dark Brown Cordovan
- Fitting: E (Standard)
- Last: 325
- Sole: Dainite Rubber
More information
Delivery & Returns
Delivery charges will vary according to your destination and the contents of your order. The options and costs will be presented to you during the checkout process, or alternatively please refer to our Delivery & Returns page for further specific details.
Crockett & Jones offers a 28 day return policy on all unworn goods. We offer a collection or drop off service for returns with DHL but please be aware that a fee for this service will be deducted from your refund. All goods must be returned in the same condition that they were received in to be eligible for a full refund. If there are any signs of wear, such as scuffed soles or creasing in the uppers, a fee will be deducted to cover a loss in value of the goods.
To return your parcel to us, you can book a collection with our shipping partner DHL. Simply click Request / View Return on either the despatch confirmation email or against the relevant order when logged into your accountDelivery & Returns
Contact us
If you wish to place an enquiry, please fill out your details accurately using the form on our contact us enquiry page, so that we can address your questions and comments appropriately. The more information that you provide us, the quicker we can respond to your enquiry.
If you would prefer to speak to a member of our Customer Care Team, you can do so using the following number: +44(0)1604 635 927Read more
Our stores
Shoe care
Proper shoe care and maintenance of your Crockett & Jones shoes will help to ensure their longevity in wear. If you follow the guidelines on our shoe care section and treat your shoes in the correct manner, there is no reason why your shoes will not last for many years.
Crockett & Jones only uses the highest quality components combined with the most skilled craftsmanship - a successful recipe for producing beautiful handmade shoes that represent excellent value for your investment.Found out more
Know your lasts
Produced in March 1995. Last 325 is a Main Collection last, with a medium round toe and increased toe depth. Now in production for 30 years, 325 is a best-selling last with its own timeline. Famed for country styles and loafers, 325 offer plenty of room in the fore-part. With three standout styles that are worn worldwide - Pembroke, Coniston and Cavendish, the 325 collection is only enhanced with due care and attention.
Know your styles
Derby shoes are possibly the most versatile of all shoe styles, bridging the gap between smart and smart casual wear with ease. A Brogue Derby is easily the most recognisable variation, made popular with the introduction of the full country Brogue which was developed for practical uses in the fields. The sequence of operations for constructing a Derby, differs to an Oxford. Inside and outside Quarters are stitched to a tab point either side of the vamp and the tongue is cut as part of the vamp and is not a separate component. Often referred to as 'Open Lacing'.
Belt - Suede
Dark Brown Suede
Dark Brown Suede
Chepstow 2
Teak Oiled Sides
Dark Brown Suede
Earth Green Suede
Dark Brown Suede
Lanark 3
Dark Brown Suede
Lowndes 4
Dark Oak Suede
Dark Brown Wax Calf
Dark Brown Scotch Grain
Dark Brown Calf Suede
The Icons
Today, our products and their names have become icons, personalities even. They don't just have relevance, they have become reference points of value and quality – recognisable from Crockett & Jones.Read more
Our main suede range is strong and durable, and has a good substance. Due to its special tannage, this leather is water and stain repellent under normal conditions, which helps to retain its nap and colour.Read more
Made in England, by Harboro Rubber Co. a sole manufacturer with close family ties to the Jones family. An iconic, English sole for Goodyear-welted shoes.Read more
Goodyear Welted
Crockett & Jones offers a full refurbishment service for its Goodyear welted shoes and boots, for further details please refer to our Repairs section in the header.Read more
The Article
The Complete Autumn Winter Collection
Crockett & Jones, makers of 'more than just' fine shoes... This Autumn/Winter '21 we present a selection of styles you may not ordinarily associate with the company.Read more


text:
Customer Information
Privacy Policy
Email Us
Site Map
View Cart
All Categories
New Offerings
Sale Items
Orchestral CDs
New Books
The Record Collector
Auction #143: 78RPM_Records Ephemera Books and Autographed Photographs
Opera, Operetta and Zarzuela CDs
Italian & Spanish Opera
> Medea (Cherubini) (Bernstein; Callas, Barbieri, Nache, Penno) (2-EMI 67909)
Regular price: $29.90
Sale price:
Usually ships the same business day
Product Description
OP0077. MEDEA (Cherubini), Live Performance, 1953, w.Bernstein Cond. La Scala Ensemble; Maria Callas, Fedora Barbieri, Maria Luisa Nache, Gino Penno, Giuseppe Modesti, etc. 2-EMI 67909, w.Elaborate Libretto-Brochure. Final Sealed Copy! - 724356790926
"Fedora Barbieri, a dramatic mezzo-soprano celebrated for Verdi interpretations that were extensively preserved on records and film, was gifted with a large, opulent voice. Miss Barbieri was of the same generation as Cesare Siepi, Giuseppe di Stefano, Boris Christoff and Jussi Bjorling. A favorite with European audiences from the 1940s on, she later won acclaim in New York, particularly for her appearances as Azucena in IL TROVATORE, AMNERIS in AIDA, ADALGISA in BELLINI'S NORMA, and in the Verdi REQUIEM.
Her 1950 New York debut itself entered opera history, coming on the night Rudolf Bing first faced his audience as the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera. He opened an era with a boldly ambitious revival of DON CARLO in which Miss Barbieri sang the role of Princess Eboli.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service had turned Bing's entire inaugural season into a cliffhanger days before the curtain rose on it. Acting under the 1950 Internal Security Act, it confined shiploads of arriving aliens on Ellis Island on the grounds that they could be threats to the United States; Miss Barbieri, Christoff and Zinka Milanov were among them.
Miss Barbieri's offense was attending school in Fascist wartime Italy, a circumstance that she stated in her visa application. She and the other soloists were freed just in time for the show to go on.
Miss Barbieri, Mr. Bjorling (in the title role) and Mr. Siepi, making his debut as Philip II, appeared in what Olin Downes of THE NEW YORK TIMES described as an occasion that revealed afresh 'the melodic opulence and dramatic power of Verdi's genius'. Miss Barbieri, he said, was a 'superb mezzo from Italy, with a kindling dramatic temperament'.
Fedora Barbieri made her professional debut in 1940 as Fidalma in Cimarosa's MATRIMONIO SEGRETO. She sang her first Azucena the next night and repeated Fidalma the night after that, a feat that quickly established her reputation in Europe as a masterly interpreter of the Italian repertory at its most demanding.
She sang in Rome, made her debut at La Scala in 1943, sang in South America and went to London with La Scala in 1950. She made an immediate impression at Covent Garden, singing Mistress Quickly in FALSTAFF, and giving one of her stirring performances in the REQUIEM.
She remained a regular at La Scala and sang at the Metropolitan primarily in the 1950s and 60s. Of her many Verdi roles, she favored Eboli in her earlier years, but later leaned toward the lower registers of Azucena and Amneris. She finally found Mistress Quickly best attuned to her voice. Her repertory included 109 roles."
- Wolfgang Saxon, THE NEW YORK TIMES, 7 March, 2003
"In the early 1950s, Gino Penno became known throughout Italy as a highly competent heldentenor singing Siegfried at the Verona Arena and Lohengrin in Rome. He also partnered Maria Callas in Norma, Macbeth, Il Trovatore, and Medea, in various theatres in Italy
In 1951, his career took an international turn. He appeared at the Paris Opéra, the Liceo in Barcelona, the Monte Carlo Opera, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the Royal Opera House in London.
He was very highly thought of both for his musicianship and his reportedly enormous voice, of magnificent quality."
- Henry Fogel, FANFARE
"Gino Penno, who sang at the Met between 1954 and 1956, seems better suited to the urgency and desperation of Gabriele Adorno's scena from SIMON BOCCANEGRA, 'Sento avvampar nell'anima'. Giuseppe Campora is revealing a voice at once sturdy and supple, always at the service of his high-level musicianship and dramatic sensitivity. In a Met career that spanned 1955 to 1965, he partnered both Lily Pons and Maria Callas in a run of 1956 LUCIAs and the following year sang performances of LA TRAVIATA with Tebaldi and Leonard Warren. In every aria, Campora's beautiful legato allows plenty of play for rhythmic details, dotted notes and word accents, and his musical intelligence and dramatic instincts are superb."
- Judith Malafronte, OPERA NEWS, June, 2015
norpete.com Webutation
Patron Reviews
New Offerings
MET Soria Series LPs
Sale Items
Opera, Operetta and Zarzuela CDs
Instrumental CDs
Orchestral CDs
St Laurent Studio
Immortal Performances
Personalities, Cabaret, Broadway, Jazz, Dance, etc. . .
Gilbert & Sullivan
Opera Quarterly
The Record Collector
Auction #151
78rpm offerings
Auction #151
78 rpm Catalog Download
Previous Auctions
St Laurent Studios - Christopher Keene
Mafalda Favero
Customer Information
Privacy Policy
Email Us
Site Map
View Cart
Copyright 2022 Norbeck,Peters & Ford, LLC. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche High Waist Wide Leg Stripe Pant
Sold Out
Yves Saint Laurent, Rive Gauche, multi tone, cotton, stripe, wide leg, trouser, having a fly front with 3 button closure at the center waist, and a think self belt that ties at the waist. Stripes are in wonderful tones of turquoise, blues and fuchsia.
: Yves Saint Laurent
Place of Origin : France
Period: 1980's
Material Notes
: cotton
Condition : very good
Marked Size:
Bust: in. ( cm)
Waist: 29 in. ( cm)
Hip : 36 in. ( cm)
Length: 44 in. ( cm)


text:
Michelle Singletary: The color of money
The nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute regularly delivers the dreadful news of how unprepared so many Americans are for retirement. The findings give you a chill, much like seeing a photo of the iconic black-robed, scythe-carrying personification of death.
But that chill is needed. Washington-based EBRI continues to be at the forefront of sounding the alarm that we ought to be more aggressive in preventing people from falling into poverty in their senior years.
In 2003, the institute developed its trademark "Retirement Readiness Rating" to assess retirement-income prospects for American workers. The 2010 findings, released this week, show that a large percentage of people, including high earners, are likely to run out of money after 10 or 20 years of retirement.
"This is old news to those of us that spend our lives thinking about it, but surveys and focus groups and conversations with family tell us that people have not absorbed it," said Dallas Salisbury, EBRI's president and chief executive. "So, like water-drip torture, there is no such thing as getting this out too many times."
Nearly one-half of baby boomers born between 1948 and 1954 and now between the ages of 56 and 62 are at risk of not having enough money in retirement to pay for basic expenditures, EBRI reports. For boomers born between 1955 and '64 (now 46 to 55), the percentage who likely won't have enough money was calculated at 43.7 percent. It was 44.5 percent for Generation Xers — people born between 1965 and '74 (now 36 to 45).
The institute defines the retirement financial shortfall as not being able to meet minimum expenses, including uninsured costs associated with nursing home or home health care. After 10 years of retirement, 41 percent of Americans with low preretirement income will likely be struggling to meet their expenses.
Like I said, chilling news. However, one good note in the report was that many people are now more likely to have more retirement savings because their employers can automatically enroll them in company-sponsored retirement plans.
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 made it easier for companies to force employees to save for their retirement. This has led to an increase in participation rates. The theory, which was that inertia would result in people not taking the time to opt out of the plans as is their right, has worked.
"It shows how important savings in a defined contribution plan is toward reducing your probability of having inadequate retirement income," said Jack VanDerhei, EBRI's research director.
VanDerhei said even he was surprised by the findings that Generation Xers not eligible to participate in a defined contribution plan in the future have a 60 percent chance of having inadequate retirement income. This risk drops to 20 percent for Gen Xers who can participate in a defined contribution plan for 20 or more years.
The answer to the lack of savings for many is often to suggest people need to keep working long after age 62, which is about the average retirement age according to the Labor Department. But what if that's not possible because your job is eliminated or you get sick and can't work?
OK, so what can you do with the information from the latest EBRI report, other than wince and moan?
I know. Calculate how much you'll need to save. Go to www.choosetosave.org and click on the link for the "Ballpark Estimate" retirement calculator.
When doing the calculation, you might find a few questions where you may not know the answers. That's OK, do your best to estimate. For example, when asked about the expected inflation rate, VanDerhei suggests putting in 2.8 percent. For the question about expected wage growth, he suggests 3.9 percent. He's pulled both percentages from the 2009 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Funds.
The rate-of-return question is a hard one because it's based on an assumption of how well you think your investments will do. Need I say how hard that is, even for professional money managers? But if you want to be conservative, you can use a 4 percent or 5 percent return.
Just like you can take certain precautions to keep the Grim Reaper away — eat healthier, get regular physicals — so too can you make some life choices and changes for your retirement before it's too late.
Michelle Singletary can be reached at The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 or email@example.com.


text:
Mumbai: Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" is the front runner in the nomination pack of the 18th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards with a chance to win in eight categories, followed by "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story" which has been nominated across seven categories.
Both the movies are in competition with "Neerja", "Pink", "Sultan" and "Udta Punjab" for the Best Picture trophy.
The list of nominations in the popular category for IIFA were announced via a statement on Friday. The global voting will go live on Saturday and will continue till June 18.
Set to be held at the iconic MetLife Stadium in New York July 14-15, the two-day IIFA festival — produced and created by Wizcraft International Entertainment — will see a congregation of film celebrities.
Nominees for Best Actor in Leading Role (Male) are Shahid Kapoor for "Udta Punjab", Ranbir Kapoor for "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", Shah Rukh Khan for "Fan", Sushant Singh Rajput for "M.S. Dhoni…", Amitabh Bachchan for "Pink" and Salman Khan for "Sultan".
Among the women, the contenders are Anushka Sharma for "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", Alia Bhatt for "Dear Zindagi" and "Udta Punjab", Sonam Kapoor for "Neerja" and Taapsee Pannu for "Pink".
The Best Director nominations feature Karan Johar ("Ae Dil Hai Mushkil"), Neeraj Pandey ("M.S. Dhoni…), Ram Madhvani ("Neerja"), Aniruddha Roy Chowdhary ("Pink"), Ali Abbas Zafar ("Sultan") and Abhishek Chaubey ("Udta Punjab").
Varun Dhawan ("Dishoom"), Jimmy Shergill ("Happy Bhag Jayegi") and Rishi Kapoor ("Kapoor & Sons") are vying for the Best Comedian title.
In the Best Actor in a Negative role, the nominees are Neil Nitin Mukesh ("Wazir"), Shah Rukh Khan ("Fan") and Jim Sarbh ("Neerja").
A long list of names are vying for the Best Supporting Actor (Male) — Rajat Kapoor ("Kapoor & Sons"), Rajkummar Rao ("Aligarh"), Rishi Kapoor ("Kapoor & Sons"), Anupam Kher ("M.S. Dhoni…") and Amitabh Bachchan ("Wazir").
In the female category, there are Shabana Azmi ("Neerja"), Andrea Tariang ("Pink"), Ratna Pathak Shah ("Kapoor & Sons"), Disha Patani (M.S. Dhoni…") and Richa Chadha ("Sarbjit").
In the music categories; for Music Direction, the competition is between Pritam for "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", Amaal Malik and Rochak Kohli for "M.S. Dhoni…" and Amit Trivedi for "Udta Punjab"; in the Best Lyrics category, the contenders are Amitabh Bhattacharya "Channa mereya" from "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", Gulzar for "Aave re Hitchki" from "Mirzya" and Tanveer Ghazi for "Tu chal" from Pink".
Best Singer (male) will see Arijit Singh ("Channa mereya"), Amit Mishra ("Bulleya"), Diljit Dosanjh ("Ikk Kudi – Reprise), Armaan Malik ("Besabriyaan") competing with one another, and among the women, the competition is between Kanika Kapoor, Neha Bhasin and Tulsi Kumar for "Da da dasse", "Jag ghoomeya" and "Soch na sakke" respectively.
The 2017 IIFA festival will play host to some of the most celebrated stars and musicians of the Indian film industry.


text:
At dinner, we had a huge long table and it was BYOB so let's just say we all got very typsy while enjoying dinner. There were empty bottles everywhere! In our defense, there were about 16 of us. :)
Then, my friend bought me a birthday cake to share with everyone and it was great because the staff from the Sushi buffet place came out with gongs, tambourines, and all other sorts of instruments with candles on my birthday cake and all! They dimmed the lights and there just happen to be a disco ball right above our table that lit up the restaurant like a club while everyone sang Happy Birthday to me! Awesome, I know!
So, I leave you with some pics from the birthday bash... but also with some pics of my NEW HAIR DO!!!
This was me before:
And this is me now!
Birthday table of close friends!
This me and friend (her name is Justyna but we call each other friend because we are cool like that!)
The joys of spending birthdays with close friends...


text:
Official websites use .mil
Secure .mil websites use HTTPS
BRISBANE, Australia - More than 50 U.S. Sailors and distinguished guests attended the Australian-American Association 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea commemoration ceremony at Newstead Park in Brisbane, May 5.
Throughout the service, speakers paid tribute to the special connection between the two countries and the service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their country.
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano delivered a speech and a message from President Barack Obama before laying a wreath at the foot of the Australian American War memorial.
"The United States has no stronger ally than Australia," she said. "Aussies and Americans have fought together and given lives together at every single major conflict over the last 100 years."
Also in attendance was Harry Frey, a former Sailor who served aboard USS Lexington (CV-2) during the Battle of Coral Sea.
"It was great to see so many people gathered together in honor of the men and women who fought during the Battle of Coral Sea," said Frey.
Lexington was sunk during the Battle of Coral Sea when the ship was damaged and set on fire by Imperial Japanese torpedo-bombers. Frey is one of few survivors who made it to safety.
"It could've been me, I was just lucky," said Frey. "Right after we came back up from the sick bay to help the doctors, it blew up. I went back up on the flight deck and the guys were abandoning ship. When they were going over the side I kept saying we are going to make it, they are going to salvage us".
"All of a sudden the ship dropped 10 degrees on the port side and I thought she was going to roll then, so we decided it was time to leave."
For Yeoman 2nd Class Robert Raynor, a Sailor assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97), being able to pay respects to the veterans who fought for their country during World War II was a humbling experience.
"I've read about the Battle of Coral Sea quite a few times, but being able to hear about it in person from people that were there was an amazing experience," said Raynor.
Distinguished visitors also laid wreaths at the foot of the war memorial at Newstead Park. The ceremony included a flyover by two World War II aircraft from each country, a Wirraway and a PT-6 Texan.


text:
Why do some people win? In the case of 22 year Army veteran Terry McClelland, maybe because his heart is in the right place.
When he stopped by the Speedway on Turnersburg Highway to take a chance of a $250,000 Diamond Dazzler Scratch Off game, he had no idea he would bag the top prize. But when he did, he said the prize will be used to fulfill his wife's lifelong dream. And his wife's dream is to run a non-profit to help people dealing with substance abuse. She says that's why she trained to be a psychologist. With such lofty goals, is it a wonder Someone up there let them win?
All McClelland's wife can think of now is finishing her doctorate in psychology and using the money and her training to help people.
For a ticket that costs just $5, that is a huge return on investment as they took home $173,754 net of taxes. Three of five top prizes of $250,00 have been won, which leaves two jackpots still in play.
Read more in http://www.statesville.com/news/statesville-couple-to-fulfill-dream-with-lottery-prize/article_aaa24c80-d5db-11e7-9951-5fc913bb051d.html


text:
We've spent most of the Summer months at home in Jan Juc, and the blog's been on vacation while we were passing the season like normal domesticated people.
However, I don't need an excuse to post surfing pictures of myself so I'll serve 'em up regardless while they're fresh.
I had made a couple of trips north over the season to take care of essential maintenance work, some of which was quite intense.....cleaning rotten food out of the fridges when the batteries failed, for instance.
I was keen to get the mighty "El Gato" back to sea, and was stoked to have old friend Paul Rose agree to join me on the voyage north from Townsville to Cairns. Paul had been instrumental in my initial purchase of "Endurance", being a traditionalist at heart, and had also helped me with that boat's initial delivery trip from Sydney to Geelong. It was almost against his religious beliefs to sail aboard a plastic boat! And a catamaran at that!
With Mary still finishing up at work, Paul and I set off to Queensland by air, and had a magnificent flight along the Queensland coast, allowing me to look out the window and retrace "Endurance's" path north from a couple of years previously. We were travelling a little quicker though....
But finally we motored around to Horseshoe Bay and dropped anchor, and gradually started feeling at home on the boat again.
Then on to the Palm Group of islands, where we met some locals and chatted for awhile. Really cool people, elders from Palm Island who were making a little camp on Fantome Island, where they could bring indigenous kids from the mainland to "teach them how to be aboriginals".
We were made to feel welcome and it really made our day to hear these guys talk.
Palm Island is a notorious government dumping ground for aboriginal people from as far away as Western and South Australia who've been uprooted by "progress" in their homelands.
No such luck though, as when we'd loaded them all aboard and waved their Mama bye-bye, the Starboard motor started to misbehave. Damn! Broken alternator belt! Paul sweated away in the Black Hole of the engine bay all afternoon, and by the time the problem was sorted, it was too late to go anywhere...so the night was spent on the anchor off the beach at Lucinda.
The kids didn't expect the next adventure to be very exciting after watching us work all afternoon, but Papa always has something new up his sleeve for them.
The next morning we motored up the channel, not catching any fish or spotting any crocs, so the kids were a bit ho-hum about it all but did enjoy a spot of steering.
Approaching the cyclone-damaged and near-derelict Hinchinbrook Marina, I knew that the big boat would be a tight squeeze in the unknown conditions there, so we anchored offshore and all piled into the dinghy to go and meet their Mum. Which was quite sensible it seemed, until, in the middle of the marina, and fifty metres from the bank, the dinghy ran aground in soft, black, slimy mud, with just a foot of water covering it.
So, with their Mum looking on aghast from the shore, we finally made it to the bank after half an hour of fruitless paddling and trying to run the motor through the horrible black goop.
But that wasn't the end of the adventure for Paul and myself. Once the kids were safely back ashore we headed out again, through the narrow entrance channel to the marina, and there was a GREAT BIG CROCODILE stretched out on the mudbank. He looked me in the eye and slid into the water and directly under the dinghy, while I tightened the sphincter valve and twisted the throttle. Gently. Until we were in clean water, and then we ZOOMED out of the river and clambered aboard into the relative safety of our big Cat.
The next night we were into the old sugar port of Mourilyn, which is the kind of place you'd really EXPECT to see crocodiles. Anchored amongst the mangroves, we spotlighted the mud banks at night but didn't see any suspicious slithery critters.
And out of there in the morning, into a blustery wind and the run up to Cairns, passing the HMAS Adelaide, an Australian warship on exercises, on the way.
But it was back to work for me, as the countdown begins for the Indonesia trip. The work list can't be ignored, and gradually gets done. New house batteries, engine servicing, a haul out for antifouling at the sandfly-and crocodile ridden Coconut Slipway up the river, and dozens of other small jobs that scream for attention.
Paul Rogers, from "Moor R&R" volunteered to help take the boat up the river, which was great. There was one little "moment" though when he fell through the deck trampolines as we were coming into the slip. Very dramatic, very lucky that he scrambled up through them before he hit the ugly slipway trolley below. A bit funny, too, because we'd been talking about my new tramps (coming from France) just a few minutes before.
Paul and Kath were moored out front in the river, as they were due to come out as soon as I was finished. So we helped each other with shifting the boats around, which involved a few dinghy runs up and down the river...spotting a croc on one occasion, but not the 5 metre monster which lives by the slipway.
And my final trial at the slip came when I re-launched, and one just-serviced engine failed to pump cooling water through. The mechanic had forgotten to open the seawater inlet!
No harm done though, and we were eventually back to the comfort of the marina and amongst the growing fleet preparing for the Indonesian rally. Over thirty boats, with their crews all running around town and working through their "to-do" lists, as we are too. In earnest.
So that's the blog done for the moment...briefings on the trip start tomorrow, and I'm sweating on my new trampolines arriving on time. We've been meeting some of our fellow expeditioners and everyone's helping one another out.
The excitement's building....


text:
Ransomware Attack Strikes Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus
The Pennsylvania State Democratic Caucus has taken its computer systems temporarily offline following a ransomware attack.
According to PennLive, the caucus discovered the attack early in the morning on 3 March. Offices remained open throughout the day. Even so, members and employees alike couldn't access systems or data because the ransomware had spread throughout the network.
Caucus spokeswoman Stacey Witalec confirmed that IT professionals had not restored the affected systems as of 5:15 pm in the afternoon on 3 March. As of this writing, the website remains down. Visiting pasenate.com, the caucus's website, yields only an "Error establishing a database connection" message.
The attack has prompted the state attorney general to get involved. Joe Grace, spokesman for Attorney General Josh Shapiro, confirmed as much in the evening on 3 March. He said Shapiro "spoke with [Caucus] Leader [Senator Jay] Costa this afternoon and the office is looking into the cyber-attack, which we take very seriously."
At this time, there's no evidence to suggest the ransomware compromised any caucus data or targeted Senate Democrats specifically. The FBI is scheduled to begin investigating the infection to verify those claims.
This infection is not the first time ransomware has struck local government bodies.
In late January 2017, a police department based in Texas suffered an attack at the hands of a computer virus known as "Osiris," which might be referring to a Locky ransomware variant of the same name. The ransomware encrypted Microsoft Office documents along with photographs and video files and demanded $4,000 in ransom. The police department ultimately decided not to pay the ransom despite not having copies of some of the affected videos and photographs.
Approximately one week later, an Ohio county suspended its IT system after ransomware infected more than a thousand computers in its government center. The attack didn't halt all county business. But it did restrict employees and officials with limited computer availability.
These infections highlight the need for organizations to invest in ransomware prevention strategies. Companies should also create a robust data backup strategy just in case they suffer an infection.


text:
The women's basketball team returns to the court this Friday against Holy Cross with high expectations after one of its finest campaigns in recent memory.
A second-place Ivy League finish, a first-ever trip to the Women's National Invitation Tournament and a season sweep of Harvard set the stage for this year's team, which returns four starters and adds a trio of freshmen to replace the two graduated seniors. To take the Ivy title this year, the team will have to get past defending champions the Tigers and six other strong teams that make up what head coach Chris Gobrecht said "is likely the to be the strongest Ivy League ever."
"The tough thing is that everybody in the bottom half of the league improved because they didn't lose anyone and everybody in the top half added very good new players," Gobrecht said.
The Tigers are favored as champions this year, according to a preseason poll in which Princeton was ranked first in 14 of 17 votes by a panel of Ivy League media directors and women's basketball sports information directors. The panel predicted Yale would finish third while Harvard came in second.
Gobrecht, who is entering her seventh season as head coach at Yale, begins the year only 13 wins shy of 500 career victories. Gobrecht said she is confident in her team's ability to win the title.
"Our depth is much better this year." she said. "We are faster, more aggressive and more versatile, and our guard play is stronger."
She added that the returning players have all improved as well.
The Bulldogs offense will rely this year on guard Megan Vasquez '13, who was named first-team All-Ivy last season after averaging 13.6 points and 3.5 rebounds a game for the year.
Other returning starters,forwards Janna Graf '14 and Michelle Cashen '12, the team's captain, will help lead the team through a tough nonconference and Ivy League schedule this year, Gobrecht said.
Graf was one of three unanimous choices among the Ivy League to the 2010-'11 rookie team last year after she averaged 9.3 points per game, and Cashen was named All-Ivy Honorable Mention and led the Bulldogs in rebounding with 6.6 rebounds per game.
Last spring, the team graduated its second leading rebounder and scorer Mady Gobrecht '11, the coach's daughter, as well as captain Yoyo Greenfield '11. Gobrecht said the Bulldogs will try to make up for these losses with a talented cast of freshmen who she said will all see court time at the beginning of the season.
"[The freshmen] are adapting to our style of play very well," Cashen said. "We play a fast-paced style of basketball and the coach subs us in and out of games very quickly, so they will definitely play a big role this year."
The nonconference schedule highlights include a rematch with No. 14 Florida State on Dec. 28. The Bulldogs defeated the Seminoles last year, the first victory over a ranked opponent in the team's history. On Nov. 22, the team will travel to Baylor to face the No. 1 Bears.
Graf said playing difficult teams helps the players improve individually and as a team.
"These games are very important because they help us establish an identity as a team," she said. "We're not necessarily looking to make every shot, but to get better every game that we play."
Gobrecht added that the game against Baylor poses a unique opportunity to test themselves against the highest level of women's college basketball.
"We've never played a team at the level of Baylor, but our players choose Yale for a variety of reasons which are not always limited to basketball," she said. "This game will give them an opportunity to see 'What if?' and see the level of competition they might have faced elsewhere."
But Cashen said the team is going to approach this game as it does every other match despite the challenge.
She added that for now the Elis are thinking about Holy Cross.
"In the meantime, we're focusing on our first game and are going to take this season one game at a time."
Tip-off is slated for this Friday at 7 p.m.


text:
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame has started an important preservation project and we need your help to complete it. Discovered rolled in paper tubes and hidden away on shelves were 120 panoramic and oversized photographs. These photographs date between 1919 and 1957 – rodeo's golden age. They feature some of rodeo's earliest superstars – Jim Shoulders, Casey Tibbs, Gene Autry, and many more. With your help, we can continue the Hall's mission to bring rodeo's history into the present.
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame received a Save America's Treasures grant from the National Parks Service in 2019. This $95,500 matching-funds grant will allow the Hall to conserve these photographs. The Hall must raise an additional $95,500 to meet the requirements of the grant. Every dollar you donate will be matched by federal funds. This means that your contribution will make twice the impact.
Three photographs have been completed so far. They are from the 1953 Madison Square Garden Rodeo, the 1923 Madison Square Garden Rodeo, and the 1919 Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo. Each of these photographs has received top-notch treatment. They have been humidified, flattened, cleaned, mended, stabilized, retouched and digitized. For the first time in many years, these photographs can safely be studied and displayed.
To date the Hall has raised $45,500 toward our goal! We still have further to go and need your generosity to get us there. If you would like more information about this project, contact Megan Winterfeldt at (719) 528-4754. Or click the button at the right to donate.
Conservation of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame Panoramic and Oversized Photograph Collection is being supported in part by a Federal Save America's Treasures grant administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. To learn more about IMLS, visit www.imls.gov.


text:
A surety bond or surety is a promise by a surety or guarantor usually an Insurance Company to pay one party (the obligee) mostly City, State or federal of a government agency a certain amount if a second party (the principal)Usually the Business person fails to meet some obligation, such as fulfilling the terms of a contract. Or obligations.
When you are Bonded, you actually shows to the Public that you are a law abiding person, ethical, licensed, follow all the rules and conduct of your profession .That you are an outstanding citizen, your bond is a proof that you have good will towards the public and you are a responsible business
Powered by Insurance Website Builder


text:
From Scoobie-Doo to Rugrats to the Beatles Saturday morning cartoon, Ron Campbell has had a long, successful career in animation.
Now in retirement, Campbell creates and showcases pop art painting based on his beloved cartoons, which he will be bringing to Beatnik Studios in Sacramento.
Campbell joins Insight to discuss his career and share some of his incredible art work.


text:
December | 2019
The Prime Leading Real Estate Brands
The Prime Leading Real Estate Brands features,
The Enterprise World, a business magazine, a platform for all the master business minds to share their stories of success, releases their issues.
The Prime Leading Real Estate Brands features the stories companies that are turning people's realty dreams to reality and are widely appreciated for the quality offerings and services.
Featuring for the Cover Story is Olympeo Infrastructure. Founded in 2013, Olympeo is spearheaded by IIT and IIM alumnus having a combined experience of developing and executing realty projects spanning over 10 million square feet.
Olympeo Infrastructure has its core competencies in Design, Planning, Quality and Timely Execution of Project. In addition, the company uses technology to offer all the comprehensive real estate management and maintenance solutions to its customer.
Originally from Rajasthan the Neotia family has been an integral part of Kolkata's business scenario for nearly 120 years.
Ambuja Neotia today has progressed beyond just housing, nurturing the domains of realty (residential, retail and commercial), Hospitality (resorts, hotels, clubs and restaurants), healthcare (super-speciality hospitals, fertility clinics), education and Start-up incubation.
Headquartered in Bangalore, the IT capital and fastest growing city in India, Indiassetz operates as a boutique family office advising clients on how to create and manage real estate wealth.
Led by a team of highly skilled and qualified senior ex-bankers from Standard Chartered Bank, Indiassetz pioneered organised real estate services in India. Drawing on their extensive experience in the banking and financial industry, the team, led by Shivam Sinha – CEO, operates on the four key tenets of trust, convenience, expertise and technology.
This mirrors the disciplined approach adopted by banks and financial institutions in management of cash and financial wealth thereby inspiring high levels of confidence among clients.
SareStates Realty Advisors is a brain child of a great visionary & an able leader Mr. Amit Choudhury who has been nurturing the brand since its inception in 2010.
What makes SareStates unique from others is their focus on rational balance between Residential, Commercial & Industrial sales along with Mortgages.
They intend to become an integrated execution platform which offers builders to acquire, fund, construct and sell; which makes us to stand unique from their competitors.
Pin Click which is started back in 2014 is all about simplifying the home search for the customer. Mr Manik Kinra, Co-Founder of Pin Click helping people to search, view and move into their new homes. Pin click deals in advising properties that are most suitable for customer's residential and investment needs.
They try to execute things better by using technology tools which enable the property advisors to give better solutions to the customer and help him make his decision better & faster.
A young graduate civil engineer, Shri Dilip Bharade in his early thirties, driven by a passion of starting something of his own, with no financial backing and family legacy, clueless but confident, shaped some vivid concepts and pictures at his heart and waited for his opportunity which came in the year 1989 when a small piece of land well negotiated in a barter, to commence the Raghukul Constructions in his mother's name Nalini Bharade.
To make dreams turn into reality, Vasupujya Corporation provides modern homes with amenities that promote a better community living at affordable prices.
Founded by Mr. Suresh Ajmera in 1980, Vasupujya Corporation has developed more than 1000 homes across Pune and Mumbai and still counting.


text:
About aquaculture in NT
Aquaculture is the farming of fish, plants and other organisms that live in fresh or sea water.
Read more about the species used for aquaculture in the Northern Territory.
You must have a licence to run any kind of aquaculture business.
No matter how big your operation is, you must get a licence if you do any of the following:
- farm, breed, culture, or keep live fish or aquatic life for sale or aquaculture purposes - whether they are sold or used, live or dead - or to exhibit any of them for profit
- sell live aquatic life, live fish, or any live eggs, fry, spat, or larva of fish.
Types of licence
There are two types of aquaculture licence, based on the size of the operation:
- an ornamental aquaculture licence is suitable for small-scale aquarium hobbyists who want to breed and sell their fish, aquatic plants and invertebrates. The facility must hold less than 10,000 litres of water. Read more about how to apply for an ornamental aquaculture licence.
- a commercial aquaculture licence is for larger scale commercial facilities with a total water volume of more than 10,000 litres. Read more about how to apply for a commercial aquaculture licence.
Research and industry support
Read below to find out about research and development programs and how to get support for your aquaculture business.
Darwin Aquaculture Centre
The Darwin Aquaculture Centre runs research and development programs for aquaculture businesses in the NT.
The centre is currently researching ways to farm black-lipped oysters, giant clams, and sea cucumbers.
NT Fisheries
The aquaculture branch of NT Fisheries can provide all of the following services to your business:
- planning, including finding suitable sites and looking after the environment
- advice to investors including how to reach a range of government agencies
- aquatic animal health advice, together with the Berrimah Veterinary Laboratories.
Aquaculture branch staff are in regular contact with licence holders.
Useful publications
You can get a number of publications from the Darwin Aquaculture Centre, including those listed below:
- NT barramundi farming handbook PDF (1.7 MB)
- Recirculating marine aquaculture systems PDF (5.3 MB)
- Is the use of fishmeal and fish oil in aquaculture diets sustainable PDF (152.6 KB)
Indigenous aquaculture
The Darwin Aquaculture Centre works with other agencies on aquaculture projects for Indigenous communities.
The centre is running trials for sea cucumbers, giant clams and oysters.
If your Aboriginal community wants to start an aquaculture project, you should contact NT Fisheries on (08) 8999 2144.
Before you start
You will need a lot of skills and knowledge to work in aquaculture.
You should do thorough research and training before starting a new venture.
Last updated: 19 July 2016
Give feedback about this page.
Share this page:URL copied!


text:
Import PVC prices to India and Turkey have been steadily firming up since mid November last year in line with the global upward trend, as per the pricing service of ChemOrbis. Nevertheless, buying interest towards these rising import offers has been limited, particularly in recent weeks because buyers have shifted their attention to the local market, where they are able to find more competitive offers.
Although firming import prices should pave the way for higher local prices, distributors appear to have started to give away discounts in order to entice sales, proving the complaints about subdued demand. The graph below created by the ChemOrbis Price Wizard clearly reveals the fact that Turkey's local PVC market has been retreating inch by inch since the beginning of this year regardless of the gradually firming import prices. The local market has completely lost its premium over imports after including the applicable customs duties and antidumping duties, providing more competitive prices for prompt materials to Turkish buyers.
According to some sellers in Turkey, these lower prices in the local market are stemming from the liquidity issues, which force some distributors to sell below their replenishment costs. One buyer said, "We purchased 800 tons from the local market and may purchase another 500 tons next week. We are not searching for import cargoes nowadays." Another large buyer said, "We find local materials to be more competitive and we continue to purchase when we find attractive prices."
A similar picture is being drawn in India. A trader based in Ahmedabad said, "The locally held cargoes are being offered at more competitive levels these days. That's why, I prefer to meet my requirements from the local market for reselling purposes." He also underscored that at least 70% of Indian buyers are unwilling to buy import cargoes if offered above $1050/ton CIF India.
A Tokyo based trader who is making offers to China, India and several Southeast Asian countries said, "We received bids from our Indian customers at $1050/ton, standing $10-20/ton below our offers." A Delhi based trader also told ChemOrbis, "The offers in the local market are stable this week while import offers are too high for us to accept. The overall slowness of demand is stemming from poor end product markets. Many buyers are either buying their minimum requirements or remaining on the sidelines."


text:
Have you got a cycling challenge in mind for 2018? A clear and specific goal, like a cycling challenge, can help you stay motivated and keep on top of your training. If you've not yet set a goal for the New Year, take a look at our cycling challenges for 2018. We've added a range of events for different abilities, so you're sure to find the perfect inspiration.
When: Sunday 17th June
Where: Friden, The Peak District
Price: From £50
If you have a pre-1987 bike that's sat in your garage gathering dust, get it out, clean it up and sign up for Eroica Britannia. This quirky event - named as the world's most handsome bike ride - offers challenging Peak District terrain, add to that the significantly heavier frames of bikes of old and you have a tough challenge for any beginner cyclist.
When: Sunday 12th August
Where: Thirsk, Yorkshire
Price: From £31
Taking on your first sportive in 2018? Why not choose one which makes you feel like a pro? On the Wiggle Yorkshire Tour you'll be riding through some of the best scenery Yorkshire has to offer and you'll take in parts of the Tour de France's 'Grand Depart' so you can truly see what the pro's contend with during the Tour.
3. Grinduro
When: Saturday 15th July
Where: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Price: TBC
Grinduro is a new type of bike race, which has come across from America after the rise in popularity of the 'Gravel Grinder' format. The course is 60 miles, so not for the feint hearted, but the festival atmosphere will make up for it once you've finished the challenge.
4. Track accreditation
When: Courses run throughout the year
Where: National Cycling Centre Manchester, Lee Valley Velopark London, Derby Arena, Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome Glasgow and Wales National Velodrome Newport
Price: Varies by location
If you've been cycling for a while, make 2018 the year you try something new and get accredited on the track. Accreditation allows you to ride structured quality training (SQT) sessions and take part in track leagues.
When: TBC
Where: Grasmere, The Lake District
Price: TBC
The Fred Whitton Challenge has been a firm favourite amongst cyclists for years. The 112 mile route takes in some of the toughest terrain in the UK, including epic climbs like Hardknott Pass.
When: Sunday 1st July
Where: Edinburgh, Scotland
Price: From £220
When you have been riding for a while it's easy for things to become repetitive. You ride out with the club at the weekend and complete your structured training during the week. If you're stuck in a repetitive cycle and you're losing motivation, mix things up this new year by signing up for something completely new like Ironman 70.3 Edinburgh, which will see you cycling through the Lothians.
7. Maserati Haute Route Norway
When: 3rd - 5th August 2018
Where: Stavanger region, Norway
Price: From NOK 7450
Following the success of their 3-day concept, launched in 2017, Haute Route are expanding their challenge list to bring you an epic event offering the most beautiful (and most challenging) terrain in Europe.
8. RideLondon
When: Sunday 29th July
Where: London
Price: From £69
If 2018 is the year you are going for a century, there's no better even than RideLondon 100. On closed roads, you'll ride the routes made famous in the London 2012 Olympics including classics like Box Hill. If you want to enter, you'll need to hurry, as ballots close on 5th January.
When: 4th - 8th March
Where: Cape Winelands, South Africa
Price: From £999
This 5-day tour of the Cape Winelands takes in the stunning scenery of South Africa. Don't be fooled by the relaxed atmosphere though, as this serious event will have you riding as a peloton at average speeds of approximately 18mph. There's also the option of seeded entry into the Cape Town Cycle Tour, to finish your event in style.
10. Haute Route Alps
When: 26th August - 1st September
Where: French Alps
Price: From €1595
The Haute Route is a series of events dubbed the 'highest and toughest cyclosportives in the world' and the Haute Route Alps does not disappoint. During this 7-day epic you'll take on 20,000m of climbs as you weave your way through one of Europe's greatest cycling playgrounds. You'll truly experience what it means to 'ride like a pro'.


text:
Yesterday I chatted with Brendan, a Democrat Abroad volunteer living in Sydney. I started proceedings by giving 'ol John McCain a friendly back-hander before we moved onto the Democrats absentee voting campaign and Sydney's strong support for Obama.
(apologies for the variable technical quality in Part B due to the so-called 'Harbour Bridge road surface'. But really, it's a lame excuse so I've sacked my useless production team to ensure standards are maintained for next week's inaugural Cabpoll Face-Off
UPDATE: Brendan would also like to notify any American expats and others interested in US politics that Democrats Abroad offer a range of services, resources and contacts in addition to balloting and registration information. You're welcome to visit their website.


text:
A Guide to Making the Move
There are many reasons you might want to change which bank you do business with. It could be that you're unhappy with the service, you're tired of their fees, or that a different bank can offer different features that are a better fit for your organization. However, even when people are dissatisfied with their current bank, they're often reluctant to move because of how difficult it seems.
It doesn't have to be though. Here's some simple and straightforward steps about how you can make changing your your bank an easy process:
Identify automatic credits and debits
Look at what automatically hits your account regularly and create a list. These are the important accounts to update first. Anything that's handled manually should be easier to update.
Open your new account update your information
Once you have your new account open, you'll have a routing number and an account number that you can begin to use. Go through your list from the first step and update this information.
Use the Bank's resources to make the move easier
A good bank should be ready and willing to help you orchestrate the move. Check with the bank you're going to and find out what types of resources are available for you to use. Oftentimes there will be guides or kits designed to make things easier.
Watch to see when you can close your old account
Once you've moved everything over, you still want to wait for at least a month to make sure that everything has been moved over. Two months is an even safer method. You have to make sure that no one is still charging your old account, or, even worse, that someone is still trying to pay you at the old account. Once you see all of them show up on the newer account, you should be ready to close the old one.
Of course, we offer a switch kit that can be used to help people moving their bank account over as easy as possible. It includes checklists, important contact information for direct deposits, a direct payment/direct deposit change request form, and even a form to send to your old bank. If you have any questions, we're happy to help. You can find the kit here: