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The latest on the US-Iran crisis
By Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes, Veronica Rocha, Fernando Alfonso III and Jack Guy, CNN
Updated 9:33 a.m. ET, January 10, 2020
What we know so far
Today: The US House of Representatives is expected to take up legislation that could restrain President Trump's ability to launch military action against Iran.
The US-Iran crisis: After the US killed a top Iranian general last week, Iran struck back, launching strikes on Iraqi bases housing US troops.
Where things stand now: Trump responded by promising more sanctions, signaling a de-escalation of the worst tensions between the two countries in years — at least for the moment.
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8:38 p.m. ET, January 9, 2020
Trump apparently furious over war powers vote, sources say
From CNN"s Kaitlan Collins
President Trump is said to be furious over the House vote on the Iran War Powers resolution, according to multiple people who have spoken with him.
About the vote: The House voted earlier tonight to approve a resolution aimed at restraining the President's ability to use military action against Iran without congressional approval.
The vote was 224-194. Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Francis Rooney of Florida crossed party lines to vote in favor while Democratic Reps. Max Rose of New York, Ben McAdams of Utah, Anthony Brindisi of New York, Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, Elaine Luria of Virginia, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Kendra Horn of Oklahoma and Stephanie Murphy of Florida voted against the resolution.
Trump claims Soleimani planned attacks on "multiple embassies"
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal
President Trump claimed tonight that Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was planning attacks on multiple US embassies.
"Soleimani was actively planning new attacks, and he was looking very seriously at our embassies, and not just the embassy in Baghdad," Trump said. "But we stopped him, and we stopped him quickly, and we stopped him cold."
The President said earlier that Soleimani was "looking to blow up our embassy." A senior defense official said later Thursday the US had intelligence that there was a plot to attack the embassy involving explosives, one of multiple plots that Soleimani was working on prior to the US targeting him in a drone strike.
Fact-checking Trump's claims on the Iran deal
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Criticizing the Iran deal negotiated under the Obama administration, President Trump made two false claims at his rally in Ohio tonight.
Here's what he said:
"The Obama administration enabled and emboldened the Iranian regime," Trump said. "They gave Iran $150 billion including $1.7 billion in hard cold cash.
Facts First: The "$150 billion" Trump referenced was not US government money but actually Iranian money frozen in foreign financial institutions because of sanctions – and experts say the total was significantly lower than $150 billion.
The Obama administration did send Iran $1.7 billion to settle a decades-old dispute over a purchase of US military goods Iran made before its government was overthrown in the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
"Iran nuclear deal financed Iranian aggression while allowing a quick path to nuclear breakout," Trump said. He added, "And by the way it expires so soon."
Facts First: Some central provisions of the nuclear agreement with Iran, which was signed in 2015, were written to expire in the next 10 to 15 years. But the deal as a whole – including a blanket prohibition on Iran developing nuclear weapons – was written to continue in perpetuity.
You can read more on Trump's false claims about Iran here.
Pompeo does not mention plot to blow up embassy when describing planned attacks
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made no mention of a plan to "blow up" the US Embassy in Baghdad in an interview today, instead referring to the intelligence community assessment that it was "a big attack."
"It was going to be against the United States of America, likely in the region. We can't say much more than that, but the American people should know there was an attack. It was in the planning stages, but we had seen Qasem Soleimani be able to deliver on this kind of plan before," he said on "The Ben Shapiro Show."
Asked about the imminence of the attacks, Pompeo said they saw "days and weeks where the next set of plots was being planned, so this was right on top of us, and this opportunity was fleeting."
Earlier today: President Trump said that the Iranians were planning to "blow up our embassy." Trump's statement was backed up by a senior defense official today who said the US had intelligence about multiple plots and threats involving Soleimani, including one that involved a plan to attack the embassy using explosives.
Neither official provided more details about the plot and earlier today, administration officials had explained Trump's comments about the plot to blow up the US embassy by saying he was referring to the public demonstrations by Khatib Hezbollah.
Trump calls response to the US embassy attack "the anti-Benghazi"
From CNN's Allie Malloy
President Trump touted the response to the US Embassy attack as the "anti-Benghazi" at a rally in Ohio tonight.
"This was the anti-Benghazi. We got there very quickly," Trump said to the audience. "We did it exactly the opposite of Benghazi."
Trump added: "Had they broken the final plate of glass, there would have been hundreds of deaths."
The President began his comments referring to Iran's Qasem Soleimani as a "sadistic mass murderer" who brought "death destruction and mayhem" to the world.
"He's no longer a terror — he's dead," Trump said.
"If you threaten our citizens, you do so at your own great peril," Trump said earlier in the rally.
White House on Iran War Powers resolution: "These congressional actions are completely misguided"
The White House just issued a statement on the House passing a War Powers resolution tonight, calling the action "completely misguided."
The resolution is aimed at restraining the President's ability to use military action against Iran without congressional approval.
"The President has the right and duty to protect this nation and our citizens from terrorism. That's what he continues to do, and the world is safer for it," deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said.
Gidley continued: "This House resolution tries to undermine the ability of the U.S. Armed Forces to prevent terrorist activity by Iran and its proxies, and attempts to hinder the President's authority to protect America and our interests in the region from the continued threats. These Congressional actions are completely misguided. In fact, this ridiculous resolution is just another political move because, under well-established Supreme Court precedent, it's non-binding and lacks the force of law."
"President Trump's decision to strike Qasem Soleimani, the world's leading terrorist, was the right course of action and authorized under his constitutional powers as commander in chief and chief executive as well as the 2002 authorization for use of military force," Gidley added.
House approves Iran War Powers resolution to limit military action against Iran
From CNN's Clare Foran, Haley Byrd an Holmes Lybrand
House TV
The House of Representatives have approved the Iran War Powers resolution.
The vote was 224 to 194.
The resolution is aimed at restraining the President's ability to use military action against Iran without congressional approval.
Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz, Thomas Massie and Francis Rooney crossed party lines to vote in favor while Democratic Reps. Max Rose, Ben McAdams, Anthony Brindisi, Joe Cunningham, Elaine Luria, Josh Gottheimer, Kendra Horn and Stephanie Murphy voted against the resolution.
Now that the resolution has passed the House, it will go to the Senate next.
What you need to know about the resolution: The structure of the House resolution is unique, however, calling into question whether it is actually legally binding. It was introduced as a concurrent resolution, a type of resolution often used for "sense of Congress" bills. They don't go to the President for a signature, and they aren't legally binding.
But House Democrats are arguing that concurrent resolutions under the War Powers Act are a special case, and they are legally binding. Republicans, however, say the resolution is not binding.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst and freshman Democrat, is the sponsor of the resolution, which calls on the President "to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran" unless Congress declares war or enacts "specific statutory authorization" for the use of armed forces.
US had intel that Soleimani plotted to attack its embassy with explosives, defense official says
From CNN's Ryan Browne
People hold posters showing the portrait of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Major General Qasem Soleimani and chant slogans during a protest outside the US Consulate on Jan. 5 in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images
A senior defense official this afternoon sought to explain what President Trump meant when he said there was intelligence that Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was looking to blow up a US embassy.
Speaking to reporters, the senior defense official said the US had intelligence that there was a plot to attack the embassy involving explosives, one of multiple plots that Soleimani was working on prior to the US targeting him in a drone strike.
The plot was separate and more sophisticated than the attempts to storm the embassy by Molotov-cocktail wielding Khatib Hezbollah members and its supporters.
The official would not provide any additional details on the plot citing the sensitivity of the intelligence.
Earlier today: Administration officials explained Trump's comments about the plot to "blow up" the US embassy, saying he was referring to the public demonstrations by Khatib Hezbollah.
The officials have not explained why there is a discrepancy.
Iraqi investigators are pursuing a "spy network" that may have leaked information to US on Soleimani
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Jomana Karadsheh in Baghdad
Iraqi authorities this week have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the US strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and a top Iraqi paramilitary figure in a US strike last week, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.
The two sources spoke with CNN on the condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
Investigators are pursuing what they suspect is a "spy network" believed to have leaked information and details of Soleimani's movements to the US.
The Iraqi investigators believe that the suspected leaked information was key to the US operation that killed Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), which is an umbrella group of Iranian backed Shia paramilitary groups.
The investigation headed by Faleh al-Fayadh, Iraq's national security adviser and head of the PMU, has focused on questioning security personnel at Baghdad International Airport, where the strike took place last Friday.
"Several security personnel, mainly those who were monitoring CCTV security cameras on the day Soleimani was killed, were questioned by the investigation committee yesterday [Wednesday]," one of the two sources said.
No known arrests have been made so far, but the investigation is ongoing, the sources said.
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Missing Dementia Patient Found Dead In Power Plant Stairwell
A woman who was found dead Wednesday in a stairwell of a power plant at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital had dementia and vanished from a nearby mental health facility 10 days ago.
SAN FRANCISCO — A woman who was found dead Wednesday in a stairwell of a power plant at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital had dementia and vanished from a nearby mental health facility 10 days ago, her daughter said.
A staff member found the body at about 1 p.m. The county medical examiner's office identified the woman as Ruby Andersen, 75. An autopsy was pending.
"I don't know how she died," her daughter, Charlene Roberts, told KRON-TV .
Hospital spokeswoman Rachael Kagan said the woman was not a patient at San Francisco General but noted that there were other facilities on the same campus operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. They include the 47-bed Mental Health Rehabilitation Center.
Andersen was found in a stairwell of a power plant that is across the street from the main hospital campus. That building is usually is locked and only accessible to maintenance workers, Kagan said.
Roberts, who gave her mother's age as 76, said the woman had dementia and two hearing aids and went missing May 20 from a mental health facility.
"We almost hired a private investigator" to look for her, Roberts said.
Five years ago, the body of a missing patient was found in a stairwell at the same hospital, more than two weeks after a patient disappeared from her room.
An autopsy determined that 57-year-old Lynne Spalding had been dead for several days before her body was found in a stairwell that was supposed to be routinely checked by security.
The San Francisco Sheriff's Department, which is responsible for the hospital's security, paid Spalding's family $3 million to settle a legal claim.
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An Overview of Workflow Management: From Process Modeling to Workflow Automation Infrastructure
by Diimitrios Georgakopoulos, Mark Hornick, Amit Sheth - DISTRIBUTED AND PARALLEL DATABASES , 1995
"... Today's business enterprises must deal with global competition, reduce the cost of doing business, and rapidly develop new services and products. To address these requirements enterprises must constantly reconsider and optimize the way they do business and change their information systems and appl ..."
commercial workflow technology and extend the scope and mission of workflow management systems to support increased workflow automation in complex real-world environments involving heterogeneous, autonomous, and distributed information systems. In particular, we discuss how distributed object management
Workflow management promises a new solution to an age-old problem: controlling, monitoring, optimizing and supporting business processes. What is new about workflow management is the explicit representation of the business process logic which allows for computerized support. This paper discusses
Taverna: A tool for the composition and enactment of bioinformatics workflows
by Tom Oinn, Matthew Addis, Justin Ferris, Darren Marvin, Tim Carver, Matthew R. Pocock, Anil Wipat - Bioinformatics , 2004
"... *To whom correspondence should be addressed. Running head: Composing and enacting workflows using Taverna Motivation: In silico experiments in bioinformatics involve the co-ordinated use of computational tools and information repositories. A growing number of these resources are being made available ..."
available with programmatic access in the form of Web services. Bioinformatics scientists will need to orchestrate these Web services in workflows as part of their analyses. Results: The Taverna project has developed a tool for the composition and enactment of bioinformatics workflows for the life sciences
Bigtable is a distributed storage system for managing structured data that is designed to scale to a very large size: petabytes of data across thousands of commodity servers. Many projects at Google store data in Bigtable, including web indexing, Google Earth, and Google Finance. These applications
by LEONARD KLEINROCK , 1985
"... Growth of distributed systems has attained unstoppable momentum. If we better understood how to think about, analyze, and design distributed systems, we could direct their implementation with more confidence. ..."
Growth of distributed systems has attained unstoppable momentum. If we better understood how to think about, analyze, and design distributed systems, we could direct their implementation with more confidence.
Power-law distributions in empirical data
by Aaron Clauset, Cosma Rohilla Shalizi, M. E. J. Newman - ISSN 00361445. doi: 10.1137/ 070710111. URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1137/070710111 , 2009
"... Power-law distributions occur in many situations of scientific interest and have significant consequences for our understanding of natural and man-made phenomena. Unfortunately, the empirical detection and characterization of power laws is made difficult by the large fluctuations that occur in the t ..."
estimates for power-law data, based on maximum likelihood methods and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic. We also show how to tell whether the data follow a power-law distribution at all, defining quantitative measures that indicate when the power law is a reasonable fit to the data and when it is not. We
The Data Grid: Towards an Architecture for the Distributed Management and Analysis of Large Scientific Datasets
by Ann Chervenak , Ian Foster, Carl Kesselman, Charles Salisbury, Steven Tuecke - JOURNAL OF NETWORK AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS , 1999
"... In an increasing number of scientific disciplines, large data collections are emerging as important community resources. In this paper, we introduce design principles for a data management architecture called the Data Grid. We describe two basic services that we believe are fundamental to the des ..."
In an increasing number of scientific disciplines, large data collections are emerging as important community resources. In this paper, we introduce design principles for a data management architecture called the Data Grid. We describe two basic services that we believe are fundamental
Models and issues in data stream systems
by Brian Babcock, Shivnath Babu, Mayur Datar, Rajeev Motwani, Jennifer Widom - IN PODS , 2002
"... In this overview paper we motivate the need for and research issues arising from a new model of data processing. In this model, data does not take the form of persistent relations, but rather arrives in multiple, continuous, rapid, time-varying data streams. In addition to reviewing past work releva ..."
In this overview paper we motivate the need for and research issues arising from a new model of data processing. In this model, data does not take the form of persistent relations, but rather arrives in multiple, continuous, rapid, time-varying data streams. In addition to reviewing past work
The Amoeba Distributed Operating System
by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Gregory J. Sharp, De Boelelaan A , 1992
"... INTRODUCTION Roughly speaking, we can divide the history of modern computing into the following eras: d 1970s: Timesharing (1 computer with many users) d 1980s: Personal computing (1 computer per user) d 1990s: Parallel computing (many computers per user) Until about 1980, computers were huge, e ..."
people's computers or share files in various (often ad hoc) ways. Nowadays some systems have many processors per user, either in the form of a parallel computer or a large collection of CPUs shared by a small user community. Such systems are usually called parallel or distributed computer systems
The process group approach to reliable distributed computing
by Kenneth P. Birman - Communications of the ACM , 1993
"... The difficulty of developing reliable distributed softwme is an impediment to applying distributed computing technology in many settings. Expeti _ with the Isis system suggests that a structured approach based on virtually synchronous _ groups yields systems that are substantially easier to develop, ..."
The difficulty of developing reliable distributed softwme is an impediment to applying distributed computing technology in many settings. Expeti _ with the Isis system suggests that a structured approach based on virtually synchronous _ groups yields systems that are substantially easier to develop


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Labour department undermined 'meaningful' national minimum wage package
The Department of Labour "ignored the letter or spirit of decisions taken by the Labour Portfolio Committee" when it came to processing the three labour laws recently passed by the National Assembly.
Labour expert Gilad Isaacs of Wits University's National Minimum Wage Research Initiative says the triad of labour laws currently before the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) awaiting concurrence, and which appear well on their way to becoming law, are disappointing in a number of key respects.
Isaacs says that the NCOP offers a final opportunity to amend the Bills to "ensure they offer maximum protection to workers and a strong, independent and well-resourced Commission to oversee this critical policy intervention."
The National Minimum Wage Bill and further amendments to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and Labour Relations Act were passed by the National Assembly on 29 May. Isaacs argues that the Department selectively presented issues raised by stakeholders to the parliamentary Committee in a way that skewed the outcomes of Committee decision-making.
The Department of Labour used the parliamentary process to "advance its own preferred outcomes".
He also believes the Department "ignored critical concerns raised by the public and social partners, [and] thereby undermining the ability of the Committee to conduct a balanced engagement on the Bills before them".
Although the Bills have already gone quite a distance down the legislative road, the Wits research initiative felt it was important to point out how the Department had used the parliamentary process to "advance its own preferred outcomes".
Concerning his chief focus, which is the national minimum wage (NMW), Isaacs say that the Department "sidelined" aspects of the February 2017 Nedlac agreement in a way that effectively weakened the protections that a NMW was supposed to provide.
The proposed legislation, he says, reflects a Committee decision to permit the NMW Commission to update existing sectoral determinations (SDs) and institute new ones, but only after strong resistance by the Department that led to these reforms being watered down.
For example, the Bill does not stipulate that regular reviews of SDs must be undertaken, as was mandated for the NMW. Section 51(3) of the amended Basic Conditions of Employment Act stipulates that SD wages must increase proportionally to adjust to the NMW, indicating a preference by the Department for these not to be reviewed and altered independently.
It will also not be up to the Commission to initiate the process of creating a new SD. While, Isaacs argues that it is appropriate for the Minister to institute a new SD, the Bill also leaves it to the Minister to determine when investigation and research is needed into the creation a new SD, "thus potentially limiting the institution of new SDs.
"This undermines the Commission's ability to co-ordinate a coherent wage policy using the NMW and SDs in tandem," he argues, and says that the Department's amendments "undermine" instruction from the Committee to reinstate the role of SDs.
The Wits research initiative raised these and other concerns after the publication of an amended version of the Bills. Following this a number of the concerns flagged were accommodated in the final Bills.
For example, the original amendments did not include an agreement, which came from Nedlac and the Committee, that lower minimum wages for domestic workers and farm workers should fall away after two years (subject to research indicating otherwise). This now appears in the Bill, although in a convoluted fashion according to Isaacs. Another issued flagged by Isaacs that found its way into the final Bill is that the level stipulated Expanded Public Works Programme must rise in line with the overall NMW, as implied in the Nedlac agreement.
However, other important concerns that Isaacs and his team raised are still absent from the Bill.
The NMW Bill, for instance, does not guarantee, or even promote, an annual increase even though the Nedlac agreement states, "It is specifically agreed that the adjustment should not lead to the erosion of the value of the NMW." The Bill rather instructs the Commission to consider "retaining the value of the minimum wage" as one among many factors that should be considered.
Isaacs says the "medium-term target" could have offered Government an opportunity to compensate for the perceived low starting level NMW, but it has turned out to be nothing more than a "damp squib". In terms of the Bill, the medium-term target must only be set within three years. It does not indicate what benchmarks must be used or by when it must be implemented. According to the Nedlac agreement the NMW Commission was to establish an "aspirational target" based on "appropriate benchmarks and International Labour Organization (ILO) guidelines."
The research initiative argues that, "the lack of guidance given to the Commission on establishing the target may lead to the sort of paralysis that characterised the NMW negotiations…If the target is only reached 3-5 years after it is set, then, in the current formulation, it could take until 2026!"
It expresses support for the guarantee that workers must be paid for four hours of work even if they work for less. This is an international innovation, it points out, yet the Nedlac Committee of Principles agreed that the Commission must investigate the feasibility of increasing the minimum number of hours from four to five hours.
The permission granted to employer organisations to apply for exemptions on behalf of their members has been raised by the Wits' initiative, but also by the Labour Enterprise and Policy unit at UCT and organised labour, as another matter of concern. The Department argues that changing "on behalf of their members" to "on behalf of a member" responds to concerns raised. Says Isaacs, "this is completely disingenuous, does not address the concerns raised, and was a change suggested during the deliberations by the Parliamentary Law Advisor as a narrow technical correction.
"Further, there is no framework for the exemption regulations [and] it is worth noting that exemptions from the NMW are rare internationally and already abused in South Africa."
During the Committee deliberations the Department said it did not object to specifically excluding employee contributions from counting towards the NMW, depending on how this relates to Pension and UIF Acts and employer contributions to medical aid schemes or retirement funds, yet none of this is clarified in the amended Bill.
Isaacs also flags the independence of the NMW Commission as of major concern. He warns that despite the Department's emphasis on the importance of the independence of the Commission and clear "international evidence overwhelmingly indicating that the most effective commissions have operational autonomy from government departments" the actual legislation "moves in the opposite direction". Most stakeholders and the Committee itself stressed the value of independence and they warn that lack of resources has been "the Achilles heel" of the existing Employment Conditions Commission.
The Commission secretariat will be housed within the Department of Labour and, significantly, the Commission's budget will no longer come from Parliament but rather will be allocated by the Department itself, at its own discretion. The Commission is not given any operational authority over the secretariat.
"The Commission has limited operational authority over the Secretariat despite the Parliamentary Law Advisor flagging this as concerning during the PC's deliberations. This will potentially impact the Commission's autonomy to undertake research, implement complex aspects of its mandate, such as setting a medium term target, and to independently manage its affairs, and is most concerning regarding its role in amending and adding SDs."
Given that government missed its self-imposed 1 May 2018 deadline all mention of specific dates have been removed from the Bill. Isaacs notes: "All timeframes for promulgation, reviews and amendments to the [minimum wage] level have been removed and it is unclear when the NMW Commission will start operating. Some flexibility is understandable given the failure to meet the 1 May 2018 deadline but it creates a great degree of uncertainty. It is essential for predictability in this respect as changes to the NMW will also impact other wages and collective bargaining in the economy. Therefore new target dates should be transparently stipulated."
Isaacs' argues that the Bills have effectively weakened the original Nedlac agreement which was meant to protect the real value of the national minimum wage by ensuring yearly increases in line with inflation.
While they agree that the Bills introduce some improvements, such as increased fines for repeated offences, they say these do not compensate for the many other concerns that they raise.
They also noted that the NMW was supposed to be part of a broader process of finding multiple means to reduce wage inequality. "The national minimum wage has been promoted since 2014 as the first step in a multi-pronged strategy to reduce wage inequality, including engagement on issues such as setting wage ratios and tightening up Section 27 of the Employment Equity Act on disproportionate income differentials to ensure implementation. This has not found expression in this round of the process."
They want a report on this process by the end of this year and have called on the President, as well as Parliament and the Executive, to move speedily towards the next round of engagements with Nedlac and other stakeholders.
Gilad Isaacs is the Coordinator of the National Minimum Wage Research Initiative, University of the Witwatersrand.
Last modified on Monday, 18 June 2018 14:14
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The Right Way to Turn HVAC and Building Systems Back On as Campuses Reopen
8.13.20 – CI –
Reopening campus buildings cannot be done with the flip of a switch. Here's how monitoring-based commissioning can help get HVAC back up and running.
Many campuses across the nation were forced to quickly shut down and become what is known as a "quiet campus" over the last few months. Managing these unpopulated buildings while bracing for the reopening into a new normal is forcing building managers to reevaluate the approaches and technologies used to manage the complex mechanical and electrical systems across each campus. But monitoring-based commissioning can help.
At the start of the shutdown, building managers were unsure of just how long they would have to keep their campuses quiet. As it became clear this wouldn't be a short-lived event, adjustments and automated system overrides in mechanical and electrical systems were implemented to curb energy use while occupancy was reduced.
More importantly, operational adjustments were and continue to be made to HVAC systems in order to address new building safety guidelines around air filtration, ventilation, dilution and circulation.
What many people don't realize is that turning everything back on cannot be done with the simple flip of a switch.
As states continue to roll out plans for reopening, building managers will take on the tedious task of transitioning the building operating parameters and procedures to adjust to the new post-COVID-19 CDC driven demands.
Furthermore, they will need to figure out the best approach to prepare for these situations in the future, should they have to shut down again for a pandemic or any other reason.
Adjusting Manual Building Operations
What has been done must now be reevaluated as thousands of setpoints within campus buildings are reset to meet the demands of the new normal.
Changes to accommodate airflow, ventilation and dilution are among the key concerns that HVAC systems will face as safety precautions for minimized transmission risks are presented by associations such as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
Each component of the system, including air handlers, conditioners and dampers, and chilled water systems, has multiple setpoints that will need to be adjusted to ensure efficient air optimization.
For example, let's take a look at air dampers, which limit the amount of outside air that is pulled into the building. When the pandemic hit, many dampers were opened to 100% — a significant uptick compared to the standard.
With people expected to return to campuses in the near future, some buildings will be able to reduce that percentage, enabling energy conservation.
This then creates a snowball effect, with building managers then having to recalibrate the amount of conditioning needed for incoming air, and the temperature adjustments that each air handler will need to take on.
Building managers may need to reset setpoints per piece of equipment, creating new parameters for every single zone to attempt to create a comfortable experience for returning staff and/or students.
As adjustments are made to HVAC systems, either from shutdowns or ramp-ups, the impact goes beyond comfort and safety, taking a toll on energy use.
Many campuses aim to be environmentally conscious and energy-efficient, both to reduce costs and achieve more sustainable practices.
The swift action, recommended by ASHRAE and the need to increase airflow into campus buildings to minimize airborne transmission, required manual overrides to these predetermined setpoints.
As we start to re-open, energy efficiency and cost savings will once again return to the priority list, directly behind safety.
Keeping Occupants Safe with Monitoring
While it may seem obvious, if even silly to say, people's safety is paramount and smart building monitoring plays an important role in that process.
The manual resets and optimization of airflow are an important part of enhancing the comfort and safety of all those inside the building, but there are other considerations as well.
Air system equipment failures can foster an environment that is conducive to bacterial growth and the spread of infectious diseases beyond COVID-19.
Keeping a building's humidity in check and temperature low, for example, is one of the ways campus building managers can keep occupants safe and comfortable.
A major concern for campuses has always been breeding legionella — a bacteria that causes pneumonia-type and flu-like illnesses — in the water and air.
As campuses reopen from the quiet period, there is even more concern that shutdowns and areas with limited airflow could have created an opportunity for legionella growth.
Many buildings, to prevent this, have been actively managing the humidity in these buildings even when they have remained empty.
With many large campuses, however, it can be difficult to gain a clear and full picture of humidity, temperature and airflow conditions in each room without the use of technology.
Creating the New Normal
This leads to a larger conversation about reopening buildings in the near future and the role that technologies will play in creating the "new normal" for buildings.
Consistent, remote visibility is important, both while campuses are shut down and as they begin to reopen, giving building managers the full picture of how systems are operating across the campus or within in a single building.
This is where monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) comes into play. Advanced analytics and intelligent alerts within MBCx platforms help building operators gain visibility in a way that is more efficient and productive – precisely identifying where potential issues such as airflow, humidity and temperature exist before they create safety issues.
For example, sensors may find that humidity in one of the central air vents is far higher than usual and can address the issue before there is significant moisture and bacteria build-up.
MBCx can also help you see what setpoints have been adjusted and what have not, simply by setting the data parameters for the new normal.
Buildings are large, and many pieces of equipment can be missed. Using intelligent alerts, operations outside of the parameters can be flagged and addressed to ensure your entire building, not just most of it, is operating as it should be for the new normal.
While health and safety are being addressed, these solutions also provide guidance on where energy inefficiencies and cost savings exist, helping campuses recover from high energy use despite many being empty.
Advanced analytics can remotely show building and energy managers just how much the inefficiencies are costing them and prioritize which ones should be addressed to significantly cut costs.
Furthermore, it can reveal inefficiencies that are often lost while the campus is running as they become more apparent during the shutdown.
As things return to "normal," it will not be anything like what building managers and occupants were used to before. These changes are going to have a massive influence on how operations, air quality, energy efficiency and much more are carried out and this will not be temporary.
This shift will create new burdens on campuses across the nation but by introducing monitoring-based commissioning technologies, they can be better prepared to ensure health, safety and sustainability across campuses as we all enter into the new normal.
Rhonda Landis is VP of Operations for FacilityConneX, a real-time data monitoring solution designed to improve facility and equipment performance and costs.
This post premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.


text:
Ramsays Tales of Rankin
Courtesy Project Gutenberg eBook,
Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character,
by Edward Bannerman Ramsay, et al
This extract is a selection of Dr David Reid Rankin's wit as observed by Edward Bannerman Ramsay c.1770
He tells the tales of a funeral, - in those days travel by foot or horseback meant they often held the service continuously during the day as groups of mourners might arrive, and the drunkenness which ensued.
Then the tale of the bereaved on losing his second wife being told it's not often the pub owner gets a second (repeat) business in the bar-room. This could well have been at the Black Bull pub just yards from St Lukes graveyard.
And finally Rankin's riposte to a member of the Free Church who complained of wedding dancing taking place. Saying 'in the Songs of David, they danced naked – Was that what you wished?' - The implication being that the Free Church member did not know his bible scriptures.
Enjoy the text in its original wording... They probably fell about laughing at these stories back then.
Title: Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character
Author: Edward Bannerman Ramsay
" I have been much pleased with an offering from Carluke, containing two very pithy anecdotes. Mr. Rankin [Dr D.R. Rankin – Ed.] very kindly writes:--"Your 'Reminiscences' are most refreshing. I am very little of a story-collector, but I have recorded some of an old schoolmaster, who was a story-teller. As a sort of payment for the amusement I have derived from your book, I shall give one or two."
He sends the two following:-
"Shortly after Mr. Kay had been inducted schoolmaster of Carluke (1790), the bederal [ 'Beadle'- Ed.] called at the school, verbally announcing, proclamation-ways, that Mrs. So-and-So's funeral would be on Fuirsday.
'At what hour?' asked the Dominie. 'Oh, ony time atween ten and twa.'
At two o'clock of the day fixed, Mr. Kay - quite a stranger to the customs of the district - arrived at the place, and was astonished to find a crowd of men and lads, standing here and there, some smoking, and all argie-barging [ 'Arguing' – Ed. ] as if at the end of a fair day.
He was instantly, but mysteriously, approached, and touched on the arm by a red-faced, bareheaded man, who seemed to be in authority, and was beckoned to follow. On entering the barn, which was seated all round, he found numbers sitting, each with the head bent down, and each with his hat between his knees - all gravity and silence.
Anon a voice was heard issuing from the far end, and a long prayer was uttered. They had worked at this - what was called 'a service' - during three previous hours, one party succeeding another, and many taking advantage of every service, which consisted of a prayer by way of grace, a glass of white wine, a glass of red wine, a glass of rum, and a prayer by way of thanksgiving.
After the long invocation, bread and wine passed round. Silence prevailed. Most partook of both rounds of wine, but when the rum came, many nodded refusal, and by and by the nodding seemed to be universal, and the trays passed on so much the more quickly.
A sumphish weather-beaten man, with a large flat blue bonnet on his knee, who had nodded unwittingly, and was about to lose the last chance of a glass of rum, raised his head, saying, amid the deep silence, 'Oh, I daur say I wull tak anither glass,' and in a sort of vengeful, yet apologetic tone, added, 'The auld jaud yince cheated me wi' a cauve' (calf)."
At a farmer's funeral in the country, an undertaker was in charge of the ceremonial, and directing how it was to proceed, when he noticed a little man giving orders, and, as he thought, rather encroaching upon the duties and privileges of his own office. He asked him, "And wha are ye, mi' man, that tak sae muckle on ye?" "Oh, dinna ye ken?" said the man, under a strong sense of his own importance, "I'm the corpse's brither ?"
Curious scenes took place at funerals where there was, in times gone by, an unfortunate tendency to join with such solemnities more attention to festive entertainment than was becoming.
A farmer, at the interment of his second wife, exercised a liberal hospitality to his friends at the inn near the church. On looking over the bill, the publican defended the charge as moderate. But he reminded him, "Ye forget, man, that it's no ilka ane that brings a second funeral to your house."
"Dr. Scott, minister of Carluke (1770), was a fine graceful kindly man, always stepping about in his bag-wig and cane in hand, with a kind and ready word to every one. He was officiating at a bridal in his parish, where there was a goodly company, had partaken of the good cheer, and waited till the young people were fairly warmed in the dance. A dissenting body (Free Church) had sprung up in the parish, which he tried to think was beneath him even to notice, when he could help it, yet never seemed to feel at all keenly when the dissenters were alluded to. One of the chief leaders of this body was at the bridal, and felt it to be his bounden duty to call upon the minister for his reasons for sanctioning by his presence so sinful an enjoyment.
'Weel, minister, what think ye o' this dancin'?'
'Why, John,' said the minister, blithely, 'I think it an excellent exercise for young people, and, I dare say, so do you.'
'Ah, sir, I'm no sure about it; I see nae authority for't in the Scriptures.'
'Umph, indeed, John; you cannot forget David.'
'Ah, sir, Dauvid; gif they were a' to dance as Dauvid did, it would be a different thing a'thegither.'
'Hoot-o-fie, hoot-o-fie, John; would you have the young folk strip to the sark?'"
(i.e. dance naked - You don't know your bible.)
Don Donovan (the next story in sucession)
Carlukes Early Sculptors


text:
Morning Ethics Warm-Up, 7/28/2022, For All The Good It Will Do…
I've been intending to write about "Billions," the Showtime ethics drama finally streaming on Amazon Prime, but an irritating moment in the third season has disrupted my thinking about the show. All the characters are pop culture trivia buffs, especially pre-90s movies. (It's as if all the writers are over 70.) In a major scene in Season 3, Chuck Roades (Paul Giamatti), the Assistant US Attorney who is the show's corrupted and conflicted protagonist, is trying to convince a target of his prosecution to plead guilty. Roades gives a long analogy that he says comes from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," which he claims he knows backwards and forwards.
He describes the last scene, as Butch and Sundance prepare to shoot their way out their final predicament in Bolivia, not knowing that the whole Bolivian army is outside and that they are doomed. Rhoades says they really think they will prevail as they always have before, so the two charge out, guns blazing, and thus "die with honor," because they never realized that their courage would be futile and that the foe they faced was unbeatable.
Well, this is a flat out misinterpretation of the scene. I know that film well too: I've lectured on it. The great thing about the final scene is that Butch and Sundance know it's all over for them. Both are badly wounded. Sundance has to tie a gun to Butch's wounded hand. They engage in bravado about where they will go next, knowing that there is no "next;" they bicker like they always have, each keeping up the fantasy that there's no reason to give up or to despair, faking hope so the other will remain strong. In this ritual they demonstrate their love for each other. (The scene chokes me up every time; it did just now, dammit!) When they charge out shooting, it is noble, but because they know there's no hope, and they decide that they might as well go down fighting, since they are going down one way or the other. It's the Alamo.
Why would a show that makes such a fetish about movies let a main character, a smart and literate character, a character who normally makes perceptive references to classic films, miss the point of a movie he purports to love? This is both a breach of the show's integrity, but deliberate misinformation. I assume lots of younger viewers haven't seen the George Roy Hill classic Western, and they have come to trust the show's authority regarding old movies. Now they have been taught the wrong message of the ending….and it's a great ending.
1. More on the media helping the Biden administration recession cover-up. Here's how the New York Times begins its story on the fact that GDP fell for the second straight quarter, the long-standing traditional definition of a recession.
Gross domestic product fell by 0.2 percent in the second quarter, after a 0.4 percent decline in the first, fueling fears that a recession may have already begun.
Yes, that's like saying, "The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor yesterday, fueling fears that Japan was now hostile to the United States." And the media gets away with this. Sometimes, they even succeed in redefining something even when it makes no sense. My favorite: the Democratic Party allied media went all in arguing that Bill Clinton wasn't lying when he said that he did not have sex with Monica Lewinsky, because oral sex isn't really sex. That convenient (and absurd) rationalization was instantly adopted by teens across the country. Now there was a variety of sex that wasn't "technically" sex. A President said so!
2. Hmmmmm… Larah Moore owns East Park Tavern in Charlevoix, Michigan, a popular destination for tourists in summer and fall. Last weekend, during the Venetian Festival, an annual event that attracts about 100,000 people to the city, Moore closed her establishment an hour early. She explained later on Facebook,
Too many rude comments. Too many arrogant individuals acting like they can throw money at us to get their way. Too many cocky jerks. No one gets to treat my staff like trash…. If you push your servers, watch them start to push back. We are here to ensure great food, drinks and quality of your time spent with us. We are not here to be abused. We will not tolerate that anymore."
A group of responders to the post suggest that restaurants have taken advantage of people's patience, blaming staffing shortages and COVID for indifferent attitudes and poor service from staff.
A person identified as Max S. from Grand Rapids, Michigan, gave East Park a one-star review on Yelp and offered the following criticism: "Owner claims 'short-staffing' and rude customers, but the bottom line is the staff treats customers like crap and provide terrible service and don't want accountability. When we were there, multiple servers were milling around, ignoring tables, chatting amongst themselves. Terrible service, terrible attitudes for friendly visitors."
I obviously don't know what went on in a Michigan restaurant, but I know what I have experienced in restaurants and many other places where I live since the Wuhan virus freakout: rude, badly-trained and supervised staff, long waits because of understaffing, and a general attitude that servers, clerks and other are doing customers a favor by engaging with them at all. It took me 20 minutes, in a short line, to get an order from Wendy's yesterday, because there was insufficient staff and those who were there showed no urgency at all.
3. Life imitates Gilbert and Sullivan. In my favorite Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, "Ruddigore, (or The Witch's Curse)," there is a running joke about the small town having an unemployed group of "professional bridesmaids," an inherently silly and typically Gilbertian idea. Ah, but not in the era of The Great Stupid! Here, Jen Glantz reveals that she is a professional bridesmaid and has plied her trade in more than 100 ceremonies. Does anyone else find this practice a teeny bit deceptive? Or are bridesmaids legitimately regarded as props and set dressing, like flowers and rice?
4. Back to "Billions" for a moment…A character on "Billions," one of the most interesting in a cast of interesting characters, is "non-binary," played by a gutsy and powerful performer named Asia Kate Dillon. Dillon is also non-binary, declared female at birth but decidedly ambiguous sexually in appearance, manner, body and voice. Like the character (Taylor Mason), Asia wants to be called "they," and the Wikipedia entry for the actor is virtually unreadable as a result. ("They are non-binary and were assigned female at birth. Dillon explained that around 2015, they began removing gendered pronouns from their biography, and auditioning for the part of Mason helped them understand their gender identity.") Here is Asia as Taylor:
"They" is ridiculous for a single person and an English abomination, but I must confess, watching the show I am genuinely puzzled as to what I would call a colleague like Taylor Mason. Several characters use "it" and "its," some out of confusion, and others because of animus and bigotry. Both "him" and "her" seem wrong. Maybe there does need to be an accepted new set of pronouns for such individuals as a matter of fairness, respect and kindness.
5. Stupid TV talk show workplace ethics. Whoopi Goldberg is paid 8 million dollars a year to be the moderator—Barbara Walters old job—on the spectacularly stupid ABC babbling women show, "The View." Though she often fails to show it, Goldberg is the smartest one on the panel, and also the biggest star. On Wednesday's show, Goldberg clearly found the discussion too dumb to even pretend to be interested. A segment of the show focused on Klondike's recently announced discontinuation of ice cream product known as Choco Tacos. As an animated debate ensued, the camera repeatedly cut back to Whoopi looking disgusted and as if she wished she were dead. Later, another discussion about "phrogging"—secretly living inside someone else's home—quickly exhausted Whoopi's interest, and she was seen holding her chin in her hand and playing with what appeared to be a laser pointer.
Kudos to guest Neil Patrick Harris, who joined the ladies to discuss his new Netflix show. "This has been a hilarious episode to watch," he said. "Because once the Choco Taco conversation started, Whoopi Goldberg checked out. I was backstage just laughing at you because they just kept cutting to you and you're just — it's like something snapped in you. You're like 'This is what the show has come to?'"
I don't care how stupid the discussions are: Whoopi is paid a large sum of money to show energy, attention, and enthusiasm. If she can't muster that, she has an obligation to quit.
"bias makes you stupid", Arts & Entertainment, U.S. Society
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30 thoughts on "Morning Ethics Warm-Up, 7/28/2022, For All The Good It Will Do…"
Has Whoopie put on weight?
Extra weight makes nearly everything more uncomfortable.
Has she? This is an understatement.
Glenn Logan
Maybe there does need to be an accepted new set of pronouns for such individuals as a matter of fairness, respect and kindness.
Don't you think it's incumbent on the [widget], the [wadget], or Boff to adapt to existing English pronouns, pick one, and accept it? I darn sure do. How ethical is it to demand we re-invent or bastardize English to suit their peculiarity?
Yeah, this. Plus, the show won't have to apologize on her behalf anymore when she defames another Republican and/or right-leaning group by declaring them Nazi sympathizers in fact rather than in her opinion. Bonus — she won't have to feign interest in all this spurious argleblargle anymore!
Sounds like a win-win to me!
Extradimensional Cephalopod
4. In English, first-person and second-person pronouns don't carry any gender information, and that doesn't seem to have caused any problems. Historically, ancient humans in many cultures came up with gendered third-person pronouns because gender was vitally important to ancient human societies. Gender determined the context of a person's entire life and the roles in society they were expected to play. There was no easy way of talking about a specific human without referring to their gender, so everyone listening would immediately know what societal expectations to apply to the person. For generic hypotheticals a person was assumed to be male, because female humans were assigned passive roles in society.
Western human society is different now, arguably for the better in this case: Western humans can do what they choose with their lives, and language should reflect that. Using language that assumes the default human is male–unless it makes a difference to the situation–subtly influences people to assume that only male humans have initiative. Then when a female human does something it's a surprise, a subversion of expectations. We have to update our mental image to make sense of the somewhat different experience a female human would have accomplishing the same thing. Gendered language pervasively invokes mental images of different types of people, rather than people who are basically the same but with some different reference frames. There's no reason we have to keep talking like that. It's not just for the benefit of nonbinary people; it's a good move in general to avoid making assumptions about men and women.
The English language has evolved a great deal in the past few centuries, in spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and idioms. Despite this history of change, people keep insisting that "they/them" cannot be used as a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun, even thought it's been used like that for centuries, but they don't seem quite so pedantic on other grammar issues.
Telling people they need to conform to a particular way of being because we don't have a convenient way of talking about them otherwise seems satirically bureaucratic, especially coming from people who are otherwise contemptuous of rigid thinking.
"That painting isn't art; I can't even tell what it's supposed to look like!"
"Birds by definition fly, so you can't have found a species that doesn't."
"I don't recognize the word you used to describe the emotion you're feeling, so I'll assume you aren't really feeling it."
This is the sort of dysfunctional use of semantics mindset that turns people into ivory-tower intellectuals.
Sorry. No sale. I'm sick up updating the English language for the convenience of non-conformists.
philk57
I don't know EC – I think that we are being successfully distracted from the true issue here. If this person were anorexic, we would not be encouraging her to avoid food and help her to lose weight. In this instance, we are assisting a person with a mental disorder to continue on in her dysfunction. She needs help, not encouragement. The Trans activists have very successfully shifted our focus from the mental dysfunction in display over to focusing on how we should be referring to her.
I'm open to that argument. That's a legitimate perspective on the situation. We can talk about the health effects of gender dysphoria and how to address them constructively.
"You can't be nonbinary because that's not grammatically correct," is not a legitimate perspective. That's a punchline.
And also Orwellian. What if we had pronouns that required someone to have a designated religion, or political party? Complaining about people not fitting into pronouns would be rightly seen as letting the tail wag the dog. So it is with gender. You want to say something about gender, make the case functionally. Nobody should be going "does not compute" like an old sci-fi robot when told to "disregard this order." If language doesn't adequately describe a situation, we should update it so it does.
If language doesn't adequately describe a situation, we should update it so it does.
And that's the opposite of what we're seeing: when the situation is something those in power want to distort or hide, then they want to change the language so it can't be described.
"If language doesn't adequately describe a situation, we should update it so it does." EC – I do agree with this statement, but I don't believe that it applies to this situation. My point is that this person is suffering from a mental dysfunction and we can't hope to help her over it until we accept that as the reality. Pretending with her that she has no gender doesn't help her.
Gender is as gender does. What does "pretending someone has no gender" mean to you? How do you treat people differently when you see them as male, female, or unknown? I'm not necessarily recommending pretending a person has no biological sex. As far as gender goes, though, we're not going to get anywhere with these conversations until we examine what gender means to each of us, and why.
Personally, I make a point of treating people basically the same regardless of gender, except when I have to take into account the baggage gender carries because of all the pragmatic and/or horrible things people have done to other people based on biological sex that have gotten baked into human cultures the world over. My current perspective is that gender should help people play to their biological and personality-based strengths where it's healthy and helpful to do so, as a set of narrative archetypes for constructive ideals, but otherwise should be mostly ignored except in the realm of romance. Thus it doesn't really bother me when someone declines to associate with those archetypes.
Mrs. Q
4. Apparently we need a new category for self-hating biology deniers. How about Ooga Booga or Flipflaptiptap? I'm guessing though she has a regular vagina like any woman. Unless we need a new made up name for that too. I know…let's call it…Breakfast Taco.
Yummy…and a hearty satisfying breakfast that be.
You owe me a keyboard. And it was GOOD coffee! And a good nose!
Actually, until they had a gratuitous sex scene between Taylor and a male gay character requiring the character to strip, I was convinced the non-binary tipped male. But even without any sighting south of the Pecos, the anatomy hinted (jussst barely) of female.
Bob in NJ
Mrs Q, Comment of the week for Me. well done
I aim to please.
Prologue: My guess is that the writers are under 30 and have only heard about the movie from someone who only heard about the movie and have never actually seen it.
1. Once we get Mirriam-Webster on the job, we won't need to fret over this so-called recession anymore!
2. I don't work in fast food anymore. I haven't for decades. I know people who are still in it and, according to them, the whole "We're all in this together" and "Thank you for being here" ended about one month into the pandemic. People, once in customer mode, have become deranged. I have no idea what happened at the restaurant in question, but I can tell you that my company has gotten repeated calls from a woman (47 calls, mind you) screaming and cursing about her payment but no one can help her because she just screams and curses, does not give anyone any identifying information which can be used to look up anything and then hangs up.
3. Full disclosure. At my first wedding (to my then-first husband), I didn't know the flower girl. She was the daughter of a member of the groom's church who was billed as a "professional flower girl" and came with her own dress. That was 30 plus years ago. Thank God I had a niece by the time I got remarried.
4. Isn't that what the whole zhe/zher thing was about or is that a different thing? I can't keep up with made-up words anymore. I left fake language behind when they translated Shakespeare into Klingon.
5. If Whoopi's the smartest, I'd hate to watch the others then. Glad I never watched that show. You're right, however, in that, if she can't build up enthusiasm, she might as well go do something else.
As I mentioned, before this moment, my wife and I were convinced that the writers were old Boomers.Here's a typical orgy of film esoterica: In a "Billions" scene involving three characters in a dispute and from completely different backgrounds, one says, "What we have here is failure to communicate," quoting "Cool Hand Luke' (which is never mentioned specifically.) A second character says, "It's 'A failure to communicate!" And the third responds, "Actually it's both: Strother Martin first says it with the "a", and later Newman says it the other way."
So somebody watched "Cool Hand Luke" and just used "Butch Cassidy" as background noise perhaps.
I'd be surprised if any Hollywood writers are boomers these days.
Trivia quiz: what great character actor did the two films have in common?
Strother Martin.
I'd love to say I came up with that myself, but your reference to him in the other post above kinda gave it to me.
This is also tangentially related to the "Karen" phenomenon. I heard two teens in the service industry complaining about "Karens" at the restaurant they work at. Turns out – "Karens", while including very rude people who do expect to be treated like teacup poodles, tend to primarily be anyone who is unhappy with receiving less than expected service.
Your meal is an hour late? You're just being a Karen.
We got your selection of sides wrong? You're just being a Karen.
Your meal is cold? You're just being a Karen.
I haven't stopped by your table in over 30 minutes? You're just being a Karen.
Want to have good service at a fast food place? Go to Chick-Fil-A, but not on Sunday.
Always "my pleasure" never "no problem".
(hate that, I know it's no problem, ever hear of your welcome)
Bill Thompson
Regarding Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid, you forgot the line when Butch asks Sundance if he saw Joe Lefors in the square. Sundance looks worried for a second, peeks out and says no, then Butch says "good, for a minute I thought we were in trouble." This does imply that they believed they had a chance, as long as it was just the Bolivian police and not Joe Lefors.
No it doesn't! They already know they're surrounded: they were just shot at from all sides. That line is the tip-off: Butch is making a classic silver lining joke: he would have made the same joke if they knew that the whole Bolivian army was out there. "Well, at least LeFors isn't one of them!" They are in Bolivia; they both know LeFors wouldn't be after them. It's gallows humor….that's why it got a big laugh in the theater.
Which brings up another point against the fatalist charge: If they know it is hopeless and they are going out in a blaze of glory why, as a director, would George Roy Hill hide the presence of the Bolivian Army? If they know they are charging into oblivion then it doesn't matter if it is against the police or Lefors or the entire Army. In fact, the scene would be much more poignant if they see the army arrive, then have the conversation about Australia. Even the line about Lefors becomes one of wry humor, rather than a real concern. Instead, only the audience know the army is there and that the situation is hopeless. Your ending destroys the director's entire focus of the movie, which was the eternal optimism of Butch Cassidy and the trust that Sundance has in him. It was completely out of character for Paul Newman's Cassidy to believe that the situation was hopeless.
But Hill doesn't hide it. We see it arriving and gathering. Whether Butch and Sundance know the degree of overkill is irrelevant—they know they are trapped, outgunned and wounded. I remember being surprised at the end with Hill's choice to have the sounds of the army firing over and over and over again, as the camera pans back to show a ridiculous number of soldiers. Apparently futile wasn't enough; the audience needed to know that the guys final charge was incredibly futile, because this was an army that would fire ten times in a firing squad after the executed was dead.
The key you seem to be missing is that Butch was smart. And that's why he made the Lefors joke, in the same vein as "The fall will probably kill you!" This was that situation 10 X over. In the first instance, they knew they were probably dead, but made a last ditch try anyway….and were lucky. This time, they knew they were definitely dead, but there was nothing to lose by going out shooting.
Not to belabor further a point that shouldn't have to be belabored at all, but
1.You don't think "for a moment I thought we were really in trouble" is obviously, maybe even too obviously, tongue in cheek?
2. Butch's reverie about Australia is pure palliative fantasy, like George going on about how grand things will be as he prepares to shoot Lenny.
Andrew Nelson
It's possible that Paul Giamatti's character was purposely mischaracterizing the film to get his desired outcome. If the guy is corrupt, he's probably not above lying about a classic, banking on the suspect having minimal knowledge of the film.
You know, I considered that. But what a gamble. Who doesn't know "Butch Cassidy…"?


text:
Rock Band 3/Blitz Update Brings Queensryche, Staind This Tuesday
Plus you'll get a Flys song that you really shouldn't miss out on.
Published Feb. 22, 2013, 12:10 p.m. about Rock Band
by Robert Workman
Harmonix's Rock Band updates may be coming to an end on April 2nd, but that doesn't mean the developer intends to go out quietly.
The creator of the hit music/rhythm franchise has announced its latest download content for it, which will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Network and the Wii eShop this coming Tuesday. And this time around, it's bringing the rock.
Leading the pack is the noteworthy rock ballad "Silent Lucidity" from Queensryche, along with two songs from Staind – "It's Been Awhile" and "So Far Away", also exceptional slow rock songs that are good for band jams. And even if you've never heard of them before, you'll want to give a listen to The Flys, as their song "Got You (Where I Want You)" is great, too.
"Silent Lucidity" and "So Far Away" have optional pro guitar/bass expansions for $1.00 (80 Microsoft points) apiece, and "Got You (Where I Want You)" has full keyboard support, for those who still have 'em. The songs will set you back $1.99 (160 Microsoft points) each.
Rock on, you crazy kids.


text:
Immunization advocate: Arizona's measles outbreak a wake-up call on vaccinations
Posted by Karin Szymanski
| News and Updates
| Comments Off
Posted: Saturday, January 31, 2015 5:33 am | Updated: 5:48 am, Sat Jan 31, 2015.
By MACKENZIE CONCEPCION
Cronkite News | 0 comments
The current measles outbreak should be a wake-up call for Arizonans to get vaccinated, an immunization advocate says.
And for many it is, said Debbie McCune Davis, executive director of The Arizona Partnership for Immunization and a Democratic state representative.
"There's a lot of concern," she said. "I know a number of people who have gone back and checked their immunization record to make sure they actually got their shots."
Parents who believe their children have been exposed to the measles are especially concerned, McCune Davis said. For those who are, she offers a simple solution: get kids vaccinated.
Delivered in two shots, the first round of measles, mumps and rubella vaccination alone gives people a 93 percent chance of immunity, McCune Davis said.
"This is an airborne disease," she said. "There's no other way to protect your children from it but to vaccinate them. And that's what we encourage."
But an increasing number of parents are opting against having children vaccinated.
Arizona allows parents to opt out of vaccinating their children for school if it conflicts with their personal beliefs. Kim Weidenaar, instructor and fellow with the Public Health Law and Policy Program at the Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, said the statute is pretty lax in its language.
"All it says is 'personal belief,'" she said. "So it includes kind of a religious reason or a personal philosophical one. It's pretty broad."
Arizona is one of 20 states to have this law, according to a 2012 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study also notes that Arizona is one of the 13 states with easy exemption policies, requiring only a parent signature to opt out of vaccination.
As a result, Arizona has had a high rate of exemptions compared to other states, shown in a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the study, 3.9 percent of Arizona's kindergarteners were exempt from vaccination for nonmedical reasons in the 2012-2013 school year, well above the national median of 1.8 percent. In Mohave County, personal exemptions are 6.5 percent, with the kindergarten MMR rate at 90.9 percent.
McCune Davis said one prominent reason people have opted out of vaccines is a debunked study that linked the MMR vaccine to autism in children.
While the immunization rate is relatively high statewide, McCune Davis and others are concerned about pockets where the rate is much lower, threatening a loss of the so-called herd immunity needed to prevent disease outbreaks.
Much of health officials' concerns about measles stem from how quickly it can spread. Cara Christ, chief medical officer for the Arizona Department of Health Services, said the measles is one of the most contagious diseases, spreading among unvaccinated people even without direct contact.
"You can walk into a room with measles, and you can leave. And somebody can walk into the same room two hours later and get measles," she said.
In addition to being contagious, measles can be deadly, especially to small children, Christ said, and also can lead to deafness, blindness or permanent brain damage.
Christ said it's children's high vulnerability to the disease that parents are concerned about. She said that concern is driving them in droves to get children their measles shots amid the outbreak.
"We're getting a lot more calls about where people can get their measles vaccine," she said, "especially among those who really want to have their children fully vaccinated."
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Travel truths
Singapore attractions
Thanks to the opening of casino-driven resorts the city's tourism is growing at breakneck pace
Evelyn Chen, Destination expert
20 September 2016 • 11:43am
Evelyn Chen
Expert guide to Singapore
A guide to the best attractions and things to do in Singapore, chosen by Evelyn Chen, our resident expert.
Straight-laced Singapore raised eyebrows when it announced its decision to legalise casino gambling in 2005.
Fast forward eleven years: thanks to the opening of a pair of casino-driven "integrated resorts" and related mega-attractions, the city's tourism is growing at breakneck pace.
Yet, beneath this pomp and glam, Singapore remains a juxtaposition of new and old. If you've never visited the city, there has never been a better time than now.
Triumphing the Champs Elysees in Paris and Bond Street in London, Orchard Road was named the world's top shopping street by a French marketing consultancy early in 2012. This three-mile stretch, which houses 22 swanky malls and six department stores, showcases the world's most exclusive brands and trendiest fashion houses.
If you have time for only the best, hop over to Paragon, Ngee Ann City and ION Orchard – the crème-de-la-crème of Singapore's shopping malls.
Orchard Road has in the past been named the world's top shopping street
Paragon address: 290 Orchard Road, Singapore
Contact: 0065 6738 5535, paragonsc.com.sg
Opening times: 10am to 9pm daily
Ngee Ann City address: 391 Orchard Road, Singapore
Contact: 0065 6739 9323, ngeeanncity.com.sg
Opening times: 10am to 9.30pm daily
ION Orchard address: 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore
Contact: 0065 6238 8228, ionorchard.com
Opening times: 10am to 10pm daily
Little India/Chinatown
Thanks to its rich and colourful history of migration, Singapore is a melting pot of Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures and a trip to the city is not complete without visiting one of these ethnic enclaves – most compelling perhaps are Chinatown and Little India.
Thanks to its rich and colourful history of migration, Singapore is a melting pot of cultures Credit: Roland Nagy
Serangoon Road is the main commercial thoroughfare that cuts through Little India and the best place to start is at Tekka Market – arguably Singapore's liveliest wet market – for an eye-feast of how the locals go about their daily grocery shopping ritual.
Stop at Arts Village to peruse the selection of Indian clothes and artwork before you hit Little India's busiest and oldest temple, Sri Veeramakaliamman. Then, brace yourself for an afternoon of bargain-hunting at Mustafa, a 75,000sq ft haven of treasures.
The impressive Sri Veeramakaliamman is Little India's busiest and oldest temple Credit: marcuspon - Fotolia
Chinatown is best explored with a cultural hit at Chinatown Heritage Centre, which traces the days of Singapore's early Chinese migrants and their struggles to make ends meet. Thereafter, stroll along New Bridge Road and browse the street-side stalls that hawk local-style barbecued meats, traditional Chinese sausages and souvenir shops.
Ironically, Chinatown is also where you'll find Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, Sri Mariamman, as well as Jamae Mosque, believed to be one of the oldest mosques in Singapore.
Ironically, Chinatown is where you'll find Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, Sri Mariamman Credit: saiko3p - Fotolia
If you're famished after the walk, head either to Smith Street Market and Food Centre or Maxwell Road Food Market ("Maxwell") for a smorgasbord of affordable local delights – Tian Tian Chicken Rice at Maxwell is a favourite of many celebrity chefs.
Singapore Botanic Garden
Explore Singapore Botanic Garden like a local: go for a jog through the meandering pathways framed by lush greenery or, if not, take part in one of many complimentary exercise classes – daily tai chi at 8am is a highlight. Proceed to Casa Verde for a light breakfast before making a beeline for the National Orchid Gardens – the world's largest display of orchids – where 20,000 plants are on display.
Explore Singapore Botanic Garden like a local, and perhaps take part in one of many complimentary exercise classes Credit: danhvc - Fotolia
Address: 1 Cluny Road, Singapore
Contact: 0065 6471 7138, sbg.org.sg
Opening times: 5am to 12 midnight daily
The best hotels in Singapore
Set in the neoclassical Empress Place Building by the historic Singapore River, the Asian Civilisations Museum is a pioneering museum that explores traditional aspects of pan-Asian culture, religion and people through exhibits of more than 1,000 artefacts – including porcelain figures, bronze sculptures, woodwork, prints, textiles and ornaments – housed in 11 thematic galleries. Compelling exhibits are plentiful and you should not miss the Singapore River Gallery, which shows the archaeological harvests from excavation works on the banks of the Singapore River.
The Asian Civilisations Museum is a pioneering museum that explores traditional aspects of pan-Asian culture Credit: johannes86 - Fotolia
Address: 1 Empress Place, Singapore
Contact: 0065 6332 7798, acm.org.sg
Opening times: Sunday - Thursday, 10am to 7pm; Friday, 10am to 9pm
Universal Studio
For heart-stopping fun and thrills in true Hollywood style, Universal Studios at Resorts World Sentosa beckons with rides aplenty, and none so hair-raising as Battlestar Galactica, the world's tallest pair of duelling coasters that take the ride – and fear factor - to a whole new high. Even if sweeping twists and turns do not appeal, there are tamer – nevertheless, action-packed – options, such as Transformers: the Ride. For children who do not meet the height restrictions, animated films such as Shrek and Steven Spielberg's Lights! Camera! Action! are sure to please.
Universal Studios at Resorts World Sentosa beckons with rides aplenty
Address: 8 Sentosa Gateway, Singapore
Contact: 0065 6577 8888, rwsentosa.com
Perhaps the best spot to take in the panorama of Singapore's skyline is from the Singapore Flyer, at 540ft tall – or 42 storeys – the world's second largest observation wheel. Singapore's resident ferris wheel started revolving in 2008, only to grind to a halt – when geomancers suggested that the Flyer was "turning away" riches from the financial centre – before taking a U-turn. The 30-minute ride in one of 28 air-conditioned capsules enthrals, with views of Malaysia and Indonesia during the first half of the ride followed by the city's picture-perfect Marina Bay skyline during the descent.
Perhaps the best spot to take in the panorama of Singapore's skyline is from the Singapore Flyer Credit: Sergey Peterman
Address: 30 Raffles Avenue, Singapore
Contact: 0065 6333 3311, singaporeflyer.com
Opening times: daily 8am to 10pm (ticket sales), 8.30am to 10.30pm (flights)
Singapore officially realised its "city in a garden" vision in June 2012 when it opened the gates to Gardens by the Bay, a 101-hectare horticultural project that sits on prime waterfront land south of Marina Bay Sands. Singapore's answer to London's Hyde Park, Gardens by the Bay features three cutting-edge gardens: the 54-hectare Bay South, the 32-hectare Bay East and the yet-to-open Bay Central. Be wowed by the 165ft Avatar-esque "super-tree" structures, land-scarce Singapore's nod to vertical gardens, that come cloaked in bromeliads, ferns and tropical flowering climbers. Other highlights include the pay-to-enter temperature-controlled conservatories: the Flower Dome is the world's largest column-free greenhouse and features vegetation from the Mediterranean and semi-arid tropical regions, while the Cloud Forest boasts a 115ft man-made Cloud Mountain with an indoor waterfall clad in lush foliage.
Singapore's answer to London's Hyde Park, the 101-hectare Gardens in the Bay occupies prime waterfront land south of Marina Bay Sands Credit: Studio Barcelona - Fotolia
Address: 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore
Contact: 0065 6420 6848, gardensbythebay.com.sg
Opening times: daily 5am to 2am (Bay South outdoor gardens) and 9am to 9pm (cooled conservatories)
Kampong Glam is the nucleus of Malay/Muslim life in Singapore and at the heart of it is Arab Street, which stands adjacent to the historic Sultan Mosque. Once owned by an Arab trader, the area now proffers a kaleidoscope of textiles, spices, carpets and handicrafts from myriad run-down shop houses.
Kampong Glam is the nucleus of Malay/Muslim life in Singapore Credit: Jit Lim/Jit Lim
Of late, Haji Lane, the narrow shop house-lined road that runs parallel to Arab Street, has bounced onto the shopping radar for its clutch of indie boutiques and quirky cafes. If you tire of Singapore's swanky malls, this is your alternative.
Address: Arab Street, Singapore
If the Asian Civilisations Museum overwhelms you with its sheer size, the decidedly boutique Peranakan Musuem will enthrall you with its vivid display of Peranakan costumes, porcelain, furniture and artefacts.
It will also tell the story of how the Peranakan culture evolved from the intermarriage between immigrant Chinese and local Malays since the 1800s. Housed in a former school built in 1912, the galleries are spread over three floors and offers an excellent induction into the rarefied world of Peranakan culture.
If the Asian Civilisations Museum overwhelms you with its sheer size, try the decidedly boutique Peranakan Musuem
Address: 39 Armenian Street. Singapore
Contact: 0065 6332 7591, peranakanmuseum.sg
Opening times: Tuesdays - Sundays, 10am to 7pm; Mondays, 10am to 9pm
South East Asian (S.E.A) Aquarium
An impressive showcase of marine creatures like rays, sharks and dolphins - more than 100,000 sea animals housed in 45 million litres of water across 49 habitats – earns it bragging rights as one of the world's largest aquarium. Most impressive is the Open Ocean habitat where a 36 metre-wide and 8.3 metre-high giant viewing panel provides unobstructed underwater views. If you're feeling hungry, hop over to Ocean Restaurant by Cat Cora where sustainable seafood is, ironically, on the menu.
With more than 100,000 sea animals housed in 45 million litres of water across 49 habitats, S.E.A Aquarium is the biggest in the world Credit: Alamy
Address: Resorts World Sentosa, 8 Sentosa Gateway
Contact: 0065 6577 8888; rwsentosa.com
Opening times: daily 10am to 7pm (last admission 6.30pm)
Sharing the expansive grounds of the Singapore Zoological Gardens and the Night Safari, Asia's first and only river-themed wildlife park showcases 5,000 aquatic and terrestrial animals via 8 river habitats. A highlight is the lush Giant Panda Forest, Southeast Asia's largest panda exhibit, that houses giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia. You will also find the world's largest freshwater aquarium exhibit at the Amazon Flooded Forest.
Don't miss the Giant Panda Forest Credit: vladislav333222 - Fotolia
Address: 80 Mandai Lake Road
Contact: 0065 6269 3411; riversafari.com.sg
Opening times: daily 9am to 6pm (last ticket sale at 5pm)
Night Safari
Given Singapore's blistering weather, a trip to the zoo is most appealing after dusk. Enter the Night Safari, the world's first safari park for nocturnal animals, where 2,500 animals (about 130 species), including the Malayan tiger, roam – albeit in in confined space - over 35 hectares of lush rainforest. Now in its 22nd year of operation, the park is best explored on foot via one of four walking trails (checkout the Leopard Trail) although a 35-minute tram ride with live commentary is available too.
See 2,500 animals (about 130 species), including the Malayan tiger, roaming in the world's first safari park for nocturnal animals Credit: Wildlife Reserves Singapore/David Tan
Contact: 0065 6269 3411; nightsafari.com.sg
Opening times: daily 7.15pm to 12 midnight
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AFI Park 1 becomes the First Office Building in Romania to Obtain the LEED Gold Core & Shell Certification
Bucharest, August 6th, 2014 – AFI Park 1, the first of five office buildings developed by AFI Europe in Bucharest, has recently achieved the LEED Gold certification under the LEED for Core & Shell Rating System – the first such qualification obtained by an office building in Romania. Colliers International advised AFI Europe in the certification process.
LEED certification identifies AFI Park 1 as a showcase example of sustainable design and demonstrates AFI Europe's leadership in transforming the building industry. Previously, AFI Europe obtained the green pre-certification of AFI Park 2 (LEED Gold pre-certification level) and started the green certification for AFI Park 3. Colliers International advises AFI Europe in the green certification for all first three office buildings of the business complex AFI Park, as well as for AFI Ploiesti.
"Achieving LEED Gold certification for our first office building in AFI Park, shows our continuous commitment to develop projects with the highest level of technical specifications in our tenants' interest. AFI Park managed to become Bucharest's Multinational Hub, due to its sustainability, accessibility and by providing solutions for tenants' expansion requirements. Going green is our objective and we are always taking it into consideration when starting the process of developing any new building. It's a time when you have to get involved in improving the environment", said David Hay, CEO AFI Europe Romania.
"The green certification of AFI Park 1 is an essential milestone for the real estate market, for two reasons: First, this is the first office building in Romania to obtain such a high credential under the LEED Core & Shell rating system. Second the building was designed and built in a sustainable manner already from the drawing stage. AFI Europe sets a positive example for the local market and we are proud to be part of the company's efforts to promote green sustainable building in Romania", comments Oana Stamatin, LEED AP BD+C within the Real Estate Management Services team of Colliers International Romania.
In its completed state, AFI Park will consist of 5 Class A office buildings with a total leasable area of 65,000 sqm, forming one of the largest, most modern and highly technologized office parks in Bucharest, Romania. The project is adjacent to AFI Cotroceni shopping mall in Bucharest – next to the Politechnica University and Metro station.
AFI Park 1 was inaugurated in September 2012, having a gross built area of 13,700 sqm, 2 underground parking levels and a gross leasable area of 12.250 m2 with 100% occupancy. The building hosts leading multinational companies such as Endava, Microchip, SparkWare Technologies, and Cameron.
The second office building, AFI Park 2 – which was awarded as the largest prelease agreement of 2013, after Electronic Arts took the entire leasable office area of the building (11,700 m2) – was finalized in April 2014. AFI Park 3 started construction works in Q3 2013 and will be delivered on the market in Q4 2014. The remaining two office buildings, AFI Park 4&5, will be completed in one phase in Q4 2015, giving the possibility for tenants to grow and expand within the Park.
For all of its first 3 office buildings and for AFI Ploiesti, AFI Europe is targeting LEED Gold certification.
Colliers International is one of the first real estate companies in Romania with accreditied professionals to offer green certification advisory services, following the launch of its dedicated service in 2011. Colliers offers consultancy for LEED and BREEAM certifications for existing buildings, with the purpose of improving their performance and sustainability, as well as for new developments. Presently Colliers assists 16 projects in Romania and more than 25 projects across other CEE countries in obtaining the Green Certification.
ABOUT THE COMPANIES
Colliers International is a global leader in commercial real estate services, with over 13,500 professionals operating out of more than 482 offices in 62 countries. A subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, Colliers International delivers a full range of services to real estate users, owners and investors worldwide, including global corporate solutions, brokerage, property and asset management, hotel investment sales and consulting, valuation, consulting and appraisal services, mortgage banking and insightful research. The latest annual survey by the Lipsey Company ranked Colliers International as the second-most recognized commercial real estate firm in the world.
For the latest international news from Colliers International, visit www.colliers.ro or follow us on Twitter: @ColliersIntl
AFI Europe operates in Romania since 2005. The company has developed and is managing "AFI Cotroceni", the biggest and most dominant shopping mall in Romania and among the biggest shopping malls in the CEE region. The project spreads over a leasable area of more than 80,000 sqm and offers to its visitors a large entertainment area with multiple leisure options and a variety of over 300 shops of local and international brands, visited by 55,000 customers per day.
On October 3rd, 2013 AFI Europe inaugurated AFI Ploiesti, the first and only modern shopping mall developed in the city centre of Ploiesti, following an investment of over EUR 50 million. The shopping mall offers a total gross leasable area (GLA) of 33,000 square meters spreading over two retail floors occupied by 100 national and international brands, including more than 7,000 sqm of entertainment.
Adjacent but fully integrated into AFI Cotroceni shopping mall, AFI Europe Romania is currently developing AFI Park, Bucharest's newest and most advanced Class A business Park. AFI Park offers more than 65,000 of office leasable area, currently targeted by multinational IT&C corporations. The first building, AFI Park 1, with 12,250 sqm of gross leasable area, has been completed on September 1st, 2012 and is 100% leased. On April 15, 2014 AFI Europe inaugurated AFI Park 2 with 12,200 sqm of GLA and has been fully leased to electronic Arts, while AFI Park 3 which is due to be delivered in December 2014 is 40% pre-leased to Endava Romania. In April 2014 AFI Europe Romania has also commenced construction of AFI Park 4 & 5 office building that will offer additional 33,000 sqm of gross leasable area to the project and is planned to be delivered in Q4 2015.
In addition, AFI Europe Romania has two retail projects to be developed in the near future, "AFI Arad", a 30,000 sqm GLA retail park to be developed in the city centre of Arad, on a land plot of 80,000 sqm and "AFI B.Noi", a 36,000 sqm GLA Shopping Mall to be developed in Bucurestii Noi district 1 of Bucharest.
In the office segment, AFI will develop AFI Business Park Bucharest, a 50,000 sqm of GLA class A business park to be located in close proximity to the J.W. Marriott hotel and the Romanian Parliament in Bucharest's district 5. The business park will comprise of 2 low rise office buildings and one office tower, with ample green areas, a high tech/campus style environment in an urban complex with a central plaza & gardens.