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TransUnion Expands People-Based Marketing Capabilities with Acquisition of Signal
Signal Launches Real-Time Data Onboarding and Identity Resolution
Lisa Weinstein Appointed as New President and CEO of Signal
Signal's 2019 Predictions: Marketers Move from Digital-First to Data-First
Signal, Flashtalking Extend Identity Solution to People-Based Ad Platform
Signal Integrates with Adobe Audience Manager
Signal Recognized for Second Consecutive Year on the 2016 Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Companies
Signal, a global leader in real-time, people-based marketing technology, today announced that the company ranked for the second year in a row on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. With 1,008% three-year revenue growth, Signal secured the #31 spot on Inc.'s 2016 list of fastest-growing software companies, and #379 overall.
Inc. Magazine's 2016 list is one of the most competitive groups of honorees in history. The average company on the list achieved three-year growth of 433%, and aggregate revenue is $200 billion. The companies on the list collectively generated 640,000 jobs over the past three years, or about 8% of all jobs created in the entire U.S. economy during that period.
Signal was founded six years ago to create a new standard for how marketers can collect and leverage their customer engagement data for improved marketing experiences. Since then, the company has secured a total of over $70 million in venture capital funding to date, achieved a high double-digit growth rate since inception, created more than 150 jobs, and has more than 20,000 companies and brands actively using its platform in the US, APAC, EMEA, and South America.
"Signal is on a mission to help brands get closer to their customers in the age of hyper-connectivity," said Mike Sands, Signal CEO. "We are thrilled to be honored on the Inc. 5000 for the second year in a row for our sustained, high rate of growth. We attribute this success to the role we are playing in helping marketers harness their most valuable asset – their customer data – to improve marketing ROI and create better consumer experiences."
The Inc. 5000 list represents the most successful companies created by America's dynamic independent entrepreneurs. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Domino's Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.
"The Inc. 5000 list stands out where it really counts," says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. "It honors real achievement by a founder or a team of them. No one makes the Inc. 5000 without building something great – usually from scratch. That's one of the hardest things to do in business, as every company founder knows. But without it, free enterprise fails."
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.
For more information about Signal, visit here.
About Signal
Signal is a global leader in real-time people-based marketing. With one platform, Signal's integrated technology combines data collection, persistent identification, data onboarding and media activation for real-time cross-channel engagement. By leveraging Signal's platform, brands and publishers gain immediate knowledge of buyers, access to high quality audiences and a simplified activation process to engage consumers within minutes of recognition.
Today, Signal's technology runs on more than 45,000 digital properties in 158 countries. The platform facilitates billions of data requests monthly, supporting top brands around the world that generate more than $1.5 trillion in commerce, including Allstate, Audi, Crate & Barrel, JetBlue Airways, Starcom MediaVest Group, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and many more.
Signal has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including being named one of the fastest-growing companies in the country on the 2016 Inc. 5000 list. Visit www.signal.co to learn more and follow Signal on LinkedIn and Twitter.
More about Inc. and the Inc. 500|5000
The 2016 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2012 to 2015. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2012. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2015. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2012 is $100,000; the minimum for 2015 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at https://www.inc.com/inc5000.
About Inc. Media:
Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Winner of the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 15,000,000 today. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
The Inc. 5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The Inc. 5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is an annual event that celebrates their remarkable achievements. The event also offers informative workshops, celebrated keynote speakers, and evening functions.
For more information on Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit https://conference.inc.com/.
Combined solution will help marketers create more personalized customer experiences CHICAGO, IL – Aug. 17, 2020 – As today's digitally savvy consumers expect more relevant and tailored marketing experiences, TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) is joining forces with Signal, a Chicago-based technology company, to expand its capabilities. Signal's solutions are grounded in real-time data collection and its …
Industry's Fastest Data Onboarding Platform Enables Marketers to Move at the Speed of Customers, in the Moment CHICAGO, IL – July 17, 2019 – Signal (www.signal.co), the leading provider of customer data onboarding and identity resolution, today announced the first digital marketing platform capable of performing data onboarding and onsite identity resolution in real time. …
CHICAGO, May 30, 2019 — Signal, the leading SaaS provider of data onboarding and real-time identity resolution, today announced that Lisa Weinstein has joined the company as President and Chief Executive Officer. Weinstein will be based in Signal's Chicago headquarters and will succeed Mike Sands, who will become Executive Chairman and remain an officer of …
CHICAGO, IL, December 17, 2018 — As customer engagement evolves, marketing decision makers can no longer depend on experience, intuition and secondhand information to illuminate the path forward. Brand success in 2019 and beyond means advancing from a digital-first philosophy to a data-first mindset that encompasses the customer journey in its totality, says Signal (www.signal.co), …


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Like other Fitbit devices, the Charge 3 takes little effort to set up. It works with Android and iOS devices, and all you need is the Fitbit mobile app to use it. Choose the Charge 3 from the list of devices you can pair via Bluetooth to your smartphone or tablet, and follow the on-screen instructions. After setup, you may want to also edit basic information that the Charge 3 uses when tracking activity, such as your age, height, weight, and the activity metric you care most about (steps, active minutes, etc).
The touchscreen, button, and dial (what Apple calls the "crown") help you zoom in and out and move between apps fairly effortlessly. With this easy navigation it's easy to forget we're typing on a screen slightly smaller than an Oreo. In particular, we loved Apple's app homepage, which displays all of the apps as icons in a honeycomb-like display. You can use the touchscreen to move around, and the dial to zoom in or pan out, to precisely tap on the one you want.
We pulled together a list of currently available smart watches that met these criteria from Apple, Android Wear, and Samsung. Our list included watches from tech brands like Apple, Asus, and Samsung, as well as fashion labels like Fossil, Nixon, and Tag Heuer. Then, we cross-checked with respected review sites, such as Tech Radar and PCMag, as well as tech retailer Best Buy, to make sure we weren't leaving out any hidden gems.
Aside from its display, the Ticwatch Pro is a pretty standard offering in the Wear OS world. It's powered by the same Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset, has a 400×400 1.39-inch OLED display, and has a 45mm casing. There's also a 415mAh battery inside which charges with a magnetic charger. There's also IP68 water/dust protection, and NFC for use with Google Pay.
A smart watch is nice to have and it can be a neat buffer when deciding if you want to answer an incoming call or let it go to voicemail. Smart watches with apps for fitness and travel are also a lot more convenient in some cases than having your smartphone. However, if you prefer to use your iPhone for these and other activities, you probably won't get much more out of a smart watch.
To charge the watch, you have to clip on the charger and align it with contacts that you can't see when you're clipping. Why make it so complicated? There's no NFC for easy pairing, and you have to find the smartwatch app in the app market, download it, and install it on your mobile device. The Frame's display readability in bright sunlight was judged to be only good. It's relatively heavy, at 2.7 ounces (only the Toq is heavier).
First, there's now an option of an LTE-capable model allowing for always-on connectivity. This is through the use of an eSIM inside and an antenna cleverly hidden behind the display. The great news is that your Apple Watch 3 will share the same phone number as your iPhone, whereas other LTE-capable smartwatches have required you to juggle two phone numbers. You'll need to pay for an additional smartwatch plan for the functionality, however.
Wirecutter writers have been researching, testing, and writing about smartwatches since early 2013, just after the first Pebble watches were shipped to Kickstarter backers. I've personally worn nearly every notable smartwatch since that first Pebble and have written about them for a number of publications, including IT World and Fast Company. I also have extensive experience with Android phones, having written the (since outdated) Complete Android Guide and numerous articles about Android. I also contribute to and help edit the Wirecutter guide to the best smartwatch for iPhones.
The LG G Watch was the first one we tried that uses Google's Android Wear OS (the Moto 360 and Samsung Gear Live do as well). It includes Google Now, the company's Siri-like "intelligent personal assistant." Say "OK Google," and you can do Google searches, compose texts, and make requests of your watch ("Show me my steps" or "Set an alarm"). Google Now also offers up a stream of "cards" on the watch's face, with information it determines is relevant to you. If, for example, the card tells you how many minutes it would take you to get home from your current location, you can click on the card and get specific traffic and navigation information.
You won't get much use out of an Apple Watch if you don't have an iPhone nor any other kind of iOS-enabled mobile device. The same thing goes for the Samsung Gear Sport. While the Q Venture does feature some compatibility with Android and iOS devices, it won't mix well if you're a Samsung customer. The smartphone you use will ultimately determine which smart watch you get the most value from.
The Gear 2 also includes a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a heart-rate sensor. It also can control a TV or set-top box remotely using a built-in IR blaster, and it has the ability to function as a stand-alone music player. And its built-in camera—handily built into the watch itself rather than on the band, like the original Galaxy Gear—takes 2-megapixel stills and 720p video.
In the same year, Microsoft announced the SPOT smartwatch and it began hitting stores in early 2004.[30] SPOT stands for Smart Personal Objects Technology, an initiative by Microsoft to personalize household electronics and other everyday gadgets. For instance, the company demonstrated coffee makers, weather stations, and alarm clocks featuring built-in SPOT technology.[31] The device was a standalone smartwatch[32] that offered information at a glance where other devices would have required more immersion and interaction. The information included weather, news, stock prices, and sports scores and was transmitted through FM waves.[30] It was accessible through a yearly subscription that cost from $39 to $59.[31]
In June 2000, IBM displayed a prototype for a wristwatch that ran Linux. The original version had only 6 hours of battery life, which was later extended to 12.[20] It featured 8 MB of memory and ran Linux 2.2.[21] The device was later upgraded with an accelerometer, vibrating mechanism, and fingerprint sensor. IBM began to collaborate with Citizen Watch Co. to create the "WatchPad". The WatchPad 1.5 features a 320 × 240 QVGA monochrome touch sensitive display and runs Linux 2.4.[22][23] It also features calendar software, Bluetooth, 8 MB of RAM and 16 MB of flash memory.[24][25] Citizen was hoping to market the watch to students and businessmen, with a retail price of around $399.[25] Epson Seiko introduced their Chrono-bit wristwatch in September 2000. The Chrono-bit watches feature a rotating bezel for data input, synchronize PIM data via a serial cable, and can load custom watch faces.[26]
Bottom line: Some fitness trackers work equally well with an iPhone or Android device, but some smartwatches are built to pair with Android phones so you won't enjoy full functionality and pairing on an iPhone. The Apple Watch only pairs with the iPhone so is off limits to Android users. Your existing phone choice will play an important part in choosing a smartwatch. You can check your smartphone's compatibility with a range of Google Wear-powered smartwatches at g.co/WearCheck
You'd be amazed how hard it is to text something as simple as "hi" on many smart watch interfaces. Still, most designs take this into consideration. We tested all kinds of watches from auto-scrolling screens where you drew the letters with your finger to pre-smartphone layouts more akin to the alphanumeric layout of a payphone keypad. While the drawing features were nice, we felt that the texting was a little more manageable on keyboards.
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Kennedy Transfers to George Mason
by Jonathan Kinane
Marist junior guard Trinasia Kennedy announced that she is transfering to George Mason University for the 2022-23 season.
Kennedy missed the non-conference portion of the 2021-22 campaign, coming back in December for Marist's MAAC opener. She struggled from the field, shooting 33 percent on her way to 10.6 points per game.
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She played in 63 games in her career for the Red Foxes, coming onto campus in the fall of 2019 and quickly established herself as a terrific defender. She started all 22 games in Marist's NCAA Tournament campaign in 2021, finishing with 9.7 points per contest.
Kennedy overcame a series of tragedies in her pre-college years to have a successful high school career at Susquehanna Valley, winning a New York State Championship in her junior year.
A Binghamton native, Kennedy was later joined by her Southern Tier friends Zaria Shazer and Kiara Fisher. This past season, Kennedy stepped into a leadership role and was one of the most vocal players on the team.
She opts to take a step up from MAAC play leaving for George Mason, a school that competes in the Atlantic 10. The Patriots finished this past season 10-19 overall and 3-12 in conference play.
Kennedy became one of the most popular figures on Marist's campus in her three years in Poughkeepsie, but will take advantage of the transfer portal to find greener pastures at George Mason.
Photo from Marist Athletics
Posted in Women's BasketballTagged George Mason, MAAC, Trinasia Kennedy, women's basketball
Author: Jonathan Kinane
I'm a senior from Syracuse, NY, studying sports communication and journalism. I consider myself a die-hard Syracuse University sports fan, but I also follow the Knicks, Giants, and Yankees in the professional ranks. Sports and writing have long been my passions and I am excited for another year with Center Field. View all posts by Jonathan Kinane
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Nomar33 says:
gonna be missed


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AIPAC Still Our Biggest Foreign Agent
Senate Hearing on Foreign Agents Registration Act
by Grant Smith Posted on July 18, 2017 July 18, 2017
Alleged Russian meddling in the US electoral process will be the subject of a Senate Judiciary Hearing on Wednesday. The hearing is titled "Oversight of the Justice Department's (Non) Enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act: Lessons from the Obama Administration and Current Compliance Practices." In 1938 the U.S. Congress passed the Foreign Agents Registration Act to mandate disclosure of the activities of non-diplomatic foreign agents in the United States propagandizing for war, swinging public opinion, and obtaining foreign aid and other economic benefits through congressional lobbying without disclosing that their activities were conducted on behalf of foreign principals.
The first panel of witnesses for Wednesday's Senate hearing will include Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division of the Justice Department Adam Hickey, Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI Bill Priestap and Inspector General of the Justice Department Michael Horowitz.
Second panel witnesses include Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS, an outfit which circulated the now infamous dossier of allegations made against Donald Trump by a British spy. William Browder, a Russian market investment expert from Hermitage Capital Management, who has now deemed Russia "absolutely uninvestable" will also testify. According to reports, Browder knows Natalia Veslnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. to peddle opposition research on Hillary Clinton.
Panel Chairman Chuck Grassley may ultimately conclude that the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) has failed and that unregistered Russian foreign agents are taking over America. If so, he will be half right, but not the first such senator to express concern. Grassley should consider what happened after a more extensive Senate FARA inquiry was launched 55 years ago.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman JW Fulbright became convinced that unregistered Israeli foreign agents were a serious matter in 1961. A classified staff report worried that:
"In recent years there has been an increasing number of incidents involving attempts by foreign governments, or their agents, to influence the conduct of American foreign policy by techniques outside normal diplomatic channels….there have been occasions when representatives of other governments have been privately accused of engaging in covert activities within the United States and elsewhere, for the purpose of influencing United States Policy (the Lavon Affair)."
The Lavon Affair referred to Israeli false-flag terror attacks on US facilities in Egypt, in the interest of preventing the handover of the Suez Canal to Egyptian control. The Israeli spies were caught and prosecuted by Egypt, while the disclosure of the attacks created a diplomatic crisis.
During the course of the 1960s Senate and Justice Department investigations, it was revealed that Israel was funneling millions of dollars to unregistered foreign agents in America to lobby for foreign aid to Israel, set up think tanks, engage in Madison Avenue public relations, fund lobbying newsletters, and establish an umbrella organization called the American Zionist Council (AZC).
Within the AZC was an unincorporated unit that lobbied congress called the "American Israel Public Affairs Committee."
On November 21, 1962, the Department of Justice ordered the AZC to begin registering as an Israeli foreign agent. This touched off an intense battle between the Justice Department and the AZC which outlasted both JFK and RFK. The bloodied and bruised Justice Department hid away its files on the affair until they were finally declassified and released in 2008.
The effort to register Israel's foreign agents clearly failed. Just 42 days after the Justice Department order, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee incorporated itself in Washington and took over the AZC's functions. Since the year it was ordered to register—as part of the AZC—AIPAC has extracted an inflation-adjusted $250 billion from US taxpayers for its foreign principals. Influencing the conduct of US policy "by techniques outside normal diplomatic channels" has never stopped.
If AIPAC had complied with the 1962 FARA order, by now it would have filed 109 required biennial reports (1963-2017) of its activities. It would have had to detail joint efforts with Israeli operatives. These include a 1975 incident in which AIPAC Director Morris Amitay circulated classified information about a proposed US Hawk missile sale to Jordan. AIPAC's FARA file would have had to detail AIPAC staffers Steven Rosen, Douglas Bloomfield and Ester Kurz 1984 receipt of stolen classified information taken from US industry groups opposed to allowing duty free imports from Israel into the United States. Of course, the FARA disclosure would include details on two AIPAC executives, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, who from 2002-2004 solicited and received stolen classified national defense information from Colonel Lawrence Franklin about Iran and other matters which they passed to the Israeli embassy. The pair attempted to contextualize and place the stolen classified national defense information in the Washington Post to precipitate a US attack on Iran.
AIPAC is not complying with the 1962 DOJ order. The Grassley panel might want to invite the FARA Section Head Heather Hunt, who knows all about the AZC-AIPAC incident, to testify why. In 2009 Hunt, along with other members of the FARA division, received a two-hour briefing with the unsubtle title of "The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is an Unregistered Foreign Agent of the Israeli Government." (PDF)
If Grassley does not believe Israeli foreign agent activity to be important, he might want to invite as a star witness Stephanie Schriock. Schriock has publicly claimed that as a high-powered campaign fundraiser for major candidates across the US, the first step in obtaining seed funding for a political campaign was always to circulate a position paper on Israel to AIPAC regional officials. Only then could candidates obtain funds from willing pro-Israel donors sufficient to launch a serious campaign. The Israel lobby's oversized role in US campaign finance on Israel's behalf has now made regional peace and productive innovation in US policy impossible, and war all but inevitable.
Grassley might also engage in the following thought experiment as he ponders his upcoming hearing. "What happens to a candidate or incumbent if they loudly criticize Russia or US policy toward Russia?" He should then swap out "Russia" for "Israel."
Today, AIPAC may obtain most of its lobbying budget from a relatively small, but wealthy, group of US donors. But that does not mean it is not an Israeli foreign agent for three reasons. The first observable sign, listed on the Department of Justice FARA webpage, is that AIPAC is so obviously devoted to the sole purpose of channeling US taxpayer funds to a foreign country. Such breaks, though DOJ lists sugar quotas as an example, is the major red flag. Despite changes in its PR framing, AIPAC's primary business is the same as when founder Si Kenen first conceived it. "The lobby for Israel, known as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) since 1959, came into existence in 1951. It was established at that time because Israel needed American economic assistance…"
The second is that AIPAC was incontrovertibly established with foreign seed funding, including to Kenen, nestled inside the AZC. The third is that, as an unincorporated unit within the AZC, AIPAC was clearly covered by the order to register as an Israeli foreign agent.
AIPAC's top priorities include maneuvering the US to attack Iran, keeping US forces in the region as a buffer, protecting Israeli nuclear hegemony and making criticism and boycotts of Israel in the US impossible. Americans overwhelmingly oppose all that, as well as unconditional US aid to Israel. Senator Grassley should therefore ignore for a moment the flap over Russia, and his own top-25 position as a recipient of pro-Israel PAC money. He should then look seriously at the longest-running unresolved foreign agent problem and ask what action would be best for America.
Grant F. Smith is the director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policyin Washington and the author of the 2016 book, Big Israel: How Israel's Lobby moves America and America's Defense Line: The Justice Department's Battle to Register the Israel Lobby as Agents of a Foreign Government.
Author: Grant Smith
Grant F. Smith is the author of the new book Divert! NUMEC, Zalman Shapiro and the diversion of U.S. weapons-grade uranium into the Israeli nuclear weapons program. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C.
View all posts by Grant Smith
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Ahan Shetty keen to do remake of Suniel Shetty-Shilpa Shetty's 'Dhadkan'
Actor Ahan Shetty says he would like to star in a remake of his father Suniel Shetty's films such as 'Dhadkan' and 'Border'. 'Dhadkan', was a hit when it was released in 2000. The romantic drama film also stars Shilpa Shetty and Akshay Kumar. The movie was inspired by the novel 'Wuthering Heights'.Actor Ahan Shetty says he would like to star in a remake of his father Suniel Shetty's films such as 'Dhadkan' and 'Border'. 'Dhadkan', was a hit when it was released in 2000. The romantic drama film also stars Shilpa Shetty and Akshay Kumar. The movie was inspired by the novel 'Wuthering Heights'.
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US Air Force Special Tactics
General AFSOC Discussion
Flying squadron's first female commander has 'skills, poise and guts'
http://www.spectre-association.org/index.htm
Lt. Col. Brenda Cartier became the first female to command an Air Force Special Operations Command flying squadron Feb. 20 when she took command of the 4th Special Operations Squadron Ghostriders.
Cartier's ascension comes 16 years after the Air Force first allowed women to fly combat missions and four and a half years after Lt. Col. Martha McSally became the first female to command an Air Force combat flying squadron.
Despite the time lapse, the AC-130U Spooky II fire control officer said AFSOC is "right on time" for having a female command a flying squadron and is pleased "the gender issue is becoming less and less highlighted."
Cartier said she was one of many female junior officers to cross-train into combat aircraft after the Air Force lifted the ban in 1993 and expects to see more Air Force women taking command positions soon.
"To get to this point it takes a long time," she said. "AFSOC is careful about developing its leadership and this is a culmination of that."
Cartier graduated from undergraduate navigation training the same year women started flying combat missions, but missed the cut by a couple of months. She navigated E-3 AWACS her first four years, which included deployments to Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
She transferred to AC-130Us in 1997 and has since logged over 4,000 flying hours aboard the gunship. Cartier has deployed four times to Iraq and Afghanistan and flew aboard one of the first AC-130Us to cross the Iraq border, providing cover fire for special operations teams during the invasion.
However, a mission that stands out for Cartier is one when she never fired a shot. She was the fire control officer on one of two AC-130Us that flew over the special operations team that rescued Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, the soldier captured by Iraq forces in 2003.
"Fire control officers like to shoot — but that night we didn't have to shoot because the operation went so well and I was pretty happy about it," Cartier said.
Cartier assumed command from her boss, Lt. Col. Jim Rodriquez, during a ceremony in Commando Hangar at Hurlburt Field, Fla. She had served as the squadron's operations officer since 2007, which is the same year AFSOC named the Ghostriders the command's top flying squadron.
In June, the Air Force awarded three 4th SOS airmen Distinguished Flying Crosses for a September 2007 mission in Iraq during which the Spooky II crew protected a Navy SEAL team from an insurgent attack.
"There is no doubt Brenda Cartier is the perfect officer to lead the 4th SOS into the future," Col Dennis Pannell, 1st Special Operations Group commander, said during the ceremony. "She has the skill, poise and guts to take this squadron to the next level.
Reactions: The91Bravo
The91Bravo
BNDN - Been Nowhere Done Nothing
In a van, down by the river...
And she looks smokin hot in front of the A/C....
The City of Destiny
i was wondering how long it would take. Very nicely done.
This is freaking hilarious.
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DA SWO
SOWT
Try this link...
http://www.afsoc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123136801
I just find it funny what I can and can't get to at times. They finally blocked www.fighterchicks.com.
AFSOC Grounds CV-22 Osprey Fleet Over Safety Issue
Cartoonjunkies
First Woman Becomes a SWCC Operator
SWCC
Name change and reintroduction
MIkeH92467
New JSOC Commander - LTG Bryan Fenton
SierraWave
British Army Ranger Regiment
Diddums
European Special Operations
Devildoc


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Extreme points of Armenia
Title: Extreme points of Armenia
This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2013)
Armenia is a landlocked country in the Transcaucasia region, between the Black and Caspian Seas, bordered on the north and east by Georgia and Azerbaijan and on the south and west by Iran and Turkey.
The terrain is mostly mountainous and flat, with fast flowing rivers and few forests but with many trees. The climate is highland continental: hot summers and cold winters. The land rises to 4,095 m above sea-level at Mount Aragats.
Pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT is not helping the already poor soil quality in many parts of the country.
Armenia is trying to address its environmental problems. It has established a Ministry of Nature Protection and introduced taxes for air and water pollution and solid waste disposal, whose revenues are used for environmental protection activities. Armenia is interested in cooperating with other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS, a group of 12 former Soviet republics) and with members of the international community on environmental issues. The Armenian Government is working toward closing the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant as soon as alternative energy sources are identified.
Geographic coordinates: 40°00′N 45°00′E / 40.000°N 45.000°E / 40.000; 45.000
1 Physical environment
2 Topography and drainage
4 Environmental Problems
5 Area and boundaries
6 Resources and land use
6.1 Geography Other
Armenia is located in southern Transcaucasia, the region southwest of Russia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Modern Armenia term means Republic of Armenia which occupies part of historical Armenia, whose ancient centres were in the valley of the Araks River and the region around Lake Van in Turkey. Armenia is bordered on the north by Georgia, on the east by Azerbaijan, on the southwest by the Nakhchivan Republic of Azerbaijan, on the south by Iran, and on the west by Turkey.
Topography and drainage
Twenty-five million years ago, a geological upheaval pushed up the Earth's crust to form the Armenian Plateau, creating the complex topography of modern Armenia. The Lesser Caucasus range extends through northern Armenia, runs southeast between Lake Sevan and Azerbaijan, then passes roughly along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border to Iran. Thus situated, the mountains make travel from north to south difficult. Geological turmoil continues in the form of devastating earthquakes, which have plagued Armenia. In December 1988, the second largest city in the republic, Leninakan (now Gyumri), was heavily damaged by a massive quake that killed more than 25,000 people.
About half of Armenia's area of approximately 29,800 km2 (11,505.8 sq mi) has an elevation of at least 2,000 m (6,562 ft), and only 3% of the country lies below 650 m (2,133 ft). The lowest points are in the valleys of the Araks River and the Debet River in the far north, which have elevations of 380 and 430 m (1,247 and 1,411 ft), respectively. Elevations in the Lesser Caucasus vary between 2,640 and 3,280 m (8,661 and 10,761 ft). To the southwest of the range is the Armenian Plateau, which slopes southwestward toward the Araks River on the Turkish border. The plateau is masked by intermediate mountain ranges and extinct volcanoes. The largest of these, Mount Aragats, 4,095 meters (13,435 ft) high, is also the highest point in Armenia. Most of the population lives in the western and northwestern parts of the country, where the two major cities, Yerevan and Gyumri (which was called Aleksandropol' during the tsarist period), are located.
The valleys of the Debet and Akstafa rivers form the chief routes into Armenia from the north as they pass through the mountains. Lake Sevan, 72.5 km (45 mi) across at its widest point and 376 km (233.6 mi) long, is by far the largest lake. It lies 2,070 m (6,791 ft) above sea level on the plateau. Terrain is most rugged in the extreme southeast, which is drained by the Bargushat River, and most moderate in the Araks River valley to the extreme southwest. Most of Armenia is drained by the Araks or its tributary, the Hrazdan, which flows from Lake Sevan. The Araks forms most of Armenia's border with Turkey and Iran while the Zangezur Mountains form the border between Armenia's southern province of Syunik and Azerbaijan's adjacent Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Main article: Climate of Armenia
Temperatures in Armenia generally depend upon elevation. Mountain formations block the moderating climatic influences of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, creating wide seasonal variations. On the Armenian Plateau, the mean midwinter temperature is 0 °C (32 °F), and the mean midsummer temperature exceeds 25 °C (77 °F). Average precipitation ranges from 250 millimeters (9.8 in) per year in the lower Araks River valley to 800 millimeters (31.5 in) at the highest altitudes. Despite the harshness of winter in most parts, the fertility of the plateau's volcanic soil made Armenia one of the world's earliest sites of agricultural activity.
A broad public discussion of environmental problems began in the mid-1980s, when the first "green" groups formed in opposition to Yerevan's intense industrial air pollution and to nuclear power generation in the wake of the 1986 reactor explosion at Chernobyl'. Environmental issues helped form the basis of the nationalist independence movement when environmental demonstrations subsequently merged with those for other political causes in the late 1980s.
In the postcommunist era, Armenia faces the same massive environmental cleanup that confronts the other former Soviet republics as they emerge from the centralized planning system's disastrous approach to resource management. By 1980 the infrequency of sightings of Mount Ararat, which looms about sixty kilometers across the Turkish border, became a symbol of worsening air pollution in Yerevan.
In independent Armenia, environmental issues divide society (and scientists) sharply into those who fear "environmental time bombs" and those who view resumption of pollution-prone industrial operations as the only means of improving the country's economy. In the early 1990s, the latter group blamed Armenia's economic woes on the role played by the former in closing major industries.
In 1994 three national environmental laws were in effect: the Law on Environmental Protection, the Basic Law on the Environment, and the Law on Mineral Resources. The Council of Ministers, Armenia's cabinet, includes a minister of the environment. However, no comprehensive environmental protection program has emerged, and decisions on environmental policy have been made on an ad hoc basis.
Environmental conditions in Armenia have been worsened as a result of war with Azerbaijan over Armenia's claim of historic rights to Azerbaijan's [Nagorno-Karabakh] province. Hostilities along Armenian-Azerbaijan border disrupted crucial supply routes which Armenia was greatly dependent on. The winters of 1991-92, 1992–93, and 1993–94 brought enormous hardship to a population lacking heat and electric power. (The large-scale felling of trees for fuel during the winters has created another environmental crisis.) During these years, Armenia occupied some 20% of Azerbaijan's territory, rendering possibility of supplies from Azerbaijan an impossibility. This led the government to propose reconstruction of the Armenian Atomic Power Station at Metsamor, which was closed after the 1988 earthquake because of its location in an earthquake-prone area and which had the same safety problems as reactors listed as dangerous in Bulgaria, Russia, and Slovakia. After heated debates over startup continued through 1993, French and Russian nuclear consultants declared operating conditions basically safe. Continuation of the blockade into 1994 gave added urgency to the decision.
Another environmental concern is a significant drop in Lake Sevan's water level because of drawdowns for irrigation and the diversion of water to hydroelectric plants to compensate for the electric power lost through the inactivity of the nuclear plant at Metsamor. This crisis was addressed in 1992-93 by construction of a tunnel to divert water into the lake from the Arpa River. Engineers estimated that once the project is finished, the tunnel will allow 500 million cubic meters of water to be drawn from the lake annually, while maintaining a constant water level. The Ministry of the Environment reported that the lake's water level had dropped by fifty centimeters in 1993. Experts said that this drop brought the level to within twenty-seven centimeters of the critical point where flora and fauna would be endangered.
Among major industrial centers closed to curtail pollution were the Nairit Chemical Plant, the Alaverdy Metallurgical Plant, and the Vanadzor Chemical Combine. Economic requirements triumphed over environmental considerations when the Soviet-era Nairit plant was reopened in January 1992 after being closed in 1989 because of the massive air pollution it caused. Newly independent Armenia needed the income from foreign sales of Nairit rubber and chemical products, many of which had been assigned exclusively to that plant under the Soviet system and were still unavailable elsewhere to the former Soviet republics in the early 1990s. Up-to-date environmental safety technology and adherence to international standards were promised at Nairit when the decision to resume production was announced.
Natural hazards: occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts
Environment - current issues: soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; energy blockade, the result of conflict with Azerbaijan, has led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Araks Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant without adequate (IAEA-recommended) safety and backup systems
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate-Change-Kyoto-Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban (not into force), Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Area and boundaries
total: 29,743 km²
country comparison to the world: 149
land: 28,454 km²
water: 1,289 km²
Area comparative
Australia comparative: about one third (33%) the size of Tasmania
Canada comparative: greater than half (56%) the size of Nova Scotia
United Kingdom comparative: about one third larger (30%) than Wales
United States comparative: slightly smaller (7%) than Maryland
EU comparative: slightly smaller (8%) than Belgium
Land boundaries:
total: 1,254 km
border countries: Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Nakhchivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Debed River 400 m
highest point: Mount Aragats 4,095 m
Extreme points of Armenia:
North: Tavush (41°17′N 45°0′E / 41.283°N 45.000°E / 41.283; 45.000)
South: Syunik' (38°49′N 46°10′E / 38.817°N 46.167°E / 38.817; 46.167)
West: Shirak (41°5′N 43°27′E / 41.083°N 43.450°E / 41.083; 43.450)
East: Syunik' (39°13′N 46°37′E / 39.217°N 46.617°E / 39.217; 46.617)
Resources and land use
Natural resources: small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite
arable land: 16.78%
permanent crops: 2.01%
other: 81.21% (2005)
Irrigated land: 2,860 km² (2003 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 10.5 m³ (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.95 km³/yr (30%/4%/66%)
per capita: 977 m³/yr (2000)
Geography Other
landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range
Geography of Europe
Geographical Issues in Armenia
Mountains of Armenia
Shikahogh State Preserve
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.
Template:StateDept
Armenia topics
(timeline)
Kura-Araxes culture
Hayasa-Azzi
Kingdom of Urartu
Orontid dynasty
Kingdom of Armenia
Roman Armenia
Byzantine Armenia
Bagratuni Armenia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Persian Armenia
Ottoman Armenia
Russian Armenia
First Republic of Armenia
Soviet Armenia
Independent Armenia
Armenian national movement
Ararat plain
Lake Sevan
Mount Aragats
Historical regions
Provinces (Marzer)
Defence Minister
Armex (stock exchange)
Dram (currency)
Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Catholic Church
Armenian Evangelical Church
Armenian Brotherhood Church
Armenian cross
Armenian Eternity sign
Mount Ararat
States with limited
Climate of Europe
Geography of Asia
States with limited recognition
Other dependent territories
Climate of Asia


text:
Reasons Why Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is Bad
regularponyfan09 I was in disbelief when this movie got a "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes. I finally got around to watching it and it was the stupidest movie I've ever seen. Here's why the TTG movie is one of the worst animated movies of all time.
The Top Ten
1 It fails at comedy
Worst superhero comedy movie of 2018
The only joke that made me smirk even slightly was when Slade shamed the audience for not turning off their cell phones. Other than that, I didn't laugh at anything. The rest of the jokes are either too juvenile, too confusing, or make no sense whatsoever. Some of them also drag on for way too long such as the balloon fart joke or "saying Slade dramatically" joke (which they thought was so hilarious they did it over and over again). There were also plenty of jokes that had the potential to be funny. For example, in the trailer, there was that one joke where they kept trying to get rid of Batman and he kept saying the names of his movies. However, in the movie he doesn't say anything so the comedy is lost. And speaking of Batman, you have Will Arnett in your cast and you don't let him voice Batman?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! - regularponyfan09
More than obviously, they paid those critics to give them good ratings - Mcgillacuddy
Dang, I honestly thought Teen Titans Go! To the Movies wouldn't be that bad a movie, but while I still have yet to watch it and I don't want to jump on any bandwagon, I have to say you did a pretty good job explaining why you didn't like the Teen Titans Go! movie. - ModernSpongeBobSucks
Thank you! I feel like when it comes to things I don't like, I can come up with a hundred reasons as to why it doesn't appeal to me. - regularponyfan09
2 The characters are unlikeable
I prefer the old teen titans better, because the morden characters are unlikeable
Yeah I agree I hate the teen titans so much the original was so much better why did they had to cancel it why and the Teen Titans Go movie sucks and I'm not going to see it and I got 3 more words for this movie...worst movie EVER - Lpsgirl
Even if I had never seen TTG the show before, I still would hate these characters. Robin is an egocentric a-hole who wants a movie even though he's done nothing to deserve one. Meanwhile, the rest of the Titans are immature and do nothing but annoy the crap out of the other superheroes while at the same time ruining Robin's career. - regularponyfan09
They are all extremely unlikable in my opinion. ESPECIALLY ROBIN! - Spongehouse
Actually, I take that back. Slade is the most likable character in the movie. He's the only one who tells average jokes. Plus, I think he's a great metaphor for the people behind the show. - regularponyfan09
3 It's lazy
Even The Animation Was Done By A Group Of Filipino Sweatshop Flash Animators!
The animation is literally the same as the show's animation. At least the My Little Pony Movie changed up the animation style a bit to make it look more appealing in theaters. This just looks like a made-for-T.V. movie. But not only does it have lazy visuals, but lazy writing as well. There's a scene that introduces Raven's power of making portals very poorly in which she precisely states what she can do and then does it. It's show don't tell, not show and tell (sorry for the Mr. Enter quote). - regularponyfan09
Another thing about Raven's portal ability, there are multiple times in the movie when she could've used it but didn't. - MegaSoulhero
Yeah, and also, it was never established that she could only make certain-sized portals. So she should have been able to send Slade and his robot to the other dimension. - regularponyfan09
4 Some scenes add nothing to the story
The time traveling scene is the biggest example. It's completely pointless. It should have been cut out of the movie altogether. It doesn't tell any good jokes, it doesn't move the plot along, it doesn't even remotely change anything in the long run. Literally, the Titans just go back in time, stop superheroes from existing, go forward in time and realize their mistake, and then go back and fix everything immediately. I'm pretty sure they only put that scene in because they were struggling to make the movie last more than an hour. - regularponyfan09
Or more bluntly: filler. Some writing teams will abuse filler to death.
This movie could've easily been an hour long T.V. movie. - MegaSoulhero
It's very obvious they were struggling to make it to fifty minutes. - regularponyfan09
5 The songs are cringeworthy
You're right about that. Actually, my brother always sing the songs in TTG movie. The song is annoying and so much worse
Especially the rap at the beginning. This movie tries way too hard to be "hip" and "cool" with today's youth. And also, the reprise of this song is literally just the exact same song sung again. A reprise is supposed to be a shorter version of an original song that either A. repeats the chorus or climax of the song or B. adds new lyrics. It is not just singing the whole song again. The rest of the songs aren't much better. While I admit they sound decent, their lyrics are horribly cliche. - regularponyfan09
Couldn't they have something decent for once in it's damn life?! How about "We Built This City" by "Starship? " It would be a better song to use. - Gehenna
Again, I haven't seen the movie yet, but that song where that tiger was singing "upbeat" in a trippy fashion honestly confused me. Literally the only good thing that came out of the song was when the Titans ran over the tiger singing the song. - ModernSpongeBobSucks
Actually, to me that was the worst part of it. Keep in mind this movie is aimed at kids and I don't think kids would take too kindly to seeing an innocent animal getting brutally murdered. - regularponyfan09
6 The messages are confused
This movie seems to be under the delusion that if you're a superhero who makes jokes, you can't call yourself a real hero. Well, I guess that means Deadpool's not a real hero because he makes jokes. And I suppose the Guardians of the Galaxy aren't real heroes because they make jokes. No, people don't hate the Teen Titans because they make jokes. They hate the Titans because they're bad at making jokes. And then there's the part where Robin isn't allowed to have his own movie because he's a "sidekick." First of all, Alfred is technically a sidekick and they gave him his own movie. Secondly, I thought Robin didn't deserve a movie because he was a joke? Now you're saying he doesn't deserve it because he's a sidekick. You need to pick one outlook and stick with it! - regularponyfan09
7 It has a low opinion of kids
It thinks the only way to entertain them is to have toilet humor and obnoxious sound effects. Also, this movie seems to believe that kids are too stupid to follow a plotline so it has to constantly restate what's going on, even if to kids it's incredibly obvious. - regularponyfan09
8 Aha's Take On Me is the only good song on the soundtrack
Lil Yatchy is rolling in his grave - Scarytar44
To be honest, Take On Me should have been used in 40% 40% 20%. (Whatever that episode is about) - Gehenna
The rest of the soundtrack however stinks. But I'm very shocked and surprised that such a good song was used for a crappy ass movie. - Gehenna
Too bad they used it during the most pointless scene in the movie. In fact, maybe the scene exists because they wanted to pad out the soundtrack. - regularponyfan09
9 It doesn't make sense logically
Not only is the time traveling scene pointless, but it fails in the logic department. If they went back in time and got rid of Batman, that means Robin shouldn't exist. Or at the very least, he shouldn't be a superhero. And if that's the case, the Teen Titans shouldn't exist. Honestly, if that was the plot of the movie, it would have been a million times better. - regularponyfan09
Cartoon logic: never existing since god knows when
10 It keeps referencing better movies and TV shows
Referencing something older than you doesn't automatically make you cool. You have to put some real thought into how to make it work.
Like the Lion King, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Animaniacs. - regularponyfan09
Nobody asked for these references
It doesn't even do anything clever with these references. It just acknowledges their existence. - MegaSoulhero
11 They made fun of Stan Lee
It contains bulling!
Stan Lee is dead, and this how they honor him?! I know that this movie was created before he died, but this is not how you treat Stan Lee! - GehennaTheSecond
They did that guy dirty. May be rest in peace - Scarytar44
HOW DARE THEY THEY SHOULD DIE FOR MAKING FUN OF POOR STAN LEE!
12 The short that played with it was boring and lazy
Even though I consider it to be the best part of the movie, that DC SuperGirls short was incredibly lame. As bad as the Emoji Movie was, it at least had an entertaining short that played beforehand (which was the only thing I laughed at throughout the entire thing). This...this is just stupid. There's nothing of substance here. It's just Batgirl waiting for her father to go to sleep so she can go fight crime with the other superheroines. And in the end, we don't even see them fight because I guess they don't have the budget to animate real action. Also, Wonder Woman introduced the other SuperGirls in the laziest way possible. Why do you even need to introduce the other girls? They do literally nothing in this short. The worst part? This was directed by Lauren Faust. Smh. - regularponyfan09
13 Slade used an obvious fake name
14 It has a poor understanding of superheroes
For a movie that's all about superheroes, it doesn't know a lot about them. I can go on and on about how little this movie understands its own universe, but I'll just give two examples here. Number 1: According to Slade, villains are supposed to get away in superhero movies so the hero can keep fighting them. When in reality, most villains in superhero movies die in the end. The villain escaping over and over again is usually reserved for television shows, not movies. Number 2: Slade says the Justice League can't save anyone if their phones are turned off. Uh, you do know that most superheroes have a signal that lets people call them when they are needed from anywhere, right? They don't usually call them on their phones when they need help. Seriously, how is it that the girl who has never read a DC comic in her life knows more about superheroes than this movie claiming to be about superheroes? - regularponyfan09
15 Slade is the only good character
16 It depends solely on self-referential humor
17 Supergirl was wearing plastic man as a dress
18 Not enough attention given to the Titans aside from Robin
I felt trolled with the story not being aimed much at TT or TTG fans rather than superhero movies.
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List StatsUpdated 21 Oct 2019
1 year, 157 days old
Top Remixes
1. It fails at comedy
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3. It's lazy
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Courtesy of Gun News Daily at https://gunnewsdaily.com/
Boston doctors seek different approach to gun violence
By CommonWealth Staff	Attorney General Maura Healey, Center for Gun Violence, gun safety, guns, Health Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, The Download	0 Comments Jun 11, 2019
Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital launched the new Center for Gun Violence Prevention on Monday, with a slew of Massachusetts elected officials on hand to support the effort.
Clinicians will use the center, funded with $1.2 million from MGH and $200,000 from Harvard Medical School, to address the gun violence problem through a public health lens.
Attorney General Maura Healey; Mark Barden, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise; Boston Mayor Marty Walsh; House Speaker Robert DeLeo; and Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins were among the speakers at the event.
Founded by pediatric surgeon Dr. Peter Masiakos, director of the Pediatric Trauma Service at Mass General Hospital for Children, and internist Dr. Chana Sacks, the center is dedicated to advancing the health and safety of children and adults through research, clinical care, education and community engagement. For Sacks the effort is even more personal, as her cousin's 7-year-old son Daniel was one of the children killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Clementina Chéry, founder of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, named after her 15-year-old son, who shot and killed 25 years ago in Dorchester, also spoke at the event.
Doctors and nurses will be taught through the center how to discuss firearm safety with patients. The first gun violence simulation training for clinicians took place last week.
Sacks said the center will also distribute free gun locks to patients "the same way we hand out free condoms or bike helmets." The methods deployed by the center will be an effort to work around the 1996 Dickey Amendment, a federal provision that bars Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds from being used for injury prevention or promotion of gun control.
"With nearly 40,000 people a year dying, we have a responsibility as people in the health care system to tackle that issue the way we would any issue that's affecting our patients," Sacks said. "So it's not that we're choosing this issue, it's choosing us."
There have been 17 homicides so far this year in Boston, with 14 of those from gun violence. DeLeo said legislation related to firearms and supporting behavioral health among young people will be "a part of our discussion" on Beacon Hill.
DeLeo said Reps. Chynah Tyler, Liz Miranda, Andy Vargas and Dan Cullinane "are already hard at work on this issue," but told State House News Service he didn't have any specific bill in mind at this point.
State public health commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel said her department has started "explicitly addressing gun violence through a public health and racial equity lens." Bharel said black youths in Massachusetts are 32 times more likely to be hospitalized for a firearm injury than their white counterparts.
SARAH BETANCOURT
A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll finds Massachusetts residents are willing to pay higher taxes to fund increased allotments for schools serving low-income students or low-performing districts. (Boston Globe)
State Rep. Andy Vargas is facing blowback from antivaccine activists over his bill to remove religious exemptions for vaccinating children in the state. (Boston Globe)
Joan Vennochi is not too taken with the claims of former House speaker Sal DiMasi, who served a federal prison sentence for corruption connected to taking payments to steer a state contract to a company, that he has a constitutional right to now work as a lobbyist on Beacon Hill. (Boston Globe)
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
When they head to the polls next week, retired yacht broker David Hooks wants Marblehead voters to approve a $50,000 one-time Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion for trees to beautify downtown. (Salem News)
Some residents of Newton's Lower Falls neighborhood are concerned that a proposal to develop an MBTA Green Line parking lot into 675 housing units – including roughly 100 affordable – will bring "an urban setting to a suburban town." (WGBH)
Tracy Blanchette, who was Methuen's first female firefighter when she was hired 25 years ago, filed a Civil Service complaint claiming she was passed up for a promotion because of sexism and favoritism. (Eagle-Tribune)
The owner of a pirate radio station in Worcester agrees to shut down and surrender the equipment. (Telegram & Gazette)
Chicopee School Committee member David Schryver was pepper sprayed and arrested after police responded to his home in connection with a domestic complaint. (MassLive)
WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
Whitey <3 Donald. (Boston Globe)
A merged United Technologies and Raytheon will site its corporate headquarters in Massachusetts, the second big landing of a one-time Connecticut-based firm following the state's wooing of General Electric — though the vast majority of United Technologies jobs will remain in Connecticut. (Boston Globe)
While many assumed that interim Boston Public Schools superintendent Laura Perille would step into a vacant cabinet-level education post, Mayor Marty Walsh has decided instead to scrap the education adviser position. (WBUR)
Career and technical high schools are the jewels of the state's education system, says Pioneer Institute's Tom Birmingham. (CommonWealth)
HEALTH/HEALTH CARE
After suing the federal Bureau of Prisons, Stephanie DiPierro will be allowed to continue her methadone treatment while behind bars, potentially setting a precedent for other inmates addicted to opioids. (WGBH)
A 99-year-old World War II Navy veteran is moving off the Cape for the first time in 55 years when Brewster's Wingate Residences closes in August. In a situation that highlights the lack of affordable assisted living for veterans, Francis Preston's family has been unable to find an open slot in a subsidized assisted-living facility on the Cape, where places like Cape Cod Senior Residences have multi-year waitlists. (Cape Cod Times)
The MBTA suffered its second derailment in four days, as a Red Line train ran off the tracks at the JFK/UMass stop in Dorchester, throwing the morning commute into chaos for thousands of riders. (Boston Globe)
The idea of a special, reduced fare for low-income people gained some steam at a meeting of the Fiscal and Management Control Board after an MIT study concluded those riders are particularly sensitive to trip pricing. (CommonWealth)
T notes: New fare inspectors will be civilians, not cops — and lots more. (CommonWealth)
Northeast seaports, including New Bedford, are inadequate to meet the needs of the region's burgeoning offshore wind industry. (CommonWealth)
The nonprofit Boston Harbor Now is teaming up with the National Park Service and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation to create a 30-year redevelopment plan for Peddocks Island in an effort to boost the number of visitors to the second-largest of the Boston Harbor Islands. (Patriot Ledger)
Curbed Boston takes a look at Encore Boston Harbor by the numbers. With 5,500 employees, 28,300 plus expected annual ferry trips, and 800 trees, the massive (and controversial) undertaking is expected to open June 23.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS
A Globe editorial pans the idea that Boston police officers should get extra pay for wearing body cameras.
Bristol County DA Thomas Quinn says two South Coast men were among the five people arrested over the past two months during a child pornography investigation. (Standard Times)
Robert Paul Marley II, a 60-year-old Lynnfield man, was allegedly extremely intoxicated and called Coast Guard officials "Nazis" when he was arrested Saturday night on his seventh charge of drunk boating. (Gloucester Daily Times)
Carmelo Baez, a 41-year-old Lawrence man, allegedly snuck up on his ex-girlfriend, punched her in the face and then shot at her. The court will hold a dangerousness hearing Monday. (Eagle-Tribune)
A SWAT team from the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council helped Amesbury police execute a search warrant, but there is no public documentation yet of what was found or what police were looking for. (Salem News)
The city of Fall River won an initial victory in a lawsuit brought by a New Jersey-based company related to a failed 2017 deal to sell the King Philip Mill, with a court order to transfer the case to Massachusetts federal court. (Herald News)
CommonWealth Staff
Was the New York Times report on the $4.7 billion that Google allegedly made off the news industry "fake news?" (Columbia Journalism Review) Or imaginary? (Nieman Journalism Lab)
Learn about the Compass Experiment to help local news coverage. (Medium)
Tagged in: Attorney General Maura Healey/ Center for Gun Violence/ gun safety/ guns/ Health Care/ Massachusetts General Hospital/ The Download
‹ Boston doctors seek different approach to gun violence Cyber criminals will love charging station plan ›


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The new Elizabeth Line in London
5 January, 2023 5 January, 2023 by Giancarlo Bonfiglio
The new Elizabeth Line in London – Photo BBC
The new Elizabeth Line
New Elizabeth Line will begin to circulate from May 24, 2022 through the tunnels excavated under the center of London, confirmed the state operator Transport for London (TfL).
The opening constitutes a fundamental milestone in the evolution of the line since it will allow progress with the integration of all the routes that today are separate railway lines -although updated- and operated under the TfL Rail brand.
However, continuous services between the different terminals through central London will have to wait a few more months until the tests and different adjustment works that still remain are completed. The completion of the Bond Street station is pending.
From May 24, passengers entering London from Reading (north-west), Heathrow (south-west) and Abbey Wood (south-east) will need to combine at Paddington to access the stations in the central section of the tunnel. On the other hand, those who come from Shenfield (northeast) must transfer at Liverpool Street station. The work to integrate the different existing signal systems on the route has not yet been completed.
formations will operate with automatic driving
In the new London tunnels, the formations will operate with automatic driving while, in the existing branches integrated into the service, they will have to switch to manual driving modes.
Both TfL and Crossrail – the company in charge of the work – expect to finish these works by the autumn and launch direct services then. This will increase the frequency of the 12 trains per hour (one train every five minutes) that the line will have from May 24 to 22 trains per hour (one train approximately every three minutes) in rush hour between Paddington and Whitechapel.
Photo TfL Elizabeth Line in London
The commissioning of the central section comes after years of delays in works. It was planned to inaugurate the entire line in December 2018, delays in signal works and in some stations, in addition to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, forced the inauguration to be successively postponed. This also forced the budget to be increased by 4,000 million pounds (4,947 million dollars), which were contributed by different levels of government.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, who already visited the works in February 2016. The new Elizabeth Line will thus be the third line to be named after figures of British royalty after the inauguration. of the Victoria Line in 1968 -named after Queen Victoria- and of the Jubilee Line in 1977 -in coincidence with the Silver Jubilee of Isabel II in that year-.
Elizabeth Line in London
Can I take luggage on the London Tube?
You can carry luggage on the london tube, but… The carriages that go to Heathrow airport have a little more space without seats than ordinary tube carriages. If you have bulky luggage, it is recommended not to take the subway. Take the Heathrow Express, which is more expensive, or the Airbus. Both are designed for people with bulky luggage. The london underground was designed for a time when people with luggage didn't take the tube. This saves inconvenience for tourists and passengers.
Photo BBC
Do i need a passport to fly domestic in U.S.?
Categories TSA, UK Tags Elizabeth Line, Elizabeth Line in London, Elizabeth Queen, London
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad 2023
Wilmington & Western Railroad Historic Train


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Missionary Thought for the Week of May 29, 2017: How Tears Open Doors
Our weekly Missionary Thoughts are meant to develop the kind of mindset that opens doors, starting with our own. We hope you go as deep as your thoughts will allow - and be surprised by what you find hidden in the silence. Such contemplation is the keystone of this ministry. Contemplative action comes after we ponder something so deeply that we can no longer sit still – we absolutely must chase after that truth we have found so that we can capture it and joyfully experience its realization.
Tears, then: embracing tears, for our bread.
We are lingering here because tears are of such great importance to our work. Missionaries of Saint Thorlak must be willing to feel our emotions to the fullest. Some of us already do. Perhaps others have adopted habits to suppress our emotions for one reason or another, or have gradually forgotten how to feel openly. Let us be very clear: We cannot welcome others with closed doors. Even a partially closed door gives hesitation to the souls around us. We must open our doors in every figurative sense: unlock them, unlatch them, and swing them open as wide as the jambs allow.
As we've mentioned before, this does not mean we reveal every hidden aspect of ourselves, and it does not mean we have no boundaries. It means that, for Missionary work, we open the doors to our humanity, through voluntary humility, whenever we seek someone's friendship.
A good test of this openness is the degree to which we are willing to embrace tears – both our own, and those of others.
This week, we ask you to read over these points, and find the one that provokes the most thought. Maybe it confuses you, or irritates you, or maybe it makes sense with blazing clarity. Once you find it, really study it, and identify how and why it resonates with your desire to join hands with this Mission.
"Crying waters hardened ground and keeps it soft." How is this true, for those who cry, and for those who witness crying?
When tragedy strikes, people from different groups come together in unity. What is it about disaster that brings people together like children, from one family, with the same needs? Why does this not happen ordinarily?
Someone you've passed day after day may never get a "hello" from you, but should you find that person in tears, would you still pass by, or would you suddenly feel on equal ground? (Bonus thought: Where were you in your mind's social ranking BEFORE you stopped to show your concern – below that person, or above?)
What manner of tears makes people angry or irritated? Why? Do people who cry in this manner still have underlying needs we can meet? How easy is it to be with someone who habitually cries in this fashion?
Do other people become angry, impatient or uncomfortable when you cry? Is this only with one or two people, or does it seem like everyone reacts this way? Why might this be the case?
"Tears appear when beauty becomes unbearable." Can it be said that there is beauty implied in sorrow? For, why else would we be sorrowful but for the wounding, destruction or loss of something beautiful?
Those who resist crying or flee tears are very likely afraid of them. Why do people fear crying? Is it vulnerability? Loss of control? Powerlessness to change the situation? Or, is it sensory overload from the combination of sound and empathetic compassion? Should we take it personally?
Fictional villains sneer, but rarely cry. Real people who inflict cruelty do not often cry, either. Why is this? Might anything change if they did cry?
Can it be said that tears are an outward sign that there still remains enough hope to triumph over the things and people that hurt us?
"Tears appear when NEED should no longer be experienced alone." When we cry alone, are we still in the presence of God (and, therefore, not alone)? Do our tears draw God nearer to us? Do we allow God near us when we choose to cry alone, or do we flee/push Him away, too?
Again, these are thoughts for all Missionaries - those with autism, and those without. We conclude by inviting you to consider how tears open, or close, doors in your own relationships… or, how you would like them to.
Missionary Thought for the Week of May 22, 2017: Tears, For Our Bread
Two different times, the Book of Psalms uses this phrasing: "You have fed us with tears for our bread." Seeing how we are an apostolate concerned with spiritual food, this is a matter of interest for our Missionaries, and is our thought for this week.
A powerful emotional relationship underlies this poetry. "You have fed us…" suggests dependency, particularly that of a child. "Bread" is a universal symbol of comfort and plenty. "Tears for our bread," then, would be a shocking, even hurtful substitution. Do we assume the psalmist is lamenting that God seems to be sending tribulation instead of peace? Yes, in strictly historical terms. It certainly resonates with those times when we, too, have suffered with things beyond our control and wondered how we ended up with bitter herbs when we expected our daily bread. But let's linger here, since we know both poetry and Scripture speak on as many layers as humans are complex.
Let's think about tears. They are salty… wet… warm. An outward sign of our interior emotion.
We most often associate tears with sorrow, but they can also come with laughter, surprise, anger… actually, anywhere that emotions become more intense than our words can express.
We've all heard that human beings are the only creatures who shed tears of emotion. We are also programmed to recognize tears as a signal for our attention, starting the moment a child is born. Infants and children rarely suppress their tears, and adults dutifully respond. A gradual shift comes as children mature. Instead of crying easily, adolescents – despite having intense emotions – increasingly feel the need to hide their tears as an act of independence. This is a useful way to practice self-regulation and coping, but it should not imply failure if tears slip out. In fact, it is equally useful to see how peers are moved to compassion when they see you in a moment of high emotion. Adults probably shed the least tears of all the various age groups, but healthy adults still do cry as a part of living, and friends still (usually) respond with care when tears are spotted.
People with autism have a strained relationship with tears.
Some cry easily because they experience their emotions with greater intensity.
Others experience their emotions academically – but no less authentically – and do not show much facial expression, so can be unfairly labeled apathetic, stoic, or believed to be "taking things remarkably well" without anyone actually checking to see if this is true.
Some fear crying because it physically hurts and feels overwhelming.
Others have internalized the social nuances which ridicule crying, and so hold themselves to unrealistic standards ("I must never cry.")
As you read over this list, it should occur to you that we could remove the words "with autism" and it would still apply to many. Difficulty crying is an "anyone" thing, just as tears themselves are not exclusively an autism thing. People with autism cry for exactly the same reasons as do everyone else. In fact, we're all familiar with phrases like these (and they didn't originate on the autism spectrum):
E.G.: "I fought back tears." Why? Did they pose immediate danger? Did your body produce them as an act of aggression?
E.G.: "This song always makes me cry." Makes you? As in, coercion? You have no active part in listening, thinking, feeling, wishing…?
E.G.: "Oh, I must have something in my eye." Really. Wait – yes, you do. It's your humanity. And it's nothing to be ashamed of.
Do tears really make us that vulnerable?
Well… yes.
Crying happens when our NEED can no longer be experienced alone.
Crying is not designed to be done in secret. When we cry alone, tears themselves are all we have – just salt and water, which nourishes no-one (and would be toxic if that were all we consumed).
When we allow someone to know our need, however, we give them a gift: the chance to respond, with leaven (= that which moves them to rise), balm (= oil) and sweetness (= sugar) to soothe our distress. Their acts of comfort need be nothing fancy, just simple solidarity – the grains of our experiences mixing with theirs, milling together in a shared moment of understanding (= flour). The warmth of our tears plus the warmth of their giving completes the gesture, and all the components of (spiritual) bread are in place. Tears DO become bread when we share them with others.
It's true.
[ God feeds us with tears for our bread ] --> No! -->
God feeds us with tears, for our bread.
Note the insertion of the comma. That comma changes everything, and can be put there with a simple act of our consent. It takes a lamentation and turns it into a proclamation.
"God has fed us with tears for [= instead of] our bread" -> becomes ->
"God has fed us with tears [= which contain necessary ingredients], for our bread."
So, then. Our need, expressed in our tears, can feed our souls and can feed the souls of others…
Unless we reject crying.
Unless we reject others seeing our tears.
Unless we fail to see the tears of others (deliberately, or by not thinking to look).
Unless others fail to see our tears (deliberately, or by not thinking to look).
Unless autism impacts or impairs our ability to shed tears.
Unless autism impacts or impairs our ability to respond to tears.
Each of these "unlesses" can be changed… worked on… remedied… and transformed, as part of our spiritual commitment as Missionaries, including those last two. Autism DOES impact one's ability to shed tears, and autism DOES impact one's ability to respond to tears. But, if we take the impact autism has on our ability to cry and respond to crying, and consecrate it [dedicate it to serving God-in-others]… the ensuing love [CARITAS] will make that impossible task possible.
And so, for this week's thoughts, we ask you to ponder this idea deeply.
Pull it apart, question it.
Knead it.
Let it rest.
Let it rise in your heart.
And let it become your bread.
Missionary Thought for the Week of May 15: Autism <BLANK>
We lead off this week with a quick word association exercise. Ready?
Imagine you could make a generous contribution toward helping people with ASD. "My focus would be AUTISM _____________ ."
Let us guess. Among the answers that are not registered trademarks, the most common are:
These are all worthy causes and vitally important concepts.
But not ours.
Please, don't get us wrong. We endorse each cause named above. Who wouldn't? Acceptance recognizes the triumph of individuals' efforts to live their best lives under the differences and difficulties that characterize autism. Awareness is an open invitation for others to take the time to understand what living with autism looks and feels like. Treatment offers relief from distress and raises competence in coping. And, although there is no known "cure" for autism as yet, biomedical research continues to advance the three other previously named causes, giving many hope that one day the debilitating symptoms of autism can be eradicated.
The Mission of Saint Thorlak approaches autism by following the lead of our spiritual patron, who met things head on where they were… learned from them… and reformed them.
Wait: AUTISM… REFORM?
Stay with us. You'll see.
When St. Thorlak was consecrated Bishop of Skalholt, his superior, the Archbishop of Norway, was pleased to have found someone who shared his (unpopular) passion for moral reform in the church. Thorlak was already familiar with the anything-goes mentality of Icelandic priests and leaders. He tried for many years to demonstrate through his own actions that clergy were obligated to observe a higher way of living through serving others, not their own pleasures. He understood that appointment to higher office meant you were chosen and your work to be set apart, made sacred, and dedicated to God's use.
Now hold on. We realize that autism is not a calling, and not an honor. It is a yoke under which people are placed by the mere configuration of their genes, developmental circumstances and confluence of all other factors which contribute to autism's expression.
Public office, too, is a yoke. High titles bring privilege, yes, but also obligation, for humble servants and hedonists alike.
Yokes. We've heard this before. Who was it that said "Take MY yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"?
Is this true? Can we trade in the yokes we are dealt and take up the Yoke of Jesus Christ instead?
The answer is YES. We can. We accomplish this through an act of the will, a conscious choice to take something ordinary, lift it up in prayer, and dedicate it to serving and glorifying God.
Taking your yoke, whatever it is and however burdensome, and dedicating it to the sacred service and glorification of God, is accomplished through consecration.
Historians reflecting on St. Thorlak's legacy summarize him as "a reformer." Did he set out with that explicit intention, or was that the consequence of how he lived out his vocation? We don't know for sure. But we do know that St. Thorlak was a man of voluntary humility. He was strongly convicted and uncompromising, but he was not aggressive. He came from need, not demand.
If St. Thorlak accomplished reform, it was through consecration.
St. Thorlak felt a great love of God from his earliest age. He responded by consecrating his life to God's service. He never sought high titles, but he did accept them with trepidation and indebted loyalty to the One who commissioned him: first a deacon, then a priest, then a scholar abroad, then an abbot, then a bishop.
St. Thorlak – socially paralyzed, impaired speaker, lover of learning – consecrated what he had to serving God and serving God-in-others. He felt pain when his kinsmen suffered. He hurt when people in authority gave poor example by their greed, unethical dealings, dishonesty, lustful indulgences and disregard for the dignity of women and children. He wanted to help bring remedy to these injustices and help those who suffered the consequences.
St.Thorlak, with the authority of a cleric, dedicated himself and all that he had – ordinary objects, land holdings, people under his tutelage – to serving God-in-others. He dedicated his struggles, triumphs and ordinary daily rituals. He consecrated all to serving God-in-others.
And, people noticed.
People in places high and low noticed he lived differently… quietly… contemplating something bigger than that which was before them. At times he appeared overly serious, and he had an unusual love of rules and order, but he still had a memorable effect on people. He was an unexpected blessing, a gentle burst of oxygen that remained even after he left. He stirred people to see themselves differently because he approached everyone he met as a gift.
Yet - this is someone for whom speaking, even eye contact, was painful!
How did he do it?
He gave himself, struggles and all, in loving obedience to serving God-in-others – and it went from something painful (and something most take for granted) to being a source of blessing for him AND all who received it. Each ordinary, painful encounter became a blessing which brought God-in-him to God-in-others.
Back to us, and our exercise, now.
Bringing God to people in a way that gets their attention… taking real, painful impediments and circumstances, and converting them to pathways to blessing… Yes. That all sounds like "reform."
And so, our angle, our contribution to helping those affected by autism, is, in fact, "reform."
Reform, through consecration.
Let us then finish the phrase: Our focus is: Autism CONSECRATED.
Take what we have, however poor, however painful, and dedicate it completely to the service and glorification of God. In America alone, one in 48 people are affected by autism. If we consecrate that, then one in 48 will be blessed… and will bless untold others in each of their circles.
It CAN happen.
If we hear the call.
Missionary Thought for the Week of May 8, 2017: Therapy's Purpose
This week's Missionary Thought works on many levels. It functions as a tip for people with social anxiety. It gives non-anxious people an idea of how to approach someone whom they have passed by time and again without making it seem forced or awkward. It gives homage to our patron, St. Thorlak, who employed this action every day of his ministry and whose example we recognize as opening doors for people with autism spectrum disabilities. And finally, it is an actual testimony: something that a real person did, difficult as it was, and discovered how to disempower her panic attacks. By the time you've read this through, we hope you'll understand the underlying premise of The Mission of St. Thorlak.
THE SCYTHE OF SAINT THORLAK IN ACTION
Let us review: The Scythe of St. Thorlak, which cuts through the thorns casting shadows of doubt in our unclear minds, is VOLUNTARY HUMILITY.
Here is one way to put this scythe into action, with a little imagination. For those times when you feeling awkward, anxious, withdrawn, unable to speak, or unable to find the on-ramp to join an existing gathering: put on your imaginary reporter's badge, and go interview someone.
That's right. Envision your very own press pass. Now, go get the scoop.
What is it about a press pass that emboldens reporters? Have you ever noticed how someone going for the big story has an overflowing measure of confidence? A press pass allows access where people are otherwise shooed away by security and people in charge. A press pass permits you to interrupt, cut in with a question, to be noticed, to announce that you have a need. Instead of being snickered at, talked over, brushed aside – press passes take precedence. They are respected. People not only notice press passes, but they pause to accommodate them.
You, then, take up your press pass. Go up to a situation – a conversation in progress, or a person you've never approached before, or a setting that you've always avoided – and grab that interview.
SEEK OUT THE STORIES FROM THE MARGINS
If you don't have a real press pass, don't forge one (please). Use the Scythe of St. Thorlak instead. Trust us… it will get just as much attention. Take up your willingness to be humble and resolve to learn from the people you approach. With a little prep work you can have some questions in mind and how you plan on asking them. Don't worry if you are clumsy, if you stutter, if you get looks of confusion. Just go talk to them. Ask them questions. Show them, by asking, that they are a valuable resource to you… because they are!
There. Doesn't that sound like a good tip for people with social anxiety? (We hope so; it is meant to be.)
Then again, it works for people who are not diagnosed with anything in particular, for those who are socially comfortable and have a solid group of friends and don't really take too much notice of the people on the fringes, the people sitting alone, or, maybe, the people who really don't look very approachable. It's easy to pass by someone who really doesn't like talking to other people.
Since when does any of that concern a reporter going for the exclusive interview?
As Missionaries of St. Thorlak, whether or not you have a diagnosis, your job – your OBLIGATION – is to look for people on the margins and seek out their stories. You want to come to know them as well as you know the people in your comfortable circles. You want to know what makes these quiet or off-putting ones tick. You also want to help them see that you genuinely notice them, appreciate them, and would feel their absence if one day they were gone.
So you, too, go in with your press pass, your voluntary humility, and tell those people on the margins that you really wish to know them better. Be willing to be rebuffed, mumbled-to, hedged-against and outright rejected... but more importantly, be prepared to be surprised by their candor, their delightfulness, their softness… and their likeness to you. Be committed to regularly speak with them at their pace, not yours, and be ready to find that you really enjoy their company.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ST. THORLAK'S MISSION?
St. Thorlak used this technique routinely in spite of many social limitations. He was a lover of learning. He saw volumes of stories, wisdom, experience and adventure in the people of his diocese. He wanted to understand everyone almost as fervently as he himself longed to be understood. If we are to follow his holy footsteps, it is up to us to imitate his example to the best of our ability. They may not have had journalists in his day, but they certainly had saga-writers and storytellers… none of whom had any material without people to inspire them. Go, therefore, and be inspired by the sagas of the people close at hand!
Why are we focusing on this? Why suggest something that could be found in the pages of a social skills manual, or a group therapy session for people on the autism spectrum? Why not promote something more deeply spiritual, since we are spiritual missionaries?
Because it IS spiritual… when it is consecrated.
Consecrated? A Postscript.
The "press pass" technique is a true story of a real person's effort to overcome suffocating and frequent panic attacks in social situations. She never had the benefit of therapy sessions or social skills curricula. Instead, she was met by adults and professionals who called her "shy" and "timid" and pushed her to "get past it." This was more than just "anxiety" – these were racing heart, swimming head, hyperventilating, cold-sweaty panic attacks which plagued her throughout high school and beyond. Finally, this courageous soul rose above her disability with her own willpower… not by curing it… not by conquering it… but by consecrating it.
By dedicating what little she had to the service of God and others, her path finally came into focus. No more did she work to impress other people… no more did she try to prove herself… but rather, she entrusted her struggle to God's service, as imperfect as she was, and her focus shifted away from herself.
By focusing on God, she found her way out.
This is by no means a condemnation of social skills curricula or self-esteem therapy. But it is, for Missionaries of Saint Thorlak, a reminder:
Autism therapies are means to our end, which is: Service of God-in-others.
May we contemplate this idea in preparation of learning what it means to consecrate autism to serving God-in-others.
Missionary Thought for the Week of May 1, 2017: The Scythe of Saint Thorlak
One of the only recorded prayers calling on St. Thorlak was written around the year 1350 (see end note) and bears these words: "Cut with the scythe of your workings the thorns casting shadows in my unclear mind." Scythe? Thorns? That's some powerful imagery. After all, a scythe is no little pocket knife, and any thorns requiring a tool that big must be some serious, menacing thorns – the kind that keep people away.
Those familiar with St. Thorlak recognize the paradox of this image. While his stature and authority were both scythe-worthy, his nature was anything but threatening. Gentle, modest, clement, placid – those were more frequent descriptors of St. Thorlak's disposition (also used in the same prayer cited above). A scythe is probably the last thing anyone would imagine in the hands of a quiet, scholarly bishop. So, what kind of thorn-slashing weapon did this author have in mind, if Thorlak was not known for using aggressive force?
Voluntary humility.
St. Thorlak struggled with varying degrees of social anxiety and difficulties speaking throughout his life, often finding his public duties quite distressing. Yet, he willingly accepted the obligation of every office to which he was appointed, believing that his mission was to serve other people in complete charity. His commitment to CARITAS made these impossible tasks possible for him.
St. Thorlak dedicated his life to promoting social and clerical reform among a very resistant crowd. He unceasingly met, counseled and instructed the people in his pastoral care. Although he was opposed and outright mocked by many powerful leaders, he won people over time after time without using harsh or aggressive tactics. How did someone who was painfully shy, who dreaded crowds, was considered overly serious, and who was chronically misunderstood by his peer group win so many hearts?
So: What does voluntary humility look like, and how do we use it? Here are some illustrations.
Voluntary humility does everything with open hands, acknowledging the ways we are at someone else's mercy, in every situation.
Voluntary humility does not fear our own need to be noticed and understood.
Voluntary humility is our willingness to feel uncomfortable in the shadow of our needs… for the sake of CARITAS.
Voluntary humility is a choice (… hence, "voluntary") to be needy.
Voluntary humility says: "I need you to notice and understand me, even if I am too embarrassed by my weakness to face you."
Voluntary humility says: "Even if I do not yet understand you, I am going to speak to you in a way that dignifies you, affirms your importance as a person and lets you know it's okay if you don't reciprocate."
Voluntary humility accepts those moments when anxiety makes it hard to face other people… when eye contact is painful… when our palms sweat and our hearts race... when the thorns of doubt cast shadows in our unclear minds.
Voluntary humility says: "Since I'm not hiding the fact that I am just as needy as you are, you have no need to feel intimidated."
Voluntary humility says: "I can learn a lot from you. Can you be my friend?"
This voluntary humility defines us as Missionaries of St. Thorlak. Traditional mendicants start out from plenty but take vows of voluntary poverty, spending their time begging for material charity. Missionaries of Saint Thorlak start from spiritual poverty and sincerely embrace voluntary humility, spending our time begging for spiritual, fraternal charity (= CARITAS).
Thus, Missionaries of Saint Thorlak are equally people with autism and people approaching those with autism. The only pre-requisite for being a Missionary of Saint Thorlak is having humanity… and, as we see this week, a willingness to take up St. Thorlak's Scythe.
Who's ready to start reaping?
End note: The prayer referenced above is very nicely detailed in the work of Susanne Miriam Fahn and Gottskálk Jensson, The Forgotten Poem: A Latin Panegyric for Saint Þorlákr in AM 382 4to', Gripla, 21 (2010), pp. 19-60). The words "cut with the scythe of your working…" originally referred to the 14th century author's appeal for clarity in recalling the details of St. Thorlak's biography.


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Fluid Motion Theater & Film, Inc.
we are an official selection of the 3rd Annual Asian American Film Festival of Dallas!
ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY & MISSION
December 10, 2020 December 10, 2020 ChristineSimpson
Established in March 2002, Fluid Motion Theater & Film, Inc., challenges audiences to reconsider the categories with which we have come to identify ourselves. The company commissions and produces new work adapted from classic western and non-western dramatic texts, as well as texts not traditionally associated with the theater (novels, short stories, poetry et al.). Through the reconceptualization of archetypes, Fluid Motion hopes to explore the commonality of human experience shared by disparate cultures, sparking thought and inspiring conversation about the connections that bind us in our personal communities, in our countries, and in our world.
Because strong storytelling is at the very core of our mission, Fluid Motion looks to provide a safe and nurturing environment for writers to develop new work alongside directors and actors. Furthermore, Fluid Motion aims to nurture, support and promote the recognition of traditionally underrepresented minorities, with a preference for women, in theater and film.
Fluid Motion's premiere event was the staged reading of Sung Rno's play wAve (an Korean American adaptation of the Medea myth) at The Joseph Papp Public Theater in June 2002, which attracted an audience of more than 230 people. In the fall of 2002, the company produced its first film, a digital short entitled Tea which relocates the myth of Echo and Narcissus to modern day Manhattan. Tea made its world premiere at the 26th Annual Asian American International Film Festival in New York City in June 2003 and has gone on to be shown at screenings across the country. Fluid Motion's first full theatrical season opened in August 2003 at the NYC International Fringe Festival with Arsat, an adapation of Joseph Conrad's "The Lagoon."
Through a variety of developmental readings and workshops, Fluid Motion Theater & Film is continually developing a variety of new works for both stage and screen.
December 10, 2020 ChristineSimpson
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