text:
The Transgender Brain
Or "It's all in your head – no, really!"
It's clear that a significant segment of human society has difficulty accepting that transsexuality is a real medical condition which is part of our inherited genetics. The common tactic of the blatant transphobe is to dismiss us as freaks, psychopaths, or even monsters deserving of involuntary institutionalism. The casual transphobe, or crafty one, will instead often use phrasing, like this copied from an online debate I participated in.
"Hey, I don't care if someone thinks they're Napoleon. What. Ever. But don't expect me to salute them or call them Emperer[sic]. That would make me as crazy as they are. This is just common sense, people."
Sadly, as seen in any political debate, "common sense" is a meaningless phrase loaded with contrived meaning, almost always uncommon and insensible. "We want common sense measures to keep dangerous weapons off our streets!" versus "Giving people the ability to defend themselves against criminals is just common sense!" With so much "common sense" out there, it's amazing that anything ever goes wrong!
So let's try to dispense with "common sense," and my editorializing upon such, and look at the facts. I'm going to address the following points in order:
How the genitals and brain develop their respective gendering, and significant cases of brain and genital misalignment resulting from endogenous or exogenous chemicals.
Clues given to us from hereditary studies.
Karyotype aberrations from the normal XX and XY chromosomes.
Several significant differences from the average population which have been found in the brains of transsexuals.
Contrary research which indicates there may be either a limited or no difference between the brains of transsexuals and the general population.
Note: "Transsexual" is used somewhat synonymously with "transgender" in this article. The word "transsexual" will be the default term, as it typically is used in scientific literature, unless there is a specific need for the broader umbrella term "transgender." Also note, "transwomen" refers to male-to-female transsexuals, and "transmen" refers to female-to-male transsexuals.
Gender identity was once thought of as being entirely a social construct, with most of our gender formation occurring between the ages of 1-4. (Bao, Gooren 2006) In the 21st century, the general thought is that gender identity is programmed at birth, although social factors can potentially overwhelm this programming. One tragic example is the "John-Joan-John" case, where a boy who lost his penis at 8 months was surgically turned into a girl, including the administration of estrogens and receiving psychological counseling. Although raised a girl all her life, she had the unshakeable feeling that she was in fact a boy. She transitioned back to male at age 14, and attempted to live as a male, but eventually, due to financial instability and a failing marriage, committed suicide. (Bao)
It's common to hear the phrase "all babies start out female, and it's only later that they become male," and this is at least partially true. In fact, the influence of testosterone on a fetus has been described as a defeminization process, changing a fetus which was essentially predestined to be female into male. (Gooren, 2006) Testosterone production and the conversion of some testosterone to dihydrotestosterone between weeks 6 and 12 of pregnancy is critical for the initial development of male features, such as the penis, prostate gland, and scrotum. (Bao) In the absence of these male hormones, female genitalia develop instead. Brain development, however, does not occur in earnest until the second half of the pregnancy term, after the genitals have been developed, and the continued presence of male hormones results in a brain which has subtle, but critical physical differences from the female brain. (Bao)
The fact that the brain and the genitals develop at different times in the womb mean that a misalignment between the genitals and brain may develop, leading to either an intersex condition, or a transgender individual.
Example 1: Women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) develop bodies which are almost entirely female, and they tend to be sexually oriented towards men – despite having an XY karyotype. (Bao, Gooren 2006) Often, there is no indication the child is anything but female until surgery or an x-ray reveals the presence of undescended testes. (Gooren, 2006)
Example 2: Either a 5α-reductase-2 or a 17β-hydroxy-steroid dehydrogenase-3 deficiency will prevent the formation of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, which will result in an XY karyotype baby girl with a large clitoris. However, when puberty arrives the girl will discover to her alarm that her clitoris grows significantly, her testes descend, and she will begin to take on masculine features. (Bao, Gooren 2006) Even though children with these birth defects are raised as girls, about 60% will become heterosexual males. (Bao) A Brazilian study found that of 25 5α-reductase-2 affected babies who were raised as girls, 13 changed their gender identity to male after puberty. (Gooren, 2006) Another study found that about 50% of 17β-hydroxy-steroid dehydrogenase-3 affected babies changed their gender identity back to male at puberty. (Gooren, 2006) What these results indicate to us is that testosterone likely more directly impacts the organization of the fetal brain than dihydrotestosterone. (Bao)
Example 3: Boys with an XY karyotype who are born with a cloacal exstrophy (where they are either partly or completely missing a penis) are typically changed surgically into "girls" just after birth, and are given female hormone therapy and counseling. However, about half of these new girls later determine that they are really boys, and change their social gender when they become teenagers or adults. (Bao, Gooren 2006)
Example 4: Girls with an XX karyotype born with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) (meaning they were exposed to high levels of testosterone in the womb) tend to develop male social tendencies and male personality features. (Hines, Zucker) They tend to be described by their parents as "tomboys", with a high energy level. (Gooren, 2006) CAH girls are 100-300 times as likely to be transsexual, compared to the general female population, and 1 in 20 have serious gender identity problems. (Bao) One study found that 37% of CAH girls classified themselves as either lesbian or bisexual, a number far greater than the general population. (Gooren, 2006)
Example 5: Phenobarbital or diphantoin administered to pregnant women as anticonvulsants can increase the chance of giving birth to a transsexual child.(Bao, Dessens) The belief, not proven conclusively at this juncture, is that these chemicals disrupt the influence of testosterone on the brain in the womb. (Bao, Swaab) In other cases, it's believed that prenatal exposure to estrogens, progestins, and antiandrogenic chemicals could suppress endogenous testosterone production by interfering with the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis. However, studies have focused largely on sexual preference as a result of this exposure, rather than gender identity, and in general these drugs were primarily only given to pregnant women between 1940-1970. (Gooren, 2006) There is some evidence that exposure to DDT could be responsible for increased polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women, increased idiopathic oligospermia (IO) in men, and increased transsexualism. Notably, transmen are found to often have PCOS, while transwomen often have IO. (Balen, Dorner) One study found transmen were 32.5% more likely to have endocrine dysfunction than XX karyotype women. (Futterweit)
Example 6: Kallmann's Syndrome, a condition which occurs due to deficiency of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. The result can be an adult who has a loss of secondary sex characteristics. It is found much more frequently in genetic males than in genetic females, and male sufferers typically have what the medical literature describes as "eunuchoid growth," with delayed or absent puberty, undeveloped infantile genitals, sparse body hair growth, a high-pitched voice, and other feminine features. Some of those with Kallmann's Syndrome will become transsexual, although this is rare. (Meyenburg, 2001)
Even in these factual cases, questions remain about the connection between genetic and physical factors and gender identity. For example, why wouldn't a preponderance of those with cloacal exstrophy feel they were boys? This likely attests either to the complexity of the physical processes involved, randomness in our development process, or the intense pressures social upbringing can exert upon both our gender and sexual attraction.
Other recent studies cast some question on what is more important in creating a feminized brain – the presence of two X chromosomes, or the presence of a Y chromosome and a sufficient level of testosterone. It's a subtle argument, which essentially is trying to determine if hormones are the only differentiator between male and female brains, or whether there are other factors. One study which compared XX, XXY, and XY individuals came to the conclusion that having two X chromosomes is responsible for differences in the formation of the amount of gray matter in the cerebrum and precentral areas of the brain. However, the presence of testosterone appeared to be responsible for differences in the amygdala, parahippocampus, and occipital cortex. Thus, any condition which would reduce or interfere with the testosterone that the fetus was exposed to could result in an intersex or transgender brain. However, it is also possible that XXY individuals may have other compounding factors which can skew the data. (Lentini)
Heredity Studies
Transwomen who are sexually attracted to men have been found to be more likely to be the younger or youngest children in families with more brothers than sisters. (Bao) A study of 417 transwomen and 96 transmen found that transwomen had significantly more maternal aunts than uncles, while transmen showed no clear trends. Interestingly, this trend was strongest in lesbian transwomen, while an even stronger trend was seen for asexual transsexuals of both birth sexes, where they had more maternal uncles than aunts. (Green & Keverne) There is some speculation that this could be a result of a defect in the X chromosome from the mother, similar to fragile-X syndrome. Twin studies have shown a hereditary component for gender identity disorder (GID). (Swaab) One study of gender identity disorder in 314 twins found a heritable trait – and thus, implying strong genetic trait – as being 62% likely. (Coolidge) In some rare cases, two or more transsexuals have been born into a single family generation, (Green, Sabalis, Sadeghi) and in some cases transsexualism has been inherited from a transsexual parent. (Green)
Karyotype Aberrations
None of the cases above address profound karyotype aberrations, such as Klinefelter's syndrome (47,XXY karyotype males, or 47,XXY/46,XY mosaics, or even the exceedingly rare 47,XXY/46,XX mosaicism), which can occur in 1 out of 1,000 male births. (Khandelwal) Other karyotype aberrations of note include 47,XYY males and 47,XXX females. In all of these cases the individual can develop gender identity disorder and become a transsexual (Khandelwal); indeed, this author personally knows individuals in this category who have become transsexuals.
Evidence for Physical Differences in the Transgender Brain
Despite the many profound genetic aberrations which can occur to create a transgender individual, most of us do not fall under any of the examples listed above. Here we must look to much more subtle evidence, and the majority of studies searching for a physical cause for transgender individuals have found physiological and genetic differences which can be tested and measured. And most of these differences are found in our brains.
This is my brain. Do you like it? I'm somewhat fond of it. This is a single MRI slice through the center of my brain which was done when the doctors were trying to diagnose my intersex hormone condition. It was suspected that I had a pituitary adenoma or tumor, but it turns out my brain is in absolutely perfect shape, excepting a pineal gland cyst of no real significance at this juncture.
For the record, it's a very sobering thing to look at your own brain, especially when you flip through all the image "slices" on the DVD they give you. You get the impression that your brain went through a virtual deli counter meat slicer.
Before we look at the results of brain studies, there are some points of scientific fairness which need to be addressed. The first one is that all of the physical manifestations which are listed below are subtle effects. You will not see these on an X-ray, nor even an MRI without specifically looking for them. If the differences in the brains of transsexuals were significant and profound, we wouldn't be faced with having to continually justify our existence and alleged "motivations" in the first place. The second thing to note is that the uncertainty values of many of these studies are quite high, because there is significant variation in the brains of individuals from person to person. Finally, we need to recognize that because we are "rare and beautiful creatures," and so many of us are closeted and unwilling to participate in studies, many of these studies have only examined a very small sample sizes of transsexuals.
Keeping all of that in mind, let us look at the evidence.
XY karyotype men have about twice the volume and twice the number of neurons as XX karyotype women in two regions of the brain, called the BSTc and INAH3 regions. (Bao, Kruijver) An early study of cadaver brains found that transwomen have roughly the same numbers of neurons in these areas as XX women (Zhou), and this has been backed up by further non-invasive imaging studies. (Bao, Kruijver) A single transman who was tested was found to have an XY male number of neurons.(Bao, Kruijver) However, it should be noted that in the imaging study, the differences from person to person were somewhat wide-ranging, and the sample sizes were very small.
From Bao – note the similarity between female and MtF subjects – note "CAS" refers to the "castrated male" group.
MRI data from 24 transwomen who had not started hormone treatment revealed that while their overall grey matter appeared similar to that of XY karyotype males, they possessed a significantly larger amount of grey matter in the right putamen. In fact, the grey matter structure of the transwomen was much closer to those seen in XX karyotype female subjects. In short, while the brains of the transwomen resembled XY male brains in terms of grey matter, in one specific region their brains appeared to be "feminized." (Luders)
A study of the white matter in the brains of 18 transmen, 24 XY karyotype males, and 19 XX karyotype females using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) showed that the white matter structure of transmen was much closer to that of XY males than XX females. In fact, the white matter of their brain differed from the XY males only in a single region of the brain, whereas they differed from the XX women in three regions of the brain. None of the transmen had received hormone treatment at the time of the study. (Rametti, 2011) A follow-up study by the same researchers found that after the transmen had received hormone treatment, significant changes occurred in their brains, making them appear even more masculinized in certain regions which are associated with XY males. (Rametti, 2012)
From Rametti (2011) – note where F-toM subjects lie, right between female and male subjects, and identical to males in one region.
A positron emission tomography (PET) study showed that smelling androgens (male pheromones) caused transwomen to respond in the hypothalamus region of their brain in a manner similar to XX karyotype women. However, smelling estrogen-based pheromones also caused them to respond in the hypothalamus region in a manner similar to XY karyotype men. This combination of results suggests that transwomen occupy an "intermediate position with predominantly female features" in the way the hypothalamus reacted. (Berglund)
An MRI study of 22 transwomen and 28 transmen examined the shape of the corpus callosum in the brain at a specific cross-sectional plane, and compared this shape with that observed in 211 XY karyotype males and 211 XX karyotype females. Their results demonstrated that not only could the sex of the patient be determined with 74% accuracy from the MRI picture, but the shapes of the brains in the transsexuals strongly reflected their gender, and not their biological sex. (Yokota)
From Yokota – note the shape and skewing of the histograms – MTF subjects are closer to females than males, and FTM subjects are closer to males than females.
A recent study examined cortical thickness in the brain between 29 XY karyotype males, 23 XX karyotype females, 24 transmen, and 18 transwomen. None of the transsexual subjects had received any hormone treatment prior to the study. Using an MRI, the researchers found that the transwomen had more cortical thickness than the XY males in three regions of the brain. The transmen showed evidence of masculinization of their grey matter. In all transsexuals studied, the key differences from their biological sex were found in the right hemisphere. (Zubiaurre)
From Zubiaurre – note again where FtM subjects lie in the comparison.
Testing of a chemical produced in our bodies called "brain-derived neurotropic factor" (BDNF) in 45 transwomen found that when they were compared with 66 XY karyotype male control subjects, the transwomen had significantly lower levels of BDNF. However, this could be a result of higher stress levels and higher emotional trauma levels in the transsexual sampling. It should also be noted that no women control subjects were compared in this study. (Fontanari)
Genetic testing of 112 transwomen and 258 XY karyotype male control subjects found that the transwomen had significant differences in androgen receptor genes. The result of this difference could lead to less effective testosterone signaling, meaning that there would be significantly less "masculinization" of the brain in the womb. This would result in a brain which was much more feminized, leading to a female gender identity. (Hare)
An admittedly small study of 9 post-operative transwomen showed their brain activation was similar to women when viewing pictures showing erotic male images. (Oh) However, this study doesn't so much address the root cause of the transsexuality as it shows that their sexual attraction towards men led to the same brain reaction as seen in heterosexual women.
Evidence Which May Indicate or Imply Physical Differences in the Transgender Brain
A 2013 study from Taiwan compared transsexuals with control subjects using two different assessments. In the first comparison, 41 transwomen were compared against 38 control subjects in a behavioral study to see how they would respond to pornographic short films. The results showed that transwomen overwhelmingly saw themselves in the role of their mental gender while watching the films. The second study was objective rather than subjective, and used functional MRI to compare the brains of 23 transwomen who had not been treated with hormones with 23 age-matched control subjects. The result was a significant difference in brain activity, primarily in the dorsal and pregenual ACC regions of the brain, between the transwomen and the controls. These regions of the brain are typically associated with processing feelings of social exclusion and emotional conflicts, so this may not indicate a difference in the brain due to gender identity differences, but rather a difference due to the negative social results of gender identity differences. (Ku, 2013)
From Ku – H-/TXs are transwomen, and fcCONs are controls.
Evidence Against Physical Differences in the Transgender Brain
In opposition to these studies, however, there are some studies which have found no significant differences between the brains of transsexuals and the population at large.
Early studies directly examining the corpus callosum in the brains of 20 transsexuals found no significant differences on a gross level between their brains and those of 40 control subjects. (Emory) However, The MRI technology which was employed was relatively new at the time of the study (1991).
A study of four sex-sensitive mental processes (rotation of an object, visualization of objects, perception, and verbal skills) found no significant differences between transwomen and XY karyotype males. However, analysis of the results actually showed biological sex only influenced rotation and visualization, and previous results showing XY versus XX differences in perception and verbalization were not shown. This could point to a flaw in the study, as other studies have shown significant differences. (Haraldsen)
Many studies have pointed to the difference between the length of the index finger and the ring finger being an indicator of androgen exposure before birth. In a "normal" XY karyotype male, the index finger is significantly shorter than the ring finger, which has led some to question whether transwomen with that same finger pattern have any significant physiological differences from XY males. However, as noted above gendering of the brain is not due to just simple androgen exposure, and studies have found the finger-length test to be poor, with a 60% overlap between XY men and XX women. (Gooren, 2006)
A study of 30 transwomen and 31 transmen found only two transwomen possessed a detectable DNA defect. (Hengstschläger) This study has been criticized for being too small and for not looking deep enough into the genome to find potentially subtle differences in genetics. However, a sample size of 61 transsexuals is at least average, if not larger than average, and the study otherwise seems sound.
Recently, there has been some focus on differentiating transsexual women who are attracted to men, versus those attracted to women. A criticism is that many of these brain studies do not account for these differences (e.g., Luders) and should do such, and some researchers claim that their studies of the brains of lesbian transwomen show no significant differences from male brains. (Savic) This has led to debate within the research community as to whether or not differentiation is even needed, with no clear resolution forthcoming. (e.g. Cantor, Italiano)
Some researchers feel that the evidence is intriguing, but too subtle and difficult to study or replicate, and therefore not conclusive enough to say that transsexuality is a brain structure-focused intersex condition. (Meyer-Bahlburg)
Taking the entire breadth of the findings uncovered by my research, it appears that there is more than sufficient evidence that transgender persons either have a serious hormonal-based birth defect, have been exposed to exogenous chemicals which have impacted their gender development in the womb, have a genetic karyotype which differs from the general population, or via some other process have a brain structure which is different than would be indicated by their chromosomes. While no single study presents proof beyond any shadow of a doubt or with metaphysical certainty, taken together they do present a preponderance of evidence such that one can say with confidence that transgender individuals have a congenital gene-based difference from cissexual individuals.
Una is a professional science researcher and part-time university professor. The reader is encouraged to perform their own follow-up and fact-checking with the references listed below. Unintentional bias may exist in this article, as the author is herself an intersex transsexual woman. No personal, commercial, or academic conflict of interest exists between the author and any authors or institutions cited as references.
Balen, Adam H., et al. "Polycystic ovaries are a common finding in untreated female to male transsexuals." Clinical Endocrinology 38.3 (1993): 325-329.
Bao, Ai-Min and Swaab, Dick F. "Sexual differentiation of the human brain: Relation to gender identity, sexual orientation and neuropsychiatric disorders" Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology 32 (2011): 214–226.
Berglund, H. et al. "Male-to-Female Transsexuals Show Sex-Atypical Hypothalamus Activation When Smelling Odorous Steroids" Cerebral Cortex 18 (August, 2008): 1900—1908.
Cantor, James M. "New MRI Studies Support the Blanchard Typology of Male-to-Female Transsexualism" Arch Sex Behav 40 (2011): 863–864.
Coolidge, Frederick L., Linda L. Thede, and Susan E. Young. "The heritability of gender identity disorder in a child and adolescent twin sample." Behavior Genetics 32.4 (2002): 251-257.
Dessens, Arianne B., et al. "Prenatal exposure to anticonvulsants and psychosexual development." Archives of Sexual Behavior 28.1 (1999): 31-44.
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Emory, Lee E., et al. "Anatomic variation of the corpus callosum in persons with gender dysphoria." Archives of Sexual Behavior 20.4 (1991): 409-417.
Fontanari, Anna-Martha V. et al. "Serum concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in patients with gender identity disorder" Journal of Psychiatric Research (2013): 1-3 (advance copy).
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Gooren, Louis "The biology of human psychosexual differentiation" Hormones and Behavior 50 (2006): 589–601.
Green, Richard, and Eric B. Keverne. "The disparate maternal aunt–uncle ratio in male transsexuals: an explanation invoking genomic imprinting." Journal of Theoretical Biology 202.1 (2000): 55-63.
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34 thoughts on "The Transgender Brain"
Allie October 26, 2013 at 11:00 am
I am so glad to have found this site. I knew I couldn't be the only one in the area.
I'm not sure this is posted in the right place and really hope that the social heading will expand. I think I am finally ready to have fun with this. I have worried way to much about it for well over 50 years.
Una Post author October 27, 2013 at 2:46 am
Allie-thank you for your comment here. The site is growing, I just had to deal with some hosting problems first before it grew too large. I have book reviews, film reviews, and some other things ready to start posting soon. That and the news update have been in a 1-week hiatus as I've been traveling in Europe. Be sure to sign up with your e-mail to get the news feed in your mail. Instructions are under the "Frequently Asked Questions" menu item. – Una
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Paula Dupre April 12, 2014 at 6:12 pm
Wonderful synthesis of the current literature. Thanks for putting this together,
Wonderful synthesis of the current literature. Thanks for putting this together!
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ryubyss July 9, 2014 at 2:13 pm
I found your post by Googling "Kallmann's" and "transsexualism".
based on anecdotal evidence I seem to have found an overlap Kallmann's in genetic male and MTF transsexualism which seems greater than chance. as a trans woman with Kallmann's the topic interests me. you mentioned that you have an intersex condition. do you yourself have Kallmann's?
— Ria
Una Post author July 9, 2014 at 10:54 pm
Hello Ria, and thank you for your comment.
I have not been diagnosed with Kallmann's, but with a different hormonal disorder of uncertain origin. I've not had good enough health coverage for most of my life to have delved into the details, but from the first my hormones were tracked my male testosterone levels were below the bottom range for males (but still higher than female levels, and my estradiol was at a low-mid female level (but much higher than any male level).
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The second courtyard offers the guests a large swimming pool with a poolside pergola also furnished for "chilling out" and dining al fresco, and for the guests´ convenience a summer kitchen has been built right by the pool. The poolside has views across the farming valleys of San Lorenzo and from the upper poolside terrace you can sit and watch the sunset over the valleys of the west.
The property is fully enclosed so ideal for families and groups.
The villa is furnished and equiped with everything guests may need to enjoy a relaxing, indulging and luxurious holiday experience.
Guests are welcome to visit the ecological farm located at the property and purchase seasonal fruits, vegetables and poultry.
The house is managed following strict EU guidelines on eco-friendly tourism and energy efficiency.
The villa is in the agricultural heart of the island, 5km from the charming coastal town of Santa Eulalia and 5km from the extremely quaint and popular village of Santa Gertrudis (and only 15km from Ibiza town).
The house is surrounded by olive trees and orange groves, and our tranquil neighbourhood is especially good for cycling, mountain biking, hiking, walking, pony trekking, sailing and swimming - we are a 15 minute car journey to the beautiful north and east coast beaches and to the yachting marinas of Santa Eulalia and we are situated next to the luxury spa Atzaro.
Our nearest main road is locally referred to as "restaurant road" boasting some of the best restaurants the island has to offer, including the famous Bambudha Grove, Sacca, Atzaro, La Paloma, and Balafia.
Free text 2 : Guests are welcome to visit the ecological farm located at the property and purchase seasonal fruits, vegetables and poultry.
Change over day on Saturday. Regular check-in time is after 16h and check-out time is before 10h.


Recon-ng is a full-featured Web Reconnaissance framework written in Python. Complete with independent modules, database interaction, built in convenience functions, interactive help, and command completion, This framework provides a powerful environment in which open source web-based reconnaissance can be conducted quickly and thoroughly.
The tool include several modules to run information disclosure, vulnerability exploitation , import to get data from google dork and online resources and recon which is the largest module with supporting shodan, GitHub, mailtester, XSSed , xssposed ,punkspider, GHDB, pwnedlist and more.
This framework will be useful during a penetration testing or RedTeam engagement to collect information from different sources about your target and next you can start from there to attack different systems and users.


Thank you for visiting us on TD Helps, Yousuf. Please understand that we would like to assist you directly, unfortunately, we do not have access to your personal information since this is considered an unsecured forum. To better assist you with your debit card inquiry, please reach out to our 24/7 Banking Specialists directly over the phone at 888-751-9000, they'll be happy to help after account verification. You may also stop by your local TD Bank Store location, during lobby hours for assistance. To find out the nearest TD Store locations and hours, please visit: http://go.td.com/1f9DSJR. If you are enrolled for online banking and you prefer, you may also send us a Secure Message for further assistance. To send a secure message you must first logon to your TD Bank online profile. You can do so by clicking here: http://go.td.com/1eaISlq. On the left hand side, you should see an option to "Send a secure message" located in the "Message Center." Just in case that you need to call us while you're outside the United States, you may do so by dialing 856-751-9000 or collect with operator's assistance from a land line phone by asking the operator to dial 215-569-0518. We thank you again for writing in, Yousuf. Have a nice day!


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Japanese investor interest in NZ plumps up Nikko funds
Tuesday 2nd December 2014
Nikko Asset Management New Zealand, the local subsidiary of the Japanese investment firm, said funds under management topped $4 billion for the first time as the country's relatively high yields on offer in a low interest rate world attracted foreign investors.
The local fund manager has increased its assets under management by 14 percent in the past 12 months, aided by the lure of New Zealand's high interest rates relative to the rest of the world, it said in a statement. Nikko has targeted Japanese investors in particular, leveraging its Tokyo based parent's links into the world's third biggest economy. Since the start of the year, Nikko has launched five Japan domiciled New Zealand dollar denominated funds.
"As the New Zealand team of a Tokyo based company, we have used our insight into Asia to capitalise on increased Japanese investor interest in New Zealand, particularly the New Zealand bond market," Nikko New Zealand's managing director Peter Lynn said. "From a global investor's perspective, the New Zealand bond market has a high yield combined with a solid credit rating, which is becoming attractive to Japanese investors."
Japan's Global Pension Investment Fund, the world's biggest pension fund with 130.9 trillion yen under management as at Sept. 30, reduced its holdings of domestic bond to just 49.6 percent in third quarter, its smallest allocation ever, and down from 53.4 percent at the end of June.
Nikko said New Zealand has attracted $1.09 billion in stock and bond investment from Japanese retail and institutional investors since 2008.
New Zealand's central bank embarked on tighter monetary policy earlier this year, hiking the benchmark official cash rate four times to 3.5 percent, something it saw as stoking a resurgence of the carry trade, driven by so-called retail investors who can borrow cheaply in their home currency, such as the yen, to invest in higher yielding currencies such as the kiwi dollar.
In its September monetary policy statement, the Reserve Bank saw an increase in New Zealand dollar denominated debt by overseas entities, with total issues averaging $1.3 billion a month in 2014, compared to $650 million in 2013, which itself was up from the year earlier.
Governor Graeme Wheeler yesterday said the bank has limited influence over long-term interest rates, which typically follow major regional economies and global investor activity. The yield on New Zealand's 10-year government bond was recently at 3.91 percent, compared to 0.44 percent on its Japanese equivalent.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


LEESBURG, VA -- REHAU announces commencement of the North American production of its innovative LaserEdge adhesive-free, non-PVC laser edgeband. The first laser edgeband technology to be produced in North America, LaserEdge provides a seam-free furniture edging solution that is applied via laser, plasma or hot air edgebanders.
"By commencing the North American production of laser edgebanding, which was formerly only manufactured in Europe, REHAU has opened a significant channel for furniture manufacturers in the U.S., Canada and Central America," said Dr. Thomas Troeger, North American director for REHAU's furniture business unit.
This two-layer edgeband is offered in proprietary polypropylene (PP), ABS or PMMA polymer formulations and replaces commonly used PVC edging solutions for all machine technologies currently on the market. LaserEdge is applied with highly efficient laser, plasma or hot air edgebanding equipment that melts a color-matched functional layer on the reverse side of the edgeband and welds it to the carrier board. The resulting seam-free board offers increased aesthetic appeal with no joints to stain or discolor, as well as superior heat and moisture resistance and an overall more efficient manufacturing process when compared to EVA glue.
By eliminating adhesives, LaserEdge significantly streamlines the edging application process, reducing both material and labor costs. The technology eliminates several steps in the manufacturing process, including adhesive color matching selection, processing set-up and additional cleaning and maintenance requirements. Further, it reduces idle machine periods and associated energy costs.
LaserEdge is part of REHAU's comprehensive line of non-PVC edging, tambour door and profile solutions for furniture design. The use of alternative PP, ABS and PMMA polymers, each offering unique application and processing capabilities, addresses an elevated environmental consciousness across the industry. The safety of the edgeband application is also enhanced through the adhesive-free LaserEdge application process that eliminates the potential for adhesive fume inhalation, as well as burn injuries typically resulting from the high temperatures required for EVA and polyurethane (PUR) adhesive application.
For additional information on REHAU's LaserEdge for office, kitchen and store fixture applications, contact: REHAU, 1501 Edwards Ferry Rd., N.E., Leesburg, Va., 20176. Phone: 1.800.247.9445. Fax: 1.800.627.3428. E-mail: rehau.mailbox@rehau.com. Web site:Rehau.com/furniture.
REHAU delivers "Unlimited Polymer Solutions," and is the premium worldwide brand for polymer-based innovations and systems in construction, automotive and industry. The company generates continuous growth through its expertise and innovative capabilities in materials development, systems design and surface technology. Approximately 17,000 employees at more than 170 locations around the world ensure success of the independent, privately held company.


8930 Seton Ct, Evansville, IN 47725 is a Residential - Vacant Land property with -- bedrooms, -- bathrooms, and is approximately -- sq feet of living space. The estimated market value for 8930 Seton Ct, Evansville, IN 47725 is $335,000, based on recent sales of similar homes and other property assessment information. this Residential - Vacant Land is located in Evansville, IN in the zip code 47725. The nearest zip codes are 42420 , 47610 , 47630. Center Township, Melody Hill and Highland are the nearest cities.
We're sorry! No schools found within 1 mile of 8930 Seton Ct, Evansville, IN 47725.


Yesterday we took an impromptu trip to New Smyrna Beach, about an hour and fifteen minutes from our house in Orlando. My in-laws rented a condo there over the summer and Carly spent some time there with them. They had a great lunch at Cafe Verde and Carly wanted me to check it out.
Cafe Verde is just off the main beach drag - Flagler Ave. It has an eclectic menu with lots of vegan and vegan-izable options. They serve beer & wine and several house brewed teas.
I was hungry when we got there so I ordered these yuca fries with mojo dipping sauce for a starter. They were well seasoned and the sauce was spectacular.
My main lunch - vegan tacos! Corn tortillas with tofu, pico de gallo & avocado cream sauce. Really delicious!
Carly got the BLT scallop tacos. I snuck some rice and plantains. She loved them.
We split this as a side and it was the star of the meal - sauteed Brussels sprouts and asparagus with cashews. We definitely want to make this at home.
We happened to get there in the middle of an art festival lining Flagler Ave. Lots of cute vendors and we also checked out the shops.
I had (have) a bad sore throat so we stopped for cold treats. Coconut shaved ice for me, cappucino ice cream for Carly.
After the eats we wandered a bit more and then drove to a beach bar to sit and watch the ocean for awhile. Click for pics!


text:
Kepler-944b es un planeta extrasolar que forma parte de un sistema planetario formado por al menos un planeta. Orbita la estrella denominada Kepler-944. Fue descubierto en el año 2016 por la sonda Kepler por medio de tránsito astronómico.

Véase también
 Wikiproyecto:Planetas extrasolares/Kepler
 Planetas extrasolares
 Sistema planetario extrasolar

Referencias

Planetas extrasolares
Planetas extrasolares descubiertos en 2016
944b
Planetas extrasolares en tránsito

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Lebanese American University School of Architecture and Design
Support Our Students
Islamic Art and Architecture
Events News and Events
Previous Conferences and Symposia
Dialogues in Time: Light, Time and Architecture in Art
September 16, 2021 6:30 PM–8:00 PM
Online Via Webex
Montreal artist Frank Mulvey will present his artwork and the work of selected fellow artists, focusing on architecture as part of a shifting puzzle of time, experience and place. Mulvey's drawings reveal facets of an alternate world derived from common experience, but featuring subtly unusual elements. Each image can be likened to a single frame from a film noir that never was, where the fatalism of this genre is converted into optimism, and from which existential questioning leads towards a hopeful future.
Frank Mulvey is best known for producing charcoal drawings of imaginary and shadowy architectural settings. His characteristic steel-framed black and white works are represented in the collections of the Musee du Quebec, the Canada Council Art Bank, the Ministere des affaires exterieures (Ottawa), as well as numerous corporate and private collections. He has been honoured with awards and grants from the Ministere des affaires culturelles du Quebec and The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, and has received a Director General's teaching excellence award from Dawson College. Frank Mulvey is the author of the art books Voyage (2012) and The Stillness of Time (2003).
In case you missed the lecture, click here to view the recording
Copyright Lebanese American University 2022. Privacy Statement


text:
Midseason recruiting report: Georgia stockpiling 5-stars, Oklahoma getting defensive, Alabama … is still Alabama
By Ari Wasserman
It's the midway point in the college football season, so we at The Athletic have been writing pieces to try to bring context to what is going on and where things could be headed.
Recruiting is a little different. We're about 10 days away from November and prospects can start signing in December, so the midway point in recruiting was somewhere around June. That said, it's never a bad time to think out loud and try to provide some perspective of where things stand in a very complicated, ever-changing landscape like the world of recruiting.
Here are some of my thoughts as the intensity in recruiting season really starts to ramp up.
1. Though we're through mid-October and it may seem that most of the fireworks in recruiting have already gone off ahead of December's early signing period, consider that seven of the top 15 overall prospects in the 247Sports Composite have yet to issue a commitment. And of all the teams with classes currently ranked in the top 10 nationally, Clemson has the fewest commitments with 13. So while a lot of classes are close to filling up, there will be a lot of movement in the top 10 before we get to the final rankings.
2. Of those top-15 national prospects, one came off the board Tuesday evening. Five-star receiver Luther Burden of East St. Louis (Ill.) High, the No. 5 overall prospect and a former Oklahoma commitment, chose Missouri over Georgia. Eliah Drinkwitz has already raised the bar in recruiting at Mizzou in his short time in Columbia, but this is the type of pledge that can make fans believe in a rebuild — despite the Tigers' struggles this season. It's going to take far more talent for Missouri to win in the SEC, but landing a five-star prospect from St. Louis is definitely a sign that things are headed in the right direction. Burden and four-star quarterback Sam Horn of Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill are two very nice building blocks for the Tigers.
3. Please don't feel bad for Georgia on the Burden news. Things are certainly coming together for Georgia on the field, as the Bulldogs are the clear favorite to win their first national title since 1980. But Georgia is just as hot off the field. Not only did Kirby Smart earn recent commitments from five-star defensive lineman Mykel Williams of Columbus (Ga.) Hardaway, four-star tight end Oscar Delp of Cumming (Ga.) West Forsyth and three-star offensive tackle Aliou Bah of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG in the past week, he is also firmly in the mix with a collection of the nation's most elite uncommitted prospects — four-star interior offensive lineman Earnest Greene of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, five-star cornerback Jaheim Singletary of Jacksonville (Fla.) Riverside, five-star Kamari Wilson of IMG (Fla.) Academy and others. The Bulldogs have a legitimate chance of closing out this year's class with four or more five-star prospects, which further illustrates Smart's recruiting dominance and why Georgia's current team finds itself in this position.
4. Given the disaster Florida State has been on the field this year, you'd think that five-star cornerback Travis Hunter of Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill would be on flip watch. Hunter has been spotted at Georgia on a few occasions this fall. He's an in-state prospect for the Bulldogs, so it is a natural leap to think Georgia has the inside shot here. Hunter, however, has continued to say that he is firmly committed to Florida State. This will be fascinating to track down the stretch, especially considering you can make the case that this recruiting class is really the only thing that is giving Florida State hope for the future. The Seminoles currently have a top-12 class that includes three commitments who rank among the top 110 players nationally — Hunter, four-star safety Sam McCall of Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson and four-star quarterback AJ Duffy of IMG (Fla.) Academy. This is the first class for Mike Norvell that reaches the previous Florida State standard.
5. Ohio State once seemed in position to sign the best class in the 2022 cycle, but a few things happened. Five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers of Southlake (Texas) Carroll — once the No. 1 overall player in 2022 class — reclassified to 2021. That will hurt the Buckeyes' Class of 2022 ranking even though they got him on campus earlier than expected. The Buckeyes also lost a commitment from Singletary, one of the best cornerbacks in the country. Ohio State had been quiet on the recruiting front — falling to as low No. 7 in the team rankings — before landing pledges on back-to-back days this week. On Tuesday, the Buckeyes landed four-star edge rusher Kenyatta Jackson of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep, the No. 67 overall player in the 2022 class. Then, on Wednesday morning, Avery Henry, an under-the-radar in-state product from St. Clairsville, committed to OSU. Henry is rated 1,214 overall and the 122 offensive tackle in the class. Ohio State's class is currently No. 4 nationally.
6. Right now I'd say Georgia has the inside shot at winning the recruiting crown. Alabama currently has the No. 1 class overall and has commitments from nine top-100 players. Maybe it is dumb to not automatically assume that Nick Saban is going to finish with another No. 1 class. Either way, Alabama is a machine.
7. Ed Orgeron and LSU have decided to part ways at the end of the season, which could bring angst to some Tigers supporters when it comes to the 2022 recruiting cycle. That said, Orgeron said something recently that rings true. He said players aren't going to LSU because of a coach. They are going because it's LSU. Consider that the Tigers' 2022 class, which currently ranks No. 11 nationally and has two five-star prospects committed, has 14 pledges. Of those 14, nine are from the state of Louisiana. LSU is a machine, and I don't think this coaching change will mean doom for the Tigers in the talent acquisition phase, especially considering the timing of it. There is, however, one player to keep a close eye on. Walker Howard, a five-star quarterback from Lafayette (La.) St. Thomas More, has been committed to LSU since June 2020 but is taking a visit to Notre Dame this weekend. The new LSU coach might need to work hard to keep Howard in the fold.
8. Clemson has three top-40 national players committed in its 2020 class. The Tigers' average player ranking of 93.12 is the third-highest behind only Ohio State and Alabama. Four-star quarterback Cade Klubnik of Austin (Texas) Westlake is going to be a star. All of that said, I do worry about Clemson's ability to maintain its status as one of the three premier programs in the country if it doesn't ultimately finish with a top-five class (it's currently No. 10). Obviously, this is a critical juncture for Clemson's program, so I'd like to see the Tigers finish strong and have a class comparable to Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama. Those are the programs that Clemson will need to match in recruiting if it wants to continue competing for national titles. I know Dabo Swinney does it his own way, but now that the Tigers don't have a distinct advantage at quarterback like they did with Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence — go look at how Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia have recruited the quarterback position — it's fair to wonder about the sustainability of the Dabo Rules.
9. Notre Dame spent some time ranked in the top two of the recruiting rankings in this cycle, but now that other programs are catching up with total commitments, the Fighting Irish's ranking is slipping — down to No. 5. It's still a really solid class, but with only two top-100 players currently committed, Notre Dame isn't acquiring the volume of elite talent necessary to win a game in the College Football Playoff.
Brian Kelly's 2022 class includes two top-100 prospects. (Patrick Gorski / USA Today)
10. Penn State had a horrid 2021 cycle, and James Franklin got smoked in Pennsylvania. Whatever. Call it a weird year because of a pandemic. I guess that's acceptable, especially now that Penn State has dominated its own state in this cycle — and has also done quite well out of state. The most valuable commitment in the class is four-star quarterback Drew Allar of Medina (Ohio) High. Though he's still rated the No. 7 quarterback in the class, 247Sports (not the composite) recently moved him up to the No. 1 spot in its rankings. Allar had an incredible showing at The Opening during the summer, and he certainly seems to be the type of quarterback who could finally get Penn State over the hump. That brings us back to Franklin, who is being mentioned as a candidate at USC and possibly at LSU. Penn State still controls its own destiny for a Playoff berth this year, and its 2022 class is really, really solid. It seems like a bad time for the program to be dealing with the potential of losing its head coach.
11. The 2021 cycle turned out to be Mario Cristobal's breakout class at Oregon. It included 10 players who ranked in the top 160 nationally, which is the type of class that could get the Ducks to the Playoff. That said, I'm a little disappointed with Oregon's class so far in the 2022 cycle. That may sound weird given the Ducks currently rank No. 7 nationally and have five-star offensive tackle Kelvin Banks of Humble (Texas) Summer Creek committed. But Oregon currently has only four players in the top 160. Not bad, but not what it needs if it hopes to emerge as one of the top programs in the country. Maybe Cristobal gets that done still, but it will take a ton of recruiting wins between now and December to get there.
12. Texas' 2022 class currently ranks No. 6 nationally but doesn't have a top-75 player currently committed. Given there are 12 top-75 prospects in the state of Texas, that just isn't good enough. The Longhorns do have eight players ranked between 75th and 150th nationally and are still involved with some elite-level in-state talents like five-star receiver Evan Stewart of Frisco Liberty, five-star cornerback Denver Harris of Houston North Shore and five-star offensive lineman Devon Campbell of Arlington (Texas) Bowie. I want to see Steve Sarkisian close on those players before I even entertain for a second that Texas could be "back."
13. Four-star safety Xavier Nwankpa of Altoona (Iowa) Southeast Polk is rated the No. 42 overall prospect in the 2022 class. You have to go back to 2001 to find another top-50 player from the state of Iowa. Notre Dame and Ohio State is really hot on the trail for Nwankpa, but this is a recruitment Kirk Ferentz absolutely has to win. Iowa had a rough weekend, but the Hawkeyes are still having a great season. Go get the in-state safety and don't let him be another top-50 player who decides to spurn his in-state school for the Buckeyes.
14. It was really easy to get excited about Cal's 2022 class, but the Golden Bears have suffered decommitments from three players, two of whom were the top-rated commitments in their class. Losing four-star quarterback Justyn Martin of Inglewood (Calif.) High, the No. 280 overall player in the 2022 class, was a major blow. It's tough to see a team seemingly on the right track lose its momentum because prospects changed their minds. Cal's class is now No. 58 nationally and No. 9 in the Pac-12. Yawn.
15. Martin, the Cal decommit, is the highest-rated uncommitted quarterback in the country at No. 21. Only three quarterbacks in the top 50 haven't issued a commitment. Let this cycle be yet another reminder of how important it is for schools to land their QBs early. You wait too long and they are all gone. There is some talent out there, and it'll be fascinating to watch stocks rise for quarterbacks as December approaches based simply on availability. I'm not sure there are any Jaxon Darts out there waiting to be discovered this cycle.
16. Oklahoma landed five-star defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy of Lakeland (Fla.) High last week. He's the highest-rated player in the Sooners' 2022 class. The fact that it came from a defensive lineman is significant for a program trying to build its defense for national title contention. The most exciting thing going for the Sooners, though, is that their 2023 class already has commitments from six top-55 players nationally, including three five-star prospects from the same high school in California. The talent level at Oklahoma is getting better, believe it or not.
17. Those three five-star prospects committed to Oklahoma attend Los Alamitos (Calif.) High. Those three prospects should be going to USC, which is something Trojans athletic director Mike Bohn has to consider when hiring his next coach. It may be too far down the road to get those three studs away from Oklahoma, but USC needs a dog of a recruiter running the show.
18. There are a handful of programs that I think are doing a heck of a job turning things around in this cycle. Forgive me if I forget a few, but the schools that really stand out are Rutgers, Missouri, Michigan State, Arizona, Boston College and Iowa State. The Cyclones usually recruit in the 50s, but Matt Campbell has a class that currently ranks in the top 30. Things aren't going great on the field for Iowa State, but this is steady improvement in recruiting and should mean more competitive years ahead.
19. Here are some programs I think should be recruiting at a higher level as November approaches: USC (understandable because it fired its head coach in the middle of the year), Florida, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Utah and, well, Arizona State.
20. Texas A&M owns the Houston area. The Aggies' recruiting prowess has staying power.
21. The most intriguing prospect in the 2022 cycle has to be five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen of Powell (Tenn.) High. It's not just because he's the No. 2 overall player. Why then? Because nobody knows what the heck is going on in his recruitment. He released a top five and then shortly after visited programs that weren't on that list. Schools that seem in play right now are Texas A&M, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida. Where will he end up? Heck if I know. But I do know it'll be entertaining to watch.
(Photo of Kirby Smart: Brett Davis / Getty Images)
Ari Wasserman is a senior writer for The Athletic covering college football and recruiting nationally. He previously spent 10 years covering Ohio State for The Athletic and Cleveland.com, starting on the Buckeyes beat in 2009. Follow Ari on Twitter @AriWasserman


Congratulations! We're excited that you're attending the Million Dollar Speaker Summit!
Click the link below to join the Facebook event. You should definitely take the time to do this, because during the Million Dollar Speaker Summit we'll use the Facebook event for announcements and tons of other information.
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Once you've completed those 3 steps, you're all set! You won't have anything else to do until you get to Newport Beach.
And we'll be keeping you up to date on the latest Million Dollar Speaker Summit news via email and the Facebook event as we draw closer to June 7th.
See you in Irvine, CA.


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New business models no longer rely on large profits or staff sizes
byJames Breiner
Nov 15 in Media Entrepreneurship
My teaching colleagues are experts on the economics of the media industry, and we recently had a lively debate on how to reverse the financial crisis of journalism. The collapse of the industry's business model is endangering the institution of journalism — the Fourth Estate, a counterweight to power — by eliminating journalists and media coverage, especially for local media.
It's a question that was explored recently by Ken Doctor at Nieman Lab in his report, "Newspapers are shells of their former selves. So who's going to build what comes next in local?"
Doctor details a number of initiatives by non-profit and for-profit organizations aimed at filling the gaps in local news coverage involving hundreds of media outlets. But using the standard industry metrics, it doesn't a appear to be sufficient to plug the gaps in the short term without significant changes in the way news media do business. Entire communities are losing news coverage of any kind, a pillar of democratic institutions.
Old metrics are less relevant
But there is another way to look at this situation. True, at the moment, the news organizations that are making a difference represent a tiny fraction of the news media industry. However, some of the old industry metrics for media organizations — total revenues, number of employees — are not relevant for digital media.
Two digital news startups are among the top brand in Spain, as ranked by user loyalty. (Reuters Institute 2018)
The future of journalism lies with the nimble, agile business models that are emerging based on low-cost digital production and distribution technologies, highly focused niche content, and a focus on users rather than advertisers. Among outstanding examples are eldiario.es and ElConfidencial in Spain, Animal Politico in Mexico, and Texas Tribune in the U.S.
The investigative news site eldiario.es started out six years ago with a handful of journalists but competed with the vast newsrooms of the biggest daily newspapers in Spain. Today it has 33,000 "partners" who are paying EUR67 a year for a free publication that generates EUR5 million in revenue and is one of the most popular and trusted media brands in the country (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2018).
What the startup had was a sharp focus: coverage of corruption in politics, business, and media. What it didn't need was an enormous infrastructure for production and distribution (printing press, office building, delivery vehicles, distribution network) nor any of the accompanying debt load.
Two digital startups, eldiario.es and El Confidencial, are among the most trusted news brands in Spain.
The new models
The success of eldiario.es is one of many emerging models. Here is a composite of some of the promising trends in digital journalism:
A small newsroom of from 10 to 25 journalists (sometimes they grow much bigger)
Narrowly focused value propositions — investigative journalism, long-form enterprise reporting, deep coverage of specific topics (business, finance, health, education) or issues about community needs and problems rather than chasing clicks with sensational breaking news
Assisted news production by volunteers, crowd-sourced data and coverage suggestions
User-generated expert columns
User-funded models based on engagement, credibility, and trust, rather than an advertiser-funded model based on scale and clicks
Nearly zero-cost distribution through digital channels
Audience assisted distribution through social networks
New genres of multimedia storytelling made possible by powerful, inexpensive digital tools, such as interactive maps and graphics powered by data and video and audio editing tools for mobile reporting
Constant innovation in content and distribution as tastes and technologies evolve
More organizations focused on public service, fewer focused on returning profit to investors
So, the bad news is that the news industry as a whole will employ fewer people. And the individual news organizations will be much smaller than in the past. Total revenues will be much less, but so will total costs. The new models will be lean and agile.
These new news organizations are able to grow rapidly, like a virus, based on the network effects of digital communication. A digital startup will be able to reach an audience of millions in a matter of months or years.
A recent study of 100 digital media startups in Latin America that I participated in as an editor and researcher found that these organizations were having impact locally, nationally, and internationally. But at the same time, their total revenues of around US$15 million annually represent a tiny fraction of the industry.
Many of these digital startups, especially on the local level, will appear and disappear rapidly, but the accumulated learning will fuel their successors. Every failure contains the seeds of the next potentially successful startup. This process of trial and error has provided the basis of every major industry we have today, from agriculture, to textiles, to automobiles, to pharmaceuticals, to computers, to mobile phones. These industries moved from the cottage (or garage) to the workshop to the factory.
The network effects that destroyed the traditional business model of news media, sending advertising revenue to the technological platforms, are also benefiting the news startups. How else to explain an email newsletter for young professional women, TheSkimm, which grew to 7 million email subscribers in six years? It has attracted millions of investment.
The enemy: inertia
And while there will be some news organizations run as successful businesses generating profits for investors — the American Journalism Project is investing in them — the trend is toward news media as public service organizations whose main goal is to improve the quality of life in their communities rather than generate a return to shareholders.
The digital forces that destroyed local journalism can power the public response. And that can happen quickly. The biggest obstacle to this, says one of my colleagues, is inertia. Some media owners seem content to milk the profits from their enterprises until all that remains is the fixed assets, which they will then sell off.
As long as leaders of government, business, and media fail to take action, we will see a continued rapid decline. But this media revolution is not coming from the top down; it is coming from the bottom up. It might take longer, but it also might be more enduring.
This post originally appeared on James Breiner's blog News Entrepreneurs and is republished on IJNet with permission.
James Breiner is a former ICFJ Knight Fellow who launched and directed the Center for Digital Journalism at the University of Guadalajara. Visit his websites News Entrepreneurs and Periodismo Emprendedor en Iberoamérica.
Main image CC-licensed by Unsplash via Chris Knight.


text:
Map and search
Choose for me!
Stokey's Solar System Walk
The walk is laid out on the 1000-yard scale of 1 inch to 100,000 miles. Starting from the model of the Sun, the planets of the Solar System are marked out to scale with signs showing some key facts about each one. Walking from the Sun to Pluto takes 1,019 paces, the equivalent of 3,660,000,000 miles. By the time you reach Pluto, you will no longer be able to see the sun. Ideally, the walk starts at the model of The Sun in Bonchurch and finishes outside the chalets at Wheelers Bay, but it can of course be taken in reverse, starting at Ventnor Haven.
"Stokey" is Peter Woodall, who originally hails from Stoke and is still a keen supporter of that football club. But he is better known as an ocean sailor who has crossed the Atlantic some 30 times in 33 years and amassed more than a quarter of a million sea miles. He is a highly respected and much sought after teacher in celestial navigation and has sailed to the Azores some 89 times to teach students completing their Ocean Yachtmaster certification. After over 30 years sailing the seven seas, and having seen pretty much all the world has to offer, Stokey chose to put down his roots in Ventnor in the Isle of Wight which is a pretty big endorsement for the town! From here he plans routes for trans-Atlantic sailors and teaches courses in navigation and ocean sailing and shares his love of the heavens with locals through his popular 'Wonders of the Universe' courses.
Submitted by Ventnor Enhancement Fund
An intriguing and instructive scale model of the solar system
Time you'll need: At least an hour or so
Opening information: Always open but in winter the tides and weather will sometimes mean it won't be a very nice (or safe) walk so good weather recommended.
Location: Stokey's Solar System Walk runs for one kilometre along the revetment from Horseshoe Bay at Bonchurch to Wheelers Bay.
On foot/by bike – easily accessible along the revetment from Bonchurch or Ventnor.
By bus – Southern Vectis Number 3 bus (bus timetables)
By car – Car parks at Bonchurch and Ventnor.
Facilities: Seasonal cafe at Seapot.
More information: Stokey's Solar System Walk
Other things to see and do on site
Previous ProjectGet lost in the Dinosaur Turf Labyrinth
Next ProjectListen to the band at Rylstone or Ventnor
© 2022 FreeWight.


You will enjoy our state-of-the-art, friendly and comfortable dental office conveniently located in Owings Mills, just outside Baltimore, Maryland. When a patient comes into our Owings Mills dental office, we want them to feel like they already know us and that we are there to help them. Our team strives to exceed our patient's expectations on every level.


The president of Nigeria has joined politicians, environmental activists and others to pay tribute to Ken Wiwa, the Ogoni leader and critic of Shell and other western oil companies in the Niger delta, who has died from a stroke in London.
Wiwa, the eldest son of Nigerian author Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was executed in 1995 after leading a peaceful uprising by the Ogoni people to stop Shell from polluting their oil-rich area of the delta, was a journalist with the Guardian who later became an adviser to three Nigerian presidents.
"Wiwa was an ardent believer in the unity, progress and stability of his community. I urge family, friends and associates to honour his memory by making his dream of an environmentally safe, secured and prosperous Ogoniland a reality," said President Muhammadu Buhari.
As an aide to ex-presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, Wiwa, 47, raised international awareness of the scale of devastation in the delta and helped secure international funding to clean it up.
Wiwa and the families of the other eight Ogoni leaders who were also executed by the Nigerian government in 1994, won $15.5m from Shell in 2009 as compensation for their deaths.
A 2011 UN report said Nigeria's Ogoniland region could take 30 years to recover fully from the damage caused by 50 years of oil spills. The study said complete restoration could entail the world's "most wide-ranging and long-term oil clean-up".


I am Iain Barnes. I live with my wife Debbie and Springers in a small village called St. Annaland in Zeeland. In 1991 we left our hometown Clydebank in Scotland together, to live in the Netherlands.
The First Springer I owned was "KES" back in 1989 in Clydebank. Since I turned 18 I was struck with the bug of hunting with springers .
Clyde Valley was started as a hobby, but has quickly grown and is now at the point of turning into a full time job for me. This is of course a dream come true!
The health of my Springers plays a very important role In my daily life. The main attraction I had to the English springer spaniel, was their nature, they are astonishingly sweet and social dogs, not to mention their inquisitiveness. The passion they have to work for you is really fantastic.
We think it is important to socialise all of our puppies to give them a good start in life. To begin with they are born and raised in our home where they are given a good start in housetraining, so that you, as the new owner will be able to follow through with your own training. The puppies learn that everyday household sounds are nothing to be afraid of, (eg. vacuum cleaner, washing machine etc) and of course children playing around them. When they are approximately four weeks old, they can go outside for the first time, to begin with it will be in our garden, shortly afterwards they will go to our training ground, where there are plenty smells to investigate eg. Rabbits, pigeons, etc.. in a safe environment. They will also have made several journey's in a car before they are ready to go to their new owners.


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Psychanalyste, critique d'art, Jean-Michel Ribettes s'intéresse essentiellement à l'art contemporain. Il est aussi commissaire d'expositions et enseigne l'histoire de l'art.
Marié à l'artiste Kimiko Yoshida.

Bibliographie
 Le Diaphane et l'Obscur. Une histoire de la diapositive dans l'art contemporain, Paris, Audiovisuel, 2002
 Fétiches et Fétichismes, Passage de Retz, 1999
 Le Corps morcelé (Bonacorsi, Coplans, Mennin, Reinoso, Samore, Silverthorne...), Fondation Guerlain, 2000
 Jorge Luis Borges, « La Divine Comédie » (conférence au Coliseo de Buenos Aire. Auteurs : Jorge Luis Borges, Alain Finkielkraut, Laurent Dispot, Nike Wagner, Umberto Eco, Chantal Thomas, Casanova, Bernard Sichère, Jacques Lacan, Jean-Michel Ribettes, Alain Nadaud, Judith Brouste, Philippe Sollers), revue L'Infini n° 3, 1983
 Yves Klein contre C.G. Jung, La Lettre Volée, 2003
 Collages de Thierry Renard, Regard, 1997
 Les autoportraits de Mapplethorpe, J.P. Faur, 1996

Textes sur des artistes

 Kimiko Yoshida. All that's not me
 Jean-Michel Othoniel. Les couleurs de l'argent
 Lucy Orta. Les refuges de la vanité
 Orlan
 Anne Pesce, Philippe Ramette... Narcisse blessé

Notes et références

Liens externes

Écrivain français du XXe siècle
Écrivain français du XXIe siècle
Critique d'art contemporain
Date de naissance non renseignée (XXe siècle)
Critique d'art français


Learn spanish in Seville and feel our culture.
Con más de dos décadas de experiencia contamos con un 99% de aprobados de nuestros estudiantes.
In our Spanish courses the main learning objectives are: Development and expansion of communication skills, vocabulary, listening and reading, but we know that socialize is a very important part when learning a language for what we offer many events ans excursions.
This kind of activities will give you the opportunity of feeling like a real "Sevillano" or "Sevillana".
Speaking English today is necessary to develop both in the personal and professional field and it is also essential to prove it. Obtain a certificate by a prestigious international university such as Cambridge or Trinty, differentiation in their work and academic environment and bring success in a ensured way. In Saint Gabriel we offer you a variety of options to achieve the goal you want.
A Cervantes Accredited Centre, Saint Gabriel International has 27 years of successful experience in the unique, safe and charming environment of Sevilla. We deliver CEFR courses: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, Al, A2, Bl, B2,Cl We invite all cultures and put the learner at the centre of a friendly experience towards certification, career enhancement and enjoyment of language skills.


text:
Can you believe it? The Master of Stalingrad-tactics has done it again!
On Monday, at the start of the l-o-n-g delayed corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering trial where Accused No 1 stands charged with the French Arms Dealer, Thales—as Accused No. 2–, his lawyers brought an application for a three week stay so that he could be present in court rather than attend virtually from his prison cell. Much to my chagrin the judge consented to this request, which actually is probably desirable in that an accused on those charges should be present in court. But we have been waiting for a mighty long time for this trial to get started. Now the trial, which is more than 15 years in coming, will begin on August 10.
When it comes to delaying tactics JZ is really in a class of his own.
To add to JZ news; his younger brother died last week and he has made an application to attend the funeral at Nkandla. COPE, the political party, has opposed this application siting the security risk.
Last week's chaos and lawlessness has left egg on the face of Cyril Ramaphosa. Not one editorial in any of our newspapers this week, not one, was complimentary towards Cyril after the pandemonium of last week. His reactions to the crisis most agree was poor. He made excuses, he talked in generalities and some of those excuses are absolutely ridiculous. Is this what we want (or need) in a President at a time like this? He did say he (the Government) was taken by surprise by this act of an attempted insurrection (why? —what do the very well-paid Intelligence Services do?) and is that an excuse for standing by and doing nothing while the country exploded? Does that mean that the police, because they are surprised, can stand outside a shopping centre and watch as this monumental looting took place before their very eyes and do nothing, as they did?
Ramaphosa has come under strong criticism for his lack leadership and even Peter Bruce, one of his quite regular supporters, in the Sunday Times, has called him out.
We not only need Cyril to stand up strongly but we also urgently need a new and effective cabinet: there is just too much inactive rotten dead wood there. We need a President with backbone and we desperately need to see Ramaphosa fighting for his country. Here is another of Zapiro's classic summations of the sad but real state of the four Ministers in our Government, so directly in the spotlight now, who are muppets. This cartoon from the Daily Maverick says it all:
This week has seen several cabinet legotlas, various meetings and many informal engagements as to the cause of the rioting and looting that took place last week. Again we see there is no unity in government and the Min of State Security (Ayanda Dlodlo, a muppet) contradicted her President by calling the fracas not an insurrection or an attempted coup but merely acts of criminality.
Min Cele, the biggest muppet of all, in fact a real clown, has contradicted himself and his cabinet colleague too and this bickering highlights the factions tearing the ANC apart. Dlodlo obviously wants to retain her job and the perks that come with it because she has now changed her mind after being severely criticised.
There is a BIG difference to what the President believes was the direct action to overthrow the government, where four local Community Radio Stations were totally cleared out and schools decimated, as opposed to poor, hungry people stealing food.
Yes, there were some positives to be seen while 200 Malls and shopping centres were plundered, but I don't want to talk of the "ordinary" brave people who stood up to defend the magnificent Maponya Mall in Soweto from being looted, or the neighbourhood-watch groups who are keeping our suburbs safe. Why are they necessary? Where is the State to defend its citizens?
Sleeping!
We are speedily becoming a failed State and almost every political journalist agrees. The looting has cost the economy R20 billion and 150,000 jobs have been lost according to the Presidency. Brandan in Business Day on Monday saw the the Min of Police and the Chief of Police thus:
You will not be surprised to learn that Moodys moved 5 of our largest cities into junk status on Friday. Moodys said that the action was a result of increased financial stresses on revenue collection due to the Covid-19 pandemic and low growth. The rioting will not help and the cost of borrowing now goes up, as a result of this downgrade.
The reality and effect of the rioting last week was brought home incontrovertibly by Toyota International. Toyota have written to the mayor of eThekwini (Durban metro, to you) saying that they are seriously considering whether they will be further investing in their plant there. In a hard-hitting letter they wonder whether it is an option, after the unrest last week, to invest anywhere in our country. They have plenty of other plants in other countries and guess where their next investment is going? Not here.
You can now rack up even more job losses.
I have never been much of a fan of Ronnie Kasrils, struggle hero and ex-cabinet Minister, mainly for political reasons. Well, this week I changed my mind. He has come out strongly against Accused No 1 and has suggested that his party, the ANC, break all ties with Jacob Zuma immediately. Kasrils went so far as to say on a TV interview that Zuma is a criminal and the party should have nothing to do with him. Both he and Zuma had served as head of the ANC intelligence while the party was banned.
The factional splits in the ANC are just so clear to recognise when you recall that just last week Jessie Duarte, acting Sec Gen, said that even though Zuma is in jail they still love him.
Who is they?
Floyd Shivambu is Julius Malema's 2IC in the EFF. He is as tainted as his No 1 and has come out with the threat that they will forcefully expropriate land without compensation. What does this mean? Take anything. Take everything, à la the riots of last week?
The DA will submit an official complaint to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee asking that Shivambu gets sanctioned for placing the lives of SAns at risk and for causing incitement.
The EFF lost yet another court application this week. They had brought an application to overturn a judgement which declared that the sponsors of the funds for Cyril Ramaphosa's campaign, in 2017, at the ANC conference, where he was elected party leader, should become public. The courts had already ruled that the Public Protector's sniffing into the CR 17 funds was illegal and the EFF were quick to jump on the band wagon and try to make political capital thereof.
While KZN and Gauteng have been in the news for all the wrong reasons Cape Town has escaped the National headlines for a while. Now, however, a war that has been smouldering in the local Taxi industry has hit our front pages and even the Minister of Transport has got involved. What is apparent is that there are competing gangs in the "coloured & black" suburbs and it is likely that it is these gangs who have totally decimated the rail system to benefit the taxi industry. No trains have run on our line to Somerset West and The Strand from the city since March, 2020.
Now that the Taxi bosses have become very powerful with their growing wealth they are at each other's throats. In the past two weeks more than a dozen "taxi" murders have been recorded and nearly 90 taxi-related murders have occurred this year.
The trouble with the shootings and the killing of taxi drivers, that often occurs in moving vehicles, is that innocent passengers are at risk and are too often victims in this battle for turf.
For a long while the taxi war has been spilling over into the bus services too and several buses were brazenly shot at while carrying passengers this week. Golden Arrow, our major bus company, withdrew all buses from service on certain routes in our city when one of their drivers was shot dead in his bus. You cannot begin to imagine the commuter chaos in Cape Town with all this going on.
Where are the police? !!!
In the pockets of the taxi bosses?
The dropout rate for school pupils has tripled to more than 500,000 because of the pandemic. Already we have the worst school system in the world and our standards are repeatedly at the very bottom of the International independent ratings.
Everything, from a fear by parents of the pandemic to the lack of food security and the rotational attendance system and add the lack of safe reliable transport are contributing factors to the swelling of these numbers of non-returning pupils.
The effect of this drop-out is disastrous and what does it do for job creation?
Never since I have been writing this newsletter have so many readers asked for an article that I recommended than for those who wanted to read what Helen Zille had to say about Jacob Zuma and happily I have passed on that article to all who requested it.
Then on Sunday, reading City Press, I received a rude awakening as to my own prejudices and racism. Am I a racist? Me? Never!
I read Mondli Makanya's editorial and I wondered whether in fact I am. For those of you who read the Zille piece here is the link to the editorial from the Editor-in-Chief of City Press:
https://www.news24.com/citypress/columnists/mondlimakhanya/mondli-makhanya-zilles-racism-stokes-flames-20210718
Some good news: Pfizer and BioNTech have struck a deal with Biovac Institute, in which the Government has interest, to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines for the African continent in Cape Town. They will not actually manufacture but will fill and distribute 100 million doses a year into Africa.
On site development and equipment installation activities will begin immediately.
Kevin Anderson won his 7th ATP title this weekend, his first competition win in 2 years. Louis "Shrek" Oosthuizen led for the first three rounds of the British Open but then on Sunday had a moderate round and finished 3rd. It was exciting to watch and we will get to know the name of the (American, not Jap!) 24 year old youngster, who won. This is his second major title and he won both titles as a debutant! His name is Collin Morikawa.
The rugby build-up on the weekend to the first test against the British & Irish Lions exposed some weaknesses in our game. The Lions beat WP Stormers vey easily, but more concerning was the manner in which the Bulls beat SA "A".
Everything to look forward to this weekend.
The Proteas, after a surprise loss in the first T20 against Ireland then wrapped up the series 2-1 quite easily.
Spurs played their first warm-up game of the season last night winning 3-0.
As always, love to all,
By Gerald Potash
4 thoughts on "The Week That Was"
Nikki McDonald says:
24. July 2021 at 4:40
Excellent reporting. I now live in Texas but was born in Malawi of South African heritage. Visited Rhodesia many a time as well as SA. I love to hear the news from back home. Thanks for the excellent coverage!!!
maxdecatt says:
I must take issue with your comment, "We are speedily becoming a failed state".
No sir, we are already a failed state and have been one for a over 20 years. There is no road back unless a white government takes control, but as we all know there is no prospect of that so the downward spiral becomes faster and faster to the very bottom…. SA is in the grip of a black-hole… in more ways than one.. As the saying goes, South Africa is digging a hole and does not know how to stop digging.
TUG MORKEL says:
Another well written and informed article Gerald.
I'm going to pick out the Ronnie Kasrals / Jessie Duarte take on JZ.
I'm backing Kasrils on this and your readers can make their own minds up as to why. It's about accountability.
In 1977, Andrew Young, in his capacity as the US Ambassador to the UN, infuriated Helen Suzman (MP Houghton) by referring her as having an element of 'paternal liberalism'. I cannot think why a 'statesman of such stature' could say that? He picked on the wrong woman.
Young tried to backtrack and did apologise to which Suzman resented further by saying that she couldn't exactly be accused of paternalism': 'I have always been just as nasty to blacks as I am to whites, and that can be very nasty indeed!' I loved that bit.
She implied that she could be as awkward to black representatives of the ANC on accountability for their actions/rhetoric as she had for the National Party political establishment.
Helen Suzman was a true parliamentarian and a brave woman who fought for freedom against the odds to the best of her ability.
It is increasingly becoming more and more apparent that the ANC need to get a grip of themselves very quickly and call a spade a spade.
Regards, Tug.
David Peddle says:
I am sorry the Sunday Times article is only open to subscribers of the ST which I am not!
Can you provide a 'free' copy?


Any contributions must comply with the following OpenSimulator contribution policy, guidelines, and licensing conditions.
In order for your contribution to be accepted you need to read and adhere to the OpenSimulator Code to this policy, guidelines, and licensing conditions.
This means that we value simple and naive solutions over efficiency - we will optimize but first we need to get the basics right.
This means that we value decoupling, modularity and indirection over clock cycles and feature completeness.
This means that any given patch, fix or feature is very much up to whether somebody thinks it fun, worthwile or would pay good money for it.
Many architectural changes have taken place in OpenSimulator's short lifetime, so there are still lots of tangly and bushy remnants of old ways of doing stuff.
Yes, believe it or not, we're aiming at continously trying to make the code as simple, structured and readable for newcomers as time and experience will let us.
We try to make the code as simple, strightforward and readable as possible.
However, sometimes comments are necessary in addition to clear code so that newcomers can learn and maintain the project.
This means we will go to lengths to avoid bringing in new technologies that would provide thresholds for installing and using the code on different environments. The default configuration should always be build- and runnable on checkout, provided you are on a c# .net/mono environment with either vs build or nant. Other technologies than those can be provided, but will not be guaranteed not to break at any given time.
Codewise, we're trying to move towards looser coupling and better code reuse - and to separate the code into a 'framework' layer, a 'service' layer and an 'application' layer; the framework layer defines all base classes and interfaces, the service layer provide networked and persistent implementations of those, and the application layer provides configuration logic and executables.
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text:
Harvey Weinstein Pleads Not Guilty to Multiple Rape, Sexual Assault Charges in L.A. Court
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Disgraced movie producer and one-time Democratic Party mega-donor Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday to four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts.
Sheriff's deputies brought the 69-year-old convicted rapist into court in a wheelchair. He was wearing a brown jail jumpsuit and face mask. Attorney Mark Werksman entered the plea for the disgraced movie mogul a day after Weinstein was extradited to California from New York, where he was serving a 23-year prison term.
Weinstein spoke only to say "thank you" to Judge Sergio Tapia, who wished him good luck as the hearing ended.
He now awaits a second trial on a second coast, and the possibility of another lengthy sentence.
Weinstein's charges involve five women and span from 2004 to 2013. Most are said to have taken place in the hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles that the New York-based Weinstein would make his headquarters for Hollywood business. Some took place during Oscars week, when his films were perennial contenders before the #MeToo movement brought him down.
Harvey Weinstein (L) arrives with his lawyer Benjamin Brafman to plead not guilty to three felony counts in State Supreme Court on June 5, 2018 in New York City. The former movie producer faces charges in connection with accusations made by aspiring actress Lucia Evans, who has said Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in his Manhattan office in 2004. Weinstein, 66, has been accused by dozens of other women of forcing them into sexual acts using both pressure and threats. Weinstein has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sexual activity and is currently free after posting $1 million cash bail. (Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images)
He pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint and one count of sexual penetration by use of force, charges that together could bring a sentence of 140 years.
The women were not named in the charging documents.
A New York jury found Weinstein guilty of raping an aspiring actress in 2013 in a Manhattan hotel room and forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 at his Manhattan apartment.
He is appealing that conviction, seeking a new trial. Weinstein maintains his innocence and contends that any sexual activity was consensual.
Los Angeles prosecutors first charged Weinstein in January 2020, just as jury selection was getting underway in the New York City case.
More charges were added later in the year, and in March, he was indicted by an LA County grand jury.
The pandemic and procedural delays meant that Weinstein's extradition took well over a year. His attorneys cited his declining health as they sought to keep him at a state prison near Buffalo, New York, until jury selection began in the Los Angeles trial.
Weinstein's time in custody in California will count toward his New York sentence, officials said.
Once a major power in Hollywood along with his brother Bob and their movie companies Miramax and The Weinstein Co., Harvey Weinstein would be marked as the archvillain of the #MeToo movement starting late in 2017, when women's accounts were published in the New York Times and the New Yorker. He would be arrested in New York seven months later.
Rumors about Weinstein's behavior swirled in film industry circles for decades, but he silenced many accusers with payoffs, nondisclosure agreements and the fear that he could crush their careers.
The Los Angeles charges came from a task force established to tackle sexual misconduct in Hollywood as #MeToo gained momentum.
Weinstein and porn performer Ron Jeremy are among the few charged by the team, which declined to prosecute more than 20 famous men because the allegations against them were too old or could not be corroborated.
CrimeEntertainmentHarvey Weinstein