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Proposals for ferry merger heading into deep waters
THE planned merger of cross-Channel services by the UK's P&O and Sweden's Stena is set to hit the rocks this month as European Commission officials prepare to warn the companies that the deal cannot go ahead in its present form.
September 10, 1997	5:00 pm
Competition officials say the Commission will catalogue a list of objections to the shipping companies' plans to consolidate cross-Channel capacity, in response to falling demand following the launch of Le Shuttle and Eurostar train services through the Channel tunnel operated by Anglo-French Eurotunnel Plc.
Before last year's fire in the tunnel, ferry services out of Dover were running at 30% to 35% of capacity, compared with standard levels of 50% to 55% in the past.
"We will send a statement of objections to the companies probably in the next ten days. That is something we are finalising at the moment," said a source close to Competition Commissioner Karel van Miert.
The merger deal will not be allowed to go ahead in its present form, but the Commission refuses to say whether it will be rejected outright or whether tough conditions will be imposed on the market power of the new operation in order to win belated approval.
"This objection letter will either be totally negative, or say that we have certain reservations," said the source, adding that possible reservations might be overcome by an undertaking not to raise prices beyond certain agreed thresholds and to offer 'real competition'.
The current merger plans are reported to include the removal of two ships from the cross-Channel Dover to Calais route, out of the 14 ships currently operated by P&O and Stena.
This move would save 115 million ecu a year but would cost more than 400 jobs.
Following the resumption of Le Shuttle services after last year's fire, ferry bookings during the summer have been buoyed by the strength of the British pound. But company officials expect demand to drop sharply in October as the holiday season comes to an end.
The planned new company, to be called P&O Stena line, would be 60% owned by P&O and 40% by Stena. It also expects to operate on routes between Dover and Zeebrugge and Newhaven and Dieppe.
Stena and P&O will be allowed to reply to the Commission's statement of objections and then request a formal hearing with company lawyers and officials to try to thrash out an agreement on the merger.
A final decision is therefore unlikely before the end of the year.


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Web of Contradictions: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's Christmas Card
There are different ways to look at the Christmas card sent out by newlyweds Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle.
If you have not seen the card or the image, it is of the newly married friends and his wife, the new Duchess, standing on the edge of a pond and looking at a fireworks display so immense it covers the entirety of the sky.
There is so much smoke in it that you can't really see the points of light and ornate formations that you might see at a Fourth of July fireworks display. But the smoke to acts as an eliminating cloud so one feels that one is either transported into the heavens or looking into the jaws of apocalypse
And that duality informs everyone's interpretation of the image.
The most innocuous of the interpretations is the idea that you are sharing the joy of the new couple and that the way that the landscape and skies appear parallels their internal landscape.
That, too, has its duality as they either feel joyous eruptions of life changing chaos or grinding raw fear of the battlefield. One cannot help but think that think that the smoke and rockets red declare look a lot like a firefight or mortar attack in Afghanistan. Harry is a veteran of Afghanistan and used to being on the battlefield and not in the air, since he was a soldier in the Army.
And, I know that many Marines and soldiers who went through combat in Afghanistan do not enjoy fireworks. So, it seems rather odd to see that Harry might actually be enjoying that scene. I would imagine that if it does reflect his interior landscape, it is one of raw fear that he then attempted to blot out, self-medicate, and avoid the great enemy, sleep.
There is a flip side, of course.
A more common interpretation of the people who voyeuristicly enjoy anything having to do with a glimpse of the inner workings of the royal family is that they want to see the royal family acting like normal folks and inviting them in two their living rooms or a play date where they wear hand-me-down sweaters and kick up their heels in a woodsy setting.
I think that to reduce the royal family to regular folk is to reduce their ability to affect great change in society and, especially in these moments after Brexit – the exit of Britain from the European Union.
It marks a moment for Britain to strengthen the Commonwealth. To do that requires the Machiavellian scheming of an Elizabeth I or the boundlessly ambitious Plantagenet houses of Lancaster and York. It doesn't need a "Hey, come hang out with us!" approach.
But those who like to voyeuristicly insert themselves or feel titillated by vicarious intimacy or invasions into privacy of the royal family have the feeling that with backs turned, Harry and Meghan are perhaps communicating that they are cold, unfeeling, and are profoundly indifferent.
Having one's back turned communicates a message that always has two sharp edges just like Melania Trump's message to the world with her "I don't care coat" as she was going to visit the boder and the scene of tragic separations of vulnerable children and their mothers.
If the idea of backs turned means that you're not invited into their inner world, if their inner world includes either joy or apocalypse or battlefield horrors, you should thank your lucky stars that you have not been invited into that.
At any rate, it's a photo with many conflicting and contradictory interpretive possibilities, and we just cannot know with certainty.
What we do know is that with Britain's exit and the continuing disintegration of the Royal Family's impact and relevance, something powerful needs to be done.
It's a leadership, and not fraternity or confraternity. Leadership in history has usually been ugly and not necessarily in the right direction.
Think of Henry VIII. I remember visiting a Cathedral in Bury St. Edmunds that contained the ruins of an abbey destroyed by Henry VIII. To be honest it was one of the saddest and most gripping feelings I have had and I imagine it is similar to going to places where beautiful works of architecture or sculpture have been destroyed because they were unfortunate symbols of an ideology and a group of people who needed to be exterminated at least from the perspective of the usurpers.
Needless to say, this is not a time for destructive leadership, but constructive leadership.
Labels: christmas card , duchess of sussex , marriage , prince harry , sussex
William Hogarth and the "Social Media" of 18th Century England: What Would Hogarth Say About Brexit?
Starting around 1711, with the launching of the one-page news and gossip sheet, The Tatler, London suddenly had an explosion of daily information that was liked, shared, trolled, and sometimes even "demonetized" in ways that profoundly parallel today's social media. The Tatler, The Spectator, and The Guardian were the most influential, but there were many competitors and upstarts, all competing in a London hungry for outlets to protest conditions, rail against the leaders, and promote the theatre, arts, and literature. https://www.impmedia.co.uk/single-post/2017/03/11/New-age-of-journalism-The-Tatler-The-Spectator-and-The-Guardian
Much of the content was social and political commentary – and disinformation was as popular as truth, and more so if the truth was not very interesting.
In addition to stories and journalism, ink prints, often hand-colored, were extremely popular, and of all the artists, William Hogarth (1697 - 1764) was by far the most the most popular with his satiric and moralizing visual narratives.
Hogarth Self-Portrait with Pug (17457)
The most popular were lurid cautionary tales: A Harlot's Progress and A Rake's Progress (1733) were sold, and virtually all of London was encompassed in the expansive den of sin:
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150610-london-city-of-sin
Hogarth Rake's Progress: Part I
Hogarth's depictions of society and the kinds of characters people knew in their own society told biting stories that were built on truth. They illustrated much of what one would see in the novels and theatre of the time as well, in such classics as Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer. In his paintings, Hogarth shows a great deal of admiration for the Dutch and Flemish realist traditions, with small details showing the humanity of the subjects, such as children teaching their dogs to shake hands, as in the case of Hogarth's oil sketch of the family of George II. https://www.rct.uk/collection/401358/the-family-of-george-ii-0
As in the social media of the 21st century, Hogarth's prints had an immediate impact on public opinion. They were reproduced, shared, and commented upon in the news and widely circulated daily broadsides. They had the ability to influence public opinion of public figures, as well as to openly acknowledge the darker aspects of a modernizing, industrializing center of an emerging empire.
The Role of Technology and Free Speech
As almost always is the case, technology made the breakthrough in communication possible. New hydraulically-powered milling technology made cheap paper possible, along with printing presses, good ink, and distribution systems.
And, also there was the willingness of the government to tolerate a free press, and even though libel and slander laws were in place, the overall atmosphere was one of freedom of expression. The public loved the lurid depictions of their own society, and they had more disposable income than ever.
Part of the willingness to tolerate a free press could have to do with the fact that the new Hanoverian king, George I, did not speak English very well, and in fact, did not even feel comfortable in England. He was king by a trick of fate. The previous monarch had no living offspring, despite his wife's 14 pregnancies. The King was willing to delegate authority and take more of a hands-off approach, recognizing the role of parliament in day-to-day government. Hogarth depicted Georgian society with satire, which may have displeased the Hanoverian monarchs. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/glJQ3M6dRg8D7JhH03dR4k/hogarth-and-the-hanoverians
King George II (source: Wikipedia)
Under the Hanoverians, England grew, but not without controversy. With the new social media, aspects of society that could have been kept under wraps were free to be exposed, and an entire population could be awakened to what really transpired in their midst. Hogarth's Gin Lane and The Marriage Transaction were hard, honest, and humorous looks at the realities of London:
Gin Lane (1752): https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hogarth-gin-lane-t01799
Marriage a la Mode: The Marriage Settlement (1745): https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/hogarth/hogarth-hogarths-modern-moral-series/hogarth-hogarths-2
Jump-start to Brexit: What would William Hogarth do?
England is on the cusp of a dramatic change, but instead of growth and expanding influence, the change involves a rather startling potential shrinkage. Brexit could open new trading relationships. In 2016, trade with the European Union constituted 48% of UK's total exports (https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/articles/whodoestheuktradewith/2017-02-21). In 2016, trade with the 52 nations of the British Commonwealth constituted only 9% of total exports. (https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/articles/commonwealthtradeinfocusasukpreparesforbrexit/2017-03-0)
Brexit does not mean that there will no longer be trade with the nations of the European Union. However, it does mean that trade will be slower, more complicated, and subject to protectionism without the hard-won trade partners bloc harmonization protocols that are not easily replicated individual countries on a piecemeal basis. So, even if the U.K. maintains a 48% percentage of exports to the U.K., the profits are likely to be much lower. Most economists predict that a Brexit without any sort of trade harmonization with the E.U. will result in an immediate collapse of exports to the E.U. as tariff and import ambiguities constitute a powerful barrier.
With such disastrous potential consequences, what was it that induced members of the U.K. to vote to leave the European Union? Two factors were portrayed by social media, and they had a measurable impact on popular opinion: first, fear of immigration, and second, the resentment of external standards that resulted in very high production cost, especially in food and agricultural sectors.
One can imagine Hogarth's depiction of U.K. farmers, shopkeepers, city-dwellers terrified by violence, and then also of immigrants and the E.U. as seen through the eyes of English nationalists.
Background Readings
Bury, Stephen. (2015) "British Visual Satire in the 18th-20th Centuries" Oxford Art Online. http://www.oxfordartonline.com/page/british-visual-satire-18th-20th-centuries
Office for National Statistics (3 March 2017) Commonwealth Trade in Focus as the U.K. Prepares for Brexit. https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/articles/commonwealthtradeinfocusasukpreparesforbrexit/2017-03-09
Office for National Statistics (2 Feb 2017) Who does the U.K. Trade With? https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/articles/whodoestheuktradewith/2017-02-21
William Hogarth. (n.d.) National Gallery. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/william-hogarth
William Hogarth. (n.d.) New World Encyclopedia. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/William_Hogarth
Labels: Brexit , British Empire , broadsheets , broadsides , George II , Georgian England , Gin Lane , hogarth , rococo , satire , social media , the Rake's Progress , The Tatler
Web of Contradictions: Prince Harry and Duchess Me...
William Hogarth and the "Social Media" of 18th Cen...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Beautiful kitchen colors with wood cabinets including paint oak inspirations ideas are perfect with awesome kitchen colors with wood cabinets ideas dark wall oak pictures also beautiful floors images. The following are some considerations and can nevertheless be a great decision.
9 collection of kitchen colors with wood cabinets below to assist your complete the endeavor effortlessly.


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Trading Card Spotlight - Victor Marland
Written by Todd Friedman on 25 January 2019 . Posted in Trading Card Spotlight
Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Victor Marland, who is displayed on card number 2815, from the Superstars of 2018. Victor began his current podcast, Ten Pence Arcade, in 2014, focusing on arcade games from the 1970's to the 2000's. Each episode focuses on a certain game with videos, sketches, comedy, and reviews. Victor and his cohost Shaun Holley (trading card 2816) compete against each other for each game they feature. They encourage listeners to send in high scores form the game they feature on the podcast each time. All the scores he gets from the gamers are awarded points that they put in a high score table. At the end of each year they award a winner. Victor & Shaun feature gamers all over the U.S. and the United Kingdom. You can visit the podcast at the following link: www.tenpencearcade.co.uk
If you could design your own game, what would it be about and who would be the main character?
I'd do a sequel to Berzerk but different from Frenzy. A souped-up original Berzerk with new Otto's and different robots coming after you and more varied mazes would make a great game. Add in a co-op mode and it would be the perfect arcade game.
Trading Card Spotlight - Alan Radue
Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Alan Radue, who is displayed on card number 383, from the Superstars of 2012. He is also featured on card 2210 from the Superstars of 2015. Alan is the current world record holder on the arcade games Sea Wolf & Sprint 2. Alan, who is a mechanical engineer in the automotive industry, created a home arcade in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. He called it Tranquility Base Arcade which was named after the Apollo 11 moon landing. Opened in 2008, Alan has 25 vintage arcade games from the 'golden era' in his collection and in 2011 won the Home Game Room of the Year Award. One area that stands out to other arcades are his personalized bar stools. Alan designs customized Arcade bar Stools for his arcade as well as others. He has graciously donated personalized bar stools for Richie Knucklez Kong Off tournaments.
Which company makes the best arcade games and why?
I have a soft spot for Atari. They were the only company that 'entered my home' when I was a kid through a pong console, the 2600 game console, the Atari 400 and eventually the Atari 800. Playing a 'Real Atari Arcade Game' at an arcade was always a thrill back then and is still a thrill for me today! That said there are so many wonderful arcade game manufacturers from my youth!
Trading Card Spotlight - Joe LeVan
Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Joe LeVan who currently is displayed on card number 2206, from the Superstars of 2015 Collection. Joe is the founder of "Challenge Arcade", located in Wyomissing, PA. It was in the Berkshire Mall from 2004 until it closed in 2010. His arcade held up to 80 vintage arcade cabinets. It was home of many Arcade world records such as Donkey Kong 3, Burger Time and Mr. Do. Joe is a big believer in keeping retro coin-op gaming alive and well. He is currently hoping to reopen the Challenge Arcade in the future and until then enjoys restoring and preserving coin-op arcade gaming. Along with his wife Sue, Joe strives to keep the past time alive with the media so others can understand and see how important the arcade culture was and is today.
What are your opinions about today's generation of video games? How do you compare them to older, classic games?
As a child I remember reading video game magazines and thinking of how great the graphics were on the upcoming games. I remember wishing how cool it would be to play ultra-realistic games. Now that we are nearing that era of ultra-realism, it's ironic that I really miss those days of gaming. Many modern games don't really seem to have much of a point of playing in my opinion. The art of achieving a certain score or getting to a higher level seems to have been lost for the most part.
Trading Card Spotlight - Eddie Adlum
Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Eddie Adlum, who currently is displayed on card number 2050, from the Superstars of 2015 Collection. Eddie is the founder and publisher of RePlay Magazine. He has been writing or publishing since 1964, where he worked for Cash Box Magazine. He is also known for first coining the phrase "Video Game" back in the early days. If there are any type of Coin-op or gaming stories form the past 50 years, most likely Eddie covered it and was actively involved. He is still active today though he admits to slowing down a bit. But he's not out yet.
Do you remember when you began RePlay Magazine and what do you remember about the experience?
I started RePlay on an afternoon in August of 1975 while at lunch at a place on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, Calif. I was with a fellow I'd worked with at Cash Box magazine named Beau Eurell. My intent was to make my money selling ads to the record companies who were interested in getting the jukebox operators (my new magazine's audience) to put their new 45's on the machines.
Trading Card Spotlight - Ryan Hart
Written by Todd Friedman on 17 December 2018 . Posted in Trading Card Spotlight
Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Ryan Hart, who is displayed on card number 214, from the Superstars of 2012. Ryan is from London and has been playing games since he was 10 years. His genre of choice is fighting games. He succeeded tremendously in series like Street Fighter, Tekken, Virtua Fighter and King Of Fighters. Ryan has won close to 500 titles on fighting games around the world. Along with 4 Guinness Book World Records, Ryan hold multiple fighting tournament records all around the World.
What games today do you play and what are your favorite genres of games?
As you'd probably guess I play a few fighting games such as Tekken 7, Street Fighter V, Mortal Kombat, King of Fighters. I also play a bit of Counter Strike too since I work a lot with the game, I'm really enjoying it as well.
Trading Card Spotlight "Rewind" - Greg Freres
Science Fiction Trading Card Spotlight - Jason Sanford
Trading Card Spotlight - Carrie Swidecki
Trading Card Spotlight "Rewind" - Walter Day


Let's see, important sports news wrap-up from around the world… Rafael Nadal proves that not only is Roger Federer not really the greatest tennis player of all time, as the insane are hyping him, he's not even the best player of his generation… Ben Roethlisberger wins the highly coveted First Coffee Idiot Of The Week award, he said he's on his way to the awards banquet … the NBA season mercifully draws to a close as Pat Riley proves what a great coach people will think any schlump off the street is if aforesaid schlump has Magic Johnson, Kareem and such talent on his roster… sources indicate that two NHL teams, one from the traditional hockey hotbed of North Carolina, are playing for something called a Stanley Cup… anything else? Vijay Singh's got his mojo working again, another Korean wins another LPGA event… bikini-clad girls running onto New Zealand rugby games… Nothing else going on? Some tournament of some sort in Germany… nah, okay, on to the CRM.
Driven by "significant gains in license and maintenance revenue," worldwide customer relationship management (CRM) total software revenue totaled $5.7 billion in 2005, a 13.7 percent increase from 2004, according to recently-released figures from Gartner, Inc.
SAP was the No. 1 CRM vendor based on total software revenue, with a 25.9 percent market share in 2005. Increased midmarket opportunity drove growth across the CRM market for both the large suite vendors and on-demand providers, such as salesforce.com. Siebel's strong fourth quarter results drove growth, but at the expense of Oracle and PeopleSoft CRM products, Gartner officials said.
Industry specialists such as Amdocs also benefited from high demand for vertical market products.
Professional services and hardware revenue are not included in total software revenue.
The only significant vendor to see a drop in growth was Oracle (including PeopleSoft), which lost 11.7% market share. Salesforce.com was the only pure on-demand vendor listed in the released Gartner figures.
The report is available on Gartner's Web site.
TARGUSinfo is one of the 22,700 companies that comprised the salesforce.com customer base as of April 30, 2006. Revenue will be recognized as the service is delivered.
Teleperformance, a vendor of contact center management, has reported meeting with Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other government officials in order to announce "phased expansion plans to double U.S. offshore capacities within the country, starting with a new state-of-the-art contact center facility in Bacolod City," according to Teleperformance officials.
Teleperformance currently operates 2 contact center facilities in Metro-Manila comprised of approximately 2,200 workstations and over 3,400 total employees. The new Bacolod facility will open in August, and is expected to grow to approximately 600 workstations and 900 employees within its first year of operation.
Teleperformance USA has operations in over 40 countries.
Daniel Julien, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Teleperformance, called The Philippines "a wonderful place for U.S. offshore services. The Filipino people are smart, nice and well educated so it's a pleasure to work with such a quality workforce.
Teleperformance (Euronext: FR 0000051807) calls itself "the world's #2 provider of outsourced CRM and contact center services," and operates under various brands, such as Teleperformance for customer acquisition, customer service and customer growth programs, as well as TechCity Solutions and Cash Performance respectively, specializing in technical support and debt collection.
In 2005, the Teleperformance Group earned $1.5 billion dollars. The group operates 46,000 computerized workstations, with more than 60,000 employees across 268 contact centers, including 102 contact centers directly managed in clients' premises.
Meyer Jabara Hotels has contracted with Cendyn for its eConnectivity services for use by their hotel properties and call center within the United States.
EConnectivity is billed by Cendyn officials as a middleware platform specifically designed to allow improved functional integration between Cendyn products and PMS, S&C, CRS, Web booking engines, back office and reporting, and between other hotel systems. This can "increase productivity and guest response, improve guest satisfaction, extend the lifetime of current technology and lower operating costs," said Charles Deyo, Cendyn's founder and president.


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Home // News & Events // News Releases // Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry Welcomes Inaugural Class to Training Program
Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry Welcomes Inaugural Class to Training Program
The inaugural class of the CiPD NIDCR T90/R90 Postdoctoral Training Program Fellows with Dean Mark Wolff (center); Dr. Michel Koo, Founding Director of CiPD (far right); and CiPD Co-Director Dr. Kathleen Stebe of Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science (far left).
Philadelphia — With one of its key missions to develop a new generation of scientists at the interface of dental medicine and engineering, the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD) has selected its inaugural class of fellows for its new postdoctoral training program. The CiPD was awarded a $2.5 million T90/R90 grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) last summer to establish the program, recently naming this first cohort of fellows that includes Dr. Justin Burrell, Dr. Marshall Padilla, Dr. Zhi Ren, and Dr. Dennis Sourvanos.
"We're hoping this program will promote cross-pollination and create a culture between these two fields to help dentists develop innovative strategies with engineers," says Dr. Michel Koo, Co-Director of CiPD, who launched CiPD in 2021 with Co-Director Dr. Kathleen Stebe of Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science. "Dentists can learn from engineering principles and tools, and engineers can understand more about the needs of the dental and craniofacial fields. We're providing a platform for them to work together to address unmet clinical needs and develop careers in that interface."
The NIDCR T90/R90 Postdoctoral Training Program aims to specifically focus on the oral microbiome, host immunity, and tissue regeneration, each of which ties into different aspects of oral health, from tooth decay and periodontal disease to the needs of head and neck cancer patients. To advance these areas, emerging approaches, from advanced materials, robotics, and artificial intelligence to tissue engineering, chloroplast- and nanoparticle-based technologies, will be leveraged.
As part of the two-year training, each postdoc will receive co-mentorship from faculty from each school in conjunction with a career development committee of clinicians, basic scientists, as well as engineers. These mentorships will be focused on research outcomes and readying participants to submit grants and compete for positions in academia or industry.
Dr. Justin Burrell
All four members of this first class bring unique interests to the program. Dr. Justin Burrell has focused his training and research to date on the nervous system and developing novel approaches to nerve repair. Burrell earned an M.S in Neuroscience from Tulane University, and in 2017, matriculated into the Bioengineering PhD program under Penn Medicine's Dr. Kacy Cullen, where he developed several tissue engineered constructs comprised of neurons and axons designed to maximize functional recovery following nerve repair.
During his postdoctoral training, he has worked under Dr. Anh Le, Chair of Penn Dental Medicine's Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery an oral/maxillofacial surgeon, who has been studying the use of gingiva-derived stem cells in facial nerve repair.
"My goal during the CiPD T90 fellowship is to gain experience with the gingiva-derived stem cell source," says Burrell, "and continue the development of various clinically-translatable strategies for nerve repair to ultimately replace the broken tissue in the body with tissue engineered within the lab."
Dr. Marshall Padilla
Dr. Marshall Padilla comes to the program with a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Michael J. Mitchell of Penn's Department of Bioengineering. Padilla's research focuses on developing new materials to enhance the efficacy and safety of biological therapeutics. While passionate about research, he also has a strong interest in developing mentoring relationships and in teaching. At Wisconsin, Marshall earned a certificate in research, teaching, and learning, in which he conducted a research project on developing positive metacognitive practices in introductory organic chemistry. Additionally, he taught a course on mentoring in a research setting, and is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusiveness in biomedical sciences.
"My long-term goal is to become a professor and engage in both high-caliber research and high-quality teaching," says Marshall. He is now working with Dr. Shuying (Sheri) Yang, Associate Professor at the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences, to develop lipid nanoparticles, the same technology used to deliver mRNA in COVID-19 vaccine, for treatment of oral cancer.
Dr. Zhi Ren
As a dentist-scientist trained in microbiology and pediatric dentistry, Dr. Zhi Ren joined Penn Dental Medicine in 2019 as a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Koo. His research focuses on understanding how bacterial and fungal pathogens interact in the oral cavity to form biofilms on teeth (dental plaque) that cause severe tooth decay in toddlers.
Through the CiPD R90 Training Program, Dr. Ren will be applying emerging imaging and computational approaches with new nanotechnologies to further understand mechanisms of biofilm microbiome interactions and develop clinically translatable approaches to precisely target disease-causing oral biofilms.
"This program provides me with unimagined opportunities to apply advanced engineering and computational tools to make new fundamental discoveries and address unmet needs in oral health," says Dr. Ren.
A winner of the 2021 Hatton Awards in the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), Dr. Ren is a previous Colgate-Palmolive Pediatric Dentistry Fellow, awarded to advance research innovation in areas related to improving children's oral health. This fellowship, established by Colgate-Palmolive in 2017, provides financial support for an individual engaged in postdoctoral research studies at Penn Dental Medicine.
Dr. Dennis Sourvanos
Dr. Dennis Sourvanos, who holds a BsDH and DDS from the University of Southern California, is a fourth-year Advanced Graduate Dental Education resident at Penn Dental Medicine, concurrently pursuing a Doctor of Science in Dentistry and specialty certificate in periodontics. He is also a TL-1 Fellow with Penn's Perelman School of Medicine, Institute for Translational Medicine, and Therapeutics (ITMAT) where he is a candidate for the certificate of Translational Research-Regulatory Sciences. His research has been guided by Periodontics Program Director Dr. Joseph P. Fiorellini, and co-mentor Dr. Timothy C. Zhu, a medical physicist from the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. As a graduate periodontics resident, his research interests have been focused on the clinical development of novel biotherapies for hard and soft tissue regeneration.
"Through this program and ongoing study as part of the Zhu Lab, my research emphasis will be on the innovation of Low-Level Laser Therapeutics (LLLT), non-invasive growth factor upregulation, and tissue regeneration," says Dr. Sourvanos. "I consider it a privilege to contribute to research that has the potential to positively impact the quality of life of patients."
The Office of Communications is available to assist journalists in contacting our faculty experts to discuss the latest dental techniques and technologies. To schedule an interview or locate a faculty expert, please call 215-573-8224, or e-mail Beth Adams at adamsnb@upenn.edu.
Penn Dental Medicine Journal


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Rubio said immigration reform is necessary to keep the border secure.
On immigration, Rubio is everywhere
By GINGER GIBSON
Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday began his public campaign to win over conservative support for overhauling the nation's immigration laws, appearing on a record-setting seven network news programs.
Rubio offered a finely calibrated pitch designed to alleviate conservative concerns about reform. He pushed back against claims that a pathway to citizenship is tantamount to amnesty. He rebutted arguments that an agreement would impose dramatic new costs on taxpayers. And he defended the changes as necessary to keep the border secure.
"What we have in place today, the status quo, is horrible for America," the Florida Republican said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "The only people benefiting from the status quo in immigration today are the people trafficking human beings across the border, and the people who are hiring illegal labor for cheap purposes."
( PHOTOS: Other pols who made the "full Ginsburg")
Rubio's appearances launch a pivotal week in the efforts of the Gang of Eight, the bipartisan group of senators working on immigration legislation. The group is expected to unveil its compromise plan on Tuesday, bringing an end to months of speculation about what the final bill will look like.
In addition to appearing on the usual five network Sunday morning programs — on CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and Fox — Rubio also appeared on Univision and Telemundo.
The high-profile push from Rubio is sure to stoke talks that he's positioning for a run for president in 2016. He's considered a favorite in the field of potential Republican candidates.
( Quiz: Do you know Marco Rubio?)
But he brushed off questions — neither confirming or denying — about whether being out front on immigration is an effort to bolster his national appeal, or possibly a tactic that risks upsetting primary voters.
"I haven't even thought about it in that way and I know," he said on CNN's "State of the Union."
"Seriously, senator?" host Candy Crowley asked.
"I have a job," Rubio said. "My belief has always been that if I do my job and I do my job well, I'll have options and opportunities in the future to do things, whether it's run for reelection, run for something else or give someone else a chance at public service."
His sales pitch was simple: This immigration plan is better than the status quo and it isn't going to cause any of the harm that opponents are saying it will.
"They will have to come forward and pass a rigorous background check. If they're criminals they won't qualify," Rubio said on CBS's "Face the Nation."
( Also on POLITICO: Rubio: 'Jay-Z needs to get informed')
"If they pass that background check, they will be given an opportunity to pay an application fee and a fine and in exchange for that, they will be given a guest worker permit allowing them to stay in the U.S., work, travel and pay taxes," he added.
Rubio said that the 11 million undocumented immigrants are effectively receiving amnesty because no one is prosecuting them.
( Also on POLITICO: Rubio: Reform about border security)
"Let's bring these people out, so we can figure out who needs to leave and who we're going to give a chance toward one day being able to apply for a green card the same way everyone else does," Rubio said. "That's why that's a better approach."


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Posted on October 9, 2012 by EPR Retail News
Dorothy Perkins announces UK visits for the Kardashians
The 'Kountdown' has started as the Kardashians are set to take over London in November. For the first time ever all three sisters, Kourtney, Kim and Khloé will be in the UK to celebrate the launch of their highly anticipated Kardashian Kollection, available exclusively in Dorothy Perkins from 8th November 2012.
Commenting on their visit Kourtney, Kim and Khloé said: "We are so excited to be coming to the UK together to show our fans the Kardashian Kollection. We are really proud of the line and how well it's been received in the US over the last year, so we look forward to meeting our British fans at Westfield London and showing English women our designs."
Even though Kim has made several trips in the last few years to the United Kingdom, Khloé has never been to London before and this will be the first trip for Kourtney since she was eight years old.
Their stylish tour kicks off on Thursday 8th November, where they will host a glamorous VIP cocktail party in a top London venue. It is then followed by a personal appearance in Westfield London, on Friday 9th November, for them to meet with their many fans and celebrate the launch of their UK Kardashian Kollection.
From trend led pieces to fashionably tailored looks, the Kardashian Kollection will comprise of more than 100 pieces from their ready-to-wear clothing and handbag collections. It will be available online at dorothyperkins.com and in more than 200 Dorothy Perkins stores throughout the UK, including eight shop in shops in BHS, Outfit and also sold internationally to a further 11 countries in the Middle East and Asia.
Bruno Schiavi, President Jupi Corp added: "British women are the essence of fashion, so the girls and I wanted to create a collection for the UK that embraces both UK fashion and the Kardashian style. I am so excited to see how the UK fans will react when we finally unveil the line at Dorothy Perkins and meet shoppers at Westfield London in November."
Via EPR Network
More Retail press releases
Posted in Apparel, Beauty, Consumer Goods, Cosmetics, Fashion, Fragrances, Gifts, Online Retailers, Retail, Retailer, Shopping, Shops | Tagged dresses, Fashion tops, maternity wear, women's shoes | Leave a comment |


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Covid-19: Risking a rise in online child sexual abuse?
Published Wednesday, 10 June, 2020
Nicole Winchester
As the coronavirus pandemic has led to children spending more time online, concerns have been raised that there is an increased risk of online-facilitated child sexual abuse and exploitation. This article examines these concerns and what the Government has done to reduce the risks.
In recent years, various organisations have highlighted the issue of online-facilitated child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE). The current outbreak of coronavirus has led to many children spending more time online. As a result, various governmental agencies and children's charities have raised concerns that there is an increased risk of online-facilitated CSAE. This article explores these concerns and what the UK Government has done to reduce the risks.
Following an investigation into online-facilitated CSAE, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse found that the internet has enabled individuals to:
distribute indecent images of children;
groom and manipulate children to commit sexual acts on them; and
live stream the sexual abuse of children from around the world.
The inquiry also reported that there are millions of indecent images of children in circulation, with most sites hosting the material found on the open web. Research by the National Crime Agency (NCA) has supported this, finding that indecent material of children can be found in just three clicks.
What are the concerns around Covid-19?
Many organisations have raised concerns that the pandemic could lead to an increased risk of online-facilitated CSAE. For example, Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, has argued that children spending more time unsupervised online could mean that they may:
be more exposed to offenders through various channels, including online gaming, chat apps and social media;
be more inclined towards making explicit material to exchange with peers; and
become lonely and isolated, which offenders may try to benefit from.
The NCA has warned of a spike in online child sex offending during the pandemic. It urged children, parents and carers to ensure they know how to stay safe online. It said that there was a minimum of 300,000 individuals in the UK that pose a sexual threat to children. The NCA also reported that offenders in online chats have been discussing opportunities to abuse children during the crisis. The Australian e-safety commissioner also found that child abusers had created and shared an online grooming manual describing ways to manipulate and exploit children online during the pandemic.
Research by the Internet Watch Foundation has supported these concerns. On 20 May 2020, it reported that more than eight million attempts to access child sexual abuse material online had been made in the UK during the lockdown. However, it said this was a conservative estimate as the data used came from only three companies.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has also argued that a shortage of moderators who combat online sexual abuse combined with children spending more time online has created a "perfect storm" for abusers to take advantage of the pandemic. It has raised concerns that moderators working from home would not be able to moderate the most harmful content due to data protection. In addition, the charity highlighted concerns about the impact of working from home on moderator's mental health. The Government also raised these fears in evidence to the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee.
What is the Government doing to address the issue?
In answer to a recent written question, James Brokenshire, Minister for Security, said that the Government was working with law enforcement, the UK intelligence community, safeguarding partners and the third sector to tackle offending and provide protection for vulnerable children.
Setting out funding commitments, Mr Brokenshire said that the Government had made £1.6 million available immediately to the NSPCC to expand and promote its national helpline for adults. He also said that the Home Office would distribute a further £7.8 million in emergency support for charities helping vulnerable children who had been impacted by the virus.
In April 2020, the Government published advice on how to help people, particularly children, stay safe online during the coronavirus outbreak. This guidance set out a four-point plan, recommending people:
review security and safety settings;
check facts and guard against disinformation;
be vigilant against fraud and scams; and
manage the amount of time spent online.
It also recommended that parents make use of parental controls to manage what children can access and have conversations with children to encourage them to speak to a trusted adult if they come across anything online that makes them uncomfortable.
The Government has highlighted the NCA's #OnlineSafetyAtHome campaign and its ThinkUKnow resources, in addition to interim safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges issued by the Department for Education. It also said it was working with the Five Country partners to "galvanise industry action".
Online harms white paper
The Government set out plans to tackle online CSAE in April 2019 when it published its Online Harms White Paper. The paper detailed harms, both legal and illegal, linked to internet use. Included in this list was the issue of CSAE. The Government argued that the issue presented a growing threat, with both the scale and severity of this type of offending increasing.
The white paper set out a programme of actions aimed at tackling the harms described. This included a plan to become the first country to establish a regulatory framework to tackle online harms. Detailing this, it said that it would establish a new statutory duty of care to make companies take more responsibility for the safety of their users and tackle harm caused by content or activity on their services. An independent regulator—proposed to be Ofcom—would oversee compliance with this duty and set out how companies should comply in codes of practice.
On CSAE, the Government said it would require companies to take "particularly robust action". It said that it would introduce new powers, including the ability to direct the regulator on the content of the code of practice for CSAE. It also said that it would produce an interim code of conduct for CSAE while the regulator was established. In addition, from September 2020, the Government said it would require both primary and secondary schools to have lessons focusing on how to keep children safe online.
Providing an update on the progress of these proposals, Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said in June 2020 that the Government would publish a full response to the white paper this year and would introduce a bill later in this session. Some opposition MPs have been critical of this time scale, arguing that online harms legislation is needed sooner. For example, Chi Onwurah, Shadow Minister for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said "parents, the NSPCC and three Select Committees all say we need legislation now".
Independent Inquiry on Child Sexual Abuse, The Internet: Investigation Report, March 2020
House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, Oral Evidence: Home Office Preparedness for Covid-19 (Coronavirus), HC 232, 13 May 2020
Image by Annie Spratt at Unsplash.


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[SlideShare] The future of the internet is in developing economies
Aline Mayard • 11 June, 2014
The internet may have been born decades ago in the West, but its future might well play out primarily in developing countries. This is, at least, the analysis that Yiibu, the multinational user experience design and consulting firm, has put forward in a recent SlideShare presentation.
If the future of the internet is happening in developing countries, it's first because these are still untapped markets. While countries in the developed market are already saturated – internet penetration is over 80% in countries like Canada, Germany, and South Korea – most of Asia and Africa have rates below 40% (many under even 20%). People in these markets account for a major part of the three billion humans that have yet to use the internet, according to the SlideShare.
And they're getting into the race at a rapid pace. In 2014, almost half of commercial web traffic data provider Alexa's list of top 20 most visited websites in the world came from fast-growing emerging economies such as China, India, and Russia. And as smartphones designed for emerging economies are getting increasingly cheaper, the number of people who can afford internet access is skyrocketing. Imagine how things will look in a few years, when these markets catch up.
For all these new users, the internet doesn't look as it did to those who started surfing the web a decade ago. Now, everything is social, P2P, m-commerce and e-commerce, and for those internet users who are not held back by the outdated desktop setup and 1.0 internet habits, things are different. "With little baggage to weigh them down, they can ignore what's 'normal' and turn constraints into opportunities," Yiibu says in the SlideShare presentation.
For emerging markets, innovation is set free, argues Yiibu. "What may seem futuristic to us, may merely feel practical to others."
What follows are ways in which people in emerging markets use the internet differently from those in developed countries:
Social networks are e-commerce
The presentation uses Kuwait as an example, where some merchants use Instagram to exchange sheep or dried fruit, as well as Thailand, where Facebook powers more than 10,000 small businesses. Ever more frequently, merchants in emerging markets make deals on WhatsApp or through comments or messages on social media, and entrepreneurs manage everything through their mobile, even outdated dumb phones, on which they don't have to bother with online payment or forms.
Bypass the middleman
Another playground for small business is the marketplace. While, in the United States, 76% of online retail involves individual merchants, in China, 90% of online retail is sold through online marketplaces. The largest marketplace is Alibaba's Tmall, which has garnered more than 180 million customers, 150,000 merchants, and 200,000 well-known brands, including Apple, Peugeot and even Lamborghini. Its C2C version Taobao enables consumers sell products and services online.
Multi-platform marketing
E-commerce can also take the form of blogs, highlights Yiibu. The presentation takes an affluent Chinese girl named Jing as an example. She started blogging about her life and style while studying abroad in the UK. Her Taobao shop offers copies of her luxury products that she promotes on her blog and sells on Taobao within hours.
New e-payment paradigms
In China, virtual wallet and e-payment are concepts everyone understands, thanks to the messaging app-turned-platform WeChat, which offers these services. In countries such as Kenya, India, and the Philippines, it's services like M-PESA that are ruling e-payment thanks to its SMS-powered payment and wire services.
Back in China, Alibaba has found a way to increase trust: its online payment platform Alipay acts as an escrow service and only releases payment once goods have been received and accepted by shoppers.
Offline / online continuity
While QR codes have failed to convince mature internet users – who find them too complicated – they're everywhere in China, having been popularized by WeChat which generates a QR code for each account. Each user can simply print its QR code on a business card, poster, or a website, to redirect people to their account.
Rethinking delivery
In Africa, where many countries have an unreliable or nonexistent postal service, the future of e-commerce could be drones. "Why build expensive roads to remote rural locations when drones can do the job just as well?" asked Monty Munford in a recent Wired article documenting the increasing buzz around the possibility of drone-enabled delivery in sub-Saharan Africa.
Meanwhile, in Russia, fashion e-retailers send sales assistants directly to shoppers' homes, where they bring the clothes, wait for customers to try them on, offer fashion advice, take returns, and process payments on the spot.
Check out the entire SlideShare for more examples of innovative ways emerging markets are reimagining how to do business.
Author: Aline Mayard
Why SWVL's acquisition of Volt Lines came to a halt


We have a wide variety of wreaths on display at Ashbrook for both commemorative and decorative purposes. Some of the decorative rings are made with just Noble Fir or mixed conifer, but the majority are made with a mixture of conifer and holly - both green and variegated. For our 8" holly wreaths we use Cupressus whereas for the 10" wreaths we use the blue Noble Fir.
Sample wreaths are on display during November, but all our holly wreaths for sale are made with fresh holly harvested in December.
Prices vary according to the size and type of wreath and the decorations used - plastic or silk flowers; paper, silk or woven ribbon; berries, cones, or 'Christmassy' decorations etc.
12 inch fancy decorative wreath from £26 upwards depending upon the decorations used.
'Swags' for the door or wall from £8.50.
We also have shaped wreaths - crosses or hearts and a range of bars.
These are popular for those wishing to place an arrangement at the Crematorium where space can be limited or to bring the scent of Christmas foliage into the home if there is not space for a tree.
£14.50 with silk flowers, cones & berries or ribbon £16.50 for a more elaborate arrangement, 'natural style' with lotus, cinnamon, robin, cones & berries or more decorative with silk flowers, 'twinkle' and superior berries etc.
A sparkley array of arrangements is on show at Ashbrook, just perfect to give your home that 'Christmassy' feel.
They may be bought 'off the shelf' or we can make something to order to suit your colour scheme, size requirement or budget.
Such arrangements are perfect for those who don't have room for a Christmas tree.
We will be attending Angus Farmers Market before Christmas. Montrose on Sat. 1st Dec., Forfar on Sat. 8th & Sat. 22nd December, Banchory Market on Saturday 15th December and Arbroath on Saturday 24th November.
We have beautiful range of Holly Wreaths and Festive arrangements, made at Ashbrook with locally harvested holly and foliage, they will bring the fragrance of Christmas into your home.
There is always a good selection of styles, sizes and colours on show, but we can also make to order to suit your needs.
Wreaths, table centres and arrangements may be ordered so that they can be made and collected nearer Christmas ensuring you get fresh foliage that will last well.
We also supply a good range of floristry items and 'Christmassy' decorations for those who want to have a go at making their own.


Imagine discovering the keys to achieving your goals and dreams!
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During this focused, intensive session (4-6 hours), the PaperRoom coach asks a specific series of questions from your life and work history designed to unlock both opportunities and barriers. What follows is an in-depth discussion that uncovers powerful themes, brings significant connections into view, and forms the foundation for progress toward personal, professional, and career goals.Based on the powerful Results System™ model, the PaperRoom™ creates profound insights and accelerates progress towards your goals.Join the many successful individuals who have harnessed their personal patterns of success through their PaperRoom experience.


I just uploaded the text sections of my web site successfulkly using Fetch 3.0.3-- but the images (gifs) didn't appear. The first time I tried to upload them, I had the "automatic" button clicked, and the words "raw data" appeared in the box. The second time I tried, I clicked the "binary" button (which I now gather from the "Troubleshooting" info may have been a mistake), and I don't know if the words "raw data" appeared. The "Troublshooting" info indicates that one should use raw data format -- but I think I did (unless I should have highlighted it?) the first time, and the pictures didn't appear.
Help! Does anyone have any suggestions?
The format for an upload can be set in the window the pops up after you pick the file to upload; that window has a pop-up menu of formats to choose from, including "Raw Data".
If this doesn't help could you send me the URL of your page, and the name of the GIF file that is supposed to appear there.


Managed IT Support Case Study by SEMF Pty. Ltd.
Consolidate power first, distribute services second.
SEMF is an independent engineering, environmental and management consulting firm. Greenlight was tasked with providing a consolidated, geo-redundant Virtual Desktop Infrastructure deployment for Drafting and 3D modelling applications.
SEMF offers a wide range of professional services spanning engineering, environmental consulting and management. With 85 staff operating 3 branches in NSW, VIC and TAS with many remote sites throughout Australia and New Zealand, they play a critical role in the building and property, manufacturing and processing, and energy and resources industries.
Up to this time they had been utilising high-end desktop and laptop PCs with discrete graphics adapters that were only operable by a single concurrent user without the ability to access remotely (unless they took the laptop with them).
This resulted in average costs of up to $8,000 per user just for the required hardware to run the equally expensive rendering and algorithmic applications on top. This existing methodology wasn't scalable or sustainable.
Challenge: Delivery of a geo-redundant, cost- effective, remotely-accessible graphics platform for up to 40 concurrent users.
Allan Waitzer – Executive Director – SEMF Pty. Ltd.
To begin with, a site-wide audit was conducted to understand the topology of the current network and infrastructure.
A review with SEMF management and relevant software vendors was carried out to ascertain software, hardware and user requirements.
Specifications of network and server hardware and software to deliver the required solution was compiled and a project proposal created.
A pre-implementation evaluation with SEMF management was conducted to validate the proposed solution and include any amendments and additional requirements.
The new systems were put in place and the infrastructure built alongside the existing environment to minimise workflow disruption.
A pilot group of trial users were given access to the new environment for user acceptance testing and feedback.
After the testing period was completed, the branches were sequentially cutover several weeks apart to ensure site stability before the consecutive branch was brought in.
Once all branches were stable in production on the new environment for a month, the old environment and systems began being phased out of any production use. These systems were archived and retained solely for referencing purposes.
All redundant systems were tested with their various failover and highly-available configurations before being signed off as operational.
persisting issues or anomalies with the new environment.
Once all outstanding issues were rectified, user satisfaction verified, a final review with SEMF management for project completion was conducted.
Ongoing monitoring, management and maintenance is carried out daily on all production systems.
With best-in-class hardware and software infrastructure designed specifically for SEMF's purposes now in place, users are able to take advantage of remote rendering capabilities regardless of the hardware specifications of the workstation they access from.
This means only minimal desktop and laptop hardware is required to deliver superior graphical processing power that can be accessed from the workplace, home, client sites on virtually any internet-capable device.
SEMF is now geo- redundant for their mission critical systems meaning they can survive a disaster at a single site without impacting the other branches.
The affected users can then log back on to the production environment from anywhere else and the redundant nodes will pick up the load whilst the affected site's systems are brought back online. Downtime for the affected users is minimal.
Current and future users no longer each require expensive, high-spec hardware for running graphics-intensive applications such as AutoCAD, Revit, 3DS Max, Inventor, Tekla and Raster Design.
Consolidating the graphical processing power in remotely accessible, high-performance virtual clusters saves SEMF upwards of 50% of per user hardware costs over a 3-year period.


text:
Dudley B. and La Donna K. Merkel - Page 6
I.  Introduction
A.  Issue
The issue in these consolidated cases is whether petitioners
were insolvent on August 31, 1991 (the measurement date), for
purposes of section 108(a)(1)(B) (the insolvency issue).  There
is no question that, if section 108(a)(1)(B) (the insolvency
exclusion) does not apply to petitioners, $359,721 would be
included in the gross income of each of the Merkels and the
Hepburns for 1991 as each couple's distributive share of certain
discharge of indebtedness income realized by a partnership in
which both couples were partners.  The parties have stipulated
that resolution of the insolvency issue depends on whether
petitioners may include in the insolvency calculation provided in
section 108(d)(3) (the statutory insolvency calculation) either
of the following obligations:  (1) "the liability of each of the
petitioners as guarantors of the loan made by Security Pacific
Bank to SLC" (petitioners' guarantees) and (2) "the personal
liability, if any, of petitioners Dudley Merkel and David Hepburn
as officers of SLC for unpaid sales and use taxes assessed by the
State of North Carolina against SLC" (the assessment against SLC
shall be referred to as the State tax assessment and the personal
liability, if any, of petitioners with respect to the State tax
assessment shall be referred to as the State tax exposure).  In


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Tagged: Reviews, The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier Episode 2: Ties That Bind Part Two, Xbox One
This topic contains 0 replies, has 0 voices, and was last updated by horror_spooky 1 year ago.
December 10, 2019 at 1:40 AM #1426
horror_spooky
The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – A New Frontier Episode 2: Ties That Bind Part Two
Rating: 3.0 – Fair
The season premiere of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier kicked things off with a bang, introducing fans to an intriguing new character named Javier and letting them revisit Clementine, whose past is being thoroughly explored in engaging flashback sequences. There was a great deal of hype when Telltale confirmed that the season premiere would be a two-parter, but unfortunately, the second episode, Ties That Bind Part Two, wastes the first episode's momentum.
The second episode retains the same basic gameplay formula as all of Telltale's Walking Dead games and does absolutely nothing different or innovative. Every once in awhile, Telltale will throw a new gameplay mechanic or feature into the mix to keep things fresh, but don't expect that when playing the second part of the season premiere.
Gameplay consists of moving Javier and Clementine around, pointing and clicking at things in the environment, and talking with other characters. The most exciting moments come from making big decisions that can impact the story.
Unfortunately, A New Frontier fails to follow up on one of the big decisions from the previous episodes. It basically ignores the cliffhanger from before, and begins in a very nonsensical manner, depending on what choice players made. This sets a disappointing precedent that much of the rest of the season will fail to capitalize on the most exciting moments.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier's second episode begins a little bit of time after the conclusion of the previous one. There's little I can talk about without spoiling the plot for players, and since the plot is so integral to the entertainment value of the series, I will keep my mouth shut about most plot developments, except for one thing that was advertised by Telltale and is visible in the game's menus.
As was revealed in pre-release trailers, the second episode of A New Frontier introduces fan favorite character Jesus to the mix. Like when the first season had Glen and Hershel, Jesus's appearance seems gimmicky. The Walking Dead game series has always been at its best when using original characters and material, so Jesus being involved sucks a lot of the tension out of the scenes.
Something else that's disappointing is that A New Frontier seems like it's trying to mirror events going on in the TV series right now. Previous seasons have been guilty of this in the past, and just like when past seasons did it, it makes A New Frontier feel lesser compared to other Walking Dead media. There's a group in this episode that is just way too similar to Negan's Saviors from the show and comics, and it's hard to buy that this big group existed in the same time as Negan's group without meeting them. Quite frankly, it just makes it hard to get invested in zombie-infested Georgia, because it seems to be infinitely large with all these huge settlements all over.
Graphics and Sound
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier has graphics and audio on par with the first episode, which means there's problems. Animations are stiff, and there's slowdown galore. It has brighter colors than previous seasons and in general looks a bit better, but still, it's disappointing that Telltale still can't seem to polish the technical side of its games efficiently.
Play Time/Replayability
It also seems like the second half of the season premiere is a bit shorter than the first half. I could be wrong, but it was like things were over as soon as they were starting to get interesting. Telltale didn't put any collectibles or anything like that for fans to find, and since the choices are really about players picking different colors to color in the same lines as opposed to truly carving out their own stories, going back to make different choices isn't very enticing replayability.
Final Recommendation
There's some engaging plot developments that happen in Ties That Bind Part Two and fans will want to see where the story goes, but its inclusion of Jesus is distracting, the continued technical problems are disappointing, and the story choices already seem less important than they should be. Hopefully Telltale can bounce back with a more impressive third episode for The Walking Dead's third video game season.
Matching Card Heroes
January 8, 2019, No Comments
Train your memory and find identical pairs to battle various enemies in this thrilling card game!


Premiered on March 9, 2008 by Spencer Topel (violin) and Zachary Wadsworth (live electronics).
Memory-Étude is an exploration of sound and memory for violin and live electronics. As the violinist plays several slow glissandi, certain notes are captured and held by the electronics, providing the harmonic underpinning for the live performer's expressive melody above.
Within three (3) business days of ordering, you will be emailed a download link to a PDF score, the live electronics files, and a sample recording of the work.
In order to perform the piece, you will need to download and install Pure Data (free). Other performance equipment includes a computer, a USB or FireWire audio interface, a mixer, one microphone, and two speakers. The live electronics need to be run by a human being while the violinist plays.


Online shopping for Books from a great selection of Medicine, Psychology, Nursing, Administration & Medicine Economics, Basic Sciences, Pharmacology. The Book Of Medical Mistakes: Real-Life Accounts of the Most Horrific Medical Disasters and Those Who Survived Their Ordeal [Martin Fido, Karen Fido] on. Discover high-impact journals, award-winning books and eBooks and online solutions. Provide nurses with resources that manage competency, streamline workflow and support clinical decisions. Improve your biomedical research with the world's most comprehensive biomedical literature.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Graph Theory: what are the two vertices and how to draw them?
Define a graph $G$ such that $V(G) = \{2,3,4,5,11,12,13,14\}$ and two
  vertices $s$ and $t$ are adjacent if and only if $\gcd\{s,t\} = 1$. Draw a
  diagram of $G$ and find its size $e(G)$.

I can understand V(G) = {2,3,4,5,11,12,13,14} but what are "two vertices $s$ and $t$ are adjacent if and only if $\gcd\{s,t\} = 1$"?

A: You have $8$ vertices, labelled $2$, $3$, and so on.   Now we need to determine the edges.
Look for example at the vertices $2$ and $3$. Are they joined by an edge?  They are to be joined precisely if $\gcd(2,3)=1$.  The greatest common divisor of $2$ and $3$ is indeed $1$, so draw an edge joining $2$ and $3$.
Are vertices $2$ and $4$ joined by an edge? Well, $\gcd(2,4)=2\ne 1$, so no edge.
Are vertices $2$ and $5$ joined by an edge? Yes, because $\gcd(2,5)=1$. Continue.
Vertex $2$ will be joined to $3$, $5$, $11$, $13$.  Now we have produced  all the edges that involve $2$.
In addition, $3$ is joined to $4$, $5$, $11$, $13$, $14$.
In addition, $4$ is joined to $5$, $11$, and $13$.
In addition, $5$ is joined to $11$, $12$, $13$, $14$.
In addition, $11$ is joined to $12$, $13$, $14$.
In addition, $12$ is joined to $13$.
And finally, $13$ is joined to $14$.

A: A graph is a bunch of dots on your paper, called "vertices".  Each dot has a label, which is its name.  In your example there are eight dots, named 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, and 14.
Sometimes two vertices are connected by a line, and sometimes they aren't.  When two dots are connected, we say they are "adjacent". The line is called an "edge".
This question is asking about a graph where two vertices are connected whenever their labels (which are numbers) have no common divisor bigger than one.  For example, vertices 4 and 14 are not connected because the numbers 4 and 14 are both divisible by 2.  But vertices 5 and 14 are connected because there is no  number bigger than 1 that divides both 5 and 14.  We write $\gcd(4, 14)$ for the greatest number, 2, that divides both 4 and 14, and $\gcd(5,14)$ for the greatest number, 1, that divides both 5 and 14.
Your job is to draw all the connections between the dots.  You should decide if 2 and 3 are connected, and then draw an edge between them if so.  Then decide if 2 and 4 are connected, and so on.
$e(G)$ is just the total number of edges in the graph.

A: $G=G(V,E)$ is a graph, where $V$ is the set of vertices - in your
case the vertices "have names'' or correspond to natural numbers.
Now $E$ is the set of edges, in your case $E:=\{(u,v):gcd(u,v)=1\}$
and by $gcd(u,v)$ I mean the gcd of the natural numbers corresponding
to $u,v$.
For example there is an edge between the vertices corresponds
to the numbers $1$ and $2$ i.e. $(1,2)\in E$ since $gcd(1,2)=1$
but $(2,4)\not\in E$ since $gcd(2,4)=2\neq1$.
Note:$gcd$ - is the greatest common divisor

A: Here's a drawing of the graph in question.

The $7$ dashed lines represent non-edges, and the $\binom{7}{2}-7=14$ solid lines are the present edges.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Israeli forces have shot and killed a Palestinian man and wounded more than 40 as thousands protested near the Gaza Strip's perimeter fence, the enclave's health ministry has said.
Tamer Arafat, 23, died from his wounds on Friday during the 50th week of demonstrations, said Ashraf al-Qidra, the spokesman for the ministry.
Qidra also said that 48 Palestinians had been wounded by Israeli gunfire, including four medics, two women and 15 children.
Palestinians have staged weekly protests near the fence separating besieged Gaza Strip from Israel as part of the Great March of Return protests, which began in March last year.
The demonstrators are calling for the lifting of an Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007 and for the right to return to their ancestral homes in Israel, as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.
SHOT IN THE HEAD 4 A PEACEFUL PROTEST??? He looks like a happy, kind gentle soul. GOD BLESS U & REST IN PEACE.


Many people think of estate planning as one of the final acts that they should do in life. However, few people wish to acknowledge that life has an end. Thus, many people put off estate planning until it may be too late or more difficult to accomplish all of their wishes. Even worse, some people may never get around to planning for their family's future, resulting in their estate being distributed in a way that they would not have hoped for. So, the answer to the question, "When should I start thinking about estate planning?" is "Right now."
It is important to bear in mind that unforeseen events can happen to anyone, at any point in life. A proper estate plan is not just about creating a will that will enable you to dictate the distribution of your assets upon your death. A comprehensive plan should also include documents like powers of attorney, which can help ensure that your wishes will be carried out if you are ever in a position where you are incapable of making a decision. Estate planning is essential for those who are concerned about their family's future.
Estate plans should be treated as living documents. It's not something that you do once you have a spouse, home and children. As your life changes, it may be necessary to change your estate plan as well. Divorce, remarriage, adoptions and deaths in the family can all have an impact on your estate plan. A review every 10 years (or if major life changes occur, sooner than that) is usually recommended. I can help update your plan and ensure that everything is in order as you see fit.
When you meet with me, I will listen to your goals and help explore your options for meeting them. To schedule an initial consultation at my Pittsburgh office, call me at 412-847-5558 or contact me online. I am licensed in both Florida and Pennsylvania, and can help handle issues for people with property in both states.


text:
Lelya is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Rubiaceae. It only contains one known species, Lelya osteocarpa Bremek.

Its native range is Tropical Africa. It is found in Angola, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia and Zaïre.

The genus name of Lelya is in honour of Hugh Vandervaes Lely (1891–1947), an English botanist and forester in Nigeria. The Latin specific epithet of osteocarpa is derived from 2 words, osteo from the Greek word meaning bone and also carpa is derived from carpus meaning fruit.
Both genus and species were first described and published in Verh. Kon. Ned. Akad. Wetensch., Afd. Natuurk., Sect. 2, Vol.48 (Issue 2) on page 181 in 1952.

References

Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae genera
Plants described in 1952
Flora of South Tropical Africa
Flora of East Tropical Africa

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


With only 52 residences, this is a rare opportunity to own a home in a seaside desert paradise overlooking the azure waters of Santa Maria Bay. Each turn-key two- or three-bedroom residence comes fully furnished. Owners also enjoy the flexibility to rent their units through our Montage Los Cabos Rental Program.


29 Sep 2011 Agenda & 25 Aug 2011 Minutes.
25 Aug 2011 Agenda & 28 Jul 2011 Minutes.
Draft minutes for 28 Jul 2011 and updated minutes for 30 Jun 2011.
28 Jul 2011 Agenda & 30 Jun 2011 Minutes.
30 Jun 2011 Agenda & 26 May 2011 Minutes.
26 May 2011 AGM Agenda & 27 May 2010 AGM Minutes.
26 May 2011 Agenda & 28 Apr 2011 Minutes.
16 May 2011 DRAFT AGM Minutes.


text:
>Edward Parker
Edward Parker
Physical Scientist
Ph.D. in physics, UC Santa Barbara; M.A. in physics, UC Santa Barbara; B.S. in physics, Brown University
One Page Bio
This researcher is available for interviews.
To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.
More Experts
Edward Parker is a physical scientist at the RAND Corporation. He is broadly interested in the societal impact of disruptive technologies, and his current research focuses on emerging quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. He has served as a peer reviewer for the physics journals Quantum Science and Technology, the European Journal of Physics, and Statistica A. Prior to joining RAND, Parker received his Ph.D. in theoretical solid-state physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he numerically modeled exotic magnetic materials that could be useful for building quantum computers.
Artificial Intelligence;
Cybersecurity;
Parker, Edward, Daniel Gonzales, Ajay K. Kochhar, Sydney Litterer, Kathryn O'Connor, Jon Schmid, Keller Scholl, Richard Silberglitt, Joan Chang, Christopher A. Eusebi, and Scott W. Harold, An Assessment of the U.S. and Chinese Industrial Bases in Quantum Technology, RAND Corporation (RR-A869-1), 2022
Gavin S Hartnett, Edward Parker, Timothy R Gulden, Raffaele Vardavas, David Kravitz, "Modelling the impact of social distancing and targeted vaccination on the spread of COVID-19 through a real city-scale contact network," Journal of Complex Networks, 9(6), 2021
Edward Parker, "Security Implications of Quantum Communications and Computing," Issues & Insights, 21(SR1), 2021
Tarraf, Danielle C., William Shelton, Edward Parker, Brien Alkire, Diana Gehlhaus, Justin Grana, Alexis Levedahl, Jasmin Léveillé, Jared Mondschein, James Ryseff, Ali Wyne, Daniel Elinoff, Edward Geist, Benjamin N. Harris, Eric Hui, Cedric Kenney, Sydne J. Newberry, Chandler Sachs, Peter Schirmer, Danielle Schlang, Victoria M. Smith, Abbie Tingstad, Padmaja Vedula, and Kristin Warren, The Department of Defense Posture for Artificial Intelligence: Assessment and Recommendations, RAND Corporation (RR-4229-OSD), 2019
Gavin Hartnett, Edward Parker, and Edward Geist, "Replica Symmetry Breaking in Bipartite Spin Glasses and Neural Networks," Physical Review E, 98, 2018
Recent Media Appearances
Interviews: Government Matters; NextGov
Hack Post-Quantum Cryptography Now So That Bad Actors Don't Do It Later
The U.S. government should consider offering a public cash bounty to anyone who can crack the new forms of encryption that are being rolled out to defend against quantum computers. If a bounty helps catch a vulnerability before it's deployed, then the modest cost of the bounty could prevent much higher costs down the line.
Preparing for Post-Quantum Critical Infrastructure: Assessments of Quantum Computing Vulnerabilities of National Critical Functions
Researchers assessed quantum computing vulnerabilities in the 55 national critical functions (NCFs) for urgency, scope, cost per organization, other mitigating or exacerbating factors, and priority for assistance. This report documents the findings.
Systematic Method for Prioritizing Investments in Game-Changing Technologies: The Evaluation and Comparison Process Framework
This report summarizes a framework and process to characterize and compare potential game-changing technologies based on likely operational advantage, given specific technological capabilities, challenges of implementation and cost.
America's 5G Era: Strengthening Current and Future U.S. Technical Competitiveness in 5G
Fifth-generation telecommunications technology (5G) offers a wide variety of potential applications. Authors discuss the global state of play in several aspects of the 5G ecosystem and raise several issues for policymakers to consider.
An Assessment of the U.S. and Chinese Industrial Bases in Quantum Technology
This report presents a flexible and repeatable set of metrics for assessing a nation's industrial base in quantum technology, and applies those metrics to the U.S. and Chinese quantum industrial bases.
Modelling the Impact of Social Distancing and Targeted Vaccination on the Spread of COVID-19 Through a Real City-Scale Contact Network
We use mobile device data to construct empirical interpersonal physical contact networks in the city of Portland, Oregon, both before and after social distancing measures were enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commercial and Military Applications and Timelines for Quantum Technology
This report provides an overview of the current state of quantum technology and its potential commercial and military applications, such as data encryption and extremely precise sensors.
America's 5G Era: Gaining Competitive Advantages While Securing the Country and Its People
Researchers assessing the fifth-generation (5G) wireless ecosystem found important implications of 5G-era devices, networks, and services for securing data and protecting individual privacy.
The Department of Defense's Posture for Artificial Intelligence: Assessment and Recommendations for Improvement
In this report, RAND Corporation researchers assess the state of artificial intelligence relevant to the U.S. Department of Defense and provide recommendations for the future of the department's artificial intelligence posture.
How Smart Cities Could Improve Open Data Portals to Empower Local Residents and Businesses: A Case Study of the City of Los Angeles and COVID-19
In this Perspective, the authors provide generalizable strategies that city leaders could adopt to improve the utility of their open data portals to facilitate local access to information and promote community-based problem-solving.
The Department of Defense Posture for Artificial Intelligence: Assessment and Recommendations
In this report, the authors assess the state of artificial intelligence (AI) relevant to DoD, conduct an independent assessment of the Department of Defense's posture in AI, and put forth a set of recommendations to enhance that posture.
The U.S. is still the overall technical world leader in quantum technology, but that lead has narrowed considerably just over the past year. The U.S. used to be the only country to have demonstrated real prototype quantum computers, but that's no longer the case. The global landscape of quantum technology leadership is becoming more complicated.
Source: Nextgov
Related RAND Resources
All Policy Experts
Public Policy Experts Guide


text:
Adjusted world price (AWP) is statutory terminology used in United States federal agricultural law, for the prevailing world price for upland cotton or rice. It is adjusted to account for U.S. quality and location, calculated and published on a weekly basis by the USDA as part of marketing assistance loan programs. Producers who have taken out the loans may choose to repay them at either the lesser of the established loan rate plus interest, or the announced AWP for that week.  The AWP for cotton also is used for determining Step 2 payments.

References

Agricultural marketing in the United States
Cotton industry in the United States
Rice production in the United States


text:
Gauteng seeks measures to curb bullying in schools
Johannesburg: A study conducted by Unisa's Bureau of Market Research, through its Youth Research Unit, shows that nearly 35% of learners in Gauteng schools have been bullied in the past two years, with 42% of this group being Grade 8 learners and a third having experienced bullying throughout their secondary school lives.
The research, which spans from 2011-2012, was conducted on 3 371 learners in Grades 8 – 12 in 24 schools in Gauteng schools. It showed that 1 158 learners have been bullied in the past two years.
Presenting these finding at the Colloquium on the Prevention of Bullying in Gauteng Schools on Tuesday, Goodness Zulu, a social worker at the Youth Research Unit in Unisa, said although traditional forms of bullying were still prominent, the phenomenon of cyber bullying was emerging rapidly – especially through texting – with about 16.9% of bullying cases being attributable to this.
"Young people recognise that technology is creating a platform for bullying and contribute to the on-going online victimisation of the youth.
"We had concerns regarding the distinction between bullying and abuse. Some of the responses we received from the learners who are being bullied, told us they didn't report it because they were scared they would be bullied more. [They were also scared] to tell their [parents] because they would be yelled at," said Zulu.
The research recommended that continuous cyber safety education and the serious impact of bullying needed to be addressed.
Today's colloquium, hosted by the Gauteng Department of Education, aims to establish the current trends regarding bullying, to assess the impact of bullying on the school life of children, learning and teaching, and the overall functionality of schools.
"Online awareness campaigns and counselling services are recommended and binding guidelines on appropriate action to reported [incidents] need to be enhanced. Intervention strategies include early age-appropriate intervention programmes, appropriate reporting structures, and empowerment and proactive intervention strategies of child care practitioners," recommended the study.
Gauteng MEC for Education Barbara Creecy said the theme of the colloquium, 'Working Together to End Bullying, The prevention of Bullying in Gauteng Schools', spoke directly to their hopes for the outcomes of the colloquium.
"Bullying is an old phenomenon, which we deal with on a daily basis. While it often begins with teasing, it progresses to physical assault. Initiation practices in high schools are often protected by those in power. What frightens us about the cyber bullying … is that it can go on 24 hours.
"We hope we will be able to develop campaigns to assist educators, communities and parents to speak out and the victims to take a stand," Creecy said.
The Head of Community Awareness and Prevention Programme Department at Childline, Gita Dannen, said bullying was frequently overlooked because teachers and parents were frequently unaware that it was happening.
"If they … are aware of it, they [often] don't know how to deal with it. In South Africa, there is … a continued use of corporal punishment in homes and [some] schools.
"This leads to the normalisation and acceptance of violent behaviour. In turn, it leads to low levels of reporting — the perception is that this is normal and nothing can or will be done about it," she said, adding that 70% of those bullied had themselves been victims. This is according to a study conducted by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention.
She further urged children to report abuse and bullying. She encouraged parents to open communications lines with their children to help them build their self-esteem and to engage in hobbies that build esteem.
"Talk about school daily, bullying and its consequences; talk to the educator about how your child is doing socially at school," Dannen advised parents.
In prioritising the issue of bullying, Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, in the State of the Province Address in 2011, announced that she had assigned 1 000 community volunteers to monitor, amongst others, incidents of bullying in schools.
The provincial Education Department has also introduced a school safety policy that provides psycho-social support in the event of bullying and violence amongst learners.
Lay counsellors have been appointed to provide support to schools. Some counsellors hold violence prevention classes or workshops for learners, while some schools provide special programmes on preventing violence and gang activity for high-risk learners. Under the policy, patrollers are also provided for schools which can't afford to hire private security.
Social spending is sustainable: Nene
Infrastructure development key to stimulating growth
School of Government on training public servants on governance and management of emergencies such as Covid-19
- Study
Minister Blade Nzimande: Plans for reopening of Post School Education and Training Institutions amid Coronavirus Covid-19
Minister Blade Nzimande briefs media on Cabinet decisions on plans for the reopening of the Post School Education and Training Institutions, the developments and contribution of Science and Innovation in the fight against COVID-19, 18 Jan


text:
Cryptozoo
Independent, hand-drawn, adult animation is rare, as Sundance programmer Charlie Sextro said at the premiere of Cryptozoo, which puts Dash Shaw's busy and quirky adventure in pretty much the same category as its subject matter.
A cryptid, an early intertitle card informs us, is a creature whose existence is unsubstantiated, or who remains hidden. As in a cryptic crossword, you have to look beyond the surface to see what is really there. And a cryptozoo is where our hero, Lauren (voiced by Lake Bell) is employed as a kind of Indiana Jones swashbuckler, travelling the world to bring crypto-animals like the velue, the gorgon and the karzelek back to the zoo, where they'll be safe from predators like Nicholas (voice: Thomas Jay Ryan), a trader in exotica who doesn't particularly care if he brings them in dead or alive.
Lauren's mission this time out is to locate the legendary baku, a small orange creature with tusks and an elephant's trunk that can eat dreams. A creature that is both literally and in a 1960s "groovy, baby" kind of way "out of sight", possibly because it doesn't exist.
Cryptozoo badass Lauren
The utopian Lauren versus the capitalistic Nicholas is how many commentators have seen this tussle, but there isn't much of an analysis of either world view. Instead, Shaw takes an outsider v bad guy ready-made scenario off the shelf and adapts it to his own ends, populating his story with a horde of weird creatures. It's the X-Men idea of misfits being hounded by a conformist world that can't accept difference. Though setting everything in hippie-era America, where far-outness is expected and nudity seems to be almost mandatory does give the film its own distinct flavour and a certain quirky humour. Warning: if shakily drawn penises give you the willies, you're probably best not bothering.
Shaw's own ends are artistic rather than philosophical. This is an exercise in a semi-naive form of animation, influenced to an extent by early 20th-century animation pioneer Winsor McCay, best known for his comic strip Little Nemo, though the simple, almost kids-colouring-book style with a disregard for strict rules of perspective is Shaw's own. He's not afraid to mix it up. With her strong jaw, cascading hair and severe features, Lauren is a cartoon version of Jane Morris, the muse of the pre-Raphaelites, and at key moments there's psychedelia and kaleidoscopics that wouldn't be too out of place in the Beatles' Yellow Submarine.
The whimsicality is Wes Anderson's, though, and I suspect Shaw is a fan, though even Anderson at his most fey has a storyline stronger than the one here, which tends towards the one-damn-thing-after-another. Anderson also likes characters with flavour, and Shaw's hero, Lauren, is a touch on the bland side. Imagine the Indiana Jones movies with no Indie – it'd just be one boring setup after another.
For all that, things do get going towards the end, when a series of fairly bland encounters with humans and beasts finally gives way to a "cryptids assemble!" finale that gets all the creatures onto the screen at the same time, or as many as will fit.
Here, Shaw and his animation director Jane Samborski demonstrate a real gift for eye-catching visual effects rendered in the simplest of ways – a shimmering background, a white line on black paper background, a silhouette.
Busy, sometimes to the point where it appears to be nervous about nailing its colours to any one stylistic mast, it's the sort of thing that hippies might indeed have watched back in the day, deriving meaning from Cryptozoo thanks to an assist from a good whack of LSD.
Cryptozoo – Watch it/buy it at Amazon
Cryptozoo Animation | 95min | August 20, 2021 (United States) 6.4
Director: Dash ShawWriter: Dash ShawStars: Lake Bell, Michael Cera, Emily DavisSummary: Cryptozookeepers try to capture a Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown.


The Mer are mammals, so their tails are similar to which marine creature?
The tails, fins and flukes in Wave Singers and Regent are all slightly different from the average mer-tail. No scales, as the Mer are shape-shifters and can only work within the limits of what they already have. In this case, they are essentially human, so their tails are more like a dolphin's in texture, although retain a quintessentially 'mermaid' shape and swimming action.
They have large flukes, with a dorsal fin running down their backs and usually extra fins on the backs of their arms. The most customisable part of their tails is, of course, the colour. Individual's picture different experiences and feelings when shifting and those memories affect the colour of their tail – many of them have shades of blue or green as their experiences of the water are from beneath the surface.
Merry's experience calls to mind the sparkling of the sun on wavelets, which is why her tail is so outstandingly different to the norm. It shows her understanding of the two worlds, above and below water. Whereas in Regent, Merrick's tail is always a solid dark blue, showing his limited knowledge and restricted principles.
You can find out more about Wave Singers here or by searching through the blog tags to discover world building posts, maps, Merry's character profile, information of the mysterious pomegranate and more about the goddess from the Mer culture.