text:
My Mass Effect 3 Ending [SPOILERS]
Alrighty. I finished up Mass Effect 3 yesterday. I am honestly still not entirely sure how I feel about the "super controversial" ending. I mean, from one standpoint, I understand why a lot of people are so dang pissed about it to the point where they are claiming to feel betrayed based on what the previous games (and the third until the ending) gave them. From another, I see what the good folks over at Bioware were trying to do, story-wise, and I think it was a really cool concept. I am not sure if it played out exactly right, but I do kind of get it. From a third perspective, there was plenty about the ending that annoyed the crap out of me that had more to do with the gameplay itself than with the story. So, yeah.
Super duper ginormous spoilers after the picture. Seriously, do NOT keep reading if you haven't finished the game yet and do not wish to be spoiled. Okay? Okay.
Let's just look at Shepard's pretty spaceship collection for a moment, shall we?
To put things in perspective, here are a few of my game choices leading up to the ending that I feel are relevant:
I played all three games through as a straight up Paragon (nice guy). I avoided any and all Renegade choices/actions like the plague. My Shepard was an ethical and empathetic leader.
I did indeed cure the genophage and did not submit to the Salarian Dalatress' suggestion of sabotage.
I resolved the conflict between the Quarians and Geth and brought them both onto my side.
I allowed Legion to transmit the Reaper upgrades to the other Geth (bro hymn for Legion, yo).
I fully supported EDI getting a body and running around with me. She was one of my favorite companions in this game.
I fully supported EDI's relationship with Joker (though I did take the conversation options to point out that Shepard wouldn't have been opposed to being with him, alas, his heart belonged to another).
At the end of the second game, I did not let the damn Illusive Man have the proto-reaper we found at the Collector base--I bombed that thing to hell. (I was, in fact, pissed when I found out in this game that he managed to recover some of the bits.)
So. I think those are the highlights of how I played the games leading up to the trilogy's conclusion. In my opinion, the actual "ending" began when Shepard and crew made their final mad dash for the beam to get up to the Citadel. I ran like hell for that beam and did my best to dodge the Reaper ray of death, though eventually I got hit. I suspect that this was inevitable, one of those "you can't win" scenarios games try to write in, where they put you in a situation and no matter how well you do, just as you are about to beat it, the story takes over and your character falters. Anyway, got hit by a beam, somehow survived, though my armor was just about burnt to a crisp, much of it missing. But I got up, I found a gun, and I limped my ass to that beam regardless.
And it is right there that, for me, the game went off the rails a little bit. Because when I say I limped, I am not joking. The "run" option was no longer available, and Shepard moved at a dragging pace that was absolutely painful for me the player to experience. Look, I get it. She took a massive hit. She is, by all evidence, running on her very last fumes--suffering from a fatal wound and only moving forward through sheer tenacity and determination to see this thing through. But give me a break, okay. It's a video game, it comes with a little bit of suspension of disbelief. I don't need my Shepard to move as if the air has turned to molasses for the rest of the damn game, especially since all she seems to be doing at this point is walking. Either cut scene her crawling where she needs to get, or slow her down a much smaller fraction of her normal movement than you did. It just...gah. I don't like sitting there staring at the screen feeling like I am not getting anywhere, especially when I know I am so damn close to the end. Come on.
So, yeah. I go through the beam and I make it to the Citadel. The only other person to make it from our task force is Anderson. We get to the controls to open up the arms, but before we can do anything, the Illusive Man is there, and he is clearly indoctrinated, and he tries to put the mojo on us too. We banter back and forth about the ethics of the situation--he doesn't want to destroy the Reapers, he wants to control them. But he can't because they are already controlling him (even though he refuses to admit it). Whee.
Here's the next thing that really annoys me. To proceed further in the game, you must kill the Illusive Man. For the record, I have no problem with this. I don't understand why Shepard didn't just put a bullet in him the second he appeared behind her. Okay, I mean, I do, he had put the Reaper whammy on her. But still. Killing him is not a problem. You have two opportunities to do this. You can do it when he's about to shoot Anderson, or if you don't stop that, when he's about to shoot you. It's not a fight or anything. It is, in both instances, a Renegade action click. Um, if you've played the game, you'll know what I mean by that. If you haven't, why are you reading this? Back to my point. I actually had to play that whole damn molasses slow dialogue heavy scene through twice because I didn't take either of the options to kill him the first time around. Not because I didn't want to, but because the game was calling it a Renegade option, and my Shepard was a Paragon.
Killing the damn Illusive Man should not have been Renegade points.
I realize to the vast majority of the players, that bit doesn't really matter at all. But it matters to me. To me the most annoying part of the ending of that game was that in order to actually finish her quest, Shepard had to earn Renegade points to kill the Illusive Man--the known bad guy and all around general scum (and a huge war criminal). At the very least, there should have been a Paragon option to incapacitate rather than kill him, damn it. There have been plenty of Paragon choices that I would think morally questionable without extenuating circumstances, and this would certainly fit that category. Because the message that they are sending by doing it the way they did? Nice guys don't even get to finish the fight. What. The. Fuck. Not cool at all. Not when you've given us three games of letting us choose to be the nice guy.
So after that, things start to wrap up. Shepard gets the Citadel to open up for the Crucible and she gets to meet the Catalyst, who as it turns out is the actual creator of the Reapers. A lot of people were mad or let down by the reveal of the why behind the Reapers but I don't know why. It's basically what Soverign told us back in game one, this time we're just finally meeting the brains behind it all. The Catalyst gives Shepard three choices:
Wipe out all synthetic life in the galaxy, destroying the Reapers for good, but also destroying the Geth and (presumably) EDI.
Take control of the Reapers and call off their attack, sacrificing Shepard to do so.
Join Shepard's essence to the Catalyst's to merge all synthetic and organic life, creating a new era and ensuring peace.
I believe (but am not one hundred percent sure) that in each of these choices all of the mass relays in the galaxy are destroyed, and that Shepard dies no matter which choice you make (as I said, fatally wounded). The Catalyst gives you your choice and then three paths open up in front of Shepard and you get to molasses-walk to your choice. I will point out another fault in the gameplay here because there is no map or indicator as to which path is which choice. When the Catalyst is giving you the options, you get a brief visual, and the location for each choice is shown, but I didn't realize that when he was explaining it. If, say, you've got an impatient two-year old trying to get your attention when all of this is going on (not that I am speaking from personal experience or anything *cough*), that is a real "blink and you'll miss it" moment. I mean, you could molasses-walk to each station and probably figure it out from the label once you get close enough, but, dude, molasses-walk. Just, no. I was kind of just crossing my fingers that the one I got to was the one I wanted to choose. Thankfully it was.
Also annoying to me: I chose to take control of the Reapers, which is what the damned Illusive Man wanted to do all along. I am not saying he was right, because his motives were sure as hell not mine. But to me it seemed like the only option. After everything I did to get the Geth and Quarians working together again (not to mention how much the Quarians were relying on the Geth to help them rebuild on their homeworld), not to mention how much I love EDI, I could not bring myself to destroy all synthetic life just because some ancient life form believes that synthetic life will destroy organic if given the chance.
Nor could I bring myself to merge the two types of beings. If I was understanding that correctly, and it's entirely possible I might not have been, then that would wipe out the existing identity of everyone in the freaking galaxy which is what I just spent the last three games trying to prevent from happening. Sure, new life, new stage, new evolution, fine, whatever. But not without consent, not after everything everyone had sacrificed, not when what we were fighting for was to save the races in existence in the (game's) here and now. No. Just. No.
So, yeah, I see why people are pissed off about those three choices. Because either way you go, you have to compromise at least part of what your Shepard has been standing for during the course of the entire story. But a choice must be made, and make one I did. Shepard steps up to the machine, takes the controls, and burns to a crisp as her essence or whatever goes into the Reapers. They leave Earth and the ground troops begin to celebrate. A burst of energy flows through the galaxy from relay to relay as they (presumably) all blow up. Joker flies the crap out of the Normandy trying to avoid the energy blast. He manages to crash land and then he, Kaidan, and Garrus step out to look at their surroundings: a lush planet full of life, and I suppose, hope. Credits roll and at the end is an old man telling a child the story of the legend of "the Shepard" several generations later.
That's it. No epilogue to tell us what happened to everyone else after the Reapers pulled back and all of the mass relays were destroyed. I mean, did anyone else on the Normandy even survive the crash? I have no idea, and that bugs me. How did civilization proceed with everyone pretty much stranded wherever they were in the galaxy when the relays were destroyed? Did they get to work on upgrading their ships to fly faster so they could get home to their loved ones? Did they all start new multi-species societies? There's not a lot of closure here, and that's the other thing that has really pissed people off, and it's something I agree with.
I never expected Shepard to live through the last game, even before I started catching wind of the griping about the ending. I mean, there is a lot at stake here, an entire galactic civilization, an entire cycle of evolution. There were always going to be casualties along the way, and even more at the end. Hell, if Shepard is the only member of my crew who did die, I would be ecstatic to know that, though I wouldn't have been unhappy had she managed to live, mind you. But she and her crew and everyone else sacrificed so much and I as a player put so much work into seeing this thing through. It would be nice to see what came of it other than "the main character made a hard choice and died and a few of these people at least lived through that, but we're not telling you what happened the next day or anything."
Overall, story-wise, I am not outraged by how this ended. I do wish there had been a fourth choice for Shepard--the chance to talk the Catalyst into stopping the "cycle" and calling off the Reapers and just letting the galaxy play out as it will. I would have liked that option, yes. But I do get what the writers were trying to do, I think. It would have been a great twist for a book or a movie, certainly. I'm not so sure it fits for the final game in a video game trilogy, though. I could accept the given endings with more of an epilogue, I think. That would go a long way towards making me feel better about it. I'm not chomping at the bit feeling betrayed. Overall, it's just a general sense of annoyance because I feel like they aimed at a few things and just kind of missed.The gameplay mechanic at the end just totally took me out of the whole thing, so the cinematic feel of the experience was lost on me and it just felt a bit unfinished.
I will wait a while, to be sure, but I will probably play the game again. I do have a different Shepard to put through the gauntlet, after all. And I really want to see how the Garrus romance plays out in game three. I suspect that it is spectacular. The game itself, overall, was pretty spectacular. It's just that last bit...
I suspect that is the part that is annoying people the most.
I have to say, I will be very curious to see what kind of DLC we get for this. Very curious indeed.
Labels: Bioware, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 3, SPOILERSPOILERSPOILER
I Am Taking This As A Good Sign
SGA Rewatch: This Mortal Coil
At Last!!
SGA Rewatch: Miller's Crossing
Here, Have A Cat On a T-Rex
Are You Looking For Something To Do This Weekend?
SGA Rewatch: The Seer
Time For A Happy Dance
SGA Rewatch: Missing
Kitchen Experiments
Mass Effect 3 So Far
SGA Rewatch: Tabula Rasa
If At First You Don't Succeed...
SGA Rewatch: Travelers
An Evening Out For The Little One
Pitching Practice


text:
set -o errexit
set -o pipefail
set -o xtrace

readonly YAML_REPO_ROOT=${1:?"First argument must be the repo root dir"}
readonly YAML_LIST_FILE=${2:?"Second argument must be the output file"}

# Set output directory
if [[ -z "${YAML_OUTPUT_DIR:-}" ]]; then
  readonly YAML_OUTPUT_DIR="${YAML_REPO_ROOT}/output"
  mkdir -p "${YAML_OUTPUT_DIR}"
fi
rm -fr ${YAML_OUTPUT_DIR}/*.yaml

# Generated Knative Operator component YAML files
readonly OPERATOR_YAML=${YAML_OUTPUT_DIR}/operator.yaml

if [[ -n "${TAG:-}" ]]; then
  LABEL_YAML_CMD=(sed -e "s|operator.knative.dev/release: devel|operator.knative.dev/release: \"${TAG}\"|" -e "s|app.kubernetes.io/version: devel|app.kubernetes.io/version: \"${TAG:1}\"|")
else
  LABEL_YAML_CMD=(cat)
fi

# Flags for all ko commands
KO_YAML_FLAGS="-P"
[[ "${KO_DOCKER_REPO}" != gcr.io/* ]] && KO_YAML_FLAGS=""
readonly KO_YAML_FLAGS="${KO_YAML_FLAGS} ${KO_FLAGS}"

: ${KO_DOCKER_REPO:="ko.local"}
export KO_DOCKER_REPO

cd "${YAML_REPO_ROOT}"

echo "Building Knative Operator"
ko resolve ${KO_YAML_FLAGS} -f config/ | "${LABEL_YAML_CMD[@]}" > "${OPERATOR_YAML}"
all_yamls=(${OPERATOR_YAML})

if [ -d "${YAML_REPO_ROOT}/config/post-install" ]; then
  readonly OPERATOR_POST_INSTALL_YAML=${YAML_OUTPUT_DIR}/"operator-post-install.yaml"

  echo "Resolving post install manifests"
  ko resolve ${KO_YAML_FLAGS} -f config/post-install/ | "${LABEL_YAML_CMD[@]}" > "${OPERATOR_POST_INSTALL_YAML}"
  all_yamls+=(${OPERATOR_POST_INSTALL_YAML})
fi

echo "All manifests generated"

for yaml in "${!all_yamls[@]}"; do
  echo "${all_yamls[${yaml}]}" >> ${YAML_LIST_FILE}
done

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Nicole Miller's Spring/Summer 2016 collection was full of Britto-esque art deco prints in bold neon colors, and seemed a bit obsessed with cut-away-shoulders and off-the-shoulder cuts. I wish she'd coached the models not to show us the back of the bags, which seemed adorable with little Bag-bug-esque charms on them…not that we got to see them. The shoes also were cute, but it seemed like the models had some trouble walking in the sneaker-heels. The art-deco print was graffitied on dresses, skirts, and tops, and was complimented by the squiggle print of the navy sleeveless sheath dress paired with the white/blue/pink Britto-deco bag; black and white squiggle and ink splatter prints of the white sleeveless dress, bag, caftan, fitted pants, and jacket; black and gray print of the off-the-shoulder blouse with collar, paired with flaired jeans; gray, white and red print of the v-neck cut-out dress and cut-away-shoulder top, which was paired with white pants.
Had it not been for the athletic stripe of the pants matching the turquoise cut-away-shoulder blouse, I would say this collection lacked cohesion, and could've been split up and developed into three separate collections: one with the form-fitting cut out dresses, another with the bold deco prints, and yet another with the loose-fitting floral prints and athletic-inspired looks. Once the green pants with three-quarter length athletic jacket walked out, I felt even more-so like it lacks cohesion- perhaps its the athletic inspired looks that are throwing me off, which was not the case of other shows featuring similar inspiration. In the end I feel like it's not so memorable, except for the realization that she loves shoulders: it could've been had the aforementioned editing been taken into consideration.


text:
The last rhinos: my battle to save one of the world's greatest creatures.
Anthony, Lawrence and Graham Spence.
New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2012. Octavo, dustwrapper, colour photographs.
Learned that the Northern white rhino, living in the war-ravaged Congo, was on the brink of extinction, Anthony knew he had to act. If the world lost the sub-species, it would be the largest land mammal since the woolly mammoth to become extinct. In this book Anthony recounts his attempts to save these remarkable animals. The demand for rhino horns in the Far East has turned poaching into a dangerous black market that threatens the lives of not just these rare beasts, but also the rangers who protect them. The Northern white rhino's last refuge was in an area controlled by the infamous Lord's Resistance Army, one of the most vicious rebel groups in the world. In the face of unmoving government bureaucracy, Anthony made a perilous journey deep into the jungle to try to find and convince them to help save the rhino.
Lawrence Anthony
Graham Spence
Of moose and men: nearly...
Haigh, Jerry.
Moreabout Of moose and men: nearly everything you wanted to know about the world's largest deer
Walker, Elaine.
Moreabout Horse
Wild boar.
Yamamoto, Dorothy.
Moreabout Wild boar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


…Welcome to our website. We are currently creating a whole new website for Triangle Folklore Festival. Here you will be able to follow the creation of the next Triangle Folklore Festival with participants from all over the world. It's going to be fantastic, colourful and not least very entertaining.
Follow the festival here on the website or by joining our fan page on Facebook: Triangle Folklore Festival.


Hawai'i state lawmakers are in the House (and Senate). Tell 'em what's on your mind.
Right now, the Hawai'i state Legislature is three months into its 2015 session. But bills are still being hammered out, which means there's still a chance for you to weigh in.
First step: Find out what's happening. The lawmaking process can sometimes seem opaque and complicated, but, in fact, it's easier than ever to see what's happening, thanks to the Legislature's website, capitol.hawaii.gov. If you've got a specific issue in mind (rail transit, taxes, marijuana, prisons), punch those into the keyword search for a quick start. Otherwise, check out the site's FAQs and guides.
Next: Get your voice heard. By March, most bills have already had their initial public hearings, but they're far from finished. Written and oral testimony from the public is still welcome and effective throughout the process.
The easiest way to give testimony these days is directly through the capitol.hawaii.gov site, by finding the bill you're interested in and clicking the "submit testimony" button. You can also mail or drop off a printed copy of your testimony to the Capitol, at least 24 hours before a scheduled hearing. If you're doing it in person, you don't even have to find parking: There's a handy curbside drop-off in the underground turnaround area, just outside the main doors to the Capitol auditorium.
Got friends and family who agree with you? Great! There's strength in numbers, but don't just carbon-copy one piece of testimony 50 times. It's more effective for each person to submit in his or her own words, or to consolidate all the testimony into one submission.
Finally: Enjoy the process. This might sound wonky, but if you've got a free weekday, attending one of the daily House or Senate floor sessions can be interesting, especially when there's a lively debate going on. Sessions generally take place at 11:30 a.m. or noon, on the street level of the Capitol. See democracy in action!


text:
Canton City Council adopts resolution condemning hate speech
July 13, 2020 by Barb Kerns Leave a Comment
In a show of support for the Canton City Clerk, Brock Bergey, Mayor Donivee Johnson introduced a resolution in response to the recent acts of Jamie Knutson, who publicly directed hate speech towards the clerk.
Knutson posted his comments with photos of a building on his property painted in a variety of colors with graffiti directed towards Bergey on his Facebook page.
Resolution No. 2020-05, which passed unanimously, supports the efforts of Bergey to enforce the city nuisance ordinances and condemns the acts of Mr. Knutson in his posts, which can only be classified as hate speech.
It also reinforces the desire of the council to encourage and nurture a welcoming community, encouraging residents with concerns to bring them to the city council.
Mayor Johnson called the July 8 meeting to order with all council members present.
Consent agenda items, which included monthly bills, COVID-19 Preparedness Plan and waiving the town hall fee for the American Red Cross Blood Drive on August 19 were approved.
Nick Prestby spoke regarding updates to the ball field and proposed improvements to the veterans park. Prestby asked for city support for veterans placing flags on properties in the city. The property owners would pay for the flags to be placed and removed by Legion members on federal holidays.
Russell Lehman stated he received a letter from the city regarding a community complaint about fireworks. He stated that he was not responsible and felt that the letter was not warranted since there was no truth to the complaint.
Clerk Bergey reported that there are 16 delinquent utility accounts, representing 9% of all accounts with a total of approximately $1,611 as of July 6, with no disconnections. Ten nuisance property ordinance violation notices were sent June as well as a safety concern notice regarding UTV use by a minor.
Danny Whalen, compliance deadline of July 15, review hearing July 27; Joel Torgerson jury trial is scheduled for July 28-30; Lolly Melander settlement conference hearing scheduled for July 13 via Zoom, jury trial for August 17-21 and Steve Popplewell hearing date August 5.
Town hall use schedule was provided.
Additional website updates have been completed.
Filing for candidacy for mayor and two council positions begins July 28 and closes at 5 p.m. August 11. Interested persons should contact the city clerk's office for details and filing.
The August 11 primary voting will once again be by mail, with ballots expected to be mailed starting July 14. Any questions are to be directed to the Fillmore County Auditor's office.
Bergey reported that the City of Canton is eligible for $26,294 ($75.34 per capita aid x 349 residents, based on 2018 population), to be used for COVID-19 related costs incurred between March 1 and November 15, 2020, with a September 15 as the final date to certify with DOR. It was felt that no significant additional expenses have been incurred thus far, although the possibility that lost revenue from town hall rent and increased utility costs for meetings held at the hall could be recouped. Bergey will check on this.
Public Works: Jim Davis reported that the new street signs have been installed and other city maintenance done. LED light conversion of the 19 existing street lights is estimated to cost $4,750. Bergey will check on the possibility of obtaining a grant.
Fillmore County Sheriff's Office monthly report reviewed.
Parking Ordinance Review Committee: The community survey confirmed that the Canton ordinance regarding parking is in line with seven out of eight cities reviewed.
Utility rates: Further discussion led by Mayor Johnson with no decision was made.
Crosswalks: The letter sent by Mayor Johnson regarding establishing 10 marked crosswalks in Canton to Fillmore County Highway Commission resulted in correspondence from Ronald Gregg, Fillmore County Engineer, stating the matter will be brought before the Fillmore County Highway Commission on July 21. Clerk Bergey stated that this project has the support of Sheriff DeGeorge.
Sign request: Russell Lehman requested that children at play signs be installed due to the number of children residing in his neighborhood. No action was taken; it will be put on the August agenda.
Mitson House: Kathie Haynes was present to discuss Mitson priority needs regarding the existing wiring and mold on the ceiling in one of the kitchens. A proposal was received from Morem Electric for complete rewiring for almost $13,500 and Marco Electric for $500 for updating to LED and inspecting the building's wiring. It was approved to utilize the services of Marco Electric. Charlie Warner stated that he had looked at the roof and determined what the area that was causing the water leak with a material costs of around $100, plus labor. A roofer estimate will be reported at the August meeting as well as the cost of installation of a hand rail and a ramp on the exterior of the building. The General Fund budget has in it $2,500 for Mitson repairs.
Property inspection report
A summary of violations was reviewed. Nuisance property issues: There were a total of 32 violations noted in the 2020 inspection. Deputy Bellock and Bergey completed a survey of the city and compiled a listing of the owners and with their violations. All violators have been notified of their infractions and deadline to come into compliance. Citations were approved to be issued to Robroy Kelly and Rick Nelson due to lack of response to multiple notices of violation of the city nuisance property ordinances. Nuisance photos and documentation are available for review at the city office.
The next meeting will be August 12 at 7 p.m.
Filed Under: Government, News Tagged With: Canton
Governor - TIM WALZ
130 State Capital
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
mn.gov/governor/
U.S. Representative - JIM HAGEDORN
hagedorn.house.gov
U.S. Senator - AMY KLOBUCHAR
www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public
U.S. Senator - TINA SMITH
www.smith.senate.gov
State Representative - GREG DAVIDS
District 28B
rep.greg.davids@house.mn
State Senator - JEREMY MILLER
sen.jeremy.miller@senate.mn
Government this week
• Houston County Commissioners, Work Group, Courthouse
Board Room, 9:30 a.m.
• Caledonia School Board, MS/HS Auditorium, 6 p.m.
• LeRoy-Ostrander School Board, Board Room, 6 p.m.
• Mabel-Canton School Board, Media Center, 6 p.m.
• Preston City Council, Council Chambers, 6 p.m.
• Spring Grove City Council, Fest Building, 6 p.m.
• Grand Meadow School Board, Choir Room, 7 p.m.
• Rushford Village City Council, Village Hall, 7 p.m.
• Kingsland School Board, Elementary Conference Room, 6 p.m.
• Lanesboro School Board, Forum Room, 7 p.m.
• Caledonia City Council, City Hall, 6 p.m.
• Rushford City Council, City Hall, 6:30 p.m.
• Chatfield City Council, City Hall, 7 p.m.
*Schedule subject to change.


It is late, so I probably should not post any of my thoughts from this hour, but I am in the mood to write this random collage of what is on my mind as I listen to the rain outside.
It is around 2 AM now; I took a nap earlier. I am taking a brief break from correcting papers. I actually enjoy reading student papers. I don't even mind making lots of comments in order to try to help students become better writers. I hope that my students understand that. Most seem to, but I am surprised when a few don't pick up their papers from "the box."
On the other hand, I really do not like giving grades though. I want to reward students for doing well, and for their thoughts, but it is hard to evaluate learning and growth. Assignments that are easy to evaluate are not always the best learning experiences. Is it fair to always reward students who start classes with more knowledge and are gifted writers unlike someone who might have learned more in the class and worked harder. I struggle with this since grading forces me to make decisions.
One of my friends went to Antioch College, which does not give grades. I wonder how that works as an experience. It's truly exciting to think of motivating students to learn rather than having to use the power of grades. She told me that students could easily form a group and explain their interest in a certain topic. The professor would then work WITH the students to create meaningful educational experiences. The school also has a lot of internships, so one can balance theory and real-world learning.
I am probably thinking about this since I was trying to find more about Temple University Japan. Some friends and websites emphasized the school's small class sizes, collegial atmosphere, internships, etc. This is far from my image of colleges in Japan, and I suppose reflects why Americans established foreign schools there in the Bubble years. Another Japanese friend was more critical. I am curious to learn more. It is surreal to imagine foreign universities setting themself up in your country, although there are a few Japanese universities in the US, such as Tokai in Honolulu, but these seem mostly to attract Japanese wanting to go abraod.
Tomorrow, Noriko and I will have dinner (tofu tempura!) with a visiting Japanese Professor Wada Atsuhiko of Shinshu University (on sabbatical at Columbia University). He is doing some interesting research on Nikkei reading. He was one of a few people who've e-mailed me while reading my dissertation. It is a good feeling after putting so much work into it. I will have to take a look at his new book on Japanese literature and reading. I wish it was translated. Without having read anything, it sounds a bit like the writings of Nagamine Shigetoshi and Maeda Ai.
Well, I should get some sleep.
If you are interested in the history of libraries, I strongly encourage a reading of Wilhelm Munthe's "American Librarianship from a European Angle: An Attempt at An Evaluation of Policies and Activities" (Chicago: ALA, 1939). I was just re-reading it again, and was fascinated by Munthe's side comments on European and American librarianship. Only a few years after this was published Munthe had some interesting experiences as a librarian during the Nazi occupation. I am reading a few chapters before sleep.
Another book on my nightstand was Matsusaka's "The Making of Modern Manchuria, 1904-1932." Early Showa history is fascinating, although it is taking me longer to finish.


This morning the Defence Select Committee rapped the Government over the knuckles over spending, suggesting ministers have 'shifted the goalposts' when working out how much was spent on protecting the UK. The Committee concluded the Government has included various expenses to its calculations in order show it's spending the two defence of GDP necessary to meet NATO targets.
In other news, it emerged Boris Johnson would quite like to be Prime Minister. And water was proven to be wet.
Now, those statements are rather glib. But they're indicative of the fact that the Defence Select Committee's conclusions should not be received with any form of surprise. In fact, it would be surprising it the Committee's members reached any other conclusion.
The fanfare last year when ministers committed to the NATO target belied the pressure they were under to do so. Parliamentarians across the political spectrum demanded it. NATO officials lobbied for it. And even President Obama and the US Secretary of Defence pushed for it – going so far as to suggest the Special Relationship might be affected if the two percent target wasn't met.
And despite the Government's commitment to the requisite level of defence spending, it quickly became clear last year that meeting the target wouldn't involve vast new funds for the MoD as much as it would involve what might be charitably described as 'creativity' in the accounting. This indeed was a point the Defence Select Committee picked up on at the time, noting that the likes of intelligence spend – including GCHQ – was being included for the first time.
In that respect, there's nothing revelatory about the Defence Select Committee's latest conclusions. Rather they are a reiteration of past concerns. But that doesn't mean they aren't still extremely important.
Their importance is three-fold. Firstly, it prompts further questions as to how well funded, and consequently prepared, the Armed Forces can be. If the likes of pensions are being included in the MoD figures, then by definition any increase in apparent budget isn't being translated to funding for the front line.
Secondly, the issue should raise further questions about transparency in government book keeping – not just within defence, but other areas such as education and health. At a time when public services are under unprecedented pressure, the public might ask what stock it should place if government figures and how these translate to service delivery.
Thirdly, it raises the question about priorities in defence. Military pensions are of course important. But if they're included in the MoD figures as a means of achieving the NATO target, you could ask whether the motivation for officials is the bottom line, which doesn't always translate into military preparedness and necessary security provisions.
The criticisms of the Select Committee will not be the biggest headache for ministers, particularly with the EU referendum looming. But these are questions that, while necessitating answers, the Government could do without.


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IT EN DE RU ES FR	 NL
Your holiday plunged in the art and nature of Siena Chianti
Suites 2/4
Apartment 6/8
Apartment for 2 people
Toscaneide: An immersion in the culture and in the language of Tuscany
Antico Borgo Poggiarello offers the opportunity to experience and to know the region of Tuscany as you have never done before. Toscaneide, through the collaboration of Costanza and Valentina, will offer to you the opportunity for a full immersion in the local culture showing you views and unknown sights, and allowing you to make practical experiences with your hands, your heart and your eyes.
Remaining in the wonderful countryside that welcomes the Antico Borgo Poggiarello, you can attend meetings on history of art and culture, language courses and workshops about the culinary arts and the art of medieval Siena:
The Panforte – Cooking workshop
"S'i fosse foco" of Cecco Angiolieri (only Language Cours)
XIV century Sienese goldsmith's art. The originality of an art that renovated the arts in Tuscany
The floor of the Cathedral in Siena
The "Francigena and Lauretana" roads: roads of brigands, artists and pilgrims
The meetings on art history, customs and traditions
They are aimed at intermediate or advanced speakers of the Italian language or to Italian mother tongue speakers. During the meetings, besides learning about the true Tuscany, its colors and flavors, you will listen to the stories that made this region the cradle of Western culture between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. As well as proposing new topics, which are deeply rooted to the territory, we offer workshops and on site visits to see first hand and through your own eyes the places and the arts involved in our stories.
With Toscaneide, the language course becomes an involving and amusing experience that will help you to learn the Italian language through topics you are really interested in! The language courses will be organized on topics of your interest and the workshops will provide the material to improve your knowledge of the Italian language.
There are two language levels: intermediate and advanced, depending on your knowledge of the Italian language.
The laboratories
Not only words, not only stories and images, but also practical experiences and visits to know the true side of Tuscany, with your own hands and your own eyes.
From Florence to Siena, the cradle of the Renaissance
Monteriggioni is located in the province of Siena, about half 'way between the capital and Colle Val d'Elsa. It 'easy to reach with the Firenze-Siena exit the same name.
Monteriggioni and 'without doubt one of the most' classical and popular Italian walled villages. Since the Middle Ages, his fame was such that Dante mentions his 'ring round' in the Divine Comedy (Inferno chant XXXI vv. 40-41). The walls, almost 'intact, cover a length of 570 meters and are alternated by 14 towers and two gates. Siena is located behind the door of a tower while Florence to open in the walls and it 'defense one of the towers of the fortified perimeter.
The village was built by the Sienese in the years 1213-1219 on a hillock at dominion and monitoring of Cassia. Its ideal position allowed to control and Elsa valleys Staggia towards Florence, a historic rival Siena, which at that time was visibly expanding its territory.
The hill where the fort was made to rise and 'natural, although at first sight might seem like a big' motto '(named after the classic Norman castles' Motte-and-Bailey' built on artificial hills with fence), and almost perfectly circular path of the wall was obtained by simply following the design of the contour of the land.
The design I try 'to minimize the weak points for excellence, the doors, placing links with the outside world to a single axle road crossing from east to west. In Monteriggioni the military building work appears physically separate from the town locked up inside but well separated from the wall by a buffer zone, although in some past times the village was more 'intense than they appear today and consequently this band more 'close. The village we see today is' basically is not true, fortunately, been the subject of speculations and tourism.
The only changes its appearance occurred in the early sixteenth century when, trying to adapt to the development of new firearms, the towers were lowered and gained ground at the base of the walls in order to achieve a 'bastion', act to give as little as possible to face enemy fire.
The medieval festival "Monteriggioni is crowned with towers" is held every year during half 'of July. It 'a celebration reminiscent of the history of Monteriggioni and cultural traditions of that period now past. The party 'and is now in its twelfth edition' of the three medieval feasts more 'important in Italy. People come from all regions' of Italy for a visit in this time of the year in Tuscany.
It seems that in those days you go back in time in half 'of 1200 when Monteriggioni was not only a castle with a garrison, was also a town where life took place daily.
For the occasion, all the people dress in clothes of the period and represent their character: the peasant, the merchant, the soldier, the archer, the monk, so 'as to make the life of the village more' real.
The enemy soldiers have laid siege to the castle and laid the camp outside the walls of the castle instead of soldiers guarding the entrances to the castle and the battlements. Merchants display their wares in stalls. The plague running around the country while begging friars continue to copy their manuscripts. There are also storytellers, jugglers, acrobats and musicians have come from distant lands, to cheer the party.
Craft show with pride their ancient craft as a blacksmith, the blacksmith, the engraver, the rope-makers, the maker; veritable factories or laboratories as the mint coins, the water mill and the shop where they produced the paper . And then there are wizards and stologhi, swallowers and fakirs. You can also sample foods such as soup of farro and drink wine as a medieval "spicy" and "water mulsa" so that the many tourists to drink and can be fed with something different.
Everything 'faithfully recreated: no currency as dollars, euros and dollars before entering the castle you have to change money in the ancient coin "the shield of Monteriggioni" and no cars, just horses and mules, no electricity' only torches and candles, and so 'when the night comes, the country soul of a magical atmosphere.
Antico Borgo Poggiarello
Strada di San Monti, 12 - Monteriggioni (Siena) Tuscany Italy
Tel. +39 0577 301003 - Fax +39 0577 1959106
Email info@poggiarello.com
Poggiarello srl - REA: SI-113632 - Cap.Soc €12.000,00
Sito internet, CMS e Web marketing


Night shifts can affect your marriage!
Late night working shifts obviously disrupt life in many ways – a new study now examines their effect on marital union.
University of Cincinnati researcher David Maume said that his study updates and extends the rather limited and dated research on the link between schedule diversity and marital quality.
While men find that working odd shifts affects the quality of their marriage, women find that it strains their marriage.
"When women work rotating schedules, they find it more difficult to get everything done at home and engage with family members, and it is this disruptive effect on family life which strains women's marriages rather than the times they work," explained Maume.
The effect is more on women, as work schedules disrupt their ability to care for and nurture other family members.
"As the inter-relationship between work and family life becomes more complex in the face of changing expectations for gender roles, it is increasingly important that researchers understand how emerging 24/7 work schedules affect the well-being of workers and their families," concluded Maume.


Rajaji hums with life; it is one of the most diverse range of wildlife habitats in the country. A total of 49 species of mammals are known to be present here, including the Asian Elephant and the Tiger which are highly endangered species. One may get to watch a herd of elephants roaming majestically in the jungle or even a tiger picking its way through the tall grass or the visitor may get excited by various kinds of wildlife including Cheetal, Sambhar, Wild Boar, Barking Deer, Langur, Monitor Lizard, Leopard, Himalayan Yellow Throated Marten, Sloth Bear, Python, Civet Cat and even King-Cobra.
Relaxed, in Core zone of Rajaji on Gypsies. Rest on Foot.
Comfortable Camps at Rajaji Wild Trail.
Day 5: All day Birding in Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve, lunch at Rest house.
Shared Stay in neat and clean Camps at Rajaji Wild Trail.
Indoor Games (Carom/badminton/Chess), whatever available in Camps.
Entry Fees of Core Zone of Rajaji.
Firstly you have to Reach Haridwar city. Haridwar well connected through Bus, Train and Airport (30 Km). From Delhi there are regular direct Trains (including 2 Shatabdi Express), Busess and Flights available. Distance from Delhi: 225 Km.
In you need pickup and dropping from Jolly Grant Airport (about 50km from Camp) by Cab $100 will be extra.


A new hand rail has been installed en route to the shops in Newton Mearns.
The rail leading up the hill from Broom Shops, will enable ease of access for many of the area's elderly residents.
Russell Macmillan, founder of East Renfrewshire Good Causes ERGC, who campaigns for better access for all, said: "Thanks to advances in medical treatments and many other factors, as a community, it is wonderful to see the increase in average life expectancy amongst our population.
"However, as we have more elderly and disabled residents staying within their own homes within the community, instead of living in hospitals, care homes or institutions, the 'built environment' is not necessarily fit for purpose.
Previously in the Extra, we reported on the problems of uneven pavements, lack of "dropped curbs" and the problems caused when garden bushes grow out causing reduced access for parents with prams, elderly walking with strollers, wheelchair users and those suffering visual impairments or registered blind.
Russellcontinued:"With hospitals under increasing pressure, it is important we do all we can, to lessen the risk of falls, especially with an increasingly ageing population.
"This newly-installed hand rail on the hill leading up from theBroom shops, will help everyone during 'icy conditions' and also be of assistance all year round for those of us with impairments for whatever reason.
"In a perfect world, where resources were not so limited, it would be fantastic to have more even surfaces on pavements and hand rails like the one installed, to enable all of our neighbours to access local amenities, and I would like to thank East Renfrewshire Council for this small improvement in access.
"If we want people to live in their own homes for longer, then this is the type of thing we need to see more of.


5 vols, 12mo (168 × 100 mm), pp. , 209, ; , 207, ; , 200; , 209, ; , 212, complete with half-titles. Some light spotting/staining. Contemporary quarter calf. A few joints just starting, but sound attractive.
First edition in French of The Castilian, an historical novel in English (Colburn, 1829), by a notable Spanish historical novelist, very much in the vein of Scott. Though most of his novels were in Spanish, Trueba y Cosío had been educated partly in England, and this attempt in English attracted favourable reviews. The translation is by Defauconpret, best known for his translations of Scott.
Rare: Worlcat lists the Bn copy only.


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HomeJenny Slate
Venom: Movie Review
Like its lead character, the film "Venom" feels like it has two separate distinct personalities within it. But unlike its lead character, the film fails to fully merge into a cohesive whole. While the film turned out to be a solid and fun experience, there's this sinking feeling that the film could have been so much better than the final version.
Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is a hard line reporter known for his no-holds-barred exposés. But when Brock decides to take down the notorious Life Foundation scientist Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), his whole life is destroyed in an instant - losing his job and even his fiancé, Anne (Michelle Williams), in the process. Months later, Brock finds his opportunity to reclaim his previous life when a scientist that is connected to Carlton Drake gives him the evidence he needs. While in the Life Foundation premises, a symbiote merges with Brock and he suddenly has incredible superpowers but this comes at a cost. Twisted, dark, unpredictable, and fueled by rage, Venom leaves Eddie wrestling to control dangerous abilities that he also finds empowering. As Eddie and Venom need each other to get what they're looking for, they become more and more intertwined.
Once the action started rolling, "Venom" became extremely awesome. But the film took its sweet time to introduce Eddie Brock's character spending its first half explaining his origins and his motivations without much symbiote action taking place. While we understand the reason why, it significantly affected how the second half of the film played out. If the first half was very meticulous and very detailed in its presentation, the second half felt a little too sloppy. If the first half was somewhat slow and boring, the second half was fast-paced with balls-to-the-walls action sequences. This is the biggest issue we have with "Venom" - it never felt cohesive or even complete. In connection to this, the screenplay was just so-so and rather cliché and predictable. Even Brock's main antagonist, Carlton Drake, is a rich billionaire with little or no morals. Who hasn't seen that before? What really saves "Venom" is the character Venom. The dynamic between Eddie Brock and Venom was captured well on the big-screen. With Venom's booming and monstrous voice and top-notch effects, the character of Venom is scary and surreal. These portions of interplay between the two not only ramps up the action but brings in a lot of the appeal, comedy and, fun that the film heavily rides on. Overall, "Venom" is a solid superhero film. It definitely lacks polish and it doesn't reach the heights and appeal of the MCU films. But this is a darker and grittier experience that is a fun one when the film decides to showcase its lead character in full form.
Rating: 3 and a half reels
- great interplay between Eddie Brock and Venom
- awesome and topnotch effects and action
- the film takes its time before revealing Venom
- the story is predictable and cliché
Tags Jenny Slate Marvel Comics Marvel Universe Michelle Williams movie review Reid Scott Riz Ahmed Scott Haze superhero Tom Hardy Venom


As guitar players, we tend to work exclusively in riffs, visualizing the fretboard in terms of shapes and patterns that can be called upon in a moment's notice during a basement blues jam. In comparison to some of our more classically trained brethren it may seem a primitive way to construct a musical line, but for us rock n' rollers, it's all we need. But what happens when the band is ready to start writing and recording original material? Unless your have a hankering to make your debut on late-night college radio, hastily thrown together licks don't equate to airplay.
Simply put, if you want people to pay attention, you've got to have a convincing melody. And while the piano has long been the tool of choice for aspiring songwriters, author Rikky Rooksby frequently tips his hat to guitarists within the pages of Melody, from making tablature an integral part of the lessons to analyzing melodic examples from bands like Zeppelin and Radiohead.
Rooksby opens the book by semi-lamenting the death of melody within popular music – a trend that began with rhythm-obsessed pop and soul acts of the late sixties – but quickly turns it into a challenge for readers to write their own, can't-get-it-out-of-my-head hooks. The lessons start slowly, introducing root notes, keys and working in quarter notes to completely eliminate rhythm from the equation. Fortunately the lessons pick up, and soon readers will be knee deep in graduate study topics like off-key tricks and harmonization. For the auditory learners out there, the book includes a comprehensive CD; every example is played in a simple, sparse arrangement, so you can hear exactly what's going on with the melody.
No matter where you might fall on the songwriting spectrum, from a seasoned vet looking to polish those chops to a beginner looking to make an impression, Melody will show you how to write the songs that make the whole world sing, the songs of love and special things.


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Egypt to Launch Tender for Egyptian-Sudanese Electricity Linkage
Tuesday, 8th May 2018
by Sarah Samir
The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) will soon launch a legal tender for companies to execute the transformers substation and lines for the electricity linkage project with Sudan, Daily News Egypt reported.
EETC will invite ten Arab and international companies to take a part in the legal tender and to submit their bids. The companies include General Electric, ABB, State Grid, Siemens, El-Sewedy and Schneider Electric.
The Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy formed a technical committee, which said that the connection's planned capacity will range between 250 MW and 300 MW.
EETC is in talks with banks to secure the Egyptian tranche of the project's cost, which is estimated at around $500 million. Participating banks include the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the African Development Bank, BNP Paribas, and the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development.
electricity linkage
EETC
Sarah Samir 2947 Posts
Sarah has been writing in the oil and gas field for 8 years. She has a Bachelor Degree in English Literature. She has three years of experience in the banking sector.
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Thursday, 19th January 2023


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Tag Archives: From the Vault
From The Vault: Los Microwaves
Digging through an odd cranny of the music office (where, seemingly, an old music director/volunteer had set aside some records for VENUS [Thurs 12-14h])we found this gem of a record. Formed in San Francisco in 1979, new-wave/post-punk/synth-pop band Los Microwaves released only a few singles/EPs and one full length: Life After Breakfast. Shooting the gap somewhere between Devo/Gang of Four/XTC and teeming with that particular brand of cheeky erratic humour that defines so many of those artists. Singer/synth + bass player Meg Brazill's vocals are upbeat and break the monotony of male-fronted… dance punk???
Closing track here:
Life After Breakfast can be purchased as a re-issued LP/DVD from Dark Entries Recordings
This entry was posted in Department Babble, From The Vault and tagged 1970's, Crate-Digging, From the Vault, Post-Punk on January 9, 2014 by librarian.
From the Vault: Shlonk! — Ee-Yow (1990)
Photo courtesy of Michelle Bouchard, Shlonk! drummer.
This blogger heard rumours about (very in-famous) Montreal punk Shlonk! around the CKUT hallways while looking for some diversity in the male-dominated 80s-90s cassette section. While our copy of their demo tape has been lost to the ages, I tracked down the vinyl release of their first and only LP.
Formed out of Montreal's 80s weird-Anglo underbelly, Shlonk! were an all-girl punk band who associated closely with New York's SCUM Rock community. (In this case, SCUM stands for "Socially Conscious Urban Musicians", but see also Valerie Solanas' tract of the same name.)
The record is a scuzz-covered testament to the scene's creativity: crass, bold, and intelligent, Shlonk! mine hardcore, punk, and sludge metal for material, and they really, really don't care what you think of it.
While they undoubtedly earned the "punk" label–for both music and lifestyle–the record is frenetic and diverse, accessing deep, aggressive, subgenres as much as conventional hardcore. . "Shlonk!" (the track) begins dissolves quickly into a repetitive, melodic riff and doomy vocals that wouldn't be out of place in a metal song. Almost instantly, as if they were found out, the song flips on its head once more before being dragged back to its sludgy roots.The band gravitates around novelty with child-like glee; they abandon ideas as soon as they lose energy. The rest of the record is similarly hectic, with thirteen gloriously varied tracks, each of which has staying power.
Very little information about the band is available online, but I was able to track down a transcribed interview with the one and only Lorrie on CKUT's 'Aack!'. True to form, the band says very little.
Despite remaining fiercely underground, the band apparently played to rapturous audiences in Europe, and played some reunion shows in Toronto and Montreal a few years back. Check out this video for "Arm Your Children", which showcases their brand of anarcho-madcappery better than I ever could. The video even features a close friend of CKUT as "Junior", the armed child…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmF2HT9OceA
Bassist Colleen MacIntyre sadly passed away in 1996.
The full album is streaming on soundcloud below:
This entry was posted in From The Vault, Reviews and tagged From the Vault, shlonk on August 22, 2013 by tim keen.
From the Vault: Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers – Caravan (1962)
Art Blakey's first on Riverside features the inimitable Freddie Hubbard on trumpet; Wayne Shorter, tenor sax; Cedar Walton, piano; Curtis Fuller, trombone; Reggie Workman, bassist. These form the Jazz Messengers in late 1962, whose lineup was constantly revolving save for Blakey who led as percussionist, bandleader, and spiritual center for decades. Though his contribution is relatively subdued on this album, his effortless syncopation is undeniably the backbone of the group. The title track, written by Juan Tizol and first performed by Duke Ellington, is a standout on the album. The soloists wade in and out, responding to each other along with an ever-intensifying rhythm section. Blakey's solo beats down like the desert sun, cymbals chiming with the breeze. The rest of the album restates and expands on tones and themes first presented, a true bop classic. Check out the link to "Caravan" below!!
This entry was posted in CKUT programming, From The Vault and tagged Art Blakey, From the Vault, Jazz on July 18, 2013 by Bryce.
From the Vault – Leadbelly Legacy Volume Four (1953)
I don't really need to say much about this one. Old blues singers of Lead Belly's calibre send a shiver down my spine every time. This 10″ compilation, put out by Folkways in 1953, is posthumous as Huddie Ledbetter passed away in 1949. His distinct voice and fingerpicking style remain as haunting and breezy as ever. The self-proclaimed "King of the 12-string Guitar" was a true easy rider. Though you may not be able to find a copy of this particular record we have here at CKUT, his recordings are a must-have. This old country blues seems to suit any occasion well, particularly hot Montreal summers. I've linked the title track down below, listen in!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d-HfhIntQY
This entry was posted in CKUT programming, From The Vault and tagged From the Vault, Leadbelly on July 12, 2013 by Bryce.
From the Vault: Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um (1959)
This week's pick quickly jumped out at me as I perused the Super Lock-Up section of our library. Mingus Ah Um was released in 1959, while the virtuoso bass player was based in New York. An immensely fruitful year for evolution of jazz music, other albums include Dave Brubeck's Time Out, Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, John Coltrane's Giant Steps, Bill Evans' Portrait in Jazz, and Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come. Mingus Ah Um stands up to all of these, a major achievement, and features many songs now considered classics of the genre.
The music itself is extremely colourful and vibrant, perfect for the recent arrival of warm weather. Openner "Better Git It In Your Soul" hits hard and fast right away with a steamin' rhythm section and a heat wave of horns. The rest of the album is consistently engaging yet diverse, with a few slower songs among the cacophony. This is a formative album, people. A must-have.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGJM6l_gf7c
This entry was posted in From The Vault, Reviews and tagged Chales Mingus, From the Vault on April 25, 2013 by Bryce.
From the Vault: Goblin – Suspiria (1977)
Original soundtrack of the psychedelic italian horror film released in 1977!! "Suspiria" is a must-see cult classic for those of you with eyes. It is full of intense, otherworldly visuals that will strike a fear deep in your heart. Goblin, referred to as 'The Goblins' in the film's opening credits, composed the score in collaboration with director Dario Argento. The music itself is a blend of heavy, late 70's prog and hallucinatory noise. Sometimes melodic, sometimes disorienting, the sounds herein are best listened to late at night, preferably not alone. If you dig this Goblin also made a soundtrack to Argento's "Deep Red" with similar vibes. Find yourself a copy and freak out!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtXz3OlFwZA&w=480&h=360]
This entry was posted in Reviews and tagged From the Vault, Goblin, Soundtrack, Suspiria on April 6, 2013 by Bryce.
From the Vault: Burning Spear – Social Living/Marcus' Children (1978)
We've started yet another weekly series here on CKUT's music blog. Every week we'll be digging up an old release from our library! There's a lot of focus on contemporary music these days, and given CKUT's history and crazy diverse library we want to keep in touch with where it all comes from.
This week our feature is Burning Spear's 1978 album Social Living (AKA Marcus' Children). I came across this album while searching through our vinyl reggae section. Burning Spear has been putting out music since 1969, starting off at the famous Studio One in Jamaica. This album picks up where his previous 3rd LP, Marcus Garvey, left off. It is filled with haunting bass-heavy grooves, traditional reggae rhythms, nyahbinghi percussion, and distant, dream-like horns that seem to float above it all. Lyrically the album is quite dark, focussing on slavery, repatriation, and the great Marcus Garvey, for whom four tracks are named. Definitely worth tracking down though copies are hard to find these days. Give a listen to the opening track I've attached below entitled 'Marcus Children Suffer'. With the weather warming up I have a feeling this album will be on heavy rotation through the summer.
This entry was posted in Reviews and tagged Burning Spear, From the Vault on March 26, 2013 by Bryce.


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Over the last two weeks, Americans have revisited the tragic details of the death of 22-year-old Kalief Browder. The documentary series "Time: The Kalief Browder Story," airs its third of six episodes tonight about Kalief, who spent three years in jail without ever being convicted of the crime with which he was charged.
Kalief's story matters. It matters for his family. It matters for his community. It matters for New York. It matters for our entire nation.
In Kalief's story we can clearly see a culpable and fundamentally broken criminal justice system that punishes people for being poor, and subjects individuals to inhumane treatment. Kalief was 16 years old when he arrested in 2010 for allegedly stealing a backpack. He was charged with robbery, grand larceny, and assault. Bail was set at $3,000. The family could not afford that amount, so Kalief didn't get to go home after he was charged. Instead, he was sent to the infamous Rikers Island jail in New York City.
Let's just pause on that fact: He had to go to Rikers because he couldn't pay $3,000 in bail.
Kalief spent more than 1,100 days incarcerated, maintaining his innocence throughout. Prosecutors repeatedly offered plea deals, which Kalief rejected. After 74 days of incarceration, bail was revoked altogether. By the time he left Rikers, this boy, who had been accused of stealing a backpack, had spent almost 800 days of solitary confinement.
Eventually prosecutors realized they had no case and dismissed all charges. He was released on June 5, 2013. Yet the damage done to him was a new kind of prison that stayed with him. After his release, he told The New Yorker, "I'm not all right. I'm messed up." On June 6, 2015, he hung himself with an air conditioner cord. He was 22 years old.
Kalief's abuse at the hands of the criminal justice system is a clarion to overhaul our nation's jail system.
On any given day, hundreds of thousands of Americans who haven't been convicted of a crime rot in jail simply because they are too poor to afford bail amounts that would secure their freedom.
More than 3,000 jails in the United States hold more than 650,000 people on any given day. About two-thirds, 450,000 people, are held awaiting trial. Most are in jail because they could not afford bail or a bail agent refused to post a bond. Their wealth determines whether they are incarcerated.
This pretrial detention jails nearly half a million people at any given time and fuels over-incarceration by inducing guilty pleas, forcing people to lose jobs and housing, subjecting them to longer sentences, and exacting physical and financial damage. The inability to afford bail ruins lives, harms whole families, and has a negative impact on entire communities.
The growth of jails in the U.S. is a major contributor to the national disease of mass incarceration. According to a report by the Vera Institute for Justice, the number of annual jail admissions doubled in the past three decades to 12 million, and the average length of stay increased from 14 to 23 days. According to the report, half of the people in New York City's jails in 2013 were held on bail of $2,500 or less. And the system reproduces the structural racism already embedded in the criminal justice system. Black Americans, who make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, account for 36 percent of the jail population. They are jailed at almost four times the rate of white Americans.
Yet there is hope. The ACLU and communities across the nation are fighting back, rejecting systems that require money in exchange for freedom. The state of New Jersey recently overhauled its bail system and nearly eliminated cash bail while also establishing a pretrial services agency. The reforms, which took effect in January of this year, are encouraging: In 3,382 cases processed in the first four weeks of January, judges set bail only three times.
The bail reform movement is gaining steam across America. While New Jersey's overhaul may be the most far-reaching, Alaska, Maine, and New Mexico also made progress on bail reform last year. And throughout 2017, the ACLU will be working in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Ohio, Nebraska, Texas, Vermont, and Washington to advance reforms that would allow people to go home without bail.
Nothing will bring Kalief Browder back. But his tragic end is not the end of his story. We need to reform our nation's broken criminal justice system and ensure that no one else faces the horrible tragedy Kalief did. This is how we honor him.
While this is a tragic story. There are laws governing the right to a speedy trial. Also he was not in jail because he couldn't afford bail he was in jail because he was accused of a crime. And previously convicted of a felony. I have to say I'm very confused at why he was denied the right to a speedy trial. But I think this article is skewed by saying that he was in jail because he couldn't afford the bail of $3,000. He was in jail because he was accused of a crime. And a previously convicted felon.
Person A was a previously convicted felon who was accused of a crime and taken to jail. Person A was able to make bail and was released on bail.
Person B, same story, except for bail.
If he had been able to make bail, he would not have been in jail.
If that was your son and he was in jail for a crime he did not commit and you couldn't afford the 3,000$ to bail him out, so he was sent to prison with no trial and no proof he committed any crime, would you feel the same as you just commented?
New York has different laws about speedy trails that the DA exploited in order to continually postpone the trail.
There is no way anyone can hear this story and think that our system isn't broken. 14 months in solitary is certainly cruel and unusual. The world lost this young man and his potential was limitless. We don't know what he would have done with his life. The whole world was robbed of that and we should be OUTRAGED.
One crime does not constitute guilt for another. In order to see things fairly you have to free your mindset. In America are so called "free world" is not so free. They say you are innocent until proven guilty, that's bull! Its guilty prove your innocents. Jails are a profitable business and is run as such in every sense. Not only do they punish they punish the so called accused (depending on what mood that cops are in that day), they punish the families because they are the ones who have to come up with the money.
Let us all be honest, conviction with a person who cannot afford bail is not necessarily guilty. Pleading guilty is a way to get out of jail.
He was 16 accused o stealing a backbck, I don't care if he had a prior non violent felony conviction and his felony charge was non violent. He should not be in jail for almost 3 years without a hesring. Now the family gets to sue for good reason and a young man is dead. But, all you seem concerned about is continuing to pointment out he committed a crime.


text:
using namespace std;

class SudokuSolver
{
public:
	SudokuSolver();
	virtual ~SudokuSolver();
	vector<vector<int>> solve(vector<vector<int>> puzzle);

private:

};


text:
Marcus Adam (* 28. Februar 1968 in London) ist ein ehemaliger britischer Sprinter. Nach seiner Leichtathletikkarriere war er als Bobsportler aktiv.

1990 siegte er bei den Commonwealth Games 1990 für England startend über 200 m und in der 4-mal-100-Meter-Staffel; über 100 m wurde er Vierter. Bei den Leichtathletik-Europameisterschaften in Split erreichte er über 200 m das Halbfinale und gewann mit der britischen 4-mal-100-Meter-Stafette Silber.

Bei den Olympischen Spielen 1992 in Barcelona schied er über 100 m im Viertelfinale aus, wurde über 200 m Achter und kam mit der britischen 4-mal-100-Meter-Stafette auf den vierten Platz.

1989 wurde er Englischer Meister über 200 m im Freien, 1990 und 1999 in der Halle. Den Britischen Meistertitel errang er 1989 über 100 m und 1989 sowie 1992 über 200 m.

Bei den Olympischen Spielen 2002 in Salt Lake City belegte er im Zweierbob den zehnten Rang.

Bestzeiten

 60 m (Halle): 6,59 s, 8. Februar 1992, Glasgow
 100 m: 10,23 s, 26. Juli 1991, Birmingham
 200 m: 20,41 s, 13. Juni 1992, Dijon
 Halle: 20,75 s, 29. Januar 1992, Gent

Weblinks

 Athletenporträt bei The Power of Ten

Teilnehmer der Olympischen Sommerspiele 1992
100-Meter-Läufer (Vereinigtes Königreich)
200-Meter-Läufer (Vereinigtes Königreich)
4-mal-100-Meter-Staffel-Läufer (Vereinigtes Königreich)
Bobfahrer (Vereinigtes Königreich)
Olympiateilnehmer (Vereinigtes Königreich)
Teilnehmer an den Commonwealth Games (England)
Brite
Geboren 1968
Mann
Englischer Meister (Leichtathletik)
Britischer Meister (Leichtathletik)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Shiva Ayyadurai
Morning Ethics Warm-Up, 4/28/18: Ingratitude, Dishonesty, Hypocrisy, Speech Suppression And Character Assassination…Is This A Great Country, Or What?
April 28, 2018 / Jack Marshall	/ 6 Comments
1. An especially despicable example of airbrushing history. It's done. Yawkey Way, the street bordering Boston's iconic Fenway Park that was renamed in honor of the owner of the Red Sox and the park following his death in 1977, has been returned to its old name of Jersey Street. The team petitioned for the change, an example of ingratitude and willful betrayal seldom seen in a public institution. A rough equivalent would be the University of Virginia banning the name of Thomas Jefferson. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Boston Red Sox franchise owes it esteemed (and profitable) status in Boston's culture to Tom Yawkey, who owned the team for almost half a century. He has a plaque in baseball's Hall of Fame, too. But Yawkey, who was born in the 19th Century was a man of his time, and was late accepting the need to integrate baseball, like every other baseball team owner until 1947, when the Dodgers broke the color line. By the final decade of Yawkee's ownership, he had certainly learned his lesson: his team had the longest stretch of excellence since Babe Ruth was sold, led by such black stars as George Scott, Reggie Smith, Jim Rice, Cecil Cooper, and Luis Tiant.
Never mind. Last year, Orioles centerfielder Adam Jones triggered a public relations crisis for the team when he claimed that he had heard racial slurs from some fans in the centerfield bleachers. (I don't doubt him.) The easy solution was to throw Tom Yawkey's memory under the metaphorical bus, since purging his name (his wife, Jean Yawkey, also owned the team after her husband's death) from the franchise he built. It proves that John Henry is "woke," you see.How cynical and cowardly.
(My previous posts on this topic are here.)
2. Another one bites the dust. Good. Representative Patrick Meehan (R-PA) had already announced that he wouldn't be running again after it was revealed that he had paid taxpayer funds to a sexual harassment victim on his staff, abruptly resigned yesterday to avoid a House ethics investigation. "While I do believe I would be exonerated of any wrongdoing, I also did not want to put my staff through the rigors of an Ethics Committee investigation and believed it was best for them to have a head start on new employment rather than being caught up in an inquiry," Meehan said in his disingenuous statement, insulting anyone who read it,"And since I have chosen to resign, the inquiry will not become a burden to taxpayers and committee staff."
Meehan also said he would payback $39,000 to the Treasury to reimburse the cost of what he described as a "severance payment," as in "negotiated damages for workplace misconduct that he didn't want to have made public."
Say what you will about #MeToo, it has chased a lot of public trust-abusing creeps out of Congress. Continue reading →
Morning Ethics Warm-Up, 1/28/2020: Transcripts! Audacious Defense Lawyers! Canadian Defamation ethicsalarms.com/2020/01/28/mor… 23 hours ago


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9/11 Remembered: What We've Learned
Leaders Reflect on How Attacks Changed Security Profession Information Security Media Group • September 9, 2011
It's the anniversary that no one will celebrate, but which everyone somehow will mark.
Sunday, Sept. 11 marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. These devastating events forever changed our approach to security - particularly risk management, as well as business continuity and disaster recovery.
On the eve of the 10th anniversary, with U.S. government leaders warning of new potential terrorist threats to mark the occasion, we caught up with thought-leaders across various industries to discuss the lessons learned from Sept. 11, as well as the changes we still must undergo to ensure even greater security.
'People Come First'
Ken Newman, information security and risk officer at Central Pacific Bank in Hawaii, has a unique perspective on Sept. 11. "My office was on the 8th floor of 4 World Trade Center," he says. "I was there that day."
What most people remember as a horrific event seen from a distance, Newman recalls as a series of moments: recognition, evacuation, evaluation, relocation, recovery.
"For me, one of the greatest lessons learned is that people always come first," Newman says. "Security may generally focus on protecting assets and resources, but, when there's a catastrophic event, employees are the top priority during and after."
Post-9/11, most of Newman's time was focused on disaster recovery, as his institution lost facilities, and staff had to re-deployed. "There were cases where security controls had to take a back seat, in a controlled and measured fashion, to ensure people's needs could be met," he says.
In the decade since, Newman has watched the technology of security become more accessible. "Organizations of all sizes can take advantage of control technologies that were only available to the largest companies 10 years ago," he says.
But now it's time to take these tools to a new level. "Security practitioners are starting to reach the point where they can rely on IT to run even more controls," Newman says. "Now, they need to learn how to give up the reins and focus their attention on policy, process and methodology and become influencers rather than doers."
'We Will be Caught Off-Guard'
Like Newman, Fred Becker, president of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, was physically close to the 9/11 attacks.
"We're very close to the Pentagon, so when the Pentagon got hit, the NAFCU building felt the shake," Becker says. "It was similar to the shake we felt when the [recent] earthquake hit. In fact, when we felt the earthquake, our immediate thought was that there had been another attack."
For Becker, the events of Sept. 11 hammer home the key messages of business continuity planning. "We were caught off-guard, and we will be caught off-guard again," he says. "The liberties in this country that we love are always going to put us in danger; but I think the way you have to approach it is: You have to think about safety and how to react."
Over the past decade, the NAFCU has made preparation a key component of its conferences, discussing topics such as lessons learned in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The group also has hammered home the need not just for a business continuity plan, but to test those plans via drills.
"Drills are important, because when disaster does strike, you automatically do something without even thinking," Becker says. "Once you get the emotions out, you get people to focus on protecting themselves."
'Things Might Have Turned Out Differently'
For Tom Wills, managing director of Secure Strategies Pte. Ltd. and a lead financial fraud analyst for Javelin Strategy & Research, the key lesson from 9/11 is about the need to "sell" security.
"As a profession, we need to develop more effective skills in selling security - that is, selling our programs to those who have to foot the bill for them," Wills says. "The 9/11 attacks could totally have been prevented had intelligence about the threat, which emerged seven to eight years prior, been acted upon in a timely fashion by the powers that be. The security people knew what needed to be done, but for whatever reasons, the countermeasures weren't implemented - well, not until after the fact."
To improve these skills is a tough challenge, he adds, "But it's definitely possible for us to learn to articulate security risks in layman's terms, instead of the techno-speak with which we're more comfortable."
To prevent future incidents, the private and public sectors need to improve their collaboration, Wills says. "Business and government need to cooperate more effectively to safeguard critical infrastructure from both cyber and physical attacks, launched by both criminals and nation states," he says. "Programs like INFRAGARD are a step in the right direction, but much more material cooperation is needed."
'Think Again'
For Chuck Christian, CIO at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Ind., the greatest lesson of Sept. 11 is to avoid complacency.
"When you think you've covered all the bases, think again," Christian says. "As healthcare becomes more complex and we have the need to share data with a wider community of providers, it's very important to keep up with the current best practices and look for expertise outside the four walls of your own organization."
Christian agrees that the information security profession has come far over the past decade. But there still are limitations and risks - particularly if organizations grow too comfortable with their security posture.
"Unfortunately, we don't know what we don't know (at least that is accurate for me)," he says. "Comprehensive security programs cost money and have to be prioritized accordingly. If you have a good program, the results should be 'no events.' In that case, it may be difficult to justify the expense for something where nothing happens."
Think the Unthinkable
Patrick Howard, chief information security officer at the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, says the main takeaway from the 9/11 attacks is think the unthinkable. "When we consider the threat, concentration on the worst-case scenarios is not only viable, but essential."
Howard says a decade later, organizations must continually fine-tune emergency response planning and practices, especially lines of coordination and communications links.
"There is a need for improving the linkage and interoperability between the various organizational security entities - counterintelligence, physical security, personal security, cybersecurity, etc. - with respect to emergency response and threat analysis."
Karen Evans, the federal CIO during the second half of the Bush administration, agrees that the ability to communicate remains a top challenge for many organizations. "With the recent earthquake in D.C., it is still obvious our telecommunications capability is most important and needs to be able to handle the load in an emergency."
Evans, now national director of the U.S. Cyber Challenge, says being ever vigilant is the main lessons of 9/11. "Have your plans always up to date and ready to execute at a moment's notice," she says.
Security at the Core
To Scott M. Angelo, vice president and chief information officer for Diebold, the security services company, the legacy of 9/11 is that security is now a primary - not secondary - consideration.
"We're seeing security positioned at the very core of culture," he says. "Business continuity is in the spotlight and, as a result, security, awareness and preparedness are at the top of the priority list across the enterprise."
This new perspective is evident in physical plans when facilities are built or redesigned. "We're seeing more detailed programs for reviewing drawings and plans to ensure that even the construction processes are secure," Angelo says.
But security is also becoming more evident in more intangible ways - with plenty of room for improvement. "While we're seeing security becoming more engrained in corporate culture," he says, "opportunities still exist to minimize security silos and foster more effective collaboration."
For more insights on the lessons learned from Sept. 11, please see:
Lessons of Sept. 11 - Kevin Sullivan, a former investigator with the New York State Police, reflects on lessons learned and steps industries still need to take to ensure a tragedy like 9/11 is never repeated.
Shifting Course on Infosec Post-9/11 - Former federal CIO Mark Forman on how the attacks influenced the way the federal government approaches cybersecurity.
Security in a Post 9/11 World - Mac McMillan, a former Department of Defense security specialist who's now a consultant, says there's still plenty of work to do on disaster recovery and business continuity planning.
9/11: The Global Perspective - Rolf von Roessing, past international vice president of ISACA, on how the terrorist attacks impacted not just the U.S., but the world and how we all now view security and risk management.
Editors Howard Anderson, Eric Chabrow, Upasana Gupta and Tracy Kitten contributed to this report.
ATM Skimming: Insights on New Attacks
Feds Confirm 9/11 Terrorist Threat
More US Cities Battered by Ransomware
SMBs Guide to Digital Transformation Fueled by Security
Second Florida City Pays Up Following Ransomware Attack
Florida City Paying $600,000 to End Ransomware Attack
Keep Your Cybersecurity Team Happy, Engaged and Employed (By You!)
Is Healthcare Sector Better Prepared for Ransomware Attacks?
Malware Knocks Out Accounting Software Giant Wolters Kluwer
https://www.inforisktoday.eu/911-remembered-what-weve-learned-a-4036


text:
Divergent by Veronica Roth
In the first book in the Divergent Trilogy, Beatrice lives in a future Chicago where people are divided into 5 factions representing the main characteristic of each person: Abnegation (selflessness), Amity (love), Candor (honesty), Dauntless (courage) and Erudite (knowledge). Beatrice has spent her childhood in Abnegation with her family. At the beginning of the book, she has just turned 16, and she must choose which faction she will belong to for the rest of her life. An aptitude test reveals that Beatrice is Divergent, the results being inconclusive. She is told that she must hide this fact as this puts her in great danger. After much reflection and conflicted feelings, she chooses to be part of Dauntless and has to leave her family. She is then whisked to her new faction where she will undergo training. The 10 best initiates will become Dauntless, and the rest will be factionless (homeless). A fierce competition arises between the 20 youth in training, and Beatrice, or Tris as she is now called, must deal with the fact that she is Divergent on top of the physical and mental initiation. Meanwhile, something big is brewing that will turn Tris' world upside down.
Despite similarities with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Divergent was highly entertaining and fast paced, and the dystopian world the author created was interesting and believable. In addition, I thought it was amazing that Veronica Roth wrote this book in her early twenties while she was still in college. In fact, it was an immediate success, and the film rights were bought before she graduated from college. I can't wait to see the movie and read the next book in the trilogy, Insurgent.
Veronica Roth is very different from her main character, Tris. She has many fears, including spiders, heights, speed and public humiliation.
The author chose Chicago as the setting for the Divergent Trilogy because it is where she is from and where she lives, and because of the L train that runs constantly in the city.
Who needs a train station? The Dauntless jump from moving trains when they arrive at their destination.
Veronica Roth would choose Abnegation as her faction.
About the author and her work: Veronica Roth's Website.
If you liked this book you might also like:
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
1984 by George Orwell
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Tags:chicagodystopiafuturesurvivalveronica roth


text:
Artboard Created with Sketch. Procycling Inside the world's toughest sport
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Tour de France stage 8: Death of the mountain train
By Sophie Hurcom published 3 July 21
With no one team in control, the Tour de France continues to be chaotic
It took half of stage 8 of the Tour de France to have passed for some semblance of order to settle on the first day the 2021 race hit the high mountains.
With five categorised climbs packed into the 151km and many others not officially registered – including the climb immediately out of the start in Oyonnax – the peloton (if you could even call it that) featuring the yellow jersey Mathieu van der Poel had been shredded during the first 80 kilometres, on another day of furious racing where the rulebook as to how things were meant to unfold continued to be ripped up.
With no one team in control as the Tour hit the Alps, the opening half of the race was again characterised by a sense of manic disorder, with attack after attack going off the front, long before any significant breakaway was established. We've become accustomed to the first mountain stage of the Tour being a relatively straightforward affair, where the GC contenders typically wait until the final kilometres to, at the most, test the waters and their legs – see Orcierès-Merlette in 2020, La Planche des Belles Filles in 2019.
In fact, rewind the clock three years to the last time the Tour visited La Grand Bornand, and you had a very different race unfold despite the relatively similar parcours and it also being the first major mountain test that year (albeit on stage 10 rather than 8). Back then, a group of 21 riders was quickly given the freedom to escape up the road to contest the stage win, while behind Team Sky set a steady tempo in the peloton which everyone else was happy to follow. All the GC contenders finished the day together, with few moments of drama.
The difference back then compared to the Tour we're seeing this year, was the Team Sky mountain train. If one tactic defined the Tour de France during the 2010s, it would be just that, with Sky and then Ineos being the team that dominated the race over the past decade.
Their method of patrolling the front of the peloton, and stacking rider after rider in a line to control affairs, especially whenever the road went uphill, became a blueprint for how to win the Tour. It was a method similarly used by US Postal in the early 2000s, with Lance Armstrong's 'blue train' being the Tour's pace setters who everyone else followed – whether they wanted to or not.
The first half of stage 8 was filled with attacks before a breakaway was established (Image credit: Getty Images)
The mountain train wasn't just a show of strength from that team, however. It meant that one team could consistently be relied on to dictate the race, and generally there's been an order of proceedings as to how the Tour unfolds. Even when Sky/ Ineos didn't have the yellow jersey - in the same way Pogačar didn't until the end of stage 8 - the fact they were the overwhelmingly strongest team at the Tour meant they were the ones to lead.
Yet if there's been one overriding theme so far in the 2021 race it's the sense of total disorder, and the lack of any one team taking control can hardly be a coincidence.
Tadej Pogačar proved in 2020, you don't need the strongest team to win the yellow jersey and it's a trend that's continued into this year's race. If the 2010s was the era of the mountain train, the 2020s is becoming the era of the individual. Indeed, Pogačar's astonishing long-range solo attack on stage 8, 30 kilometres from the finish line, harked back to a distant era of racing filled with individual performances such as this.
It's remarkable, really, that if the seemingly unstoppable Slovenian has any kind of weakness in the Tour this year, his UAE Emirates team would probably be it. Their inability to control the race has been notable after eight days, and if Pogačar is to become unstuck in the next two weeks, you get the sense it would be down to poor team tactics rather than any dip in his own riding.
On stage 7, the longest of the Tour for 21 years, a gold star breakaway was allowed up the road with UAE Emirates' at a loss to do anything about it other than burn through their resources initially trying to single-handedly bring it back.
There was similar confusion at multiple times on stage 8, with Brandon McNulty, for example, at one point chasing down an attack by Michael Woods - a rider way down on the general classification and no major threat to Pogačar. The fact that Pogačar was at one point early on, in the leading breakaway unsupported, following moves himself, summed up the change in tone.
The lack of a mountain train this year might well be circumstantial, rather than evidence of a new era of Tour tactics beginning. Jumbo-Visma and Ineos Grenadiers designed their rosters exactly for such a style of racing, but with injuries severely weakening both of the race's strongest GC squads and with Primož Roglič and Geraint Thomas – two of Pogačar's key pre-race rivals – falling out of contention definitively on stage 8, what reason do either team have to sit at the front and dictate proceedings?
Had Roglič and Thomas not crashed, and had Ineos and Jumbo had a yellow jersey still to fight for, things could well have looked very different.
UAE Emirates did eventually stamp some authority on the stage, first through Rui Costa policing the Pogačar group, before Davide Formolo set up his team leader's long-range attack with 30km to go.
Pogačar ended the day by taking the yellow jersey and gaining more than three minutes on his nearest rivals. Pogačar has again proved that he doesn't need a mountain train to win the Tour de France, but maybe now, with an official hierarchy being set within the GC, some kind of order will finally start to fall over the peloton.
Sophie Hurcom is Procycling magazine's deputy editor.
Procycling magazine: the best writing and photography from inside the world's toughest sport. Pick up your copy now in all good newsagents and supermarkets, or get a Procycling subscription.
Sophie Hurcom
Sophie Hurcom is Procycling's deputy editor. She joined the magazine in 2017, after working at Cycling Weekly where she started on work experience before becoming a sub editor, and then news and features writer. Prior to that, she graduated from City University London with a Masters degree in magazine journalism. Sophie has since reported from races all over the world, including multiple Tours de France, where she was thrown in at the deep end by making her race debut in 2014 on the stage that Chris Froome crashed out on the Roubaix cobbles.
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