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Exclusive: The Girl Before's Gugu Mbatha-Raw "relieved" to let go of show
Jessica Plummer
Justin Harp, David Opie
Photo credit: BBC
This article talks about topics including stillbirth and baby loss.
Minor The Girl Before spoilers also follow.
The Girl Before star Gugu Mbatha-Raw has explained to Digital Spy why she was "relieved" to let go of the intense show after filming finished.
Loki actress Mbatha-Raw's four-part drama wraps up tonight (December 22) with the end of the twisty-turny mystery of her character Jane Cavendish's ties to another couple (EastEnders' Jessica Plummer and Ben Hardy) and the architect (Star Wars' David Oyelowo) who built their high-tech home.
Related: The Girl Before star discusses the show's challenging but important subject matter
The series tackles challenging subject matter, including stillbirth and baby loss, so Mbatha-Raw was understandably ready to move on to lighter subject matter when completing the series.
"It was an intense schedule, and I think dealing with the issues that Jane has been through – I felt a responsibility to honour those, and also to honour her grief and her journey, to try to do as much research as I could for someone in her situation," she said.
"But also, I wasn't in character all the time in a method sense. But I do think that when you're filming over an intense period, you do carry just the energy and the weight of a story with you. You know every day that Jane isn't someone who smiles and laughs a lot – but I am. So for me to be able to contain a lot of my natural energy for the character was an interesting challenge. But that's part of the job.
Photo credit: Amanda Searle - BBC
Related: EastEnders star Jessica Plummer explains why The Girl Before role was very daunting
"For me at the end of it, it wasn't difficult to let Jane – in some ways, it was a relief to let her go, not because it was… I really enjoyed playing her, but I felt like there was an element where just to get back to me and a more carefree energy, was nice after the intense journey that she's been."
For Mbatha-Raw, her work went beyond bringing a character from JP Delaney's novel of the same name to screens because she was also a producer on the project.
"As well as acting, for the first time, I have an associate producer role on this show. So that was a new challenge, in a way, in terms of having a seat at the table, and the conversations with the producers around casting and the script tweaks, and all of that kind of thing," she told us.
"So for me that was a new challenge, running up to the production, but a really interesting one, and one that I have sort of relished learning from – learning from our incredible producers at 42, and Rhonda Smith."
The Girl Before is available to stream on the BBC iPlayer, and will stream on HBO Max in the US.
Animal Crossing New Horizons is finally announced on Nintendo Switch
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British man made stateless by Home Office has citizenship reinstated
British man made stateless by Home Office has citizenship reinstated. The plight of the father of three, stranded in Bangladesh since 2017, foreshadows the dangers of the nationality bill now before parliament
Terrifying footage shows moment animal activist was left seriously injured after being trampled by horse during hunt stampede
Terrifying footage shows the moment an animal activist was left seriously injured after being mowed down by a HORSE during a hunt stampede. Sam Morley, 37, says he is lucky to be alive after a huntsman ploughed into him in Ash Magna, Shrops., leaving him hospitalised on Saturday afternoon (15/1). The hunt saboteur had been monitoring the North Shropshire Hunt when the group of around 15 to 20 riders "deliberately" rode towards him in a field. Shocking video captured the moment the 600kg (92 stone) horse smashed into Sam sending him crashing to the ground in agony. Paramedics and police were called to the scene before the factory worker was transferred to hospital on a spinal board. He has been left with concussion, a swollen temple as well as muscular trauma to his neck and upper back and has been unable to work since. Sam, of Stoke-on-Trent, said: "We had been monitoring the group to make sure they were not hunting foxes and I was on a public footpath through a field at the time. "A group of around 15 to 20 horses galloped closely to us from behind at first, I guess in an attempt to intimidate us. "If that wasn't enough, they then turned back around and started charging towards us. "We are told to stay still in these circumstances as you can never second the guess the direction the horses will go and the onus is on the rider to avoid a collision. "But this horse has crashed straight into me and I heard my bones crunch as it did so. I have no doubt it was deliberate and the footage speaks for itself. "I lost consciousness twice for a few seconds. These are 600kg animals and it's like getting hit by a car. "It wasn't a full gallop but it was going at a canter, I would say it must have been about 20mph and the impact just knocked the stuffing out of me completely. "Paramedics were called and I was taken away on a spinal board as they were concerned about the damage to my neck. "I had a CT scan which showed I had muscular trauma and I have been unable to go back to work since. I'm on anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers and bedbound. "Police were shown the footage and I'd like to think there are grounds for ABH or GBH charges - he has clearly used his horse as a weapon. "This isn't the first time this has happened either but it was the first time I've caught it on camera. "It's pretty frightening when these horses bear down on you. They are bred for stamina and speed and they are huge animals." Staffordshire Hunt Saboteurs released the dramatic footage on social media where it has been viewed almost 50,000 times in 24 hours. The video shows how Sam takes the full impact of the horse while a colleague shouts out: "We've got a sab run over by a horse." Sam can be heard saying: "I felt everything in my back and neck crunch. Where am I bleeding? It's all on camera." A spokesperson for the group said the huntsman fled from the scene laughing while Sam was left stricken on the ground. They added: "Thankfully the horses' hooves somehow missed the sab's body and his injuries are consistent with severe impact. "The sab attempted to walk but fell to the ground repeatedly, at one point losing consciousness briefly. "He was then able to walk for assistance and wait for an ambulance where he was told he was lucky to be alive. "We believe much of the anger from the hunt yesterday came from sabs successfully moving hounds away from woodland where a fox had been sighted, which the huntsman was attempting to flush with hounds. "Consistent pressure from local sabs and monitors has repeatedly kept the hunt from killing this season. "Thank you to every one who has wished our sab a speedy recovery. "We hope he will be back in the field soon, and we will continue to work alongside the police in their investigation." POS MFL - STATEMENTS FROM HUNT / AMBULANCE / POLICE
In an era of rightwing populism, we cannot destroy democracy in order to save it
Democracy isn't an institution – it's a practice that becomes stronger through use. The key to defeating Trump lies in mobilising ordinary people to articulate their real needs
The big picture: neo-noir Chicago streetscapes
The big picture: neo-noir Chicago streetscapes. Musician-photographer Edgar Ortiz captures the rain-slicked days and urban energy of his city in lyrical images
UK records 70,924 new Covid cases and 88 deaths
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Y: The Last Man showrunner gives season 2 update
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We can do this, team
Nadhim Zahawi: Don't condemn Prime Minister until Sue Gray's investigation concludes
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi asked for the public not to 'condemn' Boris Johnson until Sue Gray concludes her investigation into a number of alleged parties held at Downing Street throughout the pandemic.


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family, health, personal stories
177 — How Much Cancer Do We Have? — with Jamie
There's nothing about cancer that's OK. But the story behind it is just amazing.
Guest: Jamie
Disclaimer: Kristen
Promos: Pomegranates and Pitchforks and Parent Quest
Artwork: Emily — UnapologeticArtist
2 thoughts on "177 — How Much Cancer Do We Have? — with Jamie"
Thomas Frey says:
Your podcast was inspirational. So grateful. The artwork insulting and needs to be changed or taken down. Its huttfull as you represent one of the most brilliant and beautiful people in this world as ugly. That said Id like to tell the after story. So many miss her bun no one as much as I.
I'm sorry you don't like the artwork, the pottery is a still life that my daughter painted and Jamie chose it.
The logo for the podcast as a whole is the woman at the ocean, that's not for any one episode in particular and is also designed by my daughter. It's not intended to make anything look ugly, more as a reminder that there are stories we can't see, just beneath the surface.
Jamie was such a fantastic person and I'm delighted that you were able to make her as happy as you did. I'd be happy to host you anytime — right now I don't have a studio because we're remodeling that part of the basement, but I should be able to record again within a few more weeks. Email me at iwbpodcast@gmail.com and we can set up a time to chat.
Be well. I'm sitting with you in the dark.
Previous Previous post: 176 — I Can See the Future — kids and mental illness — with Dani from The Wheel Weaves
Next Next post: 178 — Fear, Redemption, Grace — audio fiction, communal living and being good enough — with Ian from Under the Shroud

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Best Culture & history in Costa Brava
Filter Culture & history in Costa Brava
From Barcelona: Dalí-Themed Cadaqués & Costa Brava Day Trip
Enter the surreal world of Salvador Dalí on a full-day tour from Barcelona. Explore the museum in Figures, have lunch in Cadaqués, and finish with a visit to his own house where he lived and painted.
Costa Brava Full-Day Tour from Barcelona
Explore the Costa Brava on a full-day tour from Barcelona, and discover beautiful coastal landscapes, charming villages, and important marine reserves.
Salvador Dalí Tour from Barcelona with Hotel Pick Up
Learn about Dalí and the towns where he lived and worked on this day trip from Barcelona. See the unique landscapes of the Costa Brava that influenced the Surrealist's work. Visit the town of Figueres, the Dalí Museum, and the village of Cadaqués.
Figueres: City Walking Tour & Dali Museum
Celebrate the life of Salvador Dali with a walking tour of Figueres, his hometown. End with a visit to the Dali Museum, designed by the artist himself.
From Lloret de Mar: Camp Nou Stadium and Museum Tour
Discover one of the most iconic symbols of Catalonia at the Camp Nou stadium, home of FC Barcelona. Explore this vast arena which has hosted some of the world's greatest players, and see immersive exhibitions in the onsite museum.


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Vehicle flips while pursued by border agents in Arizona, killing 2
Jun 5, 2020, 3:00 PM
(Flickr Photo/U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
BY KEVIN STONE
PHOENIX – At least two people are dead after a vehicle suspected of human smuggling flipped while being pursued by Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona, authorities said Friday.
The vehicle overturned Tuesday evening on State Route 80 north of Douglas after agents deployed a tire deflation device, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release.
The vehicle had five occupants, a U.S. citizen believed to be the driver and four people in the country illegally, the release said.
One of the occupants died at the scene, and the suspected driver died after being taken to a local hospital.
Yuma minor arrested for retrieving packages of meth dropped by drone
Two of the occupants were airlifted to a Tucson hospital, where they were in critical condition. Another was treated and released to Border Patrol custody.
The incident occurred after Tucson Sector agents stopped one vehicle suspected of human smuggling and observed a second suspicious vehicle.
The second vehicle fled when agents attempted to stop it and lost control after the tire deflation device was used.
The first vehicle was driven by a U.S. citizen and carried four passengers without documentation.
No other details were released.
CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing the incident, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement is investigating the smuggling cases.
Follow @kstonezone


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Craig Perry es un productor de películas fundador de Practical Pictures, y por formar una compañía productora con su colega Warren Zide llamada Zide/Perry Entertainment, Su primera película como productor fue Equipo Mortal, luego las taquilleras American Pie y Destino final, más tarde Como perros y gatos, y Las novias de mi novio. Luego en 2003 Destino final 2, Destino final 3 y Destino final 4.

Filmografía
Destino final (2000) de James Wong
American Pie 2 (2001) Producción
Como perros y gatos (2001) Producción
Repli-Kate (2002) Producción
Destino final 2 (2003) de David R. Ellis
Destino final 3 (2006) de James Wong
Destino final 4 (2009) de David R. Ellis
Destino final 5 (2011) de Steven Quale

Productores de cine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Welcome to another edition of Disney In Pictures, the weekly series that invites you to share your photos with the readers of My Dreams of Disney! Each week I announce a theme, and open it up to you to pick your favorite pictures to share with us! I have a lot of fun with this series, it's my small way of saying thank you to each and every one of you for contributing to the success of the site! This week, the theme is "Frontierland" so let's get started!
Who doesn't love Frontierland? My first photo is actually two photos. It's two views of the same cabin: one burning and one not. I wish it still burned!
The second is one I took YEARS ago of Splash Mountain under construction. I love being able to look back on something wonder being built.
The third photo is just outside the exit to Big Thunder Mountain. I must have walked past these Totem Poles for years before I noticed them. They sure are majestic!
Frontierland is a great place to see characters, too! Here's Brer Bear! It's great to see so many from SONG OF THE SOUTH. I think it odd that they'd have a major ride and so many characters from a movie they say they won't re-release.
Lastly, Big Thunder Mountain itself. It's my favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom. Even a slowly as I walk, if I'm there at rope drop, I can usually make it back there and be in one of the first trains out on the track! If you're there early, keep an eye peeled and you just may see me heading back there at a fast waddle! Grins!
My name is Nikki, and I live in Portland OR! I'm sending you 2 of my favorite Frontierland photos (I hope Disneyland, is okay too)! The first one is of my 3 kids. This trip to Disneyland was in March 2012, and they're super adorable, so I had to send it. The second picture is my favorite WDW photo, of all our trips! It was taken in February 2011. Jeremy, my husband, favorite ride is Big Thunder Railroad so this picture of him on BTR sums up so well that "kid at heart" feeling we all experience at WDW! BTW, we're in WDW right now! AK tomorrow, yay!
Here is my picture from Frontierland. It is from our 2010 10 day trip when Jesse and Woody were appearing near Splash Mountain. My daughter was 8 at the time and loved Jesse! She had been asking to meet her the whole trip. Finally, on our last day there, we reluctantly decided to wait for close to an hour in the hot August sun so that she could leave WDW fulfilled. The smile on her face after getting Jesse's autograph made waiting in that long line totally worth it.
My friend Beth from A Disney Mom's Thoughts had a picture from Frontierland to share with us! Here is what she had to say regarding her favorite memory of Frontierland, listen as she takes us back to 1983!
front of us on the barrel bridge almost fell in the water! She was trying so hard to pull her daughter along that the bridge got out of balance. We still laugh about this and I'm so glad my dad stayed behind to capture this photo!
I was strolling through Frontierland and there he was the original, the one and only Donald Duck!!!!!!!
That wraps up this week's exploration of Frontierland! As always, though, I thought I would share some of my favorite photos from that land with you. Thank you to all of the people that sent in photos for us this week, and for next week, I've already got the theme in mind! Next week's theme is going to be your "Favorite Disney Collectible!" Start thinking about your favorite Disney collectible you have at home, whether it be of a souvenir, or something you found online, or something entirely different, and take a photo of it and send it on to us! Remember, our email address is mickey@mydreamsofdisney.com, and include your name, why this picture is special to you, and your blog if you have one! Thanks, and start sending those photos in!
Have a great week, everyone! Thanks for stopping by, and we'll talk to you later! Remember, today is the last day for entering our $100 Disney Gift Card contest, so if you haven't entered yet, click on the link to head to the post! Thanks, and good luck!
Disney Confidential – Enhanced Queue is in the Works for Another Attraction in Magic Kingdom!
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In these days of Planned Parenthood butchery, Donald Trump clownery, Cecil the Lion deceasery, and the City of Ferguson's repeat inflammability, I've decided to once again risk what little relevance I may have by adding to my list of articles addressing issues that are "off topic" from everyone's concerns. Strap in.
In modern times Carl Sagan popularized the phrase "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence", which is actually credited to "the skeptic's skeptic" Marcello Truzzi's less TV-ready "An extraordinary claim requires extraordinary proof." I won't go into detail here as to why he thought the phrase valid, except to say I sympathize with his search for something to hold the madness at bay given that (quoting from Wikipedia here, sorry) he was an "investigator of various protosciences and pseudosciences…" so you can just imagine the fever swamps he had to dive into on a regular basis.
My problem with his phrase, and more precisely of Sagan's use of it, is that despite its quasi-valid (or at least very understandable) origin, it has since been used as a cudgel for reinforcing "scientific" dogma. I'm looking at you, Carl!
Full Disclosure: I occasionally pursue black-market scientific hypotheses as a hobby, so I have a dog in this hunt. I also am generally unwelcome in those circles since due to my tendency to require claims to be backed up by evidence, I don't believe in Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, grey aliens in Washington DC, or really any of the host of "normal" paranormal interests. I am also not a "cryptozoologist" although I'm still and always will be amused the Platypus actually exists.
Further Full Disclosure: I'm mainly writing so I can drop a link to this post into relevant Twitter arguments where length restrictions render such explanations impossible.
On its face the phrase "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" is an unscientific corruption of the very proper and basic scientific tenant "claims require evidence". There's nothing wrong with "claims require evidence". But let's examine those two "extraordinary" modifiers, shall we? Because they're an imposition of bias and an exercise in goal-post moving.
1) Extraordinary claims – "Extraordinary" by whose judgment? In my experience of observing people using the phrase it is typically synonymous with "unfamiliar". Well, in scientific research and discovery you come across the unfamiliar all the time – or at least you're supposed to and should, or you're likely spinning your wheels on a solid subject around which there is little dispute. When you run across something NEW, it is going to be "extraordinary" at least to some people. Saying there is a category called "extraordinary claims" that is somehow separate from mere "claims" injects bias and unfairly or unjustly weights the scales of what would and should otherwise be the "normal" (stop laughing!) process of scientific evaluation. Yes, that last phrase could be considered an inside joke amongst people who actually do such work, but I'm talking about principles here.
2) Extraordinary evidence – "Extraordinary" here means the goal-posts have been moved and that the routine standard of validity (again, stop laughing!) does not apply for what amounts to "a claim we don't like". Again, its origins are understandable enough – I mean if the claim is a "miracle" then the evidence has to be pretty miraculous, right? The problem really becomes apparent when you move out of the realm of pseudoskepticism, and find the phrase being used in everything from politics to gas prices to hard-core astrophysics (that last being my own personal gored ox). As long as we're talking about claims for which physical evidence CAN be produced, then our evaluation criteria should remain standard and the burdens for such proof should be inflexible.
The claim that a production model car can go over 260 mph should only be proven by recording that type of car going 260 mph, and of course this has been done. Likewise, the only acceptable proof of the existence of a Yeti would be am actual Yeti – a specimen of which we're currently lacking. And sorry, I just have to throw this in here, but would it kill the scientific community to NOT ASSUME that rock-solid theories and principles of electromagnetic forces – ones we observe and use every day – suddenly and for no readily explainable reasons work differently or cease to work at all when the location in question is "out there" in space? I shouldn't pick on Carl since he can't defend himself, just understand this is pretty much the reason I'm not a fan.
For all of us who DON'T in our daily lives work to refute "animal psychics", who don't have to prove "there's no ley lines here", and who are never menaced by Wendigos on harsh winter nights, can we all please agree to just drop the phrase "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"?
Because honestly, faithfully adhering to "claims require evidence" should be rigorous enough.
See also: Global Warming fraud. Don't get me started!


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Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; , 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi, was a medieval French rabbi, the author of comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible.

Acclaimed for his ability to present the basic meaning of the text in a concise and lucid fashion, Rashi's commentaries appeal to both learned scholars and beginning students, and his works remain a centerpiece of contemporary Torah study. A large fraction of rabbinic literature published since the Middle Ages discusses Rashi, either using his view as supporting evidence or debating against it. His commentary on the Talmud, which covers nearly all of the Babylonian Talmud, has been included in every edition of the Talmud since its first printing by Daniel Bomberg in the 1520s. His commentaries on the Tanakh—especially his commentary on the Chumash (the "Five Books of Moses")—serves as the basis of more than 300 "supercommentaries" which analyze Rashi's choice of language and citations, penned by some of the greatest names in rabbinic literature.

Name
Rashi's surname, Yitzhaki, derives from his father's name, Yitzhak. The acronym "Rashi" stands for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, but is sometimes fancifully expanded as Rabban Shel YIsrael which means the "Rabbi of Israel", or as Rabbenu SheYichyeh (Our Rabbi, may he live). He may be cited in Hebrew and Aramaic texts as (1) "Shlomo son of Rabbi Yitzhak", (2) "Shlomo son of Yitzhak", (3) "Shlomo Yitzhaki", and myriad similar highly respectful derivatives.

In older literature, Rashi is sometimes referred to as Jarchi or Yarhi (), his abbreviated name being interpreted as Rabbi Shlomo Yarhi. This was understood to refer to the Hebrew name of Lunel in Provence, popularly derived from the occitan luna "moon", in Hebrew , in which Rashi was assumed to have lived at some time or to have been born, or where his ancestors were supposed to have originated. Later Christian writers Richard Simon and Johann Christoph Wolf claimed that only Christian scholars referred to Rashi as Jarchi, and that this epithet was unknown to the Jews. Bernardo de Rossi, however, demonstrated that Hebrew scholars also referred to Rashi as Yarhi. In 1839, Leopold Zunz showed that the Hebrew usage of Jarchi was an erroneous propagation of the error by Christian writers, instead interpreting the abbreviation as it is understood today: Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki. The evolution of this term has been thoroughly traced.

Biography

Birth and early life
Rashi was an only child born at Troyes, Champagne, in northern France. His mother's brother was Simeon bar Isaac, rabbi of Mainz. Simon was a disciple of Gershom ben Judah, who died that same year. On his father's side, Rashi has been claimed to be a 33rd-generation descendant of Johanan HaSandlar, who was a fourth-generation descendant of Gamaliel,  who was reputedly descended from the Davidic line. In his voluminous writings, Rashi himself made no such claim at all. The main early rabbinical source about his ancestry, Responsum No. 29 by Solomon Luria, makes no such claim either.

Legends
His fame later made him the subject of many legends. One tradition contends that his parents were childless for many years. Rashi's father, Yitzhak, a poor winemaker, once found a precious jewel and was approached by non-Jews who wished to buy it to adorn their idol. Yitzhak agreed to travel with them to their land, but en route, he cast the gem into the sea. Afterwards he was visited by either the Voice of God or the prophet Elijah, who told him that he would be rewarded with the birth of a noble son "who would illuminate the world with his Torah knowledge."

Another legend also states that Rashi's parents moved to Worms, Germany while Rashi's mother was pregnant. As she walked down one of the narrow streets in the Jewish quarter, she was imperiled by two oncoming carriages. She turned and pressed herself against a wall, which opened to receive her. This miraculous niche is still visible in the wall of the Worms Synagogue.

Yeshiva studies

According to tradition, Rashi was first brought to learn Torah by his father on Shavuot day at the age of five. His father was his main Torah teacher until his death when Rashi was still a youth. At the age of 17 he married and soon after went to learn in the yeshiva of Yaakov ben Yakar in Worms, returning to his wife three times yearly, for the Days of Awe, Passover and Shavuot. When Yaakov died in 1064, Rashi continued learning in Worms for another year in the yeshiva of his relative, Isaac ben Eliezer Halevi, who was also chief rabbi of Worms. Then he moved to Mainz, where he studied under another of his relatives, Isaac ben Judah, the rabbinic head of Mainz and one of the leading sages of the Lorraine region straddling France and Germany.

Rashi's teachers were students of Rabbeinu Gershom and Eliezer Hagadol, leading Talmudists of the previous generation. From his teachers, Rashi imbibed the oral traditions pertaining to the Talmud as they had been passed down for centuries, as well as an understanding of the Talmud's  logic and forms of argument. Rashi took concise, copious notes from what he learned in yeshiva, incorporating this material in his commentaries. He was also greatly influenced by the exegetical principles of Menahem Kara.

Rosh yeshiva
He returned to Troyes at the age of 25, after which time his mother died, and he was asked to join the Troyes Beth din (rabbinical court). He also began answering halakhic questions. Upon the death of the head of the Bet din, Zerach ben Abraham, Rashi assumed the court's leadership and answered hundreds of halakhic queries.

At some time around 1070 he founded a yeshiva which attracted many disciples. It is thought by some that Rashi earned his living as a vintner since Rashi shows an extensive knowledge of its utensils and process, but there is no evidence for this. Most scholars and a Jewish oral tradition contend that he was a vintner. The only reason given for the centuries-old tradition that he was a vintner being not true is that the soil in all of Troyes is not optimal for  growing wine grapes, claimed by the research of Haym Soloveitchik. There exists a reference to a seal said to be from his vineyard.

Although there are many legends about his travels, Rashi likely never went further than from the Seine to the Rhine; his furthest destinations were the yeshivas of Lorraine.

In 1096, the People's Crusade swept through the Lorraine, murdering 12,000 Jews and uprooting whole communities. Among those murdered in Worms were the three sons of Isaac ben Eliezer Halevi, Rashi's teacher. Rashi wrote several Selichot (penitential poems) mourning the slaughter and the destruction of the region's great yeshivot. Seven of Rashi's Selichot still exist, including Adonai Elohei Hatz'vaot, which is recited on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, and Az Terem Nimtehu, which is recited on the Fast of Gedalia.

Death and burial site

Rashi died on July 13, 1105 (Tammuz 29, 4865) at the age of 65. He was buried in Troyes. The approximate location of the cemetery in which he was buried was recorded in Seder ha-Dorot, but over time the location of the cemetery was forgotten. A number of years ago, a Sorbonne professor discovered an ancient map depicting the site of the cemetery, which lay under an open square in the city of Troyes. After this discovery, French Jews erected a large monument in the center of the square—a large, black and white globe featuring the three Hebrew letters of רשי artfully arranged counterclockwise in negative space, evoking the style of Hebrew microcalligraphy. The granite base of the monument is engraved: Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki — Commentator and Guide.

In 2005, Yisroel Meir Gabbai erected an additional plaque at this site marking the square as a burial ground. The plaque reads: "The place you are standing on is the cemetery of the town of Troyes. Many Rishonim are buried here, among them Rabbi Shlomo, known as Rashi the holy, may his merit protect us".

Descendants

Rashi had no male descendants. All of his three children were girls, named Yocheved, Miriam and Rachel. He invested himself in their education; his writings and the legends which surround him suggest that his daughters were well-versed in the Torah and the Talmud (at a time when women were not expected to study them) and would for instance help him when he was too weak to write. His daughters would marry his disciples; most present-day Ashkenazi rabbinical dynasties can trace their lineage back to his daughters Miriam or Yocheved.

A late-20th century legend claims that Rashi's daughters wore tefillin. While a few women in medieval Ashkenaz did wear tefillin, there is no evidence that Rashi's daughters did.

 Rashi's oldest daughter, Yocheved, married Meir ben Samuel; their four sons were Shmuel (Rashbam; born 1080), Yitzchak (Rivam; born 1090), Jacob (Rabbeinu Tam; born 1100), and Shlomo the Grammarian, all of whom were among the most prolific Tosafists. Yocheved's daughter, Channah, is reputed to have instructed the local women to recite the blessing after candle lighting (instead of before).
 Rashi's middle daughter, Miriam, married Judah ben Nathan, who completed the commentary on the Talmud Makkot. Their daughter Alvina was a learned woman whose customs served as the basis for later halakhic decisions. Their son Yom Tov later moved to Paris and headed a yeshiva there, together with his brothers Shimshon and Eliezer.
 Rashi's youngest daughter, Rachel, married (and divorced) Eliezer ben Shemiah.

Works

Commentary on the Tanakh

Rashi's commentary on the Tanakh—and especially his commentary on the Chumash—is the essential companion for any study of the Bible among Orthodox Jews. Drawing on the breadth of Midrashic, Talmudic and Aggadic literature (including literature that is no longer extant), as well as his knowledge of Hebrew grammar and halakhah, Rashi clarifies the "simple" meaning of the text so that a bright child of five could understand it. At the same time, his commentary forms the foundation for some of the most profound legal analysis and mystical discourses that came after it. Scholars debate why Rashi chose a particular Midrash to illustrate a point, or why he used certain words and phrases and not others. Shneur Zalman of Liadi wrote that "Rashi's commentary on Torah is the 'wine of Torah'. It opens the heart and uncovers one's essential love and fear of G-d."

Scholars believe that Rashi's commentary on the Torah grew out of the lectures he gave to his students in his yeshiva, and evolved with the questions and answers they raised on it. Rashi completed this commentary only in the last years of his life. It was immediately accepted as authoritative by all Jewish communities, Ashkenazi and Sephardi alike.

The first dated Hebrew printed book was Rashi's commentary on the Chumash, printed by Abraham ben Garton in Reggio di Calabria, Italy, 18 February 1475. (This version did not include the text of the Chumash itself.)

Rashi wrote commentaries on all the books of Tanakh except Chronicles I & II, and Ezra–Nehemiah. His commentary to Job is incomplete, ending at 40:25.

A main characteristic of Rashi's writing was his focus on grammar and syntax. His primary focus was on word choice, and "essentially [he acts] as a dictionary where he defines unusual Hebrew words." He searches for things that may not be clear to the reader and offers clarification on the inconsistency that may be present. Rashi does so by "filling in missing information that [helps] lead to a more complete understanding" of the Torah. A portion of his writing is dedicated to making distinctions between the peshat, or plain and literal meaning of the text, and the aggadah or rabbinic interpretation. One of Rashi's grandchildren, Samuel B. Meir or Rashbam, heavily critiqued his response on his "commentary on the Torah [being] based primarily on the classic midrashim (rabbinic homilies)."

Commentary on the Talmud

Rashi wrote the first comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, covering nearly all of the Babylonian Talmud (a total of 30 out of 39 tractates, due to his death). The commentary, drawing on his knowledge of the entire contents of the Talmud, attempts to provide a full explanation of the words and of the logical structure of each Talmudic passage. Unlike other commentators, Rashi does not paraphrase or exclude any part of the text, but elucidates phrase by phrase. Often he provides punctuation in the unpunctuated text, explaining, for example, "This is a question"; "He says this in surprise", "He repeats this in agreement", etc.

As in his commentary on the Tanakh, Rashi frequently illustrates the meaning of the text using analogies to the professions, crafts, and sports of his day. He also translates difficult Hebrew or Aramaic words into the spoken French language of his day, giving latter-day scholars a window into the vocabulary and pronunciation of Old French.

Rashi's Talmud commentary spread quickly, reaching Jews as far as Yemen by mid-12th century. It has been included in every version of the Talmud since its first printing in the fifteenth century. It is always situated towards the middle of the opened book display; i.e., on the side of the page closest to the binding.

Some of the other printed commentaries which are attributed to Rashi were composed by others, primarily his students. Akiva Eger stated that the commentary on Nazir was not in fact by Rashi, while Zvi Hirsch Chajes stated that the commentary on Taanit was not by Rashi. In some editions of the Talmud, the text indicates that Rashi died before completing the tractate, and that it was completed by a student. This is true of Makkot (the end of which was composed by his son-in-law, Judah ben Nathan), and of Bava Batra (finished, in a more detailed style, by his grandson the Rashbam). The commentary attributed to Rashi on Horayot was thought by some to have been written by Judah ben Nathan, but evidence was uncovered indicating that the commentary on Horayot was from the school of Gershom ben Judah. There is a legend that the commentary on Nedarim, which is clearly not his, was actually composed by his daughters. Another legend states that Rashi died while writing a commentary on Talmud, and that the very last word he wrote was 'tahor,' which means pure in Hebrew - indicating that his soul was pure as it left his body.

Responsa
About 300 of Rashi's responsa and halakhic decisions are extant. Although some may find contradictory to Rashi's intended purpose for his writings, these responsa were copied, preserved, and published by his students, grandchildren, and other future scholars. Siddur Rashi, compiled by an unknown student, also contains Rashi's responsa on prayer. Many other rulings and responsa are recorded in Mahzor Vitry. Other compilations include Sefer Hapardes, probably edited by Shemaiah of Troyes, Rashi's student, and Sefer Haorah, prepared by Nathan Hamachiri.

Rashi's writing is placed under the category of post-Talmudic, for its explanation and elaboration on the Talmud; however, he not only wrote about the meaning of Biblical and Talmudic passages, but also on liturgical texts, syntax rules, and cases regarding new religions emerging. Some say that his responsa allows people to obtain "clear pictures of his personality," and shows Rashi as a kind, gentle, humble, and liberal man. They also illustrate his intelligence and common sense.

Rashi's responsa not only addressed some of the different cases and questions regarding Jewish life and law, but it shed light into the historical and social conditions which the Jews were under during the First Crusade. He covered the following topics and themes in his responsa: linguistic focus on texts, law related to prayer, food, and the Sabbath, wine produced by non-Jews, oaths and excommunications, sales, partnerships, loans and interest, bails, communal affairs, and civil law. Rashi's responsa can be broken down into three genres: questions by contemporary sages and students regarding the Torah, the law, and other compilations.

For example, in his writing regarding relations with the Christians, he provides a guide for how one should behave when dealing with martyrs and converts, as well as the "insults and terms of [disgrace] aimed at the Jews." Stemming from the aftermath of the Crusades, Rashi wrote concerning those who were forced to convert, and the rights women had when their husbands were killed.

Rashi focused the majority of his responsa, if not all, on a "meticulous analysis of the language of the text".

Legacy
Rashi was one of the first authors to write in Old French (the language he spoke in everyday life, which he used alongside Hebrew), as most contemporary French authors instead wrote in Latin. As a consequence, besides its religious value, his work is currently valued for the insight it gives into the language and culture of Northern France in the 11th century.

Commentary on the Tanakh

Today, tens of thousands of men, women and children study "Chumash with Rashi" as they review the Torah portion to be read in synagogue on the upcoming Shabbat. According to halakha, a man may even fulfill of the requirement of Shnayim mikra ve-echad targum by reading Rashi's commentary rather than the standard Targum Onkelos. Since its publication, Rashi's commentary on the Torah is standard in almost all Chumashim produced within the Orthodox Jewish community. Mordechai Leifer of Nadvorna said that anyone who learns the weekly Parsha together with the commentary by Rashi every week is guaranteed to sit in the Yeshiva (school) of Rashi in the Afterlife.

Voluminous supercommentaries have been published on Rashi's Bible commentaries, including Gur Aryeh by Judah Loew (the Maharal), Sefer ha-Mizrachi by Elijah Mizrachi (the Re'em), and Yeri'ot Shlomo by Solomon Luria (the Maharshal). Menachem Mendel Schneerson, in his Rashi Sichos, often addresses several of these commentaries at once.

Rashi's influence grew the most in the 15th century; from the 17th century onwards, his commentaries were translated into many other languages. Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch was known as the first printed Hebrew work. Notable English translations include those of Rosenbaum and Silbermann and ArtScroll.

Commentary on the Talmud

Rashi's commentary on the Talmud continues to be a key basis for contemporary rabbinic scholarship and interpretation. Without Rashi's commentary, the Talmud would have remained a closed book.

Rashi's commentary had a profound influence on subsequent Talmud study and scholarship:

The presence of Rashi's commentary also changed the nature of subsequent Talmud commentaries:

In general, Rashi's commentary provides the peshat or literal meaning of the Talmud, while subsequent commentaries such as the Tosafot often go beyond the passage itself in terms of arguments, parallels, and distinctions that could be drawn out. This addition to Jewish texts was seen as causing a "major cultural product" which became an important part of Torah study.
In the standard printed Talmud, the Tosafot's commentaries can be found in the Talmud opposite Rashi's commentary. The Tosafot also added comments and criticism in places where Rashi had not added comments.

Rashi also exerted a decisive influence on establishing the correct text of the Talmud. Up to and including his age, texts of each Talmudic tractate were copied by hand and circulated in yeshivas. Errors often crept in: sometimes a copyist would switch words around, and other times incorporate a student's marginal notes into the main text. Because of the large number of merchant-scholars who came from throughout the Jewish world to attend the great fairs in Troyes, Rashi was able to compare different manuscripts and readings in Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, Midrash, Targum, and the writings of the Geonim, and determine which readings should be preferred. However, in his humility, he deferred to scholars who disagreed with him. For example, in Chulin 4a, he comments about a phrase, "We do not read this. But as for those who do, this is the explanation..."

Influence in non-Jewish circles
Rashi's commentaries on the Bible, especially those on the Pentateuch, circulated in many different communities. In the 12th–17th centuries, Rashi's influence spread from French and German provinces to Spain and the east. He had a tremendous influence on Christian scholars. The French monk Nicholas de Lyra of Manjacoria, who was known as the "ape of Rashi", relied on Rashi's commentary when writing his Postillae Perpetuate, one of the primary sources used in Luther's translation of the Bible. He believed that Rashi's commentaries were the "official repository of Rabbinical tradition" and significant to understanding the Bible. Rashi's commentaries became significant to humanists at this time who studied grammar and exegesis. Christian Hebraists studied Rashi's commentaries as important interpretations "authorized by the Synagogue".

Although Rashi had an influence on communities outside of Judaism, his lack of connection to science prevented him from entering the general domain, and he remained more popular among the Jewish community.

"Rashi script"

The semi-cursive typeface in which Rashi's commentaries are printed both in the Talmud and Tanakh is often referred to as "Rashi script." Despite the name, Rashi himself did not use such a script: the typeface is based on a 15th-century Sephardic semi-cursive hand, postdating Rashi's death by several hundred years. Early Hebrew typographers such as the Soncino family and Daniel Bomberg employed in their editions of commented texts (such as the Mikraot Gedolot and the Talmud, in which Rashi's commentaries prominently figure) what would become called "Rashi script" to distinguish the rabbinic commentary from the primary text proper, for which they used a square typeface.

References

Citations

Notes

General sources
 Abecassis, Deborah Reconstructing Rashi's Commentary on Genesis from Citations in the Torah Commentaries in the Tosafot Dissertation 1999, Department of Jewish Studies, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
 Rashi The Jewish History Resource Center – Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
 Biography, the Legend, the Commentator and more rashi900.com
 Family Tree
 In honor of the 900th anniversary of his passing
 How Rashi, His Students, and His Descendants Molded Ashkenazi Jewry, Menachem Levine, Thinktorah.org
 Rashi; an exhibition of his works, from the treasures of the Jewish National and University Library

 Eran Viezel, 'Targum Onkelos in Rashi's Exegetical Consciousness', Review of Rabbinic Judaism 15 (2012), pp. 1-19
 Eran Viezel, 'The Secret of the Popularity of Rashi's Commentary on Torah', Review of Rabbinic Judaism 17 (2014), pp. 207-217

External links

 Technique and methodology
 rashiyomi.com
 Full text resources and translation
 Rashi's commentary to Tanakh with translation and supercommentaries
 Complete Tanach with Rashi
 Chumash with Rashi (Judaica Press translation)
 Chumash with Rashi (Metsudah translation)
 Summarized text resources and translation
 Illustrated Summary and Analysis of the Torah with selected Rashi commentary
 Textual Search
 Lookup Verses, rashiyomi.com
 Early manuscripts or printings of Rashi's Perush `al ha-Torah/Commentary on the Torah (text or images, OCR'd or not):
 The 13th-14th c. Codex Parma 3204, which is the "base version" at mgketer.org. Also lists several later versions, as well as early manuscripts of other commentaries e.g. Rashbam, Ramban etc.
 13th-14th c. Cod. hebr. 12b, Cod. hebr. 220 at Austria National Library, Vienna
 13th c. B. H. fol. 1 at Leipzig. U. Library
 13th c. folio 255 at BNF, Paris.
 c. 1470 Rome, three links.

 Uncategorized links:
 Images of manuscripts of Rashi's writings
 Rashi, Tosfos, and the Development of Ashkenazi Jewry
 Public Domain Hebrew and CC-BY English of Rashi on Torah
 "Rashi: Teacher of All Israel", video lecture by Dr. Henry Abramson of Touro College South

1040 births
1105 deaths
11th-century French rabbis
12th-century French rabbis
11th-century French writers
12th-century French writers
Bible commentators
Clergy from Troyes
French male writers
Worms, Germany
Medieval Jewish scholars
11th-century Jewish theologians
12th-century Jewish theologians


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Muv-Luv Alternative, News, TV Shows
Muv-Luv Alternative Episode 2 Review & Recap: Recurring Worlds
Stephanie October 14, 2021, 11:49 PM October 22, 2021
Muv-Luv Alternative Episode 2 is the first real episode of this new anime. While last week was technically Episode 1, it served more as a prologue to introduce us to the harsh and cruel world that the storyline takes place in. Episode 2, meanwhile, served as a way to catch up anime-only viewers so they could understand a bit about Shirogane Takeru's background without having to read the first two visual novels in the series. I was intrigued when I learned that the visual novel had inspired the Attack on Titan manga, since Attack on Titan's anime is pretty much my favorite TV show of all time.
I'm an anime-only viewer, so I'm sharing these reviews from the perspective of someone who hasn't read the visual novels (but has done a little background research.)
Check out this #MuvLuvAlternative review for anime-only viewers. Click To Tweet
This is a Muv-Luv Alternative Episode 2 review. It will have spoilers for the episode, but since it's anime-focused only, it contains no visual novel spoilers.
The Episode Smoothly Introduced Us to Takeru's Crazy World
After reading reviews from Episode 1, I noticed that some visual novel readers were concerned that anime-onlies would come into the series thoroughly confused and not able to follow the storyline. As an anime-only viewer, I felt like the episode did a good job of introducing us to Takeru's world. While it's going to take me quite some time to grasp all the characters and their names, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of the storyline basics.
Much of the information was shared to us through inner monologues and "info dumps," as Takeru came to grips with yet another world shift. He woke up two months in the past, just before "Alternative V" was implemented. Alternative V is a government plan that involves giving up on the Earth and surrendering it to the BETA aliens. A few hundred thousand leave to start a colony on a different world outside the solar system, with the hope that BETA don't invade there too. But they leave more than a billion people behind to die.
It's a pragmatically dark solution when the last-ditch effort is simply to ensure humanity isn't completely wiped out.
Takeru was one of the people left behind. His new goal is to ensure Alternative IV, whatever it is, succeeds so they never have to implement Alternative V. For now, he only has some of his memories and a lot of memory gaps. He knows that the person who will become his "Yuuko-sensei," Professor Kouzuki, is involved with Alternative IV and is the person he needs to get in contact with. He's able to get her attention by simply having knowledge of Alternative IV and V, which no one is supposed to know about by name, apparently. So while she's not sure if she believes him entirely, she knows that his goal aligns with hers, so he's going to be useful.
We learn that Takeru was originally in a world where the BETA never invaded. He attended Hakuryo Hiiragi Preparatory Academy and had some close friends there. (As far as he can remember.) But then one morning, he woke up in a parallel dimension that had been fighting the BETA for 30 years and humanity was losing. His school was now the United Nations 11th Force Pacific Theater Yokohama Base — a military base. (The transition the anime showed from a happy school to a stark military base was a nice touch to illustrate just how much everything had changed.) He also notes that the people he knew were still there, but they were all different. With no other choice, he became a cadet to try to save the new world that he found himself in. But then Alternative V was implemented, humanity lost, and he was one of the people left behind on December 24, 2001.
He Finds a Mission for Himself While Navigating All His Memory Gaps
There are some odd moments in his conversation with Kouzuki. At one point he blurts out that "there's no time left" and one of the things she has to do is "find a way to fit 15 billion semiconducting parallel computing circuits into the palm of a hand!" This strange interjection is basically ignored after he says it, and I'm left wondering just what he was talking about.
I need to know what the 'Parallel Computing Circuits' comment was about. Click To Tweet
He also still has a lot of memory gaps. When talking to Kouzuki about stopping Alternative V, he starts crying as if he lost something very important to him, but he has no idea why. On a subconscious level he remembers more than he consciously can realize yet.
Kouzuki decides that Takeru is going to enlist in the 207th TSF pilot training squadron, where he will now be known as Cadet Shirogane. His cover story is that he was exempt from conscription (unlike most men), which is why he can be part of this squadron.
The people in his training squadron are Mitsurugi Meiya, their instructor Jinguuji Marimo, squad commander Sakaki Chizuru, Ayamine Kei, and Tamase Miki with the pink hair. (She looks a lot younger than everyone else!) There's also another member, Yoroi Mikoto, whom we don't meet because they're hospitalized. Apparently this was also the case in Takeru's last world too, so he doesn't seem surprised. Here are their pictures in case you need a refresher:
There are a few moments that remind me of the movie "Edge of Tomorrow," such as when Takeru realizes that he has maintained the same fitness level he had on December 24, instead of going back to how he started two months ago the first time around. He also remembers a lot of intricacies and battle plans that make him excel in class — something that must also be a holdover from his last go-around.
After training, Takeru meets up with Kouzuki again. He tells her that he intends to become base commander as quickly as possible, so he can be in a better position to help her make Alternative IV succeed. It seems that a lot of what Takeru is doing is based on instinct and following how his subconscious is leading him, since he hasn't even been told yet what Alternative IV is. Kouzuki points out that even though this isn't his original world, at some point he seems to have adopted it as his own and become intent on saving it. I have to wonder if his "previous self" just gave up all hope of ever returning to his original universe?
The Episode Ends on a Peaceful Note with a Compelling Flashback
At the end of the episode, he and Meiya have a one-on-one conversation where she tells him her philosophical viewpoint on nations. She talks about what she's trying to protect, which gives him a flashback to an identical conversation that he had with her during the last timeline.
She wants to protect "this planet, the people of this land, and the country of Japan." She said she wants to "protect the people, their hearts, their souls…" and she wants to defend their way of life. It's her belief that these are the things that truly make up a country.
He has a flashback to some very dark moments, where he's seeing people being torn away from their homes, a volcano erupting, and mechs standing by as people appear to be loaded onto some type of cargo ship. I think those are flashbacks to Alternative V being implemented, and perhaps quite a few of the people taken were children.
That's when he tells Meiya that he plans to protect "Earth, and the entire human race." It seems like a natural thing to say given the circumstances, but she acts like it's profound. This also seemed to happen during his last conversation with Kouzuki. Some people have an almost reverent attitude toward him which doesn't fully fit what we've seen so far.
All in all, I enjoyed the anime and felt like it painted an intriguing premise over the backdrop of a devastating apocalyptic invasion. While the animation isn't on par with my favorite anime (Attack on Titan), it was nice enough to not be distracting. Attack on Titan left me expecting "big moments" at the end of episodes, but this episode ended in a nice, quiet way that served as a peaceful conclusion to an information-packed 22 minutes.
Want to chat about all things post-apocalyptic? Join our Discord server here. You can also follow us by email here, on Facebook, or Twitter.
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MaisonCashmere sells exclusively online; we do not have any brick-and-mortar stores.
As a made-to-order service, we do not have any brick-and-mortar stores in which it is possible to view our products. This significantly lowers costs and allows us to offer top quality cashmere at convenient prices.
Instead, we have chose to display our catalog online. Through our website, it is possible to view our collection and read all about each item's characteristics and production cycle. Our offer of almost 300 products is divided into sections–ladies, men, baby, home & travel–making it easy to browse.


Security Audits are a valuable way to help clients ensure the integrity of their networks and to identify issues. Check Point's 2013 Internet Security Report researched nearly 900 companies and 120,000 hours of monitored traffic, and revealed major security risks organisations are exposed to on a daily basis.
Talk to Sesseto about performing a security audit for your customer or network.


The nominations have been made! Now it's time to vote!
Today (February 6) covers the 1st and 2nd groups for both men and woman.
EDIT: Per Zuldim's suggestion making separate polls for each gender. Deadline has been pushed back as a result. If you already voted in the previous survey, please re-enter your results so they are counted. Sorry for the inconvenience (so far only two votes were entered).
EDIT 2: We have our winners!
In the women's category Sameen Shaw, Ellen Ripley, Vesper Lynd, and Nyota Uhura were the winners in Group 1 while Rey, Morticia Addams, Xena, and Felicity Smoak took the prize in Group 2.
Meanwhile in the men's field Robin Hood, Jamie Fraser, and Tony Stark led Group 1 while Jean-Luc Picard, Poe Dameron, and Daniel Jackson ruled Group 2.
Look forward to seeing them again in a few days when Round 2 starts! Until then, on to the next contestants for Round 1!


UpTown Flutes will perform at the National Flute Association Convention in Washington DC. Professor Rebecca Vega will be performing with the UpTown Flutes on August 13, 2015 at this convention. They will be premiering a work entitled Elegy that was composed by Valerie Coleman, founding member of the Amani Winds. Elegy was written to honor the legendary Maya Angelou and will feature internationally acclaimed flutist Alexa Still and the UpTown Flutes. UpTown Flutes will also be performing at the Mahwah Library concert series on June 27 and at the New Jersey Flute Fair on October 11. For questions regarding these programs, please contact Prof. Rebecca Vega at rvega@caldwell.edu.


Today, you can open the door on a lesson in goal-scoring with the legendary Gerd Müller.
Nicknamed 'Der Bomber Der Nation', Müller scored goals for fun during a decorated club career at FC Bayern München, and to this day is the Bundesliga's all-time leading marksman on 365 goals in 427 appearances.
He famously broke the 40-goal barrier in 1971/72, scooping his fourth of seven eventual Torjägerkanone accolades and setting the gold standard to which all Bundesliga strikers aspire.


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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle With The Real Real
When we launched DÔEN, we knew we wanted to be part of the slow fashion movement. We're passionate about thoughtful purchases, recycling and reusing - helping Mother Earth in every way we can. With Earth Day on the horizon, we're beyond excited to announce our promotion with TheRealReal. After seeing Stella McCartney's offer with TheRealReal last year, we were inspired to follow suit in embracing the resale market and supporting a circular economy. We're committed to offering quality pieces that deserve more than one life and promote consignment to prevent clothing from ending up in landfills.
With the secondhand resale market on the rise, we applaud consumers who are choosing to participate in this circular cycle. By 2050, textile production is slated to account for 25% of our global carbon emissions (especially due to fast fashion), and buying a used item can greatly reduce its carbon footprint (by up to 82%)! You can read more about the upward trend of consignment in Fortune's recent article here.
From April 1st to 30th, we encourage bringing your gently loved DÔEN pieces that no longer have space in your closet to TheRealReal's West Hollywood or SoHo stores and, upon acceptance of your piece(s) for consignment, you will receive a $50 credit redeemable at www.shopdoen.com.
See below for a Q&A with Margaret and Katherine from TheRealReal's blog and stop by the New York City or Los Angeles location.
*Please note this promotion only applies for in-person consignment of accepted DÔEN items at TheRealReal's physical store locations in Los Angeles and SoHo. One time use discount code on card expires June 30th, 2019.
You're very conscious about the factories you work with. How does sustainability come into play when you're designing the line and running the business? //
We consider sustainability a top priority in consciously running a forward thinking business. We work with factories (whom we consider true partners) that are on the forefront of sustainability, constantly brainstorming and acting on ways we can lower our carbon footprint and give back to Mother Earth. We prioritize making small changes in the day-to-day of our supply chain that will make a large impact in aggregate. We are extremely thoughtful in the design process and avoid over-producing fabrics by only creating pieces we are deeply passionate about – and therefore produce fabric exactly to our units. We use all natural fabrics and embrace a "fewer, better things" mentality in regards to consumption. By making quality, timeless pieces, we ensure that they can be worn season after season. We reject the idea that clothing is disposable, and encourage the reselling of our clothes via secondhand and consignment retailers. Our packing is 100% recyclable, and our eco-shippers include a minimum of 90% post-consumer content. We are working to participate in production methods that eliminate waste - our children's clothing offering started as a way to produce garments from what would have been the wastage fabrics from our women's collection. Many of our friends and customers have remarked that they repurpose these bags for trips to the farmer's market and for toy storage. As we expand our children's offering, we are also expanding our commitment to work with organic fabrics when possible. Many of our children's knits out of Peru are 100% organic Pima cotton.
Are there businesses or mentors you look up to? What is some of the best advice you've received? //
We are grateful to have various mentors who have always been (and continue to be) there for us as a sounding board since we launched DÔEN. Friends whose businesses we look up to - like the amazing Emily Weiss of Glossier and Amanda Chantal Bacon of Moon Juice, as well as partners of the brand who are experts in their own fields like our campaign photographer and creative consultant, Hilary Walsh. One company we always look to when making decisions on our future is Patagonia. Yvon Chouinard and the company he built is one that we strive to be – from production and company culture to the respect and care for it's employees and customers. We love this quote (along with many others) from his book Let My People Go Surfing: "I think of Patagonia as an ecosystem, with its vendors and customers as an integral part of that system. A problem anywhere in the system eventually affects the whole, and gives everyone an overriding responsibility of health of the whole organism, it also means that anyone, low on the totem pole or high, inside the company or out, can contribute significantly to the health of the company and to the integrity and value of our products."
In your experience, do people seek out Dôen pieces because they are produced ethically and sustainably? What is the industry's role in creating that kind of demand? //
With so much information out there (through social media and beyond), we feel consumers are shopping smarter than in the past and want to buy from brands whose ethics and principles they support. We're open about how we run our company and the organizations we stand behind (both vocally and financially) and want our customers to know that when they are supporting us, they're supporting a women owned and operated company, girls' education (through our partner Room to Read), and the slow fashion and sustainability movement.
Some brands have yet to embrace consignment, but others like Stella McCartney and now Dôen are recognizing its place in supporting sustainability and the circular economy. What are your thoughts on seeing Dôen pieces as part of this movement? //
From inception, we knew we wanted to be a part of the slow fashion movement. Slow fashion to us is all about thoughtful purchases, recycling and reusing. We are also vintage lovers and are always are pairing DÔEN with used Levi's or a worn-in sweatshirt. It's exciting to us to wear a consigned piece because you know it has been loved previously - it's fun to think of its past and giving the piece new life.
Article on Resale Clothing We Find Interesting
Article on TheRealReal And Stella McCartney Which Inspired Us


With Sana Mir, it's the small gestures that stand out.
On a day when she became the first Pakistan woman to have 100 One-Day International wickets against her name, she took a step back to let Ghulam Fatima, ten years her junior, bask in the limelight of her first player of the match award. Mir had handed the youngster a first cap just the previous day, and the pride was evident. There was a protective arm when needed, an encouraging nudge when called for, and translation services readily offered for the media obligations. When Fatima grimaced, burst into giggles and hid behind her captain once the cameras were turned off, the fondness was evident. Don't worry, you keep doing this, your confidence will grow.
Like the best leaders, there is rarely a 'me' in her statements.
Perhaps her one concession to the personal was when she finally got her 100th wicket, in her 92nd match on Wednesday (February 7), at the P Sara Oval in Colombo during the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier 2017. When Jahanara Alam aimed to attack, but missed and was bowled, Mir folded her hands and looked skywards. She seemed overwhelmed, her face a mix of relief, disbelief and elation, before she was enveloped by celebrating teammates.
Pakistan Women's Captain Sana Mir created history at the #WWC17 Qualifier by becoming the first ever bowler from Pakistan to take 100 ODI Wickets.
It's a long way to come from chasing her brother's tape balls in their backyard at four, and playing on the "streets of Pindi".
It comes as little surprise then that her two favourites on the cricket field are Waqar, a pacer, and MS Dhoni, a leader. "The way he has made a team that is now dominating, that is his legacy and I look up to him as a captain," she says of the former India skipper.
Like the best leaders, there is rarely a 'me' in Sana Mir statements.
What it has produced, meanwhile, is a flag-bearer to make the country proud.


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Ukraine is bound to benefit from the projected surge in electric vehicles
Ukraine, home to Europe's largest lithium reserves, is bound to benefit from the projected surge in electric vehicles over the next 30 years, according…


*NEW* Export permit application form guidance for U.S. Shark Fishers and Dealers. Click here.
At the Seventeenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), several additional commercially harvested shark and ray species were listed in Appendix II of CITES. The newly listed shark species include: devil rays, thresher sharks, and silky sharks. Shark species already listed in Appendix II include the basking shark, whale shark, great white shark, oceanic whitetip shark, three species of hammerhead sharks (scalloped, great, and smooth), porbeagle shark, and manta rays.
(1) A non-detriment finding – data or expert scientific opinion on the biological status of the species indicating that international trade is not detrimental to species survival.
(2) A legal acquisition finding – evidence that specimens to be traded were not obtained in violation of any state, federal, or other jurisdictional law.
If both of these analyses are positive (i.e., the proposed activity is legal and sustainable), a permit would be issued to conduct international trade.
To learn more about CITES, please visit our page on "How CITES works." To determine the specific CITES documentation requirements for these shark and ray species, please read the questions and answers below.
If you plan to engage in international trade (e.g., fishing on the high seas and landing in the United States or in a foreign country, importing, exporting, or re-exporting) of scalloped, great, or smooth hammerhead sharks; oceanic whitetip sharks; porbeagle sharks; basking sharks; great white sharks; whale sharks; thresher sharks; silky sharks; devil rays; or manta rays; including the parts and products of these species, you need to apply for and obtain appropriate CITES documents.
We have developed the following decision trees to assist U.S. fishers and U.S. dealers in determining what, if any, U.S. CITES documents will be required for their proposed activity. Please note that while these tools focus on U.S. fishers and dealers, permitting requirements and port procedures also apply to researchers and others engaged in the non-commercial movement of CITES sharks and rays, including their parts and products.
I have all of the appropriate permits. Now what do I do?
An import/export license is generally required for all individuals or businesses that engage in business as an importer or exporter of wildlife. This permit, which is valid for one year, must be acquired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement office within the Region where the applicant is located before any wildlife is imported or exported. Click here for the application form.
Imports of specimens of CITES species must have proper documentation and be brought into ports designated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS). CITES species caught on the high seas must be landed in a USFWS designated port with proper documentation. Click here for a list of designated ports.
Exports of specimens of CITES species must have proper documentation and be shipped out of the United States at ports designated by the USFWS, except when specimens taken on the high seas are landed in a foreign country. Click here for a list of designated ports.
In some instances, you may apply for a designated port exception permit to enter or exit through the port of your choice. For more information on this process, click here.
Please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement for information about clearance procedures at ports of entry and exit. Click here for additional Information on importing and exporting your commercial wildlife shipment, including information on how to obtain an import/export license, designated ports for wildlife, declaration requirements, and user fees.


Three year old Mateo knows a thing or two about arguing. The clued up American toddler has made headlines recently with his articulate (and adorable) argument with his mum as to why he deserves cupcake.
The potential lawyer-in-the-making was caught sneaking cupcakes by his mum Linda Beltran after refusing to eat dinner. Watch Mateo's hilarious comeback to his mum's questioning below… (we particularly love how he cheekily first-names his mum and calls her 'honey').
'Gramma told me he didn't want to eat his dinner,' mum Linda told UberSpotlight. 'I let know that we would not be having a fun night unless he ate his dinner. He found some hidden cupcakes and was on a mission to have them.
And knowing what her tot was like, Linda cleverly decided to film the whole saga – which has racked up almost three million views since it was posted online last month.
Is your toddler a force to be reckoned with? Let us know in the comments box below.


An asset for a company is an entity that helps the company to generate revenue for a long time by using that asset. On the other hand, many economists have defined an asset as an entity whose value increases with time. It's a matter of time that a company sells and purchases assets. Any asset that is fixed and cannot be sold for a particular financial accounting period is termed as a fixed asset.
Fixed Assets are those assets which have a useful life of more than 1 year and these assets are used in business and substantial cost is incurred in purchasing these assets, they are also called the non current assets/property, plant and equipment represent assets held for not less than 365 days or 12 months from the balance sheet date. These assets represent long-term assets held by the company which is expected to yield benefits for more than one year for example of Fixed assets:- Machinery, Land and Building, Vehicles, Furniture and Fixtures, Leasehold improvements etc. Fixed assets enable their owner/company to carry on its operations. In accounting, fixed does not necessarily mean immovable; any asset expected to last, or be in use for, more than one year is considered a fixed asset. On a balance sheet, these assets are shown at their book value (purchase price less depreciation).
Depreciable Assets: Assets which are depreciated during its estimated useful life are called depreciable Assets. For example Plant and Machinery, Vehicle, Building, Patent etc.
Non-Depreciable Assets: Assets which are not depreciated during its estimated useful life are called Non- depreciable Assets. For example Land.
Tangible Asset: Assets which can be touched and seen are called tangible assets. For example Building, vehicle, Plant etc.
Intangible Asset: Assets which cannot be touched and seen but are used in the production process not apparently are called Intangible assets. For example Patent, Copyright etc.
Usually, companies with lots of fixed assets have fixed costs. More fixed than variable costs will make a good revenue year better but make a bad revenue year worse.
Fixed Assets Calculation and finding net fixed assets: We can calculate the Net fixed amount (Depreciated Fixed Asset Value) by taking original asset value and then deducting the amount of depreciation that has already been recorded against this fixed asset and this calculation is recorded at a Balance Sheet level on financial reports.
ERP2ALL's Fixed Asset module consists all the facets of fixed asset management are covered in a comprehensive manner alongside detailed reporting is enabled against each functionality to help reflect the true picture, and users are never out of sync and always have the correct and updated picture of the company's valuable assets. ERP2ALL's Fixed Assets (FA) module enables users to handle asset registration, classification, tagging, retirement and disposal for the individual as well as composite assets. Management functions provide financial, tax and lease asset accounting capabilities in addition to repair/service scheduling. The system handles multiple depreciation methods and is fully integrated with the general ledger including asset control through flexible asset structures, retroactive processing, long-term projections, user-definable calendars and the ability to track insurance and replacement costs.


A streamlined French number, this piece from Bruyere St. Claude takes the classic Lumberman and renders it a bit larger of scale than the common French fare. With a capacious chamber, a compressed oval shank sporting a subtle taper from transition to bit, and a finish of dark walnut, it's sure to be a smoker you'll return to time and time again.
Bowl Height: 1.80 in./45.84 mm.
Chamber Depth: 1.55 in./39.27 mm.
Outside Diameter: 1.41 in./35.85 mm.


Sorico is a lively place situated on Lake Como, it has a few restaurants and all the necessary shops for daily needs.It is also the northernmost village on the lake at the mouth of the river Mera, and is located near Gera Lario, which has a new harbour, facilitating water sports.
The vast grasslands and reed zones around Sorico offer a charming view, there are some long beaches and a nice flat beach is located only about 80 meters away from the village square and is easily accessible.The sandy beach of the Pian di Spagna on Lake Como can be reached in 5 minutes by car.
Sorico also has good restaurants and bars and grocery stores for daily needs. The large shopping mall IPERAL is only 3 Km away.
In summer, live music events are held at the Sports Center.
The district of Bedoi (at 1100 meters) is a historic village on a sunny terrace with impressive views and is only 20 minutes by car via Sorico. There you will find the Agriturismo Farm Hotel Giacomino, an ideal starting point for hiking and mountain biking, because it is right on the trail of the "Via dei Monti Lariani".
District of Dascio:Further north a bit outside of the village center of Sorico lies the Pian di Spagna, with the Nature Reserve and the small village of Dascio at Lake Mezzola.From here you can also take a nice walk to the church of San Fedelino.
The Sanctuary "Santuario di Miro" is 300 meters high on the mountainside.Worth seeing are the frescoes from the 16th century, which are well preserved. A walking and hiking trail "Percorso storico" begins at the main road opposite the petrol station and leads to the medieval tower.
The Valtellina, the beautiful towns and villages on the east side of the lake, the Nature Reserve of Pian di Spagna and many other interesting places can easily and quickly reached from Dascio.


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HomeColumnistsCOVID-19 update with Dr. Benjamin Marcum
COVID-19 update with Dr. Benjamin Marcum
April 2, 2020 jhorton Columnists 3
Medications: Make it better, make it worse?
First, the science on SARS CoV-2 and the disease it causes, COVID-19 is very young. Young science makes for speculation, rapidly spreading headlines without strong evidence to support the claims and more questions than we have answers.
Second, this is not intended to be a comprehensive evaluation of all the literature available on medications and COVID-19 but I hope to promote a clearer understanding of where we are as a medical community when it comes to treating patients with COVID-19.
The main thing to remember that for the most part, treatment involves isolation at home, rest, adequate nutrition and fluids and the disease will pass without long term effects. The reason to seek further medical help is if you can't breathe and that is where the majority of the treatment modalities are being researched.
Potential treatments:
Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) – this is an old medication that works by decreasing inflammation due to immune system activity. It was initially used to treat malaria as well. Mostly in America it is used to treat inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is caused by the immune system attacking the joints in your body. In COVID-19, the people who get very sick seem to suffer suddenly from over-activation of the immune system – something called a cytokine storm. Cytokines are immune system chemicals that cause inflammation to try and kill whatever is infecting the body but they cause harmful effects in the body as well if there are too many released at once. Theoretically, blocking this over-activity of the immune system should lessen acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which is what leads to respiratory failure and intubation. Also, in vitro (in the lab) – it seems to kill SARS CoV-2. Studies are limited. Some studies are Chinese but difficult to assess the validity of the data. A small study in the US showed that hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin decreased viral RNA detected in the treated patients but the study did not assess clinical benefit – the outcome we really care about. The medication also has some side effects, cardiac arrhythmia the most important of which. More studies are coming from locations as varied as Canada to Pakistan.
Azithromycin – this is a common antibiotic in the class call macrolides. You may have taken it before when you were prescribed a zpack for a bacterial respiratory infection. It works by blocking protein synthesis in bacterial cells. SARS CoV-2 is not a bacterial pathogen – it's a virus. Azithromycin won't kill it. But Azithromycin may work to help minimize secondary pneumonia in the setting of COVID-19. It has been used in combination with hydroxychloroquine in some studies and early indications are that it might help a little but it is not an overwhelmingly successful regimen to this point. However, it can also cause the same heart arrhythmia as hydroxychloroquine. There is a study in Utah planned to see which of these two agents work better alone.
Remdesivir – this is one of a handful of antiviral drugs that are being tested for efficacy against COVID-19. It was developed a decade ago and has been tried with multiple viral families in the past – including ebolavirus. It has shown some efficacy against other coronaviruses in the past – which is promising. It illustrates the ingenuity of our molecular chemists when it comes to devising new ways to fight infections. Viruses replicate by hijacking a host's cells' machinery to make copies of themselves. When the cell is so full of virus it can't make any more, the cell bursts and the nefarious little critters invade other cells and start the process over again. This happens over and over until the immune system gets rid of the virus or the host dies. It's like the virus enters the cell and finds the copy machine and starts making copies of itself. To make those copies, there has to be some building blocks, or raw materials around that the virus uses to build new RNA strands. The RNA is the instruction book for how a virus is supposed to behave. One of the building blocks of RNA is adenosine. Remdesivir looks like adenosine. Its shape so closely matches adenosine's that the copy machine in the cell picks it up and tries to use it to build new RNA copies for the baby viruses that are growing. But Remdesivir has a trick up it's sleeve, it won't allow any other molecules to attach to it. It caps the RNA strand right where it was inserted and doesn't let the strand grow to maturity, thereby arresting the growth of the baby virus before it can go and infect other cells. Slowing the rate of replication of the virus allows the immune system to get ahead of it and kill it off. In theory – it should work. In the lab, it does. But what happens in the lab is vastly different that what happens in the wild. There are currently 5 active studies in the US assessing the safety and efficacy Ramdesivir.
Can medications hurt?
Ibuprofen – it seems like if we know anything about this virus, it's that if you take anti-inflammatories or maybe steroids, you will get sicker. This has been reported by many news outlets since well before the virus made itself at home in our country. So far, it seems that the evidence supporting this claim is mostly anecdotal (meaning spread by word of mouth and not evidence based). Medical professionals like to advise their patients based on studies that produce high quality reproducible evidence. A group of scientists in the UK have reviewed 89 different studies and not only looked for evidence that NSAIDs like ibuprofen cause harm but also steroids and other immune system blockers. No evidence existed in those studies that NSAIDs are contraindicated. At this point it appears that the claim that ibuprofen causes worse outcomes is a myth. The myth started after a 4 year old in Britain got worse after taking ibuprofen according to her family. As a result, some regulatory bodies in Europe (UK and France) removed recommendations for using ibuprofen to help alleviate symptoms pending further study and this action was erroneously extrapolated to mean that it actually did cause harm. The immune system is incredibly complex. We need immune activity to help fight the virus but a significant elevation in an immune system protein called interleukin 6 seems to be associated with the worsening pulmonary function that causes respiratory failure. So some immune function should be inhibited while some should not. We just need to sort out what to do to accomplish that. Thankfully people smarter than me are working on that. The bottom line is that Ibuprofen and even low dose steroids will probably not hurt you if you get COVID-19 but the science is still to young to say definitively.
There is nothing like a pandemic to get rid of red tape and accelerate the process of drug development and testing. But you can surmise that development of new medications and re-purposing old ones takes time and careful thought. Thankfully we live in 2020. Scientific processes, dissemination of information and the technology have advanced to the point where the RNA sequence and all the proteins coded for by the virus is known. We are able to target specific structural idiosyncrasies of the virus with new and old medications and learn more quickly than ever what works. It is certain that when a new effective treatment is discovered, your medical community will know right away and will be able to assimilate that method into your care very quickly.
You can go to www.clinicaltrials.gov and read what trials are underway and planned all over the world. At this point there are 260 clinical trials of new therapies to battle COVID-19. The best and brightest are working on solving the problem and I'm pulling for em. Certainly modern medicine will be part of the answer and will help us get to the other side a bit faster. While we wait for the medicines that are going to come to help us, let's do what we can to have as few of us get the infection in the meantime.
Stay well and help each other.
New flexibility on school meals to help families during COVID-19 crisis
Frederick Gillespie
Randall Hamrick says:
In 2010 $100,000,000 was placed in a Defense branch for a new way to develop vaccine. That news is involved with developing a new vaccine for COVAD-19 from those people working and running under radar is July. We the Americans and the medical people came on to these families or stains from in during the Korean War in 1953.
The natural repellent to these influenza's is lemon. No honey or whiskey and lemon. Just lemon. Known for decades.
Are you going to censure me horton or cross?
My comments just arrived at the Pentagon..


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Crayfish of St. Lawrence - About
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Description of database content
Crayfish are an important and diverse group of freshwater crustaceans which includes more than 333 species in North America (Olden et al., 2006). In total, 12 species of crayfish are present in Canada, of which 8 are found in Quebec. These species belong to the Cambaridae family and are separated into two kinds, the Cambarus and Orconectes. Quebec indigenous species are: the Common Crayfish (Cambarus bartonii), the Big Water Crayfish (Cambarus robustus), as well as the Northern Clearwater Crayfish (Orconectes propinquus), Allegheny Crayfish (Orconectes obscurus), Papershell Crayfish (Orconectes immunis) and the Virile Crayfish (Orconectes virilis). Two other species have emerged in the province during the twentieth century, namely the Rusty Crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) and the Spinycheek Crayfish (Orconectes limosus).
© Environment and Climate Change Canada
In freshwater systems, crayfish are among the so-called "keystone" species (Creed Jr., 1994; Crandall et al., 2008), that is to say, whose presence is uniquely invaluable to its environment. This is due to the important role that crayfish play as omnivorous organisms, in which case they have both an impact on aquatic vegetation, upon which they feed, and on invertebrate communities, to which they are predators. They also participate in processing organic waste found in freshwater. This special place in the trophic web enables crayfish as a means of energy transfer between different trophic levels within an ecosystem, (Parkyn et al., 1997; Whitledge and Rabeni, 1997; Parkyn et al., 2001).
In addition, crayfish have commercial potential, either for consumption, as in some countries, (e.g., the USA, France, Spain, Denmark, Turkey,) or as fishing bait. In Quebec, two crayfish species are considered interesting for consumption due to their size: the Virile Crayfish and the Spinycheek Crayfish. In the St. Lawrence River, specifically in Lake Saint-Pierre, the unloading of crayfish can reach from 15 to 20 tons per year (MAPAQ, 2003). Among the important facts to take into account about crayfish fishing in the province, first is the realization that Spinycheek Crayfish represent 90% of catches, and second, that 30% of catches are rejected1, thus the effort of implementing such a product on the market faces significant obstacles, both in terms of supply regularity and quantity (MAPAQ, 2003).
Orconectes rusticus
Though this species, commonly known as the Rusty Crayfish, is native to the basin of the Ohio River, it was introduced in many rivers in United States, Canada and Europe. In systems where it is established, the Rusty Crayfish manages to overcome its indigenous competitors and cause their populations to drop in proportion to the growth of its own population (Lodge et al. 1986). This species already problematic in North America (Olden et al., 2006) has been observed several times in the Outaouais region of Quebec (Dubé and Desroches, 2007). The potential invasion of Quebec freshwater habitats by the Rusty Crayfish calls for better knowledge of the crayfish status and continued tracking of its communities along the fluvial corridor of the St. Lawrence.
Orconectes limosus
O. limosus, or Spinycheek Crayfish, is indigenous to the Atlantic side of the United States. Its presence in Quebec may come as a result of an introduction to the region and/or due to the expansion of its natural habitat. The distribution of the Spinycheek Crayfish throughout the St. Lawrence waters suggests that the arrival of the species is contemporaneous with the construction of the Beauharnois, Carillon and Les Cèdres dams. Even if the species has spread throughout most of the fluvial corridor, and in spite of its ability to migrate upstream, it has not been observed upstream of these structures. The Spinycheek Crayfish has had significant impact on indigenous species in European countries where it was introduced, and proved to be an aggressive and invasive species (Holdich et al., 2009). According to Hamr (1998), the species was first observed in Quebec around 1970 although its presence in the river was first noted in 1949. Despite uncertainties surrounding the causes of its presence in the St. Lawrence, it is necessary to document the distribution of the Spinycheek Crayfish as well as its status among the crayfish communities of Quebec.
Despite their importance in freshwater ecosystems, crayfish have been of relatively little scientific interest in Quebec. Nationally, the only existing reference document written by Hamr (1998), presented a brief morphological description and the geographical distribution of species. When released in 1998, the article reported on a significant information gap regarding crayfish in Quebec. In 2007, Dubé and Desroches published a complementary article on the presence of crayfish in Quebec which included an identification key. That being said, information on crayfish communities still remains very fragmented, especially relating to the St. Lawrence, one of North America's largest rivers. In the early 2000s, in order to overcome the lack of information, Environment Canada launched a project geared toward documenting crayfish species present in the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries. This project was also partly justified by the need of monitoring the situation of crayfish in the region in respect to the risk of invasion and spreading of the Spinycheek and Rusty Crayfish, two species considered invasive.
The project aims to improve knowledge about crayfish species in Quebec, including their distribution along the river corridor of the St. Lawrence. The project has set up a database that enables time based monitoring of crayfish communities. Monitoring crayfish is important firstly to understand the relative importance of the Spinycheek crayfish in different communities of the St. Lawrence, and secondly, in order to detect the arrival and potential impact of Rusty Crayfish as an invasive species.
For each species, this database includes:
Observation date;
Names of stations;
Location (latitude and longitude);
Agency responsible for observation;
Gear used for harvesting;
Species;
Number of crayfish;
The type of substrate2 where the sample was collected.
According to the MAPAQ, quantities of crayfish captured are not consistent enough in quantity to meet the demands of neither industrial processors nor the market. Most of crayfish catches are sold directly by fishermen from their fishing business. The sale of crayfish is done directly by fishermen.
The type of substrate can be composed of several characteristics, the first mentioned being always the most important.
This project is made possible by:
Environment and Climate Change Canada (St. Lawrence Centre, Canadian Wildlife Service, Biosphère) and
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (Laboratory of Dr. Gilbert Cabana)
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