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Fourth National Women's Music Festival program cover, 1977
Getting In Tune: Women's Summer Music Festivals
Summer can evoke images of friends, music, freedom, and the outdoors. Although people don't generally associate libraries with music and the outdoors, some collections of personal papers currently held by the Schlesinger Library contain materials from open-air events, such as women's music festivals. Many of these music festivals began in the 1970s, and women who attended them often experienced them as a form of fellowship. The events provided a supportive community for those who may have felt isolated in the larger society.
Marietta Tree, ca.1945. Photo courtesy of Schlesinger Library
Marietta Tree: More than Just a Pretty Face
A celebrity in her own right among politicians and public figures of the mid-20th century, Mary (Marietta) Endicott Tree's (1917–1991) life was defined by glamour, public service, and political pursuits. Her life was also characterized by the limitations and opportunities of being a woman in elite and powerful circles.
In Honor of Women's History Month: The Things We Carried
In the course of the past 150 years, women's efforts in behalf of social justice (including suffrage, equal rights, fair labor laws, peace, and civil rights for African Americans and gays and lesbians) have been well documented in diaries, speeches, correspondence, and meeting minutes—some passionate and intimate, others written for a public audience. But what happens to those ephemeral pieces left behind in dresser drawers or rolled up at the back of a closet, forgotten once the march was over or the election won?
Louise Walker, aboard a ship about to sail for Europe, 1935
They Call It Love
Hundreds of love letters and diary entries about love, heartbreak, marriage, divorce, and family relationships spanning four generations are among the materials in the Louise Walker McCannel Papers, which the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute received between 2008 and 2012.
Experimenting in the Archives
Book Postings
October 12—the Day of Digital Archives—and every day at the Schlesinger Library is dedicated to finding new ways to use technology in manuscript processing. The library began an Experimental Archives project in 2011 with a team of archivists working collaboratively to brainstorm and then test new approaches.
Miriam Van Waters, ca. 1920
Celebrating the Quasquicentennial of Miriam Van Waters (October 4, 1887–January 17, 1974)
Boston History
Audiovisual Collections
The Schlesinger Library holds the papers of Miriam Van Waters, Massachusetts juvenile court and penal reformist.
Poster from the Alice Park Poster collection. A woman in armor on a horse carrying a flag in support of the Stanford Chapter of the Collegiate Woman Equal Suffrage League.
Suffrage Posters
The Schlesinger Library has recently digitized hundreds of posters from its collections, including dozens of suffrage posters representing the efforts of both the American and British suffrage campaigns. To celebrate the certification of the 19th Amendment, which occurred on August 26, 1920, we've put together a few highlights below.


Annette utilizes the SkinPen® by Bellus Medical, the most advanced Microneedling tool on the market today.
SkinPen® is the safest, most effective vertical Microneedling device that offers state-of-the-art skin rejuvenating technology. By creating a series of hundreds of vertical microscopic channels into the dermis, SkinPen® stimulates the natural production of new collagen and elastin.
Traditional Microneedling dermarollers can bend, break, or even rust. As a result, infection or scarring may occur with reuse. SkinPen® is different. Through an optimized micro-channel creation, SkinPen® uses straight needles to penetrate at a 90 degree angle to stimulate your skin's natural ability to produce new collagen and elastin formation, encouraging your skin to look and feel healthier.
SkinPen® is extremely versatile and can be used on the face, neck and decolletage.
As each person's skin and needs are different, treatment requirements and response to treatments will vary. The number of sessions required and the depth of treatment will vary based on what each individual would like to achieve.
Annette recommends a series of 3 treatments, spaced 6 weeks apart, for your optimum results.
Dermaplaning is a skin resurfacing procedure that uses a special surgical blade to scrape away the surface layer of dead skin cells and fine hairs from the face. The controlled scraping safely refines the treated area by allowing the underlying layer of smooth, clear, undamaged skin to emerge.
Our facials are designed to target your skin's specific needs: Anti-aging, brightening and rosacea. Your skin is steam-misted, cleansed and smoothed. To ensure the best results, we use a combination of Skinceuticals and Sierra NV MD products to address your skin's specific needs. When you leave your skin will have undergone a transformation. It will be smoother; more hydrated and have a youthful glow.
LED Light Therapy stimulates the body's own cellular mechanisms by photomodulation and is non-invasive, non-ablative and safe. With no damage to the sub-dermal tissue, it is relaxing and calming and is compatible with any existing skin rejuvenation techniques like dermal fillers and neuromodulators. It helps your skin cells optimize energy production and nutrient absorption while it simultaneously decreases toxicity and inflammation.
A series of 6, 1 per week, is recommended.
Microdermabrasion is a medical-based, professional treatment that is non-surgical, cosmetic procedure for facial skin resurfacing. It leaves your skin looking and feeling smoother, clearer, firmer and younger with much more even texture. It can reduce or remove fine lines, wrinkles and unwanted pigmentation and stimulates the growth of new skin cells. It is most commonly used on the face, but it can also be used on the neck, hands or arms. During a microdermabrasion treatment, your expert esthetician uses a hand held device to spray micro-crystals onto an area to exfoliate gently, leaving skin newer and fresher.
A series of 6 is recommended, 1 every 2 weeks.


What's worse than forgetting marshmallows on a camping trip, or for a barbecue, or that roaring bonfire? Depending on your circle of friends, you just might want to do a double check before leaving home. And, how good would s'mores be without a few ooey-gooey toasted marshmallows? Yes indeed. Kids, summer barbecues, and cookouts all require marshmallows.
For as much ritual and fanfare that marshmallows tend to receive, there's really not much to them. They are pretty basic. Take a little granulated sugar, some egg whites and gelatin, add a couple other pantry staples and you've pretty much got the makings for a heap of better-than-store-bought marshmallows.
Have you ever wondered what keeps marshmallows from sticking together? Turns outs it is probably a just a mixture of confectioners' sugar and cornstarch (and probably some other preservatives).
Marshmallows can be made without egg whites, but I've found that the egg whites provide fluffier and more stable results than those relying only on gelatin. I prefer David Lebovitz's clever version that is based on the Italian meringue principle. Streaming boiling hot syrup into beaten egg whites further stabilizes them and also makes them safe to eat without further cooking.
If you are interested in making a batch, the biggest effort will be in figuring out your candy thermometer and keeping an eye open for the syrup to reach the firm-ball stage, around 245 degrees F. At that point, when a bit of it is dropped into cold water it will form a firm but malleable ball when held between your fingers. Caramels are also cooked to this stage.
While this is happening you will have beaten your egg whites into a thick and billowy mass. The syrup is streamed in, and then the dissolved gelatin is added, plus a bit of flavoring. It is all whipped for about ten minutes — enough time to beat the gelatin and egg whites into an expansive fluff. The final "cream" is spread out and left to firm up before it is cut, shaped, and dusted with the coating mix.
Practice a little sugar and egg alchemy of your own, and you too, will hold one of the magical secrets of happy camping.
Sift together the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch dusting mixture. Butter a rimmed 8×10″ pan and sift a generous layer of the mixture onto it, leaving no bare spots. Set aside the remainder in a wide bowl.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water to soften and dissolve.
In a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and 1/3 cup water and set over medium-high heat.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. On low speed, beat the eggs until frothy and add a pinch of salt.
When the syrup reaches about 210 degrees F, increase the speed of the mixer to high and beat the whites until they are thick and fluffy.
When the syrup reaches 245 degrees F, with mixer running on high speed, slowly pour the hot syrup onto the side of the bowl into the whites. Note: if the whites become thick and fluffy before the syrup is ready, stop the mixer and wait for the syrup to reach 245 degrees. .
Scrape the dissolved gelatin and water into the still hot syrup pan and swirl it to liquidize. Pour this slowly onto the side of the bowl into the whites while they are whipping. Add the vanilla extract and continue to whip for 10 minutes, until the mixture is completely cool when the outside of the bowl is touched.
Use a spatula to spread the marshmallow "cream" into a layer in the pan. Dust the top lightly with the dusting mixture. Allow to dry for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, uncovered. (It can also be piped or scoped on the sheet instead).
To cut the marshmallows, use a pizza cutter or scissors (sprayed with cooking oil) into long strips or any shape desired. Place a few cut pieces at a time into the dusting mixture and sift more over them to coat completely. Shake the marshmallows vigorously in a wire strainer to remove any excess.
The marshmallows can be made up to one week in advance, and stored in an airtight container.
Flavor with peppermint extract, orange or other flavoring and tint with complementary food dyes. Dust with colored sugar, dip in toasted coconut or melted chocolate. Package in gift bags with personalized bags of cocoa mix.
Like everyone else in the country, my life is finally getting back to normal after early December's subzero weather. Although the holiday season is certainly not 'normal', at least the major forces in my world are getting back on track.
One of the first items on my agenda was to jump into the holiday baking. As a prelude to that, I pulled out my old madeleine pan (for new nonstick version check out the Fox Run Madeleine Pan) and baked off a batch of these sweet treats.
No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin.
Yes, these are the things of which memories are made. Happy holidays.
Often made with ground nuts, I prefer this simple version.
Beat the eggs well and slowly add the sugar until mixture is thick and fluffy. Add the flour.
Gently stir in the butter and grated lemon or ginger until completely blended. Chill if time permits, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the shells well or spray them well with oil.
Scoop about 1-1/2 tsp. batter into each mold. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on rack about 5 minutes then remove from pans. Wipe out pan and continue. Yield: about 30.
Dust with confectioners' sugar. Best eaten the same day.
Chocolate variation: Add 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa with flour; instead of lemon peel use 2 oz. grated semi-sweet chocolate.


"AZZOPARDI, JOSEPH, LEADING COOK (O) (MALTA)"
AZZOPARDI, Leading Cook (0), JOSEPH, E/LX 22087.
H.M.S. Kandahar. Royal Navy. 20th December 1941. Age 29.
Son of Carmel and Assunta Azzopardi, of Valletta, Malta, G. C.
Husband of Rosina Azzopardi, of Valletta.


Home » Does Fatigue Put Maritime Workers at Risk?
Maritime workers are essential to the global economy. More than 90 percent of the world's trade is shipped by sea or across navigable waters. However, the maritime industry is plagued with falls overboard, groundings caused by navigation errors, collisions, fires, drownings and even amputation injuries. Unfortunately, many of these accidents are caused by fatigued maritime workers.
For those who work at sea, fatigue is just part of the job. Maritime workers perform intense labor for longer hours than many workers on land. Whether they work on a luxury cruise ship or on an Alaskan crab fishing, most seamen work more than 12 hours a day. However, studies show fatigued maritime workers put the ships, the crew and themselves in danger.
According a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, fatigue creates a constant state of weariness that lowers mental abilities and physical weariness. For most seamen, chronic fatigue is not uncommon, especially when you factor in intense labor, quality of sleep, work shifts, the length of tours, sleep disturbances (such as drills) and time zone crossings.
Latti & Anderson LLP is a maritime accident law firm that helps those who are injured at sea.


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Нижняя анастомотическая вена, или вена Лаббе соединяет  с поперечным синусом в области его перехода в .

Была впервые описана французским учёным  в 1879 году, в честь которого и получила своё название.

Топография
Вена Лаббе относится к поверхностным венам мозга. Как и в других сосудах данной группы в ней выделяют пиально-арахноидальную, субарахноидальную и субдуральную части. Пиально-арахноидальная часть непосредственно собирает многочисленные ветви от вещества головного мозга. Субдуральная часть располагается непосредственно под твёрдой мозговой оболочкой у места впадения в синус.

Функциональное значение
Вена Лаббе обеспечивает венозный отток конвекситальной поверхности височной доли головного мозга. Также по ней происходит отток крови из средней мозговой вены в поперечный синус. Возможно движение крови и в противоположном направлении.

Клиническая картина поражения вены Лаббе
Вена Лаббе может быть повреждена во время хирургических вмешательств либо при тромбозе. При этом возникает нарушение оттока крови, что может привести к развитию острого нарушения мозгового кровообращения и/или отёку мозга в области височной доли с соответствующей общемозговой и очаговой неврологической симптоматикой. К описанным при поражении вены Лаббе общемозговым симптомами относят головную боль, тошноту, рвоту, фотофобию и утрату сознания. Характерными очаговыми неврологическими симптомами являются аграфия, афазия, центральный парез лицевого нерва, контрлатеральные парезы руки и ноги. Инсульты вследствие нарушения венозного оттока по вене Лаббе достаточно редки. Тромбоз вен коры головного мозга в общем количестве острых нарушений мозгового кровообращения составляет менее 1 %.

Примечания

Литература

Вены

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Comms Log: Lt. Murell is a datapoint in Horizon Zero Dawn. It is the twelfth item in Audio Datapoints.
MURELL: Titan inbound. Same play as Akron. Base defense locks it down. We engage, sever the limbs, blast out the foundries!
MILLS: Another day in the life!
ACOSTA: 9th MRB on point! Hoo-ah!


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Company Results & Forecasts
Purplebricks expansion continues as revenue soars
Interim results for six months to 31 October show firm has completed £5.4bn of UK property transactions
Kenny Kemp
Purplebricks chief executive Michael Bruce said the firm's UK business saw strong sales growth, market share gains and a 'step-up in both profitability and positive cashflow'
The international expansion of Purplebricks, the hybrid real estate agency, is continuing apace after its expansion into seven states of America, an acquisition in Canada and a deal with Axel Springer's group in Germany. The group revenues for the half year was £70.1 million up 75%, with 31% of this coming from its international sales.
Revenue in the UK rose 39% to £48.3 million, according to its interim results for the six months ended 31 October. Group gross margin up by 26% to 59.9% with adjusted EBITDA £8.4 million, up 265%.
Purplebricks takes stake in German rival - City round-up
In its operational highlights, the firm has completed £5.4 billion of UK property transactions, saving customers £96 million in commission.
The company now has a 74% share of the UK hybrid market, a combination of estate agencies and online sales. DuProprio/ComFree, the Canadian business acquired in July 2018, continues to meet management's high expectations, and the firm has agreed a minority joint venture investment in Homeday.de, the German hybrid real estate agent. The American expansion includes Arizona, Nevada and Florida.
Vic Darvey, former managing director of MoneySupermarket, has been appointed as the first Group Chief Operating Officer, starting January 2019.
Michael Bruce, Group CEO, said: "Our UK business continues to make good progress, with strong sales growth, market share gains and a step-up in both profitability and positive cashflow. It is this strength that will see Purplebricks emerge stronger from the ongoing industry shakeout, which is expected to continue to expose undercapitalised traditional and online competitors.
"Following Axel Springer's investment in March, we are already seeing how shared knowledge and best practice across the business can benefit the entire Group.
Purplebricks to expand into Canada with £29.3m acquisition
"Purplebricks has led industry change and through our strategy of relentless innovation will continue to do so. We are always looking to improve the customer experience and with over £100 million of net cash, we are uniquely placed to do so, investing in technology and first class people. We remain confident that our UK success will be replicated internationally and that we will deliver substantial value for our shareholders."
Retail & ConsumerPrimark owner warns of £1bn sales hit if lockdown is extendedThe company has been forced to close more than 300 stores around the world
Covid-19 project delays cause 20% fall in revenue for Wood Group
Wood GroupChief executive hails resilient financial performance against a challenging backdrop of the pandemic and oil price volatility
Glasgow Airport reveals 'material uncertainties' over its future
Glasgow AirportAccounts for the year prior to the coronavirus crisis already showed profits falling to £45.1m
M&S group revenue falls as sales slump during festive season
Marks & SpencerChief executive hails 'robust trading performance' in the face of volatile Covid headwinds
Reach plc says its 2020 profits will be ahead of expectations
Company Results & ForecastsThe media group reported that its digital revenue performance is driving the improving picture

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Your feet have an amazing ability to absorb. In fact, garlic rubbed on the soles of your feet can be detected on your breath in 20 minutes or less. (Try it yourself if you have any doubts). In much the same way, essential oils penetrate the soles of your feet and deliver aromatherapeutic benefits to your body. Our Elation foot rub is made with pure essential oils of Rosewood, Basil Linalool and Ylang Ylang blended into Golden Jojoba to help lift your spirits and brighten your mood.
Product Contains:Rosewood, Ylang Ylang and Basil Linalool.


Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority - How is Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority abbreviated?
Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority wish to let a contract on behalf of Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS), for Operational Assurance Auditing services.
Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority wishes to let a contract on behalf of Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire and Rescue Service (BMKFRS) and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) for Apprenticeship Training Agency to employ and manage the apprenticeship scheme for various roles within BMKFRS.


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Susan Brooks & Jacky Rosen
Compare the voting records of Susan Brooks and Jacky Rosen in 2017-18.
Susan Brooks
Represented Indiana's 5th Congressional District. This is her 3rd term in the House.
Jacky Rosen
Represented Nevada's 3rd Congressional District. This is her 1st term in the House.
Susan Brooks and Jacky Rosen are from different parties and disagreed on 64 percent of votes in the 115th Congress (2017-18).
March 15, 2018 — Regulation At Improvement Act of 2017
Feb. 8, 2018 — Mortgage Choice Act of 2017
Dec. 20, 2017 — Corporate Governance Reform and Transparency Act
Dec. 14, 2017 — Strengthening Oversight of Iran's Access to Finance Act
Dec. 7, 2017 — Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes
Sept. 14, 2017 — Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act
March 2, 2017 — Regulatory Integrity Act
March 1, 2017 — SCRUB Act
Jan. 12, 2017 — SEC Regulatory Accountability Act
June 28, 2018 — Foster of Illinois Amendment No. 24
June 15, 2018 — Thornberry of Texas Part A Amendment No. 4
June 7, 2018 — Connolly of Virginia Part B Amendment No. 27
May 23, 2018 — Amodei of Nevada Amendment No. 8
April 18, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5444) Taxpayer First Act, and providing for consideration of the (H.R. 5445) 21st Century IRS Act
Nov. 14, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 2874, the 21st Century Flood Reform Act; and the conference report to accompany H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018
Nov. 2, 2017 — Providing for consideration of the bill H.R. 849, Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act.
Oct. 11, 2017 — Providing for consideration of S. 585, the Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017; providing for proceedings during the period from October 16, 2017, through October 20, 2017; and providing for consideration of motions to suspend the rules
Sept. 13, 2017 — Clark of Massachusetts Amendment No. 154
Sept. 13, 2017 — Polis of Colorado Amendment No. 76
July 27, 2017 — Nadler of New York Part B Amendment No. 38
July 20, 2017 — Grijalva of Arizona Part C Amendment No. 3
July 13, 2017 — Nadler of New York Part B Amendment No. 6
June 7, 2017 — Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico Amendment No. 1
May 24, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 1973, Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act of 2017; providing for consideration of HR 1761, Protecting Against Child Exploitation Act of 2017; providing for proceedings during the period from May 26, 2017, through June 5, 2017
April 28, 2017 — Providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 99) making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2017, and for other purposes
Feb. 28, 2017 — Plaskett of Virgin Islands Amendment No. 4


text:
'use strict';

import type {PlatformConfig} from '../AnimatedPlatformConfig';
import type {EndCallback} from '../animations/Animation';
import type AnimatedValue from './AnimatedValue';

import NativeAnimatedHelper from '../NativeAnimatedHelper';
import AnimatedNode from './AnimatedNode';

export default class AnimatedTracking extends AnimatedNode {
  _value: AnimatedValue;
  _parent: AnimatedNode;
  _callback: ?EndCallback;
  _animationConfig: Object;
  _animationClass: any;
  _useNativeDriver: boolean;

  constructor(
    value: AnimatedValue,
    parent: AnimatedNode,
    animationClass: any,
    animationConfig: Object,
    callback?: ?EndCallback,
  ) {
    super();
    this._value = value;
    this._parent = parent;
    this._animationClass = animationClass;
    this._animationConfig = animationConfig;
    this._useNativeDriver =
      NativeAnimatedHelper.shouldUseNativeDriver(animationConfig);
    this._callback = callback;
    this.__attach();
  }

  __makeNative(platformConfig: ?PlatformConfig) {
    this.__isNative = true;
    this._parent.__makeNative(platformConfig);
    super.__makeNative(platformConfig);
    this._value.__makeNative(platformConfig);
  }

  __getValue(): Object {
    return this._parent.__getValue();
  }

  __attach(): void {
    this._parent.__addChild(this);
    if (this._useNativeDriver) {
      // when the tracking starts we need to convert this node to a "native node"
      // so that the parent node will be made "native" too. This is necessary as
      // if we don't do this `update` method will get called. At that point it
      // may be too late as it would mean the JS driver has already started
      // updating node values
      let {platformConfig} = this._animationConfig;
      this.__makeNative(platformConfig);
    }
  }

  __detach(): void {
    this._parent.__removeChild(this);
    super.__detach();
  }

  update(): void {
    this._value.animate(
      new this._animationClass({
        ...this._animationConfig,
        toValue: (this._animationConfig.toValue: any).__getValue(),
      }),
      this._callback,
    );
  }

  __getNativeConfig(): any {
    const animation = new this._animationClass({
      ...this._animationConfig,
      // remove toValue from the config as it's a ref to Animated.Value
      toValue: undefined,
    });
    const animationConfig = animation.__getNativeAnimationConfig();
    return {
      type: 'tracking',
      animationId: NativeAnimatedHelper.generateNewAnimationId(),
      animationConfig,
      toValue: this._parent.__getNativeTag(),
      value: this._value.__getNativeTag(),
    };
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This year marked the 15th Anniversary of the Red Deer WALK for ALS, and it was an overwhelming success! Hundreds of people gathered in Kiwanis Picnic Park to channel hope for a future without ALS, raising an incredible $89,000 and counting! Thank you to the Red Deer WALK for ALS Committee for all that you do, and to Michelle Parker and Deborah Hansen for your continued leadership!


text:
E.E. Burke
On The Journey
Category: Special Price
10th Anniversary Celebration: Passion and Photography
November 23, 2020 / EEBurke / 0 Comments
Steam train image by Matthew Malkiewicz; cover design by Erin Dameron-Hill
One of the greatest challenges and pleasures in self-publishing is partnering with other artists to conceive the book cover. It's the physical representation of your story, and so it has to be right. For the Steam! Romance and Rails series, I didn't just want pictures of trains, I wanted images that would capture the passion and drama of a long-ago time and bring it alive.
When I came across a website featuring the photographic art of Matthew Malkiewicz, I knew I'd found perfect fit. His photography visibly defines the era and captures the mood I want to evoke. His trains are featured on eight of my books, and his iconic images are also featured in the banner of my website and on my newsletter.
Contrary to what some might say, authors can't launch and sustain careers without great partners, such as critique buddies, editors, illustrators, and designers, photographers, to name a few. In this post, I wanted to extend a special thanks to someone who has been a valued partner and friend on the journey, Matthew Malkiewicz.
I'll let him tell his story in his own words:
How did you get started "shooting" trains?
Photo by Matthew Malkiewicz
It was more an awakening than an idea, it all started at the age of 4 months. I have a photo of myself watching a toy train run around the Christmas tree as a baby, it must have hooked me well. As a kid I had a model train layout on a piece of plywood in the basement, and in my teens I received my first camera, which I aimed at every train I saw. After a long period in my life without cameras or trains a job assignment in Colorado (a train mecca) during 2005 rekindled both hobbies, driving me to buy my first digital camera. At the same time I discovered the power of Photoshop, soon after I created my website to showcase my rapidly growing collection of photographs. It's been a snowball effect ever since.
What are some of your favorite locations or settings?
I concentrate on vintage steam locomotives from all across the United States. Now they have second lives as tourist operations, the fortunate trains that survived the scrapping after the fleet was retired in the middle of the last century. Modern day railroading, both passenger and freight revenue, are pulled by either diesel or electric engines. My passion gravitates to the machines of yesteryear, fire-breathing monsters that seem to be alive whether you have your hand against the polished steel or you are two bluffs away looking across acres of prairie grass. I envision how it must have been back in the day and try to create photographs as timeless as possible to depict what I consider a vibrantly better and sadly vanished time.
What drew you to photographing old steam engines?
The allure of capturing images that stimulate one's senses is what drew me to photograph steam-powered locomotives. I wanted to bring to life the smells of the coal fueling the engine, the sound of the steam hissing, and the earth rattling as these magnificent machines sit idling or are in motion. These machines of steam are alive. Each is unique, its own personality, which changes from day to day. At a state of rest the locomotive is groaning, sweating, simmering, creaking, spitting. At speed it's controlled madness – the ground shakes, sound deafening.
What's the coolest train you've ever photographed and why?
Halloween weekend 2011 at the East Broad Top Railroad in Pennsylvania. Nothing, and I mean nothing; can keep me away from capturing that awe-inspiring shot of a majestic steam locomotive. However, the Halloween nor'easter would certainly test my fortitude. The storm produced unusually early season snowfall across the northeastern United States, breaking records for total accumulations. As the morning passed on, the snow intensified. By the time the train made its way out of town for its first run of the day, we had experienced near whiteout conditions and things got real quiet. With a typical steam train, you would expect to hear wheels clacking against the rails and steam puffing from the stack. But to my surprise, the snow seemed to envelop and muffle the familiar sound of the locomotive. As the train bellowed down the snowy rails, it was visible that the pine trees struggled to support the weight of the fresh snow, and the cornfields became covered in a white blanket. The autumn-colored leaves indicated that perhaps the trees were also caught off-guard by the storm. An image from the day, aptly named "Train on a Snow Day", placed second in the Center for Railroad Photography & Art's 2014 Awards Program.
Do you enjoy seeing your work interpreted on book covers? Is it how you might have imagined, or completely different?
Yes I do. We all interpret a scene differently, it's what makes us individuals. I enjoy seeing how others, such as the graphic artist of a book cover, takes my photograph and add their own style, flair, and techniques to enhance. The final results have been beyond my expectations; very pleasantly surprised every time.
Here are some of Matthew's images on book covers designed by the very talented Erin Dameron-Hill.
Photograph by Matthew Malkiewicz; cover design by Erin Dameron-Hill
What dreams have been realized as a result of your photography?
Throughout life, we all seek our own way in the pursuit of happiness, to find something that's going to set us apart from the pack, mold our life into something special, and discover the sense in it all. We test different things to determine what will help us in our quest, push us beyond our own limits, and achieve our dreams. My galleries capture my travels and experiences across our countryside. Some near home, others far away and remote, all uniquely memorable. It's a passion that has taken me to where I am in life today. My hope is that someday my portfolio will be an inspiration to others interested in this hobby I truly love. I'm confident that one day I will capture my most spectacular image. Until then, each photo tells the story of lost time, remembered.
While Matthew continues to pursue his dream of capturing soul-stirring images of an era long past, I continue to pursue my dream to write stories that will transport readers to the past and connect them to the hopes and dreams of others and themselves.
I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to share them with you, dear reader.
Enjoy a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
With fondness and gratitude,
Love for all seasons with 99c Brides of Noelle sale
February 11, 2019 / EEBurke / 0 Comments
Get four bestselling romances for less than the price of a box of chocolates!
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JOLIE by E.E. Burke
On sale for 99 cents this week only
Jolie LaFemme has been a working girl at La Maison for four long years…ever since being betrayed and left penniless, grieving and adrift. She's jaded, distrustful and blind to the possibility of love. As far as she's concerned, being the madam of a popular sporting house is the best she can hope for, and nothing will convince her to give up the coveted and lucrative position.
Hank Donavan arrives in Noelle with a plan to ensure his sister's financial security, and regain his pride. He's a man in his prime, handsome by any measure, but an accident ruined his vision, and his future. Now, he travels with his dog, Bear, and sells beautiful handmade Valentine's cards. His big opportunity comes when he gets a chance to invest in the town's richest silver mine. There's only one catch: he has to be married first.
Who would marry a blind man with little to recommend him when there are plenty of hale and hearty men to go around?
OPHELIA by Kit Morgan
On sale for 99 cents this week only!
Clint Jones comes to Noelle for one purpose and one purpose only. Get in, assess the town and get out. Then he'd report to his superiors at Wells Fargo and Company to let them know if Noelle is respectable and prosperous enough to open a branch there. What Clint finds is anything but respectable! Toss in a violet-eyed beauty who takes his breath away, a mayor and a preacher he things are consorting with the worsts sorts of evil, and the fun begins.
NORAH by Amanda McIntyre
Not proud of his seedy entanglements back East, Irish immigrant Seamus Malone is determined to create a new and better life in the western frontier. Despite attempts to reach the woman that captured his heart, his letters for the last four years have gone unanswered.
Will a plea for help from Noelle's new matchmaker convince his estranged wife to join him in this new world, proving his love, and that he is a changed man?
Passion (and a controlling aunt) drove Norah into marriage, but when she finds her new husband dabbling in drink and dangerous liaisons, she bid him farewell, relenting to his pipe dreams of a better life, while she remained behind living in the shame of a broken marriage. When a dark truth is discovered she must now decide if the love she once felt is enough to survive a second chance?
ROBYN by Jacqui Nelson
Raised by three free-spirited older brothers, Robyn Llewellyn has learned to fight for what she wants—and now she wants to transform her boss and best friend, Max Peregrine, into a lifelong partner. Determined to become the image of what a marriage-minded man wants, Robyn trades her trousers for a dress and heads to Max's hometown of Noelle, Colorado. But changing who she is with the help of the now happily married Brides of Noelle puts her friendship with Max at risk, and now he fears he may take her away from him forever.
This year, my husband and I celebrate 32 years of marriage the day after Valentine's Day. We intended to get married on Valentine's Day, but it fell on a Friday that year, which wasn't good for out of town guests, so we pushed our wedding to one day later. Now we get to celebrate for two days!
I picked Valentine's Day as the setting for my story because for me it is the most romantic time of the year. I thought it fitting that Hank Donovan would sell Valentine's cards and did some research into Victorian handmade cards. They were truly works of art.
Hank happens to be blind, which makes his story all the more intriguing. When he gives one of the handmade cards to a cynical madam who considers "love" a transaction, something magical begins to happen, and two people who had nearly lost hope begin to dream again.
May you find your happily ever after,
Pick up all four delightful Brides of Noelle romances for a sweet deal, only 99 cents each. Click the names below.
Ophelia |Jolie | Norah |Robyn
Have you read any of the Noelle books? in the Twelve Days or Brides series? If so, which character would you invite to dinner and why?
Romancing Mark Twain
Share the blessing
Myths, legends and inspiration
A new edition, a new book and a brand new look
E.E. Burke: On The Journey
Redbird, Book 2, Steam! Romance and Rails
In August, 1870, the Katy railroad arrives in Indian Territory to an unwelcome greeting from the people who live there. During the tense standoff, which stalls construction and ignites tempers, a peaceful resolution appears impossible. So does a love that springs up between a wealthy railroad heiress and the desperate Cherokee outlaw who kidnaps her.
"E.E. Burke understands the heart of romance...and delivers it."
Maggie Shayne, New York Times bestselling author
© 2022 E.E. Burke


A graduate of the Faculty of Arts at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin. 2005 diploma in sculpture studio under the guidance of prof. Adam Myjak. Postgraduate Faculty of Architecture, Silesian University of Technology - Architecture and Interior Design 2011.
We want to offer our customers outstanding products that will attract attention and make an impression. The quality of detail, proportions, perspective, mimics, form and context in which the sculpture will be presented are very important for us.
During the work with our projects we use the knowledge and experience of architects, interior designers, graphic artists and professional artisans - masters of their domains.
Our sculptures will make a great impression on your guests and customers.


More info:From £899 - £989 excluding flights. Optional single supplement £163. Mimimum age 16.
Evia is a really beautiful hidden gem and if you're looking for a walking holiday in Greece that features well worn stone path ways and characterful sleepy villages sandwiched between rugged mountain countryside then this eight day guided group itinerary is well worth investigating further.
From the warmth of the sun and the scent of rosemary and salty sea breeze, Evia is an absolute delight for all the senses with atmospheric local towns and villages waiting for walkers to arrive without the usual merry-go-round of hustle and bustle associated with mass tourism.
Make the most of walking from one local taverna or seaside café to the next is only matched by opportunities to learn more about the island's ancient cultural heritage with Roman and Byzantine architecture appearing just as readily as tucked away coves from where to take the plunge into the Med.
As a walking holiday, this trip has very limited detrimental impact upon the environment, residents and communities in the regions we visit. Adverse effects like pollution and threatening wildlife are not an issue and although erosion on popular paths can be problematic, guides can advise pre-planned routes to avoid this. Trekking also allows for flexibility and allows for easy access to the local population, shops and restaurants, which facilitates cultural exploration. We use local transport and taxis throughout the trip, having a positive effect on infrastructure and small transfer companies. By operating consciously with a 'leave no trace' policy, we are able to raise local awareness for a kind of tourism which refuses to sacrifice the environment and real connections with local people.


text:
Brian Kemp, Georgia, Police, Uncategorized
Georgia on My Mind: "butt-wiper" Brian Kemp, Coronavirus, Ahmaud Arbery, Glynn County
August 14, 2020 cjjohns08	Leave a comment
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, (8/13/20) even the administration's coronavirus task force is warning that Georgia continues to see a "widespread and expanding community viral spread." And, the task force warns that the state's current policies aren't enough to curtail the spread of the virus.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in August signed into law a new measure providing additional legal protections to police officers, a step that critics say is flawed and out of step with nationwide efforts to make officers more accountable for their actions.
From The Root: "Georgia governor and unofficial Donald Trump butt-wiper Brian Kemp signed a proposal into law Wednesday that basically treats police officers as a protected class because white conservatives have convinced themselves that "blue" people are actually an oppressed minority. What's worse is that the bill was pushed by state Senate Republicans as an ultimatum demanding it be signed into law otherwise they wouldn't approve a hate-crime bill that had finally gained overwhelming support and approval after the killing of Ahmaud Arbery." https://www.theroot.com/georgia-gov-brian-kemp-signs-police-protection-bill-in-1844634019
Ahmaud ArberyAtlantaBrian KempCoronavirusGeorgiahate crimepolice abuseprotected classRepubicansviral spread
American exceptionalism, Authoritarianism, Books on Politics, Capitalism, Coronavirus, Corrupt Governmen, Democracy, Democratic Elite, Economy, International, Uncategorized
Flailing States: Reaction to the Pandemic: Pankaj Mishra
July 27, 2020 cjjohns08	Leave a comment
Pankaj Mishra · Flailing States: Anglo-America Loses its Grip · London Review of Books, 16 July 2020
'The abyss of history is deep enough to hold us all,' Paul Valéry wrote in 1919, as Europe lay in ruins. The words resonate today as the coronavirus blows the roof off the world, most brutally exposing Britain and the United States, these prime movers of modern civilisation, which proudly claimed victory in two world wars, and in the Cold War, and which until recently held themselves up as exemplars of enlightened progress, economic and cultural models to be imitated across the globe.
'The true test of a good government,' Alexander Hamilton wrote, 'is its aptitude and tendency to produce a good administration.' It is a test the United States and Britain have failed ruinously during the current crisis. Both countries had weeks of warnings about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan; strategies deployed by nations that responded early, such as South Korea and Taiwan, could have been adapted and implemented. But Donald Trump and Boris Johnson chose instead to claim immunity. 'I think it's going to work out fine,' Trump announced on 19 February. On 3 March, the day the UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies warned against shaking hands, Johnson boasted after a visit to a hospital treating coronavirus patients: 'I shook hands with everybody, you will be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands.'
CapitalismCoronavirusEnglandgood governmenthandling of the viruspandemicUnited States
Authoritarianism, Capitalism, Corporate Crime, Corrupt Governmen, Democracy, Environment, FEMA, Government, Graft, Greed and Corruption, Law, Law and Justic
Monday Morning Rundown: Bailout Payoffs, Pollution for Profit, Seizure of PPE, Elimination of Over-Sight
May 17, 2020 cjjohns08	4 Comments
SUNDAY 17 MAY 2020: Morning Rundown:
Pollution for Profit
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/14/climate/trump-drinking-water-perchlorate.html
A new E.P.A. policy would revoke a 2011 finding that the chemical perchlorate should be regulated. This is a toxic chemical that contaminates water and has been linked to fetal and infant brain damage.
This policy defies a court order that required the agency to establish safe drinking-water standards for the chemical by the end of June.
The policy both acknowledges that exposure to high levels of the chemical can cause I.Q. damage and also opts not to limits the use of the chemical.
Both the Defense Department and military contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman waged aggressive efforts to block the controls on the chemical.
The administration is using the fact that states like California and Massachusetts regulate the chemical to argue that few public water systems now contain perchlorate at high levels and so the nationwide monitoring of the chemical would outweigh the benefits.
The Elimination of Oversight
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/15/state-department-inspector-general-fired-261536
Trump has removed State Department Inspector General Steve Linick and replaced him with a buddy of Mike Pence's.
This is just another move in a series of movies to eliminate independent government watchdogs.
Trump said in a letter that his replacement "meets the appropriate qualifications" for the position. The appropriate qualifications are unquestioning subservience to Donald Trump and his cronies.
Part of this replacement is evidently an attempt to protect Secretary Pompeo from an investigation into his misuse of a political appointee to perform personal task for him and his wife.
In the past few months, Trump has removed Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm who had issued a report critical of the administration's response to the coronavirus. He also removed the Intelligence community's inspector general, Michael Atkinson.
Federal Seizure of PPE
https://www.citizensforethics.org/foia/fema-coronavirus-ppe-seizures/
After having refused to assume the duty of a federal government and left the states to fend for themselves to secure desperately needed PPE, federal authorities are now seizing and rerouting personal protective gear.
Massachusetts, Virginia and New Jersey have reported seizures of PPE shipments.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/16/uss-theodore-roosevelt-sailors-test-positive-coronavirus-261873
Sailors with Coronavirus
Thirteen sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt who had Covid 19, have now tested positive again after being returned to the ship.
The Bailout Scam
https://www.propublica.org/article/another-private-jet-company-owned-by-a-trump-donor-got-a-bailout-this-one-for-20-million?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=river
A Nebraska-based private jet company whose principle owner donated to Trump and the Republicans before the 2016 election, received a $20 million taxpayer-paid for aid from the federal bailout package in March.
This was the second private plane company founded or owned by Trump donors to receive funds designed for the airline industry.
The other company's founder gave nearly $50,000 to the Republican National Committee and Trump. They got $27 million in federal funds.
Why are you not furious?
bailoutChristi GrimmCoronaviruscorruptiondefense contractorsDefense DepartmentFEMAgovernment watchdogsgraftLinickPencePerchloratepollutionPOLLUTION FOR PROFITPompeoPPERepublican National CommitteeSailorsSeizure of PPeState Departmenttoxic chemicalsTrumpUSS Theodore Rooseveltwater
American exceptionalism, Capitalism, CDC, Coronavirus, Coronavirus Scams, Corporate Crime, Corrupt Governmen, Cult, Uncategorized
Coronavirus Scams:
May 10, 2020 cjjohns08	Leave a comment
CDCconspiracy theoriesCoronavirusDr. Judy MikovitsFauciResearchRightRight-Wing Conspiracy TheoriesScamsScience
Authoritarianism, Bill Barr, Capitalism, CDC, Christo-Fascist authoritarian state, Coronavirus, Cult, Drugs, Government, Graft, Greed and Corruption, MSNBC, Republican Party, Rule of Law, The right, Trump
Robert Redfield, CDC: "a sloppy scientist with a long history of scientific misconduct and an extreme religious agenda."
April 24, 2020 cjjohns08	Leave a comment
Trump and the Republicans are working to establish a Christo-fascist one party authoritarian state. The corporate media refuses to take this situation seriously, acting as if Trump's personal disdain of science is just that, some kind of personal peccadillo. It's not. The Republican party has worked for decades to erode public confidence in science and the scientific method.
Crucial people in the Trump administration and the Republican party think they have a religious mission to subvert democracy in this country. Bill Barr (who numerous pundits on MSNBC assured us was an institutionalist) is just one example. These people detest science because science has rules, can demonstrate facts that contradict religious belief. These are people who do not want there to be any objective reality outside their own authoritarian determination of truth. Science is a threat.
The Republican Party has spent decades fighting against science. The science of climate change is a good example. They must discredit science to discredit what is now agreed-upon scientific fact – the planet is warming, disastrously, and it is the effect of man-made (and therefore correctable) behavior. But, acknowledging the reality of climate change means interfering with profits from fossil fuels. The Republicans would rather savage the planet rather than cost the 1% profits.
As Malcolm Nance pointed out this week in an interview, these people are a lot like terrorist fanatics, they think they are protected by God from the effects of their behavior. These folks think they can pursue profits and destroy the planet and they will not be affected.
As just one illustration of this thinking, last week there was video of people coming out of a religious service where people congregated regardless of the Coronavirus. One woman stopped to talk to the reporter, and said: I've been washed by the blood of Jesus. What she is saying is that she won't be affected by the Coronavirus because God is protecting her.
This is dangerous thinking. Extremely dangerous thinking. And, it prevades an entire political party in this country. These are not just a few isolated people.
Trump's administration is packing the scientific agencies like the CDC with appointees who have no respect for, and positive suspicion of science. Robert Redfield is one example. Redfield has essentially been given a pass by the corporate media.
The following are excerpts from an article about Redfield that took 5 seconds to find on the internet.
Redfield's "…nomination was considered controversial, and was opposed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which cited Redfield's lack of experience administering a public health agency, his history of scientific misconduct, and his religious advocacy in response to a public health crisis. Earlier reporting refers to his advocacy of a religious agenda in response to the AIDS crisis."
In a statement by the President of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Dr. Peter Lurie (published (3/21/18), the CSPI deemed the appointment of Redfield "disastrous" for at least three reasons. 1) Redfield had no experience running a public health agency and has no relationship with state and local public health officials. 2) Redfield had been "credibly accused of scientific misconduct for exaggerating the benefits of a putative HIV vaccine." Redfield was investigated for this by the military. 3) Redfield had supported a variety of policies related to HIV/AIDS that "are anathema to the great majority of public health professionals: mandatory HIV testing, reporting of positive HIV results to public health without the patient's consent and quarantining of HIV positive individuals in the military."
Redfield in this public statement was called "a sloppy scientist with a long history of scientific misconduct and an extreme religious agenda."
Further excerpts from an article in Mother Jones: Choma, Russ (3/7/2020) "Trump's CDC director has a history of controversial…"
Redfield "… also has a long history of being a close ally to conservative politicians and their pet theories on HIV and AIDS."
He advocated investigating the sexual histories of those who tested HIV positive.
Redfield advocated similar ideas outside of the military, aligning himself with a conservative Christian group called Americans for a Sound HIV/AIDS Policy (ASAP) which supported similar steps in the general public (mandatory testing and quarantines) to control the spread of the virus. According to Foreign Policy, in the introduction of a book by ASAP's founder, Redfield rejected the medical norms for handling the epidemic and called for a more faith-based approach:
"It is time to reject the temptation of denial of the AIDS/HIV crisis; to reject false prophets who preach the quick-fix strategies of condoms and free needles; to reject those who preach prejudice; and to reject those who try to replace God as judge. The time has come for the Christian community—members and leaders alike—to confront the epidemic," Redfield wrote.
Redfield named the breakdown of family values and increasing number of single-parent households as key factors responsible for the spread of AIDS.
"In the 1990s, Redfield endorsed an unproven HIV vaccine as a huge breakthrough. It wasn't, and Redfield was investigated for scientific misconduct for his role in continuing to push the vaccine. (He was later cleared of accusations of misconduct.) He also publicly lobbied for legislation sponsored by a conservative member of Congress that would force medical workers to get tested for HIV and AIDS and lose their licenses to practice if they were infected. More recently, in the early 2000s, Redfield remained adamant that the best way to contain the AIDS epidemic in Africa was to encourage abstinence, monogamy, and the use of condoms only as a last resort."
Redfield was not the Trump administration's first choice for CDC director; she resigned after she was found to have traded tobacco stocks while running the CDC. Despite loud calls from CDC watchdogs like the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which accused Redfield of having a bad record "and an extreme religious agenda," Redfield was appointed in 2018.
Redfield has enabled Trump's politicization of the government's response.
And, Deborah Brix has been a close associate of Redfield's.
According to information reported by Wikipedia:
"Redfield continued studies of the…vaccine; the results of his 27-author phase II clinical trial were published in the Journal of Infectious Disease in 2000, with Deborah L. Birx as lead author.[22] Redfield's multi-site study, a collaboration between the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health, laid the groundwork for future vaccine development and provided a better understanding of the biologic basis of HIV infection and its interaction with the host immune system. The work did not, however, result in an effective vaccine.
HIV interventions
"The 1993 investigation did say that Redfield had an "inappropriate" close relationship with the non-governmental group "Americans for a Sound AIDS/HIV Policy" (ASAP), which promoted the gp160 vaccine. The group was founded by evangelical Christians that worked to contain the HIV/AIDS outbreak by advocating for abstinence before marriage, rather than passing out condoms — a view Redfield says he's since changed.[]
Redfield served on the board of ASAP, which gay groups criticized for anti-gay, conservative Christian policies, such as abstinence-only prevention. Redfield also authored the foreword to the book co-written by ASAP leader W. Shepard Smith, "Christians in the Age of AIDS" which discouraged the distribution of sterile needles to drug users as well as condom use calling them "false prophets." The book described AIDS as "God's judgment" against homosexuals. At the time of his nomination to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Redfield maintained close ties with anti-gay and anti-HIV activists, although he has publicly supported the use of condoms and denied ever promoting abstinence-only interventions.[11] However, in the 2000s, Redfield was a prominent advocate for the ABCs of AIDS doctrine which promoted abstinence primarily and condoms only a last resort.
These people are dangerous, driven by religious fanaticism, and in charge of government agencies.
AuthoritarianismBrightCDCChristo-fascistCoronavirusEnvironmentGovernmentRedfieldRepublicanRepublican PartyScience
Capitalism, Coronavirus, Corporate Crime, Democracy, Drugs, Government, Graft, Greed and Corruption, Republican Party
"…companies with political connections…"
THE BIGGEST CLASS THEFT IN THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY
The New York Times is reporting today that a doctor, Dr. Rick Bright , who was Director of the Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, was removed from his position because he insisted on rigorous vetting of treatments for the Coronavirus, specifically those touted by the Trump administration.
Bright led a federal agency involved in developing a vaccine for the Coronavirus. He was abruptly dismissed. He commented in a statement to the NYT:
"I believe this transfer was in response to my insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to address the Covid-19 pandemic into safe and scientifically vetted solutions, and not in drugs, vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit."
Bright maintains that doing his job responsibly caused clashes with "HHS political leadership." He was, according to his statements, criticized for his "proactive efforts to invest early into vaccines and supplies critical to saving American lives." He also, "…resisted efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections."
Bright was talking about efforts to make chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which, he said "clearly lack scientific merit."
One of the risks, Bright pointed out of these drugs in clinical trials, was "increased mortality." That means the drugs are likely to kill you.
The political people have "politicized the work of BARDA" he says and pressured him to "fund companies with political connections and efforts that lack scientific merit."
This is where we are folks. This Coronavirus effort on the part of the Republican Party and the Trump administration is just one huge feeding frenzy, a free-for-all of profiteering. This is one point of corruption among countless others across the system where the con artists and grifters Trump and the Republicans have put in place are having the time of their financial lives.
The real question is whether we are going to let them get away with it.
BARDAchloroquineCoronaviruscorruptionDrugsfinancialgraftGreedgriftershydroxychloroquinepandemicRepublican PartyRepublicansRick BrightTrump
Capitalism, Coronavirus, Democracy, Graft, Greed and Corruption, Uncategorized, White Collar, Corporate and Political Crime
The Real Enemy…timidity, selfishness and greed.
But the real enemy, the one we have always been at war against, is the violence and despair of our own timidity, selfishness, and greed. For too long, we have responded to this enemy with appeasement. But appeasement has proven to be a losing strategy, as indeed it always is. The only way we will have any chance of overcoming the challenge of our present moment is by bringing everyone together, emphasizing our common cause, and committing to building institutions that reflect and reinforce basic notions of universal solidarity. Rohan Grey, The Nation Magazine.
appeasementCoronaviruscorruptionEconomyGreedselfishness
Capitalism, Coronavirus, Corporate Crime, CORPORATE MEDIA, Drugs, Economy, Government, Graft, Greed and Corruption, Law and Justic, media, White Collar, Corporate and Political Crime
Why Free Market Capitalism Will Bury Us, Literally
Amid the absurdly trivial corporate media coverage of the Coronavirus crisis, are stories that slip by unnoticed. One of them is another investigation, another investigation by a congressional subcommittee about whether "the U.S. government is paying too much for ventilators made by a Dutch company that received millions in tax dollars to develop an affordable one for pandemics, but is now charging quadruple the price under a new deal."
The deal for the ventilators was struck between the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Division of the Dutch Company. (See other stories in Propublica).
In 2014, the agency's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) struck a $13.8 million deal with the company to develop ventilators for the Strategic National Stockpile. Based on the advice of experts, the agreement called for the devices to be low cost, portable, durable and easy to use by personnel with limited medical training.
Once Philips' Respironics division received clearance for that ventilator from the Food and Drug Administration last year, BARDA ordered 10,000 of them for $3,280 each — a price agreed upon when Philips entered into the original deal in 2014.
As Propublica previously reported, Philips never produced any of those devices for the stockpile. Instead, as the coronavirus spread, the company manufactured commercial versions of the ventilator at its factory outside Pittsburgh and sold them for far higher prices overseas. Then, rather than pushing the company to accelerate the delivery of the ventilators developed for the stockpile, HHS this month agreed to buy 43,000 of the commercial version at a price of $15,000 per ventilator.
But once Philips got the crucial FDA clearance for the new design, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said, "they turn around — at the very time we most need these ventilators — and use the fruits of taxpayers' dollars to essentially sell a high-margin version of what taxpayers wanted to foreign consumers and deprioritized the sales of what taxpayers wanted."
Contact Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who chairs the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy. The subcommittee falls under the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Article: Callahan, Patricia and Sebastian Rotella (4/16/20) Congress is investigating…" Propublica
CapitalismcongressCoronavirusCORPORATE MEDIAfree marketGovernmentInvestigationKrishnamoorthiPropublicaVentilators
American exceptionalism, Authoritarianism, Capitalism, Collusion, Coronavirus, CORPORATE MEDIA, Democracy, Drugs, Economy, Graft, Greed and Corruption, Neoliberalism, Republican Party, The right
"We Don't Have Time."
April 5, 2020 cjjohns08	1 Comment
The disaster that is the Trump administration reaction to and handling of the Coronavirus crisis has been decades in the making. It is the result of raising to seriousness for political purposes, willful ignorance, superstition, and an anti-science bias.
The right and the Republican Party saw political benefit in cultivating those traits in the population. They knew, as a minority party, ignorance and superstition would help them gain and maintain political power.
They were right. But now, we are in the position of having people who don't believe in government running an enormous advanced industrialized government at a time when a coordinated government response to the Coronavirus is essential.
We also have a complaint, cowardly, mediocre corporate media whose biggest and most powerful stars can only find the courage to tearfully plead with the Trump administration to show leadership (Jake Tapper today.) They are pleading with people who think "believing" in science is optional, and that government is not there to help people, but to line the pockets of the rich.
At the absurd dog-and-pony show that is the daily press briefing, reporters use precious time asking questions like 1) Does the First Lady wear a mask? And 2) Why we don't fix the roads while everybody is at home.
Meanwhile, right in front of our faces, Donald Trump and his administration, like snake oil salesmen, tout drugs which they maintain will treat the Coronavirus to distract attention away from the fact that they have failed miserably to run the government they are in control of and are doing nothing but trying to find a way to profit off the crisis.
When asked today how he could justify touting unproven drugs, Trump responded: "We don't have time…to test it out." We don't have time to test it out. Just think about that. We don't have time to test the drugs to see if they work before we use tax-payer money to stockpile the drugs. We don't have time to test the drugs to see if they work before we recommend people use them. Anybody who knows anything about the scientific method knows that this kind of statement is insane. INSANE.
You don't even have to know something about the scientific method to know that this is idiocy. You just need some common sense. Why would you take a drug you had no idea was effective in treating the condition you were suffering from? Why?
We don't have time to test the drugs out, Trump continues, "with the test tubes and the laboratories." He says this like the testing of drugs with test tubes and laboratories is self-indulgent lark that people might want to do for fun if the situation wasn't so serious. This is the talk of a man who has no idea what science is. He is as willfully ignorant and superstitious as the people who were courted by the Republican party and cultivated by Fox News.
It is bad enough to have a political party that cynically uses ignorance and superstition to get elected. It is quite another to have people in charge who are themselves ignorant and superstitious. It may well be deadly in a world where technology is the key to survival and to mass extinction.
CoronavirusCORPORATE MEDIACOVID-19DrugsjournalismReportersScienceSuperstitionThe scientific methodTrumpWhite House Press CorpsWillful ignorance
Authoritarianism, Capitalism, Collusion, Coronavirus, Corporate Crime, Democracy, Democratic Party, Economy, Graft, Greed and Corruption, money in politics, White Collar, Corporate and Political Crime
Thursday Night Blog Notes: Scams, Coronavirus, Free-For-All, Meaningless Statistics, Trump, Corruption, Graft, Greed
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right, walks to meet with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, after the Senate voted to not allow witnesses in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. (AP Photo/ Jacquelyn Martin)
Thursday Night Blog Notes
I can't even keep up with the Trump scams surrounding this coronavirus crisis.
Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, is claiming that he just now learned that asymptomatic people could pass on the coronavirus to other people.
Every day there's another presser with Trump congratulating corporate CEOs and touting meaningless statistics.
The Republicans are all over twitter congratulating private industry for "contributions" and "donations." So, the people in this country who pay taxes, are reliant on donations, charity from big business to get them through a crisis.
This entire Trump/Repubican approach is designed to school people that the government cannot/will not help them if them are in need.
The Federal Government, however, under the Republicans will give $500 billion of public money to corporations.
According to Mehdi Hasan, South Korea and Japan's unemployment rates are nothing like we are seeing in this country.
The Navy is expected to fire the captain who raised an alarm saying that his sailors had the Coronavirus.
The Nation is reporting that there is a Democratic primary in Wisconsin on Tuesday and Milwaukee is planning to decrease the polling places from 180 to 10. This is democracy?
Trump is complaining on Twitter that the hospitals and states have "insatiable appetites & are never satisfied (politics?)
I'll never, never be able to wrap my mind around the fact that this miserable, moronic, corrupt, tasteless, bastard is president.
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I have been regenerated, reborn, and renewed making me a hier (Titus 3.4-7).
Ask God to highlight the particular reality that is most needed in your life at this time. Slowly read through the lists and read a few of the Scripture references.
Meditate on one of the passages and it's truth. Think through what it means and how that truth relates to you, as you are in Jesus!
Memorize the Scripture associated with the truth. Journal some of your thoughts as you make the Biblical truth personal. If you are creative, consider writing a poem or song or piece of art.