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Moscow, New York, and Shanghai - 1933-1936
Smedley spent ten months in the Soviet Union, from June, 1933, until April, 1934. Soon after she arrived in Moscow, doctors advised her to go to a sanitorium for heart patients in the Caucasus Mountains at Kislovodsk. She paid for the summer's stay there by using the advance from her Moscow publisher and by selling over a thousand of the photographs she had taken in China. Although she found the rest she needed in Kislovodsk, her attention was diverted from the Jiangxi book when she learned in June of 1933 that her friend Ding Ling, the left-wing writer and Lu Xun's protege, had been arrested. Smedley's suspicions of her secretary and Ding Ling's husband, Feng Da, proved correct, as it was his defection to the Guomindang that had led to Ding Ling's arrest. Hurriedly Smedley put together a collection of translated short stories, by Ding Ling and others, to publicize the persecution of writers in China.[1] This task completed, she began to make real progress with her book on the Jiangxi Soviet. She returned to Moscow in September, still hoping to finish the book quickly and leave for China in November, via Europe and New York.[2]
Smedley lived in the capital in a second-class residential hotel, cooking meals on a small stove and keeping house for herself. One night the Chinese poet Emile Xiao, a boyhood friend of Mao Zedong and an early Chinese Communist Party member, visited Smedley to invite her to his home for dinner. Later, at his request, Smedley gave a talk to Moscow's International Congress of Writers on literary developments in China. Xiao remembered Smedley as a sad and lonely woman who was restless and anxious to get on with her work. He recalled her simple life-style and the courtesy she showed the old and infirm on the streets of the city. She was definitely not being treated as part of the Comintern family or the Moscow Daily News crowd, whose life revolved around the old Hotel Lux. Emile Xiao's impressions jibe with the few letters that survive and with the recollections of another Chinese friend in Moscow, Jack Chen.[3]
Although she published nothing about the Soviet Union, Smedley's letters suggest that she was impressed by the improvement in living standards and cultural life since her first visit in 1921. But except when she was visiting Chinese friends or going to the ballet and opera with Archie Phinney, a Nez Perce Indian from Idaho who was working in Moscow, Smedley felt isolated and restless. This was especially true when her work bogged down and she found herself haggling with her Russian editors over her book. (For example, despite her protests they deleted a chapter in which she described the shooting of landlords by Communists.) She also complained about the Moscow Daily News circle, with whose leader (and editor of the News), Michael Borodin, she had clashed in 1921.[4]
In January of 1934, feeling increasingly uncomfortable in Moscow, Smedley moved to Leningrad to complete her book. There she had a reunion with Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, who had arrived the year before from Berlin, after the Nazi Party had risen to power. By 1934 Chatto was settled into Leningrad's Institute of Ethnography and had a Russian bride who was expecting their first child. The reunion was friendly and platonic, and finally closed a painful chapter in Smedley's life.[5] In Leningrad Smedley was able to put the finishing touches to her book. In March she returned to Moscow, where she received word from Madame Sun that she wanted Smedley to help her with a new project: finding funds and personnel in New York for a new English-language journal that might serve as a consistent voice for the underground communist movement. Smedley heard from Mme. Sun that the China Forum had collapsed after a sharp swing in a Trotskyist direction by the Forum's editor, Harold Isaacs. After seeing her editors, by early April Smedley was off for New York via Europe. She stopped in Paris for a few days to visit an old friend from the Greenwich Village birth-control movement, Josephine Bennett Brooks, and then she sailed for New York.
Smedley was met at the wharf by her former roommate Florence Len-non, whom she had last seen in Berlin in 1925. Now divorced, Florence had brought along a new male companion, and almost immediately an argument began. After the boyfriend denounced the Soviet and Chinese Communist parties in Trotskyist terms, Smedley asked Florence to renounce him. Florence refused, and the two women never saw each other again.[6]
Smedley was returning to the United States in the middle of the Depression after twelve years abroad. She arrived in New York in a comparatively self-confident mood and sure of her political position. So far as she was concerned, economic conditions in the United States proved that imperialism and capitalism were on the wane. In New York Smedley hoped to raise funds for Mme. Sun's new journal and line up reporting jobs for herself. Smedley's New York stay was hectic. She visited the offices of the New Masses, Thorberg Brundin, Margaret Sanger, the widow of Gilbert Roe, and her publishers—in addition to addressing groups about China. In the Depression, funds and jobs were scarce. She failed to line up a full-time job as a foreign correspondent for a major paper or wire service. Her biggest success was the negotiation of a new Coward-McCann abridged edition of Daughter of Earth, with an introduction by Malcolm Cowley. Daughter of Earth had received critical acclaim but not sold well, and Cowley believed that a shorter, better edited edition could have mass appeal.[7]
Like many intellectuals of the period, Malcolm Cowley had been radicalized by the Depression. Having witnessed the organizing of miners in Appalachia, Cowley had reported that the lives of ordinary people were given new dignity and meaning when they joined together to fight for better conditions. But Cowley was reexamining his revolutionary enthusiasm when he first met Smedley in New York in May of 1934. His New York City milieu was the well-intentioned intellectual left community, similar to Smedley's Greenwich Village in 1918—20. To Cowley, Smedley in 1934 was the personification of a dedicated working-class revolutionary with qualities of fanaticism that he found both attractive and repulsive. He first encountered Smedley when she was the guest of honor at a political dinner:
Agnes Smedley is fanatical... Her hair grows thinly above an immense forehead. When she talks about people who betrayed the Chinese rebels, her mouth becomes a thin scar and her eyes bulge and glint with hatred. If this coal miner's daughter ever had urbanity, she would have lost it forever in Shanghai when her comrades were dragged off one by one for execution... This evening I'm drawing back... I don't wait to hear Agnes Smedley give her speech, which will be more convincing than the others, as if each phrase of it were dyed in the blood of her Chinese friends.[8]
Not long after this meeting, Cowley wrote an enthusiastic review of Smedley's China's Red Army Marches for the New Republic. He wrote in part:
There are a good many tricks of narration that [Smedley] could easily learn if she had leisure for study; and there are other tricks that she seems to have learned from writing Sunday feature stories and ought to abandon. But she has an extraordinary subject here, and she has something else besides — an attitude of reverence for her subject, a faith that calls to mind the medieval chroniclers and bards. Mind you, she is dealing with historical facts. They are obviously simplified, worked smooth by retelling, yet they are facts none the less, such as can be checked by official records. Reading this book, with its heroes and villains (and no shades of characters between them, only the brave Reds and cowardly Whites), one can't help thinking of Roland against the Paynim, of Richard Lionheart against the Saracens, of the saints and martyrs that crowd the Golden Legend.[9]
By June Smedley was in California, where reunion with her family proved painful. Myrtle Smedley, who owed her college education to Agnes, was now the principal of a primary school in the San Diego area. Their younger brother, Sam, was also in San Diego and recently married, but having difficulty holding down a job. Their hard-drinking, unemployed father, Charles, had moved in temporarily with his children. Agnes had not seen any of them since 1916, when the president of San Diego Normal School advised her to leave the area so as not to ruin Myrtle's chances of finding work. By 1934, Myrtle was the family's only stable breadwinner, and when she imagined what might happen if the community discovered that her sister was a »red sympathizer«, she became so overwrought that the nerves in half her face became temporarily paralyzed just before Agnes's arrival. Smedley preached socialism to the family anyway. She constantly urged Sam to put the cause of the workers' revolution above his own immediate interests and join the U.S. Communist Party, then at the height of its strength. Sam's new wife, Elizabeth, didn't seem to mind, but Sam told Agnes in no uncertain terms to »knock it off«. Smedley's first husband, Ernest Brundin, and his wife Elinor also came to see Agnes, a visit that was very painful for Elinor.[10]
Smedley left California for China in early October of 1934. When her ship stopped for one day in Yokohama, she visited the only person she knew in Japan at the time — the Japanese translator of Daughter of Earth, Ozaki Hotsumi, whom she would never see again.[11] As was duly noted by a British agent, V. A. Pitts, Smedley arrived in Shanghai on October 22, 1934. Shortly thereafter, perhaps hoping to receive some official protection from the U.S. consulate, she presented the following letter of introduction from Secretary of State Cordell Hull: »At the instance of the Honorable Robert F. Wagner, Senator of the United States from the State of New York, I take pleasure in introducing to you Miss Agnes Smedley of New York City, who is about to proceed abroad. I cordially bespeak for Miss Smedley such courtesies and assistance as you may be able to render, consistent with your official duties«.[12]
The letter of introduction did not help. For Smedley the next two years in Shanghai would be more difficult and less productive than the 1929—33 period. She wrote much less and relied chiefly on income from earlier work—several articles she had sold to American journals in 1934 and the royalties from three books, including the 1935 Coward-McCann abridged version of Daughter of Earth. The few articles she did publish reveal a pervasive sense of isolation and near-paranoia about political persecution. Her swings in mood, from long periods of depression and poor health to brief bursts of happiness and physical energy, became more pronounced. It is not surprising, perhaps, that eight years later, in the autobiographical passages in Battle Hymn of China, she said nothing at all about this period of her life.
Part of Smedley's problem was rooted in her frustration over the deteriorating political situation. From their new colony of Manchuria, the Japanese were creeping slowly toward Beijing. The Guomindang government in Nanjing was taking little direct action to stop them, concentrating its efforts on exterminating Chinese Communists. In the spring of 1934 the Guomindang began its fifth encirclement campaign against the Communist guerrilla bases in Jiangxi; and by October, relying heavily on German advice, technical help, and blockhouse strategy, Chiang Kai-shek had the Communists pinned down and in serious trouble. In cities like Shanghai, the Guomindang was thus in a more confident mood. Nanjing launched a Confucian-oriented revivalist campaign, the New Life Movement, to combat the growing appeal of Marxist thinking among the educated urban populace. In Shanghai especially, this propaganda effort was accompanied by increased repression and censorship by the Guomindang police.
In 1934 the Communists were deeply divided over strategy. After the party headquarters moved from Shanghai to Jiangxi in 1932, a serious split in the leadership developed. The founders of the Jiangxi Soviet, Mao Zedong and Zhu De, argued that mobile guerrilla warfare was necessary to counter the Guomindang encirclement campaigns. But the twenty-eight »Bolsheviks« in the party leadership, who followed Moscow's more traditional position, insisted on the need to fight fixed battles from a secure base. The larger »Bolshevik« faction in the leadership won out, and by the summer of 1934 they had put Mao under virtual house arrest. The area held by the Jiangxi Soviet was diminished as the Guomindang pincers tightened, and when the situation became desperate in late October, 100,000 men broke through Guomindang lines and headed west, leaving behind a rear guard made up mostly of Mao's old comrades, including his brother, Mao Zemin. Within a matter of days the rear guard was overrun and most were killed or captured by the Guomindang. This was the beginning of the epic Long March, which over a year later brought 20,000 ragged survivors to Baoan in the northwest, where they reestablished a Soviet and a party headquarters under the leadership of a new party chairman, Mao Zedong.
During this period the leftists with whom Smedley associated in Shanghai became divided. For example, within the League of Left Wing Writers, by late 1935 one group was in contact via intermediaries with Mao in the northwest; but another group, probably the larger one, was receiving directives from Mao's antagonist, Wang Ming, the Chinese Communist Party's man in Moscow in 1935. In early 1936, most Shanghai Communists were still following Moscow's lead: they consistently downplayed the issue of Japanese imperialism in China in favor of promoting class struggle within China and protecting the Soviet Union internationally. But in the spring of 1935, at about the time the Seventh Congress of the Comintern was meeting in Moscow, the Chinese Communist Party had changed its line and called for a united front with all parties and classes against the Japanese. Within the League, then, Smed-ley's friends were arguing bitterly over how best to carry out Moscow's new united front policy in cultural work, and how far committed leftist writers should go in dropping their posture as revolutionary cultural guerrillas.
Although Lu Xun and others in the League had already spoken out about the seriousness of the Japanese threat, they now opposed the new line. Lu Xun believed that the new thrust under the slogan of National Defense Literature, as advocated by several writers close to Moscow, notably Zhou Yang and Xia Yan, was too compromising: it involved too great a capitulation to the authority of the Guomindang, and it could only undermine the principles and goals of a social revolution. He proposed an alternative slogan, Mass Literature for the National Revolutionary War, and refused to join a new group of writers being organized by Zhou Yang to replace the League of Left Wing Writers. Lu Xun was supported by prominent figures such as Feng Xuefeng, who had recently arrived from the new northwestern guerrilla headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party and claimed to speak for Mao and other leaders on this issue. Characteristically, Smedley's friend Mao Dun tried to mediate between the two sides and was attacked by both. By the spring of 1936 the personal tensions that had been simmering for some time exploded into heated denunciations, the echoes of which are still heard today in Beijing. In the end, the majority of Party activists rallied around the Moscow-leaning writer Zhou Yang, and the League of Left Wing Writers was dissolved.*
(* Throughout this perod of ideological conflict, Smedley seemed to side consistently with Lu Xun. She met Feng Xuefeng on several occasions and took special interest in his account of the Long March. She was particularly upset about the dissolution of the League of Left Wing Writers, with which she had worked since its formation in 1930. During the spring of 1936, before his death, she continued to work closely with Lu Xun when he came under direct attack. One important project was the joint editing and financing of an edition in Chinese of selected Käthe Kollwitz prints (see Bibliography). With Lu Xun's encouragement, she also developed friendships with his younger proteges-for example, a couple from Manchuria, Xiao jun and Xiao Hong, and the Hunanese Zhou Libo, with whom she would work closely a few years later. As early as 1935 Smedley had been concerned about Lu Xun's falling health, urging him repeatedly to go to a sanitorium in the Soviet Union and bringing to his home in 1936 the most noted specialist on tuberculosis in Shanghai, an American doctor named Tenney. As a last resort, one day in 1936 she secretly took Lu Xun and Mme. Sun to the Russian consulate, hoping that an official invitation in Mme. Sun's presence might persuade the writer to leave Shanghal for a rest cure. Lu Xun steadfastly refused, saying: "Everyone cannot run away! Someone must stand and fight." Interviews: Mao Dun; Zhou Libo; and Qlan Junrui. Lu Xun riji, diary entries for 1936. Exhibit at Lu Xun Museum, Beijing, in March, 1978; Battle Hymn, pp. 83, 133. See also Mao Dun, ed., Lu Xun buiyi lu (Beij«ing, 1978).
The unity among politically concerned intellectuals that had been carefully built up around the League since 1930 was permanently damaged by the war of words that raged through the summer of 1936.[13]
Further depressing Smedley was a fight with Frank Glass and Harold Isaacs shortly after her return to Shanghai. Although she had once worked closely with Isaacs and Glass on the China Forum (which ceased publication in early 1934) Smedley was now upset by their Trotskyist associations and views: she saw their open opposition to the Chinese Communist Party as playing directly into the hands of the Guo-mindang. Her dispute with them became public in the pages of the China Weekly Review during the summer of 1935, to the delight of the Guomindang and the treaty-port press. Smedley was denounced as a Stalinist, and she in turn accused her old friends of sabotaging the cause of the revolution and jeopardizing the lives of key figures such as Mme. Sun Yat-sen. This episode also temporarily cut off Smedley's cordial relationship with J. B. Powell, the American editor of the China Weekly Review, who took the opportunity to ridicule both sides in print.[14]
Throughout this second sojourn in Shanghai, Smedley's personal life was lonely. She had returned to Shanghai emotionally and physically exhausted and had to spend her first two months there recuperating in and out of the hospital. She had few close friends left in the city. Ozaki Hot-sumi, Sorge, and Chen Hansheng were gone. Edgar Snow was in Beijing. Ding Ling had been arrested and was presumed dead. The League for Civil Rights had been dissolved after the assassination of its general secretary, Smedley's friend Yang Quan. The old friends who remained were Lu Xun, Mme. Sun, and Rewi Alley. Alley and Smedley were neighbors in the Beam apartment complex on Rue Joffre. The Beam straddled a whole city block which was hexagonal in shape. The complex had more than twenty entrances and exits and was thus ideal for harboring fugitives and evading surveillance by French, British, and Chinese police. For one under heavy surveillance, as Smedley was, the advantages of so many entrances and exits were obvious. Together she and Alley hid fugitives from the Guomindang Blueshirts and found ways to get them out of Shanghai. One such fugitive was Professor Chen Hansheng, who unexpectedly turned up on Smedley's doorstep in May of 1935. Chen, who had been in danger when he fled Shanghai for Tokyo in 1933, had returned on a secret mission, only to find that his Shanghai contact had just been arrested. He hid first in Smedley's apartment and then in Alley's; his wife, Susie Gu, was brought from Tokyo to Shanghai and housed with a German couple. After several weeks Smedley booked passage for them on a Russian freighter bound for Vladivostok. In the actual escape, the emphasis was on costuming. On the day of departure, Chen Hansheng appeared at dockside dressed as a wealthy Chinese, sporting a pith helmet and a bouquet of gladioli, who was seeing off foreign friends (Alley and Smedley). The German couple and Susie Gu put on a similar charade. Minutes before the ship cast off, Smedley ushered the Chinese couple into the captain's toilet, where they remained behind a locked door until the ship was well outside port and down the Huangpu River.[15]
On another occasion, Smedley and Alley protected Liu Ding, an important Communist Party operative and survivor of a small soviet in Fu-jian province which the Guomindang had crushed in 1933—34. Late in 1935, Liu was brought to Rewi Alley for hiding, and for a few weeks it became necessary for him to live in Smedley's flat. Smedley recorded in detail his stories about the Fujian soviet and was especially intrigued by the ingenuity the Fujian peasant guerrillas had shown in making their own firearms. Early in 1936 Liu was asked to undertake a delicate mission: to be the party's liaison with the Manchurian warlord Zhang Xueliang, who was then in control of Xi'an in the northwest. As he boarded a plane for Xi'an, Smedley handed him a large canister of surgical anesthetic; both were ignorant of the danger involved in transporting this highly explosive substance. When Liu casually handed the canister to delighted Red Army medics at their new base camp a few miles outside of Xi'an, he was dressed down for taking such risks.[16]
Although Smedley's circle of friends was smaller than before, she exercised an important political influence on several Western newcomers. One of these was George Hatem, a young American doctor who had come to Shanghai in search of adventure and personal fortune. Smedley shook him with her penetrating analysis of the misery of Shanghai and her stories of the Red Army in the northwest. At her insistence that he discover the truth for himself, Hatem joined Edgar Snow in the spring of 1936 on a journey to the Red Army's new base camp outside Xi'an. Finding an enormous need in the Red Army for his skills, he stayed on; he fell in love with a young Chinese comrade, joined the Chinese Communist Party, and did not return to Shanghai until the 1940s.[17] Smedley also played a significant part in the life of the Snows, Edgar and his first wife, Nym Wales (Helen Foster), whom she had known in Shanghai. In December of 1935 she stayed with them in Beijing, where the three of them became highly involved in the December Ninth Movement, a series of student strikes and demonstrations in Beijing against Japanese imperialism and the Nanjing government's failure to respond to it.*+
(* Smedley also took the opportunity to take a day long fact-finding trip with United Press Beijing bureau chief F. McCracken Fisher, Frank Smothers of the Chicago Daily News, and Edgar Snow into the country east of Bel*Ilng where the japanese were setting up their puppet East Hebel "Autonomous" regime under Yln Rugeng. In 1987 "Mac" Fisher recalled: "On the long ride home Agnes taught us 'The Streets of Laredo,' even making that lugubrious ballad seem rollicking!")
After spending most of the month with the strikers, she brought messages from them to Mme. Sun Yat-sen in Shanghai. She then helped organize the National Salvation Association, headed by Mme. Sun, which demanded a united front of the Guomindang and the Communists in a war of national defense against the Japanese. Smedley was the Snows' link to this organization as well as their link to Lu Xun. And, of course, it was Smedley who urged Snow to go to the northwest with Hatem in 1936 to meet the Communists as they came out of their Long March.[18]
Smedley seems to have been much less involved with Shanghai's German community of leftists after she returned in 1934. The Eislers, Ewerts, and Sorge had left China; Irene Wiedemeyer's bookstore had been closed; and of course Smedley was no longer writing for the German press. Her German friends during this period were newcomers such as Trudy Rosenberg and her husband, Hans Shippe. Regularly on Sundays they dined on fried chicken and argued such theoretical points of Marxism as the definition of feudalism or Oriental despotism. In anger, Smedley would insist that Trudy should divorce her bullheaded husband. She also advocated the dissolution of marriage as an institution and insisted that having children restricted a woman's involvement in politics.[19]
As her Shanghai world began to unravel in the spring of 1936, Smedley's most serious problem was the breakdown in her relations with Mme. Sun, who had been a key figure in her life since 1929. The trouble had begun the previous year, when Mme. Sun had given Smedley the task of finding someone to edit and publish a new journal in Shanghai to replace the China Forum. The two women were agreed on the need for a publication that would openly criticize the Guomindang and report on political developments from an anti—Chiang Kai-shek, pro-Chinese Communist perspective. By necessity such a journal would have to be in English, edited by foreigners whom the Guomindang could not touch, and published in the concession areas where the Nanjing government had no jurisdiction. Seed money to organize this enterprise was given to Smedley three times by Mme. Sun, probably during the latter half of 1935.
In several letters to New York, throughout 1935, Smedley asked Earl Browder, secretary-general of the U.S. Communist Party, to send someone to Shanghai who could edit and publish the new journal. Finally, in 1936, after desperate appeals from Smedley, Browder sent his own secretary, Grace Granich, and her husband Manny. In the meantime Smedley had gradually spent much of the seed money on what she considered to be emergencies, such as financing the escape of fugitives and publishing the book on Kathe Kollwitz's etchings. Mme. Sun was quietly furious about the delay and the »wasted« funds. She was also angry that Smedley sometimes described herself publicly as Mme. Sun's »associate« or »secretary«. Mme. Sun, a very private person who wished to avoid being identified with her followers, resented this deeply. Finally, when the Granichs arrived in Shanghai, Smedley apparently believed that she would share editorial authority with them; but the Granichs refused to accept this arrangement and received Mme. Sun's backing. Thus although Smedley wrote articles for the initial issues of Voice of China (under the pseudonym Rusty Knailes), she resented the new journal's success and quarreled increasingly with the Granichs, especially Grace, who became as outspoken and shrill in her criticisms as Smedley herself. Mme. Sun soon cut off relations with Smedley entirely, and eventually issued a public statement that Smedley had never been her secretary.[20]
This estrangement was probably inevitable. Although Smedley and Mme. Sun were both women of action who agreed politically and communicated perfectly in English, Mme. Sun was genteel, emotionally restrained, and taciturn, whereas Smedley was coarse, tempestuous, and outspoken. Even in the best of times, they probably were never intimate; the clash in style and personality was too great. In this light, it is not hard to see how Smedley's actions in the Voice of China matter could bring an end to her working relationship with Mme. Sun. The break continued to pain Smedley deeply as late as the 1940s.
By midsummer Smedley decided she had to leave Shanghai. She was suffocating politically, alienating herself from her remaining friends, and falling into poor health again. Characteristically, her next move was based on an earlier friendship. Liu Ding, the Red Army veteran whom she had sheltered a few months before, was now in Xi'an, the biggest city in northwest China, working closely with the Manchurian warlord Zhang Xueliang. When Liu wrote inviting her to come to Xi'an, she accepted immediately. In Xi'an, she could rest, write, and enjoy a more progressive political atmosphere. And there was another attraction: the new base of the Red Army was only thirty-five miles away.[21]
‹ The Shanghai Years - 1929-1933 zum Titel Smedley as »White Empress«: The Xi'an Incident - 1936-1937 ›


Trump had not been invited to the memorial service for McCain at the Washington National Cathedral, where his two youngest predecessors, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, delivered hymns of praise.
The 45th President, McCain, a colleague who detested Republicans, did not mention him in a series of morning missiones on Twitter . Instead, Trump announced threats to end the North American Free Trade Agreement and to propagate a false conspiracy theory that accused the government of misconduct in overseeing one of his former campaign workers.
"If we do not make a fair deal for the US after decades of abuse, Canada will come out "Trump wrote. "Congress should not interfere with these negotiations, otherwise I'll just quit NAFTA and we'll be much better off."
The sharp separation between Trump's fistfights and the worthy commemoration, broadcast live on news channels and online, underscored the President's unwillingness to take on traditional authority and his contempt for Washington's protocols and conventions, which he gladly undermined.
In another tweet tweet to its 54 million followers, Trump propagated an article from CNSNews.com, a conservative Web site that proposed a recent Judicial report Watch, a conservative government monitoring group, revealed a bomb blast: One US Supreme Court failed to hold hearings as it approved and renewed Warrants for monitoring and communications of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in 2016.
Trump cited Judge Tom Fitton, citing "corruption" within of the FBI and the Ministry of Justice and the leadership this r agencies are "for lunch" in search of accountability.
In fact, the story was groundless because the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which handles arrest warrants for suspected spies and terrorists, does not normally hold hearings.
The eleven judges, all appointed by the Supreme Court Supreme Court, take alternate turns as "serving judges" for several weeks, examining written applications from the Department of Justice, and rarely conducting hearings to review them. The trials are secret and ex-parte, so no lawyers or witnesses for the suspects are aware of the request for an arrest warrant.
In Washington's National Cathedral, Trump was not mentioned at his service by his two predecessors, whom McCain had specifically requested. But many of her remarks seemed to be aimed at representing a contrasting worldview to the conspiracy, untruth, and animosity offered by Trump.
"Even though we disagree, especially when we disagree, John believes in honest arguments when he hears other views, Obama said to the mourner, including McCain's wife, Cindy and his daughter Meghan." He also understood it when we get used to bending the truth. , , our democracy would not work.
Trump spent a little over four hours at his golf club, and although White House assistants provided no details of his activities, news photographers posted photos of him playing golf.
When the president left the resort that afternoon, his passed Motorcade nearly a dozen protesters with signs and flying little balloons Baby version of Trump in diapers.
"You, Trump, are not John McCain," read a note.


text:
Vol. LXVIII, No. 4
How Exercise, Fewer Calories, Plant Toxins May Protect Our Brains
Planning to Handle the Unplanned Like a Pro
'Military' Uses of Neuroscience Have Tended to Stumble, Moreno Says
New NIH Toolbox App Captures Reliable Research Data
NINDS Investigator, Friends Honored for Rescue at Sea
Understanding the Metabolism of Bacteria Could Lead to Therapies
Estes To Deliver NIAID Chanock Lecture
By Dana Talesnik
Intermittent fasting is beneficial to man and beast, Dr. Mark Mattson has found.
Photo: Ernie Branson
Outside of the lab, neuroscientist Dr. Mark Mattson loves to go running. In fact, NIH'ers may have seen him and his Baltimore-based lab mates compete in the annual NIH Institute Relay on campus, where they have placed in the top 3 of about 100 teams for the past 3 years.
In the lab, Mattson and his colleagues are racing to uncover the potential of exercise, fasting and consuming certain plant chemicals to improve brain function and thwart neurodegenerative disease.
"These energetic challenges—[fasting and exercise]—enhance synaptic plasticity, protect neurons during aging and maybe protect against neurodegenerative disorders," said Mattson, chief of NIA's Laboratory of Neurosciences. He spoke at a Jan. 6 seminar titled, "What Doesn't Kill You…Why Some Plant 'Toxins' May Bolster Brain Health."
Exercise, Fasting May Improve Brain Function
As modern medicine helps more people live longer, more men and women are in danger of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, for which there's still no effective treatment. But do lifestyle habits affect brain health? They very well might.
As we age, brain cells endure oxidative damage and local inflammation that can compromise synapse function and cause degeneration. Mattson's research has shown that exercise and intermittent fasting can activate adaptive stress response pathways and may promote optimal function of cells.
Mattson's research has informed his lifestyle, including diet and exercise regimens.
"There's evidence, mostly from animal models but also from an increasing number of epidemiological studies, to suggest that these changes that occur in the brain during aging, and are exacerbated in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, can be attenuated or counteracted by certain dietary and lifestyle [choices]," said Mattson.
In studies, sedentary mice exhibited much less brain activity than mice using a running wheel. Furthermore, when taught to touch icons on a computer screen for food rewards, Mattson said, the runner mice made fewer errors than did the sedentary ones, showing a correlation to the number of new neurons generated in the brain.
Mattson has observed healthy changes in people, too. While coaching his kids in cross-country, he said they concentrate better and are more cheerful during the running season. His lab studies routinely show that exercise improves cognitive function and can enhance DNA repair. People who exercise throughout their lives, he said, are less likely to develop dementia.
Meanwhile, intermittent fasting studies on animals and people, he said, show improved glucose regulation and lipid profile and activated adaptive stress response pathways in cells. His lab found that mice fasting on alternate days before given a neurotoxin that damages the same neurons affected in Alzheimer's had less learning and memory deficits. In stroke models, they also found less brain damage. In a Huntington's disease model, intermittent fasting before the mice were symptomatic also delayed onset of motor dysfunction and protected neurons.
As our brains process information, neurons are active and levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that helps protect neurons) increase. Mattson's lab found that exercise and fasting can increase production of BDNF.
Mattson speaks with Dr. Paul Coates, director of NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements, at the lecture.
If the hippocampus, the brain region critical for learning and memory, doesn't function optimally, short-term memory gets lost—a main symptom of Alzheimer's—and nerve cells degenerate.
"So not only does exercise and intermittent fasting strengthen existing synapses," said Mattson, "we think it promotes an increased number of neurons and formation of new circuits in the hippocampus."
Some neurological pathways affected by exercise and fasting are also affected by phytochemicals (plant compounds), which may protect cells against injury and disease, said Mattson.
In contrast to animals, plants cannot run away from potential predators such as insects and the ever present grazing deer. Instead, to protect themselves from such predators, plants produce natural pesticides, bitter-tasting chemicals that act as a natural deterrent.
"There is emerging evidence that at least some of the chemicals in fruits, vegetables and other plants we eat, from an evolutionary perspective, their function is to dissuade insects and other organisms such as us from eating them," said Mattson. But, over time, he said, animals and people have adapted to protect themselves from the potential toxic effects of these chemicals.
While some of these phytochemicals could be toxic, even lethal, at high doses, studies show many have health benefits when consumed in smaller amounts—a process called hormesis. Some of these chemicals upregulate our adaptive stress response and inhibit inflammation—which is important in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research, said Mattson. Other phytochemicals can modulate pathways involved in energy metabolism and neurotrophic signaling.
Mattson is known on campus as the coach/participant of an elite team that runs each year in the NIH Institute Relay.
Mattson's lab recently tested 50 plant chemicals for their "hormetic" effects. One such chemical, plumbagin, reduced brain damage in mice pretreated with it before they had a stroke. Other labs have found that quercetin, found in rhododendron and other plants and available in health food stores, protected cognitive function in Alzheimer's and stroke models in mice and rats. Another compound, geraniin, also found in rhododendron, exhibited neuroprotective qualities and suppressed DNA damage relevant to Alzheimer's, in certain doses. Other phytochemicals with restorative properties include galantamine, curcumin and capsaicin.
"From a lifelong health perspective, it's important to challenge yourselves and your organ systems intermittently with things like exercise, not overeating, maybe even fasting a little bit. Maybe skip breakfast or lunch, then exercise, then eat," said Mattson. "This is a mild stress on cells and cells respond adaptively by upregulating stress resistance pathways and autophagy [a sort of cellular garbage disposal system]."
But be sure to rest after vigorous exercise or moderate, intermittent fasting. "You don't want to subject yourself to stress for an extended time period," he said. Important processes take place during recovery, including protein synthesis and the formation of synapses. Mattson continues to test the theory that the cycles of challenge and recovery might promote optimal health.
So, the next time you're out jogging or reducing your caloric intake or consuming a phytochemical, you just might be maintaining cellular health and starting a habit that may promote optimal brain health into a ripe, old age.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
KCC softball signs 10 for next season
Posted on Mar 29, 2016 by Kellogg Community College
Ten high school seniors earlier this year signed National Letters of Intent to play softball at Kellogg Community College and will begin playing for the Bruins next season.
Future KCC softball players include:
Kailyn Ebeling, of Decatur, a senior at Decatur High School. Ebeling earned All-District Catcher, All-Region Catcher and Team Offensive MVP honors her freshman, sophomore and junior years of high school, in addition to First Team All-Conference Catcher honors her junior year and Second Team All-Catcher honors her freshman and sophomore years. Also a standout in the classroom, Ebeling is a four-year Scholar athlete and three-year National Honor Society student who boasts a 4.125 GPA and earned All-State Academic Team honors in softball in 2013 and 2014, All-State Academic Team honors in volleyball in 2014 and 2015 and All-State Academic Individual honors in volleyball in 2015.
Dakota Keating, of Springport, a senior at Springport High School. Keating earned All-Academic Conference honors for three years and All-Conference Honorable Mention honors her sophomore and junior years. She earned First Team All-District Outfield honors and was named team MVP her junior year.
Kimberly Kucharczyk, of Battle Creek, a senior at Lakeview High School. Kucharczyk hit .402 and batted in 24 RBIs her junior year, earning All-Conference, All-District and All-City honors in addition to being named her team's MVP and "Golden Glove" award winner. She also earned All-Conference and All-City honors in 2014, when she hit .325 with 26 RBIs.
Kylie Masko, of Grand Haven, a senior at Grand Haven High School.
Jacki Nate, of Stevensville, a senior at Lakeshore High School.
Jessica Roan, of Battle Creek, a senior at Pennfield High School. Roan was an I-8 Conference Honorable Mention, District Honorable Mention and All-City Honorable Mention player in 2015 and earned First Team KVA, First Team All-District, All-Region Honorable Mention and All-City honors in 2014.
Tyler Snyder, of Portage, a senior at Portage Central High School. Snyder hit .377 her junior year, batting in seven home runs. She was also an Honor Roll student boasting a 3.4 GPA.
Alexa Stephenson, of Battle Creek, a senior at Pennfield High School. Stephenson has played basketball and volleyball in addition to softball in high school, earning eight varsity letters. A three-time All-Conference and All-City and two-time All-District and All-Regional softball and volleyball player, Stephenson was also named MVP of her Shamrocks fastpitch team in 2015 and earned Academic All-State Team honors in 2014.
Tyme Warner, of Homer, a senior at Homer High School. Warner has earned First Team All-State and All-Conference Honorable Mention honors during her time as a Homer Trojan.
Madison Wilson, of Battle Creek. Wilson, a senior at Lakeview High School, pitched for the Spartans varsity team for two years.
The KCC softball team finished a record-breaking season in 2015 as the Michigan Community College Athletic Association state champion and MCCAA Western Conference champion, wrapping up the spring with a 27-5 conference record and a 37-13 record overall. The Bruins ended the spring with more wins than any other KCC softball team in the program's history, winding up their season in the quarterfinals of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Softball District I Championship.
The team's first home games of the 2016-17 season will begin at 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, as part of a doubleheader against Lake Michigan College at Bailey Park in Battle Creek. Admission is free.
For more information about KCC softball, visit www.kellogg.edu/softball or contact Head KCC Softball Coach Derek Herman at 269-965-4151 ext. 2555 or softballcoach@kellogg.edu.
Athletics, Community, News Releases battle creek, college softball, college sports, community college softball, kcc softball, mccaa softball, michigan softball, njcaa softball, softball
KCC, Union City choirs to collaborate for "Many Choirs" concert April 9
CNA training offered April 11-28 in Battle Creek and Coldwater


Magnolia Pictures announced on Thursday that it will release "Hail Satan?," a documentary about the rise of the Satanic Temple, at next year's Sundance Film Festival.
The documenatry was directed by Penny Lane ("Nuts!", "Our Nixon").
With unprecedented access, "Hail Satan?" traces the rise of The Satanic Temple: Only six years old and already one of the most controversial religious movements in American history. The Temple and its enigmatic leader Lucien Greaves are calling for a Satanic revolution to save the nation's soul. But are they for real?
The film's premiere will be part of the U.S. Documentary Competition at Sundance. Magnolia, which has worldwide rights to the film, will release it in theaters in spring 2019.
A Hard Working Movies Production, "Hail Satan?" was produced by Gabriel Sedgwick. The film was edited by Amy Foote and Aaron Wickenden. Naiti Gámez was director of photography and original music is by Brian McOmber.
The film received grant support from Catapult Film Fund, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program with JustFilms / Ford Foundation, Rooftop Films, Cinereach, Chicken & Egg Pictures, and Colgate University.
The deal was negotiated by Magnolia EVP Dori Begley and Magnolia SVP of acquisitions John Von Thaden with the filmmakers. Magnolia head of international sales Lorna Lee Torres and manager of international sales Catalina Ramirez will be launching the film at EFM next year.


My research interests include cancer prevention and control. Particularly passionate to study lifestyle factors and the intersection with omics and breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer risk. I am currently working under the mentorship of Dr. Leigh Pearce to study the etiology and prevention of ovarian and breast cancers.
1. Alimujiang, A., Appleton, C., Colditz, G. A., & Toriola, A. T.(2018).Adiposity at age 10 and mammographic density among premenopausal women. Cancer Prevention and Research.
2. Alimujiang, A., Appleton, C., Colditz, G. A., & Toriola, A. T. (2017). Adiposity during early adulthood, changes in adiposity during adulthood, attained adiposity, and mammographic density among premenopausal women. Breast cancer research and treatment, 166(1), 197-206.
3. Alimujiang, A., Mo, M., Liu, Y., Huang, N. S., Liu, G., Xu, W., & Colditz, G. A. (2016). The association between China's Great famine and risk of breast cancer according to hormone receptor status: a hospital-based study. Breast cancer research and treatment, 160(2), 361-369.


text:
Living Universe Review
Space, like the future, is inevitable. It's a wide, open expanse that raises an infinite array of questions. These questions help fuel the eternally inquisitive nature of mankind. The why's, the how's, the what's, the drive to find out about what is – or what isn't – out there in the universe. These are all questions that may never be answered by the current generation of scientists and astrobiologists, but may very well be answered by the scientists of the future.
This is where the Australian-French co-production, Living Universe, comes into the field. It focuses on the work of the many in the present, and depicts the outcomes of their efforts in the future. It asks questions, and with the help of great minds like NASA Chief Engineer for the Planetary Flight Systems Directorate of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Gentry Lee, astrochemist Karin Öberg, and astrophysicist Tamara Davis, it answers those questions with logic and hope. In between talking head interviews, there are some truly spectacular CGI interpretations of what space travel may look like in the future.
While the concept of space and space exploration is an exciting and fascinating one, it is also a subject that can often feel impenetrable. If you scratch under the surface of discussions about space explorations, you'll no doubt start to see an array of confusing equations flash past your eyes, and an unexpected urge to start writing on every window you see will arise in you. Thanks to the narration by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Living Universe never devolves into the incomprehensible. His enthusiasm for anything scientific is infectious – you can't help but smile along with Dr Karl as he chimes in with genuine joy over the possibilities of space travel and the wonders of science.
Alongside Dr Karl's narration is the voice of Professor Tamara Davis as Captain Artemis – a hypothetical Artificial Intelligence that (in 150 years) pilots a spaceship to the fictional plant of Minerva B to find life. What first appears to be science fiction is soon revealed to be (as per the press release) science faction. As in, fiction based on the established facts of the present.
What may seem fantastical and impossible is given a grounded feeling thanks to the passionate interviews from those who are making this science faction possible. Discussions about the history of insurmountable tasks that humankind has undertaken (with references to the many cathedrals around the world that took over a hundred years to build, showing that the engineers and architects who designed such a building never got to see the results of their imaginations) help provide an insight into the minds who dream of the stars. While they may never see the discovery of life on another planet during their lifetime, they at least know that they helped pave the way for such a discovery to occur.
Profoundly optimistic and eternally excited, Living Universe helps instil the notion that one day, mankind will find itself not alone in this wide universe. Through deep (yet clear) science, and a clear path to future space exploration, this documentary will inspire and fill you with hope that we are not alone.
Christopher John· December 9, 2019 ·2 min read
The Good Liar Review – A Solid Surface Level Mystery
Tip: See this on as big a screen as possible. The space sequences are stunning.
Directors: Alex Barry, Vincent Amouroux
Cast/Featuring: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Professor Tamara Davis, Gentry Lee
australian documentaryaustralian filmDr Karl KruszelnickiLiving UniverseNASAReviewSpace
1985 Review – A Powerfully Quiet Film
Green Room Review
Downrange Review
Swan Song Review – Udo Kier Stuns in a Heartfelt Tribute to the Elder Gay Community


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We have been crafting many pieces of jewelry using interesting coins as the centerpiece.
We recently wrote a blog about new coins we are obtaining to continue our series of coin jewelry as art. In this blog want to show you some of the pieces we have made in the past to highlight some of the possibilities of jewelry that can be made from coins. If you have inherited an old coin or have a passion to obtain one, we can turn it into a fun piece of jewelry that can be worn on a daily basis. Here are some examples of coin jewelry we have created.
Bracelet designs for a large coin.
10 dollar gold piece in 14k yellow gold.
Drachma coin set in men's gold ring.
Athena pictured on back of coin.
At Richard Dolgin Private Jeweler in Overland Park Kansas we have enjoyed creating many unique pieces of coin jewelry in the past and look forward to working with you on your coin jewelry as art.


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Q: What is a good and secure session name? Background
I've been a php developer for several years but mostly using a open source CMS such as wordpress or drupal. Both of these manage sessions in their own way and for the most part I never paid attention to them. Now I am building a custom website without using these cms's which means I need to manage the session myself. As this has lots of security implications I wanted more information about it. I understand security threats affecting form building and url's and general input but very little about session threats.
I noticed in my chrome inspector that my session cookie was named "PHPSESSIONID". This is of course kind of gross. So I found I could change it using either php.ini setting session.name = "mysitename" or change it in the code using some value such as session_name('mysite_' . $some_value);
The question.
What should I be setting this session name too? Is there a web standard for this? I did search for one and found nothing maybe I have the wrong key-words.
What are the security implications of setting this name? Should I include some specific variable in the name or not include a variable due to some possible conflicts. I'm really starting from scratch on the security side here so any info helps.

A: Changing this name will not have a great impact is as far as I know you do not need to care about this too much. The PHPSESSIONID is the inofficial name for it and therefor does not give so much information about it.
A more important part to prevent abuse of sessions is the use of tokens in any forms. If you need more information about this just tell me.
Another very important aspect is a possible SQL Injection attack which could have an critical impact since you handle sensitive information. To prevent this I recommend the use of prepared statements, more about this here
But back to your sessions, it is very important that you call session_sart at every start of any script and do some testing, I will give you my way of handling sessions below (any critics are highly welcome). This session should have some flags set, like the secure flag and http only, more about php session flags here
Further Sessions should have a limited time and be automatic discarded after this has expired.
Another minor point is to regenerate the session id (the value, not the name ;) ) everytime a new session starts, this function does exactly this. Just call it when a user logs in.
I hope this helps, if you have any more questions feel free to ask.
And here is my function which is called at the beginning of every file, except the login page of course:
function auth()
{
    $curFile = basename($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]);
    if($curFile == "login.php")
    {
        return;
    }

    $domain = $_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"];

    if(session_status() != PHP_SESSION_ACTIVE)
    {
        session_set_cookie_params(0, "/", $domain, true, true);
        session_start();
    }

    $now = time();
    if (isset($_SESSION["discard_after"]) && $now > $_SESSION["discard_after"])
    {
        session_unset();
        session_destroy();
        session_set_cookie_params(0, "/", $domain, true, true);
        session_start();
    }

    session_regenerate_id(true);

    $_SESSION["discard_after"] = $now + 120;

    if ((!isset($_SESSION["angemeldet"]) || !$_SESSION["angemeldet"]) && basename($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]) != "login.php")
    {
        header("Location: https://".$domain."/login.php");
        die();
    }
}

In my login file I set the session as follows:
session_set_cookie_params(1800, "/", $domain, true, true);
session_start();
session_regenerate_id(true);
//Do whatever you want to do to your $_SESSION
$_SESSION["angemeldet"] = true;
$_SESSION["name"] = "Fany name";
//...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I got some full sized versions of these last year and still haven't got through those but I couldn't resist getting some of these smaller versions in some more autumn-y kinds of smells. I've started using Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte already and it smells beautiful and they last surprisingly well considering they're just like a body spray.
I know there are lots of people who are obsessed with these and you can buy them on eBay for a little more than they retail for in a store but I decided to grab 10 while I could. You may have noticed that they've changed the bottle to a shorter, wider design which I actually think is better because the product seems to be easier to get out. The Cocoa Mint is a particular favourite of mine but I'm going to try and save it until December to use around the festive period.
I totally missed out on some great deals with these, I should have got 2 more shower gels which would have meant that they worked out at just over $8 each and I could have got 4 hand soaps for $18 but because I bought them on separate trips to the shop I never took advantage of the deals. Which is why you should always have time to browse or have a very good idea of what you would like! The foaming hand soap is lovely to use, it's very gentle on your skin and they both smell incredible.
A Scentportable is a clip on base for these little cartridges, they're great for fragrancing cars or other small spaces and you can get them in lots of different designs. I can see that I'll be buying more refills on my next trip!
I've never actually owned a 3 wick candle before so when I saw that they were actually on special at 2 for $25 I got one for myself and one for my friend who wanted a 'Leaves' one so they worked out at an even better price. The fragrance is powerful enough to fill a room and it has a clean burn which can last between 24-45 hours, I'd definitely get another one of these.
So isn't it about time you came to the UK, Bath & Body Works? I hate having to bulk buy all my favourite stuff!
What would be on your Bath & Body Works wish list?


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PDF2 PDF |Add To My Favorites | Version: 09/26/14 - Chaptered 08/19/14 - Enrolled 06/04/14 - Amended Assembly 02/18/14 - Introduced
SB-1058 Writ of habeas corpus.(2013-2014)
SB1058:v96#DOCUMENT
Senate Bill No. 1058
An act to amend Section 1473 of the Penal Code, relating to criminal procedure.
[ Approved by Governor September 26, 2014. Filed with Secretary of State September 26, 2014. ]
SB 1058, Leno. Writ of habeas corpus.
Existing law authorizes every person unlawfully imprisoned or restrained of his or her liberty, under any pretense, to prosecute a writ of habeas corpus for specified reasons, including when false evidence that is substantially material or probative on the issue of guilt or punishment was introduced against the person at any hearing or trial relating to his or her incarceration.
This bill would provide, for purposes of a writ of habeas corpus, that false evidence includes opinions of experts that have either been repudiated by the expert who originally provided the opinion at a hearing or trial or that have been undermined by later scientific research or technological advances. The bill would state that its provisions do not create additional liabilities, beyond those already recognized, for an expert who repudiates his or her original opinion or whose opinion has been undermined by later scientific research or technological advancements.
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO
Section 1473 of the Penal Code is amended to read:
(a) Every person unlawfully imprisoned or restrained of his or her liberty, under any pretense, may prosecute a writ of habeas corpus to inquire into the cause of his or her imprisonment or restraint.
(b) A writ of habeas corpus may be prosecuted for, but not limited to, the following reasons:
(1) False evidence that is substantially material or probative on the issue of guilt or punishment was introduced against a person at a hearing or trial relating to his or her incarceration.
(2) False physical evidence, believed by a person to be factual, probative, or material on the issue of guilt, which was known by the person at the time of entering a plea of guilty, which was a material factor directly related to the plea of guilty by the person.
(c) Any allegation that the prosecution knew or should have known of the false nature of the evidence referred to in subdivision (b) is immaterial to the prosecution of a writ of habeas corpus brought pursuant to subdivision (b).
(d) This section shall not be construed as limiting the grounds for which a writ of habeas corpus may be prosecuted or as precluding the use of any other remedies.
(e) (1) For purposes of this section, "false evidence" shall include opinions of experts that have either been repudiated by the expert who originally provided the opinion at a hearing or trial or that have been undermined by later scientific research or technological advances.
(2) This section does not create additional liabilities, beyond those already recognized, for an expert who repudiates his or her original opinion provided at a hearing or trial or whose opinion has been undermined by later scientific research or technological advancements.


text:
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The connection between stress and musculoskeletal disorders
Ark > Health Blog > The connection between stress and musculoskeletal disorders
In 2005-06, 1,958,000 people in the UK reported suffering from an illness that was caused or made worse by their current or past work. Of these, 52% reported musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), and 21% reported stress, depression or anxiety.
In terms of the 523,000 new cases of work-related illness reported in this period, these two types of disorder accounted for 73% of cases (37% for stress, depression or anxiety, and 36% for MSDs). This reflects the incidence rate (the rate at which new cases occurred in the population during the time period rather than the prevalence rate (the proportion of the population who were cases at a point in time.
Not only are stress and MSDs the two most common causes of work-related ill-health, but there is also growing interest in the links between the two conditions, both in terms of common risk factors and the extent to which the conditions themselves are mutually influential.
Psychosocial factors have been associated as a risk with both stress and MSDs. The term 'psychosocial factors' describes a host of potential influences on health, including those relating to the environment, the nature of work or work tasks, relationships and individual factors such as beliefs, attitudes or personality traits.
In the context of work-related stress, based on an extensive review of the literature,2 the Health and Safety Executive's Management Standards identify the following factors as most pertinent to the management of work-related stress:
Demands – unrealistic or unachievable demands/workload, job design exceeding an individual's capacity, poor task design or poor physical environment.
Control – lack of employee discretion over the way in which tasks are carried out, lack of authority and few opportunities for the employee to use their skills or initiative.
Support – lack of encouragement, sponsorship or resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.
Relationships – absence of effective procedures for avoiding conflict or unacceptable behaviour at work (eg, bullying, harassment).
Role – conflicting or ambiguous roles.
Change – poor management of change including implementation of new ways of working or new technology, lack of appropriate consultation with employees over change, and lack of appropriate support for employees during periods of change. It is also now generally accepted that risk factors for work-related MSDs include both physical and psychosocial factors. Psychosocial factors most commonly associated with MSDs are those relating to the work environment or work tasks, such as demands, repetitiveness, job control, job satisfaction, role clarity or social support at work.3,4,5
For lower back pain (LBP), psychosocial factors are of a more individual nature. Pain beliefs (or 'yellow flags') have been identified as predictive of prolonged work disability and progression into chronicity.6 Workers' own beliefs that their LBP was caused by their work, that their back pain is dangerous or potentially disabling, or that they are unable to return to work, are particularly important.
Due to the common risk factors associated with the onset of both MSDs and stress – depression or anxiety – it is perhaps unsurprising that an association has also been identified between the conditions themselves. For instance, high perceived job stress has been consistently associated with upper extremity problems.7 And a significantly higher proportion of individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) have been found to report disabling chronic pain than those without MDD (41% of those with MDD versus 10% of those without MDD).8
Most of this type of research, however, has been cross-sectional in nature (within a narrow time span), making it difficult to determine causation. The small number of prospective epidemiological studies that does exist provides support for a predictive relationship between symptoms of psychological strain and LBP.
For example, one piece of research has identified psychological distress as the only pre-existing influence on new episodes of LBP other than a history of LBP.9
The specific route or routes by which psychological stress/strain might influence MSDs is a matter of debate. A number of different paths have been proposed in the literature, reflecting both one-way and mutual causality. One proposition is that psychological stress/strain influences musculoskeletal discomfort through the physiological and biological systems, affecting internal tolerances.
For instance, psychological stress and or strain may induce physiological stress and muscle tension,10 which may result in adverse changes in immune system response, or even changes in adrenaline or noradrenaline.11
Alternatively, it has been speculated that increased levels of psychological stress/strain may cause individuals to perform tasks differently (excessive keying force when typing, for instance), producing variation in biomechanical loading.3 A third possibility is that a poor psychosocial environment may increase symptom reporting, or variations in the experience of pain, impairment or disability, through different behavioural and cognitive responses.3
Views from practice
In addition to research evidence, the views and experience of OH advisers (OHAs) from practice provides important anecdotal evidence. In recognition of this, OH service provider Cope conducted a survey to capture the views and experiences of Cope OHAs with regard to stress, depression or anxiety and MSDs.
Fifteen OHAs completed the electronic survey, reflecting the combined provision of OH support and advice to more than 26,000 employees in a range of organisations and industrial sectors across the UK. The main questions were:
What proportion of the individuals that you see with musculoskeletal problems, do you believe are also suffering from stress, depression or anxiety? The largest proportion of respondents (40%) estimated 'about half'.
Of those experiencing both types of problem, what proportion, in your opinion, developed the MSD first, and what proportion developed the stress, anxiety or depression first? The majority of respondents felt that the MSD was likely to have developed first, in most cases.
How often do you believe MSDs and stress, depression or anxiety are influenced by the same risk factors? The vast majority (93%) of OHAs said 'very often' or 'often'.
This short survey provides an indication that the experiences of Cope's OHAs in practice are consistent with the findings emerging from research on the issue of stress and MSDs. Namely, that co-existence of stress and MSDs could be a significant issue for rehabilitation following both stress and MSDs, with co-existence of the two conditions potentially acting as a barrier to recovery. Indeed, co-existence of stress, depression or anxiety and MSDs has been found to magnify the negative impacts of the single conditions on individuals' labour force activity.12
Thus, there may be scope for improving interventions aimed at tackling stress and MSDs by addressing the commonalities or interactions between the two problems. Interventions aimed at tackling the risk factors common to both conditions might be more effective in improving the health of individuals, and as a result, that of organisations through increased productivity and reduced sickness absence rates.
Both physical and psychological strain can be seen as resulting from an imbalance between individual capacity and the demands of the environment. As reflected in Figure 4 (see left), excessive physical demands can overload the musculoskeletal system, resulting in tissue breakdown and leading to physical symptoms such as neck, shoulder or back pain.
Lack of use, or 'underloading' can also prove detrimental as tissues become weakened, are not strong enough to cope with demands, and are therefore susceptible to failure. Similarly, when psychological demands exceed an individual's coping capacity, psychological stress/strain is likely to result.
Underloading can also affect an individual's psychological wellbeing as boredom or monotony can be considered a source of stress for some individuals. Of course, the point at which optimal loading is reached will vary from individual to individual according to many factors, including physical and mental fitness or resilience.
It is the role of OH practitioners, including ergonomists, occupational psychologists and physiotherapists, to help employers design work tasks, equipment and environment in such a way that avoids under or overloading, and to enhance employees' capacity to maintain this balance.
Due to the complexity and interactive nature of the two types of condition, effective management of both stress and MSDs requires a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach, incorporating concepts from physiotherapy, ergonomics and psychology.
Yet despite the growing body of evidence for commonalities between stress and MSDs, many approaches to the prevention and management of these conditions tend to derive from these individual disciplines in isolation from the others.13
Adopting a more holistic approach, taking into account the commonalities and interactions between stress and MSDs, may well achieve much needed reductions in these two highly prevalent conditions.
Orimashe Jimoh is a Senior Physiotherapist at Physiooncall
Health and Safety Executive (2007) Self-reported work-related illness and workplace injuries in 2005/06.
Health and Safety Executive Books: Sudbury, UK
Rick J, Thomson L, Briner RB, O'Regan S, Daniels K (2002) Review of existing supporting scientific knowledge to underpin standards of good practice for key work-related stressors-Phase I. Contract Research Report 427/2002, Health and Safety Executive Books, Sudbury, UK
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2001) Musculoskeletal disorders and the workplace: Low back and upper extremities. National Academy Press, Washington DC
NIOSH (1997) Musculoskeletal disorders and workplace factors: A critical review of epidemiologic evidence for work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, upper extremity, and low back. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-141, Cincinnati
Devereux J, Rydstedt L, Kelly V, Weston P, Buckle P (2004) The role of work stress and psychological factors in the development of musculoskeletal disorders, Health and Safety Executive Research Report 273. Health and Safety Executive Books, Sudbury, UK
Waddell G, Burton K (2000) Occupational Health Guidelines for the Management of Low Back Pain at Work – Evidence Review. London: Faculty of Occupational Medicine
Bongers EMF, van Bokhoven H, van Thienen MN, Kooyman MAP, van Beersum SEC, Boetes C, Knoers NVAM, Hamel BCJ (2002) Are psychosocial factors risk factors for symptoms and signs of the shoulder, elbow or hand/wrist? A review of the epidemiological literature. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 41: 315-342
Arnow B, Hunkeler E, Blasey C, Lee J, Constantino MJ, et al. (2006) Comorbid Depression, Chronic Pain, and Disability in Primary Care. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68: 262-268
Feyer AM, Herbison P, Williamson AM, de Silva I, Mandryk J, Hendrie L, Hely MC (2000) The role of physical and psychological factors in occupational low back pain: a prospective cohort study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 57: 116-20
Lundberg, U (2002) Psychophysiology of Work: Stress, gender, endocrine response, and work-related upper extremity disorders. American Journal of Industrial Medicine Supplement 2: 383-392
Theorell T, Karasek RA (1996) Current issues relating to psychosocial job strain and cardiovascular disease research.
Journal of Occupational Health and Psychology 1: 9-26
Waghorn CD, Lloyd C (2006) Labour force activity among Australians with musculoskeletal disorders comorbid with depression and anxiety disorders. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 16: 235-246
Marras WS (2004) State of the art research perspectives on musculoskeletal disorder causation and control: the need for an integrated understanding of risk. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology,14: 1-5
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RAY DONOVAN Recap: "Uber Ray"
by Allison Keene July 20, 2014
In "Uber Ray," Ran Donovan has set up its major conflicts for the upcoming season, and so far, it's looking good. The show is a slow burn, and one that didn't get as much attention as its counterpart Masters of Sex, but deserved to. It's at least a steadily engaging show, if not completely tonally consistent, and its character drama is always interesting to watch unfold. "Uber Ray" didn't bother with a fixer plot this week, which was the right choice, focusing instead on Mickey's return, and what that means for the Donovans. Hit the jump for why "that's why you were born, Ray, to be my fucking judge. That's always been your job."
Much like Season One, Mickey's return is a complicated one for the Donovan family. And, like his first return, Ray believes he can control him (and he essentially has to, as their fates are intertwined). As Cochran made clear, Mickey is on probation unless he fucks up, and if he fucks up, then Ray is going down with him.
To help his cause, Ray gets Lina and Ari to find out which parole officer is the most likely to be bought. From there, he pays him to keep Mickey under a vice grip, to help do his babysitting for him. But Mickey is wily, and unlikely to stay subdued for long. And while this time, neither Terry, Bunchy nor Daryll seem very interested in helping him, he's cultivating his relationship with Conor in the way he used to do with Bunchy. He teaches him, he keeps him close, he confides in him, and of course, uses him.
Abby, too, is not on Mickey's side this time, though nor is she fully on Ray's until the end of the hour. She stops Ray's dead-eyed sexual advances towards her, and later makes a move on her yoga instructor because he "sees" her. It was one of Abby's greatest character moments once she was back in the car, and took out a cigarette, eventually laughing at her behavior and how much it surprised her. But ever dutiful to Ray, she buys sexy lingerie in order to have some agency in their lovemaking. It turned out to be well-timed, as a penitent Ray buys her her dream house.
On the other hand, Ray's gift still doesn't give Abby what she wants from him, which is honesty and emotional intimacy. She chastises him for not treating her like a partner, but then acquiesces to him when he buys her the house. It's a temporary patch on a deeper problem.
Several other older plots continued to play out, like Ray cooling Ezra's jets over collecting debts for his hospital obsession, and Conor's inappropriate friendship with Tommy. Frances confronts Ray about Terry following her, though thinks that it's because of what she witnessed with the priest, and not because Terry is still in love with her (which Ray wisely stays quiet about).
But the most interesting B-plot is a new one: a Boston reporter (Vinessa Shaw) is writing a book on Sully, and doesn't believe the FBI's timeline or version of the events surrounding his death. It's a good way for the show to not just write the Sully plot off, and to add a new twist to the Donovans attempts to put the Sully situation behind them. Before heading to L.A., she picks up some clues from Sully's mother and others, slowly unravelling, it seems, the truth about some of the bodies Ray would rather stay buried.
Ultimately, Ray Donovan continues to be a good watch every week, and is bolstered by great, small character moments (mostly surrounding Mickey, like his advice to Conor or his racist joke to the parole officer) that keep it quirky and different.
Episode Rating: B+
Musings and Miscellanea:
— I hate to give episodes like this a grade rating, because it's all about building blocks.
— Wendell Pierce!! So happy to have him back on my TV (as the parole officer). Also, I did not recognize Sherilyn Finn at all (as Cochran's wife).
— Abby's desire for intimacy from Ray is one viewers want some of, too, and it is revealed occasionally in moments like when he ripped up June's check for Ezra. He does care, he's not a robot.
— "Banging whores and getting your kid beat up? That's some spiritual awakening, Mick" – Ray.
— I love that Lina discovered Cochran's "kinky" side-life is being in a Bob Seeger cover band.
— Does anyone in Ray's office ever turn on any lights?
— I'm willing to see where most of the show's digressions go, even if they don't seem that interesting at first. But anything to do with Ezra just drags everything down. It's not interesting, and doesn't seem to have any stakes. Unless Ezra turns on Ray or vice versa, it's really not worth the screen time right now. And everyone on the show needs to quit with the hallucinations.
— "Breasts are for children. When you grow up, it's all about ass" – Mickey's Life Advice, Part 23948.
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• Ray Donovan • Ray Donovan recap • TV Recap


On January 18, 2017, Anthem extended its Merger Agreement with Cigna through April 30, 2017.
The three leading proxy advisory firms have now independently acknowledged the compelling near- and long-term value of Anthem's acquisition of Cigna.
As our industry and the needs of health care consumers continue to evolve, quality improvement remains a key priority for Anthem and our health care system.


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ESA's Advanced Concepts Team
By Keith Cowing
Posted July 9, 2012 10:40 AM
A decade of future visions from ESA's Advanced Concepts Team
"Ion beams to clean up space debris, exotic metamaterials, fluid-like spacecraft made up of many tiny fractionated parts and planetary landers borrowing tips from bumblebees - ESA's Advanced Concepts Team looked forward on its tenth anniversary, discussing creative ideas for space's future. Based at ESTEC, ESA's technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, the team celebrated its first decade on 2-3 July, gathering former members and research partners from all across Europe, with guests from the US and Japan.... Alastair Reynolds explained the relationship between science and science fiction was really two-way in nature: today's mainstream scientific concepts such as terraforming and wormholes originated in yesterday's science fiction - and the movie 2001 back in 1968 depicted a prototype iPad, highlighted in a copyright court case last year.
TAGS: ESA
FILED UNDER: ESA, NASA Hack Space
\n\nA decade of future visions from ESA's Advanced Concepts Team\n\n\"Ion beams to clean up space debris, exotic metamaterials, fluid-like spacecraft made up of many tiny fractionated parts and planetary landers borrowing tips from bumblebees - ESA's Advanced Concepts Team looked forward on its tenth anniversary, discussing creative ideas for space's future. Based at ESTEC, ESA's technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, the team celebrated its first decade on 2-3 July, gathering former members and research partners from all across Europe, with guests from the US and Japan.... Alastair Reynolds explained the relationship between science and science fiction was really two-way in nature: today's mainstream scientific concepts such as terraforming and wormholes originated in yesterday's science fiction - and the movie 2001 back in 1968 depicted a prototype iPad, highlighted in a copyright court case last year.


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Q: Linux RAID 5 with non identical disks I want to use a software raid on a Linux server I am creating.
I have 2 identical Maxtor 250 GB hard drives and one Western Digital 250GB hard drive. I know I know I can easily set up raid 1 with the 2 Maxtor drives, But is there a way I could use the third Western Digital hard drive to make a Raid 5 array?
If so are the procedures for doing this any different than using 3 identical drives?
I am planing on using Ubuntu server for this (Same drives for data and OS) are there any nice guides for doing this. (I have never setup RAID before)
Thanks.
EDIT: I have no idea how to set up the raid during the Ubuntu server install, so I also need instructions on how to do this. (A link to a guide will do just fine)

A: There shouldn't really be any isues mixing disk vendors, Linux software raid is discussed pretty thoroughly here, you shouldn't have to do anything differently just because the drives are from different vendors.

"There are no other special requirements to the devices from which you build your RAID devices - this gives you a lot of freedom in designing your RAID solution. For example, you can build a RAID from a mix of IDE and SCSI devices, and you can even build a RAID from other RAID devices"

(From the Linux raid wiki)
As far as setting up the raid during the installer goes, you have to use the "alternate" (textmode) installer, full instructions for this are here on the Ubuntu wiki.

A: Will work just fine.
Unlike osij2is I always recommend software raid. I've run many many large disk installations, and HW raid have always given me more headache in the form of drivers, performance, stability, userspace utils for raid maintenance and recovery when moving the disks between controllers, slots or controller manufacturers.
Actually, nowadays I recommend ZFS.

A: Seems to be a lot of RAID questions today. Hmmm. First, I'd advise against software RAID no matter what OS. Buy a RAID controller (a repetitive mantra of mine). If this is just a test system to play with, fine, I understand you can do without, but if you really want this RAID array to work (and work well), I highly recommend getting a RAID controller. Lots of Linux support these days for RAID controllers so I wouldn't fret about driver support much.
Second, the brand of the drives doesn't matter so much as the size does. Having 3x 250GB drives will allow you to have RAID 5 array, granted it's nicer to have all the same drives for aesthetic reasons and possibly technical reasons. I assume all 250GB drives run at 7200rpm and have 16MB cache? It's better if at the least they're all nearly the same size, speed and buffer size as it helps to have equal specs amongst the drives as well.
Lastly, here's a good intro guide to Linux RAID arrays. There are lots of good guides out there, but tldp.org is a good place to start. I'm sure there's more info addressing RAID for Ubuntu, but I'd say if this is your first time with RAID, it's best to get the general information first and then deatails (step-by-step) on your distro.

A: Just because you can doesn't mean you should.  Never ever use RAID-5 (or 4 or 3.)  http://www.baarf.com/
I'd suggest setting up a RAID-1 with a hot spare.  Use one of the maxtors for the hot spare (not the WD.)  You want to make sure the RAID will work with mismatched drives.  You don't want to find out AFTER a drive failure that your hot spare won't work.

A: Absolutely no problem.  You probably won't be able to get the full capacity of the drives due to different geometry, but you'll be just fine with those three drives.

A: Your array will be of the size of the smallest disk in the array, and at the performance of the slowest disk in the array. This rule counts for any raid, software or hardware.
And yes - it will work just fine :)


MINDEN, Nev. (KOLO) - The Douglas County Sheriff's Office has arrested 46-year-old Richard Jenkins on four counts of lewdness with a minor under the age of 16.
Authorities say Jenkins was arrested November 8, 2018 and is being held in the Douglas County Jail with a bail of $50,000.
Jenkins is a former coach for various girls' volleyball teams in the Carson Valley.
The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information regarding this case, you're asked to contact Investigator Nadine Chrzanowski at 775-782-9909.