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The Hobbit finds its way to Blu-ray
Warner Brothers is releasing Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on multiple home video formats on March 19 but the big question is will fans of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy be an enamored with this film (and its two coming follow-ups)? Before I go through the Blu-ray, here's a look back at my original review posted on CliqueClack.com:
Wow, has it really been nine years since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was released? It really doesn't seem that long, but it does seem like it's been an eternity since the wheels started turning on production of The Hobbit, what with the rights feuds, a studio bankruptcy, and a director withdrawing even before the first frame was shot. But now it's here, at least the first of three chapters, and the big question now is: was it worth the wait?
The answer is neither yes or no, as the first chapter in the new trilogy is resoundingly average. I remember being enraptured by the first Lord of the Rings movie from the very beginning; the look, the style, the music … everything about it just drew you into the world of Middle Earth. Since we've all been there, settling into a viewing of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, should be like settling into a comfy couch. You certainly know what to expect style-wise with Peter Jackson once again behind the camera, and even the story should have some familiarity to it since we're re-connecting with characters we already know from the previous films (even though this one takes place sixty years earlier).
Unfortunately, what Jackson has done by taking a simple, single volume children's story and turning it into a nine-hour epic is made the movie overly bloated and episodic, especially during the first hour when we're meeting the thirteen dwarfs and getting side stories that do and do not have any bearing on the main story at hand. For instance, Gandalf (Ian McKellan) tells the story of another wizard, Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy) and his discovery of a necromancer destroying nature all around him. This side story intrudes on the main story as Gandalf brings news of the necromancer to Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), and Saruman (Christopher Lee) who dismisses it as just a man playing with magic. Of course, the necromancer will obviously play into the story as Benedict Cumberbatch was cast in the role (and he's credited, but never seen in the movie ... and will be providing the voice of Smaug the dragon).
The main plot of the book is there, though, between all of the extra stuff Jackson has added. Bilbo Baggins (a terrific Martin Freeman) is enlisted by Gandalf to join a band of dwarfs on their quest to regain their homeland, and gold, from Smaug. Along the way, they have to battle orcs, goblins, trolls, and after getting separated from the group during an underground battle with the goblins, Bilbo meets up with a strange creature, Gollum (Andy Serkis), and comes in possession of that magical, golden ring. It's here that the movie finally kicks into gear with Serkis' amazing performance. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences really needs to rethink their acting categories to include motion capture performances like this, because even though the actor is replaced by a fully realized CG character, his performance is just stunning (and the advances in CG rendering since the last movie has grown by leaps and bounds, making this the most realistic Gollum yet).
Unfortunately, the movie ends just as it's really getting started with the band of travelers seeing their destination for the first time off in the distance. What The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ends up being is a three-hour origin story that we have to wait a year to see how it pans out. Another problem I had was that the whole thing felt like Jackson was just indulging himself. It took a while for the LOTR films to show us some major battles, but The Hobbit has at least three! The effects are incredible, but it all seemed like a bit of overkill and padding. The story has gotten completely lost amongst all the pageantry. More time should have been spent getting to know the dwarfs, the camaraderie, the journey, instead of just throwing one battle after another at us (and don't get me started on the pointless rock giants fight scene that only served to show off more CGI wonders). As it is, by the end of the movie, you really don't care one way or another about Thorin's (Richard Armitage) quest to get back to his home, and with most of the plot points from the book already included in this movie, you have to wonder how much more padding is to come. I fear that the Hobbit trilogy is going to go down in film history as the new Star Wars prequels trilogy.
When I saw the film theatrically, I saw the new HFR 48 fps 3D version which did not impress me at all. It ended up looking like an old BBC video production that you might have seen on Masterpiece Theater. The sharpness and detail were amazing, but it just didn't look like a movie or have that film-like quality the other trilogy has. It looked surprisingly flat even though it was in 3D, and some of the scenes were overly bright and contrasty with some of the white areas almost blown out. I was hoping that the presentation of the film on Blu-ray would correct some of these issues, but it only seems to magnify the problems. Not that there's anything wrong with the Blu-ray presentation itself, it's the source elements that are to blame. Some of the flat, overly lit scenes are still flat and overly lit. There are also some issues involved with converting the 48 fps down to 24p for Blu-ray, especially in any scene that has a lot of fast motion -- some of the CGI effects move just a bit too fast and there is no motion blur, so they just look like really bad special effects. I wondered if the HFR process was going to impact the eventual home video edition, and it has. The average viewer may not notice but, to me, it stuck out like a sore thumb. The film's audio, however, will give your home theater system a nice workout.
The Blu-ray + DVD combo contains the complete movie on a single disk with no extras, giving the film room to breathe (the DVD is the same). A separate disk contains the bonus material, and while you can't technically call this a "bare bones edition," the bonus material is really nothing new. The bulk of the material is the ten-part video blogs Jackson and his crew produced during the production of the film, and since these were available online before the movie was released, the blogs are mostly a tease for what is to come. The ten blogs, if you haven't already seen them online are:
Video Blog #1: Start of production, April 14, 2011 (HD, 10:32) -- Peter Jackson gives viewers a tour of the various departments preparing for the first day of shooting leading up to day one of production. A look at the welcoming ceremony is very moving.
Video Blog #2: Location scouting, July 9, 2011 (HD, 10:20) -- Shooting on the first block has completed, we learn where cast and crew will be spending their break, and Jackson looks for locations for the second block, and the logistics involved in bringing a full cast and crew to a remote area. Interesting tidbit: Jackson mentions shooting the two Hobbit films.
Video Blog #3: Shooting block one, July 21, 2011 (HD, 13:19) -- Cast and crew talk about their favorite parts of shooting the first block of production. Meanwhile, Peter Jackson has been transported to England's Pinewood Studios. Ian McKellan has an uncanny knack for remembering all the dwarves' names. A highlight: John Rhys-Davis visits and meets his "father." And there is a surprise cameo at the end, which explains Jackson's location.
Video Blog #4: Shooting in 3D, November 4, 2011 (HD, 10:46) -- A nice piece for the tech geeks as Jackson and crew discuss the 3D process (all of the cameras have names) shooting at 48 fps, and how everyone from makeup and costumes to pre-production artists had to adapt to the new formats.
Video Blog #5: Locations Part 1, December 24, 2011 (HD, 12:04) -- After weeks of shooting in the studio, the production moves to locations around New Zealand and the logistics involved of moving a huge crew and cast. The Hobbiton location has been under construction for two years, and the new construction has been built from permanent materials for future tourist visits.
Video Blog #6: Locatons Part 2, March 2, 2012 (HD, 12:28) -- Production has begun on part two of The Hobbit, but we're back to where we left off on location. The actors marvel at how real everything in the studio looked, and how unbelievable the real locations look.
Video Blog #7: Stone St. Studios tour, June 6, 2012 (HD, 13:59) -- A comprehensive look at Jackson's studio including the Weta Workshop.
Video Blog #8: Wrap of principal photography, July 24, 2012 (HD, 14:42) -- Jackson and the cast visit Comic Con and present a production reel leading up to the final day of shooting. Another moving moment occurs as Jackson thanks everyone for their hard work and support.
Video Blog #9: Post-production overview, November 24, 2012 (HD, 14:08) -- A look at everything that goes into completing the film, including editing, digital effects, sound effects and recording the score.
Video Blog #10: Wellington world premiere, December 14, 2012 (HD, 14:42) -- A look at all of the preparations for the world premiere, and the overwhelming turnout in Wellington, NZ.
Also included is a six-minute promotional video apparently produced to promote New Zealand tourism, using the films as its selling point, several Hobbit theatrical trailers and video game trailers. There is also a code included for the Ultraviolet version of the movie which you can stream on a variety of mobile devices whenever and wherever you want. Of course, there will be a deluxe expanded edition coming later this year which will have a lot more bonus material and even more padding added to the movie itself (that it will help bring more depth to the film as the re-inserted material did for the LOTR trilogy is debatable). So, hardcore fans may want to hold out for that edition of the video ... except there is one extra special bonus that those fans will probably want to see: with the code provided in each copy of the home video, owners will be able to access a live video presentation of a first look at The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hosted by Peter Jackson on Sunday, March 24 at 3:00 PM Eastern/Noon Pacific (an edited version will be archived on the film's website). You just have to decide if the purchase price is worth having access to the live event.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is currently available for Digital Download, and will be available as a Blu-ray combo pack, Blu-ray 3D combo pack, and 2-Disc DVD Special Edition on March 19.
Posted by CRDBlog
Tags: hobbit, hobbit blu-ray, peter jackson, the hobbit, warner home video
This Just Out...
CRDBlog
Chuck Duncan


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Does a Criminal Conviction Bar You From Running for U.S. President?
By: Dave Roos | Aug 22, 2022
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida is shown Aug. 9, 2002. On Aug. 8, FBI agents searched the home, recovering at least 15 boxes containing potentially classified material. GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images
The unprecedented FBI-executed search warrant of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida resulted in the seizure of boxes of government documents, some labeled "top secret." According to federal statute 18 U.S. Code § 2071, anyone found in possession of top-secret files would not only be subject to fines and jail time but would also "be disqualified from holding any office under the United States."
So, what does that mean for Trump, who may be planning to run for president again in 2024? If the Justice Department convicts Trump of knowingly concealing sensitive government documents, wouldn't he receive a lifetime ban from the White House?
Not so fast, say legal experts.
Under the U.S. Constitution, which lays out the qualifications for holding the nation's highest office, the only limitations are you must be a U.S. citizen and at least 35 years old. It's really hard to disqualify someone from running for president, even a convicted criminal.
The Constitution Versus Federal Law
What About the 14th Amendment?
Yes, You Can Run for President From Prison
Running is One Thing, But What About Actually Winning and Serving?
Federal laws, and the consequences for breaking them, are written by Congress, but Congress doesn't have the final word. Even a federal law that's been on the books for decades can still be struck down by the Supreme Court if it's found to be in violation of the Constitution.
The Constitution (Article II, Section 1, Clause 5) clearly lays out the qualifications for the presidency:
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.
The question is, can Congress write a law that adds qualifications for federal office — or disqualifications in this case — to what's already written in the Constitution? Almost certainly not, says Derek Muller, a law professor at the University of Iowa College of Law and a contributor to the Election Law Blog.
"There's a pretty robust understanding of law that says Congress cannot add qualifications for federal office," says Muller. "You can imagine, as a practical matter, why that would be a problem. Congress could pass a statute that disqualifies its political enemies or makes it more difficult for its disfavored candidates to win."
So even if a federal law says that violators will be disqualified from holding office, it could be challenged in court. And odds are very good that the Supreme Court justices would strike down the "disqualification" part as unconstitutional and let the person run for office again.
"Criminals Work Here" is written on the sidewalk as people display a "Trump 2024" banner outside of the Trump Tower building in New York City on Aug. 9, 2022, the day after the FBI entered his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, removing potentially classified material.
ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images
There is, however, a previously little-known clause in the Constitution that disqualifies people from office who have committed one specific crime: insurrection.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment reads:
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
"That's the only other place in the Constitution that says, this is prohibited conduct and we don't want individuals serving in government who have assisted in some sort of rebellion," says Muller.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was written in the wake of the Civil War, when Congress wanted to prevent any officials who served in the Confederacy from holding federal or state office again. In 1872, that disqualification (or "disability" in legal language) was lifted by Congress for most of the banned officials.
The "disqualification clause" of the 14th Amendment was collecting dust until the Jan. 6, 2020, attack on the Capitol and accusations that former President Trump incited the insurrection. But what exactly would it take for Trump or another government official who had "previously taken an oath... to support the Constitution of the United States" to be disqualified from office under the 14th Amendment?
"There's a lot of debate about that," says Muller. Does the individual need to be convicted of inciting or supporting a rebellion? Does Congress have to pass a separate "enabling statute" that identifies the individuals who participated in the insurrection or rebellion? There are even people who question whether the disqualification applies to the presidency at all.
Muller says that the framers of the Constitution consciously set a "very low bar" of entry for running for office. Unlike European aristocracies, American officeholders didn't have to own land or be wealthy. That's the beauty of American-style democracy. "Just about anyone can run," says Muller.
And that goes for convicted felons and other criminals. In the 1920 presidential election, the outspoken socialist Eugene Debs campaigned for president from a federal prison in Georgia. Debs was charged and convicted of sedition in 1918 for his fiery speeches denouncing America's participation in World War I. Running as "Convict No. 9653," Debs won 3.5 percent of the vote in 1920.
More recently, the fringe politician Lyndon LaRouche ran for president three times in the 1990s and early 2000s after serving seven years in a federal prison for defrauding the IRS.
Eugene Debs smiles as leaves the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, on Christmas Day, 1921. Debs ran for president five times, including from the federal prison.
As Muller says, just about anybody can run for political office in America, but is there a difference between running and winning? And if a criminal or suspected traitor is elected to office, are there other ways to remove them or disqualify them from running again?
Yes, says Muller. Impeachment is the big one. According to the Constitution, Congress has the authority to launch impeachment proceedings against "The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States." If a majority of the House votes to impeach, that's followed by a trial in the Senate. If the Senate votes to convict the official of "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors," the person is removed from office.
Civil officers who have been impeached by the House include 15 federal judges; three presidents (Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump who was impeached twice); a cabinet secretary and a U.S. senator, according to the U.S. House of Representatives. Only eight of this group, all federal judges, were convicted and removed from office by the Senate.
Disqualification from future office is an optional punishment with impeachment. In its history, the Senate has only barred three people from serving again in the federal government, all federal judges.
Impeachment is the only legitimate constitutional tool to bar someone from office, but that doesn't mean that Congress hasn't experimented with other methods. In the 1960s, an outspoken Harlem congressman named Adam Clayton Powell embarrassed his colleagues in the House with some "suboptimal public dealings," says Muller.
First, the House voted to strip Powell of his committee posts, and then it took an unprecedented step — the House voted to "exclude" Powell from the next Congress. In other words, they tried to disqualify him from office. Powell sued and the case made it to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the House's actions were unconstitutional. (Powell was so popular in his home district that he was elected back to Congress with 86 percent of the vote.)
Congress could try to do the same thing with a president. In 2020, on the same day as the Jan. 6 insurrection, 147 Republican congressmen and women raised objections to certifying President Joe Biden's victory over allegations of voter fraud. Congress came close, in other words, to refusing to seat an elected president.
"You're really in uncharted territory at that point," says Muller. "If a majority of the Electoral College, which represents the people and the states, has chosen a president, it's very hard for Congress to turn around and say we're going to reject that — as a political matter, which is different from the legal question."
Now That's Rough
While prisoners and felons can run for office, millions of Americans behind bars or with felony convictions on their record are barred from voting by state disenfranchisement laws.
Dave Roos "Does a Criminal Conviction Bar You From Running for U.S. President?" 22 August 2022.
HowStuffWorks.com. <https://people.howstuffworks.com/criminal-conviction-bar-running-for-president.htm> 29 January 2023
Should the U.S. Let People Younger Than 35 Run for President?
10 Bizarre Moments in Presidential Elections

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Чапо́-Олого́ — село в Каларском районе Забайкальского края России. Образует сельское поселение «Чапо-Ологское».

География
Расположено на правом берегу реки Чары, в 63 км (по автодороге) к северо-востоку от райцентра, села Чара, и в 17 км от железнодорожной станции Икабья на Байкало-Амурской магистрали в посёлке Икабья.

Население

Примечания

Ссылки

Населённые пункты Каларского района

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Watchman Nee (1903-1972) became a Christian in mainland China at the age of seventeen and began writing in the same year. His rich ministry was the issue of both revelation and suffering. Nee not only spoke frequently both privately and publicly, but he was also a prolific writer. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith and he remained in prison until his death. His words remain an abundant source of spiritual revelation and supply to Christians throughout the world.
Andrew Murray (1828-1917) went from being a discouraged young minister at age 25 to becoming one of the best loved writers on the deeper Christian life. In his 88 years, the South African theologian wrote over 240 books and tracts. Murray found the power from God for which he hungered, and he shares it with us through his Spirit-anointed pen.
Martha Kilpatrick is an author and speaker who has taught on the deeper Christian life for over four decades. Shulamite Ministries was formed with the publication of her first book, All and Only. Along with her books, booklets and audio teachings, Kilpatrick's many teachings go out through Shulamite Ministries and evoke spiritual hunger in believers around the world. Her ministry to Jesus Christ has challenged and drawn many others to seek this Awesome Captor of Whom she speaks.
Oswald Chambers (1874–1917) is best known for the classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest. Born in Scotland, Chambers had a teaching and preaching ministry that took him as far as the United States and Japan. He died at age forty-three while serving as chaplain to British Commonwealth troops in Egypt during World War I.
Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon (1648-1717) was a French mystic and her theology and spiritual writing opened new doors to people from all walks of life who yearned for spiritual joy and wisdom. Guyon suffered ten years of incarceration, along with accusations of heresy. Cleared of all charges at the end of her life, in all of her writing Madame Guyon testified to the goodness and holiness of God.
François Fénelon (1561-1715) was a seventeenth-century French archbishop who rose to a position of influence in the court of Louis XIV. Amid the splendor and decadence of Versailles, Fénelon became a wise mentor to many members of the king's court. Fenelon speaks to modern Christians wanting deeper faith and a meaningful inner life, and his letters of counsel and spiritual meditations have found a wide audience for more than three centuries.
Francis Frangipane is a Christian evangelical minister and author. He is the founding pastor of River of Life Ministries. In 2002, he also launched an international, online school called In Christ's Image Training (ICIT). This training lays a foundation of truth based on four principal themes: Christlikeness, humility, prayer and unity. Since retiring as senior pastor of River of Life Ministries, Frangipane is devoting himself to prayer and the ministry of God's word.


Fifteen of the nation?s most creative thinkers in education and technology have been honored for their work by Cable in the Classroom (CIC), the cable industry?s education foundation. In this video, three recipients of CIC?s latest ?Leaders in Learning Awards,? along with the foundation?s executive director, discuss their ideas and activities with eSchool News TV.


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Thomas Lindsay
THOMAS WILLIAM LINDSAY
Lance Corporal 242701, 1st/4th Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)
Died of Wounds 27 October 1918 aged 25
Buried Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, Pas de Calais, France
Husband of Annie Lindsay
Lived 40, High Street, Heckmondwike
Thomas was born in 1893, the younger son of Fred Lindsay, a 25 year old Blanket Warehouseman and Frances Ann Lindsay aged 24. They had one other child, Arnold, born in 1890. Fred Lindsay died in 1900 and in 1901 the remaining family were at 40, High Street Heckmondwike, part of a household which included Frances Ann's widowed mother and her three sons. By 1911 Thomas was a 17 year old Boot Worker, an occupation in which he continued until he joined the Army on 4 February 1916.
Shortly after enlisting, Thomas married 21 year old Annie Smith of 43 Westgate, Heckmondwike. After training in West Hartlepool, Thomas went to France on 1 June 1916. The 1/4th Battalion had been in France since April 1915 and amongst its officers were A L and J G Mowat, members of a prominent local Cleckheaton family. In June the Battalion received 310 new drafts and the timing suggests that it is highly likely that Private Lindsay was one of that number. The soldiers were soon in action during the Somme offensive of 1916 and Private Lindsay was one of 13 soldiers of the 1st/4th wounded on 7 July 1916 in an attack on the edge of Thiepval Wood. After further action on the Somme the Battalion moved Northwards in the direction of the Ypres Salient.
At home, Annie gave birth to a son Frederick on 23 December 1916.
In 1917 the Battalion was in action around the Ypres area and the local paper later reported that Private Lindsay had been wounded again in September 1917. The military records show that Private Lindsay spent some time with the 1st/5th Battalion but the dates are uncertain. By December 1917 the Battalion was holding the front line astride a railway line to the North-East of Ypres. The appalling conditions experienced by the soldiers in the Ypres Salient in 1917 have been well documented and the Battalion war diary noted that the "approach to the front line was very difficult over heavily shelled muddy ground" and that "no-man's-land was reported by patrols to be almost impassable". Pte Lindsay of D Company was one of two soldiers from the Battalion wounded on 9 December 1917.
By the Autumn of 1918 the Battalion was near Arras North of the Somme area. In October the soldiers were in billets "practically no better than the Front Line". On the night of 17/18 October the Battalion was in the forward trenches and was "heavily shelled with Yellow Cross [mustard] gas". The following morning an "enemy patrol approached a post held by D Company but was easily driven off". The Battalion was out of the line by 21.00 but "D Company was shelled on the way out and suffered several casualties". Records kept by the Battalion show that on 18 October one soldier was killed; four were wounded by artillery; and five were wounded by gas - one of whom was Private Lindsay. The Battalion's total casualties in this last complete month of the war were 444 out of a total strength of about 750.
Thomas was taken to 55 General Hospital at Wimereux near Boulogne, but died on 27 October. He is buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, Pas de Calais, France. The local paper reported in detail the kind and considerate letters sent to Mrs Lindsay from the hospital by the Rev J W McMullen and an un-named matron.
The outstanding pay and war gratuity owing to Thomas Lindsay's family was £26 16s 4d. Matters were made more complex because Thomas left no traceable will. This would have caused some delays whilst the York Pay Office followed the normal procedures and Mrs Lindsay was sent one third of that sum on 1 March 1919. The balance of £17 17s 6d was sent on 8 April 1919 to Mrs Lindsay's two year old Frederick. On 26 December 1919 Mrs Lindsay married Arthur Blakeborough. At that point her military widow's pension, likely to be 15s a week would cease, the 5s a week for her son Frederick would continue. Mr Blakeborough died in 1924. Thomas's brother Arnold served in the war and survived; both he and Arthur Blakeborough are listed on the Heckmondwike Roll of Honour. Thomas's uncle John Willie Priestley, the brother of Thomas's mother Frances, was killed in action on 7 September 1918 whilst serving with the Machine Gun Corps.{AG-086}


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Jan Buchtele (* 21. Juli 1990 in der Tschechoslowakei) ist ein tschechischer Eishockeyspieler,  der seit Januar 2018 erneut beim HC Sparta Prag aus der Extraliga unter Vertrag steht.

Karriere
Jan Buchtele begann seine Karriere als Eishockeyspieler in der Nachwuchsteilung des HC Pardubice, für dessen Junioren-Mannschaften er von 2006 bis 2009 in der U18- bzw. U20-Extraliga aktiv war. Im Laufe der Saison 2008/09 gab der Angreifer sein Debüt im professionellen Eishockey, als er in einem Spiel für Pardubice in der Extraliga auf dem Eis stand. Zudem lief er zwei Mal für den HC Vrchlabí aus der zweitklassigen 1. Liga auf. In der Saison 2009/10 wurde der Linksschütze mit Pardubice Tschechischer Meister. Zu diesem Erfolg trug er mit zwei Toren und einer Vorlage bei insgesamt 25 Einsätzen bei. Zudem sammelte er wieder in der 1. Liga Spielpraxis, in der er für den HC Chrudim in sechs Spielen fünf Tore erzielte.

2012 gewann er eine weitere Meisterschaft mit Pardubice, ehe er am 1. Mai 2013 vom  HC Sparta Prag unter Vertrag genommen wurde. Dort zeigte er so gute Leistungen, dass er regelmäßig Einsätze in der Nationalmannschaft bei der Euro Hockey Tour erhielt.

2016 wurde er mit Sparta Prag tschechischer Vizemeister und wechselte daraufhin im Sommer 2016 erstmals in die Kontinentale Hockey-Liga zu Awtomobilist Jekaterinburg. Dort wurde er in 39 KHL-Partien eingesetzt und spielte auch dem Spengler Cup 2016 für den Klub. Im Februar 2017 kehrte Buchtele zu Sparta Prag zurück, da Awtomobilist die Play-offs verpasst hatte und Spieler abgab, um Personalkosten zu sparen.

Ab Mai 2017 stand Buchtele beim HC Slovan Bratislava, ebenfalls in der KHL, unter Vertrag, ehe er im Januar 2018 zu Sparta Prag zurückkehrte.

Erfolge und Auszeichnungen
 2010 Tschechischer Meister mit dem HC Pardubice
 2012 Tschechischer Meister mit dem HC Pardubice
 2016 Tschechischer Vizemeister mit dem HC Sparta Prag

Extraliga-Statistik

(Stand: Ende der Saison 2016/17)

Weblinks

Eishockeynationalspieler (Tschechien)
Eishockeyspieler (HC Sparta Prag)
Eishockeyspieler (HC Slovan Bratislava)
Eishockeyspieler (Awtomobilist Jekaterinburg)
Eishockeyspieler (HC Pardubice)
Tschechischer Meister (Eishockey)
Tschechoslowake
Tscheche
Geboren 1990
Mann


"APRIL:TACI axis is dispensable for the immune response to rabies vacci" by Shannon L. Haley, Evgeni P. Tzvetkov et al.
APRIL:TACI axis is dispensable for the immune response to rabies vaccination.
This article has been peer reviewed. It is the authors' final version prior to publication in Antiviral Research, Volume 145, August 2017, Pages Pages 130-137.
There is significant need to develop a single-dose rabies vaccine to replace the current multi-dose rabies vaccine regimen and eliminate the requirement for rabies immune globulin in post-exposure settings. To accomplish this goal, rabies virus (RABV)-based vaccines must rapidly activate B cells to secrete antibodies which neutralize pathogenic RABV before it enters the CNS. Increased understanding of how B cells effectively respond to RABV-based vaccines may improve efforts to simplify post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) regimens. Several studies have successfully employed the TNF family cytokine a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) as a vaccine adjuvant. APRIL binds to the receptors TACI and B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-expressed by B cells in various stages of maturation-with high affinity. We discovered that RABV-infected primary murine B cells upregulate APRIL ex vivo. Cytokines present at the time of antigen exposure affect the outcome of vaccination by influencing T and B cell activation and GC formation. Therefore, we hypothesized that the presence of APRIL at the time of RABV-based vaccine antigen exposure would support the generation of protective antibodies against RABV glycoprotein (G). In an effort to improve the response to RABV vaccination, we constructed and characterized a live recombinant RABV-based vaccine vector which expresses murine APRIL (rRABV-APRIL). Immunogenicity testing in mice demonstrated that expressing APRIL from the RABV genome does not impact the primary antibody response against RABV G compared to RABV alone. In order to evaluate the necessity of APRIL for the response to rabies vaccination, we compared the responses of APRIL-deficient and wild-type mice to immunization with rRABV. APRIL deficiency does not affect the primary antibody response to vaccination. Furthermore, APRIL expression by the vaccine did not improve the generation of long-lived antibody-secreting plasma cells (PCs) as serum antibody levels were equivalent in response to rRABV-APRIL and the vector eight weeks after immunization. Moreover, APRIL is dispensable for the long-lived antibody-secreting PC response to rRABV vaccination as anti-RABV G IgG levels were similar in APRIL-deficient and wild-type mice six months after vaccination. Mice lacking the APRIL receptor TACI demonstrated primary anti-RABV G antibody responses similar to wild-type mice following immunization with the vaccine vector indicating that this response is independent of TACI-mediated signals. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that APRIL and associated TACI signaling is dispensable for the immune response to RABV-based vaccination.
Haley, Shannon L.; Tzvetkov, Evgeni P.; Lytle, Andrew G.; Alugupalli, Kishore R.; Plummer, Joseph R.; and McGettigan, James P., "APRIL:TACI axis is dispensable for the immune response to rabies vaccination." (2017). Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers. Paper 96.


Essentially, the actual cloud webspace hosting platform serves distinct hosting services like data storage, mail, File Transfer Protocol, databases, DNS, statistics, site hosting Control Panel, backup, etc., on individual packs of cutting-edge servers. Each particular service group creates a cluster. All the hosting servers in a cluster are dedicated to serving exclusively the given service and nothing aside from it. They will all perform as one single web server, sharing out the service's load in approximately the same proportions. If there is an authentic cloud web hosting service, there would be: a web space cluster, a mail cluster, an FTP cluster, database clusters (MySQL/PostgreSQL), a DNS cluster, a stats cluster, a web hosting CP cluster, a backup cluster, etc. All these separate service clusters will build the so-called cloud site hosting platform.
The great cloud hosting scam. Very widespread today.
There is so much confusion circulating around about cloud web hosting at the moment. As you can see,cloud hosting does not only seem perplexing, but in fact it is extremely complicated. Most of the people know nothing about what cloud hosting is. Based on this widespread ignorance, the "cloud web page hosting merchandisers" speculate fervently, just to secure the client and his/her 5 bucks a month. What a disgrace! An enormous disgrace. This is owing to the fact that in the web site hosting industry niche there are no tenets at all. The domain industry has ICANN. The site hosting industry has no such regulatory organization. That is why the webspace hosting vendors speculate and tell lies overtly (quite bluntly, actually) to their clients. Especially the cPanel-based cloud web hosting providers. Let's determine how much cloud hosting they in reality can deliver.
If a cPanel-based site hosting supplier has a cloud hosting platform at hand, which is quite improbable, a lot of hosting servers must be purchased. Which is also not inexpensive. We will get back to that towards the end of this story. First off, let's explore what the cloud problems are. So, it's very unlikely for a cPanel hosting provider to have the cloud hosting system at hand, because constructing one demands years. Even when time and the provision of an experienced staff are not a predicament, loads of money must be spent as well. Heaps of money. In addition, cPanel is not open source. That's an enormous drawback.
There aren't any open source cloud web site hosting solutions. There aren't any open source webspace hosting Control Panel GUIs (working with the cloud website hosting solution) as well. Hence, to have a cloud web space hosting platform at hand, in the first place you have to construct one. In-house. In the second place, you have to create the CP as well.
Contemporary site hosting Control Panels such as cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin, etc. are constructed to operate on one single web server solely. All website hosting services (web space, mail, File Transfer Protocol, databases, DNS, statistics, Control Panel, backup, etc.) are being served concurrently on a single server where these particular one-server site hosting systems and web space hosting CPs are installed.
The smallest investment wanted, only for the cloud web hosting hardware equipment, equals somewhere between 60,000 dollars and eighty thousand dollars. That's excluding the DDoS tool, which is another 15-20,000 dollars. Now you realize how many cloud webspace hosting solutions can be detected out there... and, especially, why the web hosting sky is so blue... and almost cloudless!


A stunning combination of seasonal cream, green and white flowers with a hint of lilac including roses anthurium and other seasonal flowers and foliages. This product comes gift wrapped (vase not included) and presented in water for extra freshness. A hand written gift card and care instructions are attached. Price includes free delivery in Dublin. Delivery across Ireland is also available.


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O'Hanlon: 'I Could Easily See Myself Changing Camps' On Iraq 'In The Next Six To Nine Months'
At a Brookings Institution event today, Iraq war proponent Michael O'Hanlon expressed his support for President Bush's call to extend the escalation, but he claimed he could only support the strategy "for another six to nine months":
If you think there's hope [in Iraq], there's a very powerful argument in favor of trying to see what we can build on, what battle field successes at least we may have had this summer or this year so far. … But I think this is a very complex subject and could easily see myself changing camps in the next six to nine months.
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Isolated within his own community due to his obsessive flacking for Bush, O'Hanlon has no credibility in making predictions. Some lowlights:
March 2003: "Here's why things are going well and why they will soon go even better."
May 2004: "Set a date to pull out."
November 2005: "[T]he military appears as confident as ever of ultimate victory."
December 2006: "Give it six more months or so, maybe nine more months."
March 2007: "There are good reasons to give the war effort, now almost four years old, another six to nine months before concluding that the current strategy should be discarded."
O'Hanlon's moment of accountability is always six months away.
O'Reilly: Middle Easterners want to 'sit around,' 'smoke.'
On the Monday edition of his radio show, Bill O'Reilly opined that citizens of Middle Eastern countries don't "want democracy." O'Reilly then claimed that it was because they are lazy and just want to "smoke," "sit around," and "go to the mosques":
In my opinion, they just don't. They want their meals. They want to smoke. They want to go to the mosques. They want to sit around, and that's what they want to do. Do they want to vote? Do they want to get involved? Not really.
Media Matters has the audio here.
Petraeus Has 'Expressed Long-Term Interest' In Running For President
According to a senior Iraqi officer who knew Gen. David Petraeus when he was stationed in Baghdad from 2004-2005, Petraeus is interested in running for President. From The Independent today:
The US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, expressed long-term interest in running for the US presidency when he was stationed in Baghdad, according to a senior Iraqi official who knew him at that time.
Sabah Khadim, then a senior adviser at Iraq's Interior Ministry, says General Petraeus discussed with him his ambition when the general was head of training and recruitment of the Iraqi army in 2004-05.
"I asked him if he was planning to run in 2008 and he said, 'No, that would be too soon'," Mr Khadim, who now lives in London, said.
General Petraeus has a reputation in the US Army for being a man of great ambition. If he succeeds in reversing America's apparent failure in Iraq, he would be a natural candidate for the White House in the presidential election in 2012.
The right wing is rooting for Petraeus to take the plunge. On Sept. 6, The New York Sun wrote an editorial titled "Petraeus for President?" The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez approvingly linked to the editorial this morning, titling her post "Dream Sequence." Last spring, The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol told the Harvard Republican Club that he and other "conservative insider[s]" believe "a ticket of Fred Thompson and David Petraeus might be able to avert electoral disaster for the GOP" in 2008.
It's unlikely that Petraeus would be as warmly received by the American public. In anticipation of this week's congressional testimony, 53 percent of the public believed Petraeus would "try to make the situation in Iraq look better than it really is." According to a Rasmussen poll of major political figures, Petraeus has an approval rating of only 24 percent — a number lower than even Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.
The troops were coming out anyway.
Tonight, President Bush will spin the drawdown of surge troops to the status quo ante as "progress." In fact, the pullout is simply a natural result of the fact the military is overstretched. Gen. David Petraeus acknowledged this week that the 30,000 troops were coming home anyway. "Yes, the surge forces were scheduled to go home between April and mid-July, that is absolutely right," he said. Watch it:
UPDATE: Editor & Publisher takes us on a trip down memory lane, recalling that Bush predicted in January that the "surge" would bring stability.
UPDATE II: The Center for American Progress released this video as a pre-buttal to Bush's speech tonight, also noting the drawdown is simply part of the military rotation. Brian Katulis calls the speech "much ado about nothing":
Former DoD, State Dept officials: Rumsfeld is wrong.
In a recent interview with GQ, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that Afghanistan was a "big success!" Today, a former CIA officer and a former State Department official write in the Los Angeles Times that Rumsfeld is wrong:
Former Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld says in the current edition of GQ magazine that the war in Afghanistan has been "a big success," with people living in freedom and life "improved on the streets."
To anyone working in the country, there is only one possible, informed response: What Afghanistan is the man talking about? […]
The country is, plain and simple, a mess. Al Qaeda and its Taliban allies have quietly regained territory, rendering wide swaths of the country off-limits to U.S. and Afghan forces, international aid workers and even journalists. Violent attacks against Western interests are routine. […]
The war in Afghanistan is a political and military one-step-forward-two-steps-back exercise. The work there isn't just unfinished, it is more dangerous and less certain than policymakers in Washington and talking heads in New York studios can imagine. Those suggesting otherwise are either naive or flacking a political agenda.
Wash. Times Claims Increased GOP Unity On Iraq, Ignores New Anti-War Conservative
In an article this morning, the Washington Times is claiming that the recent testimony by Gen. David Petraeus has "bolstered" Republican unity in support of President Bush's Iraq policy. The piece, written by S.A. Miller, quotes House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) as saying "his caucus is considerably more unified" on Iraq following Petraeus' report:
House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, Missouri Republican, said his caucus is considerably more unified on the war issue following the report by Gen. Petraeus and Ryan C. Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq. […]
"We've taken a different approach than [Democrats] have on Iraq from the very start," said Mr. Blunt. "They saw Iraq as a political issue, and we saw it as both a security issue and an issue that had to be above politics for our members."
The article concludes from Blunt's comments that "the fact that few if any members of Congress are shifting their position likely signals a replay of Democratic losses in past war debates." But Miller never mentions that on the second day of Petraeus' testimony, Rep. Jim Walsh, a member of the House Republican caucus, actually changed his position on Iraq, calling for troop withdrawals to begin:
Rep. Jim Walsh, in a dramatic break with the White House, returned Monday from a trip to Iraq saying it's time to bring troops home and stop funding the war. […]
"Before I went, I was not prepared to say it's time to start bringing our troops home," Walsh said. "I am prepared to say that now. It's time."
Walsh's announcement came as Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, told House members that the troop "surge" has made progress.
But Walsh said he saw little evidence that much has changed in Iraq since he last visited four years ago.
As Steve Benen noted recently, Walsh is one of 11 "moderate" Republicans who "gave President Bush a blunt warning on his Iraq policy" in May "that conditions needed to improve" in Iraq "or more Republicans would desert him on the war."
Sattar Abu Risha
– the head of the Anbar Salvation Council who President Bush had credited for ushering in "bottom-up reconciliation" in Anbar — has been killed in an IED attack. Just 10 days ago, Bush visited Risha in Iraq and hailed his efforts in "cooperating with the United States against al Qaeda in Iraq." Today, he was killed in an explosion near his house in the Anbar province. Risha had an unsavory reputation with many Sunnis. Abu Aardvark's Marc Lynch referred to Risha as "a two bit, corrupt petty shaykh."
Katie Couric is the right wing's new 'sweetheart.'
Last week, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric reported from Iraq, but her stories largely repeated the Bush administration's talking points. She even admitted that her stories were largely based on "what the U.S. military want[ed]" her to see. The right wing is now embracing her. Roll Call reports that conservative aides on Capitol Hill say that Couric is "our sweetheart."
Senate panel demands withdrawal of CIA nominee.
On Tuesday, Think Progress noted that a coalition of human rights and advocacy groups were urging the Senate Intelligence Committee to reject President Bush's nominee for General Counsel of the CIA, John Rizzo. The groups said that Rizzo's refusal at a June confirmation hearing to disavow his approval of a 2002 memo stretching the definition of torture should disqualify him from the position. Today, the Washington Post reports members of the committee requested the withdrawal of Rizzo's nomination:
Two U.S. officials familiar with the committee's decision said the request for Rizzo's withdrawal has been conveyed to Gen. Michael Hayden, the CIA's director. […]
CIA officials declined comment on whether a formal request had been received, but a spokesman said Hayden continues to support Rizzo's nomination.
At a White House meeting this week, President Bush told Democratic leaders said he planned to "start doing some redeployment." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) immediately interjected: "No you're not, Mr. President. … You're just going back to the presurge level."
Citing remarks about troop withdrawals by Gen. David Petraeus, "Democrats began a fresh campaign Wednesday to woo centrist Republicans on Iraq." "Petraeus assured me that he favors continuing reductions beyond the pre-surge levels," Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) said.
Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) blasted Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell yesterday for taking political orders from the White House. Harman ended her comments by saying, "Jane to Mike: please stop. You're undermining the authority of your office."
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is poised to reexamine "the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal in coming weeks." Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) "issued letters to a range of Abramoff associates seeking information about his contacts with the White House."
78 years: The life expectancy for Americans, according to new government figures from 2005. While the span is the longest in U.S. history, it is still "lower than the life span in more than three dozen other countries." (more…)
Boehner: Troop deaths in Iraq are 'a small price.'
In an interview on CNN today, Wolf Blitzer asked House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) about "the Americans who are killed every month" in Iraq and "how much longer" the "military commitment is going to require?" "The investment that we're making today will be a small price if we're able to stop al Qaeda here," replied Boehner. As Atrios notes, the "small price" Boehner refers to is "3774 dead US troops and counting." Watch it:
UPDATE: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) has put out a statement today blasting Boehner's comment, saying "no American should ever for even a moment think the cost of war is small."
DNI McConnell: I Lied To The Senate
Earlier this week, in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell claimed the new expansive FISA legislation passed by Congress prior to the August recess — the so-called Protect America Act — had helped to thwart a an alleged terror plot in Germany.
A government official later told the New York Times that McConnell was wrong, and that the intelligence had been collected under the old FISA law which required warrants. A chorus of House Democrats immediately raised concerns about McConnell's claims.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) demanded McConnell back up his sworn statement. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) said the Protect America Act "played no role in uncovering the recent German terrorist plot." House Intelligence Committee chairman Silvestre Reyes urge McConnell "to issue a public statement immediately" correcting his remarks.
In a statement released today, McConnell unapologetically acknowledged he lied to the Senate:
During the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on September 10, 2007, I discussed the critical importance to our national security of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and the recent amendments to FISA made by the Protect America Act. The Protect America Act was urgently needed by our intelligence professionals to close critical gaps in our capabilities and permit them to more readily follow terrorist threats, such as the plot uncovered in Germany. However, information contributing to the recent arrests was not collected under authorities provided by the Protect America Act.
Read the statement here. McConnell would be well-advised to officially correct his testimony.
Note that in the statement, McConnell does not apologize, but rather uses it as another opportunity to call for Congress to authorize the "unnecessary and dangerous" expansion of the administration's spying power.
UPDATE: Here's exactly what McConnell said in his Senate testimony:
MCCONNELL: [The new FISA law] was passed, as you well know, and we're very pleased with that. And we're better prepared now to continue our mission; specifically Germany, significant contributions. It allowed us to see and understand all the connections with –
LIEBERMAN: The newly adopted law facilitated that during August?
MCCONNELL: Yes, sir, it did. [Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, 9/10/07]
Reyes: McConnell Lied When He Claimed New FISA Law Stopped Terrorist Attack
On Monday, in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell claimed that the new expansive FISA law adopted by Congress prior to the August recess was responsible for the foiling of an alleged terrorist attack in Germany.
As Think Progress noted yesterday, McConnell's testimony was later contradicted by an anonymous government official, who said "McConnell might have misspoken," as the intelligence used to thwart the plan was gathered under the old FISA law:
[T]he official, who has been briefed on the eavesdropping laws and the information given to the Germans, said that those intercepts were recovered last year under the old law.
House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), Chairman of the House Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, both issued statements chastising McConnell and urging him to back up his claims.
Today, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, the Chairman of the full House Intelligence Committee, wrote a letter to McConnell, confirming that the new FISA law did not play a role and requested a public correction:
I am told by senior American officials that U.S. assistance to German intelligence was based on collection under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), several months before its modification by Congress in August. Accordingly, the new law did not lead to the arrests of the three terrorist plotters, as you claimed. […]
I therefore urge you to issue a public statement immediately to confirm that the surveillance used to assist in the disruption of German plot was collected pursuant to FISA before the passage of the Protect America Act.
McConnell has yet to publicly concede his false claim.
Oil reaches $80 a barrel for first time ever.
Oil prices jumped "above a record $80 a barrel after the government reported a surprisingly large drop in crude inventories and declines in gasoline supplies and refinery activity."
CentCom Chief Fallon: Petraeus Is 'An Ass-Kissing, Little Chickensh*t,' 'I Hate People Like That'
During the Iraq war, the Central Command (CENTCOM) head — who leads U.S. operations in the entire Middle East region — and the Multinational Force Commander (MNF) have regularly testified together about the course of the war in Iraq.
Former-MNF Commander Gen. George Casey and his CENTCOM Commander Gen. John Abizaid constantly briefed Congress about the situation in Iraq and its regional effects. In at least four public hearings after Casey took office in 2004, the pair testified together:
Senate Armed Services [6/23/05]
House Armed Services [6/23/05]
In January, President Bush replaced Abizaid and Casey, who were "surge" skeptics, with Adm. William Fallon and Gen. David Petraeus. This week, Petraeus — in the first public hearings since taking on his new role — delivered his Iraq assessment to great media fanfare. But where was his boss, Admiral Fallon? Inter-Press Service suggests animosity between the two might be one reason for Fallon's absence:
Fallon told Petraeus [in March] that he considered him to be "an ass-kissing little chickensh*t" and added, "I hate people like that", the sources say. That remark reportedly came after Petraeus began the meeting by making remarks that Fallon interpreted as trying to ingratiate himself with a superior.
The Washington Post reported this weekend that there is an internal military debate, described as "Armageddon," brewing between Petraeus and Fallon because the two men have "profoundly different views of the U.S. role in Iraq."
Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) announced today that he will be asking Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) to call Fallon to testify on "his views on the region." Webb decried the lack of independence in Petraeus's reporting, observing that there are "a lot of control factors going on that haven't been visible" from the one-sided testimony of Petraeus:
WEBB: [T]here's something of a kabuki going on right now. You know, the Petraeus report was brought in. On the one hand they're calling it independent; on the other, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, from my understanding, gave a one-hour exclusive interview to Fox News after their first day of testimony. […]
So it was a very narrow and focused two days of hearings…we need to hear from people like Admiral Fallon and others to get a sense of how the region is in play. … He was, by many accounts, questioning keeping these troop levels this high. […]
So I'm going to be recommending to Senator Levin that we get Admiral Fallon in and get his views on the region.
Reid announces opposition to Olson for AG.
Former Solicitor General Ted Olson "has emerged as a top contender to replace" Alberto Gonzales. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said today: "Ted Olson will not be confirmed." "He's a partisan, and the last thing we need as an attorney general is a partisan," Reid explained. Democrats, including current Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), indicated they would mount strong challenges to Olson if Bush nominates him. "He is certainly not a consensus nominee," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). "He has a very political background."
Demand An Attorney General Who Can Say No To President Bush
Democrats and Republicans alike agree that they want an independent Attorney General, who will serve the rule of law rather than just the Bush administration.
When outgoing Alberto Gonzales testified before Congress in his January 2005 Senate confirmation hearing, he claimed that if confirmed, he would be Attorney General for not "only the White House," but also "the United States of America and its people":
With the consent of the Senate, I will no longer represent only the White House; I will represent the United States of America and its people. I understand the differences between the two roles.
Gonzales completely failed to follow through on his pledge. When the Bush administration nominates the next Attorney General, the Senate must make sure that he or she not only says they are independent, but actually acts that way. Here's the test for the next nominee: Alberto Gonzales answered yes to the following questions, would you have said "no"?
- Would you have said "no" to Bush's warrantless wiretapping?
- Would you have said "no" to legalizing torture?
- Would you have said "no" to the partisan firings of U.S. attorneys?
- Would you have said "no" to the politicization of the Justice Department?
- Would you have said "no" to Bush's abuse of Presidential signing statements?
Write to your Senators and demand they ask the next Attorney General nominee if they would have said "No" to these policies. Take action HERE.
Law school dean fired for liberal 'political views.'
About a week ago, the new law school at the University of California at Irvine hired Erwin Chemerinsky, a well-known constitutional scholar, as the school's inaugural Dean. But yesterday, Michael V. Drake, Irvine's chancellor, fired him, "saying that he had not been aware of how Chemerinsky's political views would make him a target for criticism from conservatives." Chemerinsky confirmed his firing to the Wall Street Journal today:
The chancellor "said he hadn't expected that I would be such a target for conservatives, a lightning rod. It's clear that significant opposition developed," though the chancellor didn't specify where it was coming from. […]
"Obviously I'm sad because it's something I was excit[ed] about. I'm angry because I don't believe anyone liberal or conservative should be denied a position like this because of political views."
(HT: Atrios)
UPDATE: The LA Times notes that April 2005, Chemerinsky "was named one of 'the top 20 legal thinkers in America' by Legal Affairs magazine."
Bush Flashback: 'Setting A Date For Withdrawal Is Setting A Date For Failure'
Tomorrow, President Bush will deliver a prime-time address to the nation about progress in Iraq. In that speech, he is expected to endorse Gen. David Petraeus's recommendations to bring home 30,000 troops from Iraq by July 2008.
But as ThinkProgress highlighted yesterday, Bush's announcement appears to be primarily political. In fact, the Bush administration has repeatedly argued in the past that progressive proposals for withdrawing troops from Iraq would aid the terrorists.
On May 1, Bush vetoed a Democratic-led bill that would have set a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq:
Setting a deadline for withdrawal is setting a date for failure — and that would be irresponsible.
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Some more examples the administration warning against publicly announcing a withdrawal date:
"Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq." [Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman, 7/16/07]
"I believe artificial timetables of withdrawal would be a mistake. … I will strongly reject an artificial timetable withdrawal and/or Washington politicians trying to tell those who wear the uniform how to do their job." [Bush, 4/23/07]
"He's also in denial that a surrender date he thinks is a good idea. It is not a good idea. It is defeat. It is a death sentence for the millions of Iraqis who voted for a constitution, who voted for a government, who voted for a free and democratic society." [White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, 4/23/07]
"The…attempt to micromanage our commanders is an unwise and perilous endeavor. It is impossible to argue that an unconditional timetable for retreat could serve the security interests of the United States or our friends in the region." [Vice President Cheney, 4/13/07]
"[I]f they [Congress] send him a bill with limitations on his ability to function as commander-in-chief or restrictions on the troops or with a withdrawal date that in effect would tell our enemies we're going to quit, he will veto it." [Cheney, 4/5/07]
"Why would you say to the enemy, you know, here's a timetable, just go ahead and wait us out? It doesn't make any sense to have a timetable. You know, if you give a timetable, you're — you're conceding too much to the enemy." [Bush, 6/24/05]
(HT: OxyCon)
UPDATE: MoveOn's Washington director Tom Matzzie writes in to offer his thoughts on the post: "Thank you for the timetable, may I have another."
Fathers of soldiers killed in Iraq
hailed their sons for speaking out. The fathers of Omar Mora and Yance Gray, the two soldiers from the 82nd Airborne who drafted a New York Times editorial criticizing the rosy assessments of the war, said they were proud of them for voicing for their opinions. New York Times Deputy Editorial Page Editor David Shipley, who worked with the seven soldiers who drafted the op-ed, had this to say about them:
"They said from the get-go they did not want to be paid for this," Shipley said, declining to reveal his payment scale, but said most freelance columnists are paid several hundred dollars. "It was a definite statement from them."


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Commemorative $NT10 pieces – the 50th anniversary of Taiwan being ceded to the ROC
Posted on November 25, 2015 by ladenframe
Geeking out again after discovering another commemorative coin. The front reads 「共同經營大台灣」 (Running Greater Taiwan together) and below that "搏聚休戚與共的生命共同體" (United together through thick and thin as a community of fate). It's written in seal script, which explains why it's quite hard to read. I thought 「共」 looked particularly unlike it's seal script version:
However, you can see the pattern when you compare it with 與, as the bottom of both characters is the same. You can download the seal script font for programs on your computer, including Word, here, although unfortunately you have to type in simplified for it to work (after unzipping drag the TTF file into your Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Fonts folder).
This coin was issued in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Taiwan being ceded to the Republic of China by Japan after World War II. This is commonly referred to as 「光復」(guang1fu4) in Chinese, which literally means "to restore the light".
This term has sparked a certain amount of controversy given its implication that those living in Taiwan under Japanese rule were living in "darkness" until Chiang Kai-shek came to bring them to the light. The government of Taiwan launched a series of campaigns to attempt to "re-sinicize" and the populace of Taiwan, which the Republic of China government felt had been brain-washed or "enslaved" (奴化) by the Japanese in during the 50 years of colonial rule. The local population had been introduced to modernity under Japanese rule, but many artists and writers faced persecution or marginalization under the new Kuomintang government, as they were seen as collaborators by the new regime or never properly got to grips with writing in Chinese. Those who had been formally educated in the Japanese language had to learn Mandarin and this led to much of their work being overlooked until more recently, when it was translated from Japanese.
There is an excellent book on this period by historian Huang Ying-che (黃英哲) called Uprooting Japan; Implanting China: Cultural Reconstruction in Post-War Taiwan 1945-1947 (《「去日本化」「再中國化」戰後台灣文化重建(1945-1947)》):
Although the book is not available in English, an English version of an excerpt of it entitled "Were Taiwanese Being "Enslaved"? The Entanglement of Sinicization, Japanization, and Westernization" was published in Taiwan Under Japanese Colonial Rule, 1895-1945: History, Culture, Memory, edited by Ping-hui Liao and David Der-Wei Wang. Both should be available at National Taiwan University Library (which you can enter without a student card, just bring other ID and leave your bag outside).
This entry was posted in Curiosities, Home, Notes and tagged Chinese colonialism, Chinese font, coin, 銅板, history, Japanese colonialism, KMT, NT$10, 台灣 by ladenframe. Bookmark the permalink.


I'm ready. It's true. It's not even Thanksgiving yet and I'm ready to deck my halls, crank up the Christmas carols and get started on my holiday shopping. I'm ready for Christmas!
Feel free to show your link party spirit by grabbing one (or all!) of these fabulous buttons. A huge shout out to Jessica from Creative Index for designing the link party buttons and images. She's one talented chick, don't ya think?!
So who's excited to link up and share your holiday projects?! Meeeeeee!
I can't wait to start decorating the day after Thanksgiving! This month is just blowing by isn't it?
Me, too!!! I'm holding myself back from decorating for Christmas until Thanksgiving is over but I've got my Christmas craft on!!
Oh BOY! I cannot wait. This is going to be so much fun seeing everyone's ideas.


text:
Home Columns Off the Shelf
Rule of law thrown to the wind
by Steven Nhlane
in Off the Shelf
Will there be anything that this Government is going to get right? From the Biometric Voter Registration (BVRK) scandal, to the botched Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp) which has been suspended and now the utter disregard of the Constitution which in Section 92 (1) makes it mandatory that there shall be a Cabinet consisting of the President, the First Vice-President, the Second Vice-President and such ministers and deputies as may from time, be appointed by the President. All this is happening at back of the persistent power outages which are chocking the private sector, despite the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) spending billions of kwacha on leased gensets and theft of 4.3 million litres of diesel at Escom.
Again, this is coming after Escom procured equipment worth K4.6 billion which might not be used for the next 10 years and after an audit report revealed that the power utility firm could not account for K10 billion in the past two years.
Pac's skewed thinking on Muluzi's K1.7bn
Strive to unite Malawi in 2021
Before the issue of the BVRK has been sorted out, with calls for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson Justice Jane Ansah to resign to pave way for an independent forensic audit, following the loss and recovery of the BVRK equipment, government this week suspended Fisp.
In announcing the suspension of the K43.5 billion programme, government cited anomalies in the distribution chain and redemption of beneficiary coupons. This is raising doubts about the success of the programme designed to improve food security among the one million vulnerable households with rains just around the corner. Government says it wants to align, reconcile and consolidate the distribution process in all the districts in line with the planned distribution figures.
If this is true, then it is clear that someone has been sleeping on his job during distribution of the coupons. That person who has not done a diligent job should like Ansah step aside as the ministry audits the programme. The suspension of Fisp at this stage will negatively impact on food security in the country because rains will not wait for government to do the so-called aligning, reconciling and consolidating of the distribution process.
What is a known fact is that the decision to suspend Fisp countrywide has been made against the backdrop of reports that some beneficiaries' names were deleted from the register of recipients and some registers were forged. This is a clear indication that some people want to steal Fisp money meant to help the most vulnerable poor in the country. The perennial problems that have dodged Fisp are the reasons many have suggested for an exit of the programme. Fisp has become a cash cow for those who are politically connected.
Apart from championing the resignation of the MEC chairperson and management, the Fisp scandal is one other crucial issue opposition parties and civil societies would do Malawians and tax payers a great service to probe with utmost urgency to avert further damage and malfeasance. This is an election year and political parties will do anything to reap where they did not saw. What is at stake here is that people want to retain power.
Now here is a president who swore to uphold and defend the Constitution in both spirit and letter. But he is the one leading the pack in breaching it left, right and centre. The Constitution is very clear about who is supposed to be in the Cabinet. But Thursday's reshuffle where the Vice-President is left out of the Cabinet is a far cry from what the Republican Constitution calls for. Even if it is a known fact that President Peter Mutharika (APM) and his Vice Saulos Chilima have not been seeing eye-to-eye for over half a year, APM should not have openly shown that he is done with Chilima. If APM is not leading by example, is it not foolhardy to expect his Cabinet members and his other lieutenants to be expected to do so?
Again, I expect the opposition and civil society if they are indeed fighting for constitutionalism, to take the Executive to task for breaching that for which the President took an oath to defend and uphold. The rule of law has been thrown to the wind.
My take on Ipor report
Wendy, Lulu defiant


This should be an incredibly simple exercise, yet I have spent over 2 hours trying to resolve the problem with no luck. I am trying to display the 5 best selling products in a specific state. I can do this on a national basis and confirm the data. My measurement is sum(sales) and my rows are top 5 product (a set I created). I have a filter showing all states. When I select Washington state, I am only getting the sum of sales for the top product sold. There should be additional products based on importing the Excel data into ACCESS and running queries to confirm my results. The data source is the demo file Sample Superstore Sales. Any ideas?
Since you are using the Superstore data, please post a packaged workbook demonstrating your issue here. You may not get the help you need without posting the example, as it is very difficult to resolve the problem based on a written description.
I would guess that your set is Top 5 based on sum of sales for All States, and when you filter to Washington, it is showing only one result because Washington makes up part of the top 5 for all states. Is this correct? If so, the set may not be what you need here.
It probably IS a simple exercise, but you have to understand how Tableau handles the data in order to obtain the results you want.
Thank you for trying to help. I have attached the file. Please look at the worksheet titled '5 best selling products in WA state'. The data for this sheet is correct based on the comparison of my query results in a relational DB (Access). I wanted to take it a step further and have the top 5 recalculate for any state(s) selected, but the filter is not updating as desired.
If you look closely, your set creates the top 5 products overall, and if the state has that product, it will show up when filtering to that state. You need to include the State when creating your top 5 to get the results you want. I don't have time to set it up, but someone else will hopefully chime in or I'll come back to it later.
You should be able to do exactly what you want using this method.
Matthew, one issue in what you'd put together was that you'd left the sort on Customer State (copy) & Product name as SUM/Sales/Ascending, when it needs to be descending to get the top 5.
This particular technique using a running sum was developed before Tableau had custom table calculations (including the INDEX() function) and the document that before Tableau had the ability to filter on table calcs that aren't in the view (Rows, Columns, Marks Card, Pages Shelf). So the copies of the running sum on Rows and the Level of Detail are both unnecessary except if desired for visual display. The running sum does require Tableau to do an extra aggregation, the MIN(Number of Records).
I attached a couple of other options using the INDEX() function. The Top 5 by State jtd v1 uses a v8 Combined Field (which was called a Set in earlier releases) to sort the view, and then sets up the Index table calculation to have an advanced compute using that also sorts to do the results. The v2 worksheet uses a manually created combined field (a string) and then the Index table calculation can use that sort.
The two advantages of the running sum technique are that it has the simplest Compute Using, just set to the combined field, and can be created entirely using the mouse. (You can actually do the others with just the mouse, except for having field names). Personally, I prefer the v2 technique because it's more understandable to me, i.e. using the INDEX calc directly and not an aggregation of an aggregation (running sum of min(number of records)) to try to create that.
Yeah, I wasn't paying much attention to the details and didn't have much time. I did notice the method was a bit dated but I had never done any Top N stuff (doesn't come up in my line of work often) so I figured it was a good opportunity to learn some new tricks.
As always, thanks for taking time to help out!
BTW, this is a great example of how the help provided improves when sample workbooks are posted!
I believe I have a resolution. I took bits and pieces of all the posts and combined the suggestions into a worksheet that allows for the top 5 products to be displayed in rank order for any/all states selected. Once I realized that I needed to combine State and Product name, the rest was fairly simple. Look at the '5 best selling products by state' sheet.


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Microsoft announces global carbon reduction technology push
Sweeping announcement covers $1 billion innovation fund, partnerships, supply chain and customers' use of AI and IoT.
By William Maher on Jan 17 2020 12:32PM
Microsoft today announced new efforts to reduce carbon emissions, which will involve its internal operations, partnerships, supply chain, customers' use of AI and IoT and regulatory advocacy.
It aims to become carbon negative by 2030, which would require it to remove more carbon from the environment than it creates.
"Like most carbon-neutral companies, Microsoft has achieved carbon neutrality primarily by investing in offsets that primarily avoid emissions instead of removing carbon that has already been emitted. That's why we're shifting our focus. In short, neutral is not enough to address the world's needs," stated Microsoft President Brad Smith.
By 2050, Microsoft aims to go further by removing all the carbon from the environment that it has emitted since it was founded in 1975. It plans to achieve this by moving completely to renewable energy, electrifying its campus vehicles, pursuing low carbon building certification and increasing internal carbon taxes paid by its divisions.
Microsoft also plans to look closer at the climate footprint of its supply chain. In 2021, it will also begin making climate reduction an "explicit aspect" of its procurement process.
Backing climate-focussed technology
Microsoft also announced a US$1 billion climate innovation fund to "accelerate the global development of carbon reduction, capture, and removal technologies", Smith stated.
He said the company will continue investing in carbon monitoring and modelling projects through its AI for Earth program. There have been more than 450 grant recipients so far, in more than 70 countries.
Smith also talked up the role of data science – and Azure, of course – in helping other businesses to reduce their carbon output.
A new Microsoft Sustainability Calculator will enable customers to estimate emissions their Azure workloads are creating. It will also use this as a marketing tool, by helping customers "discover the potential benefits from fully migrating to Azure." Smith claims this will help businesses report their indirect emissions.
It also plans to provide organisations with "insight" about other categories of emissions relating to all Azure services.
And it is also piloting an Azure IoT Central-based solution for ensuring customers' green energy usage matches their consumption goals. Through a partnership with European energy company Vattenfall, it allows users to choose their green energy source and compare hourly consumption with usage goals.
Smith also said Microsoft is "committed to pursuing new partnerships" with customers to address carbon reduction – such as previous partnerships with ABB and Johnson Controls on sustainable smart building solutions.
The company will "speak out" about the "need to expand global basic and applied research efforts on carbon". It also wants to tackle "removal of regulatory barriers to help catalyze markets to enable carbon-reduction technologies to scale more quickly."
Below is a video featuring Microsoft executives announcing the company's carbon reduction plan:
ai ai for earth azure climate environment iot microsoft technology
Newcrest Mining using IoT to prevent downtime in NSW gold mine
Satya Nadella's 4 messages for Australian developers
Australia's largest meat processor in beef-tracking trial
Australian home builder trials facial recognition in display homes


Product information "weekview Planner Sticker Sheets (3x)"
3 weekview sticker sheets to use in Strickplaner or any other paper planner.
216 stickers on each sheet, intended for indoor use, slightly shiny surface.
Assorted motifs & colors: Festivities & Events (Yellow), Hobbies & Leisure (Green), ToDos (Home & Garden, Pink), Work & Travel (Blue), other symbols (purple), Medical (Red), other markers (Orange), Smileys (Yellow), Wetter (Blue).
3 sticker sheets in a cello sleeve.
Related links to "weekview Planner Sticker Sheets (3x)"


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Q: If a steam injector increases pressure by lowering temperature would a 'refrigerant injector' work using ambient heat? In a Giffard type steam injector, boiler feed water is added to the boiler by passing steam at around 10 bar/180C through a converging/diverging nozzle, collecting cold water in the vacuum at the vena contracta. The combined steam/water mix is then returned to the boiler at a higher pressure but lower temperature than when the steam left the boiler. The quality of the steam is lower, therefore energy in the form of heat needs to be added to the boiler to restore the status quo.
My question is this:
If instead of the boiler, I took a cylinder of refrigerant (vapour pressure of say 10 bar@20C) and the vapour from the top of the cylinder passed through a similar nozzle, with liquid refrigerant from the bottom of the same cylinder being allowed to vaporise at the vena contracta (say 0 bar, -50C) to mix with the high pressure vapour.  Would the resulting pressure increase/temperature decrease in the same way as a steam injector?
If so, whilst the resulting vapour/liquid mix which might be at -20C would still need to be restored to its original state by a heat input, this would now be from the addition of heat from ambient air, not by adding fossil fuels
If it does work, would such a closed system produce a 'free' useful temperature drop for refrigeration/air con etc at the point where the liquid vaporises.
I apprciate latent heat of vaporisation plays a part in this process and in water it is high - but then some refrigerants like ammonia are pretty high too.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Recent technological advances, however, coupled with constant equipment evolution, helped to ensure that a level of maturity has now been reached where it can be used reliably for structural assessment and monitoring purposes, particularly in the context of propogating fatigue cracks. LR, in association with Airbus and Ultra Electronics Ltd., Ocean Systems, developed a new generation AE-based equipment.
Known as BALRUE, it is touted as a novel AE monitoring system, designed with the specific objectives of first locating, and then determining the level of activity associated with fatigue cracks.
The system is flexible, allowing for continuous or intermittent monitoring depending on the conditions.


This great home is a little bit of a fixer-upper. Needs flooring, painting. Could be a really great house. Rooms are large. Upstairs needs very little work. Porch floor needs replaced. The best thing is it has a newer roof. This is one of three houses. Could all be sold together. Great house to live in or rent.


FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — After missing 15 free throws in the first half, Arkansas regrouped from the line to shoot almost 78 percent after intermission and handle UC Davis, 81-58, on Monday night.
Arkansas relied on two 20-point scorers, neither named Daniel Gafford, to fend off an Aggies squad that trailed by only seven at half and hung around in the second until the Hogs' offense re-emerged to put the game away. Sophomore guard Mason Jones led the team with 21 points and eight rebounds, and junior forward Adrio Bailey scored a career-high 20 with a strong, 16-point second half.
The Preseason All-SEC First-Team selection scored 12 points and had four blocks, but he wasn't his usual, dominant self in the post. For the second-straight game to open the season, he racked up six turnovers due to constant double teams, and he was often taken out of rebounding position, grabbing only four.
Razorback newcomers continued to prove their ability to score when the opposition puts its defensive energy on Gafford. Along with Jones and Bailey, freshman guard Isaiah Joe poured in 14 points and hit two 3-pointers.
Still, it was Bailey's second-half scoring outburst, which included his first career three and a 9-for-11 free-throw clip, that played perhaps the biggest role in Arkansas' victory.
T.J. Shorts, the reigning Big West Player of the Year, led UC Davis with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Anderson said he was proud of Arkansas' defensive effort in keeping Shorts relatively in check.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks continued their tendency to shoot well from the three-point arc but poorly from the free-throw line. The 8-for-20 clip from deep brought their average to just over 38 percent in two regular season games, while the 27-for-41 struggle at the free throw line moved them to 60.2 percent in those two contests plus two exhibitions.
UC Davis: Though the Aggies have lost three straight to open the season, their increased competitiveness has showed up on the scoreboard. After losing by 34 in their season-opener to San Francisco, they were able to mostly hang around against an SEC opponent on the road. With 10 upperclassmen on the roster, the Aggies expect to be a tough matchup in Big West play after a grueling non-conference schedule that also includes games at Indiana, Arizona and USC.
Arkansas welcomes Big 10 opponent Indiana to Fayetteville on Nov. 18.
The Aggies return home to face Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Saturday.


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Barbara Ford Grant Joins NEP's Virtual Studios Group To Lead New Prysm Stages Business Unit
Ronnie Spector Dies: Iconic "Be My Baby" Singer Who Fronted '60s Girl Group The Ronettes Was 78
By Erik Pedersen
Erik Pedersen
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January 12, 2022 2:42pm
Ronnie Spector in 2010 AP Images
Ronnie Spector, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who fronted classic 1960s girl group the Ronettes, delivered the iconic vocal on their hit "Be My Baby," and counted many of rock's biggest names as fans, died today of cancer. She was 78.
Here family shared the news on her official website: "Our beloved earth angel, Ronnie, peacefully left this world today after a brief battle with cancer. She was with family and in the arms of her husband, Jonathan. Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humor and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude. Her joyful sound, playful nature and magical presence will live on in all who knew, heard or saw her."
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
The Ronettes in 1966, from left: Estelle Bennett, Ronnie Spector and Nedra Talley Everett Collection
Spector sang lead on the influential stone classic "Be My Baby," which spent three weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. The song, which the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson famously has said is "the greatest record ever produced" — was co-written by Phil Spector, whose intense "Wall of Sound" production style is personified by the track. He and Ronnie were married from 1968-74, decades before he would be convicted of second-degree murder in the 2003 death of actress Lana Clarkson
After Phil Spector's death early last year, Ronnie called him, "A brilliant producer but a lousy husband." But she added in a statement then, "Meeting him and falling in love was like a fairytale. … I still smile whenever I hear the music we made together, and always will."
Ronnie Spector and Eddie Money in 1984 Everett Collection
"Be My Baby," which was kept out of the top spot by Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs' "Sugar Shack," was by the far the Ronettes' biggest hit. None of their other singles reached the top 20, though 1964's "Walking in the Rain" also is recognized as a classic. Spector later would reprise its singular chorus in the 1986 Eddie Money hit "Take Me Home Tonight" and its video (watch it below). "Just like Ronnie sang," Money says in the song — which then cut to Spector belting out, "Be my little baby."
Billy Joel wrote the song "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" with the Ronettes in mind, and Spector would record it with the E Street Band in 1977. Joel's version was a hit in 1981.
Bruce Springsteen and his band were unabashed fans of Ronnie Spector and recorded material with her at the time when Springsteen was barred from releasing new music amid a contract dispute among his reps. The group's guitarist Steven Van Zandt wrote this tribute today:
RIP Ronnie Spector. It was an honor to Produce her and encourage her to get back on stage where she remained for the next 45 years. Her record with the E Street Band helped sustain us at a very precarious time (thanks to Steve Popovich). Condolences to her husband and family.
— Stevie Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) January 12, 2022
Born Veronica Bennett on August 10, 1943, in the Bronx, Spector began singing professionally in junior high and formed the Darling Sisters with her sibling Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley in 1958. The group signed its first label deal with Colpix Records in 1961, and moved to Phil Spector's Philles Records two years later, changing their name to the Ronettes.
After breaking out with "Be My Baby," the group had a moderate follow-up hit with "Baby, I Love You." A couple of minor hits later, "Walking in the Rain" hit No. 23 in late 1964. All seven of their Hot 100 singles were produced by Phil Spector. Most of those songs — including "(Best Part of) Breaking Up" and "Do I Love You?" — were on the late-1964 LP … Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, which peaked at No. 96 and would be their only charting album.
The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, three years after they joined the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
The group was featured on three songs from the classic 1963 holiday LP A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records, which Phil Spector produced and ranked No. 142 on Rolling Stones list of greatest albums. Ronnie's vocal fueled Wall of Sound renditions of the secular yuletide classics "Frosty the Snowman," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and "Sleigh Ride."
In fact, the Ronettes; "Sleigh Ride" made the national top 10 during Christmas Week last month. Our sister site Billboard noted that the feat set a record for an act's longest break between Top 10 singles — a run of 58-plus years since "Be My Baby" in 1963.
Ronnie would launch a solo career with 1964's "So Young," but the single failed to chart. She had minor success with the George Harrison-penned "Try Some, Buy Some" in 1971 — Phil Spector was head of A&R at the Beatles' Apple Records at the time — and recorded the 1976 duet, "You Mean So Much to Me" with Southside Johnny. The track was written by the latter's pal Springsteen, and produced by Van Zandt.
She went on to record five albums from studios 1980-2016. None would chart, but fans and critics praised her still-sharp vocal skills.
She married her then-manager Jonathan Greenfield in 1982. Survivors include sons Donte, Louis and Gary Spector — who were adopted during her marriage to Spector — and sons Austin Greenfield and Jason Greenfield from her second marriage.
Ronnie Spector's family noted that, in lieu of flowers, the late singer requested that donations be made to local women's shelters or to the American Indian College Fund. A celebration of her life and music will be announced later.
Ronnie Spector
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