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June 10, 2015 · by The Thorn	· in Film.	·
Synopsis: They built the city to see what makes us tick. Last night one of us went off.
When John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakens in a strange hotel room, he finds that he is wanted for a series of brutal murders. The problem is he can't remember a thing. Pursued by the police and haunted by The Strangers, mysterious beings who possess the ability to stop time and alter reality, he seeks to unravel the twisted riddle of his identity. But in a city where reality is the ultimate illusion, discovering the truth could be fatal.
Dark City 7.75
eyelights: the core concept. the set designs. the props. the costumes.
eyesores: the nonsensical plot development. the sloppy editing. the over-zealous score.
"I know this is gonna sound crazy, but what if we never knew each other before now… and everything you remember, and everything that I'm supposed to remember, never really happened, someone just wants us to think it did?"
I'm a huge fan of 'The Crow'. Because of this, director Alex Proyas' work is firmly on my radar. That he was able to make a coherent picture after the death of star Brandon Lee is pretty amazing. The picture also has a style and vibe that really appeals to me; I can't lavish enough praise on it. So, when Proyas' next film, 'Dark City', came out, I was immediately intrigued by it.
The problem is that I didn't really hear about it until it was gone from cinemas. Although 'Dark City' was well-received by critics and is now considered a significant entry in the sci-fi genre. Released in February of 1998, it died a quick death, bringing in a mere 14 million dollars over the course of four weeks. Even with international grosses it was a flop. Blame 'Titanic' if you must.
I jumped at the chance to see it when it finally made its way to home video. It was one of the first DVD releases and I was eager to get my hands on it – especially since it boasted what was then a wealth of special features to boot. So I bought it, watched it, and immediately fell in love with it. Not as much as 'The Crow', naturally, but enough so that I got the poster and later bought it on blu-ray.
'Dark City' takes place in a city that never sees the light of day. Its architecture is a hodge podge of various styles and origins, but with very much a film noir-meets-'Metropolis' vibe. Similarly, the look of things can be discrepant, with older fashion, objects and vehicles having their own peculiar twists to them. It's as if this city were designed by an alien mind that doesn't understand human life.
And that's where 'Dark City' becomes interesting.
Behind the film noir exterior of this cityscape are other beings: bald, pale-faced men dressed in long black coats and black hats who navigate its streets and corridors with a sense of ownership and invulnerability that is disconcerting. Under their eerie gaze, the city falls asleep, morphs, changes shape. Literally. At twelve o'clock, seemingly every day, the city is reconfigured and its people rearranged.
And sometimes also given new memories.
But there is one man who sees what is going on: John Murdoch, who has woken up in a bathtub with no memories and no ID, and who is warned via an anonymous phone call that he is wanted for murder. Not only must he escape the law and the strangers, but he must also figure out who is and if he is in fact the person that they seek. Meanwhile, the city continues to change around him, complicating things.
*MAJOR spoiler alert*
'Dark City' is a motion picture so full of potential thatis squandered by a few unfortunate problems:For one, there is the opening narration, which was forced upon Proyas by the studio (who felt that the movie would be too cryptic for movie audiences) and which reveals too much, dispelling much of the picture's enigmatic quality. It is said that fans were known to watch the opening on mute to avoid the narration when it first came out on home video. A director's cut has since fixed the issue.
Another significant issue with the picture is its editing. I don't know if this only takes place in the theatrical version, but sequences are cut together in such a way that scenes don't always fit a linear timeline. Further to that, characters get around far too quickly, as though they teleport from one place to the next, instead of using '50s automobiles. Let's just say the flow is a bit off.
This could also be a script issue, not an editing one. There are a number of discrepancies that take place along the way that bothered me some, such as the notion that the strangers are unable to find Murdoch in a city of such limited size. So, instead, they inject one of their own with Murdoch's memories so that he can get hints of where to look for him. To me, that's really just a contrivance.
Then there's the matter of the ending, which had Murdoch and Inspector Bumstead bash a hole through the wall where Shell Beach should have been. Really, everyone and everything should have been sucked out, but it doesn't happen. This was enough of an issue at initial screenings that Proyas added a scene (not a clear one, it must be noted) suggesting a force field, to try to fix the issue.
And then there's the last scene, which has Murdoch meeting Anna on a pier that stretches outward from the wall surrounding the city. Since the only way in is through the hole he made in the wall, how did she get there? The last time that we saw her, she was on a bus to Shell Beach, along with a whole bunch of other people. Where was the bus' final destination? And where did all those people go?
Perhaps the editor merely followed the script and that the script was incoherent?
The picture also has other technical issues that were apparently imposed on the studio as well, so it very well could be that Proyas had no say in some matters. One grave one has Jennifer Connelly's voice overdubbed during her acts at the jazz club. The vocals so clearly don't match her it's ridiculous; it's probably one of the worst dubbings I've heard since the martial arts pictures of old.
Speaking of which, the soundtrack was further destabilized by Trevor Jones' bombastic score, which some have praised, but which I found far too loud and overly dramatic for my taste; in trying to add excitement, he essentially overwhelmed many of the scenes. I've heard Jones' work before and it's frequently far more subtle than this, so I'd venture that this was a studio or directorial request.
Having said this, 'Dark City's soundtrack is incredibly dynamic. The blu-ray has a 7.1 track that blasts through the room, filling it with all manners of textures. I found a small issue with the audio in the back right surround, which made me worry that I had blown my speakers, but I suspect that this is not the case – that it's merely the blu-ray's audio track that's problematic.
Oh well, nothing's perfect.
Thankfully, there's plenty to make up for those issues:
Firstly, there's the core concept, which is as cool as it is baffling. This city is a microcosm that is essentially one big behavioural experiment. The choices that the strangers make seem random, but there's no doubt method to that madness. And it's intriguing. Also intriguing is the fact that people don't even question the fact that there is no day, that they pass out at 12:00, and forget things.
It's like they aren't even real human beings, or that they've been engineered to override certain innate behaviours, like self-reflection. That they were engineered would actually make sense because these people fall asleep in their baths, soups, at the wheel, and there are no casualties. It's as though they can't die when time stops (because they surely can when life carries on as per "normal").
It's all so unusual, so mystifying, so fascinating.
Then there is the visual aspect of the picture, which is total eye candy. Yes, the CGI is dated now. But the set designs are astonishing to see. They built sets that are much taller than standard in order to get Proyas' full vision on screen. Although each set is stunning, the most notable, of course, is the hidden world of the strangers, which has an amazing cyberpunk or 'Hellraiser' vibe.
Speaking of which, the strangers are very much cousins of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation's Borg and 'Hellraiser's Cenobites, particularly Pinhead, what with their black costumes and bald heads -and the teeth clacking that they do is clearly a Cenobite inspiration. Either way, a room full of them is an unforgettable sight – especially since they only congregate in their hidden world.
Richard O'Brien (or 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' fame) plays one of the key strangers, called Mr. Hand. His performance is without a doubt the anchor of the picture. While William Hurt is good, Rufus Sewell is perfectly okay and Jennifer Connelly is given too little to make any difference, good or bad, O'Brien gives Mr. Hand enough intelligence and nefariousness to make him feel threatening.
The weak point of the picture, performance-wise, is Kiefer Sutherland. He's actually good in the part of Dr. Schreber, but it's the characterization which annoys the crap out of me. This may very well be no fault of his own: Schreber has serious health issues, including a weak heart, and this leaves him extremely short of breath, so Sutherland's every word is cut short by brief inhales.
The picture also has some exciting if not breathtaking action sequences. While I'm not great fan of Murdock's visible "tuning", which emanates from the center of his forehead, this ability allows him to reshape his environment at will, inserting spontaneous elements into the sequences, adding to their dynamism. The finale is particularly engaging; it's epic and amazing to watch.
'Dark City' is not without its flaws. While it's understandable that it has its fans, given all the fascinating elements that it tosses into the mix, it would benefit tremendously from some re-editing. Having said this, a director's cut was released in 2008 and it is considered superior by many fans, so perhaps many of the original cut's issues have been addressed in some form or another.
I very much look forward to seeing it (the blu-ray has both versions, b-t-w). I think that 'Dark City' has the potential of being one of the best science-fiction films in recent times. Christopher Nolan himself has stated that he was influenced by it, as well as 'The Matrix' and 'The Thirteenth Floor', in the making of 'Inception'. Now, if that's not a tremendous endorsement, then I don't know what is.
If you haven't yet seen 'Dark City', it's high time you thought about exploring it.
Date of viewing: May 13, 2015
Tags: Crime, Drama, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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This is a list of the busiest railway stations in Austria, with all stations being considered as major stations, important junctions or hubs.

References

Railway stations in Austria
Rail transport-related lists of superlatives

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Be so fly you Neverland!
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How Kim Kardashian West Bounced Back To $45.5 Million--And A New Cosmetics Company
Natalie Robehmed Forbes Staff
Kim Kardashian West survived an armed robbery to refocus her business and earn $45.5 million in the last 12 months.
Uyen Cao for Forbes
It's been quite a year for Kim Kardashian West. From gracing the cover of FORBES to surviving an armed robbery, the reality TV star turned tech entrepreneur has weathered a career low to surge back with a new business: makeup.
Announced today, KKW Beauty will launch next week with a line of contour kits for sale exclusively on its website. Made in Oxnard, California, by Seed Beauty -- the same manufacturer behind her half-sister Kylie Jenner's fast-selling Kylie Cosmetics -- it looks set to become a huge moneymaker for Kardashian, who banked $45.5 million pretax in the last 12 months to rank at No. 47 on our Celebrity 100 ranking of highest-paid entertainers.
Full List: The World's Highest-Paid Celebrities
"This year has been really exciting for me because it's the first time I've moved away from having licensing deals and transitioned into being an owner," said Kardashian, speaking backstage at the Forbes Women's Summit, a gathering of hundreds of women entrepreneurs and leaders in New York with the aim of changing the power imbalance in the business world.
Kardashian promises expansion into additional makeup products and revealed plans to premiere a fragrance later in the year. It will be her first solo foray into cosmetics since licensing her name to Boldface for an ill-fated line of makeup with her sisters Khloe and Kourtney. This time, though, Kim will be in control.
"After 10 years of getting my makeup done every single day, I've really put that knowledge into action and production," said Kardashian.
Jamel Toppin for Forbes
It's a remarkable resurgence for the social media star. In October, she was robbed at gunpoint in her hotel room during Paris Fashion Week. The event was traumatic, says Kardashian, but taught her how to choose what to share with her 184 million-plus cross-platform followers.
"I took that experience and turned it into a growth process for me," said Kardashian, in conversation with Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief, Forbes Media, in front of a packed house at Manhattan's Spring Studios.
She decided to take a three-month break from social media--a major moneymaker for her, where she can earn upwards of an estimated $300,000 per sponsored post on Instagram.
"I think people don't realize no matter who you are or what you do, you have to take time off for yourself," said Kardashian. "I think it was really beneficial to not worry about social media and not worry about comments and figure out, 'What do I love?'"
The answer: businesses she owns. She doubled down on her apps, expanding her $2.99 Kimoji app of Kim-based emojis into a line of merchandise, including a $98 pool float in the design of Kardashian's derriere. With husband Kanye West, she launched a clothing line for kids, after years spent making outfits for their two young children.
She continues to push videos and articles to her over-the-top subscription app, made by Whalerock Industries, which is free to download but costs $2.99 a month for exclusive content. And, of course, she promotes Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, her blockbuster cellphone game with Glu Mobile, which has generated nearly $200 million in revenue since June 2014.
It was the phenomenal business of that money-minting mobile game, which counted for 40% of Kardashian's $51 million paycheck last year and landed her on the cover of FORBES. Though game revenue from its in-app purchases and advertising has dipped 50% year over year, its staying power remains impressive, considering the often-brief life cycle of free mobile games.
"I think we really did create a reality video game," said Kardashian, of the game player's ability to digitally travel to countries Kardashian and her family visit in real life.
Coupled with Instagram endorsements, Kardashian has made more money in the last few years from mobile endeavors than anything else. Her new ventures should offset the lull in her mobile game: Kardashian's 2017 earnings dropped only $5.5 million from 2016's total, even with three months off. Considering gross margins in beauty can be upwards of 60%, makeup could be the next gold mine for Kardashian.
And though some may still question her business acumen, she draws motivation from their doubt: "I do feel like success is the best revenge."
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Natalie Robehmed
I'm an associate editor at Forbes covering media and entertainment, with a focus on the movie business. For the magazine, I've written cover stories on Kim Kardashian'...


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Also, it's thin, light, and easy to read. I don't have the patience to slog through long books about resumes.
Good luck to anyone who gives it a try!


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Tashi Wangdi ()
Es el representante del líder espiritual el Dalái Lama en las Américas. Ha formado parte de la mayoría de gabinetes del gobierno tibetano en el exilio desde 1966 habiendo sido Kalon (ministro) de cultura y religión, educación, interior, seguridad, salud y relaciones internacionales. Antes de ser representante para América fue representante del Dalái Lama ante Nueva Dheli, capital de India.

Referencias

Políticos del Tíbet


text:
A good pun is its own reword
Posted on April 1, 2013 by Scott Alexander
Last night Buzzfeed showed me this so-called List of the Greatest Puns of All Time.
Yesterday an atheist blog published a list of Ten Most Median Things About Easter. They didn't make any claims that it was the best things about Easter, or the most interesting things about Easter, or pull a cracked.com and call it The Ten Most Mind-Bendingly Awesomely Epic Things About Easter You Never Would Have Expected That Will Blow Your Mind (Because You Never Learned About Them In School). It was just ten things about Easter someone wanted to mention on a blog. I appreciated the honesty.
My point being that the above list could have better been called a List of Median Puns. Good? A few of them. The greatest of all time? Don't make me laugh. Anyone can notice that two words sound alike and make a picture of one meaning, but a truly great pun requires something more.
Some puns achieve greatness by the sheer variety of meanings. Take the famous pun about deflowering: "She offered her honor, so I honored her offer, and all night I was on 'er and off 'er." It plays on "honor" and "offer" three times in three separate ways. Even so it is beaten by Samuel Johnson, going meta: "If I were punished for every pun I shed, there would not be a puny shed left of my punnish head". That's a four-way pun (I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt here and assume "puny shed" made sense in 18th century English).
Others are multiple puns in a different way: they are phrases of a few words, all of which get punned at the same time. For example, a magazine described aging as "the transition from frequenting hip joints to breaking them". Likewise the claim that diarrhea is hereditary because "it runs in your jeans". Or the famous one about the scarecrow who won a Nobel Prize because he was "outstanding in his field". Or how "TV is called a medium because it is neither rare nor well done".
(Fiddlemath in the comments adds the one about the father who left his cattle ranch to his boys; they named it Focus Ranch, because "focus is where the sun's rays meet.")
Still others are anti-puns, jokes that are hilarious precisely because they subvert a pun we're expecting or switch puns midstream. "My wife was a strong believer in astrology. She was a Cancer, which makes it pretty ironic how she died. That's right – chopped to pieces by a giant crab." Mary in the comments tells the story of Ben Johnson, who claimed he could make a pun on any subject. When someone asked for a pun about the Queen, Johnson protested: "But the Queen is not a subject".
And then there's this absolute jewel:
A: Where do you weigh a whale?
B: Where?
A: At a whale-weigh station.
B: (groan)
A: And where do you weigh a pie?
B: At a pie-w…huh, wait, no. I give up. How?
A: ♬ Soooooomewherrrrre oooooover the raaaaainbow… ♬
(think about it!)
Some puns are great because they start a chain reaction among parts of speech that shifts around entire sentence structures. Take the story of two nuns traveling in Transylvania who suddenly encounter Dracula. One shouts to the other: "Quick, show him your cross!" The second says "Oi, get off the bloody road, you lunatic!" Similar is Groucho Marx's famous line: "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana." (It took me about five years to get that one)
Some puns are great through sheer endurance. You know Gandhi, right? And you know how he walked barefoot everywhere, making his feet extremely hardy? And you know how he fasted all the time, making him thin and frail and also giving him terrible breath? Well, that made him a…wait for it…super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.
And this isn't even the longest one I know! That honor goes to the story of famed Arabic conductor Mustafa al-Badr. Badr was charged with leading a New York Philharmonic production of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Unfortunately, this symphony has bass parts at the very beginning and the very end, but none in between, making the bassists very bored. During practice they used to sneak out and head to the local pub while the rest of the orchestra did their thing, making it back a few short minutes before they had to start up again for the end of the piece. When the day of the concert came around, they decided to try the same strategy. To make sure they had enough time, they took a big piece of rope and tied together Badr's music, forcing him to unravel each page before moving on and slowing his conducting considerably. It was a good plan, but when they made it to the pub they got really, really drunk, and they were visibly incapacitated by the time they made it back to the concert hall. Just as the bass part began, two of the bassists, totally sloshed, fell unconscious. A concert-goer live-blogged the conductor's travails as "BADR'S UP, BOTTOM OF THE NINTH, SCORE TIED, BASSES LOADED WITH TWO MEN OUT."
Still other puns aren't so long in themselves, but they require a lot of background knowledge to work. Anyone who's studied Latin knows that most words decline – that is, they change their form based on what role they're serving in the sentence. A token English example would be "Me" (object) vs. "I" (subject), but where English has very few of these words, in Latin virtually all words except for certain numbers work this way. One of those numbers is six (Latin: sex). So the joke in my high school Latin class used to be: "A good Latin student never declines sex".
The pun that gets my nomination for greatest pun of all time fulfills several of these categories simultaneously. It works on multiple words, it alters grammatical structure, it's multilingual, and it requires esoteric background knowledge – and it's gratifyingly historical.
According to the legend, Sir Charles Napier, British general in India, reported his conquest of the Indian province of Sindh (which was against direct orders to stay put) with the single-word telegraph "Peccavi" – Latin for "I have sinned" but in this case carrying the double meaning of "I have Sindh".
Too bad it probably isn't true. It's a good pun anyway.
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38 Responses to A good pun is its own reword
roystgnr says:
I'm stunned – the best conjugation/sex pun ever doesn't actually include any form of the verb "conjugate"!?
Berna says:
The one I've heard goes "I asked her to conjugate, but she declined."
if you add: ", your honor" to the end of the honor pun it becomes even better.
BeoShaffer says:
Wow, that was punny (someone was going to say it might as well be me). Many of my favorite puns are from show titles, you can get a pretty comprehensive list on TV tropes (search for Double Meaning Tittle), but I'd like to highlight Mai-Hime. The title has 5 distinct readings all of which are relevant to the actual show. Mai can be the name of the main character or the english word "my", hime can be the Japanese word for princess or the in universe term for a magical girl, and maihime is the name of a dance that has symbolic importance in the show.
Sorry meant to say the "pun based tittle" page.
endoself says:
What does the last one gain from being in Latin? It's only a pun in English.
naath says:
It gains shortness; which is important if you are sending a telegram. Also I admit a fondness for multilingual puns.
So I shall provide another:
(pls to forgive my awful German)
warum haben sie Französisch ein Ei for Frühstück? Weil ein Ei genug est!
Creutzer says:
Despite or maybe because of being a native speaker of German, I don't understand that one. (Neither sentence is actually grammatical, and I'm not quite sure what a grammatical version of the first would be. Is it supposed to mean 'Why do they have an egg for breakfast in France'?)
Why do the French have one egg for breakfast?
Because one egg is enough. (To save anyone else struggling with my execrable German)
The final piece of the puzzle:
the French for "one egg" is "un oeuf"…
Two groups of waterfowl walk into a bar. The third one ducks.
Doug S. says:
Isaac Asimov was quite the punster…
A Loint of Paw
There was no question that Montie Stein had, through clever fraud, stolen better than $100,000. There was also no question that he was apprehended one day after the statute of limitations had expired.
It was his manner of avoiding arrest during that interval that brought on the epoch-making case of the
State of New Yorkvs. Montgomery Harlow Stein, with all its consequences introduced law to the fourth dimension.
For you see after having committed the fraud and possessed himself of the hundred grand plus, Stein had calmly entered a time machine, of which he was in illegal possession, and set the controls for seven years and one day in the future.
Stein's lawyer put it simply. Hiding in time was not fundamentally different from hiding in space. If the forces of law had not uncovered Stein in the seven-year interval that was their hard luck.
The District Attorney pointed out that the statute of limitations was not intended to be a game between the law and the criminal. It was a merciful measure designed to protect a culprit from indefinitely prolonged fear of arrest. For certain crimes, a denned period of apprehension of apprehension-so to speak-was considered punishment enough. But Stein, the D.A. insisted, had not experienced any period of apprehension at all.
Stein's lawyer remained unmoved. The law said nothing about measuring the extent of a culprit's fear and anguish. It simply set a time limit.
The D.A. said that Stein had not lived through the limit.
Defense stated that Stein was seven years older now than at the time of the crime and had therefore lived through the limit.
The D.A. challenged the statement and the defense produced Stein's birth certificate. He was born in 2973. At the time of the crime, 3004, he was thirty-one. Now, in 3011, he was thirty-eight. The D.A. shouted that Stein was not physiologically thirty-eight, but thirty-one.
Defense pointed out freezingly that the law, once the individual was granted to be mentally competent, recognized solely chronological age, which could be obtained only by subtracting the date of birth from the date of now.
The D.A., growing impassioned, swore that if Stein were allowed to go free, half the laws on the books would be useless.
Then change the laws, said Defense, to take time travel into account; but until the laws are changed, let them be enforced as written.
Judge Neville Preston took a week to consider and then handed down his decision. It was a turning point in the history of law. It is almost a pity, then, that some people suspect Judge Preston to have been swayed in his way of thinking by the irresistible impulse to phrase his decision as he did.
For that decision, in full, was:
'A niche in time saves Stein.'
Lucidian says:
Have I told you the story of Nate the Snake? (If you don't feel like reading the whole thing, I can give you a (partially) abbreviated version at some point.)
endoself, what it gains is brevity. And also that bit of delay before all is understood.
(My favourite story about Napier, which unlike the "Peccavi" one might actually be true, is his quip about national traditions. Some Indians complained to him about the prohibition of Sati — burning of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre — on the grounds that "it is our custom". He replied, allegedly, "Be it so. This burning of widows is your custom; prepare the funeral pile. But my nation has also a custom. When men burn women alive we hang them, and confiscate all their property. My carpenters shall therefore erect gibbets on which to hang all concerned when the widow is consumed. Let us all act according to national customs.")
Eric Rall says:
I've long been fond of that story. I refer to it as "Napier's Commentary on Moral Relativism".
Avantika says:
The first time I heard "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana," I ended up in a detailed discussion about the physiology of time flies and how they dilate time around their target fruit to make it rot faster.
Thomas Eliot says:
My favorite band, wookiefoot, has a song about the over prescription of psychiatric medication, which includes the following double pun on supercalifragilisticexpialidocious:
If you're super sad and fragile and accept your own prognosis
Your psychopharmacologist can expedite your doses
Funny that they'd base a song on overprescription, since I had a musician friend in high school who also, um, based his songs on overprescription. He got one of those fake ADHD diagnoses, and then he'd use his pills to stay up all night writing. He was actually pretty talented (there was some clever wordsmithing in his lyrics) and he got some paid gigs… but then he'd just use the money to buy more stimulants from other "ADHD" kids.
It was a vicious cycle; don't fall into that trap. Don't rhyme for the sake of Ritalin.
(Hat tip to Matt Weiner.)
C, E-flat, and G go into a bar.
The bartender says, "Sorry, but we don't serve minors." So, the E-flat leaves, and the C and the G have an open fifth between them.
After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished; the G is out flat. An F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough.
A D comes into the bar and heads straight for the bathroom saying, "Excuse me. I'll just be a second."
An A comes into the bar, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices a B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and exclaims, "Get out now! You're the seventh minor I've found in this bar tonight."
The E-flat, not easily deflated, comes back to the bar the next night in a 3-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender says: "You're looking sharp tonight, come on in! This could be a major development." This proves to be the case, as the E-flat takes off the suit, and everything else, and is now au naturel.
Eventually, the C sobers up, and realizes in horror that he's under a rest. The C is brought to trial, is found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of DS without Coda at an upscale correctional facility. On appeal, however, the C is found innocent of any wrongdoing, even accidental, and that all accusations to the contrary are bassless.
The bartender decides he needs a rest – and closes the bar.
fiddlemath says:
He named the family ranch "Focus", because that's where the sun's rays meet.
Oh yeah! I forgot that one!
Swimmy says:
The author of the comic Pearls Before Swine is an accomplished punnist. Here is a particularly convoluted and punful example.
Ben Jonson once claimed that he could make a pun on any subject. Someone immediately offered, "The Queen." He retorted, "The queen is not a subject; she is the queen!"
No, she's a citizen, and is currently under investigation by the People's Tribunal.
I heard that quote was by Oscar Wilde (he stopped at "The queen is not a subject"
Either way it's a good one.
Richard Gadsden says:
Seems more likely to be Wilde (in the time of Queen Victoria) than Jonson (in the time of King George III)
Fruit flies like a banana. Time flies like an arrow. Time Lords like a cryptic statement.
komponisto says:
I hate to spoil the story about the legendary "Arabic" (!) conductor, but Beethoven's Ninth has bass parts throughout. (I didn't need to check, but did anyway.)
But let me ask you this, Scott, if you don't mind giving away your trade secrets: how did you write this post, exactly? Did you search Google for "famous puns", or look up a list on Wikipedia? Or do you keep a file of puns you come across on your computer, the way that Eliezer apparently keeps a file of quotes? Or do you just remember every single pun you've ever heard, in preparation for that day when you're finally going to write that blog post about what makes a good pun? (If so, what other posts are you planning to write years in the future based on things you're keeping mental track of now?)
(Yes, of course that's not an exhaustive list of the possibilities. But, you know,….curiosity. This is an example of what seems to be a standard essay genre: "cleverly tie various examples of something together". I always feel impressed when I encounter it, as if I feel I would have difficulty doing it; but now I'm doing this thing where I try to find out how impressive people do their impressive things, instead of just assuming they're magical wizards.)
I second the request for knowledge. 🙂
I took some of them from my quotes file (very old version up here), some from my jokes file (don't have a copy online and it's pretty short anyway and I haven't kept it up) and some I just remembered.
Vertebrat says:
Maybe it should be bass vocalists instead of bass viols, without the bit about them having a part at the beginning. (Also without the bit about the score being tied, since that doesn't make sense.)
Anyone who likes puns should follow Frank and Earnest.
Arthur C. Clarke gets in on the action.
As an undergrad I worked in a Drosophila lab. Stray flies were always escaping from bottles and lingering in corners of the lab for a few days. One of the post-docs would often eat bananas in the lab, with predictable results.
No one but me ever thought the Groucho Marx line was funny. Molecular biologists are lame.
zaogao says:
One erudite German mathematician had started his proof under the assumption of the axiom of choice (of which Zorn's lemma is equivalent to). However, finishing the proof without reference to this, he ended his paper with a quote from Tacitus, commenting he wrote "without anger", as Zorn is German for anger.
ozymandias42 says:
This post illustrates the wise old statement that the shortest distance between two puns is a straight line.
The best pun I ever heard came from my father-in-law last Christmas and was completely impromptu. I was explaining why people started hanging stockings for St. Nicholas to leave gifts in: "Supposedly this poor man had three daughters and couldn't afford dowries for them, so the girls would have to turn to prostitution to support themselves. St. Nicholas threw three sacks of gold, one for each girl, down the family's chimney so they could marry instead of being prostitutes." (I promise, that really is the legend.)
And my father-in-law summed up: "I guess he didn't want them to be a ho, ho, ho."
Rory O'Kane says:
Thank you for this. I have long had an itch to identify what makes a pun good, based on good puns I've seen – now you have done it for me.
But you've missed a criterion that can make a great pun. There's a joke I really like because it's simultaneously a linguistic and a visual pun. This is how you tell it:
Why do all the ladies love Jesus?
Because he's hung like this! *hold your arms out wide*
Joke explanation, just in case (don't bother if you already get the joke): The pun is that the gesture and the word "hung", as a combination, can have two different meanings. One, the factual meaning, is that Jesus was hung from the cross in that position during the Crucifixion. Two, the meaning that explains why ladies love Jesus, is that Jesus has a penis as large as the distance you are measuring with your hands – women stereotypically prefer sex with men with large penises.
This category of pun excellence is similar to your "phrases of a few words, all of which get punned at the same time", but this joke, instead of punning on two words, puns on a word and a gesture, which is a more impressive coincidence. This type of pun could be improved upon, by adding more meanings through different mediums to pun on simultaneously. For instance, an even greater pun might be simultaneously visual, linguistic, verbal (punning on tone of voice meanings), and contextual (punning on multiple interpretations of the joke's introduction).
A somewhat belated addition, there is this pun-ish invitation which is said to have been extended to Voltaire by Frederick the Great.
\frac{p}{a}à\frac{Si}{100}
(a sous p à cent sous Si; read: à souper à Sanssouci)
To which Voltaire is alleged to have replied:
(J grand, a petit; read: J'ai grand appetit!)
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text:
import decimal
import json
import os

from cloudkitty import writer

class DecimalEncoder(json.JSONEncoder):
    def default(self, o):
        if isinstance(o, decimal.Decimal):
            return float(o)
        return super(DecimalEncoder, self).default(o)

class OSRFBackend(writer.BaseReportWriter):
    """OpenStack Report Format Writer:

        Generates report in native format (json)
    """
    report_type = 'osrf'

    def _gen_filename(self, timeframe):
        filename = '{}-osrf-{}-{:02d}.json'.format(self._tenant_id,
                                                   timeframe.year,
                                                   timeframe.month)
        if self._basepath:
            filename = os.path.join(self._basepath, filename)
        return filename

    def _open(self):
        filename = self._gen_filename(self.usage_start_dt)
        self._report = self._backend(filename, 'rb+')
        self._report.seek(0, 2)
        if self._report.tell():
            self._recover_state()
        else:
            self._report.seek(0)

    def _write_header(self):
        self._report.write('[')
        self._report.flush()

    def _write_total(self):
        total = {'total': self.total}
        self._report.write(json.dumps(total, cls=DecimalEncoder))
        self._report.write(']')
        self._report.flush()

    def _recover_state(self):
        # Search for last comma
        self._report.seek(0, 2)
        max_idx = self._report.tell()
        if max_idx > 2000:
            max_idx = 2000
        hay = ''
        for idx in range(10, max_idx, 10):
            self._report.seek(-idx, 2)
            hay = self._report.read()
            if hay.count(','):
                break
        last_comma = hay.rfind(',')
        if last_comma > -1:
            last_comma -= len(hay)
        else:
            raise RuntimeError('Unable to recover file state.')
        self._report.seek(last_comma, 2)
        self._report.write(', ')
        self._report.truncate()

    def _close_file(self):
        if self._report is not None:
            self._recover_state()
            self._write_total()
            self._report.close()

    def _write(self):
        data = {}
        data['period'] = {'begin': self.usage_start_dt.isoformat(),
                          'end': self.usage_end_dt.isoformat()}
        data['usage'] = self._usage_data

        self._report.write(json.dumps(data, cls=DecimalEncoder))
        self._report.write(', ')
        self._report.flush()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Tech Legend Divya Narendra
· Interview,Tech Investing,Facebook,Investing
Conversation With Tech Legend Divya Narendra
At Harvard, you've mentioned that you took a variety of classes while also noticing that there were a few specific academic 'tracks' (i.e. finance, law, etc. that many of your classmates followed). How do you feel about the liberal arts educational experience versus a more career track-based approach?
It's so important to acquire broad exposure to a variety of subjects. You may enter college thinking you know what you want to do, but you don't know what you don't know. Forcing yourself to explore new areas of study can be eye-opening. At the very least, you'll meet a wider range of personality types, which is particularly useful if you aim to launch a new venture and need to build a founding team with diverse talents.
What was the most important skill or lesson you learned in college? What was the most important skill or lesson you have learned in your professional life?
See answer to #3 below.
What did you learn with ConnectU and/or the early years of Facebook that helped you successfully execute SumZero?
Persistence. This is by far the most essential quality of any successful entrepreneur.
Of course, I also learned many business-101 fundamentals related to team building, strategy formation, network effects, and legal protections, but these lessons would have been worthless without the required persistence to apply them. The persistence – the discipline and patience – I developed during that time was invaluable in overcoming obstacles and staying focused when I started SumZero.
What was the hardest part about getting SumZero up and running? Were you ever skeptical or did you always trust the quality content platform model?
The core of any business enterprise is its human component. Hiring the right people is harder than it may seem. Screening candidates for the right mix of skill, integrity, and work ethic is tough, but it's necessary to create the kind of chemistry that makes for successful teams.
These days, many people seem to hop from one company to another like musical chairs, which makes retaining talent that much harder. The COVID-19 pandemic may change this dynamic, but I imagine you'll still see a lot of movement between firms, especially in tech circles.
More specifically, at the inception of SumZero, we also had to overcome a challenging behavioral predisposition shared by many in the asset management industry: the tendency to closely guard proprietary insights rather than to share these insights more broadly.
13 Questions With General David Petraeus
We spend a lot of time thinking about what incentives we should put in place to compel analysts to think differently and reconsider their approach to, and relationship with, research. Our solution relies on helping SumZero contributors leverage their proprietary research to elevate their own brands by building a track record. This in turns helps them meet both fundraising and career placement goals.
When do you envision SumZero opening to a more general audience? What kind of access would you give that general audience? Would it be the same as what you give to your verified buy-side professionals?
My view is that anyone who cares about the financial markets should have access to SumZero research in one form or another.
If you have a brokerage account with any exposure to stocks, bonds, crypto[currency] or any other asset class, you should have access to SumZero. Our research repository covers companies of all market caps in all regions around the world. We offer a free tier of access to anyone interested, regardless of background, which we refer to as our Headlines page.
Mind you, Headlines is really just the tip of the iceberg relative to what lies behind the paywall but it's still highly educational market commentary. We also sell read-only access to our research database in the form of SumZero Elite.
Elite opens access to the entirety of our research database. It puts professional research ideas created by our buyside members within reach of investors who, until now, have either been left to their own devices in researching companies, sectors, and industries, or have been exploited by sites featuring often-dubious research, often by unvetted, anonymous users with questionable intent.
What is the Inventor of Alexa Doing Now?
When you look at a research idea on SumZero, you can rest assured that it's been written by a professional buy side investor with actual skin in the game. It's information integrity: actionable business intelligence. In addition to Elite, and without giving too much away, we will soon be offering budget-focused tiers of access to non-buyside investors with a reduced volume of ideas but the same level of quality.
Very simply, in opening our platform to new audiences, we intend to disrupt the way individual investors approach the markets by giving them access to professional research written and used by some of the brightest minds on the buyside.
Given that you had some of the revolutionary ideas behind Facebook, where do you think the next game-changing idea will come from? Is there one in tech or finance? A more niche version of an already existing concept? Are there any other specific industries or companies that have caught your eye?
Most, if not all, industries are seeing innovation disrupting old ways of doing things: so much so that many in society are wondering if this pace of change is too frantic to control. I'm personally quite optimistic that this change is for the better, but I understand why Elon Musk and others see a more dystopian future where machines fully displace mankind. Having said that, I think that the pathways to larger goals, whether in space travel, technology, medicine, or any other future-facing industry or sector, will generate ideas and solutions with potentially infinite applications.
Interview with NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly: An American Hero
What are you doing during the pandemic to stay productive and hopeful?
I left my apartment in Tribeca to quarantine in a small ski lodge in Vermont. That lasted about a week as there wasn't enough wifi for both my wife and I. Since then, we've been in the suburbs of New York waiting for more clarity on when in-office work will resume in the city. In the meantime, we've tried our best to work from home and I must say that my team at SumZero has transitioned quite seamlessly. We are focused on how to make the most of what is undoubtedly a tough business backdrop. Though we've cut back on certain costs, we've also invested in other areas and continue to develop new products and features that we think will position us well coming out of this global crisis.
What is the best piece of career advice that you've received from a mentor that you'd like to share? How have you seen it implemented in your own career development?
Without sounding too generic, I'd encourage people to pursue careers doing something they fundamentally enjoy and, in an ideal scenario, are passionate about.
I remember watching a Jeff Bezos interview where he said only a small portion of the population builds careers (most merely have jobs), but that of those with careers, an even smaller subset find their true calling; their vocation. This is the holy grail, but if you can approach it, you're much more likely to be motivated and successful at work.
Is there a particular aspect of your upbringing or education that has contributed significantly to your mindset and to your success?
To this day, my parents work six days a week, even though they are both at or near retirement age. Whenever I find myself slacking off, I think of them.
What do you think we can learn from the 2008 market crash to help us navigate the current pandemic crisis, for example, growing unemployment numbers?
Coronavirus Speeds Up Robotic Revolution
No one likes to see the market crash. However, there is no denying that market volatility creates opportunities for those investors with dry powder and a keen eye for value. Buffett famously urged investors to be "greedy when others are fearful," an adage more relevant now than ever as we witness companies trade as if they are on fire sale.
In March, we saw many stock prices decline by 50% or more.
Many of these companies may never recover their market values while others have been on V-shaped recoveries. The incumbent challenge is differentiating between winners and losers. This is exactly what active stock picking is all about. On SumZero, nearly every idea posted over the last two months has had a COVID-19 component to it and we are seeing a lot of ideas featuring expected returns in excess of 100% (with V-shaped recoveries).
The government's bipartisan reaction to the pandemic has been incredible from both a monetary and fiscal standpoint, and is a direct result of what we learned from 2008. (Federal Reserve) Chairman Powell's recent comments pointing to unlimited QE should give investors some confidence as they navigate the markets. It's impossible to ignore the non-stop stream of media headlines pointing to skyrocketing unemployment but this isn't news. It's a given and should be no surprise during a forced economic shutdown.
The real question is how will the economy rebound now that states and municipalities are starting to reopen. This will depend on a variety of factors, including vaccine and therapeutics development which, from all reports. is moving at record pace. For anyone with a long-term investment horizon, the markets currently present opportunities that typically only come along once a decade.
Can you speak about how you ended up naming your company SumZero?
SumZero is literally and figuratively the opposite of zero-sum. We are trying to further the philosophy that investing doesn't have to be a zero sum game. Instead, by sharing research and ideas, investors can create win-win scenarios for both parties. This philosophy also underpins the transparency on which SumZero is built - members share ideas with their real names attached to their ideas; there are no pseudonyms.
Interview With Home Depot Co-Founder Ken Langone
Has SumZero ever had any issues with people posting non-public information? What do you do to keep SumZero clean from insider trading?
No, we've never had this problem. In fact, we think SumZero is the last place a nefarious actor would attempt to disseminate non-public information because of how transparent the system is by design.
This is the question I know you must hate getting, but a lot of people have critiqued The Social Network for getting parts of the story wrong and misrepresenting its characters. How do you feel about how the film portrayed the story?
Do you think they "got it right"? Are there any things you wished the movie showed that they didn't?
There were many elements of the film that weren't exactly correct. But given artistic license, I think the film managed to convey the right ideas while still being entertaining. I had no interactions with the producers and as such, had no input on the script or casting. This may not come as a surprise, but Max Minghella, the actor who played my character, is half-British, half-Chinese. They painted him brown to make him look more like me....
As an adult who's had years to grow since college, how would you say the events that unfolded with ConnectU/Facebook have made you into the person you are today?
Well I don't think these events changed me as a person or in any fundamental way. My personality is what it always was. The difference now is life experience. I just know a lot more - more about business, more about law and civil procedure, and I am probably a better judge of character. Beyond that, I think it's helped establish my credibility as an entrepreneur. I don't dwell on the past, however, and I'm working as hard as ever to keep building and to continue growing professionally and personally.
What is SumZero's primary source of revenue?
The vast majority of SumZero's revenues come from subscriptions we sell to clients who want to access the full breadth of investment research on SumZero but are not in a position to contribute their own ideas, be it for compliance reasons or personal choice.
The World Will Be More Technologically Advanced After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Written by Ethan Samuels, Jason Kauppila & Karina Thanawala, Edited by Alexander Fleiss
The Future of True AutoPilot
Google Finds Evidence of State-Sponsored COVID-19 Themed...


Maximise shareholder return by investing, operating and developing commercial properties in Central and Eastern Europe. The Company will focus on retail properties such as retail parks and warehouses, shopping centres and supermarkets with an area of at least 10,000 sq.m. in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Russia, Latvia and Turkey.


Apples to Activity Apples: The Exciting Conclusion!
For those keeping score at home, I mentioned a few weeks back the prospect of using Apples to Apples for year-end evaluations. I like the idea of making these final meetings more engaging and less dry, and also giving myself the opportunity to hear students describe things as anything other than "good", "fine", "cool", or wordlessly with a shrug.
I really learned a lot from trying to mix up the evaluation experience, and would highly recommend the method to others!
I don't have all of the results compiled yet, but I'll give some of the highlights and the surprises that resulted when I asked students some of the questions. For those who wanted to see the questions I asked, I'll list a few here too.
Pick a card to describe your experience in Union Productions.
Lesson: We see overprogramming as a concern because we have an awareness of all the events going on. However, for students who can filter out what they are and aren't interested in, chances are they aren't feeling overprogrammed.
Pick a card to describe how supported you felt by fellow staff members.
Lesson: One of my students put it best when he said he wanted to see the "union" put back into Union Productions. My goal for the coming year is to find ways to help them blend as an organization, and to help all areas of the organization understand each other so they can work together better.
Pick a card to describe how UP is perceived by others on campus.
As I alluded to in my post on South by Southwest, we are a little quirky in what we do at Union Productions. We've heard criticism ranging from "they only do indie rock shows" to "the same 30 people go to their events!"As such, I wasn't surprised (and was frankly quite pleased!) that many of our students recognize the stigma that they work under each day. That said, they are heralded throughout the department, and at times, heavily relied on to assist other organizations in programming efforts, because they are so good at what they do. As such, the aspiring wellness professional worries about the effect that has on their ability to be successful. It's a lot of stress to have on them, and we have students who handle such stress with varying levels of effectiveness.
Lesson: Given that they are aware of their reputation, the next step will be to determine if the stigma they carry is one that they wish to change, or wish to work within. Because these students are advised AND supervised by us, my challenge will be to allow them to steer the direction of the organization, while at the same time making sure they don't alienate the large percentage of the student population who "doesn't understand them".
I really appreciated the great ideas that my students came to the table with in this process. And I'm really excited to have found an engaging way to pull their thoughts from their minds. One of my students remarked as she pulled cards from the pile and arranged them, "This is a really cool way to do this!". I'm hoping that inspiration strikes again next spring, and that a similarly playful way to look at the year will emerge!
How do you conduct year-end evaluations? What have you learned about the state of your organization from these meetings?


text:
Why Buhari Cannot Be Playing Religion Politics -SGF
Home » ➨ ✔ Politics › ➨ Read now » Why Buhari Cannot Be Playing Religion Politics -SGF
SGF Says APC Has Won, Says It Is Only Waiting For INEC's Announcement.
Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) has expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has won the 2019 elections
According to PUNCH, Mustapha said this on Thursday during the Gombe state governorship campaign rally at the Olusegun Obasanjo Stadium in Kaltungo, Gombe.
He was quoted to have said the APC is only waiting for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce the results.
His words, "We are only waiting for the announcement of the results. Just make sure you come out with your PVCs (permanent voter cards) and cast your votes because the Peoples Democratic Party cannot deceive again,"
"Today, the lies of PDP have finished because we are here in Kaltungo to uproot the roots of the PDP. In 2015, the PDP deceived you that our party, the APC was a Boko Haram party, they told you that if you voted for the APC, all of you would be Islamised, there was nothing they didn't tell you.
"If Buhari plays politics of religion, he wouldn't have appointed me the SGF because I am a Christian. If he were to be a religious politician, he wouldn't have taken (Yemi) Osinbajo, a pastor, and made him the vice-president.
Naija News recalls that many comments and criticism have been playing around the theme of Buhari being political about his appointments. This is especially trended when the president removed acting Director general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Matthew Seyeifa who is from Bayelsa State and appointed Yusuf Magaji Bichi who hails from Kano State, as the new Director-General.
Closely linked to the criticism is also the President's replacement or resigned Kemi Adeosun with Zainab Ahmed As new Finance Minister, Naija News reports
The SGF however called on "You people of Gombe South, come out and vote for the APC from the top down to the bottom."
A former governor of the state, Danjuma Goje, said Christians in the north did not enjoy key national appointments until the coming of Buhari.
"Although (Yakubu) Dogara has left the APC, he benefited from the party. He became the Speaker of the House of Representatives," he said.
Kogi Guber: We Won't Be Pressured To Decide On Primary – APC


The six-part docuseries is scheduled for a Nov. 30 launch on Prime Video in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
Three hour-long stand-up specials from Canadian comics Robby Hoffman, DJ Demers and Mark Forward will debut on the streamer later this year.
The announcement was made during a panel at JFL Comedy Pro where Bell Media execs discussed their evolving multi-platform comedy strategy.
New series The Stand-Up Show with Katherine Ryan and one-hour special Homegrown Comics will join the specialty's lineup this fall.
The longtime festival COO takes over as the Montreal-based company comes under new ownership.
Following the announcement of its specialty rebrands, and as the media co inks its latest deal, president Randy Lennox discusses how the pieces fit together.
Plus: Riftworld Legends comic expands to print this month and LIFT, imagineNATIVE announce mentorship recipient.
Plus: Robin Joseph's animated short Fox and the Whale is one of 10 projects in contention for an Oscar nom, and more.
Following sexual assault allegations against former president Gilbert Rozon, Guylaine Lalonde has been appointed the new company head.
The Montreal festival has partnered with Felix & Paul on a seven-part VR experience that puts audiences face to face with comedians.
Five selected teams will present their original web or TV concepts to execs and creatives from the pubcaster.
Stand-Up on Guard for Thee, hosted by Daniel Levy, will air on the pubcaster this summer.


text:
Essentials, the Influencers Review - Future of Work
Wilberforce University, University, African American, Medicine, Black Power, Bluefield State College
'I Was Stunned': Big Gifts to Small Colleges From an Unexpected Source
@nytimes shared
"I was stunned," said Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University, a historically Black college in Texas, when she learned that MacKenzie Scott was giving her school $50 million, the biggest gift the university had ever received. https://t.co/6AUu71Na2b
MacKenzie Scott's donations to colleges serving often overlooked students were a surprise — and potentially transformational.
If you are curious about Essentials, the Influencers Review and Future of Work
Discover more about: Future of Work
50 Years of Affirmative Action: What Went Right, and What It Got Wrong
A look back through the decades shows the successes and challenges of a divisive social policy.
Bloomberg commits $100M to historically Black medical schools amid COVID-19 pressures
www.fiercehealthcare.com
The funds from Bloomberg Philanthropies will go toward "significantly reducing the debt burden" of about 800 students, many who are experiencing increased financial pressure amid COVID-19.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. to present Bennett College with $100,000 Endowment during Black History Month
www.bennett.edu
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the country's oldest African-American sorority, has pledged an endowment in the amount of $100,000 to Bennett College. The gift ...
Gates Foundation Gift to Support Covid-19 Testing at Historically Black Colleges
The donation will be divided among Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Meharry Medical College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Xavier University of Louisiana, ...
In Search of Equity
www.osa-opn.org
The events of 2020 may offer a unique chance to advance the representation of African Americans in optics and photonics—if the community grasps the opportunity.
At GTC, Educators and Leaders Focus on Equity in AI, Developer Diversity
blogs.nvidia.com
A panel discussion on Advancing Equitable AI was one of several GTC events advancing the conversation on diversity, equity and ethics in AI.
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott Gifts $30 Million to Lehman College
lehman.edu
Black students at Oxford University to get scholarships from black American tech entrepreneur
www.usatoday.com
Arlan Hamilton, an African-American entrepreneur in the mostly white and male tech industry, hopes Oxford gift will inspire others to support black students.


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NARSAD, the Mental Health Research Association in Great Neck, New York, has announced prizes totaling $480,000 to seven leading scientists in the areas of schizophrenia, depression, childhood disorders, and cognitive neuroscience research.
The $50,000 Lieber Prize for schizophrenia research was awarded to Dr. David A. Lewis, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the translational neuroscience program at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Drs. Jan A. Fawcett and Alan F. Schatzberg will share the $50,000 Falcone Prize for affective disorders research; Fawcett is the former chair of psychiatry at Chicago's Rush Medical College, and Schatzberg chairs the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. The $50,000 Ruane Prize for child and adolescent psychiatric research went to Dr. Allan L. Reiss, director of Stanford's Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research.
NARSAD, which funds scientific research on psychiatric disorders, awarded the $40,000 Goldman-Rakic Prize for cognitive neuroscience to Bruce S. McEwen, Ph.D., head of the Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology at the Rockefeller University in New York; and the $40,000 Sidney R. Baer Jr. Prize — awarded to a promising young investigator chosen by the current Lieber Prize winner — to Dr. Takanori Hashimoto, a research assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.
This year, the organization inaugurated a new prize, the annual Staglin Family Music Festival Schizophrenia Research Award, a three-year, $250,000 grant for an outstanding investigator under age 45. The inaugural recipient of the prize, Dr. Linda M. Brzustowicz, head of the Psychiatric Genetics Laboratory at Rutgers University and professor of psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, was recognized for her studies on the genetics of schizophrenia and autism. The prize is funded by the Staglin Family Music Festival for Mental Health in Napa Valley.
"The scientists we honor have demonstrated the highest levels of commitment to research and devised outstanding approaches to some of the mental health field's most daunting challenges," said NARSAD president Constance E. Lieber.
"NARSAD, the Mental Health Research Association, Presents Top Prizes for Outstanding Achievement in Psychiatric Research." NARSAD Press Release 10/27/2005.


Remember the last time your little one came home crying, all bruised and battered, after he fell from his bicycle? The sight of his bloody knees and the tears he cried while you gave the wound a thorough cleanup is hard to forget. And if that wasn't enough you probably had to rush him to the nearest doctor for an anti-tetanus shot and a dressing to tend to the awfully swollen and red knee. It took more than a week for him to get back to his normal playful self again!
Rubor, calor, tumor, dolor and functio laesa….are the old medical terms for the five classic signs of inflammation – redness, heat, swelling, pain and loss of function. Inflammation is your body's first line of defense against toxins; whether it's from a bug bite, an infection, acute trauma, an inflamed joint or a systemic inflammatory condition affecting your joints, skin and many internal organs at the same time. Whenever your cells are in distress, they release chemicals to alert the immune system. The immune system sends its first responders – inflammatory cells – to trap the offending substance and heal the tissue. Redness and heat manifest due to increased blood flow to the inflamed area; swelling due to accumulation of fluid; pain due to release of chemicals that stimulate nerve endings; and loss of function is due to a combination of factors. These might be uncomfortable but are essential for the healing process. The word inflammation itself comes from the Latin term meaning 'to set on fire', and in the medical sense is an indication that your body is responding to signals from its distressed tissues. Inflammatory responses get initiated in order to localize the insult, seal off rest of the body and rid the body of the offending destructive stimuli like bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical irritants and repair the damage.
Until the late 18th century, acute inflammation was regarded as a disease. John Hunter (1728–1793, London surgeon and anatomist) was the first to realize that it actually was a vital protective response of a healthy organism to injury and was generally beneficial to the host.
Inflammations, like diseases in general, are categorized as acute or chronic. The classic five signs are indicators of the former while the latter tends to display more diffuse and generalized symptoms. Acute inflammation is self-limiting, meaning it resolves relatively quickly. Either the body overcomes the insult via an inflammatory response or else it succumbs to it.
Inflammations occur naturally in your body but when they go wrong or go on too long; as in chronic inflammations, they can trigger disease processes. With chronic inflammations, your body is on high alert all the time. This prolonged state of emergency can cause lasting damage to your heart, brain and other organs. For example, when inflammatory cells hang around too long in blood vessels, they promote the buildup of dangerous plaque. The body sees this plaque as foreign and sends more of its first responders. As the plaque continues to build, the arteries can thicken, making a heart attack or stroke much more likely. Similarly, inflammation in the brain may play a role in Alzheimer's disease. Slowly and inexorably, a chronic inflammation compromises the healthy physiological processes and well being of the individual.
The greatest medical challenge our modern society faces today is chronic inflammatory diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, eczema, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and a host of other autoimmune diseases like scleroderma and Grave's disease are but a few of the many that fall in this category. Many other conditions such as heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and endometriosis are also the end result of chronic inflammatory responses. Diseases that have flourished more recently such as Lyme (tick fever) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome also fall in the category.
The success of conventional medicine to a great extent is due to drugs like antibiotics and steroids, both of which have proven to be powerful agents against acute inflammation. But they also have strong side effects and are generally not suitable for long-term use in chronic inflammatory diseases. More importantly, while they address the inflammation, these drugs generally do not resolve the underlying causes that initiate them. Likewise, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen and immunosuppressive drugs such as methotrexate also provide non-curative, symptomatic relief. They are notorious for side effects such as ulcers and low immune function.
There are a host of nutritional supplements, non-pharmaceutical substances and Homoeopathic remedies that can provide potent anti-inflammatory treatment. Omega 3 fatty acids derived from marine as well as some plant sources are polyunsaturated fats that help decrease the inflammation.
Vitamin D is also a very strong anti-inflammatory. It activates a gene that interferes with inflammatory responses by binding directly to DNA.
Curcumin, the active ingredient of the most common Indian spice and Ayurvedic herb turmeric, is another traditional anti-inflammatory. For thousands of years this member of the ginger family has been taken internally and applied topically for wide variety of conditions. It not only acts as an antibacterial, promoting digestion and balancing intestinal flora, but is also gaining widespread attention for the treatment of cancer, Alzheimer's and numerous other inflammatory diseases.
Homoeopathy provides perhaps the most sophisticated and specific form of anti-inflammatory treatment. I have found it very effective in sportsmen suffering from acute inflammations like bruises, contusions, strains, sprains and the likes to sub-acute or chronic conditions as in tennis elbow, runner's knee and frozen shoulder to name a few; in the Indian Archery, Cyclist and the Hockey teams I'd worked with for some time. These medicines not only reduce inflammation but also facilitate healing quickly and gently according to the age old principle: "like cures like".
Find out more in the next post.


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