Yesterday we kicked off the 2006 PopCult gift guide with five cool items that are available nationwide. Today we're going to narrow our focus and suggest gifts that originate or are based in Charleston, West Virginia.
You can take the easy way out this holiday season, and give gift certificates from two of Charleston's coolest stores. The Purple Moon is West Virginia's only shop dedicated to vintage mid-century modern art and contemporary design, furnishings, accessories and art. They're also the exclusive Charleston dealer in the famous Kit Kat Clock from last year's gift guide. Chuck and Connie at The Purple Moon are great folks and you'll be able to see their store in the next episode of Radio Free Charleston. If you have a fan of atomic-age retro design, you can't go wrong with a gift certificate in any denomination from The Purple Moon. Call 304 345-0123 for details.
Taylor Books offers a gift certificate that can be used for books, classes, art and crafts. They come in books of ten certificates which are worth a dollar each. This is a great way to let the person on your gift list pick out their own book or art from Charleston's coolest bookstore. Call 304 342-1461 for more information.
We are lucky to have an internationally-recognized wrestling federation right here in Charleston. IWA East Coast presents a variety of top wrestling talent from all over the world, and puts on incredible shows at their home base at the South Charleston Community Center. You can purchase DVDs of their shows from SmartMark Video. I 'd recommend "Stars With Scars," their most recent show, due to the amazing title match between Chris Hero and Jerry Lynn. You also can't go wrong with either of the tournament DVDs, both filmed on September 16, 2006.
Last September Danny Boyd put on a wrestling show at the Davis Fine Arts Auditorium at West Virginia State University. I wrote about the event here, and covered the DVD release party here, just last week. You can order your own copy from the AWA website and see what all the fuss was about. This is a great evening of old-school wrestling, wonderfully directed by Amy Trent, and it's a great look at Danny "Professor Danger" Boyd in action.
Local author Pavanne LeJeune Pettigrew has crafted a wonderful pirate adventure in "One More Breath," the first novel from Headline Book's new Publisher's Page fiction imprint. The story of Captain "Blackjack" Bellamie and his struggle to elude capture in the Caribbean is filled with suspense, romance, and swash-buckling action. Pettigrew mixes her interest in pirates with a lifelong interest in Romany culture and delivers a first-rate pot boiler. And it's so refreshing to read a work by a local author that doesn't revolve around coal mines. You can purchase "One More Breath" at Taylor Books and Frog Creek Books, as well as other area booksellers.
That wraps up this year's PopCult gift guide. I hope you got some good ideas for last-minute gifterization. Next week in PopCult we'll have the production notes for the Christmas episode of Radio Free Charleston, as well as a cool Song Of The Week and photos of my GI Joe Christmas Tree.


This article is about what to expect from a correctly configured display, and what aspect ratios to consider when drawing graphics for PAL and NTSC.
How did most people back in the day view their games?
Direct answer: They were viewed on the family's TV or used with a 14" monitor (CRT, of course). All other cases were very rare. There were no widescreen displays then, of course.
Now to the details, what we use today, and the difference between display aspect ratio and pixel aspect ratio.
Standard 15 kHz CRT monitors are 4:3 display aspect ratio and adjustable, so it was and is no problem getting a 1:1 pixel aspect ratio. TVs were 4:3 and not adjustable. On NTSC they were stretched tall, and on PAL they were slightly squashed.
On all displays, you would almost fill the bezel, but typically leave a fingernail border (margin) all around - to fit the square picture within the curved corners of the bezel.
Note for gamers: this means that an overscan shoot'em-up would show oncoming enemies earlier for gamers on CRTs than if you have one of the monitors below that do not show this border.
PAL - Monitor: Pixels squashed by just a few % to almost fill the frame, but can be adjusted to square pixels, see below. TV: almost exactly the same, but non-adjustable.
NTSC - Monitor: Pixels stretched by 20%, again to almost fill the frame, border was the same but because of the 4:3 aspect, the top and bottom margin was larger. TV: almost exactly the same, but pre-stretched and non-adjustable.
Game graphics drawn in the USA (such as Zany Golf, Outlands) look very squashed (compressed vertically) on a PAL display because they were drawn on these pre-stretched NTSC displays.
Similarly, PAL games that run on NTSC have graphics that look tall (stretched vertically).
There was just no way they could spend the money to draw two sets of graphics, not to mention fit them on disk.
Open Preferences with no overscan (or maximize a Shell/CLI window) and adjust the picture until you have a 5mm margin in the corners.
Open a paint program and draw a big square. Use a grid or measure Coords to make sure it's as many pixels high as it is wide!
Measure the width of the square with a ruler, and use the vertical adjustment of the monitor until the height of the square equals the width physically.
If a PAL user does the above, graphics will still look correct because you already had your CRT set to - not PAL pixel aspect, but something in between PAL pixel aspect and 1:1 (in fact, if you have a flatscreen monitor, this matches it perfectly). If you switch it to NTSC mode, early NTSC game graphics now look correct.
The same is true for an NTSC user doing the same, starting out in PAL mode.
A Commodore 1084S CRT monitor, correctly set up for 1:1 pixel ratio. Note the resulting wide left and right borders. The photo quality is not representative of the display quality.
There are too many variants that do things differently, so that there isn't a single answer. All of this is assuming you got a display working reasonably (without major issues like cropping or widescreen-stretching).
Non-widescreen monitors used are typically 5:4 and uses square pixels without exception, and no border, matching the 320x256 resolution in PAL snugly.
Non-widescreen PAL TVs are typically 4:3, and they can crop the picture to 320x240 like 4:3 monitors do, or resize the picture, which will give 16 scanline skips. No borders.
In flatscreen TVs, it's completely up to the PAL/NTSC chip inside how the picture is resized. Flatscreen LCD TVs made after 2011 all have the new chip, and give a correct PAL display, with horizontal borders only. On widescreen, very wide borders. :) Vertical border is slim to none.
Here, the best match is a 4:3 TV, which may display the border, or a 4:3 monitor, which will not.
The widescreen flat LCD TVs made after 2011 mentioned above will also display NTSC correctly, again with very wide borders.
If you want to create new graphics, you could draw two sets, or draw them in NTSC and not care how they look on PAL. But I think that, since most Amiga users are on PAL, it's best to not draw them in slightly squashed PAL or stretched NTSC, but draw them on a square pixel display.
Users with correctly setup displays will then see them exactly as intended, and, as mentioned, ECS/AGA/OCS+ACA500Plus NTSC Amigas support PAL and their CRT monitor or CRT/Flatscreen TV also does, so that they will be able to see them as intended, if you use square pixels.
Side note: Those who like to play 3D vector games and watch 3D vector demos may have noticed the slight "PAL-squash" (it would be much less noticeable for pixeled 2D graphics). It comes from the programmer not having adjusted the perspective transformation to squashed displays, but to square pixels. This is expected for the most part, and all it takes is a square pixel display to make the vectors look perfect!
NTSC-stretched graphics look squashed in PAL mode, and PAL-squashed graphics look stretched in NTSC mode, but almost all Amigas can display both.
The most-used displays are modern Widescreen Flatscreen LCD TVs, and 4:3 CRT monitors and TVs. All flatscreen monitors have square pixels.
NTSC and PAL users can adjust their displays for square pixels following this guide, the only exception being NTSC TVs. I think that most users will already have their displays correctly or almost correctly set up in a way that makes graphics not look stretched.
In this way, square pixels becomes not a compromise between two aspect ratios, but a platform that users can support, fully and consistently, across display types on both NTSC and PAL - and that artists can draw for.
If they drew the graphics on PC, they already did.


text:
Q: WSO2 IS 5.7 is failing on production deployment regarding DefaultRealm My code:
https://github.com/MrClemRkz/Identity.git
Run the code by running start.sh bash file. You may reset using reset.sh bash file. I'm using these bash files for easy configuration for the use of other application. Therefore those are necessary.
I have hosted on AWS and I got only the IP Address pointing the server.
This works well on localhost. Yet on deployment following error occurs when starting the server.
Error StackTrace:

[2018-11-04 18:33:17,527] ERROR {org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealm} -  nullType class java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
org.wso2.carbon.user.core.UserStoreException: nullType class java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealm.createObjectWithOptions(DefaultRealm.java:395)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealm.initializeObjects(DefaultRealm.java:222)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealm.init(DefaultRealm.java:127)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealmService.initializeRealm(DefaultRealmService.java:264)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealmService.<init>(DefaultRealmService.java:102)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealmService.<init>(DefaultRealmService.java:115)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.internal.Activator.startDeploy(Activator.java:72)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.internal.BundleCheckActivator.start(BundleCheckActivator.java:61)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.BundleContextImpl$1.run(BundleContextImpl.java:711)
 at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.BundleContextImpl.startActivator(BundleContextImpl.java:702)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.BundleContextImpl.start(BundleContextImpl.java:683)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.BundleHost.startWorker(BundleHost.java:381)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.AbstractBundle.resume(AbstractBundle.java:390)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.Framework.resumeBundle(Framework.java:1176)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.resumeBundles(StartLevelManager.java:559)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.resumeBundles(StartLevelManager.java:544)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.incFWSL(StartLevelManager.java:457)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.doSetStartLevel(StartLevelManager.java:243)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.dispatchEvent(StartLevelManager.java:438)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.dispatchEvent(StartLevelManager.java:1)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.eventmgr.EventManager.dispatchEvent(EventManager.java:230)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.eventmgr.EventManager$EventThread.run(EventManager.java:340)
Caused by: java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
 at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
 at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:62)
 at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:45)
 at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:423)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealm.createObjectWithOptions(DefaultRealm.java:349)
 ... 22 more
Caused by: org.wso2.carbon.user.core.UserStoreException: Admin user has not been created. Error occurs while creating Admin user in primary user store.
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.AbstractUserStoreManager.addInitialAdminData(AbstractUserStoreManager.java:5838)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.ldap.ReadOnlyLDAPUserStoreManager.<init>(ReadOnlyLDAPUserStoreManager.java:244)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.ldap.ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.<init>(ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.java:122)
 ... 27 more
Caused by: org.wso2.carbon.user.core.UserStoreException: Can not access the directory context oruser already exists in the system
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.ldap.ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.getSearchBaseDirectoryContext(ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.java:364)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.ldap.ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.doAddUser(ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.java:260)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.AbstractUserStoreManager.addInitialAdminData(AbstractUserStoreManager.java:5832)
 ... 29 more
Caused by: javax.naming.NameNotFoundException: [LDAP: error code 32 - No Such Object]; remaining name 'ou=Users,dc=copper,dc=opensource,dc=lk'
 at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.mapErrorCode(LdapCtx.java:3179)
 at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.processReturnCode(LdapCtx.java:3100)
 at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.processReturnCode(LdapCtx.java:2891)
 at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.c_lookup(LdapCtx.java:1033)
 at com.sun.jndi.toolkit.ctx.ComponentContext.p_lookup(ComponentContext.java:542)
 at com.sun.jndi.toolkit.ctx.PartialCompositeContext.lookup(PartialCompositeContext.java:177)
 at com.sun.jndi.toolkit.ctx.PartialCompositeContext.lookup(PartialCompositeContext.java:166)
 at javax.naming.InitialContext.lookup(InitialContext.java:417)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.ldap.ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.getSearchBaseDirectoryContext(ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.java:357)
 ... 31 more
[2018-11-04 18:33:17,530] ERROR {org.wso2.carbon.user.core.internal.Activator} -  Cannot start User Manager Core bundle
org.wso2.carbon.user.core.UserStoreException: Cannot initialize the realm.
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealmService.initializeRealm(DefaultRealmService.java:274)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealmService.<init>(DefaultRealmService.java:102)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealmService.<init>(DefaultRealmService.java:115)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.internal.Activator.startDeploy(Activator.java:72)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.internal.BundleCheckActivator.start(BundleCheckActivator.java:61)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.BundleContextImpl$1.run(BundleContextImpl.java:711)
 at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.BundleContextImpl.startActivator(BundleContextImpl.java:702)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.BundleContextImpl.start(BundleContextImpl.java:683)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.BundleHost.startWorker(BundleHost.java:381)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.AbstractBundle.resume(AbstractBundle.java:390)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.Framework.resumeBundle(Framework.java:1176)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.resumeBundles(StartLevelManager.java:559)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.resumeBundles(StartLevelManager.java:544)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.incFWSL(StartLevelManager.java:457)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.doSetStartLevel(StartLevelManager.java:243)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.dispatchEvent(StartLevelManager.java:438)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.internal.core.StartLevelManager.dispatchEvent(StartLevelManager.java:1)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.eventmgr.EventManager.dispatchEvent(EventManager.java:230)
 at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.eventmgr.EventManager$EventThread.run(EventManager.java:340)
Caused by: org.wso2.carbon.user.core.UserStoreException: nullType class java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealm.initializeObjects(DefaultRealm.java:316)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealm.init(DefaultRealm.java:127)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealmService.initializeRealm(DefaultRealmService.java:264)
 ... 19 more
Caused by: org.wso2.carbon.user.core.UserStoreException: nullType class java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealm.createObjectWithOptions(DefaultRealm.java:395)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealm.initializeObjects(DefaultRealm.java:222)
 ... 21 more
Caused by: java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
 at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
 at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:62)
 at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:45)
 at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:423)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.DefaultRealm.createObjectWithOptions(DefaultRealm.java:349)
 ... 22 more
Caused by: org.wso2.carbon.user.core.UserStoreException: Admin user has not been created. Error occurs while creating Admin user in primary user store.
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.AbstractUserStoreManager.addInitialAdminData(AbstractUserStoreManager.java:5838)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.ldap.ReadOnlyLDAPUserStoreManager.<init>(ReadOnlyLDAPUserStoreManager.java:244)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.ldap.ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.<init>(ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.java:122)
 ... 27 more
Caused by: org.wso2.carbon.user.core.UserStoreException: Can not access the directory context oruser already exists in the system
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.ldap.ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.getSearchBaseDirectoryContext(ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.java:364)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.ldap.ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.doAddUser(ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.java:260)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.common.AbstractUserStoreManager.addInitialAdminData(AbstractUserStoreManager.java:5832)
 ... 29 more
Caused by: javax.naming.NameNotFoundException: [LDAP: error code 32 - No Such Object]; remaining name 'ou=Users,dc=copper,dc=opensource,dc=lk'
 at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.mapErrorCode(LdapCtx.java:3179)
 at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.processReturnCode(LdapCtx.java:3100)
 at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.processReturnCode(LdapCtx.java:2891)
 at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.c_lookup(LdapCtx.java:1033)
 at com.sun.jndi.toolkit.ctx.ComponentContext.p_lookup(ComponentContext.java:542)
 at com.sun.jndi.toolkit.ctx.PartialCompositeContext.lookup(PartialCompositeContext.java:177)
 at com.sun.jndi.toolkit.ctx.PartialCompositeContext.lookup(PartialCompositeContext.java:166)
 at javax.naming.InitialContext.lookup(InitialContext.java:417)
 at org.wso2.carbon.user.core.ldap.ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.getSearchBaseDirectoryContext(ReadWriteLDAPUserStoreManager.java:357)
 ... 31 more
[2018-11-04 18:33:25,183]  INFO {org.apache.catalina.startup.TaglibUriRule} -  TLD skipped. URI: http://tiles.apache.org/tags-tiles is already defined
[2018-11-04 18:33:25,335]  INFO {org.wso2.carbon.identity.authenticator.x509Certificate.internal.X509CertificateServiceComponent} -  X509 Certificate Servlet activated successfully..

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


When some people learn they are being investigated for bankruptcy they had filed, they transfer the money to their bank accounts into the bank accounts of others. If you are caught doing so, the case would be worse. Once you have filed for bankruptcy, your money should remain in your bank accounts. Depositing your money into the bank accounts of others is termed as fraud in court. This would not only make the case worse, but it would also attract hefty penalties on your side. Get proper guidance from your Houston bankruptcy lawyer on how you should go about it.
Today people are changing titles to that of their spouses or children. It is true these are members of your close family unit, but you shouldn't use their titles with a bad motive. Whatever comes with your name and title should remain so. If you are "Mrs", you shouldn't change the title to "Miss." This would mean someone else other than you is responsible for the incurred debt. When this happens, your bankruptcy attorney may have harder time in court in connection to this mistake.
Making random transfers during a bankruptcy case is your worst enemy. You may never achieve what you think you would achieve through such transfers without the assistance of Houston bankruptcy attorneys. If anything, things may even get tougher than they would be if no transfers were made. If there is any valid transfer you have to do during bankruptcy, your lawyer should be aware of it and probably assented to it upon serious considerations.


At CityTime, we do have Water Test Device to test the water proof of your watch. So be sure to have your watch tested before you dive into the pool or the ocean shore.
At CityTime, we have provided watch and clock repair service in Calgary for over 20 years.
At CityTime, we strive for customers satisfaction with our service.
At CityTime, we believe we have a reasonable and fair charge in town.
At CityTime, we value your time and so we will strive to keep your waiting time as short as possible.


text:
Grand Central Food Program
Client Advocacy Program
Emergency Mail Program
Scattered Site Housing Program
Coalition Houses
First Step Job Training Program
Camp Homeward Bound
Bound for Success
Today's Action
Voices from the Frontline
The Catastrophe of Homelessness
Facts about Homelessness
Why Are So Many People Homeless?
FAQs & Myths
State of the Homeless
Ending Homelessness
Proven Solutions
What Should I Do If…
Number of NYC Homeless Families Hits Modern-Day Record
Posted on January 6, 2009 by Patrick Markee
Right before the holidays, the Coalition released alarming new public data showing that, at the end of November, there were 9,720 homeless families sleeping in New York City municipal shelters – the highest number since modern homeless began nearly three decades ago. The Coalition's policy brief can be found here.
This tragic milestone was reached as New York Governor David Paterson is proposing drastic cutbacks in homelessness prevention and housing programs – a summary of the Governor's misguided proposal to cut more than $11 million in funding for critical homeless programs can be found here.
Mary Brosnahan, the Coalition's executive director, said in our news release (full text below): "The recession in New York is unfortunately just beginning, but already we have surpassed the all time record high of family homelessness in New York City. This data should sound an alarm in City Hall and Albany where Governor Paterson has proposed slashing funding for homeless services in New York City."
The Coalition's report triggered widespread news coverage, with strong reports in the New York Times and NY1 news. WNBC's Gabe Pressman also wrote a powerful essay on his blog.
Following is the Coalition's complete news release:
New Data Shows Highest Number of Homeless Families in NYC Recorded History
Record High Comes as Governor Paterson Threatens to Cut off City Funds for Homeless Prevention
New York – Data released by the Coalition for the Homeless today reveals that at the end of November there were 9,720 homeless families sleeping in the New York City municipal shelter system, the highest number since the City began reporting this data more than 25 years ago.
The data, contained in the New York City Department of Homeless Services Emergency Housing for Homeless Families Report (attached) shows homelessness soaring 13% as the recession deepened over the past six months from 8,607 homeless families in municipal shelters at the end of May to 9,720 families at the end of November.
"The recession in New York is unfortunately just beginning, but already we have surpassed the all time record high of family homelessness in New York City. This data should sound an alarm in City Hall and Albany where Governor Paterson has proposed slashing funding for homeless services in New York City," said Mary Brosnahan, Executive Director of the Coalition for the Homeless.
"We have never seen family homelessness at this scale in New York City history. While the fiscal crisis is real, we cannot balance New York State's budget by cutting critical services to combat family homelessness," said New York City Councilmember Bill DeBlasio, Chairman of the Council's General Welfare Committee.
Governor Paterson's proposed Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 would eliminate $11.4 million in state funding for homeless prevention and the construction of supportive housing in New York City as well as reduce funding for families headed by disabled individuals who depend on Supplemental Security Income for basic living expenses.
"The Governor talks a lot about shared sacrifice, but so far we have seen him only ask poor and middle class New Yorkers to share in the pain. If the Governor was willing to ask wealthy New Yorkers to pay just a little more, we could get rid of these cuts and a range of taxes aimed squarely at poor and working class New Yorkers," said Brosnahan.
The Governor's budget eliminates funds for eviction prevention and programs to help homeless New Yorkers who are disabled secure housing and federal disability benefits, and sharply reduces funding for supportive services for families leaving shelter – including funds for homelessness prevention programs, State funds to support City adult shelters, and operating subsidies for more than 2,300 permanent supportive housing apartments. In addition cuts to the Homeless Housing Assistance Program will mean fewer units of supportive housing while a proposed cut in state funding to SSI recipients will leave homeless New Yorkers with mental and physical disabilities with less money for basic needs.
An itemized chart of proposed cuts is available by request.
The previous record number of homeless families in shelter was recorded a year ago, when 9,500 homeless families were in shelters each night.
As Coalition for the Homeless has previously reported, according to City data, in recent months the number of new homeless families entering municipal shelters has reached all-time record levels. In September, an all-time-record 1,464 new homeless families entered the municipal shelter system. And in November, an additional 1,343 new homeless families entered the shelter system.
Altogether, the past five months (July through November) have seen the highest number of new homeless families — more than 1,300 families each month — entering the municipal shelter system in the 25 years that the City of New York has recorded this data.
During the current decade the number of homeless families and the total homeless shelter population have increased dramatically in New York City. At the start of the decade, there were 5,000 homeless families in shelter each night and the total homeless shelter population was 22,800 people. At the end of November there were 9,720 families in municipal shelters and the total homeless shelter population was an estimated 36,655 people.
Homelessness in NYC: The Facts
Tonight, 63,000 New Yorkers will sleep in homeless shelters, the most since the Great Depression.
Roughly 70% of those in shelter are families, including more than 22,000 kids.
Download the Facts
Coalition for the Homeless • 129 Fulton St, New York, NY 10038
Telephone: (212) 776-2000 • Facsimile: (212) 964-1303 • Email: Info@CFTHomeless.org
Coalition for the Homeless
129 Fulton St
Email: Info@CFTHomeless.org

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Well-proportioned 3.5-room apartment on around 86 m² plus a roofed, east-facing, 4 m² balcony and 5 m² southwest-facing balcony on the 1st floor of a five-party building.
The wonderfully central location offers shops around the corner and sports/recreation activities along the Salzach riverside. There are schools and kindergartens only a stone's throw from here.
The entrance area comprises a practical coat niche and leads into a well-kept kitchen with a Ceran hob, fridge-freezer and dishwasher. The delightfully spacious and versatile living room opens out onto a sunny balcony. Rest and relaxation is guaranteed in the cosy bedroom with a roofed balcony and en suite bathroom that includes a bathtub, basin with a floor cabinet, mirror cabinet, washing machine connection and a separate WC. An absolute highlight is the sauna. A second bedroom with a large picture window and small spare room complete the layout.


This week marks my one year anniversary of becoming editor-in-chief here at doddleNEWS, and the last twelve months has been quite a ride. There was a lot of great technology in 2018 that came our for filmmakers, and some news that will greatly affect our future in the industry. Let's take a trip down memory lane.
December 2017: FCC Votes to Kill Net Neutrality. In a party party line vote 3-2, the FCC voted to return effective control of the internet back to the ISPs. This prompted fears of higher costs and an internet universe that looked more like cable, with tiered access to various websites, streaming video, and the like.
Though I was equally concerned as most about the effects of removing Net Neutrality, I'm starting to wonder if those worries have proven to be overblown. So far, those fears haven't materialized. Still, that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep a watchful eye on where things go from here. Net Neutrality is winding its way through the courts, and even Congress is having its say. So the story isn't over, not by a long shot.
January 2018: Panasonic Announces the GH5S . This next generation micro four thirds mirrorless camera, brought about some noticeable improvements including 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording. And no recording limit outside of the size of your video card. Finally.
February 2018: Adobe Kills Story Screenwriting App. Though Adobe continues to add new features to Creative Cloud with a regular schedule of updates, it came as a surprise when Adobe killed Story, saying it has "virtually no connection to other products in (Creative Cloud)." But the real reason may have been that it was rarely used by Creative Cloud subscribers.
We also learned in February that the popularity of Mirrorless cameras in 2017 powered an upward trend in camera sales for the first time in a few years. Those will portend even more mirrorless news we would have in the fall.
March 2018: RED Makes More Gemini Low Light Cameras. After custom building a camera for NASA that RED's Jarred Land called "a vampire for light," RED sold the remaining prototypes to eager shooters in a matter of minutes. This led the company to conclude there was a market for Gemini, and as such, it was added to the camera line-up, which RED also streamlined to encompass the DSMC2/IPP2 architecture only.
April 2018: NAB. April was dominated by coverage of what I tend to call Woodstock for Film Geeks – NAB. Camera wise, the big news was Blackmagic introducing a long awaited 4K Pocket Cinema Camera, that many call the best entry level camera platform on the market. BMD also announced that with version 15 of DaVinci Resolve, the powerful editing/color correction suite would add visual effects to its quiver with incorporation of many features from Fusion.
The other noticeable story was what wasn't at NAB, and that was drones (aside from DJI that is). While it's obvious that the drone/camera company has won the UAV wars, the absence of any competitor plus the ever growing regulations against flying drones in the city, may begin to spell doom for this growth industry.
Drone killer technology to force wayward drones to land.
May 2018: Big Brother and Drones. May was kind of a quiet month, as everyone was recovering from their Vegas NAB stupor. But one story that did stand out for me was the news that the US Department of Homeland Security was making plans to "identify, track and mitigate" all drones. Ina edition, the government agency has been granted authority to shoot down any drone it deems to be a threat. And not only DHS, but ANY federal government agency can now do the same. So don't try fly your Mavic around a postman.
The Simpson's predict another one.
June 2018: Disney vs. Comcast. The big story of the summer was the short lived bidding war between Disney and Comcast for the takeover of 20th Century Fox. While it seemed a done deal that the Mouse House would take over the studio for a tidy sum of $54 billion, Comcast swooped in with a rival bid of $65 billion that upped the ante. Eventually, Disney would win the war with an astronomical bid of $81 Billion in stock, cash and assumption of debt, more than four times the cost of landing on the moon. The merger was quickly approved the next month.
July 2018: For me, July is all about one thing. San Diego Comic-Con. The four day pop culture fest where fans get to see exclusive footage and previews, and hear great stories from the cast of their favorite movies and TV shows. And then there's the costumes!
The biggest news, at SDCC, though, was that Disney had fired Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn for controversial tweets the helmer had posted nearly ten years ago.
But that wasn't the only news, as Adobe announced the beginnings of what could be the convergence of desktop and mobile operating systems with news that many of their Creative Cloud apps will be ported to iOS. First on the list was Adobe Photoshop, but also just a few weeks earlier, Adobe announced that Premiere Rush, a mobile video editing app, would also be coming out.
August 2018: DJI All Alone in Drones. DJI, now all alone at the top of the heap in the drone market, announced two MavicPro 2 drones, the Mavic Pro 2 Zoom, with a 24-48x optical zoom lens, and the Mavic Pro 2 with a 1″ Hasselblad sensor and 10-bit HDR recording. And while both are stacked with features, many drone fans are annoyed that they'll have to buy both to get what should be in one drone.
September/October 2018: Through the Mirror(less). Nikon actually kicked things off early with their Z6 and Z7 full frame mirrorless announcement in the last week of August. But September/October roared into view with Canon's EOS-R and Panasonic's S1.
Not to be outdone, GoPro got people looking again with their new Hero 7 and its new HyperSmooth feature, which essentially replaces any need for a 3 axis gimbal while shooting action.
And Apple stayed in the headlines with the new iPhone XS, XS Max and XR mobile phones. But while the next generation iPhone is a worthy dot upgrade, it's really not going to do much for the current generation of mobile filmmakers.
The new macMini, on the other hand, could possibly.
November 2018: Excelsior's End. The biggest news of November was the loss of Stan Lee at 95. You don't have to be a fan of comic books to appreciate the tsunami effect of the legacy of the creator of Marvel Comics. We all looked forward to his cameos in every Marvel film, and it stings to know he won't make it to the end. Or will he?
Meanwhile, Disney got into the news again with the announcement of two new Star Wars Live action TV series' for their new Disney+ streaming service. The Mandalorian, starring Pedro Pascal and produced by Jon Favreau, and a Rogue One prequel following the spying adventures of Cassian Andor, with actor Diego Luna reprising his role. I really liked Rogue One, it's like my third favorite Star Wars film. So I can't wait.
December 2018: Apple's Apocalypse. Perhaps the biggest story of the year came near it's end, with Apple announcing it would ending support of 32 bit legacy media codecs in future versions of macOS after Mojave. Moreover, while the list of codecs that Apple will be abandoning is pretty comprehensive, they are giving professionals plenty of warning to make plans for converting their legacy media projects and to look to the future.
That's 2018 in a nutshell. What does 2019 have in store? Well, CES is about 10 days away, so we'll be hitting the ground running!


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3 Reasons Why Your College Should Be Using YouTube
After 20+ years of working exclusively in college marketing, we get it.
It's one thing to know that YouTube is a college marketing dream, and quite another to convince skeptical trustees and administrators that it's worth their time and money. But it is, and here's why:
With more than 1 billion views per day and its status as the second most used search engine in the world, YouTube has become one of the world's leading platforms for media consumption.
2. What makes YouTube even more special is that it not only boasts an unheard of ad viewability rate of 95%*, but allows organizations to engage audiences through the content they want most: video.
3. Interact's own proprietary Media Preferences survey, an annual survey of how community college students use social media and technology, finds that while YouTube is not the favorite social media site of any one community college demographic, it is the most used by ALL demographics.
This is why YouTube is unique among social media outlets—while age typically plays a major part in social platform preferences, YouTube's popularity spans all age groups!
You know what else spans all age groups? Students at community colleges.
Just to give you an example of what YouTube could do for your college, here are some highlights from two of our recent campaigns:
From August to December of 2017, a YouTube ad campaign for Oakland Community College recorded over 4,822 hours of completed viewing time, resulted in over 900K unique impressions, and drove 1,081 visits to the OCC website.
From April to June of 2018, an Inland Empire/Desert Regional Consortium Career Education campaign resulted in 209,550 complete viewings, over 420K unique impressions, and 773 visits the website.
In the end, YouTube's popularity, combined with the highly granular nature of its targeting algorithms and its general affordability, make it a powerful and results-driven choice for marketing departments across higher education.
Want to make YouTube work for you and your institution? Give us a call and we'll show you how!
*https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/01/16/the-future-of-media-buying-youtube-versus-traditional-tv/#42b765232675
This News Center is the official source of updates and related stories about Interact Communications.
« New Year's Revolutions: Fresh Ideas for Your College in 2019
Client Spotlight: Turning Up the Volume at MiraCosta College »
#cccommunity3: Leaping into the 2021 New Year
Happy 2021! With optimism and excitement for spring semester, check out what's new in the new year for community colleges.
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3 Remarkable Facts About the Amazing Mind of Media Prefs
Jamie Wagner is the kind heart & sharp mind behind Media Prefs. But do you know how she overcome her public speaking fear? Find out!
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Top 10 Stories of the Year: 2020 Edition
It would be an understatement to say it has been a chaotic year. Yet, while 2020 has presented many challenges, our country has also started to make positive changes in the battle for equity and our communities have come together to help those in need. As the year closes, we encourage our colleges to persevere and look ahead toward a brighter future.
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BRAIN Initiative: Tools to target, identify and characterize non-neuronal cells in the brain (R01Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
RFA-DA-18-018
93.242, 93.867, 93.866, 93.273, 93.286, 93.865, 93.173, 93.213, 93.279, 93.853
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement [FOA] submitted through the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is to stimulate the development and validation of novel tools and analytical methods to target, identify and characterize non-neuronal cells in the brain. This FOA complements previous and ongoing cell-census and tool development efforts initiated under BRAIN, RFA-MH-14-215 and RFA-MH-14-216, that have focused almost exclusively on neuronal cells. The cutting-edge tools and methods developed under this opportunity should focus specifically on providing improved points of entry into non-neuronal cell-types (glial and vascular) to enable their inventory and characterization within the CNS and help define how these cells interact among each other and with neuronal cells to impact functional circuitries. Plans for validating the utility of the tool/technology/method and demonstrating its advantage over currently available approaches will be an essential feature of a successful application. Tools that can be used in several species or model organisms rather than in a single species are especially desirable.
February 1, 2018 and October 4, 2018 , by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on these dates.
May 2018 and January 2019
October 2018 and May 2019
The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative® is aimed at revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain. By accelerating the development and application of innovative technologies, researchers will be able to produce a new dynamic picture of the brain that, for the first time, will show how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in both time and space. It is expected that the application of these new tools and technologies will ultimately lead to new ways to treat and prevent brain disorders. NIH is one of several federal agencies involved in the BRAIN Initiative. Planning for the NIH component of the BRAIN initiative is guided by the long-term scientific plan, "BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision," which details seven high-priority research areas and calls for a sustained federal commitment of $4.5 billion over 12 years. This FOA and other FOAs issued in Fiscal Year 2017 are based on careful consideration by the NIH of the recommendations of the BRAIN 2025 Report, and input from the NIH BRAIN Multi-Council Working Group. Videocasts of the NIH BRAIN Multi-Council Working Group are available at http://www.braininitiative.nih.gov/about/mcwg.htm.
To enable rapid progress in development of new technologies as well as in theory and data analysis, the BRAIN Initiative encourages collaborations between neurobiologists and scientists from statistics, physics, mathematics, engineering, and computer and information sciences; NIH welcomes applications from investigators in these disciplines. NIH encourages BRAIN Initiative applications from investigators that are underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research workforce (see data at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/showpub.cfm?TopID=2&SubID=27 and the most recent report on Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering). Such individuals include those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, those with disabilities, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. NIH also encourages businesses to participate in the BRAIN Initiative. It is possible for companies to submit applications directly to BRAIN Initiative program announcements or to collaborate with academic researchers in joint submissions. Small businesses should consider applying to one of the BRAIN Initiative small business FOAs (http://braininitiative.nih.gov/funding/index.htm).
In addition to the National BRAIN initiative, the NIH continues to have a substantial annual investment in neuroscience research. The Institutes and Centers contributing to the NIH BRAIN Initiative (http://braininitiative.nih.gov/ ) support those research efforts through investigator-initiated applications as well as through specific trans-NIH and Institute-issued FOAs. Potential applicants to this FOA are strongly encouraged to contact Scientific/Program staff if they have any questions about the best FOA for their research. The BRAIN Initiative will require a high level of coordination and sharing between investigators to achieve its goals. While this FOA does not use a cooperative agreement mechanism, it is expected that BRAIN Initiative awardees will cooperate and coordinate their activities after awards are made by participating in Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) meetings and in other activities.
This FOA is related to the Recommendations in Section III.1 and 2 of the Final Report (http://www.nih.gov/science/brain/2025/index.htm) of the BRAIN working group. Specifically, this FOA solicits applications that will address the recommendations on "Discovering Diversity" and "Maps at Multiple Scales", (Section III).
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is designed to stimulate the development and validation of novel technologies, tools and analytical methods tailored to enable a detailed inventory and analysis of non-neuronal cells within the brain and to provide insights into their contribution to the function of neural circuits underlying complex behaviors.
The human brain consists of an estimated one hundred billion neurons and over one trillion non-neuronal cells, comprised mainly of glial cells (at least 5 types, including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymocytes, microglia and NG2 cells) and vascular cells (at least 3 types, including endothelial cells, pericytes and smooth muscle cells). Heterogenous neuro-glio-vascular cellular ensembles form uniquely organized networks that support the extraordinary computational activities of the brain. During the last decade, the conceptualization of the role of non-neuronal cells has evolved from passive support elements to dynamic integral components of circuits. Recent pioneering studies that monitored and manipulated the physiological activity of glial and/or vascular cells while simultaneously assessing the activity of neuronal networks have shown that non-neuronal cells robustly influence the activity of neuronal ensembles in live animals. Reciprocally, neuronal activity controls the function and patterning of microvascular and glial networks, and modulates certain specialized functions of non-neuronal cells, such as myelination, phagocytosis, transcytosis and contractility. However, systematic profiling studies and analyses of neuro-glio-vascular interactions and their influence on neural network activity, across regions and physiological conditions, remain scarce. Growing evidence is emerging of high degree of heterogeneity and specialization among non-neuronal cells, the function of their anatomical localization and properties of the microcircuits in which they are integrated. A greater knowledge of the extent of this diversity and its underlying logic is fundamental to the understanding of how non-neuronal cells contribute to the emergence of neural activity patterns underlying cognition and behavior. Although cellular diversity in the human and non-human brain has been the focus of numerous studies, including in the context of the BRAIN initiative, with major achievements along the way, previous cell census and tool development efforts have remained almost exclusively focused on neuronal cells.
The diverse embryonic origin and the unique physiological and morphological properties of non-neuronal cells and their networks often limit the usefulness and applicability of tools initially developed for neurons (e.g., GECIs, optogenetic actuators, single-cell profiling methods). Most of the live-cell imaging and molecular profiling studies in non-neuronal cells still suffer from the confound that genetic drivers used to gain access to specific glial or vascular cells are neither selective nor all-encompassing. Another significant barrier is that the sites of neuro-glio-vascular interactions are highly specialized microdomains or cellular processes that are difficult to isolate experimentally. These roadblocks underline the need for more specific points of entry as well as new basic tools and methods tailored to interrogate the diversity and function of glial and vascular cells, in the context of microcircuits and long range neuronal networks.
This initiative, which complements existing cell-census and tools development efforts initiated under RFA-MH-14-215 and RFA-MH-14-216, is focused on developing new tools that will provide specific access to individual and defined groups of non-neuronal cells and enable their description, inventory and functional characterization within neural circuits. The development of novel tools that will delineate intercellular connections and interactions among glial, vascular and neuronal cells and expand our knowledge of the neuro-glio-vascular network's functional architecture at the micro- and macroscale is an area well poised for additional investment. Recent development of new technologies that render the brain essentially transparent while maintaining the integrity of cellular and subcellular components, allow an unprecedented three-dimensional view into the post-mortem brain. While still at an early stage, these exciting technologies promise a comprehensive mapping of short- and long-range cellular connections throughout the brain. Coupled with improved optical tools enabling monitoring of single cell electrical activity and intracellular signaling within large ensembles in awake behaving animals, these approaches should enable a much greater understanding of non-neuronal contributions to brain circuitry in action.
Tools or technologies supported by this initiative are expected to be transformative, high-risk, and aimed at overcoming technical and analytical barriers to bridging experimental scales. Of interest are first-in-class and/or cross-cutting non-invasive or minimally invasive techniques that permit repeated measurements from cells over time in a non-destructive manner in behaving organisms. For example, studies that integrate the exploration of molecular and cellular mechanisms in identified non-neuronal cells in the context of the structure or activity of large neural ensembles, with improved precision and sensitivity both at a micro-and mesoscale are strongly encouraged. To this end, applicants from the biological sciences are encouraged to establish collaborations with nanobiologists, computational and material scientists, engineers and colleagues in other disciplines to develop groundbreaking approaches.
This FOA seeks applications in, but not limited to, the following areas:
Targeting brain non-neuronal cells
Novel non-genetic and genetic points of entry to deliver active agents or access intracellular cell contents in specific glial or vascular cell types
Novel methods for tagging individual glial or vascular cells or their point of contact such that cellular components or subcomponents of a functional circuit can be explored.
Novel, cell-type specific transgenic methods applicable in multiple model species for refined comparative studies of glial or vascular cells
Novel tissue processing and cellular labelling methods to visualize non-neuronal cells both at the EM and light-microscopic level
Identification and description of brain non-neuronal cell-types
Novel tools and approaches that improve the inventory and classification of non-neuronal cell types across the whole brain, within a brain region or within functionally defined circuit in the brain (using molecular, morphological, functional or integrated parameters)
Unique single-cell and systems-level analytic approaches that help define the lineage of heterogeneous glial and vascular cell-types across the whole brain, within a brain region, or within a functional circuitry in the brain
Novel automated and scalable assays for high-throughput analysis of single glial or vascular cells in situ in the brain, including scalability of measured parameters in parallel, cell numbers and/or speed of processing.
Manipulation and functional characterization of brain non-neuronal cells
Techniques with enhanced temporal and spatial resolution for noninvasive molecular imaging of glial or vascular cells' structure, connectivity or function
Innovative biological and optical methods to identify or manipulate intercellular connections at the glio-neuro-vascular interface and determine their influence on circuit function
Novel cell-type or subtype specific methods for visualizing epigenomic marks in glial or vascular cells in identified neural structures or circuits.
Innovative approaches to bridge experimental scales. Studies that achieve exploration of molecular and intracellular mechanisms in glial or vascular cells while monitoring neuronal or vascular activity in broader contexts are encouraged.
Non-Responsive Areas of Research
Studies addressing the following questions will be considered out of scope for this funding announcement:
Mechanistic or census studies investigating glial or vascular cells outside of CNS
Studies using existing approaches to investigate the biological or physiological function of nonneuronal cells in the brain
Mechanistic studies investigating glial or vascular cells in the context of CNS pathological perturbations.
Development of new and clinically-relevant animal models addressing the role of small blood and lymphatic vessels in CNS disease processes.
Identification of diagnostic, prognostic and treatment-guiding biomarkers (including retinal vascular biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of CNS diseases) related to small blood and lymphatic vessels.
Innovative in vitro and ex vivo approaches (e.g., organoid models or human inducible pluripotent stem cells) to model human CNS physiopathology related to small blood and lymphatic vessels.
However, these topics are still of high interest to the NIH and applicants are encouraged to consult the following FOAs:
RFA-NS-18-003
"Innovative Approaches or Technologies to Investigate Regional, Structural and Functional Heterogeneity of Small Blood and Lymphatic Vessels"
and RFA-NS-18-004
"Human Studies of Target Identification, Biomarkers and Disease Mechanisms Specific to Small Blood and Lymphatic Vessels"
See also (RFA-NS-16-019, https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NS-16-019.html; RFA-NS-16-020, https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NS-16-020.html; RFA-NS-16-021, https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NS-16-021.html).
Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the appropriate Scientific/Research Contact, listed below, to discuss the alignment of their proposed work with BRAIN Initiative: Tools to target, identify and characterize non-neuronal cells in the brain and broader BRAIN Initiative program goals.
Not Allowed: Only accepting applications that do not propose clinical trials
Issuing IC and partner components intend to commit an estimated total of $8M to fund 10 awards
The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum project period is 3 years.
Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government - including the NIH Intramural Program
o NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code – Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
It is critical that applicants follow the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Research Strategy: All applications should include the following:
Current State-of-the-Art Statement: Investigators should specifically define the current state of technology as a benchmark against which their proposed new tool or approach will be measured. Preliminary/feasibility data are not required or expected for early-stage, high-risk projects. However, a sound rationale should be provided as to why the approach proposed is the most appropriate and likely to generate an exceptionally high impact if successful. In these cases, more emphasis should be placed in details of the approach, particularly on feasibility-testing. Applicants are expected to explain the specific biological assay(s) to be utilized in the application to validate the new tool in proof-of-concept testing. Applicants are expected to address whether the proposed tool(s) have the potential to be applied in multiple model species and any pitfalls expected during species adaptation and testing.
Timeline: A timeline should be included as part of the Research Strategy and should include a distinct final section entitled "Milestones" that briefly proposes indicators of progress at critical junctures. These should be tailored to the unique scope of each project and written concretely enough to evaluate what exactly will have been achieved (e.g., crucial steps in tool making) at each step of the project. Given that projects are likely to be early stage and high-risk in nature, this should include the specific proof-of-concept test(s) that will indicate whether a proposed tool actually "works", along with alternative strategies should that effort fail to perform as expected. Tests should include a comparison to existing benchmark technologies; if a tool is truly first-in-class, comparisons may be done against a nearest neighbor technology. Investigators should briefly note how results will be used to inform future phases of tool development such as testing in other model systems or in the human brain.
Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following modifications:
While it is understood that many tools will be at an early proof-of-concept stage, a central goal of this FOA is to generate transformative tools that will be widely used throughout the research community. Applications that propose to generate such tools are expected to include a detailed plan for sharing these resources and include the following key elements:
Project management of resource sharing;
Description of what specific resources will be shared (e.g., model organisms, reagents, completed tools or repurposed components);
Schedule/timeline for availability of resources to other users;
Persons who will have access to the resources (written as broadly as possible to the extent consistent with applicable laws, regulations, rules, and policies);
Plan for post award disposition of resources.
Investigators are strongly encouraged to obtain a research resource ID from the Resource Identification Initiative (http://scicrunch.com/resources/info/add) and to use Resource IDs in their publications if available. (http://scicrunch.com/resources).
Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
https://nih-extramural-intranet.od.nih.gov/d/sites/default/files/PHSHumanSubjectsandClinicalTrialsInformationForm-Internal_Use_Only.pptxPHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information
Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH's electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Policy on Late Application Submission.
The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization's profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by components of participating organizations, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.
Applications Involving the NIH Intramural Research Program
The requests by NIH intramural scientists will be limited to the incremental costs required for participation. As such, these requests will not include any salary and related fringe benefits for career, career conditional or other Federal employees (civilian or uniformed service) with permanent appointments under existing position ceilings or any costs related to administrative or facilities support (equivalent to Facilities and Administrative or F&A costs). These costs may include salary for staff to be specifically hired under a temporary appointment for the project, consultant costs, equipment, supplies, travel, and other items typically listed under Other Expenses. Applicants should indicate the number of person-months devoted to the project, even if no funds are requested for salary and fringe benefits.
If selected, appropriate funding will be provided by the NIH Intramural Program. NIH intramural scientists will participate in this program as PDs/PIs in accord with the Terms and Conditions provided in this FOA. Intellectual property will be managed in accord with established policy of the NIH in compliance with Executive Order 10096, as amended, 45 CFR Part 7; patent rights for inventions developed in NIH facilities are NIH property unless NIH waives its rights.
Should an extramural application include the collaboration with an intramural scientist, no funds for the support of the intramural scientist may be requested in the application. The intramural scientist may submit a separate request for intramural funding as described above
Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? Is there a strong scientific premise for the project? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field? Does the tool or technology confer a high degree of cell-type or circuit-specificity? Does the tool have the potential to be applied in multiple species or model organisms? Will the proposed study be significant for the development and dissemination of novel tools to target, identify or classify non-neuronal cells in the brain and characterize their contributions to circuits underlying complex behaviors?
Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed? Has the state of the art been accurately described? Are the proposed tools/technologies potentially transformative either through the development of novel tools that may be high-risk or through major advances in current approaches that break through technical barriers and will significantly improve current capabilities?
Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Have the investigators presented strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, as appropriate for the work proposed? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed? Have the investigators presented adequate plans to address relevant biological variables, such as sex, for studies in vertebrate animals or human subjects? Are the appropriate studies included to validate the technology? Is a sound rationale provided as to why the approach proposed is the most appropriate and is likely to generate an exceptionally high impact if successful? Are the Proposed Milestones and Timeline described in sufficient detail and are they appropriate for the project? Is the timeline reasonable? Are the milestones feasible, well developed, and quantifiable with regard to the specific aims?
Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: (1) Data Sharing Plan; (2) Sharing Model Organisms; and (3) Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS)
While it is understood that many tools will be at an early proof-of-concept stage, a central goal of this FOA is to generate transformative tools that will be widely disseminated throughout the research community. For applications that propose to generate such tools, does the application include an adequate and detailed plan for sharing these resources as appropriate and consistent with achieving the goals of the program? Does the plan provide a strong rationale for each of the following key elements as appropriate and consistent with achieving the goals of the program?
Plan for post award disposition of resources
Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by NIDA, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.
Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.
Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the BRAIN Multi-Council Working Group. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee's business official.
Recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights law. This means that recipients of HHS funds must ensure equal access to their programs without regard to a person's race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, sex and religion. This includes ensuring your programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator's scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research.
In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 "Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants." This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.
Olivier Berton, Ph.D.
National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Email: olivier.berton@nih.gov
Gerald McLaughlin, PhD
Email: gmclaughlin@nida.nih.gov
Yinka Abu
Email: abuy@nida.nih.gov


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Pens ride high into Motown
Ira Podell
Game 4 win spurs boost in confidencePens riding high after tying Stanley Cup finals
Call this one the Fickle Finals.
Two games into the Stanley Cup championship series, all signs pointed to a Red Wings redux. Though older and more worn-down than the youthful, energized Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit's experience, guile and winning history seemed more than enough to carry it to a repeat.
That's how it played out last year. The Red Wings won the first two games in Detroit, then split the next two in Pittsburgh, and wrapped up their 11th championship in six games.
Why would this time be different?
A 5½-minute stretch in the second period of Game 4 Thursday turned around the series, and the opinions of many watching it. Instead of carrying a 3-1 lead back to Hockeytown, the defending champions are locked in a 2-2 fight.
Game 5 is at 8 p.m. Saturday in Detroit; a return to Pittsburgh for Game 6 is a sure thing on Tuesday.
"If you listen to what people on the outside say, Pittsburgh was done after two games. I don't think anybody in our locker room thought that," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said Friday. "Now if you listen to what people on the outside say, the Red Wings are done after two games.
"What we think is that we've got a best of three, with two in our building, and we're going to come here and play well."
After the NHL crammed the first five games into an eight-day stretch, including back-to-back contests to start the series, there will be two days off before Games 6 and two more before 7, should it go the distance.
That could be what the Red Wings need to get their legs back. The return of leading scorer Pavel Datsyuk, who has missed seven games due to a foot injury, would provide a major boost.
Babcock said Friday that Datsyuk will play. The Russian forward nearly got back in the lineup Thursday, after skating in the pregame warmup, but was ruled out again.
While the Penguins felt better about the first two games than they did a year ago when they failed to score, much of this year's talk was about missed opportunities and bad breaks. The chances were there, but the goals weren't as the Red Wings took a pair of 3-1 wins.
Now, after two 4-2 triumphs in front of a white-clad crowd yearning for Pittsburgh's first hockey championship since 1992, the Penguins suddenly look like the favorites.
"As a team, we're always focused on what we need to do," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "Hopefully we bring that levelheaded approach, whether it's a loss or whether it's a win. We're no closer to the end than they are.
"We have two more wins to get and we have a tall task going into a tough building against a very good team (that) is playing well."
For the third time since 1978, the home team has won the first four games in the finals. Six years ago, the New Jersey Devils won the Cup by capturing all four victories at home. They lost all three games in Anaheim to the Ducks – then coached by Babcock.
Making momentum stick will likely be necessary for the Penguins to come all the way back from their 2-0 hole. They pulled off that comeback against Washington in a seven-game series in the second round.
Keeping an even keel through the ups and downs isn't easy.
"That's probably the biggest challenge of the playoffs, mentally," Crosby said.
"We've been in this situation before, and we know it gets more difficult as the series wears on."
© 2023 www.patriotledger.com. All rights reserved.


While the RAC Foundation has supported graduated VED since its introduction, it a matter of basic fairness that changes should only apply to future purchases, not to vehicle choices made up to seven years in the past. And retrospective changes cannot give incentives to purchase greener new cars after those decisions were made.
The Select Committee is simply wrong to say there is nothing "unfair" or "unusual" in retrospective tax changes, which will distort the second-hand market and leave motorists driving inefficient cars with many suffering a loss in resale value. It is only when a car is taken off the road and scrapped that there is an environmental gain.
The recommendation to investigate a car scrappage scheme is welcome.
A year-one showroom tax, also endorsed by the committee, could act as a disincentive to switch to more efficient newer models.
The RAC Foundation agrees with the Committee that Government should ensure that there is better evidence that tax changes would be effective in changing behaviour as claimed, that they are understandable and properly explained. This episode is one more example of the need for a root and branch review of road taxes and charges.
"It a matter of basic fairness that significant VED changes should only apply to future purchases, not to vehicle choices made up to seven years in the past.
"It is beyond belief that the Treasury introduced these changes without any research into the likely effects on the second-hand market, or a clear understanding of how they would affect low-income households, which already spend a disproportionate amount of their family budgets on transport.


text:
Reduced chance of El Niño
Grain Central, May 12, 2017
MODELLING by the Bureau of Meteorology is showing a reduced likelihood of an El Nino weather pattern developing for 2017 with the tropical Pacific currently showing a neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
But despite the likelihood for El Niño easing in some models, the Bureau says an event in 2017 cannot be ruled out.
El Niño is often, but not always, associated with a drier than average winter-spring over eastern Australia.
Of the 27 El Niño events since 1900, 18 have resulted in at least some areas of significantly dry conditions for Australia.
The Bureau's ENSO Outlook remains at El Niño WATCH, meaning there is around a 50 per cent chance that El Niño may develop in the coming months.
Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean have warmed since the start of the year, but remain below El Niño thresholds.
Some atmospheric indicators have shifted over the past fortnight, but also remain below El Niño levels.
Some international climate models have reduced the likelihood of El Niño this year.
However, five of eight models still indicate the tropical Pacific Ocean may exceed El Niño thresholds during the second half of 2017.
It should be noted that models have lower accuracy forecasting El Niño through the autumn months.
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) remains neutral.
Four out of six climate models suggest a positive IOD is likely to develop during winter.
Generally, when a positive IOD coincides with El Niño, the pattern of below average rainfall extends further west than it typically would under El Niño alone.


text:
The Man Who Loved China
Simon Winchester, , read by the author. . HarperAudio, $39.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-06-155627-2
Simon Winchester's reading, like his clear, concise, graceful writing, reflects his endless fascination with his subject—the British scientist Joseph Needham—and with his subject's subject: Chinese scientists' every invention and contribution to every field of science over five centuries (before the West began to think of such things as the printing press and gunpowder). Winchester reads rapidly, but his diction is so precise (yet never stuffy) that not a word is lost. The vocal warmth and charm mirror his endless awe of Needham's lifetime work on his multivolume magnum opus on Chinese scientific thought. Winchester's tone reveals his delight with Needham's love affairs, his unconventional marriage and relation to his lifelong inamorata who first inspired his love of Chinese language, people and thought. As with every book he's written and narrated, Winchester makes abstruse subjects available and fascinating for every reader and listener. A Harper hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 10). (May)
Genre: Audio
Downloadable Audio - 978-0-06-168811-9
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-4561-0501-3
Hardcover - 336 pages - 978-0-06-088459-8
Open Ebook - 352 pages - 978-0-06-166866-1
Other - 352 pages - 978-0-06-179588-6
Other - 978-0-06-157429-0
Paperback - 352 pages - 978-0-06-088461-1
Paperback - 320 pages - 978-957-13-5279-4
Peanut Press/Palm Reader - 352 pages - 978-0-06-166869-2
THE MAP THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology
Simon Winchester
Winchester, whose previous effort was the bestseller The Professor and the Madman, tells the remarkable story of William Smith, whose geologically correct map of England and Wales, dated 1815, Continue reading »
THE MAP THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
As he did in The Professor and the Madman, Winchester chooses an obscure historical character who is inherently fascinating, but whose life and work have also Continue reading »
An erudite, fascinating account by one of the foremost purveyors of contemporary nonfiction, this book chronicles the underlying causes, utter devastation and lasting effects of the cataclysmic Continue reading »
THE MEANING OF EVERYTHING: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary
With his usual winning blend of scholarship and accessible, skillfully paced narrative, Winchester (Krakatoa) returns to the subject of his first bestseller, Continue reading »
A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906
In this brawny page-turner, bestselling writer Winchester (Krakatoa , The Professor and the Madman ) has crafted a magnificent Continue reading »
The Man Who Loved China: Joseph Needham and the Making of a Masterpiece
Joseph Needham (1900–1995) is the man who "made China China ," forming the West's understanding of a sophisticated culture with his Continue reading »
Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories
Winchester, bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman, returns to the natural world with his epic new book, a "biography" of the Atlantic Ocean, from its origins 370 million years ago Continue reading »
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary used 1,827,306 quotations to help define its 414,825 words. Tens of thousands of those used in the first edition came from the erudite, moneyed American Civil War Continue reading »
This book benefits from being read by Winchester, who wends his way through multifaceted sentences and make us comfortable with them. Winchester writes the way he speaks, so one has the feeling of Continue reading »
The Sun Never Sets: Travels to the Remaining Outposts of the British Empire
Spurred by his experience as an Argentine prisoner during the 1982 Falkland War, British travel writer Winchester determined to see what remained of the once-glorious British Empire. Some three years Continue reading »
Pacific Rising: The Emergence of a New World Culture
A delightful and informative look at the complicated mosaic of peoples, religions and histories of some of the countries in and around the world's largest ocean, and at the Pacific Ocean itself. Continue reading »
Pacific Nightmare: How Japan Starts World War III, a Future History
The catalyst for this novel by a Hong Kong-based correspondent for the British newspaper the Guardian is the planned return of that city to Chinese control in 1997. Hong Kong becomes a focal point Continue reading »
River at the Center of the World
""The delicious strangeness of China,"" as Winchester puts it, is as much the subject of this absorbing account of a personal journey as is the Yangtze River, the third-longest in the world and the Continue reading »
The Fracture Zone: A Return to the Balkans
As NATO planes began to atttack Belgrade last March, British journalist Winchester (The Professor and the Madman) visited the Kosovar refugee camps in Macedonia, where he was shocked by the Continue reading »
In the author's view the primacy of the Atlantic is a thing of the past. Los Angeles is about to replace New York as the world's busiest port. The yenwill, in all probability, be the global currency Continue reading »
The Alice Behind Wonderland
Winchester (The Professor and the Madman) explores the story behind Alice in Wonderland by focusing on an 1858 portrait taken by the eccentric Charles Dodgson—best known by his pen-name, Lewis Continue reading »
Skulls: An Exploration of Alan Dudley's Curious Collection
Digging deep into Alan Dudley's collection of more than 2,000 skulls, Winchester (The Professor and the Madman) and photographer Mann highlight the rarest and most unusual of the vaunted cranium Continue reading »
The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics, and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible
Winchester's latest history profiles a huge cast of eclectic characters who helped transform America from a cluster of colonies to a unified nation through the taming of the wilderness and the Continue reading »
Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers
Earth's largest ocean inspires expansive ruminations from renowned British journalist Winchester (The Map That Changed the World) in this far-ranging but unfocused and overwrought meditation Continue reading »
The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
Winchester (The Professor and the Madman) smoothly mixes history, science, and biographical sketches to pay homage to the work of precision engineers, whom he credits with the creation of Continue reading »
An Explosion of Attention
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A chunky cardboard foraging box measuring 14cm x 10cm x 6cm, this toy features brightly coloured paper rope and fun coloured wood wafers. You can hang this toy as it is for birds to chew and enjoy, or add extra fun by punching holes through the cardboard and dropping inside small treats to find.
Suitable for small to medium-sized birds, this toy measures in total 26cm long including the stainless steel chain and quick link.


text:
Ringpellia (Pellia neesiana) är en bladmossart som först beskrevs av Carl Moritz Gottsche, och fick sitt nu gällande namn av Karl Gustav Limpricht. Enligt Catalogue of Life ingår Ringpellia i släktet pellior och familjen Pelliaceae, men enligt Dyntaxa är tillhörigheten istället släktet pellior och familjen Pelliaceae. Arten är reproducerande i Sverige. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Bildgalleri

Källor

Externa länkar

Pellior

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
This Day in Jewish History
1971: Sam Bronfman Dies, Mercifully Before His Empire Did
It took decades for Samuel Bronfman to build the biggest alcoholic drinks company in the world. It took rather less time for his heirs to ruin it.
David B. Green
Send me email alerts for new articles by David B. Green
A truck delivering Seagram's products in the United States.MobiusDaXter, Wikimedia Commons
On July 10, 1971, the Canadian Jewish businessman Samuel Bronfman, who built the biggest producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages in the world – Seagram Co.,died, at the age of 82. The task of running the company into the ground was accomplished in much shorter time by his grandson Edgar Bronfman, Jr., together the help of Jean-Marie Messier, who had turned a picayune sewerage company, Vivendi, into a global media empire – and who did rather the opposite with Seagram.
1981: Police presumably relieved as Kid Cann, bad to the last, dies
1922: Murder of Jewish minister shocks Germany
1938: Nations discuss Jewish refugees, get nowhere, but then they hadn't planned to
Samuel Bronfman was born on February 27, 1889, in the town of Soroki, then part of the Russian empire, today in Moldova. His mother was the former Mindel Elman. His father was Yechiel Bronfman, a prosperous owner of a tobacco plantation.
The family was wealthy but czarist Russia was not a secure place for Jews in those years. Shortly after Samuel's birth, Yechiel moved the family to Saskatchewan, Canada, where the Jewish Colonization Association was offering homesteading assistance to Jewish immigrants settling in a town called Wapella.
The Bronfmans, who traveled with two servants and a Hebrew teacher for the children, didn't stay long in Wapella, which proved too cold for tobacco farming. Soon, they moved on to Brandon, Manitoba, one province to the east.
Yechiel, by now calling himself Ekiel, sold firewood, then frozen whitefish, and finally began trading in horses.
Sam Bronfman, who died before he could watch his heirs run his company into the ground.Hutcher, Wikimedia Commons
Family lore says it was 11-year-old Sam who, while accompanying his father on his rounds, observed how much alcohol was sold in the hotels where they met clients. Acting on that, Ekiel went ahead and bought one, the Anglo-American Hotel in Emerson, Manitoba, in 1903.
Bed, breakfast and booze?
By 1918, the family owned three hotels. But Sam and his older brother Harry stripped down the business to focus on the profitable alcohol trade.
In the United States, Prohibition was national, and both manufacture and sale of alcohol were outlawed. In Canada, it was implemented on a provincial basis, and didn't forbid production, among other loopholes. So while Sam Bronfman may have been a bootlegger when he exported to the lower 48, in Canada, he was a law-abiding businessman – more or less. And while Prohibition was good for business, the repeal of Prohibition was great for it.
Within a decade, under Sam's leadership, the Bronfmans went from distributing booze, to bottling and selling artificially "aged" whiskey, to importing some of Scotland's most prestigious brands of spirits. In 1924, Sam established the Distiller's Corporation, in Montreal. Four years later, he bought out the far more reputable Joseph Seagram & Sons, which produced such labels as Dewar's and Seven Crown.
That royal feeling
As a Jew in a provincial country not quick to embrace newcomers, Sam Bronfman was sensitive to social status. This made him a natural at marketing, as he grasped intuitively as he did that how labels with regal-sounding names and coats of arms could be used to make consumers feel they had arrived. He also understood, for example, that lending the Seagram name to a campaign encouraging "responsible drinking" could actually be good for business.
When Prohibition ended, in 1933, Seagram had millions of liters of truly aged whiskey ready for open sale south of the border, and worldwide.
Sam innovative in that his business involved production, blending and bottling, and soon came to include spirits of all kinds, including wine. By the end of 1936, Seagram was selling $60 million of product. By 1965, its annual turnover surpassed $1 billion.
By then, the firm was so cash-rich, it began investing in oil, and then, in the 1980s, it bought a large stake in the chemical giant DuPont. That led eventually to the purchase, under the stewardship of Edgar Bronfman, Jr., in the '90s, of MCA and Polygram.
Then came the sale of everything to Jean-Marie Messier's Vivendi, and to Pernod-Ricard and Diageo. In short time, the value of the assets had declined so dramatically that Vivendi had to sell both the Seagram Building in New York and its acclaimed art collection.
Fortunately, Sam Bronfman did not have to witness the dismemberment of his company. By then, he had been gone for 40 years.
The Seagram's headquarters in New York (Photo by Jesse David Harris)
Haaretz Columnist


Stunning, traditional rectangular wine holder features oil rubbed bronze twisted metal with walnut finish trayed top. Middle shelf for added storage or serving space. Bottom rack features storage for 16 bottles. Eye-catching style. Durable, sturdy, and versatile, rack will fit perfectly with any decor. Ships KD. Wipe clean with dry cloth. Some assembly required.


Scottish clans of Loch Lomond. Of all the world's tribal organisations and costumes, those of the Scottish Clans are the most celebrated. The word 'clan' which is Gaelic for children, has been adopted everywhere as a synonym for 'tribe', and in distant countries the decendants of ancient Scottish patriarchs cleave to their kinship as enthusiastically as any native Scot.
For clansmen of Scotland the loyalty to their clan was the strongest loyalty of all. It is said that Scotland did not create the clans but the clans created Scotland.
The fighting sheen of it!
The Clans that occupied the lochside in 1603, were the Buchanans, the Macfarlanes, the Colquhouns and the Macgregors. Between them, bitter inter-clan disputes were rife, so much so that laws were passed curtailing the Macgregor's cattle stealing activities.
The body chosen to enforce this law was drawn mainly from the Colquhoun clan who, rather unique among the clans at this time had gained themselves a name of respectability with the authorities as upholders of law and order.
The Macgregors held their lands by tradition, but the Campbells, flaunting an official grant, demanded rent from the Macgregors, and when this was refused, they began to seize land. The Macgregors means of survival became cattle stealing.
The situation was fraught with danger. No love was lost between the Macgregors and the Colquhouns and when the Macgregors joined with the Macfarlanes in a cattle raid on Colquhoun land under moonlight, things came to a head.
Sir Humphrey Colquhoun was assassinated after this raid and his successor, Alexander decided to bring the Macgregors to heel, once and for all.
Enlisting help from the Buchanans, a force of some 300 well armed, well mounted, country gentlemen, as it were, set out to engage the lawless Macgregors.
Unfortunately, Allister Macgregor, had word of their advance and being well schooled in the art of guerilla warfare had laid down plans to engage the Colquhouns in Macgregor terrain.
The Campbell chief encouraged the resulting bitterness and on 18th February 1603, the Macgregors met the Colquhouns at Glen Fruin.
Sixty Colquhoun widows appeared in front of James VI at Stirling each with the bloody shirt of their husband in her hand and the King was so moved that he outlawed the Macgregors and proscribed their very name. It was not until 1663 when the act of outlawry was reversed, by Charles II as a reward for services rendered to Montrose. Full legal rights were not finally restored until 1755, under George II.


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