text:
Hollywood's favorite environmental crusader, Leonardo DiCaprio, backs Beyond Meat
Jonathan Shieber @jshieber / 5 years
One of the leading environmentalists among Hollywood's leading men, Leonardo DiCaprio, has added his name to the list of backers for the beef-less, veggie burger maker, Beyond Meat.
"I am thrilled to officially welcome Leonardo DiCaprio to the Beyond Meat family," said Ethan Brown, the chief executive of Beyond Meat, in a statement. "His investment and role as an advocate reflects a shared vision that meat made directly from plants, like our Beyond Burger, has enormous benefits for human health, the climate, natural resources, and animal welfare."
Turns out that ole Leo was helping out the company in its earliest days… providing feedback on the burgers as Beyond Meat prepared its vegetable proteins for their big debut.
"I look forward to continuing to collaborate as we bring delicious, satiating products to a rapidly increasing consumer base," said Brown.
For his part, ole Leo waxed poetic and profound about his decision to join the meatless meat-substitute's investor team.
"Livestock production is a major contributor to carbon emissions," DiCaprio said in a statement. "Shifting from animal meat to the plant-based meats developed by Beyond Meat is one of the most powerful measures someone can take to reduce their impact on our climate."
Beyond Burger is now sold in more than 2,000 stores, including stores owned by Kroger and Albertsons Companies.
"The company's ability to create appealing, healthy meat directly from plants will go a long way in helping everyday consumers take action on climate change," DiCaprio said.
Beyond Burger is also sold at fast food chains across the country, including BurgerFi, Epic Burger and Veggie Grill.
While Beyond Meat's new investor has star wattage, the company's competitors have bigger-pocketed investors. They include Impossible Foods, the Bill Gates-backed company that's raised $75 million, and protein-based entrants like Memphis Meats and — seemingly — Hampton Creek.
In a market where other companies look to have raised mega-dollars, it's going to take more than DiCaprio's star wattage to make a dent in the market.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"Will life be better without alcohol or other drugs?"
...is 'Yes' then you are ready for your recovery journey. Be careful not to get over confident too quickly and watch out for falling rocks that might upset your progress.
Why do you need to measure things?
You can repeat the tasks as often as you want.
Psychoactive Drugs can be divided into just four main groups. If you are unsure what groups the drugs you take fall into and want to know more watch this video from the Khan Institute (7.31).


The H.O.P.E. Program - Housing and Outreach to Promote Empowerment offers young parents the chance to seek support to address underlying issues, escape the generational cycle of homelessness, and ensure a brighter future for them and their children.
Through H.O.P.E. Sarah received subsidised accommodation and practical support, and when she gave birth to her daughter she had developed the parenting skills she needed to provide a safe environment for her family. Sarah now has a positive relationship with a new partner and they are expecting a child.


text:
It's not NICE to discriminate
Should patent costs burden patients?
Jonathan R Seagrave
Published on: 8 September 2005
Jonathan R Seagrave, IT and Projects officer
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Harris raises important concerns about NICE's QALY methodology. The rational for rationing treatments is opportunity cost; the alternative better uses of scarce resources. If opportunity cost is king, why does NICE not examine the opportunity cost of drugs, the resources (factor costs) taken to manufacture them, i.e. the ex patent costs rather than the supplier price, in its calculations, certainly wit...
Harris raises important concerns about NICE's QALY methodology. The rational for rationing treatments is opportunity cost; the alternative better uses of scarce resources. If opportunity cost is king, why does NICE not examine the opportunity cost of drugs, the resources (factor costs) taken to manufacture them, i.e. the ex patent costs rather than the supplier price, in its calculations, certainly within sensitivity analysis? NICE economic methodology is entirely static, ignoring the dynamics of the drug market completely.
The Alzheimer example is pertinent. The appraisal report gives a QALY range of £40-80,000 for Aricept et al. It will probably become "cost effective" to treat in 7 years time when the drugs go ex patent and typically, halves or more. (NB there is much data and experience to forecast price changes ). It is odd that the NICE Social Value Judgement paper (SVJ) does not even mention this issue, central though it clearly is.
Most volume drugs are not expensive to manufacture, and costs come down with improved techniques, so it is equally strange that there is apparently no background information on drug cost trends published during the appraisal process. The Technology Advisory Committee is expected to use its judgement on the "broad balance of costs and benefits ", but does not seem to be given this essential factual background. The share of drugs in the NHS bill is also falling, both absolutely, and relatively, since the last PPR round. There was a £112 million reduction between January - May 2005 over 2004, largely the result of major drugs going ex patent. This does put recent draft negative decisions in perspective.
The patent premium represents society's way of funding research and launch costs. The NHS, via NICE, is effectively seeking to avoid contributing its fair share of global R&D costs through denying some patients until the post patent price drop. As Harris says, this is discrimination against those for whom treatment is intrinsically difficult, and arguably unethical in a more global sense.
An example from Scotland demonstrates rather clearly why it is seriously misguided to use QALY's to select patients, rather than compare treatment paths. The SMC, NICE Scottish counterpart, has provisionally rejected pegvisomant as the 3rd line treatment for acromegaly. This is a rare endocrine disease, usually diagnosed in early adulthood but across a wide range of ages. Pegvisomant appears to be a very effective but very expensive drug, approximately £18,000 p.a. – but these patients will have exhausted the wide range of cheaper treatments for this condition. The best evidence is that ineffectively treated acromegalics lose around 9.5 years of good quality life expectancy, dying at typically 65 rather than 75. This suggests the additional life expectancy should be QALY valued at up to £300,000. SMC did not do a detailed study, but clearly, using basic NICE principles, a patient diagnosed at 25 (50 years at £18,000) has no hope, one at 58 is at the margin, (£306,000) and older patients would be "profitable". There are just 31 such patients in Scotland, but these, unlike the children with vastly expensive metabolic disease removed by NICE from its SVJ, itself a breathtakingly arbitrary value judgement, won't make headlines. The bias against low profile disease is only too clear.
NICE controversies would disappear if, like other administrations, it adopted an inclusive principle," at least one" effective treatment, where it exists. It is time that NICE methodology is independently reviewed. Such a review might also seek to commission a QALY estimate of the loss of welfare and stress caused to patients and carers by its periodic ill- judged negative and delayed decisions.
Conflict of Interest:
Ageism and equality
John Harris et al., Journal of Medical Ethics, 2012
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence appraisal and ageism
Andrew Stevens et al., Journal of Medical Ethics, 2012
Wickedness or folly? The ethics of NICE's decisions
K Claxton et al., Journal of Medical Ethics, 2006
Nice and not so nice
John Harris, Journal of Medical Ethics, 2005
Whose dignity? Resolving ambiguities in the scope of "human dignity" in the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights
Harald Schmidt, Journal of Medical Ethics, 2007
Ethics and opportunity costs: have NICE grasped the ethics of priority setting?
J McMillan et al., Journal of Medical Ethics, 2006
Not a NICE fallacy: a reply to Dr Quigley
Justice and the NICE approach
Richard Cookson, Journal of Medical Ethics, 2015
National Institute for Clinical Excellence and its value judgments
Michael D Rawlins et al., BMJ, 2004
NICE discrimination
M Rawlins et al., Journal of Medical Ethics, 2005


text:
VE Day anniversary: Celebrating with servicemen
Sophie Morton
Published: 7:00 AM May 8, 2015 Updated: 10:26 AM December 1, 2020
Bill Garratt, 89, was in the Navy during the war - Credit: Archant
"Where was I on VE Day? Off the north west coast of Scotland."
Bill Garratt was a long way from home when the end of war in Europe was declared.
He was serving in the Royal Navy, working both on boats and on land to detect submarines.
"We went and had a drink to celebrate," said Bill, of Cumberland Road, Plaistow. "There was a little party, but we were still at war."
Bill was a builder before joining the Navy during the war.
"I was only in there about three years," he said.
"They called me out earlier so I could work on bomb damage, repairing buildings that were destroyed."
Bill's house in Stepney was one of those that took a hit during the Blitz.
"I was 16 when my house was bombed," he said.
"My dog and the puppies got buried and we had to dig them out.
"I had a shed full of pigeons I had to let go as there was nobody to look after them.
"Those that didn't fly away we had to wring their necks."


text:
#include "fc2z.h"

void Evaluate_Z_LS::get_Z( std::vector<StationBase> &station )
{
	for( int istn = 0; istn < station.size(); istn++ ) {
		for( int its = 0; its < station[istn].ts.size(); its++ ) {
			for( int icomb = 0; icomb < station[istn].ts[its].combination.size(); icomb++ ) {
				for( int ifreq = 0; ifreq < station[istn].ts[its].combination[icomb].fr.size(); ifreq++ ) {
					FrequencyResponses auxFr;
					auxFr = station[istn].ts[its].combination[icomb].fr[ifreq];
					//auxFr.transferTensor = new matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble>( N_CHANNEL_INPUTS, station[istn].ts[its].ch.size() - N_CHANNEL_INPUTS );

					// 1st way
					matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxA = (auxFr.inRR[0].hermitian())*(auxFr.in[0]);
					matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxY = (auxFr.inRR[0].hermitian())*(auxFr.out[0]);
					matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxX = auxY.ls( &auxA );

					//// 2nd way
					//matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxHRrHerm = auxFr.inRR[0].hermitian();
					//matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxHHerm = auxFr.in[0].hermitian();
					//matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxX = (auxHRrHerm*auxHHerm).invert()*auxHRrHerm*auxFr.out[0];

					//// 3rd way - just SS
					//matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxA = auxFr.in[0];
					//matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxY = auxFr.out[0];
					//matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxX = auxY.ls( &auxA );

					//auxX.print();
					//matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxHRrHerm = auxFr.inRR[0].hermitian();
					//matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble> auxHHerm = auxFr.in[0].hermitian();
					///*matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble>*/ auxX = (auxHRrHerm*auxHHerm).invert()*auxHRrHerm*auxFr.out[0];
					//auxX.print();
					auxFr.transferTensor = new matCUDA::Array<ComplexDouble>( auxX );
					auxFr.param = new Parameters( (auxFr.transferTensor[0]), station[istn].ts[its].nChannels, auxFr.frequency );
					station[istn].ts[its].combination[icomb].fr[ifreq] = auxFr;
					//auxX = 0;
					//auxHRrHerm = 0;
					//auxHHerm = 0;
					//delete &auxHRrHerm;
					//delete &auxHHerm;
					//delete( &auxX );
				}
				//station[istn].ts[its].combination[icomb].write_parameters_to_file();
			}
		}
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Tests conducted at the University of Massachusetts have proven breaking loads of 25,000 lb and higher for the 35 lb PlowMaster.
Breaking loads 50% to 100% higher than galvanized anchors of competitors.
Excellent performance in muddy, sandy and hard bottom conditions.
Precision welded after initial polishing.
Mirror polished after final assembly.
No other anchor is as strong!
Items are purchased individually, but for a matched Anchor System, consult the following chart.


September 1st was a big day for Texas drivers and law enforcement. A few new texas traffic laws went into effect. And, I hate to be a Debby Downer, but, to my chagrin, we still have no hands free state law in Texas. So, another two years of texting, chatting away and swerving into other lanes. When will we evolve?! Thank you Governor Perry!
SB510 Requires drivers to move over or slow down (as required depending on the roadway) when approaching a stationary Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) vehicle with its lights activated and not separated from the roadway by a traffic-control device. This provision expands the state's Move Over/Slow Down law, which already requires drivers to yield to tow trucks, police, fire and emergency vehicles. Violators would commit a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine of up to $200; punishable of $500 if property damage occurs; or a Class B misdemeanor if the violation results in bodily injury.
They take child safety pretty seriously these days. Kids weren't as important when I was a kid. Private schools now have seat belts in their buses. Those kids are super important.
SB 181 Allows a motor vehicle operator the option of using a wireless communication device (such as a cell phone) to display motor vehicle financial responsibility (proof of insurance) information as evidence of financial responsibility. The display does not constitute effective consent for a law enforcement officer, or any other person, to access the contents of the wireless communication device except to view the financial responsibility information.
And don't pull out your phone and start pulling up the insurance until the officer actually comes to your car window and asks you for it…not in an active school zone, anyway…you don't need that ticket!
HB 3676 New drivers: Texans who get a hardship driver's license will have to follow the same restrictions as other new drivers: They can't use a cell phone, drive between midnight and 5 a.m. or transport more than one passenger under 21 who isn't a relative.
So, you can only kill one friend at a time…not all of them at once.
SB 275 Increases the penalty for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in the death of a person and failing to render aid from a third degree felony to a second degree felony. A second degree felony carries a punishment of two to 20 years in prison and an optional fine not to exceed $10,000, whereas a third degree felony carries a penalty of two to 10 years in prison and an optional fine not to exceed $10,000.
In prison, that's a lot of cigarettes.


This was my FAVE thing to make with mum when I was little! I loved eating the ham and mushrooms once they were cooked before the cream goes in, it tastes so good!!
In a deep pan, splash olive oil and heat over medium to high heat.
Once hot, add onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until onion becomes translucent. Continue to stir while cooking.
Add stock, cream, parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper. Bring to a slow boil.
Taste here, if you need more salt or pepper - add it now!
Leave to simmer and thicken for 10-15 minutes on a low heat.
Serve with cooked pasta and a sprinkle of parmesan on top!


ATLANTA, Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: IVR) announced today that the public offering of 14 million shares of its common stock has priced at $15.73 per share, resulting in gross proceeds of $220.2 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses. In connection with the offering, the Company has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 2.1 million shares of the Company's common stock. The offering is expected to close on February 7, 2019.
Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Credit Suisse are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.
The forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs, assumptions and expectations of the Company's future performance, taking into account all information currently available. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to the Company. For example, the closing of the offering described above is subject to closing conditions customary in transactions of this type and may be delayed or may not occur at all. In addition, the net proceeds of the offering may not be used as indicated. Some of the other factors are described in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, under the headings "Risk Factors," "Forward-Looking Statements," "Business" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."


text:
Jewish Labour Movement to sue Labour Party over anti-semitism code
From The Sunday Times (UK), 22 July 2018, by Tim Shipman, Political Editor:
As campaigners challenge the party's new anti-semitism test, the MP Margaret Hodge has confronted the 'racist' Jeremy Corbyn
Campaigners put together a dossier of abuse against Margaret Hodge in Corbyn-supporting Facebook groups
VICKIE FLORES
Jewish campaigners are preparing to sue the Labour Party using human rights laws after Jeremy Corbyn's party ditched key elements of the internationally accepted definition of anti-semitism from Labour's code of conduct.
The Labour leader's team is facing two legal challenges amid mutiny in the party after bosses forced through the new code last week in the face of bitter opposition from Jewish leaders — prompting the veteran Labour MP Margaret Hodge to confront Corbyn and tell him he was a "f****** anti-semite and a racist".
The Sunday Times can reveal that the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) has submitted a complaint to Labour in the form of a dossier of abuse levelled against Hodge in Corbyn-supporting Facebook groups, which they claim would be permitted under Labour's definition of anti-semitism.
Separately JLM's executive will meet tomorrow to discuss mounting a legal case against the party under the European Convention on Human Rights. They will also consider whether to take Labour to court using the Equality Act, arguing that by ignoring the wishes of Jewish groups Labour is violating the "Macpherson principle" that racist acts are those perceived to be racist by the victims.
The Sunday Times has been passed a dossier of abusive tweets made by members of three Facebook groups: We Support Jeremy Corbyn; Supporting Jeremy Corbyn & John McDonnell; and Jeremy Corbyn — True Socialism. Between them the groups have 115,000 members.
Jewish Labour Movement to sue Labour Party over an...
Israel Is the Jewish State: Get Over It


text:
Home Crime Mystery Amanda Plasse Murder: Where is Dennis Rosa-Roman Today?
Crime Mystery
Amanda Plasse Murder: Where is Dennis Rosa-Roman Today?
Amanda Plasse Murder: Where is Dennis Rosa-Roman Now? – In the kitchen of her third-floor apartment in the little Connecticut River town of Chicopee, Massachusetts, Plasse, a waitress, was discovered dead on August 26, 2011. After finding Plasse's body, 26-year-old carpenter Seth Green, with whom Plasse had been seeing for a week, dialed 911. Earlier that day, he called her to tell her he couldn't give her a ride to work. Detectives could not solve the stabbing death of Amanda Plasse until they discovered that the murderer had left his name at the scene in plain sight. The investigation process is meticulously followed in Investigation Discovery's episode "On the Case With Paula Zahn: A Hidden Clue," which also depicts Amanda's mother's battle to prevent the case from being classified as another "cold case."
Must Read: Melissa Howard Murder: Where is David Russell Holbrook Jr. Now?
Amanda Plasse
How Did Amanda Plasse Die?
Amanda and 27-year-old Seth Green were dating in August 2011. Even though they had only recently met, the two felt an immediate bond. The duo cherished their time together as they danced and smoked pot.
Nothing special happened on August 25, 2011, either. After spending the night with Amanda, Seth left for work the following morning. He called Amanda and told her he'd be late. He also apologized for not picking her up that evening to take her to work.
Marcedes was Amanda's close friend. They were close and intimately familiar with one another's lives. They had communicated via text the entire day when Amanda asked Marcedes to drop her off at work. Marcede agreed to drop.
After waiting a short time outside Amanda's home, Marcedes arrived at Amanda's apartment that evening. She texted and contacted Amanda but received no response. Marcedes got into her car and left, assuming she had secured a ride.
She had no idea that her friend was in terrible danger. Seth went to Friendly's later that evening to surprise Amanda there. She wasn't there, though. He returned to the flat, assuming she had finished for the day.
Seth found Amanda's porch window shattered when he got to her building. He rushed to the apartment, thinking something had happened, only to discover they were right.
Seth first noticed some red stains on the kitchen counter. He didn't give it any thought and imagined Amanda had painted something accidentally. Seth then saw Amanda lying on the ground, covered in blood. He realized he was wrong and was horrified.
Although Seth attempted CPR on Amanda, it was too late. Seth dialed 911 out of exhaustion and fear. Shortly later, the police showed up and discovered Seth sobbing and shivering. When they saw the awful situation, they understood his reaction.
The blood was coated entirely on Amanda. There were at least six blows to his abdomen, throat, and chest. There was undoubtedly conflict and bloodshed.
The forensic team collected a palm print from the shattered window, DNA samples from Amanda's body, and bloody footprints from a pair of Nike Air Max sneakers. While gathering proof and data, Seth alerted the police about a missing knife and marijuana packages.
Even after the police questioned Amanda's friends and investigated leads, nothing made sense. Seth demonstrated his innocence by taking the polygraph examination. Others had convincing defenses. The case was to become cold soon.
It took the cops a long time to go to each contact; it frustrated Amanda's relatives. But they persisted. To raise awareness of the situation, the family funded neighborhood gatherings. The promotion additionally kept the inquiry active and ongoing.
Dennis Rosa-Roman
Who Killed Amanda Plasse?
An essential piece of information was provided by one of Amanda's ex-boyfriends.
He insisted that Amanda's residence had multiple break-ins. Additionally, he also disclosed to the authorities that Amanda had suspicions about a young Puerto Rican male with a name that began with a "D."
Amanda sought a cooperative resolution to the issue. She enjoyed speaking with this man initially because she knew him. Amanda attempted to bring up the break-ins during their conversation. She informed him that a neighbour had witnessed him breaking into her flat after he had dismissed them. She politely asked him to return her things, but he became irritated and fled.
The Puerto Rican's identity was unknown to the police at this point. But a district attorney uncovered a hint two years after Amanda's passing in 2013.
The lawyer was looking over the crime scene photographs when he came across a whiteboard with the following note: Dennis was here — 08/11/11.
Dennis was the name of the Puerto Rican the police now knew. But no one knew about him. Police used Amanda's phone records and neighborhood data to find the person.
The police initially discovered two guys who matched Dennis' description. They both have prior histories. One was Caucasian, though, and the cops didn't find any proof of his interaction with Amanda.
Dennis Rosa Roman was the second person the police located. He was a Hispanic man who shared a home with his Spanish girlfriend and a young child, around four blocks from Amanda's apartment.
Amanda's ex didn't recognize him, but the police knew he was their man. For more evidence, the police also checked Amanda's phone records.
Nine conversations between Amanda and Dennis took place on July 28, 2011. Dennis had called Amanda five times, whereas Amanda had called Dennis four times.
Dennis was located by the police in Westfield, Massachusetts. Dennis declined their invitation to join them for a light conversation at the station. He was agitated and really anxious.
The police questioned Dennis over his relationship with Amanda. Dennis acknowledged that he knew Amanda from Chicopee but claimed to have lost touch with her recently.
This is due to Amanda's two-year absence from life.
A couple of days later, on November 1, 2013, Dennis called the police station. He frantically asserted that he needed to speak with a police officer about Amanda. He claimed that he had been bothered by a fact for more than two years.
Dennis provided a DNA sample to the police once they caught up to him. Interestingly, the cops also observed that Dennis wore a pair of Nike Air Max shoes.
The police made the key portions of Dennis' chat public, but most of it was redacted. Dennis admitted to having seen Amanda's murder. He acknowledged that he sold Amanda narcotics, and that her source was the one who killed her. But he was reluctant to come out as himself. Dennis was convinced that the man would harm him and his family if the truth came out.
After this admission, however, Dennis repeatedly fabricated his stories, each one being different from the one before it. The cops were unsure of what to believe because of how contradictory his stories were.
Additionally, the DNA examination proved Dennis was responsible for Amanda's murder. The police were persuaded of Dennis' involvement despite his denials that the evidence was bogus.
Where is Dennis Rosa-Roman Now?
On November 5, 2013, Dennis was taken into custody by authorities. After three years, his trial began on July 7, 2016. They accused Dennis of killing Amanda Plasse in the first degree.
After Dennis entered a not guilty plea, the case was put on trial. The prosecution charged Dennis with murdering Amanda as part of a robbery attempt. They found Dennis guilty because of his history of drug misuse, domestic violence, and burglary. The prosecution also presented several other pieces of evidence, including DNA tests, palm prints, and Nike Air Max shoe prints.
According to the defense team, Dennis was allegedly an unwitting witness to the crime. For safety reasons, he would not name the real offenders.
In addition, they claimed that the police had conducted a flawed investigation and had framed Dennis as a result. The group contended that it still took the police two years to approach Dennis, even with all the information.
Both teams presented and refuted evidence throughout the eight-day trial. Dennis was ultimately found guilty by the jury, and the court gave him a life sentence without the possibility of release. Dennis most certainly resides in a cell in a Massachusetts prison right now.
A police officer assigned to the case snapped images of Amanda's body with his phone in the early stages of the inquiry and distributed them. He thought it would contribute to keeping the crime scene's integrity.
The public was exposed to the distributed images. Some police officers told their family, friends, and even strangers about it at a football game. They were dispersed so extensively that maintaining the crime scene was no longer an issue.
While photographing dead people is not against the law, it is not appropriate to reveal information about an investigation that is still open. Additionally, it shows disrespect and injustice to the deceased. But nobody gave it enough thought to bring it up.
A district attorney discovered the images two months later. He voiced his worries, and a formal investigation was launched. They eventually located the involved police officer after roughly four months. However, they only imposed mild sanctions like extra shift work or letters of regret.
Later, when another officer became interested in this situation, he dismissed Jeffrey Godere, one of the accused cops. But Jeffrey filed an appeal, won the case, and returned to his job.
The troubling aspect of this occurrence was how much more people seemed to care about the photos and the police officers than they did about getting justice for Amanda. Some others even contend that this diversion caused the delay in the probe. The whole situation greatly saddened and irritated Amanda's family.
In 2014, a bill was presented under Amanda's name that forbade first responders from taking and disseminating illegal photos of the victim and carried a fine and jail sentence if found guilty. On August 1, 2022, the House and Senate approved the legislation. The governor, Charlie Baker, finally signed the law, and it went into force on August 8 to the joy of Amanda's family and friends.
Must Read: Tracey Tetso Murder: Where is Dennis Tetso Now?
Amanda Plasse Murder
How Did Amanda Plasse Die
Where is Dennis Rosa-Roman Today
Who Killed Amanda Plasse
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Danny and Kim Daniels Murders: Where Is Survivor Amber Daniels Today?
Danny and Kim Daniels Murders: Where Is Jerry Scott Heidler Now?


Gavin Ingham Brooke leads Spada. He is a businessman, writer/film-maker and branding consultant who advises business leaders on an array of assignments ranging from brand and film-making to crisis.
He has founded and co-founded several international businesses, most notably a specialist corporate communications consultancy called Infinite Global, with offices in London, New York, San Francisco and Chicago.
This first started life as Spada which Gavin founded as a company in 1994, later merging with the smaller US counterpart, Infinite, in 2014. Gavin sold his majority shareholding to his former US partners and managers but retained his rights to the Spada name.
With his son and chief executive, Christopher Ingham Brooke, he also helped found Scribol Ltd, which now has top 150 US website and secondly, adtech start-up, Hexagram Labs Ltd – both of which have now joined to form Pub Ocean, a $25M technology business which helps online publishers boost revenues and profitability.
Gavin is a keen traveller and linguist, an amateur poet and potter and is learning how to sing (which can try the patience of his family).
Tory is Spada's process and project manager. Her mission is to ensure that all our projects and client programmes run on brief, on time and budget. She also heads Spada's internal systems and processes.
Tory has spent close on a decade in various forms of project management across the renewable energy and property sectors.
Her most recent role was in helping to pilot commercial scale solar farm developments through consent and planning stages. Before that, while at Good Energy's Feed-In Tariff team, she oversaw the growth of the company's small supplier database from 2,500 to 30,000 entries.
Tory graduated with a First in Ecology from Cardiff University and is a keen horse rider in her spare time.
Teresa is the lead coach in our five-strong Italian cultural and technical language programme for global fashion and other iconic brands.
A master practitioner of NLP (neuro linguistic programming), experienced teacher and accessories designer, Teresa has drawn on her varied career strands to create a unique coaching course in Italian for top executives and technical staff.
Coaching is tailored to the design, sourcing, product development, retail, marketing or manufacture sector - with original content adapted from a variety of Italian media, fashion and business sources.
Current and former clients include: Burberry, Paul Smith, Alexander McQueen, Ferrari, SMEG, University of Oxford, UCL, Oxford Brookes.
Education: La Sapienza University, Rome; Central St Martins College of Art and Design; London College of Fashion.
Mark Patron is our data and CRM lead. He has 30 years' experience in data driven marketing.
Mark co-founded leading data businesses such as Claritas, Abacus and Transactis. He was part of the management team that developed the revenues of VNU's marketing information business, now called Nielsen market research, from $150 million in 1994 to $2.5 billion by 2001. More recently as CEO he grew RedEye to be one of the top two UK based email marketing automation businesses.
Mark has been a director of over 50 UK, Continental and US data driven marketing companies. He was voted one of UK's 15 most influential direct marketers by readers of Precision Marketing magazine.
Paul read English Language and Linguistics at Leeds University and has over thirty-five years' experience as a writer and creative director in London's top ad agencies.
After a decade in the business winning numerous industry awards, he dropped out of advertising altogether and travelled extensively, teaching English from China to Chile.
Years later, he fetched up in adland again, continuing to write highly successful TV campaigns for blue chip clients like NatWest, Nike, British Airways and P&O.
As a freelancer, he now creates a wide range of brand communications for the Gates Foundation, the UN, USAID, Action Aid as well as a wide range of development, public sector and counter-extremism organisations.
Multi-award winning Professor Phil Cleaver is our brand design guru and one of the UK's foremost corporate identity and book designers.
Graduating with a First from Central St Martins School of Art and Design, Phil initially honed his craft with many of the industry's greats – Alan Fletcher of Pentagram, Bob Gill and Wim Crowell of Total Design in Holland.
Phil later worked alongside Michael Wolff of Wolff Olins working on iconic briefs such as 3i before becoming a Creative Director of Allied International Designers (AID) where he led global corporate identity assignments for companies such as Alstrom, Commercial Bank of Kuwait and United Transport.
Since the late 1980s he has led a versatile, heavyweight studio which has tackled every type of design challenge ranging from international banks, lawyers such as Eversheds, Lawrence Graham and Withers, High Street brands such as Douwe Egberts, travel groups such as First Great Western, causes such as Survival International, Countryside Properties and public sector bodies such as Derby and Cardiff City Councils – as well as a series of deluxe specialist books.
In addition to his many publishing awards, Phil is the recipient of a coveted design oscar, the D&AD Yellow Pencil, for the most outstanding corporate identity in a seven year period. He is also a D&AD judge, a founding tustee of the Monotype Museum, a professor in the creative industries for Middlesex University London, and Visiting Professor of Typography at Birmingham City University.
Marco has twenty five years of top-level experience as a university lecturer, business language coach and school teacher.
He has taught in the City for organizations such as London Stock Exchange, Goldman Sachs and Visa and has previously given Italian language coaching for fashion & design houses such as Aquascutum, Michael Kors and Designers Guild.
His interest in fashion took root with a fashion drawing course as a teenager. This was followed by a first degree in visual arts from Bergamo and then an MA in Fine Art/Printmaking from Camberwell, University of the Arts.
Always keen to refine his technique, he has attended numerous teacher development courses including the use of drama, interactive games and IT in the classroom.
He remains passionately interested in painting, sculpture, photography and music.
A qualified business coach and market researcher based in New York, Robert has previously led the marketing and business development functions at London Stock Exchange, Clifford Chance and Taylor Wessing.
In an international consulting career spanning twenty five years he has also advised scores of professional service firms, ranging from Big Four accountancy practices to Magic Circle law firms as well divers smaller practices.
His forte is in devising key account and developing marketing plans that drive revenues: expertise that is extolled in his own book Designing a Key Relationship Program: Building Stronger Client Relationships.
He is currently writing a book on using social media to underpin relationship management.
A graduate of Oxford University and the Cass Business School, London he speaks fluent French, German and Spanish. He is a UK and US citizen.


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Homepage | Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Leave a Comment	/ Uncategorized / By Mark Grannum
CDPH COVID-19 NUMBERS and COUNTY LEVEL DATA
The latest numbers released by the Department of Public Health. This graphic contains additional details about the number of cases, hospitalizations and individuals in the ICU.
STATE PARTNERS WITH 2-1-1 for CORONAVIRUS HOTLINE
The state has announced a new statewide, toll-free hotline for all COVID-19 questions: (833) 544-2374. This number will provide broad information for the public. If a caller has a local question, they will be referred to their jurisdiction's 2-1-1 affiliate for referrals and screening for local services. This is the result of a partnership with 2-1-1 California and local 2-1-1 systems to provide the critical links to direct services at the local level. The CSAC Finance Corporation manages 2-1-1 California, which is a network of the 2-1-1 systems throughout California.
CALIFORNIA ASSISTANCE SUMMARY
Economic Assistance:
The Governor's March 12 executive order removes the waiting period for unemployment and disability insurance for Californians who lose work as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Eviction Moratorium:
Through May 31, landlords may not evict tenants and courts and sheriffs are prohibited from enforcing eviction notices. Tenants must declare in writing, within seven days of their rent coming due, that they cannot pay all or part of the amount because they had to miss work, lost their jobs or had their hours cut because of the pandemic and provide documentation that supports their claim. Renters must repay the full amount due in "a timely manner" and could still be evicted after the moratorium lifts.
Financial institutions:
Financial institutions will offer, consistent with applicable guidelines, mortgage payment forbearances of up to 90 days to borrowers economically impacted by COVID-19.
Homeless Assistance:
The state is providing:
$100 million directly to local governments, for shelter support and emergency housing to address COVID-19 among the homeless population, and
$50 million to purchase travel trailers and lease rooms in hotels, motels, and other facilities in partnership with counties and cities to provide immediate isolation placements throughout the state for homeless individuals.
Social Services Programs:
Eligibility redeterminations have been suspended until June 17 for several public programs, including Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, California Food Assistance Program, and In-Home Supportive Services. Additionally, the order suspends the 48-month time clock for CalWORKs recipients until June 17, 2020.
Clients may apply for Medi-Cal, CalFresh, General Relief and CalWORKs benefits, review case information, request a replacement benefits card and submit verifications, by visiting http://www.mybenefitscalwin.org or by calling the County of Orange Social Services Agency Service Center at (800) 281-9799 from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday – Friday and 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays.
Small Business Assistance:
For Orange County-specific questions, please call the Economic & Business Recovery Call Center at (714) 480-6500.
Businesses filing a return for less than $1 million in taxes have a 90-day extension for tax returns and tax payments.
The statute of limitations to file a claim for refund has been extended by 60 days to accommodate tax and fee payers.
The Franchise Tax Board announced an extension to file 2019 California tax returns and make payments until June 15. Partnerships and LLCs who are taxed as partnerships and whose returns were due March 15 now have a 90-day extension to file and pay by June 15. Individual filers whose returns are due on April 15 now have a 60-day extension to file and pay by June 15.
The Small Business Association is providing loans to businesses impacted by COVID-19. For more information, visit the SBA's website: https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-newsroom/press-releases-media-advisories/sba-provide-disaster-assistance-loans-small-businesses-impacted-coronavirus-covid-19.
State Payroll Taxes:
Employers experiencing a hardship as a result of COVID-19 may request from the EDD an extension of up to 60 days to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit state payroll taxes without penalty or interest. A written request for an extension must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return.
Great Plates Delivered (meal delivery program):
For restaurants interested in participating, please complete an Interest Form at https://state-of-california-agency.forms.fm/great-plates-delivered-food-provider-interest-form/forms/7917
For Seniors interested in enrolling in the program, please call (714) 480-6450.
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This was a wonderful way to see both the coastline and mountain areas of Montenegro. We had a great time, it was an active yet totally relaxing holiday. Our 9 year old loved the kayaking and snorkelling in Kotor and hiking around the lakes in Durmitor national park, our 11 year old particularly enjoyed the rafting in the Tara canyon and the boat trip and swimming in the spectacular bay of Kotor, particularly spotting a dolphin and a turtle. We loved the liveliness of evenings in Kotor and the beautiful views from the summit of Savin Kuk.
We were a small group of 2 families � 6 altogether and our guides were lovely, wonderful fun, friendly, caring and kind and able to be flexible. It was a great way to learn about Montenegro and its history and sample local dishes. The restaurant used for evening meals in Kotor was fantastic. Perhaps bring something from the local bakeries for lunch / snack during the activities. There is loads to do and still free time after activities and we particularly enjoyed walking around Kotor bay.
The trip was well organised by a local family adventure travel company and communication was very good. Our guides were local, we stayed in a comfortable apartment in the old town of Kotor and a nice small hotel in Zabljak.
Fabulous, we are grateful to our guides for making it such a special and memorable holiday, loved by all of us.
We enjoyed all of the different adventure activities we experienced and getting to see so many of the beautiful aspects of Montenegro.
This is a great holiday if you want to be active and experience all that Montenegro has to offer. Be prepared to fully embrace all of the activities on offer which is easy as you can 100% trust the wonderful guides who go out of their way to accommodate you and give you a amazing experience!
We definitely felt that our holiday benefited local people largely because our guides were local people who are naturally keen to preserve and protect their beautiful country whilst showing all that it has to offer to visitors.
We had an absolutely wonderful time. Old Kotor was a fantastic place to be based and the staff ensured that we didn't need to worry about anything. They organised everything including all of our accommodation (which was of very high quality) our food (which was completely delicious) and all of the activities. They were so lovely and made us feel totally relaxed, catering brilliantly for our 2 children aged 7 and 9 too. We can't recommend this holiday highly enough!


The Red Room London is located in Bermondsey just off Tower Bridge Road . It's a wonderfully vibrant area with a real community spirit and a diverse range of cultures, (including a frankly supreme Lebanese grocers). Every Friday there's an infamous antiques market nearby and there are a large number of quality local restaurants to grace with your stomach's company.


MOT changes will see stricter rules on emissions from diesel vehicles fitted with a DPF. Image: Bigstock.
Significant changes to the MOT are to come into force from 20 May, with hopes that to improve air quality and make our roads even safer.
The changes come nearly 60 years after the MOT test was introduced.
DVSA chief executive, Gareth Llewellyn said: "These changes to the MOT test will help make sure vehicles are safer and cleaner.
"I'd urge all motorists to familiarise themselves with the new items that will be included in the test so that they can avoid their vehicle failing its MOT.
New, tougher, defect categories – defects will be classed as dangerous, major and minor to protect people from unsafe vehicles.
Tighter limits for smoke on diesel vehicles to help improve air quality.
New checks, including: o reversing lights on vehicles first used from September 2009.
Daytime running lights on vehicles first used from March 2018o front fog lights on vehicles first used from March 2018.
Emission control equipment to fluid leaks posing an environmental risk.
The MOT failure documents and certificate will be clearer and show the new defect categories.
Vehicles which are more than 40 years old and have not been substantially changed will be exempt from the MOT test.
If a vehicle defect is categorised as dangerous or major it will fail its MOT.
If a defect is identified as being dangerous, the vehicle should not be driven away from the MOT testing station.
If car has minor defects it will not fail the MOT but motorists should get them fixed to help keep their vehicle roadworthy.
There will also be stricter rules on emissions from diesel vehicles fitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF).
Diesel cars will automatically fail their MOT if there's any smoke coming from the exhaust, if the DPF has been removed or there is evidence it has been tampered with.
If legitimate work has been carried out on the DPF, the tester will need to see proof of that, like a receipt from the garage that did the work.
With 28 per cent of cars turning up late for test, DVSA also provides a free service for drivers to receive MOT reminders by text message or email four weeks before their car's MOT is due.
Over 600,000 drivers have signed up for the service since it launched in November 2017.
Share your comments about the forthcoming changes below.


Put the data to plot and analyze in the Data section. Though the variables default to x (the independent variable) and y (the dependent variable), they can be renamed. Renaming them will cause the graph to be updated. The values are entered one per line.
The buttons work as follows: CLEAR will clear the data, the plot area and the RESULTS area. PLOT will plot the data as points. ANALYZE will find the quadratic function which best approximates the data, plot it and display its equation in the RESULTS area.
The RESULTS area is used to communicate with the user. Errors will be displayed there, for example if the number of values is not the same for both variables. Information will also be displayed there. For example, when the user clicks on ANALYZE, the equation of the regression function will appear there, as well as the error associated with this function.


I had a problem with my washer and was schedule to get it repaired on 8/20 the technician got here and was here early but kept leaving because he "needed some parts" he was here for about 3 hours and diagnosed the problem which was the band just needed to get replaced. They are supposed to have all their tools with them i don't know why he didn't. I had errands to run and couldn't leave because he was still at my home. I payed so they could order the part and the rest of the fees so he schedule me for 8/28. They got here on that day early and AGAIN the technician had to keep leaving because he didn't have all his tools he came back about 3 hours later. He got here and took forever to replace the band then he told me that i needed to replace a pump so he had to order it and wasn't going to come until the week after and that was going to cost me another 80$. TERRIBLE SERVICE! Do not hire them they just steal your money and time! I told him that i didn't want anything and wanted a refund of what I had already paid. They just keep dragging the problem to the next they just want to keep charging you! I just hired someone local and they fixed my problem in no time and for more than half the price on the same day!


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Dragon Wings Diecast
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White Twin Fitted Sheet
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After writing a post on evacuation plans the other day (Planning Your Evacuation or Bug out Route). I received the following comments from a friend. These are some additional points that you should take into consideration when planning an evacuation.
Your starting point is home, work or school. If family members are at different places during the day, how will they communicate?
How Far Can You Walk In a Day When Bugging Out?
The question of how far can you walk in one day recently came up in regards to bugging out. This led to quite a discussion, and many different opinions. For the last twenty-five or so years, I have done a lot of hiking in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and can cover some pretty good distances.
Bugging Out vs Sheltering in Place is Always a Controversy.
As I get older, reality sets in. Years ago, when I was much younger I felt as many of you that I could take my backpack and head into the wilderness and survive. As I got older and learned more I began to question the idea that bugging out to the hills would work, unless you had a specific destination. In other words, a bug out location.


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Your brain needs bulk too. This fixes neurotransmitters so you wake up ready to hit the gym hard. It beats knocking back a Gatorade after dinner.
Forget setting your alarm: night-time feeds are for babies. Drink this 20min before bed for muscle-repairing amino acids.
Like a shot of testosterone before you hit the hay. Just 3g gives you extra ammo to build new and better muscle fibres before your bloody alarm goes.
Flush out any vestiges of illness with 10g of this powder an hour before bed. It's also been shown to reduce hangovers – that's a hell of a supplemental benefit.


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You Say White Trash Like It's a Bad Thing: White Trash Wannabees
Local's Favorites
By Johnny Griffith
They're loud, they're rowdy, and they're some of the most talented musicians you'll find on one stage. They are the White Trash Wannabees (WTW) and in case you didn't get the memo, they're here to have fun and play some great music. This three-piece band out of East Texas has been tearing up stages in the area for over a decade and brings a mix of talent and charisma to the stage that is second to none in the rock scene around here.
With a healthy catalog of crowd favorites and a growing number of originals mixed in, WTW has cultivated a loyal fan base with whom they have a great relationship and love to interact with from the stage during shows. Having recently released a new CD and with more originals on the way, I decided it was time to sit down with guitarist and frontman Donnie Dodson to get a better idea of just exactly who these guys are:
Johnny: So what is the current lineup of White Trash Wannabees?
Donnie: For a while now WTW has been me, Donnie Dodson on guitar, my brother Dustin Dodson on bass, and Jay Baker on drums and vocals. We've got a really good groove together and have gotten really tight with the current lineup.
Johnny: Where is everyone from originally, and currently living? If not local, what brought you to East Texas?
Donnie: Dustin and I grew up in Linden and have been living there pretty much our whole lives. Jay currently lives in Longview.
Johnny: You guys have been in the East Texas music scene for several years. When did the idea for the band first take shape?
Donnie: Well, I guess it would be around 2008 when it first took shape. I was just getting out of another band and Dustin was just finishing High School so we decided it would be a great idea to put something together so we could be in a band together. There aren't just a ton of opportunities out there to do something you love doing with your brother so we made it happen.
Johnny: How did you all get started in music initially?
Donnie: Our family on our mom's side pretty much all play music so it was sort of expected that you'd end up playing something growing up. Jay's family was pretty much the same way, so I would say we all came by it naturally from a very young age.
Johnny: Who were some of your early influences?
Donnie: Man that's always a tough question to really nail down. Our influences are kind of all over the place. I think though, for the band as a whole, it would be safe to say our influences would be mainly 70's and 90's rock, like Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top from the '70s and Alice In Chains and STP from the '90s. Pretty much it's the rock that you can sing along to and sticks in your head.
Johnny: So how about the name of the band, what's the story behind that?
Donnie: Well the name kind of started out as a joke several years ago and at some point just became permanent.
Johnny: A typical WTW show could have just about any song, from any genre, in it including your own originals. What do you consider the "genre" of the band to be, or do you like being hard to pin down?
Donnie: We really don't like to be pinned down but at the end of the day we are definitely more of a Rock band than anything else. That being said, we will try to please everyone that comes to see us no matter what genre of music they want to hear. We can have fun with anything and are willing to try to play just about anything. You might come to one of our shows and hear anything from rock to country to our originals to our version of some old rap songs. It just depends on the night and the crowd.
Johnny: White Trash Wannabees had a CD release party recently. Was this your first CD and what was that process like?
Donnie: We've had a couple of CDs we released previously but this is really the first thing that we really went all out on and tried our best to make it as perfect as we were capable of doing. As far as the process, we recorded in Dallas at Empire Sound Studio, which I would recommend to anybody who is looking to record. We really had a fun time recording and getting to hear the songs really come to life, but we're glad to be done and have our album out for our fans to enjoy.
Johnny: How has the reception been so far?
Donnie: The reception to the album has been great, and we just recently released it online so we're really excited. It's been great hearing all the positive feedback.
Johnny: Do you have any show you've played that sticks out in the memory banks?
Donnie: Man, there have been so many fun shows over the years it would be impossible to pick just one. Each show has its own personality and memories that are just as good as the next one.
Johnny: What's coming up in the rest of 2019 that has you excited?
Donnie: We are looking forward to trying to spread the music around as much as possible. We're going to continue writing and do our best to give everybody some more original songs that we plan to be recording in the near future.
Johnny: How would you describe a White Trash Wannabees show to a first-timer?
Donnie: It's definitely a high energy show and it's just a good time. We love having fun WITH the audience, and if they want to hear something, we don't want them to be scared to come ask for it.
Johnny: The East Texas music scene is a pretty tight group. Besides yourselves, who's the one-act out there locally, maybe flying under the radar, that you're excited to see what they do next?
Donnie: We're definitely fortunate to be friends with a lot of the local bands. It's all a pretty tight bunch and we tend to get on stage together often. There are a bunch of great bands in this area that are all deserving of attention, but Post Profit and Lee Mathis and the Brutally Handsome are putting out some good stuff right now that everyone needs to check out.
Find WTW online at:
www.facebook.com/whitetrashwannabees
www.whitetrashwannabees.com
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A Blue State Of Mind: The Bluez Boyz
Ask any blues player worth their salt, and they'll tell you it's not just a genre, it's a state of mind that gets in your blood and won't let go. It has to be in order to translate from the mind to the hands to the instruments or through the vocal cords. A true blues musician can reach down in their soul and pull from that emotion, leaving it all out on stage and you BELIEVE the music is authentic. Luckily, we've got a group of musicians here in East Texas that have come together to form one of the best blues bands in the area. Bluez Boyz is the brainchild of Bobby Edwards and has been painting the town blue for about 3 years now. I recently sat down with them to get to know the band a little better.
Johnny: What's the current lineup for the band and a bit of musical background on everyone?
Bluez Boyz: Bobby Edwards started the band about 3 years ago with his son Ronnie on bass and Landon Green on drums. About two years into it we decided to add Chris Wallace to the band. We had seen Chris perform and became really good friends with him and thought he was the perfect fit for the band. All four guys in this band have been in music most all of their lives from early ages. Bobby has been pure blues all of his life and you can tell by listening to him, he didn't get the nickname "Blue Eyed Soul Man" for nothing. Ronnie Edwards, the son of Bobby, well he was raised by Bobby so of course he is really a huge fan of blues as well. Chris Wallace is also a big blues fan and you can tell it when he sings as well, and he is also known to put some southern rock and a little country twist to things from time to time. Landon Green is the rocker in the group, although he will be the one singing the ZZ Top and Queen songs, he admits that he doesn't care what genre they play because it just feels right: it's like jamming with family with these guys; and him and Bobby have played together on and off for almost 15 years and just have that bond on stage that's even rubbed off on Chris and Ronnie, and everything falls into place.
Johnny: How did the band meet?
Bluez Boyz: Bobby and Landon met around 15 years ago through Bobby's brother Frank who was playing bass at the time. Landon was asked to join their band "Bobby Edwards Blues Band" and they played for several years all around East Texas. The guys took a small break to do other side projects and later came back together; however by this time Ronnie Edwards had turned into a beast on the bass and was ready to become his dad's bass player. After a couple of years of playing, and as the shows had continued to grow to a very steady schedule, we felt like it was time to add to the band, so of course we felt like the best fit for us was our good friend Chris Wallace.
Johnny: Why that style of music? It's certainly not a style that gets the most real estate on stages around the area. What led you to your sound?
Bluez Boyz: Blues is definitely our genre of choice because Bobby started the band and if you have ever heard him sing the blues then you know why we call ourselves a Blues Band. However, just as you mentioned, it certainly may not bring the most real estate around this area and that is why we add other genres to our shows as well, so that when you come and hear us you will get a wider variety such as rock, funk, oldies, and country. If we play a festival, or a blues based show, then we can promise you that you will hear some of the best live blues that you have ever heard when the "Blue Eyed Soul Man" Bobby Edwards, along with his sidekick Chris Wallace, start throwing down them REAL blues!
Johnny: Who are some of the significant influences musically for the band?
Bluez Boyz: Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, Buddy Guy, Wes Jeans, ZZ Top and many more.
Johnny: What was your first gig as the Bluez Boyz?
Bluez Boyz: We three pieced at first with just Bobby, Ronnie, and Landon and our first show may have been FRESH by Brookshires. Then our first show after adding Chris might have been Republic Icehouse. It's been a while and we have played tons of shows in 2019.
Johnny: In an area that is traditionally dominated musically by country and rock acts, have there been any challenges getting gigs and building a base for a blues band?
Bluez Boyz: Like we mentioned earlier we have added a lot more genres to our show. When you come to one of our shows now you may hear some ZZ Top, Hank Williams Jr., heck even some old school rap etc. We understand that these crowds want to hear a variety so we do our best to give them that nowadays; however we will always classify ourselves as a blues band and will push for success in the blues genre any chance we get. As far as coming to our shows, let's say a local restaurant or club, then you'll get an awesome mix of amazing music along with a great show playing your favorite mixes of all genres. So yes, we have met that challenge and know the struggle oh so well.
Johnny: Are you guys typically local to the East Texas area or do you venture out into other markets at this point?
Bluez Boyz: We do stay pretty busy locally around some great East Texas venues and restaurants etc.. However, we did branch out in 2019 and did several Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Dallas/ Ft. Worth Shows, and we plan to get out even more if possible in 2020, so get ready Bluez Boyz fans!
Johnny: About how many shows are you playing a month currently?
Bluez Boyz: About 8-10 , Usually every weekend and possibly a few during the week at times.
Johnny: What has been the most memorable gig for the band to this point?
Bluez Boyz: Probably opening up for, and getting to hang out with, Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters at TXM Music City in Lindale Texas; also we do have to say that being up on the Gas Monkey Stage in Dallas was pretty dang cool as well.
Johnny: What does 2020 have in store for the band? Any projects or tour plans?
Bluez Boyz: We are non stop booking as we speak and hope to fill 2020 up as soon as we can. We have some recording planned, and Christine Edwards (Bobby's wife, band manager) is currently talking with a few venues in a totally different state than what we mentioned earlier, and let's just say if that goes through for us in 2020 it could be the start of something big.
Johnny: For new fans, what can they expect at a show with The Bluez Boyz?
Bluez Boyz: We love having other musicians come up and sit in with us and we have been told numerous times by other musicians how they love the fact that we don't plan out anything, and don't even use a set list. We just act on what everyone is feeling and go with it and have a blast doing it on stage. You may get comedy, you may get bloopers, you may get an open mic night, but we can promise that when you leave you'll be saying "dang, that was an awesome night!"
Follow the Bluez Boyz online at facebook.com/BluezBoyz73/and bluezboys.com.
Guitar For Hire: Mayson Garner
The term 'mercenary' has pretty much always had somewhat of a negative connotation with it throughout its history. It's typically portrayed in literature and film as someone whose loyalty extends as far as the next highest bidder and in whom trust can't be entirely placed. In the music world, however, being a "gun for hire" isn't necessarily a bad thing at all. In fact, some of the most talented musicians you've never heard called by name, you've actually heard on some of the most famous albums of all time as studio musicians or on stage as touring musicians. One of East Texas' most talented musical mercenaries is Mayson Garner. With eclectic musical tastes, killer guitar chops, and the vocal range to cover a broad spectrum of styles, Mayson can be found on stage in the area several nights a week and has worked with several projects in the area as well.
We caught him at a Thursday Open Mic night at Alibi Barcadia over in Longview this month to get a little better idea of the man behind the guitar:
Johnny: What was one of your earliest musical memories growing up?
Mayson: I remember my mom having this classical acoustic guitar lying around the house. It had only three strings and I would play it anytime I got the chance. That little guitar sparked this intense love that I now have for music, and guitars in general. I ended up playing it until all three strings came off, but I couldn't forget the feeling it brought me when I played it. That's why I am the way I am till this day.
Johnny: When did you first pick up an instrument, and was it a guitar or did you start somewhere else and gravitate to the guitar later?
Mayson: I was 4 when I discovered my mom's acoustic, and from then until I was 15 or 16 it was only the guitar that I was interested in. Then it was drums, piano, bass, and other various instruments.
Johnny: What were some of your early musical influences when you were learning your instrument?
Mayson: My real musical influences started to appear when I was an early teen; that's about as early as I can remember having major influences on the guitar. Adam Jones from the band Tool, as well as Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains, were major impacts on my playing, and still are in a few ways with Jerry Cantrell being the one I hear most in my playing these days. Guys like David Gilmour, Jeff Loomis, Michael and Christopher Amott, and Mikael Åkerfeldt played a part as well in shaping my earlier years of guitar playing.
Johnny: Did you pick any of your musical abilities up from your parents?
Mayson: No not at all, neither of them could play instruments. I mean my mom could sing, but that was heard on the rarest of occasions. It's still a mystery to me how I fell in with music. This might sound a bit quirky, but I like to think maybe whatever or whoever is looking out for me was like "here you go I want you to have this."
Johnny: When did you perform your first public gig and do you remember the first gig you ever got paid for?
Mayson: The first time I played for an audience was a talent show at my school. I loved being up on stage showing people what I could do. From then on I was hooked on playing for the masses, but it would be years before I would ever play my first paying gig, which was for the acoustic nights held on the patio of an On The Border here in Longview about 4 years ago. The first night I ever met Neal McCoy too – it was weird sitting there trying not to suck as this country star was sitting across from me.
Johnny: When did you get the idea that you might want to be a bit more serious with music and take it just beyond the hobby stage?
Mayson: I think I've always been serious about music, and wanted to take it past my bedroom, so I started playing different churches and youth groups. But I wanted to keep pushing it further, so I went to a jam and knew at that point I had to be in an actual band. And before I knew it, I found myself in a few different bands basically marketing myself as a hired gun, and have been doing so since that jam, and I gotta say I'm very glad I labeled myself as a hired gun because I have met some really talented and genuinely awesome people along the way.
Johnny: You've got a pretty extensive catalog of songs you call on when doing open mic and solo events. What would you say some of your favorites currently are?
Mayson: I would have to say right now my favorites are "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin, "I Am The Highway" by Audioslave, "Do I Wanna Know" by Arctic Monkeys, and "Keep on Swinging" by Rival Sons.
Johnny: How many originals do you have and how often do you get to work them into sets?
Mayson: I actually have a few notebooks of originals, but I have yet to work them into any of my sets because after I write them I either forget about them or never think they are quite right so I never play them. I tend to overthink my music thus keeping me from sharing it – a bad habit I've got to break – but that doesn't stop me from writing. I will have some new originals waiting to be played in the near future.
Johnny: Some of your work I enjoy the most is when you're doing some of your bluesier covers. What direction do your originals tend to take stylistically?
Mayson: Thank you. I'm very much an eclectic musician, so I tend to write various styles of music, but if I had to pin down a specific genre I feel is the most me, I would have to say rock 'n roll. Rock music inspired by the styles of the '70s and '90s is more what I dig than anything else.
Johnny: You do a lot of collaborative work with other local musicians as well as your own solo nights at several venues around East Texas. Who are some of your regular partners you take the stage with?
Mayson: My good friends Jerry Johnson, who is a killer bassist; and Ladarius Daniels, who we all know for being the main man when it comes to playing a mean saxophone. But recently I've made a new friend named Kasey Moore who is a cool dude, and a good player.
Johnny: About how many times a month are you on stage somewhere around the region?
Mayson: Anywhere between 5 and 6 times a month on average. I do some solo shows and some open jams, but with this coming year chances are my band and I will be everywhere else besides our home town.
Johnny: What have you been the proudest of, so far, in your musical journey?
Mayson: Probably how far I have come with who I am as a person and how I am as a musician. Both of which are things I am constantly working on.
Johnny: What are you excited about, musically, as we begin the new year?
Mayson: The new shows my band and I have lined out for 2020, and really just the excitement of where me and my music are going. There's a sense of excitement for me in what the future may hold as I keep my head down and keep working toward the ultimate goal.
Follow Mayson Garner at facebook.com/mayson.garner.
Charting His Own Course: Levi Kitchen
It's always fun to check back in with people we've interviewed in the past and see what they are up to a couple of years later. This month I got to sit back down with Levi Kitchen and check back in with him about 3 years after our last interview. If you're not familiar, Levi is a veritable one-man band. A multi-instrumentalist who utilizes looping technology to lay down his own background music on the fly, Kitchen has been bringing his unique brand of entertainment to stages around East Texas for almost 20 years now. A man of many talents and constantly creating, Levi took some time out to catch us up on what's been going on lately:
Johnny: It's hard to believe, but it's been 3 years since we last did an interview. What are some of the more significant events for you during that period?
Levi: Being hired to perform for political fundraisers for district judges, state representatives, and even the Longview Fire Marshal's retirement party were a few proud moments. That last one resulted from the Fire Marshal being called to my house because a neighbor thought my studio was on fire, but then he obtained my business card and later hired me to play his party. I was shocked to be hired by several different Chambers of Commerce, including Lindale, where I performed for Miranda Lambert's friends and family. I had the opportunity to do several radio interviews and had original compositions placed in different video and film productions. Seeing your name in movie credits is a cool feeling and my music was the background in some national television commercials.
Johnny: I've been able to catch a couple of your shows this past year and they're still as impressive as ever. Has the technology improved or evolved that makes the process a little easier?
Levi: It's not getting easier. The technology is advancing, of course, but it gets more complicated as it advances and that's not always a step in an easier direction. I have a newer, "better" loop station that I'm still currently not using at shows because it's taking me quite a while to learn the new one as well as I know the old loop station. The familiarity with the equipment during the performance is crucial to the success of a looping performance. When performing, I still use the old faithful BOSS RC-300, which has been top of the looping heap for a decade. The next step up from this pedal has traditionally been looping programs that require you to use a computer. But now I practice with a newer, more advanced loopstation regularly to achieve the kind of familiarity necessary to perform with it. It's called a "Headrush" and it's going to be a big leap in technology for me when I finally decide to bring it into my live performance. Practicing a new loop station is like learning a new instrument, to a certain extent. It might take me over a year to implement the new loop station to a satisfactory level of smooth operation.
Johnny: About how many shows a month are you playing these days?
Levi: Within the past few years I reached a point where I was getting hired to perform so often that I had to cut back. The grueling pace I set for myself was beginning to wear me out. I was holding down 5 or 6 shows per week for several years, which left very little room for other things in life. I have intentionally cut it back to doing about 3 performances per week these days, but I pick and choose now which venues or events I actually want to do where previously I used to just play anything I could get my hands on.
Johnny: Last time we spoke, you were looking forward to playing more shows over in the Dallas area. Have you made any progress playing more shows out of the greater Tyler area?
Levi: As far as Dallas, I have been invited to play all kinds of things over there that I have avoided on purpose. In the past few years, I have traveled to Dallas at least several times to perform for weddings, mostly. I will just be honest here and say, ironically, I'm very introverted and prefer quiet, peaceful environments. When I go to Dallas, all I can think about is getting back to a comfortable setting like East Texas. I have played nearly everywhere there is to play in Tyler at some point over the years, as well as the Longview area, and just about every small town within an hour or two of Longview. I prefer it out here in East Texas over the chaotic frenzy of large, busy cities. Staying here is intentional at this point. I'm not looking for more attention or trying to expand my range or anything. People just keep hiring me to jam all around East Texas so I keep on jamming. I'm happy playing my little shows around here and I never saw much happiness down the path of the nationally touring artist, but that's just a personal preference.
Johnny: You were also about to put out a new album at that time as well. How did that turn out?
Levi: Well, I post my original songs for free download on my website, levikitchen.com. I'm still fiddling around with hundreds of recordings in my home studio. I have been working for almost ten years now on a musical, spoken word audiobook in the epic sci-fi fantasy genre as well. I have created hours of this wild, unprecedented thing, but it still needs years of work before completion. This illustrates what is likely one of my biggest problems as an artist. I get distracted by interesting projects that never see the light of day because I don't care much about what people are expecting of me. If I get caught up in the joy of creation, I don't waste much time worrying about what is trendy or in-demand. I just dive into it and bask in the joy of disappearing completely into the alternate universe I've created with this music and story. So I've been somewhat distracted from making a new album. Aside from this, the need to combine songs into an "album" isn't quite as applicable as it once was. Digital distribution has allowed artists the ability to cheaply publish singles as often as they want or, like me, they can choose their own method of distribution. Personally, I make very little money off of original works, but I make almost my entire living off of performing shows which consist mostly of covers. People are using music streaming services now more often than making purchases, so musicians these days are living in a rapidly changing landscape.
Johnny: So in addition to your music performance, you have been producing music for several years as well. What are some of your more memorable projects in that area?
Levi: I've been producing music for twenty years now. Those early years, my brothers and I were just kids with a garage studio, but we still had customers paying to have us record and produce them, so it still counts. It was probably about 1998 when my brothers and I spent one summer painting these massive banners for the Rangerettes to use at their Cotton Bowl half-time show. By painting these banners, and also painting some fireworks stand signs in Kilgore, we earned enough money to buy the best recording studio gear we could get our teenage claws on at the time. The first time I ever earned money as a studio engineer was in 1999. I was 14 years old. Some notable mentions and really good times were had by all over many years when I had the opportunities to produce and record Ally Venable, Lulu and the Black Sheep, Darby Warren, Andrew Beason, 3WeeksPlay, Daniel Foster, Jasmine Nyvall, Lane Rogers, David Smith, Biff Rushton, Allen Wayne Nichols, King Richard, and the Bayou Boys, Gypsy Rebel – lots of great artists and too many others to mention have recorded in my humble shack!
Johnny: As 2020 rolls in, what is on your radar this year that has you excited?
Levi: I intend to buy land this year and build my next studio by some water where I can create an aesthetically pleasing environment for musicians to create and record in. My little south Longview shack has lived its life as a studio and it's time to take these creative energies to a pleasing new environment soon. Aside from this big dream, it'll be business as usual in 2020 I suspect. I'll play a lot of shows and spend the rest of my time hiding from everyone, tinkering with robots and strange invention ideas. I'm also getting married on Leap Day, Feb 29th. My fiance and I suspect we're about the weirdest people we know, so we picked the weirdest day we could think of to get married on. We'll only have an anniversary every four years and there's no possible way I could forget the date.
Johnny: What do you feel is your best memory of your musical career so far?
Levi: I remember a moment ten years ago when I jumped up in joy and danced around my studio because I had booked 3-5 shows per week for four months in advance. Up until this point in my career, I had always worked another job. The realization suddenly dawned on me that I could do this full time. I guess you could metaphorically call it the day that I "quit my day job." I felt at that moment that I had finally achieved a lifelong obsession that started when I was ten years old, dreaming of earning my living with music someday. I danced like I knew nobody was watching, and thankfully, nobody was watching. Strangely, and to my ongoing surprise, things continue to proceed in much the same way ever since.
Johnny: Where can someone find you playing over the next couple of months?
Levi: I'll be performing at Holly Lake Ranch Resort in Hawkins, and The Villages Resort in Flint throughout the year, as well as Copeland's of New Orleans in Longview regularly. I will also be performing at Nuna's Cajun in Palestine, Steve-O's Pizza in Mt. Vernon, Los Pinos Ranch in Pittsburg, Enoch's Stomp in Harleton, Yamato in Tyler, Serenity Church in Longview and many more. I'll be playing several new venues as well in 2020, so keep checking in with me. If you want to find the specific dates for any of these venues, I suggest finding/liking my facebook page or researching the venues directly to check their schedules.
Follow Levi Kitchen and all his projects on the World Wide Web at levikitchen.com as well as event updates on Facebook.
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Manchester Mark I
The Manchester Baby, known formally as the Manchester Small Scale Experimental Machine, was one of the first stored program computers. It used a CRT tube to store data and worked sequentially a bit at a time. It took about an hour to find a factor of a number, but it was revolutionary. Today is the 70th anniversary of its first successful run of a program on June 21st 1948.
There was a time when there were no computers - and then there was a time when there were. You might be tempted to conclude from this that there was a "first" computer but the more I look into the history of the early days the more I become convinced that there wasn't.
The reason is that once the idea of a stored computer was in the air lots of different people caught its scent. Even a tiny whiff was enough for them to re-invent all they needed to build a computer.
How clear this vision was varied greatly from one group to another - but in all cases it was enough for them to build a working machine. You can get into arguments about whose machine was switched on first or even which machine was a real computer - but this just hides the deeper truth.
Manchester was one of the three main UK centres of computer development in the early days - the others were Cambridge and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) at Teddington. Even though Cambridge built the first full size working stored computer, Manchester got a small machine - the "Baby" or Small Scale Experimental Machine - going first and so can claim the title of "first working stored program computer". But this isn't the Manchester School's only important claim to fame - they built computers in the plural and it was Baby that took the initial steps.
Computer Creators at Manchester
The two key people in the story of the Manchester computers are Freddie Williams and Tom Kilburn but there were many other important influences and contributors, notably Alan Turing.
Frederic Calland Williams (1911-1977)
Tom Kilburn (1921-2001)
Williams was an engineer and very keen on the new science of electronics. He gave the first course at Manchester, where he was an assistant lecturer, on "electro-technics". Even in these pre-electronic days computing had started to put down roots at Manchester. Hartree's mechanical differential analyser was already built and in use and Williams was at work designing a "curve follower" for it. This expertise in analog computation and electronics made it natural for Williams to work on radar for the TRE (Telecommunications Research Establishment) when the war started.
Kilburn first met Williams at the TRE facility in Malvern. He was a mathematician but his first war time assignment was to help Williams, then a Senior Scientific Officer, to develop electronics for radar use. He managed to learn practical electronics reasonably fast and soon came to be regarded as "useful".
The Williams Tube - the first DRAM
Towards the end of the war Williams became editor of a 24-volume work on electronics - the importance of which was that it was published by MIT. This gave him the opportunity to visit the USA in 1945-46 and while there he heard of the work going on at the Moore school, where ENIAC was under construction. He also visited Bell labs where they were working on the problem of removing ground echoes from radar traces. Williams thought of using two CRTs to store the outline by passing it backwards and forwards between the two.
A page from Volume 18 of the MIT Radation Laboratory Series from http://www.oldcomputerbooks.com
On his return to TRE, Willaims started work on building a demonstration system but then he realised that he could use the same technique to build a single tube digital storage system.
By December he had a digital system based on a single CRT that could store 1 bit! It worked by leaving a gap in the trace or no gap in the trace. When the beam scanned the line a second time there was a pulse just before the edge marking where the gap was last time and this could be amplified and fed back to put the gap back in again. Of course if the gap wasn't there last time there was no pulse and the trace was continuous. It was a classic two-state system ideal for storing digital data.
The data is stored in the tube by creating a small charged area around where the electron beam hit the tube. Normally the tube had a phosphor coating which made the pattern visible but later tubes did away with the phosphor. A pickup electrode in the form of a mesh is placed over the face of the tube and this can pick up the tiny current when the charge is readout by passing the beam over the same spot. Unfortunately this wipes out the charge and it has to be refreshed to maintain the storage. Also the charge leaked away over time making it necessary to refresh the screen by reading every bit and writing it back to the same location.
When the news of the success in storing a single bit reached people at the NPL, they decided that they wanted Williams to build a storage device for their computer project - the ACE. But Williams realised that the ACE, Alan Turing's design for a computer, relied far too much on delay line storage to be easily converted to CRT storage so he returned to Manchester to develop his idea further.
The Manchester Team
Also newly returned to Manchester were Max Newman, I.J. Good and D. Rees - all fresh from the Bletchley Park code-breaking operation and with experience of the Colossus machine.
Newman wanted to set up a computing facility for mathematics and, without knowing about the work on the ENIAC or the proposal to build the ACE, he wrote to Von Neumann at Princeton in order to find out how to build the computer he needed. He then applied to the Royal Society for a grant to build it. The committee formed to consider the application contained one dissenting member who was firmly of the opinion that a second computer project wasn't worth funding - the NPL ACE would be enough computing power for everyone!
Fortunately the grant was awarded - £20,000 over five years plus £3,000 per annum for salaries. Newman used it to create the Royal Society Computing Machine Laboratory.
After spending some time with Von Neumann at the end of 1946, Newman realised that the real difficulty was developing a reliable storage system - one solution was to be found under his nose.
Small-Scale Experimental Machine
Tom Kilburn joined Williams at Manchester at the start of 1947 and by the end of the year the two of them had a working system that could store 2048 bits. At this point Newman explained to Williams what sort of machine needed to be put with the memory he had created. They started work at once on a small machine - more or less built around the CRT store. This was called the Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM) but was better known as "Baby".
Kilburn and Williams with Baby
The Manchester Baby was a serial computer - that is it worked one bit at a time. When you want to add two eight-bit numbers a serial computer does it by adding the first pair of bits, then the next pair and so on. A serial computer is relatively easy to build but it isn't the natural way to use the inherently parallel storage provided by the CRT store.
The Baby used 32 words of 32-bit storage and used CRT storage for its accumulator and its control registers. The only input device was a bank of switches and for output you had to read the dots on the front of the CRT tube as binary - there's direct machine interaction for you!
On June 21, 1948 the first program to run on any stored program computer found the highest factor of an integer. It took 52 minutes and Manchester folklore has it that it was the only program Kilburn ever wrote - the first and his last!