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Crypto Regulatory Affairs: SEC Expands Enforcement Hires as Bill Aims to Give CFTC Crypto Oversight
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a longstanding reputation as one of the toughest enforcement agencies on issues surrounding the cryptoasset market. In May, the SEC nearly doubled the size of its Cryptoassets and Cyber Unit, with 20 additional employees onboarded to the team.
On September 9th, the agency announced its plans to add an Office of Crypto Assets and an Office of Industrial Applications and Services to the Division of Corporation Finance's Disclosure Review Program (DRP). The newly formed Office of Crypto Assets will take on the work of the DRP to oversee the review process for filings involving crypto. The new offices will likely be formalized sometime this fall.
In a press release published by the agency, Director of the Division of Corporation Finance Renee Jones stated: "As a result of recent growth in the cryptoasset and the life sciences industries, we saw a need to provide greater and more specialized support in the DRP's Office of Finance and its Office of Life Sciences. The creation of these new offices will enable the DRP to enhance its focus in the areas of crypto assets, financial institutions, life sciences, and industrial applications and services and facilitate our ability to meet our mission."
The press release explains the restructuring decision by noting that: "Assigning companies and filings to one office will enable the DRP to better focus its resources and expertise to address the unique and evolving filing review issues related to cryptoassets."
Many critics of the SEC's "regulation by enforcement" approach to crypto oversight are calling for greater authority over the market to be transferred to the Commodity and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC.) Last week, a bipartisan piece of legislation was introduced by Senators Stabenow (D - MI) and Boozman (R - AK) that would accomplish such a goal if passed.
The Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act seeks to codify Bitcoin and Ether – the two largest cryptoassets by market capitalization – as being commodities and under the CFTC's oversight. Exchanges would then be reporting to, and registering with, the CFTC instead of with the SEC. The legislation acknowledges that many cryptoassets function as securities – such as initial coin offerings (ICOs) – and should remain under the SEC's purview accordingly.
Senator Boozman of Arkansas, in a joint statement on Senator Stabenow's website on the newly introduced Senate bill, states: "Digital assets and blockchain technology have already, and will continue, to change the way global markets function. Yet, this fast-growing industry is currently governed largely by a patchwork of regulations at the state level. That simply is not an effective way to protect consumers from fraud. Furthermore, relying solely on state regulation does not ensure that rules and regulations work for all stakeholders. Our bill will empower the CFTC with exclusive jurisdiction over the digital commodities spot market, which will lead to more safeguards for consumers, market integrity, and innovation in the digital commodities space."
White House Publishes Report on Crypto Mining
This week, the White House released its highly-anticipated report on the "Climate and Energy Implications of Crypto Assets in the United States." Reducing the climate crisis has been a longstanding goal of the Biden-Harris administration. The report finds that cryptoasset activity in the United States produces a similar environmental output to that of the diesel fuel used in US railroads.
The report goes on to state: "Besides purchased grid electricity, cryptoasset mining operations also cause local noise and water impacts from operations, electronic waste, air and other pollution from any direct usage of fossil-fired electricity, and additional air, water, and waste impacts associated with all grid electricity usage.
These local impacts can exacerbate environmental justice issues for underserved communities." Critics of the environmental impacts of crypto frequently focus their remarks on the more energy consumptive method of blockchain validation known as proof of work (PoW), which is used in Bitcoin mining.
Despite its findings that the industry requires large energy output, the report goes on to explain: "Broader adoption of cryptoassets, and the potential introduction of new types of digital assets require action by the federal government to encourage and ensure responsible development. This includes minimizing impacts on local communities, dramatically reducing energy intensity, and powering with clean electricity. Digital asset research that emphasizes innovations in next-generation technologies can advance US goals in security, privacy, equity, resilience, and climate objectives."
This is a direct and clear call to action for crypto enthusiasts and stakeholders to make substantive efforts to reduce their energy usage to become more sustainable for the longevity of the industry.
The need for a greener crypto industry is further underscored by New York's recent two-year moratorium on any new PoW crypto mining operations in the state – a move that concerned many strong advocates of bitcoin and PoW mining practices. Despite crypto mining being a highly mobile industry – as many miners are moving to mining-friendly states such as Texas – if more states or Congress pass legislation similar to New York's moratorium, this will inevitably drive mining operations outside of the United States to countries like Brazil, which has offered tax incentives for crypto miners. Even so, the White House's report offers a sober but optimistic outlook for the future of crypto in the US as long as more research and efforts are made to reduce the overall environmental impact.
Executive Power of Uruguay Presents New Crypto Bill to Parliament
The executive power of Uruguay has presented a bill to the country's parliament regarding crypto in the country. The bill seeks to clarify further how cryptoasset activities will be regulated and which agencies will oversee these activities. If passed, the bill would change the organic charter of the Central Bank of Uruguay and introduce the Superintendence of Financial Services as the primary watchdog of the crypto industry and virtual asset service providers. The bill defines virtual asset service providers as any entity "that regularly and professionally provide one or more virtual asset services to third-parties" in the country.
About Kate Goldman
Kate Goldman is Senior Policy Associate at Elliptic. Before joining the company, she worked within the Milken Institute's Center for Financial Markets – leading the Center's FinTech Program. In this role, Kate worked closely with industry stakeholders to advise regulators on developing cryptoasset policies. While serving in this role, she led the Milken Institute's FinTech Advisory Council and organized numerous expert roundtable discussions. Kate also published a series of reports and papers related to pro-innovation policy frameworks for burgeoning technologies. She is an experienced public speaker and a board member of the Modern Markets Initiative.
kate.goldman@elliptic.co
Crypto Regulatory Affairs: SEC Announces Insider Trading Charges Against Coinbase Employees
Crypto Regulatory Affairs: SEC Sets the Stage for DeFi Oversight
Crypto Regulatory Affairs: SEC Shares Views on DeFi Risks, Regulation and Opportunities
Crypto Regulatory Affairs: SEC Launches Investigation Into Uniswap Developer


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�Better transport bedrock of economic growth�
FILE: Vehicles plying on a road in Kathmandu on Wednesday, October 19, 2016.Traffic has returned to normal in the Valley after Dashain. Photo: THT
'Better transport bedrock of economic growth'
Sustainable transport forms the bedrock of sustainable economic development and social progress, over and above its immense direct contribution to poverty reduction and delivery of vital services.
Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Dhana Bahadur Tamang said so while addressing the Plenary Session of the Global Sustainable Transport Conference held in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan on 27 November 2016.
Tamang is leading the Nepali delegation to the conference.
He said the conference on sustainable transport organised by the United Nations will have significant impact on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
"A number of Sustainable Development Goals are directly or indirectly linked to sustainable transport. The issues of road safety, importance of resilient infrastructure, access to transport have been well incorporated under respective SDGs.
Also, numerous cross-cutting sectors of the SDGs have a direct bearing on the development of sustainable transport," Secretary Tamang stated.
Stating that Nepal has commenced the integration of SDGs into the national development plan, he said, "In that backdrop and as a least developed, land-locked and a high-cost mountainous economy, due mainly to the transport challenges it has to overcome, Nepal attached particular importance to this conference.
We also appreciate the work of the UN towards making it a genuine success for countries like Nepal as well."
Sustainable development without peace and stability is beyond imagination.
A country that underwent a decade-long conflict has now embarked upon the path to peace and development. Last year, a democratic and people-centric constitution was promulgated through the democratic and participatory process, concluding the nationally-owned peace process.
The next step is to institutionalise the hard-earned peace, which is possible through the rapid socioeconomic development.
The total length of the roads of strategic importance in Nepal has reached 15,000 kms, which provides more than 90 per cent of total transport services.
The number of vehicles has increased to 2.3 million, which is extremely high given the carrying capacity. At the same time, since two-wheelers dominate the means of road transport the number of road accidents has escalated.
Air transport accounts for about 8 per cent of the transportation services, while railway development has not yet gained momentum. Despite some good potentials, water transport is still at the exploratory phase.
Nepal has encouraged private investments, nationally as well as internationally, for transport related infrastructure building.
There exists a huge gap between development needs and resources available. The countries in special situation are in need of an enhanced level of support and facilitation from the international community.
Nepal calls for the fulfilment of commitments made under global development agendas. Cross-border transit facility for the landlocked countries has to be made more efficient and effective under bilateral, regional and multilateral frameworks.
There is equally important need for multilateral trading systems and international financial institutions to accord higher priorities to vulnerable countries.
#United Nations #poverty reduction #economic growth #Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport #sustainable transport #sustainable economic development

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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What is the order of the Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies?
Image: ©Hallmark
In 2013, the TV series Signed, Sealed, Delivered hit screens. The show, about postal workers who seek to deliver seemingly undeliverable mail, ran for one season on Hallmark, but proved popular enough to spawn a run of television movies.
How many movies? Probably more than you think.
In this post, I will highlight how many Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies there are, where they fit in with the television series, and what order they should be watched in. So, if you wish to know more (and of course you do), then read on!
The Signed, Sealed, Delivered TV series
OK, before I get onto the movies, I must first mention the TV series. As noted above, Signed, Sealed, Delivered started out as a television series. However, before the series even began, there was a pilot TV movie!
The pilot movie – which starred Eric Mabius and Kristin Booth – was called Second Chances. The film aired on the Hallmark Channel on October 12th 2013 and was a hit with audiences.
The following year, Second Chances was picked up as a series which ran for a total of ten episodes. The initial TV movie/series viewing order is as follows:
Second Chances (TV movie)
Time to Start Livin'
The Edge of Forever
The Future Me
Dark of Night
The Treasure Box
A Hope and a Future
The series ended in June 2014, but that wasn't the end of the road for Signed, Sealed, Delivered – it was merely the beginning of a new journey.
The Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies in order
Rather than continue Signed, Sealed, Delivered as a television show, Hallmark opted to rework the series as a collection of movies. By doing this, Signed, Sealed, Delivered would air two to three times a year, for multiple years.
The first movie hit screens in November 2014 under the title of Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas. This was followed in 2015 by three movies: From Paris with Love, Truth Be Told, and The Impossible Dream.
Three more movies aired in 2016, including From the Heart, One in a Million, and Lost Without You. Two movies aired in 2017: Higher Ground, and Home Again.
In 2018, two additional movies were broadcast. The first was The Road Less Travelled, which aired in February, while the second was To the Altar, which aired in July. Another new movie then aired in 2021, called The Vows We Have Made.
Between 2014 and 2018, a total of 12 Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies appeared on Hallmark. All but two of the movies (From the Heart) were directed by Kevin Fair.
If you wish to watch the Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies in order, begin with the pilot movie (Second Chances) and the ten-episode TV series, then watch the movies in the following order:
Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas (2014)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: From Paris with Love (2015)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Truth Be Told (2015)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Impossible Dream (2015)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: From the Heart (2016)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: One in a Million (2016)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Lost Without You (2016)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Higher Ground (2017)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Home Again (2017)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Road Less Travelled (2018)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: To the Altar (2018)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made (2021)
And that should give you all the Signed, Sealed, Delivered content you could ever wish for.
If you're a fan of Signed, Sealed, Delivered, or you're just getting into the Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies, then you may wish to know that the original TV show is currently available on DVD.
The entire first season is available on Region 1 DVD as the Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Complete Series collection.
The Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Complete Series collection is available from all good entertainment stockists, including Amazon US.
Thank you for stopping by It's A Stampede! to read this post on the Signed, Sealed, Delivered movie series. For more posts, take a look at these fabulous recommended reads below.
Will there be another Signed, Sealed, Delivered movie?
Kristin Booth thanks fans for new Signed, Sealed, Delivered movie
What is the order of the Wedding Veil movies?
What is the order to watch the Aurora Teagarden Mystery movies?
What is the best order to watch The Good Witch movies?
Tom Selleck provides update on tenth Jesse Stone movie
Disclaimer: I earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
Tags: Eric Mabius, Films, From Paris with Love, Hallmark, Hallmark movies, Higher Ground, Home Again, Lost Without you, Movies, One in a Million, Second Chances, Signed Sealed Delivered, Signed Sealed Delivered for Christmas, Signed Sealed Delivered movie order, The Hallmark Channel, The Impossible Dream, Truth be Told
Categories: Films, Nostalgia, Streaming, TV
35 Responses to What is the order of the Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies?
Marilyn Phillips September 7, 2020
WAS SIGNED, SEALED,DELIVERED:TO THE ALTER THE LAST OF THESE MOVIES?
Alex Wiggan September 7, 2020
Yes, unless the movie series is continued, this is the final movie for now.
JIM September 15, 2020
I AM TRYING TO CATCH UP NO MORE MOVIES AFTER THE ONE ABOUT THE ALTER????
I AM SORRY I WATCHED THE MAROTHON ON HALLMARK A FEW WEEKS AGO I WAS HOOKED WHAT IS THE LAST ONE AND ANY PLANS ON MORE
Alex Wiggan September 15, 2020
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: To the Altar was the final entry, which aired in 2018. Unless Hallmark decide to revive this series of movies, that is it.
Rita Dutton September 14, 2020
I hope there are more signed, sealed, delivered. So refreshing and a break from Hallmark romantic movies where you can predict what will happen every time. Like the mysteries a lot better.
Norma McDonald October 14, 2021
Please we need more signed sealed delivered movies
BELINDA GAGLIO September 22, 2020
We need Much much more!
Signed Sealed and Delivered is great!
Sandra Frye October 3, 2020
Signed Sealed & Delivered to me are by far the best movies of Hallmark. They are mysterious, funny, sweet and sad, and are much better then the regular movies to me. I wish they were a series. The actors are great and it's a different story every time. They are better than the Teagarden movies and love stories to me.
Celeste February 8, 2021
I wholeheartedly agree!
1. I wish HM would show all of the SSD movies at one time on TV & announce their showing in advance
2. I hope that HM will have more SSD movies & show the marriage of Mr O'Toole & Shane😊
Karen Pooley October 8, 2020
In 2019 they made an announcement that signed sealed delivered would be moving to the Hallmark Drama channel. They said they were working on another movie that would air 2020. I guess with everything in 2020 they didn't get it finished. Not sure if they even started but I'm always on the lookout and I'm hooked😃
Alex Wiggan October 8, 2020
Yeah, 2020 has caused a lot of disruption for the TV/movie industry. If another movie arrives, I'll be sure to update the list. 🙂
Barbara Rogers October 8, 2020
I love the
Signed, Sealed, Delivered Movies. Where can I see them and get copies of them?
If you live in the US, I believe all of them are currently available to buy digitally through Amazon, and some can be streamed through Hallmark Movies Now, which is an add-on channel via Amazon. 🙂
Mary Smith October 12, 2020
I wish they would do re runs on the Hallmark Chanel instead of re running some of the movies 20 times. I have just found the Signed Sealed Delivered series and just love it. Would like to see more.
Colleen Morgan January 26, 2021
We need more Signed, Sealed, Delivered seasons. It is my favorite of all on Hallmark
Alex Wiggan January 27, 2021
I believe another entry is due in 2021.
Will they be doing another marathon with the signed, sealed and delivered episodes?
Unsure, but it's possible as I believe another entry is due out in 2021.
Nory June 28, 2021
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is airing the Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies on July 9th 2021 starting at 6am.
djt65 January 30, 2021
I recently came across Signed Sealed Delivered – Higher Ground. Loved it. I would like to see the series from the beginning, starting with Second Chances. Is there any way that I can get this and subsequent episodes? I live in Australia.
I believe the Australian Amazon has movies and the TV series available on DVD. Hope this helps. 🙂
Kathleen H Rossin February 2, 2021
I just watched most of the Marathon on the series….Loved them all. Would love to be able to buy the DVD's.
Ashley Keyes February 9, 2021
Hi! Thanks for putting this page together 🙂
In Canada, they are showing this every Saturday Evening from 6pm-8pm on VisionTV (channel 60 Rogers / 213 & 1213 Bell). We discovered it in the Fall and fell in love with the Postables!! Think we saw every one… coincidentally the Signed Sealed and Delivered: to the Altar was the first one we saw!
I think they were aired in order.. so I highly suggest watching this Saturday Feb 13 if you want to see the first one (aired 2013), since the Altar one just aired on Feb 6.
Enjoy!!! 🙂
– Ashley from Toronto
Pamela Hollands April 20, 2021
Hello from Australia. Have been a fan of Hallmark Mysteries (Murder) for sometime. Some Murder Mystery series have been shown on our pay tv Fox Sleuth channel, but I discovered a Signed, Sealed Delivered movie on an obscure channel early this year and have fallen in love with the characters and stories. The movies were recently released here on DVD, then I tracked down the series and the pilot. Happy Happy. Hallmark need to do more Signed Sealed Delivered movies. Love the actors. Love their characters. Fab show. My favourite.
Michael Castle April 27, 2021
Can you replay the episode a female soldier was wounded in Afghanistan? The post office was trying to decode clues to rescue the US soldier.. They had a second story also With Rita running for Miss Special Delivery. One contestant sang the impossible dream. America the beautiful was a theme song. I would like to record it or buy the video. It was a tremendous story, very touching great acting.
Sounds like "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Truth Be Told" which Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is airing on July 9th 2021 at 6am.
Alicia York July 13, 2021
It could also be Signed, Sealed, Delivered: An Impossible Dream which was kind of the conclusion to "Truth Be Told"
Becky Schafer July 15, 2021
Yes, the movie you want is "The Impossible Dream". The woman in this movie was introduced in a previous movie titled "Truth Be Told". The 2nd movie ("Impossible Dream") can stand alone, but I would suggest watching the other one first if you can.
Pam April 29, 2021
Also wish they would continue with these movies with the original cast. We need more of these mysteries.
Sheri Testa April 29, 2021
Having just begun to watch this series – and out of order – I'm confused. Oliver finds out his father died in "Truth Be Told" and receives the estate from his lawyer in the next one, "The Impossible Dream". But 4 episodes later, "Higher Ground", Oliver's father, Joe is in this episode. What am I missing? Thanks for your help.
Gigi May 1, 2021
His biological father (who he never knew) died. The father in the series is not his biological father.
Robbin Lopez June 8, 2021
I love signed sealed & delivered. I laugh & cry in them & inspired as well. I ve seen 8 or 9 & would love to see them all. Robbin
Linda Covelli June 17, 2021
What episode did Rita and Norman get engaged?
Sandy Hutchinson October 20, 2021
Why is it that an incredible story line movie comes along that brings such love, hope, and joy to a fallen world and it appears to be discontinued? Most of the Hallmark movies have become so predictable, and in my option the quarterly series are
just another soap opera. Thank you for airing Signed, Sealed, and Delivered to your faithful viewers. I'm hopeful that this movie can become a series once again, and I believe the incredible actors would love to do this continued series as well. Hopeful…
Doug Tarpley January 13, 2022
My wife and I just recently discovered this film series "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" and fell in love with it. The themes are compelling. The characters are as well. The script, plots and dramas blended with quirky humor are unforgettable. and memorable. We've got to locate the others somehow. Thanks for your article; very much appreciated and useful to us in our search. Also answered several of our questions.
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How many I Know What You Did movies are there?
Watching Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)


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permaculture artisans
permaculture voices
Toby Hemenway @ PV1 "Why Agriculture Can Never Be Sustainable"
Location: Moved from south central WI to Portland, OR
Me again!
So, are you sad that you didn't get to go to the Permaculture Voices conference? Did you go but you can't remember what was said? Well, I am an obsessive note taker (most of the time) and I took notes at most of the talks I attended. I will share them here with you!
Please note that this is in no way a transcription. These are my notes, taken in real time, on the fly, whilst trying to look at the slides and follow along. I find that note taking helps me synthesize information. None of this should be construed as an accurate quotation, even when I put it in quotes. (For example, I'm pretty sure not a single speaker used the utterance "Yo.") Much of the time, I am trying to summarize and it's entirely possible that I've gotten some things wrong.
My third notes document is Toby Hemenway. The topic this time was "Why Agriculture Can Never Be Sustainable"
We were given a tour of Little Bighorn by a ranger and the story that he painted was that the battle of Little Bighorn was a profound change for the nation. Typically you hear there were no survivors, but of course there were, they were just Native Americans. In the 1870's gold was discovered in the Black Hills, right in the middle of the Great Sioux Reservation and Unceded Indian Territory, and the influx of white and african american gold diggers was unstoppable.
There was a great village of 7000 native americans and Custer mistook the dust and smoke for the people breaking camp (leaving). He attacked, thinking it was his only chance to move. All the soldiers were killed, and the Native Americans won the battle, but lost the war, when huge resources were brought in to retaliate.
Those Native Americans were "the free-est people of all" living in massive open spaces with incredible abundance of life (herds of 2 million bison were not unusual).
It goes back to the ancient split between the hunter/gatherers and the agriculturalists. For the farmer, the wild is the bad place. For the domesticated, the wild people are the scariest thing. They don't need anything from a government.
"When I look at my dog, she is so much wilder than I am." Agriculture is the domestication of people more than animals.
How did agriculture start? Well, first we settled places of abundance, then folks bred in abundance, then resources were used up and we had to develop agriculture. Or, hunter/gatherers were doing OK and then there was a climate change and we had to develop agriculture.
Agriculture is grounded in fear and insecurity. It is a mindset of scarcity.
We've had controlled use of fire for 800,000 years. People have been plant tending for ages (the native Californians were really big on this). There are ancient irrigation systems that predate "agriculture." At least 30K-50K years ago.
About 50K years our brains evolved to where we had more frontal cortex. "The Revolution of Symbols" The first complex art is about 40K years old. Early native americans were horticultural, not agricultural.
Foraging or Hunter/Gatherer Peoples
Horticultural Peoples - a lot of wild tending
Agricultural Peoples - we are transforming landscapes
Interesting: the Eurasians could move huge distances east and west and keep using their staple crops. The other staple crops (bananas, yams, potatoes) were developed on north/south continental masses and you couldn't move so far because the climate changes.
Also, the grain agriculture encourages massive plantings, gives you a highly storable surplus but requires technology to use it and store it. You end up needing structures to store it, people to police it, a lord to parcel it out, accountants to measure it, laws to regulate who gets it and when, punishments for those who disobey the law. Grain agriculture contains the seeds of the police state.
Farming inexorably increases population. Grains are carb rich and easily converted into calories, and that's what really amps up fertility. Cooked food (porridge) allows earlier weaning, which means more pregnancies. The average birth interval in hunter/gatherer societies is 3-4 years (nursing a toddler while eating a low carb diet decreases fertility). The birth interval of people on a grain diet can be less than yearly.
Agricultural people are less healthy. Upon taking up agriculture, the lifespan drops a quarter or so. (The lifespan comes up much later, with sanitation and other things.) There are more degenerative diseases in agricultural people. There are more epidemics (many really bad germs jump from domesticated animals to humans). People are shorter - 3-4" shorter typically (again, this didn't reverse until much much later). Famine is actually more common in agricultural societies. There were big famines less than every 10 years in the 14th-18th centuries.
Farming uses mass quantities of land. It used mass quantities of labor until the fossil fuel age arrived.
Foragers need 3 hours to gather a week's worth of food. Farmers need 2-3 days for their food, plus more time for the rent, etc.
Agriculture is portable, and this leads to conquest.
Instead of knowing that nature is enough to provide, nature became the enemy. Agriculture creates the tame/wild dichotomy. We are told we don't belong in the wilderness. That sort of thinking inexorably leads to smaller amounts of "wild." (Ed: Permaculture says we need to be there, on the land, tending it.)
Agriculture destroys functional ecosystems and the feedback from degraded ecosystems is too slow to notice (and these days we make up for the losses with chemical fertilizers).
A civilization based on agriculture:
makes nature the enemy, destroys ecosystems, is based in scarcity, is more work, fosters hierarchy, (etc, missed some)
Toby says: a civilization disconnected from nature goes insane!
Toby questions: is sustainable agriculture an oxymoron?
What about sustainable horticulture? What if it's not just a transition between foraging and farming?
The mound builders in Ohio, the Jomon of Japan tended oaks, chestnuts, beeches, buckeyes, various wild fish. The northwest coast people in america - tended camas, tended salmon. In ancient Oaxaca, they grew maize in amazing polycultures. The kumeyaay and Owens Valley Paiute. The Amazon is starting to look like a massive tended food forest - many more food plants near the rivers than chance would provide. The continental US was not the forest primeval, it was a tended food forest with chestnut, white oak, beechnuts, crabapples, cherries. . .
Permaculture is a new horticultural society. Food from a garden, not a farm, using a hoe, not a plow, small scale, mixed crops, encouraging succession (development of shrubs and trees). With permaculture, the ecosystems still function. (Story about a food forest in the jungle in South America).
Horticultural societies tend to have less hierarchy. They have more earth spirits and fewer sky gods. Seeing people as part of the ecosystem versus the stewards or dominators of the planet.
Surplus: this is difficult to define for us, because we live in a culture of scarcity. When you look at nature, you see abundance, not scarcity.
Life creates conditions conductive to life.
Permaculture says: catch and store energy and materials. (Story about a new center on basically beach in the Bahamas. Couldn't let backwater hit the ground, because it would just leach into the ocean. So, they made concrete pools, filled with sand/gravel, and sent the sewage into it. Amazing pictures of the resulting oasis that grew in just a couple of years. There's no smell, it's full of birds and butterflies and this is where people hang out—the sewage treatment lagoons!)
Permaculture says: make the least effort for the greatest effect, so that a no-place becomes our place. (Story about the painted intersection in Portland. There are now 34 of these in Portland. There is now an "intersection repair" ordinance in Portland. Cityrepair.org is where you can learn more.)
Toby says: you should revise the self-sufficient dream. So many say "I want to grow all my own food on my own property." This is sort of uniquely American, from our pioneer ancestors. Whoa dudes, where's the sharing here? How about this:
"I want to meet my food needs sustainably." This is more about community self-reliance.
Permaculture talks about zones. Closer to farther. If you live in a city/town, the zones for food are different.
Zone 1 would be your own garden, Zone 2 is your neighbors, your CSA, your community garden, Zone 3 is the farmer's market, Zone 4 would be the independent groceries with a regional focus and finally zone 5 would be the big chain supermarkets (when you sneak into Costco and hope your friends don't see you).
Food sovereignty laws: Citizens possess the right to produce, process, sell, purchase and consume local foods of their choosing. (like, raw milk)
We need to rebuild the informal economy. Can we create a pattern literate, local control of money flow?
In Seattle, there's a big public food forest going into parkland in Beacon Hill. In Portland, the architect who started the City Repair project has a food forest in front of his office on a busy street.
Let's think about peasant foods: dishes specific to a region or culture made with accessible and inexpensive ingredients. What are our indigenous foods?
Let's have community seed-saving workshops, community tool-lending libraries, education that works (permaculture for kids!)
How do we do this? Permaculture is strategy. Strategies for the transition:
—observe and assess: what is the land and resource base, where are the skills and technologies, who are the allies, what will the obstacles be, start with the low hanging fruit, identify the people who are making the policy. This is how you get things done. Get people onboard.
Putting it all together (the permaculture flower). Many people come in to permaculture via food, but it applies to the whole flower: shelter, waste, security, culture, education, law, finance, food, energy, water.
Permaculture is a decision making tool that can apply to anything. This is why I love permaculture.
When I think about the profound freedoms that we lost when we came to agriculture, it breaks my heart. In permaculture we start where we are. Permaculture offers a road map from where were are now to a place more directly connected to spirit, where we know that it is the earth and the plants and the animals and the sun that support us.
What permaculture offers is a tool kit where we can see a world of abundance. We belong here and we have enough.
Ask me about food.
How Permies.com Works (lots of useful links)
Becky Keith
Location: Kelly , NC
I loved your notes. I wish i was better at note taking. I usually have to rely on my memory. What a great lecture. So many people have forgotten or never learned about the Native American cultures. My father was Cherokee, So I was exposed at a young age to permaculture . He was a great steward of the land. We often foraged in the woods as children and lived off the land in a small cabin that he built near Cougar, Washington. When he passed away we moved to a mountain farm in northern NY. As an adult I also traveled and stayed in South Dakota, in Rapid City. I also spent some time in Wisconsin as well. Your notes took me back to those times. Thank you.
Live life full and free.
Miles Flansburg
Location: Zones 2-4 Wyoming and 4-5 Colorado
A video lecture along the same lines.
how permies.com works
real sounding name policy
Hi Becky, glad you liked the notes. It was a really good lecture. So many people have no idea. . .
Diana Robertson
Location: Just moved from Waldport, OR to Pismo Beach, CA
Thanks, Julia, for your wonderful notes, and thanks, Miles, for the video link – Toby is an amazing writer, teacher and paradigm-changer!
Hey Miles. Thanks for posting the video. What a fantastic speaker. I really enjoyed it. It has inspired me to work even harder setting up the permaculture gardens. Right now i have a bank slate of 8 acres that has been sitting basically 30 years. A few of the acres was cleared around the house with 2 traditional gardens and the rest is overgrown pine and live oak. Trees growing so close together that they choke each other out. Right now i am having it selectively cut and cleared removing most of the pine and scrub. I will also thin out some of the live oak. Then I plan to plant lots of fruit and nut trees as well as fruit bearing bushes.It will be an ongoing process over the next few years. This is all wonderful information I can use as I plan what and where I will plant.
Erik Ohlsen
For those who are ready to dive in and start a viable career in moving our human culture from an agriculture-based one to a horticulture-based one, Toby and I are co-teaching an intensive, 9-month, 450-hour Ecological Landscaper Immersion (ELI) Program at the Permaculture Skills Center in Northern CA starting this June! Learn more at our website.
Learn more by watching this webinar about the program:
look! it's a bird! it's a plane! It's .... a teeny tiny ad
Control Garden Pests without Toxic Chemicals
https://permies.com/t/96977/Natural-pest-control-garden
Indigenous Permaculture- What, where, how, who and why?
Horitcultural Societies in History & Today
Non-Hierarchical Paleo Permaculture Hunter-Gatherer Intentional Community
fukuoka farming in national forest?
Creating a Permaculture Food Forest is Not Always the Answer
The official permies.com Book Review Grid with more than 100 books listed
Horticulture of the United States of Pocahontas (husp)
sound and projector in auditorium
The Wheaton Eco Scale
how to get permaculture apples into safeway?


In 1604 the electors 'by one assent and consent' returned Sir William Hervey I, keeper of St. Andrew's Castle, situated on the coast, and Norton's kinsman, Sir William Kingswell, the highest rated subsidy payer in the town.8 Norton was probably responsible for nominating Sir Walter Tichborne in 1614, and the junior seat went to Edward Savage I, a Hampshire magistrate who was in desperate need of parliamentary privilege. In 1620 Norton reserved both seats for himself and his brother-in-law Sir John Hippisley, the marquess of Buckingham's 'principal favourite'.9 Hippisley sat again in 1624, this time with Sir John Jephson; both men had recently accompanied Charles and Buckingham to Spain. Jephson in turn sat again in 1625, though he conceded the senior seat to Norton's cousin Sir William Uvedale. In the last two parliaments of the reign Uvedale was joined by Benjamin Tichborne, son of Sir Walter. There is no evidence that Petersfield pursued any legislation during the early Stuart period, and its Members, most of whom were drawn from the Hampshire gentry, presumably served without wages.
2. VCH Hants, iii. 111-16.
3. R.S. Atcheson, Rep. of Case of Petersfield, 10-11.
4. E.M. Yates, Petersfield in Tudor Times (Petersfield Pprs. v), 24.
6. VCH Hants, iii. 114-15.
7. E.A. Minty, Hist. Petersfield, 30.
9. Chamberlain Letters ed. N.E. McClure, ii. 152.


text:
It's time to meet the Muppets!
By WomansDay.com Editors
I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, Miss Piggy was the first style icon I ever looked up to. Who else can rock metallic purple eyeshadow while batting her extra-long lashes at Kermie? The over-the-top porcine Muppet with a penchant for anything pink was embracing her inner fabulousness long before the Simpson women were modeling for the Gap. See her in action on season two of The Muppet Show, which originally aired from 1976–1977 and is now on DVD ($39.99).
The four-disc, 24-episode set stars Jim Henson's singing, dancing, pun-quipping creations and features guest appearances by celebs from Elton John (decked out in rhinestones and playing "Crocodile Rock"!) to Steve Martin (making balloon animals!) to Julie Andrews (singing "The Lonely Goatherd" with a Muppet goat!). You can see clips at muppets.go.com (click on "Muppets on DVD").
Also in the set is The Muppets Valentine Special, a 1974 program starring Mia Farrow that has only aired twice. And there's a video for "Keep Fishin'" off the band Weezer's 2002 album Maladroit. In the clip, the band appears as guests on The Muppet Show and Muppets sing backup. (Watch it here on YouTube.)
An unforgettable theme song ("It's time to put on makeup./It's time to dress up right…"), classic skits like "Pigs in Space" and those cranky critics in the corner—why don't they make shows like this anymore? Buy a set for yourself or a kid you love.—Jennifer Conrad
Who's your favorite Muppet? The Swedish Chef? Lovable Fozzie Bear? Let me know in Comments.
It's Tea Time!
Frustrated? It's Time for a Little Fun!


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Q: Configuring BNO details in a node in corda So if a node joins multiple business networks,where is it storing the info regrading the business network which it is a participant of?Is it really storing or configuring details like party object of the BNO?

A: Multiple business networks could run within the same corda network say insurance network, supply chain network etc. The nodes in the network are free to install cordapps and transact with other nodes in the network. Thus business network in this context is a logical construct.
Take a look at the diagram in the below link which shows how different nodes could choose to install cordapps and be part of different business networks while being within a single corda network.
https://solutions.corda.net/business-networks/interoperability.html
There is no configuration details stored for these business network but each business network could have their own governance and operations structure.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Q: Feature or keyboard shortcut in eclipse Kepler for copying type hierarchy As per Joshua Goldberg's comment I interpret that you can copy the entire type hierarchy to clipboard. However I am unable to find the keyboard shortcut to do this, tried searching on bug page.
Right now I select the classes one by one from type hierarchy that implement interface or extend a class, and copy them to text file, but I would guess there is a keyboard shortcut or feature to copy the entire hierarchy or even export it in some format. I just want to minimize the human error while listing all the classes.
Can somebody please point me to the right place. I am working on eclipse Kepler release build 20130614-0229, on Windows 7 64 bit.
Thanks.
EDIT: As per comment from PopoFibo below, there does not seem a way to do this.
I would be under impression, that since the type hierarchy is shown as a tree, and someone parses and fills those data slots. It would be just another extension to export them as XML or text file. Too much wishful thinking.


Diets are changing worldwide with increasing amounts of saturated fats, sugar and calories. These diets are known to cause obesity, hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. There is increasing evidence that this diet affects learning and memory, as well.
Learn how a diet high in saturated fat and sugar affects brain function and what you can do to keep your brain healthy. Enroll now for this free course.


In Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, John Wood recounted the story of how a hiking trip through Nepal resulted in his decision to quit a high-paying executive position at Microsoft and start a non-profit to build libraries in the developing world. In the five years covered by Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, Room to Read grew from a tiny start up into a huge force for literacy and education in the developing world. Creating Room to Read is Wood's update on the organization's next stage, expanding to ten countries and opening 10 000 libraries in ten years, as well as their foray into the world of local language publishing, and the challenges of doing business on the African continent.
Creating Room to Read is an update of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, as well as a more articulate and substantial look at the organization's work. Wood retreads enough ground that it isn't necessary to have read his first book, but briefly enough not to bore those who have. The new book is harder hitting, examining several serious challenges the organization faced in this critical growth period. The first national director in South Africa was fired for misappropriating funds, an entrepreneur failed to deliver on his significant matching donation, and a five million dollar pledge was withdrawn in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Wood continues to show how he applied his business acumen to the organization's challenges, but securely established as a philanthropist, there are far fewer Microsoft references in Creating Room to Read. Those with a particular interest in Wood's connection to the technology giant will probably be more interested in Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. There is much less of Wood's personal life in this book, though his relationship with his parents, and their involvement with Room to Read continue to figure prominently.
Creating Room to Read revisits some of the people and places featured in Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, following up on the success of the first library in Bahundanda, Nepal, and Wood's Vietnamese friend Vu, who Wood helped further his education before he ever dreamed of starting Room to Read. Both the revisitations, and the attention to Room to Read's assessment and growth processes will be reassuring for readers who are looking to get to know the organization before making a donation or becoming involved in fundraising. Room to Read is not an organization content to rest on its laurels, and nor is a now seven year old book sufficient to tell the story of such an adaptive enterprise.


The technology provided by Canova & Clo manages to satisfy all types of 2D and 3D laser cutting requirements relating to plate-metal materials, tubes and profiles.
Canova & Clo performs operations such as tube and profile bending and shaping to extremely high professional standards and with outstanding expertise.
Canova & Clo 's latest-generation robotized welding systems make it possible to work a range of materials with lengths of up to 4500 mm.
The company boasts an integrated data management system able to monitor the different company departments: sales, material requirements, production launch and related machining centre planning, monitoring of production progress in real time and final accounting of production orders and of the administrative-financial area.
The ongoing training of personnel and continuous company commitment to ensure a perfect mix of price, service and quality are decisive aspects for achieving our main goal: total customer satisfaction.
We have cutting-edge machinery able to carry out different types of cutting, up to a 20 mm thickness, with extreme speed and precision.
3D Laser technology ensures clean, precise and fast cuts, and a top-quality end product.
The flexibility of laser cutting tubes and profiles allows making immediate technical modifications to the product, optimizing and industrializing the production cycle.
For tube and profile bending operations, we use CNC machines with automatic loading/unloading devices, guaranteeing professional expertise and technical support.
We are able to very quickly manage a range of tube and profile calendering operations, i.e., their deformation with relatively ample radii.
Thanks to CNC systems, we can shape the ends of tubes and profiles, making semi-finished products ready to use.
Our bending and pressing departments complement one other to provide semi-finished parts ready for use on the finished product.
Our goal is to supply complete semi-finished parts, thanks to our latest-generation robotized welding systems with an operating range of up to 4500 mm working length.
We are able to make finished products ready for shipment, including assembly and surface treatments such as: painting, chrome plating, etc..
Do you have any particular enquiry? Contact us.


You already know that varicose veins are a cosmetic nuisance. But did you know that there is more to varicose veins than cosmetic problems, and that they can even cause unexpected side effects? Read on to learn more from a reputable NC vascular doctor, Dr. Joel Deonanan, on the causes and some unexpected side effects of varicose veins.
What do the residents of Winston-Salem need to know about the side effects of varicose veins?
In order to better understand the side effects of varicose veins, it is helpful to understand a little bit about the causes of varicose veins. Inside our veins, we have tiny valves that open and close to ensure that blood flows in one direction, towards the heart. These valves must work against gravity to help the blood move all the way from our feet back up to our heart.
Varicose veins develop when these valves begin to weaken or become damaged, leading to a condition known as venous insufficiency. Venous insufficiency allows blood to flow downwards, due to gravity, and pool in our legs, ankles or feet. As you can imagine, this pooling can lead to enlarged veins or varicose veins, as well as swollen legs and ankles: one of the most common side effects of varicose veins.
In addition to swelling, many people experience aching or a heavy feeling in the legs. But the vascular doctors in Winston-Salem tell us that what surprises many people most are the psychological side effects of varicose veins. Many people begin to feel quite self-conscious, not only about covering up their varicose veins, but also about getting out of the house to do the things they used to do. Without treatment, varicose veins only worsen; they do not heal on their own. Further side effects can include skin ulcers, which are very difficult to treat, and even DVT (deep vein thrombosis), or blood clots. Such blood clots can be deadly and kill up to 300,000 Americans every year.
How can an NC vein treatment center such as Novant Health Vein Specialists help?
Modern treatments for varicose veins are simple, quick, and involve no hospital visits. These treatments include sclerotherapy, microphlebectomy, laser ablation and radiofrequency ablation of varicose veins. All of these treatments are minimally invasive, meaning they can be performed right in our NC varicose vein treatment center in about an hour, with minimal discomfort and minimal downtime.
The right treatment for your varicose veins will depend on a number of things, including the location and extent of your veins and your personal risk profile. The best way to get started at our Winston-Salem vein clinic is to make an initial appointment, at which we will provide you with a professional venous health evaluation. After that, we will be able to work with you to design a treatment plan that fits with your busy schedule and that achieves both your aesthetics goals and eliminates any of the side effects of varicose veins that you have been experiencing.
So please give our clinic a call at 336-245-4890 or go online to set up that first appointment. We look forward to restoring the health and beauty of your legs while effectively eliminating the various side effects that varicose veins can cause.


text:
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
by Josh Eberly
Hunter Biden Cashed In to Fuel His Drug and Sex Habits
by George Neumayr
Targeting People With Mental Illness and Dementia for Euthanasia
by Wesley J. Smith
A Red Wave Through the Bayou
by Scott McKay
Is Mass Immigration Killing Two-Party Democracy in the U.S.?
by James Delmont
Hot Off
Biden Watch
Biden's Press Conference: A Profile in Complacency
Free the Market
Ex-Im Is Wasteful Enough Abroad — We Don't Need It at Home
by Veronique de Rugy
California Watch
Let's Double Our Taxes!
by Steven Greenhut
Another Perspective
These Five Public Figures Refused to Be Canceled
by Martha Rosenberg
Daily Folios and Consecutive Sentences
Yes, Let's Destroy Sinema, Rip Out Her Guts, and Feed Her to Fire Ants
by Dov Fischer
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is a senior consultant for the Gerard Group International LLC. His first book, My Year Inside Radical Islam, will be published in Winter 2007 by Tarcher/Penguin.
It all reminds me of July 1, 1987 when President Ronald Reagan nominated Judge Robert Bork for an opening on the Supreme Court. He had it made in the shade, said my complacent conservative friends. The result was brutal. But we do not have to look back 32 years to see how unruly the leftwing mob can be. Recall the recent fate of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Only his courage and unscotchable determinate saved him. The simple fact is that the conservatives are often slow on the draw against the American left. Only the Wall Street Journal and the intrepid New York Sun have come out swinging for Moore. It is time for the conservatives to rally around him. He can probably win with the President on his side. He apparently has the votes. Yet the coming battle would be a lot less bloody if the conservative movement were to take the field on Moore's behalf — and make it clear that from now on they are going to wage war for the President's nominees. Print


text:
Home » Elite Class Warfare » Former Iceland PM faces trial over bank collapse
Former Iceland PM faces trial over bank collapse
Icelandic lawmakers have concluded the country's former prime minister ought to be tried for "economic negligence" over the catastrophic failure of its banking system and currency. A special investigation committee, known popularly as the Truth Commission, recommended that Geir Haarde, the former prime minister, stand trial, along with Björgvin Sigurdsson, the former minister of commerce, and Árni Mathiesen, the former minister of finance. It found during an 18-month inquiry that the three men showed recklessness in their handling of Iceland's financial crisis, which brought down its three banks and crippled the currency in October 2008. The crisis also sparked a diplomatic row with Britain over the £2.3 billion bill for the failure of Icesave, an internet bank based in Reykjavik that offered high-interest rate accounts to UK savers.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/iceland/7997855/Former-Iceland-PM-faces-trial-over-bank-collapse.html


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One Shot, Two Shot: The Differences Between the Two Vaccine Types
Why some vaccines require two shots instead of just one
ANDREW DRESSNER
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines and require a two-shot regimen for full vaccination.
By GUS DUPREE
For all the talk about vaccines, there exists an important question that many don't understand the science behind: What's the difference between a one-shot and two-shot vaccine? Thankfully, the answer for why some vaccines involve an additional jab is far simpler than you might think.
According to Patricio Meneses, who holds a doctorate in neuroscience and is the chair of the biological sciences department at Rose Hill, a two-dose vaccine is meant to better acclimate your body's two main defenses of the immune system: B-cells, which create antibodies that detect and bind to a virus' protein receptors and prevent it from infecting other cells, and T-cells, which absorb and destroy viruses themselves.
"Within the first three to five days of exposure, the process is only still beginning, when your B-cells are still creating antibodies," Meneses explained. "As you begin to go through this process, you make more and more cells that target the antigen itself. Eventually, your body has produced enough antibodies and T-cells to fight and eliminate the virus."
"You can never get infected with coronavirus via vaccine; you are only getting that spike protein." Patricio Meneses, chair of the biological sciences department at Fordham College at Rose Hill
Both Pfizer and Moderna are mRNA vaccines. As the name suggests, these vaccines contain segments of the novel coronavirus's mRNA, which can only produce certain proteins found in the virus rather than fully infecting a host. "The way the vaccine works, you can't make more mRNA; you can only make more mRNA if you actually have the virus," Meneses said. The mRNA itself is coded by our cells' ribosomes, which in turn produce copies of the novel coronavirus's protein receptor, the ubiquitous "spikes" commonly seen on depictions of the coronavirus.
Meneses stated that the protein receptor, ACE-2, acts as an antigen, or a toxin that the immune system recognizes and produces antibodies to fight against. The protein receptor is then sensed by the immune system, which responds by producing antibodies meant to latch onto the ACE-2 receptors and prevent them from attaching to and infecting human cells.
"You can never get infected with coronavirus via vaccine; you are only getting that spike protein," Meneses clarified. "Your body is now making antibodies that can recognize this protein when they see it, and attach to it, thus preventing infection."
Each dose given in a two-shot vaccine is actually identical to the other. In other words, you're receiving the exact same vaccine several weeks later. The reason for dividing them into two doses is to better acclimate the host to these antigens. When your body detects any antigens, the immune response is triggered, which includes the telltale symptoms of lethargy, muscle aches, fever and nausea. These side effects of the vaccine are not from the coronavirus itself, but rather your body's natural response to foreign invaders.
This is why two-shot vaccines are administered, as they expose our bodies to the novel coronavirus's antigens more gradually, allowing for the immune system to build the respective antibodies. This is how immunization works, as an inoculated individual who is exposed to the coronavirus already has the antibodies necessary to stop the virus from infecting the body.
So why space the doses out? According to Meneses, "the two doses back-to-back may get you a ton of memory cells." Memory cells house previous antibodies your body has utilized, acting as an archive of sorts. The higher quantity of memory cells activated by an immediate second dose may unnecessarily trigger your immune response. Additionally, Meneses stated that "over a three-to-four week period the chances of getting enough memory cells is actually higher," thus better ensuring your immunity while avoiding the worst of the side effects.
Fordham Expands Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses
Fordham Plans Ahead As Vaccine Rollout Slugs Along
How the Pandemic May Be Affecting Student Burnout and Mental Health
Another reason behind two-shot vaccines is also one of logistics and availability, Meneses stated. "When it comes to delivery of the drug it really depends on if you can get a second dose at all," Meneses said.
Many countries without the means to produce their own vaccines receive exported one-shot vaccines, such as the one-shot Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca. While this has created a dilemma of rich countries dumping supposedly inferior vaccines on poorer ones, the reality is that any dose of any vaccine that is currently approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be trusted.
"From our perspective," Meneses concluded, "they're both just as good."
Stay up to date with The Observer's weekly newsletter:
Patricio Meneses
GUS DUPREE, Former Assistant Sports & Health Editor
Gus Dupree, FCLC '22, is a psychology major who enjoys writing about mental health. His favorite memories at The Observer are working on student surveys and advertising them in the plaza. He can be found working in empty classrooms around campus or ordering a chicken parmesan sandwich at your local bodega.
ANDREW DRESSNER, Photo Editor
Andrew Dressner (he/him), FCLC '23, is a photo editor at The Observer and is majoring in natural science on the pre-med track. Outside of The Observer, Andrew loves taking photos, is an EMT and enjoys rock climbing.
Dingle's Unparalleled Scoring Not Enough in Loss to St. Louis, 87-84
Stranger Sings!' Turns the Hit Netflix Series 'Upside Down'
From Gym Rat to Yoga Mat
Celebrations, Snubs and Historic Moments: What You Missed from the 80th Golden Globe Awards
Fordham Stars Show Off in Annual Hula Bowl
Cancel Colleen Hoover
I Hate Dogs and I Am Not a Horrible Human Being
'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' Has No Business Being This Good, but I'm Glad It Is
What Happened to Katy Perry's Career?
ABA Removes LSAT Requirement for Law Schools
DAILY MINI CROSSWORDS
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So you didn't answer the phone. That's how you operate these days: accept calls you know, and keep your money in your wallet. You never know who's going to try to take it, and in the new book "No Sunscreen for the Dead" by Tim Dorsey, not everyone has a hero to get it back.
Serge had always wanted to, and there was no better time than when they were touring Florida's Gulf-side "Retirement Coast." The tour was also a great excuse to meet senior "heroes" — veterans and once-upon-a-time volunteers — and to right some wrongs that Serge knew had been done.
Decisions, decisions: start a new mystery tonight, or dig into something funny? Why not have the best of both by layering on "No Sunscreen for the Dead"?


Vaibhav : What happened Sameer?
Sameer : He killed my dog who was my only companion when I don't come here.
On hearing that Vaibhav was shocked.
Vaibhav : Who killed your dog, Sameer ?
Sameer : I can't tell his name or he will kill me as well.
Vaibhav : Stop this nonsense. We both are here; just tell me who killed your dog. Just see yourself somebody has made a picture of that on the wall.
Sameer : I see, it must be drawn by him only. I was roaming here alone when he called me across the wall but I refused. He gets angry whenever I refuse him. After sometime when I went across the wall; I saw him standing beside my dog that was cut in half. His face and hand was dark red. He was still holding his axe in his hands. I tried to confront him; but he chased me up to the wall when I jumped here.
Vaibhav : Should we tell to others?
Sameer : I don't know. He is a good guy who always helps me but at times when I don't listens to him; he gets furious.
Vaibhav hears a grunt across the wall. They run toward the exit of the college; as the college is already deserted except for few late goers; they come out from the main gate at the road.
Vaibhav : What should we do now?
Till now Sameer was cooled down a bit. He was still in pain at the loss of his friendly dog that he loved much. But now he was in panic for his grandmother.
Sameer : Oh. Don't think too much about him now; he cools down when the college is vacant. I will go inside the society's compound from the main gate. But I will never forgive him for what he did today.
Vaibhav : I will see by myself if he is beatable or not. We will teach him a good lesson never to forget.
Both walk toward the society's main gate. At the top of the gate the board shows 'The Christian Union Society'. Sameer is leading the way now as they enter inside. Vaibhav notices the layout of the society is of colonial period. All the buildings have thick walls; small ones are roofed by red bricks and a veranda. There are fountains everywhere and lush green atmosphere. All together it is a huge compound in the middle of the city. Vaibhav likes it a lot. They both go to the outmost corner of the society where Sameer lives. It was near to a deserted cemetery. At reaching their Sameer enters his house and comes back in no time.
Sameer : Everything is all right. Will you come to my house first?
Vaibhav : Not now, Sameer. It's getting late just show me the man first.
They walk toward the cemetery adjoining to the college's boundary. They search the man for half an hour; the cemetery was colossal- dilapidated old church was within the periphery of the cemetery; they search him everywhere but find nothing. The dog is still laying there cut in half. They bury the dog in the cemetery at a vacant place. As it was getting deep dark now Vaibhav says goodbye to Sameer and was about to go from there when he hears the same grunt. He turns behind and notices that a heavy black figure was standing near the wall.


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A Remembrance of Stu Smith and his Legacy of Service
By Kaushik Roy
With the passing of Stu Smith on February 3rd, San Francisco's LGBT, HIV, and Recovery communities lost one of their iconic members and leaders. Words are inadequate to try to describe the breadth of his impact and the void he leaves behind in the community. As he was for so many others, Stu was a pillar of love and strength for me. He made a huge impact on my life as an invaluable mentor and dear friend.
When I first became Executive Director of the Shanti Project, I was only 30 and completely inexperienced. Stu took me under his wing, and we were joined at the hip for a couple of years. He shared his experiences and guidance, introduced me to everyone he could, and was always so optimistic and confident in the healing and transformative powers of compassion.
Stu knew firsthand how compassion could save one's life. Ernest Hemingway reminds us that this world breaks everyone, but some of us are able to come back stronger in the places where we were broken. When this world broke Stu, he chose to heal himself. But that wasn't enough for Stu, because he realized one of the great secrets of life—that the way we go beyond healing, and actually become stronger in our broken places—is by being there for others so that they too can heal and become stronger.
I'm not sure if any of us knows anyone else that has done what Stu did for the last two decades. In his own gentle, unassuming way, he offered love and compassion to everyone he encountered. Whether it was through his recovery or all the different nonprofits in which he was involved, Stu showed up for countless numbers of people, so they could also heal and become stronger.
I would not be the person I am without Stu, and Shanti would not be the organization that it is today. The beautiful thing about Stu is that there are countless numbers of people and organizations that can say the exact same thing.
Over the last 20 years, Stu was a shining example of how to lead a truly meaningful and selfless life. Before his passing, I knew that a lot of people loved Stu. What I've realized in the two weeks since his death is just how deeply people loved Stu, and how incredibly affected others were by his caring and nurturing ways. He was truly an original and will be greatly missed. I hope we all try to follow his lead and continue his inimitable legacy of service.
Kaushik Roy serves as Executive Director of the Shanti Project, one of San Francisco's oldest community-based HIV/AIDS and cancer nonprofit agencies.
PHOTO BY STEVEN UNDERHILL


Tap The Thumbnail Bellow to See Related Gallery of "King Comforter Sets Sale Best 25 Size Ideas On Pinterest Queen 6"
Image Title: King Comforter Sets Sale Best 25 Size Ideas On Pinterest Queen 6. Filename: king-comforter-sets-sale-best-25-size-ideas-on-pinterest-queen-6.jpg. Image Dimension: 600 x 600 pixels. Images Format: jpg/jpeg. Publisher/Author: Stevie Will. Uploaded Date: Tuesday - December 12th. 2017 00:29:14 AM. Category: Architecture. Image Source: decoist.com.


text:
El Guamo () is a town and municipality located in the Bolívar Department, northern Colombia.

Sources
 El Guamo municipal website

Municipalities of Bolívar Department

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


What is the Asset Management Council?
The Asset Management Council was established to provide strategic leadership, prudent governance and to further the discipline and the profession of asset management.
Through global linkages and an active member base, its aim is to a create deeper understanding; engage communities to value and use asset management; support organisations to improve business performance and subsequently enrich the 'Asset Management Body of Knowledge'; increase the capabilities of individuals and organisations and benefit stakeholders.
The current Board is an eclectic mix of highly experienced professionals, united and focused on the common goal of contributing to deliver improved organisational effectiveness; expand perspectives and horizons, increase technical capabilities, and continuously refine the Body of Knowledge to grow and enhance the asset management community. In short, today's Board members are heavy-weights in long-haul strategic thinking; have clarity and a diverse, yet deep, inner understanding of the essential values of asset management.
Glenn Ingram, the new Chair of the Asset Management Council Board, is one such individual. Highly accredited, in mechanical engineering and management, he holds an MBA, with a multi awarded trade background as well. Glenn is a Certified Maintenance Reliability Professional and is a Certified Fellow in Asset Management and a Fellow of Engineers Australia. Glenn has received awards of Golden Key Honour society membership and an Entrepreneurship IEAust award during his studies all completed over many years part time whilst working full time. He has over 30 years' diverse industry experience and since 2002 has held significant central asset management leadership roles within global mining industries.
As Senior Manager at Rio Tinto and Principal Advisor Asset Integrity and Reliability, Glenn's primary purpose is the overall management of the Company's global bauxite and aluminium business; with responsibility for the asset management process and asset integrity and reliability across multiple international sites.
Prior to this he held the position of Head of Asset Management at Newcrest Mining, with global accountabilities in strategic asset management, practises and processes; and responsible for the Mobile Fleet, Planning, master data management, Reliability engineering, major outages, and Auditing portfolio; with asset values worth multiple billions of dollars.
His leadership of asset performance turnaround projects has been a key achievement throughout his career in a range of mining companies including Alcoa, Anaconda, Iluka Resources, Newcrest and now Rio Tinto. Ensuring a solid strategic asset management plan delivered via an integrated asset management framework and mature asset management processes is a key element of success.
Glenn Ingram considers the Asset Management Council Board as '…an enthusiastic, progressive group of like-minded professionals who want to leverage the Body of Knowledge to improve the capability of the business… and further grow AM Council's global recognition as a peak body. The board and membership have a broad and diverse mix of industry backgrounds and sector coverage which is great to be part of'.
Asset Management Council © , All Rights Reserved.


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Mysterious Black Hawk helicopter spotted near Mosul in Iraq
NewsAviation
Modified date: Feb 25, 2017
Photo by Hemn Baban/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The mysterious modification of Black Hawk helicopter was spotted Mosul city's airport in northern Iraq on February 24, 2017.
A helicopter patrols at the site as Iraqi security forces advance forward positions after they retook the Mosul International Airport during an operation carried out to retake western part of Mosul from Daesh in Mosul.
That was reported by Anadolu Agency.
According to experts, the mysterious helicopter is a special operations modification MH-60L or MH-60M Black Hawk used by the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ("Night Stalkers").
The MH-60L DAP, also known informally as the "AH-60L," the upgrade of MH-60L was initiated in 1990 with the addition of forward looking infrared (FLIR), radar and standard UH-60 external stores support systems.
Its mission is to conduct attack helicopter operations utilizing area fire or precision guided munitions and armed infiltration or exfiltration of small units.
Sikorsky MH-60L Black Hawk. Photo by Agustin Anaya
US Navy helicopter crashes in Virginia while trying to make an emergency landing


Description - This area is located immediately east of Aspen. The Hunter Creek Valley serves as Aspen's backyard for easily accessible recreation activities such as hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Attractions - Due to its easy accessiblility from Aspen, the Hunter Creek Area offers several of the most popular trails in the area including Sunnyside Trail, Hunter Valley Trail and Smuggler Mountain Road. Numerous loops are available combining these trails on foot or mountain bike. Smuggler Mountain Road is open to four-wheel drive vehicle traffic to Warren Lakes. The area is also home to McNamara and Benedict Huts of the Tenth Mountain Hut System.
Recreation - This area is very popular for hiking, mountain biking and viewing scenery. Extended trails into the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness make backpacking an option as well. In winter, Smuggler Road and the Hunter Valley become popular cross-country ski and snowshoeing areas.
Location - This area is located immediately east of Aspen. It includes the Hunter Creek Valley, Smuggler Mountain, Red Mountain and extends into the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness.


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Home » Topics » Infectious Diseases Information Center
Publish Date February 23, 2022
Nikki Kean
"The mental health fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic demands recognition, intervention, and mitigation strategies." -- Catherine R. Judd, MD, PA-C Credit: Getty Images
I am officially a statistic. After my family received our booster shots, we went into the Thanksgiving holiday feeling pretty optimistic. Little did we know that my daughter had been exposed to COVID-19 a few days before returning home from college. Hello, Delta. After recovering from Delta, we approached the Christmas holiday feeling pretty confident. Then came home my other daughter from Portland, Oregon. Welcome, Omicron.
My story is not unique. Since it was first reported in late November 2021, the Omicron variant has been steamrolling across the US, causing millions of infections. A record 1.4 million new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Monday, January 10, 2022. Not surprisingly, transmission rates have been reported as high as 99.1% in some counties.
Many health care providers have compared this new surge to the beginning of the pandemic when no one had any defenses against the virus. The sheer number of people being infected with the Omicron variant, especially younger unvaccinated children, has overwhelmed our health care system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years has grown substantially with the arrival of Omicron, while the rate for children aged 5 to 17 years has remained relatively stable.
This new surge has hit everyone hard. Just when we thought we had this thing under control, the virus had other ideas. Catherine R. Judd, MD, PA-C, recently warned of a mental health pandemic among health care workers: "The mental health fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic demands recognition, intervention, and mitigation strategies." She compares health care workers to combat veterans and warns of a moral injury, which occurs when people are forced to make decisions that shift their moral compass.
We want to know how you are faring, please take the quiz in Ms Judd's article. We will be reporting on the results of the survey in the next issue of The Clinical Advisor.
Nikki Kean, Director
The Clinical Advisor
From the January/February 2022 Issue of Clinical Advisor
COVID19 COVID19 Vaccine Infectious Disease Infectious Diseases
Next post in Infectious Diseases Information Center
Poor Outcomes Common With COVID-19, Acute Ischemic Stroke
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A picture is worth a thousand locksmiths
UC San Diego computer scientists have built a software program that can perform key duplication without having the key. Instead, the computer scientists only need a photograph of the key.
"We built our key duplication software system to show people that their keys are not inherently secret," said Stefan Savage, the computer science professor from UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering who led the student-run project. "Perhaps this was once a reasonable assumption, but advances in digital imaging and optics have made it easy to duplicate someone's keys from a distance without them even noticing."
Professor Savage presents this work on October 30 at ACM's Conference on Communications and Computer Security (CCS) 2008, one of the premier academic computer security conferences.
The bumps and valleys on your house or office keys represent a numeric code that completely describes how to open your particular lock. If a key doesn't encode this precise "bitting code," then it won't open your door.
In one demonstration of the new software system, the computer scientists took pictures of common residential house keys with a cell phone camera, fed the image into their software which then produced the information needed to create identical copies. In another example, they used a five inch telephoto lens to capture images from the roof of a campus building and duplicate keys sitting on a café table more than 200 feet away.
"This idea should come as little surprise to locksmiths or lock vendors," said Savage. "There are experts who have been able to copy keys by hand from high-resolution photographs for some time. However, we argue that the threat has turned a corner--cheap image sensors have made digital cameras pervasive and basic computer vision techniques can automatically extract a key's information without requiring any expertise."
Professor Savage notes, however, that the idea that one's keys are sensitive visual information is not widely appreciated in the general public.
"If you go onto a photo-sharing site such as Flickr, you will find many photos of people's keys that can be used to easily make duplicates. While people generally blur out the numbers on their credit cards and driver's licenses before putting those photos on-line, they don't realize that they should take the same precautions with their keys" said Savage.
As for what to do about the key duplication threat, Savage says that companies are actively developing and marketing new locking systems that encode electromagnetic secrets as well as a physical code. "Many car keys, for example, have RFID immobilizer chips that prevent duplicated keys from turning the car on." he says. In the meantime, he suggests that you treat your keys like you treat your credit card, "Keep it in your pocket unless you need to use it."
The keys used in the most common residential locks in the United States have a series of 5 or 6 cuts, spaced out at regular intervals. The computer scientists created a program in MatLab that can process photos of keys from nearly any angle and measure the depth of each cut. String together the depth of each cut and you have a key's bitting code, which together with basic information on the brand and type of key you have, is what you need to make a duplicate key.
The chief challenge for the software system, called "Sneakey," is to adjust for a wide range of different angles and distances between the camera and the key being captured. To do so, the researchers relied on a classic computer vision technique for normalizing an object's orientation and size in three dimensions by matching control points from a reference image to equivalent points in the target image.
"The program is simple. You have to click on the photo to tell it where the top of the key is, and a few other control points. From here, it normalizes the key's size and position. Since each pixel then corresponds to a set distance, it can accurately guess the height of each of the key cuts," explained Benjamin Laxton, the first author on the paper who recently earned his Master's degree in computer science from UC San Diego.
The researchers have not released their code to the public, but they acknowledge that it would not be terribly difficult for someone with basic knowledge of MatLab and computer vision techniques to build a similar system.
"Technology trends in computer vision are at a point where we need to consider new risks for physical security systems," said Kai Wang, a UC San Diego computer science graduate student and author on the new paper. Wang is a computer vision researcher working on creating systems capable of reading text on product packaging. This is part of a larger project on creating a computerized personal shopping assistant for the visually impaired from the lab of computer science professor Serge Belongie.
As a computer security expert, Savage said he particularly enjoyed working on a project with computer vision students.
"UC San Diego is very supportive of interdisciplinary work. There are many opportunities for students and faculty to get their hands dirty in fields they may not know much about a lot at first," said Savage.
Related Computer Security Articles from Brightsurf:
UCLA computer scientists set benchmarks to optimize quantum computer performance
Two UCLA computer scientists have shown that existing compilers, which tell quantum computers how to use their circuits to execute quantum programs, inhibit the computers' ability to achieve optimal performance.
Computer-based weather forecast: New algorithm outperforms mainframe computer systems
The exponential growth in computer processing power seen over the past 60 years may soon come to a halt.
Focus on food security and sustainability
The number of malnourished people is increasing worldwide. More than two billion people suffer from a lack of micronutrients.
Eliminating infamous security threats
Speculative memory side-channel attacks like Meltdown and Spectre are security vulnerabilities in computers.
UBC study: Publicizing a firm's security levels may strengthen security over time
New research from the UBC Sauder School of Business has quantified the security levels of more than 1,200 Pan-Asian companies in order to determine whether increased awareness of one's security levels leads to improved defense levels against cybercrime.
Discovery casts dark shadow on computer security
Two international teams of security researchers have uncovered Foreshadow, a new variant of the hardware vulnerability Meltdown announced earlier in the year, that can be exploited to bypass Intel Processors' secure regions to access memory and data.
Shh! Proven security for your secrets
Researchers show the security of their cipher based on chaos theory.
A library for food security
Researchers are uncovering the genome of cowpeas, also known as black-eyed peas, in response to challenging growing conditions and the need for food security.
Bring your own (security) disaster
Bring your own device (BYOD) to work is common practice these days.
'Security fatigue' can cause computer users to feel hopeless and act recklessly
A new study from National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers found that a majority of the typical computer users they interviewed experienced security fatigue -- weariness or reluctance to deal with computer security -- that often leads users to risky computing behavior at work and in their personal lives.
Read More: Computer Security News and Computer Security Current Events


Its record results were also driven by incorporation of its recent Objet merger, and the rapidly expanding market for 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, with strong demand across all product lines during the fourth quarter.
Hardware and consumable revenue in the fourth quarter, excluding the revenue contribution made by MakerBot, grew by 38 percent and 33 percent respectively versus the same quarter last year.
MakerBot made a significant contribution of $24.9 million to fourth-quarter revenue, as its desktop 3D printers aimed primarily at consumers recorded strong sales within the rapidly growing desktop category. Stratasys expects MakerBot to continue to significantly contribute to earnings. Earlier in January 2014, Dell announced that it will market MakerBot 3D printers and scanners.
Revenue for the fourth-quarter 2013 was $155.1 million. Non-GAAP revenue of $155.8 million for the fourth quarter represented a 61.6 percent increase versus the same period a year ago. Net loss for the fourth quarter was $2.0 million, or ($0.04) per basic share, compared to a pro forma loss of $3.5 million, or ($0.09) per basic share, for the same period last year. For the year ending December 31, 2013, Stratasys reported a net loss of $26.9 million, or 68 cents a share, on revenue of $484.4 million.
Stratasys invested $15.5 million in research and development projects during the fourth quarter, representing 9.9 percent of net sales. The company generated $15.6 million in cash from operations during the fourth quarter, and finished the year with $616.1 million in cash, investments, and bank deposits, amounting to $12.50 per share.
Revenue of $660 to $680 million.
Non-GAAP net income of $113 to $119 million, or $2.15 to $2.25 per diluted share.
GAAP net income of $10.5 to $19.9 million, or a $0.20 to $0.38 per diluted share.
The company expects organic sales, excluding MakerBot sales, to grow at least 25 percent over 2013, with additional growth coming from MakerBot, which is expected to grow at a higher rate.


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Лахайнский полдень (, по названию статистически обособленной местности Лахайна, Гавайи) — тропический солнечный феномен, когда Солнце достигает кульминации в зените в солнечный полдень, проходя прямо над головой (выше подсолнечной точки), в результате чего уличные объекты (флагштоки, телефонные столбы и т. д.) перестают отбрасывать тень. Термин Lāhainā Noon был выбран в конкурсе, организованным музеем имени Бернис П. Бишоп, Гавайи и используется только на местном уровне.

Детали
Поскольку подсолнечная точка проходит через тропики, Гавайи — единственный штат в Соединённых Штатах Америки, в котором наблюдается лахайнский полдень. Остальные штаты признают летнее солнцестояние как событие, когда лучи солнца ближе всего к прямым.

Для различных мест на Гавайских островах феномен может происходить где угодно в точное время с 12:16 до 12:43 PM по , объекты, которые стоят прямо вверх (например, флагштоки, телефонные столбы и т. д.), не будут отбрасывать тень. В самых южных местах на Гавайях наблюдают лахайнский полдень в более ранние и поздние даты, чем северные. К примеру, в 2001 году город Хило на острове Гавайи встретил солнце в верхней точке примерно 18 мая и 24 июля, Кахулуи, Мауи 24 мая и 18 июля, Гонолулу, Оаху 26 мая и 15 июля и Лихуэ, Кауаи 31 мая и 11 июля. Между этими двумя датами солнце находится чуть севернее в полдень.

В конкурсе, который был организован музеем имени Бернис П. Бишоп, был выбран термин Lāhainā Noon, поскольку lā hainā (старое название Лахайны, Гавайи) на гавайском языке означает «жестокое солнце». Древнее гавайское название для феномена было kau ka lā i ka lolo, которое буквально переводится как «солнце покоится на головах».

В популярной культуре
Ежегодный феномен часто освещается гавайскими медиа.

Также существуют мероприятия, связанные с данным феноменом, и рассказы, в том числе Lāhainā Noon  (Leaping Dog Press, 2005), которая была награждена книжной премией Ka Palapala Po'okela в категории «Выдающееся мастерство в "Алоха за пределами Гавайев"».

Дополнительные материалы

Примечания

Культура Гавайев
Солнце


- Discover why it's important for a play to contain characters with conflicting ideas.
- Work out how to write conversations between characters where they really listen and respond to each other.
The extracts of both Sing Yer Heart Out For the Lads by Roy Williams and Carpe Diem by Ella Thompson and Blurred Lines by Nick Payne and Carrie Cracknell that support this session's topic are available to download, and you can also listen to the dialogue from the extracts being performed by actors.
Roy Williams and other playwrights discuss dialogue in this session's film. They discuss the function it has in a play, and talk about the differences between the way real people speak and dialogue that's written down.
© Nick Payne & Carrie Cracknell 2014. All rights reserved.


A Medium-altitude, Long-endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) crossed Atlantic Ocean and landed at the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford, U.K., July 11 . At the end of journey UAV became the first MALE RPA to successfully complete a transatlantic flight. The GA-ASI-owned MQ-9B SkyGuardian took off from Grand Forks, North Dakota, July 10. The flight covered 3,760 nautical miles in 24 hours 2 minutes.


Want To Be An Artist? Stop Calling Yourself A Content Creator.
If it's 'content', it's culturally worthless.
Did Harper Lee write good content?
How about Bob Dylan? #Content #Creator?
Martin Luther King? One of the most inspiring speakers in history. Was he a content producer?
If those examples sound a little wrong, it's because they are.
Creating content means filling a gap. It's about satisfying the need to publish a certain amount of information on a certain media platform, for a certain purpose.
The aforementioned luminaries said things that needed to be said for the good of the world. People listened. They were not filling a word count.
In the content landscape, what you say is the secondary objective. The primary aim is that you say something. So as a 'content creator', you are filling that gap in the same way packing peanuts fill a cardboard box in a UPS depot.
I argue that anything called content is neither culturally necessary nor spiritually fulfilling, for creator or consumer. Society does not benefit from content. Content has only a single function, and that is commercial.
Imagine watching a really good movie on Netflix and immediately telling all your friends about it.
You don't recommend it because it blanked out 90 minutes of your time and made you forget the difficulties in your life. That's what content does. It's numbing.
You rave about it because it made you feel. Made you laugh, cry, yell out in frustration, hide behind the sofa in fear, contemplate your place in the universe.
You wouldn't come out of the cinema saying "that was great content". So why are people so ready to proclaim themselves content creators? Is that something to be proud of?
Netflix is a content behemoth. Netflix doesn't aim to entertain, or soothe, or help people solve the big questions in life. It aims to eat up as much viewer time as possible to justify their ongoing monthly fees. It does not have the viewer's best interests in mind. Only their monetizable attention.
Zoella, the world-famous YouTube lifestyle and beauty sage, comfortably sits on the throne at the top of Mount Content.
Zoella has just under 12 million subscribers to her main channel. One of her latest videos — HUGE Summer Primark Haul — has been viewed over 1.9 million times. It's a 24 minute monologue detailing a visit to a high-street clothing store, in which she unpacks bags of cheap fast-fashion garms, and struggles to hand out a single criticism. She is relentlessly chirpy.
She's entertaining, charming and, to some extent, educational. Those 24 minutes of her viewers' time could have been spent elsewhere, but they chose to watch her. That's fair; she earnt that.
It's hard to criticize Zoella because she seems genuinely lovely (on camera, at least), and does put out some well-meaning messages about mental health issues for young people.
Messages dressed in the consumerist gloss of #sponsored #content, of course. Dripping in money. The subtext below the smile — buy these things and be happy.
It's good content, that's for sure.
When you take a nicely-framed photo of a sunset and post it to Instagram, are you creating content? Or are you giving the world the gift of your creativity: dropping a little bit of joy, inspiration and aesthetic pleasure into your friends' lives without expecting anything in return?
If the end goal of publishing your work is to increase revenue for a business — whether yours or someone else's — that's content. In other words? Advertising. You're making adverts.
Not that art can't be monetized: income is crucial in allowing the artist to produce their work. Michaelangelo didn't paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for free; he was funded by Pope Julius II for the four years it took to complete. Everyone has to pay the rent.
A writer publishing blogs online might do it for the sheer love of writing. She could have a burning polemic in her heart that simply needs to be made manifest. She hopes her writing inspires people, and maybe moves them to comment and share with their friends too. She might receive a modest income from the platform she publishes on, and it also showcases her writing talents to prospective paying business clients. That's money in the bank. She does it for love, and the money comes later.
I write for a living. I'm a copywriter and marketing strategist. This means that I spend a lot of time ghostwriting blogs for businesses. Much of this involves putting out genuinely helpful stuff that enhances people's lives. I'm happy to do that. It's nice to help.
But every one of those blogs is put out under a brand name. I'm under no pretense that the end goal of such work is anything other than increasing revenue — even if the surface goals are to 'educate prospective customers' and 'build the brand'. I'm an agent of monetary exchange. I make content. It pays the rent.
I find it strange, and a little embarrassing, that many of my fellow copywriters seem to love advertisements. Actually enjoy them.
It betrays a sense of superiority, I think. The notion that because they write advertisements, they're in an exclusive behind-the-scenes club. Immune to the beguiling charms of corporate hoodwinkery. I'm skeptical.
I have never loved an advert in my life, and I never will. And my job is to write them.
On one of the rare occasions I watch network television, I'll consciously turn the volume down when the ads come on, and skip through them if I'm watching on the DVR. I am certainly not the only one to do this.
Commercials aren't lovable. They are wide-scale psychological manipulation mechanisms designed to influence consumer behaviour.
And yet, I am happy to have a nice pair of socks advertised to me when I'm in the market for new socks. The wheels of commerce must be oiled, for the benefit of us all. Marketing is a necessary part of this. I need socks, and the economy needs me to buy them.
But that sock advert, even if it's the wittiest, most helpful, most aesthetically-pleasing message I've ever seen, is not art. It's not my friend. It doesn't contribute to the cultural wellness of society.
It's an economic tool designed to put socks on my feet in exchange for my money.
I see a lot of creatives describe themselves as content creators. If that's the job title you want, that's fine. It's in demand, and pays the rent. It communicates your skills at creating marketing collateral for other businesses. It's generic, for sure; just like calling yourself a 'writer', it doesn't mark you out as anything special.
Food photographer. Graphic designer. Search-engine-optimized blog writer. Animator. Social media marketer. Meme researcher. Terms like these, higher in specificity, will help you on your journey in making your skills valuable in marketing other people's products.
But if you see your work as more than that, then let the world know about it. Don't sell yourself short. You're not an advertiser, you're an artist.
The rent must be paid. The rent must always be paid. Getting paid for your art is possible, but as anyone who's achieved success will tell you, it always starts with the love.
Don't be a content creator. Nobody remembers good content.
Be creative. Be proud. Be an artist.


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Biografia
Maturità scientifica, è stato dirigente della Confederazione nazionale dell'artigianato dal 1984 al 1990, sindaco di Poggibonsi (per due mandati, dal 1990 al 1999), presidente della società di gestione rifiuti della Valdelsa, membro del consiglio di amministrazione della Finanziaria senese di sviluppo (Fises), presidente della Provincia dal 1999, poi confermato per il secondo mandato.

È stato eletto Presidente della Provincia nel turno elettorale del 2004 (elezioni del 12 e 13 giugno), raccogliendo il 62,5% dei voti in rappresentanza di una coalizione di centrosinistra. È stato sostenuto, in Consiglio provinciale, da una maggioranza costituita da Democratici di Sinistra, La Margherita e Riformisti. Il mandato amministrativo è scaduto nel 2009.

Collegamenti esterni
 Sito ufficiale della Provincia di Siena

Presidenti della Provincia di Siena
Politici del Partito Democratico (Italia)