Publishing Is not the only issue I have, since I find it hard to get sufficient (decent) views in my uploaded videos. I wondered, is there any trick that I am missing that is blocking my expansion on YouTube.
A Few years ago, I came across that YouTube optimization tool known as VidIQ chrome addon which made me figure out everything is lacking in my channel and preventing its growth. Now, you will be learning about this wonderful tool that I have started using lately, and I feel every Youtube publisher should use it.
VidIQ Is an enterprise-level tool that you may freely use for basic features and pro features for a nominal cost. Even though, I've got a professional account; you can always start with their free chrome extensions and afterwards on upgrade when you see the excellent results as I did. More on this later, and for now allow me to show you how this cool bit of tech will allow you to grow your Youtube station.
Because it works this Way, VidIQ can be considered as a Youtube marketing instrument. It can help you analyze all the facets of your channel (descriptions, videos, competitions, etc.) so that you can fix your plan when needed. It gives you the ability to optimize your channel for more views, subscribes and conversions.
The best part? VidIQ is Free for the most part. This means you could use it along with its Chrome extension at no cost. You'll get to witness its power in analyzing your Youtube station without paying anything.
VidIQ Is Very Good for an Individual publisher like me and you or for digital advertising and marketing agencies who handle Youtube channel to get their customer. The majority of us are conscious of fundamental Youtube video SEO tips like use Keyword from the article name, utilize detailed description and make the video participating. This is a common knowledge that each Youtube publisher have, but there's more than you could use to give more visibility to their Youtube channel.
Let Me first discuss their pro version which begins at only $10/month. It can sound a lot for entry-level Youtube publisher, but after learning about the features, you'll also feel that $10 is a peanut price that we are paying for such awesome service.
Obtaining Started with VidIQ is simple, as you need to connect it together with your YouTube account. It will import all the movies to their dash, and from here all the magic begins. Have a look at the dash after it pulled details out of all my Youtube videos.
You Can sort any column based on opinions, shares, enjoys and other parameters. This gives you a fantastic overview of hot videos from your Youtube channel. The interesting part starts here, as you can click on some of the videos and make changes in descriptions, tags and also the title.
Personally, I bother less concerning the description part like I always add it if uploading the movies. What I enjoyed here is the YouTube tagging component, as this one thing could help you to get more views on each video that you upload on Youtube.
Let Me share a smart approach to benefit from VidIQ youtube tags feature. This one even works for free users, but you need to set up free VidIQ chrome extension. This plugin does is, it automatically shows you the tags used on any Youtube movie that isn't publicly available.
After Installing the aforementioned free Chrome add-on, all you need to do is search for videos related to the one you are open and uploading the movie with the majority of viewpoints or dependent on the popularity.
This Free add-on will demonstrate the tags used from the movie as well as the traffic source that you can use for further outreach. Watch this video screenshot for improved comprehension.
In here, you're Allowed to create your own effort. This is where you create a hyperlink and append it to the description box of your movie. From here, the software will track the impressions and clickthrough rate through your own links. This is great if you would like to observe the conversion rates or clickthrough levels of your videos.
Its Google Chrome Extension is also quite powerful. In reality, I believe that it is the sole Youtube competitor research tool which lets you observe the tags and traffic insights of the competition. These are quite handy particularly if you want to find out exactly what your opponents do before you do any form of marketing.
The first thing that Will catch your eye when you sign up for VidIQ is its own analytics. Although Youtube might have given you with the same sort of analytics, it's still not as organized as that of VidIQ.
Then, you'll notice a Chart which includes the following. Youtube views, Youtube search, implied opinions, vidIQ tags, minutes watched, Youtube likes, Youtube comments and Youtube readers. This chart will show the daily changes in number in every one of these factors. This can help you understand why your viewers do what they do.
Then, these are additional Broken down into boxes that you can sort based on what you need to see. You are able to pick countries, videos, URLs, searches and videos. These boxes will further sort your data for a clearer station review.
Next, you'll also find some analytics from the videos tab. This will show you all of your movies along with their corresponding characteristics like the date postedtags, vidIQ score, and whether it is fostered, total views, total likes and total opinions.
This is a rather Interesting way to observe that the analytics of your videos. Additionally, it's coordinated too that you can view everything from 1 dashboard.
Last, it's a SEO Tab that appears at your videos on a channel-wide scale. It'll look at thye tags that you are currently using and examine the key words which you are currently optimizing it for.
Fortunately, the Software also have a Subscribers tab which allows you glimpse into what your readers are seeing. This includes details like the very best videos they saw, the top channels they follow and when they are online. These attributes allow you to have a glimpse at what your readers or viewers do. It gives you the ability to get to learn how they act – that which makes them view a movie and subscribe.
You Might be thinking that it's a tedious task to edit person video description and you are not erroneous. Any man in the right state of mind will think the same, however, that is where description feature of VidIQ makes this Youtube marketing tool remarkable.
Each YouTuber understands the value of traffic and subscribers. Several studies have been performed on Youtube to ascertain why users subscribe to some Youtube station or view a specific video. However, no research can give the same response for all stations in all markets.
Here's the facts. how Users will react to your content will be dependent on the nature of your visitors , content and niche. It is a niche where one size does not fit all. You want to learn what's going to work for you on your own.
This is where analytics tools come in handy. These tools permit you to know how users are currently behaving towards your own videos or channel so that you can adjust your strategy accordingly. One analytics tool that has gained much fame is VidIQ, within the following guide, you will find out more about this program and how it can help you on your Youtube journey.
VidIQ is a Wonderful instrument That collects data from Youtube about the most recent videos, keywords and tags used by the most popular Youtube channel owners. Because of this, you can use it by gathering data and then using that data to adjust your marketing strategy. Here is the way I like to utilize the tool. It is possible to use it in any way you want. This is just a suggestion.
Among those things that People today love about VidIQ is its own automatic tagging system. It permits you to instantly generate a stream of tags for a video with no trouble. But for me personally, I love copying present competitor tags instead.
Doing this is easy. All you need to do is visit the video Of your competitor along with your Google Chrome plugin installed. From here, you will be able to see the analytics of the video as well as the specific tags used by your competition. After that you can use this to your videos.
Once you have a pair of Keywords, it's the right time to start your campaign. From the campaigns tab, you'll have the ability to specify a description for your own videos and this can then include a link. When you record this as a campaign, now you can monitor the impressions and click through rate of your descriptions. I'd suggest tracking and tweaking your descriptions depending on how users respond to it.
Then, use your keyword Understanding for SEO. After all, search engines continue to be the ideal source for video traffic for Youtube. VidIQ includes a batch optimize option where you can just optimize everything to your target keyword. If you can find keywords with little to no rivals, that is better. That is because it is going to allow you to rank immediately on front page of these search engines.
VidIQ is known for its analytics. It provides you with a background on your subscribers. First, it will allow you to have a look at the behavior of your subscribers by looking at exactly what videos they're seeing or after. It is going to also track when your readers are online. Then, it breaks down your readers according to their market characteristics. This will inform you the person that you are speaking to in your movies.
How can this help you? This makes it possible to in the words which you may use to your marketing strategy. This way, your advertisements will speak straight to your target market.
Now this approach will Only work if you have one or two viral videos previously. If you would like to know what made them tick and your existing movies are not as effective, it could possibly be well worth it to look back and determine how it removed. VidIQ provides some historic data on videos which could enable you to see what's special about that particular video.
VidIQ also includes a tendencies feature. This allows you to observe the trending videos and keywords. Plus, it allows you to syndicate your videos to Youtube for some extra traffic. However, this is only obtainable in the Boost option which sells for $49 a month.
What's the first thing We see if we look at Youtube videos? It's the views, right? Aside from that, we also observe the likes and the remarks. Many Youtubers are contented with only seeing these. But what if a computer software can provide so much more?
VidIQ is much more than just A view, like or comment tracking tool. In reality, you will be able to see the subscriptions generated, Facebook comments, Tweets and Reddit votes, impressions and clickthrough rates of a particular video. It is that intensive. This is very helpful especially in the event that you want to understand how effective your campaign is in creating visitors, traffic and visitors to your site.
And it does not stop there. It even provides you with superior analytics involving the behaviour and demographics of your target audience as well as give you a means to optimize your videos to get better search engine rankings.
So If You Would like to take Your video analytics to the next level and actually utilize them as insights for your next video marketing plan, I recommend that you use a tool like VidIQ. It will help you find the specifics so that you can move with the Youtube wave instead of against it.


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Movies/Entertainment, Off the Shelf
Off the Shelf…'Steamboy'
This may fly in the face of anime buffs around the world but I just don't care for Akira. Conversely I am just so enamored with Katsuhiro Ôtomo's other famous property Steamboy that I am nearly at a loss for words to describe it. Sure it is not as iconic as Akira but to me, this is the superior effort. Aside from the work of Studio Ghibli, this is probably the most gorgeous animated film I've ever seen. Steamboy really delivers the goods and ends on such a high note that any minor issues are all but forgotten in the awe of the finale. Masterpieces don't come along very often (hence the name) but this is one in nearly every sense of the word.
Lacking minor amounts of exposition is probably the thing I would have to cite Steamboy in doing. Although if they had spelled everything out they would have taken a longer road and it would have slowed things down quite a bit. Though the movie already had some trouble getting to the point of it all, perhaps skimping on details was the right move as far a pacing…but still, I'm curious. For one, what was so special about Icelandic mineral water that makes it produce incalculably powerful amounts of steam? I also have some problems with the story: family issues, the apparent arms race for some unknown war and the lack of clarity between those whose motives are altruistic and others who are egotistic. But this is a fun movie and what really makes up for what's not explained (aside from the jaw dropping detail and visuals) is the slide-show that happens through the credits. This isn't a spoiler but when the film ends (quite brilliantly I must say), the credits hint at a continuation of the "Further Adventures of Steamboy" and that really kicked the film up a notch by seeing what might have happened to Ray, Scarlett and Grandpa.
I don't find myself cheering for an adolescent character (let alone an animated one) lest the movie is aimed at an audience of similar age. Yet Ray is definitely one protagonist that I found myself excited to watch progress. I think it's the aim of many anime films to chronicle a seemingly diminutive hero through a large than life series of events. I for one want to see more of him as he and the characters here are so much more appealing than Shotaro Kaneda and the creepy looking kids in Akira. On the other hand for how likable Ray is, Scarlett is the polar opposite; over-privileged, cranky, spoiled, she's essentially a 12 year old version of Scarlett O'Hara…right down to the name. They, despite their differences, play off each other as well and really get you into the film. They're no Wall-E or Eve but like any story worth telling they both have decent character arcs. But again they are showcased as amounting to simply fantastic things in their later years as the credits roll.
This film takes CGI integrated 2D animation to stunning new levels. While it blends pretty seamlessly, some of the elements do stand out as they are able to do things nearly impossible with traditional animation. Still, it's just fantastic to look at and makes the story that much more amazing to see. As the animators really produced their fantastic work, the music was just as top-notch and then some. Steve Jablonsky was all over the map with this one and created a beautiful auditory tapestry. It ran the gamut from touching to intense but gave it all a cheerful childlike playfulness that had a lighter than air quality to it…almost like steam. It was tailored to the film and as this is pretty much Ray's origin story it fit him perfectly. Really there wasn't a weak element in this film.
Coming from the mind of Katsuhiro Ôtomo how could this not be anything but spectacular? Even in scenes where nothing was happening, the level of detail was beyond astonishing; it was immaculate. As this does take place in around the industrial revolution a large majority of the color palette were grays, browns and reds. While it may have seemed drab and depressing the locales depicted (English country side and London) were crisp, bright and beautiful. Each background cell and painting had a level of detail I've rarely seen that and nearly every scene was one you could freeze-frame and hang on your wall as art. Astoundingly gorgeous and man the action was totally adrenaline fueled. Also the intricacy to the nearly all the steam powered vehicles (both hand drawn and CG) was mind-blowing as were the never ending amounts of detail down to the tiniest cogs, nuts and bolts.
G-S-T RULING:
Now I love this movie dearly and as I have nothing to complain about, I will go for an out of the box approach to find one. Ahem…As a purist I never listen to the English dub on this or any animated film (or live action for that matter) but I broke my own rules for 5 minutes just to see what, if anything Molina, Stewart and Paquin did for the story. I have to say this gets the award for worst casting. I know that in Japan female voice actors do voice work for young male characters. In America that method just doesn't translate here and while I won't go into detail, it is almost painful to hear. Anna Paquin doing the voice work should have certainly received a Razzie.
But aside from that, Steamboy was highly entertaining, gorgeously drawn and again the end credits make the movie in my opinion. Fans of Ôtomo or not, you really have to see this one!
Katsuhiro ÔtomoOff the ShelfSteamboy
By Marc Ciafardini
G-S-T Review…Mirror Mirror
Off the Shelf…'Drug War'
ALL PASSES CLAIMED – Advance Screening Passes to 'AQUAMAN' in DALLAS, TX
I'll take Steamboy over Akira any day as well. Nice review!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
George Simmons may refer to:

 George Simmons (British Army officer) (1785–1858), British Army officer wounded at the Battle of Waterloo
 George Simmons (referee) (1866–1954), English football referee
 George A. Simmons (1791–1857), U.S. Representative from New York
 George F. Simmons (1925–2019), American mathematician
 George H. Simmons (1852–1937), English-born American physician

See also
 George Simmonds (1895–1973), Australian rules footballer
 George Blackall Simonds (1843–1929), English sculptor

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Excerpt from A History of the Great War by Arthur Conan Doyle (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1917), Vol. Two, pp. 48, 49 (describing the first mass gas attack on the Western Front).
"As the minds of both soldiers and civilians bent themselves to the great contest, it was inevitable that they should be busied with forecasts. All agreed that the war would be of a magnitude never known before in history, and that most of the problems would be different in kind from those of the past. During the last half century revolution had succeeded revolution. The invention of the internal combustion engine had provided motor transport and airplanes. Field telephones and wireless telegraphy had altered the system of communication among troops. The cannon had passed through a series of bewildering metamorphoses, till it had reached the 75mm. field gun and the mighty siege howitzer. No single weapon of war but had a hundredfold increased its range and precision. The old minor tactics, the old transport and intelligence methods were now, it appeared, as completely out of date as the stage coach and the China clipper. There would be no room in the Higher Command for the brilliant guesses, the sudden unexpected strokes, or the personal heroisms of old days. It would no longer be necessary to divine, like Wellington at Assaye, what was happening behind a hill. In one sense, many argued, the problem would be simpler, at least it would have fewer elements; but these elements would be difficult to control, and from their novelty, impossible to estimate. There was a general agreement that modern war was a venture into the unknown, and that while the existence of the new factors was plain, their working was incalculable.
"Let us glance at some of these new factors. The chief was the vast numbers now destined for the battlefield. The greatest action of the old regime was the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig, but there the combatants numbered only 472,000. At Sadowa there were 436,000, at Gravelotte 300,000. (A useful summary of the numbers engaged in the chief battles of the nineteenth century will be found in Otto Berndt's Die Zahl im Kriege.) In the Russo-Japanese war the armies had been greater–Mukden, for example, had been fought on a front of eighty miles, had lasted for three weeks, and had engaged 700,000 men. But in the coming war it was plain that the number of troops, the length of the front, and the duration of actions must be indefinitely enlarged. The improvement in firearms would itself, as Schlieffen had pointed out in 1909, lead to a great extension of fighting front. The handling of such masses over such an area meant that railways would be of the first importance. Moltke, in 1870, had foreseen this, and his successors in the German command had practiced his teaching. They held, probably with truth, the view that Napoleon's ultimate failure had been due to the fact that his armies had outgrown the technical resources of his age, and they were determined that every resource of contemporary invention should be harnessed in the service of their new millions. Staff work, too, Moltke had first made a science, must advance pari passu with the growth in complexity of the problems. One special feature also must distinguish this from other struggles. It was the first instance in history of large bodies of men operating in a closely settled country, for in most parts of the garden land of Western Europe there was little freedom of movement. The cultivated nature of the terrain would no doubt simplify the problem of communications, but it would not be easy to find the wide and open battlefield which it was believed that great masses of men would require.
"For it was almost universally assumed that the coming war would be a war of movement and maneuver. The principal reason for this view was that men's minds could not envisage the long continuance of a struggle in which the whole assets of each nation were so utterly pledged. They underestimated the power of human endurance; they believed that modern numbers and modern weapons would make the struggle most desperate but also short, since flesh and blood must soon be brought to the breaking-point. Such a view was possible, because no belligerent had recognized the immense relative increase of strength given by modern weapons to the defence over the attack. One form of defence, the old-fashioned fortress, was indeed rightly underrated by Germany, for she realized that the heavy howitzer directed by aircraft would make havoc of the type of fort upon which France and Belgium had relied. (In practice, though in theory France held the sound doctrine which had been laid down by Napoleon. See his Corr. xiii. 10726, and xviii. 14707.) But of the impregnability of field entrenchments no combatant was aware till the third month of war. (See Lord French's remarks in his 1914, pp. 12-13. the man who foresaw modern conditions most clearly was the pacifist Jean de Bloch, writing at the close of last century.)" John Buchan, History of the Great War, Vol. I (Cambridge: The Riverside Press, 1922), pp. 114-116.
"It was between the front lines, in the maze of old abandoned trenches, and in the marshy No Man's Land between these, that the American Army in France had its first taste of real patrolling. Each night, every battalion in the line would send out a patrol on some mission or other; and every now and then the Germans would send one out, and occasionally these two would mix in the pitch black night and fight it out. The Americans were very brave, while the Germans were very skillful, so the honors at first went mostly to the enemy until it was learned by sad experience that it does not pay to send a patrol of ten men out every night at precisely the same hour, through the same gap in the wire, on the same sort of mission. The capture of one such patrol of the 16th Infantry Regiment taught the whole American Army a lesson." Shipley Thomas, The History of the A.E.F. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1920), p. 59.


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HomeAll ArticlesLampard looking to the future
Lampard looking to the future
England's drab goalless draw with Costa Rica was a fitting end to their disappointing World Cup, but an experience which Frank Lampard believes will hold the players in good stead moving forwards.
Roy Hodgson's side saw their place at the bottom of Group D confirmed on Tuesday, with the defeats to Italy and Uruguay compounded by an uninspiring draw at the Estadio Mineirao.
It meant not only did they become the first England side since 1958 to exit at the group stage, but they did so with their lowest ever World Cup points tally.
The Three Lions left for home comforts immediately after the match but not until after getting a wonderful, and rather surprising, ovation from the travelling support in Belo Horizonte.
It was a moment Lampard, captaining England in what could be his last appearance, was touched by and made him confident that they can now kick on, with or without him.
"It was absolutely amazing," the 36-year-old said. "It made you proud to be an Englishman playing for the country with fans like that.
"From in and around the hotel after we came out here, they followed us and we had it in a good way.
"This morning before and after they were immense. It makes you feel a bit bad we have not given them a longer stay. I am very proud to have a following like that.
"[The young players] see that they back the manager and were singing for him.
"They can see the squad is young and the young players will benefit from this bad experience.
"Let's not forget we have been knocked out very early but if the fans stick with the younger players and encourage them, they will help the players."
In truth, England would have won this final match was it not for poor finishing once again.
Daniel Sturridge was particularly poor in front of goal, missing a number of clear-cut chances to give Hodgson's men a much-needed win.
He should have also had a penalty after a first-half foul by Oscar Duarte, yet the referee waved those appeals for a spot-kick and a red card, further frustrating England.
"It was the end of a disappointing tournament, obviously," Lampard said of the 0-0 draw.
"We should have won the game as we had the chances. We played some nice stuff, in bits.
"It was a difficult game for us to approach and I thought we did as well as we could but it was a shame not to get the win to take home.
"It was not hard to motivate our ourselves, it was hard to know we were going to get knocked out regardless, so that was the motivation, to do something positive."
Lampard was unable to have as much of an impact as he would have liked in what was his 106th appearance for England.
The former Chelsea midfielder will not be making any decision on whether he wants to add to that caps haul until after he returns home, yet seems to have a clearer idea as to where his club future lies.
A move to the United States to link up with New York City FC has been widely-mooted, which would see him follow in the footsteps of former international team-mates David Beckham and Jermain Defoe in moving to Major League Soccer.
"I will go home and think about," Lampard said. "I will decide when I get back. But I have a good idea."
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We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Nikki Scott, Senior Director, Community Engagement, Policy & Operations, for the Office of New Schools.
CEC 1 had the opportunity to work with Nikki on several fronts, including our Community Engagement Lab in January. Her participation in the event was particularly meaningful to us, as it was an important opportunity to connect around community building. This a great loss for her family and colleagues and we are very thankful that we were able to meet Nikki and work with her closely.
The Division of Family and Community Engagement has asked that those who are interested in funeral services or sending condolences contact the office at 212-374-4118.


"A cat is an animal."
With the new pick a word from the set of cards crown algorithm, "jest" is not an option.
Doesn't "Kot to zwierzę" work?
Not sure if that is an option. I will look for it next time I review. Thank you.
It seems that the exercises are not necessary created on the base of the 'basic sentence' (the one that was put by the course creators in the first place), but just one of the starred answers. And the starred answers are "Kot jest zwierzęciem" and "Kot to zwierzę". If you can create one of those, then everything is correct.
Jest is not a choice and "Kot to zwierzę" is marked as incorrect.
But... how? That would be a major bug. If you see it again, can you make a screenshot, upload it on some image hosting website and link it here?
Is the rule to use em endings with jest and shorter forms with to?
the rule is to use "instrumental case" after jest without to, and nominative case after "to", and "to jest".
Then, are there two ways for translating to Polish this sentence?
Yes, "Kot to zwierzę" (Nominative) and "Kot jest zwierzęciem" (Instrumental).
Thank you. In a formal conversation or speaking with somebody that I've never met before, which one is better to use or it doesn't matter?
I think the Instrumental version is more... elegant, but there's nothing wrong with the Nominative one and I wouldn't really think about them in terms of formality.
Jest was not an option in this question.
The sentence has two equally good answers: "Kot jest zwierzęciem" and "Kot to zwierzę". If there was no 'jest', then it means the app wanted you to create the second answer.
the word jest is missing here too. I just came back to duolingo but Im discouraged again. I give up.
Why does the tts pronounces "kot" with a "d" at the end? It's supposed to be a clear "t".
The TTS is very far from perfect.


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The blog for Mets fans
who like to read
Faith and Fear in Flushing made its debut on Feb. 16, 2005, the brainchild of two longtime friends and lifelong Met fans.
Greg Prince discovered the Mets when he was 6, during the magical summer of 1969. He is a Long Island-based writer, editor and communications consultant. Contact him here.
Jason Fry is a Brooklyn writer whose first memories include his mom leaping up and down cheering for Rusty Staub. Check out his other writing here.
Got something to say? Leave a comment, or email us at faithandfear@gmail.com. (Sorry, but we have no interest in ads, sponsored content or guest posts.)
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Visit our Facebook page, or drop by the personal pages for Greg and Jason.
Or follow us on Twitter: Here's Greg, and here's Jason.
All Stat and No Battle »
« First Order of Business
by Greg Prince on 24 April 2009 12:59 am
There is doubt. There is no benefit. You lost the benefit of the doubt when you blew a large first-place lead one September and a large enough first-place lead the next September while neither time leaving yourselves any slack to salvage a Wild Card. If you couldn't generate your own slack, we don't need to cut you any.
A long season lies ahead of us. All these seasons are long. Fifteen games prove nothing, but they can indicate plenty, even though we get that those indications can be misleading. If these last few days, particularly Thursday afternoon, was part of an effort in that direction, fine. Mislead us, Mets. Mislead us into thinking this listless brand of baseball you've all but patented is the rule and not the exception. Then surprise the hell out of us with timely hitting and competent pitching. We'll be delightfully surprised. We'll line up at the Taqueria not for fancy tacos but for the mea culpa to go. Every one of us will bring you the "we're sorry we underestimated you" special, each platter as hot, spicy and satisfying as being wrong about you can be.
We want to be wrong about you. Yet we have absolutely no reason to think we are.
You have lined up on your behalf an ocean of fans drenched in passion and dripping with care, as one of your executives noted. Oh boy, do we care. We filled out 18,000 of your bricks in support of what you and your predecessors mean to us. Every one of those bricks damn near screams support for your cause. Your cause is our cause. We have made you our cause across the course of our individual and collective lifetimes. We are passionate. We do care.
Do you? We don't see it. We don't detect any real evidence that being pushed all over the field by the other team really pisses you off anywhere near as much as it pisses us off. We watch and listen to what you do these nights and afternoons and we want to see genuine concern from you. Not that you're trying, but that you're trying your best. Not that it bothers you to lose, but that it bothers you no end. We invest our hope in you and our trust in you. We are savvy enough to know you cannot offer a guaranteed return on our hope. But can we ask you to make good on our trust? That we can trust that you will bust every inch of yourselves when you're out on those fields this season? We didn't see it from St. Louis. We haven't seen it much anywhere. Like I said, we're pretty savvy. We can tell when you're going hellbent and when you're going through the motions.
You've been going through the motions this season. You've been going through the motions for several seasons. You seem to have mistaken motions for emotions, talent for triumph, showing up for coming through.
Do you care what those four letters on your uniform mean to us? You've been wearing "Mets" on the road this week, in case you didn't notice, the first time you guys have worn the team name on your road jersey since 1998, the first year when it said "Mets" on a black top and the black tops were worn occasionally in what we semi-seriously refer to as enemy territory. That's neither here nor there, except I wished you had looked closely at those four letters. Do you feel them at all? Do you understand how many people stand behind you? Do you know that the last time the Mets wore "Mets" on the road as a matter of course was 1986? Do you know anything at all about those hallowed predecessors of yours?
The 1986 Mets lost 54 times in their regular season. But they were never beaten. Do you hear what I'm saying? They competed every day. Sometimes they didn't win. But they never let themselves get beat the way you've been getting beat. Some of their losses, quite frankly, were more inspiring than some of your wins.
It may be ancient history to you, but it's never far from our thoughts. Let me tell you a quick story from this morning. There's a garage where I've been bringing my car forever. Until recently, the guy who owns the shop didn't know I was a Mets fan or maybe I didn't know he was a Mets fan. In any case, after more than two decades of cordially conducting business with each other, we had our first Mets conversation. After trading a few thoughts on how awful you looked the two previous nights, he said, "They have nobody like Dykstra and Backman."
Dysktra and Backman. Those names still come up every time the Mets are down. I'd suggest you do a little research as to who those guys were, particularly Backman. I contend the Mets have never adequately replaced Wally Backman. Wally Backman would not have allowed this wretched series in St. Louis to transpire as it did. It's not that he was the Albert Pujols of his day — he wasn't. But the Mets being run over with ease as was done by the Cardinals this week? Not on Wally's watch. Or that of most of his teammates.
I could bring up other Mets teams who worked through adversity. It didn't necessarily win them as much as we would have liked, but it always made us feel…made us know being the Mets mattered to them as much being Mets fans matters to us.
Does being the Mets mean anything to you guys? Anything at all?
What it means to be a Mets fan: Faith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History of the New York Mets, available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or a bookstore near you. Keep in touch and join the discussion on Facebook.
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30 comments to Breaking Bad
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
There are a few rare times when a complete stranger, through some subtle and miraculous talent, lifts feelings off of my heart, picks thoughts out of my mind and arranges them all onto a page so that I can read them. This article just shot to the top of the very short list chronicling those occasions.
My co-writer is pissed.
I am infinitely glad to have missed this one aside from one despairing glance at MLB At Bat during the afternoon. If only that meant it didn't count in the W-L.
Top ten reason we can be grateful the Mets are lousy:
10. CitiField: Plenty of Seats Available
9. Today's loss was early enough to get upset and get over it by dinnertime.
8. No meaningful ballgames to interfere with network primetime — when TV's brightest stars come out to shine.
7. Johan. Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain. Johan.
6. No late inning leads means no more bullpen collapses.
5. Lack of tension = more Keith "anecdotes".
4. Hey, I'm Guiseppe Franco! I don't need to worry about the stinkin' Mets!
3. I can stop staring at Bobby O's hypnotic toupe.
2. David Murphy threatens to steal nickname "Skates" from Lonnie Smith.
1. No September choke this year!
David Murphy is the guy with the Texas Rangers. We have Daniel. Easy mistake, which perhaps supports Greg's point that there isn't a lot of personality out on that field.
That said… there are plenty of teams that have won lots of game with sterile, corporate personalities and no display of excitement. There are very few teams that have won lots of games with only one starting pitcher having an ERA below 7.
Ack! How humiliating. My apologies to all my fellow FAFIF readers. I will now serve penance by watching the replay of today's game.
The Mets will appear lackluster for another month or so but never be too far behind the team on top so to remain in contention. There will be moments when they seem to be coming out of their funk only to fall back into it. Eventually, somebody implies to the press certain unspecified players aren't putting out — again fueling rumors about disharmony in the clubhouse or Manuel's job being on the line.
Then suddenly one or two players get hot and those on the bench begin playing over their heads. The breaks go our way. We beat bad clubs and hold our own against the good ones. We see great comebacks and clutch performances and…, ahh, you know we've all been down this road before. So why put us through it?
You made a great point about the 1986 club. I can accept coming up just a bit short at the end if they went down fighting ala 1985. But if they are indeed just mediocre, I don't want them teasing us by getting our hopes up down the stretch only to return to true form again in late September.
I'd rather they break the bad news to us more gently by being out of it by the all-star break,
Yes, come to think of it, I did notice that they are wearing 'Mets" on the road.. I wonder who made that decision? I kind of like it. You say it's been since '86' !
It's early boys and girls..Relax.
Go Rangers!
I dunno, Rich.
I look at the way this year is playing out and I get a sinking "2002" kind of feeling.
Only without the perky, sparkling peronalities of Mo Vaughn & Robbie Alomar….
Or the heads-up instincts of Roger Cedeno and Jeromy Burnitz.
It's April. God you guys are hard on this team. The Blue Jays and the Marlins are at the top of their respective leagues by significant margins. Every decent batter on every single team is hitting over .300 right now. But does anyone envision a Marlins vs. Blue Jays World Series? Give Manuel and the team a break already.
If this were a sitcom, there'd be a quick cut to a baseball diamond and the next voice you'd hear would be a distinctly Canadian public address announcer: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Rogers Centre for Game One of the 2009 World Series. Please meet the coaches and trainers for the National League champion Florida Marlins…"
On one hand, the 1969 Mets got off to a 6-11 start, so if you like a good omen, we've almost bottomed out. On the other hand, be careful with writing off surprising teams early. I heard plenty of "oh, the Rays will never last" last year. I don't necessarily expect a long run by the Jays, but the Marlins…until proven otherwise, they're in first place. And we're in fourth — on merit.
We'd all do well to spend more time in Sunnyside. If only the '07 and '08 clouds didn't linger so long over here in Doomsville.
You're welcome, Michelle. I hope you can say the same thing soon enough for a piece I'd like to write on how great it's been watching the 2009 Mets make fools of us for ever not believing they were capable of playing hard and turning it around.
On one hand, I think all the personality and 'energy' is muted by the losing. I think that points to them caring, at least a bit. On the other hand, something is failing there lately.
If they don't want to know who Backman or Dykstra are. That's fine. _Make_ them ancient history. Don't want us holding you to standards from 20+ years ago? Fine, prove to us you're the best Mets team ever.
I would be more than happy to eat that crow taco…
It's not April so much as it is year three of a continuing story. I think Greg was spot-on.
I thought I was the only one who thought of '86 when I saw "Mets" on the road unis. It looks good, quite frankly. FWIW, though, the last time it was done was not '98 but (I believe) in 2004, when they brought the wrong road uniform tops for Jose Parra and Vance Wilson for yet another Sunday night blowout loss in the Bronx.
"Wally Backman would not have allowed this wretched series "
Wally Backman has also proven himself a capable manager, personal issues aside.
I'm just sayin'…
I suppose the answer to this year's problem then is Tom Glavine.
It bears mentioning that Carlos Beltran is 10 for his last 15, with 4 extra base hits. I think it's safe to say that he's trying.
Great post, Greg. I'm kinda hoping that (based on the stories we sometimes hear about clubhouse interactions) someone on the team or in management prints this out and posts a copy in every Met's locker. Or that Jerry reads it to the team, or… I don't know, something. It's true that it's only April, but it's also true that we're entitled, after two straight disappointing ends to season play, to a desire to see our team really give it their all, every single day. In my opinion, people who say, "This team just can't do it" have got it all wrong – maybe it's not all about heart and grit, but as fans, that's what we want to see. As Greg said, even if they're losing, they can at least lose with heart. That's why they're our Mets.
Really looking forward to picking up a copy of the book when I return home from a year in Italy this June.
Fear not. I am returning for tonight's game, and shall restore order posthaste.
/ hubris
If your point is that you'd like to see a bit more in the passion department, it's hard to argue with you; i think we'd all like to see a little more Dykstra and a little less McReynolds. We're probably somewhat spoiled forever from having experienced the heart and soul of the 1986 group; even with the success of the 2000 team, I never felt the same enthusiasm for them, in part because I perceived guys like Ventura, Zeile and even Piazza as somewhat bland compared to their '86 predecessors.
But at the same time, I think it's a mistake to embark on a fatalistic outlook for this year's squad this early in the season, and equally wrong to start drawing conclusions about how this season will go based on the failures of the last two seasons. Two years ago was an out-and-out flop; last season effectively ended when Wagner went down. Since then, we've addressed the team's major problem by upgrading the bullpen significantly. If there's a reason to keep the faith, it starts there.
I greatly look forward to it! We make fool of ourselves for them anyway– at least once we could get something out of it.
No more bad news. Bring back those happy Flashback Fridays!
Greg will get this:
"It's a baseball season, dammit! We've got to offend somebody!"
"That's quite a hard slide, Jose."
"So fat Albert in St. Louis can feel it without his body armor!"
Maybe they're just not that talented.
Nobody wants to believe that about "their" team. For some reason, it's easier to believe that they don't care about winning than that they just don't have the talent.
It's easy to "care about winning" when you're surrounded by teams like the 1986 Mets who had the overwhelming giftedness in every department to just completely crush the opposition. But I don't believe for a second that fifteen games into the season they've just given up. I think it's a lot more possible that they just…aren't that good.
And a team has to be GREAT in New York for the fans to really get behind them. And they have to be great all season long, without letup. Otherwise they will receive more booing than they would on the road. (Which I really think doesn't help AT ALL. Did any team ever get better by being booed? Does booing bring out talent that didn't exist before?)
Maybe they're better than average and they'd love to have this team in Pittsburgh or Washington. But in New York, that isn't good enough. You might as well lose 105 games as 75.
When the talent just isn't there, it's a lot harder for a team to give a shit. It's not the other way around.
(You may commence the fruit-toss now.)
They're not a 108-win juggernaut. But they're not kick-me atrocious either. There is middle ground, even in New York.
I do think the constipated offense will get itself some Dulcolax soon enough. It's statistically impossible to leave that many runners on base all year, especially when most of your hitters have good overall averages. And I do think the dumb defensive glitches have mostly been flukes.
But yikes, there really is a precipitous decline in starting pitching quality from Johan to the rest of the rotation. Especially if Pelf's injury turns out to be serious. You expect a drop after your stopper, but not into the Grand Canyon. There are going to be a LOT of 8-7 kind of games this year when Johan's not starting. We're just gonna need to be the ones with the 8's.
I will admit, I've been out of town for work, so I only got a chance to catch 4 innings total of that 3 game sweep. So, maybe ignorance is partly responsible for my April optimism.
But why did people boo David Wright today? Dude, Scott Olsen was the first left handed pitcher he has had a chance to face this year. He's batting over .300 despite seeing right handed pitching exclusively these first few weeks. Seriously, the handful of left handed relievers he has faced just walked him late in games.
And, yes, there's been a TON of guys left on base this year. But I just don't see that as a bad thing in April. I'm thinking that can change quickly when the team gets in a bit of a groove.
I would counter only that the Mets, between Johan starts, had to be seen to be not believed. Their ineptitude didn't begin to show up in the boxscore, and they didn't begin to show up in St. Louis.
But maybe the Johan cloning experiement will take hold after all.
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Other details of the professor's life also appeared to crumble under scrutiny. Before he disappeared from the university's campus last year, Prof Protsch told his students he had examined Hitler's and Eva Braun's bones.
He also boasted of having flats in New York, Florida and California, where, he claimed, he hung out with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Steffi Graf. . . . some of the 12,000 skeletons stored in the department's "bone cellar" were missing their heads, apparently sold to friends of the professor in the US and sympathetic dentists.
His resignation is a serious loss for Frankfurt University, and given the nature of the attack on him, for science generally.
I've heard he's going to devote himself to work with at-risk youths.
If he was that hell bent on making stuff up and inflating his abilities why didn't he do the decent thing and join a philosophy department? He'd still be a respected philo prof if he'd gone that route.
That's just rude. I don't like to delete comments, so I won't delete this one. But let's all try to contribute something useful here.
To respond to your substance: Making stuff up is fine. Mark Twain made up a lot of stuff and he was great. The problem is that Protsch seems to have made up stuff that would only be interesting if it were true, and it wasn't true.
You should put together a cheat sheet so we know which kinds of frauds it's "rude" to call out and which aren't.
Just try to use your best judgment. I don't think philosophy professors routinely commit frauds. There's a difference between doing work that might well be at best empty and at worst bogus (which I think is what you're saying that many philosophy professors are doing) and flat-out fraud of the deny-everything and hide-the-data-before-I-get-caught variety.
No worries Anonymous. We never tire of you finding another excuse to repeat the same "joke" about how horrible philosophers are, no matter how irrelevant it is to the thread.
One might note that Mark Twain has a short story about the Cardiff Giant, an archaeological hoax of the late 19th century, whose ghost appears to Twain. So Twain was making money off the fraud, via making up the story, in an honest way.
This transcends everything — everything that ever did occur! Why you poor blundering old fossil, you have had all your trouble for nothing — you have been haunting a PLASTER CAST of yourself — the real Cardiff Giant is in Albany!
felt sorry that he was gone, poor fellow — and sorrier still that he had carried off my red blanket and my bath tub.
Maybe you are overreacting? I mean, how is making fun of Philosophy Departments any worse than your routinely calling Nature / Science etc. "tabloid journals"?
In any case, Anon is hardly the first person to question the relevance of the work done by contemporary philosophy departments.
I agree there is no bright line, and I have no problem with commenters expressing distaste for the work done in philosophy departments (or in statistics or political science departments!). But I don't think it's accurate or helpful to liken empty research to fraud. That's the part that seems rude to me.
Ok, agreed that empty research isn't identical to fraud.
In a sense, empty research is worse than fraud though. How many $$ get wasted by empty research versus by outright, blatant fraud?
The remark about philosophers is rude because it's empty, gratuitous, irrelevant, and mystifying. I doubt the commenter even knows what philosophy professors write articles about. In any case, it's hard to respond, because in the context one has no idea what he's objecting to in their work. If he'd been snide about other kinds of anthropologists, or about Germans, it would at least have been connected to the post's topic, though still rude.
So much for peer review and replication. If I read the article right, the field just took his word for it that his carbon dating results were correct. And it took Terberger since 2001 to tie down the fraud.
Perhaps it's worth noting that Terberger is from a different discipline than von Zieten, and therefore would face less hostility from peers than someone in the same discipline.
Um, scientists in every field routinely take other scientists' word for it in the sense that you mean. For instance, if somebody sequences a sample of DNA, others don't routinely sequence the same sample themselves. And even with direct replication attempts, one still ordinarily trusts that the study being replicated was in fact done as described. And only some forms of misconduct can be detected by peer reviewers. It sounds like you think this case shows some kind of serious flaw in the normal workings of science? If so, why? I read the linked article and I didn't see anything that suggests carelessness on the part of peer reviewers of von Zieten's papers. What do you think the rest of the field should've done differently, and why?
Yes, "scientists in every field routinely take other scientists' word for it". But that's my point. Peer review is not effective in catching fraud, and "replication" is less observed in science that we think. Even bicycle racing tests an A and B sample to confirm doping, but did reviewers seem to require von Zieten to have at least some of these fossils independently dated?
It's not that everything needs to be done over and over, but these were key findings in a field historically known for the possibliity of fraud (see Cardiff Giant and Piltdown Man).
We think science is done by ethical people, but it's just done by people.
This is egregious fraud. So it got caught & made headlines when it did get caught.
But there's lots of peccadillos that happen in routine science & never get caught. e.g. dropping points from regression lines, fishing, cherry picking, mentioning a calibration was done which was never done et cetra.
> "scientists in every field routinely take other scientists' word for it".
Sorry, that is not scientific inquiry – you are not supposed to take anyone's word for anything – ever!
Its much easier in math, where mathematicians don't take other's word for it that they can prove/derive whatever – they redo it bending over backwards to find mistakes.
That's fine but empirically what's the situation?
e.g. of all the articles published (say) last year in Poli. Sci. what fraction will ever be even attempted to be replicated independently? Or even have their analysis verified by a third party?
It is called auditing – most country's revenue agencies have figured it out.
Sorry Keith, you can't just go "it's called auditing" and imply that because national revenue agencies can do it, so can scientists in any and all circumstances. That's like saying that, because we put a man on the moon, we should be able to build a computer out of cardboard (to borrow a line from an old Dilbert cartoon). You cannot argue that people can and should do X by pointing out that other people have done Y.
So enlighten us: how *exactly* should the "auditing" process be conducted in physical anthropology? What should be "audited", and how?
Keith, you either badly misunderstood my comment or you're taking a very strange position.
In mathematics, every mathematician does not check every proof by every other mathematician. The few mathematicians who did the proof and checked it are trusted by all the others. Even those those few mathematicians are fallible, individually and collectively.
And while you say you check at least a random sample of the work done by others you work with, I have to trust the combined efforts of you and those you work with. Or are you suggesting that I should also check your work?
And plenty of work in science just isn't checkable in the manner you seem to want in order for it to be science. For instance, in my own lab, we count the number of protists in small samples of water taken from our culture vessels. Each sample is counted by a properly-trained student. Are you telling me that I'm not doing science unless I also count the same samples to double-check that the students' counts were correct?
Rather than silly grandstanding about how all work should always be checked by everyone else on pain of it not being considered science, I'd like to hear some sensible comments on the circumstances in which it makes sense to perform particular checks for particular sorts of errors, recognizing that no error-checking procedure is perfect and that all come with some sort of cost.
How do you know the student is "properly trained" unless you have some validation / calibration periodically?
I'd definitely get some samples counted periodically by multiple students just to see how much variation there is. Or to identify any particularly bad counters. Or simply to identify any extraneous reasons (e.g. there's confusion over what to classify as a protist) that might cause the process to go out of control.
I find it hard to understand this open loop attitude that pervades academic labs about analysis.
Oh for pete's sake. Of course their training includes us all counting some of the same samples to ensure we all get the same answer! That's what I meant by "proper training". But that's not what Keith was arguing for–he was arguing for *much* more extensive and ongoing checking than that.
I don't think a one time initial cross check would be enough. I'd sure like an ongoing check. A periodic, random, unannounced verification.
People get sloppy. Skills drift. How extensive depends on how critical your work is. Since a wrong count doesn't kill anyone or blow up stuff I guess you have a license to be lax if you want to.
@Jeremy Fox, you seem to be taking this kinda personally. You offered a for-instance and posed a question, and I answered it. I'm not happy with data until I know the noise level, and as far as I can tell, you're arguing against spending the effort to learn the noise level of the data your students are producing on an ongoing basis. In my last job, I expended (and saw a lot of other peoples' efforts expended) on quality control for both data and analyses; in my current job, I am responsible for defining the QA and QC processes for my company's data and analyses. I don't mind telling you that I have more confidence in any groups's scientific findings if they're generated in a context of ongoing QC testing with a QA audit trail; to me, your attitude seems cavalier.
P.S. Keith and I get together for coffee every so often, so I have some insight into his views on science; for what it's worth, I bet he'd be perfectly happy if you were capable of and willing to check his work.
I think the tension between ideals of scientific work and the impossibility to really achieve them is a basic condition of science. This brief exchange brought together advocates of both the ideals and of respecting the practicalities that hamper achieving them, and is as such a very nice illustration of something that I think is very important to understand about science.
I do try to arrange for someone else to check at least some of my work whenever I can.
My take is that what is found to be wrong are mistakes rather than professional errors – those only exist after the analysis is finalized.
When I was in clinical research, there did seem to be two solitudes, those who said they hired good people and made it amply clear to them that they needed to be careful and diligent and those that would check anyone's work whenever they could given resources.
So when the first group hears these suggestions about auditing their groups' work they feel they are being accused of not being trustworthy and often suggest how would you like it if we did not trust you?
Jeremy: I have no idea who you are and what group you fall in – these are just blog comments hopefully sparking some to to do better research. Here I will recount David Andrews comment about predicting an election outcome in Canada much better that other groups "Why do you think you did better?" – "Not so much the modelling approach but we verified the results being phoned in before that data got into the prediction model. None of the other groups did any of that – they just entered what they think they heard".
@jeremy:I'd like to hear some sensible comments on the circumstances in which it makes sense to perform particular checks for particular sorts of errors, recognizing that no error-checking procedure is perfect and that all come with some sort of cost.
Answer: Bayes theorem as in P(error|data,assumptions) and a loss function. See also fraud detection.
Agree – its a cost/benefit analysis question, there is costs and _type two_ error rates but also can be large benefits.
1. In the smallish clinical trails I was involved it, doing the checking was likely less expensive than first doing a cost/benefit analysis.
2. My prior that carefulness and diligence would increase with folks believing they would be audited was mostly over worthwhile increases and what little data I have had on this in my career has steadily updated this upwards.
In a case such as your counting student, in various parts of psychology which relies on human ratings or scoring one would automatically check the inter-rater reliability by having the various raters (counting students here) rate common samples to assure oneself that the raters are at least in the same ball park.
Thank you for clarifying zbicyclist. I think there's a sensible argument that particularly important findings should be subject to more error checking.
Don't know that a few famous isolated historical events like Cardiff Giant and Piltdown Man should cause us to want to do more error checking on all work in the entire field of physical anthropology. That's like saying that some alchemists lied about being able to transmute lead into gold, so today all chemists should have their work done over and over.
Re: why didn't the reviewers require at least some of the fossils to be independently dated, it's not my field. I don't think it's routine for fossils or pieces of them to routinely be radiocarbon dates by multiple labs. Particularly not really unique and valuable fossils. I think at least in part for reasons of safekeeping. But I'm guessing, it's not my field, I could be wrong.
Sounds like a good time for Journals to start insisting on independent dating of any articles referred to in articles.
The situation for dating things is actually kind of bizarre, but in a way that *decreases* the likelihood of frauds like this.
Many people who find specimens send them to independent labs to get them dated (because many labs lack support for both field work and dating techniques). "Independent" here can refer to truly independent labs at other institutions, or to collaborators' labs at other institutions or at the home institution.
The problems with independent dating are two-fold: of minor concern is the cost, of larger concern is that dating requires you damage the specimen slightly. If you have a large number of similar specimens, damaging a few of them to get several dates is fine. But if you've only got a couple specimens, there's a calculation that has to go into whether you damage it multiple times *now*, or damage it lightly now and hope that, in the future, techniques improve to require less damage.
Honestly, the most troubling thing about the article is that Protsch seems to assert that *he* owns the specimens. In general, anthropology/paleontology/zoology/etc specimens need to be owned by an institution that allows free access to future workers (and almost every journal requires this). Institutional ownership means that if you publish a date or a measurement or whatever, some other worker can come in later and test your claim independently on the exact same specimen. This doesn't protect against short-term, flat-out lying like Protsch pulled, but reposition in an institution with free access policy is exactly how these hoaxes get caught (see Piltdown man, Cardiff, Archaeoraptor, and just about every other exposed fraud in these fields).
As a card-carying evolutionary anthropologist, and one who teaches human evolution and relevant fossil record, it's worth pointing out that the finds in question were never taken too seriously and have had little role in debates over the last 20 years. You won't find them mentioned in many textbooks. Terberger exaggerates the impact to make the myth-busting seem important.
Were his finds published in crappy, third rate journals? Or respectable ones?
Those of you who "saw it coming", had you done anything about it? Were there many complaints / calls for verification of this guy's work over the last 20 years?
Thank you for commenting– we need knowledge of practices in the field.
Since people were skeptical about his findings, why didn't they try redoing the carbon dating? They could expect at least to find exaggeration and fudging, if not fraud. It seems like it would be an easy way to get a publication in the same journals he published in. Or did he not publish in worthwhile journals?
It's crazy of course to expect replication for every article published. Most scholars are honest, and most articles don't create enough interest to be worth replicating. But even in math, if a proof is surprising, surely a few people check it for errors.
One thing archaeology ought to do is require articles to note which lab did the dating, just as perhaps we should all note which statistics software we used. If it's a disreputable lab, that would be a warning sign, especially if, as with some criminal evidence labs, we suddenly discover gross fraud.
Why are Chimp skulls so cheap? That's $250 per skull.
I'd assume that they aren't really that cheap, usually, but when they're being fenced they can be. If I sell you stuff that isn't mine, I might as well sell mass quantities of it and make sure you'll pounce on the offer.
I see that a retail monkey skull is $199. Chimps would be triple, I'd guess, so maybe $250 is a reasonable bulk price. Human skulls are $950+, but can only be bought by "college professors, teachers, doctors, nurses, dentists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, dental assistants, optometrists, x-ray technicians, ultrasound technicians, crime scene investigators, lawyers, and students of these professions." I wonder if economics professors count?
I don't need that company's quality, though– more something along the lines of a medieval scholar's reminder of mortality.
Aren't chimps rarer than humans? Law of supply. I would have expected man-skulls to sell at $250 and chimp at $950.
Hmm…Makes sense. I guess there's more student-doctors than student-vets.
If only chimp skulls were aphrodisiacs.
They're not? Maybe that explains it.


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No. 2: Nickelback
2007 U.S. recorded-music sales: $32.5 million
Vancouver, B.C.-based hard-rock quartet Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the new millennium. Their album All The Right Reasons finished 2007 as the year's 11th most popular album, with U.S. sales of 1.8 million--not bad at all, considering that the album was released in the fall of 2005. Sales of All The Right Reasons got a boost in 2007 with a "special edition" re-release of the album that featured a bonus DVD.
© Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images for NARAS
No. 3: Amy Winehouse
Fueled by her hit single "Rehab," Winehouse enjoyed breakout success with her second album, Back In Black, which went on to sell 1.4 million units in the U.S. last year. While Back In Black was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic, Winehouse found herself hounded by the British tabloid press, which gleefully chronicled her struggles with drugs and her husband's problems with the law. Still, she bagged multiple wins at the Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.
© MARTIN SCHUTT/AFP/Getty Images
No. 4: Celine Dion
In December, the Montreal native closed out her successful five-year residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. In between concert dates, Dion found time to record her 2007 album Taking Chances. The disc sold 796,000 units in the U.S., an impressive showing considering that it wasn't released until mid-November.
© Edmond Terakopian/NBCU Photo Ban via AP Images
No. 5: Nelly Furtado
Total albums sold: 922,000
Song downloads: 3 million
The Portuguese-Canadian pop star from Victoria, B.C., continued to ride the success of her 2006 album Loose, selling another 922,000 units of the record last year. Furtado hit the road for several months in 2007 for a Get Loose tour to support the album.
© AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
No. 6: Corinne Bailey Rae
Total albums sold: 1 million
Song downloads: 717,000
Capitol/EMI reissued Rae's lovely self-titled 2006 debut album last year with bonus tracks and remixes. Smart move: The disc moved another 988,000 units. The label also released a live album from the Leeds, England, native, featuring performances recorded in London and New York. Rae sold far fewer song downloads than either Furtado or Winehouse, suggesting that she is foremost an album artist in the eyes of most of her fans.
© Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank via AP Images
No. 7: Three Days Grace
This Toronto alt-metal band's 2006 album One-X still found American buyers last year, selling another 676,000 copies and 2 million song downloads.
© Jo Hale/Getty Images
No. 8: Paul McCartney
2007 U.S. recorded-music sales: $9.5 million
The ex-Beatle has released more than his fair share of lackluster material over the years. But that only makes his remarkable late-career work that much more satisfying. His 2007 album, Memory Almost Full, may not have been Band On The Run or even Tug Of War--but it did demonstrate that McCartney remains a force to be reckoned with, even in his mid-60s.
© Dove Shore/Getty Images
No. 9: Joss Stone
2007 U.S. recorded-music sales: $9 million
The erstwhile teenage soul-music prodigy from Devon, England, is all grown up now. Her third album, the curiously titled Introducing Joss Stone, found her channeling a '70s soul vibe. Sales of Introducing went gold in the U.S. (500,000-plus units sold). But with the emergence of Winehouse, Stone is no longer the only female Brit pop star with an uncanny feel for American R&B.
© AP Photo/Richard Drew
No. 10: Feist
The former Broken Social Scene vocalist struck out on her own with her 2004 Arts & Crafts major-label debut Let It Die. Feist followed up that critically acclaimed project with 2007's The Reminder. Like its predecessor, the new album appeared destined to remain little-known outside indie-music circles. But then Apple picked the song "1234" from The Reminder for use in a TV commercial for the new-generation iPod Nano. Suddenly, indie darling Feist was reaching a much broader audience, as witnessed by her sale of more than a million song downloads.


text:
Q: How to re-map with Flutter I have an object with following data for instance (Elasticsearch result)
{createdat: {raw: 2022-01-26T16:49:24.000Z}, images: {raw: []}}

In Flutter I would like to (re)map this object to look like
{createdat: 2022-01-26T16:49:24.000Z, images: []}

So the challenge is to get the value of each "raw" and get it one level up.
Is there an easy method to solve that task?

A: You can do something like this:
void main() {
  final originalMap = {
    'createdat': {'raw': '2022-01-26T16:49:24.000Z'},
    'images': {'raw': []}
  };
  final convertedMap = originalMap.map((key, value) =>
    MapEntry(key, value['raw']));
  print(convertedMap);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


As well as a huge GNW project I am also revamping all of my terrain, including repainting the baseboards etc so everything is the same colour, and looks like one landscape.
I thought I would share my method for making rivers, as they seem to be turning out quite well.
First, I bought a load of 1mm thick black plasticard. Plasticard is actually a brand name, and what you actually want is HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene Sheet). I got mine here as they are a good price of around £1.40 for a large sheet.
I cut them using a stanley knife, wavey along the edges, just making sure each end was the right width. I have done river sections in 6″, 4″, 3″ and 2″ wide sections, with "connectors" that taper between each width, allowing a river to be a variable width if needed.
The HIPS is really easy to just score with the knife and then "snap" out. I made all the base sections (a total of over 50) in two hours.
After cutting out the HIPS sheet, I ran a bead of cheap brown acrylic builders caulk (from ebay, about £2 a tube) about a centimeter inside each edge, then used my finger to smooth it ouwards, creating an internal bank that tapers to nothing at the outside edge.
Then I applied pva to the top of the banks, leaving the bit facing the water smooth, then put fine sand over.
Next step was painting the banks in a watered down green paint. When that dried I drybrushed a lighter tone on. The colours were a base of "aloe vera" and the highlight was "grazing green", both are available from B&Q in the UK in the custom-mix paint section, costing about £15 a litre. I have used this combination for all the terrain I am revamping so it is unified.
The next step was to use vallejo khaki grey along the water-facing bank, and to create some shallows.
I then used some grey granite ballast from ebay to make raised sections in the water, for drifts of rock.
Then the "magic" took place. I bought a couple of tubes of the below artists gloss medium from ebay for about £6 each.
This was then generously stippled on with a flat brush to create running river effect with plenty of "waves".
And here is several sections laid out next to each other. You can see the final piece is a taper to nothing, which will work well with the new marsh sections I have also made.
So that's how I made my rivers cheaply, robustly, and I think looking pretty realistic as well. Total cost, about £30, which seems dirt cheap to me for about 36 feet of river!
Next up….Swedish artillery photos soon, and on the painting table Swedish commanders.
← The GNW Russian Army….So Far!
What Rules To Use For My Big Battle GNW Project?
The Swedes Have Arrived…….Plus MORE Russians!


Frank Buckles poses for a photo as he tours the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday. Buckles, at 107, is the last known living American-born veteran of World War I.
Kansas City, Mo. ? As the last known living American-born veteran of World War I, Frank Woodruff Buckles is upgrading his place in the history books.
The 107-year-old veteran was an honored guest at the Liberty Memorial this weekend where he toured the National World War I Museum for the first time. His photograph was hung in the main hallway of the museum, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States presented him with a gold medal of merit, and today he will be presented the American flag flying outside the memorial.
Buckles, who now lives in Charles Town, W.Va., has been an invited guest at the Pentagon, met with President Bush in Washington, D.C., and rode in the annual Armed Forces Day Parade in his home state since his status as one of the last living from the "Great War" was discovered nearly two years ago.
Born in Missouri in 1901 and raised in Oklahoma, Buckles visited a string of military recruiters after the United States entered the "war to end all wars" in April 1917.
He was rejected by the Marines and the Navy, but eventually persuaded an Army captain he was 18 and enlisted, convincing him Missouri didn't keep public records of birth.
He sailed for England in 1917 on the Carpathia, which is known for its rescue of Titanic survivors, and spent his tour of duty working mainly as a driver and a warehouse clerk in Germany and France. He rose to the rank of corporal and after Armistice Day he helped return prisoners of war to Germany.
Buckles, an avid reader and a bit of a historian, gained recognition when he attended a Veteran's Day ceremony at the Arlington grave of Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing, said his daughter, Susannah Flanagan.
He ended up on the podium and became a featured guest at the event honoring the leader of the U.S. forces in World War I. Then the invites and media interview requests came rolling in and have continued for two years.
Buckles spent much of his museum tour Sunday looking at mementos of Pershing, who he avidly read about before joining the military and later gained a lifelong admiration for. He posed for pictures in front of a flag that used to be in the famous general's office and retold stories about meeting Pershing.
Flanagan said Buckles also wants to visit his hometown of Bethany, Mo., and stop by Pershing's boyhood home. The two were both born less than 50 miles apart in northwest Missouri and eventually met in Oklahoma after the war.
"This is such an extraordinary occasion that we here at the museum decided that the photo of Mr. Buckles should be permanently installed in the main hallway here" said Brian Alexander, president and chief executive of the museum.


The relaunch of CBS This Morning in 2012 was an attempt to bring back hard news to the morning time slot. There is no funny weatherman or couch on set. The first hour is anchored by Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell and is essentially an extended version of the CBS Evening News. Gayle King joins the show in the second hour, at which point it shifts to lighter fare. The broadcast starts off with a 90-second look at the news called the Eye Opener, for which this piece of beautiful music is used. It's composed by Joel Beckerman of ManMade Music.


text:
Werking volgens de website van DAVOC
a small glance
Techniques As you know calculation of the code for moving picture requires a complicated algorithm. In 1987 the development of a new system started, in order to store the enormous amount of data, which must be available for the Electronic Repair Branch.
For this purpose a unique database was developed, which contains millions of data available for every electronics repairman trough an ISDN network. Within seconds data and specifications can be obtained about almost any device. Like: components with specifications, cable frequencies, locations, suppliers, delivery periods, ZIPcodes, phone numbers, and so on.
On top of that, the system has unique error detection, using an IRIS code. That way a solution can be found for any device regardless the malfunction. At the same time one can search for the concerning scheme. All data concerning the repair can be found and printed out.
This "REPA BASE" is now operational for 2 years in the Netherlands and proved its value by an increase of costs and time of over 65%.
The system, used for "REPA BASE", was further developed and later used in Audio and Video appliances, using the basic principle to store unique data only once and add only new data. That way a number of databases were developed with different sorts of unique data. Processor systems create codes for all this data, which are finally put together in a so-called key-code. This code is offered to the workstation of the requester. On his workstation all the required data are shown on the screen as copy, pictures or schemes and can be send to the printer.
For many years people searched for ways to compress data, audio and video in order to store it on compact carriers. The compression techniques became better and better, but so far the best result still is only 45%.
The basic idea behind the development of the DAVOC system is that there should be no mechanical components, and that the carrier should be light and small. The microchip on a chipcard proved to be the right answer. Additional advantage of this carrier is the fact that one can print e.g. a logo on it.
The process of DAVOC analyses every videoframe in detail with a unique processor system. First in detail, later as a whole picture and finally as a complete clip or movie. It then creates a key-code of a few bits and stores it in the memory of the application.
That way lots of key-codes can be stored and users can make a choice of viewing a film now or (much) later. For this purpose a reader / writer is available.
In fact DAVOC did not try to improve existing systems, like VHS, but used existing techniques to develop a brand new system. Using key-codes in stead of compression.
Consequently the data is no longer stored in the way it is presented, but presented directly while the code is gradually processed. So from now on we just call it the DAVOC signal.
DAVOC is the new digital standard. It ends all traditional ways of data processing, which need enormous memory capacities. Which makes transport of data expensive and slow.
Making DAVOC the new standard offers the benefit, that applications made all over the world will have the same quality. Through telecommunications data, sound and pictures can be shown in real-time now. As the DAVOC system requires only a few bits for itself, it is now possible to store over ten hours of video on a single chipcard.
The system operates with a complete new way of digital processing in a DAVOC processor. It uses the tree basic colors red, green and blue plus an additional clearness factor. With the value of the colors, the clearness signal and the unique algorithm the processor can calculate any known color of the spectrum.
That way a perfect picture can be quaranteed, in which every detail is controlled by a reference code. No stripes, fading or other disturbance will be shown in the picture. Of every pixel only one pixel, if recognized as DDS, will be changed. And only if the pixel is different then the one before. Therefore the picture will stand like a photo on the screen. No flicker or any other disturbance will be shown. Because of the fact that the screen will be no longer refreshed 50 times a second it is not necessary have to line, grid or screen synchronization.
From every frame the processor will calculate all pixels in to a color value, the frame is build with 976 pixels in a line and 640 per frame. So 640 x 976 = 624.640,00 pixels. To speed up the process the frame is divided in to matrixes from each 16 x 16 = 256 pixels. Thus horizontal the frame contains 64 matrix blocks (lines) and vertical only 40. A complete frame contains therefore only 2560 blocks, compare with 624.640,00 pixels en enormous reduction. Every matrix block is 1/2.560 part of the frame.
The signals are analyzed and processed to a DAVOC signal and divided for further processing by the algorithm. From fixed memory (ROM) the processor compares if there is a reference and a logic value is given. When the value is not in the reference a new value will be calculated and stored in ROM memory. This is a kind of bucket memory. Through the DAVOC coding it is possible to store an enormous amount of data. (Fi. A television broadcast for several weeks and more then a dozen channels)
Trough the algorithm the correct color value of every pixel will be calculated by a processor. In the same way a value will be calculated for a frame line. After calculating 40 frame lines the value of the entire picture will be calculated. Finally all data will be processed in the DAVOC Video processor in which a single code is calculated which is stored in the RAM memory.
Sound tracks are processed directly by the DAVOC Audio processor and also stored in the RAM memory. Pictures can be viewed "life" on any monitor or TV, but can also be stored on an external carrier like a chipcard. It can then be viewed later, on any DAVOC system on this planet. The sound can be locked to any amplifier or stored in the same way.
Because DAVOC needs just a few bits for pictures, sounds and data complete programs can be stored in a small package and send all over the world. Because it only needs a small bandwidth billions of this packages can be transmitted through the ether. The only thing you need is one frequency carrier.
Just think about the possibilities this new system will offer


NEWLY UPDATED! Brand new floors, windows, ss appliances, new water heater(2016), the roof was replaced in 2012, and the ac/heating unit was replaced in 2012 as well. This spacious rancher in Aberdeen gives you access to 40 and I-95, it has been well maintained and offers a great location! *Roof tiles generate electric, and offer a large benefit back with the electric bill!* Front deck, side access ramp and back deck are brand new! Back deck would be great for entertaining this summer! Attic is completely floored and insulated for an abundant amount of storage! Come see this gorgeous home, and bring your best offers!
Welcome to Holly Woods! A great opportunity to own this well maintained, upgraded and move-in ready townhome. This home offers 2164 st ft of living space on 3 finished levels which includes 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full / 2 Half Baths and 2 Level Bump-Out! The Owners Bedroom has a Walk-In Closet & Ensuite Bathroom. Spacious updated eat-in Kitchen features a Center Island, Granite Countertops, Ceramic Tile Backsplash, Stainless Appliances along with plenty of Storage throughout the neutrally decorated home. The fenced backyard has an outdoor Shed along with your very own Garden! Great location, minutes to APG, I-95, Shopping and Schools. "COMING SOON" will be ready for appointments when Fully Active on 4/22! ALL PICTURES & MEASUREMENTS POSTED WHEN ACTIVE.
The popular Hemingway plan is available to build at this community! The main floor offers a formal living room, a spacious great room and an open dining area that flows into a spacious kitchen with a center island and walk-in pantry. Upstairs, you'll find a convenient laundry, a large loft that can be optioned as an additional bedroom, and a lavish master suite with an optional deluxe bath. Personalize this plan with a sunroom, fireplace, finished basement with bedroom and bath and more! Personalize your finishes at our Home Gallery. Wooded homesites, community open space, easy access to I-95, Ripken Stadium, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Havre de Grace and Baltimore. Photos of similar home. Final price contingent on options & subject to change.
The ranch-style Decker is available to build at this community! Highlights include a private study, a spacious great room and an impressive corner kitchen with a walk-in pantry, center island and comfortable breakfast nook. The elegant master suite boasts a private bath with double sinks and an expansive walk-in closet, and the generous second bedroom and full bath are perfect for family or guests. Abundant personalization options, including a gourmet kitchen, sunroom, finished basement, covered patio and 3-car garage, truly allow you to make this home your own. Select your own finishes at our Home Gallery! Wooded homesites, community open space, easy access to I-95, Ripken Stadium, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Havre de Grace and Baltimore. Photos of similar home. Final price contingent on options & subject to change.
Wowser this one's a keeper! Super spacious, beautiful wooded views, 3 fully finished levels and upgrades galore! Just turn the key and move into this end of group gem. Enjoy entertaining, or creating your next culinary masterpiece in the oversized kitchen complete with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The kitchen offers plenty of table space, tons of natural light and an island thats second to none! The master bedroom boasts a private, tranquil wooded view and comes complete with a custom barn door to enter into the walk in closet. The master bath includes a double sink vanity, separate soaking tub/shower and custom shelves to add your personal decorating touch. Hardwood floors throughout the main level put and extra twist on the ammenities this townhome offers. Schedule your visit today or visit our open house on Sunday 4/28 from 1-3!
This 4 bedroom, 2 full bath home is the largest mobile home made today @ 28x76. Open, spacious and waiting for your things.Freshly painted with all new carpet. The humongous deck with it's ramp has been re-done and is waiting for your spring/summer outings.
Fantastic home end-of-group townhome in Villas at Hollywood backing to woods. Features expanded main level master suite with tray ceiling, cathedral ceilings, hardwood floors on main living area, gas stone fireplace, sunny breakfast nook, large club basement and 2 car garage. Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood very convenient to AberdeenProving Ground and major travel routes. A fantastic deal!
Lovely Villa in the Beech Creek Community. This community features miles of paved walking trails, woodland preserve areas, Community center with Pool and Kiddie Pool. Beech Creek is located within an easy commute to APG, Baltimore, and Delaware and is just a few blocks from I-95.The home itself features an open floor plan, hardwood floors, Kitchen with Maple cabinets and granite counter. There is an open dining area, slider to the back yard and a spacious family room on the first floor. There is fresh paint thru out the house.Upstairs there are 4 spacious bedrooms including a luxury master suite with walk-in closet.The finished basement is wired for surround sound and ready for your entertaining needs. Ready for quick settlement.
Rarely available! A Bush River Cottage with new pier and boat lift. Enjoy the clean water of the Bush River! Fishing & Crabbing right at the end of your pier! Just across from the Bush River Yacht Club! See the beautiful views all year around from your glass enclosed sun porch. 3 bedrooms with a full basement three full bathrooms Work shop for all your water sports equipment.


text:
'Red Table Talk': Why Jada Pinkett Smith identifies with alleged R. Kelly victim Azriel
Erin Jensen
"Red Table Talk" continued its R. Kelly discussion Monday on Facebook Watch.
The first of the series' two-part conversation addressing the allegations against the singer premiered late Friday .
As she did in Part 1 Lisa Van Allen, who claims to be a survivor of Kelly's and was featured in Lifetime's six-part docu-series "Surviving R. Kelly," spoke with hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris.
Van Allen, who says she began dating Kelly when she was 17 and he was 31, severed ties after a decade together. She said she made the decision to leave after he allegedly made repeated suggestions that she buy dresses for her daughter, causing her to become suspicious of his intentions.
Van Allen's 16-year old daughter, Akeyla, also took part in the conversation and was overcome with emotion at one point. She said she and her mother watched the docu-series together.
"It's changed my perspective on a lot of stuff, 'cause ... people are really judgmental nowadays," she said, "and it's just, when you hear someone's story, and it's like, you don't know... anyone could be going through anything."
Akeyla said she no longer wonders why her mother was so "overprotective."
"I understand now that it's scary out there," she said. "People are crazy."
More:R. Kelly's alleged victim opens up to Jada Pinkett Smith in shocking 'Red Table Talk'
More:'Surviving R. Kelly' marathon: All the shocking claims from Episodes 1 and 2
Pinkett Smith could relate, noting that she's kept a close eye on her own 18-year-old daughter.
"There have been so many times I've had to have very real conversations with Willow in regards to, 'I don't care if you look at this person, as, like, your older brother and you trust them, you're not to be alone anywhere,' " she explained.
"Here's the thing about girls, when they get to those ages of 17, 18-years-old: you think you're grown," she continued. "And as a parent, you only have but so much control."
Pinkett Smith said she had gone through that phase with her own mother, telling Banfield-Norris, "You were on me, and I'm like, 'I'mma find a way to lie to her, I'mma find a way to manipulate her.' "
"I would be Azriel (Clary)," Pinkett Smith said, referencing another alleged victim of Kelly's. Clary was 17 when she met Kelly – underage by the standards of her home state of Florida – but convinced her parents to let her travel with Kelly and pursue a music career as his mentee in 2015, with her sister traveling to Chicago to watch over her.
"I'd be like... 'hold up, I got a dream. Now, you're not going to get in the way of that,' " Pinkett Smith added.
Monday's guests also included Dr. Candice Norcott, a psychologist who appeared in Lifetime's docu-series.
"You don't know what love is, when you're younger, you don't know how it's supposed to look, if you've never had it, if you've had an abuse experience," Norcott, a University of Chicago faculty member explained. "And then especially if you're a star, and you're inviting somebody into your world, (it's like) 'This is how it is.' "
"And me," Van Allen said, "17, dating a 31-year-old, how would I know what dating a man would be like at 17? ... All I could say to myself is, 'He's a grown man, he would know better than I would.' "
Pinkett Smith spoke of how the docu-series affected her in Part 1.
"I had a lot of feelings about it. One being, I was like, man, how complicit we all have been," she said. "That really broke my heart, like, to really think about, we ignored it."
The general public, celebrities and authorities have all turned their attention to Kelly following the broadcast of "Surviving R. Kelly," which painted the Grammy-winning singer as a controlling master manipulator with a disturbing affinity for underage girls. The six-hour series even went so far as to allege that Kelly has operated a "sex cult" and that he has abused many women both physically and sexually.
In 2008, Kelly was tried on child-pornography charges. He was accused of making a 27-minute-long sex tape with an underage girl in 2002. However, the girl declined to testify, and it took only a few hours for a jury to declare him not guilty on all 14 counts.
Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, says the abuse allegations made in the documentary are false.
In a Jan. 8 phone interview with The Associated Press, the Chicago-based defense attorney dismissed the allegations as "another round of stories" being used to "fill reality TV time."
Pinkett Smith previously spoke out about Kelly on Instagram on Jan. 6, asking followers to explain the rise in popularity of Kelly's music following the docu-series. According to Nielsen, the singer's album sales, song sales and audio and video streams have spiked since the Jan. 3 premiere of the three-night program. Lifetime also ran all six hours back-to-back on Friday.
"I just want to understand what I'm missing," Pinkett Smith said in the clip. "I really don't want to believe that it's because black girls don't matter enough," she added, "Or is that the reason?"
Analysis: Cyntoia Brown, R. Kelly and the refusal to recognize black and brown female victims
Kelly appears to be unbothered by the commotion, celebrating his 52nd birthday at a nightclub in his native Chicago Wednesday night.
"Y'all mother-(expletive) don't know it's my mother-(expletive) birthday, and I don't give a (expletive) what's going on tonight," he told an amped-up crowd after an a capella renditon of his 1994 hit "Bump n' Grind."
Contributing: Julia Thompson, Andrea Mandell, Maria Puente and Maeve McDermott
More:'Surviving R. Kelly' marathon: Everything we learned from Episodes 5 and 6
More:'Surviving R. Kelly' marathon: The most horrifying claims from Episodes 3 and 4
More:R. Kelly's daughter breaks silence on 'monster' father: 'Devastated is an understatement'


Our environment is dependant on the businesses of today to take the lead to preserve natural resources for a healthy future.
PB Packaging is dedicated to helping make this happen.
As a responsible member of the Business Community, PB Packaging recognizes its responsibility to our environment. We realize that it is necessary to preserve natural resources in order to have a healthy future for the next generations.
Our goal is to source products that have a reduced environmental impact because of what they are made of and how they are transported, stored, packaged and disposed.
Be less polluting & minimize waste.
Conserve energy and water & are made from recyclable materials.