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Author: Audrey Ludwig
Transphobia, Feminism and the Liberal Democrats
By Audrey Ludwig, Solicitor and Tim Pitt-Payne QC
On Saturday 19th September, the Liberal Democrats published a statement setting out their understanding of what constitutes transphobia. It is a remarkable document, deserving careful attention.
Debates about whether a particular view, person, or body is transphobic often misfire, because the participants are operating from unstated but differing definitions of transphobia; they talk past one another and make no progress. In principle, a discussion about the meaning of transphobia could be useful and helpful.
But the Liberal Democrat document is not intended merely as a contribution to wider social debate. The online statement announcing its adoption made clear that it would be used to support the Party's disciplinary processes. In other words, individuals who are guilty of transphobic behaviour – as defined in the document – could be suspended from the party or expelled.
The document is in three parts: a brief definition of transphobia; further discussion of that definition; and an appendix of examples.
The brief definition is this:
'Transphobia' is the fear or dislike of someone based on the fact they are trans. Transphobia, whether through words or action, may be targeted at people who are, or who are perceived to be, trans or trans allies.
In the subsequent discussion of this definition, we are told that the term "trans" is "an umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth." There is an express statement that people are not required to have undergone any medical or social transition to be considered trans, and a cross-reference to the definition of "trans" in Stonewall's glossary.
Four non-exhaustive examples of transphobic behaviour are then given, some of which go well beyond what would be regarded as either unlawful harassment on grounds of gender reassignment or an objective threshold standard for hate crime. The examples are:
* attempting directly or through advocacy to remove trans people's rights;
* misrepresenting trans people;
* abuse of trans people; and
* systematically excluding trans people from discussions about issues that directly affect them.
These are more fully explained in the appendix.
As to the first example, there is no further explanation of what type of rights are being referred to. No doubt advocating changes in the law that were regarded as weakening the position of trans people – for instance, arguing that the conditions for a GRC should be more restrictive – would come under this heading. But does this example go further? Given the breadth of the document generally (see further below), it is likely that the term "rights" would not be understood solely in legal terms, but would also cover anything that trans people are currently able to do as a matter of practice. For instance, arguing for the exclusion of trans women from women's rugby would probably be viewed as "attempting to remove trans people's rights".
The document goes on to distinguish between different levels of blame. For genuine "errors and misunderstandings", an apology or retraction will usually suffice. However, repeat offenders should be dealt with more severely: "this is especially true if they have been challenged by others, and they have been pointed to resources to help them learn about trans rights and transphobia." In other words, re-education and a chance to repent are to be the first resort, with the possibility of disciplinary action and expulsion to follow for those who persist.
The Appendix then sets out a number of further examples of transphobic behaviour, again making clear that they are not exhaustive.
Under the heading "denying trans people's gender identity or refusing to accept it", there are references to deadnaming, misgendering, and mockery, followed by this passage:
Using phrases or language to describe trans people which are designed to suggest that trans people are a separate category of person from the gender they identify as or that their gender identity is not valid. Current examples include referring to a trans woman or non-binary person as a "biological man" or a trans man or non-binary person as a "biological woman", which eradicates the trans person's gender identity in favour of their biology at birth.
The first sentence is clearly intended to enforce the orthodoxy that trans women are women and trans men are men. Any deviation from this – for instance, "trans women are not literally women, but (with limitations) ought to be treated as if they were" – would doubtless be seen as treating trans women as a separate category from the gender with which they identify. Taken at its highest, it could be said that this definition treats both the Equality Act and Gender Recognition Act as "transphobic", since both contain provisions identifying circumstances where trans people are treated as a separate category.
The second sentence is even more striking. In some contexts, it requires the denial of simple biological fact. This is the case, even if you believe that it is possible for a human being to change their biological sex – given that very many trans people will have undergone no medical transition whatsoever, as the document itself expressly recognises. To say that a person, or a group of people, identify as female but are biologically male is not only a factual statement, it is in some contexts a highly relevant statement: for instance, when considering how they should be housed within the prison estate, or whether they can fairly compete in sport against natal women. Of course there are contexts in which to refer to biological sex would be hateful: just as, when adoptive parents proudly describe their children's achievements, it would be hateful to respond, "But you're not their biological parents." But in some contexts – for instance, assessing the risk of inherited health conditions – biological parenthood is relevant: and likewise, biological sex.
Given the way in which this paragraph is drafted, it is hard to see how there could be any meaningful advocacy of gender critical views within the Liberal Democrats. In particular, it is hard to see how one could either oppose gender self-ID, or advocate for maintaining sex-based rights or single sex spaces and facilities, or for keeping the provisions in the Equality Act that make such things possible. The document therefore effectively requires certain policy positions to be supported, on pain of a finding of transphobia and potential expulsion. Dissent is to be rooted out, not by reasoned discussion and debate, but by the exercise of power. It is authoritarian, and illiberal, for a party to close down internal debate in this way on issues of live political controversy.
Under the heading "misrepresenting and excluding trans people", one finds this example:
Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about trans people or their cisgender allies. This includes spreading the idea of a "trans conspiracy" which asserts undue influence over media or government or claiming that cisgender allies support trans rights initiatives out of fear or bribery rather than a genuine belief that trans rights are human rights.
There is a sad irony about the final sentence. The very existence of this document will foster the making of such claims. When Liberal Democrats advocate for trans rights, they can be expect to be met with the retort, "you're only saying that because your party says that you must".
In all of this discussion, there is a glaring omission. At no point is there any recognition of any potential conflict between the rights and interests of trans people and of natal women. Dealing with competing rights is a familiar aspect of human and equality law: for instance, a policy benefiting one protected class may indirectly discriminate against another, requiring a balance to be struck. The document allows no space for feminist advocacy that recognises the need for such a balance. There is no acknowledgment whatsoever that campaigning against self-ID, or for sex-based rights, can be motivated by something other than prejudice or bigotry. The implied message of the document, therefore, is that when the interests of women come into conflict with those of other groups, then it is for women to give way without question or complaint. Not only is this an illiberal message: in its practical effect, it is a strikingly misogynist one.
Author Audrey LudwigPosted on September 24, 2020 Tags freedom of speech, GRA, transphobia3 Comments on Transphobia, Feminism and the Liberal Democrats
Discrimination: Only Unlawful if It Is Unlawful
Discrimination is only unlawful if it is unlawful (or why mantras cannot be relied upon when it comes to legal advice)
My title feels like a bit of an obvious statement – but spend any time on current debates and it becomes a useful reminder.
Discrimination is a word that has shifted in popular meaning. It relates to making choices and used to be regarded as having a more positive definition than currently. It used to suggest being discerning, recognising and understanding the qualitative difference between one thing and another. Now it is generally accepted as negative and relating to prejudice or stereotyping. Positive or negative, though – when is it unlawful?
Law is often complex, and equality law particularly so. But you wouldn't get that from the mantras and soundbites we are exposed to in the knotty conflict between trans demands for inclusion and women's sex based rights to single sex services and sports. Discrimination is a word we hear a lot.
Take rugby. The BBC reported that "World Rugby is considering a proposal to ban transgender athletes from women's contact rugby due to safety concerns that they say have emerged from recent independent research, claiming there was likely to be "at least a 20-30% greater risk" of injury when a female player is tackled by someone who has gone through male puberty.
Its current rules allow trans women to play as long as they suppress their testosterone levels for at least 12 months, in line with International Olympic Committee policy.
But the governing body has undertaken a "comprehensive review" of that policy, telling BBC Sport in a statement that it was not working.
"The latest peer-reviewed research confirms that a reduction of testosterone does not lead to a proportionate reduction in mass, muscle mass, strength or power," said the statement.
"These important determinants of injury risk and performance remain significantly elevated after testosterone suppression.
"This presents a clear safety risk when transgender women play women's contact rugby."
This is presented by trans lobbying groups as "discriminatory" (by which they mean unlawfully discriminatory) and "transphobic."
But one of the early lessons one learns as a specialist discrimination lawyer is that the equation "I have a protected characteristic and a bad thing is happening to me = unlawful discrimination" is a commonly held but also fallible view. Bad things happen all the time to people but it is not automatically unlawful or even to do with their protected characteristic.
So a useful list of things to note when initially considering if something is unlawful discrimination:
Firstly, if the cause of the harm is related to something which is not a protected class, then it is not unlawful discrimination. So not being offered a job because you have tattoos or are left handed may justifiably feel unfair. A recent example was Conisbee v Crossley Farm where the claimant's brand of vegetarianism was deemed a lifestyle choice not a protected philosophical belief, meaning the discrimination was lawful.
Secondly if the bad thing didn't happen because of a particular protected characteristic it is not unlawful discrimination – like being made redundant because the factory is closing; or not being able to dine at the Ritz Hotel because you cannot afford the cost. It might be contrary to another law but this article is only looking at equality law. This is because the act alleged to be discriminatory needs to be (at least substantially) because of that protected characteristic.
Thirdly even "a bad thing is happening to someone because of their protected characteristic" doesn't always equate to unlawful discrimination. The UK wide Equality Act 2010 is full of exceptions to the general rules and defences to what would otherwise be unlawful discrimination.
These exceptions are extensive and cover myriad areas: decisions of judges in court; service in the armed forces being excluded from the employment provisions on disability; allowing religious groups to appoint only a straight man who is not divorced as a priest; and many, many more.
Further, if there is a conflict of rights, this is to be balanced to ensure the most equitable outcome. However, it means that one party, despite having a protected characteristic and suffering an adverse outcome, is judged by the court not to have suffered unlawful discrimination. Examples include Ms Ladele who lost her job as a Marriage Registrar because she would not marry same sex couples because of her religious belief; or Mr Lee the gay man whose request for a slogan iced onto a cake was declined in the Ashers Bakery case. Both had a protected characteristic and something bad happened to them linked to it, but they lost.
Finally for direct discrimination (but not indirect discrimination) there is the so-called "bastard defence." If someone treats everyone equally dreadfully, then it is not "less favourable treatment" but equal treatment.
So back to rugby. First thing, how does the law currently permit single sex rugby? You would think that as we generally disallow discrimination on grounds of sex, then people of either sex could insist it was direct sex discrimination not to let a person of the opposite sex play in a single sex team.
However, there is an exception allowing for single sex teams. S195 Equality Act says :
(1)A person does not contravene this Act, so far as relating to sex, only by doing anything in relation to the participation of another as a competitor in a gender-affected activity.
(2)A person does not contravene section 29, 33, 34 or 35, so far as relating to gender reassignment, only by doing anything in relation to the participation of a transsexual person as a competitor in a gender-affected activity if it is necessary to do so to secure in relation to the activity—
(a)fair competition, or
(b)the safety of competitors.
(3)A gender-affected activity is a sport, game or other activity of a competitive nature in circumstances in which the physical strength, stamina or physique of average persons of one sex would put them at a disadvantage compared to average persons of the other sex as competitors in events involving the activity.
This tells us that if the evidence shows if the sport is gender affected (as defined in s195(3)) to ensure fair competition or the safety of competitors, then, if the organisers make it single sex, it is not unlawful discrimination.
Excluding a trans woman from the women's team is not discrimination on grounds of gender reassignment: it's not because of their gender reassigment that they're not able to play on it, but because of their physically male sex.
Further, it is arguable that if the organisers, despite evidence of safety risk or unfairness, choose not to use the exception in s195, it may in turn be unlawful indirect sex discrimination against a natal woman who is significantly disadvantaged, on grounds of safety or fairness, by the policy of letting trans women play rugby.
So, contrary to those claiming it must be discrimination, excluding trans women from women's rugby may not be unlawful discrimination. It may feel unfair, hurtful or exclusionary but it is not unlawful discrimination. Indeed to do otherwise may itself be unlawful discrimination against natal women.
Obviously, every issue is determined by the specific evidence and until the court make a final judgment one cannot say definitively in any case whether something is or is not unlawful discrimination. Lawyers can advise based on interpretation and precedent. However, what we can say for certain that discrimination is only unlawful if it is unlawful.
Author Audrey LudwigPosted on September 18, 2020 September 19, 2020 Tags discrimination, Equality Act 2010, gender reassignment discrimination, sex based rights, sex discrimination, sport6 Comments on Discrimination: Only Unlawful if It Is Unlawful
Legally this is not a "trans rights issue" it's a "sex rights issue". A blog about boxes
The discussion on reform of the GRA isn't about protection from discrimination – it's about who comes within the classes of 'men' and 'women in the Equality Act 2010.
The way the issue is portrayed by lobbyists, most politicians, many corporates and the media, is legally wrong.
The "trans rights debate", in terms of equality law, isn't about rights for trans people not to be discriminated against or harassed unlawfully because they are trans. Properly, that right is already contained in Section 7of the Equality Act 2010, under the protected characteristic of "gender reassignment" and covers people, anywhere along the "transition" route whether they have had surgery, hormones or not, and whether they even progress down that route or not. I have taken, and will, no doubt continue to take, claims about discrimination on grounds of gender reassignment, regardless of what other possible legal changes occur around the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (more of that later).
No, this is, in law, a sex-based rights argument about who comes within the class of men or women in Section 11 of the Equality Act.
But let me go back a bit. To truly understand the Equality Act 2010, you need to understand about protected characteristics, contexts and comparators. The Equality Act is complicated. It has a lot of common principles and then a lot of exceptions to make the Act workable and deal with specific needs and contexts.
Protected Characteristics (the boxes)
There are nine protected characteristics or classes (PCs). They are sex, race, religion and belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, age, pregnancy and maternity, and marriage and civil partnership.
Each PC is defined in Sections 5-12 (plus 17 and 18) of the Equality Act. The protected characteristics are essentially each a legal box. To be able to bring a claim, you must first show you fit into that box legally by meeting the relevant definition in the box; whether it is the disability box, the age box or the sex box etc.
All of us fit into several of these boxes, but in law you need to show, by evidence if challenged, how you fit into the box under which you are claiming protection. So, for disability discrimination you show how you are disabled. For religion and belief, you show how you meet the relevant test for religion or non-religious belief. This preliminary jurisdictional point on whether gender identity theory (or the non-belief in it) was a protected belief was the subject of the well-known Forstater case, now under appeal.
Some boxes have also sub-dividers which I will call sub-boxes; so for sex, are you a man or a woman? For sexual orientation whether you are sexually attracted to people of the same sex, opposite sex or persons of either sex? And so on.
These sub-boxes are important for comparators, which I will explain later.
Each protected characteristic pleaded must be considered separately as the newly elected Conservative Government, which came in just as the Equality Act was passed, never enacted a clause contained in the Equality Act which would have allowed for cases on combined discrimination grounds.
The next aspect you need to understand are comparators. For some types of discrimination, you must show evidence of what the act or decision caused to happen to you by reference to the comparative treatment of another very similar person who doesn't share your PC.
You must provide evidence regarding that other person; they will often be a real person who is in same situation but not sharing your PC (ie your box or sub-box). If there is no one to compare yourself to, you can ask the court to use a hypothetical comparator. So, a woman who claims direct sex discrimination will have to show evidence she was treated less favourably than a man – either by comparison to a real man or by comparison to how a man would have been treated in the same situation.
Importantly you cannot use someone of your own box or sub box as a comparator. So, if a woman is discriminated against compared to another woman that is not unlawful direct sex discrimination. The comparator needs to be a legal man. And this is true of other characteristics. So, someone who is sexually attracted to the same sex is compared to someone who is not attracted to the same sex.
How terms like sex are defined and in which sub box you fall is key to success or failure to even starting a discrimination claim.
Types of Discrimination, Contexts and Exceptions
There are different types of unlawful discrimination. They are direct (s13) indirect (s19), harassment (s26) victimisation s27); pregnancy and maternity discrimination (s17 and 18); discrimination arising from disability (s15) and failure to make reasonable adjustments (ss20-21).
The context of discrimination is important. If you cannot fit into any context covered by the Equality Act, you cannot bring a claim under this Act. For example, if a random person in the street racially abuses you, you cannot bring a claim under the Equality Act against them. It might be a hate crime, but this is dealt with under criminal law and not the Equality Act. Some acts (e.g. racist assault at work) may be both a claim under the Equality Act and a hate crime and dealt with very differently.
Practically all of the Equality Act is about civil, not criminal, matters. Primarily, any alleged breach is dealt with by civil action taken in the County Court, Employment Tribunal or First Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal) depending on issues. (There are separate issues arising from the Public Sector Equality Duty and the possibility of judicial review, which are beyond the scope of this article).
Finally, and importantly, there are many, many exceptions in the Equality Act which are designed to make it workable.
How to analyse a discrimination claim?
To show how I would analyse possible discrimination, these are the steps I would take if a client was asking for advice about a possible unlawful discriminatory act.
What is the protected characteristic my client is relying upon?
For illustrative purposes for this blog, I will look initially through a sex-based lens to show how the Act is defined; but it is important to consider possible conflict with others protected classes' rights
Does the issue relate to PC of sex? The Act defines sex as
"11. Sex
In relation to the protected characteristic of sex—
(a)a reference to a person who has a protected characteristic is a reference to a man or to a woman;
(b)a reference to persons who share a protected characteristic is a reference to persons of the same sex."
Man and woman are both defined in s212(1),
"man" means a male of any age;
"woman" means a female of any age.
The Conflict With Competing Trans Rights
And this is where the conflict with competing trans rights occurs. It is essentially a dispute over which sex sub-box someone is determined by law to occupy for the purposes of sex discrimination and harassment.
This is not about the majority of trans people, who self-identify. In current law, self-identifying trans people retain their birth sex when the issue of sex discrimination arises. So, for example, a self-identified transwoman who is harassed at work would typically claim on the basis of her PC of gender reassignment, rather than a sex discrimination claim.
Legally, as well as all those who were born and "live" in their particular sex sub box of man and women there is the issue of some of the c5000 trans people currently holding Gender Recognition Certificates (GRC) in the UK.
Under Section 9 of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (GRA), holding a GRC "changes" the person's gender. But the statute is very badly worded and conflates sex and gender, when it actually means legal sex. The effect of s9 (1) of the GRA is to move a person from one sex sub box to the other.
Section 9(1) says that this is "for all purposes," but in fact s9(3) then goes on to qualify the principle by making it subject to "provision made by this Act or any other enactment". So, essentially this change is limited by what this and other Acts say, meaning that one can still in some circumstances distinguish biological and legal sex for some purposes. As I say, badly worded. Is it also worth commenting that subsequent statutes have not made clear when s.9(1) GRA does or does not apply.
So, this change of sub-box only applies currently to those with GRCs. However, many people, for reasons unrelated to the Equality Act, want to change this process.
All of the political, rather than legal, arguments are about whether this GRC process should have any element of "gatekeeping" (the steps in the GRA needed to obtain a GRC) or whether the process should just rely on statutory declaration so that anyone could just change their sub-box.
So much of the wider public discussion seem only to be about the impact on trans people of changing or not changing the GRC process, rather than on anyone else, whom they either ignore or dismiss as reactionary bigots.
However, as a discrimination solicitor, what I find more worrying is that there has been little or no discussion about the legal effects of such a change on sex discrimination and comparable issues like equal pay (chapter 3 Equality Act) or reporting on the badly named "gender pay gap" (The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017). Many gender critical feminists are more focussed on the potential impact on single sex exemptions (which I share but won't focus on here).
I can find very little good analysis even on how many people are estimated to jump from one sex sub-box to the other. Nor on what impact it will have, whether on the existing rights of those in the sub box or what happens if a party to a sex discrimination claim has changed which sex sub box they fall in. It is not even clear how many trans people there are in the UK, with the Government estimate being between 200-500,000. For Equality Act purposes, how many of this demographic are in employment or education? How many use which services? Or, if there is any industry (such as IT small businesses) where there are disproportionately higher numbers of trans people, will that have an effect on sex based equality rights in practice?
The truth is I don't know answers to these questions; and I want someone to do the necessary objective research and analysis.
However, the #NoDebate stance of Stonewall and their allies, which has fuelled no-platforming and complaints about anyone seeking to do academic study deemed by an unseen mob not to follow a pro trans rights line has meant this otherwise normal objective enquiry and legal debate has not happened.
There are a few exceptions. For example this is an article which does attempt to do so and worth reading. But we need more academic studies to look objectively at these issues.
So back to my theoretical client. What is the next issue I have to address?
What type of discrimination is alleged? For example, is it:
"s13. Direct discrimination
(1)A person (A) discriminates against another (B) if, because of a protected characteristic, A treats B less favourably than A treats or would treat others."
So, we need to show:
A comparator (a real person or hypothetical one, drawn from evidence showing what would have been done to a real person) of the comparator class (so if our client is a woman, her comparator is a man)
that the alleged act, happened because of the protected characteristic
Or another example:
"19. Indirect discrimination
(1)A person (A) discriminates against another (B) if A applies to B a provision, criterion or practice which is discriminatory in relation to a relevant protected characteristic of B's.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), a provision, criterion or practice is discriminatory in relation to a relevant protected characteristic of B's if—
(a)A applies, or would apply, it to persons with whom B does not share the characteristic,
(b)it puts, or would put, persons with whom B shares the characteristic at a particular disadvantage when compared with persons with whom B does not share it,
(c)it puts, or would put, B at that disadvantage, and
(d)A cannot show it to be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim."
A rule or policy, applied to everyone, applies to this client, which has a disadvantage to some (including this client) because of their PC compared to others; and it cannot be objectively justified.
In both direct and indirect discrimination there is reference to comparators. So, who the comparator is and which sub box they fall into is a live issue.
Next, what is the context in which this alleged discrimination took place?
The Equality Act only applies in certain contexts including work, some housing, education, some transport, provision of services to the public, some clubs and associations, trade unions, public functions, occupational pensions and insurance. The law is complicated so you cannot assume whether the Act applies or not without careful analysis. Certainly don't listen to odd voices on Twitter saying it does not apply to you if you are self-employed (as some are covered), a contractor (as sometimes covered), or the alleged discriminator is not your employer (sometimes covered).Finally, and very importantly, does it fall into an exception in the Act? I could write another whole article on exceptions, so will leave it there.
Only after considering the client's own evidence and jumping through all of these hoops can I say it could be unlawful discrimination. Be warned: at this point, I am yet to see the other side's evidence which comes out as litigation proceeds, so have to review constantly the strength of the claim.
So, discrimination claims are legally complex and challenging which is probably why I enjoy this area of law.
Going back to the title of the piece, the current toxic debate about "trans rights" is actually a legal fight about the sex sub boxes and who is legally in which? If someone gets a Gender Recognition Certificate it does now and will impact on whether you can use that person as a comparator. So, changes to the GRA affect sex discrimination laws profoundly. The fact that the "gatekeeping" has kept the numbers low means it has not been an issue to date. There are not huge numbers of sex discrimination claims anyway, so the issue is largely unlitigated, as yet. In addition, the breadth of the definition of gender reassignment in the Equality Act (which does not require surgery or any treatment) means trans people have significant protection against unlawful discrimination just for being them in key areas such as work, education and access to services.
However, if the estimates of numbers of trans people are correct, then thousands or hundreds of thousands may be eligible to apply for a GRC. If the law is changed to allow for self-identification, this would increase the risk of adverse impact on sex based rights in some cases by, in practical terms changing who can and cannot be used as a legal comparator. Some people may not be able to pursue claims for direct or indirect sex discrimination because of it. Yet this change has hardly been discussed, analysed or researched.
This is why we need a proper debate.
I am a discrimination solicitor who, unusually, puts my head above the parapet on social media. I tweet openly as @AudreySuffolk about my subject. As part of my commitment to public legal education, I give my general opinion where I think people have got rights under equality law. More recently, I've done so with regards to the heated gender identity/trans rights versus women's rights conflict. I tweet politely and try to assume interest and goodwill from those who correspond with me. Sadly, this is seldom replicated by some who engage with me with hostile condemnations (now known to me as the "die in a fire scum TERF" brigade). I believe that people who come under all nine protected classes have equality rights, but sometimes those rights conflict and have to be balanced, in accordance with the principles of UK Equality law
For this, I have been complained about to my employers, to our funders and to our professional network, despite these explicitly being my own thoughts and not necessarily shared. Luckily, all the organisations have shown backbone, but others have not been so fortunate.
Author Audrey LudwigPosted on July 2, 2020 July 3, 2020 Tags discrimination5 Comments on Legally this is not a "trans rights issue" it's a "sex rights issue". A blog about boxes
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Q: Load bootstrap thumbnail onerror I have this code to load images, and if it encounters an error while loading the images it will also load another image.

What I want is if it fails to load, I would like to load the bootstrap thumbnails like this code

I've tried this code, but it doesn't work.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Make way for the next generation of jazz
September 2, 2015 /in 2015, Education, In and Around Vail, Performances, Press Release, Vail Jazz Festival, Vail Jazz Workshop /by Vail Jazz
In its 20th year, the Vail Jazz Workshop hosts 12 of the nation's top teenage musicians preceding this weekend's annual Labor Day Jazz Party
Luca Rodoni wasn't one of those musical prodigies who sat down at his first piano lesson as a small boy and started playing a symphony.
"When I was young, I hated it," says the high school senior, one of 12 teenagers selected from a massive pool of applicants to partake in this week's Vail Jazz Workshop. "I went to every lesson crying. I went home crying. That went on for years."
So the piano wasn't his thing.
The trumpet was a different story.
On his ninth birthday, Rodoni's Swiss grandfather brought him a trumpet. When he had to choose an instrument for school a year or two later, he picked it up. Right before he entered the seventh grade, Rodoni was exposed to a local jazz camp. Although it was "just a dinky thing," he says the camp "opened my ears."
Hypnotized by the magic of jazz harmony, Rodoni "got very serious" about music. He began playing his trumpet for hours every day and seizing every opportunity to learn more about jazz. He formed several performance groups, has traveled with the elite Jazz Band of America and even up and moved to Park City, Utah in order to further his blossoming jazz career.
Still, he applied for the Vail Jazz Workshop last year and was not selected.
Determined to make it happen this year, however, Rodoni proved his worth to Vail Jazz Workshop mentor and co-founder John Clayton by transcribing intricate solos of his trumpet heroes – Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard and Blue Mitchell. Among 140 extremely talented applicants from across the United States vying for one of 12 spots in the 2015 Vail Jazz Workshop, Rodoni made the cut.
In its 20th year, the Vail Jazz Workshop is a 10-day program in which Clayton – a Grammy winner and one of the world's leading jazz bassists – and the five other members of the Vail Jazz Party House Band intensively mentor the students in technique and playing by ear. The workshop culminates in students transforming into the Vail Jazz All-Stars and performing multiple times throughout the 21st annual Vail Jazz Party, Sept. 3 to 7 alongside the Vail Jazz House Band and 40 other national and international renowned jazz stars. They perform two free shows – at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday in the Jazz Tent in Lionshead.
"The Vail Jazz Party has committed to simultaneously presenting first class performances as well as being responsible for a high level of jazz education," Clayton says. "There is a healthy understanding of the importance of giving back, moving things forward and investing in the future."
Led by fellow Vail Jazz House Band members and mentors Terell Stafford, Bill Cunliffe, Wycliffe Gordon, Lewis Nash and Dick Oatts, the 2015 Vail Jazz Workshop is comprised of 11 other teenage students, who, in spite of their youth, are also on the fast track to becoming professional musicians.
A California native, 17-year-old drummer Alec Smith is also a member of Jazz Band of America. He has won scholarships to the Stanford Jazz Institute and is part of several performing groups. TrumpeterEvan Abounassar (age 16) has already won outstanding soloist awards at the Monterey, Reno and Irvine Jazz Festivals and has played with the likes of The Grammy Jazz Band and National YoungArts Foundation. A brass multi-instrumentalist, trombonist Remee Ashley (16) has split his teenage years performing with the San Francisco High School All-Stars as well as the Berkeley High Chamber Winds & Orchestra and provides free music lessons to underprivileged children. The workshop's two student bass players have ties to Berkeley as well. Solomon Gottfried (17) also launched his childhood musical pursuits on the piano but by the time he was big enough to handle a double bass, found his true calling, moving to Michigan to attend Interlochen Arts Academy and perform with the Academy orchestra, which included a tour of China. Bassist and Berkely resident Max Schwartz (18) was only 10 years old when he began arranging jazz compositions and now performs regularly at the San Francisco Jazz Center and popular jazz club Yoshi's.
The piano stuck for Californians Lucas Hahn (age 15) and Luca Mendoza (16).
Specializing in both jazz and classical, Mendoza has, among many other honors, won Best Composition for the DownBeat Student Music Awards and was NextGen Finalist at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Hahn trains with renowned pianist Taylor Eigsti and was selected for the elite Stanford Jazz Workshop Jazz Camp and Residency program at the age of 12. Trombonist Ethan Santos (17) won a DownBeat Student Music Award (for Outstanding Performance) and has been a part of Stanford Jazz Institute, the California Band Director's Association Honor Concert Band, the California Orchestra Director's Association Honors Symphony Orchestra, the Cal Poly All-State Music Festival Honor Jazz Band and the 2015 GRAMMYCamp-Jazz Session big band. Both of the saxophone players at Vail Jazz's 2015 workshop hail from the tri-state area. Growing up in Brooklyn, 17-year-old Rodney James-Spann established an inseparable bond with the tenor sax in middle school after years of piano lessons, earning him a spot in the Julliard Music Advancement Program. Having won many other scholarships to elite nationally recognized programs, he was the youngest member selected for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra. New Jersey native Alex Laurenzi got his start on violin from the age of 6 before switching to alto sax at age 9, going on to win a DownBeat Student Award for best junior high school soloist, an Essentially Ellington Outstanding Alto Saxophonist Award and a spot in the 2015 Grammy Band. Jerome Gillespie (17) also started out on the violin as a very small boy but gravitated to the drums by the time he was 6. Having won the MusicDoingGood scholarship all-star award and selected as Outstanding Soloist at the Moores School of Jazz Festival, he attends Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
Clearly, each of this year's workshop students is a rising star already. For students like Rodoni, however, this week with Vail Jazz presents the most pivotal learning and performance experience yet.
Although it brought on all those tears as a child, the piano is now a crucial composition tool for the trumpet player, who dedicates five hours a day to playing jazz. Allowing both his talent and passion to guide him, the Bozeman teen has already played with Vail Jazz veteran Wycliffe Gordon, fellow trombonist Robin Eubanks and trumpet great Brian Lynch. He even performed with a band that opened for rock group Journey in front of 45,000 people at a music festival in Salt Lake City. But he views this week's workshop and upcoming performances in Vail as his next major career step.
"I have so many questions that range from technical stuff to concepts," Rodoni says. "It's a great time to ask those questions when you're around a world class faculty. The accessibility of these very accomplished musicians is really the big thing. I'm theirs for a week and they're mine. There's incredible inspiration that comes from that."
https://www.vailjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/John-with-student.png 500 750 Vail Jazz https://www.vailjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/VailJazz_RGB_Web_348x348_small-300x300.png Vail Jazz2015-09-02 08:56:312015-09-02 08:56:31Make way for the next generation of jazz
Q+A with the Vail Jazz Workshop Instructors: John Clayton Sherrie Maricle, Karen Hammack, Niki Haris and Roberta Gambarini headline celebration...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Baltimore County Public Library's 2017 Toy Drive got under way on Friday.
The annual drive helps less fortunate children and families in the local community. Library patrons can bring a new, unwrapped toy to any branch or special program between Friday, November 17, and Wednesday, December 6.
The gifts will be donated to various local charities benefiting the community.
See below for a list of beneficiaries for each of BCPL's 19 branches.


text:
Advanced research guides
Alert Services: A How-To Guide
Table of Contents Services
Covers basic techniques for setting up alerts (a.k.a. current awareness services) - including table of contents and saved searches via email, RSS feed, blogs, twitter, and Facebook.
Database Alerts
Publisher Alerts
Google & Google Scholar Alerts
Other Alerts
Academic Twitter
Basics of RSS
Table of Contents Services (such as those listed below) vary in the journals they include. All of them provide ToC alerts for journals from a large number of publishers. As a result, it may take a smidge longer for them to send out alerts but they are quicker to set up and easier to maintain.
In comparison, publisher alerts (see the separate tab on the left) are usually faster than other alert services because publisher websites are the first place information is made available. This information is then sent to other vendors. The drawback to publisher alerts is that they usually cover a fairly small number of journals while Table of Contents Services cover several thousand journals.
BrowZine is a browsable newsstand of the ISU Library's top journals. Easily discover, read, and monitor the key journals in your field. Items not available directly can be requested through Interlibrary Loan. Available in both a web version and an app (for Apple or Android smart phones and devices).
Browzine has a fairly large inventory of journals, but it does not provide Table of Contents for all journals that the Library subscribes to for ISU researchers. Some publishers do not allow Browzine to include their journals.
This is a free Table of Contents service that provides access in one place to the most recent tables of contents for over 32,000 journals. Alerts for new issues can be emailed to users or sent through an RSS feed.
Your Librarian
Lorrie Pellack
Head, Research Services Dept.
150c Parks Library
Subjects: Criminal Justice, Faculty Resources, Food Science & Human Nutrition, Government Information, Nursing, Political Science, Research & Publication, Sociology
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URL: https://instr.iastate.libguides.com/alerts
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Tags: alerts, blogs, current awareness, e-journals, facebook, how-to, rss, table of contents, twitter


Audi is wrapping 80 landmark buildings as part of a massive outdoor campaign to promote its new A8 luxury saloon. The largest of the sites chosen is Clear Channel Billboards' Fort Dunlop site in Birmingham, which at 135 x 25 metres is the biggest permanent banner site in Europe. A total of 140 locations will feature a campaign created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty for Audi which will run for a month. The campaign continues to use Audi's longstanding strapline of Vorsprung durch Technik, and will be supported by national television, cinema and press advertising. The cars will also be prominently displayed at railway stations and airports. The Audi A8 features lightweight aluminium construction, four-wheel drive and petrol or diesel V8 engines. Media planning was by Posterscope.
Trinity Mirror has signed a 1m deal with the British Horseracing Board to promote the Summer Triple Crown and Grand Slam across the group's national, sporting and selected regional titles and websites.


We assume the shadow chancellor is talking about the debt accrued by students under the higher tuition fees introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2012.
If so, he's wrong on one count: the IFS research that Mr McDonnell cites actually estimates that it could cost £20bn by 2050 to write off student loans accumulated under the £9,000 system.
That's twice as much as Mr McDonnell claims. We've asked Labour to clarify but haven't had a reply yet.
He is right on the second point. Waiting another five years to write off student debt incurred in the £9,000 era would treble the cost to the public purse, pushing it to £60 billion by 2050.
Mr McDonnell is right that the Conservatives plan to spend much less on transport per person in the North of England than in London.
We're not sure what analysis the shadow chancellor based his claim on, but a recent study by the Institute for Public Policy Research found that the average Northerner would get about one quarter of the amount spent on a London commuter, not one fifth.
The shadow chancellor is right to say that Private Finance Initiatives began in the early '90s, when John Major's Conservatives were in power, as a way of financing public infrastructure through private investment.
Successive governments found these funding contracts irresistible as a way of building schools, hospitals and prisons without paying large sums up front. But the concept has been criticised as a bad deal for taxpayers in the long run.
This sounds like a commitment that a Labour government would take over ALL outstanding PFI contracts.
But shortly after the speech, Labour aides toned the language down, saying a Labour government would review all existing PFI contracts and take them over "where necessary".
This is correct, based on the median salary for full-time workers in the UK, which is £28,000.


On Thursday, 7 June 2018, Ex Elettrofonica inaugurates Urban Vision 2.0, the first Italian solo show for the Austrian duo studio ASYNCHROME, curated by Manuela Pacella.
The exhibition was made possible by Bunderskanzleramt Österreich; Das Land Steiermark. Wirtschaft, Europa und Kultur; Forum Austriaco di Cultura in Rome.


text:
<?php

if (!getenv('GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT')) {
    throw new Exception('Missing GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT environment variable');
}

require_once __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Initialize Google's Stackdriver logger and error handler.
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/
Google\Cloud\ErrorReporting\Bootstrap::init();

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Create The Application
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| Here we will load the environment and create the application instance
| that serves as the central piece of this framework. We'll use this
| application as an "IoC" container and router for this framework.
|
*/

$app = new Laravel\Lumen\Application(__DIR__);

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Register Container Bindings
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| Now we will register a few bindings in the service container. We will
| register the exception handler and the console kernel. You may add
| your own bindings here if you like or you can make another file.
|
*/

$app->singleton(
    Illuminate\Contracts\Debug\ExceptionHandler::class,
    App\Exceptions\Handler::class
);

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Load The Application Routes
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| Next we will include the routes file so that they can all be added to
| the application. This will provide all of the URLs the application
| can respond to, as well as the controllers that may handle them.
|
*/

$app->router->group([
    'namespace' => 'App\Http\Controllers',
], function ($router) {
    require __DIR__ . '/routes/web.php';
});

/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Run The Application
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| Once we have the application, we can handle the incoming request
| through the kernel, and send the associated response back to
| the client's browser allowing them to enjoy the creative
| and wonderful application we have prepared for them.
|
*/

// Unit testing uses the application object for request injection.
if (getenv('PHPUNIT_TESTS') === '1') {
    return $app;
}

$app->run();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


No date is set for its shareholders' meeting as the Internet company asks for a few weeks to circle the wagons against Carl Icahn.
Yahoo on May 22 postponed the date for its annual shareholders' meeting, noting in a regulatory filing that it needs more time to prepare for a proxy contest waged by Carl Icahn.
The embattled Internet company, which fought off an acquisition attempt by search rival Microsoft after three months of on-again, off-again negotiations, said in a filing with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) that it will hold the meeting on an unspecified date at the end of July.
Yahoo's move comes after Icahn told Yahoo on May 14 that he was nominating his own slate of handpicked directors to replace Yahoo's current board of directors. Icahn made his move after Microsoft on May 3 walked away from the negotiating table when Yahoo turned down its $33 per share offer for the company.
Icahn, who told attendees at the Ira W. Sohn Investment Conference May 22 that Microsoft would be crazy not to take advantage of the door he opened, is intent on merging Microsoft and Yahoo.
The catalyst behind Motorola's spin off of its flagging mobile device unit and the chief wheel greaser for Oracle's bid to buy BEA Systems, Icahn has developed a taste for trying to balance the scales in the high-tech market.
He believes a union of Microsoft and Yahoo would better tackle Google in the search advertising and broader Internet market, areas most industry experts feel Google will continue to dominate.
For example, despite an alleged recession, comScore research found that Google managed to gain 1.8 percent search market share between March and April, while Microsoft and Yahoo declined .03 and .09 percent, respectively.
Should Microsoft buy Yahoo, its combined search share would jump from 10 percent to 30 percent, still easily half of Google's current market share. But Microsoft has said it must do something in the face of Google's great growth.
Accordingly, Microsoft and Yahoo are reportedly discussing a deal in which Microsoft would buy only Yahoo's search business.
At the same time, Google and Yahoo are mulling a deal that would put Google's paid search links alongside Yahoo's search results. Such an agreement would reap a reported more than $1 billion per year for Yahoo.
Now Yahoo, which rebuffed Icahn by telling the man he didn't fully grasp the evolution of Microsoft's and Yahoo's negotiations, is circling the wagons as it prepares to battle Icahn and his ad-hoc board, a sortie of business and financial mavens. This slate includes Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and former Viacom CEO Frank J. Biondi Jr.
Yahoo filed its preliminary proxy materials on May 22, or at least 10 calendar days prior to the date that definitive copies of such materials are first mailed to stockholders.
In postponing its annual meeting, it said it is hoping the SEC will have more time to review and clear its proxy materials. Yahoo is likely trying to work out a defense versus Icahn, or even broker a deal with another company or even Microsoft, which is what Icahn wants anyway.
Meanwhile, Yahoo board member Edward Kozel resigned to move his family to Europe this summer. In light of this, Yahoo reduced the size of its board from 10 to nine directors.


text:
Critics say GOP education reform would hurt poor and Black students
February 24, 2015 April 3, 2015 - by MSR News Online
Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said that a strong ESEA is vital to ensuring that states and school districts are living up to their obligation to provide a quality education for all. (Freddie Allen/NNPA)
As the Republican-led Congress prepares to update the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), civil rights groups, educators and student advocates fear that current proposals leave many poor and Black children behind.
According to analysis by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a Washington, D.C. –based progressive think tank, the bill submitted by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), eliminates accountability for low-performing schools, lowers academic standards, and abolishes targeted, state-level graduation goals for students of color.
A White House brief on the ESEA reauthorization bills said that the proposal being considered in the House of Representatives will cap spending on the ESEA for the next six years at $800 million lower than it was in 2012, eliminates "guarantees that education funding reaches classroom," and "some especially high-poverty school districts would see cuts as large as 74 percent."
In her weekly column, Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund, said no ESEA bill would be better than the one now making its way through Congress.
She wrote, "H.R. 5 also removes strong accountability provisions required to make sure the children who need help most will actually be helped. It is morally indefensible and extraordinarily expensive that we have 14.7 million poor children in our country – 6.5 million of them living at less than half the poverty level. All of these poor children exceed the combined residents in all 50 state capitals and the District of Columbia."
Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a network of more than 200 national research and advocacy groups, said that the ESEA reauthorization proposals currently pending in Congress would strip millions of students and their parents of the protections and resources that have helped them to hold their schools accountable for equitable funding and treatment.
"For the students we represent, students of color, students with disabilities, English language learners and low-income students, a strong ESEA is vital to ensuring that states and school districts are living up to their obligation to provide a quality education for all on an equal basis not just for the most privileged or wealthy," said Henderson.
On a recent call with reporters, Henderson said that the coalition of 34 national civil rights and education groups supported annual statewide assessments to evaluate student progress, transparency of the test results and additional data that empowers parents to advocate on behalf of their children.
Chanelle Hardy, the executive director and senior vice president for policy at the National Urban League, said that the legacy of the Black community's commitment to education stems from the days of slavery when Blacks learned to read in secret and at risk to their own lives.
"This is not a conversation about how we need to convince our community to care about achievement," said Hardy. "This is about our nation's commitment to a system of education that prepares every child for college work and life. This is a fundamental civil rights principle and a fundamental principle of justice."
William Hayes, the principal at Franklin D. Roosevelt Academy in the Glenville community of Cleveland, Ohio, also expressed concerns about the Republican proposals for reforming the ESEA, which was last updated more than a decade ago through the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) under President George W. Bush.
"This vote is about equity and accountability, yet everyday my students face the brutal reality that they live in a society that has not achieved its promise for a more equitable distribution of outcomes and opportunities," said Hayes.
Hayes said that 98 percent of the students at his school are African American, 100 percent qualify for free lunch and 28 percent receive special education services.
One of Cleveland's wealthiest subdivisions borders Glenville to the north and the city's cultural center with museums, botanical gardens and the Cleveland Institute of Music to the south, Hayes said. The Cleveland Clinic, perennially ranked by as one of the best hospitals in the nation, is just a 15-minute walk to the east of Glenville.
"Surrounded by so much prosperity and bright images of the American Dream, my students could easily be forgotten, were it not for our federal government ensuring that communities remain accountable," added Hayes.
Hardy said that civil rights groups were extremely concerned about resource equity and ensuring that low-income students at majority-minority schools have access to early childhood education and high quality teachers.
Researchers at CAP found that school districts spent $733 less at schools that were 90 percent minority compared to schools that were 90 percent White. That money could be spent on veteran teachers, school counselors and laptop computers.
"It's no secret that more than 50 years after Brown our communities and schools are still very much segregated however the concentration of poverty has become more exacerbated as affluent families of color have left our communities to go elsewhere," said Hayes.
Nancy Zirkin, the executive vice president of the Leadership Conference, said that no one can deny that NCLB has room for improvement, "but the proposals in front of Congress now throw the baby out with the bath water."
Zirkin explained, "These proposals bend over backwards to accommodate state and local entities that have both failed our children and avoided any real accountability for their failures."
NCLB was characterized by high stakes testing that led some school districts to trim physical education and arts programs to make room for more rigorous reading and math course work. Educators railed against "teaching to the test" and questioned the need for multiple assessments throughout the school year.
Hayes said that he wasn't naïve to the unintended consequences of the "accountability movement" that came with NCLB, including the narrowing of the academic curriculum and the over-testing of students linked to controversial teacher evaluations, but he still didn't believe the shortcomings of the law warranted a complete hands-off approach from the federal government.
Hayes said he was frustrated at the thought of a federal government willing to step away without stepping back to the table to help to fix NCLB.
Hayes added: "As a school leader I can't imagine a time where my administrative team could ever see a problem with our students and say to teachers, 'It didn't work so I'm just going to let you figure it out by yourselves.'"
But in the eyes of some educators and civil rights leaders that's exactly what the Republican proposals do.
"We can't go back to a time when these schools were ignored," said Zirkin.
Hardy agreed.
"We can't assume that we have good information on student achievement based on socio-demographic factors," said Hardy. "We have to do our part with our federal tax dollars to concentrate those resources where they need to be."
Thanks to Freddie Allen and the NNPA for sharing this story with us.
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text:
Regent University Commissions Its Largest Graduating Class
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (May 9, 2020) – On Saturday, May 9, 2020, Regent University conferred nearly 2,300 undergraduate and graduate degrees — the largest graduating class in the school's history. Graduates rallied together online with family and friends from all over the world to watch Commencement live. Over 50,000 viewers on the Regent University website and Facebook page joined the Commencement ceremony.
Access the Regent University Commencement 2020 video recording here.
Like many graduations across the country, Regent University's commencement and school-specific commissioning ceremonies were moved to an online format due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. However, that did not stop the Regent community from celebrating its 40th Commencement ceremony.
A crescendo of excitement could be felt in the atmosphere as a flurry of social media posts ushered in Regent's Commencement Ceremony:
"Bragging on all [social media] platforms. You see it: 23 with 2 degrees! Thank you, God, you are so worthy," wrote Unique Destiny Bellamy.
"I did it! Double educated," pinged Kat O'Mally.
Annalisa Roughton posted: "Celebrating home-style! It only took 20 years, working full time and raising two kids. It can be done. When God calls, you obey, and He makes the way!"
Loved ones of graduates like Wendy Johnson in Texas and Allison Schwartz in Arizona posted photos of graduates in caps and gowns.
Shannon Burke posted: "Could not have accomplished my master's without Jesus!"
Scrolling through #RegentGrad2020 posts, this message served as a unifying reminder: "Beloved Class of 2020: Although we are separated in distance, we are not separated in His Spirit," Dean Corné Bekker, D.Litt. et Phil, School of Divinity.
In a time when tweets, texts, selfies, posts, online courses, webinars, and video chats are changing the global landscape — Regent's Class of 2020 graciously made the pivot to a virtual commencement ceremony.
Certainly, the loss of a traditional ceremony was felt by all. Yet, Regent graduates, faculty, staff, and friends chose a spirit of enthusiasm. Days before the event, the Class of 2020 received graduation packages in the mail filled with keepsakes, including a personalized card from Regent Founder, Chancellor and CEO Dr. M.G. "Pat" Robertson, copies of the commencement program, balloons, confetti, congratulations banners, tassels, a commemorative keychain, a Regent Alumni bumper sticker, and more.
"The class of 2020 has displayed remarkable resilience and fortitude during these trying times, and we are so proud of their tremendous accomplishments," said Claire Foster, Regent's vice president for Marketing & Public Relations. "The graduation packages were a fun way to show our love and support, and to help our graduates celebrate this significant milestone."
While LiveWall, Facebook Live and Twitter buzzed, a looped reel of #RegentGrad2020 pictures preceded the livestream broadcast with affirming messages.
Matthew West's new song, Take Heart, inspired by the artist's COVID-19 experience, played in the background: "In this world, you will have trouble / But I have overcome the world / So take heart / And take a breath / Let me lift that heavy weight up off your chest / But take My hand / I know it's lookin' dark / When the world falls all around you / I won't let you fall apart / Take heart."
The ceremony opened with the national anthem, performed by alumna Joy Windham, followed by a video titled We Are More Than Conquerors (this year's theme), which featured encouraging messages from alumni, faculty and friends of Regent, such as Rev. Franklin Graham, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Attorney Jay Sekulow, former Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, Judge Ken Starr, former NFL linebacker and inspirational coach Jason Carthen, Pastor Mark Batterson, CBN President and CEO Gordon Robertson, and Alumnus of the Year Ann Buwalda.
Graham reminded graduates, "Just remember it's about Jesus, everything in life is about Him," while Sekulow expressed, "What a time to be engaging the culture!"
Graduates, loved ones, faculty and staff followed along online using the 2020 Commencement Program as a guide.
Dr. M.G. "Pat" Robertson, who spoke live from Regent's Shaw Chapel, welcomed the online audience to Regent University's 40th graduation and its first virtual commencement in the school's history. "At this very moment, graduates along with friends and family from across the nation and around the world are gathered for this historic online event to honor and celebrate the Class of 2020."
Before opening with a prayer, Dr. Robertson commented on the coronavirus pandemic and acknowledged graduates in the healthcare industry: "Our national anthem is a song we often take for granted, but it is a song of resolve, of resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. Although Regent's campus has been quiet since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are a community of resolve and many of our graduates have been serving on the frontlines of this deadly virus — already fulfilling Regent's mission as Christian leaders to change the world."
Robertson noted that the Regent alumni community now includes over 29,000 world changers. He also highlighted some notable accomplishments of the university, including:
U.S. News & World Report ranked Regent University as a Top National University among colleges like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.
Regent is among the fastest growing universities in the nation. Our enrollment is nearly 11,000 with students from all 50 states and over 90 different countries.
This fall, Regent will launch a standalone Honors College on its Virginia Beach campus.
The Princeton Review has ranked Regent's School of Law Top 5 in the Nation for Professors and Top 35 for Academic Experience.
In December 2019, Regent earned a 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Our School of Law has just unveiled the Robertson Center for Constitutional Law.
Regent is equipping nurses to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through our Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Nursing programs.
Study.com ranked Regent as the #1 Best Accredited Online College in 2020.
The Military Times ranked Regent among the Top 10 Best for Vets Colleges.
Chairman of Regent's Board of Trustees Phil Walker provided a video greeting on behalf of the board, reminding graduates: "Your degree represents hard work and dedication to a worthy goal!"
Robertson then introduced the keynote speaker Mr. Eric Metaxas. Metaxas, an internationally renowned author and speaker, has penned numerous No. 1 New York Times bestselling books.
Metaxas asked, "Do you believe that all things work together for good for all those who love the Lord and are called according to his purposes?" He challenged graduates to trust that God has this current situation and each graduate's future under control. "The Lord is a God of history and He is never caught off guard!"
Following the keynote address, Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, executive vice president for Academic Affairs, carried out the recognition of honors. Graduates who earned joint degrees were also recognized.
Robertson then pronounced his charge to graduates. After which, he introduced Sabrina Matera Ozorio Estrella, from the Robertson School of Government (M.A. in National Security Studies – Cybersecurity Policy), to deliver the student reflections and response charge from the chancellor. Addressing the chancellor and faculty, she said, "Thank you for instilling in us a spirit of integrity."
Estrella's message was based on this year's inspired scripture: Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37). She challenged her class to "never surrender" and confidently declared: "We will overcome."
Moreno-Riaño returned to the lectern for the presentation of graduates and conferring of degrees with Robertson and the deans and directors of each school and college.
Following the presentation of graduates and conferring degrees, Robertson exclaimed, "Congratulations, graduates!" — the traditional verbal cue for the release of confetti and balloons. This also marked the start of a celebration video, while simultaneously, university leaders on the platform sang the official Regent University song: Regent, Host of Faith & Learning.
Robertson closed the commencement ceremony with a touching benediction, followed by: "And now the reading of names!"
Each graduate's name was read aloud as their name appeared on the screen accompanied with their photograph. Graduates were able to follow along and capture the moment their name was read. Angelia Boothe Cooper (DIV '20) was included in the reading of the names and awarded a posthumous degree.
"Our I.T. and Media teams, as well as countless other Regent teams, were eager to help make this year's graduation extra special," said Jonathan Harrell, assistant vice president, Information Technology. "We spent many hours and late nights preparing for this day because our graduates and their hard work matter immeasurably. At the end of the day, we hope the Regent Class of 2020 knows that we are with them, cheering them on, and that they really are world changers."
Founded in 1978, Regent University has nearly 11,000 students studying on its 70-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and online around the world. The university offers associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from a Christian perspective in 135+ program areas including business, communication and the arts, cybersecurity and technology, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing and healthcare, and psychology. Currently, Regent University is ranked among top national universities by U.S. News & World Report and is one of only 23 universities nationally to receive an "A" rating for its comprehensive liberal arts core curriculum. In its 2020 "Best Online Programs" rankings, Regent University's College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) again scored #1 for "Best Online Bachelor's Programs" among Virginia schools, the eighth year in a row that Regent has earned the top position. The university also earned its 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the highest level that a university can be awarded from that organization.


Ran up to Diamond to clear and cold start. (930am). 2 trailers at the ramp. Only ramp open is by the lodge. Started off with 2 downriggers @ 15 ft and 2 longlines @120ft back. No hits or saw anything on the north side. A lot of floating weeds that made trolling "interesting". Nothing for 2hrs not even a hit.
Finally 2 on the west side just above the weed line.
Gave up on trolling and did powerbait, went to the south end by the market nothing. Ran over to the west side where a guy was flyfishing and still nothing on powerbait.
A fun day no one around no wind and warm in the afternoon.
Water temp 45. Didn't have a vehicle behind me on the way up for 60miles . Icy road above 3500ft. 1st time I've ever fish diamond this time of yr without snow on the ground.
Looks like a beautiful day What's up with the tangle?
Had 3 longlines out when the bigger fish ran across all 3and then back. tangled up the braid into a birds nest. Sometimes I really hate braid.
I don't know how you fish with power bait but you may give this a try. I use what is called an ajusta a bubble. It will slide on your line and you can fill it full of water. Depending on how deep you are fishing you will want to adjust your leader length. I.e. if you are in 6 ft then maybe 2 ft of leader and if you are in 20 ft plus then 4 to 6 ft of leader. If you have depth/fish finder I like to set my bait at about the middle of where the fish are hanging. If I don't have a bite in about 10-15 minutes I change something. If I don't have a fish in an hour I move my boat, it may be only a few feet but I move. I also fish with three anchors to help control the wind swing. If the fish are biting really lite you may want to use a small treble. There are a few things nice about this system, with the bobber full of water you have a good casting weight, it will place your bait above the weed line as it does not sink like a lead weight does and you don't have set a hook. Once you have put it out, leave a small belly in your line, set you pole in the holder and leave it alone,DO NOT SET THE HOOK as the fish will do that for you. Leave you pole alone until the fish tries to pull you pole over the side. I usually wait until the second time. I have used this system for many years and never set a hook and I am not saying it is really great but my 5 year old grandson caught and reeled in 17 fish one day with the average size of 16 inches. you will find most of the hook ups will be in the throat so if you don't want the fish don't even take it out of the water and you may want to revive it before letting it loose. When I was fishing a lot I did over 400 fish in 3 years and that was with a 5 fish limit and only 2 in the boat. That included the ones we let go. If you decide to do this with trebels have an ample supply. I also sharpen my single hooks. In the shallows I also look for a spot with no weeds, move to the edge of it and cast into the bare spot. It works for me.
That's totally different from how I was shown to use PB. A corky and sliding weight is the way I've tried with little success. A friend uses your method with a night crawler and does well.
So you must use a split shot in line to keep the PB form floating to the surface or is the hook enough weight and how much bait do you roll onto the hook say the size of a dime or smaller and does the color really matter?
Guys at Crane Prairie do well on it also latter in the season.
I don't use any lead at all, the ajusta bubble and the weight of the hook are enough to keep the power bait down and the main purpose is to get ABOVE the weeds. Lead has a tendency to pull the bait down into the weeds where it is hard to find. Once the bubble hits the water the only weight is the bubble itself which in water is really light. Before I bait up I roll a dab of power bait in my hands as it tends to eliminate the human smell and I toss that away. Then I put on just enough power bait to cover the hook and NO MORE. If you put on to much power bait the hooks can pull out without hooking up. Here is what I do, I put the bubble full of water with no air bubbles in it above my swivel as I use a 6lb main line that way I can use a lighter leader if I want which is normally 3 or 4 lb. and depending on how deep I am I have my leader and then the hook. I have seen as little as 6 inches in difference of leader length make a difference. Once I am baited up I put out in the water and after it sinks down I leave a belly in the line and I DON'T even touch the pole till the fish sets the hook, then I just reel it in. They will drive you nuts just watching the line, I have had them tease me by just moving the line but not bumping it, I have had them swim from one end to the other with out a bump and I have had them jumping out of the water with the bobber chasing them and never bump the line. However once you get into them it can be fast action especially if you have a two pole license. I have a friend who could not catch a fish on power bait then I taught him my system and one year it took out a bunch of friends, in middle July made two trips, and did 6 or 7 limits in one day. He uses basically the same system except he does not use a swivel and the bubble has surgical tubing in it and he just twists it so it does not slide and he adjusts his leader that way. If you are not sure give me a pm and we can swap phone numbers and I can answer any and all of your questions or if you want maybe we can meet at Diamond in the spring and we can go out. I am a lazy fisher but I do catch a few. My shortest limit time for two people is one hour. One thing that may help you is trout are hunters and the hunt from below, like a salmon does, they can look up but have a tough time looking down so you will want to keep your bait at there level or just above it. So lets say you are fishing in 15 feet of water and the fish are hanging at 12 ft then you want your bait at 10 to 12 feet so they can see it easier. If your bait is down around 13 to 14 feet they have to hunt for it instead of being able to see it and come up for it. If a fish has full stomach they may not hunt, but if they can see it and it is easy they may take it just cause they can. Kind of like a dog, they may be full but they will still take a snack just out of habit and cause they can.
Thanks again. probably the best info I've gotten in yrs . Will try it out next yr unless the winter continues this course. Will wright this down and keep it in the boat. Will even tell the wife to read it also. A couple I talked to at Lemolo limited out in 1hr last summer on PB too. I'm retired so we will have to get together next spring.
That will work. like you I am retired, or retarded never could figure out the difference. Except for my time in the service I have fished Diamond since at least 56. Doesn't mean I know how just means I have spent a lot of lazy time on the water. I own a 2012 Duckworth Navigator 18' with rag top on it. I don't like getting sunburnt anymore.


wHAT IS THE LEVEL OF DPC FROM THE GROUND?
The level of DPC is at the flood level point of that area, it means that in the heavy rain what is water level standing in the street.
2. Position of level in the surrounding area buildings.
3. The street or road level of the area.
BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE LESS THAN 1.5 TO 2 feet.
Join date: May 2014 1.5 feet is good.


Police have busted an extortion racket run by 'gau rakshaks', after a truck cleaner, Zaheer Qureshi (22) of Deesa, was stabbed at 12.30am on Sunday near Rajendra Park, Odhav, by so-called 'gau rakshaks'.
AHMEDABAD: Police have busted an extortion racket run by 'gau rakshaks', after a truck cleaner, Zaheer Qureshi (22) of Deesa, was stabbed at 12.30am on Sunday near Rajendra Park, Odhav, by so-called 'gau rakshaks'.
It soon became clear to police that Qureshi had not been stabbed because he was transporting buffaloes, but because he did not pay protection money.
Late on Monday evening, Ramol police arrested Neelraj Jain of Naroda, and are hunting for two more gang members - Mahendrasinh Jadeja and Lavjibhai. They regularly took protection money from truck driver Mustufa Sipahi, 40, of Vadhan village in Patan, to let trucks loaded with buffaloes pass through their area.
DCP Himkar Singh said this is the first time such an extortion racket has been busted and arrests have been made. "While we have added section 307 to case for the stabbing of Qureshi. We have also lodged another complaint under the sections dealing with extortion. We will not spare anyone who indulges in such extortionate acts or violent deeds," he added.
According to the complaint lodged by Sipahi, he drives a truck on the Deesa to Bharuch route and ferries buffalo calves for trade. "Sipahi has alleged that about two months ago he was stopped by Mahendrasinh Jadeja, Neelraj and Lavji, on the Odhav Ring Road near the panjrapole. At knifepoint, they made him agree to a monthly protection payment of Rs 20,000. They introduced themselves as cow vigilantes and said they will have his truck seized if he didn't pay.
DCP Singh said Sipahi alleged in his complaint that the 'gau rakshaks' also threatened him saying they would break his limbs if he approached police and could also kill him.
"Sipahi stated mentioned in the complaint that he was scared and has so far paid them Rs 30,100. On November 9, the accused called him near the panjrapole and demanded more money. Sipahi claimed that he told them he had no money and needed some time. Now, he has grown scared after the stabbing and lodged a complaint," Singh said.
Mopeds, autorickshaws used to dig ponds in Gujarat on paper!
3 Mopeds, autorickshaws used to dig ponds in Gujarat on paper!


SSP worked with ITN Productions to produce a film for their series 'De-Risking the future of Insurance' which was created in partnership with BIBA. The SSP film was entitled 'Using smart technology to help insurers and brokers operate more efficient businesses' and explores the ways in which SSP's technology can better equip them, both now and in the future on their digital journey.
The film starts by looking into the connected home and how parts of our homes can now communicate with us, and our insurers, helping them to price the insurable risks more accurately. From smart meters that monitor your energy usage, to door sensors that let you know via an app the comings and goings at your property, smart technology is changing the way we live – making up the now 'connected' home.
Interviewing Stephen Lathrope, CEO, he discusses how our long standing commitment to the industry has enabled SSP to help shape the future of the market, by offering next generation capabilities and solutions. As well as this, our full end to end market view means that we not only service our customers, but our customers' customers too.
Kevin Gaut, CTO, follows this with a look at how the availability of data has enabled the evolution of smart technology, which has empowered the insurer to price risks better based on a consumer's behavior. This in turn has changed the face of insurance, allowing for flexibility and a responsiveness to market conditions that wasn't possible previously.
ITN then took the time to interview David Robertson, Transformation Director at Legal and General, who discusses further how this availability of data has enabled them to create SmartQuote. This innovation brings together the vast quantities of digital data available for an individual risk to generate an informed quote in 90 seconds with minimal customer input.


text:
Category: Alumni Spotlight, News, Women of MSFS
Title: Women of MSFS: Alumni spotlight
Date Published: March 7, 2019
To celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th, all this week MSFS is highlighting women in our program's community who strive to further gender equality and inclusion in their professional and personal lives. In our penultimate spotlight of the series, we interviewed two MSFS alumni, Professor Nicole Bibbins Sedaca (MSFS '97), who is a faculty member and Co-Chair of the Global Politics and Security concentration at MSFS, and Radhika Prabhu (MSFS '09) who currently serves as Executive Director of the U.S.-Pakistan Women's Council at the State Department. They talked to us about their careers after MSFS and how they approach issues relating to gender in their professional lives.
Professor Nicole Bibbins Sedaca (MSFS '97)
Professor Nicole Bibbins Sedaca serves as the Co-Chair for the Global Politics and Security Concentration and a Professor in the Practice of International Affairs in the MSFS program. She is also an MSFS alumna, graduating from the program in 1997. Prof. Bibbins Sedaca has held numerous positions in the public and non-governmental sectors in the United States and Ecuador. She served for ten years in the United States Department of State. During this time, her positions included: the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, the Senior Director for Strategic Planning and External Affairs in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and the Special Assistant to the Ambassador-At-Large for Counterterrorism. Following her governmental service, she opened and directed the International Republican Institute's local governance program in Ecuador. She also taught at the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador) on democratization and conflict resolution. Prior to returning to Georgetown full-time, she served as the Director of the Washington Office of Independent Diplomat, a diplomatic advisory group.
Can you describe what your experience has been as a woman in your field?
Depending on the sector and issue area on which I was working, I was often the only woman—and certainly woman of color—at the table. However, the amazing women who went before me have been a great example of how to navigate these situations. There is far more awareness now about the obstacles and challenges women face in the workplace. Just the awareness and openness to name these obstacles has been helpful for women. We have a long way to go to correct these issues, but the trajectory is pointed in the right direction.
How has the role of women in the field of global politics and security/ international affairs changed over the years?
There are significantly more women in leadership roles than there were previously. I was fortunate to start my government service under Secretary Albright and then serve under Secretary Rice, as well. (I served under Sec. Powell in between.) Seeing these role models gave many of us encouragement that barriers were being broken and that the leadership of American foreign policy would look more like the country it represented.
Can you talk about ways you have felt supported or empowered as a woman professionally?
I have been extremely fortunate to have a series of really amazing bosses—mostly women but also some great men—who always empowered and encouraged me. They were constantly encouraging me and willing to point out how I could improve. I seek to follow their example by encouraging, mentoring, and guiding the young women professionals I encounter.
In your opinion, what are the most important ways we can empower women to ensure gender equality globally today?
Policy makers and programmatic experts have to ensure that women are always at the table, in the conversation, in the power structure, and in the client base. Exclusion of women from all elements of policy and program work means that you are only considering a portion of the thinking, the needs, and the viewpoints. It is not only the right thing to do, it is the wise thing to do.
Do you have a message for women who are interested in pursuing a similar career path to yours?
Believe in yourself. We tend to listen more to a person who wants to discourage us or to that nagging little voice whispering to us that we don't belong. We need to listen to our mentors, colleagues, and supporters who are willing to reflect back to you your strengths and abilities. Surround yourself with honest, supportive, tough women who are willing to encourage you, challenge you, speak truthfully to you, and support you. When I have a room full of graduate student women, I ask them to say something about the woman next to them. They can easily rave—very honestly—about their colleagues' strengths and talents. And yet, when asked to give an honest assessment of themselves, many women find it hard to embrace their strengths and talents. The best thing we can do for ourselves is embracing fully and honestly the strengths we have, and name gracefully and humbly the weaknesses we have, while not dwelling on the latter at the expense of the former.
Radhika Prabhu (MSFS '09)
Radhika Prabhu works at the intersection of human rights, inclusive security, and U.S. foreign policy. Currently the Executive Director of the U.S.-Pakistan Women's Council at the State Department, she previously served as a senior policy advisor to the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues on U.S. foreign policy in South Asia. Radhika has held positions at the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and United Nations Development Program. She is a certified meditation instructor with the Art of Living Foundation and senior youth instructor for the International Association for Human Values.
In your work at the U.S.-Pakistan Women's Council, you empower Pakistani women to become more engaged in entrepreneurship and other forms of economic activity. Why is this important?
Women make up half of the global economy yet in many countries around the world, including in Pakistan, they are unable to unleash their economic potential and that represents a net loss for job creation, investment, economic growth, and competitiveness. Of 149 economies, Pakistan ranks second to last in the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap report, an annual ranking of countries' economic competitiveness that measures gender parity in political and economic participation and access to healthcare among other development services. According to the World Bank, Pakistan also has among the lowest rates of women's entrepreneurship in the world. Many companies that work in Pakistan and are affiliated with the Council—both U.S. and Pakistani companies—are committed to bringing more women into the workforce, both because it's both good policy and good business. Further, countries that promote women's economic empowerment are more stable, prosperous, and secure and women's entrepreneurship is a critical lever to promote women's economic opportunity.
What perspectives do you think women specifically bring to the world of business and entrepreneurship that may get overlooked when they are under-represented in these sectors?
First Round, a Venture Capital firm, issued a ten-year retrospective on their investments over the past decade and found that their investments in companies with at least one female founder outperformed companies with all male teams by 63%. A 2011 report conducted by Catalyst of Fortune 500 companies found that companies with a high number of women board members significantly outperformed those with no female directors. The diverse set of skills, experiences, and expertise women bring to the table clearly leads to profitability for companies—irrespective of the sector!
This year's theme for International Women's Day is "Balance for Better". The theme focuses on innovative ways to advance gender-balance in areas across economic and social spheres. Examples include having gender-balanced boardrooms, gender-balanced classrooms, etc. In your opinion, what are the most important ways we can empower communities to work towards ensuring gender-balance globally today?
Government, civil society, and the private sector writ large have a role to play in fostering these conversations and already are leading the way in igniting conversations and programs regarding gender equality. Creating more platforms that bring different stakeholders together to break down barriers and catalyze momentum on women's issues is essential. The U.S.-Pakistan Women's Council, for instance, is a partnership between the State Department and Texas A&M that aims to provide a platform for government, civil society, and the private sector to advance gender equality in Pakistan. Our members—PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Engro, The Resource Group, Proctor and Gamble, S&P Global, Citigroup, and General Electric—have taken commitments to steward mentoring programs, supply chain and hiring diversity goals, to advance women's entrepreneurship education, and to foster public-private dialogue on key barriers facing women and girls. The Council counts on the support of a range of leaders in the Diaspora, government, and civil society organizations and I am pleased that our roster of members will expand when we formally relaunch this month.
It matters that leaders in powerful institutions adopt gender balance as a priority and that certainly creates a ripple effect—through legislation, programs, funding, and policies. Ultimately, true change happens when individuals own the agenda so my immediate advice is always to model inclusivity and hold leaders accountable when they do not. The #metoo movement is a powerful testament to the power of people advocating for change.
Can you name a woman you encountered at MSFS (e.g. professor, classmate, mentor) who inspired you? Why did they inspire you?
Professor Carol Lancaster was a friend and mentor. She challenged me and all of her students to look at their engagement in foreign policy through the lens of ethics and to question more deeply why we were seeking to enter into the world of international affairs. She always had an open door and though she seemed very stern at first, she was such a kind and welcoming presence while I was at Georgetown and well into my career. I also deeply appreciated Deb Burand, who taught a course on social entrepreneurship. She was a mentor and was a source of support well after I graduated. Truthfully, I found intellectual inspiration from so many professors at Georgetown —both men and women—Professor Michael J. Green, Professor Andrew Natsios, Professor Victor Cha…there are too many to list!


Merriam Dines Out on Tuesday at Menchie's Frozen Yogurt!
The kids don't have school on Tuesday, November 7th, and we have a suggestion for a fun activity: join the Merriam community at Menchie's Frozen Yogurt at The Point in Littleton! Merriam will earn 20% of the shop's proceeds that day. Grab some tasty fro-yo after meeting friends at the playground or a family dinner, and help support our wonderful assistant teachers.
Contact Sheila Magovern (scmagovern@gmail.com) with any questions.


text:
SpikeDataChain::SpikeDataChain()
{
	memset(this, 0, sizeof(SpikeDataChain));
	mGrowSize = DefaultInitialSpikeCount;
	mBuf = new SpikeDataChunk(mGrowSize);
}

SpikeDataChain::SpikeDataChain(int GrowSize)
{
	memset(this, 0, sizeof(SpikeDataChain));
	mGrowSize = GrowSize;
	mBuf = new SpikeDataChunk(mGrowSize);
}

SpikeDataChain::SpikeDataChain(SpikeDataChunk *NewChunk)
{
	memset(this, 0, sizeof(SpikeDataChain));
	mGrowSize = DefaultInitialSpikeCount;
	mBuf = NewChunk;
}

SpikeDataChain::~SpikeDataChain()
{
	if (mNext != NULL)
		delete mNext;
	if (mBuf != NULL)
		delete mBuf;
}

SpikeDataChain *SpikeDataChain::Grow(void)
{
	SpikeDataChain *Cur;

	Cur = this;
	while (Cur->mNext != NULL)
		Cur = Cur->mNext;
	Cur->mNext = new SpikeDataChain(mGrowSize);
	Cur->mNext->mPrev = this;
	return Cur->mNext;
}

SpikeDataChain *SpikeDataChain::AddChunk(SpikeDataChunk *NewChunk)
{
	SpikeDataChain *Cur;

	Cur = this;
	while (Cur->mNext != NULL)
		Cur = Cur->mNext;
	Cur->mNext = new SpikeDataChain(mGrowSize);
	Cur->mNext->mPrev = this;
	return Cur->mNext;
}

SpikeDataChain *SpikeDataChain::Next(void)
{
	return mNext;
}

SpikeDataChain *SpikeDataChain::Prev(void)
{
	return mPrev;
}

SpikeDataChunk *SpikeDataChain::GetChunk()
{
	return mBuf;
}

SpikeDataChunk *SpikeDataChain::operator[](int Index) const
{
	if (Index < 0)
		throw EarlabException("SpikeDataChain: Illegal index: %d", Index);
	if (Index > 0)
	{
		if (mNext == NULL)
			return NULL;
		else
			return (*mNext)[Index - 1];
	}
	else
		return mBuf;
}


text:
NASA spots distant star being torn apart by a hungry black hole
Published Sep 29th, 2019 2:18PM EDT
Image: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Black holes are devastatingly powerful forces of nature, and nothing demonstrates their incredible might quite like seeing one tear apart a star. Recently, NASA's sky-scanning TESS satellite caught a glimpse of that exact scenario playing out at the heart of a galaxy 375 million light-years away.
In a new paper published in The Astrophysical Journal, scientists explain how they first detected the destructive event using a network of telescopes called the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae, or ASAS-SN. After its detection, the event was labeled ASASSN-19bt and NASA's TESS was used to get an even better view of the fireworks.
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The bright flash of the star getting a bit too close to the black hole is known as a tidal disruption event, or TDE. The star, drawn in close to the black hole by gravity, got close enough that the intense pull actually tore the star apart, flinging material into space and creating a disk of fiery debris that surrounds the black hole. This was the first such event observed by TESS, but scientists hope it won't be the last.
"The early TESS data allow us to see light very close to the black hole, much closer than we've been able to see before," Patrick Vallely, co-author of the study, said in a statement. "They also show us that ASASSN-19bt's rise in brightness was very smooth, which helps us tell that the event was a tidal disruption and not another type of outburst, like from the center of a galaxy or a supernova."
These observations were a first for NASA's TESS, but it's just one of many TDEs astronomers have spotted over the years. Still, scientists are eager to see as many as they can, and NASA believes TESS will play a major role in spotting them in the near future.
Black Hole NASA tess
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Mercedes becomes first automaker to achieve Level 3 self-driving certification in the U.S.