Cable TV subscriptions are getting expensive and some cable companies, like Comcast, are getting downright ugly by not giving you faster internet if you don't subscribe to their cable TV package.
The TV streaming service market has gotten crowded lately which is a good thing for competition but can make choosing one more difficult.
If you're tired of overpaying for cable, I've put together the following guide to help you choose which one is best for you.
The top Live TV streaming services are offered by Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, and YouTube TV.
While most of the plans run about $40, Sling TV is the least expensive option of the bunch but adding channel packages can add up quickly.
DirecTV Now could be a great option if you're an AT&T Wireless subscriber since they will give you a monthly bill credit for up to $15 a month with their Unlimited plan.
Each of the providers offers the most popular cable networks like ESPN, CNN, HGTV, FX, Cartoon Network, TBS, TNT, SYFY, USA and Disney Channel but that's where the similarities end.
If you watch a certain channel not listed above, you will need to dig into each service's offering.
Sling TV, for example, doesn't offer Fox News while the rest of them do. DirecTV NOW is the only service provider that offers MTV and VH1 (if you're into that sort of thing) and PlayStation Vue and Sling TV don't offer the CW.
While you can always use an antenna to get local channels, you'll want to check each providers website to see what local channels are available in the apps in your area.
With DVR, you can record shows as they air and play them back later. You can also fast forward and rewind.
Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV and PlayStation Vue all include DVR. There are limitations though; PlayStation limits your storage for only 28 days, and Hulu is capped at 50 hours unless you pay extra.
DirecTV NOW only includes DVR on certain devices, while Sling TV charges extra.
The number of simultaneous streams means how many devices can be watching a show or movie at the same time.
Sling TV only allows one steam at a time and charges $5 more for additional streams.
DirecTV NOW and Hulu give you 2 steams but Hulu has the option to add unlimited streams for $15 more a month.
YouTube TV will allow for 3 streams at a time while PlayStation will give you up to 5, but only if you have a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 3.
All of the providers offer SHOWTIME as an add-on but if you want the most movie options, Sling TV is the winner with five premium channels and FX and FXX available on the base plans as well as the Hollywood Extra plan with Sundance TV and REELZ.
DirecTV NOW has HBO for only $5 which is steal and Hulu is offering six months of HBO for only $5 right now as well.
When it comes to availability, this is the most important part of the decision making process. In order to watch any of these services you need a compatible device.
All of the services will work with Roku but Hulu with Live TV has the most compatible devices. That includes compatibility with Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch and certain Samsung TV models made since 2017.
I personally think Hulu with Live TV is the best value for the channels included and supported devices but with all the add-ons and Premium channels you can top out at $95 a month which is basically the cable bill you were looking to escape.
When it comes down to it, it all really depends on what shows and channels you can't live without. Each of us has different taste in entertainment and one size doesn't fit all. It also depends on what devices you have and where you plan on watching.


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Ecology Archives - NatureTalks
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Ecology Tag
April 13, 2015 In Conservation, Science By Michael Ruffolo
Bringing an organism back from the dead is a quirky topic that unites both science fiction lovers and conservation biologists. It's a safe assumption that you, my faithful readers, have watched, or at least know the premise of Jurassic Park. The concept of bringing back animals that once roamed the earth millions of years ago captured the imagination of everyone who watched it. Ever since that movie came out, society has patiently waited for our own T. rex petting zoo — but scientists have continually disappointed us (I don't know what the delay is, it seemed pretty easy in the movie). However, with the discovery of an extremely well preserved woolly mammoth carcass in the Siberian tundra, the concept of bringing animals back from the dead has been given new life. And with the possibility of reemergence, conservation biologists are looking to the past as a means of saving the forests of North America from a surprising pest.
It turns out that a particular species of ruminant has ballooned in population numbers, and the overabundance of this even-toed ungulate has detrimental consequences to crops and the sustainability of North American ecosystems on whole. If you couldn't sieve through the science jargon, I'm talking about Bambi. That's right, the cute white-tailed animal of Disney is throwing our ecosystems out of whack, and may even lead to a mass extinction event in the future.
White-tailed deer are native to North America, and as such, enjoy eating native flora. However, since their populations are so large, herds of deer completely decimate grasslands and forests of their native plants, allowing non-native invasive species to enter and set up camp(1)(2). This is where the problem lies, and humans share part of the blame for this potential catastrophe.
At multiple times over the Pleistocene epoch (as far back as 640,000 years ago, and as recent as 13,000) mass extinctions took place wiping out 71% of large mammalian species in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Environmentalist Tim Flannery stated in his book, The Eternal Frontier :
ever since the extinction of the megafauna 13,000 years ago, the continent has had a seriously unbalanced fauna(3).
The exact reason for this extinction event is not certain, however an emerging idea is the second-order predation hypothesis. In summary, it states that humans over-hunted predators (not herbivores), and this led to the overabundance of herbivore species that were now free to reproduce unchecked. As prey populations increased, their habitats were unable to support their increasing numbers as the herbivores incessantly browsed and grazed, this lead to mass death of the large mammals at every trophic level. This hypothesis has support from mathematical models that corroborate its validity(4)(5).
We notice some troubling similarities to the past in comparison to our current position. Human hunting of top-level predators that are perceived as threats cause their species numbers to drop, and the wolves and cougars that are untouched by humans live in fragmented forest habitats preventing them from suppressing herbivore populations(6), this then leads to the rampant overpopulation of deer and the destruction of native flora by this overabundance. This is an eerily similar situation to the one we got ourselves into tens of thousands of years ago.
So what are our solutions? Well, you may think that we can simply increase hunting efforts in order to cull the ruminant population. However, hunting isn't the answer(7), and based on our track record for completely decimating populations when hunting/fishing is unregulated (collapse of cod fisheries ring any bells?), we would likely create an equally horrible situation where we end up with too few deer with little hope of recovering their numbers(8).
Scientists propose a different — and so much cooler — method of keeping deer populations regulated, our forests full of native plant life, and increasing biodiversity in the process. The plan is called Pleistocene rewilding, and it involves bringing the modern analogues of species that roamed the earth thousands of years ago back into their former habitat. And aside from filling the various ecological niches that were left vacant after the most recent extinction event(9), we would be able to have top predators introduced to help suppress our current deer problem.
So now we have our pick of the litter. There exist numerous ecological equivalents to the top predators of the past, and you may be surprised to learn what species used to roam the, not so ancient, lands of North America. We had a massive cat known as the America Lion, weighing up to 740lb and over 4ft tall at the shoulder(10) — its African cousin would make a perfect fit. An American Cheetah roamed the New World; related closer to pumas than cheetahs, it developed cheetah-like characteristics through convergent evolution(11). Scientists believe the existence of this cheetah helps explain why pronghorns are capable of running at nearly 90km/h — since this speed easily surpasses that of both wolves and cougars(12). Once again, the extant African species would be used to fill this ecological niche.
However, you may notice a problem with the animals I proposed to fill their ancient ecological roles above: they live in hot, arid savannahs — and Canada can get pretty chilly. This little problem puts a damper on which apex predators we can bring over to help control pest population. Though, there is one animal that thrives in winter environments, and it just happens to be the largest predatory cat available — the Siberian tiger. This massive beast already feeds on the various species of deer present in the northeastern forests of Asia, and its introduction into North America would aid in our current efforts to raise its poor population numbers. The Siberian tiger would fill the ecological role that was occupied by the American lion and Smilodon: the sabre-toothed cat.
Great, it seems like we have a solution to a problem that would likely spell the demise of our North American ecosystems. Now we just need some public acceptance and we can fly these tigers over within the week… This is likely the largest hurdle to overcome. The knowledge that we would have numerous 600lb tigers roaming our forests would cause utter chaos among the general populous. Large-scale opposition was seen regarding the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park (and would most certainly be present with tiger introduction). Ranchers completely opposed the idea, citing that wolves destroy livestock and are considered a plague on their way of life(13). However, the benefits of wolf reintroduction are staggering and have rectified the problem of elk overpopulation within Yellowstone, facilitating an increase in native floral biodiversity(14). While wolf reintroduction would take far longer in areas outside of national parks(6), and waiting for wolf population numbers to increase naturally could take decades — tiger introduction would be immediate and would confer numerous benefits (in ecosystem stability and by increasing tiger populations). But of course, this is wishful thinking and, as I've stated before, answers to difficult problems are never simple.
Earlier I spoke about Jurassic Park and alluded to the possibility of bringing back once extinct animals. This fantastical idea has reemerged in public discourse with a recent Vice news report detailing the finding of a woolly mammoth carcass in Siberia that has enough viable tissue to potentially clone the species(15)(16). This would enable us to enact Pleistocene rewilding using the actual animals from that time period. However, there are ethical dilemmas that arise with this sort of topic — I believe Dr. Ian Malcolm said it best:
Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should. — Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic Park
That is, who is truly benefiting from reviving extinct animals? Is it the species that potentially gets another shot at evolutionary success? Or would humanity use this scientific triumph as a conduit for financial gain? Being engrossed in science all my life, I am unconditionally in favour for the progression of knowledge — and I feel like trying to bring back an extinct species to determine if the feat is possible is acceptable and noble. However, it's what we do with the knowledge that "un-extinction" is possible that I am worried about. Like any science/animal lover, I would be ecstatic at the potential to have an island theme-park full of sabre-toothed cats, woolly mammoths, and dinosaurs. But if we don't plan on creating a self-sustaining population of mammoth, the only animals that would be benefitting would be the humans.
In an earlier article, I detailed how the ignorant will, with good intentions, put forth easy solutions to problems completely out of their scope. Although I would like to say that the answer to deer overpopulation is as simple as airdropping some big cats into the Great White North, I understand that I'm oversimplifying things: public displeasure/fear would prevent swift approval, not to mention the potential that using tigers as a means of biological pest control could backfire and throw the food-web into disarray, as has happened numerous times in the recent past(17)(18). However, lowering the ruminant population is vitally necessary for the stability and sustainability of North American ecosystems, and predation seems to be the most viable option for realizing this solution. That is, until we can bring back Deinonychus and Smilodon (in self-sustaining populations), tigers will be our best bet. And I'm personally thrilled at the idea of being able to travel 5 hours north to see one of my favourite animals roaming free and in good numbers. Just don't forget to bring your bear tiger spray.
Eschtruth, A. K., and J. J. Battles. 2009. Acceleration of Exotic Plant Invasion in a Forested Ecosystem by a Generalist Herbivore. Conservation Biology 23:388–399
Deer proliferation disrupts a forest's natural growth. http://mediarelations.cornell.edu/2014/03/07/deer-proliferation-disrupts-a-forests-natural-growth/
Flannery, T. 2002. The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples. Grove Press
Barton, C. M. 2004. The Settlement of the American Continents: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Human Biogeography. University of Arizona Press
Whitney-Smith, E. 2004. Clovis and Extinctions–Overkill, Second Order Predation, Environmental Degradation in a Non-equilibrium Ecosystem
Mushegian, A. 2008. REWILDING NORTH AMERICA. Harvard Science Review
Lin, D. 2013. Hunting Isn't the Answer to Animal "Pests." Time
Frank, K. T., B. Petrie, J. S. Choi, and W. C. Leggett. 2005. Trophic cascades in a formerly cod-dominated ecosystem. Science (New York, N.Y.) 308:1621–1623
Janzen, D. H., and P. S. Martin. 1982. Neotropical anachronisms: the fruits the gomphotheres ate. Science (New York, N.Y.) 215:19–27
Christiansen, P., and J. M. Harris. 2009. Craniomandibular morphology and phylogenetic affinities of Panthera atrox: implications for the evolution and paleobiology of the lion lineage. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29:934–945
Barnett, R., I. Barnes, M. J. Phillips, L. D. Martin, C. R. Harington, J. A. Leonard, and A. Cooper. 2005. Evolution of the extinct Sabretooths and the American cheetah-like cat. Current biology: CB 15:R589–590
Byers, J. A. 1997. American Pronghorn: Social Adaptations and the Ghosts of Predators Past. University of Chicago Press
Our National Parks » Reintroduction of wolves brings controversy. http://www.ournationalparks.us/park_issues/reintroduction_of_wolves_brings_controversy/
Living on Earth: Beyond the Headlines. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=15-P13-00012&segmentID=5
The Mission to Clone the Woolly Mammoth. http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-mission-to-resurrect-the-woolly-mammoth
Cloning a Mammoth is Only the Start. http://motherboard.vice.com/read/cloning-a-mammoth-is-only-the-start
Biocontrol backfires again. http://www3.scienceblog.com/community/older/2002/C/20025043.html
Wright, M. G., M. P. Hoffmann, T. P. Kuhar, J. Gardner, and S. A. Pitcher. 2005. Evaluating risks of biological control introductions: A probabilistic risk-assessment approach. Biological Control 35:338–347
Puffin, F. 2011. In the Royal BC Museum in Victoria (Canada). The display is from 1979, and the fur is musk ox hair
Overgrazing by deer is changing the face of U.S. forests | EarthSky.org. http://earthsky.org/earth/overgrazing-by-deer-is-changing-the-face-of-u-s-forests
Jaguar, T. T. 2012. Tiger walking in the snow
Antón, M. 2004. Pleistocene landscape in northern Spain (2004) National Geographic Prehistoric Mammals, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic ISBN 9780792271345, ISBN 9780792269977
April 1, 2015 In Conservation, Ecology, Science By Michael Ruffolo
What is the purpose of a zoo? What do we gain by keeping these establishments open? For the majority of us, if we have the urge to visit a killer whale or see a cheetah, we go visit them in a marine park or zoo. We don't have the luxury of experiencing them in their natural habitat, and instead are left to watch them in a simulated environment. The benefit of this scenario is that we can revisit the park every day of the week and continually see our favourite animals. However, our ability to experience wild animals in this form is a part of the underlying ethical dilemma that we face in regards to animal captivity. A topic filled with naïvety, good intentions, and death; and is a topic that is without an easy solution to its many problems.
everything I thought I knew was completely incorrect.
In January of 2013, Blackfish premiered and brought animal rights issues to the forefront of popular discourse. The documentary's aggressive and energetic message was the catalyst for exposing horrifying details about the conditions we keep performance animals in, and brought to light whether keeping animals in captivity is ethical at all.
Personally, I feel like the living conditions at zoos are something that most people just don't like to think about too deeply, it's rather convenient to stay steeped in ignorance. We're content with going to see the lions and look at their pretty manes, but we don't really want to dwell on the fact that we're keeping a species that has an effective range of 260sq km in enclosures as small as 2000sq ft (the minimum size allowed for an indoor enclosure). We exhibit this cognitive dissonance often with uneasy topics, much like how we don't really bring up that Canada and the U.S. aren't a part of the Kyoto Protocol or that Beck is a Scientologist.
And the reason why we're so quick to "forget" this unsettling information (aside from blatant ignorance) is for the look on our child's face when they see their first elephant up-close; for the scared, yet fascinated, expression of our friends when they realize that only a thin sheet of glass separates them from a hungry polar bear; and for the family members that hinge on our every word when we tell them the amazing physiological adaptations behind many of our favourite animals while they see them in person. I have experienced this first-hand — I've had the luxury of spending hours in large aquariums giving in-depth tours to my family and friends, watching as their eyes light up when I explain to them the process that allows sea-stars to move their arms. This is why the answer to animal captivity is a difficult one. The ability to inspire and invoke awe in young children (and even adults) is an invaluable tool in developing future conservation biologists and researchers.
Or, at least, this was my opinion before doing my own research. Up until the point when I decided to write this article, I (like many others) simply assumed that zoos and marine parks promoted a positive learning experience to children and taught them valuable lessons about conservation and nature. However, a study published in 2014 in the journal Conservation Biology shows that zoos have the potential to promote a negative understanding of animal-habitat interactions, stating:
The headline finding in this study is that 34% of pupils in the study on education officer-led visits showed positive change, while 16% of unguided pupils showed negative change.
The article has written that statement in a positive voice, but what it really should be stating is that 66% of all children (ages 7-15) that visited the park gained absolutely nothing worthwhile from their stay. The article then went on to state that an average of 13.5% of participants (both guided and unguided) left the zoo exhibiting a negative change in their understanding of animal-habitat interactions and conservation possibilities. This study reveals that the target demographic for the educational programs at zoos are receiving mediocre education at best, and misinformation at worst. Reading this leaves me asking: "Why even go?" In a study published in the UK by the independent research group ADAS, concerns were brought up regarding the effectiveness of the educational programs put forth by zoos, stating:
Concerns remain, however, with regard to the lack of available evidence about the effectiveness of these projects.
In an article published by National Geographic, an interview with former zoo director, David Hancocks, showed that he will often point to studies showing that:
visitors leave zoos feeling uninspired and uneducated. Rather than walking out determined to help save wildlife, they go away disenchanted. He wonders if this indifference is due in part to outdated animal enclosures, inadequate space, and the poor quality of 'natural' habitat exhibits, such as a reliance on artificial-looking synthetic rocks.
I was quite surprised upon reading these studies — I had always believed that zoos and marine parks were necessary to instil a positive understanding of nature in children; these studies seem to throw counter-evidence in the face of that claim. However, after some reflection, this data seemed to make sense (I swear it's not confirmation bias). I have personally never visited a zoo, and have went to large aquariums only after I was certain that biology was my calling. So what brought me to animals? Documentaries. Emotionally charged, beautifully produced, masterfully narrated (by Attenborough and no one else) films that evoke grandeur and wonder are what brought me to the natural sciences; and there is evidence to show that films are what drive nature-based education. A study conducted to determine the effectiveness of nature documentaries on students' environmental sensitivity found that:
the use of documentaries significantly influenced students' attitudes and beliefs about insects as compared to students in the control group(5)
People who watch documentaries on nature leave the film with more compassion, more questions, and a greater understanding of how we fit into the world — and the benefits of documentaries when used as a learning tool has been detailed countless times. Documentaries work because we see animals in their environment interacting with other animals of the same and different species — it acts as a proper representative of their lives.
So now we're left with wondering what to do with our zoos and marine parks. I had originally planned to write this article to uncover the merits of these enclosures — but in the above paragraphs I detailed (and personally realized) how everything I thought I knew was completely incorrect. So really, is there any reason to keep them around?
If zoos and aquariums simply improve the quality of education offered at their establishments, such that children actually benefit from visiting, that would be a step in the proper direction and gives us a reason to keep these facilities around. However, studies direct us against this decision, and in my ideal scenario the only animals that would be held in zoos would be endangered species. Before you jump down my throat, hear me out. I don't suggest that all the individuals of a given endangered species are held captive (a harsh, but true, word) — rather, just enough to begin a captive breeding program as a means of increasing population numbers before releasing the animals back into the wild. Captive breeding programs don't always work, but they are the best hope for many species that may be unable to recover their numbers in the wild — and numerous success stories dictate that captive breeding is a viable option. Captive breeding is generally considered a "last-resort" in the efforts to save a species from extinction; nonetheless, zoos can be repurposed to solely aid in these efforts (of course, this is all wishful thinking). Not only would the conservation efforts be welcomed, but tourists would benefit from being able to visit rare charismatic megafauna that would otherwise be near impossible to catch a glimpse of.
With the release of Blackfish, the zoo and marine park industry took a massive blow to their funding and attendance. After over a year of declining tourist numbers, stock values dropping huge percentages, and revenue falling well below projected values, SeaWorld finally:
acknowledged for the first time the negative publicity may have had a hit and may have been why the attendance has been flat for now and the past quarters.
The future of these establishments isn't certain, but it definitely doesn't look promising. As much as it pains me to say (because I really do love the ability to see my favourite animals at a moment's notice), I don't feel as though there is enough merit to warrant the proliferation of zoos and marine parks. The cramped (understatement) conditions and lack of tangible educational benefits lend credence to the statement that these are organizations that do very little to contribute to those who they hold captive. Unless we can find a way to increase educational standards or repurpose them, zoos and aquariums are better left as abandoned shells of their former glory.
Captive breeding of cheetahs has shown promising results.
African Lions, African Lion Pictures, African Lion Facts, African Cats – National Geographic. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/african-lion/
Colahan, H., D. Zoo, C. Asa, C. Azzarello-Dole, B. Zoo, S. Boutelle, M. Briggs, A. APCRO, K. Cox, L. Kellerman, and others. Lion (Panthera leo) Care Manual
Jensen, E. 2014. Evaluating Children's Conservation Biology Learning at the Zoo. Conservation Biology 28:1004–1011
ADAS UK Ltd. 2010. Review of Zoos' Conservation and Education Contribution
Critics Question Zoos' Commitment to Conservation. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1113_031113_zoorole_2.html
Barbas, T. A., S. Paraskevopoulos, and A. G. Stamou. 2009. The effect of nature documentaries on students' environmental sensitivity: a case study. Learning, Media and Technology 34:61–69
Brain Games Versus Nature Documentaries. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130410-brain-games-neuroscience-culture-science/
Borness, C., J. Proudfoot, J. Crawford, and M. Valenzuela. 2013. Putting Brain Training to the Test in the Workplace: A Randomized, Blinded, Multisite, Active-Controlled Trial
Bertschinger, H., D. Meltzer, and A. Van Dyk. 2008. Captive Breeding of Cheetahs in South Africa – 30 Years of Data from the de Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre. Reproduction in Domestic Animals 43:66–73
Keeley, T., J. K. O'Brien, B. G. Fanson, K. Masters, and P. D. McGreevy. 2012. The reproductive cycle of the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) and factors associated with reproductive success in captivity. General and Comparative Endocrinology 176:182–191
Condor Program Monthly Status Report 2014-10-31.pdf
The Loneliest Animals ~ Captive Breeding Success Stories | Nature | PBS
EQUITY ALERT: The Rosen Law Firm Files Securities Class Action Against SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. — SEAS – MarketWatch
Pittman, R. 2006. From source: Two mammal-eating "transient" killer whales photographed off the south side of Unimak Island, eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Panoramio – Photo of Lion Cage at Wichita Zoo – Lions and children. http://www.panoramio.com/photo/47958869
Wolf, Z. 2006. Rhincodon typus ♂. Georgia Aquarium
Breeding Cheetahs. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/breeding-cheetahs-20876365/
Triumph in the Congo!
Triumph? I know — triumph in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is seldom issued. After all, we're talking about a country that has been colonized numerous times, had various natural resources exploited, held under the rule of a brutal totalitarian leader, and scourged by civil war; a country that currently ranks 2nd last of all countries on the Human Development Index, and is so renowned for corruption that locals gave it a new name making it akin to some transmissible disease: "Zaire sickness". But yes, even with that track record holding the country back, environmental protection in the DRC has taken a large and much needed step forward; and this has conservationists rejoicing the world over.
All this international hoopla came about with the recent development that the London based oil company SOCO will be demobilizing all efforts to find and extract oil from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Virunga National Park.
And with its removal, the tourist and funding money would flow out with the oil being extracted.
In 2010, word got out that the large oil corporation was searching for oil in a region that they have no business looking in. Virunga National Park is located along the eastern border of the DRC and is renowned for its exceptional biodiversity. This park is home to some of the last remaining, critically-endangered, mountain gorillas on Earth, as well as being the home for forest elephants and the endangered and oddly painted okapi.
This is an okapi. Looks similar to a zebra, but has closer relation to giraffes.
When SOCO originally stationed themselves in the DRC, the country's President green-lighted the operation to begin exploring for oil reserves in a region that included sections of the national park. If that wasn't already cause for concern, alarms blew when it was revealed that over 80% of the land within Virunga was viable for oil concessions(1). SOCO soon released an impact assessment detailing the amount of direct and indirect damage that would occur as a result of drilling within Virunga's confines. The World Wildlife Fund summarized the assessment stating:
oil exploration could cause pollution, damage habitats and bring poaching to this fragile ecosystem. It could also harm residents' health and damage the natural resources upon which 50,000 people depend(2).
To many, unless quick protest occurred this spelled the demise of Africa's oldest national park.
Now, I'm not entirely sure what was going through the minds of the oil execs at SOCO when they published their damage assessment and still felt that continuing their oil exploitation operation with the knowledge that it will cause irreparable damage to a vulnerable ecosystem was a fantastic idea. Oh wait, yes I do: "$$$$$$$".
It seemed as though money was also on the mind of DRC president, Joseph Kabila. He green-lighted the exploration by SOCO, and he was the only one truly able to prevent soil from being broken. Despite the protests of the countrymen, environmentalists, and organizations, the power of veto rested in the hands of the leader. In order to swing his vote, an ultimatum needed to be brought forth.
In 2014, the documentary Virunga was released. Ironically, the original motive of the production team was to illustrate the progress made by the national park, but this quickly shifted when the crew stumbled upon the corruption taking place within its confines. The film captures the shady business practices of the oil conglomerate, including numerous bribes and forced entry into the national park at gun-point. This film's release signalled change, and was instrumental in the efforts towards the removal of SOCO from Virunga.
Virunga mountain gorillas
However, as stated earlier, a strong ultimatum was needed in order to sway the president's vote. This came in the form of the World Heritage Status that Virunga holds dearly. Being a World Heritage site brings international fame to a region, increasing tourism, funding, and, of course, money. However, ever since 1994, Virunga has been on the list of current World Heritage Sites that have the potential to be delisted(3). If SOCO was allowed to drill within the boundaries of the park, it was near certain that Virunga would be stripped of its World Heritage status. And with its removal, the tourist and funding money would flow out with the oil being extracted.
Just three months after the release of Virunga and after many years of tough lobbying by WWF, SOCO signed a joint declaration with WWF stating:
The company commits not to undertake or commission any exploratory or other drilling within Virunga National Park unless UNESCO and the DRC government agree that such activities are not incompatible with its World Heritage status(4).
Now, as I said earlier, this is a great triumph for the DRC, WWF, and environmentalists (and of course the animals). But we're not out just yet. Note in the above statement the phrase "not incompatible with its World Heritage status". Once you get past the awkward double-negative, you realize this just means that once the DRC government finds a way to preserve Virunga's heritage status they will allow SOCO to drill for oil.
Think I'm just fear mongering? This very situation has already occurred in the neighbouring country of Tanzania inside the Selous Game Reserve. Toronto based company, Uranium One, found uranium deposits within the boundaries of the World Heritage Site, and in order to safely mine the lands while retaining the park's heritage status, the World Heritage Committee agreed to change the boundaries of the park such that the mining operation would occur outside of Selous' borders(5). In an interview I conducted with a game warden at the Selous Game Reserve, I was told:
Selous' world heritage status was going to be terminated, so they changed the boundaries of the park to preserve it. However, there is no fence surrounding Selous and the animals and plants are easily exposed to the toxic waste released from the uranium mining
The silver lining is that Selous Game Reserve is over 44,000km2 (larger than the Netherlands), and this mining operation will have relatively smaller impact on the overall biodiversity of the park. Comparatively, Virunga is only 7,800km2, and with 80% of the park containing oil reserves, any disturbance would lead to imminent ecosystem collapse.
This was a step in the right direction for the DRC — a great triumph for environmentalists everywhere. However, I hope this progress is permanent and the Congolese government doesn't suggest enacting the same boundary changes seen in Selous. WWF released a study in 2013 that suggested Virunga National Park is capable of generating over $1.1 billion per year with sustainable growth and tourism, and provide upward of 45,000 jobs in the process(6). Hopefully this one success leads to a string of many more and Virunga can return to its status as one of the premier national parks in Africa.
SAVE VIRUNGA. http://savevirunga.com/
WWF Complaint Alleges Oil Company Violates Environmental and Human Rights Provisions | Press Releases | WWF. http://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/wwf-complaint-alleges-oil-company-violates-environmental-and-human-rights-provisions
Virunga National Park – UNESCO World Heritage Centre. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/63
Joint Statement by SOCO International plc ("SOCO") and WWF. http://www.socointernational.com/joint-statement
Wippel, G. Press Release Re: World Heritage Comittee Decision on Selous Game Reserve Boundary Changes. http://www.uranium-network.org/index.php/africalink/tanzania/253-press-release-re-world-heritage-comittee-decision-on-selous-game-reserve-boundary-changes
The Economic Value of Virunga National Park | Publications | WWF. http://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/the-economic-value-of-virunga-national-park
World Heritage Committee requests cancelation of Virunga oil permits. http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/france/?209082/World-Heritage-Committee-requests-cancelation-of-Virunga-oil-permits
About the Okapi | FortWorthZoo Blog – Expedition: Education
Willink, C. T. 2011. English: Mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park, DR Congo
Marfinan. 2013. English: The Virunga mountain peaks taken from the vicinity of Kisoro, Uganda. From left to right, Muhabura, Gahinga, Karisimbi, Sabyinyo, Mikeno.
March 2, 2015 In Ecology, Science, Travel By Michael Ruffolo
Antarctica: Stop Coming Here!
As I sat with my dinner in my lap (because who needs tables?), I browsed YouTube for a video I hadn't seen before to enjoy with my meal. I came across a news story detailed by John Oliver who spoke about a developing problem in Antarctica: increasing tourist numbers are threatening the biodiversity of the frozen continent. The information was sound, and the threat is real — but John's solution (although humorous) was to stop going to Antarctica all together. He even went so far as to suggest that if you really need to feel the blistering cold on your face, that you go to Alaska and lie to your friends that you visited Antarctica.
I didn't really buy it though. I completely agree that tourism can be a threat towards biodiversity, but I don't believe that the best way to circumvent this problem is to completely cease all travel to the bottom of the world.
As travellers, we wish to experience foreign and pristine environments so that we can learn about them, so that we can understand them, and so that we can care and potentially conserve them. The irony is that, in doing so, we risk damaging what we originally went to protect.
This will be a common theme of many of my blogs: the fine line that humans must tread to ensure worldwide exposure to a problem without further contributing to the problem itself.
Back on track. So, we're harming Antarctica. Now, that may not be big news (and maybe even a little cliché) if you like to stay updated with environmental issues. However, what is novel is the means by which this harm originated. And no, it's not global warming this time. It turns out that more and more people are visiting Antarctica each year, and the increasing number of tourists are affecting the continent's overall biodiversity (I'll get to the how in a moment).
Antarctica is a pristine landscape, whose colour reflects its purity and unspoiled nature...
To most people, the frozen landscape is likely the last location on anyone's "must travel to" list. However, according to the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, over 37,000 people travelled there in 2014(1). And I can understand their curiosity. Antarctica is a pristine landscape, whose colour reflects its purity and unspoiled nature; it has been described as the "last of the wild"(2) and is an ideal destination for those looking to view unmatched landscapes and learn about the intricacies of the ecosystems that Antarctica contains.
However, the majority of Antarctica's visitors make the pilgrimage to a small portion of the land-mass. Tourists (as opposed to researchers) localize themselves to the non-ice-covered regions of the continent — which is only about 1-2% of it's land. The majority of the plants and animals that call Antarctica home reside in this 2%, and I'm sure you can now see where the problem lies.
In an interview with ABC news, Dr. Martin Riddle of the Australian Antarctic Devision stated:
"Even walking on Antarctic moss beds would leave footprints that would last for decades, if not centuries(3)"
I personally couldn't conjure up with a better metaphor for human impact even if I tried — I mean, humans are literally (and as an extension, metaphorically) leaving century lasting footprints on the plants. Aside from the blatant physical impact of human encroachment, tourists also inadvertently harm Antarctica's biodiversity by accidentally ferrying over alien species to the white desert. A study published in Conservation Biology identified that non-native bluegrass has colonized in regions of high human traffic and is outcompeting the only two flowering plants in Antarctica (Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort)(4). If the non-native bluegrass ends up as the dominant flora of Antarctica, the animals that depend on the endemic flowers may be unable to feed and starve, and this would ultimately throw the food web into complete disarray.
This brings us back to my earlier sentiments. If we close our doors to all forms of tourism to Antarctica, what do we gain? We potentially stop alien species from taking over a foreign land and disrupting the ecosystem, and we potentially prevent littering and human displacement. These are all problems that we need to mitigate. However, looking only at what we gain is half of the story and rather naive — because in preventing Antarctic tourism we prevent actual interaction with the continent. And it is this interaction that facilitates a yearning to understand and conserve. For all we know, we may be preventing the development of future Antarctic conservationists by shutting our doors to the public.
Or, at least, that was my viewpoint before I found some rather alarming information about vacationing to Antarctica and the people that take them. I found that it can cost upwards of $20,000 to make the trek. This immediately rules out a large demographic of travellers — as only the most affluent of adventurers will be able to afford such an expensive ticket. This then led me to believe that the motives of some of these travellers weren't as virtuous as I originally thought. It turns out that many people lie about their intentions when planning a trip to Antarctica. That is, some travellers stated that their motive for visitation was for scientific, environmental management, or educational purposes — yet upon landing, these patrons made no such effort towards their "primary goal", some even performed scientific research in areas designated for conservation — demonstrating a blatant disregard for the ecosystem they stand for. In a study published in Environmental Science & Policy, scientists noted that:
"Clearly, substantial amounts of scientific research are undertaken in areas designated for conservation, which may not be in the best interest of the environmental values under protection."(5)
I'm all for the proliferation of tourism when it promotes education and conservation. But after learning that Antarctica's primary visitors are affluent travellers who lie about their motives, I can't help but get a sour taste in my mouth.
Maybe John Oliver was right, they should just go to Alaska. I mean, who would know the difference?
This is a photo of Glacier Bay in Alaska. Couldn't tell, could you?
Original story idea: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Don't Visit Antarctica (HBO). 2014.
Tourism Statistics – IAATO. http://iaato.org/tourism-statistics
Sanderson, E.W. et al. (2002) The Human Footprint and the Last of the Wild The human footprint is a global map of human influence on the land surface, which suggests that human beings are stewards of nature, whether we like it or not. BioScience 52, 891–904
Hunt, L., and S. Ikin. 2014, June 18. Antarctica under threat from human visitors: scientist. Text. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-18/antarctic-tourism-threat-to-the-pristine-wilderness-scientist/5533252
Molina-Montenegro, M.A. et al. (2012) Occurrence of the Non-Native Annual Bluegrass on the Antarctic Mainland and Its Negative Effects on Native Plants. Conservation Biology 26, 717–723
Hughes, K.A. et al. (2013) Area protection in Antarctica: How can conservation and scientific research goals be managed compatibly? Environmental Science & Policy 31, 120–132
Fiske, M. and Said, 2013 at 1:08 Pm Antarctica. , Matt's Ceramic Action.
Emperor penguin. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2015). http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emperor_penguin&oldid=646190913
Margerie Glacier Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska – Human and Natural. http://humanandnatural.com/img-margerie-glacier—glacier-bay-national-park,-alaska-6998.htm.
February 28, 2015 In Ecology, Science, Travel By Michael Ruffolo
The Darién Gap: It's all on foot from here
Ever since the "Age of Discovery" began in the 15th century, humans have made a point of exploring uncharted regions of the globe. After over 500 years of tropical disease filled travel and the advent of "Google Earth", it would seem as though the Earth has been spoken for. Each corner has been checked, each cave has been mapped, and each mountain has been summited.
But what if I told you that there are still a few hidden gems stashed around our planet; that there exist locations only spoken of in legend and rumour. Would you believe me? Would you dare travel to them? Brave the travellers' diarrhea and typhoid in the name of idiocy curiosity?
The Darién Gap is such an area, a name breathed only by locals and naïve travellers.
The Darién Gap is such an area, a name breathed only by locals and naïve travellers. This pristine swath of dense jungle requires an equally dense mind to believe that traversing it without extensive research and planning is feasible. The Darién Gap separates the North American and South American legs of the Pan-American highway, a nearly contiguous route that will take you from Prudhoe, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. The route is unbroken for ~30,000km, except at the border between Panama and Colombia for a 160km stretch: the Darién Gap.
The extreme remoteness, isolation, and harsh conditions are the perfect cocktail for any borderline insane explorer. Although crossing on foot would seem like the easiest method of transportation, there have been numerous (attempted) vehicle crossings taking upwards of 740 days to make the journey through the jungle.
Since this region is the only overland obstacle separating the two continents, there is constant discussion regarding cutting down a small section of the Darién jungle and creating a highway — completing the Pan-American and finally linking North and South America. Many believe that "The highway … will facilitate trade of petroleum, cotton, clothes, iron, steel and other goods between Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela", as stated by Juan Castañega, director of the Latin American desk of Colombia's Foreign Affairs Ministry(1).
However, little pavement has been laid as of yet. Environmentalists and indigenous populations are opposed to the destruction of the jungle for various reasons, not least of which are the loss of ethnic traditions and lowering biodiversity. Oddly enough, the Darién Gap even has the medicinal benefit of preventing numerous diseases from border hopping and making residence in North America inside a body near you(2)(3).
I'm with the environmentalists on this issue, I believe this region should remain entirely pristine. Many years prior, a road extending to Yaviza (the southern end of the Pan-American highway in North America) was created. Environmentalists were worried that extensive deforestation would follow as a result of this new road into the jungle. Their apprehension was warranted. Within decades, logging and agriculture extended from the highway like the roots of a tree and pierced over 10km deep into the Darién.
This swath of jungle is one of the few remaining "final frontiers"
However, keeping the Darién Gap untouched has significance beyond deforestation. This swath of jungle is one of the few remaining "final frontiers". It represents unknown and danger; a place removed from commercialization and corruption. That being said, this place is far from paradise. Darién is home to dangerous animals and is a common drug smuggling route by narcotraffickers looking to avoid detection by taking advantage of the lush jungle. Oh, and did I mention rebels? Ya, there are rebels in the Darién as well. They are known as FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia—Ejército del Pueblo) and are a guerrilla group in Colombia that fund their operations through kidnappings, drug production and distribution, and illegal mining.
In a sense, the Darién Gap brings about the idea of El Dorado — this mythical region of Earth, forgotten by civilization, skipped over by industrialization, spoken of in legend and hearsay, and full of riches. As if this region wasn't surreal enough, there is a literal gold mine deep within the jungle — a true El Dorado. Mined by the Spanish, Anglos, and French hundreds of years ago, each settlement left when they realized that accessing and transporting the gold was not feasible. The gold mine has since been overgrown with vegetation after disuse and remains in the heart of the Darién Gap in the Cana region — a legend in its own right.
Whether this region evokes fear, awe, wonder, or mystery is purely subjective (it conjures up all four for me). Maybe this article gave your more than enough reason to never scribble it's name on your bucket list (or maybe you're like me and it was every reason to include it). But it goes without saying that the Darién Gap is a place that humanity seems to have forgotten, a place that through its lack of civilization and structure, and its abundance of biodiversity and lore, simultaneously represents nothing and yet everything. It is a place I hope to experience, and I wish to write another article about this location after having been swallowed by its depths.
MM November 1995. at http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1995/11/mm1195_07.html
Eschwefe, H. (n.d.). Transportation: Construction Progress and Problems of the Darién Gap Highway. United States General Accounting Office. http://www.gao.gov/products/PSAD-77-154
Embassy, U. S. 2013, March 21. Press Releases 2011. http://panama.usembassy.gov/pr031511.html.
Sutherland, B. 2009. Rainforest canopy in Manuas, Brazil.
Abandoned Gold Mine Locomotive, Darien Gap, Panama. http://imgur.com/r/AbandonedPorn/QihZz

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
//
//  CXPreviewView.h
//  CXBeautifyCamera
//
//  Created by c_xie on 16/4/12.
//  Copyright © 2016年 CX. All rights reserved.
//

#import <GLKit/GLKit.h>
#import "CXImageTransport.h"

@interface CXPreviewView : GLKView <CXImageTransport>

/**
 * 当前滤镜
 */
@property (nonatomic,strong) CIFilter *filter;
/**
 *  coreImage绘制的上下文
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@property (nonatomic,strong) CIContext *coreImageContext;

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
RE/MAX broker: Embrace new ways or become 'extinct'
Agents and brokers need to embrace digital connections and a high-touch approach, leaders agreed at Inman Connect Now
Tami Bonnell (top left) and Kendall Bonner (top right) speak with moderator Clelia Peters at Inman Connect Now.
by Patrick Kearns
Agents and brokers need to embrace digital connections and a high-touch approach, leaders agreed at Inman Connect Now.
Keep connecting and growing. Don't miss the upcoming Connect Now events in October, November, and December. We're actively adding new content and speakers to the lineup. Click here to learn more.
Real estate agents and brokers that haven't embraced new ways to do business and meet consumers could be facing extinction from the real estate industry due to changes brought on by COVID-19, Kendall Bonner, the broker/owner of RE/MAX Capital Realty said Tuesday during Inman Connect Now.
"[COVID-19] has really opened up and actually created a void and an opportunity for those of us who have been doing the things that we could or should be doing, to continue to doing them and doing them at a high level," Bonner said. "It's also created a vacuum, I think, for those that never did it, [those that] refused to make the changes and make those adjustments, and could possibly, create an extinction event."
Bonner, speaking on a panel discussion titled "Tips for Managing Your Business Through Uncertainty," isn't a fan of talking about an industry-wide pivot, because she believes many in the real estate industry have already been doing many of the things that they need to do to serve customers. It's the ones that didn't change their business before, and are refusing to change now, that face extinction.
"The failure to learn, unlearn and re-learn will lead to extinction," Bonner said.
A specific example is the way that agents engage consumers. Consumers have outright rejected many of the old ways that the real estate industry has relied on to do business, which has led to the implementation of "Do Not Call," lists and local regulations on mailers and fliers. It's also easier than ever to unsubscribe from an email list.
Video, social media and digital connections are more important than ever before, according to Bonner. The goal of each real estate agent should be to make the transaction more pleasurable for the consumer, and less stressful and painful.
"Those of us in business who are late to that party are looking down the barrel of extinction," Bonner said. "That is what our customers are saying they want from us. They want to be entertained by us, they want to be educated by us."
Bonner also offered advice to agents new to the world of creating digital connections, but are looking to adopt more social and video tools to connect with consumers: Don't think of those consumers as leads and don't approach the video like it's a sales pitch.
"When you think about it from the perspective of, 'Oh I've got to create some massive production to produce sales, to produce leads,' that's a lot more stressful than when you say it's just about connecting, it's just about deepening the digital relationships and taking what is online and getting it offline," Bonner said.
"When you think about it from that perspective, it can really minimize the stress when contemplating these things."
Tami Bonnell, the CEO of EXIT Realty, believes every agent and broker needs to adopt both a high-technology and high-touch approach to doing business in the wake of the pandemic.
"We're changing some of the ways we go about business," Bonnell said. "The people that embrace relationships and going high tech — and it's got to be high tech and touch together, so they are building a really solid relationship and paying attention to what the consumer is looking for — they'll excel and do extremely well."
Bonnell said the broker-owner population in the real estate industry is one that is generally aging and 79 percent of brokerages have six agents or less. Many of those small boutique broker-owners are the brokerage's top agent themselves.
Those small brokers now face a tough decision according to Bonnell: Merge with a bigger company that can handle the technology and provide guidance, or embrace the technology. For bigger, growing firms, there will be opportunities to acquire brokerages that aren't embracing technology.
"We're going to see brokers that are aging. We are going to some brokers that burn out. We are going to see some brokers that were honestly happier just listing and selling real estate and not responsible for people. And we're going to see that shift," Bonnell said. "They are going to have to have the willingness to embrace the technology."
That doesn't mean you have to be a technology specialist, rather, you just need to embrace the technology that the consumer is using. You need to meet the consumer expectations of speed, transparency and adaptability.
Email Patrick Kearns
Topics: independent brokers | Inman Connect | social media | technology
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A former commander of a company of Swiss tank grenadiers escaped jail time but was fined on Thursday by a military tribunal for backing humiliating initiation activities for new soldiers.
Recruits under the command of the former captain at a training centre in Bure in the canton of Jura were forced to drink water used for cooking fish mixed with schnapps, eat cat food, drink beer out of their boots and serve their superiors naked.
The former commander, 35, risked up to three years in jail for his role in the incidents, which dated back to September 2011.
The matter was compounded by the fact video footage of the hazing emerged on the internet, sullying the reputation of the Swiss army.
The accused defended his role in the case saying he believed the initiation activities reinforced cohesion in the group and forged character, the ATS news agency reported.
The batallion and brigade commanders had stated that hazing was not harmful provided it did not include drinking bouts or acts that humiliated soldiers.
However, the tribunal found that these instructions were unclear, ATS reported.
The former commander's defence argued the commander was a "guest" at the initiation ceremonies that were in fact organized by the soldiers themselves.
In its ruling, the tribunal found that the captain could have stopped the hazing, however, and that he did not follow the requirements of the army.
The military court took into account his otherwise excellent qualifications and spotless record.
It fined him 500 francs in addition to a financial penalty totalling 960 francs, suspended for two years, conditional on good behaviour.


UNAMI Chapter Reports. Winter 1965 Vol. 2, No. 1 "The Voice of the Turtle" UNAMI Chapter Reports. Winter 1965 Vol. 2, No. 1 "The Voice of the Turtle"
Title: UNAMI Chapter Reports. Winter 1965 Vol. 2, No. 1 "The Voice of the Turtle"


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Carriera universitaria
Ogbuehi al college giocò a football alla Texas A&M University dal 2010 al 2014. Dopo avere passato la prima stagione come redshirt, poteva cioè allenarsi con la squadra ma non scendere in campo, disputò 10 gare nel 2011, di cui sei come guardia titolare. Dopo avere disputato come partente tutte le gare nel 2012, l'anno seguente fu spostato nel ruolo di tackle, venendo premiato come All-American nel 2014 dalla Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Carriera professionistica

Cincinnati Bengals
Nei giorni precedenti al Draft NFL 2015, NFL.com aveva classificato Ogbuehi come una delle potenziali scelte della seconda metà del primo giro dell'evento. Il 30 aprile fu selezionato come 21º assoluto dai Cincinnati Bengals. Debuttò come professionista subentrando nella gara della settimana 13 contro i Cleveland Browns. Da quel momento scese sempre in campo, terminando la sua stagione da rookie con cinque presenze.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Nel 2019 Ogbuehi passò ai Jacksonville Jaguars. Nell'unica stagione in Florida disputò 14 partite, nessuna delle quali come titolare.

Seattle Seahawks
Il 18 marzo 2020 Ogbuehi firmò con i Seattle Seahawks un contratto annuale del valore di 3,3 milioni di dollari.

Houston Texans
Il 14 marzo 2022 Ogbuehi firmò un contratto annuale con gli Houston Texans.

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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"Now that I am dead, I know everything."
Books on Tap read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood at Champion Brewery on July 6. Written as part of the Canongate Myth series, the novel is narrated by Penelope, who describes not only her life in Ithaca while Odysseus was away for 20 years, but also her childhood and existence in the afterlife. The universal reaction was that we all enjoyed this humorous, satirical take. We had all read at least one other title by Atwood, but no one at the table had seen the adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu . Also, it turns out that while we had all read The Odyssey, our recall of its details was less than the average 10th-grader who had just studied it.
As we often do, we discussed the reliability of the narrator. Penelope cannot believe that Odysseus is still renowned because in her time he was a known liar. However, Penelope also outs herself as unreliable, especially in assigning blame for the murder of the 12 maids. Myths and other narratives can only approximate the truth, with various details forgotten or left out for political reasons. Penelope offers multiple reasons for why her father tried to drown her but chooses to believe the one that doesn't paint him as a monster. Similarly, she discounts nasty gossip about Odysseus (he fought a one-eyed bouncer) in favor of more heroic stories (he out-witted a cyclops).She also dismisses his predicaments as beyond his control, whether the gods interfere or not. Frankly, we didn't think that Penelope cared all that much about Odysseus' adventures. She married at 15, and while she enjoyed listening to his stories, she doesn't seem to pine for him when Odysseus first leaves. She allows Eurycleia, Odysseus' former nurse, to raise their son. However, as time goes on, she does build up power: improving farming, using the maids and other slaves as spies and managing her husband's return.
Helen of Troy appears over and over again, both physically and as Penelope's bête noire. Penelope is jealous of Helen's popularity (she bathes in the underworld, despite not having a body, and in part to thrill her equally-dead suitors) and is enraged at both Helen and the men she charms with her looks. Helen is both an enemy of smart women by using her sexuality against men and a threat; playing a zero sum game where the winner becomes queen and the losers are the thousands of people who die in the wars she induces. Helen shows little to no remorse for the deaths. Penelope, complicit in the deaths of her 12 loyal maids, struggles to explain away her guilt, but is both literally and metaphorically haunted by their deaths.
These mental gymnastics, a reflection of her husband's notorious slipperiness, are the legacy of Penelope's mother, a nyad, who, in her limited interactions with her daughter, told Penelope to "be like water." And she does adapt — to her father attempting to kill her, to icy relations in Ithaca, to her husband's absence and return. These cycles continue in the afterlife. While Penelope choses to stay in the Asphodel Meadows, Odysseus reincarnates again and again.
Few of us could remember the 12 hanged maids from the original poem. Through Penelope, counter to The Odyssey, the maids are heard. They form a chorus which interrupts Penelope's narrative with various songs (sea shanty, love song, lament), a court trial and an anthropology lecture, each growing in sophistication. It is this lecture that we talked about the most. We didn't reach a consensus on its seriousness – did Atwood believe in these counter-interpretations? – but did agree that it grounded and expanded the maids' plight. One interpretation of the maids role in The Penelopiad is their quest for narrative justice. We agreed that despite Penelope's concern for the women, they do not receive justice in the afterlife or in this book. Plus ça change.
Atwood's sources
Books on Tap Information:
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (August 3) Other formats available.
The Sellout by Paul Beatty (September 7) Other formats available.
House of Stone by Anthony Shadid (October 5) Available in other formats and as a Book Kit
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (November 2) Other formats available.
Ten Thousand Things by Maria Dermoût (December 7) Other formats available.
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Posted by JMRL Blog in Books on Tap
Tagged: book club, book review, books, libraries, margaret atwood, odyssey, reading
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Home / News / New England Tennis Weekend a Success
New England Tennis Weekend a Success
James Maimonis, Communications and Engagement Coordinator | November 8, 2016
NEWPORT, RI- After nearly a year of planning, USTA New England hosted its first New England Tennis weekend at the Hyatt Regency in Newport, RI from November 11-12. More than 200 guests attended the two-day conference that combined elements with the annual USTA League Workshop.
Tennis Weekend featured a slate of informational sessions covering a variety of important topics, renowned motivational speakers and networking opportunities.
"It was great to see everyone from so many different facets of tennis come together," said Sarah Rice, USTA New England Manager of Community Development. "We didn't know what to expect coming in, but the feedback we got was amazing. Attendees shared with us how impressed they were with the sessions, how great the speakers were and the professionalism in which the event was run."
Sessions were led by both USTA National and New England staff as well as industry experts.
USTA Youth Organization Strategist, Bill Rennie, led the session, Parent Organized Play, which featured an overview of a new tennis initiative to activate parents as tennis program organizers.
To encourage innovation within adult recreation, Stacey Percival, Manager, USTA National Championships, presented on successful flexible formats around the country.
The Let's Get them Playing session was a team effort led by USTA National Director, Junior Tournaments, Bill Mountford and Director of Junior Development at the Manchester Athletic Club, Dave Colby. They focused on creative ways to run Junior Team Tennis and short round robin tournaments.
USTA Director of High School Tennis, Glenn Arrington, explored the current status of high school tennis across the country in the Don't Be A High School Dropout session.
USTA New England Director of Marketing, Alex Hinckley, led the session entitled, Love Thy Neighbor, where she explored how to identify potential community partners and using them to generate revenue and offset costs. She, along with USTA New England Marketing Coordinator, Mary Cain and Communications and Engagement Coordinator, James Maimonis, led the Let's Tell Your Story session, where the focus was public relations and exploring how attendees can find their voice to tell their story and how to use it to their advantage in promoting their business.
Lastly, Toni Wiley, Executive Director of Sportsmen's Tennis and Enrichment Center, led the Community Outreach session. She explained how she engages new partners and grows participation at her 2015 USTA New England Organization of the Year.
"Every day these speakers go above and beyond to grow tennis at a local or national level, and this weekend they did a remarkable job sharing relevant information with audience members who want to do the same," said Scott Steinberg, USTA New England President and CEO. Steinberg led a panel discussion with all speakers during the event.
Eight-time national water ski champion and acclaimed author David Benzel was the event's keynote speaker. He led two presentations: How Individuals Go from Good to Great and Turning Parents Into Partners. Benzel focused on the importance of positive thinking during his presentations.
The audience also heard from two-time Paralympian in tennis, Karin Korb who shared her experiences playing and coaching wheelchair tennis and thriving in life with a disability. She spoke about: Finding Alignment Between Work and Purpose: Community Engagement and Creating a Life of Impact in her motivational talk.
USPTA and PTR held on-court sessions down the street at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where members could participate in a training for credit.
Sponsor KYSEK and vendors Grand Slam Tennis Tours, Recycle Balls and Gigi Fernandez all set up booths in the vendor area to display and demonstrate their current products and initiatives. USTA New England also held a drawing that included gift cards, Babolat gear and tickets to the US Open.
In addition, all guests enjoyed three full meals, a cocktail hour, a mix and mingle and a USTA New England gift bag.
"We've wanted to do this type of event for a long time, and the reception we got reaffirmed how much it was wanted and needed in the New England tennis community," Rice said. "I already can't wait to improve this event for next year and see it grow even more in the future."
Next year's Tennis Weekend will be held from November 10-11 in Ogunquit, ME.
To view the full photo gallery from New England Tennis Weekend, click here.


Have you ever felt that your life would be perfect if only you could fill it with the one thing that was missing – the one thing that makes you feel inadequate – not good enough – less than?
If so, Asheritah Ciuciu has written a beautiful 6-week Bible study based on the book of Colossians called He Is Enough: Living In The Fullness Of Jesus that helps us to address our feelings of inadequacy and replace them with the light of God's truth. I invite you to check out my book review to see if this Bible study is right for you of someone you know in this current season of life!
Topped with Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting, it's simply scrumptious!
You'll find at Lolly Jane this week!
Looking for tips on how to start a herb garden?
Check out Joy's useful article on how to grow and use herbs!
Check out her fabulous, detailed tutorial!
Some pies are meant for eating – others are purely for décor!
Debra shows us how to create these sweet smelling Potpourri Pies for the fall!
I love your new button!
Thanks for the introduction to your song! It was totally awesome. Thanks for sharing and have a great week!
Jesus Culture is a new group to me, but I like their sound and it would be great if all of God's people were set ablaze to change the world. Have a blessed week.
Thank you so much for hosting each week, and for featuring my herbs post! Blessings!
The blueberry lemon cake in your spotlight feature sure looks good. I will try to pop in on the blogger to leave a word. I always love the various inspirations bloggers who join you each Monday and I love your mewsic choices to start the new week. Have a funtastic week!


While generally less common than might cause panic among the masses, parvovirus, or just simply "parvo", is a condition that dog owners should be aware of, even in Southern Ontario.
While I was growing up I helped out a fair bit at my family's veterinary practice just barely outside of the Golden Horseshoe region. I mainly did a portion of the cleaning duties but I also assisted with the care of the in-patients that were either boarding or weren't yet healthy enough to go home.
Our veterinary practice had an isolation run in a whole other area of the building for dogs that were too sick and contagious to be near the others. I didn't like that room one bit as a child, likely because I knew that many pets who had to stay there didn't get to go home. Year after year, in too many cases this was due to parvovirus, which carries with it an approximate mortality rate of 20%.
Parvo is very highly contagious, spreading via anything that has had contact with contaminated feces. Most often this is done by licking paws after unknowingly walking through it but it can also be carried on our shoes or another dog's fur for instance.
Once contracted, the disease as an incubation period of several days before the virus attacks the gastrointestinal tract with full force, causing a sort of "wasting" effect on the dog.
Parvovirus can be treated with intensive care at a veterinary hospital but early detection is vital.
Any of these signs on their own are call to seek veterinary care as soon as possible, even if parvovirus is not diagnosed. Call your local Emergency Veterinary Hospital if unsure.
Your best safeguard to protect your pet from contracting parvo is to have them vaccinated against it. This is typically done while puppies are very young so is a very important part of a young dog's vaccine schedule.
Contact your veterinarian for more details.


The patent shows how streaming designs or machine code directly into manufacturing devices (down the PLCs that control the individual movements within the machine, eventually) can help not only protect the intellectual property of the part but enable remote integrity control (by monitoring the feedback remotely) and close the loop completely by making remote in-process amendments, such as integrating watermarks in the object once we've verified that the part was produced correctly.
The technology described in the patent is available as an add-on module to Authentise's Additive Accelerator, the data-driven workflow management solution used by the world's leading additive manufacturing users. The solution is on display at the Additive Manufacturing User Group (AMUG) event in Chicago, starting March 31, 2019.
Our CEO Andre Wegner wrote in this LinkedIn article how this patent is important to guide the AM industry forward.


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So Long, 2020
The Year at UVA Law
Photo by Sanjay Suchak
The University of Virginia School of Law celebrated another year of milestones, even as the Law School community rose to meet the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out some of the top stories of 2020.
The Law School retained and built upon its success.
For the first time in the Law School's history, women made up a majority of the first-year class — fitting timing for the school's coeducation centennial. The Class of 2023 is also the most racially diverse in a decade.
The Law School remains No. 1 in Best Professors, Best Quality of Life and Best Classroom Experience, according to the 2021 Princeton Review law school rankings.
Law-Hoo-Wa! https://t.co/v9lTQxhTzW
— Joe Fore (@Joe_Fore) December 9, 2020
A record 109 alumni are clerking during the 2020 court term, building upon last term's milestone of 104. Overall, 40 alumni are clerking in federal appellate circuit courts, also a record. Two alumni are clerking this term at the U.S. Supreme Court: Daniel Richardson '18 for Justice Stephen Breyer and Maria Monaghan '17 for Justice Samuel Alito.
UVA Law changed gears for the pandemic and stepped up to help.
To prepare for fall, the Law School implemented hybrid learning for online and in-person classes, fashioned event spaces into classrooms, and installed and reconfigured equipment. (See snapshots from the semester)
We made it to the end of the semester, thanks to the constant vigilance of our students, faculty and staff. Kudos to @UVALaw and @UVA for making hybrid classes work, and to the entire University community for keeping infections low. Got to keep it up over the holidays now... pic.twitter.com/jFgDNqMLJG
— Rich Schragger (@RichSchragger) November 24, 2020
As states across the country struggle with significant budget shortfalls due to the pandemic, a coalition of tax scholars, including Professors Andrew Hayashi and Ruth Mason, has come together to provide policy recommendations to help ease the crisis.
The Law School led a University effort to provide information to contract employees seeking unemployment benefits in the wake of the novel coronavirus.
The Public Interest Law Association moved its annual auction online and raised $20,000 for public service internships.
Although the tournament was canceled, the 37th annual North Grounds Softball League Invitational raised $20,000 for charity.
The Student Bar Association and the Law School's Office of Student Affairs recognized eight students as "Unsung Heroes" for making a difference in the lives of their peers and in the greater community.
Traditions honoring exemplars of law continued, inspiring students.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic woman to serve on the high court, was named the 2020 recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Law.
As orientation speaker, Virginia Sen. Jennifer McClellan '97, a gubernatorial candidate, welcomed the Class of 2023 and other new students to UVA Law via Zoom.
Faculty members earned accolades ...
The University of Virginia appointed Risa Goluboff to a second term as dean.
This is such great news for @UVALaw. @RisaGoluboff has been a phenomenal dean. Can't wait to see what she'll do with five more years! https://t.co/XVgrQcI7ng
— Joe Palmore (@palmore_joe) December 8, 2020
Professors Ashley Deeks, Deborah Hellman and Kimberly Jenkins Robinson were elected to the American Law Institute, for a total of 25 faculty members are affiliated with the ALI.
Professor Frederick Schauer was named a corresponding fellow of the British Academy.
Professors Pierre-Hugues Verdier and Mila Versteeg were cited in a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Professor Michael Gilbert earned an All-University Teaching Award.
Thanks @mollicus, @lckendrick, and everyone else. I'm honored, grateful, and a little sheepish to be singled out. Lots of great teachers @UVALaw and @UVA.
— Michael Gilbert (@profmikegilbert) April 11, 2020
Two UVA law faculty members, Dayna Bowen Matthew '87 and A. Benjamin Spencer, were named deans at George Washington University and William & Mary law schools, respectively.
Cynthia Nicoletti, a legal historian and professor of law, was named a recipient of the UVA Student Council Distinguished Teaching Award.
Professor Joe Fore '11 was elected a board member of the Legal Writing Institute.
Professor Darryl Brown '90 will conduct research at the University of Cambridge as a Thomas Jefferson Visiting Fellow in spring 2021.
... were joined by new colleagues …
Professor Danielle Citron is a pioneer in the area of digital privacy.
Professor Lawrence B. Solum is a legal theorist whose ideas about how to interpret the Constitution and the purpose of law have influenced scholars worldwide.
Professor Naomi Cahn, an influential scholar in the field of family law, was named to two new professorships promoting the rule of law and democratic ideals.
Professor Kristen Eichensehr writes and teaches about cybersecurity, foreign relations and separation-of-powers issues.
Professor Richard M. Re is an expert in criminal procedure, federal courts and constitutional law.
Professor Cathy Hwang is an expert in business law whose work merges theory with real-world practice.
The newest member of my Corps class got a little welcome present—a onesie from my bespoke small-batch hand-crafted "I ❤ Corporations...the class" collection.
Sure, he missed the add/drop deadline by a mile. But how could you say no to those cheeks?! https://t.co/t9nOCN1VpS
— Cathy Hwang (@cathyhwang47) November 13, 2020
Professor Megan Stevenson is an economist with a scholarly focus on criminal law.
Professor Thomas Frampton is an expert in criminal law and constitutional procedure.
Natalie Blazer '08 joined the Law School as head of the school's Admissions Office.
Leah Gould joined the Law School as a director of public service.
Laura Howell '11 and Adriana Vito joined UVA Law as a director of admissions and assistant dean for graduate studies, respectively.
… launched new academic endeavors …
New academic centers at UVA Law will serve as hubs for faculty research, student engagement, and intellectual exchange. Among them, the Center for Law & Philosophy, directed by Professor Deborah Hellman, will serve as a focus for one of the strongest groups of legal theorists in the nation. Professor Ashley Deeks was named director of the National Security Law Center. Professor Naomi Cahn will serve as the inaugural director of the Family Law Center. The Program in Law, Communities and the Environment, or PLACE, led by Professor Jonathan Cannon, will work to examine and help solve community-level environmental dilemmas. The Center for Public Law and Political Economy, led by Professor Michael Gilbert, applies economics to the study of law and politics. The Virginia Center for Tax Law, led by Professor Andrew Hayashi, will bring to the fore faculty scholarship in tax law.
This is terrific news! I admire this group so much and @Debbie_Hellman will be an amazing director. Congrats to @UVaLaw, Debbie, @lsolum, and everyone else involved. Can't wait to see all the great things the new center will do! https://t.co/PkIfAMre8D
— Ben Eidelson (@beidelson) September 18, 2020
Professor Crystal Shin '10 will direct a new clinic focused on holistic juvenile defense. A new Federal Criminal Sentence Reduction Clinic was launched to handle the onslaught of compassionate release cases instigated by the COVID-19 crisis in prisons.
... gave back through public service …
Changes to the Law School's public service programming will better prepare students for careers in the public interest while strengthening the school's career counseling services. The school's Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center and Program in Law and Public Service joined forces under one leader, Assistant Dean for Public Service Annie Kim '99.
Professor Paul Stephan '77 is serving as special counsel to the general counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Professor Margaret Foster Riley was appointed to a new National Institutes of Health advisory committee that's exploring challenges with emerging biotechnologies.
Professor Thomas Nachbar was named to the Federal Communications Commission advisory subcommittee that promotes the resiliency of the nation's communications system.
Professor Rachel Harmon co-authored a new report offering concrete ways to implement police reform.
… and published new books.
In his book "The Living Presidency: An Originalist Argument Against Its Ever-Expanding Powers," Professor Saikrishna Prakash explains why the executive branch's power has swelled in recent decades, why he thinks that is a problem and how Congress might respond to defend its authority.
Professor Mila Versteeg finds in her co-authored book, "How Constitutional Rights Matter," that citizens' ability and willingness to push back are essential to constitutional protections.
"Global Banks on Trial: U.S. Prosecutions and the Remaking of International Finance," by Professor Pierre-Hugues Verdier, shows how the United States made foreign banks pay following the 2008 financial crisis.
The federal government should revive the use of cost-benefit analysis when crafting regulations that affect the American public, says Professor Michael Livermore in his co-authored book "Reviving Rationality: Saving Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Sake of the Environment."
"The Restatement and Beyond: The Past, Present, and Future of Foreign Relations Law," co-edited by Professor Paul Stephan '77, puts into scholarly context the massive foreign relations law project he recently helped lead.
The dean in me is proud of what Paul has accomplished with the Restatement itself and now with this important contribution. The historian in me knows how illuminating this volume on the roots and reception of the Restatement will be for scholars and stakeholders in the future. https://t.co/ISR75FX3BD
— Risa Goluboff (@RisaGoluboff) October 6, 2020
The Law School community notched progress for justice and public service.
The Innocence Project at UVA Law welcomed to freedom client Rojai Fentress, who the clinic's directors say was falsely convicted of murder as a teenager.
Today, Rojai Fentress was granted a conditional pardon by Governor Northam, and he is HOME! Thank you to everyone who has supported the effort to #freerojai throughout this long journey.
Today, we celebrate; tomorrow, we continue to fight for his full exoneration. pic.twitter.com/nhNspbyRFq
— UVA Law Innocence Project (@uvalawinnocence) July 2, 2020
Professor Thomas Frampton won a man his freedom from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in September, from the classroom, as his students looked on.
Clinic students scored important victories for underrepresented communities during the 2019-20 school year.
Virginia's wrongly convicted now stand a better chance of being declared innocent thanks to the policy efforts of the Innocence Project.
UVA Law students researched racial inequality in Virginia and presented their findings to a governor's commission focused on the issue.
The Environmental Law and Community Engagement Clinic joined an effort to protect a historic African American schoolhouse.
Students in the International Human Rights Clinic helped shape new U.N. guidance on the relationship between advances in science and human rights.
The Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship was established at UVA Law, adding to the mix of opportunities that will enable scores of law students and recent graduates to work in public service jobs.
The eight students in the Human Rights Study Project ventured overseas in early January to learn about human rights law in India.
Members of the Black Law Students Association returned to Cape Town, South Africa, in January to aid efforts aimed at reducing violence.
The Law School's grant program supporting summer public interest work gave a record $710,351 to 168 students.
Claire Blumenson '11, Chioma Chukwu '12 and Chris Kavanaugh '06 received Shaping Justice Awards in recognition of their careers in public service.
Faculty and alumni have been working to solve problems in our democracy, including the criminal justice system as this alumni discussion and other articles in this year's issues of UVA Lawyer detailed.
The school explored its march toward a more diverse community and recognized path-breaking alumni.
As the Black Law Students Association celebrates 50 years at UVA Law, founding members Margaret Poles Spencer '72 and Bobby Vassar '72 described how it all began and the group's immediate impact. Photos through the years show how BLSA has been a force in recruiting Black students and faculty, and creating a sense of belonging for diverse community members.
The school memorialized John Merchant '58, the first Black graduate of UVA Law, who opened doors for minority golfers.
Mildred Robinson, UVA Law's first African American female tenured professor, retired after almost 35 years on the faculty.
UVA Law explored how three women — Rose May Davis, Catherine Lipop and Elizabeth Tompkins '23 — opened the door for women at the Law School a century ago.
The Law School instituted the Elaine R. Jones '70 Scholarship, named in honor of school's first Black alumna. Genesis Moore '23 is the inaugural recipient.
Chloe Fife '22 was the first transgender woman to become president of Lambda Law Alliance.
Sara Phipps '20 graduated and fulfilled a legacy as a member of the first multigenerational Black family with both parents to have attended UVA Law.
A post shared by UVA School of Law (@uvalaw)
Justice Cleo Powell '82, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of Virginia, was chosen to deliver the commencement address to the Class of 2021.
And alumni continued to blaze trails.
Judge Yuji Iwasawa S.J.D. '97 was reelected to the International Court of Justice.
Standout students made their mark at UVA Law and among their peers.
UVA Law won its third consecutive victory in the International and European Tax Moot Court.
Avery Rasmussen '21 accepted a clerkship with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh for the 2023 term.
The Federalist Society was named winner of the James Madison Award for national chapter of the year for the first time.
The Black Law Students Association won national chapter of the year honors for the sixth time since 2002. Former chapter President Rachel Barnes J.D.-MBA '21 was elected to a full term as NBLSA national chair.
Sam Long '22, a Marine Corps veteran, was named a 2020 Tillman Scholar.
Erin Seagears '20 was named this year's recipient of the Gregory H. Swanson Award.
Kevin Jackson '20 is helping to support immigrant children in Georgia's foster care system as the 19th Powell Fellow in Legal Services.
Most Likely to Have Your Back in Class, now most likely to help unaccompanied children in the foster system!! https://t.co/ZrpR5prHxL
— Lena Welch (@lenawelch) May 16, 2020
Jasmine Lee '20 was named this year's recipient of the Rosenbloom Award, established to honor students with a strong academic record who have significantly enhanced the academic experience of their peers.
Katharine Janes '21 was elected president of the Student Bar Association.
Arjun Ogale '21 was selected as editor-in-chief of the Virginia Law Review.
The school celebrated many students in the Class of 2020 who made an impression.
Academics and Curriculum