text:
Congenital Heart Disease Breakthrough
Institute plays vital role in exciting new research into congenital heart disease led by the University of Oxford
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common human birth defect that globally affects nine in every 1,000 live births. It is a major cause of infant mortality and can require ongoing medical treatment. Yet, despite the prevalence of the condition, the cause of the vast majority of cases remains unknown.
Now, a team at the University of Oxford has identified an entirely new risk factor for causing CHD.
Using an animal model system, researchers have shown that if the mother is severely iron deficient and anaemic during early pregnancy, this greatly increases the risk that her offspring will have heart defects.
The results published in Nature Communications have also shown that the risk of CHD can be greatly reduced if the mother is given iron supplements, provided this happens very early in pregnancy before the heart has formed in the embryo.
The Institute's role in the CHD Research
Associate Professor Duncan Sparrow from the University of Oxford was the lead researcher in the study, but the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute's Associate Professor Eleni Giannoulatou played an integral role in the findings by analysing the genetic data collected from the embryos.
A/Prof Giannoulatou, who runs the Computational Genomics Laboratory at the Institute, studied the vast data set produced from a technique called transcriptomics and discovered which genes were involved in the heart defect formation and when they were being switched on during pregnancy.
She compared 20,000 genes across normal embryos and iron-deficient embryos at a time during pregnancy when the heart is forming in the embryo. Crucially, she identified the genes that were causing the heart defects in the iron-deficient embryos.
A/Prof Giannoulatou said: "Our work identified the mechanism of how this takes place and what genes were involved in the process. It was an incredible moment when after months of work we were able to make this discovery and share the findings."
Using the latest next-generation sequencing technologies, the Computational Genomics Laboratory develops techniques to speed up the analysis of massive sequencing datasets – information taken from patient DNA - to identify mutations that cause different types of heart disease.
A/Prof Sparrow, who worked at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute for 15 years until 2015, says the work A/Prof Giannoulatou contributed was critical to his findings.
"These are vast data sets which require incredibly complex analysis. But Eleni was able to identify exactly what was going wrong in these embryos. And in technical terms she revealed that a subset of cardiac stem cells stopped dividing and turned into heart cells too early," says A/Prof Sparrow.
The University of Oxford research team hope their findings, if applicable to humans, can be translated to clinical practice to ultimately reduce the birth prevalence of CHD worldwide.
This is not the first time A/Prof Giannoulatou has played a key role in an innovative discovery.
Her work underpins ground-breaking efforts pioneered by the Institute's Professor Sally Dunwoodie on CHD and Professor Bob Graham on spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD).
A/Prof Giannoulatou says: "We analyse DNA data to find mutations that cause disease. We're looking at millions and millions of genetic variants to identify a single mutation that could be the cause of disease. My group develops new methods to improve this analysis and ultimately increase the genetic diagnostic rate."
The full paper "Maternal iron deficiency perturbs embryonic cardiovascular development in mice" (Kalisch-Smith el al 2021) can be read in Nature Communications.
Read more about the latest projects in this research area


text:
Residents rate solutions for dangerous intersection in Falmouth
Reducing the speed limit on Route 88 and adding crosswalks are popular options.
By Kate Irish CollinsThe Forecaster
The intersection of Johnston Road and Route 88 in Falmouth is considered to be a high crash location by the state, which is why the town is currently seeking possible solutions. Courtesy / Town of Falmouth
FALMOUTH — The intersection of Route 88 and Johnson Road is considered to be a high crash location because of the number of accidents there over the past three years, according to the state.
Now the town is seeking solutions to the problem.
At a forum held in early December, the 50-60 residents in attendance rated a variety of options, from reducing the speed limit on Route 88, which was well received, with 76% approving, to installing a mini-roundabout, which 50% didn't like.
According to Town Manager Nathan Poore, the town will work with a consultant on ways to make the intersection safer for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists; no cost estimates were discussed at the Dec. 11 event.
Safety of historic Falmouth intersection to be scrutinized
Poore also said there may be solutions that are popular with residents but aren't feasible due to physical limitations or Maine Department of Transportation rules and regulations. For instance, the intersection is in a well-established neighborhood, so adding turning lanes or realigning the approach would be difficult if not impossible.
In addition, Poore said it would be up to MDOT where to place crosswalks or whether the speed limit could be reduced, that's because Route 88 is a state highway.
According to the state, nine crashes occurred at the intersection between 2016 and 2018, which meets the threshold for a dangerous area.
Among popular options rated by residents, reducing the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph received wide support with 76% approving; increasing the number of street lights, a 63% approval rating; installing more crosswalks, 84%; adding more sidewalks, particularly on the north side of the intersection, 73%.
Those in attendance did not like the idea of adding a traffic light, 75% were opposed. But 54% did support installing a permanent radar speed sign and making the intersection a four-way stop instead was approved by 57%.
Installing pedestrian crossing signs also got a high number of votes – 65% – as did efforts to improve the overall sightlines by removing vegetation and other impediments, which garnered support by 67% of attendees.
Although many in attendance questioned the amount and speed of traffic, Poore said a speed survey conducted by the Falmouth Police Department in September showed that 85% of drivers obeyed the speed limit by traveling at or below 35 mph, while only a handful exceeded 40 mph.
While concerns were also raised about the intersection of Route 88 and Depot Road, Poore said only four crashes occurred there between 2016 and 2018, so it's not as high a priority.
He said town leaders saw increasing concern about the Route 88 and Johnson Road intersection over the past couple years, which was the impetus behind holding the forum.
Poore said town staff would work over the winter with the consultant, T.Y. Lin International of Falmouth, and come back to residents later in 2020 with some recommendations for fixes.
In the meantime, those interested can stay informed of progress through a dedicated page on the town website.
North Yarmouth Historical Society plans 2020 move for Old Town House
State park visitors encouraged to look up with new stargazing program
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
package main

import (
	"fmt"

	"log"

	"./sexpr"
)

type Movie struct {
	Title, Subtitle string
	Year            int
	Color           bool
	Actor           map[string]string
	Oscars          []string
	Sequel          *string
	TestComplex     complex64
	TestInterface   interface{}
	TestFloat       float64
}

func main() {
	strangelove := Movie{
		Title:    "Strangelove",
		Subtitle: "How I Learned to Stop Worring and Lova the Bomb",
		Year:     1964,
		Color:    false,
		Actor: map[string]string{
			"Dr. Strangelove":      "Peter Sellers",
			"Gen. Buck Turgidson":  "George C. Scott",
			`maj.T.J."King" Kong"`: "Slim Pickens",
		},
		Oscars: []string{
			"Best Actor (Nomin.)",
			"Best Director(Nomin.)",
			"Best Director(Nomin.)",
		},
		TestComplex:   1 + 2i,
		TestInterface: []int{1, 2, 3},
		TestFloat:     1.234,
	}
	out, err := sexpr.Marshal(strangelove)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	for _, outb := range out {
		fmt.Printf("%s", string(outb))
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


UFC Releases Full 6 Minute Footage Of Conor McGregor Vs Bus Incident.
An NYPD source said that McGregor has been cooperative. He has a lot of fans on the force. One told me McGregor was seen shadowboxing as he was awaiting his arraignment.
Former UFC two division champion Conor McGregor caused an insane scene yesterday at the Barclay's arena where he and several goons attacked Khabib Nurmagomedov's bus hurting several fighters causing 3 bouts to be cancelled and getting himself arrested and charged with a felony. Today he brought in front of a judge to plead his case. The UFC has released the full footage from the chaos. Check it out.
Conor Anthony McGregor (born 14 July 1988) is an Irish professional mixed martial artist and boxer. McGregor is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion and former featherweight champion. McGregor has also competed as a welterweight in mixed martial arts (MMA), and light middleweight in boxing. McGregor is 2nd on the UFC's pound for pound rankings. McGregor is the only fighter to be champion in two UFC divisions simultaneously. He first defeated long time featherweight champion José Aldo at UFC 194 in 13 seconds, which is the fastest UFC title fight victory. He then won the UFC lightweight title against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. McGregor began his professional boxing career in 2017. In his debut boxing match, he was defeated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. via technical knockout.
McGregor is the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) draw in MMA history, having headlined four out of the six highest-selling UFC pay-per-view events. His headline bout with Nate Diaz at UFC 202 drew 1.65 million PPV buys, the most ever for an MMA event. His boxing match with Mayweather drew 4.3 million PPV buys in North America, the second most in history. Conor Anthony McGregor was born on 14 July 1988 in Crumlin, Dublin, the son of Tony and Margaret McGregor. He was raised in Crumlin and attended a Gaelscoil and Gaelcholáiste at both primary and at secondary level in Coláiste de hÍde in Tallaght, where he also developed his passion for sport playing association football. In his youth, he played football for Lourdes Celtic Football Club. At the age of 12, McGregor also began boxing at Crumlin Boxing Club.
It's expected that they will set bail and a future court date and McGregor will be able to leave on his own. Whole process will not take very long. Unclear at this time what bail will be. Also unclear when/if he'll be able to fly back home.
In 2006, McGregor moved with his family to Lucan, Dublin, attending Gaelcholáiste Coláiste Cois Life. Following that, he commenced a plumbing apprenticeship. While in Lucan, he met future UFC fighter Tom Egan and they soon started training mixed martial arts (MMA) together. On 17 February 2007, at the age of 18, McGregor made his mixed martial arts debut in an amateur fight against Kieran Campbell for the Irish Ring of Truth promotion in Dublin. He was victorious via technical knockout (TKO) in the first round. Following the fight, he turned professional and was signed by the Irish Cage of Truth promotion. In 2008, McGregor began training at the Straight Blast Gym (SBG) in Dublin under John Kavanagh.
Next Benson Henderson Dominates Roger Huerta, Finishes With Slick Choke.


text:
The 2009 MLS Season is in the Can
The MLS Season has come to a close with Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup. I've been a bit quiet these past few weeks, but tonight I unleash my thoughts on the Dynamo getting booted from the playoffs, the MLS Cup, the future of the Dynamo, and the impending new CBA.
Music: The theme song of course is from Robbie Williams, but there's Spoon at halftime and then the show ends with Abba v. 50 Cent.
Episode 7 of the Zygo Soccer Report: The 2009 MLS Season ...
Posted by Brian Zygo at 7:08 PM 1 comment:
Houston Dynamo Round-Up
- Photo by Nigel Brooks
On Sunday November 8th, a crowd of over 27,000 football fans watched the Houston Dynamo battle Seattle Sounders F.C. to a 1-0 victory, giving the Dynamo their first playoff victory since winning the MLS Cup in 2007. The goal came from Dynamo's Brian Ching in the 6th minute of extra-time. This Friday, the Dynamo play L.A. Galaxy in the Western Conference Final at the Home Depot Center. The game will start around 10:00 pm central time and will be on ESPN2.
Instead of a boring write up/review of the match, here's some links to audio and video regarding the match, and the Dynamo in general.
Monday night I did a podcast with Richard Farley, Kartik Krishnaiyer, and Johnathan Starling, in which we discussed the Dynamo-Sounders match as well as other topics. You can listen to that podcast by CLICKING HERE.
My regular post-match report for Major League Soccer Talk is on the latest podcast, which you can listen to by CLICKING HERE.
Meanwhile, the folks over at World Football Daily have audio from Tuesday's Houston Dynamo press conference on their iTunes feed.
Now for some video:
Dynamo-Sounders from Chance McClain on Vimeo.
Posted by Brian Zygo at 9:22 AM No comments:
Todos Bailando - Carlos Tevez, Superstar
I just could not resist putting this up as filler for a Saturday afternoon.
Posted by Brian Zygo at 3:25 PM No comments:
Don't Mess With UNM'S Elizabeth Lambert
As much stick as American fans of football a/k/a soccer get from the mainstream sports media and sports fan, I'm always shocked at how many fans of the Beautiful Game dismiss the women's game. Those of us who take even a passing interest in women's football know it is not a gentle love fest.
Take for instance the damage University of New Mexico's Elizabeth Lambert heaped upon BYU's players in the recent MVN semi-final. BYU ended up winning the match, 1-0.
Posted by Brian Zygo at 7:13 AM 1 comment:
Tuesday Soccer Notes
The 2009 MLS Playoffs got underway last Thursday when Seattle Sounders FC hosted Houston Dynamo before a crowd of approximately 36,000 soccer fans. Although the end result was 0-0, it was a thrilling match with both teams battling hard to find the goal. The teams meet for the second leg of their first round tie at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas at 2:00 pm local time this Sunday, and fans should expect a nail biter of a match. Tickets are going fast but are still available through the Houston Dynamo website.
On Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, Real Salt Lake got a surprising 1-0 victory over defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew. Salt Lake's goal came from Robbie Findley in the 88th minute. The teams face-off in Columbus on Thursday November 5th at 7pm central time.
On Saturday afternoon, the New England Revolution, who squeaked into the playoffs ahead of the Colorado Rapids, beat the Chicago Fire 2-1. The hero of the day for the Revolution was Shalrie Joseph who got the game winner in the 75th minute. The afternoon's first goal came from Chicago's Chris Rolfe in the 17th minute, while New England's Emmanuel Osei got the equalizer in the 47th minute. The teams finish the first round at Toyota Park at 7:30 central time on Saturday November 7th.
The final match of the weekend occurred at the Home Depot Center, home of both Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy, who were meeting each other for the first time ever in the playoffs. The match proved to be the highest scoring playoff match of the weekend and ended in a 2-2 draw. Chivas' goals came from Maicon Santos in the 4th minute and Maykel Galindo in the 50th minute. L.A. picked up it's first goal in the 14th minute, thanks to Mike Magee, while Landon Donovan picked up the second LA goal in the 41st minute. Chivas and the Galaxy close up the first round of the playoffs at 6:30 pm central time on Sunday November 8th - and of course the match will be at the Home Depot Center.
It's official, David Beckham will be returning to Milan during the winter transfer window on a loan from L.A. Galaxy and MLS. Beckham will play at Milan through the end of the 2009-2010 Serie A season. After the Italian top flight season ends, Beckham will likely be a member of the team that England fields at South Africa 2010. Beckham is expected to return to the Galaxy in July of 2010 or the remainder of the 2010 MLS season.
Chicago Fire's designated player, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, will also be playing elsewhere starting in January when he joins Mexican second division side Veracruz. It is possible that Blanco will rejoin the Fire in July.
Tom Soehn will not be coach of DC United during the 2010 MLS season. Soehn, who's contract expires at the end of this year, has decided to not seek a contract renewal. Reports indicate that Soehn will be involved in the search for his replacement.
MLS announced its finalists for the 2009 MLS Awards. Instead of reprinting it, here's the MLS Net article.
Are Inter running away with the Scudetto yet again? This past week Jose Mourinho's side beat a feisty Palermo team on Thursday, 5-3, and then beat Livorno, 0-2, on Sunday, giving them 28 points on the season so far, and a solid grip on the top spot on the table. Inter's closest challenger is Juventus, who have stumbled of late. Despite picking up a solid 5-1 victory over Sampdoria on Wednesday, Juve lost 2-3 to Napoli on Saturday. Right now the Old Lady has 21 points on the season, tied in second with Sampdoria who drew 0-0 with Bari on Sunday. Despite a rough start to the season, Milan has 19 points on the season.
Elsewhere in the World
Fernando Caceres, a member of the 1994 Argentina World Cup team, was shot in the head on Sunday when thieves carjacked him for his BMW in Buenos Aieres. Caceres is in critical condition and not expected to survive his injury. In addition to playing for the Argentina National Team, Caceres also played for River Plate, Boca Juniors, and Spanish side Zaragoza.
Currently in Mexico, the leaders are as follows: Toluca with 29 points in Group 1; Morelia with 28 points in Group 2; and Santos with 26 points in Group 3. Meanwhile, Chivas has only 15 points Group 3 and they have sacked their coach, Raul Arias, and are looking for their third coach of the season.


text:
Indigenous Watchdog
Objective, comprehensive insight into critical Indigenous issues
Why Indigenous Watchdog?
Who is behind Indigenous Watchdog?
Legacy Calls to Action
Reconciliation Calls to Action
UN Declaration
Royal Proclamation and Covenant
Settlement Agreement Parties & UNDRIP
National Council for Reconciliation
Training for Public Servants
Church Apologies and Reconciliation
National Centre for Reconciliation
Media and Reconciliation
Sports and Reconciliation
Business and Reconciliation
Latest status updates
Calls to Action – Complete
Calls to Action – Stalled
Calls to Action – Not Started
Church Apologiesiss
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Successor to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation now administers money from all four churches to fund healing and reconciliation programs. Founded in 2000 with the goal of educating and raising awareness about the history and ongoing impacts of the Residential School System on generations of First Nations, Inuit and Metis Survivors and their families.
Participates at the annual Covenant Chain, Building Our Bridges Partnership event (organized by Kairos Canada) to connect with members of Ottawa's social justice and ecumenical communities and to build positive relationships.
Kairos Canada: Indigenous Rights programs
Oct. 9, 2018 – KAIROS is committed to a new relationship with Indigenous peoples in Canada and around the globe, a relationship based on mutual respect, equity and the full realization of Indigenous peoples' rights. Winds of Change: This report card assesses the progress made by provincial and territorial governments in achieving reconciliation through education in schools across Canada between the Fall of 2017 and Spring of 2018. The TRC Call to Action # 62 i. called for age appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples' historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students."
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise program is a unique, participatory history lesson – developed in collaboration with Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers and educators – that fosters truth, understanding, respect and reconciliation among Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.
Winds of Change will be updated as progress is made on implementing C2A 62 i. In all provinces and territories, the successful implementation of Indigenous content in the curriculum will benefit from the increased participation of Indigenous teachers and administrators in the education system, cultural competence training for all non-Indigenous teachers and staff, and guides to teaching Indigenous curriculum.
The Blanket Exercise is an experiential learning activity that traces the impact of 500 years of colonialism on indigenous people in the country. The ninety-minute narrative had participants listening to the chronological string of events throughout the centuries that led to the decline, disruption, and redistribution of indigenous populations. The participants standing on the blankets representing these populations were variously removed or relocated during the course of the narrative.
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Sandy to peaty shores, lakes and ponds, bog pools; thriving (fruiting) on recently exposed shores.
The three angles of the culms may not be clearly seen in pressed specimens, which may nevertheless be identified by the combination of spikes scarcely thicker than the culm and the relatively slender culm. Numerous limp, hair-like culms are produced when the plant is growing in water; these are contrasted with the similar structures of Eleocharis acicularis, Juncus militaris, and Schoenoplectus subterminalis, with which this species may grow, in couplets 26–28 of Key A, to aquatic plants with all leaves floating or submersed.
MICHIGAN FLORA ONLINE. A. A. Reznicek, E. G. Voss, & B. S. Walters. February 2011. University of Michigan. Web. April 20, 2019. https://michiganflora.net/species.aspx?id=1120.


Houston VARO - Flooded or What?
QUESTION: What is the status of the Houston VARO after the Hurricane Harvey floods and ongoing power outages in that area?
I don't think the VARO itself is underwater, as the VARO is on a slight rise. However, delays may be caused by the VARO staff not being able to get into work, or taking leave to tend to their families and property.
Thanks for the information. I checked Google Earth and it shows the VARO at 50ft and their parking lots at 40ft elevation. The channelized Braeswood Bayou looks to about at 12ft. Don't know what that translates to but can only hope they got missed.
Staff not being able to get to work is understandable. Just don't want to see that any physical records get destroyed, remembering the 1973 fire that destroyed so many.


US reality TV veteran producer Brian Flanagan has partnered with a pair of branded entertainment specialists to create new unscripted prodco Switchblade Entertainment.
Flanagan is the founder of Magilla Entertainment, was also VP, current series and development at Endemol Shine North America-owned Original Media between 2007 and 2009, and counts series such as TLC's Long Island Medium and Discovery Channel's Moonshiners on his CV.
He has formed Switchblade with Michael and Anthony Amoia, whose branded content production company Vidiots will "slowly fold into" Switchblade "in coming months".
The firm will focus on unscripted television and digital programming, sports programmes, and online and commercial content that can be developed, created, edited and distributed "under one roof". There will be a focus on cable, digital and mobile products.
Anthony Amoia will oversee New York-based Switchblade's day-to-day and production operations at the group, which will operate out of a 20,000-square foot production facility.
While the Amoias' background is in branded and commercial content, they have executive producer credits on TV shows such as Fox's Being Liverpool and others for Discovery Chanel, HLN and CBS.
Other execs listed on the company's website include Geoff Greer (Wife Swap), who is director of development; Michael Lipson, who is VP, sales and business development; and former Leftfield Entertainment executive Donna Brucale, who is controller.


While its true that Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) class action lawsuits have been steadily on the rise, it is perhaps the immigration status issues that have overshadowed the news. President Trump signed Executive Order 13788 Buy American and Hire American calling for the rigorous enforcement and administration of existing laws to protect the interests of United States workers. The National Conference of State Legislatures said that lawmakers in 47 states have enacted 133 laws and 195 resolutions relating to immigration in the first half of 2017. And in the second part of the year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it would be significantly increasing worksite related investigations. Dont expect it to blow over, either in January, U.S. immigration agents came down on dozens of 7-Eleven stores to open employment audits and interview workers in the largest operation against an employer under Trumps presidency. It is the I-9 form that is under attack, with ICE assessing a monetary penalty for each I-9 that has one or more substantive or uncorrected technical violations using a sliding scale. Employers with 50% or more errors are fined at the highest amount — $935 per I-9. Employers can prepare by for ICE worksite audits by taking several steps: 1. Compliance awareness, 2. Self-audits; 3. Creating an I-9 policy document; and 4. Using an electronic I-9 system to ensure compliance moving forward.


text:
Blood Patrol
Very little is known about the literary career of former U.S. Army Special Services Security Agent George Fennell. In 1970, his men's action-adventure novel "Blood Patrol" was published by Pinnacle. At the time, the publisher wanted a war novel, and like so many paperbacks of its time, "Blood Patrol" featured a very familiar marketing pitch. The cover suggested that the contents were comparable to the successful 1961 film "The Guns of Navarone", based on Alistair MacLean's 1957 novel. Fennell's novel is really nothing of the sort, but Pinnacle reprinted it in 1974 with an alternative, team-based commando cover hoping for a more lucrative return.
I don't know if Fennell had any plans for a series, but a sequel was released in 1970, "Killer Patrol". That book was also auspiciously reprinted by Pinnacle in 1974, with mercenary-styled artwork and the promise that this installment was the second in a new exciting Mike Brent series. In "Blood Patrol", the main character's name isn't mentioned until page 202...and it's Gunner Brent. That leads me to believe these were just two novels penned by a part-time author. Pinnacle's marketing scheme was probably just to release the two books as a series knowing there was never a third installment. Those gullible to invest blue-collar wages on this promising new series were probably disappointed to learn there were no more titles.
My experience with "Blood Patrol" is rather lukewarm. The novel begins with five American soldiers working for a man named Blaine, who in turn works in the Pentagon under some sort of secret, backdoor security operation. None of this is explained and maybe it doesn't have to be. We have five guys armed to the teeth parachuting into Ethiopia to kill a Russian operative. 1-2-3-Kill!
The novel's opener has Brent, in first person presentation, directing his crew with an emphasis on a wily German named Hans that states "Herr Kapitan" after everything he says. It's incredibly frustrating and I was praying this is one of those novels where team members can actually die. Unfortunately, Brent loses part of the team but Hans sticks to him like glue...for all 271-pages. After failing to secure their supplies during landing, the group must fend off dehydration, Russian sympathizers and a mission that's been compromised due to the 75 to 5 odds that Blaine failed to relay.
Fennell and his readers have a great deal of fun in the first 100-pages. There's a villager tortured and burned alive, an exhilarating firefight in the mountains and a lot of gritty, dusty fighting between warring factions. The second half of the book was drastically different and failed to maintain the momentum. In one goofy scene, Brent is captured, interrogated and then raped by a whip-snapping blonde cave wench. I think the author and I disagree on the definition of torture.
"Blood Patrol" is a light, easy read with plenty of action and bravado for seasoned adventure fans to enjoy. After the book's solid opening sequence, I thought it became too silly too fast. 'Able Team', 'Phoenix Force' and 'S.O.B.' all have die-hard fans for this type of literary fiction. If you enjoy that type of story, and I certainly do for the most part, you'll have some fun here. It's zany, over the top and brutally violent.
Labels: Team-Based
Graham September 6, 2019 at 7:50 PM
I don't think the author was any kind of 'Secret Agent'. The US Army Special Services was the entertainment branch of the US armed forces. It was formed in 1940. I'm wondering if the author was relying on the publisher not knowing that. I'd say his actual role would have been more akin to a security guard.
Paperback Warrior September 6, 2019 at 11:09 PM
Graham, you are probably spot on with that analysis. It sounds a little more "tactical" as Security Agent, but the position could have been akin to protecting Bob Hope's caravan. That's not a knock on the author or the position, just probably more factual.
Jonny July 12, 2020 at 12:38 AM
"In one goofy scene, Brent is captured, interrogated and then raped by a whip-snapping blonde cave wench. I think the author and I disagree on the definition of torture."
Can't stop giggling at this. I saw this book sold for $1. I think I'm going to get it.
Tragg's Choice
Lt. Clancy #01 - Mute Witness
The Broken Angel
Murder Takes a Wife
Edge of Panic
Soldier of Fortune #17 - Bloodbath
Paperback Warrior Unmasking: Mantee
Dennison's War #04 - King of the Mountain
Paperback Warrior Primer: The John Raven Mysteries
The Woman Chaser
Jason Striker #01 - Kiai!
Peter Crane #01 - Red Heroin
The Avenger #01 - Justice, Inc.
Peter Styles #01 - The Laughter Trap
Fred Fellows #02 - Road Block
The Big Bite
Murder Me for Nickels
Wake Up to Murder
The Spy Killer


Doing Business with Mr Thompson: What are the laws that protect consumers?
What are the laws that protect consumers?
as we come to the final chapter on finance we will then be ready to start revising for the Summer Exam on 22nd May 2011.


text:
Q: .NET SQL client stored procedure call empty statement I have a .NET 6 C# app that calls three stored procedures on a SQL Server. Two of these calls work ok, but the third gives a null ref exception at the line:

result = (bool)cmd.ExecuteScalar();

using (var con1 = this.GetSqlConnection())
{
    bool result = false;
    try
    {
        SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand();
        cmd.CommandText = OnlinePaymentCheckNurseryChildSProc;
        cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
        cmd.Connection = con1;
        cmd.Parameters.AddRange(param);
        LogSqlParams(cmd.Parameters);
        con1.Open();

        result = (bool)cmd.ExecuteScalar();
        LogInfo(methodName, $"result=:{result}");

        LogInfo(methodName, $"Leaving:{methodName}");
        return result;
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        LogError(ex, methodName, "Trouble checking nursery child");
        return false;
    }
}

The stored proc ends with:

        IF (@d = @DOB)
        BEGIN
               SET @Return = 1
        END
        ELSE
        BEGIN
               SET @Return = 0
        END

        RETURN @Return
END

I've called the same stored procedure with the same parameters from SQL Server Management Studio and it works ok.

A: The key to solving this problem was to use the ExecuteNonQuery method and pass a special param with a "Direction" property of ParameterDirection.ReturnValue.
The working code block can be see below:
using (var con1 = this.GetSqlConnection())
{
    try
    {
        SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand();
        cmd.CommandText = OnlinePaymentCheckNurseryChildSProc;
        cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
        cmd.Connection = con1;
        cmd.Parameters.AddRange(param);
        LogSqlParams(cmd.Parameters);
        SqlParameter returnValue = new SqlParameter();
        returnValue.Direction = ParameterDirection.ReturnValue;
        cmd.Parameters.Add(returnValue);
        con1.Open();
        await cmd.ExecuteNonQueryAsync();
        int result = (int)returnValue.Value;
        LogInfo(methodName, $"result=:{result}");

        LogInfo(methodName, $"Leaving:{methodName}");
        return result == 1 ? true : false;
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        LogError(ex, methodName, "Trouble checking nursery child");
        return false;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Der Dolmen von Llanera (auch als Dolmen de Llobera, Torre dels Moros, Dolmen de la Vila oder Dolmen de la Vila de la Gola dels Bous bekannt) ist die größte und wahrscheinlich am besten erhaltene unter den Megalithanlagen in Katalonien in Spanien. Er liegt an der Grenze der Gemeinde Llobera (Solsonès), 500 m östlich von Vila de la Gola dels Bous und wurde 1916 von Joan Serra Vilaró ausgegraben und ins Neolithikum auf etwa 2550 v. Chr. datiert.

Der Dolmen besteht aus einem Hügel mit etwa 24 m Durchmesser, der von vertikalen Platten gefasst ist. Die Ost-West orientierte Kammer im Zentrum besteht aus fünf etwa 0,45 m starken, sauber angepassten Tragsteinen und mehreren Deckenplatten. Sie ist 4,6 m lang, 1,9 m breit und 1,75 hoch. Der etwa 5,0 m lange, von Seitenplatten gebildete Gang endet an einer Platte, die den Zugang zur Kammer durch ein in Resten erhaltenes Seelenloch bildet.

Die Anlage entspricht dem Typ der Galeriegräber, genannt "Galeria Catalana", die durch große rechteckige Kammern und einen breiten Gang gekennzeichnet sind. Der Dolmen de Llanera ist ein Schlüssel für die Archäologie Kataloniens. Bevor die Ausgrabung stattfand, wurde die Anlage "Turm der Mauren" genannt.

Die Untersuchungen erbrachten viele Objekte, die es erlauben, die verschiedenen Funktionen zu verstehen. In der ersten Phase der Existenz ist die Anlage ein neolithisches Kollektivgrab. In der zweiten Phase, aus der vorrömische und römerzeitliche Asche und Keramik gefunden wurden, besteht die Möglichkeit, dass er erneut als Dolmen benutzt wurde. Eine dritte Phase um das 18. Jahrhundert erbrachte wiederum Reste von Knochen und andere Materialien. Die archäologischen Funde sind Teil der archäologischen Sammlung des Diözesanmuseums von Solsona.

Siehe auch
 Megalithanlagen in Katalonien

Weblinks

 Beschreibung (katalan.) und Bild
 Bilder

Megalithanlage in Spanien
Galeriegrab
Archäologischer Fundplatz in Katalonien
Kultplatz

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


St George Scaffolding was established in 2000 and continues to be run by one of the original founders, Paul Stokes. Paul ensures that the highest standards of professionalism, punctuality and safety are maintained. We are proud of the extensive range of scaffolding services we offer throughout Sussex and the South East; we can handle any style of job regardless of obstacles.
St George Scaffolding is fully insured and has very competitive rates. Our fully trained workforce is able to adapt to any job whatever the size and shape. If you are looking for a reliable company which provides an efficient service at a competitive price then look no further. Simply pick up the phone and give us a ring on 07932 983 526, or use our contact form.


In November, died Evgeniy Osin. And all channels, remembering musician, certainly twisted the famous song "Crying girl in the machine". And today, few people remember that this thing was played long before Aspen, and the next year "Crying girl" will celebrate the 60th anniversary.
Some admirers Aspen thought that the words and the music was composed by the musician himself, others that the author is unknown and Eugene just covered yard song. In fact Osin had no relationship to authorship and was not even the first performer. But you have to admit that it was his cover version was the most successful.
And the story of this song began in 1959. Then the young poet Andrei Voznesensky wrote a poem "First ice". The text is very like the composer Oscar Feltsman, who invented the legendary "lilies" and hundreds of other popular tunes. Feltsman put poetry to music at the same time, in 1959. The composer allowed himself only the title and first word of the initial verse, changing "cold" to "crying". Thus was born the song "Crying girl in the machine", performed by Nina Dorda. Today's generation hardly remembers her, and at the time it was insanely popular singer. It is Vasily Aksyonov in his famous novel "the Moscow Saga" brought out under the name of Faith Proud. And just Nina the party and the Government of the Soviet Union almost got destroyed, as they said, "petty-bourgeois" song "lilies". Perhaps that is why the song "Crying girl in the machine" did not become a hit.
But in the 70s it finally found its audience. A song entitled "First ice" recorded VIA "Jolly fellows". In their version of the girl once again "freeze" and not "cries" — as in the original poem written by the poet.
But, of course, a real hit song has become thanks to Eugene Aspen. He recorded "the Girl" for his album "70th latitude". And quite willingly treated with the original, making a girl a girl and rewrote a good half of the lines. Many critics believe that to alter the words of the master was not required, but the public "Crying girl in the machine" like. And the song got a second life.


text:
Archive for category: 1956
1956, Map of Toronto, Business Section
in 1900s, 1950s, 1956, MAPS / by The Toronto Project
Credit: Exclusive permission to reproduce these images was very kindly provided to the Toronto Project by the Map and Data Library, University of Toronto. These image may not be reproduced. Original links found here.
Click here for the full-size first image.
Click here for the full-size second image.
Apparently published in 1956, these "Business Section" maps are updated versions of maps originally published in 1945 by Nirenstein's National Realty Map Co., giving us an incredibly detailed view of Toronto's downtown business community in the 1950s.


James didn't say a word. He still couldn't comprehend what was going on so he resorted to silence. His thought was that whatever hallucination he was having would fade away with time as long as he didn't acknowledge it.
As he stared in silence waiting for everything to come back to normal, the girl drifted around him humming softly, picking tiny leaves and breaking roots away from the forest floor.
He was transfixed by her movement: That sway that reminded him so much of the movement of trees in a soft but powerful draft of wind. She was graceful, the way her petite body glided around as if her feet didn't touch the ground. This was one hell of a hallucination, or maybe, he was not hallucinating at all.
Maybe the light he had seen in the old auditorium was a hole in the ground, some kind of opening and he had fallen through into this forest. A construction flaw maybe. That explains why management had sealed off the entire seventh floor to prevent people falling through just as he had.
But realistically, if there had been an expanse of virgin land anywhere near The Porte Hotel, he would have noticed it. And it was very unlikely that he would have fallen down seven floors and still survived, even considering the degrees of the injury he had now. It could have been that instead of falling seven flights, maybe he had fallen to the lower floor, into some kind of movie set or something. Yes, that made more sense but the wide open space, sweet smell of the forest, the massive tree without end behind him and the taste of the fresh air surrounding him disproved this theory too. He was irrefutably outdoors and he didn't know how he had gotten here. For the first time in his life, he couldn't reason past a situation.
"Hey, where am I?" He said to the Cherry-faced girl who had now laid the materials she had been picking on the floor beside him. If she was a hallucination, she wasn't going away anytime soon so why not just ask her instead. The girl knelt beside him and was slowly and carefully pulling his trousers apart to expose his injured leg.
"Please relax, Chosen one." The girl said smiling. She put a pale hand on his head to check for a fever while James stared up at her inhuman face.
"Why do you keep calling me chosen one?" James asked in a calmer tone. Her contact seemed to relax him. It was as if her touch took away the pain and fresh gusts of wind emitted from her pores.
"Because you are." She said. "You do not seem to have a fever. It seems the most hurt is in your broken leg. I will now proceed to heal you." She squeezed the leaves from the shrub she had picked within her palms and massaged the brown juices into James legs. Then she chipped a piece of root with her teeth and chewed at it. She spat the wood fragments into her palm, rubbed it together and then applied it on the leg also. James heard a sizzling sound as his skin absorbed the medication.
James, who barely understood a word that she said stared in disbelief as the cherry-faced girl hovered each palm a quarter of an inch away from his leg. Like magic, a thick pasty substance oozed out of her palms. It matched the color of her skin and as it touched James's skin, it hardened like a kind of cast. The closer James looked, the more he could not believe his eyes. What exactly was going on?
"This is not possible." James muttered struggling to wake himself from this crazy hallucination.
The girl, paying no mind to his reaction removed her hands after forming the cast around James leg and looked around.
A moment of realization struck James. "Did she say Dryad medicine?" James hardly even read fairy tale storybooks when he was a kid. He preferred hard facts, encyclopedias, science journals, newspapers, not fantastical storybooks that referred to imaginative creatures like fairies and dryads. Ebony was the one who loved the mushy stuff. She was the one who finished reading a storybook and cried the whole day that she wanted to come to a fantasy world. But despite never having any affinity to fantasy tales, he knew this much, Dryads were or tree-spirits or forest spirits. The girl had been referring to him as "human" and herself as a Dryad all this time. But it was impossible. Yes, she seemed strange and in-human but it was impossible.
Just then, James heard a rumble as a mound formed quickly as if a torpedo was moving under the earth. It stopped just in front of Saerrie and a human-sized tree stump busted out of the ground. James jaw hung open. He was still wrapping his head around how the girl had cast his leg from liquid wood that she had sweated out of her palms and now this.


One of the most inventive technologies to come along in recent years, the Isolite system improves patient comfort and reduces procedure time. At the system's core is a soft, flexible mouthpiece that protects a patient's tongue and cheek while aspirating fluid and oral debris. The bright LED light source illuminates the work area inside your mouth more easily and effectively than ever before. Isolite overcomes many of the obstacles that can make dental treatment more difficult for both the patient and the dentist.
A soft, pliable material protects the patient's tongue and cheek in a comfortable manner during a procedure. This feature also prevents the patient from swallowing any loose particles.
Numerous small holes in the mouthpiece that continuously suction to remove water and saliva.
A protective shield the patient can close on, eliminating the strain of trying to keep the mouth open on their own. This creates a more relaxed feeling.
Additional light to help Dr. Doctor view the work area.


I want to strengthen volunteer youth work, empower young people to be volunteers on a european scale, easing the process of volunteering (financial support, coaching, organisation), stressing out the benefits for young people (documentation, accreditation, credibility).
I want to actively process and comment on youth policy development.
I want to strengthen the participatory and democratic aspect of youth work on the European Continent, including states where youth is struggling because of repression or states where youth is suffering from unemployment and poverty.
I wanted to say thank you to all groups supporting my nomination: First of all the Jusos, who suggested to me to apply in the first place. Then of course thanks for the continuous support of the german national YMCA and AEJ.
The nomination itself was carried out by the "The German National committee for international youth work (DNK)". I'm really looking forward to change, create and develop youth work in Europe.


With the end of the year rapidly approaching, we are once again reaching out to share our annual Tax Planning Guide with you. The 2018/2019 Tax Planning Guide is available here www.webtaxguide.net/Bregante.
Small decreases in most individual income tax rates, elimination of personal exemptions but increased standard deductions depending on filing status, higher exemptions for alternative minimum tax (AMT) which should significantly decrease the number of individuals subject to AMT, increase in the child tax credit and special federal tax breaks for income individuals receive from pass-through entities such as partnerships, limited liability companies and S corporations.
This week the IRS announced increases to the annual contribution limits for 401(k) and IRA accounts, effective January 1, 2019. Both limits increased by $500, so the new annual contribution limit is $19,000 for 401(k) plan accounts and $6,000 for IRA's.
For detail on what else changed see the IRS news release here.
On July 30th 2018 the IRS issued final regulations relating to the substantiation and reporting requirements for charitable contributions which address substantiation requirements for contributions of more than $500 and of clothing and household items.
Donated property must be in good condition or better.


Junyu who is originally from South China, was recruited by Athena PTS after taking part in the Choose South Cumbria Virtual Careers Fair in May last year.
Junyu moved to Barrow after his friend Xuna Li, who also works for Athena PTS, encouraged him to apply for a role via the Virtual Careers Fair. After graduating with a PhD from The University of Manchester, Junyu was keen to find a career in electrical power systems.
"Athena PTS is involved in electrical design and installation," he said. "It's a meaningful job for me because we help our clients to develop renewable power stations and help the UK to reduce its carbon emissions.
"Xuna and I were undergraduates at the University of Strathclyde and have known each other for years so she first told me about Athena PTS.
"It's a very good job and I think the company will grow faster and faster. Our directors are very considerate and take care of their employees.
Junyu is very impressed with his quality of life in Barrow – and particularly enjoys living in a property with a "beautiful garden".
"People can have a high quality of life for a low cost," he said. "In Barrow, I can spend less money than in Manchester and have a much better life.
"Compared to a big city, the crime rate is very low. I feel very safe here.
In his spare time, Junyu enjoys keeping fit and is looking forward to walking in the Lake District with his wife, Shufang Chen.
"I go to the gym four times a week," he said. "I love swimming there!
"My wife loves nature so we're planning to go walking in the Lake District during the Easter holidays.
Click here for Athena PTS careers in South Cumbria.


text:
Hu Jintao
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In China »
Among POLITICIANS In China »
Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese politician who served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the president of China from 2003 to 2013, and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) from 2004 to 2012. He was a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee, China's de facto top decision-making body, from 1992 to 2012. Hu was the paramount leader of China from 2002 to 2012.Hu rose to power through the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), notably as Party Committee secretary for Guizhou province and the Tibet Autonomous Region, where his harsh repression of dissent gained him attention from the highest levels. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Hu Jintao has received more than 5,628,536 page views. His biography is available in 104 different languages on Wikipedia. Hu Jintao is the 251st most popular politician (up from 301st in 2019), the 15th most popular biography from China (up from 20th in 2019) and the 9th most popular Chinese Politician.
Hu Jintao is most famous for being the president of China from 2003 to 2013.
Page views of Hu Jintaos by language
Among POLITICIANS
Among politicians, Hu Jintao ranks 251 out of 15,577. Before him are Şehzade Bayezid, Woodrow Wilson, Helmut Kohl, Henry II of France, Philip V of Spain, and António de Oliveira Salazar. After him are Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles XII of Sweden, Safiye Sultan, Bill Clinton, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Antoninus Pius.
Most Popular Politicians in Wikipedia
Şehzade Bayezid
Henry II of France
Philip V of Spain
António de Oliveira Salazar
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Charles XII of Sweden
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Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Among people born in 1942, Hu Jintao ranks 8. Before him are Stephen Hawking, Muammar Gaddafi, Joe Biden, Aretha Franklin, Martin Scorsese, and Amitabh Bachchan. After him are Jimi Hendrix, Ratko Mladić, Eusébio, Harrison Ford, Paul McCartney, and Barbra Streisand.
Muammar Gaddafi
Ratko Mladić
Eusébio
In China
Among people born in China, Hu Jintao ranks 15 out of 1,392. Before him are Deng Xiaoping (1904), Sun Yat-sen (1866), Kublai Khan (1215), Sima Qian (-145), Xi Jinping (1953), and Puyi (1906). After him are Empress Dowager Cixi (1835), Chiang Kai-shek (1887), Du Fu (712), Cao Cao (155), Wu Zetian (624), and Qianlong Emperor (1711).
Others born in China
Sun Yat-sen
Sima Qian
Puyi
Empress Dowager Cixi
Chiang Kai-shek
Du Fu
Wu Zetian
Qianlong Emperor
Among POLITICIANS In China
Among politicians born in China, Hu Jintao ranks 9. Before him are Huang Xianfan (1899), Deng Xiaoping (1904), Sun Yat-sen (1866), Kublai Khan (1215), Xi Jinping (1953), and Puyi (1906). After him are Empress Dowager Cixi (1835), Wu Zetian (624), Qianlong Emperor (1711), Kangxi Emperor (1654), Liu Bei (161), and Yongle Emperor (1360).
Chinese born Politicians
Huang Xianfan
Kangxi Emperor
Liu Bei
Yongle Emperor
15577 Individuals
Leader Of China From 1989 To 2002
Wang Huning
Chinese Political Theorist And Politician (Born 1955)


text:
Shah Rukh Khan supports Aamir Khan | Intolerance Intolerance: Shah Rukh Khan supports Aamir Khan: King Khan Shah Rukh Khan had reacted to Aamir Khan statements, related to the intolerance in the country
https://www.andhrawishesh.com/ 01 Dec, 2015 01 Dec, 2015
Intolerance: Shah Rukh Khan supports Aamir Khan
King Khan Shah Rukh Khan had reacted to Aamir Khan statements, related to the intolerance in the country.
Needless to say the range of viral, Aamir Khan statements, went across the country. Speaking about the issue, Aamir said that, his wife Kiran had suggested to move out of India. Just after a few minutes of his statement, the issue went viral in all the leading social networking sites and several criticized Aamir and a few even supported.
Now adding to the list of that 'few', Shah Rukh Khan, the co-star and a very good friend of Aamir had said, "In an age of social media outreach, where users attempt to give an easy and quick judgement."
"Twitter and social media is about free voice, people do take very radical steps, they get abusive. Even a generic statement can be turned into radical statements by people."
Referring the controversy surrounding Aamir, Shah Rukh stated that, he will now address only those issues, on which he has detailed knowledge.
"I'm relieved now that I should now talk only about what I know. I need not speak on any and every other topic on which someone feels that I should speak on because I have been around for 25 years," Shah Rukh said.
On the other side, even after Aamir Khan explained about the meaning behind his comments and said that he loves India and do not want to leave the country, the criticisms still continued against him. A website on the name slapaamir.com was started, which was making the visitor slap Aamir Khan, virtually.
But upon the huge criticisms, from Aamir followers, the slapaamir.com website has now being redirected to Kissaamir.com. This website helps the readers to kiss Aamir virtually, implying that kiss, as the support to Aamir statements.
By Phani Ch
Aamir Khan Shah Rukh Khan intolerance kissaamir slapaamir
Aamir's Secret Superstar creates a sensation in China
Aamir Khan Pushes Laal Singh Chaddha For Christmas 2021
Dangal nearing Rs 2000 Crores
Vijay Sethupathi Confirms Collaboration with Bollywood Superstar
Aamir Khan Signs A Four-Project Deal With Netflix
Aamir Khan Postpones Laal Singh Chaddha Again
Thugs of Hindostan Movie Review, Rating, Story, Cast & Crew
Aamir Khan's "Dangal" To Have Special Screening For Visually Impaired
Aamir Khan and Chiranjeevi to Lend Voices for RRR?
Secret Superstar Movie Review, Rating, Story, Cast & Crew
Thugs Of Hindostan Trailer Is A Must Watch
2.0 To Clash With Aamir's Thugs Of Hindostan?


text:
package com.easyapp.ble.utils;

/**
 * Created by dingjikerbo on 2016/9/26.
 */
public class StringUtils {
    public static boolean isNotBlank(final CharSequence cs) {
        return !isBlank(cs);
    }

    public static boolean isBlank(final CharSequence cs) {
        int strLen;
        if (cs == null || (strLen = cs.length()) == 0) {
            return true;
        }
        for (int i = 0; i < strLen; i++) {
            if (Character.isWhitespace(cs.charAt(i)) == false) {
                return false;
            }
        }
        return true;
    }
}


Originally published in The Mennonite (June 13, 1995), 10.
In the past year the media have been full of remembrances and celebrations of the end of World War II, by common consensus the last "good war." Part of the consensus, it appears, is the assumption that World War II "worked," that its violence was redemptive.
Like many Mennonites, I am a committed pacifist. I believe war is always wrong. But also, like many Mennonites, I have been brought up to be glad about World War II. These two beliefs create a tension. How can a pacifist be glad about a war? But I am no longer glad about World War II. It did not work, if by work we mean contribute to human well-being.
World War II is generally seen as a justifiable war, given the obvious evils of Nazism. However, this assumption masks some ambiguities. For one thing, the treatment of Germany after World War I was punitive and vindictive and helped create the spawning ground for Nazism. A more just treatment of Germany (advocated, by the way, by many pacifists and progressives) in the 1920s would have probably kept Nazism from spreading as it did. As the Nazis rose in power, they were treated with kid gloves by many Allied leaders.
For example, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has been vilified for his policy of appeasement of Hitler. But what is often forgotten is that Chamberlain was a right-wing Tory who was sympathetic with Nazism because it was seen as a helpful bulwark against the "Red Threat." Again, the most outspoken opponents of Nazism in the early 1930s tended to be pacifists and progressives.
The Allies were hostile to Democratic Socialists in Germany from 1918 until Hitler took over and rendered the Socialists and Communists obsolete. Perhaps the immediate rationale for the war in 1939 (to stop the Nazis, who were out of control) was justifiable, but only because the Allies had been irresponsible earlier.
The justification of saving the Jews was not one that shaped the Allied entry into the war. In fact, all the Allied nations refused to do much of anything to save the Jews when they had the opportunity before the war–including refusing entry to shiploads of Jews seeking asylum.
As to whether the conduct of the war was just, only die-hard supporters of the just-war approach argue that it was. Reading Kurt Vonnegut's novel, Slaugherhouse Five disabused me of that belief even before I was a pacifist. The Allies self-consciously broke almost every rule of just conduct, most blatantly the rules against intentionally destroying civilian life (again, read Vonnegut's account of the bombing of Dresden) and against fighting longer than necessary (the insistence upon unconditional surrender after the war was for all intents and purposes won no doubt cost millions of lives).
Who won World War II? Was Nazism defeated? Violence won World War II. It is true that some particular Nazi leaders were defeated. Nazism as an explicit form of government was (for the time being) eradicated. But in many ways the spirit of Nazism was victorious. The German arms builders (the I.G. Farben conglomerate) came through the war unscathed and continue to prosper today. The German scientists who sold their souls to the Nazis were then recruited to sell their souls to the Allied nuclear idols.
One of the main tenets of Nazism, rule by brute power, has been since World War II the defining principle for U.S. foreign policy and most other political systems in the world. I don't men to say that this wasn't the case before, but fighting Nazi brute power with Allied brute power accelerated the reign of brute power. In the course of history, that will be far more significant than whatever direct effect on the world Hitler might have had.
Life is too ambiguous to paint the World War II experience as black and white. My father was an officer during that war and served five years with distinction. He remained proud of that service to his dying day. He was a gentle, loving person. Nonetheless, I am aware of irretrievable losses even he experienced.
For the loved ones of the millions upon millions of people who were killed in that war the irretrievable losses were much more immediate. When we consider World War II we rarely think of the incredible loss to the world this unleashed violence caused. We don't know what the Nazis would have done if not opposed militarily. I can't imagine that they would possibly have killed even a fraction of as many people as the war did. And I'm confident the Nazi system would have collapsed under its own weight at least as quickly as Communism.
I wrote my doctoral dissertation on World War II conscientious objectors. Their experience, for our society only a tiny footnote in the war experience, was also full of ambiguity. But that witness was an important aspect of what happened during the war.
That tiny group of pacifists (in the United States there were 12,000 COs who performed alternative service and 6,000 who went to prison) may have performed a service analogous to the prophet who wrote Isaiah 40–55. That prophet, writing in the chaos of brute force following Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem, kept a flicker of light alive with his vision of God's peace still having the final say. Those who refused to add to the spiral of total brute force (even if "justifiable" because the Nazis were so evil) kept a similar flicker of light alive and served a crucial service of keeping violence from totally dominating the world.


Henrik Ibsen, considered by many to be the father of modern prose drama, was born in Skien, Norway, on March 20, 1828. He was the second of six children. Ibsen's father was a prominent merchant, but he went bankrupt when Ibsen was eight years old, so Ibsen spent much of his early life living in poverty. From 1851 to 1864, he worked in theaters in Bergen and in what is now Oslo (then called Christiania). At age twenty-one, Ibsen wrote his first play, a five-act tragedy called Catiline. Like much of his early work, Catiline was written in verse.
In 1858, Ibsen married Suzannah Thoreson, and eventually had one son with her. Ibsen felt that, rather than merely live together, husband and wife should live as equals, free to become their own human beings. (This belief can be seen clearly in A Doll's House.) Consequently, Ibsen's critics attacked him for failing to respect the institution of marriage. Like his private life, Ibsen's writing tended to stir up sensitive social issues, and some corners of Norwegian society frowned upon his work. Sensing criticism in Oslo about not only his work but also his private life, Ibsen moved to Italy in 1864 with the support of a traveling grant and a stipend from the Norwegian government. He spent the next twenty-seven years living abroad, mostly in Italy and Germany.
Ibsen's early years as a playwright were not lucrative, but he did gain valuable experience during this time. In 1866, Ibsen published his first major theatrical success, a lyric drama called Brand. He followed it with another well-received verse play, Peer Gynt. These two works helped solidify Ibsen's reputation as one of the premier Norwegian dramatists of his era. In 1879, while living in Italy, Ibsen published his masterpiece, A Doll's House. Unlike Peer Gynt and Brand,A Doll's House was written in prose. It is widely considered a landmark in the development of what soon became a highly prevalent genre of theater—realism, which strives to portray life accurately and shuns idealized visions of it. In A Doll's House, Ibsen employs the themes and structures of classical tragedy while writing in prose about everyday, unexceptional people. A Doll's House also manifests Ibsen's concern for women's rights, and for human rights in general.
Ibsen followed A Doll's House with two additional plays written in an innovative, realistic mode: Ghosts, in 1881, and An Enemy of the People, in 1882. Both were successes. Ibsen began to gain international recognition, and his works were produced across Europe and translated into many different languages.
In his later work, Ibsen moved away from realistic drama to tackle questions of a psychological and subconscious nature. Accordingly, symbols began to gain prominence in his plays. Among the works he wrote in this symbolist period are The Wild Duck (1884) and Hedda Gabler (1890). Hedda Gabler was the last play Ibsen wrote while living abroad. In 1891, he returned to Oslo. His later dramas include The Master Builder (1892) and Little Eyolf (1896). Eventually, a crippling sickness afflicted Ibsen and prevented him from writing. He died on May 23, 1906.
Though most English translations of the play are titled A Doll's House, some scholars believe that "A Doll House" is a more accurate translation of the original Norwegian. They feel that it is more suggestive of the doll-like qualities of the entire cast of characters. This SparkNote preserves the more common title—A Doll's House—for consistency.


This extract from a letter, along with other remarks, indicates that Marx and Engels were already in serious conflict with the distorting phenomena of 'Marxism' whilst they were alive. If incorrect understandings were prevalent during the lifetime of Marx and Engels whilst they were able to advise and contradict any omissions or distortions, how much more was this possible when they had passed away? The answer is considerable. To mention only some high-profile instances, for example; Young Trotsky accused Lenin; Lenin accused Trotsky; Lenin and Trotsky both accused Kautsky; Trotsky accused Stalin; Stalin accused Trotsky; the Maoists accused the Soviets; Stalinists accused Trotskyists and vice-versa; Trotskyists accused (and continue to accuse) other Trotskyists; all were accusations – in one way or another – of betraying Marx.
So the fact is that there have been numerous accusations of modifying Marx's revolutionary-humanist perspectives. This is a fact which would require an analysis of considerable proportions to document all the cases individually. However, there is an alternative. I hope in the following section to briefly illustrate just how extensive this redaction and reduction, not to mention the almost total evisceration of Marx has been, within the ideology of 'Marxism'. The method, chosen will be to allow Marx and his friend Engels, to confront the senior 20th century 'Marxists' and their imitators in their own words. To do this I have extracted the following ten fundamental positions upheld by Marx which occur across the breadth of his writings and will demonstrate how they were ignored or modified by those claiming to be 'Marxist' followers of Marx.
1. A change in the 'mode' of production was required.
The key word in this section and within the above extract is 'mode'. The 'mode of production' is not to be confused with the 'means of production'. Many alleged followers of Marx have assumed that by taking over the 'means of production' during or after a revolution, that the main objective of an anti-capitalist revolution has been or would be realised. But attention to the detail of Marx reveals that whilst this appropriation is necessary – it is far – very far – from sufficient. The means of production are the machines, tools, workshops, capital, workers and raw materials. The 'mode' in Marx's use of the term, means the overall socio-economic system. The mode refers to how these 'means' are brought together and under whose control they are deployed.
Note this only involves a new distribution of labour. Note also the continued existence of a state together with its function as a controlling economic organism and mechanism. All the means of production mentioned above, (even in more ancient systems) were used by workers in some form or other. Slaves and serf workers, in previous modes of production based on slavery and serfdom, worked with raw materials, tools, primitive machines, on farms, in mines and workshops using early forms of capital. Simply taking over all these means, by the state as the Bolsheviks, the Maoists and the 13 other so-called communist states did, does not (and cannot) of itself change the 'mode' of production, as the following sections will make clear.
2. The abolition of private and state forms of capital.
It is clear that the leaders of the so-called communist countries, Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, Mao etc., did not abolish capital nor wage labour. The autocratic power of state capital over the workers grew with every increase in productivity by the workers. State Capitalist forms are able to force the accomplishment of such plans – at all costs – because the workers remain wage slaves employed by the state and the state has always had considerable coercive powers.
3. The ending of wage labour in all its forms.
Of course the 'abolition of the wages system' involves the abolition of capital (in all forms – its polar opposite) but also the freedom of workers to decide for themselves how to develop and distribute the instruments of production along with their own allocation to them and on what terms. The inability of workers to do this requires a continuation of the wages system. In contrast to this crucial viewpoint of Marx, the 'Marxists', Trotsky and Lenin advocated the exact opposite.
4. The emancipation of workers should be by their own self-activity.
"The emancipation of the working classes must be achieved by the working classes themselves. We cannot therefore co-operate with people who openly state the that the workers are too uneducated to emancipate themselves and must be freed from above by philanthropic persons from the upper and lower middle classes." (Marx/Engels Selected Correspondence. Progress. Page 307.
Those familiar with the works of Lenin and Trotsky, will be aware of their strident advocacy of a professional revolutionary vanguard who would at all times and during all stages 'lead' the working and oppressed classes. Extracts on the Bolshevik insistence of the 'backwardness' of the working classes, could be also produced in large quantities. However, for the sake of brevity, let a couple of unambiguous ones from Lenin and Trotsky suffice.
5. The abolition of the state.
We have seen from section 1 that Lenin thought the main economic activity of a country should be run as a single huge machine guided by a disciplined state plan. In the above section Lenin thought the machine should be run by the 'vanguard' like a system of cogwheels, in which workers would be the lower cogs. For both of them the advancement of the state was crucial. Contrast that much repeated position with that of Marx.
From previous extracts from Lenin and Trotsky, we have seen their emphasis on the state as the necessary controlling mechanism of production along with the allocation and distribution of labour. It will therefore come as no surprise that Lenin could write the following.
6. The ending of political authority.
Despite a few comments by Marx and Engels on the need for some political forms of anti-capitalist struggle, for Marx they were only temporary organisational means for specific purposes, under certain bourgeois parliamentary conditions. It has been easy for some people to seize on these few comments and run with them introducing and merging their own preferences with them and thus further modifying Marx. Any serious and in depth study of Marx will reveal far more instances of the extreme anathema Marx felt for politics and the political mode of thinking. Let this one on post-capitalist society for the moment suffice.
Contrast that clear statement from Marx, denying the formation of a new political power, with the following arrogantly dogmatic ones from the 'Marxists' Trotsky and Lenin.
7. Ending specialist/exclusivist divisions of labour.
We need only recall the previous statements by Lenin and Trotsky which contain such phrases as the right to send every worker to a place where his work is necessary and the whole system as cogs and wheels. However, Lenin did not countenance such choice by self-activity, self-determination and self-organisation. Instead he proposed state dictation and direction.
Indeed, the Complete Works of Lenin show at various points, that he was a keen supporter of industrial and commercial labour intensification known as Taylorism (See Collected Works. Volume 27. Page 259.). Fredrick Taylor was the North American, time and motion study guru, who reduced every motion into its finite component parts with the expectation that workers would be required to hone their specific tasks into the most effective, efficient and exhausting for the sake of extracting surplus value.
8. A radical reduction of working intensity and time.
Elsewhere, (particularly in Capital and the Grundrisse) Marx had noted the tendency of 19th century capital to force production to levels which not only exhausted the workers, shortening their lives in the process, but also rapidly consuming the fertility of soil and natures resources. However, working from an entirely different frame of reference, Lenin in the 20th century, talking about subotnics (Saturday working without pay) drew the opposite conclusion.
This was no mere temporary post-war proposal, advocated by the workers themselves, but a policy direction from the very summit of political and state power. The firmness of this opinion can be established by its reappearance in a slightly different form a year later.
This drive toward long working hours at high intensity eventually became personified in the person of Aleksei Stakhanov. He became famous in 1935, by shovelling102 tons of coal in less than 6 hours (14 times his quota). This example was promoted across the Soviet Union and resulted in claimed improvements of up to 82% in production. This super-exploitation of wage-labour was promoted by the 'Marxists' loyal to Stalin, but nevertheless was fully in line with the views of Lenin and Trotsky.
9. The abolition of economic authority.
Marx at no time considered that the forced economic authority of the capitalist or the state over workers should be exchanged for a voluntary submission to any economic system – not in their own control. Once again, contrast Marx's humanist concern for workers in opposition to the autocratic despotism of capital, with the authoritarian outpourings from Lenin and Trotsky.
If we examine the works of Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin, we find that not one of these ten principles were fully preserved (with the exception of Lenin's rhetorical stance in 'State and Revolution') or even advocated in their actions or writings. Only, one, the ending of private capital ownership was partially fulfilled, but later rescinded with the introduction of the new economic policy (NEP) in 1921. These omissions are an amazing collection in view of the fact that all these revolutionary leaders called themselves Marxists and thought themselves following the tradition of Karl Marx. These omissions are also remarkable, when we recall that the Leninist, Trotskyist and Stalinist rank and file followers of these three revolutionaries, also considered they were following in the tradition of Marx yet did not appear concerned to highlight or question these fundamental omissions.
Between the death of Marx in 1870 and the formation of the 1917 Soviet government, all ten of the fundamental principles, Marx advocated had been either ignored, rejected or distorted. When Stalin later ruthlessly pursued the policy and principles of the Bolshevik 'Marxists' to their logical ends, most anti-capitalist workers and intellectuals were horrified. However, the horror for many was only against the extremes of authoritarian brutality, particularly when directed against themselves and their families. This extreme brutality was not seen as the logical extension of a hierarchical system ruthlessly defending itself against the challenges directed against it by workers.
Possibly for this reason, the genetic modification of Marx continued in the sectarian laboratory of 4th International Trotskyism. To this day there has been no noticeable desire, from within this milieu, to seriously challenge the substantial deformities of 'Marxism' and re-establish the 'organic' product of Marx's revolutionary-humanist research. An important and possibly unpopular chore of modern, anti-capitalists who wish to follow in the tradition of Marx, is to facilitate the criticism of the sectarian assumption that the solution for humanity, lies in the exclusive leadership of a vanguardist political party. A corollary of this chore is to assist intellectually and practically the replacing of that task back into the hands of the working and oppressed classes themselves.


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Conflict of Interest Rules in Texas
During law school or while you are waiting for your bar results, you may work as a law clerk or legal assistant for a lawyer or law firm. Later you may seek work with a second lawyer or law firm. In that situation, you need to know about Comment 19 to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.06, which says:
A law firm is not prohibited from representing a client under paragraph (f) merely because a nonlawyer employee of the firm, such as a paralegal or legal secretary, has a conflict of interest arising from prior employment or some other source. Nor is a firm prohibited from representing a client merely because a lawyer of the firm has a conflict of interest arising from events that occurred before the person became a lawyer, such as work that the person did as a law clerk or intern. But the firm must ordinarily screen the person with the conflict from any personal participation in the matter to prevent the person's communicating to others in the firm confidential information that the person and the firm have a legal duty to protect. See Rule 5.03; see also MODEL RULES PROF'L CONDUCT r. 1.10 cmt. 4 (AM. BAR ASS'N 1983); RESTATEMENT (THIRD) OF THE LAW GOVERNING LAWYERS § 123 cmt. f (AM. LAW INST. 2000).
For a new employer to do a conflict check and screen you from personal participation in a matter, you must have a good list of matters on which you have previously worked. A personal conflicts log gives you a way to keep such a list.
Personal Conflicts Log (Excel)
Personal Conflicts Log (Excel; enhanced with macros)
Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct
Rule 1.06 Conflict of Interest: General Rule
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas Opinion No. 644 (Revised, July 2016)


We are storytellers. We are everyday Presbyterians who want to talk honestly about the future of the church. We are part of a creative team commissioned by Presbyterians Today to ask questions about who's getting a platform to speak and who's not. And this is our canvas.
This is a holy place for reflection—a safe place to talk and grow as disciples of Christ. Here you'll find writing, art, videos, and podcasts. Some of it will be bilingual. Some will be collaborative projects, bringing together artist and wordsmith. All of it will push the boundaries of what passes for conversation in the church and will, we hope, inspire us to dream bigger when it comes to the gospel. Our opinions are ours alone; they do not represent the policies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) or Presbyterians Today. Our thoughts may sometimes be messy; they may make you feel uncomfortable. They are not meant to be the last word. They are an invitation. So, come, paint with us!
And if you feel there's a voice missing here, let us know!


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Every Star Wars Show and Movie Disney Just Announced
By: Movie Web
Disney and Lucasfilm have announced the future of the Star Wars franchise on both the big and small screen. The announcements were made during Disney's Investors Day presentation earlier this week, and there is enough to keep fans busy for the next handful of year. The main star of the show, lately, has been The Mandalorian. Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau introduced the world to a brand-new set of characters set in the Star Wars universe, which was considered to be a gamble before the show aired.
Thankfully, the gamble paid off. The Mandalorian has quickly become the Star Wars that fans have been waiting to see for decades, thanks to the creative minds of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. The small screen success has now added a ton of new Disney+ shows, while also going on to influence the future of the big screen projects after the Skywalker Saga wrapped up late last year.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and her collaborators initially wanted to put out all of the Star Wars spin-offs on the big screen, while going on to break new ground after the sequel trilogy concluded. However, hardcore fans did not take to the most recent trilogy the way that Lucasfilm and Disney thought that they would. The Force Awakens made over $2 billion globally, but the next two installments could not keep up that kind of box office success over the next 4 years.
The release of Solo came less than sixth months after The Last Jedi and it looked like Star Wars fatigue had officially set in, which led Disney and Lucasfilm to rethink their release strategy. Solo was not the hit at the box office that many thought it would be, though many fans have come around to the movie in recent months, praising the performances from Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover as the young Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, respectively. From there, Disney and Lucasfilm pumped the breaks and many wondered what was going to be coming next.
Talk of The Mandalorian started shortly after that, though Star Wars fans were not sure what to expect. Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau worked in secret, while Lucasfilm started to plot the next big screen work, which included a new trilogy from Rian Johnson, which unfortunately, was not brought up in the latest announcements. However, Kathleen Kennedy did bring up quite a bit of other projects to get very excited about, that stretch back to the familiar, and then far into the unknown. You can check out everything that was announced below.
The Mandalorian season 2 is will come to an end next week, so fans have been wondering about when and if a season 3 announcement was going to come. Disney has announced that the third season of the hit Disney+ series will premiere on Christmas Day, 2021, which means we're a little over a year away from new adventures featuring Din Djarin and Grogu. As for what will happen, that is completely unclear at this moment.
Ahsoka Disney+ Series
Rumors surrounding Ahsoka Tano and The Mandalorian season 2 began in early 2020. It was rumored that Rosario Dawson was going to play the live-action version of the fan-favorite on the series, which was later proven to be true. Now, Dawson will star in her own Disney+ Ahsoka series, which will hopefully introduce live-action versions of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra Bridger. The show will premiere in the winter 2021 and it will take place within The Mandalorian timeline.
Like the Ahsoka series, Rangers of the New Republic is a spin-off from The Mandalorian, which will also take place within the same timeline. Details are scarce, but we have been introduced to New Republic pilots like Paul Sun-Hyung Lee's Captain Carson Teva. It's unclear if he'll be featured in the show, which is expected to crossover with The Mandalorian and Ahsoka at some point down the line. It is also expected in late 2021.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series was first announced last year at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. Star Wars fans were ecstatic to learn that Ewan McGregor was returning to play the Jedi Master in a new show set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith. Kathleen Kennedy just announced that Hayden Christensen will be returning to the franchise as Darth Vader, which is something that fans have been waiting decades to see. Production is set to begin in March 2021 with a release date likely set for 2022.
Lando Disney+ Series
Everybody's favorite space scoundrel now has his own Disney+ series. The new show is simply titled Lando at the moment and there really is not a lot of extra information at this time. Dear White People director Justin Simien is developing the mysterious new series, which, at this time, does not have a star. Lucasfilm and Disney have not revealed if Donald Glover will be reprising his young Lando role from Solo, or if Billy Dee Williams will be stepping back into a new set of capes.
Leslye Headland will helm The Acolyte Disney+ series, which is described as a "mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era." While the show will have a female protagonist, Headland has stated that it will not be "female-centric." It will take place 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace and it will focus on new characters.
Andor Disney+ Series
The Rogue One Prequel Series is now officially titled Andor, and it is already in production. Diego Luna appeared in a sizzle reel to promote the series, which was first announced back in 2018. The upcoming Disney+ series is described as a "tense nail-biting spy thriller," that will reunite Luna with Alan Tudyk. Andor also features Stellan Skarsgard, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma The show is expected to premiere at some point in 2022.
Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins is joining the Star Wars universe with Rogue Squadron. Details about the upcoming movie are nonexistent at the moment, but fans are already excited to see what Jenkins can bring to the table. The movie will be about X-Wing fighter pilots, but it is unclear where in the timeline this story will fit. Luckily, Jenkins, who has said that the movie is inspired by her fighter pilot father, doesn't have to have it ready until December 25th, 2023.
Kathleen Kennedy also spoke about the untitled Taika Waititi Star Wars movie, which he is currently developing. The movie is being written by the Thor: Ragnarok director with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Not much else is known about the mystery project at this time, but it will likely take the December 25th, 2025 release slot. Waititi proved to be very valuable while making The Mandalorian and fans responded very well to his episodes, along with his take on IG-11.
Kathleen Kennedy took some time during the Investors Day presentation to discuss the intersection of animation and visual effects at Lucasfilm and the new doors that they're opening. This epic journey will introduce us to new hero guided by our most iconic duo on a secret mission known only to them. What could possibly go wrong? R2-D2 and C-3PO are going to have their work cut out for them in the new Disney+ animated movie, which does not have a premiere date.
The Bad Batch animated series takes place after The Clone Wars finale, and it will premiere in 2021. The series follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch – a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army – each possess a singular exceptional skill, which makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose. A trailer showed off Emperor Palpatine and it looks like an intriguing adventure.
Star Wars: Visions is an original series of animated short films, which celebrates the Star Wars galaxy through the lens of the world's best Japanese anime creators. It's all set to arrive on Disney+ in 2021. Visions will be made through different Japanese animation studios as an anthology made up of ten short films..
Topics: Star Wars, Disney Plus, Streaming
Writer for Movieweb since 2017. Enjoys playing Catan when not writing about superheroes and Star Wars.
MovieWeb Original Article
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Leonardo Da Vinci and the Art of the Deal
By Alan Brew Nov. 17, 2017
Can you put a price on art?
The fact that someone has just paid $450.3 million for a painting, the highest price ever paid for a work of art in auction, suggests you can.
But was this eye-popping price really about art, or something else entirely?
To be sure, there was something remarkably different about the sale itself. It was bathed in an aura of mystique and excited interest. More than 27,000 people lined up to see the painting in question, "Salvator Mundi," in pre-auction viewings in Hong Kong, London, San Francisco and New York.
And what did they see?
In reality, what they saw was a somewhat damaged and questionably restored painting depicting an image of Christ with right hand raised in blessing and his left holding an orb.
One art critic described it as "a proficient but not especially distinguished religious picture from turn-of-the-16th-century Lombardy, put through a wringer of restorations."
Far from saving the world, he concluded, this Jesus "might struggle to save himself a seat on a crosstown bus."
What induced 27,000 people to queue for hours to see an unremarkable painting?
What had the incredible effect of inflating the value of a painting in questionable condition, purchased for less than $10,000 in 2005, to $450.3 million?
What persuaded an individual to part with a large fortune to possess it?
A brand name.
Many scholars, although not all, now accept the painting masked under clumsy restoration as a Leonardo work. His name had a transfiguring effect. Combined with marketing theater the likes of which the art world has never seen before, his name turns base metal into gold. It elevates the mundane into the ethereal.
For the first time Christie's, the auction house, hired an outside agency to promote the sale. The painting was guarded like a holy relic. It was displayed in a darkened room under spotlights.
It was hyped in banal metaphor as the "male Mona Lisa." Christie's executives referred to the work as the "holy grail of our business" and likened it to the "discovery of a new planet."
This is carefully-scripted marketing "messaging" and it seems to have worked. The astronomical price paid attests to how much salesmanship drives and dominates the conversation about art and its value. What those 27,000 people saw was not a painting, but an illusion.
Leonardo is a brand, and like all brands its value transcends the object or product to which it is attached. The buyer has acquired a "Leonardo," a trade-able commodity, a hedge against inflation.
It will be kept safely in a vault somewhere, presumably available for private viewings before it is sold again.
After the sale, one gallery director said: "This is going to be the future."
No doubt. But of what? It has nothing to do with art.


Rinse matsutake mushrooms well, cut and discard the bottom portion. Slice the stems lengthwise into 2 pieces, then slice both the cap and stem into small pieces. Cook rice with the mixture of water (or mushroom broth if using dried mushrooms), sake, and soy sauce. While rice is cooking, there will be a lot of steam-before steaming stops, place cleaned and sliced matsutake on top of rice and quickly cover. Allow rice to continue steaming and do not mix ingredients until rice has finished cooking.
Click the button below to add the Matsutake Mushrooms, Tricholoma magnivelare - .5oz pack to your wish list.


text:
Q: How can I set/select a field in the display form? I'm in a SharePoint Display form and want to do some calculations on the client's side to populate a blank single line of text field.
In an edit form, to set and select my value I have something like this:
$("input[title='My Field Here']").value(time);

But the display form seems to hold values a lot differently (in a table).  How would I go about selecting a value from my field when it's stored like this with (seemingly) no unique identifiers:

            3/26/2014

I don't think I can select anything based on the comment that's there (would be nice..), but if all of my fields are contained within "td" and there's more than one "SPFieldDateTime", how can I select this specific field's value of 3/26/2014?
edit:
I left this part out which appears just above the above line.

A: Using jQuery, find the nearest item with a unique identifier. Not all fields in a form have unique IDs, as you found with the date fields, which all have the id="SPFieldDateTime".  The corresponding label column, however, contains the field name and this one must be unique.

Use this as your hook. You can then go to the sibling of the unique element with the class name "ms-formbody". For example:
$('td.ms-formlabel:contains("Text2")').siblings(".ms-formbody").css("background", "yellow");

will show

Or to retrieve the text value use something like
$('td.ms-formlabel:contains("Text2")').siblings(".ms-formbody").text()

for example in an alert:
alert($('td.ms-formlabel:contains("Text2")').siblings(".ms-formbody").text());

Or hide the row altogether with
$('td.ms-formlabel:contains("Text2")').parent().hide();


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With Music, Dancing, Art, and More, This Show Is Not Your Usual Cultural Celebration
Get a deeper understanding of modern race relations with a star-studded performance on Thursday night. On April 11th, Terence Blanchard, Rennie Harris, and Andrew Scott will present Caravan: A Revolution on the Road at Bass Concert Hall. Grab your tickets now to experience this transformative event!
Multiple Grammy-winning composer and trumpeter Terence Blanchard and his E-Collective quintet join forces with hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris' dance company, Puremovement, and sculptor/projection-mapping artist Andrew Scott in this multi-disciplinary performance that transcends racial and social boundaries and breathes life into conversations on personal and collective identity in relation to social and political structures.
Caravan: A Revolution on the Road is a captivating new program that explores black lives in the 21st century through Blanchard's fusion of jazz, R&B, blues, funk, and soul, interwoven with Harris' African American dance styles, and Scott's conceptually-based visual projections and installations, which are rooted in African and African American art and culture. Blanchard and his E-Collective ensemble's goal is to heal hearts and open minds with this powerful performance.
Caravan: A Revolution on the Road will premier in Austin at Bass Concert Hall on Thursday, April 11th at 8:00 p.m. Ticket holders are also invited to attend a pre-performance talk with sculptor Andrew Scott at 7:15 p.m., 45 minutes prior to the show. Admission to see Caravan is $40. Special pricing is available for UT faculty and staff, members, military, and students. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.texasperformingarts.org.
At Oxford at Tech Ridge Apartments in Austin, Texas, we love mixing up on-site events with those happening in our greater area. Be sure to pencil this one into your busy schedule!
Thursday, April 11, 2019—8:00 PM
Bass Concert Hall
2350 Robert Dedman Drive
keyword Austin keyword Theatre


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