After an introduction to the unique and talented Tennessee Kids, Justin's band, background singers and dancers, the movie begins with Timberlake's final moments in the shoot before his last shows on the worldwide and blockbuster The 20/20 Experience World Tour.
As Justin sings and swivels his way through the opening number, "Pusher Love Girl," with his effecting amalgam of classic charisma and modern swagger, this Small Screen Girl and a diehard Timberlake fan, it felt like an adrenaline-drenched sense memory of the actual shows I attended on January 1 and 2, 2015 in Las Vegas.
The Netflix documentary shows, albeit with some clunkiness, that Justin Timberlake is a phenomenal performer, musician and visionary at the height of his career. And after 130 dates of The 20/20 Experience World Tour, it also highlights the pure joy and palpable bond Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids have on stage. Think of it as a family jam session with 17,000 people, pyrotechnics and an eye-popping production trick that ensures every seat in the house is a great one.
On a gorgeous stage, replete with a massive band and orchestra, and a comely hexagonal backdrop that projects spectacular visuals, lasers and lighting, Timberlake glides through staples "Like I Love You, Rock Your Body, My Love" and also lesser known or newer songs, including "FutureSexLoveSounds" and "Only When I Walk Away," effortlessly proving that with just three solo albums under his belt, JT's songbook is enviably stuffed with more bangers and slow jams than your average pop star. He also spices up his set list with the killer chorus of "Holy Grail" (without collaborator Jay Z's rap) and a funky cover of Bel Biv Devoe's "Poison" that has the audience absolutely howling.
It must stated that Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids is a concert meant to introduce and indoctrinate new JT fans who may not have had an opportunity to attend the concert and isn't as familiar with his talent or musciality. It is not, however, a true representation of what happened on the final nights of filming. Fans, famous and not, were there to take part in this moment in Timberlake history, but also to give back as much love and joy as he'd shared with audiences over nearly two straight years of touring.
The arena in the MGM Grand is fairly small, yet the audience erupted in a cacophonous roar from the second the lights dropped and only got louder as the concert progressed. It was a sound that ran in my ears days after the songs ended. Timberlake, overwhelmed at the response, barely made it through the first few songs before becoming overcome with emotion (as you'll see again by the epic final song, "Mirrors"). The fans shouted, whooped and screamed every lyric of every song, and the always on JT performed with a fire and an intensity I have never ever before, and I have a lot to compare it to. The way JT energized and commanded the audience is an innate gift, and if you've ever doubted his natural and honed musical talents, you never will again.
Thus, it's a little jarring that so much of that was left on the cutting room floor along with JT's best songs. With the show that is well over two hours (and over three in the first runs of the tour), it makes sense to opt for a shorter run time, though I question the decision to nix more than 10 songs that are trademark Timberlake, including his pivotal "Cry Me A River," the utterly romantic "Not A Bad Thing," "That Girl" and too many more.
Director Jonathan Demme wisely chose a minimalistc style to capture the grandeur of the thrilling show, however, by removing so many songs, the latter half of the concert is is a little anemic and clunky, thanks to a few abrupt transitions.
Even with those minor grievances, I can think of no other musicians I would want to chill with than Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids. And this exhilarating concert film is the coronation of a new musical legend.


When the sun rises on this blog, loyal reader voter and Elizabeth is always the first one stirring. This is not just because she is by nature bright-eyed and bushy-tailed -- though no doubt she is those things -- but because she has for many years been dwelling away beyond the eastern sea, in a magical land they call "Europe."
Specifically, right at the moment she is in Hungary.
She recently sent pretty much the perfect letter. It started on the envelope, with those excellent single-color Hungarian stamps. They look so much like the single-color Hungarian stamps of yore, as collected by the dorky set back in the day! Except now they say Magyarország instead of "Magyar Posta."
And to round things out, a not-especially boring postcard of her very own bridge, spanning the... the Danube, if I remember right, between Buda and Pest, if I continue to remember right.
Closer to home, Chuckdaddy and family were traveling in the southern reaches of the Beaver State. As he proves here, they don't really make boring postcards like they used to. But, they still make 'em.
I was going to say, "I like that Elizabeth sent us a postcard of her very own bridge!" but I see you've already pointed that out. So...um...Nice abutments, Elizabeth!
I love it when people notice my abutments.


Welcome to Imbibe Bar & Restaurant; Mt Maunganui's most exclusive Restaurant, Bar and Private Function venue.
Our latest review said "Eating at Imbibe was much more than just a meal, it was a dining experience that left me completely satisfied. Imbibe is family-friendly and suits people of all ages, from nocturnal party goers on Friday and Saturday nights or simply to pop in for a quality brunch, lunch or dinner; The perfect place for an enjoyable night out"
Imbibe Bar is regarded as one of Bay of Plenty's premium function venues. Our flexibility to meet individual client needs means we host a broad range of functions including: Anniversaries, Birthdays, Hens & Stag parties, Reunions, Conference & Business Meetings, Art Exhibitions, Product Launches or any other special occasion making Imbibe Bar the perfect venue to host your next celebration.
We are very flexible and have some new and unique rooms to create the environment and ambience that you are after. Hire of any of our functions rooms is FREE!
Open 11am till late 7 days.
This place is ok, pretty average and very expensive for what you get. I was pretty annoyed that I was charged and extra $3 to swap out rocket for plain lettuce in my prawn salad. Wouldn't go back in a hurry there are much nicer places in Tauranga.
I had a small sized stonegrill seafood platter and a green salad, the seafood platter was so fresh, including salmon, scallops, prawns, and squids. I loved this idea to cook my own seafood dish.
The bar staff was nice! Even serving flat beer! The food was below average and took too long! Nothing special! Disaster night! Bad beer and bad meal!


Finding Dory may have just smashed box office records over in the States, but it won't be hitting UK cinema screens until late July, which is partly why a newly released clip from the Finding Nemo sequel has completely taken over the internet.
The other reason? It's just plain lovely.
In the film snippet we're introduced to baby Dory and her parents (voiced by Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy), as they play hide and seek among the plant life and try to teach Dory how to make friends.
Voiced by Lucia Geddes rather than Ellen DeGeneres, the viral clip sees Dory become distracted by some 'squishy' sand, and display more generally loveable behaviour.
The clip also sets the scene for the main Finding Dory plotline, which follows the forgetful fish on her journey to find her family, and discover where she came from.
Naturally, she recruits the help of Marlin, Nemo the Tank Gang and more along the way, with Hollywood heavyweights including Idris Elba and Sigourney Weaver making voice over appearances, alongside Modern Family stars Ed O'Neill and Ty Burrell.
Opening in US cinemas over the weekend, the film has already raked in £93.3 million, topping Shrek the Third and Toy Story 3, to become both Pixar's biggest success to date, and the most successful animated film in US box office history.
Praise has also been heaped upon the way the film portrays its female characters, with Variety noting that the film picks up from the work of Inside Out, Brave and Zootopia in presenting more diversity.
The diversity doesn't end there however. DeGeneres confirmed earlier this month that the film will also feature the first transgender character to appear in a major children's movie.
We can feel the awards season buzz already.


The Dam Good Boyz are back and ready to exploit Christmas for your listening pleasure! This episode features a Rockin' Redneck Christmas, The Crestmas, Christmas Movies in 30 Seconds or Less, the return of Parker's Opinion, and more! Get ready to celebrate the holidays the way it meant to be celebrated, by laughing with Damaged Goods Improv.


This month marks a heartrending anniversary, one with ruinous consequences that continue to plague the Jewish state.
It was thirty years ago, in April 1982, that uniformed soldiers pledged to defend Israel and its citizens were given the order to uproot and destroy the Jewish community of Yamit in northern Sinai.
The move came in the wake of the peace treaty with Egypt, when Menachem Begin agreed to a complete withdrawal from all 23,000 square miles of Sinai, which necessitated the forced evacuation of over 7,000 Israelis, including those in Yamit.
Years of toil and sweat, of pioneering spirit and determination, were mercilessly swept away by bulldozers, and by April 25, 1982, Yamit was no more.
Indeed, if you open Google Earth, the popular online mapping program, you can still see the barren site where a thriving community of 2,500 Jews had made Yamit bloom. It looks as if a giant eraser had rubbed away the terrain, leaving behind scars where homes, schools and synagogues had once stood.
This act of destruction was overseen by then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, and the agonizing scenes of Jewish soldiers dragging Jews from their homes in Yamit were seared into the nation's consciousness.
The traumatic significance and symbolism of the expulsion from Sinai cannot be overstated. After more than 100 years of Zionism and settlement, Israel was vividly turning its back on some of its key core principles, all for the sake of a dubious peace with a dictatorial neighbor.
Many fail to realize just how important Sinai was. It constituted over 90 percent of the territory Israel had liberated during the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel had more than 170 military installations and dozens of early-warning stations scattered throughout its vast deserts, which were also home to the Alma oil fields.
Sinai provided Israel with strategic depth, the potential for petroleum independence, and new frontiers to explore.
But all that was torn away by the withdrawal.
And while it may have brought us three decades of a cold peace with Egypt, conceding the Sinai will likely prove to have been a colossal mistake.
Consider recent events in the region, which underline the perils inherent in turning territory over to our neighbors.
With the fall of the Mubarak regime, there is no telling who will be running Egypt a year from now, or whether they will feel bound to preserve bilateral relations with Jerusalem. The sweeping victory of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt's parliamentary elections certainly doesn't bode well for the future.
So despite having given up the Sinai for the sake of peace, Israel might end up with neither, which is the worst of all possible scenarios.
Moreover, look at how the territory Israel gave to Egypt has been transformed into a staging area for anti-Israel smuggling and terrorism, as the Grad rockets fired at Eilat from Sinai earlier this month clearly demonstrated.
And most of the weapons Hamas has succeeded in stockpiling in Gaza were smuggled in through the infamous tunnels connecting the strip with Sinai.
Needless to say, an Israeli civilian and military presence in Sinai would have prevented this from occurring.
But with no Israeli forces stationed in the area, there is little that Israel can do about the terrorist threat other than to plead with Cairo to act.
In retrospect, the pullout from Sinai also had still another catastrophic effect on the Jewish state: it set the stage for later expulsions and launched a three-decade long period rife with Israeli retreat. The domino that fell in Sinai would later topple Bethlehem, Hebron and Jenin, and ultimately Gush Katif and Amona.
And now the world wishes to see Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem too, fall as well. But this is not a child's game. It is about the very existence of the state of Israel and the Jewish people. Our future is at stake, and we must resolutely turn back the clock and forestall any more withdrawals.
The steady march of capitulation that began in Yamit and continued on through the Oslo process has brought this nation to the brink of disaster, resulting in increasing violence and bloodshed.
We must put an end to this headlong rush towards calamity.
Let us use this anniversary of the original sin of the Yamit withdrawal to draw a line in the sand, literally and figuratively, and declare once and for all: never again will Israel uproot Jews from their homes.
We cannot allow the mistakes of the past to dictate future events.
Yamit's legacy is one of desolation and despair. Let's make ours one of destiny and hope.


Similar to Ruby and Sapphire, I was curious if there had been a similar program for FireRed and LeafGreen?
Are you talking about finding genes/IVs? It works exactly the same as in RuSa; there's a calculator at http://pokefor.tk/.
Cheat Calculator for RS, complete with making Pokemon out of thin air with max genes, shinyness, and effort.
I was wondering if there was a similar program for FireRed/LeafGreen.


The last few months have been very busy at Resapol, as we've been making an appearance at a number of trade shows up and down the UK. We even hosted an industry event of our own at our Leigh head office. Here is a rundown of the events we've been at recently. If you met us at one of them, be sure to get in touch with us!
The Structural Concrete Alliance (SCA) held a practical demonstration day at Resapol's head office in Leigh, Greater Manchester on the 6th September. The free CPD event offered delegates the opportunity to see and partake in interactive demonstrations of repair, protection, strengthening, and sprayed concrete techniques. We were very proud to host the event at Resapol, and plans are already in place to host the SCA event next year.
For any business involved in concrete repair or preservation, the various roadshows held by the SCA are a great opportunity to meet other people and businesses in the industry, and learn some new ideas and new techniques. The event covered causes of corrosion; electrochemical systems; concrete repairs and coatings; carbon fibre strengthening and sprayed concrete; as well as inspection and testing techniques.
We exhibited at London Build at the end of October, joining some of the biggest names in UK construction at the Kensington Olympia conference centre. We were there as an exhibitor, but as well as flying the flag for Resapol, we were able to get away to chat to some of the other exhibitors, and catch some of the many talks going on throughout the day.
At the start of November we headed north of the border to Edinburgh, to take part in the Traffex Road Expo in Edinburgh. The event brings together more than one thousand members of the UK highways industry from over 100 companies. We learnt a lot from our contemporaries in the industry and made the most of the opportunity to network with them too.
As with the event in London, it was great to attend the SCA Roadshow in Birmingham. Much like the London event, we used the one in Birmingham as an opportunity to network with people in the industry, and to learn from our contemporaries.
2017 may be coming to an end, but we've still got one more event to attend before the year is out. If you're going to Scotland Build next week, be sure to come and say hi to us! We're going to be exhibiting at the trade fair, and we'll be available to discuss Resapol's service across both days.


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This is how Sam Adams will help launch your vet-owned business
Do you love beer? Do you love money? Are you a military veteran who owns a business? Would you like to improve your business strategy and learn from experts through mentoring in essential business disciplines, such as social media, sales and distribution, marketing, and package design?
If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then listen up. The StreetShares Foundation is teaming up with Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream to provide the military and veteran-community with access to capital and mentoring through StreetShares' Veteran Small Business Awards.
The StreetShares' Veteran Small Business Award will provide $100,000 in business grants to the chosen recipient in addition to educational resources and support. By connecting you with experts and hosting speed-coaching events all across the country, StreetShares gets to help you, a veteran and entrepreneur, succeed!
To apply, submit a video pitch and short application to the StreetShares Foundation website. In your application, be sure to include a business idea, how you'd use reward funds, how your product or service fits your target market, team and company history, and how your business impacts the military and veteran community.
(The StreetShares Foundation Twitter)
About the StreetShares Foundation
The StreetShares Foundation was launched on Veterans Day, 2016, with the goal of educating, inspiring, and supporting veteran business owners across America. The Foundation is run by veterans and is based just outside of our nation's capital.
"Research shows military veterans give back to their communities in powerful ways. But studies also show this special breed of entrepreneurs need coaching and better mentor networks," said StreetShares Foundation Board Member, Mark L. Rockefeller. "Our partnership with Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream addresses these needs head-on. Together, we'll provide community-impact veteran business owners with free coaching, mentoring, and grants to put their dreams in motion."
For more information, visit their website.
(Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream)
About Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream
Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream is a philanthropic program that embodies Sam Adams' pursuit for greatness by providing food and beverage startups with real-world business advice. Since 2008, they've provided coaching and loans to over 40 breweries across the country totaling more than id="listicle-2557006807″ million.
Samuel Adams - American Revolution - HISTORY.com
Samuel Adams | American politician | Britannica.com
Brewing the American Dream
5 everyday items with military roots
These items make our lives easier every day, but none of them would exist without their military beginnings.
1. Duct Tape
The miracle tool was invented in 1942 as a way to waterproof ammunition cases. Soldiers fighting World War II quickly realized the tape they used to seal their ammo had a number of other uses.
For better or for worse. And for the record, it was originally known as "duck tape," because the tape was adhesive stuck to waterproof duck cloth. The strength and durability make it the ideal tape for hilarious pranks.
2. EpiPen
The autoinjector pen used to help fight off allergic reactions has its design roots in U.S. military Nuclear-Biological-Chemical warfare operations. The same technology which injects epinephrine into a bee-sting victim was developed to quickly give a troop a dose of something to counter a chemical nerve agent.
3. Beer Keg Tap
Tap that. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)
This one is actually kind of backwards. Richard Spikes was an inventor with a number of successful creations by the time he invented the multiple-barreled machine gun in 1940. He invented the weapon using the same principles as his first invention, the beer keg tap.
4. The Bikini
The inspiration for this one is more for the name than the item itself. In the late 1940s, a car engineer name Louis Réard developed a swimsuit he was sure would be the smallest bathing suit in the world. Expecting the spread of his design to be an explosive one, he called the suit the Bikini, after Bikini Atoll, the lonely Pacific Island where the West conducted nuclear weapons tests.
The bikini might also be a mind control device to get you to do things you don't want to do. Like eat lettuce.
5. WD-40
Meaning "Water Displacement, 40th Formula," WD-40 was first developed to keep the very thin "balloon" tank of Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles from rusting and otherwise corroding. The tanks had to be inflated with nitrogen to keep them from collapsing.
WD-40 remembers its roots: last year the company led a fundraising and awareness campaign, using its can to help fight veteran unemployment through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Hire Our Heroes initiative to help find meaningful employment for transitioning veterans.
Chinese Navy may outnumber US Navy by 2020
Warrior Scout
China's carrier Liaoning | PLAN photo
Ongoing U.S.-China tensions in the South China Sea regarding Chinese artificial island-building are leading many at the Pentagon to sharpen their focus upon the rapid pace of Chinese Naval modernization and expansion.
While Chinese naval technology may still be substantially behind current U.S. platforms, the equation could change dramatically over the next several decades because the Chinese are reportedly working on a handful of high-tech next-generation ships, weapons and naval systems.
China has plans to grow its navy to 351 ships by 2020 as the Chinese continue to develop their military's ability to strike global targets, according to a recent Congressional report.
The 2014 U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission recommended to Congress that the U.S. Navy respond by building more ships and increase its presence in the Pacific region – a strategy the U.S. military has already started.
Opponents of this strategy point out that the U.S. has 11 aircraft carriers, the Chinese have one and China's one carrier still lacks an aircraft wing capable of operating off of a carrier deck. However, several recent reports have cited satellite photos showing that China is now building its own indigenous aircraft carriers. Ultimately, the Chinese plan to acquire four aircraft carriers, the reports say.
The commission cites platforms and weapons systems the Chinese are developing, which change the strategic calculus regarding how U.S. carriers and surface ships might need to operate in the region.
These include the LUYANG III, a new class of Chinese destroyer slated to enter the fleet this year. These ships are being engineered with vertically-launched, long-range anti-ship cruise missiles, the commission said. The new destroyer will carry an extended-range variant of the HHQ-9 surface-to-air missile, among other weapons, the report says.
Furthermore, the Chinese may already be beginning construction on several of their own indigenous aircraft carriers. China currently has one carrier, the Ukranian-built Liaoning. It is not expected to have an operational carrier air wing until sometime this year, according to the report.
The Chinese are currently testing and developing a new, carrier-based fighter aircraft called the J-15.
Regarding amphibious assault ships, the Chinese are planning to add several more YUZHAO LPDs, amphibs which can carry 800 troops, four helicopters and up to 20 armored vehicles, the report said.
The Chinese are also working on development of a new Type 055 cruiser equipped with land-attack missiles, lasers and rail-gun weapons, according to the review.
China's surface fleet is also bolstered by production of at least 60 smaller, fast-moving HOBEI-glass guided missile patrol boats and ongoing deliveries of JIANGDAO light frigates armed with naval guns, torpedoes and anti-ship cruise missiles.
The commission also says Chinese modernization plans call for a sharp increase in attack submarines and nuclear-armed submarines or SSBNs. Chinese SSBNs are now able to patrol with nuclear-armed JL-2 missiles able to strike targets more than 4,500 nautical miles.
The Chinese are currently working on a new, modernized SSBN platform as well as a long-range missile, the JL-3, the commission says.
While the commission says the exact amount of Chinese military spending is difficult to identify, China's projected defense spending for 2014 is cited at $131 billion, approximately 12.2 percent greater than 2013. This figure is about one sixth of what the U.S. spends annually.
The Chinese defense budget has increased by double digits since 1989, the commission states, resulting in annual defense spending doubling since 2008, according to the report.
Some members of Congress, including the House Armed Services Committee's Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., are advocating for both a larger U.S. Navy and a stronger U.S. posture toward China's behavior in the region.
Here's The Hilarious Result Of Mashing Up Left Shark With Famous Military Quotes
We all know by now that Left Shark was the big hit of the big Super Bowl game, but he's also pretty influential in military circles.
Well, at least he should be. Check out these famous military quotes with the infamous Gen. Left Shark, the hero we need and deserve.
Gen. James "Mad Shark" Mattis is not afraid to fail, whether behind Katy Perry or in front of Marines.
You shouldn't be bummed just because you're decisively engaged. Smile as you practice your marksmanship.
Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. reminded Katy Perry and Right Shark that if they can't lead properly, Left Shark will make it's own choreography.
Sure, there are plenty of dancers on the stage. But only one is Greek Left Shark Hericlitus.
Mad Shark Mattis reminds his enemies that, yes, he wants peace, but he has endless teeth to destroy those who don't.
Sgt. Left Shark wants good morale, and he will have it by any means necessary.
Gen. Left Shark Patton Jr. knows how you win wars.
Gen. Left Shark Sherman brought great destruction across the South during the Civil War. When protests reached him, he was unapologetic.
Sgt. Maj. Dan Left Shark Daly might be able to live forever, but he doesn't see any reason to.
General Douglas Left Shark McArthur never went in for ball point pens when firings pins were an option.
1917′ cinematographer had to 'literally stand around for hours waiting for a cloud'
Roger Deakins has dazzled moviegoers for decades with visuals that have gone on to become the most memorable in modern film history.
The frigid vistas in "Fargo," the dreamy Western plains in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," the gritty underground world of drug cartels in "Sicario," and the washed out future in "Blade Runner 2049" (which finally earned him his first-ever Oscar), all came from Deakins.
It's hard to imagine he could do anything that would top this legendary body of work.
But he has with "1917."
Marking Deakins' latest collaboration with Sam Mendes (the two worked together on "Jarhead," "Revolutionary Road," and "Skyfall"), the story follows two British soldiers during World War I who have to travel behind enemy lines to deliver a message that will stop 1,600 of their allies from walking into a trap. And in telling that story, Deakins makes it feel like the entire movie is done in one continuous shot.
The hugely ambitious idea paid off. The movie, currently in theaters, has found critical acclaim, box-office glory, and award-season praise as it won three Golden Globes (including best director for Mendes and best drama) followed by 10 Oscar nominations.
"Blade Runner 2049" is the only movie for which Roger Deakins has won an Oscar.
(Warner Bros.)
Among them was Deakins for best cinematography, the 15th time he's been nominated.
If you were looking for a sure bet this Oscars, it's that Deakins will take home his second Oscar when the awards are handed out on February 9. But don't count on the man himself to get too excited.
The 70-year-old Englishman has been the frontrunner too many times before, only to leave empty-handed, to listen to any Oscars handicapping. In fact, he's so modest it's hard to get many details out of him on how he actually pulled off the ambitious shooting technique that has become the biggest draw of the movie.
"We had a lot of prep and we could just work through all the problems," he said in a laid-back tone to Business Insider hours after the Oscar nominations were announced on Monday.
But finally he let out something that did scare him. It was something that even a legend like himself, who has come across seemingly every scenario behind the camera, could not control: the weather.
"That was a bit tricky," he said, with just the hint of dry English humor.
Most of "1917," which takes place over two days, is shot over grey skies. The gloom adds to the despair of the story's war-torn surroundings. But Deakins said it was also a choice he kept pushing for early on in preproduction.
"Just practically we had to shoot in cloud," he said, looking back. "Either you shoot it in real time, at the right time of day, which you never do unless you have months and months of time. Or you shoot in cloud and time it to look that way."
Knowing most of the filming would be done at Shepperton Studios in Scotland, the movie's production office looked up what the weather was in the area the year before at the time they were going to shoot. Deakins was disappointed in the answer: "Apparently it was gorgeous."
But the movie moved forward, which included Deakins and his team rehearsing the shots constantly with the small, light-weight cameras made especially for the movie from Arri Alexa.
Everyone was ready when the first day of shooting came in April of last year, but there was one problem.
"There wasn't a cloud in the sky," Deakins said. "It certainly made me anxious."
While producers were on the phone explaining to the studio, Universal, and financiers why they couldn't begin production because the weather was too nice, Mendes, Deakins, and the rest of the actors and crew were back to rehearsing in the trenches made for the movie.
Thankfully, the second day was a cloudy one and production was able to get back on track as they also made up the previous day's shooting. Deakins said that's how it was for most of production. If clouds weren't in the forecast, everyone waited around until the day came when there was — and then everyone doubled their efforts to stay on schedule.
"We would literally stand around for hours waiting for a cloud to come by," Deakins said. "I had five different weather apps on my iPhone. Every radar I could get. You look at them and try to find the one that will tell you what you want."
Shooting a scene from '1917.'
(Francois Duhamel / Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures)
Then the day came when he wanted some sun. At the end of the movie, for a shot where the movie's lead, Schofield (George MacKay), is sitting by a tree, Deakins said he wanted the shot to show some rays of sunlight in the sky.
"There was this little cloud coming over the sun so before we shot that section we called everyone over and said, 'Let's shoot it, we might get lucky,' and sure enough when it got to the end of the take the sun came out," he said.
"That was the first take," Deakins continued, with a certain pride he didn't show earlier in our conversation. "We shot it another fifteen or twenty times, but Sam liked that first one. And it was the only one where the sun came out. We never got that again."
Looking back on the experience, Deakins said he would be up for shooting a movie again like this — though he wonders if anyone would want to.
"I don't think many directors would want to tell the story in that way," he said. "But it doesn't scare me off at all. It would be quite fascinating to do it on something else."
It's good to see that even a legend has dreams for what the future could hold.
This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Follow @BusinessInsider on Twitter.
'1917' to pass 'Star Wars' at the box office after Golden Globes wins ...
'1917' military advisor shares how he got actors ready for WWI ...
'1917' review: Bold, striking war film and Golden Globe winner ...
Sam Mendes explains why he made '1917' in one long take ...
'1917' wins weekend box office with stong $36.5 million earned ...
Now that ISIS is on the ropes, these guys have turned the guns on each other
Iraqi government forces launched an operation against Kurdistan's Peshmerga military forces over the weekend to capture Kirkuk, a disputed, oil-rich city in the country's north.
The Kurds defeated Islamic State fighters to take control of Kirkuk in 2014, but Iraq's central government had refused to recognize their sovereignty over the city since it falls outside of Kurdistan's internationally recognized autonomous region.
As the details continue to develop, here's a breakdown of the basics.
An Iraqi pilot walks to a Iraqi AC-208 Caravan for a training mission at Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq. For the first time since the re-formation of the Iraqi air force, an Iraqi pilot fired a missile from an a AC-208 Nov. 04, 2009, at a target on a bombing range near Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. (Photo: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon)
Conflicting stories emerged Oct. 16 as clashes broke out in areas outside the city, causing an unknown number of casualties. Iraqi forces claimed they had seized military bases and oil fields around Kirkuk, and had forced the Kurds to withdraw from the city. The Kurdistan Regional Government has rejected those claims.
The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that the US military said it believed any clashes between the Kurds and Baghdad "was a misunderstanding and not deliberate as two elements attempted to link up under limited visibility conditions."
Army Major General Robert White, the commander of US-led coalition forces in Iraq, called for both parties to reconcile their differences through peace, and "remain focused on the defeat of our common enemy," ISIS.
President Donald Trump weighed in on Monday afternoon, as well, saying the US would not back one side over the other. "We don't like the fact that they're clashing. We're not taking sides," Trump said in a press conference.
Three days before clashes erupted, rumors surfaced of an impending Iraqi government assault on the Kurds. In response, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi took to Twitter to debunk the accusation.
"Our armed forces cannot and will not attack our citizens, whether Arab or Kurd," he said. "The fake news being spread has a deplorable agenda behind."
Amid reports of a looming attack, Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani ordered Peshmerga forces on Sunday to not "initiate any war, but if any advancing militia starts shooting, then Peshmerga have been given a green light to use every power to stand against them."
By Monday afternoon, Reuters reported that thousands of Kurds had fled the city of Kirkuk, which has a population of over 1 million people. About 6% of the world's oil comes from Kirkuk province, according to CNN.
Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider Al-Abadi. Photo from Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Kurdish nationalism has long been a source of tension between Iraq's central government and the Kurds, both of which are strong US allies.
This tension was exacerbated after close to 93% of Kurds, which control a large swath of territory in northern Iraq, voted to declare Kurdistan an independent state on September 25. Baghdad has condemned the referendum and urged Kurdish leaders to reject it. Neighboring countries Iran and Turkey also opposed the vote.
The White House also warned against holding a vote on independence and called on the Kurdistan Regional Government to pursue dialogue with Baghdad.
"Holding the referendum in disputed areas is particularly provocative and destabilizing," the White House said in a statement before vote.
ISIS has a history of targeting Kurds and their allies. (Dept. of Defense photo)
The independence referendum and latest round of clashes between Kurdish and Iraqi forces puts the Trump administration in a particularly strangling bind. Over the years, the US has trained and supplied weapons and equipment to both sides of the conflict with the intention of defeating ISIS. Now those very same weapons are being used by US allies against other US allies.
Iran's interference in the conflict also remains a top concern for American officials. The Iraqi-backed Popular Mobilization Forces — Shi'ite Muslim paramilitary units that have been fighting against the Kurds — presents another challenge for US mediation efforts in the region. Iran not only supports these Popular Mobilization Forces, but provides direct training and weaponry to its fighters.
The New York Times reported in July that Iran's presence in Iraq was a consequence of former President Barack Obama's decision to withdraw US troops from the country in 2011. This move has divided Republicans and Democrats in the US, and was a key campaign issue in the 2016 elections.
The Kurdish Peshmerga platoon of the newly-formed Joint Iraqi Security Company marches to class, Mosul, Iraq. The U.S. 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division are jointly training Kurdish and Iraqi forces, to become the first self-sufficient local military force.
What could happen next?
No one is really sure. The situation is still unfolding, with Iraqi and Kurdish leaders shifting blame on their opponents for the escalation in violence.
Even though the US has downplayed the clashes as simply a "misunderstanding," it's difficult to ascertain the true level of tension on the ground.
Conflicting claims from Iraqi government and Kurdish officials further complicate the situation. No matter what happens, these developments will surely add to Trump's challenges in the Middle East.
The Marines are getting a new light armored vehicle
The Marines are trading in their old Light Armored Vehicle for a new model – and it's about time. In an age of stealth tanks and lasers, the Marines are still driving around in the 1983 model. But you'd never know it. The Corps' LAV-25 has seen action from Panama to Afghanistan and everywhere in between, and few would complain about her performance.
But times are changing, and even the Marines are going to change with them. Within the next decade, for sure.
Staff Sgt. Heighnbaugh, a platoon sgt. with the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Platoon (reinforced), Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, fires a M240G medium machinegun on a light armored vehicle at the Su Song Ri Range, South Korea.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kamran Sadaghiani)
The modern Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle will likely show up "in the next decade," according to the Marine Corps. It will be highly mobile, networked, transportable, protected and lethal while the new technology allows it to take on the roles normally used by more heavily armored vehicles.
"The ARV will be an advanced combat vehicle system, capable of fighting for information that balances competing capability demands to sense, shoot, move, communicate and remain transportable as part of the naval expeditionary force," said John "Steve" Myers, program manager for MCSC's LAV portfolio.
A LAV-25 patrolling the area near the Panama Canal during Operation Just Cause.
The Marine Corps didn't list any specific roles or technologies they would look at integrating into the new modern Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle but the Office of Naval Research "has begun researching advanced technologies to inform requirements, technology readiness assessments, and competitive prototyping efforts for the next-generation ARV."
"The Marine Corps is examining different threats," said Kimberly Bowen, deputy program manager of Light Armored Vehicles. "The ARV helps the Corps maintain an overmatched peer-to-peer capability."
The Corps wants the new vehicle to equip the Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions inside Marine divisions with a solution for combined arms, all-weather, sustained reconnaissance, and security missions by the mid-2020s.
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Light Armored Vehicles
17 brilliant insights from legendary Marine general James Mattis
Team Mighty
Posted On December 09, 2020 18:49:31
Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis is a legend in the military. Revered by Marines and non-Marines alike, Mattis has taken on the persona of a modern-day Patton — having the knowledge and insight to lead his Marines through combat, while standing behind them and taking the heat if things go bad. In short, Mattis is a hell of a leader.
In 2013 while serving as commander of Central Command in Tampa, Fla., Mattis retired after four decades of service. Since then, he's been teaching at Stanford and Dartmouth, as well as speaking across the country on leadership. He's also working on a book with author Bing West.
We looked back at some of the best insights he offered, through a great collection of quotes. Most apply strictly to military service, but some can be just as useful in the corporate boardroom.
"You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it's going to be bad."
The "dream world" Mattis is talking about is one of denial and complacency — a mood in combat that can get you killed. And in corporate America, it can get you wiped out by the competition.
"If in order to kill the enemy you have to kill an innocent, don't take the shot. Don't create more enemies than you take out by some immoral act."
Mattis, who co-wrote the manual for Counterinsurgency with Gen. David Petraeus, knows well that troops cannot win over the population to their side if they are killing the wrong people. His advice here to soldiers and Marines is spot on.
"I don't lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word."
Of course he can spell it but that's not the point. Mattis wants to impress upon his troops that failure should not be an option.
Before his Marines deployed to Iraq in 2003, he told them this (along with many other great pieces of advice in a now-famous letter). His point here is to be a professional warfighter who can be polite with civilians, but always remember that if things go south, the dirty work needs to get done.
"The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some sh–heads in the world that just need to be shot. There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim."
Recalling the mentality of the wolf, the sheep, and the sheepdog, Mattis understands that there is evil in the world. It's important for his men to be prepared for whether they will be the hunter or the victim if they ever face it.
"There are some people who think you have to hate them in order to shoot them. I don't think you do. It's just business."
One of his more controversial quotes, to be sure. But in Mattis' view, to be a professional, you need to have a professional mindset. It's not really necessary to get emotional about what you have to do. It just needs to get done.
"You can overcome wrong technology. Your people have the initiative, they see the problem, no big deal … you can't overcome bad culture. You've gotta change whoever is in charge."
In a talk at Stanford, Mattis was relating how toxic culture can bring down an organization that has everything else right. The culture of an organization comes from the top, and if that part is screwed up, there are going to be problems.
"The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears."
Mattis doesn't want robots just mindlessly following his orders. As a leader, he gives broad guidance and lets his men use their own brains to decide how it gets accomplished.
"Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they're so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact."
"In this age, I don't care how tactically or operationally brilliant you are, if you cannot create harmony — even vicious harmony — on the battlefield based on trust across service lines, across coalition and national lines, and across civilian/military lines, you need to go home, because your leadership is obsolete. We have got to have officers who can create harmony across all those lines."
Mattis implores his officers to not get stuck in their own little boxes. Learning how to be brilliant on the battlefield is important, but it's more important to be able to work with others to get the job done.
"PowerPoint makes us stupid."
Military officers endure (and have to create) tons of PowerPoint briefings to inform their chain of command what's going on. Mattis however, is not one of those officers. He actually banned PowerPoint since he saw it as a waste of time.
"You are part of the world's most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon."
Mattis wants his Marines to always be thinking before they take the shot. It's advice that has no doubt saved lives.
"An untrained or uneducated Marine … deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment … than the enemy."
The biggest detriment to mission accomplishment is not from the competition, but from within. Having the right mindset and skills is what results in getting results.
"No war is over until the enemy says it's over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote."
Combat doesn't happen in a vacuum. All the planning, meetings, and briefings on what potentially can happen in a given situation are good, but the bad guys will always react in uncertain ways. The key is to be prepared for anything.
"Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down."
Just because you are at the top of your game doesn't mean someone won't come along to knock you down. Units (and individuals) need to be vigilant and make sure that doesn't happen.
"Ultimately, a real understanding of history means that we face NOTHING new under the sun."
Mattis is an avid reader. On all his deployments, the general brought along a ton of books that he thought may help him along the way. In an email that went viral (via Business Insider) on the importance of reading, Mattis wrote that it "doesn't give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead."
"You've been told that you're broken. That you're damaged goods … there is also Post-Traumatic Growth. You come back from war stronger and more sure of who you are."
While giving a speech to veterans in San Francisco, Mattis tried to dispel the mindset that those leaving the service should be pitied. Instead, he told them, use your experiences as a positive that teaches you to be a better person.
Here's how the Battle of the Coral Sea would go down today
The Battle of the Coral Sea is notable for being the first naval battle in which ships fought without ever sighting the enemy fleet. This means that all the fighting was done with aircraft — the ships themselves never exchanged fire.
But how would that same carrier battle play out today?
Let's assume for the sake of this thought experiment that the United States is operating a pair of carriers, like USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), with a pair of Ticonderoga-class cruisers and eight Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Let's not forget the support from Australia and New Zealand — today, that'd be one Hobart-class destroyer and three Anzac-class frigates (two Australian, one from New Zealand) joining the escort.
The likely opponent? Let's say the People's Liberation Army Navy has sent both of their Kuznetsov-class carriers, escorted by four Type 52C destroyers and four Sovremennyy-class destroyers.
This map shows how the original Battle of the Coral Sea went down.
(U.S. Army)
The Chinese carriers would be operating at somewhat of a disadvantage from the get-go. The American-Australian force would have the benefit of land-based maritime patrol planes, like the P-3 Orion and P-8 Poseidon, as well as radar planes, like the E-3 Sentry and E-2 Hawkeye. These planes would likely find the Chinese carriers and get a position report off. The pilots would be heroes. Unfortunately, a J-15 Flanker would likely shoot them down quickly thereafter.
By this point, though, the Carl Vinson and Gerald R. Ford are going to be launching their alpha strikes on the Chinese carriers. Each of these carriers will be operating 36 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and a dozen F-35C Lightnings. This strike will likely be done in conjunction with some B-1B Lancers operating from Australia or some other land base.
The Liaoning would be at a disadvantage in a present-day Battle of the Coral Sea.
(Japanese Ministry of Defense)
The Chinese J-15s will fight valiantly, but the American carrier-based fighters will probably wipe them out – though they'll suffer some losses in the process. The Chinese force will, however, be hit by a number of AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles. The carriers will be sunk or seriously damaged, left stranded a long way from home. One or both may even be sunk by submarines later (an American submarine tried to attack the damaged Shokaku after the Battle of the Coral Sea, but failed to get in position).
Ultimately, as was the case in the first Battle of the Coral Sea, the United States would win. This time, though, it would be a much more unequivocal victory.
The Battle of the Coral Sea: The Debut of Aircraft Carriers - History
Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea | Royal Australian Navy
Battle of Coral Sea - World War II - HISTORY.com
These are the still-missing sailors who fell victim to the USS McCain collision
The U.S. Navy has suspended its search for nine missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain after looking in vain for more than 80 hours.
Despite help from other countries, the Navy was unable to find the nine sailors within a 2,100-square mile area. However, the Navy will continue to look for any sailors who may have been trapped inside the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, which collided with a Liberian merchant vessel Aug. 21 east of the Malacca Strait.
In the aftermath of the collision, divers recovered the body of another one of the sailors, Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith, a 22-year-old from New Jersey.
Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Aaron Smith. (Photo courtesy U.S. Navy)
Here are the nine missing sailors, according to a release from the 7th Fleet (All photos courtesy of the U.S. Navy):
Electronics Technician 1st Class Charles Nathan Findley, 31, from Missouri
Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Abraham Lopez, 39, from Texas
Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kevin Sayer Bushell, 26, from Maryland
Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jacob Daniel Drake, 21, from Ohio
Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr., 23, from Maryland
Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Corey George Ingram, 28, from New York
(no official photo available)
Electronics Technician 3rd Class Dustin Louis Doyon, 26, from Connecticut
Electronics Technician 3rd Class John Henry Hoagland III, 20, from Texas
Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Logan Stephen Palmer, 23, from Illinois
The Navy is still investigating the collision, and following the crash, the commander of the 7th Fleet Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin was dismissed Wednesday, a rare event. Notably, Aucoin was set to retire in just a few weeks.
Rear Adm. Phil Sawyer has subsequently assumed command.
An investigation is still underway into the incident, but a Navy official told CNN that the USS John S. McCain was hit by a steering failure and the backup steering system was not activated.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson stated Monday that there's no indication that a cyber attack knocked out the USS John S. McCain's steering capabilities, but nevertheless the possibility of an attack will be investigated.
The 2018 VETTY Awards recognized exemplary service to the veteran community
In acknowledgement of veterans that have gone beyond their call of duty, the 3rd annual VETTY awards recognized marquee veterans that have exemplified ongoing public service and advocacy efforts, and who have demonstrated exceptional contribution and service to the veteran community in 2017.
Chief Washington Correspondent and CNN anchor journalist, Jake Tapper, hosted the event, held Jan. 20 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC.
Seda Goff accepting the VETTY for Employment on behalf of Bunker Labs with Mark Rockefeller and Sofia Pernas.
Tapper is known for his vocal advocacy of the veteran community and his book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Bestseller list.
His work reporting on veterans earned him the "Tex" McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
Esteemed speakers and presenters for the red carpet event included Marine Corps and Navy veteran Montel Williams of The Montel Williams Show, and actress Anne Heche, series lead of the hit NBC military drama, The Brave .
Montel Williams gives a passionate speech to the VETTY audience.
During Williams speech, he recognized what an honor it is to be a United States military veteran.
"I get the opportunity to travel around this country on a daily basis—and there is nothing prouder in my life—or world—than to be able to step up and say that I am a veteran."
Williams also empathized with his fellow veterans about where some Americans choose to share their loyalty.
"It bothers me… but… last week another awards show had 25 million people watching—but none of those people would have the right to get an award without the people sitting in this room."
His comments were met by a roar of applause—but how fitting his comments considering the audience.
Winners Of The 3rd Annual VETTY Awards
Mental Health: Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc.
Education: Dustin Perkins | Director of Marketing | Student Veterans of America
Leadership: Sarah Verardo | Executive Director | The Independence Fund
Employment: Bunker Labs
Community: National Veterans Legal Services Program
Honorary VETTY: Steven D. Vincent | Senior Business Development Manager | tiag® (The Informatics Applications Group, Inc.)
Honorary VETTY: George A. Chewning, II | Director of Governmental Affairs | Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation
Among the VETTYs attendees were respected veterans and mil-spouse entrepreneurs that dedicate their lives to supporting a community—a community that is first to support our great nation—but reserved when is comes to applause.
VETTY attendees dressed in their best for a night of recognizing incredible veterans.
Presenting at this year's awards were not only celebrities like Emmy-winning actress Shohreh Aghdashloo and Mike Vogel of NBC's The Brave , but also veterans such as Army veteran and former Seattle Seahawks long-snapper, Nate Boyer, and Air Force veteran and the CEO of Streetshares, Mark Rockefeller.
Another notable presenter was Navy SEAL, Shark Tank success story, and CEO of Bottle Breacher, Eli Crane—a man that has been vocal in his support of the United States and his veteran comrades through today's troubling political environment.
Crane was seen with Marine Corps veteran Eric Mitchell of LifeFlip Media, Navy SEAL veteran Sal DeFranco and his wife Dana of Battle Grounds Coffee , and Marine Corps veteran Travis McVey of Heroes Vodka.
The Academy of United States Veterans (AUSV) established the annual VETTY awards in 2015 to recognize the most impactful entities that contribute to the well-being of the veteran community.
The AUSV was founded with one principle in mind: the importance of public service.
They inspire veterans who have found their purpose in serving their country—and hopes to encourage a culture where caring for one another is not considered a duty, but a joy.
In respects to their principals, the AUSV has pledged to donate a portion of the evening's profits to helping restore the livelihoods of our fellow citizens who have been affected by the devastation of Hurricanes 2017.
President Trump was not impressed with Russia's new missile
Russia on March 30, 2018, said it had tested a new type of nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile known by NATO as the "Satan 2."
The country's president, Vladimir Putin, has said the missile can defeat any US missile defenses amid growing talk of an arms race with the US and President Donald Trump.
Putin spent much of his State of the Nation address on March 1, 2018, hyping up and showing animations of new nuclear weapons systems Russia was developing. He claimed they could all defeat US missile defenses.
But an arms race requires two to tango, and Trump has also been vocal about establishing US nuclear supremacy. The US also recently conducted a routine test of its Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile, which is so accurate that experts fear it may put Russia on edge and actually make it more likely to strike first.
And the feeling of nuclear inadequacy may be mutual
This is how you get an arms race
Putin's nuclear chest-thumping "really got under the president's skin," according to a White House official cited by NBC News on March 29, 2018.
On a recent phone call between the two leaders, which made headlines for Trump's decision to congratulate Putin on his less-than-democratic reelection, Trump and Putin reportedly butted heads.
"If you want to have an arms race, we can do that, but I'll win," Trump told him, according to NBC.
Putin said in his address that Russia was working on more and more-varied nuclear weapon delivery systems than the US. Trump has also planned a few new nuclear weapons for the US, but they show a very different philosophy.
While Putin described working on a weapon experts have called a "doomsday device" that would render large swaths of the world uninhabitable for decades, Trump's nuclear posture review put forth the idea of building smaller nuclear warheads— with the idea that smaller nukes would be easier to use and less likely to start a massive escalation.
"We had a very good call," Trump said late March 2018 of his chat with Putin. "I suspect that we'll probably be meeting in the not-too-distant future to discuss the arms race, which is getting out of control, but we will never allow anybody to have anything even close to what we have."
The US and Russia once endangered the world with almost 70,000 nukes
Nuclear weapons stockpiles and inventories of the US and the Soviet Union/Russia from 1945 to 2006.
Photo by Fastfission
In saying he would not allow anyone to match the US's nuclear might, Trump may have unknowingly articulated just how arms races spiral out of control. Because Trump won't allow Russia to catch up with the US's nuclear might, and Russia feels the same way, the two sides seem destined to continue building up arms.
But arms races have come and gone before. At the height of the Cold War, for instance, the US alone had 30,000 nuclear weapons, with Russia holding a similar number.
As the Soviet Union collapsed and a climate of reconciliation allowed for arms control, that number dropped down to today's total of approximately 6,800 nuclear weapons in the US and 7,000 in Russia.
But even with today's limited stockpiles, the US or Russia could single-handedly destroy almost all life on earth. The risk of miscalculation runs high, and even the best-maintained nuclear-arsenal is prone to accidents.
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Army still testing Ripsaw 'Luxury Super Tank'
The U.S. Army continues to test a lightweight tracked vehicle known as Ripsaw that's now being pitched to the consumer market as a "luxury super tank."
A handful of the Ripsaw Extreme Vehicle 2, or EV2, products made by Howe and Howe Technologies Inc., based in Waterboro, Maine, are undergoing evaluations at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey to assess how they could be used in future combat operations. Indeed, on Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, head of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, rode in one of the vehicles with a driver as part of a demonstration.
Related: SOCOM plans to test Iron Man suit by 2018
The company describes the 750-horsepower, optionally manned vehicle — which is capable of reaching speeds of almost 100 miles per hour and costs roughly $250,000 — as a "handcrafted, limited-run, high-end, luxury super tank developed for the public and extreme off road recreation."
A handful of the Ripsaw Extreme Vehicle 2, or EV2, products made by Howe and Howe Technologies Inc., based in Waterboro, Maine, are undergoing evaluations at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. (Photo courtesy Howe and Howe)
For one, it's too light. At 9,000 pounds, the EV2 is closer in size to the Humvee than a tank. For example, the Army's M1A2 Abrams main battle tank tips the scales at more than 70 tons. Indeed, the Ripsaw isn't even in the same weight class as an M1126 Stryker Combat Vehicle or M2/M3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
Also, it doesn't carry the same firepower. The EV2 is designed to accommodate the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, which can mount any number of weapons — including the M2 .50-caliber machine gun, Mk19 40mm automatic grenade machine gun, M240B 7.62 mm machine gun and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. By comparison, the M1A2 tank's main armament is the 120mm L/44 M256A1 smoothbore tank gun.
Finally, it doesn't have any armor to speak of, just an aluminum frame with gull-wing doors. So it's really more of a tracked DeLorean than a tank (see picture below).
Even so, the manufacturer says the Ripsaw is the "fastest dual tracked vehicle ever developed."
And that may be why, several years after the vehicle was featured in "Popular Science" magazine in 2009, the Army remains interested in seeing how it might incorporate the EV2 into its combat formations. The service has tested the technology for at least a year — a soldier in 2016 operated a Ripsaw from a M113 Armored Personnel Carrier trailing a kilometer away, according to a press release at the time.
Here at Military.com, we're fascinated by the technology and reaching out to the Army to learn more about how officials are evaluating this slick ride, which is almost guaranteed to get more popular in the months and years ahead.
See the Ripsaw in action below:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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has been the August 1 hard fork and the possible birth of a new token called Bitcoin Cash (BCC). BTC and BCC Markets, yesterday bitcoin markets were very active, and bulls managed to push the price up to 2929 just twelve hours before the possible fork. Block 478558 was the last common block found and the next event will be the first Bitcoin Cash big block found which could take some time depending on hashrate. Looking for a hardware wallet?
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Visual Arts Centre @ Dhoby Ghaut BITSY is a platform that connects businesses and entrepreneurs to short term commercial spaces. Our vision is to make it easy for anyone to test their business idea.
Exhibition Gallery Hire — Located in the heart of the arts and heritage precinct of Dhoby Ghaut, its prime city central location is highly accessible via all modes of transport.
Visual Arts Centre Exhibition Gallery is a dedicated art space for international and local exhibitions of art and design, available for hire to individuals or groups.
The exhibition gallery presents a spacious, open and comfortable space, fully equipped with facilities to support various exhibitions, events, workshops and presentations. It is also suitable for hosting solo and group shows of local and international artists, collectors' private art collection exhibitions, art auctions, book launches and art workshops/seminars.
The Exhibition Gallery is a spacious rectangular space of 23 metres long and 7 metres wide, fully equipped to host various art and design exhibitions.


text:
Erin O'Brien est une actrice américaine, née le  à Sonora en Californie.

Biographie

Filmographie
 2007 : Salted Nuts : Daisy
 2010 : Revenants : la femme assassinée
 2012 : Behind the Scenes (série télévisée) : Babette
 2012 : Bikini Spring Break : Michelle
 2012 : Boyz of Summer : Michelle
 2012 : The Mentalist (série télévisée) : une sœur
 2012 : 12/12/12 : l'infirmière
 2013 : Chlorine : la secrétaire de Ted
 2014 : Jailbait : Kody
 2015 : All That Matters (série télévisée) : Molly
 2015 : 4Got10 : Jesse
 2015 : Buddy Hutchins : Allison
 2016 : Swap : Grace
 2016 : Code of Honor : Newscaster Erin
 2016 : Fight Valley : Duke
 2017 : One Penny : Jordan
 2017 : Wasps : Razor
 2017 : The Look-Book (série télévisée) : Chelsea
 2017 : Just Within Reach : Jade
 2017 : Day of Reckoning (court métrage) : Jenny
 2018 : Diverted Eden : Kandy
 2018 : What Death Leaves Behind : la femme
 2018 : Dirty Dead Con Men : Isabella
 2018 : Killing Joan : Cheryl
 2018 : Worthless : Elle Wurthmore
 2018 : Tremors (téléfilm) : la femme
 2018 : The Spare Room : Zamia
 2018 : Guitars and Guns : Olivia
 2018 : Clinton Road : Gianna
 2018 : Acts of Desperation : Sadie
 2018 : The Dark Field : Bela Dragulescu
 2018 : Don't Look There : les cheveux mauves
Prochainement
 2019 : Whiskey God
 2019 : Fight Valley 2: Lockdown : Duke

Liens externes

Actrice américaine
Naissance en novembre 1980
Naissance dans le comté de Tuolumne

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Show Response of Ajax request

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By Ajax Call i am getting this response from the json string in javascript

{ "consignmentList" : [ "" , "AAA" , "ABC" , "BHU" , "MAN" , "WER" , "ZXC"]}

and i want to parse this array string in javascript and display its values in the unodered list. and the backend response from the database is.

{ "_id" : ""}
  { "_id" : "AAA"}
  { "_id" : "ABC"}
  { "_id" : "BHU"}
  { "_id" : "MAN"}
  { "_id" : "WER"}
  { "_id" : "ZXC"}

function autocomplet() {
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    var consignmentList = $('#consignmentList');
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A: You can do it this way...
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Our warehouse is in Inner Melbourne. We ship our cable cover solutions to all areas of Australia and NZ. All prices quoted DO NOT include freight...this is additional. Due to the size and weight of the heavy duty units they must go by road freight.


text:
Last Call For Lindsey Faces The Graham Cracker
Sen. Lindsey Graham's debate with Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison didn't go well at all for the Republican, as Slate's Jim Newell explains:
Towards the end of Saturday night's first Senate debate between South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and his Democratic opponent, Jaime Harrison, the candidates were asked on what issues they would dissent with their parties. Graham, who'd been sticking for most of the hour to a controlled strategy of reciting warnings against what Democrats would do with power, seemed to loosen up.
"How long do you have?" Graham said. "So, Lindsey 'Grahamnesty' is my name on talk radio." He spoke about how he'd worked for "over a decade to get a comprehensive immigration solution." He'd worked on climate change, and when he voted for Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, he "got the crap beat out of me here at home by Republicans.
"When it's talking about working with the other side, it's not just talk with me," he said. "And I've got the political scars to prove it."
It was less self-flattery than reminiscence. Graham was waxing nostalgic about a once-prominent version of himself that hasn't been seen in recent years. Following the 2016 election, Graham rebuilt himself from a Trump skeptic to a vocal and loyal ally of the president, and those moments of working across the aisle at significant personal risk stopped coming. He's now a partisan warrior who broke an airtight vow against confirming a Supreme Court nominee in the last year of President Donald Trump's first term.
Harrison had said in his opening statement that Graham would likely "scare you to vote for him." The once freewheeling senator, indeed, had straitjacketed himself into that strategy, drawing from a grab bag of fears about the left at each opportunity.
In Graham's own opening statement, he observed that "this is a big-choice election between me and Mr. Harrison: capitalism versus socialism, conservative judges versus liberal judges, law and order versus chaos." This apocalyptic vision was everywhere. Responding to a question about whether teachers and students should be asked to return to an in-person, five-day school week without rapid COVID-19 testing available, Graham ended with a warning about how Democrats would pass "Medicare for All" and stack the Supreme Court. After fleshing out his position on enhanced unemployment benefits, Graham warned, again, that Democrats would pack the Supreme Court and eliminate the Electoral College. Graham said the worst thing that could happen to Myrtle Beach's economy is a Democratic administration and Congress that would tax and regulate it.
When Harrison hammered Graham on his reversal over filling a Supreme Court seat in the final year of Trump's term, Graham's strategy required him to just take it.
"Senator, how good is your word when you made a promise to the American people—even more, you made a promise to the folks in South Carolina—that you wouldn't be doing what you're doing right now?" Harrison said. "And that's the problem that I have, the greatest heresy that you could do as a public servant is to betray the trust of the people that you took an oath to serve.
"Just be a man about it," he said, "and stand up and say, 'You know what? I changed my mind. I'm going to do something else.' But don't go back and blame it on somebody else for a flip-flop that you're making yourself."
I expect we'll see at least a few more polls in SC for the Senate race, and I also expect they are not going to be good numbers for Graham. We'll see in the weeks ahead, but in case Cal Cunningham crashes and burns next door in NC, we'll need Harrison's win here in SC to help take the Senate back.
StupidiTags(tm): Huckleberry Graham, Vote Like Your Country Depends On It
Biden, His Time, Con't
The post-debate polls are in and Biden has gotten a significant boost this week. Reuters/Ipsos now has him up by 10 points over Trump.
Democrat Joe Biden opened his widest lead in a month in the U.S. presidential race after President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, and a majority of Americans think Trump could have avoided infection if he had taken the virus more seriously, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday.
The Oct. 2-3 national opinion poll gave little indication of an outpouring of support for the president beyond Trump's core group of followers, some of whom have gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the president has been hospitalized.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed the severity of the pandemic as something that would disappear on its own, chiding Biden as recently as last week for wearing a protective mask, even as the coronavirus infected millions of people and forced businesses and schools to close.
Among those adults who are expected to cast ballots in the Nov. 3 election, the poll found that 51% were backing Biden, while 41% said they were voting for Trump. Another 4% were choosing a third-party candidate and another 4% said they were undecided.
Biden's 10-point edge over Trump is 1 to 2 points higher than leads Biden posted over the past several weeks, though the increase is still within the poll's precision limits of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
It's even worse news for Trump in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll this week.
Joe Biden's national lead over President Donald Trump nearly doubled after Tuesday's presidential debate, with voters saying by a 2-to-1 margin that Biden has the better temperament to be president, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
The poll was conducted in the two days after the unruly and insult-filled Sept. 29 debate, but before Trump tested positive for Covid-19 and was hospitalized Friday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The Democratic nominee is now ahead of Trump by 14 points among registered voters, 53 percent to 39 percent — up from his 8-point lead in the previous poll before the debate.
That 14-point advantage represents Biden's largest lead in the NBC News/WSJ poll during the entirety of the 2020 presidential campaign; his previous high was 11 points in July.
Having said all that, remember the polls had Clinton ahead by a similar margin (12 points) as late as October 23, 2016.
We all know how that turned out. 30 days is a lifetime in politics.
Take nothing for granted, and vote early.
StupidiTags(tm): 2020 Elections, Biden-Harris, Vote Like Your Country Depends On It
Sunday Long Read: The Watchmen, Watching
New Yorker Magazine's Patrick Radden Keefe gives us this week's Sunday Long Read, where in 2020 corporate espionage isn't about how good your spies are, it's how good your counter-spies are. The private investigator is just as much a tool of law enforcement and detective work as police and federal agents are, and their services are a lot more accessible for Americans in a digital world where analog criminology still matters.
One day in 2016, a Manhattan private investigator named Tyler Maroney went to doorstep a seasoned criminal. In this era of the ubiquitous smartphone, even an unscheduled call can feel like an intrusion; showing up unannounced at someone's house can seem outright belligerent, and a bit antique. But Maroney, who is a careful student of human interaction, figured it's easier to hang up on someone than it is to slam a door in his face. The man he was looking for, Bill Antoni (a pseudonym), had a rap sheet that included charges for assault, burglary, and attempted manslaughter. He had recently been released from prison, and Maroney consulted a proprietary database to find his new address. When Maroney arrived at Antoni's apartment building, he found that the buzzer was on the fritz, so he waited until another tenant walked out, then slipped inside. As he was climbing the stairs, Maroney ran into a man who was walking out. He had tattooed arms and wore a gold chain around his neck.
"Mr. Antoni?" Maroney said.
In such encounters, some investigators adopt what is known as a "pretext," telling a fib about the purpose of their visit, or assuming a fake identity. Occasionally, the ruse is more elaborate, involving a fictitious business, with phony business cards, e-mail addresses, and social-media accounts. But Maroney takes a dim view of such subterfuge. "I'm a private detective," he said to Antoni. "I'm here to ask for your help on a case."
He had rehearsed this overture, hoping to make Antoni feel enlisted, rather than antagonized. "My client is a man who spent more than ten years in prison for a crime he did not commit," Maroney said. "He was a victim of police misconduct, and you may have information that can help."
Antoni had a sideline as a police informant, and, two decades earlier, he had offered sworn testimony to help convict Maroney's client of murder. Now the man was suing city authorities, and his attorneys hired Maroney, who runs a detective agency called QRI, to find the jailhouse snitch and see if he might recant.
Antoni invited his visitor in. A good sign. Prior to becoming a private investigator, Maroney had worked as a journalist, and he had an eye for detail. Surveying the apartment, he noticed moldings blurred by layers of accumulated paint, a CCTV camera, and, on a table, a holstered Glock. One wall was decorated with a homemade collage of J.F.K. memorabilia: photos of Jackie Kennedy, Hyannis Port, the grassy knoll. Unprompted, Antoni declared, "Kennedy was the last great American." And, when he said that, Maroney knew: this guy was going to talk.
People talk to a detective for different reasons. Sometimes they want absolution, or credit, or justice. Sometimes they're lonely, seduced by a sympathetic ear. Antoni revealed that he had been induced to supply fraudulent testimony in the case by crooked cops who offered him a break on his prison sentence. Maroney's client ended up receiving nearly ten million dollars in a settlement. A third of that went to the lawyers. Maroney's firm got seventy-five thousand dollars.
More than thirty thousand private investigators now work in the United States, Maroney reports in his new book, "The Modern Detective: How Corporate Intelligence Is Reshaping the World" (Riverhead). They engage in a dizzying variety of low-profile intrigue: tracking missing people, tailing cheating spouses, recovering looted assets, vetting job applicants and multibillion-dollar deals, spying on one corporation at the behest of another, ferreting out investment strategies for hedge funds, compiling opposition research. Contemporary private eyes, Maroney explains, are often "refugees from other industries," including law enforcement, journalism, accounting, and academia. One hallmark of the business is discretion—like spy agencies, private eyes must often keep their greatest triumphs secret—so it is notable that Maroney would write a book like this. In a disclaimer, he says that he has had to change names and alter some details, presumably to protect client confidentiality. But "The Modern Detective" is not an exposé. It is part memoir, part how-to guide, a celebration of the analytical and interpersonal intelligence that makes a great investigator. When Maroney showed up for work at the giant detective firm Kroll, back in 2005, he e-mailed an executive to ask where that executive's office was, hoping to introduce himself.
"You're an investigator now," the man replied. "Find me."
Private investigators are the information warfare side of the private mercenary company mentality that corporations, the very rich, and even regular Americans can access. No matter how complex technology gets, old-fashioned detective work, psychology, and information gathering never goes out of style. And these days, the PI's world is the Wild West of intel work.
As Tom Clancy once wrote, news organizations are the real intelligence agencies of our era.
And like everything else in 2020, it's become decentralized gig economy work.
Posted by Zandar Permalink 12:00:00 PM No comments:
StupidiTags(tm): Corporate Stupidity, Intelligence Stupidity, Police Stupidity, Sunday Long Read


text:
Q: Is there a convenient and elegant way to add noise (by type) to a signal? I am trying to replicate this article but its corresponding github repo is written quite badly. In the article, an NN is trained on manually corrupted audio signals. Unfortunately, the researchers did not add the audio files nor a clean code that show how they have corrupted their audio files. In the paper they write:

..for the noisy test set, the 100 utterances were corrupted with four
unseen noise types (engine, white, street, and baby cry), at six SNR
levels (-6 dB, 0 dB, 6 dB, 12 dB, 18 dB, and 24 dB); for the enhanced
set, the utterances in the noisy set were enhanced by the enhancement
model above.

Now to the question - is there a python (R/MATLAB libraries are fine as well) that takes as an input the signal, the type of desired noise and the SNR and returns a corrupted signal? If not, where do I get an engine or a crying baby noise types?
Thanks!

A: So, if someone is getting into the same problem, here is what I did. First, I looked for databases that include real-life noises. Most of them costs money and offer limited variety of environments (see the AURORA-2 corpus, the CHiME background noise data, or the NOISEX-92 database). Finally I found the DEMAND dataset that includes multi-channel noises from 16 different environments (office, car, road, etc.) and is available freely.
Now, before merging noise and signal, one has to verify they share the same sampling rate (actually, it is not such a severe problem as I understand from this discussion, but it is better to be on the safe side). If you are using python, you can use the librosa.resample module to standardize the two. After that, you can add the two signals. When adding the noise, you may want to control the magnitude of each of inputs (signal and noise). You can use the signal to noise ratio formula that is given below in order to find $a$, the multiplayer by which you have to multiply your noise in order to get the desired signal to noise ratio (SNR).

Where the desired SNR is given, and the two RMS are calculated from your data.


text:
Eubank is een plaats (city) in de Amerikaanse staat Kentucky, en valt bestuurlijk gezien onder Lincoln County en Pulaski County.

Demografie
Bij de volkstelling in 2000 werd het aantal inwoners vastgesteld op 358.
In 2006 is het aantal inwoners door het United States Census Bureau geschat op 373, een stijging van 15 (4,2%).

Geografie
Volgens het United States Census Bureau beslaat de plaats een oppervlakte van
2,3 km², geheel bestaande uit land. Eubank ligt op ongeveer 344 m boven zeeniveau.

Plaatsen in de nabije omgeving
De onderstaande figuur toont nabijgelegen plaatsen in een straal van 28 km rond Eubank.

Externe link

Plaats in Kentucky


text:
Francis G. Cross
WALDEBORO - A lone figure being followed by the big, black dog, Mister, can no longer be found walking his blueberry fields in the early morning mist. Francis Greenwood Cross has parted from our world on August 28, 2012, and wanders now with God. Knowing Francis, we are guessing that they are having some deep and long conversations.
Francis was born in Orneville, Maine, on July 22, 1936, to William and Violet Cross. He graduated from Milo High School in 1955, and then went on to receive his degree in Science Education from the University of Maine. After graduating, he found himself on the coast of Maine for his first teaching job at Waldoboro High School. It is here that he would meet the wife he cherished, Patricia Orff, with whom he spent the next 52 years.
During his tenure at RSU#40 from 1959 to 1996, Francis was a science teacher, the head of the science department, Director of Adult Education, and the assistant principal of Medomak Valley High School for 27 years until his retirement. He coached boys' junior varsity basketball at Waldoboro H.S. and girls' varsity softball and basketball at Medomak Valley. He was also a proud member of the Heart Team. Even after retirement, Francis remained invested in the school system he had given so many years to by serving multiple terms on the school board. His passion was for kids; his goal was to make a difference in their lives.
Francis was a man of deep faith who made every effort to live for Christ every day. He was a lay speaker for the Methodist Church and served as a Trustee for the First Baptist Church of Waldoboro, as well as in his last years being in charge of the grounds and buildings. He has been an active member and fixture of the First Baptist Church for 42 years.
Above all, Francis loved his family. He unselfishly sacrificed his needs throughout his life to be sure that the needs of his family were met. He loved and adored his wife and daughters, and found utmost joy and pride in his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Francis did not travel far from the Cross Compound where his most important treasures surrounded him.
His parents, sister, Maxine Bean, and brother, Albert Cross, predecease him.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia; daughter Elaine Baxley and her husband, Ron, of Waldoboro; daughter Michelle Wagstaff and her husband, Peter, of Waldorf, MD; daughter Jennifer Goode of Waldoboro; granddaughters Leslie Pratt and Kristine Wagstaff; grandson William Pratt and his wife, April; grandson Ian Goode; great grandson Julian; step great grandchildren, Katie and Tommy; sister Amy Nichols and her husband, Wilbur, of Milo, ME; sister Shirley Hutchinson and her husband, Fred, of Pawley's Island, S.C.; nephew Charles Flint and his wife, Celeste, of Waldoboro; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Francis was in education for 37 years, but his gift for teaching went beyond those years and beyond the walls of any building. He taught all of us - family, friends, colleagues, students, even strangers - how to be a man of honor and grace.
Moxie in hand - Here's to you!
We would love to hear your stories and memories of Francis. Please share them with the family at franciscross.wordpress.com or email them to cross.family@rocketmail.com. You can also share your condolences with the family by visiting www.hallfuneralhomes.com
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:
The Francis G. Cross Fund to support RSU#40/MSAD #40 educational programming. Make checks payable to RSU#40 and indicate on the memo line the Fund. Mail checks to: RSU#40/MSAD #40, ATT: Francis G. Cross Fund, PO Box 701, Union, ME 04862,
Gibson Pavilion, Maine Medical Center, c/o The Development Dept., 22 Bramhall Street, Portland, ME 04102. Indicate on the check that it is in memory of Francis Cross.
A Celebration Service will be held for Francis Cross at the First Baptist Church in Waldoboro on September 22nd at 11:00a.m. with reception following until 2:00pm. The service will be streamed live at ://www.fbcwaldoboro.org/, if you are unable to attend.
Services are entrusted to Hall Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 949 Main Street, Waldoboro.
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We are excited to welcome ACB members to the Legislative Seminar in February. There are several issues that blind and visually impaired Americans continue to experience in 2019. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss these issues with their representatives and senators. To make an appointment with your representative, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Interestingly, all of the major issues flagged this year touch in some way the continuing growth of technology in our society. The issues show both the positive benefits of accessible technology and the negative ramifications of failing to include accessibility from the beginning. This connection to technology should be noted and mentioned to your members of Congress.
Listed below are the three issues we will discuss during the seminar, and that we encourage you to talk to your senators and representatives about. These topics will be discussed in greater detail at the conference. You will also receive background papers with more detailed summaries of the issues. Other issues will be highlighted that continue to reappear in the national discussion.
We are now at an exciting technological place regarding transportation. The potential for the use of autonomous vehicles for people who are blind is closer than ever. Such vehicles are already being tested in multiple cities. However, it is critical that these cars remain fully accessible, and that individuals who have the most to gain through such technology are not forgotten.
In the last Congress, blindness organizations and the auto industry supported legislation that would establish working groups to focus on accessibility and prevent discrimination in operating such vehicles based on disability. ACB calls on Congress to move forward with similar legislation that will continue to drive this technology forward.
Advancements in health technology have resulted in a watershed of durable medical equipment (DME) that monitors vital health activity and conditions such as diabetes, which is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. However, a failure by the DME industry to make devices accessible has raised serious health concerns by those living with such conditions who are blind and visually impaired. For instance, devices such as glucometers have notoriously been a challenge for diabetics who are blind. This can all change through the development of accessible DME interfaces like smartphone apps and other devices capable of using nanotechnology that can incorporate simple accessibility solutions. Congress can play a role in ensuring that such technology adheres to the latest software technology standards, such as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provide assurances that accessible DME devices make their ways into the hands of individuals who are blind and visually impaired.
In November of 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) promulgated a regulation that has had a detrimental impact on the lives of countless individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Acquisition Rule contains a provision entitled "Low Vision Aid Exclusion" which states that all devices, "irrespective of their size, form, or technological features that use one or more lens to aid vision or provide magnification of images for impaired vision" are excluded from Medicare coverage based on the statutory "eyeglass" exclusion. ACB is well aware that this extremely restrictive reading of the "eyeglass" exclusion has resulted in the denial of vital assistive devices for seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries who may have disabilities. The expansion of the eyeglass exclusion has prevented access to devices such as handheld magnifiers, video monitors, and other technologies that utilize lenses to enhance vision.
Attendees should discuss this issue with their representatives. Be sure to stress the importance of these materials to older individuals' ability to continue to live independently.
You are encouraged to bring additional concerns to your Congress members that you experience back home. The list provided consists of issues ACB has heard about frequently that need to be acknowledged and discussed by Congress.
If you have any questions on the issues listed above, please come ready to discuss them at the Legislative Seminar. Or contact Claire Stanley, Advocacy and Outreach Specialist, at (202) 467-5081, or at cstanley@acb.org.
To register for ACB's 2019 Leadership Meetings, please visit: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E144393&id=49. Be sure to register by February 15th.
We look forward to interacting with all attendees this year. The 2019 Leadership Meetings will be held at the Crowne Plaza Alexandria, 901 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Room rates are $120 per night, plus tax. You can reserve your room by calling the hotel directly at (703) 683-6000, by calling Crowne Plaza's toll-free number, 1-877-227-6963, or online by clicking on this link: Crowne Plaza Alexandria Website.