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Black boxes: health warning or profit warning?
Martha Rosenberg
"Boxed warnings" or "black boxes" are the strictest FDA label warnings. They appear on cigarettes, fluoroquinolones (for tendon rupture), Lamictal (for SJS and TEN), Accutane (birth defects), and other products with well-known risks.
The industry obviously dislikes black boxes since they reduce sales (though their lobbyists charge the boxes "confuse" and "unnecessarily alarm" patients).
So it was no surprise that when the FDA held a Joint Meeting of the Pediatric and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committees on September 27, 2019, to address growing reports of neuropsychiatric events from montelukast in pediatric patients there was a lot of talk about black boxes.
Montelukast, marketed as Singulair, is a leukotriene receptor antagonist used in asthma and allergy.
Singulair was Merck's biggest seller when on patent, bringing in $3.3 billion in 2011 and named one of Kiplinger's 15 all-time best-selling prescription drugs. Merck used Scholastic, the educational publishing group, and the American Academy of Pediatrics to help market it.
Testifying at the hearings were parents whose children had taken their own lives on the drug or experienced other severe harm.
The parents, from groups like Parents United for Pharmaceutical Safety and Accountability and the Montelukast Side Effects Support and Discussion Group, asserted that a black box warning would prevent future tragedies. The current montelukast label only warns against "neuropsychiatric events."
Many safety signals
Fox 5 first reported neuropsychiatric events in late 2010 — parents seeing aggressive behavior, hostility, hallucinations, night-terrors, tremors, irritability, anxiety, depression, and even suicide in their children taking montelukast.
But red flags existed much earlier, especially regarding montelukast's effect on children. In the late 1990s, FDA reviewers note in montelukast's new drug approval documents note that infant monkey had to be euthanized and "may be more sensitive to the toxicity."
In 1998, Peter Honig and John Jenkins of the FDA repeated the warning cautioning in the New England Journal of Medicine that adult studies of the montelukast "may not be predictive of the response," in children.
In 2016, a Vigibase report found that suicidal behavior "and completed suicide appear to be more frequently reported than previously thought in practice." In 2018, research in the Springer journal Drug Safety reported that "ten pharmacovigilance studies using different global databases detected the signals" of neuropsychiatric events.
Even the briefing documents released by the FDA for montelukast September hearings were something of a red flag. They acknowledge, for the first time, the drug's action on the brain as a competitive antagonist of GPR17, not merely acting on the CysLT1 receptor as prescribing information portrays. The new information is relevant to the neuropsychiatric events under investigation, said parents at the hearings.
To add a black box to montelukast or not?
Steven Meisel, PharmD, CPPS, Director of Medication Safety Fairview Health Services, and a FDA committee member agreed that a black box is necessary. The "FAERS data shows that between six and 800 neuropsychiatric events have been reported every year," he said, and the 35 million montelukast prescriptions written a year tell "me that this drug is being prescribed in a cavalier manner."
Christy Turer, an internist and a pediatrician on the committee, also recommended a black box. "In thinking about risk-benefit, I think the black box would send a message and would decrease prescribing," she said. "We as a country, our physicians, our prescribers, we over-prescribe."
But others on the FDA committee disagreed. Jim Tracy, an allergist and associate professor at the University of Nebraska, said black boxes would create "obstacles to care," and that patients could "all of a sudden get terrified. And they, without supervision, they just stop their drug."
Committee member James McGough, a child psychiatrist at UCLA, concurred, recalling the FDA's 2004 addition of black box warnings for child and adolescent suicide on SSRIs and which, in his opinion, backfired. "There's a clear association between declining antidepressant use and increased suicide among youth," he said.
It is noteworthy that while industry fought and continues to fight SSRI black boxes, both their use and the suicide rate have never been higher. U.S. suicide is 33 percent higher than it was two decades ago, and one in eight Americans is on antidepressants. Declining prescriptions of antidepressants clearly aren't causal.
Patient safety or profit safety?
Sadly, when warnings could affect drug sales, there is often a battle. When the huge Salmeterol Multi-center Asthma Research Trial, or SMART trial was terminated in 2003 after 16 deaths, 44 intubations, and 369 hospitalizations, mostly in African-Americans, black boxes were added to Advair and Serevent which contain salmeterol and to Symbicort, Dulera and Foradil which contain the similar, formoterol fumarate. The drugs are known as long-acting beta-agonists or LABAs.
The industry assailed the warnings as it did SSRI black boxes, citing the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Expert Panel Report 3 as proof of LABA safety though it was written almost exclusively by industry-funded physicians. For example, William W. Busse, MD, who chaired the expert panel, listed 21 relationships with drug makers.
But there were other safety signals, especially concerning Glaxo's Advair. According to ProPublica, in 2011, the Justice Department said Glaxo's Advair promotion had exposed patients to "significant safety risks," and there were "scores of lawsuits" from people "whose relatives have died while taking Advair."
Nevertheless, the FDA asked Glaxo and other LABA makers, AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Merck in 2011 to conduct studies on LABA safety despite objectivity questions and the cloud over Glaxo. In 2017 the FDA repealed the LABA black boxes on the basis of the industry studies. William Busse led the analysis.
Is montelukast so safe it needs no black box? Are LABAs so safe their black box can be removed? Unfortunately, black boxes are too frequently regarded by the influential drug industry as profit warnings, not health warnings.
Martha Rosenberg is a health reporter and the author of Born With a Junk Food Deficiency.
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MESSAGE FROM THE GM: SEPTEMBER!
TICKETS: The Go Goodwin's Manchester Storm are back in action this Sunday 2nd October with a "War Of The Roses" Challenge Cup match against the Sheffield Steelers. Face off is at 5.30pm and tickets can be ordered online or by calling the box office on 0161 926 8782, or in person at the box office.
Firstly, apologies for my lack of updates the past month, it has been super busy getting all the guys across the Atlantic, housed and settled, plus getting the season up and running!
So, how's everyone enjoying the opening games that we've seen to kick start this new season? It's fair to say Pach and I are very happy with the team that's been put together. Everyone knows the type of team we wanted to build here this season, which was bigger, more physical, fully committed both ends of the ice, and a locker room filled with good people and leadership. We are very content we have that. The core group is filled with good individuals who have a real hunger and desire to win, but also to help the Manchester Storm franchise continue to build on the excellent foundations laid in our first season last year.
Our opening few home games of the season have been great to watch, beating both Cardiff & Coventry, both Ehrardt Conference sides, were real statements of intent from us. The atmosphere created in the building for those games were great, and trust me, the guys hear every chant which energises them big time. The "We're The Manchester Storm" chant at the end of games is brilliant, and as I said, the guys love it.
Saturday past saw us lose at home for the first time this season, as Braehead skated away with the 2 points. They came in desperate for the victory, especially after us taking the two league points off them the previous Saturday up in Glasgow. Our work rate was there from our side, but we struggled to really get going like we know we can, and Braehead were deserved winners on the night. Sunday night in Edinburgh, i thought we played a really strong game. They're a vastly improved side on certainly the second half of last season, and made life difficult on occasions for us, but i really feel we bossed large chunks of the game and were it not for Travis Fullerton in the Caps goal who was superb, i think we'd have skated away with both points instead of the one that we secured in the end.
Matt Bissonnette unfortunately picked up an injury early in the Saturday game vs Braehead, but after a trip to the hospital, it appears the damage isn't as severe as initially thought which is music to all of our ears. Even though he was out injured. He is being treated as "day to day" by the medical staff, so at this stage, we are still unsure whether he will play this upcoming weekend.
The EIHL is full of good teams this season. There literally are no nights off anymore with every team having dangerous players within their ranks, and the overall quality of the product served up to the paying fan is excellent. Fast, physical and highly skilled players with superb resumes are widespread across the EIHL now, so everyone is getting excellent value for money in terms of the on ice product. In days gone by, there were games you knew that your team was going to win before the puck was even dropped, given the disparity in terms of quality between some sides, but not anymore. Every single night is a battle, and this is something we have drummed into our players, especially the new guys to the league who are used to the regular season being pretty much being all about ensuring you qualify for the play-offs. Here in the UK, the league is the "Daddy", which means pretty much every weekend has importance placed on it, which again for you the fans who pay your money to come and watch the sport, means that you're seeing high intensity hockey all season long. Every game means something.
This upcoming weekend we travel to Nottingham on Saturday night in a game that doubles up as League & Challenge Cup, before we face old rivals, the Sheffield Steelers at home on Sunday (5.30pm). There's just always something different about this game. A different energy in the building from you the fans, the players know what it means too. Don't ask me why, but I have a feeling the home game on Sunday is one not to be missed. The "War Of The Roses" clashes have offered up some high intensity battles, and with the fight we showed in the early season Exhibition and Challenge Cup games against them, I think Sunday is going to be an amazing spectacle, so make sure to get your tickets early and bring along some newbies to the game with you! You know they'll love it just as much as you do!
Just on that subject of newbies; I always love receiving emails etc from new fans who have come to a game and got instantly hooked by the sport! Generating new fans is always important for every club, but it gives me a lot of pleasure seeing it so much with the Storm as we continue to build the club. Our players are already heavily active in the community with school visits in full swing, and to have players being so passionate about doing them is great to see too. This group of guys "get it", they understand the importance of being good brand ambassadors for our club wherever they go, and they are all more than willing to go above and beyond with community projects. If you have any groups/schools that you'd like the Storm players to come visit, please contact [email protected] and she will sort it all for you.
Also, how awesome is the new Storm intro video?! A massive thanks to Keith Jacobsen from Lime Grove Studios for his massive help in putting it all together. Keith has been massively helpful for me recently in helping produce really slick content videos including the individual player entrances & goal celebrations which you can see up on the screens! Eric Neilson's goal celebration video is something else eh?!?! Also Keith has helped produce the current promotional video which you can all see being spread across Greater Manchester on social media platforms such as Facebook & Instagram.
Right, time for me to sign off, I'll see you all at the Storm Shelter on Sunday (5.30pm Face-Off) for the big clash vs Sheffield. I cannot wait for it, always something different about these games vs Sheffield as i mentioned earlier. The players will be ready for battle, you the fans bring the energy and noise, and let's take it right too them!
Captain TJ previews upcoming weekend!


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Argentina government intervenes after country runs out of World Cup stickers
Patrick Gillespie, Bloomberg News
Learning a few investing tips from professional sports: Partner and portfolio manager
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A shortage of World Cup stickers in soccer-crazed Argentina is triggering a public commotion and even forcing the government to intervene two month's before the year's biggest sporting event.
The stickers, a World Cup tradition for decades, are few and far between in Buenos Aires. On Tuesday afternoon, Argentina's commerce secretary convened the sticker manufacturer, Italian firm Panini SpA, and a local union of kiosk stands that sell the stickers to reach a compromise.
Panini says demand for this year's World Cup is up by 40 per cent compared to the last tournament, outpacing the company's own expectations and production, according to Argentine newspaper La Nacion. The kiosk union says Panini isn't providing adequate supply.
The government intervention -- a move by an administration known for its unorthodox approaches to issues from inflation to exports -- also speaks to the local soccer craze. Argentines' sticker fixation in recent days has led to wall-to-wall media coverage, viral comments on social media and endless group chats on WhatsApp bantering about the shortage. Many joke that fathers frantically chasing around the city with their kids to find the stickers are actually trying to fill their own sticker albums, which require more stickers with each World Cup.
An elaborate data visualization published by La Nacion this week estimates filling a sticker album would cost an average 133,500 pesos (US$923). Shortages at kiosk stands, which sell packets at the suggested price of 150 pesos or about US$1, are cheaper than those sold on e-commerce website MercadoLibre Inc., where combos of 10 packets are valued for 530 pesos each. Counterfeit, "do it yourself" options are also booming.
Even with the tensions, some are taking the shortages with a sense of humor. A kiosk published a letter on its door in nine languages complaining that "there are no World Cup stickers," but joked in a footnote at the bottom that Argentina's neighbor and longtime soccer rival didn't qualify for the competition: "Chile isn't in the album."
Amazon gets NFL streaming win with 13M viewers in debut

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Farm connected to West Virginia's billionaire governor maxes out trade war subsidies
By Evie FordhamFOXBusiness
Farmers turn to AI to 'maximize production'
FOX Business' Jeff Flock joins corn and soybean farmer Jeff Keiser to get a first-hand look at how AI is helping farmers.
A family business of West Virginia's billionaire governor has maxed out a taxpayer-funded subsidy program meant to help farmers affected by the U.S.-China trade war.
But a representative of the business has not shared details about how trade tensions have had an impact, if at all.
Records reviewed by The Associated Press show Justice Farms of North Carolina, which is owned by the family of Gov. Jim Justice, hit the program cap of $125,000 earlier this year and was the biggest recipient of soybean subsidies in West Virginia.
"Justice Farms of North Carolina was one of more than 3,000 farms in that state alone, and nearly 40,000 farms and businesses nationwide, that received support from this program. It's absurd for anyone to use this important program as the basis for cynical political attacks," said Brian Walsh, a spokesman for the Justice companies.
A trailer is filled with soybeans at a farm in Buda, Illinois, U.S., July 6, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Acker/File Photo - RC1C1C573E90
Walsh did not detail losses suffered by Justice Farms of North Carolina in the U.S. trade war.
Justice, the richest person in the state, owns a complex business empire of coal and agricultural entities.
The company took in $121,398 in subsidies for soybeans and $3,602 for corn for farms on property it owns in West Virginia, according to records provided to AP under the Freedom of Information Act. Both figures far exceed the program's median payments: $6,438 for soybeans and $152 for corn.
President Trump's administration set up the Market Facilitation Program to help offset losses caused by tariffs, basing the payouts on bushels produced. The program does not require farms to demonstrate their operations have been damaged by the trade war.
Loopholes have allowed many large, moneyed farming operations to blow past the $125,000 cap, according to an AP analysis of the payments.
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With a net worth estimated at $1.5 billion, Justice lists more than 100 business interests on his most recent financial disclosure form. When Justice became governor, he said he wanted to put his businesses in a blind trust but has not done so, causing criticism when his private and public roles intersect.
In the case of Justice Farms of North Carolina, the governor was listed as a manager in North Carolina business registry filings up until 2018, when his daughter's name replaced his.
Justice has closely aligned himself with President Trump and credited his state's economic growth to the president this past summer.
FOX Business' inquiry to a spokesman for the governor were not returned at the time of publication.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS


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thoughtfuldrift
articles & work blog
Wii U in 2012 and a lesson in content management
Labeled under: Content Strategy
Jan 26, 2012 • Andrew Nhem
Nintendo is a great case when it comes to content management. They've been taking some chances with their new handheld and console, but it won't be the hardware that keeps the gaming monolith relevant into 2012 and beyond.
[EDITOR'S NOTE, April 2018: Nintendo is still great at this now that they're revolutionizing gaming with the Nintendo Switch. The Mario and Zelda franchises are probably some of the best maintained, curated, and improved ones ever.]
Maybe you're looking forward to the new Wii-U, and maybe you aren't. There are plenty of mixed feelings about the new console coming out this year.
If you didn't know, the Wii-U will finally render your favorite Nintendo games and characters in HD. The Wii-motes can still be used, as well as a new interactive element. The Wii-U will sport one tablet-like controlling device that adds a whole new dimension to gameplay.
Seasoned gamers either praise that Nintendo will continue to produce their iconic franchises intro this next console generation, or scoff at the Wii-U because its graphical and processing components won't be as advanced as its competitors like Sony or Microsoft. As a casual gamer, I believe that it'll be the content that keeps Nintendo going strong with their new Wii.
Can it capture parental hearts and wallets?
2006 was a while ago, and a lot has changed in gaming and entertainment. The Wii captured the hearts of parents everywhere as a console that everyone could enjoy. Create a whole family of Miis, then have a showdown on Wii Sports.
Since then, handheld and interactive gaming has come quite a long way. Social media, iOS, and Android gaming grew massively over the years, Mircosoft launched Kinect, and Playstation revealed its Move platform.
Interactive content is a cash-cow, as shown with all the various games that require accessories. Whether it's music, karaoke, sports, fitness, or what have you, every console and platform has done their best to jump onboard to create fans who want it all.
Can Nintendo remain relevant if everyone and their programmer is onboard interactive gaming?
Nintendo's longevity will continue to be with its content.
Mario. Zelda. Donkey Kong.
Nintendo's franchises are legendary and continue to impress gamers and reviewers with each iteration. While the Wii may be known for its collection of one-of cooking, fitness, and reality TV titles, many of Nintendo's franchise games continue to do well versus the competition.
Titles like Mario Galaxy and The Legend of Zelda collect high marks from reviewers of all walks of life. If there's anyone to give credit to, it would be Nintendo's creative guru Shigeru Miyamoto. In an interview about Super Mario Land 3D, and what he's up to next in the wake of retirement rumors, Miyamoto said this about his legacy:
"The team behind Super Mario Land 3D were once kids that loved the original. Now they're paying [a] kind of homage in order to create the latest iteration for today's customers. The cycle is doing to remain so that good characters and franchises can just go on forever."
It sounds like Miyamoto's investments in talent around content and its management have paid off. Considering the amount of cash Nintendo has in the bank and its iconic presence in the gaming industry, that's quite a reward for years of building a solid brand based on great gaming principles and memorable moments.
Into 2012, Nintendo reported losses, but that might be attributed to the disasters that plagued Japan earlier in 2011.
They're doing all right amidst some heavy competition. In a world filled with digital interaction, Nintendo can remain relevant as long as it continues its utmost care and upkeep of its beloved franchises, characters, and stories.
Some more uh… research is needed, of course. That said, it may be time for me to get back to playing Skyward Sword. I'd love your thoughts about it all though.
Get in touch: hello@tfldr.info
andrewnhem
Blog and workshop of Andrew Nhem, Content Strategist. He designs, builds, and manages sustainable content and editorial strategies to accomplish business objectives and serve users who matter.


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UMass officials call off Fantazia electronic dance party
By Patrick Hoff
Nicole Evangelista/Daily Collegian
Less than two weeks before the highly anticipated Return to Fantazia electronic dance party was set to come to the Mullins Center, University of Massachusetts officials cancelled the concert in an announcement on Wednesday, citing the recent tragic deaths related to the drug MDMA.
"To better understand and respond to these current instances, UMass Amherst is joining with a number of venues in the area and universities in the region to cancel these events and proactively educate our communities about the dangers of Molly," Interim Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students Enku Gelaye said in an email to students on Wednesday.
Added Gelaye: "We don't make these decisions lightly and do so with a clear focus."
"We, along with the University, felt that, at this particular time, in light of recent incidents, that it would be in everyone's best interest to cancel this particular show," Ike Richman, who is the vice president for public relations at Comcast-Spectacor, which manages the Mullins Center, said in a press release. "It's unfortunate as we know a lot of people have been looking forward to it, but we all felt it was what needed to be done at this time."
Electronic music and drugs, especially MDMA, are quite frequently paired together by concertgoers in a belief that doing drugs at EDM concerts will enhance the experience.
"How much of that type of music really necessitates drug use in the first place (though)?" said Jim Lyons, treasurer of the UMass Association for Musical Performance and journalism major.
"I understand enjoying yourself but … it's too much," added Mitch Bordage, president of UMass AMA and an English major.
Other students similarly were not heartbroken over the cancellation of Fantazia.
"I think that the concerts are just UMass sponsored raves anyway," said Chris Hicks, a sophomore at Holyoke Community College. Hicks grew up in Amherst and said that the concerts "have been going on for years."
Added Hicks: "I'm all for people having their fun but ignorance is not safe."
Some students, however, were not pleased that UMass is revoking certain privileges on campus.
"Personally I don't go to these kinds of things," said Paul Merriman, a senior management major. "But I think it's ridiculous that they ban that kind of thing, along with tobacco and soda."
Junior Reed Fox was just confused by the cancellation of the concert, wondering if UMass was just following a trend or whether its fears were legitimate.
"They're the ones who switched our concerts to electronic," Reed said, citing the fact that there were a variety of concert performances of other types of music available to him when he was a freshman.
MDMA, also known by its slang names of Molly, E, X, clarity and beans, comes in a variety of forms and colors but is a dangerous and illegal stimulant. The drug can lead to hypothermia, kidney or heart problems or even death, despite the myth that it is a "safe" drug.
It is prohibited on campus, according to the Student Code of Conduct.
Throughout the United States, and particularly in the Northeast region, MDMA has been in the news for being responsible for the death of several college-aged students, most recently at the Electric Zoo music festival in New York on Aug. 31 and during a concert at the House of Blues in Boston on Aug. 27.
Lyons and Bordage both said they were "not disappointed in the cancellation."
"It's one less night with kids running around on bath salts," Lyons said.
"The event cancellation gives our community the opportunity to better understand Molly-related dangers by using campus resources and by talking to each other about the realities of this illegal substance," Gelaye said in her email. "While we can't cancel and ward off every potential issue, we can get better informed, support each other with good clear information and encourage better decision making in our respective communities."
Patrick Hoff can be reached at [email protected]
Enku Gelaye
Fantazia
Mullins Center
4 Responses to "UMass officials call off Fantazia electronic dance party"
Turd on September 12th, 2013 6:50 am
Thank you so much for cancellinig this useless, ridiculous,idiotic, mindless, music-makes-me-want-to-shoot-myself-in-the-head gropefest. PLEASE do not allow this type of event to EVER be scheduled on the Umass cumpus aagain.
Mike on September 12th, 2013 8:12 am
Hyperthermia! not hypothermia
Larry Kelley on September 12th, 2013 10:24 am
Let's hope they never invite Tiesto back either:
http://onlyintherepublicofamherst.blogspot.com/2013/02/tax-exempt-entity-taxes-ems.html
jbh23 on September 12th, 2013 1:09 pm
I can't stand when people say "I'm all for fun but.." followed by some statement suggesting they're smarter than everyone and know what's best for them. Have you ever met someone who legitimately is anti fun? Of course not, just say what you have to say and own it. Besides, their idea of fun is likely having some wine and cheese while watching a romantic comedy. Fun for you isn't fun for everyone else.
It's likely just the university trying to cover their own ass in the unlikely event that a student actually does get hurt because of drugs. Not that banning this event will lead to less drug use, but umass won't be as accountable if drug related mishaps happen at a non school event.
Like it or not, students are old enough to make their own decisions about how they want to spend their evening at a concert. Is doing MDMA dumb? Of course it is, but what happened to the idea that college was the time if your life to do that sort of thing so you don't have a mid life crisis later? Banning a certain type of concert won't change a damn thing, educate students about the dangers of such events and let them make their own decisions.
So to people like Mitch Bordage who think it's "too much", understand that what's "too much" for you isn't for others. Unless you have powers that the rest of us don't.
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A dry hydrotherapy massage bed uses warm water and jets similar to a spa tub; but it's covered in vinyl so the client stays dry. The client lies on the water-filled bed while the jets deliver a soothing massage.
Hydrotherapy brand Aquamed markets its dry hydrotherapy beds to chiropractic clinics, where doctors use them to relax patients' muscles before treatments. The beds are also used in spas, tanning salons, fitness centers and homes.
Beds are designed and programmed to provide anything from a gentle, warming massage to a more vigorous muscle massage. Some manufacturers add colored lights for a relaxing effect. According to spa and wellness equipment company Hydrother, dry hydrotherapy massage can relieve muscle fatigue, warm the muscles before strenuous use and relax muscle tension.


Wow! Malta sounds like an amazing place!
I have read about Malta and particularly about Valetta. It is indeed an exotic country. But Marsaxlokk comes as a revelation. I was not aware of this town. It sounds so tranquil and charming. Your description of the serene sunset had me riveted.
Your beautiful pics are making me fall in love with Malta. Marsaxlokk harbour looks so beautiful with teh colourful boats and the Clams Spaghetti looks so yummy.
I would love to go to Malta, my best friend's family is from there. it looks amazing. interesting post!
Hi Janna, thanks for stopping by! Hope you will get to visit Malta and enjoy its beauty soon!
I have only heard about Malta. This is the first time I've come across a blog post on the country. The place does look quite beautiful, and the seafood looks delectable. I should probably add Malta to my never ending wish list.
I've been considering a visit to Malta for nearly two decades and somehow always other destinations on the wishlist win out. I really must go, the photos show me it's definitely a place I would enjoy!


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Quick questions: the Korbel School's Heather Roff Perkins on lethal autonomous weapons systems
Posted April 1, 2015 at 6:06 am
Heather Roff Perkins, a visiting professor
at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, in April to attend the United Nations meeting of member states under the Convention on Conventional Weapons. There, she will speak as an invited expert on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWs).
Q: What are lethal autonomous weapons systems?
A: Lethal autonomous weapons systems are weapons systems that can target and fire without the control of a human operator.
Q: Are they in use now by militaries?
A: Most state militaries claim that they are not currently in use. However, much depends on how one defines "control" by a human operator and when target selection must occur. For example, the U.S. uses the Aegis system on several of its naval ships, and that system can track, cue and fire automatically without human intervention.
Israel uses the Iron Dome, which also has this capacity, and the United Kingdom uses the Brimstone missile, which has the potential to select individual targets, from a preselected class, on its own. Lockheed Martin in the U.S. also has the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (L-RASM) that has similar functions. Others, like South Korea, have stationary boarder systems that can detect a person through heat seeking and automatically fire.
Q: What is the argument for using them in combat situations?
A: There are many arguments. Depending upon the domain — air, land, sea or cyber — autonomous weapons may permit forces to navigate and act in denied environments — in other words, in environments where the U.S. is unable to communicate, or where there is little freedom of overt action. They may also act as force multipliers and bring intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance capacities and a forward presence where a large military footprint is unacceptable. In ground situations, some make arguments that the machines will be better at discriminating between combatants and civilians, and thus better uphold the laws of war.
Q: What are the objections to using them?
A: Again, there are many. Chief among them are that the machines are unable to uphold the laws of war, particularly the principles of discrimination and proportionality, as well as violating the Marten's Clause against using weapons or methods of war that violate public international conscience.
Some make the claim that using weapons that involve little cost to the possessor will lower the barriers to conflict, and thus war will become more likely. Others also warn that the development and deployment of autonomous weapons will start an arms race between major powers, and that the older and less accurate technology will proliferate to the middle and small states.
Q: These systems have been called "killer robots" by some critics. Is that a fair description?
A: These systems were termed "killer robots" in a 1983 Newsweek article called "The Birth of Killer Robots." In 2013, 30 years after the first mention of "killer robots," Human Rights Watch launched a Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, which is a coalition of more than 50 NGOs fighting to preemptively ban the development and use of autonomous weapons systems.
The critics of autonomous weapons systems are referring to their lethal nature and the fact that they are robots. They have sensors, actuators, processors and are, for all intents and purposes, robots. Thus, if one is asking about a definition, then yes, it is a correct one.
While proponents of autonomous weapons systems tend to dismiss the idea that they are "killer robots," this is done from an attitude that the worries of the critics are mere science fiction. However, the worries are not science fiction. Autonomous weapons systems have been on the U.S. Department of Defense's docket from the early 1980s, and research and development on unmanned systems have been going on since the 1950s.


text:
By Henry Kissinger
Read by Nicholas Hormann
Category: Asian World History | World Politics
Category: Asian World History | World Politics | Audiobooks
May 17, 2011 | ISBN 9781594202711
May 17, 2011 | 1208 Minutes
May 17, 2011 | ISBN 9781101461822 | 1208 Minutes
About On China
"Fascinating, shrewd . . . The book deftly traces the rhythms and patterns of Chinese history." —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"No one can lay claim to so much influence on the shaping of foreign policy over the past 50 years as Henry Kissinger." —The Financial Times
In this sweeping and insightful history, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book length to a country he has known intimately for decades and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. On China illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such pivotal events as the initial encounters between China and tight line modern European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the Korean War, and Richard Nixon's historic trip to Beijing. With a new final chapter on the emerging superpower's twenty-first-century role in global politics and economics, On China provides historical perspective on Chinese foreign affairs from one of the premier statesmen of our time.
"Fascinating, shrewd . . . The book deftly traces the rhythms and patterns of Chinese history."—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
Also by Henry Kissinger
See all books by Henry Kissinger
About Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger served as National Security Advisor and then Secretary of State under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and has advised many other American presidents on foreign policy. He received the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom,… More about Henry Kissinger
Apr 24, 2012 | 624 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-7/16 | ISBN 9780143121312
Published by Penguin Press
May 17, 2011 | 608 Pages | 6-1/8 x 9-1/4 | ISBN 9781594202711
May 17, 2011 | 624 Pages | ISBN 9781101445358
May 17, 2011 | 1208 Minutes | ISBN 9781101461822
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China's Second Continent
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In the Company of Heroes
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Sea Power
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"Fascinating, shrewd . . . [The book's] portrait of China is informed by Mr. Kissinger's intimate firsthand knowledge of several generations of Chinese leaders. The book deftly traces the rhythms and patterns in Chinese history . . . even as it explicates the philosophical differences that separate it from the United States." —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"Nobody living can claim greater credit than Mr. Kissinger for America's 1971 opening to Beijing, after more than two decades of estrangement, and for China's subsequent opening to the world. So it's fitting that Mr. Kissinger has now written On China, a fluent, fascinating . . . book that is part history, part memoir and above all an examination of the premises, methods and aims of Chinese foreign policy." —The Wall Street Journal
"Fascinating . . . In On China, statesman Henry Kissinger draws on historical records and 40 years of direct interaction with four generations of Chinese leaders to analyze the link between China's ancient past and its present day trajectory. In doing so, the man who helped shape modern East-West relations presents an often unsettling, occasionally hopeful and always compelling accounting of what we're up against." —The Chicago Sun-Times
"Fascinating . . . No living American has played a more important role than Henry Kissinger, the former national security adviser and secretary of state, in bringing about the historic rapprochement between the United States and China. . . . [Kissinger] draw[s] deep insights into China's traumatic encounter with much stronger Western powers." —The San Francisco Chronicle
"On China, Kissinger's 13th book, blends an incisive strategic analysis of the moves and countermoves of China, the United States and the former Soviet Union with telling vignettes about his meetings with Chinese Communist Party leaders . . . entertaining." —The Los Angeles Times
"From the eminent elder statesman, an astute appraisal on Chinese diplomacy from ancient times to the fraught present "strategic trust" with the United States. Former Secretary of State Kissinger brings his considerable scholarly knowledge and professional expertise to this chronicle of the complicated evolution and precarious future of Chinese diplomacy with the West. . . . Sage words and critical perspective lent by a significant participant in historical events." —Kirkus Reviews
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I shipped off my first Mardi Gras sale to New Orleans yesterday morning and I'm meeting with a local gallery on Tuesday about showing some of my masks there (fingers crossed).
This weekend I'm starting a new children's book job hopefully all will go well, and have started my big fish sculpture for a different gallery show next month.
Mike is also swamped as his new semester teaching art is starting and he's plotting his next kickstarter for his new project "Mystery Meat". Plus he's working on a book cover job, promoting his own etsy store, and working on "I am a Barbarian". A comic by Edgar Rice Burroughs that will be up soon on this site and run monthly.
In the meantime Chloe has managed to get her driver's permit and is all over us to show her how to drive. I'm only a little terrified as the first time I sat behind the wheel I plowed the family car into a tree, and cracked my Dad's head against the windshield. She's also directing a play for the 10 minute play festival which is pretty cool. Phoebe is anxiously deciding on a high school for next year and Naomi is contemplating dying her hair blue. At least I'm not sick anymore.
Anyway we've been working so constantly I've been thinking we should go to that Chocolate Festival up in Glendale this weekend. It would be good to get out and eat some chocolate...mmmmmm.....chocolate.


What is the initial value displayed for a particular topic? Before you come up with an answer take another look at the ConnectData method used by Excel to subscribe to a particular topic.
These are actually equivalent. The CLR just takes the retval parameter and uses that as the return value and converts the HRESULT into an exception. This is much the same as what Visual Basic and scripting languages do.
So ConnectData returns a VARIANT/object to Excel but is it the initial value displayed for a particular topic? Well it depends on the newValue parameter. What makes this interesting is that it's an [in, out] parameter, called a ref parameter in C#. Why would that be? Clearly Excel is trying to tell us something.
On input the newValue parameter indicates whether Excel already has a value to initially display. This will never happen if you start with a blank Excel workbook but can happen if you open a previously saved workbook that includes RTD functions. Excel effectively caches the last value of each RTD topic in the workbook. The idea is that Excel can display an initial value while the RTD server goes about any potentially time consuming operations to reestablish data connections.
So if Excel has a cached value to display then newValue will be false. If Excel does not have a cached value to display then newValue will be true, indicating that a new value is needed. Of course that doesn't mean you have to provide one.
On output the newValue parameter indicates whether Excel should use the returned value or not.
If newValue is false then Excel will ignore the value returned by ConnectData. If it doesn't have a previously cached value then it displays the "#N/A" warning. Of course this is replaced with an actual value once it receives one via RefreshData.
If newValue is true then Excel will immediately replace whatever value it may already have with the value returned by ConnectData.


Create a module at runtime, with given exports and imports.
Succeeds if Module is an existing module.
Erase the given module Module.
Exports from the caller module all items specified by SpecList.
Retrieves information about a loaded module.
Import a module, or import certain procedures from a module.
Declare all items specified by SpecList as local to the caller module.
Begin of the definition of module Module.
Begin the definition of module Module, define some of its exports and the language it is written in.
Reexports a module's interface or a subset of it.
Declares PredSpecI as a tool interface procedure and PredSpecB as its body procedure.
Succeeds if PredSpecI is a tool interface procedure, PredSpecB is its body procedure, and Module the module where it is defined.
Load and import the module from the given ModuleFile.
See also the User Manual chapter about the module system.


The Ohio Youth Led Prevention Network is committed to building and expanding partnerships between youth-led substance misuse prevention programs and developing and strengthening misuse prevention efforts at the state and local levels. It is our mission to provide a foundation for schools and communities to promote a positive, safe environment for today's youth and tomorrow's future youth.
On April 19, 2018 we will host our 7th annual We Are The Majority Rally youth from all over Ohio. Each year, we shut down the streets of Downtown Columbus to march to the Statehouse to make our voice and our mission heard. The majority of youth in Ohio, aged 12-17, are NOT participating in substance use, physical violence, and ARE leading the way in promoting mental health wellness! The rally allows youth from all over the state of Ohio to come together to celebrate living a healthy, positive lifestyle.
In partnership with the Ohio Start Talking! initiative and through a grant from Verizon, we're also pleased to invite Ohio middle and high school students to keep their peers drug free by participating in the Start Talking & Start Recording: Ohio's Youth Got Talent. If you are an Ohio middle school or high school student who has a creative talent and is looking to earn money for college, this opportunity is perfect for you.
Click here for more information about the talent show, including how to submit a video and compete.
If you're interested in supporting the rally, click here.


In October, inFocus concluded its' three year evaluation of Spirit of 2012. The evaluation engaged with 28 of the projects supported by Spirit since 2013/14, exploring areas such as the wellbeing of individuals, communities and society as a whole, perceptions and attitudes towards disability and impairment, and greater social cohesion and understanding.
The report was the subject of a special Summit held in central London on the 25th October. An invited panel including Baroness Sue Campbell, CBE, Head of Women's Football at the FA, Martin Green, Director of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, Ted Cantle, a leading authority on inter-cultural relations, Nancy Hey, Director of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing and Jude Kelly, CBE, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre discussed its findings. The event opened with a keynote speech from Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, a founding trustee of Spirit of 2012.
You can find out more about the Summit here.
Spirit of 2012 was established by the Big Lottery Fund to leave a lasting legacy for communities across the UK from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. These broad objectives made it really important for Spirit of 2012 to get an early understanding of the impact their funding could make, to map out the changes they wanted to see in communities around the UK, and to establish what type of funder they should be as early as possible.
Spirit of 2012's business plan set an ambition to be a 'centre of excellence', to have learning at their core, and to be able to clearly tell the story of the investment. Central to this was having a Theory of Change to inform the programme strategy and a consistent monitoring & evaluation framework to drive the internal monitoring of quantitative and qualitative data.
Not over-burdening grantees, capturing the 'human interest' stories of change, and doing this in a way that involved stakeholders was a priority for the organisation.
Over the three years since Spirit's inception, inFocus has supported the organization across its' various stages of development.
In year 1, inFocus worked with Spirit to develop a theory of change, involving a broad range of stakeholders, both potential grantees and sector experts, mapping out how an inspirational event, like the London 2012 Games, could continue to: inspire people, to challenge their thinking around disability and civil and national pride, to increase in participation in sport, the arts and culture and volunteer and how this could translate into to long-term changes in communities. During the process, we helped Spirit of 2012 to tease out these issues and attitudes from stakeholders and explore the underlying beliefs and assumptions behind the programme. Download Spirit's Theory of Change to the right.
Once the Theory of Change was agreed and outcomes prioritized, the next step was to develop and agree a set of indicators and tools that could be used by grantees to help to identify to what extent the changes took place. We developed a range of data collection and reporting tools for Spirit of 2012 grantees to submit data against the indicators enabling Spirit of 2012 to consolidate and view reports across all programmes and grantees.
Following this initial inception phase of the charity, inFocus turned its' role towards that of External Evaluator. By working with our team of Associates across the UK we carried out a combined three year process, formative and summative evaluation to help Spirit to use data for both its' own learning and external accountability. The evaluation continued to use the theory of change as a guiding framework, which was revised and updated annually. The evaluation culminated in a final Evaluation report which can be downloaded to the right.


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Q: Where can I find programming work online? I have setup an ideal, quiet, non-interrupting environment at home. I am extremely productive here. I  dont want to leave my home, not my room, not even my couch.
I am outside United States in a third world country so a lower pay is not an issue. The issue is the work environment.
How/where do I find work online so that I don't have to travel to it? Have you done it full time from home? Where and how?

A: Guru.com, and elance.com are two good options for finding online work. Realize it's not the easiest thing to do, because you'll be going head to head with people who can afford to bid a lot less than you. Pick your battles, there's no need to bid on a project that's way below what you're comfortable doing.
Find a good project that you feel you can perform well on and take the time to provide a very well thought out proposal. Make sure you highlight key points of the buyer's request so that he knows you're paying attention. And fire away. 9 times out of 10 you might not win the bid. But persistence is key and eventually you'll find the PERFECT project.
Make sure you execute well and hopefully there will be follow up work. If not, at least you have some rep on the site which will make the next client more likely to look at your proposal.

A: I've had some success on oDesk.com
There is a lot of competition from Indian programmers that charge very low prices but all it takes is a regular introduction letter to reel a potential client in.
Don't be too polite or 'proper'. Casual works best and only apply to jobs you know you can finish. When you apply to these types of jobs where you are confident, that carries over on your intro letter.

A: Ok, so I'm not a fan of all the sites listed above.  Assuming you are a competent, productive programmer, I'd suggest twitter.  Use TweetDeck to find the technologies (#python, #mongodb, #rails, etc), help as many people as you can in the stream, and watch for people looking for freelancers.
When someone looks at your twitter profile, they can quickly tell that you help others, are knowledgable and smart (assuming you are those things).
I've gotten quite a few jobs around the world like that, and it's worked out great.

A: vWorker is the right place.
I've been working for about two years in vWorker. I've tried some other websites, like freelancer.com with no success.
Here is a comparison between vWorker and some other freelance websites:
For employers
For workers
It has some advantages (to me) over other websites. For example:

*

*When you bid in a project, other coders cannot see your bid.
It's good because it increases (or avoid decreasing) the price of the projects.
Just imagine some coder asked $50 for a project. Then you may ask $45, and another coder $40 to obtain it...
In others websites, I've seen how price decreases from $500 to $150 (because of this)

*There is a really good arbitration system.

*When you're accepted by an employer to work on a project, he/she puts his/her money in vWorker. It means that if you complete the project before deadline, then you can be 100% sure you'll get paid.

*There are lots of projects coming up per minute/hour. In this moment, there are 2,432 open projects.

I suggest you something:
No matter what site you choose to start working on: Be good in what you like/do.
It's true: there are lots of coders in those freelance sites, but lots of them only have the basic knowledge of a few topics. It means that they won't be able to work in a medium-difficult project (no matter if it is a small or a big project). Maybe they're not able to work on a .NET/Java project that requires modeling a really big database, working with some other websites APIs, or develop a driver to read/write an Ext2 filesystem/partition using Fuse in C under Linux ;)
Of course, there are lots of good people too, but what I've experienced is that it's not the majority.
Good luck with that.
Happy freelancing ;)
Edit:
The first time I visited vWorker, I wasn't too interested in the projects I saw. Then I didn't visit the site anymore for about a month. One day, I started visiting it again to see if there was something interesting, and I realized about something:
There are lots of new projects each day, and very often, when you visit the site, you're seeing only a few projects of that day, because lots were already awarded to some coders. The point is that you should visit the site frequently in the same day, because the projects you might be seeing, could be the less interesting projects. In fact, there are really older projects where the people who posted it won't award them to any coder, just because they don't really care about it anymore.

A: dice.com >> Advanced Search >> click Telecommute Only checkbox

A: Most of the answers here assume you want to work as a free-lancer bidding in projects.
The problem with that is that you have to deal with getting each project, and that can be a pain in the ass.
That's not the only way to work online. You could work, as I did in upandrunningsoftware.com or a similar company, in which you don't have to worry about getting clients and projects, they just provide you with work, and you work as many hours as you can and are willing to.

A: you can find a detailed review of the top freelance market places here :: freelance-market-review.
It covers almost all the major ones including detailed overview of the following ones.

*

*oDesk

*Elance

*Guru

*Freelancer

*vWorker

*People Per Hour

*Script Lance

*Lime Exchange

*Get A Coder

*ifreelance

This was earlier posted here.
https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/13282/freelance-programming-sites/13370#13370

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Tag Archives: jean knight
The Godfather of Rampart and Dumaine: Studio legend Cosimo Matassa to be honored on the Stomp's first night
September 9, 2011 Lakeview Kid	Leave a comment
Get ready for the Ponderosa Stomp's righteous tribute to one of the architects of the New Orleans sound, J&M recording studio owner Cosimo Matassa. Friday night's tribute features tips of the hat from Matassa's key colleagues, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Dave Bartholomew and Allen Toussaint, along with Clarence "Frogman" Henry" and Robert Parker. The music then keeps rolling on the main stage with numerous other veterans of Cosimo's studio, including Jean Knight, Little Leo Price, CP Love, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Earl Stanley, GG Shinn, Frankie Ford, and more.
According to John Broven's treasure-trove book "Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans":
The whole New Orleans R&B record scene was centred around the recording studios of Cosimo Matassa. Apart from isolated sessions in radio stations or on "field" locations, almost every R&B record made in New Orleans from the 1940s until the late 1960s was cut in his studios. Cosimo is mystified when asked why others did not try to establish another studio. "Beats the hell out of me, I don't know," he said. "It could be that New Orleans is just like a big small town."
On Dec. 10, 1999, on the 50th anniversary of the recording of Fats Domino's "The Fat Man," Matassa, Bartholomew, and Domino reunited for a ceremony at 838 N. Rampart St. to designate the site a historic landmark. The event also drew Toussaint, Ford, Ernie K-Doe, and other musicians who recorded there.
Below, watch Bartholomew (who was taught by Louis Armstrong's trumpet teacher, Peter Davis) blow some notes along with Porgy Jones before giving a shout-out to Matassa and the many legends who made their musical bones at the hit incubator, during a ceremony in September 2010 sponsored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which designated the site a historic Rock and Roll Landmark:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87MNYWkvkcs
New Orleans, Power pop, R&B, Rock 'n Roll, Soul, video
Al "Carnival Time" JohnsonAllen Toussaintclarence frogman henrycosimo matassaDave Bartholomewearl palmerErnie K-DoeFrankie FordGG ShinnJ&M recording studiojean knightPorgy JonesRock and Roll Hall of Fame
RIP, "The Creole Beethoven": Wardell Quezergue dead at 81
The legendary New Orleans arranger and bandleader Wardell Quezergue died at age 81 today at East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, La. Below is his biography from the Ponderosa Stomp, which he graced so often with his genius presence: If the greatest measure of a man's success is a view of what the world might … Continue reading RIP, "The Creole Beethoven": Wardell Quezergue dead at 81 →
Fallen But Never Forgotten, gulf coast soul, Mississippi, New Orleans, Power pop, R&B, Rock 'n Roll, Soul
Allen ToussaintDave Bartholomewdixie cupsdr. johnjean knightKing FloydMac RenennackMalacoProfessor LonghairSmoky JohnsonWanda Rouzanwardell quezergueWillie TeeWilson Turbinton
Clarence "Frogman" Henry leaps out of retirement (again) to headline a very special Ponderosa Stomp Revue on June 8
June 5, 2011 Lakeview Kid	6 Comments
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in," says mafia don Michael Corleone in "The Godfather III." The same could be said of an equally respected godfather of New Orleans R&B, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, lured once again into the spotlight from his retirement lilypad in Algiers to headline the latest Ponderosa … Continue reading Clarence "Frogman" Henry leaps out of retirement (again) to headline a very special Ponderosa Stomp Revue on June 8 →
New Orleans, R&B, Rock 'n Roll, Soul, Swamp Pop, Uncategorized
"Carnival Time" JohnsonAl "Carnival Time" JohnsonAl JohnsonBeatlesbobby allenBobby CharlesBobby MitchellClarence HenryDave Bartholomewfats dominoHowlin' WolfHuey Meauxjean knightJimmy Donleylil buck sinegalPaul "Lil' Buck" SinegalPaul SinegalProfessor LonghairRock and Roll Hall of Fame
Ponderosa Stomp @ Lincoln Center: The Reviews Are In
Before the event got underway, the New York Post weighed in with a lengthy preview. David Fricke, in Rolling Stone: "The third night of the inaugural Lincoln Center edition of the Ponderosa Stomp — the annual spring resurrection of forgotten roots-rock and R&B heroes and heroines, founded and held in New Orleans — was … Continue reading Ponderosa Stomp @ Lincoln Center: The Reviews Are In →
New Orleans, Ponderosa Stomp On The Road, R&B, Soul
bo-keysbobettesdixie cupsdr. johnjean knightrobert parkerstaxtammy lynnwardell quezerguewilliam bell


The popular music of the U.S. had its sources in the European folk and salon music of the colonists and in Black African musics brought over by slaves. Brazilian music is similar in derivation but with at least two significant differences. First, Brazil's European influence came primarily from Portugal and Southern Europe instead of the British Isles. If that suggests to you less marching and more dancing, you would be right. And, secondly, the music of the indigenous peoples remained an influence in Brazil, whereas such music was almost totally ignored in the U.S. So, there are ingenious musical instruments like the berimbau, an arched bow with a gourd resonator whose single string is played with a stick. (The Brazilian slave trade may have plundered different parts of Africa than the American trade, and so brought different African musics to Brazil, but I am by no means knowledgable on that subject.) The result is a tradition of popular music in Brazil that is every bit as rich and varied as that of the U.S., but has taken off in different directions. Instead of ragtime there is, let's say, chôro; instead of blues, samba; instead of country, forró; instead of jazz, bossa nova; instead of rock, MPB (música popular brasiliera). I don't mean to imply these musics are all that similar, but merely to show that Brazilian music is a gallimaufry comparable to that of the U.S. And, of course, Brazilian music has influenced the music of the U.S., from Carmen Miranda to the bossa nova (which in turn was heavily influenced by American "cool" jazz). Even avant rocker Arto Lindsay (who was raised in Brazil) has recorded O Corpo Sutil (the Subtle Body), which would fit comfortably in a collection of modern Brazilian music.
With such a variety, where to get started? How about a tidy introduction to four major styles of Brazilian music? Okay, here it is. (Yes, it came out three years ago and we are just getting around to reviewing it. But, that doesn't make it less interesting.) This collection was produced by Jack O'Neil, who has done a superb job finding exemplary recordings and putting them together in truly listenable albums. Many of these recordings have never before been released in the U.S., so even if you are a fan of Brazilian music, there will be some pleasant surprises here. O'Neil has the rare knack of putting together compilations like this so they do not deteriorate into hurkey-jerky randomness. Each of these albums, while focusing on a major style of Brazilian music, also works simply as an album of great music. The four CDs are available as a boxed set with a very informative booklet or separately, in which case all you get is a track list. If you don't spring for the whole set, I'd suggest you contact Blue Jackel and see if they will sell you the booklet–it's well worth it. You can put a CD on for company while driving in your car or puttering around the house, but with the booklet, you can sit, listen, read and learn.
The transfer of all these different recordings to CD is mostly well done. O'Neil has done an excellent job adjusting the volume level (and, I think, judiciously equalizing the frequency range) from track to track, so that there is little of the jarring change of sound that can occur on some compilations. But there is also, on my system at least, a very minor tizz to the high-frequencies that puts a hint of an edge on some of the vocals and makes the drums sound a little more like sheets of metal than frame and skin. I suspect this is not due to the original source recordings, since it occurs on many of the tracks; perhaps it is an artifact of the particular analog-to-digital converter used. It is not a big problem–you probably won't even notice it unless you listen to the set as closely and as many times as I have!–but it is a mar on an otherwise exemplary production.
Now, what about the individual albums and performances? There is too much to cover in detail here, but let me pick out some highlights.
On the "Folk and Traditional" album, we get a fast introduction to the roots of Brazilian music. This disk has the greatest variety of the four, encompassing field recordings as well as recordings by popular Brazilian artists from the first half of the century. The disk starts out, confounding expectation, with a 1941 recording by Carmen Miranda, she of the towering fruit basket headdresses. The song is a tribute to the Brazilian spirit ("I have in my body the scent of the samba") with an utterly infectious beat, playing Miranda's energetic vocals over a simple background of guitar, percussion and chanted vocals, and a superb single-string guitar solo. Other highlights of the disk are two recordings of the wonderfully rough-voiced Wilson Moreira, one of which is a chôro by Pixinguinha, one of Brazil's great popular composers. Chôro is late 19th century style mixing Portuguese harmonies with African call-and-response structure, played on guitars and other folk instruments with European trumpets and saxophones, and featuring improvisation. Sounds like a description of early jazz? You bet, but chôro has a purely Brazilian beat. And, like jazz, what is interesting is not the sources of the invention but the beauty of the result. A transcendent field recording of a Candomblé ceremony takes us right to the heart of Black Brazil. The Candomblé religion combines elements of African Spiritualism and Portuguese Catholicism. This is a vibrant live recording, with sweat and incense hanging heavy in the humidity. There is also a superb recording of a berimbau played by Papete, demonstrating the astonishing variety of sounds this simple instrument can create. If you have heard Airto Moreira on one of his recordings with or without his wife, Flora Purim, you may know the berimbau. Papete is one of the original virtuosos, who yields nothing to Airto.
Carnaval in Rio de Janiero is the great party that occurs before Lent, the equivalent of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. And what is a party without music? During carnaval, musical troupes (the "escolas du samba," or samba schools) take to the streets of Rio for competition and partying. Guitars, batucada (batteries of percussion) and group singing are the order of the day. If the "Folk and Traditional" album is a real mixture, the "Carnaval" album is a much of a muchness, but that is probably appropriate for a nonstop party like Carnaval. Great for your next outdoor summer party.
If you are of a certain age, you remember the bossa nova era. As far as that goes, in the what-goes-around-comes-around '90s, we all know bossa nova. Created by Brazilian musicians influenced by American jazz–especially the "cool" sound of musicians like Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan–bossa nova brought the street samba indoors to the night club. Composed, sophisticated and definitely cool, bossa nova took the world by storm mostly through derivative versions by everyone from Getz to Eydie Gorme. On the third album, you can hear the real stuff. The album appropriately starts with "A Felicidade," a tune from the movie Black Orpheus (set during Carnaval) by bossa nova's great composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Jobim was probably the best known Brazilian musician worldwide, and the composer of dozens of wonderful tunes, including "One Note Samba," "Desafinado," "The Waters of March" and, of course, "The Girl from Ipanema." Also appropriately, the tune is sung by the great João Gilberto. Gilberto's low-key delivery might remind you of Michael Franks, Boz Scaggs or J.J. Cale, all of whom I am sure have listened hard to him. But what makes him inimitable is his rhythmic artistry, which never fails to astound me. In "A Felicidade," listen to the way Gilberto, accompanying himself on guitar, places his syllables both ahead and behind the beat with the feel of a dancer. The rhythmic placement of his notes is utterly logical, yet I can't predict where they will fall. He makes Franks and crew sound like heavy-footed plodders. The next two songs, performed by J.T. Meirelles and Beth Carvalho, make the bossa nova connection to the street samba clear, as does "Oh, What a Sight" by Oscar-Castro Neves, which incorporates a recording of a samba school into a complex bossa nova composition. The rest of the album moves more toward the "cool" sound, with both well-known bossa nova stars like Sylvia Telles (a gorgeous rendering of Jobim's "Dindi"), Chico Barque, Toquinho Horta and Vinícius de Moraes as well as lesser known performers who are no less worth hearing.
Here are some other albums and artists worth investigating if you decide to explore Brazilian music further. I've tried to pick a good starting selection of old and new, but this should not be viewed as a definitive list. I can't even be sure all these albums are still in print. But I can vouch for the enjoyment they have given me.
For regular information on Brazilian music, check out Bossa magazine, available at Tower Records stores. And a good Internet source of information about Brazil itself is Brazzil magazine.
She's third-generation Lebanese-Brazilian. She didn't compose any of the tunes. So what makes it a Brazilian album? Assad's incredible inventiveness. You won't believe it's a solo album. The recording is very clear. By the way, her name is pronounced "bah-JEE ah-SAHJ."
Badi's brand-new album, with strings, didjeridu, and jungle sounds. Very polished, by which I do not mean bordering on new age–it's too noisy and complex for that.
Caetano Veloso's sister and a stunningly dramatic performer in her own right.
Soundtrack to the film that fueled the bossa nova craze. Wonderful music by Jobim and Luiz Bonfa.
The best I have heard of Gal's rather erratic recordings. And, at her best, she is beyond category.
Wonderfully romantic album by a fine singer and songwriter.
Fresh album of twenty short songs about the Internet and other profundities.
Two CDs with thirty-eight classic 1958-61 EMI-Odeon recordings.
Recorded in America (by the great Rudy Van Gelder) with American musicians. But the Jobim magic is in full force. "God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun" is a striking thumbnail portrait of Brazil.
Electric. She stole the show when she toured with David Byrne.
Digging farther back in Brazil's musical heritage, an exotic album derived from and influenced by music of the Brazilian Indians.
It's hard to choose. I could as well pick Sentinela and Geraes.
Hermeto Pascoal, Slaves Mass, Warner Bros.
Jazzy, experimental, funny, wild, exuberant. A great live show if you get the chance.
This has the astonishing "Alo, alo marciano" with Elis scatting like crazy.
Elis sings Jobim, and he joins in. Classic.
Energetic selection of instrumental dances. But if you have a copy of Forro e Frevo, let me know!
An utterly original group that makes its own instruments.
Astonishingly prolific and inventive. This album has the unforgettable "Ilê Ayê," co-composed and recorded with Veloso's son.
A compilation by Talking Headman David Byrne of hard-to-find recordings by this experimental pop artist. Byrne also has other good compilations in the series.
Folksy accordion-based dance music not represented in the Blue Jackel set.


Time to report on the Andean roots. So far the bed is looking pretty good, I've managed to hoe a couple of time and although one or two plants have succumbed to a mysterious fate (mice, cats?) most of the pot grown starters I planted out seem to be thriving. Pictured above the ulluco on the left, the oca (four, maybe five types) on the right and a few magentaspreen seedlings which inevitably found their way into the bed even though it was covered with thick black plastic for two years to kill the nettles and brambles.
All three of my starts of Yacon from Realseeds took well although they have been sulking since I planted them out at the beginning of June. Thankfully they seem to have settled now and are beginning to get going which is a relief.
I managed to kill a lot of mashua that kindly I'd been given and have ended up with just the one plant but it's looking mighty fine.
Not generally grown for its roots (or at all) but still resolutely Andean the Alberto Locoto chillies are looking really healthy and making lots of flowers. They need bigger pots as do a number of my other babies so I feel a trip to Poteries Turgis just down the road in Noron la Poterie coming on.
And because, geographically, the Papalo is closer to these than anything else I'm growing this year here it is, in another pot. I should plant some more quickly because there's not much there to harvest.
Yummy and beautiful at the same time. Can't wait to see the harvest.
Hello Rebecca! Thank you. It's a great change from last year when it was so wet here everything rotted. Hoping for a much better crop this time.


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SteepTurn
Quote from: happylanding on July 07, 2006, 02:32:58 PM
HOHOHO.........
A husband comes home to find his wife with her suitcases packed in the living room. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" he says. "I'm going to Las Vegas. You can earn $400 for a blow*** there, and I figured that I might as well earn money for what I do to you free."
The husband thinks for a moment, goes upstairs, and comes back down, with his suitcase packed as well. "Where do you think you going?" the wife asks. "I'm coming with you...I want to see how you survive on $800 a year!!!"
btw packing suitcase...
A husband comes home and says to his wife: "pack your siutcase, I won the lottery!" She replies: "Oh darling, that's great! Where are we going?" - "WE don't go anywhere, YOU go...."
for climbing --> pull ** for decending --> continue pulling
Quote from: happylanding on December 01, 2006, 07:46:52 AM
After a long night of passion, the young guy rolled over, pulled out a cigarette from his jeans and searched for his lighter. Unable to find it, he asked the girl if she had one at hand.
"There might be some matches in the top drawer," she replied.
He opened the drawer of the bedside table and found a box of matches sitting neatly on top of a framed picture of another man. Naturally, the guy began to worry.
"Is this your husband?" he inquired nervously.
"No, silly," she replied, snuggling up to him.
"Your boyfriend then?" he asked.
"No, not at all," she said, nibbling away at his ear.
"Well, who is he then?" demanded the bewildered guy.
"Oh well...That's me before the operation........"
a wonderful day to you all!
Shudder - going to be hard to have a wonderful day now! I think I need a shower. :p
Ok shifting gears, I just saw this at avweb and wanted to share it (both the joke and the site but I'm sure most here know the site).
Overheard while flying practice approaches at Sioux City, Iowa:
Tower: "Skylane Eight Seven Charlie, cleared for the approach; caution, waterfall in the area."
Short silence, presumably while the Skylane pilot questioned passengers on the transmission.
Skylane: "Eight Seven Charlie, say again?"
Again, short silence.
Skylane: "Ah, cleared for the approach, but what do you mean by the waterfall caution?"
Tower: "Waterfall, you know: Ducks and geese...Waterfoul."
That was a good one, and I for one never heard it before.
Seen just seconds before posting time at the right bottom corner of www.avweb.com
Quote from: Frank N. O. on December 05, 2006, 12:24:06 AM
LOL, Good one! wonder if that's why the ATIS here always says "caution - migratory birds in vicinity" instead of waterfoul? Think someone in the tower heard this joke?
Quote from: tundra_flier on December 05, 2006, 05:18:30 AM
Don't forget the carribou!
FlyboyGil
AW, CRAP!!!
The simple joke:
Two guys are walking down the street.... I forget the punchline, but you're mom's a whore.
« Last Edit: June 27, 2007, 09:51:55 PM by FlyboyGil »
IF YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING NICE, YOU'RE PROBABLY AT THE ICE CAPADES
Men's answer to Maxine
Men strike back!
Q: How many men does it take to open a beer?
A: None. It should be opened when she brings it
Q: Why is a Laundromat a really bad place to pick up a woman?
A: Because a woman who can't even afford a washing machine will probably never be able to support you.
Q: Why do women have smaller feet than men?
A: It's one of those "evolutionary things" that allows them to stand closer to the kitchen sink.
Q: How do you know when a woman is about to say something smart?
A: When she starts a sentence with "A man once told me..."
Q: How do you fix a woman's watch?
A: You don't. There is a clock on the oven.
Q: Why do men fart more than women?
A: Because women can't shut up long enough to build up the required pressure.
Q: If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife is yelling at the front door, who do you let in first?
A: The dog, of course. He'll shut up once you let him in.
Q: What's worse than a Male Chauvinist Pig?
A: A woman who won't do what she's told
I married a Miss Right.
I just didn't know her first name was Always.
Scientists have discovered a food that diminishes a woman's sex drive by 90%.
It's called a Wedding Cake.
Q: Why do men die before their wives?
A: They want to.
Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
Alabama Bird dogs (hyuck)!!
AlabamaBirdDog1.jpg (358.04 kB, 804x475 - viewed 4252 times.)
Make sure you have the volume up for this one, it's kinda hard to hear
http://www.funnyjunk.com/movies/49/Relaxing+Car+Drive/
The Royal family, and gas
fart.jpg (93.65 kB, 600x600 - viewed 598 times.)
Quote from: FlyboyGil on December 08, 2006, 09:54:57 PM
"You're Moms a whore" and now this-------Son, you got toooooooooooo much time on your hands although I had to bust a gut on the first one (for ridiculous reasons)
Quote from: fireflyr on December 09, 2006, 06:41:15 AM
As long as you got a laugh out of it, that's what counts
For those who love the philosophy of hypocrisy and ambiguity.
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.....
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?
The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me it would defeat the purpose.
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
If a deaf person swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?
If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?
Is there another word for synonym?
Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all?"
What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?
If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?
Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines? (Somebody please explain THIS ONE to me) (I know there's a logical explanation, but it escapes me)
How do they get deer to cross the road only at those yellow road signs?
What was the best thing before sliced bread?
One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.
Does the Little Mermaid wear an algebra?
Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
How is it possible to have a civil war?
If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown, too?
If you ate both pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?
If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
Whose cruel idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have "S" in it?
Why are hemorrhoids called "hemorrhoids" instead of "assteroids"?
Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?
Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?
Can an atheist get insurance against acts of God?
chuckar101
Those are classic especially the Braille on the drive thru machines.
WOW I did that!
LOL those are greats, thanks for posting them