text:
Category: TV Opinions
Top 5 TV Mentors
Whether it's marital problems, flunking out of school, or even being afraid of a simple trip to the dentist, television always gave us great Sages to guide our characters through the tough times. The age of the TV mentor is nearly dead, as today's television advice givers are seriously flawed individuals. Look at Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation (Nick Offerman), or Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) on 30 Rock. While they are mentors for the protagonist, they aren't exactly the perfect human beings. The days of Mike Brady are long gone. But let's look back at a time when television did give us those flawless human beings: My Top 5 Favorite Television Mentors…
5) Dr. Jason Seaver (Alan Thicke) – Growing Pains:
-Well, the man was a psychiatrist, so obviously he's going to be able to dish out some good advice. While I have him #5 on the list, he kind of failed more often than not. Let's be honest – his only challenge was his slacker son Mike (Kirk Cameron). How successful really was Jason with Mike overall? He barely graduated, and he remained lazy for much of his time at Alf Landon Junior College. Eventually, he got it together, but it was a long battle for Jason Seaver. In the end, Jason deserves a spot on this list because Mike was a tough adversary. But I think the real evidence of his wise teachings came later in the series when Mike mentored troubled homeless teen Luke, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The student becomes the Master. Well done, Jason.
Go to Method of Advice Giving: Jason often took the 'you have so much potential' approach with Mike.
Vintage Jason Moment: In the sixth season premiere, 'Mike's Choice,' him and Jason have an epic showdown, where Mike is threatening to drop out of college and move to New York to become a star on Broadway. Jason really goes all out here, but the result is Mike's room being completely emptied out the next morning. Even though Jason failed, Mike eventually returns, and their bond is stronger than ever.
4) Master Splinter (Peter Renaday, voice) – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Original Series):
-You can't have a Television Mentor list without Master Splinter. When the ooze affected both him and the Turtles, Splinter knew there was a deeper purpose for why this happened. Once known as the great Ninja Master Hamato Yoshi, Splinter teaches the four turtles martial arts, and the rest is history. Splinter was always one for wise advice, but when it came to training the turtles, that's where he really shined. Oh, and Splinter was not averse to kicking some ass himself.
Go to Method of Advice Giving: Meditation was Splinter's forte, as well as constantly trying to get the Turtles to eat sushi rather than pizza. He failed on that one.
Vintage Splinter Moment: In the final episode, 'Divide and Conquer,' the Turtles have finally defeated the evil Lord Dregg. At the end of the episode, Splinter tells his sons he is no longer their sensei, as they are now equals. Wow…that's some heavy stuff. I probably would have held Michelangelo (Townsend Coleman, voice) back though.
3) Wilson Wilson, Jr. (Earl Hindman) – Home Improvement:
-First of all, his name is Wilson Wilson…let's reflect on that for a moment. Out of everyone on this list,Wilson was probably counted on the most to give advice. Seriously, if Tim (Tim Allen) wasn't next door neighbors with this guy, he'd probably be divorced. No doubt about it. But it wasn't just Tim who relied on the eccentric weird-o. Jill (Patricia Richardson) also used him from time to time, and sometimes even the Taylor boys would drop by the famous fence. I think Al (Richard Karn) even sought his advice later in the series. But whether he was testing his maracas, or squeezing his apples late at night, it was never a bother for good ole Wilson. And the fact that you never see his face just adds to the mystic…
Go to Method of Advice Giving: Very obscure philosophical references.
Vintage Wilson Moment: I can't really pinpoint to one, they all kind of ran together. There are a few episodes where we see the inside of his house, and that really sums up the character.
2) Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) – Full House:
-I think Danny had the benefit of being aided by really cheesy and sappy music. This really elevated his legendary speeches. Danny Tanner was a simple man. He loved his family, wanted his house clean, and always appreciated a good hug. Proof that he's a wise sage is when the mom of Stephanie's (Jodie Sweetin) friend asks him, 'Do you always sound like a fortune cookie?' Yup, that's Danny Tanner. Whether he's giving his three daughters advice, Jesse (John Stamos), Joey (Dave Coulier), or even a total stranger, Danny didn't mess around. He wanted to solve any problem that came his way.
Go to Method of Advice Giving: He's all about the long speeches that never end.
Vintage Danny Moment: Honestly, it's the very first episode titled 'Our Very First Show.' This was really his first big test. DJ (Candace Cameron) wants to move down to the basement because she doesn't want to live with Stephanie. But Danny senses there are bigger issues at foot. This is Danny's first big speech about family togetherness…now, if you'll excuse me, I have to grab a box of tissues. I'm getting a little misty eyed.
1) George Feeny (William Daniels) – Boy Meets World:
-It's not even close. The guy has his own call (The Feeny Call) for crying out loud! Feeney was more than just a teacher: He was a living breathing Master. Plus, this guy by far had the biggest challenge. He had to deal with Cory (Ben Savage) whining about his girlfriend all the time, Shawn (Rider Strong), who was just a complete mess, and then Cory's brother, Eric (Will Friedle), a total crazy person. Feeny strongly believed in the teacher/student bond, and in the last episode where he sends off all the main characters with one final speech, he is vindicated. If everyone had a George Feeny telling them what to do, we'd all be kicking ass at life.
Go to Method of Advice Giving: He's really a combination of all the previous methods. Everything is in his repute.
Vintage Feeny Moment: In the Season 4 episode, 'Quiz Show,' Cory, Shawn, and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) keep winning on a game show by answering useless pop-culture questions. When their arrogance gets them in trouble in class while Feeny tries to teach them about Gutenberg and the printing press, Feeny goes on a glorious rant about their generation, and how they all use such great technology for useless information. It was epic.
Well, there you have it. My favorite TV Mentors. As the great Feeny once said, 'Class dismissed.'
Written by bagelcinemas 1 Comment Posted in TV Opinions
TV Review – 30 Rock Season 6 Premiere
Plot: In the sixth season premiere, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is acting carefree and happy, and Tracy (Tracy Morgan) is determined to find out why. Meanwhile, Jenna (Jane Krakowski) plays a mean judge on the new hit show, America's Kidz Got Singing. Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) believes the rapture is coming.
If you've been watching 30 Rock from the beginning, you know exactly what you're going to get with this episode. It's clear 30 Rock will never really challenge itself again, but there's nothing wrong with that. We can always rely on consistent laughs, and it's pretty impressive they've managed to do this for 5+ years with so many one-note characters.
This episode pretty much rehashes elements we've seen before. Liz is acting really happy, and taking on life with a positive outlook, which we can only assume won't last. Jack (Alec Baldwin) flirts with making big decisions with his heart, and not his business sense, which we can only assume…won't last. But, it's still funny. And Liz and Jack have always been the two characters that keep the show at least one foot grounded in reality, as everything around them is pretty much now a fantasy world of wackiness and absurdity.
This is especially apparent with the Kenneth plotline. To be honest, I've never been the biggest Kenneth fan. He and Tracy are truly the one-note characters, but Tracy still cracks me up, while I've been over Kenneth for three years. Kenneth believes the rapture is coming, so Frank (Judah Friedlander) and company screw with this head. I got a few chuckles out of this, but the end gets so nuts, that I think they were just trying too hard, and I lost all interest.
The absolute best part of the episode is Jenna's new career as a Simon Cowell like judge on a rip-off of America's Got Talent, appropriately titled America's Kidz Got Singing. Jane Krakowski has always been the funniest aspect of the show, and she is hysterical in this cheap knock off. This is no surprise, as the best jokes from 30 Rock stem from the fake shows/skits. The Queen of Jordan reality show was the highlight of last season, and I'm happy to say D'Fwan (Tituss Burgess) makes an appearance in this episode.
If you've never really been into this show, then this won't change your mind. If you're a fan, get ready for more of the same. It looks like we are in for another solid season of 30 Rock.
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Good)
Written by bagelcinemas Leave a comment Posted in TV Opinions	Tagged with 30 Rock best characters, 30 Rock best fake shows, 30 Rock best skits, 30 Rock D'Fwan moments, 30 Rock opinions, 30 Rock review, 30 Rock same old same old, 30 Rock season 6 opinions, 30 Rock season 6 premiere review, 30 Rock season 6 review, 30 Rock worst characters
Top 10 TV Theme Songs
A great TV theme song can sometimes outlast the actual show in terms of legendary status. In some cases, the theme song is the best part of the show. When you're watching an episode, maybe you're disappointed the theme is over and everything else from there is just a let down. Well I'm here to bring you my personal top 10 TV themes. I've got a mix of no brainers and odd ones. I try not to let the actual opening credit sequence influence me and just focus on the music itself. Now, let me be very clear: I am no music expert. I can barely tell a guitar from a bass. I have no idea what's going on in terms of actual notes. These are just the themes that for whatever reason hit me hard. Here we go…
Honorable Mentions: Ducktales, Cheers, Ren and Stimpy and CHIPS.
10) The Simpsons Theme
-To be honest, I really had to shoe horn this one in. I think it's a really good song, but it's more so the show itself that got it on the list. But it ultimately makes the cut for the first five seconds of, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimpppppppppsons."
9) The Saved by the Bell Theme
-When I hear that bell ring, I get all jittery. The lyrics in general are amazing, but it's really the chorus that drives it home. "It's allllright, because I'm Saved by the Bell." It's also got that rocking guitar going. I think of this song as an amalgam of post eighties/early nineties. I think the Saved by the Bell theme is a symbol, bridging the music between the two decades. But the song really goes crazy at the end where they repeat "It's alright, because I'm saved by the…" three times before finally ending strong with "Bell." Amazing.
8 – The early 90's X-Men Theme
-What can I say? It's just really bad ass, epic and intense. This one is a lot better though when watching it with the opening theme sequence, especially towards the end when you see Professor X and Magneto lead their respective teams and run at one another.
7) The 60's Batman Theme
-The lyrics consist of one word if you don't count the "da-da-da-da-da" at the end, but it's all you need. Even if you aren't watching the opening sequence, you can imagine the "Bams" and "Pows" as you hear the music.
6) The Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme
-First of all, more than any other TV theme in existence, it gives you the back story and character traits succinctly and flawlessly. Everyone knows that "Leonardo leads," "Donatello does machines," "Raphael is cool but crude," and "Michelangelo is a party dude," because the theme song was so damn good. They remixed it for the last three seasons, and it's actually a solid rendition, but a little darker.
5) The NCAA March Madness Basketball Theme
-I have a love/hate relationship with this theme song. Sometimes I hear it and get pumped up because I know it means 55 different basketball games are about to be played at the same time. But other times it makes me want to rip up my terrible brackets. Nevertheless, it truly is an amazing piece of music. I can actually hear brackets being filled out as I hear it.
4) The Monday Night Football Theme
-It may be the most iconic theme on the list. When I hear those horns blast, I can't tell you the adrenaline rush I get. And it just keeps building and building the intensity level as the theme goes on. But at the end, they circle back to how it begins. For some, the song may represent failed dreams and heartbreak, but one thing's for sure; when you hear it, it's time for football.
3) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme
-This may be the best thing Will Smith has ever and will ever do. I love this song. It's sleek, funny, cool and even suspenseful at times. When he's singing "When a couple of guys, who were up to no good," there's almost this chilling beat to it. Now there's both a long and short version. I think the shorter is superior. This one is enhanced a lot by watching the credit sequence, especially when he does that crazy head spin.
2) The People's Court Theme
-I'm convinced this show was popular solely because of the theme. Look, Judge Wapner was awesome, but the theme…holy crap. This defines the word 'intensity.' I can't put into words how awesome this song is. It's called 'the big one' which you can download on iTunes. It's over four minutes long, but honestly, it's not long enough. The thing turns into a horror song at one point. But really, I consider this song all genres of music rolled into one super song. I can dance to it, run to it, listen to it while I work, and just get generally inspired by it. In fact, this theme inspired me to do the list. So if this isn't number one, what on earth could be…
1) The Seinfeld Theme
-I think it's the only choice. More than any other theme, you can instantly recall episodes, dialogue, character moments and just about anything having to do with the show within the first two seconds of the song. Seinfeld just floods your brain when you hear that bass kick in. And let's just think about the music in general. Would Seinfeld have been the phenomenon that it was if this iconic music didn't exist? Probably…but it's a legit question. I think it's only fitting that we end on the best theme that represents the best TV show ever.
Written by bagelcinemas 2 Comments Posted in Top 10s, TV Opinions	Tagged with 60's Batman theme, 90's X-Men theme, Best Sports Theme Songs, Best TV theme songs, Fresh Prince theme song, MNF theme, NCAA march madness theme song cbs, ninja turtles music, ninja turtles theme song, People's Court long theme, People's Court Old Theme, People's Court Theme, Saved by the Bell, Seinfeld Theme, the simpsons, Top 10 TV Theme Songs, TV Theme rankings, TV theme song opinions, TV Theme Songs


The email address "270309580@qq.com" belongs to The Company "zhao jun" . The owner of the 270309580@qq.com and zhao jun with legal rights for the same is "jun zhao" .	You can reach directly by dialing +86.1087878878 & to discuss with zhao jun. As per domain record provided by whois servers, registered address for fengjunge.com , zhao jun,270309580@qq.com is "Xing Long Lu , Liu Zhi Te Qu , guizhou , China ".
This Email address 270309580@qq.com belongs to 1 no. of domains i.e. fengjunge.com . Some extra details for the 270309580@qq.com and it's domains are provided below.
The email address "270309580@qq.com" belongs to The Company "zhao jun" . The owner of the 270309580@qq.com and zhao jun with legal rights for the same is "Zhao Jun" .	You can reach directly by dialing +86.85.85838166 & to discuss with zhao jun. As per domain record provided by whois servers, registered address for lzjsfr.com , zhao jun,270309580@qq.com is "Gui Zhou Sheng Liu Pan Shui Shi Liu Zhi Te Qu , Liu Zhi Te Qu , guizhou , China ".
This Email address 270309580@qq.com belongs to 1 no. of domains i.e. lzjsfr.com . Some extra details for the 270309580@qq.com and it's domains are provided below.


Description: camera clipart 861 pixels is theprecise height of the clipart. Report the illustration image should be flagged please write me about the issue. You can contact us via contact form or by filling the warning message. Click "Report this image" and you will see the report form. You can click the download button to get the illustration image. JPG is the type of the free camera clipart. The exact width of this illustration is one thousand and twenty-four pixels.


text:
You are at:Home»News»EU»Copa-cogeca is prepared to "go it alone" on pigmeat deal with Russia
Copa-cogeca is prepared to "go it alone" on pigmeat deal with Russia
By	PW Reporters on	 August 3, 2015 EU
Europe's farm leaders have delivered a "go it alone" ultimatum to the European Commission (EC) concerning the need to resolve pigmeat export issues with Russia.
Following up on last Thursday's announcement of a farmers' protest in Brussels on September 7, Copa president Albert Jan Maat (pictured above), urged the EC to "intensify" its efforts to remove the Russian pigmeat import ban which was introduced in early 2014. While the "intensify" message isn't new, his follow-on line certainly is.
"If the situation is not improved, member states must be allowed to negotiate with the Russian authorities their export certificates in order to re-establish trade in pigmeat as soon as possible," he said, highlighting the fact that the EC currently operates on a one-in/all-in basis, a block approach which he clearly believes may not be relevant for much longer.
What appears to be a clear "go it alone" threat, was attached to Mr Jan Maat's warning that farmers are the "victims" of the EU's trade battle for Russia, and that the EC's response to finding new markets is currently "not nearly enough".
"In the pigmeat sector, there is an extremely difficult situation, partly as a result of the Russian export restrictions which were imposed at the end of January 2014," he added. "We need a strong export strategy.
"We urge the EU to intensify negotiations with Russia to get the SPS restrictions imposed on EU pigmeat exports in early 2014 lifted. This would enable exports to Russian to resume for some products like edible offal and bacon which were not included in the global list of banned products resulting from the political dispute between the EU and Russia.
"We also call for targeted measures in the regions worst affected by the ban. If the situation is not improved, member states must be allowed to negotiate with the Russian authorities their export certificates in order to re-establish trade in pigmeat as soon as possible."
Soaring pork exports buck downward trend for UK food and drink
EU pig meat production recovering, but growth less than expected
Government under fire over import standards stance as key Agriculture Bill vote looms

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Whether people are capturing the memories of a moment or making a new piece of art, photography is an important aspect of modern life. As such, many find it useful to learn how to improve their pictures through new equipment and different techniques. However, no matter what techniques you want to try (or improve upon), you will likely need the right equipment.
Viewfinder: special lens for preview.
Are you going to be primarily taking professional or amateur shots?
How much can you afford to spend on your camera and other photography equipment?
What kinds of pictures will you be taking with your camera (i.e., primarily family photos, artistic photos, portraits, etc.)?
Where will you be taking your camera (i.e., are you mainly taking pictures indoors, outdoors, etc.)?
As you answer these questions, you will start to narrow down both the types of cameras that will work best for you, as well as the types of photography equipment that you will need. Keep reading to learn more about how various pieces of photographic equipment are for amateurs versus professionals.
Digital Cameras: These cameras are extremely popular today with both amateurs and professionals alike. Not only are they affordable, but they come with a variety of features, allowing you to shift color tone (from sepia to black-and-white, etc.) as well as to zoom and focus. Because these cameras produce digital images, you can easily edit images, e-mail them to friends or print out paper copies.On the downside, the images these cameras produce are comprised of many pixels (computerized dots). As a result, if you don"t find the right focus for a frame or if you are trying to enlarge an image, you may end up with grainy pictures in which pixels are highly visible.
Medium-Format Cameras (35 mm): Medium-format cameras have many features and consistently produce crisp, sharp pictures. Consequently, they are one of the most popular cameras among professional photographers.The disadvantage to these cameras is that they tend to be pricy. Amateurs should not get these cameras until they are committed to the hobby of photography.
Point-and-Shoot Cameras: Not only are these cameras generally the cheapest option, but they are also one of the easiest to transport, making them a standard option for photographers on the go.The downside of the point-and-shoot cameras is that they don"t have many features, meaning that they tend to produce lower quality photos. Similarly, because these cameras are very practical, you won"t be able to produce pictures that are more artistic.
SLR (Single Lens Reflex): Because this camera operates with a single lens, the way a scene looks through the lens is basically how it will appear on film (i.e., the same size, composition, depth of field, etc.). SLR cameras are also durable and easy to use. On the downside, because SLR cameras have one interior mirror (to correspond with the single lens), attaching any heavier lens, such as a telephoto lens, causes the mirror to shake, resulting in blurry photos.
Actual accessories, such as film, memory cards, batteries and lenses are also essential. Keep in mind, however, that these accessories are camera-dependent, meaning that the particular brands and sizes of these accessories depend on the type of camera you select.
Along with the camera, the other essential piece of photography equipment is a camera bag. Not only does the camera bag protect your camera, but it also helps you store other camera accessories, such as film, memory cards and batteries, so that you can have them on hand whenever necessary.
Cable Release Bulb: This piece of photographic equipment allows the photographer to trigger the camera to take a picture without having to hold the camera in his hand. The cable release bulb consists of a cord that plugs into the camera and a bulb that the photographer holds. When the photographer presses a button on the bulb, the camera takes a picture. Photographers who need to set up a shot or who for some reason can"t stand next to the camera (because they are manipulating props, etc.) benefit from the cable release bulb because it allows them to control the camera from a distance. Portrait and nature photographers are most likely to use the cable release bulb. If you are interested in the cable release, you should also get a tripod.
Filters: A filter, a piece of photography equipment that alters the way in which light enters the camera, can actually change details on the frames or create new images, such as stars or haze, on photographs. To use filters, insert them into the optical path. While filters are a professional equipment must-have, they can be fun for an amateur. However, amateur equipment doesn"t require filters.
Special Lenses: Professionals and amateurs alike can get a wide variety of lenses to enhance their pictures. Depending on the type of photography you are involved in, you can get lenses as varied as a telephoto lens, a fish-eye lens, a wide-angle lens, a zoom lens, etc. While professional equipment will likely include a range of special lenses, amateur equipment needs only a few, if any, special lenses, depending on the photographer"s budget and range of practice.
Tripod: This piece of photographic equipment is a three-legged stand that elevates and stabilizes the camera. While those who practice portraiture should invest in a tripod, others who are involved in action photography probably won"t need (or want) this piece of photography equipment.
Professional photographic equipment tends to be more expensive and will often demand a stronger sense of technical know-how and comprehension. If you are looking to refine your photography skills and learn how to use new pieces of photography equipment, consider taking photography courses, signing up for an online seminar or reading a book on photography techniques.
Macro Lens: a piece of photographic equipment that enlarges small objects in photographs.
Along with these professional equipment accessories, you can get a number of other refined pieces of equipment, depending on your personal preferences. If you are interested in a unique accessory, talk to an expert at your local camera shop.


Game Informer's next piece of exclusive coverage is up! In the latest article, Kyle and Ben takes a look at Quantum Break's live television show. The show is currently in post-production, and there's still editing to do before the full show is complete but GI had a first look at some of the more intense scenes that players will see in the game.
Click HERE to read the full report on Game Informer.
For those who don't know, Quantum Break will have both gameplay and show elements. Gamers will play an episode of the game, watch an episode of the show, play an episode of the game, etc. Both the game and show will ship on one disc and will be connected by Junction Moments; areas of the game where the player can take control over which future is to pass.


text:
Kim Kardashian | Kanye West | Pete Davidson
Kanye West has caused concern among the Kardashians
KIM Kardashian's family have suggested that "it's weird" that her ex Kanye West has bought a $4.5M mansion across street from star's $60M estate.
Kim Kardashian is one of the O.J. Simpson's daughters, head trial lawyers, Robert Kardashian. Kim Kardashian first hit the scene as one of Paris Hilton's party pals. Kim Kardashian, born October 21, 1980, became known outside the gossip circuit when a pornographic video of her and then-boyfriend, rapper Ray J, appeared on the internet in 2006. Kim Kardashian is currently studying to be a lawyer and hopes to take the bar in 2022.
Kanye, 44, purchased the mansion directly across from Kim's Hidden Hills compound in LA, which they once shared.
However, Kim's family are baffled by the decision and have reportedly voiced that they find it "strange".
A source close to the Kardashians told HollywoodLife that her famous family finds it a little bit "weird" – especially considering he reportedly paid $420,000 over the asking price to seal the deal.
"While Kim is okay with Kanye's decision to buy a house across the street, her family is not really feeling this at all," they told the publication.
"They think that it is just a little bit weird, in fact, and said to Kim that no one buys a house across the street from their ex-wife while they are divorcing."
The source added: "Kourtney and Khloe's exes see their kids and they don't live across the street.
"Everyone around her just feels that Kim needs to set boundaries. Kanye could have bought a house a couple blocks away and he would have been able to have the same access to the kids.
"But right across the street, the Kardashian's feel, is just a little bit too strange."
A source told PEOPLE in late December that he bought the house in the hopes of staying close to his children.
Kanye won't be moving right into the mansion, according to People's insider, instead tearing it down first, then reportedly attempting to make it comfortable for their four children.
"Kanye's new house is a teardown. He only bought it for the location. It's near Kim and the kids," the source said on the 1955 home. "He has a vision for the house and plans on starting construction ASAP."
"It will be family-friends. He wants to be able to have the kids over as much as possible. Living only in Malibu was making visits more tricky for Kanye."
The SKIMS mogul reportedly filed for divorce earlier this month after 7 years of marriage - and has her romance with Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson has "escalated quickly".
The pair were first romantically linked in October and it seems that Kim,41 and Pete, 28, are already getting serious.
A source recently told Us Weekly: "Kim and Pete are getting serious. Things have definitely escalated quickly but in a healthy, fun way.
"Right now, they are just enjoying their time together and seeing where things go."
The insider added that the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star "doesn't want to rush into anything too serious" too soon with Pete, though she is enjoying the "early stages" of their new relationship.
The source added: "They are super smitten over each other though, that's for sure."
EAST COAST ROMANCE
Earlier this month, the unlikely couple were also spotted at a Staten Island movie theatre as they were photographed walking through Atrium Stadium Cinemas lobby.
Things have become so serious that the mom of four has even met Pete's family.
According to In Touch, the he "introduced" Kim to his mom, Amy, and his younger sibling, Casey, as "they all met up on Staten Island."
The outlet revealed that Amy as well as Casey gave the TV personality "their seal of approval."
KIMYE'S OVER
Kim and Pete have grown closer as she continues to prove that she's ready to move on from her ex-husband Kanye, 44.
The reality star previously filed court documents to become officially single earlier this month - which is now awaiting approval from a judge.
She also asked that "West" be dropped from her name.
However, the rapper has reportedly "bought a $4.5M mansion across the street from Kim's $60M estate."
He has also made numerous public please to win her back, including at his recent concert with Drake.
The exes share four children: North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, three, and Psalm, two.
Kanye West Kim Kardashian Pete Davidson


text:
Nastia Liukin: Gold runs in the family
The daughter of a four-time Olympic medalist and a world champion, gymnast Nastia Liukin cemented her own legacy with all-around Olympic gold.
By Amy Rosewater
Her father won two gold medals and two silver medals in gymnastics at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Her mother won a world championship in rhythmic gymnastics.
So while Nastia Liukin might have felt pressure to follow her parents to the top of the medal podium, it certainly was not surprising when she captured her first world titles in 2005. Liukin went on to win nine world championship medals and five Olympic gold medals, including the coveted all-around gold – to more than cement her place in her own family.
This year, however, she has done something no other Liukin family member can claim – earning induction into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame.
"I was totally shocked," Liukin told USA Gymnastics. "I knew I was a finalist, but there were so many other incredible finalists — so many that I looked up to as a little girl. So just to be even a finalist amongst those Olympians was a huge honor."
Liukin joins 1984 all-around gold medalist Mary Lou Retton, seven-time Olympic medalist Shannon Miller, Olympic men's gold medalists Bart Conner and Peter Vidmar, the 1984 U.S. Men's Gymnastics Team and the 1996 Women's Gymnastics Team as gymnasts to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame will be housed in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, set to open in early 2020 in Colorado Springs.
The Hall of Fame honor will serve as a belated birthday present for Liukin, who turned 30 on Oct. 30 – just two days before the Class of 2019 induction ceremony on Nov. 1 at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Liukin, who was born in Moscow and immigrated to the United States when she was a 2 1/2-year-old toddler, was raised in the Dallas suburb of Parker, Texas. Her parents, Valeri and Anna, became gymnastics coaches and Nastia trained in their elite gym, World Olympic Gymnastics Academy. Also training in this gym was Carly Patterson, who went on to claim the all-around title in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
Born in 1989, Liukin was too young to compete in the Athens Games, but it was widely believed she would have been considered for the U.S. Olympic Team that year had she been age-eligible.
Four years later, at age 17, Liukin finally was old enough to compete in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games — and she made the most of the opportunity.
Entering those Games, the gold-medal favorite was U.S. teammate Shawn Johnson – who not only claimed the all-around title at the 2007 World Championships, but also won the all-around crowns at both the 2008 national championships and U.S. Olympic Trials.
In Beijing, however, Liukin won the gold medal, edging Johnson by six-tenths of a point. It marked the third time a U.S. women's gymnast had won the Olympic all-around gold medal (Retton and Patterson are the other two) and the first time U.S. women placed 1-2 in the event.
Including the all-around gold medal, Liukin returned from Beijing with five Olympic medals – three silvers and one bronze.
The result was especially emotional and fitting since Liukin achieved these feats at the same time her father marked the 20th anniversary of his Olympic accomplishments. Valeri told reporters in Beijing that is was "not possible to describe how proud I am."
Valeri won two gold medals in 1988 but just missed claiming the men's all-around title. For him to coach his only child to that milestone took some of the sting away from his own personal disappointment.
"Just to know that he was so close to (the all-around gold) and didn't quite achieve it," Nastia Liukin told reporters at the time, "and I hope, you know, I cleared away any of those bad little memories for him. I hope that this definitely tops it. I have a few more to go, but it is an amazing accomplishment just to be here with him, out on the floor 20 years after he competed. I think it just means so much more to both of us. I don't know, just all the hard work paying off. All the injuries, tears, blood, rips — everything."
At the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, U.S. medalists have the opportunity to reward their coaches with a medal of their own: the Order of the Ikkos. Liukin made sure to present her father with his honor.
"He was always the one who said, 'You can do this,' " Liukin said. "I remember this very vividly, especially after I had my (ankle) injury the year before the Olympics. He sat me down and calculated the scores and was very strategic. He showed me it really was possible to win the all-around gold medal."
Liukin attempted to make a second Olympic bid, for the London 2012 Olympic Games, but came up short at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
It was a difficult time for Liukin but one that taught her an enduring lesson. As she wrote in a first-person account, "Winning a gold medal, I learned, doesn't define you. It's the moments that lead up to or follow that moment of glory, the messy, gritty, challenging moments that speak to who you are."
While Liukin is no longer dazzling crowds with her elegance or balletic grace in the gym, she remains active in the sport of gymnastics. She made a point of supporting up-and-coming gymnasts by creating the Nastia Liukin Cup gymnastics competition, and she travels the world to major gymnastics competitions as an NBC broadcaster. She worked for NBC at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games and will be a part of the NBC broadcasting team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
She was providing TV commentary from the 2019 World Championships in Germany where Simone Biles dominated to win the world title. The event was held in Stuttgart, where Liukin had won three of her nine world championship medals. As talented as Liukin was in her prime, she has watched Biles and noted that "she's the best we've ever seen."
Away from the mat, Liukin has remained busy as well. She earned her college degree from New York University in 2016 and has been involved with several business projects. She founded an app called Grander, which she has said is designed to inspire women in and out of sports. She is also an avid fashion blogger.
And now she joins an esteemed group of Olympians who are part of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame.
"Going back to the 8-year-old Nastia, I was the girl who wanted to do flips because it was fun," Liukin said after being named to the Hall of Fame. "I never thought I'd be sitting here today with this news."
Amy Rosewater has covered five Olympic Games and previously worked as an editor and writer for TeamUSA.org. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN.com and other media outlets.
More in the Hall of fame
Meet the Members of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame.
More in spotlight
Bill Hovanic: The first U.S. Winter Paralympian
When he arrived in Sweden for the first-ever Winter Paralympic Games in 1976, Bill Hovanic was a one-man American delegation.
The discipline and drive required to serve in the military and succeed in athletics are similar characteristics. Many active-duty and veteran U.S. service members have enjoyed Olympic and Paralympic success through the years.
Preserving the past: USOPMuseum partners with StoryCorps
By pairing people with shared experiences for a 40-minute uninterrupted conversation, StoryCorps' unique format creates meaningful discussion that preserves history.
John Carlos: Not content to just plant a seed
Once ostracized for having the courage to stand for his beliefs, half a century later track star John Carlos has embraced his role as a survivor.


Adult size walkers feature wide, deep frames, a large number of height adjustments, and a lower side brace for added stability. Our Folding Walkers are lightweight and easy to lift and maneuver. Walkers include handgrips that provide comfort and long-lasting wear and anti-rattle silencers for quiet operation. Accessories for walkers include fixed-wheels, swivel-wheels, glide-tips, skis, baskets and pouches.
Replacement Parts for Invacare 6291-A Adult Walkers.
Drive Medical Rolling Walker has 5" front casters and rear glides. Two-button design is easy to fold flat for transport and storage.
Fits users 5'3" - 6' in height. Lightweight 1" aluminum tubing supports up to 300 lbs. Dual-Release allows sides to be folded independently.
Folding Walker has push down brakes, 5" front swivel casters, padded seat and backrest. Fits users 5'4" - 6' tall.
Invacare 6291-A Adult Walker - Dual Release. The most popular walker. Lightweight aluminum Walker. Adjustable height, optional wheels. Fits users 5'3" - 6'.
Lumex ColorSelect Adult Walker available in 6 colors, has 300-lb weight capacity and includes front 5" wheels. Dual-lever release allows legs to be folded independently.
Invacare 6291-5F Walker, Dual Release with 5" Front Wheels. Still #1 Walker. Adult size walker works for users 5'2 to 6' tall. Easily folds for storage and transport, lightweight aluminum supports up to 250-lbs.
Invacare 6291-A Dual Release Walker packaged with 3" Front Wheels. Adult size walker recommended for users 5'2 - 6' tall.
The Lumex Walker actually doubles as a commode safety aid. The lower handles provide a secure handle and support to help get up off the commode.
Drive Medical Clever Lite LS Walker with push-down handbrakes. Folds flat like a regular walker for easy transport and storage. Flip-up seat allows walking inside the walker.
Price is for case of 2. Fits users 5'3" - 6' in height. 5" front fixed wheels and rear glides. Lightweight 1" aluminum tubing supports up to 300 lbs.
Super lightweight walker folds to the size of an umbrella. Folds easily and can be stored in car's backseat or anywhere else. Fits users 4'10" to 6'4".
Wenzelite CE-1000 Adult Safety Roller, is and Adult Anterior Walker with 4 wheels and adjustable spring-tension brakes. 400 lbs. weight capacity, 2 sizes.
Looks like a standard rollator with padded seat. Seat flips up to expose a commode seat.
Handle Height: 33" - 38"
Seat height: commode 22" top of padded seat: 23.5"
Accessories enhance walkers for safety, maneuverability and durability. Wheel rims are made of durable, easy-to-clean polypropylene; tires are made of non-marring thermoplastic rubber; wheels and bearings are corrosion protected.


text:
Q: html css hierarchical table I'm trying to generate a HTML page that shows a tree structure of parent and child objects, This is the excel version.
http://screencast.com/t/xZtkgSUsO (screen shot of current system)
I can make the chart show from top to bottom, but it becomes messy once there is too much text.
http://jsfiddle.net/kvw7yv05/   (example)

      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf

      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      a load of text here, more more more more more more
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      Add New

      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      Add New
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      Add New
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      Add New
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      hello dfgdfg dfgdfgdfgdf dfgdfgdfgdfgfd dfgdfgdf
      Add New

I'm not sure Tables are the best way to complete this, if so.
So I have two problems,
1) Is there a nice way I can hide the text as I don't want the width to go over around 700px? show hide functionality
2) The 4th row will have set of child elements, if I start putting text in each cell it will look really nasty. Any ideas on how to make this look presentable.
I can't be the first person to try this, any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,

A:

Demo: http://jsfiddle.net/xcregz9d/
To hide overflowing text you can create div inside each cell and add following properties
overflow: hidden;
text-overflow: ellipsis;
white-space: nowrap;

It's going to pull all text in one line, hide overflowing content and add ... at the end.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
GestureTek Unveils New CUBE v5™ Interactive Floor Projection System
GestureTek Inc., a leader in gesture-driven user interface technology, has announced the launch of the next generation of the CUBE, the v5, a turnkey, portable, plug and play interactive projection display system for retail engagement, advertising, exhibits, entertainment and touring promotions. GestureTek is the inventor of multiple forms of camera-enabled gesture recognition technology for interactive display, presentation and entertainment systems, and is covered by over 40 patents worldwide.
The CUBE v5™ control panel is sophisticated and simple to use, enabling users to customize or create their own applications and special effects.
The new CUBE v5™ was to be unveiled in late March at the Centerpiece exhibit for the Retail Store of the Future, GlobalShop 2015, North America's large annual event for retail design and shopper marketing.
"We're extremely happy with the power of the new CUBE v5™, and its ability to provide rich interactive multimedia experiences, with a dynamic range of content applications in any public environment, regardless of the lighting levels,"said Vincent John Vincent, CEO and cofounder of GestureTek. "The CUBE v5™ is a highly engaging experience for all ages. We are extremely encouraged by the number of systems that have been snapped up by retailers, advertisers and exhibit fabricators since the CUBE's release."
(For more information, visit www.gesturetek.com or call 800-315-1189 or 416-340-9290.)
PreviousWho's Job Is It?
NextGoing Mobile – Large Parks and the Food Truck Craze
Connecting the Dots on State Prize Per Play Limit Laws
Funovation Unveils Location in the Philippines
The Incredible Birthday Project: Free Birthday Parties for a Good Cause
Tourist Attractions & Parks Magazine and Foundations Entertainment University Announce the Winners of the 2013 Excellence in Family Entertainment Center Awards


text:
We spent a quiet new year's eve, sipping prosecco and listening to the tape we made years ago in Arkansas, when we recorded a couple of dozen 1920s and 30s records played on an old crank record player. Singers include Vernon Dalhart, John McCormick, and Marlene Dietrich. It has become something of a new year's eve tradition for us to play it. We talked to owlfish, already in the future. I watched fireworks from around the world on the BBC website and drew to help myself stay awake until midnight. On the table are some gifts from our friends, the Leonardos. Peggy made and gave to us the sculpted copper flowers in the vase years ago, but this Christmas, among other things they gave us a Walton Ford calendar! I haven't done more drawings recently because I am writing for an exhibition.", "url": "https://printperson.livejournal.com/54791.html", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "http://pics.livejournal.com/printperson/pic/000abkph/s320x240" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "printperson", "image": "https://l-userpic.livejournal.com/43563475/7500808" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Journal printperson", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://printperson.livejournal.com", "contentUrl": "https://l-userpic.livejournal.com/43563475/7500808" } } }
We spent a quiet new year's eve, sipping prosecco and listening to the tape we made years ago in Arkansas, when we recorded a couple of dozen 1920s and 30s records played on an old crank record player. Singers include Vernon Dalhart, John McCormick, and Marlene Dietrich. It has become something of a new year's eve tradition for us to play it. We talked to owlfish, already in the future. I watched fireworks from around the world on the BBC website and drew to help myself stay awake until midnight. On the table are some gifts from our friends, the Leonardos. Peggy made and gave to us the sculpted copper flowers in the vase years ago, but this Christmas, among other things they gave us a Walton Ford calendar! I haven't done more drawings recently because I am writing for an exhibition.
Tags: john mccormick, marlene dietrich, vernon dalhart


text:
Preview: Dancing With The Stars Season 29 Episode 5
'Dancing with the Stars' season 29 continued into its 4th week this Monday with an episode called 'Top 13'. The remaining celebrity-pro dancer duos deliver their best performances with the hopes of impressing judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. But who makes it to the next week and who is eliminated? Check out our recap section for the major highlights. But prior to that, here is a quick preview of the next episode.
Dancing With The Stars Season 29 Episode 5 Release Date:
'Dancing With The Stars' Season 29 Episode 5 is slated to premiere on October 12, 2020, at 8 pm ET, on ABC. The upcoming episode is called '80's Night'.
Where to Stream Dancing With The Stars Season 29 Episode 5 Online?
You can watch the latest episodes of 'Dancing with the Stars' by tuning in to ABC at the above-mentioned time slot if you have a cable subscription for the channel. You can also watch 'Dancing with the Stars' season 29 episode 5 online on the official ABC website or the ABC app. If you don't have a cable connection, then you can live-stream it on SlingTV, Directv, or Hulu With Live TV (if you have their paid subscription). Already-aired episodes are also available on Hulu.
Dancing With The Stars Season 29 Episode 4 Recap
Nelly, accompanied by Daniella Karagach, manages to impress the judges with a breakout performance. However, he is seen to be a bit conscious of his moves. Nelly and Daniella get a score of 21 out of 30. Chrishell Stause delivers a smooth act, showcasing an intense connection with Gleb Savchenko. The dup gets 22 out of 30. Monica Aldama's dance to 'Party in the USA', alongside Val Chmerkovskiy, earns her a score of 24.
Anne Heche and Keo Motsepe's performance is praised by Derek as "sturdy … on your feet [and] in control." They leave with a score of 21. Nev Schulman's dance to 'Because You Loved Me' gets him 24 out of 30. Justina Machado and Sasha Farber's act is packed with energy and charisma, earning them a total score of 24 out of 30.
Kaitlyn Bristowe secures the highest score yet, 25 out of 30, while Johnny and his partner Britt Stewart are extremely light on their feet. They leave the stage with 24. Jeannie Mai's dance to 'Seven Nation Army' is appreciated for her spot-on focus and attitude. She receives 21. Vernon Davis' performance, dedicated to his grandmother, receives a score of 22.
Jesse Metcalfe gets a 21 while Skai Jackson's dance to 'Ordinary People' earns her praise from Carrie Ann, who says, "You were like an angel dancing the most beautiful dance." She gets a whopping 28 out of 30. AJ McLean gets a score of 24 out of 30. Finally, after adding up the judges' scores and fans' votes, the celebrities who land in the bottom two are Anne Heche and Monica Aldama. There is an error in the production room because of which it is mistakenly declared that Monica needs to go home. But later, Carrie Ann and Derek decide to save Monica. Therefore, this week, Anne Heche and Keo are eliminated.
Read More: Where is Dancing With The Stars Filmed?


text:
Mergers & Acquisitions - NFPs in the Perfect Storm
Tuesday, 26th May 2015 at 10:54 am
Lina Caneva
A Not for Profit environment of more competition from for-profits for work, a tight funding environment and higher demand for services, has created the perfect storm for some organisations to consider a merger, writes Save the Children CEO Paul Ronalds.
Tuesday, 26th May 2015
Last week Save the Children Australia and Good Beginnings Australia, two organisations focused on improving the lives of some of Australia's most vulnerable children, announced a merger.
Both Save the Children and Good Beginnings have recognised there are insufficient resources to achieve a good beginning for every child, without doing things differently.
Mergers are part of a growing trend among Not for Profits.
Whitelion, a Not for Profit providing services to vulnerable young people, has completed mergers with two smaller organisations over the past few years.
Two major disability service organisations, VATMI Industries and the Endeavour Foundation, merged to better respond to the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. In Western Australia, UnitingCare West was created by combining eight Uniting Church agencies and parish missions.
And it's not just in Australia. Save the Children's international members last year merged with Merlin, a frontline health provider in humanitarian crises adding around 3,000 highly-trained medical staff to Save the Children.
And Plan, a child focused development organisation recently entered into a strategic relationship with International Medical Corps, an agency providing health care services to people impacted by war, natural disaster and disease.
What's driving this flurry of M&A activity, more usually associated with Gordon Gekko or Wall Street? Are charities becoming obsessed with size at the expense of their cause?
It's the contradiction at the heart of Australia's Not for Profit sector.
Demand for services remains extraordinarily high. Globally, there are more people displaced or seeking refuge than at any time since the end of World War II.
Domestically, more than one million Australians live in poverty despite more than two decades of uninterrupted economic growth.
On top of this, Governments continue the trend towards outsourcing of social services.
As a result, the sector has never been larger, employed more people or had responsibility for delivering more services.
But this growth has been accompanied by increasing, and sometimes conflicting, pressures. These include pressures to professionalise, become more commercial, respond to rapid technological change, become more accountable and improve financial sustainability.
While once upon a time good intentions were good enough, stakeholders rightly demand Not for Profit be able to clearly demonstrate their impact and value for money.
Organisations like Good Beginnings and Save the Children are challenging themselves to put organisational ego aside and develop structures focused exclusively on whether they are achieving the best outcomes for children.
On the other hand, few donors are willing to fund organisational capacity building. Most donors see this as merely an 'administration cost' that reduces the funds available to be spent on the Not for Profit's objectives. This has led to systemic underinvestment in organisational capability, precisely at the point of the greatest strategic change.
At the same time, State and Federal Government Budgets are under pressure from an ageing population while the mining boom is tailing off and global economic growth is weak.
Governments are also changing their funding approach – from one based on block grants to consumer-directed funding, the most high profile example being the National Disability Insurance Scheme. This, too, requires new skills and expensive new IT systems.
Increasingly, Not for Profits face more competition from for-profits for this to work.
For-profits now dominate the aged care sector and the NDIS trials have generated hundreds of new for-profit enterprises, seeking to compete for consumer directed disability funding. It's the perfect storm.
Which is why it makes so much sense for organisations like Save the Children and Good Beginnings to be merging.
Combined, we will have an even better platform to address the fact that around 60,000 Australian children are beginning school not ready to learn.
The merger will generate opportunities for growth and efficiencies that can be invested into improved technical capability and innovation in programs and services for children and families.
More broadly, we hope it will encourage other not-for-profits to critically analyse their long-term capability to adapt to the rapid changes confronting the sector.
As Charles Darwin's theory of evolution demonstrates, it's not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it is the one that is the most adaptable to change.
Unless Not for Profits face up to this evolutionary challenge, they will quickly become a species at risk. And so will the vibrant civil society that they seek to serve.
About the author: Paul Ronalds is Save the Children Australia's Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining the organisation in July 2013, Ronalds was First Assistant Secretary responsible for the Office of Work and Family in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet providing advice to the Prime Minister on a broad range of social and economic policies designed to assist families and communities. In the NGO sector, he worked for World Vision Australia as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of Strategy. He was also Chief Operating Officer of Urban Seed, an NGO providing a range of services to marginalised people in Melbourne's inner city. He was also a corporate lawyer with international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills and co-founder of wishlist.com.au, one of Australia's most successful e-commerce companies.
Lina Caneva | Editor | @ProBonoNews
Lina Caneva has been a journalist for more than 35 years. She was the editor of Pro Bono Australia News from when it was founded in 2000 until 2018.
Tags : Analysis, analysis article,
Are you burnt out at work? Ask yourself these four questions
Friday, 7th June 2019 at 4:54 pm
Progress is Slow in Measuring Social Impact
Andrew Callaghan
Monday, 7th January 2019 at 1:25 pm
IT Measures to Accommodate the Notifiable Data Breach Scheme
Monday, 12th November 2018 at 5:20 pm
New Brooms: How Younger Givers Are Changing Family Philanthropy
Fiona Higgins
Wednesday, 12th September 2018 at 11:11 am


text:
Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease
2014 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award
Explore All 2014 Winners & Awards >
Alim Louis Benabid
Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble
Mahlon R. DeLong
Basic Award
Clinical Award
Public Service Award
Special Achievement Award
Award Video
For the development of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus, a surgical technique that reduces tremors and restores motor function in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.
The 2014 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award honors two scientists who developed deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus, a surgical technique that reduces tremors and restores motor function in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. Mahlon R. DeLong (Emory University School of Medicine) formulated a new model for the brain's circuitry and exposed a fresh target for this illness. Alim Louis Benabid (Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble) devised an effective and reversible intervention that remedies neuronal misfirings. Their work has culminated in an effective treatment for more than 100,000 individuals worldwide with severe illness who suffer from complications of levodopa therapy.
Parkinson's disease (PD), perhaps best known for its tremor, slows and stiffens movements. From the 1940s through the 1960s, surgeons battled the ailment by destroying regions of the brain, chosen more by trial and error than by a clear understanding of neural misbehavior. The so-called lesions created by these operations often delivered spectacular and stable effects, counteracting the tremor and, to some extent, other features of PD. Even slight misplacement, however, brought complications rather than benefits. Such damage was permanent, as dead tissue could not be revived.
The 1960s broke open a new treatment for PD and largely dismissed the surgical era. Scientists established that the malady arises from insufficient quantities of the neurotransmitter dopamine in an area of the brain that controls movement, the basal ganglia. By the end of the decade, the late George Cotzias (Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award, 1969) had reported dramatic improvements in PD patients who received a carefully tuned regimen of oral L-dopa, the metabolic precursor of dopamine. The medication honeymoon, however, can wear off. After long-term administration, the drug induces severe involuntary movements in some individuals. Only small windows of the day remain in which patients experience neither PD symptoms nor these disturbing effects.
Provocative pathways
When DeLong began his research, in the late 1960s, the basal ganglia had been implicated in movement, particularly because defects there were associated with illnesses such as PD in which motor disturbances feature prominently. Little was known, however, about how exactly the basal ganglia contribute to movement. To find out, DeLong inserted microelectrodes into monkeys' brains and measured the activity of specific neurons in the basal ganglia while the animals performed trained actions. He thus matched neurons with tasks; some influenced, for instance, the direction, size, or speed of arm, leg, or facial movements. In this way, he mapped out the organization of the so-called motor circuit.
Based on his own work and that of others as well as existing anatomical information, DeLong proposed a model in which basal ganglia neurons operate in separate circuits. Multiple pathways originate from distinct centers in the cerebral cortex, run through the basal ganglia, and wind up back where they started; the circuits work alongside one another and allow parallel processing of emotions, thoughts, and motor functions.
This work provided insights into the well-established observation that cognitive and emotional problems accompany many motor disorders that stem from basal ganglia failings. Furthermore, the findings supplied a new framework for exploring how basal ganglia components malfunction in various illnesses, including PD. Although dopamine loss clearly causes the disease's motor perturbations, the associated changes in basal ganglia activities were unclear. DeLong's model — which included detailed maps of stimulatory and inhibitory signals through the basal ganglia — offered ideas. For example, the final stop in the motor circuit of the basal ganglia is a structure that sends restraining orders onward, thereby suppressing other parts of the motor system. Anything that causes superfluous activity at that site might generate the symptoms that characterize PD.
From addicts to insights
In the early 1980s, sporadic outbreaks of a syndrome that mimics PD started occurring among drug addicts, and scientists traced it to a chemical, MPTP, that was contaminating some batches of "synthetic heroin." Administration of the compound to monkeys reproduced the key clinical and pathological features of PD, and thus offered a powerful new tool for studying the illness.
DeLong seized upon the opportunity. A part of the basal ganglia called the subthalamic nucleus drives the inhibitory output signal, and in 1987, DeLong reported that MPTP triggers neurons in the subthalamic nucleus of monkeys to fire excessively. Perhaps, DeLong reasoned, the overexuberant signals quash motor activity in PD. If so, inactivating the subthalamic nucleus might ameliorate some of the illness's worst symptoms.
Next, he did an experiment that would transform PD treatment. He administered MPTP to two monkeys; as usual, they gradually slowed down until they sat motionless, their muscles stiffened, and they developed tremors. DeLong then injected a second toxic chemical that inactivated the subthalamic nucleus. Within one minute, the animals began to move. Gradually, their muscles loosened and the tremors ceased. These findings strongly supported the hypothesis that hyperactivity in the subthalamic nucleus underlies PD symptoms.
High frequency, high hopes
Across the Atlantic, Benabid had also been tackling neurological disorders, and he was frustrated. In a throwback to the pre-L-dopa era, the trickiest patients — those who did poorly with long-term pharmaceutical treatment — would wind up in the operating room. Benabid craved a new tool — something safer that would quiet the most disabling symptoms of PD.
One day in 1987, he was about to create a lesion in a person with essential tremor, a condition that causes trembling in various parts of the body. He was targeting a component of the thalamus that contributes to tremors. As usual, the patient was awake so Benabid could test whether he had located the right tissue; he inserted a probe into the spot that he intended to lesion and sent an electrical pulse to ensure that perturbing this site did not generate undesired effects.
Usually he delivered 50 Hz, but he decided to find out what would happen if he increased the frequency. Just below 100 Hz, something unexpected occurred: The tremor stopped. The patient became so still, Benabid thought that he had caused unintended muscle contraction. He switched off the stimulation and apologized for his mistake. The patient told him not to apologize, as it was the first time in many years that his hand hadn't shaken.
Benabid repeated the procedure, with the same outcome. Furthermore, when he withdrew the current, the tremor recurred. The effect, therefore, was reversible.
Benabid realized he was onto something exciting. Deep brain stimulation had been used for more than two decades to treat pain, but no one had dialed up the frequency. Later that year, he tried the same approach for PD patients. In addition, he implanted a device that was on the market for pain relief and delivers constant stimulation. Some of the individuals benefited from the procedure, and no complications occurred.
In 1991, Benabid reported that high-frequency stimulation could be deployed bilaterally in people with essential tremor and PD; this strategy reduced tremor on both sides of the body. The gains were long lasting, and adverse effects were mild; furthermore, any undesired outcomes could be reversed by reducing stimulation.
Although the technique quelled tremors, Benabid knew that this symptom was not the one that most debilitated people with PD. Perhaps high-frequency stimulation of brain areas other than the thalamus (i.e., the subthalamic nucleus) would alleviate the more troublesome aspects of the illness such as slowness of movement and rigidity, he reasoned.
In this state of mind, Benabid read DeLong's report that damage to the subthalamic nucleus wipes out multiple symptoms of PD in animals. This site was not an attractive target: Lesioning procedures and spontaneous lesions had established decades earlier that, when things went wrong, violent flailing could result. By that time, however, Benabid had performed high-frequency stimulation of the thalamus and other brain regions' in more than 150 patients. He was confident that he would cause no harm in the subthalamic nucleus; if necessary, he could remove the electrode.
In 1995, Benabid reported results from the first humans who received bilateral, high-frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus — three people with severe PD. The treatment suppressed slowness of movement and muscle rigidity.
Eight years later, he confirmed and extended these results in a study of individuals who had undergone the procedure five years earlier. The surgery restored motor skills, suppressed tremor, and improved the ability to conduct normal activities of daily living. Furthermore, people were able to slash their dosage of L-dopa and related medications, which reduced associated complications.
In 2002, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved high-frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus for treating advanced Parkinson's disease. The method is not a cure, and it does not reverse all aspects of the malady. In particular, speech and cognition continue to decline.
Many questions remain about the mechanism of this intervention. It might jam or replace inappropriate circuit activity. Regardless how it works, surgeons are using high-frequency deep brain stimulation to combat an ever-growing number of sites and diseases: essential tremor, dystonia — a condition of involuntary muscle contractions — and even psychiatric illnesses. The FDA approved its use for obsessive-compulsive disorder in 2009, and scientists are investigating applications for drug-resistant depression and Tourette syndrome.
Through their open-minded explorations and willingness to challenge dogma, Benabid and DeLong have delivered extraordinary medical innovations to humankind. By reaching deep into the brain, they have soothed some of the most troubling conditions that corrupt it.
by Evelyn Strauss
Key publications of Alim Louis Benabid
Benabid, A.L., Pollak, P., Louveau, A., Henry, S., and de Rougemont, J. (1987). Combined (thalamotomy and stimulation) stereotactic surgery of the VIM thalamic nucleus for bilateral Parkinson disease. Appl. Neurophysiol. 50, 344-346.
Benabid, A.L., Pollak, P., Gervason, C., Hoffmann, D., Gao, D., Hommel, M., Perret, J.E., and de Rougemont, J. (1991). Long-term suppression of tremor by chronic stimulation of the ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus. Lancet. 337, 403-406.
Limousin, P., Pollak, P., Benazzouz, A., Hoffmann, D., Le Bas, J.F., Broussole, E., Perret, J.E., and Benabid, A.L. (1995). Effect on parkinsonian signs and symptoms of bilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulation. Lancet. 345, 91-95.
Limousin, P., Krack, P., Pollak, P., Benazzouz, A., Ardouin, C., Hoffmann, D., and Benabid, A.L. (1998). Electrical stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in advanced Parkinson's disease. N. Engl. J. Med. 339, 1105-1111.
Krack, P., Batir, A., Van Blercom, N., Chabardes, S., Fraix, V., Ardouin, C., Koudsie, A., Dowsey-Limousin, P., Benazzouz, A., Le Bas, J.F., Benabid, A.L., and Pollak, P. (2003). Five-year follow-up of bilateral stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in advanced Parkinson's disease. N. Engl. J. Med. 349, 1925-1934.
Mallet, L., Polosan, M., Jaafari, N., Baup, N., Welter, M.L., Fontaine, D., du Montcel, S.T., Yelnik, J., Chéreau, I., Arbus, C., Raoul, S., Aouizerate, B., Damier, P., Chabardès, S., Czernecki, V., Ardouin, C., Krebs, M.O., Bardinet, E., Chaynes, P., Burbaud, P., Cornu, P., Derost, P., Bougerol, T., Bataille, B., Mattei, V., Dormont, D., Devaux, B., Vérin, M., Houeto, J.L., Pollak, P., Benabid, A.L., Agid, Y., Krack, P., Millet, B., and Pelissolo, A. (2008). Subthalamic nucleus stimulation in severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. N. Engl. J. Med. 359, 2121-2134.
Key publications of Mahlon R. DeLong
Alexander, G.E., DeLong, M.R., and Strick, P.L. (1986). Parallel organization of functionally segregated circuits linking basal ganglia and cortex. Ann. Rev. Neurosci. 9, 357-381.
Miller, W.C. and DeLong, M.R. (1987). Altered tonic activity of neurons in the globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus in the primate MPTP model of parkinsonism. In: Advances of Behavioral Biology. M.B. Carpenter and A. Jayaraman (eds.), Plenum Publishing Corp., 32, 415-427, New York.
DeLong, M.R. (1990). Primate models of movement disorders of basal ganglia origin. Trends Neurosci. 13, 281-285.
Bergman, H., Wichmann, T. and DeLong, M.R. (1990). Reversal of experimental parkinsonism by lesions of the subthalamic nucleus. Science. 249, 1436-1438.
Bergman, H.G., Wichmann, T., and DeLong, M.R. (1994). The primate subthalamic nucleus: II. Neural activity in the subthalamic nucleus and pallidum in the MPTP model of parkinsonism. J. Neurophysiol. 72, 507-520.
DeLong, M.R. and Wichmann, T. (2007). Circuits and circuit disorders of the basal ganglia. Arch. Neurol. 64, 20-24.
Award presentation by Greg Petsko
In 1972, the novelist Michael Crichton, whose Harvard Medical School education seems primarily to have turned him into a techno-Luddite, wrote a novel called The Terminal Man. It told the story of Harry Benson, who has electrodes implanted into his brain to suppress his psychomotor epileptic seizures. The electrodes are controlled by a small computer with a power pack under the skin in his shoulder. Unfortunately, this being a Michael Crichton novel, the technology is flawed and Benson is psychotic, and — well, you can probably guess how this turns out.
That same year, 1972, a young medical doctor in France named Alim-Louis Benabid became a staff neurosurgeon at Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble while also beginning his studies for an eventual doctorate in physics. And also in 1972, in the United States, another young doctor, Mahlon DeLong, was finishing up his time as a research associate in the National Institute of Mental Health.
Eventually, the work of these two men would coalesce into something strikingly similar, sort of, to the device in The Terminal Man. But its use, Michael Crichton could never have dreamed up: a new therapy for Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease is the Body Snatcher. It starts innocently enough, often with just a tremor in one arm. But then, as the cells in the brain that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine continue to degenerate, it progresses, as relentless as a curse: slowed movement, postural instability, difficulty in walking, and eventually, wheelchair or bed confinement, and death. More than a million people in the United States suffer from Parkinson's, a number that will grow to almost 3 million by 2050. That's more than the population of the city of Chicago. In the 1950s, scientists observed that destroying certain regions of the brain could help treat some movement disorders, including Parkinson's. But it was impossible to prevent concomitant brain damage in many cases, so this approach fell out of favor when dopamine replacement therapy was introduced in the '60s. Symptomatic relief can be achieved for some time with this therapy, but eventually it becomes impossible to administer enough of the drug, and at the same time the high concentration produces involuntary writhing movements — a side effect that, for many patients, is worse than the symptoms of the disease. Once dopamine treatment ceased to be effective, Parkinson's patients were doomed to progressive disability. But our two Clinical Awardees changed all that.
When Mahlon DeLong arrived at NIH, those parts of the brain that were already known to be important in control of movement, like the motor cortex and cerebellum, were already being studied by recording electrical impulses from nerve cells. So he decided to work on a part that wasn't: the basal ganglia, a collection of complex interconnected neurons deep in the cerebral hemisphere.
DeLong was still studying the basal ganglia in the early 1980s, when a group of drug addicts in California tried to synthesize heroin, missed, and instead made a substance called MPTP, which upon administration immediately threw them into full-blown Parkinson's disease. Researchers used MPTP to create a monkey model of Parkinson's, which in turn allowed De Long to test the his idea that the symptoms of Parkinson's following the loss of dopamine were due to excessive and abnormal activity in a small region of the basal ganglia, specifically a small region called the subthalamic nucleus. He and his coworkers used the new MPTP monkey model of Parkinson's and inactivated the subthalamic nucleus with a lesion. When the lesion was made on one side of the basal ganglia, the tremor and muscular rigidity of the monkeys almost instantaneously disappeared on the opposite side of the body. Here, then, was a new approach to symptomatic relief for Parkinson's: inactivate specific regions of the basal ganglia. The question was how to do it without collateral damage.
At around the same time, thousands of miles away, in his laboratory in Grenoble, Alim Louis Benabid was exploiting a remarkable discovery of his own. He had been doing neurosurgery lesions on movement disorder patients who were unresponsive to drug therapy, and one day in 1987 he was about to operate on a person with a severe tremor. The standard procedure was first to stimulate the area that one was about to destroy — in this case, a region called the thalamus — with a 50-Hz electrical pulse to locate the target region and see what effects might accompany its loss. Since the electrical stimulation itself sometimes seemed to quiet the tremor during the procedure, Benabid wondered what would happen if instead he used a different frequency. He tested frequencies from 1 Hz up to 100 Hz. At just under 100 Hz, the patient's tremor completely stopped. When he turned the current off, it returned. Here, then, was a way to treat Parkinson's disease without destroying any brain tissue. The question was, which was the right region to stimulate to relieve the most serious symptoms?
That question of course was answered by the publication by DeLong of his MPTP monkey work: the subthalmic nucleus. In 1995, Benabid reported results from the first three humans with severe Parkinson's who received bilateral, high-frequency stimulation of just that region. The treatment suppressed their slowness of movement and muscle rigidity. Further studies showed a long-lasting benefit: deep brain stimulation, as it became known, actually restored their motor skills, suppressed their tremors, and dramatically improved their ability to conduct normal activities.
Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus was approved by the FDA as a treatment for Parkinson's in 2002. More than 100,000 patients have had electrodes surgically implanted into that region and typically undergo continuous high-frequency stimulation without adverse effects. If you ever see 'before and after' movies of such people, the results will take your breath away. Before, many could neither walk, write, nor speak normally. After, you sometimes can't even tell there is anything wrong with them.
In Act V of Shakespeare's Macbeth, the King asks the Doctor, "Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased?" And all the Doctor can offer is, "Therein the patient must minister to himself." For 500 years, medicine had little better in the way of answer for depression, psychoses, motor neuron diseases, dementia, and movement disorders. But now, thanks to the work of our Clinical Awardees, Drs. Benabid and DeLong, thousands of Parkinson's patients have electrodes implanted into their brains, connected to a powerpack under the skin. But unlike Michael Crichton's Terminal Man, unlike Harry Benson, these patients experience not a tragedy of technology but a miracle of medicine. What was science fiction has become science fact. What was a story of horror has become a story of hope. And people facing years of relentless deterioration and disability are able to function almost normally — while they await the next clinical breakthrough, one that will completely conquer this scourge of mankind.
Mahlon DeLong
Nature Medicine Essay
Acceptance remarks, 2014 Lasker Awards Ceremony
I was born in France during World War II and raised as a teenager during the Algerian War. My brothers and I were told by my father and my mother that peace was the highest value to pursue. My father, who was an MD, wanted me to be a physician and my mother who was a nurse wanted me to be a physicist. To preserve peace, I had no other choice than being both.
I would say, then, that my life has been a science fiction novel, my story being based on the patient's problems and expectations, the use of increasingly sophisticated tools in the battles, the thrill of facing challenges, and the delight of solving them, with sometimes happy ends for the patients, and sometimes not.
Every chapter has been an adventure shared with mentors, friends, students. The tempo was made by the goals to reach, the deadlines to meet, and the odds to overcome. Everyone needs to know how much worthwhile are his own achievements. The first and most important reward comes from the patients. Recognition and prizes are the milestones of a career. Some, such as the Lasker~DeBakey Award, are unreachable horizons you dare to dream of, without really believing the dream could become true.
Being considered for the Lasker~DeBakey Award is itself an honor. Being actually awarded is an incredible shock, and the honor this award conveys is even greater when you share it with a scientist and a friend that you respect and admire, such as Mahlon DeLong. I thank you all for your trust and belief and acknowledgement in what I tried to achieve.
I don't recall when I realized I wanted to do research, but I have always enjoyed understanding how things work. A growing fascination with how the brain controls behavior led me to medicine and then to neurology. This took a clear direction when I found a choice research position at the NIH in the laboratory of renowned researcher Edward Evarts. Because the other obvious brain regions were already assigned to other fellows, I was asked to work on the basal ganglia, a cluster of poorly understood brain structures, and to determine their role in the control of bodily movements.
For years I never thought about finding a cure for anything but was fascinated by the progress in understanding the anatomical relations and functions of these mysterious structures. Almost two decades later, a new animal model of Parkinson's was developed, made possible by the discovery of a toxin that produced clinical features and pathology closely resembling Parkinson's, resulting from a loss of dopamine in the basal ganglia. Our basic research provided a solid foundation for what was to come. We found abnormal neuronal activity throughout the motor circuit of the basal ganglia and 'struck gold' by making a lesion in the subthalamic nucleus, which, by interrupting the circuit, almost immediately restored movement and eliminated tremor and rigidity. Most importantly, the findings provided insight into the neuronal dysfunction responsible for Parkinson's and a strong rational for surgical intervention as well as a novel target.
Having spent much of my early career in both basic research and clinical work, I have been fortunate to see how the basic science contributes to patient care. I am also aware of how far this field, that we now call neuromodulation, has progressed.
Lasker Awards honor individuals who contribute critically to a research problem — but they also highlight the larger progress in a given field, in our case, using targeted electrical stimulation to restore function in the disrupted neural networks responsible for both neurologic and psychiatric disorders.
For nearly a century, neurologists learned about brain function by correlating the behavioral changes caused by strokes with the damage to specific regions of the brain. With deep brain stimulation, we are now not only able to treat disorders such as Parkinson's — we're also able to learn about brain networks and their function by observing the effects of targeted stimulation and activation. Whereas we previously thought about brain 'centers', we now focus on specific brain circuits and how they 'go wrong' in neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Understanding how neural circuits are disrupted by disease and how lesions and electrical stimulation can improve function is still poorly understood. Understanding brain function and its disorders is the last and most challenging frontier of medicine.
Some of our real progress and 'breakthroughs', are made, I believe, serendipitously, while we are doing other things — like just trying to understand how things work. I sometimes wonder whether, in our urgency to find cures, we sometimes omit the basic science necessary to understand how things work — and by doing so, may miss the chance of finding a new treatment.
Over the last 25 years, I mutated not only mouse genes, but changed myself, morphing from a molecular biochemist into a mouse geneticist into an electrophysiologist into a behavioral neuroscientist. These changes gave me the pleasure of always learning something new about how synaptic vesicles and synapses work, although these changes unfortunately have not improved my looks.
The 1990ies were an amazingly thrilling time! During this time, we together with our long-time collaborators Reinhard Jahn and Jose Rizo, and in parallel with Richard Scheller and others, discovered the role of SNARE and SM proteins in synaptic vesicle fusion. We identified synaptotagmins as calcium-sensors in neurotransmitter release, showed how synapses are organized by active zone proteins, and described the first synaptic cell-adhesion molecules that guide synapse formation. These discoveries and conceptual advances were the beginning of an understanding of synapses, which has now become generally recognized. During the course of our work, the studies of Jim Rothman, who received a Lasker Award in 2002 for his work on the cell biology of vesicle fusion, expanded our thinking and injected great enthusiasm into the rapidly growing field of neurotransmitter release.
I thank the Lasker Foundation — I thank you all for giving me this award, and I hope to live up to it!
Interview with Alim Louis Benabid and Mahlon R. DeLong
Video Credit: Susan Hadary


A real estate appraisal is the key to buying or selling a home. It allows property transactions to occur among the buyer, seller, real estate agent and mortgage lender.
Before our chief appraiser Dave Drapela arrives at your property, there are a few things you should know. By law, Tejas Appraisal Company appraisers are state licensed to perform appraisals prepared for federally related transactions. Also by law, you are entitled to receive a copy of the completed appraisal report from your lender.
A copy of the current listing agreement and broker's data sheet and Purchase Agreement if a sale is pending.
Information on homeowners associations or condominium covenants and fees.
A list of proposed improvements if the property is to be appraised "As Complete."
FHA Inspection Items. If you are applying for an FHA loan, be sure to ask us if there are specific things that should be done before we arrive. Some items we may recommend might be installing smoke detectors on all levels (especially near bedrooms), installing handrails on all stairways, or removing peeling paint and repainting the effected area.


text:
← Sandbar, Vancouver.
The Illuminations. Andrew O'Hagan. →
A Brief History of Seven Killings. Marlon James.
Posted on September 5, 2015 by John Sloan
James, Marlon. A Brief History of Seven Killings. Penguin, New York, 2014. Electronically downloaded for Kindle. F/9/15.
You either love this book or you hate it, or maybe you both love it and hate it. In any case it's hard to ignore. At times it's brilliant, at times it's tedious, and at times it's incoherent. Forty percent of the way through I was for the fourth time on the verge of deleting it from my Kindle, but carried on having read two or three online reviews. There were raves, but also the same kind of ambivalence I'm talking about.
It reminded me by turns of Half-Blood Blues (to me disingenuous grasping for authenticity using patois), Book of Memories (trouble following the characters and plot), and The Woman who Lost her Soul (historic action somewhere close to the US and eventually in it, but bizarrely completely different from America).
There are about eight or ten main characters, one of whom appears under three names. Names are intriguingly similar suggesting relationships that didn't, to me, makes sense, and the author adopts the point of view of those several characters chapter-by-chapter, which tends to create for the reader a bit of a roller coaster, since some of those characters appear a lot more interesting and coherent than others. The journalist Pierce for example describes a dream in which he recalls being convincingly outclassed in a conversation with one of the gangsters. This dream alternates with half-awake Pierce understanding that someone who has probably come to assassinate him is in real life seated on his bed, waiting for him to wake up. I found the that situation terrifying and masterfully handled.
But just as I got through something of that arresting quality, up comes the old master criminal Papa-Lo as narrator, also describing a dream sequence, in a chapter that ends with a five-page paragraph in patois that is at best kind of exotic but at worst, and more likely, pure nonsense. It feels like we're trying for James Joyce-style stream of conscious action but trust me, Ulysses this isn't.
Everyone talks obscenity, realistic enough considering the kind of characters we are dealing with, but it's bizarrely nearly all menstrual in content which we are expected to take as (and probably is) authentically Jamaican. The most convincing and detailed sex scenes are homosexual which of course is okay, but I'm afraid I couldn't avoid sensing the same kind of hijacking of point of view that lay underneath the very heavy doses of Jamaican underclass culture. I spend a fair bit of effort trying to balance myself between the right and the left, but run into the kind of trouble I'm having here when political correctness comes at me with what looks like an obvious chip on its shoulder.
It's a long book. Overall on the positive side it's complicated but carefully-thought-out, and there is some sparkling writing. Important character Nina Burgess, reincarnated as Kim Clarke, does an internal soliloquy which contains:
Sometimes I have to remind even him that three feet north of this vagina is a brain, and
The shit you can get away with when you're making it up as you go along.
… do we catch a glimpse of Marlon James seeing himself in the mirror? I persevered to the surprising and interesting conclusion, but frequently put this book aside feeling as though there just wasn't enough emotional and literary payoff for being dragged through an awful lot of human hideousness that was just credible enough to make it hard to lose the smell.
I find both style and content hard to score, because both can be very impressive but also no good at all.