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Posted inTechNode Insider
INSIDER | How my school built its own health code system
Xi'an Jiaotong University's efforts to control the virus with its own health code system are the definition of tech for tech's sake.
by Weiqi Liu Jul 30, 2020 Jul 30, 2020
To enter a school canteen at Xi'an Jiaotong University, students must pass through an airlock-style 5G temperature-check gate. (Image credit: Weiqi Liu) Credit: Weiqi Liu
Like most students in China, I had a very long winter vacation. My university shut down completely at the end of January, when Covid-19 lockdowns began, and students were forbidden to return to campus for months.
China has been extra careful about school re-opening. With a massive number of students returning from everywhere in the country and then living collectively like sardines, university campuses could be natural petri dishes for the virus. Hence, the school needed to be sure every returnee is virus-free and guarantee that nobody got infected inside the campus.
Liu Weiqi is a Xi'an-based Ph.D. student in Management Science with a background in law and engineering.
TechNode Insider is a new open platform for those in the know to discuss China tech with TechNode's audience. Learn more here.
READ MORE: Back to school with Tencent and friends
I wasn't allowed to return to Xi'an Jiaotong University until May (Chinese), when Shaanxi Province finally approved re-opening. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education demanded (Chinese) "closed management" of the campus — meaning, in theory, that students aren't allowed to leave the campus once they return.
To meet those objectives, Xi'an Jiaotong University went with the most fashionable thing in Chinese administration: the school's Network Information Center developed its own health code system (Chinese), naming it the "Internet+ Epidemic Prevention and Control Smart Platform." Students access it using Wechat and a campus app.
How the health code worked
Together with big tech companies, governments at all levels in China regulated people's movements with digital systems during the pandemic. A popular tool is the health code system, that uses mini-apps to assign people a color code based on health risk. That code determines where one can go. There are thousands of these systems run by different entities, yet they don't seem to work together.
Xi'an Jiaotong's system was first introduced around February to track students stuck off campus. It asked us to fill out a daily health report in Wechat or the campus app, answering questions like "do you have a fever?" or "have you been to high-risk areas?" At the end of April, the university started coding people as red, yellow, or green risks in preparation for re-opening the campus.
Back to school with a new health code
To go back to campus, we needed two weeks' of daily health reports. Every day, we were asked to report our status including current location, health code color in local systems, travel record, contact tracing history, body temperature, possible symptoms of Covid-19, and more, using Wechat or the campus app. If you forgot to fill it out or made a mistake, you had to resubmit the record for that day in a separate form and then ask the school counselor to approve the modification.
The school is looking for "risk-free records": where students (and everyone they are in contact with) hold a green code in their local system, show no symptoms, and have not been to any risky regions.
A risk-free report every day for 14 days gets you a campus green code and an invitation back to campus. Yellow code holders were also allowed back in theory, but threatened with 14-day quarantines. In practice, only green code holders returned, although the school helped some students with yellow codes resolve issues to convert them to green. Red code holders were strictly forbidden to return. On the returning day, code color was strictly checked, and a school counselor checked each student's status to make sure only green code holders returned to school.
Guards at Xi'an Jiaotong University observe entries and exits. The sign cautions: "If you don't need to, don't leave campus. The campus is the safest place; outside, there is danger." (Image credit: Weiqi Liu)
Getting around the campus
Once back on campus, students are required to fill out the daily health report twice a day at a given time (between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m., and from noon and 5 p.m.) after returning. The campus code turns yellow if one forgets to fill out a report.
But people usually don't care: though the school said only campus green code holders would be able to move around freely on campus, nobody actually checks the code.
A thermometer gate at Xi'an Jiaotong University. (Image credit: Weiqi Liu)
Public places like canteens usually just check temperatures with an infrared thermometer gate; places like the gym sometimes ask for a Xi'an city health code instead. My department created its own half-digital entrance record system, under which I need to register in a mini-program to enter the building, and then write down my information on a notebook hanging on the door of my office.
In short, the campus code is useless inside the campus itself.
Going off campus with a special health code
Closed management is impossible for my university: for one thing, it has four campuses, and plenty of students need to commute among them for different classes. Additionally, many students live off campus, and some students need to leave for job-hunting, internships, or emergencies. So the system makes exceptions with a special "purple code" for students in need to leave and re-enter the campus.
Guards never stopped students from leaving, but in theory you needed a purple code to get back on campus once you left.
It is not easy to get a purple code: first, a student needs to hold a campus green code and their purple code application needs to be approved by their supervisor, school counselor, and the deputy dean of faculty.
A screenshot of the Xi'an Jiaotong University purple health code. (Image credit: Weiqi Liu)
Not many people hold a purple code because of the hassle. My undergraduate friends told me that their counselors just don't want to give them the approval because the bureaucracy is too complex. My own classmates were afraid to apply for one because they were afraid that their supervisors may regard leaving campus as a symbol of being lazy at their studies.
But in practice, people found other ways to get off campus. The guards only need to see (not scan) the purple code to allow students re-entry — making it easy to fake.
So students created alternatives. Some students have developed their own mini-program to generate a purple code, some borrow purple code screenshots from others, some pretend to be a university staff member to avoid scrutiny, while some simply physically climb the campus wall.
Gilding the lily
The university's efforts to control the virus with its health code system are the definition of tech for tech's sake: the apps worked, but they didn't really do anything. Not only is the system's effectiveness questionable, but rule-breakers and excessive bureaucracy also sharply undermined the technology.
The foundational data of this system is what students write in the daily health report. Unlike government agencies and big tech companies, the school cannot easily acquire information such as students' locations; hence, the credibility of the reports relies on nothing more than students' honesty. But students can easily lie on their forms.
As for enforcement, few people continue to take it seriously. Since the code's color makes no difference once one returns to school, many students have already stopped filling out their daily health reports.
The school has given up checking the purple codes (though they have not officially abandoned the health code system) right now. People now can simply use their campus ID card for entry, which was the pre-epidemic system.
A common sentiment among students is to regard the system as a symbol of bureaucracy, because it assumes college students can't be trusted. While the staff is free to leave and enter the campus, students cannot even fix their own records without special approval from a school counselor. Once, a counselor even publicly shamed students who failed to submit the daily health report by demanding they handwrite long self-criticism letters in the class chat group.
The system still has some advantages: the school can monitor the situation of students better; it mobilizes plenty of people to work on campus epidemic control; the school's propaganda about "working as one" (even though the "work" is mostly just filling out a report twice a day) feels more real, and there has been some positive major media coverage. But what it contributes to campus epidemic control is still unclear.
Nationally, the health code system is a must for epidemic control; but a campus version is just gilding the lily. In May, most cities were already accepting (in Chinese) green codes issued by other cities. There was no need for the university to create a separate system in the first place.
Tagged: Academia, HealthTech, QRuarantine, WeChat
Weiqi Liu
Liu Weiqi is a Xi'an-based Ph.D. student in Management Science with a background in law and engineering. His writing covers innovation, institutions, marketing, gender, and civil society.	More by Weiqi Liu


WWE: Extreme Rules Tickets - Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Sun. Jul 14, 2019 at 6:30 PM at GameStub!
3601 South Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19148 We are a resale marketplace, not a box office or venue.


Purchased from the Magic Millions March QTIS yearling sale is this stunning filly by the all conquering sire SPIRIT OF BOOM out of a Canadian Silver mare SILVA NOVA.
The family all run and this filly gives every indication she will get up and running early.
She is a magnificent showy filly that caught our eye during pre-sale inspections. She's got a lovely walk, a great body and the kindest nature you will ever see.
She is eligible for the rich $10 Million Magic Millions raceday, the new $1.5M Aquis QTIS Jewel raceday as well as the rich QTIS bonuses on offer every week.
Hello, I'd like to know more regarding the horse 'Spirit Of Boom X Silva Nova' you have listed as available.


Melbourne's sporting lifestyle means that every weekend, die-hard fans congregate at the MCG or other such venues to watch their club battle it out with the opposition.
The congregation of these die-hard fans has significant consequences in terms of the accumulation of plastic rubbish and food waste.
Luckily, the MCG have come up with a plan to curb the problem. All plastic and food waste which is left at the MCG will be collected, recycled and turned into protective bollards.
The MCG has a plan to produce as many of these bollards as they can to eventually replace the current wooden, rotting bollards which are meant to be protecting patrons.
You may think this is a slow process. However, along with the accumulation of recyclables such as plastic and left-over food packaging, the clippings of grass from the MCG are also being used in the manufacturing process of the bollards.
The initiative from the managers of the MCG is fantastic, taking what is a negative and turning into a positive in public security. Australian Bollards is a die-hard fan of taking a soft approach to hard security and value the decision taken by the MCG.
However, we look further into what can be done to protect patrons in these areas and the options are outstanding. From statues like the Don Bradman and Nicky Winmar statues to street furniture and designer bollards, the MCG can be protected by a range of aesthetically pleasing options.
VBIED Vanguard Bollards such as the artist's impression above can provide adequate and aesthetically pleasing options to protecting sporting fans.
Not only do the bollards provide for public safety and protection, but they can allow for seating, lighting and reduce congestion in heavy foot traffic areas.
The spherical bollards weigh 1.5Ton and will protect against dangers such as hostile vehicle attacks. However, due to their soft approach design the bollards do not make patrons feel as though they are in danger.
As well as being an avid supporter of taking a soft approach to hard security, Australian Bollards aims to be environmentally friendly in their production of products.
The production facilities of Australian Bollards are run completely off renewable energy sources. Australian Bollards is a big supporter of safety, which is inclusive of the safety of our planet.
Along with our renewable energy production facilities, we have been active in introducing sustainable products into our product range. For example, our range of wheel stops and speed humps are made completely of environmentally friendly, recyclable rubber.
It is an honour to see significant icons of our country such as the MCG not only protecting patrons but doing it in a sustainable way for our future. We would be excited to take on more challenges in the field of being environmentally friendly and sustainable.
If you are interested in any of our soft approach to hard security or environmentally friendly measures, do not hesitate to contact us on 9459 3488 or look at our website.


In this tutorial we will learn how to take a character mesh from rigging to animation using the Character Animation Toolkit (CAT) in 3ds Max. We are going to take a character mesh all the way through animation in 3ds Max. Throughout the tutorial, we will discuss workflow for an animation pipeline.
We will start with rigging with 3ds Max's CAT system and learn some tips and tricks for skinning along the way. We will then talk about planning a shot and setting up a basic cameras. Finally, we take all of our assets and create a two shot animation utilizing the rig we created.


Sandy Beach Hotel is a nature paradise on the sea side in Antalya Side with its wide range of facilities.
The hotel is located in Side-Kumköy, Antalya. The facility is 65 km from the airport, 1.5 km from the center of Side, 8 km from the center of Manavgat, 5 km from the bars street and 8 km from the bus station. Opened in 1996, the Sandy Beach Hotel was.
Our hotel is built on a seaside location and has a spectacular Mediterranean view. Our quality of service is to make you feel more comfortable than your home and to have an unforgettable holiday. Our entire team will be glad to bring you memorable memories in the peaceful setting of Sandy Beach, on the most spectacular coast of the Mediterranean. Our hotel which consists of 6 blocks has a total of 260 rooms including standard and family rooms. Our hotel has a pool of sufficient size and has its own beach with soft and fine sand. Our pool is free of sunbeds and parasols belonging to our hotel. Six days a week you can join our activities with the animation team and have fun. You can also benefit from our games room, fitness center, sauna and hammam. Mini-clubs and children's gardens for young guests between the ages of 04 and 11, as well as entertaining games such as beach games, painting, accompanied by a children's pool and a children's animator 10: 00-17: 00 (between 12: 00-14: 00 midday) it is made. Free baby bed service, baby chair available at the restaurant.


The marketing tools available for small businesses today can be overwhelming. However, the benefits from tools like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and Marketing Automation can be incredible if used correctly. We sat down with Chad Ghastin, a Customer Experience expert, to find out why small businesses need these solutions and how to go about implementing them.
Q: Why Should You Consider Investing in CRM and Marketing Automation Technology?
A: In an increasingly crowded offline and online marketplace, consumers have no shortage of options. The old adage that it costs five times as much to attract a new customer, than to keep an existing one and that you generate 80% of revenue from 20% of your customers still holds true. That's why customer retention and loyalty needs to be business priority.
Being close to the customer and providing high touch experience and service is an advantage for many small businesses. However, as your business grows and your customer base scales and becomes more diverse based on their needs and wants, you will need to leverage technology to maintain a high touch experience. Plus, leveraging technology to create data-driven and automated multi-channel marketing programs across email, mobile and web, often results in significant time and bottom line savings.
Additionally, customers now expect and will only respond to communications that are personalized and relevant to their individual needs and wants. To create, manage and test personalized and relevant communications using customer preferences, shopping and purchase behavior, you need CRM and marketing automation technology. Another benefit is that most platforms now have robust analysis and reporting tools that allow you to create key performance indicator dashboards customized to your needs.
Simply put, if you want to increase sales and marketing ROI from up-sell, cross-sell and gifting campaigns, you need the ability send the right message to the right person at the right time.
Q: Where Do You Recommend a Small Business Owner Begin?
1) How are you currently managing customer communications and experiences? Is it an arduous and manual process or are you getting full value from your current technology solution?
2) Are you able to segment and treat customers with personalized and timely communications that increase your share-of-wallet and loyalty? Or are you only able to send generic communications that aren't generating the response and revenue that you expected.
3) Will a new technology solution integrate with your existing administrative, marketing and web platforms and allow you to get as close as possible to a 360 degree view of your customers while quantifying revenue?
4) Can you create a simple business case that quantifies and forecasts total cost of ownership and ROI associated with implementing a new technology solution?
The point of these questions is to determine if you need a new technology provider or should to try and get more value from your existing solution. At any rate, it's a good idea to annually review your current technology provider and research new provider offerings that align with your changing business goals and needs.
If you determine that you need to invest in a new technology provider, spend the time to research the provider landscape. Look at leading industry ratings from Forrester, Gartner and CRM Magazine. Also ask your colleagues and small business association members for their recommendations based on business results, ease of implementation and service.
Most importantly consult with two or three vetted technology solution providers. Most re-sellers and second-party providers will meet with you at no cost and create a customized proposal of potential solutions and service options. If you think it's expensive to hire an expert, wait until you hire an amateur or try to do it yourself is true and avoidable if you hire an expert.
Chad is an Independent Consultant and Instructor experienced in design, lifecycle marketing and digital product development. Chad has worked in marketing for 20 years building, managing and contributing to brands across various industries - including such brands as NBC News, Ford, Dodge, MasterCard, Nickelodeon and the New York Times. He is an expert in customer experience design for start-ups as well as established companies. He's extremely passionate about all things marketing and teaches advertising and communications at various universities.


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Q: Getting a "Unit httpd.service failed to load: No such file or directory" error when attempting to run Apache service I've setup an Amazon EC2 instance running CentOS7. I logged into the machine using Putty (SSH) and ran the "sudo yum update" command. It installed the updates successfully. I then had to install wget. I then downloaded the XAMPP installer from the following location:
https://www.apachefriends.org/xampp-files/5.5.38/xampp-linux-x64-5.5.38-1-installer.run
I then ran the ./ command to install this .run file. The install appeared to be successful.
Now I'm trying to start the apache service and the mysql service using the "sudo service httpd start" command and it's giving me the following error:
[centos@ip-x-x-x-x ~]$ Redirecting to /bin/systemctl start  httpd.service
Failed to start httpd.service: Unit httpd.service failed to load: No such file or directory.
Any ideas why I'm running into this error? Also, I noticed that if I open the /opt/lampp/apache2/httpd.conf file with VI these are the only lines that are listed:
Alias /bitnami/ "/opt/lampp/apache2/htdocs/"
Alias /bitnami "/opt/lampp/apache2/htdocs"

<Directory "/opt/lampp/apache2/htdocs">
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride All
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
</Directory>
~
~

Shouldn't there be more lines in this file? Did I install it incorrectly?

A: It appears that the xampp installer doesn't install the init script, you need to create it yourself
https://www.reddit.com/r/archlinux/comments/3hrmsn/have_systemd_start_xampp/
vim /etc/system/systemd/xampp.service

Containing
[Unit]
Description=XAMPP

[Service]
ExecStart=/opt/lampp/lampp start
ExecStop=/opt/lampp/lampp stop
Type=forking

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then, to enable on startup
systemctl enable xampp.service

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Weekend Edition - Week 4 NFL & NCAA Picks
Posted by CV on Saturday, October 2, 2010 /
CV's PICKS - 2010 YTD Totals
2010 NCAA Picks: 8-6-1
2010 NCAA (unit picks differential): +5
NCAA 2010 Wager Total: (+$440)
NFL Picks: 25-20-3
NFL (unit picks differential): +8
NFL 2010 Wager Total: (+$650)
WEEK 4 NCAA PICKS (pick in BOLD CAPS)
VIRGINIA TECH (-3.5) at NC State - 1 unit
Virginia Tech 41 - NC State 30 - correct ($+100)
Ohio State at ILLINOIS (+17.5) - 1 unit
Ohio State 24 - Illinois 13 - correct (+$100)
BOISE STATE (-42.5) at New Mexico State - 1 unit
Boise State 59 - NMSU 0 - correct (+$100)
STANFORD (+7) at Oregon - 1 unit
Oregon 52 - Stanford 31 - incorrect (-$110)
Additional games of note (no "unit" plays) - results" Green = correct/Red = incorrect: CV would favor: Army, Oklahoma, Indiana, Ole Miss, Florida.
Week 4 NCAA Picks: 6-2-0
Week 4 unit pick differential: +2
Week 4 wager total: +$190
NFL EARLY GAMES
BYE WEEK: (Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Dallas, Minnesota)
Peeps - I'm going to do my best to re-create the detail of some of the game write-ups this week, but I lost a lot of data when the power went down & I hadn't saved work a few days ago... For now, just the UNIT PLAYS...
Denver Broncos (1-2) at Tennessee Titans (2-1) (1:00 EST)
Line: Titans by 6.5
Generally speaking, Vegas comes out with the lines on Tuesday mornings. Most are set the day prior, but the final piece is the MNF game (which naturally effects the lines of 2 games the following week)... The other exception is if there is an issue to a key player (normally QB) or otherwise change in personnel or management (which I'll get to in other game write-ups)... Usually, before the lines come out, I have some games circled on the agenda, and this happened to be one of them...
The big issue right now is for the public to try and wrap its arms around certain teams, or not... After 3 weeks of regular season, a pattern of "how is this team living up to expectations" emerges... If you play fantasy football, this is clearly evident in the waiver wires... Vegas makes its money on the "perceptions" of bettors, so these ideas start working themselves into game lines by week 4... At this point, it's literally MAKE OR BREAK for some teams, while other teams become the FLAVOR of the week/month... If you're handicapping games, it's important to stay objective...
Anytime you're handicapping the Titans, you're thinking "What's Chris Johnson going to do"?... What type of defense is he playing this week?... Moreover, is it a head coach or defensive coordinator that is crafty enough to game plan against the Titans #1 threat...
Last week versus the Denver defense, the Colts only managed 41 yards on 20 carries, but the Colts don't thrive off the run, and are perennially near the bottom in the NFL in rushing stats... So
Chris Johnson should not have many problems running against this defense... Teams like the Steelers can stack the box and contain CJ, but Denver does not have that personnel... You have to understand that the first job of any team is to win your division... That means the Broncos are built to try and contain teams like the Chargers (which come at them with an aerial attack)... That's why they have players like Champ Bailey, and crafty pass rushers like Elvis Dumerville... The bottom line is that both Bailey & Dumerville are banged up, so Denver is going to have problems stopping anyone...
This is a tough spot for the Broncos. Last week, against the Colts, they put a lot of stock into the game due to the death of one of their players... The Titans, OTOH, are coming off a nice rebound win on the road (although the STATS on the victory over the Giants weren't as impressive as the score)... Still, I'll take the TITANS here and lay the points for (4 units)...
Baltimore Ravens (2-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) (1:00 EST)
Line: Steelers by 1.5
Even though I went 10-6 last week, (which is a great result ATS), one of my poorer calls was suggesting that Tampa Bay over the Steelers might have been a good UPSET SPECIAL play...
I have to admit that I didn't do all my homework... I didn't realize that TB safety Tanard Jackson was out (and thus, Charlie Batch torched them with 3 TD passes)... The "Batch" part I'm not surprised about... I really don't know why the Steelers haven't used him all year (while waiting for Big Ben to come back from suspension)... But the Steelers are 3-0, including 2 wins on the road, so what the hell do I know?
The "road", (even though they're playing "home" this week), gets a lot tougher this week as they play division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens...
Steeler - Ravens games are always slugfests (where generally a lot of bones are broken)... Ask Rashard Mendenhall (who had a good week vs. TB last week, but now faces Ray Lewis who put him out for the season in his rookie year)... It's doubtful he'll find the same type of running success (unless the Ravens D tosses in a head scratching stinker like they did last week against the Browns Peyton Hillis)... Maybe they were just saving themselves for this game... But that was also a game I lost a multi-unit bet on...
The quick and dirty here is that the Steelers are playing awesome on defense at the moment... Baltimore's offense is IMPROVED (over past seasons), but it's not yet visible in that they've played two very tough defenses (Cincinnati & NY Jets) this season... Last week, vs. the Browns, they were finally able to open up and produce some fireworks...
In week 12 last week vs. the steelers, Joe Flacco went 23-of-35 for 289 yards and a touchdown... However, he took five sacks, & fumbled twice there, and the Steelers didn't even have Troy Polamalu or Aaron Smith in the lineup... Here, the Ravens may be out the services of Ray Rice (who suffered a knee contusion last week)...
The Ravens have often managed to create blitz packages against the Steelers and recently sacked Ben Rothleisberger a whopping 9 times in one game... Charlie Batch won't have as much time to locate Mike Wallace again for long bombs as he did last week... Baltimore is first against the pass, giving up a 4.8 YPA... (Those statistics are skewed though, because they played a conservative Jets team in week 1, followed by a crappy Carson Palmer in week 2, and backup QB Seneca Wallace in week 3)... The defensive secondary is actually the WEAKEST part of the Ravens team, and they're really not getting that many sacks, so sooner or later they're going to be exposed when they face a Tom Brady, or a Drew Brees (remember I said that all you RAVENS DST fantasy football owners)...
The silent factor here is that the oddsmakers have actually made the Ravens "favorites" by a point and a half... If the Steelers had been favored by 3, that would essentially have been the NEUTRAL or PICKEM bias considering home field advantage...
Frankly - I think the Ravens are a better team, but they haven't yet played to their full potential in 2010... The Steelers are outright playing the best football in the NFL thus far, so it's hard for me to back the Ravens in this spot... Objectively, I'll take the STEELERS for (0 units) and hope I'm wrong...
Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) at Cleveland Browns (0-3) (1:00 EST)
Line: Bengals by 3
I'd said earlier (above), that certain games I circle before the lines even come out because I'm expecting Vegas to reflect something "emotional" in nature and lure money in the wrong direction...
Understandably, unless you're from the state of Ohio, there's nothing really emotional about a Browns - Bengals matchup... I don't think it's a far stretch to say that "Ohio-ans" are DONE for the weekend after Ohio State plays... I suppose they used to get emotional about LeBron, but now that he's kickin' it in South Beach, they're back to the Drew Carrey show for their weekly thrills...
I'm a Ravens fan, so I can say (which is more than MOST people can say), that I've already seen both teams in action this year... The Ravens played them the past two weeks in a row...
Cincy beat the Ravens (or was it the refs?)... Cleveland didn't, but played better than expected against a Ravens squad that was probably a little guilty of looking ahead to this weeks match-up vs. the Steelers...
All Cincy had to do last week was go down and beat up on a rookie QB (in Carolina), who was missing all pro left tackle Jeff Otah... The fact that Carolina is clueless didn't help either... Jimmy Clausen was practicing with the 2nd team for most of the pre-season and therefore botched 3 snaps from first team center Ryan Kalil... If that wasn't enough to convince you, his main target was a guy that he'd developed a rapport with on the practice squads...
Against Cincy, despite all the mistakes, Carolina still had a chance to pull the game out in the 4th quarter until Jonathan Stewart fumbled deep in the Red Zone...
Basically what I'm trying to say is... The Cincinnati defense has put up some good numbers in the past two games, but most of it is due to errors by the opposing teams... They got torched by New England in week 1...
I doubt the Browns, on offense, are going to do much torching... Hopefully they can get Peyton Hillis involved in the game as they did last week... But Seneca Wallace won't have much luck dodging pressure... Cincinnati is likely to have yet another week of solid performance versus a mediocre squad...
They might not have to do much on offense because for all the hype of "85" & TO, the Bengals look shoddy on offense... It seems that Carson Palmer can't concentrate when he has two receivers who have neon lights on their chest blinking THROW THE BALL TO ME OR I'LL POUT AND MAKE YOUR LIFE MISERABLE... If the Browns can therefore focus on limiting Cedric Benson, they might hang a little in this game...
What puzzles me most about this game is the point spread... 3 points? Are you kidding me? The KC Chiefs were in town about a week ago and the point spread was basically PICK EM... You mean the Bengals are only a field goal better than the Chiefs? (and that was two weeks ago when everyone, including myself, was convinced the Chiefs sucked)... I can't side with a game like this that I think has a fishy line... I'll take the BROWNS for (1 unit)...
Detroit Lions (0-3) at Green Bay Packers (2-1) (1:00 EST)
Line: Packers by 14.5
Quick & Dirty: The Packers are coming off an emotional loss (where they were penalized a whopping 17 times)... The Lions are looking for their first win... Expect the Packers to win here, but until they start playing more disciplioned football, a backdoor cover by an intradivisional rival should not be ruled out... The Lions plan to play Jahvid Best, but "watch out" fantasy owners, turf toe injuries can hamper a player all season (ask Antonio Gates)... LIONS for (0 units)
Line: Saints by 13.5
Carolina Panthers (0-3) at New Orleans Saints (2-1) (1:00 EST)
Quick & Dirty: Drew Brees got banged up a little last week in a hard fought intradivisional game that they lost to Atlanta by a field goal at the end... The Saints have to be worn out by playing two tough games in a row, and having lost Reggie Bush (and now have Brees & Pierre Thomas nursing injuries)... Carolina, somehow, seems to manage to play the Saints tough, and even though they're 0-3 and starting rookie Jimmy Clausen, at least Clausen got snaps with the first team this week (and hopefully won't fumble 3 snaps)... They actually were driving for the winning score last week vs. Cincy when Jonathan Stewart fumbled in the RED ZONE... I think the Panthers can try to play some vanilla ball here and contain a double digit intradivision line...
PANTHERS for (1 unit)
San Francisco 49ers (0-3) at Atlanta Falcons (2-1) (1:00 EST)
Line: Falcons by 6.5
Quick & Dirty: The 49ers are 0-3 and the the public has dropped them like a hot potato... I wasn't surprised that they lost to the Chiefs last week (as they were drained from the Monday Night affair vs. the Saints)... It's sort of the same in reverse here... Last week, ATLANTA has the tough game vs. the Saints... Teams get "up" to play the defending Super Bowl Champions (and thus have a horrible record against the spread the following week)... The 49ers fired their offensive coordinator last week so I'd expect them to be very mad here and just pummel Frank Gore down the Falcons throat all afternoon... I'll go with the 49ERS for my max (5 units)...
Seattle Seahawks (2-1) at St. Louis Rams (1-2) (1:00 EST)
Line: Seahawks by 1
Quick & Dirty: I can't really figure the Seahawks out yet... I'm simply going to have to go on the "tradition" here... Which is... While the seahawks play well at home, they're one of the worst road teams in the NFL... The only problem with that logic is that if there are any teams that they've fared well against on the road, it's been the Rams... However, the Rams have been doormats for the past few years, so that might not be saying much... The Rams look more re-juvenated this year, and have been "in" every game this season thus far (with rookie QB Sam Bradford doing a fine job)... They beat a Redskins team last week that was in a trap game after losing an emotional game to the Texans, and looking AHEAD to the Donovan McNabb/Michael Vick game)... I'll punt here and say that the Rams can win this game for RAMS for (1 unit)...
J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets (2-1) at Buffalo Bills (0-3) (1:00 EST)
Line: Jets by 4.5
Quick & Dirty: As "the Swami" says... "No one circles the wagon like... the Buffalo Bills"... The Bills are 0-3 and have given up on Trent Edwards... They're now going with Harvard QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, and playing a shuffleboard backfield... Why don't they just trade Marshawn Lynch to Green Bay and get it over with for crying out loud?... Anyway, this is a huge TRAP GAME situation... I'd expect the jest to be very "disinterested" here after two big wins (vs. New England & Miami)... They could have lost the Miami game, save for a blown coverage (and tackle) that allowed DUI Braylon Edwards to score a long TD... Frankly, I question the locker room discipline of the Jets... It means that you have to be very careful taking them and laying any point spread in what appears to be a meaningless game... Especially if the opponent is "circling the wagons"... BILLS for (2 units)
LATE GAMES
Indianapolis Colts (2-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) (4:05 EST)
Line: Colts by 8.5
Quick & Dirty: I had a bunch of stats to give you for when the Colts play the Jaguars (which I lost when the power went down on work that I hadn't saved earlier this week...I'm just going to give you th "bottom line"... I've made a lot of money betting the Jags over the Colts in the past few years simply because the public always takes the Colts, the Colts were usually undefeated, and nobody understands inflated intradivision lines or game dynamics... The dynamic is basically this... To get to the Super Bowl, you have to win your division first (or get in the playoffs by a playoff lottery)... The INTELLIGENT thing to do is to try and win your division though because that's a guaranteed sopt... Naturally you want to draft a squad that has the personnel to compete with your strongest divisional rival (and that has been the Colts for many years)... So the Jags basically "match-up" well vs. the Colts... You draft guys like Maurice Jones Drew that can do tough inside running (and negate 3rd & longs and the inevitable pass rush from Freeney & Mathis)... You try to play "ball control" and eat up a lot of clock (keeping Peyton Manning off the field)... It might not be enough to win a game, but it usually "keeps you in" games... You HOPE a couple turnovers, penalties, or special teams plays will go your way in the process... By the 4th quarter, the Colts might be just sitting on the ball trying to preserve a win... It's not fun to lay more than 7 points in a spread when you have that dynamic involved... Normally, this would be a 5 unit play for me (on the Jags), but the fact that the Colts already have lost a division game to the Texans, and that the Jags suck especially bad this year, and that MJD hasn't really gotten it going yet this year dials this pick down to JAGUARS for (1 unit)...
Houston Texans (2-1) at Oakland Raiders (1-2) (4:05 EST)
Line: Texans by 3
Quick & Dirty: There are too many "injuries" and not knowing who's going to play or not play to really get a handle on this game... Ordinarily, I'd have made this a high play on the Raiders, but the Texans did lose last week (fulfilling my SEPTEMBER PICK OF THE MONTH 7 unit prophecy)... This isn't a divisional match-up but it's an AFC conference matchup... The Texans have to win games like this if they expect to go to the playoffs... They're up a game in their division with their week 1 win over the Colts, but the two teams will play again in Indy... Matt Schaub may be without Andre Johnson & Owen Daniels, and going against Nnadi Asamogha is no picnic... They might have to rely heavily on arian Foster to carry them thru here... I'm going to say that, barring sloppy play, or excessive turnovers, the Texans can win here, but won't cover... RAIDERS for (1 unit)
Arizona Cardinals (2-1) at San Diego Chargers (1-2) (4:15 EST)
Line: Chargers by 8
Quick & Dirty: The Cardinals are very lucky to be sporting a 2-1 record... Let's review their body of work... Barely beat the Rams in week 1 vs. a rookie QB, got slaughtered in week 2 in Atlanta, barely beat the crappy Raiders, at home, last week because the Raiders shankaholic kicker missed 3 firld goals (including a 30 yarder at the end of the game which would have won it for the Raiders)... I can't really say that the Chargers are playing much better football at the moment, but "on paper" (uh oh... he said "on paper"), the Chargers beat the Cardinals in their sleep... This isn't even a conference match-up here so it won't lack very "playoff" implications (save for a W)... The Chargers, in both of their losses, were in the Red Zone at the end of the game with a chance to win, so they may be thinking they need to put this game away early here to insure a win... I'll say they are the ones who will bring more urgency to this game (as they are already 2 games behind the Chiefs in their division)...CHARGERS for (2 units)
Washington Redskins (1-2) at Philadelphia Dog Killers (2-1) (4:15 EST)
Line: Dog Killers by 6.5
VICK's AN EAGLE... Hide your Beagle!
Quick & Dirty: Is it just me or is anyone else bothered by the sudden "love affair" that the media has with Michael Vick, now that he's made it to the Eagles "starting QB" job and has won two games against the crappy Lions & even crappier Jaguars (two of the WORST defenses in the NFL)... OK, let's put it this way... Winning against ANY team in the NFL (on any Sunday is a good thing), but the commentary has morphed into some kind of treatise on how black athletes are treated in the the media, and in society as a whole... If you've watched all the sports programs, NONE of them break down the "X"'s and "O"'s of Vicks performances (which, if you've watched, is about 3 or 4 plays where interceptions were dropped, etc. from being "ho-hum" or even BAD)... Instead, it's like Vick is the "2nd coming" of the messiah... So they parade all these things about Tony Dungy and Donovan McNabb coming to Vicks rescue at his darkest moment, and that now he sees the light and can be an inspiration to all black youth from here to kingdom come...
Let's face it people... MICHAEL VICK RAN A DOG FIGHTING (KILLING) RING... I'm sorry, but nobody in the world is going to impress me with the fact that after spending a year & a half in federal prison, and taking away MILLIONS of dollars, and leaving a once promising athlete with a pile of debt, that ANYTHING, afterwards is only just an effort to get the $$ back in his pocket... We're only 2 football games (against the crappy Lions & Jags), into even seeing what kind of FOOTBALL player he might still be... I'll hold my judgement as to what kind of person... To me, he's still 3 years removed from killing dogs...
Part of my gripe about this is also directed at the media & at Americans as a society... All week, the sportswriters (whores to make a storyline out of anything, so of course, QUICK to blow a NOTHING into SOMETHING), latched on to the "race issue"... It was all over TV (not only with Vick, but with "boo-hoo" Le Bron James)...
The issue was... Do black athletes receive the same treatment as white athletes when it comes to media coverage during the seemingly INEVITABLE moments when they get their hands caught in the cookie jar?...
Vick was being compared to Ben Rothleisberger (who was implicated in the off season for some sexual misconduct/alleged rape behavior - and received a 4 game suspension from the NFL)... These things all tend to bubble up at once, so of course, Braylon Edwards of the Jets was in Miami playing in a game (on Sunday Night Football national tv), only a few days away from receiving a DUI... That's not to mention that the same Braylon Edwards was out drinking with Donte Stallworth, a year before, in Miami, where Stallworth was convicted of vehicular manslaughter...
Now... LeBron hasn't broken any laws, that I know of... But there he is in the same Miami (with the Heat)... The "Heat" that Le Bron is getting now is with regards to "THE DECISION"... A nationally televised, made for TV program aired over the summer announcing the fact that he was giving the shaft to Cleveland and moving on to "kick it" in South Beach...
So, of course, the "controversy" is whether black athletes are receiving FAIR treatment in the media for these things (illegal, or image wise)...
CV is going to break this down for you people... IT'S SIMPLE... 70% of the players in the NFL are African American... I don't know what the percentage is in the NBA but it has to be tipping 90%... By virtue of SHEER MATHEMATICS, the black athlete is going to be the feature news story here...
SO GET THE FUCK OVER IT!
From a mathematical standpoint... Any of you, out there, if you were given a chance to go to Vegas and bet EVEN MONEY on a proposition that black was going to come up on the wheel 70-75% of the time (simply because that's the population sample)... Would you do it? What do you think your bankroll would be if you did it 1000x?... Me? I happen to like money, so I'd take that bet...
Lesson here? Athletes (ALL ATHLETES - politicians, actors too)... Keep your hand out of the cookie jar... Ben Rothleisberger, you do the same! I suppose the PROBLEM is that with only 30% of white guys on NFL rosters, there's a mathematically reduced sampling size of BAD BOYS... Add to the fact that among those minority 30% you have "Saintly" Drew Brees, all around good guy Peyton Manning, and Peyton throwing balls to BYU grad "Austin Collie" (who leads the NFL in receiving yards so far this year)... Nobody was writing, this week, about the fact that the Indianapolis Colts started 8 out of 11 white guys on their offensive unit (including a guy off the practice squad) and proceeded to win a game on the road... But there was plenty of "boo-hoo" saying that the poor 70% of black players in the NFL couldn't catch a break even that one or two of them had been involved in a feature story because their of recent DUI's, or past involvement with dog killing rings...
I don't hear white people screaming about "affirmitave action" when it comes to sports... That the MAKEUP of professional or sports teams needs to be commensurate with population demographics... Let the best players play... Of course, that doesn't go for the rest of society... If the best players are black, let them play... But if they get get be an overwhelming MAJORITY of the demographics of the sport... Well - you can expect damn well that there will be more of a sampling size of criminal behavior that makes the headlines... Stop crying about when it does...
As for LeBron... Look - THE DECISION (the tv program), simply left a bad taste in peoples mouths... PERIOD... EVERYONE LOVED LEBRON before... But he did this numb-nuts thing (although I inderstand the $$ from the show was donated to charity), and insulted a lot of people...
I've got news for you LeBron... People don't like to be insulted... END OF STORY... The Cleveland owner was very emotional about THE DECISION and basically called it a low class move (which it kind of was)... Nevertheless, it was JESSE JACKSON... that's right JESSE JACKSON that had to chime in AFTER the Cleveland owner, calling the reaction "racist"... Race didn't even enter into the picture until Jesse Jackson opened his pie hole...
So basicaslly, that's where we are as a society people...
-70% of the NFL is African-American
- 90% of the NBA is probably AA (with the other 10% from Slovenia or somewhere)
- The only POTUS (that I know of currently) is AA (technically mixed, but CONSIDERED AA)
Therefore, if anything bad happens, there's probably a 3 in 4 chance that, "guess who" is going to come under some scrutiny... GET OVER IT...
But I can already see what's going to happen... This is just a TRAIL RUN in sports people... Just wait and see... In 2012, race is going to come up again... BIG TIME... When it comes time to look at the "deeds" by the Obama Administration, it it turns out that the body of work is substandard, or didn't meet expectations, expect the race card to be played in the same way it's being played out with Vick & LeBron James...
As for me... I don't have any problems taking a black QB in a football game... (Hell - as you saw with the previous pick - I took the Jaguars [led by black QB David Garrard] over snowy white Peyton Manning and his 8 out of 11 white guys on offense)... I took "black" Charlie Batch [and the team I hate most in the world - the Steelers], over my favorite team in the world [the Ravens - led by white QB Joe Flacco - who I've heard, doesn't kill dogs... I took the Titans (Vince Young) over the Broncos (Kyle Orton)... I took the Browns (Seneca Wallace) over the favored Bengals (Carson Palmer)... In fact, in EVERY game this week, I took the black QB over the white QB...
There was NO REASON for doing so (in fact, I didn't even realize it at the time)... I had to go back and check my references on that... So the bottom line is... CV is looking at games, and situations for what they're worth... Not by all this crap the media want's to focus your eye on...
Barack Obama is a shitty President because he has no balls, makes poor decisions, and blames poor results on other people... We'll see fairly shortly here if Michael Vick starts to do the same thing... Maybe the Eagles will win every game by a wide margin and go to the SuperBowl... And then Vick will be a big hero that USED to kill dogs... But if that's the case, he's going to have to first get by former Eagles QB, Donovan McNabb (who the city of Philadelphia hardly ever gave the time of day to, despite the fact that he took them to 5 NFC Championships, a SuperBowl appearance, and was instrumental in bringing dog killer Vick to Philly in the first place)... McNabb has class... I hope his class (and play) is enough to overcome "classless" Albert Haynesworth (a thug who likes to stomp helmetless players on the field with his cleats - then sign a $100 million contract with the Redskins, cash his guaranteed signing bonus check in April, then proceed to "sit out" because he doesn't like 2 time Super Bowl winning coach Mike Shanahan's defensive scheme)... How many rings do you have Fat Albert?... Notwithstanding thug Haynesworth, I'm really pulling for McNabb (and the REDSKINS) for (4 units)... As for Vick? Despite what I said here, I don't give a FF about him (at least not he passes the test that he can both win AND LOSE with dignity - and not kill dogs in the process, if only because they lock him behind bars and take away all his money)...
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Chicago Bears (3-0) at New York Football Giants (1-2) (8:20 EST)
Line: Giants by 3.5
Quick & Dirty: I'm having an 8 - 4 day today (including two high unit picks)... So I'm shutting it down as I have no real "feel" for this game... The Giants stink, but the Bears are overdue to toss in a clunker... (NO PICK) - (0 units)...
New England Patriots (2-1) at Miami Dolphins (2-1) (8:35 EST)
Line: Patriots by 1
Trivia Question for weekend...
What do you call cheese that's NOT yours?
Answer...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgJLwAuZdU4
Of course... The BIGGEST question in the football world this weekend is...
"Does AHAB get off the schnide"?
McFearless said...
hmmm, didn't taken the Ravens this week eh...
Andy has posted some of these from time to time, I thought this one in particular was pretty good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76frHHpoNFs&feature=related
call me ahab said...
yeah- my team blows-
my kingdom for another RB, we'll see what Mathews does this week (hopefully he doesn't pull a Turner)-
I almost have half a mind to pick up Gradkowski since Texans are woeful against the pass-
but I already have Louis Murphy in- don't want to be too top heavy on Oakland
and I have Walter in on the Texans side- picking up the slack for Andre Johnson hopefully-
San Francisco D has underwhelmed as well- and Hartley- sheesh-
hey man- to all- my idea for Monday-
UUP/EOU- and possibly a short on gold (GLL)-
what's everyone else's take on gold?
I saw LB talking about shorting the long bond- if news coming out this week is decent- that makes some sense as well-
got to get off the jello
also-
as an aside- caught some more nasty posts directed at robotrader-
it appears the big issue- he's not in on end of the dollar, the United States or gold going up forever-
thus- taking heat from many who don't like that spin-
by akak
Robotrader, you have simply become an embarrassing (and annoying) parody of yourself.
And yes, I did junk you, as it has been a LONG time since you have added anything useful or meaningful to this forum. Your predictably stock-bullish, gold-bearish flyby comments are as much a waste of space as JohnnyBravo's pro-establishment, anti-gold effluvia.
by Cognitive Dissonance
I sometimes wonder if some hacker killed Robo and hijacked his ZH account.
Honestly I do.
ZH readers can be a little unmerciful / relentless. ... They're the "Statler and Waldorf" of the financial blogosphere!
Better check the "health" of Louis Murphy...
He didn't practice too much this week...
I am going to check his status before the game and replace him w/ last week's stud Lance Moore if necessary-
we'll see
That EUR/USD chart is looking very mature. Check it out from June 6th.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-10-01/u-s-auto-sales-rate-reaches-fastest-since-clunkers-.html
Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. auto sales in September accelerated to the fastest pace since the federal government's "cash for clunkers" incentive program last year as deliveries by the top 14 automakers all rose.
U.S. auto sales in September rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 11.8 million, compared with 9.4 million a year earlier, according to researcher Autodata Corp., based in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. In August 2009, the pace was 14.2 million, aided by the federal subsidy for fuel-efficient models.
The month's stronger sales, bolstered by Ford Motor Co.'s 41 percent gain, are a sign that the car market and the broader economy may have bottomed out and that a slow, stable recovery is under way, said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends for Santa Monica, California-based TrueCar.com.
"It's slightly better than expected, but it's still a stable and painful growth process," Toprak said in an interview. "This is another step in a healthy but rather slow recovery. This month, there were no outside forces at play, like government programs or crazy incentives, just the marketplace trying to recover on its own."
Bruce...
That YOY comparison was comparing it to the month AFTER CFC ended...
So... since the month AFTER CFC ended was predictably a lousy month... The comparison was the cupcake of all cupcakes...
Hey though... It's a month away from the elections, right? What do you expect? Bad news to be reported?
Truth?
Objectivity?
TJ Hoooosh ... and the Ravens win!
Morning Audibles 10.1.10

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Rhian Coekin
Post-Brexit priorities for low-income voters in deprived areas across the UK
What do low-income voters in deprived areas want post-Brexit? How can political parties unlock opportunities for people on low incomes?
Three years after the EU Referendum in 2016, our political system is experiencing a crisis of confidence. Recent ComRes research reveals that nearly four in five British adults agreethat Parliament is out of touch with the British public and MPs seem to ignore the wishes of voters and push their own agendas (77% and 78% respectively)[1].
As a result, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) commissioned ComRes to conduct a series of qualitative workshops with low-income voters living in nine deprived areas across the UK to find out what their priorities are post-Brexit. Research from JRF[2]and others has shown that people from poorer households were disproportionately likely to vote to leave the EU and therefore placing their interests and concerns at the forefront of any Brexit settlement will be crucial. There is also an electoral advantage to amplifying the views of people on low incomes as their loyalty to political parties weakens, their votes are very much up for grabs. With the possibility of an early general election increasing, government and policy makers had best pay attention.
Across the workshops, priorities for change were varied and despite a breadth of political opinion, there were issues and priorities that bridged the Brexit divide:
About Rhian Coekin
Rhian Coekin is Senior Consultant on the Political and Media Team at ComRes.
Articles by Rhian Coekin


text:
Book and Film Globe
Books, Film, TV, Culture.
The Spy Who Went Back Into the Cold
A New John LeCarré Protagonist for a New World Order
November 18, 2019 Trevor Seigler	0 Comments	Agent Running In The Field, James Bond, John LeCarré, Len Deighton, The Ipcress File
At the end of the Cold War, the spy-novel market was at a bit of a loss; for more than forty years, it was clear who were the good guys and who were the bad. Granted, in the spy novel, it's never that clear-cut. But dammit, we had a formula and it worked: Commies bad, Americans and Brits good. When the Berlin Wall came down, so did the shifting alliances, and untrustworthy purveyors of information who worked for them were out of a job. Or so we thought.
John Le Carré has been writing espionage fiction since the 1960s, and he could be forgiven for missing the world of spycraft that East-West tensions produced to such a fabulous (for him) degree. But in his new novel, Agent Running In the Field, Le Carre proves that he's in tune with the current tensions in the world, where a resurgent Russia challenges the United States once again for the hearts and minds of those who would keep secrets.
He tells his story in Agent Running In The Field through the voice of Nat, a forty-seven-year old veteran of British intelligence who has spent most of his career abroad, playing "the great game" with Soviet adversaries and then their post-Gorbachev replacements. Now looking at retirement from the field, he unexpectedly gets a posting to a long-moribund branch of the London headquarters, where an ambitious younger agent is making the case for surveillance on a Ukranian oligarch close to Putin.
Meanwhile, Nat is also making the acquaintance of Ed, a brutally honest young man who challenges him to badminton and is all too happy to bitch about Brexit, Trump, and the general state of the world. That these threads will intersect, and imperil not just Ed and Florence (the ambitious agent) but also Nat and his wife Prue, almost goes without saying. But just because you can see a cliché coming a mile away doesn't make it any less entertaining, especially when Le Carré throws a wrench into the proceedings to demonstrate that all is not what it seems.
In the world of spy fiction, Le Carré has earned a reputation as "a writer for adults." His spies don't get the gadgets or romances of Britain's top spy, James Bond (though to be fair, Ian Fleming's original 007 was a bit more Le Carré-esque on the page than in the movies). Like Len Deighton's unnamed protagonist of The Ipcress File (named Harry Palmer and played by Michael Caine in the films), Le Carré's spies lead mundane lives until the unexpected promise of information via a new source gives them a chance to uncover things that could help advance their career, assuming they survive the hostile encounters with spies from other, rival nations. Nat is a Le Carré hero through and through. He's no one's idea of a dashing "man of action," simply a humble civil servant whose skills have earmarked him for a life of subterfuge.
Le Carré's most recent novel, A Legacy of Spies, looked back to the glory years of the Cold War espionage era, revisiting territory covered in his first great success (The Spy Who Came In From the Cold) and the "Karla trilogy" that began with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. It was a nice summation of what had come before; Agent In the Field is a reminder that Le Carre has a grasp of what's going on now, and how it's unfolding often before our very eyes. Yes, Trump and Brexit and Putin make cameo appearances, but it cuts much deeper than that. When you live a life of deception, you don't always get a chance to redeem yourself.
John Le Carré makes palpable the tension between East and West, and the nightmare of a world in which old allies betray trust. It may be quaint to cast Britain as the home for all this intrigue, but often the best spy novels involve England because, while it's no longer an empire, it has served as a bulwark between Russia and the United States. Just what that means in a world where an American President questions the reliability of his own intelligence service leads us all to a dark place. Agent Running In the Field doesn't make it any brighter.
The Son of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
In a World Where No One Speaks Jive
A Tale Of 'Cold War'-Crossed Lovers
Tags: Agent Running In The Field, James Bond, John LeCarré, Len Deighton, The Ipcress File
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'Atypical' is Actually Pretty Typical →
Trevor Seigler
Trevor Seigler is currently a substitute teacher (one of the cool ones) in his home state of South Carolina. He also spends a lot of time reading, hence his pursuit of English as a major in college. He's been going broke ever since.
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Neal Pollack on 'Tenet': We Risked Our Lives for THIS?
Boris on 'Tenet': We Risked Our Lives for THIS?
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Infobox Settlement
official_name = Bristol, Tennessee
settlement_type = City
nickname = The Birthplace of Country Music
motto = A Good Place To Live
imagesize = 250px
image_caption = A sign welcomes visitors to the twin cities of Bristol, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee.
image_
mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Bristol, Tennessee
mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = Tennessee
subdivision_name2 = Sullivan
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = David Shumaker
established_title =
established_date = 1856
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi = 29.5
area_total_km2 = 76.4
area_land_sq_mi = 29.4
area_land_km2 = 76.1
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1
area_water_km2 = 0.3
area_urban_sq_mi =
area_urban_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi =
area_metro_km2 =
population_as_of = 2000
population_note =
population_total = 24821
population_metro =
population_urban =
population_density_km2 = 326.5
population_density_sq_mi = 845.8
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 37620, 37621, 37625
area_code = 423
latd = 36 |latm = 35 |lats = 42 |latNS = N
longd = 82 |longm = 11 |longs = 19 |longEW = W
elevation_m = 511
elevation_ft = 1676
website = [http://www.bristoltn.org/ www.bristoltn.org]
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 47-08540GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1327702GR|3
footnotes =
Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 24,821 at the 2000 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundaries of both cities run parallel to each other along State Street located in their common downtown district. Along with Kingsport, Tennessee and Johnson City, Tennessee, the Bristols form the Tri-Cities.
Bristol is probably best known for being the site of some of the first commercial recordings of country music, showcasing Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, and later a favorite venue of the legendary mountain musician Uncle Charlie Osborne. Congress recognized Bristol as the [http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/tn/bristol_1 Birthplace of Country Music] in 1998. Bristol is the birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Bristol is the site of a NASCAR short track which routinely sells out more than 160,000 seats twice annually. Tickets to Bristol Motor Speedway and DukesFest, a two day festival showcasing the 1980s television show "Dukes of Hazzard" are highly sought-after.
The city is also the home of King College.
Bristol is located at coor dms|36|34|9|N|82|11|51|W|city (36.569135, -82.197489)GR|1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.5 square miles (76.4 km²), of which, 29.4 square miles (76.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.44%) is water.
As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 24,821 people, 10,648 households, and 6,825 families residing in the city. The population density was 845.8 people per square mile (326.5/km²). There were 11,511 housing units at an average density of 392.2/sq mi (151.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.15% White, 2.97% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.
There were 10,648 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,039, and the median income for a family was $37,341. Males had a median income of $28,210 versus $21,173 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,535. About 11.5% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
"Birthplace of Country Music"
Bristol is considered to be the "Birthplace of Country Music" according to a resolution passed by the U.S. Congress in 1998 recognizing its contributions to early country music recordings and influence.
In 1927 record producer Ralph Peer of Victor Records began recording local musicians in Bristol to attempt to capture the local sound of traditional 'folk' music of the region. One of these local sounds was created by the Carter Family, which got its start on July 31, 1927, when A.P. Carter and his family journeyed from Maces Spring, Virginia, to Bristol to audition for Ralph Peer, who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $50 for each song they recorded. That same visit by Peer to Bristol also resulted in the first recordings by Jimmie Rodgers.David Sanjek, "All the Memories Money Can Buy: Marketing Authenticity and Manufacturing Authorship", p. 155–172 in Eric Weisbard, ed., "This is Pop", Harvard University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-674-01321-2 (cloth), ISBN 0-674-01344-1 (paper). p. 158.]
Since 1994 the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance [ [http://www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/ Birthplace of Country Music Alliance] ] has promoted the city as a destination to learn about country music and the city's role in the creation of an entire music genre. Currently, the Alliance is organizing the building of a new Cultural Heritage Center to help educate the public about the history of country music in the region. [ [http://www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/?BISKIT=3230362962&CONTEXT=cat&cat=10267/] ]
Bristol is the location of Bristol Motor Speedway, a NASCAR Sprint Cup track.
A Chicago White Sox R-league minor league affiliate, the Bristol White Sox, plays its home games at Devault Memorial Stadium in Bristol, Virginia.
* WJHL-TV (CBS Channel 11)
* WCYB-TV (NBC Channel 5)
* [http://www.bristolnews.com/ Bristol Herald Courier]
* [http://www.bristol-library.org Bristol Public Library]
Notable current and former residents
*Clarence Ashley, old-time musician
*Tennessee Ernie Ford, singer, actor, entertainer (1919-1991)
*Dave Loggins, songwriter
*Russell B. Richards, Attorney at Law, listed in "The Best Lawyers in America"
Infobox Police Department
name = Bristol Police Department
motto =
established =
jurisdiction = City of Bristol, TN
sworn = 69
non-sworn = 25
CSO =
stations =
jails =
helicopters =
policeboats =
chief = Blaine E. Wade
sheriff =
commissioner =
supervisor =
captain =
The Bristol, Tennessee Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency for the city. The BPD has 69 sworn officers and 25 civilian supportive staff. It also makes use of citizen volunteers as an auxiliary staff that saves the department over $100,000 annually. [http://www.bristoltn.org/police.cfm Bristol Police Department website] ]
* [http://www.bristoltn.org/ City of Bristol Official Home Page]
*dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Tennessee/Localities/B/Bristol/|Bristol, TN
Bluff City, Tennessee
Colonial Heights, Tennessee
Bristol (Tennessee) — Bristol Spitzname: The Birthplace of Country Music Willkommensschild zur Zwillingsstadt Bristol Lage in Tennessee … Deutsch Wikipedia
Bristol (Tennessee) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Bristol. 36° 34′ 09″ N 82° 11′ 51″ W … Wikipédia en Français
Bristol Tennessee High School — Infobox School name = Bristol Tennessee High School streetaddress= 1200 Long Crescent Dr city= Bristol state= Tennessee zipcode= 37620 country= USA url= [http://www.btcs.org/ths/ Official Site] established = 1916 fundingtype= Public affiliation … Wikipedia
Bristol International Raceway — Bristol Motor Speedway World's Fastest Half Mile Streckeninformation Standort … Deutsch Wikipedia
Bristol Raceway — Bristol Motor Speedway World's Fastest Half Mile Streckeninformation Standort … Deutsch Wikipedia
Bristol Motor Speedway — World's Fastest Half Mile Bristol International Raceway Bristol Raceway Adresse: 151 Speedway Blvd., Bristol, Tennessee 37620 … Deutsch Wikipedia
Bristol (disambiguation) — Bristol is a city and county in England, but may also refer to:Terms where Bristol refers to the English cityPlaces*The Bristol Channel, a body of water between England and Wales *Port of Bristol, the commercial and formerly commercial docks in… … Wikipedia
Tennessee Ernie Ford — Background information Birth name Ernest Jennings Ford Born February 13, 1919 … Wikipedia
Bristol (Begriffsklärung) — Bristol ist der Name von: Ortschaften: Bristol, Stadt im Südwesten von England Bristol (Connecticut), USA Bristol (Florida), USA Bristol (Illinois), USA Bristol (Indiana), USA Bristol (Maine), USA Bristol (New Hampshire), USA Bristol (New York),… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Bristol Motor Speedway — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Tribuna principal de Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway (hasta 1978: Bristol International Raceway; apodado Thunder Valley, Valle del Trueno ) es un óvalo de 0,533 millas (858 metros) de extensión situado… … Wikipedia Español


One of the constants in Elvis Presley's life was his father, Vernon Presley.
Elvis' dad was always there, raising his son in Tupelo, supporting his early career in Memphis and working behind the scenes as his son became the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
This Father's Day, on Sunday, June 21, we celebrate Elvis' father, Vernon Presley.
Jesse D. and Minnie Mae Presley welcomed their son, Vernon Elvis Presley, into the world on April 10, 1916, in Fulton, Mississippi.
As a teenager, Vernon met the lovely Gladys Love Smith at church, and quickly fell in love. The young couple wanted to get married, but a little detail slowed them down: Vernon's age. He was 17, and Gladys was 21. They changed their ages on their marriage license to say he was 22 and she was 19, and the pair were married in Verona, Mississippi, by a Pontotoc County circuit clerk on June 17, 1933.
Vernon, his brother Vester and their father built a two-room house for the growing Presley family. Gladys gave birth to Elvis (and his twin, Jessie, who was stillborn) on January 8, 1935, in the home.
Vernon worked odd jobs and manual labor to support the family. They never had much money, but they had plenty of love. The Presleys went to church and loved singing gospel music together around the family piano.
Elvis was very close to his mother Gladys, but he was close with Vernon, too.
On Elvis' 14th birthday, Vernon gave Elvis a paperback book of cartoons by George Price, and he inscribed it: "May your birthday be sprinkled through 'n through with joy and love and good times too, Daddy."
Elvis kept this book and brought it with him to Germany when he served there in the Army, but he lost it there.
Elvis was so close with both of his parents that he brought them along for the ride when he became a superstar.
Vernon and Gladys Presley moved in with Elvis when he purchased Graceland in 1957. Vernon managed his son's business affairs in an office behind the mansion.
Graceland was truly a family home. Vester and Vernon Presley, who worked at the gates of Graceland, often greeted fans at the gates. Elvis' grandmother (and Vernon's mother) Minnie Mae lived there, as did Vernon's sister, Delta, who also helped open Graceland to the public.
Many of the documents pertaining to Graceland and Elvis' business affairs are signed by Vernon, who took care of such matters so Elvis could concentrate on his career–a clear sign of the trust Elvis had in his father.
Vernon was by Elvis' side throughout his life and career.
He often traveled with Elvis while he was on tour, and Elvis would even introduce him to the audiences. Vernon would also show up to visit Elvis on movie sets. He was an extra in "Live a Little, Love a Little."
Vernon Elvis Presley died on June 26, 1979, and he's buried with Elvis, Gladys and Minnie Mae at the Meditation Garden at Graceland.
While Elvis ruled on the stage and on the screen, it was his father, Vernon, who made it all possible, handling all of the details and business so his son could focus on and enjoy his career. Fans can see Vernon's business headquarters here at Graceland.
Happy Father's Day, Vernon Presley.


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Overseeing the operations of a human service agency is no easy task. Keeping your agency staffed with qualified employees, monitoring utilization of authorized units, forecasting financials, staying on top of changing regulatory requirements are a few of the many responsibilities of those that are managing the day to day operations. I've seen first hand the balancing act that's required to do this and when managers or executives say they don't have enough time in the day to do their job, they're not kidding! One of the key tools in an executive or manager's toolbox is the ability to generate and view reports. Through reports and dashboards you can quickly see the status of key areas to know how to navigate your employees, decisions and operations. This is one of the biggest benefits to using developmental disabilities software, or an agency management platform, at your agency. If you didn't have to spend to time creating reports or taking raw data and putting into excel spreadsheets, but instead had reports at your finger tips, how much time would you save? And how much more accurate would your reporting be?


ServiceSource's next Recurring Revenue Forum will take place on 1 November 2018 at the iconic Pall Mall building located in the heart of St. James's, London.
Attendees of this event will have the opportunity to network and share best practices with fellow senior revenue leaders at major companies from all over Europe. ServiceSource experts will also give presentations on several current industry trends that key decision makers need to be aware of and acting upon.
The key insights shared at the Recurring Revenue Forum will help transform your customer relationships, expand your sales opportunities, and ignite your long-term revenue growth.


text:
Small Cars: Are They Really More Dangerous?
Small Cars: More Dangerous?
Small cars bring more affordable car payments but are they safer? The laws of physics tell us that when a large object and a small object crash, the larger one sustains less damage. But that scenario fails to tell the whole story.
True, numerous traffic studies confirm that SUVs top the list as safest category of passenger vehicle. SUVs feature higher hoods and roofs, meaning they're less likely to slide under other vehicles in a crash.
Insurance industry statistics crunched over a 10 year period show 71 per cent fewer fatalities in large SUVs between 2005 and 2015. Smaller SUV crashes resulted in 60 per cent fewer deaths over the same decade.
But the size of the car factors in as only one issue in picking the safest car.
Small Cars, Safety Features & Hazards
More recent model cars offer higher safety levels than older small cars. But new larger and heavier cars still carry the day with greater levels of safety according to studies we include in the footnotes. It boils down to the laws of physics as mentioned above with bigger and heavier vehicles faring better in a crash than the lighter and smaller cars.
Larger vehicles made under more recent safety standards feature longer hoods and larger crush zones. This means they tend to come out of a crash in better shape than smaller vehicles or older large cars.
Studies also explain the large car small car difference. A smaller car gets pushed back in a head on crash with a larger SUV. Greater force bears down on the smaller vehicle's driver and passengers. This can cause catastrophic injuries depending on the nature of the crash. Spinal cord injuries, head injuries and other less severe injuries to the neck and back can also result.
Are Sports Cars More Dangerous?
By nature smaller sports cars inherently carry more risk. But sporty cars also have advantages. A lower center of gravity and tighter suspension allow sports cars generally to handle evasive maneuvers such as quick turns much more efficiently than larger sports utility vehicles.
Don't forget SUVs and their higher center of gravity tend to suffer roll-over accidents especially at highway entrance ramps and other sharp turns more often than lower sports cars. This raises a key factor in any discussion about safety: the habits, conduct and attitude of the driver. The same car presents more hazards with a bad driver than the same car with a more cautious driver. For example:
"The Nissan 350Z has a fatal crash rate of about double most sports cars. The 350Z is one of the most popular sports cars with young drivers, and young drivers crash more than other people."
Buying a New Car for your new driver?, Bellingham Herald, Doug Dahl, July 18, 2017
All things being equal, sports cars tend to offer enhanced safety features like traction control, tight anti-lock braking, electronic stability systems and many others. But whether true or not the general observation holds that people who buy sporty vehicles tend to drive more aggressively. In general they push the car to its limits including driving at higher speeds and taking risks in cornering.
Small Cars & Risk Reduction
Older cars more than 10 years old fail to include safety features in new cars rolling off the assembly line at this time. Side airbags and electronic stability control now required in vehicles arguably make smaller cars safer than ever before. The stability control now in vehicles is intended to reduce the likelihood of rollovers
Are More Small Cars the Future?
Not everyone agrees that smaller create a higher level of highway danger. One group analyzed 17 million car crashes between 1989 and 2005. The National Bureau of Economic Research feels that its not necessarily the size of the vehicle as much as the size differential between the crashing cars. NBER claimed in April 2017 that when a small car strikes a larger vehicle the damage to the smaller vehicle is worse not because it is small per se, but because of the proportionate difference between the cars.
Authors of this study talk about the relativity of crash theory. Looking forward, the view sees an increase of the number of small cars on the highways in general due to fuel efficiency standards. This could make the highways safer. The argument is that auto makers must reduce the weight of vehicles to make them more efficient. Reducing the overall average weight of all vehicles on the road could in the long run reduce fatalities as a result of car crashes.
Fatalities in Small Cars
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports 37,461 traffic fatalities in 2016. That's the most recent year for which final numbers are available at this writing. 9,913 were driving passenger cars. 3,124 were driving sport utility vehicles, 3,590 pickup trucks.
Insurance industry data claims that between 2005 and 2015 the number of fatalities in mini cars went down 56 per cent. The decrease was 57 per cent in small cars. During the same time period the fatality rate in large SUVs decreased 70 per cent, with 60 per cent fewer deaths in smaller category SUVs.
This led to the conclusion that "bigger is still safer".
Things to Look For in Buying a Small Car
The bottom line to all of the surveys shows us that yes smaller cars do tend to present higher dangers than larger vehicles. At the same time, all new cars carry safety features nonexistent in past years and decades. If buying a new car and a small car is in the picture, compare safety scores in the paperwork. Such scores come from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS, and NHTSA.
Despite their higher initial cost new cars now come with safety features including better airbags, hardened roofs, crumple zones designed to absorb crash impact instead of the passenger cabin, and others.
Despite all of the above the laws of physics remain the same and larger vehicles will generally come out of a crash more intact than its smaller counterpart.
Andrew D. Myers, author of this blog article, practices personal injury law in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The Law Offices of Andrew D. Myers offer a free initial consultation in offices in Derry, NH and North Andover, MA.
Here's more on one of the leading causes of car accidents: Distracted Driving.
Comparing Car Crash Safety Ratings: Big vs. Small and Old vs. New, Edmunds, by Ronald Montoya, Feb. 16, 2016.
Occupant Protection in Passenger Vehicles, NHTSA, publication DOT HS 812 494, February, 2018.https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812494
Small Cars, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Feb., 2018.
Tags: car accident lawyercar size and accidentsfree initial consultationmotor vehicle accident attorneyserious injuriessports cars more dangeroussports cars safe
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my community college has an accelerated RN associates degree. at the end of 14 months you have completed 60 credits and are awarded an ADN that transfers to BSNs. Im pre-med but would like some legitimate health care experience before medical school and financial stability.
I reckon one could get that and work part time as they finish their degree. would this be a good idea for someone wanting to learn how to be a clinician prior to medical school? I heard somewhere that adcoms are suspect of health care professionals applying, is this true? I figured an RN with a solid GPA and MCATS has as good a shot as anyone else.
Hey, what community college would that be? I happened to live right next to one that offers a 1 year program as well.


text:
Why is Humanity Always the Fall Guy?
I spent time this week with out-of-town friends and their young son. We visited the Royal Ontario Museum (affectionately known as "the ROM"). Aside from a few museums located in our nation's capital region, Canada has no others to rival it.
It's an odd experience, though, visiting these sorts of facilities at this moment in history. They're a jumble of mixed messages. On the one hand, there are exhibits that suggest unfortunate events happen all the time in the natural world. For example, there's text such as this:
A series of rock layers called the Green River Formation provides a rare window back through time to view the diversity of life in the past. Here we can see Wyoming as it was about 50 million years ago: a low-lying, wooded landscape with lakes. Sometimes the lake water was clogged by algae, which used up the oxygen and suffocated the resident fish. The dead fish sank and were covered by lime mud. Over millennia, repeated algal blooms produced thick layers of fossil-rich limestone. [bold added]
On the other hand, there's the Life Is In Crisis announcement above the admission desk, on the museum's website, and on assorted signage. It says life on Earth is endangered and that it's all our fault.
photo courtesy of Redmond Weissenberger
Call me dim-witted, but if algae blooms were killing off fish 50 million years ago, with no help from humans (remember, the Egyptian Pharoahs entered the picture approximately five thousand years ago), why is humanity now always the fall guy?
Why is it that whenever anything unpleasant happens we jump to the conclusion that we're to blame? How can the same institution that admits Mother Nature has been exterminating fish for millions of years then confidently declare that "Humans are causing both the extinction of individual species and the destruction of whole ecosystems"?
Why is there no suggestion that Nature, herself, may also be partially responsible? What are the signposts, the markers, that allow us to differentiate between the extinctions Nature orchestrates and the ones that are attributable to our actions? After all, in the photograph above, we're also advised that:
Species interact with each other in complex ecosystems.
Which is to say: this is complicated stuff. There's nothing simple or straightforward about the extinction question. So why does the Royal Ontario Museum think it's OK to lard on the guilt – to advise busloads of schoolchildren that, when animals go extinct, it's their fault? How can such a message be considered remotely scientific?
Nor is this is an isolated case. The Canadian Museum of Nature tells us on its website that:
At the peak of the last glaciation, about 20 000 years ago, approximately 97% of Canada was covered by ice.
Yet this same institution has curated a traveling exhibition titled Clue in to Climate Change. It focuses on the Arctic and:
…provides immediate and concrete actions and tools to empower individuals and communities to take part in reducing their impact on climate change. [bold added]
Why is it that when ice melts on some occasions it's considered perfectly natural? Yet, when it melts on other occasions, it's proof that the apocalypse is upon us?
I mean, Canada wouldn't exist today if 97% of it were still covered by ice. Twenty thousand years ago that ice was a mile thick as far south as Chicago.
created with Google Maps
Over a period of thousands of years the ice gradually receded. Since Europeans only arrived in Canada 500 years ago, and the indigenous population was small prior to this, that melt could hardly have been a human-caused event.
Yet when the same ice continues to shrink marginally in the here-and-now we say this is alarming and unnatural. Like full-fledged drama queens, we view current reductions in polar ice as proof that humans are sinning against Mother Nature – and that all manner of doom awaits us. Worse, we target school kids, urging them to reduce their ecological footprint or else.
Where are the grownups in this discussion? Why haven't sane, sensible people noticed that this is a huge – and unwarranted – leap of logic?
h/t Tom Nelson and Redmond Weissenberger
This entry was posted on March 31, 2011 by Donna Laframboise in ethical & philosophical, historical perspective and tagged Canadian Museum of Nature, glaciers, historical perspective, ROM, Royal Ontario Museum.
https://wp.me/pSEKJ-1Zy


Bosco's enjoyed another great year in soccer this year. After a loss in the first round of the Dublin Senior Cup to last year's beaten semi-finalists, the Green Army went on an amazing league run.
group on maximum points before sadly being beaten in the semi-finals. The team represented the school impeccably well and should be proud of their achievements.
We look forward to another exciting campaign next season!