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Sun. Oct 23rd, 2022
For generations, family-run farms in South India have grown and produced the natural dye that was once colonial capital.
It is 6am in the small village of Kongarapattu in South India and the cloudy October sky is threatening to burst. In the factory, a foreman scuttles around anxiously, checking for absent labourers; two sari-clad neighbours whisper to one another while combing their long hair; and stray dogs run amok, sensing the anticipation in the air.
For four generations indigo has been grown, harvested and made into dye on this family-owned plot in Tamil Nadu.
Production, which usually takes place three times a year, was delayed this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But October finally brought the first day of thotti podurathu when the traditional tanks are set up to extract the dye from the Indigofera plants.
Before work can begin, labourers and onlookers gather around the century-old tanks for a simple pooja, or prayer, invoking divine blessings. The foreman says a two-minute prayer for Neel Atha (or the Blue Mother) the sacred name the villagers have for indigo and presents an offering of bananas and coconut, blessed fruits according to Hindu rituals.
It is almost a festival for our village, says Balachander Anbhazhagan. The 33-year-old is the scion of KMA Exports, an indigo farming and production company that has operated here since the 1960s.
Balachanders great-grandfather started processing indigo during colonial times when the naturally sourced dye was a valuable commodity.
Balachander, a fourth-generation indigo farmer [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
The Anbhazhagan family perfected the patient craft of extracting natural indigo dye from Indigofera plants, using the same century-old, colonial-era cement tanks their relatives used before them.
All these years later, the company is now the largest producer of natural indigo dye in India.
Even as a child, I grew up with indigo all around me, says the soft-spoken Balachander. I have watched the indigo plants being harvested and have seen my grandmother offer her prayers to the Neel Atha before beginning indigo extraction at our plant.
Here, indigo is perceived as a Blue Goddess. In fact, many Hindu Gods like Kaali and Krishna are often portrayed in the colour blue as it symbolises the colour of the cosmos.
We envisage work as worship, Balachander says.
Green leaves to blue dye
During colonial times, many Indian farmers were strong-armed by the British Raj into growing indigo instead of food crops, the dye was then bought by the Raj at unfairly low prices. Today, indigo is celebrated in Kongarappatu and neighbouring villages for putting them on the map, a far cry from its wretched colonial past. Every year, export companies, handicraft industries and renowned designers come knocking on the doors of this nondescript village to get their hands on the precious blue gold.
The work of getting dye from Indigofera happens in stages. First, the leaves are harvested from neighbouring farms; then they are gathered together and immersed in a huge tank filled with water, where they are weighed down and allowed to ferment. After the fermentation, the leaves are removed, and the water is drained into another massive tank where the solution oxidises and sediment settles at the bottom of the tank; finally, the sediment powder is dried and packed into cakes.
A farmer with his bounty of Indigofera leaves before they are sold and processed [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
Indigofera plants, which look a bit like basil, must be harvested just before their pink flowers bloom. Then, the leaves have to reach the first tank within three hours in order to yield the best quality indigo, Balachander says.
A five-minute drive away from the extraction unit past simple concrete village houses and a group of children playing cricket in a coconut grove is an inconspicuous indigo farm where the leaves are ready for harvest. Out in the fields, the female farmers smile at the presence of strangers, while the men seem to acknowledge the visitors less.
In minutes, sickles swinging deftly, the men and women harvest the lush Indigofera plants that have grown about 10cm (four inches) high. They then bundle up their bounty of leaves, load it on a tractor and bring it to the tanks.
Back at the extraction unit, one of the tanks is already full from the previous day, wooden logs secured over the sea of leaves to keep the plants immersed in the water that shines with a greenish-blue hue.
Labourers unload spent indigo sheaves for composting [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
With the pooja complete, the foreman opens a hole in the upper tank and the water gushes into the tank below it. After that, to help the indigo particles settle as sediment at the bottom of the lower tank, the water has to be aerated, a process that used to be far more picturesque.
Just [a] few years back, four labourers would stand in the tank and create turbulence in the water by kicking it for two hours, says Balachander, explaining the old process of aeration. Now, I had repurposed a machine used in aquaculture to mechanise this process.
For 45 minutes, the pedalling machine moves the water around, kicking up a foamy layer. In an hours time, the greenish liquid turns into a brilliant blue. The top slot of the tank is then opened up, letting out water that will be used to irrigate nearby farms. After 21 hours of sedimentation, the bottom slot is opened to slowly release the remaining water in the tank, together with a leftover powder-like substance. This is then boiled in a brick kiln, filtered, and pressed and formed into small indigo cakes. The cakes are dried for five days before they are ready to be used as dye.
An ancient craft
With a twinkle in his eye, 48-year-old Pachaiyappan holds out his indigo-coloured palms, stained with the remains of another day spent turning Indigofera plants into blocks of dye.
For five months every year, for the last 20 years, the farm labourer has travelled from the outskirts of Kongrapattu to the Anbhazhagans estate to do this work.
This colour will remain in my hand for a week, he says, but till date, this work has had no negative impact on my health as everything is natural.
Pachaiappan showing his indigo-stained hands [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
Pachaiyappan is so adept at the work that he can gauge when to stop the oxidation process by merely looking at the colour of the water. He is also known for pressing the boiled indigo sediment into perfectly-shaped cakes.
As a child, I remember my father working in this very unit. With no motor then, he used to work on an etham a traditional water irrigation device to fill the tanks. He used to sing a song while walking up and down a 20-foot pole even as another helper filled the water in a pail, which was then used to fill the tanks. Now, things arent complicated. We dont even have to beat the water any more (to oxidise it), Pachaiyappan says.
Balachander says the manufacturing process has largely remained the same through the generations, with the exception of some improved mechanisation to ease things for the labourers. The most important thing for him is maintaining the original quality of the dye.
We cant afford even a speck of dirt in our indigo cakes, he reminds his team as they go about their work.
A worker sets the cakes of indigo dye before they are dried and packaged [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
Balachander joined the family business in 2013. But it was not always part of his plan.
I did not plan on taking up my fathers business, he tells Al Jazeera. But while pursuing my MBA in the United States, I had the opportunity of studying the supply chain management of our indigo production. The more I read about indigos history and learned of its eco-friendly nature, the more I was hooked.
It came as a huge relief for his father, farmer-businessman M Anbhazhagan, 63, who was eager to pass on the secrets of the craft to the next generation.
Remembering the day he himself joined the business in 1982, Anbhazhagan says: My father had received only 10 cents (4,356 square feet) of land from my grandfather for indigo farming and he had just two tanks for indigo production: an extraction tank where the harvested plants were seeped overnight and a sedimentation tank where the fermented water was oxidised manually by men (by kicking the greenish-blue water).
Anbhazhagan looks through pictures of his parents smiling behind a younger version of him and tells us that it is their blessings that helped him grow an indigo empire in his small village.
When he took over the business, Anbhazhagan chose to sell directly to the artisans instead of selling it to agents. This tripled our profits and by the early 90s, we expanded it to four tanks two for extraction and two for sedimentation. Each tank could hold easily up to two tonnes of indigo plants and yields nearly 35kgs of indigo powder.
While the family now owns about 30 acres (12 hectares) of land, they also have contracts with other indigo farmers in hundreds of villages across Tamil Nadu, allowing them to harvest more plants. It amounts to nearly 2,500 acres (1,011 hectares) in indigo production.
A farmer with a bundle of Indigofera plants to send in for processing [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
The family is also proud of the fact that the work is sustainable.
The best thing about this process is it is zero waste as the spent indigo leaves from the first tank are taken back to the fields for composting and the water from the second tank is used for irrigation, Balachander says. The older Anbhazhagan recalls that back in the day, the leftover indigo leaves were the only fertiliser his father used for his other crops like millets or paddy. It works as a great nitrogen fixer for the soil, he explains.
Indigo has also helped the surrounding community. Indigo is one of the main cash crops here and has helped farmers earn a decent living due to the thriving export dyeing business, says Anbhazhagan. I am happy that we have been able to provide work to at least 75 people in processing of indigo leaves.
Where the blood is blue
Finding a skilled and obliging workforce is not easy for all indigo producers. Four kilometres (2.5 miles) away from Kongrapattu, farmer Mohammed Ayub, 39, is trying to revive his familys legacy in indigo dye making in Vengandur, in the coastal Villupuram district. But he has encountered some roadblocks.
Local women believe that Neel Amma (another local term of endearment for indigo that translates to Blue Mother) doesnt like women working in the tanks, he says. With most men migrating out of our villages to find work in cities, its been very tough to find skilled labourers to make indigo dye.
Mohammed Ayub, an indigo farmer [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
Ayub is a man of few words, and it takes a while for the farmer-producer to open up about his familys journey with the mystical indigo. His great grandfather worked in the court of Tipu Sultan an 18th-century ruler of Mysore from the neighbouring state of Karnataka, he says. After Tippu Sultans death in 1799, Ayubs family relocated to Vellore district and then settled in Vengandur in the 1830s.
As indigo was in high demand at that time, my great grandfather Janab Mohideen Basha took up the cultivation of Indigofera Tinctoria, a plant known to produce a good quality indigo dye. In fact, records show that England alone imported 40,000 tonnes of Indigo from India in 1895.
The coronavirus also caused Ayub to temporarily shut down his indigo operations but he agrees to give a tour of the estate. Right in the middle of a busy highway, a large dilapidated wall welcomes us. Behind it are four huge tanks, largely overrun with wild shrubs and plants. Despite the vehicles whizzing by, there is hardly any human presence around. At a distance, a shepherd can be seen reigning in his bleating sheep.
Ayubs Indigo tanks date back to colonial times [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
Ayub explains that he last ran the tank in January before the lockdowns commenced. For the visitor, it feels like being in a time capsule. The pleasant indigo fields guarded by tall coconut trees provide a perfect backdrop to the 15×15-foot (4.5×4.5-metre) indigo tanks.
For two centuries, these cascading tanks have magically transformed lush green indigo leaves into the deepest shades of blue dye. Behind it is a 12-foot-high (3.7-metre-high) colonial brick kiln (which is still used to boil the indigo mixture). A little further on the right, the gleaming water in a 36-foot-deep (11-metre-deep) ancient well that has stood for generations is a reminder of all that indigo has survived from world wars to revolts, to chemical dyes, to the current coronavirus crisis.
Of colonial oppression and revolution
Indigo, also known as the King of Dyes, is one of the worlds most ancient dyes. It has been used by the people of Egypt and Asia for more than 4,000 years. Even a 12th-century Roman historian, Pliny the Elder, wrote about indigo, a product of India, being a slime that adheres to the scum upon reeds. When it is sifted out it is black, but in dilution, it yields a marvellous mixture of purple and blue
Even until the 19th century, when synthetic indigo was discovered, the Indigofera plant was the only known source to achieve long-lasting blue. Though several countries in East Asia produced indigo, India remained a major source for the world. In the late 1500s, French and Norwegian officials even banned the Indian indigo, calling it the devils dye, to protect the production of their native woad-based blue dye. For the East India Company and later the British Raj, indigo turned out to be one of the most profitable commodities.
An craftsman works, dyeing fabric in a vat of soluble indigo [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhis great-grandson, talks about how this blue gold led to one of the most defining moments of Indian independence.
Indigo was a very precious dying source for textile-producing mills of England. When it was discovered that it grew well in certain North Indian states like Bengal and Bihar they utilised the zamindar (or landowner and landlord) system to force the cultivation of indigo instead of food crops, he tells Al Jazeera via telephone.
In mid-19th century Bengal, these farmers were provided loans with such extremely high interest rates that it would pass on to the next generations, forcing descendants to become bonded indigo labourers. The selling price disparity was also so high that the farmers were only given 2.5 percent of what the indigo would fetch on a global market, he explains.
In 1859, the distraught Bengal farmers led a revolt that practically brought indigo production to its knees. Following the revolt, a commission was set to study the state of indigo peasants. The Indigo Commission report had then observed, not a chest of Indigo reached England without being stained with human blood.
It was in Bengals first uprising against indigo dictatorship that farmers took oppressors to court and won a landmark judgement in their favour, Tushar Gandhi says. Years later, Bihar farmers reeled under the oppressive teenkathia system, where indigo had to be mandatorily grown in 3/20th of a farmland. With discovery of chemical dye by Germany (in 1878), the indigo market collapsed and the farmers situation in Bihar became even more deplorable.
Indigo workers at a factory in the village of Kongrapattu [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
In 1917, when Mahatma Gandhi visited Champaran to meet and document the issues of the indigo farmers, it led to his first non-violent Satyagraha movement (march for truth).
I believe Gandhi based his strategy on Bengals precedence to demand legal justice. At that time, the greatest oppression was against the agrarian community. There were agrarian revolts in many places and even though they were dispersed, they became a formidable force to deal with, Tushar Gandhi adds. Babu was shrewd enough to identify this segment and other impoverished craftsmen who were left unemployed by [the] industrial revolution; he used their unity to fight the battles for Indian Independence.
Faithful farmers
While wars and revolts shook the indigo market, Ayubs family has been faithfully growing indigo (together with other crops like sugarcane and groundnut) for four generations, since the 1830s.
One reason could be indigo is a low-cost crop. There is no need for any external fertiliser and you can get a yield every three months, Ayub suggests. But his uncle, Niyaz Ahamed, feels the crops are more about preserving their familys legacy.
While Ayub had left his career in the hospitality industry to return to farming in his village in 2016, Ahamed had in fact relocated from the village to the capital city Chennai in 2000, to secure a better education for his children. Yet the mysterious blue refuses to let go of him, he says. Even in a city like Chennai, while pursuing another business, we are trying to produce indigo dyes in plastic drums. It is a part of who we are, says Ahamed, with a hint of pride in his voice.
Indigo cakes are cut into blocks before they are dried and packaged [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
Although colonial indigo farming met much resistance in North India, Ahamed says that his father Dada Miyan Sahib (Ayubs paternal grandfather) was always able to do business on his own terms whether with British or French traders, or later with the Indian railways department.
Even when we did not sow indigo, we would still rent out the tank for indigo production to private companies. My fathers only condition would be that they store the indigo dye in our house so that he can check and ensure the quality of the indigo before it is sold, says Ahamed.
I still remember my father sneaking out indigo dye to Pondicherry (a French colony at that time and whose border was closely monitored by the British Raj in India) and while coming back, he would bring us Chinese silk or a bottle of sugar mixed with water (to avoid detection). If caught, he would have been arrested by the Raj.
As for Vengandur, indigo still plays an intrinsic role in the lives of people who live there.
Whenever a child is born in our village, the cloth used for filtering the indigo dye is taken to swaddle the baby as it has medicinal properties. Older children with ailments like fever are also made to sleep on a piece of indigo-dyed cloth for faster recovery. We have also been regularly supplying indigo roots (avari in local parlance) to traditional healers who use it for various skin ailments and allergies. And of course, other farmers use our spent indigo sheaves as fertiliser for their fields, says Ahamed.
Rows of baskets hold vats of indigo dye [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
The art of natural dyeing
In Auroville, an hours drive from Kongarapattu, Jesus Ciriza Larraona is the founder of a natural dyeing research unit called The Colours of Nature. For more than 25 years, he has been perfecting the art of indigo dyeing, learning from ancient texts and traditional craftsmen from across India and the world.
At his premises, a group of masked women sit embroidering at a corner table, with their heads bowed in concentration. Meanwhile other men and women twist and twirl sections of cotton yarn as they wash them clean, two women dipping it in alum a mordant used to set colours on fabric while another dries a fresh batch of the yarn.
Larraona takes us to his sanctum sanctorum a large shed where his indigo vats are kept. A pungent smell fills the air, amidst rows and rows of basket lids; interspersing those rows are indigo-dripping cloth filters which hang from the top of the shed like bats in a belfry.
There are 60 pots, with 1,000 litre capacity each, Larraona says as he removes a basket lid to reveal the vat below that is used to dye raw materials indigo.
Kumar, a master craftsman dyes fabric with natural indigo [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
The indigo in the vat sports a greenish hue with a blue foam bubbling around it. Kumar, one of Larraonas master craftsmen, slowly immerses the white yarn in the vat and rotates. After minutes of working, the yarn emerges as a dark shade of green. Another helper dries it out and in a matter of seconds, the green transforms into the magical indigo.
The soluble indigo in the vat impregnates the white cloth. When taken out, it oxidises and becomes blue. The processing time varies based on the shade of indigo one needs, Larraona explains. He sources his indigo cakes from farmer-producer Anbhazhagan in Kongarappatu.
Larraona is originally from Spain. When asked how he ended up dyeing indigo in India, he laughs. In 1992, I was on my second visit to India when a friend in Barcelona had requested me to source a carpet to play chess. So, I went to Srinagar to find out more about the beautiful Kashmiri carpets. The friendly locals had given me a shikara (houseboat) to discover the city on my own. It was while exploring the pristine lakes, I saw how the chemical dyeing of carpets was polluting the water bodies. It disturbed me, he says.
As luck would have it, he stumbled upon a colony that worked with natural dyes while looking for artisans to make chess figurines. So, when I decided to settle down in the international community of Auroville, I chose to work on the art of natural dyeing, and thus The Colours of Nature was born in 1993. But the journey was not easy.
Jesus Ciriza Larraona has worked with natural indigo dye for more than 25 years [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
I found an elaborative book on natural dyes from the 1890s and started to reproduce indigo. But it was not working. It was Mr Anbhazhagan who guided me to a Guledgudda in Karnataka, a village renowned for Ilkal saris (a traditional sari with cotton body and silk border). The Hasilcar family there had dyed indigo for generations. Two of the members agreed to come and teach me indigo dyeing in Auroville. We started with four pots, they knew all the techniques but the fermentation still wasnt right. I then realised the Hasilcars had switched to synthetic indigo two decades ago hence couldnt remember the smell of the dye and were not able to handle the pot.
It was after interacting with various dyeing experts from Japan, Thailand and Mexico and reading several books, that he was able to understand and revive the natural indigo fermentation process. In fact, he held a workshop to teach it back to the Hasilcars.
He says that he continues to experiment to find more eco-friendly ways to dye and has not replaced the water in his vats for more than 24 years. He now has plans to reuse the sediment in the vat as a fixing agent for other colours too including yellow (Marigold flower), and red (Rubia cordifolia).
The synthetic challenge
For all the efforts Larraona has taken to preserve and revive the art of natural dyeing, his toughest challenge has been dealing with synthetic colours that claim to be natural indigo in the market.
Jagadda Rajappa, an expert on natural dyeing and fabrics, agrees that it is very hard to find unadulterated indigo in the Indian market. The cost of the German synthetic indigo (300400 rupees per kilogramme $4-5/kg) is much lesser than natural indigo (3,000 rupees/kg $41/kg). The reduction process is the same and it is very difficult for a buyer to find out if the dye used is natural or not.
Ayub shares an insider tip saying natural indigo cakes normally float in water while chemical ones do not.
While Balachander tells us export companies do run tests for authenticity, Rajappa opines that the Indian market is not as discerning towards natural dyes and hardly differentiates between the two. But the new breed of green designers hopes to bring back the glory days of natural indigo in India.
A craftsman washes cotton yarn before dyeing it with natural indigo [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
You will always find a block of natural indigo in my office, claims Delhi-based designer Rahul Mishra, who is known for eco-friendly ensembles that highlight handmade fabrics and natural dyes. He vaguely recalls his first experience with indigo.
As a child, I remember seeing a huge building called Neel Kothi or blue house in my native village Malhausi (Neel Kothis were indigo factories of the British era). My grandmother revealed that almost everyone in the village grew indigo at some point of time. Inspired by Gandhiji, even my grandmother used to spin her own cotton and got it woven by a local weaver, before indigo dyeing it herself.
Though Mahatma Gandhi fought against the indiscriminate practices of indigo planters, he lent his support to Indias native dyeing techniques and wrote a book on it (Vanaspatiyon Nu Rang). Hand-spun fabrics and natural dyes were seen as symbols of self-reliance during Indias independence movement. Currently, with the fashion industry turning to be the second major polluting industry in the world, Mishra believes that it is the right time to rediscover natural dyes like indigo to move towards a more sustainable future.
From the past, to the future
Thanks to the unrelenting efforts of experts like Larraona or Rajappa, the ancient art of indigo dyeing is not lost to the next generation. Rajappas own experimentation with natural dyes began with simple kitchen staples like turmeric and beets. After years of dabbling with natural dyes, she met her guru in Yellapa, who belonged to a family of traditional indigo dyers from Anantapur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, 400km from Kongarappattu. It took her five years of coaxing to persuade the master craftsman to teach her his trade. When he agreed, she chose not to just to watch him work, she wanted to be drenched in the deep indigo rituals.
Jagadda Rajappa with her indigo-dyed yarn [Bala Natrajan/Al Jazeera]
Yellapa had about 100 vats and Rajappa went about learning every nuance from burying the pots in packed earth to stabilise the temperature, to feeding the vat with cassia tora seeds to speed up the fermentation process, to refilling the indigo dyes.
We need to treat the vat like a living organism, it would take all of our senses to know when it is perfect. From smell, touch to even stirring sound, one can perfect the art of indigo dyeing only with time. Even if a vat goes wrong, an artisan would know ways to fix it. With patience, you will be able to watch a vat transform nothingness into abundance, she says. And that experience is precisely what she wants to share with anyone willing to give in to the spirit of Indigo.
Having conducted various natural dyeing workshops, Rajappa says it is heartening to see the revival of indigo farming and dyeing in various pockets of India from Puducherry to Vijayawada, Rajasthan to Bengal.
She believes it is the right time to relook at the indigenous knowledge of natural dyeing and use local ingredients to create sustainable dyes.
Nature will never tire of surprising us with her colours, she says.
So far, eight individuals have been called up by police.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently shared a clip on stargazing. It posted a video on its official Instagram handle and captioned it, "Stargazing… but make it intergalactic". The viral post has garnered more than 25,000 likes.
The call comes after patients were turned away from emergency departments at Sunshine and Footscray hospitals on Tuesday when more than 220 staff were forced into isolation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Pelotazo puede referirse a:

 Una forma de bailar la pelota en diversos deportes:
 En fútbol: véase chanfle.

 Una forma de servir y beber bebidas alcohólicas de alta graduación.

 Una forma coloquial de referirse a la especulación en los mercados financieros o urbanísticos, cuando produce extraordinarias ganancias de forma rápida.

 El Pelotazo, programa radiofónico.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


**A trade agreement with China would be 'really big deal' for U.S. dairy.
According to the leadertelegram.com, economist Dan Basse is already hopeful 2019 will be a better year for the dairy industry, with the potential for a Class III milk price over $17 per hundredweight by late-summer and perhaps $18 by the fourth quarter. But a Trump administration trade deal with China would make the outlook even better.
According to Chicago's AgResource Company, renewed trade with China is needed to start the next ag demand bull market.
**A proposed rule change to H-2A that would allow American employers looking for temporary help to advertise their job openings online instead of in the newspapers.
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue applauds the proposal from the Department of Labor saying it could help farmers better deal with the labor shortage.
The change would be one of the first steps in H-2A regulatory reform that was promised in May.
**The amount of farm land up for sale has jumped 21% compared to last year at this time.
Farmers National Company's Randy Dickhut says most of the sales are coming from individuals or ownership groups who are deciding that now is the time to sell.
He says whether they've recently inherited the land or have owned it for years, sellers have been watching the land market and some have decided to take advantage of the still historically good land prices.


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Skinningrove: The Ebb and Flow of Time
Featured / What Makes It Great? / April 30, 2019
To take a photograph is to participate in another person's mortality, vulnerability, mutability, precisely by slicing this moment, and freezing it, all photographs testify to time's relentless melt. ~Susan Sontag
By Suzanne Révy
There is a small town that cannot be seen from the main road, but it is there. Down a valley toward the edge of the land lies Skinningrove on the northeast coast of England. In the early 1980's, photographer Chris Killip documented this tight-knit fishing community with a deft and compassionate touch. Salt hangs in the air and soft light reflects off the North Sea, filtering through his black and white silver gelatin prints in "Skinningrove 1982-1984", currently on view at the Howard Yezerski Gallery through June 4th, 2019.
"View of Skinningrove" by Chris Killip, 1983. courtesy of the artist and the Howard Yezerski Gallery.
The seaside town of Skinningrove is remote and isolated. Fishing and mining were the main industries there in the early 1980's, requiring tough, physical labor that was clearly manifested in a weariness of the people that Killip met, got to know, and photographed. Bringing an empathetic eye to the working classes of his native England, Killip has created a record of a particular time and place that might have gone unnoticed without his presence and knack for building trust with his subjects. Killip himself grew up in a remote place, on the Isle of Man, which made him less of a foreigner to the cultural and social landscape of Skinningrove, but he was still an outsider. His introduction to the people of this town required patience, but he developed an ally with an outgoing young fisherman named Leslie Holliday. In time, the town grew to accept Killip and his camera. Many of the pictures are quickly captured vignettes of everyday activities on the streets, beaches and hillsides of the town, but Killip made posed portraits of groups and single figures as well, creating a series of pictures with profound depth, breadth and understanding.
"Brian Magor" by Chris Killip, 1983. Courtesy of the artist and the Howard Yezerski Gallery.
Through the centuries, time seems to have slowed in this isolated part of England, replaying scenes through generations. Kids playing outside, dogs wandering through the town, teenagers hanging out despite the cold and blustery weather, and the undulating lines and textures of wooden boats stranded in a harbor at low tide, all bathed in soft northern light. These mundane scenes recall genre painting of the 18th and 19th centuries, yet Killip's pictures also reveal the march of time and contemporary influences from the outside. In several images, one tall lanky lad sports a mohawk haircut popular in the London punk scene of the late 1970's and his friends are clad in the trendy fashions of the early eighties.
"Crabs and People" by Chris Killip, 1982, courtesy of the artist and the Howard Yezerski Gallery.
Fishing and a respect for the North Sea, however, are the life blood of this place. Killip explains, "Fishermen of Skinningrove believe the sea before them was their private territory, theirs alone." It is, in fact, the only place where the town can be seen in its entirety from a distance. But the sea has taken its toll, and we learn that four people in the pictures, including Leslie Holliday, drowned in it. The townspeople express their abiding respect for the ocean through rituals such as returning to the sea after someone is lost to it. In one aching photograph, we see a young boy being rowed out to sea just after his father and brother had drowned, to insure he grew up without fear of the water. During this wordless rite, the boy internalizes the natural rhythms of the tides, how they ebb and flow and how water can both sustain and take life.
"Simon Coultas being taken out to sea for the first time after his fathered drowned" by Chris Killip, 1984, courtesy of the artist and the Howard Yezerski Gallery
"Blackie and Mato Smith at Sea" by Chris Killip, 1982, courtesy of the artist and the Howard Yezerski Gallery.
Killip last photographed in Skinningrove in 1984, which is, in fact, not so long ago, yet the pictures have taken on a historic significance that could not have been anticipated when they were made. He returned twenty-six years later to find a town that "seems to be a pale imitation of its former self," with only one working fishing boat left. The land and the tides may be eternal, but economic pressures have changed the nature of the work and people in Skinningrove. As Killip observed, "a photograph is a record of a death foretold."
(Featured image) Installation view of "Skinningrove, 1982 to 1984" by Chris Killip at Howard Yezerski Gallery on view through May 21, 2019. Photograph by Suzanne Révy
https://www.howardyezerski.com/
Suzanne Revy
Sarah Charlesworth: The Small Versions
Best Photo Picks May 2019
Best Photo Picks May 2019 | What Will You Remember
[…] To read our review, go to: https://whatwillyouremember.com/chris-killip-skinningrove-1982-to-1984-at-howard-yezerski-gallery/ […]
By Suzanne Révy I cannot remember where I first encountered the work of Sarah Charlesworth, but I remember distinctly...


text:
New Alfa Romeo Giulia 2022: restyling on the way
New Alfa Romeo Giulia 2022 – At the end of the year, five years will have already accumulated on the counter of the transalpine sedan, with a commercial record far from being shining. Despite the sinistrosis that is blowing in the family sedan segment, Alfa Romeo will offer a facelift to his Giulia, next year. An update with swansong accents for one that could definitely disappear within the range at the end of his career.
Early 2021, Biscione fell into the hands of the Stellantis group, born from the merger between the PSA and Fiat-Chrysler groups, propelling the former boss of Peugeot, Jean-Philippe Imparato, at the head of the Italian manufacturer. An appointment with almost immediate effect on the brand's strategy, insofar as the French has already delayed the launch of the future compact SUV, named Tonale.
Without big stakes
Dissatisfied with the performance promised by the plug-in hybrid variants (190 hp and 240 hp) of the crossover, the French therefore postpones the lifting of the veil on this strategic model, which will compete with the Peugeot 3008 and Volkswagen Tiguan. But he will probably not have a say in the facelift of the Alfa Romeo Giulia, whose style is inevitably frozen, at the present time. However, if he had had the time, the new boss of the Italian firm would probably not have intervened in the genesis of this facelift, so much the stakes seem anecdotal.
Facies revisited
The new Alfa Romeo Giulia modernized its bow, without touching its hood or its wings. Around'a new grille, it will stretch its air intakes towards original optics, whose light signature will be inspired by that inaugurated by the Tonale concept car, at the Geneva Motor Show, in 2018. These modifications will lead to the front bumper overhaul when his alter ego housed in the stern will evolve only by small touches. The rear of the sedan should however benefit new patterns of lights.
Minimum union
On board, it is to be feared that the new Giulia will ignore a facelift of its cockpit, knowing that the latter had taken advantage ofan update, early 2020. The beautiful Italian had then enhanced the quality of some of its materials and upgraded its multimedia baggage. On the engine side, it is said that hybridization will be the order of the day, but it is still too early to say that it will be a rechargeable technology. Then again, Alfa Romeo could offer only minimal service to its sedan, by simply converting its thermal blocks to a 48V mild hybridization.
Prix Alfa Giulia
Probably unveiled before the end of 2021, New Alfa Romeo Giulia set to start sales career in Q1 2022. This revisit will logically lead to a slight increase in prices, with a base price approaching 40,000 €, according to our estimate.
Alfa Romeo news:
New Alfa Romeo Giulietta: based on the Peugeot 308 in 2023
An Alfa Romeo SUV based on Peugeot 2008 in 2022?
Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.2 Diesel Ti test: for the love of risk


text:
Q: Get resource file from blobstorage and add to task in azure batch I am new to Azure and Azure Batch Service. I created a simple .NET application that should run some code over a certain input file. This is how I started to create a Job, a Task and add the resource file that should then be processed by my application package.
1.) Create the BlobClient etc.:
        // Create the blob client, for use in obtaining references to blob storage containers
        CloudBlobClient blobClient = CreateCloudBlobClient(StorageAccountName, StorageAccountKey);

        // Use the blob client to create the input container in Azure Storage
        const string inputContainerName = "modelinput";

        CloudBlobContainer container = blobClient.GetContainerReference(inputContainerName);

        container.CreateIfNotExistsAsync().Wait();

2.) Here a file placed just in the applications directory is uploaded and added to a list of resource files:
         List<ResourceFile> inputFiles = new List<ResourceFile>();

//upload the file that should be processed and add to resourcefiles
inputFiles.Add(UploadFileToContainer(blobClient, inputContainerName, "myinputfile.xml"))

3.) Create Batch Job and Task
    BatchSharedKeyCredentials cred = new BatchSharedKeyCredentials(BatchAccountUrl, BatchAccountName, BatchAccountKey);

        using (BatchClient batchClient = BatchClient.Open(cred))
        {

            Console.WriteLine("Creating job [{0}]...", JobId);

                CloudJob job = batchClient.JobOperations.CreateJob();
                job.Id = JobId;
                job.PoolInformation = new PoolInformation { PoolId = PoolId };

                job.Commit();

        List<CloudTask> tasks = new List<CloudTask>();

        string taskId = String.Format("Task{0}", 0);
        string inputFilename = inputFiles[0].FilePath;

        //set the commandline
        string taskCommandLine = String.Format("cmd /c %AZ_BATCH_APP_PACKAGE_DEVBATCHAPP%\\batchapp.exe {0}", inputFilename);

        CloudTask task = new CloudTask(taskId, taskCommandLine)

         //add my resourcefiles to the task
        task.ResourceFiles = new List<ResourceFile> { inputFiles[0] };

        task.ApplicationPackageReferences = new List<ApplicationPackageReference>{new ApplicationPackageReference{ApplicationId = "devbatchapp",Version = "0.0.1"}};

        tasks.Add(task);
     }

If I run the task now everything runs perfectly. However now I have developed a little ASP.NET Razor Pages App through which the user should select and upload a file. Since I can now only use a file stream to upload my file I had to change 2.) to something like this mostly following the documentation here:
            var filePath = Path.GetTempFileName();

            var file = Path.Combine(_environment.ContentRootPath, "uploads", filePath);

        string containerSasToken = container.GetSharedAccessSignature(new SharedAccessBlobPolicy()
        {
            SharedAccessStartTime = DateTime.UtcNow,
            SharedAccessExpiryTime = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.AddDays(1),
            Permissions = SharedAccessBlobPermissions.Write | SharedAccessBlobPermissions.Read
        });
        string containerSas = container.Uri.AbsoluteUri + containerSasToken;

        using (var stream = new FileStream(file, FileMode.Create))
        {
            await Upload.CopyToAsync(stream);
            stream.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
            var blobstore = container.GetBlockBlobReference("modelinput");
            await blobstore.UploadFromStreamAsync(stream);

            containerSas = blobstore.Uri.AbsoluteUri + containerSasToken;
            inputFiles = new List<ResourceFile> {
            ResourceFile.FromStorageContainerUrl(containerSas, "myinput") };

        }

The rest of the code remained basically unchanged. However now I get a BlobDownloadMiscError when I try to run the task. When analyzing this in the Batch explorer I see that obviously the URL of the resource file is wrong, if I add it manually to the task it works. Could some one help me? How can I get the correct source of the resource file to add it to my task?

A: According to my test, you may not use the right permissions. For more details, please refer to the document. Besides, please ensure your storage account has been linked your batch account.

For container access, you must have both Read and List permissions,
whereas with blob access, you only need Read permission.

My code is as below
string containerSasToken = container.GetSharedAccessSignature(new SharedAccessBlobPolicy()
{
    SharedAccessStartTime = DateTime.UtcNow,
    SharedAccessExpiryTime = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.AddDays(1),
    Permissions = SharedAccessBlobPermissions.Write | SharedAccessBlobPermissions.Read | SharedAccessBlobPermissions.List
});

string containerSasUrl = String.Format("{0}{1}", container.Uri, containerSasToken);
var inputFiles = new List<ResourceFile> { };
var file = ResourceFile.FromStorageContainerUrl(containerSasUrl,"test");
inputFiles.Add(file);
Console.WriteLine(inputFiles.Count);

// Get a Batch client using account creds

BatchSharedKeyCredentials cred = new BatchSharedKeyCredentials(BatchAccountUrl, BatchAccountName, BatchAccountKey);

using (BatchClient batchClient = BatchClient.Open(cred))
{
    Console.WriteLine("getting pool [{0}]...", PoolId);

    batchClient.PoolOperations.GetPool(PoolId);

    // Create a Batch job
    Console.WriteLine("Creating job [{0}]...", JobId);

    try
    {
        CloudJob job = batchClient.JobOperations.CreateJob();
        job.Id = JobId;
        job.PoolInformation = new PoolInformation { PoolId = PoolId };

        job.Commit();
    }
    catch (BatchException be)
    {
        // Accept the specific error code JobExists as that is expected if the job already exists
        if (be.RequestInformation?.BatchError?.Code == BatchErrorCodeStrings.JobExists)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("The job {0} already existed when we tried to create it", JobId);
        }
        else
        {
            throw; // Any other exception is unexpected
        }
    }

    // Create a collection to hold the tasks that we'll be adding to the job

    Console.WriteLine("Adding {0} tasks to job [{1}]...", inputFiles.Count, JobId);

    List<CloudTask> tasks = new List<CloudTask>();

    // Create each of the tasks to process one of the input files.

    for (int i = 0; i < inputFiles.Count; i++)
    {
        string taskId = String.Format("Task{0}", i);
        string inputFilename = inputFiles[i].FilePath;
        string taskCommandLine = String.Format("cmd /c type {0}", inputFilename);

        CloudTask task = new CloudTask(taskId, taskCommandLine);
        task.ResourceFiles = new List<ResourceFile> { inputFiles[i] };
        tasks.Add(task);
    }

    // Add all tasks to the job.
    batchClient.JobOperations.AddTask(JobId, tasks);

    // Monitor task success/failure, specifying a maximum amount of time to wait for the tasks to complete.

    TimeSpan timeout = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30);
    Console.WriteLine("Monitoring all tasks for 'Completed' state, timeout in {0}...", timeout);

    IEnumerable<CloudTask> addedTasks = batchClient.JobOperations.ListTasks(JobId);

    batchClient.Utilities.CreateTaskStateMonitor().WaitAll(addedTasks, TaskState.Completed, timeout);

    Console.WriteLine("All tasks reached state Completed.");

    // Print task output
    Console.WriteLine();
    Console.WriteLine("Printing task output...");
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Curavi Health telemedicine solutions are rooted in clinical validation and customized for nursing homes.
Curavi Health was born out of the experiences gained in a CMS Innovation 2012 Award to improve the quality of care for people residing in long-term care facilities by reducing avoidable hospitalizations.
UPMC Community Provider Services created a program called "RAVEN" (Reduce AVoidable hospitalizations using Evidence-based interventions for Nursing facilities in western Pennsylvania).
Amongst a variety of interventions, RAVEN implemented support from innovative telehealth and information technologies to connect participating nursing facilities to clinicians.
This experience, along with that of UPMC's owned skilled nursing facilities with telemedicine, was the genesis of Curavi Health.
Curavi, a Latin verb meaning "to care for," indicates our commitment to enhancing and optimizing care for both patients and providers.
The Curavi team is passionate about delivering innovative solutions to improve the quality of care for residents while reducing costs for nursing homes.
Steven Handler, MD, PhD, CMD is an Associate Professor with a primary appointment in the Division of Geriatric Medicine where he is the Director for Geriatric Telemedicine Programs. He has secondary appointments in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, and Clinical and Translational Research. Steven also serves as the Chief Medical Informatics Officer for UPMC Community and Provider Services Division and as the Co-Director and Medical Director for Telemedicine and Health Information for the RAVEN (Reduce AVoidable hospitalization using Evidence-based interventions for Nursing facilities in Western Pennsylvania) CMS Innovation Award. The main goal of this innovation award which is in 17 partner nursing homes, is to reduce potentially avoidable hospitalizations. The RAVEN project is the only CMS innovation award that has a telemedicine component to reduce potentially avoidable hospitalizations and CMS regards this as one of the most innovative concepts being tested as part of this evaluation.
Steven completed his medical school training at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, residency at Tufts University and Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He is a practicing geriatrician with direct patient care responsibilities in the nursing home and hospital settings. His primary research area focuses on medication and patient safety primarily in the nursing home setting. For the past decade, Steven's research has been at the intersection of biomedical informatics and geriatrics utilizing an active medication monitoring system to detect and manage adverse drug events among older nursing home residents. More recently, he has focused on the application of telemedicine in the long-term and post-acute care settings. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles in various geriatrics, nursing, informatics, health services, and patient safety journals over the past decade.
Steven brings his wealth of expertise to Curavi Health as its Chief Medical and Innovation Officer.
Currently, Dr. Zarowitz is an independent consultant advancing geriatric pharmacotherapy solutions for businesses and academia. Previously, Dr. Zarowitz was Vice-President, Pharmacy Care Management at Henry Ford Health System; Vice-President and Chief Clinical Office at Omnicare, Inc; Chief Clinical Officer, Long-term Care for CVS Health; and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan.
She created clinical programs for Omnicare, Inc.- subsequently a CVS Health Company, and developed strategies and tactics to manage drug utilization, including disease management and formulary management to optimize clinical outcomes. Omnicare provided care for 1.4 million older adults living in long-term care facilities. Dr. Zarowitz is a member and past President of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) and the American Geriatrics Society (AGS).
She is a board certified in Pharmacotherapy. Dr. Zarowitz holds a Doctorate in Pharmacy from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She holds Bachelor's degrees in Pharmacy from both the University of Toronto and the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Dr. Zarowitz is bringing her years of expertise in the pharmaceutical industry to Curavi Health's Clinical Expert Panel.
Deborah S. Brodine, MHA, MBA is the President and Chief Executive of UPMC Community Provider Services, which encompass all of the Heath System's post-acute, and community-based service offerings. CPS is part of UPMC's Health Services Division, and it includes a full continuum of home care services, extensive capabilities in eldercare, home based and institutional pharmacy, ambulatory rehabilitation therapy, and community supportive services. UPMC's Home Health services are extensive, providing over 700,000 visits and over 50,000 home health admissions annually across three agencies. Eldercare capabilities include the provision of skilled nursing, assisted living, personal care, independent living, and CCRC services for over 2,200 seniors daily.
Ms. Brodine has partnered extensively with the UPMC Health Plan in the development, design, and implementation of innovative care models and payment models for community-based care alternatives in the home, in ambulatory rehab, and in skilled nursing. She also oversees UPMC's joint venture arrangements with Quest Diagnostics for laboratory services, as well as strategic partnerships for dialysis, occupational medicine, and PACE programming. She has a 20 year experience in overseeing UPMC's growth and development of non-hospital-based care, including the formation and ongoing support of strategic joint venture relationships for various healthcare business lines. In collaboration with colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh, Ms. Brodine provides oversight, leadership and direction to the Aging Institute of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, the UPMC Palliative and Supportive Institute, and community-based programs of the Rehabilitation Institute, including UPMC's Disabilities Resource Center.
She obtained her MBA and MHA from the University of Pittsburgh and her BS in Economics from Carnegie Mellon University.
Ms. Davis has more than 30 years of health care experience, with particular emphasis on operations and developing businesses and services. She has served as president of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital since 2004.
Mary Jo Gorman, MD, MBA is a nationally recognized senior leader, innovator and pioneer in healthcare, with more than 25 years of clinical, financial, healthcare management and entrepreneurial experience. Since 1991, Dr. Gorman founded and operated four companies where she led growth, capital assessment, mergers and acquisitions as well as venture capital funding and planned and executed relevant exit strategies. Dr. Gorman's extensive experience led to numerous accolades and recognitions: named amongst the Top 25 Influential Women in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare(2009), ranked one of ten in Ernst & Young's national Entrepreneurial Winning Women's program (2011), earned the distinguished alumni award from Washington University Olin School of Business (2103) as well as from both St. Louis University and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (2015).
Dr. Gorman graduated from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) and Southern Illinois University Affiliated Hospitals (Internal Medicine). She received her Master's in Business Administration from Washington University, Olin School of Business in St. Louis.
Jeff Barton is the Executive Vice President of National Accounts for TridentUSA Health Services. TridentUSA is the leading vertically integrated national provider of bedside diagnostics services offering mobile x-ray, ultrasound, teleradiology, laboratory, vascular and nurse practitioner services to skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, home healthcare, hospice, and correctional markets. TridentUSA provides services to over 12,000 post-acute facilities across 36 states, including customer relationships with more than 6500 skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) throughout the country. Mr. Barton's responsibilities include working with our corporate partners throughout the United States to ensure that TridentUSA's services are the high quality and low-cost alternative for healthcare providers, presenting the option of in-house bedside exams as an alternative to transporting residents to the hospital. His focuses on helping TridentUSA 's clients identify unnecessary costs for their ancillary services and reducing their overall spend while ensuring exceptional diagnostics service. Mr. Barton has an extensive background in a variety of healthcare settings ranging from operations to business development.
Mr. Barton is an industry representative for TridentUSA to various national and state conferences and he previously served on the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island Healthcare Association. Prior to joining TridentUSA, he held leadership positions with several privately and publicly held companies. Mr. Barton is a graduate of Princeton University, following which he played baseball for three years in the San Diego Padres organization.
"Telemedicine is the future of care in geriatrics, especially since access to qualified geriatricians can be limited." Listen to Dr. Adele Towers discuss the importance of telemedicine.
I was not the telemedicine person on call, but needed to evaluate a patient. This was a sick lady who I opted not to send back to the hospital on Saturday, but wanted to give her a chance at the SNF. When the nurse called me on Sunday with concerns about her escalating discomfort and knowing her labs had remained abnormal, I needed to make a decision about transfer or not.
Since I was still torn with the decision making, I decided at the spur of the moment to use telemedicine to get a sense of how the patient appeared. I was lucky to have a good and smart nurse at Heritage (Kathy) who I had been communicating with several times over the weekend. In less than 5 minutes she got the cart ready and I was able to talk to the patient and (luckily) her daughter who was in the room. I brought them both up to speed with concerns and jointly made the decision to transfer patient back to the hospital. It turns out it was the right decision as she is currently being treated for an abdominal abscess.
Although telemedicine did not prevent a readmit in this case, it helped me with valuable decision making and most of all helped with good patient care.


MELCloud is a new-generation, especially convenient and progressive application intended for remotely controlling MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC air conditioning and heating appliances.
MELCloud is a new-generation, especially convenient and progressive application intended for remotely controlling MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC air conditioning and heating appliances. This application provides an option to users of easy control of the equipment irrespective of where they are – on vacation, at work or at home watching TV. Using a smartphone, a tablet or another type of computer, you will be able to monitor and flexibly control the parameters of your air conditioner or heat pump, programme a weekly timer, receive warning signals, review weather forecasts and contact details of the servicing company, etc. An option of controlling even a few appliances at the same time is also available.
If you wish to connect your equipment to the MELCloud system, you need an original MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC WiFi adapter (model MAC-557IF-E) – a small device connected to an air conditioning or heating appliance. The WiFi adapter is connected to your local router via wireless connection (we recommend that the WiFi adapter is installed by professionals).
In order for remote controlling to be possible via the internet, you need to register and log in at the MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC server www.melcloud.com.
Apple, Samsung, Nokia, BlackBerry and many other manufacturers' smartphones support MELCoud and provide an access to MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC appliances from any place.
MELCloud operates in many most recent tablets using apps from various app stores. The MELCloud application developed for tablets enables the use of a larger screen.
For laptop new MELCloud can be used upon connection to the internet from desktop or laptop computers (it operates with such web browsers as Microsoft, Google, Apple, etc.).
MELCloud apps have been developed for Apple iOS, Android and Windows 8 operating systems. In the future, updates will be available for all the most recent mobile devices. These apps are free-of-charge and you can download them from various app stores intended for the European market.


text:
By Leah Marieann Klett ( [email protected] ) Nov 05, 2017 02:08 PM EST Comment
Denzel Washington stars in "Roman J. Israel, Esq." alongside Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo. The film hits theaters November 22, 2017. Getty Images
Denzel Washington revealed that while shooting the forthcoming film, "Roman J. Israel, Esq.," he and producer and writer Dan Gilroy prayed and read the Bible every day.
"God put us together," the 62-year-old Academy Award winner told The Gospel Herald during a press junket at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles Saturday. "We prayed every day, we read the daily Word every day."
He added, "Dan and I have been prayer partners in this whole collaboration...We were on the same page from day one. We know Who we work for, and we're just trying to do our best work."
Roman J. Israel, Esq.," also starring actors Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo, follows an idealistic defense attorney (Washington) whose deeply-held beliefs are shaken when an unexpected series of events challenge his passion for helping the poor and disenfranchised.
"He is Old Testament, he knows the law, but, not to say he doesn't have faith, but he has faith in the law," Washington explained of his character. "His conviction was through the law."
While the film isn't "faith-based," it's chock-full of biblical themes, including sacrifice, (Roman gives up family, fortune, and reputation for the sake of a cause he firmly believes in), honor, and faith in the unseen.
"I speak now and I'm doing what God told me to do from the beginning," Washington told GH. "It was prophesied that I would travel the world and preach to millions of people. It was prophesied when I was 20. I thought it was through my work and it has been."
"My mother said to me when I was 59, she said, 'Denzel, you do a lot of good. You have to do good the right way and you know what I'm talking about,'" Washington continued. "I don't drink anymore, I don't do any of those things. I'm all about the message, to the degree that I know it, and I'm unashamed and unafraid to share it!"
In the age of social media, Washington said it's easy to lose sight of one's convictions, as society is constantly bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information.
"I was reading about this today in my prayer and meditation - it is so difficult to trust that Jesus died for our sins because the mind never shuts off, especially in this world," he said. "We know, we know, we know, but we forget, moment by moment."
He urged young people to ask themselves: "What is the long, if not short-term effect of too much information?"
"It's accelerated now, it's on steroids, it's moving so fast that it's almost impossible to keep up," Washington said of the social media age. "What happens to the part of the brain that figures things out? We better understand that we are addicted to this," he added, holding up a cell phone. "It's not its fault, it's a magnification and a reflection of our own free will."
Washington revealed that Pastor A.R. Bernard, senior pastor of Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York, once shared with him Daniel chapter 10 from the Bible, saying, "'God puts leaders in place for a reason and a season.'"
"There's a reason, you may not like what's going on but the boss has a reason," Washington said, pointing heavenward.
Like Roman, Washington urged millennials to hold fast to their convictions and share the truth of the gospel with a watching world -- no matter how unpopular.
"I pray for your generation," he said. "What an opportunity you have! Don't be depressed by it because we have to go through this, we're here now. You can't put that thing back in the box."
The actor went on to say that his father, who was a pastor, once "slapped him down" because he questioned his father's predictions about the End Times.
"Each generation, we're all guilty of it, we think it's gonna happen when we're here. We as a species, God's children, have to go through this!" he emphasized. "We don't know where we are in it [the End Times]'. We may think we're at 10, but we may just be at one. None of us know, but we are going through it. And you, after we're long gone, are going to have to go through. So at least be aware."
He added, "I would say to your generation - find a way to work together because this is a very divisive, angry time you're living in, unfortunately, because we didn't grow up like that."
"Roman J. Israel, Esq." hits theaters on Nov. 22. For more information on "Roman J. Israel, Esq." visit the movie's website.
Tags : Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Roman J. Israel Esq., Denzel Washington movies


text:
Messua inflata är en spindelart som först beskrevs av Pickard-Cambridge F. 1901.  Messua inflata ingår i släktet Messua och familjen hoppspindlar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Hoppspindlar
inflata


text:
Q: How to reread/reiterate an external helper file using \@starttoc? I have the issue that I want to create a package/class that collects some data throughout the document processing. This data needs to be stored in a helper file to save for later runs.
I found that I can use \@starttoc to read a helper file and \addcontents to write to it.
I wrote a MWE to explain what I want to do:
\documentclass{article}
\makeatletter
% This would be in a class/package
\newcommand{\task}[2]{Task num: #1 (#2 points)\addtocontents{tsk}{\protect\my@task{#1}{#2}}\par}
\newcommand{\printtasks}{\begin{itemize}\@starttoc{tsk}\end{itemize}}
\newcommand{\my@task}[2]{\item Process task \textbf{#1} with #2 points.}
\makeatother
\begin{document}
\printtasks
\task{Foo}{2}
\task{Bar}{3}

% \printtasks % Uncomment to trigger issue
\task{Baz}{5}
\task{Foobar}{3}
\end{document}

I want to write some tasks in the document (exam) with points attached.
The exam wil consist of multiple sections with a summary of points per task on the start of each section.
The \printtasks should start such a section of the document.
The first occurence of \printsection should only show the tasks Foo and Bar.
This can be managed using additional parameters, a counter and some if-then-else magic.
I left it out of the MWE to keep it minimal.
The second (yet commented) occurence of \printtasks should print the tasks of the upcoming section (Baz and Foobar).
To do so, I need to reiterate over the helper .tsk-file.
(Without the filtering in the MWE of course all tasks should be visible.)
The newly called command to \@starttoc seems to not open the file again but detect it was opened before already.
Nothing is iterated as a result, rendering my approach non-functional.
I know I have seen packages to use a similar approach to the package biblatex where one can specify refsections. Unfortunately, I am unable to understand all glory details of this huge package.


text:
Morquecho in front of her 'little truck.'
Miner defies claims it wasn't 'women's work'
28-year-old drives massive haul truck, carrying up to 500 tonnes of material
Published on Thursday, March 8, 2018
On International Women's Day, a 28-year-old haul truck driver at Mexico's largest gold mine provides a shining example to young girls everywhere that nothing is beyond their capabilities.
Five years ago, Yazmín Morquecho Robles decided to go to the Peñasquito Mine in Mazapil, Zacatecas, to ask for a job.
She was offered a position as a driver inside the huge open-pit mine but despite never having driven a vehicle of any type — and being told by some men that the job "wasn't women's work" — she decided to take up the offer.
Now she is a highly proficient operator of a massive Komatsu 930E that is capable of moving up to 500 tonnes of material at a time.
Even though it's more than eight meters wide, almost eight meters high and 15 meters long — and despite measuring just 1.54 meters tall herself — Morquecho refers to the humungous vehicle as "mi camioncito," or my little truck.
However, that's not the only pet name she has given to the vehicle.
Shortly after starting her job, Morquecho recalled, she decided to dub her truck Camilo, telling the newspaper El Universal that a horse owned by her father shared the same name and in order to calm it down, he would say: "Tranquilo, Camilo."
When she was driving the Komatsu on a rainy day and felt the four-meter-high tires slipping on the wet surface as she descended the face of the mine, she suddenly found herself saying: "Tranquilo, Camilo."
She managed to regain control of the vehicle and from then on, the name stuck. Now, Morquecho not only considers "Camilo" an excellent work partner, spending up to 12 hours a day inside the vehicle, but also a companion.
It's not unusual for her to chat to the truck to get problems off her chest or simply to make the day go faster.
Morquecho told El Universal that the opportunity to work as a haul truck driver at the mine owned by the Canadian firm Goldcorp Inc. had enabled her to earn a good salary and achieve her dreams while also helping her parents.
She also said the job makes her happy and after appearing in a company magazine, she received an invitation from Komatsu to travel to a company factory in the United States. She hopes to make the trip later this year.
The driver is dwarfed by the huge machine.
Despite some initial trepidation, Morquecho is now well and truly convinced that women can make excellent miners.
"Before it was thought that this trade was only a man's job; there was an idea that if a woman went into a mine . . . there could be disasters," she said.
But now "women have shown that we can do heavy work," the miner added.
Source: El Universal (sp)
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Inmates told they will be released at Women's Day lunch at women's prison
Three of Mexico's most powerful women celebrated International Women's Day Friday by sitting down for lunch with inmates at a women's prison in Mexico City.
Women's Day sculpture of pots and pans draws criticism in Coahuila
Women's rights activists in Torreón have blasted the local government for the installation of the sculpture for International Women's Day.
Whistled at, taunted, touched and grabbed: a snarky lesson for cat callers
Harassment sucks, but what sucks more is that so many men don't seem to realize that it's something they seriously shouldn't do.
Activists reject AMLO's proposal to put abortion to public consultation
Women's rights activists rejected the president's suggestion, declaring that human rights must not be allowed to be subjected to public consultations.
Reader forum
Pemex to seal 175 km of pipelines in concrete to thwart thieves
The state oil company will seal gasoline, diesel and natural gas pipelines identified as being particularly susceptible to theft.
Travel company sees promise in Acapulco, plans to buy 3-4 existing hotels
Travel and hospitality conglomerate Apple Leisure Group is planning to invest US $100 million in hotels in Acapulco, CEO Alejandro Zozaya said.
Amid health service confusion, Seguro Popular workers are out of a job
Workers in the program the federal government's new universal healthcare scheme replaces have been left jobless and with an uncertain future.
27 bands booked for 20-year-old Nayarit music festival
Now in its 20th year, the San Pancho Music Festival is set to rock residents and visitors alike in San Pancho on February 28 to March 1.
73% feel unsafe in place where they live; Puebla seen as least safe city
Almost three-quarters of adults feel unsafe in the city where they live, according to a survey that found that Puebla is seen as Mexico's least safe city.
Goodbye, chubby! Cash for weight loss in Nuevo León
Health officials in San Nicolás de los Garza have launched a new weight loss competition to promote healthy lifestyles and combat obesity.
Torreón school shooting: a child needed help but didn't get it
What was this child going through? Would anything have been able to help him as an individual? How many others like him are there?
Little transparency in selection of companies to supply new refinery
The government has not said which companies have received contracts to supply equipment, raising doubts as to whether the auctions were fair.
Good privacy laws may not withstand more tracking by 'Big Brother'
But the level of monitoring seen in the US has not yet arrived in Mexico
MEXICO LIFE
A charming street cleaning custom has been hijacked by a howling machine
The leaf blower was never designed to be a dust mop and thousands of well-meaning users are stirring up clouds of trouble.
What expats crave from home: Miracle Whip, cheddar cheese, Twizzlers, peanut butter
What do expats miss? Topping the list miss are Miracle Whip, Cheez-Its, sweet pickle relish, peanut butter, horseradish, molasses and sharp cheddar cheese.
Squash blossoms: stuff them, add them to salads or put them in a quesadilla
Lightly battered or not, stuffed with a mild cheese, they can be eaten as an appetizer; the delicate squash flavor also lends itself well to egg dishes.
Record year for cruise ship arrivals in Cozumel, Progreso
Visitor numbers up 8.5% in Baja California Sur last year
Guanajuato kicks off the year with a spate of murders
Some San Miguel retirees won't back down in fight over millions in stolen savings
Faulty electrical installations put 30 markets at risk
Experts urge coordinated efforts to save jaguar population
Federal government 'hostility' is scaring away investment: business groups
Ice hockey player makes history with gold medal win
Former police official gets 5 years in Lydia Cacho torture case
Danzón festival to bring 2,000 dancers to Acapulco this week
Alfredo Ríos, public enemy No. 1 who committed 100 bank robberies
Mexico intends to clamp down on fraudulent vacation clubs, timeshares
Volaris overtakes Aeroméxico to become No. 1 carrier by passenger volume
World's largest corn cob measures 39.5cm in Jala, Nayarit
Canadian woman continues search for father, last seen in Puerto Vallarta in 2018
Some San Miguel retirees won't back down in fight over millions in…
THE MND POLL
THE STORY: Business groups defend private sector's participation in energy
Should there be a role for the private sector in Mexico's energy industry?
FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES
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The lilitab Floor is our free-standing, full-height tablet kiosk. It can be bolted directly to the floor or you can use the optional Base or Wheeled Base to move it around freely. The lilitab Floor is tablet friendly, supporting most 10" and 12" tablets on the market, including iPad, Samsung and Windows tablets. It has many different branding options and is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for wheelchair access. It really does have it all.
No exposed cables. All lilitabs route the cabling internally through the kiosk ensuring no exposed cables are damaged or stolen.
Convenient charging. All of our kiosks feature the ability to keep your tablet continuously charged by plugging it into a wall outlet or adding an external battery pack.
Upgradeable. Changing tablets? Swap in a new head customized for your tablet and your ready to go, no need to buy a new kiosk!
Tablet safe. Silicone pads inside the lilitab head unit cradle your tablet against bumps and knocks. This ensures your tablet is safe from damage if dropped.
Radio transparent. Because there is no metal in our head unit, it won't interfere with your tablet's various signals (WiFi, 4G, and Bluetooth). That gives you maximum range and data throughput.


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Home/News/14 Seasons In, RuPaul's Drag Race Has Hit A Brand New Casting Milestone
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14 Seasons In, RuPaul's Drag Race Has Hit A Brand New Casting Milestone
Filmtalkiess Send an email December 3, 2021
RuPaul's Drag Race has a historical past of constructing herstory. The competitors actuality present hosted by veteran drag queen RuPaul has supplied a platform for many underrepresented demographics, together with members of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. Now arising on its fourteenth season, RuPaul's Drag Race has hit a model new casting milestone – though it's not what you may anticipate.
Casting for Season 14 of RuPaul's Drag Race was introduced on December 2. The road-up options two trans girls, in addition to a number of drag-relatives of earlier contestants like Season 11 winner Yvie Oddly and Season 12 finalist Crystal Methyd. The casting milestone in query, nonetheless, refers to a drag queen from Arkansas who goes by Maddy Morphosis. Selection has reported that she is going to develop into the primary ever heterosexual, cisgender male contestant to compete for the title of 'America's Subsequent Drag Celebrity'.
The casting of Maddy Morphosis might point out a shift in the case of casting on RuPaul's Drag Race. Whereas early seasons of the present primarily featured contestants that recognized as homosexual cis males, newer installments have begun to broaden their horizons when it comes to casting. Season 9 finalist Peppermint turned the primary contestant to enter the present as a trans lady, whereas Season 13 finalist Gottmik made historical past because the present's first trans male contestant. The third season of Drag Race UK additionally featured Victoria Scone, a cisgender lady who identifies as a lesbian. Nonetheless, Maddy Morphosis would be the first contestant on any iteration of RuPaul's Drag Race to not determine as a member of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
Whereas Peppermint was the primary drag queen to start her tenure as a trans lady, many earlier forged members went on to redefine their gender identities after their look on the present. Kylie Sonique Love turned the primary contestant to return out as trans within the Season 2 reunion particular, when she revealed that she had begun to make her transition after preliminary filming had ended (she additionally turned the primary brazenly trans winner when she snagged the crown on the sixth season of All-Stars). Season 5 contestant Monica Beverly Hillz was the second trans lady to return out throughout her time on the present.
Different trans contestants embrace Carmen Carrera, Stacy Layne Matthews, Jiggly Caliente, and Laganja Estranja, who just lately made a triumphant return to the principle stage as a lip sync murderer on All Stars 6. The trans illustration on Season 14 can be supplied by Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté and Kerri Colby.
The 2-part Season 14 premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race will air on January 7 at 8 pm EST on VH1. The episode can be instantly adopted by the season premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked at 9:30.
Brand Casting drag Hit Milestone Race RuPauls Seasons
The 15 Most Famous Celebrity Contestants
The Cool Stephen King Easter Egg Worked Into The Shawshank Redemption By Its Director


Our hotel is located in the quiet garden suburb of Debrecen in the neighbourhood of the international airport. It is easy to approach by car driving on the main road 47 or by local bus number 44.
Major credit cards (American Express, Visa, Mastercard Maestro) are accepted for payment.
Our rates include the buffet breakfast and VAT (18%).
Safe, private parking place, internet access and the wellness services (saunas, jacuzzi) are free of charge for our hotel guests.
City tax is 400 HUF/ person/night.
Child policy: if the child stays in the room of the parents, there is a than 50% reduction under the age of 14 and 100% till the age of 6.
34 comfortable and air-conditioned rooms: 28 with twin bed, 5 with king-size bed and one apartment.
Minibar, television in each room.
Indoor wellness services: 2 saunas and a jacuzzi, massage.
Restaurant, café and drink bar.
Seminar room for meetings or trainings with the following technical equipments: flip chart, internet access, projector and a screen-wall as well.


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RBI working overtime to meet Rajan's licence deadline
September 30, 2013 08:05 IST
Parliament's standing committee might have expressed its reservations on business houses being allowed to start banking operations. But the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is hardly deterred. It is working overtime to shortlist the names of candidates from among 26 applicants.
RBI has deployed additional hands to screen the applications, from a wide range of corporate houses — from conglomerates to micro lenders.
After the screening, the shortlisted candidates will be vetted by an external committee, to be headed by former RBI governor, Bimal Jalan. The names of the other members of the committee have yet to be finalised.
Apart from officials from the department of banking operations and development — the RBI wing that has drafted the licence norms and is primarily responsible for shortlisting —20-odd officers are also learnt to be involved in the screening process.
According to sources, these officers have been chosen on the basis of their core competency in areas like corporate finance, accountancy and legal matters, among other things.
Four to five teams, each headed by a general manager, have been created to look into various aspects of the applications. The entire process of screening the applications is being overseen by Anand Sinha, RBI's deputy governor in charge of banking operations and development portfolio.
Raghuram Rajan, who took charge as RBI governor on September 4, had said on his first day in office the names would be finalised before or soon after Sinha retires in January 2014.
While the screening team is working on weekends, too, it is not yet clear if the corporate houses would be given licences. It is for the first time that companies are being considered for entry into the banking sector.
The standing committee's recent suggestions were likely to add complications, central banking sources said.
On Saturday, B Mahapatra, an executive director of RBI who is involved with the banking licence process and reports directly to Sinha, defended the central bank's decision to allow companies on the ground that business houses had 'deep pockets' to carry out capital and technology-intensive financial inclusion projects. Though Mahapatra enumerated the safety nets the central bank had put in place to mitigate conflict of interest and ensure there was no self-dealing, he said RBI's regulatory and supervisory effectiveness would be tested in preventing new banks, promoted by industrial houses, from self-dealings.
In such a situation, the governor's view becomes critical. While Rajan's views since he took charge as governor are not known, he was not in favour of corporate houses' entry into banking before he joined RBI.
BANKING ON NEW BANKERS
Feb 26 > Former FM (now President) Pranab Mukherjee announces in his Budget speech that corporate and business houses will be allowed to set up banks
Aug 11 > RBI releases discussion paper on entry of new banks in the private sector
Dec 23 > RBI releases gist of comments from the feedback on the discussion paper
Aug 29 > RBI releases draft guidelines for licensing of new banks in the private sector
Jul 10 > RBI releases gist of comments from the feedback on draft guidelines
Dec 18 > Lok Sabha passes Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, paving the way for RBI to issue final guidelines on new bank licences
Feb 24 > RBI issues final guidelines for new banking licences
Jun 3 > RBI responds to clarifications sought by aspirants on final norms
July 1 > Deadline for filing of application ends
Sep 4 > After taking charge as RBI governor, Raghuram Rajan announces setting up of an external committee under former governor Bimal Jalan to vet applications for new banking licences, likely to be issued around January 2014
Manojit Saha in Mumbai


This DTA uses a dumbbell-shaped detector. A temperature controller, gas flow adjuster, and transmission interface have all been incorporated into a slim, 173 cm-wide body. A high-temperature DSC function is also included.


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News: Scientists to drill beneath oceans
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15 Hot Comic-Con 2011 Collectibles We Want
Atlantis Online > Forum > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Comic Books > Comic Book Creators > 15 Hot Comic-Con 2011 Collectibles We Want
Author Topic: 15 Hot Comic-Con 2011 Collectibles We Want (Read 66 times)
We profile some of the items we're most looking forward to seeing at this year's Con.
by Matt Atchity | Wednesday, Jul. 20 2011
If you're enough of a comic, movie or TV fan to go to San Diego Comic-Con, you might also be the type of person that buys collectible items to show off your fandom. It's not just toys, but books, posters, DVDs and statuettes are all for sale at the con (aside from plenty of comics). We've made a list of the coolest movie-related items that you'll only be able to get in San Diego, at least until they show up on eBay.
1. Star Wars Vintage Revenge of the Jedi Special Edition Death Star Collector's Pack
You read that right -- "Revenge" of the Jedi. This collector's pack has 12 figures, two exclusive minifigures, and it's all branded with Revenge of the Jedi key art. Amongst the figures included are Luke, Han, Leia, R2-D2 and Admiral Ackbar (It's a trap!). This is one of the collectibles we're most excited about at the con this year. Available at the HasbroToyShop.com Booth (#3329).
Re: 15 Hot Comic-Con 2011 Collectibles We Want
2. Hot Wheels Back to the Future Vehicle
An essential addition to any Hot Wheels collection, this is Doc Brown's famous time-travelling Delorean, in nifty display packaging. If you can't pick one up at the con, it will eventually find its way to mattycollector.com. Available at the Mattel Booth (#3029).
3. Embossed Advance Copy of The Boy Who Loved Batman
Advance copy of The Boy Who Loved Batman memoir by Michael Uslan, executive producer of the Batman films. If it wasn't for Uslan, we wouldn't have any Batman movies (except for the campy Adam West version). This is the story of how he brought Batman back to the big screen, and the studio obstacles he had to surmount every step of the way. This book won't be available until September, so if you want to get it early, now is your chance. Available at the Chronicle Books Booth (#1506).
4. Indiana Jones "Lost Wave" Special Edition Collector's Pack
When the latest Indiana Jones movie hit theaters, Hasbro took a stab at starting an action figure line based on the franchise. Considering they've done very well with Star Wars, Marvel, GI Joe and Transformers lines, this seemed like a gimme, right? It turns out the figures weren't that well-received, so they canceled the line, including the final wave of Raiders figures. But now you can get them at the con, and be the envy of all your collector friends! Available at the HasbroToyShop.com Booth (#3329).
5. Ghostbusters Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
This is another one of the items we're most excited about... who wouldn't want a 20" Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? It's the largest item ever made by Mattel and sold at SDCC, and is made from soft foam, with articulation at the arms, head and legs. The packaging also includes a city diorama. Nifty! Available at the Mattel Booth (#3029).
6. Neville Longbottom SDCC 2011 Mini Bust
This is something for the Harry Potter superfan -- your friends may have Harry, Hermione and Ron busts, but you can only get Neville in San Diego. Wielding his trusty wand and the Sorting Hat, this pure blooded Gryffindor has grown from a shy, introverted boy into a fierce defender of good. Available at the Gentle Giant Studios Booth (#3513).
7. Drew Struzan: Oeuvre Introduction by George Lucas Limited Edition
Struzan is one of the most celebrated poster artists working today, and this book will tempt any serious cinephile. This oversized, numbered, slipcased edition, signed by Struzan himself on a bound-in specially illustrated signature sheet and limited to 1000 copies, also includes an exclusive Drew Struzan Pan's Labyrinth print (signed by the artist) in a protective envelope, and features a cloth case with a variant dustjacket specific to this edition. Available at the Titan Entertainment Booth (#5537).
8. San Diego Comic-Con Gizmo
From the brand new re-launch of the Gremlins line comes this special edition San Diego Comic-Con Gizmo. Gizmo comes complete with removable sunglasses to protect himself from the bright lights and the California sun, along with a special lanyard badge for his Comic-Con attendance and a tote bag that Gizmo can be placed inside to hide from the Gremlins or from the crowds of fanboys and fangirls in San Diego. Gizmo is fully poseable, including articulated ears and movable eyes. Available at the NECA Booth (#3145).
9. Transformers: Dark of the Moon Special Edition Ultimate Optimus Prime Figure
OK, the critics don't like his movies, but that doesn't mean we don't have much love for Optimus Prime himself. This SDCC special edition Ultimate Optimus Prime will be the only way to get the figure displayed in vehicle and trailer mode, and we think it's one of the best Optimus figures that Hasbro has made. Available at the HasbroToyShop.com Booth (#3329).
10. Carol Ferris Barbie Doll
Are you a Barbie collector and a comics geek? Then Mattel has just the toy for you -- Barbie as Carol Ferris, sometime sweetheart of Green Lantern hero Hal Jordan. Available at the Mattel Booth (#3029).
11. Empire of Style by Legendary Artist Alex Ross
Alex Ross is one of the finest artists working in comics today, and his watercolor art for books like Marvels, Kingdom Come, and Astro City added an unmatched level of depth and realism to those stories. Now he turns his attention to the Star Wars world, with this fine art lithograph from the popular Star Wars: VISIONS book project. Available at the Acme Archives Booth (#5629).
12. Battle Beyond the Stars Bundle
OK, we'll admit this isn't a very good movie, but some of us have a soft spot for this Roger Corman production that's basically "The Magnificent Seven meets Star Wars." James Cameron worked on the special effects here, and there are some pretty amusing performances from Robert Vaughn, John Saxon, and George Peppard. But why buy this at the con? Because you'll get a limited edition Battle Beyond the Stars Iron-on that you can use to boldly proclaim your love of schlock sci-fi movies. Available at the Shout! Factory Booth (#4248).
13. Famous Monsters of Filmland #257 w/Cover by Rick Baker
The legendary film magazine was re-launched last year, and to celebrate the anniversary of the mag's rebirth, horror icon Rick Baker designed this SDCC exclusive cover. If you're a horror film fan, you'll definitely need to get one of these. Available at the Famous Monsters of Filmland Booth (#1509).
14. The Nightmare Before Christmas 2-Piece Bronze Paperweight Sets
It's not too early to start your Christmas (or Halloween) shopping, and these bronze paperweights will help you start thinking about both holidays. These are pretty nice sculpts, and if you're looking for some classy Nightmare décor, this would be a nice touch. Available at the Monogram International Booth (#3744).
15. G.I. Joe Sky Striker Vehicle with Starscream Deco and Cobra Commander Special Edition Figure
Yes, we know this isn't technically a movie toy (although combining G.I. Joe and Transformers on film might result in a better movie than we've seen from either franchise so far). What you're getting here is the classic Sky Striker vehicle made over to look like an old-school Starscream, with Cobra Commander as pilot. And Cobra Commander is armed with a Walther P38 pistol, the 80s alt-mode of Megatron! There's simply too much nerd appeal here for us to ignore! Available at the HasbroToyShop.com Booth (#3329).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1923216/news/1923216/15-hot-comic-con-2011-collectibles-we-want/
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Quote from: Flash on July 22, 2011, 01:15:39 am
Rest in Peace Chris Latta.


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Sports Football 21 Jan 2019 Sarri must face up t ...
Sports, Football
Sarri must face up to own failings in Chelsea blame game
Published Jan 21, 2019, 11:39 am IST
Updated Jan 21, 2019, 11:52 am IST
Sarri has decided to go down a dangerous road by using a post-match conference to criticize the attitude and character of Chelsea players.
World-class and international players like Hazard, Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta and Willian might not like their professionalism being questioned, though. (Photo: AFP)
Chelsea: Maurizio Sarri has decided to go down a dangerous road by using a post-match news conference to criticize the attitude and character of his Chelsea players.
Memories were suddenly revived of a TV interview that Jose Mourinho gave after a game in December 2015, accusing the Chelsea team of "betraying" him. Mourinho was fired a few days later.
Indeed, when the dust finally settles on the result that prompted Sarri's outburst - the 2-0 loss at Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday - the Italian might do well to look at his own failings instead of heaping the blame on his underperforming players.
He is the one playing the world's best defensive midfielder, N'Golo Kante, out of position.
He is the one deploying one of the world's most lethal wide forwards, Eden Hazard, as a center striker often playing with his back to goal.
He is the one not willing to adapt when he sees midfield playmaker Jorginho - the on-field personification of the so-called "Sarri-ball" approach - getting increasingly over-run.
And he is the one fielding a defensive system seemingly not suited to the players. In Sarri's four-man backline is David Luiz, a center back better as a sweeper, and Marcos Alonso, a left back much more effective as an attacking wing back.
At a time when Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and now Manchester United are playing exciting and attacking football, Chelsea is playing a ponderous, predictable and easy-to-defend style reminiscent of United under Louis van Gaal. Chelsea has scored just eight goals in its last nine games.
Worryingly for Chelsea and its fans, Sarri doesn't seem willing to change.
It was after a comprehensive loss to Arsenal in September 2016 that Antonio Conte ripped up Chelsea's lineup and formation, with a switch from 4-3-3 to 3-5-2 sparking a 13-match winning run in the Premier League that took the London club to the title.
Sarri is wedded to a 4-3-3 formation with Jorginho at the base of the midfield, directing the play and the tempo. There's no chance of Kante reverting back to his best position and the midfield often appears rigid, with Jorginho not yet attuned to the often frenetic pace of English soccer after his offseason move from Napoli.
Where a change is likely to come is up front with Gonzalo Higuain reportedly close to joining from AC Milan, which would see the Argentina striker link up again with Sarri after they were together at Napoli. That would mean Hazard moving back out wide, where he is more dangerous, and running at defenders.
Still, Sarri is gambling on a striker in the 31-year-old Higuain who, like Jorginho, has never previously played in England and has hardly been in great form. He has scored eight times in 22 appearances this season.
It seems a short-term fix for Chelsea's biggest problem, coming at a time when 18-year-old prodigy Callum Hudson-Odoi might be on his way to Bayern Munich because of a lack of game time.
Time will tell if Sarri's stinging rebuke of his players has his desired effect. He'll hope the first signs come on Thursday in the second leg of Chelsea's English League Cup semifinal against Tottenham, which leads 1-0.
World-class and international players like Hazard, Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta and Willian might not like their professionalism being questioned, though. Their reaction will be telling.
SALAH UNDER FIRE
Away from his prolific scoring exploits, there's another side to Mohamed Salah's game that is putting the Liverpool forward in the headlines.
Salah went down in the area under a challenge from Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho in Liverpool's 4-3 win on Saturday. The penalty appeal was waved away and Palace players weren't happy. The incident sparked a reaction on social media and among pundits.
Among them was former England striker Alan Shearer, who said Salah's action was "pretty embarrassing really."
The Egypt international has won - and subsequently converted - three penalties in recent weeks following fouls by Newcastle's Paul Dummett, Arsenal's Sokratis and Brighton's Pascal Gross. Each player made contact with Salah, though he did go down easily.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche also described as "bizarre" the decision by the Football Association to not give Salah a retrospective ban for what Dyche perceived as a dive against Newcastle.
Tags: chelsea, eden hazard, maurizio sarri, gonzalo higuain
■Premier League: Arsenal see off Chelsea to breathe life into top-four ambitions
■AC Milan's Gonzalo Higuain to reunite with former Napoli boss Sarri at Chelsea?
■Premier League: Man City, Spurs win in contrasting ways as title race heats up
■Premier League: Solskjaer breaks Busby record, United closes in on 4th place
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