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Should Utilitarianism Be Scalar?
Gerald Lang
Utilitas 25 (1):80-95 (2013)
Scalar utilitarianism, a form of utilitarianism advocated by Alastair Norcross, retains utilitarianism's evaluative commitments while dispensing with utilitarianism's deontic commitments, or its commitment to the existence or significance of moral duties, obligations and requirements. This article disputes the effectiveness of the arguments that have been used to defend scalar utilitarianism. It is contended that Norcross's central 'Persuasion Argument' does not succeed, and it is suggested, more positively, that utilitarians cannot easily distance themselves from deontic assessment, just as long as scalar utilitarians admit – as they should do – that utilitarian evaluation generates normative reasons for action.Send article to KindleTo send this article to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the 'name' part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about sending to your Kindle. Find out more about sending to your Kindle. Note you can select to send to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. '@free.kindle.com' emails are free but can only be sent to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. '@kindle.com' emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply. Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.Should Utilitarianism Be Scalar?Volume 25, Issue 1GERALD LANG DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0953820812000295Your Kindle email address Please provide your Kindle email.@free.kindle.com@kindle.com Available formats PDF Please select a format to send. By using this service, you agree that you will only keep articles for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services. Please confirm that you accept the terms of use. Cancel Send ×Send article to Dropbox To send this article to your Dropbox account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about sending content to Dropbox. Should Utilitarianism Be Scalar?Volume 25, Issue 1GERALD LANG DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0953820812000295Available formats PDF Please select a format to send. By using this service, you agree that you will only keep articles for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services. Please confirm that you accept the terms of use. Cancel Send ×Send article to Google Drive To send this article to your Google Drive account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about sending content to Google Drive. Should Utilitarianism Be Scalar?Volume 25, Issue 1GERALD LANG DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0953820812000295Available formats PDF Please select a format to send. By using this service, you agree that you will only keep articles for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services. Please confirm that you accept the terms of use. Cancel Send ×Export citation Request permission.
Varieties of Consequentialism, Misc in Normative Ethics
DOI 10.1017/s0953820812000295
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The Moral Problem.Michael Smith - 1994 - Blackwell.
The Limits of Morality.Shelly Kagan - 1989 - Oxford University Press.
The Moral Problem.James Lenman - 1994 - Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 1 (1):125-126.
The Limits of Morality.Michael Slote - 1991 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 51 (4):915-917.
Satisficing Consequentialism.Michael Slote & Philip Pettit - 1984 - Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume 58 (1):139-176.
Scalar Consequentialism the Right Way.Neil Sinhababu - 2018 - Philosophical Studies 175 (12):3131-3144.
A Defense of Scalar Utilitarianism.Kevin Patrick Tobia - 2017 - American Philosophical Quarterly 54 (3):283-294.
Deontic Pluralism and the Right Amount of Good.Richard Y. Chappell - 2020 - In Douglas W. Portmore (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Consequentialism. Oxford University Press. pp. 498-512.
Utilitarianism about animals and the moral significance of use.David Killoren & Robert Streiffer - 2020 - Philosophical Studies 177 (4):1043-1063.
Continuity in Morality and Law.Re'em Segev - forthcoming - Theoretical Inquiries in Law.
"The Scalar Approach to Utilitarianism".Alastair Norcross - 2006 - In Henry West (ed.), The Blackwell Guide to Mill's Utilitarianism. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 217--32.
Utilitarianism: A Guide for the Perplexed.Krister Bykvist - 2009 - Continuum.
How Indirect Can Indirect Utilitarianism Be?Eric Wiland - 2007 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 74 (2):275-301.
Utilitarianism, Contractualism and Demandingness.Alison Hills - 2010 - Philosophical Quarterly 60 (239):225-242.
A Dilemma for Objective Act-Utilitarianism.Gerald Lang - 2004 - Politics, Philosophy and Economics 3 (2):221-239.
The Future of Utilitarianism.Tim Mulgan - 2012 - In James Maclaurin (ed.), Rationis Defensor.
Ideal Utilitarianism.Anthony Skelton - 2013 - In James Crimmins (ed.), Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Utilitarianism. Bloomsbury Academic.
Commentaries on 'Supererogation for Utilitarianism'.Jean-Paul Vessel - unknown
Utilitarians and Their Critics in America, 1789-1914.James E. Crimmins & Mark G. Spencer (eds.) - 2005 - Thoemmes Continuum.
Introducing Variable-Rate Rule-Utilitarianism.Michael Ridge - 2006 - Philosophical Quarterly 56 (223):242 - 253.
A Utilitarian Reply to Dr. McCloskey.T. L. S. Sprigge - 1965 - Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 8 (1-4):264 – 291.
Utilitarianism and the Wrongness of Killing.Thomas L. Carson - 1983 - Erkenntnis 20 (1):49 - 60.
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Disrupting Disasters
All disasters are local, except when they're not: It's time for a national response to our national emergency
Note: This article was written in collaboration with Kelly R McKinney, AVP, Emergency Management + Enterprise Resilience at NYU Langone Health in New York City and Mark Annas, Emergency Management Coordinator of Riverside California. Originally published in the Resilience Post.
"The thing we need to get people to understand is that when you're dealing with an infectious disease outbreak…it's the country that's involved, so we need to respond as a nation, not in a fragmented way." Dr. Anthony Fauci [1]
As President-elect Biden prepares to assume command of the ongoing pandemic response, we are calling for a long overdue upgrade to our existing national disaster system. The system we have in the United States is based on the "home rule" concept of government that enables cities and counties to manage their own affairs without interference from their states. Over the past fifty years, home rules laws in most states have been used to delegate to local governments — some thirty thousand across the country — the primary responsibility for disaster response. …
Together: Moving WEA Forward a Tenth of a Mile at a Time
COVID-19 WEA message sent to Harris County, TX residents on November 17, 2020.
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) have come along way. Established in 2008 by the Warning, Alert and Response Network Act, WEA became operational in 2012. It is a unique public-private partnership: the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency working with the wireless industry, on a voluntary basis, to provide actionable emergency information to the public.
The state of technology in 2012 left much room for improvement in keeping up with the latest capabilities we are now accustomed to on our mobile devices. I recently had the opportunity to chair a working group that brought together government, telecommunications, academic, technology and innovation leaders to make these needed changes. …
Houston's Blinking Red Light
The Second Half of 2020
The blinking red light
The alarm is sounding. We usually hear its screeching high pitched sound and it captures our attention. The blinking red light puts us on high alert. But that's not the case right now. The alarm is now just a constant humming sound in the background. The warning is void of the alarm.
We are only months into a global pandemic and many of us are now accustomed to the alarm. Some of us are resigned to the chaos wreaked by the virus. We're numb. We can't imagine that things could actually get worse. …
Webinar: COVID-19 Hurricane Planning Implications
Hosted by Tetra Tech
"It sounds like a daunting challenge but the one piece of advice I consistently give my colleagues across the country is to cover as much turf as you can. Identify what your priority areas are and focus on those."
WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlJh2gIOyaM&feature=youtu.be
Read the 2020 hurricane season forecast by NOAA
In this 30-minute webinar, Tetra Tech's emergency management experts focused on what local governments are thinking about and planning for as they prepare for hurricane season in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Tetra Tech's post-disaster team is sharing the platform with representatives from Harris County, Texas; Richland County, South Carolina; and Tampa, Florida, to hear what steps they are taking and what concerns are keeping them up at night. …
I See You: An Open Letter from Emergency Managers to Those We Serve
Sawubona: the beautiful African greeting that literally means, "I see you, you are important to me and I value you." It is the most common greeting of the Zulu tribe.
In context it can also mean, "We see you." This is important, because while I write this on my behalf, I am certain it represents the views of a great many of my friends and colleagues from around the globe.
Sawubona. I see you.
This COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in every corner of our society. The human cost in lives and health has been catastrophic. Our medical systems are drowning or bracing for the possibility. The social norms that connect us as a society, both locally and as a global community, are shredded. Our primary connectedness is now our disconnectedness as we isolate ourselves. …
Good, Good Friday
Our faith based partnerships as we enter a holy season
Today marks our 40th consecutive day of the activation in our Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for Harris County's response to COVID-19. This is now our longest running activation, longer than Harvey. Our previous record was 37 days last March and April in response to the ITC explosion and fire.
Social distancing in Harris County's Emergency Operations Center
We are still facing a very real threat in the spread of the novel coronavirus, so we are actively working. Public safety is essential. In our EOC are the most essential of the essential elements needed to keep you safe and healthy, and supporting our front line healthcare workers and first responders in the field. …
The County Judge & COVID
COVID19: Masks, Religious Services and More
A Come As You Are Party
How the coronavirus response began and how we can win it
New York, NY, March 31, 2020 — The USNS Comfort arrived in New York Harbor to support the national, state and local response to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Photo: FEMA
Disaster responses, much like wars, are "Come as You Are" parties. Their premise is simple. You get a phone call. The phone actually rings, so by today's social standard you know it is already something out of the ordinary. It is the invitation. You are invited. You were chosen. The time, the place, the people — the party itself — chose you.
No notice.
There is one more catch; and this is important. You must come as you are. As you are, in this moment. You cannot go home and change. You cannot scramble to find something cuter to wear. You can't go clean up first. You can't go shave real quick. You might be in gym gear. Perhaps you are in your jammies. Maybe you were fiddling under the greasy car hood or layers deep in the garden. You can't start planning, because the call means the party just started. …
Time-Out on T-Band: It's Time to Repeal the Sale Mandate
(ITC Fire- Deer Park, Texas. Photo Credit: KTRK Channel 13, Houston)
In 2012, as part of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Act, Congress passed legislation requiring by February 2021 that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) begin competitive auction of the T-band spectrum and relocate the licenses of public safety agencies across the country which have relied on the spectrum for decades. The band consists of otherwise unused broadcast spectrum in certain TV channels. That previously unused resource is now put to good use day-to-day in 11 cities by 925 public safety entities and 700 industrial stakeholders. A review by at least two federal agencies deems the legislatively mandated sale of the spectrum to private interests as "unviable." …
Francisco Sanchez | @DisasterPIO

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Salzburg nestles just north of the Alps on Austria's border with Germany. Renowned for its Baroque architecture, it was the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and the setting for the award-winning musical, The Sound of Music (1965).
Naturally, this historic and picturesque city is something of a mecca for classical music lovers, especially at its twice-yearly festivals.
Often described as "the greatest music festival in the world", the main Salzburg Festival is a summer event. In 2015, it occurred between 18th July and 30th August. The festival in its present form was inaugurated on 22nd August 1920, but its heritage goes all the way back to the 19th century when the city held a regular celebration of Mozart. In 2013, the Salzburg Festival had more than 288,000 fans from 73 countries.* The programme features opera, drama and concert music, and some 2015 highlights included Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors and Verdi's Il Trovatore.
There is also a shorter festival held every year at Whitsun; in 2016, this will be 13th-16th May and will feature West Side Story performed by the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet performed by the Stuttgart Ballet.
Of course, you will confer with Zsuzsanna regarding your musical tastes and the Festivals' programmes, so that Tasteful Tours can personalise this guided holiday to incorporate your favourite composers and performers.
Your European tour can last for one or two weeks. You'll enjoy the finest and most authentic dining experiences that Salzburg offers, and trips to other Austrian cities can be arranged. Day trips to Prague and Budapest are possible too.
If you would love to combine your passion for opera and classical music with exquisite fine dining and wines, then Tasteful Tours' Especially for Music Lovers guided holiday to Austria will definitely hit all the right notes!


Challenges Facing the South African Derivatives Market Bianca Ruddy and Simona Nicole Levet, Financial Risk Management Team, KPMG Advisory At the intersection of these regulatory reforms is the desire for greater transparency and more secure derivatives trading, to buffer and safeguard financial markets against another meltdown.
The unrelenting waves of regulatory reforms that have followed in the wake of the 2008-09 crises are creating tectonic shifts across the derivatives landscape. The South African derivatives market is far from immune. Among the swathe of regulations is Basel III, while – as a member of the G20 – South Africa will also start to address OTC derivatives reform through the framework of the Financial Markets Act. At the intersection of these regulatory reforms is the desire for greater transparency and more secure derivatives trading, to buffer and safeguard financial markets against another meltdown.
These reforms have, however, introduced a significant degree of complexity. They will change the way that derivatives are priced, traded and reported. With so many of the operational details still in evolution, there is much uncertainty among market participants. Beyond the banks, a broad range of market participants will feel the impact: from corporates hedging their FX and interest rate exposures, to insurance companies hedging their long-dated liabilities, and from hedge funds and asset managers executing a variety of strategies, to pension funds focusing on long-dated funds. Business models, operations and infrastructure will have to adapt and evolve, balancing the imminent and urgent against the longer-term strategy and available resources.
The unintended consequences introduced by the 'new paradigm' will be revealed in time. For now, KPMG sought to unlock the perspectives of South African derivatives market participants around these challenges, gaining insight through a survey and discussions.
On 15 September 2008, Lehman Brothers filed its bankruptcy petition. The default exposed the lack of transparency around the credit worthiness of derivative market players, the exposure size – not to mention who was ultimately exposed, and spotlighted issues relating to collateral management.
Now, a number of the changes facing the world of listed and over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives relate to managing and mitigating counterparty credit risk. Counterparty credit risk is the risk that the counterparty to a non-exchange-traded contract defaults prior to expiration. It differs from conventional credit risk in the fact that (1) exposure at the time of default is uncertain as it depends on future market dynamics and (2) the risk is generally bilateral, as either party may end up owing money to the other.
Credit Valuation Adjustment, the conceptually simple, yet operationally challenging, metric that emerged as an accounting stipulation in 2000, is attracting attention – and debate – as a result of the inclusion of a CVA VaR capital requirement in Basel III. The decision to include an explicit capital requirement stems from the observation by the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) that nearly two thirds of losses that banks suffered during the credit crisis emanated from un-hedged CVA volatility, whereas only one third could be directly attributed to actual default. CVA will capture potential mark-to- market changes related to fluctuations in the credit quality of a bank's counterparties.
South Africa has been awarded a stay of execution – the SARB directive D3/2012 permits a zero risk weight for CVA on ZAR-based derivatives and derivatives with local counterparties for 2013, pending the finalisation of a centralised counterparty for over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives in South Africa. However, banks agree that it is not just about meeting a regulatory requirement – the rationale behind quantifying and managing CVA is prudent risk management practice.
While the degree of implementation varies, the end game is a centralised group, the CVA desk, whether this involves leveraging vendor solutions or offshore capabilities. Given the degree of counterparty concentration, as well as the lack of CDS contract coverage, respondents have generally adopted a pragmatic approach to managing CVA. Banks have tended to focus initially on those counterparties and transactions which are the largest drivers of the CVA charge. Considering the relative size of the interest rate and FX derivatives markets, it is not surprising that implementation efforts are focused on these asset classes.
Addressing whether CVA charges are uniformly included in pricing, buy-side survey respondents have observed pricing differences that they attribute to the introduction of CVA in pricing, sourced across all banks operating in the South African market. Feedback suggests that CVA may, however, be excluded for particular transactions for relationship reasons, in instances where there is cross-subsidisation from other areas of the business, or where banks deem that collateral agreements are sufficiently robust.


Bingo! | ICP AVIAZIONE S.R.L.
The BINGO! series was born as an extremely cheap and Spartan series, for those who want to fly on a true STOL, with a very little expense.
This aircrafts derives from the model Savannah, from which it takes the structure and the dimensional features.
– The Bingo! is a monoplane type, with two side-by-side seats, fitted with a high wing supported by struts.
– The airframe structure is a full-metal one with load-resisting panels.
– The wing presents a "high lift" NACA 650-18 modified airfoil with fixed slats along the full wing span and Junkers type flaperon (aileron + flap).
[The Bingo! is also available in VG version, in which the slats are replaced by vortex generators].
– The squared fuselage and the dorsal fin are fitted to improve the directional.
– The fuel system is equipped with two tanks installed into the wings and contain 36 lt. capacity.The tanks are communicating and flow into a collection sump, placed in the fuselage, provided with drain valve and with fuel reserve indicator connected to a push-to-test light.pulsante test.
removed for flying in hot regions or to take pictures.
– The visibility has been improved thanks to a new lexan window in the lower part of the door.
– The cabin arrangement features two canvas covered side-by-side seats.
– The cabin's ventilation is provided by an opening between the doors and the upper part of the cabin door frame. A dynamic air scoop intended to extract the cabin air is fitted at the bottom of the baggage compartment. It's possible to improve the cabin ventilation by using two rotating air scoops in the doors windows.
– The aircraft is fitted with a tri-cycle type landing gear.
– The main landing gear is made by a single-piece aluminium alloy single-leaf leg.
– The nose landing gear (in tri-cycle configuration) is fitted with a telescopic, elastic chord shock absorber, and is steerable in order to ease the taxiing.
– The hydraulic drum brakes are independent and operate on the main landing gear's wheels.
– The engine cowling is completely removable to permit an easier engine van inspection.
I nostri aerei pronti al volo!


nameSherry: 1 cent ad space for you!
1 cent ad space for you!
Yeah tell me if you are looking for 1 cent ad space. There is one waiting for you. It is my shopping blog that I am having. It is affordable and it is waiting for you to place your bid. See it for yourself to believe it.
It is a blog with Page Rank Three. Tell me where can you get such cheap ads.


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Songs From The Georgian Era: (1) The Lass With The Delicate Air
A Family Trio - Alexander Roslin
Courtesy of the British Museum (The title, though seldom quoted, is more correctly The Lass With A Delicate Air)
Sung by Julie Andrews
Young Molly who lived at the foot of the hill
Whose fame every virgin with envy doth fill
Of beauty is blessed with so ample a share
Men call her the lass with the delicate air
With the delicate air
One evening last May as I traversed the grove
In thoughtless retirement, not dreaming of love
I chanced to espy the gay nymph, I declare
And really she had a most delicate air
A most delicate air
By a murmuring brook on a green mossy bed
A chaplet composing, the fair one was laid
Surprised and transported, I could not forbear
With rapture to gaze on her delicate air
On her delicate air
A thousand times o'er I've repeated my suit
But still the tormentor affects to be mute
Then tell me, ye swains who have conquered the fair
How to win the dear lass with the delicate air
http://song-archive.livejournal.com/56079.html
Michael Arne
No one seems prepared to lay claim to authorship of this art song, wreathed in the precious sentiments of the Enlightenment. It harks back to the pastoral groves of antiquity and the fragility of wooing when destinies were bound for the dust if the chase did not come good. But it may be that 'Molly', the muse of this piece, is hinted at in the family of the gentleman who set it to music, Michael Arne.
Michael was the son of Thomas Arne, the composer best known in the British Isles for Rule Britannia with its overweening celebration of empire in those days when political correctness had another meaning altogether. It was at Cliveden, the country seat of his patron, Frederick, Prince of Wales, that the song had its premiere in 1740.
At the end of that year, Michael was born, or very early in 1741, three years after his father's marriage to the distinguished and highly-strung soprano, Cecilia Young. Her father was adamantly against the match since Arne was a Roman Catholic and she an Anglican, a particularly fraught venture at those times. But the taboo only added spice to romance and a determination to go their own way.
No record of Michael's birth appears among the rest of his family in the Parish Registers of St Paul's, Covent Garden, and he is suspected to have been Thomas's natural son. Dr Charles Burney, the music historian, definitely believed so. Some scholars have posited that the child was adopted. Both propositions could be true if the mother had been a young protegée of the musician, and unable to take responsibility for her offspring. It may be flimsy evidence, but a comparison of certain portraits of father and son does at least suggest kinship. It is also conceivable that a clash of religious doctrine caused some hesitation about where and how the child was to be baptised.
Susannah Maria Cibber
Cecilia Arne was much admired by Handel and the Arnes followed him to Dublin where his works were enjoying sparkling success. Arne's sister, Susannah Maria Cibber wife of Theophilus Cibber, and daughter-in-law of the charismatic actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate, Colley Cibber, was a renowned contralto, as well as an actress, and had forsaken London to seek her fortune with Handel.
The move was a prudent one and not only for her career since she was fleeing the scandal aroused in the late 1730s by the Cibbers' ménage à trois with one, William Sloper. This fellow, said to have formerly married a descendant of Edward III, was a well-heeled lodger whom they had taken in as a means of offsetting the prodigal Theo's debts. He was not above selling his wife's clothes, nor of accusing her of adultery. Some even assert she was forced into the relationship at gunpoint. In all likelihood this was fanciful gossip based on Cibber's roles. In view of Sloper's 'gallantry' and the husband's uncouth and mercenary conduct, the dynamic of the collusion is not hard to fathom. The upshot was that Maria eloped with Sloper and they had a daughter whom they named after her mother.
In Dublin, Handel, along with packed audiences, was in thrall to Susannah's performances. Dr Burney enthused about the sweetness and expression of her singing voice. It was naturally small, but well-trained, and her delivery engaged both head and heart so that she captured attention apparently effortlessly. Both she, and her sister-in-law, Cecilia, earned rave reviews and sometimes sang duets together. "Mrs Arne," said Charles Dibdin, and you can hear the lyricism in his tone, "was deliciously captivating. She knew nothing in singing or in nature but sweetness and simplicity."
Vauxhall Gardens
Not long after the Arnes returned to London, Cecilia fell prey to a raft of disabling maladies and was unable to look after the infant Michael who was despatched to the care of his Aunt Susannah. Thomas Arne was immersed in composing for the fashionable London Gardens.
Whilst he was under her wing, young Michael absorbed all his aunt knew about music. Via her connections, he made his debut on stage as a page in Thomas Otway's tragedy The Orphan around the age of nine. His father was keen to turn him into a professional singer and he was frequently encouraged to appear at Vauxhall Gardens. His talent as a vocalist was, perhaps, less in question than his lacklustre attitude to refining the craft. According to Dr Burney, Michael developed 'a powerful hand on the harpsichord' and for some decades was content to compose his own music and libretti and give public performances of his father's organ works.
Scene from Thomas Otway's The Orphan
Thomas Otway - William Blake
In 1766, he married the soprano, Elizabeth Wright, but a costly preoccupation with alchemy took over his life and he ended up in the debtors' prison which contributed to her premature death on May Day 1769. After a period of contrition, in which he was engaged by a number of theatres to provide harpsichord accompaniment for their productions, he became financially viable and married again. This time, it was to his pupil, Ann Venables, whom he took on a tour of Germany. Following their subsequent wedding, they transferred to Dublin where his comic opera, The Maid of the Vale, featuring his new spouse, was aired at the Smock Alley Theatre.
The Lass With The Delicate Air had first surfaced back in 1762 when Michael was twenty-two and, like his father, supplying pieces for audiences at the London Gardens. It is written in the nostalgically plangent style known as Galant, a fusion of English folklore and Italian opera, which was to survive well into the Victorian era. We can never be sure who was the lovelorn suitor in the song, whether he was the actual lyricist, but it is a fair assumption that it was the musician. He would largely have been brought up alongside his cousin, Susannah Maria, his aunt's daughter by William Sloper, who was only a little younger than himself.
Susannah's nickname was Molly. Such a connection would have been enough to make any spurned young suitor bashful.
Inside the Rotunda at Ranelagh
An Account of the life of that celebrated actress, Mrs. Susannah Maria Cibber ... Also the two remarkable and romantic trials between Theophilus Cibber and William Sloper
by Susanna Maria Cibber, Theophilus Cibber, William SLOPER (Reader 1887)
A Collection of Favourite Songs sung by Mrs. Arne (London, 1773)
Humphrys Family Tree
New Songs sung by Miss Wright at Vauxhall (London, c1765)
The Theatre Career of Thomas Arne - Todd Gilman (University of Delaware Press, 2012)
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004
The Oxford Companion to Music
Westminster Abbey Memorials


Over the years, Obama administration officials have described Netanyahu to me as recalcitrant, myopic, reactionary, obtuse, blustering, pompous, and "Aspergery."….But I had not previously heard Netanyahu described as a "chickenshit." I thought I appreciated the implication of this description, but it turns out I didn't have a full understanding.
….I ran this notion by another senior official who deals with the Israel file regularly. This official agreed that Netanyahu is a "chickenshit" on matters related to the comatose peace process, but added that he's also a "coward" on the issue of Iran's nuclear threat. The official said the Obama administration no longer believes that Netanyahu would launch a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities in order to keep the regime in Tehran from building an atomic arsenal.
….Another manifestation of his chicken-shittedness, in the view of Obama administration officials, is his near-pathological desire for career-preservation. Netanyahu's government has in recent days gone out of its way to a) let the world know that it will quicken the pace of apartment-building in disputed areas of East Jerusalem; and b) let everyone know of its contempt for the Obama administration and its understanding of the Middle East.
Goldberg believes that the American-Israeli relationship is finally at a crossroads, largely driven by the personal loathing Obama and Netanyahu have for each other. We've heard this before, of course, so take it with a grain of salt. Still, Netanyahu's open contempt for Obama, along with his obvious unwillingness to show even a pretense of interest in a peace process, might really be taking things to a breaking point. The whole thing is worth a read.


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Home/Featured/UPDATE: Amazon.com Follows B&N, Pulls "I'm Not Gay Just A Sissy" Calendar From It's Website – BOOYAH!
FeaturedGay News From Around The GlobeReligious Morons and Anti-Gay Idiots
UPDATE: Amazon.com Follows B&N, Pulls "I'm Not Gay Just A Sissy" Calendar From It's Website – BOOYAH!
Will Kohler December 30, 2011
LOSER!
Oh Boo Hoo Hoo.
Poor Joe King. the hateful, tasteless, KKKhristan cartoonist's hate calendar was looked at for its talent and class (or lack of ) and wasn't able to hide behind the lame ass "Religion and First Admendent" argument that its okay to talk and spread hate to make a buck off it. And he got BUSTED for violating Amazon.com's and Barnes & Noble's Terms of Service against the selling and spreading of hate speech.
Kicked off Barnes & Nobles
Kicked off Amazon.com
And….The Calendar also seems to be gone from his CafePress Store.
GREAT WORK ALL! Okay. So who's next?
Tony Perkins!?
Busted cartoonist hack hate moinger Joe King KKKhristian talentless
Polish Nobel Prize Winner Lech Walesa Is An Anti-Gay Bigot: "Gays Should Sit Behind A Wall"
80's Heartthrob Jan-Michael Vincent Dies at 74
The Eww Factor: Rick Santorum's Wife Dated Abortion Doc 40 Years Her Senior Who Delivered Her
Rick Santorum Teenage Nightmare (This Really Explains Alot!)
3 thoughts on "UPDATE: Amazon.com Follows B&N, Pulls "I'm Not Gay Just A Sissy" Calendar From It's Website – BOOYAH!"
Rational says:
Here is the reply I got from Barnes & Noble…it certainly does not sound like they pulled the publication…if anything they attempted to make my complaint email sound…well…irrational.
Thank you for your e-mail.
As booksellers, we carry thousands of items whose subject matter some may find offensive. Over the years, we have received countless requests and demands to stop selling everything from The Merchant of Venice to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, even The Living Bible.
At Barnes & Noble, we take our mission very seriously – to be a valuable resource to our customers, bringing books and ideas to the public. We live in a diverse culture, and that diversity is reflected in the wide
range of interests, philosophies, and lifestyles of our customers.
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Chicago Bob says:
Will, good work! I feel so empowered thanks to you. I would like to think my rant phone call to the PR office at Amazon might have made some small difference. The women I spoke to said she did not particularly understand my feelings (as a gay person) but could understand my POV nevertheless and promised to kick my complaint up to upper management. Your blog is such an important voice in the gay community and I tell people about it every chance I get. Again, THANKS!
Will Kohler says:
Great work Bob! GOOD WORK EVERYBODY!
Singer Jason Mraz Tweets Against North Carolina's Anti-Gay Amendment One


Miss Kendal joined the Bellington staff quite recently but has already made her mark – in a manner of speaking! I was delighted when she agreed to take part in a little conversation piece to share her thoughts. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have.
Hi Miss Kendal, I am very pleased to be talking with you today about the world of adult spanking and discipline and about your filming work with Miss Svenson of Girl Next Door Productions.
Thank you, Mr L. It's a pleasure to be invited for an interview.
I guess we all have our own stories about how we first got into spanking so what were your first adult spanking experiences? Have you experienced receiving as well as giving discipline?
Indeed. My first experiences were very much on the receiving end. I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful Disciplinarian when I was younger. I believe he took a shine to me and saw me as somewhat of a protégé. It was through receiving CP that I truly discovered my deep rooted, emotional need for power exchange. My first experience of topping someone was at the tender age of 20, and I genuinely haven't looked back since!
"What do you mean it's only just begun, Miss?"
For me, the emotional and psychological aspects of spanking far outweigh the physical. Of course, I thoroughly enjoy administering a sound spanking but my need to connect with other people on such base, emotional level is paramount. I am immensely attracted to power, both feeling it in myself and watching others give theirs away freely (or not so, in some cases!). It's hard to describe or pinpoint specifically, though when a spanking or discipline scene really works, it can be earth shattering for both parties.
That's insightful and I can identify with what you are saying. Part of having a really great session for me as a spankee is sensing that my disciplinarian(s) are enjoying it to the full as well. Let's talk about the recent films. You have done a couple of films so far with Miss Svenson, which I personally have really enjoyed. How did you come into contact with her?
Miss S contacted me some time ago after seeing my Twitter profile and asked if I would be interested in working with her. It's quite coincidental as the week prior to this a friend and I had been discussing her website and the films she made. He had suggested she may be a good person to contact re working together – we must have discovered one another around the same time.
The first film was the PE teacher with lovely Susie-Li. How did you prepare for the film beforehand?
I had spent a fair amount of time looking through previous clips, though I must be honest and admit that I don't like to over prepare for any scene or session. I have an acting background so have spent many years fine tuning my improvisational skills. I like to go with where the mood of the day takes me, and with spanking being so heavily reliant upon individual reactions, it can often be counterproductive to plan too much ahead of time.
I can understand that. It feels much better when the action develops spontaneously. I liked the way you kept a dialogue going throughout the film clips, without becoming verbose. It just seemed to fit in really well and keep the tension going nicely. How do you manage that and keep position before the camera and action going at the same time?
Again, I have my theatrical training to thank for this. Being in front of a camera or audience comes as second nature to me. I don't have to actively concentrate on things like positioning or projecting my voice to ensure I am heard. It was drilled into me on a daily basis so I can almost switch on the autopilot setting for my inner actor and, instead, focus on thoroughly enjoying the scene I am immersed in.
I think that comes across well. You seem to have a clear sense of where the cameras are without it being obvious. I have met Susie-Li on a few occasions and in fact I have been disciplined by her on one occasion!
The chemistry in the PE Teacher film looked really good. What was Susie like to work with?
Susie is lovely. She's highly professional and such a likeable person which, funnily enough, makes it all the easier to administer her discipline! There was nothing she wouldn't try, regardless of how challenging it would be. Hats off to her!
Miss Svenson is always trying to develop and improve her creative and technical skills with every film she makes, which I find fun to talk about with her. She did a private custom film with me a year or so ago which I thoroughly enjoyed doing. Well, you came back to do a second film so I presume you enjoyed the first. How did you find working with Miss Svenson as she directed the film and action?
"You bickering girls are going to have to learn to work together the hard way!"
or change my personal style at all. We were given so much freedom over our scene, Miss S was there to guide us through and turn the personal experience between Susie and I into a piece of art.
I know Miss Svenson and Susie will love seeing your comments here. Others have said similar things about the freedoms they feel as performers within Miss Svenson's creative approach. The films are of course fantasy scenarios but the discipline is real enough. How do you ensure the recipient gets satisfaction from the discipline, albeit an experience that involves a degree of temporary pain?
while we were off camera, which then makes it easier to receive the harder strokes intended for the film. We discuss limits and try out test shots to see how the individuals feel about the intensity.
The trust aspect is so important in the spanking genre – I haven't met a disciplinarian yet who doesn't think it important. And what do you do to achieve satisfaction for yourself as the disciplinarian? Tell me a little bit about your techniques, both the actual physical side of chastisement but also the psychological side.
I can get my satisfaction in so many ways. Being that 'presence' and holding power over the scene is a seriously liberating feeling. Any good spanking, in my opinion, has to begin with the mind. I rely heavily on word play, intense silences and eye contact to set the mood, as it were.
Miss Kendal encourages poise and good posture. Keep still Sam if you can.
The positions were the real focus of these particular productions. Miss S said she wanted to create something really spectacular and I think she achieved just that. The handstand idea was already in place for the final position so together we explored some other possibilities that would tie in with the PE theme.
The second film you have done fairly recently was A Thorough Lesson? This time with two young ladies – Susie again but also Sam Johnson, who is quite a legend in the adult spanking world. How did it go with the second film working with two naughty spankees?
It was great. I hadn't met Sam before but she has a wonderfully positive personality and, as with Susie, was up for trying all kinds of crazy ideas! It was a real pleasure to work with them both and such fun to see them playing off one another when they thought my back was turned.
I love that bickering between them as soon as you are off scene. It really raises the naughtiness level! I was particularly impressed by the length of the first section, as well as the content of course. Again you kept a dialogue going throughout which lent an air of calm tension throughout if I might put it like that. Were you conscious of that?
Oh, very. I adore the effect that words can have on a spankee. I always prefer a calm and calculated approach to shouting, I feel it adds a bit of drama and can be far more terrifying.
That certainly works for me; it's that sort of subtlety that makes for a good film I think. Shouty disciplinarians just don't do it for me at all! There were some great fun moments in the action that I really enjoyed, like when Sam abruptly stands up after the last whack of the holed leather paddle and sends all the others to the floor! (I know from personal experience how stinging that paddle feels. 😉 ) Do you have any particular favourite parts of the recent film, or for that matter in the PE teacher?
"Both of you bend right over, you deserve every smack of this spanking!"
That is a fabulous moment! I really like the naughtiness from the girls when they are niggling with each other. They couldn't even stop themselves fully when I arrived!
That's what I love about the young ladies at Bellington!
I like the way the two PE films focus on self-discipline and fitness in mind as well as body. Personally I find being spanked emotionally and psychologically therapeutic. Is that something you recognise with discipline? I mean, I sensed quite a lot of yourself in the films even though you are playing a role.
I do indeed. Discipline can be incredibly therapeutic for everyone involved. Whenever I play there is an element of myself in the scene – there has to be for me to get what I need from it. I draw on previous experiences and use what knowledge I have to make the scene feel very real for the spankee.
You quite rightly maintain a serious composure facially during the films, although just occasionally I sense the hint of a wry smile developing. Personally I find some aspects of Miss Svenson's films quite amusing at times. It makes me think there are funny moments off screen as well. Am I right? Or just letting my imagination run away!
Naturally. It's a very fun environment. Inevitably things can go wrong when filming and often you can find yourself laughing about camera angles or saying something daft.
I for one would love to see you in more of Girl Next Door films, and in perhaps some new roles – not that you don't look great in your PE kit I might add (cheekily). Is that something you'd like to do? In reality, it's often the case that PE teachers teach other subjects as well. Are there new scenarios that you would like to do with Miss Svenson?
Miss Kendal performs a series of paddle tests - here's the worst one!
Absolutely! In today's climate, teachers are having to cover all manner of subjects to make up for falling numbers. I knew this when I took the role at Bellington so have been brushing up on every subject on the school timetable to be ready! An English Literature class perhaps with a Shakespearian style spanking? I am such a fan after all.
Are there any other young ladies from Bellington you are keen to meet and spank!!?
I would love to get my hands on Charlotte Appleby. There is something very cheeky in that young lady's face. In my opinion, she is simply crying out for a spanking!
Spot on! Lovely Charlotte may be head girl but she is constantly up to all sorts of ruses that get her and others in trouble. I am absolutely sure an opportunity will arise. She never seems able to hide anything from Miss Svenson.
Just finally, what would you say to anyone a little nervous about taking the step into adult spanking even though they really, really want to?
Start slow. Jumping in at the deep end can be perilous. Read what you can from active practitioners (professional and lifestyle), see what appeals to you and what doesn't. Be completely honest with both yourself and anyone you choose to contact. Be mindful about those you do contact. It is a vulnerable enough feeling to go over someone's knee for the first time, so be sure to do it with someone you feel safe with.
More than anything, just do it. At your pace, but do it!
Sound words, which I fully endorse. Miss Kendal, thank you so much for talking with me. It's been a real pleasure and I am sure blog readers will enjoy reading your comments and ideas and appreciate you sharing them.
Not at all, Mr London. Thank you too, and keep your eyes peeled for my return.
....and then more interesting still. Balance, strength and gymnastic ability all to the tune of the cane.
I for one am delighted Miss K puts creativity into he role as PE teacher. Yes, she must take on other teaching roles. Miss Matthews I thought was Queen of literature? Strange as it might seem, I attended for 3 years a Catholic boys secondary school. We had to memorise 'The quality of mercy' from Merchant of Venice… Every error was met with a whack on the bottom from the English Master. Spelling likewise. Hateded him for it and still can't spell. Yet I longed to do French (wasn't allowed) because of the Blonde young French Mistress who I wanted to spank me. She alas never did. Think in Junior School I got a slap of the young music teacher do thanks to her its probably why I adore a Lady putting me OTK.
Thanks for your comments Mark. I love the range of fantastic performers Miss Svenson has assembled for her films. She brings out the best in them and Miss Kendal has got so much to offer as a disciplinarian. Take care, mate.
Good to see young Sam again with young Susie being spanked by Miss ,best spanks, Tim .
Nice one, Tim. It really is isn't it. Sam is really lovely and her and Susie together being taken through their PE by super strict Miss Kendal was amazing. As for the positions, I can only look on in awe. Quite astonishing! Best wishes, Ian London.
Basically, anything to get Miss Kendal as a regular. Now if she did roles in F/M videos I could be encouraged to come out of retirement!
Good things can come to those who have patience 🙂 . Speaking mathematically there are many combinations of performers as yet untried. And each will have a unique chemistry.
Cute girls with cute botties for spanking .


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Q: Finding the mean is easy and what about maximizing the variance? The random variable has a normal distribution, and $$ p (- 16 <\beta < - 11 ) = p (-13  <\beta < - 8) $$  Find the variance of  $ \beta  $ for which the probability $$ p (- 11 <\beta < - 8 )  $$ is maximal. I found the mean, but I do not know how to proceed further.

A: It is pretty clear from symmetry that the mean is $-12$ (and I presume that's what you got). Now let's think about how to maximize the probability that $-11<\beta< -8.$ Let's de-mean and flip $\beta,$ so this is the probability that a zero-mean gaussian is between $1$ and $4.$ This is given by $$ \Phi(4/\sigma) -\Phi(1/\sigma)$$ where $\Phi$ is the normal cumulative and $\sigma=\operatorname{Var}(\beta).$ We can maximize by differentiating and setting equal to zero, using the fact that $\Phi'(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi}}e^{-x^2/2}.$ This gives $$ 4e^{-\frac{16}{2\sigma^2}} = e^{-\frac{1}{2\sigma^2}}\implies \sigma^2 = \frac{15}{2\ln(4)} $$

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Merseyside: Update – Three Arrested Following Drugs Raids In Bootle
Merseyside Police can confirm that a man has been charged following raids in Bootle earlier this week (Monday 24 September).
Lee Francis Williams, 29 years of Somerset Road, Bootle has been charged with possession with intent to supply Class A controlled drugs.
He appeared at South Sefton Magistrates Court this morning.
The 26-year-old man and 24-year-old woman arrested on Monday have been released on bail pending further enquiries.
— Original Story 25.09.2012 —
Three people were arrested in connection with drug offences in Bootle yesterday (Monday 24 September).
Two men, aged 26 and 29 and a women, aged 24, all from Bootle were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs following the execution of a warrant on Somerset Road.
They were taken to police stations for questioning by detectives.
During the search, officers recovered approximately 10 kilos of suspected Class A drugs along with drug-related paraphenalia including pneumatic presses and moulds.
Area Commander Chief Superintendent Nicki Holland said: "Drug dealing brings misery to our communities and we are listening carefully to residents' concerns as we tackle the problem. The warrants executed yesterday come as a result of the Force listening to community concerns and acting upon them.
"We will continue to enforce the law to the fullest extent and urge anyone with any information about the supply of illegal drugs to contact Merseyside Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."


Matching persons across non-overlapping cameras is a rather challenging task. Thus, successful methods often build on complex feature representations or sophisticated learners. A recent trend to tackle this problem is to use metric learning to find a suitable space for matching samples from different cameras. However, most of these approaches ignore the transition from one camera to the other. In this paper, we propose to learn a metric from pairs of samples from different cameras. In this way, even less sophisticated features describing color and texture information are sufficient for finally getting state-of-the-art classification results. Moreover, once the metric has been learned, only linear projections are necessary at search time, where a simple nearest neighbor classification is performed. The approach is demonstrated on three publicly available datasets of different complexity, where it can be seen that state-of-the-art results can be obtained at much lower computational costs.


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National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Defining Lineage Plasticity and Endogenous Regeneration Capacity of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Tissues (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
July 26, 2019- Changes to NIH Requirements Regarding Proposed Human Fetal Tissue Research. See Notice NOT-OD-19-128
August 23, 2019- Clarifying Competing Application Instructions and Notice of Publication of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Regarding Proposed Human Fetal Tissue Research. See Notice NOT-OD-19-137
RFA-DE-20-007
RFA-DE-20-006, R01 Research Project Grant
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage high risk high reward studies that will interrogate the capacity of cells residing in the postnatal Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues to acquire developmental plasticity to undergo lineage reprogramming in vivo in response to injury and other types of environmental stress, and to generate functionally-competent cells of alternative lineage(s). The end goal of this initiative is to develop approaches that willexplore new opportunitiesfor capitalizing on this developmental plasticity for obtaining needed cells to promote endogenous regeneration of DOC tissues affected by disease or injury and to achieve the goals of regenerative medicine. This Initiative will aid in building a basic science foundation for developing clinically relevant, minimally invasive strategies for overcoming limitations of the currently available regenerative medicine methodologies.
30 days before the application due date
July 8, 2020; No late applications will be accepted for this Funding Opportunity Announcement
July 31, 2020. No late applications will be accepted for this Funding Opportunity Announcement.
Regenerative medicine strives to heal and functionally and structurally restore tissues and organs compromised by disease or injury. Advances are continually being made in this area; however, one of significant remaining bottlenecks impeding progress has been an inadequate supply of cells for generation of new tissues. Currently available methods often rely on injection into tissues of in vitro expanded heterogeneous stem and progenitor cell populations or in vitro differentiated progeny of pluripotent cell lines. While there have been promising developments in these areas, many challenges remain, including insufficient characterization of stem/progenitor cells as to their capacity to generate functional progeny, low numbers of cells available for building new tissues as well as poor function, survival and integration of the injected cells with host tissues. The present initiative addresses these obstacles, through promoting endogenous healing and regeneration of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues, which will avoid injection of exogenously manipulated cells. The immediate purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to build a basic science foundation for understanding mechanisms of endogenous lineage reprogramming of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues. To this end, this FOA will support studies that interrogate the capacity of cells residing in the postnatal Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues to acquire developmental plasticity to undergo lineage reprogramming in vivo in response to injury and other types of environmental stress, and to generate functionally-competent cells of alternative lineage(s) that can be induced to participate in endogenous tissue regeneration. The long-term goal will be to develop practical approaches for capitalizing on this developmental plasticity for obtaining needed cells for building new Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues and derive clinically relevant minimally invasive strategies for overcoming limitations of currently available regenerative medicine methodologies.
The capacity of DOC tissues to undergo endogenous healing and regeneration remains largely unexplored. It varies widely among species, types of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues, and the extent of incurred injury. For example, following cuts and abrasions, normal human oral mucosa heals better and faster than most other tissues in the body. On the other hand, oral cancer chemotherapy and radiation commonly result in nonhealing lesions of oral mucosa - oral mucositis - a condition responsible for severe patient morbidity. Human dental and salivary gland tissues do not exhibit significant regenerative capacity, while rodent incisors regenerate throughout life. Human craniofacial bone and skeletal muscle regenerate small defects but fail to do so when the defect exceeds critical size and/or in the presence of infection and chronic inflammation. While mechanisms of differential regenerative capacity of tissues are complex and still poorly understood, it is recognized that the availability of stem/progenitor cells to generate new tissues is one of the key factors needed for successful regeneration. Traditionally, in mammals the developmental progression from stem/progenitor cells to fully differentiated functional cells has been viewed as a unidirectional and terminal process, but recent advances beginning with a derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells and a discovery of cellular reprogramming, put the universality of this simple paradigm into question. In fact, multiple examples of naturally occurring in vivo reprogramming of differentiated cells into stem/progenitor state following injury and/or inflammatory stress have been described. The best-studied example of this phenomenon is found in mammalian small intestine, but similar findings have been described in lung, skin, pancreas, liver, brain and heart, tooth and bone. Alternatively, and/or in addition, lineage reprogramming in vivo can be induced by targeted gene transfer to deliver to cells genes coding for master tissue-specific genetic and epigenetic regulators via viral vectors or other gene transfer technologies. Accomplishing controlled and safe in vivo lineage reprogramming would provide minimally invasive means for generating needed cell sources. Moreover, such reprogrammed cells are likely to have multiple advantages over injected in vitro-manipulated cells, because survival, function and integration of in vivo reprogrammed cells with host tissues would be supported by endogenous Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial stem cells niches. In these niches, accessory somatic cells, soluble signaling mediators and extracellular matrices would provide guidance cues to stem/progenitor cells to generate new tissues. Overall, achieving the goals of this initiative will create unprecedented opportunities for healing and regeneration of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues.
Gaps and Opportunities
Significant knowledge gaps currently exist in understanding of the mechanisms of inherent and induced lineage plasticity of mammalian Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues and the role of stem cells niches and other signals, including immune system-mediated signals, in controlling this plasticity. Overcoming these knowledge gaps is likely to create a new generation of approaches - autotherapies - that take advantage of endogenous healing and regeneration capacity of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues to restore their structure and function. More specifically, these autotherapies will target endogenous Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial stem/progenitor cell niches and differentiated somatic cells for lineage reprogramming for generating new cells for re-building Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues and restoring normal tissue homeostasis. Currently, NIDCR portfolio does not contain projects directly focusing on in vivo lineage reprogramming. However, recent findings in the field have provided promising results suggestive of inherent lineage plasticity of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues. Further, recent emergence of new experimental tools and approaches for interrogation lineage plasticity suggests the timeliness of this effort. Several NIH Institutes including NIDDK, NIAMS, NHLBI and NINDS, currently support such projects as applied to those Institutes' missions. The proposed NIDCR initiative is synergistic with this existing trans-NIH effort. Moreover, a Keystone Symposium titled "Cellular Plasticity: Reprogramming, Regeneration and Metaplasia", was held in January 2019 and another Keystone Symposium titled "Tissue Plasticity: Preservation and Alteration of Cellular Identity" is being planned for October 2020. These conferences are indicative of a robust interest of the scientific community, and of a critical mass of knowledge being generated in this new field. Given the strong interest of NIDCR in advancing Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissue regeneration, it is important for the Institute to join this effort. To achieve maximum results, this initiative will highly encourage collaborations of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissue regeneration experts with investigators exploring lineage plasticity and reprogramming of other tissues in the body.
Scope and Areas of Interest
The long-term goal of this FOA within an umbrella of NIDCR 2030 Theme Autotherapies, is to develop practical approaches for capitalizing on developmental plasticity of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissues for their healing and regeneration. To achieve these goals, it will be necessary to build a strong basic science knowledge base to define the capacity of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial cells to undergo in vivo lineage reprogramming in response to injury and other types of environmental stress, elucidate molecular and cellular mechanisms, identify signaling pathways and mediators of this reprogramming, and develop approaches for optimizing safety and efficiency of reprogramming in appropriate animal models. While this FOA is focused on lineage reprogramming in vivo, employment of in vitro model systems, would be within the scope of this FOA, as long as the proposed experimental plans address questions relevant to reprogramming in vivo. Employment of tools and technologies such as, single cell-based analyses, including single cell transcriptomics, epigenomics and proteomics; bioinformatics, machine learning or systems biology; tissue organoids or tissue/organ on chips; bioengineering, genome-editing or gene transfer; high-resolution real-time imaging, among others are expected. The specific areas of interest include but are not limited to those listed below:
Elucidation of the molecular and cellular mechanisms and the nature of signaling mediators and pathways of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial cell lineage reprogramming
Investigation of the innate and adaptive immune system- mediated mechanisms of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial cell lineage reprogramming
Investigation of molecular and cellular components and modes of interactions within Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial stem cell niches that mediate lineage reprogramming
Elucidation of developmental relationships and dynamic lineage transitions among cells comprising Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial stem cell niches that underlie tissue regeneration in response to injury or environmental stress
Derivation of new and refining existing approaches, including bioengineering approaches, for targeted manipulation of in vivo tissue microenvironment to achieve efficient and safe Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial cell reprogramming
Derivation of new and refining existing animal models, including mouse genetic models to serve as experimental systems for studies of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial cell lineage reprogramming
Derivation of in vitro systems to serve as experimental systems for studies of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial tissue lineage reprogramming
Development of cell type-specific biomarkers of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial cell lineage reprogramming
Development and refining strategies for targeted gene manipulations of defined cell populations to allow interrogation of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial cell plasticity
Derivation of functional assays and readouts for monitoring Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial cell lineage reprogramming
The following areas of focus for research projects are not responsive to this FOA:
Projects employing single cell analysis, such as transcriptomics, epigenomics and proteomics, but not directly related to investigation of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial cell lineage plasticity
Projects that focus on developing and/or utilizing tools and technologies listed in Specific Areas of Interest above, but not directly related to investigation of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial cell lineage plasticity
Not Allowed: Only accepting applications that do not propose clinical trials
NIDCR intends to commit $3M total costs in FY 2021 to fund 5-8 awards solicited from RFA-DE-20-007 and its companion,RFA-DE-20-006.
Application budgets are limited to $275,000 over two years with no more then $200,000 in any year.
eRA Commons - Applicants must have an active DUNS number to register in eRA Commons.Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration, but all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guideexcept where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Dr. Yasaman Shirazi
Email: shiraziy@mail.nih.gov
This FOA encourages collaborations a?m?o?n?g investigators already involved in studies of endogenous lineage plasticity and reprogramming of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial and other types of tissues with those who are only entering this field. It requires that expertise and prior experience in studying lineage plasticity and reprogramming be present on the team. For those investigators who are only entering the field, multi-PI applications are highly encouraged. Additionally, if one or more types of single-cell analyses are involved in the project, bioinformatics expertise on the team is required.
The Research Plan is required to address the following topics:
How the scope of the proposed project directly addresses endogenous lineage reprogramming of Dental, Oral and Craniofacial cells
?How the scope of the proposed project fits the exploratory high risk high reward nature of R21 mechanism
How the proposed Specific Aims will allow achieving the goals of the proposed project
What existing or to be developed in vivo or/and in vitro model systems, including injury model system, will be employed
Which functional assays and readouts will be used to detect lineage reprogramming events
Which strategies will be used for detecting, monitoring and tracing lineage reprogramming events in the heterogeneous cell populations of Dental, Oral and Craniofacial tissues and organs
Which cell type specific biomarkers will be used for detecting lineage transitions
Which approaches will be employed for analyzing lineage plasticity of Dental, Oral and Craniofacial cells on a single-cell level
How endogenous Dental, Oral and Craniofacial tissue regeneration will be tested and monitored
All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, are required to address a Data Sharing Plan.
When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-definedclinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and for responsiveness by NIDCR, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.
Is the expertise on the project is appropriate for the work proposed?
Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Have the investigators included plans to address weaknesses in the rigor of prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project? Have the investigators presented strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, as appropriate for the work proposed? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed? Have the investigators presented adequate plans to address relevant biological variables, such as sex, for studies in vertebrate animals or human subjects?
Are proposed in vivo and/or in vitro models appropriate for achieving the goals of Specific Aims?
Are functional assays and readouts appropriate to monitor Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial lineage reprogramming and tissue regeneration?
Are appropriate biomarkers to be used for detecting lineage transitions defined?
For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of thecategories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.
Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by NIDCR, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.
Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.
Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the appropriate national Advisory Council or Board. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons.Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.
Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Grantee institutions must ensure that protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the awardee must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.
For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA. HHS provides general guidance to recipients of FFA on meeting their legal obligation to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to their programs by persons with limited English proficiency. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/special-topics/limited-english-proficiency/index.html. The HHS Office for Civil Rights also provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/section-1557/index.htmlhttps://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/laws-regulations-guidance/index.html. Recipients of FFA also have specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/disability/index.html. Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.htmlor call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697. Also note it is an HHS Departmental goal to ensure access to quality, culturally competent care, including long-term services and supports, for vulnerable populations. For further guidance on providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services, recipients should review the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care at http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=53.
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreementsare required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.
In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM)about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings.Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 – Award Term and Conditions for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.
eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threatensubmission by the due date, and post-submission issues)
Finding Help Online:http://grants.nih.gov/support/(preferred method of contact)
Email:GrantsInfo@nih.gov(preferred method of contact)
Grants.gov Customer Support(Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Email:support@grants.gov
Nadya Lumelsky, PhD
Email:nadyal@nidcr.nih.gov
Yasaman Shirazi, PhD
Email: yasaman.shirazi@nih.gov
Diana Rutberg, MBA
Email:rutbergd@mail.nih.gov