Bergman Dacey Goldsmith provides ongoing advice and counseling to our clients. Our firm has significant experience handling multi-million dollar construction matters on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. The matters we handle in both the threatened and actual litigation phases of a construction project include: contract and change-order disputes, delay, disruption and acceleration claims, performance and payment bond disputes, patent and latent construction defect claims, indemnification claims, general foreclosure actions, professional design errors, omissions and liability claims, and review of prime contracts, architect contracts, construction management contracts, inspector contracts, and pre-qualification documentation for risk management and litigation prevention purposes.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith achieves each client's goals by relying on over two decades of extensive experience representing public and private construction project owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and sureties.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith repeatedly extricates clients from lawsuits involving private and public works construction projects before they have to respond to a lawsuit. We write strongly worded demand letters, containing well-reasoned arguments explaining why a complaint is without merit, which often results in dismissal of the lawsuit before a responsive pleading is due.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith has resolved hundreds of construction matters, both private and public works, by getting the other side to an early mediation. At mediation, we strategically gain leverage to obtain economically, favorable settlements for our clients. Early resolution through mediation frequently results in significant savings in potential attorney fees and costs.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith often obtains stipulated judgments against defendant contractors who wish to avoid trial. We negotiated such settlements in areas as diverse as a freeway project, a U.S. Navy Housing project, high school projects, and a museum project. These types of settlements may include up-front amounts, payment schedules, and an executed stipulated fraud judgment held in trust to be filed in the event of nonpayment.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represented several general contractors who were actively engaged in the repair of structures damaged in the 1994 Earthquake, including multi-unit residential and government owned buildings. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith obtained an $8 million settlement reached during an informal mediation on behalf of one of these general contractors.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully represents public entity owners and general contractors in administrative hearings in connection with issues ranging from bid protests, substitution of listed subcontractors, contractor licensing, assignment of subcontract, prevailing wage violations, and penalties for alleged statutory violations of the Public Contract Code, the Labor Code and the Business and Professions Code. Our vast experience on behalf of clients on both sides of these issues makes us extremely effective.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith has extensive experience representing public entities and private contractors in disputes arising under the California Labor Code's provisions governing the payment of prevailing wages on public works construction projects. Our experience includes assisting public entity labor compliance officers in their investigation of Labor Code compliance, the determination, recovery, and disbursement of back wages and statutory penalties, and the representation of public entities in review hearings before the Department of Industrial Relations and writ proceedings at the trial and appellate court levels.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represents multiple school and college districts, and various fire districts, sanitary districts, water districts, cities, and counties within the State of California. We handle a wide variety of matters on behalf of our clients, including contractor licensing, bidding, and substitution of subcontractor issues, stop notice enforcement actions, claims for breach of contract, delay, disruption, acceleration, wrongful termination, contractor abandonment, fraud, false claims, prevailing wage violations, statutory penalties and interest, and other statutory claims. Our efforts to limit the public entity's litigation expenses, while providing the necessary services, are designed to protect our client's interests. We aggressively advocate our clients' interests, while always remaining vigilant in seeking settlement opportunities.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully assisted our client, a public entity, to favorably resolve over 100 cases pending against it through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and trial. Although these cases posed a potential exposure in excess of $80 million, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith was able to obtain resolutions resulting in a net gain of $3 million to our client, who paid a total of $1.7 million, but collected $4.7 million from these same contractors and their performance bond sureties.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully petitioned the California Court of Appeal to allow our client, a public entity, to retain over one million dollars in settlement funds that a contractor had sought to recoup under a theory that the public entity breached the settlement agreement. Initially, the trial court overruled our objection that it lacked jurisdiction to enforce the settlement. In response to our petition, however, the Court of Appeal issued a Palma Letter ordering the trial court to either rule in our client's favor or file a substantive opposition to our petition. Under this ruling by the Court of Appeal, the trial court issued a new order in favor of our client.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's client, a public entity owner, settled a lawsuit brought against three construction management firms and one engineering firm hired by the public entity client. The case had been hotly litigated for two years and settled very favorably for our client.
A general contractor walked off two public works projects contending Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's client, the public entity owner, materially breached both contracts. The general contractor filed suit seeking in excess of $3,000,000.00 in damages. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's client cross-complained seeking approximately $1,500,000.00 in damages. Multiple settlement conferences were held. After successfully convincing the court that the general contractor and its performance bond surety had waived trial by jury, the court granted Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's client's motion to try legal issues first. Our client won nine of the nine legal issues tried to the court. The general contractor and its performance bond surety requested the court to set a mandatory settlement conference with another sitting judge. The case settled within three days with the general contractor receiving nothing. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's client obtained a settlement from the general contractor and its performance bond surety worth approximately $1,200,000.00, which was paid within ten days.
A general contractor claimed that it had finished a $10,000,000.00 plus public works project and then filed suit against Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's client, the public entity owner, seeking in excess of $12,000,000.00 in damages. Our client cross-complained contending that the project was not substantially complete and that the general contractor materially breached the contract causing substantial damage to the public entity. The action was consolidated with other related cases and litigated. Formal settlement attempts stalled. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith then proposed an out of the ordinary settlement vehicle to the general contractor and its performance bond surety, the cross-defendants on the public entity's cross-complaint. A settlement was reached where under the public entity agreed to release a reduced amount of the retention if the general contractor waived its entire claim against Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's client and return to the site, under new payment and performance bonds, and successfully finish the project.
A general contractor walked off a public works construction project contending that Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's client, the public entity owner, materially breached the contract for failing to make progress payments. The general contractor sought damages in excess of $5,000,000.00. Our client cross-complained against the general contractor and its performance bond surety. The litigation grew into a consolidated action with approximately 45 parties. Formal settlement conferences were ordered by the court and extended over an eight month period. No positive results were reached. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith then proposed a settlement vehicle to the general contractor and performance bond surety that resulted in a settlement of the action. As a result, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's client paid nothing and received a settlement payment in excess of $1,200,000.00.
In a series of consolidated lawsuits involving eight construction projects, which undoubtedly would have entailed thousands of attorney hours to investigate, prepare, and proceed to trial, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith was able to convince the only defendant that had sued its public entity client for contribution and indemnification to dismiss it in exchange for a tolling agreement, thereby avoiding an unnecessary lengthy trial (estimated to take sixty days) and the extensive costs and disruption accompanying such proceedings.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represents a school district in assisting with its negotiation of takeover agreements with performance bond sureties for the completion of projects upon the original contractors default and material breach of contract.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represents a school district in lawsuits brought by general contractors challenging the school district's procedure for pre-qualification of bidders and the school district's finding that certain general contractors are non-responsible bidders.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represented a school district and various administrators in a multi-million dollar lawsuit brought by a subcontractor seeking to overturn an administrative determination that the subcontractor failed to pay prevailing wages to its workers on a school project. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully obtained dismissal of all claims against the district and its administrators as affirmed in a published opinion by the California Court of Appeal in Mobley v. Los Angeles Unified School District, 90 Cal.App.4th 1221, 109 Cal.Rptr.2d 591 (2001).
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represented a school district with the sudden liquidation of a national surety company. A large number of the school district's construction projects involved bonds previously issued by the now insolvent surety company. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully handled the economic and legal fallout from the sudden liquidation, and secured all the necessary replacement bonds from the contractors and from the replacement surety companies.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represented a school district in litigation with contractors who are also the subject of criminal prosecutions for bid-rigging and violations of the Cartwright Act. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully opposed one of the contractor's ex parte efforts seeking immediate release of contract funds through a Petition for Writ of Mandate, then filed a cross-complaint on behalf of the school district to recover damages for contractor's defective work on the project.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represented a school district in a dispute over the construction of a $40 million high school. We successfully convinced the plaintiff to dismiss the school district from five stop notice lawsuits by demonstrating stop notice release bonds were posted. We also negotiated a settlement with the general contractor on behalf of the school district which enabled the project to be completed.
A contractor brought an action for breach of contract and various torts arising from the expansion of a water filtration plant against a public agency who furnishes water throughout Southern California. In representing the public agency, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith was successful in dismissing several causes of action brought by the contractor. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's aggressive discovery strategy and presentation of the public agency's case during a three-day mediation forced the contractor and its subcontractors to reconsider the alleged merits of their case. Shortly after the mediation, we settled the case, with the result that our public agency client returned the retention funds, and did not owe anything else.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represented a school district in a lawsuit brought by the general contractor for sums allegedly owed from the construction of a baseball field. Although the contractor sued for over $9 million in damages, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully resolved the lawsuit after the first few days of trial for close to the amount of retention funds being withheld on the project.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represented a school district on a classroom relocation project in a suit brought by an electrical subcontractor who filed a stop notice claim. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully brought the punch list to completion, while the general contractor agreed to waive unpaid change orders in exchange for the release of the retention funds. The electrical subcontractor agreed to release its stop notice claims and dismiss the district from the lawsuit since the remaining retention money was placed in a trust account and secured by a bond, thereby entitling the electrical subcontractor, if it prevailed on its action against the general contractor, to recover these sums.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith recently settled a dispute on behalf of a school district over portable classrooms after convincing opposing counsel most of the manufacturer's claims were time barred.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith recently extricated a school district client from a subcontractor-general contractor dispute arising from a public works project within 30 days of the district being served with the Summons and Complaint. We sent a demand letter to opposing counsel demonstrating, with citations to case law and applicable statutes, that maintaining the cause of action against the school district would subject the plaintiff and their counsel to monetary sanctions in the form of attorney's fees and costs. A dismissal of the district was received within six days of the letter being sent.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith helped resolve a twenty-year dispute concerning the use of $100 million in funds for the construction of housing and business developments in geographic areas affected by the construction of an interstate freeway.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith settled litigation on behalf of a large school district client in an action against a general contractor. The contractor had obtained final inspection and had notices of completion filed on two separate public works projects. However, given past experience with the contractor, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith had a team of forensic experts inspect the sites. It was determined that numerous defects in the work existed. The school district sued the contractor and its performance bond surety. The contractor's primary defense was that the school district had accepted the jobs and that the bond was exonerated upon the filing of the notices of completion. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith disagreed. The defects were discovered within the general warranty period and the school district's complaint was timely filed. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith then convinced the contractor to settle as the defects existed and the contractor's and surety's defenses had no merit. The contractor did settle and paid Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's school district client $2,000,000.00.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith resolved two separate stop notice claims on behalf of a school district client in lawsuits arising out of a modernization project. In one action, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith convinced the plaintiff, through a strongly worded demand letter citing to applicable authority, that its stop notice claim was procedurally defective as against the school district. The plaintiff in that action immediately dismissed all of its claims against our client. In the second stop notice action, we negotiated a stipulation with the other parties whereby the district interpled with the court a portion of the funds withheld pursuant to the stop notice in exchange for a dismissal with prejudice from the action. We negotiated the stipulation in such a way as to allow the district to use a portion of the withheld funds to cover all of the attorneys' fees and costs it incurred in defending the stop notice action.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith handled a complex breach of contract case on behalf of a school district client involving claims by a general contractor on a modernization and safety and technology project. The general contractor sought damages in excess of $3,300,000.00 for progress payments, retention, and alleged delays, disruptions, and acceleration of its work. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith filed a cross-complaint on behalf of the school district against the contractor and its performance and license bond sureties seeking damages related to the contractor's failure to complete the project. Utilizing the leverage we had developed during the hard-fought litigation, we structured a favorable settlement whereby the school district would receive a completed project and a dismissal of the contractor's entire $3,300,000.00 claim in exchange for payment by the school district of less than $280,000.00.
One of Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's school district clients terminated a general contractor's right to proceed with work when the general contractor could not properly man, supervise, coordinate, and construct the project. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith was brought in to convince the general contractor's performance bond surety to take over the project. It did so, and the project was successfully completed at no further cost to the school district. The general contractor ultimately sued the school district. The school district cross-complained against the general contractor and performance bond surety for damages sustained before the surety took over. The performance bond surety also sued the general contractor. During litigation, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith convinced the surety company to defend, indemnify and hold the school district harmless against the general contractor's claim in exchange for the school district assigning its claims against the contractor to the surety. In doing so, the school district avoided the expense and risks of attending a jury trial.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith settled a public works construction litigation where a contractor claimed damages for, among other things, delay, lost profit, and failure of the public entity owner to follow the contractual dispute resolution procedures. At the mediation, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith pushed the contractor to back up its numbers with factual support and asserted various legal arguments. Because the contractor was unable to rebut the legal arguments or provide the level of back-up requested, the case settled at an amount favorable to our client, the public entity owner.
When a private construction company began to experience delay and disruption issues on a $400 million Southern California private university project, it called Bergman Dacey Goldsmith. Our client's goals were to avoid litigation and ensure its rights were fully protected while keeping the project on schedule. We fully evaluated our client's rights and obligations, interfaced with project site personnel, and developed a plan of operation to have the project completed. Despite the project experiencing numerous impacts, and running a year and a half over schedule, preventative risk counseling from Bergman Dacey Goldsmith and exceptional project management under extremely challenging site conditions, produced only one lawsuit. A subcontractor sued the general contractor seeking in excess of $250,000.00 for alleged extras supposedly incorporated into the project. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith convinced the plaintiff that it could not prove its case with certainty. A nuisance value, less than cost of defense, settlement was reached within six weeks of a pending trial date.
The same client utilized Bergman Dacey Goldsmith in connection with several different projects: the Junipero Serra State Office Building in downtown Los Angeles, the Howard Hughes Entertainment Center, and The Rivers, a commercial development in Rancho Mirage, California.
A general contractor client of Bergman Dacey Goldsmith recently bid on a $10,000,000.00 plus public works engineering project for a local city. Our client was the third lowest bidder but reported certain deficiencies that it was aware of in the two low bids and the bid process overall. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith assisted the client in drafting a bid protest contending bid irregularities and that the city's conducting of the bid (use of two different bid clocks) created an unfair competitive advantage for some of the bidders. The city reviewed the bid protest, found it to be meritorious, and rejected all bids. The project was to be re-bid.
A general contractor client of Bergman Dacey Goldsmith recently sued a city concerning a historical preservation project, seeking damages for delay, penalties for late progress payments, penalties for wrongfully withholding retention, and other damages. While the general contractor had performed successfully, it suffered significant impacts from the city changing the available hours of construction after award of the contract. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully argued that a change order that the city contended fully compensated for the hours change was not binding on the contractor and that the city's belated reasons for withholding retention were contrived and in bad faith. The case settled with the city making a settlement payment to Bergman & Dacey Inc.'s client five weeks before a pending trial date.
Construction of the State of California's new Museum of Science and Industry in Exposition Park near downtown Los Angeles, ran thirteen months beyond the original completion date. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith became involved during the early stages of the Museum of Science and Industry project. We worked with project personnel to help organize their records to document ongoing problems and issues for later use in litigation. However, only three lawsuits were filed.
We first represented our client in an administrative hearing under the Public Contract Code when the structural steel subcontractor sued for $2.5 million after being removed from the project. Our client and its surety cross-complained against the steel subcontractor and its performance bond surety. The case settled eleven days before trial with our clients receiving $750,000.00 and paying out nothing.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith also successfully handled two separate trials arising from the Museum of Science and Industry project. When the subcontractors initiated actions against our client seeking delay, disruption, and acceleration damages, (with the assistance of consultants and experts) we objectively evaluated and assessed both cases. In the first trial, the plaintiff sought over $3.3 million and was awarded only $131,000.00. By way of post-trial motions, our client was awarded $511,000.00 in attorneys' fees and associated costs. After deducting plaintiff's award, a new judgment of $380,000.00 was entered in our client's favor. We obtained a similar result for our client in the second trial. Seeking $1.8 million against our client, the plaintiff recovered only $69,000.00. Through post-trial motions, our client was awarded $350,000.00 in attorneys' fees and costs, resulting in a new judgment of $281,000.00 entered in our client's favor.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith represented a general contractor in a dispute regarding the Roosmoor Leisure World Project. We were able to defeat the defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (the defendant claimed that the general contractor's claims were barred by the statute of limitations) by demonstrating the new claims related back to the previously filed claims.
In a breach of statutory duty/fraudulent conveyance action arising out of a construction project, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith obtained an assignment of rights on behalf of our client and successfully pursued the causes of action on behalf of our client against a bank. Our client recovered monies it was not aware it had any right to pursue.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully resolved a construction defect litigation dispute on a multi-building project by obtaining a dismissal of the general contractor from the action by way of a motion for sanctions against the subcontractor's frivolous pleading.
In a construction contract dispute involving a subcontractor's stop notice claim against the owner, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith negotiated a settlement on behalf of the owner wherein our client received reimbursement for all of its attorney's fees incurred in the stop notice action, even though the contract between the owner and the general contractor did not have an attorney's fees provision.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully resolved an indemnity claim made by a private owner's title insurance company against our client, the general contractor, by cross-complaining against the title company and the owner for recision and/or reformation of the indemnity agreement.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith obtained judgments on behalf of a general contractor against three separate subcontractors, all based on promissory estoppel causes of action. Each of the three subcontractors submitted bids on which the prime contractor relied, and then refused to sign subcontracts with the general contractor. We successfully recovered the difference between the bids and the replacement subcontracts for the general contractor.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith settled two separate actions to foreclose mechanics' liens brought on behalf of our client who had construction contracts with lessees of commercial property. In each case, after the lessee breached its lease with the property owner, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith recovered against the property owner despite the fact that the property owner posted Notices of Non-Responsibility.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith obtained two defense verdicts and a successful resolution for one of its general contracting clients and its bonding companies when a subcontractor sought recovery of damages against the payment and stop notice release bond sureties. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith obtained defense verdicts as to both surety companies, received a defense verdict on the quantum meruit cause of action, and prevailed on a trial motion which knocked out $500,000.00 in alleged "cost of borrowing" damages.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith recovered several hundred thousand dollars from a subcontractor on behalf of our client, a joint venture general contractor regarding a Federal Navy Housing Project in San Diego which was presented as a breach of contract action. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith filed suit on behalf of the general contractor and shortly thereafter moved for summary judgment. The subcontractor then agreed to a stipulated judgment and a payment plan before the summary judgment motion was heard by the court.
Bergman Dacey Goldsmith successfully convinced a court to sustain a demurrer to a complaint, without leave to amend, on a claim against the payment bond. The court agreed with Bergman Dacey Goldsmith's position that the plaintiff failed to provide the preliminary notice required by statute. Therefore, the plaintiff did not preserve its right to sue on the bond. The court also awarded our client attorneys' fees and costs.
In a private works, high-end remodel construction project, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith was able to obtain a 100% recovery on behalf of the general contractor against the owner in an arbitration for an award of $370,655.58. Although the owner put forth many defenses, including over-billing, delay in progress of the work, and that the contract was modified by conduct, Bergman Dacey Goldsmith was able to obtain a ruling from the Arbitrator finding in our client's favor on each of those defenses. Bergman Dacey Goldsmith has filed post-award briefs seeking costs, attorneys' fees as the prevailing party, statutory penalties, and interest.


text:
Q: How can I encode an id in url in ActionResult in asp.net mvc I need to encode the id before returning view. The id can be easily guessed when passed in url so I am trying to encode before returning in View
     [HttpGet]
    public ActionResult Index(int id = 0)
    {
        var model = new ReviewModel();
        if (id != 0)
        {
            model.Id = id;
            model = model.Get();
             //How can I encode model.Id here***
        }
        ViewBag.IsAdmin = model.IsAdmin(User.Identity.Name);
        model.SaveAudit("Visits Code of Conduct", User.Identity.Name);

        return View(model);
    }

A: Consider Non-Integer Identifiers or Manual Encryption/Decryption
Since it's an integer, your options as far as attempting to encode it are going to be fairly limited if you want to consider storing it on your model still. If you have the ability to store some type of more unique identifier such as Guid, then that might be preferable as it would take out the element of a user attempting to "guess" or alter the value.
I suppose you could create some type of hash based on your integer value and pass that along (you would need update your value accordingly) and then decrypt the hashed value on the POST side of the request similar to the approach mentioned in this thread.
Possibly Temporary Storage Usage
One consideration could be to use some form of temporary storage like TempData to store the value so that it would be available on the subsequent request :
if (id != 0)
{
        model.Id = id;
        model = model.Get();
        // Store the ID in TempData
        TempData["CurrentReviewID"] = id;
}

And then when your following request, presumably the POST that cooresponds to this is triggered, you could read your value from the TempData collection and use it :
[HttpPost]
public ActionResult Index(ReviewModel model)
{
      // Resolve your ID here
      int int = Convert.ToInt32(TempData["CurrentReviewID"]);

      // Continue as expected
}

Approaches like this or gulp the Session could be used to persist this kind of information between requests, but this can add an element of statefulness to your applications, which you generally want to avoid in MVC applications.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Jeffrey Borer
Jeffrey S. Borer, MD
Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology, Radiology and Surgery Chairman, Department of Medicine, and Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine Director, The Howard Gilman Institute for Heart Valve Diseases and the Cardiovascular Translational Research Institute State University of New York Downstate Medical Center
View Institutional Profile
Jeffrey S. Borer, M.D., is Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology, Radiology and Surgery at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. He is Chairman, Department of Medicine and Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, and Director of two research institutes at Downstate.
Dr. Borer received his BA from Harvard, his M.D. from Cornell, trained at the Massachusetts General Hospital, spent 7 years in the Cardiology Branch of the NHLBI and a year at Guy's Hospital in London as a Senior Fullbright Hays Scholar and Glorney-Raisbeck Fellow in the Medical Sciences, where he completed the first clinical demonstration of nitroglycerin's utility in acute myocardial infarction following several years of preclinical enabling studies that he performed at NIH.
Upon returning to the NIH, he developed stress radionuclide cineangiography, enabling for the first time the non-invasive assessment of cardiac function with exercise. He returned to Cornell for 30 years as Gladys and Roland Harriman Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Pathophysiology. At Cornell and now at SUNY Downstate, in addition to teaching and clinical service, his research primarily has involved developing prognosticators for regurgitant valve diseases, exploring the cellular/molecular myocardial biology of valve diseases, and assessing the effects of heart rate modulation on clinical outcomes, with trials in coronary artery disease and heart failure.
He has been an Advisor to the USFDA for 35 years, chairing the CardioRenal Drugs Advisory Committee for 3 terms, and the Circulatory Devices Advisory Panel for one term, was a life sciences Advisor to NASA for 24 years, has served as officer or board member of several national professional societies (current President of the Heart Valve Society of America), has published almost 450 scientific papers and 5 books, is editor-in-chief of the journal, Cardiology, and has received several awards and other recognitions for his work.
Roundtables Participated:
Aortic Valve Disease in the Elderly: When is Surgery Indicated? What Can be Expected in a Follow Up?
Critique of Randomized Controlled Trials Comparing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Medical Therapy in Patients with Stable Angina
Heart Disease in Women
Modern Technology Has Not Replaced the Cardiac Physical Exam
Pharmacological Therapy for Regurgitant Valve Lesions: Does It Really Work?
The Role of Heart Rate Modulation for Care of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Heart Failure

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How do you really know if you are using the right styling product. I know sometimes it can be hard to look at your own hair but here is one note that should be taken seriously…When you see a ton of flakes, piling up in your hair, this is usually from bad hair products not getting washed out properly, too much hairspray or simply can be a case of bad dandruff.
Now I know this photo isn't pretty but you need to see what other people see when you are standing or sitting below their eye level. Now, from my research these are some treatment shampoos that should help if indeed you have dandruff. First though, what I know about Head and Shoulders is this, it (don't know if it still is) used to be so strong that if you put rollers in your hair then poured Head and Shoulders all over your head, rinsed the shampoo out, removed the rollers, your hair would keep the curl. If this product is strong enough to perm your hair, then yes, I guess it will get rid of dandruff, but in the process you would have BADLY damaged hair. So please try something else!
Here is an all natural treatment that you can do yourself.
Boil some water and soak rosemary leaves in it. Let it stand for one night. Strain and add vinegar to it. After shampooing, wash your hair with this preparation. It treats the hair very fast. Make sure you eat lots of greens and take vitamin E and B complex supplements. Biotin in your diet is very important and is considered an important anti-dandruff compound. Eat foods rich in biotin: soybeans, oats, barley, corn, garlic, avocado,ginseng.
It cleanses away residue and styling build up without stripping hair. Novel chelating agents remove excess minerals such as chlorine, iron, magnesium and copper leaving hair thoroughly cleansed. Bamboo remineralizes, restructures and tones.


text:
Q: Error building latest linux kernel within VirtualBox under 18.04.1-Ubuntu I am trying to build the latest Linux kernel (GitHub) using a Oracel VM and a 18.04.1-Ubuntu image.
I installed the need packages and probably even more. Here is a part of the packages I installed:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git fakeroot build-essential ncurses-dev xz-utils libssl-dev bc bison flex libelf-def kernel-package

The full list  can be found here.
I ran the following commands in the linux folder after cloning the repository from GitHub.
$ cp /boot/config-$(uname -r) .config

$ make menuconfig
scripts/kconfig/mconf  Kconfig
.config:1118:warning: symbol value 'm' invalid for NF_CT_PROTO_GRE
.config:1923:warning: symbol value 'm' invalid for NET_DEVLINK
.config:7865:warning: symbol value 'm' invalid for ASHMEM
.config:8724:warning: symbol value 'm' invalid for ANDROID_BINDER_IPC
.config:8725:warning: symbol value 'm' invalid for ANDROID_BINDERFS

*** End of the configuration.
*** Execute 'make' to start the build or try 'make help'.

I save and exited menuconfig. And finally make leads to the following error.
$ make -j2
Makefile:608: include/config/auto.conf: No such file or directory
Makefile:660: include/config/auto.conf.cmd: No such file or directory
  HOSTCC  scripts/kconfig/conf.o
  HOSTLD  scripts/kconfig/conf
scripts/kconfig/conf  --syncconfig Kconfig

*** Error during sync of the configuration.

scripts/kconfig/Makefile:73: recipe for target 'syncconfig' failed
make[2]: *** [syncconfig] Error 1
Makefile:562: recipe for target 'syncconfig' failed
make[1]: *** [syncconfig] Error 2
Makefile:678: recipe for target 'include/config/auto.conf.cmd' failed
make: *** [include/config/auto.conf.cmd] Error 2
make: *** Deleting file 'include/config/auto.conf.cmd'

Looks like make is expecting some additional configuration files include/config/auto.conf. Does anyone have a clue for me.
Thanks!

A: Trying to compile kernel 5.6.3 as non-root, I ran into this exact problem.
Running the suggestion from Oandiy's comment
git clean -xdf

revealed that I had files in my source tree that were owned by root and could not be deleted. Looking in my history I found,
sudo make localmodconfig  # DO NOT DO THIS

which had installed files, as root, in include/config/* and include/generated/autoconf.h.
To see if you have the same problem, run
sudo find . -uid 0

or just look at the error messages of git clean -xdf (there shouldn't be any).
After deleting all files and directories owned by root, I recovered from this deadlock with:
unset ARCH
cp .config ../config.backup  # If you still have this.
git clean -xdf               # No errors (this also deletes .config)
cp ../config.backup .config  # Or generate a new one *).
make olddefconfig            # Printed at the end: 'No change to .config'

Note that I needed to clear ARCH from my environment.
After this I went on as usual,
VERSION=5.6.3                # I have checked out tag v5.6.3 **)
FLAVOUR=lowlatlocxhci        # Or whatever you want to call your kernel.
make -j8 deb-pkg LOCALVERSION=-$FLAVOUR
sudo dpkg -i ../linux-headers-$VERSION-${FLAVOUR}_$VERSION-$FLAVOUR-1_amd64.deb ../linux-image-$VERSION-${FLAVOUR}_$VERSION-${FLAVOUR}-1_amd64.deb

The last command fails to compile virtualbox kernel modules at the moment, but I don't care about those, and those errors can be ignored (as long as you don't use virtual box).
*) The .config used was prepared by booting to a kernel with everything (ie, a dist. kernel), copying its config from /boot to the source tree and running make localmodconfig after making sure all kernel modules that I needed where loaded (by running those applications that cause such modules to be loaded). And finally running make menuconfig to turn off CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO in this kernel and to turn a few things that are normally built into the kernel into modules as well (which I needed for some reason).
**) My git tree has been prepared with:
VERSION=5.6.3
FLAVOUR=lowlatlocxhci
git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git linux-$VERSION-$FLAVOUR-$VERSION-$FLAVOUR
cd linux-$VERSION-$FLAVOUR-$VERSION-$FLAVOUR
git checkout -b test_$FLAVOUR v$VERSION
# Make manual changes here, and commit as usual.


text:
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - Season 0 Episode 35 : Special Edition - A Look Back at Voting 2023
Conservatives are up in arms over non-existent voter fraud, Pennsylvania upholds a controversial voter I.D. law, and Jason Jones helps a frustrated voter feel as though his vote actually matters in this Daily Show Special Edition.


Moments like these are the reason this is home...ahh, New York City.
Yesterday we were doing some stuff around the apartment when we randomly heard brass music. Looking outside we saw The Hungry Marching Band cruising literally right past my window...they were Second Linin' Down The Highline!
It was part of Make Music NYC. I couldn't get my camera in time, but eerily almost the same thing happened today.
Will getting some ducks in a row, it started pouring rain outside...when the rain stopped I could have swore I heard some drums. Looked outside and there was a jazz band playing the pop-up beer garden right under the Highline!
Sorry for the narrow video (first on my new iphone!) but I managed to run down and catch the last snippet of the bands set amidst the puddles and brave souls drinking in the rain. Ahh small moments make me love this town more and more...however, it is a touch bizarre that 4 years ago people were getting shot here and now there is a legit art installation.
How the city reinvents itself is astounding....Now we have tourists were their only used to be hookers...Progress!


Technology is forever expanding, from the way we communicate to everyday work ethics and skills. It makes an impact across education, proving to be an invaluable resource in schools for student's learning development. Pupils now have the ability to produce progressive results by using online research as well as the latest software programs and tools, a far cry from the traditional methods of pen and paper, and literature in print.
We've created an infographic on how food supplies and identification labels hold up over time, all in the name of surviving the apocalypse.
Surrounded by flesh eating zombies, or an end of the world catastrophe, what would you do to prepare yourself? How long would you be able to last on the food supplies available?
Do you have the information you need in order to cope and survive? Will food supplies hold up over time? Could you gain information from the important labelling sell by dates?
A couple of months ago, we decided to run a survey to find out what people thought of tamper proof labels – they're one of the most necessary items that we sell to businesses, being absolutely crucial in certain industries, from official departments in healthcare, government and defence to everyday jobs such as confidential office work and education. We'd heard the stories and read the complaints though of some end users, particularly in retail, that tamper proof labels can be a nuisance, leaving sticky residue on items they've bought or being near impossible to remove. And so, we ran our survey.
We asked 529 people whether they found tamper proof labels to be a nuisance or a necessity, and found that nearly half of these found them to be annoying. Our evidence went out as a press release that was published at Fresh Plaza among others, and we had the opportunity to hear back from lots of influencers about their thoughts on using tamper proof labels in retail. We know from an industry perspective how crucial our tamper proof labels can be to those using them to deter theft on everything from high value items to smaller goods in high street retail stores, but it really helped to reinforce our message hearing from people who work or have worked in these environments on a daily basis and understand just how necessary they are, from big businesses to small.
We've gathered some of the stories that bloggers and influencers shared with us together to show just how important they are for those working in the industry and other issues that those working in customer facing jobs deal with on a daily basis – maybe it'll make consumers think twice when purchasing something with a tamper proof label attached or when making a complaint!
Will Apple's Passbook app really make life a lot easier for consumers?
Apple fans are waiting with baited breath for the arrival of the new operating system this autumn, with iOS 6 set to change the landscape yet again with regards to what is possible with mobile devices.
Over the past few years the 'app' has really taken off, with all smartphone manufacturers looking to get in on the act. It is not just Apple leading the way in terms of releasing and allowing access to applications that make things easier for their customers.
Barcode labels are now used the world over in retail and commercial establishments to keep track of stock items. Their use has increase exponentially over the past couple of decades and whilst many people might think that they are only used for pricing and stock quantity reasons, barcode labels have many other uses besides.
One of the areas where barcodes are used extensively is in warehouses. Yes, barcode labels are used for stocktaking, but it's their ability to improve productivity and performance levels which stands them apart from the competition.
Barcode labels have been used for many years now and have proved to be invaluable in retail and commercial environments. They are handy at storing information about products, can offer safety and security to valuable items and ideal for retailers selling their goods.
It is this latter application that has really taken off over the past few years. As mobile phones have become more and more sophisticated, apps that can be downloaded to these devices allow the user to scan in the barcode present on all kinds of things and use this for a range of purposes.
Labels are used for a variety of purposes in the commercial and retail trade. The labels might contain information about a product, may contain safety information or may even be used for another purpose. The benefit of using adhesive labels however is that they can be stuck onto a product at any point in the product's lifecycle.
Current health and safety legislation is something which every employer should fully understand. Employers need to create an environment at work which is safe for their employees, whist also making sure that employees have the all necessary equipment they need to do their jobs.
Has the QR code got a future?
When any new product or service is hyped up, the furore surrounding it can detract from what the product offers. Take the recent explosion of the QR code for example. Who'd have thought that a simple grid pattern of data could have shaken the marketing world so significantly over the last few months?
The jury is still out on this new form of marketing, but one thing remains clear, the encoding of data can be extremely useful – just look at how barcodes have transformed the world in which we live.


text:
[soliloquy id="1578"]
What is Acupuncture?: Acupuncture is an invasive procedure where fine needles are used in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. Acupuncture originated in traditional Chinese culture; however its ability to help relieve pain stimulated western interest. Western medical acupuncture uses the same needles and often the same acupuncture points as traditional Chinese acupuncture. The only difference is the theory underpinning the technique.
Western acupuncture has been clinically proven to help improve many musculoskeletal conditions, so much so that it is recommended in the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for lower back pain and endorsed by the World Health Organization (2003).
"Consider offering a course of acupuncture needling comprising up to a maximum of 10 sessions over a period of up to 12 weeks." (NICE 2009)
Will it work for me?: Acupuncture is one of the many skills used within Physiotherapy as an integrated approach to the management of pain, inflammation and as a means of enhancing the body's own healing chemicals in order to aid recovery and enhance rehabilitation.
Research has shown that most people gain relief from acupuncture and this is in part due to the release of chemicals like endorphins and serotonin into the body during acupuncture which are pain-inhibiting chemicals. The scientific proof gained from the research base allows acupuncture to be integrated with conventional medicine. Clinical trials provide evidence that acupuncture has a powerful and sustained effect on musculoskeletal pain. It is now commonly used in general practice, Physiotherapy and pain clinics as a compliment to conventional medicine.
Acupuncture is effective in the treatment of:
Migraines, neck disorders, tension -type headaches , and peripheral joint osteoarthritis (Lee & Ernst 2011)
Osteoarthritis – The Osteoarthritis Research Society International (Zhang et al. 2008)
Chronic low back pain (Huffman 2007, Manheimer et al. 2005)
The combination of acupuncture and conventional therapy was better than conventional therapy alone (Manheimer et al. 2005).
Is it safe?: Acupuncture is safe when practiced by a qualified Physiotherapist who has had extra training in acupuncture. There are strict hygiene guidelines: the needles are single use, disposable, pre-sterilised and individually packaged. They are also supplied in guidance tubes for easy insertion, with no risk of anything touching the needle during the process.
Are there any side effects?: Minor side effects could occasionally include: drowsiness post treatment, mild bruising at the needle site, temporary pain increase, fainting, minor bleeding.
Serious side effects include (VERY RARE): Damage to internal organ from the needle insertion, infection, and premature onset of labour in pregnancy.
What does it involve?
Your Physiotherapist will normally use between 2-16 needles which can stay in for up to twenty-five minutes. During the treatment your Physiotherapist may stimulate the needles by gently moving them.
Acupuncture should not be painful because the needles are fine and inserted quickly through the skin. However, some people will experience a pin-prick sensation. Once the needles are in place you may feel a mild ache, numbness, or heavy sensation around the needle. This should not be unpleasant. This is a sign that endorphins and other relieving chemicals are being released.
Chou, R; Huffman, LH, American Pain, Society, American College of, Physicians (October 2007). "Nonpharmacologic therapies for acute and chronic low back pain: a review of the evidence for an American Pain Society/American College of Physicians clinical practice guideline". Annals of Internal Medicine 147 (7): 492–504. doi:10.1001/archinte.147.3.492. PMID 17909210.
Lee, M. S.; Ernst, E. (2011). "Acupuncture for pain: An overview of Cochrane reviews". Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine 17 (3): 187–189.
Manheimer, E.; Cheng, K.; Linde, K.; Lao, L.; Yoo, J.; Wieland, S.; Van Der Windt, D. L. A. M.; Berman, B. M. et al. (2010). Acupuncture for peripheral joint osteoarthritis. In Manheimer, Eric. "Acupuncture for peripheral joint osteoarthritis". Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online) (1): CD001977. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001977.pub2. PMC 3169099. PMID 20091527. edit
Manheimer E, White A, Berman B, Forys K, Ernst E (2005). "Meta-analysis: acupuncture for low back pain" (PDF). Ann Intern Med 142 (8): 651–63. PMID 15838072.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) (2009). Clinical Guideline 88. Low Back Pain; Early management of persistant non-specific low back pain. National Collaborating Centre for Primary Care
Sun, Y.; Gan, T. J.; Dubose, J. W.; Habib, A. S. (2008). "Acupuncture and related techniques for postoperative pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials". British Journal of Anaesthesia 101 (2): 151–60.
World Health Organization (2003). "Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials". In Zhang X. World Health Organization.
Zhang, W; Moskowitz, RW; Nuki, G; Abramson, S; Altman, RD; Arden, N; Bierma-Zeinstra, S; Brandt, KD et al. (2008). "OARSI recommendations for the management of hip and knee osteoarthritis, Part II: OARSI evidence-based, expert consensus guidelines" (PDF). Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 16 (2): 137–162. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2007.12.013. PMID 18279766.


text:
Next Match Previous Match Season 2014/15 Season 2015/16 Season 2016/17 Season 2017/18 Season 2018/19 Season 2019/20
Transfer Tweets
Football Discussion
Refs & VAR 2020/2021 Discussion
Thread starter Annihilate Now!
Listen to the latest United Hour Podcast episode here. In it, Ashwin and Nik discuss a league topping win over a typically battling Burnley. In the match analysis we review our wealth of midfield options, Pogba's regeneration, how Harry was robbed by VAR, that the ref is not a Friend and Bailly's rebirth.
They also discuss how Liverpool heroically vanquished the Villa under 8's team and in a preview of the 'Bout to knock the other team out', what midfield to play at Anfield. There is also much praise for Ole's management and tactics.
Sunny Jim
Warsaw...that's too far away from Edinburgh...
Ive just seen replays od Maguires goals and Shaws could....the goal shouldve stood. Nothing wrong with IT. Also yellow seems fair for the challenge.
Ole's screen said:
Sigh.. here I go.
The Luke Shaw decision is something that has been bothering me and something I have been sensing in the undercurrent of the VAR wave that hasn't been explored yet. I'm going to try to put it into words.
Lets first look at what happened: Luke shaw went for a 50-50 with the Burnley player, got some of the ball, and the ref who was in full view of it, did not deem it to be a foul.
Then he looks at it in slo-mo and thinks, "Hang on! I see studs coming to contact with leg. Therefore, it is a possible red card offense!".
There seems to be an assumption that looking at an incident in slow motion is necessary for the referee to make a decision. It seems sensible on the face of it. If you see something happening slowly, you have more time to process whats happening and parse through what actually happened with all the knowledge possible. HOWEVER, what seems to be never really discussed and factored into the VAR protocols is that there's a ton of very relevant information lost when we watch an incident like that in slow motion. Things like "momentum" and "speed of action" are very important in determining things like "excessive force" or "potential to cause injury". So when the referee looks at the slo-mo especially with the additional emphasis on the frame where the studs meet the leg, he basically had no choice under the rules but to say its a at least a possible red card offense. Whereas in real time, he saw that as soon as Shaw got the ball he pulled out of the challenge and while the studs did meet the leg, the potential to cause injury was not as extreme as it looks.
Note here that Shaw did NOT get a red card!
Why? Because the ref knows instinctively the tackle was not that dangerous and not worthy of a red. However, by the letter of the law it really should have been a red. (I have seen Shaka Hislop of ESPN FC, among others, argue just that).
So, what are the bigger implication of this?
I think all in all, Kevin Friend probably did the right thing. However, he's getting shit on by everybody for it both ways. And therefore, I think this is an unsustainable situation. Either we take this seriously and properly contextualize the use of slow motion replays on VAR, or we risk falling to the opposite extreme where over time literally any contact between studs on player regardless of context would be red card.
I dunno, maybe people think thats for the better, but I would argue it would make football a lot more methodical, and a lot less fun.
TLDR: slo-mo replays are paradoxically less accurate depictions of an incident and should be used with care in VAR
The implication here is that he only watches the slow motion, as if parachuted from Neverland or something, having experienced a total recall. Were that the only thing available to him, fears of information loss would be much more understandable.
What I would hope he actually does is to just use the slow motion as the supplement piece of the jigsaw in retention. He would have seen the incident in real time just a couple of minutes ago and surely still remembers things like speed and momentum. He then just adds the zoomed in, slow motion information, and then tries to reconstruct the incident in his head.
Ole's screen
Right next to Ole's seat
KC Chiefs
Moonwalker said:
I did say that I thought Friend did the right thing in the end. And maybe you're right and this is not going to be an issue, and I hope you are. But I think unless as the idea of "slo-mo being inaccurate" catches on in the zeitgeist and normal discussion and while clowns like Jaime Redknapp can just say uncontested "You just wanna see consistency, you could see it given", then I fear we slide almost uncontested more and more into that territory.
Think how much more sanitized the game has become compared to 15 years ago already. It's gone from "two footers - straight red" to "studs showing - straight red" to "he got the ball but his follow through was a bit high - possible red". My point is that, nobody explicitly makes the point that just because there's contact - it's not wrong or illegal or dangerous or a foul. This is the reason why diving is such a big problem too, by the way - because refs give penalties when players go down and there's contact - often forgetting about the bigger picture as you say.
My point may even be less about VAR and its technical application and more about the way the refs talk about it and the way it is covered by the media. For example, did you know the whole "clear and obvious" never even enters into the discussion during a VAR check? Yet everyone covering the game from the pundits to even former refs seem completely obsessed with it after every VAR referral.
PS: An additional point, How routinely do you now see a perfectly good tackle called a foul for basically no reason other than it looked dangerous? Two people flying towards each other with full intent to get there first will always look dangerous!
Last edited: Wednesday at 21:17
MikeKing
The two main problems is the refs. Their training, their fitness and ability to apply rules.
The other problem is the rulebook itself, but much of this can be worked on by re-training refs or get new refs that can handle assistance of technology.
Football has developed a lot over the years, the Premier League too, never has there been so much money as now but sometimes you get the feeling that the overwhelming lack of changes in this singular department feels suspicious and makes the average viewer question the integrity of the league. I think we've all had those thoughts at some point, no matter which club you root for.
I think we're on the right track with VAR but it's the same refs sitting in the VAR room that is running around on the pitch doing what they've always done as they have been trained to make interesting decisions for the PL rather of managing the game with personal integrity to the profession and upholding the actual rules.
There should be people specialised to supervise and be in charge of all decisions made in the VAR-room. They should create a blueprint of clearly defined standards for how to deal with difficult situations and train the refs hard to know how to apply those standards to the bone when in doubt. It would clarify a lot of the mess VAR has revealed that exists in the rules, and create more consistency which is what we want. A rule may not be perfect, we all may not agree with it but as long as it's clearly defined and consistently applied we can deal with it.
Like the encroaching thing on penalties. Before VAR came along some refs used to make an effort to look at the keeper and some just didn't know about the rule or cared enough to ever pay attention to those situations. Nobody ever got in trouble for not enforcing those rules and it happened so rarely that it didn't effect the game for the viewer enough to create outrage, so there was no repercussions. That's an issue in itself that it takes public pressure for these guys to improve their product. With VAR they keep everything in the shallow end and the media sell stories about it and stupid pundits act like they know whats going on. Waiting on public perception instead of actively trying to improve just creates further complications when rules are changed or applied differently from week to week based on the expected public response or backlash. These inconsistencies takes away from the integrity of the game.
This is why it feels like a bias exist against United. United is on everyones lips. Everyone is clearly upset when United get results as proved by Klopp etc and various refereeing performances. They make an example out of United, not because of some conspiracy to not let us win, but simply because United creates the most loud responses so if they are to make a rule change or an example out of something, it usually always seem to happen when United is involved. People like Klopp and pundits they moan about it loudly, and no matter how ignorantly they come off it creates public pressure and when the league responds only to backlash instead of proactively looking to improve things on their own, it creates this effect. It really messes with my enjoyment of the game because if integrity in sports disappears there is no point, non at all besides arguing over who is cheating the worst or has the prettiest player etc.
The bias exist also for small clubs. It exist for every club in fact depending on the type of situation around the game, the different circumstances and may benefit a team one day and not the other day. Everyone who loves watching their PL team will feel hard done by, even a truly objective and calm fan will feel the impact of this from time to time and it sucks. It doesn't even itself out because football is about margins, it's also a point based game. You can get a goal removed for no reason against a rival, that might cost you 6 points effectively and you get a wrong penalty call against a bottom club when it's already 5-0 doesn't make a huge difference.
Sorry for the ranty post. To summarise VAR is great, it can be used to correct wrongs in a split second with the proper technological assets in place. The current application of it is reactionary, unremarkable and incredibly dodgy. I don't think VAR is ruining football but the application and media coverage ruins football for everyone. It takes away from the real problem which is the main reason that it sucks, and that is poor refereeing standards and lack of action to actively improve the refereeing department of the game despite the large sums of money already involved in the game and the league.
Start with creating blueprints for the most common situations and decisions in football and work from there until a guys in the VAR room and on the field can not only remember certain rules but also read a fecking guide on how to interpret specific repeated situations. Then supply them with technology to help them make the right decisions as quickly as possible. Laser readers across the pitch, chips in the boots and the ball. Monitor the game in real time and have a computer analyse it and use numbers to make split second decisions that will remain consistent every game for every team, no matter who's playing who or which country a player is coming from. They could easily stop diving by now even without technology if they only had a blueprint to define what constitutes diving and how it should be punished. Clearly they need to rig the players with sort of motion detectors and force reactors. 'I'm just saying random made up science words at this point, because frankly I'm not paid to come up with this shit. They have the money, figure it out already. It's not that hard, it really isn't.
I'm not privy to Stockley Park discussions and have no idea how often those exact words are used. It's a very broad term and can mean a lot of different things to different people. I suspect they'll have an operational definition of clear and obvious though, filled with a bit more exact descriptive content.
The media are goading the malcontents with this syntagm as a symbol of broken promises, because why not? It creates drama, it's good television and it's good for clicks too.
Tweets by @red_cafe


text:
Portmeirion 60s
Portmeirion Pottery in the 60s
Portmeirion Pottery, with its impractically tall silhouette and primitive art decoration, captured the mode of the sixties perfectly. Portmeirion's proprietor and designer, Susan Williams-Ellis, brought new ideas to the world of ceramics. Her most successful design from the sixties, Totem, combined a modern shape with patterns rooted in ancient cultures. It was the prefect set to bring out at the end of a sixties' dinner party.
Portmeirion Totem on eBay
Susan Williams-Ellis was the daughter of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis who created the Portmeirion village in North Wales. He brought together a collection of features from buildings that would have been lost forever to create a miniature Italianate resort. It is a charming world and deceptively real.
Portmeirion Pottery is not made in Wales, but in Stoke-on-Trent. It came about when Susan Williams-Ellis took over the loss-making gift shop in the Portmeirion village.
Susan Williams-Ellis had an unconventional education, never taking an exam in her life. She went to the progressive Dartington School, studying pottery under Bernard and David Leach. She then went onto study painting with Graham Sutherland and sculpture with the Henry Moore Chelsea School of Art.
Susan Williams-Ellis married Euan Cooper-Willis in 1945. He was a Cambridge maths graduate and part-time stock-broker. They lived an almost self-sufficient life together in a farmhouse near Portmeirion. They had four children.
Susan Williams-Ellis' first venture into commercial pottery was to have her own designs painted onto blanks by A E Gray, the pottery famous for Susie Cooper's designs. At the same time Williams-Ellis was also producing textile designs.
She and her husband bought Gray's in 1960 and another pottery, Kirkhams, in 1961. They founded Portmeirion Pottery in January 1962. Kirkham's was a manufacturer of medical and scientific ceramics. The combination of these two firms and Susan Williams-Ellis' artist talent and vision made Portmeirion into the ceramic work that epitomised the style of the 60s.
Cylinder Shape
Pottery is described by shape and pattern. The tall shape known as 'Cylinder' was key to the look of Portmeirion in the 60s. Williams-Ellis based it on the fortuitous discovery in Kirkham's archives of patterns of tall cylindrical shapes for medical ware.
One of the first designs launched with this shape was Talisman in 1962.
Early Talisman pieces were hand decorated, although most Talisman was decorated using a screen print process. Talisman featured an abstract, but informal pattern. I have seen yellow/orange, blue/purple and blue/green variants. There was also an early black and white version which is quite rare. It was originally offered as a cheaper alternative as it was less costly to produce when pieces were hand painted.
The blue/green combination is the most common. However, Talisman is scarce piece in comparison with the later Totem range. Look out for Talisman kitchen storage jars, which were quite popular in the sixties.
The Talisman range was discontinued in 1968.
Although quite scarce, pieces rather than complete sets can be found on eBay. Expect to pay £10 to £20 for individual pieces: milk jugs, cups and saucers or small pots.
Look for: Portmeirion Talisman on eBay
The range that defined Portmeirion in the 60s was Totem. William-Ellis combined the 'Cylinder' shape with patterns derived from native American Indian cultural art in a raised relief. The glazing process highlighted the raised patterns in a startling way. It was this marriage of a modern shape with patterns from traditional culture that proved so commercially successful. This formula was seen in other fields, for example Stag Minstrel furniture designed by Mike and Sylvia Reed, combined eighteenth century elegance with modern functionalism.
In spite of its modern looking profile, Portmeirion Totem, was not that functional. It won no Design Centre Awards. Its overly exaggerated shape proved easy to knock over, so collectors should carefully examine coffee pots for damage repair.
Portmeirion Totem though, is a design which symbolised the sixties. Like the Lava Lamp and G-Plan Fresco, it is a must-have product for any serious retro fan.
Totem was produced in amber, olive green, blue and a rare white finish. The coffee set is the most iconic, but there were also tea sets, plates and bowls.
Totem was so successful that other manufacturers started to imitate the style. One example was Folklore, by Lord Nelson Pottery, which used a very similar pattern, but on more traditional shapes.
To keep ahead of the pack, Portmeirion introduced a new range of Cylinder patterns based on a black basic shape with gold patterns. These included Coptic Brocade (1968), Gold Phoenix (1968) and Gold Lion (1968).
If you want to identify a genuine Portmeirion piece look out for the Portmeirion stamp on the reverse. The label reads:
PORTMEIRION "TOTEM" SUSAN WILLIAMS-ELLIS STOKE MADE IN ENGLAND
Totem was produced by Portmeirion for several years and is quite common. However, the large slender coffee pot was easily damaged, so look carefully for repairs and read eBay sellers' descriptions with care.
Prices are not astronomical as this design is quite common. You should be able to pick up a complete coffee set in amber on eBay for less than £40. Dealer prices will, of course, be higher. The other colours are more expensive. Olive green is the next most common, with blue being comparatively rare and white extremely rare.
Shop for Portmeirion Totem on eBay. Look for:
Of the later cylinder shapes, the most successful was Greek Key (1965), which was produced well into the 70s.
The original Greek Key pattern came from the archives of Kirkham's, the pottery Susan Williams-Ellis took over to found Portmeirion Pottery. It dated from Victorian times and was a copper plate used to decorate beer barrels and grocers' jars.
Susan Williams-Ellis used the pattern as a border around the top or edge of the pieces.
Like Totem, there was a strong hint of an ancient culture, this time that of ancient Greece. This combined with the modern cylinder shape to make a uniquely 'sixties' piece.
Greek Key was originally a black pattern on a glossy a white shape. Perhaps the most striking Greek Key colour combination though, is the gold and black illustrated above right. Portmeirion Greek Key can be found in the following combinations:
Black on orange
Black on turquoise
Gold on matt black
Gold on matt white
In 1968 the Greek Key range was further expanded when a new range of air tight kitchen containers was introduced. These were also made in 'Chemist Print', 'Ships' and 'Herald' patterns, all fitted with air tight wooden lids.
Greek Key was one of the more popular patterns, so it is relatively easy to get complete coffee sets. The range also included dinner plates and tureens, as well as the kitchen jars.
Expect to pay around £50 for a complete coffee set. Individual coffee pots sell for £10 to £20. Be careful about condition. The coffee pots are easily damaged and many will have been subject to repair. Look out in particular for re-glued lids.
Look for Portmeirion Greek Key on eBay
Serif shape
Portmeirion introduced a less exaggerated shape in 'Serif' in 1963. Note the shape of the handle (left), from which the name 'Serif' was derived. 'Serif' was initially sold with the Portmeirion Cypher and Jupiter patterns featuring a raised relief finish. The glaze finish on Jupiter proved difficult to perfect and it was quickly dropped, making it a rare pattern for collectors today.
The most commercially successful range in the 'Serif' shape was Magic City, introduced in 1966. Portmeirion Magic City featured images of dome shaped buildings suggesting Eastern culture. Also look out for Gold Rule (1968) which was an abstract pattern in black and brown on white.
The inspiration for Cypher came from ancient Minoan art from Crete. The Serif shape provided an alternative to the attenuated shape of Totem. The style though, was still very much in tune with the 60s' period.
Cypher was originally supplied by Susan Williams-Ellis as an exclusive order to a German distributer in the more common olive green colour. Initially UK distributors only sold pewter grey and brown colours. However, the olive green now seems to be the most common colour. As well as pewter grey and brown, there are also white and ice blue variations.
Although Cypher is comparatively rare, as it was not as popular as Totem at the time, it does not command high prices and bargains are possible on eBay.
Look for Portmeirion Cypher on eBay
The Portmeirion Jupiter range, also based on the Serif shape, was introduced in 1964. Jupiter was a modern design comprising a relief pattern of circles.
The original Jupiter range was available in petrol blue and rockingham brown. However, the glaze originally used for Jupiter had problems. Mild acids could discolour it. So for example, fruit left in bowls could affect the glaze. As a result the Jupiter petrol blue range was withdrawn.
A new greyish blue (often described as pewter blue) was added in 1966, but the range was discontinued in 1968. So Jupiter is comparatively rare.
However, sets do come up from time to time on eBay. You will need to pay upwards of £50 for a coffee set. Pewter blue seems to be the most common colour. Individual pieces and small groups, e.g. cup and saucer, or two cups, go for around £10 to £20.
Look for Portmeirion Jupiter on eBay
Portmeirion resources
See www.thepotteries.org/allpotters/817a.htm for a short history of Portmeirion Potteries and a timeline.
See also our article about Portmeirion in the 70s
Books about Portmeirion
I would thoroughly recommend Portmeirion Pottery which is a very comprehensive guide to Portmeirion containing a large amount of useful data for collectors
The Story of Portmeirion Potteries 1960-1995 A Collectors' Guide is a small volume about Portmeirion Pottery containing many photographs and a useful history.
I also found Ceramics of the 1960s (Shire Album) very useful resource for Portmeirion and other pottery from the 60s.
Add your comments on Portmeirion Pottery
Jeff scott
I have the totem and cypher coffee pots....have a look for The Retro Attic in Dorset
28th August 2021 2:25pm
rachel payne
hi i picked up a golden goblet with a bird and branch pattern on its white inside
18th July 2021 12:00am
George M
I wrote to Portmeirion Customer Services a couple of years ago and posted a message on this site 18 months ago but as yet have not been able to get a satisfactory reply to my query ANY HELP!!! It is about a 1960s Black and Gold mug with the inscription "Save Snowdonia's National Park" - designed by Susan Williams-Ellis. The reply from the Company was not helpful and as yet have not had any response in trying to trace this. NOWHERE, it seems, is the any reference to this particular piece. Can anyone help? - and has it any value?
4th February 2021 12:00am
Hi George, Portmeirion produced a large quantity of black and gold mugs in the 1960s and 1970s. Some were to commemorate events such as the Moon Landing in 1969. They also produced mugs for sporting events. It seem probable that this was a one off commission for a campaign group. Sorry I don't have any further information. best regards
P Yates
My son owns 4 complete sets in black and gold - Greek Key, Phoenix, Gold Lion, and gilded Gold Lion (which also has 6 espresso cups with saucers). There is also a purple and gold Greek Key part set. Where is the best place to get them valued for insurance?
25th November 2020 12:00am


EU - Researchers gathered in Brussels today to learn more about an FP7 Marie Curie scheme providing 400 million between now and 2013 for staff exchanges between businesses and universities.
The "Marie Curie Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways" scheme is designed to involve small businesses, which make up the bulk of European companies. It opens doors to using research results that can help them develop - and aquaculture research is benefiting.
The conference showcases past successes and among them was Dr Julie Maguire of Daithi O'Murchu Marine Research Station (DOMMRS) in Ireland.
Dr Maguire co-ordinates a research project involving five partners in Ireland, Norway and Italy : Institute of Marine Research, AKVAFORSK, Fastnet Mussels Ltd and the University of Bologna. The studies are investigating genetic selection techniques to overcome problems of inconsistencies in the quantity and quality of shellfish supplies.
The four year industry-linked academic project - Bivalves from Farm to Fork - is costing in the region of £579,000 and is being entirely funded by the EU through the Marie Curie Fellowship.
The aim of the research is to optimise scallop aquaculture production and processing. It hopes to develop an economically viable and environmentally sustainable genetic breeding programme for scallops capable of producing seed in a hatchery that can supplement inconsistent wild seed supplies.
Scallop production is constrained by the annual inconsistency in the quantity and quality of the wild seed supply. These differences result in variable qualities of fully grown scallops and provide processors with a raw material very different from other food materials used in modern processing industries.
A review of current best practice for hatchery technology and ongrowing of scallops select the most appropriate system and install it at the hatchery site.
To design a selective breeding programme and carry out a successful breeding cycle.
The development of 'best practice' methods for transport of spat, ongrowing and harvesting.
To determine optimal handling, storage and packaging systems for fresh and frozen scallop products.
The assessment of environmental, food-safety and economic risks of the hatchery breeding programme, on-growing and processing systems used.
The dissemination of industry guidelines, recommendations and associated scallop hatchery production, ongrowing and processing management tools to a wide audience.
The research team says that their investigations are providing valuable information to industry and the collaboration definitely wants to continue working together. They are now looking for new opportunities.
Visit the Daithi O'Murchu Marine Research Station for more details.


text:
Reflections on the death of Dr John Gold, Melville Island, 1827
Clayton Fredericksen
Professor Powell: Beyond the Far Country
Proceedings of a Symposium held on 31 May 2017 at the Northern Territory Library to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history
Samantha Wells
Historical Society of the Northern Territory
Symposium to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history - Northern Territory Library, Darwin, Australia
Duration: 31 May 2017 → …
https://www.cdu.edu.au/northern-institute/professor-alan-powell-beyond-far-country-2017
Symposium to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history
Fredericksen, C. (2018). Reflections on the death of Dr John Gold, Melville Island, 1827. In S. Wells (Ed.), Professor Powell: Beyond the Far Country: Proceedings of a Symposium held on 31 May 2017 at the Northern Territory Library to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history (1 ed., pp. 10-17). Historical Society of the Northern Territory.
Fredericksen, Clayton. / Reflections on the death of Dr John Gold, Melville Island, 1827. Professor Powell: Beyond the Far Country: Proceedings of a Symposium held on 31 May 2017 at the Northern Territory Library to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history. editor / Samantha Wells. 1. ed. Darwin : Historical Society of the Northern Territory, 2018. pp. 10-17
@inbook{5365e95e4e554c7daa26632a2e6385ac,
title = "Reflections on the death of Dr John Gold, Melville Island, 1827",
abstract = "[No abstract available]",
author = "Clayton Fredericksen",
editor = "Samantha Wells",
booktitle = "Professor Powell: Beyond the Far Country",
publisher = "Historical Society of the Northern Territory",
note = "Symposium to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history ; Conference date: 31-05-2017",
url = "https://www.cdu.edu.au/northern-institute/professor-alan-powell-beyond-far-country-2017",
Fredericksen, C 2018, Reflections on the death of Dr John Gold, Melville Island, 1827. in S Wells (ed.), Professor Powell: Beyond the Far Country: Proceedings of a Symposium held on 31 May 2017 at the Northern Territory Library to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history. 1 edn, Historical Society of the Northern Territory, Darwin, pp. 10-17, Symposium to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, 31/05/17.
Reflections on the death of Dr John Gold, Melville Island, 1827. / Fredericksen, Clayton.
Professor Powell: Beyond the Far Country: Proceedings of a Symposium held on 31 May 2017 at the Northern Territory Library to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history. ed. / Samantha Wells. 1. ed. Darwin : Historical Society of the Northern Territory, 2018. p. 10-17.
T1 - Reflections on the death of Dr John Gold, Melville Island, 1827
AU - Fredericksen, Clayton
N2 - [No abstract available]
AB - [No abstract available]
BT - Professor Powell: Beyond the Far Country
A2 - Wells, Samantha
PB - Historical Society of the Northern Territory
CY - Darwin
T2 - Symposium to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history
Y2 - 31 May 2017
Fredericksen C. Reflections on the death of Dr John Gold, Melville Island, 1827. In Wells S, editor, Professor Powell: Beyond the Far Country: Proceedings of a Symposium held on 31 May 2017 at the Northern Territory Library to celebrate Professor Powell's contribution to the understanding of North Australian history. 1 ed. Darwin: Historical Society of the Northern Territory. 2018. p. 10-17


Hopefully this event will be compared to the 1999 Working People's Convention, which led to the founding of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The MDC became the main opposition to Robert Mugabe's regime, but it is increasingly conservative – accepting the West's neoliberal agenda.
Up until September 2007 all opposition groups agreed that there could not be a fair election without a new constitution. Then in September, the two competing MDC groups that now exist reached an agreement with the ruling Zanu-PF party to accept a slight amendment to the constitution.
Civil society was chilled to the marrow. Many felt the MDC had abandoned them.
They demanded talks with MDC leaders. The People's Convention was planned as a report back on this process, but the MDC refused to shift.
So the convention became dominated by debates on what to do next. This discussion was the basis for a People's Charter.
The International Socialist Organisation was involved in drafting the section on the economy. The key element was to oppose the neoliberal agenda.
Mugabe has called elections for 29 March. The convention passed a resolution not to accept any election without a people-driven constitution.
However, wealthy NGOs and trade unions that support the MDC tried to get the convention to accept that even if the elections were illegitimate people should still vote as a protest. There was enormous pressure to support this.
Hundreds of delegates took over the hall in protest, singing and demanding mass action as the way forward.
A compromise was agreed. The convention decided not to issue advice on voting in illegitimate elections. Individual organisations will make their own decisions.
We agreed to organise a national demonstration before the March elections.
The People's Convention sets the foundations for a people-driven alternative solution to the crisis of Zimbabwe. This is a huge opportunity.


'What About: Ableton Mastering Chains' is a brand new unique pack made by W.A. Production's sound engineers, containing 20 professionally created and ready-for-action mastering chains for Ableton. These mastering chains are divided into four sections: Classic, Soft, Hard and Templates. Suitable to all EDM genres.
These effect racks are extremely easy to use, just double click any of the presets and you will receive instant perfect sound and power. You can even tweak with the most important parameters thanks to assigned macro controls. How to .txt file is included.
'What About: Ableton Mastering Chains' is a powerful tool for all producers of EDM, Trap, House and Urban styles. You'll find a wide variety of mastering techniques prepared with maximum precision to bring you as strong and fat a sound as possible.
Each chain is different and unique. You simply cannot miss, just go through presets and find the perfect effect rack for your mix. Wide techniques for compressors, multiband dynamics, equalisers, saturators, dynamic plugins & more has been applied during the creation of this awesome pack.
Also included is one Ableton mastering tutorial as a bonus.
This product includes presets for third party plugins which are not included with this download. Please ensure that you own the plugins listed above if you want to make full use of these mastering chains.


All Crash Sounds in both Wav and MP3 formats Here are the sounds that have been tagged with Crash free from out the creator of the lightsaber sound effects for the Star Wars movies. Free funny sound effects to download.
MP3 Editor for Free comes with dozens of audio effects audio filters, WMA, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, tools for converting audio files into formats including MP3 etc. The built- in audio CD burner is brainlessly easy to create your ic strips and comic books make extensive use of onomatopoeia. Download best quality mp3 music get the latest , Waptrick games , Waptrick mp3 songs, android games , free videos from ick for Waptrick videos, the best mobile ee voices vocal sound effects for media productions.
[ Official] Download real time voice changer to talk in boy voice- over ee voices , game chat; Wide range of vocal morphing , girl, alien, robot; Modify voice in VoIP Skype, Facebook online call , Steam vocal sound effects for media productions. It was Crane who pioneered the use of onomatopoeic sound effects in comics adding " bam " wham" to what had previously been an almost entirely visual vocabulary. Want more choices?
Royalty Free Music Sound Effects Download the music sound effects you need for your multimedia project today at Partners In Rhyme. You can load music CD tracks to edit them. Waptrick Downloads. Try SoundSnap for amazing sound effects.
Its powerful recorder would help you record any sound from your microphone or streaming audio on the Internet. Popular culture historian Tim DeForest noted the impact of writer- artist Roy Crane ( 1901– 1977) the creator of Captain Easy Buz Sawyer:.
( the guy is a genius).
Get ready for some ACTION! From Blastwave FX, The Action Movie Sound Effects Library will be released Christmas!
It features an arsenal of crashes, punches, explosions, fireballs, fires, guns, car chase elements and much more!


*HAND MADE TO ORDER-please allow two weeks for production.
Made from hand formed aluminum and stainless steel, the RISE wall mounted planter is perfect for small floor spaces. The fact that it mounts to the wall gives it a floating effect that is quite stunning. The pot itself is made from hand formed aluminum and painted a classic shade of gold on the inside and a clean heirloom white on the exterior. The frame and mounting bracket are also gold and made from hand formed stainless steel. Includes mounting hardware. Pot measures 12" tall and 8" wide at the widest point.