text:
Last 12 months (2)
Clay Minerals (1)
Epidemiology & Infection (1)
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union (1)
Symposium - International Astronomical Union (1)
BSAS (5)
International Astronomical Union (2)
Effect of different housing systems (single and group penning) on the health and welfare of commercial female rabbits
S. Pérez-Fuentes, A. Muñoz-Silvestre, E. Moreno-Grua, E. Martínez-Paredes, D. Viana, L. Selva, A. Villagrá, C. Sanz-Tejero, J. J. Pascual, C. Cervera, J. M. Corpa
Journal: animal , First View
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 January 2020, pp. 1-8
In recent decades, concern about rabbit welfare and sustainability has increased. The housing system is a very important factor for animal welfare. However, information about how different available housing types for female rabbits affect their health status is scarce, but this is an important factor for their welfare. Hence, the objective of this study was to evaluate the health status of female rabbits in five common housing systems: three different single-housing systems with distinct available surfaces and heights; a single-housing system with a platform; a collective system. Female rabbits in the collective and platform cages had greater cortisol concentrations in hair than those in the single-housing system with no platform. Haptoglobin concentrations and kit mortality rates during lactation were greater for the collective-cage female rabbits. The collective group had more culled females and more lesions than in the other groups. The main reasons for culling in all the groups were reproduction problems and presence of abscesses, and the collective group of females was the most affected. In conclusion, it appears that keeping females together in collective systems negatively affects their health status and welfare, while single-housing systems imply lower kit mortality rates during lactation and cortisol concentrations, and fewer lesions in female rabbits.
Consequences of rearing feeding programme on the performance of rabbit females from 1st to 2nd parturition
E. Martínez-Paredes, D. Savietto, L. Ródenas, C. Cervera, E. Blas, G. Brecchia, C. Boiti, J. J. Pascual
Journal: animal / Volume 13 / Issue 10 / October 2019
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 March 2019, pp. 2173-2182
Print publication: October 2019
To evaluate how rearing programmes could affect resources allocation and reproductive performance of primiparous rabbit females, a total of 118 rabbit females were used to evaluate the effects of five rearing feeding programmes on their performance from 1st to 2nd parturition: CAL, fed ad libitum C diet (11.0 MJ digestible energy (DE), 114 g digestible protein (DP) and 358 g NDF/kg dry matter (DM) until 1st parturition; CR, fed ad libitum with C diet until 12 weeks of age and then C diet restricted (140 g/day) until 1st parturition; F, fed ad libitum with F diet (8.7 MJ DE, 88 g DP and 476 NDF/kg DM) until 1st parturition; FC, fed with F diet ad libitum until 16 weeks of age, and C diet ad libitum until 1st parturition; FCF, fed with F diet ad libitum until 16 weeks of age, then C diet ad libitum until 20 weeks and then F diet ad libitum until 1st parturition. From 1st parturition, C diet was ad libitum offered to all the experimental groups until 2nd parturition. CAL females presented lower feed intake than females of F, FC and FCF groups in the 1st week of lactation (on av. −16.6%; P<0.05). During 1st lactation, the perirenal fat thickness change in CAL females was not different from 0 (+0.02 mm), while in the other four groups it increased (on av. +0.44 mm; P<0.05). Plasma of females fed with F diet during rearing (F, FC and FCF) had lower non-esterified fatty acids content than those exclusively fed with C diet (–0.088 and –0.072 mmol/l compared to CAL and CR, respectively; P<0.05). FCF litters had higher weight than F litters at day 21 of lactation (+247 g; P<0.05), but FCF litter had significantly lower weight than FC litters at weaning (+170 g; P<0.05). CR females had the shortest average interval between the 1st and 2nd parturition (49 days) and FCF females the longest (+ 9 days compared to CR; P<0.05). At 2nd parturition, liveborn litters of F females were larger and heavier than litters of FCF females (+2.22 kits and +138 g; P<0.05), probably due to the lower mortality at birth of F litters (–16.5 percentage points; P<0.05). In conclusion, rearing females on fibrous diets seems to increase the ability of primiparous rabbit females to obtain resources, especially at the onset of lactation.
Synthesis and Characterization of Silica Nanoparticles Obtained by Additions of Amino Acids into the Stöber Reaction
F. J. Carrillo-Pesqueira, R. C. Carrillo-Torres, M. E. Álvarez-Ramos, J. Hernández-Paredes
Journal: Microscopy and Microanalysis / Volume 24 / Issue S1 / August 2018
Long-term implications of feed energy source in different genetic types of reproductive rabbit females: I. Resource acquisition and allocation
A. Arnau-Bonachera, C. Cervera, E. Blas, T. Larsen, E. Martínez-Paredes, L. Ródenas, J. J. Pascual
Journal: animal / Volume 12 / Issue 9 / September 2018
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 December 2017, pp. 1867-1876
To achieve functional but also productive females, we hypothesised that it is possible to modulate acquisition and allocation of animals from different genetic types by varying the main energy source of the diet. To test this hypothesis, we used 203 rabbit females belonging to three genetic types: H (n=66), a maternal line characterised by hyper-prolificacy; LP (n=67), a maternal line characterised by functional hyper-longevity; R (n=79), a paternal line characterised by growth rate. Females were fed with two isoenergetic and isoprotein diets differing in energy source: animal fat (AF) enhancing milk yield; cereal starch (CS) promoting body reserves recovery. Feed intake, weight, perirenal fat thickness (PFT), milk yield and blood traits were controlled during five consecutive reproductive cycles (RCs). Females fed with CS presented higher PFT (+0.2 mm, P<0.05) and those fed AF had higher milk yield (+11.7%, P<0.05). However, the effect of energy source varied with the genetic type and time. For example, R females presented a decrease in PFT at late lactation (−4.3%; P<0.05) significantly higher than that observed for H and LP lines (on av. −0.1%; P>0.05), particularly for those fed with AF. Moreover, LP females fed with AF progressively increased PFT across the RC, whereas those fed with CS increased PFT during early lactation (+7.3%; P<0.05), but partially mobilised it during late lactation (−2.8%; P<0.05). Independently of the diet offered, LP females reached weaning with similar PFT. H females fed with either of the two diets followed a similar trajectory throughout the RC. For milk yield, the effect of energy source was almost constant during the whole experiment, except for the first RC of females from the maternal lines (H and LP). These females yielded +34.1% (P<0.05) when fed with CS during this period. Results from this work indicate that the resource acquisition capacity and allocation pattern of rabbit females is different for each genetic type. Moreover, it seems that by varying the main energy source of the diet it is possible to modulate acquisition and allocation of resources of the different genetic types. However, the response of each one depends on its priorities over time.
Toxoplasma gondii reorganizes the host cell architecture during spontaneous cyst formation in vitro
T. C. Paredes-Santos, E. S. Martins-Duarte, W. de Souza, M. Attias, R. C. Vommaro
Journal: Parasitology / Volume 145 / Issue 8 / July 2018
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 November 2017, pp. 1027-1038
Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, a prevalent infection related to abortion, ocular diseases and encephalitis in immuno-compromised individuals. In the untreatable (and life-long) chronic stage of toxoplasmosis, parasitophorous vacuoles (PVs, containing T. gondii tachyzoites) transform into tissue cysts, containing slow-dividing bradyzoite forms. While acute-stage infection with tachyzoites involves global rearrangement of the host cell cytoplasm, focused on favouring tachyzoite replication, the cytoplasmic architecture of cells infected with cysts had not been described. Here, we characterized (by fluorescence and electron microscopy) the redistribution of host cell structures around T. gondii cysts, using a T. gondii strain (EGS) with high rates of spontaneous cystogenesis in vitro. Microtubules and intermediate filaments (but not actin microfilaments) formed a 'cage' around the cyst, and treatment with taxol (to inhibit microtubule dynamics) favoured cystogenesis. Mitochondria, which appeared adhered to the PV membrane, were less closely associated with the cyst wall. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) profiles were intimately associated with folds in the cyst wall membrane. However, the Golgi complex was not preferentially localized relative to the cyst, and treatment with tunicamycin or brefeldin A (to disrupt Golgi or ER function, respectively) had no significant effect on cystogenesis. Lysosomes accumulated around cysts, while early and late endosomes were more evenly distributed in the cytoplasm. The endocytosis tracer HRP (but not BSA or transferrin) reached bradyzoites after uptake by infected host cells. These results suggest that T. gondii cysts reorganize the host cell cytoplasm, which may fulfil specific requirements of the chronic stage of infection.
Study of Alkali Halide Solid Solutions by Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray Diffraction
R. Rodriguez-Mijangos, O. Hernández-Negrete, R. C. Carrillo-Torres, F. J. Carrillo-Pesqueira, M. E. Alvarez-Ramos, J. Hernández-Paredes
Photo-mediated Seedless Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using CW-Laser and Sunlight Irradiation
F. Felix-Dominguez, R. C. Carrillo-Torres, J. A. Gonzalez, J. Hernandez-Paredes, R. Sanchez-Zeferino, M. E. Alvarez-Ramos
Characterization of the Molecular Crystal L-Alaninium Oxalate by Raman Microscopy, Optical Microscopy and X-ray Powder Diffraction
F. J. Carrillo-Pesqueira, R. C. Carrillo-Torres, O. Hernández-Negrete, M. E. Alvarez-Ramos, J. Hernández-Paredes
Predominance of Clostridium difficile ribotypes 012, 027 and 046 in a university hospital in Chile, 2012
Á. PLAZA-GARRIDO, J. BARRA-CARRASCO, J. H. MACIAS, R. CARMAN, W. N. FAWLEY, M. H. WILCOX, C. HERNÁNDEZ-ROCHA, A. M. GUZMÁN-DURÁN, M. ALVAREZ-LOBOS, D. PAREDES-SABJA
Journal: Epidemiology & Infection / Volume 144 / Issue 5 / April 2016
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 October 2015, pp. 976-979
In a 1-year survey at a university hospital we found that 20·6% (81/392) of patients with antibiotic associated diarrohea where positive for C. difficile. The most common PCR ribotypes were 012 (14·8%), 027 (12·3%), 046 (12·3%) and 014/020 (9·9). The incidence rate was 2·6 cases of C. difficile infection for every 1000 outpatients.
Hydration and strength evolution of air-cured zeolite-rich tuffs and siltstone blended cement pastes at low water-to-binder ratio
M.H. Cornejo, J. Elsen, C. Paredes, H. Baykara
Journal: Clay Minerals / Volume 50 / Issue 1 / March 2015
This contribution is the second part of an in-depth study on the hydration and strength evolution of blended cement pastes at a water to binder (W/B) ratio of 0.3, cured by two different methods. The blended cement pastes showed significant hydration up to 7 days, when almost all of the hydration products had already formed; thereafter, carbonation played an important role up to, and possibly beyond, 91 days. Likewise, the hydration of alite (tricalcium silicate, Ca3SiO5, C3S) proceeded up to 14 days and then started to slow down. However, the hydration of belite (dicalcium silicate, Ca2SiO4, C2S) was affected most strongly, as it nearly ceased, under the air-curing conditions. During hydration, some of the blended cement pastes had a larger calcium hydroxide (CH) content than the unblended (plain) ones. The accelerating effects of the addition of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), the air-curing conditions and the low W/B ratio may explain these unusual results. Under these experimental conditions, the water incorporated into hydrates was about 50% of the total amount of water used during full hydration of the cement pastes. The pozzolanic reaction predominated during the early ages, but disappeared as time passed. In contrast, the carbonation reaction increased by consuming ∼45% of the total amount of CH produced after aging for 91 days. Only one blended cement paste reached the compressive strength of the plain cements. The blended cement pastes containing 5% of the zeolitic tuffs, Zeo1 or Zeo2, or 10% of the calcareous siltstone, Limo, developed the greatest compressive strength under the experimental conditions used in this study.
Variability of the counterpart to the gamma-ray blazar GT0106+613
Pedro L. Luque-Escamilla, J. Martí, E. Ramírez-Valenzuela, A. J. Muñoz-Arjonilla, J. M. Paredes
Journal: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union / Volume 10 / Issue S313 / September 2014
We present the optical/infrared counterpart to GT0106+613, a transient gamma-ray source believed to be a blazar. Long-term differential photometry and satellite information was used to confirm the variability in optical/infrared wavelengths, correlated with gamma-ray flares from the source. An intense optical flare with no counterpart in gamma-rays is also remarkable.
Different resource allocation strategies result from selection for litter size at weaning in rabbit does
D. Savietto, C. Cervera, L. Ródenas, E. Martínez-Paredes, M. Baselga, F. J. García-Diego, T. Larsen, N. C. Friggens, J. J. Pascual
Journal: animal / Volume 8 / Issue 4 / April 2014
This study examined the effect of long-term selection of a maternal rabbit line, solely for a reproductive criterion, on the ability of female rabbits to deal with constrained environmental conditions. Female rabbits from generations 16 and 36 (n=72 and 79, respectively) of a line founded and selected to increase litter size at weaning were compared simultaneously. Female rabbits were subjected to normal (NC), nutritional (NF) or heat (HC) challenging conditions from 1st to 3rd parturition. Animals in NC and NF were housed at normal room temperatures (18°C to 25°C) and respectively fed with control (11.6 MJ digestible energy (DE)/kg dry matter (DM), 126 g digestible protein (DP)/kg DM, and 168 g of ADF/kg DM) or low-energy fibrous diets (9.1 MJ DE/kg DM, 104 g DP/kg DM and 266 g ADF/kg DM), whereas those housed in HC were subjected to high room temperatures (25°C to 35°C) and the control diet. The litter size was lower for female rabbits housed in both NF and HC environments, but the extent and timing where this reduction took place differed between generations. In challenging conditions (NF and HC), the average reduction in the reproductive performance of female rabbits from generation 16, compared with NC, was −2.26 (P<0.05) and −0.51 kits born alive at 2nd and 3rd parturition, respectively. However, under these challenging conditions, the reproductive performance of female rabbits from generation 36 was less affected at 2nd parturition (−1.25 kits born alive), but showed a greater reduction at the 3rd parturition (−3.53 kits born alive; P<0.05) compared with NC. The results also showed differences between generations in digestible energy intake, milk yield and accretion, and use of body reserves throughout lactation in NC, HC and NF, which together indicate that there were different resource allocation strategies in the animals from the different generations. Selection to increase litter size at weaning led to increased reproductive robustness at the onset of an environmental constraint, but failure to sustain the reproductive liability when the challenge was maintained in the long term. This response could be directly related to the short-term environmental fluctuations (less severe) that frequently occur in the environment where this line has been selected.
Effects of feeding programme on the performance and energy balance of nulliparous rabbit does
E. Martínez-Paredes, L. Ródenas, B. Martínez-Vallespín, C. Cervera, E. Blas, G. Brecchia, C. Boiti, J. J. Pascual
Journal: animal / Volume 6 / Issue 7 / 28 May 2012
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2012, pp. 1086-1095
A total of 190 rabbit females were used to evaluate five feeding programmes from 9 weeks of age to the first parturition: CAL, fed ad libitum with a control diet (C: 11.0 MJ digestible energy (DE) and 114 g digestible protein (DP)/kg dry matter (DM)) until first parturition; CR, fed ad libitum with C diet until 12 weeks of age and then C diet restricted (140 g/day) until first parturition; F, fed ad libitum with a low-energy, high-fibre diet (F: 8.7 MJ DE and 88 g DP/kg DM) until first parturition; FC, fed with F diet ad libitum until 16 weeks of age, and C diet ad libitum until first parturition; FCF, fed with F diet ad libitum until 16 weeks of age, then C diet ad libitum until 20 weeks and then F diet ad libitum until first parturition. The rabbits were artificially inseminated at 18 weeks of age. CAL group had a higher mortality rate compared with the other groups between 9 and 12 weeks of age (34% v. 3%; P < 0.05) and during the last 3 weeks of first pregnancy (14% v. 3%; P < 0.05). The CAL and FC females presented higher BW and perirenal fat thickness (PFT) than CR females at 11 days of pregnancy (+0.41 kg and +0.6 mm; P < 0.05), with F females showing medium values. The type of feeding procedure did not affect the fertility rate of young females at first artificial insemination. Differences in BW disappeared at parturition, when only CAL females presented a greater PFT than CR and FC females (+0.3 mm; P < 0.05). In comparison with FCF, CAL females had smaller and thinner live born litters (−2.5 kits and −139 g, respectively; P < 0.05), with CR, F and FC females showing medium values. The low number of kits born alive for CAL females was because of their lesser total number of kits born (−1.7 kits; P < 0.05) and the greater mortality of their litters at birth (+13.9%; P < 0.05) compared with FCF females. Non-esterified fatty acid was higher in the blood of females fed C diet (CAL and CR) than in others at partum day (on average +0.15 mmol/l; P < 0.05). In conclusion, the ad libitum use of diets for lactating rabbit does throughout the rearing period could lead young rabbit females to present a higher risk of early death and smaller litter size at first parturition. Feed restriction or earlier use of suitably fibrous diets led females to achieve the critical BW and fat mass at first mating to ensure reproduction.
Monte Carlo Simulations of Phase Transitions in a Two-Dimensional Random-Bond Potts Model
R. Paredes, J. Valbuena
Motivated by recent experiments on phase behavior of systems confined in porous media, we have studied the effect of quenched bond randomness on the nature of the phase transition in the two dimensional Potts model. To model the effects of the porous matrix we chose the couplings of the q state Potts Hamiltonian from the distribution P(J ij ) = pδ(J ij – J) + (1 – p)δ(J ij ). For a range of p values, away from the percolation threshold, the transition temperature follows the mean field prediction T c (p) = Tc(1)p. Furthermore, we observed that the strong first order transition, that appears in the pure case for q = 10, changes two a second order transition. It is also clear from our simulations that the second order transition of the q = 3 pure case changes to a second order transition of a different universality class. A finite size scaling analysis suggests that in both cases the critical exponents, in the presence of disorder, fall into the universality class of the two dimensional pure Ising model. This result agrees with theoretical calculations recently published [1].
Photometric and Hα observations of LSI+61°303
J. M. Paredes, J. Martí, F. Figueras, C. Jordi, G. Rosselló, J. Torra, P. Marziani, J. Fabregat, V. Reglero, M. J. Coe, C. Everall, P. Roche, S. J. Unger, J. M. Grunsfeld, A. J. Norton, R. Zamanov
Journal: Symposium - International Astronomical Union / Volume 162 / 1994
View extract
The Be massive X-ray binary LSI+61°303 is a 26.5 days periodic radiosource (Taylor & Gregory, 1984), exhibiting radio outbursts maxima between phases 0.6–0.8. Evidence of a photometric period of similar value has also been reported (Paredes & Figueras, 1986; Mendelson & Mazeh, 1989). The previous spectroscopic radial velocity observations of Hutchings & Crampton (1981) are in agreement with the radio period, and give support to the presence of a companion. We present new optical and infrared photometric observations and high resolution Hα spectra of LSI+61°303.


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Overwatch (group)
This article is about the in-game organization. For the article about the game, see Overwatch.
" Conflict. As the world teetered on the brink of anarchy, a new hope arose. An elite international taskforce charged with ending the war, and restoring liberty to all nations. Overwatch. Soldiers. Scientists. Adventurers. Oddities. Guardians who secured global peace for a generation. Under its unwavering protection, the world recovered. And today, though its watch has ended, its soaring ideals of freedom and equality will never be forgotten. "
~ A description of Overwatch from its museum
Petras (director, formerly)
Gabrielle Adawe (founder)
Gabriel Reyes (commander, formerly)
Jack Morrison (commander, formerly)
Winston (de facto leader, currently)
United Nations (formerly)
Overwatch Headquarters, Switzerland (formerly)
Watchpoint: Gibraltar, Gibraltar (currently)
Overwatch was an international task force formed during the Omnic Crisis[1] over thirty years ago.[2] It championed the ideals of heroism, sacrifice, and nobility.[3]
1.2 Post-Omnic Crisis
1.2.1 Golden Age
1.2.2 Twilight Years
1.2.3 The Anubis Project
1.2.4 The Venice Incident
1.2.5 King's Row Uprising
1.2.6 Storm Rising
1.2.7 The Fall
1.2.8 Disbandment
1.3 Post-Overwatch
1.4 Resurgence
1.4.1 Soldier: 76
1.4.2 Recall
1.4.3 Further Actions
1.5 Reformation
1.6 A New War
1.6.1 The Battle of Rio
1.6.2 Other Battles
2 Known Bases
2.1 Watchpoints
3 Known Members
3.1 Original Group
3.1.1 Command
3.1.2 Agents
3.1.3 Engineers
3.1.4 Scientists
3.1.5 Pilots
3.1.6 Other/Unknown
3.2 Present Day
3.2.1 Recalled Recipients
Overwatch triumphant
Overwatch was founded at the behest of the United Nations during the Omnic Crisis.[4] A war against robots that was unlike any humanity had faced before. No single country was successfully holding its territory, but it had been observed that some soldiers and strategists were thriving in this new style of warfare.[5] As the nations of Earth struggled against the omnics, the UN pooled together their best soldiers and technologies to form an elite strike unit.[3][4]
Overwatch was that unit, consisting of "scientists, soldiers, adventurers, and oddities,"[1] and was intended to carry out asymmetric warfare against the omnics. Gabrielle Adawe was one of the key architects of its formation, while command of the unit was given to Gabriel Reyes, a member of a super soldier program carried out by the United States. However, while Reyes had overall command, Overwatch's overall structure was molded by Jack Morrison, who molded the unit into a truly cohesive fighting force.[4] The other founding members were Ana Amari, Mina Liao, Reinhardt Wilhelm, and Torbjörn Lindholm.[5]
Finding their strength,[4] the Overwatch strike team targeted the omnics' command and control protocols.[5] One of their operations was in Rio de Janeiro.[6] After great sacrifice and heroism in a series of dangerous raids, they destroyed it all, rendering the omnic armies inert.[5] They had saved the world, and earned its adoration.[3] For his services, Jack Morrison was given the position of Overwatch's first official commander, while Gabriel Reyes was passed over.[4]
Post-Omnic Crisis[edit | edit source]
" The Omnic Crisis has been over for over ten years. Overwatch was built to win the war, but they've given me a new mission now: to make the world a better place. We've invested in research in biology, chemistry, infrastructure, climatology—every scientific endeavor that can better peoples' lives. "
~ Jack Morrison
Golden Age[edit | edit source]
Overwatch members at an IJC event
In the years that followed, Overwatch was transformed into an international peacekeeping force.[7] New resources and funding were given to the unit, giving it far-reaching global influence.[4] Over the following decades, it helped to maintain peace, inspiring an era of exploration, innovation, and discovery,[1] its range of research including space exploration, medical research,[4] biology, chemistry, infrastructure, and climatology.[8] In this particular regard, a series of eco-watchpoints were established to monitor the planet's changing climate.[9] Rogue omnics, terrorism, warmongering dictators, none of them could stand for long against such a capable, dedicated force. Overwatch made global stability its goal, and the world was happy to have them.[5]
During its years of operation, Overwatch recruitment posters were a common sight, and its members had a constant TV presence.[10] An Overwatch cartoon was produced that starred at least some of its own members; the cartoon (still) aired in its last years.[11]
Overwatch grew into a global institution,[2] and new agents were recruited.[4] Those that grew up during this period are referred to as the "Overwatch Generation," as they were given a legion of heroes to look up to.[4] For these children, Overwatch was a symbol of hope, and they were taught that they represented the best of humanity,
Overwatch maintained a global communications network,[12] and possessed one of the most advanced armories on the planet.[7] New agents were brought into the organization as existing ones retired.[3] It carried out operations against the terrorist group Talon[13] and the ninja Shimada Clan. In the case of the latter, to its knowledge, it successfully dismantled it.[14] It took a militaristic approach to maintaining this peace however, which generated some internal tension.[15]
Twilight Years[edit | edit source]
An anti-Overwatch protest
Twenty years after its founding,[4] Overwatch's influence waned,[1] and the organization came under suspicion of corruption and sedition.[2] A series of allegations were made against the group, including negligence resulting in high-profile mission failures; corruption and mismanagement; weapons proliferation; human rights abuses; and more.[4] Overwatch had never had a shortage of critics; even in its glory days, many voices called for severe restrictions on the agency's mission, insisting that such a powerful group of individuals needed careful oversight. Rumors of black-ops missions, carrying out tasks like assassination and kidnapping, were dismissed by the public as paranoid fantasies. But as time passed, criticism became harder to shrug off, and the agency seemed to be tone-deaf to public concerns. Controversial missions stoked public outrage until it reached a fever pitch, and some of Overwatch's most famous and celebrated agents were forced to retire in disgrace.[5] Protests broke out, the people claiming that Overwatch was the source of the world's turmoil.[16] One event labelled "the Venice incident" led to a slew of inquiries into the organization. When it was discovered that disgraced scientist Moira O'Deorain had been working for them, high ranking Overwatch officials disavowed all knowledge of her activities.[17]
Years later, Olympia Shaw reflected that if that had been the end of it, many might have accepted these missteps as the unavoidable signs of an aging, bloated bureaucracy, suffering under monolithic leadership that desperately needed a change in direction. The truth, however, was much darker.[5]
The Anubis Project[edit | edit source]
Ten years before the present day, Overwatch shut down the Anubis Project in Egypt. The fallout was negative for both Egypt and Cairo.[6]
The Venice Incident[edit | edit source]
" Our target was dead. Guess he got what was coming to him. Still, it didn't seem right. But that wasn't the end of our problems. For the first time, people knew we were out there. New faces stepped up to fill the void in Talon. I can't help but wonder if that's where it all started to go wrong. "
~ Jesse McCree
The Venice Incident
Eight years before the present day, an attack was made on Overwatch's Oslo facilities. Commander Morrison launched an investigation of the incident. He informed the media that Overwatch had identified a number of suspects, but declined to provide further details.[18] This was followed by an attack on Blackwatch's Rome facility, where numerous staff members were killed. Both attacks were done at the behest of Antonio, a businessman with connections to both Talon and the Italian government. Overwatch commanders Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes were at a crossroads as to how to respond. Morrison favored working with the Italian government. However, Reyes pointed out that Antonio's connections ran deep, and he'd be exonerated if arrested. Reyes pressed for Antonio to be brought in for questioning, but Morrison pointed out that unilateral action by Overwatch would violate Italy's sovereignty. Still, he left the decision to Reyes to make.
On that note, Reyes assembled a team of Blackwatch agents, consisting of himself, Jesse McCree, Genji Shimada, and Moira O'Deorain. They headed for Rialto.[19] In what would be known as the Venice Incident, the Blackwatch team infiltrated Antonio's manor, but Reyes killed their target instead of apprehending him. The team was forced to fight their way out through the Talon soldiers.[20] Morrison was incensed by what had occurred, and demanded that Reyes tell him what actually happened, plausible deniability be damned. Reyes snidely responded to Morrison's demands, but nonetheless recounted the Rialto mission.[21] In his debrief, he pointed out that things don't always go according to plan, and stood by the decisions he had made.[22] The incident would lead to the reveal of Blackwatch's existence years later,[20] greatly damaging Overwatch's standing.[5]
King's Row Uprising[edit | edit source]
As allegations were mounting, a new threat had appeared. Kings' Row, an English city that was a major site of anti-omnic protests, was under attack by a rogue group called Null Sector. The group rebuilt OR14 and Bastion units, among others, and attacked the city. Thousands of lives were lost. Soon, the city had fallen. The British Prime Minister did not want any Overwatch members to get involved with the conflict. Jack Morrison, however, sent Overwatch members Torbjörn Lindholm, Reinhardt Wilhelm, Lena Oxton, and Angela Ziegler to liberate the city from Null Sector. The four members were to shut down the air defenses, infiltrate the omnic factory, and disable the units. The team successfully stopped the Null Sector uprising.[23]
Storm Rising[edit | edit source]
A year after the King's Row Uprising, Morrison was under pressure to disband Overwatch. This year however, they were able to apprehend Talon member Maximilien in an operation in Havana. Maximilien was successfully captured,[24] and as part of a deal, gave them information on the location of Doomfist. He was apprehended in Singapore.[25]
The Fall[edit | edit source]
The existence of Blackwatch is revealed
In the final years of Overwatch's existence, a top secret division called "Blackwatch" was revealed. There were stories of assassination, coercion, kidnapping, torture, and worse. Governments called on the UN to shut down the "aggressive and repeated violations of many countries' sovereignty."[5]
A special UN committee launched a lengthy and highly secretive investigation into the claims. As the UN investigation proceeded,[4] and public distrust swelled,[5] Overwatch's Swiss headquarters was destroyed in an apparent accident. Among the casualties were Morrison and Reyes. The UN steadfastly maintained that there was no foul play behind this event, but anonymous reports indicate that a rebellion tore the group apart from within. On one side was Morrison, determined to hold together what remained of Overwatch. On the other side was Reyes, whose agenda remains unknown to this day. A battle raged between these men deep within Overwatch's base. At some point, their fighting triggered an explosion that destroyed the facility, killing both of them (supposedly), and numerous others. Angela Ziegler, head of Overwatch's medical research, commented in a UN hearing that the outcome was inevitable—Reyes and Morrison had drifted further and further apart, as Reyes had remained bitter that Morrison had been given the position of field commander instead of him.[4] Years later, Ana Amari ventured that Morrison had been chosen to lead Overwatch due to looking the part, but he was, at the end of the day, a soldier. And as a soldier, Morrison had only known how to save the world, not change it.[8]
Disbandment[edit | edit source]
" Overwatch always took me for granted. That organization was poisoned from the very start, and the longer I was there, the more I could see that it was slowly rotting from the inside out. "
~ Vernand Sainclair
Atlas News reports the end of Overwatch
The UN committee, coupled with the loss of its headquarters and key members, were the two death knells that signaled the end of Overwatch.[4] In the wake of such an incident, little could remain hidden. The full transgressions of Overwatch's shadow operations became known, and even the most ardent defenders inside the organization bowed to the truth and called for its dissolution. The United Nations could do nothing but shut down Overwatch.[5] The group gave into the pressure[2] and it was eventually disbanded,[1] thirty years after its founding, left in disgrace,[2] its agents now the target of derision and suspicion in the media.[4] The Petras Act deemed any Overwatch activity illegal, and liable to prosecution.[26]
Few people at the time doubted it was the right call. The world had never been more peaceful—the biggest threat to global stability and growth was, in many minds, Overwatch itself. Its time had passed.[5] Security privatization became more common in the wake of Overwatch's end, Helix Securities being one example.[27]
Post-Overwatch[edit | edit source]
" Our generation's war is over. Every generation has one. Why do we fight? For blood, for money, for king and country, for justice, for what we believe in. It's not always on the battlefield. Some wars last for decades, but ours was over in an instant. Gabriel built our team to save humanity, but he couldn't rebuild afterwards. Adawe and the others thought Morrison was the one who could. He looked the part, after all. The war hero. Compassionate, brave, confident, political. But at the end of the day: a soldier. And all soldiers only know one way to live. We aren't meant to change the world, just to save it.
That's why the rest of us were there.
We never knew how to let the ones who followed us take up the struggle. We aren't made for peace. "
~ Ana Amari and Angela Ziegler discussing the fall of Overwatch
Overwatch remembered
In the five years since, mystery remains as to the nature of Overwatch's fall (at least within the general population). Suspicions exist that someone took it over to its detriment. But since its end, the world has become a darker place.[3] Tensions between humans and omnics had never been higher. Local political leaders accused certain corporations of using covert operatives to "persuade" government officials into accepting exploitive deals, and when that failed, of hiring mercenaries to enact more permanent solutions. Shadow organizations operated with impunity, often leaving a trail of dead civilians in their wake.[5] A power vacuum was left in light of Overwatch's absence, and Talon was able to increase its strength in the group's absence.[28]
In the interim, Overwatch continued to be memorialized,[29] and some former Overwatch members attempted to "get the band back together".[12]
Resurgence[edit | edit source]
" I heard Overwatch is back.
Is that so? And where did you learn that, Esther?
It's all over the net if you know where to look. "
~ Esther and Jean-Baptiste Augustin
Soldier: 76[edit | edit source]
Overwatch bases were raided by a mysterious individual known only as Soldier: 76, who recovered technology and incapacitated, but never killed, those assigned to watch over the installations. Olympia Shaw, through anonymous contacts within the UN, was given the classified UN reports that detailed the true nature of the destruction of its headquarters, and the role Morrison and Reyes had played within the blast. She concluded (correctly) that Soldier: 76 was indeed Jack Morrison.[4]
Recall[edit | edit source]
" The people decided they were better off without us. They even called us criminals. They tore our family apart. But look around. Someone has to do something. We have to do something. We can make a difference again. The world needs us now more than ever. Are you with me? "
~ Winston's message to former Overwatch operatives
Talon operatives conducted a raid on the abandoned Watchpoint: Gibraltar, hoping to gain access to the Overwatch agent database. They were foiled by Winston, who initiated an agent recall. Agent Lena Oxton immediately responded.[26] Within two days, rumors of Overwatch's return were circulating across the 'net. Unknown to Winston, Talon also received the recall order due to having former Overwatch agents on its payroll.[10]
Tracer and Winston went on to foil an attempted heist of Doomfist's gauntlet by Reaper and Widowmaker.[29] It was this incident that was the last straw for the United Nations, as their actions had followed weeks of similar vigilante activities (Soldier: 76 included). The next day, the UN delivered its statement; "the United Nations has not authorized any Overwatch operations. The organization's charter remains revoked." Further questions were met with hostility or silence. Governments across the world, ranging from Russia to the United Kingdom, gave similar condemnations. In a poll conducted by Atlas News, most people expressed anger at the thought of Overwatch agents having gone rogue, but nearly 75% of the respondents answered that they were "uncertain" as to what Overwatch's return would mean for the world.[5]
As part of his intent to reform Overwatch, Winston returned to Watchpoint: Gibraltar, an old Overwatch outpost that had once stood guard over the Mediterranean. He intended to launch a satellite drone in an effort to restore Overwatch's communications network.[12]The drone was successfully launched.[30]
Further Actions[edit | edit source]
Some of the Overwatch agents apparently re-organized themselves into a recognised unit; it was called in to protect HAL-Fred Glitchbot as he came under attack by anti-omnic forces.[31]
Reformation[edit | edit source]
" Monsieur? Does this mean Overwatch is back?
Yes. Yes we are. "
~ A police officer and Winston after Null Sector's defeat
The team is reunited
When Null Sector attacked Paris, Overwatch agents who'd received Winston's recall converged on the city. Winston, Tracer, and Mei arrived at the city first via Orca, engaging the attacking omnics. While they were initially successful, they had to contend with weight of numbers, plus the firepower of a Titan. However, other Overwatch members arrived, namely Genji Shimada, Reinhardt Wilhelm along with Brigitte Lindholm, Echo, and Angela Ziegler. Combining their skills, they were able to defeat Null Sector and destroy the Titan. In the aftermath, when a police officer asked if this meant that Overwatch was back, Winston answered in the affirmative.[32]
A New War[edit | edit source]
" Paris was just the beginning. This is a global invasion. "
~ Brigitte
Charting the course of action
After Paris, the team traveled to Watchpoint: Gibraltar, which they used as their base of operations. Around this time, Lucio and Sojourn joined Overwatch.[33] As it turned out, Null Sector's attack on Paris was simply the prelude to a global invasion. Winston pointed out that Null Sector wasn't the only threat Overwatch had to deal with. He declared that they'd had to fight their way through one city at a time.[34]
Note: The following events aren't necessarily in chronological order.
The Battle of Rio[edit | edit source]
" So how's Overwatch enjoying our city?
It's beautiful. Except for all the killer robots. "
~ Lúcio and Tracer at Rio
The team fights their way through Rio
Null Sector attacked Rio de Janeiro. Overwatch members Tracer, Mei, and Reinhardt deployed there, where they fought alongside Lúcio to reach Null Sector's command ship.[34]
Other Battles[edit | edit source]
Overwatch fought Talon forces at Ilios, and Null Sector forces at Route 66 and Paris (again).[34]
Known Bases[edit | edit source]
Overwatch's logo, often emblazoned on official vehicles, equipment, and bases.
Overwatch Headquarters (Switzerland, destroyed)
Watchpoints[edit | edit source]
Watchpoint: Antarctica (Antarctica, eco-watchpoint, Ecopoint)
Watchpoint: Gibraltar (Gibraltar)
Watchpoint: Grand Mesa (Colorado, United States)
Rome (destroyed)
Ecopoint: Antarctica
Oslo facilities[18]
Known Members[edit | edit source]
" Overwatch needs you. Register now. "
~ An advertisment on an Overwatch poster
Original Group[edit | edit source]
Overwatch championed the greatness of individuals, regardless of their point of origin.[3] Members faced mandatory retirement from combat operations once they reached a certain age (late 50s at the latest).[2] In addition to its agents and scientists, Overwatch maintained peacekeeper forces, identifiable by their blue armor.[8]
Known members included:
Command[edit | edit source]
Petras (director)
Ana Amari (founding member, captain, second in command, MIA)
Gérard Lacroix (deceased)
Jack Morrison (founding member, first commander)
Gabriel Reyes (founding member, Blackwatch commander)
Angela Ziegler (head of medical research)
Sojourn (captain)
Agents[edit | edit source]
Al-Farouk (deceased)
Bayless (deceased)
Jesse McCree (Blackwatch agent, former)
Mirembe
Lena Oxton (test pilot, agent)
Emre Sarioglu (private first class)
Genji Shimada (Blackwatch agent, former)
Singh (deceased)
Reinhardt Wilhelm (lieutenant, founding member, retired)
Engineers[edit | edit source]
Torbjörn Lindholm (founding member, chief engineer, armorer)
MacReady (deceased)
Scientists[edit | edit source]
Adams (researcher, deceased)
Arrhenius (climatologist, deceased)
Mina Liao (A.I. researcher, founding member, deceased)
Moira O'Deorain (geneticist, Blackwatch member)
Opara (captain, cryonics, deceased)
Torres (cryonics, deceased)
Mei-Ling Zhou (climatologist, MIA)
Pilots[edit | edit source]
Maria Estrada (lieutenant)
Fio (Blackwatch)
Other/Unknown[edit | edit source]
Fusionator
D. Rosenberg (doctor)
Vernand Sainclair (handler)
Balderich von Adler (accepted recruitment to be a founding member, but died before induction)
Present Day[edit | edit source]
Members of Overwatch that are confirmed to have joined or rejoined the new Overwatch under Winston.
Members of the new Overwatch
Winston (de facto leader)
Brigitte Lindholm
Lena Oxton
Genji Shimada
Reinhardt Wilhelm
Mei-Ling Zhou
Angela Ziegler
Lúcio Correia dos Santos (confirmed to be working with Overwatch; unconfirmed if he is an official member)
Recalled Recipients[edit | edit source]
Members that were recalled to serve Overwatch following the reinstatement by Winston that have yet been confirmed to rejoin:
Torbjörn Lindholm (declined)
Jesse McCree (declined; re-activated Echo as his substitute)
Vernand Sainclair (declined)
Jeff Kaplan has described the Overwatch group as being "something like the United Nations if it had a really crazy army with talking apes in it."[12]
Overwatch's flag is composed of the Overwatch logo over a blue background. This arrangement is confirmed as the group's official flag in loading screens for Watchpoint: Gibraltar and Ecopoint: Antarctica, along with it flying on flagpoles in-game. It was also seen in the official Cinematic Trailer.
Videos[edit | edit source]
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Overwatch: Game, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2014-11-26
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Reinhardt, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2015-02-15
↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 2015-11-24, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Unveiled Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-03-03
↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 2015-07-07, Fading Glory: On the Trail of Jack Morrison. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-07-07
↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 2015-05-24, Overwatch is Back: Uncertainty and Hope After UN Confirms Vigilante Activity. Blizzard Entertainment., accessed on 2016-5-25
↑ 6.0 6.1 Bastet
↑ 7.0 7.1 TORBJÖRN, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2015-03-09
↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Valkyrie
↑ Mei, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2015-11-07
↑ 10.0 10.1 What You Left Behind
↑ The Hero of Numbani
↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 2015-03-06, PAX East 2015 Blizzard Panel | Blizzplanet (1/2). YouTUbe, accessed on 2015-03-19 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "PE2015" defined multiple times with different content
↑ Widowmaker, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2014-12-14
↑ Genji, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2015-11-07
↑ Mercy, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2014-11-26
↑ 2015-07-07, Soldier: 76 Origin Story | Overwatch. YouTube, accessed on 2015-08-03
↑ Moira, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2017-04-11
↑ 18.0 18.1 2018-04-03, OVERWATCH OFFICIALS RESPOND TO ATTACK ON OSLO FACILITY. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2018-04-04
↑ Retribution
↑ 20.0 20.1 Overwatch Retribution
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RetributionTrailer
↑ 2018-04-06, Overwatch Twitter, Twitter. Accessed on 2018-04-10
↑ Overwatch Uprising
↑ Overwatch Storm Rising
↑ 2019-04-25. Overwatch on Twitter: "> Accessing archived file... Decryption status: COMPLETE 📂 STORM RISING INTEL EXAMINATION – MAXIMILIEN… ", Twitter. Accessed on 2019-04-25.
↑ 26.0 26.1 Recall
↑ 2017-07-04, TALON INVOLVEMENT CONFIRMED IN PREVIOUS ATTACK ON HELIX FACILITY. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2017-06-18
↑ 2019-11-07, BlizzCon 2019 Overwatch 2 Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2020-07-19
↑ 29.0 29.1 2014-11-07, Overwatch Cinematic Trailer. YouTube, accessed on 2014-11-30
↑ 2015-19-12, Overwatch Theatrical Teaser | "We Are Overwatch". YouTube, accessed on 2015-12-19
↑ 2015-11-07, THE WORLD OF OVERWATCH. Blizzpro, accessed on 2015-11-17
↑ Zero Hour
↑ Blizzcon 2019 Overwatch: Evolving the Art Panel
↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 2019-11-01, Overwatch 2 Gameplay Trailer. YouTube, accessed on 2019-11-08
Retrieved from "https://overwatch.gamepedia.com/Overwatch_(group)?oldid=119146"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Devil's Corner makes Wallpaper* list!
Devil's Corner has just been included in Wallpaper*'s round up of the most striking structures around the world. It's an impressive list, including buildings from across the globe, and Cumulus is thrilled to have our design included.
Have a read of the article over at Wallpaper* and check out the other inclusions here.


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Pro-abortion Democrats double-down, miss how their embrace of PPFA/NARAL is costing them dearly
Pro-life President-elect Donald Trump
Drats, I can't find it now. Someone recently made the unassailable argument that because pro-abortion favorite Hillary Clinton lost by such a tiny margin, those in the party who are in denial could list any of a dozen reasons to "explain" why a prohibitive, overflowing-with-money-and-organization candidate could lose to pro-life Donald Trump, who had never run for public office. And by focusing on their favorite explanation, they could and would avoid making the necessary changes.
We've talked at great length why we thought Trump prevailed. At bottom this was a change election between the ultimate insider and the consummate outsider in which the former made a series of disastrous mistakes, symbolized by her stupendously stupid decision to smear half of Trump's supporters as "deplorables." It still, to this day, amazes me.
And because the media assured her on an hourly basis that she could/would/should win, a confident Clinton did not pour the time she should have into Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Those three breeches in the "Blue Wall" were fatal to her candidacy.
I mention this today because if you are a Democrat, you can either look reality in the face or you can conjure up excuses why Clinton lost and why Republicans not only control both Houses of Congress but also enjoy a massive advantage in the state legislatures and governorships.
My bet is on more and more evasion.
For single-issue voters such as you and me, Evasion #1 is the conscious decision to become an extension of the most militant wing of an already militant pro-abortion movement.
I grew up in a working class family whose political roots were Democratic extending back to Franklin Delano Roosevelt! Were my parents alive, they would not recognize today's Democratic Party.
Not only does it walk arm-in-arm with the NARALs and the Planned Parenthoods and Emily Lists of this world, they have lost touch with working class people in the Heartland. The two are not unrelated, as I have explained to members of my extended family who so want to remain faithful to a party that is no longer faithful to them.
Here are some illustrations of what we're talking about. A friend passed along some articles from Midwestern newspapers. They were an eye-opener.
One former elected official (a Democrat) talked about how Clinton spent literally no time in places like Missouri. Once upon a time there were tons of pro-life Democrats in Missouri. No longer.
This couldn't-be-bothered attitude is representative of the bind the party finds itself in–but chooses to ignore. Reporter Ken Newton wrote
As Democrats settled into their new normal as a minority party in Congress, they fended off any perception of bi-coastal leanings and leadership attempts by new blood from the nation's heartland.
The House Democrats picked as their leaders a 76-year-old and a 77-year-old, both of whom can smell salt water from their home districts.
National Democrats are woefully out of touch with anyone who is not part of their coalition–and happily so. It is impossible to miss (remember Clinton's "deplorables" comments?) their utter contempt for Middle America that is as pro-life as New York and California are pro-abortion.
My friend also sent me a letter-to-the-editor that appeared in a Southeastern Missouri newspaper. The writer attributed Republican domination to three causes, starting with the Democrats' full-throated cry for abortion on demand.
What can they do?
Therefore, Democrats can either convert, curse, or cope, because the Republicans aren't going away anytime soon. They will soon be in charge locally, statewide, and nationally, and the next chance for change is years away.
One other piece of evidence–a story in POLITICO headlined:
Democrats fear another Trump trouncing: Leaderless and lacking a strategy, top party officials worry they're not ready for Trump's first 100 days.
Gabriel Debenedetti begins his story
As Donald Trump's inauguration draws near, Democrats fear they remain woefully unprepared to fight the new president's agenda.
The party loses its standard-bearer once President Barack Obama leaves office, and the Democratic National Committee won't get a permanent chairman and staff until March, two months into the presidency. That Democratic power vacuum has raised concerns about the party's ability to provide a united message — or even to stand up a centralized rapid response operation — for the incoming president's first 100 days in office.
Thus it is no accident pro-abortion Democrats are busy fighting the last war–the election results of November 8–when their first order of business ought to be, and must be, getting their house in order.
These are joyous times for pro-life Republicans and grievous times for pro-abortion Democrats who, electorally, have sold their souls for a mess of pottage.
Categories icon Politics
Tags icon Democrats, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Republicans
NARAL tries desperately to pretend Trump's pro-life stance did not help him
President-elect Trump chooses pro-life Rick Perry to be Energy Secretary


Every Friday we're pleased to offer Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscribers a new bonus webinar just for them! This Friday enjoy "How to Scan an Elephant: Digitizing Awkward Artifacts from Artifact to Zombie" by Denise May Levenick. If you're not a member, remember the webinar previews are always free.
Go beyond the flatbed scanner to digitize awkward artifacts and oversize items. Discover apps, accessories, and expert tips to get better results from traditional scanners, digital cameras, and mobile devices. Full-size newspapers, 3-D objects, photos, and paperwork need different digitizing techniques. Know when to use a camera, scanner, or mobile device, and what settings, apps, and accessories will give the best results.
In every family, someone ends up with "the stuff." Denise May Levenick is a writer, researcher, and speaker with a passion for preserving and sharing family treasures of all kinds. She is the creator of the award-winning family history blog, The Family Curator and author of two books on preserving family treasures, How to Archive Family Photos (Family Tree Books, 2015), and How to Archive Family Keepsakes: Learn How to Preserve Family Photos, Memorabilia and Genealogy Records, (Family Tree Books, 2012).
Denise inherited her first family archive from her grandmother & a trunk filled with photos, letters, documents, and lots of "miscellaneous stuff" and is now the caretaker of several family collections. She has adapted professional archival techniques to the family archive situation and shares her experiences at her website, and in her books and articles.


Water flowing over small rocks right into a pebble lined pond, water shifting from one patio pond to another through a canal with a stone bridge connecting the small pools, wonderful drizzles of water from tiny nozzles finely spraying moisture loving crops, all these outside water features will help cool the encircling air and provides a wonderful view on the same time. Within the extra leg, seating up top and further house for refrigeration, trash and cubby holes make outside grilling handy. One out of doors kitchen could also be used as a full kitchen with prime range burners, grill, in-built kegerator, sink, trash entry and loads of seating dealing with the television.
It is necessary that you simply think about your wants when designing your individual customized outdoor kitchen. You might even see patio designs on tv or get garden format thoughts from a garden excursion. Expertise is essential for installations of patio or every other lighting, and so, it's a good idea to hunt help from landscape architects who've the required expertise in out of doors lighting design.
Addressing these principal points whereas planning the design idea will go a long way in figuring out whether or not the patio development shall be a hit or a failure. This design is all the time the same in a common method be is all the time customized to the size and use of every particular person client.
For instance, sustaining a comfortable room temperature involves using the precise design parts like screens and patio overheads, and patios should be inbuilt the correct location (relating to the sun and wind), so as to modify excessive warmth in the course of the sizzling summer months, and strong icy winds through the colder months.


Since announcing its plan to build 2 to 3 million electric cars a year and to unveil 30 new models by 2025 – across all its brands (VW, Audi, Porsche, etc.), Volkswagen has been rumored to be planning to build one or more giant battery factory to support this plan.
Just a few weeks after unveiling its own new battery Gigafactory for electric vehicles in Germany, Daimler is now announcing a new $740 million battery factory project in China.
After the 'Dieselgate' scandal, Volkswagen has come out as one of the major automakers most committed to electric cars. Earlier this year, the company announced its plan to build 2 to 3 million all-electric cars a year and to unveil 30 new models by 2025 – across all its brands (VW, Audi, Porsche, etc.).
Tesla is aiming for similar volumes and we all know what the company did in order to secure the battery supply to support that kind of electric car production; the Gigafactory. Earlier this year, an insider report came out saying that Volkswagen was about to present to its board of directors a project similar to Tesla's Gigafactory and build a 'multi-billion euro battery factory', but Volkswagen CEO, Matthias Müller, later denied the plan.
Daimler announced today an important €500 million ($543.5 million) investment in a new battery factory in Kamenz, Germany, through its ACCUmotive subsidiary. The company already has a relatively small battery plant at the location, but it purchased 20 hectares of land adjacent to the existing plant and plans to build a new factory to produce li-ion batteries for the electric vehicles of its Mercedes and Smart brands.
According to a new report from the Reno Gazette-Journal, the Tesla Gigafactory is still ahead of schedule, but it is falling short on job creation and capital investment projections for the project. It would be important to note that RGJ is making these claims based on the most recent data available – dated September 30 and June 30 – while comparing the numbers to the state's projections for the end of 2015.
South Korean news outlets are reporting that the electronic giant LG Chem will build a new factory to produce batteries for electric cars in Europe. The new plant will reportedly have an annual production capacity of 50,000 battery packs, making it of similar size as the company's Holland, Michigan plant where the company produces battery packs for the Chevy Volt and eventually the Bolt.


Skin tells others about your health. It's the largest organ and reflects your inner health. Whatever is going on with your inner organs then shows on your skin.
Taking care of your skin is an essential task of your daily routine. Your skin care products do not need to be expensive. Use simple remedies to make your skin look good.
The alpha-hydroxy acids found in apple cider vinegar make this product very beneficial for your skin. You would be surprised to find out how many important vitamins, amino acids and enzymes apple cider vinegar has. Vinegar is also known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, antibacterial, and antiviral qualities. It balances the PH level of your skin and, at the same time, clears your pores. It sounds like we have finally found the best remedy for oily skin! You'll need half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, six teaspoons of ground oats, half a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of brown sugar. Mix the ingredients and use the mixture to exfoliate your skin. You can apply it and then allow the paste sit for about 10-15 minutes. Finally, gently remove the mixture rubbing it off.


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Home / Unlabelled / Okocha and KANU encouraged me - John Utaka
Okocha and KANU encouraged me - John Utaka
by Ilekhuoba Taiye on August 15, 2020
Former Super Eagles attacker, John Utaka has ascribed his football achievements to Ex-Super Eagles legends Austin Jay-Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu.
Utaka was recently assigned as Montepellier u19 coach. He, however, praised the smartness and technical ability of Kanu.
'Kanu competed in the Olympic Games. He inspired me a lot because he was not a fast player, but he is very smart and very technical in games,' Utaka told the Montpellier website.
Utaka also stated that when he got his maiden call up in 2000, Kanu was present with Okocha. Utaka then went ahead to describe playing with such legends as a dream come true.
'When I got my first call-up to Nigeria in 2000, he was there with Okocha, and for me it was. I was watching them on TV, and there I was playing with them. It was a dream fulfilled.'
He finally stated that Kanu and Okocha supported him and made sure he avoids fear to become brave.
'They encouraged me by telling me not to be afraid to express myself as I knew how to do and especially to listen to the coaches. It was good advice.'
Utaka earned a total of 49 caps for the West African powerhouse before hanging his boots in 2012.
About Ilekhuoba Taiye
By Ilekhuoba Taiye at August 15, 2020


text:
Jigga And The Chef's Album Clash
Jay-Z tussels with Wu-Tang's Raekwon
Jay-Z's Jay-Zin the iTunes download charts.
Raekown has been the only one of the two to speak on the records' head-to-head release, confidently claiming; "I know I have a great album. I haven't listened to BP3 yet, good luck Jigga anyway."
Many are saying Raekwon is returning to the original Wu-Tang sound that we all loved, with 'Jigga' fans claiming the album is just stagnant and shows no growth. Both of these albums are perfect examples that you can't please all the people all the time, so on that note, why not buy both?
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100 Bullets » 100 Bullets #59 - The Calm released by Vertigo on May 2005.
Hot on the heels of a major player's death, the revealed Minutemen, led by Victor "The Rain", convene to discuss plans on where to make their next move. But who will lead this team of vicious killers, and more important, will they all survive one another?


Dylan loved to hide here, under the stairway, and watch his father work. His father, Jason, actually knew that his three-year-old son would watch him for hours at a time, from his 'secret' hiding place.
After all, Jason spent most of his free time here; working on an invention that he never spoke of, to anybody.
The invention was no larger than an average boom-box. Twenty-two inches long, eight inches deep and 7 inches tall. It had one antenna on each end that pointed up and outward at forty-five degree angles.
When it was turned on, as it was now, a beautiful blue light was emitted between the antennae. The light spread outward as it rose to the ceiling, creating a soft blue, v-shaped irridescence.
Jason suddenly realized that he had left his notes in the den. Without shutting the device off, as he usually did, he quickly rose and ran to retrieve his notepad.
Dylan crawled from beneath the stairs and ran to the bench. The pretty blue light had always beckoned to the tot, and with daddy out of the room, the urge to look closer was irresistable.
The boy picked up the closest object on the bench, an eight-inch electricians screwdriver.
Young Franklin, from Hyde Park, was standing in the lunch line with the other boys when he felt the sharp pain in his thigh. "A bee?" he thought as he bent over to examine his leg more closely.
it penetrated about two inches into the brain cavity. I'm sure that his death was immediate and I hope that the police find the person who is responsible. You have my deepest sympathy, Mr. Roosevelt."
"Pathetic Americans." Werner spoke aloud to no one, as he sat atop his Panzer. On his left was, or used to be, Radio City Music Hall. Now the shell-ridden marquee, promoting the Rockettes, lay in pieces on the sidewalk.
He eyed the crater filled streets of the city and thought of how easily The Fuhrer had duped President Wilke. In fact, the Fuhrer's exact words were, "he was easier than Herr Chamberlain!"
The warheads above Shanghai, Beijing, New Delhi, Teheran, and Hong Kong detonated only seconds before the larger warheads over Paris, Moscow, New York and Berlin.
"Dylan! NO!" Jason screamed as he re-entered the room, exactly twenty-eight seconds after he had left it.
His words never reached the boy. Dylan's innocent eyes stared into the blue light. He thought he saw a boy with a bloody head, wearing brown knickers, lying on the floor.
He saw the army man sitting on a tank, in a smokey, burning city.
And just as Jason, Dylan and the other six billion people on Earth winked out of existence, he saw the mushroom cloud.
The extiction of the species was felt at once by the Captain, or En-Mu, of the vessel. It was a rare but not entirely unknown sensation.
In ninety-two thousand years, the En-mu had been witness to two other such events.
But neither of the others had been so close to receiving the Gift. This particular race, who had called themselves Earthlings, were less than one of their solar revolutions away from bestowment.
The En-Mu knew that he could change the time-line and avert the disaster that had befallen this planet. He could reverse the events that had caused the 'alteration' in their timeline and brought about their extinction.
But he would not. All who were aboard this ship knew that the people of Earth had advanced this far in spite of themselves.
Hatred, Element 92, biological warfare and genetic engineering were all issues that would have been overcome, when the Gift was given to them.
But the dangers presented by those who experimented with time shifting could have a catastrophic effect on the entire Universe. Interfering with the time-line is not tolerated.
In fact, the Keepers had once destroyed a species that had posed a threat to all existence with their time devices.
Sadly, the people of the Blue Planet would forever be a footnote in the history of the All.
The En-Mu made a navigational change with his mind. This voyage would not be a total waste. While in this system, he would retrieve something that he had lkeft on the Red Planet.


text:
France's news in English
Jobs in France
France must return €4.6 million to Jehovah's Witnesses
France must return almost €4.6 million it seized from Jehovah's Witnesses for taxes on donations, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Thursday.
Toulouse Jewish school student attacked on train
A teenage student from a French Jewish school that was targeted by an Islamist serial killer this year was assaulted on a train in an attack condemned by the Jewish community.
Clinton rounds on Russia and China
A world meeting on Syria urged the UN on Friday to use the threat of sanctions to force change in Syria as President Bashar al-Assad was rocked by the defection of one of his most senior generals.


text:
Q: PowerShell: How to check which button is clicked I have a gui with some buttons to check some system informations. The routine is always the same, but I don't want to write it 5 times. How can I check which button the user has pressed?
For example:
Foreach ($server in $serverlist) {

   If ( (Test-Connection $server -Quiet -count 1) ) {

      If ($button1.clicked) {

         #Get OS Info

      }

      Else {}

      If ($button2.clicked) {

         #Get Disk Info

      }

      Else {}

   Else {

      Write-Output "`r`n$server not available...`r`n" | Out-File c:\temp\error.txt

   }

   }

   Else {}

}

[reflection.assembly]::loadwithpartialname('system.windows.forms'); [system.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::show('query complete')

A: Rather than multiple if($buttonWhatever.clicked), attach an event handler to the button itself and make it do all the work.
$btnGetOSInfo.Add_Click(
{
# stuff for getting OS
}
)

$btnGetDiskInfo.Add_Click(
{
# stuff for getting Disk info
}
)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This article was originally published in Forbes. Read it here!
Many of the clients I work with are surprised to learn that it's not what they're saying that's holding them back -- it's often what they're doing.
Ready to listen so others feel heard?


text:
When measured against history, Prime Minister Trudeau's spending near peak levels
Appeared in the Financial Post, May 25, 2017
Much has been made of the current federal government's ramp up in spending, particularly its multi-billion dollar infrastructure initiative, and the corresponding deficits and debt being accumulated. What has been largely ignored is the historical context of such spending—an analysis made all the more timely by this year's 150th anniversary of Confederation.
Our recent study calculated per person spending by the federal government (excluding interest costs on the national debt) since 1870, adjusted for inflation, allowing us to directly compare the spending of different governments and prime ministers over time. Some of the results may be surprising to Canadians and informative about the current state of federal spending.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began to increase per person spending immediately after his election in October 2015. The Harper Conservatives originally planned for per person spending to reach $7,342 in 2015 but the Trudeau Liberals cranked up spending to $7,557. Put differently, the Trudeau Liberals increased per person spending in 2015 by almost 3 per cent more than the previous Harper government had planned.
Spending was further increased in 2016 and the federal government plans to spend $8,337 in the current fiscal year (2017-18). This is only $38 shy of the all-time high level of per person spending recorded in 2009-10 by the Harper Conservative government ($8,375). The peak spending under the Harper government, however, was done during a marked global recession.
Conversely, the near-peak spending planned by the Trudeau government is done without any recession or large-scale military conflict, which are the two main characteristics of almost every other previous spike in federal spending.
For context, the current level of per person spending (adjusted for inflation) is 22.1 per cent higher than the peak spending incurred during the depths of the Second World War in 1943 under Canada's longest serving Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.
It's also 14.4 per cent higher than the peak of federal per person spending reached under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
Unlike his father's record of spending, Prime Minister Trudeau's current plan is to actually start reducing per person spending next year—the federal government's most recent budget called for a 1.1 per cent reduction in per person spending by 2019-20. This stands in stark contrast to the prime minister's father who along with his predecessor Prime Minister Lester Pearson ramped up federal per person spending (adjusted for inflation) from $2,837 in 1962 to a peak of $7,288 in 1982, an increase of 156.9 per cent.
Whether the federal government will follow through on its plan to reduce federal spending in the two years prior to the next federal election is a legitimate question, but it's nonetheless the current plan. That said, even with the planned 1.1 per cent reduction in federal per person spending, the federal government still expects a $23.4 billion deficit in 2019-20. To reach a balanced budget by 2019-20, which was the Liberal Party's original campaign commitment, the government would have to reduce per person spending by 6.4 per cent over the next two years.
There's no question that the current government has decidedly increased spending at the expense of further deficits and mounting debt. It's questionable whether it will be able to return to balance in the foreseeable future, and the degree to which Canadians benefit from this added spending remains unclear. Consider for instance that the main rationale for the additional spending was to "stimulate" additional economic growth. The problem for the government is that economic growth, and prospects for future growth, have steadily declined since 2015.
It's been 150 years since Confederation. During that time, only one other federal government has spent more on a per person basis than the current Trudeau government. And crucially, unlike previous marked increases in federal spending, there is no recession or large-scale military conflict to explain the increased largesse. Rather the government has voluntarily decided to increase spending, but to-date, has little to show for it except the accordant deficits and debt.
Jason Clemens
Executive Vice President, Fraser Institute
Milagros Palacios
Associate Director, Addington Centre for Measurement, Fraser Institute
Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada, 2021 Edition Tegan Hill, Nathaniel Li, Joel Emes
The Great Convergence: Measuring the Fiscal Capacity Gap Between "Have" and "Have-Not" Provinces Ben Eisen, Milagros Palacios
Ontario's new finance minister must recognize the importance of budget balance Steve Lafleur, Jake Fuss
Trudeau government must chart credible plan to balance federal budget Jake Fuss


text:
BikinginLA
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The 4th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!
Tag Archive for texting while driving
Morning Links: Rapley death leads to effort to catch texting drivers, and more holiday bike giveaways
December 17, 2018 / bikinginla / 3 comments
It's the last week of the 4th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!
Give today, and join the 37 generous people who've already given their hard-earned money to support SoCal's best source for bike news and advocacy. And help keep this site coming your way every day.
Donate in just minutes via PayPal, or through Zelle with the banking app that's already on your phone, using the email address on this link.
Any amount will help, and is truly and deeply appreciated, no matter how large or small.
Or if you own a business, consider buying an ad on BikinginLA to show your support for this site, while you spread your message to thousands of bike riders in Southern California and around the world.
Not to mention you can write off the full cost as an advertising expense on next year's taxes.
The death of an Australian tourist on an LA roadway has led to safety improvements Down Under.
James Rapley was riding on Temescal Canyon while on an extended layover at LAX on his way back home for the holidays five years ago when he was run down by a stoned and distracted driver who drifted into the bike lane.
Now one of his best friends has developed a camera system designed to catch distracted drivers, and keep anyone else from dying needlessly.
The system, from a company called Acusensus, works like a red light camera, capturing photos of distracted drivers and mailing them tickets.
While no tickets have been issued yet, a four week test of the technology this past October captured an average of 11,000 drivers a day using their phones illegally.
Something like that would probably require a law change here. But it might finally get California drivers to put down their damn phones and pay attention to the road ahead of them.
And possibly avoid thousands of needless deaths and injuries every year.
Then maybe Rapley's death won't have been in vain.
On a related note, I worked with Councilmember Mike Bonin's office and LADOT to push for a parking-protected bike lane on the uphill side of Temescal Canyon where Rapley was killed.
However, the plan LADOT developed for a road diet on Temescal with a protected bike lane on the uphill side and a separated bike lane on the downhill side met local opposition from Palisades homeowners in its only public presentation.
And was quietly shelved following the tumult over the Playa del Rey road diets in Bonin's district.
Let's hope sanity returns someday, and the plan can be revived before anyone else gets killed.
'Tis the season.
A couple dozen Idaho kids got new bikes, along with free helmets, air pumps and water bottles in a holiday giveaway.
Hundreds of Detroit kids got free refurbished bikes and helmets from Free Bikes 4 Kids.
A Roman Catholic priest, one of 700 selected by Pope Francis to travel the world doing good deeds, gave every 2nd grader in a Kentucky school a new bike and helmet from Trek.
A London neighborhood sees over 500 cycling Santas turn out on BMX bikes.
Horrifying security video captures the moment an Australian bicyclist was run down from behind by a driver high on meth, who then continues on to hit a pedestrian and another car.
No word on whether the victim was injured, or how badly.
But fair warning, before you push play, be sure this is something you really want to see. The video is graphic and disturbing, and you can't unsee it.
Surry Hills: Dashcam on a bus has caught the moment a driver hit a cyclist before running a red light and clipping a pedestrian and van. The driver tested positive to methylamphetamine. @jessicaridleytv #7News pic.twitter.com/zcBIpOJGDq
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) December 15, 2018
This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work. After a man was critically injured in a hit-and-run while riding on La Tuna Canyon with his adult son last year, Los Angeles officials unveiled a new separated bike lane and other safety improvements along the dangerous roadway.
This is the cost of traffic violence. Two nine-year old girls are battling for their lives after suffering "massive" head trauma in a street racing crash; one driver was arrested, while the other fled the scene.
Bird briefly flocked to Redondo Beach on Thursday, only to have its wings clipped and unceremoniously ordered to get the flock out of town by Sunday.
Seriously, don't kill the newts. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
San Diego's Holiday Joy Ride shines a light on safety improvements in the city, with many new projects set to be unveiled in the coming year.
North San Diego County bicyclists rode to honor bike and pedestrian safety advocate Roberta Walker, who was critically injured in a crash while riding her bike recently.
After a bike rider was killed by a speeding driver on Ramon Road in Rancho Mirage, local bicyclists express their concerns about the dangerous roadway. And the local TV station offers tips on how bicyclists can stay safe, without a single word on how drivers should slow down and avoid killing people.
An Oakland news site operated by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism offers a video report on the latest plan to complete the bike path on the Bay Bridge.
In yet another blow to alternative transportation, the Trump administration is converting the popular TIGER grantsthat helped build bike and walkways across the US into a highway building program.
That energy drink could mess with your blood flow.
A Seattle judge sends the city back to the drawing board, ruling in favor of a coalition of maritime and industrial businesses who sued to halt the proposed completion of an 18-mile bike path that's been in the works for over thirty years.
A local paper says a planned redo of I-70 through Colorado's Vail Pass will have to balance the needs of motorists, bicyclists and wildlife; a bike advocate says some sections of the existing bike path through the Rockies are terrifying in places where it runs too close to the freeway.
A Wichita Falls TX bicyclist calls attention to the dangers bike riders face in the city after he was hit from behind with no warning by a drunken motorcyclist.
I want to be like him when I grow up. A Wisconsin state senator praises the country's longest serving state legislator, who she calls the dean of the senate — and who rode nearly 3,000 spandex-clad miles this year at 91-years old.
Connecticut Public Radio discusses the origin of bicycles, and how bikes paved the way for the women's movement over a century ago.
After a New York ebike rider was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding in a bike lane, the NYPD trips over itself to blame the victim and exonerate the missing driver.
He gets it. An op-ed in the New York Times says urban areas around the world are getting the message that cities are for people, not cars. Maybe Los Angeles will finally figure that out someday.
An op-ed in the Washington Post says traffic laws are universally ignored, and safety will never improve until drivers have to pay for breaking the law.
An Orlando FL plastic surgeon says bike riders have to be taught traffic laws, and the laws have to be enforced to improve safety. In other words, he's blaming the people on bikes for getting hit by cars, and not the people who hit them.
Ottawa, Canada bicyclists are calling for a permanent memorial where a bike rider was killed by a cab driver earlier this month, saying the death can't be swept under the rug.
Life is cheap in London, where a dump truck driver walked with a suspended sentence in the death of a pregnant woman as she rode her bike.
Royal-in-law Pippa Middleton gets back on her bike for the first time since giving birth in October.
Troubling piece from a gay couple who biked along the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland as Brexit throws the border into question, and find gay people hidden deeply in the closet and a revival of the conflict between Catholics and Protestants waiting just under the surface.
A new competition-winning Dutch app enables employers to track bike commuters to pay them for riding to work.
Thousands of people in Kathmandu continue to ride their bikes, despite the dangers and chaotic traffic — including missing manhole covers exposing open sewers.
No bias here. A Kiwi columnist says it's okay if he hates on bikeways as a ridiculous waste of money, because he rides a bike himself. Sure, let's go with that.
Competitive Cycling
Normally, Stephen Hyde's third consecutive US national cyclocross championship would be damned impressive. Except the incomparable Katie Compton just won her 15th in a row. Yes, fifteen.
The former long-time coach of the late, lamented Jelly Belly team has found a new sponsor, allowing him to continue fielding a Continental-level cycling team.
Sad news from the UK, where a court heard a cyclist died of a heroin overdose, driven in part by a crippling fear of urinating in public, which prevented him from turning pro over his fears of being forced to take drug tests in front of a witness.
Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas was named the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year.
Even the trees are out to get us. Strava Santa is coming to town.
And not everyone wants cycling gear for Christmas. That's okay; I'll gladly take whatever he doesn't want.
Thanks to James van G and Mitchell D for their generous donations to the BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive to keep this site coming to your favorite screen every morning!
Category: Morning Links / Tags: 'Tis the season, bicycling, distracted driving, James Rapley, Los Angeles, texting while driving
Sharing the road with drunks — and worse
March 16, 2010 / bikinginla / 7 comments
There are certain days I try not to ride. Or if I do, I try to get out and back before the kegs and cocktails start flowing.
Like Christmas Eve. New Years Eve. Super Bowl Sunday.
And yes, St. Patrick's Day.
Days when the risk of getting intimately acquainted with the bumper of an intoxicated driver is just too high for comfort. And not based on statistics or studies, but my own personal experience of having dodged far too many far too close calls over the years.
Lately, though, it's become clear that there's another roadway risk that's not tied to the calendar or the local bar. One that seems to be a daily, and rapidly growing, occurrence.
Take Monday's ride.
I was at the base of San Vicente Blvd in Santa Monica, waiting to make my left onto Ocean Blvd.
I watched as the driver approaching from my left signaled for a right turn. And having been fooled by far too many turn signals over the years, waited until she actually began her right before starting across the intersection
Then I jammed on my brakes as she suddenly cut back to her left, forcing the driver behind her to slam on his brakes — as well as his horn — as she blew through the stop sign in front of her.
And rolled through the very spot I would have been occupying if I hadn't hit my brakes in time.
It was okay, though, because she gave the other driver L.A.'s ubiquitous "sorry" wave. And I'm sure she would have gladly directed it my way as well, if only she'd actually seen me.
Do I really need to mention that she was on her cell phone the whole time?
Or consider another incident from last week.
I was on Beverly Glen, waiting with a long line of cars to make the left onto Olympic Blvd. And watched in horror as a pickup coming from the other direction made a right turn onto Olympic from the opposite left turn lane, cutting off three lanes of traffic in the process.
He then drove well below the speed limit, swerving from lane to lane before finally forcing his way into the left lane, nearly leaving a demolition derby's worth of cars strewn in his wake.
Thanks to his slow speed, I found myself stopped at the same light with him, so I looked over, expecting to see a noticeably drunk motorist behind the wheel.
Instead, he had his hands in his lap.
No, texting.
Or consider another case from later that same day, when I took my car out to run an errand.
Just a few blocks past the spot of the earlier incident, I put on my turn signal and slowed to make a right turn. And nearly got rear-ended by a driver who evidently couldn't see the car directly ahead of him, despite the working turn signal and brake lights.
And yes, I checked.
And yes, he had his phone pressed tightly to his ear.
So what do you think my chances would have been if I'd been on a bike instead of wrapped within a rolling ton of rubber, glass and steel?
I wish these were just random events. But the fact is, simple observation suggests that the laws prohibiting handheld phones and texting behind the wheel are almost universally ignored these days — though I have noticed more drivers holding their phones in their right hands, where they would presumably be less noticeable from a passing patrol car.
Even though studies have consistently shown that talking on a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk.
And texting behind the wheel is worse.
Which brings up the problem.
We can ban dangerous behavior behind the wheel and pass all the laws we want to protect cyclists and pedestrians.
But just like the trash bins in the bike lanes on Venice Blvd — or the three-foot passing law in our neighbors to the east — it won't make a damn bit of difference without adequate enforcement.
Category: General / Tags: bicycling, driving while distracted, drunk driving, handheld cell phones, Los Angeles, texting while driving
A little this, a little that
January 6, 2009 / bikinginla / 2 comments
A few random thoughts while I get back into serious biking and blogging mode after the holidays…
So this is why they hate us. Over the weekend, my wife and I were wandering through Santa Monica, in full pedestrian mode. After awhile, we found ourselves needing to cross a busy street. So like the safety conscious, law-abiding citizens we are, we waited patiently until the light changed, then crossed in the crosswalk.
Unfortunately, not everyone shared our patience.
As we neared the other side, an oncoming cyclist apparently decided that normal traffic laws don't apply to her. Or possibly to cyclists in general, since we didn't have the opportunity to discuss her motivation with her.
Instead, we were busy trying to scramble out of her way after she ran the red light — despite the fact that we were directly in front of her at the time.
Now, I'm not one to insist that every rider has to obey every traffic law. Sometimes it's safer to break the law; sometimes, strict adherence to the law just doesn't make sense in a given situation. So even though I stop for red lights, I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not you want to stop.
But here's a general rule of thumb: When there are people in the crosswalk directly in front of you, stop your goddam bike long enough to let them pass, for chrissake.
Loopholes in the law. I was relieved to read in the Times over the weekend that the state legislature didn't go overboard when they banned texting while driving.
It seems that the law that went into effect on the first only bans two-way communications; that is, you can't read or write a text or email to or from another person. (Damn, that was a complicated sentence.) But you can still text or email a corporate site or public forum — although how a cop is supposed to know whether you're texting another person, or posting to your blog, is beyond me.
So by all means, feel free to respond to this post, or bid on that Cervelo carbon frame you've always wanted, while you cruise down the 405 at rush hour. (Cruise being a relative term, or course.)
And best of all, the law only concerns motorized vehicles. So while it may be illegal to text from the saddle of a Harley while you're stopped at a red light, it's perfectly legal to do so while you pedal down Wilshire Boulevard.
So be sure to take your iPhone with you on the next Midnight Ridazz Vegan Banana Penis ride, and text us all a photo of the cop writing you a probably unenforceable ticket for riding without a license. Or not.
Imagine no more patch kits. Finally, I was catching up on my reading the other day, when I stumbled upon this small item in the December Esquire Magazine. Evidently, a pair of French scientists have invented a form of synthetic rubber that can heal itself — automatically resealing itself in the event of a puncture or cut.
The developers envision using it to make unbreakable glassware, or — far more interesting for us Angelenos with our crumbling roadways — mixing it with asphalt to develop road surfaces that won't crack.
And as a cyclist, my mind immediately goes to tires and tubes that won't go flat. Allowing us to leave our patch kits, tire levers and pumps behind, once and for all.
Although that would ruin the fun for all those people who seem to derive such joy from breaking their empty beer bottles in the bike lane.
Ubrayj — or El Brayjereno, if you prefer — describes how to stage a coup in the LABAC. L.A. loses it's Bike Snob, but gains an Anonymous Cyclist. Damien wants to know what kinds of stories you want StreetblogLA to cover in the coming year. Personally, I want to know why no one has chucked a brick through those damned digital billboards yet. (Not that I condone taking the law into your own hands, of course.) And Timur, in his non-cycling blog, poetically describes his language skills in architectural terms — a perfect example of why I love his writing. Borrowing his metaphorical device, though, my German is like an old refrigerator box under the overpass that someone is using to sleep in, while my Spanish is like an empty Carona six-pack at his feet. And my French is like a broken bottle of Ripple in the gutter…
Category: General / Tags: bicycling, crosswalks, Los Angeles, pedestrians, running red lights, self-healing rubber, texting while bicycling, texting while driving
Advocacy & Politics
Anti-bike bias
Car vs Bike
Injuries and Fatalities
Roadway Courtesy
Bike Cam Video
Bikes & the Law
Bikes Have Rights
Dr. Christopher Thompson
Violence & Crime
Bikeshare
Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime
Streets and Infrastructure
Bike Access
The business of bikes
Morning Links: LA driver entitlement and assholery, Critical Mass stopped by H'wood LAPD, and stupid bicyclist tricks
67-year old Oxnard man killed riding on Highway 101 in Ventura County
Morning Links: Hermosa Beach sharrows fight, and what the hell is going on with LADOT and the Arroyo Seco Bike Path?
Morning Links: New plant-based cookbook by LA nutritionist and bicyclist, scary NY vigilantes, and bike riders behaving badly
Morning Links: San Jose driver slams two bike riders, former musher's epic bike journey, and new human bike record
David Erickson on Morning Links: LA driver entitlement and assholery, Critical Mass stopped by H'wood LAPD, and stupid bicyclist tricks
Ralph on Morning Links: New plant-based cookbook by LA nutritionist and bicyclist, scary NY vigilantes, and bike riders behaving badly
Christian on Morning Links: New plant-based cookbook by LA nutritionist and bicyclist, scary NY vigilantes, and bike riders behaving badly
JJD on 67-year old Oxnard man killed riding on Highway 101 in Ventura County
bikinginla on Morning Links: New plant-based cookbook by LA nutritionist and bicyclist, scary NY vigilantes, and bike riders behaving badly


text:
OFT to reveal bank charges next move 'on Tuesday'
Guy Anker | Deputy Editor & Head of Operations
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is expected to announce next Tuesday whether it will continue the fight to help bank charges victims reclaim their cash, following its Supreme Court defeat last month.
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury SarahMcCarthy-Fry said this week that the OFT will reveal its decision on 22 December.
MoneySavingExpert.com is urging the OFT to continue the charge after we received advice from a top legal QC on the matter. Our belief is there is a new blockbuster argument under the Consumer Credit Act which was never raised in the original test case (see the Bank charges round two MSE News story).
McCarthy-Fry was responding to a House of Commons question from Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael, over whether the Government will ensure "fairness in the contractual relationship between banks and customers".
McCarthy-Fry said: "The Office of Fair Trading is still considering that judgment in detail, and on 22 December, it intends to make an announcement about what further action will be taken.
"Our position is very clear: we want to see a fairer and more transparent system of charges, and we are working very closely with the OFT to achieve that."
However, the OFT would not confirm the announcement time, only saying it will be made in December.
As things stand, without further action, most consumers hit with charges cannot reclaim their cash.
The banks defeated the OFT last month, after the Supreme Court ruled fairness rules do not apply to bank charges.
The upshot is that the watchdog cannot determine whether bank charges for exceeding your overdraft limit are indeed unfair, as things stand. It had provisionally stated they are unjust.
However, the Court said further legal avenues were open for the OFT to challenge that ruling.
The Government said in last month's Pre Budget Report that it wants banks and building societies to ensure future charges are fair.
If current account providers do not ensure this, Whitehall has promised action (see the Bank charges pledge MSE News story).
Further reading/Key links
Fight back: Bank Charges
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Bank charges round two
Provident to limit loan mis-selling payouts for up to four million customers under new redress scheme – what it means for you
Anyone with a current or future guarantor, doorstep or payday loan mis-selling claim against Provident, Glo, Greenwood or Satsuma, some of the sectors' biggest lenders, likely won't now get the full amount they're owed.
Car insurance premiums expected to fall by up to £35/yr as whiplash reforms take force
Drivers could save up to £35 a year on their car insurance, the Ministry of Justice has said, as major reforms to the claims process for whiplash injury come into effect this week.
£1.8 billion in pension credit left unclaimed - how to check if you or someone you know is eligible
A former pensions minister has urged people to use this Bank Holiday weekend as an opportunity to check if elderly relatives or neighbours are missing out on £1,000s a year in pension credit, with recent figures showing up to £1.8 billion remains unclaimed. Here's how to check if you or someone you know is eligible - and what to do if so.
London Capital & Finance investors in line for up to £68,000 payout under new Government scheme - but they won't get back everything lost
Around 8,800 London Capital & Finance (LCF) investors are set to receive compensation of up to £68,000 under a new Government scheme, the Treasury has announced today.
Reclaim Banks Current accounts OFT Bank charges Overdrafts Supreme Court


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Ollie Lambert is a Manchester-based musician creating innovative music for vocal ensembles that pushes the boundaries of conventional consort writing. As the Founder, Arranger and Artistic Director of The Apex Singers Ollie has written, mixed and produced 50+ arrangements including 2 albums, "Hiraeth" (2020) which received 2 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, and "Stravaig" (2022), a collection of pieces written during lockdown. Ollie's arrangements have been performed by internationally-renowned ensembles across the world: The Vancouver Youth Choir in Canada, Exaudi Youth Choir in Australia, Mannskoret Arme Riddere in Norway and Ardú in Ireland to name a few. Ollie's outreach work has included collaborating with The Hallé, visiting schools in the North-West to encourage boys to sing. He also offers vocal masterclasses, workshops and adjudication for competitions and festivals such as the Irish International A Cappella Festival, and the A Cappella Recording/Video Awards. Head to the Tuition tab for more info on 1:1 teaching. Ollie has 5+ years recording experience, producing a cappella ensemble tracks and recording backing tracks and audio reels. His extensive array of studio equipment offers a wide range of recording opportunities, including everything from voiceovers, EPs and audio reels, to mixing and mastering services. Head to the Services tab for more info.
© 2023 by Ollie Lambert


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La chiesa di Santa Tecla è un edificio religioso situato a Nulvi, centro abitato della Sardegna settentrionale. Consacrata al culto cattolico, fa parte della parrocchia della Beata Vergine Maria Assunta, diocesi di Tempio-Ampurias.

La chiesa sorge nella periferia orientale del paese, annessa all'ex convento omonimo, per i nulvesi su cunventu 'e josso ("il convento di sotto") così detto per distinguerlo da un altro monastero, quello di San Bonaventura, ubicato nella parte più alta dell'abitato e chiamato su cunvento 'e subra, "il convento di sopra".

La chiesa ospita al proprio interno un pregevole dipinto della Madonna del Rimedio molto venerato dalla popolazione. Ha inoltre il privilegio della porta santa, ad essa attribuita grazie al ritrovamento, nel 1985, del condaghe di Santa Tecla.

Bibliografia

Altri progetti

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