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MEET OUR SPEAKERS
Here are our Featured & Top Speakers
Program Chairmen
Greg Mundis, M.D.
San Diego Center for Spinal Disorders
Hyun Bae, M.D.
The Spine Institute
Josh Sandberg
Industry Liaison
Hyun Bae, M.D. The Spine Institute
Dr. Bae is a national leader in minimally invasive surgery, motion preservation technology, artificial disc re
Juan Uribe, M.D.
Juan Uribe, M.D. University of South Florida
Dr. Juan S. Uribe is Associate Professor and Director of the Spine Section in the Department of Neurosurgery a
Neel Anand, M.D.
Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Neel Anand, M.D. Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Dr. Anand is a member of several professional societies, including the American Academy of
Jeffrey Goldstein, M.D.
Jeffrey Goldstein, M.D. NYU Langone Medical Center
As an orthopaedic spine surgeon at NYU Langone's
Richard Fessler, M.D.
Richard Fessler, M.D. Rush University Medical Center
Dr. Richard G. Fessler is a Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery at Rush University Medical School in
Matt Colman, M.D.
Matt Colman, M.D. Rush University Medical Center
Spine Surgery and Musculoskeletal Oncology Orthopedic Surgeon Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush Assista
Jack Zigler, M.D.
Texas Back Institute
Jack Zigler, M.D. Texas Back Institute
Jack E. Zigler, M.D. is an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at Texas Back Institute and Co-Director of the Center for
Rick Guyer, M.D.
Richard Guyer, M.D. is the Co-founder of the Texas Back Institute and Director of their Spine Fellowship Progr
Tom Cha, M.D.
Tom Cha, M.D. Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Thomas Cha is a board-certified, fellowship trained spine surgeon in the comprehensive Spine Center at Mas
Rick Sasso, M.D.
Rick Sasso, M.D. Indiana University School of Medicine
Rick Sasso, M.D., is a founding member, and the president of Indiana Spine Group. He is a board-certified orth
Stephen Hochschuler, M.D.
Stephen H. Hochschuler, M.D., is a Co-founder of Texas Back Institute and also the founder of one of the first
Alpesh Patel, M.D.
Alpesh Patel, M.D. Northwestern University
I am a spine specialist and surgeon in Chicago Illinois at Northwestern University School of Medicine. I am an
Jean-Jacques Abitbol, M.D.
California Spine Group
Jean-Jacques Abitbol, M.D. California Spine Group
Dr. Jean-Jacques Abitbol is in private practice and is co-founder of California Spine Group in San Diego. Dr.
Gregory M. Mundis Jr., MD, is a spine surgeon specializing in spinal deformities of the cervical thoracic and
Steve Garfin, M.D.
University of California at San Diego
Steve Garfin, M.D. University of California at San Diego
Steven Garfin, MD, is a board-certified and world-renowned orthopedic surgeon specializing in the adult spine.
Safdar Khan, M.D.
Wexnel Medical Center
Safdar Khan, M.D. Wexnel Medical Center
Safdar Khan, MD, is chief of the division of spine surgery in the orthopedic surgery department at The Ohio St
Wellington Hsu, M.D.
Wellington Hsu, M.D. Northwestern University
Dr. Wellington Hsu is a spine surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and an assistant professor in the depa
Kris Radcliff, M.D.
Rothman Institutue
Kris Radcliff, M.D. Rothman Institutue
Dr. Kris Radcliff is a fellowship-trained Spinal Surgeon who holds the title of Associate Professor with joint
Harvinder Sandhu, M.D.
Hospital of Special Surgery
Harvinder Sandhu, M.D. Hospital of Special Surgery
Dr. Harvinder Sandhu specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, endoscopic spine surgery, microsurgery,
Sig Berven, M.D.
Sig Berven, M.D. UCSF
Dr. Sigurd H. Berven has a strong clinical interest in spinal disorders of children and adults. He is interest
Ali Araghi, D.O.
CORE Institute
Ali Araghi, D.O. CORE Institute
Ali Araghi, DO is a board certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon with more than 13 years of
Reggie Davis, M.D.
Laser Spine Institute
Reggie Davis, M.D. Laser Spine Institute
He was on the elite medical team that performed the 22-hour, historic surgery to successfully separate conjoin
Todd Allen, M.D. PhD.
Todd Allen, M.D. PhD. UC San Diego
Dr. Allen has extensive experience and expertise in complex adult reconstruction procedures for deformity/scol
Paul Slosar, M.D.
Spine Care Institute of SF
Paul Slosar, M.D. Spine Care Institute of SF
I was born and raised in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood (Southside: Go White Sox) and attended University of I


Aloe Vera Compound is Highly Toxic to Brain Cancer Cells: Aloe emodin, a powerful anticancer compound found in aloe vera, was shown to kill up over 80% of human brain cancer cells (U87 gioblastoma) in vitro. Aloe vera contains several other cancer-fighting compounds such as aloin, emodin and alosin. It also contains potent antioxidants and immune stimulating compounds which are responsible for its many other health benefits. Aloe vera has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to treat burns and sunburns, aid in wound healing, and support the immune system. Recent research has confirmed many of these benefits as well as aloe�s potent antibacterial properties (aloe mouthwash has been shown to actually fight plaque build-up in a recent clinical trial). And most impressively: it�s already been proven on real cancer patients in clinical trials. In one trial, cancer patients taking aloe vera in addition to chemo felt better, had more 3 times more remissions, and lived significantly longer than the patients just taking chemo. It�s also been tested in multiple trials as a treatment for radiation dermatitis (it works). Aloe vera has also shown activity against colon, lung, prostate and pancreatic cancer in lab studies. Unfortunately, since aloe vera cannot be patented, no further trials are being run to test it as a cancer treatment.


Norway—home to the world's highest per capita number of all-electric cars—is also planning to go emission-free in the friendly skies.
The Scandinavian country aims to be the first in the world to switch to electric air transport.
State-owned Avinor, which operates most of the country's airports, plans to adopt battery-powered planes in the coming years to help slow climate change, Reuters reported.
"In my mind, there's no doubt that by 2040 Norway will be operating totally electric" on short-haul flights, Dag Falk-Pedersen, head of Avinor, said at an aviation conference in Oslo.
The long-held dream of electric airliners has been stymied by battery technology and limited range. However, the aviation industry is stepping up to make this dream a reality.
Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens announced plans last year to collaborate on a hybrid-electric commercial airplane that the companies aim to test by 2020. Seattle-based startup Zunum Aero—backed by the venture capital arms of Boeing and JetBlue Airways—is also working on bringing a 12-seater, hybrid-electric commuter aircraft to market by 2022.


Medtronic has started below-the-knee clinical study in Europe to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD) using new drug-coated balloon technology.
The trail will assess the IN.PACT 0.014 paclitaxel-coated percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) balloon catheter. It is an investigational device that uses the firm's IN.PACT Admiral drug coating technology.
Italy-based Maria Cecilia Hospital's Dr Antonio Micari has carried out the first procedure on a patient with critical limb ischemia (CLI).
CLI with PAD below-the-knee is expected to result in non-healing wound ulcers and amputation.
Medtronic's IN.PACT BTK is a prospective, randomized and multi-center trial, which will recruit up to 60 patients at four sites in Europe.
According to the firm, the primary endpoint of the study is late lumen loss at nine months, an angiographic measure of drug effectiveness, in patients who received treatment with the IN.PACT 0.014 DCB compared against standard PTA.
In addition, the trial is comprised of a wound care protocol that offers additional safety controls and allows patients to undergo routine and standard monitoring by qualified wound care professionals.
Medtronic aortic and peripheral vascular division's peripheral business general manager and vice president Mark Pacyna said: "Peripheral artery disease below the knee is complex. With these prior analyses, we have developed an unmatched knowledge around the treatment of below-the-knee disease and CLI.
"Together with our clinical investigators, we look forward to launching the IN.PACT BTK study to evaluate the effect of the IN.PACT 0.014 in patients with below-the-knee PAD."


Hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Paddington and Marble Arch, ROBA Bar & Restaurant is a new addition to the area bringing a fresh dining experience to Central London.
Inspired by the flavour of our signature Robata Grill and our Head Chef's passion for British cuisine, our menu will offer a mouth-watering selection of grills and modern dishes alongside Afternoon Tea, Sunday brunch and cocktails to die for.
ROBA Bar & Restaurant will offer affordable dining where you can expect stunning dishes prepared with care, beautifully presented and cooked to perfection!
We are a place designed to feel stylish yet relaxed and rooted in its community. A hub at the heart of Paddington, we're perfect for casual lunch, a business meeting to impress, an Afternoon Tea treat, drinks with work colleagues or a romantic dinner.


It is the will of God that every single one of us be saved. It is the will of God that we walk in a way that is pleasing and honorable to Him. And Paul wrote to Timothy, He said, "God desires that all men," and women, of course, "be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth". And in Second Peter, He says, "It's not My will that any should perish". And the apostle Paul said, "If thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you'll be saved". And then He also said, "Whosever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved". But it isn't enough just to become a Christian. It isn't enough just to have your sins forgiven. There's more to it than that.
The Scripture says in Ephesians chapter four that it is the will of God that you and I walk in a manner that is consistent with who we say we are. And in Colossians the first chapter, He puts it this way: it is the will of God that you and I walk in a manner that is pleasing to Him. Well, walking with the Lord is the will of God for every one of us. Walking in the will of God is not always easy, but it is His will and His purpose and His plan. And in order to walk in the will of God, you and I must learn a very valuable lesson. One of the most valuable lessons you'll ever learn: we must learn to listen to Him because listening to God is essential to walking with God, and that is the theme of this entire message. Walking with God, what is absolutely essential to make that a reality is learning how to listen to God.
So, I want you to turn, if you will, to James chapter one in the Bible. And I want us to look at this passage of Scripture because it deals with something that all of us have to deal with. And you'll find yourself in this passage in one of two positions. And so, He's writing, beginning in, if you will, in verse twenty one of this first chapter. "Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted," God's Word in their heart, receive it, "which is able to save your soul. But prove yourselves to be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he's like a man who looks at his face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides in it, not having become a forgetful hearer, but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does".
Now, everybody who's seated here and whoever you are and wherever you may be listening, we fall into one of two categories. We are either purposeful listeners or we are passive listeners. Now, what's the difference? A purposeful listener is a person who listens intently. They listen with a purpose of learning, obtaining, absorbing, incorporating into their life, applying to their life the truth that they've heard. That is, they intend for something to happen. That's why they're listening. They're listening with purpose. Then there's another kind of listener, and that is the passive listener.
So they sit and they hear it and they walk away and forget it. They do not listen with the intention of applying it to their heart. Listen with the intention of applying it to their heart so that they can become the persons God wants them to be and achieve the things that God wants them to achieve. They just heard information. It's one thing to listen to information. It's something else to purposefully listen to the Word of God and make application in your heart. And notice what in Ephesians is talking about the same thing. He talks about it being implanted in us.
So, I would ask you this question: do you go to church or do you come to church purposefully listening to the Word of God so that God can work something new in your life? How do I become a purposeful listener? Well, that's what I want to talk about in this message. And so, you see, if you're going to be what God wants you to be, one of the most important lessons you will ever learn in your life, one of the most important lessons you can ever teach your children is to teach them how to listen to God. Now, you can't teach them that if you don't know how to do it.
And I look back in my own life and realize after all these years that when I think about the part that that's played in my life; the real source of my sense of confidence and courage and convictions and strength and joy is the fact that very early in my life, I learned how to listen to God. It was my grandfather's words to me, not listen to God, but listening to him tell me how God was speaking to him. And it created within me this awesome desire for God to speak to my heart, and I knew that if that were true, I had to learn how to listen. And over these years, He's certainly taught me that. And I could not teach a more important lesson to anyone than how do you listen to God?
So, with this passage of Scripture in mind and thinking about all that's involved in that, let's think, first of all, what's involved in walking with God. That is, if walking, if listening to God is essential to walking with God, what's involved with walking with God? Well, walking with God is the most wonderful life there is. It is a life of joy and peace and happiness and provision, heartache, troubles, and trials, and all the rest. But there's something about listening to Him and learning how to listen to Him that enables you and me to walk with Him.
Now, think about this: you cannot walk with God; you cannot live a godly life if you don't know how to listen to Him. That is, to walk a godly life means you walk in the will of God. So, it's very important that you and I learn how to listen to God and that we're willing and ready and able to share it with somebody else. I believe it's the most valuable lesson you can possibly learn because everything else hinges on that.
Now, somebody says, "Well, okay, I get that, but suppose I don't listen"? Well, let's think about it. If you don't listen to God, you're going to listen to somebody else. Maybe something you read, it's still somebody else's writing. Or a television or radio. In other words, if you don't listen to Him, you're going to listen to somebody else. And you know what's going to happen? You're going to be easily deceived because this book is the truth. And all so-called truth either falls or lives on the basis of whether it contradicts the Word of God or not. You will be easily deceived.
Therefore, you will do what? You will drift into sin. Because this book is the anchor. If I believe this book and I listen to what God says and I listen purposefully, I'm going to follow what He says. Otherwise, I'm going to listen to other people and I'm going to be easily deceived and I'm going to drift into sin, and then I'm going to make excuses for my sin. Well, so-and-so, so-and-so, here's what they believe. And you know, there are people who do not believe the Word of God and here's what they'll say, they'll say, "Well, part of it's true".
So let me ask you: now, if part of the Bible's true, who becomes the judge as to what's true and what's not true? Who becomes the judge? Well, you become the judge. Now, if that's true, I can tell you exactly, human nature is human nature and it never changes. That's why God gives us another nature: His nature. So, the question is: okay, then in order to listen to Him, what's necessary? Let's think about it for a moment. You're seated here and you are purposefully listening. I can tell you are. So, that being true, how do we listen to Him? How do we know when He's speaking? How do we know that it's not us and somebody else?
Well, put it this way, if I'm going to learn to listen, I got to get in the Word of God because I'll hear people say, "Well, here's what God said to me". And I can tell them, "No, it's not". And the reason I would say that is because if it contradicts the Word of God, God didn't say it. God is not a God of contradiction. You think He says, "I'm not a God of confusion". If I told you something was true and the Word of God says it's not true, then what am I doing? I am contradicting the Word of God, I'm creating confusion in your mind and heart. And so, the Word of God is the basis. If I'm going to listen to Him, I have to start with the Word of God. Secondly, I must have the Holy Spirit, watch this carefully, living on the inside of me to interpret.
Now, watch this, God speaks to His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who speaks to our spirit; our mind; our heart, as we would call it, and gives us instruction and helps us to see what's going on. So there must be the Word, and there must be the Holy Spirit. Then there must be prayer. That is, if I'm going to learn to listen, I've got to talk to Him. And prayer is talking to Him and listening to Him. And so often, we spend all of our time doing the talking instead of listening.
And somebody says, "Well, my goal is to read through the Bible in one year," wonderful goal. But let me just say this: it is more important that you read a portion every day and listen for God to speak to you and give you instruction and that you implant it within your soul, that you absorb it in your life, that you begin to say, "How can I live this out every day"? than just reading through it all one year. That's wonderful, but if you're just having to read, read, read, read, read, read so you can get through it, listen, that's not the motivation for the Word of God. The motivation of the Word of God changed my life.
So, there must be prayer, there must be the Word of God, there must be the work of the Holy Spirit, and then God also speaks to us through circumstances. He knows exactly what He's doing and why He does it. He speaks to us through circumstances. Now, watch this carefully, here's the reason I've said to you over and over and over again: when you read the Word of God, you learn how God worked in the lives of people in the Old Testament and New Testament. That's how you learned how He worked. How does He work today? Same way. Circumstances are different, same way. In other words, God hasn't changed. He says He doesn't change.
And so, He works through circumstances, and so something happens in your life and you think, "God, well, why did You allow this to happen"? Or, "What's happening, Lord"? And oftentimes, it's through circumstances that He guides us. He closes this door, opens this door. He shows us this and helps us to realize that this over here is error. So, He speaks through circumstances to us. And those circumstances can be one of many things. And then, of course, sometimes He speaks to us through others. And I would certainly like to believe that every single Sunday, not some Sundays, every single Sunday, with all of my heart, I do my best to prepare the message of absolute, undeniable, inescapable truth so that you who hear it can absorb it and know it's the truth. Apply it to your life and grow in your Christian life. That's our only motive, to see you come to know Christ as your Savior.
And so, we have to oftentimes listen to others about things. And sometimes it's a mother speaking to her child, and God speaks to that child through that mother. How many times did I realize, as I look back, when my mother said something to me, it was straight from God? But now, here's the bottom line: whenever God speaks, he never speaks in a way that contradicts his Word, no such thing. Now, one last thing I want to share with you. There are requirements for listening to Him. How do we learn to listen? We start with meditating upon the Word of God, which may mean, let's just take for example the first Psalm. Look at that for just a moment. And I'm not going to teach you how to do this by going through this. We could, but I just want you to watch this.
Listen to this, "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, doesn't stand in the path of sinners, doesn't sit in the seat of the scornful! His delight's in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He'll be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, its leaf does not wither; in whatever he does, he will prosper. The wicked are not so," they're not like that, "they're like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish".
Now, a young child can get that message. You say, "What's the message"? The message is living a life of obedience to God, otherwise here's what's going to happen: you're going to be like chaff. Life's not going to count. So, if you take a passage and you meditate upon it. You see, you say, "Well, how long should I read that"? Here's what I've discovered: when I read a passage of Scripture and the next morning I'm still in that passage of Scripture, I know that God is trying to say something to me. There're some passages that I've read for days, and sometimes off and on for weeks, and all of a sudden, at some point I'll say, "Yes! I finally got it. Thank you, Jesus".
You say, "Well, you ought to be smarter than that". Well, maybe I ought to be, but I'll tell you this: God, listen to this, God speaks to us when we're ready to hear Him. He speaks to us, that is, we get the message when we have done certain things. So, first of all, it begins with the Word of God. Secondly, I must listen to Him prayerfully. Father what are You saying to me? For example, in that passage, Lord, am I standing in the, that is, am I fraternizing with people who are going to lead me away from You? Lord, help me, show me how to apply that to my life.
When you prayerfully meditate upon the Word of God, you're going to begin to listen. God's going to, in other words, if you said, for example, just in this passage alone, if you said to Him, "Now, Lord, as I read this passage, what are You trying to say to me"? And, for example, suppose you come to this part that says, "But His delight," that is, the person that God's going to bless, he delights in the law of the Lord. He delights in the Word of God. That means the Word of God's very important. If that's true, then I I've got to be meditating on the Word of God. So prayerfully, meditating upon the Word, meditating it prayerfully.
Listen to this carefully now, you listening? Say amen. With a submissive spirit, "Whatever You say, God, enable me to abide by it". It isn't enough, remember, we said purposeful listening, not passive. That is, if it's purposeful, then what I want to do is grasp it, understand it, apply it to my heart and begin to try to walk it out. So, I must listen with that in mind. Then I must listen expectantly, expecting God to speak. Now, when somebody says, "Well, I pray but, you know, nothing ever happens. God isn't going to talk to me". Well, you might as well quit praying. But don't, maybe He'll get you sooner or later. But that's not purposeful living and praying and expecting. That is, anticipate, expect God to speak, listen to this carefully, to your spirit.
You say, "Well, I'm not perfect". You know what? You're looking at somebody else who's not. Nobody's perfect. Nowhere does He say you must be perfect to hear Me. Now, if there is known, willful sin, I can tell you exactly what God's going to say. You say, "What's that"? He's going to keep pointing His finger right back to it. You say, "Well, I haven't heard God say anything". Well, what you didn't hear Him say is you've got to get rid of that. I'll have to listen submissively, listen intently, listen carefully, listen with purpose, expectantly. And, listen carefully, listening patiently.
As I said, sometimes I have read a passage and I knew that God had something to say to me, but I didn't get it. I couldn't quite get it. And some major decisions that I've made, I've read the same passage over and over and over again until finally it all came clear. Now, you say, "Well, why would God do that"? Sometimes it's because He wants to alter our thinking about something. Listen, He wants to work in our life to the point that we can believe that what we're hearing could be true. That's what faith's all about.
Faith's all about facing those situations and circumstances when it looks like there's no way in the world for me to be able to do that. And what happens? We keep reading and keep reading and keep reading, and yes. It's like it's implanted within us. It's growing within us. God's doing something within us. And what is He doing? He is maturing our faith, and as we listen to Him, what happens is we become more and more confident, more and more courageous, more and more bold, more and more sure, more and more strength. God is up to something fantastic.
And here's the thing about it: God will speak to anyone with clarity, listen, clarity in direction if they're, listen, if they're willing to listen prayerfully, submissively. That is, continuously saying, "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord". If You don't want that in my life, I want it out. Whatever You say, God, I want to be careful to listen. Listen carefully, when you start listening, your life is going to change, and secondly, you're going to hear Him more often. Why? Because now that you're willing to listen, God's ready to say what He wants to say to you in such a way that you will one day finally say, "You know what? One of the most important lessons I ever learned in life is to listen to God".
Let me ask you a question: when all hell is broken loose in your life and you don't know where to turn and everything's upside down, what do you want most of all? Don't you want a word from God? Don't you want to hear Him say to you, "My son, My daughter, I have everything under control, I'm going to guide you through this, I'm going to empower you, I'm going to strengthen you, I'm going to use this incident in your life to make an impact in the lives of others"? He's willing to speak if you're willing to listen, but we must listen intently, purposefully, not passively.
And think about this: why go to church somewhere and spend an hour and walk away with nothing? It's a bad investment of your time. But what about coming and spending an hour and God pouring truth into your life, truth into your life that you're going to pour into other people's lives. If, listen, if you don't hear another sermon, this has nothing to do with me personally. It has to do with the nature of the Word of God. If you never hear another sermon and you simply practice what you've heard in this message about learning to listen to God, it will change your life. But it depends upon where your values are in life. If you value something else more than you know, and you value something else more than you value learning this awesome lesson, you may never learn it.
We spend our time on things we value the most. We love those things we value the most. I don't know of anything any more important in life than listening to the God of this universe. The Sovereign of the universe who has all power to meet every single need that I have, answer my prayers, give me direction, strengthen me, encourage me, help me, aid me, heal me, whatever. What's more important than that? Is it not true, don't you really and truly want to walk intimately with that kind of person? You can, but first of all, you must learn to listen.
Well, if you've never trusted Jesus as your Savior, you say, "Well, how does all this work"? It doesn't work at all until you're willing to confess your sinfulness, your desperate need of Him and surrender your life to Him by faith. It all begins right there. And the best life you could possibly ever imagine is right in front of you if you'll trust Him, claim it by faith and the surrender of your life to Him as Lord and Master. And that's my prayer for you.
Father, how grateful we are that You talk to us. How grateful we are that You make it simple and plain. Thank you for Your forgiveness, times we've misinterpreted You, times we've not really wanted to hear what You had to say. But You just keep on pouring it on us until finally we're able to live submissively, continuously surrendering to Your will and Your way and knowing that it is always the best way. I pray for somebody who is listening who's never trusted You as their Savior. Give them the courage to admit that their life's a mess, that they need you. They've tried everything else. They desperately need You. And that they can listen to You and You'll speak to them. That's my prayer, Father. In Jesus' name, amen.


the final output to look like the second table below.
"Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
If I understand correctly, this should get you what you need.
> the final output to look like the second table below.
> "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
or in base R : ?xtabs ??
> If I understand correctly, this should get you what you need.
> > the final output to look like the second table below.
> > highly appreciated. Thank you!
> > "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
Thank you very much for your replies and the solutions. Both work well.
would like all the combinations if possible.
> or in base R : ?xtabs ??
>> If I understand correctly, this should get you what you need.
>> "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
>> > the final output to look like the second table below.
>> > highly appreciated. Thank you!
>> > "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
 "Burlington" "Mount Vernon" "Sedro Woolley"
> Thank you very much for your replies and the solutions. Both work well.
> would like all the combinations if possible.
> > or in base R : ?xtabs ??
> > sticking things into it."
> >> If I understand correctly, this should get you what you need.
> >> "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
> >> > the final output to look like the second table below.
> >> > from city_j).
> >> > highly appreciated. Thank you!
> >> > "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
> managed to recover it.
>> or in base R : ?xtabs ??
>>> If I understand correctly, this should get you what you need.
>>> "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
>>> > the final output to look like the second table below.
>>> > highly appreciated. Thank you!
>>> > "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
these two cities are not being included in the output.
person moved? I am a bit lost - thank you again!
>> managed to recover it.
>> Thank you very much for your replies and the solutions. Both work well.
>> would like all the combinations if possible.
>>> or in base R : ?xtabs ??
>>>> If I understand correctly, this should get you what you need.
>>>> "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
>>>> > the final output to look like the second table below.
>>>> > highly appreciated. Thank you!
>>>> > "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
>>>> > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
> these two cities are not being included in the output.
William told you to make sure that the two location factors had the same levels (aka Labels). At the moment they do not. Dallas and OKC are missing from the Labels in current_location. Bert showed you how to do that.
Please read all the replies for meaning.
> person moved? I am a bit lost - thank you again!
>>> managed to recover it.
>>> Thank you very much for your replies and the solutions. Both work well.
>>> would like all the combinations if possible.
>>>> or in base R : ?xtabs ??
>>>> and sticking things into it."
>>>>> If I understand correctly, this should get you what you need.
>>>>> "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"
>>>>>> the final output to look like the second table below.
>>>>>> highly appreciated. Thank you!
>>>>>> "Austin", "Cleveland", "Houston", "New Orleans", "OKC", "Tulsa"


text:
Das Bistum Aversa (lat.: Dioecesis Aversana, ital.: Diocesi di Aversa) ist eine in Italien gelegene römisch-katholische Diözese mit Sitz in Aversa.

Geschichte

Das Bistum Aversa wurde im Jahre 1053 durch Papst Leo IX. errichtet und dem Heiligen Stuhl direkt unterstellt. Im Jahre 1566 wurde das Priesterseminar des Bistums Aversa errichtet.

1979 wurde das Bistum Aversa dem Erzbistum Neapel als Suffraganbistum unterstellt.

Im Mai 2019 versetzte Papst Franziskus den inhaftierten Priester Michele Barone aus Casapesenna im Bistum Aversa in den Laienstand. Barone, dem Gründer der sektenähnlichen Gemeinschaft Piccola Casetta di Nazareth, ist der körperlichen Misshandlung eines Kindes im Rahmen eines Exorzismus und des sexuellen Missbrauchs mehrerer Mädchen in Međugorje angeklagt. Mit Barone waren die Eltern des verletzten Kindes und ein Polizeibeamter, der Barones Gemeinschaft angehörte und dem Strafvereitelung zugunsten Barones vorgeworfen wird, angeklagt und 2018 inhaftiert worden. Zuvor hatte Ortsbischof Angelo Spinillo Barone vom Dienst suspendiert.

Siehe auch
 Liste der Bischöfe von Aversa
 Liste der römisch-katholischen Diözesen
 Römisch-katholische Kirche in Italien

Einzelnachweise

Weblinks

 Homepage des Bistums Aversa (italienisch)
  (englisch)

Aversa
Christentum (Kampanien)
Aversa
1053
Gegründet in den 1050er Jahren
Organisation (Kampanien)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


One characteristic of the autumn 2011 catwalks is attractive color. Lots of big brands were involved in this show, such as Gucci, Alberta Ferretti, Oscar de la, etc. Keeping eyes on which stars wear what is important for people to get more inspiration to dress themselves. Beside of colors, more attention should be paid to the layering, street wear and the luxurious elements. Fur clothing are popular in lots of big fashion houses. This could tell that autumn 2011 will be full of wild and personalized style.


text:
PayPal Buys Payments Startup iZettle for $2.2 Billion
TOPICS:$2.2billionBuysForiZettlePaymentsPayPalStartup
Posted By: Loknath Das May 21, 2018
iZettle is poised for a stock market debut
It is the biggest acquisition by PayPal, a unit of eBay
Small businesses are the engine of global economy: PayPal
PayPal on Thursday announced a deal to buy Swedish online commerce startup iZettle for $2.2 billion (roughly Rs. 15,000 crores), a deal that came as the young company was poised for a stock market debut.
US-based PayPal, a unit of eBay, said that its biggest acquisition to date would strengthen its platform for handling payment transactions at small businesses, particularly in Europe and Latin America.
"Small businesses are the engine of the global economy and we are continuing to expand our platform to help them compete and win online, in-store and via mobile," PayPal chief executive Dan Schulman said in a release.
"In today's digital world, consumers want to be able to buy when, where and how they want."
Schulman described the merging of iZettle and PayPal as a "strategic fit" combining shared values and culture with complementary product offerings and geographies.
The iZettle platform for handling retail transactions is used by nearly a half million merchants, according to PayPal.
The startup has been compared to Square, a payments platform co-founded by Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey that made it easy to take credit card payments using smartphones or tablets.
Buying iZettle will expand PayPal's reach into shops in Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden.
"Combining our assets and expertise with a global industry leader like PayPal allows us to deliver even more value to small businesses to help them succeed in a world of giants," iZettle chief executive Jacob de Geer said in the release.
The Stockholm-based startup founded in 2010 expected to handle about $6 billion in transactions this year, taking in gross revenue of approximately $165 million (roughly Rs. 1,100 crores) in the process. The company said it expects to reach profitability by the year 2020.
After close of the acquisition, co-founder Jacob de Geer will remain in charge of iZettle, reporting to PayPal chief operating officer Bill Ready, according to the companies.
Earlier this month, iZettle filed paperwork to go public with an offering of shares that valued the company at slightly more than a billion dollars.
PayPal closed the Nasdaq trading day in New York with a market value of about $94 billion (roughly Rs. 6.38 lakh crores) based on its share price, which rose a percent to $80 in after-hours trades.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Sir Gaga tiring of wife�s flamboyant antics
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sir Lawrence Abbot Gaga has become irritated by the constant wild behavior of his wife, Lady Gaga, causing strain on their marriage. British tabloids now speculate the relationship may be in serious jeopardy.
"I've always worked hard to bring honor to the Gaga name.," said Sir Gaga. "Despite her age and the fact that she is from across the pond, I've always expected the woman I marry to join me in this endeavor. Her recent antics and general style are in stark contrast to the public's expectations of the esteemed Gaga family."
Sir and Lady Gaga were married last year in an extravagant ceremony attended by other royalty including King James of Cleveland, Queen Latifah, The Kings of Leon, Lord of the Dance, Prince, The Royals of Kansas City, The Kings of Sacramento, Burger King, and Lord of the Rings.
Many observers thought that their marriage was an odd but wonderful match. At age 67, Sir Gaga had been a lifelong bachelor, but was said to have been ecstatic to have finally found the woman he could make his Lady. "They always seemed so happy together," explains friend Lord Harold Barth.
Sir Gaga did not require his wife to sign a prenuptial agreement meaning if the couple gets divorced, Lady Gaga would keep her title, as well as the historic Gaga estate in Kensington. She would also retain all other rights and privileges afforded to members of the House of Gaga, including her sixteenth position in the line of succession to the British Throne.
However, some think that the marriage may not actually be valid. During the ceremony, when asked if she took Sir Gaga to be her lawfully wedded husband, Lady Gaga did not answer, "I do" but instead said, "Ga Doo Doo Ra-Doo, Goo-Goo Roo Da-Dooo, Aha Roo Ohh-rah Doo."
Tensions rose between Sir and Lady Gaga at a recent Royal dinner when Lady Gaga arrived wearing what appeared to be an ostrich costume covered in lace. The outfit also featured a tinfoil and rhinestone encrusted flap over Lady Gaga's private parts which she reportedly lifted while being introduced to Queen Elizabeth. The Queen was heard to have commented, "Is that a young man? I do believe I saw a small bit of manliness."
WEBN fireworks entertain 450,000 people, 78.4 billion body lice
Nation�s nursing home residents celebrate Billy Crystal�s Oscar hosting performance
Hugh Hefner and fiancee register for wedding gifts at funeral home
Octomom dating Jon from 'Jon and Kate Plus Eight'
Jay-Z to purchase retailer J.C. Penney


text:
Former Milwaukee Braves player, Brewers manager Crandall dies at 91
By AP Author
Milwaukee County Stadium spotlighted in new book
Before American Family Field, there was Miller Park and before Miller Park, there was Milwaukee County Stadium.
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (AP) - Del Crandall, a star catcher who played on two Milwaukee Braves teams that reached the World Series in the 1950s before managing the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners, has died. He was 91.
He had Parkinson's disease and died Wednesday in Mission Viejo, California, surrounded by family, son Bill Crandall said.
"Dad was a humble man," Bill Crandall said. "He was just a good man, a good example of what a man should be. He treated everybody fairly. He didn't take his celebrity seriously at all."
Crandall was one of the best defensive catchers in the 1950s and '60s. He was a member of the Braves' 1957 World Series championship team as well as the 1958 squad that lost the World Series. According to the Society for American Baseball Research, Crandall was the last surviving member of the Boston Braves.
He was a four-time Gold Glove winner who appeared in 11 All-Star Games over eight seasons. He played in each of the two All-Star Games that were held during the 1959, 1960 and 1962 seasons.
Crandall played for the Boston Braves (1949-50), Milwaukee Braves (1953-63), San Francisco Giants (1964), Pittsburgh Pirates (1965) and Cleveland Indians (1966). He didn't play in 1951-52 because of military service.
He had a career batting average of .254 with 179 homers and 657 RBIs. He led all NL catchers in fielding percentage four times and threw out the most potential base stealers of any NL catcher in five seasons. He was also behind the plate for two outstanding Braves pitchers in Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
After his playing career, Crandall managed the Brewers from 1972-75 and the Mariners from 1983-84. He posted a 271-338 record with Milwaukee and a 93-131 mark with Seattle.
Crandall was managing the Brewers when Hall of Famer Robin Yount began his MLB career in 1974 at the age of 18.
"Fortunately he saw enough potential in a raw 18-year-old kid to give me a chance," Yount said in his Hall of Fame induction speech. "I'm grateful for that."
RELATED: Check out the new and improved FOX Sports app
Indian Trail grad Gavin Lux comes home to play Brewers
Gavin Lux, the Kenosha Indian Trail grad and Dodgers second baseman, set foot inside American Family Field for the first time as a big-leaguer.


As someone coming from the Western sector, you're now considered the scum of the Earth after the loss of the Second Nuclear World War.
Nevertheless, you moved with your family, with the hope of providing a better future for them.
As a former paratrooper, you're soon involved in the "DragonFall", an event of strange nature where living humans willingly throw themselves in an often lethal freefall.
Your goal is to survive for the length of the fall and don't get it by a laser ray, mines or limits of the freefall zone.
Survive the fall and you might get closer to providing a healthy life to your family.
Simply move your character with the arrow keys.


The Edge-ML algorithms of discretisation, grouping, extraction of sequential rules and supervised classification have been developped by Alexis BONDU from the MODL approch concived and published py Marc BOULLE – Orange Labs Lannion.
MODL is a Bayesian model selection approach. Its singularity comes from a mathemathical formalism at the crossroad of the Machine Learning and the Information Theory. This very smart approach, without regularization parameters to be ajusted by a grid-search, avoids over-fitting. MODL provides robust models based on a rigorous mathematical formalism. These models reach an excellent compromise between accuracy, robustness and rapidity.
 M. Boullé. MODL: a Bayes optimal discretization method for continuous attributes. Machine Learning, 65(1):131-165, 2006.
 M. Boullé. A Grouping Method for Categorical Attributes Having Very Large Number of Values. ICDM, LNAI, Volume 3587, 2005.
 M. Boullé. Compression-Based Averaging of Selective Naive Bayes Classifiers. Journal of Machine Learning Research, 8:1659-1685, 2007.
 M. E. Egho, D. Gay, N. Voisine, M. Boullé, F. Clérot. A Parameter-Free Approach for Mining Robust Sequential Classification Rules. ICDM 2015.


text:
Un groupe de travail est un regroupement d'un petit nombre (moins de 15) d'individus dont l'objet est la réalisation d'un travail commun.

Un groupe de travail n'est ni une famille, ni une bande, ni un groupe d'amis, c'est un groupe de personnes qui ont des relations interpersonnelles de face à face. Il est caractérisé par la convergence des efforts, par l'exécution d'une tâche qui sera l'œuvre commune.

Il existe de nombreux exemples de groupes de travail, tels que :
 des cercles de qualité ;
 des groupes interdisciplinaires de recherche scientifique.

Types de groupe
Ce groupe peut être :

 Groupe formel :
Le groupe formel, autrement connu comme groupe organisé, est constitué d'individus qui réalisent un but commun. Il est composé d'un cadre ou même un chef qui dirige, sous son autorité, des employés. Il possède une structure très rigide et doit adhérer aux lois et règlements de l'entreprise.

 Groupe informel :
Le groupe informel est le résultat d'une action spontanée qui mène à des individus à travailler ensemble.  Ces individus sont souvent rassemblés pour atteindre un objectif commun. Les unités sont issues des contacts sociaux ou par leur quotidien. Contrairement, au groupe formel, ils sont libres de toutes structures et règlements de l'organisation.

 Groupe d'intérêt :
Ce sont des groupes qui lient les individus par un intérêt particulier concernant la politique, les médias en but de faire défendre un point commun. Après avoir terminé son mandat ou surmonté l'obstacle, le groupe se dissout.

 Groupe d'amis :
Ce sont des groupes qui lient les individus avec non seulement un intérêt particulier à entreprendre, mais des liens mutuels. Les amis de longue date, des collègues au travail, des copains jouant régulièrement au basket sont tous des exemples des groupes d'amis. Généralement, ils demeurent intacts après l'accomplissement de leur activité.

 Groupe élargi :
Un ensemble de personnes qui font partie de la même catégorie socioprofessionnelle.

 Groupe restreint :
Un groupe ou les relations entre les personnes sont directes.

Activités d'un groupe

Les activités des membres d'un groupe sont de trois types :

Les activités liées à la tâche :
 Aident le groupe de réaliser ses buts. Ils comprennent tous les initiatives prises à la course de réalisation d'un projet.

Les activités liées à l'entretien de la vie du groupe :
 Encourageant le travail en équipe par améliorer les relations entre membres. Ils aident le groupe devenir plus efficace, productif et intéressant, et préserver la cohésion et harmonie.

Les activités individuelles :
 Peuvent paralyser le fonctionnement du groupe parce qu'elles sont entreprises par un membre pour satisfaire un besoin ou désir personnel. Elles dénotent des insatisfactions parmi les membres.

Enjeux du groupe de travail
Pour que le groupe de travail soit efficace chacun de ses membres doit être conscient de ses motivations et vouloir que les autres atteignent leurs buts autant que lui-même.

Les trois valeurs du groupe de travail peuvent être :
la loyauté envers le groupe,
l'engagement personnel,
l'identification au groupe.

Le groupe d'appartenance satisfait des aspirations humaines qui sont:
 Le besoin de sécurité
 Le besoin de reconnaissance sociale, d'identité et existence
 Le besoin d'actualisation et ses possibilités
 Le besoin de connaitre et d'apprendre
 Le besoin d'union pour réussir une action
Mais le groupe exige de chacun en échange de satisfaction qu'il donne de soi, qu'il apporte aux autres le comblement de leurs attentes.

Au niveau de la reconnaissance, il faut distinguer l'appartenance et l'identification :
Appartenance : le fait de sentir qu'on fait partie de ce groupe
Identification : s'identifier soi-même par l'appartenance et se désigner socialement aux étrangers par son appartenance

Démarche de constitution

Un groupe de travail est un groupe qui s'inscrit dans le temps et dans la durée avant d'atteindre la cohésion.
Il passe par plusieurs étapes:

  étape : La formation
 La première étape est la formation des individus. C'est-à-dire qu'ils apprennent à se connaitre et à étudier leur comportement, leur personnalité ainsi que les forces et faiblesses de chacun. Ils s'approprient des objectifs précis à réaliser et établissent les plans nécessaires à son achèvement.

  étape : L'opposition
 C'est à la deuxième étape que les  coéquipiers sont familiers avec les autres. Par contre, cette familiarité peut générer des tensions entre eux. Par exemple, un membre du groupe pourrait exercer une influence de contrainte sur les autres membres. Ceci engendre un mauvais environnement de travail et ainsi certains membres se sentent méprisés par d'autres. Le chef aurait une difficulté pour ramener le groupe vers l'objectif final.

  étape : La normalisation
 La troisième étape est la normalisation ou la régularisation qui donne de la cohésion. Maintenant que chacun des membres du groupe a compris les forces et faiblesses de chacun, on peut mettre en place une structure qui permettra de mieux travailler ensemble. Ainsi, il se crée un climat de confiance, de cohésion et cohérence.  Par contre, peuvent toujours naître des conflits mineurs entre les membres du groupe.
  étape : La réalisation du mandat
 Rendus à ce stade, les membres du groupe entament la période le plus performante. « Tous les membres du groupe se mettent à réaliser leurs fonctions respectives et à interagir de manière plus naturelle. »  Ainsi, ils aiment travailler ensemble en concordance à l'objectif à atteindre. De plus, à ce stade, ils ont finalement terminé le mandat ou ont trouvé la solution du problème pour la résolution duquel le groupe avait été créé.

  étape : La dissolution
 C'est à la cinquième étape où le groupe est dissous. Les membres ont finalement atteint leur objectif et ainsi n'ont plus de mandat à réaliser.

Nature du groupe de travail
Il n'y a pas de groupe de travail, s'il n'y a pas de communication ; on ne peut pas communiquer s'il n'y a pas un minimum de matériels, il faut aussi qu'il y ait une fluidité d'information, l'utilisation d'un langage commun, l'utilisation d'une communication verbale et non verbale.

Valeurs éthiques possibles dans un groupe de travail
Désintéressement, abnégation, sacrifice, don de soi
Reconnaissance d'autrui comme co-acteur et co-responsable
Solidarité avec le groupe
La loyauté et l'acceptation des règles du groupe

Le conflit du groupe de travail
C'est une relation de divergence  plus ou moins forte entre deux individus ou plus.
C'est un désaccord de deux forces caractérisées par une rupture ou une  détérioration de la qualité du dialogue.
C'est le résultat de la différence de perception individuelle de la réalité.
 Les actes qui mènent aux conflits :
 Critiques, objections, polémique, énervement, peur, angoisse, stress, humiliation, dévalorisation, ironie, moquerie, maladresse, inattention, gaffe, violence, insulte, agressivité.
 Les deux faces du conflit sont :
 la face affective : le ressenti
 La face intellectuelle : le réfléchi
L'évaluation du conflit relève du diagnostic, c'est-à-dire savoir si le conflit est d'ordre sentimental, intellectuel, mixte.

Motivation dans un groupe de travail
Elle peut être commune ou individuelle, c'est l'ensemble des déterminants irrationnels des conduites humaines, ce qui n'est pas du domaine de l'intelligence et de la raison entre autres : intérêts du projet, valorisation, reconnaissance, atteindre l'objectif, apprentissage.

La réunion de travail
La réunion de travail est un assemblage, un groupement, un assemblement, c'est un lieu privilégié de partage et de communication. C'est un fait social fondamental qui lutte contre l'isolement.

Types de réunions :
réunion de prise de décision
réunion d'info
réunion de bilan
réunion de crise
Etapes de la réunion :
Avant : définir  l'objet, liste des participants, l'ordre du jour, préparation matériel, plan de table,
Pendant : accueil des participants, les installer, les remercier, gérer la prise de parole, prise de note, rester neutre
Après : rédaction du compte rendu en signalant les présents et les absents, envoyer aux participants la copie du compte rendu, faire le suivi des objectifs de la réunion.

Les causes de conflit
Il existe environ huit différentes causes qui provoquent des conflits chez les groupes.

  : Incompatibilité d'objectif
 Lorsque les groupes ou les membres d'un groupe ont des objectifs différents, ça peut causer des conflits donc la manière dont l'objectif est atteint.

  : Ressources limitées
 Quand il y a un nombre de ressources limité, par exemple d'argent, cela peut engendrer des conflits selon la répartition de ces ressources. Au fond, chaque groupe veut le plus grand montant de ressource possible ce qui peut causer des rivalités entre des groupes.

  : Divergence des valeurs ou des croyances
 Parce que chaque groupe a leur propre ensemble de règles, normes et croyances, il peut y avoir des conflits entre des groupes dépendant de leurs actions. Par exemple, une activité qui semble d'être normale pour un groupe peut être inacceptable pour l'autre.

  : Relations organisationnelles
 Souvent, les groupes dans les organisations sont mis sous la disposition de plusieurs chefs et directeur. Donc, sous la disposition de plusieurs chefs et directeur, c'est fort probable qu'ils vont favoriser certains de ces chefs par rapport aux autres. À cause de ça, cela peut déclencher beaucoup de problèmes au sein de l'organisation.

  : Chevauchement des responsabilités
 Lorsque des responsabilités semblables sont données à des groupes, il y a risque de causer des problèmes comme :  quel groupe accomplira la tâche, qui aura plus de responsabilités, etc. Donc, c'est important d'attribuer des tâches et responsabilités différentes pour chaque groupe.

  : Mauvaise communication
 La mauvaise communication peut causer des problèmes selon le groupe. C'est important que la communication entre les membres soit directe et comprise par tout le monde. De plus, la communication du chef du groupe envers le reste du groupe est aussi très importante quand des tâches doivent être établies ou des responsabilités attribuées.

  : L'interdépendance des taches
 Parfois, l'accomplissement de certaines tâches a besoin de la coopération d'autres groupes. Si ces travaux ne sont pas mis à temps, cela peut causer des problèmes. Par exemple, le premier groupe ne peut pas commencer ses travaux avant que le deuxième groupe finisse son rapport de données.

  : La rémunération individuelle
 Lorsque les membres d'un groupe sont rémunérés individuellement au lieu de tout le groupe, cela peut causer des compétitions entre les membres du groupe qui pourront déclencher la faillite du groupe.

Bibliographie
 Pierre Bergeron, La Gestion dynamique : concepts, méthodes et applications, Gaëtan Morin , 2006

Articles connexes
 Coordination de groupe
 Consensus
 Interdisciplinarité
 Consensus approximatif
 Management de la créativité
 Motivation

Notes et références

Outil de gestion des ressources humaines
Recherche scientifique


text:
Daniel Aegan
Writer, Tarot Reader, Designer
Daniel's Journal
Daniel's Journal #35 – The Big, Queer Post
Posted on March 19, 2019 by Daniel Aegan 3 comments
It's like I told my coworker this morning as he was calling another gay like his mind's trapped in seventh grade: Why is that even an insult?
OK. My opening statement is a little off target. I have some opinionated knowledge to drop here. Some of it concerns writing, some of it concerns the perceptions of LGBTQ individuals, and all of it pertains to nothing in general.
Oh, and we're going to talk about Harry Potter before we're through.
I had a back-and-forth with a few people on social media over the weekend. We talked mainly about representation of queer characters in writing. "Inclusion" or "inclusivity" being the keywords. I believe in this, including all walks of life into my own stories. But I do have opinions that are somewhat unpopular.
The first is the touting of your character's sexuality. The way it was explained to me (and I had them clarify so I know I got it), was that you need to be straightforward with what sexuality your character is. So if your character is gay, bi, ace, or anything else, you're announcing this from the start.
I'm going to disagree here. Not in every case, obviously. Take Father Matthew from Blood Drive for example. He is gay, and it's a big part of his character. The reader learns this in his first chapter. I have other characters in upcoming books of various orientations. One such character never reveals the fact that he's gay. It's in the subtext, subtly hinted by another's POV, and it has little to do with the plot in general (though it explains a bit of why he does what he does).
In the second case, the character in question never has his own POV, so he can't reflect on who he is and why he hides it. In this case, I did wrong based on the original assessment that all queer characters need to be identified outright.
But I'm not using my books to "queerbait" for LGBTQ readers. That's a term I learned during this conversation too. My characters are who they are when the story shapes itself in my mind. I'm not using queer characters to garner attention from the LBGTQ readers community, and I don't market it as such.
And here's my second unpopular opinion of this post: My books shouldn't be judged by the sexuality of my characters. Yes, Blood Drive has as number of queer characters, but it's not an LGBTQ book. It's a vampire action-comedy. My upcoming book Lost Women features gay and bisexual characters as well, but I won't market it like that either. It's a humorous ghost/horror story.
And therein lies my issue with this kind if rhetoric. Why shouldn't regular books feature queer characters? Why should I have to market my books as LGBTQ products? It feels like I have to shove them into a completely different genre instead of the genres they were meant to be part of accepting them, queerness and all. Shouldn't my queer characters be on par with those in books with all straight characters?
I'll bring myself to the last point I want to make. And yes, we've come to the promised Harry Potter portion of this post. Sorry, but it's a long one.
A few days ago, author JK Rowling made some comments on Dumbledore and his homosexuality. Turns out he's a hardcore gay into some hardcore shit. OK… Maybe she didn't say it quite like that, but still…
This is what bolstered the conversation about queer inclusion and inclusivity. She has no problem outing her characters in interviews after the story is over. I read the Harry Potter series multiple times. I got from the context of Dumbledore's backstory from the last book to know he was gay. I even figured out he was gay for Grindelwald. It's pretty obvious, even if it was supposed to be subtle.
So why wasn't Dumbledore's gayness told in the meat of the story? That's what people are asking now. I figured he's an educator and head of a school, and the magical world may frown on it. You hear nothing in the series of other gay or bisexual characters. It's a big school, and I'm sure the older students would at least experiment. But no one is even a tad bi-curious.
Maybe there's a homophobic witches and wizard movement like with muggles. Maybe some controversial right wing wizards brew potion that cures homosexuality. If Mike Pence was a wizard, I'm sure he'd fight to make taking said potion mandatory.
I took that too far, but you get the point (I hope).
So why bring it up now? Remember that term I used earlier? "Queerbaiting". That's what Rowling is being accused of all over social media. I don't disagree. She's using a character's sexuality to get attention without outright saying in the books or movies he's gay. It's there, in the subtext. In the latest Fantastic Beasts movie, it's more than clear Dumbledore is in love with Grindelwald, even if he doesn't shout it from the highest tower of Hogwarts.
I have issues with JK Rowling and how she needs to drop Harry Potter bombshells once or twice a year. Dumbledore is gay. Harry should have ended up with Hermione. Hermione was black. Etcetera. I can write a whole post just about her pulling this shit, but I'll save you that for now. I have a theory she wasn't even the one who wrote the books.
There are tons of fan theories of who else in the Harry Potter universe could be queer, and I read a few of the popular ones. Ginny Weasley is bi. Percy Weasley is gay. Malfoy is trans. Tonks is a lesbian. But they're all forced into straight relationships to fit the narrative. But none of this supports or opposes my argument, so let's move on.
Let's go back to my subtly written gay character from a book I have yet to publish. I think JK (or whoever wrote Harry Potter) was going for the same thing with Dumbledore. Yes, he's gay, but it's not something they address because of their position or societal restraints. When pressured by the fans, JK blurted out that he was, in fact, gay, something that should have been left to speculation since Dumbledore's sexuality had nothing to add to the story. But him hiding it spoke volumes of the wizarding world's anti-gay agenda. Hell, it wasn't even a chapter in Rita Skeeter's book: The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore. That's how homophobic their society is. That would have been some juicy gossip for that tabloid book.
But JK can include or exclude as she sees fit in the books when it's all said and done. It's easy for me to talk about my out characters compared to hers since my books don't have movie series, video games, Lego sets, Lego video game series based on the movies, or a theme park in Orlando attached to them. All I'm saying is out your characters in the books/movies or not at all. All you're doing by bringing it up years later is queerbaiting for attention.
And that's the point of all this. She wants people to talk. She wants us to pore over her books, looking for the evidence, the subtle clues. She wants some blogging independent author ranting about it. This is how she stays relevant, and she'll use whatever people she can to stay that way.
I'm spent. I don't know what else to say. If you want to join the discussion, comment here or harass me on Twitter: @daniel_aegan. The underscore is for the void in my soul.
If you need me, I'll be working on my hardcore gay Dumbledore fan fiction.
-Daniel Aegan
Want more fun with queer characters? Check out Blood Drive by Daniel Aegan!
Blood Drive on Amazon!
tagged with #amreading, #amwriting, #creativewriting, #LGBTQ, #LGBTWriter, #selfpublishing, #storyteller, featured, Harry potter, JK Rowling, queerbaiting
Daniel's Journal
Britt K
I'm okay with an author not explicitly saying it during their book if the situation doesn't call for it. I am openly bi, but I don't walk into a room and announce it and so I wouldn't expect a character to do the same. However, I do take issue with someone using it to attract attention later down the road by making some grand revelation about it. If it 'is what it is', then that's the end of it right there.
You get what I was trying to say. I don't announce it either, and my characters do only when necessary, which is never in some. Sorry to say, but I'd never target LGBTQ readers just for sales, even though I'm one myself.
erica3639
I totally agree here. I feel like when people announce it immediately, it's like an AA meeting or something. Hi, I'm Bob and I'm an alcoholic. Hi, I'm Bob and I'm gay. Always seems forced. Like we're expecting everybody to welcome this grand announcement.
I love that you don't market your books as being gay/lgbt specific books. Let your writing speak for itself. I like your unpopular opinions. Lol.


text:
JOHNSON v. ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC PROTECTION CABINET
Benjamin JOHNSON; Amy Ann Johnson; and Hobart C. Johnson, Appellants v. ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC PROTECTION CABINET, and Premier Elkhorn Coal Company, Appellees.
Before DIXON and MOORE, Judges; KNOPF,1 Senior Judge. Lawrence R. Webster, Pikeville, KY, for appellants. Tamara J. Patrick, Frankfort, KY, for appellee Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet. Charles J. Baird, Pikeville, KY, for appellee Premier Elkhorn Coal Company.
Appellants, Benjamin Johnson, Amy Johnson and Hobart Johnson, appeal from an opinion and order of the Franklin Circuit Court affirming a final order of Appellee, the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet, ("Cabinet") granting a mine permit to Appellee, Premier Elkhorn Coal Company, ("Premier Elkhorn"). Finding no error, we affirm.
Premier Elkhorn is the holder of Permit 898-0862, which was issued by the Cabinet on June 4, 2004. The permit authorizes both surface mining and underground mining operations in Pike County, Kentucky, and encompasses approximately 826.9 acres of proposed surface disturbance. Under the permit plan, there will be a considerable alteration of the topography of the property with an overall reduction in elevation by approximately 400 feet. In addition, any standing timber on the property will be removed before surface mining operations can commence. An approved reclamation plan accompanies the permit.
The surface tract, known as the "W.M. Bartley Heirs" tract, is within the boundaries of the permit. Appellants are cotenants in common of between 52 percent and 56 percent of the surface tract.2 The remaining property is owned by six Bartley heirs. These six heirs signed surface lease agreements with Pike Letcher Land Company, which in turn executed right of entry leases with Premier Elkhorn. The lease agreements are surface leases in their entirety and make no separate provision for the sale or disposition of any standing timber on the property. However, the leases do provide compensation to the lessors for any damage done to the property through the form of a rental payment, as well as a payment based upon the amount of coal mined. Appellants have not challenged the validity of the surface leases.
Prior to the issuance of the permit, Appellants, by separate letters to the Cabinet, objected to Premier Elkhorn's permit application, claiming partial ownership of the Bartley tract and stating that Premier Elkhorn did not have their consent to surface mine the property. After administrative and technical review of the permit application, as well as review of the documentation submitted by the parties, the Cabinet determined that the permit application was complete and accurate and that Premier Elkhorn had made a prima facie demonstration of its right pursuant to Kentucky common law to enter and mine the subject property. Accordingly, the permit was issued to Premier Elkhorn.
Appellants thereafter filed a petition for an administrative hearing with the Cabinet's Office of Administrative Hearings. Because the material facts were not in dispute, all parties filed motions for summary disposition. The hearing officer subsequently recommended affirming the issuance of the permit. The Secretary of the Cabinet entered her final order adopting the recommendation.
Appellants then filed a petition for review in the Franklin Circuit Court arguing that Premier Elkhorn's mining operations would amount to a willful trespass and wrongful destruction of property that they hold jointly with the Bartley heirs. Further, Appellants maintained that a lease agreement from less than all of the co-owners was insufficient to satisfy the statutory and regulatory requirements for the issuance of a surface mining permit. In January 2008, the circuit court entered an opinion and order upholding the issuance of the permit. The court concluded that Kentucky law establishes that all cotenants are authorized to possess the entire boundary of the property owned in common, and that the surface leases signed by the six Bartley heirs were sufficient to establish Premier Elkhorn's right to enter and mine the property in question. The court further concluded that it was without jurisdiction to entertain Appellants' claims of waste or property damage among cotenants. Appellants thereafter appealed to this Court.
Appellants argue on appeal that all owners of a tract of property must consent to surface mining, and that the Cabinet and the Franklin Circuit Court failed to apply the correct law and regulations pertaining to surface ownership. Further, Appellants posit that the Cabinet's interpretation of Kentucky law is a blatant violation of Section 19(2) of the Kentucky Constitution (Ky. Const. § 19(2)), known as the Broad Form Deed Amendment. Finally, Appellants contend that surface mining constitutes waste as a matter of law, which is prohibited by joint owners. For the reasons set forth herein, we disagree.
Pursuant to Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) 350.060(3)(d), a permit application is required to state "[t]he source of the applicant's legal right to mine the coal on the land affected by the permit." For severed estates, 405 Kentucky Administrative Regulations (KAR) 8:030, Section 4(2) further requires that the application contain:
(a) A copy of the written consent of the surface owner for the extraction of coal by surface mining methods; or
(b) A copy of the conveyance that expressly grants or reserves the right to extract coal by surface mining methods; or
(c) If the conveyance does not expressly grant the right to extract the coal by surface mining methods, a copy of the original instrument of severance upon which the applicant bases his right to extract coal by surface mining methods and documentation that under applicable state law, the applicant has the legal authority to extract the coal by those methods.
Appellants do not dispute either that the six Bartley heirs are surface owners or that the surface leases to Premier Elkhorn are valid. Notwithstanding, Appellants contend that a lease agreement from less than all co-owners is insufficient to satisfy the statutory and regulatory requirements for the issuance of a surface mining permit.
Kentucky common law establishes that "tenants in common of land are seized by the moiety and by the whole or, as expressed in the ancient rule, per my et per tout." Saulsberry v. Saulsberry, 121 F.2d 318, 321 (6th Cir.1941). A cotenant may use and enjoy a common estate in real property in the same manner as if he or she were the sole owner. York v. Warren Oil & Gas Company, 191 Ky. 157, 229 S.W. 114 (1921). "The primary characteristic of a tenancy in common is unity of possession by two or more owners. Each cotenant, regardless of the size of his fractional share of the property, has a right to possess the whole." Martin v. Martin, 878 S.W.2d 30, 31 (Ky.App.1994).
Both the Cabinet and the Franklin Circuit Court relied on the decision in Taylor v. Bradford, 244 S.W.2d 482 (Ky.1951), wherein a cotenant filed suit against another cotenant to recover damages for the removal of coal from commonly owned property. The cotenancy was in the entire estate, both mineral and surface. Nonetheless, Kentucky's then highest Court specifically found that based upon common law principles, a cotenant had the right to begin strip mining operations on the subject property despite objections from another cotenant. Specifically, the Court held:
[A] cotenant who goes upon and utilizes land in which he has an undivided joint interest does not commit a trespass against his cotenant. He has a lawful right to use and enjoy the common estate. The accepted principle is thus stated in 14 Am.Jur., Cotenancy, Section 24: 'Subject to the rights of his cotenants, a cotenant of real property may use and enjoy the common estate in the same manner as though he were the sole proprietor. Subject to the rights of his cotenants, he may occupy and utilize every portion of the property at all times and in all circumstances, but of course he has no right to exclude his co-owners, or to appropriate to his sole use any particular portion thereof.'
This general rule naturally carries over into the field of minerals, which are simply part of the land. With respect to enjoying mineral rights, it was said in Prairie Oil & Gas Co. v. Allen, 8 Cir. [1924], 2 F.2d 566, 571, 40 A.L.R. 1389, 1396: 'Tenants in common are the owners of the substance of the estate. They may make such reasonable use of the common property as is necessary to enjoy the benefit and value of such ownership. Since an estate of a cotenant in a mine or oil well can only be enjoyed by removing the products thereof, the taking of mineral from a mine and the extraction of oil from an oil well are the use and not the destruction of the estate. This being true, a tenant in common without the consent of his cotenant, has the right to develop and operate the common property for oil and gas and for that purpose may drill wells and erect necessary plants.'
Taylor v. Bradford, 244 S.W.2d at 483-484.
As noted by Appellees, the Cabinet has previously followed these well-established principles in other permit application determinations involving cotenants. In Kirtley v. NREPC and Rapid Energy, Inc., File No. PDH-25535-042 (2005), and Kelly and Honeycutt v. NREPC and Diamond May Coal Co., File No. GAH-24784-043 (2001), the Cabinet issued permits based upon the legal precedent that a cotenant can enter into a valid mineral lease without the consent of cotenants, and the lessee may, as a new cotenant, mine and remove minerals from the subject property.
Appellants maintain that although cotenants of mineral rights may develop and mine them over the objections of cotenants, surface ownership is governed by separate laws and in particular, is protected by Ky. Const. § 19(2), commonly known as the Broad Form Deed Amendment. Appellants argue that not only did the circuit court fail to make such distinction but that the Cabinet erred in following its prior erroneous decisions in Kirtley and Honeycutt. As a result, it is Appellants' position that Cabinet's interpretation of its regulations are "an attempt to weaken, if not destroy, the Broad Form Deed Amendment as to certain tracts, namely those that are owned by more than one person."
Contrary to Appellants' argument, we conclude that Kentucky does not make a distinction between surface and mineral interests when construing the mutual rights, duties and liabilities of cotenants. In MCI Mining Corporation v. Stacy, 785 S.W.2d 491 (Ky.App.1989), the parties were cotenants in the surface estate, while the mining company was the lessee of the sole mineral owner. In the trial court, Stacy prevailed on his claims for ouster and damage to the surface estate caused by the surface mining. On appeal, however, a panel of this Court reversed, finding that the mining company had a right to disturb the surface to mine the underlying mineral because it was a cotenant. And as previously mentioned, the Court in Taylor v. Bradford upheld a cotenant's right to surface or strip mine commonly owned property. See also Petroleum Exploration Corp. v. Hensley, 284 S.W.2d 828 (Ky.1955).
Furthermore, Appellants' reliance on the Broad Form Deed Amendment is clearly misplaced. Ky. Const. § 19(2) provides:
In any instrument heretofore or hereafter executed purporting to sever the surface and mineral estates or to grant a mineral estate or to grant a right to extract minerals, which fails to state or describe in express and specific terms the method of coal extraction to be employed, or where said instrument contains language subordinating the surface estate to the mineral estate, it shall be held, in the absence of clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, that the intention of the parties to the instrument was that the coal be extracted only by the method or methods of commercial coal extraction commonly known to be in use in Kentucky in the area affected at the time the instrument was executed, and that the mineral estate be dominant to the surface estate for the purposes of coal extraction by only the method or methods of commercial coal extraction commonly known to be in use in Kentucky in the area affected at the time the instrument was executed.
The amendment provides a method for interpretation of surface rights granted in mineral severance deeds with reference to the methods of mining prevalent at the time the severance deed was executed. As a panel of this Court observed, "Section 19(2) was intended and should be applied herein only to prohibit strip mining operations conducted pursuant to broad form deeds in the absence of the surface owner's consent." Karst-Robbins Coal Company, Inc. v. Arch of Kentucky, Inc., 964 S.W.2d 419, 425 (Ky.App.1997). The amendment, however, did not change in any fundamental way the long-standing law of cotenancy. See Ward v. Harding, 860 S.W.2d 280 (Ky.1993), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 1177, 114 S.Ct. 1218, 127 L.Ed.2d 564 (1994).
The fallacy in Appellants' argument is that Premier Elkhorn is not claiming surface rights through a broad form deed. Rather, its right of entry is based on the rights granted by Appellants' cotenants pursuant to the surface leases and also the deed to the Letcher Land Company, an affiliate of Premier Elkhorn, all of which granted to Premier Elkhorn the right to enter upon the surface to conduct the approved mining operations. Thus, it is the terms of the lease itself that give Premier Elkhorn the right to mine coal on the property in question, not an application of a broad form deed. Notably, neither the Cabinet's nor the circuit court's decision is premised on or even cites to the amendment.
Our decision herein should not in any manner be construed as holding that Appellants do not have a remedy. Indeed, they have argued in this Court, as they did below, that the actions of the other cotenants and of Premier Elkhorn amount to an ouster and that the strip mining proposed herein constitutes waste as a matter of law. However, we must agree with the circuit court that its review was limited to the administrative record. Clearly, neither the Cabinet's Office of Administrative Hearings nor the Franklin Circuit Court in this matter has jurisdiction to adjudicate disputes involving property rights. See 30 U.S.C. § 1260(6)(C); Department for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection v. Stearns Coal & Lumber Co., 563 S.W.2d 471 (Ky.1978).
A circuit court of general jurisdiction is the appropriate forum for the adjudication of claims of waste or property damage among cotenants. See KRS 23A.010. "[I]f a tenant in common, joint tenant or parcener commits waste, he shall be liable to his cotenants jointly or severally for damages." KRS 381.390. However, pursuant to KRS 452.400(4), actions dealing with injury to real property must be brought in the county where the land is situated. Since such actions are civil in nature, they are not within the jurisdiction of an administrative agency or, in this case, the Franklin Circuit Court, since the property at issue is located in Pike County. Accordingly, the circuit court properly declined to address the property claims and this Court necessarily does the same.
The Opinion and Order of the Franklin Circuit Court is affirmed.
2. Appellants are not heirs of W.M. Bartley.
DIXON, Judge.