text:
El rock and roll (también rock 'n' roll o rock & roll; en español, rocanrol) es un género musical de ritmo marcado, derivado de una mezcla de diversos géneros de música folclórica estadounidense (doo wop, rhythm and blues, hillbilly, blues, country y wéstern son los más destacados) y popularizado desde los años 1950. El cantante más popular fue Elvis Presley; su guitarrista más influyente, Chuck Berry; su pianista más importante, Jerry Lee Lewis y sus precursores más destacados, Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley y Sister Rosetta, entre otros. La expresión rock and roll ya venía utilizándose en las letras del rhythm and blues desde finales de la década de 1930, pero fue el locutor estadounidense Alan Freed quien comenzó a utilizarla para describir el estilo.

Significado del término

El vocablo rock and roll proviene de la jerga usada por los afroamericanos durante la primera mitad del siglo , con connotaciones aparentemente sexuales. Según la Real Academia Española el término «rock and roll» se refiere a un género musical característico y popularizado en los años 50, mientras que «rock», además de un significado que equivale a «rock and roll», puede referirse también a «cada uno de los diversos géneros musicales derivados del rock and roll». Con todo, en la práctica existen muchos artistas dentro de la música rock que, sin realizar rock and roll al estilo de los 50, continúan denominando a su música «rock and roll» al considerarla directamente heredera de aquella.

Por otro lado, el Diccionario de la lengua española reconocía, en su vigésima segunda edición, el término rock and roll como voz inglesa a modo de anglicismo, en la vigésima tercera edición el artículo ha sido enmendado tomando «rocanrol» como término en español derivado del inglés.

Literalmente, el término rock and roll hace referencia a dos tipos de movimiento: por un lado, rock es un movimiento de adelante atrás y de atrás adelante (como el de una mecedora, que en inglés se denomina rocking chair); y por otro lado, roll es un movimiento de balanceo vertical alternado (traducido en términos de aeronavegación como alabeo).

Historia

Origen del término
El disc-jockey estadounidense Alan Freed comenzó a transmitir por radio rhythm and blues para una audiencia de diversos orígenes no étnicos. A Freed se le atribuyó ser el primero en utilizar la expresión rock and roll para describir la música que difundía; su uso también se le ha atribuido a Leo Mintz, patrocinante de Freed, quien lo impulsó a difundir ese estilo de música.

La expresión a su vez, fue tomada por Freed de la propia música negra que difundía que solía contenerla en las letras de las canciones, como el tema Rock and rolling (1939) de Bob Robinson, Rock and rolling mamma (1939) de Buddy Holly y Cherry Red (1939) de Big Joe Turner. Tres diferentes canciones con el título Rock and roll fueron grabadas a finales de la década de 1940, creadas por Paul Bascomb en 1947, Wild Bill Moore en 1948 y Doles Dickens en 1949. Para entonces la expresión era de uso común en las letras del R&B. En 1949 Erline Harris, grabó el tema Rock and Roll Blues, en el que repite constantemente la expresión y que le valió el apodo de Erline «Rock and Roll» Harris.

La expresión también fue incluida en 1950 en la publicidad para el filme Wabash Avenue, protagonizado por Betty Grable y Victor Mature, donde se decía que Grable era «la primera dama del rock and roll».

Primeros cantantes y orígenes

En la década de 1950, en Estados Unidos, los adolescentes buscaban nuevos sonidos, nuevas sensaciones. Por primera vez, una música se dirigía directamente a ellos: el rock and roll.

En tiempos de la esclavitud en los Estados Unidos las comunidades negras desarrollaron un potencial musical en el que predominaban los cánticos religiosos y ritmos propios que marcaban los días de trabajo en las diversas plantaciones que habitaban en aquel entonces. A nivel musical, la influencia de los ritmos y sonidos africanos se hacían presentes generando un estilo propio y diverso que luego se materializó en el blues, el cual se convertiría en el ingrediente musical que más tarde revolucionaría la música a nivel mundial. Por otro lado también la influencia de los músicos blancos a través del género musical denominado country y la aparición de la guitarra eléctrica daría nacimiento a lo que se llamó rhythm and blues, padre del rock and roll.

El término rock and roll empezó a utilizarse para aminorar musicalmente el popular ritmo rhythm and blues, el cual denotaba en demasía las luchas raciales para la época, y aunque en esencia los dos géneros musicales representaban lo mismo, se quiso diferenciar uno del otro para dar paso a los cantantes blancos y a la música que no mencione el conflicto racial.

Sus inicios combinan elementos del blues, del boogie-woogie, y del jazz, con influencias de la música folclórica Apalache, (hillbilly), góspel, country y wéstern especializado. Suele acreditarse a Muddy Waters como al músico que «pavimentó» el camino hacia el rock and roll.

Hay quienes datan su origen en 1954, con el trabajo discográfico de Bill Haley y su grupo Bill Haley & His Comets, especialmente con Crazy man crazy (1954) y su gran éxito Rock Around the Clock (1954), o con las grabaciones de Elvis Presley en la Sun Record de Memphis donde Elvis, junto a los músicos Bill Black en contrabajo, Scotty Moore en guitarra y Sam Phillips en la consola de grabación, fusionaron el rythmm blues, country y góspel convirtiéndose en precursores del género rockabilly. Otros consideran como creador a Chuck Berry o a Little Richard. También es posible que se haya originado con los trabajos discográficos The Fat Man de Fats Domino (1949) Y Rocket 88 de Ike Turner (1951). Entre los músicos destacados de la época se pueden citar a Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry y Gene Vincent, entre otros.

Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley es considerado el mito fundacional del rock and roll y su piedra angular. Iba a convertirse en héroe y rey de dicho estilo musical y cultural. El mismo Little Richard comentaría: Elvis fue un integrador. Una bendición. No dejaban que la música negra apareciera y él nos abrió la puerta. Elvis reunió dos cualidades que resultarían esenciales para afrontar los problemas raciales estadounidenses de ese momento, era étnicamente blanco y cantaba como un negro. Tommy Hunt, estrella del soul y admirador de Elvis, le atribuye su éxito a esa misma cualidad. Dado que los nuevos sonidos que se estaban gestando en ese momento sonaban demasiado afroamericano en manos de Berry o Little Richards, quienes aún se mantenían más cercanos al rhythm and blues siendo considerados artistas de ese género apenas unos años antes o demasiado blando y blanco en manos de Bill Halley, Elvis logró enmendar eso, logrando un producto lo suficientemente negro como para no perder sus orígenes y a la vez lo suficientemente blanco como para conquistar al nuevo público. Elvis ni siquiera sabía que estaba haciendo rock and roll, motivo por el cual durante algún tiempo su circuito se sostuvo en los locales dedicados al country y al western. Elvis reunió todos los requisitos para convertirse en un ídolo exclusivo de los rebeldes teenagers; no era afroamericano como Berry ni algo entrado en años como Bill Halley, vocalmente podía pasar de un tono meloso al grito del gettho negro, combinado con una imagen atlética, sensual, juvenil y desafiante. Su mérito fue exteriorizar lo que él llevaba dentro y lograr una mezcla de country, western y hillbilly con el blues sureño y el góspel de la iglesia que frecuentaba. No faltaron sin embargo aquellos que en el revisionismo histórico actual, han querido minimizar el aporte musical de Elvis frente al de artistas afroamericanos como Berry o Richard, relegándolo todo a cuestiones meramente raciales sin tomar en cuenta la serie de cualidades que Elvis reunía para convertirse en el líder de la nueva ola.

Por su parte Elvis nunca dejó de reconocer el aporte de los artistas afroamericanos cuando en 1968 expresó La música de Rock and Roll es básicamente gospel y rhythm blues.

El periodista británico Roy Carr de New Musical Express considera que fue con las grabaciones de Elvis en la compañía Sun Records donde se creó el combo básico del rock y que a pesar de que artistas como The Beatles, Credence o Bob Dylan trataron en algún momento de rendir homenaje a ese sonido, nunca lograron recrear ni la inocencia ni la esencia de esas grabaciones.

El crítico Nick Cohn expresó: Lo que el rock necesitaba en aquel momento para despegar era un héroe universal, un símbolo. Alguien que fuera muy joven, especial, incompartible —una propiedad exclusiva de los teenagers—. Alguien que pudiera cristalizar el movimiento entero, darle tamaño y dirección. Evidentemente, Bill Haley (el primer rockero con su «Rock Around The Clock») no daba la medida, pero Elvis sí que la daba.

Su gran contribución fue el demostrar hasta qué punto podía llegar la capacidad económica de los teenagers. Antes de Elvis, el rock había sido un gesto de vaga rebelión; en cuanto él llegó se convirtió en algo sólido y de contenido propio, que imprimió su estilo en la ropa, en el lenguaje y en el sexo; una total independencia en casi todos los aspectos, en cosas que hoy se dan como aceptadas.

Fue entonces cuando se dio la mayor ruptura de los «teen», y Elvis fue quien la provocó. De este modo, y sin ni siquiera habérselo propuesto, se convirtió en una de las personas que han afectado de una forma más radical la manera de vivir y de pensar de la gente.

De la misma manera el escritor y periodista especializado de la revista «Rock and Pop» Marcelo Gobello, considera que solo Elvis puede ser considerado como padre y rey del rock and roll.

La irrupción de Presley en escena hizo que artistas que comenzaban a surgir en ese mismo período, como Buddy Holly, quien lo conociera durante un recital de Elvis en Lubbock, Texas, se inclinasen por el rockabilly de manera definitiva y al mismo tiempo inspiró a Sam Phillips a continuar buscando talentos para su compañía Sun Records luego de que este vendiese el contrato de Elvis a la RCA, surgiendo de allí artistas como Johnny Cash y Jerry Lee Lewis entre otros.

Compositores legendarios
Fats Domino es el primero de los grandes compositores de rock and roll. Con una sólida carrera en el circuito de rhythm and blues desde los años 40 a muy temprana edad, fue el artista más popular de los años 50 a nivel de ventas tras Elvis Presley, firmando estándares del género como The Fat Man, considerada por muchos críticos el punto de partida de la música rock, Blue monday, Blueberry hill o Ain't that a shame.
Johnny Otis surgió como descubridor, padrino, mentor, productor y descubridor de numerosas luminarias del rhythm and blues y el rock and roll en la primera mitad de los 50. De su pluma salieron canciones como Dance with me Henry, Every beat of my heart o Willie and the Hand Jive. También fue co-autor de la celebérrima Hound dog, aunque perdió el litigio que mantuvo con sus "socios" Leiber-Stoller y nunca ha aparecido acreditado como tal.
Carl Perkins a partir de 1955 compuso temas dentro del estilo rockabilly como «Blue Suede Shoes», «Matchbox», «Honey Don't» y «Everybody's trying to be my baby» algunos de los cuales alcanzarían los primeros puestos del Billboard y serían versionados a lo largo de los años por diversos artistas como Elvis, The Beatles y posteriormente Stray Cats. Algo similar ocurría con Chuck Berry y composiciones como Johnny B. Good o Sweet Litle Sixteen aunque en este último caso y pese a que nunca fue reconocido como tal, la autoría de varios de sus temas fue disputada por el pianista Johnnie Johnson.. De cualquier manera, el legado y la importancia de Chuck Berry como compositor, letrista y guitarrista es quizá el más vasto e influyente de entre todos sus contemporáneos y la lista de artistas de rock que le han citado como su principal influencia es interminable. También Little Richard fue un prolífico compositor, dejando ejercicios de estilo en temas como Lucille, Sleepin' and slidin', Long tall Sally, o su más famosa contribución Tutti Frutti. Tanto Elvis como The Beatles entre otros muchos recurrieron con frecuencia a su repertorio. A la sombra de Little Richard (que fue su mentor y amigo de por vida) y como "imitador" de su estilo, Larry Williams, dejó un legado de grandes temas como Bonny Moronie, Short Fat Fannie, Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Bad boy o Slow down, habituales también en el repertorio de The Beatles y muchos otros grupos británicos.
Otro autor cuya obra fue sumamente influyente, especialmente entre los grupos británicos de principios de la década de los 60 y en los artistas New Wave de finales de los 70, fue Buddy Holly con canciones como That'll be the day, Peggy Sue, Oh boy o Not fade away, esta última basada en el patrón rítmico habitualmente usado por Bo Diddley en su tema homónimo y en otras creaciones suyas como Who do you love, el cual también inspiró a una pléyade de músicos en las décadas de los 60 y 70, llevando su influencia hasta géneros como el rap y el hip hop.

En el campo exclusivo o principalmente de la composición el dúo Robert "Bumps" Blackwell-John Marascalco escribieron algunos de los más recordados temas de Little Richard como Good golly Miss Molly, Ready Teddy, Rip it up. Compartiendo apellido pero sin relación, Otis Blackwell compuso un sinfín de estándares de rock and roll para Elvis (All shook up, Don't be cruel), Jerry Lee Lewis (Great balls of fire, Breathless), además de la célebre Fever, canción versionada por decenas de artistas. El matrimonio Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, creadores de muchos hits de los Everly Brothers como Bye, bye love o Wake up little Susie o los formados por Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil y Gerry Goffin-Carole King. El dúo Doc Pomus-Mort Shuman, creadores de otra larga lista de canciones de éxito para Elvis como Little Sister, Suspicion, (Marie's the Name of) His Latest Flame o la adaptación de Torna a Sorrento (Surrender), y responsables además de hits de otros muchos artistas como Ray Charles (Lonely avenue), Dion and The Belmonts (A teenager in love), The Drifters (Save the last dance for me), (Sweets for my sweet) o Fabian (Turn me loose). Quizá los más afamados, prolíficos e influyentes compositores de la era del rock and roll fueron el dúo compuesto por Jerry Leiber y Mike Stoller cuyas creaciones desde principios de los 50 como Hound dog o Kansas City han sido uno de los pilares principales sobre los que se ha construido el rock. Sus composiciones para The Robins-The Coasters en temas como Yakety yak, Young blood, Riot in cellblock #9, Along came Jones, Charlie Brown, Poison Ivy, Searching o Little Egypt son solo superadas en relevancia por su contribución al repertorio de Elvis con canciones arquetípicas del género como son la ya citada Hound dog, King Creole, Trouble o Jailhouse Rock

Desarrollo y evolución
A partir de Presley tanto en Estados Unidos como en Inglaterra nace de la música y la imagen estética impuesta principalmente por él, la subcultura del rocker. La puesta en escena de Elvis que se vería reflejada en varios de los filmes que realizase en ese período, daría origen con la coreografía del Jailhouse Rock dentro de la película homónima, al primer videoclip de la historia. Igualmente y sin proponérselo, años más tarde en 1968 crearía un antecedente para lo que luego sería el unplugged.

Para finales de los 50 y comienzos de los 60, los responsables de la industria de la música iban a condenar el producto y en un intento de suavizarlo y recortarlo, surgieron artistas como Pat Boone con versiones grabadas de temas de Little Richard como «Tutti Frutti» y se creó una legión de bellos jóvenes crooners como Frankie Avalon y Fabian quienes prosperaron y servirían esencialmente como los Perry Comos y Bing Crosbys de una nueva generación de oyentes. En 1958 Presley había sido reclutado al ejército, Buddy Holly junto a Richie Valens y Big Booper habían muerto en un accidente aéreo y Little Richard se había inclinado hacia la religión. La era dorada del rock and roll se estaba agotando. Surge en esos momentos otra variante musical dentro del rock and roll, más orientada hacia el baile, el twist, con artistas como Chubby Checker o grupos como Sam the Sham and the pharaohs. La música entera pasaría a una fase caracterizada por una mayor sofisticación como el sonido orquestal erigido por Phil Spector, the «hit factory» y las armonías vocales plasmadas en las canciones de una vida de ensueño en torno al surf creadas por The Beach Boys. No es sino a partir de los años 1960 cuando decae y deja de ser el ritmo que representaba a los jóvenes rebeldes en los 50, dando paso al género denominado rock o música rock, que marcaría un hito entre la naciente generación joven de los 60. A mediados de los 60, la sofisticación musical que iba surgiendo, permitió alcanzar una mayor libertad y variedad de estilos.

De esa manera, de él nacieron distintos subgéneros como el rockabilly o el hard rock, y fenómenos como el de los teen idols o las girl groups, estos últimos patrocinados principalmente por Phil Spector y de él han derivado géneros como el garage rock, el punk rock, el rock progresivo, el glam rock, rock gótico y, entre todos ellos, siguen existiendo elementos comunes provenientes del rock and roll. Así, a algunos artistas de hard rock como AC/DC y Mötley Crüe les agrada definirse como músicos de rock and roll, para poner en evidencia su influencia musical.

Análisis musical
En sus inicios y en el estado menos evolucionado, el término rock and roll fue utilizado para designar al estilo de rhythm blues más acelerado.

Aparte de la guitarra, la batería y el piano fueron elementos igualmente fundamentales.

El rock and roll sigue la estructura del blues, encontrándose canciones de 12, 16 u 8 compases. El ritmo generalmente está en compás de 4/4 recayendo la acentuación en los tiempos 2 y 4, siendo esta marcada por un agresivo golpe en la caja de la batería en los tiempos mencionados.

La improvisación también juega un papel dentro del género, utilizando la escala pentatónica con un par de alteraciones, lo que pasará a ser conocido posteriormente como «escala de blues».

Véase también
 Música popular
 Rock
 Primera grabación de rock and roll
 Binomio lingüístico

Referencias

Bibliografía

Enlaces externos

Rock and roll
Géneros de rock de Estados Unidos
Palabras y frases en inglés
Música del Sur de Estados Unidos


text:
import React from 'react';
import expect from 'expect'
import { spy } from 'sinon'
import { shallow } from 'enzyme';
import SideMenu from '../../../main/renderer/components/SideMenu';
import { Account } from '../../../main/domain/models/Accounts'
import * as accountFixture from '../../fixtures/account'

const primaryAccount = new Account(accountFixture.primaryAccount);
const subAccount     = new Account(accountFixture.subAccount);
const subAccount2    = new Account(accountFixture.subAccount2);

describe('<SideMenu />', () => {
  it('renders all account avatar', () => {
    const props   = { account: primaryAccount, onClickedNewTweet: ()=> {}, subAccounts: [subAccount, subAccount2] };
    const wrapper = shallow(<SideMenu {...props}/>);

    expect(wrapper.find('.SideMenu-item-avatar').length).toEqual(3);
  });

  it('passes clicked SubAccount to onClickSubAccount', (done) => {
    const onClickSubAccount = (account) => {
      expect(account).toEqual(subAccount2);
      done();
    };
    const props             = {
      account: primaryAccount,
      onClickedNewTweet: () => {},
      onClickSubAccount,
      subAccounts: [subAccount, subAccount2]
    };

    const wrapper = shallow(<SideMenu {...props}/>);
    wrapper.find('.SideMenu-item-avatar').last().closest('.SideMenu-item').simulate('click');
  });

});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Statements about Financial activities of EnFoid Pte. Ltd.
The following Statement covering ALL current Activities of EnFoid.
developed and maintained by EnFoid.
EnFoid Lenders is a Software Solution, used by a wide range of Companies to manage crowd funding activities, EnFoid has no access to any of the Managed Funds, and only provides infrastructure and Technical integration services for the system.
which sets the framework for all Lenders and explains properly the use of Funds.


text:
SAM SUNDERLAND WINS ROUND ONE OF 2019 FIM CROSS-COUNTRY RALLIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
by adminApril 4, 2019
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Sam Sunderland has won round one of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship – the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Completing an impressive KTM one-two, Luciano Benavides finished as runner-up.
The fifth day of racing in the United Arab Emirates dawned bright for the riders as they left the Liwa bivouac and set off for the final timed special of the event. The stage wound its way north for a total of 351.96 kilometres, with a 214.47-kilometre special testing the riders before the finish at the famous Yas Marina Circuit.
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has been an outstanding event for Sam Sunderland. Working closely with his team, the British rider secured his second victory at the race by implementing the perfect strategy over the course of the five-day event. Leading the overall standings by a narrow 18 seconds over the second-placed rider coming into today's final stage, Sam knew he would have to push right from the start to guarantee a win.
The timed special consisted of the large iconic sand dunes of the Liwa Desert, in the first half of the stage, before flattening out into faster pistes as the route neared the city of Abu Dhabi. Successfully maintaining a strong pace over the first 100 kilometres, Sunderland caught and passed a number of riders ahead of him and made up valuable minutes on his nearest rivals. Arriving at the finish, Sam won the stage by an impressive three-minutes-and-26-seconds from his teammate Benavides and in turn claimed the rally victory by over eight minutes.
Sam Sunderland: "Things went perfectly today. We knew coming into today's final stage that we would have to stick to our planned strategy. The stage brought us closer to Abu Dhabi and as such, the tracks towards the end were a lot faster away from the dunes. I knew I would have to push really hard right from the start of the special. I arrived at the refuelling and the team let me know everything was good, so from there it was just a case of bringing it home safely to the finish. I'm really happy with the job done by the team all week and myself in the way I rode. It's great to get my 2019 championship off to the perfect start with a win."
With both his speed and confidence improving, Luciano Benavides topped his already superb event performance with a runner-up finish on the final rally stage. Coming into day five with over four minutes to make up on the then second-placed rider, the 23-year-old Argentinian knew he would have to ride the perfect special to secure the overall second place behind his teammate. Feeling good on the bike and pushing hard right from the flag, Benavides not only made up the minutes required but claimed the overall runner-up position with an advantage of close to two minutes. The result marks Benavides' maiden podium in an FIM Cross-Country Rallies event.
Luciano Benavides: "It's been an incredible day for me. I knew I had to push a lot to make up the difference to the guys in front, gain some minutes and take second place. I tried my best to go fast, but stay on the bike and not go too crazy. The bike was feeling super-good so I decided to attack and it worked out, I got second place and the team got the first two places. I am really happy and now it's time to celebrate."
Jordi Villadoms (KTM Rally Team Manager): "As a team we couldn't have asked for anything more. To see our riders finish first and second at the first round of the Rallies World Championship is fantastic, and very well-deserved. We know well that Sam is very fast here in the dunes, and he certainly showed that the last few days. He really managed the race very well and finished with a good gap to the second-placed rider. Luciano also did a brilliant job here in Abu Dhabi. He showed already in Dakar that he is improving a lot and here our junior rider finished second overall. We are very happy for him. It's been a great team effort here, with all of the staff giving 100% to support our riders, like they do every race. Now we have some months to be ready for the Silk Way Rally, which will be a new challenge for all of us and one we are looking forward to."
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's next rally event will be the second round of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, the Silk Way Rally starting in Russia on July 6.
Provisional Results Stage Five – 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 2:39:59
2. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 2:43:25 +3:26
3. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 2:46:42 +6:43
4. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 2:49:40 +9:41
5. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 2:53:34 +13:35
Other KTM
6. Mohammed Al Balooshi (ARE), KTM, 3:00:13 +20:14
7. Mohammed Meshari Jaffar (KWT), KTM, 3:00:22 +20:23
8. Aaron Mare (ZAF), KTM, 3:02:17 +22:18
Provisional Overall Results – 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 17:46:42
2. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 17:55:02 +8:20
3. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 17:56:41 +9:59
4. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 18:21:33 +34:51
5. Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 18:48:22 +1:01:40
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship
The ACU announce 2019 ISDE squad and new team Manager!
Bickers Lifting / Stebbing Car Superstore ACU Eastern Motocross Championship ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
October 23, 2019 October 29, 2019 EnlaceLeave a Comment on 'It is a modern form of slavery': Students condemn UW's use of prison labor
'It is a modern form of slavery': Students condemn UW's use of prison labor
Via The Daily | Alexander Tufel
Courtesy of UW United Students Against Sweatshops
It was W Day and the Husky Marching Band had just begun to play in Red Square.
As the UW Cheer team danced, purple pom-poms pumping and shimmering, President Ana Mari Cauce ascended to the stage to announce this year's homecoming scholars. The music went quiet and applause and cheers rang out from the students gathered there.
But the celebration was not without interruption.
Standing in the middle of the crowd, signs displayed before Cauce, were eight members of the UW United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS).
"Prison labor = modern slavery!" read one sign.
"UW divest from the prison industrial complex," read another.
"It is a modern form of slavery," UW USAS co-chair Katherine Cavanaugh said. "It doesn't just reflect the legacy of slavery, it's what slavery has become."
Since 2011, the UW has spent almost $7 million on furniture and services for student housing from Correctional Industries (CI), a unit of the Washington Department of Corrections that uses incarcerated labor to manufacture goods for public institutions, according to a 2016 UW Board of Regents (BOR) Meeting Minutes record.
CI advertises itself as a work training program, teaching inmates basic job skills while providing "enormous benefits for taxpayers."
In recent years, student groups and faculty have opposed the university's purchase of goods built from prison labor. In 2016, the student group Divest UW interrupted a BOR meeting to demand the university divest from CI.
Now UW USAS, a national student organization that advocates for workers' rights locally and abroad, is continuing those demands.
"Today, we're here to send another message, only this time, we do not make these demands on the premise that this university possesses guiding values of any sort — we know this is not the case," Cavanaugh said to Cauce after she left the stage, reading from a prepared statement.
"To date, we know that the university has spent millions of dollars on furniture from Correctional Industries, furniture that is produced from the coerced labor of incarcerated workers, who earn 'wages' that average 12 cents an hour."
CI manufactured all of the furniture in Alder Hall, Elm Hall, Terry Hall, Maple Hall, Lander Hall, Willow Hall, Madrona Hall, McCarty Hall, and Mercer Apartments, according to Robert Lubin, director of facilities and capital development for Housing & Food Services (HFS).
Inmates — predominantly from Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Western Washington — also installed more than 7,000 pieces of furniture in Alder and Elm Halls. On its website, CI referred to this work as part of a "case study."
A 2014 investigation by The Seattle Times revealed that CI was amassing millions in profit while laborers worked — some of whom are serving life sentences — for wages as low as 55 cents an hour. Furthermore, rather than learning important skills, CI laborers were often given menial tasks, unpacking boxes or assembling pre-made furniture, which is then sold at inflated prices.
In 2018, CI's net assets were over $34 million.
CI benefits from RCW 39.26.251 that requires public institutions to purchase furniture from prison factories, often to the detriment of their private competitors.
Cauce has previously claimed that the university is obligated to follow this law, despite it appearing to conflict with the Supplier Code of Conduct that prohibits the use of "coerced or forced labor."
Inmate education and work programs under RCW 72.09.130 "clearly links an inmate's behavior and participation in available education and work programs with the receipt or denial of earned early release days and other privileges."
Inmates who abstain from these programs are "not eligible to receive earned early release days during any time in which he or she refuses to participate in an available education or work program."
For Cavanaugh, the reasoning behind the UW's continuing relationship with CI was less about the law and more about expediency.
"By law, the UW can say that they just have to do this," Cavanaugh said, "But it's also really, really cheap for them and I think that's why they're actually doing it."
In addition to doing business with CI, the Board of Regents have also discussed the UW's investment holdings with companies like BlackRock, Inc. and Wells Fargo & Company, both of which profit from the private prison industry.
At present, HFS has a contract with CI worth just under $1 million for Oak Hall, a new dormitory that is scheduled to open next year, according to Lubin.
Previous Protesters Target Money Managers at MoMA's Reopening Party
Next Hundreds of Musicians Call for Amazon Boycott Over ICE Contracts


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Fiona Thomson
Fiona Thomson MA (hons), MFA
Fiona is a versatile Scottish Artist working across various media from her studio in rural North East Scotland. She holds Masters degrees from Aberdeen University, and the Robert Gordon University where she gained a post-graduate MFA degree in Contextual Practice from Gray's School of Art.
Fiona exhibits throughout the UK and her paintings are in collections in the UK and Overseas. She has often worked to private commission and maintains contact with many galleries. She has exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh and in 2017 won the 'Robert Fountain Best Original Print Award' at the Society of Equestrian Artists for a drypoint etching.
She is also writing and illustrating a books featuring her Italian Greyhounds and whippets and often promotes these projects through various social media platforms: find her on INSTAGRAM and TWITTER at @PeediePointyDog


This lovely golf course is a good test for both low and high handicap players, particularly in the breeze. The second and third holes have narrow fairways and a ditch that acts like a magnet! There is plenty of water to attract your ball but also the chance to open your shoulders on several tees. Par 3s can all be tricky, either because you play into the wind, or because of the cunningly placed water, or both!!


We were blessed to have Mr. Vesa with us for the Christmas celebrations. He is a very talented organist in the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church in Finland. He flew from Finland to play at our Christmas Liturgies. We are very grateful to him. The Franciscan theatre was filled every day with voices and laughter of the children of the local schools who produced some very good plays and sketches.
January 18th is the feast of the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan archbishop Kirilos. There is always a great reception at his home at which we are always made to feel very welcome. It also enables us to meet and greet the priests from the rest of the island.
Air conditioners have been installed in the Church and parish hall in Kos, thanks to the generosity of the Knights of Malta. We have given each family in the parish a book on the Holy Rosary, beautifully written in Greek from the island of Syros. It is greatly appreciated. We have begun the blessing of houses and fields belonging to the parishioners in both Rhodes and Kos. These encounters with the people in their own homes are of great pastoral importance and significance.
In February our bishops gathered in Rhodes for the Ad Limina visit. They informed the Holy Father of the worsening economic crisis we are living here. 26.1 % of the population, which is 1in 4, are unemployed; sadly of these statistics it is 50% of the youth that are without work. We enjoyed an El Shaddai festival. This is a Filipino charismatic prayer group movement. Several of their leaders are now coming to Rhodes from Athens to instruct our own Filipino community in the scriptures and catechism of the Catholic church. It is bearing much fruit and the community is being spiritually refreshed and renewed. We hope to introduce the movement to Kos.
Archbishop Foscolos came to say goodbye to us in February after 41 years of pastoral service. Then followed the first official visit of our new archbishop Sebastianos Roussolatos. Other than his pastoral visitation we were received by the Prefect of the Dodecanese, the Mayor of Rhodes and the Greek Orthodox Archbishop. They were warm and friendly meetings and we felt a sincere welcome and positive interest in our new archbishop. The press and mass media were present and everything was reported on the local TV and newspaper. On Sunday after the Pontifical Mass at St. Francis' Church, which is also the archbishop's Cathedral, (he being the Apostolic Administrator of Rhodes), the parishioners had prepared a large cake, decorated with his name. He blessed and cut the cake which was distributed to all present. The African community had prepared a joyful song to welcome him. It was a very pleasant and uplifting beginning to his time with us and an expression of our joy in welcoming him as our shepherd.
The annual novena to St. Polycarp was sung before his statue. I am presuming the statue came to the Church in Rhodes when the people fled during the sacking of Smyrna during the 1922. This year we are making the Way of the Cross twice a week. Friday in the Holy Cross chapel and Saturday at Sancta Maria. We are offering the second set of Stations for the friars and people in Syria. Having the Stations twice a week also enables more members of the parish to attend one or the other. Father Darek Wisniewski ofm Conv.visited us from Turkey. He is the first conventual friar we have received here. He is a renowned theologian, but very simple and humble.
Brother Miguel Eduardo Masseo Gutiérrez Jiménez ofm continues to study Modern Greek in Athens. He spent the Christmas period in Cyprus. He said that he had enjoyed his stay immensely and that he greatly appreciated the fraternal support of Father George Kray ofm and the other friars. Father George is known for his hospitality and generosity. We are glad that he had such a fruitful visit.
In March the school children from all over the island have begun their visits to our churches. These visits began over the last five or six years as our relationship with our Orthodox Brethren have become ever more cordial. It gives the school children opportunity to see a Catholic Church and learn from us the many things we hold in common. Needless to say the Municipality choir held an excellent children's concert at St. Francis' church which was a great success and yet another expression of the close bonds we have with our Orthodox brothers and sisters.
The parishioners and others continue to bring dry food to the various liturgies that enables us to feed the ever increasing demand of the poor at the monastery door of Sancta Maria. So year again all in all we have received many blessings and thank God for His bountiful goodness towards us.


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NewsElection 2020Coronavirus in the 2020 Elections
CDC director: Vaccine may not be available to the general public until summer 2021
Redfield also says masks may provide more protection than COVID-19 vaccine
CDC director says masks may provide more protection than coronavirus vaccine
By: Kyle Hicks
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told lawmakers Wednesday that face masks are "the most important, powerful public health tool we have" against the coronavirus and they might even provide better protection than a vaccine.
The CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield, made the comments during a hearing before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
"I will continue to appeal for all Americans, all individuals in our country, to embrace these face coverings," said Redfield. "I've said it, if we did it for 6, 8, 10, 12 weeks, we'd bring this pandemic under control."
Redfield said there's clear scientific evidence that face coverings work and they're our best defense against the virus.
"I might even go so far as to say this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine," said the CDC director.
Redfield was also asked about when a potential COVID-19 vaccine would be available to the general public, for which he answered – late in the second quarter or the third quarter of next year, which would be between June and September 2021.
"I think there will be vaccine that will initially be available sometime between November and December, but very limited supply and will have to be prioritized," said Redfield. "If you're asking me when it will be generally available to the American public, so we can begin to take advantage of vaccines and get back to our regular life, I think we're probably looking at late second quarter, third quarter 2021."
Redfield says the first supply of vaccines will likely go to first responders and those most vulnerable to the disease.
Later in the day, President Donald Trump held a press briefing, during which he was asked about Redfield's comments and said that the CDC director may have been confused or made a mistake. He doubled down on saying that a vaccine will be available before Redfield's timeline.
"I think he made a mistake when he said that," said Trump. "That's just incorrect information. I called him and he didn't tell me that and I think he got the message maybe confused, maybe it was stated incorrectly. No, we're ready to go immediately as the vaccine is announced and it could be announced in October, could be announced a little bit after October, but once we go, we're ready."
On Twitter, Redfield went on to clarify the statements he made in the hearing, saying he 100% believes in the importance of vaccines, especially the COVID-19 vaccine.
"A COVID-19 vaccine is the thing that will get Americans back to normal everyday life," he wrote. "The best defense we currently have against this virus are the important mitigation efforts of wearing a mask, washing your hands, social distancing and being careful about crowds."
Click here to learn more from the CDC about how to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus, which has killed more than 197,100 people across the nation, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.


Welcome to Pre-med Society at Bronx High School of Science. On this website you will find information about upcoming events, meetings, and other club-related activities.
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For those of you following the saga of Love the Lincoln greyhound, I'm thrilled to announce that Love is FOUND (and captured)!
20 days after she initially slipped her collar and took off into the streets and woods of Lincoln, Love was captured by MGPS staffers.
The people of the town of Lincoln, the volunteers who donated time to MGPS, and all of the people who banded together to think good thoughts and help bring her home. I'll be blogging more details on this as they become available, but what's important now is to share the news that LOVE is home.
Right now, Love is on her way back to MGPS for some medical attention, fluids, yummy food, and a "reboot". She'll be reunited with her Lincoln family once she is cleared by MGPS.
This entry was posted in Greyhound Rescue by Deb Bell. Bookmark the permalink.


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When the Pirelli Calendar
arrives at the bookstore
A series of books which have transformed The Cal™ into one endlessly enjoyable edition
Home life When the Pirelli Calendar
Books of art. With photography as their narrative medium. As well as being objects for enthusiastic collectors of the Pirelli Calendar, the publications which tell the story of The Cal™ are milestones in the evolution of tastes. Looking through them gives you the pleasure of remembering and exploring the origins of a true mode of expression. Summoning the past to interpret a future, which every year creates new desires in unbelievable settings. Tales of fashion, cinema and travel, dreams of the past, glances at art, and stories of strong, iconic symbols of femininity. There are several publications which tell the story of this progressive imagination. "Calendario Pirelli 1964-2004" published by Rizzoli, "Calendario Pirelli 1964-2007", from Mondadori, and "Calendario Pirelli Superstar", published by Gremese Editore. The most recent - which tells the entire history of the Calendar - is "The Calendar, 50 years and more", published by Taschen. Not only up-to-date, including all the calendars up to the 2015 edition, but featuring a surprising layout, with backstage images which immerse the reader in the creative space of the Calendar. It also has texts in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian. The 572-page book has a preface by Marco Tronchetti Provera and an essay by Philippe Daverio, and frames the phenomenon of the Calendar through quotes from its authors: from Terry Richardson to Peter Beard, Patrick Demarchelier, Peter Saville, Herb Ritts and Peter Lindbergh. It also features interviews with two of its artistic directors, Derek Forsyth and Martin Walsh, who worked on the Calendar from 1963 to the end of the 1990s, from its inception as an editorial idea to its incorporation into the history of photography.
The nomadic spirit
of the Pirelli Calendar
The record beauty
Pirelli reveals the backstage
to its new The Cal™ 2017


Courtesy of Amanda Lee Magana, Sager Real Estate.
Beautifully maintained 3 bedroom 2 bath brick rancher that sits on a large tree lined, fully fenced corner lot. Home is steps to Handley Campus and walking distance to downtown Winchester situated in a quiet neighborhood of beautiful large homes. Red oak hardwood floors, New carpet, Lovely Sun room ,Functional Fireplace, Anderson windows and a large finished basement are just some of the features that compliment this home. Raftered roof system provides attic storage stretching across the entire length of the home plus exterior attached storage room provides plenty of storage options. Energy efficient natural gas heat source, Ruud HVAC installed in 2015, New Electric panel box complete with new breakers as well.
Please, send me more information on this property: MLS# VAWI107036 – $338,000 – 433 Briarmont Drive, Winchester, VA 22601.
I would like to schedule a private showing for this property: MLS# VAWI107036 – $338,000 – 433 Briarmont Drive, Winchester, VA 22601.


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Oil Prices and African Economies
Impact of the decline in revenue prompts austerity measures in high producing states
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Region: sub-Saharan Africa
Theme: Global Economy, Oil and Energy
During 2014 many western-based financial publications declared that the Federal Republic of Nigeria had surpassed the Republic of South Africa as the largest economy on the continent.
Nigeria relies heavily on oil exports for the generation of its foreign exchange earnings.
Recently the Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered a major policy address indicating that the rapid decline in oil prices would necessitate the imposition of measures by the government of President Goodluck Jonathan designed to trim costs and spending. In a later interview with a leading Nigerian newspaper, the finance minister admitted that as a result of the price declines, the government was forced to cut its capital expenditures by 59 percent.
Okonjo-Iweala said "For a number of reasons, chief among which is oil pipeline vandalism and the resulting shut-ins, we faced a quantity shock in the sense that the quantity of oil produced averaged about 2.2 million bpd in the first three quarters of 2014, according to NBS data, falling short of the 2.38 million bpd projected in the budget. The effects of this quantity shock are further compounded by the more recent price shock, with prices crashing from a peak of about $114pb earlier in June, to around $58pb now, which is below the budget benchmark price of $77.5pb for this year." (Leadership, Jan. 5)
With the increased production of oil inside the United States, the country is no longer the largest importer of Nigerian crude. India, considered one of the emerging industrial and commercial states, has taken over as the number one purchaser of Nigerian oil.
Acting Indian High Commissioner in Nigeria, Kaisar Alam told Naija 247 that "India imported 14 billion-dollar worth of goods from Nigeria from April 2013 to March 2014, including 12 billion-dollar worth of crude oil,'' he said. Alam pointed out that with the reduction of U.S. importations of Nigeria's crude oil, India was now the West African state's largest trading partner.
Impact on Labor
During mid-December the two largest oil workers unions in Nigeria embarked upon a four-day strike. They were demanding the reduction of gasoline prices in light of the rapid slump in the global market.
Other demands included infrastructural improvements including the roads surrounding oil production facilities. The workers also sought to pressure the government on the need for a new petroleum investment bill which had been stalled for years within the parliament.
Bloomberg noted the significance of Nigerian oil production when covering the strike it stated in an article that "The (strike) action involves both Pengassan, as the managerial union is known, and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, or Nupeng, its affiliate for manual workers. Nigeria's crude oil output declined 3.2 percent when they last went on strike in September, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Nigeria pumped 2.3 million barrels of crude oil a day last year, 26 percent of Africa's total output, according to BP Plc estimates." (Dec. 15)
The strike was settled in less than a week despite the initial claim by union leaders that it would be indefinite. The government and industry officials took the strike seriously since its persistence could have not only shut down production but also crippled foreign exchange earnings across the country.
These industrial actions in Nigeria coincided with unrest around the entire region. In Ghana, a new oil-producing state, a public sector strike took place during mid-2014 over the demand for the government to take action against the declining value of the cedi, the national currency, and the need to protect pension funds.
By late Oct. oil workers were again demanding improvements in their conditions of employment. A statement issued by the Ghana Management and Petroleum Commission provides insights into the overall relations between management and labor.
The statement read in part that "As you would recall, following a similar strike on the Jack Ryan rig on Saturday, 9th August, 2014 over demands for upward adjustment of salary, the Petroleum Commission in concert with the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) quickly intervened to resolve the impasse and to continue the earlier initiatives to improve the workers compensation. Again, when Modec workers embarked on a strike action on 24th July, 2014, the Commission facilitated discussions between Modec and the Union (i.e. GTPCWU), which resulted in initial salary increase and training opportunities for the Ghanaian staff of Modec."
The Sudan Suffers From Partition and Oil Price Declines
Nearly four years ago the Republic of Sudan was partitioned after the conclusion of civil unrest and war that had existed for decades. Sudan, prior to the division of the country, was the largest geographic nation-state in Africa.
As a growing oil-producing state the Republic of Sudan was pumping 500,000 barrels-per-day prior to 2011. Since the partition both Khartoum and the Republic of South Sudan have both suffered growing economic difficulties.
In South Sudan, it has been reported that the newly-created state is receiving the lowest price internationally for its oil. This is in part the result of a negotiated deal with the Republic of Sudan where additional costs were placed on the export of each barrel of oil in order to compensate Khartoum for its ownership of the pipelines and the potential damage done to its economy resulting from the partition.
Production has also been hampered due to the conflict over the last year between the followers of President Salva Kiir and ousted Vice-President Reik Machar. Hundreds of thousands of people have been dislocated and neighboring Uganda has deployed troops to the country in an effort to bolster the central government in Juba.
On Dec. 21 the Financial Times reported that "War-torn South Sudan is receiving what traders say is arguably the lowest oil price in the world, $20-$25 a barrel, because of falling prices and unfavorable pipeline contracts. South Sudanese revenues have now fallen to about $100m a month, equal to an oil price of about $20.5 per barrel based on output of 160,000 barrels a day.
'They are squeezed,' said an international official."
This same Financial Times article goes on to stress that "Oil executives believe South Sudan could become an example of how falling oil prices can exacerbate political risk as countries are forced to slash budgets. The US Department of Energy said: 'Geopolitical risk may also be elevated because of lower government spending'."
Prospects for Economic Growth Amid Declining Prices
These problems are reflective of the ongoing vulnerability of the oil-producing African states on the fluctuations of the international petroleum market. These problems are not just confined to oil since there has been a decline in other commodity prices as well.
The discovery of large-scale oil deposits in East Africa has fueled speculation centered upon phenomenal economic growth dependent on increased exports where prices would remain above $100 per barrel. With the decline in prices there may be some benefits for non-producing states but this fact poses serious problems for those who have planned to focus development plans on increased drilling and exports.
New Times reported that many "Economists expect, in the short run, tumbling prices to benefit East African consumers in form of reduced commodity prices. But two East African economies, Kenya and Uganda that have invested heavily in recently discovered oil, could suffer negative effects if the trend persists up to the time they are expected to start production." (Dec. 14)
An article in the Ugandan Observer opines "The macroeconomic malaise in both Russia and Nigeria as a result of the plunge in oil prices is a clear reminder to the East African economies that while oil and gas will open up new sources of government revenue and foreign exchange inflows, the other sectors of the economy should not be ignored. In any case, it would be prudent to direct the oil and gas revenues to facilitate the growth of manufacturing, services and agricultural sectors." (Dec. 30)
Nonetheless, efforts aimed at diversifying the economies of African states will face major impediments after substantial resources have already been invested in plans to increase oil production. These developments illustrate that until genuine economic growth based on the internal priorities of African states can be realized these post-colonial societies will remain subject to the problems of overproduction and declining prices.
Copyright © Abayomi Azikiwe, Global Research, 2015
Articles by: Abayomi Azikiwe


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Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Working	Towards the 2018 London Book Fair
By Michael Mustillo
The memorandum for the united participation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania at the 2018 London Book Fair was signed in Brussels in 2014 by Baltic Estonian culture minister Urve Tiidus, Latvian culture minister Dace Melbarde and Lithuanian culture minister Sarunas Birutis. This memorandum signaled their intent to promote close cooperation, which will hopefully see the three Baltic countries attending the 2018 London Book Fair, ''The Market Focus''. This is dependent upon a contract begin signed between Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the London Book Fair.
Jacks Thomas, director of The London Book Fair said: "We welcome exhibitors and visitors from the Baltic states to The London Book Fair every year and we are inspired by its entrepreneurial and creative publishing industry, which is ambitious in its efforts to increase literature and other books in translation from the region available around the world. As part of the London Book Fair, we run an annual Market Focus programme which is open to any country or region which wants to boost their publishing industry to an international audience. We think the Baltic states could run a wonderful and exciting Market Focus for The London Book Fair but nothing has been agreed as yet''
The initial cpordination efforts for this united project between the Baltic states have been progressing gradually. The memorandum states that project managers will be appointed for each Baltic country, and this has already taken place: Janis Oga (Latvian Literature Centre) and Ausrine Zilinskiene (Lithuanian Culture Institute) will represent their respective countries, while the Estonian Ministry of Culture has formed a working group led by Asta Trummel, from the Estonia Ministry of Culture, which will coordinating the country's participation. Trummel informed The Baltic Times that a full-time Estonian project manager will be appointed in 2016. Trummel further stated that all three Baltic countries are anticipating that the contract with the organisers of the London Book Fair, whose partners are the British Council, and the Publishers Association of the UK, will be signed in spring of this year.
The memorandum between the Baltic countries further covers a range of other intended commitments, such as the proportionate sharing of exhibition space, and the advertising and marketing costs of participation at the 2018 London Book Fair. Furthermore, the culture ministers have agreed on a plan to organise an extensive joint culture program at the 2018 London Book Fair, but cultural programmes outside the Fair will be entirely up to the countries themselves. The memorandum's action plan will be reviewed twice a year.
The Baltic project managers, who will involve partners from the fields of literature and publishing, intend to meet for their first coordination meeting in Riga in late February 2015.
Recent comments made to the Baltic Times by Latvian culture minister Dace Melbarde, and Lithuanian culture minister Sarunas Birutis concerning the Baltic countries united participation echoed the importance being attached and placed on the cultural and economic benefits of a united effort in presenting Baltic literature at the 2018 London Book Fair.
Dace Melbarde, has stated in comments forwarded to The Baltic Times that ''as a small country with limited linguistic borders our key to global literature area is translations of Latvian literature in English. There is ongoing work of translation and it will continue, significantly widening the readership of works of Latvian literature. The award of 2014 European Union Prize for Literature received by Janis Jonevs for his novel "Jelgava '94" clearly highlights the value and potential of our writers and may promote the translation of contemporary Baltic literature. The decision to participate at the London Book Fair in 2018 also adds an international dimension to the upcoming centenary of Latvia's independence and helps to promote cooperation between Latvia and the UK which is particularly important in light of the fact that the UK was the first country to recognise the independence of Latvia in 1918."
Sarunas Birutis's comments to The Baltic Times also reflect the importance that Lithuania is placing on the 2018 London Book Fair: ''we are delighted to be one of the focus countries of the London Book Fair 2018. This project will hopefully empower our authors, encourage translations, and boost our networks in the publishing industry worldwide. It is the best, most simple and brilliant way to tell our stories through books and culture. Still waters run deep - let's see if the Baltics can indeed become mainstream through their creativity and innovation," said Minister Birutis.
Furthermore, Estonian Minister of Culture Urve Tiidus has officially stated that "To be the main guest at one of the world's most important book fairs provides Estonian literature with unique opportunities to stand out and shine. It motivates us to translate and publish Estonian authors both in English as well as in many other languages. To be at the centre of global attention with our literature and culture in London in 2018 would be a wonderful present for the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia."
The London Book Fair was founded in 1971 and has over the years emerged as one of the most significant trade fairs in the world. The London Book Fair is a global marketplace for the negotiation of rights and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels. It offers a unique opportunity to explore, understand and capitalise on the innovations shaping the publishing world of the future, and will bring the Baltic countries into direct access with customers, content and emerging markets.
The London Book Fair "The Market Focus" was established in 2004. Its primary objective has been the focus on creating commercial and cultural ties between publishers and authors of a specific country or region, highlighting its publishing industry and the opportunities for conducting business with the rest of the world. Jacks Thomas, Director of The London Book Fair, said
''This year we are welcoming Mexico as the Market Focus and we look forward to a cultural and professional programme which will showcase their publishing industry to the international community. If any publishers from the Baltic states would like to meet more Mexican publishers they are encouraged to sign-up to the matchmaking taking place at the Fair. www.londonbookfair.co.uk "
The 2015 London Book Fair will take place from the 14 – 16 April at London's Olympia.
Lithuanian actor, director Sabulis dies
Number of libraries decreasing in Latvia, number of active library users rising
Title of European of the Year in Latvia goes to musician Ralfs Eilands
Vilnius Short Film Festival – for a fast pace of life
British singer Dido to perform in Sigulda this summer
Riga Street Food Festival to take place in Riga's Old Town in mid-January
Estonian National Opera records attendance of over 185,000 in 2019


Can Tampa undo its Post-War planning mistakes while embracing its environment? This competition explored how.
The Architect's Newspaper (AN) has partnered with urbanNext—a multidisciplinary platform for design promoted by Actar Publishers—to share articles on common topics every two weeks.
This week, we're pairing the urbanNext article below with AN's "How is the New Jersey Meadowlands planning for climate change?" The article below was authored by Shannon Bassett, an architectural and urban designer.
By 2011, however, this "New" New Deal in the form of high-speed rail infrastructure had been squashed, and the $1.2 billion of federal monies returned to the federal government. The stymying of the project had been largely due to the prevailing anti-smart and, arguably, anti-urban politics which did not support the funding of public transportation. This was even despite the efforts of mayors in the six cities who would be positively impacted by the high-speed rail system, who self-organized at a local-regional level to accept the federal monies, although in the end they were not able to do so.
The aggregated land for the high-speed rail station in Tampa was also left vacant, left to return back to nature. Therein existed other such aggregated plots of land or "land-banking" which had occurred at the height of the real-estate boom, such as on the north end of the Riverwalk, the northern anchor of the competition project site, where the developer had acquired and aggregated land and had then, subsequently, gone bankrupt. The Trolley Barn-Armature Works lay in decay, as a relic of the post-industrial landscape, and the former affluent trolley-car suburb and trolley system which was one of the most successful in the U.S. before it was ripped-up and replaced by the roads of the predominant automobile culture. This aggregated lot lay in urban decay; the ecology and the biodiversity returning back to it and recovering the site's natural landscape. This urban aggregate added to the 50% of surface parking, as well as to the additional vacancies in the downtown core.
The focus of the competition brief shifted, at this moment, to a critical re-thinking of the ebbs and flows of circulation and movement throughout the city, and how these might contribute to a more sustainable development and ecological practices. The competition brief posed the question, how might the re-calibrating of infrastructure serve as an opportunity to re-choreograph the flows and the movements of people and habitat to and from its natural lifeline running through the city, and how might it bring the River into the city?
Paradoxically, the recession and the mortgage crisis with its foreclosures, vacancies, and halted development, had actually provided an opportunity to take stock, as well as to critically reassess a legacy during the 20th century of largely unsustainable building and development practices and seemingly unlimited growth, much of which was eating up valuable wetlands and ecologically sensitive lands. Unsustainable land development practices had been catalyzed by the rationalization of the pumping system.
Dredging, as well as the canalization of swamplands pushed by real-estate speculation and tourism, had largely trashed the natural environment and its ecologies. Further, the invention of air conditioning had perpetuated the development of housing typologies divorced from their natural systems and local ecologies, dissimilar to Florida's earlier vernacular housing typologies, such as the Florida Dogtrot. The Dogtrot's design was more integrated with passive design strategies, such as breezeways as well as the natural Florida landscape. The competition also prompted a re-thinking of the current oppositional relationship of the city to its water, as well as the potential to re-stitch, re-cover and re-claim the landscape of the Post-War Coastal American City through Ecologies.
Unlike their counterparts to the North, the Sunbelt coastal cities of the south, including Tampa, did not experience the same overarching opposition to the top-down urban renewal planning practices of the 1950s, largely inspired by the Modernist City. During the 1960s, freeway revolts occurred in many American cities, opposing the byproducts of the 1958 Federal Highway Act, which included cutting highway infrastructure through swathes of the city in order to expedite commuters out to the suburbs. The post-war suburbs had been federally subsidized in the form of inexpensive mortgages to returning war vets from World War Two.
Jane Jacobs, author of the seminal text, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, successfully organized her community to oppose and subsequently defeat Robert Moses' attempt to bulldoze part of the West Village in New York City with a cross-town expressway infrastructure. Further, grassroots community opposition to urban renewal projects and the bulldozing of Boston's historic West End and Scollay Square, as well as New York City's Penn Station, lay the groundwork for the bottom-up preservation movement of cities and their historic fabric beginning in the 1950s. It also ushered in the establishment of the National Park Service in the U.S.
Tampa's period of urban renewal happened later, in the 1960s and 70s. Unlike their northern counterparts, many of the community leaders in the districts designated for urban renewal actually embraced it, as opposed to attempting to fight it, such as in Tampa's Ybor City. As Tampa historian Emanuel Leto writes, "these projects were also motivated, in part, by racial divisions within urban communities, and the desire for segregation in districts and enclaves of the city." The erasure of one such community known as "the Scrub," was one of the three major urban renewal projects carried out by Tampa in the 1960s as part of the Federal Urban Renewal program.
Its name came from its natural landscape, referring to the territory outside of the protected Fort Brooke boundary which was settled by white settlers, and referred to the small brush-like vegetation of scrub and Florida brush. The area was settled by freed African-American slaves and the neighborhood had a vibrant music scene, including Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. The inhabitants were relocated to public housing and the city became largely zoned as single use as part of the CBD (Central Business District), with highway infrastructure cutting through the urban fabric, carrying people out to the suburbs in the wetlands and the reclaimed swamplands, which lay beyond a middle landscape of trolley suburbs, largely vacated.
Prior to the period of urban renewal which radically transformed the urban space and fabric of Tampa, the settlement of the area had a much more intrinsic relationship to the landscape and its natural ecologies, living more symbiotically with the Tampa Bay natural estuary. Historical natural atlases and guides of Tampa from the turn of the 20th century boasted in their descriptions of Tampa's natural landscape, as well as its estuary. "People came from miles around to eat the fish and oysters out of the Tampa Bay." Such sites as Sulphur Springs, located further north up the Hillsborough River were, in fact, natural springs where people came from afar for their natural healing powers. Other sites of intrigue included an alligator farm adjacent to the natural spring. The site became contaminated and trashed in the middle part of the 20th century, however, although ecological remediation and recovery is currently being undertaken in the area by the City.
The competition brief is premised on a critique of the failings of the post-war American City, the prevailing traces and conditions of which can be seen in Tampa. The brief also calls for resilient design strategies, which address its coastal location, as well as the re-articulation of its land-water edge between the city and the water. It proposes possible design strategies, which might begin to de-construct, de-engineer, as well as to de-laminate the previous infrastructures that are part of the legacy of these predominantly short-sited planning strategies. The competition framed a re-thinking and re-programming, as well as the re-articulation and re-consideration of the possible occupation of infrastructures operating at a large-scale.
(Re)stitch Tampa serves as a research platform. The publication serves as a useful toolkit and handbook for disseminating design strategies which both design for resiliency, as well as addressing the conditions which are resultant from the failings of the policies around the post-war American city, and their unintended consequences. Designers are trained to be strategic, innovative and tactical in design, as well as having the ability to synthesize multi-scalar systems, and to conceptualize multiple scenarios for different conditions.
The brief also encouraged designers to work across a spectrum of design scales, while addressing issues of recovering a landscape. Arguably, the state of Florida and its coastal cities will be some of those the worst impacted in the U.S. by sea level rise and climate change. Whereas human settlement and inhabitation in these locations initially co-existed in a much more symbiotic relationship with their natural landscapes and ecologies, the natural geography of this territory writ-large has been significantly impacted and altered by a manufactured landscape. Design strategies can also build on new modes of design representation, employing mapping as a process of design research.
The competition brief challenged designers to develop schemes addressing the perceived failings of the post-war American city, offering solutions for the vacancies from previous failed urban renewal programs, and the ensuing urban decay and flight from the city. Perhaps, most importantly, it is the ability of design to act in a milieu not possessing the political will or agency to address the pressing issues of sea-level rise and climate change in coastal cities. The schemes should offer design strategies, which lie in more symbiotic relationships between city and nature, including the Hillsborough River and the Tampa Bay and its estuary. It should be noted, however, that recent trends currently show, in fact, the population to be actually increasing as migration flows of the Baby Boomer retirement generation move to Sunbelt coastal cities seeking warmer climates and cheaper housing prices than those available in the North.
The competition had both national, as well as international participation, bringing forth the best practices for designing for resiliency in coastal cities from all over the world. The invited jurors, prominent theorists as well as practitioners in urban design and landscape urbanism—Margaret Crawford, Juhani Pallasmaa, Chad Oppenheim, Chris Reed and Charles Waldheim—discussed the opportunities for the envisioning, as well as the re-thinking of these urban landscapes.
Juror Charles Waldheim lectured broadly about the agency that the Design Ideas Competition possesses, and the pivotal role that it continues to play in redefining urban design and theory, citing such seminal examples as the competition for the Parc de la Villette in Paris's nineteenth arrondissement, a former slaughterhouse. Both Bernard Tschumi's project, as well as the OMA scheme for Parc de la Villette, reconsidered the re-programming of the urban condition through the programming of the landscape of a thickened surface, as well as the juxtaposition of programmatic bands with indeterminate and flexible programs.
As Waldheim discussed, more recent design competitions, such as that of the Downsview Park competition, an international competition for an urban park design for a former military base in Toronto, Canada, have focused on the integration of ecologies and habitat into design schemes. So did the naturalization of the Mouth of the Don competition, also located in Toronto. Here, the previous infrastructure of the Don River was softened and re-naturalized at its mouth where it empties out into Lake Ontario, thus creating an urban estuary, as well as catalyzing a re-thinking of the co-existing natural habitat with landscape systems.
Many of the competition schemes featured here investigate resiliency as a design strategy. The winning schemes distinguished themselves by addressing the issues of the competition framework, including landscape recovery, in addition to the contemporary urban issues in the post-war Coastal American city such as designing with vacancies. This also included the de-engineering of infrastructures from the failed paradigms of post-war city planning policies, at the same time as layering resiliencies and ecologies into strategic planning and frameworks.
The competition entries, which are featured here, are analyzed and considered for their contribution to new and more flexible frameworks of urban design and planning design for the Post-War Coastal American city through Ecologies. The winning schemes for (Re)stitch Tampa distinguish themselves by challenging existing planning norms through ecological urbanism. Schemes also examine alternative methods of representation and process in urban design. The featured schemes address the city through the three mutually reinforcing lenses, which framed the competition, those of ecology, infrastructure and connectivity. Landscape infrastructure becomes the underlying structure and connective tissue of the urban system. The schemes also critique the single-use zoning, of the modernist, post-war city.
1. Flowscape—A Vision for a New Urban Estuary proposes the de-engineering and re-programming of the previous regimes of historic infrastructures, resulting from poor-sighted urban policy decisions. Its underlying concepts propose the re-calibration of the historically oppositional relationships between land and water, in addition to critiquing the previous regimes of decades-old infrastructural projects and their resulting fragmentation of cities. It also proposes the reclaiming, as well as the re-assigning of new and layered programs between the interface of the city and the water.
The scheme introduces an urban bayou along the underside of the Crosstown Expressway along its right of way. It affords a large-scale re-stitch in a swapping out of parking on the land for an ecological system. Thus, the bayou is connected to the Tampa Bay natural estuary, the city, and the Shipping Channel. Here, design strategies engage ecological processes in their frameworks. This scheme creates urban marshlands that integrate liquid programs into the city, as well as integrating both urban, and ecological relationships within the city. This scheme re-organizes and aggregates the surface, re-stitching the forgotten layers of the city, creating a layering of programs, as well as new flows and movements. Soft-infrastructure can accommodate flooding.
The strategies used here address the disinvestment of the public realm, as well as integrating flood protection onto the city grid and its systems.
2. Stitches and Fabrics, another winning scheme featured here, offers a proposal for not only a singular scheme, yet for a number of possible different scenarios, which are flexible, operating within the framework of the post-war coastal American city. Schemes plan for a shifting landscape, through both flexible, as well as indeterminate programs, where design has the agency to address uncertainties. The proposal identifies points for individual stitching to occur. These stitches, when aggregated or combined, have the agency to become activated as part of a larger, scalar proposal. In their overall totality, they have the agency to activate new programs within the city. Strategies include those of infill, as well as the introduction of tidal zones and aquatic typologies within the city grid. The scheme reclaims infrastructure for other uses, introducing layered programs within these substrates.
3. (re) stitch Resilience is an elegant design strategy which pays homage to the intrinsic relationship and symbiotic siting of the initial human settlement in the region with respect to its fragile eco-systems and their natural resources. The design's overarching intent is to make the city more resilient to sea level rise, in addition to creating a public water space in the River which registers the changing water levels.
An archipelago design strategy addresses the current vacancies in the urban fabric, which are aggregated through the recovering and reclaiming of the landscape. A floating public square acts both as a public space and as a scaffolding for layered programs and ecological services. It also acts as storage for storm water and purification systems. PARK in lots re-introduce layered programs, which engage both the water, as well as the integration of urban and ecological systems and the transformation of infrastructures. It creates different matrices of green infrastructure, in addition to re-naturalizing the post-war coastal city.
(Re) Stitch Tampa, as a research platform, fundamentally questions the prevailing frameworks and methods of traditional urban design practices. It also challenges traditional city planning strategies, which design cities through a weightier approach of buildings, which also employ single-use zoning. The schemes featured here and resulting from the competition, reintroduce the River as the new spine and lifeline of the city while creating new and layered programs along it. This resonates with design strategies of flexibility and open-endedness for programming. It also integrates performative design aspects through a re-working of the river's infrastructure. It begins with a new spine for the city, as well as the re-introduction of new ecologies which reconnect the city to the water.
The projects emerging from the (Re) Stitch Tampa project have the potential to have a life beyond the competition itself. They offer a tool-kit of possible design strategies for architects, planners, and city planning agencies, as well as the constituents, stakeholders, and developers vis-à-vis public place-making in the post-war coastal American city. This publication should be used as both a toolkit, as well as a handbook which affords an alternative insight for both designing, as well as recovering cities and their landscapes. These include tactical strategies, designing for resiliency, flexibilities, which engage multiple readings and possibilities.
As initiated by the competition brief, connective urban landscapes and ecological infrastructure have the agency to function as the underlying framework. The featured schemes here robustly address the competition charge, designing frameworks with ecologies, as opposed to a singular proposal. Within this framework, these strategies can act as catalysts for the economic redevelopment of the city, in addition to calibrating the reconnection of the city to its nature, while ameliorating its current fragmentation.
Other notable coastal cities in Florida, such as Port Charlotte, south of Tampa, have adopted more progressive design strategies for their land-water edges, which might also serve as useful precedents. After Hurricane Charley in 2004 severely impacted Port Charlotte, the city engaged a strategy of acquiring land through rolling coastal easements, land banking and compensating those property owners with the properties impacted. The vacated land became part of a public trust for the city of parklands and areas for coastal replenishment and building for resiliency. As a strategy, the design is more flexible and that allows the city to replenish their valuable wetlands, which can mitigate storm surge.
In a milieu where there does not exist the robust political will to address these increasingly critical issues facing Florida's coastal cities, as well as other coastal cities within North America and the world, it is the charge of designers, trained in stewardship, who must be tactical in their design gestures and strategies, with an overarching agenda for the greater public realm.
There were a number of significant public space projects which were actually implemented shortly after the (Re) Stitch Tampa awards ceremony on April 12, 2012. The city received a significant TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) federal grant, which in part was used to finish the remaining segment of the Tampa Riverwalk, which has recently just opened. Additionally, a green pedestrian right of way is being implemented along the right of way under the Crosstown Expressway. The abandoned Waterworks Park industrial building on the northern anchor parcel of the Riverwalk was adaptively reused as a restaurant, and the natural spring there as well as a city park. Ulele Spring was recovered and connected to the River, in addition to undergoing a significant shore-softening strategy and habitat restoration. Its warmer water temperatures serve as a destination for the manatee, which swim up the Hillsborough River from the Tampa Bay Estuary into the downtown core.
Perhaps most inspiring is The Tampa Green Artery project, a grassroots, bottom-up organization with a mission to complete a 22-mile planned, perimeter trail throughout Tampa. Through the aggregation of vacancies and other opportunities, this dedicated group continues to connect the neighborhoods of Tampa and various public spaces with off-water and close to water trails.
This is an excerpt from (Re)Stitch Tampa. Riverfront-Designing the Post-War Coastal American City with Ecologies, 2017. For further information, visit [re]stitchtampa.org.
This article originally appeared as Tampa as the Ecological City. Living with and Inhabiting the Estuary and the Swamp in urbanNext. You can find additional Honorable Mentions and Selected Proposals there.
 Gary R. Mormino, "WPA in Florida", FORUM (The Magazine of the Florida Humanities Council), Issue 25-Nov./Dec. 2005.
 Empirical observation of the author.
 "Manuel Leto, Cigar City Magazine.


Choosing the right ND filter for your DJI Mavic, Phantom, or Spark can be quite the task since there are so many types and brands of filters available.... They offer a variety of options, including some for the Phantom 3, the Phantom 4 series drones, the Mavic Pro, and the Spark. These filters are super easy to use, as they just slide over your drone's camera and stay in place with friction. Make sure you put on and remove the filters when your drone is off to avoid accidentally damaging your gimbal.
Each filter has a precision threaded aluminum frame which smoothly installs on the DJI Phantom 4/3 camera, replacing the stock DJI UV filter. (Note: you must remove DJI's stock UV filter before threading our filters on). This professional grade filter set for the Phantom 4 and Phantom 3 gives you six unique filter options to capture the best content possible in a multitude of light conditions.... DJI probably, in a near future, would offer us the same attachment has the clear glass (that comes with the Phantom 3) but with Polarizer and maybe some different ND filters options to attach to the camera, but at the moment, I could not find one that would fit in it without stressing the camera or the gimbal and at a reasonable price.
DJI has three official ND filters for their drones: ND4, ND8, and ND16. The number associated with an ND filter indicates that how much light enters the lens in terms of a fraction. The number associated with an ND filter indicates that how much light enters the lens in terms of a fraction.... 5pcs (CPL+MCUV+ND4+ND8+ND16) + PGY Lens Filter Case. More preferential, more secure, more convenient.The case Use crusty shell lamination process, the surface with a soft PU,feel comfortable.Keeps you lens filters and SD card in one place.Moulded case with cut to size foam insert for perfect fit and safety.
Why do I need an ND filter when filming with a Drone?
Since I use it but mostly for videos and its too complicated to shoot photo, get it back to the ground, put on ND, get it back up and shoot a video, I stick with using ND more often then I should. Be careful of using the ND filters in dim light.
The stock UV filter weighs 3 grams, and after removing this filter, our filters add only 1.64 and 1.06 grams to the gimbal. Each filter is constructed out of lightweight aluminum and threads onto the DJI Phantom 3 camera for easy installation/removal. If you are trying to capture high quality Phantom 3 video, this filter pack is for you.
3/07/2017 · Neewer Multi-coated 6 Pieces Filter Kit for DJI Mavic Quadcopter As far as I know only PolarPro and Freewell offer combined ND+PL filters, but those are MUCH more expensive than this set. Neewer seems NOT to pass the camera calibration, but I'm thinking of buying this set and using only PL filters for those rare cases when you need them.
The PolarPro Filter 3-Pack for the DJI Phantom 3 Standard includes a Polarizer, ND4, and ND8 filter for capturing the best quality video possible.


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text:
Avoiding the Wrath of Pele
Aerial pictures of the city of Seattle have changed a lot over the last 10 years – with Amazon moving in and the ongoing building booms the skyline is constantly evolving. But a consistent image in the backdrop to this skyline is Mount Rainier, looming large in the pictures despite being about 60 miles away from the Seattle center.
The Pacific Northwest is all about the outdoors and Mount Rainier is part of what we love about living here, but it is also considered by the U.S. Geological Survey to be the third most dangerous volcano in the U.S., following only behind Kilauea in Hawaii and Mount St. Helens in Washington. So why aren't we concerned? Because Pele (the Hawaiian goddess of fire, lightning, and volcanoes) is a very busy lady but volcanic eruptions are still rare and deaths from volcanic eruptions are increasingly rare – mostly due to better monitoring systems, better warning systems, and of course better data.
Despite all the metrics and monitoring, we can't really predict when a volcano will erupt. What we can do though is to provide some information on how a volcano will react when it is erupting. Volcanic behavior usually happens way below the earth's surface, where monitoring and tracking devices can't reach. So geologists rely on data from past eruptions, seismic activity, and more visible symptoms. This may not be much consolation to the homeowners in Leilani Estates in Hawaii, whose homes are being destroyed by lava flow from the ongoing eruption of Kilauea, but at least evacuation warnings were possible so that loss of life has so far been avoided.
Mount St.Helens
We owe some of this early warning information to data that was gathered during other eruptions. The eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980 sadly resulted in 57 deaths, but that could have been much higher. On March 1, 1980 the University of Washington put a new system of seismographs into operation in the Cascade mountains (including Mount St. Helens) to monitor earthquake activity. Increased seismic activity on Mount St. Helens during that time triggered even more active monitoring of the mountain. Volcanologists were able to measure ash columns and could measure the fissures on the volcano by using complex system of lasers and reflective targets on nearby mountain ridges. The data that was collected led to evacuations that saved lives and the eruption of Mount St. Helens became "one of the best-monitored volcanic eruptions in history".
The data collected from these events (including the ongoing activity at Kilauea) will be vast – seismic monitoring, lava flows, lahar behavior, etc. Some of this data is available through the Open Data initiative (https://project-open-data.cio.gov/) and the National Science Foundation has funded an online network called VHub.org which "promotes collaboration among volcano researchers and community partners by providing a place to share everything from eruption data to ash cloud simulations." Using this data, scientists hope to be able to better manage volcanic behavior in the future, and to provide even better warning systems and guidance to the roughly 1 billion people living in volcanic hazard zones.
Interested in being a volcanologist? There are only about 2 or 3 thousand of them in the world right now but they study volcanoes from land, from sea, and even from space! Here's a great article on the secrets of volcanologists.
data, datagami, hawaii, kilauea, mount st helens, seattle, seismic, volcano, warning systems, washington


Dallas police said Wednesday that three possible sexual assaults in east Oak Cliff could be connected to the November death of a woman who had been badly beaten in the same area.
Ann Marie Gilder, 46, was found the morning of Oct. 21 in the 4800 block of South Denley Drive, behind Moore's Faithful Learning Academy. She was severely beaten and taken to the hospital, where she died Nov. 3.
Police said that since that incident, three other women have been severely beaten and possibly sexually assaulted. They did not say whether Gilder was sexually assaulted.
One attack occurred around 2 a.m. Nov. 1 in the 2700 block of East Overton Road. The second occurred around 3 a.m. Dec. 16 in the 3000 block of Springview near Bonnie View Road. And the third occurred around 8:20 p.m. Friday in the 1300 block of Strickland Street near South Denley Drive.
"We cannot confirm that these cases are linked, but due to geographical locations, we feel the public should be made aware," said Dallas police spokesman Sgt. Warren Mitchell.
Officials did not provide details on each case but said the women were walking alone when a man attacked them. They released a limited description of the suspect.
The Dallas Police Department was criticized for not releasing information after a series of rapes in 2013 in South Dallas.
There were two attacks in June 2013, another in July, then two women were attacked on the same day in August. There were three more attacks that month and another in September. Police announced there was a serial attacker on Sept. 3, 2013.
The police chief at the time said officials didn't release information on the rapes because they didn't know they were connected until September. The chief also wrongly named a "person of interest" not long before the man, who was later convicted of the crimes, was arrested.
Officials ask that anyone with information about the recent attacks call police at 214-671-3593. Crime Stoppers is offering an award of up to $5,000 for tips leading to an arrest and indictment in the cases. Contact Crime Stoppers at 214-373-8477.


text:
O'Hooley & Tidow
Album: Shadows
Label: No Masters
Website: http://ohooleyandtidow.com/
I've been doubly fortunate with the new O'Hooley & Tidow, "Shadows". Firstly I managed to hear it ahead of the game and immediately resolved to make it one of my albums of the week on my radio show and secondly I was able to get to the album launch for this one. The latter of those two was not entirely unique, the reason for that was that instead of this being launch to a select group of media luminaries and family and friends, "Shadows" was launched to a huge crowd with an allstar cast that included Jude Abbot, Michelle Stodart, Pete Flood and Andy Seward, all of whom feature on the album. (Yes I know it's September, didn't notice that review hadn't transitioned across to the live server. I could read it any time I liked, which doesn't really help you.)
It's funny how you can be influenced by a title and a sleeve, when I first pulled "Shadows" out of the envelope, I was expecting it to be quite a dark album, and it is in places, totally forgetting that in order to get decent shadows you need a decent amount of light, that it's the contrasts and the lines where they meet that give the definition.
The opening track, with an almost jaunty feel let you know that you need to keep any pre-conceptions at the door, hang your coat up and immerse yourself in the experiences and as per usual there is plenty of devil in the detail and plenty to explore, with songs carrying both local and universal theme, sometimes both. A good example would be "Beryl", a tribute to the exceptional, championship winning, world record holding Beryl Burton OBE, but as much a tribute to her inspirational value as her success and so O'Hooley & Tidow to focus on such a down to earth figure.
There are lots of words and phrases that make you think, sometime to the point where you may have missed the next verse, one of the reasons this album is so easy to return to, check out "Blanket" a song about orphaned elephants to get an idea of what I mean.
Ultimately this is both the best defined album that O'Hooley & Tidow have produced to date and may well be their most defining. I think a reason for that is that it's their most full bodied, even what it is just Belinda, Heidi and a piano, it feels richer than previous cuts, easier to get absorbed by, no mean feat in its self. It's an album that takes you atop a dale and challenges you to enjoy all you survey.
Neil King
Seth Lakeman Ft Wildwood Kin: Ballads Of The Broken Few Billy Bragg & Joe Henry: Shine A Light


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text:
Delimitation Commission proposes 6 seats for Jammu, 1 for Kashmir
STs to get 9 seats, SCs 7 segments
Faizan Wani
Srinagar, Dec 20: The delimitation commission for Jammu & Kashmir has proposed six new seats for Jammu region and one for Kashmir Valley.
National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament Justice (Retd.) Hasnain Masoodi said the panel has proposed to increase six seats for Jammu region and one for Kashmir Valley.
"During discussions held today at New Delhi, we were told that the commission has proposed to increase six new seats in Jammu and only one in Kashmir," he said, adding that the proposal is unacceptable to them.
The proposal would take seats of Jammu region to 43 from existing 37 and 47 in Kashmir valley from existing 46.
The proposal was shared with associate members from Jammu and Kashmir- three NC MPs and two BJP MPs- during their meeting with the delimitation panel at Hotel Ashoka, New Delhi.
NC had earlier decided against participation in the exercise, saying it would tantamount to accepting August 5 decisions.
The commission has also proposed to reserve nine seats for scheduled tribes and seven seats for scheduled castes.
While SCs had also political reservation in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, this is for the first time that STs have been granted political reservation in J&K.
DC Budgam for promotion of self-employment among youth