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Horsham doc charged in connection with death in massive pill mill case
by By Frank Kummer, Breaking News Desk, External or Unknown
A 73-year-old doctor from Montgomery County was charged today in a death related to a large pill mill operation federal authorities first brought to light last year.
A superseding federal indictment was unsealed today against Dr. Normal Werther, of Horsham, who once ran a Willow Grove physical therapy and rehabilitation facility. Prosecutors charge that Werther prescribed Oxycontin to "pseudo-patients" in a method that "mirrored the need of the drug traffickers."
Werther was first indicted in August, 2011, along with 51 others in what was called a multi-million dollar conspiracy that involved prescribing illegal prescriptions to phony patients on a scale that rivaled drug trafficking.
Today's indictment adds nine new defendants, and additional charges, including "distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death." It is the first such case of its kind in the U.S. Attorney's Eastern District of Pennsylvania office.
According to the indictment Werther dispensed dozens of oxycodone pills to an unspecified person in September 2010 without legitimate medical purpose. That person, identified only as "N. B." then died from using the drug.
In all, authorities allege that Werther conspired with six separate groups of drug dealers. He is charged in multiple counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of controlled substances, maintaining a drug-involved premises, and money laundering. He faces a mandatory 20 years and maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of all charges.
Werther allegedly worked with the traffickers, who recruited bogus patients and set aside time each day to see the patients. Werther's office staff transported the patients to an office on Davisville Road in Willow Grove for exams in return for a $150 visit fee. Werther then wrote prescriptions for the fake patients to obtain oxycodone-based drugs, authorities allege.
The patients were driven to pharmacies to fill the prescriptions, which were then turned over to dealers who sold them on the street.
Federal authorities say the drug selling conspiracy operated between February 2009 and August 2011, and resulted in the illegal distribution of more than 700,000 oxycodone pills.
A total of 67 defendants have now been charged in the case. Most have pleaded guilty.
Published Nov. 29, 2012
By Frank Kummer, Breaking News Desk, External or Unknown


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A Page One Selfie
nathanjurgenson on May 6, 2013
image via https://twitter.com/mattdpearce/status/331096177393160193
I'm fascinated by the cover of yesterday's Sunday New York Times. Fixated on the image of Boston Marathon suspected bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, I was momentarily unable to notice the words surrounding it. I was a little stunned, then angry, then captivated. The image, not just the Instagrammed selfie of Dzhokhar, but this photo within the culturally significant New York Times front page, is endlessly sociologically fascinating.
For some, this cover provokes anger:
Wonder what Boston marathon victims think of the huge, swoony photo of Dzhokhar on the front of today's NYT.
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) May 5, 2013
This cover and the anger around it should be understood alongside the noteworthy #FreeJahar movement (Dzhokhar's friends called him Jahar). Many people have expressed very positive feelings over Dzhokhar—including through the #freejahar tag on Twitter as well as fan-Tumblrs and so on—and what is brought up quite often is his disarming good looks. It might appear that the New York Times is playing to the #FreeJahar crowd here with such an enchanting shot. Further, within photojournalism, it is quite controversial to use photos that go out of their way to obscure reality with dramatic editing such as a faux-vintage filter, something I discussed when the paper ran award-winning faux-vintage war photos from Afghanistan. While the New York Times had previously used more "objective" photos of Dzhokhar, for yesterday's cover, the paper opted for a glamour shot. Why?
What the New York Times was very likely trying to do is play on the juxtaposition between Dzhokhar-the-bomber and Dzhokhar-the-kid, the inherent tension of a swoon-worthy-murderer will sell lots of papers. In all of this, one must wonder, like the tweet above, if those affected by the Boston Marathon bombing find this treatment disrespectful?
Beyond just right or wrong, the fact that the paper chose an Instagrammed selfie is novel and interesting in and of itself. The image does capture well the story it accompanies. The article is, in my opinion, a well-told and intriguing story about Dzhokhar's efforts to cover a disturbing set of motivations with a likeable exterior. The faux-vintage Instagram glow on an attractive selfie might very-well be a paradigmatic modern example of the sort of identity "face work" we all engage in. The selfie is, of course, face work in the literal sense that it is a photo of one's face, but also in the way Erving Goffman famously discusses "face work": as the demonstration and maintenance of positive social value and attributes in an effort for acceptance and approval. Goffman notes that this is a "'working' acceptance, not a 'real' one", which is precisely what the New York Times story describes Dzhokhar attempting to pull off in this front-page selfie.
Granting, of course, that Dzhokhar's face work was certainly of a radically larger scale, selfie face work is a sort of fiction that is a common fact. The filtered selfie isn't the most objectively accurate photo, but it might have been the most honest. It's how he presented himself, down to the name-brand shirt, and it's how many people his age understand and perform for increasingly ubiquitous photographic documentation. It's a sort-of unreality that's carries a sort-of truth. The selfie isn't just any photo of you, it is, of course, one taken of yourself, by yourself, and there is something simultaneously fitting and upsetting in the young bomber taking his own mugshot.
The Page One bomber selfie also challenges what many of us thought the bomber would look like on the day the tragedy occurred. This image doesn't conform to what "we", as a culture, wanted, perhaps even needed, the bomber to look like. Instead of the stereotypical guy-in-a-cave or guy-in-a-shack, Dzhokhar here looks like someone we might know. More than that, given that this is an Instagrammed selfie, he even acts like someone we know, someone we recognize as "normal". It breaks from the script: The bomber was never supposed to be so familiar.
The bomber selfie forces us to confront that violence doesn't always come from an other. It is even cropped square; I can almost picture the now-customary "like" or "<3" Facebook and Instagram buttons with this photo. As such, this front page acts a bit like a mirror: the Instagram filter forces us not to just see Dzhokhar, but ourselves, our own, modern, culture, too.
What other angles here have I not yet considered? Or perhaps it is still too soon to engage in this sort of meta-conversation around this tragedy, apologies if so, but this cover struck me as culturally significant for the reasons I've tried to articulate this morning, saying something important about what it means to be alive in 2013, .
Nathan is on Twitter [@nathanjurgenson] and Tumblr [nathanjurgenson.com].
Monday | Joe Sutton — May 6, 2013
[...] "While the New York Times had previously used more 'objective' photos of Dzhokhar, for yesterday's cover, the paper opted for a glamour shot. Why?" Yesterday's Times runs an Instagrammed selfie of Tsarnaev on its front page. [...]
Brad Ictech — May 6, 2013
You are dead on with the faceworking. I would argue that the millennial generation is very cognizant of their faceworking, although they do not call it that, and that Dzhokhar's presentation of self is almost as false or non-genuine as most of the facework you see on facebook and instagram. We select small moments, tiny fragments even, from our lives to represent the totality of our being thus it is never accurate and false so to speak.
louise — May 6, 2013
There's also something Romantic going on in some selfies - the self reflecting on the self in solitude. That code seems definitely to be at work here (the brooding gaze, the eyes hiding behind the hair). And then that fits with Romantic mythologies of the alienated outsider which can have a part to play in acts of violence.
So the ordinariness of taking the selfie is possibly counterbalanced by that quest for specialness which see here. The self performing a drama of both shunning others (hiding behind the fringe, expressing rejection of social interaction through the sulky face) and needing them (putting the picture on social media, or demanding an audience on a huge and horrific scale).
Ir — May 6, 2013
Does this feed the narcissism of those who already feel empowered to take other people's lives? The size of the picture might deserve more attention; when was the last time you saw a posed photo of a single person, of that size, on the first page of the NYT?
whitneyerinboesel — May 6, 2013
"there is something simultaneously fitting and upsetting in the young bomber taking his own mugshot"
this is what most struck me about it! so often the photos splayed across papers are mugshots—photos that show a person captured, dominated and neutralized, deprived of agency; photos that are cold and hard; photos that are almost deliberately unflattering. yet in this, the image that arguably will come to represent (even define) Dzhokhar Tsarnaev comes to us through his own vision, not through the gaze of the state. i'm not certain i can think of another case where this has happened.
that through this image and its page 1 NYT placement, Tsarnaev retains some semblance of agency—a way to speak freely for himself, even though he's no longer free and can no longer speak; a way to remain who he was rather than who he became, and who the prosecution (and much of the world) will say he is—is just so endlessly fascinating to me.
(agree the intent was probably the seeming disconnect between "look it's a nice teenage boy" and "this is what a bomber looks like"; also wondering if maybe he doesn't have a mugshot yet, if he's still in the hospital?)
last thought, along the lines of Goffman's "face work": Holy Reveal And Conceal, Batman.
Jeremy Antley — May 6, 2013
Of course, with the NYT posting this photo on their front page, one could argue that their intent was to create a sense of otherness through the aspect of 'similarity'. Here I'm cribbing from Deloria's 'Indians in Unexpected Places', so please bear with me as I quote some lines from his 'Violence' essay in the book:
"In theory, assimilation solved the 'Indian Problem,' turning Indian people into Americans by 'killing the Indian and saving the man.' In practice, many white Americans- particularly those recently intruded into Indian territory- found the prospect of a too close similarity between Indians and non-Indians disquieting." (45)
And this quote, from earlier in the essay:
"As a white fear and expectation, then, 'outbreak' offered a new understanding of violence, one poised to replace the 'surround' and 'the last stand.' Outbreak was more rebellion than war, as much social and cultural as military, and intimately concerned with the extent to which Indians had or had not been assimilated or forcibly incorporated into American civil society. *It entered minds at the moment when it was clear that the war was over but not yet perfectly clear all the battles had yet been fought.* (Emphasis mine, 27-28)
A great deal many people know that Dzhokhar was a recent immigrant, and that his citizenship was only a short, chronological distance removed from the bombing incident. His photo reminds viewers that he embodies all the hallmarks of similarity to our societal norms, but the alleged bombing act combined with immigrant background are instantly summoned at the same time one views the 'selfie'- and the sense of the other is replicated anew. Dzhokhar might have had agency in creating the photo, but its use in the NYT would lend itself more to distancing, to creating the other, by exposing the naked 'similarity' his photo-act reveals. In becoming too close, his selfie creates a 'similarity gap' that quickly becomes a chasm for which the 'other' can be clearly defined.
If you combine this with the recent stories coming out on how terrorist organizations are using modern technology to educate and train small groups, then the second quote I provided above becomes more clear. Many would see the Boston Bombings as an 'outbreak' of terrorism, and having a recently naturalized citizen become the alleged suspect in such a bombing reinforces for many the idea that the war on terror still has battles to be fought. Dzhokhar becomes another symbol for the failed process of assimilation through his use of an 'Instagrammed' selfie, and the sense of 'outbreak' only reinforces for the viewer the idea that he never wanted to become an American, thus could never be one of 'us'- only the 'other' many have come to fear.
So I'm not sure the use of the photo makes modern culture see itself, or that violence, in this case, came from a distinct 'non-other'. Perhaps it lends more to the idea that Dzhokhar could never be modern in the first place, he could only be the 'other'.
Keguro — May 7, 2013
I wonder about the banal fact of his whiteness. How presenting him as attractive actually helps to save whiteness. His attractiveness allows for a different kind of reading, a reach for psychological depth (in Discipline and Punish Foucault describes the ultimate form of discipline as a never-ending quest for knowledge, the endless production of data, psychological, biological, and so on).
Contrast this with the faces of most black criminals, which often emphasize ugliness: unkempt, odd, undesirable, often in prison garb.
I'm intrigued by what surface is being saved and for what reason: the surface, something called whiteness, must be saved. A lot of labor happening in this photograph.
Atomic Geography — May 7, 2013
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev created this image (can we really call it a photograph at all, photography being pretty much extinct) as a virtual artifact which the Times transformed into an analog artifact, (analog being the proper opposite of virtual/digital which all are after all, matter and energy and information differing only in the informational dimension) at least insofar as a copy of the paper, and therefore the front page, sits on my couch like an archeological artifact which is to say, to borrow a Haraway phrase, a copy without an original, patina and all, because it is a simulacrum, that is to say, something intentionally distorted to appear correct to the viewer, which is to say an other without a subject, even if the viewer was, or included DT himself.
Friday Roundup: May 10, 2013 » The Editors' Desk — May 10, 2013
[...] can self-police on racism, why MOOCs give some the willies, and why a bombing suspect's selfie is, literally and sociologically, front-page [...]
Kim Witten — May 20, 2013
What I find additionally disturbing about this front page selfie is the article title and subhead that go along with it. "The Dark Side, Carefully Masked" and "Bombing Suspect Hid a Troubled Second Life". So what are we to read as the "dark side", "the mask" and the "second life" here? It's deeply ambiguous and all reads are problematic for one reason or another. Heck, there's even got a digital dualist read tucked in there (e.g., Instagram-style selfie as indicator of another, darker and troubled self...the self that lives on the internet and gets into trouble there).
A Page One Selfie » Cyborgology | Selfie ... — June 3, 2013
[...] [...]
TOO FAR? - Freshwadda Brooks | Coming Soon! — July 17, 2013
[...] Tsarnaev stands accused of carrying out with his brother, Tamerlan. The photo even appeared on the front page of The New York Times in May. However, its presence on the cover of Rolling Stone, a space typically occupied by rock [...]
Jim — July 17, 2013
Nathan, I was just curious to see whether you've thought more about the issues raised in this post, especially in the wake of today's discussions of the Tsarnaev Rolling Stone cover.
Rolling Stone Magazine Under Fire For This Cover | CHFI — July 17, 2013
Did Rolling Stone Go To Far With Its Latest Cover? | 93.1 WZAK — July 17, 2013
Did Rolling Stone Go To Far With Its Latest Cover? | WERE-AM 1490 — July 17, 2013
Rolling Stone Draws Ire and Controversy for Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Cover — July 17, 2013
[...] While the outrage behind the cover story is understandable, the photo is NOT an original one that Rolling Stone commissioned. It's a photo of Jahar that has already been run in several media outlets like The New York Times, which featured the photo on its front page. [...]
Rolling Stone Draws Ire and Controversy for Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Cover | A-List Celebrity News | Entertainment Gossip | Celebrity Gossip - AListLish.com — July 17, 2013
Rolling Stone Draws Ire and Controversy for Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Cover « Celebrity Blok — July 17, 2013
Rolling Stone Draws Ire and Controversy for Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Cover | New 2000 — July 17, 2013
Rolling Stone Draws Ire and Controversy for Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Cover | Celebrities Gossiper — July 17, 2013
Rolling Stone Draws Ire and Controversy for Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Cover | Celebrity News & Alerts — July 17, 2013
Thinking Like an Editor: Rolling Stone's Tsarnaev Cover | cailley.hammel — July 17, 2013
[...] as plenty of others have said today, this same picture appeared on the front page of the New York Times. And this isn't Rolling Stone's first time putting a murderer on the cover — they had Charles [...]
In Defense of 'Rolling Stone': Controversial Magazine Covers Isn't Nothing New | HiFi Magazine — July 18, 2013
[...] angry public and right-wing media: "Never mind that the picture itself once appeared on the front page of the New York Times; when Rolling Stone uses it, they're "tasteless," "trashy," [...]
Rolling Stone's Boston Bomber Cover Is Brilliant | Symposium Magazine — July 18, 2013
[...] for "glorify[ing] evil actions." Never mind that the picture itself once appeared on the front page of the New York Times; when Rolling Stone uses it, they're "tasteless," "trashy," [...]
Rolling Stone Boston Bomber Cover Story: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Image Stirs Controversy, Boycotts | Celebrity News & Alerts — July 18, 2013
That 'Rolling Stone' cover | Curious Jac — July 18, 2013
[...] Turns out, Rolling Stone wasn't the first major publication to use the photo to grace its [...]
On the cover of the Rolling Stone… | — July 18, 2013
[...] for "glorify[ing] evil actions." Never mind that the picture itself once appeared on the front page of the New York Times; when Rolling Stone uses it, they're"tasteless," "trashy," and [...]
Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover | Dan Braganca — July 19, 2013
[...] staged; it's a personal photo of Tsarnaev. It's one the New York Times used on its front page. In other words, it's an accurate portrayal of the alleged terrorist we're interested [...]
The cover of Rolling Stone | I can't believe Dave X Robb doesn't have a blog — July 19, 2013
[...] he looks glamorous in the photo (a photo he took himself that has appeared everywhere, including on page 1 of the New York Times and in the Boston Globe). He looks too much like a rock [...]
Rolling Stone makes bogus defense for putting Boston murderer on their cover — July 20, 2013
[...] to journalism and pop culture in saying: Never mind that the picture itself once appeared on the front page of the New York Times; when Rolling Stone uses it, they're "tasteless,""trashy," and [...]
The Rolling Stone Cover and the 'New Ideological Threat' — July 25, 2013
[...] York Times in May (5/5/13), Nathan Jurgenson, a writer for the tech-sociology blog Cyborgology (4/6/13), said, "The bomber selfie forces us to confront that violence doesn't always come from [...]
The Rolling Stone Cover and the 'New Ideological Threat' | Elm River Free Press — July 25, 2013
[...] York Times in May (5/5/13), Nathan Jurgenson, a writer for the tech-sociology blog Cyborgology (4/6/13), said, "The bomber selfie forces us to confront that violence doesn't always come from [...]
Cyborgology Turns Three » Cyborgology — October 26, 2013
[…] Three calendar laps in and Cyborgology has grown from blog to community, from disparate ideas to, dare I say it, the beginnings of a perspective. With all the baggage that term carries, Cyborgology started on and has developed a stance towards technology always oriented towards embodiment, critique, and social justice. Not long after the blog first started, I came up with the phrase "digital dualism", a topic that has Cyborgology as its original home and continues to be where the contours of that relationship between the screen and its contents is most deeply theorized. In the past year, I've written much about digital dualism on this blog: 1, carving out three approaches to digital dualism theory; 2, two type of digital dualism and augmented reality; 3, responding to critiques from the left (Tyler Bickford) and the right (Nicholas Carr); 4, critiquing popular digital dualism when I see it in the New York Times or a viral video, prompting a little snarky satire. I also wrote about privacy and publicity, how our approach is so often victim-blame-y from how we teach teens about privacy to how we talk about the NSA, to my issue with people claiming how glad they are they didn't have social media when they were young. The post I'd like to highlight here was my reflection on the New York times choosing an Instagrammed selfie for its front-page story on the …. […]
The Civic Beat Reader » Year of the Selfie: Why Owning Our Self-Representation Matters — December 20, 2013
[…] "A Page One Selfie" by Nathan Jurgenson, on the New York Times using a selfie of the Boston Bomber on their front page (above): […]
About Cyborgology
We live in a cyborg society. Technology has infiltrated the most fundamental aspects of our lives: social organization, the body, even our self-concepts. This blog chronicles our new, augmented reality.
Ephemerality and Social Media Bibliography
Theorizing The Web

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Speed Up GIS's Mandate To Issue Visas Abroad - Comptroller General
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) says there is the need to speed up the mandate given to it to issue visas at Ghana's missions abroad in order to aid effective migration management.
Mr Kwame Asuah Takyi, Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI) made this statement when a fifteen-member Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior paid a working visit to the Service at its National Headquarters in Accra last Friday.
A statement issued to the GNA on Wednesday and signed by Supt. Michael Amoako-Atta, Head of Public Affairs at the GIS, said the visit was to afford the committee an opportunity to obtain first-hand information on the activities of the GIS and to dialogue on issues of border security and migration management.
Mr Asuah Takyi said the GIS had the expertise to ensure that travel permits granted to migrants and expatriates would be of no socio-economic and security threats to the nation.
"This has been the best practices among other Africa nations and the world at large and it is one of the surest way of preventing illegitimate migrants from entering the country," he said.
"Current global trends on security tell us that the crucial role of immigration to national security cannot be over emphasised" he added.
Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong, Chairman of the Committee, averred that the financial and material resources needed by the GIS could not be negotiated and that the GIS needed all the necessary support to effectively contribute to the peace and security that Ghana enjoyed.
He made the observation after a 17-minute documentary on the operational activities of GIS was shown to the Committee.
The Committee assured the GIS of their unflinching support for ensuring the full implementation of the various provisions contained in the Immigration Service Act, Act 908 and better budgetary allocation to the GIS.
They also called for logistical provisions such as solar torchlights, life jackets, speed boats, arms, mobile health delivery van and other accoutrements to aid the personnel in their patrol duties at the borders to fight irregular migration, cross border crimes and terrorism.


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Papa John's Found Quits After News He Used The N-Word Goes Viral
Papa John's founder, John Schnatter, has stepped down as the chairman of the chain restaurant after sources reported he used the N-word during a conference call in May. Forbes first broke the news which led to Schnatter stepping down from the University of Louisville's board of trustees. Soon after, he offered an apology for using the racial slur and quit his role as the Papa John's chairman. Of course, Twitter is having a field day. Check some of the reactions below:
John Schnatter—the founder, chairman and public face of pizza chain Papa John's—allegedly used the N-word on a conference call in May.
(Spoiler: It wasn't "nutrition") https://t.co/azLB7bVvjW
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) July 11, 2018
You had one job:
"The call was arranged between Papa John's executives and marketing agency Laundry Service. It was designed as a role-playing exercise for Schnatter in an effort to prevent future public-relations snafus" https://t.co/COigBa6uZQ
— rabia O'chaudry (@rabiasquared) July 11, 2018
John Schnatter, founder of Papa Johns, the man who didn't want NFL players taking a knee, is accused of dropping the N word… pic.twitter.com/niwTyEElW2
— Stephen Laferriere (@srlaferriere) July 11, 2018
George Lopez Shows How He REALLY Feels About Donald Trump
Demi Moore's Credit Card Get Stolen And Charge $100K+


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Means-Plus-Function Claims and Written Description for PriorityFebruary 10, 2014
InEnOcean GMBH v. Face International Corp., the Federal Circuit vacated and remanded a final order of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO") and the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences ("Board") with respect to EnOcean's U.S. Patent Application No. 10/304,121. The Federal Circuit held (1) the term "receiver" was recited with sufficient structure as to not invoke the means-plus-function requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶ 6, and (2) the related German and PCT Applications recited a "receiver" such that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the bounds of the invention as to allow the U.S. Application to claim the benefit of the German and PCT applications' priority dates.
On June 25, 2010, the Board declared an interference between EnOcean and Face International—the real party of interest in U.S. Patent No. 7,084,529, directed at similar self-powered switches to those claimed in the EnOcean application. After finding the claims of the '529 Patent unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103, the Board applied the presumption that the claims in EnOcean's Application were also unpatentable. EnOcean argued that the claims of its Application should be entitled to the filing date of its related German and PCT applications, which would antedate the cited art. The Board held the claims of EnOcean's Application were means-plus-function claims and were not entitled to the earlier priority date.
On appeal, the Federal Circuit first examined the claims of EnOcean's Application which read on "a signal receiver for receiving" and a "a receiver adapted to receiving" (the "receiver claims"). The Federal Circuit disagreed with the Board's finding that "there is no distinction in meaning between 'receiver' and 'signal receiving means,'" noting that the lack of the word "means" entitles the claims to a presumption that they are not means-plus-function claims and then cited to extensive evidence that one of skill in the art would sufficiently understand the structure defined by the term "receiver."
The Court then turned to the question of whether the written description of the German and PCT Applications were drafted with sufficient detail as to conclude that the inventor invented the claimed invention. The Court decided that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the bounds of the invention "merely by reading the term 'receiver'" in the German and PCT Applications. The Court further held that the Board's requirement that the German and PCT Applications "expressly describe the structure of the receiver" applied the incorrect standard.


Hello, beauty lovers! In one of my previous posts I discussed the price and quality aspect of Tom Ford beauty products. And my conclusion was that if you value luxury and could afford it, it is worth to try.
As many other famous beauty brands, Tom Ford beauty is owned by big conglomerate – Estee Lauder. Although Tom Ford remains the inspirational power of the brand, the management of the company is in the hands of other people. However, for consumers TF Beauty remains the luxury beauty brand with high-quality products and interesting formulas in it. And I can't wait to share with you my latest additions!
TF Foundation Stick. This was probably the most wanted item for about a year. I am not a big fun of stick foundations, but the lady in the TF boutique (after evaluating my skin condition) insisted that I need exactly this type of foundation ;-). Depending on how much you are applying, it may give you very minimal coverage or a full coverage. If your skin is in a good condition, wearing this foundation actually helps to improve it even more, since it is rich in hydrants. If your skin is not perfect at the moment, the foundation helps to cover all imperfections. In addition you can use it as a consiler as well. Although there are many different brushes available on the market, I suggest you to apply it with your fingers. It is more easy and gives more precise coverage (my personal experience).
It does not contain SPF protection, therefore in addition you have to apply cream with SPF protection.
I think that it is not suitable for dry skin, not because it will dry the skin, but simply because of it consistency. It would be difficult to apply the foundation smoothly.
This is awesome! I am using brow pencil every single day and I change them quite regularly. I've tried so many brow pencils from so many brands in the last 5 years, but it seems that finally I found the best one on the market. TF Brow Sculptor is enclosed in a beautiful case, where you'll find brow pencil, brow brush and even (!) pencil sharpener. Brow pencil is slanted in order to help you to apply the product more easily. The Taupe color looks absolutely natural (I suppose that the other colors looks the same, depending on who is wearing them). So, by far – the best brow pencil I've ever used!
3. TF Fiber Brow Gel.
I am using the same color as with Brow Sculptor – 02 Taupe. Again, the color looks natural and gives you a "no make-up look". If you like to wear "no make-up look", this product is for you – within few seconds your brows look nice and well groomed. Although this Brow gel is great, it is not a necessary purchase. The TF Brow Sculptor definitely is a better investment.
Price. I am sure you can find an analogue for a less amount of money.
For more TF make-up inspiration, I am sharing the Make-up Tutorial from Charlotte Tilbury of Backstage Look For Tom Ford. Hope, you'll enjoy it!
To sum it up, I love TF beauty products! 🙂 It may seem that I have only expensive high-end products, but it is not actually true. I've also bought some great products from very democratiс high-street brands. And I'll most probably write a post on this topic in the coming weeks.
Such an awesome product review,Everything looks stunning.
I'm glad my review was helpful!
Nice share, I have already took great advantage of this product deals and I guess it was a great deal for in all.
Wow! Great product reviews. And it is amazing how that girl in that video went from an ordinary plain Jane to a beautiful woman just from wearing Tom Ford's makeup. Simply amazing!
It is as amazing as Tom Ford's products themself!


Self care enables self expression. It strengthens the ability to choose the experiences you need at a specific moment and wholly accept them. Self care fine tunes your discernment, revealing your self worth, and making you a priority.
It is through living our life that we learn, love and thrive.
Life is the most precious gift we have. The nourishment we give our bodies, the people we share our time with, and the spiritual and career choices we make, create our daily Reality.
As your health coach I will be by your side as you walk your path. Through observing and listening I will encourage you to discover what you need to do in order to prioritize your SELF and to LOVE fully.
As a result you will strengthen your positive habits and increase your self-awareness. This will guide you on your path to inner growth and to the realization of your life goals.
During this journey Margaret immersed herself in the fields of yoga, astrology, aromatherapy, acupuncture, the healing powers of stones and crystals, moxibustion and art therapy.
Having developed a deep compassion and empathy, and possessing a profound understanding of the body, mind and spirit, Margaret started to apply her knowledge to assist people in their physical, emotional and lifestyle ailments. Using her intuition and her wisdom, she has accompanied and assisted people from all over the world in creating wholesome, balanced and grounded lives.
The term "Ayurveda" combines the Sanskrit words ayur (life) and veda (science or knowledge). Ayurvedic medicine, as practiced in India, is one of the oldest systems of medicine in the world.
Key concepts of Ayurvedic medicine include universal interconnectedness (among people, their health, and the universe), the body's constitution (prakriti), and life forces (dosha), which are often compared to the biologic humors of the ancient Greek system. Using these concepts, Ayurvedic physicians prescribe individualized treatments, including compounds of herbs or proprietary ingredients, diet, exercise, and lifestyle recommendations.
Ayurvedic products are made either exclusively of herbs or with a combination of herbs, metals, and minerals.
Yara Köberle is Brazilian from Sao Paulo and has worked during many years as in-house counsel for a multinational company. Once she started to practice Ashtanga Yoga, she gradually got more and more interested in this path of life. She moved to Madrid due to her work where she started to teach Yoga and finally became full time involved with it. Today she teaches Ashtanga, but also Hatha (Iyengar based) and Yin Yoga.
Besides the Ayurvedica external procedures, Yara also offers Ayurvedic Yoga Massage (AYM) and Access Bars.
Cosmobiology is the astrological theory that the rhythm and motion of the cosmos is the main factor in determining both nature and humans. It uses modern day methods of scientific research, such as statistics, analysis, and computer programming to decipher how the power of the plantes affect and influence each human being in their corresponding unique way. Combined with a person's biography and history of health, cosmobiology provides ten fields of interpretation: constitution, expression and behavior, psychosomatic tendencies, depth-psychology, intelligence, drive and achievement, emotionality, communication, eroticism and sexuality and interests and profession.
Having this multi-dimension perspective of ourselves at hand enables us to better understand our nature, our challenges and our gifts. This, in turns, allows us to optimize our time here on Earth giving us the freedom and the clarity to act with decisiveness and confidence as well as to choose the experiences that will potentialize our existencial growth.
We, at siendo know that having access to the information that your cosmogram holds will aid immensely in your SELF discovery. We offer to create your cosmogram, explain it to you in detail and, with compassion and care, accompany you thru the cosmic ride that it holds.
Heliana Urania Trujillo Salas original form Venezuelan studied Business Administration. She is a Training Facilitator in the area of Human Development, Psychophysical Culture and Yoga Instructor, Cosmobiologist and Bach Flower Practitioner.
Heliana offers the integration of three cutting-edge systems: YOGA, COSMOBIOLOGY AND BACH FLOWERS, which allow the individual to discover their potential, learn to live in harmony with their emotions and be in tune with universal biorhythms.
She is currently the General Secretary of the World Supreme Council of the NGO t Universal Great Brotherhood, Foundation of Dr. Serge Raynaud de la Ferrière; carrying out leading activities in the countries of Peru, Brazil, El Salvador, Venezuela and Mexico.
Carolina was born in Colombia where she graduated from high school and attended College (Anthropology major). Before turning 20 years old, she came in touch with yoga and astrology teachings, and she felt such an attraction to this subjects she decided to leave everything and move to Venezuela in order to live at an Ashram (spiritual community) and to educate herself on this topics.
That's how she spent 5 years (96 trough 2001) completely dedicated to astrology and yoga studies. Latter on she married and dedicated herself to family life, but kept on studying and researching on astrology while practicing yoga at the same time.
Was in 2014 when, back to a working life, she opened a yoga studio, and started an astrology practice for the first time. Along with the readings she began teaching Astrology and has been doing it since then, locally and trough her web site to a growing audience from all over the world.
Feng Shui is the art of manipulating the Chi in the space we live in.
Chi is in the food we eat and in the air we breathe. It occupies all spaces, even if invisible to the eyes. In Indian philosophy, this same energy is known as Prana. It is the Vital energy that permeates everything and everyone.
Sharpening our perception, we can see how it moves around us, and through the techniques of Feng Shui, we interfere in its flow so that it moves in a harmonic and aligned way with our Nature. A Feng Shui consultation starts with practical tips to help the energy flow within the different areas of our spaces. Tips such as indicating a minimum spacing between furniture or removing objects without utility; Directing for deeper analysis, with the interference of geometry and the different elements, Earth, Fire, Water and Air represented within the spaces.
Having as a key reference the position of the property in relation to the movement of the Sun, we can also identify weaknesses and potentialities within the eight areas: Success (Recognition), Prosperity, Family and Health, Self Knowledge and Spirituality, Work and Career, Friends and Travel, Creativity and Small Children, Relationships and Self-esteem. All areas we clearly identify in the property.
Our consultancies can be done on-site as well as remote.
Cauhe is an architect, yoga practitioner and Feng Shui specialist. These three characteristics defines him to a great extent.
He graduated in Architecture and Urbanism from Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie in São Paulo in 2008. At the same time he was diving and deepening into the studies and practices of the recently discovered world of Yoga. In the two years that followed, he ventured into training and travels of self-knowledge through the United States, Europe, and India. Yoga and Architecture walked in parallel for a long time, jet the uneasiness in joining these worlds pulsed within him.
Finding Feng Shui was the answer to that. It was the subtle side of architecture he was looking for, as well as the way to bring to the clients' projects the same contentment and depth that he experienced with his Yoga students.
Classical Systemic Homeopathy is based on 8 elements: Self-regulation, Dissipation, Structure, Autopoiesis, Cognition, Adaptation, Pattern of Organization and Consciousness (3 levels of Consciousness: Rational, Sensitive and Intuitive). The conception of disease is not material but dynamic, a result of the imbalance of the Vital Force, which has the responsibility of keeping the organism in a harmonious vital operation in relation to its functions and sensations. Health and disease are different states of the same process, with this in homeopathy there is this pursuit of health balance, aiming at physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
In the homeopathic view all organs and tissues present relations between themselves and the integral being also relates to the environment in which they live. Thus, a healthy individual is an integral being and is related in a balanced way with nature. Homeopathy requires a small amount of raw material to produce medicines (which are not tested on animals), with practically no impact on natural resources. In addition, it does not produce chemical aggression to the environment with consumption and elimination after use of these drugs. Homeopathy is a sustainable, ecologically friendly, socially and economically viable practice.
Doctor with Residency in Family Medicine and Community by SMSRJ and specialization in Classical Systemic Homeopathy by ABRAH, besides Community Therapist. He worked for 4 years in communities in Rio de Janeiro. Among his interests are individual homeopathic consultations and group therapies such as Integrative Community Therapy. He continues to deepen his knowledge of homeopathy at The School of Health in England.
Osteopathy is a holistic science, which considers the human being as a whole. From the environment that surrounds it, to emotional stability and its biomechanics. An osteopath uses manual techniques to perform the diagnosis and treatment of the patient.
– The Structure Governs the Function: the good mechanical functioning guarantees the balance of the organism and avoids the installation of pathologies.
– The Body Unit: Changing the mobility of a structure will affect the functioning of the whole body. This law is founded through the fascial system, responsible for involving all body structures, like bones, internal organs, nervous system, among others.
– The law of artery: Blood and other fluids are responsible for the nutrition of the body, elimination of toxins and prevent the development of symptoms and diseases. With the mobility change of a joint or organ, tensions are generated that will obstruct the circulation and cause several symptoms. Compression of a nerve or artery can trigger involuntary reflex symptoms. For example, gastritis can have its origin in the dysfunction of a dorsal vertebra.
– Self-healing: Our body is able to perform a process of homeostasis or self-healing. The goal of an osteopath is to find the primary dysfunction that is preventing this process and treat the dysfunction.
These four laws are summarized in a single famous phrase from Dr. Andrew Still (father of osteopathy): "Find it, fix it, and leave it alone." Meaning that an osteopath must find the primary dysfunction, treat it and let the body take care of the healing process through homeostasis.
Graduated after 6 years course at " Osteopathic Sutherland college of Paris ", Eddie's approach of patient care is holistic, incorporating diagnostic and manipulative therapeutic strategies, with muscle energy techniques, myofascial release and craniosacral therapy. Although his approach enhance homeostatic mechanisms and maximize structure-function interrelationships, Eddie quickly realized the influence of mental and emotional aspect on human body.
Therefore he decided to study etiomedecine, energetic therapy who allow exploring the mind-body connection and help the patient to release with psychosomatic disorders.
Life expresses itself as motion. At a deep level of our physiological functioning all healthy, living tissues subtly "breathe" with the motion of life – a phenomenon that produces rhythmic impulses which can be palpated by sensitive hands.
The emphasis in Biodynamic Cranio sacral Therapy is to help resolve the trapped forces that underlie and govern patterns of disease and fragmentation in both body and mind. This involves the practitioner "listening through the hands" to the body's subtle rhythms and any patterns of inertia or congestion.
Through subtle and non-invasive movements, the practitioner supports and encourages the body's own self-healing capabilities.
Scent is the ether of smell, the superior octane on the musical scale that tunes us to the universe's symphony.
Also referred to as Essential Oil therapy, is defined as the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to promote holistic healing. It seeks to unify body, mind, and spirit to enhance an individual's innate healing process.
With pure essential oils, we connect directly with the intuition and conscious awareness of what we need in a subtle way beyond what the mind knows.
When oils are used topically, the vibration in the body elevates. Being that the membranes of cells are made of photo lipids and proteins they allow the oils to enter the cell and cross the blood barrier and the brain, allowing the nervous system to carry a unique frequency and electro magnetic charge that will activate the wholesome and pure response of the body.
Thai Massage also translated as "Sacred Medicine" is an ancient healing system combining acupressure and energy balancing techniques, Indian Ayurvedic principles and assisted yoga poses. Its intend is to free trapped energy, stimulate the natural flow of life-force, and maintain a general balance of wellness.
My teachers, Kimmana Nichols and Bruno Sebastian – co-founders of the Thai Vedic System -, have opened my senses and my curiosity to this therapy and started me on this amazing path of giving and receiving, an exchange that takes place during my bodywork.
In a Vedic Thai Yoga Massage treatment I apply flowing rhythmic compressions using my feet, arms, elbows, hands and fingers. Together we move in harmony, following our breath, without agenda. No session is like another, as no person is like any other.
Session are 1.5 hours. It is recommended to not eat at least 2 hours prior to the treatment and to wear comfortable long sleeve pants and top without zippers, buttons, etc.
Tina is a certified Thai Vedic Bodywork & Yoga Therapist and Lifestyle Consultant. After having spent more than 23 years of her life predominantly in Japan and Thailand, she has settled in Portugal where she now lives with her life partner.
Several times a year she facilitates Wellness Retreats for people seeking some outdoor adventure in a healthy environment with daily immersions of Yoga, Meditation, Bodywork/Massage and optional Ayurvedic Workshops.She is also in charge of all outdoor activities at Siendo, such as hikes, picnics and excursions.
Tina's yoga journey started during her life in Thailand. To compensate for the physical demands of many years of extreme sports on her body, she started with a regular Ashtanga practice which she maintains up to now. After experiencing with different styles of Yoga and practicing with teachers such as Petri Raisanen, Barbra Noh, Kimmana, Hendry Hamish, Sofia Araujo she was also drawn to Holistic Restorative/Yin Yoga which complements her Bodywork/Massage work in a beautiful way.


text:
Q: combinations for forest in disjoint datastructure
The average-case analysis is quite hard to do for disjoint data
  structure. The least of the problems is that the answer depends on how
  to define average (with respect to the union operation). For instance,
  in the forest given below. For description purpose each tree is
  represented by set.

{0}, {1}, {2}, {3}, {4, 5, 6,8 }

we could say that since there are five trees, there are 5 * 4 = 20
  equally likely results of the next union (as any two different trees
  can be unioned). Of course, the implication of this model is that
  there is only a 2/5 chance that the next union will involve the large
  tree.
Another model might say that all unions between any two elements in
  different trees are equally likely, so a larger tree is more likely to
  be involved in the next union than a smaller tree. In the example
  above, there is an 8/11  chance that the large tree is involved in the
  next union, since (ignoring symmetries) there are 6 ways in which to
  merge two elements in {1, 2, 3, 4}, and 16 ways to merge an element in
  {5, 6, 7, 8} with an element in {1, 2, 3, 4}.  There are still more
  models and no general agreement on which is the best. The average
  running time depends on the model; O(m), O(m log n), and O(mn) bounds
  have actually been shown for three different models, although the
  latter bound is thought to be more realistic.

Above text is from Algorithms and data analysis by Wessis.
I am quite poor in combinational maths, so i am not understanding above problem, i need help here in answering following questions.

*

*How do we got 2/5 in above description?

*How do we got 8/11 in above description?

*Author has described only two models but at end of paragraph it is mentioned for different models, what is third model?

Thanks for your help

A: Here is the answer for the first two questions:

*

*Given five trees A, B, C, D, E what is the probability that E is included in a pair of randomly chosen trees?
Since there are 10 pairs possible (AB, AC, AD, AE, BC, BD, BE, CD, CE, DE) and four of them (AB, AC, AD, AE) contain A the probability is 4/10 = 2/5.

*Given five trees A={a}, B={b}, C={c}, D={d}, E={e,f,g,h} what is the probability that an element of E is included in a pair of randomly chosen items (where no two items are chosen from one tree)?
There are 22 pairs of items (ab, ac, ad, ae, af, ag, ah, bc, bd, be, bf, bg, bh, cd, ce, cf, cg, ch, de, df, dg, dh) and 16 of them include one of (e,f,g,h) the probability is 16/22 = 8/11.

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There are many online retailers, interior designers and home furniture designers, who can help you in deciding on the best designer furniture for your kids room. Even they can let you know the ideas on how to help to make effective utilization of space in the room and use furniture, which in turn give the kids comfort. Check out a nice well-known store and see what special furniture they will offer to meet your child's requirements. What are you waiting for start collecting money for your kids room furniture now.
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text:
Куру́тія парагвайська (Cranioleuca obsoleta) — вид горобцеподібних птахів родини горнерових (Furnariidae). Мешкає в Південній Америці.

Поширення і екологія
Парагвайські курутії поширені на сході Парагваю, на південному сході Бразилії (від півдня штату Сан-Паулу до півдня штату Ріу-Гранді-ду-Сул) та на північному сході Аргентини (Місьйонес, північний Коррієнтес). Вони живуть в підліску вологих рівнинних тропічних лісів та на ухліссям. Віддають перевагу хвойним лісами, в яких переважають бразильські араукарії. Зустрічаються на висоті до 1000 м над рівнем моря.

Примітки

Горнерові
Птахи, описані 1853
Птахи Бразилії
Птахи Аргентини
Птахи Парагваю

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Step into Lugang, treasure-house of old-time architecture, temple life, handicrafts, and snack delicacies, and you step back into a time when emperors still ruled. The town, in Changhua County, is Taiwan's second-oldest urban center and was one of its three great ports through much of the Qing Dynasty. Much of the imperial-era architecture still survives, along with the narrow streets and timeless traditions. A thriving handicraft industry also took root in the early 20th century. Below are five places and things to experience, check out, and enjoy while visiting Lugang.
Grandiose Wenwu Temple was established in 1812 as a site for the learning of martial arts by youth pledging loyalty to the imperial government. "Wen" and Wu" mean "civil" and "military," respectively, with halls and gods dedicated to each.
Lugang's long-time role as central Taiwan's economic and transport hub, and the town's broad immigrant mix, led in turn to many signature local snack foods. Tourists eagerly seek out the best-known vendors. Following are three snack food you should definitely try. This region is the birthplace of rouyuan, a large meatball of lean minced pork containing mushroom and other goodies in a translucent flour-made skin, topped with a sweet/savory sauce. The handmade local taro balls are made of thin taro strips compacted into a ball, with minced pork inside, and served steamed to preserve the original taste, fried to crunchiness, or in soup. The pig-blood soup with thin rice-flour noodles is made with handmade noodles, dried pig-blood, pig intestine, red onion, and pickled greens.
Take time to meander the narrow, twisting streets, notably the famed Nine-Turns Lane, built this way to slow down pirate/bandit attacks. On Lugang Old Streets, three shophouse-lined cobblestoned pedestrian streets, watch master craftsmen at lantern-painting, tinsmithing, incense-making, and other old-time trades.
The art-village enclave was, in the past, a place of osmanthus-flower cultivation. Today the renovated Japanese-style Showa-era residential buildings are studios, the artists in residence practicing many different art forms including the crafting of lion heads, calligraphy, and leather sculpture.
This quaint, homey, relaxed – and very popular – second-hand bookstore and teahouse (www.facebook.com/xishibookandtea) is in a fixed-up, narrow-front, multi-floor former shophouse built over 80 years ago. The house is located along one of the central area's old, quiet, narrow residential lanes, near Longshan Temple, paved with brick. A lovely spot for afternoon tea, there is an eclectic yet harmonious Japanese, Western, and Chinese architectural mix. Defining the interior is the central building atrium, making all floors visible. The décor is also a three-culture fusion.
Lugang's fabulous fresh-made street foods must, of course, be eaten on the spot. But if you're hankering to take the tastes of Lugang home in gift/souvenir form, there is good answer. The Yu Jen Jai bakery (www.1877.com.tw; Chinese), well known around Taiwan, was opened in 1877. Still in its original location, in an official heritage building, the bakery produces aromatic goodies that are constantly slid out of the ovens. Don't leave without a box of phoenix-eye cakes, Yu Jen Jai's signature treat, along with winter-melon cakes, mung-bean cakes, and kousu cookies, a flaky melt-in-your-mouth-cookie. All are Lugang "famous foods," and all come in attractive gift-box packaging.
Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) service: From THSR Taichung Station, take a Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus (Lukang Route / Route 6936 / taiwantrip.com.tw).
Regular rail (Taiwan Railways Administration [TRA]) service: From Changhua Railway Station, take a Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus (Lukang Route / Route 6936).
TAICHUNG COAST — Many Interesting Spots!
A Canadian, Rick has been resident in Taiwan almost continually since 1988. His book, article, and other writings, on Asian and North American destinations and subjects—encompassing travel, culture, history, business/economics—have been published widely overseas and in Taiwan. He has worked with National Geographic, Michelin, APA Insight Guides, and other Western groups internationally, and with many local publishers and central/city/county government bodies in Taiwan. Rick also handles a wide range of editorial and translation (from Mandarin Chinese) projects.
Let's Ride the JIJI LINE in Central Taiwan!


text:
Mel: We must keep control
And boss says fans' forum has given him boost
PEPE Mel has warned his players they must stop handing the initiative to their opponents on a plate ahead of tomorrow's crunch clash with survival rivals Cardiff (ko 3pm).
The Baggies have found themselves at least a goal down at half-time in each of their last seven games – and have not scored before the break in any of those matches.
Stirring second-half performances have mustered a victory at Swansea and home draws with Liverpool, Chelsea and Fulham.
But Mel's focus in training this week has been on trying to ensure his troops put themselves in the driving seat from kick-off against the Bluebirds.
"We've been looking at the errors from the Hull game," said the Albion chief.
"If you look at the video it shows within two seconds of kick-off we lost the ball.
"The way we're approaching the game tomorrow is to be defensively strong.
"It's been quite a long time since West Brom have kept a clean sheet.
"We've been conceding some very early goals and that means we have to put a lot of effort in.
"In a lot of the games at home we have gone in at half-time 1-0 down and that means we need to put in extra effort.
"That's why we have highlighted the kick-off against Hull.
"You simply cannot lose the ball in the first moments of the game – it was a counter-attack and a cross, which nearly produced a goal.
"This is exactly why we are working hard to make sure this does not happen.
"We're very capable of creating scoring opportunities and we're convinced, if we don't concede, we'll be able to win the game.
"It's obvious if we concede fewer goals we'll have greater opportunity because we're a team from midfield going forward that create opportunities and are successful in that."
Mel enjoyed a 'Curry and a Pint' night with around 200 fans at The Hawthorns on Wednesday.
And he is determined to send them home happy on Saturday afternoon.
"The fans have been behind us all the time," he added.
"The other night we had a meal at the club and many people attended this.
"They're all excited by the prospect of us going on and being successful.
"They want to know about the future and what the spirit is like within the camp.
"They also trust my work so for me it is a real responsibility."
He quipped: "I particularly liked the curry but I'm more of a wine man when drinking with my meal.
"But the main thing is this meeting gave me an injection of enthusiasm.
"I'm indebted to them, they've given me an awful lot and I still haven't delivered anything.
"My biggest concern is to ensure everyone goes home happy from the Cardiff game."


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We have had a productive week of rehearsals here in London for Waterperry Opera Festival's production of Mansfield Park. Next week we travel over to Oxford to start the staging at the venue. I can't wait to see where we will be performing and soak up the atmosphere of the house to see if we can bring a little something extra to our characterisations.
I will try and get some pictures over the course of the week and share them with you once the performances are over or put them on Instagram.
Scottish Opera are putting on a Scottish tour of BambinO this autumn and I have been asked back to perform alongside Samuel Pantcheff who will be taking on the role of Pulcino, with Andrew Drummond Huggan on Cello and Michael D Clark on Percussion, they are currently performing at the Edinburgh Fringe if you are in Edinburgh next week with your baby check it out with Hazel McBain as Uccelina.
The tour will start in Aberdeen where I will join up with the cast and my first performances of the tour will be in Inverness on the 10th and 11th September 2018.
We then travel to Perth with performances on the 14th and 15th September 2018.
The next stage takes us back down to Motherwell with performances on the 17th and 18th September 2018.
Finally, we fly from Glasgow to Lerwick, on the Shetland Islands for our final performances on 21st and 22nd September 2018.
the new cast and also catching up with old friends, especially David Sneddon our tour manager, who always keeps things running so smoothly for us all.
What a picturesque tour you have ahead of you, Charlotte! I know you will find lots of thing to amuse us with! I would say bring some woolies though – Lerwick looks very far north. What is the name of that island? Have fun!
I think it is the Shetland Islands, and yes after a sweltering London I best dig out my thermals 😄. I never got that far North in the four years I lived in Glasgow so that's exciting.
Thank you Darlene, I will try to get some good scenic shots, I hope there are lots of babies and toddlers who can come to watch and take part.
Uccelina is a great role it will be interesting to see what the new team have created, when I see them in Aberdeen and adapt my performance to fit in with them. I'm very fortunate with the variety of roles this year and this latest Mansfield Park is very different from anything I've done before.
I'm so happy with any work Martin being freelance can be stressful for musicians and too many have to stop to take up regular jobs, i'll be happy over the next few years for all experiences that help me cover my living costs and if I'm singing and performing I'm happy.
Spoken like a true artist, and with the very best attitude to have. You are simply a delight to know.
Lovely areas to tour in. You are certainly getting stacks of experience in entertaining tiny children in preparation for if or when you have any of your own!
Such unsolicited applause is priceless! Nappies are easy, as I learnt when I had to be a mommy for a few weeks. Just a matter of deftness and breath control The secret is to hold one's breath until the job is completed! That'll come easily to a trained singer.
Best wishes. i loved Inverness when there last summer.
Yes I remember seeing your photos of your visit to Scotland, sometimes we never see what's on our doorstep so it's great I get the opportunity to see these places.
Thanks Janice, it will be a new learning curve with a new cast so that's exciting. I've got some new songs to learn too so hopefully i'll get some time to sort them out.
Sounds like a great tour and will be a lot of fun. Please have a great time!
Thank you, new people to get to work with and know, I'm excited to be back in Scotland to places I've not been before.
You are going to be a busy lady with some great places to see too.
I've got a couple of weeks between shows to try and sort the rest of my life out, like trying to find somewhere to live in London at the end of the tour on a tight budget 😳!
So do I! They sold out in Edinburgh for a second year running and I'm excited to see the Highlands in a fortnights time.
So scenic! Thanks for sharing, and good luck to you!
That is awesome! Well, you know Scotland is one of our most favorite places (I'm sure Kirkwall would have loved to see you too, perhaps next time). Have fun!
I'm excited to meet and get to know the new cast and I'm happy to have the extra work this autumn.
Bravo, je suis très fière de Toi chère Charlotte – Very proud of you my dear ! Take care, prend soin de Toi – Wish you the best Lady rainbow voice !
I have a couple of weeks now between productions to try to sort out where to live in London after the tour and learn some new repertoire to a deadline I have, oh and shoot a video!
Amazing. And thank you for sharing all the photographs.
I must practice with my iPhone to try to get some good landscape shots during the tour. I put some extra photos on the Voice of the Future post from the Llangollen Eisteddfod the organisers have let me use. https://charlottehoatherblog.com/2018/07/09/llangollen-international-eisteddfod-pendine-international-voice-of-the-future/ if you want a peak.
I remember you lived there when Andrea was born. I must practice with my iPhone with Landscape photos they always seem too dark when I take them.
Congratulations on being asked to perform in the opera in the fall you will be a great success. May the Lord bless you richly my Beloved.
Thank you Rev.Tim, just the BambinO tour now in September then hopefully auditions start again.
So happy for you Charlotte, and just keep up the good work. May the Lord bless you richly my Beloved.
I'm so happy for you! I wish you all the luck 😊 have fun and good luck with everything.
Thank you Silvia most kind of you.
Charlotte, Good luck for Mansfield park performance..
Wonderful to hear your professional career is off to such a busy start! Congratulations on being chosen to do BambinO in Scotland. It must be magical to sing for babies and see their engagement in the opera.
The babies make the show different in every location as they become part of each production, it's going to be a new challenge to fit in to a new cast quickly which is exciting too.
Great post. Scotland must be so beautiful. While in the Shetlands, keep an eye out for their ponies! We had a couple of those wonderful animals in Holland. Boy were they headstrong.
If I see any ponies I'll try to get a photograph of them Gerard.
Scotland is such a feast for the eyes. All the best.
Indeed, I've been planning the travel and guest houses up there with the help of the crew. Only two weeks to go now before I fly up to Aberdeen for a recee before my first performance in Inverness.
I have seen images of Aberdeen and watched shows centered there; gorgeous place.
That sounds like the best adventure! Wow!
It's a shame it's not John O'Groats because then I could have said 'I did Lands End to John O'Groats (it's the travel of the whole length of the UK mainland between the two most extreme points SW to NE 874 miles so maybe not far in Canadian terms) in one year of performances' hehe. But then Lerwick is further North still than Land's End!
The Scottish Tour looks good! I hope it all goes well, Charlotte.


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Courageous Conversations: Facilitating Discussions on Difficult Topics
By John David Bennett
On a Monday evening in early October 2017, I checked my email while on the short walk to my on-campus home. In the 11 years I'd worked at Mercersburg Academy—a boarding school in the Mid-Atlantic—we'd only had two unscheduled days off: one due to a colossal blizzard, the other because Superstorm Sandy had shredded trees on campus and torn part of the roof off a building. So I was surprised on that pleasant, partly cloudy day when an e-mail from Katie Titus, our head of school, announced that we wouldn't have classes on Wednesday.
Exactly 40 days prior, at the opening-of-school meeting, Katie had begun a campaign of optimism, urging the faculty and staff (and ultimately our students) to accept the challenge and responsibility of having "courageous conversations." Her gentle provocation came after 10 months that included a divisive presidential election, the shooting of House GOP Whip Steve Scalise, the opening of the Mueller investigation, and the Unite the Right Rally. With so much turmoil in the news, it was easy to lose faith and believe that very few people in this country and beyond were willing to untrench themselves and shake a hostile hand. Despite the reported discord, Katie talked about the "great faith" embedded in the values of the school, which she asked us to manifest through open, face-to-face discourse, especially when politics and circumstances could put us at odds with friends or perceived adversaries.
When Katie sent the email in October, the massacre in Las Vegas had happened the day before, and there were still fresh memories of torches and chants in Charlottesville; tensions with North Korea were on the rise; an earthquake had recently rocked Mexico City; wildfires were tearing through the West; and Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, and Maria had spent September devastating whole islands and American coastlines. In contrast, Mercersburg is safely tucked into quiet, idyllic Appalachian foothills, but our students come from 26 states and 40 countries. For our kids, including our South Korean students, our Mexican students, our students from Puerto Rico, from Florida and from Houston, from California and the Northern Rockies—their peace and their concentration were being rattled, and many of them were dealing with it quietly and alone. Our response, Katie decided, would be a day—Wednesday, October 4—when we'd disrupt our routine and give our students and faculty a chance to courageously process what we were absorbing through our screens and earbuds. Our method would be conversation.
By Tuesday morning, we'd assembled a list of 15 topics: climate change, the education system, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, gender issues, health care, immigration, LGBTQ issues, natural disaster relief efforts, North Korea, the opioid crisis, the political divide, race relations, the refuge crises, and the right to bear arms. By Wednesday, each of our 442 students had picked his or her top choice. Our librarians put together and posted LibGuides, which students could access through the Academy's website. Our Student Life Office then compiled groups; found spaces for them to meet; and assigned teachers, college counselors, admissions officers, advancement personnel, and administrators to facilitate the conversations.
We, the faculty, also ranked our preferred topics. As dean of curricular innovation, I assumed that I could serve the day best by guiding the discussion about the education system, considering that I've taught in public and independent schools in the inner city, in suburbs, and in the rural countryside. But I didn't get my top choice. I was assigned to the conversation about the political divide, placed there on purpose so that I, the adult, wouldn't dominate the conversation. I wasn't the only member of the faculty surprised by an assignment. Almost everyone was, which was unsettling for many, especially among the teachers. As experts in our subjects, not having the answers can unnerve us and make us feel vulnerable, especially when the students know more than we do. As the logistics of the day were coming together, Katie kept repeating, even in the final prep meeting at eight o'clock on Wednesday morning, that "your job isn't to be the expert but to simply facilitate and manage the discussion"—and only when necessary.
Two colleagues—an environmental science teacher and a dance instructor—and I met with our group of 11. We began with a simple question: "Why did you choose this topic?" The young man who answered first had, the previous February, lingered after my English class, waiting to talk with me. He said that often, especially in humanities classes, he'd become hesitant to express his conservative views, especially after the presidential election. Seven months later, in our open forum, he spoke up: "I support the Republican Party," he said, "which doesn't necessarily mean that I support Donald Trump, but people have been vicious to me since the election." To his surprise, there were affirming nods from most of the kids. One of them followed up his concern, saying that "conservative students are misunderstood." Another added that "friends aren't accepting me as a conservative," and another admitted that his conservative views often led to heated debates, so he "need[ed] to work on ways to reduce conflict."
The Democrats in the room, who were outnumbered six to four (with one student undecided) responded with as much surprise and honest curiosity as the Republicans had. One of the two youngest students, a ninth-grader, humbly disclosed that because she had grown up in a Democratic family, she had chosen "political divide" because she "want[ed] to understand Republican values." Her thought was an empathic echo of a conservative student who innocently mentioned that "it would be good to speak to people with more liberal ideals."
As the barriers in the conversation broke down, so did the dichotomous distinctions between Democrats and Republicans, between liberals and conservatives. This began when one of the teachers, who had recently moved to the United States from South Africa, told the room that he still wasn't sure what each party stood for, and he asked the students for clarity. As we listed the parties' positions on the whiteboard, the students revealed more qualified, less polarizing points of view about gun laws, about issues that concern the LGBTQ community, and even in the abortion debate. What I was witnessing was the flow of ideas and the triumph of imagination that's possible when everyone can genuinely check off the bottom two tiers of Maslow's need hierarchy, therefore beginning the march, with momentum, toward a collective self-actualization.
I wasn't in other rooms to hear discussions about other topics, but in Irvine, room 103, the desired effect of the day came to fruition after one question and only a few ticks of the clock. The contributing factors were clear: School leadership was paying attention to how students were handling the battery of bad news and the constant messages that encouraged a sense of "us" and "them." Perhaps most fundamentally, students were given a choice, which is the first step in empowerment. And, finally, the kids in our room were immersed in a safe setting with teachers who were creating the conditions for conversation but not driving it. Consequently, the students felt that their questions were important and their wisdom had value.
The day wasn't perfect. There were a handful of stalled conversations, and there are logistical adjustments that we can make for next time. Blowing up a class schedule for a day of conversations with uncertain outcomes can seem like an odd allocation of precious contact time, but, as Katie wrote in a letter posted on our website that October morning, "It is our obligation to seize the opportunities to challenge our students to seek to understand the complexities of our world and to empower them to think about solutions."
Each topic group had three hours—with a lunch break in the middle—to plumb the resources from the LibGuides, talk with one another, probe counter opinions, and undergird their own. They then met with another topic group to tell them what they'd accomplished and to lay out the questions that still needed answers.
The day ended with the entire school in the Irvine Memorial Chapel and another simple question: "What did you get out of today?" After a few intrepid students stood up in their pews and took the microphone, hand after hand began to pop up. A couple dozen empowered teenagers, in another potentially overwhelming setting, felt secure enough in their courageous effort, among disparate points of view, to say what was on their individual and collective minds.
John David Bennett
John David Bennett ([email protected]) is dean of curricular innovation at Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.
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EQ vs. IQ


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Rodriguez, Rapinoe impress in big USWNT win
Megan Rapinoe was dangerous on Saturday, which is good news for the U.S. women's national team. (Photo Copyright Erica McCaulley for The Equalizer)
Call it confidence. Call it the pieces coming together. Go ahead and blame New Zealand's jet lag.
No one factor stood far and above another for the United States women's national team in a 4-0 win over New Zealand on Saturday. It was the most complete performance of the year from the United States women, who dominated from the opening whistle.
[WATCH: Klingenberg scores screaming goal to open scoring for USWNT]
Talking points:
Amy Rodriguez continues to press for minutes
Rodriguez's lack of minutes in 2014 will long remain perplexing, but the forward has earned considerably more time this calendar year and she looks sharper by the minute. On Saturday she hit the woodwork twice, including a sweet one-time volley that she caught perfectly. It would have been a highlight-reel goal. Even beyond the flashy stuff, though, Rodriguez made smart decisions on the field, holding the ball up when needed for support to join her and combining well with teammates. She may just play her way into a starting role.
Megan Rapinoe is back in force
Rodriguez's combination play can't be mentioned without talking about Rapinoe, who shone on the left flank, providing the 38th-minute service to Rodriguez on the volley, assisting Lori Chalupny's goal in the 75th minute. Rapinoe's crosses were on point and her movement was great. She will rue her missed opportunity late in the match to finish from six yards out, but it was an encouraging performance from a player the U.S. will. need to come up big this summer. It's no surprise that the U.S. was far more effective on the flanks on Saturday with Rapinoe in a proper wide role.
Finishing still needs some work
U.S. coach Jill Ellis said that attacking play is the final piece that needs to fall into place in this homestretch of preparation for the World Cup, and some of that was evident on Saturday. That the match was still 1-0 in the 70th minute left for (soon to be erased) doubts about the U.S. seeing off the game and burying teams. The first three goals ironically came from defenders and a midfielder — Morgan Brian — added the fourth. Rodriguez's efforts off the bar aside, Alex Morgan, Christen Press and second-half substitute Sydney Leroux had opportunities from close range that they'll need to finish in Canada.
Julie Johnston is still on fire
Johnston thrived in a starting role at the Algarve Cup due to injuries to Whitney Engen and Christie Rampone, who now has an MCL injury. Johnston, who turns 23 on Monday, looked calm and composed again on the backline alongside Becky Sauerbrunn. Ellis said on Friday that Johnston has done enough to be a starter. Saturday should have only cemented that, especially if Rampone's health is in question. It isn't a stretch to say that Saturday's lineup against New Zealand could be the team that lines up against Australia on June 8 in Winnipeg.
#USWNT XI: Solo; Krieger, Johnston, Sauerbrunn, Klingenberg; Press, Holiday, Lloyd, Rapinoe; Rodriguez, Morgan pic.twitter.com/yBZCjhzJyf
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@ussoccer_wnt) April 4, 2015
New Zealand underwhelms in loss
The Football Ferns needed 53 hours to get to St. Louis, Mo., after a 23-hour delay in Sydney, Australia, according to Fox Sports. That will give jet lag to anyone. But whether it was heavy legs or insufficient planning, New Zealand's performance was very disappointing for a team that has long been trying to establish itself at the next level. Alex Morgan said Friday that the U.S. treats New Zealand like a tough, top-10 opponent. The Football Ferns might be better than their No. 17 world ranking, but they didn't show it on Saturday.
Related TopicsAmy RodriguezFeaturedJulie JohnstonMegan RapinoeNew Zealand
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The fashionable-day Tunnel Boring Machine can energy via pretty much anything, including rock. The primary TBM was inbuilt 1845, commissioned to dig the Frejus Rail Tunnel in Europe. What kind of construction gear is shown here? Previous to the nineteenth century, horse-powered rollers had been used as compactors. Within the mid-nineteenth century, self-propelled steam rollers were invented and largely replaced the previous horse and roller method.
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It was a weekend of warm conditions and abundant atmosphere as the Canberra 48 Hour race took hold from Friday through to Sunday in the ACT. With participants choosing to enter either the 48hr, 24hr, 12hr or 6 hr events to gain their ultra distances, it was amazing to see 34 AURA members take to the track (and about 85 in total runners at the very least on Saturday!).
The Canberra 48hr was not only a great race to be participating in, but it was also AURA's 48-hour National Championships, with AURA placings following the overall results of each division.
There was no escape from the sun as temperatures on Saturday reached 32 degrees, and at times it may have felt like running into a furnace, but that didn't stop Kevin Muller from Upper Kedron, Qld from taking 1st place overall in the 48hr event with a total distance of 340.002kms and Wagga Wagga's Luke Mulley 2nd place male with 310.456kms.
Third place male and overall 3rd was taken by David Billett from Coromandel Valley, SA with 284.475kms.
One of the great things to see out there on the Canberra track was that every single woman entered in the 48hr was an AURA member, and they dominated the tracks with astonishing kilometres.
First female and 2nd overall went to Kerrie Williamson (322.011kms) from Cashmere, Qld while 2nd female and 4th overall winner, Victorian Cheryl Symonds took control of her own race with 304.246kms. They certainly put in the hard yards as Annandale's Ann Hepworth claimed 3rd female with 276.824kms.
For all those who ran in trying conditions in the 48hr event, a massive congratulations – Heather Christison (271.206kms), John Pearson (242.800kms), Nikki Wynd (234.408kms), Scott Black (234.408kms), Chris Lewinksi (277.943kms), Karen Chang (227.309kms), Kristy Ryan (221.079kms), Cassie Smith (203.275kms), Tony Wilms (153.200kms), Greg Brown (127.600kms), Sabina Hamaty (113.200kms), and John Timms (102.400kms).
Next, in the 24hr event that started on Saturday, veteran runner Luca Turrini from Little Bay, NSW claimed 1st place with 221.184kms and was closely followed by Heathcote, NSW's Stephen Redfern who successfully completed 211.691kms.
In his debut 24hr event, Dan Symonds from Taringa, Qld went home victorious with third place thanks to his 207.799kms effort. We are awaiting confirmation that he may have set the 200kms and 24hr records in the M25 category.
For the women, Samantha Post was first female AURA member with 100.358kms and Gemma Worland second for AURA placings, with 84.599kms.
Recognition and congratulations goes out to all our AURA members who ran in the 24hr event – Mick Thwaites (196.236kms), Simon Peddle (185.128kms), Stephen Kiley (134.066kms) and Matthew Eckford (80.452kms).
The 12hr and 6hr events were just as trying and it was AURA's Malcolm Gamble from Mordialloc, Vic who claimed 1st overall (132.253kms) while John Nuttall successfully did 60.800kms in his allotted time.
First female and 2nd overall was taken by Tia Jones who resides in the UAE. She completed 131.066kms, and we are yet to have confirmation that she set the W50 record.
It didn't stop there, with the 6hr being won by Ewan Horsburgh from St Ives Chase, NSW (64.823kms), followed by AURA's very own Treasurer Alexis Oosterhoff taking 2nd male with 52.949kms who travelled from WA to participate. Brad Malone proudly took 3rd AURA male (47.664kms).
Kelly-Ann Varey took 2nd female and 3rd overall in the 6hr with 54.990kms.
Congratulations to everyone who took part in what was an amazing weekend of ultra running. For a full list of the overall results visit cbr.48hr.ktkc.com.au.
Pictured: Startline of the 24hr event. Image – KTKC website.


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When I wrote up The Inheritance of Rome, I talked about how I might have wanted a somewhat more popular history. When I read the introduction to Eric H. Cline's 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed I was afraid that I might get my wish thrown back in my face, with some really obnoxious "perhaps there are lessons for the modern world" stuff, which always comes off as condescending to me. But fortunately, this too-popular tone didn't last past the introduction, and the rest of the book stays at an appropriate level, neither too academic nor too popular.
Cline's book is talking about the late Bronze Age through the lens of, as the title alludes to, its collapse. He frames the book as a mystery, opening with a scene (as seen through contemporary accounts) from 1177 BCE, with invaders attacking Egypt; from there, he backs off a few centuries to set the context of the late Bronze Age at its height. He talks about the Hittites, the Minoans, the Mycenaeans, Egyptians, Assyrians, and other civilizations of the era, what we know about them and their interactions with each other, and then traces forward to the era of their collapse, trying to identify the causes that could have led to the near-simultaneous downfall of such sophisticated and powerful nation-states.
But if the cause of the collapse is introduced as a mystery, what's particularly fascinating is the degree to which it remains one after you've finished Cline's book. Because it turns out that we honestly don't know a lot about this era. My biggest takeaway from the book was how, almost paradoxically, our knowledge of this ancient time is nearly entirely recent. The big archaeological expeditions that first found a lot of these cities only started about a 100-150 years ago, and tons of archaeological knowledge comes from the second half of the 20th century, and even into this century—in particular, more scientific techniques like archaeoseismology or pollen analysis from carbon-dated lake cores have given us new information about the climate and the physical world of the period just in the last decade. A very real virtue of this book is that it was published in 2014, so fully up to date on all the latest findings and analyses.
There's something very exciting about the idea that these millennia-old civilizations remain mysterious in many ways, and that we're finding new information regularly; I hope I can read a new book on the subject in another few decades that will give more definitive answers, but in the meantime, if you want to know more about this time period, 1177 BC gets a solid recommendation from me.


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One of the most irksome problems in the gaming industry at the moment is the concept of on-disc DLC, oftentimes referred to as disc-locked content. The idea of paying extra for content already on the disc or stripped from the main game drives a lot of gamers up the wall. Well, according to EA's Peter Moore that's not really the case at all.
Well a lot of that resistance comes from the erroneous belief that somehow companies will ship a game incomplete, and then try to sell you stuff they have already made and held back. Nonsense. You come and stand where I am, next to Visceral's studio, and you see the work that is being done right now. And it's not just DLC, this is free updates and ongoing balance changes.
[…] What people are confused about is they think DLC is secretly on the disc, and that it's somehow unlocked when we say.
Moore mentions that some DLC framework is laid down for games in order to hook into future DLC packs, these frameworks – according to Moore – are not hidden DLC stripped from the game only to sell back to customers later. This is sometimes true.
Except... in some irrefutably egregious cases, the DLC actually is hidden on disc and stripped from the main game in order to sell back to gamers later.
I think we gave them so much content that they cannot say that we owe them, that we didn't give them a lot for their sixty bucks.
On March 7th, 2012 hackers unlocked and posted up videos of disc-locked content hidden in Capcom's Street Fighter X Tekken. This consisted of costumes, colors and 12 fully playable characters. Capcom even attempted to get gamers to rat out the hackers in order to get them off of Xbox Live and YouTube since they were making a mockery of the company by proving that the DLC was hidden on the disc; stripped from the main game and made to sell back to customers later.
On March 11th, 2012 it was also discovered that BioWare and EA had fitted Javik, a rare Promethean character in Mass Effect 3 from the DLC From Ashes, onto the disc. Some of his sound and mission files required downloading, but you could fully access and play the character using some simple text editors. This is after gamers were told that the DLC could not be included in the base game because it wasn't finished.
On May 7th, 2012 Deep Silver's Risen 2 was also discovered to have contained disc-locked content for a mission that was also stored on the game's disc. Gamers scouring through the files were able to unlock the contents without paying for the DLC.
Moore may state that it's "erroneous" "nonsense" to assume that DLC is being stripped out of the game and withheld only to be sold back to gamers, but sites like Disc Locked Content keeps track of games that literally have on-disc DLC stored away, ripe and ready to be sold back to gamers.
This doesn't mean every game with DLC or season passes has disc-locked content, but attempting to shuffle away the concerns and grievances of consumers as conspiracy theory or "nonsense" is the best way to make them more angry.