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Diplomats Like Hillary Clinton Too "Think-Tanky"
James Rosen, chief Washington correspondent for Fox News, writes this about Hillary Clinton in the January 2014 edition of The Washingtonian magazine:
More than 150 years have passed since a Secretary of State ascended to the presidency. There's just something elitist—a little too think-tanky—about diplomats for ordinary folks' tastes. When Obama handed Clinton the office after he kayoed her in the 2008 Democratic primary, though, he allowed her a dignified hand up from the canvas. It was understood that by enhancing her global stature and keeping her on the front pages, Obama was also positioning her as frontrunner to succeed him. But five years later, the office looks less than ever like a steppingstone to the presidency.
Even without having been the US's top diplomat as Secretary of State, Clinton has had close connections to a variety of think tanks. She recently spoke at the Center for American Progress's (CAP) 10th anniversary event, and she recently won the Chatham House Prize 2013. For the CAP event, the think tank reportedly promised corporate donors a chance to meet Hillary Clinton in return for a $250,000 donation.
Earlier this year, Hillary Clinton gave her final speech as a diplomat at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). And in November, Hillary Clinton spoke about early childhood development in China and the US at the Brookings Institution.
Posted by Think Tank Watch at 2:43 PM
NY Police Commissioner to Join CFR
Here is what Reuters is reporting:
New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly will join a prestigious foreign policy think-tank based in New York when he steps down later this month as the longest serving commissioner in NYPD history.
Kelly will become a visiting fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, the group said in a statement Monday.
Kelly's work at CFR will complement a contract he signed earlier this month to give highly-paid speeches with Greater Talent Network, whose roster of former law enforcement officials includes Louis Freeh, former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mr. Kelly is already somewhat familiar with the think tank. For example, he spoke there in 2009 at this event on the Post 9/11 NYPD.
Here is what The Village Voice has to say:
The think tank has always been very, very kind to Kelly; in a 2009 forum on the post 9/11 NYPD, board member James D. Zirin called him a "visionary", credited him with reducing violent crime, and declared, "No police commissioner in our history has been as qualified as Ray Kelly at the time he took office." The same year, an "expert brief" put out by the CFR called the NYPD a "counterterrorism model," adding, "The counterterrorism program the NYPD developed gave new meaning to the phrase, 'think globally, act locally.' It has become the most global of local police forces."
Here is the press release from CFR about Kelly joining the think tank. It says that at the think tank Kelly will focus on counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and other national security issues.
CFR was recently ranked as the 6th best think tank in the world and 3rd best think tank in the US by the annual University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings. CFR was also ranked as the 7th best think tank in the world for international economic policy.
Posted by Think Tank Watch at 10:37 AM
Think Tankers on Think Tanks
Last month, Think Tank Watch reported about a Wilson Center event on Wilson Center scholar Andrew Selee's new book entitled "What Should Think Tanks Do?"
Here are some of Think Tank Watch's favorite quotes from that event:
Andrew Selee: Vice President for Programs and Senior Advisor to the Mexico Institute, Wilson Center:
"Brookings could easily coast on its reputation, but doesn't."
"The more strategic think tanks are the more impact they have."
"Resources are probably the main thing that think tanks spend the most time worrying about."
Anne-Marie Slaughter: President and CEO, New America Foundation (NAF):
"Only in Washington is 'What Should Think Tanks Do?' considered an airplane book."
"Think tanks play a critical translation role between academia and government."
"Think tanks really know how to get ideas implanted into the policy process."
"New America Foundation (NAF) is like a tech-lab, we have 40 coders upstairs...it looks like Silicon Valley."
"NAF is not diverse enough (in terms of race)...it is an issue we'll be focusing on."
James McGann: Director, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, University of Pennsylvania:
"Think tanks as a human resource function for government is becoming a global phenomenon."
"The 9/11 Commission was populated by think tankers."
"Most countries do not rely on think tanks as much as the US does."
"Think tanks have to be market-oriented."
"Thinks tanks generally have a greater gender diversity than racial diversity."
"Think tanks are a risky business. They can only survive one or two bad leaders and then they tank."
Steven Bennett: Vice President and COO, Brookings Institution:
"Brookings must remain on the cutting edge, even if it 100 years old."
"Brookings has tried to be as nimble and dynamic as a small think tank."
"Think tanks feed government important analysis."
"Brookings has branched out beyond the federal government and Washington, we've stepped into the state and local realm."
"Think tanks have to be in the business of re-invention."
"To be a nimble think tanks it helps to have unrestricted capital."
"On diversity Brookings needs to do a better job...we are lousy on racial diversity."
"Brookings is now investing a lot in communications."
"Funding is very time-consuming."
"If you ask a Republican what our political affiliation is they will say Brookings is liberal; if you ask a Democrat, they will say that we are middle-of-the-road."
Lawrence McDonald: Vice President for Communications and Policy Outreach, Center for Global Development (CGD):
"CGD has been successful because our leader is a women."
"At CGD [our staffers] skew female and skew young."
"There is a big problem with partisanship at many think tanks."
"At CGD we have two vice presidents who support different political parties."
"CGD has too many people from the World Bank, including me."
You can watch the full Wilson Center event here.
Think Tank Quickies (#100)
Which think tanks are shaping Chinese policymaking?
Erdogan's "propagandist" think tanks.
How do policy actors assess Southern think tanks?
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to speak about Ukraine at Atlantic Council on Dec. 19.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): Some senators vying for presidency in the future "afraid of Heritage Foundation force."
MSNBC's Chris Hayes clashes with conservative think tanker from Employment Policies Institute.
Director General of UAE think tank ECSSR promotes new book in full-page Washington Post ad.
Hudson Institute event: The US and Saudi Arabia alliance on the rocks?
Think tank director at Institute of Public Affairs appointed to Australian Human Rights Commission.
Charles Kenny of CGD: The case for sending America's unemployed abroad.
CNAS Featured in "Getting Rich in Washington" Series
The Washington Post has an ongoing series called "Insiders' Game: Getting Rich in the New Washington," and the latest article by Greg Jaffe features Novitas CEO [and former Mission Essential Personnel, LLC (MEP) CEO] Chris Taylor and how he won a $3.5 million contract with US Special Operations Command.
One think tank is mentioned in the article: The Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Here is the excerpt:
Taylor also spent $100,000 to sponsor a fifth- anniversary party in January 2012 for the Center for a New American Security, a defense think tank. Senators, ambassadors and a former defense secretary came to the W Hotel overlooking the White House and listened as the Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Martin Dempsey, sang "Happy Birthday" to CNAS in his warbling Irish tenor.
The best moment for Taylor, though, came at the beginning of the night, when the crowd was still waiting for the ballroom to open. Ashton Carter, the Pentagon's second-highest-ranking civilian, descended the stairs with his handlers. Carter, who had been Taylor's adviser at Harvard, wrapped an arm around his shoulder. In a room full of 400 of Washington's most-influential national security officials, Carter gripped the back of Taylor's head, pulling him close. "Great to see you," he said. A photographer captured the embrace.
Here is a press release from MEP announcing that it was sponsoring a CNAS event in 2011. Here is a transcript from that conference with former CNAS CEO Nate Fick giving a shout-out to Chris Taylor.
In the recently released University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings, CNAS was ranked as the 14th best think tank in the US. It was also ranked as the 24th best security and international affairs think tank in the world. It was ranked 25th in the world in terms of think tanks having the most significant impact on public policy.
Posted by Think Tank Watch at 9:56 AM
Most Powerful Think Tankers in Defense
More than a dozen think tankers have made the 2013 Defense News list of the 100 Most Influential People in US Defense.
Here are the think tankers who made the list, along with their rank:
14. Andrew Marshall: Director, DoD Office of Net Assessment (DoD's internal think tank)
34. Robert Work: CEO, Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
51. Michele Flournoy/Kurt Campbell: Co-founders of CNAS
57. John Hamre: President & CEO, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
63. Thomas Donilon: Distinguished Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
69. Andrew Krepinevich: President, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA)
73. Gordon Adams: Distinguished Fellow, Stimson Center
74. Todd Harrison: Senior Fellow, CSBA
75. Richard Danzig: Chairman, CNAS
77. Rudy deLeon: Senior VP, National VP, National Security & International Policy, Center for American Progress (CAP).
79. David Berteau: Director, CSIS's National Security Program on Industry and Resources
85. Barry Blechman: Co-founder, Stimson Center
86. Christopher Preble: Vice President, Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute
88. Loren Thompson: COO, Lexington Institute
90. Fred Kempe: President & CEO, Atlantic Council
95. Peter Singer/Michael O'Hanlon: Senior Fellows, Brookings Institution
96. Larry Korb: Senior Fellow, CAP
97. Mackenzie Eaglen: Senior Fellow, Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
Here is an explanation about the list from Defense News.
Fred Kempe, President & CEO of Atlantic Council (#90 on the list), noted that 25 board members of his think tank made the list.
CAP Offered Access to Clinton for $250,000
Here is what The Hill newspaper is reporting today:
The liberal Center for American Progress (CAP) this year promised corporate donors a chance to meet Hillary Rodham Clinton in return for a $250,000 donation, documents obtained by The Hill show.
The meeting never happened, though Clinton spoke at the anniversary gala at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium that was cited on the solicitation.
"None of the patrons were able to meet with Secretary Clinton but our board and trustees did meet with her at the event," said Andrea Purse, a CAP spokeswoman.
The documents ask prospective donors to contribute to CAP's "Progressive Party," which was held Oct. 24 to honor the group's 10th anniversary. Donors who gave at least $250,000 — earning "patron" status — were told they would have a chance to meet Clinton.
"Patrons will also have the opportunity to meet the special guest speaker," the document says, referring to the former secretary of State.
Purse said Clinton's appearance added to the excitement for the 10th anniversary party and boosted attendance.
"It was our largest party ever," Purse said.
The think tank's offer of access to Clinton, the leading Democratic contender for the White House in 2016, highlights how CAP has blurred the line between think tank and party appendage since opening in Washington in 2003.
Critics say CAP's business backing should call into question the think tank's research, and have questioned whether some initiatives were pursued at the behest of donors. CAP rejects the pay-for-play accusations.
Here is a Muckety map of CAP funders and John Podesta clients from his former lobbying firm, the Podesta Group. Here is more about John Podesta's lobbying firm and CAP via The Washington Free Beacon.
Here is another Free Beacon article titled "Center for America-Iran Progress."
Here is another article from this week titled "Center for American Progress Uses Drag Queens to Promote ObamaCare."
Here is more from Think Tank Watch on CAP's 10th anniversary celebration.
On Friday (Dec. 13), the Center for American Progress released a list of its 2013 business donors.
Center for American Progress (CAP), which has close ties to the Obama Administration, was recently ranked as the 30th best think tank in the world by the annual University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings. It was ranked as the 11th best think tank in the US. It was also ranked as the 2nd best think tank in the world in terms of best use of the Internet or social media.
Can the Lottery End a Think Tank's Rein?
Last year, Think Tank Watch wrote a short piece about how a think tank like the Brookings Institution can be dethroned from the top of the think tank rankings.
The University of Pennsylvania ranked Brookings as the #1 think tank in the most recent rankings, and likely will do so in the upcoming rankings which will be released January 22, 2014 in Washington, DC and New York.
With the US buzzing about the Mega Millions jackpot, currently estimated at $636 million, Think Tank Watch starting thinking about another scenario where a think tank like Brookings could lose its top slot.
If the think tank has an office pool for the lottery, and all the people at the think tank chip in and win, they could get a lump sum payment of $341 million. According to the most recently available IRS report, Brookings has 554 employees. If every single employee plays and divides that cash, they would each get approximately $615,000.
If a large number of employees decide to stop working there due to their winnings, one could conceivably see a catastrophic brain drain at that think tank, or any other think tank in a similar situation.
On the other hand, since Brookings is trying to raise $600 million for its Second Century Campaign, perhaps it can solicit donations from a new pool of newly flush individuals and do some intense hiring.
Think Tank Watch will have to do an investigation on policies at think tanks in terms of having on "office pool" for a lottery...
What think tank would you start if you won the lottery?
Posted by Think Tank Watch at 12:48 PM
Think Tank Quickies (#99)
On Mexican think tanks.
Brookings scholar Bruce Katz advises local leaders to think past Washington as government town.
Brookings fellow Justin Wolfers hired by New York Times for new FiveThirtyEight-esque vertical.
Brookings scholar Homi Kharas only think tanker to be named to FP.com's Leading Global Thinkers of 2013 list.
Heritage Foundation: "Farm bill giveaways for underwear, flatulence, and manure."
Urban Institute interactive map: How Washington, DC has changed over the years.
Center for American Progress plays down role of donors.
Lawfare blog at Brookings releases "Inside NSA" podcast.
Lowy Institute recommends books of the year. [Also parts 2, 3, and 4.]
Interactive tool from Brookings tracking partisanship in the US House.
CAP Reveals Business Donors
The liberal think tank Center for American Progress has unveiled a list of its corporate donors for 2013. Huffington Post was the first to publish the most recent list. [A list from CAP can also be found here.]
Earlier in the year Ken Silverstein published details in The Nation about CAP's corporate donors.
Here is more from Huffington Post:
In May, The Nation magazine published details about CAP's corporate backing. CAP officials argued to The Nation then that a list of corporate donors included inaccuracies, an argument those officials also made to HuffPost, which obtained a similar internal list of corporate backers. CAP would not explain how the list was inaccurate or what an accurate list looked like. In March, HuffPost disclosed the extent of CAP's foundation funding, but did not obtain a full list of philanthropic donors.
Pressure on the group to release its corporate donor list became too great, leading to Friday's disclosure -- just days after it was reported that CAP founder John Podesta was moving to the White House. A CAP spokesperson said that the group's board voted in October to begin disclosing corporate donors this year and to start naming individual and foundation donors next year.
The list provided by the CAP official does not include several companies that appeared on an earlier list. Such firms appear to have been targets for potential donations that were not reeled in. The companies gave a minimum of $10,000 each for a total of roughly 6 percent of CAP's $40 million budget.
Here is how The Washington Post reacts to CAP's donors list.
Here is what The New York Times has to say.
Here is what The Daily Caller has to say.
Here are comments from The Washington Free Beacon.
Here are comments from Politico.
Comments from Breitbart.
Comments from Daily Kos.
Firedoglake asks if CAP is the new Third Way.
AEI Wooing Dalai Lama for Happiness Campaign
Roll Call recently had a very interesting piece about American Enterprise Institute (AEI) President Arthur Brooks. One of the more intriguing tidbits from the article is the fact that the think tank head traveled to India this year to try to convince the Dalai Lama to participate in the think tank's upcoming happiness campaign. Here is an excerpt:
In August, Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint was traveling through GOP-friendly districts, urging Congress to defund Obamacare. In April, DeMint's counterpart at a rival conservative think tank was visiting the Dalai Lama.
"I went to set up the collaboration in his monastery in Dharamsala, India," Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, said in a recent interview with CQ Roll Call. "I meditated for half a day in his monastery and met with him in the afternoon."
In his downtown Washington, D.C., office, wearing a black blazer with a checkered pocket square, slim-fit jeans and argyle socks, Brooks paused and smiled, as if relishing the audacity of it all: a conservative figurehead traversing a continent to convince the Buddhist spiritual leader to participate in an upcoming AEI campaign about "human flourishing and happiness."
Over the weekend, The New York Times carried an op-ed by Brooks titled "A Formula for Happiness." Here is a video of Brooks speaking about happiness.
In a recent Wall Street Journal piece, Brooks said that happiness and giving are strongly correlated. Here is a 2012 piece from Brooks titled "Does a Country's Economic Prosperity Lead to Happiness?" Here is a 2011 piece by Brooks titled "The Debt Ceiling and the Pursuit of Happiness." Here is a 2010 piece from Brooks titled "The Secret to Human Happiness is Earned Success."
Here is Brooks speaking about "The Secret of Happiness" at The Murphy Institute at Tulane University.
Here is reaction to Brooks' weekend op-ed from David Callahan at Demos.
Sen. Mike Lee recently spoke at AEI at an event titled "Tax reform, the family, and the pursuit of happiness."
AEI's W.H. Brady Scholar Charles Murray wrote a book in 1988 titled "In Pursuit: Of Happiness and Good Government," which was released this year in a new edition by the Liberty Fund.
Arthur Brooks is the author of the book "Gross National Happiness: Why Happiness Matters for America - and How We Can Get More of It."
War: Speaker Boehner vs. Heritage
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is at war with the Heritage Foundation's lobbying arm, Heritage Action for America.
This week, Rep. Boehner lashed out at conservative groups such as Heritage Action for opposing the current budget plan "without evening knowing its details."
Added Boehner: "They're using our members, and they're using the American people for their own goals. This is ridiculous."
Dan Holler, a spokesman for Heritage Action, rejected Speaker Boehner's charge that outside groups such as his have lost credibility by opposing the latest budget deal, reported the Washington Post. [Interestingly, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has been shielded from the conservative anger.]
This morning, Heritage Action CEO Mike Needham went on MSNBC's The Daily Run Down and said that Speaker Boehner is picking a fight with outside conservative groups (such as Heritage Action) to clear the way for immigration reform. Mr. Needham added that Speaker Boehner is "being absurd."
Mr. Needham went on to compare Heritage Action to companies like iTunes and Napster, which upended the music industry. "I think we're the iTunes of politics."
In related news, Paul Miller, the Executive Director of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), was fired for reportedly sharing confidential details about Republican policy/tactics (such as budget plans) to groups such as Heritage Action.
Has Heritage Action sparked a civil war within the Republican Party?
NAF & SAIS Collaborate on South Asia Website
Here is what a press release says:
The New America Foundation (NAF) and the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) have partnered to create the South Asia Channel, a website that aims to be home to the best analysis about Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. This initiative is the result of close collaboration between the National Security Program at NAF and the South Asia Program at SAIS.
The new South Asia Channel is housed on foreignpolicy.com – widely regarded as the most innovative and thoughtful web site devoted to foreign affairs in the English-speaking world.
New America Foundation (NAF) was recently ranked as the 32nd best think tank in the United States by the University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings. It was also ranked as the 8th best think tank in the world in terms of think tanks with the most innovative policy ideas/proposals.
Cato's Plan to Cut Debt $3T Over 10 Years
The libertarian Cato Institute recently had an ad in the Roll Call newspaper titled "On Spending: No Sacred Cows," which summarizes a plan that balances the budget and reduces the US's debt burden by cutting more than $3 trillion over 10 years.
Here are the 10 categories where Cato wants the savings to come from:
CORPORATE WELFARE | Farm aid distorts agriculture, harms the environment, and nearly all goes to well-off businesses. Energy subsidies have been disastrous — from a $500 million loss on Solyndra to $700 million wasted on a clean coal project in Mississippi. Phasing out farm and energy subsidies would save $160 billion.
PRIVATIZATION | President Obama has suggested privatizing the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA and other businesses may "no longer require federal participation," his budget noted, which would "help put the nation on a sustainable fiscal path." Other candidates for privatization include Amtrak, the Corps of Engineers, federal dams, airport screening, and air traffic control — which would save at least $110 billion.
INTELLIGENCE BUDGET | The budgets of the CIA, NSA, and other intelligence agencies have become bloated with spending on vast and often invasive data collection efforts and armadas of drone aircraft. Cutting intelligence spending by one quarter would save $110 billion.
DRUG WAR | The war on drugs wastes a huge amount of resources in our police and justice systems. It also harms civil liberties, foments violence, and does little to curb drug use. Ending the federal drug war and returning drug policy to the states where it belongs would save $110 billion.
SOCIAL SECURITY | Social Security has huge unfunded obligations, and it causes ongoing damage by reducing personal savings and harming labor markets. Meanwhile, spending on federal disability programs has soared as the number of recipients has multiplied. America should move to a system of personal accounts for retirement and disability, but meanwhile we would save $640 billion by indexing initial benefits to prices, modestly raising the retirement age, and trimming the disability rolls by one quarter.
SUBSIDIES FOR THE STATES | Washington runs more than 1,100 aid-to-state programs. They are hugely bureaucratic and stifle state and local innovation. Phasing out federal subsidies for K-12 schools would save $180 billion and free states to improve the quality of their own education systems.
SUBSIDIES FOR INDIVIDUALS | The government's vast array of individual aid programs would be better handled by state and local governments and private charities. Programs such as food stamps should be turned over to the states. Phasing out federal food stamp subsidies over 10 years would save $400 billion.
MILITARY OVERREACH | The Constitution envisioned a military to "provide for the common defense" of the United States, not one that serves as the world's policeman. Congress should reduce overseas military commitments, avoid foreign wars, and create a leaner force structure. Making reforms to meet the budget caps for 2014 and beyond could save at least $200 billion.
MEDICARE | Medicare spending is the largest factor pushing the budget into crisis. Raising premiums and increasing cost-sharing would save $330 billion. Policymakers should also restructure the program by directing payments to enrollees, not insurers or providers. That would generate greater choice, spur innovation, and improve access to care.
MEDICAID | Medicaid's open-ended matching grants to the states have led to huge cost growth, but not better health care. Congress should give each state a fixed amount of funding and free them to experiment with better ways of providing care for the needy. Limiting annual growth in the block grant to five percent would save $760 billion.
Here is a PDF version of the plan. One can read more about the reforms at DownsizingGovernment.org, a project of the Cato Institute.
AEI Head Working to Transform Republican Party
Roll Call's Emma Dumain just wrote an fascinating piece on American Enterprise Institute (AEI) President Arthur Brooks and how he wants to lead a revolution to transform the Republican Party of the 21st Century.
Here are some of my favorite excerpts:
In April, [Heritage Foundation President Jim] DeMint's counterpart at a rival conservative think tank was visiting the Dalai Lama. "I went to set up the collaboration in his monastery in Dharamsala, India," Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, said in a recent interview with CQ Roll Call. "I meditated for half a day in his monastery and met with him in the afternoon." Brooks paused and smiled, as if relishing the audacity of it all: a conservative figurehead traversing a continent to convince the Buddhist spiritual leader to participate in an upcoming AEI campaign about "human flourishing and happiness."
In his former life, Brooks was an academic, writing books and teaching courses on the virtues of the free-enterprise system, for which he calls himself a "warrior"; before that, he was a professional French horn player with a renowned orchestra in Barcelona.
Since Jan. 1, 2009, Brooks has helmed the AEI, a prestigious powerhouse of conservative intellectualism, where he wants to lead a revolution to transform the Republican Party of the 21st century.
Brooks, who is actually registered as a political independent, said he he has a 10-year goal of making free enterprise a "settled issue" in America, "like civil rights are today."
Brooks and his AEI colleagues make frequent trips to Capitol Hill for meetings, presentations and congressional hearings. He said he has forged relationships with influential House GOP lawmakers who "get" his message. Brooks referred to many of them by their first names: Eric, as in Majority Leader Cantor, for example, or Paul, as in Budget Chairman Ryan. That familiarity might not extend itself in the reverse, however — at least not yet. In conversations with CQ Roll Call, many prominent House Republicans and their aides said the name "Arthur Brooks" was familiar but didn't evoke any strong feelings other than that he and the AEI continued to do good work.
As part of her effort to make the GOP more palatable to women in an election year, [Rep. Renee] Ellmers (R-NC), Chairwomen of the Republican Women's Policy Committee (RWPC) arranged for the AEI to be a partner of the RWPC beginning in early 2014. The think tank will meet regularly with the committee, offering targeted policy analyses, messaging strategies and polling data.
Brooks also could have an "in" with influential congressional Republicans whose relationship with the Heritage Foundation has soured, due in part to the aggressive tactics of its advocacy arm, Heritage Action for America.
Brooks conceded that Heritage is "creating conflict" on the Hill, but he stressed that he was a yearly donor and a great admirer of the think tank's work.
AEI was recently ranked as the 20th best think tank in the world by the annual University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings. It was also ranked as the 7th best think tank in the United States, and the 3rd best think tank in the world in terms of domestic economic policy. It was also ranked 3rd best think tank in the world for social policy, and 4th best think tank in the world for energy and resource policy.
CAP Founder Tapped for Key White House Post
John Podesta, the founder of the liberal Center for American Progress (CAP), has been tapped by President Barack Obama to be his Counselor. Podesta will be stepping down from his roles at CAP as he makes the transition back to the White House.
Podesta is currently the Chair of CAP and the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), the think tank's lobbying arm. Prior to founding the influential think tank in 2003, he served as White House Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton.
As Think Tank Watch recently reported, Podesta just started a new think tank housed within CAP called the Washington Center for Equitable Growth (CEG). He is currently the Chair of that think tank, which has a Steering Committee that includes former top Obama adviser Melody Barnes, and Alan Blinder, former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Here is CEG's new website.
Here is what CAP President Neera Tanden had to say about Podesta joining the White House.
10th Anniversary Saban Forum at Brookings features remarks by President Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Secretary of State John Kerry.
Scholar Norm Ornstein at conservative AEI pins Congressional dysfunction squarely on GOP.
NAF scholar Thomas Ricks: "A smaller military is better."
Flashback: Nelson Mandela at Brookings in 2005.
An updated view of the Kochs and the Cato Institute, via Muckety.
Muckety: "Think tanks are hardly quaking in their boots" about Elizabeth Warren.
Think tank network plotted "coordinated assault" on Medicaid, Education, and Workers' Rights?
Survey: Context and think tanks.
Hoover Institution linked to spy case.
Washington Post's Timothy Lee: "Hey New America Foundation, I know you're trying to be clever, but "In the Tank" is an unfortunate name for a think tank blog."
Heritage Action Against Ryan-Murray Budget Deal
Heritage Action for America, the lobbying arm of the think tank Heritage Foundation, has come out against the emerging budget deal between Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA).
Here is what the group said in a press release:
"Heritage Action cannot support a budget deal that would increase spending in the near-term for promises of woefully inadequate long-term reductions. While imperfect, the sequester has proven to be an effective tool in forcing Congress to reduce discretionary spending, and a gimmicky, spend-now-cut-later deal will take our nation in the wrong direction."
Heritage Action recently said that it wants senators to vote "no" on Janet Yellen to become the next Chairwoman of the US Federal Reserve.
In related Heritage Action news, it was recently disclosed that Google gave money to Heritage Action, although it did not reveal how much. Google also gave money to Heritage Action's adversary, the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), the lobbying arm of the think tank Center for American Progress (CAP).
Eyeing 2016, Rubio Speaks at London Think Tank
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who many think has aspirations to become US president one day, traveled to England last week to deliver a major policy address at the Chatham House, an influential think tank based in London.
A video recording and a transcript of the event can be viewed here. The Washington Post says that Rubio went to London and the think tank to "burnish his foreign policy credentials and establish gravitas on the world stage ahead of a possible 2016 presidential run."
As Think Tank Watch previously reported, Hillary Clinton recently won the Chatham House Prize 2013. She was in London to accept the prize in October.
Chatham House was recently ranked as the 2nd best think tank in the world, and was ranked as the top non-US think tank in the world by the annual University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings. The think tank is considered the 2nd best think tank in the world for security and international affairs, after the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Brookings Launches New Fiscal/Monetary Center
Last week the Brookings Institution announced the establishment of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, which will focus on the roles and interplay between fiscal and monetary policy. The new Center will be housed within the Economic Studies program at Brookings.
Wall Street Journal columnist David Wessel has been tapped to serve as the Center's founding director. Mr. Wessel will receive the title of Senior Fellow.
The creation of the Center was made possible by a donation from Brookings Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees Glenn Hutchins, whose $10 million grant from The Hutchins Family Foundation will underwrite the Center's operational activities during the first five years of the Center. The $10 million will also provide "ongoing endowment support," according to a press release.
Mr. Hutchins is serving as Chair of the Brookings' Second Century Campaign to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the think tank in 2016. As part of that campaign, Brookings' goal is to raise $600 million by then.
Here is what Bloomberg had to say about the new Center. Here is what The Wall Street Journal had to say. The WSJ notes that Wessel will leave the Journal is January to join Brookings, although he will continue to contribute to the newspaper regularly. Here is a collection of Tweets of what various reporters are saying about the annoucement.
The Brookings Institution was recently ranked as the best think tank in the world by the annual University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings.
USIP Holding "Peace Games" on Syria
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in holding an inaugural "PeaceGame" this week at the think tank's headquarters to try to "chart the best possible peace for Syria." The FP Group is co-hosting the event.
Here is more about the Game from a press release:
Participants in the inaugural PeaceGame will begin with a discussion of potential scenarios for peace in Syria and the steps and conditions necessary to achieve it. Throughout the day and a half-long Game, participants will assume roles representing different stakeholders in the Syrian war. They will explore four scenarios representing different phases of a peace process: Achieving a Near-Term Political Solution; Pacification; Transformation and Institutionalization; and Stabilization.
The event, scheduled for December 9 and 10, is being webcast live here. Here is a detailed agenda for the Game, which is open to credentialed press.
Here are the participants:
Henri Barkey
Esther Brimmer
Ambassador Maura Connelly
Paula Dobriansky
Andrew Exum
Nelson Ford
Ambassador Edward "Skip" Gnehm
Karen House
Lise Howard
Ambassador James Jeffrey
Murhaf Jouejati
Ambassador Ted Kattouf
Mark Katz
Kemal Kirisci
Steven Koltai
Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer
Kristin Lord
Colum Lynch
Firas Maksad
Robert Malley
Robert Mosbacher, Jr.
Ambassador George Moose
Mouaz Moustafa
Manal Omar
Carina Perelli
Kenneth Pollack
Ambassador Mitchell Reiss
David Rothkopf
Paul Saunders
Jeremy Shapiro
Randa Slim
Julianne Smith
Andrew Tabler
Ambassador William B. Taylor
James Traub
Casimir Yost
USIP says that this event launches a twice-yearly, global joint-planning exercise to bring together principals from public and private sectors to game out alternative futures for some of the world's most volatile and important regions.
Here is a Foreign Policy article on the simulation titled "What Does War Gaming for Peace Look Like."
In related news, USIP has conducted the first in a series of "PeaceTech Camps" in Iraq, an initiative that connects technologists who are skilled at low-cost, easy-to-use technologies with civil society organizations that work on a range of problems within Iraq.
USIP was recently ranked as the 18th best think tank in the US by the University of Pennsylvania annual think tank rankings.
Third Way Sparks War in Democratic Party
A single op-ed in The Wall Street Journal penned by Jon Cowan, President of the think tank Third Way, and Jim Kessler, Senior Vice President for Policy at the think tank, has sparked a war within the Democratic Party.
The op-ed, titled "Economic Populism Is a Dead End for Democrats," essentially said that that the Democratic Party should not embrace the economic populism of people such as New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
Sen. Warren shot back, sending a letter asking the six largest US banks to disclose their donations to think tanks, saying that not doing so threatens the credibility and research of those policy groups. Then a media explosion ensued.
A group of lawmakers started getting criticized by progressive groups (such as MoveOn.org, Social Security Works, Progressive United, and Progressive Change Campaign Committee) for their connections to Third Way. Reportedly, none have parted ways with Third Way, yet. Here is what Progressive Change Campaign Committee is saying.
As the New York Times pointed out, the liberal blog Daily Kos announced that it would endorse and raise money only for candidates who promised not to join Third Way.
Here is a collection of some articles/op-eds that have been written since then:
In the Huffington Post, Jason Linkins called Third Way a "supposed" think tank.
In the Huffington Post, Richard Eskow: "The Democrats' 'Third Way' Quarrel Could Change Your Future."
Salon's headline: "The Wall Street Journal's Pathetic Attack on Elizabeth Warren."
Demos: "Third Way's Astonishingly Weak Argument Against Progressive Populism."
CAP's ThinkProgress trashes the Third Way piece.
National Catholic Reporter weighs in on Third Way debate.
Matthew Yglesias in Slate: "Third Way published a banal and contentless op-ed," and says "Third Way is jam-packed with finance guys from the investment banking and private equity worlds.
The Nation: "GOP Donors and K Streeet Fuel Third Way's Advice for the Democratic Party."
Ezra Klein: "How think tanks became derp tanks."
Felix Salmon in Reuters: "The more think tanks become beholden to vested interests, the less useful they become," and "2-and-20 crowd (i.e., hedge funds) driving think tanks."
Elizabeth Warren fires back at Third Way on Social Security.
Members of Congress stand by Third Way.
Third Way shares consultant with group spending big to defeat Third Way Co-Chairs.
Rush Limbaugh on Warren vs. Third Way.
The Nation: "What Third Way Reveals About the Beltway."
Paul Krugman in NYT: "Third Way wrote a remarkably self-destructive op-ed."
David Weigel: "The progressives' distaste for Third Way is as old as the organization itself."
Third Way Co-Founder explains op-ed criticizing Sen. Warren.
Third Way head admits Sen. Warren scares them.
Daily Kos: "Who do we thank for 'Populism Rising' - Sen. Warren or the Third Way?"
Third Way Senior Vice President admits majority of think tank's funding comes from Wall Street.
Democrat running for Congress: "I would not consider myself a Third Way type of candidate."
Here is what MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has to say (video).
Center for American Progress President Neera Tanded bashes Third Way.
Third Way was recently called "Wall Street on the Potomac" by William Black, an Associate Professor at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
The think tank has a large number of Members of Congress as Honorary Co-Chairs.
Third Way, founded in 2005, did not make the most recent list of top think tanks put together by the University of Pennsylvania.
Political influence/orientation of think tanks in the UK.
CAP & Heritage find common ground on sequestration.
AEI President Arthur Brooks says you should donate more to think tanks.
Cato Institute: Risk of terrorism at historic low.
USTR Michael Froman meets to discuss trade with think tankers from Brookings Institution, Center for American Progress, Atlantic Council, Third Way, Wilson Center, and NDN.
Former USITC Chairman Daniel Pearson joins Cato as a Senior Fellow in Trade Policy Studies.
Atlantic Council hosts Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
Wilson Center's Mexico Institute convenes high-level innovation forum with US & Mexico policymakers.
Bipartisan Policy Center's Director of Immigration Policy, Rebecca Tallent, tapped by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) to work on immigration reform.
RAND Corp: The think tank that "controls" America?
President Obama to Join Think Tank?
Last week it was reported by the Washington Post that President Barack Obama and his family may stay in Washington, DC once his tenure ends in January 2017. The main reason, according to the article, would be to allow their younger daughter to graduate from Sidwell Friends School.
The article speculates that he could work at one of the local law schools, but there is no mention of Mr. Obama tying up with a think tank. So what are the chances that President Obama will affiliate himself with one (or more) of the 394 think tanks in Washington, DC? Which one could he join?
As Think Tank Watch reported earlier this week, President Obama is giving a speech today at the liberal Center for American Progress (CAP), a pro-Obama think tank. Center for New American Security (CNAS) also has close ties to the Obama Administration, and so does the Brookings Institution. In fact, President Obama is speaking at Brookings' Saban Forum this weekend.
But the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) might be a likelier bet, considering the fact that more US presidents have been or currently are affiliated with CFR than any other think tank in the world. Here is a previous Think Tank Watch post on President Obama possibly joining CFR. [An interesting fact is that Chelsea Clinton is a member of CFR.]
Of course, President Obama could also go his own entrepreneurial route and open up his own think tank just like Richard Nixon and many recent Members of Congress.
IRS Move Could Restrict Think Tank Politicking
The Obama Administration last week moved to limit the role that certain non-profit groups play in politics, a move that could severely limit the role that the lobbying arm of think tanks can play in elections.
The proposal by the Treasury Department and the IRS would curtail a broad array of campaign activities by tax-exempt organizations set up under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code. Such groups currently face few clear-cut rules regarding their campaign activities, other than that they can't exist "primarily" to influence elections.
Tuesday's proposal would better define what types of activities are considered political and which are not, for the purposes of determining whether a nonprofit is primarily focused on influencing campaigns.
The process of completing the new regulations will be highly controversial and could take months, officials from the Treasury Department said. New rules will likely not be in place until after the 2014 elections.
Here is a previous Think Tank Watch post on the lobbying arms of think tanks, which operate as 501(c)(4) organizations. Think tanks with advocacy (i.e., lobbying) arms include:
Heritage Foundation: Heritage Action for America
Center for American Progress: Center for American Progress Action Fund
Competitive Enterprise Institute: Freedom Action
Open Society Foundations: Open Society Policy Center
Here is more about the proposed rules from the National Law Review. Here is guidance from the Treasury Department.
Launching: Search Engine for Think Tank Policy
A new site is launching which will essentially act as a targeted search engine for think tank policy. The site, called Find Policy, aims to provide a one-stop-shop for better search results for finding think tank policy than broad-based searches from search engines such as Yahoo, Google, and Bing.
Currently, the site is focusing on "four- and five-star research organizations" - in other words, the major think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, Cato Institute, Center for American Progress (CAP), American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Heritage Foundation, New America Foundation (NAF), RAND Corp., Urban Institute, and others.
Criteria for selection can be found here. It includes think tanks that are freely accessible, politically diverse, sizable, active, and have professional recognition.
There are also specific categories in which one can search, such as those related to climate, economy, development, foreign policy, and health. The site also offers additional engines for finding policy from around the world, including in Africa, China, the Eurozone, Latin & Central America, South Asia, and the United Kingdom.
The initiator of the site is consultant and think tank expert Hans Gutbrod, and the site is connected to On Think Tank Lab, a collection of ventures by people that are interested in innovative approaches to policy research.
Mr. Gutbrod tells Think Tank Watch that the venture grew out of a number of conversations with a variety of people, and that a number of friends and colleagues have provided input on the launch.
Here is a FAQ about Find Policy, and here is its blog. Here is the team behind Find Policy.
President Obama to Speak at CAP
President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks on the economy at the liberal think tank Center for American Progress (CAP) on Wednesday (Dec. 4).
Today (Dec. 2) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy will deliver remarks at CAP on US-China clean air and climate cooperation.
Also today, the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), the lobbying arm of CAP, will co-host an event in Georgetown with high-profile opponents of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, including billionaire Tom Steyer. The event is titled "NextGen Climate Action Summit - Can Keystone Pass the President's Climate Test?"
CAP recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a myriad of powerful Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State John Kerry, and former Vice President Al Gore.
Update: Here is the webcast of President Obama's speech at CAP. At the beginning of the speech, President Obama said that over the past 10 years, CAP has done "incredible work" to shape the debate over expanding opportunity for all Americans. "I could not be more grateful to CAP not only for giving me good policy ideas but also for giving me a lot of staff," said Obama.
Brookings collaborating with the Commerce Department to help metropolitan economies.
Think tanks duel over easing sequestration.
The Fisher recipe for successful think tanks, via Alejandro Chafuen.
Salon: Heritage appalled when guys with MBAs take over. Calls Heritage a "very large email list and activist PAC/pressure group."
New Republic: "A 31-Year-Old is Tearing Apart the Heritage Foundation."
Cato ad in Roll Call calls for $3 trillion in government cuts over 10 years.
Banner in front of Brookings to announce launch of $600 million Second Century Campaign.
Head of conservative think tank berates cyclist who reports van illegally parked in bike lane.
Singapore think tanks signs MOU with Brookings India.
Democratic think tank covers up missing cash?
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Top US Think Tanks By Rank: 2015 (UPenn)
1. Brookings
2. CEIP
3. CSIS
4. CFR
5. Wilson Center
6. RAND
7. Pew Research Center
8. Cato
9. Heritage
10. CAP
11. NBER
12. AEI
13. PIIE
14. CNAS
15. WRI
16. Atlantic Council
17. Carnegie Council
18. James Baker Inst.
19. Hoover
20. Urban Inst.
21. Belfer Center
22. USIP
23. CBPP
24. Stimson
25. CID
26. Freedom House
27. CGD
28. HRW
29. Acton Inst.
30. NAF
31. Hudson
32. GMF
33. FPRI
34. RFF
35. Worldwatch Inst.
36. Earth Inst.
37. IAD
38. C2ES
39. Manhattan Inst.
40. IFPRI
41. Reason Foundation
42. OSF
43. CFTNI
44. Mercatus Center
45. Aspen Inst.
46. EPI
47. FEE
48. CTR
49. ITIF
50. PRI
Source: UPenn "Global Go To Think Tanks Report"
Top Non-US Think Tanks By Rank: 2012 (UPenn)
1. Chatham House
2. SIPRI
3. Amnesty Int'l
4. Int'l Crisis Group
5. Transparency Int'l
6. CEPS
7. IISS
8. Adam Smith Inst.
9. Bruegel
10. ECFR
11. FES
12. IFRI
13. CMS
14. CASS
15. GIISA
16. Fraser Inst.
17. CER
19. KAS
20. CEPR
21. Carnegie M.E. Center
22. DGAP
23. DIIS
24. Civitas
25. Clingendael
26. Kiel Inst.
27. PRIO
28. CIGI
29. FGV
30. Lowy Inst.
31. Overseas Dev't Inst.
32. EUISS
33. CESD
34. Center for Civil Society
35. Al-Ahram Center
36. European Policy Center
37. CSIS (Indonesia)
38. CASE
39. JIIA
40. NUPI
41. Inst. for Dev't Studies
42. CICIR
43. IFO
44. RUSI
45. Rand Europe
46. Demos
47. RSIS
48. Center for Conflict Res.
49. PISM
50. Friedrich Naumann
Top US & Non-US Think Tanks by Rank: 2012 (UPenn)
12. IISS
13. Heritage
14. Cato
15. Woodrow Wilson Center
16. Bruegel
18. SIPRI
20. Adam Smith Institute
21. Carnegie Moscow Center
23. CEP
24. IMEMO
26. AERC
27. FGC
30. Fraser Institute
Top Int'l Economic Policy Think Tanks: 2012 (UPenn)
1. PIIE
5. Kiel Institute
9. AEI
10. CEPS
11. CSIS
13. Rand
15. BRIE
17. WIIW
18. KIEP
19. ECIPE
20. CEBRI
21. Adam Smith Inst.
22. EDAM
23. IDE-JETRO
25. ICRIER
26. CIS
27. BDF
28. IWEP
30. ERIA
Top Security/Int'l Affairs Think Tanks: 2012 (UPenn)
1. CSIS (US)
9. Woodrow Wilson Center
11. ICG
19. CERI
24. East Asia Inst.
28. IRIS
29. GMFUS
30. APSI
32. Transparency Int'l
34. CSBA
39. OSW
40. Egmont Inst.
44. Center for Str. Studies
45. SAIIA
47. SIIS
48. MGIMO
49. Elcano Royal Inst.
50. INSS
Top Science/Technology Think Tanks: 2012 (UPenn)
1. Max Planck Inst.
4. CSPO
5. Battelle
6. SPRU
7. ITIF
8. SFI
9. Korean Dev't Inst.
10. ZEF
11. CSIR
12. ICT4D
13. IIASA
14. ISIS
15. TPI
16. TERI
17. FANRPAN
18. AIST
19. Bankinter Foundation
20. Eudoxa
21. ACTS
22. Samuel Neaman Inst.
23. TCOE
24. RIA
25. TESEV
26. TED
27. Lisbon Council
28. SIIA
29. Edge Foundation
Top Environmental Think Tanks: 2012 (UPenn)
1. Pew Center
2. WRI
4. PIK
5. Worldwatch Inst.
6. Ecologic Inst.
7. RFF
9. Earthwatch Inst.
10. CCC
11. Wuppertal Inst.
12. IISD
13. IIED
15. CGIAR
16. PESD (Stanford)
17. UNEP
19. ATREE
21. UFZ
24. E3G
25. IDDRI
26. Cen2eco
27. CEMDA
29. Civic Exchange (HK)
30. GDRC
Best Gov't Affiliated Think Tanks: 2012 (UPenn)
1. CRS
2. GIISA
3. World Bank Institute
4. NUPI
5. RUSI
6. United Nations University
7. JIIA
8. OSW
9. DIE
10. Asian Dev't Bank Inst.
11. Korea Dev't Inst.
13. Council of P.A. EU
16. FUNAG
18. CIIS
19. IFANS
20. IDSA
22. FLASCO
23. DAV
24. RIETI
25. SVOP
26. EDRI
27. MIMA
29. BDIPSS
30. IDSC
Best University-Affiliated Think Tanks: 2012 (UPenn)
1. Belfer Center
2. Hoover
3. Center for Int'l Dev't
4. IDEAS/PPG
5. Earth Institute
6. CTR
7. CISAC
8. Mercatus Center
9. Inst. of Dev't Studies
12. Weatherhead Center
13. Ctr. for Defense Stud.
14. Brookings-Tsinghua
16. Ctr. for Policy Stud.
17. Baker Institute
19. YCSG
20. Brics Policy Center
21. Liu Institute
23. EPRC
24. FSI
25. Institute for IR
26. HSRP
27. SDSC
28. CSS (NZ)
29. ISEAS
30. CSS (Switz.)
Think Tank Watch is a one-stop-shop for learning and thinking about think tanks. It covers domestic and global think tank news, gossip, personnel, reports, studies, and pretty much anything else related to think tanks. Think Tank Watch can be found cruising the mean streets of "Think Tank Row" and beyond, attending scores of think tank events each year. Since its founding in 2012, Think Tank Watch has become the #1 source of think tank news and gossip in the world. Questions, comments, and tips can be sent to: info (at) thinktankwatch.com
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Ciao! Holidays has selected for you 2 accommodations and hotels in Settimo Torinese, Italy. These results below include apartment, bed & breakfast and hotels with the best rates and availabilty. Simply click on the hotel name to browse the hotel's photos, read customer reviews and view extra details.


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A Quick Guide To… UMD Movies
August 22, 2018 Simon Plumbe Articles, Blog, Features, Guides, Headlines 0
While most users, even today, think of the PSP as being a great portable games console, at the time of its launch Sony wanted to make the system unlike any other handheld that had come before it. With a built in music player and picture viewer it was heralded as being not only a powerful games console to rival the PS2 but also an all-in-one entertainment device on the go.
The key to this was through the PSP's unique storage medium, the Universal Media Disc (UMD). While most people associated the discs with game storage, the discs were capable of storing full length movies for playback on the console and the PSP was able to handle playback at standard DVD quality. Although the PSP's widescreen resolution was only 480×272 pixels, movies and television shows that were released on UMD were encoded to MPEG-4 DVD quality and were automatically scaled down to fit the PSP's screen maintaining the best possible picture quality on the handhelds screen.
Initially a large number of movie studios and television companies came on board to support the format releasing their films and programmes on both DVD and UMD. The only difference between the two being the lack of extras on the UMD releases and a slightly higher price but for a truly portable version of the film many were happy paying that added premium. As with DVD, UMDs were region locked and split into six distinct global areas, with regions matching their DVD counterparts. This is of particular importance for many PSP owners who have consoles imported from Japan as it shares the same region coding as Europe so movie playback won't be a problem.
On paper UMD should have been a runaway success – superb picture quality, support from all the major studios with backing from Sony Pictures especially, and a dedicated portable player on the market. What could go wrong?
It certainly wasn't disc capacity, something that plagued VideoCD meaning that movies had to be split over two discs. With single and dual layer formats available even longer films with dual language support weren't a problem on a single UMD.
Truthfully there were two long term factors. First, despite the incredible success of the PSP (selling over 80m units in its lifetime) it was the only decixd capable of playing UMDs. Not only did that narrow down the market but also meant that movie titles themselves were going to be more geared towards the PSP's demographic rather than a general movie buying audience. Even the ability to play movies back through a television with the TV output of the 2000 and 3000 series PSPs couldn't change that as the customer base was still relatively focused on their buying habits.
Then there was retail. Stores simply didn't know where to put the discs. Some stores set up dedicated UMD sections alongside their DVDs where others felt that they belonged with the PSP and its games. Over time the dedicated retail spaces disappeared completely leaving UMDs to fend for themselves alongside games where they.lay hidden and forgotten.
Considering the size and resolution of the PSP's LCD screen, it did a remarkable job when it came to playback. Movies as a whole looked great and battery life was more than capable of allowing owners to watch an entire movie on a single charge making it ideal for long journeys.
While it was certainly never going to be a rival for DVD, UMD delivered some great quality movie releases and extended the PSP's functionality in a way that gamers couldn't have imagined from a handheld device. Were the movies any good though? Keep checking the site as we take a look at as many of them as we can in the coming months…
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About Simon Plumbe 976 Articles
Husband, father and lifelong geek. Originally from the West Midlands, now spending my days in South Wales with my family and a house full of animals. Passionate about video games, especially retro gaming, the Commodore 64 and PlayStation Vita. Love pro wrestling, sci-fi and I'm an animal lover and vegetarian. Enjoyed this and my other articles? Why not buy me a coffee: http://ko-fi.com/simonplumbe
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In honor of Scott Disick's 35th birthday on Saturday, Khloé Kardashian threw it all the way back to 2009 on her Instagram stories when she reminded Scott of the time she slapped him on television. She shared a snapshot of the moment, memorialized in a 2009 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, as a cheeky reminder that the two were not always as good of friends as they are now.
The infamous incident, recounted by People, happened during an episode when Khloé was mad at Scott for getting her sister Kourtney pregnant with the couple's now 8-year-old son, Mason. The couple had split but got back together when she found out she was pregnant, and Khloé accused Scott of purposefully impregnating Kourtney to preserve their relationship.
Kourtney and Scott have since broken up for good, but they have a total of three children together: Mason, 8, Penelope, 5, and Reign, 3. Scott is now dating Lionel Richie's daughter, Sofia Richie.


They say, a good blogger self markets his blog by linking back to other posts when appropriate. I thought I would give it a whirl and see if I could be appropriate.
It was after A Father's Day when I Got This Pain in my Stomach. I was minding my own business, just Me being Me, when it happened.
My name is Alex, and this pain started on my Bow and Arrow Adventure. I was Traveling Along when I had a series of 17 Accidents, I know that's a lot and quiet a Conundrum. Since then I have had time to reflect on this Tragedy. I am pretty sure all of the accidents were the result of my Mid Life Crisis.
I know you are thinking, Tell me Everything. So here goes. This little crisis all happened on the weekend that the Animal Death Policy was announced at the Super Bowl by a bunch of Lazy Bad Men who thought they had Really Big Weighty News.
If I had been more Faithful and Consistent and not been Checking Out, along with The Foolish Atheist, the hip hop group Boy's Water and Mud, I probably wouldn't have tripped over Bad Grayquill Working Step 5 (accident #2) that resulted in a Hole in My Sock, where my Toe Nails stuck out, and I ended up with a few more Dead Brain Cells.
"Well, of course it's dirty! I just fell and landed on a Depraved Troll (accident #6). I understand Young Folks at Times Need Old Folks but seriously did he not know this was not one of those times? Did he not see this was a time when a person should be quiet, and Mow Your Own Grass? That reminds me Goldie liked rolling in the grass along with My Neighbor Jerry who was one of those Smart People – sorry for the tangent.
The way Mr. E looked at me you would have thought Uncle Thoughtful – Jujitsu Warrior, who is Crazier Than Scaditch, had just told A Pig Story. But, after a long stare down, Mr. E returned to his Homemade Ice Cream at Seat 13D. By then it was 12:10 AM and I saw that Mr. E's Giant Ears had scraped the Refrigerator Doors as he looked closely at A Child's Christmas List taped to the door facing. The list was written after A Child's Prayer. One might ask, Why We Write such lists but that is kind of like the question, Why Fish? I know this is all beginning to sound like Random Ramblings and I am pretty sure My Great Liberal Brother is the only one who cares. So I am trying to be careful and avoid a 28 Story Misspeak and as you all know that is hard for me to avoid without my Nose Spray.
I finally went to the doctor for an xray about the pain in my side and the doc told me that Broken Ribs are Such a Pain and that I needed to cancel my Bare Stomach Volleyball tournament.
The Very Bad Scary News is now I will be Sitting Around in My Underwear and that sight will make grown Men Cry.
I could tell you more about this pain in my side but I only have So Many Stories and besides Mr. Blunt Edges - I think I Hate You. Did you see and hear that Lighting Flash and Thunder Roll? It was probably caused from some Blissful Mountain Love by a couple of Christians That Are Just Plain Irritating wearing My Hat. Hmmm…. I think It's a Miracle and their First Kiss.
I guess this story was light on plot, so we will end strong with a great lesson. Always remember, When The Bright Side of Blogging fades and When The Path is Dark and the ladies don't find you Handsome and Handy try some Self Dentistry and if that doesn't work Paint the Fence.
Signing off for now but I will be back with more This and That. Hey…Where are GQ's Glasses?
You should do that first! You shouldn't think like that! You should eat better! You shouldn't talk like that. You should, you shouldn't, you should, you shouldn't…are you seeing a pattern yet? It seems all my life, if I am not shoulding on myself, someone else is.
I wonder if most human beings across this planet think like this middle class American does. Do they think they should be able to do what they want, when they want, where they want, and how they want, with who they want, and do they think, others should not be telling us what we should do, or how we should do it, or when we should do it?
When I was younger it was my elders who were shoulding on me mostly but as I grew older and became the elder, I began to take over more and more of the shoulding responsibilities. This morning is a pretty good example of this shoulding. First off let me preface my words with it was my desire this morning to either go fishing or to sit and do some writing since I haven't made a new blog post since last Saturday nor have I gone fishing for weeks and, heck, it is not raining! Secondly, I fish best and write best in the morning, even though I usually end up writing mostly at night between naps. The mornings are my most creative times. A cup of coffee or maybe two cups of coffee does help.
This morning, even before I got the coffee started my should messages started firing at me. You should take out the garbage, you should get a load of white's started, you should sweep – look at this dirt! You should shoot that irritating wood pecker who is not pecking wood but is in a constant screeching mode. I do need a cup of coffee, I should make my coffee first. Oh, but that is impossible because a couple of shoulds have already grown into action and I finally can see that pesky wood pecker on my second return trip from the garbage tote. I can hear that the water is now finished filling the washing machine and I should add the whites so it can be washing while I make my coffee. NO! The coffee should be making while I load the washing machine, then my coffee will be ready when I am finished loading the washing machine. What is this? Dirty dishes in the sink? Oh yeah, I ran the dishwasher last night. I should empty the dishwasher next. No, I should start my computer so it is booted up, so when the coffee is done I can start writing.
Well, here I sit writing. The woodpecker gave up its screeching to peck wood, I have a cup of coffee to my right, the whites have finished washing. I should go start them drying, the garbage is taken out, but I should really get up and unload that dishwasher. The crock pot has begun its six hour chicken cook, and I have a pile of dirt in the corner where I started the sweeping. I should stop being so lazy and get up and do a proper job of sweeping – or maybe I should just go fishing where there is no dishes, no laundry, and no floor to sweep and I could feel the sun soak into my back, and maybe, feel the strike and see my pole tip do a little splash breaking the the lake surface.
Years ago I saw a sign hanging in a friends office that said, "Don't should on yourself." Yeah, maybe we shouldn't should on ourselves but if we didn't would we ever get anything done? Maybe you would, but I am not so sure those shoulds are not my best friends.
Now I should go get that second cup of coffee.
Go ahead should on yourself if you must.


The Work of the Week is Dancer by Steven Mack.
Eighty years after it opened, Edmonton's Roxy Theatre is being reborn with some help from the Alberta government.
Calgary Arts Development and the Calgary Poet Laureate Selection Committee are pleased to announce Sheri-D Wilson as the 2018-2020 Poet Laureate.
Current Alberta resident Jordan Bennett made the shortlist! Alberta born artists Hannah Doerksen and Elif Saydam were nominated for long list.
AFA Commemorative Project "All the World's a Stage"
A short documentary film on renowned Calgary theatre artists will play in Edmonton and Calgary. It has been nominated for three AMPIA awards.


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Q: Kafka consumer picking up topics dynamically I have a Kafka consumer configured in Spring Boot. Here's the config class:
@EnableKafka
@Configuration
@PropertySource({"classpath:kafka.properties"})
public class KafkaConsumerConfig {

    @Autowired
    private Environment env;

    @Bean
    public ConsumerFactory<String, GenericData.Record> consumerFactory() {

        dataRiverProps.put(ConsumerConfig.BOOTSTRAP_SERVERS_CONFIG, env.getProperty("bootstrap.servers"));
        dataRiverProps.put(ConsumerConfig.GROUP_ID_CONFIG, env.getProperty("group.id"));
        dataRiverProps.put(ConsumerConfig.ENABLE_AUTO_COMMIT_CONFIG, env.getProperty("enable.auto.commit"));
        dataRiverProps.put(ConsumerConfig.AUTO_COMMIT_INTERVAL_MS_CONFIG, env.getProperty("auto.commit.interval.ms"));
        dataRiverProps.put(ConsumerConfig.SESSION_TIMEOUT_MS_CONFIG, env.getProperty("session.timeout.ms"));
        dataRiverProps.put(ConsumerConfig.AUTO_OFFSET_RESET_CONFIG, env.getProperty("auto.offset.reset"));

        dataRiverProps.put(KafkaAvroDeserializerConfig.SCHEMA_REGISTRY_URL_CONFIG, env.getProperty("schema.registry.url"));
        dataRiverProps.put(ConsumerConfig.KEY_DESERIALIZER_CLASS_CONFIG, KafkaAvroDeserializer.class.getName());
        dataRiverProps.put(ConsumerConfig.VALUE_DESERIALIZER_CLASS_CONFIG, KafkaAvroDeserializer.class.getName());

        return new DefaultKafkaConsumerFactory<>(dataRiverProps);
    }

    @Bean
    public ConcurrentKafkaListenerContainerFactory<String, GenericData.Record> kafkaListenerContainerFactory() {
        ConcurrentKafkaListenerContainerFactory<String, GenericData.Record> factory = new ConcurrentKafkaListenerContainerFactory<>();
        factory.setConsumerFactory(consumerFactory());
        return factory;
    }
}

And here's the consumer:
@Component
public class KafkaConsumer {

    @Autowired
    private MessageProcessor messageProcessor;

    @KafkaListener(topics = "#{'${kafka.topics}'.split(',')}", containerFactory = "kafkaListenerContainerFactory")
    public void consumeAvro(GenericData.Record message) {
        messageProcessor.process();
    }

}

Please note that I am using topics = "#{'${kafka.topics}'.split(',')}" to pick up the topics from a properties file.
And this is what my kafka.properties file looks like:
kafka.topics=pwdChange,pwdCreation
bootstrap.servers=aaa.bbb.com:37900
group.id=pwdManagement
enable.auto.commit=true
auto.commit.interval.ms=1000
session.timeout.ms=30000
schema.registry.url=http://aaa.bbb.com:37800

Now if I am to add a new topic to the subscription, say pwdExpire, and modify the prop files as follows:
kafka.topics=pwdChange,pwdCreation,pwdExpire

Is there a way for my consumer to start subscribe to this new topic without restarting the server?
I have found this post Spring Kafka - Subscribe new topics during runtime, but the documentation has this to say about metadata.max.age.ms:

The period of time in milliseconds after which we force a refresh of
  metadata even if we haven't seen any partition leadership changes to
  proactively discover any new brokers or partitions.

Sounds to me it won't work. Thanks for your help!

A: No; the only way to do that is to use a topic pattern; as new topics are added (that match the pattern), the broker will add them to the subscription, after 5 minutes, by default.
You can, however, add new listener container(s) for the new topic(s) at runtime.
Another option would be to load the @KafkaListener bean in a child application context and re-create the context each time the topic(s) change.
EDIT
See the javadocs for KafkaConsumer.subscribe(Pattern pattern)...
/**
 * Subscribe to all topics matching specified pattern to get dynamically assigned partitions.
 * The pattern matching will be done periodically against topics existing at the time of check.
 * <p>
 ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
A Brave Officer Saved A Baby On A Flooded Roads After Father's Tweet
Published by Vijay Singh on 13 Jul 2018
While the internet has become a medium of mere show off, slamming and insulting people, there are also people who tend to overlook the positive power of social media which can drive quick action and save lives.
The best example of this was when a passenger named Adarsh Shrivastava, helped rescue 26 minor girls from being trafficked with one tweet.
But, today here's a story of a six-month-old girl who was saved by Palghar police from a waterlogged building in Manikpur, on 11th July.
Past few days witnessed heavy rains across the country and most of the cities mainly Mumbai was all submerged in deep waters making the commuters face difficulties.
NDRF conducted rescue operations to save stranded individuals, Sharad Jha, a media professional, tweeted at 11 am.
Addressing the Palghar police and other authorities he wrote, "We are stranded in Sun city, Vasai west area with heavy water logging and my daughter is in serious condition vomiting since morning. We have no means to move out for doctor. Need immediate doctor's support."
It wouldn't have been long before the police control room insinuated the Manikpur police headquarters. Constable Gite was given the duty to save the kid and take her to the closest Astha clinic. Be that as it may, it was difficult.
Talking to a leading web portal, Gite said, "I was asked to go to the Irish building in Sun City to help some people. When I reached the spot, there was water up to the waist at the entrance. However, I just walked in and managed to reach the third floor flat."
We are stranded in Sun city, Vasai west area with heavy water logging and my daughter is in serious condition vomiting since morning. We have no means to move out for doctor. need immediate Doctor's support. @CMOMaharashtra @Dev_Fadnavis @JPNadda @poonam_mahajan @MrsGandhi
— Sharad (@nandomatic) July 11, 2018
When he made it to the third floor, the constable enclosed the child by delicate covers and walked out to look for medicinal help.
He further said, "I just thought her to be my child. I would have done the same."
We have rescued the Girl.. Her name is Chetna and she has been sent to Astha Hospital.. awaiting further details from the officials..
— Palghar Police (@Palghar_Police) July 11, 2018
The baby named, Chetna Jha, was quickly rushed in a police vehicle and admitted to a private hospital. She is now getting well and will b under observation for some days.
27-year-old Constable Gite, after the baby was admitted to the hospital was full day on his duty to help out the people stranded in the rains.
He told a news portal, "There is severe waterlogging, and we are responding to all calls, as soon as possible. We have even helped some people without charged cell phones to use our phones and make calls."
When asked about the delay in alerting officials about the situation, another officer said, "The delay in relaying information occurred because of poor connectivity. By the time the constable was assigned and he reached the spot, some hours had passed."
We wish the baby a speedy recovery and hope Constable Gite is rewarded for his good deed.
Swara Bhasker opens up on her plan to settle down and shares her opinion on families...
Athiya Shetty reveals being a victim of body shaming for being too skinny...
Google honors India's first female doctor Kadambini Ganguly with a Google Doodle...
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[Photos] Janhvi Kapoor spends joyful weekend with friends Tanisha Santoshi Orhan Awatramani
Kriti Sanon opens up on being body shamed; Actor suggests how to avoid it


text:
KlairedeLys
Art, Music, Makeup and Madness
Chapter 41: Har Fleinn
Halvard sat down at the edge of the table, exhausted. Eilíf sat down opposite him and leant her head down on the table, too tired to eat the food Holmvé had made for them. Halvard ripped the bread beside his soup into tiny pieces and dropped them into the bowl for them to soak. He had barely had four hours sleep. Most of the night had been spent going from cordon to cordon with water and food. To make matters worse, three more cordons had been built in the east tunnels. Three cordons too many to supply with the few soldiers he had. Added to that, many of the bodies still had not been moved and the rats had already started to cause problems. Many soldiers, áðr's and even the lágr hilmir refused to touch the bodies of the dead and dying, despite the threat of demotion.
"Where's Holmvé?"
"She's asleep."
"Is she alright?" Halvard asked.
"She's tired."
There was a loud knock on the door and Halvard got up to open it, grumbling as he did so. A middle-aged dwarf woman stood at the door, with a scarf held over her face and the strong aroma of garlic and lavender around her.
"Holmvé Hjort?" she asked. The scarf muffled her voice.
"Do I look like my name is Holmvé Hjort?" Halvard said.
"I need to speak with her."
"She's resting. Come back later."
"I need to speak to her! I heard she knows a cure!"
Halvard glared at her. "I don't know where you heard that but it's simply not true." He tried to close the door, but the woman jammed her foot between it and the door frame.
"Please! I won't tell anyone! I just need her to help my son!"
The expression on her face was so similar to the one Halvard remembered seeing on Elin, Jarl's mother. The same look of a mother who would do anything to save the life of her children. And remember how that ended, Halvard thought bleakly.
"She's not here!" Halvard roughly pushed her away and closed the door. The woman did not give up though, she threw herself against the door and shrieked that they could not leave her on the doorstep.
"Please! Please I'll do anything!" she wailed. "I have gold! I'll give you everything I have! Please, just help my son!"
Halvard closed his eyes and held his head in his hands, his back against the door as the woman continued to throw herself against it on the other side.
"Halvard! Let her in!" Holmvé said. He looked up to the stairs and saw her. Her face was drained and tired and her eyes were red with exhaustion.
"Holmvé, you need to sleep. You've been up all night," Eilíf said.
"I can sleep when I'm dead. I can't just leave her outside like an animal." She walked towards the door and stumbled slightly. Eilíf rushed forward and took her hands to steady her.
"What are you doing? You need to rest!"
Outside, the woman hammered on the door even harder. "No! No, you stay and rest. I can help her," Eilíf reassured her.
Holmvé did not argue. Eilíf passed her and walked out the door. As soon as it had closed, Holmvé sat down on the stairs in a huddle and burst into tears. Halvard stared at her, unsure of how to respond.
"I'm sorry, I'm just tired," Holmvé snivelled. "I can't believe this is happening again. What was the king thinking? Didn't enough people die last time?"
"He's a young boy. And with the likes of Yrsa Gull around, I don't say I blame him. The poor thing looked scared out of his wits after the funeral," Halvard replied.
His reply did not help Holmvé who just buried her head against his shoulder. There was another loud knock on the door. Before Halvard could say a word, Holmvé stormed up and threw the door open, a wave of curses escaping her mouth even as she saw who stood on the doorstep.
"What in Hel's name do you want, Gauss?"
"I'm here for Halvard," the áðr replied, a little frightened of the old woman who stood before him with her bloodshot eyes.
"You wouldn't give him his old position back but now you're walking all this way for a soldier? Go away!" Holmvé shouted furiously and tried to close the door on him.
"The Har Fleinn asked for him specifically," Áðr Gauss replied just as angrily, and shoved his foot in the doorway.
With a sigh, Halvard scooped one last spoonful of cold soup into his mouth, got up and grabbed his cloak.
Halvard didn't bother to talk to the áðr as they both walked in silence to the garrison. The streets were deserted. There was waste everywhere. Trampled food, animal dung and crumpled heaps of old clothes were scattered on the floor. Feet peeked out from beneath the rags. With not enough soldiers brave enough to touch the bodies, many had been left in the streets until they could be taken outside the city. Passersby brave enough to approach the bodies had left cloaks or rags over them so they would not become a spectacle.
"What does the Har Fleinn want with me?" Halvard asked flatly. He was too tired to really care, but the tiny part of his mind that was still awake was curious.
"He was impressed with how you dealt with that boy in the plaza."
"Is that all? You couldn't have just told me and let me sleep for a few more hours instead of dragging me across the city?" Halvard snapped.
"He wants to thank you in person."
The áðr sounded angry and would not even turn to look at him, and Halvard was too tired to pick up on what normally would have worried him.
A small group of dwarfs walked by, their hands covered in white dust. One of them quickly hid something behind his back as they passed them.
"Go home!" the áðr bellowed, and they scurried away. He muttered to himself as they turned into one of the larger tunnels towards the plaza and noticed a large scrawl on the wall. Above the words a large icon had been drawn of a wolf in white chalk. The likeness was almost identical to the one on the goblin cuffs they had taken. A block of discarded chalk on the ground by it.
'The wolf is coming,' Halvard read out loud to himself. "Bloody fools," Halvard scoffed.
The áðr said nothing.
"So, you're Halvard?"
Halvard bowed and nodded, unsure of how to react. He had never met the Har Fleinn face to face. He had not even been in the same room as him before, and now here he was, his attention completely on him. For such an old dwarf, he held himself perfectly upright. The cuffs which separated his long pure white beard into three plaits had been polished until they shone like gold. He looked like the kind of dwarf who would walk through a mud fight and still come out the other side with the air of a king.
"Gauss. Get out," he muttered and waved his hand dismissively at Gauss.
With a nod, Gauss bowed and closed the door behind him.
"Shit, what did he do?" Halvard asked before he realised he had muttered his thoughts out loud. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say that."
"He is getting demoted," the Har Fleinn explained, "and don't appologise, I like a dwarf who can speak his mind, and I'm quite determined to like you."
Halvard looked at him confused.
"I was told you're the áðr for the death walkers?"
"Yes, I guess so. They follow me for some reason. But I'm not an áðr, I can't be."
"Yes, yes, your father. Well, I think you'll find I can bend that rule."
Halvard's heart froze for a second before it pounded frantically, a look on his face that reminded the Har Fleinn of startled fish.
"Sit," the Har Fleinn pointed to the sable and sat down opposite Halvard, two fresh flasks of mead on the table. "Drink."
"I shouldn't."
"Please don't tell me you're a fiskr?" the Har Fleinn asked, a disapointed expression on his face.
"No sir, I just haven't slept more than four hours for the past week. If I drink I don't think I'll be able to stand."
The Har Fleinn laughed loudly and nodded. "Fair enough. Well then, l should get to the point. "I'm going to make you an áðr, and yes, I know technically I shouldn't be able to because of your father, but being the Har Fleinn does have a few perks. Did you know that there are three people who can restore a family name other than the king?"
Halvard shook his head, his hands cold and his heart stuck at the back of his throat. "Well, neither did I till I consulted the palace. The queen, the high council and the Har Fleinn. Me." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a long silver plaque which he placed down on the table in front of Halvard. "Your name was restored this morning with the palace records. I'm afraid I can't give you your old home back. That was sold to cover your father's debts, but you I can make you an áðr now. With a smár, varðmaðr's and áðr's salary, of course."
Halvard tried to speak, but the words were trapped behind the lump at the back of his throat. He reached for the plaque and ran his fingers over the new name written at the top. Halvard Byström. There were no names before it. There could not be. His name had been restored, not his father's, but it didn't matter. His name had been restored. He was no longer the neinn nefna son of an ósómi.
The Har Fleinn's face softened as he saw Halvard's expression and he cleared his throat loudly. "What you did in the plaza was brave, and what you've been doing with the death walkers is nothing short of heroic. If I had ten men like you, half my problems would be over. I'm putting you in charge of all the death walkers in the city. And before you get excited I need to warn you, you won't have enough men, sleep or the respect you should have."
"Is that all?" Halvard tried to joke, his laugh more of a choke.
"But I can promise you that whatever you need, food, equipment, pressure on the right idiots, you'll have it. I need you to get the city running again."
"You need me to get the bodies buried" Halvard nodded.
"Yes. Bury the bodies, keep food and water going into the cordons. I've also been getting unconfirmed reports of some little goðgás have been selling hemlock oil as sage oil to some of the dwarfs in the cordons." The Har Fleinn took a long swig of his mead. "If you find them, I leave it up to you to deal with them."
"But what about the judges?"
"Half of them are sick and the other half are worn out. Besides, any little shit who sells poison to desperate dwarfs deserves whatever he gets, in my opinion."
Halvard nodded and stood up, the plaque still on the table.
"Aren't you going to take that with you?"
Halvard nodded and picked it up. The plaque was heavier than he thought it would be. He bowed and walked towards the door, but before he walked through it the Har Fleinn called him back.
"I heard that you're friends with Jarl Vǫrn?"
"Yes, I am."
The Har Fleinn flicked something round and gold towards him. Halvard caught it, opened his hands and looked down at the same áðr cloak pin Jarl had once had.
"Vǫrn's old one, I thought you should have it. I heard a rumour that he left for the high city?"
Halvard did not reply.
"I hope for him that rumour isn't true. He didn't take the Villieldr boy with him did he?"
Again Halvard said nothing, unwilling to give up any information which could affect Jarl badly once he returned to the city. The Har Fleinn shook his head. Halvard's silence was as informative to him as an audible reply. "He'd better pray that boy comes back alive, or he'll be sent to the Gróf."
"He'll be alright," Halvard replied. "Jarl would rather lose his right leg than let anything happen to Knud."
A new chapter goes live each week. If you want to support the series you find all the remaining chapters now on Patreon. Or you can follow the mailing list to be updated the moment a new chaper goes live.
Posted by Klaire de Lys
Filed Under: Stories Tagged: outsider1
Chapter 39: Hallótta
Chapter 34: Cordon
Chapter 16: Back
Chapter 4: Leaving Home
Chapter 30: Fallen
About Klaire
Klaire de Lys is a mixed media artist (writer, artist and musician) from England. Read more -->


text:
Meet the 2022 Modernism Week Keynote Speaker: Jeanne Gang, FAIA
We're honored to welcome Jeanne Gang, FAIA to the Modernism Week stage as next year's Keynote Speaker.
Each year, Modernism Week invites a distinguished member of the design community as the featured Keynote Speaker. Past speakers have included Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Moshe Safdie, and Daniel Libeskind.
In 2022, world-renowned architect Jeanne Gang, FAIA, will be delivering Modernism Week's Keynote Presentation on February 19, 2022.
Jeanne Gang is the founding principal and partner of Studio Gang, an international architecture and urban design practice headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Paris. Founded in 1997, her firm has matured into a global powerhouse, with work around the world.
Drawing insight from ecological systems, Jeanne is recognized for a research-based design process that foregrounds the relationships between individuals, communities, and environments. Her analytical, sustainable and creative approach has produced projects across scales and typologies.
Studio Gang's diverse, award-winning body of work ranges from cultural centers that convene diverse audiences and public projects that connect citizens with ecology to installations that challenge material properties and high-rise towers that foster community. Notable among these are Writers Theatre, a professional theater in Glencoe, Illinois; the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan; and the 82-story, undulating Aqua Tower in Chicago (the second tallest woman-designed building in the world).
Her ongoing work includes major cultural and civic projects throughout the Americas and Europe, such as an expansion to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City; a new United States Embassy in Brasília; the University of Chicago's European hub for study and research in Paris; a unified campus for the California College of the Arts in San Francisco; and the new O'Hare Global Terminal in Chicago. Mixed-use towers in Toronto, Amsterdam, Los Angeles and Honolulu are also underway.
Intertwined with built work, Jeanne and the Studio also develop research, publications, and exhibitions that push design's ability to create public awareness and give rise to change—a practice Jeanne calls "actionable idealism." The Studio has championed innovative design strategies to improve ecological biodiversity in cities, including bird-safe building techniques and an experimental prairie ecosystem on the rooftop of their Chicago office. At the same time, Jeanne has challenged the status quo in professional practice by closing the gender wage gap in her company and encouraging her colleagues to follow suit.
Jeanne is a Professor in Practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, her alma mater, where her teaching and research focus on the cultural and environmental aspects of buildings' reuse. She is the author of three books on architecture, including a monograph of the Studio's work, Studio Gang: Architecture (2020). Her work has been exhibited widely, including at the Museum of Modern Art, the International Venice Architecture Biennale, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
A MacArthur Fellow, 2017 William A. Bernoudy Architect in Residence at the American Academy in Rome, and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Jeanne has been honored with the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture and was named one of 2019's most influential people in the world by TIME magazine. Further accolades include Architectural Review's Architect of the Year, the Louis I. Kahn Memorial Award, and the Marcus Prize for Architecture.
Please join us for this exciting Keynote Presentation with one of today's leading voices in architecture and design.
Keynote Presentation: Jeanne Gang, FAIA, 'Making Architecture'
Palm Springs Art Museum – Annenberg Theater
Jeanne will be present to sign her book Studio Gang: Architecture following the presentation until 3:15 p.m. A limited reception, catered by Eight4Nine, will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Museum's Elrod Sculpture Garden and requires the purchase of a VIP Seating with Reception ticket.
General Admission ($45)
Preferred Seating ($60)
VIP Seating with Reception ($125)
Images courtesy of Studio Gang
New in the Neighborhood
Modernism Week Presents "The Best of Modernism" Online Auction


With MySpace sinking into the sunset of its existence after having been sold for a pittance of its former value, the game of thrones for its successor has started in the strongest possible way. The first player to have made a move is this new startup, which is the brainchild of Brenden Mulligan (founder of ArtistData, a very well-respected syndication tool for musicians to post information online). OneSheet is its name, and we can define it as a centralizer of any band's activity on the Internet.
People who use the service log in with their Facebook accounts, and then they can have their data exported from musician-specific sites such as ReverbNation and Bandcamp, as well as from sites such as YouTube, Posterous and Tumblr. All the data featured there will be aggregated together, and displayed in a profile page whose layout bands can actually determine themselves.
The most advantageous aspect of this site is that such a profile page is going to be updated the minute any of the sites that users have linked to it are updated. That is, if the band posts a new video to YouTube then that will be featured on their OneSheet page, without them having to lift a finger or do anything at all. The same applies to all the content they post on Twitter, Tumblr, Posterous… To all intents and purposes, the artists that go for this service will have a self-updating profile page that can be set up in less than half an hour.


text:
Michael Packer BLUES BAND
November 11, 2016 @ 9:00 pm - 12:00 am
MICHAEL PACKER is a singer-songwriter, guitarist who was born in New York City in 1950. He did his first gig at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village at the age of 15. In 1969 he formed the group 'Papa Nebo" which included saxophonist Bob Mintzer who went on to play with the Grammy award winning "Yellowjackets". Papa Nebo recorded an album for Atlantic records. They were personally signed by Ahmet Ertegun.Today it is a collectors item.
Packer soon took his sound to the West Coast with buddy Sandy Allen, playing on the streets of San Francisco during the day and The Coffee Gallery in North Beach at night, Michael met George Thorogood and was turned on to the blues.
Eventually Packer and Allen made their way back to New York where they started another project "Free Beer"."Free Beer" was born at Gerdes Folk City in Greenwich Village (1973) where they added singer-songwriter Bob Potter. Free Beer recorded 3 albums for Buddha and RCA records and toured extensively with the likes of the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Johnny Rivers, Dr.Hook, Clifton Chanier to name a few. All of the albums made the Billboard top 100 and they were well on their way. But nothing lasts forever in the music industry and Free Beer broke up.
After the demise of Free Beer in the late 70's Michael opened for John Hammond Jr. and sang with the Matt Murphy Band. In 1984 in Boston he fronted a 10 piece band called "Coolstep" and opened for Huey Lewis on a New England Tour. After dropping out of the music scene in the late 80's and early 90's Michael Packer hit the skids. His drinking had escalated and he found himself living on the streets. He did a year in Rikers Island for attempted robbery but that seemed to be the turning point in his life. Even in prison he had a band. HBO did a special "The Prisoners of Rikers Island in which he appears.
Michael Packer has been sober 16 years now and life is good especially his music. He has become a well known and respected member of the New York City Blues scene. The Michael Packer Blues Band has received rave reviews in Living Blues, Blues Matters, Blues Revue magazines for the live @ Sweet Rhythm album (Woodstock Records). A Best of Michael Packer has been released and also reissues of his earlier recordings Papa Nebo and Free Beer.
Packer also released a solo album "The Sunny Side of Me" in 2007 featuring lyrics for the title song by a 8 year old girl from Albany NY named Gabby Kasper. Later that year Packer and his band with special guests Jimmy Vivino, David Maxwell, Sandy Allen, Dave 'Snakeman' Runyan and Felix Cabrera recorded a live session @ Lucilles (BB King's) NYC . All of these recordings were released by Alan Lorber's Iris Music Group.
A Michael Packer anthology was also released in 2008. In 2009 and 2010 Michael Packer was a semi-finalist in the solo/duo competition @ the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and the Iris Music Group released the CD "Rikers Island Blues" which included liner notes by Blues Wax editor Don Wilcock and was awarded best self-produced CD by The Jersey Shore Blues & Jazz Foundation. The 2011 release of the "My Time To Cry" CD which features unreleased 40 year old Atlantic Record recordings is getting rave reviews.
Michael Packer has recently found a new home with the Chicago blues label Blue Skunk Music who have released his new CD "Free Beer" and as a result of this he now has the honor of playing 2nd guitar and touring with the 2 time Grammy award winner the legendary Delta blues guitarist David "Honeyboy" Edwards who knew and played along side Robert Johnson.
Michael Packer has lived the blues and now he is back playing the blues with style.
Edit this wiki


text:
Crushed by the System https://www.brutalresonance.com/review/vicious-alliance-crushed-by-the-system/ Dark Electro Vicious Alliance Patrik Lindström Vicious Alliance is an EBM band from Philadelphia and in their world The Great War never ended and their music puts life to this world of decay. 'Crushed by the System' is their debut and in the EP format. With its seven tracks and two remixes, it's pretty massive for being an EP. About 29 seconds into the first track you are faced with the dilemma that follows me throughout this debut. On one side you have great rhythm, nice melodies, and nice female vocals with hum along friendly lyrics, but on the other side you have the male vocal effects. The distortion sounds pretty much like it's been done with a digital bong. Since the music is pretty undistorted and the female vocals are not tempered with it seems like there's too much of a distance between the feeling of the male vocals and the rest. It just doesn't fit in. If you like the distortion, you will have quite a joy ride. The music is good, melodies are fine and everything is well produced. As far as I go, I just can't swallow the effects. April 6, 2009 https://www.brutalresonance.com/review/vicious-alliance-crushed-by-the-system/ 350
Vicious Alliance - Crushed by the System
"Alright"
Released 2009 by COP International
Vicious Alliance is an EBM band from Philadelphia and in their world The Great War never ended and their music puts life to this world of decay. 'Crushed by the System' is their debut and in the EP format. With its seven tracks and two remixes, it's pretty massive for being an EP.
About 29 seconds into the first track you are faced with the dilemma that follows me throughout this debut. On one side you have great rhythm, nice melodies, and nice female vocals with hum along friendly lyrics, but on the other side you have the male vocal effects. The distortion sounds pretty much like it's been done with a digital bong. Since the music is pretty undistorted and the female vocals are not tempered with it seems like there's too much of a distance between the feeling of the male vocals and the rest. It just doesn't fit in.
If you like the distortion, you will have quite a joy ride. The music is good, melodies are fine and everything is well produced. As far as I go, I just can't swallow the effects.
Schallfaktor - 'Sittenverfall'
Cesium_137 - 'Advanced/Decay'
Patrik Lindström
Founder of Brutal Resonance in 2009, founder of Electroracle and founder of ex Promonetics. Used to write a whole lot for Brutal Resonance and have written over 500 reviews. Nowadays, mostly focusing on the website and paving way for our writers.
Cryo - Hidden Aggression is available at POPONAUT from 14,75€
E.R.R.A. - 'Light of Love'
V▲LH▲LL
3D - 'Ugly Nature'
Review, Jun 29 2014
PitchBlack Inc - 'Alles Ist Gesagt'
Ghost Twin - 'Plastic Heart'