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For over a century, fraternal orders like the Elks served as the cornerstone of American social and civic engagement. Here's how one Seattle neighborhood has made the Elks, and the community it provides, cool again.
Posted on May 27, 2016, 01:37 GMT
BuzzFeed News Features Writer
"We're like a cult," a tan, freckled, ambiguously aged woman tells me, the dregs of Coors Light swishing in the bottom of her plastic cup.
We're in the women's bathroom of the Ballard Elks Club, decorated with white wicker furniture and a tray of drugstore lotions and hairspray. "The guy I'm seeing, he's a member too," she continues, stuffing her phone into her Louis Vuitton purse. "And we're trying to convince the club to do a fundraiser so we can go around and do to other clubs what we've done here." Specifically: Make the Elks more appealing, more vital, maybe even cool — while still preserving its ties to both its old Seattle neighborhood and the longtime members who remain its core.
The woman is wearing an oversized faux fur vest and heeled suede boots, which is to say she's dressed for neither the Elks nor Seattle. But the mother of two is a regular fixture at the lodge, which she joined about four years ago, so that "my kids would have somewhere to pee when we were at the beach." That beach, right on the Puget Sound — and the bar that extends above it — is how the vast majority of the new members at the Ballard Elks found out about the lodge, which is one of the fastest-growing in America, mushrooming from around 800 members in 2012 to over 1,200 today. The lodge's median age, 52, is the lowest in the country — and a figure that, if current trends hold, will only continue to fall.
Fraternal organizations have always met specific cultural needs. In Ballard, the Elks are a salve for very contemporary syndromes.
Many Ballard Elks were first drawn to the beach parking and cheap drinks, but have found that their investment in the lodge, and the community that forms around it, has transformed into something more. Fraternal organizations have always met specific cultural needs — providing a space for men as women entered the public sphere at the turn of the 19th century, and a return to the brotherhood of military service after both world wars. In Ballard, the Elks are a salve for very contemporary and Seattle-specific syndromes: For transplants, it's an antidote to the "Seattle Freeze," the term for the difficulty non-natives face in making friends or finding dates; for natives, it's a retreat from the Amazon-incited condo-ization of the city as a whole and Ballard in particular.
But it's also part of a national phenomenon: For the first time in 35 years, the Elks are growing. Average member age is down from 69 to 61. Membership is exploding in San Francisco, the Florida Keys, North Carolina, and dozens of other areas, including the bedroom communities of New Jersey, where Eli Manning was just voted to membership. Each of those lodges has a story of where that growth is coming from, yet the impulse remains constant: seeking connections, with people who are not necessarily like them, in dusty old buildings with $2 drafts and animal heads hanging over the doorway.
"I tell people that I'm part of the Elks and they give me funny looks," Ben Braden, who sits on the Ballard Elks' executive committee, told me. "But then I take people here and they're like, 'Do I have one of these in my neighborhood?'"
Matt Lutton / Boreal Collective for BuzzFeed News
The Ballard Elks social quarters.
The Elks and similar fraternal organizations were part of a broad trend of "joining" and civic engagement that started in the 1880s, dropped off during the Great Depression, and surged following World War II. "Fraternal organizations," writes historian Robert D. Putnam, "represented a reaction against the individualism and anomie of this era of rapid social change, asylum from a disordered and uncertain world." Many provided "material benefits" like life and health insurance, as well as "social solidarity and ritual"; by 1910, more than one-third of adult males over the age of 19 were a member of at least one.
Some, like the Jaycees, the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis, and the Lions, were more explicitly business-oriented; others, like the Odd Fellows, were more invested in providing care for their members; while the Black Elks, Black Moose, and dozens of others developed similarly robust organizations segregated from their white counterparts. The Elks were officially desegregated in 1973, but black members were routinely denied membership through the 1980s. Today, most lodges have diversified: While many, especially in rural areas, remain largely white, there are dozens of clubs whose membership is almost entirely black; in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Elks Club has become "the only real place for black folks to go."
Steve Larson/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Elks prepare food baskets they'll distribute to needy families in the
Denver area for Christmas, Dec. 1970.
As late as the 1970s, the lodge was where you went to dance on a Saturday night, to dress up on New Year's, to play bridge and hobnob and drink under the auspices of charity. Franklin D. Roosevelt was an Elk; so were Truman and MacArthur and Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy.
The Elks — officially known as the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, the BPOE, or, if you ask an Elk who likes dad jokes, "the Best People on Earth" — was founded in New York City in 1868. The specific lore of the early Elks has filled books, but the bare facts, as presented during a recent Ballard new member orientation, are easier: "Some actors wanted to drink on Sundays, which wasn't allowed at the time, so they put together a private club so they could succeed at that. Gradually that group started doing more with charity, and a lot more with veterans, but it was pretty much a men's organization."
The invitation to the Portland Elks initiation, 1908.
The group voted to name itself the Elks, narrowly defeating the Buffaloes, and borrowed much of its ritual from the Freemasons, then one of the largest organizations in the country. By 1910, Elks done away with almost all of the ritual — including secret handshakes and passwords — and settled into the function they held for much of the 20th century: a group of (white) men, initiated only upon recommendation from another member of the lodge, who paid yearly dues, enjoyed lavish facilities built with those dues, and donated time and money to local, state, and national charities.
Elks membership was fueled by a "long civic generation," as Putnam calls it, born between 1910 and 1940, who were more engaged in community projects, more trusting of others, and far more likely to vote than their grandchildren are today. The Elks and other fraternal orders — along with bowling leagues, churches, women's associations, and bridge clubs — offered a deep well of what sociologists call "social capital," which, studies have shown, makes people feel more secure, less alone, and more, well, happy.
There are myriad reasons for the decay in social capital and civic investment: women moving full-time into the workforce, suburbanization and resultant commute time, television, globalization, changes in the family unit, and a general distrust and disillusion with politics and efficacy of civic engagement. The "ebbing of community," Putnam writes, "has been silent and deceptive"; membership in nearly every civic activity, from the PTA to card games, has more than halved since the peak of involvement in the 1960s.
But few civic disengagements have been as visible as what's happened with the Elks and organizations like it. Before World War II, membership was at 1.1 million and growing at a rate of 110,000 new members a year. In 1976, membership crested at 1.6 million, but over the next 30 years, as the "civic generation" began to die off and boomers and Gen X came of age, membership plummeted to 850,000. But 2016 marks a reversal of that trend.
Library of Congress; courtesy Ballard Elks
Top panorana, Indiana Elks Club, bottom, the Ballard Elks Club through the years.
All cities are a collection of neighborhoods, but Seattle's location — hedged in and bisected by water — makes it more so than most. The city's geography most resembles Manhattan: the urban core attenuated thin with Puget Sound on one side, massive Lake Washington (past which lies Microsoft and the ritzy, suburban Eastside) on the other. Instead of Central Park, there's Lake Union, filled with floatplanes and houseboats. There's Green Lake to the north and the polluted Duwamish River meandering south, and in between all that water, there are neighborhoods: the radical and queer of Capitol Hill, the chichi of Queen Anne and Magnolia, the hippies of Fremont, the pan-Asian enclave of the International District, the aspirational squares of Wallingford and Green Lake, the young families of West Seattle, the historic African-American community of the Central District, and the sleepy, Scandinavian-infused world of Ballard.
That is, until Amazon — and its estimated $5 billion citywide impact and 24,000 Washington employees — happened, and every neighborhood seemingly transformed into an amalgam of overpriced condos with "living roofs," hot yoga studios, CrossFit boxes, bars with $7 microbrews on tap, and transplants willing to pay for all of it. The bad traffic got worse, the city grew even whiter, and it became impossible for most middle-class families to buy a home in the city. The dream of Seattle had been colonized by a bunch of rich dorks in performance gear who didn't even know how to flirt.
Or so the narrative goes. In truth, Seattle's transformation resembles that of San Francisco, Austin, and Brooklyn — and is a natural extension of gentrifying processes set in motion more than 20 years ago. While there are certainly real and distressing changes in the way that Seattleites actually live, one of the biggest changes is a state of mind: Seattle just feels different. There are plenty of Bernie Bros and kayakers to protest Shell Oil, but the things that made Seattle seem unique, its own particular sort of nerdy-nice grunge, seem to be in flux.
The dream of Seattle had been colonized by a bunch of rich dorks in performance gear who didn't even know how to flirt.
Few Seattle neighborhoods have experienced that change in feel as acutely as Ballard, which, more than any other Seattle neighborhood, has always felt like its own tiny town, in part because it was — at least until the early 1900s, when it was annexed, under much protest, to the city of Seattle. Back then, Ballard overflowed with Scandinavians, Norwegians in particular; according to lore, local law required a church for every bar, which resulted in a profusion of both.
Ballard was isolated, both demographically and physically, from the rest of Seattle; today, locals like to say it's "20 minutes from everything." One hundred years ago, most of the people who lived in Ballard worked in Ballard, whether in the marine industry, the shingle mills, or the tidy spread of shops, banks, bookstores, and restaurants that lined Market Street.
The community was bound by its common culture — a Nordic Heritage Museum, a yearly parade celebrating Norwegian independence, lefse at the local grocery store, and dozens of middle- and working-class fraternal organizations: the Sons and Daughters of Norway, a robust VFW, and outposts of the Eagles, the Odd Fellows, the Moose, and the Elks, who owned an ornate building in the center of Ballard before moving to their current location, right in the elbow of Shilshole Bay.
The route to the Elks is choked with new condo developments, their siding painted tasteful, bold colors (turquoise, mustard yellow, brick red) and lined in white trim. They all rent for about $1,500 to $3,000 and boast views of water and walking distance to Ballard Avenue, a bricked street lined with gastropubs, French brasseries, shops that sell cute sandals and even cuter baby clothes, and bars with names like Shelter and King's Hardware that literally overflow with twentysomethings.
The sign for the Elks bears the distinctive Elks "E": a backwards 3 that looks like it's been scribbled in thick marker. Anyone who's lived long in Ballard has attended a memorial, a wedding, or a party in the ground-floor ballroom, the rental of which is contracted to an outside catering company. But the upstairs is Elks territory, in all its wood-paneled glory. There's the event space — panoramic windows, a mounted elk head, and ample space for the line dancing, Zumba, and waltzing classes — and the "social quarters," resplendent in old photos, vinyl bar chairs, a shuffleboard table, and a digital jukebox (one night, it played Fine Young Cannibals' "She Drives Me Crazy" on repeat).
At the bar, there's a cluster of hunched old-timers, a baseball game on the television, and the rhythmic movements of the bartenders — blonde, slightly weathered, and unrivaled when it comes to remembering both your name and drink. But on a clear day, the real action's outside on the deck — which is where a kayak fisherman named Brad Hole is waiting for me.
Ballard Elks Club. The back deck on a sunny day overlooking Puget Sound during the Bacon Off competition.
Seattle weather is the only thing about the city that's temperamental or contrary. When it hit 80 degrees late this past April, the city filled with Velcroed sandals, summer skirts, pale legs, and musty athletic gear — all of which could be found in abundance at the Ballard Elks at 5 p.m., where Brad was prepping to brief the latest crop of initiates. This month the number's around 30; usually it hovers between there and 50.
Brad Hole is prototypical Ballard Elk: Years ago, he started using the beach as a kayak launch and joined the lodge after a friend invited him up to the bar. Today, he's wearing a purple Hawaiian shirt emblazoned with the Elks symbol from the club in Honolulu. "I got it off eBay," he explains to everyone who asks. "You wouldn't believe the old Elks stuff on there."
Brad has a jolly build and a salt-and-pepper beard; he's somewhere in his forties, drinks Coronas, and has lived in "Old Ballard," as people call it, "forever." Along with his girlfriend, Anne, he functions as the club's de facto welcoming committee, responding swiftly to emails, talking up the club, and ushering new members through initiation.
He folds and unfolds a scrap of paper where he's doodled the major themes of orientation: Here's what you pay in dues ($99, paid every April), here's the good we do (thousands of dollars every year to various charities), here's your commitment ("The Elks is whatever you make it"). All members are required to check off boxes on an application stating that they believe in a higher power and to pledge that they have never attempted to overthrow the government — a recent modification from the stipulation that members could not be Communists.
All members are required to state that they believe in a higher power and to pledge that they have never attempted to overthrow the government.
Today's group includes a broad-smiling, Anthropologie-vibed woman, in her mid-thirties, who became involved through the "Eat Ballard" neighborhood association; a couple with relaxed faces in their sixties who live in the condos next door; a real estate agent in her forties who "thought it'd be a good time to be part of a service organization"; and a youngish dad who runs a business refurbishing vintage furniture from his home, "just a pinecone's throw away from here." There's also a pair of grizzly-bearded, round-bellied twentysomethings, one of whom just moved from Pennsylvania, where his grandfather's an Elk. "I heard about the club through Rob Casey, because he surfs my tugboat wake."
Surfs, as in rides a stand-up paddleboard behind the tug when it makes its way through the bay outside the club. Casey, who has the freckles and eye crinkles of someone who lives on the water, was one of the first to start stand-up paddling in Seattle. He's watched as the sport, and the popularity of the beach next to the Elks, has exploded; over the last five years, he's taught hundreds to paddle and introduced dozens to the lodge. Casey also arranges a weekly race — with a $5 entry fee — that attracts fiercely competitive paddlers, with all proceeds directed to the Elks scholarship fund. As the new members introduced themselves, a group of 20-plus Elks paddleboarders were grouped around a large table in the other room, putting the final touches on a plan that will allow them to store their boards in the lodge's basement.
Paddleboard racing at the Ballard Elks.
After introductions, Brad tells the initiates about the Facebook page, and the newly designed Elks app, and all the ways they can get involved: "What we're looking for in a member is about five volunteer hours a month"; "You're not required to go to meetings, but you get so much more if you do"; "You get a membership card, and with that card you can visit other lodges. We call it 'going Elk'n.'" "It's fun to get your friends to join, and to meet new friends here," he adds. "It's kinda like your own country club."
"I like to remind people that once you're an Elk, you're an Elk for life."
At this point, Brad's wingman, Scott — Tom Cruise–like head of hair; works in IT at the University of Washington — interjects: "I like to remind people, though, that once you're an Elk, you're an Elk for life. We expect those dues every year, unless you're under duress. It's a fun place, and a light place, but I wouldn't take it lightly. The charity that we do here is pretty impressive. And it really makes you proud to be part of it once you see it happening."
That philanthropy takes many forms, but unlike other organizations, the vast majority of it takes place on the local level. In the last year alone, the Ballard Elks have donated $9,000 in scholarship funds to high school students at Ballard High; a massive clothing swap brought in $2,000 and pounds of clothing for Mary's Place, a resource center for homeless women and children. Nationally, the Elks raised $343 million in charitable gifts in 2015, and while each lodge pays dues on the national level, most funds remain local. "With the Elks, it's all about transparency," Rick Gathen, a representative from Elks National, told me. "With other organizations, a lot of dollars go to jets and national salaries; with us, people know where the money's going. It directly impacts their communities, and they can feel and touch it."
Millennials are philanthropic — 84% made a charitable donation in 2014 — but that giving is largely directed toward national, non-chaptered organizations; 62% of donations took place via an app, an email, or a text message, with little in terms of direct, visible results. But when that money stays local — when you meet the students who receive the scholarship when they come to the lodge, or watch the Girl Scouts run around the event space next door — it just feels different. It feels, as Putnam would put it, like social capital.
Ballroom dancing night at the Ballard Elks Club.
But why the Elks? Sure, the Freemasons are too mystical and readily associated with the villains of The Da Vinci Code; the Odd Fellows, whose membership once topped 2.7 million, can't overcome their name; and the business networking function of the Jaycees, Lions, and Rotary have been overtaken by LinkedIn. Perhaps the growth stems from the fact that the Elks, like the Moose and the Eagles, have always been rooted in the social, the apolitical, the relatively low-commitment philanthropic. The Grand Exalted Ruler of an Elks lodge can hold office for only a single year; as a result, there are no ruling dynasties, and young and new members aren't just encouraged to take control, but also essential to yearly operations. In many ways, the lodges are ciphers: event spaces malleable to the shifting civic and psychological needs of their members, instead of dictating them.
That malleability can also be disastrous, especially when new members don't join the Elks so much as attempt to wholly make it in their image. In the early 2000s, the Elks lodge in Austin enjoyed a membership surge after a woman tried to sneak into the pool. A member discovered her, but, instead of kicking her out, brought her to the bar. Afterward, she brought her friends, and the lodge began to expand exponentially.
Those new members — composed of stockbrokers, tech workers, and other monied hipsters filling Austin in the mid-2000s — had a different idea of what the Elks could be: They wanted to eliminate the semi-alienating names for elected leaders, forbid smoking in the bar, and host functions like the one, in the mid-2000s, where Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra judged a bikini contest. Yet in 2011, the Grand Exalted Ruler was dismissed for "improper conduct," which she alleged was part of a larger plot on the part of older, male members to remove her and other female leaders from power. Two years later, the Elks revoked Austin's charter due to "lack of dedication, lack of interest, lack of knowledge of Annotated Statutes, and lack of respect for duly constituted authority." Today, the once-new members have regrouped as The High Road, a nonprofit with a waiting list, access to the pool, and none of the hassle — or legacy — or an entrenched organization.
In Ballard, the age span is part of the lodge's allure. Sometimes, there's light friction — Lois Morgensen, the lodge's secretary, finds herself annoyed with some of the aspects of growth ("All these people trying to get their spousal cards," she told me, "and their last names are different!"). Old-timers who've been coming to the bar for decades feared that new events, like the monthly karaoke night, would make things too loud, too different. "But then they see what happens, and they say, 'Wow, that was wonderful,'" Anne told me. "So we just have to keep showing them success."
Recipients of the Ballard Elks Scholarship Fund.
"I'm about as Seattle as you can get," Ariel Nilsen tells me later that week between rolls of "the dice game," a lodge tradition in which members pay a dollar for three rolls of the dice. If you get a Yahtzee, you win the accumulated pot and buy the rest of the bar drinks. "My family owns one of the shops on the lower level of Pike Place Market," she says, "and I spent my entire childhood running around there." Like many Ballard Elks, she's a "liveaboard" — as in, she and her boyfriend, who's also an Elk, live on their boat, docked just down the road at Shilshole Marina. "I kept coming here with dudes, but finally I said, 'You know what, screw the dudes, I'm gonna join. I don't half-ass anything.'"
Which is why, within a month of initiating, Ariel found herself accepting a nomination to be a trustee. The position entails making critical decisions about the day-to-day operations of the lodge and the yearly budget — and, like the rest of the trustees and inner council, wearing a tuxedo to the monthly meetings. ("It's so unflattering!")
Raffle tickets and drinks at Ballard Elks Club.
"You hear about the Seattle Freeze," she says, "and it is alive and well. But this place bucks that trend. I've only been a member for three months, and I've met so many people. Dockmasters, fishermen, liveaboards, all of us odd ducks. But what I love about this place is you leave what you do at the door. People don't come in to talk shop or rub elbows. And in a town where that's no longer the case in a lot of ways, it feels really freeing."
That's precisely what drew Lauren Zuniga, a reedy 26-year-old who moved to Seattle from rural Kansas when her boyfriend got a job in tech. "I work from home in data entry and had a really hard time meeting people," she told me on another 80-degree afternoon. "I was that freak talking to people at the gym and the grocery store, just trying to start conversation." One day, she saw a flyer looking for Girl Scout leaders, and she was swiftly assigned to the brand-new troop that meets at the Elks. Within months, she'd joined the Elks as well.
Zuniga scrolls through photos on her phone, showing pictures of the girls, who span first through sixth grades, working diligently on various badge projects. "I asked the other leaders, do I need anything covered, like my tattoos or anything? And they said no way — just don't cuss in front of the girls, and don't drink before the meetings."
One of those leaders, Liz King, pops into the bar and gives Zuniga a hug. She's just there to pick up supplies for the massive lasagna dinner the troop's hosting at the lodge that weekend (sold out at 200, raising $4,400 for the Scouts, 10% of which went to the Elks). "Making lasagna for 150 is totally normal for me," she deadpans. "I'm Spanish and Italian; I have 38 first cousins — 200 will be nothing." Zuniga asks King if she's had the time to look at her résumé, which she's promised to pass along to a colleague at the University of Washington. "I have some edits for you, — I'll send you an email," she replies, rushing out the door to make a literal mile of lasagna noodles from scratch.
The bartender pulls a bag of popcorn from the microwave and pours it into a bowl for everyone at the bar to share. "I just love Ballard," Zuniga sighs. "I've only been yelled at to 'go home, gentrifiers' once! And here at the Elks, I don't ever have to worry about my drink being spiked, or my purse being stolen, or guys harassing me."
A man one seat down, silent our entire conversation, speaks up, his eyes still focused on the Mariners game in front of him: "And if you ever do have problems, you know, you can count on us."
Secretary Lois Morgensen at the Ballard Elks Club.
"If we were a mafia organization," one member tells me, "then Lois would be the boss." When I first meet her, she's wearing a two-piece jean outfit with nautical embroidery and matching jewelry. She's come out to the deck to remind Ben Braden that he's got 10 minutes until the house council meeting. "Turning 90 again?" Ben teases. "No! 29 backwards!" she snaps back, an iron trap.
"Last year, we were going to do this party for her birthday," he explains. "And she said, 'I don't want anyone to know it's my birthday.' So we put up these signs that said, 'Celebrate Lois,' and people came in and said, 'Oh my god, did Lois pass away?' But no, she was alive."
"Very much so!" Lois interjects. "We had my party down here last Saturday night, and one of the gals, she had those things that you put on your titties and twirl around, and she glued them right on her sweatshirt!"
Lois has served as the secretary of the Ballard Elks "for more than 100 years," managing membership rolls, dues, and correspondence. As recently as four years ago, announcements were made through a clipboard in the lobby; today, it's all email and Facebook, both of which Lois has mastered. ("Let's just say she knows how to use caps lock," another member told me.)
Memorbilia at the Ballard Elks Club.
In many ways, Lois is the go-to historian for the Elks: She's been attending functions since the 1960s, when they were in their old building, and joined the Emblem Club, a still-vibrant auxiliary organization for spouses of Elks members that developed during World War I. Lois describes the lodge in the '60s as "kind of weird." "The women couldn't come in the bar, which was up on the second floor," she says. "'The stag bar,' they called it. Women weren't even allowed to put a toe in that place."
There are pictures of a younger Lois in the back of the club, the same firecracker look in her eye as she has today. "I didn't join until the '90s. I'd been widowed twice, but the gentleman I was going with at the time, he got me to join." Women had been lobbying for entrance for years, but it wasn't until 1996, when the Elks had already spent over $1.25 million litigating suits brought by women around the country, that the national organization voted to allow them entrance. Back then, a self-professed "old school" member of the Ballard Elks complained about the "eager-beaver" women agitating for membership: "When they're twisting your arm," he told the Seattle Times, "I'm sure it's going to pass."
Today, any hint of that resentment or reticence is gone — or at least undetectable — and the Elks has become Lois's second home. Nearly every night, she drives the 10 minutes from her home in North Ballard and drinks MacNaughton and water out of a pink beer mug that everyone knows as hers. On her birthday, she received over 200 Facebook messages — the vast majority of which came from men and women at least a third of her age.
Nestor Tamayao, Loyal Knight
Ariel Nilsen, 4 Year Trustee
Ben Braden, Leading Knight
Portraits of officers of the Ballard Elks on the monthly initiation day. May 24, 2016.
There's a similar cult of personality around Nestor Tamayao, a retired Army communications officer who, along with his brother, Felix, joined the Elks in 2012. Today, Nestor, 65, serves as the Esteemed Loyal Knight, a sort of vice president to the club's Grand Exalted Ruler. The brothers moved to the States in the 1950s when their father, who'd survived the Bataan Death March in the Philippines, chose to retire to Seattle after his own career in the military.
"So many changes since then," Nestor told me over lunch at Ray's Boathouse, the fancy seafood restaurant next door to the Elks, whose cocktails cost three times as much. "When my family lived in Wallingford, we were the only Asian family in the entire neighborhood." Since then, the demographics of Seattle, like the Elks themselves, have been slow to shift. "You know, the Elks wasn't open to people of color," he tells me. "It wasn't until the '70s that they allowed male minorities to join. Today, there aren't barriers like that." As late as 1989, there was only one black member at the three Seattle lodges; today, lodges do not collect statistics about the racial makeup of their members, but a normal night more or less mirrors the makeup of Seattle: around 68% white, 14% Asian, 7% Latino or Hispanic, 8% black, and 3% biracial or other races.
Nestor and his wife moved to Ballard decades ago, buying a home that they'd never be able to afford today. He's watched as the Ballard VFW, where he's also a member, has declined — and fielded multiple all-cash offers for its slowly dilapidating building, situated in prime Old Ballard real estate.
It's like home, in a time when that notion is very much in flux.
But he loves what's happened at the Elks. "The youngsters, as I call them, they keep me young," he says, his tone metered and deliberate. "They don't look at me as some old fogy. One member couldn't believe that I was older than his father." He laughs, slaps the table. "I don't want to sit in a rocking chair. This is a new chapter in my life."
Organizations like the Elks span age groups, political orientations, sexual identities, classes, and, increasingly, race; in so doing, they foment "bridging" social capital — that is, connections with people who are not necessarily like you. In this way, the 21st-century version of the fraternal order — whose existence once hinged on insularity and exclusion — is making its members more empathetic. As multiple studies have shown, the more you drink and eat and do philanthropy work and live with people unlike you, the more likely you are to treat them as people, whether in your voting patterns, public speech, or willingness to help them in a time of crisis.
The renaissance of the Ballard Elks suggests, however quietly, that wide-scale civic engagement — and the bridging social capital and empathy that accompanies it — is returning. As Putnam argues, the history of civic engagement is not simply one of decline: "It's a story," he writes, "of collapse and of renewal." The Elks, and organizations like them, are attractive not when they become "cool," but when their absence starts to reveal itself as a lack — as something like sorrow. What the Elks provides varies from person to person, but the overarching gift remains the same: It's like home, in a time when that notion is very much in flux.
Portrait of the Elks bar while the steak Initiation dinner plays out in the room next door.
"Go talk to that woman over there in the pink fleece," Anne says, half under her breath. "She told me this day is a dream come true for her." A week after new member orientation, it's initiation night, and the steaks, served to every new member, are on the grill. The woman in the fleece just biked over from her job at the University of Washington, where she heads up Title IX compliance, specifically with sexual assault and violence. She grew up in Ohio; her grandfather was an Elk. "I believe in the Elks mission, and I believe in the community. So when I moved to Seattle, I asked myself, 'How do I capture that same community?'"
"In my job, I'm in a world of 'How do you make big global change,'" she continues. "Whereas here, it's 'How can I give to a food bank, or contribute a toiletry kit for the homeless.' This feels like something I can wrap my arms around."
Outside in the lobby, Lois and Brad are checking steak tickets. "We just got PayPal," Brad announces, "so we've officially joined the '90s!" He's joking, but the adoption of digital technologies — like the ability to pay dues online instead of writing a check (which, until very recently, was the only way to keep your membership active), and an active Facebook page, and the app — has been crucial in expanding the Elks' reach. The more robust the Facebook page, the rule seems to go, the healthier the IRL lodge.
Jake and John joke during the steak initiation dinner.
The initiation dinner is a mix of new, recent, and longtime members, sitting eight to a table, with thin paper placemats emblazoned with a proud and fully racked elks. The steak's especially good this week, according to Lois, because Felix is using a demi-glace. "I'm going back to the kitchen to get a piece of foil for my leftovers," she tells me, "and I'm gonna tell Felix that was the worst damn steak."
The head of scholarship, Karl Johan Uri, made a béarnaise sauce at home, and a small Tupperware of it is circulating at a corner table, where Ellen, in her early thirties, waits for her husband to arrive. "Isn't this fun?" she asks no one in particular. "This is so fun." Beside them, there's a clean-cut guy in the Seattle-standard rolled-up Oxford who, after some questioning, admits he works for Amazon. "But I'm not a transplant!" he says. "I've been here 10 years!"
Across the table, John — somewhere in his forties, with a sprawling smile — brings up his initiation, back in 2012. "The guy who did the interview, Bronco, he told us, 'Do not join anything. Go to events, see what we do, and find one that appeals to you — or create one. We're getting a lot of new blood, but we have to sustain it.'" John and his partner, Jake, chose bingo, helping run the Memorial Day events and eating monthly steak.
Jake has the round Norwegian face you see all over Ballard, and he first joined the Elks "a lifetime ago." When he moved to Alaska, he became an "Elk in Bad Standing," but when he started attending bingo with John, he paid a simple $25 fee and returned to the fold. The couple recently sold their sprawling home in the suburbs and downsized to a condo on the waterfront, where they walk to work and compete for the most steps on their Fitbits.
Before initiation starts and I'm ushered from the room, Jake asks, in a slightly tremulous voice, whether, during my two weeks with the Elks, I'd been able to stay past 11 p.m. "That's when we remember all our forgotten brothers and sisters," he said. "Any Elks club in the world, when the clock strikes 11, we recite the toast."
The toast is ostensibly about the Elks, but it also ritualizes the broad and primal hunger to know that your presence has been, in some way, indelible — a dream that "joining," and its attendant commitment, of labor, of capital, of care, guarantees. You can watch dozens of versions of it on YouTube, in various degrees of formality and intoxication, the words sticky in throats and scratchy on old gramophones. It's been modified slightly over the years, but has remained substantively the same since the late 19th century, arriving, after a slightly weepy preamble, at its real heart:
"It is the golden hour of recollection, the homecoming of those who wander, the mystic roll call of those who will come no more. Living or dead, an Elk is never forgotten, never forsaken." •
May. 31, 2016, at 15:52 PM
Liz Mozzarella is the Girl Scout leader who picked up supplies for the lasagna dinner. An earlier version of this story misstated her last name.
The actors referred to in a quote regarding the origins of the Elks formed a private club after they wanted to drink on Sundays and it wasn't allowed. An earlier version of this story misstated that fact.
A name in this story has been changed to reflect the subject's preference.


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Dodgers vs Nationals Predictions
Dodgers vs Nationals Pick: Over 7.5 runs
The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers will face off in a battle of two of the best teams in the entire league. While the Nationals might not have the same reputation as they have in previous years, they still have some elite superstars and they're going to put pressure on this Dodgers team.
We are here to bring you the best Nationals vs Dodgers predictions out there, so make sure you check them out. Let's dive into how this game will go down and who will end up victorious.
Washington Nationals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Pick
Pick: Over 7.5 runs
This game will take place at 4:10 PM ET in Dodgers Stadium on Sunday, April 10th
Why bet the Over 7.5 runs?
📣 WAS – Max Scherzer (R) vs. LAD – Clayton Kershaw (L)
✅ Before you put me on a cross, I still think these are two of the best pitchers in the world. With that being said, there is no denying both are past their prime, no matter how sad and depressing that might be. This 7.5 number is coming on the name factor alone, and it would be 8.5 if we were accurately looking at their numbers. Both Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw have the upside to throw a CGSO, but I don't trust either to be in top form early in the season against a dangerous lineup.
✅ In the shortened 2020 season, Scherzer didn't look like the same guy we've become accustomed to. He gave up a .366 wOBA to lefties and gave up 10 homers in just over 60 innings of work. The Dodgers have some dangerous bats from both sides of the plate and I expect at least a couple of home runs from their side. Scherzer gave up four earned runs to the Braves and lasted six innings in the opener. With Cody Bellinger still out, look for Corey Seager and Max Muncy to do some damage from the left side.
✅ Entering his 14th season in the MLB, Kershaw remains one of the more polarizing pitchers in baseball. After a tough start to open the season in Coors Field (forgivable), he responded with seven strong innings against the A's, allowing just one run and striking out eight. Against the Nationals, Kershaw will have some tough bats to avoid. Ryan Zimmerman, Juan Soto, Trea Turner, and Victor Robles are all lethal against left-handed pitching. While I think Kershaw has a better game than Scherzer, I still see the Nats putting up a few runs here.
✅ Over is 10-0-1 in Nationals last 11 road games vs. a left-handed starter.
✅ Over is 4-1 in Dodgers last 5 home games with the total set at 7.5 or lower.
General Info about Los Angeles Dodgers vs Washington Nationals
Where do the Los Angeles Dodgers play their home games?
The Dodgers play their home games in Dodger Stadium.
Where do the Washington Nationals play their home games?
The Nationals play their home games in Nationals Park.
Where can you watch the Nationals vs Dodgers?
You can watch this game nationally on MLB.TV or a paid streaming site.
Where can you bet on Dodgers vs Nationals?
Check out the Best Betting Sites for 2021 to get the best odds and betting options on this game.
Nationals vs Dodgers Predictions
The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers have an illustrious history dating back to the Nationals birth in 1969. They've since played over 480 games with the Dodgers comfortably leading the series. They've almost met in the playoffs 15 times, and the Dodgers have won eight of those games.
With that being said, none of that matters when these two teams take the field. This is a game that either team can win and we are here to bring you the best predictions possible. You can expect Nationals vs Dodgers predictions for not only the run line, but moneyline and over/under as well.
Dodgers vs Nationals Run Line Predictions
Wagering the run line is a bet unique to baseball, so don't worry if you don't recognize it at first look. Opposed to the moneyline, the run line allows sportsbooks to add a bit of a spread to the game. The spread is almost always (-1.5) to the favorite and (+1.5) to the underdog.
For example, let's say the Dodgers are big favorites in this game. In an attempt to lower the odds, the Dodgers will be given a (-1.5) line and must win by two or more runs to win the bet. On the other hand, the Nationals (+1.5) would be allowed to either win the game outright or lose by a single run.
The run line is a wager that deserves attention when one team is a big favorite or you like the game to be a blowout. We will have you covered above with the best Dodgers vs Nationals run line predictions out there.
Washington Nationals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Over/Under Betting
Betting on a team to win or win by a certain amount of runs isn't the only way to wager on MLB games. You can also elect to bet on the total amount of runs scored, call the over/under. This involves betting whether the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers will combine for more or less than a certain amount of runs.
Let's go ahead and say the over/under is set to 8.5 runs for the Dodgers vs Nationals. A wager on the over would call for nine or more runs scored while a bet on the under would require eight or fewer total runs. While this can seem like a tricky wager, it's the reason you are here in the first place.
Betting the over/under is the second-most popular way to wager on MLB games as you're able to get even money on both the over and under. Make sure to check out the Washington Nationals vs Los Angeles Dodgers over/under betting predictions above.
Dodgers vs Nationals Moneyline Predictions
If you have bet on any other sports, you are likely familiar with the moneyline wager. It allows you to ignore both the over/under and run line, forcing you to pick which team will outright win the game. While this can seem easy, sportsbooks make sure to get their juice somewhere. That means you must make sure there is value on your bet as the moneyline can be a way to lose a lot of your bankroll.
The favorite will have a (-) next to their name and that number will tell you how much must be put down to win $100 back on a winning wager. The underdog will have a (+) next to theirs and it will indicate how much would be won on a successful $100 bet. This can sometimes be the most popular wager to make when the odds are close.
Dodgers vs Nationals Odds
Odds in the MLB don't bounce around as much as other sports, but they certainly still do. That means we must keep our eye on the pulse and be ready to react with quickness. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled here as we will let you know which side of the Dodgers vs Nationals game to be on.
This is going to be close game from start to finish and you will want to be on the right side of things when all is said and done. Make sure to check out the Dodgers vs Nationals odds and predictions above for not only the run line, but over/under and moneyline as well.
Live Streaming Dodgers vs Nationals
The United States doesn't currently offer any live streaming options when it comes to the MLB and sportsbooks. With that being said, it's only a matter of time until things switch up as the legal landscape of sports betting in the states is under constant progress. We will be the first ones to let you know when things change.
For now, you have a couple of different options for live streaming Dodgers vs Nationals. The easiest of which is subscribing to MLB.TV, which will give you access to every game across the league. You can also sign up for a paid streaming site, which will let you watch more than just the baseball games. The best of which include YoutubeTV, Hulu, and FuboTV.
Jake Williams
Jake Williams is a sports gambling expert. He's been writing in the sports betting and DFS industry for over a decade. He specializes in MLB and NBA, along with College Basketball and College Football.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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BossUtils
=========

Utility classes and tools I normally use in my projects, regardless of whether it is software or a game

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Eyeball NAT Traversal Solution to be used in CableLabs PacketCable™ Application Lab
10 years ago	0 1735
Vancouver, November 10th, 2008:
Eyeball Networks, a leading developer of VoIP, NGN, and IMS software, provides servers and endpoints for STUN (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT), TURN (Traversal Using Relays around NAT), and ICE (Interactive Connectivity Establishment) to CableLabs�' Packetcable™ Application Lab. Eyeball's AnyFirewall Server and Engine will be used for performance and compliance testing of VoIP NAT-traversal based on PacketCable 2.0 specification.
"Cable MSOs lead the residential VoIP market in North America with aggregate market share of more than 70%, and CableLabs plays a key role in this success by developing common industry specifications and facilitating demonstration and interoperability tests," said Dr. Shahadat Khan, CTO of Eyeball Networks. "We are looking forward to working with cable MSOs and third-party VoIP solution vendors in the PacketCable Application Lab to guarantee 100% completion of VoIP calls through NATs and firewalls."
NAT traversal is critical to the success of VoIP, and CableLabs has been the pioneer in adopting IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) STUN, TURN and ICE technologies in the PacketCable 2.0 specification to enable this. Eyeball AnyFirewall Server is a scalable, carrier-grade STUN and TURN server ready for mass deployment. Eyeball AnyFirewall Engine is the industry's leading NAT traversal Software Development Kit (SDK) for guaranteed VoIP and video call completion across NATs, firewalls, and web-proxies. Together these two products provide a comprehensive and standards-based NAT traversal solution that can be readily deployed by cable MSOs and other VoIP service providers.
About CableLabs PacketCable Project The PacketCable project is a CableLabs-led initiative to develop interoperable interface specifications for delivering advanced, real-time multimedia services over two-way cable plant. Built on top of the industry's highly successful DOCSIS� cable modem infrastructure (version 1.1 or greater), PacketCable networks use Internet protocol (IP) technology to enable a wide range of multimedia services, such as IP telephony, multimedia conferencing, interactive gaming, and general multimedia applications. Working with CableLabs member companies and technology suppliers, the PacketCable project addresses issues such as device interoperability and product compliance with the PacketCable specifications.
About Eyeball Networks
Eyeball Networks is a pioneer and world leader in VoIP and NAT traversal software enabling service providers, application developers, and device makers to deliver carrier-grade communications solutions in a cost-effective and timely manner. Today, over 19 million users and over 100 service providers and device makers benefit from Eyeball's innovations, including its patented AnyBandwidth™, AnyFirewall™, and AntiSPIT™ technologies guaranteeing the best possible VoIP and video experience – over any Internet connection, across any NAT or firewall, and on any device. For more information, please visit www.eyeball.com or email sales@eyeball.com.
Brian Ellis
100 Park Royal,
Suite 500 West Vancouver, BC
V7T1A2
press@eyeball.com
All names and trademarks are copyright of their respective holders.


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Il Cantone di Montluçon-Sud era una divisione amministrativa dellarrondissement di Montluçon.

A seguito della riforma approvata con decreto del 27 febbraio 2014, che ha avuto attuazione dopo le elezioni dipartimentali del 2015, è stato soppresso.

Composizione
Comprendeva parte della città di Montluçon e 4 comuni:
 Lavault-Sainte-Anne
 Lignerolles
 Néris-les-Bains
 Teillet-Argenty

Note

Collegamenti esterni

Montluçon-Sud

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The STP is an extremely popular, economical alternative for an electric-powered hot water pressure washer. While compact in size, the STP provides rental rugged protection with Sharks unique heavy-duty roll cage made of 1-1/4-inch steel and painted with an epoxy powder coat finish. It provides cleaning power of up to 2000 PSI and feature a premier Legacy pump, an industrial-grade Baldor motor and high-efficiency 12V DC burner.


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CIT Engineer Looks to Get Systems Talking
by colin 0 Comments
Electronic engineer Dr Susan Rea is part of a team that is bringing researchers and control systems together at the Nimbus Centre in Cork Institute of Technology.
Sometimes simple ideas can stand to make a difference. What if data centres could balance energy loads smartly across servers? What if they could use energy from renewable sources? And what if you could put the excess heat generated by the data centre servers to good use?
It sounds easy, but the challenge can lie in getting the various elements to talk to each other, and electronic engineer Dr Susan Rea is on the case. Based at Cork Institute of Technology, she is working as part of an EU project team that aims to bring various researchers and the systems they work on together.
Managing data centre energy
One of the team's current missions is to get energy, cooling and computing systems to work in better harmony in data centres, which can hog power and emit large amounts of waste heat. The EU-funded GENiC (Globally Optimised Energy Efficient Data Centres) project, which is led by CIT, is looking to integrate these elements more efficiently.
"In a data centre, typically the thermal management – the cooling – and the IT load management are managed separately," explains Rea, a project manager at Nimbus Centre for Embedded Systems Research at CIT. "Traditionally, their management would involve very different skill sets and be separate businesses."
GENiC, which is funded under the FP7 programme, involves numerous partners, including University College Cork, United Technologies Research Center in Cork, IBM Research Labs Zurich, ATOS and Acciona from Spain.
Balance the load
One focus is to balance the computing load on the servers, so that a small number of servers can run at full tilt rather than having all the servers active at a lower capacity, explains Rea. This would also mean being able to direct the cooling to the area of the data centre that needs it.
And, speaking of heat, data centres can produce a lot of it as excess or waste heat, she adds. "Even with your laptop, you know the amount of heat that will produce. So if you have a data centre chugging away then it is going to produce a significant amount of heat, and we are looking to recover that, to capture waste heat that could then be used perhaps to heat adjacent spaces, such as offices or swimming pools, for example."
Project partner Acciona is also looking to tilt the balance towards renewable energy as a source of power for data centres. "They are trying to see what capacity from renewables you could deliver into the data centre in terms of its power requirement," explains Rea.
As the three-year GENiC project develops its solutions, the researchers will put their management framework and software to the test at an experimental data centre in CIT, which offers something of a sandpit to see how the new approaches run in practice.
"We will be trialling the thermal and IT load management solutions, and we will simulate the renewable energy aspect," says Rea. "And ultimately we hope to have a model that companies can apply to be greener and to save money."
Encouraging talk
It's not just data centres that can benefit from systems talking to each other more openly. Rea is also involved in developing better wireless embedded communications systems and she works on the SCUBA project, which seeks to integrate building automation systems.
"Again we are working with systems that traditionally would have been managed separately and trying to get them to 'talk' to each other," she explains. "You want to look at managing the control, the heating, the lighting, in order to save energy. For example, there's no point in having the lights or heating on in a part of the building when no one is actually there. So we want to put a framework around these systems that allows them to communicate and then use that information to make a decision based on all of the systems rather than individually."
Rea trained as an electronic engineer in CIT, where she did her undergraduate and PhD, but much of her day-to-day work now involves project management, and she has learned new skills along the way.
"There's a lot of administration and financial management, and that combined with the diversity of the projects themselves means you are continually learning," she says. "You develop new skills, and the nice thing about being in Nimbus and working with the team there (led by Dr Dirk Pesch, who heads the Nimbus Centre and leads GENiC and SCUBA) is that you are given the time and the opportunity to develop into these types of roles."
Be pro-active
Becoming an engineer was something of an unusual step for a girl when Rea was in school, she recalls, and she has worked with transition-year students to encourage them to be aware of the opportunities that engineering offers.
"Sometimes if students like maths they may feel they have to study pure maths at college, but any of the engineering courses will challenge you from a mathematical perspective," she says. "And I always encourage school students to pull out the college prospectus, check out the options on the internet, visit the open days. Most of the colleges are very happy to engage with students, even on a one-to-one basis. Be pro-active – when you are 16 or 17 even if you don't know what you want to do, have a look at them all."
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Espion Awarded €1.3 Million in EU R&D Funding to Innovate in Security Research 0
The best of Irish technology to be awarded tonight at the Irish Software Awards 2015
Blue skies research funding launched
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CD album "Audrey"
"I would like to see Audrey Hepburn come walking through the woods." These were the words of film maker Gijon Mili, talking to the members of the Dave Brubeck Quartet in the mid 1950s, while he shot one of the first short films of jazz in the Columbia studios in New York City. "Gee", said Paul wistfully, "so would I".
audio CD with booklet
Today, 60 years later, the award winning Quartet "pure desmond" of the four musicians Lorenz Hargassner, Johann Weiß, Christian Flohr and Sebastian Deufel present the story that could have happened if Hepburn had really been just walking by at that time on the new album "Audrey". Desmond's own composition "Audrey", a musical gem of the composer of "Take Five" is also included in the intimate fragile interpretation of the cool jazz ensemble from Germany.
"A fine, chamber-music-like aesthetic: transparent, comprehensible, linear, emotionally controlled and laid back to total relaxation" - that's what the members of the jury of the German Critics Award stated about the sound of pure desmond. Out of the musical collaboration during lots of dense concert nights and intensive sessions emerged original compositions that deal with this story of Paul Desmond and Audrey Hepburn. That way the musicians break new ground – and that's what makes them the real heirs of the jazz pioneers around Brubeck.


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If Tomorrow Comes
Book 2 of the Yesterday's Kin Trilogy
Yesterday's Kin Trilogy (Volume 2)
B&N NOOK
Nancy Kress returns with If Tomorrow Comes, the sequel of Tomorrow's Kin, part of an all-new hard science fiction trilogy based on a Nebula Award-winning novella
2019 Locus Finalist for Best Science Fiction Novel
Locus 2018 Recommended Reading List
iO9--28 New SFF Books Worth Checking out in March 2018
Kirkus--18 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in March 2018
Unbound Worlds--Best SFF Books of March 2018
The Verge-- 15 new science fiction and fantasy books to read this March 2018
Ten years after the Aliens left Earth, humanity succeeds in building a ship, Friendship, to follow them home to Kindred. Aboard are a crew of scientists, diplomats, and a squad of Rangers to protect them. But when the Friendship arrives, they find nothing they expected. No interplanetary culture, no industrial base—and no cure for the spore disease.
A timeslip in the apparently instantaneous travel between worlds has occurred and far more than ten years have passed.
Once again scientists find themselves in a race against time to save humanity and their kind from a deadly virus while a clock of a different sort runs down on a military solution no less deadly to all. Amid devastation and plague come stories of heroism and sacrifice and of genetic destiny and free choice, with its implicit promise of conscious change.
The Yesterday's Kin Trilogy
Tomorrow's Kin
Locus Awards - Nominee
"I'm here," Leo Brodie said, slinging his regulation duffel onto the bunk and following it with his rifle, ammo, and dope log. "Christ on a cracker, I'm really here!"
He didn't expect an answer; the five-by-seven...
Praise for If Tomorrow Comes
"If Tomorrow Comes combines the struggles to solve material problems with a familiar Kressian treatment of encounter . . . along with a sharp eye for the internal politics and procedures ."—Locus
"Offers fans of first-contact fiction a solid, strongly paced story."—Library Journal
"Fans of the classic science fiction stories by Asimov, Bradbury, and Clarke will find a lot to like in this series."—SF Revu
"An exciting read."—Book Loons
"If you haven't yet started this series . . . I strongly suggest you pick it up!"—Milliebot Reads
Praise for Yesterday's Kin
"Everything readers need for an immersive plunge into a frightening, fascinating and inescapable predicament." —Seattle Times
"One of the strongest stories of the year to date. . . . A compelling and conflict-driven human story, a clever twist partway through, and an even cleverer twist at the end." —Gardner Dozois, editor of The Year's Best Science Fiction series, on Yesterday's Kin
"Kress has proven that she can pack a huge amount of story into a small container." —Library Journal on Yesterday's Kin
Praise for Tomorrow's Kin
"Nancy Kress at her very best!"— Greg Bear, New York Times bestselling author, on Tomorrow's Kin
"Tomorrow's Kin shows Nancy Kress at her masterful peak." —David Brin, author of Existence
- … More…
Nancy Kress is the author of thirty-three books, including twenty-six novels, four collections of short stories, and three books on writing. Her work has won six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Kress's work has been translated into two dozen languages, including Klingon, none of which she can read. Kress lives in Seattle with her husband, writer Jack Skillingstead, and Cosette, the world's most spoiled toy poodle.
Liza Trombi


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Tom Scott '66
Pursuing picture-perfect sound.
Julie Barr archive page
When the 1983 film The Right Stuff won the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Sound, Tom Scott accepted his statuette on stage as part of the sound team. The following year, his work on Amadeus won him a second Oscar.
Yet the film industry is not where Scott expected to work. After earning a degree in civil engineering, he spent two years doing community planning in a small city in Venezuela with the Peace Corps. Then, in Los Angeles, he trained the next Peace Corps group bound for Venezuela.
This story was part of our March 2016 issue
With a background as an amateur musician, he landed his first job in sound nearby at a small independent recording studio; he built music recording facilities and traveled the globe recording bands on tour. And then he landed a gig working with cinema sound systems for Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film Apocalypse Now.
Tom Scott
"It was like a concentrated postgraduate course," says Scott. "I learned about movie sound recording and mixing, and I even got a credit in the movie. I was hooked!"
And he loved the collaborative nature of films. "Working in a studio with a band or going out on location to make a recording, it's usually a fairly small group of people," says Scott. "Working on a film is a much larger effort. You might be operating the big sound-mixing board with three or four other engineers and, often, the director, producers, and editors."
As rewarding as the work was, he wanted to move his career forward. After "two home runs in a row," he thought, "Maybe I should ask, 'What's next?'"
Scott spent the next seven years as director of engineering for George Lucas's Skywalker Sound. At Skywalker, a new technology caught his eye, and he and several Lucasfilm colleagues decided to pursue it through their own company, Entertainment Digital Network (EDnet).
EDnet allows long-distance audio recording over special high-fidelity connections. "Voice and music artists can provide their talents to producers and projects all over the world instantly, saving travel expense, stress, and fuel," he says.
Recently Scott relocated from California to Cape Cod with his wife, Kadi. He is still involved with EDnet, and he has won the Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal Award from the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers.
Scott is on the committee for his 50th MIT reunion in June and looks forward to squeezing back into a shell in the Reunion Row crew race, as he has for the past few reunions.
Julie Barr


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Objective To evaluate the efficacy and relative adverse effects of tricyclic
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and relative adverse effects of tricyclic antidepressants in the treatment of migraine, tension-type, and combined headaches. 50% than either placebo (tension-type: relative risk 1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1 1.89; migraine: 1.80, 1.24 to 2.62) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (1.73, 1.34 to 2.22 and 1.72, 1.15 to 2.55). Tricyclics were more likely to cause adverse effects than placebo (1.53, 95% confidence interval 1.11 to 2.12) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (2.22, 1.52 to 3.32), including dry mouth (P<0.0005 for both), drowsiness (P<0.0005 for both), and weight 371242-69-2 IC50 gain (P<0.001 for both), but did not increase dropout rates (placebo: 1.22, 0.83 to 1 1.80, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: 1.16, 0.81 to 2.97). Conclusions Tricyclic antidepressants are effective in avoiding migraine and tension-type headaches and are more effective 371242-69-2 IC50 than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, although with higher adverse effects. The effectiveness of tricyclics seems to increase over time. Intro Headaches are common and cause stress and disability. The prevalence of migraine headaches ranges between 8.4% and 18% worldwide.1 2 Tension-type headaches are even more common, occurring in 16-30% of people worldwide, with 3% having headaches for more than 180 days annually.2 Migraine headaches alone cost the United States $1bn (0.64bn; 0.75bn) in medical costs and $13bn in lost productivity annually.3 Tricyclic antidepressants were 1st shown to be effective in avoiding headaches in 19644 and have become a standard modality in headache prevention.5 Based on current standards for preventive treatment in the United States, 43% of males and 34% of females who are candidates for such treatment are not receiving it.6 This may result from insufficient understanding of the magnitude of beneficial effects, an overestimation of adverse effects, or the presumption that effectiveness is only confined to migraine headaches. In a earlier meta-analysis of antidepressants for headaches, we found that antidepressants were effective in avoiding headaches, equally for tension-type headaches and migraine headaches. 7 This meta-analysis was limited by the relatively small number of available studies at the time. To increase on our earlier systematic evaluate we assessed the effectiveness and tolerability of tricyclics in reducing the headache burden among adults with migraine or tension-type headache. We also compared tricyclics with additional treatment modalities to assess whether the effectiveness of tricyclics varies by type of headache, dose, and period of treatment. Methods This statement closely adheres to the PRISMA method for reporting on systematic evaluations. We looked, without language restrictions, Medline (1966-March 2010) and Embase (1974-March 2010) using the search strategy (antidepressive providers, tricyclic OR antidepressive$ OR tricyclic$ OR amitriptyline OR amoxapine OR clomipramine OR desipramine OR dibenzepin OR dothiepin OR doxepin OR imipramine OR lofepramine OR nortriptyline OR opipramol OR protriptyline OR trimipramine) AND (headache or headache disorders or headache$ OR migrain$ OR pressure$ OR cephalgi$ OR cephalalgi$). We also looked CRISP and FEDRIP databases for unpublished literature. In addition we looked the Cochrane Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care Tests Register; the Cochrane Central 371242-69-2 IC50 Register of Controlled Tests; PsycLIT (1974-2002); and PsycINFO (1974-March 2010), and carried out a review of the bibliographies of all 371242-69-2 IC50 articles retrieved. The last search day was 25 March 2010. The search was supplemented by searches carried out by medical librarians at our institution as well as the Cochrane medical study group. We included published, randomised medical trials that evaluated the effectiveness of tricyclic antidepressants in reducing the rate of recurrence or severity of migraine or tension-type headaches. Treatment groups were required to receive a tricyclic regularly at any dosing routine as a single treatment for at least four weeks. Tricyclics could not become combined with additional medicines with possible prophylactic benefit or effect augmentation. Comparison organizations could receive placebo or perhaps a specified alternative drug or non-drug treatment. Additional inclusion criteria required studies to include only adults (>18 years) with migraine or tension-type headache (frequent episodic or chronic) that could reasonably be defined on the basis of diagnostic criteria explained in 1988 RGS1 from the International Headache Society8 or earlier.9 10 We excluded secondary headaches, such as those related to drug overuse, concussion, or lumbar puncture. Because the classification of headache has changed over time, two authors individually examined each included content articles definition of headache and, where possible, classified it according to the most recent criteria of the International Headache Society.8 Study selection and data abstraction We selected articles for inclusion in two phases. In the 1st stage two experts (PGOM, KJD) individually reviewed titles and abstracts to select full text content articles.
371242-69-2 IC50, RGS1
« Three new fungal species of the genus proven the best intensity
Objective To analyze gender differences in QOL of patients presenting at »


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Video game number eighty eight: Iron Man
Video game review number eighty eight in my 365 Games in 365 Days project is "Iron Man".
I decided to start off my Saturday with a couple of Marvel games. The first one I picked was Iron Man, because, well...I really liked the movie.
This game doesn't exactly follow the story of the movie. Instead, they went with adding a bunch of twists that make it more video game friendly. You do a lot more battling in the suit, which I suppose is why most people bought the video game. Of course, if you're going to fight in the suit, it ought to be fun . Personally, I wasn't a fan of the controls in this one. The weapons are powerful, but very hard to aim...and the flying just feels silly. If you're looking for better game, check out my review of Dark Void. Personally, I find that game to be a much better example of what a jet pack fighting game should feel like, and Iron Man just feels awkward and clumsy by comparison.
The first level you play, you're in the caves from the movie (sort of)...and you've built your clunky "fire" suit. By the next level, you have the Mark II armor, and you can fly and use repulsor beams. This is all well and good as far as instant progress goes, except it's not a lot of fun to play. I kept crashing Iron Man into the ground, buildings or sometimes whatever enemy I was trying to fight.
I don't know what I was expecting from a movie tie-in game, but this one just certainly sucks. Time to go visit the Hulk.
Overall Score? 3/10. The graphics were ok, and the voice acting is good (Robert Downey Jr. does his own work, and the sound-alikes for the rest of the cast aren't terrible). That's where my compliments for it end though, the rest of it is sort of shitty. I've played over 75 games this year that are better than this one. :-)
Achievements? They're not terribly hard...but honestly, this game sucks so bad it's not worth chasing after them.
Posted by JoshEEE at 9:55 AM


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Cityblock Health names Dr. Kameron Matthews chief health officer and…
Cityblock Health names Dr. Kameron Matthews chief health officer and more digital health hires
Cityblock Health, a tech-enabled provider startup aimed at the Medicaid and low-income Medicare populations, named Dr. Kameron Matthews as chief health officer.
Matthews comes to Cityblock from the Veterans Health Administration, where she served as chief medical officer. She's also a cofounder of nonprofit Tour for Diversity in Medicine, which connects aspiring physicians and dentists from underrepresented groups to provider mentors.
"Transforming our healthcare system has been my passion, my life's work, and to continue this at Cityblock is an honor," Matthews said in a statement. "The pandemic has further highlighted the deep disparities that exist within our healthcare system, and I'm looking forward to supporting Cityblock to scale their approach to community care, a model built specifically to meet the complex needs of this population."
Cityblock has been expanding its leadership team in recent months, including hiring Ara Tucker as chief people officer, Susan Brown as chief administrative officer and Andrea Zahumensky as chief marketing officer. The company has also brought on three new board members.
In September, STAT reported the startup had scored a hefty $400 million in funding, not long after a $192 million Series C extension.
Digital dental care company Overjet has hired Dr. Teresa Dolan to serve as chief dental officer.
Dolan, who recently worked at dental equipment manufacturer Dentsply Sirona as clinical officer, will be taking over for Dr. Robert Faiella, who will continue to work in an advisory capacity to Overjet as Nolan takes over responsibilities.
Dolan has also worked as professor and dean of the University of Florida College of Dentistry, and currently serves as president-elect of the Santa Fe Group, a think tank focused on oral health.
"I have had great admiration for Dr. Dolan and it's an absolute honor to have her join Overjet," Wardah Inam, PhD, CEO and cofounder of Overjet, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to have Dr. Dolan on board to help lead Overjet's rapid growth in dental AI with dental clinicians. We look forward to Dr. Dolan leading Overjet's clinical team and driving strategic partnerships."
Last month, the dental startup announced it had raised $42.5 million in Series B funding. It scooped up a $27 million Series A in August.
Drug discovery company Valo Health has appointed Dr. Dave Morris as chief medical officer, head of therapeutics research and development.
Morris recently worked as CMO at Enterprise Therapeutics and as an operating partner of the Novartis Venture Fund. He had also served as global head of clinical operations, analytics and regions at Novartis.
"I'm thrilled to join Valo at this critical juncture to build upon their impressive therapeutic and technology platform with the aim of accelerating the discovery and development of life-saving drugs," Morris said in a statement.
Valo closed a $300 million Series B round in March 2021, and announced plans to go public via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company in June. But Valo and Khosla Ventures Acquisition Co. called off the merger in November, citing market conditions as the reason for the breakdown.
Personal electrocardiogram maker AliveCor Tuesday announced four members of its executive leadership team.
Vincent Balsamo will serve as executive vice president of worldwide sales, Dr. Archana Dubey as chief clinical officer, Dr. Ben Green as senior vice president of services and Jessica Weinstein as senior vice president of marketing.
Balsamo has worked at Salesforce, Cisco, IBM, Avizia and Propeller Health. He most recently served as chief revenue officer and interim co-CEO at a stealth AI company. He joined the company in December.
Dubey comes to AliveCor from HP where she served as global medical director. She's also worked as an adjunct assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University. Dubey started at AliveCor during the first quarter last year.
Green most recently worked at Amazon as principal of healthcare innovation for global benefits and previously chief medical officer for its Amazon Care healthcare delivery platform. He started at the company in the third quarter last year.
Weinstein has held leadership positions in consumer healthcare at Reckitt and GSK. She joined AliveCor in November.
"As we continue to expand into new markets and services, the additions of Vincent, Archana, Ben and Jessica to the team will help advance our goal of becoming the premier provider of remote cardiological care for providers, payors, employers and patients," Priya Abani, CEO of AliveCor, said in a statement.
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Home Architecture Revolutionary Modern Architecture & Design Ideas Inspired By Nature
Revolutionary Modern Architecture & Design Ideas Inspired By Nature
The Lotus Temple
Technology may have a significant influence on how modern architecture has become. However, apart from making a "futuristic" design for a house or a building, integration of the design concept using nature as an inspiration sounds like a very good idea.
Most people think of modern architecture as having to use eclectic designs using steel, iron and glass. An example of which is the Crystal Palace made by an architect and gardener named Sir Joseph Paxton.
In the early 1900's, architectural design was more conscientious in choosing the right building form in relation to its functions and materials. The concept of having an open space with minimum ornaments was evident. Such designs can be seen on art museums. As years went by, modern architecture has evolved into a more sophisticated, glamorous and much detailed design that nature has become an inspiration for a structure to be built.
Modern architectural design now incorporates more elements into the structure, taking in consideration the following:
Technology (for building materials and construction system)
The use of fiberglass insulation may be helpful in keeping warmth for the whole structure.
There should be a need to study the terrain and create a design appropriate to its surroundings.
The structure should be built according to the lifestyle of the people.
Determine the right design depending on where the structure should be built, such as building a resort.
Certain clients would prefer that some of their beliefs be incorporated into how the structure should be built. For instance, Chinese people rely on feng shui to determine the exact position of structures within the building to promote positivity and good luck.
The more that a building becomes complex, the more sophistication it requires in improving the structure.
Modern architecture means luxury and sophistication. Adding these elements requires ornaments with exquisite quality that defines timeless beauty and perfection.
Modern architecture means adding more functionality to the design concept that can be beneficial to the people who lives or works on structures with this design. For example, making a small garden on top of buildings helps to minimize the number of pollutants to improve air quality. Along with this design in mind is a possibility of integrating solar panels, which can greatly decrease energy costs.
The following are just a few of the magnificently created architectural designs that have wowed so many people for their excellent structural components.
Found in Xinyi District, the building follows a design based on a slender bamboo, which among Taiwanese symbolizes learning and growth.
Located in India, this is a site of worship for Baha'I Faith. Architect Fariborz Sahba used the lotus as an inspiration in designing this temple of worship, metaphorically describing that despite the lotus growing in murky water, there is still hope in achieving peace, mutual trust and friendship with others.
Modern architecture designs leave us with practically no limitations. By incorporating nature into modern designs, there's really no stopping anyone from conjuring up vibrant and lively architectural styles.
Previous articleDiane-Dufresne Art Centre / ACDF Architecture
Next articleHouse in Matosinhos / nu.ma
Why a 16th-Century Italian Is a Key Influence on Today's Architecture
Football Stadium Arena / OFIS
The architect of the original Twin Towers would hate the new World Trade Center
News June 26, 2015
Sundial: Radical Imaginaries in an Afro-Future City
Video // Yale's Edward P. Evans Hall – construction time-lapse
Álvaro Siza Vieira's lecture at MoMA
2 World Trade Center – a BIG design
Infographic Video / Guggenheim Helsinki's Record-Breaking Competition
Barcelona's Lost Utopia
>Surrounding the borders of Barcelona's old city, the Eixample district is an unmistakable grid of some 900 seemingly similar city blocks master planned by Ildefon Cerda.


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Living a keto lifestyle is sustainable even during the holidays with these delicious vanilla cupcakes.
This smoothie features our beetroot nitric oxide booster BOCHA-BEETS. It is a delicious pre-workout smoothie that contains collagen protein and healthy fats.
Many smoothies are packed with high-glycemic fruits and contain way too much sugar. The combination of wild blueberries and BOCHA-BEETS helps to keep this smoothie low glycemic and keto-friendly. Amazing superfoods like cacao, collagen protein, wild blueberries, beetroot, and sunflower seed butter makes this drink so satisfying. Plus, the sweetness of BochaSweet makes this smoothie quench your sweet tooth.
Next time you head to the gym, make yourself a keto beet berry smoothie!
Add all ingredients into a high speed blender and blitz until evenly combined, smooth and creamy.
Depending on how thick you like your smoothie you can add in extra almond milk or water and re-blend until you reach your desired consistency.
The perfect keto chocolate chip cookie should have a cakey texture and just the right rippled appearance on top. To make this happen, I used a combination of almond flour and coconut flour. Then, I used two secret weapons. Now I'm going to spoil the secret.
BochaSweet is a super-food zero calorie sweetener made from a Japanese pumpkin called the kabocha pumpkin. If you haven't already, you've got to try this stuff!
Nut butter added the perfect texture to these cookies and really rounded out the macros perfectly. In this recipe, I've used macadamia nut butter. You can use any nut butter you wish to. Just keep an eye on the carb content of the nut butter and make sure there are no added sugars.
These Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies have the perfect cakey cookie texture. We like to bake them and store them in the freezer for when a sweet craving strikes. They are great to make and take along with you to potlucks and family functions, no one will know they are grain free, gluten free, sugar-free and keto-approved!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees if you are using a convection oven).
Prepare your baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine avocado oil and BochaSweet and cream together on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
Add almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda and xanthan gum and mix together for 2-3 minutes. Mixing this long helps the coconut flour absorb the liquid. Coconut flour is very absorbent!
Drop cookies onto your cookie sheet in 1 tablespoon portions. I like to use a cookie scoop for this for easy measuring. You could also use a tablespoon measuring spoon and a small spatula.
Using a fork dipped in water (or oil), gently press down on each cookie dough scoop to make a crosshatch pattern.
Bake each sheet of cookies for approximately 12 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges and just barely set in the center. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. These will set up as they cool.


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«Дети понедельника» — российский художественный фильм, комедия режиссёра Аллы Суриковой. Премьера состоялась 28 сентября 1998 года на ТНТ.

Сюжет
Предприниматель Дмитрий Медякин не расплатился вовремя с кредиторами и подписал себе смертный приговор. Его «Мерседес» взрывают, но Дмитрий чудом остаётся жив: жена Медякина решает избавиться от надоевшего ей мужа и отвозит напившегося от страха перед встречей с кредиторами Медякина в деревню к сестре. Полуживого Дмитрия принимает родная сестра жены Лидия, живущая в родной деревне Дмитрия. У Медякина неожиданно появляется шанс начать новую жизнь с чистого листа. Когда-то Лидия была его невестой, и Дмитрий понимает, что нежные чувства к ней просыпаются вновь.

В ролях
 Игорь Скляр — Дима Медякин
 Ирина Розанова — Лидия Овдеева
 Татьяна Догилева — Светлана Медякина, сестра Лидии
 Виктор Павлов — проповедник-евангелист Джонни Бак
 Сергей Никоненко — Олег Карпович Яценко, участковый милиционер
 Армен Джигарханян — банкир
 Наталья Крачковская — продавщица
 Татьяна Кравченко — Маргарита Степановна
 Алексей Жарков — Вася Нечуенко
 Алексей Елистратов — юноша в супермаркете (эпизод)
 Геннадий Назаров — директор фабрики фейерверков
 Михаил Мишин — эпизод
 Сергей Габриэлян — первый алкаш
 Анатолий Калмыков — второй алкаш
 Наталья Акимова — молодая работница
 Евгений Кулешов — водитель «Мерседеса»
 Владимир Лесков — террорист
 Вася Скляр — пацан
 Евгений Крылатов — эпизод (пианист за клавесином)

Съёмочная группа
 Режиссёр: Алла Сурикова
 Сценарист: Алексей Тимм
 Оператор: Григорий Беленький
 Композитор: Евгений Крылатов

Ссылки
 «Дети понедельника» на сайте «Энциклопедия отечественного кино»

Кинокомедии России
Кинокомедии 1997 года
Фильмы России 1997 года
Фильмы Аллы Суриковой
Фильмы студии «Мосфильм»
Студия «Ритм»


On January 7th, 2018 Alexis made the decision to get baptized into the name of Jesus! We were able to ask her a few questions and below are her responses and her testimony. So inspiring!
What inspired you to become a disciple?
God did!! At camp this summer, I had an incredible connection with God; I was going through something very hard and I was crying out to God in my cabin, desperately asking him for his help, knowing I couldn't get through it on my own anymore. In that moment of me completely reaching out, he touched me. I felt his peace and love in my soul, it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I then got home and began to study the Bible. In that process, God, the girls in my studies, my teen leaders, and friends, gave me the push I needed when I started to stray away. I then realized that I wasn't going to give up on God anymore, as I have multiple times in the past, because he never gave up on me. As I was studying this time, I saw how the Word was the absolute truth and that I wanted to live in the truth for the rest of my life, not Satans lies. The only way I could live like that is if I was baptized, so I texted La Micia and told her I wanted to get baptized, and we made it happen!
What are the ways you saw God working in your life?
I was dealing with a lot through my studies and I was constantly praying for God to heal me and change my heart to be forgiving and loving, and he was working! Knowing my old self, forgiving people and being humble was incredibly hard for me to do. When I asked God for help as I was studying, it was clear he was working on me.
This is also what I found. When I was really going after God, he was making himself clear in my life and changing me to be the woman of God he always wanted me to be.
What's your favorite part about having a relationship with God?
My favorite part about having a relationship with God is knowing that no matter what I encounter or go through, the Creator of the Universe has my back! Giving him all of my worries and anxieties to him is so relieving, since I know I'm not strong enough to handle life's hits on my own, I need God. Also, knowing that I am loved and wanted by God is incredible, especially since I was once his enemy and separated from him. Being in my Bible and in the church connects me to him, and being connected to God is so needed and incredible.
Is there anything you'd like anybody to know about being a disciple?
Being a two-and-a-half week old [spiritually], I don't have much experience or knowledge YET, however I do know that having the Holy Spirit and God living inside of you is amazing. I've been noticing how great it is to stand up to Satan and my old sins/temptations, and how the spirit is nudging me constantly. I don't feel lost or confused anymore, I feel so loved now and I feel like I belong with God 100%. This feeling of completeness and wholeness does not come from Satan and sin, it comes from God. Only God can fill the eternal void in our hearts, and nothing else.


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Derek Cantu
An Update On The State Of The Presidential Race
By Mara Liasson • Nov 2, 2020
Originally published on November 4, 2020 3:04 pm
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
All right. Heading into the final hours now of the 2020 presidential election, the Trump and Biden campaigns seem to agree on a couple of things, at least. They both say the stakes of the election are incredibly high, and they both say don't believe the polls. A lot of people are going into Election Day not feeling any certainty about how things will turn out or even when we'll find out who won. So for some clarity on where things stand on this election eve, we're joined now by NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson.
Hey, Mara.
MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Hi there, Ailsa.
CHANG: All right. So looking ahead to tomorrow, what are you going to be watching for at this point?
LIASSON: I'm going to be watching a bunch of states that Donald Trump won in 2016 - states like North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arizona. Those states count pretty quickly, and we expect to know the results from those states on election night. So if Biden wins one of those states, it's going to be almost impossible for Trump to win. But if Trump hangs on to all those states, which we should know tomorrow night, then we have to wait for later-counting states like Michigan and Pennsylvania to report all their results, which could take hours or days. So it's possible we'll know who will get the most votes but not who is going to be president.
CHANG: Great. OK. So we have been hearing the president say that he doesn't want votes counted after Election Day, even though that is totally legal; that is totally normal. He has been raising unfounded doubts about the integrity of the election for months now. So given all that, Mara, what might we expect to unfold tomorrow? Like, what should we be bracing for, you think?
LIASSON: Well, actually, no state will report its certified vote count on election night. There's never been an election in American history where all the votes have been counted on Election Day. So what is going to happen tomorrow is that NPR and many other media organizations are not going to project the winner. We are going to rely on the Associated Press, who only calls a state if there's no path at all for the trailing candidate to make up ground. So if the president declares victory without having won, he doesn't have the power to stop the vote count. But he has told his supporters not to accept a result unless he wins, says the election is rigged if he's not the winner. So what you - we should be bracing for is a possible crisis of legitimacy. We do not know. It's possible that the losing candidate and his supporters will just not accept the results. What that means - civil unrest - we just don't know.
CHANG: But that crisis of legitimacy - I mean, that all depends on how close and contested the outcome is, right?
LIASSON: Absolutely. If the election is close enough to be contested, there won't be a clear result. It's much easier for Donald Trump to call into question the legitimacy of the election if it's close. That is why, for the good of the country, people should be hoping for a clear result in either direction on election night. So the closer the election is, the worse it potentially is.
CHANG: Right. OK. Well, close to a hundred million people have already voted. That is according to the U.S. Elections Project. What does that tell us about how close this election might be?
LIASSON: I don't know if it tells us how close it will be, but it certainly tells us that we are heading toward a historically high turnout election. In several states - four states - their early turnout has already surpassed the total 2016 turnout. And in many other states, it's almost equaled it. We know that a lot of people who didn't vote in 2016 have voted. And from what we can tell, Biden has a lead among those voters so far.
What we don't know is if Donald Trump can pull off what his campaign says he will do, which is to turn out Republican voters in huge numbers on Election Day. And in some states, it's estimated that he'll need approximately 60% of the Election Day ballots to make up for the Democratic advantage in early voting. But we also don't know if it's just Republicans who are going to be turning out in large numbers on Election Day. We know that many African Americans are wary of voting by mail and feel the safest way to get their vote counted is to vote on Election Day. But - and we also know that since the president has been talking about not wanting to count any votes after Election Day, a lot of Democrats are telling their supporters, don't vote by mail; turn out on Election Day.
CHANG: That is NPR's Mara Liasson.
Thank you, Mara.
LIASSON: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
Funded by audience members like you and in part by:


As reported exclusively by Government Executive.
Donald Trump continues to hold a commanding lead in the GOP primary field among federal government employees, according to an independent Government Business Council / GovExec.com poll released on January 27, 2016. Trump receives 32% of the vote from feds who identify as Republican or Republican-leaning Independents, increasing his share by 12 points since August 2015. He is followed in the GOP field by Ted Cruz (17%), Marco Rubio (12%), and Ben Carson (9%).
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton receives support from 51% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning Independents in the poll, followed by Bernie Sanders (35%) and Martin O'Malley (1%). However, Sanders enjoys the highest net favorability ratings across all candidates and participants in the study, as well as a net favorability score 17 points higher than Clinton's among Democratic voters.
A majority of federal employees approve President Obama's recent executive action to reduce gun violence, with 59% in support, including 93% of Democratic voters and 30% of Republican voters.
Government Business Council, the research arm of Government Executive Media Group, sent the email-based survey to a random sample of Government Executive, Nextgov, Defense One, and Route Fifty subscribers. From January 20-26, 2016, 688 federal employees participated in the survey. 58% of respondents rank GS/GM-13 and above, including members of the Senior Executive Service and representatives from at least 30 federal civilian and defense agencies. The margin of error is +/-4%.


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In the German TWS whisky forum there is currently a debate about the best way to enjoy the new peat monster from Ardbeg, the Supernova. I have not tasted it before, but the discussion highlights a point that I think is imortant to whisky tasting in general.
One user came up with this idea to get the best out of the Supernova: Before tasting, you have to cool down your mouth with iced water "until your tooth fillings are hurting". Then drink it quickly (but not gulp it down) withought letting it stay in your mouth too long. This way, the strong peat would not totally dominate the other aromatic components in the whisky.
1. He only ever tasted one 2 cl sample and decided to use the aforementioned method. How can you possibly say that this method works best when you haven't tried it in a normal fashion before?
2. Freezing your mouth paralyzes your tastebuds. If a whisky tastes best with handicapped tastebuds, what does this mean for the quality of the whisky? Is this the way it should be or does this mean the whisky is flawed?
As mentioned before, I have not tasted the Supernova myself (yet), so I can't comment on the success of the iced water method. But I would be interested to read your comments on this topic.


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January 24, 2013 Conflict resolution, Kurdish Women, Peace process
"Killings must not present challenge to peace process" – Sheehan
For immediate release: Wednesday 23rd January 2013
Sinn Féin MLA and Middle East spokesperson Pat Sheehan has stated that the killing of three Kurdish women who were involved in the independence movement must be thoroughly investigated.
Speaking today Mr Sheean said: "The tragic murder of three prominent female Kurdish activists, Sakine Cansız, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Şoylemez has caused distress and concern across the Kurdish community and left the Kurdish diaspora shocked.
"Sinn Féin expresses our sympathies to the families of those who were killed.
"There are wider concerns surrounding the impact of these killings on the establishment of a peace process in the Kurdish conflict. Despite the challenges that this situation presents the peace process must be given the chance to be explored and to take hold on the basis of an inclusive process involving the Turkish Government and representatives of the Kurdish people."
Tagged Paris assassinations, peace process, peace talks, Sinn Fein
CHD press release on mass arrests of lawyers
Kurdish News Weekly Briefing, 18 – 24 January 2013


Cable Guy Script at IMSDb.
Unfortunately for him – his cable is not hooked up.
This is… Chip Douglas… my cable guy.
…you're a tough man to reach.
Yeah… my cable went out.
Anything you want. Name it – quickly.
The camera pulls out and reveals the Cable Guy watching the film in the back of his van – alone.
All right… well, take care.
just… I'm worried about Steven.
pants – cream in his pants.