text:
Giving frazzled women permission to take better care of themselves
Fighting for Fairness, Part Three
June 27, 2013 by Permission Slips 3 Comments
Yesterday, Edie Windsor, an 84-year-old widow, was hailed as a hero for her successful battle for equality in benefits.
In 1955, Rosa Parks, a defiant bus-rider in Montgomery, Alabama, held fast to her ideals, and ended up moving mountains.
Over the years, countless women have effected change while fighting for fairness.
Amy Slack, a 41-year-old mother in New Jersey, aspires to be one of those women. She has spent the past five years fighting to free her daughter, and others like her, from foster homes and orphanages in Guatemala.
(Note: If you missed Parts 1 and 2 about Amy Slack's efforts to adopt a child from Guatemala, click here and here.)
The struggle to unite with Lilly—the Guatemalan baby she and her husband were "matched" with for adoption in late 2007—has caused Amy to become more politically involved than she had ever imagined.
She works with an advocacy group, Guatemala900, which, according to its website, is conducting a campaign to "call attention to the stagnation of the…remaining Guatemalan adoptions that were begun before 2008."
Amy and her husband, Spencer, joined about 20 other families in hiring an international adoption lawyer to gain support for action in Washington, DC.
She has twice traveled to DC to advocate for the completion of in-process Guatemalan adoptions – once for a march and candlelight vigil, in 2009, and, more recently, with other families and their lawyer to urge the new Secretary of State, John Kerry, to take action. (That's Amy in the above photo.)
Amy has kept herself abreast of politics in Guatemala, as well. She knows that Guatemala's President Otto Pérez Molina discussed the adoption quagmire with a U.S. delegation including Ambassador Susan Jacobs (special adviser regarding children's issues with the State Department), Alejandro Mayorkas (head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency) and Fernando de la Cerda (counsel to the Guatemala ambassador in Washington, DC).
Ostensibly, President Molina is committed to expediting the open cases, Amy says, "but in April 2012, he promised that our children would be home in 100 days, and it is now 400-plus days and they are still not home.
"There are a lot of promises, but no action," she says with exasperation.
Emotionally and financially, Amy needs the battle to conclude. After five years of paying for attorneys and Lilly's care; making trips to Trenton, NJ, for paperwork; traveling to Washington, DC, for advocacy; and flying to Guatemala to attend hearings and visit with Lilly; the Spencers' financial burden has become nearly unbearable.
"The drain on our resources has probably been the worst part of all of this," Amy confides.
To continue the fight and foster care payments for Lilly, the Slacks held a fundraiser at a bowling alley and more than a dozen yard sales. Fortunately, they have also received support from their families and community. "Everyone at my job, at my mom's church and at my mother-in-law's work gives us anything they don't want anymore."
On a more personal note, she adds that "it's hard not going out to dinner with the girls cause the money could be used for paying a bill or [something for Lilly], and it's hard when Ben wants something that his other friends [have] and we just simply can't do it."
In fact, the toll on Ben, the big brother waiting for his sister's arrival, has been heavy, too. "Ben has had a rough time," Amy says. He decided to stop mentioning the adoption at school "because it was taking so long, [the other kids] just thought he was lying." (Ben and Lilly are together in the photo at right.)
Ben, who is 12, is concerned about his parents' struggles and has internalized his own frustrations and sadness. Recently, Amy and Ben were able to talk through his feelings, and concluded that Ben would benefit from knowing more about the process.
Out of that discussion, one major decision was made: Ben will accompany his parents to Guatemala to pick up Lilly. And Amy believes in her heart of hearts, as any good mother would, that she will be united with her daughter soon.
– Linda Williams Rorem, 27 June 2013
To subscribe to this blog, email PermissionSlips1@gmail.com
Links and Related articles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption_in_Guatemala
http://www.guatadopt.com/index.html
http://guatemala900.org/wp/?p=3015
Fighting for Family, Part Two (permissionslips.wordpress.com)
Fighting for Parenthood (permissionslips.wordpress.com)
Filed Under: adoption, Family, Guatemala adoption, international adoption, Parenting, Relationships
Fighting for Family, Part Two
Most pregnant women, by the ninth month of gestation, are more than ready to part with the baby they have been carrying. By week 40, the most common thought is, "Let's get on with show."
In those final days, some of us find solace in thoughts of the Asian elephant, who carries her young for an average of 645 days. Of course, I wouldn't be in a rush to birth a 220 pounder, either.
Even so, elephants have it relatively easy compared to Amy Slack, who has been waiting for her daughter Lilly's arrival for nearly 2,000 days.
Amy and her husband, Spencer, received news of their "match" with a three-week-old baby in Guatemala in October 2007. Since then, their path to bring Lilly to the U.S. has been blocked by legal issues, administrative nightmares and countless other frustrations.
(Note: If you missed Part One of the story documenting Amy Slack's struggle to adopt a daughter from Guatemala, click here.)
To grossly understate the situation, the Slacks have been on a wild roller-coaster ride.
Earlier his week, as I was preparing to "publish" my first blog post about the Lilly, who is now five and still living in Guatemala, Amy told me to hold tight, as she expected to report good news within a few hours.
Apparently the Guatemalan office that handles adoptions, PGN (Procuradoria General de la Nacion), was ready to release Lilly's paperwork and allow the adoption process to move forward.
PGN's job is to review adoption dossiers and analyze whether or not they conform to the guidelines set by the Hague Convention as well as Guatemala's own requirements.
Last week, a PGN representative said the attorney representing the Slacks could pick up Lilly's file, and then apply for Lilly's new birth certificate and passport. With those in hand, the Slacks could obtain a visa for Lilly and potentially bring her to their home in New Jersey by the summer's end.
However, when the attorney arrived at the agency, he was told the documents weren't ready, and an additional hearing would be held the following day. There, the judge ordered the documents to be released.
Later, a PGN employee told the attorney that someone else had already picked up the paperwork.
And then, this Monday, it was the same old story. The lawyer went to pick up the paperwork, and was told, "Sorry, it isn't ready, come back tomorrow." And so it goes.
This scenario has played out several times in the past two years, despite the fact that at a 2011 hearing, the Slacks gained official approval for Lilly's adoption. After that time, no additional hearings, documents or psychological evaluations should have been required, although all of the above have since been re-requested, several times.
And so, the Slacks are among hundreds of U.S. families "stuck" in the process. They have visited and communicated regularly with the children they plan to adopt, forming strong bonds filled with love and trust. Yet those children continue to languish in orphanages and foster homes.
And, when the bills mount, frustration grows and hope diminishes, the Slacks wonder how much more they can take.
"What keeps me fighting?" Amy asks. "Well, Lilly keeps me fighting for Lilly. That sweet little innocent girl that calls us mami and papi.
"When people say, 'All you can do it wait,' they make it sound like I can go about my normal life and just relax in between bits of news about our case, waiting for the next step," Amy says. "My days, especially for the past three years, have been [focused on] advocating for Lilly to come home."
Amy soldiers on. In her "spare" time, outside of working a part-time job, running a household and caring for a 12-year-old son, Amy spends hours "writing emails to anybody and everybody who could possibly help; reaching out to senators, reps [and] lawyers; [helping to] get letters drafted and signed by Congress or the Senate, getting bills passed, getting our story in the news, re-doing our fingerprints for like the 15th time now, updating our home studies, raising money, worrying about money….
"Every day I am stalking my emails [and] Facebook messages [searching] for [information about] what is happening with other cases that could affect my own, supporting the other families, waiting for responses back from people who could help," Amy says. "It is an all-day, everyday thought process and in all honesty sometimes a through-the-night thought process depending on what all happened with our case that particular day."
And the grueling process has left severe collateral damage.
"I have gone through some really dark patches," Amy confides. "But something always pulls me out, whether it be [my son] Ben, friends, something small but good happening in our lives, a happy day, a good hard laugh over something. And sometimes, a good cleansing cry helps.
"What keeps me positive is the fact that I know why I am doing this, what the outcome needs to be and what the ultimate goal is," she says. "If nothing else comes out of this mess, my son will see that not everything comes easy. Sometimes you have to fight–and fight hard–for what you want and for what is right."
And finally, Amy adds, "Lilly will know how much she was wanted by the fight we gave in bringing her home."
Please come back to Permission Slips on Thursday, June 27, for Part 3 of Amy's story.
-Linda Williams Rorem, 26 June 2013
Filed Under: adoption, Family, friendship, Guatemala adoption, international adoption, Life, Parenting
Fighting for Parenthood
A few years after their son, Ben, was born, Amy and Spencer Slack decided to add to their family. At the time, they couldn't foresee that their journey would include the heartbreak of conception struggles, the hassle and expense of fertility treatments, the difficult decision to adopt, eight months of paperwork and home visits, agency and attorney fees, and finally, joyously, a "match" with a three-week-old girl in Guatemala.
That was five and a half years, tens of thousands of dollars, eight long flights to Central America and countless phone calls, emails and letters ago. And yet, the Slacks have yet to deliver their child home.
Every Christmas, birthday and anniversary, my cousin Susan, who lives in the Philadelphia area, sends me a lovely letter with news and photos documenting her daughter Amy's efforts to bring Lilly into their family. Each time those notes arrive, my heart aches even more.
I'm one of the lucky ones: four easy conceptions and pregnancies, four live births, four healthy kids. However, knowing countless others who have struggled with some or all of the above, I don't take my good fortune for granted.
I don't know anyone who has struggled for parenthood as much as Amy has. At the same time, I am incredibly impressed with her persistence, patience, dogged determination and years of sacrifice, all to give a little girl a family and keep the promise to love and educate her.
In 2007, Amy and Spencer decided to adopt from Guatemala because they appreciated the Guatemalan foster care system, they hoped the process would be speedy (they were told six to nine months) and they knew that their child would feel welcome in their community.
That year, more than 5,500 children were adopted from Guatemala, 4,700 of which went to homes in the U.S. So, the Slacks had reason to feel optimistic.
In fact, they didn't have to wait long. They still remember the call about their "match" with Lilly, on Oct. 17, 2007, and the excitement of rushing home to open the official documents that were mailed the following day. "I remember taking the pictures into work [that day] to show everyone our beautiful daughter," Amy recalls. "We named her Lilly Mireya."
Six months later, Amy traveled to Guatemala City to meet her precious new baby, who was living with the foster mother that, to this day, still cares for her.
At about the same time, the U.S. initiated the Hague Adoption Convention, an international adoption agreement intended to maintain the best interests of children and their birth families, and to prevent the abduction, exploitation and sale or trafficking of children. However, because Guatemala was not in full compliance by Dec. 31, 2007, the U.S. closed its adoption program with Guatemala.
Fortunately for the Slacks and others, Guatemala passed the Ortega Law, stating that any adoption in process when the law changed should be completed under the laws in effect when it began. So, all adoptions set in motion before the end of 2007 should have been expedited.
Nevertheless, the number of completed adoptions plummeted, and last year only seven Guatemalan children were adopted by U.S. parents, leaving about 100 U.S. families, according to the Guatemala 900 organization, waiting to be united with the children they had formed bonds with. They are "stuck" in the process, yet continue to fight to bring their children home. (Click here to see a trailer for a documentary about these families.)
The Slacks and other families that are "stuck" have formed support groups, Facebook circles and coalitions. They have hired an attorney and urged Secretary of State John Kerry to travel to Guatemala to expedite the "in-limbo" adoptions. They also have enlisted the aid of members of congress.
Amy and Spencer can't comprehend why Lilly's adoption has been stalled. The birth mother is still alive; she has attended a handful of court hearings, and has been interviewed and given psychological evaluations on several occasions, to reaffirm she wants the adoption to take place.
After one court hearing, the birth mother joined Amy's group for lunch, and when asked if she had any questions for Amy, the woman replied, "No, I just want her to love my daughter and give her an education."
For all intents and purposes, Lilly's adoption has received a green light. In 2011 Amy received a court approval stating the case should continue under the old notarial process. However, two years have passed, and the adoption has yet to be processed.
Amy has traveled to Guatemala to visit Lilly eight times: with her husband, with a good friend, with her mother, with her mother-in-law and even alone.
Amy and the foster mother are "Facebook friends" and message as often as they can. Amy and Spencer call Lilly on birthdays, holidays and other special occasions, and have lively discussions with the foster mother and Lilly, even though two of them speak very little English, and the other two know only rudimentary Spanish.
Amy, Spencer and other relatives send care packages, clothes, toys, birthday and Christmas gifts and photos to keep their connection to Lilly vivid. The foster mother inserts every photo into an album, and looks at it often with Lilly, so she feels close to the family that awaits her. "Lilly can tell you who everyone [in the photos] is," Amy reports. "In fact, on the phone she will ask for every single one of them by name – about 10 people in total."
However, these connections are a poor substitute for adding a sweet five-year-old to their home in New Jersey. For now, the Slacks have nothing but memories of short visits to Guatemala City, an album full of photos and arms aching to welcome Lilly into their lives.
Please come back to Permission Slips on Wednesday, June 26, for Part 2 of Amy's story.
International adoptions: slow, expensive, rewarding (miamiherald.com)
Foster mothers offer homes, hugs when needed (stltoday.com)
So, You Have a Question About My Choice of International Adoption (persephonemagazine.com)
Filed Under: adoption, Family, friendship, Guatemala adoption, international adoption, Life, Relationships
A Father's Legacy: Breast Cancer?
June 17, 2013 by Permission Slips 1 Comment
Angelina Jolie publicly outed the difficult medical choices that women face. Her story, however is not unique. My friend Tana Senn faced a similar situation in the last few years. Here is Tana´s story in her own words:
In 2011, I had a risk-reducing oophorectomy (removing my ovaries and fallopian tubes).
Like Angelina Jolie, I have the BRCA1 gene mutation—an oft-mentioned link to breast and ovarian cancer that is often passed on from one generation to the next.
Unlike Jolie, neither my mother nor my grandmother had breast cancer, ovarian cancer or the BRCA1 gene mutation. I inherited it from my father.
In 2010, my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. As doctors looked into his health history, they recommended he take the test for BRCA1.
While it is rarely discussed, other cancers like pancreatic cancer can also be linked to the BRCA1 gene mutation, even though it's most closely associated with breast cancer and ovarian cancer, which usually has deadly implications given the difficulties of early detection.
When my dad disclosed the news that he was a carrier, I took the test…with much trepidation.
A few weeks later, I received the call – I carried the BRCA1 gene mutation.
I was angry, distraught, scared and in disbelief.
I am also a mother. I had to do something in the face of the 50 percent chance of getting ovarian cancer.
Instead of being angry at the genetic news, my doctor advised, be grateful. There are so many diseases out there that we can't detect early. Or if we do know a genetic marker for them, there isn't always something we can do about it. BRCA1 is different. An oophorectomy and mastectomy can take the 50 percent chance of ovarian cancer and the 87 percent likelihood of breast cancer down to less than 5 percent.
I knew I was done with having children, so I addressed the risk of ovarian cancer first. I acted on my knowledge, not my fears, and made a medical decision to improve my outcomes.
A few weeks shy of my 40th birthday, I had an oophorectomy and hysterectomy. My risk for ovarian and cervical cancers is virtually gone. The surgery also decreased my chances of breast cancer.
Every six months I monitor for breast cancer by having an MRI or a mammogram. The stress of bi-annual tests is likely to lead me to a prophylactic mastectomy in the future. But whatever I choose, I will be acting based on powerful medical knowledge.
With my surgery and dad's death further behind me now, I'm blessed with a new perspective on the entire experience. The key thing with learning your family history and bolstering our knowledge with genetic testing is an ability to make informed decisions and ultimately go on with our lives.
– Tana Senn lobbied for federal legislation to prevent insurance and employment discrimination based on genetic factors, even before her own diagnosis. Currently, she is a Mercer Island City Councilmember.
– At Permission Slips we believe strongly that women need to advocate for their health and take better care of themselves. We are so happy for Tana and her family.
https://permissionslips.wordpress.com/
BRCA a cancer risk for men (utsandiego.com)
St. Vincent Healthcare launches program to screen for 'faulty' gene that impacted Angelina Jolie (ravallirepublic.com)
Cancer Demystified: BRCA Testing (5newsonline.com)
Beyond Brangelina: The Supreme Court Decides Myriad Genetics (meganmneedham.wordpress.com)
Filed Under: Family, Health, Life, self help
Focusing on the Bottom Line
At a party celebrating the high school graduation of my sons' friends, I got to peek in on an acquaintance and her two-week-old son.
In that home, the youngest of a large brood was heading off to college, while the oldest, who lives nearby, had just brought new life into the family.
The stark contrast of endings and beginnings not only struck that family, but it also caused the rest of us to reflect on our roles as parents.
It was so much simpler when our concerns centered on a baby's sleep cycle, milk consumption and diaper content; his intake and outflow.
Back then, we didn't understand the older ladies who advised us: "Little children, little problems. Big kids, big problems."
It was hard to fathom how anything could be more challenging than trying to get a baby to sleep through the night, calming a toddler's tantrum in the checkout line or toilet-training a stubborn three-year-old.
Those of us with teenagers understand those wise women now.
Since my second son has just graduated, I know that this summer will be full of "big problems":
– He will work hard to earn money to blow at college parties and concerts.
– He will spend endless hours "chilling" with his buddies, sensing that everything will change when they all splinter off in the fall.
– He will fry his skin at the beach, ignoring the sunscreen in my outstretched hand as I chase him to the car.
– He will skip a few family dinners, when he can't pull himself away from friends and fun.
– He will fight with his siblings, shouting, "I'm glad I'm leaving." They will feel the same way.
– He will miss his curfew more than once, not employing a phone that is either out of juice or turned off.
– He will roll in smelling of campfire, with a belly full of burnt marshmallows and a heart full of smiles and great stories.
– He will question the family rules, stating that he is old enough to run his own life.
– He will do his best to soil the proverbial nest, so that he and his family will be equally prepared for his departure.
As he stretches his wings and prepares for flight, in a week that also includes his eighteenth birthday, I can't help thinking of Alice Cooper's infamous anthem:
"… I'm a boy and I'm a man,
I'm eighteen and I don't know what I want…
I got a baby's brain and an old man's heart…
Don't always know what I'm talkin' about,
Feels like I'm livin' in the middle of doubt."
It's hard to be a teenager. It's equally hard to parent one, and I know what lies ahead this summer for my husband and me:
– We'll often wonder where our son is, who he is with and what he's doing.
– We won't sleep well until he returns home safely each night.
– We'll remind each other that in September, we'll sleep better, knowing that when our son is 2,500 miles away, we will be out of the loop.
– We'll try to repeat important lessons about schoolwork, respect, dating and partying, and pray that some of our words will sink it.
– We'll remind him to separate the reds and whites in the laundry, expecting to see several pink T-shirts at Thanksgiving break.
– We'll continue to search for the world's loudest alarm clock, simultaneously praying for a helpful and understanding roommate.
– We'll look at each other and remember the little problems that 15, 16 and 17 years ago seemed so big.
– We'll attempt to keep our lectures and worries to a minimum, and try to focus on the bottom line: safety.
Not long before my firstborn left for college, I told him that while I harped on hundreds of petty issues, my biggest concerns were simple and straightforward, and all related to safety: Don't try, and get addicted to, hard drugs; don't drive under the influence; and don't get anyone pregnant.
This mindset was echoed last Thursday, in the entertaining, yet poignant, graduation speech delivered by the school's messianic band director, Parker Bixby.
After explaining why every Friday he sends students off with the message "Don't lie to your parents, they love you," Bixby continued:
"There is no one else on earth who is more invested in your future or who loves you more than your parents…who has lived the past 18 years of their lives with the sole purpose of ensuring your future happiness…who has filtered every decision they have made regarding their own future through its impact on yours. It is your parents who look at each of the stupid decisions you have made not as evidence of who you are, but as events that contribute to who you will be.
"I don't expect you to understand this," Bixby asserted. "You are biologically predisposed not to be able to understand the depth of your parents' love for you because, if you did, the pressure to make good on that emotional investment would be crushing."
And so, Bixby explained, his speech would certainly be interpreted on two entirely different levels: what the graduating seniors heard, and what the parents heard. Using two separate microphones, he used several examples to demonstrate this phenomenon, including:
Mic. 1 [what kids hear]: "These have been the best days of your life."
Mic. 2 [what parents hear]: "Birth to 6th grade was great; I started liking you again in high school, with the exception of junior year. I love you now, though."
His final translation was this:
Mic. 1 [kids]: "Go forward and find your bliss."
Mic. 2 [parents]: "Don't get pregnant."
All at once, I was reminded of the baby, of the small problems of infancy and the big problems of the teen years, and it all became clear:
The bottom line still is about intake and outflow.
PermissionSlips1@gmail.com
Top ten things you will do as a parent that you will not like (newstatesman.com)
Filed Under: friendship, Health, Life, Parenting, Relationships
The Thorns in the Rose
June 3, 2013 by Permission Slips 3 Comments
The mother wore an expression of joy and awe as she cradled her newborn son and stood before the congregation. The occasion was a child dedication ceremony and her visage could not have been a purer expression of hope and love. The minister whispered and kissed the two-week- old and presented the parents with a rose stripped of its thorns. He said the thorn-less rose signified new budding life and the desire to protect our children from life's harms and struggles.
The second part of the dedication was a bridging ceremony for high school seniors. Once again parents stood and faced the congregation but this time with their children by their side. The juxtaposition was clear. The occasion was joyous and anticipatory however the expressions of hopes and dreams were worn by the young-adult children rather than their parents. The profoundness of the contrast hung in the air.
The assembly echoed, "We honor you at this transformative time," and "May you find among us allies and friends…we share together the sorrow of leaving the past, as well as the excitement of embracing the future." The minister repeated the presentation of roses but the seniors were given roses with thorns.
He said the roses represented the sweetness of life but the thorns showed that there would be struggles. The parents nodded with the knowledge of hard-won wisdom. The minister said the thorns should not be seen as a frightening omen. He assured the youth that they were equipped to handle life's prickly moments, would be supported and would always have a place to come home to.
My son participated in this ceremony yesterday and is nearly ready to leave the nest. We have done our best to deliver him to the altar of his future self. It is a bitter-sweet moment, knowing that he will no longer be part of our daily lives. Yet, I am filled with joy.
In the words of Henry Ward Beecher, "There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings."
Carol Lewis Gullstad June 3, 2013
The Beautiful Thorns in Life (traumaticbraininjurysurvival.com)
Perspective (momandmestitch.wordpress.com)
Filed Under: Blogs, Family, Life
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Coordinate action to maximize stakeholders' input into IPBES-4.
The sustainable use of biodiversity is fundamental to the well-being of current and future generations, yet the depletion and degradation of natural resources is increasingly destroying the life support systems on which humans depend, i.e. food reserves, fuel, shelter, medicine, drinking water and the surrounding natural environment. How are governments and experts working together through IPBES to address these issues? How can you contribute as an individual or an organisation to the IPBES process, to enrich assessments' outcomes and contribute to implement recommendations? These and many similar questions will be discussed during the Stakeholder Days.
A registration process, separate from IPBES-4, is required to attend the Stakeholder Days. Stakeholders – including countries' delegates - who want to participate are kindly requested to register here before 5 February 2016, and to contact the IPBES-4 Stakeholder Days project team via email (IPBES4Stakeholderday), should they need more information. Participants are invited to note that no financial support is available, and that an invitation letter can be provided for visa purposes.
The event will be held in English without interpretation. In order to assist the organizing team with delivering participants the most relevant and up-to-date information on IPBES, and to offer the best opportunity for a constructive discussion on issues of interest to stakeholders, participants are kindly invited to review the meeting draft agenda here and to send comments via email to IPBES4Stakeholderday by 5 February 2016.


text:
The Moldy Peaches - Manchester Roadhouse - 18.6.02
It's hard to know which is the most perverse. Just over 12 months ago the Moldy Peaches arrived in the UK dressed as Robin Hood and Fluffy Bunny's and sung songs about porn and crack. While over here in the UK Simon Fuller pushes 12 year old kids dressed up in their older sisters crop tops and sing about "Automatic Highs" and "fantaseeeyyysss". What they've both got in common is they're both laughable, perverse and probably the most exciting things to lighten up the rock weeklies and shiny glossy teen mags respectively.
As the band hit the stage in this sold out show at the Roadhouse (a venue which you go to listen to a gig rather than watch it if you're anywhere behind the first two rows) I spy a strange but familiar figure. Sure enough its Frank Spencer in drag with a pink cardigan and matching pink beret and that's just the backing band for starters. Adam Green and Kimya Dawson are of course at the core of the Moldy Peaches and from what I can make out there are Rabbits and there are Robin Hoods - major result!!!
Musically a mix mash of sweet folk music with rock & roll ideology - imagine Belle and Sebastian if you will, expect that the Moldy Peaches were brought up with the teachings of the Church of Satan rather than the Sunday School weekly communion. They're the sort of band you can imagine someone mistakenly booking for a School Feit after seeing a pretty picture in the local rag before realizing that little but too late as they launch into the shouty punk rock of "Who's Got The Crack?". Then of course there's the pornographic lines of "Rainbows" such "Why don't you just play games? Like stick the dick in the hole" - infantile, subversive and rock & roll rebellion.
Alex McCann
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Affinity Investment Advisors, LLC, is an independent, registered investment advisor headquartered in Newport Beach, CA with an additional office in Pennsylvania. We are a client-centric firm where integrity, transparency, and accountability are integral to the culture of partnership that guides our internal and external interactions. Affinity has been managing active equity portfolios for institutional and private clients since 1992.
Affinity Investment Advisors, LLC, is an independent, registered investment advisor headquartered in Irvine, CA with an additional office in Pennsylvania. We are a client-centric firm where integrity, transparency, and accountability are integral to the culture of partnership that guides our internal and external interactions. Affinity has been managing active equity portfolios for institutional and private clients since 1992.


Coming in August is a game that looks and plays an awful lot like Grand Theft Auto. Except it's on the iPhone. And it's not GTA. But it does work.
Word first leaked about Gangstar: West Coast Hustle earlier this month. It's another GTA-like game coming to a platform that Rockstar Games hasn't yet graced its presence with.
I played Gangstar yesterday at the New York offices of the game's publisher and developer, Gameloft. And I even found a few ways it's different than GTA.
Gangstar is an approximation of Grand Theft Auto game design that puts the player in the shoes of Pedro, a man recently returned from Mexico and caught up in the violence of the game's primary locale, Los Angeles. The core car-jacking and and cop-shooting elements from the 3D GTAs are in the game; sleeping with prostitutes, I was told, is not.
I played the game's intro missions and tried a flashback set in a prison yard. In my first mission in L.A. I had to find a pay phone, where I needed to beat up a gang member who said that my guy wasn't wearing the right colors to use a phone marked in blue. Then I jacked a couple of cars, learned to shoot at people, bought some armor at a shop called Bullet Time and ran afoul of the law. Later, I drove a limousine while a couple made love in the back (The game will be rated 16 and up, but it's violent, not risque).
Gangstar is set for August release, but given that it is a downloadable iPhone/iPod Touch game, that should leave plenty of time for tweaks.
How It's Cruder Than GTA: Sure, the game looks like GTA, but possibly due to the horsepower of Gangstar's platform, some things aren't quite as you'd expect. For example, I could drive through trees as if they weren't there. I saw a pedestrian who should have been dashing down the street. Instead, she was snagged on a park bench, running in place as if she was at a nightclub in the 90s. Any bit of polish on this kind of stuff would be great.
The Police System: Do bad things and the cops will come after you, as represented by an increasing number of badges displayed in the upper right corner of the screen. These badges would go away if I hid or if I ran/drove through the game world, picking up badges strewn across the landscape. Not bad, in theory, but in my effort to evade the cops and drive to a badge marked on my mini-map, I invariably got spotted by the cops again. I couldn't shake these guys.
The Controls: This game was comfortable and easy to control. It is played with the iPhone (or iPod Touch) held horizontally. The player's left thumb controls a virtual analog stick. The right thumb can tap an action icon which will make Pedro punch, kick, shoot or whatever else suits what he's armed with. Tapping the weapons icon changes weapons. Tapping the game's mini-map enlarges it. Tapping on an enemy will lock on to them so you can attack. Driving options are varied, allowing for a virtual steering wheel under your left thumb, pedals under your right — or accelerometer-based driving if you want to tilt your phone. For the most part, these controls worked very well. I was stymied only by a third steering option involving a control stick.
How It's Different From GTA: The game's got a few things that GTA doesn't have, and more of that is to be encouraged. What gamer just wants to play a clone? As mentioned above, there is a playable flashback set in a prison, so we're experiencing a narrative told out of standard chronological order. Possibly more troubling for some people is the game's non-GTA-like rewarding of cash to players for every kill they make. It's not just that some downed enemies drop money, as in Rockstar's series. Nope. In this game, killing a cop or running over a civilian makes the player money.
How It's Similar To GTA: The fact that a game made in the style of a 3D Grand Theft Auto can run on an iPhone or iPod touch is impressive. It shows just how capable Apple's hardware is. As a test case or proof of processing prowess, it's a positive development. Musically, the game also draws inspiration from GTA, offering four in-game radio stations or — for those with 3.0 firmware — integrating music on your phone/iPod into the game.
I'm always a bit uncomfortable playing a game that so slavishly imitates another, but without having played all of Gangstar, I can't say that that is all this game is. And, if that is all it is, it's still an achievement that will probably please many who own Apple's handheld.
Is this really what Rockstar would do on an iPhone? It's hard to imagine that. But it certainly has been made to play a lot like what Rockstar has done elsewhere. A GTA wannabe on an Apple handheld. Interested?


Alliott Group/Global Mobility brings together carefully selected, medium sized tax and legal services providers in 165 cities worldwide. Global Mobility & HR Professionals managing mobility programmes in the EMEA, Americas, Asia and Australasian regions can count on the expertise, efficiency and collaborative approach provided by Alliott Group/Global Mobility member experts, many of whom have backgrounds working for Big Four firms. If you are looking for local experts working for medium-sized firms who will want to partner with you to build a flexible and cost-efficient global mobility programme, look no further, we can help!
Outsourcing tax and legal compliance and advisory services to Alliott Group/Global Mobility members adds specialist technical expertise and greater efficiency to the global mobility function. It will also bring peace of mind, enabling executives to focus on the 'bigger picture' strategic issues related to managing an international workforce. Working with us will help to streamline your tax, immigration and legal vendor management.
When employees work in different jurisdictions, it is important that domestic and foreign tax laws are understood, planned for and complied with. Getting the best tax planning advice is essential to the success of a global mobility programme. Our tax experts in 65 countries will ensure that you are fully aware of your tax commitments in all countries where your employees are living and/or working and that employment structures are optimised and taxes are filed on time and in compliance with local tax laws. Working as a collaborative international alliance of advisers, we will ensure that tax advice is always joined up.
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Issues/Solutions: A large multi-faceted, multi-phase civil project incorporating all aspects of cast in place concrete work. Issues include large concrete placements, special materials, extraordinary details and cast-in-place shapes, large amounts of decorative concrete i.e., exposed aggregate, access issues, weather issues and areas with multiple trades working concurrently. Solutions involved multiple phase coordination, night work and substantial field engineering.


text:
A mandarin vízicsibe (Porzana paykullii) a madarak osztályának guvatfélék (Rallidae) családjába tartozó faj.

Rendszerezés
A fajt Sven Ingemar Ljungh svéd természettudós írta le 1813-ban, a Rallus nembe Rallus Paykullii néven. Besorolása erősen vitatott, egyes szervezetek a Zapornia nembe sorolják Zapornia paykullii néven, mások a Limnobaenus nembe Limnobaenus paykullii néven. Tudományos faji nevét Gustaf von Paykull svéd ornitológus tiszteletére kapta.

Előfordulása
Kína, Indonézia, Észak- és Dél-Korea, Malajzia, Oroszország ázsiai részén, Thaiföld és Vietnám területén honos. A természetes élőhelye a szubtrópusi, trópusi és mérsékelt övi szezonálisan elárasztott legelők, valamint folyók, patakok és mocsarak környéke. Vonuló faj.

Megjelenése
Testhossza 20–22 centiméter.

Életmódja
Leginkább rákfélékkel és rovarokkal táplálkozik, de fogyaszt férgeket, magvakat és döglött halakat is.

Jegyzetek

Források

További információk
Képek az interneten a fajról
Xeno-canto.org

Guvatfélék
Madárfajok
Indonézia madarai
Kína madarai
Dél-Korea madarai
Észak-Korea madarai
Oroszország madarai
Thaiföld madarai
Vietnám madarai
Malajzia madarai

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
PeopleImages / Getty / Stock photo. Posed by model.
The hipster effect: Why anti-conformists always end up looking the same
Complexity science explains why efforts to reject the mainstream merely result in a new conformity.
by Emerging Technology from the arXiv
You've probably seen this effect—perhaps you are a victim of it. You feel alienated from mainstream culture and want to make a statement that you are not part of it. You think about wearing different clothes, experimenting with a new hairstyle, or even trying unconventional makeup and grooming products.
And yet when you finally reveal your new look to the world, it turns out you are not alone—millions of others have made exactly the same choices. Indeed, you all look more or less identical, the exact opposite of the countercultural statement you wanted to achieve.
This is the hipster effect—the counterintuitive phenomenon in which people who oppose mainstream culture all end up looking the same. Similar effects occur among investors and in other areas of the social sciences.
How does this kind of synchronization occur? Is it inevitable in modern society, and are there ways for people to be genuinely different from the masses?
Today we get some answers thanks to the work of Jonathan Touboul at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. Touboul is a mathematician who studies the way the transmission of information through society influences the behavior of people within it. He focuses in particular on a society composed of conformists who copy the majority and anticonformists, or hipsters, who do the opposite.
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And his conclusion is that in a vast range of scenarios, the hipster population always undergoes a kind of phase transition in which members become synchronized with each other in opposing the mainstream. In other words, the hipster effect is the inevitable outcome of the behavior of large numbers of people.
Crucially, Toubol's model takes into account the time needed for each individual to detect changes in society and to react accordingly. This delay is important. People do not react instantly when a new, highly fashionable pair of shoes becomes available. Instead, the information spreads slowly via fashion websites, word of mouth, and so on. This propagation delay is different for individuals, some of whom may follow fashion blogs religiously while others have no access to them and have to rely on word of mouth.
The question that Touboul investigates is under what circumstances hipsters become synchronized and how this varies as the propagation delay and the proportion of hipsters both change. He does this by creating a computer model that simulates how agents interact when some follow the majority and the rest oppose it.
This simple model generates some fantastically complex behaviors. In general, Touboul says, the population of hipsters initially act randomly but then undergo a phase transition into a synchronized state. He finds that this happens for a wide range of parameters but that the behavior can become extremely complex, depending on the way hipsters interact with conformists.
There are some surprising outcomes, too. When there are equal proportions of hipsters and conformists, the entire population tends to switch randomly between different trends. Why isn't clear, and Touboul wants to study this in more detail.
It can be objected that the synchronization stems from the simplicity of scenarios offering a binary choice. "For example, if a majority of individuals shave their beard, then most hipsters will want to grow a beard, and if this trend propagates to a majority of the population, it will lead to new, synchronized, switch to shaving," says Touboul.
It's easy to imagine a different outcome if there are more choices. If hipsters could grow a mustache, a square beard, or a goatee, for example, then perhaps this diversity of choice would prevent synchronization. But Touboul has found that when his model offers more than two choices, it still produces the synchronization effect.
Nevertheless, he wants to study this further. "We will study in depth this question in a forthcoming paper," he says.
Hipsters are an easy target for a bit of fun, but the results have much wider applicability. For example, they could be useful for understanding financial systems in which speculators attempt to make money by taking decisions that oppose the majority in a stock exchange.
Indeed, there are many areas in which delays in the propagation of information play an important role: As Touboul puts it: "Beyond the choice of the best suit to wear this winter, this study may have important implications in understanding synchronization of nerve cells, investment strategies in finance, or emergent dynamics in social science."
Ref: arxiv.org/abs/1410.8001 : The Hipster Effect: When Anti-Conformists All Look the Same
Emerging Technology from the arXiv


text:
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Orange most complained about mobile network provider, according to Ofcom report
Rik Henderson | 22 March 2012
Ofcom has released its annual report on the most complained about telecoms providers, with Orange being named and shamed as the mobile network coming in for most complaints.
The report covers the major companies that offer mobile, landline and fixed broadband services - those that hold more than 4 per cent market share. It takes into account the number of complaints received by Ofcom in respect of each provider's customer base and publishes them as a proportion, rather than a total. This way, Ofcom ensures that customers can "compare providers on a level playing field".
The latest figures are taken from Q4 2011, October to December, and assesses how many complaints were received per 1,000 customers.
In the mobile sector, as previously mentioned, Orange came out worst, with 0.17 complaints per 1,000 people. Three, the most complained about this time last year, came second in the hall of shame, with 0.15 complaints. T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone had 0.07. While O2 had a minute 0.02 complaints per 1,000 people, making it the least moaned about service.
Virgin Media and Sky came out top in fixed broadband services, with the latter just shading it on 0.17 over 0.18. BT was next, albeit with a large jump of 0.40 complaints per 1,000 customers. Then Orange fared better than it did in mobile (in chart position, anyway), with 0.48. But Talk Talk's 0.61 complaints put it right in the spotlight as the baddest of broadband bad boys.
Finally, Virgin Media also did very well in landline terms. It was the least complained about phone provider with only 0.18 complaints to Ofcom per 1,000 customers. Then BT with 0.23 and Sky with 0.24. But yet again, the worst offender, by a country mile was Talk Talk, with a massive 0.78 complaints per 1,000 customers. However, that was down from the 1.16 recorded in the same quarter the previous year.
Do you think Ofcom's statistics are right? What's your favourite mobile, landline or broadband provider? Let us know in the comments below...
The Samsung Galaxy S10+ is now available on EE who have been awarded the UK's best network for the fifth year running. RootMetrics tested the four UK networks and EE was faster and more reliable than all of them, with better data performance. Their network has come a long way since they launched in 2012. Back then they had 11 UK cities covered by 4G. Today they cover most of the UK's land mass, thanks to 19,000 state-of-the-art 4G sites. They've got faster, too – from 50Mbps to a maximum speed of 400Mbps. And they're soon to experience even greater possibilities with the launch of 5G.
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Amazon Prime Day phone prices slashed: iPhone, Samsung deals on day 2
Vodafone 5G GigaCube brings 5G to the home from £30 a month
Google Pixel 4 specs, release date, news and rumours
Apple iPhone XS vs XS Max vs iPhone XR: What's the difference?
Oppo signals intent to greatly expand K-series with series of patents
Red Magic 3 review: The best gaming phone going?


text:
El Gringoqueño
All a man needs out of life is a place to sit 'n' spit in the fire.
Category: Pensamientos (Page 1 of 3)
Random thoughts, comments, should be short, a paragraph or less
Shortcut to Waking Up
March 3, 2021 / Jim / 0 Comments
I love how Foxnews and the like are talking about Dr. Seuss in their ongoing segment, "Libs are trying to destroy America – Endless Culture War edition." Frankly, the recent news is a gift to radical right wing media. They can't get enough of the outrage.
But I don't really want to talk about that, I guess. It's sort of the context, but I really want to talk about the great white middle class, those with whom Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was so impatient.
Why is it taking so long for us? Why is realizing that society is deeply racist and has been built that way for centuries rolling along in such slow motion? Yes, the arc of the moral universe is long and it does bend toward justice. But why so long, and why is the arc so gentle?
I reflect on my own journey of understanding and the increasing granularity of my own personal discoveries of racist things. I personally wouldn't have found Dr. Seuss racist growing up. Haha, look at the funny characters. That's what Chinese people are. Look at the interesting African tribal guys. Oh, that's what Africans look like. My personal journey didn't get me very far, because it's a feedback loop of normality.
Why is your favorite dish something your mom made?
As time has gone on, I, like a lot of other normative white folks, have awakened to the realization that black people and Asians don't like being portrayed like that, that stereotypes are bad. They would never draw themselves like that or portray themselves like that.
I get it. Now let me continue to take myself on my personal journey toward woke-ness. Bravo. Please let me pat myself on my woke-ass back.
Bah! It's this personal journey bullshit that's making it take so long!
But here's the thing – there's a shortcut.
Psst. They have been telling us for decades, and sometimes for even hundreds of years.
All we had to do was listen.
When people tell you what you said was hurtful, believe them.
When people tell you a depiction is racist and hurtful, believe them.
When people tell you that police profile and harass them, believe them.
When people tell you their city's water is full of lead, believe them.
When people tell you they have experienced sexual harassment/assault in public and in their workplaces, believe them.
When people tell you they hurt, believe them.
Really, it boils down to – believe people when they tell you things they experience and don't filter their words through your own completely different experiences.
Profound thoughts from Reddit
December 4, 2020 / Jim
The firefigher is a hero. The fire inspector is an asshole… even though he saves far more lives.
Simple Can be Hard
January 29, 2019 / Jim
Don't mistake the uncomplicated for the easy. Sometimes the simplest tasks are the hardest.
-Jim's One-Minute Messages
I just wanna say
July 3, 2018 / Jim
Although I agree ideologically with people that are upset at officials within the Trump administration, if you are berating someone while they are having a meal or kicking them out of your restaurant, you are a crackpot.
White Privilege – A Clarification
March 19, 2018 / Jim
Hey, I get it. You don't feel privileged. You've worked hard to accomplish something in your life. You've faced some hard knocks, but you've persevered and you have achieved. You might hear "white privilege" and dismiss it as offensive and racist; somebody's trying to take away something from you that you earned.
I hear you, but I want to clarify something.
White privilege is a group phenomenon, a larger social issue rather than an individual one. In fact, I'll equate it to climate change. Human driven climate change isn't weather change, as certain U.S. Senators would like to imagine. Climate change works on a global level and is manifested as an increasing global average temperature. Yes, there are local fluctuations, but OVERALL the planet temperature is rising. White Privilege is a social phenomenon whose effects are felt in aggregate as asymmetric incarceration rates, greater income inequality etc. Yes, there are fluctuations. There are some suffering white folks just as there are some affluent black folks, but overall, there is a general social and economic advantage in America to being white.
I will concede that perhaps "white privilege" is a term that is probably unnecessarily antagonistic and when launched as a rebuke certainly isn't building bridges. Still, I would exhort people who would classify themselves as white to attempt to understand where it comes from and own the concepts behind it. Try to see the collective position of power not as privilege for oneself, but as a duty to correct the sins of the past.
Didchaevernotice?
December 21, 2014 / Jim
..that we obsess over our technology, hunch over it, faces uplit by the glow of flickering screens – the iPhone, the tablet, our computers, our screens, we use them to search for things, to learn things, to yearn for things.
It was better when we ran barefoot, it tells us. You see, the modern running shoe is not optimal for the way our bodies evolved. We cackle. These are the things that Big Shoe doesn't want us to know. We know better now.
We run free now but not complete. Our device wil tell us the next step. We enter our search in google with a small "g."
It was better when we ate raw food. You see, our bodies evolved to eat what was in nature, unprepared, unprocessed. Bleached flour, high fructose corn syrup, white bread, canned food – these are the foods that Big Agra wants us to eat, but our bodies know better. Don't be a slave, man.
We swipe the screen, our fingers dancing a sort of mini-tango of pinches and whorls. Here it is, another piece of truth that has been lost to us, brought to us by this gadget pressed together by beautiful Chinese hands.
We poop wrong. Modern humans, in our eternal fascination with everything civilized and clean and controlled, have forgotten how we were supposed to poop. We were meant to squat on the ground, knees high, pressed against our chests. It is only in this position that we relieve our bowels without undue stresses upon our rectums. Big Toilet doesn't want you to know that, though, as they lie and cheat and steal to support Big Sewer Authority.
We nod our heads. It all makes sense. We know the truth now. We are free, free at last to poop in a hole, eat raw food, and run barefoot through the field – not too far though, we must keep to the confines of the fire, not straying from its light or nearest charging station.
White Flight, Black Blight
November 10, 2014 / Jim
This is this dynamic in the United States. No one likes to admit it, but it happens – little by little, bit by bit. No one person is responsible. No one person thinks they are causing a problem, just reacting to forces outside of their control. My property values are going to go down, they say. Another code word that white people use is, "Schools." I moved for better schools.
The bottom line is this: white people believe that when black people move in, neighborhoods turn bad. So white people leave. The problem is that they are creating a self-fulfilling prophesy, and they don't even realize they are causative rather than reactive. Those forces are in their control. White people are the hegemony. White people are not helpless homeowners just looking for good schools, simply reacting to forces outside of their control. It is disingenuous to conclude that white people are powerless to stop the inevitable decline when communities turn black.
White people say: When black people move in, neighborhoods turn to shit.
I say: When white people move out of neighborhoods, they take their shit with them.
That's it, isn't it? Neighborhoods don't degrade because black people are moving it, they are degrading because capital is fleeing. The power, both political and economic, the hegemony – it's mostly in the hands of white people. It has been this way for hundreds of years, and I don't see it changing any time soon. The only way for it to stop is for white Americans to stop fleeing from black Americans. Stay and invest. Maybe you would earn more living in a more affluent area, but is acquisition really the point?
Please stop fleeing with your capital; stop driving communities to poverty.
I Do Notice You
July 11, 2014 / Jim
It's the little things, suddenly spending lots of time with mom, deleted photos, inspirational memes about new hope, new challenges, new directions. I know those posts are for you.
I hit "like" on a picture with the children.
Maybe it's a job change, a move. There are the inevitable appliance purchases, selfies, lost weight.
I pick through it. I notice it. I read between the lines and I think I can see what has happened. I don't know why it has happened, but I see you. We're no more than acquaintances at this point, perhaps dear friends in the past, but I don't know if you'd feel comfortable with me intruding to offer a kind word. I don't know how "out" you want to be. Besides, I could be wrong about everything.
I hit "like" on a new outfit.
I remind myself that nothing on social media is accidental. Much like a scripted crime thriller, everything has a purpose. You are vague for a reason. Everything is deliberately done, even what old photos remain. Besides, your closest friends probably already know, don't they. I am not one of those.
I hit "like" on a "hang in there" comment.
Functions as Designed
February 18, 2014 / Jim
I passed another tangled iguana carcass on the road today. There he lay, twisted and bloated, flattened in places, tire tracks decorating his thick hide. It got me to thinking how in those moments before his death, that that poor iguana had functioned exactly as he was designed.
His design is among the oldest on our earth. His kind have survived because, although primitive, they are effective. Their design is tried and true. I tried to picture the confidence on his face at the last instant of his life. "I got this," he thought, as he stared down the barrel of fate, sure that his ancestors throughout the millions of years evolution would protect him. "I have not just prepared for this instant all my life," he thought, "but for all of existence."
"Bring it," he breathed.
And then BAM, it was all over, his spine twisted, the vegetation of his gut splattered this way and that.
What went wrong? He stood his ground. He can't be chased, because he wasn't running. That big thing will stop, give me a sniff and then I will whip him with my tail, make a menacing sound and he will leave. Or perhaps I will climb a tree. But no, this time the big thing did not stop. The big thing came barreling down with nary a thought of satisfying its belly. In fact, it seemed not to notice me at all.
What do we do when our preparation does not yield the desired results, when it becomes irrelevant, when we function as designed for an environment that no longer exists?
Pancakes a la Irene
August 27, 2011 / Jim
It's the lining that's important, we said, the silver lining, that is. It is always a struggle to see it, dulled by the swirling mists and clouds and rain. Oh, and was there rain… 20 inches in one day in some places. Our electricity went out first, and with it Internet, phone, and then the water. Power was out for two days and it took a good chunk of the stuff in our refrigerator. Water came back after three, and Internet and phone after four.
So where is the silver lining, you ask? Look closely, and you will find it in the pancakes. That's right, those pancakes were made with spoiled milk. Those rich fluffy, cake-y, awesome confections were made with lumpy cheesy milk. They always turn out super extra special when we use spoiled milk, and with the power outages we suffer weekly, it's a common occurrence.
So, bring it. Hit us with your best shot. We'll just keep making more pancakes.
Don't make a big deal out of everything; just deal with everything.
Vaccine Spam and Bad Actors
Morgan Freeman Casting for the Part of God
But I Thought it was Trump's Vaccine
Trumpists' Cult of Personality
Ad Hominem and Silly Arguments
It's Not Just Virtue Signaling
Glass Cliff in the White House
Swing State Government Breakdowns
Other Things I Have Learned In Puerto Rico
Covid-19 in Puerto Rico
The Only Explanation that Makes Sense
Seriously, Sen Cotton?
Chat with Jesus (12)
Faith and Wisdom (10)
Los Muchachos (12)
Pensamientos (21)
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© 2022 El Gringoqueño


After an early breakfast, well drive this morning to Mikumi National Park. The drive is approx 05 hours and en-route will focus again on game viewing. Throughout this scenic nature drive, will cross by Uluguru Mountain and follow the road to our base at Mikumi National Park for overnight stay. While the Selous is a vast, often-uncharted wilderness, Mikumi is relatively civilized, with its easy access via national transport grids. But most of Mikumi is well away from the main roads and rail line, and is still wild Africa. Much of the park consists of open plains and flood plains of the Mkata River, with swamps and wetlands a constant feature. Enclosed on three sides by hills and mountains, Mikumi is a gem worth the visit, and has all the major mammals that are found in the Selous.
After Breakfast at Vuma Hill Tented Camp we slowly travel to Ruaha National Park, while having a 6 hours scenic drive through Kitonga Mountains, Southern Highland Town of Iringa, watching nature and wildlife, arriving in the afternoon at Ruaha National Park. Well check in first at Tandala Safari Camp, and if time permitting, take a short game drive at Ruaha National Park. Second only to Katavi in its aura of untrammeled wilderness, but far more accessible, Ruaha protects a vast tract of the rugged, semi-arid bush country that characterizes central Tanzania. Its lifeblood is the Great Ruaha River, which courses along the eastern boundary. A fine network of game-viewing roads follows the Great Ruaha and its seasonal tributaries, where, during the dry season, impala, waterbuck and other antelope risk their life for a sip of life-sustaining water. And the risk is considerable: not only from the prides of 20-plus lion that lord over the savannah, but also from the cheetahs that stalk the open grassland and the leopards. This impressive array of large predators is boosted by both, striped and spotted hyena, as well as the highly endangered African wild dog. Walking Safari and Night Safari in Ruaha is available tonight (optional extra.
Will start in the morning our full-day game drive in Ruaha National Park and go in search of elephants and buffalo, with a very good chance of seeing the rare and beautiful wild dog, a day to experience an old style safariaway from the crowds in an area that has remained unchanged for centuries. Well have a picnic lunch and will only return at dinnertime to our Tandala Safari Camp. Night Game drive and Walking Night Safari will be again available for adventurers.
The above Programme cost US $ 4300 Per Person sharing double room.


With water conservation on our minds in the post-Christmas months, it's nice to know there are some stunning plants that will stand up to drier, hotter weather conditions and still look sensational.
Structure, movement, excitement, and colour. 'Electric' Cordylines have all the hallmarks of a first class landscaping plant. And they're fantastic in pots.


text:
News and Tips Travel News
Man Gets Jail Time For Writing Fake Trip Advisor Reviews For Pay
Kelly Bambrick
The importance of positive hotel reviews for travel planning cannot be overstated. The same could be said for the impact good reviews can have on a hotel's business. So it probably shouldn't come as a huge surprise that there are people out there offering to sell positive reviews to hotels and restaurants in exchange for a fee. With that said, TripAdvisor has no tolerance for this misleading practice, and their efforts to take down the businesses responsible for posting phony reviews on their site aided in landing one person in prison.
The owner of a company called PromoSalento was found guilty by the Criminal Court of Lecce in Italy back in June 2018 on the grounds he had used a fake identity to commit fraud. He received a 9-month sentence in prison along with a fine of €8,000 for attempting to publish fake hotel reviews. TripAdvisor has since published a full breakdown of the situation from their perspective, explaining how they were made aware of the this deception and what they did to investigate and eventually assist in legal action against the owner of PromoSalento.
Based on TripAdvisor's statement, it seems they're actively on the lookout for fraudulent reviews on their site. Back in 2015, they became aware of PromoSalento's practice of selling positive reviews to Italian businesses hoping to boost their star rating on review sites. Apparently, a number of businesses forwarded emails they received from the company soliciting them for this fraudulent theme. While some of the businesses forwarded the emails to TripAdvisor, it sounds like at least one restaurant sent theirs to the police, which is how the criminal investigation against PromoSalento got started. TripAdvisor says they worked alongside the prosecution in an effort to take down the company's owner.
"The police investigation into PromoSalento delivered enough evidence of criminal conduct to send the case to court. TripAdvisor formally joined the prosecution as a civil claimant, sharing evidence from our own investigations and providing support from our Italian legal counsel."
It's interesting to consider that part of the downfall of PromoSalento was the very clientele they were seeking, but it makes sense. If the business of writing fake reviews for pay is a practice in this industry, then the targeted businesses are presumably faced with the dilemma of whether to pay for such reviews or else refuse with the knowledge that their competition may be cheating the system. In other words, they could end up being outranked by the hotels who are paying money for fake reviews. It stands to reason that the logical alternative to playing along with this fraudulent practice is to expose it in the hopes that it'll be stopped.
While TripAdvisor was gathering evidence against PromoSalento, they were also taking steps to block or remove over a thousand attempts by the company to submit reviews for hundreds of companies. In addition, they used their sophisticated fraud detection processes to block PromoSalento's continued attempts to post reviews on the site. And PromoSalento wasn't the only target in TripAdvisor's efforts to detect and remove phony reviews from their site. Since 2015, they say they've stopped more than 60 different paid review companies across the globe.
But it doesn't end there, as it isn't just the phony reviewers who pose a threat to the service TripAdvisor provides to its readers. The businesses paying money for fake reviews are also part of the problem, and TripAdvisor is penalizing those who are caught trying to game the system by demoting their status in the site's popularity rankings. If that doesn't do enough to deter businesses from paying for fake reviews, there's an even worse penalty: the red badge.
"For most of the businesses we caught in connection with PromoSalento, our ranking penalties were enough to stop fraud in its tracks. But where we saw suspicious activity continue, the next step was to issue a red badge, which is a notice displayed on a business's TripAdvisor listing page warning travelers that the business has been trying to manipulate reviews. The notice outlines the type of fraud we have spotted."
Many of us rely on TripAdvisor's reviews to help us decide where to stay on our next trip or vacation, so the credibility of the site relies on the authenticity of those reviews. This really applies to any site or business that posts what are supposed to be authentic user reviews. If those reviews can't be trusted, what good are any of them? So it's not surprising that TripAdvisor is being so forthcoming with their efforts to combat the problem. As discouraging as it is to know this practice even exists, it's important to see that steps are being taken to stop people from trying to manipulate the system. And in the case of PromoSalento, it looks like jail time was part of the punishment.
Kelly Bambrick View Full Profile
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Tried it in FF and Chrome.

A: change:
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Benj and Jessica launched a nonprofit. Follow our journey as we built a 501(c)(3) and a web site, and now usher in an endless stream of worthy charity nominees and monthly grant winners!
Shortcuts: News | Winners | Nominees
Please subscribe to our blog!
April 2021 winner Hatteras Island Wildlife Rehabilitation
We have good news about April winner Hatteras Island Wildlife Rehabilitation, right after this quick update...
Over $75,000 granted
It's still early days over here at Charitocracy OBX. But on the national Charitocracy USA site, we've been nominating, voting, and granting awards for 56 months now! It all adds up, and we just crossed a nice big milestone.
If ever you wonder how a contribution of just $1 can have an impact, remember that we're multiplying it both across time and across our now over 300 active donors. While most donations are $1 per month, there are enough Charitocracy donors among us fortunate enough to be able to donate more that we average about $4 per month per donor. If you'd like to help increase our monthly pot size, and get us to the $100,000 mark sooner, it's really easy to increase your donation amount! But the best way to get there is always inviting more donors (and thus more voters!) into the mix.
Yesterday we named Charitocracy OBX's 7th monthly winner! Congratulations to Hatteras Island Wildlife Rehabilitation, nominated by donor John Towler. They are an all-volunteer 501c3 dedicated to the treatment and care of the island's ill and injured wildlife. You can find their website here.
Now you have a few more days to sweeten the pot with a special one-time donation of any amount, which we'll add straight to the check we write to HIWR. We've already received one pot sweetener, thanks!
So finally check out this video showing a rescued Bald Eagle in Camden County. Then take a moment to feel good about your part in our collective $510+ grant to help with their ongoing work!
https://youtu.be/uCWEnoBYY3I
Have a great May, stay safe, and be sure to log into Charitocracy OBX to update your votes or nominate a new cause!
Author BenjPosted on May 2, 2021 May 2, 2021 Categories Monthly Winners
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Future of Italian copyright levies unclear after European Court of Justice invalidates them for professional use under Italian law
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2016/italy/future-of-italian-copyright-levies-unclear-after-ecj-invalidates-copyright-levies
Copyright: subsistence and infringement in software
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/uk/copyright-subsistence-and-infringement-in-software
The High Court has dismissed an application for summary judgment in relation to a claim for the infringement of copyright in software.
Copyright: fabric as work of artistic craftsmanship
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/uk/copyright-fabric-as-work-of-artistic-craftsmanship
The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) has held that a fabric design infringed copyright in a fabric as a work of artistic craftsmanship.
The Afghanistan Papers – Germany cannot prohibit the publication of military situation reports by invoking copyright law
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/germany/the-afghanistan-papers-germany-cannot-prohibit-the-publication-of-military-situation-reports
Roman Brtka reports on a recent decision by the German Federal Court of Justice ruling on the German Government's attempt to prevent press publication of classified reports on the basis of copyright infringement. Roman ...
Copyright: terms of injunction and scope of damages inquiry
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/global/copyright-terms-of-injunction-and-scope-of-damages-inquiry
The High Court has considered the terms of injunctive relief and the scope of the damages inquiry in the TuneIn radio aggregator copyright infringement case.
Database rights: infringement by extraction or re-utilisation
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/global/database-rights-infringement-by-extraction-or-re-utilisation
The High Court has held that a geospatial address dataset creator was liable for infringement of database rights.
Copyright: e-book supply as communication to the public
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/global/copyright-ebook-supply-as-communication-to-the-public
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that the supply to the public by the downloading, for permanent use, of an e-book was covered by the concept of communication to the public.
Copyright: protection of designs as copyright works
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/global/copyright-protection-of-designs-as-copyright-works
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has considered the extent to which designs could be protected as copyright works.
CJEU rules that functional shapes are eligible for copyright protection, in so far as they are original works
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/global/cjeu-rules-that-functional-shapes-are-eligible-for-copyright-protection-in-so-far
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has issued its judgment in Brompton Bicycle, C-833/18, ruling that copyright protection is available to functional shapes, subject to them being original works in the ...
Copyright: infringement of musical copyright
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2020/global/copyright-infringement-of-musical-copyright
The High Court has held that a service enabling users, via a website or app, to access internet music radio stations around the world had infringed copyright by communicating copyright works to the public.


text:
Home > Book Reviews > Mystery & Crime > Hangman by Jack Heath
Hangman by Jack Heath
When the popular, Australian YA author Jack Heath's own website carries the warning of "Hangman, is an extremely gruesome crime novel. It is not suitable for readers under the age of 18", the reader would do well to heed this advice. As his first novel for adults, the plot is original, riveting, gruesome and not for the faint hearted, or squeamish.
Told in the first person and present tense, the reader sees the grimy side of Houston, Texas through the eyes of the main character Timothy Blake. He readily acknowledges that he was orphaned as a baby, raised in group housing, at times unemployed and living on the streets. At present he makes a sort of living by solving riddles and helping his FBI handler solve cases. His reward for aiding the FBI is appalling by human standards (well, any sane standard) and it's not until the reader is well into the first third of the novel that the nature of the reward becomes clear (Blake is, if anything, utterly truthful about himself and does not apologise for it).
Blake's current FBI case starts out straightforward: find a missing 14 year old boy before the ransom is paid. He is assigned an FBI partner (really, to keep an eye on him without being told the truth about Blake and his specific reward) who turns out to be someone from his abject past. In between dealing with his drug running housemate and the local mafia, he gets kidnapped, tortured and finds that more than one 14 year old boy has gone missing.
Hangman is a very dark, twisted crime novel. If Val McDermid wrote about Hannibal Lector, this would be the result. The end chapter promises the next stage in the life of Mr Blake and I eagerly look forward to it.
Find Hangman by Jack Heath in the SMSA Library Catalogue
Belinda Coombs
Member of the SMSA Mystery & Crime Readers Group


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Contextualizing European snapshots of post-contact southern New England
Wyatt Oswald
Professor of Science, Emerson College
W. Wyatt Oswald, David R. Foster, Bryan N. Shuman, Elizabeth S. Chilton, Dianna L. Doucette, and Deena L. Duranleau
In our recent paper in Nature Sustainability [1], we used an interdisciplinary approach to explore the relative importance of human impacts and climate change as drivers of the postglacial ecological history of southern New England. Analyses of paleoenvironmental and archaeological records from numerous sites across the region lead to a consistent interpretation of the pre-European landscape: uplands were dominated by mature forests, shifts in climate drove changes in forest composition and fire, and Native American ecological impacts were limited to local scales. In comments on our paper: Roos [2] emphasizes that Native American impacts were not regional, but "at the scales at which people lived," which is consistent with our conclusion; Abrams and Nowacki [3] reach the opposite conclusion and claim that burning by Native people caused the eastern US to be "dominated by vast expanses of oak (Quercus) and pine (Pinus) forests." Our study is based on fine-grained evidence produced directly by human activities and ecological dynamics over 14,000 years; this work distinguishes the distinctive pattern of Native subsistence in southern New England from those in adjoining regions. In contrast, Abrams and Nowacki broad-brush a story of regional uniformity from scattered anecdotes by European colonizers in the process of disrupting Native societies and transforming the landscape [4]. Here we elaborate on the dangers of relying on colonial-era snapshots of forest conditions and Native American activities.
With English colonization of New England, the landscape was divided into towns, then further divided into individual lots. As part of the land-division process, lotting surveys noted 'witness' trees at the lot corners. Resourceful ecologists, including our colleague Charlie Cogbill, have worked meticulously through these historical records to yield a highly detailed reconstruction of the composition of New England forests before extensive deforestation [5,6]. Northern New England forests featured eastern hemlock, American beech, birches, maples, red spruce, and balsam fir; southern New England was dominated by oaks, along with pines and hickories.
Mature forest of sugar maple, white ash, and yellow birch overlooking Groton Pond, Vermont. Photo by David Foster.
In many publications, Abrams and Nowacki have argued that (1) the differences between the northern and southern forests of New England were attributable to the use of fire by Native Americans in the south, and (2) the cessation of burning by Native people initiated widespread changes in forest composition, characterized as "mesophication" and involving a shift from what they misleadingly refer to as "pyrogenic" taxa, like oaks and pines, to so-called "pyrophobic" taxa, including red maple [7]. This snapshot-based interpretation is inaccurate, largely because it lacks the long-term and continuous perspective provided by lake-sediment records. Paleoenvironmental data show:
Postglacial changes in vegetation and fire were controlled by variations in temperature and precipitation, independent of changes in the size of the human population. The compositional differences between northern and southern parts of the region arose at 8000 years ago, a time of low human population and declining fire [1,8,9].
Sedimentary charcoal records document a major increase in fire with European colonization, as English settlers cut, cleared, and burned the region's forests to create a landscape of farm fields and woodlots [1].
Pollen data reflect: dramatic declines in the abundances of late successional species with European deforestation; increases in openland plants and early successional trees during the period of European agriculture; and a loss of openland habitats with the reforestation of farms and cutover woodlots [8]. "Mesophication" of New England forests has occurred, but rather than reflecting the absence of Native burning it is attributable to post-agricultural forest succession, superimposed on a long-term trend of increasing moisture [6,9,10].
Caveats abound when drawing sweeping conclusions about thousands of years of landscape conditions and Native American practices from other historical snapshots. The writings and maps of European explorers and colonists have been interpreted as documenting widespread burning and intensive farming in southern New England [11,12], neither of which are supported by the archaeological or paleoecological records. These discrepancies are readily explained by many scholars as resulting from the fact that European observations were scattered through time and geography, are highly contradictory among themselves, and were strongly influenced by the economic and political agendas of the colonizers [13]. European accounts are, by definition, post-contact, and record Native people and landscapes transformed by epidemic disease, violence, and disruption in technologies. From the sixteenth century forward, Native populations became increasingly concentrated on the landscape and more reliant on agriculture for food and trade [14].
Archaeologists Dianna Doucette, Deena Duranleau, and Randy Jardin conducting investigations at the Lucy Vincent Beach Site, Martha's Vineyard. Photo by Elizabeth Chilton.
Just as paleoecological records of vegetation change are needed to provide reliable long-term context for witness-tree snapshot of New England forests, archaeological data provide a continuous record of Native American lifestyle and subsistence that is derived directly from Native American activities and spans the time of European colonization. Detailed, site-level archaeological work and regional syntheses of these data across southern New England contribute to understanding the antiquity, complexity, flexibility, and continuity of the region's Native American societies [15]. Prior to European colonization, these archaeological records indicate:
A longstanding pattern of flexibility and diversity of seasonal settlements within well-established homelands, with no evidence for permanent villages.
Subsistence was focused around a great diversity of wild foods: large and small mammals, fish, shellfish, acorns, other nuts, and many other species of plants. While maize horticulture was practiced in New England for many hundreds of years before European arrival, it was not a dietary staple and there is no evidence for the intensive farming practiced in other parts of the Americas.
Significant regional differences existed among peoples living in inland and coastal New England, and between New England groups and those further to the west (e.g., the Haudenosaunee).
Combining paleoecological and archeological data enables researchers to explore in detail the nuances of cultural and ecological differences over time and space rather than applying sweeping regional and temporal generalizations derived from inherently limited, and in many cases biased, European snapshots. When we apply those approaches to southern New England, we recognize that (1) major human impacts on the regional fire regime and landscape did not occur until European arrival, and (2) the legacies of colonial agriculture are responsible for many of the high-priority conservation goals pursued by land managers today.
Oswald, W. W. et al. Conservation implications of limited Native American impacts in pre-contact New England. Nat. Sustain. 3, 241-246 (2020).
Roos, C. I. Scale in the study of Indigenous burning. Nat. Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-0579-5 (2020).
Abrams, M. D. & Nowacki, G. J. Native American imprint in palaeoecology. Nat. Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-0578-6 (2020).
Oswald, W. W. et al. W. W. Oswald et al. reply. Nat. Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-0580-z (2020).
Cogbill, C. V., Burk, J., & Motzkin, G. The forests of presettlement New England, USA: spatial and compositional patterns based on town proprietor surveys. J. Biogeogr. 29, 1279-1304 (2002).
Thompson, J. R., Carpenter, D. N., Cogbill, C. V., & Foster, D. R. Four centuries of change in northeastern United States forests. PLoS ONE 8, e72540 (2013).
Nowacki, G. J. & Abrams, M. D. The demise of fire and "mesophication" of forests in the eastern United States. BioScience 58, 123-138 (2008).
Oswald, W. W. et al. Subregional variability in the response of New England vegetation to postglacial climate change. J. Biogeogr. 45, 2375-2388 (2018).
Shuman, B. N., Marsicek, J., Oswald, W. W. & Foster D. R. Predictable hydrological and ecological responses to Holocene North Atlantic variability. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 5985-5990 (2019).
McEwan, R. W., Dyer, J. M., & Pederson, N. Multiple interacting ecosystem drivers: toward an encompassing hypothesis of oak forest dynamics across eastern North America. Ecography 34, 244-256 (2011).
Day, G. M. The Indian as an ecological factor in the northeastern forest. Ecology 34, 329-346 (1953).
Cronon, W. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England (Hill & Wang, New York, 1983).
Chilton, E. S. in Northeast Subsistence-Settlement Change: A.D. 700-A.D. 1300 (eds Hart, J. & Reith, C.) 289-300 (New York State Museum Bulletin, Albany, 2002).
Thomas, P. A. In the Maelstrom of Change: The Indian Trade and Cultural Process in the Middle Connecticut River Valley 1635–1665. PhD thesis, Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst (1979).
Chilton, E. S. in Ancient Complexities: New Perspectives in Pre-Columbian North America (ed Alt, S.) 96-103 (Univ. of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 2010).
Retrospective science informs regional conservation and land management


text:
Texananus decorus är en insektsart som beskrevs av Henry Fairfield Osborn och Ball 1897. Texananus decorus ingår i släktet Texananus och familjen dvärgstritar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Dvärgstritar
decorus


text:
Die Kirche Santa Caterina da Siena ist eine römische Kirche und befindet sich im Rione Regola, in der Via Giulia.

Geschichte
Die Geschichte der Kirche ist untrennbar mit der Geschichte der Erzbruderschaft von Siena verbunden, zu der das Gebäude auch heute noch gehört. Die sienesische Gemeinschaft ist seit dem Ende des 14. Jahrhunderts in Rom präsent. Zunächst hatte sie ihren Sitz in der Kirche Santa Maria in Monterone, Mitte des 15. Jahrhunderts zog sie dann zum Grab der Heiligen Katharina in der Basilika Santa Maria sopra Minerva um; nach 1461, dem Jahr der Heiligsprechung der sienesischen Heiligen, wurde der Sitz der Bruderschaft die Kirche San Nicola degli Incoronati in der Nähe der Via Giulia.

1519 wurde die Gemeinschaft von Papst Leo X. offiziell als Bruderschaft anerkannt. Da seit dem 15. Jahrhundert sienesische Kaufleute und Bankiers in der Via Giulia gelebt haben wurde daher beschlossen, hier die der Schutzpatronin der Stadt geweihten Kirche, das Oratorium der Bruderschaft und das Haus für den Klerus zu errichten. Diese Arbeiten wurden 1526 Baldassare Peruzzi anvertraut und vom sienesischen Adel in Rom, unter ihnen Kardinal Giovanni Piccolomini und der Bankier Agostino Chigi, finanziert. Nach Zerstörungen wegen der Überschwemmungen des Tibers wurde das Gebäude nach einem Entwurf von Paolo Posi zwischen 1766 und 1775, dem Jahr der Einweihung des neuen Altars, vollständig neu aufgebaut.

Von der Urkirche sind Beschreibungen in einigen Dokumenten erhalten geblieben, die heute in den Archiven der Bruderschaft (die 1736 zu einer Erzbruderschaft wurde) aufbewahrt werden. Sie hatte drei Altäre: Auf dem Hauptaltar befand sich das Gemälde mit der Darstellung der Auferstehung von Girolamo Genga, das heute im Oratorium der Erzbruderschaft aufbewahrt wird; die Seitenaltäre waren mit Fresken von Timoteo della Vite, einem Schüler Raffaels, und Antiveduto Gramatica, dessen Grab sich in der Kirche befand, bemalt.

Beschreibung

Die Gestaltung der Fassade wurde von Borromini beeinflusst. An den Seiten des zentralen Fensters befinden sich Romulus und Remus mit der Wölfin, dem Symbol Sienas, da nach der Legende diese Stadt von Remus gegründet wurde.

Das Innere besteht aus einem einzigen Kirchenschiff mit vier Seitenkapellen und einem leicht erhöhten Presbyterium und einer Apsis. In den Tafeln, die das Tonnengewölbe schmücken, befinden sich zwei Temperamalereien mit der Darstellung von musizierenden Engeln von Ermenegildo Costantini. Die Wände sind auf jeder Seite mit vier Ovalen verziert, die von Ignazio Morlà, Tommaso Conca, Étienne Parrocel und Pietro Angeletti bemalt wurden.

In den beiden Kapellen auf der rechten Seite befinden sich zwei Altarbilder aus dem 18. Jahrhundert, die eine Predigt des heiligen Bernhard des Sizilianers Salvatore Monosilio und Christus erscheint dem seligen Bernardo Tolomei im Gebet von Niccolò Lapiccola darstellen. In den beiden Kapellen links sind zwei weitere Werke aus derselben Zeit zu sehen: eine Mariä Himmelfahrt von Tommaso Conca und von Domenico Corvi die Episode, in der Gregor VII. das von den Truppen Heinrichs IV. angezündete Feuer löscht. Neben diesem letzten Werk steht das Grabdenkmal für Paolo Posi, den Architekten der Kirche, von Giuseppe Palazzi. Ein Sarkophag an der rechten Seitenwand erinnert an die hl. Exsuperantia (auch "Exuperantia" geschrieben), eine in älteren Ausgaben des Martyrologium Romanum verzeichnete Heilige, die im Bistum Troyes verehrt wird.

Im Bereich des Presbyteriums befinden sich: In der Apsis das Gemälde von Laurent Pêcheux Die Rückkehr Gregors XI. aus Avignon (1773), für die sich die heilige Katharina so stark eingesetzt hat, und am Hochaltar Die Mystische Hochzeit der Heiligen Katharina (1768) von Gaetano Lapis.

Die einzigen noch erhaltenen Überreste der alten Kirche befinden sich heute im Oratorium der Erzbruderschaft im ersten Stock des Nebengebäudes. Es handelt sich um die bereits erwähnte Auferstehung von Gerolamo Genga, ein beidseitig bemaltes Holzkreuz, das Rutilio Manetti zugeschrieben wird, und die Gipsstatue der heiligen Katharina von Ercole Ferrata.

Die Kirche und die Nebengebäude erstrecken sich bis zur Via di Monserrato, wo die Fassade 1912 in Anlehnung an das Geburtshauses der Heiligen Katharina von Siena in Fontebranda neu gestaltet wurde.

Literatur

Weblinks

 Interactive Nolli Map Website

Fußnoten

Caterina da Siena
Caterina da Siena
Katharina-von-Siena-Kirche
Caterina da Siena
Barocke Kirche
Caterina da Siena
Erbaut im 18. Jahrhundert