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Legion of Leia
Bad Boys for Life Opens with More Than $100 Million Worldwide
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Defending Jacob, Starring Chris Evans & Michelle Dockery, Coming in April
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Apple Announces Premiere Date for Spielberg's Amazing Stories
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Go Behind the Scenes of Star Trek: Picard with Sir Patrick Stewart
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Marvel's Iron Man VR Release Date Pushed Back to May 2020
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Cyberpunk 2077 Release Date Pushed Back to September 2020
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Byleth from Fire Emblem Joins Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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Metro Redux Is Coming to the Nintendo Switch in February
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Zoë Kravitz Faces the Music in the New High Fidelity Trailer
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Home Movies Shazam! Keeps First Place, Little Tops Hellboy for Second
Shazam! Keeps First Place, Little Tops Hellboy for Second
By Mirko Parlevliet
Despite four new wide releases opening this weekend, Shazam! (Warner Bros. Pictures) held on to the top spot at the box office with $25.1 million to take its two-week total to $94.9 million. Internationally, the comic book adaptation added $35.9 million this weekend from 79 markets and has now earned $163.9 million, bringing the worldwide total to $258.8 million (with $40.4 million coming from China). Made for $100 million, Shazam! was directed by David F. Sandberg and stars Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou.
Universal Pictures comedy Little debuted in second place with an estimated $15.5 million from 2,667 theaters, an average of $5,812 per theater. Internationally, the movie grossed $1.9 million this weekend. Receiving a B+ CinemaScore from audiences, Little was made for $20 million, directed by Tina Gordon Chism, and stars Regina Hall, Issa Rae, and Marsai Martin.
Plagued by bad reviews, Lionsgate's Hellboy opened in third place with just $12 million from 3,303 theaters, an average of $3,638. Made for $50 million, the film received a C CinemaScore. Directed by Neil Marshall, Hellboy stars David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, and Daniel Dae Kim.
Pet Sematary (Paramount Pictures) dropped two spots to fourth with $10 million and has earned $41.1 million after two weeks domestically. Internationally, the horror movie added $12.6 million from 56 markets taking its overseas total to $35.7 million and global total to $76.8 million. Directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, Pet Sematary stars Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, Jeté Laurence, Hugo & Lucas Lavoie, and John Lithgow. It was made for $21 million.
Disney's Dumbo rounded out the top five with $9.2 million and has collected $89.9 million domestically after three weeks. The Tim Burton-directed live-action adaptation added $22 million internationally and has earned $177 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $266.9 million. Made for about $170 million, Dumbo stars Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan Arkin, Finley Hobbins, and Nico Parker.
In sixth place, Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel added $8.6 million in its sixth weekend and has pushed its domestic total to $386.5 million. Internationally, the movie brought in $8 million to take its $678 million overseas. That means Captain Marvel has now grossed $1.064 billion worldwide. The film was directed by the writing/directing team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The cast includes Academy Award winner Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Algenis Perez Soto, Rune Temte, McKenna Grace, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law.
Jordan Peele's Us (Universal Pictures) brought in $6.9 million in seventh place and is up to $163.5 million in North America. With another $72.5 million earned overseas, the movie has now made $236 million globally. The $20 million film, written, directed and produced by Peele, stars Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Anna Diop, Evan Alex, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Madison Curry, Cali Sheldon, and Noelle Sheldon.
Opening in eighth place was Aviron Pictures romantic drama After, starring Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. Based on the best-selling novel, the film earned $6.2 million from 2,138 theaters, an average of $2,900. Directed by Jenny Gage, the movie received a B CinemaScore.
LAIKA's new motion-capture film Missing Link (United Artists Releasing) also opened, but the movie only took in $5.8 million from 3,413 theaters, an average of $1,712. Missing Link, which received a B+ CinemaScore, was written and directed by Chris Butler. The film features the voices of Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Zach Galifianakis, Timothy Olyphant, David Walliams, Emma Thompson, Matt Lucas, Ching Valdes-Aran, Stephen Fry, and Amrita Acharia.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links through which we earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Passes the $1 Billion Mark Worldwide
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Mirko Parlevliethttp://VitalThrills.com
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded VitalThrills.com to cover movie, TV, video game, music, and theme park news.
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Embracing the changing beef industry structure as opportunity is the single best way to stay in business, according to Ed McMillan,director of mergers and acquisitions for ABG Inc., in Indianapolis.From a current perspective, not all change is palatable. Nonetheless, he says by gathering information, monitoring macro trends and maneuvering business practices, feeders will continue in industry leadership
Rick Purnell | Apr 01, 1999
Embracing the changing beef industry structure as opportunity is the single best way to stay in business, according to Ed McMillan,director of mergers and acquisitions for ABG Inc., in Indianapolis.
From a current perspective, not all change is palatable. Nonetheless, he says by gathering information, monitoring macro trends and maneuvering business practices, feeders will continue in industry leadership positions.
'For years, gearheads in Detroit churned out hunks of iron that consumers didn't want -- and didn't buy,' McMillan says. 'The rest of the auto competition story is history, but beef can take a lesson from it.
'As an industry, we are too emotionally tied to what we do,' he says. 'I don't advocate losing that totally, but we have to temper it. We can't be beefheads if we're going to compete with other proteins. Some say the secret to competing is making beef production as efficient as poultry production.
'That misses the entire issue. Chicken isn't growing in market share because it has efficient production. It's growing because it's providing what the consumer needs.'
Finding the value consumers want and sharing it through an interrelated system are what need to be accomplished, he says. Those who get this done will be the future managers.
'We're going to see continuing feedyard consolidation,' McMillan says. 'However most feedlots will remain independent, but one owner will manage multiple locations. You'll see businesspersons who've participated in a supply chain business managing those locations.
'Each feedlot will have someone who knows how to feed cattle to meet specifications and timetables. Within this structure, the one who adds the most value to the business will be the person who ensures relationships are developed upstream and downstream to create value opportunities, partnerships and alliances.'
Who Will Drive This Change? Ultimately, beef processors, food stores and restaurants will drive this change. They have the most at risk because their brand name is on the line, according to McMillan. Beef marketers who understand the best way to deliver product specifications will create alliances up and down the line. Those who understand their future is tied to their ability to fulfill market expectations while minimizing market risk factors will be most successful in market penetration.
Cow/calf producers aren't immune from change either. McMillan says there will eventually be two sectors.
The business will evolve into two groups:
* The large, genetically consistent producers.
* A large group of small, part-timers.
'Those with the large genetic pool will be the primary targets to affect the quality chain. They can measure risks, rewards and return on investment,' McMillan says.
'Those in the business part-time or with few cows will move in this direction when the system creates incentives for them. The rewards must be tangible, though. And, people throughout the industry will determine which market sector they fit in, whether it's a Mercedes level, a Toyota level or even a Yugo level.'
Farmland, Laura's Lean, Certified Angus Beef and others are starting to effect this process. But, McMillan says even with these intermediary solutions, all needed mechanisms aren't in place yet. Purveyors, or ones that brand products going into groceries and foodservice will drive this change.
'If we don't change the way we do business, we're going to lose consumer market share and be unable to exploit global opportunities,' McMillan says. 'If we can't fulfill American desires, we sure can't fulfill those around the globe.
It Starts With Information 'We have to start with an open exchange of information and managers who can negotiate win-win situations,' McMillan says.
'To begin, a manager needs to address the core competencies of his business. Each yard has certain things it does well, whether filling a niche, feeding certain types of cattle or whatever it may be.
'If you're not sure what yours are, consultants can help. Secondly, understand your ownership's commitment to the direction it wants to go. Finally, determine strategically what the next steps need to be. Then focus, focus, focus.'
McMillan says you may find weaknesses that need shoring up, you may consider alliances, or you might build a plan that doesn't necessarily increase your volume, but finds a way to create another $10 or value per animal of which you can capture $4 or more.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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June 08, 2021 · 1 min read
by Cite in Cite News and Community
Cite & Puzzel Finalists for The Drum Awards 2021
We're over the moon to be a finalist in #TheDrumAwards for "B2B Brand team of the year" alongside our client partner Puzzel.
The Drum Awards for Marketing reveal the most effective marketing campaigns, companies and people from across the globe. Our team is thrilled to be nominated alongside a variety of fantastic brands like Twitter and O2.
We were nominated for boosting customer engagement through Clarity, Simplicity and Purpose for Puzzel – increasing their marketing-driven leads by 400% in just two months.
We're proud and thrilled with all of the team members at Cite and Puzzel who worked together to achieve this goal. Find out about the project and who was involved here (opens in new tab).
Director Dafydd, says:
"It was great to hear we've been shortlisted for this prestigious award for the amazing work we've been doing with Puzzel. This achievement really reflects the depth of trust and respect across our teams for one another. The competition in this category is tough, but we're confident we can hold our own."
Working in collaboration as an extended marketing team is what we're all about.
The winner will be announced on the 8th of July. We can't wait!
Interested in following the awards? Keep an eye on the #TheDrumAwards hashtag or follow @TheDrumAwards.
Cite In Detail
January 25, 2022 Simon Williams & James Bull complete their mental health first-aid training with LAMP
November 29, 2021 Ashika Barolia, 6 weeks at Cite
October 27, 2021 'Best use of Data & Insight' Finalist for International Content Marketing Awards 2021


An award-winning kit of pre-assembled circuits that snap together with tiny magnets, littleBits gets ready to face the mass market having raised Series A funding and sealed a partnership with PCH accelerator.
New York-based engineer and interactive artist Ayah Bdeir, founder of littleBits, has announced raising $3.65M Series A funding from True Ventures, Khosla Ventures, O'Reilly Alpha Tech, Lerer Ventures, Jeffrey Walker and recurring investors Joi Ito, Joanne Wilson and Salah Chamma.
Julia Hu's silent alarm clock and sleep coach LARK is a PCH accelerator case study of success – her product wound up on the shelf of every Apple store across America.
To hear Ayah's vision for yourself, watch her TED talk and check out the littleBits about page describing the award-winning kit of pre-assembled circuits that snap together with tiny magnets.
Congrats to Ayah and her team at littleBits on the happy announcement! I bought a littleBits set a few months ago from Adafruit Industries because the littleBits site was sold out, and can't wait to see littleBits hit the mainstream market – empowering and educating everyone to learn about electronics in a fun way.
Photo credit: Becky Stern on Flickr.


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Substance Use Disorder Recovery
Managing recovery during a pandemic
Everyone has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but some populations, like those with substance use disorder, are particularly affected by social distancing and the closure of "nonessential" businesses.
Melissa Cyders, associate professor of psychology at IUPUI, along with Katie Shircliff, the study coordinator for the Long Term Recovery Project at IUPUI; Melissa Fry, director of the Applied Research and Education Center at IU Southeast; and Kevin Ladd, professor of psychology at IU South Bend have been studying people experiencing opioid use disorder and other forms of substance use disorder as part of IU's Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge. The team is now studying how individuals are attempting to manage their substance use disorder recovery during the pandemic in the hopes that they will better understand what kind of assistance is needed during this unique time.
"In normal times, successful recovery efforts require regular healthcare, stable housing, personal purpose and community," said Cyders. "COVID-related shutdowns jeopardize those elements by disrupting consistency of schedules and support networks, as well as key medical and psychological care. The question is, how can we continue to provide stability in this time that is notably not stable?"
Melissa Cyders
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the spotlight was on a different crisis, the opioid epidemic, which is now happening in conjunction with the pandemic. Between 1998 and 2018, almost 450,000 people died from an opioid overdose. In 2018, approximately 20.3 million people age 12 and over had a substance use disorder.
The team has so far gathered first-hand reports from 45 adults with a substance use disorder (half with an opioid use disorder), ages 28 to 73, about the early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their recovery. They have found that while there are significant challenges, many in recovery are showing great resilience in the face of the pandemic, overcoming challenging obstacles to maintain their recovery. They also found that flexibility in treatment services and keeping people connected are key to supporting long-term recovery during the pandemic.
Kevin Ladd
"It is on us all to intentionally care for each other during this pandemic and to be fully alert to ways in which we can actively support people in recovery who need access to healthcare, stable housing, and community to ensure sustained sobriety," Ladd said. "It is also our collective responsibility to remain mindful of those same needs after the pandemic becomes a memory."
When it comes to concern over contracting COVID-19, people in the study rated their chances of becoming infected as 63 percent, almost double the rating from the general public, which is around 30 percent. Of those interviewed, 63 percent reported a pre-existing condition such as chronic respiratory illnesses in themselves or in someone in their household, placing those in the study in the higher risk category.
Those with substance use disorder may also be at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 due to drugs' general adverse effects on respiratory and pulmonary health and the likeliness of social factors such as homelessness or incarceration that could contribute to their risk. Furthermore, the virus may worsen the impact on breathing caused by opioids, benzodiazepines and alcohol.
Not surprisingly, 78 percent of people in the study reported a higher level of stress during the pandemic. Heightened stress levels are likely related to increases in job or family life responsibilities, which 42 percent of participants reported, and job losses or reductions, which 30 percent reported.
Changes in routine and unstructured free time have made recovery more difficult for some, contributing to increased feelings of loneliness, hopelessness and frustration.
Melissa Fry
"Increases in stress are related to increased risks of substance use," said Fry. "These increases, combined with changes in access to supports and treatment, can become a perfect storm for relapse."
Although stress can exacerbate substance cravings, a large contributor to relapse, only about 20 percent of those interviewed reported increases in cravings and 17 percent reported using substances since the start of the pandemic.
Participants also reported a decrease in access to treatment and support as recovery houses closed, in-person support meetings stopped or went online, and treatment centers prematurely released patients out of concerns about spreading the virus. Though the majority of study participants reported attending support meetings online and/or via phone, some reported no longer attending meetings.
Although new guidelines have been developed to help those experiencing opioid use disorder maintain treatment, the use of overdose reversal medications by first responders is no longer happening in some municipalities due to concerns about spreading COVID-19.
Despite all of these barriers, 80 percent of those surveyed reported no craving increase and 83 percent have maintained sobriety. Some participants have used social distancing as a way to better connect with friends and family and to spend more time engaging in hobbies that support their sobriety.
Katie Shircliff
"Although there are a lot of things working against people in recovery right now, I'm inspired by the resilience our participants are showing," said Shircliff. "Our participants tell us about how their treatment has prepared them for adversity. They tell us about how they are continuing to reach out for support and to support others. It's a silver lining in this difficult time."
As our country continues to navigate a new world focused around COVID-19, it is important, Cyders said, to have flexibility in treatment services such as reducing monitoring requirements and allowing for extended take-home doses of opioid replacement medications. Health care providers should also explicitly discuss stressors and barriers to recovery at this time, Cyders said, and should heighten awareness of blood-borne diseases related to sharing or re-using needles, as access to syringe exchange programs will remain limited.
Support is key to recovery and while groups have pivoted online to help provide some type of support, interpersonal connections, Ladd said, remain key to long-term recovery.
"Although it may seem old-school, phone calls and letters may have more personalized meaning for our friends and family in recovery," he said.
Initial findings from this work were recently published by The Conversation.
The team will continue to follow their participants to track changes in these trends over time and to identify ways we can all help support those in recovery.
The project is also supported by Mary Jo Rattermann, a PhD community partner who works with Fairbanks; Misty Gilbert, a PhD community partner who works at LifeSpring; Wei Wu, a PhD in the Department of Psychology at IUPUI; Jeff Johnson, a community partner with Pam's Promise; and Christiana Prestigiacomo and Melissa Liu, graduate students in clinical psychology at IUPUI.


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Home » January, 2012
NOM Congratulates Mitt Romney on Florida Win
January 31, 2012 – 11:15 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 31, 2012
Contact: Anath Hartmann or Elizabeth Ray at 703-683-5004
Former Governor of Massachusetts has signed NOM's Marriage Pledge
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Brian Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today congratulated GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney on his victory in the Florida primary.
"NOM congratulates Mitt Romney on his extremely impressive win in Florida." said Brown. "As a major winner-take-all state, this is a significant win for Governor Romney. This also marks the fourth straight state where the winner is a signatory to NOM's Marriage Pledge. The only candidate who hasn't signed, Ron Paul, hasn't won a thing and finished in last place in Florida."
This is Romney's second state win, having previously won in New Hampshire. Rick Santorum won the Iowa caucuses and Newt Gingrich won in South Carolina. All three of the leading candidates for the GOP nomination have signed NOM's Marriage Pledge, which commits signatories, if elected, to taking specific steps toward preserving the institution of marriage as the union between one man and one woman. Rep. Ron Paul is the only remaining Republican presidential candidate not to have signed the pledge, and he is not considered to have any realistic chance of becoming the Republican nominee.
"Ron Paul and his radical views on marriage were thoroughly repudiated in Florida, where he is barely receiving 7% of the vote," Brown said.
"Preserving marriage has become an important issue in the race, and Ron Paul is simply wrong on marriage. We will continue to let voters know where the candidates stand on marriage. "
To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray (x130) or Anath Hartmann at 703-683-5004.
By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Florida, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Press Releases, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (31)
Tell Christie to Withdraw Nomination of Pro-SSM Judge For Extremist Views Equating Christianity and Slavery
I need your help right now to stop Gov. Christie from making a horrible mistake—appointing a radically pro-gay marriage anti-Christian judge to the state supreme court.
Click here to send Gov. Christie a message.
Gov. Chris Christie has been the hope of millions of Americans across the country looking for honest conservative leadership.
Last week we asked you to thank Gov. Christie for saying he will follow through on his campaign promise to veto same-sex marriage.
This week, we have urgent and terrible news to report—Gov. Chris Christie's nominee to the New Jersey Supreme Court is not only an outspoken advocate for gay marriage, he has extreme and hateful views equating traditional Christian views on sex and marriage with slavery.
This kind of intemperate and extreme view should be totally unacceptable in a GOP judicial nominee.
Yet Gov. Christie's proposed supreme court nominee Bruce Harris sent this email in 2009 to State Senator Joe Pennacchio urging him to vote for gay marriage:
"When I hear someone say that they believe marriage is only between a man and a woman because that's the way it's always been, I think of the many "traditions" that deprived people of their civil rights for centuries: prohibitions on interracial marriage, slavery, (which is even provided for in the Bible), segregation, the subservience of women, to name just a few of these "traditions."
I hope that you consider my request that you re-evaluate your position and, if after viewing the videos, reading Governor Whitman's letter and thinking again about this issue of civil rights you still oppose same-sex marriage on grounds other than religion I would appreciate it if you you'd explain your position to me. And, if the basis of your opposition is religious, then I suggest that you do what the US Constitution mandates—and that is to maintain a separation between the state and religion."
Governor Christie says that Harris has promised to recuse himself when the same-sex marriage comes before the court, but even this unenforceable promise misses the bigger issue: a man who cannot tell the difference between supporting our traditional understanding of marriage and wanting to enslave a people lacks common sense and judicial temperament.
And to suggest that legislators should ignore the views of religious constituents, that moral views grounded in the Bible are somehow illegitimate in the public square, seriously compounds the offense.
These are not the words of a judicial conservative, a man who believes in common sense, strict construction of the state constitution—the kind of judge Gov. Christie promised to appoint to the court.
How did this happen?
When Assemblyman Mike Carroll was sent a copy of that email by a reporter, he had one word in response: "Yikes."
Gov. Christie's nomination of Bruce Harris appears to be a result of a failure in the vetting process, not a deliberate backhanded backroom betrayal by New Jersey's governor. If so, the Governor can and must honorably withdraw the nomination.
The next generation of GOP leadership on the national level have to understand: knowingly appointing radical anti-religious justices is unacceptable.
Please, right now, send Gov. Christie a message keep him from making a terrible mistake marring his record. Tell Christie: Withdraw the Bruce Harris nomination today. Protect our judiciary from radically unconservative judges with extremist views pushing gay marriage and equating Christianity with slavery.
By NOM Staff | Posted in New Jersey, Politics, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (46)
Gay Marriage...In Florida!?
The same-sex marriage movement is not about "live-and-let-live."
It is about radically redefining marriage for everyone, whether you like it or not—yes, even in the Sunshine state.
As you read this, there is a bill in the United States Senate, advanced by Senator Diane Feinstein of California, to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA is the only federal law protecting Florida's 2008 state constitutional amendment from outside legal challenges.
This is the same-sex marriage lobby's preferred strategy. They don't want to let the people vote. They're reluctant to trust legislators, who can be influenced by their constituents.
They want a single person, or a small panel of people, to decide for you what is "equitable" and what you are allowed to believe without repercussion.
We cannot allow this to happen.
That is why defending DOMA at the federal level and assisting with the various federal lawsuits that will make their way up to the Supreme Court in 2012 is a prominent part of NOM's strategic battle plan to protect marriage—and why it is critical for you, as a resident of Florida, to get engaged in the fight.
Will you make one urgent gift to NOM right now to ensure we have the funds necessary to protect marriage in Florida and in all 50 states?
Anything you can afford to donate is important, because with so many fights all over America, our resources will be stretched thin all year.
Today is the primary in Florida, a key stage in the race for the White House. Congress is up for grabs, we're waging a legislative battle in Washington, D.C. to stop DOMA from being repealed, and we have legal cases going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
And on top of all that, we're also fighting in a dozen other states:
Working to repeal same-sex marriage laws in Iowa, New Hampshire, and New York (in fact, there will be a vote very soon in the New Hampshire legislature to restore traditional marriage!);
Protecting marriage in states where it is under fire (Rhode Island, Washington, New Jersey, Maryland);
Passing marriage protection amendments in key states (including Minnesota, among others).
In the past few weeks, threats to marriage and religious liberty have also popped up in Virginia and Illinois, and we may need additional funds to fight in those large states as well.
The bottom line: 2012 will either be the year when traditional marriage makes a comeback...
...or it will be the year when the same-sex marriage lobbyists knock the doors down and begin their assault on marriage in all 50 states.
As always, the success of our campaign depends on you, marriage supporter.
So please, to protect marriage in Florida and all across America throughout 2012, make one urgent financial gift today.
Thank you in advance, and God bless you.
By Brian Brown | Posted in Florida, Politics, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (30)
Don't Let Same-Sex Marriage Special Interests Control New Jersey Politics!
My sincere thanks to each of you who have risen to the challenge over the past two weeks—taking action to defend marriage in the Garden State. Marriage, as you know, hangs in the balance, and your action is helping to make the difference. Thank you!
And that's I'm writing to you today. As you know, the National Organization for Marriage fights to protect marriage in all 50 states.
But New Jersey is on the front lines and of critical importance in the fight to defend marriage.
When the New Jersey state Senate tried to force through a same-sex marriage bill in a lame-duck session at the end of 2009, NOM spent $500,000 organizing grassroots opposition to the bill and, to the utter shock of the mainstream media, defeated it in a 14-20 vote.
This year, same-sex radicals are back to their same old tricks, pushing harder than ever. Last Wednesday, on an 8-4 party line vote, Senate Democrats passed a new same-sex marriage bill out of committee. And just last night, the Assembly Judiciary Committee did the same, passing the measure on a 5-2 party line vote and setting the stage for a showdown with Governor Christie later this month.
We MUST stop this bill in its tracks!
New Jersey is a prominent part of NOM's 2012 strategic battle plan to protect marriage, and I need your help today.
Will you make one urgent gift to NOM right now to ensure we have the funds necessary to protect marriage in New Jersey and across the country?
And the dirty little secret? Same-sex marriage advocates will do anything possible to prevent the people of New Jersey from ever having the chance to vote on marriage.
As pro-SSM Democratic Assemblyman Reed Gusciora from Trenton admits, "It's a hard dynamic to win at the polls." Why? Because they know they lose every time. Or in Gusciora's own ad hominem attack, same-sex marriage advocates, "can't match the crazies who are out there..." And yes—he's talking about you and me.
You and I are NOT crazy for believing that marriage is the union of a man and a woman because children need a mother and a father. But the same-sex marriage lobby has been pouring millions of dollars into New Jersey to convince you precisely that gay marriage in inevitable and you are insane for opposing it.
Do NOT believe their lies!
Same-sex marriage is NOT inevitable—we can stop same-sex marriage from coming to New Jersey. We did it before, and we can do it again!
The race for the White House is well underway, Congress is up for grabs, we're waging a legislative battle in Washington to stop DOMA from being repealed, and we have legal cases going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
And beyond working to defend marriage in New Jersey (and in Rhode Island, Washington and Maryland where it is similarly under fire), NOM is working to repeal same-sex marriage in New York, Iowa and New Hampshire and pro-actively pushing pro-marriage legislation in various states like Minnesota.
So please, to protect marriage in New Jersey and all across America throughout 2012, make one urgent financial gift today.
Thank you in advance and God bless you.
By Brian Brown | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off on Don't Let Same-Sex Marriage Special Interests Control New Jersey Politics!
ACTION ALERT - Battle to Preserve Marriage in Maryland is Heating Up!
The battle to preserve one man-one woman marriage is Maryland is heating up this week!
New legislation, backed by Governor O'Malley, to undo the time-honored and common sense definition of marriage will be heard in the State Senate this week.
We need you to take ACTION immediately to have your voice be heard if we are to stop gay marriage in Maryland again this year, just as we did last year.
FIRST—We need you to call your State Senators and let them know that we will not stand for this. Please visit our local coalition website at www.MarylandMarriageAlliance.com and click on the TAKE ACTION button. There, you can input your address and it will tell you who your State Senator is. Then you can send them an email, call them, and make sure your voice is heard.
Please act now as we need every Senator in Maryland to hear the loud, clear voice from their constituents that we will not stand for this!
SECOND—Don't be intimidated! Did you see the comments the other day from the First Lady of Maryland, the Governor's wife, calling opponents of the radical attempt to redefine marriage "cowards"? This is so typical of our opponents, always attempting to bully and cower the good people who support marriage into silence. How is it cowardly to speak your mind? How is it cowardly to stand up for the right of children to be raised by a mom and dad? Yet the Governor's own wife called you, and the pastors and legislators who supported the position of the majority of Marylanders, cowards. This is another desperate attempt by the other side to win by intimidation. Don't let it keep you on the sidelines!
THIRD—We need your continued active involvement. After you call your Senator, stay involved. Sign up for email alerts. Click through the Action Center on the website and help in other ways. And if you can afford any funds in these tough times, it will help us contact your neighbors who also support our position and ensure they join our team as well. Please click here—www.marylandmarriagealliance.com/donate—and share your generous support today.
FINALLY—Continue to be confident. Momentum is on our side. Last night at Lawyers' Mall next to the State Capitol, thousands of marriage supporters joined in a rally and prayer vigil to protect marriage and send a clear message to the General Assembly that we will not stand for their efforts to redefine marriage. Perhaps you were there. But even if you were not, we know you were there in spirit. By continuing to be involved, we can and will win this fight.
Please, now is the time to wake up again and fight to defend marriage in Maryland. Take action now, before it's too late.
By Brian Brown | Posted in Marriage Election Watch, Maryland, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off on ACTION ALERT - Battle to Preserve Marriage in Maryland is Heating Up!
Breaking News: Minnesota for Marriage Reports 10,000 Volunteers, $830,000 Raised!
Excellent news from the Minnesota for Marriage coalition which is pushing for the marriage amendment this November:
Today, Minnesota for Marriage (MFM,) a broad-based coalition of groups working to pass the Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment in November, disclosed it raised $830,000 in cash donations. Additionally, the MFM coalition today reported they have recruited over 10,000 volunteers in 2011.
"We are very pleased with our fundraising and recruiting efforts to date," said John Helmberger, Minnesota for Marriage Chairman. "We have demonstrated substantial and broad-based support for preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Not only have we generated a great deal of financial support for the campaign, we have generated incredible, broad-based citizen support by recruiting over 10,000 volunteers for our campaign. We're off to a great start."
... "We have always expected to be outspent by our opponents," Helmberger said. "This has been the case in most of the recent state marriage campaigns including in California and Maine. Our objective is to make sure we raise enough money to communicate our messages, and we're certainly on track to do that. We're in a good position going forward and have built a solid foundation of financial and organizational support."
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Minnesota, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (6)
Video: Chris Christie Lashes Out at Legislator Who Accused Him of Racism
DailyCaller with the story (warning: off-color language):
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie lashed out at a fellow Garden State politician Monday, calling an openly gay state legislator a "numbnuts" in response to the lawmaker labeling him a racist last week.
A visibly perturbed Christie made the comment during a news conference on Monday, reported the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
It all started last week when Christie called for a voter referendum on gay marriage.
"I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South," Christie said.
Those comments upset Democratic assemblyman Reed Gusciora, who responded last week by saying, "Govs. Lester Maddox and George Wallace would have found allies in Chris Christie over efforts by the Justice Department to end segregation in the South."
On Monday, Christie called Gusciora's words "transparently political."
"You have numbnuts like Reed Gusciora, who put out a statement, you know, comparing me George Wallace and Lester Maddox."
By NOM Staff | Posted in New Jersey, Politics | Comments (29)
Don't Let Same-Sex Marriage Special Interests Control Iowa Politics!
As you know, the National Organization for Marriage fights to protect marriage in all 50 states.
But Iowa is one of the states on the front lines and of critical importance—more so than most others.
When a panel of 7 judges imposed same-sex marriage on the Hawkeye state on April 3, 2009, same-sex marriage activists immediately focused on your state, pouring millions of dollars into the state to protect gay marriage in Iowa. And their most devastating weapon? Convincing ordinary people like your neighbors and coworkers that the fight is over and there's no going back.
But you and I know better.
Iowa is a key part of NOM's 2012 strategic battle plan to protect marriage—and that's why I am writing you today. This November, we have an opportunity to break through the logjam Senate President Mike Gronstal has single-handedly created, refusing to even allow a vote on the constitutional amendment to protect marriage.
Will you make one urgent gift to NOM right now to ensure we have the funds necessary to restore marriage in Iowa and to protect it across the country?
2012 is shaping up to be a make or break year for marriage.
And beyond working to change the same-sex marriage regime in Iowa (and repealing the laws in New Hampshire and New York), we're also fighting in a dozen other states, protecting marriage in states where it is under fire (Rhode Island, Washington, New Jersey, Maryland, etc.) and proactively pushing pro-marriage legislation that will ensure what happened in Iowa isn't repeated in states like Minnesota.
Together we shocked the world in 2010, ousting three Supreme Court justices who forced their own personal views on the people of Iowa. And we can do it again!
Begin making plans now to join us at the LUV (Let Us Vote!) Iowa rally in Des Moines on March 20th at the Capitol.
And to protect marriage in Iowa and all across America throughout 2012, make one urgent financial gift today.
By Brian Brown | Posted in Iowa, Politics, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (17)
WA House Committee Approves SSM Bill On Party Line Vote
The Associated Press:
A measure to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington state was approved Monday by a House committee, and the Senate is expected to vote on its companion bill within days.
Sen. Ed Murray, a Seattle Democrat who is sponsoring one of the bills, said Monday that he expects a floor vote on gay marriage in the Senate on Wednesday. A Senate committee voted to approve Murray's bill Friday.
The House Judiciary committee approved its companion gay marriage bill on Monday on a 7-6 party line vote.
Three Republican amendments were rejected, including on one that would have added private businesses and individuals, such as bakers and photographers, to the religious exemption in the bill that doesn't require religious organizations or churches to perform marriages, and doesn't subject them to penalties if they don't marry gay or lesbian couples.
Opponents of same-sex marriage have already promised a referendum battle at the ballot if the Legislature passes the bill and it's signed into law.
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (2)
115 French Legislators: Children Have "Fundamental Right" to be Raised by Mother and Father
LifeSiteNews:
The number of French parliamentarians that have added their names to a list of those opposing homosexual "marriage" and adoption has now reached 115, according to the French magazine Liberation.
The petition was begun in response to a new initiative by French socialists, who are promising voters to institute homosexual "marriage" if they are chosen in the upcoming presidential elections.
The parliamentarians in opposition come from the three political parties that make up the coalition supporting President Nicolas Sarkozy: the Union for a Popular Movement, the New Center, and the Movement for France.
The declaration favors "the defense of the fundamental right of a child the be cared for and to develop within a family composed of a father and a mother."
By NOM Staff | Posted in Adoption, Children, Europe, Law, Parenting | Comments (17)
AP on SSM: "So Far [NOM's Side] Has Been Winning"
Gay rights advocates in New Jersey have been pushing for a decade to get state courts or lawmakers to recognize same-sex marriage. But last week, they demurred when Gov. Christie called for a public vote to settle the topic.
Their main reason is based on principle: It's not fair, they say, to let voters decide a civil rights issue.
But there's another consideration: It would be a costly and divisive fight, and the advocates know the odds are against them, even if recent polls have shown the majority of New Jersey voters support allowing gay marriage.
...Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, said his organization and others would put millions of dollars into a campaign against allowing gay marriage.
"The other side has put forward a number of lies," Brown said. "Our job is to expose them."
So far, his side has been winning.
Thirty-one times states have had votes on constitutional amendments to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. The referendums have been approved 30 times. In the one exception, in Arizona, voters two years later passed a similar amendment.
This year, marriage amendments could be on the ballots of about a half-dozen states. Only two are being pushed by groups that want gay couples to be allowed to marry. Those are in Maine and California, where there are efforts to overturn constitutional bans.
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, New Jersey, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (14)
ADF Attorney: WA Same-Sex Marriage a Threat to Churches
January 31, 2012 – 11:00 am
Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, writes about the Washington State marriage redefinition bill:
...What this bill says is that if a church rents out its facilities for non-members to use for weddings, then it will be forced to allow a same-sex couple to use its facilities for a same-sex "marriage" ceremony. Many, if not most churches, will rent their facilities to members of the public who want to use the church building to get married. Most churches will generally ensure that the people who are using the facilities are not going to use them in a way that is inconsistent with the church's religious faith and mission. But the State of Washington is considering forcing churches to open their sanctuaries to same-sex "wedding" ceremonies.
... All of this might sound surprising and troubling – and it is. But for those who understand the inherent and unavoidable conflict between the radical homosexual agenda and religious freedom, the Washington Legislature's bill and the New Jersey church case are simply sad reminders that we face a culture and a society increasingly willing to trample religious freedom in the name of sexual liberty.
... It's not too late to stop this radical attack on religious freedom. As one court put it, the freedom of religion contained in the First Amendment is our "first freedom." The Washington State Legislators in favor of SB 6239 need to be reminded of this fact by a vocal populace that is tired of having sexual liberty foisted on society at the expense of religious freedom. Speak Up now before it is too late. And stand with ADF as we fight these battles in New Jersey and elsewhere.
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (34)
Washington State Family Policy Activist: SSM Far From a Done Deal
OneNewsNow:
Proponents of legislation are claiming they have enough votes for passage in the Senate, although Joseph Backholm of the Family Policy Institute of Washington says no date has been set for consideration.
"At the same time, even if it were to pass there's a very high probability that it will ultimately go to a vote," explains Backholm. "Either the legislature will refer it to the public or we will just collect enough signatures on our side to put it on the ballot in November -- so it's far from a done deal legislatively or otherwise."
More importantly, the institute's spokesman says the strategy now is to generate a strong grassroots support to kill the bill.
"We're fond of saying around here that they really don't care what you think until they know that you can take their job away," he says. "Basically we need people who understand why this is not good for us to communicate to their legislators, to let them know that they're paying attention and this is an issue that matters to them."
Maryland Resident: No Shortage of Reasons to Oppose SSM
David writes to the Baltimore Sun:
... It will bog down the legislative agenda unnecessarily when we have serious issues to address in our state.
We can't afford it. Marriage "fairness" is nothing more than agitating for benefits that the institution of marriage encourages.
Same-sex marriage has been defeated by the people in every state where the issue has gone to the ballot box, and passing the bill will undoubtedly awaken a sleeping giant — the people of Maryland.
The only reason New York allowed same sex marriage is because a few elected officials were turned with money. In Iowa, where liberal judges overturned the people's will to grant same sex marriage, they were promptly voted out of office.
The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled against redefining marriage in 2004, and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller has come out opposing the issue in a year when the governor, the leader of his political party, says it is his signature issue.
Redefining marriage would create untold consequences to hundreds of other laws that depend on marriage status.
Legislators might have more success advocating benefits for civil unions instead. Societies everywhere reject same sex marriage. How are we so smart to overrule what people everywhere else know?
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Maryland, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (11)
Mike Dennehy: New Hampshire Legislators Should Listen to GOP Base on Marriage
The Nashua Telegraph:
...Mike Dennehy, the New Hampshire lobbyist for the National Organization for Marriage, delivered an anti-same-sex-marriage treatise to Republican State Chairman Wayne MacDonald last week.
Dennehy is a senior GOP strategist who helped build John McCain's New Hampshire presidential primary victories in 2000 and 2008.
"The 2012 elections provide plenty of opportunities but many pitfalls, as well,'' Dennehy said in a memo obtained by The Sunday Telegraph.
"In the 20 years I've been running campaigns at every level, I can tell you that this year, more than any other, will hinge on the party who best motivates their base and gets them to the polls on Election Day.
"We have one issue this year that will motivate social and cultural conservatives to go to the polls for Republican candidates – traditional marriage.''
Kellyanne Conway, of The Polling Co., did a survey late last fall that found 71 percent of Republicans oppose same-sex marriage laws.
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, New Hampshire, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (8)


People often spend years trying to take the perfect shot, but sometimes, it comes at the most unexpected of times. Check out these 21 perfectly timed pictures.
#1. Just gonna move it over a few inches…and…perfect!
#2. Battle of the skies!
#3. King referee is here to settle all disputes!
#4. I'm just gonna have some ice cream. And….it's gone!
#8. Too bad we can't see what happens after…but you can use your imagination!
#10. An EXPLOSIVE touchdown for sure!
#11. And we'll just move the Eiffel Tower here for now!
#12. Is it a bird or is it a plane?
#14. Get in my mouth cherry!
#18. Just playing soccer with the sun!
#19. Nothing can strike down Lady Liberty!
#20. Uhmm…excuse me sir you're in the way?
#21. And for the closing ceremonies…an extra ring!
These Shoes Are Called "The Killer Heels" And If You Wear Them, They Just Might Kill You…No Joke!


The Zamzows Frisbee Fest is back for its 26th year! Come see these High-Flying Canine Athletes compete for the honor of TOP DOG, Saturday, September 15th starting at 11:00 am at Boise's Ann Morrison Park, Northwest of the Fountain!
In case you didn't know, Zamzows Frisbee Fest is a dog Frisbee-catching-contest where dogs compete for prizes in distance and style! In fact, in past years, dogs have chased and caught the Frisbee up to 210 feet, which is 70% the length of a football field!
Participant Registration: Stop by any Zamzows to register your dog in advance, or arrive at 10:00 am the day of the event. Entry is $15 per dog. You'll get a Frisbee Fest T-Shirt and Official Frisbee disc.
Frisbee Info: Official Frisbee disc is required to compete in "distance"; dogs competing in "style" can use any disc.
Location: Ann Morrison Park, northwest of the fountain.
Food and Beverages: Beer garden from Powderhaus Brewing Company! Volunteers from IHS will be selling hot dogs, chips, cookies, and drinks for a donation, all proceeds benefit the Idaho Humane Society.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Female Reproductive Dysfunction (Endocrinology) quantity
SKU: 978-3030147815 Category: Medicine & Health Tags: Bart C. Fauser, Endocrinology, Felice Petraglia, Female Reproductive Dysfunction
Written by leading international specialists, this book provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of endocrine-based female reproductive disorders. Particularly focusing on the Hypothalamus – Pituitary – Ovary (HPO) axis as the main driver of reproduction in women, it discusses amenorrhea; chronic anovulation and polycystic ovary syndrome as the most common dysfunctions of the HPO axis; endocrine diseases as possible impacts on the HPO axis; uterine disorders related to estrogen/progesterone; and the impact of endometriosis and uterine fibroids on reproduction. It also addresses infertility and menopause as hormone-related disorders in women and endocrine changes during pregnancy and lactation, and in breast disorders.
Female Reproductive Dysfunction is intended as a major reference for endocrinologists, gynecologists, and obstetricians, as well as basic and clinical scientists. It is published as part of the SpringerReference program, which provides access to live editions constantly updated through a dynamic peer-review publishing process.
Felice Petraglia is Professor and Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Residency Program in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florence (Florence, Italy).
Prof. Petraglia is President of the Society of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders (SEUD) and fellow ad eundem of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). He was President of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation (SGI) (2008–2009), member of the Executive Board of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology (ISGE), and member of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and of the European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (EBCOG).
Prof. Petraglia has received the award for the best publications of the Endocrine Society (2010) and the Award of the Society Reproductive Investigation (2014).
He is Editor of RBMO and is Associate Editor of Reproductive Science and Faculty 1000 Medicine (Section Head in Reproductive Endocrinology).
He was Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Human Reproduction Update (2013–2018) and of Journal of Endometriosis (2009–2012).
Prof. Petraglia is author or co-author of more than 920 peer-reviewed papers in Scientific International Journals (IF: 19886, HI:69) and co-editor of 27 scientific volume
Bart C. Fauser is a gynaecologist and Em. Professor of Reproductive Medicine, former Head of the Department for Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecology and Chair of the Division of Woman & Baby at the University of Utrecht and the University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.
He is a Fellow ad Eundum of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Honorary member of ESHRE, Night in the order of the Netherlands Lion, member of the (US) National Academy of Medicine, member of the board of the Dutch Medical Research Counsel (ZonMW), Editor in Chief of Reproductive Biomedicine Online (RBMO), and executive Board member of International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS).
He previously held posts as a Fulbright scholar at the University of California, San Diego; visiting professorships at Stanford University School of Medicine, California, USA; Free University, Brussels, Belgium; University of Siena, Italy; University of Southampton, United Kingdom; and the University of Adelaide, Australia. He was a past chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) steering committee for infertility guidelines and past Editor-in-Chief of Human Reproduction Update.
His major research interests include the pathophysiology of human ovarian function, PCOS, POI, IVF and women's health. He has published over 450 peer-reviewed articles (Hirsch factor > 100), and his work has been widely covered in the national and international lay press.
Read more about: Felice Petraglia, Bart C. Fauser
Publisher: Springer; 1st ed. 2020 edition (May 29, 2020)
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While responding to the matter of an actor from the Northeast not portraying the boxer, Dingko Singh, in a biopic, Shahid Kapoor reportedly stated "…[w]e are one country! I was born in Delhi, I live in Mumbai. I've played Tommy Singh, a Punjabi [Udta Punjab], a Kashmiri boy [Haider], now I'm playing Sushil Kumar Pant [Batti Gul Meter Chalu]… No one from these states seemed to have any problem… I think we should rise above all this." Kapoor's sanctimonious reprimand calls for dissecting the issues of representation under a lens. Has the representation of a certain idea of "Indianness" insulated the majority of Indians from being sensitive to the trepidations of those in the minority? Could it be that systemic privileges buffer dominant groups from structural inequalities informing the experiences of minorities?
Michael Morgan, a former professor at the University of Massachusetts, says "[w]hen you don't see people like yourself, the message is: You're invisible. The message is: You don't count. And the message is: 'There's something wrong with me…Over and over and over, week after week, month after month, year after year, it sends a very clear message, not only to members of those groups, but to members of other groups, as well." Non-representation provokes segregation, social ignorance and prejudice that give rise to hate crimes targeting minorities. The murder of Ramchanphy Hongray in 2009, the mysterious death of Loitham Richard in Bangalore in 2012, the death of Nido Taniam and Shaloni in 2014, the barring of Manipuri students from the Taj Mahal because they did not look like Indians as well as the vicious assault on Higio Gungtey in 2017, combined with the general stereotyping of northeast Indians as cannibals, dog-eaters and loose women, demonstrate the prevailing prejudices. The victims consequently develop social paranoia that manifests itself as shame. This "shame" is not related to guilt. Rather, it involves emotions triggered by the perception of being a misfit. This kind of "minority shame" leads to personal devaluation and depression as well as the internalizing of misconceptions.
It was this element of minority shame that steered the collective catharsis after Prashant Tamang was selected as Indian Idol in 2007. Tamang's triumph was seen as the much-awaited national endorsement of the people of the Northeast. Starved of recognition, silenced and marginalized in the mainstream media, Indian Idol 2007 was a watershed moment that heralded a change by enabling them to draw security from inclusion. Since then, it has become customary to have at least one participant from the Northeast in reality TV shows in India.
It was delightful to learn that Sanjay Leela Bansali was producing a biopic on Mary Kom, India's sole medal winner in boxing in the 2012 Olympics. There was hope of a paradigm shift in Bollywood and that Bansali would introduce an actor from the Northeast for the film. Priyanka Chopra was, however, chosen instead. This was another opportunity missed to depict India's true diversity in a Hindi film.
Kapoor says that he has played the roles of a Punjabi, a Kashmiri and a native of Uttarkhand without facing any criticism. That is because each of these regional identities is essentially representative of a majority derived from shared racial features. One can also observe the same mindset at work in Miss India contests where winners with "Indian" looks are invariably chosen to represent the country on a global platform. It is hardly surprising then that the Miss India crown is yet to be won by someone from the Northeast. Such racial preferences limit "Indianness" within a narrow ambit.
Stories featuring protagonists from the Northeast rarely make it to Bollywood. Thus, Mary Kom, a once-in-a-blue-moon break, called for not only artistic and professional commitment but also political sensitivity. Participation from the region in this cinematic project could have removed somewhat the feelings of rejection.
Bollywood is the leading producer of Hindi films in India. The industry must begin to acknowledge its responsibility of ensuring representation for all. Taking a cue from Hollywood's willingness to incorporate minority identities, the Hindi film industry could challenge hackneyed depictions of a homogeneous India by accommodating actors from all regions to represent India's true diversity. By tapping into stories from the northeast – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura – along with tales from other parts of India, Bollywood could lead the way to knit a holistic tapestry. The media and actors can play a paramount role in educating the majority population about minorities and in initiating conversations on ways to foster equality and justice for the citizens of this nation-state.
The article was originally published in Telegraph.
Arunachal Pradesh, Shout Out !!!
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text:
/*
 * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
 * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
 * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
 * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
 * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
 * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 * limitations under the License.
 */

package com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.impl;

import java.io.EOFException;
import java.io.IOException;

import com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.impl.msg.XMLMessageFormatter;
import com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.util.SymbolTable;
import com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.xni.XMLString;
import com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.xni.parser.XMLComponentManager;
import com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.xni.parser.XMLConfigurationException;
import com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.xni.parser.XMLInputSource;
import com.sun.xml.internal.stream.Entity.ScannedEntity;

/**
 * This class scans the version of the document to determine
 * which scanner to use: XML 1.1 or XML 1.0.
 * The version is scanned using XML 1.1. scanner.
 *
 * @xerces.internal
 *
 * @author Neil Graham, IBM
 * @author Elena Litani, IBM
 */
public class XMLVersionDetector {

    //
    // Constants
    //

    private final static char[] XML11_VERSION = new char[]{'1', '.', '1'};

    // property identifiers

    /** Property identifier: symbol table. */
    protected static final String SYMBOL_TABLE =
        Constants.XERCES_PROPERTY_PREFIX + Constants.SYMBOL_TABLE_PROPERTY;

    /** Property identifier: error reporter. */
    protected static final String ERROR_REPORTER =
        Constants.XERCES_PROPERTY_PREFIX + Constants.ERROR_REPORTER_PROPERTY;

    /** Property identifier: entity manager. */
    protected static final String ENTITY_MANAGER =
        Constants.XERCES_PROPERTY_PREFIX + Constants.ENTITY_MANAGER_PROPERTY;

    //
    // Data
    //

    /** Symbol: "version". */
    protected final static String fVersionSymbol = "version".intern();

    // symbol:  [xml]:
    protected static final String fXMLSymbol = "[xml]".intern();

    /** Symbol table. */
    protected SymbolTable fSymbolTable;

    /** Error reporter. */
    protected XMLErrorReporter fErrorReporter;

    /** Entity manager. */
    protected XMLEntityManager fEntityManager;

    protected String fEncoding = null;

    private XMLString fVersionNum = new XMLString();

    private final char [] fExpectedVersionString = {'<', '?', 'x', 'm', 'l', ' ', 'v', 'e', 'r', 's',
                    'i', 'o', 'n', '=', ' ', ' ', ' ', ' ', ' '};

    /**
     *
     *
     * @param componentManager The component manager.
     *
     * @throws SAXException Throws exception if required features and
     *                      properties cannot be found.
     */
    public void reset(XMLComponentManager componentManager)
        throws XMLConfigurationException {

        // Xerces properties
        fSymbolTable = (SymbolTable)componentManager.getProperty(SYMBOL_TABLE);
        fErrorReporter = (XMLErrorReporter)componentManager.getProperty(ERROR_REPORTER);
        fEntityManager = (XMLEntityManager)componentManager.getProperty(ENTITY_MANAGER);
        for(int i=14; i<fExpectedVersionString.length; i++ )
            fExpectedVersionString[i] = ' ';
    } // reset(XMLComponentManager)

    /**
     * Reset the reference to the appropriate scanner given the version of the
     * document and start document scanning.
     * @param scanner - the scanner to use
     * @param version - the version of the document (XML 1.1 or XML 1.0).
     */
    public void startDocumentParsing(XMLEntityHandler scanner, short version){

        if (version == Constants.XML_VERSION_1_0){
            fEntityManager.setScannerVersion(Constants.XML_VERSION_1_0);
        }
        else {
            fEntityManager.setScannerVersion(Constants.XML_VERSION_1_1);
        }
        // Make sure the locator used by the error reporter is the current entity scanner.
        fErrorReporter.setDocumentLocator(fEntityManager.getEntityScanner());

        // Note: above we reset fEntityScanner in the entity manager, thus in startEntity
        // in each scanner fEntityScanner field must be reset to reflect the change.
        //
        fEntityManager.setEntityHandler(scanner);

        scanner.startEntity(fXMLSymbol, fEntityManager.getCurrentResourceIdentifier(), fEncoding, null);
    }

    /**
     * This methods scans the XML declaration to find out the version
     * (and provisional encoding)  of the document.
     * The scanning is doing using XML 1.1 scanner.
     * @param inputSource
     * @return short - Constants.XML_VERSION_1_1 if document version 1.1,
     *                  otherwise Constants.XML_VERSION_1_0
     * @throws IOException
     */
    public short determineDocVersion(XMLInputSource inputSource) throws IOException {
        fEncoding = fEntityManager.setupCurrentEntity(false, fXMLSymbol, inputSource, false, true);

        // Must use XML 1.0 scanner to handle whitespace correctly
        // in the XML declaration.
        fEntityManager.setScannerVersion(Constants.XML_VERSION_1_0);
        XMLEntityScanner scanner = fEntityManager.getEntityScanner();
        scanner.detectingVersion = true;
        try {
            if (!scanner.skipString("<?xml")) {
                // definitely not a well-formed 1.1 doc!
                scanner.detectingVersion = false;
                return Constants.XML_VERSION_1_0;
            }
            if (!scanner.skipDeclSpaces()) {
                fixupCurrentEntity(fEntityManager, fExpectedVersionString, 5);
                scanner.detectingVersion = false;
                return Constants.XML_VERSION_1_0;
            }
            if (!scanner.skipString("version")) {
                fixupCurrentEntity(fEntityManager, fExpectedVersionString, 6);
                scanner.detectingVersion = false;
                return Constants.XML_VERSION_1_0;
            }
            scanner.skipDeclSpaces();
            // Check if the next character is '='. If it is then consume it.
            if (scanner.peekChar() != '=') {
                fixupCurrentEntity(fEntityManager, fExpectedVersionString, 13);
                scanner.detectingVersion = false;
                return Constants.XML_VERSION_1_0;
            }
            scanner.scanChar(null);
            scanner.skipDeclSpaces();
            int quoteChar = scanner.scanChar(null);
            fExpectedVersionString[14] = (char) quoteChar;
            for (int versionPos = 0; versionPos < XML11_VERSION.length; versionPos++) {
                fExpectedVersionString[15 + versionPos] = (char) scanner.scanChar(null);
            }
            // REVISIT:  should we check whether this equals quoteChar?
            fExpectedVersionString[18] = (char) scanner.scanChar(null);
            fixupCurrentEntity(fEntityManager, fExpectedVersionString, 19);
            int matched = 0;
            for (; matched < XML11_VERSION.length; matched++) {
                if (fExpectedVersionString[15 + matched] != XML11_VERSION[matched])
                    break;
            }
            scanner.detectingVersion = false;
            if (matched == XML11_VERSION.length)
                return Constants.XML_VERSION_1_1;
            return Constants.XML_VERSION_1_0;
            // premature end of file
        }
        catch (EOFException e) {
            fErrorReporter.reportError(
                XMLMessageFormatter.XML_DOMAIN,
                "PrematureEOF",
                null,
                XMLErrorReporter.SEVERITY_FATAL_ERROR);
            scanner.detectingVersion = false;
            return Constants.XML_VERSION_1_0;
        }
    }

    // This method prepends "length" chars from the char array,
    // from offset 0, to the manager's fCurrentEntity.ch.
    private void fixupCurrentEntity(XMLEntityManager manager,
                char [] scannedChars, int length) {
        ScannedEntity currentEntity = manager.getCurrentEntity();
        if(currentEntity.count-currentEntity.position+length > currentEntity.ch.length) {
            //resize array; this case is hard to imagine...
            char[] tempCh = currentEntity.ch;
            currentEntity.ch = new char[length+currentEntity.count-currentEntity.position+1];
            System.arraycopy(tempCh, 0, currentEntity.ch, 0, tempCh.length);
        }
        if(currentEntity.position < length) {
            // have to move sensitive stuff out of the way...
            System.arraycopy(currentEntity.ch, currentEntity.position, currentEntity.ch, length, currentEntity.count-currentEntity.position);
            currentEntity.count += length-currentEntity.position;
        } else {
            // have to reintroduce some whitespace so this parses:
            for(int i=length; i<currentEntity.position; i++)
                currentEntity.ch[i]=' ';
        }
        // prepend contents...
        System.arraycopy(scannedChars, 0, currentEntity.ch, 0, length);
        currentEntity.position = 0;
        currentEntity.baseCharOffset = 0;
        currentEntity.startPosition = 0;
        currentEntity.columnNumber = currentEntity.lineNumber = 1;
    }

} // class XMLVersionDetector


text:
Race is a social, not biological / scientific concept
BigAppleBucky June 17, 2012, 10:20pm #1
Nothing shows it more than today's very interesting NY Times article on Michelle Obama and her white cousins.
Meet Your Cousin, the First Lady: A Family Story, Long Hidden
Research into Michelle Obama's white relatives underscores the history of racial intermingling that binds countless American families decades after the Civil War.
The white men and women buried here are the forebears of Mrs. Tribble, a retired bookkeeper who delights in her two grandchildren and her Sunday church mornings. They are also ancestors of Michelle Obama, the first lady.
The discovery of this unexpected family tie between the nation's most prominent black woman and a white, silver-haired grandmother from the Atlanta suburbs underscores the entangled histories and racial intermingling that continue to bind countless American families more than 140 years after the Civil War.
All four of Mrs. Obama's grandparents had multiracial forebears. There were Irish immigrants who nurtured their dreams in a new land and free African-Americans who savored liberty long before the Civil War. Some were classified as mulatto by the census, while others claimed Cherokee ancestry.
Yet even before she took the DNA test, Mrs. Tribble had a strong feeling that her family and the first lady's family were related. She still remembers the moment when she laid eyes on an old black-and-white photograph of Dolphus Shields. She was sitting at her kitchen table in her house in the Atlanta suburbs when she saw him staring out of the pages of The New York Times: this stern, bespectacled African-American man who happened to share her mother's last name.
Mrs. Tribble never had any doubts about her family's ethnic background. Yet when she stared at the photograph that day, she said she felt something entirely unexpected: a strong stirring of recognition.
"I just thought, 'Well, he looks like somebody who could be in my family,' " she said.
We're all of the human race - period.
mister_nyx June 17, 2012, 10:22pm #2
The fact that most African-Americans have not-too-distant white relatives doesn't really prove your point.
A better point might be the fact that the races that scientific racists tend to posit don't really line up with actual genetic divisions in humanity.
Chronos June 17, 2012, 10:30pm #3
I've seen it argued that if one were to divide humanity up into, say, a dozen categories based on actual genetics, 11 of them would be in Africa, with one for everyone else.
magellan01 June 17, 2012, 10:51pm #4
BigAppleBucky:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/us/dna-gives-new-insights-into-michelle-obamas-roots.html?_r=1&hp
Your post does not support your thread title.
::shrug::
Bisected8 June 17, 2012, 11:11pm #5
"Race" is a pretty broad term. It's supposed to mean "distinct populations within a given species" but in regards to humans, there's no concrete definition.
In theory the idea is just;
A given population settles somewhere.
Certain traits which fall within the species normal variations become more widespread (some selection may be involved, but it's just as likely that a particular trait just happens to be there and its owner(s) get lucky in more ways than one).
The population in question is now a "race", made distinct by this combination of traits (which, again, are still part of the normal variations for that species).
So from a purely biological point of view, "race" isn't really arbitrary, but it doesn't mean much.
Socially, the only traits of a race that are going to be picked up on are the visible ones (I doubt there's ever been a "Those without neotenous lactose tolerance need not apply" sign in shop windows, after all), which is arguably a lot more arbitrary.
tl;dr: Race is a thing, but not the thing people think of.
iiandyiiii June 17, 2012, 11:13pm #6
I think this chart demonstrates the point of the OP. To summarize, there are many African populations that are closer, genetically, to European and Asian populations than to many other African populations. Thus it's absurd to refer to a "black" race, because many "black" populations are closer to "white" and "Asian" populations than to other "black" populations.
Another way of saying it is that any grouping by Most Recent Common Ancestor for populations that includes all "black" (even all sub-Saharan African) populations must by necessity also include all "white" and "Asian" populations (indeed, all of humanity).
John_Mace June 18, 2012, 2:59am #7
mister_nyx:
Pretty much, but it's a little more significant than that. If you look at Latin America (Mexico, Central America, and South America), the vast majority of the people living there are mixed race (if we take "race" to mean continent of origin of recent ancestors). That's a heck of a lot more people than the 25M or so African-Americans in the US. More than order of magnitude.
But it is a secondary point, since the primary point is that H. sapiens is a species with clinal variations, not discreet genetic groupings.
Mijin June 18, 2012, 10:03am #8
Chronos:
And some of the people in the "everyone else" group would be (black) african.
puddleglum June 18, 2012, 3:01pm #9
Why does race being a social concept mean that it can not also be a biological concept?
Take height and weight. Someone who is 5'5 is of average height in Vietnam but is short in Sweden. Does this mean that there is no such thing as height as a biological concept? Likewise a man who weighed 170 pounds would be considered heavy in South Korea but considered light in the US. Does this mean that speaking of someone as fat or thin has no basis in biology?
Just because a black person can have white cousins does not mean there is no biological basis for the concept of race. Look at this study on the clustering of genetic markers: http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010070
What it says is that there are clusters of people with similar genetics in geographic areas where travel is easy. Mountain ranges, deserts, and oceans tend to seperate people groups and those groups differentiate genetically from each other over time. Thus you get clusters which mostly correspond to the different races. What the limits of each race is and what it means to be in a race is the social construct part, but that does not mean there is no biological part.
Telemark June 18, 2012, 4:14pm #10
puddleglum:
Because, for any meaningful definition of race, the data does not support the concept.
There is nothing in human genetics that is coherent or exclusive enough to distinguish large groups of humanity from other large groups. There is plenty of evidence for meaningful biological groups at the population/ethnic level, but none that would allow for classifying humanity in 3, 4, 5, 7, or some other arbitrary small number of races.
lance_strongarm June 18, 2012, 4:19pm #11
Telemark:
There are groups of traits that we observe. They're there. Black skin/white skin.
I think what you mean is that this group is no more important than any other group of traits that could be used to classify us, and the only reason we use these is that they are so obvious to us. They are "meaningful" in the social sense.
But they are still bioligical or genetic traits. They are inherited.
iiandyiiii June 18, 2012, 4:26pm #12
lance_strongarm:
But none of these traits are unique to a particular race, unless that raced is defined only by those traits.
Another way to put it (paraphrased from a Pit thread): It's absurd to group sub-Saharan Africans (and the sub-Saharan African diaspora) as a "race"; many populations of sub-Saharan Africans have a Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) with Europeans and Asians that is more recent then their MRCA with other sub-Saharan African populations. This chart, using mitochondrial DNA, shows the relative MRCA between multiple groups. For example (from the chart), the Bamileke of Cameroon (#19) have a more recent MRCA with Siberians (#30) then with the Kikuyu of Kenya (#11). So any race that includes the Bamileke and the Kikuyu must include Siberians, unless the racial "classification" is not based on genetic relationships or MRCA.
puddleglum June 18, 2012, 4:40pm #13
You must have missed this sentence in the study I linked to " In one of the most extensive of these studies to date, considering 1,056 individuals from 52 human populations, with each individual genotyped for 377 autosomal microsatellite markers, we found that individuals could be partitioned into six main genetic clusters, five of which corresponded to Africa, Europe and the part of Asia south and west of the Himalayas, East Asia, Oceania, and the Americas [3].
It is just basic science to say that populations adapt to their environment. Therefore different environments will lead to different adaptations. These different adaptations are what is meant by race, not common ancestors. We see that different groups have different phenotypes and can study dna to see that have different genotypes. That is the biological basis of the social construct.
I didn't miss it, it's just that it's not particularly accurate or meaningful. There are important and distinct cases where these categorizations fail, and fail miserably. They aren't internally consistent and if you follow them to their logical extremes it ends up invalidating the concept of "race".
No one has a problem with populations. Your example of black and white as markers for race is exactly why you can't extend population to race. Skin pigmentation is a lousy way of grouping populations, as are nearly all surface characteristics.
John_Mace June 18, 2012, 5:11pm #15
So a black skinned person in India (and there are people there with skin every bit as dark as anyone in Africa) is the same race as someone in Africa? What about someone with black skin, full lips, and "kinky" hair living in the Philippines?
Your example of black and white as markers for race is exactly why you can't extend population to race. Skin pigmentation is a lousy way of grouping populations, as are nearly all surface characteristics.
My apologies, it wasn't puddleglum who brought up the idea of using skin pigmentation to identify races.
iiandyiiii:
But when grouped together, along with the traits they share with others, they make up a race. And they do tend to be grouped together genetically.
Racial classifications aren't based only on genetics. Nobody said that.
But they are based on genetics.
We don't bother to classify based on other genetic properties simply because they don't matter to us.
Yes, race is a social construct. But some people seem to want to take that statement and say racial characteristics don't exist. Of course they do. That is all.
John_Mace:
Tell me, is a white-skinned person in England the same race as a black-skinned person in Africa?
Please don't make me get more specific - it goes without saying.
Genetically, race is irrelevant. Socially, it is relevant (or has been - doesn't mean we can't change that). Race is still genetic though. Obviously.
And they do tend to be grouped together genetically.
This is the part that's wrong- they don't, really. There are many "black" populations in Africa that are more closely related to "white" and "Asian" populations than to other "black" populations. Plus, sub-Saharan Africa contains more genetic diversity then the rest of the world combined.
Great_Antibob June 18, 2012, 6:38pm #20
Race is still genetic though. Obviously.
Only by an overly broad notion of "genetic" that doesn't stand up to any but the most superficial level of scrutiny.
The notion of 3 races is primarily based on superficial physical characteristics (skin, eye, and hair pigmentation, for the most part). There's also supposedly a geographic component. The subtle gradations in these factors leads to defining more than 3 races.
But then you're down the slippery slope. The more you study the actual biology, you end up with dozens, if not hundreds, of "races" when you wanted to originally have no more than 5. And any simplification that keeps you down to less than 5 (or really anything less than 60) has no real genetic meaning beyond "this guy's genetic legacy will give him lighter/darker skin, lighter/darker eyes, and lighter/darker hair (up to and including some measure of hair straightness)". Maybe that's sociologically meaningful, but it's certainly next to useless for anything but simple biology/anatomy.
The problem here is that while those physical characteristics have a genetic component, grouping all people that share those physical characteristics as being a single genetic grouping can't actually be done in a scientifically meaningful way.
It's easier to divide human beings into a "male" and a "female" race. We know the genetic basis for that and have direct evidence of it (and yes, I get the fact that neither can propagate without the other, making the example inexact). And there are plenty of studies (in the past and ongoing) to study how that genetic difference plays out physically.
But even there, we still have a hard time separating genetic factors from cultural or socioeconomic factors. For example, the idea that women are innately worse at math is somehow still a controversy, even though we absolutely know we haven't eliminated all the cultural factors from such studies and that when a few such factors have been ameliorated, the performance gap on math exams between males and females has become smaller.
So, even in cases when we have identified genetic differences, we still have a hard time attributing biology or environment to several traits. That's what makes the old school 3-5 race division scientifically meaningless. There's no way to do it that makes race genetically meaningful in any but a superficial way.


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