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Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths (Review/Retrospective)
This January, I'm going to take a look at some of DC's biggest "events." This week I'll be taking at the event that started it all, Marv Wolfman and George Pérez's Crisis on Infinite Earths, reprinted in DC's oversized and slipcased Absolute line.
It's interesting to reflect on Crisis on Infinite Earths, more than a quarter of a century after the twelve-issue maxi-series was published. In the time since, it seems like the editorial purpose driving the event – the desire to "simplify" DC's tangled and messed continuity into one single and unified history by abolishing the myriad of alternate continuities – has been somewhat undone with the return of the multiverse in 52 and Final Crisis, but this arguably allows Wolfman and Pérez's epic to be considered on its own merit. Although the series might not be as important as it once was in explaining the sometimes bizarre way that all of DC's published line fit together, I think you can still see a huge influence of this crossover in the stories that the authors at DC are telling, and how they approach them.
Holding out for some heroes...
To be entirely honest, I'm wary of the type of editorial mandate that drives stories like this. After all, I've always subscribed to the idea that the rigid continuity that companies like DC and Marvel seem to aspire towards can serve as a straitjacket on writers and artists. I believe that the goal of internal consistency should be a very distant second to the aim of telling a good story. In a way, Crisis on Infinite Earths codified the idea of using a story as a way of rationalising editorial changes to a line of comic books – in this case, DC wanted to simplify their shared continuity, so the story was written around that.
While I think Wolfman does a generally good job reconciling telling an entertaining story with meeting the editorial objectives set, there's no denying that Crisis on Infinite Earths feels a little forced – if only because it's impossible to explain all the changes that DC wanted to make in-story. Indeed, the last chapter of the book pretty much concedes that a lot of the changes will be dictated on the fly. "But what of the future?" Lyla asks at the end of the adventure. "Those divergent happenings that have not been explained? The full tale will be told another time, but some facts are known."
His life flashes before his eyes...
Indeed, from an editorial perspective, Crisis on Infinite Earths created quite a mess. While the bigger characters carried on quite well, the event created a surreal continuity confusion around the character of Hawkman – one that was still toxic even a decade later. Due to the difficulties resolving who Hawkman was (human? alien? space cop? superhero? archeologist?), Grant Morrison was prevented from using the character during his celebrated Justice League run. Similarly, the Legion of Superheroes became quite the mess, requiring any number of relaunches, with Geoff Johns barely resolving the continuity knot in stories like Legion of 3 Worlds before Flashpoint relaunched the entire DC Universe again.
However, I think that the lasting impact of Crisis on Infinite Earths was the suggestion that editorial direction should be enforced by line-wide continuity-altering events. When Joe Quesada, for example, believed that there were too many mutants running around his fictional universe, he didn't believe it was enough to instruct his writers to limit the use of them, or to stop creating more of them – he dictated that the massive crossover House of M be written to provide an in-universe explanation for why there were suddenly few mutants. Instead of returning the mutants to a status quothat Quesada seemed to aspire towards, it trapped the line in a depressing and nihilistic (and occasionally non-sensical) storyline that seemed to continue indefinitely.
Marvel-ous...
Similarly, when the same editor suggested that a married Spider-Man was too far from his idea of the character, he insisted on a continuity-altering rewrite to "simplify" the webcrawler's continuity, resulting in the mess that was One More Day. I always found it ironic that apparently Spider-Man divorcing his wife would be too immoral for kids, but it's okay to make a deal with the devil selling your marriage and the love of your life to the personification of Satan himself. I think that Crisis on Infinite Earths made those sorts of stories possible, across the industry – creating the illusion of a storytelling shortcut in a gigantic red reset button you could hit if you made "an event" of it, becoming the default way of dealing with any and all editorial concerns.
It is worth noting, at this juncture, that Crisis on Infinite Earths wasn't really the first story of its kind. Apparently the Marvel offices had heard word of the plans at their competitor, and rushed out their own gigantic crossover maxi-series to compete. Secret Wars was really the first time that so many iconic and recognisable characters and continuities had tied together to tell one cohesive story, although it lacked the sophistication and sheer universe-altering scale of Marv Wolfman's Crisis on Infinite Earths. It did, however, provide one absolutely crucial piece of information for the comic book industry, and demonstrated why these sorts of events are so popular. In a memo to fellow writers, Wolfman is clear to point out that Secret Wars offers a promising glimpse of the future. "Although Marvel's Secret Wars is not at all similar to what we're doing," he stated, "we are all very familiar with the increased sales of all related books that tied in."
Happily ever after?
Of course, Crisis on Infinite Earths also defined what audiences came to expect from gigantic DC crossovers. Wolfman and Pérez craft a saga with an incredibly epic scope (occasionally too epic at times), in which it isn't the fate of the world that lies in the balance. In the opening scenes on Earth-3, Power Ring tries to grasp the nature of the threat. "It's more than nature, Power Ring," Ultra-Man insists. "It's the entire universe." We discover that it's bigger than that, even. It's every universe that ever existed, any universe that could exist, every single moment in time that is was, or ever could have been. The crossover set that scale, and it seems that this level on unfathomable peril has been the lofty goal of almost every major DC crossover published – with universe-wide threats forming the backbone of Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis and even Flashpoint.
It also seemed to set in stone the idea that these sorts of gigantic crossovers should have high-profile "casualties", with the imagine of Superman cradling Supergirl's body, and the Flash dissolving into nothing, ending up as almost iconic snapshots of Crisis on Infinite Earths. So Final Crisis would sacrifice Batman, Civil War would lead to The Death of Captain America, Fear Itself would see both Thor and Bucky die, Secret Invasion would kill the Wasp, Siege saw Loki's noble self-sacrifice. Most of these would, of course, be reworked after the fact – indeed, Jeff Loeb would even reintroduce a new version of Supergirl in one of his Superman/Batmanarcs – but it seemed that for an event to make an impact, it required significant loss of life. Indeed, it was more surprising when an event elapsed with no major casualties.
Wiped out...
On a smaller scale, however, it was interesting to read Crisis on Infinite Earths after years of absorbing comics. More than the impact it had on codifying what the companies and fans expected of big events like this, one can also see the massive impact the book had on the current crop of writers at the company, and how deeply it influenced them. Indeed, Grant Morrison's Final Crisis seems like more of a bookend to this gigantic event, revisiting many of the same characters and attempting to capture the same sort of scope – drawing in forgotten characters like Kamandi to the tangled web. Hell, even Morrison's caveman tribe living on the site of Wayne Manor in The Return of Bruce Wayne seems prefigured here, with a single panel of a time-melded Earth revealing early man emerging from beneath the stately home.
More than that, though, one can sense a much greater influence on writer Geoff Johns. Of course, Wolfman appears to have had quite an influence on Johns. After all, both writers rose to prominence with their work on the next generation of DC's superheroes. Wolfman made a name for himself behind The New Teen Titans, and Teen Titans was one of the titles that helped establish Johns. Even the inclusion of Cyborg in Johns' Justice Leaguerun could be read as an affectionate homage to Wolfman, the creator of the character.
Challenging the Unknown...
Johns seems to have been riffed extensively on Crisis on Infinite Earths, even more than any of his contemporaries and more than just his work on the sequel Infinite Crisis. It was Johns who reintroduced the Anti-Monitor, described in Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium as "DC's biggest, baddest villain", to the shared universe in Sinestro Corps War, and returned to him in both Blackest Night and Brightest Day. It's hard not to see the use of Qwardians as slave labour under brutal (and murderous) masters in Sinestro Corps War as anything other than homage to Pérez and Wolfman's work here.
Indeed, one can see a lot of Johns' Green Lantern work deeply rooted in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Wolfman's script anchors the multiverse to the actions of Krona, the Mad Guardian, and his script presents the Guardians as impotent in the face of this catastrophe. It's a portrayal that Johns would borrow and greatly expand upon – suggesting that the little ancient blue aliens were responsible for much of the carnage and damage they attempted to resolve.
Gone in a Flash...
There's a scene, about halfway through the event, that could easily have been lifted from one of Johns' issues. After being rendered powerless by the Anti-Monitor, th Guardians bicker as the Green Lanterns are forced to make sense of the situation on their own terms. "Yeah," Arisia observes as her fellow officers question the Guardians, "you had to know that was goin' on. I mean, you Guardians know everything… Don't you?"
That's an interesting seed of doubt, and one that Tomar-Re elaborates on. "Arisia is right," he suggests, "we should have been summoned long ago."That's a definite challenge to the authority of the Guardians, and one that suggests their high-ground is being slowly eroded. Later on, they'd give Guy Gardner his ring back – an event that has potentially disastrous consequences, mitigated at the last possible minute. It feels almost as if Johns has been building gradually off this moment, elaborating and exploring the weakness and culpability of the Guardians as suggested by Wolfman here.
Flash is on the Wayne...
Even the retroactive connection between Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen, that Johns would use to craft the core of Flashpoint, can be said to originate here. After all, this Crisis on Infinite Earths opens with Barry Allen appearing to warn Bruce about impending doom, while Johns' Flashpoint closed the post-Crisis universe with a heartfelt conversation between the two characters in the Batcave. It's easy to talk about the massive continuity-affecting impact of Crisis on Infinite Earths, but it arguably had a more profound impact on the writers who would grow up reading it.
But enough of the impact of Crisis on Infinite Earths and the countless ways this massive story-arc reverberates through to the DC universe even today. What of the event itself? What of the story that Wolfman and Pérez craft? How does it measure up? Does it still hold together today? After all, Crisis on Infinite Earths is largely notable for being the first comic book story to reach that sort of scale, but is that reputation earned? Is it a good read and is it entertaining apart from that?
The spectre of a larger threat looms...
Truth be told, Crisis on Infinite Earths itself is a bit of a mixed bag. Pérez's art is absolutely breathtaking, and completely deserving of the format. The artist is the master of crowd scenes, cramming multitudes of iconic characters together in the midst of action, and never sacrificing any nuance or detail from his images. The same aspects of Pérez's approach that made JLA/Avengers so perfectly suited to this massively oversized format are only multiplied here. Whatever plotting and pacing difficulties Wolfman may face, he's never let down by Pérez's artwork.
And Wolfman's script is quite clever. I have to admit that I like a lot of the ideas that Wolfman proposes here about the sinister plan to destroy multiple universes – in particular the sharp meta-fictional aspect that creeps into the story. After all, the end of the universe is depicted as blank white space – literal "emptiness" on the page. Those characters caught in the white-out are first robbed of a background, then rendered as sketches, and then as… nothing. It's a nice way of illustrating the fact that DC is using the miniseries to erase various complications and tangled aspects of their fifty-year-old continuity. It looks like the comic book is literally being unmade right in front of our eyes.
The power of the Darkseid...
There are other clever meta-fictional aspects as well. I quite like, for example, how Krona's window back in time is portrayed as almost a comic book panel with a comic book panel. In hindsight, there are some touches that seem especially clever – given how the DC universe would change. There's something almost touching about Solovor's dying words. The gorilla is presented as the old and wise king departing, leaving the world to a new generation, hopeful for what the future might bring. "I– I saw the future, lad," he says, "and for you there are so many changes awaiting… B-be good…" His final instruction feels particularly powerful in light of how much darker the DC universe would become in the years that followed, when it became a lot tougher for DC's iconic heroes to simply "be good."
It feels fitting that Wolfman uses Superman as the core of this story. After all, Superman is the very heart of DC. The only superhero who can really compete with the character's iconography is Batman, but Wolfman places Bruce squarely on the sidelines of the event. In Kal-L (Superman of Earth-2), Superboy-Prime and our own Superman, Wolfman presents us with "Superman Past, Present & Future"in this epic storyline and – in the end – it comes down to the younger and the older versions of Superman to fight off the dreaded Anti-Monitor.
Into the void...
More than that, though, Wolfman suggests something of a full circle by opening the event with a replay of Superman's iconic origin, as a desperate scientist on a dying world plans to save the life of his son by placing him in "a prototype, large enough for only one." Of course, this is a long way from Superman, perhaps illustrating how far DC have come in the half-a-century since he first appeared. This is the son of Lex Luthor, Alexander Luthor of Earth-3. "We'll die," Lex proclaims, "but our son shall live." Tying Luthor (even an alternate Luthor) to Superman like that is a powerful piece of symmetry, on that reminds me of the ending to Mark Millar's Red Son, reportedly suggested by Morrison himself.
Wolfman's conclusion feels like a fitting end to that version of the DC universe, which is quite an accomplishment. It's difficult to express just how much he manages to cram in, pulling from all corners of the DC pantheon. He includes Kirby's contributions to the shared universe with the Challengers of the Unknown, Arthuro, Kamandi, and even the New Gods. He ensures that the characters from Steve Ditko's Charlton Comics universe survive the crisis, giving Blue Beetle a significant role in events. The war heroes and the Wild West characters all put in an appearance as well. Even figures as tangential as Sugar and Spike can be quickly glimpsed watching Clark Kent on the news.
Out of the Blue (Beetle)...
This epic scales allows Wolfman to create the impression of a reality collapsing in on itself. I don't think I've ever seen a comic book story on this scale, even Morrison's ambitious Final Crisis. "Rock, this war goin' crazy or somethin'?" one soldier asks as super heroes emerge on the battlefield fighting shadow monsters. Later, Rock himself remarks, "Things like that don't happen in war." It perfectly captures the sense that there's something fundamentally wrong with the tapestry of the DC Universe, and underscores just how grave the threat is.
This epic sense of scale does undermine the event itself, at least in some respects. Quite frankly, a lot of characters get lost in the shuffle, especially ones that should be important. Despite the loss of Supergirl, the death of the Flash is perhaps the biggest death of any character in this crossover, as he sacrifices himself to destroy the Anti-Monitor's machine. Wolfman and Pérez both foreshadow this noble self-sacrifice heavily, so it doesn't feel like a surprise – but it doesn't feel organic either. Barry Allen had been positioned, after Cary Bates' The Trial of the Flash, as an outcast and a failure. This big moment at the heart of Crisis on Infinite Earthsshould feel like a conclusion to that grand arc – proof that, despite the bumps along the way, Barry Allen is a hero through and through.
Running out time...
Unfortunately, there's no sense of character in the book itself. Barry feels (at best) secondary for most of his appearances. Blue Beetle is treated as a more important character, with more characterisation, than Barry himself. The audience should be struck by Barry's death, feeling it as the inevitably tragic conclusion to a character arc. Instead, it just seems like a plot point inside a huge cosmic event. This is a big issue for Barry Allen because of his importance to the plot, but it's not the only place where characterisation gets lost in the shuffle of these gigantic world-altering events.
There's no room for characterisation, and characters are mostly reduced to shallow verbal tics. Given the limited panel-time afforded to secondary characters, I can't help but feel that the Blue Beetle refers to himself as "Mrs. Blue Beetle's little boy"once too often. Even the new characters introduced during the event, the new Wildcat and the new Doctor Light, feel like little more than rough sketches instead of fully-formed characters. It is worth noting that both characters are female and of varying ethnicity, so that at least represents a step in the right direction.
Absolutely fabulous...
In an effort to create some sense of emotion amid these huge events, Wolfman's writing feels a little too overly melodramatic. In the middle of the book, I found myself increasingly frustrated with dying proclamations of "love" and heavy-handed angst-ridden pseudo-characterisation. Indeed, even Dr. Light's central character arc is handled somewhat clunkily, with her change covered in a single line. "While I have wasted my life with selfishness," she declares in the middle of a heated battle. "No more, Supergirl — no more! Whatever happens here, you've shown me the truth." That's pretty much the sum total of her character growth, expressed in a single line, with excess melodrama thrown in.
In defence of Wolfman's writing, it would be difficult to get too much characterisation in a story that large. And, to be frank, his writing is remarkably skilled. I don't have an absurd degree of knowledge of second- or third-tier DC characters, so many of the villains and heroes appearing here might have slipped under my radar. Wolfman does an exemplary job making sure that the reader knows who each character is and – where applicable – what their motivations are. Arguably that's more continuity management than creative writing, but a lot of modern writers could learn from Wolfman. It is hardly new reader friendly, but Crisis on Infinite Earthsis easy enough to follow for even the most casual fan of the vast DC universe.
Supergirl no more!
There are some fundamental plotting problems with Wolfman's epic adventure as well. For most of its twelve-issues, the series progresses rather logically and sensibly for a massive superhero tale. Once or twice, however, the story takes a weird detour that throws the pacing off, with certain plot points only thrown in because they seem mandatory in comic book crossovers. For example, while the battle against the Anti-Monitor makes sense, the use of Psycho-Pirate to justify various heroes fighting one another feels like it's just eating up space and inserting the type of superhero-against-superhero battles that one expects from these sorts of adventures.
Slightly more surreal is a weird intervention by Lex Luthor and Brainiac after the Anti-Monitor has been forced back for the first time. It amounts to an excuse for a large-scale superhero-against-supervillain battle, the kind of action the series had mostly avoided to that point (and would avoid afterwards). It almost feels like the reader is reading a tie-in book within the main twelve-issue series, even featuring the worst fake-out cliffhanger of the collection, with Psi-mon attacking Luthor and Brainiac. I suspect that these events were only really inserted because it's cool to see Pérez illustrating these sorts of fights.
Watered-down continuity?
However, even then, Wolfman sneaks in a clever or insightful observation, and one that would bear fruit for later writers working on other books. "We won by sheer numbers," Silver Ghost explains to some captured heroes. "For every big shot on your side, we've got five more ready to fight for us." It's basic maths, and something that I'm surprised no writer ever really applied before. Indeed, Mark Millar would "borrow" the idea of a supervillain numbers-game for his Wolverine story, Old Man Logan. "Hey," Luthor concedes to Brainiac, "we both know we'll have five losses on our side for each one on theirs… But I'd say those were respectable numbers, wouldn't you?"
Most frustrating, however, is the inherently conservative moral that Wolfman places at the centre of Crisis on Infinite Earths, one that seems to warn against scientific curiosity. "But legends say if we learn our origins, the universe will be destroyed!"Sondra warns Pariah as the character prepares to look back into the history of the universe. And, of course, his actions have dire consequences. He fears that he awoke the Anti-Monitor with his scientific curiosity. Indeed, the Guardian Krona actually creates the Anti-Monitor inadvertently through his own scientific curiosity. The moral seems to suggest that scientific research and investigation is remarkably dangerous.
A towering accomplishment?
Wolfman does, to be fair, play with this a bit. He even suggests that Pariah's investigations didn't actually awake the Anti-Monitor, but he still suggests that Pariah's poorly-advised curiosity made the monster's omnicidal rampage possible. "Did you truly believe mere scientific investigation could unleash forces great enough to destroy a universe?" the Anti-Monitor taunts. He then suggests that Pariah's experiment enabled him in other ways. "No — but I took advantage of your experiment… I converted the antimatter into energy… which I focused into your universe, destroying those worlds to gather even more energy. Only then was I powerful enough to break free of my prison… and to spread my rule!"
While the heroes seem willing to forgive Pariah on the basis of this confession, it still feels more than slightly surreal. After all, even if Pariah didn't wake up the monster, he did allow it to escape. Again, in fairness, this feels like a cautionary tale of the post-nuclear age. After all, it's hard not to read the Anti-Monitor as the "destroyer of worlds"that Oppenheimer mentioned – the nuclear genie out of the proverbial bottle. Without his armour, Pérez portrays the Anti-Monitor as burning, almost composed of fire burning impossibly hot, not unlike the fear of a nuclear fire that might leave the world a hallow shell.
Indeed, Wolfman actually takes advantage of the opportunity to playfully cast Crisis on Infinite Earths in an almost biblical tone. The Anti-Monitor is the end of all things, the ultimate evil, ever-burning nuclear fire, the white space, but it's also presented as something akin to that most classic of good-against-evil myths. Harbinger describes the anti-monitor as "the serpent in this eden", perhaps an appropriate analogy where the apple represents knowledge. Zatara and the spiritual side of the DC universe cast the villain in even more strongly biblical terms. "Back, Monitor," the wizard commands, "back, down into the pit!"
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a much stronger story than I expected to be entirely honest. Sure, there are a few problems along the way, but Wolfman manages an almost impossible task with considerable skill and grace. It feels epic in a way that very few comic book events can really match, even in the almost-three-decades since. It's well worth a read for those interested in the shared fictional universe, with the appropriate caveats made.
Do not make Light!
The Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths represents easily the best way to read the story. As mentioned about, Pérez's art looks absolutely beautiful oversized, but DC have also packaged it with an entire booklet filled with behind-the-scenes insights into how an event of this magnitude was organised and tied together. It also includes a summary of all the Crisis on Infinite Earth tie-in books, which are somewhat interesting. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a companion book compiled collecting them – I know there are two or three I might be interested in checking out. (And Alan Moore's Swamp Thing remains perhaps the best event tie-in book ever.)
Crisis on Infinite Earths had a massive impact on release, but it's not only worth reading for the impact it had on DC's shared continuity. Instead, it's worth reading as the blueprint for big "event" stories, watching Wolfman and Pérez piece together the rulebook as they went along. The story itself might seem just a bit clunky in places, but there's no denying what an accomplishment it was. All involved can hold their heads high.
Filed under: Comics | Tagged: barry allen, batman, crisis on infinite earths, dc comic, dc universe, final crisis, flash, flashpoint, geoff johns, george perez, grant morrison, Grantmorrison, green lantern: rebirth, jack kirby, joe quesada, John, kamandi, lex luthor, Marv Wolfman, marvel, power ring, seven soldiers |
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Mat Guy, on February 3, 2012 at 6:16 pm said:
I've just ordered a copy of this ahead of meeting George this month. Its always been on my reading list but with the changes DC has made with the new 52 I wasn't sure I would need to dip in. Your review has swung me to take a chance… I seem to have a habit of going back to older stories at the mo – Iron Man Demon in a Bottle, Watchmen, V for Vendetta. I missed most the first time round and slightly disillusioned with the current big brash style of modern comics I think I yearning for something of… quality and substance, for want of better words!
Long may these titles remain in print…!!
Darren, on February 5, 2012 at 5:38 pm said:
Thanks Matt, I hope I haven't wasted your time or your money. Let me know what you make of it.
That said, I never really believed that whetehr a story is in- or out-of-continuity should make a difference to quality. As you mentioned, V for Vendetta and Watchmen are classics.


Hey there everyone! Today I am just checking in with a quickie. I mean a super duper, duper quickie. No sew tablecloth curtains. While at Walmart picking up our sons last minute college needs I browsed through the tablecloth isle. Actually, not intending to, I was doing a cut through. I stopped dead in my tracks when I spied with my little eye this pretty tablecloth. At first I thought "oh how pretty for fall" maybe I will get a tablecloth for the table.
Then, the lightbulb hit when I saw the size, 60 inch x 102. Our kitchen windows in the dining room are tall and I always need something longer than the standard 84 inches. But as you know they are pricey. I only have two sets of curtains for this window and have been in our home for 10 years now. I just don't like to spend the money. I think I can afford a $13.84 tablecloth though. Of course I needed two. Still though, $26.00 total, not bad at all.
I think I was walking around aimlessly today at Walmart. I am starting to get that pit in my stomach thinking about our son leaving. We get him to College on Wednesday. I am so happy Fall is around the corner because I plan on keeping busy the next few weeks.
My kitchen window wreath had to get a mini makeover too. I just added some yellow flowers, poppies and a chevron red burlap bow.
Seriously, look how perfect in size these are. They do have 70 inch and 84 inch. There was a variety of pretty patterns and colors to choose from.
All my favorite colors. As you can see they are hung with curtain rings. The rings you can also find at Walmart. They come in a pack of 10.
Thanks for stopping over today. If you are new here, stick around and browse a while.
I have plenty more ideas.
And my latest Fall dollar tree collection of ideas!
Debbie, I love these! Gotta go to Wal Mart! They look so pretty in your room!
Thanks Kathy! Good luck, let me know how you do.
Brilliant!!! They really are a pretty pop of colour Debbie. AND no sew!!!!
Big hugs my friend… I can only imagine how your heart is feeling. We were blessed that both boys chose to do their degrees locally. So they stayed home while going to school. The youngest has only 8 more weeks to his BA YIPPEE!!!!
Thanks so much Gee. Extra bonus for sure on the no-sew.
Love these Debbie! Beautiful colors!
Thanks Deb. The colors certainly spoke to me.
Hi Debbie Dear! Oh, how lovely! The tablecloths make gorgeous curtains and just perfect for your tall windows. You're a smart little cookie! I love how your kitchen window looks.
Thank you Sheila. I am thrilled with the new look and colors for fall.
SO perfect. Just your colors. Great length too. Lucky girl!!
Love this idea. Very pretty. I'm gong to have to show this to my Sister. They are moving into a new house that needs lots of updating.
I have no sew tablecloth curtains in my bedroom. I love them!
Cool! I love this idea.
Great colors on the curtains. Top sheets work nicely also. And the already have an edge a curtain rod can go through. Good luck to you and your son. Try not to cry too much in front of him. But Cry all you want on the way home. Resist the temptations to call or text the first week.
I will…not sure on the texting, but I will try my best!
Love it! How clever, plus I love the colors and patterns, yes they speak FALL! Thanks Debbie for another great and smart idea!
I love your curtains/tablecloths!!…I have actually made things out of tablecloths too….they are truly inexpensive and you get lots of fabric!….your panels and so bright and cheery….and you need cheery this week!…It will be OK Debbie…the ride home will be sad for you but it does get better…I promise!…Clemson is a great school!!…Hang in there!!
Thanks Shirley! I know it will. It will take some time for sure.
Debbie those are perfect in your space, the colors are fantastic. I like to do the same thing with tablecloths.
Good choice Debbie … great color for Fall … nice weight … just adds color but still sheer enough to let the light in.
Love the idea of tablecloth curtains! So much cheaper than curtains. I also love your kitchen wreath and need to get started on a fall wreath soon. Good luck with your son's move!
Tablecloths as curtains are my secret weapon…they allow me to have many different looks for not a lot of money! Those are lovely…enjoy!!
Thank you! Yes indeed I will. I am in serious love with them. My husband had NO clue lol!
Perfect! We just moved into a home that has a ton of windows and they are more like the size of sliding glass doors. I was going to get shower curtains to hang instead of curtains because of the cost. But this is another idea that would work too! Thanks for posting it!
Happy Day to you Debbie! Hope it all went well with your son!
Not sure Jenny! Maybe try Amazon?
Big Lots works well, too!
Oh yes, I forgot about them! Thanks for mentioning that.
So charming! This print really brings your room to life and creates that layered look that good designers know how to achieve. I especially love that it's different from all the typical decor I see out there. You've really created a wonderful feel in the room.
Did I miss some directions? How do you hang the tablecloth? Did you use special curtain rings?
Yes Tammy, I mention it in the post.
Super cute, super inexpensive, super easy! Trifecta! I really like the color/pattern, adds a nice little pop to the room. This whole room looks great, I love everything about it.
Love love this idea! I have these colors in my kitchen and dining area….so…..next visit to Walmart I am going to look at the tablecloths!
I just love your tablecloth curtains, they just reek spring and summer. Reek is used in a positive way, it's the only word I could think of to describe them. A generous amount of spring and summer.
I love your curtains! I'm going to have to look at tablecloths in a whole new light. I also love the way they look with the rings.
OMG!!!! I feel like I have died and gone to Blog Heaven! Thanks so much for sharing your no-sew tutorials because I cannot sew a lick! So thank you so much!


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Het Koninklijk Staldepartement is een onderdeel van het Civiele Huis van de Dienst van het Koninklijk Huis dat is belast met het vervoer van de leden van het Koninklijk Huis, zijn gasten en de hofhouding. Het Staldepartement is in 1815 door Koning Willem I opgericht. Sinds 1878 is het departement gevestigd in de Koninklijke Stallen aan de Hogewal in Den Haag.

Onderdelen
Het Koninklijk Staldepartement bestaat uit drie onderdelen: de afdeling Koets- en Rijstal, de afdeling garage en het Bureau Luchtvaartzaken.

Afdeling Koets- en Rijstal
De afdeling Koets- en Rijstal beheert de rijtuigen en paarden die gebruikt worden voor het trekken van de diverse koetsen die het Koninklijk Huis in gebruik heeft, waaronder de Gouden en Glazen Koets. De paarden uit de Koninklijke Stallen worden tegenwoordig alleen nog maar gebruikt voor ceremoniële en recreatieve doeleinden. Het gaat om ongeveer dertig paarden onderverdeeld in koets- en rijpaarden. De 24 koetspaarden zijn allemaal zwart en behoren ofwel tot het Fries paardenstamboek ofwel tot het KWPN. Van de zeventig rijtuigen staat het grootste gedeelte in het Nationaal Museum Paleis het Loo in Apeldoorn.

Afdeling Garage

De afdeling Garage beheert een dertigtal hofauto's voor het vervoer van de leden van het Koninklijk Huis, de hofhouding, gasten, bagage en de paarden van het Koninklijk Huis. Ook de Koninklijke bus en het Koninklijk rijtuig vallen onder het beheer van de afdeling garage. Het wagenpark bestaat onder andere uit de AA 95, een verlengde Volvo S80 van prinses Beatrix en de verlengde Audi A8L van koning Willem Alexander en enkele niet verlengde Audi A8 en Volvo S80 modellen. Een Ford Scorpio Landaulette, een verlengde Ford waarbij het achterste gedeelte boven de passagiers als een soort cabriodak kan wegklappen. Een Cadillac DTS Limousine, voor het vervoer van onder andere buitenlandse staatshoofden, en de recent gerestaureerde Mercedes-Benz W126 Caruna van Prinses Juliana.

Bureau Luchtvaartzaken
Bureau Luchtvaartzaken is belast met de coördinatie van de vliegreizen voor de leden van het Koninklijk Huis en de hofhouding. Dit betreft niet alleen de inzet van het eigen regeringsvliegtuig, maar ook het boeken van gewone lijnvluchten en de inzet van helikopters van de Koninklijke Marine voor het vervoer van leden van het Koninklijk Huis.

Zie ook
 Koninklijke Stallen

Externe link
 http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/onderwerpen/staldepartement

Staldepartement

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Now That's What I Call Music: The Best of the Best
By joseph / September 6, 2022 September 6, 2022
The Best of the Best: Now That's What I Call Music
The Best of the Best: Now That's What I Call Music – Part II
The Best of the Best: Now That's What I Call Music – Part III
The Best of the Best: Now That's What I Call Music – Part IV
The Best of the Best: Now That's What I Call Music – Part V
The Best of the Best: Now That's What I Call Music – Part VI
The Best of the Best: Now That's What I Call Music – Part VII
The Best of the Best: Now That's What I Call Music – Part VIII
The Best of the Best: Now That's What I Call Music – Part IX
The Best of the Best: Now That's What I Call Music – Part X
Now That's What I Call Music: The Best of the Best is a compilation album consisting of the greatest hits from theNow That's What I Call Music! series.
Now That's What I Call Music is a compilation album series released in the United Kingdom. The series began on 28 November 1983 with the release of Now 1 and has featured 62 albums as of November 2009. The albums are currently released twice annually, in May and November.
The concept for the series was created by Richard Baskin and Tom Rowland, who worked for EMI Records, after they noticed that their teenage daughter and her friends were buying multiple Now albums despite only liking one or two tracks on each release. They decided to compile similar themed music together so that fans would have a collection of songs that they enjoyed listening to.
The Now series has been extremely successful, with over 100million copies of the albums being sold worldwide. In the United Kingdom, theseries is the best-selling compilation album series of all time and has spawned many imitation products.
Now That's What I Call Music – Part II is the second greatest hits album from the Now That's What I Call Music! series in the United States. It was released on October 26, 2004, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and has been certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album includes fourteen tracks, twelve of which are from 2003 and 2004. "Where Is the Love?" by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway is included as a bonus track.
Now That's What I Call Music – Part III is the third installment of the popular Now That's What I Call Music series. This installment features some of the best and most popular songs from the past year. The album was released on October 28, 2016, by Universal Music Group.
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 131,000 copies in its first week. It marked the ninth consecutive number-one debut for the Now That's What I Call Music! brand. The album has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over one million copies in the United States.
Some of the featured artists on this album include Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Adele, Drake, and Beyoncé. This album includes a total of twenty-two songs, all of which are radio hits. A few of the more popular songs on this album include "Work" by Rihanna, "Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber, and "Hello" by Adele.
As the title suggests, this is the fourth installment in the "Now That's What I Call Music!" series, and it does not disappoint. Featuring some of the best pop, rock, R&B, and country hits of the past year or so, this album is sure to please just about any music fan. Highlights include Bruno Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven," Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors," Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble," and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop."
Now That's What I Call Music – Part V was released on November 18, 2016, by NOW Music. The double-disc album features 44 songs including hits from Adele, Justin Bieber, Drake, Sia, twenty one pilots, and more. This album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.
Now That's What I Call Music – Part VI is a compilation album released in the United Kingdom on 3 December 2001 by Sony Music and EMI, featuring 57 tracks across three CDs. This was the first release in the Now! series to feature tracks with a parental advisory sticker due to explicit content. It was also the first release to come in a double CD case instead of the usual triple CD case, due to the extra space required for the advisory sticker.
The album reached number one on the UK Compilation Albums Chart and was certified 5× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In Ireland, it reached number two on theIrish Albums Chart and was certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Ireland (IRMA). "Can't Get You out of My Head" by Kylie Minogue, "Walk on" by U2 and "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams were released as singles from the album.
The best-selling compilation series of all time returns with another stellar collection of contemporary chart toppers and pop radio hits, NOW That's What I Call Music! Volume VII. Featuring 16 of the hottest tracks from 1997, NOW 7 includes smash hits "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, "MMMBop" by Hanson, "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy & Faith Evans and a special tribute to the late Princess Diana. Experience all the chart-topping anthems that defined a generation on NOW That's What I Call Music! Volume VII.
Now That's What I Call Music – Part VIII is the eighth installment of the Now! series in the United States. It was released on July 15, 1997, on cassette and Compact Disc. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 293,000 copies. by the end of 1997, the album had been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of two million copies in the US.
The album features 16 tracks, including four number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100—"I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G., and "Honey" by Mariah Carey—and three singles that peaked at number two—"Bother" by Stone Temple Pilots, "Missing You" by John Waite, and "Return of the Mack" by Mark Morrison.
Now That's What I Call Music – Part IX was released on November 20, 2001. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 621,000 copies in its first week. This was an increase of seventeen percent from the previous volume's debut week sales of 530,000 copies. As of August 2014, Part IX has been certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of six million copies in the United States.
Now That's What I Call Music – Part X is the tenth edition of the Now That's What I Call Music! series in the United States. It was released on October 23, 2001, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified 5× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Nvidia RTX at a glance: Should I upgrade my graphics card?
The new Nvidia RTX graphics cards mark a quantum leap. We explain what they are capable of and whether you should upgrade your graphics card.
It's not every day that new graphics cards are announced. The last generation already arrived a good two years ago, which means that video games have never seen technology such as real-time raytracing. These are exciting times for all graphics nerds. That's why we would like to take a closer look at the Nvidia RTX and find out what the new generation is capable of.
The reflections of the light rays can be seen in a raytracing demo.
What can the new RTX cards do?
To answer this question, we will first look at the pros and cons of the new Nvidia graphics cards. The new technology in the RTX cards is called real-time raytracing. It has never been used in the video gaming field due to the required computing power simply being too high. With the new Nvidia RTX cards, raytracing can now also be used for video games.
With raytracing, reflections from explosions and other light sources are rendered realistically on surfaces such as water, metal and other reflecting surfaces. Until now, this has not been possible, so developers had to resort to tricks to integrate such reflections in the gaming world. Through real-time raytracing, games can now look better and more detailed than ever before. The technology does not just have advantages, though.
Real-time raytracing costs a lot of power
As mentioned above, the technology requires quite a bit of computing power. Initial tests with the RTX 2080 Ti have shown that gamers lose out on the frame rate if raytracing is enabled. At Nvidia's RTX announcement event, the guests were already able to play Battlefield 5 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider with raytracing enabled. Battlefield just about had 60 frames per second (fps) with a resolution of 1080p and Shadow of the Tomb Raider had between 33 and 48 fps, with a resolution of 1080p.
It's worth noting that both versions of the games are not final and will most likely be optimised for performance prior to release. It nevertheless shows how much the technology gnaws at the hardware. It is also yet to be seen which developers will really incorporate raytracing into their games. This costs developers extra time in the development and it is a feature that can only be used by owners of the new Nvidia RTX cards. So, it remains to be seen how fast and whether the market will adapt to this feature.
Battlefield V will be using real-time raytracing technology.
Another point is the price. Costing 1,199 dollars for the RTX 2080 Ti, 799 dollars for the RTX 2080 and 599 dollars for the RTX 2070, the new graphics cards are hardly a bargain. Yes, they do offer better performance than the previous models and raytracing technology, but at this moment in time I am not sure whether they are worth their money.
What does a graphics card do anyway?
A graphics card does exactly what the name suggests: it translates signals from the CPU and software applications into graphical elements. It then provides an output, to which the monitor is connected. The image from the PC is then transferred over to the monitor. The creation of these images is an elaborate process, demanding a lot of computing power. In addition, video games are claiming to look better and better all the time, increasing demand for more and more graphics cards.
This is what the new Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti looks like
When is it worth upgrading the graphics card?
This is a question asked by gamers from time to time, and the answer is not always clear. For one thing, it really depends on your gaming behaviour. Do you always want to play the newest games? Are you more into indies and pixel graphics? Or are you just more into old-school games?
For the latter two categories, a graphics card upgrade is not an immediate necessity. Personally, I prefer to play the newer titles, which often need a lot of graphic power. So, if my PC is no longer capable of running the games that I want to play, then it is the best time for an upgrade.
Naturally, the next question is whether you really need a new graphics card or if other components such as processor or RAM are the problem. The graphics card is the most important component when it comes to getting as many frames out of the games as possible. For that, though, the other components also must perform equally as well.
There is a very simple way to find out which hardware components need to be upgraded. Have a look at the system requirements of the latest games and compare them with your current system. You should be able to see whether the processor, RAM or graphics cards are outdated and need an upgrade. Through that, you can figure out the weaker points and avoid buying a new, expensive graphics card if you do not actually need one.
Is it worth getting an RTX at this moment in time?
If you have a graphics card which can run the latest games or games that you like to play without any issues, then I would first wait and see how the technology develops. If you need a new graphics card as soon as possible, the Nvidia RTX series could be interesting for you. It offers the best performance you can possibly buy. If you do not want to spend so much money, a GTX 1070 or 1080 would also be a good choice, as both cards can run current games without any problems.
Guide: How Much VRAM Do I Need for Gaming?
Categories How To Tags Graphics card, NVIDIA
Blue Shadow: how the new cloud gaming service works
MacBook Pro 15″ 2015 Review: this time they got it right


Modular Closet Cabinets – Pleasant to Columbusxp.info weblog, with this moment I'll teach you concerning modular closet cabinets . And today, this is the 1st impression: modular closet cabinets Unique 15 Beste Ikea Pax line Planer Ideen Think about graphic previously mentioned? is that amazing???….


text:
Preview: 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After Season 5 Episode 18
The second part of the three-episode Tell-All event that aired this week sees one couple on the verge of divorce. Meanwhile, the topic of having a baby is again brought up before Angela. Colt makes some cringe-worthy revelations, which leave both Larissa and Jess infuriated. Hosted by Shaun Robinson, the reunion takes place over a Zoom call, minus Paul and Karine, who are dealing with abuse allegations. Let's dive into the details of the episode later. But before that, read on to know more about the next episode, which happens to be the season finale.
90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? Season 5 Episode 18 Release Date
'90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?' Season 5 Episode 18 will release on October 5, 2020, on TLC, at 8 pm ET / 7 pm CT. The 18th episode is titled 'Tell All Part 3', which also serves as the season finale.
Where to Watch 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? Season 5 Episode 18 Online?
You can watch '90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?' Season 5 Episode 18 if you have a cable connection, by tuning in to TLC at the above time slot. You can also watch the released episodes online by logging into TLC's official website. There are several other streaming options as well. You can live-stream the series on Philo TV, Directv, Sling TV, Fubo TV, or YouTube TV. Previous episodes are available on Hulu and for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? Season 5 Episode 17 Recap
Kalani and Asuelu seem to have reached a dead-end in their relationship. An emotional Kalani tells Shaun, "I just feel torn because I love him but we have so many issues that I can't see a way out of them." Asuelu does not do much to console his crying wife. Eventually, he leaves the room. Next, Shaun asks Vanessa about her relationship with Colt. She replies that both of them had just recovered from failed marriages and hence, connected over common issues. Debbie also steps in to support Vanessa. Colt rudely tells Jess that his relationship with her was just a summer fling at best.
Shaun next turns the attention to Tania and Syngin. Syngin confirms that he is working as a waiter. Tania counters by saying that his biggest issue is drinking. Shaun goes on to ask all if all the couples had been progressing well on their intimate side during the quarantine phase. Larissa takes the chance to clarify that Eric is a better lover than Colt.
Michael and Angela tell how difficult it is to keep their romance alive from across countries. When the topic of kids comes up, Angela asks Michael to stop bringing up having children. But Angela explains that she is not in favor of IVF. When Michael continues pleading, Angela reverts: "I'm not here to make your family happy." Michael's aunt Lydia reiterates that she would never have blessed the couple if she knew this would be Angela's reaction. Finally, Michael closes the conversation by saying that they might have to try to have a baby 'the other way'.
Read More: Are Michael and Angela From 90 Day Fiance Still Together?


text:
import ansible.errors as errors
from ansible.utils import safe_eval

class LookupModule(object):

    def __init__(self, basedir=None, **kwargs):
        self.basedir = basedir

    def run(self, terms, inject=None, **kwargs):
        terms = safe_eval(terms)

        if not isinstance(terms, dict):
            print terms
            raise errors.AnsibleError("with_hash_items expects a dict")
        return [{"key": term[0], "value": term[1]} for term in terms.items()]


Parents are constantly shamed for their choices. From how we feed our children to how we educate them, everyone has an opinion. The result? Moms and dads feel endlessly judged for the choices they make — even if they have no other options. This week, families around the country are sharing their inspiring, funny, honest, and heartbreaking stories with Yahoo Parenting in an effort to spark conversations, a little compassion, and change in the way we think about parenting forever. Share your story with us — #NoShameParenting.
Just like the sisters in Frozen, Paul Henson has his son Caiden's back. And when the 3-year-old recently got flak from his preschool classmates for wanting to be Elsa for Halloween, the Chesapeake, Va., dad didn't just let it go.
Henson took Caiden shopping for the Queen of Arendelle costume, offered to dress up as Elsa's sister, Anna, and detailed the duo's plans in a Facebook post that's gone viral with more than 20,000 shares in less than four days.


- Loaded with bean protein, this is a quick, tasty and nutritious meal in a tortilla!
- Long time favorite recipe of ours that I like to serve over penne or bow-tie pasta.
- Very quick summer salad and great made with Armenian cucumbers. Add a little extra dried dill to garnish.
- This was a great find in a time of need. I had so much zucchini from the garden and this recipe turned out to be a winner for us. Tasty and timely!
- It is time to harvest those home grown onions and this is a lovely way to use some of them.
- A unique side salad.
- You can use your fresh cilantro and jalapeno for this low calorie dish, while mangos are in season and plentiful at the market.
- All of the ingredients are available in the market now, if you are not growing them yourself.
- Really quick to make using that fresh cabbage from the garden and good for lunch or dinner.
- Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Potato Crust - This is a seasonal recipe when cauliflower is in abundance.
- Tabbouleh - This is very seasonal with tomatoes, parsley, mint and green onions all readily available in the garden in April/May.
- Balsamic Tomato & Mozzarella salad, -Glazed Peppers & Peas, - Kale salad w/Oranges - I decided to include several of our favorite lite summer side dishes this month. Enjoy!
- Caribbean Baked Chicken with Mango - This is one of our favorite easy chicken dishes.
- Holiday wraps w/herb mayo and - Marinated tofu - This is an easy vegetarian, cool summer meal for either lunch or dinner. Substitute chicken cubes, instead of tofu, if you prefer.
- Fried Okra Salad - Tis the okra season and even if you do not like okra, try this recipe as I think you will like it. I am not an okra fan, but I like this salad.
- Apple Carrot Cabbage Coleslaw - Apples, carrots and cabbage what is not to like about this coleslaw.
- Chayote Salad - This October recipe was chosen as Jicama, Chayote and Serrano peppers are available this time of year.
- Vegetarian Chili w/Tempeh - Tempeh is a fermented whole bean soy product (higher in protein, fiber & vitamins). You can find it in the refrigerated or frozen section of your market. This is a great warm meal for the winter months. Canned Anasazi beans are hard to find, but you can find dry beans and cook as directed, or just substitute with another black or red canned bean.
- Sage and Rosemary Pork - This months recipe inspired by the renewed growth of all the herbs needed for this recipe.
- Minty Rice with Feta and Pomegranate Relish - This is a festive December seasonal dish when pomegranates are in season.


College of Employment Services Partner Profiles focus on best practices and allow CES clients to tell their stories about why and how they successfully use the CES online curriculum in their respective programs, as well as the results they see.
Gateway Services, Inc. of Princeton, Illinois a community-based organization, has found great value in implementing the College of Employment Services (CES) curriculums into their job coach training. Serving three counties in northern Illinois, Gateway Services provides a variety of services to adults and children with disabilities and their families.


University of Benin, UNIBEN academic calendar for the 2018/2019 academic session is out.
The management of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has released the approved academic calendar for the 2018/2019 academic session.
24/06/2019 – Examinations begin in Faculties of Education and Pharmacy.
UNIBEN Academic Calendar – 2nd Semester.
09/12/2019 – 13/12/2019 Business Committee of Senate meet to consider results for lower levels for 2018/2019 Academic Session.
16/12/2019 – 20/12/2019 Senate meet to consider Sessional Results for higher levels for 2018/2019 Academic Session.
04/01/2020 – New Students come into residence for 2019/2020 Academic Session.
06/01/2020 – clearance begin for New Students.
11/01/2020 – Old Students come into residence for 2019/2020 Academic Session.
13/01/2020 – Lectures begin for first semester of 2019/2020 Academic Session.


Michael Seth Cudd, a graduate student at Mason Gross School of the Arts spent his summer composing a music piece for Ekmeles Vocal Ensemble — a nationally renowned chorus group from New York City — that performs freshly composed classical music.
Cudd, who served as a high school band director for six years, had the opportunity to compose for a vocal ensemble for the first time.
Ekmeles Vocal Ensemble, a choir known for their performances of exclusively composed music, according to ekmeles.com. They will be performing Saturday at Rutgers' Schare Recital Hall, located in the Marryott Music Building on Douglass campus.
Rutgers Composer's Forum and the Graduate Student Assembly are organizing the concert, said Liza Sobel, president of the Rutgers Composer's Forum. Robert Aldridge, director of the Mason Gross Music Department, played a significant role in making the concert possible.
Sobel said the six singers in the choir would be singing 10 pieces, all composed by Rutgers students studying composition at Mason Gross.
A graduate student at Mason Gross, Sobel said she has also composed a piece called "Hidden Messages." Each composition reflects a very different style of music.
The Department of Music at Mason Gross informed the composers about the concert in the summer, Cudd said, whose composition is called "Leviathan." The composers had until beginning of the semester to submit their pieces.
Cudd said each composer wrote their own piece and Ekmeles helped the composers in enhancing the piece by improving their communication to the performers.
"Ekmeles offered advice on methods for notating certain ideas and in some cases, they had advice on how to specify certain vocal techniques," he said.
The composers have already had one rehearsal with the ensemble group, said David Wolfson, a graduate student at Mason Gross. At the rehearsal, the composers sat with the singers and gave them feedback wherever it was necessary.
Wolfson, whose piece is called "Alleluia," said although he has written professionally before, he was thrilled at the opportunity and wanted to make optimum use of it.
This composition helped the composers to extend their skills beyond the background they come from, Sobel said.
While some composers make references to old tradition in their works, others have been departing from the traditional classical style, Sobel said. Ekmeles Vocal Ensemble brings together all styles that allow the composers to experiment with their writing.
Although he never wrote for a vocal ensemble before, he was enthusiastic to try it since Ekmeles is known for performing new and rare music, Cudd said. It was also a learning experience for him.
"They specialize in new music, so it was not only an honor but also an educational experience," Cudd said.
Sobel said she is keenly looking forward to the concert, as it is their chance to see the fruit of the labor they have put in since summer and also show it to their colleagues and friends.
Sobel said Rutgers students should attend the concert, as they have the unique opportunity to see a nationally acclaimed choir perform. They also have the privilege to watch the composers, who are their fellow students and friends at college.


text:
Photo by Rob Hampson on Unsplash
6th May 2020, by Analía Valderrama-Meiner
When will the Anti-Corona-App be available in Germany?
To overcome the corona crisis, experts continue to place great hope in tracking apps for smartphones. These apps should record the position data of their users and help to detect and interrupt chains of infection. But the rollout of such an app in Germany is still a long time coming.
Data protection and data security
Can a corona app help contain the pandemic? A few weeks ago I answered this question clearly with a yes and I still stick to this assessment. But it can only help if it is available! After the original announcement of the German government to release such an app by mid-April at the latest, the population is unfortunately still waiting. The problem is that the app, in addition to its original purpose of containing the spread of the epidemic, must fulfill two other functions, namely data protection and data security.
Because of these two points, an intensive discussion broke out among various scientists and experts in Germany. The originally planned app was supposed to work based on PEPP-PT technology, but this caused great concern among data protectionists. At the heart of the discussion was whether the users' data should be stored centrally or decentrally. After deciding in favor of centralized storage with PEPP-PT technology, the German government backed down last week and gave in to the concerns of data protectionists by deciding in favor of decentralized storage.
Where is the difference?
The basic principle is the same: When two mobile phones are close enough to each other for a certain time, they exchange pseudonymous IDs via Bluetooth. These change regularly and do not allow a direct conclusion to be drawn as to which specific person is involved.
In a decentralized model, a user sends only his IDs to a server in the event of an infection. From there, all other app users can download them and the actual check, whether there was a contact, only takes place locally on the mobile phone.
In the central model, on the other hand, an infected person's app additionally sends the codes of the contacts to the server, where a corresponding data network with sensitive information about the movements and contacts of all app users is stored. This is sensitive information, practically "secrets", which must be specially protected.
Around 300 experts and scientists signed an open letter on 19 April warning of the danger of surveillance and misuse of centralized data storage. This letter was obviously the straw that broke the camel's back and ultimately led to a rethink by the German government. The letter does not explicitly mention PEPP-PT, but with its approach of centralized data storage it is undoubtedly the center of the criticism.
In Germany, the companies SAP and Deutsche Telekom have now been commissioned to develop an anti-corona app. They are to decide which technical concept will be used and to discuss possible interfaces with Google and Apple. The two giants of smartphone software are important and necessary players in terms of app development. Independent of the German approach, they are in close contact with each other to make the different operating software systems Android and iOS compatible.
The advice of the experts
An example of this is the Bluetooth function, which is not allowed to run freely in the background with iOS, but this is exactly what is intended for data exchange within the anti-corona app. In their letter the scientists and experts clearly plead for a Bluetooth based solution regarding the anti-corona app. Without the close involvement of Google and Apple, it will hardly be possible to develop an app that has to run in the background and should achieve the necessary distribution.
The letter also demands that the protocols and their implementations, including all sub-components provided by companies, must be fully transparent and available for public analysis at all times. The entire processing of all data must be clearly documented. Furthermore, the use of such an app should always be on a voluntary basis and with the explicit consent of the user.
Besides the letter, numerous experts are now turning similar to a PEPP-PT but decentralized technology, the DP3T.
I will stay tuned…


Bosch Car Service provides Fuel Injection services to Welland, ON, Fonthill, ON, Pelham, ON, and other surrounding areas.
Why Should You Have Fuel Injection Services Performed at Bosch Car Service?
We proudly service the Fuel Injection needs of customers in Welland, ON, Fonthill, ON, Pelham, ON, and surrounding areas.


Don't push no_pick items even if not alive.
added call to knockback to bolt and explosion spells.
Make bullet swarm spells fire three tiles wide.
Change movement of ball spells.
Limit missile spells to turn at most one direction per turn.
common/init.c: And declaration/initialization of statistics values.
insert_ob_in_map(). Remove was_destroyed() function - now macro.
information related to spell tags in object structure.
so that test programs can call it/use it.
in the object for match spell instances.
needed. Add dependency for libtypes.a. Add comet_perf test case.
improvments as well as consistency of results.
after setting range to zero.


text:
Home » English Court Considers How Much Connection is Sufficient?
English Court Considers How Much Connection is Sufficient?
By Squire Patton Boggs on September 10, 2015 Posted in Cross Border, EU, UK
The English High Court has again considered whether by itself the choice of English law and court jurisdiction in legal documentation establishes a "sufficient connection" with England to enable a foreign company to avail itself of an English scheme of arrangement.
It has become increasingly popular for foreign companies to utilise an English scheme of arrangement in cross-border restructuring matters. This may particularly be the case where a restructuring in their country of domicile might produce a less advantageous outcome for creditors (or the companies) or where there is a group of companies spread over disparate jurisdictions (e.g. within different EU states).
In July 2015, the English High Court considered a further such example in the case of Van Gansewinkel Groep B.V. [2015] EWHC 2151 (Ch), dealing with a group of companies incorporated mainly in The Netherlands and Belgium.
Following prior case law (Rodenstock, Primacom, Apcoa), a foreign company may be the subject of an English scheme of arrangement even though it does not have any major assets, an 'establishment' or its 'centre of main interests' (COMI) in England so long as a "sufficient connection" with England was established. What satisfies the "sufficient connection" test has been extended and elaborated upon in these and other recent cases.
"Sufficient connection" and jurisdictional issues
Further, there are regularly jurisdictional issues which arise when foreign companies propose an English scheme of arrangement, in particular with companies domiciled in another EC Member State in relation to the impact of the EC Insolvency Regulation (EC 1346/2000) and the recast EC Judgements Regulation (EU 1215/2012). The Court in the Van Gansewinkel case considered that it would not act simply as a 'rubber stamp' to approve schemes put before it, even where the majority of creditors support the scheme, but must also consider whether it has proper jurisdiction to deal with the matter.
Whilst generally a "sufficient connection" with England can be established by the foreign company showing that the terms of its legal documents with its major creditors are governed by English law (e.g. in a facility agreement), care should be taken to also check whether both the companies and their creditors have submitted to the jurisdiction of the English court. If it is only a 'one way' jurisdiction clause (i.e. only the debtor had submitted, not the creditor) the Court will not consider this by itself to be acceptable to establish a "sufficient connection".
The Van Gansewinkel companies did not have any major assets, an 'establishment' or its COMI in England. The legal documents only contained a 'one way' jurisdiction clause so the Court sought to utilise alternative provisions of the EC Judgements Regulation to establish whether the companies had this "sufficient connection". In that regard, they looked at the country of domicile of the scheme creditors. Even though only 15 out of 106 scheme creditors (amounting to c.€135 million of c.€800 million of the total scheme debts) were domiciled in England, the Court held that this established a "sufficient connection" with England. The Court accordingly sanctioned the schemes. Arguably, even if only one significant creditor of the companies was domiciled in England, then this would also establish a "sufficient connection" and allow the English courts to consider the matter. Note however, that the Court did not decide on whether the EC Judgements Regulation would apply to the case, but simply proceeded on the assumption that it would do so (as had been the approach adopted in prior cases).
Finally, on the evidence before it, the Court was satisfied that the English schemes would be recognised in the courts of The Netherlands and Belgium. The Court may have adopted a different approach had this not been the case.
Practically, when considering utilising an English scheme of arrangement where there is no COMI or 'establishment' in England, companies and their advisers should review carefully the main creditor documentation in relation to choice of law and jurisdiction. Further, evidence should also be collated of whether there are English creditors (their value and number), and whether an English scheme would be recognised by the Courts of the country of incorporation/domicile of the foreign companies.
Tags: COMI, cross-border, foreign company, Jurisdiction, Manchester, restructuring, Scheme of arrangement
Copyright Squire Patton Boggs.
The opinions expressed in this update are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Firm, its clients, or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.


Two Popes have thanked a Scottish family who sent them copies of a book they wrote detailing the history of their church.
At the end of last year, James 'Jimmy' Rooney, his son, Mark, and brother, Francis, co-wrote a book about their church, St Francis Xavier's, Waterside, A History of the Catholic Church in the Doon Valley.
The trio decided to send copies of the book to Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI.
The book was written in response to parish priest Fr David Borland's suggestion that Jimmy and Francis, the two eldest parishioners of St Francis Xavier's, start looking into parish history.
Jimmy's son Mark said: "My dad just turned 90 and wasn't keeping so good up until the book project started about two years ago. My dad then asked me if I could help him pull it together.
After a few weeks of waiting, Vatican assessor for general affairs, Mgr Paolo Borgia, issued a response from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in February, confirming he had received his copy of the book.
In March, the three men received another letter from Mgr Borgia stating Pope Francis had received his copy.
The letter to Mark on behalf of Pope Francis reads: "His Holiness Pope Francis thanks you for your letter and the gift of the book, A History of the Catholic Church in the Doon Valley: 1850-2018.
The three were elated to have received a response from both the current and former popes.
Mark said: "My dad's particularly happy with it—he's not been feeling too great and this has really cheered him up!" The book was published with help from the local SSVP branch.


Meet Nala and her cute manicure designs of flamingos, dolphins, penguins, lemurs, and more.
In order to apply MoYou designs you will need the following: 1) Nail polish 2) Stamp & scraper 3) MoYou London Image Plate Directions: 1) Remove blue protection sticker. 2) Apply nail polish on the desired design. 3) Remove excess nail lacquer with a scraper using a 45 degree angle. 4) Pick up the design with a stamp using a rolling motion. 5) Stamp the design on your nail using a rolling motion. 6) Apply a top coat for a longer lasting result.


text:
require 'tempfile'
require 'open-uri'

class UpdateNciThesaurus < ApplicationJob
  attr_reader :ncit_file

  def perform
    begin
      create_tempfile
      download_file
      import_ncit
    ensure
      remove_download
    end
  end

  def create_tempfile
    @ncit_file = Tempfile.new('ncit_download', File.join(Rails.root, 'tmp'))
  end

  def download_file
    download_stream = open(latest_ncit_path)
    IO.copy_stream(download_stream, ncit_file)
  end

  def import_ncit
    importer = Importer::NciThesaurusMirror.new(ncit_file)
    importer.import
  end

  def remove_download
    ncit_file.close
    ncit_file.unlink
  end

  def latest_ncit_path
    "https://stars.renci.org/var/NCIt/ncit.obo"
  end
end


Josh Garner is the CEO of Becklar, LLC, the holding company for AvantGuard and Freeus. He launched his career as the founder of AvantGuard where he built the company from a small mom-and-pop central station to a national leader in the wholesale monitoring space.
A 3rd generation alarm guru, Garner grew up in the alarm industry working for his family's legacy business, Mountain Alarm. He founded AvantGuard under the Mountain Alarm umbrella in 2002, later buying it as a stand-alone entity in 2008. In 2015, he purchased Freeus, a leading manufacturer of premium mobile PERS units. Garner was the singular owner of AvantGuard's previous holding company, Golden Aide, until January 2018 when a new ownership structure was introduced and Becklar was formed.
Under Garner's leadership, AvantGuard has become one of the fastest-growing wholesale monitoring companies in the nation, and has expanded significantly—hiring more employees and opening a second central station in Rexburg, ID.
Though Garner is younger than most CEOs in the industry, he believes that his unique perspective is one of the main attributes behind AvantGuard's success. After buying out his father and becoming CEO, he has worked hard to ensure that the business has developed and maintained the programs necessary to stay on the forefront of innovation.
Josh's accomplishments have not gone unrecognized in the industry. He has been featured in Security Systems News' 20 under 40 in 2007, and well as the Standard-Examiner's Forty Under 40 in 2015.
Aside from his success in business and the accolades he's received, Garner is known for his kindness and charitable nature. In 2014, he organized the AG Cares foundation to help employees who experience unexpected financial difficulties. All an employee has to do is fill out a form, and an internal committee of volunteers reviews and approves the request for assistance. Through the donations made, the AG Cares foundation has raised tens of thousands of dollars and helped numerous AvantGuard employees.
And what's more telling of Josh's caring nature than even this, is the fact that despite how much the company has grown, he takes the time to get to know each of his employees by name. He recognizes that the success of a business depends on its employees, and he does his part to ensure that his team members know that they are appreciated.


ICON Vehicle Dynamics Ford Raptor SVT Lower Control Arm Skid Plate System offers added protection in on or offroad situations for the factory aluminum arms. These lower control arms can dent or ding easily from smashing rocks and other offroad elements. We developed our ICON steel protective lower arm skid plates to help absorb those unexpected harsh impacts, reducing the risk of costly damage. ICON a-arm skid plates are a must-have for the avid offroader that uses their Ford Raptor in situations such as hunting, chase trucking at offroad races, running dirt roads on the farm, or driving in harsh winter conditions with loaded down roads. Our skid plates also serve to provide some bolt-on visual improvements, simply making the truck look even more offroad-capable than it already is. Raptor owners can make a sure bet that the ICON Vehicle Dynamics Lower Control Arm Skid Plate System will make their truck stand out in a crowd, all while being able to come out unscathed in the nastiest offroad conditions.


Speaking of game shows…what's your favorite?
It was at this point that I was admitted to the hospital for severe vomiting and dehydration. I was sent home quickly after being put on an IV for a few hours, only to return a couple of days later. The second time I stayed in the hospital for a few days while they tried me on different anti-emetics (anti-nausea) medicines. I was then sent home with a home health nurse that provided me with an IV to keep me hydrated.
So, for the the next pregnancy, my Dr did not even mess around or wait for me to go to the hospital. He put me on anti-nausea medicine right away. And the same has happened with this pregnancy. In fact, he even put me on two anti-nausea medicines. Unfortunately I had an adverse reaction to the second one this past Thursday. It was horrible! Just picture the worse panic attack ever, where you can't breathe, sit still, or stop crying. So, needless to say, I am not taking that one any more.
As you can see from my experience with pregnancy, this is not a good thing for me. And I think this time is even harder for me emotionally because it wasn't something I was planning to ever experience again. I would appreciate any prayers for me both for emotional help and physical help! And please pray that God would cause this nausea to stop soon and very soon. At the very least, I would just love to have a few days of reprieve.