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Lebanon's Neglected Dams Are Powering a Covert Enclave of Crypto Miners
Story December 7, 2022
Jacob Russell
Adam Hasan
From the River to the Blockchain: the Lebanese Crypto Miners Navigating a Failing State
A burgeoning cottage industry of crypto miners has emerged in the crisis-hit country.
Images by Jacob Russell. Lebanon, 2022.
Amid a crumbling economy, power cuts, and police raids, an underground community mines on.
In January 2022, a series of police raids disrupted the early morning peace of several villages in Lebanon's mountainous Chouf region. Conducted in cooperation with the Litani River Authority (LRA), a regional utility responsible for generating much of the area's electricity, the target of the raids was crypto miners. So many of them had set up in the Chouf that they had started to destabilize the local grid.
The reason that the miners had congregated in the idyllic Chouf region was simple: electricity. The specialized computers that miners use require large amounts of power to run and, at least on paper, Lebanon has some of the cheapest electricity in the world. Today, however, that fact is largely academic. After decades of what the World Bank has called "colossal failures," and two years of hyperinflation, the state-owned power supplier Électricité du Liban (EDL) has collapsed, and little electricity is generated or delivered in most of the country. Those who can afford it pay a subscription to an expensive, privately run diesel generator. Those who can't must live with rolling blackouts of more than 20 hours a day.
Except, that is, in the Chouf. Here, as part of a mandate that also includes irrigation, drinking water provision, and local economic development around its namesake river, the LRA runs three antiquated hydro-power stations. These provide 20 hours of electricity per day to around 200 villages in the vicinity. That has made the Chouf an anomaly in an otherwise electricity-starved Lebanon—and a veritable magnet for crypto miners.
This unlikely cottage industry of miners continues to find razor-thin niches of profitability in Lebanon's crumbling infrastructure. At times, their operations put them into direct competition with local residents as they extract scant resources from a system already in collapse. The depth of Lebanon's socioeconomic decay means that the state has struggled to come up with a coherent centralized response to this new industry. Individual communities are left to deal with the miners themselves. As a result, the miners are exposing how—just like the grid—Lebanon's crisis is breaking down centralized government power.
The village of Jezzine, one of around 200 in the Chouf region that benefits from electricity generated by local hydroelectric plants. Image by Jacob Russell. Lebanon, 2022.
The Paul Arqash hydroelectric power plant, near the village of Zaarourieh. Image by Jacob Russell. Lebanon, 2022.
A woman walks through the Awali River, between the Paul Arqash and Joun-Charles Helou hydroelectric plants. Image by Jacob Russell. Lebanon, 2022.
In October 2019, decades of entrenched corruption in Lebanon came to a head. Mass anti-government protests erupted, and soon after, the Lebanese lira essentially lost its dollar peg, and living standards collapsed. Salaries and savings held in Lebanese lira became practically worthless. Deposits in U.S. dollars were trapped in banks that imposed extreme capital controls and literally covered their branches in steel plating. As the banking system disintegrated, many Lebanese turned to stablecoins—cryptocurrencies with fixed values—to move funds in and out of the country. Some even managed to recover lost deposits through speculation and investment in the cryptocurrency markets. Many also turned to mining as a means of obtaining a dollar-denominated income.
The investment cost and technical barriers to mining mean that most of the cryptocurrency mining done around the world is handled by large companies that concentrate hardware in facilities located near sources of cheap energy. In the U.S., relatively low-cost industrial electricity rates, a deregulated energy market, and significant renewable energy sources have attracted large concentrations of large-scale cryptocurrency mining operations in places like Texas and the Pacific Northwest.
But, in Lebanon, the industry is more analogous to artisanal mineral mining. Individuals or small groups of people invest in a few machines and seek out pockets of consistent electricity supply, legal or otherwise. A survey of 71 Lebanese miners conducted by Rest of World in July 2022 indicated that over two-thirds of respondents own fewer than ten rigs. Almost half of those surveyed take part in "mining farms"— dedicated spaces where, in return for a fee, groups of miners co-locate their machines and pool resources to ensure hardware security, consistent power, and cooling.
Despite the barriers to entry and the slim profits available to small-scale miners, necessity and word of mouth drove Lebanon's crypto-mining community.
"Mining is important here because there are simply no jobs," Rawad el Hajj, who runs seven mining machines in the Chouf, told Rest of World. In a country as poor, small, and interconnected as Lebanon, each successful miner inspires others to overcome their skepticism. "My father was against it at first," said Rawad. "He didn't believe a machine could make money. Now he checks up on them more than me."
"Mining is important here because there are simply no jobs," said crypto miner Rawad el Hajj. Image by Jacob Russell. Lebanon, 2022.
Crypto mining machines installed in a half-built house in the village of Zaarourieh, with a document for authorisation to draw power attached to the gate. Image by Jacob Russell. Lebanon, 2022.
When mining initially gained traction in early 2020, the Lebanese grid was still able to provide around 18 hours of power per day. Fuel was subsidized by the government so most miners connected to the grid and plugged the gaps with a generator subscription.
This did not last for long, though. Ghassan Gibran, the LRA's head of hydropower, told Rest of World that in order for Lebanon to provide electricity to all of its residents around-the-clock, the country needs 3,000 megawatts. EDL currently generates just a tenth of that: 300 megawatts. As a result, most households across the country typically only receive 1-2 hours per day of power. Many get none at all.
As blackouts increased and fuel subsidies were lifted throughout 2020 and into 2021, mining became unviable across most of the country. Many miners sold their hardware, often at a loss. Those who had invested significant capital looked around for other options. Rising fuel prices meant that even mining farms, where fuel costs were shared, were barely profitable. For those unwilling to sacrifice so much of their profit margins, the LRA's three hydro plants — and the cheap energy they produced — made the previously unremarkable villages of the Chouf irresistible.
It is practically impossible to know how many miners descended on the Chouf during late 2020 and 2021 but the number is estimated to be in the high hundreds. According to the LRA, by the end of 2021, there was a 20% surge in electricity demand in the region, resulting in increasingly frequent power outages throughout many of the Chouf's villages. Officials blamed the outages on the "cryptocurrency mafia."
As Lebanon's electricity grid broke down, so did the state's centralized authority. That means the official response to the influx of miners across the LRA's service area has been erratic, illustrating the way in which communities are being left on their own to solve problems.
The Litani River Authority provides electricity to roughly 200 villages in its 1,400-square kilometer service area. Image by Rest of World. 2022.
It is responsible for the power generated by hydroelectric power plants on the region's two main water sources, the Awali River and the Litani River, as well as for economic development and irrigation infrastructure throughout south Lebanon. Image by Rest of World. 2022.
The utility's three hydroelectric power plants — Joun-Charles Helou, Paul Arqash, and Markaba-Ibrahim Abdel Al — have an installed generating capacity of around 195 megawatt hours (MWh) when water levels are normal. Image by Rest of World. 2022.
They are linked by 30 kilometers of underground pipes that channel water west from the Litani River watershed into the Awali River, taking advantage of over 800 meters of elevation change between the reservoir and the Mediterranean Sea. Image by Rest of World. 2022.
Perched on top of a steep escarpment with sweeping views across a valley of pine and apple orchards, Jezzine is the largest settlement to benefit from the LRA's hydropower. A village of around three thousand residents, it was a well-to-do place with a buzzing tourist industry just a few years ago. Now, it survives on remittances sent back by the many inhabitants who have moved abroad.
For Jezzine's municipal government, the miners were nothing but a nuisance. "The miners started to arrive in summer 2021," Samer Aoun, the municipality's deputy president, told Rest of World. "By September, we knew that it was a problem because of over-capacity and outages."
As residents complained about Jezzine's grid going down more frequently, the municipality turned to Beirut. "We asked for a legal study into what could be done and the financial prosecutor took the decision to shut it down on the grounds of unpaid import taxes on the hardware," said Aoun. The plea led to police raids early the following year. In Jezzine, the raids appear to have forced out the majority of miners. Since then, officials say that the electrical grid has regained stability. Miners who Rest of World spoke to in Jezzine all claimed to have shut down or moved their operations.
Samer Aoun, the deputy president of Jezzine municipality. Image by Rest of World. Image by Jacob Russell. Lebanon, 2022.
In nearby Zaarourieh, a sleepy town in the Chouf located approximately 30 kilometers north-west of Jezzine, police raids on the mining operations had the opposite effect. Resident Ahmed Abu Daher had already been mining for a couple of years when the police came. The 22-year-old architecture graduate had installed mining rigs in around 10 different properties around Zaarourieh. He saw the potential in his town's supply of ultra-cheap, near-constant electricity, and he harbored bigger ambitions. The raids offered him an opening to start expanding further.
"During that first visit from the LRA and the police, I made some contacts with the LRA guys," he told Rest of World. After the authorities left, Abu Daher enlisted the help of an electrical engineer to survey Zaarourieh's transformers, a critical piece of electrical infrastructure that steps voltage down from long-distance transmission lines into lower voltages that are safe for homes and businesses. "Then, I went to them with a plan showing which transformers still have some spare capacity and which don't."
"I went to them with a plan showing which transformers still have some spare capacity and which don't."
Across the region, the raids did little to put off miners seeking cheap and ample electricity. Abu Daher positioned himself as a middleman between miners and the local residents. He approached residents of Zaarourieh who had space in their properties, and proposed refitting them to house rigs. In return, the property owner could choose between receiving either a flat monthly fee or a percentage share of the mined coins from the owner of the hardware. By conducting technical surveys and connecting mining equipment to underutilized transformers, Abu Daher stayed below power thresholds that would otherwise compromise Zaarourieh's grid. This, combined with the LRA contacts he had made, allowed him to expand his operation without antagonizing the utility or his community.
For many of the miners who spoke to Rest of World, coming to the Chouf was a simple act of self-interest. They needed power to make money — and there was power in the Chouf. Abu Daher protected his operation by giving much of the community a stake in it. Residents received rent from the miners and he commissioned local engineers to install the circuitry, cooling systems, and sound-proofing. "The most important thing I did was to make the village the beneficiary," he said.
Ahmed Abu Daher, a 22-year-old architecture graduate and crypto miner. Image by Jacob Russell. Lebanon, 2022.
A transformer, installed at a residential property to power a cryptocurrency mining "farm" in an undisclosed location. Image by Jacob Russell. Lebanon, 2022.
Abu Daher claims that he's helped install up to 3,000 machines in Zaarourieh and the surrounding area, although he says that this number has since come down as miners have upgraded to more efficient machines. Rest of World saw several installations, each housing from three to 15 mining machines in a variety of locations, including half-built properties, a shuttered barber shop, and private homes. In one location just outside of Zaarourieh, which Rest of World was asked not to reveal for reasons of security, Abu Daher's team was in the process of converting an outhouse on a private residential property into a farm set to house 30 of the most powerful rigs currently available.
The brick structure had been fitted with a complex cooling system, sound-proofing, and electronics, all of which could be controlled remotely. A farm of that size required far more power than the local transformer could provide, so Abu Daher approached the LRA and requested that they install a transformer on the property. Although businesses with a high electricity demand can request a dedicated transformer from the LRA, he was told that there were none left and there was no budget to buy more. Undeterred, he purchased the transformer himself at a cost of $15,000 and negotiated with local LRA agents to have it installed on the property. He has since completed this quasi-formal process in five other locations.
As far as Abu Daher is concerned, the miners who got kicked out of Jezzine fell victim to their own technical clumsiness. "The problem in Jezzine was that nobody bothered to understand where and how to set up. A lot of locations can't even take another 5 amps without damaging the line. Other [transformers] can give another 200 amps."
In Jezzine, Aoun has a different take. The Chouf, like much of Lebanon, is a culturally mixed region governed by diverse political actors, not all of whom are deferential to Beirut. "The problem is we were the only village that cooperated with the authorities," explained Aoun. "In the surrounding areas, local leaders are too strong and won't tolerate the authorities confiscating assets from their followers."
Almost all the miners that Rest of World spoke to said they operated in a "legal gray zone." Surveyed miners reported "legality" as being a close second to electricity costs among their primary concerns. Ibrahim Ali, the financial prosecutor who ordered the raids, told Rest of World, "There is neither a law to forbid nor to authorize mining. Therefore, it is not illegal. If they are doing it via legal means, then I have no problem." This interpretation offers little comfort to miners who, like most Lebanese, have frequently seen the rule of law superseded by less formalized, less predictable power dynamics.
"The government will create a situation where you have something to fear and then they will offer you a solution to that problem," Abu Daher explained. "But the solution is not really for you, it's for them. They just want money."
The village of Zaarourieh, where Ahmed Abu Daher expanded his mining operations with local residents. Image by Jacob Russell. Lebanon, 2022.
Despite Abu Daher's affection for Zaarourieh and the success of his project, he intends to eventually leave Lebanon, where, he says, no amount of surveying can future-proof anything. Especially not a project that relies on the equally volatile factors of cryptocurrency market movements and the Lebanese power grid.
Even the LRA's power supplies are not guaranteed in the long term. With the agency's budget effectively reduced to a few cents on the dollar by the devaluation of the Lebanese lira, Gibran, the head of hydropower at the LRA, told Rest of World that they "can keep the network going for another two to three years." After this, they anticipate the hydropower plants will simply break down through lack of maintenance. In the meantime, though, the Chouf's miners will continue to make a living from the unlikely confluence of Lebanon's remote mountain rivers and the blockchain.
The Shady Cryptocurrency Boom on the Post-Soviet Frontier


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Home Dispatches The Cruel Truth Behind Wisconsin's Uncancelled Election
The Cruel Truth Behind Wisconsin's Uncancelled Election
State Republicans exploited the coronavirus crisis in an effort to elect a state Supreme Court candidate who objects to the idea of government helping people in need.
by Bill Lueders
Daniel Kelly with Governor Scott Walker in 2016
The Republican Party of Wisconsin has put the novel coronavirus to novel use, as an instrument of voter suppression.
Thousands of Wisconsin residents listened to public health authorities and stayed home Tuesday instead of casting ballots in Wisconsin's presidential primary election. Many others risked contracting COVID-19 as they waited in long lines to vote.
Governor Tony Evers attempted to call off the April 7 election but was overruled by the conservative-dominated Wisconsin Supreme Court.
State Republicans, backed by justices they have spent millions of dollars to help elect, are hoping that a low-turnout election will buoy Daniel Kelly, their favored candidate for state Supreme Court.
Kelly, an appointee of former Republican Governor Scott Walker, is seeking election to a ten-year term against challenger Jill Karofsky, a liberal-backed Dane County judge and former state victim rights advocate.
The extraordinary determination of state Republicans to use the coronavirus crisis for partisan political gain is all the more stunning, given how singularly ill-suited Kelly is to meet the compassionate challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will certainly lead to cases that come before the state Supreme Court.
A win by Kelly will ensure that state Republicans will be able to redraw voter boundaries, as they did after the 2010 census.
In blog posts from before Walker tapped him for the court, Kelly repeatedly expressed his contempt for the very idea of government helping people in need.
"It is true that there will always be people who need help," Kelly wrote in 2012. "I believe Jesus said as much. But to the extent we conclude from that datum that government must intervene, we do a disservice to those we are supposedly helping, as well as the people from whom we are stealing to provide the 'help.'"
Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, Kelly was seen as being at a disadvantage, since the presidential preference primary between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, who won Wisconsin in 2016, was expected to draw large numbers of Democrats to the polls. In late 2018, the Republicans who control the state Legislature tried moving the primary to a different date, admittedly in order to improve Kelly's chances, but the effort was abandoned under protest.
But now that the coronavirus has taken much of the urgency out of the primary—I didn't see a single TV ad for either Biden or Sanders—Kelly's chances have dramatically improved. Hence the GOP's insistence on proceeding with the election, health risks be damned.
On April 6, Evers issued an order delaying the election until June 9. State Supreme Court justices' terms do not begin until August, so that would have left plenty of time.
The GOP-controlled state Legislature immediately appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which reversed Evers's edict four hours after it was issued, and ordered the election to take place as (poorly) planned. Kelly did not participate.
That same day, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 along ideological lines to overturn a federal judge's ruling that would have allowed people an additional week to turn in their absentee ballots; now no absentee ballot that wasn't turned in or postmarked by Election Day will count.
"The question here is whether tens of thousands of Wisconsin citizens can vote safely in the midst of a pandemic," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in dissent. Now "Either they will have to brave the polls, endangering their own and others' safety. Or they will lose their right to vote, through no fault of their own."
Evers's attempt to delay the primary, as fifteen other states have done, was backed by public health authorities and scores of local elected officials. Last week, a Wisconsin federal judge ruled that the federal courts lacked the authority to postpone the election. But the judge, William Conley, called in-person voting "ill-advised in terms of the public health risks and the likelihood of a successful election."
On Tuesday, thousands of Wisconsinites either braved the polls or scrambled to turn in their absentee ballots in time.
My wife retrieved her ninety-two-year-old mother's absentee ballot from the independent community living center where she is, like millions of others, in a state of lockdown; her mother tossed the ballot from a second-story balcony so it could be delivered to a drop-off site.
In Milwaukee, where five open "voting centers" replaced the usual 180 polling places, thousands of people waited in long lines for hours to cast their votes, respecting social distancing mandates as much as possible. In Green Bay, where only two of the city's usual thirty-one polling sites were open, some voters endured a dangerous three-hour wait.
"Although I remain deeply concerned about the public health implications of voting in person today," Evers said in a statement on Tuesday, "I am overwhelmed by the bravery, resilience, and heroism of those who are defending our democracy by showing up to vote, working the polls, and reporting on this election. Thank you for giving our state something to be proud of today."
But many voters simply were cut out of the process. Absentee ballots submitted without a witness signature during a day-long period after Conley said this would be okay before being overruled will not be counted. Others said they never received the absentee ballots they requested.
Milwaukee resident Kaitlin Erickson, twenty-three, told the Wisconsin State Journal she has made three requests for absentee ballots since March 22, but never received one. She stayed home on election day, furious at the Republicans who insisted that the vote go on.
"It just kind of shows me that the Wisconsin GOP doesn't really care about the lives of the people of Wisconsin," she said.
Wisconsin's Supreme Court, a fractious entity in which one former conservative justice literally put his hands around the neck of a female liberal justice in 2011, is currently dominated by conservatives 5-2. If Kelly wins, conservatives will be assured of maintaining control of the court at least through 2026, assuming the elected justices all finish their current terms.
A win by Kelly will ensure that state Republicans will be able to redraw voter boundaries, as they did after the 2010 census. In the last election, in 2018, state Republicans won sixty-three of the ninety-nine Assembly seats despite getting just 46 percent of the total vote.
In recent years, several candidates backed by Republicans for the officially nonpartisan court have been associated with extreme words and actions. In 2016, it came to light that Justice Rebecca Bradley, a Walker appointee, had in college writings referred to feminists as "angry, militant, man-hating lesbians who abhor the traditional family," and to people with AIDS as "degenerates," suggesting they deserved to die. She apologized for these musings, and won the election.
In 2017, conservatives backed Sauk County Judge Michael Screnock, who as a young man was twice arrested for blocking access to a Madison abortion clinic, for which he professed to have no regrets. Screnock helped defend the state's Act 10 law kneecapping public employee unions, and the redrawing of voter boundaries to the GOP's advantage. He lost to liberal-backed rival Rebecca Dallet.
And in 2019, just five months after electing Democrats to every statewide office, including governor and attorney general, Wisconsin elected Brian Hagedorn, Walker's former chief legal counsel, to the state Supreme Court. Hagedorn helped draft Act 10 and cofounded a Christian school that reserves the right to fire gay teachers and expel gay students, and even students whose parents are gay.
Bradley and Hagedorn, both of whom endorsed Kelly, were among the 4-2 court majority that torpedoed Evers's effort to postpone the election.
Kelly's own repository of extreme statements includes a 2012 blog post lamenting Barack Obama's reelection as a victory for "the socialism/same-sex marriage/recreational marijuana/tax increase crowd." He has declared that "marriage is dead" because society has become more accepting of sex outside of matrimony, and decried legal abortion as "a policy that has as its primary purpose harming children."
Again and again, Kelly has railed against "wealth transfer" programs that help people in need—including, presumably, the crybabies now looking for government assistance due to the coronavirus.
"This is how we breed resentment: Take from those who create and give it to people who don't," Kelly clucked in a 2013 post. "Welfare recipients do not receive their checks as manna from heaven. Someone created that wealth, and then the government forcibly took it."
On February 27, the day after a gunman murdered five people in Milwaukee, Kelly, who is endorsed by the National Rifle Association, held a fundraiser at a shooting range, with suggested donation amounts tied to gun calibers. This included the "10mm" level of $1,000, an "0.25 ACP" level of $2,500 and a "50 Cal M2HB" level of $5,000.
Daniel Kelly, from a tweet in 2019.
Late in the campaign, the Republican State Leadership Committee and the state's largest business lobby group, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, spent at least $1.3 million on ads accusing Karofsky of being soft on crime.
One ad said Karofsky "went easy" on a child molester, suggesting she enjoys turning violent criminals loose to prey on little kids. In fact, Karofksy had no involvement in that case until well after sentencing. A court refused her campaign's request to block airing of the ad.
Similar late ads in 2019 helped Hagedorn recover from the loss of critical support related to his bigoted views.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump reiterated his support for Kelly in a series of tweets, including one that identified the professedly non-partisan Kelly as a Republican: "Vote today, Tuesday, for highly respected Republican, Justice Daniel Kelly. Tough on Crime, loves your Military, Vets, Farmers, & will save your 2nd Amendment. A BIG VOTE!"
The Wisconsin election results are not expected to be released until April 13.
Dispatches Wisconsin election2020 Politics Elections Coronavirus
Bill Lueders
Award winning journalist and editor of The Progressive.
Read more by Bill Lueders
Thanks for the half-truth, Bill. A good start, but leaves us all wanting.
Not sure if there are any independents left these days in Wisconsin. If there are, we would reach out and give you a hug (if that were even allowed, which right now it is not). Our family has worked hard over the past decade to learn to think critically and independently when it comes to the nonsensical two-party battle royale that we choose to continue to put in charge of steering our state and country into the future.
We sure wish there existed in 2020 a publication of the class and caliber of The Progressive, more independent in nature, that could articulate the richness and fullness of a story such as this without the "Team Red bad, Team Blue nothing-but-good" backstop philosophy.
I know Bill is smart enough to know about the (Blue) elephant in the room, but is intentionally ignoring it so readers are not challenged to think in a way that is more in line with the complexity of the reality of modern-day politics in America.
What do I mean? Tom Perez and the DNC, of course! Tony Evers had them breathing down his neck for weeks leading up to Tuesday's election. What SPECIFIC threats he received to ensure he carried out the election for the coronation of Joe Biden are uncertain. I wish potentially- great and heroic local journalists like Bill, John Nichols, and Ruth Conniff and others would take interest in unearthing them and sharing them with those of us who are not as well-connected to power.
In sum, any complete history of this point in time will shine light on the fact that Evers and all of Wisconsin's elected Democrats behaved every bit as egregiously as did Team Red. Evers could have alluded to the postponing of the election in his 3/12/20 Public Health Emergency Order, or even in his 3/23/20 Safer at Home Order. The extent of the public health threat was well-known by these dates to anyone with a well-intentioned mind. Tony CHOSE not to. He chose not to stand up to Tom Perez and centralized DNC directives to save Wisconsinites' lives. He showed his tragic weakness in failing to help Wisconsin navigate through intra- and inter- partisan politics in 2020. He steered us off a cliff to our demise.
What, you say? The elected Democrats did all they could! After all, Bill and WPR told me so. Oh really, did you hear a peep from ANY of them in the day/night/morning leading up to the election via text / phone call / email / TV ad or segment or PSA / radio ad or segment or PSA / internet ad or PSA calmly stating the gravity of the situation and pleading with you for own life and for the lives of others to stay home from the polls on Tuesday? That they weren't interested in listening to their party bosses at a time like this and that your health and safety comes first in their heart and mind? That a pre-ordained primary election wasn't worth dying for? That a supreme court race wasn't worth dying for? I didn't. They deliberately chose not to. But, I wish I would have. I'm sure you do to. Real leaders would have provided this for all of Wisconsin
Matt 284 days ago
Your Op-Ed Piece
Your Op-Ed piece really struck a chord with me. I have this Petition on change.org and I need help sharing it. I'm not heavy onto social media, and I don't have many friends who would sign it.
I'm asking all mail-in ballots be retroactively counted in the Wisconsin Primary. I'm also asking our federal government for mandatory mail-in-ballots for the general election. I know the support is out there to get hundreds of thousands of signatures.
Here's the link to the petition:
http://chng.it/pqhZRNZH
Mike R 286 days ago
Mail-in ballots
I urge the federal government to count all mail-in ballots that were not received in time to vote and that mail-in ballots for the presidential election in November be mandatory.
Bonnie Wilkinson 5y9j 285 days ago

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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A: You must check for RunTimePermissions in Marshmallow.
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check it for READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission

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That chooseImage() is a function to open the gallery. If you have checked that you have the permission READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE already requested and accepted by the user, try changing or commenting i.setAction(Intent.ACTION_GET_CONTENT) to i.setAction(Intent.ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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English Faculty News
The Cambridge Theory, Criticism, and Culture Seminar presents a rare opportunity to hear from two leading contemporary avant-garde poets, Steve McCaffery and Karen Mac Cormack, 7pm, 7 June, Judith E. Wilson Drama Studio
Posted on 22 May 2019 by english
Steve McCaffery and Karen Mac Cormack (State University of New York at Buffalo)
Friday 7 June
7 pm, Judith E. Wilson Studio
The Cambridge Theory, Criticism, and Culture Seminar presents a rare opportunity to hear from two leading contemporary avant-garde poets, Steve McCaffery and Karen Mac Cormack.
STEVE McCAFFERY has been twice nominated for Canada's Governor General's Award and is twice recipient of the American Gertrude Stein Prize for Innovative Writing. He is the author of over 40 books and chapbooks of poetry and criticism and his work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. An ample selection of his poetic explorations in numerous forms can be savoured in the two volumes of Seven Pages Missing (Coach House Press). As well as Panopticon, Tatterdemalion (Veer Books), Alice in Plunderland (Book Thug), Revanches (Xexoxial), and Parsival (Roof). His book-object-concept A Little Manual of Treason was commissioned for the 2011 Shajah Biennale in the United Arab Emirates. A founding member of the sound poetry ensemble Four Horsemen, TRG (Toronto Research Group) and the College of Canadian 'Pataphysics and long-time resident of Toronto he is now David Gray Professor of Poetry and Letters at the University at Buffalo. Born in the first month of 1947 in Jessop's Hospital Sheffield, he is listed, along with John Ruskin, Margaret Drabble, Eric Clapton and Patrick MacNee, as one of the top 100 people who were born or lived in that revered city. Tonight Steve will sample from his latest chapbook Certain Words published by above/ground press.
Karen Mac Cormack is the author of more than a dozen books of poetry, most recently RECHELESSE PRATTICQUE (Chax Press, Tucson/Victoria, 2018). Other titles include AGAINST WHITE (Veer Books, London, 2013), TALE LIGHT: New & Selected Poems 1984–2009 (BookThug, Toronto, 2010) and Implexures (Chax Press, Tucson/West House Books, Sheffield, 2008). Her poems have appeared in a number of anthologies including Moving Borders, Out of Everywhere, Another Language, and Prismatic Publics, and her work has been translated into French, Portuguese, Swedish and Norwegian. An extended interview with her appears in Scott Thurston's Talking Poetics (Shearsman, 2011). Of dual UK/Canadian citizenship she currently lives in the USA and teaches at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Posted in: Introduction, News
CamGuides, written by Helen Murphy, is runner-up in national Information Literacy award
Dr Subha Mukherji leads Plenary Panel at Scientiae 2019 Conference, Queen's University Belfast, 12-15 June 2019
▼January
Professor Clair Wills gives an LRB Winter Lecture on 'How to Plot an Abortion', Friday 24 February
Cambridge Saffron presents the findings of a year-long project to investigate evidence of saffron cultivation & use in the libraries & archives of the city, colleges & university
Call for Participants for 'Paper and Poetry: Invention Through Craft', deadline 31 March 2023
Transplantations: Seeds, Plants and Gardens in the Contemporary Experience of Migration, Monday 23 January, 4-6pm, Faculty of English
Congratulations to Jen Pollard for winning a 2022 Cambridge University Professional Services Award


As this is a reflection and not a report, I am permitted to be creative. Let us start! If you were given a time machine to use once to go back in time, where would you go? Many of us would probably want to see the resurrection of Jesus – one of the most amazing events in history.
For me, I would want to attend the Jerusalem Council that met around AD 50. Here we see the disciples, elders and delegates from the Near East and Europe, pray, share testimonies, discuss, vision and grow under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is the Council where in the interest of moving mission forward, they voted that Gentile Christians did not have to observe certain aspects of the Mosaic Law. The Council of Jerusalem thus demonstrated the willingness to make compromises on certain non-essential local issues in order to focus on the purpose of their calling – to make disciples for Christ in Jerusalem and beyond.
I can imagine that trust in God and in each other was at the heart of their talk and practice. In their fluid, challenging and dangerous environment, they relied on each other because they knew without trust, they would have been paralysed by inaction and endangered the well-being of their fragile community.
I can imagine after numerous discussions guided by the Holy Spirit the early disciples understood the difference between what is essential and non-essential, what is global and what is local – the must and the should - in their belief and practice - based on the teachings, life and ministry of Jesus Christ. They treated each other with respect and graciousness.
I can imagine Peter standing during a heated discussion between a synagogue representative from Damascus and another from Jerusalem reminding the disciples that human beings tend to hear what they want to hear, believe what they want to believe and see things as they (the people) are. People are "tribal". People want to belong – it is human nature – and they belong to different kinds of ethnic, social and "doctrinal" clusters. People tend to like and trust people they see as their "own kind". That is because they know where they are with them.
James then illustrated: "if you are a fish who spends his whole life in an aquarium, your worldview measures about 30 cm by 15 cm and you believe you have got things figured out. In our context the aquarium is our synagogue or community closed in with high walls. It is a carefully defined enclosure that, for our context, made perfect sense and is comfortable to believe and live our faith".
I can imagine Paul standing in line to speak on this point. He knows all about "tribal" thinking from his own personal background and experience during his missionary journeys in the Near East and Europe. He warns about the great danger when everything becomes a secure "belonging" system instead of a transformational experience. People simply localise themselves inside their little world of shared culture and beliefs and there the fragile self quickly takes on some sense of identity and power. This is called group narcissism – which has a huge negative impact on God's Mission. This happens when the group together agrees upon the same viewpoint where it passes for Great Truth – with capital G and T.
Paul continued ending on a very difficult and yet important point highlighting the serious dangers of non-essential local "tribal" convictions. He says, "however much we would like everyone in the world and our church to be happy, if we feel our own happiness or convictions or way of life is threatened by a move towards the greater good, it is hard to support for the greater good. That is why, if you want a tribe or a school of thought to support your diverse interests, you need to find a way to get them to feel part of your tribe. Drama and more drama will alienate and polarise and will not work – all you end up with is "digging of heals" and self-created fragmentation". Furthermore, repeating the same discussion and process over and over again assuming that people will listen better and change their minds is not going to work.
At this time, Albert Einstein's ancestor stood up and shared the following statement, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results".
And then Joanna, a lay believer from Samaria, shouted point of order and once given voice by James (who chaired the Council), she said: "Is it possible that you as religious leaders and persons of influence who are occupied daily with "the truth about non-essentials" have missed our opportunity to be seers of alternatives? Is our fixed worldview contributing to the creation of our non-essential local-related problems? Because we refuse to be good listeners and seers of alternatives, are we simply managing our self-created problems over and above demonstrating visionary and Godly leadership? Are some of our self-created dilemmas perceptual where we become stuck, attached, fearful, over-identified with our position, needy of winning the case, or unable to entertain even the partial truth that the other opinion might be offering? Did we consider that contentious operational problems are best solved not by imposing what seems to be a single point of view at the expense of all others, but by striving for a higher-order solution – a larger purpose connected with our biblical teachings, mission and existence – that integrates perspectives of all representatives from our synagogues and regions?
Good leaders know that the rule of the law and obedience can inform you only about what is illegal or immoral; it cannot lead you to God, truth, goodness or beauty. Good leaders know that wisdom is "the art of possible". The key question is no longer "How can I problem solve now, and get this off my plate? It is "how can this situation achieve good for the largest number possible and for the next generation?
Philip, a lay believer from Bethlehem, objected about women speaking at the meeting since at his synagogue women worship separately in side rooms. James then reminded everyone that women are disciples of Christ, were an integral part of Christ's ministry, they equally received the Holy Spirit in the upper room and have reflected their God-given spiritual gifts in life and action.
Then James went on to say that "most of the time when we get into a debate relating to convictions about non-essential local matters, these tend to be about other people. And the rule is, other people do not have the same choices and experiences as you and me about how they behave. So, we cannot expect them to magic themselves into a different person or tribe or conviction because it suits you and me. With the infinite complex array of past experiences, innate character and cultural norms, unless people choose to change, it just will not happen. It requires a transformative external force to appreciate the other and recognise such inherent differences. This is where the Holy Spirit is working daily to help you and me unlearn and learn with a spirit of humility. This is an essential key for seers of alternatives".
Paul was quick on his feet reminding all that there are two parts to every initiative: the destination, and the process you take to get there. Most people are occupied with the outcome and lose sight of the route to follow. The Bible narratives clearly show that God is as occupied with the process and sometimes it is more important than the destination since this is where growth and discipleship take place. Paul at this time shared a testimony about one of his zig-zag journeys enduring rejection and persecution where he appealed to the delegates to rejoice always, and I again I say rejoice. God is in charge, He is victorious, He builds His church and all for His glory.
Paul then raised a rhetorical question: "Is God teaching us something important about the need for good processes bathed with prayer and humility and anointed with the Holy Spirit? Is the challenge more with our assumptions and designs of our processes? Could our drive for growth and mission activities from the Near East to Rome has become "a kilometre broad but only a centimetre deep" raising questions about global Christian identity, mission, organisation and practices?" Paul went on to acknowledge "that we are gradually becoming a glocal (Global + Local) diverse church and we need to seek a healthy open discussion on our newly founded rich diversity on global and local, on essentials and non-essentials to ensure the fulfilment of our mission. So, what is the essence of the gospel in the context of our global and local realities, in Jerusalem, in Athens and in Rome? What are the negotiables and non-negotiables that we base our faith and practice on guided by God's Word that ultimately will strengthen our Christian identity and mission? This careful-prayerful-intentional process needs to happen before we vote on issues at our Council". Paul also reminded everyone that "without a local focus, global strategies remain mere talk. The mission of Jesus is a 'neighbour mission' – he might have thought globally in terms of saving the world, but he certainly acted locally".
Aquila, a delegate from Corinth, then stood and said: "I wish to commend the apostles and elders on the way they handled the conflict with the distribution of food to the Greek widows. You listened carefully to the issue at hand and you recognised that this is a local matter to be addressed at the lowest level possible where it belongs. You appointed local people who know best about the local culture – persons of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom – to mediate in finding a solution. You also looked at your own management practices here in Jerusalem to ensure that this scenario is not repeated. Finally, as you dealt with this case, you did not single out a leader by making him or her a hero or a martyr but worked together in consultation with the apostles, elders and local leaders to ensure a positive outcome. I praise God for your wise leadership. This is a good example of conflict resolution in a church context. It is an inspired good church management model in building a healthy diverse community by identifying what is local and what is global, what is essential and what is non-essential. Our communities in Greece have learned and grew out of this experience – THANK YOU".
Following Aquila's complementary remarks, Mary was recognised by the Chair. She had a burden on her heart and requested more than two minutes to express her heart-felt concerns. She wondered why the delegates are spending enormous amount of time and energy on issues concerning church practice – the local non-essentials. She appealed to the listeners to go back to Jesus, the perfecter of our faith, and the Great Commission he has given to us. She also noted, "there is a danger that we spend a lot of time defending the objective end of church non-essential practices and perfecting our processes to apply them and very often we neglect the subjective end – the heart end – the place where we love, respect and seek healing. This is where people are, where their heart is, where they live, and the Holy Spirit is mending and healing". When Jesus had a conflict with a believer, His standard response was in the form of a question, 'do you love me'?
Mary added, "if any of us was going to create a religion, who of us would think of creating as your religious image a naked, bleeding, wounded man? It is the most unlikely image for God; the most illogical image of Omnipotence. It must be exposing a very central issue, a very central problem for God to come into the world in this form and in this way. We believers might have now become accustomed to it, and we no longer receive the shock and the scandal of all that is saying. The image of the cross is to unite us in love and awe for God. We as broken human beings pass on our brokenness, pass on our pain. Jesus refused to pass it on. He took our sin and our pain. Christ's wounds are to convince us of the path and the prize of transformation. The focus on Christ, His teachings, His life, His death and His resurrection should be THE key glocal message embraced, championed, taught and lived by believers. We need to get our focus back on Jesus as the centre of our faith who provides healing, back to the love of God and His transforming message and power. I appeal to you to embrace our true Christ-like identity and message and share it with others".
Following Mary's appeal, Paul was fired up where he delivered a passionate speech. He said: "Brothers and sisters, leading the work in Europe is a daunting task. You and I want to make a difference. To leave the "world" better than we found it. We need to spend more time to discern the forces shaping our European streets. The implications for cultural merging and diversified community are profound. Jesus built no synagogues. He was on a mission at every moment. His mission was people, wherever and whatever they were. He started with people where they were rather than where He wanted them to be".
Paul added, "I envision that Europe will become a dominant force in the Christian world. The problem with today's discussion is our assumptions where we see the future through the lens of the present. We figure today's priorities will be just as important tomorrow. With the undue influence from the Roman entertainment culture, there is an emerging danger of breeding spectator Christians – where our churches become attractional rather than missional. Therefore, the time is right for the renewal of the idea of Christian discipleship as spelled out in the Great Commission and lived out and taught by Jesus. Missional means living out the work of Jesus in this world. It means putting our believers into action to make a difference in their streets. It also means that the main attraction is Jesus. The mission is Jesus. The gospel of Jesus is the good news that we proclaim it in everything we teach and do. Europeans won't be won over by our airtight rigid organisations, processes and reasoning in structured theological discussions. They will only be convinced by our embodiment of the teachings and the life of Christ, spoken and practiced with truth and grace".
Ryszard Jankowski, Polish Union President, in responding to the report responds that too often, Gospel has become doctrine, but it must be Christ first. 'This is a timely message'.Getting out of my time machine and back to 2018, friends, there is a lot to learn from the Jerusalem Council. It is amazing to see how the early disciples were passionate about reaching the tribes and nations in Europe. They prayed, planned and had a vision for the European continent. They also had the foresight to see through spiritual eyes the serious danger that we are facing today where church life and church mission become separated to their mutual disadvantage – they both have lost strength and vitality. Our urgent task is to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ and His teachings and to reconnect them by demonstrating a "missional ecclesiology".
The Great Commission is all inclusive. It is explicitly glocal, genderless, diverse, timeless and rich in beauty anointed with the authority of God and blessed with the promise that Jesus Christ will be with us. It is relevant and transformative for the first and twenty-first century.
Our 1350 communities of disciples must be Christ-centred and modelled after its maker: Jesus. The church should examine what is local and what is global, what is essential and what is non-essential, in its belief and practice, to ensure relevant missional expressions of Jesus. The church should mobilise disciples and measure success not by how many it gathers in but how many it sends out. The church should also be organised around reaching its community and nations with relevant dynamical structures to deliver on the expressions of Jesus.
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope".


text:
Trademark Infringement: Does a "likelihood of confusion" exist?
Posted on December 18, 2018 February 15, 2019 by Tishkoff
In order to prevail on a trademark infringement and unfair competition claims, the plaintiff must establish that defendant's trademark creates a "likelihood of confusion" regarding the origin on the goods or services offered by the plaintiff and the defendant.
The Likelihood of Confusion Test
There are eight factors that are relevant in determining whether a likelihood of confusion among trademarks exists:
(1) the strength of the plaintiff's mark,
(2) the relatedness of the goods or services offered by the plaintiff and the defendant,
(3) the similarity of the marks,
(4) any evidence of actual confusion,
(5) the marking channels used by the parties,
(6) the probable degree of purchaser care and sophistication,
(7) the defendant's intent in selecting its mark, and
(8) the likelihood of either party expanding its product line using the marks.
Not all of these factors will be relevant in every case, and in the course of applying them, the ultimate question remains whether relevant customers are likely to believe that the products of services offered by the parties are affiliated in some way.
(1) The Strength Of The Plaintiff's Mark
Even where a trademark is incontestable and worthy of full protection, the significance of its presumed strength will depend upon its recognition among members of the public. Treating a valid, incontestable trademark as an exceptionally strong mark for the purpose of determining whether likelihood of confusion is likely to occur, without examining whether the mark is distinctive and well-known in the general population, would shift the focus away from the key question of whether relevant consumers are likely to believe that the products or services offered by the parties are affiliated in some way. Although a trademark may be strong and worthy of full protection because it is valid and incontestable, that does not necessarily mean that its strength is particularly relevant to the ultimate issue of whether confusion is likely to occur.
(2) The Relatedness Of The Goods Or Services Offered By The Plaintiff And The Defendant
There are three categories regarding the relatedness of the goods and services with which trademarks are associated. First, if the parties compete directly by offering their goods or services, confusion is likely is the marks are sufficiently similar. Second, if the good or services are somewhat related but not competitive, the likelihood of confusion will turn on other factors. Third, if the goods or services are totally unrelated, confusion is unlikely.
(3) The Similarity Of The Marks
The similarity of the marks factor entails more than a simple side-by-side comparison of the trademarks in question. Instead, the relevant inquiry is whether a particular trademark, when viewed alone, would lead to uncertainty about the goods or services that it identifies. Courts must determine whether a given mark would confuse the public when viewed alone, in order to account for the possibility that sufficiently similar marks may confuse customers who do not have both the marks before them but who may have a general, vague, or even hazy, impression or recollection of the other party's mark. A court must determine, in the light of what occurs in the marketplace, whether the mark will be confusing to the public when singly presented. As such, a detailed analysis of specific features of a trademark is not appropriate; rather, the court must view marks in their entirety and focus on their overall impressions, not individual features.
(4) Any Evidence Of Actual Confusion
Evidence of actual confusion is undoubtedly the best evidence of likelihood of confusion. Where evidence of actual confusion exists, the weight to which such evidence is entitled caries depending upon both the type and amount of confusion that occurs. If does not follow that any type or quantum of such evidence of actual confusion if entitled to significant weight. The evidence of only a handful of instances of actual confusion after a significant time or a significant degree of concurrent sales under the respective marks may even lead to an inference that no likelihood of confusion exists. Similarly, confusion that is brief or that occurs among individuals who are not familiar with the products in question is entitled to considerably less weight than are chronic mistakes and serious confusion amount actual customers.
(5) The Marking Channels Used By The Parties
This fifth factor requires an analysis of the parties' predominant customers and their marketing approaches. This factor consists of considerations of how and to whom the respective goods or services of the parties are sold. Where the parties have different customers and market their goods of services in different ways, the likelihood of confusion decreases. Dissimilarities between the parties' customers and their methods of marketing their products reduces the likelihood of confusion. This factor becomes particularly important where the other factors are not helpful, because it is very significant in illuminating what actually happens in the marketplace.
(6) The Probable Degree Of Purchaser Care And Sophistication
The owner of a trademark is not entitled to a guarantee against confusion in the minds of careless and indifferent buyers, and merely occasional cases of confusion or thoughtless error by very inattentive purchasers are of very little significance in trademark and unfair competition cases.
(7) The Defendant's Intent In Selecting Its Mark
If a party chooses a mark with the intention of creating confusion between its products and those of another company, that fact along may be sufficient to justify an inference of confusing similarity. Circumstantial evidence of copying, particularly the use of a contested mark with knowledge of the protected mark at issue, is sufficient to support an inference of intentional infringement where direct evidence is not available. Where there is no evidence that the defendant actually knew that a protected trademark existed, such knowledge can be presumed if evidence exists of the plaintiff's extensive advertising and long-term use of a protected mark.
However, the mere prior existence of a registered mark does not demonstrate that the alleged infringer intentionally copies that mark; otherwise, presumably all trademark infringement cases could result in the finding of intentional copying.
(8) The Likelihood Of Either Party Expanding Its Product Line Using The Marks
Although evidence that either party will likely expand its product lines supports finding a likelihood of confusion between the trademarks, a finding that the parties will not expand their marks significantly does not address the ultimate issue of likelihood of confusion.
As shown above, if a likelihood of confusion exists between your trademark and another's trademark you may be able to recover. Alternatively, you may be able to use the same factors to defend your trademark by showing that it does not create a likelihood of confusion. Regardless, you should consult a qualified attorney to help you navigate the nuances of the likelihood of confusion test.
For more information, or if you need to speak with an attorney regarding a potential lawsuit, please contact us online or call our office for a free consultation, toll free: 1-855-TISH-LAW.
Posted in Bankruptcy, Michigan Law
Preferential Transfers: Were you paid by a debtor within 90 days of their bankruptcy?
Has your federal employer taken an adverse action against you for reporting discrimination or harassment?


Choosing The Ideal Wedding Dress –Most brides-to-be begin dreaming about the ideal wedding dress long back they are even engaged. Choosing the ideal wedding dress is crucial because it is perhaps the lonely morning that every eyes will be looking at you. A dress that is beautiful whilst remaining tasteful and as well as deferential to your figure will ensure that you see your best upon your wedding day. considering for that reason many style, color and fabric options available, choosing the ideal wedding dress can be a daunting task. However, most brides straightforwardly know in the manner of they have found the ideal wedding dress. From the moment they put on the dress, they instinctively know that this is the ideal wedding dress for them.
The most important business in the same way as searching for the ideal wedding dress is to start looking at least six months in the past your wedding date. Finding the ideal dress will most likely resign yourself to quite some get older and when you locate the dress, it could admit up to four months for the dress to be ordered and shipped to the store. behind the dress arrives in the increase you most likely will require several fittings to ensure that the dress fits absolutely perfectly. You should admit your period and enjoy looking for your wedding dress so it is crucial that you begin the process in fine period to avoid feeling quick and overwhelmed.
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When you have selected the ideal wedding dress, now is plus the time to buy the it. Nothing is more important than your gut feeling and the reactions of the connections and intimates that accompanied you consequently if you know you have the ideal dress in your hands, don't risk losing it by opting to think about it for a few days past you make your purchase. There is always the fortuitous that the last affable dress will be sold or that the company will pause that particular style as a result realize not allow yourself to miss out upon buying the ideal wedding dress by not buying it the moment you complete it is the dress for you.
The wedding dress is one of the most vital elements of a wedding. It is what makes a bride in reality stand out and it is important for her to ensure that she has selected the ideal wedding dress. The minute a bride-to-be steps into a wedding dress she will know instantly whether or not it is the ideal dress. It's important to trust this gut appreciation and lawsuit accordingly in choosing the ideal wedding dress.
Related Posts of "Zac Posen Wedding Dresses for Sale"


A city of contrast, Prague's appealing charm shows no signs of abating. Beyond the romance of the medieval old town is a city of cosmopolitan chic. You can't help but indulge in the city of a hundred spires.
We've joined forces with a number of key businesses in the city so you can pre-book a range of visits and tours on any student trip to Prague, all of which will enhance your business studies programme and contextualise your students' learning whilst gaining first-hand experience.
Explore the centre of Jewish Prague prior to 1939 and one of the best preserved Jewish districts in Central Europe. Sights include the Old Jewish Cemetery, where over 100,000 people are buried and the Jewish Museum.
Europe's oldest surviving Jewish cemetery and one of the most impressive sights in Prague, located in Josefov, the former Jewish district. There are over 12,000 gravestones and more than 100,000 people are buried here.
Prague's main boulevard and a regular parade ground for numerous organisations and political parties, including the November 1989 protest meetings, which led to the Velvet Revolution and the end of communist rule in Czechoslovakia.
Students will be given a tour of the brewery which will give them an insight into the brewing process, the history of the company and how the brand has expanded into overseas markets.


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English conversation level : elementary.
Instructional objectives : English conversation study.
Month : 90 min x 20th. (30 hours) and continue. More than 1 year.
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Pay : ₩1.2 million per 30 hours.
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text:
In collaboration with the American Ornithological Society
© Philip Robertson
Macaulay Library ML66239401
Red-winged Blackbird Shiny Cowbird
Tricolored Blackbird
Agelaius tricolor
Version: 3.1 — Published July 13, 2018
Edward C. Beedy, William J. Hamilton, III, Robert J. Meese, Daniel A. Airola, and Peter Pyle
Geoffrey A. Keller
Macaulay Library ML56922
Free Introduction Article Access
The Introduction Article is just the first of 11 articles in each species account that provide life history information for the species. The remaining articles provide detailed information regarding distribution, migration, habitat, diet, sounds, behavior, breeding, current population status and conservation. Each species account also includes a multimedia section that displays the latest photos, audio selections and videos from Macaulay Library's extensive galleries. Written and continually updated by acknowledged experts on each species, Birds of North America accounts include a comprehensive bibliography of published research on the species.
A subscription is needed to access the remaining account articles and multimedia content. Rates start at $5 USD for 30 days of complete access.
Figure 1. Distribution of the Tricolored Blackbird.
Adult (Definitive Basic) male Tricolored Blackbird.
Medium-sized blackbird, sexually dimorphic in size, plumage, and behavior. Adult males in Definitive Basic plumage are larger than females, possess striking red, white, and black plumage, and display conspicuously when breeding. Definitive Basic male plumage becomes glossier in spring due to wearing of brown feather fringes.
© Ted Beedy , California , United States , 25 April 2017
Adult (Definitive Basic) female Tricolored Blackbirds.
Adult female mostly dark brown dorsally, relatively whitish chin and throat, occasionally with faint pinkish or peach wash; heavily streaked ventrally with dark brown streaks merging to form largely solid dark brown belly; faint to conspicuous reddish-orange shoulder-patch often subtended by buffy white stripe.
The Tricolored Blackbird is California's blackbird—more than 99% of the global population occurs within the state. The geographic range of this species is restricted to California's Central Valley and surrounding foothills, coastal and inland localities in southern and central California, scattered sites in northeastern California, Oregon, and central Washington, a single site in western Nevada, and locally in northwestern Baja California (Figure 1).
This blackbird species is sexually dimorphic in size, plumage, and behavior. Males are larger than females, possess striking red, white, and black plumage, and display conspicuously when breeding. The species nests in a variety of substrates, exhibits a range of foraging behaviors, and consumes a diverse array of arthropods, seeds, and ripening grains. It is sympatric with and morphologically similar to the Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), but unlike the Red-winged, the Tricolored Blackbird breeds in dense colonies and may travel several kilometers to secure food for nestlings. In addition, the male Tricolored Blackbird defends small territories used only for breeding and mate with 1 to 4 females.
The Tricolored Blackbird forms the largest colonies of any North American passerine species. Breeding colonies historically attracted tens or even hundreds of thousands of birds. In the 1930s, a single colony was estimated to include more than 200,000 nests (about 300,000 adults) and cover almost 24 ha ( Neff, J. A. (1937). Nesting distribution of the Tri-colored Red-wing. Condor 39:61-81.
1). Colonies require suitable nesting substrate surrounded by foraging habitats that may include semi-natural grasslands, agricultural croplands, or alkali scrub habitats, and a nearby source of freshwater. In winter months, the Tricolored Blackbird may form single-species, and sometimes single-sex, flocks, but the species commonly forages and roosts together with other blackbird species. Nesting locations often change from year-to-year, perhaps an adaption to exploit ephemeral habitats or high abundance of arthropod resources, or to enhance prospects for finding secure nesting sites. The species is an itinerant breeder, nesting more than once at the same or, more commonly, different locations during the breeding season.
The conservation of the Tricolored Blackbird is a matter of increasing concern owing to population declines, and because the species' habit of nesting in large colonies make it more vulnerable to nest failures that can affect thousands of nests at a single colony. Studies in the 1970s reported that the overall population was greatly reduced from that observed during the 1930s. More recently, intensive population surveys in California identified a decline of 37% between 1994 and 1997, and a 63% decline between 2008 and 2014, followed by an increase of 22% in 2017. Historically, this species was harvested as food for miners and residents of urban areas, and shooting by farmers attempting to reduce damage to rice and other grain crops in the Sacramento Valley has been documented since 2007 (RJM, personal observation). The Tricolored Blackbird has experienced high annual breeding losses due to crop-harvesting activities (except in 2016) and insufficient insect resources, and habitat loss resulting from conversion of rangeland to vineyards, nut orchards, other agricultural crops, and urban development.
In April 2018, the California Fish and Game Commission made a final determination to list the Tricolored Blackbird as Threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. It is currently considered a Species of Concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and it is under formal status review for listing as Endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act ( U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2015). Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants: 90-day findings on 25 petitions. Federal Register 80 (181):56423-56432.
2).
Key studies have examined aspects of socioecology ( Orians, G. H. (1961a). Social stimulation within blackbird colonies. Condor 63:330-337.
3, Orians, G. H. (1961b). The ecology of blackbird (Agelaius) social systems. Ecological Monographs 31:285-312.
4, Collier, G. (1968). Annual cycle and behavioral relationships in the Red-winged and Tricolored Blackbirds of southern California. Phd Thesis, Univ. of California, Los Angeles.
5), vocalizations and behavior ( Collier, G. (1968). Annual cycle and behavioral relationships in the Red-winged and Tricolored Blackbirds of southern California. Phd Thesis, Univ. of California, Los Angeles.
5, Orians, G. H., and G. M. Christman (1968). A comparative study of the behavior of Red-winged, Tricolored, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Univ. California Publ. Zool. 84.
6), reproductive biology and physiology ( Payne, R. B. (1969). Breeding seasons and reproductive physiology of Tricolored Blackbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds. University of California Publications in Zoology 90:1-137.
7), population trends ( DeHaven, R. W., F. T. Crase and P. P. Woronecki. (1975a). Breeding status of the Tricolored Blackbird, 19691972. Calif. Dep. Fish Game 61:166-180.
8, Hamilton, W. J., III, L. Cook, and R. Grey. (1995). Tricolored Blackbird Project 1994. Report prepared for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, OR, USA.
9, Graves, E. E., M. Holyoak, T. Rodd Kelsey and R. J. Meese. (2013). Understanding the contribution of habitats and regional variation to long-term population trends in Tricolored Blackbirds. Ecology and Evolution: 1-14, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.681/full.
10, Meese, R. J. (2014). Efforts to assess the status of the Tricolored Blackbird from 1931 to 2014. Central Valley Bird Club Bulletin 17:37-50.
11), distribution and migration ( Neff, J. A. (1937). Nesting distribution of the Tri-colored Red-wing. Condor 39:61-81.
1, Neff, J. A. (1942). Migration of the Tricolored Red-wing in central California. Condor 44:45-53.
12, DeHaven, R. W., F. T. Crase and P. P. Woronecki. (1975b). Movements of Tricolored Blackbirds banded in the Central Valley of California, 1965-1972. Bird-Banding 46:220-229.
13, Airola, D. A., D. Ross, C. Swarth, R. J. Meese, D. Lasprugato and M. L. Marshall. (2016). Breeding status of the Tricolored Blackbird in the grassland-dominated region of the Sierra Nevada, California in 2016. Central Valley Bird Club Bulletin 19:82-109.
14), and reproductive success ( Meese, R. J. (2013). Chronic low reproductive success of the colonial Tricolored Blackbird from 2006 to 2011. Western Birds 44 (2):98-113.
15, Holyoak, M., R. J. Meese and E. E. Graves. (2014). Combining site occupancy, breeding population sizes and reproductive success to calculate time-averaged reproductive output of different habitat types: An application to Tricolored Blackbirds. PLOS One 9 (5):e96980.
16). Population declines as indicated by recent censuses ( Kelsey, R. (2008). Results of the Tricolored Blackbird 2008 census. Winters: Audubon California.
17, Kyle, K. and R. Kelsey. (2011). Results of the 2011 Tricolored Blackbird statewide survey. Sacramento: Audubon California.
11) suggest that the Tricolored Blackbird will be increasingly dependent on conservation actions, including active management of breeding and foraging habitats, and more intensive study of overwintering ecology.
Plumages
Molts
Bare Parts
Linear Measurements
Geographic Variation
Related Species
Distribution, Migration, and Habitat
Distribution in the Americas
Distribution Outside the Americas
Nature of Migration
Control and Physiology of Migration
Habitat in Breeding Range
Habitat in the Overwintering Range
Historical Changes to the Distribution
Fossil History
Diet and Foraging
Food Selection and Storage
Nutrition and Energetics
Metabolism and Temperature Regulation
Drinking, Pellet-Casting, and Defecation
Sounds and Vocal Behavior
Nonvocal Sounds
Self-Maintenance
Agonistic Behavior
Social and Interspecific Behavior
Nest Site
Young Birds
Parental Care
Cooperative Breeding
Brood Parasitism
Fledgling Stage
Immature Stage
Demography and Populations
Measures of Breeding Activity
Life Span and Survivorship
Disease and Body Parasites
Causes of Mortality
Population Status
Population Regulation
Conservation and Management
Effects of Human Activity
Priorities for Future Research
Tables and Appendices
Beedy, E. C., W. J. Hamilton, III, R. J. Meese, D. A. Airola, and P. Pyle (2018). Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor), version 3.1. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.tribla.03.1
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Home Gadgets Mobile Carphone Warehouse: Meet BlackBerry Priv and pre-order it
Carphone Warehouse: Meet BlackBerry Priv and pre-order it
BlackBerry Priv has been available for pre-order in the UK ahead of North America by Carphone Warehouse – a move that shows that the Canadian smartphone maker is banking on its loyal customer base in the UK.
Exclusively available through Carphone Warehouse the smartphone has been priced at £579.99 SIM-free or £49 per month if you don't mind binding yourself to a contract for 24 months. Though the price of the phone is on the higher end of the spectrum, it marks quite a few firsts – first Android smartphone from the BlackBerry; the first Android smartphone from a big brand with QWERTY keypad; and the first Android smartphone to pack BlackBerry's DTEK. The £49 per month contract for 24 months gets you the handset and unlimited texts and minutes and 2GB of monthly 4G data.
The pre-order page on Carphone Warehouse also reveals almost all specifications of the Android smartphone. Featuring a 5.4-inch 'dual curved' Quad HD display, the BlackBerry Priv is has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chip under the hood alongside 3GB RAM, a powerful 3,140mAh battery, 32GB internal storage and an 18-megapixel Schneider-Kreuznach certified camera.
While the smartphone runs Android, BlackBerry reveals that the phone comes preloaded with its enhanced security and privacy suite dubbed DTEK.
BlackBerry Leap UK SIM-Free Smartphone
BlackBerry Priv could be the last handset from Canadian company
BlackBerry may fold as far as smartphone business is concerned company's CEO, John Chen, has hinted while giving an interview last week.
"Sometime next year we have to make our device business profitable, otherwise I have to rethink what I do there," Chen said at the Code Mobile conference in California last week. "My job is to make sure the value of the company is protected and increases … Even if I'm not in the handset business, getting into providing security for Android lets us provide solutions via software."
This is not the first time BlackBerry has revealed its intentions of abandoning its smartphone dreams. Last year Chen told Reuters that if the company can't make money on handsets, it won't remain in the handset business.
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This clean cut Maxi Cardigan is one of our original pieces that can transition into any season. With the contrasting patterns of a striped bodice, polka dot sleeves, and cross printed skirt, you can add a fun edge to your everyday outfit. This black and white piece is a staple for any closet.


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On May 27, the Gallery Hotels chain inaugurated what is now their third hotel, the Hotel Honucai, located in a small fishing village in the south of the island of Mallorca, in the Còlonia de Sant Jordi.
The hotel has 78 rooms and offers its customers buffet service for breakfast.
All the decoration of the hotel and the furniture is created with a Mediterranean design and care has been taken to the smallest detail.
For this, also had the technology of King's Buffets for the manufacture of the buffet.
The idea was to create a very clean, polyvalent design and once the buffet service was finished, it could be useful as a sideboard integrated in the decoration of the a la carte restaurant and hide the feeling that there was an industrial machinery.
So, they made their own furniture and King's Buffets made a countertop almost 5 meters long with two freezing cold zones independently. The entire worktop is supported on a solid stainless steel structure with the motor base hung on it.
All the equipment is completely sealed and with special insulation so that it does not make contact with its furniture and thus avoid the proliferation of insects and its deterioration.
The chosen material has been the Neolith of the Carrara reference, with which King's Buffets guarantees its frosty cold technology in the same way as it does with its usual granite material.
Once the system is turned off, there is a completely smooth countertop, without joints, drains or recessed plates, to guarantee maximum hygiene and improve the presentation of food.
The same philosophy was achieved for the recent remodeling of the Gallery Molina Lario Hotel in Malaga. On that occasion, the buffet countertop is integrated into the new bar as the service is also versatile.
We want to thank Gallery Hotels for once again having King's Buffets in these two new projects, as it did more than 12 years ago, for the complete facilities of breakfast buffets in their hotels in Barcelona and Malaga .
We show you some photos of the Restaurant of the new Hotel Honucai already finished and soon we will show you more with the buffet service in progress.


text:
Ladislav Kubík (26. srpna 1946 – 27. října 2017) byl česko-americký hudební skladatel, jehož styl je spojován s dalšími poválečnými východoevropskými skladateli jako Krzysztof Penderecki a Witold Lutosławski.

Vystudoval skladbu na Akademii múzických umění v Praze. Od roku 1971 pracoval v Československém rozhlase, působil také na Katedře hudební vědy Filozofické fakulty Univerzity Karlovy. Od roku 1991 byl profesorem na Vysoké škole hudby Floridské státní univerzity v Tallahassee.

Odkazy

Reference

Externí odkazy
  The Ladislav Kubik International Prize in Composition
  Ladislav Kubík oficiální stránka
  Ladislav Kubik stránka na Florida State University College

Čeští hudební skladatelé
Američtí hudební skladatelé
Čeští emigranti a exulanti
Čechoameričané
Narození v Československu
Narození v roce 1946
Narození 26. srpna
Úmrtí v roce 2017
Úmrtí 27. října
Úmrtí v USA
Muži
Signatáři Anticharty

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