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Casualties of Battleworld
by guest | posted in: Collectors, Comics, Features, News | 2
By Jon Durmin
On January 21, 2015 Axel Alonso (Marvel Comic's Editor-in-Chief) and Tom Brevoort (Marvel's Executive Editor & Senior Vice President of Publishing) made a self-proclaimed, "announcement-to-end-announcements," about the future of Marvel publication that did indeed rock the fan community:
"None of these stories are What Ifs are alternate reality stories, and they will have legs. They will impart new things into the Marvel Universe going forward."- Axel Alonso, 1.21.2015
"Once you hit 'Secret Wars' #1, there's no Marvel Universe, there's no Ultimate Universe, it's all Battleworld." – Tom Brevoort, 1.21.2015
I've seen a lot of my fellow followers of the fantastic features of the Marvel U react with astonishment. Thus far I've seen two basic categories of reaction to the news. Some fans seem to be taking a let's wait-and-see approach. Others see this as the destruction of their long beloved Marvel Saga, and many of them are now coping with the feelings of grief I discussed in my analysis of the events of Avengers Vol. 5, #40 (#imperiusrexforever). In the latter group there is a sub-group that perceive this as further evidence of a long-feared reboot. Others see this as the end of new possibilities or simply fear for favored characters.
Personally, I fall in the let's wait-and-see camp, though I'm VERY apprehensive about what the future has in store for the Marvel U. I don't believe we're looking down the barrel of a reboot. Reboot attempts haven't worked out so hot for Marvel in the past, and most of those, even the ones that have been more well regarded, have had a pre-programmed reset button built in. This seems like a drastic divergence from the status-quo that will continue to run in the context of the ongoing Marvel Saga. Unlike the Ultimate U attempt (Earth-1610 for those keeping score) or the Season One Graphic Novel series, it's evident that this isn't a splintered, parallel story that provides a contemporary retelling of existing stories. As near as I can tell, the story going forward will feature an amalgamation of place all in the solitary confines of one terrestrial body – which brings us to Battleworld.
What's Battleworld? For those that haven't read Jim Shooter's original 1984's Secret Wars series, that series also featured a planet called Battleworld. In Secret Wars (1984) socially and emotionally stunted godling the Beyonder picked up a cluster of Marvel heroes and villains and plopped them down to fight it out and teach him(?) whether "good" or "evil" was better by smashing each other's' brains in, in a last-man-standing battle royale. This comically immature premise notwithstanding, the Beyonder constructed the original Battleworld together from bits and pieces of a variety of planets (including Earth-616's Denver, CO) as a staging ground for his contest. As with the original, the Battleworld being promoted for 2015's Secret Wars as the new terrain is cobbled together from a selection of different worlds. Unlike the original, however, this Battleworld is made up not just of different planets (Hala Field? New Xander?), but more over of representations of different times (King James' England, Valley of Fire, 2099), alternate timelines (Domain of Apocalypse, Sentinel Territories, The Monarchy of M) and parallel dimensions (Weirdworld, K'un L'un, the Eye of Agamotto).
Alonso and Brevoort have spoken about the story possibilities this change opens up. The Age of Apocalypse X-Men can go to war with the AU legions of Ultron! Killraven can recruit Captain Britain to help battle Martian armies! Finally, that Devil Dinosaur vs Hydra story we've all been waiting for! Miles Morales can join the Avengers! It all sounds mighty exciting doesn't it? I'll admit, this geography does presage some interesting superheroic geopolitical interactions. If that's all you're thinking about, well great, there are new story possibilities opening up.
However, taking the long view of this scenario (and I can't help but do so, it's who I am true believers) Battleworld seems to be closing at least as many doors as its opening. In fact, I would venture to say that moving towards the Battleworld-scenario requires a lot of sacrifices that will really ham-string the future of the Marvel U. I'd go so far as to say that the world itself may even be literally unsustainable. I don't know that I can really talk about these issues separately, so let's just lay it all out there. Comics scholars and historians have long noted that one of the things that, from the beginning, distinguished the budding Marvel universe from other superhero franchise was its rooting in a more real world. Even as far back as the founding of the first shared universe story, Sub-Mariner vs the Human Torch, in Timely Comics' Marvel Mystery Comics Vol.1 # 8-10 (1940) the sights and sounds of this battle were rooted in a reasonable facsimile of the real world in which the story was taking place. It wasn't just the locales. The heroes of Marvel existed in a world of real men and women, and they were written as people. In other comics the bystanders were just one more cardboard feature of a hollow and generic cityscape. The heroes were mannequin-like automatons in costume. In Marvel our heroes are surrounded by real people with ambitions, histories, flaws, fears, hopes, and relationships. In Marvel we could be right there. We could be on the scene as Galactus prepared to consume the world, or as the Avengers confronted Kang at the UN or as the X-Men battled Alpha Flight through the streets of Calgary. Maybe Captain America would stop in our little town in Iowa or Arkansas or Wyoming or South Carolina as he worked to dismantle the Sons of the Serpent. Maybe if we were mugged Moon Knight or Daredevil would find our attackers. Maybe we would be the next to discover we were a mutant, or to stumble onto the secrets of an ancient alien artifact, or be bit by a radioactive cricket. When the president showed up he was the president of the time (I still can't think of Dark Phoenix Saga without feeling some amusement at Jimmy Carter telling the Beast to call the other Avengers to see what's going on, or that time Rogue caught a fly ball and winked at Ronald Regan). Competing universes felt like just stories, artificial, but something about Marvel felt real. And I think we're about to lose that.
Having looked at the map of Battleworld the only place that looks like it could be a world we might be able to recognize or feel comfortable in is Manhattan. Even that is a sandwich of Marvel Earth-616 and the Ultimate Earth-1610, with a tiny Atillan shmear between them and what appears to be a land of 1950's Marvel monsters on the side. Imagine you survive to live on Battleworld in Manhattan. What is your life now? Living in an isolated city state with bizarre worlds starting to bleed in to the outskirts of town? Even for the average Manhattanite of the 616 or 1610, who's grown cynically accustomed to the superheroic conflicts and alien invasions of their native world, this could be too much.
Let's go further . . . imagine you're living in the new, Manhattan territory of Battleworld. Even if you've been living there your entire life, is your whole life truly there? The whole rest of the world has been lost. Did you have any friends in Pittsburgh? Any family in Anchorage? They're gone now. Was your employer headquartered in Paris? Your job no longer exists. It's all gone. For those of you old enough to remember the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 (and I don't mind sharing that one of my uncles worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 102 floor of Tower One until that terrible morning) that was nothing compared to the level of devastation and loss we'd be talking about in this scenario. The emotional trauma, the sense of loss and weight of survivor's guilt, for the Manhattanites of Battleworld will be devastating. Crippling. This shouldn't just be so for the normal citizens of these places, but also for the super-powered and costumed adventure seekers among them. How well will Matt Murdock cope if Foggy Nelson has taken a trip to Cancun at the time of this tragedy? How will Steve Rogers cope with knowing his failure to prevent the death of his universe cost the lives of the over Three-Hundred Million Americans outside Manhattan? Whether they carry this guilt or not, how well will we identify with our Marvel heroes after this? Either they will, like their non-powered neighbors, be survivors of a tragic holocaust, bearing all the guilt and grief of that distinction, or they will be unaffected, which would perhaps be even more terrible and, frankly, dehumanizing in their failure to feel any grief over that massive loss of life. If Spider-Man doesn't feel sad, or angry, or otherwise upset about the events of Time Runs Out and Secret Wars does he really have a sense of responsibility of proportional measure to his power?
It isn't just the loss of people. No, as terrible as that will be Manhattan is at the heart of a megalopolis community that is highly reliant on its relationship with the world outside its borders to sustain itself – this is where we come to sustainability. How much food is produced in Manhattan? Not canned, or processed or sold, but grown? I don't presume to give you statistics on the subject (to be honest I looked and couldn't find any), but some efforts at community gardening in courtyards and on rooftops notwithstanding, the answer is not enough. As it exists now, Manhattan (or any major modern metropolitan area for that matter) lacks an infrastructure to feed itself in isolation from the outside world. Cutting Manhattan off from the rest of the world is a public health disaster in the making; a famine waiting to happen. In addition to the emotional devastation of the loss of their world, the Manhattanites of Battleworld are facing an extremely tenuous survival situation. This is not necessarily a population that will be highly ready to adapt to this situation. City-Data.com (drawing predominantly on data from the 2010 Census) Breaks down the top occupations in Manhattan as follows for Men:
• Sales representatives, services, wholesale and manufacturing (6%)
• Other management occupations except farmers and farm managers (6%)
• Lawyers (4%)
• Media and communication equipment workers (4%)
• Computer specialists (4%)
• Other sales and related workers including supervisors (4%)
• Top executives (3%)
and Women:
• Secretaries and administrative assistants (5%)
• Other office and administrative support workers including supervisors (5%)
• Business operations specialists (4%)
• Art and design workers (4%)
with the principal employing industries being:
• Professional, scientific, and technical services (16%)
• Finance and insurance (14%)
• Accommodation and food services (7%)
• Educational services (6%)
• Health care (6%)
• Arts, entertainment, and recreation (5%)
• Publishing, and motion picture and sound recording industries (5%)
While this paints a picture of a group of people who may be very smart, very able, very ambitious and talented, it is also a population that doesn't necessarily know how to feed itself. Even if a sufficient portion of the population of Marvel-hattan has the necessary skills and knowledge to train other citizens to take action on developing a city-based agriculture they still lack a few essential things: Arable land, sufficient seed-stock, and live-stock. Even if they had the seed stock on hand to grow major subsistence crops like rice, corn, soy, or wheat (and they wouldn't) the city lacks the space to grow them in sufficient volume to support a population of a few million people before non-perishable food starts to run out in the city. Sorry, Central Park just isn't enough space. Hydroponics can get you a good ways in terms of producing fruits and vegetables, and converted roof-tops might provide space for extensive hydroponic production, but again, this requires a functional expertise and the seed-stock and time to make it happen. This doesn't even get into sources of animal protein, and even though urban chicken raising is permitted in NYC, and there are rumors of a lone cow residing somewhere on the island, this may not be enough to last long or feed many. When this runs out, I can't help but wonder about the fate of police horses, and stray dogs, and not-so-stray dogs, and what people might sink to next.
It's not that I believe it's impossible for mankind to develop self-sustaining city-scapes, but we are a VERY long way from that happening. Other 'nations' of the Battleworld, namely King James England, K'un L'un, and Atillan, have the demonstrated capacity to feed their own populations, but the likelihood that this capacity could also support a dependent or trading-partner population of a few million seems dubious. With a smaller population and more potentially arable land, Westchester may be able to adapt but it's positioned half a globe away on the Battleworld map and hardly readily able to provide sustenance for the cities that would have been just miles away on their Earth of origin. Other lands seem expressly hostile or may have no need for food at all (e.g. Deadlands, Sentinel Territories).
To me, this all suggests that the Manhattan of Battleworld, the most identifiably normal sector of the Marvel Universe that will be, is not going to be so identifiable any longer, and if it starts that way it won't be in fairly short order. The civilian population that the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America and Daredevil have long been so intent on protecting will no longer be familiar to us. They will be a people of Armageddon, desperately struggling against time to live to see another day. How long before the battle for the scraps of survival? Could a hero like Captain America preserve a semblance of the democratic spirit he embodies in a world on the brink of starvation where the mass of the populace has no idea how to preserve itself against the onslaught of starvation, let alone the predations of the monsters in the world beyond the city? This is the reality of the Battleworld laid out for us on Marvel's promotional map. In that reality, one of the first casualties of the Secret Wars will be the relatability of the Marvel Universe; that could be the true death of Marvel as we know and love it. We will no longer be able to imagine that this is the world right outside our door. It will wholly be another post-apocalyptic sci-fi dystopia populated by a desperate and dwindling powerless rabble living in the shadow of monsters and ubermenschen.
This loss of the anchor of reality that so sustains our suspension of disbelief is, for me, the great tragedy of the move towards Secret Wars. I find myself puzzling over whether the creative and editorial forces behind this maneuver have given consideration to the consequences? Will these matters be addressed at all in the coming publishing cycle? While I am currently skeptical that any of this will be broached in the latter half of 2015 all I can do is wait, and see, and hope that when the dust settles there is still something that feels welcoming, familiar and real about this universe. I hope I will still be able to unflinchingly say, "Make Mine Marvel."
Battleword, Marvel Battleworld, Marvel Secret Wars, Secret Wars


Sewing and knitting can help you prepare excellent Christmas gifts for those you love. Hand-made items are highly appreciated – they are unique and come in one piece only. This idea is great for those who want to express their love through some warm and soft fabrics, accessories and patterns. We are pretty sure that you have small patches of material, beads and other small details that you can use while making your clothes.


I found a cool old photo of myself back when I was 30. With a goatee. As part of what's called Congregational Development.
I have been going through the Wayback Machine because I lost all of my blog posts in a server and backup server catastrophe and have been patching it back together. One of the amusing posts included this photo of my Congregational Development team. The small woman in the black jacket with the glasses and bob was my girlfriend at the time. Oh, memories!


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Mon Feb 3
Barnaby Joyce challenges McCormack with pitch to make Nationals more assertive
Written by Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The Nationals have exploded into a major crisis with Resources Minister Matt Canavan offering his resignation from the ministry on Monday to throw his support behind Barnaby Joyce's bid to oust Michael McCormack from the leadership.
In a Monday night news conference Canavan told reporters the Nationals needed "a bulldog", "a fighter".
Earlier Joyce informed McCormack he would challenge, with a spill to be moved when the party meets on Tuesday morning.
The Nationals' meltdown has been triggered by the forced resignation of Bridget McKenzie from the cabinet and Nationals deputy leadership, after the secretary of the Prime Minister's department, Phil Gaetjens, found she had breached ministerial standards by not declaring her membership of gun clubs in the sports rorts affair.
While only a new deputy needed to be elected, Joyce has seized the opportunity to make his leadership run. On Monday night the numbers were unclear in the McCormack-Joyce battle.
The leadership fight is driven by Joyce's unrelenting desire to return to the job he had to forfeit in early 2018 amid a scandal around his personal life.
But it is fuelled by widespread criticism of McCormack, both inside and outside the Nationals, for a perceived lack of cut-through. This is despite the fact the Nationals held their ground at the 2019 election.
Read more: Barnaby Joyce: the story of an unlikely rise and a self-inflicted fall
Canavan made it clear a switch to Joyce would mean a more forthright stand on policy by the Nationals - by extension within the Coalition. This would make the relationship much more difficult for Scott Morrison. McCormack's critics within the party accuse him of being too subservient to Morrison.
Most immediately, a change of leader would mean a new Coalition agreement, with the Nationals demanding extra concessions.
Joyce recently attracted attention with his "Merry Christmas" video, showing him feeding cattle, in which he gave his take on the climate issue.
"Now you don't have to convince me that the climate's not changing, it is changing - my problem's always been whether you believe a new tax is going to change it back. I just don't want the government any more in my life; I'm sick of the government being in my life.
"And the other thing is, I think, we've got to acknowledge … there's a higher authority beyond our comprehension … right up there in the sky. Unless we understand that it's got to be respected, then we're just fools, and we're going to get nailed."
One issue for the Nationals is how a return to Joyce would be received by women in regional areas, among some of whom his reputation was tarnished by allegations of sexual harassment. The Guardian on Monday reported a number of rural women opposing his reinstatement.
Joyce on Monday said the National party had to be on the "balls of its toes as we face some of the most challenging times.
"We have to speak with our own voice and we have to drive agendas because it is going to be an incredibly tough game for people in regional areas," he said.
"We've got to make sure that we are not a shadow of another party."
Read more: Richard Di Natale quits Greens leadership, as Barnaby Joyce seeks a tilt at Michael McCormack
While praising McCormack's "tireless" campaigning efforts, Canavan said the broader environment the Nationals faced in regional Australian had changed.
"We struggle to get our voice heard … we just have to fight a bit harder," he said.
"I do think that on a number of fronts we must be more forceful on issues that are threatening the livelihoods of those in regional Australia."
"We need a bulldog, we need a fighter to fight back against those who want to take away people's coal jobs, who want to shut down cane farms," said Canavan, who is a passionate advocate for the coal industry.
"We've got so much to do with the Nationals party," he said. "And I do think a change in direction here will allow us to do that better for our constituents."
Joyce was "an effective fighter" and "that's why I'm backing him".
In another complication over ministerial standards, Canavan revealed he had just recalled his link to the North Queensland Cowboys, which last year was awarded a $20 million loan by the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, that sits under his ministry.
He did not believe this was a conflict of interest, saying he did not approve NAIF loans. But a press release from him last year said "Canavan approves $20 million for NQ Cowboys". Canavan admitted he should have declared the link and he has referred the matter to the Prime Minister's office.
Queensland National Llew O'Brien flagged he would move for a spill when the 21-member Nationals party room meets.
David Littleproud, the Water Resources Minister, is the frontrunner for the deputy vacancy. He is not contesting the leadership. Frontbencher Darren Chester, a McCormack supporter, said he would not run for deputy.
Late Monday Canavan had not formally resigned from the cabinet: while offering his resignation to McCormack he has to tender it formally to Morrison, which he said he would do Tuesday morning.
Authors: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Read more https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-barnaby-joyce-challenges-mccormack-with-pitch-to-make-nationals-more-assertive-131047
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Scott Vener
Carreer Earnings
Rewatch Quarterfinals – Game 4 of The Big Blind on YouTube and Facebook
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Q: Fresco, how to scale images for different devices I'm building an app with the Fresco library, by Facebook.
I'm having issues trying to understand how I should implement a view using Fresco, if my App will be usable among different devices. As you can see in the images attached, I have a Nexus6, a NexusOne and a Nexus7.
All of them have the same Fresco Drawee, (200dp x 200dp). As I've read through the documentation of Fresco, it is necessary, and mandatory, to fix the image size. However I'm having trouble understanding how can I achieve something as simple as having an ImageView using 50% of the image width using Fresco.
The desired result would be to have an image that uses half of the screen (in terms of width), and leave the rest of the space for the different texts (title+descriptions shown).
Normally I would do this using weight's, however I'm not sure how to achieve this with the library, or what the best practices would be.
Based on this question (and documentation), I'm not sure if adding a listener is the best option. I'm just failing to understand how Facebook or other applications who use this library, do it for different devices.
Thanks in advance

The code shown of this images is basically the following:
            <RelativeLayout
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:orientation="horizontal"
            android:weightSum="10">

            <com.facebook.drawee.view.SimpleDraweeView
                android:id="@+id/my_image_view"
                android:layout_width="200dp"
                android:layout_height="200dp"

                fresco:actualImageScaleType="focusCrop"
                fresco:backgroundImage="@drawable/user_icon"
                fresco:fadeDuration="300"
                fresco:placeholderImage="@color/common_action_bar_splitter"
                fresco:placeholderImageScaleType="fitCenter" />

            <LinearLayout
                android:layout_width="match_parent"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:orientation="vertical"
                android:layout_toRightOf="@+id/my_image_view">

                <TextView
                    android:layout_width="match_parent"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:textSize="20sp"
                    android:text="Title 1" />

                <TextView
                    android:layout_width="match_parent"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:textSize="15sp"
                    android:textColor="@color/menu_color"
                    android:text="Description 1" />

                <TextView
                    android:layout_width="match_parent"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:textSize="20sp"
                    android:text="Title 2" />

                <TextView
                    android:layout_width="match_parent"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:textSize="15sp"
                    android:textColor="@color/menu_color"
                    android:text="Description 2" />

            </LinearLayout>

        </RelativeLayout>

UPDATE:
I also don't know how to get a full-screen image. If we must either specify the dimensions, or use match_parent, but using match_parent on both would use the whole parent, how can I get something like the image showing the Facebook image?.
I believe @Gueorgui Obregon's is a good idea, however I'm still wondering if the problem is the design pattern of using 50% of the screen for a picture. For instance, take 2 cell phone models with the same dimensions (MDPI for example), but one of them is a little bit wider than the other. Using the dimensions approach I'd get than on one mobile it takes half of the screen, but on the other one, it would take a little bit more/less.
In summary: Where is the problem? Is thinking in percentages a bad idea when designing views? Should I tell my designer that it's a bad design idea for android to use percentages? More importantly, how can Facebook achieve something like the last photo (where the pictures use a ~33% of the screen)?

A: Your could use dimensions.xml for different values folder for different screens.
res/values/dimensions.xml
res/values-sw600dp/dimensions.xml -> 7+ inches
res/values-sw720dp/dimensions.xml -> 10+ inches

Add on each dimensions the desire value
res/values/dimensions.xml
<dimen name="my_image_view_width">200dp</dimen>
<dimen name="my_image_view_height">200dp</dimen>

res/values-sw720dp/dimensions.xml
<dimen name="my_image_view_width">400dp</dimen>
<dimen name="my_image_view_height">400dp</dimen>

Then simply use @dimen/my_image_view_width and @dimen/my_image_view_height  in your SimpleDraweeView like this
<com.facebook.drawee.view.SimpleDraweeView
    android:id="@+id/my_image_view"
    android:layout_width="@dimen/my_image_view_width"
    android:layout_height="@dimen/my_image_view_height"
    fresco:actualImageScaleType="focusCrop"
    fresco:backgroundImage="@drawable/user_icon"
    fresco:fadeDuration="300"
    fresco:placeholderImage="@color/common_action_bar_splitter"
    fresco:placeholderImageScaleType="fitCenter" />

Hope this helps!!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


London, July 29: A former crew member of pop star Lady Gaga has branded her a bully and monster.
The 27-year-old, who has repeatedly spoken against bullying, has been accused of unpredictable behaviour, reports contactmusic.com.
The crew member who worked on her "Monster's Ball" world tour between 2009 and 2011 said: "She would have a prayer circle before each show.
"One night she just suddenly turned on one of the backing singers, branding her unprofessional and ungrateful. She crucified her in front of dozens of people, she skinned this girl alive. It was so painful to watch and no, you couldn't step in.
"She offers support to her fans who are victims of bullying and calls them her monsters, but she is a bully and a monster herself," added the crew member.


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Read Write Shanghai offers energetic and creative reading classes which encourage joy in reading. Classes are designed so that children will be able to read at grade level in their home countries. We read a variety of genres books, analyze grammar patterns and complete vocabulary strengthening exercises.


As you go through each year picking out your family's Christmas card design, you may start to get sick of the same style year after year. If you've exhausted the reds and greens, try something a little more modern and sophisticated with black Christmas cards. Although black is not traditionally associated with the holiday spirit, there are plenty of greeting card options in black that make a statement to your favorite people. Not only do they look great, but designs in black can also stand out from the other mass of Christmas cards everyone seems to get during this time of year. Shutterfly has a large list of attractive and seasonal Christmas cards that bring a muted sense of style and design to your family's greeting. That way, you can achieve a bright and modern look at this special time of year.
If you're thinking of choosing a black holiday card greeting, you may want to customize your card even further and forego the traditional Christmas wording. You can select an editable text card and come up with your own clever winter salutation. Then, you can ensure that everyone on your card recipient list gets a unique message from your family instead of the same tried and true greetings from the past. Another great look that mixes well with black is a monogrammed Christmas card. You can personalize this type of card with your last initial and give your friends a chic and cozy sentiment through the mail.
The best thing about the color black is how versatile it is. A card backdrop in black can be part of any type of style or look you have in mind for your Christmas greeting. Whether it's a photo of your dogs in front of the fireplace or your little ones playing in the snow, a black Christmas card is sure to offer everyone dramatic and pleasing appeal.


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Court Denies Random Bid to Block Rosetta E-books
Judge finds RH's contracts do not include e-book rights
Jim Milliot, Calvin Reid, Steven Zeitchik |
In a ruling handed down July 11, Judge Sidney Stein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied Random House's bid for a preliminary injunction that would have prohibited RosettaBooks from continuing to sell e-book editions of eight titles to which Random holds print rights. Random filed the lawsuit in late February after Rosetta published two books by William Styron, five by Kurt Vonnegut and one by Robert Parker in e-book form; Random claimed that its contracts gave it the exclusive rights to publish books not only in print editions but also as e-books. In his decision, Stein found that the clause to "print, publish and sell the work(s) in book form... does not include the right to publish the works in the format that has come to be known as the ebook." He noted that the phrase itself distinguishes between the pure content—"the work"—and the format display—"the book."
Stein ruled that based on the contractual language, "Random House is not the beneficial owner of the right to publish the eight works at issue as ebooks." Stein wrote that he was denying the injunction in part because Random failed to show that the publication of the e-books was causing the company "irreparable harm" and that Random was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its infringement case.
Arthur Klebanoff, founder of Rosetta, lauded the decision as a victory for all authors and agents and said that in what was a test case over who controls e-book rights, the court found that the rights rested with authors and agents. Rosetta attorney Michael Boni added that the decision makes it clear that Rosetta "can continue to negotiate e-book contracts." Klebanoff speculated that the decision would speed the publication of e-books. "I imagine many authors and agents were in a wait-and-see environment over what the decision would be," he told PW.
Stephen Pendergast, cofounder of e-book publisher Fictionwise.com, echoed Klebanoff's remarks, noting that the ruling will "certainly reduce the amount of caution we've had to exercise in buying rights." He noted that many agents had been slow to sell rights in marginal cases. "They would tell us, 'it's a Rosetta case,' and that we'd have to wait until the decision," Pendergast said.
In a prepared statement, Random House said, "We will review the judge's decision very carefully as we decide what the next appropriate steps might be." The company said that while it was disappointed with the ruling, "we stand by our view that an e-book is a book and that Random House's backlist contracts grant us the rights to publish the works in e-book form. Our concern is that this decision will hinder rather than help the development of this new technology." Random general counsel Harriette Dorsen told PW that the company will decide early this week if it will appeal Stein's decision or ask for a trial. "This is a setback for today, but it's just the first step in a long process," Dorsen said.
The Authors Guild, which filed a brief in support of Rosetta, was thrilled with the decision. "We're delighted," said Paul Aiken, executive director of the guild. "The court has ruled that book contracts mean just what authors, agents and indeed publishers thought they meant when they were signed in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s." Don Maas, president of the Association of Authors Representatives, which filed a similar brief, said he thought the ruling couldn't have been more favorable to Rosetta. "It seems to me he read Rosetta's arguments chapter and verse. It left very little room for Random House to maneuver." He said the ruling carried implications not only for past work but for the future determination of rights. "The judge has effectively said: 'When a new technology comes along, sorry, Random House, you don't automatically get the rights.' "
Adam Rothberg, spokesperson for Simon & Schuster, one of several publishers to back Random's position, said the decision "isn't going to deter us from publishing e-books in any way, shape or form." But he also noted that "the ruling applies only to certain Random House contracts, and every publisher's contract is different."
Richard Curtis, president of the literary agency Richard Curtis Associates and publisher of e-Reads (www.ereads.com), which publishes e-book editions of out-of-print titles, hailed the ruling but agreed with Rothberg: "We're skeptical that this ruling will open the gates. Many older contracts have a 'storage and retrieval provision'—for microfiche or crude photocopying—and a court could extend those provisions to mean computer memory. The vague definition of a book in the RH contracts may not be prevalent throughout the industry. Authors, agents and lawyers need to look at every contract."
And despite the court's ruling, Curtis was unconvinced that authors and agents will know what to do with their e-rights: "Authors and agents are still on the sidelines uncertain about who will be a player, and who will be around tomorrow."


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Das Puerto Rico Open 1993 war ein Damen-Tennisturnier in San Juan (Puerto Rico). Das Hartplatzturnier war Teil der WTA Tour 1993 und fand vom 26. Juli bis 1. August 1993 statt.

Einzel

Setzliste

Ergebnisse

Doppel

Setzliste

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Weblinks

WTA Tour 1993
Tennisturnier in San Juan (Puerto Rico)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Growing and Caring for Chives, Chives Varieties. Preparing and Preserving Chives.
Chives are grown not only for their flowers but also their leaves. Their flat leaves are not hollow like scallions or onions. The plants produce beautiful, globe like lavender and pinkish blossoms. They grow to about a foot and a half high and do best in Zones 3 to 9. They require very little care other than watering and weeding.
Chives perform best in well-drained soil with well aged compost or manure. In early spring, plant seedlings in full sun. Keep any mulch away from the bases of these plants to prevent disease problems due to excessive moisture retention, as well as to promote proper air circulation.
Start Chives from Seed. Starting Chives from seed is the most common method of beginning a chive patch. Sow chive seeds about 1/2 inch deep in starter tray, peat pots or other suitable containers. Keep the potting mix consistently moist, but not soggy. Optimal temperature range for germination is 60-70 degrees F. It's not really a good idea to add any fertilizer when planting seeds, all the nutrients needed for germination are already within the seed itself. Fertilizer especially excessive fertilizer has the potential to cause more harm than good.
Hydroponic Chives. Both Onion and Garlic Chives thrive in a hydroponic scenario. They are not without their own special needs but they have multiple advantages over many other plants.
How to Grow Chives Indoors. Fresh herbs year round, growing right in your own kitchen are the kitchen gardeners dream and it is not an overly difficult project. Chives are a common herb that can be grown indoors, but there are a few caveats and tips to be aware of.
Chives Harvest and Storage. Use scissors to cut chives about 1 to 1 1/2 inches above the ground, leaving enough stalk for the plant to regenerate. Leaves can be harvested as soon as they are large enough to clip and use but have the most oil just before the plants flower, so harvesting them at this point will ensure a better quality. Cut from the outside of the clump, about 1/2 inch above soil level.
Chive Varieties. The word Chive comes from the French word 'cive' which originated during the Roman era from the Latin word 'cepa' meaning onion. There are several primary varieties of Chives, the most common being 'common' or onion chives followed by garlic chives.
Chives Companion Planting. Chives are highly beneficial to other plants in your vegetable garden. Their aesthetically appealing flowers attract pollinating insects while the sulfur based oils that flow through the plant act as a repellent to many harmful insects. When planted near carrot and related root crops it has been proven to result in larger and longer carrot roots and is believed to enhance the flavor as well. When planted in proximity of Tomatoes and other solenaceous crops it is beneficial in reducing the occurrence of multiple diseases.
Herbal Ice - Freezing herbs is a very economical and efficient way to preserve summers bounty. In some instances freezing leeches away some of the flavor and essential oils. One method of freezing herbs that works exceptionally well is freezing herbs in ice cubes. Herbs can be frozen individually or in conjunction with other herbs that will compliment one another's flavors. Basil is one of my favorites but the ice cube method also works well with chives, cilantro, fennel, lovage, mints, oregano and marjoram, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme.


The Big Daddy event, The EarthWell Festival, occurs in August each year. Each year sees this eclectic mix of sustainability and wellness get bigger and more popular. Everything from; music, organic foods, green building, sustainable products and services, to health and wellness exhibits, alternative wellness practitioners and recreation, this festival of delight has it all. View pictures of last year's festival and read the reviews here. The festival is siuated on the shore at beautiful Jordanelle State Park. To get on the mailing list for discount tickets, news and specials from EarthWell Shopkeepers simply become a Subscriber.
Many EarthWell members offer classes to the public from time to time. These range from how to green topics such as: installing rain barrels, avoiding chemical laden products, or how to make your home more energy efficient. On the wellness side you may see classes on nutrition, hormone balancing, chakra clearing or cooking organically. If you would like to be on the list to be notified about upcoming classes please sign up here. If you are interested in having a class added to the EarthWell calendar let us know here.
A range of wellness oriented retreats and workshops are being considered for development. Again, if you would like to be notified about these as they become available be sure to become a subscriber.
Important: If you, or someone you know, has an idea for a retreat or workshop and would like to discuss it with EarthWell for consideration as an EarthWell event, we would love for you to contact us.
One of the hopes here at EarthWell is to create a Speaker Series. In our conversations with experts across the country we have been astounded by how many fantastic presentations there are, all just looking for an opportunity. EarthWell is looking for a person or persons to help develop a speaker series where we can help bring these amazing and wonderful programs to the area. If interested in helping out please contact the EarthWell Director.


A cream containing a chemical known as ALA is applied to the area of skin to be treated. This ALA is preferentially absorbed by abnormal skin cells. When subsequently exposed to light of a certain wavelength, a reaction is set up between the ALA and the light in the abnormal cells which results in cell death. Normal surrounding cells are unaffected.


Would You Buy Your Kids The 'Happy Hour' Playset?
Toddlers standing around a bar, sipping beers… probably not the playtime scenario mums have in mind for their little ones. Fisher Price would've got the shock of their lives recently when fake, photoshopped images of their so-called 'Happy Hour Playset' surfaced on social media.
The playset, which shows (pretty hilariously if you ask us), a grumpy looking baby playing the bartender wiping down the counter, and two other children holding beer bottles. Many parents, fooled by the trickery of Adam Padilla's Instagram account, flooded Twitter and Fisher Price's Facebook with angry comments claiming that such a toy would encourage bad habits in children.
Padilla spoke to Mashable about the image that caused such a kerfuffle. He said: "My 21 month-old daughter gave me the idea while playing on her kitchen playset at our apartment. I mentioned to my wife, Willow, that it would be hilarious if a major toy company created a bar set for toddlers.
Whom wants this for Xmas? ??
After it was revealed as a fake, some people adopted a far stronger sense of humour.
We've had a giggle about this at the ellaslist office, but have to admit, blew a secret sigh of relief when we confirmed it was all just a joke. Beware the dangers of photoshop!


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Slavičky  est une commune du district de Třebíč, dans la région de Vysočina, en République tchèque. Sa population s'élevait à  habitants en 2020.

Géographie
Slavičky se trouve à  au sud-est de Třebíč, à  au sud-est de Jihlava et à  au sud-est de Prague.

La commune est limitée par Vladislav au nord et à l'est, par Dolní Vilémovice au sud, et par Klučov et Kožichovice à l'ouest.

Histoire
La première mention écrite de la localité date de 1101.

Administration
La commune se compose de trois quartiers :
 Okrašovice
 Pozďátky
 Slavičky

Transports
Par la route, Slavičky se trouve à  de Třebíč, à  de Jihlava et à  de Prague.

Notes et références

Commune dans le district de Třebíč