text:
Black Writers Museums in Pennsylvania
Literary Pennsylvania
©Author Adventures
Black Writers' History in Philadelphia
Philadelphia has long had a stronghold on places that recognize its gifted and historically valuable African-American writers and artists. This page will focus on three of these venues, offering a full day of literary joy.
African American Museum
The African American Museum is a thriving center of learning at 701 Arch Street, with multiple galleries and programs for all ages. Only a block away from Indepedence National Historic Park, a highlight is Audacious Freedom, a permanent exhibit featuring "Ten full-size video projections of trailblazers from 18th Century Philadelphia," according to the Museum's website at https://www.aampmuseum.org.
The video projections include two very influential writers: the Right Reverend Richard Allen (1760-1831), also known as Bishop Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and poet Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911). Read about Allen's writing here: https://docsouth.unc.edu. An excellent example of Harper's poetry can be read here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52448/learning-to-read.
Black Writers Museum
The Black Writers Museum at 5300 Germantown Avenue is in northern Philadelphia and is housed in a building that was originally built as a luxurious home at the beginning of the 19th century.
"The mission of the Black Writers Museum is to provide a venue and forum for the public to explore, celebrate, and experience the wonders of writing and reading through the exhibition and study of Black Literature. Our mission is to inspire and cultivate another generation of writers, public speakers and literary giants that will tell the story of history as seen through their eyes and expressed in their vernacular," according to its website at https://www.blackwritersmuseum.com.
In addition to the ongoing offerings of the facility, its signature event is the People's Poetry and Jazz Festival, held annually in August. Literary exhibits, including thousands of print items, range from the early 19th century to the Harlem Renaissance to the Black Arts Movement and beyond.
Charles L. Blocksun Afro American Collection at Temple University
The Charles L. Blocksun Afro American Collection at Temple University Library is the home to a robust collection of more than 700,000 print artifacts connected to Black history in Philadelphia. Visitors intending to do research should contact this institution in advance at (215) 204-4723.
According to its website at https://guides.temple.edu/blocksoncollection, "Researchers will find rare works such as, Leo Africanus' A geographical historie of Africa (1600), Phillis Wheatley's Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral (1773), Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African (1789), David Walker's Walker's Appeal (1830), Frederick Douglass' Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass: an American slave (1845), W.E.B. Du Bois' The Philadelphia Negro: a Social Study (1899) and many other important publications."
This part of the Pennsylvania Author Adventures Trail can be traveled as its own tour in a full day, blended with other Philadelphia literary sites, or combined with even more Pennsylvania stops as part of several days of literary travel.
The map at the top of this page is for the places described on this page only. The map belows shows how they can be woven through the other historic literary sites in Philadelphia.


WORK Turbochargers built our first BorgWarner S300SX series direct fit Buick turbocharger almost almost 5 years ago, and we have been excited about this option ever since! With the release of the latest SXE model from BorgWarner, Buick owners have even more options for a 100% USA made turbocharger to fit their Buick. Our SXE line comes with every possible upgrade we offer, ensuring you nothing but the best for your Buick. These units feature our 3 bolt direct fit exhaust housing and require a 4" MAF pipe and a 1/4" NPT -4 A/N oil feed line. We only offer these units for use with an external wastegate, however we offer our HP wastegate actuator kit if you wish to utilize a factory style swing valve gate.
The SXE family of turbochargers is going to work best if you are looking for 600+ HP out of your Buick build. WORK recommends a bare minimum of a 3000 stall speed converter, ported heads/intake, camshaft and intercooler upgrades for these units to perform properly. Each SXE turbocharger is built to order, lead time is usually 2 weeks or less. You will receive an email update with lead time after you place your order. We have over 25 years of Buick building experience, feel free to contact us directly if you have specific questions, we are here to help!


New York – Two dogs trained to detect ivory by scent recently made their first bust by helping government authorities seize four elephant tusks in a village outside Tanzania's Ruaha National Park, according to WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society).
Under the guidance of WCS and Wagtail UK Ltd., the newly deployed team of specially trained dogs and handlers from Tanzanian National Parks (TANAPA) can detect a variety of illegal wildlife products, arms and ammunition.
The recent ivory seizures were initiated on Saturday, August 13, when authorities received a report of illegal ivory being stored at a specific residence. The mobile dog unit was deployed to conduct a late night house search. Jenny, a Belgian Malinois dog, and her handler checked all the rooms—some packed high with bags of rice—but to no avail.
However, within minutes of starting to search the compound outside, Jenny's keen sense of smell detected something hidden under a parked vehicle. Her trusty nose led to the discovery of four concealed tusks hidden in plastic. TANAPA officials reported that the four tusks found are small, presumably from young elephants that had not even reached middle age.
One man was immediately taken into custody and is assisting the authorities with their enquiries. The detection dog unit will now work with police, zonal anti-poaching units, and other authorities in the region who will follow up the case.
WCS conservationists pointed out that the recent seizures and arrest stemmed from two years of work on the project, ranging from the building of safe kennels, training the dogs and handlers, ensuring the dogs' health in the Ruaha environment, and equipping a special vehicle that can be rapidly deployed when intelligence arrives.
The canine unit is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Tanzania as well as the Wyss Foundation, which also supports WCS's anti-poaching efforts in the region.


Our most delicated proposal. Its vaporous fabric and embroidery details will make the difference.
Because we are proud to be a woman and we love our gender, we wanted to give a special meaning for this season's solidarity product. Therefore, we join our project to the International Women's Day and we want to help to give voice and regain control of their lives to all those women whose freedom has been stolen.
25% of the benefits will be donated to the NGO Apramp, to help in the fight against the trafficking of women and girls. Apramp aids women who have suffered sexual exploitation to rebuild their lives, recovering their dignity and freedom.
One message, two colors. Choose yours!
We sneak into Sandra's studio.
Discover her studio and @sanfangs selection for the Winter season.


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Cetuximab News and Research
Cetuximab is an investigational IgG1 monoclonal antibody designed to target and block the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), which is expressed on the surface of certain cancer cells in multiple tumor types. Cetuximab is designed to bind to EGFR and prevent natural ligands called growth factors from binding to the receptor and inducing phosphorylation, i.e., activation of signaling to the tumor. The most common drug-related adverse events reported in clinical trials of cetuximab have been an acne-like rash and asthenia. Severe allergic reactions may occur in a small percentage of patients.
Cetuximab - What is Cetuximab?
Cetuximab Indications
Cetuximab Biomarkers
Cetuximab Side Effects
Cetuximab KRAS Testing
Cetuximab Uses
CAR T-cell therapy in colorectal cancer
Researchers assessed the efficacy of CAR T-cells in the immunotherapy of colorectal cancer.
MIT chemists discover how changes in a shape-shifting receptor trigger cell growth
Receptors found on cell surfaces bind to hormones, proteins, and other molecules, helping cells respond to their environment.
Salk study could help find better treatment options for colorectal cancer patients
Patients with colorectal cancer were among the first to receive targeted therapies. These drugs aim to block the cancer-causing proteins that trigger out-of-control cell growth while sparing healthy tissues.
Topical therapy can help safely reduce side effect of cancer treatment
Patients with advanced colorectal cancer may be spared from a toxic side effect caused by a type of targeted therapy used to treat the cancer with the help of another drug normally used to treat melanoma, according to a study led by researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Salk joins a long list of recipients included in The Conrad Prebys Foundation's inaugural grant cycle
Salk Professor Thomas Albright has been awarded $1 million and Assistant Professor Edward Stites awarded $500,000 by The Conrad Prebys Foundation as part of its inaugural round of grants.
Proteogenomics can help determine effective treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Proteogenomic analysis may offer new insight into matching cancer patients with an effective therapy for their particular cancer.
First comparative data of encorafenib and paradox breaker inhibitors in BRAF mutant CRC
Oncotarget Volume 11, Issue 34 features Figure 1, "BRAF inhibitor-induced changes in cell viability," by Pickles, et al which reported that the BEACON CRC trial demonstrated a survival advantage over chemotherapy for a combination of targeted agents comprising the potent BRAF inhibitor encorafenib together with cetuximab and binimetinib.
Turning autoimmunity drugs into anti-cancer treatments
Professor Mark Cragg speaks to News-Medical about his research which involves turning autoimmunity drugs into anti-cancer treatments.
Immunotherapy doubles progression-free survival time of patients with advanced bowel cancer
A large international trial involving UCL and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) has found that pembrolizumab, a form of immunotherapy, more than doubled the 'progression free survival' time of patients with a specific subtype of advanced bowel cancer, when compared with chemotherapy.
SU2C commends FDA's approval of new cancer therapy
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) welcomed the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval this month of encorafenib in combination with cetuximab for patients with advanced BRAF-mutated colorectal cancer.
Study: Chemoradiation regimen for Stage III NSCLC is better than two tested alternatives
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and approximately 75-80% of all cases are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Understanding Monoclonal Antibody Unfolding and Aggregation
A therapeutic monoclonal antibody and its Fab and Fc fragments were recently investigated using differential scanning fluorimetry, temperature-ramped dynamic light scattering, and turbidity measurements.
From Wyatt Technology 8 Nov 2019
Study: Checkpoint inhibitor prolongs survival in patients with head and neck cancers
The checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) offers patients with advanced head and neck cancers longer survival time, according to a new global study led by Yale Cancer Center (YCC). The data was published today in the journal The Lancet.
Repurposed quinacrine can reduce tumor burden in mice bearing HNSCC xenograft tumors
The authors have developed the Accelera TED platform to repurpose drugs for HNSCC treatment; using in vitro assays and in vivo models.
Triplet therapy could benefit patients with BRAF-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer
Results presented today at the ESMO Congress 2019, Barcelona 27 September - 01 October, during the second Proffered Paper Session on Gastrointestinal tumors (colorectal) by VHIO's Director, Josep Tabernero, show that the triplet combination of the BRAF inhibitor, encorafenib, MEK inhibitor, binimetinib, and EGFR inhibitor, cetuximab, not only significantly improves overall survival but also increases objective response rates compared with standard of care in patients with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer.
New trial shows improved survival for patients with advanced colorectal BRAF-mutant cancer
A clinical trial has shown that using a combination of three drugs that target a BRAF gene mutation in patients with mCRC effectively boosts overall survival.
Study: Three-drug combination improves overall survival in patients with mCRC
The three-drug combination of encorafenib, binimetinib and cetuximab significantly improved overall survival (OS) in patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), according to results of the BEACON CRC Phase III clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
New drug combinations and dosing schedules improve outlook in advanced colon cancer
Advanced colon cancer often spreads widely and may not respond to standard chemotherapy. In such a case, a novel combination of drugs and flexible dosing may help achieve a better outlook, as demonstrated by several new studies.
Identifying colorectal cancer subtypes in patients could help provide better care
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., expected to cause about 51,000 deaths in 2019. But until now, it was unclear which drugs were most effective for which patients.
Identifying subtype of colorectal cancer may help oncologists determine most effective treatment
Top Health
Bivalent BA.4-5 or BA.1 mRNA-booster given as a fourth dose associated with increased protection against COVID-19 hospitalization and death
Survey of previously vaccinated US residents finds the most common reasons for not getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine
Study suggests Alzheimer's disease diagnosis is associated with higher levels of soluble ACE2 in the human brain
Analysis of adverse events in older US adults after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination
Researchers estimate COVID-19 Omicron variant mortality in Denmark
Recent Advancements in Treating HIV
The Benefits of Healthy Fats
Implicit vs. Explicit Memories
The Importance of Core Strength for Overall Fitness
The Genetics of Hypertension
Win 1 of 15 EVOLVE manual pipette starter packs from INTEGRA Biosciences
Biology underlying pair bonding and parenting may not be dictated by oxytocin receptors, study shows
$2 million grant to help identify and avert threats for students in rural Missouri schools
Nerve stimulation therapy for spinal cord injuries shows promise in animal studies
Researchers discover how measles virus can cause a rare but fatal neurological disorder
Omics eBook

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
https://apnews.com/press-release/globe-newswire/business-africa-lawsuits-class-action-lawsuits-e7fa2ca3f28783d4056d9917e22c5368
AMRN, BMRN & RECAF – Class Action Alerts: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCNovember 12, 2021 GMT
NEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC reminds investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against the following publicly-traded companies. You can review a copy of the Complaints by visiting the links below or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Nathanson of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss, you can request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Amarin Corporation plc (NASDAQ: AMRN)
Class Period: December 5, 2018 - June 21, 2021
For more info: www.bgandg.com/amrn.
The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) there was an increasingly high risk that certain of Amarin's patents would be invalidated; (2) once the District Court invalidated certain of Amarin's patents, there was little to no chance of reversing that ruling; (3) Amarin's litigation was preventing it from effectuating a successful takeover; and (4) Amarin was downplaying the true threat the ongoing ANDA litigation posed to the Company's business and future prospects.
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: BMRN)
Class Period: January 13, 2020 - September 3, 2021
For more info: www.bgandg.com/bmrn.
The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) BMN 307 was less safe than BioMarin had led investors to believe; (2) BMN 307′s safety profile made it likely that the FDA would place a clinical hold on the Phearless Phase 1/2 study; (3) accordingly, the Company had overstated BMN 307′s clinical and commercial prospects; and (4) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. f/k/a Lund Enterprises Corp. (OTC: RECAF, LGDOF)
Class Period: February 28, 2019 - September 7, 2021
For more info: www.bgandg.com/recaf.
The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) ReconAfrica's plan for using unconventional means for energy extraction (including fracking) in the fragile Kavango area; (2) that ReconAfrica would begin unlicensed drilling tests; (3) that ReconAfrica would illegally use water for well testing; (4) that ReconAfrica would illegally store used water in unlined pools; (5) that ReconAfrica would skirt Namibian law and hire an inadequate and inappropriate consultant; (6) that, as a result, ReconAfrica risked future well, drilling, and water-related licenses in Namibia and Botswana; (7) that, as opposed to its representations, ReconAfrica did not reach out nor provide adequate information (including in relevant local languages) through accessible means to those to be impacted by its testing and potential energy extraction; (8) that ReconAfrica's interests are in the Owambo Basin, not the so-called Kavango Basin; (9) that ReconAfrica has continuously engaged in stock pumping; and (10) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
Peretz Bronstein or Yael Nathanson
212-697-6484 | info@bgandg.com


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Alleged N3Billion Fraud: Trial Of Former President Jonathan's Aide, Olejeme Stalled Over Claims She Has Acute Diabetes
Justice Aliyu, therefore, fixed December 6 for resumption of the trial.
by SaharaReporters, New York Nov 29, 2021
The prosecution of a former Director of Finance in the defunct President Goodluck Jonathan's Campaign Organisation, Dr Ngozi Olejeme in an alleged N3 billion fraud was put on hold on Monday in Abuja as a result of an acute diabetes ailment allegedly suffered by the accused person.
Justice Maryam Hassan Aliyu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) postponed the trial to December 6 following a passionate plea by her counsel, Mr Paul Erokoro (SAN) to that effect.
When the trial was to commence, Erokoro told the Judge that doctors treating Mrs Olejeme had called her to report immediately to the hospital as she was having fainting spells, Daily Post reports.
The senior lawyer said the defendant had been diabetic and hypertensive for 30 years and had had four major surgeries in the United States of America and South Africa.
According to him, she recently suffered heart failure and tested positive for COVID-19.
He said she was still in the recovery process.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on October 21 arraigned Mrs Olejeme on nine counts.
She was accused of abusing her office, receiving a bribe, awarding contracts without due process, among others.
Mrs Olejeme, a former Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), was on October 22 admitted to bail by the Judge after spending 24 hours in the custody of the anti-graft agency on the order of the court.
Justice Aliyu adopted the conditions attached to the administrative bail earlier granted Olejeme by the prosecuting agency, EFCC in 2017 to admit her to bail.
The conditions are that the defendant
would produce two Deputy Directors in government employment to stand as her sureties.
In one of the counts, Mrs Olejeme was alleged to have "dishonestly received the sum of N22,200,000.00" from a contractor with NSITF into her personal GTBank account.
CRIME Woman Sets Husband's Other Wife, Seven Children On Fire
Legal Sowore: Body Of SANs Knocks Nigerian Government, Demands Investigation Into Court Invasion


text:
package fredboat.audio.queue;

import com.sedmelluq.discord.lavaplayer.player.AudioLoadResultHandler;
import com.sedmelluq.discord.lavaplayer.player.AudioPlayerManager;
import com.sedmelluq.discord.lavaplayer.source.youtube.YoutubeAudioTrack;
import com.sedmelluq.discord.lavaplayer.tools.FriendlyException;
import com.sedmelluq.discord.lavaplayer.track.AudioPlaylist;
import com.sedmelluq.discord.lavaplayer.track.AudioTrack;
import fredboat.audio.GuildPlayer;
import fredboat.feature.I18n;
import fredboat.util.TextUtils;
import fredboat.util.YoutubeAPI;
import fredboat.util.YoutubeVideo;
import net.dv8tion.jda.core.MessageBuilder;
import org.apache.commons.lang3.tuple.ImmutablePair;
import org.apache.commons.lang3.tuple.Pair;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import java.text.MessageFormat;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentLinkedQueue;
import java.util.regex.Matcher;
import java.util.regex.Pattern;

public class AudioLoader implements AudioLoadResultHandler {

    private static final org.slf4j.Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(AudioLoader.class);

    //Matches a timestamp and the description
    private static final Pattern SPLIT_DESCRIPTION_PATTERN = Pattern.compile("(.*?)[( \\[]*((?:\\d?\\d:)?\\d?\\d:\\d\\d)[) \\]]*(.*)");
    private static final int QUEUE_TRACK_LIMIT = 10000;

    private final ITrackProvider trackProvider;
    private final AudioPlayerManager playerManager;
    private final GuildPlayer gplayer;
    private final ConcurrentLinkedQueue<IdentifierContext> identifierQueue = new ConcurrentLinkedQueue<>();
    private IdentifierContext context = null;
    private volatile boolean isLoading = false;

    public AudioLoader(ITrackProvider trackProvider, AudioPlayerManager playerManager, GuildPlayer gplayer) {
        this.trackProvider = trackProvider;
        this.playerManager = playerManager;
        this.gplayer = gplayer;
    }

    public void loadAsync(IdentifierContext ic) {
        identifierQueue.add(ic);
        if (!isLoading) {
            loadNextAsync();
        }
    }

    private void loadNextAsync() {
        try {
            IdentifierContext ic = identifierQueue.poll();
            if (ic != null) {
                isLoading = true;
                context = ic;

                if (gplayer.getRemainingTracks().size() >= QUEUE_TRACK_LIMIT) {
                    TextUtils.replyWithName(gplayer.getActiveTextChannel(), context.getMember(), "You can't add tracks to a queue with more than " + QUEUE_TRACK_LIMIT + " tracks! This is to prevent abuse.");
                    isLoading = false;
                    return;
                }

                playerManager.loadItem(ic.identifier, this);
            } else {
                isLoading = false;
            }
        } catch (Throwable th) {
            handleThrowable(context, th);
            isLoading = false;
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void trackLoaded(AudioTrack at) {
        try {
            if(context.isSplit()){
                loadSplit(at, context);
            } else {

                if (!context.isQuiet()) {
                    context.getTextChannel().sendMessage(
                            gplayer.isPlaying() ?
                                    MessageFormat.format(I18n.get(context.getMember().getGuild()).getString("loadSingleTrack"), at.getInfo().title)
                                    :
                                    MessageFormat.format(I18n.get(context.getMember().getGuild()).getString("loadSingleTrackAndPlay"), at.getInfo().title)
                    ).queue();
                } else {
                    log.info("Quietly loaded " + at.getIdentifier());
                }

                at.setPosition(context.getPosition());

                trackProvider.add(new AudioTrackContext(at, context.getMember()));
                if (!gplayer.isPaused()) {
                    gplayer.play();
                }
            }
        } catch (Throwable th) {
            handleThrowable(context, th);
        }
        loadNextAsync();
    }

    @Override
    public void playlistLoaded(AudioPlaylist ap) {
        try {
            if(context.isSplit()){
                TextUtils.replyWithName(context.getTextChannel(), context.getMember(), I18n.get(context.getTextChannel().getGuild()).getString("loadPlaySplitListFail"));
                loadNextAsync();
                return;
            }

            context.getTextChannel().sendMessage(
                    MessageFormat.format(I18n.get(context.getTextChannel().getGuild()).getString("loadListSuccess"), ap.getTracks().size(), ap.getName())
            ).queue();

            for (AudioTrack at : ap.getTracks()) {
                trackProvider.add(new AudioTrackContext(at, context.getMember()));
            }
            if (!gplayer.isPaused()) {
                gplayer.play();
            }
        } catch (Throwable th) {
            handleThrowable(context, th);
        }
        loadNextAsync();
    }

    @Override
    public void noMatches() {
        try {
            context.getTextChannel().sendMessage(MessageFormat.format(I18n.get(context.getTextChannel().getGuild()).getString("loadNoMatches"), context.identifier)).queue();
        } catch (Throwable th) {
            handleThrowable(context, th);
        }
        loadNextAsync();
    }

    @Override
    public void loadFailed(FriendlyException fe) {
        handleThrowable(context, fe);

        loadNextAsync();
    }

    private void loadSplit(AudioTrack at, IdentifierContext ic){
        if(!(at instanceof YoutubeAudioTrack)){
            ic.getTextChannel().sendMessage(I18n.get(ic.getTextChannel().getGuild()).getString("loadSplitNotYouTube")).queue();
            return;
        }
        YoutubeAudioTrack yat = (YoutubeAudioTrack) at;

        YoutubeVideo yv = YoutubeAPI.getVideoFromID(yat.getIdentifier(), true);
        String desc = yv.getDescription();
        Matcher m = SPLIT_DESCRIPTION_PATTERN.matcher(desc);

        ArrayList<Pair<Long, String>> pairs = new ArrayList<>();

        while(m.find()) {
            long timestamp;
            try {
                timestamp = TextUtils.parseTimeString(m.group(2));
            } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
                continue;
            }

            String title1 = m.group(1);
            String title2 = m.group(3);

            if(title1.length() > title2.length()) {
                pairs.add(new ImmutablePair<>(timestamp, title1));
            } else {
                pairs.add(new ImmutablePair<>(timestamp, title2));
            }

        }

        if(pairs.size() < 2) {
            ic.getTextChannel().sendMessage(I18n.get(ic.getTextChannel().getGuild()).getString("loadSplitNotResolves")).queue();
            return;
        }

        ArrayList<SplitAudioTrackContext> list = new ArrayList<>();

        int i = 0;
        for(Pair<Long, String> pair : pairs){
            long startPos;
            long endPos;

            if(i != pairs.size() - 1){
                // Not last
                startPos = pair.getLeft();
                endPos = pairs.get(i + 1).getLeft();
            } else {
                // Last
                startPos = pair.getLeft();
                endPos = at.getDuration();
            }

            AudioTrack newAt = at.makeClone();
            newAt.setPosition(startPos);

            SplitAudioTrackContext atc = new SplitAudioTrackContext(newAt, ic.getMember(), startPos, endPos, pair.getRight());

            list.add(atc);
            gplayer.queue(atc);

            i++;
        }

        MessageBuilder mb = new MessageBuilder()
                .append(I18n.get(ic.getTextChannel().getGuild()).getString("loadFollowingTracksAdded") + "\n");
        for(SplitAudioTrackContext atc : list) {
            mb.append("`[")
                    .append(TextUtils.formatTime(atc.getEffectiveDuration()))
                    .append("]` ")
                    .append(atc.getEffectiveTitle())
                    .append("\n");
        }

        //This is pretty spammy .. let's use a shorter one
        if(mb.length() > 800){
            mb = new MessageBuilder()
                    .append(MessageFormat.format(I18n.get(ic.getTextChannel().getGuild()).getString("loadPlaylistTooMany"), list.size()));
        }

        context.getTextChannel().sendMessage(mb.build()).queue();

    }

    @SuppressWarnings("ThrowableResultIgnored")
    private void handleThrowable(IdentifierContext ic, Throwable th) {
        try {
            if (th instanceof FriendlyException) {
                FriendlyException fe = (FriendlyException) th;
                if (fe.severity == FriendlyException.Severity.COMMON) {
                    if (ic.getTextChannel() != null) {
                        context.getTextChannel().sendMessage(MessageFormat.format(I18n.get(ic.getTextChannel().getGuild()).getString("loadErrorCommon"), context.identifier, fe.getMessage())).queue();
                    } else {
                        log.error("Error while loading track ", th);
                    }
                } else if (ic.getTextChannel() != null) {
                    context.getTextChannel().sendMessage(MessageFormat.format(I18n.get(ic.getTextChannel().getGuild()).getString("loadErrorSusp"), context.identifier)).queue();
                    Throwable exposed = fe.getCause() == null ? fe : fe.getCause();
                    TextUtils.handleException(exposed, context.getTextChannel());
                } else {
                    log.error("Error while loading track ", th);
                }
            } else if (ic.getTextChannel() != null) {
                context.getTextChannel().sendMessage(I18n.get(ic.getTextChannel().getGuild()).getString("loadErrorSusp")).queue();
                TextUtils.handleException(th, context.getTextChannel());
            } else {
                log.error("Error while loading track ", th);
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            log.error("Error when trying to handle another error", th);
            log.error("DEBUG", e);
        }
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Man Uses Fake Arm To Get COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate Without Getting Jabbed
3 min read 171 Shares
Gursharan BhallaUpdated on Dec 04, 2021, 13:19 IST
He said such an act was "unacceptable faced with the sacrifice that our entire community has paid during the pandemic, in terms of human lives, the social and economic cost."Since August, a "Green Pass" showing proof of vaccination, recent recovery from coronavirus or a negative test has been required for indoor dining in restaurants, to visit museums, cinemas, theatres and attend sporting events.
A 50-year-old man in Italy's Piemonte, Turin, used a bizarre trick to fool the healthcare workers to get Europe's COVID vaccine green pass without actually getting the coronavirus jab.
He showed up at the vaccination center with a 'prosthetic arm' to apparently game the system, but ended up getting caught and was later reported to the Italian police in the northern city of Biella.
After getting caught, the man tried to persuade the nurse to turn a blind eye to his trickery. However, the nurse reported him to authorities, Italian newspaper la Repubblica reported.
Vaccine rules tightened in Italy
Covid surge in Italy again
Looked "very similar" to real skin
His so-called silicone on the prosthetic arm looked "very similar" to real skin, the head of the Piedmont regional government, Albert Cirio, said in a statement on Facebook.
He revealed the entire incident on Facebook, informing that 50-year-old showed up, signed a consent form then pulled up the sleeve to the fake arm and convinced the nurse named Filippa Bua into giving him a jab in order to obtain a COVID vaccine certificate.
"The case borders on the ridiculous, if it were not for the fact we are talking about a gesture of enormous gravity," Cirio, further said in the statement.
He said such an act was "unacceptable faced with the sacrifice that our entire community has paid during the pandemic, in terms of human lives, the social and economic cost."
The fake arm incident comes ahead of a tightening of the rules Monday in Italy for people who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Since August, a "Green Pass" showing proof of vaccination, recent recovery from coronavirus or a negative test has been required for indoor dining in restaurants, to visit museums, cinemas, theatres and attend sporting events.
But from December 6, these activities will be restricted to holders of a "Super Green Pass", which is only available to those who have been vaccinated or recently had Covid-19.
The old Green Pass was extended in October to cover all workplaces, and remains valid for this purpose, meaning the unvaccinated can still go to work by showing a recent negative test.
The new restrictions -- the subject of small protests in city centres across Italy on most weekends -- were introduced following an increase in Covid-19 cases, exacerbated in recent days by fears over the new variant Omicron.
Italy was the first European country to be hit by the pandemic in early 2020, but is currently faring better than many of its neighbours.
On Thursday, 16,800 new cases were reported in the previous 24 hours, with 72 deaths. Almost 85 percent of the eligible population (aged over 12) are already fully vaccinated, and this week the option of a booster dose was extended to all adults.
For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


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A Meaning to Life
Michael Ruse
Philosophy in Action
A prominent and distinguished philosopher writing on an essential question of perennial interest
Written accessibly and presents complex issues in an entertaining way
Integrates Darwinian explanations of human life with deeper existential questions about meaning
Does human life have any meaning? Does the question even make sense today? For centuries, the question of the meaning or purpose of human life was assumed by scholars and theologians to have a religious answer: life has meaning because humans were made in the image of a good god. In the 19th century, however, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution changed everything-and the human organism was seen to be more machine than spirit. Ever since, with the rise of science and decline of religious belief, there has been growing interest-and growing doubt-about whether human life really does have meaning. If it does, where might we find it?
The historian and philosopher of science Michael Ruse investigates this question, and wonders whether we can find a new meaning to life within Darwinian views of human nature. If God no longer exists-or if God no longer cares-rather than promoting a bleak nihilism, many Darwinians think we can convert Darwin into a form of secular humanism. Ruse explains that, in a tradition going back to the time of Darwin himself, and represented today by the evolutionist E. O. Wilson, evolution is seen as progress-"from monad to man"-and that positive meaning is found in continuing and supporting this upwards path of life. In A Meaning to Life, Michael Ruse argues that this is a false turn, and there is no real progress in the evolutionary process. Rather, meaning in the Darwinian age can be found if we turn to a kind of Darwinian existentialism, seeing our evolved human nature as the source of all meaning, both in the intellectual and social worlds. Ruse argues that it is only by accepting our true nature-evolved over millennia- that humankind can truly find what is meaningful.
Chapter One: The Unraveling of Belief
Chapter Two: Has Religion Really Lost the Answer?
Chapter Three: Darwinism as Religion
Chapter Four: Darwinian Existentialism
Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University
Michael Ruse is the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science, at Florida State University. He has written or edited more than fifty books, including most recently On Purpose (2017) and the OUP volumes Darwinism as Religion (2016), and The Problem of War (2018).
"Casual and clear, and always engaging in his writing..." - Matthew Allen Newland, State University of New York, Recensions et Comptes Rendus
"Overall, the book is informed by both the broadly historical and personal qualities that follow from Ruse's professional expertise. His perspective on life's meaning(s) carries an overall tone that shadows his self-described personal past, one that emphasizes morality's entwinement with the social and the wonderment of the "in-between" in all of its strangeness and peculiarity." - Alison K. McConwell, Quarterly Review of Biology
"A Meaning to Life engagingly addresses the essential question of meaning in life, and is written by a philosopher of evolutionary biology who has wrestled with this difficult issue throughout his long and distinguished career. Michael Ruse takes the reader on a personal journey, starting with the ways in which meaning has been viewed by religious and secular thinkers, then turning to how science overturned our understanding of meaning, and finally drawing on Darwinian biology to present a framework for his own position. While confident in the capacities of science, Ruse humbly ventures his own approach to questions that ultimately lie beyond the reach of science. This book is a must read as a model of Socratic honesty about meaning in life." - Michael L. Peterson, Professor of Philosophy, Asbury Theological Seminary, and author of C. S. Lewis and the Christian Worldview
"Another valuable book from the inimitable Michael Ruse who continues to write about religion and related matters in a way that is intelligent and neither fawning nor condescending. Do not be deceived by the apparent lightness of touch and endless Ruse humor (particularly about warthogs); this is a book with rich insights on almost every page." - Michael J. Reiss, University College London
"Thoroughly infused with autobiography, casual erudition, and the characteristic humor of its author, A Meaning to Life gives an account of its title for a world in which the nature of humanity stems not from relations to God or religion, but to evolution. Tracing right and wrong turns in Darwinian conceptions of meaning, its provocative, "existentialist" proposal demands attention." - Anjan Chakravartty, University of Miami
The Problem of War
On Romantic Love
Unruly Women
Falguni A. Sheth
Lovers in Essence
Sharon Krishek
Uri Maoz, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong
The Character Gap
Christian Miller
Hobbes's Political Philosophy
A.P. Martinich
The Best Things in Life
Thomas Hurka
The Oxford Handbook of Population Ethics
Gustaf Arrhenius, Krister Bykvist, Tim Campbell, Elizabeth Finneron-Burns
Karolina Hubner
What is Freedom?
Toby Buckle
Darwinism as Religion
Arts & Humanities > Philosophy > Moral Philosophy
Arts & Humanities > Philosophy > Philosophy of Religion
Arts & Humanities > Philosophy > Philosophy of Action
Arts & Humanities > Religion > Philosophy of Religion


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Archive for the 'Quantum' category
« Mike Cane 2008 home page
Reference: Quantum Time
The Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
I am excited about this because as I said before, it "feels" right and helps explain the almost psychic behavior of photons in quantum computers. They react to possibilities that have NOT YET Occurred in our present. This is to put it mildly, a huge mind-fuck.
I must read this thoroughly.
Did Einstein Have A Theory Of Loopholes?
Categories: Other, Personal, Quantum, Reference - Life, Reference - Science, Reference - Tech, Reference - Writing, Science, Tech - Other, Writing
Chronicles Of Depression 2.0: #346: Taleb
I told you so: bankers are brainless
Taleb is in a state of considerable excitement. He is greatly in demand because his recent book, The Black Swan, includes a scathing attack on the financial system. For years he has railed against the banks – bad risks taken for the wrong reasons by incompetent people using bogus financial models. Any fool can say that now. Taleb saw it coming.
"The financial ecology is swelling into gigantic, incestuous, bureaucratic banks," he wrote in The Black Swan. "When one falls, they all fall." Taleb's ideas, widely ridiculed by economists at the time, are being vindicated.
Emphasis added by me.
His book, Fooled by Randomness, is one everybody should read. It's one of those rare books that is universal in thought and no matter what your particular interest, it can enhance your thinking about that and everything else.
I wish now I'd written to him when I first read it, shortly after it came out. It's too late now. He's mobbed.
But I absolutely love this guy. Some more quotes from this article:
Taleb's writing is a passionate attack on several of modern society's favourite ideas. First, expertise – "idiots in ties," Taleb calls so-called experts.
He is suspicious of received wisdom. 'We think we know infinitely more than we do. We used to think that mother's milk was no better than bottled milk because we couldn't find anything special in it. Now we know that Mother Nature knew better than us."
Taleb's contempt for self-reinforcing cabals of experts cuts across disciplines: "Academics are usually subhuman." When my pen pauses and I look up, he adds: "You can say I said that – they are. Academia has nothing to do with producing knowledge. They produce PR. The four most important thinkers of modern history – Freud, Marx, Einstein, Darwin – none was a conventional academic."
Sidenote: Who is trying to fix this global financial mess?
Bernanke: An academic!
Scared now?
More wonderfulness:
"When someone says he's busy, he means that he's incompetent," says Taleb. Having a stupidly busy schedule isn't a sign of being important. It means that you become insulated from the real world."
There's lots of that around! (You think $400M-bonused Dick Fuld walked the streets of New York City? What? And risk ruining his Gucci loafers?!)
Understanding luck and randomness has practical benefits for us all. "Leave some space and time redundant," Taleb says. "It's good for dealing with black swans." Like slack in the system? "Exactly. We all need slack. Capitalism doesn't teach slack. It teaches optimisation – if the banks had had twice the capital, this crisis never would have happened."
I haven't read Black Swan yet. I don't know if that's in the book itself.
But what did I say on September 23 in Chronicles Of Depression 2.0: #225 —
And you'll hear it here first now too: The bailout will FAIL.
They are applying old self-destructive greedy solutions to a problem that requires — for lack of a better business-y term — massive amounts of Slack.
Slack!
This is not something any of them are prepared to give.
And since they want to keep holding tight, they will strangle to death the very thing they're trying to save.
They are seeking a logical solution. This requires a stochastic solution.
Emphasis in original.
This is a man, you eejits:
The colourless conformity of corporate life appals Taleb: "Screw the money. No money can compensate for being turned into a rat in a cage." In a typical piece of intellectual mischief, his next book describes how two of his fictional characters meet Socrates when the Greek philosopher visits the modern world. One of them predicts that Socrates will notice the absence of slaves. "Absence of slaves?" the second replies. "We've got plenty of slaves. You can identify them because they wear neckties."
Master of the Universe Self-Delusion
He had talents equal to business, and aspired no higher.
— Tacitus
And finally, here is a snapshot of Taleb's home page, with red highlighting by me:
Click = big
Yeah: Screw your money!
Think of it! Greed, ignorance. All television and no literature — think! And now any one thing is good as any other. Why, I can remember when people used to fall helplessly in love. … Now these sons of bitches love their goddamn jobs, so-called, more than their goddamn wives!
— Lee, by Tito Perdue; pgs. 64-65
Screw. Your. Money.
At the old blog:
Overclock Your Mind
Categories: Bank Collapse Watch, Books - Other, C.O.A.T. - Belief, C.O.A.T. - Money, C.O.A.T. - Politics, C.O.A.T. - Scams, C.O.A.T. - Self-Defense, Depression 2.0, Quantum, Reference - Life, Reference - Science, Science, Stock Market Crash Watch, Writers - Living, Writing
Quantum Weirdness Of Human Beings
Ordinarily, this should be in blockquote, but I find it makes lengthy items too difficult to read.
So, quote on …
Harold Stephan:
Speaking of Phil [Spector], he told one of the coolest stories ever relayed to me in my career, which is worth sharing. It was about the time he and John Lennon were working on "Imagine". It was prompted by a conversation we were having, ironically, about Phil's losing faith in humanity. Since I'm the perennial optimist, we had different points of view. So did he and John. John believed in human potential.
As the story goes John and Phil were working on "Imagine" and John was telling Phil about his belief that it was possible for human beings to communicate mentally without words. Phil was skeptical. That night Phil awoke out of a dream where he dreamt John was telling him that he wanted to change some of the instrumentation on "Imagine". A few seconds later (in real life) Phil's phone rang and it was John, who curtly said, "Now do you believe me, you asshole?" and then hung up.
… quote off.
Now if that hasn't spooked you, here are a bunch of anecdotes related to the author of Among the Heroes: United Flight 93 and the Passengers and Crew Who Fought Back, Jere Longman:
Quote on …
Jeremy Glick
He [Jeremy Glick] had been scheduled to fly out the day before, but he had called [his wife Lyz] to say there was a fire at Newark Airport and his flight had been canceled. The next available flight would not put him in San Francisco until the middle of the night. He decided to go home to Hewitt, New Jersey, and try again this morning. Lyz Glick felt secretly pleased. The previous weekend, when Jeremy mentioned his travel plans, a wave of fear overcame her. They were standing in the kitchen, and when Jeremy told her of his Monday flight, she became anxious. She didn't worry when he flew, but she had a bad feeling about this one. She felt almost sick. A college roommate had died in the crash of a small family plane. Quickly, Lyz tried to put the thought out of her head. Don't be so silly, she told herself. These things don't happen. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place. She did not tell Jeremy of her feelings, and when his plans changed, she felt relieved. — page 20
Mark Bingham & Matt Hall
Flying made Mark [Bingham] nervously said Paul Holm, his former partner. He would grow tense. Mark liked being in control and, in the air, he felt he lacked authority. This apprehension, however, did not keep him from flying frequently between the coasts. As Hall drove away from the airport, his cell phone rang. It was Mark. "Thanks for driving," he said. "I made the plane. I'm in first class, drinking a glass of, orange juice."
A curious vision popped into Hall's head. Mark was sitting in his first-class seat, smiling at him, the sun coming through the window over his shoulder. Clear as a bell Matt could see him, as if he, too, were across the aisle in first class. How odd. What did it mean? Is this the last time I'm going to see him? The thought appeared and evaporated in an instant. "Give me a call when you get there," Hall said. — page 29
Hilda Marcin
She [Hilda Marcin] was getting older, and the winters were not easy on her arthritis, so Hilda decided to move to California to be with her other daughter, Carole, when she retired from her school job. She usually visited Carole in the summers, traveling west in July. This time Hilda had stayed in New Jersey until after Labor Day, caring for family pets while her daughter Elizabeth and her granddaughter attended a wedding. Carole had not been able to travel to New Jersey for her mother's retirement party, and she spent the summer with an odd, displaced feeling. Am I going to see her again? On September 11, Carole woke up with excited anticipation. She had not seen her mother in more than a year. As usual, Hilda had been frugal in her ways, promising Carole that she would walk around with a flashlight at her daughter's home so as not to use too much electricity. The weather would be nice in California, Hilda could putter around in the yard. Her eightieth birthday was approaching in December, and there would be a nice party. She always asked that no one throw her a party, then loved it when they did. Before she flew to her new life outside of San Francisco, she packed four suitcases and all of her jewelry, and made copies of her personal papers for her daughters. She even wrote her own obituary so the newspapers would get it right. — page 51
Nicole Miller & Ryan Brown
Ryan Brown did not remember the captain [of his flight] saying anything about the World Trade Center, only that there had been a tragedy and two hijackings, and that the plane had been ordered to land immediately. Nicole, he thought. Is she all right? He began to get a sick feeling. He turned to his mother Muriel Brown, who was seated behind him, and said, "Mom, it's Nicole. Nicole's gone." — page 59
Colleen Fraser
When she [Colleen Fraser] flew for the first time, on a trip to Disney World years earlier, her sister[Christine] rehearsed the boarding process with her, coaching Colleen to take deep breaths to overcome her fear of flying. Colleen breathed deeply on this morning, too, and she seemed fine. She got out of the car, sat on her motorized scooter [she was disabled] and began to check in for Flight 93. She would be in Row 19, she told her sister, who had noticed an eerie calm at the airport. Later, as Christine Fraser sat in her car at a park in Elizabeth, [New Jersey,] she heard on the radio that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. In the pit of her stomach, she knew her sister was going to die. — page 63
At her apartment in nearby San Jose, California, Candyce Hoglan had a troubling dream. She was Alice Hoglan's sister. Both were United flight attendants. She dreamed of a plane going down. Of people begging for their lives, of passengers screaming, "No, no." She awoke disturbed. The dream had been so real. A few minutes later, the phone rang. It was her brother Lee Hoglan. Their nephew Mark [Bingham] was on a plane that had been hijacked. — page 141
Lyz [Glick] went downstairs to make breakfast and noticed the nervous looks on her parents' faces. She wanted to watch television, but each time she walked into a room, her parents turned the TV off. Her father, Richard Makely, had a bad feeling about this. [. . .] — page 143
Waleska Martinez's mother, Irma, and her brother, Reynaldo, were visiting from Caguas, Puerto Rico, which further deflated her [Waleska Martinez's] desire to travel. She worked late on September 10, then awakened in the middle of the night, believing she had heard her mother calling to her. Then she returned to her bed, and, according to her partner, Angela Lopez, Waleska said, "You know, something's wrong. I should never have answered my mother's call. That's bad luck."
"Don't worry, nothing's going to happen," Lopez assured her.
Waleska started trembling. She couldn't stop.
Change the flight, Lopez suggested. She couldn't, Waleska said. — pages 165-166
Juan Martinez attended the memorial in honor of his daughter, Waleska, who had been seated in Row 10. He had never told his family the secret he kept for a decade. A master sergeant in the Air National Guard, he dreamed repeatedly of an airplane crashing. Over and over, he saw pieces of plane, parts of people. "I always thought it was going to be me," he said. On September 9, he walked past a photograph of his daughter at his home in Caguas, Puerto Rico, and unsettling images came into his head. Waleska would die in a plane crash, not himself. So unnerved was the father that he dropped to his knees in the hallway and began praying: "These images can't be for real. Please, God, don't let this occur." Now, as he stood on a bluff above the crash of Flight 93, looking down at burned trees and FBI agents in hazardous-materials suits, everything felt familiar and sickening. These were the same scorched trees and white suits that came into his head two days before the plane crashed. — pages 240-241
Precognition? Clairvoyance?
Is there a formal scientific term for this phenomenon?
Categories: Books - Nonfiction, Other, Quantum, Reference - Life, Reference - Science, Reference - Writing, Science, Writers - Living
Vortex-Based Math?
Being contrary to the majority (as usual), the first vids I decided to look at on Revver were under the Science category.
I came across a series of forty-four(!) videos about something its presenter — Marko Rodin — calls Vortex-Based Mathematics.
Screensnap:
All the physics majors are probably laughing at that.
I have to admit I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. I do not believe that we are anywhere near the actual pinnacle of discovery and technology. I think most of everything we have around us today is going to be scrapped. Something big and new is going to occur that will revolutionize absolutely everything.
So when someone like this comes along touting something along those lines, I'll at least stop and listen for a while to see if it makes sense or if the person is simply fleecing eejits.
Update: I've watched the first five videos. They're not well-done. It's all more of an informal chat than a scientific presentation. But what's worse is his website. He's trying to raise money and the allocation of funds reeks of fleecing eejits to me. It's better that I simply quote it:
The first phase of the Rodin Solution Project encompasses:
1) Capitalizing Rodin Aerodynamics Film Studio, LLP to develop a feature length dramatic film, as and to produce a documentary film with an accompanying book, an animated multi-media curriculum, and a video game. $6 million
2) Assembling teams of researchers, scientists and engineers to collaborate with Rodin to research and test evolutionary and revolutionary applications of the Rodin Solution and to facilitate Rodin's personal research in areas such as genetics, vertical-lift vehicles and flux-generator coils; $3 million
3) Establishing a state of the art digital teleconferencing and teaching facility to convene teleconference seminars and teach symposiums to train researchers, scientists, engineers, etc., providing them with new mathematical tools to make discoveries and breakthroughs in their own work; $3 million
The second phase of the Rodin Solution Project encompasses:
1) Producing a dramatic feature-length film; $30 million
2) Producing functioning prototypes and bringing them to market; $9 million
That's just ridiculous. Even if he actually has something, anyone looking at that is bound to be put off.
Categories: C.O.A.T. - Other, Quantum, Science, Tech - Other, Video - Online
Quantum Biology
'Telepathic' Genes Recognize Similarities In Each Other
Genes have the ability to recognise similarities in each other from a distance, without any proteins or other biological molecules aiding the process, according to new research. This discovery could explain how similar genes find each other and group together in order to perform key processes involved in the evolution of species.
This new study shows that genes — which are parts of double-stranded DNA with a double-helix structure containing a pattern of chemical bases – can recognise other genes with a similar pattern of chemical bases.
This ability to seek each other out could be the key to how genes identify one another and align with each other in order to begin the process of 'homologous recombination' — whereby two double-helix DNA molecules come together, break open, swap a section of genetic information, and then close themselves up again.
I think this is related to that: The Bees Who Flew Too High.
Spooky action at a distance lives!
Categories: Quantum, Reference - Science, Science
BOOKMARK BACKUP BLOG!
In the event WordPress's Smiley Nazis come after me, I have created a backup blog at Blogger: Mike Cane 2008. I am simulposting to both blogs. I now also have a one-shot ebook blog: The eBook Test. Now I'm also on that goddammed Twitter. Be My Slave. NEW: Gasoline Prices Flickr Photo Set.
The Conclusion Of Mike Cane 2008
Leverage: The Bank Shot Job
Writer Jeff Schult Has A New Blog
But It's Still A Fine Madness
Follow Arjun Basu On Twitter
Ad Bastards
Bank Collapse Watch
Books – Bio
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C.O.A.T. – Belief
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C.O.A.T. – Food
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The Answer To The Test
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About Mike Cane v2
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Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash
Anonymisation: the data controller's best friend, or cause for headaches?
Fri Nov 9, 2018
How useful is data anonymisation for compliance with data protection regulation? We try to unpick the confusion around the legalese twins of GDPR and the UK's Data Protection Act
Olivier Thereaux
Head of Technology
'Reasonably anonymised' data is off the hook when it comes to GDPR. But how can organisations deal with the complexity of anonymisation, and the risks of re-identification down the line? And what does 'reasonably' mean anyway?
In this post, ODI's Head of Tech Olivier Thereaux shares current work in this area, and asks for your input in where we head next
Author: Olivier Thereaux, Head of Technology
Earlier this year, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force. As everyone was busy batting off a hailstorm of emails seeking renewed consent on data collection, our team started looking more closely at one of the interesting edges of the fledgeling law: anonymisation.
GDPR is all about personal data. In other words, data that is not personally identifiable is out of scope, and anonymisation is a (figurative, if not literal) get-out-of-jail card. Or, in the words of the regulation's 26th recital: 'the principles of data protection should therefore not apply to anonymous information' and 'this Regulation does not therefore concern the processing of such anonymous information'.
Meanwhile, the UK's parliament was working through its implementation law, the Data Protection Act 2018, which states that: 'It is an offence for a person knowingly or recklessly to re-identify information that is de-identified personal data without the consent of the controller responsible for de-identifying the personal data'.
The choice of making re-identification an offence was not without controversy, as it may have a chilling effect on crucially important security research. But even for the typical data practitioner in an organisation, there are several ways to interpret these legalese twins:
Am I at risk of unwittingly being complicit in a crime if I anonymise poorly and someone re-identifies personal data as a result?
Is this law intended to nudge me to think more seriously about anonymisation, and in this case is the legal protection against hostile re-identification intended to give me peace of mind?
Or, more subtly, is this a perverse incentive to not worry too much about anonymising appropriately, since the act of willingly breaking poor anonymisation becomes someone else's problem?
And that's only looking at the legal framework! As we have seen time and time again on the news, data-related scandals often have more to do with breaking trust than breaking the law.
If we were confused, others may have been too. Scared, even, perhaps.
This is particularly important to us as we aim to create a healthy data ecosystem where data is as open as possible. What does the above mean for open data? What about shared data? If we are to help increase access to data while retaining trust, managing the risk of re-identification needs to be high on our list.
Before we started our research in earnest, we turned to experts to help us get our facts straight. The great people at Eticas gave us a crash course on anonymisation, the good, the bad and the ugly, the actors and the techniques, and how to look at the strength of anonymisation and its converse, utility (how much usable information remains after anonymisation) on a spectrum. And we do like data spectrums.
This preliminary research helped us confirm our intuition that different types of data in different parts of the data spectrum come with massively varying challenges, and require very different approaches to data protection in general, and anonymisation in particular.
Armed with this knowledge, we are now in the midst of a series of interviews of data controllers across the public and private sector. In this first phase of research, we want to better understand where fear or confusion may lie, and where we may be able to create new resources to complement and improve on existing ones like the excellent (but somewhat weighty) guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) or its anonymisation code of practice, or the Anonymisation Decision-making Framework from the UK Anonymisation Network (UKAN).
In particular, we are still in the process of understanding and deciding:
As the ICO updates its anonymisation code of practice and UKAN its decision-making framework, what kind of companion resource could we make available to help make those in-depth documents more accessible?
Can we help reduce confusion about approaches to anonymisation by looking at the difference of context along the data spectrum? Can we explore how the notions of utility and strength of anonymisation fit on the data spectrum? Are there specific approaches that work well for shared data but not open data, and vice versa?
Can we better understand the relationship between our Data Ethics Canvas and Privacy Impact Assessments. Should we look into why, and how, organisations are looking at those and thinking of 'Data Ethics Impact Assessments'?
Building on our recent work on tools and guidance for data publishers, should we look into developing or improving open source tools and automation for more reliable anonymisation, for example as new plugins for Lintol?
… and finally, what can we learn by observing or helping organisations currently working through this process?
Learning from your experience
This list is still in flux, however, and we welcome thoughts on these ideas and suggestions on other helpful outputs.
Moreover, if you are a data practitioner at an organisation looking at or in the process of opening or sharing data which has been anonymised, we would love to hear from you and arrange a short interview, and maybe also discuss the possibility of taking part in a pilot project to observe and help guide the process.
Get in touch: [email protected]
Introduction to Data Ethics and the Data Ethics Canvas Wed, 04 Dec 2019, 10:00 Open Data Institute | 65 Clifton Street | EC2A 4JE London | United Kingdom
In this half-day interactive course run by our experts you will be given an introduction to the concept of data ethics, and how to help your organisation use the ODI Data Ethics Canvas to help make better and more ethical decisions about data
Applying Machine Learning and AI Techniques to Data Wed, 13 Nov 2019, 10:00 Open Data Institute | 65 Clifton Street | EC2A 4JE London | United Kingdom
Learn to apply machine learning and AI techniques to data and discover how ethical frameworks can help you avoid teaching your machines bad habits
Data Pitch, ODI Member, Startup
Just Me Technologies
Platform technology designed to lighten regulatory burden for SMEs, and giving users control over their personal data.
Senior Policy Advisor
Renate is Senior Policy Advisor at the ODI
ODI Registered Trainer
Benjamin Cave
Head Of Products at Freeformers
During his time at the ODI Ben was Trainer and Senior Learning Consultant, educating and advising companies and individuals on how to create value from data.
Mahadia Tunga
Director Capacity Development - Tanzania Data Lab (dLab)
Mahadia is the directory of capacity development at the Tanzania Data Lab (dLab). She is an active ODI Regisitered Trainer who delivers a large number of courses at the dLab in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.


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Jaguar Is Officially Going Racing in 2016 . . . In Formula E
Next fall, Jaguar will return to open-wheel racing for the first time since 2004—only this time, it's in the all-electric FIA Formula E series.
Jaguar is getting back into racing next fall, but don't expect to hear the scream of a Coventry engine when it happens. The British automaker just officially announced its entry into FIA Formula E, the all-electric open-wheel racing series.
The Jaguar Formula E team will be partnered with Williams Advanced Engineering, the same chassis and drivetrain experts that helped create the original C-X75 plug-in hybrid concept car.
"Electric vehicles will absolutely play a role in Jaguar Land Rover's future product portfolio and Formula E will give us a unique opportunity to further our development of electrification technologies," said Nick Rogers, Group Engineering Director for Jaguar Land Rover. "The Championship will enable us to engineer and test our advanced technologies under extreme performance conditions."
And just check out the TRON-style hype video Jaguar put out with the announcement:
Formula E has been a little slow to get off the ground in its first two seasons, but the series seems to be gaining some ground. Organizers have launched an autonomous racing support series called ROBORACE (seriously) to warm up the crowds ahead of Formula E races, and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio has been named chairman of the Formula E Sustainability Committee. Hell, even Switzerland has lifted its ban on motorsports to allow the all-electric racing series, put in place after the tragic 1955 Le Mans accident that killed more than 80 spectators.
Jaguar's first appearance on the FIA Formula E grid will take place at the start of the 2016 season next fall.
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A warm, comfortable and enjoyable...The coat is good, the color is good, the code number just fits.
Very good, to help my father to buy, the father is also very fond of a few days can be worn!!
Things received, the quality is very good, logistics is very fast, the seller is very good, the next time to come to this house.
Yes, it's a bit of a problem. The seller made up the difference to find someone to fix it.


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10 Patrick Swayze Movies You Must See
by Adaline Fritz.
Adaline Fritz - Adaline's upbeat, can-do attitude and nurturing disposition make her perfect for understanding each client's wants and needs and skillfully directing them toward their real estate objectives. Adaline has experience in all facets of the real estate process, having started in the administrative sector and progressed to operations before achieving success in real estate sales. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from San Diego State University and Western Oregon University, and returned to the Portland area in 2011 to pursue a career in real estate. She also loves traveling, working out, and spending time on the water during Portland's beautiful summers.
City Of Joy (1992)
To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
The Outsiders (1983)
Road House (1989)
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Keeping Mum (2005)
11: 14 (2003)
Donnie Darko (2001)
Patrick Wayne Swayze (August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, singer, and composer known for his romantic, gritty, and comedic lead roles. Swayze was also renowned for his media image and appearance; in 1991, People magazine dubbed him the "Sexiest Man Alive."
For his performances in the romance picture Dirty Dancing (1987), the thriller film Ghost (1990), and the road comedy film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, Swayze earned three Golden Globe nominations for Best Lead Actor in a Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical (1995).
He has appeared in well-known action flicks like Road House (1989) and Point Break (1993). In 1991, In 1997, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Swayze composed and recorded the hit song "She's a Woman."
COPYRIGHT_WI: Published on https://washingtonindependent.com/w/patrick-swayze-movies/ by Adaline Fritz on 2021-10-08T03:00:00.000Z
In the Roland Joffé's City of Joy, Patrick Swayze portrays Max Lowe, a sad American physician seeking spiritual enlightenment in India. Max is saved by impoverished rural farmer Hazari Pal after being badly wounded in a mugging not long after landing in the Indian city of Calcutta (Om Puri).
Hazari chooses to return Max to his slum home, dubbed the "City of Joy" by the residents. There, Max meets Joan Bethel (Pauline Collins), an Irish doctor who persuades him that the way to enlightenment is to assist people around him.
The film lacked the critical and financial acclaim of Joffé's earlier films, such as the Academy Award-winning historical drama The Killing Fields (1984), and its white savior narrative has become antiquated.
Its positive theme, however, continues to connect with IMDb users, earning it the ninth highest rating for Patrick Swayze.
City of Joy Trailer
In the lengthy To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything!, Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo appear as three New York City drag queens on a cross-country road trip to Hollywood to participate in the "Miss Drag Queen of America Pageant."
Julie Newmar is a well-known actress. When their vehicle breaks down in the tiny backwater town of Snydersville, the gang faces discrimination as well as community solidarity.
Despite excellent performances from its three protagonists and a slew of fantastic cameos, the picture pales in comparison to the better Australian film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994).
To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) - Official Trailer
In this coming-of-age ensemble drama directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Patrick Swayze is one of an outstanding group of future stars. The film depicts a violent conflict between two gangs of adolescents in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the mid-1960s.
Darrel "Darry" Curtis, an elder member of the "Greasers," a band of aggressive working-class teenagers who fight the richer "Socs," is played by Swayze.
Coppola's film, based on the famous book by S.E. Hinton, helped launch the careers of Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, and Diane Lane.
The Outsiders (1983) Official Trailer - Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise Movie HD
Road House, a cult classic action film from the late 1980s, is one of those movies that is so terrible it's really good. Dalton, a bouncer at the Double Deuce, a roadside pub in Jasper, Missouri, is played by Patrick Swayze.
When Dalton discovers that unscrupulous businessman Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara) is extorting money from local shops, including the Double Deuce's owner, he resolves to protect the community against Wesley and his thugs.
Road House is still a lot of fun, despite the fact that it was a critical failure and received five Golden Raspberry nominations, including Worst Actor for Swayze. Just don't expect Citizen Kane to show up.
Road House Official Trailer #1 - Patrick Swayze Movie HD
Dirty Dancing, released in 1987, is probably the most famous Patrick Swayze film, besides Ghost. Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) is a dancing teacher at a posh Catskills resort who falls in love with Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey), a young lady vacationing with her rich parents.
When Johnny's dancing partner Penny (Cynthia Rhodes) is unable to participate in their next dance performance, Baby, despite her overprotective father's desires, offers to take her place (Jerry Orbach).
Dirty Dancing is a true romantic coming-of-age classic that has firmly embedded itself in popular culture and continues to get regular cinema screenings to this day, making it one of Patrick Swayze's most lasting films.
Dirty Dancing (1987): Trailer HQ
Black humor from the United Kingdom Rowan Atkinson plays the naive pastor of the rural parish of Little Wallop in Keeping Mum.
His wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) has started an affair with American golf pro-Lance (Patrick Swayze), his promiscuous teenage daughter (Tamsin Egerton) is dealing with her developing sexuality, and his son (Toby Parkes) is being harassed at school, but he is focused on crafting the ideal sermon.
Keeping Mum never rises beyond a mediocre comedy, despite a superb ensemble cast that includes Dame Maggie Smith in a pitch-black performance as the hilariously malevolent maid Grace Hawkins. In one of his last cinematic appearances, Patrick Swayze portrays the sleazy jerk to an excellent comic effect.
Keeping Mum Official Trailer!
A love fantasy film with a twist. Ghost was a box office and critical success, cementing Patrick Swayze's reputation as a sex icon. The story revolves around Swayze's character, Sam Wheat, who is shot and murdered while going home with his lover, Molly Jensen, in an apparent mugging (Demi Moore).
Sam learns that he is now a non-corporeal ghost who can only interact with Molly via a psychic medium (Whoopi Goldberg in an Academy Award-winning role).
It is one of the most beloved romantic films of the 1990s, and it has a famous pottery scene.
Ghost (1990) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers
Greg Marcks wrote and directed the neo-noir dark comedy thriller 11:14 in 2003. (in his feature directorial debut).
Rachael Leigh Cook, Ben Foster, Clark Gregg, Colin Hanks, Shawn Hatosy, Barbara Hershey, Stark Sands, Hilary Swank, Patrick Swayze, and Henry Thomas appear in the picture. It covers five distinct stories, all of which build up to a sequence of events that occur at 11:14 p.m. one evening.
On May 16, 2003, the film debuted at the 56th Cannes Film Festival, and on September 5, 2003, it showed at the 28th Toronto International Film Festival.
It had a limited theatrical release on August 12, 2005, in San Francisco, California, before being released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 11, 2005, by New Line Home Entertainment.
11:14 (2003) Trailer | Henry Thomas | Colin Hanks | Ben Foster
W. Peter Iliff wrote the screenplay for Point Break, a 1991 American action crime film directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty, and Gary Busey appear in the picture, which takes its title from the surfing phrase "point break," which describes how a wave breaks when it strikes a point jutting out from the coast.
Reeves plays an undercover FBI agent charged with uncovering the identity of a gang of bank robbers while also developing a complicated connection with the organization's leader in the film. Point Break was first conceived in 1986 when Iliff prepared a treatment for the film.
Bigelow and her husband, James Cameron, worked on the screenplay quickly, and shooting began four years later.
Before being released for conventional viewing on July 12, 1991, it was filmed throughout the western coast of the continental United States and was officially budgeted at $24 million. Point Break received mostly favorable reviews upon its first release, with reviewers complimenting Reeves and Swayze's chemistry.
The picture earned over $83.5 million in theaters and has subsequently developed a cult following. Point Break was re-released on Blu-ray on June 14, 2011, after the film's popularity; it also inspired a remake in 2015.
Point Break (1991) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers
Richard Kelly wrote and directed the 2001 American science fiction psychological thriller Donnie Darko, which was produced by Flower Films.
The film follows Donnie Darko, a disturbed adolescent who barely avoids a strange accident and gets visions of Frank, a mystery person dressed in a rabbit suit who tells him that the world will end in just over 28 days. Frank starts to persuade Donnie to conduct a series of crimes.
Kelly began developing the project in late 1997, after graduating from film school and beginning to write screenplays. He based the tale on an early concept of a jet engine crashing into a home with no-one understanding where it came from.
Kelly insisted on directing the picture himself and battled producers until 2000 when Barrymore's Flower Films agreed to finance it on a $4.5 million budget. Filming took place over the course of 28 days in the summer of 2000, mostly in California.
The soundtrack includes an American version of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews, which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. The film had its world debut at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2001, and a limited theatrical release on October 26.
The film's advertising featured a falling aircraft, and the September 11 attacks had occurred a month and a half earlier, thus it received little publicity, resulting in a low box office performance of $517,375 in its first run.
Despite this, Donnie Darko garnered excellent reviews and was ranked No. 2 on Empire's "50 Greatest Independent Films of All Time," as well as No. 53 on Empire's "500 Greatest Movies of All Time."
It went on to earn $7.5 million worldwide after reissues. The film was released on home video in March 2002, grossing $500,000 and gaining a cult following. In 2007, the film was adapted for the stage, and a sequel, S. Darko, was released in 2009 without Kelly's participation. He stated in 2021 that he was working on a new sequel.
Donnie Darko - Official Trailer
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PAVELKA-VTP is a Czech family water engineering firm that found itself still working in paper operations despite 20 years of rapid growth. In the video, you'll learn how they were able to leverage Microsoft Dynamics and Office 365 to empower their highly-mobile engineer force with all of the data and solutions to complete a job on their mobile devices anywhere. After you watch the video, contact Ataira Analytics Inc so we can help you drive collaboration and productivity among your workforce with Office 365.


TSP Legal Colchester Employment Status: Self-Employed or Worker?
In a stark warning to employers to get their contracts in order, and to ensure they reflect the reality of agreed working arrangements, the court ruled that a plumber who had been labelled as a self-employment contractor with no employment law rights was in fact a 'worker' with entitlement to a range of benefits, including paid annual leave and the right not to be discriminated against.
Richard Porter, employment law specialist at Thompson Smith and Puxon, explains the reasoning behind the decision and its implications for employers.
The contractual arrangement in this case was governed by two agreements, together with a company manual outlining procedures and a number of expected working practices.
Although the questionable terms had been crossed out and substituted with hand-written amendments which used language more akin to a self-employed arrangement, the court could not help but speculate whether their initial inclusion was indicative of the true nature of the arrangement under consideration.
The terms of the arrangement were such that the company was able to exercise a high degree of control over the plumber. This included being able to require him to wear a uniform, drive a branded van, carry company ID, follow control room instructions and to forgo pay if invoices were not settled on time. He also had to abide by a series of restrictive covenants if he decided to leave or was dismissed.
On this basis the company could not be viewed as a mere customer or client.
It was clear from the way the contractual documentation had been drafted, with frequent references to 'you' and 'your skills', that the plumber was expected to perform all services himself.
While it was true that provision was made for certain tasks to be passed to someone else, the circumstances in which this could happen were tightly controlled and it was only possible for work to be passed to another Pimlico Plumbers operative.
It was also relevant that the company manual required the plumber to work five days a week for a minimum of 40 hours if there was work available, to give notice of his intention to take annual leave and not to undertake private work for a company customer.
The overriding thing to take away from this decision is the need to ensure that the reality of what you expect a self-employed contractor to do reflects the working arrangements that have been agreed and which are clearly recorded in a bespoke contract drafted by a lawyer rather than via amendments made to a standard document never intended to be used for such an arrangement.


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REVIEW: The Gentleman Jewel Thief by Jessica Peterson
JanineDNF ReviewsEarl / historical romance / mistorical / Regency England / thief6 Comments
Dear Ms. Peterson,
When I saw the title of your new book, The Gentleman Jewel Thief, I was immediately intrigued. I have a love of caper stories and I immediately thought of the caper romances I enjoyed in my youth, including Nora Roberts' Hot Ice, Honest Illusions and Sweet Revenge, Connie Brockway's All Through the Night, and Anne Stuart's Prince of Swords.
The Stuart is the only historical romance I could think of where the hero is a jewel thief, so when I spotted the title of your book, I imagined an Anne Stuart style hero, someone clever, sly, shady and sexy.
I should have remembered that few can pull off this type of hero for me as well as Anne Stuart, and even she doesn't always succeed. William Townsend, the Earl of Harclay, may have been meant to come across as clever, sly, shady and sexy, but the execution fell short of my expectations.
The Gentleman Jewel Thief begins with Harclay, the gentleman to which the title refers, meeting with Mr. Thomas Hope, the owner of the investment bank that has doubled Harclay's fortune. In the course of their conversation, Mr. Hope mentions that he has acquired a diamond once worn by King Louis XVI called the French Blue. Hope plans to show off the diamond at a ball he is throwing soon.
The action then switches to the arrival of Lady Violet Rutledge at Mr. Hope's house for the ball in the company of her aunt and her cousin Sophia; the latter is attracted to Mr. Hope despite his being a commoner.
Violet's excitement at the thought of dancing and flirting the night away multiplies when Hope asks her to wear the French Blue around her neck. Though Violet's father is a duke, her family's debts are considerable and their jewels have been sold off to cover those debts. Breathlessly, Violet agrees to wear the diamond.
Harclay arrives at the same ball and from his thoughts, it is apparent that he intends both to steal the French Blue and to eventually return it–mainly because he has been bored, and diamond-stealing makes his life more exciting. Although Harclay has seen Violet before, with the diamond around her neck she seems irresistible. Harclay, who hasn't experienced a sexual spark in quite some time, feels a bonfire's worth now.
He must focus on the theft, though, and therefore he flirts with Violet and plies her with alcohol, knowing Hope's brandy is served disguised as claret, but beyond a scandalous waltz, he makes no further sexual advances. Instead, when bandits descend on the guests from the windows and darken the room by cutting the chandeliers loose, he steals the diamond.
On discovering that the French Blue is missing, Violet at first thinks the bandits took it, little realizing they are merely acrobats hired by Harclay. Mr. Hope asks Harclay to see that Violet is safe, and Harclay takes her to his own house and insists she spend the night there, despite Violet's protestations that she must catch the thief.
Violet's family fortune is invested with Mr. Hope, and if word of the theft reaches the papers, Hope's enterprise could go down in flames, and Violet's father's estate with it. Violet must find out who stole the diamond and bring the thief to justice. Harclay, though, has other plans…
The first 130 or so pages of The Gentleman Jewel Thief were a frustrating experience for me, so much so that I quit around that point (40% of the way through, according to my kindle). On the one hand the book had lovely writing in places, like this bit:
Somewhere in the trees above, birds twittered and flitted about; the edge of the Serpentine lapped quietly at their feet. The springtime afternoon marched onward as if today were but one of a string of simple, idle days, each the same as the last.
But for Harclay and Lady Violet, today was not quite so simple, nor so idle. It was suddenly complicated, mined with explosive truths and well-played deceptions and a most thrilling episode of a physical encounter. It was impossible; it was improbable.
And great God above, it thrilled Harclay to no end. He hadn't felt such excitement since he was a boy, allowed to accompany his father on the hunt for the first time. He would never forget the way the rifle had felt in his hands, the pounding of his heart as he took aim.
Much of the writing quoted above is quite good in my opinion, so when I came across this excerpt at the beginning of the book, I thought I was in great hands.
As it turned out, though, the truths weren't as explosive and the deceptions not as well-played as I hoped. Although the physical encounter was very hot, I wouldn't go as far as "most thrilling."
There was some less-than-careful writing in the book too, such as this:
Violet's blood jumped at the growl in his voice. She didn't dare meet his eyes; rather, she glanced about the table and was pleased to note her fellow diners were far too involved in their own games of seduction to pay much heed to her own. Except Auntie George, of course, whose high, feathered headdress trembled with rage.
Never mind whether blood can jump, I don't think a headdress is capable of rage.
Harclay's teeth flashed, revealing lips stained purple from wine.
Lips can reveal teeth, but I don't think teeth can reveal lips. I understand that the intent is to say Harclay's smile revealed the part of his lips stained purple from wine, but the word and phrasing choices stopped me in my tracks as I read this sentence.
In other places a profusion of adjectives is used in one sentence. For example, hero is described as looking "rather like an unkempt, intrepid pirate, sun kissed and hardened, unafraid to pursue that which he desired."
In the introduction to this review, I said I was drawn to this book because I've enjoyed caper stories in the past. But part of what I love about them is their "how to" aspect. If a police procedural is a novel in which we follow a police officer step-by-step through piecing together how a crime took place and who committed it, then a caper is a story in which we follow a thief step-by-step through the execution of a great theft.
By that definition, The Gentleman Jewel Thief is not a caper. The theft is not very complicated, nor is there much suspense about whether it will be carried off or what might go wrong. There aren't many steps to involved; it seems too easy.
I suspect there may be a reason for that given in the latter part of the book, but whether or not there is makes little difference to me, because I hoped to read a romance surrounding the planning and execution of a theft, and instead I feel I mostly got an exercise in mental lusting between an oversexed hero and a flaky heroine.
How oversexed is the hero?
1) Here's a comment Harclay grins at overhearing:
"The earl of Harclay…they say he deflowered an entire village in Sicily. Yes, the nuns, too!"
2) Here's the first thing Violet says to Harclay in the book (after he has commented on her wood nymph constume):
Grinning ever so slightly, she flitted her gaze to his breeches and raised a single eyebrow. "I daresay you're the expert in wood, Lord Harclay."
3) Another bit of repartee between them is this:
"But how many eligible daughters are left, really, that you haven't already despoiled?"
I could go on (and on, and on) in this vein.
How flaky is the heroine?
Hardly knowing Harclay but well acquainted with his reputation, she wagers her virginity on a card game with him. She has no intention of sleeping with Harclay. Instead she means to cheat at the game, but she gives literally no thought to what might happen if Harclay catches her cheating at cards. And this despite the fact that Harclay is widely known to be an expert gambler.
Following a dinner party at Harclay's house, as their carriage is about to take them home, Violet also decides that "With her chaperone knocked out cold, she had the rare opportunity to search the earl's house without Auntie's well-intentioned, but extremely irritating, interference."
This decision is driven partly by attraction to Harclay and partly by her need to recover the diamond, but Violet's social position as a duke's unmarried daughter seems to play no role whatsoever in her decision making. And again, getting caught doesn't figure in her thoughts.
As I was reading this novel, I thought of some of the recent online discussions (like this one and this one) of how ineffective unsubtle sex can be.
Foremost in my mind when I think about The Gentleman Jewel Thief is the realization that so much lust pours off its pages that it drowns out every other emotion I, or the characters might feel. There is therefore little attention given, at least in the section I read, to bringing the romance. And while sexual attraction between the characters might spark an interest that will get me to start reading a book, by itself, it can't get me to finish it. DNF.
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Janine Ballard loves well-paced, character-driven novels in romance, fantasy, YA, and the occasional outlier genre. Examples include novels by Ilona Andrews, Mary Balogh, Aster Glenn Gray, Helen Hoang, Piper Huguley, Lisa Kleypas, Jeannie Lin, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Naomi Novik, Nalini Singh, and Megan Whalen Turner. Janine also writes fiction. Her critique partners are Sherry Thomas, Meredith Duran and Bettie Sharpe. Her erotic short story, "Kiss of Life," appears in the Berkley anthology AGONY/ECSTASY under the pen name Lily Daniels. You can email Janine at janineballard at gmail dot com or find her on Twitter @janine_ballard.
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The title drew me to this review. I have to wonder whether the setup of the theft was taken from the Thomas Crown affair, at least the Pierce Brosnan one (which I LOVE). Every part of it screamed Thomas Crown to me, from the bored socialite stealing the diamond just to return it, to the other baddies being just a distraction while the gentleman thief takes the treasure himself.
@Jeannie: I've never seen The Thomas Crowne Affair (either version) so I can't say how closely this book resembles the plot of the movies. I can say that the book is part of a trilogy and the second book will be about Hope, the banker. The concept sounds good so I wish I had enjoyed the execution more.
Such a waste to use something as interesting as the Hope diamond in what sounds like such a by the numbers story! (And yes, VERY Thomas Crowne!)
@Talia: The book doesn't seem very concerned with historical accuracy, but I don't mind suspending disbelief if I get rewarded for it. In this case, I lost patience waiting for that. "By the numbers" is a good description of the first 40%. Maybe it gets better in the latter 60%, but the Wikipedia page about the Hope diamond is much more interesting than the section I read.
Ani Gonzalez
Great review, but I think I'll brave this one in spite of the DNF grade. The prospect of a historical Thomas Crowne/ John Robie is just too tempting.
@Ani Gonzalez: I hope you enjoy it. Please feel welcome to come back and let me know how you liked it!


We had the pleasure to inteview the extremely thoughtful, lyrically gifted Homeboy Sandman. We talked with him about his third album The Good Sun . This album has been on heavy rotation in our lab. Find out why he was #1 on CMJ's National Music Charts, part of Hip Hop DX's Top 25, #2 on Real Late's Top 30 on Hot 97.1 and #1 on Billy Jam's Top 50. He has also appeared in XXL, The Source, Fader, The LA Times, and on MTV as a Made coach.
If you haven't heard his music, you must. Check out "The Essence" below and then play the interview.
Find out what he thinks about the art of emceeing and why he feels that good hip hop should be revered like classical music or the work of Stevie Wonder. Play the interview! You know you want to! Do it!


Charlotte Shaw was described as "bright and intelligent"
A schoolgirl who died after being swept away on a training expedition on Dartmoor has been described as one of her school's "shining lights".
Fourteen-year-old Charlotte Shaw, from Frithelstock Stone in Devon, was in a party of 10 from Edgehill College training for the Ten Tors Challenge.
She was swept away by water at the rain-swollen Walla Brook on Sunday and died in hospital on Monday.
In a statement the school said she was "missed in so many ways".
The statement said Charlotte "exemplified Edgehill's approach to life with her great desire to participate and her infectious, supportive enthusiasm".
"A bright and intelligent girl, Charlotte contributed widely both in school and beyond, captaining her school netball and gymnastics teams and representing local clubs," the statement said.
Charlotte was described as one of the school's "shining lights" who did "everything with a smile".
Neighbours in Frithelstock Stone said Charlotte's mother Jennifer was "devastated" by her loss.
Tony and Georgina Jenkins said Charlotte "was a beautiful girl in every respect".
The neighbours said Mrs Shaw had brought Charlotte up alone, since the death of her husband five years ago.
An inquest into Charlotte's death in Plymouth was told she was swept away when she dropped some of her kit into the water and fell in when she leaned to retrieve it.
There were a total of 85 groups on the moor last weekend training for the Ten Tors challenge and the police have spoken to members of Charlotte's Ten Tors group as part of an investigation for the coroner.
The Army, which organises the Ten Tors event - now in its 47th year - has said there were no plans to cancel or change it.