text:
Of Course Trump Can Win
May 31, 2016 , at 3:51 PM
But Clinton's the favorite. Here's what we make of the polls at this stage.
A FiveThirtyEight Chat
FiveThirtyEight: What to make of Trump vs. Clinton polls
In this week's politics chat, we check in on some surprising/crazy/totally normal general election polls. The transcript below has been lightly edited.
micah (Micah Cohen, politics editor): Let's talk general election polls. We're a little over five months from Election Day, and polls show a close race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Today's question: What should a sophisticated political observer make of these polls? To set us up, Harry, give us a rundown of the latest polling, national and state. Where do things stand?
harry (Harry Enten, senior political writer): National polls show Clinton with a slight advantage. Doing an average of all the polls since Trump vanquished Ted Cruz and John Kasich a little over a month ago finds Clinton ahead by about 2 percentage points. State-level polling is a bit odder: We've seen surveys showing Clinton close in Arizona (which has gone Democratic in just one presidential election since 1952) and Trump close in New Jersey (which hasn't gone Republican since 1988). Most of the polls in the traditional swing states are close. Clinton holds a slight lead, roughly 3 percentage points, in Ohio. Same thing in Florida. Clinton leads by about 5 percentage points in Pennsylvania. (That's all according to the HuffPost Pollster aggregates.)
micah: That state polling is weird. What gives?
harry: For one thing, it shows that we can't be sure how the map will look. That is, the swing states in 2016 may not be the same as they were in 2012. We have a completely new pair of candidates (i.e., there's no incumbent president running for re-election). Also, a lot of these states have only one or two polls, so we don't have a lot of data.
natesilver (Nate Silver, editor in chief): I'm not ready to accept yet that we'll have a whole new map this time around. There will probably be some differences, yes. But my prior is that we'll still have mostly the same swing states as last time, and I haven't seen persuasive enough evidence yet to convince me otherwise. Here's why: These polls are showing huge, enormous numbers of undecided voters. In that Monmouth poll of New Jersey, for instance, it's Clinton 38 percent and Trump 34 percent, leaving 28 percent undecided, voting third party or saying they'll sit out the general election. The Monmouth poll is a bit of an extreme case, but there are plenty of polls that are like, Clinton 43 percent, Trump 41 percent, undecided/other 16 percent, which is still a huge number.
micah: Is that unusual?
natesilver: It's unusual, yes. By comparison, in 2012, we were seeing numbers more like Obama 47 percent, Romney 45 percent at a comparable point in the campaign.
But my point is that with all these undecided voters, it makes the state-by-state numbers a little flatter right now, if that makes sense.
I'd guess that if you looked at the makeup of the undecided voters in New Jersey, they'd look like they'll probably wind up being Clinton supporters. And if you look at them in Arizona or Utah or one of the states where Trump has looked surprisingly vulnerable, they'd look like they'll eventually be Trump supporters.
harry: That's what Monmouth University's Patrick Murray pointed out in his news release. And keep in mind, a poll can be accurate at this time even if it doesn't end up being predictive.
micah: But is the fact that those voters are undecided now meaningful? (Even if they look like Trump voters in Arizona and Clinton voters in New Jersey.)
harry: More undecided voters now gives credence to the idea that this year may be good for third-party candidates (see Johnson, Gary). I made this argument two weeks ago.
natesilver: Sure, and one thing the pollsters are going to have to decide soon is whether to include Johnson in their surveys.
harry: I'm of the belief that pollsters should at least offer Johnson as an option to some respondents. Otherwise pollsters are putting their thumb on the scale, in my opinion. Johnson has more electoral experience than Trump does. Why isn't he serious?
natesilver: I agree. Some pollsters don't like to include third-party candidates because, for a variety of reasons, polls sometimes overstate their numbers. But it's not a pollster's job, in my view, to take that choice away from the voter when they'll have it on the ballot. They can always ask the question both ways, too — with Johnson and without.
harry: This poll by Monmouth did exactly that.
micah: Isn't the unusually high number of undecided voters, in addition to being a good sign for Johnson, also a sign that the map could change more than usual?
harry: If more undecideds is good for a third party, then that third-party candidate may pull different support from different candidates in different places. Perhaps Johnson pulls more Republicans in Arizona, which gives Clinton a chance there. Perhaps Johnson pulls more upscale liberals in the southeast Philadelphia suburbs in Pennsylvania, who might otherwise vote for Clinton. That could potentially change the map. We don't know.
natesilver: I'd say it's a sign that there's a lot of uncertainty in the outcome. In general, the more undecideds you have, the larger the error in the polling.
harry: That's at least part of the reason that primaries have larger polling errors than general elections. There are often many more undecided voters.
natesilver: I still think, though, that we're not really at the starting line yet. One candidate has wrapped up the nomination, and the other one hasn't.
harry: Yes, we've seen some attempts to try to estimate what the Trump vs. Clinton race will look like once Bernie Sanders concedes the Democratic primary. Most of those give Clinton extra support as at least some Sanders supporters move to her.
natesilver: I guess I'm getting sort of annoyed with almost all the discussion of general election polls I'm reading. Granted, it doesn't take much to annoy me, especially on the Tuesday after a three-day weekend.
micah: Wait, what's annoying?
natesilver: On the one hand, you have people (mostly Democratic-leaning commentators) trying to nitpick individual polls. That's generally an unhealthy exercise, and it usually involves a lot of cherry-picking. And the trend is clear that Trump has gained significantly on Clinton.
On the other hand, you have people treating the recent polls as though they're the new normal, the baseline case for the general election, when we don't really know that yet. It's not certain by any means — but I'd say it's probable that Clinton will gain ground when/if Sanders concedes. The third-party stuff is another thing that's still in the process of working itself out.
On the third hand, I've seen a lot of pieces lately framed around the notion of "why Trump could win." And a lot of those pieces are smart and well-argued when you get past the headline. But the premise slightly annoys me because I don't see a lot of people saying Trump can't win. So they're sort of arguing against a straw man. I mean, of course Trump could win. There are only two major-party candidates, both of them are really unpopular, the "fundamentals" point toward a close election, the polls have tightened, random news events could intervene, and Trump is a candidate who has defied a lot of precedent. Of course he could win. But what are the odds?
micah: I don't know … I was surprised by how quickly and easily Trump consolidated the GOP vote, and I think that fact is feeding a lot of the "wow, he could win this" sentiment.
natesilver: Sure, which is why it's appropriate to say that his odds have gone up, as they have at betting markets.
micah: What's been the swing in betting markets?
natesilver: Trump has closed from being a 3:1 underdog to a 2:1 underdog, roughly speaking.
harry: Right.
micah: That's a pretty big change. Well, not that big, I guess.
natesilver: If I say his chances have increased from 25 percent to 33 percent, that doesn't sound so big.
micah: Yeah.
harry: And don't be shocked if Trump's odds fall again once Clinton clinches the nomination and her polling goes up.
Listen to the latest episode of the FiveThirtyEight politics podcast.
natesilver: Anyway, I think the magnitude of the change is roughly appropriate. It was likely but not certain that Trump would consolidate the GOP base. So some of that should have been priced into his stock before, but he deserved a little bit of a boost for doing it (and doing it so quickly).
Likewise, it's likely but not certain that Clinton will consolidate the Democratic base, and the market is clearly pricing that in. If she doesn't do that, I suspect the market (and the polls) will drift toward showing a 50-50 race. If she does, she might be more like a 3:1 favorite again.
Obviously I'm thinking of this in a binary way when it isn't quite like that — there are various degrees of base consolidation, and both Trump and Clinton have some work to do — but that's the general idea.
micah: All right, to wrap us up: We've talked a lot about polls, but are there other indicators we should be watching?
harry: I'd keep an eye on the president's approval rating, which is now greater than his disapproval rating. In 1988 when Michael Dukakis was beating George H.W. Bush, there was reason to think Bush still had a decent shot at winning because Ronald Reagan's approval rating was rising. The incumbent president's approval rating is not the be-all, end-all, but it's important. I'd also look at the economy. Right now, job growth is going at a decent pace. Still, it's not awesome. I think the economy points to a decently close race.
natesilver: I don't look at approval ratings as a magic forecasting bullet by any means. But it's sort of fascinating to me that Obama is gaining ground and has reasonably healthy (although by no means great) approval ratings at a time when the electorate is supposedly in this burn-it-all-to-hell mode.
harry: Maybe because the electorate really isn't in burn-to-hell mode?
natesilver: Other than Trump, it's been a fairly normal, predictable election cycle! Of course, that's like saying "other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"
Harry Enten was a senior political writer and analyst for FiveThirtyEight. @forecasterenten
Donald Trump (1562 posts) 2016 Election (1135) Video (615) Hillary Clinton (578) Polling (471) Slack Chat (277) Gary Johnson (10)


text:
New York girl, 15, sentenced to up to 9 years in jail in fatal stabbing of cheerleader
Marlene Lenthang
A 15-year-old New York girl who fatally stabbed a 16-year-old cheerleader in April has been sentenced to up to nine years behind bars.
The teenager, who was not publicly identified because of her age, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter last month in the death of Kayla Green, a sophomore at Mount Vernon High School.
The teen suspect was sentenced to a term of three to nine years in jail on Tuesday, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced.
The April 8 stabbing unfolded after a parade was held to honor the boys basketball team at Mount Vernon High School for its state championship win.
A "brawl" involving some cheerleaders broke out after the off-campus festivities, then-Mount Vernon City School Superintendent Kenneth Hamilton, who has since left his position, said in an April livestream on the district's Facebook page.
It's not clear what precipitated the brawl. Green and the defendant had been members of the Supreme All Stars, an independent cheer squad, and Green later became a Mount Vernon High School cheerleader, LoHud, which covers the Lower Hudson Valley, reported.
The defendant stabbed Green in the abdomen with a knife on Gramatan Avenue in Mount Vernon, prosecutors said. Green was hospitalized and died of her injuries.
The teen suspect was arrested later that evening in Dobbs Ferry.
Another student was injured but was expected to make a full recovery, police said at the time. An additional assault charge in connection with that injury was dropped, the district attorney's office said.
District Attorney Miriam Rocah said in a statement on the sentencing: "A teenage defendant senselessly took the life of Kayla Green, and in doing so, left a community devastated."
The defendant will be in the custody the state Office of Children and Family Services until she is 18. After that, she'll be moved to the custody of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the district attorney's office said.
Kayla Green (NBC New York)
The defendant addressed the family in court and gave a tearful apology.
"I wish there was more I could do than say I am sorry," she said, NBC New York reported.
But the apology didn't resonate with the victim's family.
"My family is broken, and our heart will never mend," Green's mother, Lavern Green, said outside the courthouse after the sentencing.
"Three years for a murder is nothing. That's nothing. We have to go to visit a grave to see my niece," said Tasania Rhoden, the victim's aunt. "And meanwhile, there's a young woman who in three years will be outside skipping."
Lauren Raysor, the attorney for the Green family, said after the sentencing: "Every party, every system failed. We had a young lady in school, wreaking havoc in the Mount Vernon school system.
"They were fully aware of what this young lady was doing inside that school, and it was a danger to every young person who was in the school, and they did nothing," she said.
NBC News has asked the school district and an attorney for the teen defendant for comment.
CORRECTION (Jan. 25, 2023, 9:30 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the last name of the Westchester County district attorney. She is Miriam Rocah, not Roach.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A defense attorney for one of the Memphis cops charged with fatally beating Tyre Nichols said 'no one' 'intended' for him to die. Nichols' family isn't buying that argument.
Antonio Romanucci, a lawyer for Tyre Nichols' family, said the officers' actions were "designed to harm" and called the murder charge "appropriate."
Fugitive Gillespie brothers may have been killed in Brazil
Detectives confirm they have shared their concerns with the families of James and Barry Gillespie.
North Carolina police shoot unarmed disabled resident complying with commands
Jason Harley Kloepfer was awakened by a SWAT team at his North Carolina home and shot multiple times.
When the officers are Black: Tyre Nichols' death raises tough questions about race in policing
The five police officers are Black. Does it matter? Experts say the race of the victim in police-involved shootings is far more important.
WHIO
Riverside parents indicted after children found 'severely' malnourished
Two Riverside parents accused of "serious child abuse" were indicted on multiple charges Friday.
A video of Tyre Nichols being killed by police is due to be released Friday. Even the police chief says what it shows is 'heinous' and 'inhumane.'
Tyre Nichols died after he was beaten by police at a traffic stop. Chief Cerelyn Davis said the footage shows a "disregard of basic human rights."
Woman, 42, who beat up 13-year-old boy when he 'pointed air rifle at boyfriend' avoids jail
Lavinia Pinner punched, kicked, scratched and bit the teenager while banging his head against a wall when she thought he was threatening her partner outside the boy's home in Cheshire.
Classmates stripped off in front of transgender rapist they didn't know was awaiting trial
Young college students enrolled in a beauty course stripped off in front of Isla Bryson, unaware the transgender rapist had been charged with two sex attacks, it has emerged.
The Providence Journal
A romance scammer stole $660K from a Wakefield resident. Now, she's going to prison for it.
A Texas woman will serve more than six years in federal prison and forfeit a Bentley and other "stolen luxuries" for a $2.5 million romance scam.
Paul Pelosi Attacker Calls In to TV Station to 'Apologize' for Not Going Far Enough
David DePape, the man who allegedly attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer in October, called in to a California news station on Friday to "apologize" for not going far enough with his attack.
Newly surfaced video shows Madison Brooks minutes before her death
Two suspects are charged with third-degree rape and two others with being principals to third-degree rape for alleged crimes against LSU student Madison Brooks.
Angry customer hurls 'scalding' soup at teen worker, North Carolina cops say
The girl suffered first-degree burns, according to her mom.
The Commercial Appeal
Video shows police kicking, pepper spraying, beating Tyre Nichols after traffic stop
The video showing a traffic stop by members of the Memphis Police Department that led to the death of Tyre Nichols was released by the city of Memphis Friday.
Lake County child arrested after punching school bus driver, aide
A Lake County school bus driver and a bus aide are recovering after deputies said an out-of-control, 12-year-old student hit them.
The lawyer for one of the five former Memphis officers charged with second-degree murder in the death of Tyre Nichols reacted to the release of the bodycam footage Friday.
Kaivon Washington, 18, was charged with first-degree rape in an alleged 2020 assault. Washington is charged with third-degree rape in the recent Madison Brooks case.
Greenville News
Alex Murdaugh murder trial: Investigators' testimony continues to reveal vivid evidence
The Alex Murdaugh double murder trial continued Friday, Jan. 27 in Colleton County court. The latest updates and analysis, along with live video.
Man sentenced in 15-year-old girl's murder in southern Illinois
Teen sentenced to decades in prison for killing man in south Fort Collins in 2021
The Coloradoan
New year, new adviser? How to know when it's time to switch.
Arlington man arrested in shooting death of woman after intoxication, gun safety talk
What to know about the death of Tyre Nichols

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Преобразование JSON в URL текст В поисках решения вот этой проблемы выяснил, что проблема в API, оно принимает не JSON, а в отправляемых данных должен быть URL text. Вопрос такой, можно ли преобразовать такой JSON:
JSONFORMDATA = {

"add": [
{
    "source_name": "WEB сайт",
    "source_uid": "a1fee7c0fc436088e64ba2e8822ba2b3",
    "created_at": "1529007000",
    "incoming_entities": {
        "leads": [
            {
                "name": "Покупка"
            }
        ],
        "contacts": [
            {
                "name": "Федя",
                "responsible_user_id": "1903006",
                "custom_fields": [
                    {
                        "id": "382707",
                        "values": [
                            {
                                "value": "+77777777777",
                                "enum": "WORK"
                            }
                        ]
                    },
                    {
                        "id": "389993",
                        "values": [
                            {
                                "value": "sfgh3gh233h3h3h3"
                            }
                        ]
                    },
                    {
                        "id": "389995",
                        "values": [
                            {
                                "value": "Обратный звонок"
                            }
                        ]
                    }
                ]
            }
        ]
    },
    "incoming_lead_info": {
        "form_id": "329248",
        "form_page": "vdtest.ru",
        "ip": "127.0.0.1",
        "service_code": "QkKwSam8"
    }
}
]

}

в такой формат:
add[0][source_name]=WEB FORM
&add[0][source_uid]=wb0123456789
&add[0][created_at]=1529105760
&add[0][incoming_entities][leads][0][name]=WEB Bay
&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][name]=John
&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][responsible_user_id]=2473552
&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][0][id]=382707
&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][0][values][0][value]=+792887776655
&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][0][values][0][enum]=MOB
&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][1][id]=389993
&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][1][values][0][value]=cid123456789
&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][2][id]=389995
&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][2][values][0][value]=Product
&add[0][incoming_lead_info][form_id]=329248
&add[0][incoming_lead_info][form_page]=localhost
&add[0][incoming_lead_info][ip]=127.0.0.1
&add[0][incoming_lead_info][service_code]=myformmw

Это декодированные данные из URL text, которые принимает API:
add%5B0%5D%5Bsource_name%5D=WEB+FORM&add%5B0%5D%5Bsource_uid%5D=wb0123456789&add%5B0%5D%5Bcreated_at%5D=1529105760&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_entities%5D%5Bleads%5D%5B0%5D%5Bname%5D=WEB+Bay&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_entities%5D%5Bcontacts%5D%5B0%5D%5Bname%5D=John&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_entities%5D%5Bcontacts%5D%5B0%5D%5Bresponsible_user_id%5D=2473552&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_entities%5D%5Bcontacts%5D%5B0%5D%5Bcustom_fields%5D%5B0%5D%5Bid%5D=382707&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_entities%5D%5Bcontacts%5D%5B0%5D%5Bcustom_fields%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalues%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D=%2B792887776655&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_entities%5D%5Bcontacts%5D%5B0%5D%5Bcustom_fields%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalues%5D%5B0%5D%5Benum%5D=MOB&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_entities%5D%5Bcontacts%5D%5B0%5D%5Bcustom_fields%5D%5B1%5D%5Bid%5D=389993&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_entities%5D%5Bcontacts%5D%5B0%5D%5Bcustom_fields%5D%5B1%5D%5Bvalues%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D=cid123456789&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_entities%5D%5Bcontacts%5D%5B0%5D%5Bcustom_fields%5D%5B2%5D%5Bid%5D=389995&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_entities%5D%5Bcontacts%5D%5B0%5D%5Bcustom_fields%5D%5B2%5D%5Bvalues%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D=Product&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_lead_info%5D%5Bform_id%5D=329248&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_lead_info%5D%5Bform_page%5D=localhost&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_lead_info%5D%5Bip%5D=127.0.0.1&add%5B0%5D%5Bincoming_lead_info%5D%5Bservice_code%5D=myformmw

Как выяснилось, в примере PHP не используют чистый JSON, а строят массив. Может в Python тоже необходимо построить подобный массив или есть способ проще, ведь на сколько я понимаю, как таковых массивов в Python нет.

A: Честно, рекурсию не очень люблю, но в таких задачах она себя хорошо показывает:
Данные (из вопроса):
JSON_FORM_DATA = {
    "add": [
        ...
}

Код:
def dict_to_url_params(json_data, root):
    def deep(node, root, items):
        if isinstance(node, list):
            for i, value in enumerate(node):
                node_root = root + f'[{i}]'
                deep(value, node_root, items)

        elif isinstance(node, dict):
            for key, value in node.items():
                node_root = root + f'[{key}]'
                deep(value, node_root, items)

        else:
            root += '=' + node
            items.append(root)

    items = []

    deep(json_data, root, items)

    return items

if __name__ == '__main__':
    items = dict_to_url_params(JSON_FORM_DATA['add'], root='add')

    params = '&'.join(items)
    print('Params: ' + params)
    print()

    print('Params:')
    for x in items:
        print(x)

Результат:
Params: add[0][source_name]=WEB сайт&add[0][source_uid]=a1fee7c0fc436088e64ba2e8822ba2b3&add[0][created_at]=1529007000&add[0][incoming_entities][leads][0][name]=Покупка&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][name]=Федя&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][responsible_user_id]=1903006&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][0][id]=382707&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][0][values][0][value]=+77777777777&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][0][values][0][enum]=WORK&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][1][id]=389993&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][1][values][0][value]=sfgh3gh233h3h3h3&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][2][id]=389995&add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][2][values][0][value]=Обратный звонок&add[0][incoming_lead_info][form_id]=329248&add[0][incoming_lead_info][form_page]=vdtest.ru&add[0][incoming_lead_info][ip]=127.0.0.1&add[0][incoming_lead_info][service_code]=QkKwSam8

Params:
add[0][source_name]=WEB сайт
add[0][source_uid]=a1fee7c0fc436088e64ba2e8822ba2b3
add[0][created_at]=1529007000
add[0][incoming_entities][leads][0][name]=Покупка
add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][name]=Федя
add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][responsible_user_id]=1903006
add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][0][id]=382707
add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][0][values][0][value]=+77777777777
add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][0][values][0][enum]=WORK
add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][1][id]=389993
add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][1][values][0][value]=sfgh3gh233h3h3h3
add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][2][id]=389995
add[0][incoming_entities][contacts][0][custom_fields][2][values][0][value]=Обратный звонок
add[0][incoming_lead_info][form_id]=329248
add[0][incoming_lead_info][form_page]=vdtest.ru
add[0][incoming_lead_info][ip]=127.0.0.1
add[0][incoming_lead_info][service_code]=QkKwSam8

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Border Bitch.
There are movies you watch and you see the potential it had at being something pretty good, but then suddenly you realize despite all this work coming from a decent cast & crew; it ends up being a confusing & very weird mess. That is how I describe the 1993 shoot-em up drunken/cocaine-induced action movie La Perra De La Frontera (aka "Border Bitch").
When LA police detective Valerio (Salvador Pineda) finds his wife Cecilia (Patricia Rivera) doing cocaine with her lover Tim (Roberto Palazuelos), he calls her a "Perra" (bitch) and makes it clear he's done with her. Tim & Cecilia are a match made in hell since they both love doing drugs & selling it back & forth from Tijuana. Tim has a huge cocaine deal coming up, so him & Cecilia along with his brother and a weird ponytail guy rob a bank to acquire the money for the drugs. When Valerio finds out from pornstar turned drug trafficker Ron Jeremy that a huge drug deal is about to happen at Perris airport; he then heads out there to capture the criminals that just happens to be Tim & Cecilia and Tim's brother & the weird ponytail guy! While getting away in an airplane, the weird ponytail guy tries to rob Tim of the stolen drugs & money, but fails. Tim & Cecilia manage to get away via skydiving and hideout in a cabin where they proceed to have the most awful sex ever. After Valerio is hospitalized from the gunshot wound he received in Perris, his cop buddies acquire surveillance video from the bank robbery and this is when he finds out that the criminals he was after are none other his ex-wife & her lover!!
"It was never my intention to make this movie, but I was sucked into it and couldn't back out because of the money invested & my friend Tony really wanted to be in the movie." Says executive producer Peter Hamilton as we spoke about La Perra De La Frontera. It was him who actually brought the movie to my attention because of some of the wild stories he shared with me about the making of the movie and how it ended up being the way it is. It turns out the movie was originally set to star a popular Mexican-American pop singer from that time (I promised to keep her name a secret), but ultimately she backed out after 2 days in production because she wanted to go out & get wasted instead of working on the movie. So then the production team got Patricia Rivera casted with the help from leading casting agent Blanca Estela Limon. Filming at first seemed to be going well, but heavy/weird conflicts ensued between the cast & crew, then there were also changes in the movie done by director Roberto Schlosser. With the drama happening amongst the cast & crew and the drastic changes in the movie happening, La Perra De La Frontera, with its once (presumed) promising production; turned into a weird & confusing mess. Hilarious as well. Unintentionally of course. Did the movie make profit at least? Nope.
La Perra De La Frontera is a mess because the movie doesn't really make any sense. If you've seen The Room and Miami Connection, you'll know what I mean. The movie goes from one thing to another and most of the time it doesn't ever really connect. The movie is shorter than most movies since it's only 72 minutes and not 90 minutes. It's obvious so much was cut & shortened because of what was going on behind the scenes. There was something Mr. Peter Hamilton told me about how bad the movie is and that is how certain characters appear & then disappear, then some other characters have more input in the movie than others do, thus making the viewer question what the fuck is going on. For example: Edgardo Gazcon's character, a doctor treating Valerio, comes out of nowhere and he seems to have more lines than he should have & his input in the movie just seems so unnecessary. I get that he was a big name during those days, but his minor role of a doctor just should of stayed minor.
Famous Mexican actor Jorge Rivero makes an appearance in the movie as a Latino detective and he just looks totally lost. When the leading detective asks him & the others what are they saying in the bank robbery surveillance video, Jorge Rivero puts his arms up in confusion and it's totally believable because he seriously looks confused. "what the fuck am I doing here?" Is what Rivero most likely said to himself while filming. He seriously looked that lost & confused! After Rivero's confusion, he doesn't appear for a while, then surprise! He's back all of a sudden near the end doing nothing relevant to what's going on. Then it seems the movie was setting up a romance between Valerio and his partner Laura (Rosalinda Risso) but it immediately ends when Cecilia "La Perra" kills her. The romance between Valerio & Laura was weak anyway. They never once shared an intimate moment, but a few times it seems they had some kind of thing going on & building up, but they never once touched or even uttered a word of romance. Was this just supposed to be a platonic bond in the style of "In the Mood For Love"? Doubtful. I think a script changed fucked this "romance" up.
I mentioned the movie is hilarious unintentionally and that is because a lot of scenes have more humor than they should have. Any movie has a right to be funny at times, but good lord does La Perra De La Frontera milk this so much. For example: Patricia Rivera & Roberto Palazuelos wear the worst bank robbery disguises ever, which consists of a big red afro wig and cowboy hat with fake mustache. Patricia Rivera also holds a black baby that we later find out was stolen off the streets (haha??). Once the robbery is done with, the security guard let's go of the baby walking and says out loud "señora, your baby?!" I laugh too much at that scene. It's incredibly weird and just a big "what in the fuck just happened" moment. The other weird & what in the fuck just happened moment is the cameo of porn legend Ron Jeremy. Ron plays a fictitious version of himself and when he's being harmed by Valerio to squeal, he says "this is police brutality!", Valerio responds with "but you're not Rodney King." Did I mention this takes place in a strip club? Well it sure does and it is such a weird place with men dancing along with strippers & mud wrestlers. Does this place still exist? I wonder.. I doubt it as well..
I also cannot forget to mention the sex scene between Cecilia & Tim. They're in the cabin having what's supposed to be steamy sex, but it is the most awkward & most horribly funny movie sex scene I've witnessed in quite a while. There is zero chemistry between Patricia Rivera and Roberto Palazuelos. It's not sexy even in the slightest bit, Palazuelos looked like he didn't know what the fuck he was doing and Patricia seemed way too into it & trying her best, but Palazuelos' awkwardness & his dead eyes ruin it all. The pushing is going hard, but it's so hilariously bad. I guess I was supposed to be turned on by this "steamy" sex scene and not laugh hard, but I still laughed hard anyway. Poor precious Patricia and a big shame on weird dead ass Palazuelos.
La Perra De La Frontera is definitely a weird messy movie, but it does at least have entertaining scenes that aren't all comedic, such as the "famous" skydiving scene and all the scenes where the guns are firing. I mean sure it's all fake as hell looking, but it tries to be fun & cool at least! The skydiving scene was a big must for the movie since Peter Hamilton's friend Tony (who plays Tim's brother) was heavily into skydiving & doing crazy stunts, so he was able to really show off his stunt talents here. Despite how very unusual everything is, I still liked the characters in the movie. Even the minor ones. As confusing, weird and unnecessary as some of them were, they were all entertaining in their own little weird fucking way. Edgardo Gazcon playing the doctor with too many lines was also entertaining to see. It's almost like he shouldn't be there at all, but there he is talking too much & appearing more than he should be. That can also be said of the nurse who treats Valerio, she's funny & appears too much as well.
Oh, and the cabin & ranch in the movie belonged to the late David Carradine. He was a close friend of the producers and was happy to provide his Sunland ranch for the movie. That alone is very intriguing to know of.
After the 3 times I've watched La Perra De La Frontera, I wondered how much better it could of been if things went well in production and if the original actress didn't bail out to go out & get high. Maybe it would of been a cult classic then, maybe it would of been bigger than intended; whatever the case, La Perra De La Frontera is what it is and that is a sloppy, weird and somewhat of an entertaining mess. La Perra De La Frontera for me is a movie that's worth a look if you're very curious and into 90's action movies. It was entertaining for me overall, despite all the confusion & weirdness and unintentional comedic parts.
Maybe someday someone else will like La Perra De La Frontera as I do and maybe even more. Is it a movie awaiting to become a cult classic 26 years later? Probably not. But hey, you never know though. Some bad movies receive the strangest attention. Maybe one day it will gain some kind of notoriety. A big, giant fucking maybe though. For now though, La Perra De Frontera lays buried in obscurity circa 1993 under the Film-Mex Entertainment video label.
Written by Armando H. at 4:12 PM No comments:
Labels: 1993, 90's, Action, crime, Jorge Rivero, La Perra De La Frontera, Los Angeles, Mexican, Mexico, Mexploitation, Patricia Rivera, Roberto Palazuelos, Roberto Schlosser, Ron Jeremy, Rosalina Risso, Salvador Pineda
An Outrage.
When you spend most of your time watching many, many movies, you feel like you've seen it at all. Nothing else you watch next won't feel much different or make you go "wow!" or some shit like that. Sometimes though, those rare little moments, you might just find a movie that'll surprise & excite you because it was just so fucking cool & unexpected. That's pretty much how it felt when I watched Ultraje (also known as "Ultraje De Una Mujer" & "Outrage") for the first time via a copy my good friend Quentin had sent me. Ultraje surprised the fuck out of me and I'm so happy for that. This was a real gem for damn sure. A "wow!" moment in def.
College professor/painter Danny (Troy Donahue) suffered a terrible car accident that has perhaps caused severe head injuries. Ever since the accident, he goes through mood swings and goes off at a couple of his students, one being a young beauty named Kathy (Alicia Encinas) who is very smitten over him. When Danny finds out he has no severe damage to his head from the accident; his doctor does however tell him he should get psychological help for his mood swings & any more injury to his head can definitely lead to some dire consequences. Danny feeling well after his doctor visit; goes to Kathy and they both propose their undying love for each other. Danny & Kathy then marry, have their honeymoon in Acapulco and decide to live together at a secluded cabin in the mountains away from civilization and where Danny plans to just paint for a living.
Time goes by, Danny and Kathy now have a daughter & live in peace in their secluded home up until the arrival of construction workers whom are around the area to build condos & such. When 3 scumbag wood-cutters watch Kathy and her daughter bathe in the river; the scumbags chase after Kathy & then violently rape her. Danny tries to save Kathy, but he suffers a brutal beating that leaves him in a frozen state. After Kathy is raped and Danny still unable to move: their home is accidentally set on fire by the scumbags, Kathy commits suicide, their little daughter is nowhere to be found and when Danny regains conscious, he's not the same... Danny is now out for revenge for losing his family & life at the hands of "outsiders" of the woods. Danny wanders around the mountains with a hatchet & kills anyone in his way and of course definitely out to kill the men responsible for his shattered life. No one gets in Danny's way. No one.
When a movie surprises the fuck out of me, then it's probably gonna be an automatic favorite. Ultraje is that kind of movie for sure! Ultraje has a runtime of 73 minutes, but those 73 minutes are not wasted at all since my eyes were glued to the screen all the way. The movie begins with a romantic ballad playing as we watch Kathy and Danny embracing each other in all white clothing. It seems like the movie is going to be so romantic & peaceful, but this romance between student & professor is shattered away at the hands of ugly evil people. Don't fall for its depiction of romance & happiness. It's gonna go away & become a story of tragedy & brutality!
Ultraje is brutal for sure and when I say brutal, it's because the rape scene is fucked up to see and before that even happens, we watch Kathy & her little daughter in the river trying to fight off the main assaulter, whom by the way doesn't technically rape her since he couldn't get his chode hard. Kathy then all of a sudden commits suicide and it's just so fucked up to see that after everything that has happened. Once Danny is out in the woods chopping people up with his hatchet, it's pretty damn creepy. The music & POV scenes make it so fucking good and it's basically proto-slasher stuff right here. There's not much blood sadly, but then again who needs to see lots of blood when we have some of the music score from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre playing as Danny hunts & chops his victims. Ugh, I loved that so much.
I would never imagine watching a rape/revenge & proto-slasher starring the famous Troy Donahue and Alicia Encinas, but here we are with Ultraje. Which by the way was directed by Raul Fernandez, the man behind all the Rosa Gloria Chagoyan 80's/90's epics. His son Rolando, Stars in the movie as the main scumbag and it was quite the surprise to see him. This would be considered his 3rd feature as an actor.
Ultraje is such an usual, brutal movie, but so fucking fascinating as well. I wouldn't exactly call it a unique movie, but the overall tone of the movie feels so unique & eerie. It's like a nightmare come true. This is a movie buried in obscurity for whatever reason, but it definitely needs to be out of the dark & known more by all. Ultraje is a special movie and a must see for fans of the rape/revenge genre and even the slasher genre since it comes off like one when Danny is out in the woods for revenge. I can't recommend this movie enough. Seek it out and you will not be disappointed at all.
Labels: 1977, 70's, Alicia Encinas, cine mexicano, Mexican, Mexico, Mexploitation, rape, Raul Fernandez, Revenge, Rolando Fernandez, slasher, Troy Donahue, Ulraje


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How Much Does It Cost To Advertise on Instagram?
MuteSix •
Many newer and smaller brands falsely assume that they can't possibly afford to advertise on large social media platforms and compete with more-established brands with huge marketing budgets. However, that's not necessarily the case! Advertising on Instagram can be cost effective with the right approach, strategy, and expertise.
Why Should You Advertise on Instagram?
Advertising on Instagram isn't cheap, so why should you spend your tightly budgeted marketing dollars on this platform? For starters, Instagram is the fourth most popular social media platform in the world with over one billion users—ranking only after Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp.
Instagram offers higher engagement rates compared with other platforms. In 2018, Instagram users spent about 53 minutes on the platform—meaning that they are very engaged with it. This engagement also translates into advertising wherein Instagram ad engagement is ten times higher than on Facebook.
Finally, Instagram is the place to be if you're looking to reach a specific age or gender demographic—namely Generation Z and Millennials. Instagram is also an ideal platform if you're looking to reach women since 68% of users are female.
How Does Advertising on Instagram Work?
If you're new to advertising on Instagram, the process can seem confusing and overwhelming. The good news is that MuteSix is here to guide you through it so that you can create amazing advertising campaigns to promote your brand and products.
Essentially, advertising on Instagram involves paying for your content to appear to specific groups of users. You pay for your ads through a bidding model wherein you compete with other brands for the same ad placement. You choose your group of users through targeting mechanisms. From there, users interact with your ad—providing you with leads and, hopefully, conversions.
What Are the Different Instagram Advertising Formats To Choose From?
Now that you have a better understanding of how Instagram advertising works, let's discuss some of the different advertising formats to choose from so that you can develop an effective and affordable campaign:
Photo Ads: Square, landscape, or vertical single images that can be placed in a variety of different locations
Video Ads: Square or landscape videos that can be placed in a variety of different locations for a more engaging and interactive approach
Carousel Slideshow Ads: A series of images or videos that users can swipe through to see a number of different products or experience a brand's story
Instagram Story Ads: Image or video ads that appear in the "Stories" feature of the application where users tap through temporary posts from followed accounts
Shopping Ads: Image or video ads that can take users directly to a product on Instagram Shopping when interacted with
How Much Do Instagram Ads Cost?
Instagram advertising costs vary based on a number of different factors. That being said, the average cost-per-million impressions for an advertising campaign on Instagram is about $6.70. At the same time, the average cost-per-click (CPC) for an advertising campaign on Instagram ranges from $0.20 to $2.00. Clearly, this is still a huge range, so here are some of the different factors that determine the cost of Instagram ads:
Factor 1: Bid Amount
Like Facebook, Instagram ads use a bidding auction method when determining ad costs.
The first factor that determines the cost of advertising on Instagram is the bid amount. This refers to the amount that you're willing to pay to obtain either clicks or impressions on the platform. You can choose between automatic bidding and manual bidding during a bidding war, which will also affect the overall cost of your ad.
For instance, say that you have a budget of $1,000 to spend on Instagram advertising with a bid amount of $0.20—on the lower end of the average spectrum. With this amount, you would be able to obtain 5,000 leads with your campaign. On the other hand, if you have higher bid amounts, you would only be able to obtain 500 leads with the same budget of $1,000.
Factor 2: Ad Relevance Score
The second factor that determines the cost of advertising on Instagram is your ad relevance score. This refers to how relevant Instagram thinks your ad will be to its viewers. Instagram wants to please its users, which means that they want to place relevant content that users are actually interested in rather than irrelevant and annoying content.
If your ad is relevant and engaging—leading people to engage with it—your ad relevance score will go up and your ad will gain more placements. On the other hand, if your ad is irrelevant or boring—leading people to hide it—your ad relevance score will go down and your ad won't be placed as much.
Factor 3: Estimated Action Rates
The third factor that determines the cost of advertising on Instagram is the estimated action rates. This refers to how many people Instagram thinks will act on your ad. Instagram wants to promote engaging ads, so it prioritizes ads with high estimated action rates. When your ads are prioritized, you can obtain lower bid amounts.
Factor 4: Competition
The fourth factor that determines the cost of advertising on Instagram is competition. Since you're bidding to obtain ad placements, you're effectively competing with other brands for the same ad slots. If there are tons of different companies bidding to reach the same subset of users, you're going to see higher advertising costs. By this logic, retailers will pay more for Instagram ads around Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, or other large shopping holidays. On the other hand, if you are trying to reach a unique or niche group of users, you're going to see less competition and, therefore, lower advertising costs.
Additional Factors To Consider
In addition to the factors listed above, your Instagram advertising costs can also run higher during holidays and events when competition is fiercer. It's also more expensive to target females than males since this is a more in-demand and competitive demographic.
The day of the week can also affect how much Instagram ads cost. Believe it or not, it's actually more expensive to advertise on Instagram during the week compared to the weekend since users engage more with the platform on weekdays.
Is Advertising on Instagram More Expensive Than Advertising on Facebook?
Facebook actually owns Instagram—which means that the two platforms are connected in more ways than one. But how do advertising costs compare with two of the largest social media platforms in the world? Generally speaking, Facebook comes with slightly higher advertising costs than Instagram ad campaigns since it has more users to reach.
The average cost-per-click for Facebook ads is $0.97 compared to $0.20 to $2.00 on Instagram. The average cost-per-million impressions for an advertising campaign on Facebook is $7.19 compared to $6.70 on Instagram.
How To Get the Most Bang for Your Buck When Advertising on Instagram
While advertising on Instagram may not be "cheap," follow these eight tips to maximize your advertising budget and get the most bang for your buck on this incredibly valuable platform.
Tip 1: Choose the Right Ad Formats and Objectives
For starters, you need to choose the right ad formats and objectives for your Instagram advertising campaign. We've already covered ad formats, but Instagram also lets you choose an ad objective of brand awareness, reach, traffic, engagement, lead generation, conversions, app installs, and more.
If you're a new brand just starting out, focusing on brand awareness would be a smart move. On the other hand, if you've already worked to establish your brand and just launched a new line of products, you may want to focus on an objective like traffic, lead generation, or conversions.
Tip 2: Target Your Advertisements Correctly
Once you have the right ad format and objective, you need to make sure that your campaign is actually reaching the right people. A campaign with the right format and objective won't be effective if the right people don't see it! This involves figuring out who your target audience is and then figuring out how to reach them on the platform.
The good news is that Instagram offers tons of advanced targeting mechanisms for you to take advantage of to reach people who want and need your products. You're able to target people based on location, demographics, interests, and behavior. There are also lookalike audiences, custom audiences, and retargeting available on the platform.
Tip 3: Test Your Advertisements Before Launching
No matter how excited you are to launch your Instagram advertising campaign, it's still important to test your content beforehand. Choose a small test group based on your target audience and set a limited budget. Then perform A/B or split testing by coming up with several different versions of your ad, showing them to these groups, and monitoring their performance.
Select the best-performing iterations of your ad based on your tests and combine them for a campaign that's basically guaranteed to be effective.
Tip 4: Switch From a Manual Bidding Strategy to Automated
While it may be tempting to maintain complete and total control over your Instagram advertising campaign from start to finish, this might not be the best approach. Doing things manually can be beneficial in some cases, but when it comes to Instagram, there's so much technology out there for you to take advantage of.
Specifically, you should consider an automated bidding strategy that allows you to set your maximum bid work and let the algorithm do all the rest. This approach will help you win the best ad placements for the lowest costs.
Tip 5: Develop Better Landing Pages
Even with a great campaign, your advertising efforts can be easily squashed by ineffective landing pages. After spending all that money on your campaign and doing all this work to gain clicks, you definitely don't want potential leads to be turned off by your landing pages. So in addition to investing in paid advertising, you also need to invest in website design.
Make sure that your landing pages actually make sense for the ad in question. From there, make the page as simple and straightforward as possible with minimal distractions. Include a strong call to action (CTA), helpful information, and an irresistible offer to convert people from potential leads to paying customers through Instagram.
Tip 6: Continuously Monitor Your Campaign
To ensure that your campaign is performing as you intended, you can't just set it and forget it. Instead, you need to continuously monitor your campaign throughout its life. Specifically, you need to monitor key performance indicators such as click-through rate (CTR), return on ad spend (ROAS), cost per impression (CPM), and cost per conversion (CPA).
At the beginning of your campaign, set ambitious yet realistic goals for what you want to see in your KPIs. If any metric is falling short at any point during the campaign, take action to correct it and get your campaign back on track.
Tip 7: Work With Influencers
While not technically advertising with Instagram, influencer advertising is incredibly popular on the platform. This method of advertising involves partnering with influential accounts or personalities on the platform to promote your brand and products. You will need to select influencers that make sense for your brand and target audience, as each influencer tends to have their own niche.
For instance, there are fitness influencers, lifestyle influencers, cooking influencers, fashion influencers, parent influencers, pet influencers, and so much more. When choosing your influencer partners, keep in mind that follower numbers aren't everything. Instead, make sure that the partnership really makes sense for your brand image and personality. We know how overwhelming the world of influencer marketing can be. That's why an omni-channel digital marketing agency like MuteSix has a dedicated Influencer Marketing team to assist our clients in their Influencer Marketing strategy.
Tip 8: Work With an Instagram Ad Agency
Clearly, a lot of work goes into cost-effective advertising on Instagram. As an entrepreneur, you likely don't have the time or energy to dedicate to following all of these tips and guidelines to create a successful Instagram campaign all on your own. The good news is that you don't have to thanks to Instagram ad agencies like MuteSix.
MuteSix is a best-in-class performance marketing agency that helps brands scale with cross-channel, data-driven creative content. We can help you with everything from content to targeting to analytics and everything in between, just as we have helped brands like Morphe, Ring, Honey, and more. So reach out to us today for a complimentary marketing consultation.
The Final Rundown on Instagram Advertising
While advertising on Instagram may not be cheap, you have to think about your ROI. With this hugely popular and engaging platform, you can definitely gain the leads and conversions you've been looking for with an Instagram advertising strategy developed by the marketing experts at MuteSix.
Instagram Revenue and Usage Statistics (2021) | Business of Apps
Target and Convert: How to Find Your Target Audience Online | Forbes
Influencer Marketing 101: A Blueprint for Running a Successful Campaign | Entrepreneur


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CMS ACE team repeats as champions
Published 10:00 am Thursday, December 1, 2022
Pictured are, from left, back row, are Evelyn Adams, Joy-Den Wilson and Jacob Hamilton. Front row, Sydney Gayles, Wesley Lipscomb, Carter Ramey, Gerrit Ramey, Alec Broden, Dayna Hileman and Coach William Collins. Not pictured is Jayden Lambert.
For the second straight year, the Central Middle School (CMS) ACE Team won the Southside Middle School Conference ACE tournament. On Nov. 16, at Powhatan Middle School, CMS won the championship over three other schools in the final-four championship round. With eight wins and only one loss, the Bobcats won first place for the most matches won. In addition, the team also won the championship trophy for most points over the course of the three-night event, with 1811 points. Mecklenburg Middle came in second and Powhatan finished third.
ACE stands for Academic Challenge of Excellence. The matches are similar to Jeopardy, in which students from opposing teams try to out buzz each other, answering questions involving history, math, science, literature, and popular culture. Another unique feature to middle school ACE is that there is a two-minute vocabulary round. In this round, students work in teams of four, and have two minutes to determine the terms to 25 definitions. The only information they know ahead of time is that all the terms begin with the same letter. They are told the letter just before they start to work.
ACE competitions were hosted at Powhatan Middle School, twice in October and once in November. Only the top-four teams in most points were allowed to return for the last night of the tournament, on Wednesday, Nov. 16.
The CMS ACE team practiced about three times a week, for about an hour and 45 minutes each time. The team consisted of a few returning key eighth graders from last year's championship team. There were also many new faces this year from sixth and seventh grade.
The amount of dedication and time put into the effort was impressive. Students loved to come to practice each day, where it was a lot of fun sharing time and building relationships with fellow Bobcats. That enthusiasm translated over to intense pride in wanting to do their best on competition day. The team was very disciplined in how it understood how to play the game from a strategic level. There's more to ACE than just pushing the button on the buzzer.
Players on the team are Gerrit Ramey, Carter Ramey, Dayna Hileman, Joy-Den Wilson, Alec Broden, Evelyn Adams, Jayden Lambert, Wesley Lipscomb, Jacob Hamilton and Sydney Gayles.


It is becoming a financial challenge to buy the expensive furniture for home! Many of us strive for the luxurious look of home and its interior but lack of money and every day rising market prices just spoil all our dreams and plans! However, one can use the DIY Projects alternative to fulfill the new developing furniture demands of his home! The most popular DIY material in this regard is the pallet wood which is being used world widely for affordable yet stylish furniture building!
Using a pallet board, one can even install a coffee table in last 5 to 10 minute just like this DIY little pallet coffee table, obtained by adding casters to bottom side of a tiny pallet board! Apply custom stain and few coats to fit it best to decor style you are following! Add this tiny low coffee table also in your living room to get the praising comments along with a strong rustic vibe!
Choose a custom pallet board you want to see in your living room as a pallet coffee table!
Grit well this selected miniature pallet! Prefer the electrical sanders for better and quick sanding!
Just by adding rolls to bottom chocks of this pallets, you will get a mind-blowing low coffee table!
Don't let the built-in openings go wasted, use them to safely store your journals and magazines!
Apply custom paint coats to gain a single or multicolored appeal of it! Leave the wooden surfaces blank for a natural antique wooden avatar!


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Michael Lathrop
Content Writer at Thryve
We're always looking for new and innovative ways to support gut health. However, as we move forward, we keep finding that the answers to our GI problems are remedies from the past. Our ancestors turned to star anise to help prevent illness and to provide relief for gastrointestinal distress. Today, you can use star anise in a variety of ways. Let's discuss how.
What is Star Anise?
Star anise (Illicium verum) is an evergreen tree that originated in Vietnam, Laos, and China. Origin is an important distinction because Japanese star anise is highly toxic!
This member of the magnolia family produces a nutrient-dense fruit that we know as star anise. Typically, star anise is ground into a powder. It's one of the five spices used in traditional Chinese cooking.
Star anise and cinnamon are a great team!
Chinese five-spice includes:
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Fennel
• Szechwan Peppercorns
• Star Anise
While Chinese five-spice is an excellent way to use star anise, it's not the most efficient. The further from the manufacturing date, the less potent the spice will be. You don't know when the spice was created (and under what conditions). So, make sure to buy whole star anise for these recipes.
Benefits of Star Anise
Prior to this article on how to use star anise, we wrote an entry about the benefits of star anise. You can read about each holistic use of star anise. Here we will briefly touch on these positive effects.
Benefits you may experience from star anise include:
• Antibacterial Properties [1]
• Antioxidants to Boost Immune System [2]
• Antimicrobial Activity (including against Candida) [3]
• Flu Vaccines [4]
That's right! Star anise fights off influenza. In fact, star anise is an active ingredient in Theraflu.
Much of these benefits of star anise are thanks to its unique compounds:
• Linalool – Promotes Calming, Anti-inflammatory Properties [5]
• Shikimic Acid – Antibacterial that Fights Flu [6]
• Anethole – Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Diabetic Traits [7]
While linalool is in many essential oils, shikimic acid and anethole are rather rare. Star anise has an abundance of these molecules, anethole in particular. That's why many people use star anise for Leaky Gut Syndrome, IBS, and other GI disorders.
How to Grind Star Anise Powder
Star anise is a pungent spice. It has a bitter, almost black licorice-like flavor. It has a hint of peppery notes with a fruity bite and a touch of spice. For many, star anise is an acquired taste, while others love it off the bat. We are going to tell you some ways to use star anise. You're bound to find something that works for you!
Get pestling!
The best way to add star anise to your meal cuisine is freshly ground. Just grab the fruit as-is, and go town, seeds and all.
A spice grinder or a mortar and pestle will do the trick.
Add it to a soup stock, pasta sauce, or marinade. It also pairs nicely with oils for salad dressings and sprinkled on a latte.
Remember, start slowly when dressing your food with star anise. It's pungent!
How to Store Fresh Star Anise
Glass jars are the way to go for all food storage
In many cases, it'll be cheaper to buy star anise in bulk. With this spice, a little bit goes a long way. Therefore, you might not need to use your star anise yet. Due to its potent antibacterial traits, you can store whole star anise into a glass container for up to two years.
Fresh ground star anise lasts half the amount of time. Once you cut open a whole food, it begins to oxidize. So, be sure to place the ground star anise in an air-tight glass container and use star anise within a year.
Ways to Use Star Anise
Star anise is more versatile than it looks
Due to its unique flavor, you can use star anise in a variety of ways.
In some instances, you can use the whole star anise, while others will call for freshly ground powder.
The shape of star anise presents as a choking hazard.
It should be treated like a bay leaf or clove. If you use the whole star anise, be sure to remove it from the final products before eating.
Replacement for Sugar
As a society, we are addicted to sugar. Every generation consumes more and more of this nutrient-deficient substance. Meanwhile, obesity rates and cases of cardiovascular disease continues to grow.
One analysis from the New Hampshire Division of Public Health and Safety found,
"Two hundred years ago, the average American ate only 2 pounds of sugar a year. In 1970, we ate 123 pounds of sugar per year. Today, the average American consumes almost 152 pounds of sugar in one year. This is equal to 3 pounds (or 6 cups) of sugar consumed in one week! [8]"
– New Hampshire Division of Public Health and Safety
The only way to survive this epidemic is to perform a sugar detox. So, how do we make the mundane taste as delicious as table sugar used to? By creating a suitable substitute.
Star Anise Sugar Recipe
You can mix 1/2 of a freshly ground star anise with either:
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• Half a Lemon Peel Zest
• Half an Orange Peel Zest
• Vanilla Beans
• Nutmeg
• 1 Clove
Mix and match with different combinations. Sure, they're not sugar. However, they bring so much flavor; you probably won't miss the sugar!
Gut Healthy Thai Iced Tea With Star Anise
There are many benefits of tea in a healthy gut diet plan. Adding star anise to the mix will only strengthen these positive effects.
Here is a take on traditional Thai iced tea. Typically, Thai iced tea uses sweetened condensed milk. In this recipe, we opt for coconut milk.
Below is a recipe for two glasses. If you make a bigger batch, save the tea in the refrigerator. Wait to add coconut milk until drinking.
• 2 Black Tea Bags
• 2 Star Anise
• 1 Cardamom Pod, Smashed
• 1 Whole Clove
• 1/2 cup Coconut Milk
1. Boil water.
2. Add tea bags and spices.
3. Boil gently for three to five minutes.
4. Steep the tea for a half-hour to two hours.
5. Remove the spices and tea bags and pour in coconut milk.
Star Anise Braised Chicken
One of the best ways to receive the most nutrients when you use star anise is to combine the spice with healthy fats. Not only does the licorice-like flavor complement the meat, but the fats help you absorb the beneficial antioxidants from the fruit.
• 1 T Avocado Oil
• 1 1/2 pounds Free-Range Chicken Breast
• Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
• 1/2 Onion, Chopped
• 1-inch Ginger, Cut in Strips
• 4 Garlic Cloves, Sliced
• 1/3 cup Rice Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Stock (or Bone Broth)
• 1 T Honey
• 1 Whole Star Anise
• 1/4 cup Liquid Aminos (or Soy Sauce)
• 2 Scallions
1. Heat avocado oil over medium-high heat.
2. Place the chicken skin-side down in the oil, and allow to brown, three to five minutes on each side.
3. Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with a paper towel and add sea salt.
4. Add the onion to the pan and allow to cook for about two minutes.
5. Add in the ginger and cook for one minute, before adding the garlic cloves and cooking for one more.
6. Add in the rice vinegar and stock.
7. Bring to a boil.
8. Pour in the honey, star anise, and liquid aminos.
9. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover for 20 minutes, flipping the chicken once after 15.
10. Remove chicken from heat and garnish with scallions.
Cinnamon Spice Star Anise Green Tea
One of the best homeopathic remedies is drinking tea for Leaky Gut Syndrome. Green tea is rich in phenols that help support your immune system. In turn, it makes chronic inflammation in the gut biome more manageable. Here's an easy way to use star anise that will protect your gut lining.
• 2 T Loose Green Tea Leaves
• 2 T Star Anise, Broken in Pieces
• Orange or Lemon Zest
1. Put tea leaves in a teapot.
2. Boil water in a saucepan.
3. Throw in the cinnamon stick and star anise.
4. Allow infusing for two to three minutes.
5. Pour into a measuring cup.
6. Use a sieve and pour the star anise-cinnamon water into the teapot.
7. Allow sitting for two to three minutes before straining into a mug.
8. Grate some citrus zest on top for a refreshing drink!
Chickpea Star Anise Masala
If you are a vegan, you can also use star anise to flavor a protein-packed dish. This dish takes traditional Indian flavors and infuses it with the antioxidant-rich star anise. Trust us; you won't even miss the chicken in this one!
Just as a heads up, you should soak fresh chickpeas in water overnight and then boil them before using. In a pinch, you can use canned chickpeas. However, beware of BPA-lined cans and other forms of plastic in your food. These will leach into the water and cause more ruckus in your GI tract.
• 1 1/2 cup Chickpeas (or 2 Cans), Boiled
• 1 cup Jasmine Rice
• 1/3 cup Peanut Oil
• 1 cup Onion, chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 4 T Curry Paste
• 6 Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped
• 4 Cardamom Pods, Ground
• 1 Cinnamon Stick, Ground
• 1 T Ground Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/3 tsp Ground Star Anise (2 Whole Star Anise)
• 1/2 cup Water
• Cilantro
1. Heat peanut oil in a pot on medium-high for one minute.
2. Start making the rice.
3. Add in onion and cook for five to seven minutes.
4. Add in the garlic cloves and cook for two more minutes.
5. Reduce the heat down to medium and add in the curry paste, working it around the pot.
6. Pour in the dates, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, black pepper, and star anise.
7. Cook for three minutes before stirring in chickpeas and water.
8. Allow to cook for five minutes.
9. Drain rice and plate it.
10. Pour masala on top of rice and garnish with cilantro. If using whole star anise instead of powder, remove from the masala before pouring.
Need Help to Use Star Anise for Gut Health?
Adding new foods to our diet and changing up our wellness game can be a bit overwhelming. Luckily, we are here to help you. Take the time to Thryve Inside today by joining our Gut Health Program.
Get in-depth food recommendations with the Thryve Inside Gut Health Program
As a member of our gut health program, we will use an at-home gut test to find our which stomach bacteria are in your system. Based on those results, we make probiotic recommendations that you can purchase to bring balance to your intestinal flora.
Furthermore, we have a healthy gut diet plan tailored to your needs. Our database has over 1,500 ingredients. You will find many ways to use star anise. Get your gut health on track and Thryve Inside!
[1] Parasa LS, Rao ST, Srinivasa-Prasad CH, et al. In vitro antibacterial activity of culinary spices aniseed, star anise and cinnamon against bacterial pathogens of fish. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci. 2012;4:667–670.
[2] Aly, Soher E., et al. "Assessment of Antimycotoxigenic and Antioxidant Activity of Star Anise (Illicium Verum) in Vitro." Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, Elsevier, 29 May 2014, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1658077X14000368.
[3] Shojaii, A., & Abdollahi Fard, M. (2012). Review of Pharmacological Properties and Chemical Constituents of Pimpinella anisum. ISRN pharmaceutics, 2012, 510795. doi:10.5402/2012/510795.
[4] Lim, Louisa. "Swine Flu Bumps Up Price Of Chinese Spice." NPR, NPR, 18 May 2009, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104191227.
[5] Peana, A T, et al. "Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Linalool and Linalyl Acetate Constituents of Essential Oils." Phytomedicine : International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2002, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12587692.
[6] Tripathi, P, et al. "Shikimic Acid, a Base Compound for the Formulation of Swine/Avian Flu Drug: Statistical Optimization, Fed-Batch and Scale up Studies along with Its Application as an Antibacterial Agent." Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25563634.
[7] Sheikh, Bashir Ahmad, et al. "Trans-Anethole, a Terpenoid Ameliorates Hyperglycemia by Regulating Key Enzymes of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats." Biochimie, U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25708856.
[8] "How Much Sugar Do You Eat? You May Be Surprised! ." New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services, Aug. 2014, www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/nhp/documents/sugar.pdf.
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New and Noteworthy: Interview with Helsinki's Voidfallen
By Samantha Chilli	in Features	on November 13, 2019 February 8, 2020
Giving birth to a band is no small amount of work, and Helsinki's Voidfallen have chosen an interesting time to join the Finnish metal landscape. In an environment brimming with tenured bands and their decades-long fan bases, kicking off a new act can be, in some ways, courageous.
The melodic death metal five-piece, comprised of Tommi Kangaskortet (vocals), Henri Vuorenmaa (guitars), Lauri Myllylä (bass), Mika Lumijärvi (drums), and Aleksi Tossavainen (guitars). They broke ground with EP The Sinners, The Plague, and the Voidfallen in September 2019.
Voidfallen, 2019.
The band spent two years incubating "Sinners", which kicks off the EP with unflinching growling vocals and riffs that are mature beyond the time the group has been together. They unleash "The Plague" next, balancing blast beats and layers of instrumentation. "Voidfallen", the band's namesake and final song of the EP, upholds the first two songs' intensity while delivering more melody and memorability.
The personal and financial investments they've made in getting the band off the ground have begun to pay off, garnering early attention from fans and landing them a Finnish tour alongside melancholy metal's current shooting star Vorna, as well as death metal up-and-comers Kaunis Kuolematon. One of the remaining tour stops will be at Helsinki's On The Rocks venue, slated for this Saturday, November 16.
In advance of the performance, Kangaskortet and Vuorenmaa chatted with Metal Solstice about the band's formation and lessons learned, the importance to them of production value, and the group's plans to forge ahead.
Metal Solstice: Voidfallen has clearly put a lot of resources into the quality of the initial materials you released, including the EP and the "Voidfallen" music video, etc. How do you bring this same quality and experience to the live performances?
Kangaskortet: Our goal is to do everything as well as we just can, or have resources to do if we outsource it like with the video. Music is the most important thing but there is much more to it, than just music, if you want it to be a comprehensive experience.
Vuorenmaa: We have always liked good looking visuals: video, pictures, graphics. We wanted to implement that also into our band. We felt that making good looking music video and other graphical content would give the audience more, and so far it has been a great decision.
MS: Let's talk a bit about how Voidfallen formed. How difficult was it to start something new, in a country where many metal bands have enjoyed longevity of 20-30 years?
Vuorenmaa: Maybe a bit of courage and a lot of determination to make something new and interesting. Finland has produced a ton of high quality metal bands in the past and we want to be in that bunch as well. It's a long road but we are determined to do the work for it. This also reflects on the previous question.
Kangaskortet: To start, not so much. When it was time to actually start forming the band, the music and the plans to what was later going to be Voidfallen it got a little bit more difficult and required quite some brainwork. We are however confident that we have what is required to became one of those bands.
MS: You've all been in other bands and projects; why was it the right time for you both to start working together on something new?
Vuorenmaa: Tommi and I have known each other for a decade now and we've talked about this several times before, but we couldn't find the right time to actually do anything about it. Until the end part of 2017 when I had the demo of "Sinners" basically done and I sent it to Tommi. We both felt then that it's time to act and do something completely new.
Kangaskortet: I wouldn't really say there was a right time now either, but more like the right dots were connected at the same time. We made plans and room for this to fit the time being.
MS: How and why was the name Voidfallen chosen?
Kangaskortet: We bounced a lot of different options for a few months trying to find something that would mirror the soul of our music and lyrics, and have a visually appealing look. All things considered it felt right.
Vuorenmaa: It also felt good to say out loud and it has a slight ominous, mysterious tone into it, just like our music and appearance.
MS: What have you learned from the process of forming a new band, and from each other? What are you still learning as Voidfallen moves forward?
Vuorenmaa: We are constantly learning. Financial stuff is something that we have to carefully think about of course. We try to be smart about it and use it to things that are crucial to our band.
Kangaskortet: Like he said, we are constantly learning and the process will never end. Originally we took what we had learned so far, finessed it, made both short and long term plans. We took our time with it and it was worth it. This is something that includes both creative side and the business aspect of it.
MS: Similarly, what can fans expect from your live performances, in terms of on-stage chemistry among the band, and the setlist beyond the three initial EP songs?
Vuorenmaa: We have the three EP songs and couple of new songs for our live set list. Some people already have heard the two new songs live on Tampere and Jyväskylä and we are playing them on Hämeenlinna and Helsinki too. For now, we are doing a five-song set, and it has been a great experience so far.
Kangaskortet: We are writing new material constantly for future releases and we will add few more songs to the setlist when we are done with the preproduction phase of the process.
MS: Nearly everyone, except for those who attended the first few Finnish shows in other cities, will be seeing Voidfallen for the first time. What kind of first impression are you trying to leave?
Kangaskortet: Our plan is to give a thrilling and active but not over the top show that looks like us. We have planned our general stage presence but this is something we cannot fully prepare in advance. These first shows are a part of the learning process for us as we are learning how the individuals act on stage. We document each show and together go through the things in the show which we need more and what we never want to see again. We have accomplished what was to be expected, and the feedback has indeed been good, but it is worth it for people to come to our shows frequently because they will receive something extra each time they attend.
MS: How active do you plan for Voidfallen to be going forward? Can you share more about any future releases or tours you have in the works?
Vuorenmaa: The plan is to be as active as we can, we are constantly looking to fill our calendar what comes to gigs and we have upcoming drum recordings on November for the new songs. We will release the two currently unreleased songs as singles and then we have been planning an full album next.
Kangaskortet: We'll see how that goes, what happens after the singles is not set to stone yet but one thing is certain: we will remain active and release new material frequently. We are all in for this.
Tags: death metal, finnish metal, Helsinki, Live Music, Metal, metal band, voidfallen
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Home » Biography » Birkan Sokullu
Birkan Sokullu
Birkan Sokullu is a model and actor from Turkey who is known for his several television roles. He is also a former basketball player. He rose to fame after his television debut as Ayaz from the series, Elif where he portrayed the role of Mustafa.
Birth name Birkan Sokullu
Birth date 6th October 1985
Birth place Istanbul, Turkey
Nationality Turkish
Siblings Burcu Esmer
Weight 85 kg or 187 lbs.
Birth sign Libra
Body measurements 40-30-15 inches
Univeristy Maltepe University, Istanbul Aydin University
Spouse Asli Enver (married.2012- divorced.2015)
Girlfriend Burcu Birick
Social media Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
Where was Birkan born and raised?
Birkan Sokullu was born on 6th October 1985 in the largest city in Turkey, Istanbul. He is Turkish however he has mixed ethnicity. He has Bosnian ancestry as his grandparents are immigrants from Bosnia. There is no information about his parents as he hasn't disclosed any news regarding his parents and siblings.
Source: Wikiramp
Sokullu grew up playing basketball. He was an avid lover of basketball but he never thought that life had other plans for him.
Where did Sokullu go to College?
Birkan Sokullu has a degree in Radio-TV Programming from Maltepe University. He later ended his basketball career due to a leg injury and instead learned acting from the Turkish actress, Dolunay Soysert. He further attended Istanbul Aydin University where he studied Drama and Acting for a year.
How did Sokullu start his Career?
Sokullu initially started his career as a model. He started modeling during his university.
Birkan Sokullu made his acting debut in 2008 from the Turkish series, Kucuk Kadinlar as Ayaz and Elif as Mustafa where he portrayed the main character. He started gaining recognition since then he played lead role in several other tv series, Kucuk Sirlar, Hayat Sarkisi, Yuz Yuze, Bir Aile Hikayesi and in Ya Istiklai Ya Olum and Masumlar Apartmani.
Sokullu has also made a smaller appearance in the series Melekler Korusun, Ucurum, and supporting roles in the series, Fatih and Kurt Seyit ve Sura.
Image Source: pstimaj
Birkan Sokullu made his film debut in 2019 with the film, Chronology as Hakan and the same year in another film, Portrait of Beauty as Ozgur.
Birkan Sokullu has been nominated with Golden Butterfly Awards twice in 2016. He was nominated for Best Actor and for Best TV Couple which he shared with actress Burcu Biricik for his performance in the series, Hayat Sarkisi.
What is the relationship status of Birkan?
Birkan Sokullu is a divorced man. He was married to English-born Turkish actress, Asli Enver in 2012. She is known for her role in Kavak Yelleri, Istanbullu Gelin, and other tv series. They didn't have any children and the couple decided to end their marriage in 2015. After getting divorced he started dating another Turkish actress, Burcu Birick but their relationship didn't last long.
Birkan Sokullu with his Girlfriend Source: CNN Turk
Sokullu loves basketball and he did mention his undying interest in the 2018 interview of BASEDISTANBUL. He would wake up at night to watch the basketball match and was a supporter of Michael Jordan in the Chicago Bulls. During an interview, he expressed his grief for not being able to continue his basketball dream saying,
"As you make plans, life makes other plans for you……"
He has posters of basketball players all over the walls of his room.
Birkan Sokullu is currently 35 years old turning 36 in October 2021. He is a model so keeping his physical appearance in check is a major part of his life. He is gifted with a tall height of 6 feet 2 inches tall and has body measurements of 40-30-15 inches. He weighs 85 kg or 187 lbs. He has tattooed on several parts of his body. He has curly dark brown hair and light brown eyes.
Sokullu has the star sign Libra and his sexual orientation is straight.
Birkan Sokullu is active on Instagram where he has over 811 thousand followers and can be connected by @birkansokullu1. He is further active on Twitter where he has over 14.9 thousand followers and can be connected by @BrKnSokullu. He has also opened a Facebook page where he has gained over 186 thousand followers.
How much is the Current Net Worth of Birkan?
Sokullu has a net worth of over 1 million dollars which is a rough estimation as there has been no exact estimation made about his earnings. However, he is making quite a good earning from his successful acting and modeling career. He has worked with big fashion brands like Nike and luxury fashion houses. So, we can say that he is leading a luxurious life.
Asli Enver
Istanbul Aydin University
Kucuk Kadinlar
Bianca Kmiec
Katie Goodland


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No Pilot, No Worries
Unmanned aerial vehicles ("drones") have become aviation's next big thing
Drones are everywhere. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are the most talked about segment of the aviation industry, and not a day goes by without something in the news about drones. It's a segment of aviation that's growing by the minute, with opportunities abounding. People are clamoring to jump on the drone bandwagon and grab a piece of the projected $13.6 billion dollars in revenue that they'll generate by 2018.
The very word "drone" is becoming acceptable, whereas just a few years ago, it connoted Big Brother spying on the populace with weaponized flying vehicles. Drones have become "cool," especially with Hollywood leading the charge toward making drones common sights in our skies. Meanwhile, the military continues its use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), expanding in numbers and reach. While pilot numbers shrink, UAVs continue to proliferate. With all the growth, there remains one question: Who'll operate all these drones?
To get semantics out of the way, the term "drone" encompasses the entire spectrum of unmanned aerial vehicles or "UAVs." There are many different types of UAVs, and they range from $30 remote- controlled quadcopters at hobby stores to multimillion-dollar military systems with significant weapons and surveillance capabilities. They're all vehicles that fly in the skies above us without an onboard pilot or operator. Instead, they're controlled from ground positions of varying scale, from a kid standing in a park with an iPhone to a sophisticated and hardened underground complex run by computer. Collectively, they can all be referred to as "drones."
How popular are drones? There are entire magazines dedicated to the drone world, such as Unmanned Systems and Mission Critical, along with sites like www.droneanalyst.com. There's The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), which is the world's largest nonprofit organization devoted exclusively to advancing the unmanned systems and robotics community. They have an enormous membership that influences the world's politics and regulation of UAVs. Scheduled for May 8th and 9th, 2015, is the already sold-out Unmanned Systems Business Exposition in San Francisco, as well as Silicon Valley's Drone Show at the end of April. The FAA has its own UAS integration department, complete with federal budget and staffing. Lastly, there are respected university programs dedicated exclusively to UAVs, with undergraduate and graduate degrees specific to the UAV arena. There are even schools popping up offering only UAV programs. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) called 2015 "The Year of the Drone."
The U.S. Air Force is offering financial incentives to try and attract more pilots to UAV ranks. Shortages of UAV operators already exist in military units.
Drone 101
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was tasked with coming up with regulations for commercial drone operation by 2015. The agency's latest proposed rules, issued in February 2105, are contained in FAA Docket No.: FAA-2015-0150; Notice No. 15-01. The last day for public comment on these rules was April 24, 2015.
Boeing's Phantom Eye is a liquid hydrogen-fueled, high-altitude unmanned aircraft that will stay aloft for 10 days executing intelligence missions.
Because unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are inherently different from manned aircraft, the FAA has had a difficult challenge in introducing UAS into the nation's airspace. Also, because the U.S. has the busiest, most complex airspace in the world, the FAA is taking an incremental approach to safe UAS integration.
The FAA has divided drone operations into three categories: Public (governmental), Civil (nongovernmental) and Model Aircraft (hobby and recreation use only). Each category has its own regulations and stipulations. The latest news is the FAA's granting of waivers for commercial use, which includes the film industry, agriculture, real estate and many others. While hobby operators of small UAVs are essentially unregulated, civil commercial use of UAVs is tightly controlled. There are presently two methods of gaining FAA authorization to fly civil (nongovernmental) UAS:
1. Section 333 Exemption—a grant of exemption in accordance with Section 333 and a civil Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA); this process may be used to perform commercial operations in low-risk, controlled environments.
2. Special Airworthiness Certificate (SAC)—applicants must be able to describe how their system is designed, constructed and manufactured, including engineering processes, software development and control, configuration management and quality assurance procedures used, along with how and where they intend to fly. They'd then be issued an SAC in the Experimental category or a UAS type and airworthiness certificate in the Restricted Category.
US Air Force Col. Larry Felder (left) discusses MQ-1 Predator drone characteristics with UAV evaluation detachment Director, Capt. Nick Devereaux.
Those wishing to try their hand at drone operations need to remember that any type of financial compensation falls under the FAA's commercial UAV regulations. You can shoot photos of the beach from your UAV, but if you make money from them, you immediately become a commercial UAV operator. Meanwhile, model/hobby pilots only have to follow some basic regulations:
• Fly below 400 feet and remain clear of surrounding obstacles
• Keep the aircraft within visual line of sight at all times
• Remain well clear of and don't interfere with manned aircraft operations
• Don't fly within five miles of an airport unless you contact the control tower before flying
• Don't fly near people or stadiums
• Don't fly an aircraft that weighs more than 55 pounds
• Don't be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft—you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft
After a rigorous 10-month selection process involving 25 proposals from 24 states, the Federal Aviation Administration chose six UAS research and test site operators across the country where UAV operations can be observed and tested. These include the University of Alaska, the State of Nevada, New York's Griffiss International Airport, North Dakota Department of Commerce, Texas A&M University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech), along with test ranges in several states.
In addition to UAV operators, skilled maintenance technicians, recovery specialists, data analysts and ground support personnel are needed to accommodate UAVs like this MQ-9 Reaper.
UAV Pilot Jobs
It's important to note the differences in the FAA's UAV categories because they impact pilots from an employment perspective. Small, noncommercial drones simply don't need FAA-certificated pilots to operate them. However, larger commercial-use drones may require operation by certificated pilots. The FAA's latest proposed rules say that if the aircraft (UAV) is issued an airworthiness certificate, then a pilot certificate is required to operate it. Pilot certification requirements under Section 333 exemptions are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. What it means for prospective drone pilots is that opportunities will likely grow rapidly.
Several big players in the commercial UAV sector are hoping the FAA relaxes certification rules. For example, The Small UAV Coalition, a trade group representing companies including Amazon.com, Inc., and Google, Inc., urged the FAA to allow drone delivery flights. Both Amazon and Google are testing unmanned aircraft that would deliver packages. The FAA is allowing these companies to do controlled testing, though drone delivery of packages would still be prohibited under the FAA's latest proposed rules. Companies like Amazon have recently started headhunting experienced engineers who can design and build UAVs, and they'll also need pilots to operate them.
Amazon's job website says: "Amazon Prime Air is looking for flight operations and certification personnel for flight testing our UAS technologies. You can expect to collaborate on test plans, plan the test evolution and execute the flights while working closely with our flight engineering and flight test teams in Seattle."
The federal government employs the most UAV pilots, along with civilian companies associated with them through defense contracts. Government sector drone pilots easily earn over $100,000 and up, along with solid benefit packages. The AUVSI says that as many as 100,000 new jobs will be created in the first 10 years after unmanned aircraft are cleared for commercial use in U.S. airspace. The report estimates an overall economic impact of $82 billion.
Of note to prospective UAV pilots is that the current drone pilot force is nearing the end of their commitment contract, and replacement pilots are already in high demand. The Air Force is concerned enough that it just announced a significant pay increase for RPV (remotely piloted vehicles) operators. RPVs are smaller and lighter than the better-known MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper UAVs. The Pentagon has more than 200 Predators and more than 100 Reapers, which are made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., in San Diego, Calif.
Of course, all isn't rosy for UAV pilots, especially those in the military. In January, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed that those pilots are under "significant stress from what is an unrelenting pace of operations." She added, "They are working 13-, 14-hour days on average. And to give you a contrast, an average pilot in one of our manned Air Force aircraft flies between 200 and 300 hours per year." UAV pilots are constantly fighting for legitimacy in a climate where they're looked at as "video game players." The Air Force has added financial incentives to try and lure more active duty pilots to the drone ranks.
On the civilian side, the industries using the most UAVs are aerial photography (including the film industry), mapping, inspections (different types), construction, and surveillance. Filmmaking and videography are the most mature commercial drone markets. At the same time, farming, security, oil and gas exploration, and construction, are anxious to begin using drones as well. One commercial carrier, Empire Airlines, has even launched a new division—"Empire Unmanned"—that will offer agricultural field monitoring and other precision agricultural services using drones. Developed in conjunction with Advanced Aviation Solutions and Blair Farms, it's a step toward integrating UAVs with current business models.
Several respected universities are meeting demand by offering UAV degree programs.
At the University of North Dakota, most of the first 61 drone pilots who graduated have gone to work at Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics and Boeing. The college started its bachelor's degree course in unmanned aircraft systems in 2008, and recently received a $25 million endowment to build a new drone research and training facility.
The Unmanned Vehicle University (www. uxvuniversity.com) in Phoenix, Ariz., offers a drone/UAV pilot training certificate for $3,500 that doesn't require a college degree. The program consists of three phases of instruction, with the first two conducted at home using both simulator and ground training. Phase 3 is a flight school program consisting of 16 hours of flight training. The school also offers master and doctorate degrees in UAV specialties.
The recent Germanwings crash, where a First Officer is alleged to have deliberately crashed the plane, has brought the idea of UAVs in the airline sector back under the spotlight. The public's outrage at the incident was the first time unmanned airliners were considered as anything more than science fiction. It's likely that discussion will continue, especially considering the technology is largely there. The specter of us travelling the sky in unmanned airliners is probably just a decade or two away.
The UAV industry is a bright spot for many, including entrepreneurs and pilots. For those leaving the military today, private contractors are offering more than double military pay. Drone pilots willing to live in less-than-ideal conditions can earn $225,000 or more if they're willing to go to Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere overseas to launch and recover drones. It's a mission that's difficult to train, and private firms are willing to pay the price for experienced operators.
As the FAA's commercial rules become more concrete and as the industry matures, UAVs will invade our lives more and more. With annual UAV pilot salaries averaging $100,000 across the board today, it's clear the demand is already there. A quick Internet glance yielded 620 UAV operator positions right now.
It remains to be seen what the future will hold for unmanned aerial systems. But one fact is sure, pilotless aircraft are here today. How we embrace them in the aviation community is the next question.
Drone Schools
Drones are so hot that schools are clamoring to introduce UAV programs to their curricula. The educational picture changes quickly so UAV programs come and go without much notice. Educational institutions offer varying levels of UAV programs, from a few classes to complete degree programs. Here, we present the most current listing of UAV programs across the country.
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