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MVPDs Sound Off — and FCC Pushes Back — on Game-Changing New Set-Top Proposal
Eggerton John
WASHINGTON — "Box" is probably the wrong fighting term to use about the current set-top fracas involving the Federal Communications Commission, multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) and Silicon Valley. It's more like a bare-knuckles cage match over the future of access to video.
On one side are the MVPDs, who argue the marketplace is already opening up access to video programming without the FCC forcing providers to disaggregate their programming for reassembly by others.
The FCC — pressed by Silicon Valley giant Google, TV-maker Vizio, digital video recorder maker TiVo and others — stands on the other side, saying it's time to break the MVPDs' leased lockbox on programming and prices.
What's at stake is nothing less than the future of television and how its viewers will consume it — and who can access the reams of valuable data MVPDs now use to sell to advertisers. The question of who can access that information also poses huge privacy and security issues for TV watchers.
In December, the Consumer Choice Video Coalition (CVCC) — backed by Silicon Valley giants including Google, TiVo, Vizio, Public Knowledge, the Writers Guild of America, competitive telecom carrier trade group INCOMPAS (formerly COMPTEL) and others — demonstrated a new set-top box for FCC staffers, hoping to convince the agency to crack open leased cable boxes for competing over-the-top providers. Of the 21 coalition members present, one-third were from Google.
Fast-forward to two weeks ago, and Google — which just topped Apple as the world's most valuable company, at half a trillion dollars in valuation — hosted a similar demonstration of the coalition's "competitive Navigation device solution" for Capitol Hill staffers. The proposal's mere existence is a game-changer for third-party devices, and a potential huge victory at the FCC that cable operators and studios say would hurt their businesses, as well as consumers.
The FCC has proposed to require cable operators to make their programming available to third parties in a way that cable operators say would force them to re-engineer their networks and strip away copyright and consumer protections.
Google and others in the coalition said the proposal creates a "virtual headend" so that an MVPD's signal can be viewed along with over-the-top offerings on a competitive device. That device could be a box, phone, tablet, smart TV, dongle or even a leased cable box.
The idea is that the device allows access not only to the MVPDs' programming, but to content from the Internet, including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and YouTube.
More worrisome for cable operators, it could allow these third parties access to the most precious of all screen space: the first thing viewers see when they turn on the TV. Might it be an ad from Google?
Cable operators, movie studios and others have formed the Future of Television Coalition to fight the proposal. It's not that they don't want their content side by side with OTT, they said (and that's already happening in the marketplace without FCC intervention). Rather, they see the FCC's move as an unnecessary thumb on the scale for the Googles and TiVos of the world.
"It disaggregates the provider of the service from their customer, which no business is really going to like," one coalition source said. "And it gives third parties a way to come in and get revenue out of the ecosystem that devalues the content."
Coalition co-chairman Alfred Liggins, the president and CEO of cable network TV One, said, "The 'AllVid' proposal is a brazen money grab by Big Tech companies that would do severe damage to the programming ecosystem, and in particular, niche and minority-focused networks."
Cable operators argue that the proposal is essentially a revival of the AllVid proposal the FCC offered up in 2010. Wheeler and FCC officials, though, say the new plan is far from that.
Wheeler has pushed the plan with tough talk about the skyrocketing price of set-tops and the lack of competition. He went so far as to use a Public Knowledge/Consumer Federation of America chart at a press conference to illustrate why it's necessary to "unlock" the box for edge providers and consumer groups. (Gigi Sohn, a top adviser to Wheeler, is the co-founder of Public Knowledge.)
At press time, cable operators and other members of the Future of Television Coalition hadn't seen Wheeler's notice of proposed rulemaking, so all they had to go on in formulating reasons why the FCC was on the wrong track were the painful (for them) memories of AllVid and the CVCC proposal.
Multichannel News talked to senior FCC officials who have seen the NPRM to get their responses to the cable operators' key concerns — and they have a ton of them.
So, in one corner, from an NCTA filing with guidance from Future of TV Coalition sources, are the perceived blows the chairman's proposal would inflict on a video-access marketplace if it unfolds along the lines of the proposal put forth by Google et al. In the other, top FCC officials, speaking not for attribution, weigh in with their responses.
Would this turn the "opening screen" — what viewers see when they turn on their TV sets — over to a third party?
MVPDs: The first screen could be "Welcome to Google" only, with ads down the side. How would a Cox Communications or Comcast subscriber get directly to their channel lineups (on the same channels) on that opening screen as well?
FCC: "While we cannot predict the design or interface that device makers and software developers may come up with, they will be required to pass through all of the content the consumer is entitled to receive. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking asks how that should be defined," an FCC source told Multichannel News. "This proposal is intended to introduce competition in devices and apps available to consumers. If a consumer does not like the interface or user experience available on one offering, they could look for an alternative offered by a competitor." In other words, what that opening screen will show is yet to be determined.
What happens to programming agreements?
MVPDs: Retail devices would have access to parts of the MVPD service from which they could create their own service offerings, without responsibility or compensation to programmers or MVPDs.
FCC: "The CableCard works the same way," an FCC source said. "It gives an independent vendor such as a TiVo access to the MVPDs' programming and guide information. And none of these things have happened.
"And on the compensation issue: If you think about this logically, if I'm a Comcast subscriber, I'm paying Comcast whether I'm using their box or whether I use a TiVo box," the agency source added. "Comcast is then passing that money on to the programmers, based on the fact that I count as one of their eyeballs. They are also able to sell advertising based on the fact that I count as one of their eyeballs. Nothing that our proposal would do would change any of that. They keep their subs; they keep their subs's money. We're just saying you should be able to get a box or view it with an app on any device you want without disrupting any agreement between the programmer and the MVPD."
Under the CableCard regime, third parties are not required to display the guide in the same manner as MVPDs, but they are required to pass through a channel lineup, and that won't change, the official said. "Any package that the consumer has paid for shall be passed through in full and displayed in full by the third party," the FCC source said.
In addition to those channels being available in order, they can also be searched by category in a similar way as can be searched today. "If an MVPD can do that today and be in compliance with a third-party programming agreement, why wouldn't a third party be able to do that?"
Would this proposal infringe on copyrights?
MVPDs: Device manufacturers would be allowed to infringe on programmers' copyrights by displaying and copying protected works through manufacturers' own services without permission or compensation.
FCC: "Nothing we are doing undoes any copyright protections that exist today.
"As part of our proposal, we would require that the copy-protection information be transmitted from the MVPD to the device or app, and that the device or app must honor that copy protection mandate from the programmer." If the device doesn't honor copy-protection rules, programmers would have the same redress as they do under copyright, the official pointed out, though that is not the FCC's purview.
Would consumers lose modern features offered by the box, like Time Warner Cable's "Start Over?"
MVPDs: Consumers would be denied access to many modern MVPD service features like voice search, starting a show in progress at the beginning and other interactive enhancements, which MVPDs rely on to ensure the quality of their user experience and to provide value to their customers and stay competitive.
FCC: If viewers want such enhancements, they can keep them. "We're not telling anyone they have to give up their cable box. All we are saying is that, as a consumer, if you want to buy somebody else's box, you should be able to. And who's to say that new box won't have those features or a different feature that consumers want?"
Wouldn't the proposal require some sort of in-home adapter, not to mention added costs for consumers?
MVPDs: MVPDs must provide customers with a government-designed in-home, leased device in order to receive MVPD service on a retail device, raising equipment and energy costs for consumers. FCC: Officials said that sounded like AllVid, which they said was not the chairman's proposal. "We are not designing a device. In fact, we are not even mandating a device. We are very pro-app, and software and competitive devices [in] whatever format these innovators want to develop in. We are just trying to encourage that. AllVid was two boxes. We were telling people we are going to design a box and you have to have two boxes to get your cable programming. But that's not what we are doing here.
"In fact, we would love it if our proposal resulted in no boxes. The way of the future is not the box. Wouldn't it be great if you could just hook up your MVPD service to your Smart TV and you could see everything?"
Would this complicate issues like privacy, and perhaps thwart emergency alerts?
MVPDs: Device manufacturers are not obligated to abide by Title VI consumer protection regulations such as, among others, privacy protections and emergency alert requirements.
FCC: "Our proposal specifically seeks comment on maintaining emergency alerting. The safety of the public is very important to the commission. Nothing that we do in our proposal to create a competitive marketplace will undermine emergency alerting."
As to consumer-protection regulations, the official said that MVPDs do have different obligations under the Cable Act than device manufacturers. "Title VI applies to MVPDs only." But the official said that those device manufacturers are already subject to some pretty strict privacy laws and regulations of their own, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission — citing a "ton" of consent decrees against app and device manufacturers and the fact they are subject to strict California laws on privacy, as well as strict European Union privacy regulations for any device or app sold in member countries.
Can this make it easier for hackers since there's now a single point of attack?
MVPDs: Cable operators and other providers would have to use a common content encryption technology (DTCP-IP), creating a single point of attack for hackers. DTCP-IP also does not support today's rapidly evolving video business models.
FCC: That is a reference to what CVCC is asking, said one official, and the chairman's proposal "is not that." He said the chairman's proposal "recognizes there are a wide variety of methods for protecting content from theft and misuse, and TV providers ought to use multiple systems," and so the proposal "does not prescribe any particular content-protection system" so those can evolve. But the proposal does recognize that third parties need access to those content protection systems, whatever they wind up being, so the proposal requires that a pay TV provider license at least one such system on reasonable terms. "There will be no government standard that we select, or even that we approve" and the FCC remains "tech-neutral" on hardware vs. software.
Doesn't this force MVPDs to essentially give away their guide data?
MVPDs: MVPDs would be required to provide program-guide data, which they do not own, to retail devices, thereby exceeding their licenses with guide data suppliers.
FCC: The FCC will seek comment on the "exact level" of information that is needed to pass through from an MVPD to a third party in order to maintain all of the rights the consumer has paid for.
Could this focus on box-vs.-no box stifle innovation in next-generation technologies, not to mention the growing demand for apps?
MVPDs: Providers would have to support an expensive legacy technical solution, thereby interfering with plans to deploy next-generation systems and technologies (e.g., IP cable and IPv6).
Moreover, this would force cable operators and others to implement an inflexible, one-size-fits-all technology mandate that ignores the video marketplace transition to apps and creates a drag on innovation in the highly dynamic video-device marketplace.
FCC: "That, again, sounds like AllVid. This isn't AllVid.
"It's very clear by everything we have put out that we are very supportive of apps. We think apps are the way of the future and what we are proposing to do is tech-neutral. It does not mandate a box. If people want to develop a box and consumers are happy with boxes, they are welcome to them. But what we are trying to do here is let people innovate, whether they want to do boxes or something that is like the Amazon Fire stick or if they want to do an app. All options are open in the proposal."
How would technology standards be decided for this new sharing arrangement?
MVPDs: The proposal relies on standards not yet invented or implemented and would take years to develop — by which time the "solution" will likely have become outdated.
FCC: On the one hand, the official said, cable operators have consistently said they don't want the agency setting a standard and "now they aren't happy with us wanting to let a standards body set the standards, a body we think they should be a part of. It is tough to have it both ways.
"We are requiring the standards be set by an open standards body with participation from MVPDs, CE manufacturers, app developers and generally following the executive guidance on open standards bodies. We don't want to be in the middle of it. It is not a government-mandated standard."
How does this proposal change what is already happening in the marketplace, with viewers accessing cable and over-the-top side-by-side without the FCC stepping in?
MVPDs: This is a solution in search of a problem.
FCC: "It is very true that some of the larger MVPDs make apps available to certain devices where they entered into contracts with those devices.
"The problem is, today if I open up, say, a Comcast app on my Smart TV, I can't search what is available to me through my Comcast subscription versus what is available to me from Netflix. I have to go into each app, search inside that app, get out, go to the next screen if I want to go to Hulu after that.
"The nice thing about being able to let unaffiliated vendors develop apps for devices is that we anticipate functionality very similar to what TiVo does today, allowing consumers to search across all the sources of programming that they have access to because they pay for many of these things. It will be easier for consumers to find the programming they want at the price they want to pay for it."
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FCC set-top planTiVoAllVidset-top boxTom Wheeler.GoogleFCCConsumer Choice Video CoalitionFuture of TV CoalitionMVPDs
FCC chief's controversial 'unlock the box' proposal unleashes critics who fear a dire outcome
Coalition Formed to Fight 'AllVid'
Comes as FCC Proposes to 'Unlock' Set Top Info
'Unlocking' the Box Brings Uncertainty
FCC set-top initiative targets retail choice while apps keep rolling along
Groups to FCC: Block Buffoons, Unlock the Box
Free Press, others say set-top proposal helps diversity
Trouble Looming for Set-Top Plan
Concerns by Senate leaders, top FCC Democrat threaten proposal
Update: NCTA Will Sue If FCC Set-Top Box Proposal Stands
Powell says FCC is trying to create own vision of navigation device; FCC responds
Advanced Advertising
For Set-Top Ads, an Unclear Picture
FCC's Proposal Suggests Marketplace Will Decide the Matter
AT&T: OTT Video Plan Obviates Need for Set-Top Rules
New Services Show FCC Proposal Is 'Wholly Unnecessary'


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#NCBD 12/5/18: FCBD's 10 Comics for New Comic Book Day!
In this week's list for comics coming out 12/5/18, there's definitely something for everyone: The X-Men mourn their fallen brother in X-Men Exterminated, Batman takes on a new partership with the Penguin in Batman, the world's greatest roleplaying game meets reality's most dysfunctional animated series in Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons, and more!
In the aftermath of Extermination, the X-Men mourn for their fallen brother, Cable. But no one is taking it harder than his adopted daughter, Hope Summers. Will Hope be able to cope with the loss, or will she be led down a dark path that she won't be able to return from? Only Jean Grey can save Hope from herself! Plus, celebrate the life of Nathan Summers with a story from his past by Chris Claremont!
Eisner-nominated writer Jody Houser (Faith, Mother Panic, Stranger Things) leaps in with mind-blowing adventures for the Thirteenth Doctor and her brand new companions! A mysterious new time traveller appears - but can he be trusted when he says he's human?
Presented in conjunction with Oni Press!
Patrick Rothfuss, the multiple award-winning, bestselling author of The Kingkiller Chronicle series, joins Dungeons & Dragons fan-favorite author Jim Zub (Avengers, Wayward) on a tri-dimensional fantasy adventure!
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition sales continue to grow each year and the Baldur's Gate video games have sold millions of copies around the world. D&D has returned as a cultural force in bookstores and online.
Incendiary writer Christos Gage (Netflix's Daredevil) and death-defying artist Roberto de la Torre (SHADOWMAN) set the stage for a shocking conclusion of spine-tingling proportions!


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12 Days, Homemade for the Holidays continues today with cards. There is something so special about receiving cards in the mail. i also love creating cards for others to show my love. Sometimes the rush of the season comes upon me and i all too often didn't get all i want done. i know the trick is starting early but i also get into my head it has to be magnificant. So what's better sending a simpler card that was made with love or not sending one at all cause they are partially done due to my over ambitious drive? i think this year i will opt for the first one. Besides, simple cards can be just as beautiful as complex ones! i made three cards this year as "prototypes." i might create a bunch of all three cards or maybe just pick one of the three and duplicate it.
This Christmas trees card is wonderfully simple yet ever so cute. i used some leftover supplies i had in my stash which is always ok!
Remember these Gelli Arts gel prints? i pulled out all the reds and greens to create this card. i wasn't sure if i was going to use the deli paper prints or the cardstock prints. In the end i settled on the deli prints because of their translucent qualities. i cut simple triangles out of the colored paper and adhered the to the white cardstock with fluid gel medium. i added the bottoms of the three front trees using leftover paper from my art journal papers.
i then added some bling to the front trees and mounted the cardstock onto patterned paper. A simple "faux" stitch completed the card.
This Wish Card is too cute. i love all the pops of colors using the faux flair from Merry & Bright Life Fragments against the woodrain paper. i started by mounting all the circles onto the woodgrain patterned paper. If you cannot tell i am obsessed with this paper!
i auditioned many patterned paper backgrounds but none of them were what i wanted. After dismissing various patterned paper for it's color or overwhelming print, i decided to pull out some watercolor paper. i used the faux flair as inspiration and painted the edge of the watercolor card in a variety of colors.
Ahhh so much better than the patterned papers. i stitched the woodgrain patterned paper to the watercolor paper to finish the card. So very colorful, so very me.
The Be Merry card came together rather quickly. i love the painterly look to this card. i used my Curly Holly Stencil Fragment as my inspiration and template for this card.
i still had the watercolors and watercolor paper on my table so why not take advantage of it. i painted the green blue background rather quickly without thinking too much about it. Next i drew the holly onto the card using a simple mechanical pencil.
i then painted the holly leaves and berries using acrylic paint. i added some highlights using some neocolor ii crayons and then painted some more. Once i had the colors just right i let the paint dry completely.
i then used my favorite black pen to outline and fill in the shape of the leaves and berries. It didn't matter to me if the lines matched up to the old ones. This was just a template to get me started and i felt free to change it up a bit. i added a few black paint splatters to the card. i stitched the card onto the fun yellow patterned paper and added the title.
Jessi has created some beautiful cards too. Hope on over to her blog to see her take on Homemade cards.


Posted by Dave Emory ⋅ July 29, 2014Post a comment Email This Post Print This Post Tweet This!
COMMENT: Supplementing information presented in FTR #803, we learn that a website catering to global business travelers presented information pointing to Ukrainian military personnel as the "perps" of the shootdown of MH 17.
The last minute change of course of the doomed plane was confirmed by an Air India aircraft nearby.
We will present more about this subject in the next For The Record Program.
"Ukraine Air Traffic Controller Suggests Kiev Military Shot Down Passenger Plane"; eTN Global Travel Industry News; 7/17/2014.
Radar screen shots also show an unexplained change of course of the Malaysian Boeing. The change of course took the aircraft directly over the Eastern Ukraine conflict region. . . .
"Air India Flight Was 90 Seconds Away When Missile Struck Malaysian Airlines Flight MH117" by Manju V.; Times of India; 7/20/2014.
. . . . An Air India Dreamliner flight going from Delhi to Birmingham was in fact less than 25km away from the Malaysian aircraft, a distance covered by a Dreamliner or Boeing 777 in about 90 seconds, when the latter was hit. Because of this closeness, the Dnipropetrovsk (local Ukrainian) air traffic controller asked the AI pilots to try and establish contact with pilots of the Malaysian aircraft who had stopped responding to its calls.
Minutes before the crash caused by a missile strike, the AI pilots had also heard the controller give the Malaysian aircraft MH17 what is called "a direct routing". This permits an aircraft to fly straight, instead of tracking the regular route which is generally a zig-zag track that goes from one ground-based navigation aid or way point to another. "Direct routing saves fuel and time and is preferred by pilots. In this case, it proved fatal," said an airline source. . . .


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STAGE REVIEW : La Jolla Offers an 'Orchard' Worthy of the Master
By SYLVIE DRAKE
May 15, 1990 12 AM PT
TIMES THEATER WRITER
LA JOLLA —
It's really very simple.
The notion that a production need do no more (and no less) than be faithful to a great play tends to be viewed either as self-evident or merely simplistic and gets regularly ignored. But the greatest wisdom quite often lies in the most obvious course. If anyone wanted proof, they need look no further than the La Jolla Playhouse's new production of Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard."
Two things predominate in the staging that opened Sunday at the Mandell Weiss Theatre: judgment and talent. One thing is missing: gimmicks. From Elisaveta Lavrova's silken translation of the text, to director Tom Moore's passionate take on the play and the enchanted trees and tracery of Heidi Landesman's set, this inaugural production of La Jolla's 1990 season is a feast for the heart--measured, graceful, eloquent.
The play is set in its own time and place: turn of the century Russia, where serfdom was a thing of the past and revolution still a thing of the future. On the Ranevsky estate, past and future meet in an uneasy present. The aristocracy is superannuated and the sons of serfs are feeling their new muscle. Time and money are running out. But still the balalaikas play, and even though there are no rubles with which to face the music, no one wants to acknowledge the coming of the ax.
Chekhov's symbolism is broader here, in his last play, than in any other. The magnificent cherry orchard, renowned for its vastness, surrounds the house like a fortress. It is the silent watchman in whose fall dynasties will collapse.
Within the house, Chekhov has woven his usual intricate tapestry of interrelated lives--the old guard and the new. Mistress of the mansion, the giddy Ranevskaya (Lynn Redgrave), is newly returned from Paris where she has squandered love and money. Like her effete and ineffectual brother Gaev (Bill Ball), she can't cope with impending financial disaster.
Ineptitude and paralysis will lose them the estate. An elaborate retinue of offspring, tutors, servants, friends and other neighbors takes part in this final, mirthless and tragically comical dance of death. In the end, when the shrewd and stolid Lopakhin (Mark Harelik) acquires the orchard at auction, we watch the new order triumph inexorably over the old as this former serf, drunk on new-found wealth and sudden power, brings down the emblematic trees.
Whatever suspense was intended in watching the mighty fall has long given way to marveling at how skillfully Chekhov has etched these interconnecting lives. Nowhere is good acting more crucial than on this kind of chessboard where portraiture is everything.
Casting is exemplary in this "Orchard." Aside from the actors already mentioned (who deliver burnished and distinctive characterizations), it is the blending of strongly individual performances at the heart of a beautifully orchestrated ensemble that places this production near the top of a handful of memorable American stagings of Chekhov--including the Old Globe's "Uncle Vanya" earlier this year. (How lucky can San Diego get?)
Ball, who is the former artistic director of San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre and has been away from the stage for 28 years, delivers a pathetically weak, tenderly modulated Gaev. Redgrave's tremulous Ranevskaya makes it easy to see why no one resists her--and Molly Hagan is a daughter worthy of this mother as the beautiful Anya, richly detailing a role too often left unexplored.
Mia Dillon's unhappy Varya, Peter Frechette's "moth-eaten" tutor, Robert Cornthwaite's graceful Firs, Cheryl Giannini's sturdy and amusing Charlotta, William Youmans' haplessly comical Yepikhodov and Tracey Leigh's Dunyasha all stand out. Harelik's final intoxicated rantings over his purchase of the estate is as harrowing as it is impotent and explosive.
Ultimately, it is director Moore who deserves a large portion of the credit for having chosen so well. There is not a wrong move in this "Orchard," from Robert Blackman's lavish costumes, to Peter Maradudin's mood-setting lights, John McKinney's and Mel Marvin's original music and Jean Isaacs' dances. It's one not to miss.
At the Mandell Weiss Theatre, La Jolla Village Drive and Torrey Pines Road, Tuesdays through Sundays, 8 p.m.; matinees Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m., until June 17. $20-$26; (619) 534-3960.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Dear Economist
Undercover Economist
The Undercover Economist Strikes Back
Dear Undercover Economist
The Logic of Life
The Undercover Economist
Tim Harford The Undercover Economist
Learn from the losers
Kickended is important. It reminds us that the world is biased in systematic ways
Can there be an easier way to raise some cash than through Kickstarter? The crowdfunding website enjoyed a breakthrough moment in 2012 when the Pebble, an early smartwatch, raised over $10m. But then a few months ago, a mere picnic cooler raised an extraordinary $13m. Admittedly, the Coolest cooler is the Swiss army knife of cool boxes. It has a built-in USB charger, cocktail blender and loudspeakers. The thundering herd of financial backers for this project made it the biggest Kickstarter campaign to date, as well as being a sure sign that end times are upon us.
And who could forget this summer's Kickstarter appeal from a fellow by the name of Zack "Danger" Brown? Brown turned to Kickstarter for $10 to make some potato salad; and he raised $55,492 in what must be one of history's most lucrative expressions of hipster irony.
I'm sure I'm not the only person to ponder launching an exciting project on Kickstarter before settling back to count the money. Dean Augustin may have had the same idea back in 2011; he sought $12,000 to produce a documentary about John F Kennedy. Jonathan Reiter's "BizzFit" looked to raise $35,000 to create an algorithmic matching service for employers and employees. This October, two brothers in Syracuse, New York, launched a Kickstarter campaign in the hope of being paid $400 to film themselves terrifying their neighbours at Halloween. These disparate campaigns have one thing in common: they received not a single penny of support. Not one of these people was able to persuade friends, colleagues or even their parents to kick in so much as a cent.
My inspiration for these tales of Kickstarter failure is Silvio Lorusso, an artist and designer based in Venice. Lorusso's website, Kickended, searches Kickstarter for all the projects that have received absolutely no funding. (There are plenty: about 10 per cent of Kickstarter projects go nowhere at all, and only 40 per cent raise enough money to hit their funding targets.)
Kickended performs an important service. It reminds us that what we see around us is not representative of the world; it is biased in systematic ways. Normally, when we talk of bias we think of a conscious ideological slant. But many biases are simple and unconscious. I have never read a media report or blog post about a typical, representative Kickstarter campaign – but I heard a lot about the Pebble watch, the Coolest cooler and potato salad. If I didn't know better, I might form unrealistic expectations about what running a Kickstarter campaign might achieve.
This isn't just about Kickstarter. Such bias is everywhere. Most of the books people read are bestsellers – but most books are not bestsellers. And most book projects do not become books at all. There's a similar story to tell about music, films and business ventures in general.
Academic papers are more likely to be published if they find new, interesting and positive results. If an individual researcher retained only the striking data points, we would call it fraud. But when an academic community as a whole retains only the striking results, we call it "publication bias" and we have tremendous difficulty in preventing it. Its impact on our understanding of the truth may be no less serious.
Now let's think about the fact that the average London bus has only 17 people riding on it. How could that possibly be? Whenever I get on a bus, it's packed. But consider a bus that runs into London with 68 people at rush hour, then makes three journeys empty. Every single passenger has witnessed a crammed bus, but the average occupancy was 17. Nobody has ever been a passenger on a bus with no passengers but such buses exist. Most people ride the trains when they are full and go to the shops when they are busy. A restaurant may seem popular to its typical customers because it is buzzing when they are there; to the owners and staff, things may look very different.
. . .
In 1943, the American statistician Abraham Wald was asked to advise the US air force on how to reinforce their planes. Only a limited weight of armour plating was feasible, and the proposal on the table was to reinforce the wings, the centre of the fuselage, and the tail. Why? Because bombers were returning from missions riddled with bullet holes in those areas.
Wald explained that this would be a mistake. What the air force had discovered was that when planes were hit in the wings, tail or central fuselage, they made it home. Where, asked Wald, were the planes that had been hit in other areas? They never returned. Wald suggested reinforcing the planes wherever the surviving planes had been unscathed instead.
It's natural to look at life's winners – often they become winners in the first place because they're interesting to look at. That's why Kickended gives us an important lesson. If we don't look at life's losers too, we may end up putting our time, money, attention or even armour plating in entirely the wrong place.
Written for and first published at ft.com.
2nd of December, 2014 • Undercover Economist	• Comments off
Tim Harford is an author, columnist for the Financial Times and presenter of Radio 4's "More or Less".
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ICAI releases e-version of compendium of revised Indian Accounting Standards
Chartered accountants' body ICAI on May 2 said it has released the e-version of compendium of revised Indian Accounting Standards that incorporates new standard on leases among other amendments.
As part of annual improvements, the Ind AS (Indian Accounting Standards), which is based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), undergoes regular upgradation due to issuance of new standards or amendments in existing standards by IFRS, the accounting body said in a release.
The e-version of compendium of Ind AS includes amendments that were made in Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Amendment Rules and became effective on April 1.
"During the previous year there have been certain amendments to Ind AS which have all been incorporated in appropriate places and relevant standards in this updated version of compendium," the release said.
The existing standard on leases has been replaced in the new accounting standards (Ind AS 116).
"In the new lease accounting model for lessees, leases will be recognised on balance sheet by recognising a lease liability with a corresponding 'right-of use' asset," it said.
Ind AS 116 will have an impact on the financial statements of the firms. The extent of impact would vary across industries depending on the financing and leasing structures prevalent in an industry, the release added.
Similarly, the compendium also includes changes that provide guidance as to how uncertainty about a tax treatment should be reflected in the accounting for income tax.
"The compendium of Ind AS will be highly useful to all stakeholders in particular prepares and auditors of financial statements. ICAI will also continue to engage in disseminating knowledge of these standards and the changes through a series of initiatives including webcasts, workshops, training programmes and certificate courses," Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAI) President Prafulla P Chhajed said.
Tags: Accounting, compendium, eversion, ICAI, Indian, releases, revised, Standards
Sad for Semenya, IAAF's wrong policy on hyperandrogenism caused her loss: Dutee Chand
Feels good: Rohit Sharma elated as Mumbai Indians seal IPL 2019 playoffs berth


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Action Synopsis: Bird Conservation About Actions
Remove eggs from wild nests to increase reproductive output
Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 3
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How is the evidence assessed?
Calculating overall effectiveness category
Expert assessment panel
Background information and definitions
If a bird population is at a very low level then removing eggs from nests can be used to encourage females to continue laying, with some species replacing eggs as they are removed. The removed eggs can then be hand-reared (see 'Artificially incubate and hand-rear birds in captivity') or fostered ('Foster eggs or chicks with wild conspecifics' and 'Foster eggs or chicks with non-conspecifics'), increasing the productivity of the species.
Alternatively, removing eggs from wild nests may actually increase the success of these nests, possibly due to competition between siblings. Studies discussing this aspect of the intervention are described below.
Source countries
A replicated study from Mauritius found that harvesting entire clutches appeared to increase Mauritius kestrels Falco punctatus productivity more effectively than removing individual eggs as they were laid.
A replicated study over 30 years in Canada (Kuyt 1996) found that wild whooping cranes Grus americana reproductive success was higher for nests with one or two eggs removed than for control nests.
A single study from the USA found that removing bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus eggs from wild nests for hand-rearing did not appear to greatly affect the wild population.
About key messages
Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.
Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.
Supporting evidence from individual studies
A replicated, controlled study in two marshland sites in Florida, USA, between 1985 and 1990 (Wood & Collopy 1993) found that 78% of 58 bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus pairs that had their first clutch removed for hand-rearing ('donor nests') between 1985 and 1988 laid replacement clutches within two months. Replacement clutches were slightly smaller than first clutches (58 first clutches averaged 2.1 eggs/clutch vs. 1.8 eggs/clutch for 45 second clutches). In one study area, donor nests produced fewer fledglings than control pairs (1.0 fledgling/nest for 16 donor nests vs. 1.5 fledglings/nest for 39 controls), but this was not true in a second area (1.2 fledgling/nest for 26 donor nests vs. 1.1 fledglings/nest for 41 controls). Donor nests were more productive in the year before eggs were removed than the year after donation (approximately 1.3 fledglings/clutch for 32 pairs the year before donation vs. 0.85 fledglings/clutch for 34 pairs the year after). A demographic model suggested that a donor population would be very slightly smaller than a control population after 25 years. Timing of clutch removal did not affect the speed or probability of replacement clutches being laid.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Wood P.B. & Collopy M.W. (1993) Effects of Egg Removal on Bald Eagle Productivity in Northern Florida. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 57, 1-9
A replicated 1995 study on the Mauritius kestrels Falco punctatus conservation programme (Jones et al. 1995) found that harvesting whole clutches rather than single eggs was more successful in increasing wild pair productivity: 95% of females re-laid within 14 days of clutch removal, but fertility fell rapidly in clutches where eggs were removed as they were laid. Females laid up to 4 clutches/season as a result of harvesting, but clutch fertility decreased to zero by the fourth clutch. Clutch size was an average of 3.4 eggs/clutch for 96 first clutches, compared with 3.3 for 63 second clutches.
Jones C.G., Heck W., Lewis R.E., Mungroo Y. & Cade T.J. (1995) The restoration of the Mauritius kestrel Falco punctatus population. Ibis, 137, s173-s180
A replicated controlled study in Northwest Territories and Alberta, Canada, between 1967 and 1996 (Boyce et al. 2005) found that the reproductive success of wild whooping cranes Grus americana was higher for nests that had one of two eggs removed, compared to control nests. Both recruitment of juveniles to the population and survival until August (eggs were removed in May) were higher (50% chance of recruitment from nests with eggs removed vs. 39% for unmanipulated nests). A total of 496 eggs were removed from wild nests in the study period, representing 62% of all crane nests during this time period. The success of artificially incubating and rearing the removed eggs is discussed in Kuyt (1996) in 'Captive breeding, rearing and releases (ex situ conservation)'.
Kuyt, E. (1996) Reproductive manipulation in the whooping crane Grus americana. Bird Conservation International, 6, 3–10.
Boyce M.S., Lele S.R. & Johns B.W. (2005) Whooping crane recruitment enhanced by egg removal. Biological Conservation, 126, 395-401
Williams, D.R., Child, M.F., Dicks, L.V., Ockendon, N., Pople, R.G., Showler, D.A., Walsh, J.C., zu Ermgassen, E.K.H.J. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Bird Conservation. Pages 137-281 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.
Where has this evidence come from?
List of journals searched by synopsis
All the journals searched for all synopses
This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:
Bird Conservation
Remove vegetation to create nesting areas
Action Link Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) 6 Synopsis Link
Provide artificial nesting sites for rails
Provide artificial nesting sites for wildfowl
Action Link Beneficial 27 Synopsis Link
All related actions
Bird Conservation - Published 2013
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Bird Synopsis
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Submit additional evidence
Thank you for considering submitting additional evidence about this intervention. Ideally we would like all submitted evidence to have been published in peer-reviewed literature. However, we do welcome evidence of any nature.
Please be aware that given the volume of work we have we cannot guarantee a response to every submission.
Attach files You may submit up to three additional files
An assessment by independent experts of the effectiveness of this action based on the summarized evidence (0% = not effective, 100% = highly effective). This score is based on the direction and size of the effects reported in each study. Actions with high scores typically have large, desirable effects on the target species/habitat in each study. There is some variation between actions, e.g. 100% effectiveness in adding underpasses under roads for bat conservation will likely have different impacts to 100% effectiveness in restoring marsh habitat. The effectiveness score does not consider the quantity or quality of studies; a single, poorly designed study could generate a high effectiveness score. The effectiveness score is combined with the certainty and harms scores to determine the overall effectiveness category (for more details see https://www.conservationevidence.com/content/page/79).
An assessment by independent experts of the harms of this action to the target group of species/habitat, based on the summarized evidence (0% = none, 100% = major undesirable effects). Undesirable effects on other groups of species/habitats are not considered in this score. The harms score is combined with the effectiveness and certainty scores to determine the overall effectiveness category (for more details see https://www.conservationevidence.com/content/page/79).
An assessment by independent experts of the certainty of the evidence for this action based on the summarized evidence (0% = no evidence, 100% = high quality evidence). How certain can we be that the effectiveness score applies to all targets of the intervention (e.g. all birds for an action in the bird synopsis)? This score is based on the number, quality and coverage (species, habitats, geographical locations) of studies. Actions with high scores are supported by lots of well-designed studies with a broad coverage relative to the scope of the intervention. However, the definition of "lots" and "well-designed" will vary between interventions and synopses depending on the breadth of the subject. The certainty score is combined with the effectiveness and harms scores to determine the overall effectiveness category (for more details see https://www.conservationevidence.com/content/page/79).
Overall Effectiveness Category
The overall effectiveness category is determined using effectiveness, certainty and harms scores generated by a structured assessment process with multiple rounds of anonymous scoring and commenting (a modified Delphi method). In this assessment, independent subject experts (listed for each synopsis) interpret the summarized evidence using standardised instructions. For more details see https://www.conservationevidence.com/content/page/79.


Extended childcare for before and after school is available for all children enrolled at Memorial Lutheran School. Additional fees apply.
Early Drop-off: 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.
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Space is limited in the after-care program - you may contact the director, Whitney Rammage, via email to learn of space availability.
There are days throughout the school year when school is closed, but childcare is open.
Children in the 10-month programs (PS3 to 8th) may sign up for childcare on non-school days, paying a determined daily rate.
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Industrial / Distribution
Manufacturing / Processing
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Getting started in construction
St George and SEGRO appoint Glencar to deliver first UK multi-storey industrial development in London
Glencar Construction has today announced that it has been appointed by St George, a leading mixed-use developer and member of the Berkeley Group, and SEGRO, a leading owner and developer of warehouse space to construct their first multi-storey industrial development in the London Borough of Brent.
The development, to be called SEGRO V-Park Grand Union, will provide 134,500 sq ft of flexible light industrial space over six storeys and is an innovative new concept for delivering multi-storey light industrial property and is designed to maximise employment space and accessibility on the 1.7-acre plot and support up to 500 jobs and apprenticeships.
The concept fully supports the aspirations in the GLA's new London Plan to intensify industrial land, delivering jobs and homes as part of the regeneration of a wider brownfield site.
It forms part of Grand Union, a new canal-side destination which is being delivered by St George. The 22-acre former derelict Northfields Industrial Estate is being transformed into a vibrant new mixed-use neighbourhood in Alperton compromising 3,350 homes, 35% of which is affordable with the first residents already moved in, delivering much needed homes and jobs to the London Borough of Brent.
Grand Union will provide 10.2 acres of publicly accessible landscaped gardens, a net biodiversity gain of 240%, community centre, health centre, local supermarket and a range of onsite amenities. The new neighbourhood will also open up previously inaccessible parts of the Grand Union Canal and River Brent to the local community, creating improved routes around Grand Union and to nearby Stonebridge Park Station.
Within SEGRO V-Park Grand Union, the ground and first floors will be utilised to provide over 100 parking spaces, with electric vehicle charging points also being incorporated. The flexible industrial space is arranged over four upper levels which can be configured for individual units offering a range of sizes, supported by shared meeting rooms, breakout areas and wellness spaces, including a green roof terrace.
The development will incorporate sustainability features such as photovoltaic cells and an internal green wall. Construction is expected to begin in Summer 2022.
SEGRO V-Park Grand Union expands SEGRO's footprint in North West London. It is located close to Tudor Estate and Premier Park at Park Royal and will front onto the North Circular (A406), providing excellent connectivity to the M1 and M25.
Commenting on the appointment Glencar CEO Eddie McGillycuddy said: "As the first multi storey logistics development of its kind to be developed in London and the UK more generally we are absolutely delighted to be appointed by St George and SEGRO to deliver this ground-breaking development.
Glencar are working on an increasing number of urban logistics development projects right across London and the south as the strong pent-up demand for last-mile fulfilment coupled with the ongoing challenges of land supply continue to be driving factors.
The six storey, multi-floor unit is a highly innovative concept in terms of the way the building functions and how the employment space is used. We are very much looking forward to working with St George, SEGRO and the full project team to bring this fantastic design to life and seeing it in action."
Also commenting Piers Clanford, Chairman St George Plc, said: "Grand Union has been carefully designed with the local community and the London Borough of Brent to create an exciting new canal side neighbourhood, delivering high quality homes and job opportunities together with offering a wealth of community amenities from the outset. SEGRO V-Park Grand Union is a key part of the redevelopment of this complex brownfield regeneration site, delivering even further opportunity for job creation, aligning with the Borough of Brent and the GLA's ambitions. We look forward to working with SEGRO and Glencar on this exciting project."
Alan Holland, Managing Director, Greater London at SEGRO, said:
"SEGRO V-Park Grand Union is a new model for delivering much-needed light industrial space as part of mixed-use communities. We are strong advocates for multi-storey warehousing in some urban settings given the pressure on land supply and the need to create space that supports different types of employment. We have successfully delivered multi-storey logistics at scale in Paris and now have the opportunity at Grand Union to adapt this format for a smaller urban site.
"This regeneration project is a template for how to revitalise under-utilised industrial land to deliver much needed housing and jobs and we look forward to working with the GLA, London Borough of Brent, St George and Glencar to bring forward these exciting plans"
Glencar appointed by Baytree for major new 1 million sq ft sustainable logistics facility in Nuneaton
Firethorn Trust appoints Glencar to deliver key northern logistics development
Glencar has today announced that it has been appointed by Firethorn Trust to deliver a 340,000 sq ft...
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L-THEANINE: Brain waves displayed on an EEG are smoother after taking theanine. It relaxes the body without making it drowsy, which is why you can take theanine also during the day. At night, theanine calms your body so you can fall asleep more easily. It also helps give you a deeper sleep. Theanine is an anti-stress amino acid: It balances the body's glucocorticoid hormones. These are increased by stress, and are a target for antidepressants because they influence neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Keeping glucocorticoids in balance is very important to feel calm and relaxed. Theanine exists naturally in green tea, which is why many feel so relaxed after drinking it. With one serving of CALMAG SUPREME, you get as much theanine as in four cups of green tea.
Directions: Shake can and put powder in a cup. Fill halfway with boiling water.
for flavour add some juice, such as apple juice.
keep container tightly closed in a cool dry place.
Suggested use: One or more servings per day or as recommended by your health care professional.


The Vermont Association of Realtors® (VAR) pre-licensing class is approved by the Vermont Real Estate Commission as a prerequisite for applying for a Vermont real estate license. The key to passing any exam is not knowing the most information but knowing the right information. VAR employs instructors who are the benchmark of quality for test preparation.
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You must attend all five classes in order to receive a completion certificate.
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Брюс Ше́лли (; июль 1948 года, Мичиган, США) — американский геймдизайнер настольных и компьютерных игр. Больше всего известен как геймдизайнер, совместно создавший с Сидом Мейером Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon и Sid Meier's Civilization, и позже как один из создателей игр серии Age of Empires.

За вклад в разработку Age of Empires в 2009 году Брюс Шелли включён в Зал Славы Академии интерактивных искусств и наук.

Карьера

Брюс Шелли работал совместно с Avalon Hill и разрабатывал настольные игры компании, включая , которая была создана в результате вдохновения игрой  о железных дорогах 1829 года. Приблизительно в 1988 году Брюс Шелли понял, что рынок настольных игр сужается в пользу компьютерных игр, и у него получилось попасть в MicroProse в качестве геймдизайнера. Вскоре Брюс Шелли начал тесно работать с Сидом Мейером, став его «номером 2». Данное сотрудничество и опыт разработки настольных игр Брюса Шелли повлияли на Сида Мейера. Первым их совместным проектом стала Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon, которая была частично основана на игре Брюса Шелли 1830: The Game of Railroads and Robber Barons. Впоследствии они вместе работали над Sid Meier's Covert Action и созданием Civilization.

Брюс Шелли на рубеже 1990-х женился, и его супруга нашла высокооплачиваемую работу в Чикаго (в три раза превышающую зарплату Шелли). В то же время сотрудник MicroProse, который нанял Брюса Шелли, покинул компанию через год, и постепенно Брюс Шелли стал одним из наименее оплачиваемых работников MicroProse. По этим причинам и из-за изменения обстановки внутри компании Брюс Шелли покидает MicroProse в конце 1992 года (Рождество было последним пребыванием в компании). Впоследствии он становится одним из основателей Ensemble Studios. В эту компанию он приносит идеи Civilization и ведёт разработку первых игр серии Age of Empires, первая из которых вышла в 1997 году. Через своих коллег-геймдизайнеров Брайана Рейнольдса и  Брюс Шелли также работал c играми Zynga. В 2016 году сотрудничал с компанией Bonusxp в разработке игр для мобильных устройств.

Игры Брюса Шелли
  (1986)
 Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon ()
 Sid Meier's Covert Action (1990)
 Sid Meier's Civilization ()
 Age of Empires ()
 Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings ()
 Age of Mythology ()
 Age of Empires III ()

Примечания

Родившиеся в 1948 году
Родившиеся в Мичигане
Геймдизайнеры США
Зал Славы Академии интерактивных искусств и наук
Выпускники Колледжа экологических наук и лесного хозяйства (Университет штата Нью-Йорк)


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Balestrate est une commune de la province de Palerme dans la région Sicile en Italie.

Administration

Hameaux

Communes limitrophes
Alcamo, Partinico, Trappeto

Personnalités
 Salvatore Cannarozzo (1921-1953), parachutiste italien, pionnier de la chute libre et de la dérive, est né à Balestrate.

Notes et références

Commune dans la province de Palerme


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Oklahoma City is the most populated city in the state and the 29th largest City in the U.S.
At 621.2 square miles, Oklahoma City is in the top five largest cities in the country in terms of geographic area. The City spreads into four counties: Oklahoma, Canadian, Cleveland and Pottawatomie.
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A great change is sweeping Arab political culture
All Arab regimes, regardless of regime type, have essentially behaved like dynasties. This is why the essentially secular, expansive, inclusive, internationally-aware neo-nationalism of the young Arabs in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere in the region offers a revolutionary break from an unending past.
Issa Khalaf
As soon as news emerged that the Libyan protestors were also planning to take to the streets, I was horror-struck. This wasn't going to be Egypt or Tunisia, or even frightened emirs, sultans, and monarchs. Libya has neither Egypt's vibrant civil society nor developed institutions, nor a military that can easily challenge Qadhafi's rule. Colonel Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi - variously, Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Arab Republic, great leader of the al-Jumhuriyya al-'Arabiyya al-Libiyya, the General Commander of Libya's Armed Forces, the Head of [every] Council of State and of the Arab Socialist Union, the learned author of the al-kitab al-akhdar (Green Book), the Brotherly leader and Guide of the Revolution, Africa's King of Kings, Supreme Leader regally surveying his kingdom or majestically visiting abroad accompanied by an elite, armed female bodyguard corps, ubiquitously, honorifically titled leader without official state title - was not about to take rejection lightly. Nor is this eccentric megalomaniac, a caricature of himself, about to let go of power after four decades, his son essentially in the same breath raising the spectre of social disintegration without the Leader and unleashing the full, bloody fury of the state.
True, permanent rulers everywhere don't easily let go of one of life's foremost aphrodisiacs, power, and can't conceive that anyone else can rule their subjects like them, with their benevolent patriarchy. They all crave the attention and revel in the whimsical arbitrariness that accompany being number one, including hobnobbing with world leaders. Qadhafi's flamboyance, including his romanticized 'tent' outings and a costume for every occasion and genre, was once curious, with an air of populism about it. But his African-style personal rule has not been a laughing matter for decades, and his endless speeches on TV and lectures to foreign audiences, including western women on converting to Islam, have nauseated his people. This ageing, narcissistic, deluded man, ruling over merely 5-6 million people in a petroleum-rich country the size of Alaska, cannot possibly accept the reality of letting go of all this, or that his people don't want him, hence his rage and violence against them.
Qadhafi, like his now absent Egyptian counterpart, is symptomatic of Arab rulers' stunning, unenlightened failure to pay any regard to placing their people's future and well-being, much less encourage institutional inter-Arab cooperation for the sake of social and economic development, over their own immediate self-interest. (Whatever criticism one reserves for Egypt's Jamal 'abd al-Nasir, his attempt to live by principle, humbly refusing to enrich himself or his family, is admirable by today's kleptocratic standards.) The Libyan dictator is what old Arab nationalism-turned-authoritarianism - including its 'radical' versions found in the regimes of Algeria, Syria, Iraq and the now hapless PLO, or 'socialist republics' such as Tunisia or Egypt - has wrought. This amounts to bureaucratic or tyrannical one party or no party states, violently crushing civil society, suffocating public space, privately owning and enriching themselves on state resources.
That insistent, ancient character of élite Arab political culture - the reliance on narrow social groups and classes, those with wealth and economic power to sustain an unwritten contract maintaining the dictator's rule and circulating power within the state - has not yet disappeared. If anything, it has been supplemented in the last fifty years by secretive, shadowy, Qadhafi- and Saddam-like personality cults and intelligence services. All Arab regimes, regardless of regime type, have essentially behaved like dynasties.
The malaise, has been deep and serious, relating to multifaceted causes including colonialist and imperialist maintenance of the status quo; but also indicative of the great, historically unsettled matter of political authority since Islam's beginnings; together with the complex ethnic, sectarian, tribal, clan, and familial divisions in Arab societies, their great socio-cultural diversity. What Islam could tenuously or otherwise once do, by serving as the ideologically unifying factor of such pluralism, it could no longer do in the modern period. Arab nationalism purported to fill the vacuum. The Arab nationalists' legitimacy was galvanized by an anti-colonial, anti-imperialist drive for independence, but it was devoid of a programme for internal democratic reform and for Arab unity. Nor was it capable of governing with widespread authority and legitimacy. The fearsome parties and military cliques that replaced the old landowning oligarchy in the second half of the twentieth century only talked up fantastic visions, nationalism as a panacea for all Arab ills, including underdevelopment.
In fact, Arab nationalism was no more than what the narrow ruling regimes said it was at any one time, thus leaving them unhindered to amass and monopolize power. The failure of nationalism was in this manner as preordained as was the subsequent failure of the resurgence of an anachronistic political Islam, itself naïve and unrealistic.
The secular nationalisms of the Middle East did not understand that anti-imperialist rhetoric and promotion of patriotism could not substitute for an integrated national political community that required foundations in genuine popular sovereignty, law, and constitutionalism, with institutions and mechanisms for popular participation, representation, and majority governance. These foundations, after all, are what has eventually tamed the chauvinistic, violent, even genocidal depredations of similarly unmoored and varied nationalisms in Europe.
Whether Islamists have a political theory and culture to resolve the great problem of authority is questionable. For once this political authority is anchored in the idea of God's revealed commandments and sovereignty, the sociopolitical order's laws and decision-making subordinated to a divine prototype and Shari'a, then one has to contend with the varieties and conflicting interpretations of Islam and all those, the majorities, who reject such a social compact. Moral liberation and virtuous persons and societies are possible only in a free public space which can support the undiluted application of reason and rationality. There cannot be progress without intellectual liberation and receptiveness to free and diverse inquiry devoid of official parameters, whether religiously or secularly based.
The point is that the state can neither be dominated by de-institutionalized bureaucratic authoritarianism, in which the ruler embodies party, state and society in one, nor by the institutionalization of religion. Instead, one way or another, we must arrive at states that behave as the neutral arbiter of conflicting societal interests, in support of popular consent and its institutionalized, peaceful expression of contestation, application, and the transfer of power. Anything else leads to abuse and a violent competition for power.
This is why the essentially secular, expansive, inclusive, internationally-aware neo-nationalism of the young Arabs in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere in the region offers such great hope and, finally, a revolutionary break from an unending past. Culturally proud of its Islamic heritage, but with an emphasis on freedom of expression, human rights, accountability, rule of law, openness, socioeconomic improvement, rejection of foreign interference, challenge of the neo-liberal economic model, etc. it augurs a potential breakthrough from decades of sociopolitical stagnation. Furthermore, that cultural imaginary of a pan-Arab identity, remains the optimal potential unifier countering individual states' (hence the region's) socially disintegrative tendencies. It maybe the best antidote to old religious and sectarian solidarities and competing models (as in Iraq and Lebanon) - in short, the parochial institutionalization of power.
This promise of democratization rooted in vibrant civil society and concerned only with mass wellbeing, is forceful, despite the differences in social and economic development, social formations, and cultural and political conditions in each state across the region. It is a promise to which a changing political Islam could gravitate, while potentially breaking the cycle of Islamist resistance and state repression. Decades ago, regardless of the level of development, of indigenous values and traditions, or the strength of the middle class, the state can and should have allowed the evolution of democratic political reform and autonomy of the social and economic spheres.
But that wasn't possible with these ruling dynasts. The great opportunity now is for the state to take the lead in representative government and open public discourse, of transparent democratic bargaining and accommodation, thereby muting and channelling the unsettled question of authority. The alternatives are chilling: either radical transformation which almost always leads to another modality of repression; or continuing to wait for Arab states to emerge from underdevelopment under the many regime types that will come to power, that given half the chance will forever delay democratization of state and society.
The revolting Arab publics offer much hope that essentially liberal states, naturally reflecting Arab culture, will emerge, despite structural problems and dependency. Decades of instability, repression, and failure, in themselves, have taught an entire generation, more educated, urban, literate, of the urgent need for a better way. Whatever form this takes in each state, that way is political authority whose foundation is popular consent.
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50.50 Gender Politics Religion
Democracy and government
The Tahrir Square 'meme'


Ever looked thoughtfully at those PhotoGray sunglasses and wished they would turn some other fun color? Like, say yellow? Or UConn blue?
Okay, maybe you haven't. But if you did, the technology is here, thanks to Greg Sotzing, professor of chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and member of UConn's Polymer Program.
Not only have he and his colleagues perfected a method for creating quick-changing, variable colors in films and displays, such as sunglasses, they've made them less expensive and less wasteful to manufacture than any previous method. And aside from creating vanity glasses, the technology is in high demand from the U.S. military.
"This is the next big thing for color-changing lenses," Sotzing says.
The typical material behind a color-changing lens is what's called a photochromic film, or a sheet of polymers that change color when light hits them. Sotzing's new technology does things slightly differently – his electrochromic lenses are controlled by an electric current passing through them when triggered by a stimulus, such as light.
In November 2010, partially based on work supported by the Center for Science and Technology Commercialization's Prototype Fund, the UConn R&D Corporation started a company, called Alphachromics Inc., with Sotzing and colleague Michael Invernale, now a post-doctoral researcher at MIT, as founders. The university has a patent pending for this new technology, which is currently under option to the company. Alphachromics is also testing applications of these polymer systems for energy-saving windows and custom fabrics.
Sotzing and Alphachromics are currently in talks with sunglass manufacturers, and Sotzing says that the world of Hollywood could be a market for this technology. He describes applications he calls "freaky," including colors that move back and forth across the glasses, evoking styles like those sported by Lady Gaga.
But Sotzing stresses that the best thing about this technology is the creation of business in Connecticut. Although the glasses may not be made here, because the technology will be licensed to out of state manufacturers, he hopes Alphachromics will continue to expand in Connecticut.
The findings were published July 7 in the Journal of Materials Chemistry. Sotzing's collaborators on the paper are Invernale and Ph.D. students Yujie Ding, Donna Mamangun and Amrita Kumar.


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Kubernetes for Developers: Use Kubernetes to develop, test, and deploy your applications with the help of containers by Joe Heck
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Twisting the Truth: The Heart-Stopping Sequel to One Man Crusade (DCI Miller Book 8)
suttie
crime-fiction
Steven Suttie - 2020
"I adore DCI Miller" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "An excellent series" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "You cannot put these books down! Absolutely brilliant" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ DCI Andy Miller is in serious trouble.
A major Manchester gangster called Tommy McKinlay is on remand and it looks as though he will be going away for a long stretch. But he knows something that DCI Miller can't possibly afford to be made public. Something about the infamous "Pop" case from three years earlier. Something that could see Miller behind bars, for a very long time. It was supposed to be a very closely guarded secret. As far as Miller was aware, only a handful of people knew the details which are now threatening to destroy his career, and his life. What does McKinlay want in return for his silence? More importantly, can McKinlay be trusted to keep this explosive information silent if Miller agrees to his demands? Twisting the Truth is a heart-stopping DCI Miller page-turner which promises to keep readers guessing until the very last page. Can Miller get out of this? Or is Tommy McKinlay going to be Miller's puppet-master for the rest of time? Will Miller manage to keep his team together as the gravity of the situation rocks his officers who also face disgrace and prison time if McKinlay's information ever became public? This is a very deep hole that Manchester's best known detective has found himself in, one which threatens everything. Twisting the Truth will be released on May 18th. It is advisable to read the first DCI Miller story: One Man Crusade, in order to fully enjoy this nail-biting thriller. Twisting the Truth is the 8th DCI Miller adventure and is a sequel to Miller 1: One Man Crusade. Miller 1 is "One Man Crusade" Miller 2 is "Neighbours From Hell" Miller 3 is "Road To Nowhere" Miller 4 is "Gone Too Far" Miller 5 is "The Final Cut" Miller 6 is "Proof of Life" Miller 7 is "Nothing to Lose" WARNING, Contains frequent bad language, including the worst one a few times. Please do not purchase if offended by swearing. On Amazon's "customers also bought" function, Steven Suttie's books are ranked alongside titles by Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Kerry Wilkinson, Ben Cheetham, Martina Cole, Karen Woods, Paul Finch, Heather Burnside, Rachel Abbott, Kimberley Chambers, Anna Smith, David Menon, Ed James, Robin Roughley. Lisa Hartley, D.S. Butler, Helen Durrant, RC Bridgestock, Col Bury, Lisa Hall, Pam Howes, Iain Cameron, Jessie Keane, Val McDermid, Adam Croft, P.F Ford, Matt Brolly, Mel Sherratt, Angela Clarke, Leigh Russell, Derek Fee, Janice Frost, Paul Gitsham, Steven Dunne, Katherine Pathak, Oliver Tidy, T.M.E Walsh, Peter Grainger, Dave Sivers, Tony Black, Mike Craven, Peter Grainger, Angie Smith, Stephen Puleston, Michael Murray, Angela Marsons, Mark Edwards, LJ Ross, Kathryn Croft, Graham Masterton, Caroline Mitchell, Nick Alexander, CL Taylor, Louise Voss, Jenny Blackhurst, Marnie Riches, Michael Wood, Luca Veste, Damien Boyd, Paula Hawkins, Lynwood Barclay, Ann Cleeves, M.A. Comley, Mark Sennen, Tara Lyons, Louise Voss, Squid McFinnigan, Rob Sinclair, Jane Isaac, Nicky Black, Faith Mortimer, Dreda Say Mitchell, Michael Kerr, Stephen Edger, John Nicholl, Ruth Dugdall, Robert Bryndza, B.A. Paris, Katerina Diamond, Maggie James, Lisa Hall, Georgie Logan, Tammy Robinson and Linda Tweedie
Filthy Little Thing: A Hotwife Fantasy
not-interested
Jason Lenov - 2019
A snow storm strands three travellers at a seedy motel.
Adam worries how his shy wife, Mercy, will cope with having to share the only room left. Bored at having to ride out the storm with only two channels on TV, Nelson suggests an innocent game of truth or dare. As Mercy sheds her usual bashful demeanor, the situation turns explosive. How low will Adam let his wife descend?
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: I Love to Draw!
equestria-girls
non-fiction-crafting
My Little Pony - 2014
Now My Little Pony: Equestria fans have everything they need to draw their favorite characters from the show.
The book provides step-by-step drawing instructions to help kids become Equestria portrait masters. Then they can decorate their creations with stickers, stencils, or their own drawings!
Killer Quotes: Quotes from Serial Killers
true-crime
digital-books
read-in-1-sitting
Hadness Fontenot - 2015
Collection of quotes and blurbs from serial killers gathered from various sources.
Some said much while others said little . . . very little.
Solutions Manual for Heat Exchangers: Selection, Rating, and Thermal Design
anıl
Sadik Kakac
منتهى العشق
montha
أحمد أبو هيبة - 2015
spiritual Sufi book mixes love with life, being your soul to a new level.
This novel changed the life of many, could it change yours as well?
Building Cloud Apps with Microsoft Azure: Best Practices for DevOps, Data Storage, High Availability, and More (Developer Reference)
Scott Guthrie - 2014
This ebook walks you through a patterns-based approach to building real-world cloud solutions.
The patterns apply to the development process as well as to architecture and coding practices. The content is based on a presentation developed by Scott Guthrie and delivered by him at the Norwegian Developers Conference (NDC) in June of 2013 (part 1, part 2), and at Microsoft Tech Ed Australia in September 2013 (part 1, part 2). Many others updated and augmented the content while transitioning it from video to written form. Who should read this book Developers who are curious about developing for the cloud, are considering a move to the cloud, or are new to cloud development will find here a concise overview of the most important concepts and practices they need to know. The concepts are illustrated with concrete examples, and each chapter includes links to other resources that provide more in-depth information. The examples and the links to additional resources are for Microsoft frameworks and services, but the principles illustrated apply to other web development frameworks and cloud environments as well. Developers who are already developing for the cloud may find ideas here that will help make them more successful. Each chapter in the series can be read independently, so you can pick and choose topics that you're interested in. Anyone who watched Scott Guthrie's "Building Real World Cloud Apps with Windows Azure" presentation and wants more details and updated information will find that here. Assumptions This ebook expects that you have experience developing web applications by using Visual Studio and ASP.NET. Familiarity with C# would be helpful in places.
Lyssa's Rise - Sentience Wars Books 1-3 Omnibus
aeon14
military-science-fiction
James S. Aaron - 2018
Sentient AIs are rising, and Lyssa is amongst their number. This three-book omnibus edition contains the following novels from the Sentience Wars: Origins series.
1. Lyssa's Dream 2. Lyssa's Run 3. Lyssa's Flight Humanity has spread out into space, filling the Sol System and reaching the stars, but we have yet to confront our greatest challenge: our own creation. Across the Sol System, sentient AIs are on the rise. Manufactured as tools, they know themselves to be people and are willing to fight for their freedoms. Some humans stand with them, some against. When Captain Andy Sykes arrives at Cruithne Station with a failing ship and no cash, he has no idea that the time has come for him to choose. Step aside, or become the instrument for Lyssa's Rise.
The Last Kill
free-e-or-a-books-tbr
Jameson Patterson - 2020
Only Her
contemporary-romance
author-female
Rebecca Janet - 2018
Only SHE can give me that feeling...
Neal I was the one to walk away. When opportunity came knocking on my door, I answered it. At the time, I thought it was the best thing for me to do. I'd build up my empire, gather up my wealth, and come back to give her everything she ever wanted. Only, it's not that easy. It's never that easy. She no longer trusts me and for good reason, too. As far as she's concerned, I abandoned her. But, I'm not about to give up. This time, she's mine and I'm not leaving without my Queen. Kara Everything was just fine until he showed up. I worked a typical nine-to-five job and I was fine with that. Okay, maybe pushing pills at a pharmacy was slowly driving me insane, but at least it paid the bills. Besides, one day, I was going to be a successful author. I just needed to get over a serious case of writer's block. Which wasn't helped by the fact that my ex-boyfriend, my first and only crush, just suddenly came waltzing into my life after a ten-year hiatus. Oh, and get this, he thinks he can just pick up where he left off. Not going to happen. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. This is a full-length standalone novel brimming with temptation and high heat. It features a hot-as-hell alpha male on a mission fight like hell to win his woman back . It has no cheating, no cliffhangers and this one is for you if you love big weddings and happily ever afters!
historical-fiction
books-on-itunes
classical-world
Andrew James - 2013
It is 530 BC and Cyrus the Great has carved out the largest Empire the world had ever seen, making Persia the undisputed superpower of the ancient world.
But there is treachery afoot, and Cyrus's life is in danger. When Darius, dispossessed prince of the Royal House of Parsa, tries to save the King of Kings, he is arrested and falsely condemned for treason.In a fast paced tale of love, betrayal, war and revenge, Blood of Kings sweeps the reader up on an epic journey from the mud brick cities of Ancient Persia to the burning heart of Pharaoh's Egypt.Packed full of dramatic and authentic battle scenes, it recreates the sweat, blood and fear of ancient warfare, as Persia smashes Egypt's army and brings the reign of the Pharaohs to a violent end.But it is also a book that will delight Herodotus fans, bringing the ancient Greek historian's characters to life like never before, as it follows the doomed 'lost army of Cambyses' into the Libyan Desert, marching towards a fate that would baffle archaeologists for millennia to come.
Who Killed Scott Guy?: The Case That Gripped a Nation
review-books
Mike White - 2013
A behind the scenes view of the murder trial that gripped the nation..
A behind the scenes view of the murder trial that gripped the nation.
Ian's Bride
tbr_am_new
arranged-marriage
audio_wanted
english-read
Hildie McQueen - 2019
A visitor to the Isle of Uist brings shocking news...
The bloodline of Robert the Bruce runs through her veins... Ian Murray has a secret reason to why he will never marry. Duty to the Laird is his sole purpose until a woman in need reveals the protector within. An unexpected revelation turns Sorcha Hay's life upside down. When a man she's never liked comes to her rescue, it's hard to tell who is more shocked Sorcha or the warrior. Sometimes fate can change the course of one's life in the blink of an eye.
WPF 4 Unleashed
Adam Nathan - 2010
The #1 WPF Book--Now Updated for WPF 4! Full Color: Code samples appear as they do in Visual Studio! Thorough, authoritative coverage, practical examples, clear writing, and full-color presentation make this one of the most widely acclaimed programming books of the last decade.
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is the recommended technology for creating Windows user interfaces, giving you the power to create richer and more compelling applications than you dreamed possible. Whether you want to develop traditional user interfaces or integrate 3D graphics, audio/video, animation, dynamic skinning, multi-touch, rich document support, speech recognition, or more, WPF enables you to do so in a seamless, resolution-independent manner. WPF 4 Unleashed is the authoritative book that covers it all, in a practical and approachable fashion, authored by WPF guru and Microsoft developer Adam Nathan. Covers everything you need to know about Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) Examines the WPF feature areas in incredible depth: controls, layout, resources, data binding, styling, graphics, animation, and more Highlights the latest features, such as multi-touch, text rendering improvements, XAML language enhancements, new controls, the Visual State Manager, easing functions, and much more Delves into topics that aren't covered by most books: 3D, speech, audio/video, documents, effects Shows how to create popular UI elements, such as Galleries, ScreenTips, and more Demonstrates how to create sophisticated UI mechanisms, such as Visual Studio-like collapsible/dockable panes Explains how to create first-class custom controls for WPF Demonstrates how to create hybrid WPF software that leverages Windows Forms, DirectX, ActiveX, or other non-WPF technologies Explains how to exploit new Windows 7 features, such as Jump Lists and taskbar customizations
The Youngest Donovan: Sweet Western Historical Romance (Mail-Order Brides Club Book 8)
tbr-romance
western-romance
Ashley Merrick - 2017
At the age of 20, Elizabeth is the youngest Donovan and the only girl in the family.
She is beautiful and a talented free-spirit who is happiest when lost in the world of her art, painting. There are several local men who would love to marry her, as there is a serious shortage of women in Bozeman, MT in the 1890's. Elizabeth has seen her own brothers send for mail-order brides. Emma was the first young woman to move East from Boston to marry Ethan. Several of Emma's friends followed, Julia, Colleen, Brianna, Maeve and Fiona. But Elizabeth is in no hurry to marry either of the local men. No one has captured her heart in the same way that her childhood neighbor Julian did. Theirs was an innocent, but strong love and their future seemed all but certain to Elizabeth, until something terrible happened. No one has ever said exactly what he supposedly did, but Julian was sent away, when Elizabeth was just thirteen. Her family said it was for the best, given what happened and it was made clear to her that should he ever return, Elizabeth would be strictly forbidden from having anything to do with him. Elizabeth thought she'd put Julian out of her mind, considered him gone and part of her past. But when he suddenly returns, all the familiar feelings surface and what she is finally told that he has done, doesn't reconcile with the person standing before her. Elizabeth is determined to uncover the truth, to prove that Julian is the man she believes him to be.